Nasar, whose book inspired the movie by the same name starring Russell Crowe, was the latest distinguished lecturer to come to Kellogg this academic year as part of the “2008 – 2009 Kellogg School of Management Distinguished Lecture Series.”

The Columbia University professor and renowned journalist, who has worked for The New York Times and Fortune among other publications, delivered a 45-minute speech titled “Globalization: Then and Now” followed by a short question and answer session.

The talk began with Nasar quipping that “globalization and financial crises go together like steroids and baseball,” then explaining how globalization turned the U.S. economic crisis into a world-wide ordeal.

The focus of her speech, however, was how “nations must create their own destinies” and Nasar’s own belief that the current notion of globalization as “a new, inevitable happening” is false.

Nasar pointed out that Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels’ knowledge of globalization and the world’s openness to free trade as far back as 1848 is a sign of “globalization being rooted deep in economic history.”

She continued evoking globalization and financial crises’ roots in history by mentioning the first market crash in 1868, described by Engels as “a day of such wrath [that] has never been seen before.”

Nasar added that the world has seen “10 similar economic slowdowns since 1868,” using this as an example of situations similar to today’s status quo that the world has bounced back from.

The focus on the local rather than the international was another theme Nasar pressed upon, as she told the audience that the local component in economic success or failure is huge, and that the “driving force behind a successful economy was increased productivity.”

Nasar then presented a table demonstrating the percentage of U.S. total employment by sector. The table illustrated a marked drop in tradeables such as mining and agriculture from 80 percent of the economy in 1890 to only 13 percent in 2007, with a converse movement seen in the service sector which rose from a paltry 15 percent in 1890 to 82 percent in 2007.

All of this led to her conclusion that the journey back to a healthy economy would be a “marathon, not a sprint”: Each year of positive growth would lead to success in the long run; and in this global world, to be successful, you have to think locally.

According to Kellogg’s Web site, The Kellogg Speaker Series “is part of the school’s ongoing commitment to bring real-world insight into our academic discourse” by bringing in “leaders from the worlds of academia, journalism and business” to “address key issues and critical leadership challenges.”

Previous speakers have included Paul Krugman, winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Economics, as well as Jon Meacham, author and Newsweek editor. Upcoming speakers include Stanford Professor Lawrence Lessig on March 5 and analyst and author Alice Schroeder on April 6.

Kellogg Speaker Series organizer and Media Relations Director Megan Washburn emphasized that the series is open to the entire Northwestern community, and encouraged Northwestern undergraduates to attend in larger numbers to “take a deep dive on very current, and very relevant issues.”

Facilitated oNe Northwestern chairwoman Claire Lew, the discussion kept its promise to “engage every student in an honest conversation about the common benefits and drawbacks of being a Northwestern student,” as the event Facebook page says.

The project was conceived on the back of a napkin in September and has blossomed into an organization with roughly 30 members and almost 600 people in its Facebook group. According to Lew, oNe Northwestern is a “collaborative project that looks to bring the community together by highlighting and celebrating what Northwestern students share.”

As discussion opened, participants jumped to identify the common stereotypes of Northwestern students. In an attempt to catalyze the discussion, the audience criticized Northwestern for falling behind the Ivies in academics and to the Big Ten schools in sports.

Apathy, reluctance to take risks and lack of social skills stand out among Northwestern students’ biggest weaknesses, according to many in the audience. Participants in the discussion also took digs at the school for its lack of a social hub on campus, absence of interaction between student groups and North-South Campus divide.

Others preferred to be constructive, suggesting that joining clubs and organizations, voicing concerns to ASG or just giving Northwestern another chance might alleviate individual and common disconcert.

“You’ll always be able to find a niche if you remain proactive,” Weinberg freshman Nancy Dong said. Dong, a Bobb senator, added that she appreciated the honesty of the audience and the variety of people who came together.

Not all students enjoyed the event, however, as some participants hit out at ASG members for dominating the debate and “manipulating students” with the discussion.

“I’m not really happy that I came,” SESP sophomore Kyrsten Brown said. “At times during the discussion I felt frustrated and patronized, and the event didn’t meet my expectations or make me feel better.”

According to Lew, the event aimed not only to discuss and consider problems, but also to address the next steps of this conversation.

“The goals of oNe Northwestern are community, student happiness and tradition,” Lew said. “We [should] never cease thinking, talking, writing and showing who we are and what we do.”

With Northwestern’s political activism surging in recent weeks, I’m having a really tough time explaining to people that I can’t vote. “Wait, you’re not 18?” asked a well-intentioned person at the Rock, while those handing out “I Voted” badges at Norris tried to tell me it wasn’t too late to register. Neither of those reasons prevented me from voting, though — I’m just not an American citizen.

As an international student in the United States at this time, it’s hard not to get caught up in the election mania. From political discussions in my Economics classes to simple dinnertime conversations, I often find myself adding my own opinion. Amused by my enthusiasm, my friends often tease me about the fact that this election doesn’t really mean anything to me. But in truth, it does.

International students may be only temporary residents of the United States, yet as we’ve heard so many times, this is the world’s election. The U.S. economy’s plunge deeply affected the world economy, and fluctuating currency exchange rates are making tuition more expensive. The economic policies of both candidates affect the amount of tuition I pay now, and the kind of taxes I’ll have to pay once I find a job.

Not all international students are as excited as I am about the election, though. Communication sophomore Sherry Lin says she “doesn’t think the elections will affect me much”. As a Taiwanese national, Lin feels little interest towards the election. “I’m sort of interested to see who wins, but decisions made about domestic issues aren’t relevant to me.”

Weinberg freshman Miriam Troostwijk is more concerned by the outcome of the election. “I’m really excited; I mean I’m going to spend the next four years of my life here, I’m definitely going to want a president who I support.” A Dutch citizen, Miriam says, “Foreign policy is important to me. I want people back home to have a good impression of the country I study in.”

Most international studentss interest in politics, then, is similar to the interest generated by American students: Some are very interested and some aren’t. Yet there are a few things that are different for international students. Different issues take on added importance for international students (economic and foreign policy), while others (health care) are more pertinent to American citizens. Plus, there’s always the added issue of what’s best for your home country; while I am more liberal and support Barack Obama, Obama’s reluctance to outsource would mean that McCain may be a better candidate for the Indian economy.

Tuesday’s election has been dubbed as the “biggest election of our lives” by the American media, and for some of Northwestern’s international students, the moniker is true. Come Tuesday, I’ll be waiting on the results with as much anticipation as my American friends, waiting for the most hyped event of 2008 to finally pan out.

More than 150 students marched around campus for the “Take Back the Night” rally Thursday night, hoping to urge the Northwestern campus and the Evanston community to take action against sexual assault.

This year’s event featured a barbecue, a guest speaker and performances by a cappella group Extreme Measures and the Northwestern Jazz Ensemble. Students proceeded to march around campus, wielding signs and chanting before the event culminated in an open microphone speak-out at Norris University Center.

College Feminists has sponsored the rally every year since 1986.

“We just want people to be able to walk around safely at night” said College Feminists member and Weinberg sophomore Kristen Wekony. “Hopefully by coming out and participating tonight we can send out a message.”

Participants enjoyed the barbecue in the sorority quads before heading to the freshly painted Rock for the performances and the beginning of the walk. Northwestern police helped cordon off intersections and monitored the movement of the participants.

“It would be nice to see more Evanston police on campus at night, and blue lights too,” Wekony added.

A committee co-chaired by Weinberg junior Kim Orozco planned most of the actual events in conjunction with a number of student groups and resources.

“We’ve been working on raising money the entire year,” Orozco said. “The committee has been amazing in organizing the entire event, it’s been so smooth.”

Money raised from the rally went towards this year’s charity, Mujeres Latinas en Acción, a bilingual/bicultural agency seeking to empower Latinas with the skills to improve the quality of their lives.

A swarm of students in orange t-shirts guard every door at Norris throughout Dance Marathon.

“We’re kind of like Dance Marathon police,” said Weinberg junior Anne McMurray, who is on the Dancer Relations committee for her second year.

McMurray and three others are currently on visitor security, ensuring that visitors only take the elevators to the Louis Room. During her freshman year she worked on the advertising committee, but she switched to Dancer Relations her sophomore year.

“Being on advertising was great,” she said, “but being on dancer relations gets you much more involved in making this big event happen.”

Also part of the Dancer Relations staff is Weinberg sophomore Slava Kremerman, who is participating for the first time. Drawn in by the “absolutely wonderful cause,” Kremerman chose Dancer Relations because he felt it was the most hands-on. He is currently monitoring the bathrooms, ensuring bathroom breaks are kept short and everyone is safe.

“We have to make sure people don’t fall asleep in the bathrooms,” added Kremerman. “I’m here for all thirty hours, just like the dancers.”

More than 70 students on the Dancer Relations staff work ten different three-hour shifts, monitoring many different security points and also motivating the dancers on the dance floor.

“Another important part of our job is making sure the dancers are enthusiastic and involved,” McMurray said. One of the ten shifts they undertake involves dancing with DM participants to keep their spirits up throughout the marathon.

Brought in by the Northwestern chapter of AIESEC, an international student exchange group, Jain drew from his experiences traveling the world and as dean of Kellogg to argue that for the current generation to be successful in the future, it is crucial to trust peers and to have a positive attitude.

Jain began by talking about today’s “nanosecond” culture and how, with the rapid growth in the world, anticipating how future problems should be handled is more important than merely predicting them.

He also talked about changing consumer demographics, such as the burgeoning young population in China and India, which contrasts with the increasing age of the population in Japan and Western Europe. Jain said these changing demographics lead to more global communication and reliance on people from different parts of the world, and forming this worldwide collaboration is key to being successful.

“The future lies in collaborating” Jain said. “Success is built off of those around you. Your friends and co-workers are your strongest advocates.”

As he switched topics to Kellogg and its mission, he talked about how management schools believed in knowledge creation, dissemination and certification. However, he said that knowledge monetization and the sharing of information and programs were equally important in making the world’s best talent better-rounded. He encouraged exchange programs, dual degrees and creating hubs of information.

His final point, about personal attitude, was introduced with stories about his close encounter with the 2004 tsunami in Asia, and making his first speech as Kellogg dean on Sept. 11. “You can never change the context, but you can change your attitude,” Jain said, urging students to make the best of every situation.

“The challenge ahead of you is nothing compared to the force behind you,” Jain said. With a positive attitude and trust in one’s peers success is attainable, he said, even in a rapidly changing world.

The event, called “You have been randomly selected for further laughter,” was sponsored by three Northwestern student groups: Muslim-cultural Students Assocation (McSA), South Asian Student Alliance (SASA), and Persian American Representatives of Students (PARS). Proceeds benefited the Dance Marathon main beneficiary, the Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.

Each student group was responsible for bringing in a performer who represented its community. The first comedian, Eslam Shams, was brought in by PARS for his renowned performances in Los Angeles’ Persian community.

SASA provided Rajiv Satyal, who elicited perhaps the most laughs from the crowd. Having opened for Russell Peters in the past, he drew on his Indian heritage as well as his extensive array of one-liners for his performance.

Aron Kader, from the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour produced by Dave Chappelle, rounded off the performance. Brought in by McSA, Kader drew predominantly on his impersonations of George Bush.

All three comedians focused their performances on their respective ethnicities, but tied in an American perspective to their performance. Shams joked about struggling to be accepted into Hollywood. Satyal talked about his childhood in Ohio and his decision to switch from being pre-med in college, a path often insisted upon by Indian parents in the United States, to being a stand-up comic. Kader too tied in a cultural aspect, discussing his Palestinian-Mormon heritage as a decisive factor in his career choice.

Event organizer, Kenan Azam Ali of McSA said the event was organized to “bring together different cultural groups for a night of laughter.