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The Daily Northwestern Thursday, May 27, 2021
7 A&E/Encircled Jewelry
Alumna Kourtney Kinchen talks nonprofit pandemic era passion project
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Illustration by Jacob Fulton
As Northwestern’s one-year COVID-19 tenure clock extension ticks down, women faculty call on the University for more support amid research delays, child care difficulties By HALEY FULLER
daily senior staffer @haley_fuller_
Instead of digging through archives in Paris and Geneva, history Prof. Helen Tilley, a single mother, spent the spring of her sabbatical researching and writing on the bed while her then-11-year-old daughter completed virtual assignments next to her.
Tilley, a Northwestern faculty member since 2012, was on research leave in Cambridge, England. When COVID-19 caused worldwide shutdowns, Tilley and her daughter remained in their rented townhouse bedroom, which didn’t have room for a desk. Her daughter would interrupt her several times each day about making lunch, walking the dog or completing her homework. Although Tilley said she wanted to help her daughter, the situation wasn’t conducive to getting her
research work done. “You want to be calm and positive about the interruptions, and you want to accept that that’s going to make it bearable for her to be out of school,” she said. “Every day is this balancing act of, ‘How much can I get written today?’” Tilley said her daughter’s school wasn’t prepared for virtual learning. After three weeks of online work, Tilley said she began to find other ways to keep her daughter engaged and excited about learning, essentially creating a
whole curriculum on top of her research. She said everyone responsible for raising children is constantly trying to figure out how to balance their child’s needs while also advancing their own career. “What do women do when they have a career goal, and then they have community issues that also rear their head where people’s well-being, your kids’ well-being matters or
» See WOMEN FACULTY, page 4
Beaches to be free three days a week Schapiro talks After advocacy against token sales, beach access free Saturdays to Mondays
Schapiro admits he “made the wrong decision”
By ILANA AROUGHETI
daily senior staffer @ilana_arougheti
Residents will have free access to Evanston beaches on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays starting this summer. City Council was initially set to vote Monday on a resolution proposed by Ald. Devon Reid (8th) discontinuing the sale of beach tokens and refunding tokens already sold, which would have made Evanston beaches free seven days a week. Alderpeople unanimously voted for an amended resolution after a contentious debate that lasted multiple hours and included a suspension of procedural rules. The city will also develop a budget to allow all residents free
» See BEACHES, page 10 Recycle Me
Polisky selection By MAIA PANDEY
the daily northwestern @maiapandey
Daily file photo by Maia Spoto
A lakefront at sunset. All Evanston beaches will be free to access Saturdays through Mondays this summer, though beach passes will remain for sale.
University President Morton Schapiro discussed Mike Polisky’s promotion and resignation as athletic director and his hopes for future leadership in a Wednesday Faculty Assembly meeting. Schapiro spoke in the second half of the meeting, after a panel discussion on Northwestern’s fall reopening plans. Faculty Senate President Therese McGuire moderated the conversation, asking Schapiro questions submitted ahead of time by faculty. McGuire said many questions submitted pertained to Polisky, who was named a defendant in a
federal lawsuit concerning sexual harassment in NU’s cheerleading program. “The allegations from the current former cheerleaders of racism and sexism were very sad and painful,” McGuire said. While the AD search committee assembled a slate of candidates for the position, Schapiro said he ultimately chose Polisky and had “complete authority” over the call. Along with endorsements from varsity coaches, Schapiro said his choice was motivated by an independent University investigation that concluded Polisky had not violated any policy and conversations with Polisky himself during the hiring process. “If he had said, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong,’ I wouldn’t have offered it to him, but he said, ‘I learned from the experience, and
» See FACULTY ASSEMBLY, page 10
INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | A&E 6 | Classifieds & Puzzles 10 | Sports 12