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Monday, January 9, 2023
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Community fridges see fewer donations Supplies fall short as holiday giving drops off By JOYCE LI
the daily northwestern @joyycee.li
All four of Evanston Community Fridges’ refrigerators were empty on Dec. 19, though two had been restocked just three days earlier. Anna Grant-Bolton, Evanston Community Fridges’ outreach organizer, said the fridges have all since been filled — but still, they empty out from time to time. “It’s indicative that there’s a lot of folks who need food in the community,” she said. “That should be a message to all Evanston community members to step up and make sure that we’re supplying that food.” Eight Evanston Community Fridges organizing members have been actively running the fridges since co-founders Maggie Quinn and Maia Robinson stepped down in October. Fridge managers — members of the organizing team each responsible for one of the four fridges — clean their assigned fridge and remove expired or unlabelled items.
In addition to the central team, over 20 people help out in various capacities such as stocking the fridges and donating funds. Evanston Community Fridges has also been collaborating with the Evanston Nouveau Rotary Club since September. Members of this club donate food, arrange food drives and conduct monthly deep cleanings of the fridges. Deshana Newman, an organizing team member, said the organization hosted its first Thanksgiving food drive back in November. The fridges saw an assortment of Thanksgiving staple foods like turkey, green beans and mashed potatoes as community members donated and helped distribute dinner boxes for the holiday. “(This initiative was) just phenomenal and extraordinary and a testament to the giving hearts of people that live in the Evanston community,” Newman said. The fridges saw an uptick in donations during the winter holidays, according to Carrie Jackson, the manager of the Sunrise Fridge, as Evanston residents dropped off holidaythemed dinner boxes the following month.
» See FRIDGES, page 6
Seeger Gray/Daily Senior Staffer
Students line up at the new Norris University Center restaurant, Buen Día, which opened after winter break.
Norris debuts new dining options
Students flock to ‘847 Burger,’ ‘Buen Día’ for fresh meal exchanges By TALIA WINIARSKY
the daily northwestern
Northwestern community members now have two new food options to choose from at
the Norris University Center: 847 Burger, offering variations of burgers and a chicken sandwich, and Buen Día, serving tacos, quesadillas and burrito bowls. Both accept meal exchanges
and dining dollars. Northwestern Dining collects data from student feedback, market research and culinary trends to decide how to update their dining options, according to Sophia Bamiatzis,
District Marketing Manager of Compass Group, NU’s food services provider. “We know that students are looking for customizable
» See RESTAURANT, page 6
Pineda wins Miss Asia USA 2023 Pay raises, rights McCormick sophomore talks finding footing on stage, campus By LEXI GOLDSTEIN
the daily northwestern @lexipgoldstein
High heels and glamor aren’t for everyone, but the shoe fits McCormick sophomore Ariana Pineda, winner of Miss Asia USA 2023 in the eponymous pageant in November. Pineda, a Pasadena, California native, joined Miss Asia USA in the summer of 2022. She flew to Los Angeles from Evanston almost every week starting Fall Quarter for gown fittings, training and rehearsals. As a transfer from Rice University, Pineda said she juggled adjusting to Northwestern and competing simultaneously. “This Miss Asia competition, it was like my one and only shot to participate in something so grand and so something that’s not within what I thought was possible for me,” Pineda said. The Miss Asia USA pageant emphasizes both beauty and brains, which resonated with Pineda, who is a self-taught coder. She created a gout diet management app, Purity, in 2020.
Recycle Me
Pineda said she was inspired to create the app after a conversation with her father, who struggles with gout, a form of arthritis. Purity is the number one rated app for gout, according to the app’s description. The biomedical engineering major has advocated for women in STEM since high school when she helped found the “makeathon” conference EntrepreneuHER. The virtual event, where participants workshopped a pitch STEM initiatives to judges and investors, attracted hundreds of participants globally, according to Pineda. “I wanted to imbue that same passion for creation in more girls because I truly think that our generation is going to be the leaders of the world, the shakers of the world and the changemakers of the world,” Pineda said. Her entrepreneurial spirit was her focus in the pageant. Pineda said she learned more about selfconfidence and empowerment from the Miss Asia USA pageant. Prior to starting pageantry, she said she worried about public speaking. Miss Asia USA 2017 and
and rising prices Nine new laws will affect Evanston residents in 2023 By NICOLE MARKUS
daily senior staffer @nicolejmarkus
Content warning: This article contains mentions of violence and miscarriages. More than 180 new laws went into effect in Illinois on Jan. 1. Here are nine of the most impactful laws for Evanston residents in the new year.
Minimum Wage Increase Photo courtesy of Ariana Pineda
McCormick sophomore Ariana Pineda transferred to Northwestern in fall 2022. She attended Rice University during the 2021-2022 academic year.
pageant host Rachel Park said she empathized with Pineda’s reservations about public speaking and performing for larger audiences. “I saw a lot of myself in Ariana when it came to social anxieties,” Park said.
Pineda said the physical demands of pageantry were another challenge. She said perfecting the model walk was difficult with the combination of long gowns, slippery
» See PAGEANT, page 6
On Jan. 1, the Illinois minimum wage increased from $12 to $13. The increase, though relatively small, is part of an annual increase that will continue through 2025 and ultimately raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the legislation in 2019. For workers who routinely earn tips, the minimum wage increased to $7.80 per hour. However, if tips do not make up the difference
for the $13 minimum wage, the employer must cover the rest.
Task Force on Missing and Murdered Chicago Women Act This new state law creates a task force to examine the causes behind violence against women of all ages in Chicago. The task force’s primary job is to compile data on violent crimes and report these findings to the Illinois General Assembly and the governor. Additionally, it will propose new policies aimed at reducing violence against Chicago women and altering the way these crimes are prosecuted.
Workers’ Rights Amendment In the 2022 midterm election, voters approved a Workers’ Rights Amendment that guarantees government employees the ability to unionize and bargain collectively over employment terms. Supporters of the amendment say it will help workers secure higher pay, better hours and more favorable working conditions.
» See NEW NATIONAL LAWS, page 6
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