A new forum for open discussion of Northwestern’s problems and their possible solutions began last week with the first meeting of Take Back Northwestern, an organization focused on the need to unify student groups.

About 20 students convened in Norris University Center for the Thursday night meeting, which was open to all students.

“We’re looking at just trying to create a new group that will address the controversial issues on campus,” said Tamara Kagel, a Communication junior and co-founder of the group.

Kagel, Associated Student Government’s student services vice president, said she formulated the idea for Take Back Northwestern with Naureen Shah, a member of Peace Project and Northwestern Opposing War and Racism, after talking to students and realizing such a forum could address many of their concerns.

Kagel said Take Back Northwestern won’t suffer from established cliques or politics because it is new.

Shah emphasized that Take Back Northwestern is not a student group, but rather a means of uniting to discuss and understand some of the problems at NU.

“Take Back Northwestern wants to evaluate the entire (NU) experience,” she said, “and see what we can do to make it better.”

Shah said the group aims to bring different parts of the NU community together in order to effect change.

“If you can get a lot of people to care, that’s when things happen,” she said. “We have an ability to reach out to a lot of people.”

The group discussed competition among NU’s student groups as one major obstacle to uniting the campus.

“For anything to change anymore, student groups need to be united as one front,” said Weinberg freshman Andrew Proksel, a non-senator member of ASG’s Academic Committee. He said his ideas were difficult to execute in ASG, and he thought Take Back Northwestern could provide a better avenue for change.

Proksel said Kagel invited him to participate in Take Back Northwestern because many of his ideas were similar to those for the discussion forum.

“A lot of people think NU needs a sense of community to be complete, Proksel said, “and currently we lack that sense of community.”

As an example of the problem, Proksel cited student groups’ response to the racial epithets found on campus during Winter Quarter. Only a few groups worked together to sponsor the rally against these slurs, even though more groups opposed them.

The second Take Back Northwestern meeting will take place next Thursday at Norris and will be open to the NU community.