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Good Thursday morning, Illinois. I will be spending a good part of the day on Zoom and I am really hoping a cat pops up.
TOP TALKER
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivered his virtual budget address Feb. 17, 2021, from the State Fair Grounds, which a hundred years earlier was the site of a makeshift hospital for patients affected by the Spanish Flu. | Screen shot
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Happy snowy Tuesday, Illinois. It was Monday Vaxday as Chicago Mayor
Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President
Toni Preckwinkle received their Covid-19 shots.
TOP TALKER
Donald Trump for inciting the Capitol riot, Rep.
Just six weeks before Northwestern underclassmen were slated to return to campus, the Hilton Orrington/Evanston temporarily closed, citing pandemic concerns.
According to a Nov. 18, 2020, email sent to customers with upcoming reservations, the hotel was temporarily shutting down and canceling all reservations. The email, signed by the Hilton Customer Care Team, said the customers would not be charged and offered to connect them with other hotels in the area.
“Due to the current travel environment, Hilton Orrington/Evanston has temporarily suspended operations and unfortunately will not be able to honor your reservation,” the email read. “Please accept our sincerest apologies for this short notice on the travel disruption and any inconvenience this may cause.”
The University’s first move came when the Faculty Senate passed a resolution recommending the establishment of an ombuds program in March 2017. Then, former Provost Jonathan Holloway announced plans to create an Ombuds Office at Northwestern and hire a professionally trained ombudsperson by the 2020-21 academic year after years-long calls for conflict resolution reform.
But when the pandemic hit, Provost Kathleen Hagerty said the University had to delay their plans.
The first challenge was finances, as the University faced a budget shortfall in spring 2020 and imposed a hiring freeze. The second was that the ombudsperson who would focus on student group outreach and learn on the ground about campus life would have arrived on an empty campus.
A week after Jim Phillips was named the new commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Northwestern announced the formation of a search committee to find a new athletic director.
Janna Blais, deputy director of athletics for administration and policy, will serve as interim vice president for athletics and recreation upon Phillips’ departure in February. Blais currently leads five NU athletics departments and serves as department liaison at Big Ten and NCAA meetings.
“I’m thrilled that Janna Blais, who has been a key leader here for more than a decade, has agreed to serve in the vice president and athletic director role on an interim basis,” University President Morton Schapiro said. “I have full confidence in Janna’s ability to guide the department while we move forward in searching for Jim’s successor.”