NEWS On Campus Former NU lecturer remembered for dedication, wit » PAGE 3
SPORTS Men’s Golf Wildcats head to Caribbean for Puerto Rico Classic » PAGE 8
OPINION Balk Northwestern should bring Norris to life at night » PAGE 4
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The Daily Northwestern Friday, February 19, 2016
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BERNIE BUSINESS
NUBAA begins archive
Task force planned for 50th year celebration of Bursar’s Office sit-in By FATHMA RAHMAN
the daily northwestern @fathma_rahman
Sam Schumacher/The Daily Northwestern
FEELING THE BERN Organizers and supporters for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign congregate at the opening of the Evanston Field Office Thursday. The field office opened Thursday night and launched volunteer and outreach efforts for the Northshore area.
Sen. Sanders’ campaign opens Evanston field office By BENJAMIN WINCK
the daily northwestern @benwinck
A new field office for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign opened Thursday in Evanston, looking to solidify support for
the candidate in the North Shore. Over 50 Chicagoland residents joined members of Sanders’ campaign team for a meet-and-greet with fellow Sanders advocates and a community discussion on how to gather support around the area. The audience ranged from DePaul University students to elderly Evanston residents and even a few
Illinois primary election delegates. The event allowed individuals to sign up for shifts at the phone bank and canvassing. The new office at 516 Dempster St. will serve as a home base and offer many opportunities for followers to improve their outreach, » See BERNIE, page 6
Almost 50 years after black students and community supporters at Northwestern took control of the Bursar’s Office and presented the University with a list of demands to improve their quality of life on campus, the NU Black Alumni Association is creating a task force to commemorate the protest. The task force will plan a series of events culminating in a large event during May 2018 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the sit-in at the University’s financial affairs office, NUBAA president Dr. Jeffrey Sterling (Weinberg ‘85) said. “The commemoration activities are really meant to highlight all the steps forward that the African-American community has made over the years,” Sterling said. “We hope the events to really be a celebration of progress — and, equally as important, a sense of » See NUBAA, page 6
Islamophobia origins, future analyzed by scholar By MATTHEW CHOI
the daily northwestern @matthewchoi2018
Islamophobia is not a Muslim problem but an American problem, said Reza Aslan at a speech Thursday held by the Northwestern Muslim-cultural Student Association. “Fear Inc: The Industrializing of Islamophobia,” the keynote address of McSA’s Discover Islam Week, featured Aslan, an author and religious scholar. Aslan presented statistics on the rise of Islamophobic acts in the United States and addressed their origins, with a Q&A moderated by political science Prof. Elizabeth Hurd following his speech. Over 400 people attended the event at Lutkin Hall. Recently, Islamophobia has been on the rise, Aslan said. Particularly with presidential elections approaching, many candidates are expressing Islamophobic
sentiments unimaginable 10 years ago, he said. While 31 percent of Americans held unfavorable views toward Muslims following 9/11, 61 percent do today, Aslan said. “What’s really fascinating about this unprecedented rise is that it’s not an accident,” Aslan said. “This isn’t the result of home grown fears. It’s actually been a very well coordinated attempt by a very small group (driving) home this message that Muslims are an enemy.” Aslan discussed the role of the media and political figures in making Islamophobic ideas increasingly mainstream. News organizations bring Islamophobia into people’s homes, Aslan said, and allow political figures such as Donald Trump to spread anti-Muslim fears. “Donald Trump is not funny anymore,” Aslan said. “These are not fringe ideas. They are very much in the mainstream … And these words have very clear consequences.”
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Conversely, Muslims are among the most law-abiding and peaceful religious groups in the United States, Aslan said. Aslan cited a 2010 Gallup poll that asked participants about the acceptability of the use of violence. In that poll, 78 percent of Muslims said violence is never acceptable, the highest percentage of all religious groups. “If we are involved in an ideological conflict or war of ideas, then we have at our disposal the greatest weapon in that fight: a Muslim community that is integrated and civil and successful and comfortable in their skin and their Americanness,” Aslan said. The origin of Islamophobia is not ignorance, Aslan said, but fear. He said to combat Islamophobia, the same methods used to combat past forces of religious intolerance, from anti-Catholic policies to anti-Semitism, must be employed: » See FEAR, page 6
Leeks Lim/The Daily Northwestern
BUILDING BRIDGES Author Reza Aslan speaks in Lutkin Hall at an event hosted Thursday by the Muslim-cultural Students Association for Discover Islam Week. Aslan discussed Islamophobia and its current rise in the mainstream.
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