Thumbs up to the renewal of Las Palmas sidewalk cafe permit.
Thanks to approval by the Evanston City Council, Las Palmas will be allowed to serve patrons at an outdoor café made up of three tables during the summer. Despite complaints from residents about noise problems from the outdoor seating, the permit was renewed after a one-year trial basis. The sidewalk cafe will be a draw to customers duringthe slow summer months and an attractive option for NU students staying in Evanston for the vacation.
Thumbs down to a lack of communication between Evanston/Skokie District 65 and Evanston Township High School District 202.
Recent changes to the District 65 middle school math programs-which obviously affect the students who are funneled into ETHS-were not communicated to District 202 officials. Increased communication between the two will make it easier for both to serve students. The two districts hold a joint meeting once a year. Clearly more is necessary.
Thumbs up to the collaborative effort behind the Norris garden.
The teamwork of several student groups, including SEED, Environmental Campus Outreach, Tech Graduate Gardens and Engineers for a Sustainable World, brought the new Wild Roots garden on the South Lawn of Norris from the planning to planting. The effort marks a successful collaboration among NU’s environmental groups and another step forward in reaching the University’s green goals. Inspired by the One Book, One Northwestern campaign, the garden also signifies a success for the program that aims to bring the campus together.
Thumbs down to NUIT for not communicating with students about last weekend’s e-mail problems.
Last weekend, a number of students had problems with their @u.northwestern.edu e-mail accounts, run through Gmail. We understand that problems happen, and that the problems did not affect everyone. But an e-mail explaining that some problems were occurring would have been appreciated.
Thumbs up to William Kalema for organizing a Sudan leadership program.
After becoming interested in Sudan while completing an internship in Uganda in 2007, Weinberg senior William Kalema set out on the path of organizing a leadership fellowship to bring together leaders from Sudan’s South Kordofan region at NU. The summit marks not only a personal success for Kalema, but also a high point for the University, which aided Kalema in securing funding and will now be the backdrop for the international conference.
Thumbs down to a difficult road to a sixth National Championship for NU lacrosse.
NU is ranked second in the country and seeded second in the tournament. Yet due to travel and cost restrictions, it has to face a ranked Notre Dame team in the first round. NU might also have to play Duke, North Carolina and Maryland if it wants to win another title. It is unfortunate a team with one regular season loss and five straight titles got such a tough draw.
