Issuu

Serving the Northwestern and Evanston communities since 1881

The Daily Northwestern Wednesday, April 23, 2025

DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM

Find us online @thedailynu

Schill signs against Trump 200+ academic leaders condemn higher-ed ‘overreach’ By JERRY WU

daily senior staffer @jerrwu

Illustration by Cayla Labgold-Carroll

Stephen Vick, executive director of the Infant Welfare Society of Evanston, said moving forward, his organization’s priority will be to “empower parents” to advocate for themselves.

Trump admin threatens Head Start

Planned elimination of federal funding leaves families in limbo By JACK BAKER

the daily northwestern @jdowb2005

The Trump administration’s closure of Chicago’s regional Head

Start office and planned elimination of federal funding for Head Start programs has left many lowincome Evanston families in limbo and several local childcare providers bracing for impact. Head Start is a federally funded

initiative launched in 1965 as part of former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “war on poverty,” which offers early childhood education, health care and family support services to about 800,000 young children and pregnant women

each year. Stephen Vick, executive director of the Infant Welfare Society of Evanston, which runs two classroom-based programs in

» See HEAD START, page 11

University President Michael Schill joined more than 200 academic leaders in a letter, released Tuesday, condemning the Trump administration’s recent “overreach” in higher education institutions. The signatories included the heads of colleges and universities across the country who have had to grapple with the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against their campuses. Released by the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the statement underscored one of the first unified fronts, of this scale, from academic leaders to stand up to Trump — as well as the first sign of opposition from Northwestern. “We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight. However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses,” the letter reads. Many of the presidents who signed the letter are those who have seen federal funding freezes for their institutions, including

Harvard University President Alan Garber. The statement also comes a day after Harvard sued the Trump administration over its threats to rescind billions of dollars in federal funding. While NU still reels from a $790 million funding freeze announced two weeks ago, countermeasures against the federal government have been scant. University leaders still maintain they have not been officially notified of the funding freeze. Schill’s signature appeared a few hours after the statement’s initial release. “President Schill signed the statement from the American Association of Colleges and Universities because Northwestern believes strongly in constructive engagement,” a University spokesperson told The Daily. In the meantime, effects of the funding freeze are already playing out on campus. The National Institutes of Health cut millions of dollars funding research projects, and the Department of Defense issued over 100 stop-work orders to university researchers. Several current and former NU students’ visas have also been terminated by the Department of Homeland Security. Fears of the freeze have caught administrators in a balancing act of

» See SCHILL, page 11

Cat Vielma won’t 10 NU-A AUP resolutions passed seek Land Use seat Faculty Assembly reaches 10% quorum threshold for first time ever Biss’ planned pick withdraws from LUC race By HANNAH WEBSTER

daily senior staffer @hannahe_webster

Just over a week after being informed that Mayor Daniel Biss planned to appoint her to the Land Use Commission, Cat Vielma has decided to pass up the opportunity. On Saturday morning, Vielma informed Biss of her intention to withdraw from consideration for the seat, she told The Daily in an email. “While I’m disappointed not to move forward in the appointment process, my commitment to advancing affordable housing remains clear,” Vielma said in the email. “I will continue to unapologetically advocate for inclusive, attainable homes in Evanston and beyond.” Last week, Biss informed city staff that he planned to appoint Vielma to the commission instead of reappointing George

Recycle Me

Halik. Halik, one of the commission’s inaugural members, has pushed back on parts of Envision Evanston 2045 — the city’s comprehensive plan and zoning overhaul largely driven by Biss. The move was met with criticism from some residents. During public comment at the April 14 City Council meeting, many community members spoke against the decision, and an online petition calling for Biss to reappoint Halik has received 550 signatures as of Sunday evening. “This looks less like governance and more like political maneuvering,” an April 11 update to the petition description read. “Clearing out dissenting voices and replacing them with allies who will ‘deliver results’ is a dangerous tactic we’re seeing play out nationally. Evanston should not follow that playbook.” Vielma’s past social media posts came under intense scrutiny after Biss shared his intention to appoint her to the commission. Jenny Washburn, who wrote the petition, shared with The Daily a presentation she sent to

» See LUC, page 11

By SASHA DRAEGER-MAZER

daily senior staffer @sashadm27

The Faculty Assembly achieved a quorum — 10% of the faculty body, or 455 individuals in attendance — for the first time ever Monday. More than one hundred faculty members attended the meeting in Scott Hall, with hundreds more joining via Zoom. The hour-and-a-half-long meeting began with a welcome by Faculty Senate President and McCormick Prof. Jill Wilson and short speeches by Provost Kathleen Hagerty and CFO Amanda Distel. The remainder of the meeting was devoted to discussion of ten proposed resolutions. The resolutions, drafted by Northwestern’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, called on the University to protect free speech, refuse to provide student information to the government without a court order and add eight “faculty visitor” positions to the Board of Trustees, among other things. They passed 338 to 83, with 35 abstentions, marking a historic first for the

assembly. The Faculty Assembly, which consists of all full-time faculty members, requires a quorum to pass resolutions and meets only twice a year. It is distinct from the Faculty Senate, a representative body consisting of elected faculty members which meets monthly. Resolutions passed in either chamber are considered non-binding. Although Article V of the Faculty Assembly’s bylaws call on the University president to preside over meetings, President Michael Schill was not in attendance. Early in the meeting, Hagerty and Distel provided an update on the University financial circumstances following the $790 million federal funding freeze. “One of the remarkable things about the current situation is how little we know,” Hagerty said. NU has not received any formal notification of the freeze nor a formal list of demands from the Trump administration. Distel also expressed concerns about potential changes to the federal endowment tax, which is currently set at 1.4%. Rumors have been swirling about potential increases in the tax rate. Hagerty and Distel faced some

Sasha Draeger-Mazer/The Daily Northwestern

Faculty Assembly members voted Monday to end discussion and vote on the passage of the resolutions.

heat as faculty members questioned why the University has not done more to resist federal pressure. “I’m wondering why the University’s leadership is not taking a public stand in support of higher education,” Medill Prof. Jon Marshall said. “There could be so much

strength if universities banded together and organized together to speak out against this assault on higher education.” Other faculty members also warned against yielding to federal

» See FACULTY ASSEMBLY, page 11