The Daily Northwestern — October 23, 2024 by The Daily Northwestern

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Wednesday, October 23, 2024

DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM 6 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/The Great Comet

9 CAMPUS/Leopold Lecture

AUDIO/The Weekly

NU alum-led Writers Theatre production immerses audiences

John Kerry talks climate action at Northwestern

The Daily’s editors talk JVP activism, Harley Clarke

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Senate honors killed Palestinian American child By LILY OGBURN

daily senior staffer @lilyogburn

One year after the murder of Wadee Alfayoumi, a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy from Plainfield, Illinois, his memory is driving national policy and uniting Chicago communities. Last October, Alfayoumi was killed in a hate crime by his family’s landlord, Joseph Czuba. Czuba was reportedly aggravated by the ongoing war in Gaza, attacking the family because they were Muslim, according to the resolution. Wadee Alfayoumi’s mother, Hanan Shaheen, survived the attack. “We lost a light when Wadee Alfayoumi – a 6-year-old boy beloved by his community – was the victim of an anti-Palestinian hate crime instigated by dehumanizing rhetoric,” Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago) said in a statement on Oct. 14. Wadee Alfayoumi’s murder came just a week after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed 1,200 Israelis, according to Israeli officials. Since then, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials. Now, the Muslim Civic Coalition in Chicago and several Illinois officials are honoring Wadee

» See WADEE, page 10

1 in 3 students approve, disapprove of Schill Majority of students agree with University decision to strike Deering Meadow deal By SCOTT HWANG

daily senior staffer

University President Michael Schill received a 32.0% approval rating — the percent of respondents who “strongly approve” or

“somewhat approve” of his job performance — in The Daily’s inaugural campus poll of undergraduate students. A similar proportion of students — 33.8% — “strongly disapprove” or “somewhat disapprove.” The survey, which was conducted two weeks ago, asked students about

demographics, lifestyle, national politics and Northwestern issues. It also asked first-year students about admissions. The anonymous poll was open online to NU students for one week and advertised at three on-campus polling stations for three days, accumulating 1,135 responses.

NU had 8,846 total undergraduate students in 2023-2024, according to the University’s Common Data Set report. About one in eight undergraduate students filled out the poll.

» See CAMPUS POLL, page 4

Norris hosts MENA, Muslim space Central Street a Students organizations hope for more permanent accomodation By KELLEY LU

daily senior staffer @kelleylu_

Tucked on the third floor of Norris University Center is a temporary space dedicated to Middle Eastern and North African and Muslim students. The windowless rooms have bright yellow sofa chairs and small meeting tables with minimal decor. Each room can host about 20 people. The MENA Student Association and Muslim-cultural Students Association frequently hold meetings in the space. The University provided this space as part of its commitment in the agreement that concluded the pro-Palestinian encampment on Deering Meadow in April. The Norris room will be in use until the University can provide a house for MENA and Muslim students upon completion of the Donald P. Jacobs Center renovation, which is expected by 2026. SESP senior and McSA coPresident Rayyana Hassan said MENA and McSA have been

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asking for their own space on campus for several years. “(McSA students) don’t really know where to go to find that sense of community of people that believe in the same things as them, feel like they belong in the same spot as them,” Hassan said. “This is more like a physical structure showing that people can belong somewhere.” Weinberg junior and MENA treasurer Nader Rahhal said the temporary room is primarily used for executive board meetings or smaller hangouts rather than larger events for the broader MENA and McSA community. Rahhal said he hopes the permanent house can accommodate more members and become a “third space” for socializing and bringing the MENA community together. “We don’t really feel like the space truly belongs to us,” Rahhal said. “We only throw events every couple of weeks, and so there’s a lot of gaps in between. Having a third space is very important during those gaps for people to be able to meet each other.”

hotspot for murals eclectic and artistic neighborEvanston artists business district,” said make neighborhood hood Angela Shaffer, community of Central Street Evan‘vibrant,’ ‘eclectic’ director ston. “We’re always trying to By NAOMI TAXAY

daily senior staffer @naomitaxay

Shun Graves/The Daily Northwestern

The temporary space for MENA and Muslim students is on the third floor of Norris University Center.

While many MENA and McSA students currently use the Multicultural Center to build community, Rahhal said one of his goals for the new space is not to isolate MENA students from others but rather to provide a

safe environment for discussing sensitive topics in their own way. Rahhal said the MENA demographic is very vulnerable and needs care within a

» See MENA SPACE, page 10

lean into the arts whenever we can. I think we’ve used up every wall space possible now in our district.” “Bookended” by the Evanston Art Center and the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Central Street was artsy to begin with, Shaffer said. The area is home to art galleries, the Evanston School of Ballet and the Music Conservatory of Illinois, allowing for all kinds of creative expression, she said. Central Street Evanston helped sponsor three murals in collaboration with Art Encounter’s Evanston Mural Arts Program, which pairs local organizations, schools and business districts with professional artists to create large-scale public works. Most of the murals, however, were purchased by businesses, Shaffer said. Out of nowhere, murals seemed to pop up everywhere, representing both the

As artists look to add their touch to Evanston’s ever-changing landscape, blank walls on Central Street have become increasingly hard to come by. On the sides of restaurants, in alleyways and even on residents’ garage doors, locals have transformed the urban district into a canvas, reflecting the artistic community and its interests. More than 75 murals have been painted in Evanston in the last decade, through public projects, like Art Encounter’s Evanston Mural Arts Program, and personal ones, like Teresa Parod’s art walk. The neighborhood around Central Street is home to around half of these newer murals, with 10 on the street itself. “Part of our vision for Central Street is to be a vibrant, » See CENTRAL STREET MURALS, page 10