A group of Northwestern students formed CodeID, a new campus organization, to broaden access to coding resources and education for students in Chicago and Evanston.
CodeID, or Code for Inclusion and Diversity, originated in a Business Institutions class called campusCatalyst. A group of undergraduate students partnered with the Chicago-based organization We All Code to make coding more accessible to students in the Evanston area.
During the course, campusCatalyst students recruited an executive board for CodeID and worked toward their goal of providing coding classes.
“We’re basically trying to eliminate any barriers to entry and any stigma associated with coding,” Emily Makedon, McCormick sophomore and CodeID vice chair, said. “There’s this notion that coding is very difficult, and it’s not for girls and not for other minority groups, and we’re really just trying to provide any and all resources for anyone that’s interested and willing to learn code.”
A national survey co-led by Northwestern researchers found that despite an increase in vaccines and social activities, mental health issues remain prominent in respondents.
The consortium, a collaboration between NU, Harvard, Northeastern and Rutgers, surveyed over 21,000 individuals between April 1 and May 3, according to a University news release.
Among respondents, 28 percent indicated levels of depression that would lead to evaluation and treatment, a minor decrease from 30 percent from those surveyed last December.
Previous installments of the survey indicated a close connection between poor mental health and economic stress. The recent results challenge expectations that mental health may improve as the economy revitalizes and states and social activities reopen.
Associated Student Government appointed Weinberg junior Margot Bartol as newly created executive officer of accountability in its Wednesday session.
ASG president Christian Wade and vice president Adaeze Ogbona created the position to hold the entire organization and University administration accountable to the student body. Accountability was a central part of Wade and Ogbonna’s campaign platform. They approached Barol with the position after prior conversations around their platform.
“In the past, ASG has had a big problem of making all these promises or trying to do things, but never really following through on it,” Wade said.
In the past year, ASG has taken many steps to reform the organization due to issues with inequity and the exclusion of marginalized students. The Social Justice Education Chair was created last summer and the Ad Hoc Committee to Reimagine ASG was established in January.
When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, Communication junior Jay Towns knew he wanted to be intentional with his time. Since then, he has released eleven original songs. “I was like, ‘What do I do when I don’t have to do anything?’” Towns said. “And really, I just gravitated toward music.” Towns had never produced any.
Since last spring, most study abroad programs have been canceled or moved online. For some students, this had been a source of confusion and frustration especially upperclassmen who have missed their last opportunity to study abroad.
SESP junior Saya Federbush, who is minoring in environmental policy and culture, was accepted to study energy technology and policy in China as part of the Wanxiang Fellows program last summer before the program was cancelled.
“(The cancellation) did affect my ability to get an internship that’s relevant to my minor,” Federbush said. “If I had done that (program) last summer, I might have been more interested in energy or understand if that’s something that I would want to consider as a future career path.”