The new GPS system, launched at the beginning of the quarter, was installed because Northwestern’s contracts with its shuttle provider, Coach USA, stipulated that the shuttles were accountable for the system, Associated Student Government Vice President Tommy Smithburg said.

“The fact that it updates times automatically if a shuttle is arriving early or late is one of the best features possible,” he said.

Smithburg attributed the efforts to install the system to last year’s administration, which included Director of University Services Brian Peters and former ASG Vice President Bill Pulte, among others.

According to Brian Peters, the installation process took about four months. Now, the Evanston, Ryan Field, Evanston Loop, Campus Loop and Shop-N-Ride shuttles are all equipped with trackers.

Students can view the map online and choose their desired shuttle in the top left hand corner. The green arrow moves based on a shuttle’s location. Students can click on a shuttle stop to see its upcoming departure times.

Marge Grzeszczuk, the campus manager for Northwestern’s Chicago Campus, deals with feedback about the new system.

“I’m hearing, ‘This is great, this is awesome,’” Grzeszczuk said.

But despite some positive feedback, others say they have never been able to get the system to work. Last Thursday Weinberg sophomore Sonja Marrett said she tried unsuccessfully to track the Evanston Loop so that she could go from Kemper Hall to Allison Hall.

“We just clicked on it, and we tried it, and it just never worked,” Marrett said. “I understand that glitches happen when there is new computer programming, but if it’s supposed to help people coordinate catching the shuttle, and it doesn’t work, it’s not very useful.”

Weinberg sophomore Irene Park said she tried using the tracking system on her phone once, but the map did not load. Yet, despite her own difficulty with the system, she said she has many friends who have not had problems with the shuttle tracker.

“It seems easy. A lot of people use it,” Park said.

Whether students find the shuttle tracking system easy to use, they still want more from it. Grzeszczuk said she’s fielded requests for a GPS system for the Free Enterprise System, which includes Northwestern’s intercampus shuttles, the Chicago train station shuttles and the Chicago Express. Students have also asked to access the trackers on PDAs. The Free Enterprise System is working to put a system in place, and the administration is looking into an option for PDAs, Grzeszczuk added.

Photo by the author.

The Associated Student Government exec board painted the Rock Tuesday night to welcome Morton O. Schapiro to the office of president of the university. “We painted it as part of his inauguration gift being given to him on behalf of the student body,” ASG Director of Publications Claire Lew said in an e-mail.

Schapiro will be officially inaugurated during a ceremony at 3 p.m. Friday on Deering Meadow. A “LiveWired Conversation” with President Schapiro this evening will begin a four-day celebration of NU’s 16th president that includes a symposium featuring Hot, Flat, and Crowded author Thomas Friedman, a John Legend concert at Welsh-Ryan Arena, and special halftime event during Saturday’s home football game.

Associated Student Government and EvMark, a private company that manages downtown Evanston, co-sponsored Big Bite Nite, which has been a popular tradition for several years. At the event, restaurants find new Northwestern customers and students get a free meal from the plethora of samples. Students also received coupon booklets and entered a raffle to win $100 in gift cards for local businesses.

Irene Sics, the owner of Kafein, has been participating in Big Bite Nite since its inauguration. “We love it,” she said. “It’s such great exposure and we get to show off our place.” This year, Kafein offered iced mochas, a perfect complement between food samples.

Mathew Douvikas, manager of Wild Dogz, participates every year because “it’s fun” and he “likes being social.” He hopes the event will bring repeat business from students, but he likes interacting with students regardless.

Participating restaurants offered plenty of sample-sized fare. Blu Sushi offered rainbow, California and veggie rolls, while New Uber Burger handed out fries, chili and chicken ragout. Other student favorites this year included Thai Sookdee, Merle’s #1 Barbecue and Bar Louie.

Northwestern students took advantage of the event, which lasted an hour and a half, and seemed to enjoy the wide variety of cuisines.

“I just wish it lasted a little longer,” said Weinberg freshman Lauren Carbajal. “I don’t think I’ll make it to all the restaurants.”

Megan Friedman contributed reporting.

The freeze has been a thorn in the collective side of the Greek system since 1989, when the rule was established. The idea behind the concept was to introduce freshmen to the Greek system gradually, instead of it having a direct influence on students’ first month here. As Artaiz explains, the rule was “designed to account for the realities that existed in 1989.” When the rule was initially proposed, it was meant to promote deterred recruitment. Up until the establishment of the freshman freeze, it was common practice for houses to begin recruiting freshmen as soon as they arrived on campus.

The Greek system (to which I belong) has undoubtedly changed since then. Though dirty rushing — rushing before the prescribed time — still exists, Artaiz pointed out that new recruitment regulations have been put in place and that Greek houses are now dry. The negative aspects of Greek life present when the rule was established have either been done away with or regulated under the strict guidelines of Greek organizations like IFC, Panhellenic Association, the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC), and the National Pan-Hellenic Council. The proposal submitted to ASG on behalf of the Greek community suggests that the freeze has long since completed its objectives and now hurts the houses by remaining unaltered.

Northwestern frat houses aren’t like Animal House, no matter how much we might wish they were. North By Northwestern file photo.

There is no longer a valid reason to keep the four-week freshman freeze. Artaiz is correct when he says that the statute is out of date. One of the problems cited in the proposal was that the freeze does not account for MGC, which was created after the rule was established. The proposal calls for an inclusion of all Greek societies.

The Greek culture at Northwestern is not the least bit reminiscent of the infamous Delta House from Animal House. A house like that wouldn’t stay on campus for more than one party with IFC looking over its shoulder. Now that the Greek system has changed significantly and for the better, a measure as extreme as four weeks of freshman freeze just seems based on old stereotypes of the Greek system, like it’s some big, bad, scary thing that new freshman are too delicate to encounter in their first weeks of school.

One of the biggest problems I’ve personally experienced with the freshman freeze is the skewed image it conjures for the houses. As a freshman, I initially had little to no interest in rushing. The idea of freshman freeze made it seem like the university was trying to protect me from something. I couldn’t get an idea of what any of the houses were really about until a month into school, when houses had to scramble to put together the traditional Sunday night dinners to make up for lost time. Instead of a natural introduction to the Greek system, I had to take the plunge as soon as the freeze ended. As a Greek sophomore, I can now see why people who hold similar views on the Greek system that I once had don’t join a house. Because of this, they’re missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The biggest problem with the current state of the freshman freeze rule is that it entirely undermines any level of personal responsibility in the freshman class. We’re told that college is supposed to be a time of adulthood and deciding things on your own, but as soon as we get here, we’re told where we can’t go. Where is the freedom? The personal responsibility? I thought I left mom and dad back in the suburbs.

One of the biggest benefits of the potential repeal would be the ability to conduct and advertise for philanthropies. Under the current rules, Greek organizations can’t hold philanthropic events during freshman freeze, and they can’t even advertise during the four weeks for events that occur after the freeze. If anyone remembers, we’re supposed to be service organizations. I think that should be the first impression freshman get of us, not the “you can’t go there” mentality that the university instills in them as soon as they arrive.

This proposal should and hopefully will go through. What harm could really come from allowing freshmen into Greek houses after their first two weeks on campus? It will certainly keep them from flocking to sketchy off-campus parties, where cops have to get involved. There would inevitably be concerns of an increase in dirty rushing, but if IFC keeps it promises to regulate recruitment more closely, this shouldn’t be a problem worth halting the proposal for. Cutting the freshman freeze in half is the least the university can do for the almost 40 percent of the student population in the Greek system, and for the 2,182 incoming members of the class of 2013.

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Though the board deplored his actions, his conduct did not ultimately interfere with his ability to work with students and administrators to look out for Northwestern’s academic interests, the opinion stated.

“We the judicial board believe there exists a solemn need to observe the discrepancy between these two indictments,” the opinion also noted.

Senate Speaker Samir Pendse echoed the statement, saying, “The whole point was to say, it’s not an impeachable offense.”

Articles of impeachment were brought against Safdari after an e-mail he sent spread unintentionally around campus on April 17, the morning before polls opened for a run-off election between presidential candidates Bill Pulte and Mike McGee. Safdari’s e-mail called Pulte’s campaign tactics “extralegal,” and asserted the importance of supporting McGee.

“I pretty much knew this was a huge mistake when I sent it out,” Safdari said.

The articles of impeachment charged Safdari with attempting “to unduly influence the outcome of an election.” In the run-off election, Pulte received 40 percent of the votes. McGee won with 60 percent.

“I hope we can convey we’re more than happy to get feedback from students,” ASG Parliamentarian Grace Adamson said, concerning the decision of the Rules Committee. “We should tailor our actions to meet the needs of the student body.”

If another charge aside from impeachment is to be brought against Safdari, it would have to come from the senators or the students, Pendse said.

“We’re focused on moving forward,” he said. “We’re focused on being productive and making tangible improvements for student life.”

Adamson said her plans as parliamentarian include rewriting and clarifying election guidelines so that “everyone is on the same page as to what is and what isn’t appropriate,” she said.

Safdari also said he’s moving past his mistake, and looking forward to working with administrators and the student body.

“I hope the next time you hear about me, it’s because I’ve gotten stuff done, not because I’ve caused some big scandal,” he said.

One round of ASG voting just wasn’t enough, apparently. Bill Pulte and Mike McGee ran closely enough to force a run-off vote, scheduled for this Friday. If you were one of the record 4,455 voters who cast a ballot, I’m sure you already have your mind made up (except for the Luke Adams crowd and the 18 of you who voted for Dickie Humps; find a new outlet for your expression). But for everyone else who forgot to vote or could care less about ASG elections (here!) and who suddenly feel spurred to participate in student democracy, who should you vote for? Sure, you could focus on the issues or which candidate’s platform would benefit you most, but BORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRING.

Thankfully, the two candidates remaining both have faux-rap videos online devoted to them. Forget matters of substance. Which candidate can spit the hottest fire? Well, in this case, neither candidate actually drops any verses, so it comes down to who has the best MC repping them. First up, the rap about Mike McGee:

The “Fresh Prince” beat seems played out at first, but whoever put this together mixed it up, adding a new twist to an old classic. The lyrics focus on positive change, casting McGee as the conscious candidate. Some of the rhymes are whack (”We got a new president, his name is Schapiro / that means change, there’s nothing to fear-o”), but it’s overall a very upbeat number about making Northwestern a better place. But not stupid upbeat, like that will.i.am Obama song. How about the Pulte rap?

OK, you probably figured out Bill Pulte in no way endorses this, especially since it explicitly tells you not to vote for Bill Pulte. Plus, it’s loaded with spelling errors. And that’s probably good, because if he seriously made a parody of the already-a-parody “I’m On A Boat,” he’d lose the valuable Netplay demographic (hey all six of you!). However, this Pulte diss does raise a valid point: was Bill Pulte in anyway involved with the Pike atrocity “Fratstar?” Did he contribute vocals? Did he give it his approval? Did he not just say “seriously guys, cut it out?” If it is revealed that Mr. Pulte is anyway associated with or not physically repulsed by “Fratstar,” he should pull out of this run-off election and record a heartfelt apology rap.

Obviously, deciding who to cast your presidential ballot for based on rap videos is stupid. But as a senior who has absolutely no stake in this election, I encourage you to follow your heart and vote for the candidate with the better song.

(And since Bill Pulte didn’t actually get a positive video featured in this post, I’ll give him a plug here. Well, sort of, because this pro-Pulte ad features all the hallmarks of a “The More You Know” spot.)

Clarification, 2:37 a.m.: This story has been clarified to reflect the fact that 4,455 students cast ballots, and 4,421 of those ballots were eligible. Thanks to Election Commissioner Paul David Shrader for the clarification.

Go ahead and mock me, but I love this stuff. Photo by John-Morgan on Flickr, licensed under the Creative Commons.

I love chalk. I love chalk hopscotch and chalk racetracks and crime-scene-style chalk outlines, but most of all, I love the way our entire campus is blanketed in a rainbow of chalk ASG campaign ads, or was until the rain washed it all away on Monday. You might trace this deep-seated love of mine to something more serious, like a full-fledged Peter Pan complex and a denial of adult responsibility, but I don’t really think so. I’m just happy that here and now — in a generation and campus that is often deemed apathetic — we can care about something enough to not leave a single sidewalk square blank.

In fact, this may actually be my favorite time of the year. I’m a bit capricious in my affections, and I generally declare this same statement about once a month, but it’s usually about the weather, not politics — something that rarely gets me too excited.

But thanks to the current campaign, my habitual long, late-night walks between North and South campus are no longer the dull treks they once were, with a myriad of multi-colored slogans along the way. And it’s not just the ads that make the annual ASG campaigns so great.

The sheer effort that candidates put behind their campaigns is impressive. Anyone who’s gone flyering or chalking knows that the work is nearly back-breaking and will leave you sore the next day. ASG hopefuls are undoubtedly busy assembling their massive campaign teams and securing the endorsements of many, yet all the while, they make time to go door-to-door just to talk to students.

I was in the student offices on the third floor of Norris last week when Bill Pulte stopped by just to chat, and the week before that, Muhammad Safdari, running unopposed for Academic Chair, stopped by my room in Allison. Though he was just asking for signatures in order to acquire the 200 needed to run, he stayed to talk for 20 minutes, discussing his platform and the possibility of a student book exchange and enlightening me on just how one gets involved in the mystery that is ASG.

Usually, politics is something convoluted and abstract, something that is so distant and so filtered that it’s hard to trust at all. As excited I was about the 2008 presidential election, I don’t feel like my day-to-day life has been greatly affected. But campus elections, as silly as they may seem, really do make a difference. I love making fun of ASG as much as the next Impeach ASG-reading student, but in truth, I really do think the student government here does a lot of good work. I think off-campus housing evaluations and Saturday shuttles to Chicago are more than I could have expected from ASG in the last year (granted, I set the bar low). If anything, the student body should make better use of these.

What’s cool about a campus campaign is that you’ll more than likely not only shake hands with the candidates, but if you’re interested, you can discuss policy with them. Not many people get to do this with the real U.S. of A president. Of course, shuttles and CTECs aren’t of the same weight as public health policy or relations in the Middle East, and of course it’s impossible to know with any certainty the sincerity of anyone’s campaign — but you have to have a little bit of faith and perspective, put aside all the snide, uninformed remarks, and appreciate what ASG does do.

The good news is that it’s easy to vote for ASG. No registrations, no absentee ballots sent perilously through the postal service, no lines to wait in on election day. The people we elect have the potential to improve our day-to-day lives directly within the next year, and we should hold hold them up to these standards. In the meantime, enjoy the chalking and gratuitous conversations with soon-to-be campus politicians, and don’t forget to vote!