6 | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2009
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | FORUM
quote of the day “NU, it’s time you took microecon with Schulz; he’ll tell you all about opportunity cost, and how you’re losing more overall by not cutting your losses and just starting over.”
Kenny Levin, Friday columnist
forum
The Drawing Board
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Safety in lights, zoning petition, hoops star hurt
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to the new internship program that allows students to work for aldermen and other city government officials through NU’s Center for Civic Engagement. NU students and Evanston City Council members — it’s a logical pairing. The internships will let the City Council benefit from work by students, who in return will gain practical experience in government. It sets a great example for positive NU-Evanston collaboration. The recently opened Center for Civic Engagement is living up to all its expectations, boosting offerings to NU students and improving our ever-contentious town-gown relations.
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to the injury suffered by NU basketball player Kevin Coble. At Tuesday’s practice, NU’s senior basketball star rolled his left ankle after trying to grab a rebound. The mid-foot injury will keep Coble off the court for at least four to six weeks, and possibly more if he has to undergo surgery. The 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward averaged a team-high 15.5 points per game and sunk 31 points in NU’s 70-63 upset win against No. 7 Michigan State last season. The Wildcats were hoping Coble could help lead NU to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. With the most hype surrounding the team in recent memory, the Cats will have to open their season against Northern Illinois on Friday without the team’s heart and soul.
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to NU football for defeating then-No. 4 Iowa 17-10 last Saturday. With the win, the Wildcats become bowl eligible for the third straight season. The win does not guarantee the Cats a bowl game, however. The Big Ten has agreements with seven bowl partners, which means there are at least seven bowl games reserved for Big Ten teams. If the Cats were to win their final two games, they would likely be playing in a warm weather bowl such as the Champs Sports Bowl or Insight Bowl rather than the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl in Detroit.
The Daily Northwestern
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Norris needs new life from NU’s wallet
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to the reinstated Off Campus Light Walk for its attention to safety, especially in light of recent crime. Students, administrators and city officials joined forces to improve off-campus lighting at Tuesday’s stroll around Evanston and the Northwestern campus. The Light Walk, once an annual occurrence, had been suspended for two years but now has been thankfully reinstated. Considering the recent sexual abuse at Tech and robberies off campus, noticing unlit, possibly dangerous areas is a simple way to help keep students safe at night. However, because lights burn out more often than not, NU and Evanston should consider making the Light Walk a quarterly task instead of a yearly round. to a petition to close the Great Room, filed by Evanston residents who say NU’s newest dining spot violates zoning laws. Students have enjoyed the late-night hangout since its opening earlier this quarter, with its relaxed vibe of the Great Room, 610 Haven St., and the grilled peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches (add bananas for 20 cents more!). The petition claims the Great Room reaches the classification of being a restaurant, but we know that’s unfounded. Though popular, the Great Room still falls short of attracting large crowds that would disrupt the neighborhood. Plus, if it were a restaurant, we would probably expect a more sophisticated menu.
Kenny
nicole collins/the daily northwestern
letters to the editor
Fort Hood assumptions show misunderstanding On behalf of the Muslim-cultural Student Association (McSA) and the Coalition of Colors, I would like to thank Morgan Gilmour for expressing her opinion on the atrocity that occurred at Fort Hood (“Media biased in coverage of Fort Hood violence,” Nov. 11). No sane human being would condone the killing of 13 mothers, brothers and other family members. You are also absolutely right to demand that the people of this country have the right to know all of the facts pertinent to such incidents. However, we would like to point out that some of your facts are actually misguided. To say we understand everything would be a gross overstatement. We don’t have the right to say Maj. Hasan was justified in any of his grotesque actions. Nor is it our place to excuse him or to rise to anyone’s defense who commits such horrors. Similarly, it is also no individual’s place to even suggest a balance between restricting the freedom of information and the continuous marginalization of a segment of American society. Truly, is it anyone’s place to emphasize the religion or race of any criminal? (We must remember Muslims are not a race.) Would it be right to continuously emphasize the race of a rapist who happened to be Latino at the expense of already marginalized Latino Americans? Also would it be correct to stress the race of a robber who happened to be black? Since when does religion or race correlate to a predetermination to commit a crime? Finally, in regards to Islam, we understand in today’s society it is difficult to decipher between what is fact or fiction. With this in mind, our aim is not to chide you or anyone else who does not completely grasp Islam. We understand finding objective, non-culturally infused information regarding Islam is hard. Regardless, we firmly believe no one has the right to generalize Maj. Hasan’s actions as representing the religion of Islam and all Muslims. If Islam
Editor in chief | Emily Glazer managing editorS | Elise Foley and Matt Spector
Evanston, Ill. | Vol. 130, No. 40 forum editor | Stephanie Wang
did in fact dictate such grotesque behavior, don’t you think you would see all 1.85 million American Muslims taking every opportunity to “destroy America”? Again, thank you for expressing your opinion and consequently allowing for such a rich dialogue to commence. This provides a great example of why the creation of an Islamic Studies Program at Northwestern is imperative. — dulce acosta-licea Weinberg senior External Relations Vice President, Muslim-cultural Student Association Committee chair, Islamic Studies Program McSA representative, Coalition of Colors
No reason for fuss about new student Great Room I don’t get the current controversy involving the Great Room. It has been and continues to be a dining facility. When Seabury-Western Theological Seminary owned the property, students had access 24/7. Now it’s open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Students going there are quiet and are generally found studying. It’s a great space, and why the alderman (Ald. Judy Fiske, 1st) and Mr. and Mrs. Gaines are making it an issue is beyond me. It might well be attached to a student residence building, but there is no access within the Great Room to the residences. The residence requires a key fob to gain entrance, and it is not the same entrance as the Great Room. — Ronald A. Fox Assistant to the Dean, Seabury-Western Theological Seminary
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ear Northwestern, I’m trying to think of the nicest way to say this. It’s been said before, but I’m going to say it again in the hopes that, like a bad song you hear over and over, you finally start to like it and dance to the beat. Please help Norris University Center take a step toward enlightenment by having it reincarnated as a building that people actually enjoy. In other words, drop it into the lagoon and make a new one from scratch. A university student center should be the nucleus of a campus, the veritable Grand Central Station of scholastic and social interaction: a place where students are wont to go, a place conducive to their social patterns and study habits. Norris is none of these. It doesn’t attract students in high numbers unless they’re jonesing for caffeine, and it stuffs student groups into cramped, overcrowded offices. Norris, built in 1972, is the oldest student center in the Big Ten not to recently undergo major renovation. And it’s not the good, University Hallhistory-touting kind of old either, but old as in 1970s-concrete-prison-overdose-architecture-old. NU has attempted to revitalize its dying student union with a number of minor improvements in recent years. The addition of Starbucks a few years ago with comfortable seating was a notable enhancement, but others, such as the new-age furniture and a poorly done paint job added to the lower level this past summer, failed to counteract the atmosphere exuded by Norris. The ground floor still has the same stale and deflating feeling to it‚ — the only difference is now the muted tile floor is complemented by janky white and black wooden walls instead of brown ones. All of these additions are merely face-lift after facelift on the Joan Rivers’ face that is Norris University Center. Because of this, the food court is vastly underused, and the rest of Norris besides Starbucks is shunned like the claustrophobic hospital corridor it looks like. NU, it’s time you took microecon with Schulz; he’ll tell you all about opportunity cost, and how you’re losing more overall by not cutting your losses and just starting over. The administration consistently blames a lack of donors for never rebuilding the student union, but what type of excuse is that? Even during an economic recession, NU’s endowment is just under $6 billion. NU had excess operating expenses of more than $100 million at the end of 2007, and in 2008, due to that miracle drug Lyrica, that number was more than $700 million, according to NU financial reports. Would skimming a bit off the top of the extra revenue NU has in addition to the endowment really set the University back that much? Not to mention the fact that NU is a nonprofit institution and should be spending that money on its students in the first place. Come on, NU, it’s time you gave our fair institution the student center it deserves. Weinberg senior Kenny Levin can be reached at k.levin@u.northwestern.edu.
the authors, not Students Publishing Co. Inc. Submissions signed by more than three people must include at least one and no more than three names designated to represent the group. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daily’s student editorial board and not the opinions of either Northwestern University or Students Publishing Co. Inc.