The Daily Northwestern — May 20, 2021

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Ethnic studies students, professors continue years-long advocacy for departmentalization

Illustration by Hank Yang

By WAVERLY LONG

daily senior staffer @waverly_long

Since students led a 23-day hunger strike in 1995 to institute the Asian American Studies Program, the demands of activists have continued to be linked to ethnic studies at Northwestern.

Starting in 2006, students and faculty advocated for the creation of the Latina and Latino Studies Program, which began around 2008, according to LLSP Director and Prof.

Geraldo Cadava.

After the programs were established, students continued to push for the expansion of ethnic studies through events, discussions with faculty and administrators and numerous petitions. Student advocacy has been central to creating AASP and LLSP majors and minors, expanding the curriculum and

increasing hiring in ethnic studies, according to AASP Director and Prof. Nitasha Sharma.

Despite this progress, the push to turn AASP and LLSP into recognized departments continues.

Arianna Hermosillo (Medill ‘10), the first student to major in Latina and Latino Studies at NU, said the sustained fight for departmentalization is personal — the lack of department status highlights a longtime national issue of people in power depriving marginalized communities of resources.

Expanding ethnic studies is vital, she said, as it would create an inclusive community on campus and ensure students are receiving a holistic education.

“Racial discrimination… (and) people feeling uncomfortable on campus because of who they are and their identity is very much tied to a lack of ethnic studies and access to education about where different people are coming from and what their experiences are,”

Hermosillo said. “We can’t say in one breath that students from ‘diverse backgrounds’ are important to us, but their histories aren’t.”

Current limitations to ethnic studies

In 2018, AASP and LLSP were granted the ability to hire and tenure faculty with the creation of the Council for Race and Ethnic Studies, a unit that includes AASP and LLSP. However, Cadava and Sharma said CRES hasn’t solved all the obstacles ethnic studies professors face.

Prior to the creation of CRES, all professors in AASP and LLSP were required to be part of a department in addition to their programs. Sharma said this resulted in ethnic studies professors being responsible for twice the amount of committee and service work.

CRES allowed AASP and LLSP to hire their first tenure track professors without a connection to another department. But

Cadava said applying this change to current professors requires them to move their tenure track into the purview of new departments, which isn’t an easy transition.

Sharma added that CRES gave current ethnic studies professors additional responsibilities, including attending quarterly meetings and reviewing fellowship and tenure applications. She said it’s a significant amount of extra work for which there is no built-in support in terms of course releases, time off or funding.

Furthermore, AASP and LLSP are still classified as programs rather than departments. This leads to high faculty turnover, Sharma said, which means faculty are less available to students and can’t provide steady course offerings.

“In departments, you don’t have that turnover because you have enough tenure track faculty (who are) compensated well, who love

» See DEPARTMENTALIZATION, page 6

Fully vaccinated residents Students put on hybrid Black do not have to wear masks Formal after pandemic hiatus City relaxes face covering guidelines for most settings

By DELANEY NELSON

daily senior staffer @delaneygnelson

Evanston will no longer require fully vaccinated individuals to wear face coverings or practice social distancing in most indoor and outdoor settings, following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Illinois Department of Public Health, according to a Wednesday news release.

“Vaccines have been proven to be safe and highly effective at preventing severe illness and

Recycle Me

complications from COVID19,” Ike Ogbo, director of health and human services, said in the release. “Relaxing face covering requirements for fully vaccinated individuals brings us one step closer to normal, but it’s important to remember that we are still in a pandemic.”

Individuals who are not fully vaccinated will still have to wear a face covering in public settings when social distancing is not possible. Residents, regardless of their vaccination status, are required to wear masks in health care settings, schools and daycare centers, congregate settings and on public transportation.

Individuals are fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, or after a single dose of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen).

Community members must also wear face coverings at city facilities, community centers and Evanston Public Library locations. The Health and Human Services Department is encouraging businesses to require face coverings unless they can verify visitors are fully vaccinated.

As of Monday, 89,700 vaccine doses have been administered to

» See MASKS, page 6

Annual tradition for NU’s Black community returns

By MAIA PANDEY

the daily northwestern @maiapandey

In 2016, Northwestern released a 150-page report of Black students’ experiences of discomfort, isolation or neglect in campus groups and social events. Six Black students were moved to host the first-ever Black Formal just a year later.

Since then, Black Formal has become an annual tradition for NU’s Black community, aside from a pandemic-related hiatus last year. Over 130 students took part in this year’s May 15 formal, which combined virtual and in-person

programming and centered around the theme of Homecoming.

Black Formal co-chair and Weinberg senior Meron Amariw said the executive board sought to make students feel as welcome as possible in an online format.

“You don’t have to be in Greek Life to go to the formal, you don’t have to be in a certain club or major — it’s just really open to all students,” Amariw said. “Our main mission, whether it be in-person or online, is always to create the space of community.”

The event included a photoshoot with two student photographers at Norris University Center, where students could have photos

taken in front of a Black Formalthemed backdrop. A student emcee at Norris interviewed students during the event, many of whom were decked out in formal attire.

Simultaneously, the event’s executive board gathered off-campus and logged on to the event with a professional DJ. There, they announced winners of giveaway prizes, including gift cards, gadgets and items from Black-owned businesses.

Video messages from Medill Prof. Ava Thompson Greenwell and NU alumni, including CNN reporter Omar Jimenez and sports

» See BLACK FORMAL, page 6

INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | A&E 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 6 | Sports 8

2

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

AROUND TOWN

Activists push for change to Indigenous Peoples’ Day

By JACK AUSTIN

the daily northwestern @jackaustin10

Local community leaders joined to support a Cook County resolution to officially replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day in a virtual town hall Monday, just a week before a public hearing on the issue.

If the resolution is passed, Cook County will join 14 states and more than 130 cities across the nation in replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Evanston made the switch in 2016, becoming the first Illinois city to do so. But a county-level resolution has not yet been realized.

Derrick David, of Menominee and Santo Domingo Pueblo descent, said he supported the shift to Indigenous Peoples’ Day in part because of his experiences in Chicago Public Schools. Now a freshman at Lane Tech High School, David said Columbus was a celebrated figure across the district. He said he wants better for his cousins, who are five and one years old.

“Growing up in Chicago Public Schools, it was always a conflict within myself to sing the old nursery rhyme ‘1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue,’” David, an emcee for the event, said. “I didn’t want to celebrate that man.”

With over 65,000 American Indians living in the Chicago metropolitan area, the city’s urban Indigenous population is the third-largest in the United States, according to the American Library Association.

Cheif sustainability officer Kumar Jensen to step down After four years as Evanston’s chief sustainability and resilience officer, Kumar Jensen will step down from his role at the end of the summer, according to a Wednesday news release.

Jensen was appointed as the city’s sustainability coordinator in 2017 after serving as a fellow for the Office of Sustainability for three years — marking a

Photo courtesy The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian

The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, 3001 Central St. Activists and politicians push for a resolution to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The Cook County Board of Commissioners is set to hold a hearing in one week.

Brandon Johnson, a 1st District Cook County board commissioner, is the primary sponsor of the resolution.

Several members of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, including the president, are in support of the resolution.

“It is well past time that we recognize as a county the failures and the ills of the real history of this country,” Johnson said. “As long as we are using tax dollars to give people the day off to honor, to pay homage to someone like Christopher Columbus, that’s a failure

of our political system.”

Chicago Ald. Rossana Rodriguez (33rd), a Puerto Rican woman of Taino and African descent, said she is proud to support the resolution, which her district largely supports.

“This is a matter of racial equity. We should not be honoring Columbus in this land,” she said. “I am here to do everything to get it passed.”

In support of the resolution, Brant Rosen, a rabbi for the non-Zionist Tzedek Chicago, said they are

total of seven years working for the city.

In a LinkedIn post Monday, Jensen said in the next year, he will focus on his family and caretaking.

In 2018, Jensen was named to the 2018 GreenBiz “30 under 30” class of emerging leaders shaping the next generation of sustainable business. As chief sustainability and resilience officer, Jensen has focused on energy efficiency, water and waste reduction, renewable energy, climate action and resilience and environmental justice.

In September 2020, the city adopted the Environmental Justice Resolution, which Jensen has since worked to implement throughout the community.

The resolution aims to ensure that residents have equal access to environmental assets and protection from environmental harms.

According to the release, the city has already begun looking for the next Sustainability and Resilience Coordinator, who will continue to lead a community-wide implementation of the Climate Action and Resilience Plan. CARP plans for carbon neutrality by 2050, and also sets smaller, more specific benchmarks to ensure Evanston stays on track in the coming decades.

Recently, some community advocates have expressed concern that the city is not allocating enough

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exploring how to be a “decolonizing congregation” by standing in solidarity with those disenfranchised and dispossessed by colonialism. According to the Torah, Rosen said the land belongs to God, so nobody owns it.

Several leaders also spoke about how education around Columbus must be changed.University of Illinois at Chicago Professor and activist David Stovall said accurate depictions of history can be a pathway to empowerment.

“When Columbus said the Taino people would make the greatest of slaves, we are living in a reckoning of that,” Stovall said. “Columbus (was) not a discoverer but a colonizer. That (false) history is still taught to young people in classes today. We need Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” Syda Taylor, the executive director of Organic Oneness, a social justice nonprofit that works with communities of color, similarly said growing up she learned “distorted truths.”

“A lot of that relearning was about Christopher Columbus. I learned about the raping and the killing of young girls. It made me question what we stand for as a nation.” Taylor said. “We need to stand for truth and justice if we want to be healed.”

The Cook County Board of Commissioners will vote on the resolution, as well as another which would require land acknowledgements to be read at every Cook County board meeting, in late June after a public hearing on May 24. jonathanaustin2023@u.northwestern.edu funding and resources to the Office of Sustainability.

On Monday, the city launched the Community Solar Program, which will expand the number of people who have access to solar energy. It will be available to residents who live in apartments and condominiums or cannot install rooftop solar panels for financial reasons.

The city is also hiring a Solid Waste Coordinator, who will manage the city’s solid waste programs and will implement programs that support CARP’s Zero Waste by 2050 goal, according to the release.

— Delaney Nelson

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

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NU transgender scholars launch center

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By JOSHUA PERRY

eic@dailynorthwestern.com

the daily northwestern @joshdperry

In collaboration with institutions across the world, transgender scholars at Northwestern launched the Center for Applied Transgender Studies, which focuses on conducting practical research on trans issues,.

Communication Prof. TJ Billard, Ph.D. candidate Erique Zhang and University of Southern California Ph.D. candidate Avery Everhart co-founded and launched the center in late March with the goal of producing work for transgender people, by transgender people, Billard said.

“The center was a way for us to create an institutional space that we could do work and position our work in ways that didn’t meet academia’s ideas of what we should be doing, but instead was focused on our communities and meeting the needs that our communities have,” Billard, the center’s executive director, said.

Applied transgender studies seeks to produce research and data that can inform policy decisions, affect public discourse and generally support the needs of the transgender community, Billard added.

According to Zhang, the center’s managing director, traditional academic research on gender studies has value, but sometimes it’s difficult to translate dense or philosophical frameworks into tangible improvements in transgender people’s lives.

“A lot of times I’m kind of left wondering, ‘what is the actual real world applicability of this theory?’”

Zhang said. “What is the point of doing this highlevel theoretical writing and thinking through the meaning of gender, if, at the same time, there are people in the streets who are worried about just getting by and just surviving the next day?”

With the struggles and human rights violations transgender people experience worldwide, Zhang said it’s important that there’s work being done to substantially improve people’s lives.

There’s still a lot of ground to cover when it comes to effectively applying scholarship and research on transgender issues to the real world, Zhang said.

“Part of what led to the founding of the center

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Communication Prof. TJ Billard and Ph.D. candidate Erique Zhang are the part of the leadership of the Center for Applied Transgender Studies, launched this year to use the research of transgender scholars to affect poilcy, public discourse, and the lives of the transgender community.

was seeing this gap — in academia, (with) activists, and (in) the nonprofit space — of outlets for transgender activists and scholars to do work and research on transgender conditions or transgender experiences that really address our material needs and the things that we have to actually deal with on an everyday basis,” they said.

Everhart, the center’s director of finance, also said they noticed this disconnect. They said they wanted to see more research and policy decisions informed by transgender people, who have lived experiences as members of the communities they’re trying to serve.

Everhart added that the center’s launch was met with far more support than its founders expected.

“There’s been a lot of interest, and a lot of people want to be involved,” Everhart said. “Which demonstrates to us that we really are filling a gap, that we

are creating a lane that there needs to be a lane for.”

The center’s fellows hail from five countries and a variety of institutions, including Google and Princeton University. Kicking off operations in the pandemic wasn’t much of a roadblock, Billard said, adding that the transition to a remote environment actually suited the center’s already wide geographic distribution.

Billard said they’re especially grateful for how the center has united their colleagues in the mission of supporting transgender rights.

“Creating the center was a way for us to build a home for all of these various transgender academics at different institutions, not just across the country but across the world, and to bring us into a community with one another,” Billard said. joshuaperry2023@u.northwestern.edu

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

A&E arts & entertainment

Graphic by Carly Schulman

Lead vocalists Aaron Messing and Anni Hochhalter from the NU-originating band, “Late Aster.” The quartet is set to release their premiere EP titled, “True and Toxic.”

Musical quartet Late Aster to release premiere EP

By DIEGO RAMOS-BECHARA

the daily northwestern @d_ramos42

The musicians in the band Late Aster began a friendship in their freshman year at Northwestern, where they bonded over late-night jam sessions around campus.

Aaron Messing (Bienen ‘12), Charles Mueller (Bienen ‘12), Cameron LeCrone (Bienen ‘14) and Anni Hochhalter formed the musical quarter after graduation in 2012. The band plans to release their debut EP, “True and Toxic,” on May 21. The EP is the culmination of a decade of work and years spent “rediscovering their musical voice,” vocalist Messing said.

“We’ve kind of changed musical directions a number of times,” Messing said. “It’s the culmination of this new thesis, this new voice, that

we’ve been developing for almost 10 years.”

The band would perform on campus and were all part of the improv group “Mee-Ow.” After graduating, the group began to freelance, playing gigs in Chicago before officially becoming a band. It was at this point that Hochhalter, who was introduced by mutual friends, joined the band.

Over the years, the band used different names and experimented with different types of music before officially becoming Late Aster. With Hochhalter and Messing on vocals, Mueller on guitar and bass and LeCrone on drums, the band finally settled on a style of music.

“Our songs are heavily driven by brass instruments, electronics and voice,” Mueller said. “We produce new music that’s rooted (in) classical and jazz traditions merged with the sounds of bebop and alternative rock.”

“True and Toxic,” an EP the band had been

working on since before the pandemic hit, is the culmination of this mashup of styles and genres.

Messing said years of listening to and talking about music helped diversify the group’s sound, reshaping the way they think about the trajectory of their discography.

“I love being able to articulate all of our influences at the same time,” Messing said. “Instead of asking, ‘I like this song or I like this band, so how can we emulate them individually?’ we’re trying to stitch them together.”

Hochhalter said the reason they’re open to experimentation is because of the band’s trust in the skills and tastes of the other players. She and Messing want to create new sounds, like melding electronics and brass, drawing out the intimacy and versatility of instruments commonly relegated to a passive, secondary role in rock music.

“True and Toxic” lays the foundation for these

experiments, Mueller said.

The EP, which is available to stream on most platforms on May 21, also includes accompanying music videos that “aim to stylize and personify the music,” Messing said. The videos don’t present a formal narrative — instead, each video stands on its own, using unique cinematic elements to present each song.

The band’s musicianship is not just attributed to their knowledge and love of music, Hocchalter said –– it’s also due to their love for one another.

“Honestly, the band is successful because Charles (Mueller) is a phenomenal engineer and guitar player and Cam (LeCrone) is a killer drummer,” Hocchalter said. “After almost a decade of making music, the band’s chemistry and success is built upon years of friendship and collaboration.” diegoramos-bechara2024@u.northwestern.edu

After reorganizing, the Dolphin Show returns to NU

By OLIVIA ALEXANDER

the daily northwestern @oliviagalex

After two years without a production, the Dolphin Show is returning to Northwestern.

“Pippin,” The 78th Annual Dolphin Show, will be streamed virtually in three showings on Friday, May 28 at 7:00 p.m., Saturday, May 29 at 2:00 p.m. and Saturday May 29 at 7:00 p.m.

Communication senior Rachel Khutorsky, the community producer for the Dolphin Show, has been involved with the organization since her freshman year. During its hiatus, she said she thought, “if I do one thing before I graduate, I want to bring the Dolphin Show back.” However, Khutorsky said doing so was challenging.

Originally, the 78th production was scheduled to take place in January 2020, but disagreement within the organization during show selection caused many executive board members to resign in Spring 2019.

The resignations took place following conversations regarding organization-wide issues regarding inclusivity.

Throughout the last year, Khutorsky said the Dolphin Show took several steps to rebuild trust within the campus community. She said the team held information sessions, building foundations that would allow the organization to thrive for years to come.

The group also added a director of accessibility, inclusion and diversity to its executive board and implemented the Chicago Theatre Standards,

a conflict resolution pathway.

Members also instituted a more comprehensive show selection process. Khutorsky said show selection started over Zoom at the beginning of the pandemic. “Pippin” is a musical that offers a natural flexibility, she said, because the show can be done with a cast of five or a cast of 30.

The musical follows a young actor playing Pippin for the first time. “Pippin” breaks the fourth wall and invites viewers into “a show within a show,” Khutorsky said.

The storyline speaks to the experiences of college students, Khutorsky said, especially those attending school during a pandemic.

“A lot of us have had to reevaluate, think about what is truly important to us, what we want our purpose to be in the world,” Khutorsky said. “Pippin goes through, throughout his time in the show, a coming-of-age journey.”

Communication junior Liam Oh, who plays Pippin, said the character reminds him of a stereotypical Weinberg freshman with an undecided major who doesn’t know what he wants to do. In turn, Oh said, he tries everything.

Oh said he appreciates the opportunity to explore feelings of uncertainty, as the musical brings about questions of whether activities people do actually bring joy, or if they are just done out of obligation.

“Overall, (“Pippin”) is about trying to find out what you are meant to do,” Oh said. “It’s about searching and longing and not being quite sure where you belong in the world.”

As COVID-19 guidelines changed, the show itself went through several iterations. The cast of 12

Photo courtesy of Meghan Altemose

Performers in “Pippin.” The production was filmed in Cahn Auditorium.

filmed the final product in Cahn auditorium with pre-recorded singing.

Communication junior Emily Pate-Some plays Leading Player in “Pippin.” She said filming the show in just one day made the process feel like doing live theater.

“People still want to make art in these trying times,” Pate-Some said. “People want to put on a show.”

While the show may look different than normal years, Khutorsky said “Pippin” still brings the Dolphin Show back to campus for years to come.

Khurtorsky said she believes limitations come with added creativity.

She also praised everyone involved for their flexibility throughout the process.

“Although the show itself is really magical, and there’s definitely a lot of surprises in store for our audience, the process itself and just the fact that we were able to accomplish what we accomplished in a pandemic, despite all the challenges is also just really impressive,” Khutorsky said. oliviaalexander2024@u.northwestern.edu

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

5

Cannon Fine Art Gallery owner talks art, reparations

By REBECCA AIZIN

daily senior staffer @rebecca_aizin

After retiring from government service in 2016, Rose Cannon wanted to make her days meaningful.

In June 2019, she created Cannon Fine Art Gallery, Evanston’s first and only art gallery dedicated entirely to representing artists of color. Alongside the gallery, which is currently entirely virtual, Cannon is a selfdescribed abolitionist and has been vocal against Evanston’s approach to reparations. The Daily sat down with Cannon to talk about the intersection of the gallery and reparations.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

The Daily: What inspired you to start the gallery?

Cannon: I was taking these art classes, and at the same time, an entrepreneurial class. About two weeks into the course, they insisted you state which business you wanted to go into. I was there for the wrong reason — I have two adult sons that need to start their own businesses but they were too lazy and said, ‘Mom, you go and you find out what we need to do.’ The instructor said I couldn’t do that and it had to be a business I wanted to start. I thought and thought about what gives me pleasure as she went around the room and

decided I want to do an art gallery. Everybody in the class clapped.

The Daily: How do you pick the pieces you show at the gallery?

Cannon: For the show we are organizing right now at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, we wanted to do a theme of ‘when we were kings.’ We wanted to show artists that make the kind of artwork that predates the stuff that is being shown around here. ‘When we were kings’ won’t be the name, but it’s the concept we are toying with. A show that will portray a kind of art that will bring you back before we were enslaved.

The Daily What inspired your recent collection about stories from the soul?

Cannon: That was our first show in 1100 Florence Gallery. One woman in our group of five was a ceramicist and she came up with the name Soulworks.

It caught on immediately with us, and that’s how I identified some of my artists. The name has stuck with us all this time.

The Daily: What has the reception been like and how has that been meaningful to you?

Cannon: I love my group of artists, and it seems to be working. Everybody that comes to me says they find it to be beautiful, and the way I’ve pulled together

the different artists has been complimented. What’s special about it to me is when I’m doing that work, I feel really fulfilled and refreshed. It’s not nearly as hard as doing reparations work.

The Daily: Can you tell me a little bit about the work you’re doing for reparations?

Cannon: I’m in the initial group that said we are going to resist the Evanston reparations plan because it is not true reparations. What is being said is not true reparations, so either the name needs to be taken off of it or do something else with it. We’ve gotten pushback because they think we are a small, angry group that doesn’t have a voice and are not substantial. But we are increasing our membership and we are becoming a full group with a full website.

The Daily: How does the work you do regarding reparations relate to the gallery?

Cannon: There was a need in the Evanston area to show Black artists. The Evanston Art Center is progressive and we’ve done shows, but the bottom line is I wanted to do something where only my people were being shown and only their artwork. Sometimes I need to step back and think, ‘Am I being too active in reparations?’ One of my artists really doesn’t like it, and he believes my social justice stance is in conflict with trying to sell art. But his patron base are white

Photo courtesy of Rose Cannon

Rose Cannon is the owner of Cannon Fine Art Gallery and is a leader in reparations work.

people so he doesn’t want to upset them. I’m not so concerned with that. I would love to be able to sell to everybody, but the bottom line is, if you don’t like my politics — too bad. I’m still going to do my politics. rebeccaaizin2023@u.northwestern.edu

Students reflect on producing original music in a pandemic

By LAYA NEELAKANDAN

daily senior staffer @laya_neel

When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, Communication junior Jay Towns knew he wanted to be intentional with his time. Since then, he has released eleven original songs.

“I was like, ‘What do I do when I don’t have to do anything?’” Towns said. “And really, I just gravitated toward music.”

Towns had never produced any music before the pandemic. So, he taught himself how to, eventually releasing his debut album “2k” in June 2020.

Towns said each song was like a “stepping stone,” allowing him to learn more producing techniques and perfect each song. He also said his friends’ encouragement and support was the reason he kept making more music.

“I fell in love with the idea of being able to package my experiences into a medium that I liked and that other people enjoyed listening to,” Towns said. “I’m a lot more confident that what I make now is very close to industry standard, and it took some trial and error and a lot of encouragement.”

Towns said he’s currently working on two

Daily file illustration by Emma Ruck

Over quarantine, some students have been inspired to create original music.

new songs he plans to release in the near future.

Weinberg freshman Olivia Pierce also took advantage of the extra time during quarantine to make music.

At the beginning of lockdown, Pierce began posting covers of a song on Instagram each day until the end of the summer. She released two songs — “As I Am” and “X-Ray” — in June and September 2020, respectively.

She added that the pandemic had both a negative and a positive impact on her music. On one hand, she had more time and built up the courage to put her music out there. But it also meant she could no longer record her music in her studio at the Royal Family Music Group, a music collective in Minneapolis.

“Time in quarantine allowed me to appreciate (my music) more,” Pierce said. “It also

makes collaborating with other artists super fun now because we’re writing together virtually.”

Pierce said making music during the uncertainty of lockdown was comforting not only for herself, but for her audience as well. Like Towns, she also has plans to release new music soon.

Although Pierce misses live concert venues and performances in coffee shops, she said the pandemic has helped her to reflect on her artistic growth over quarantine.

“Having all this time to practice has made me more confident,” Pierce said. “It’s been fun to show myself I can write songs because sometimes I get insecure.”

Weinberg sophomore Austin Shi has been producing music for years. He said the pandemic provided more time to dive deep into his music.

As a computer science major, Shi said he has also experimented with combining computer science and music. He has explored composing through artificial intelligence, for example.

“It’s definitely fun to learn more about CS and music,” Shi said. “(Quarantine) gives me more time to not only make music, but to think about what I should make.” laya@u.northwestern.edu

NU alum discusses new memoir “Men I’ve Never Been”

By APRIL LI

the daily northwestern @aprilshowers0

Award-winning author Michael Sadowski (Communication ’83) explores sexuality and gender identity in his recent memoir, “Men I’ve Never Been.”

As part of Bookends & Beginnings’ virtual “Literary Lunchbreak” series, Sadowski discussed his latest book Thursday afternoon with LGBTQ+ activist Jim Obergefell. Obergefell is the named plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which legalized same-sex marriage in the United States.

During the event, Sadowski, an administrator

and professor at Bard College, read several excerpts from his memoir, including the prologue.

“The sections to the book are divided under three titles that are called ‘Noise,’ ‘Silence’ and ‘Voices,’” Sadowski said. “I call the prologue ‘Before,’ because it’s before all the noise and the silence and the voices.”

Sadowski said he based each chapter of his memoir around the images of manhood he saw while growing up. He either didn’t aspire to these images, he said, or was unable to achieve them.

The disconnect between these expectations of masculinity and his own identity, Sadowski said, led to a sense of disconnect from himself, his family and his friends.

“The story of the book is really about what things like toxic masculinity cost us in terms of

April Li/The Daily Northwestern

Michael Sadowski reads aloud from his new memoir, “Men I’ve Never Been,” during a virtual event held Tuesday

by Bookends & Beginnings.

our relationships,” Sadowski said.

Sadowski and Obergefell also discussed their complex relationships with masculinity. Sadowski said the word “man” as an identity was partially taken away from him and became an identifier he chose to let go.

Obergefell said he resonated with a statement Sadowski made about not feeling like he completely identified with the notion of manhood.

When he shares his pronouns, Sadowski said he uses “he/him” but will add that “It’s complicated.”

“You helped explain something about myself that I’ve never been able to do for myself,” Obergefell said. “I’ve never felt comfortable or really even justified referring to myself as a man.”

In response, Sadowski brought up the end of his memoir, which explores letting go of the models of masculinity he saw around him.

Sadowski said there is a sense of liberation in not feeling an obligation to aspire to any expectations.

“I’m not looking to be a certain kind of man, because that’s not a goal I have,” Sadowski said.

“But I think I have learned to accept myself as a certain kind of person. I’m just happy to be a good adult.”

Sadowksi also read from two scenes that detailed his time as an undergraduate in Northwestern’s theatre program. Sadowski said at the time, he was aware of social class and his sexuality, but he was not yet acknowledging it.

His theatre training helped him write his book, especially when building dialogue and scenes, Sadowski said.

Sadowski said part of his motivation behind writing a memoir was in the hopes that his story would be relatable or comforting to someone else.

For Obergefell, Sadowski seemed to have accomplished this goal. Obergefell said he connected with the experiences detailed in Sadowski’s memoir.

“(Sadowski) and I both grew up in a world where we never quite lived up to what others — and society — expected or demanded of us,” Obergefell said. “And I think that’s a feeling many people, whether or not (they’re) gay, can relate to.”

Nina Barrett, owner of Bookends & Beginnings, helped moderate the discussion and said Sadowski’s book is “easy to respond to” because many people have gone through similar experiences of dealing with others’ expectations.

Barrett also praised Sadowski’s writing. She said the memoir beautifully captures his journey to embracing the truth of his story.

“This is a book that is sometimes funny, and sometimes sad, and ultimately very complex and profound,” Barrett said. “It is a total joy to read.” aprilli2024@u.northwestern.edu

arts & entertainment Editor Laya Neelakandan Assistant Editors Diego Ramos-Bechara Olivia Alexander Designer Meher Yeda Staff Rebecca Aizin April Li

6 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

DEPARTMENTALIZATION From page 1

their jobs, who stay and are committed to the field and to their students,” Sharma said.

Jessica Wang (Weinberg ‘19), a founding member of the Latinx Asian American Collective, said the Asian American Studies community was an integral part of her Northwestern experience. She majored in Asian American Studies and spent much of her undergraduate years advocating for the growth of ethnic studies through the Collective and her job in the Asian American Studies office.

Through conversations with faculty and program directors, Wang said she realized many overextended ethnic studies professors hold marginalized identities.

She said these professors create “safe havens” for marginalized students at Northwestern, providing them with emotional support and informal career counseling. While this is incredibly valuable to students, it also causes these professors additional labor.

“If you want to go into a nontraditional or nonprofessionalized field, the support is often not there (through formal resources),” Wang said.

AASP and LLSP also struggle with a lack of funding, which limits students’ ability to conduct research, said Asian American Studies and History Prof. Ji-Yeon Yuh, the founding director of AASP. She said graduate students have an especially difficult time getting funding in the early stages of their work — an issue she hopes to see resolved soon.

In an email to The Daily, University spokesperson Hilary Hurd Anyaso said NU is actively hiring faculty in departments and programs that focus on ethnic studies and has increased operating budgets for ethnic studies programs in recent years. The University did not respond to a request for comment on whether it’s considering departmentalization or additional funding.

Efforts to expand ethnic studies

Today, students continue to advocate for the expansion of ethnic studies. In a May 1 letter to NU administrators, Northwestern Asian American Pacific Islander Desi American groups called on the University to support students through action amid the rise of documented Anti-Asian violence.

Weinberg sophomore Quynh-May Nguyen, copresident of the Vietnamese Student Association and the organizer of the letter, said the groups are calling for the University to departmentalize AASP and Middle Eastern and North Studies Program in order to create a permanent, safe space for students.

MASKS

From page 1

Evanston residents, according to the city’s vaccine dashboard. Over 51,200 individuals 12 and older have received one dose of a vaccine, and 40,833 are fully vaccinated.

White residents make up 61 percent of those who have received the vaccine but make up 66 percent of the city’s population. Black residents make up 11 percent of vaccinated individuals and Asian residents

“It’s important to note that Northwestern has a student population of 20 percent Asian or Asian American students and there is still no official department for permanent faculty for us to rely on and come to when we need support,” Nguyen said.

Kevin Luong (Weinberg ‘16), who was among the group of students that successfully advocated for the establishment of an Asian American Studies major, said student activists face several consistent obstacles.

The University’s resistance to expanding ethnic studies without strong demonstrated student interest puts the burden of creating change on students, they said.

It can also create what Luong described as a “chicken and the egg problem” — sometimes it can be difficult to garner student support for something that has yet to be created.

In addition to student activists, several professors have been advocating for change, Yuh said. For the past few years, faculty have been pushing for a course requirement related to social inequalities.

In 2019, faculty passed a slightly different distribution requirement: “When Cultures Meet.” The overlay required all students to take one course about contact between different cultural groups in the U.S. and one about contact outside the U.S. “It completely goes against everything that students and faculty wanted to have for a social inequalities distribution requirement,” Yuh said. “As if during the Atlantic slave trade, African peoples and European peoples ‘met’? … As if when Asian people were being brought over as contract labor for the railroad and for sugar plantations and being exploited and beaten by supervisors, that was ‘cultures meeting’?”

According to a University spokesperson, Weinberg administrators put the requirement on hold last summer due to pandemic complications, which also allowed faculty to “more sharply define” it. Administrators hope to launch the requirement in Fall 2022.

While students and faculty continue to advocate for departmentalization, Cadava said the most important thing to him is increasing the presence of ethnic studies on campus.

“It can feel, when you’re working in Latino Studies and Asian American Studies, like you occupy some small corner of campus,” Cadava said. “I do hope that we continue to grow into and be seen as a center of exciting and active research and teaching.”

Resistance to departmentalization

According to Sharma, Yuh, Wang and Hermosillo, the lack of departmentalization parallels a nationwide make up 8 percent. In comparison, 16.5 percent is Black, and over 9 percent is Asian.

Less than one percent of residents are Native or other Pacific Islander, and less than one percent of residents are American Indian or Alaska Native, which is reflected in the vaccine dashboard.

Nearly 12 percent are Hispanic or Latino, a population not included on the vaccine dashboard.

This week, Evanston and local school districts will offer Pfizer vaccines to individuals 12 and older at multiple vaccination events. The first such event will

trend of educational institutions devaluing ethnic studies programs.

Sharma said she believes one of the reasons institutions don’t prioritize ethnic studies is that the histories taught in these programs are considered to be “dangerous knowledge.”

“Ethnic studies really talks about power and institutions,” Sharma said. “It’s sort of an internal critique of the institution of higher education within that institution.”

Sharma also said the study of race is often deemed irrelevant, and questioned whether NU views ethnic studies as a field of intellectual priority.

Yuh added that departments have a presence on campus that programs do not, which gives them more say in decision-making.

“Departments tend to have the authority to accumulate more budget, more resources, argue for more faculty lines, etc.,” Yuh said. “Once you become a department, you’ve gotten your foot in the door to start arguing to grow.”

BLACK FORMAL From page 1

be on Friday at Blomquist Recreation Center, 617 Foster St., from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Anyone 12 and older who lives, works or attends school in Evanston can get vaccinated at the event.

On Saturday, Evanston Township High School and Evanston/Skokie School District 65 will hold a vaccination event at the ETHS fieldhouse. The event will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m and will be held in partnership with Walgreens.

reporter Michael Wilbon, punctuated the live footage. Venue and decor co-chair Selena Ruffin said the livestream emulated an award show.

To engage students, the board also organized a spirit week leading up to the event, Ruffin said.

The spirit week programming included a dance challenge choreographed by Afrothunda Dance Troupe, a playlist from CaribNation, outfit inspiration collages created with Stitch Magazine and a tribute video for Black seniors.

Following the Homecoming theme, Black Formal hosted a spirit week watch party of Beyoncé’s “Homecoming” concert film in collaboration with the Black Mentorship Program.

Co-chair Tamunodiyepriye Ngo said the board chose the event theme to celebrate the formal’s return after last year’s cancelation.

“We, as a Black community, have been apart due to the pandemic, and it’s been a lot of difficult times,” the Weinberg senior said. “This is kind of us having a homecoming, everyone returning to show our resilience and to show that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”

As co-chair, Ngo said she spent much of the past year writing grant applications, emailing the Department of African American Studies and the Northwestern Black Alumni Association and soliciting donations through Catalyzer to fund the formal.

While Black Formal has applied for recognition as an official student group twice, Ngo said they have been rejected and therefore denied funding from Associated Student Government.

“It’s really difficult for us to build up the capital that a lot of other organizations have on campus because we don’t get funding from the school as they do,” Ngo added.

Because the future of Black Formal is contingent on underclassmen organizing and fundraising for the event themselves, marketing director Mikayla Williams said the executive board of juniors and seniors focused on engaging freshmen.

Many freshmen have reported feeling an absence of Black community on campus this year, given the pandemic and lack of a central community space like the Black House.

“We just felt so bad for first years because it’s already tough in general being Black on this campus,” Williams said. “(The formal) was a way for them to see the Black community and see us coming together and having a good time.”

Ruffin said giving freshman and sophomores the Black Formal experience motivated the planning process.

The one in-person formal she attended in 2019 helped her feel part of a community, the SESP junior added. “(The formal) is really important to us,” she added. “We want this to be a tradition because I really think it’s a very beautiful thing.”

delaneynelson2023@u.northwestern.edu

maiapandey@u.northwestern.edu

Moving forward

Wang stressed the importance of expanding ethnic studies and encouraged students to take classes in these programs. “(Asian American Studies) crafted me into the person that I am today and gave me the perspective that I have today — it allowed me to have an accurate understanding of how our society in our world is structured and why it’s structured the way it is,” Wang said.

Wang also urged administrators to respect student organizers and understand they have significant knowledge surrounding the topics they advocate for.

Additionally, Yuh said it’s important for the University to expand ethnic studies not because it seeks to appease those pushing for change, but because it views ethnic studies as a field vital to the University’s mission.

Sharma said she hopes to see a combined effort from AASP, LLSP, the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research and the African American Studies Department to ensure all NU students graduate with a full understanding of the United States.

“It’s really important for all students to be able to learn about Asian American Studies and Latina and Latino Studies, because these are questions about race, about societal inequality, about immigration, about diaspora, that we can’t learn fully without these kinds of givens,” Sharma said. “They’re not supplementary — they’re core to our understanding of what the United States is.” waverlylong@u.northwestern.edu

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THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2021

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

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Students form Muslim Mental Health Initiative

By KATRINA PHAM

the daily northwestern @katrinapham_

As a Muslim student on campus, Weinberg junior Fizzah Jaffer recalls going through a list of over 200 therapists from Northwestern’s Counseling and Psychological Services and not seeing a Muslim counselor listed as a resource.

In response, Jaffer co-founded the Northwestern Muslim Mental Health Initiative to fill a need for community on campus for students struggling with their mental health.

“I wanted MMHI to be a space where everyone felt welcomed and everyone felt like there was something for them,” Jaffer said.

The group formed in the fall of 2019 and launched in late December last year. Since then, members advocated for diversified mental health resources on campus, including the hiring of Sabaahath Latifi, the first Muslim counselor in CAPS. As a result of the group’s advocacy, CAPS added the Khalil Center, an Islamic mental wellness center, to its referral list.

MMHI also hosts Ummah Talks, a faith-based discussion on mental health. In April, MMHI partnered

with the Khalil Center to organize a “Wellness in Ramadan” discussion, where students were able to hear Latifi speak about spiritual performance anxiety and maintaining spirituality in isolation.

Jaffer said she felt Northwestern’s mental health services were not representative of its student body, which affected the quality of service given to Muslim students.

Weinberg sophomore and MMHI member Hisham Ahmad said when it comes to therapy, students need to feel comfortable expressing themselves.

“People are unique, and the interactions that you have with them are going to be different… and the way that they respond to therapy is going to be different,” Ahmad said. “We want (students) to have as many options as possible.”

Jaffer said students of Muslim backgrounds in particular can experience difficulties with mental health struggles, since certain religious arguments can invalidate mental health difficulties by attributing them to a lack of faith.

She added that people commonly tell Muslim students with mental health needs that they aren’t praying enough or that they aren’t “religious.” Jaffer said these experiences can be traumatizing.

Students of South Asian and Middle Eastern backgrounds often face stigma around seeking mental health treatment, Jaffer added.

“There were just so many factors contributing to negative mental health and a severe lack of resources for them (on campus),” Jaffer said.

Jaffer said sharing Muslim mental health counseling is not meant to be overwhelming or exclusive, but rather, it is meant to provide students with a space to speak with others who have shared experiences with mental health and religion.

McCormick sophomore Fardeem Munir, another member of MMHI, said focusing on resources for Muslim students doesn’t change the overall goal of the initiative.

In providing more mental health services for students, Munir said MMHI aims to help students’ health in the long-term. He said mental health resources can be therapy and counseling sessions, but they can also look like productivity courses that help students handle work and stress.

“One piece of this whole framework of mental health is how you get to a point where you’re not only fine, but you’re leveling up in your ability to mentally handle stress,” Munir said. “(It’s related to) taking on more stuff that makes you more able to do things in the world, like making progress on your dreams or making an impact in society.” katrinapham2024@u.northwestern.edu

Daily file illustration by Emma Ruck

A lack of representation in mental health services provided by Northwestern inspired a group of students to start the Muslim Mental Health Initiative, advocating for more resources on campus.

D65 discuss technology, mitigation measures for the fall

By OLIVIA ALEXANDER

the daily northwestern @oliviagalex

While Evanston/Skokie School District 65 families students can expect a full in-person reopening in the fall, limited remote learning options will remain for families. Superintendent Devon Horton said the district will also continue to implement technology use and independent learning in preparation for a pivot back to full remote learning at moment’s notice.

“While we are hopeful and excited about where everything is headed, we have to also be aware and alert and prepared for would we have to return (to online learning),” Horton said.

D65 administrators presented return to school plans for the 2021-22 school year and discussed the use of

technology and COVID-19 mitigation measures at Monday’s meeting.

The district will provide devices for all students, provide new educator computers and make hotspots available for families in need of internet access.

District 65 Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools Terrance Little said students will use their devices “each and every day.”

“We’ve come up with some good technology practices and things of that nature, so we would definitely be incorporating those practices in our new approach,” Little said.

The district anticipates a full reopening in the fall, but will maintain a commitment to improving remote learning programming as an ongoing option for families, LaTarsha Green, the district’s executive director of Black Student Success, said at an April 27 board meeting.

Melissa Messinger, the District 65 director of communications, said the district will increase outreach

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efforts throughout the district to ensure families know their options for in-person and remote learning. She estimated that over 40 percent of children and families may not have paid attention to reopening communications this year because they were not planning on coming back to school buildings.

With regards to in person learning protocols, the district will implement a “grab and go” breakfast system in which students eat in their classrooms. Students will eat lunch across a number of spaces to incorporate five feet of distancing. Visitors will not be allowed unless registered as official volunteers.

Horton said the district cannot legally require vaccinations for teachers. Mitigation measures for the fall will continue to include mask wearing, hand washing and completion of the daily health certification. The district will continue to update its COVID-19 dashboard, but vaccinated students and staff will not be

required to quarantine.

Board member Soo La Kim asked how leaders anticipated planning with changing guidance and vaccinations becoming available to children. Horton said the district will continue to follow CDC guidelines.

Upon return to school, each school in the district’s leadership team will develop a four-week transition plan to establish school norms, values and student expectations to create a sense of community within schools.

Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Stacy Beardsley emphasized the importance of these transitions and the need for students to have affirming learning environments as they make their transition back to full in-person instruction.

“We need to ensure that we have a safe learning environment to welcome our children,” Beardsley said. oliviaalexander2024@u.northwestern.edu

SPORTS

Thursday, May 20, 2021

@DailyNU_Sports

LACROSSE

How Jill Girardi became a leader on the draw control

By SKYE SWANN

the daily northwestern @sswann301

After a blowout loss to Maryland in the 2019 NCAA Final Four and a 2020 season cut short, senior midfielder Jill Girardi said Northwestern had a chip on its shoulder going into this spring: it wanted to claim the program’s eighth national championship.

The No. 2 Wildcats are on their way — and winning would make history. So far, NU has a solid foundation, earning the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles and remaining one of collegiate lacrosse’s undefeated squads.The squad will go up against No. 7 Duke on Saturday for a chance to return to the Final Four.

A key contributor to all of this success has been Girardi and her performance in draw controls.

This season, Girardi moved from midfield to defense, where she has won 64 draw controls in 10 games.

Last week alone Girardi set a career high of 12 to help the team secure a spot in the Elite Eight.

“She’s just phenomenal down the stretch,” coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “She has been gaining in confidence and momentum. She’s incredibly athletic.”

Now in her 20th season with the Cats, Amonte Hiller has seen strong draw takers come through Evanston, including assistant coach Shelby Fredricks, who is the Cats’ all-time leading draw controller with 496.

Fredricks has worked closely with Girardi, who said her ability to win on the draw has grown immensely.

She credited Fredricks with helping

her improve her wrist strength — a crucial component to succeeding in the circle. Additionally, Girardi and Fredricks take the draw against each other in preparation for upcoming games.

Giradi gets help on the circle from graduate student attacker Lindsey McKone and senior attacker Lauren Gilbert, collecting 56 and 34 draw controls, respectively, outside of the circle. As Gilbert and McKone have combined for 82 goals and 24 assists, getting the ball in their hands has been a huge benefit to NU’s fastpaced offense.

In fact, Girardi prioritizes drawing to her teammates when she steps in the circle. “(My teammates) are always pushing each other to go hard everyday and that pushes me everyday to work hard and try to make the team better,” Girardi said.

From the start of the season, Girardi has been a key defender for the team. The senior has created 14 caused turnovers and 11 ground balls this season, as well as 236 turnovers with her teammates. These efforts allow NU’s offense — the best in the nation with 20.50 goals per game — to go to work.

Junior attacker Izzy Scane, who recently set the program’s season single goal record at 89, praised Girardi’s performance, calling it a “huge help to the offense.” As an attacker, Scane is not allowed to go for a draw control unless the ball crosses over the 25-yard line, per NCAA regulations.

Thus, Scane said Girardi’s ability to get the draw for the team has “set the tone” for the offense to score.

“Possession is everything,” Scane said. “When you have a girl who is dominating so much in the circle,

it’s huge. Being able to have the ball down almost the whole game is a huge game changer in terms of what we can do on the offensive side.”

During the regular season, Girardi battled against some of the best draw takers in the nation, including Maryland redshirt senior defender Lizzie Colson, Penn State sophomore midfielder Olivia Dirks and Ohio State junior midfielder Chloë Johnson.

And in each matchup, she proved hard to beat. She collected 33 draws in three games against Maryland, 6 in two games against Penn State and 6 against Ohio State.

“I step on (the line) and tell myself I’m going to win it and trust myself and my teammates,” Girardi said.

But her biggest challenge in the draw circle has yet to come.

Girardi and her teammates will face the Blue Devils and junior attacker Maddie Jenner at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium on Saturday. Jenner is one of the best draw control specialists in the country, earning 180 draws this season and a career high 15 against Virginia.

Amonte Hiller, who coached Jenner on the U-19 USA team, said she is very familiar with her.

And come this weekend, Girardi will be, too. She said she is ready to face Jenner for the first time and compete, both inside and outside of the circle. Girardi’s performance against Jenner could impact the Cats’ return to the Final Four.

“We are going to be playing our game and knowing that we will dominate on the draw everytime we step up there,” Girardi said. “We are not gonna be afraid (of our opponents) and just focus on us.”

Kelsey Carroll/The Daily Northwestern

skyeswann2024@u.northwestern.edu

SOFTBALL

WOMEN’S GOLF

Wildcats earn All-Big Ten honors Cats miss qualifying for NCAA Championship

By NATHAN ANSELL

the daily northwestern @nathanjansell

By CHARLOTTE VARNES

Ahead of its NCAA Tournament appearance against Kentucky, five Northwestern players received a handful of All-Conference honors Wednesday.

Senior second baseman Rachel Lewis, junior catcher Jordyn Rudd, junior pitcher Danielle Williams and junior center fielder Skyler Shellmyer all earned places on the conference’s First Team. Lewis achieved the accolade for her third consecutive season, and Rudd and Williams also got the recognition in 2019.

Additionally, graduate utility player Morgan Newport was selected to the Second Team All-Big Ten, and Lewis and Rudd nabbed two more spots on the conference’s All-Defensive Team.

The four Wildcats appearing on the First Team All-Big Ten are the most since 2006. This also marks the 19th straight season where at least three NU players earned All-Conference awards, a streak that has lasted through coach Kate Drohan’s career in Evanston.

Lewis, who leads the Big Ten in stolen bases and ranks third in on-base percentage, was one of three unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selections. The second baseman ended the regular season strong, reaching base in 12 of her last 13 games.

She wasn’t the only consistent force at the plate, however. Shellmyer and Rudd ranked fourth and sixth in the Big Ten for batting average, hitting .362 and .347, respectively.

Shellmyer also finished in the top 10

the daily northwestern @charvarnes11

Daily file photo by Joshua Hoffman

Rachel Lewis runs the bases against Nebraska. Lewis was one of three players unanimously named to the First Team All-Big Ten.

for several other key offensive categories, such as hits, runs and stolen bases — a large part of the reason why she was moved to the leadoff spot this year.

Williams, who was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2019, went 16-6 over this season, striking out 176 batters along the way — good for third in the conference. She also threw a perfect game against Iowa on April 16.

Newport, the only recipient who was in her final year of eligibility, also had a strong season. Her performance throughout last weekend’s series against Nebraska was especially dominant, with two home

runs, a .714 on-base percentage and a complete game victory as a pitcher on Sunday. Drohan has also praised Newport’s improvements this season in holding the strike zone and pitch hunting after the game.

Additionally, Lewis and Rudd led the Cats to a .976 fielding percentage — the team’s best in over ten years.

The Big Ten honorees will take the national stage on Friday as they and NU (29-15, 29-15 Big Ten) go head to head with Kentucky and aim to advance out of the Lexington Regional. nathanansell2022@u.northwestern.edu

Northwestern finished its season at the NCAA Regional, placing 12th and failing to qualify for the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2012.

The Wildcats competed at the Stanford Regional from May 10 to May 12, which marked their eleventh consecutive time participating in the event. NU had a strong performance through the first two rounds, tying for eighth place at the end of both.

The Cats’ chances of securing a berth to the NCAA Championship were heavily weakened after a third round performance of +300, dropping NU to 12th.

Sophomore Irene Kim, the 2021 Big Ten Golfer of the Year, led the Cats at the Regional with a score of +216 through three rounds and finished tied for 24th. Junior Kelly Sim and freshman Jieni Li were close behind her in score, as both tallied +225 to tie for 61st.

The Stanford Regional posed a significant test for all teams in attendance. The competition’s lineup featured multiple teams ranked in the top-seven of the WGCA Coaches’ Poll, including Southern California, Wake Forest and Oklahoma State.

Over the past seven NCAA Championships, NU recorded seven top-15 finishes and was the runner-up in the 2017 NCAA Championship. Now, the Cats are out of championship

contention.

Despite their defeat in Stanford, the Cats delivered strong performances throughout the 2021 regular season campaign, highlighted by four top-five finishes and a win over Ohio State at a January dual matchup.

However, NU struggled to bounce back following a fifth-place showing at the Big Ten Championship with a score of +867.

Next season, the Cats will look to build on their regular season success as underclassmen Kim, Sim, Li and freshman Jennifer Cai give the team a strong foundation for next season. charlottevarnes2024@u.northwestern.edu

Daily file photo by Alison Albeda

Irene Kim watches her swing. Kim led the Cats at the NCAA Regional, tying for 24th.