6 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/ e Great Comet NU alum-led Writers eatre production immerses audiences
Senate honors
killed Palestinian American child
By LILY OGBURN daily senior staffer
@lilyogburn
One year a er the murder of Wadee Alfayoumi, a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy from Plain eld, Illinois, his memory is driving national policy and uniting Chicago communities.
Last October, Alfayoumi was killed in a hate crime by his family’s landlord, Joseph Czuba. Czuba was reportedly aggravated by the ongoing war in Gaza, a acking the family because they were Muslim, according to the resolution. Wadee Alfayoumi’s mother, Hanan Shaheen, survived the a ack.
“We lost a light when Wadee Alfayoumi – a 6-year-old boy beloved by his community – was the victim of an anti-Palestinian hate crime instigated by dehumanizing rhetoric,” Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Chicago) said in a statement on Oct. 14.
Wadee Alfayoumi’s murder came just a week a er Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, a ack on Israel that killed 1,200 Israelis, according to Israeli o cials. Since then, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian o cials.
Now, the Muslim Civic Coalition in Chicago and several Illinois o cials are honoring Wadee
» See WADEE , page 10
9 CAMPUS/Leopold Lecture John Kerry talks climate action at Northwestern
AUDIO/ e Weekly e Daily’s editors talk JVP activism, Harley Clarke
1 in 3 students approve, disapprove of Schill
Majority of students agree with University decision to strike Deering Meadow deal
By SCOTT HWANG daily senior staffer
University President Michael Schill received a 32.0% approval rating — the percent of respondents who “strongly approve” or
“somewhat approve” of his job performance — in e Daily’s inaugural campus poll of undergraduate students. A similar proportion of students — 33.8% — “strongly disapprove” or “somewhat disapprove.”
The survey, which was conducted two weeks ago, asked students about
demographics, lifestyle, national politics and Northwestern issues. It also asked rst-year students about admissions. e anonymous poll was open online to NU students for one week and advertised at three on-campus polling stations for three days, accumulating 1,135 responses.
Norris hosts MENA, Muslim space
Students organizations hope for more permanent accomodation
By KELLEY LU
Tucked on the third oor of Norris University Center is a temporary space dedicated to Middle Eastern and North African and Muslim students. e windowless rooms have bright yellow sofa chairs and small meeting tables with minimal decor. Each room can host about 20 people. e MENA Student Association and Muslim-cultural Students Association frequently hold meetings in the space.
The University provided this space as part of its commitment in the agreement that concluded the pro-Palestinian encampment on Deering Meadow in April. e Norris room will be in use until the University can provide a house for MENA and Muslim students upon completion of the Donald P. Jacobs Center renovation, which is expected by 2026.
SESP senior and McSA coPresident Rayyana Hassan said MENA and McSA have been
asking for their own space on campus for several years.
“(McSA students) don’t really know where to go to nd that sense of community of people that believe in the same things as them, feel like they belong in the same spot as them,” Hassan said. “ is is more like a physical structure showing that people can belong somewhere.”
Weinberg junior and MENA treasurer Nader Rahhal said the temporary room is primarily used for executive board meetings or smaller hangouts rather than larger events for the broader MENA and McSA community.
Rahhal said he hopes the permanent house can accommodate more members and become a “third space” for socializing and bringing the MENA community together.
“We don’t really feel like the space truly belongs to us,” Rahhal said. “We only throw events every couple of weeks, and so there’s a lot of gaps in between. Having a third space is very important during those gaps for people to be able to meet each other.”
Shun Graves/The Daily Northwestern The temporary space for MENA and Muslim students is on the third floor of Norris University Center.
While many MENA and McSA students currently use the Multicultural Center to build community, Rahhal said one of his goals for the new space is not to isolate MENA students from others but rather to provide a
safe environment for discussing sensitive topics in their own way.
Rahhal said the MENA demographic is very vulnerable and needs care within a
NU had 8,846 total undergraduate students in 2023-2024, according to the University’s Common Data Set report. About one in eight undergraduate students lled out the poll.
» See CAMPUS POLL , page 4
Central Street a hotspot for murals
Evanston artists make neighborhood ‘vibrant,’ ‘eclectic’
By NAOMI TAXAY daily senior staffer @naomitaxay
As artists look to add their touch to Evanston’s ever-changing landscape, blank walls on Central Street have become increasingly hard to come by.
On the sides of restaurants, in alleyways and even on residents’ garage doors, locals have transformed the urban district into a canvas, re ecting the artistic community and its interests.
More than 75 murals have been painted in Evanston in the last decade, through public projects, like Art Encounter’s Evanston Mural Arts Program, and personal ones, like Teresa Parod’s art walk.
e neighborhood around Central Street is home to around half of these newer murals, with 10 on the street itself.
“Part of our vision for Central Street is to be a vibrant,
eclectic and artistic neighborhood business district,” said Angela Shaffer, community director of Central Street Evanston. “We’re always trying to lean into the arts whenever we can. I think we’ve used up every wall space possible now in our district.”
“Bookended” by the Evanston Art Center and the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian, Central Street was artsy to begin with, Sha er said. e area is home to art galleries, the Evanston School of Ballet and the Music Conservatory of Illinois, allowing for all kinds of creative expression, she said. Central Street Evanston helped sponsor three murals in collaboration with Art Encounter’s Evanston Mural Arts Program, which pairs local organizations, schools and business districts with professional artists to create large-scale public works. Most of the murals, however, were purchased by businesses, Sha er said. Out of nowhere, murals seemed to pop up everywhere, representing both the
MURALS, page
Bookends & Beginnings unfolds used book
By MINTESINOT STURM
A new chapter is unfolding in Evanston’s literary landscape with the opening of Middles Used Books, a pop-up shop specializing in used stories. The venture is an expansion of the independent bookstore, Bookends & Beginnings.
The new store will soft launch Wednesday at 1630 Orrington Ave.
A playful suggestion from one of founder Nina Barrett’s (Medill ’87) sons sparked the new store’s name. Capitalizing on the “bookends” theme, her son asked her, “You already have Bookends & Beginnings, why don’t you call it Middles?”
Several factors drove the decision to open Middles. The used book room in Bookends & Beginnings was consistently overflowing, with a surplus of donations from customers.
“There are a lot of people who are downsizing or emptying out a parent’s house and don’t want to throw out their books,” Barrett said. “They want their books to go on and have another life.”
The pressure didn’t stop there. Barrett said some customers were only interested in the used book room. It became evident that the demand for used books extended beyond what the current space could offer.
There was also a clear demand for a wider selection of used books in Evanston, particularly after Market Fresh Books closed before the pandemic, Barrett said.
“People felt that was a loss,” she said. Barrett founded Bookends & Beginnings in 2014 after the closure of Bookman’s Alley, an antiquarian bookstore that once occupied the same alleyway location.
She had written about Bookman’s Alley during her time at the Medill School of Journalism and felt a deep connection to the space, she said. After Bookman’s closed, Barrett saw an opportunity to fill a void in the Evanston book scene. Her vision was to create a space offering a wide
selection of new and old books alike that catered to the diverse interests of the community.
“I always felt that Evanston should have a college town bookstore,” said Barrett.
The name “Bookends & Beginnings” came to Barrett in a flash of inspiration — part pun, part representation of her belief that “every book is a new beginning.”
Over the past 10 years, Bookends & Beginnings has become not just a bookstore, but a gathering place for book lovers and “a vital presence in the community,” according to Kate Spector, a frequent customer of Bookends since its opening.
According to Barrett, the store has a newsletter membership of 23,000 and has weathered several challenges, including the proposed development of the Northlight Theatre tower in late 2017, which would have spelled doom for Bookends and its neighbors. COVID-19 and the more recent rent increase forced the store to move to its current home at 1620 Orrington Ave. last year.
The opening of Middles Used Books, just a short distance from the original store, is a testament to Bookends’ enduring success and its responsiveness to community needs, Barrett said.
“Bookstores like Bookends are a great place to have the community come together,” said Alaska Fu, a hotel reviewer visiting from Chicago.
Barrett acknowledged that shops like Squeezebox on Main Street and Amaranth on Davis Street do “a great job” in their respective fields, but she said she sees a space for more contemporary books rather than the rare and old volumes those stores specialize in. The final push for Middles came when Barrett realized that the designated space at Bookends & Beginnings didn’t provide the experience that a used bookstore should.
“In a used bookstore, you should be able to wander around a little bit and really spend some time browsing,” said Barrett.
According to Barrett, the anticipation surrounding Middles’ opening is palpable.
Mintesinot Sturm/The Daily Northwestern
Bookends & Beginnings’ used books will find a new home on the shelves of Middles.
“People are literally banging the door down there,” she said.
Many people have dropped off their old books to Middles, providing a collection for future customers to enjoy. After delivering two bags full of her used books on Monday, Spector
said she’s excited for the new store to open.
“When you come here, you’re getting a really pretty book that doesn’t cost a thousand dollars,” she said.
mintesinotsturm2028@u.northwestern.edu
ON CAMPUS
Tri Delta pilots health, safety program
By RACHEL SCHLUETER daily senior staffer @rschlueter26
Northwestern’s chapter of Delta Delta Delta is piloting a student-led education and safety program beginning this fall.
The program includes presentations on hazing prevention, alcohol safety and body image. Bienen and SESP sophomore Norah Bernstein, Tri Delta’s interim director of risk management and wellness, is spearheading the initiative. Bernstein said Tri Delta introduced the pilot program because of hazing and underage alcohol-related incidents in the past.
In previous years, Tri Delta members were required to complete online modules and scenarios surrounding student safety. Under the pilot program, members are also invited to attend the peer-led presentations.
Bernstein said she was initially hesitant to lead the presentations since she is the same age as the Tri Delta members she’ll be teaching.
“Honestly I thought it was kind of strange because I’m just a 19-year-old standing up here lecturing on mental health,” Bernstein said. “But we have had people in the past come from (the Tri Delta national organization) or Northwestern, and I feel like it can kind of create this stuffy environment where no one really wants to actively participate.”
Bernstein is set to give her first presentation of the year on mental health next Monday. She said the goal of the training is to provide everyone with a “working definition” of mental health and encourage dialogue about how to support well-being within the sorority. This quarter, Bernstein will also give presentations on hazing prevention and body image.
Tri Delta Vice President of Community Relations and Weinberg junior Armana Patel said involving peers in the training process reinforces trust within the sorority, which is particularly important during new member recruitment.
The new member education initiative will
During the 2023-2024 school year, 542 students participated in the Red Watch Band program.
include the pilot program’s student-led dialogue on alcohol safety, including hazing prevention roundtable discussions and interactive workshops.
“People are coming from high school, and it’s a very different environment here surrounding alcohol,” Patel said. “It’s just important to create awareness about safety regarding that.”
Patel said she hopes the pilot program inspires other fraternities and sororities to implement similar training in their organizations.
NU’s Red Watch Band program is a peer-led well-being program that all students can participate in, including Greek life members. The training has taught bystander intervention to over 4,000 students. In the 90-minute training, participants learn the physical effects of alcohol and how to respond to medical emergencies such as alcohol poisoning.
During the 2023-2024 school year, 542 students participated in the Red Watch Band program, “a significant increase” from the prior
year, according to University spokesperson Hilary Hurd Anyaso. Individuals and student organizations can request training sessions. Ansayo expects the requests will increase this winter during Greek life recruitment and in the spring before Dillo Day.
“Using the trainings from throughout the year, Mayfest members are equipped with the knowledge and tools to ensure safety during Dillo Day,” Mayfest Community co-Heads Emma Kogan and Eleanor Dempsey wrote in an email to The Daily.
Bernstein said she hopes the pilot program has a positive effect on alcohol-related safety and people’s perceptions of Greek life.
“Especially within a community like Greek life where I think there are a lot of negative connotations, it’s really important from the inside we are working to break that stereotype down and create a dialogue within ourselves that is healthy and beneficial,” Bernstein said.
rachelschlueter2026@u.northwestern.edu
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Daily file photo by Seeger Gray
The Daily Northwestern’s
CAMPUS POLL
From page 1
Excluding students who are new to campus this fall, Schill’s net approval is much lower than his overall numbers indicate. Of the students in their second year or above who are not new transfers, 31.8% approve and 42.0% disapprove, yielding a -10.2% net approval rating among returning students. Schill’s net approval steadily decreases as grade level increases, with rst-years giving him a net approval of 19.7%, second-years 6.1%, third-years -17.1%, and fourth-years -24.9%.
Over twice as many students strongly disapprove (11.2%) as strongly approve (5.4%) of Schill’s performance, with 64% of respondents who strongly disapprove being third- and fourthyear students. Schill’s approval was not markedly di erent when split up by school.
e Daily did not ask respondents to explain their rating of Schill in the poll, which consisted of only multiple-choice questions. However, there is a clear relationship between respondents’ rating of Schill and their approval rating for the pro-Palestinian encampment, which occurred on Deering Meadow last spring. In general, students who approved of the encampment were less likely to approve of Schill.
Respondents were asked, “Do you approve of the encampment on Deering Meadow last
NU student body overwhelmingly liberal, supports Kamala Harris POLITICS
In light of the coming U.S. election in November, The Daily surveyed the undergraduate population on its political views.
The responses were, on the whole, highly uniform.
Seventy-nine percent of respondents identify as either “very liberal” or “somewhat liberal,” compared to only 6.6% who identify as “very conservative” or “somewhat conservative.” Around one in 10 students — 11.3% — identify as “moderate.” 91.7% of students who expressed some presidential voting preference said they would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
spring?” In total, 58.0% of all students responded that they “strongly approve” or “somewhat approve.” Of these students, half (49.8%) said they disapprove of Schill. In contrast, only 21.4% approve. For those who expressed disapproval toward the encampment — a much smaller group, totaling 20.1% of respondents — 54.5% approve and 17.9% disapprove of Schill.
This data suggests students’ stances on Schill are in opposition to their stances on the encampment. e trend is not universal, though — Schill’s disapproval rating begins to creep up again among students who “strongly disapprove” of the encampment. is may indicate that a small portion of the student body believes Schill was too accommodating toward the encampment. Nevertheless, students strongly agreed with the University’s decision to negotiate with student demonstrators.
e Daily asked respondents, “Do you agree with University administration’s decision to strike a deal with student demonstrators last spring?” A clear majority of students — 60.6% — said they either “strongly” or “somewhat” agree. is trend held both among students who approve of the encampment and among those who “somewhat disapprove.”
e exception was students who “strongly disapprove” of the encampment, totaling 9.8% of students. Nearly half (46.8%) of them
Most students also consider themselves to be politically engaged. Four out of five respondents — 80.2% — said they were either “somewhat political” or “very political,” with 25.7% being “very political.” These top-line numbers strongly suggest that the Northwestern undergraduate population is overwhelmingly liberal and broadly politically active.
College campuses already lean liberal, according to recent data. According to the Spring 2024 Harvard Youth Poll — which was conducted before President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race — Biden led former President Donald Trump by 23 percentage points among likely voters who are college students. Nevertheless, The Daily’s poll suggests that NU students are very liberal even compared to other college students. Looking at respondents who say they are “very likely” or “likely” to vote — an admittedly imprecise proxy for likely voters — Harris leads Trump by 84 percentage points.
disapproved of the deal, with 27.5% strongly disapproving; 33.0% said they approved of the deal. Again, this suggests that a small portion of students — somewhere around 2.5-5% of respondents — think that the University’s response to the spring demonstrations was too lenient.
Schill told e Daily he was happy with the University’s response to the encampment in comparison to peer institutions.
“Our rules were insu cient for us to be able to make sure that people who broke them had consequences. ... So what we saw coming out of that year was that we needed to x some of this, and we spent all summer working on that.” Schill said. “But when I look back at what the school did, I look at our peer schools … and I’m pre y proud where we ended up.
e Daily also asked students, “Which best describes your opinion on U.S. involvement in the war in Israel and Palestine?” Out of all respondents, 63.8% said “the U.S. should support Palestine more than it does,” while 5.2% said “the U.S. should support Israel more than it does” and 9.4% said “the U.S. should continue its current
policies.” e rest indicated that they have no opinion or prefer not to answer.
Student responses on the Middle East generally re ected their views on the encampment. Nine in 10 — 88.5% — of students who “strongly” or “somewhat” approve of the encampment expressed support for Palestine. e results among students who “strongly” or “somewhat” disapprove of the encampment were more mixed. Only a small percentage — 13.6% — of those students expressed support for Palestine, but the percentage who expressed support for Israel was also relatively small at 22.7%. e rest either had no opinion or expressed support for the current U.S. policies.
e students who supported current U.S. policy toward Israel were most likely to approve of Schill, with 57% either “somewhat” or “strongly” approving of his job performance. Similarly, 52.6% of Israel-supporting students approve of Schill’s performance. Only 24.4% of students who expressed support for Palestine said the same.
—
Will political engagement among NU students be reflected at the ballot box? Students say so.
Over four out of every five of students from the U.S. — 81.3% — said they were “very likely” to vote in the November election, with an additional 10.5% saying they were “likely” to vote. Nine in 10 (89.4%) respondents from states considered to be swing states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — said they were “very likely” to vote, a number that rises to 95.5% when “likely” voters are added.
Only one in 20 (5.0%) students with a voting preference said they would vote for Trump. 1.7% of students said they would vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein, while another 1.7% expressed support for other candidates. Biden, U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. each had one supporter.
The Daily also asked students whether they
Sco Hwang
had attended a “political protest” before. Half of students (50.6%) say they have attended a protest. Many of those students — 41.9% of all respondents — have attended a protest outside of Northwestern, while a quarter of students (26.0%) have attended a protest at Northwestern.
Protest attendance tracked with class year. Each year has a higher proportion of students who have attended a protest than the year below, a trend which holds when considering only protests at Northwestern and only protests outside Northwestern.
A majority of freshmen — 62.3% — have never attended a political protest, with 34.8% having attended a protest outside Northwestern and only 3.2% at Northwestern. Meanwhile, 39.2% of seniors have never attended a protest, with 48.6% having attended one outside Northwestern and 43.2% at Northwestern.
— Jillian Moore and Scott Hwang
Fall 2024 Undergraduate Poll
Forty-two percent of respondents say they’ve never had sex
Two out of every ve Northwestern undergraduates — 41.9% — reported never having had sex before, while about one in ve (18.4%) say they have sex weekly and 3.1% daily.
e numbers were similar for men and women, with 21.5% of women and 19.9% of men reporting “weekly” or “daily” sex. ( at means a greater total number of women are having sex, given that women occupied 58% of our poll respondents and 54% of the undergraduate student body as of 202324, according to the University’s Common Data Set for that year. e numbers are 35% and 46% respectively for men.)
It appears that non-binary or gender non-conforming students are having sex at a higher rate than both men and women, with 31% indicating “weekly” or “daily” activity — about 10 percentage
ADMISSIONS
Freshmen admi ed ED less likely to receive financial aid from NU
Slightly more than half of rst-year survey respondents (51.9%) were admi ed in the Early Decision round, while 43.5% were admi ed in the Regular Decision round. e remaining 4.5% were QuestBridge admits.
e Daily analyzed data on rst-year respondents to highlight the statistical di erences between students who were admi ed ED and those who were admi ed RD. Students who were admi ed in the ED round are more likely to identify as Asian — 41.6% compared to the 28.9% of RD admits who identi ed as Asian. ED admits are less likely to identify as Hispanic
Methodology
The survey was conducted between Oct. 5 and Oct. 11. The data was analyzed in Python and Google Sheets. The Daily did not reweight responses by any variable, preferring to explicitly highlight notable differences between subgroups of students rather than make implicit assumptions about what variables mark salient differences between groups.
This was not a random sample of the undergraduate population, and not all groups are well represented in the data. For example, only 13 varsity athletes filled out the survey. Only 35% of respondents identified as men, while the University’s 2023-2024 Common Data Set lists men as 46% of the undergraduate population. (The University also identifies a much smaller proportion of students as having identities outside the gender binary.)
By aggregating over a sample size of 1,134
points higher than the overall student body. We should note, though, that our sample size for these students is smaller, with only 54 respondents.
Of those who report having sex “weekly” or “daily,” about half identify as straight (47.4%).
22.6% identify as bisexual, 15.8% as gay or lesbian and 8.1% as queer. For comparison, 56.2% of the overall student body identi es as straight, 10.5% as bisexual, 9.2% as gay or lesbian and 7.1% as queer — suggesting that non-straight students are slightly more likely to have regular sex than their straight counterparts.
How does being in a relationship impact the frequency of sex among students?
Out of the 729 respondents who said they were not in a relationship, only 5.1% said they had sex “weekly.” None reported having sex “daily.”
In contrast, half of students in relationships — 47.1% — reported having sex “weekly” and an additional 9.6% reported having sex “daily.” 11.4% of students in relationships indicated that they “never” have sex, while 27.3% say they have sex “not regularly.”
(12.4% of ED and 21.5% of RD) and Black or African American (6.2% of ED and 20% of RD). ere was no statistically signi cant di erence between the proportion of white students in the ED and RD samples. ED admits are also less likely to be international students.
Of the rst-years admi ed ED, 38.5% said they receive nancial aid from Northwestern, a much smaller proportion than the 57.8% of RD admits. RD admits were more likely to say the cost of a ending college was a concern to them or their family. 37.8% of RD admits said it was a “signi cant concern” compared to 21.7% of ED admits.
About one in ten — 9.3% — of ED admits said they have a parent who a ended NU for an undergraduate degree, with 9.9% having parents who a ended for a graduate degree (some of these respondents may overlap). Only 1.5% of RD admits have a parent who was an NU undergraduate, and 3.0% have a parent who was an NU graduate student.
Sco Hwang
(The Daily removed one response it deemed disingenuous), the probability of random fluctuations in the data is small. However, all polling is subject to sampling biases, which may systematically skew the results in one direction. While The Daily attempted to advertise a wide variety of poll topics to draw respondents, students with strong views on certain questions may have been more likely to respond. Additionally, breaking up response data into smaller samples based on demographic data will lead to a higher probability of random fluctuation. This is why The Daily omits some demographics in some of its graphics. For example, students in their fifth year and later are not shown in graphics that divide the responses by grade level. As part of the data cleaning process, some write-in responses were aggregated into existing or new categories. This was done for clarity of presentation. The Daily does not publish poll data at the level of individual responses.
Since relationship status seems to be indicative of sexual activity, let’s take a closer look into who in the student body is coupled up. There’s a noticeable relationship between class year and relationship status, with younger students being more likely to be single. While 77.5% of first-years reported not being in a relationship, that number drops significantly to 56.2% among fourth-years.
Regardless of the class year, however, a majority of students find themselves single at NU.
The Daily also asked students about their alcohol and drug consumption. About two in five students — 40.6% — said they drink weekly, while 32.2% drink “not regularly.” Less than one percent of students reported drinking every day, and 24.1% of students said they “never” drink.
The percentage of students who drink both “weekly” and “not regularly” increases by class year. Among first years, 31.2% drink “weekly,” 28.6% “not regularly” and 36.0% “never.” Among fourth years, 47.5% drink “weekly,” 38.0% “not regularly” and 12.7% “never.”
Drinking habits differed greatly among
students involved in Greek life. For students involved, 69.6% drink “weekly,” 17.6% “not regularly” and 7.4% “never.” For students not involved, a much lower 36.1% reported drinking “weekly” and 34.5% reported drinking “not regularly,” while a much higher 26.6% “never” drink.
Of the recreational drugs The Daily asked about — marijuana, nicotine products, psychedelics, cocaine, opiates and nitrites — marijuana was the most commonly tried by far. Half of respondents — 49.6% — said they had tried marijuana, compared to 27.1% having tried nicotine products, the next most commonly tried drug, which includes cigarettes and vapes. (Also, respondents were not required to indicate any response, so non-responses may be making these numbers artificially low.) None of the other drugs reached 10% of all respondents.
— Kota Suzuki and Scott Hwang
Clairo serenades fans with intimate, cozy concert
By JAY DUGAR daily senior staffer @dugar_jay
American singer-songwriter Claire Cottrill, professionally known as Clairo, performed under the full moon at The Salt Shed on Thursday evening.
The venue has a maximum capacity of 3,600 people, but Clairo spent a 90-minute set making it feel like an intimate, acoustic show. I’ll never get tired of hearing sad girl music on a big stage, and Clairo did an excellent job of staying true to her “bedroom pop” vibe while playing to thousands of people.
Unlike other shows I’ve seen where the artist rushes on stage and immediately starts the first song, Clairo spent the first several minutes on stage sitting in a circle with her band, laughing
and talking. She poured a glass of wine for each member of the band, clinking the glasses with her back to the crowd before turning around and raising a glass to her devoted fans.
Clairo opened her 20-track set with “Nomad,” one of the singles off her latest album, ”Charm,” followed by “Second Nature.” Clairo greeted her adoring fans with complaints of the full moon, asserting the moon is responsible for changes in behavior and holding that “anybody feeling f*cking mad can thank the moon for that.”
The energy in the audience was electric with fans singing and dancing along to Clairo’s set. Fan favorites included “Flaming Hot Cheetos,” “Echo” and “Slow Dance.” She followed with one of my personal favorites, “Partridge,” along with a cover of a David Byrne song, “Everyone’s in Love With You,” a deviation from her previous setlists, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed.
She then played “4EVER,” another clear crowd-pleaser, followed by the song that Clairo cited as her favorite of the night, “Amoeba,” inviting the crowd to dance along.
But nothing could top the third-to-last song of the night, a throwback to the first single off her debut album, “Immunity,” and the track that indoctrinated me into the Clairo community. The audience’s cheers were deafening as Clairo screamed, “This is what y’all have been waiting for!” and the opening to “Bags” began to play.
This is already among the most sonically satisfying tracks on my playlist, but hearing it live fully reinforced my love for the song. The crowd chanting (or more accurately, shrieking) the phrase “walkin’ out the door with your bags” will forever be etched in my memory.
“Bags” was followed by several minutes of deafening cheers and applause from a euphoric
audience, and a grateful-looking Clairo enjoying her standing ovation. She followed this fan-favorite with “Sexy to Someone,” the top single off her latest album. She closed the show with “Juna,” one of my personal favorites from “Charm.” I was a bit surprised she did not play “Sofia,” her most streamed song on Spotify with almost 800 million listens, but the setlist had a phenomenal flow, and I respect the decision.
All in all, Clairo’s ability to create such an intimate, personal atmosphere while playing to thousands was incredibly impressive, and her setlist felt like the perfect blend of old favorites and new surprises. For anyone who’s a fan of Clairo’s music, I would absolutely recommend catching her live. I know I’ll definitely be at her next show whenever she’s back in town!
jaydugar2025@u.northwestern.edu
Actors shine in Writers Theatre’s ‘Great Comet’ staging
By CAYLA LABGOLD-CARROLL
At the Writers eatre, audiences are transported to 19th century Russia by director and choreographer Katie Spelman’s (Communication ’09) production of “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812.”
Within the intimate, rounded theatre space, cast members enter from aisles, exits and staircases as the audience watching from above is immersed in this musical based on a 70-page excerpt from Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.”
e show, with its many Russian names and overlapping storylines, is self-aware of its complexity. e show’s prologue introduces each character along with the acknowledgment, “It’s a complicated Russian novel / Everyone’s got nine di erent names / So look it up in your program / We’d appreciate it, thanks a lot.”
e plot follows two characters: Natasha and Pierre. Natasha is a lovesick ingenue betrothed to Andrey, who is ghting in the Napoleonic wars. She has come to stay in Moscow to get accustomed to society before her marriage. Pierre, a long-time friend of Andrey, lives in Moscow with his wife Hélène. His brother-in-law Anatole a empts to seduce Natasha with Hélène’s help. Music director Ma Deitchman (Communication ’12) said one of the crew’s favorite parts of the show was the opera sequence due to the
complexity of the music and length of the scene, which culminates in “a manifestation of Natasha’s story in weird bird opera form.”
Deitchman met Spelman at Northwestern during his freshman year where they worked on a show together that summer, and both spoke very highly of their experiences in NU theatre program.
“I don’t think there’s a program like it, where you can both get a great foundational training in your major, but then also have all of these opportunities to learn and learn by failing and then learn by sometimes succeeding,” Deitchman said.
In a traditional theater, actors only have to worry about one audience perspective, but at Writers, the show was staged with the audience seated surrounding the cast. Spelman and her performer’s ability to consistently portray the emotions and plot present in the show to every seat in the house was an impressive feat.
e show was originally set to run from Sept. 5 to Oct. 27 but was extended until Nov. 3 due to popular demand.
Later this season, NU alum Karina Patel, (Communication ’22) who was in the audience, is set to dramaturge a production of “Dhaba on Devon Avenue” at the Writers eatre.
“It was so, so great,” Patel said. “I think the actors are so talented. I think the production is so good. We were discussing how smart and how well done the arrangements are. I think overall, (it was) a really fantastic production.”
e curtain closes on Pierre, looking up at the show’s titular comet as the ensemble joins him,
creating a choral sound that echoes throughout the theater.
Spelman said Pierre witnessing the comet was her favorite part of the show to develop. e original production on Broadway used light xtures to create the image of the comet, but due to space and budget constraints, this wasn’t possible at Writers.
“ at actor is fantastic, and that moment can actually be really simple, and that was kind of cool to watch that evolve,” Spelman said.
caylalabgold-carroll2028@u.northwestern.edu
Spelman described the creative process, detailing the many ideas she and the designers worked through including a moment where the ensemble wore capes to create the constellations, which ended up being scrapped. Spelman said they eventually decided to rely on Evan Tyrone Martin (who played Pierre) to convey the experience of seeing the comet.
Photo courtesy of Liz Lauren
Natasha (Aurora Penepacker) and Pierre (Evan Tyrone Martin) embrace during the final moments of the production.
Anna Watson/The Daily Northwestern
Former trucker’s fashion brand drives Latine visibility
By ALEXANDER HERNANDEZ-GONZALEZ daily senior staffer @alexbespeakin
Emmanuel “Manny” Jesus Cabrera, entrepreneur and founder of Chicago-based fashion brand Gente Fina, originally wanted to be a truck driver. But, Cabrera said fashion was his calling.
Growing up in Melrose Park, Cabrera said he admired the strong work ethic and drive of his immigrant parents from Durango, Mexico, to provide for their children.
“(My dad) became a truck driver — that was his dream coming to America,” Cabrera said. “So naturally, that was going to be my goal in life too. That’s all I’ve ever really known growing up.”
Once Cabrera was in the business, he realized that truck driving is not just traveling the country behind a wheel. It’s a job that can be dangerous if a driver is not fully aware of their surroundings, especially with thousands of pounds of material on board.
Cabrera said he wanted a change, but he didn’t know what his next steps were.
His first venture, Midwest Cargo Equipment, launched in 2014. Cabrera was inspired by a problem his father experienced: buying equipment for his truck from Gary, Indiana. Cabrera said he questioned why there were no businesses nearby in the area for truckers to easily access products.
“I had to learn how to sew, make tarps for truck drivers, make covers for truck drivers and repair some of their equipment that required a sewing machine,” Cabrera said. “I got a sewing machine and started to learn.”
Once he grew comfortable using the machines, Cabrera said he became curious about making clothing with different fabrics, such as canvas tarps. Sewing soon became his hobby and friends would ask him for custom pieces, which inspired Cabrera to create his own fashion label.
Established in 2018, Gente Fina kickstarted. Cabrera
said it showcases the beauty of Mexican heritage and Chicago pride through clothing, handbags and accessories. Yet the brand garnered significant attention in 2020 when more consumers wanted to support minority-owned businesses.
“(It) became very important for me to show who was making these pieces, who’s behind the brand and showing (the public) that it’s somebody that does care about the culture,” Cabrera said. “We’re collabing with brands that not only are going to pay us, but they’re going to support the culture in some shape or form.”
His brand has partnered with the Chicago Bulls, Michelob Ultra and, most recently, the Chicago White
Sox. Cabrera’s clothes have been seen on athletes Andre Drummond, Giovanni Cabrera and Rashod Bateman, along with Mexican musicians Grupo Frontera and Carin León.
Mexican American stylist and Chicagoan Monserrat Monroy started her styling journey with Gente Fina, and she said her creativity has flourished without hesitation.
“It’s truly inspiring to see this brand walk the runway and represent our culture in such a competitive fashion landscape,” Monroy said. “It opens doors for other Latinos, showing that we can pursue our dreams fearlessly.”
She has been working on the line’s latest collection “Indómito,” meaning untamed in English, which made its debut Thursday night at Chicago’s Union Station.
Cabrera’s friend Carla Narváez said she has always admired Gente Fina’s creativity through clothing. It has brought her joy.
“Gente Fina is all of us, the kids who once thought things were impossible,” Narváez said. “But here we are — just some kids from Chicago, making moves in the world.”
Parapsychology book helps dispel supernatural myths
By LAURA HORNE the daily northwestern
Loyd Auerbach (Weinberg ’78) became interested in parapsychology, the study of psychic, ghostly and mediumistic experiences, at age 12, when he discovered books about the topic in his hometown library, he said.
As an anthropology major at Northwestern, Auerbach said he learned about supernatural beliefs and historic witch crazes, building a foundation for his graduate work in parapsychology.
He most recently wrote the foreword for “Haunted World: 101 Ghostly Places and Encounters,” a new book by author Theresa Cheung that offers readers an introduction into the world of parapsychology.
Released in September, the book was not written for academics or serious parapsychologists, according to Cheung. The author said she wants to engage those new to parapsychology — a field she said dates back to the late 1800s — by showcasing well-reported hauntings and
dispelling myths around them.
She said she hopes her work will encourage people to become “citizen parapsychologists” who can later learn from people like Auerbach, whom she calls her “walking encyclopedia of the psychic world.”
In the book’s foreword, Auerbach discusses how ghost hunting TV shows have inspired interest in “paranormal tourism.” However, he emphasizes these TV shows don’t reflect the reality of field investigations.
Parapsychological information gathered over the last 140 years shows that experiences with ghosts are not scary, typically happen in the daytime and are rarely captured on camera, Auerbach said.
Weinberg sophomore Kenneth Stewart grew up watching “Paranormal Activity,” a found footage horror film, at his dad’s house. Stewart said “Paranormal Activity,” among other ghostly TV shows and films, may stray from the realities of hauntings and field investigations because paranormal experiences are easy to “dramatize” and “make profitable.”
“It’s really easy to tap into people’s desire for
something more paranormal and more extreme than what reality might suggest,” he said.
Auerbach said he wishes more people knew the content in ghost hunting TV shows still falls under the realm of parapsychology, even if these TV shows overlook the facts of field investigations to prioritize entertainment.
Parapsychology encompasses anything dealing with consciousness surviving death, including extrasensory perception, ghosts, apparitions and poltergeists, Auerbach said. He added that ghost stories are part of humans’ DNA.
“Humans have been telling ghost stories, probably around campfires and other places since we could tell stories,” he said. “There’s a great oral tradition in so many different cultures and certainly a written tradition as well.”
“Haunted World” features Chicago-area cemeteries with ghost stories of their own: Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery has the Madonna, who is often seen walking through the cemetery with a baby. Resurrection Mary, who was killed alongside Archer Avenue in her dancing shoes, not only haunts Resurrection Cemetery but has been spotted at a nearby ballroom as well.
Cheung said it’s often the tragic stories of the people themselves, rather than the ghostly figures, that are the real haunting.
“A cemetery is always going to have these stories and these tragedies and rumors going around it, because just the very nature of a haunting, very nature of a cemetery, is evocative of life after death,” Cheung said.
Despite “Haunted World’s” focus on paranormal activity in public places, Auerbach said most parapsychologists study hauntings in residential spaces. The second edition of “A Paranormal Casebook,” released in March, delves into his own residential cases.
Auerbach said many parapsychologists, himself included, don’t do the “tourism thing” like TV ghost hunters. Instead, they focus on helping people in distress from possibly paranormal experiences.
“Our perspective is to try to help people, either through education or explanation, whether it’s paranormal, or normal, or sort of normal,” he said.
laurahorne2027@u.northwestern.edu
Early music group performs music from Jacobean England
By INGRID SMITH the daily northwestern @ingrid_smith28
To open its season, The Newberry Consort, an early music ensemble, performed “I Tremble Not” at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on Saturday. It featured music from Jacobean England.
The concert, which incorporated historical instrumentation like viols, brass and voice, contained six sections of music from various stages of King James I’s 22-year reign.
Artistic director Liza Malamut said music from the Jacobean era is as vast and complex as the political and cultural shifts that occurred during the period. While thousands of seventeenth-century England pieces remain, Malamut said she chose a repertoire that tells a comprehensive story of James’ reign.
“The first thing that attracted me was really the music,” said Malamut, who plays the sackbut, a historical trombone. “It’s just incredibly complex and beautiful, and I wanted to find some way to perform it. It’s so interconnected with daily life and politics and these very consequential world events that were happening while it was being written.”
Malamut said the title of the concert, “I Tremble Not,” was based on a song by Orlando Gibbons, whose music both opened and closed the
program. The opener, “Great King of Gods,” celebrated James’ coronation, while the closing song, “O Clap Your Hands” exhibits bravery as England nears civil war.
Other songs on the program, such as an English broadside ballad “The Gunpowder Plot,” may have been performed for the first time in centuries this weekend, Malamut said.
“It was a lot of following rabbit holes, like diving through music collections, looking at digitized manuscripts and then also just looking up different texts, trying to find pieces that work together, both musically and that further storylines,” Malamut said.
While most of the musicians are local to the Chicago area, some flew in from as far as Minneapolis and New York.
Trumpet and sackbut player Paul Von Hoff (Bienen ‘00) was one of a few Northwestern alumni on the program. He said performing with NU musicians is special because their multidisciplinary interests, such as English and history, come through in the music.
Von Hoff said performing music from 17th-century England on historical instruments allows both audiences and musicians to experience history in a different way.
“Everyone will take something from this concert and add it to their life,” Von Hoff said. “Everyone’s going to sort of grab something different from the
concert, but they’re all things that you would have no access to otherwise.”
Viola da gamba player and Bienen prof. Craig Trompeter said Newberry Consort members interpreted the music for themselves during rehearsals, since the pieces have no fixed instrumentation or conductor.
From singers’ hyper-accurate pronunciations of English words to the viols’ real gut strings, Trompeter said the ensemble creates sounds unlike anything most audience members have heard.
“It’s just like going to the art museum and spending time in the medieval painting rooms,” Trompeter said. “You kind of have to change the way you see when you go to those things, and you have to spend time experiencing them. The only way to do that is to hear it live.”
Trompeter said teaching at NU allows him to expose young people to musical ideas left in centuries past, creating richer and more authentic sounds.
“If we can kind of examine some of those ideas, it improves our own performance of this music, rather than approaching that music from a modern day sensibility and kind of maybe missing some of the important things about it,” Trompeter said. “We can look and see what they were thinking about at the time. I love exposing students to these ideas for the first time.”
Malamut said the next two programs in The Newberry Consort’s season will also feature Evanston
performances, likely at St. Luke’s. Malamut added that the Chicago area is generally very welcoming to its large early music repertoire. “We just really connect well with the audiences there, and it’s nice to carry on that relationship,” Malamut said. “And it’s just really nice to be in a place where people appreciate this kind of music.”
ingridsmith2028@u.northwestern.edu
arts & entertainment
Editor Betsy Lecy
Assistant Editors
Karina Eid Alexander Hernandez-Gonzalez
Design Editors Paloma Leone-Getten
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Alexander Hernandez Gonzalez/The Daily Northwestern
OPINION
Ellison: How to swim, not sink under the quarter system
MIKA
ELLISON
ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR
Dear Reader,
When I applied to college, no one had bothered to tell me the difference between the quarter and semester systems. I would hear the words on college tours, accompanied by goodnatured eye-rolling and sighs by the guides, then promptly forget them, because they frankly meant nothing to me. To tell you the truth, I did not realize the fourth quarter was summer. So in my head, the school year was divided into four shockingly tiny portions, and I left it at that. Once I got into Northwestern and realized that the quarter was actually onethird of the school year, I felt pretty prepared to handle it. The quarter system reminded me of a shiny new quarter and all of the academic riches that awaited me.
Reader, the quarter system was not shiny, nor was it new (NU adopted the system in 1942), and the only thing it made me rich in was problems.
The closest thing I can compare the quarter system to is swimming in the ocean — one moment you’re blissfully unaware, then you’re absolutely bodied by a wave. If that’s never happened to you before, imagine you’re standing up one minute, soaking in the sun, and the next, you don’t know which way is up or down. Suddenly, you’re swallowing criminal amounts of saltwater and getting thrown around like a sock in a dryer. The first two or three weeks of the quarter are the blissful part, and the other seven are the near-drowning, sock-in-the-dryer fiasco. I’ve put down my advice here, which pretty much amounts to metaphorically plugging your nose and bracing for the wave.
One bad grade won’t kill you!
But it will probably make you feel terrible, at least for a li le while. Allow yourself the time to feel like a failure and a screw-up and
catastrophize about how this one pop quiz will ruin the next 10 years, and then pick yourself back up o the ground by eating some dining hall pizza. I got my worst grades when I was still ge ing used to college, and honestly, I wish I could have told past me that those bad grades would make her a be er and more resilient person (and student) than an “A” ever could have.
There are good places to cry on campus.
And there are also terrible places to cry on campus! I personally would not recommend public bathrooms with more than one stall, because it makes life significantly worse for both you and any person that needs to pee, say, on the fifth floor of University Library. In a pinch, even walking very fast and crying is better than trapping yourself in a room with a tampon vending machine and a rotating cast of characters. The Lakefill is a better option, as are most basements, single-stall bathrooms
e closest thing I can compare the quarter system to is swimming in the ocean — one moment you’re blissfully unaware, then you’re absolutely bodied by a wave.
- MIKA ELLISON, assistant opinion editor
(also usually in basements), and, if you’re able to plan your breakdowns, reserved study rooms. It’s also okay to feel sad, even if it’s not about grades. Sometimes the pace we go at makes you feel like there’s no time to even mope around a little, but having a good cry and then getting back up and starting again saves you time in the long run because you don’t have to lug a bunch of misery around with you for weeks.
Look two weeks into the future, but live in the present.
Do whatever you need to do: Google Calendar, Post-it notes, an elaborate Notion schedule, an endless list of tasks in your notes app. As long as you can visualize an outline of what you might have to do in the next two weeks, you may become exhausted and overwhelmed, but you will never be surprised. It’s
”
You don’t have to wait for winter break to be a human or to take a breath above the wave. You can start right now.
- MIKA ELLISON, assistant opinion editor
shocking, but it turns out that being absolutely spin-cycled is a little bit less bad if you know that it’s coming and brace accordingly. But, lest you make my mistake from the winter of freshman year, let me warn you that living completely within an endless list of essays and discussion posts is a fool’s errand. It makes you very on edge, you risk forgetting all of your readings by the time you actually discuss them in class and you let a lot of the actual fun of college pass you by. And trust me, there is fun. But if you’re studying for a midterm that’s four weeks away until your eyeballs get dry, you will for sure miss it.
Eyes on the prize, champ.
Surviving the quarter becomes a lot easier when you have a clear list of priorities. This should probably be first on the list, realistically, but because I’ve always been bad at it, it’s getting buried here. If you know that your classes are what you want to focus on, then
you can tell all your clubs to go kick rocks when they try and make you take on more stuff. If you’ve decided that this quarter is the one where you prioritize your friendships, you don’t really need to read every word of the reading that you’re not going to use in your final paper anyway. And one of the few great things about the quarter system is that it changes fast — fast enough that you can shift your priorities one way or the next every few months.
If you’re on an endless treadmill, you might as well enjoy the ride.
If this step bears an uncanny resemblance to certain popular aspects of a Greek myth, mind your business and no it doesn’t. The fact is, if you can’t stop the quarter system from feeling like a race you’re destined to lose or a never-ending washing machine cycle, you might as well treat it like a rollercoaster ride. Life isn’t going to slow down, ever, so you have to take those moments to cry by the Lakefill, have dinner with your roommates or read a book for fun once in a while. You don’t have to wait for winter break to be a human or to take a breath above the wave. You can start right now. You can start even as you begin another 30-page reading or lab report. You can start even as you get back to your room after a late night at the library. Eventually, and as the quarters tick by, you can stop bracing yourself in fear of the waves and start welcoming them. The difference between a near-drowning experience and a dive beneath the waves is often just a matter of perspective. At some point, like it or not, you will probably learn to swim. I mean, I haven’t yet, but here’s to hoping!
Mika Ellison is a Medill senior. She can be contacted at mikaellison2025@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Le er to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern. com. e views expressed in this piece do not necessarily re ect the views of all sta members of e Daily Northwestern.
Keefe: Proactive upzoning not a ‘magic bullet’ for city
Evanston began the process of overhauling its zoning code to allow for higher density, more transit-oriented development and a general loosening of restrictions on housing construction when. In his recent op-ed in the Chicago Tribune, Mayor Daniel Biss laid out a basic argument for why he feels these changes are necessary:
“Imagine if we wrote a set of ‘yes in my backyard’ rules. First, that would let the supply of housing expand, which is the best thing we can do for affordability. Second, it would let more people live in denser arrangements, especially near mass transit — that’s great for climate because dense multifamily housing uses less energy, and the more people who live in walkable, transit-accessible neighborhoods, the less we drive.”
This argument in favor of “YIMBYism” (yes-in-my-backyard), as Mayor Biss frames it, is increasingly popular nationwide. Vice President Kamala Harris has made increasing housing supply a foundational plank of her presidential campaign.
The goal is noble — we need to tackle climate change, housing is unaffordable for too many and improving transit access is crucial. However, YIMBYism is not the magic bullet its proponents make it out to be, and we should be cautious when approaching largescale upzoning, or allowing for more units on each plot of land, as a solution to the housing affordability crisis.
Zoning is the practice of regulating the uses of private land and density patterns. To imagine it in one basic, uncontroversial situation, it generally prevents the construction of a new smelting factory in the middle of a quiet, residential block. However, zoning is often much more complicated than just separating industrial and residential land uses; it regulates density (how many units are allowed on a given parcel of land), business
types (prohibiting certain types of businesses in certain zones) and even how far out your porch can be. Most zoning decisions are made on a local level through some combination of resident input, planning department judgment and consultation with elected officials.
In recent years, there has been a growing movement of YIMBYism to relax zoning restrictions and increase housing density. Supporters argue these reforms would increase the housing supply, thus making housing more affordable. However, we should be cautious in generalizing these principles to universally upzone the entire city of Evanston as a way of making housing more affordable.
YIMBYism is not the magic bullet its proponents make it out to be, and we should be cautious when approaching large-scale upzoning, or allowing for more units on each plot of land, as a solution to the housing a ordability crisis.
- AIDAN KEEFE, op-ed contributor
In an essay published in Evanston Roundtable in July, Mayor Biss included a potential idea to “lift bans on 2-, 3-, and 4-unit buildings” as a way of increasing housing supply. As I will explain later, this kind of proposal will likely not achieve its desired outcome and can also create lasting harm to Evanston.
Zoning controls the distribution of units, but it cannot create more of them; it can only limit how many are built on a given plot of land. A March 2023 Urban Institute
study confirmed that large-scale upzoning only increased supply by 0.8% and that this small fraction was almost exclusively concentrated at the higher end of the real estate market. The study also did not conclude that upzoning lowered rents for lower-cost units.
Additionally, removing guardrails on development can damage communities.
When developers are given the ability to build denser buildings by right (without special approval) anywhere in the city, residents get less say in what is built in their neighborhoods. In Evanston, that could mean real estate developers demolishing century-old historic two and three-flat homes, a key part of Evanston’s charm, to make way for new luxury multi-unit buildings without any kind of community input or conversation.
That’s not only bad for affordability, but the demolition of older housing and subsequent replacement with new luxury housing is also terrible for the environment.
So what should we do? It is important to note that not all upzoning is bad or ineffective. Approving increased density (when done in a conscious and deliberate way) near transit stations is a way to increase access to public transportation — a strategy Evanston is already employing effectively. Let’s continue doing that. Another idea proposed for the Envision Evanston 2045 plan is to eliminate parking minimums citywide. This is a great way to reduce car dependence and minimize carbon emissions.
Ultimately, Envision Evanston 2045 has admirable goals and many of the proposals that comprise it are positive. As we evaluate these proposals, let’s be conscious about potential unmet expectations and unexpected consequences that could result from this kind of upzoning in the name of affordability. I applaud Biss’ commitment to improving housing affordability, but we need to find a balance between preserving what makes Evanston attractive to so many people and easing the economic pain many are feeling right now.
Aidan Keefe is a SESP sophomore. He can be contacted at aidankeefe2027@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
Volume 147, Issue 5
Editor
Assistant
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Former secretary of state urges youth climate action
By ISAIAH STEINBERG daily senior staffer @isaiahstei27
Former U.S. Secretary of State and inaugural U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry encouraged Northwestern students to advocate for climate action at the 35th Annual Richard W. Leopold Lecture on Tuesday.
Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president in 2004, helped negotiate the Paris Climate Agreement and Iran nuclear deal as secretary of state under President Barack Obama. Later, as climate envoy under President Joe Biden — a position he relinquished earlier this year — he helped negotiate the COP28 agreement, in which 198 countries agreed to transition away from fossil fuels to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
“In 2018, scientists (from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) said, ‘You have 12 years within which to make the decisions and implement them that will avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis,’” Kerry said. “We now have six years.” During the lecture, Kerry urged Congress to mobilize U.S. industry — as it did during World War II — to fight climate change.
Kerry said an exceedingly gridlocked Congress stands in the way of meaningful climate action. He added that climate change is a nonpartisan issue requiring collaboration to maintain the Earth’s temperature under 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — the standard set by the Paris Agreement.
“Climate has been weaponized now,” Kerry said. “Not one single Republican voted for the Inflation
NU sues Moderna over use of COVID vaccine delivery tech
Northwestern filed a lawsuit against Moderna on Oct. 16 alleging the company misused NU’s patented lipid nanoparticles for its SpikeVax COVID-19 vaccine. NU had a critical role in the development of the lipid nanoparticles, according to the complaint. The University also argued Moderna’s explicit use of the particles in its mRNA vaccine was a violation of the patent. Moderna’s SpikeVax was first introduced to the
Reduction Act, which is the most significant climate bill ever passed by the United States Congress.”
Prominent Republicans, such as House Speaker Mike Johnson, have opposed the act due to its “wasteful spending.” After 18 House Republicans signed a letter stating that their districts had benefited from federal clean energy investment, Johnson, in an interview with CNBC, said he would keep some of the Act’s clean energy tax credits if Republicans take control of the Senate and presidency in November.
Prof. Wil Burns, associate director of the Program in Environmental Policy and Culture, said he admires Kerry’s commitment to the environment and lifetime of public service.
“He could have easily settled out on his porch — this guy was still working as a climate envoy into his 70s, and he continues to energetically advocate for addressing climate change,” Burns said. “I think that’s admirable.”
Burns added that Kerry has been a moral leader on the climate crisis, convincing greenhouse gas-emitting countries to decarbonize.
Kerry encouraged international cooperation — including between the U.S. and China — to reach a consensus on climate policy. He said governments and industries must meet their climate commitments to prevent further damage and loss of life.
He acknowledged that diplomacy has yielded significant results, citing the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Investment report, which projects that global spending on clean energy technologies and infrastructure will eclipse fossil fuel spending by a 2:1 ratio in 2024.
“I am absolutely convinced that the world will get to a low-carbon or no-carbon economy,” Kerry said. “What I can’t tell you is whether we will get there fast enough.”
market in December 2020. Last year, the company earned $6.7 billion in revenue from the vaccine.
The work of chemistry Prof. Chad Mirkin, Feinberg Prof. Colby Thaxton and Prof. Feinberg Kaylin MacMahon “inspired the discovery and deployment” of LNPs, according to the complaint. mRNA vaccines were developed for their ability to respond to infection significantly faster than a traditional vaccine. Traditional vaccines usually use antibodies, pathogen-neutralizing proteins that can take days to produce by the body. mRNA vaccines help the body produce antiviral proteins in a significantly shorter amount of time.
Getting cells to uptake mRNA, a kind of genetic material, has long confounded scientists, leading
Kerry said the U.S. should play a leading role in addressing the climate crisis. Although America’s role on the world stage has evolved over the past few decades, U.S. leadership is necessary to promote international cooperation, he said.
Lance Balk (Weinberg ’80), a retired lawyer, said he and his wife attend the Leopold Lecture every year to learn from experts on interesting topics.
“I think (Kerry) spoke from the heart and in a reasonably bipartisan way, because I think his generation actually did things in a bipartisan way,” Balk said. “I think figuring out how to get to that answer again is a big challenge right now.”
researchers to develop LNPs in the 2010s. They mimic proteins that naturally deliver material to a cell, evading the variety of roadblocks inorganic carriers have faced.
NU says its researchers “pioneered” the LNP technology and is suing on the basis of the three patents for a method of uptaking oligonucleotides, a structure in which those oligonucleotides are attached to a synthetic carrier and the nanostructure with an apolipoprotein.
A University spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit, and a Moderna spokesperson said they are aware of the litigation and will “defend themselves” against the claim.
— Kaavya Butaney
Kerry was a lieutenant in the Vietnam War and later became an outspoken advocate against the war.
Reflecting on the lessons learned from his antiwar advocacy, Kerry said every major political movement in modern history has been led by young people. These young leaders also have a responsibility to be well-informed about all sides of the issues they advocate for, he added.
“Everybody can be a citizen,” Kerry said. “It affords you this great privilege of weighing in and making a difference.”
isaiahsteinberg2027@u.northwestern.edu
Setting the record straight
An article titled “Alaska native Ava Earl, NUXC blaze new trails” published in last week’s paper incorrectly stated that a cardboard cutout of Earl’s assistant coach was in her bedroom. It was in the cross country locker room. The Daily regrets this error.
An article titled “Council talks revenue aid as $23 million deficit looms” published in last week’s paper was updated to differentiate between the All Funds and General Fund deficit.
Photo courtesy of Genie Lemieux, Evanston Photographic Studios
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“nurturing environment” due to the grief of lost friends and family members from the ongoing IsraelHamas war that has expanded across the Middle East “ e situation with Palestine and Lebanon is pre y dire,” Rahhal said. “I know a lot of people here personally on campus (who) have lost family members, have had to move family members, a lot of things like that, so it’s just a very traumatic time to be Middle Eastern or MENA.”
Hassan and Rahhal both said while MENA and McSA sharing a space can provide opportunities to meet other people, each organization has its own distinct goals.
Rahhal said the University’s decision to provide one space for both groups may have come from a “lack of understanding” in what distinguishes each club. He said many associate the Middle East with Islam, and though it is the predominant religion of the region, it does not account for the religious diversity of the population.
“There are shared beliefs between the two
CENTRAL STREET MURALS
number of artists and the general desire for art in the area, she said.
Alex Bradley Cohen, the cousin of one of the owners of The Fat Shallot, which opened in 2023, wanted one that “reflected the ‘new’ Central Street,” he said.
Cohen chose to highlight the street’s social scene and capture the feeling of the neighborhood, he said. In vibrant colors, he painted fictional characters eating, going to the bookstore and waving hello.
Two other muralists paid homage to the community through their art: Screenprinter Jay Ryan painted the side of DeSalvo’s Pizza with cartoon characters, and local art students depicted iconic Evanston gathering spaces at the corner of Central Street and Harvey Avenue.
The latter mural is on the side of Kate Weber’s business, Great Harvest Bread Co. She wants to get another group of students to repaint the space and has gotten approval from the instructor who previously brought students there, she said.
Weber said she wants the new mural to feature
e Daily Northwestern
communities, but at the same time, there’s individual struggles and lots of needs from the administration that we need to address,” Hassan said. “(One organization) is very, very identity-cultural organization focused, whereas one’s more of a religious-cultural organization, and those are di erent for speci c reasons.”
SESP sophomore Mahmoud El-Eshmawi, MENA’s director of internal relations, said having a dedicated space for MENA students is important to combat the “anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian sentiment that’s been going on for the past year on campus.”
El-Eshmawi said he’s heard stories from friends who have experienced the anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiment, but having a space to share these experiences is important for students to feel safe on campus.
“Having it as a space where MENA students can just convene and just share similar struggles, or just study together or talk through di cult topics is just super important in fostering that sense of community,” El-Eshmawi said.
kelleylu2027@u.northwestern.edu
one of the business’ catchphrases — “all we knead is love” or “bake the world a better place.”
Spools of Thread is another mural on the street that spotlights the business adjacent to it.
In bright colors, Parod painted sewing materials on the wall beside a sewing shop.
Parod has “definitely had her touch on the district,” Shaffer said. Central Street Evanston helped fund her mural of a fiddler that she painted with her niece, Ani Kramer, in an alley on Central Street.
Parod’s brother made a print of his friend playing the fiddle 30 years ago, before he died when his daughter was 5 years old, she said. She often helps Parod with her artwork, but this time, it was Kramer who took the lead, Parod said.
During the pandemic, Parod painted murals on her neighbors’ garages, creating an art walk in their alley near Central Street. All in all, she has painted over 40 murals in Evanston, she said.
Each one of the murals on Central Street tells a story, Shaffer said. The stories are different, she said, but they all have something to do with community in one way or another.
naomitaxay2027@u.northwestern.edu
WADEE
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Alfayoumi’s memory, pushing for the Wadee Resolution to pass both chambers of Congress.
Wadee Resolution opposes hate crimes e “Wadee Resolution,” the colloquial name for S. Res. 847 and H. Con. Res. 99, honors Wadee Alfayoumi and states that the United States has “zero tolerance” for hate crimes, Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab discrimination. It also acknowledges a rise of disinformation and hate, demanding media and government o cials speak without using “dehumanizing rhetoric.”
e bicameral resolution was introduced in March 2024 by Ramirez, Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Naperville), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). e resolution passed the Senate by unanimous consent on Sept. 24 and is awaiting passage in the House.
“It’s very important to understand that political rhetoric is based on dehumanization and false narratives of a people,” said Maaria Moza ar, the legislative consultant for the Muslim Civic Coalition.
“Unfortunately, it was a tragic situation with Wadee, but it’s happening around the country on campuses where individuals are being misrepresented.”
Cra ing the resolution
e resolution was sponsored by the Muslim Civic Coalition, a Chicago organization dedicated to civic justice for Muslims through legislation and other initiatives.
Moza ar said her team was inspired to write the resolution to honor Wadee Alfayoumi and counter dangerous speech that promotes hate and violence.
According to the resolution, Czuba was a “consumer” of media containing anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
“Political rhetoric in this country is extremely dangerous and can lead to dehumanization,” Moza ar said. “We wanted to make sure that we wrote a resolution that made sure that no child, regardless of identity, ethnicity, race or religion, would have to su er the same way.”
Amina Barhumi, the advocacy and policy lead at the Muslim Civic Coalition, said Hanan Alfayoumi was at the center of the resolution. She
WEEKLY CROSSWORD
worked with the Muslim Civic Coalition on the resolution, pushing for justice and accountability for her son.
“In essence, she led the way, and we’re really quite proud of that,” Barhumi said. “She sees her son as no di erent than the children that are being killed and murdered in Gaza.”
Ramirez is still pushing for the resolution to be passed in the House. On the anniversary of Wadee Alfayoumi’s death last week, she called on Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) to follow the Senate’s lead and bring the resolution to the House oor.
Ramirez was motivated to work on the resolution in part because of her upbringing, she said.
“My faith and my parents’ teachings encourage me to be an instrument of peace. I put those teachings into practice through policies that stand against hate and a rm our shared humanity,” Ramirez wrote in an email to e Daily.
Local response to the Wadee Resolution
Will County Board Member Mica Freeman, a Democrat from Plain eld, said she is “proud of our representatives in elected o ce for taking steps toward a future without discrimination” in the U.S. Freeman said Wadee Alfayoumi’s death le the Plain eld community reeling. In the immediate a ermath, there was a vigil at the Plain eld Park District, where Freeman said the community came together to mourn.
“ e night of the vigil, I remember standing in that room, surrounded by thousands of strangers, and feeling overcome by loss and hurt, but grateful for the ties that unite us. We showed up as one Plain eld to support our neighbors,” Freeman told e Daily.
A year a er his death, the Plain eld community memorialized Wadee Alfayoumi with a Plain eld ComeYounity Day, which included testimonies from residents, a poem reading, communitybuilding activities and the release of balloons with messages from community members.
Freeman said the one year anniversary was bi ersweet.
“While the one year anniversary of his passing felt hard, I also think it’s important to memorialize how we remember li le Wadee every day,” Freeman said. “ ere is still a memorial outside his childhood home, lled with toys and cards and owers.”
lilyogburn2026@u.northwestern.edu
’Cats looks to bounce back in iowa city
By CHARLIE SPUNGIN daily senior staffer
@charliespungin
On Oct. 11, Northwestern entered SECU Stadium and dismantled Maryland with a resounding 37-10 win. The nearly 40,000 fans in attendance didn’t seem to affect coach David Braun’s squad.
The Wildcats (3-4, 1-3 Big Ten) now embark toward Iowa City for a conference road test against Iowa on Saturday. In his Monday press conference, Braun acknowledged the “hostile environment” awaiting NU.
Coach Kirk Ferentz is at the helm for his 26th season for the Hawkeyes (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten), who fell 32-20 to Michigan State last time out.
Both teams will look to avoid a two-game losing streak at the season’s midway point. Last season, Iowa prevailed in a defensive battle at Wrigley Field, where a game-winning kick doomed the ’Cats.
Here are three questions NU will have to answer to win as double-digit underdogs for the second time this season.
Can the ’Cats slow down Kaleb Johnson?
On Saturday, NU allowed a 100-yard rusher for the first time this season, with Wisconsin’s Tawee Walker amassing 126 rushing yards.
This past weekend’s action also marked the first time that the ’Cats allowed an opponent to exceed 150 total rushing yards in a game, as the Badgers notched 199 yards on the ground.
“We did not have our best tackling game,” Braun said. “I think that will always be a point of emphasis, but this week more than ever, it’ll be critical we play with good leverage, that we tackle well.”
NU now prepares to face the nation’s secondleading rusher running back Kaleb Johnson, who leads the Big Ten in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns with 1,035 and 13, respectively.
Entering Saturday, the ’Cats’ run defense remains in the conference’s top half. Braun confirmed that graduate student linebacker Xander Mueller’s status remains up in the air for now, meaning NU may need to embrace its “next man up” mentality in order to slow down Johnson.
“It’s gonna take more than one to bring Kaleb down,” Braun said.
What form will the NU offense be in?
The ’Cats’ offense has been an oddity through the redshirt sophomore Jack Lausch era. Some halves look like masterclasses, while
others leave lots to be desired.
The lack of consistency in the offense leads to performances like NU had against Wisconsin, where the team failed to score a touchdown and converted just 1-of-3 field goal attempts.
“Jack also knows the performance that he put on tape on Saturday wasn’t his best,” Braun said. “He’ll be the first to tell you he’s hungry to get back to practice and improve, but it comes down to a lot of things.”
During his first five starts, Lausch has failed to exceed 100 yards twice. However, the Chicago native has also had three 200-plus-yard games, two of which led the ’Cats to dominant victories against Eastern Illinois and Maryland.
Braun has seen his signal caller play highlevel football and said he’s confident in his ability to bounce back from his 9-of-24, 82 passing yard performance against Wisconsin.
“(He) just needs to continue to trust himself,” Braun said. “When he’s at his best, he’s getting the ball out on time. On deep throws, he’s getting the ball out early and trusting his wide receivers to hit a spot. The encouraging thing is we’ve seen those things out of Jack.”
On Monday, Braun did not confirm whether or not graduate student wide receiver A.J. Henning, who suffered an upper-body injury in the first quarter against Wisconsin, will take the field at Iowa. Henning leads the team with 34 receptions and three receiving touchdowns this season.
Will the ’Cats be able to re-establish the run game?
When Braun was asked about how Lausch could play more consistent football, he immediately referred to a part of the NU identity that has soured over the last few weeks.
“An established run game always helps,” he said.
During the season’s first three games, the ’Cats rushed for more than 130 yards in each performance, including a 203-yard showing against Eastern Illinois. Since then, as Big Ten play has gotten underway, NU has failed to reach that 130-yard benchmark.
The ’Cats, however, are coming off their best Big Ten showing in the run game (127 yards), and graduate student running back Cam Porter’s 48 yards was his most since returning to the lineup. Braun also credited Lausch’s ability to detect pressure and scramble as an aspect that helps NU on the ground.
“Looking back at the rushing attack against Wisconsin and even going back to Maryland, there’s positive things showing up,” Braun said. “There’s things that can certainly be built upon in terms of positive momentum.”
While going up against one of the Big Ten’s premier rushers, the ’Cats’ backfield trio of Porter, redshirt sophomore Joseph Himon II and
Cade McNamara
redshirt freshman Caleb Komolafe will have to play their best to help the team knock off the Hawkeyes as 13.5 point underdogs.
“There’s no doubt for us to be at our best
offensively, we’re going to have to find balance and consistently run the football,” Braun said. charliespungin2027@u.northwestern.edu
Jack Lausch
Jay Higgins
Lake Forest, Ill.
MEN’S SOCCER
NU men’s soccer’s biggest upset, 20 years later
By JAKE EPSTEIN daily senior staffer @jakeepste1n
With three regular season matches remaining, Northwestern men’s soccer is in the hunt for its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2014.
Twenty years ago, the Wildcats punched their first postseason ticket in program history, accumulating a 15-6-2 record and advancing to the tournament’s second round.
This is how an improbable NU victory helped vault the 2004 squad to unprecedented heights.
Ahead of his team’s Oct. 17, 2004 matchup with No. 3 Indiana, Northwestern men’s soccer coach Tim Lenahan paced around the visiting locker room before approaching the whiteboard. Dry-erase marker in hand, Lenahan prepared perhaps the most powerful pregame speech of his coaching career.
He wrote down several numbers, including the Hoosiers’ 31-game home undefeated streak and their 50 regular-season conference matches unbeaten.
Then, Lenahan penned “26” on the board.
“(He said), ‘That’s how many people in this stadium right now believe we can win this game, but the good thing is, all of those people are right here in this room,’” said Rich Nassif, a walk-on goalkeeper on the 2004 squad who later became Lenahan’s assistant coach.
Entering the game, the Wildcats had not won a Big Ten game since 1999. They had never beaten the Hoosiers.
However, Brad North’s first-half goal and a dogged defensive display dealt the Hoosiers a 1-0 defeat, signaling the once-dormant program’s arrival as a potential national power.
First crossing paths on the recruiting trail
during the late 1990s, Lenahan and assistant coach Erik Ronning arrived in Evanston ahead of the 2001 season. They spent late nights plotting an improbable rise in Lenahan’s office before grabbing dinners at the Coaches’ Cafe on Orrington Avenue just before its 11 p.m. closing time.
“We had to in part go out and recruit great players — but break down a losing mentality, tear it apart and rebuild it brick-by-brick,” Ronning said.
Three years later, those countless hours recruiting and fine-tuning a culture came to fruition, as NU downed the defending and eventual repeat national champions in Bloomington, Indiana.
“This is exactly why I went to Northwestern,” then-forward Gerardo Alvarez said. “Had I gone to IU, maybe I’d have a national title. We wanted to be the founding fathers of the program.”
The ’Cats secured the road victory nine days after a 2-0 lead over No. 9 Penn State evaporated in just 44 seconds. Although NU saw out a 2-2 overtime draw, then-defender Brad Napper said it felt like a loss.
“I remember that one more than the (Indiana) win,” Napper said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as close to nearly throwing up on a field. I was so sick.”
The ’Cats bounced back two days after the tie with the Nittany Lions, blanking Western Illinois 3-0. The game gave NU a chance to recollect itself, said then-defender Sammy Semwangu, but the prior game was fresh in the team’s memory.
For 89 minutes, the ’Cats had Penn State’s number. Lenahan said they wouldn’t repeat the same mistake.
“My legs went numb when that second goal was scored,” Lenahan said. “We kicked Penn State’s ass that day.”
NU returned to the training ground reinvigorated on Monday. Looking to emulate Indiana’s hostile environment, Lenahan instructed
assistant coach Justin Serpone to blast the Hoosier Fight Song from his car stereo. Lenahan said by the week’s end, his players knew the opposing fight song by heart. He quipped that they could hardly piece together the “Go U Northwestern” lyrics with significant focus shifted to the challenge at hand.
Preparation required far beyond the 15 players who received regular minutes. Calling themselves the “Stray Cats,” players typically buried on the bench challenged the starters in 11 versus 11 scrimmages.
“We took real pride in trying to beat the starting XI,” said Semwangu, a founder of the “Stray Cats,” who departed the pack after earning the team’s starting left back role.
One day before its program-altering feat, NU boarded its bus to Bloomington — with the film “Hoosiers” cued up on the televisions. Just outside of Indianapolis, the bus broke down, and the ’Cats sat on the highway for about three hours awaiting their replacement ride.
Several pizza deliveries and a replacement bus ride later, NU reached its hotel at 11 p.m. It was too late for a walkthrough, but Lenahan took his players to the field where they would make history in less than 16 hours.
With a light breeze drifting through Jerry Yeagley Field on a fateful Saturday afternoon, the ’Cats jumped in front and carried a 1-0 halftime advantage. Lenahan told his team at halftime that it had awoken a “sleeping giant.”
“I said to the guys, ‘Do you want the real deal, or coach bulls---? We’re about to get f--king pounded, but we’re not giving up a goal,’” Lenahan said.
The Hoosiers peppered 11 second-half shots, but none found the back of the net.
Meanwhile, Alvarez — Lenahan’s “superman” at center attacking midfield — toyed with MAC Hermann Trophy winner Danny O’Rourke. Once Indiana’s band cued up its fight song with less than two minutes remaining, Alvarez couldn’t hide a smile as he and
Lenahan locked eyes.
The band unknowingly played NU’s tune.
When the final whistle blew, Lenahan stood stunned on the sideline, like he had eight days prior. Caught up in the moment, Lenahan said he forgot to shake Indiana coach Mike Freitag’s hand until Freitag came over and nudged him. With the sun setting over the pitch, Lenahan teared up as he thought of his late mother, who died in 2003.
“I went to call my mom to share the news and then remembered she wasn’t with me anymore,” Lenahan said. “I just remember looking back at the sun starting to set … and there was a big figure waiting for me.”
There stood former Indiana coach Jerry Yeagley, the all-time winningest Division I men’s soccer coach.
“He waited to congratulate me and hugged me,” Lenahan said. “He said, ‘I knew it would be your team. The way you guys were going about things, I knew it would be your team that beat us.”
About a month later, NU won its first-ever NCAA tournament game, defeating Western Illinois 4-1. Although the team’s season ended in a 3-2 heartbreaker at Creighton on Nov. 23, the legacy of Lenahan’s 2004 squad has permeated throughout the program ever since.
Twenty years removed from their ascension to national heights, the ’Cats have been groomsmen at each other’s weddings, gone on various group vacations and reunions and continue to reminisce on lifetime memories forged on the pitch.
“We broke the barrier in a lot of ways — winning the first Big Ten game, entering the (NCAA) tournament and winning the first game of the tournament,” Alvarez said. “What we were able to do led to that Big Ten championship in 2011 because we broke barriers previously classes didn’t think were possible.”
jacobepstein2026@u.northwestern.edu
Former mascots talk Willie the Wildcat experience
By MAYA WONG daily senior staffer @mayaw0ng
With his furry smile, purple attire and gray and white tufts, Willie the Wildcat has one of
the most recognizable faces at Northwestern.
locker room. In addition to multiple heads and fur suits, Willie has outfits for every occasion and usually matches uniforms with the teams.
Beloved by students, faculty and sports fans, Willie was even deemed the sexiest college mascot by a Quality Logo Products Blog survey. The mascot is hard to miss at sporting events.
and basketball games, mascots are required to attend weekly practices and weightlifting training sessions with NU Cheer. They dedicate at least 12 hours a week to the commitment in total.
Every spring and fall, the NU Spirit Squad holds mascot tryouts for the following quarter. The process — which includes a two-minute skit, a fight song performance, a game of charades and an oral interview — typically yields two to four Willies in total. There are two Willies this quarter.
A Weinberg junior and former Willie said it first felt weird being in-suit because people saw her as a celebrity. Although she was nervous, the persona
Willie appears at football games, men’s and women’s basketball games and community events. Mascots can be in the Willie suit for at least three hours. Two Willies switch positions during halftime at football games, while one Willie works full basketball games.
Despite their public presence, it has become a tradition of sorts for the mascots to keep their personal identities secret.
“Being Willie, I am being seen by everyone, so I have to look presentable,” a McCormick junior and former Willie said. “I have to be actively engaged with the game, with the fans, with everything that’s happening around me — which is really hard when you’re in a hot suit with limited visibility and you can’t talk.”
During games, mascots participate in pregame rituals, fan interactions, timeout programming and more. They have meticulous schedules to ensure they are in the right place at the right time, especially when cameras are running.
Although he usually attends only revenue sports, Willie is there to support players and fans and show his purple pride.
On top of being performers and athletes, mascots are content creators. TikTok account @williethewildcatnu has become increasingly active, amassing over 1,000
him,” she said.
Willie is in the suit only a fraction of the time on the job. When not performing as Willie, they can act as a “handler,” who the McCormick Willie called Willie’s “babysitter” and “voice of reason.”
The mascots manage Willie’s TikTok and post for most games and events Willie attends. They brainstorm buzzwords related to the game’s opponent and search for viral content related to those terms. In past TikToks, they have capitalized on trends like Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” dance and ASMR food restocking. During practices, the mascots prepare for game day by promoting Willie’s TikTok and reviewing pregame affairs and timeout
“Just his presence as a mascot gets people excited,” NU Wildside President and Weinberg senior Tyler Schreiber said. “But he also encourages the fans to cheer. He bangs on the drum before the men’s basketball games, or he rings the bell after our team scores in football.”
Willie’s attire is kept in the cheerleader
lie wherever he needs to go, assist with fan interactions and ensure Willie looks presentable. Handlers also do crowd work by leading chants and encouraging the fans to cheer.
to all football games
When they are in the suit, the Willies communicate their needs with fans, players and handlers solely through gestures and body language. The McCormick Willie said his main takeaways from being a mascot are skills rather than
“There’s no better example of effective communication than being a mascot, where you have to communicate without
