The Daily Northwestern
8 FEATURES/McKeown
Joe McKeown’s legacy is more than just wins
Campus preps for ICE raids
Trump admin eyes Chicago as potential target
By NINETH KANIESKI KOSO daily senior staffer
The Trump administration has planned “postinauguration” immigration raids in Chicago and other sanctuary cities, according to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. The potential raids have students preparing.
The plan involves the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sending between 100 and 200 officers to carry out large-scale immigration raids, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Initially, the raids in Chicago were expected to begin Tuesday and last until the following Monday. However, when the plan was reported by news media outlets, Tom Homan, President Donald J. Trump’s “border czar,” said no decision had been made but Chicago was “not off the table,” according to The New York Times.
“(The potential raids) break my heart. I used to be undocumented and I have
family who’s undocumented, and once again, it’s disappointing,” said Maria Jose Arango, a Medill junior and co-president of Northwestern’s Advancement for the Undocumented Community.
“I feel a lot of grief seeing how people in power, once again, fail to protect all individuals and to protect everyone in our communities.”
After hearing about the potential ICE raids, Weinberg junior Grace Yu said she wanted to inform students about these raids, tell them what their rights are and provide resources and support.
Last Friday, Yu held an anti-deportation educational event about ICE to disperse information about potential ICE raids in the Chicago area. The event provided time for students — especially first-generation and low-income students — to talk about ICE and what their rights are, Yu said.
“I talked to quite a lot of people who, before they talked to me, didn’t realize that was something that was going down at all,” Yu said. “Not everyone comes across that stuff even if they do keep up with the news.”
» See ICE RAIDS , page 10
6 OPINION/Immigration
Hernandez Gonzalez: Immigrants are not enemies, they are the heart of America
Scan this QR code to listen to students’ thoughts on the inauguration!
Students react to ceasefire deal Israel-Hamas ceasefire sparks diverse conversation on campus
By LEAH SCHROEDER and ALEXIA SEXTOU the daily northwestern @lmschroeder
On Sunday, a ceasefire deal went into effect between Hamas and Israel, promising
the exchanges of hostages and detainees and aiming to end the 15 -month long war. Students on campus have had varied reactions to the ceasefire which began yesterday.
Over the next six weeks, Hamas and Israel are expected
La Cocinita set to reopen in new space
Te new Davis Street location will open Saturday with expanded menu
By SOPHIE BAKER the daily northwestern
Growing up, Benoit Angulo, co-owner of Venezuelan restaurant La Cocinita, envisioned creating a gathering spot like the Spanish and Portuguese-style eateries in his home country of Venezuela, where people could watch soccer, eat, drink and spend the day together.
Now, 13 years after he and his now-wife Rachel Angulo opened their first food truck in New Orleans, this dream will be realized.
La Cocinita’s Evanston location will relocate to a larger space at 521 Davis St. and open Saturday. While La Concinita has provided Evanston residents with Venezuelan cuisine for nearly a decade, the larger size of their new location will finally allow them to have the gathering space they always dreamed of.
The Angulos met in New Orleans and opened their first food truck there in 2011 They moved to Evanston to
be closer to Rachel Angulo’s family in 2014 . In 2016 , they opened La Cocinita in Evanston, which Rachel Angulo said she knew people would be receptive to.
“I feel like the (Evanston) community embraces diversity in all forms — including culinary diversity — and felt like Venezuelan cuisine would be a hit here,” she said.
The restaurant closed its location at 1625 Chicago Ave. roughly a month ago. Rachel Angulo said that the transition to Davis Street took “longer” than anticipated.
Downtown Evanston Executive Director Andy Vick said the move happened because a mid-rise building will take the restaurant’s place.
“That, I think, is a winwin,” Vick said. “It’s good for La Cocinita to have a new and larger space, and I’m also very excited about the development that’s going up on Chicago Avenue, as it’s going to bring more residents into downtown.”
The Angulos knew about the move in advance and
Sophie Baker/The Daily Northwestern
La Cocinita’s owners are most enthusiastic about their new space. They feel that they have taken the time to cultivate an inviting environment.
found it difficult to balance investing in their new space while still operating at their preferred capacity.
Benoit Angulo said that they were stuck in a “limbo,” which limited their creative capacity in the kitchen.
Now that the restaurant is officially moving, the family is investing in design, rolling out new menu items and incorporating a bar into the space.
to release 33 hostages and around 1 , 900 prisoners, respectively. Negotiations to extend the deal are also expected to take place during the ceasefire.
“I think the ceasefire will have great (positive)
consequences on NU’s small community,” Medill freshman Ali Mohammad said. “People will finally start to look at each other and perceive each other’s differences, but not (view
» See CEASEFIRE , page 10
Trump returns to the White House
Northwestern community reacts to inaguration
By REED ZIMMERMAN the daily northwestern @reedzimmerman2
President Donald Trump officially returned to the White House after taking the oath of office on Monday.
For members of the Northwestern community, Trump’s inauguration brought mixed feelings.
Weinberg junior and NU College Republicans Vice President Clark Hanlon, who watched the inauguration, believes the second Trump presidency will “forge a true restoration of the American way of life.”
Hanlon also believes the decision by House Speaker Mike Johnson to raise the Capitol’s flags to full mast during the inauguration was representative of “confidence and excitement in this new era of governance.” Johnson’s
decision directly defies outgoing President Joe Biden’s orders for American flags to be kept at half-mast for a month following the death of former President Jimmy Carter.
However, the ceremony did not take place with the flags outside the Capitol in view. The ceremony instead took place in the Capitol Rotunda due to inclement weather conditions.
CEOs of notable tech companies, including Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Sundar Pichai of Google, Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Elon Musk of Tesla, sat in prominent seats at the inauguration.
Such presences irritated Weinberg junior and NU College Democrats co-President Adam Durr.
“Donald Trump took the oath of office surrounded by corporate oligarchs,” Durr said.
Durr also expressed his doubts regarding the plausibility of Trump’s economic plans
» See INAUGURATION, page 10
William Tong/The Daily Northwestern
The first of several anticipated hostage and detainee exchanges within the six-week ceasefire took place Sunday.
Strong f rst year for Pulse Dempster bus to O’Hare
By SHUN GRAVES daily senior staffer @realshungraves
Facing a long-feared fiscal cliff next year, Chicago-area transit operators have warned of a 40% service cut and sometimes suggest sullied optimism for improvement.
Yet Pace, the suburban bus agency, has a different message after its Pulse Dempster Line’s opening year: If we build it, they will come.
The limited-stop bus route started running daily in October 2023 between downtown Evanston and O’Hare International Airport. Now, with a year’s worth of data showing growing ridership, Pulse’s start has proved encouraging amid the testy fiscal situation, Pace spokeswoman Maggie Daly Skogsbakken said.
“In that corridor, we are close to pre-pandemic levels,” she said. “Whereas the rest of the system is at about 70% . If you include paratransit, probably a little closer to 75 , 80% . So we’re super pleased with the results.”
Transit ridership plummeted across the U.S. at the onset of the COVID- 19 pandemic. The ensuing shift in commuting patterns has left transit agencies with fewer passengers and new questions about how to adjust their services. Funding, however, did not prove so daunting. Federal pandemic assistance funds have
propped up agencies like Pace, supplanting farebox revenue to ensure they kept operating. But now the spigot has run dry.
State lawmakers will grapple with a projected $771 million deficit next year for the region’s four transit agencies: Pace, the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and the Regional Transportation Authority. Without an extra infusion from Springfield, the RTA has said it would have to cut service by 40%
The Pulse Dempster service went live in the midst of this tumult. It follows the same route as the local Route 250 , but it has fewer stops, traffic signal priority, more frequent service and more.
Nearly 2 , 500 people rode Route 250 on an average weekday in November 2019 . That number more than halved a year later. But after Pulse’s debut, the Dempster corridor — including Route 250 and Pulse service — carried nearly 2 , 400 passengers on an average weekday in November 2024
That return to pre-pandemic ridership stands as an outlier compared to the whole Pace system, CTA and Metra, which still lag.
“It goes beyond just making the case for Pulse,” Skogsbakken said. “It makes the case for faster, frequent service.”
Over the course of Pulse Dempster’s first year, Pace grappled with some setbacks too. Supply problems have delayed the completion
of Pulse’s dedicated bus stop shelters. But the agency has otherwise remained optimistic over the route’s strong start.
The year-one results indeed seem promising, said P.S. Sriraj, who helms the University of Illinois Chicago’s Urban Transportation Center. State lawmakers, he added, might examine its opening success in mulling over boosting transit funding.
“The question is, ‘Is this enough of a sample size to convince legislators and decision makers, both in the industry and outside?’” Sriraj said.
That query could entail some nuanced complications, he added. For one, Pulse Dempster’s connection to O’Hare distinguishes it from other suburban routes, Sriraj said.
Pulse Dempster has proved popular with NU students flying to and from their hometowns. Early in January, Bienen freshman Tristan Wittmer stepped off the bus in downtown Evanston
from O’Hare.
“My friends told me that it was the best way to get to the airport, cheapest and quickest,” Wittmer said. “It was a good experience.”
A Pulse ride costs $2 with a Ventra card and $2 25 with cash.
As the future of Chicago transit hangs in the balance — perhaps at the whim of Springfield — Pace has planned to keep growing its limited-stop Pulse network across the suburbs.
The Dempster line, Pace’s second Pulse route, has nonetheless left a mark in its freshman year.
“‘Will that same level of success translate in other corridors?’ might be a question that legislators can ask,” Sriraj said. “But there is no denying that an improved service offering is always going to be looked upon favorably.”
shungraves2027@u.northwestern.edu
Shun Graves/The Daily Northwestern
A Pulse Dempster Line bus pulls into the Davis Street CTA station in early January.
NU works to upli f incarcerated voices
By LAUREN KEE the daily northwestern @laurenhykee
Poems about overcoming drug abuse, leters to future selves, artwork about hope and writings of childhood nostalgia were just some of the works featured in Women Initiating New Directions (WIND)’s anthology, “Women Writing Teir Futures.” Te collection includes pieces created by incarcerated or formerly incarcerated women participating in WIND’s Writing for Empowerment program.
Founded in 2018, WIND serves the growing number of women impacted by incarceration. Trough the help of volunteers, some of whom Northwestern students and faculty, WIND provides support for women in reentering their communities.
Women at Cook County Jail and Grace House transition home participate in WIND’s four-course sequence, including Writing for Empowerment, Money Maters, Designing Your Future and Essential Life Skills. Participants receive a certifcate of achievement and leter at the end of each course to show a judge or parole ofcer they are working to turn their lives around, WIND board member and NU Professor of Instruction Emeritus Penny Hirsch said.
“We’re trying to help these women that are in midlife,” Hirsch said. “We’re trying to give them life skills so that they can either reconnect with their family, get a job or fnd healthy ways to live, and we feel like those women are a neglected group.”
Hirsch, who received her PhD in English from NU in 1980, said she joined WIND upon retiring from 40 years as a professor for the NU Cook Family Writing Program. She currently serves as a feedback coach for Writing for Empowerment, where each woman is paired with a writing mentor.
Each week, the women work on a diferent worksheet package, Hirsch said. Te feedback coaches then respond with a leter, ofering advice on their writing, personal anecdotes connected to the topic of the week and encouragement to continue puting their thoughts on paper.
Te course aims to provide women with an outlet for creative expression and to improve their writing. Some of the exercises include writing a “Where I’m
From” poem, creating a mind map of future goals and a meditation visualization activity. Students can read each other’s work through WIND’s weekly newsleter.
“Te poems are more poignant,” Laura Pigozzi, WIND feedback coach and Writing Program professor, said. “Tey’re basically answering the questions, but when you look at all the questions together, it makes the poem portrait.”
In the spring of 2024, Pigozzi asked students in her Science, Medical, and Health Writing class to act as feedback coaches for the WIND participants. She said the assignment was meant to help her students to be cognizant of their biases and stereotypes toward incarcerated people. Te students’ leters were then sent back to the women at WIND, Pigozzi said.
Besides Writing for Empowerment, WIND ofers Designing Your Future, modeled afer the Designing Your Life course at McCormick’s Segal Design Institute that WIND co-founder Kelly Costello had taught. Both courses help participants think creatively about the future, reframe negative beliefs and analyze how they balance diferent priorities in life.
WIND also modifes its coursework based on feedback from Lived Experienced Leaders (LELs), women in reentry who undergo compensated training through the WIND Bridge Program. Funded by NU’s Racial Equity and Community Partnership grant, the
Bridge Program helps LELs develop leadership skills and give back to their communities.
Some LELs have become feedback coaches and workshop facilitators, passing on what they’ve learned.
Current LEL Queen Brown is working on her own book, “A Cry for Help: From a Life of Destruction to a Life of Recovery,” afer completing WIND’s programs. LELs have also participated in on-campus readings of their works.
WIND continues to grow, with NU students interning with the program over the summer or through the NU Center for Civic Engagement, Hirsch said. Recently, WIND established a Junior Advisory Board, ofering students an opportunity to contribute to the organization and meet like-minded peers.
Afer taking Pigozzi’s class, Weinberg sophomore Erika Ruiz-Yamamoto reached out to WIND to get involved. Hoping to become a feedback coach in the future, she is creating a calendar featuring some of the women’s artwork and helping WIND publish their second anthology.
“In the book, we want to show that they’re more than just their incarcerated status,” Ruiz-Yamamoto said. “Tese are women that, just like us, have hopes and dreams.”
laurenkee2028@u.northwestern.edu
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Women in reentry undergo training through the WIND Bridge Program to become Lived Experience Leaders.
A & E
Open Tab: Lao Tian Dumpling House offers bold flavors
By KUNJAL Bastola and RACHEL SCHLUETER senio& st())e&s @kunjal_bastola/@rschlueter26
Lao Tian Dumpling House o,ers a variety of mouth-watering dishes to warm you up this Winter Quarter.
Located at ---. Emerson St., Lao Tian Dumpling House is a -/-minute walk from South Campus and steps away from e Reserve Apartments stop on the Loop Shu le. Lao Tian Dumpling House opened in July 2/24, replacing pizza joint Cantuccio’s.
Not only does the menu include a variety of meat and vegetarian dumplings, but there are a
10th
plethora of appetizers, such as the wood ear mushroom salad or the chilled pig ear slice, to satisfy any craving you might have.
Lao Tian Dumpling House’s cozy interior includes one large round table and counter seating. On a frigid Wednesday evening, the restaurant was bustling with takeout orders from students and Evanstonians alike.
Hi ing our midweek slump, we were looking forward to a casual comfort meal. We’re happy to report Lao Tian Dumpling House did not disappoint.
We started o, our meal with an order of scallion pancakes, a fried, aky atbread with layers of scallions inside. ese pancakes came to our table fresh out of the fryer with a side of oyster sauce to
dip. e scallions o,ered a sharp avor, which the oyster sauce cut through with a touch of sweetness. is dish primed our taste buds for the next course.
Now for the main event: the dumplings. Lao Tian Dumpling House boasts over 2/ di,erent handmade dumpling varieties, from pork and corn to zucchini and mushroom.
We ordered the xiao long bao, which are steamed soup dumplings lled with a savory broth and a juicy ball of pork. Our preferred way to enjoy xiao long bao is poking a hole in the chewy wrapper with one chopstick, slurping up the broth and then devouring the dumpling. e soup provided a burst of warmth, and the pork was salty and tender.
Of course, we couldn’t just get one order of dumplings, so we opted to try the steamed egg,
shrimp and chives dumplings as well. e wrapper was thin and so , and the lling was so avorful. e shrimp lling makes for a slight crunch when biting into the warm, juicy dumplings. We complemented our dumplings with a concoction of soy sauce and chili oil crunch, adding hints of spice and crispiness to these avor bombs.
With an extensive menu full of delicious dumplings paired with e cient service, Lao Tian Dumpling House is the perfect cozy dinner spot to get you through this winter freeze. Stop by and pick up what will probably be your winter quarter meal xation.
kunjalbastola2026@u.northwestern.edu rachelschlueter2026@u.northwestern.edu
International Artists Book Triennial Vilnius works at EAC
By MARISSA FERNANDEZ
the d(il: no&thweste&n
Postcards are uncommon materials to use when creating a book. Yet, the artists featured in the -/ th International Artists Book Triennial Vilnius 2/24 use a wide variety of materials ––including postcards –– to create artists’ books that each tell unique stories and narratives. Thirty-two pieces from the -/ th Triennial are on display at the Evanston Art Center from Jan. 9 to Feb. -6 . The entire -/ th Triennial features 77 pieces made by artists from 29 different countries.
“It’s really an amazing show,” said Emma Rose Gudewicz, director of development and exhibitions at the EAC. “We don’t get to show a lot of artists’ book objects. It’s not something that you typically get to see a whole exhibition of just (artists books). So to see all of the practical skill that goes into making the books is really amazing.”
After the 9 th Triennial, which was only conceptual, curator Kestutis Vasiliunas didn’t plan on making more Triennials, he said. But, he said, many artists asked him to do one more.
Vasiliunas decided that if artists wanted it, then another triennial was meant to be for everyone involved, he said. The theme for the -/ th Triennial, “To Be,” became even more important to him after the start of the wars in Ukraine and Palestine, he said.
“To be or not to be?” Vasiliunas said, “For art to be or not to be, for all of us, it’s a question.”
The -/ th Triennial is not the first Triennial to come to Evanston. After meeting Vasiliunas at one of the venues where the 8 th Triennial
was being exhibited, book artist Stephen Murphy helped facilitate the works being exhibited at the EAC, he said.
Murphy learned from Vasiliunas that the reason why the triennials had not been shown in the United States was partly due to difficulties finding the funds to send the books and acquiring venues to display the works, he said. The two eventually found funding from a variety of sources and were able to bring the 8 th Triennial to the EAC.
“I think it is very important, not for me, but for artists, for all artists to be exhibited in (other) spaces, in other countries,” Vasiliunas, who hails from Vilnius, Lithuania, said.
Visual artist Carole Kunstadt said it was an honor to be accepted into the -/ th Triennial.
“It’s a validation that (I’m) doing something significant, that it can be shown in an international platform and continue to be seen by different populations and different cities throughout Europe but now in the U.S.,” Kunstadt said.
While in the U.S., works from the -/ th Triennial will also be exhibited in Reed Library of SUNY Fredonia and at the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory & Educational Foundation in Ohio.
Kunstadt’s piece “Valle de la Meuse: an environmental paradigm” is composed of five postcards that she wove together from a souvenir pack of -/ , she said.
The postcards depicted tourists taking leisurely excursions on the Meuse River, a major European river that runs through France, Belgium and the Netherlands, and the river’s surrounding countryside, Kunstadt said. While Kunstadt did not know much about the river when she bought the postcards, she later found
out that the river became polluted in the -9?/ s and changed drastically, she said.
“I think what’s significant for me is that we can’t continue to go forward unless we look back,” Kunstadt said. “We need to know what has happened in the previous decades or a century to ours and to know what we’ve done right and what we’ve done wrong.”
James Thurman, professor of metalsmithing and jewelry at the University of North Texas, has a piece entitled “The Question” also on display in the EAC. Parts of his pieces are carved
from pages of a used copy of “Hamlet” that he glued together using plant-based resin. He said he hopes his piece causes the audience to pause and reflect on their daily experiences.
“I’m hoping to draw people in very intimately and to get them to slow down a lot and to really just resonate with a physical object, as opposed to the sort of barrage of digital media that we all are subject to daily,” Thurman said. marissafernandez2028@u.northwestern.edu
Kunjal Bastola/The Daily Northwestern
Marissa Fernandez/The Daily Northwestern Artists use materials like postcards and used copies of books to create pieces for the 10th International Artists Book Triennial Vilnius.
Skylar Astin talks “Pitch Perfect,” theatre at Hillel event
By CAYLA LABGOLD-CARROLL and CHRISTINA LIN
!he dail( )or!h,e-!er) @caylalc/@chrisyjlin
Actor Skylar Astin spoke about his Jewish upbringing, spilled behind-the-scenes secrets from his “Pitch Perfect” days and gave advice to students pursuing a career in theatre at Hillel’s annual celebrity speaker event on Tuesday night.
.e sold-out talk, put together by the Hillel celebrity speaker commi/ee, began with a performance from ShireiNU, Northwestern’s Jewish a cappella group.
“.e celebrity speaker event is a great opportunity to bring together the Jewish and not-Jewish members of the Northwestern community,” said Medill junior Madeleine Stern, the Hillel programming co-chair and celebrity speaker commi/ee co-head. “We bring in a Jewish celebrity, and they tell us about their life, about
their career, and a li/le bit about their Jewish identity.”
Astin spoke about his Jewish upbringing, consisting of color wars at sleepaway camp, a Dave Ma/hews Band-themed bar mitzvah and his mother’s matzo ball soup.
He also described his decision to drop his last name, Lipstein, when he decided to further pursue theatre.
“You go/a lose the last name. It’s great, but it’s more versatile if your name is not speci c to something,” said Astin, quoting his rst agent.
Astin immersed himself in theatre growing up in New York, auditioning for anything he could nd and pursuing a theatre degree at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, although he said NU was his rst choice.
However, he was not at Tisch for long. During his freshman year, Astin originated a role in the now-hit Broadway musical “Spring Awakening.” Soon a er, he picked up his rst movie role in “Hamlet 2” and eventually went on to make the “Pitch Perfect” movies, which he is best known for.
Astin described the “Pitch Perfect” movie as “lightning in a bo/le,” a/ributing the success of the movie to a great script and actors who were able to build on it. He also shared behind-the-scenes secrets with the audience.
“Adam and Rebel’s love story, especially in the rst movie, was not on paper,” Astin said, referencing the onscreen relationship between the characters Bumper and Fat Amy.
Many of the actors were allowed to improvise parts of scenes that were later incorporated into the movie, he said. .e ensemble work in the movie helped inspire the improvisation because it allowed them to work o one another in scenes, Astin said.
Astin ended his talk by taking questions from the audience, many of which asked for his advice on pursuing theatre and inquired more about his role in Pitch Perfect.
Weinberg freshman and ShereiNU member Naomi Ko said she was most a ected by his advice that an
actor learns more by playing a smaller role than a bigger one. “I felt like that was a good bit of advice because I’ve done productions where I’ve had small roles, and I think it helped me learn more about myself,” Ko said.
Another question of the talk inquired about the validity of something many NU tour guides claim as they walk through campus: Was “Pitch Perfect” based on Northwestern?
Although Astin said that he believed the lm was inspired by the overall collegiate a capella scene and the book by Mickey Rapkin, he also acknowledged that the director Jason Moore a/ending NU may have in uenced the lm.
“In that way, I think it actually had a lot to do with this university,” Astin said, “Maybe that’s how Northwestern edges out other universities.”
caylalabgold-carroll2028@u.northwestern.edu
christinalin2028@u.northwestern.edu
NU filmmakers call ‘Action’ on how-to for short films
By YANA JOHNSON
!he dail( )or!h,e-!er)
Though Northwestern is known for its vibrant arts scene and a multitude of creative outlets for students, the student filmmaking process remains somewhat shrouded in mystery. To shed light on this process, The Daily gained a backstage pass to sit in on the creation of student short films on campus.
Seated shoulder to shoulder in a Louis Hall computer lab, Communication senior and film director Richard Yan and Communication junior and film editor Ashley Qiu spend nearly 40 minutes editing just the brief, opening scene of Yan’s student short film, “What the Heaven!”
Throughout their editing session, the director and editor collaborate over how to dice up and piece together the film, critiquing a shot’s exposure, maneuvering Adobe Premiere Pro and discussing a scene’s background noise. For nearly an hour, the room is filled solely with film jargon, such as “gamma correction,” “nesting sequences” and “room tone.” The dialogue of the opening scene is replayed and rewatched by two sets of fiercely meticulous eyes set on nothing short of perfection.
“Sometimes you have to cut stuff, even though you don’t want to, but sometimes you feel like you should add more,” Yan said, adding that those decisions can be the hardest for a director to make.
From the director’s department to the gaffers, grips, actors, art crew and intimacy coordinators, Yan said there was a tremendous
amount of coordination between a vast number of roles and departments working both dependently and independently to execute his vision.
He added, however, that most viewers credit directors, actors and even cinematographers for their contributions to a film’s production, but the vital sound and art crews go underappreciated.
“Sound is super underappreciated. They do so much in making the film sound good,” Yan said. “The next time you watch a film, really notice how good the sound is. And watch a film where the sound isn’t that great. You’ll really notice the difference.”
Not every role in film production is created equally. Qiu, a first-time lead editor, recalled other behind-the-scenes roles in student filmmaking from her previous experiences on other film sets. Having been a member of art crew, production design and script supervision teams, she emphasized that although each role requires creativity in a “different way,” they share an emphasis on being “detail-oriented” roles.
Both behind the scenes and before the camera, the importance of dedication to detail isn’t lost on any component of the set. Grace Petersen (Communication ‘ 24 ) said from the set of the student short film “Sisters.”
“For each scene, you’re getting multiple angles that you catch on different actors — different facial expressions,” Petersen said. “A lot goes into it.”
Petersen, an actress in the film, added that even in roles as underappreciated as the gaffer, who specializes in perfecting a scene’s lighting, the attention to detail in every shot is “amazing.”
Yan’s film, “What the Heaven!,” follows a young man who gets a second chance at communicating with his father when his father returns from the afterlife. It’s a film Yan describes as personal and inspired as much by his own life as by some of his formative directorial influences, including YouTuber Ryan Higa and best picture winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
He said he hopes audiences will come to see
his film once it premieres and leave reflecting on their own relationships with their parents and the finite time they have to change them.
Qiu said she personally shares similar hopes.
“I think it resonates because it’s such an authentic story from Richard’s life and his experiences,” Qiu said. “And I feel like when people watch it, they’ll also resonate with that, too.”
yanajohnson2028@u.northwestern.edu
Swi ie Poetry: Students enjoy Taylor Swi literature class
By NAVYA SINGH !he dail( )or!h,e-!er)
While Northwestern course offerings may sometimes seem mundane, a class featuring case studies of Taylor Swi ’s music is sure to turn heads.
Medill sophomore Olivia Teeter said she was scrolling through literature class options last quarter when the course “Literatures of the Ancient World: Love Scripts: From Sappho to Taylor Swi ” caught her eye.
“I’m a big Taylor Swi fan,” Teeter said. “So that got my a/ention.”
Although the sight of a class description reading
“Taylor Swi ” initially a/racted Teeter to the class, she has stayed for academic reasons. Teeter added that she enjoys reading poetry from other cultures in the class in addition to Swi ’s work.
.e class syllabus includes readings from various ancient cultures including Greece, Rome and Egypt. Students are invited to present a modern love song that matches the rhetorical tropes of the readings.
Bienen and SESP freshman Rebecca MarchanEspino said they took the class because the works studied would help them as a voice and opera major, as they are required to sing in various languages. “.e class covers poetry from di erent ages and
countries,” Marchan-Espino said. “I thought it’d be useful as I could apply it to my own work.”
NU joins universities such as NYU, UC Berkeley and Stanford that have courses that feature Swi ’s work, sparking a new wave of pop culture being incorporated in literature classes. While this class does not focus solely on Swi ’s work, it shows the similarities and di erences between Swi and ancient love poets’ ideas of love.
.is quarter marks Weinberg Prof. Marianne Hopman’s third time teaching the class, she said, adding that the cultural aspect of the class can be bene cial for students.
“ .e detour through di erent cultures helps us understand our own culture be/er,” Hopman said.
When determining the topic for this quarter, Hopman said she wanted to connect the past and present in a way that was interesting to students.
On the rst day of class, students analyzed Taylor Swi ’s song “invisible string” from her album “folklore” which explores the phenomenon of two people being made for each other and destined to end up together.
“It’s an idea you don’t nd in antiquity,” Hopman said. “I think it might be liberating to understand that this is very much a modern construct.”
Weinberg freshman Riley Meyer said she chose the class because she wants to pursue a classics minor, and she took a class with Hopman during Fall Quarter.
Meyer added that it is important to learn how love has evolved over time.
“I feel like love is so prevalent in our lives,” she said. “I think it’s cool to see the changes in how people think about it.”
Meyer said she also found it interesting that ideas about love from thousands of years ago can still apply today.
In addition to learning about ideas of love over time, Marchan-Espino said the course makes poetry more accessible as an art form.
“I feel like we think poetry is very pretentious,” Marchan-Espino said. “So I think the course makes poetry more approachable.”
Hopman hopes that students develop close reading and poetry analysis skills, but also that the course enriches students’ personal lives, she said. Hopman is so far succeeding at her goal, as Meyer said she and other students have enjoyed the class so far. Teeter agreed, saying she enjoyed the discussion portion of the class because hearing di erent interpretations of the poems causes her to “think about the poems very di erently.”
Meyer also said being in college lets students take classes they might not have thought about before that allow them to fully explore their interests.
“I never would have an opportunity to take a class like that in high school,” Meyer said. “You’re ge/ing comparative literature, and you’re also getting to analyze songs you listen to and love.”.
navyasingh2028@u.northwestern.edu
Daily file illustration by Iliana Garner
Richard Yan, the director of upcoming short film “What the Heaven!”, said collaboration plays a large role in the creation of student shorts.
Siri Reddy/The Daily Northwestern
Prof. Marianne Hopman’s “Literatures of the Ancient World: Love Scripts: From Sappho to Taylor Swi!” teaches NU students to analyze themes of love across time.
OPINION
Hernandez Gonzalez: Immigrants are not enemies
ALEXANDER
HERNANDEZ GONZALEZ
OPINION EDITOR
Well, doomsday has ofcially passed, and Americans across the United States are now living in one of two realities: optimistic hope for the country or a ticking clock that is ready to sound of when a guaranteed freedom is stripped away from an individual or community.
Shuting down the Department of Education, revoking women’s reproductive rights and the planned destruction that the freedom of press could face are some of the threats that this country will endure these next four years under President Donald Trump’s second term.
Yet, one of the Trump administration’s main focuses is on a community of people who quite literally built this country from the ground up: immigrants. Trump threatened to enact the largest mass deportation ever in the U.S. on Day 1 of his presidency, and immigrant communities are preparing for the worst.
It can be a frightening idea to leave the country
involuntarily. Te expansion of the expedited removal program does not only speed up the process of mass deportation, it allows raids to take place within neighborhoods and workplaces. So, regardless of where immigrants may be, they will be targets subjected to unjustifed acts like arrest, detainment or deportation.
Tis “top priority” of Trump’s has been kept secret for a while, with him telling NBC News on Jan. 18 that he doesn’t want to reveal details and wants Americans to “see it frsthand.”
Several sanctuary cities, which limit police involvement with federal immigration agents, are on Trump’s list of places to deport immigrants in mass quantities, including Chicago. Now, as plans are under reconsideration, this reality is more frightening than ever before.
Representatives Jesus “Chuy” Garcia (D-Ill.) and Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) joined Chicago-based immigrant advocates on Jan. 18 to inform local immigrants about legal workshops, urging them to remain calm during this time and to exercise their rights.
With the heartbreaking realities immigrants are faced with, one must ask the question: “Why are immigrants being scrutinized heavily in today’s society?” Te spread of misinformation, disinformation and xenophobic ideologies have led America to
become a country that hates its past.
According to the Cato Institute, between 1783 and 2019, over 86 million immigrants entered the U.S. for a variety of reasons.
Yet, as the immigrant population increased in the 19th century, it wasn’t until 1891 that the Ofce of Immigration was created, which began the oversight of immigration on a federal level. Naturalization, immigration enforcement and border security became top priorities of various presidential administrations over the years.
In recent years, the infux of immigrants from the Global South has impacted population numbers drastically, with Republican politicians blaming immigrants for flling blue-collar jobs and a “sudden rise” in crime. Allowing blue-collar jobs to be flled and crime to rise in major cities. Tese two truths are present in everyday life, but politicians like Trump use violence, threats and stories of near-death experiences to instill fear into Americans. Yet, two things can co-exist at the same time.
In my life, I have been surrounded by immigrants who came to the U.S. to support their families back home in México, Colombia and El Salvador. Not only did they make it their mission to sacrifce their mental, emotional and physical well-being for their families, they also came here for opportunities that
weren’t available back home.
With these important fgures in my childhood, I learned the importance of taking a risk for your family, not being afraid of the unknown and embracing your heritage no mater where you are.
Even though this is just the beginning of this second term, allyship, advocacy and support are crucial for immigrant communities. Organizations such as the National Immigrant Justice Center and United We Dream provide incredible resources for those who are targets of this administration.
One of my favorite sayings that my close friend, Antonio, says to me every time I see him back home in Colorado is “hay que seguir la lucha, pase lo que pase.” In other words, we must continue the fght, no mater what happens. Stay strong, stay resilient and stay informed.
Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez is a Medill sophomore. He can be contacted at alexanderhernandezgonzalez2027@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Leter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. Te views expressed in this piece do not necessarily refect the views of all staf members of Te Daily Northwestern.
Keefe: Consolidation will not solve Chicagoland’s transit woes
As many members of the Northwestern community undoubtedly know, the Chicago Transit Authority is facing a crisis. Transit service is slow, late or nonexistent — a funding gap of epic proportions is expected in this year’s budget and ridership is still nowhere near their levels prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To address this crisis, lawmakers in Springfeld have proposed combining Chicagoland’s four transit agencies: the Regional Transportation Authority, which oversees the other three transit agencies; Pace, the suburban bus service; Metra, the commuter rail service; and the CTA, Chicago’s primary urban bus and rail operator. Tis new entity would be known as the Metropolitan Mobility Authority.
Together, these agencies provide service to millions of commuters in the region, boost local and regional economies and oversee billions in public
transit infrastructure. Tis consolidation efort cannot be seen as a silver bullet to solving the CTA’s current crisis, and there are faws in the proposed legislation as it currently stands.
For one, the city of Chicago has woefully inadequate representation on the proposed board. Less than a third of the proposed board members would be appointed by ofcials exclusively elected by residents of the city. Tis is despite the fact that the CTA accounts for 84% of the region’s public transportation ridership.
A beter alternative may be the proposal recently announced by the RTA that would strengthen its oversight over the CTA, Metra and Pace. Tis would allow the service boards to focus on improving existing operations and the RTA to facilitate better regional transit planning, all while avoiding any lengthy consolidation processes.
Additionally, despite its overwhelming share of the region’s transit ridership, the CTA currently only receives 46% of the public funds — sales tax, state matching funds, etc. — allocated to the region’s transit agencies. Te solution to the impending fscal clif must include funding transit in an equitable and
For many, Jan. 20 was a day of disafliation. From our country, its leaders, politics and culture. For many, the election of President Donald Trump for a second time was more than a “wake-up call” or another blip in the ebbs and fows of American history.
For many of our peers, mentors, parents, friends and family, this Inauguration Day was a heartbreaking travesty of justice, a question of what it means to be free in mind and body, and perhaps most poignantly, a denunciation of the immense privilege of being American.
Te frst Trump years taught us how to internalize our diferences to foment our divides. Differences in background, skin tone, gender and sexuality, yes, but also the polarized nature of our kindness.
Trough his insults, vitriol and the obscenity of his opulence, Trump exploited a fundamental question at the heart of the American story: Should Americans, hailing from one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations in the history of the world, care?
From New Deal social safety nets to President Lyndon Johnson’s visions of a “Great Society” to ongoing progression toward making healthcare a right, not a privilege, with the passage of the Afordable Care Act, the United States has a long history of puting Americans frst. Te politics of caring truly — about quality of life for ourselves and others around the world — have facilitated the nation’s greatest successes.
In 2020, Joe Biden spoke of a batle for the “soul” of our nation. If a president couldn’t bring us together, surely a pandemic, civil unrest and a longing for normalcy could. In 2020, Biden told us America was “back.”
Back to caring — about our fellow countrymen, our planet and those around the world with dreams of a beter life in America. Tat there was a way to put Americans frst without sacrifcing our seat at the table.
Afer a failed insurrection and the beginning of a new era of American leadership, many thought Trump and the politics of carelessness were temporary fxations for the history books, a natural contrast to the giant leaps of politics past.
For four years, Biden spoke of the America that made those giant leaps — toward equality, opportunity and freedom for all who live here.
Te same country where you are free to love who you love. Te same country that continues in earnest to cope and atone for its original sin of slavery. And indeed, the same country that elected to the highest ofce in the land a man named Barack Hussein Obama.
But today, the politics of carelessness and unkindness have been renewed. In a shocking repetition of history, America is back, as it seems, to debating the same issues that have torn us apart for the beter part of the last decade.
Back to notions that those who are fortunate enough to win the lotery of being born American are somehow deserving and entitled. Tat the world’s problems are not America’s problems. And that if you just have the right friends that you, too, can be a leader of the free world.
Te local politics of caring — about ourselves and one another in our fght to progress as a nation — will inevitably guide us to new successes. Not
adequate manner.
Tere are several possible revenue streams that could be tapped to address these issues. Under the current RTA Act, the RTA board is permited to impose either a sales tax or a motor fuel tax, but not both. As part of these reforms, state lawmakers should explore allowing the RTA to impose these taxes in tandem.
Additionally, the state should extend the sales tax that is currently only imposed on goods to include services. Tis kind of reform would not only help fund transit but also alleviate inequities in the current sales tax structure and help provide revenue to the city of Chicago.
Another possible source of revenue for local transit agencies is through what is known as “fexing” highway funds allocated by the Federal Highway Administration to the Federal Transit Administration. Te state of Illinois could do this, and redirect funds towards transit agencies across the state. Tis would also be less politically difcult for lawmakers than raising taxes.
Boosting revenue and improving safety on the CTA have complimentary benefts. Riders report
feeling safer when riding with other passengers, and more passengers means more revenue for the system, which can go back into investing in safety improvements. Te current status quo of hiring private security is not a sustainable solution to improving ridership. Instead, the CTA should establish beter ways for riders to report disruptions and criminal activity.
Ultimately, it will take a combination of reforms and revenue-raising measures to adequately address the current crisis at the CTA. If no action is taken, Chicagoland transit agencies would have to dramatically increase fares and cut service, which would almost certainly lead to a transit death spiral. Almost nobody who regularly uses public transit is happy with the status quo, but the way we make improvements maters a great deal.
Aidan Keefe is a Weinberg sophomore and member of the CTA Citizen Advisory Board. He can be contacted at aidankeefe2027@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Leter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. Te views expressed in this piece do not necessarily refect the views
allowing for the politics of carelessness to stand in the way of being kind to those you meet in public, the cyclists you share the roads with, the barista that prepares your late and even the guy you fnd yourself debating in the workplace or the classroom.
Because the politics of caring, as proven time and again by the nearly 250-year history of this nation (yes, Trump will oversee America’s semiquincentennial), will beat out the politics of carelessness in a country defned by its sense of a higher calling.
I do not know what to expect over the next four years. I do not know how our rights will be transformed. My heart aches for women and members of the LGBTQ community who feel targeted by vicious Republican campaigns. I ache, too, for undocumented Chicagoans, their friends and families who have been warned of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids this week, and for anyone who stands to be hurt from four more years of Trump.
But I cannot change these policies. I can only maintain the picture I carry of the America I love: the country that fghts to keep democracy for Ukrainians, where the right to marry the person you love is codifed, where you can choose to go to the moon, not because it is easy, but because it’s hard.
I can only carry with me a certain shamelessness of being American — I have nowhere else to go. It’s not a false sense of hope or optimism. It’s an unblemished image of the United States in its fght to become a more perfect union.
Aidan Klineman is a Medill sophomore. He can be contacted at aidanklineman2027@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Leter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.
The Daily Northwestern Volume 148, Issue 2
Editor in Chief Lily Ogburn
Opinion
Assistant
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Editorials reflect the majority opinion of THE DAILY’s student editorial board and not the opinions of either Northwestern University or Students Publishing Co. Inc.
Evanston Public Library celebrates, honors MLK
By KAMRAN NIA !he da&l( )or!h,e-!er) @kamran_nia
Community members celebrated activist Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and worked on service projects during the Evanston Public Library’s MLK Day of Celebration and Service on Monday.
Kids made bracelets and cards for children at the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Ronald McDonald House Charities through the Dragon.y Foundation. ey also learned about King’s life through videos, “Martin’s Big Words” and “March On!”
e event was one of the library’s multiple volunteer-focused MLK Day celebrations.
“ ere’s a lot to be learned from (King),” said Laura Florian, the event’s organizer. “We can all do a lot be er than what we’ve done. It is a good reminder every year to think about who’s come before, what they’ve tried to do and what we can add to that.”
To end the day, Rev. Eddie Reeves delivered an interpretation of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
He has performed the address for over 50 years, beginning when he was 13 years old, and said he has seen countless people be moved to tears upon hearing it.
“When I bring it to life, people understand the message a lot be er,” Reeves said. “ e act of having it done live and in person makes an impression on people.”
Florian said she hoped families learned more about King through the event. She believes repetition of information, in addition to the di ering forms of delivery, could have a lasting impact on people.
Florian has spoken with kids who say they are familiar with King but have noticed gaps in their knowledge. e event sought to ll some of those voids, she said.
“I hope the kids are introspective a li le bit,” Florian said. “ ey have the capacity to think about what would be wonderful in the world… It’s like, what can you o er as a kid? You could do a lot.”
Annie Haberl, 9, visited Monday’s event with her parents and made courage bracelets. She a ends the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Literary and Fine Arts School and said her school has an annual assembly about King.
Haberl also said she has learned more about King’s life by reading books.
“[ e bracelets] are for children who are sick, and their lives are probably hard right now,” Haberl said. “I wanted to make them because I wanted something that makes them smile.”
Florian said the service project is a somewhat new event — the library had not hosted it before 2024. She found it challenging to create a task that
kids would grasp but decided on the courage bracelets and cards a er seeing them at another event.
Florian said Evanston is a divided community but hopes those divisions will be bridged. She believes King’s remarks could ma er in making that happen. “ ere’s always hope in this community,” Florian said.
kamrannia2027@u.northwestern.edu
Arrington Lagoon outdoor ice rink provides frosty fun
By KAMRAN NIA
James Von Kaenel skated at the Arrington Lagoon ice rink in Dawes Park on Jan. 14 a er picking up the sport to get outdoors during the winter.
Von Kaenel, who moved to Evanston from California in March and works from home near the rink, said he “winged it.” He bought some skates from Amazon as he had only skated a bit as a kid.
Despite some bumps, Von Kaenel got a kick out of shredding across the rink.
“It is cool to do winter sports,” Von Kaenel said. “I haven’t really had much opportunity being from California.”
e Arrington Lagoon ice rink is one of two outdoor skating locations in Evanston. e other is in Baker Park. While these spots allow people to
enjoy the outdoors, their availability depends on the thermometer.
e Arrington Lagoon ice rink opened in early January but closed for a few days as temperatures inched above freezing. Multiple nights of cold weather — in the 20s or below — are needed to create safe conditions, and the Evanston Public Works Agency considers frost depth and creates ice when conditions are suitable.
at department checks on the rink daily and frequently resurfaces the ice. Evanston Parks & Recreation Deputy Director Michael Callahan said the rinks require consistently cold weather and lots of maintenance to keep open.
e Parks & Recreation department announced on Jan. 21 that the rink has reopened.
“It has been a struggle to get it up and running for the time we’ve had,” Callahan said. “We are hoping to bring it back and continue having it as weather continues or as operations are no longer able to support it.”
Callahan said Parks & Recreation also provides other amenities, like a cafe and a warming room adjacent to the rink. He added that the space does not have an o cial name yet, but the agency is open to suggestions and plans to have some kind of vote in the spring.
According to him, the cafe, open part-time, has had fewer visitors in the winter than in the fall. But he said community members have appreciated its opening.
It will reopen on Jan. 25 and 26 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“It o ers a food and beverage option and space designed to enhance visitors’ lakefront experience,” Callahan said. “ e warming area provides a cozy retreat where guests can relax and appreciate the scenic surroundings while staying sheltered from the elements, allowing them to enjoy the site for longer periods.”
Evanston resident Kathy Baker skated at the Arrington Lagoon rink and said she enjoyed her
time on the ice but wished the cafe was open more frequently.
“I don’t skate enough, and it’s a beautiful day,” Baker said. “It has been so long since we’ve had prolonged cold weather, and we are actually having a real January.”
Callahan said they focus on keeping the lights on until 7 p.m. to keep the service open. One of Parks & Recreation’s goals is to provide spaces for people to be active and have fun experiences while creating memories.
“We want to get people out,” Callahan said. “ e goal is to provide recreational opportunities for people (and) exercise activities to get them to the lakefront and parks.”
Community members can check the agency’s social media accounts or call 847-448-0034 to learn when the rinks are available.
kamrannia2027@u.northwestern.edu
Kamran Nia/The Daily Northwestern A table of books about Martin Luther King Jr. sits inside the Evanston Public Library.
McKeown’s legacy amounts to more than just wins
By AUDREY PACHUTA daily senior staffer @audreypachuta
When coach Joe McKeown traveled to Philadelphia in December for the Hawk Classic at Saint Joseph’s University, it wasn’t just another stop on Northwestern’s non-conference schedule. It was a return to his roots.
Te longtime women’s basketball coach, whose career has spanned more than four decades, took his staf to Dalessandro’s, a famous cheesesteak spot in northwest Philadelphia. With a smile, McKeown declared it the best sandwich in the city. He also noticed something new: ATMs outside the cash-only corner hoagie shop, a small but telling sign of change in a city he still calls home, even though he lef in 1983 for his frst coaching job away from his alma mater.
Tat year, McKeown’s journey took him far from his roots in Philadelphia, but his career would wind its way back through New Mexico State, George Washington and ultimately, NU, where he’s been head coach since 2008
McKeown has now won 775 games, but to those who’ve worked with him, his legacy isn’t just about victories — it’s his ability to forge families out of strangers.
“He’s just got that Philly swag about him,” said Tajama Abraham Ngongba, who played for McKeown at GW.
McKeown grew up in northeast Philadelphia, atending Father Judge High School before enrolling at Mercer County Community College in Trenton, New Jersey. Tere, he earned Junior College National Small Player of the Year honors before transferring to Kent State.
Te former guard played in 53 games for the Golden Flashes, averaging 3 4 points, 1 7 rebounds and 4 2 assists per game in his two-year mid-major career. Nearly 50 years later, McKeown’s 15 assists against Bowling Green still stands as a Kent State single-game record.
Before basketball took him to the national stage, McKeown found other ways of hustling. In the late 70s, he worked as a beer vendor at Veterans Stadium — the former home of the Phillies and Eagles
— where rowdy fans ofen threw drinks back at him.
During college, McKeown would catch the train back from Trenton on Sundays, spending 12-hour shifs alongside childhood friends at local staple Tastykake.
“Tat was my NIL,” McKeown joked, refecting on his early grind. ***
Soon afer, McKeown’s path took him from the City of Brotherly Love to the Sooner State, where a three-year stint as an assistant coach altered both the course of his career and his personal life.
During a “Bedlam” rivalry football game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, McKeown met Laura, a student at Oklahoma State who was a friend of one of his Oklahoma players. His thick Philly accent made him nearly incomprehensible to her, and when he asked if she wanted to go out for a cocktail, she had no idea what he meant. Still, the two ended up at Eskimo Joe’s, a popular Stillwater, Oklahoma, bar.
At the end of the night, all McKeown could remember was that her name was Laura, she was from
Purcell, Oklahoma, and her sorority had a Delta symbol in it. Determined to track her down, McKeown spent hours calling every fraternity and sorority at Oklahoma State until he found the right one — Delta Delta Delta.
“He’s a good recruiter,” said Meghan McKeown, the couple’s eldest daughter, refecting on how her parents met.
Joe and Laura married and moved west in 1986 when McKeown took his frst head coaching job at New Mexico State. During his three years in Las Cruces, New Mexico, McKeown transformed the program, leading the team to its frst two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1987 and 1988 before moving to GW.
It was there, in the nation’s capital, where McKeown spent the longest portion of his career and raised his family.
In 1991, the McKeowns welcomed their daughter Meghan. Now a commentator for Big Ten Network and a former NU basketball player, Meghan
McKeown (Medill ’14) grew up surrounded by the game. As a kid, she’d sit in the corner of her dad’s practices, watching Disney movies on the VCR, before eventually geting the chance to step onto the court herself.
When Joe McKeown arrived at GW, he inherited a program that had never made an NCAA Tournament appearance. He was excited by the challenge, knowing that players who had yet to experience postseason success would be more willing to listen to a coach who had already achieved it at New Mexico State.
As he traveled for recruiting, Joe McKeown always brought Meghan along, involving her in every aspect of the process — from picking out rental cars to handing her a notepad to take notes during his conversations with recruits.
“I grew up with a father who dedicated his whole entire career to uplifing women and uplifing women in women’s sports before that was a cool thing to do,” Meghan McKeown said.
Under McKeown’s leadership, GW made 15 NCAA Tournament appearances in 19 seasons, including four Sweet Sixteen berths and one Elite Eight run. For the McKeown family, tournament games became a spring break tradition. Laura would pull Meghan, along with younger siblings Joey and Ally, out of school to atend games.
“My mom is the real MVP of this story, by the way,” Meghan McKeown said.
Ngongba, who played for McKeown at GW from 1993-97, said watching how McKeown integrated his family into the fabric of his teams had a profound impact on her as she pursued her own coaching career.
“Joe just did such a great job of showing, especially for women, that you can balance family and work and be really successful at it at the same time,” Ngongba said.
She recalled the coach’s family joining bus trips. She said Meghan was “like her litle sister” and Laura was “the queen bee.”
During Ngongba’s time at GW, the team made extended postseason runs each year, including an Elite Eight appearance during her senior season in 1997
Myriah Cain, formerly Lonergan, played alongside Ngongba at GW, and credits McKeown with changing
Photo courtesy to Meghan McKeown
Coach Joe McKeown’s daughter, Meghan (Medill ‘14), inteviews him postgame for Big Ten Network.
her not only as a player but as a person, too.
Cain, who grew up in a small unincorporated town outside Shelbyville, Tennessee, knew that McKeown’s world was diferent from hers.
Raised by a single mother, she spent her childhood playing basketball with a dirt-top hoop with a horse in the yard. When McKeown visited her during the recruiting process, she could tell his experience had been far removed from the simplicity of her own life.
“He’s defnitely a city-fed guy. But then there’s something so simple and genuine about him that he can be comfortable anywhere, and he can be comfortable around anyone,” Cain said.
Despite her uncertainty about leaving home, Cain was drawn to the idea of being part of something bigger in Washington, a city she had visited afer winning an essay contest in high school. But her frst season at GW was difcult. Feeling overwhelmed and disconnected, Cain packed up her things at the end of the year and planned to return home.
Tat’s when McKeown stepped in.
One day, she received a call from McKeown on her rotary phone. His message was simple: “Lonergan, I need you to meet me in Chatanooga.”
When they met for a meal, McKeown reassured Cain that she belonged at the school and that if she gave it another chance, she would eventually see it was the right ft for her.
“I feel like he stepped outside of himself as a coach in that moment, and dealt with me as a father fgure,” Kane said.
But their relationship wasn’t always smooth sailing. During Cain’s junior year, McKeown suspended her for talking back at practice. In response, Cain threw her jersey in the air and watched as it slowly parachuted down onto McKeown’s head. Her teammates couldn’t help but gasp at the spectacle.
Te two joke about the incident today. Te following season, McKeown named Cain the team’s sole captain, telling her to “redirect that energy, grow up and use all of that for good.”
“He gave me grace,” Cain said. “Even when I’m not sure I deserved that grace.”
Years later, McKeown showed up once again for Cain when her wedding was scheduled during the chaos of the 9/11 atacks. Many of her invited guests couldn’t atend, but Joe and Laura McKeown made the drive to South Carolina to ensure they could be there for her special day.
In McKeown, Cain not only found a coach who pushed her to be beter on the court but also a mentor who cared deeply for her well-being of of it. Te veteran coach taught her the value of both tough love and unwavering support.
McKeown’s success wasn’t confned to the court. While his teams routinely reached new heights in the competitive Atlantic 10 conference, what his players remember most are the moments outside of practice and games — experiences that helped shape them as people, not just athletes.
Sarah-Jo Lawrence, who played for McKeown from 2004 to 2008, recalls one of her favorite team memories: a surprise trip to a Los Angeles Lakers game.
“We just turned the corner and there’s the Staples Center,” Lawrence said. “And it all clicked. I remember we just started jumping around and hugging each other and, like, laughing and crying on the bus.”
McKeown knew that the moment would be unforgetable — especially since Kobe Bryant was a hero to so many of his players.
“(Bryant) dropped like 50 that day, and I dropped a lot of money trying to get them tickets. But that’s okay. It was fun,” McKeown said.
For McKeown, those moments were part of his larger mission to give his players life experiences they’d never forget.
Whether it was taking the team to Broadway shows, dining at the best restaurants or making sure they felt part of something bigger than basketball, McKeown saw these experiences as essential to his responsibility as a coach.
“Part of my job is to prepare you for life afer college,” McKeown said.
Afer nearly two decades in Washington, McKeown was ofered the head coaching job at NU — a program that had been largely dormant, having fnished the previous season last in the Big Ten.
Leaving behind a team he worked tirelessly to build into one of the nation’s best squads wasn’t an easy decision. But as a father, he knew it was the right one. His son, Joey, who is autistic, had been struggling with the lack of resources available to him at his school near Washington.
“Schools didn’t want to deal with the special needs world, so we really were fghting hard at that,” McKeown said.
McKeown wrestled with the decision for some time before making the fnal call. But it was a round of golf with then-Washington Post beat writer and ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” commentator Michael Wilbon (Medill ’80) that helped him setle on the move.
During their day at a Maryland golf course, Wilbon encouraged McKeown to take a closer look at his alma mater and consider the goals of NU’s new athletic director, Jim Phillips, and then-president, Henry Bienen.
“He says, ‘Joe, I think these people coming in are going to be diferent,’” McKeown said. “‘I think you’d like a lot of what they have going on.’”
Another important factor in McKeown’s decision was the school’s successful women’s sports programs. He had mutual friends with NU women’s lacrosse coach Kelly Amonte Hiller, whom he’d followed during her playing days at Maryland. As McKeown pondered a move to the Midwest, Amonte Hiller had already amassed four consecutive national championships in Evanston.
“I remember people telling me, ‘Look, you can win in women’s sports here,’ and that was important to me,” McKeown said.
Just as he had at GW, McKeown inherited an NU program in dire need of a spark. Before coming to NU, he never had a losing season, and while his frst year in Evanston was marked by growing pains — an 8-23 record — the program soon turned in a positive direction.
In 2009 - 10 , McKeown led the ’Cats to the Women’s NIT, the school’s best fnish since 1998 Tat fall, Meghan McKeown joined his team, and for the frst time, Joe McKeown was coaching his daughter.
Meghan said she had initial reservations about playing for her father, worrying people might question whether she deserved her spot on the roster.
“For our family and for the situation we were in with my brother (Joey), it just felt like the right decision,” Meghan McKeown said. “And obviously, it was a great opportunity to play at Northwestern and play for him.”
Joe McKeown led NU to its frst NCAA Tournament appearance of the 21st century in 2015. He did
Seting the record straight
it again in 2021, but McKeown ofen says that the team’s best shot at national success would have come in 2020, before the NCAA tournament was canceled due to COVID-19
“I’ve had fve, maybe six, teams over my career that I thought could get to the Final Four,” Joe McKeown said. “But our team here in 2020 was at that level.”
From 2018 to 2022, McKeown had Veronica Burton on his roster — an eventual frst-round WNBA pick who was recently selected in the expansion draf to play for the Golden State Valkyries.
Tough Burton and McKeown never ascended the postseason heights they had hoped for, McKeown continues to speak of her playing days as one of the pinnacles of his coaching career.
McKeown and Associate Head Coach Tangela Smith atended the WNBA draf when Burton was selected in 2022
“You’re siting there like, ‘Wow, it’s just surreal what we’ve been through,’” McKeown said.
In the afermath of Burton’s graduation, McKeown’s program has struggled to recuperate in an increasingly competitive, realigned Big Ten landscape. In its last two seasons, NU has collected just six conference wins and 30 losses.
Despite the lack of traction in the win column, McKeown remains optimistic as he looks to rebuild his program around a fresh talent pool.
Ahead of the 2024-25 season, McKeown bolstered his roster with three high-impact transfers: Kyla Jones, Taylor Williams and Grace Sullivan. Although NU has yet to secure its frst Big Ten win this season, McKeown’s lifelong recruiting acumen shines through, as these new additions have consistently made their mark as key contributors.
“Some years you have a great year, in spite of your record,” he said.
audreypachuta2027@u.northwestern.edu
An article published in last week’s paper titled “QB Jack Lausch to join NU baseball for ’ 25 season” incorrectly named Lausch’s high school. He atended Brother Rice High School.
An article published in last week’s paper titled “As TikTok ban looms, students fear for fate of pop culture” misrepresented how Olivia Paik uses TikTok.
Te Daily regrets these errors.
From page 1
each other) as an enemy.”
Mohammad also said he feels hopeful that the ceasefire may act as the first small step toward peace between the two actors. However, Mohammad voiced concern over the timing of the decision, noting that the ceasefire could have been enacted much earlier.
“This is the bare minimum,” said Mohammad. “It took us over a year to stop the killing of these innocent people.”
Many student groups engaged in advocacy or initiatives related to the war have also shared their reactions.
In an email sent to The Daily, Weinberg
ICE RAIDS
From page 1
Yu said she shared articles from The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post about the raids and provided students with resources on and off campus that they could look to for more information.
One resource Yu highlighted was Red Cards, which help people assert their rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution when dealing with immigration agents. These cards come in many different languages and list some of a person’s constitutional rights including their right to not open a door or speak to an immigration agent.
“If ICE randomly stops you, then they have
LA COCINITA
senior and NU Hillel President Sari Eisen said she feels extremely hopeful that the deal will help end the suffering of many civilians and their families.
Hillel — one of NU’s Jewish organizations — posted on their Instagram page that they are collectively “holding their breath” while waiting for the return of the hostages and the end of the war.
Isabelle Butera of Jewish Voice for Peace — a pro-Palestinian Jewish community — said that the ceasefire is a vital moment of relief for Palestinians to rebuild, recover, grieve and receive humanitarian aid.
“We will continue steadfastly alongside our peers in the fight for Palestinian liberation by continuing to organize for an arms
to have a good reason for doing so,” Yu said. “Resembling a certain ethnicity is not a good enough reason.”
Yu stressed the importance of having hotline numbers saved to students’ phones, including the hotline for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, in the case that they are detained by ICE or want to report any suspected ICE sightings.
Yu said students are distressed about these potential raids, especially if they are undocumented or know people who are undocumented.
“There’s been a general air of anxiety and distress and fear among students, and so knowing about what’s going on as much as possible, and preparing ourselves really helps,” Yu said.
Angulo said.
embargo, full University divestment and accountability for all Israeli and U.S. officials involved in the slaughter of tens of thousands of Palestinians,” JVP NU said in a statement to The Daily.
Medill junior and Wildcats for Israel President Madeleine Stern said her “heart stopped” when she saw the news about the ceasefire and hostage deal.
“I have been thinking about the hostages every single day since October 7 ,” Stern said. “I am going to be anxiously awaiting over the next couple of days and the next couple of weeks to hopefully see some beautiful and heartbreaking family reunions.”
Stern also noted that she has seen debate about the ceasefire on social media.
“It’s important for us as a student community to be able to support each other.”
In the coming quarter, Weinberg junior and co-President of AUC Yoel Sanchez said the AUC is planning to host more events similar to their “Know Your Rights” event with the HANA Center Jan. 15 . The event provided students with information about warrants to the type of uniform ICE agents wear, which Sanchez said is even more important to know now.
Sanchez said the AUC is hoping to expand its services to students on campus, especially legal services.
“I think the question for some students on campus who are undocumented is, ‘What can they do?’” Sanchez said. “(AUC) is part of bringing the University to have the resources
Specifically, many have voiced concerns about the fact there are “going to be people who committed terror acts being released in exchange for these innocent Israeli hostages,” Stern said.
Stern said this concern was less pressing for her than the priority of bringing innocent hostages home.
“I think the number one priority for a lot of people, the majority of people, is just seeing the hostages come home,” Stern said. “It will hopefully give everyone a break from the fighting and hopefully lead to longer security and safety for everyone in the future.”
leahschroeder2026@u.northwestern.edu
alexiasextou2028@u.northwestern.edu
for these students.”
With the new Trump administration, Sanchez said these types of immigration raids are expected. He said the potential raids will limit undocumented people’s ability to “have their voice heard.”
The undocumented community is also often overlooked when they need help the most, he said.
“During these times, it’s very challenging for a person to even want to expose themselves to seek out help,” Sanchez said. “I think the most important thing we can really do is just make sure that people know that there are communities out there where people can go find help.”
ninethkanieskikoso2027@u.northwestern.edu
The expanded menu focuses on bringing more dietary-inclusive options to the restaurant. La Cocinita will have distinct vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free menus, Rachel
From page 1 INAUGURATION
From page 1
mentioned in his inaugural speech. He believes Trump will not “do anything to tackle inflation or price-gouging.”
During his inauguration speech, Trump also expressed plans to declare a national energy
By: Audrey Pachuta
By The Daily Northwestern
“We wanted to make it easy for people to enjoy more things,” she added.
While La Cocinita let its liquor license lapse during the pandemic, the Angulos said they are excited to bring back their bar program now that they have the space to accommodate it.
crisis that would encourage the nation to “drill, baby, drill” for oil.
Weinberg Prof. Shana Bernstein found herself “struck” by Trump’s environmentallyrelated remarks in his inaugural address. To Bernstein, Trump’s statements are fascinating given the historical stances of the Republican Party.
They’ll have a variety of options at their bar, including margaritas, mojitos, a handful of tropical cocktails and mocktails.
Above all, the Angulos were most enthusiastic about their new space. They feel that this time around, they have taken the time to cultivate an inviting environment.
“I’m struck by the shift in the Republican Party from Nixon’s establishment of the EPA to the current party’s focus on undermining environmental policy,” Bernstein said.
Communication freshman John Hughes is already wondering how Congress’ future, which he says could change in the 2026 midterm
“I’m excited about the expansion, the new chapter of La Cocinita, so to speak,” Benoit Angulo said. “It’s like this new space that we’re going into where, after almost nine years in Evanston, we’re bigger and better.” sophiebaker 2028 @u.northwestern.edu
elections, may impact plans outlined by Trump in his inaugural address.
“Coming (congressional) elections will be the litmus test for Trump’s unconventional agenda,” Hughes said. “I’m very interested to see what will happen.”
reedzimmerman2028@u.northwestern.edu
House directors: unsung heroes of the sorority quad
By SOPHIE LEWIS the dail( )orth,e-ter)
This year’s recruitment weekend, sororities on campus worked overtime to welcome new members into their respective sisterhoods. But there is one resident of each house who often remains unknown to the outside world: the house director — or “house mom.”
When sororities emerged in the mid-tolate .800 s, many houses established a “house mother” to teach the women life skills considered ladylike, such as proper manners and social etiquette. This motherly role faded out in the early 2000 s to make way for the modernday house director position. However, the term “house mom” has stuck around.
Each sorority house at NU has a house director, akin to a property manager, who lives in the house all year long and is in charge of heating, plumbing, the house kitchen and any other general maintenance requirements.
Kappa Delta house director Jody Springer has held the position on different college campuses for .5 years. She started her career at Alpha Chi Omega at Butler University. She later moved to Delta Delta Delta at NU for seven years.
However, during the height of NU’s Abolish Greek Life movement from 2020 to 2023 , she moved to Indiana University while NU worked out its relationship with the Panhellenic Association and Interfraternity Council. This school year, she returned to Evanston for her first year as house director at Kappa Delta.
Springer’s day-to-day work consists of dealing with the facility upkeep, such as calling the maintenance technician or aiding a member of the sorority with a rattling radiator, she said. Although the house director’s responsibilities do not include the duties of a disciplinarian, Springer said when it comes to safety, she gets the final say.
“I always say, ‘You can be friendly with the girls, but you can’t be friends because you’re put there for their safety,’” Springer said. “And if their idea of safety and (my) idea of safety isn’t the same, then my idea trumps (theirs).”
Eliza Payne, a substitute house director from Alpha Chi Omega National Headquarters, is
currently standing in for the permanent house director for NU’s chapter while she is on medical leave.
“(Being in Alpha Chi) changed my life. It made a really big impact on me in terms of confidence and learning to be independent,” Payne said.
When emergencies occur and the house director can’t be on campus, Payne’s job is to cover their shift, whether it be for four days or two months. This role takes her to Alpha Chi Omega chapters all around the country.
Springer was never in a sorority but said working as the Kappa Delta house director allows her to reap all the benefits of Greek life that she missed out on in college.
“These girls have the rest of their lives in front of them,” Springer said. “There’s a lot of optimism that’s contagious. And if you can catch some of that, it’s wonderful to be around.”
The feeling is mutual. Abby Hepner, Weinberg sophomore and Kappa Delta vice president of inclusion, said those living in the house maintain great relationships with their house director.
Although it’s Springer’s first year back on the NU campus, Hepner said Springer has immediately integrated herself into the KD community with her talkative, outgoing and personable demeanor.
“I don’t really think we could survive without
her,” Hepner said. “We just love her. She feels like she’s part of the family.”
A house director is not paid to be a friend, but they often wind up becoming one. Springer still keeps in contact with one of the Alpha Chi Omega members from her first years as a house director at Butler University.
Springer said the sorority experience helps young women forge relationships with each other, while also providing the opportunity for strong bonds.
“There are long, lasting relationships that I build,” Springer said. “That’s just a huge blessing to be a part of.”
sophielewis2027@u.northwestern.edu
The Daily Northwestern
Winter 2025 | An independent voice since 1923 | Evanston, Illinois
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Jody Springer, Kappa Delta’s house director, manages the KD facility and lives there throughout the year.
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Britany Lau embraces leadership role in f nal season
By CHARLIE SPUNGIN daily senior staffer @charliespungin
As Britany Lau entered her senior year at Brown in 2022, she mulled a tennis future rife with uncertainty.
Now a Northwestern graduate student entering her fnal season of college tennis, Lau pondered walking away from the competitive game long before her fnal chapter.
While Lau was fresh of an All-Ivy First Team nod as a junior, she found herself with limited time remaining in Providence, despite possessing an extra two seasons of collegiate eligibility.
Since the Ivy League prohibited participation beyond an athlete’s senior year, Lau weighed whether she would complete her undergraduate degree at Brown and move on from tennis or if she would transfer to continue playing the sport she’d played since age 10
Te year above me, they made an exception that if you were in those COVID years, you could use it at an Ivy, but starting my year, you couldn’t,” Lau said. “So my plan was just to fnd a job and just to go into corporate life.”
Tree years earlier, Lau stepped into Brown’s program alongside head coach Lucie Schmidhauser, whose frst season coincided with Lau’s freshman campaign. Trough the thick of it, the two developed a close bond.
Schmidhauser watched a star blossom in three winding years. With Lau winning 16 matches in singles and doubles apiece during her junior campaign, Schmidhauser urged Lau to extend her collegiate career.
“I told her, ‘Hey, you have these amazing results, and you have the opportunity,’” Schmidhauser said. “If you have the opportunity and you can continue to study at a great university and have your education paid for, why wouldn’t you do that?”
Lau entered the transfer portal during her senior season — a year in which she earned another All-Ivy First Team bid and totaled 35 wins between singles and doubles. Te Bears went 18-7, earning their third most wins in program history, and secured a second-place league fnish for the frst time in more than 25 years. During the season, Lau received phone calls from coaches across the nation who sought her talent. Te former fve-star recruit felded many inquiries, including her pick of SEC and ACC powers that had not reached out to her when she frst went through the recruiting process.
ing paths with one of the
most prominent talent developers.
Lau knew a beter opportunity was out there somewhere, and she had to fnd it herself. She expressed her interest in Northwestern, a program that reached 23 consecutive NCAA tournaments under coach Claire Pollard.
“If I was going to do a ffh and sixth year, I wanted to be at a school that was great at tennis, obviously, but also I was looking for that academic aspect,” Lau said. “Northwestern kind of hit both those targets for me, and there weren’t that many schools that did that.”
Schmidhauser called her longtime colleague Pollard to inform her of Lau’s desire to join the Wildcats. She heaped signifcant praise upon her multi-time AllIvy League star. Afer this call, Schmidhasuer passed along Pollard’s contact information to Lau, and the two quickly connected.
Years before, Pollard watched Lau compete at the junior level — though she never actively recruited the Kinnelon, New Jersey, product. Afer initial conversations went well, the fve-time Big Ten Coach of the Year boarded a fight to Providence to watch her potential graduate transfer play tennis in person.
During her short stay in the northeast, Pollard watched Lau train in multiple practice sessions, and the level of tennis met her standard to extend an o
“I felt like Lucie was really on point,” Pollard said. “At the end of the day, results speak volumes. You can love a player and enjoy watching them, and you can love them as a person, but at the end, they (have) to produce results. And her results were just good.”
A 3-match singles and 5-match doubles win streak bookended Lau’s Brown tenure as she helped guide the Bears to their best season of the 21st century.
While her career at Brown had ended, Lau soon actualized a childhood dream of playing at a major Division I school.
Two weeks afer Lau walked of of Brown’s commencement stage with her degree in Health and Human Biology, she arrived in Evanston for the summer and geared up for two years of Big Ten tennis.
***
During her career at Brown, Lau always played in the top half of the lineup in singles and doubles. She was at the No. 1 singles slot for her entire junior year and No. 1 doubles slot for her full senior campaign.
In NU’s frst dual match of the season against Florida Atlantic in 2024, Lau watched from the sidelines in singles — a complete role reversal of her experience as a Bear — and cheered on her teammates.
“It really made me focus on myself and control what I can control,” Lau said. “It was defnitely a litle bit difcult, especially just having a very successful career at Brown.”
of the season in this role, fnishing with a 7-3 record.
Brown, Lau’s freshman season stopped in its tracks. Her sophomore campaign spanned just one match of fghting to obtain the
in a diferent sense.
still playing and com-
sidelines for much of the nonconference singles
the pandemic fueled her, not fnding a place in the up her level.
demons I had to work through myself and really had to kind of
I think that experia way.”
in a program resurgence at
don’t talk about my backhand.”
“She just knows what I’m going “She’s so smart on the court.
stage for the frst time
Lau’s Wildcat debut in singles came against Butler a few days later, where she exemplified her allconference pedigree with doubles win and singles win.
As the regular season progressed, Lau fuctuated in and out of Pollard’s singles but soon became a mainstay in the NU doubles lineup.
Teaming up with All-Big Ten talent Maria Shusharina at the No. slot for nearly the entire campaign, the duo went 1. Lau went 19-1 in doubles over the dual season, the most doubles wins by an NU player since the pandemic that allowed her to become a Wildcat.
“We were a lock at three,” Pollard said. “It was such a luxury to have that. We never took it for granted. Certainly, it was outstanding. (Lau’s) a phenomenal doubles player.”
As conference play got underway, Pollard
a 6-4 doubles win and a 6-2, 6-4 NCAA tournament’s open-
Lau completed her frst
appear to be an
inserted Lau into the No. 6 singles slot in the lineup and stuck by it. Lau played 10 of the fnal 11 matches campaign.
But upon the season’s conclusion, Lau put her racquet down temporarily, stepping away from the sport she’d poured countless hours into since elementary school.
“I took a mental break over the summer,” Lau said. “What I was struggling with the year before, I really just pressed the reset buton and tried to get my own demons out.”
She played less tennis while completing an internship with the global biopharmaceutical company Takeda. And it worked.
Pollard dubbed Lau the team’s fall season MVP when she spoke to Te Daily in November. Lau was the lone NU player to qualify for the ITA Central Sectional Championship in singles, where she also reached the semifnals in doubles alongside freshman
or what I think to do only from looking at my face.”
Regional Championship prior Championship. They were for Schmidhauser’s squads at veterans, fnding her voice.
“One of my strengths is leading by example,
and I think I try to do that every day with my efort, my work ethic,” Lau said. “I’ve worked on being more of a vocal leader as well and just really being able to help the underclassmen navigate anything that they need help with, even though I didn’t go to undergrad here.”
As NU enters the dual season, Pollard has made her goal of being a top-25 team that can win NCAA tournament matches clear. Lau, who nearly didn’t even make it to Northwestern without a push from Schmidhauser, might want to accomplish that objective more than anybody else. “I’m just excited to have the chance to try to make the tournament again to be in that position,” Lau said. “It was just really cool — I would say a litle bit surreal — but it’s something that makes college tennis so exciting.”
charliespungin2027@u.northwestern.edu
Mika Dagan Fruchtman. Before the season began, Pollard asked Lau
Pollard said. “She was aggressive. She was physical. She
Entering Pollard and her assistant coaches Ellyse Hamlin and
In rotating doubles pairings in