This midterm week, Sen. Barack Obama received an A-plus while Sen. John McCain had to settle for a C. The presidential candidates were not being graded on their exam performances. They were assessed on their activism against the Darfur genocide.
Northwestern University Darfur Action Coalition (NUDAC) created an exhibit Monday near the Rock displaying images of legislators and the grades they received from DarfurScores.org, a creation of the Genocide Intervention Network. Last spring, network recognized NUDAC as a chapter of its student-led division, “Students Taking Action Now Darfur!” or STAND.
The conflict in Darfur, in the western part of Sudan, has included the targeted killing of certain tribal and ethnic groups. Some organizations estimate that more than 500,000 have died since 2003.
The group initially planned a larger event with volunteers encouraging students to make calls to lawmakers directly from the Rock appealing for aid to Darfur. But organizers said they curtailed their plans on account of weather.
“We realized that the frigid weather was not good for having people stop and take a few minutes to make a phone call,” said Jonathan Rosenblatt, a Weinberg junior and a co-coordinator of the display. Medill sophomore Aliy Markowski said she noticed the NUDAC table, but thought most people passed it by.
“I think it’s a really good setup, but there wasn’t much explanation about what it was,” Markowski said.
NUDAC members tried to distribute flyers that provided students with a phone number to call and a Web site to visit when they got out of the cold. Alyssa Huff, the other NUDAC co-coordinator, said framing the event around the election was a priority.
“We wanted to make people aware of the candidates’ positions on Darfur and to keep that in mind in this historic election,” said Huff, a Weinberg senior.
Weinberg sophomore Eric Magda was one of the members who manned an information table that accompanied the display. He said NUDAC featured legislators from states including Illinois, New York and Michigan
