Evanston has seen scattered showers and thunderstorms this week. (Jerry Wu / The Purple Wire)
Welcome back to The Purple Wire! This is your hosts Lily Ogburn and Jerry Wu. We’re hoping the rain and cold makes way for some sunshine in Evanston soon. Today we have a few interesting stories on campus to share with you.
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1. Northwestern Qatar students return to campus after evacuation order
Community members on campus were under evacuation orders Monday. (Northwestern University)
Students at Northwestern’s Qatar campus returned to their Education City housing dormitories Tuesday, university officials said.
Community members on the Qatar campus had previously been under evacuation orders Monday.
This comes after Iranian officials threatened to strike American universities across the Middle East, accusing American and Israeli forces of attacking two Iranian universities.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Sunday that all employees, professors and students of American universities in the region should maintain a 1-kilometer distance from the universities.
Northwestern’s Qatar campus leaders have announced it will continue remote operations and classes for the rest of the semester.
Since the U.S.-Israel war on Iran broke out, community members at the Qatar campus have also navigated shelter-in-place orders amid ongoing strikes in Qatar and other Gulf states.
2. Northwestern Dance Marathon returns this weekend
Northwestern Dance Marathon has raised more than $23 million to date. (Lily Ogburn / The Purple Wire)
Northwestern’s Dance Marathon will be in full swing this weekend.
The annual fundraising event, spanning Friday and Saturday, will return to its original venue outside Norris University Center for the first time since recent construction on the building was completed.
For over 15 hours, students will dance into the night and early morning under the tent outside Norris.
With a 52-year history, Northwestern Dance Marathon has raised more than $23 million to date. However, in recent years, the organization’s fundraising has seen a slight decline. The fundraiser, which once raised over $1 million in a single year, most recently raised just over $191,000.
3. Bienen meets with students completing enlightened disagreement certificate
Bienen shared personal anecdotes and encouraged students to be open to the unexpected during a Monday coffee hour. (Lily Ogburn / The Purple Wire)
Interim President Henry Bienen joined students completing the Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement certificate Monday to discuss what they’re learning and Bienen’s career.
The program was designed to train students to disagree respectfully and communicate their opinions in an increasingly polarized world. Prof. Eli Finkel, who co-directs the Litowitz Center, led the “coffee hour” in Schapiro Hall.
Bienen shared personal anecdotes and encouraged students to be open to the unexpected, according to a Northwestern news release.
The center launched the program this school year, which holds sessions in residence halls and provides over 200 registered students with dinner and training on handling contentious discourse. Students who complete the year-long program will earn a certificate in enlightened disagreement from Kellogg.
The center has also organized a coffee hour with former President Michael Schill.
The pilot program is more than halfway through its schedule, and the Litowitz Center is making plans to continue programming next year and expand enrollment capacity.
~ Thanks for reading. See you next time!