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The Daily Northwestern Tuesday, May 7, 2013
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A seat left empty: NU feels loss
McCormick sophomore’s death stuns profs, classmates
been ruled a suicide, and there are no signs of criminal activity. “Basically, at this point, it’s the University and dealing with the family and assisting them any way that’s possible,” Parrott said. University Chaplain Tim Stevens said members of Teplov’s family arrived in Chicago late Monday morning, and NU officials met with
Zach Braff (Communication ‘97) returned to his alma mater Monday to teach a class to members of the Northwestern theater community. The actor, who is best known for his role in the NBC sitcom “Scrubs,” taught a master class through the School of Communication only available to a limited number of students. Most watched the class while a select number of upperclassmen performed, workshopping scenes of Braff ’s first play, “All New People.” Communication sophomore Quinn Rattan said the class in Struble Theatre in NU’s Theatre and Interpretation Center was full with about 80 students. As a “big fan of Scrubs” and a student interested in comedy, he said he was excited to watch someone accomplished in that genre. Communication sophomore Jacob Trauberman said he enjoyed watching Braff ’s “writing come to life.” “He would go up after (the scene) and give his compliments and his tweaks, essentially fine tune things,” he said. “He had pointers like, ‘Oh, this is what we learned in the production of the show. If you hit it like this, it works a little better.’” Communication freshman Kees Devos recalled a tip that resonated with him. “He said, ‘Sometimes you can’t always go for the joke because it will undermine who your character is,’” Devos said. “It’s very applicable to the theater world.” Trauberman said Braff ’s suggestions were appealing because they applied to everyday acting as well. Rattan and Trauberman both described Braff as relatable and funny. Even before the class, Braff joked on Twitter about being back on campus. “Northwestern University, I’m back. Are we good at sports now? #Wildcats,” he tweeted.
» See TEPLOV, page 6
— Paulina Firozi
Dmitri Teplov
Melody Song/Daily Senior Staffer
DORM SENTIMENTS Some students have left Post-It notes with their condolences on the door of McCormick sophomore Dmitri Teplov in Foster-Walker Complex. Teplov, 20, was found dead early Sunday morning in Pancoe Hall, the third death of a student this academic year.
By LAUREN CARUBA
daily senior staffer @laurencaruba
When Winston Feng walked into his physics class Monday morning, the seat next to him, normally occupied by friend and classmate Dmitri Teplov, was empty. “I went to class and I could barely concentrate because I was sitting next
to a ghost,” said Feng, a McCormick sophomore. “He was supposed to be sitting there by me.” Teplov’s death was ruled a suicide Monday by the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The McCormick sophomore, 20, was found dead Sunday morning in Pancoe Hall. Evanston Police Cmdr. Jay Parrott said a suicide note was found in Teplov’s pocket that suggested he planned to hurt himself.
Teplov entered Pancoe through Cook Hall about 4 a.m. Sunday, Parrott said. A janitor found his body between 9:30 and 10 a.m. Teplov had access to Pancoe, which houses biomedical research labs, because he had worked in one of its labs, Parrott said. However, Teplov had not been to Pancoe in several months. Police have closed their investigation into Teplov’s death because it has
Zach Braff teaches Communication master class
Evanston officials City panel delays Piven plan tout zoning victory By SOPHIA BOLLAG
daily senior staffer @SophiaBollag
By CIARA MCCARTHY
the daily northwestern @mccarthy_ciara
Following Evanston’s victory in a controversial and drawn-out lawsuit between the city and a Jewish elementary school, city officials held a news conference Monday at the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center to discuss the ruling. The Chicago-based school, Joan Dachs Bais Yaakov-Yeshivas Tiferes Tzvi, bought a parcel of land at 222 Hartrey Ave. in 2007. The plot on Hartrey Avenue, however, is designated for industrial use under the Evanston Zoning Ordinance. Thus, in order to use the property for a school, the space on Hartrey would have to be re-designated for commercial use. Joan Dachs attempted to change the land’s designation through several unsuccessful avenues, ultimately applying for a map amendment that would change the plot’s designation from industrial to commercial to allow the school to be built there. The legal battle began when City Council denied Joan Dachs’s application. Joan Dachs filed the lawsuit in May 2009, seeking an injunction to overturn the council’s decision and
alleging the council’s decision violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act because of religious discrimination. Last week, Cook County Judge Mary Anne Mason sided with Evanston after an eight-day bench trial. On Monday, city attorney Grant Farrar highlighted the city’s victory against “two of the biggest law firms in the world.” The case was primarily a judicial review of the council’s decision to deny Joan Dachs the rezoning, attorney William McKenna said Monday. McKenna said the judge could have overruled city council’s decision if the judge could show “the action of the municipality was arbitrary and capricious.” McKenna explained the council’s decision was based off various economic, safety and environmental concerns — and was not the result of religious discrimination. “Each of those elected representatives of this community testified that their decision to vote against a zoning change for this religious school had absolutely nothing to do with religion,” McKenna said. During the news conference, Ald. » See LAWSUIT, page 6
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A city committee voted Monday to send the controversial Piven Theatre Workshop’s expansion proposal back to city staff for further review. Evanston’s Human Services Committee asked city manager Wally Bobkiewicz to address concerns about the plan’s economic viability and fairness to other tenants and present his findings next month. The unanimous vote poses a setback for supporters of the plan who want the issue to swiftly reach the City Council. The theater’s proposal to more than double its space within the Noyes Cultural Arts Center has angered tenants and Evanston residents for months, even before the final version of the plan was released in April. The proposal recommends that Piven pay $1 in rent for the next 25 years in exchange for contributing money to the aging building’s renovations. In his presentation on the proposal, Piven board member Joel Freimuth described the theater’s proposal as a “public-private partnership” that would ultimately generate millions of dollars in revenue over the next 25 years. He cited several aspects of the theater’s proposed renovation that would improve the building for all tenants, including
upgraded heating, air conditioning and electrical wiring in the building, as well as a new roof. “The entire building will benefit,” Freimuth said. “It is an idea that accomplishes everyone’s goals.” About 50 citizens signed up to comment on the Piven proposal. Most spoke out criticizing the proposal and challenging Freimuth’s statements. Many questioned the economic projections in the proposal, arguing they were made based on ideal conditions. People also said Bobkiewicz had not done enough to facilitate compromise between the theater and other tenants. Gary Geiger, director of the Evanston Children’s Choir who was faced with possible relocation to accommodate the
proposed expansion, said although the current plan does not accommodate all residents, it is only “one or two rooms” away from doing so. “Let’s make the Noyes Center a real example of our shining commitment to the arts and create a bigger, better facility that can accommodate all of its remaining artists,” Geiger said. “If we’re going to do this, let’s stop damaging the very community we purport to value so much.” Ald. Judy Fiske (1st), whose ward includes the center, argued in favor of sending the plan back to Bobkiewicz. She suggested that minor changes to the proposal could ensure a more equitable solution. sophiabollag2016@u.northwestern.edu
Sophia Bollag/Daily Senior Staffer
PROPOSAL POSTPONE Joel Freimuth gives a presentation to the Human Services Committee about the Piven Theater expansion proposal. The meeting took place Tuesday evening at the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center.
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