NEWS On Campus Syed, Baskaran call for ‘paradigm shift’ in ASG » PAGE 3
SPORTS Lacrosse Wildcats fall to Penn in overtime after huge comeback » PAGE 8
OPINION Halloran Concerns about ‘PC culture’ unfounded » PAGE 4
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The Daily Northwestern Monday, April 4, 2016
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‘Nathan for You’ star talks comedic style By JULIA DORAN
the daily northwestern @_juliadoran
Comedian Nathan Fielder discussed the process behind his work while joking with an audience of more than 600 on Saturday night as A&O Productions’ spring speaker. Fielder, who started his career performing stand-up comedy and producing short films, is well-known for his reality comedy series, “Nathan for You,” in which he plays a consultant who offers outlandish advice to small business owners. The show is set to run for a fourth season on Comedy Central. “A big part of the process for the show is trying to find people who seem to be open to an experience that’s different from their day-to-day activities,” Fielder said. “A lot of the time we end up going with people who just don’t ask a lot of questions.” The sold-out event was held in Ryan Auditorium and moderated by WBEZ reporter Greta Johnsen (Medill ‘12). Fielder said he uses awkward silences to get otherwise reluctant business owners to commit to his often bizarre plans, such as suggesting a frozen yogurt establishment introduce a feces-flavored yogurt to attract
curious customers. “A lot of the show is weirdly freeing because I find I can put aside the part of me that feels anxious about needing to fill the silences,” he said. “People will open up because they feel like they want to please you, and if they think you’re not getting that because of the silence, they’ll say something different or new.” Fielder also said while his team devises a plan for each segment, they stay flexible so the plot can adapt to the guests’ reactions. For example, he showed one “dream scenario” that developed differently than expected, in which he easily persuaded a real estate agent to guarantee that all her homes are ghost-free to attract more clients. Fielder also brought audience members on stage and jokingly pried into their personal lives before letting them ask questions. He asked about a variety of topics, including sex, relationships and Greek life. “One day I’ll crack this fraternity thing,” he said after talking to an audience member. “Isn’t it funny? I feel like I’m asking questions to someone in the CIA. Everyone’s like, ‘They’re all good. I wouldn’t say one is worse than the other. They’re all equal and they don’t make us do anything. » See FIELDER, page 6
Jeffrey Wang/Daily Senior Staffer
NATHAN FOR NU Nathan Fielder speaks at Ryan Auditorium on Saturday. Fielder is the star of “Nathan for You” on Comedy Central.
Daily file photo by Sean Su
INSURANCE PURCHASED Students walk from the Lakefill after last year’s Dillo Day was canceled. The annual concert was canceled after high winds led Northwestern and Evanston officials to deem the conditions unsafe.
No backup site for Dillo By EMILY CHIN
daily senior staffer @emchin24
Mayfest will not have a backup venue for this year’s Dillo Day in the case of inclement weather as organizers decided there was no location that would be able to accommodate all of the Dillo Day attendees and performers. Last year’s Dillo Day was canceled due to high winds before any of the main stage artists were able to perform. Northwestern and Evanston officials, along with stage production vendors, decided both the main stage and the WNUR stage were unfit for the 30 mph winds and needed to be shut down. “We looked at every possible indoor venue in the area — on campus and in Evanston — and there isn’t a venue that could allow every single Dillo Day attendee that would be present on the Lakefill to attend a backup venue,” said Mayfest spokesman Ben Bass, a
Mental health bills introduced Illinois representatives sponsor college mental health legislation By ROBIN OPSAHL
daily senior staffer @robinlopsahl
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced a bipartisan bill to the U.S. Senate last month to provide grants for mental health services on college campuses nationwide. The bill’s approach to improving mental health at colleges is threefold: It creates a grant system for mental health treatment services on college campuses where they are now underfunded, launches an educational campaign aimed at reducing the stigma around mental health and establishes a task force to unite multiple federal agencies to work together on the issue. Durbin was accompanied by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) in bringing the Mental Health on Campus Improvement Act to Senate. This introduction followed the bill’s reintroduction to the House of Representatives by Rep. Jan Schakowsky
(D-Evanston) earlier in January. Both this act and another bill introduced by Durbin on opioid prescription were included in the Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 introduced in mid-March. “Presently, stigma and the lack of education and peer support means too few students are seeking mental health services,” Durbin said in a news release. “The (act) will change that by making federal help available for campuses to expand their mental health awareness, outreach, screening, and direct support services.” On Northwestern’s campus, Counseling and Psychological Services is better funded than many college mental health services, but there is always room to become more accessible and improve services, executive director John Dunkle said. Currently, CAPS is in the process of filling three new positions this year, and it has received donations to put on programming such as an Essential NU — a required event for all new students during Wildcat Welcome — on mental health and a suicide prevention campaign. “We’ll certainly look into what the final version is and see if we could maybe apply for a grant for research,” Dunkle said. “We’re always thinking about ways to reach students and reduce stigma. We
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don’t know what the bill will necessarily look like in its final form, but this could be another way to do just that.” Dunkle also serves on the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors, which had one of its surveys referenced in the bill. The bill cited the association’s research finding that 44 percent of students visiting campus counseling centers were dealing with severe mental illness in 2014 compared to 16 percent in 2000. The legislation would seek to address the disparity between the growing need for services on college campuses and the lack of increase in mental health resources at many schools, Dunkle said. Schakowsky introduced a similar piece of legislation to the House in 2009, which ultimately was not enacted. The bill was reintroduced in 2011 and 2013 before its most recent reintroduction to the House in January 2016. In a press release, Schakowsky reiterated the need to keep pushing for the increased funding for college mental health services the act would provide. “Campuses should be ground zero in our efforts to combat mental health issues, including suicides and episodes of gun » See MENTAL HEALTH, page 6
Communication junior. Bass added that the group also faced constraints in its finances and ensuring safety. Mayfest has made other changes this year following last year’s canceled festival, including a new event insurance plan, which covers postponement, delay and cancellation of Dillo Day, according to a news release. If Mayfest were to make a claim on the insurance plan, the group would work to regain lost funds from the event. “We worked very closely with (the Office of) Risk Management in order to draft something that made sense … and made us learn from the past,” said Mayfest co-chair Eric Brownrout, a Weinberg senior. “The nice thing about this insurance policy is it’s very flexible.” Another improvement from last year is an upgraded stage that can resist winds of 90 mph without windwalls and 60 mph with, according to the release. The new stage is one of the highest rated for weather reliability and safety in the
industry, Brownrout said. He said the organization was “heartbroken” after last year’s cancellation and can relate to students’ frustration over a canceled campus tradition. “A whole year of hard work seemed to go to waste,” he said. “Students all look forward to this crazy day. We’ve taken a few steps to mitigate risk, and we’re in a position where we can still give back to the student body. We hope that the student body will understand the restraints that were put on us.” Mayfest started planning Dillo Day 2016 soon after last year’s cancelled event, Bass said. It looked at different ways to improve the event in the context of its budget and safety concerns. Bass said organizers considered busing people to a separate location in the event of a cancellation, but they realized it would be out of their budget. In addition, if they were to move to a smaller venue, not all attendees would be able to go the » See DILLO, page 6
Geologist discusses earthquake findings By NICOLAS RIVERO
the daily northwestern @nicolasfurivero
Mark Petersen, a geologist studying man-made earthquakes, spoke to Northwestern students and faculty Friday to explain how human activity has brought frequent tremors to parts of the country that, until recently, rarely shook. The culprit, Petersen and his team at the United States Geological Survey argue in a report released Monday, is injection wells, which are used to pump wastewater as deep as two miles below the earth’s surface. The weight of that water can put pressure on nearby faults and trigger earthquakes, Petersen said. He said the result has been a steep increase in seismic activity in places that do not commonly experience earthquakes, such as Oklahoma. In that state, companies use injection wells to dispose of wastewater they generated through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, he said. Before 2009, Oklahoma had one or two
sizable earthquakes per year, Petersen said. In 2015, the state recorded more than 900. “These areas have become lit up with seismicity,” Petersen said. Petersen said he identified 21 areas around the country — from Dallas to Youngstown, Ohio — where research has shown human activity is inducing earthquakes. The silver lining, Petersen said, is that since people are the ones causing the earthquakes, they can also manage them by moving injection wells away from populated areas and finding ways to pump water without aggravating underground faults. “People should just consider that,” Petersen said. “But they can’t consider it if they don’t realize there’s a problem to begin with, and I feel like people just haven’t been discussing this very much.” But Petersen told The Daily the real reason he spent his Friday afternoon explaining his research findings to a » See EARTHQUAKE, page 6
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