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Wednesday, November 20, 2024

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ACIR policy draws skeptics New recusal rules frustrate students, faculty By NINETH KANIESI KOSO AND KELLY LU

the daily northwestern @kelleylu_

The reconstituted Advisory Committee on Investment Responsibility opened applications this fall to skepticism from students and faculty about the committee’s recusal policy for members with conflicts of interest. The committee, reestablished as part of the agreement to end the encampment on Deering Meadow, advises the Board of Trustees on investment concerns concerning the NU community. University President Michael Schill will have final approval over all the committee’s members — which will include students, alumni, faculty and staff members, including Chief Investment Officer Amy Falls. In an Oct. 10 interview with The Daily, Schill said administrators expect to launch the committee by the end of the calendar year. The committee aims to hold its first public meeting in January, according to its website. In a news release, the University invited any member of the NU community to apply to

the committee by Nov. 27. The release also said committee members must serve as “independent evaluators” of issues presented to the committee or withdraw from decisions. “Members must recuse themselves from decisions in which they may have a conflict, such as employment or research support by an industry in question, or a leadership role in an advocacy or other affinity group that may be impacted by the proposed actions,” the release read. When asked if students actively involved in Jewish, Muslim or Arab affinity groups or proIsrael and pro-Palestine advocacy groups would be disqualified from the committee’s selection, University spokesperson Hilary Hurd Anyaso said membership in affinity groups would not disqualify an individual’s application. The University did not respond to multiple requests for clarification on who would determine if an ACIR member has a personal conflict with a proposal and how that decision would be made. “My impression is that the recusal policy is just not that well thought out,” said Art History Prof. Rebecca Zorach, who serves on the executive and social responsibility committee of the Faculty Senate.

» See COMMITTEE, page 10

Nineth Kanieski Koso/The Daily Northwestern

About 50 members of local organizations like E-Town Sunrise, Climate Action Evanston, 350 Chicago Third Act, Chicago Area Peace Action and the Collective Resource Compost Cooperative assembled at Fountain Square Saturday afternoon for a “Climate Hope Rally.”

Local orgs persevere after election

Evanston groups look ahead to impending second Trump term By FEMI HORRALL

daily senior staffer

Only about two months remain until President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn into office. As the beginning of his non-consecutive second term nears, Evanston organizations continue to work

toward a brighter future despite concerns about Trump’s plans. Local groups want to improve the community and maintain civic engagement for future elections, Evanston organizers said. Some community members are worried about what a second Trump term could mean for environmental protection and stopping

global warming. Evanston Township High School’s E-Town Sunrise organized a rally in Fountain Square on Saturday calling for the city and Northwestern to take stronger action to stop climate change. Participants said their frustration with the election results was in part what drove them to act. On Nov. 10, the Lake Street

Church of Evanston hosted four expert panelists at an event called “What Now? Organizing for Justice After the Election.” At the event, DePaul Prof. Mark Potosnak said when it comes to the environment, impacts can be made locally. “We can’t go down the despair

» See WHAT’S NEXT, page 10

FGLI students fret over Trump win City tries to clear The president-elect’s second term could bring drastic changes to FAFSA By PHILIP LAM

the daily northwestern

On the campaign trail, President-elect Donald Trump vowed to dismantle the Department of Education after taking office — a move that could usher in sweeping changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Instituted in 1980, the Department of Education oversees Federal Student Aid, the office responsible for financial aid disbursement. Federal financial aid helps both incoming and current undergraduates through programs such as Pell Grants, federal loans and work-study opportunities. As a recipient of both the federal Pell Grant and a Northwestern University Scholarship with plans to find a work-study, Weinberg

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freshman Janibeth Arroyo said she is concerned about the future of federal aid, which she added comprises about “a third” of her financial aid package. “If we were to dismantle (the Department), I think it would be almost anti-progressive in the way that less people would be receiving education, and those that are receiving education are receiving a less diverse (form),” Arroyo said. “Some people obviously would be getting less educational opportunities.” Abolishing the Education Department is a logistically challenging — though not impossible — feat for the president-elect. The executive branch cannot exclusively dissolve the agency and requires Congressional approval. Proponents of dismantling the Education Department

— primarily GOP lawmakers — point to the agency’s record of mismanagement and inefficiency. Critics argue that disrupting the disbursement process could adversely impact students reliant on financial aid. If the Education Department was dismantled, the consequences on the Federal Student Aid office and FAFSA could have varying effects on NU students, particularly those who identify as firstgeneration or lower-income. Weinberg freshman Isaiah Thomas, a recipient of The Gates Scholarship, said his scholarship covers most of his tuition. “My biggest concern is for other people,” Thomas said. “If you’re not on an outside scholarship, and the Department of Education is updating (or) negating a lot of the aid that you would

receive, it will not be as affordable to attend Northwestern.” University spokesperson Hilary Hurd Anyaso wrote in a statement that NU will closely monitor and assess developments in Washington, D.C., collaborating with other universities to “collectively advocate for higher education” and to reinforce the University’s educational mission. Political science Prof. Andrew Roberts said that it may be difficult for states to “pick up the slack” if federal funding were cut. While states might have a “better finger on the pulse” of their citizens regarding education, returning the decision to the state level “may just be a pretext for reducing overall funding,” Roberts said. The federal government would likely

» See LOW INCOME, page 10

Howard unhoused Councilmembers, staff in conversation over cameras, lights

By ISAIAH STEINBERG and SHREYA SRINIVASAN

daily senior staffers @isaiahstei27 / @shreyasrin

More than five months after a $1.75 million proposal to address homelessness failed to gain City Council approval, the city is looking to install security cameras and lighting at the Howard Street homeless encampment and has sent the Crisis Alternative Response Evanston team to the area. The earlier proposal, drafted by Ald. Devon Reid (8th), would have provided $1.25 million to Connections for the Homeless for eviction prevention and shelter,

$300,000 for the city to address encampments by offering drug treatment and case management and $200,000 for Evanston/Skokie School District 65 to provide temporary housing and administrative support to families in need. The largest homeless encampment in the city last year was on Howard Street, adjacent to its Chicago Transit Authority “L” Station, according to the initial proposal. Councilmembers showed support for spending $9,500 for cameras at their May 28 meeting. Since then, Reid said he has worked with City manager Luke Stowe to allocate funding to install cameras “soon” at the encampment, which he said will be increasingly monitored by both Evanston and Chicago police departments.

» See HOWARD STREET, page 10