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Thursday, April 25, 2024
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The ‘rattiest’ block no more Residents gain ground in battle against city rats By SHUN GRAVES
the daily northwestern @realshungraves
Rats scurried in broad daylight outside Insomnia Cookies in downtown Evanston. At night, the longtailed rodents leapt out of trash cans. And around the clock, they forced nearby businesses to wage a “losing battle” to keep them away, store operations manager Laura Dundas said in early March. She estimated that hundreds had overrun the 1700 block of Sherman Avenue. Defeat to mere rodents seemed almost certain. No battle plan could contain them “outside of nuclear war,” she said. Less than two months later, the rats have largely vanished. In an apparent victory for humans, downtown Evanston’s once-rattiest block may no longer be the rattiest. The battle may not have fully ended — and the furry fracas could return. Still, for
Dundas and other proprietors, going weeks without spotting the fearsome critters has offered a welcome relief. “When it gets to the point where students and anyone who’s out at night makes jokes about how many rats there are, I’m sure the city has to take notice,” Dundas said this week. Next door at Jimmy John’s, employee Mary Garcia hailed the recent repaving of a trash-strewn alley as one reason the rat pack disappeared. At the same time, however, their apparent demise arrived on the heels of yearslong efforts by the city’s rodent control team. Evanston has long grappled with waves of infestations. A 1978 front-page story in The Daily called one the “worst rodent problem in recent memory,” with about 250 sightings reported over six months. As of late, Evanston has received more than 300 reports over a similar period, according to figures provided this month by city officials. The recent infestation erupted as restaurants moved past the COVID-19
» See RATS, page 6
Isaiah Steinberg/The Daily Northwestern
The Senate passed similar divestment resolutions in 2015 and 2021.
ASG signs divestment resolution Senators vote to call for NU’s disaffiliation with Israeli institutions By ISAIAH STEINBERG
the daily northwestern @isaiahstei27
The Associated Student Government Senate passed a
resolution Wednesday to add its signature to the Northwestern People’s Resolution, which calls for the University to protect the civil liberties of proPalestinian community members and divest from Israeli
institutions. With the passage of the emergency legislation, the resolution — sponsored by NU’s chapters of Educators for Justice in Palestine, Students for Justice in Palestine,
and Jewish Voice for Peace — received the support of the liaison between the student body and the administration. The ASG legislation passed
» See SENATE, page 6
NU Hillel hosts community Seder Swae Lee to Event celebrates traditions, Jewish experience for first night of Passover By KELLEY LU
the daily northwestern @kelleylu_
Traditional Passover foods, drinks and flowers decorated tables at NU Hillel during the community Seder to mark the first night of Passover Monday. Seder is a traditional meal celebrated with songs and prayers and traditionally held with friends and family on the first two nights of Passover. This year, NU Hillel organized a Traditional Seder and a Reform Seder featuring social justice themes. The holiday retells and celebrates the story of Jewish liberation from Egyptian slavery over 3,000 years ago. The Haggadah, a Jewish text read throughout the night, guides the order of the feast, starting with Kadesh, the blessing over wine, and ending with Nirtzah, expressions of hopes and prayers. The tradition is to tell the story in first-person to relive the Exodus together as a community and be “connected to
Recycle Me
the Jewish story throughout time and space,” according to NU Hillel’s website. Weinberg sophomore and NU Hillel religious and spiritual life co-chair Haley Shamah said Hillel’s staff works to foster a community and provide resources for students to celebrate Passover and recreate the family experience associated with Seders. Some Jewish students do not celebrate Passover at home with Passover Seders, Shamah said, but Hillel hopes to provide the space for all students to come together to try the custom and celebrate the holiday together. “Obviously, nothing will compare to the traditions that you’re used to at home and home-cooked food,” Shamah said. “Our hope is that the community that we build at Hillel and the broader Northwestern community will definitely be a fun substitute.” NU Hillel staff works with NU Dining to provide Kosher Passover meals, according to Shamah. Monday ’s Seder menu featured traditional dishes such as chicken matzo
headline Dillo Hip-hop and R&B musician to perform at 52nd NU festival, Mayfest announces By MARY RANDOLPH
daily senior staffer @marywrandolph
my fellow classmates some of the Seder traditions we do at home.” Communication sophomore Roie Dahan’s family tradition begins Seder with chraime, a Moroccan fish dish
Hip-hop and R&B musician Swae Lee will headline Northwestern’s 52nd Dillo Day, Mayfest Productions announced Wednesday. The artist, known for the hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd and songs like “Sunflower” with Post Malone and “Unforgettable” with French Montana, epitomizes this year’s festival’s summer camp theme, Mayfest wrote in a Wednesday news release. “No other artist would be able to simultaneously take us all back to our summer camp days and perform current hits in the way that Swae will, with a nonstop set of songs everyone knows the words to,” Mayfest Booking Director and SESP senior Armaan Ajani said. Lee has written songs for artists including Beyoncé and Travis Scott. With 14 years in the industry, Mayfest wrote, Lee still has more to come. “It’s rare, I think, that we get to feature an artist who has such an extraordinary legacy and still so much ahead of them,” Talent Buyer and Weinberg junior Nathan Dent said. “We’re getting the best of both worlds in the sense that Swae Lee has given us so many classics and is still only beginning to show us what he’s capable of as a solo artist.” Dillo Day wristband registration for the May 18 festival is now open. Northwestern students get free admission and can pay $25 for an undergraduate guest ticket. Alumni can pay $30 for tickets.
» See PASSOVER, page 6
maryrandolph2026@u.northwestern.edu
Kelley Lu/The Daily Northwestern
Students enjoyed a Passover Seder with the NU Hillel community.
ball soup, eggplant schnitzel and chocolate chiffon cake. Shamah said food is central to the celebration. “Passover food is a way for me to connect with my heritage,” Shamah said. “I’ve taken that opportunity in that platform to share with
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