Associated Student Government weighed new campus transportation options and commemorated political science Prof. emeritus H. Paul Friesema in its last Senate meeting of Winter Quarter on Wednesday night.
Mark Silberg, vice president of sustainability, introduced new legislation to honor the life of Friesema, a former NU professor who died last month. The legislation called for a campus memorial and official holiday in Frisema’s name.
“Professor Friesema was incredibly instrumental in founding the environmental movement at Northwestern,” said Silberg, a Weinberg junior. “I think he’s really an exemplary human being and one that really reflects some of the core values we all share. It’s our responsibility to really honor his life.”
Friesema taught political science at NU from 1968 until 2009. During his tenure, he founded the Environmental Policy in Culture Program, served on the board of directors for the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian and created the Northwestern Environmental Field School.
The Senate also looked into improving campus transportation options. Medill freshman Haley Hinkle was unanimously voted in as the new director of transportation. She said she looks forward to being a “point of communication” between students and University Services. Charles Stephens (Weinberg ’95, Kellogg ’01), general manager of Zipcar Chicago, discussed the possibility of bringing the car-sharing organization to the Evanston campus. Currently, none of the 10 Zipcars positioned in Evanston are on campus but I-GO, a Chicago-based car-sharing service, offers a membership discount for NU students 18 and older.
If the organization partners with NU, Stephens said the minimum age for Zipcar membership would drop from 21 to 18. While most Zipcars are limited to those 21 and over, when the organization partners with a university, they allow students 18-21 to use only the cars on that campus, Zipcar spokesman Jennifer Mathews wrote in an email to The Daily on Thursday.
Although businesses are not usually allowed to make presentations before the Senate, Silberg said the potential partnership was a worthwhile consideration.
“It’s a way for for ASG to play a role immediately and have a very tangible effect on students,” Silberg said.
The Senate also voted down a proposal to provide a grant for LEND, a student group focused on providing loans for entrepreneurs and small business owners in Evanston. The decision came after about an hour of debate.
Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled Charles Stephens’ last name and misstated the year in which he graduated from Northwestern. The story has also been updated to clarify the company’s age policy when it partners with colleges and universities. The Daily regrets the errors.
