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The Daily Northwestern DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Obama to speak at NU
Canvas switch moves ahead
President Barack Obama will speak at Northwestern on Thursday, according to multiple sources. Obama, who will be in Chicago to attend an event with Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, will speak at Cahn Auditorium, according to multiple sources. The Chicago Sun-Times reported Obama’s scheduled appearance in Evanston on Monday afternoon.
NUIT
daily senior staffer @tylerpager
A White House official told The Daily the president will arrive in Chicago on Wednesday. He will attend a campaign event for Quinn on Thursday, according to the White House and the governor’s office. Obama will leave Chicago on Thursday. On Monday afternoon, helicopters landed on The Lakefill. University spokesman Al Cubbage said the helicopters were part of a police exercise, but would not comment on whether Obama will be on campus Thursday.
NUIT
By tyler pager
Find us online @thedailynu
Present: Goal: Have 50% of all fall course sites on canvas
Actual:
54% of all fall course sites are on canvas
Future:
canvas
Winter 2015: 75% of all winter course sites on canvas Spring 2015: 100% of all spring course
sites on canvas
tylerpager2017@u.northwestern.edu
Summer 2015: Phase out Blackboard Graphic by Hanna Bolaños/Daily Senior Staffer Source: Northwestern University Information Technology
By Mark ficken
the daily northwestern @MarkFicken
Daily file photo by Susan Du
POTUS ON CAMPUS President Barack Obama speaks at a Chicago high school in February 2013. Obama will speak at Northwestern on Thursday after attending an event in Chicago with Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn.
More than half of Northwestern’s classes have transitioned to the new Canvas online course management system, according to NU Information Technology, putting NU slightly ahead of schedule for the department’s goal of moving all courses to Canvas by Spring Quarter. Victoria Getis, manager of faculty support services for NUIT, said about 54 percent of all courses have made the transition from the old Blackboard system. NUIT’s original goal was to have 25-50 percent of courses on Canvas by this quarter. “We’re moving quickly to move from Blackboard to Canvas,” Getis said. “You can’t get through all the classes that the
Council to delay bike plan By Stephanie Kelly
the daily northwestern @StephanieKellyM
Aldermen approved the city’s request Monday to delay for two years the implementation of two-way bike lanes along parts of Sheridan Road and Chicago Avenue that run through Northwestern’s campus. Parts of the Sheridan Road/Chicago Avenue Improvement Project also calls for traffic signal upgrades, resurfacing and reconstruction and street improvements. These plans were deferred to 2017. The plans will be delayed due to construction on Emerson Street, Ridge Avenue and Green Bay Road, scheduled to be completed in 2016. Staff want to make sure that the street construction is finished before the construction for bike lanes on Sheridan Road begins, said Sat Nagar, the city’s assistant director of engineering and infrastructure. Before the 2017 construction, there will be street restoration and work done on Sheridan Road and Chicago Avenue’s water main line from June 15 to Aug. 28, 2015. Ald. Jane Grover (7th) said that while
the city works on bike lanes for Sheridan Road, NU will be working on bike infrastructure within campus. “The University wants to also be developing their own bike plan, and so it all has to make sense together,” Grover said to The Daily. Weinberg senior Erik Zorn, Associated Student Government executive vice president, spoke to council about the necessity of a bike path at NU. He said in a campus-wide survey of more than 2,000 undergrads last year, more than 95 percent wanted to see a Sheridan Road bike lane. Students wanted to see it implemented this year, Zorn said. Ald. Coleen Burrus (9th) said the time element is important, but not as important as other aspects of the plan. “I concur with Ald. Grover where it would be great to have it (constructed) next year,” she said. “But getting it right is more important than getting it done fast.” City Council also discussed Evanston bike policy initiatives aimed at improving bike education for city residents and NU students alike. Ylda Capriccioso, the city’s intergovernmental affairs coordinator, laid out the framework for an initiative and the next
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
steps for bike policy in Evanston. The city centered the initiative on outreach, education and regulations on biking and plans to launch it by spring and summer 2015. Ald. Melissa Wynne (3rd) said she would like more education about biking given to School District 202 and Evanston/Skokie School District 65 students, as well as to NU students. NU bicyclists don’t realize how invisible they are to cars passing, she said, and she suggested NU provide reflective vests to its students. Aldermen said they want to see a more comfortable relationship among bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians throughout the city. Ald. Mark Tendam (6th) said a middle ground needs to be established to alleviate hostilities among the different groups. “We all need to agree that we all have certain expectations when we meet at an intersection or when we’re on the sidewalk as a pedestrian and there’s bike traffic,” Tendam said. Capriccioso said there are already plans underway to make more web resources available for bicyclists in response to a request from Grover. stephaniekelly2017@u.northwestern.edu
University teaches without going through an entire academic year.” To facilitate the move from Blackboard to Canvas, NUIT worked with each undergraduate and graduate school to form a Canvas Transition Committee to help ensure Canvas meets each school’s specific needs. Susanna Calkins, an associate director at the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching and a member of the Canvas Transition Committee, explained that although it may be inconvenient for students to look for course information on both Canvas and Blackboard, the transition has required instructors to rethink their courses. “It gives you a chance to think about, ‘What is my course? What am I doing in my course?’ and to reflect a little bit,” she said. “It’s so easy in Blackboard just to do
Power returns after outages reported on North Campus
Power returned to North Campus on Tuesday night after multiple hours of blackouts. More than 15 buildings were affected, University Police Deputy Chief Dan McAleer said. Students reported outages in residences such as Bobb Hall, McCulloch Hall, Sargent Hall and the College of Cultural and Community Studies, and fraternity houses such as Delta Tau Delta, Phi Kappa Psi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Zeta Beta Tau. Patten Gym also lost power. McAleer said no academic buildings were affected, including Technological Institute. He said ComEd, the power company that serves NU, was notified and responded to the outage.
— Tyler Pager
the same assignments, but when you had to make the switch you had to rethink, ‘Well what is it I really want my students doing in this course, and how am I going to arrange it?’” Timothy Dohrer, director of the Master of Science in Education program, called NUIT’s goals timeline, which aims to phase out Blackboard by next summer, “forgiving” to both professors and students. “I just spoke to a colleague at a different university just this week who was given literally three months notice that they were changing from Blackboard to Canvas,” Dohrer said. “I feel like NUIT did a very good thing and a very nice thing in giving instructors a full year to learn the program.” » See canvas, page 6
Ana Gasteyer to be Homecoming Marshal
Ana Gasteyer will serve as the grand marshal for Northwestern’s Homecoming Parade this year, the NU Alumni Association announced Monday. Gasteyer (Communication ’89) is an actress best known for her time on Saturday Night Live and her roles in Mean Girls and the ABC sitcom Suburgatory. At NU, Gasteyer was involved in the Waa-Mu Show and sketch comedy group Mee-Ow. The Homecoming Parade will be held Oct. 17. Homecoming festivities begin on Oct. 11 and culminate with the football game against Nebraska on Oct. 18. — Tyler Pager
Source: Northwestern Homecoming Facebook
Ana Gasteyer (Communication ’89)
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