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The Daily Northwestern Thursday, September 21, 2023
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10 CITY/District 65
3 CAMPUS/US News
6 GAMEDAY/What to watch for
District 65 school board approves 2024 budget
Northwestern retains No. 9 spot in the 2024 U.S. News college rankings
NU prepares for Big Ten home opener versus Minn.
High 75 Low 65
NU to fund Dillo Day, Fall Blowout traditions that help make NorthMore ASG funds, western a special place and create resources exist for lifelong memories for our stuUniversity spokesperson other student groups dents,” Hilary Hurd Anyaso told The By JACOB WENDLER
daily senior staffer @jacob_wendler
Illustration by Lily Ogburn
The IDPH endorsed the CDC’s recommendation to administer FDA-approved COVID-19 booster shots for all people ages six months and older.
IDPH endorses CDC booster update CDC recommends booster for individuals six months and older By LILY OGBURN
daily senior staffer @lilyogburn
The Illinois Department of Public Health recently
endorsed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation to administer COVID-19 booster shots from Pfizer and Moderna approved by the Food and Drug Administration for
people six months and older. This new recommendation from the CDC comes just nine days after the FDA approved new mRNA shots for all people over 5 years old. “Illinois now has a new
tool to prepare our residents for the fall and winter respiratory season: an updated COVID-19 vaccine that targets current strains,” IDPH
» See BOOSTER, page 9
Northwestern has agreed to fund the anticipated costs of Dillo Day and A&O Productions’ Blowout, Vice President of Student Affairs Susan Davis announced Sunday in an email to the NU community. According to the email, the Office of the President is partnering with the Division of Student Affairs and the Associated Student Government to provide the additional funding. The change freed up approximately $230,000 for ASG and the Student Activities Finance Committee to redistribute to student organizations for use in the 2023-2024 school year, according to ASG Co-Presidents Donovan Cusick and Molly Whalen. They said the additional money was redistributed to student groups through the rules utilized by the Student Activities Finance Committee in Spring 2023 and that affected organizations have been notified. “Fall Blowout, Dance Marathon and Dillo Day are campus
Daily in an email. Cusick and Whalen said talks between ASG and NU administration about the school funding student organizations began last fall. The pair said the gap between available and needed funding was consistently growing. After working with student organizations to determine how much funding the groups needed for the upcoming year, Cusick and Whalen submitted a proposal to administration. The University approved the proposal with a total commitment of greater than $600,000 in July 2023. The funding commitment allocates approximately $102,000 for A&O productions, about $479,000 for Mayfest and about $30,000 for Northwestern University Dance Marathon, according to Cusick and Whalen. “Our events could not happen without (the University’s) willingness to discuss and to help us bring diverse entertainment to Northwestern without compromising our core values, including
» See FUNDING, page 9
New Shake Smart City Council talks capital improvement shakes up Norris The proposed Capital Improvement Project budget sits at $111 million Chain increases healthy dining options on campus By JOANNA HOU
daily senior staffer @joannah_11
Shake Smart is bringing some refreshing changes to Norris University Center. The chain, which currently has more than 40 locations on college campuses nationwide, operates its Norris location between 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. In June, Shake Smart founder and CEO Kevin Gelfand told The Daily he founded the concept on his own college campus — San Diego State University — after noticing healthy dining options were few and far between. The Northwestern location sells smoothies, acai bowls, sandwiches and oatmeal. Weinberg sophomores Asha Reddy and Madison
Recycle Me
Liu came to test out the new dining spot after seeing the space — once home to the relocated Starbucks Coffee — closed off for the majority of last year. Liu ordered the rawçaí bowl, which features strawberries, banana, chia and coconut flakes. “At home, I eat a lot of smoothies and acai bowls,” Liu said. “They’re harder to get in Evanston, so I thought it might be good to try here.” McCormick senior Sengdao Inthavong, who also came to try Shake Smart for the first time on Wednesday, is a big smoothie fan. W hile Inthavong used to visit the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion to get smoothies at Protein Bar & Kitchen, the new location is a big draw for him, especially because he lives closer to South Campus this year. As a South Campus resident, Weinberg sophomore Gina Valdivia also said the location was a big draw. She ordered the ‘a perfect 10’
» See SHAKE SMART, page 9
By LILY CAREY
daily senior staffer @lilylcarey
Amid concerns of funding, Evanston City Council began discussing proposed 2024 Capital Improvement Program projects at a special meeting Monday night. The CIP typically allocates $40 to $90 million on the annual budget toward citywide infrastructure projects, and the 2023 CIP amounted to $92.5 million. The proposed 2024 CIP, however, comes in at $111 million — a number that city engineer Lara Biggs said is “more than we could execute with current staff and resources.” Much of the 2024 CIP is going toward the 1909 water intake replacement project, an ongoing project to replace the city’s oldest water intake providing drinking water to residents. There is nearly $47 million being allocated toward this project, and it is a major reason why this year’s CIP amount is so inflated, Biggs said. The city also hopes to tackle
two major projects with the 2024 CIP — replacing aging water mains and upgrading outdated parks and facilities. However, as Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th) noted, “our capital needs far outweigh available funding.” In her presentation, Biggs referred to the current proposed 2024 CIP as a “list of needs,” and that the city would need to work on prioritizing a few major parts of the program over the coming weeks. With funding tight, the big question at Monday’s meeting was how to secure funding for the 2024 CIP without drastically increasing the city’s debt. Currently, $32.2 million of the proposed $111 million CIP is slated to come from general obligation bonds. As several public commenters pointed out, Evanston has often issued bonds to fund CIP projects. According to the city’s website, bonds for general city projects are paid off by property taxes. As of a 2021 report, the city had accrued $145 million in tax-supported debt. “Why is bond issuance our
Daily file photo by Colin Boyle
The Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center. Evanston’s proposed 2024 Capital Improvement Program totals $111 million, an increase from previous years.
first go-to for revenue?” asked public commenter Meg Welch. Councilmembers noted they haven’t taken out any new bonds in the past two years, which has allowed them to roll over $34 million in debt. Still,
debt remains high, Ald. Clare Kelly (1st) noted. Ald. Devon Reid (8th) advocated for taking out more bonds for the coming year, citing the
» See CITY COUNCIL, page 10
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