The Daily Northwestern — February 11, 2022

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The Daily Northwestern Friday, February 11, 2022

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Williamson speaks at Lutkin Hall

Pritzker to lift mask order The requirement will end if cases continue to decline

Political Union hosts former pres. candidate

By AVANI KALRA

the daily northwestern @avanidkalra

Gov. J.B. Pr itz ker announced Wednesday that Illinois’ indoor mask mandate will be lifted on Feb. 28 if positive cases continue to decline.

The mandates w ill remain in place in schools, day cares, healthcare facilities, federal buildings in high-risk areas, long-term care facilities and on public transportation, among other specified locations.

Chicago officials said they will also end the city’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement to enter certain venues at the end of February, under the same conditions.

Pritzker said his decision was inspired by the state’s progress, adding that Illinois ended 2021 with fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations per capita than any other state in the Midwest.

More Illinois residents are vaccinated than anywhere else in the Midwest, he said, and nearly 80% of eligible seniors have received a booster shot.

“Throughout this pandemic, we’ve deployed the tools available to us as needed,” Pritzker said.

“We’ve used masks more when infections are raging and hospitals are stretched thin. We’ve used masks less when spread is diminished and hospitals have enough bandwidth.”

Pr i t z ker sa i d t h i s approach has saved lives while keeping the economy open and growing. At three weeks past the peak of the omicron variant surge, he said, the state is seeing its most rapid decline in hospitalizations since the pandemic began.

Illinois follows in the footsteps of states like California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he will end the state’s indoor mask mandate for vaccinated individuals on Feb. 15.

“We are on track to come out on the other side of this latest COVID storm in better shape than even the

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Illustration by Olivia Abeyta

As community members remain split on school resource officers in Niles Township high schools, District 219 administrators fail to act

By OLIVIA ALEXANDER

daily senior staffer @oliviagalex

Content warning : This story contains mentions of police violence and gun violence.

When Jasmine Sebaggala’s 15-year-old daughter went to get a drink during her lunch period at Niles West High School in November 2021, she was stopped by two school security officers.

Before studying with a teacher during her break, Sebaggala’s daughter tried to enter the cafeteria. To get in, she had to show identification, Sebaggala said. She had used a photo of her ID before with no issue, but this time, the officers threatened to report her to the dean for not showing a physical form of identification.

During the interaction, Sebaggala said her daughter was respectful to the officers and asserted that she didn’t do anything wrong. But the officers asked her why she was there, questioning whether she was assigned to that lunch period.

After about 30 minutes, a Niles West dean arrived and resolved the situation, allowing Sebaggala’s daughter to get a drink. But Sebaggala said the interaction demonstrated how the district continues to ignore the well-being of Black children in its schools by policing students.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly half of American public schools had some form of armed law enforcement personnel in 2018. Advocates say these personnel, including school resource officers, help keep students safe, but critics say their presence could instead expose students to police brutality and worsen the school-to-prison pipeline.

The SRO debate made its way to District 219 in summer 2020 when school board members heard more than 50 public comments on the topic of school resource officers at the board’s June 9 meeting. This public outcry continued throughout the summer and led district leaders to establish a task force to evaluate safety and security.

However, conversations with District 219 parents, teachers and board members revealed the task force did little to resolve the harm school resource officers inflict on students of color.

Sebaggala, who is a Black mother, said allowing a school resource officer in the building is a sign that the district “doesn’t care about (her) Black daughter.”

“They’re continuing to not consider the plight and the feelings of our Black children, how unsafe they feel, how they already have to deal with not seeing teachers that look like them,” Sebaggala said.

A community split on SROs The purpose of the SRO at Niles North High School is to serve as a law-related enforcer, counselor and presenter. Niles West outlines its officer’s duties to also include roles such as community liaison and educator.

But Nicole Reynolds (Niles North ’98), a physical education and health teacher at Niles West, said during most of her time at the school, many of its SROs have rarely interacted with students.

Reynolds recalled never seeing these SROs in the halls, only patrolling the cafeteria.

“I never saw him have a relationship with the kids.

And I’ll be honest with you, if there’s a gun on the third floor and he’s in the cafeteria, what good is he going to do?” Reynolds said. “It’s a waste.”

Niles North parent Elline Eliasoff said she thinks school resource officers can help keep students safe.

Eliasoff, whose children have been in the district for more than 10 years, said this type of presence is reassuring in light of recent school shootings across the country.

“Does one police officer in the school ensure that our kids are always going to be safe? No,” Eliasoff said.

“But does one police officer in the school help get the emergency rescue services there? Can they have disaster plans in place? Can they lock down the school when necessary? Do things happen quicker when there’s a police on premises? 100%, yes.”

During her time as a parent in District 219, Eliasoff said there have been two bomb threats leading to school evacuations. In those circumstances, she said the school resource officer put the evacuation plan into place.

Matthew Cuellar, who researches school safety and climate at the University of Alaska Anchorage, said school resource officers can be a determining factor in the culture of a school. When these officers develop relationships with students, it can create a safe space, he said.

» See IN FOCUS, page 4

Former Democratic presidential candidate and spiritual leader Marianne Williamson spoke to a 150-person audience Thursday night about how to heal the United States’ political divisions and her perspective on spirituality in politics.

Williamson drew on religious and spiritual roots to provide a “metaphysical” perspective on America’s divided political sphere. In her opening speech at the event, which was hosted by NU’s Political Union, she took the audience through the nation’s history of political and social change within a spiritual context and encouraged listeners to “look deep within” to find solutions to modern problems.

“We have been infected by a malignant consciousness, by the thought that ‘it’s all about me,’” Williamson said. “We have an economic and political system that reflects it.”

After her initial speech, Williamson opened the floor to audience questions, which were moderated by Weinberg junior Will Secker, head of external events for Political Union.

The co-presidents of the Political Union, Weinberg senior Pamela Chen and Medill junior Felix Beilin, said they were interested to see how students would react to Williamson’s views.

“I’m just excited to see the student body interact with her,” Beilin said. “What (Political Union) really wants to do is provoke the student body with opinions and perspectives they haven’t encountered before.”

With midterm elections coming up later this year, Williamson said she plans to voice her support for “progressive, non-corporatist” candidates in the coming months. On Feb. 16, she will host a virtual panel to announce which Congressional primary candidates she thinks align with these beliefs.

Williamson emphasized the “corporatist corruption” she sees in the American government throughout her speech

» See WILLIAMSON, page 10 INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | In Focus 4 | A&E 6 | Classifieds & Puzzles 10 | Sports 12

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022

AROUND TOWN

Han Training offers accessible, trans-inclusive gym

By AVIVA BECHKY

the daily northwestern @avivabechky

Content warning: This article contains mentions of anti-Asian violence.

On Jan. 31, one of Minky Kim’s clients returned to Han Training for the first time since getting top surgery. They celebrated in a room full of trans people with similar experiences.

To Kim, moments like that are emblematic of the gym’s mission.

“We want to be able to talk about the things that we are all familiar with without feeling worried about our safety,” Kim said. “We want to be able to revel in each other’s euphoria and joy, and just little changes that happened that only we can really relate to.”

Han Training, a new trans-owned gym in Chicago centered around queer and trans folk, is Kim’s brainchild. Kim started doing personal training out of their residence. Demand for their services snowballed, and they had to start a waitlist. The gym steamrolled from there, Kim said.

Kim opened the gym in January on Chicago’s North Side. Kim said they are about to quit their current job as a veterinary technician to work at Han full-time.

Many gyms claim to welcome everyone while doing little to make that a reality, Kim said. Han, by contrast, is focused on accessibility — both physically and financially.

Kim makes sure to space out machinery so the gym is easy to navigate. They said they don’t turn away anyone for lack of funds, and they’re also starting a program to provide six months of free training to one queer or trans person of color at a time.

Though Andie Meadows, Kim’s fiancee, said she isn’t a conventional gym person, she loves the space she and Kim built. She sees Han Training as a physical manifestation of Kim’s identities as a trans, Korean person.

“I am a fat femme person. I am loudly not a gym person,” Meadows said. Han provides her a

place “to be in this body and make a gym space that I would want to use, and that people walk into and are excited about using,” she added.

Kim wants the gym to be a place for marginalized people to feel safe.

When Kim first started working as a personal trainer, they called their practice LiftyBoi Training. However, after the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings in which eight people died, including six Asian women, Kim decided to make the name more serious.

“Han is a Korean concept of this feeling of grief and rage and anguish that comes from intergenerational trauma from oppression,” Kim said.

“Specific to the Korean identity, but I do feel like that is a feeling that all of us that are marginalized feel regularly.”

Sam Kochanek, the gym’s administrative assistant, found community at Han in a way they didn’t see at other gyms. Han, they said, is full of people who want to feel good in their bodies and see others feel the same way.

As a personal trainer-in-training, Kochanek said Han Training was the first place they saw another trans trainer. They described Kim as a role model who worked to create an inclusive, comfortable environment at Han. “You get to take the selfies in the mirror,” Kochanek said. “We hype each other up and stuff like that. So it’s just a good energy all around to be in that space.”

Chicago resident Casey May said they started working out with Kim in April 2021. They said they were attracted to the gym because Kim specifically said they worked with people with disabilities, and May liked the idea of a space built by and for queer people.

May said they found a “magical space” at Han, in addition to the exercise they were looking for.

“I’ve met some of my best friends through Han Training,” May said. “We’ve all been craving community. And this has been such an amazing way to feel that kind of community buzz.”

Han Training holds events geared toward the trans community, like a clothing swap May said

Photo courtesy of Minky Kim

Minky Kim, left, at Han Training. The gym, which opened in North Chicago in January, centers queer and trans people.

they attended. People brought clothes to give away and chose new outfits that others brought.

May said that was especially important for many trans and nonbinary people who are experimenting with gender expression.

Kim said they’re going to start topless workout sessions where transmasculine people can choose to show off their chests. They hope to help people

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“I just want people to really just feel hot and invincible and strong,” Kim said. “I like to think that folks do walk away feeling that way, because they keep coming back.” avivabechky2025@u.northwestern.edu

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ON CAMPUS

Project LETS facilitates peer support

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By JOANNA HOU

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daily senior staffer @joannah_11

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After noticing a gap between the number of licensed mental health providers and students who needed to access them, Communication junior Catherine Zhong co-founded a Northwestern chapter of Project LETS last winter.

Project LETS is a national organization dedicated to creating a community of peers for those with lived mental health challenges. NU’s chapter includes subcommittees focused on different aspects of improving mental health on campus and in the broader community.

“We build peer support collectives, lead political education, develop new knowledge and language around mental distress, organize and advocate for the liberation of our community members globally, and create innovative peer-led alternatives to our current mental health system,” Project LETS’ website reads.

In addition to educating the broader community on mental health, Project LETS is the umbrella organization for movements like Reform CAPS and other safe spaces. Zhong said it’s this combination of advocacy, community building and lived experience that makes Project LETS unique.

“I think that when people talk about mental health, a lot of the times it’s around just talking about stigma … but that educational piece of it is only one part of our organization,” Zhong said. “What makes us different is our focus on lived experience of folks with neurodivergence, trauma, disability or mental illness.”

One way to achieve a sense of personal community is through the Peer Mental Health Advocate model, a major subcommittee within the project. Project LETS defines its PMHA program as a one-on-one “peer support service” between students with lived experience to create “long-term peer support and advocacy partnerships.” Byrne said this community support offers a better alternative to carceral systems.

SESP sophomore Max Byrne, the PMHA coordinator of NU’s chapter, said the focus on lived experience, the reality of those who deal with mental illnesses, trauma, disabilities and neurodivergence

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Project LETS at Northwestern aims to provide students with lived experience a community of peers.

themselves, means those involved in Project LETS can understand each other on a more personal level.

Students can also draw on personal resources and tools they used to help other students, Byrne added.

“We focus on abolition and other sort of structural forms of oppression that contribute to mental illness … with a focus on community care and emphasizing lived experiences,” Byrne said. “That may include medication, talk therapy, more traditional medical models of treating mental illness or it could include more community care, personal practice, spirituality or a combination of these two.”

Students interested in becoming PMHAs participate in a four-week national organization training that focuses on teaching trainees how to handle crisis situations and discussing how personal identity plays a role in forming peer relationships, Byrne said.

Project LETS hosts general meetings on Wednesdays from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Zhong said these meetings include LETS talks, where members choose a topic to discuss, learn about and think critically about.

Byrne added there are separate meetings on Sundays to provide additional support for students involved in PMHA training.

“In the fall, the meetings (included) discussing the topics that we talked about each week, discussing… any difficult emotions that came up, because

(trainings) touch on things that we’ve experienced that have been really painful, which helps with empathy, but can also be really difficult,” Byrne said. “So part of those meetings are also holding space for people to talk about that or share or decompress, and support each other as we go through the training.”

Zhong said NU’s chapter has a matching program where peers can apply to be matched with a PMHA for long term support. Byrne said the program is currently in need of more PMHAs, but the program is still in its pilot stage and they try their best to match peers who need support with a fitting PMHA. Zhong said one of their biggest goals is to improve and expand the PMHA system. The chapter is also planning more programming for winter and spring and plans to host events with groups like the Women’s Center and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.

“One (of our hopes) is our expansion of the PMHA program and that looks like accepting peers, that looks like more PMHAs being trained,” Zhong said. “That looks like building this rich community of students who have lived experience, who can share that and feel comfortable sharing that with the rest of the community and build that community of support.” joannahou2025@u.northwestern.edu

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Illustrations by Olivia Abeyta

“(Relationship building) helps us address some of the stigma around policing, particularly in these lower-income or higher-need communities,” Cuellar said. “It’s really important that we develop and foster the positive relationship between (students) and police.”

However, these personal relationships are difficult to form when school resource officers have the power to arrest students at any moment, according to Luca Guacci, a researcher and managing attorney for the education advocacy program at the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy.

“It’s not a bad idea for police officers to build relationships with the community,” Guacci said.

“But it doesn’t need to happen inside of a school building.”

Maggie Vandermeer, a parent in District 69, which feeds into District 219, said it’s understandable that people are scared for students’ safety. She said these concerns have become more prevalent in the wake of recent threats at nearby Evanston Township High School/District 202 and at her own child’s school, Lincoln Junior High School.

In December 2021, ETHS SROs and safety staff recovered two handguns after detaining students for smoking cannabis in a school bathroom. The school was under lockdown for three hours. During the same month, Lincoln Junior High was the target of a threat on social media. District 69 coordinated with Skokie Police Department to assess the threat, which was ultimately determined to be a hoax.

But Vandermeer said District 219 cannot make decisions about the SROs’ presence out of fear.

While many people claim SROs help in these situations, Vandermeer said there’s no hard

evidence that they are the ones keeping students safe — and they could be harming marginalized students.

In the 2015-16 school year, the national arrest rate of Black students was three times that of white students, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Latinx students were 1.3 times more likely to be arrested at school than their white counterparts.

“There’s a place for all the emotion and the fear to be honored and to be heard,” Vandermeer said.

“Then there’s falling back on the data and making sure that we are actually not providing safety at the expense of students of color.”

Assembling a task force In September 2020, District 219 Superintendent Steven Isoye asked Niles West teacher D.J. Kosiba and Niles North teacher Angie Hankes to facilitate a task force evaluating the schools’ SRO program in response to public outcry. The group’s end goal was to present recommendations about the presence of school resource officers in the district.

Though he agreed to put the group together, Kosiba said he questioned its ability to create change because many of the district’s recent equity work had come to little fruition and felt like performative or empty actions. “(It’s a lot of asking) a bunch of people who are passionate about issues to put in their time and effort, often with no pay,” Kosiba said. “Then say that we did it and move on without actually changing anything.”

Kosiba said he and Hankes moved forward with “very little to no guidance” from the superintendent. Although Isoye initiated the task force,

Kosiba said the superintendent hasn’t communicated with him throughout the process. Isoye declined The Daily’s request for comment.

From the beginning, Kosiba said the group wanted to make its work not only about SROs, but also about general safety and security in the district. Broadening the task force’s purpose allowed the team to consider actions such as insourcing the district’s security staff.

Matt Temkin, a parent in District 73.5, also served on the task force, but he and a retired Skokie police officer both left the group before it completed its recommendations.

Temkin said members’ personal feelings around the issue made the meetings difficult, and he didn’t believe he was adding value to the group.

Members of the group openly insulted and criticized one another for their opinions, Eliasoff said. She described the task force as a disaster. The meetings weren’t anything close to a safe space, and with inconsistent attendance, the information wasn’t shared equally among the members, she added.

The task force’s final recommendations were not universally agreed upon when they were presented in May 2021, Eliasoff said. The committee also consistently failed to present unbiased evidence, she wrote in a dissension letter.

“When you’re looking at policing in this country, it gets very much intertangled, and rightly so, with systemic racism,” she said. “Teasing out systemic racism is charged, right? Of course it is. So, how do you pull apart people’s fears of police, which are legitimate?”

Redefining student resources As the task force met, nearby districts reckoned with their own relationships to local police departments and considered what new models of discipline could look like.

Vandermeer is also an organizer of Skokie Schools Equity Collaborative, a group seeking to eradicate harm and marginalization across Skokie school districts. She said these discussions aren’t unique to Niles high schools.

“We have an opportunity to make things better,” Vandermeer said. “Especially in (District 219), Black students are a minority, and it’s incredibly important to keep that as a focus.”

During their meetings, the task force looked to local districts as examples, finding a model of a successful relationship with SROs in District 207’s Maine East High School in Park Ridge.

Omar Salem, who previously worked as a teacher at Niles North, said Maine East has a more comprehensive intergovernmental agreement with Maine Township than the one District 219 has with the Village of Skokie. An IGA is a legally enforceable contract between governmental entities.

Community members on all sides of the SRO argument liked Maine East’s IGA as a model for District 219, he said.

A December 2021 Moran Center report al so considered alternative models of school safety for ETHS. The report found a large part of the SROs’ responsibility is to informally counsel students, but Guacci said the officers are not adequately trained for this role.

The Moran Center recommends following the National Association of Social Workers’ suggestion of having one social worker in a school for every 250 students, Guacci said.

Increasing mental health resources and restorative justice would further efforts to invest in real prevention strategies centered around student well-being, they said.

The report suggests ETHS should follow a whole-school restorative justice model, which focuses on student support rather than punitive discipline. Implementing this kind of model

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022

could include elevating the work of leadership teams of students, faculty, staff and parents, which would allow all stakeholders to have a voice in deciding discipline methods.

While there’s no one vision for a restorative justice model in schools, Guacci said such a culture would support all stakeholders to respond to problems without exclusionary discipline to support healing.

“It’s practices and ideals and visions, and not just one vision,” they said. “But it’s more about an approach to make sure that people feel safe.”

Task force takeaways The task force members presented their findings to the Board of Education in May 2021.

While they did not come to a unanimous decision or recommendation, they asked the district to consider a number of possibilities for the future of its SRO program.

The group recommended four possible avenues to improve student well-being in a wide range of scenarios, including keeping the SRO inside the building or removing the position entirely.

The task force also asked the district to hire safety staff as full-time employees rather than outsourced staff members, as well as add a director of safety to standardize protocols across campuses.

The group’s last recommendation was to emphasize restorative practices over punitive discipline, including by involving students in decision-making around security.

However, the task force faced complications because school resource officers at Niles high schools haven’t disaggregated all incident data by race and gender. The group urged the district to track specific demographic data for students

Press play on The Daily's video coverage of Northwestern and Evanston.

experiencing discipline and police contact.

Temkin said the district is doing a disservice to its students and parents by not having more data on the SROs. “We have data for just about everything in the school system,” Temkin said. “But this is out of sight, out of mind.”

A lack of action Once the task force presented its findings, the community waited.

The board was set to vote on whether to end the intergovernmental agreement with Skokie police in July. But with a vacancy at the time, board member Jill Manrique told The Daily some on the board felt the vote wouldn’t have “a good outcome.”

These members pushed to remove the vote from the agenda and delay a decision until the vacancy was filled, which resulted in an automatic renewal of the contract, Manrique said.

Th e d i st r i c t ’s IGA requires a year of warning if the board plans to end the agreement. As a result, advocates would have to wait longer for SROs to be removed, even if they garnered board support. However, other districts have been able to negotiate to end their IGAs earlier.

“That’s the part that really bothers me, because all of the work that was done, all of the outpouring, shared experiences … it’s traumatic to have to share a traumatic experience again,” Vandermeer said. “The work of the administration and really thoughtful recommendations, all of that just seems to be dropped.”

Vandermeer said community members are left with no clear answers as to why action hasn’t been taken. To her, it seems as if the district doesn’t care about making changes, even

daily north western .com /video

as students continue to be confronted by police officers.

With two new board members and another who is consi stently absent , Manrique said bringing the issue up again is a risk because they may not have enough information to vote.

Temkin said there’s been a lot of excuses made by district leaders since the task force presented its findings.

“It’s really disappointing that the task force spent over a year looking into research, talking to experts, talking to students (and) parents, and had recommendations, and it’s still an ongoing issue,” Temkin said.

An unclear future Eliasoff, the Niles North parent, said she’ll never get back the time she dedicated to the task force. She spent six months on it, and at the end of the day, she said it didn’t matter.

“The task force was nothing short of a nightmare, and my biggest regret was that I sat through the end of it,” Eliasoff said. “I am not someone who walks away from commitments, but I would have been better to have walked out on that than to have sat through those hellacious, interminable, never-ending meetings.”

Manrique said she initially pushed for the task force to be created. But now she doesn’t believe it was the

right decision.

“In District 219, committees and task forces are where everything goes to die,” Manrique said. “A lot of stuff that happens in 219 (is), ‘let’s do this and put these people in this meeting and hear them, listen to them and make them feel better, and then we’ll just move on.’ ” At the end of the school year, the district’s superintendent is departing. With two new board members and a new superintendent, Kosiba said community members cannot lose sight of the issue at hand when leadership turns over.

People wouldn’t be so afraid of the SRO debate if they understood it was about human beings, Manrique said.

While some people believe those advocating for the removal of SROs are being critical of administrators and police, Manrique sees these actions as acts of care for students.

Manrique said she wants to see real leadership from the district.

“Black parents, Black students, Black teachers, Black administrators and Latinx community members just have to sit there and wait for something to happen,” Manrique said. “(They are) told, ‘We’re working on it, everything’s going to be okay or this takes time. Progress takes time.

These things take time.’ Well, f--k that. We don’t have that kind of time.” oliviaalexander2024@u.northwestern.edu

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arts & entertainment arts & entertainment arts & entertainment

Illustration by Olivia Abeyta

A definitive ranking of the “Harry Potter” books

By PAVAN ACHARYA

the daily northwestern @pavanacharya02

During Wildcat Wellness, I escaped the constraints of my dorm room and ventured back to the magical world of “Harry Potter” via a free trial of Kindle Unlimited.

My journey back into the pages of “Harry Potter” was magical and nostalgic, but challenged my impression of the series. It is inevitable that my perspective as a stressed-out college student would shift my view of a series of children’s books.

After deep thought and concentration, I present to you my new and definitive ranking of the “Harry Potter” books, from least favorite to favorite. Spoilers ahead.

7. “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” This ranking likely comes as no surprise. “Chamber of Secrets” is the most forgettable “Harry Potter” book.

Despite its short length, the second entry of the series features one of its most extensive plots.

More plot does not necessarily guarantee a better story, however, and “Chamber of Secrets” lacks characterization and emotion as a result.

It is by no means a bad book and I see why I thoroughly enjoyed it as a child, as it includes the escapist elements Harry Potter fans have come to expect. But the convoluted plot makes it an unenjoyable reread.

6. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Like most penultimate entries in franchises, the sixth “Harry Potter” book exists to set up its much more engaging finale, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” Although it is intriguing to learn about Lord Voldemort’s past, “Half-Blood Prince” is essentially just exposition. Parts of this book that are not a chock-full of set-up are dedicated to awkward teen romance, which I personally did not enjoy.

“Half-Blood Prince” has enjoyable elements, one of which being Potter and Albus Dumbledore’s fleshed out relationship. J.K. Rowling’s sixth “Harry Potter” book is a solid entry, but it is unable to stand on its own.

5. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” “Sorcerer’s Stone” is the original “Harry Potter” book. The entire Wizarding World franchise owes its existence to this fun and whimsical first entry.

Rowling’s introduction to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is impossible to dislike, due to the creative ideas employed throughout this book, drawing the audience into a world of magic.

As an adult, however, I found this book a tad unengaging. Having read “Sorcerer’s Stone” multiple times, I don’t feel the same emotions of awe and wonder I felt as a child. Despite my aging perspective, though, “Sorcerer’s Stone” still delivers a fantastical introduction to the “Harry Potter” series.

4. “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” “Prisoner of Azkaban” is the first stepping stone the Harry Potter series takes to a more mature direction for its story and characters.The third “Harry Potter” installment significantly improves upon “Chamber of Secrets” by having a simpler plot and an increased focus on character relationships.

In “Prisoner of Azkaban,” Harry’s thoughts and fears are fleshed out, and throughout the book we feel his longing for his dead parents. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin’s introductions to the series connect to the book’s theme of nostalgia.

3. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” “Deathly Hallows” is a perfect ending to the “Harry Potter” series. It’s personal, emotional and has the highest stakes of the series.

Most of the book takes place outside of Hogwarts, with Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger on the move in search of horcruxes. This new dynamic creates an added tension which makes the eventual demise of Lord Voldemort even more satisfying.

“Deathly Hallows” fires on all cylinders to deliver a mature and satisfying conclusion to the “Harry Potter” books.

2. “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”

I’m not going to lie, this ranking is probably surprising — heck, it surprised even me. But “Order of the Phoenix” is one of the best Harry Potter books, even though it was my least favorite entry as a kid.

The fifth Harry Potter book is the first to completely embrace a mature tone, perhaps to keep pace with its aging audience. Throughout the book, Harry has to deal with a Wizarding World that has turned its back on him and refuses to believe Lord Voldemort has returned. This concept sets up one of the most engaging plots of the series.

“Order of the Phoenix” successfully changes the formula for what a “Harry Potter” book can be and presents its protagonist with mature, grownup challenges.

1. “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” The fourth “Harry Potter” book has and will always be my favorite.

“Goblet of Fire” is peak Harry Potter. It includes the fantastical elements we have come to love from the series and has the most interesting story of the series. This entry also deals directly with concepts of death and evil, setting a darker tone for the rest of the series.

Rowling’s fourth “Harry Potter” entry provides fun, maturity, and most importantly escapism, making it the best book of one of the best series of all time. pavanarchaya2025@u.northwestern.edu

Bastille escapes to dystopia on “Give Me the Future”

By ALEXA CROWDER

the daily northwestern @alexacrowder

Every song on Bastille’s latest release, “Give Me the Future,” sounds the same, in the best way possible.

The band’s fourth studio album, which dropped Friday, is musically and thematically cohesive in its yearning to escape to a future that may not be so great after all. Its upbeat pop sounds are complemented by hints of rock, alternative and punk music, as well as haunting vocal harmonies and electronic sound effects. The lyrics strike a fascinating combination of escapism and dystopian nightmares.

The first track, “Distorted Light Beam,” perfectly introduces the album’s vibes. Over a pop

soundtrack with a solid drum beat and laser-like sound effects, lead vocalist Dan Smith opts to trade reality for fantasy through lyrics like “feeling like if this is life / I’m choosing fiction.” True to its title, the song includes a section of electronically distorted vocals.

Things take a darker turn two tracks later on “No Bad Days.” While the title and tune initially sound optimistic, the lyrics allude to the relief that comes with death. In a beautiful falsetto, Smith sings “when you’re gone, gone / there’ll be no bad days.” Of all the alternatives to real life that Bastille explores on this album, death is definitely the most grim.

Classical dystopia is the next option Bastille considers, though notably less enthusiastically.

“Back to the Future” is packed with references to novels George Orwell’s “1984” and Aldous Huxley’s “Island,” as well as films “Blade Runner” and

“Back to the Future,” the song’s namesake. Once again, despite its somewhat upsetting message, the song’s intelligent lyrics and dance beat make it a fun listen.

The album includes some interesting spoken elements. A robotic female voice, which sounds similar to Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa, opens with one song called “Stay Awake?” The aural reference is one of many callouts of modern technology and its dangers.

The seventh track on the album, “Promises,” isn’t a song at all but rather a spoken word poem written and performed by actor Riz Ahmed. It’s a dystopian love poem warning of “A.I. in the sky humming / the world’s burning” while romantically declaring “the whole of human history aligned so we could slow dance.” Ahmed’s emotional words represent one possible reaction to present-day challenges: to accept impending doom and embrace love.

We get a short break from the gloom and doom with “Shut Off the Lights,” whose lyrics actually match its upbeat sound. The song feels like the promise of a private dance party, addressed to a nondescript lover with a shouted refrain of “shut off the lights, we don’t need them to dance.” It’s an escape from escapism, with Smith even promising his lover “no talk of the future now.”

Bastille also manages to close the album on a hopeful note. The final song “Future Holds” is reminiscent of something that might be played at a high school graduation, especially at the chorus of “who knows what the future holds? / Don’t matter if I got you.”

After (often cynically) pondering the future for 13 tracks, Bastille surrenders to the dystopian world they’ve created — or predicted. alexacrowder2024@u.northwestern.edu

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022

7

Sharon Bladholm explores environmentalism using art

By NIXIE STRAZZA

the daily northwestern @nixiestrazza

Influenced by a life spent exploring the natural world, Chicago-based artist Sharon Bladholm said her work stands at the intersection of art, science and education. Her sculptures, paintings and prints seek to make the beauty of nature accessible in even the most urban environments and facilitate lessons of sustainability in an approachable way.

Her vibrant installations are featured in galleries, museums and public parks around the Chicago area.

In Evanston, a rotating array of Bladholm’s creations can be found at Cultivate Urban Rainforest & Gallery, a combined plant shop and gallery. They offer an artistic perspective on environmental research and Bladholm’s own experiences on expeditions to the Amazon Rainforest, Central America and Mexico.

“I’ve always wanted to use my artwork as a tool to enthrall and educate people about important

environmental issues,” Bladholm said.

At a young age, Bladholm spent her summers camping with family and traveling across America in the back of a Volkswagen van. Childhood memories of pitching tents on the UW-Madison Lakeshore Nature Preserve and sleeping in houses without electricity fostered an early sense of biophilia for her.

The ongoing creative philosophy was inspired by leading ethnobotanists Wade Davis, Richard Evans Schultes, Mark Plotkin and her own involvement with the Chicago Rainforest Action Group in the late ‘80s.

“Bladholm’s work nicely illustrates how nature itself is ever changing,” said Chicago’s Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art Curator Adrienne Kochman.

Delving deeper into the critical threats facing rainforest communities, Bladholm and fellow explorers journeyed into the Brazilian jungle to study the lives of the Yanomami people. There, Bladholm witnessed firsthand the negative effects of modern encroachment on traditional ways of life caused by gold mining in the area.

With climate change now at the forefront of global consciousness, Bladholm said her mission has only expanded over time.

“Thirty years ago I was trying to save the rainforest, and now it’s the whole Earth,” Bladholm said.

Her exhibition “Soil, Seeds, and Sprouts: Tropical and Temperate,” which was featured at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in 2017 and later the UIMA, included ​​enlarged ceramic depictions of more than 65 species of seeds, botanical watercolors and handcolored monotypes inspired in part by the work of UC Santa Cruz Prof. Karen Holl.

Holl’s research focuses on the restoration of ecosystems through the examination of seed dispersal and predation trends in Costa Rica.

Before her collaboration with Bladholm, Holl served as the director of The Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History at UC Santa Cruz, where she oversaw partnerships between student artists and scientists.

Holl said her experience with a student who created drawings of forest plots in Costa Rica allowed for a new perspective on the subject

matter and elevated her own understanding of research findings.

“It’s difficult to take pictures of forests and see what you want to see because they’re so complicated,” Holl said. “It changed how I view the world by seeing how the artist looks at it.”

Bladholm said she wanted to express the beauty and diversity of seeds, an often overlooked but integral aspect of nature, through a display of vivid sculptures.

She said watching museum visitors engage in conversation about the variety of seed species and their appreciation of the garlands of pods is what her work is all about.

While she plans to head to a remote field location in Ecuador at the end of the month, Bladholm said it does not take international travel to appreciate the wonders of nature.

“You can go to the Amazon or you can go to Indiana, it’s all amazing,” Bladholm said. “Wherever you are, go out and be in nature and appreciate it and appreciate what it does for us.” nixiestrazza2024@u.northwestern.edu

Wirtz Center premieres musical “Something Rotten!”

By ANNIE XIA

the daily northwestern

The summer before his freshman year of high school, Communication junior Sean Zuckerman watched “Something Rotten!” on Broadway. Fast forward to this weekend (and the next), Zuckerman will be performing a lead role in Northwestern’s production of the play at the Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts.

As a teenager, Zuckerman said he fell in love with the story’s bold and unapologetic celebration of theatre.

He said the show reached the pinnacle of what musicals could make people feel.

“Even though no one would ever do this in real life, there’s such a pure way of expressing yourself through music,” he said. “I think it’s something really special musical theatre holds that other art forms don’t.”

Students will perform “Something Rotten!” on certain days between Feb. 10 to Feb. 20.

The show takes place in 1590s England and features a theatre world dominated by William Shakespeare.

The play follows Nick and Nigel Bottom, two brothers who have ambitions of writing the next big play. Following a soothsayer’s advice, they create a new type of performance that combines acting with singing and dancing — a musical.

Pete Brace, the Wirtz Center’s marketing and development manager, said the lighthearted performance will be the “Renaissance romp” audiences need after two years of the pandemic.

“It hits really high on the fun meter,” Brace said. “And after the year we’ve had, everyone needs more fun.”

Guest Director Rory Pelsue emphasized the joyous aspect of “Something Rotten!”, but at the same time, he said he sees the musical as an exploration of deeper themes.

For him, the show asks questions about what it means to create theatre in a capitalist society where art must be profitable. Pelsue added it was meaningful to see the passion of NU student performers.

“It’s been so inspiring to see the students do it for love and certainly not for paychecks,” Pelsue said.

“That’s brought me back to an earlier time before so many career pressures.”

For Communication senior Peter Carroll, who plays Shakespeare, “Something Rotten!” was the only production he auditioned for Fall Quarter. The musical’s combination of tap dancing, big numbers and Renaissance references felt as if someone had mixed all his interests together, he said.

After taking time off last year, the upcoming performances will be Carroll’s first in-person shows since 2019. He expressed how the show acted as a reminder that his love for theatre is a driving force in his life.

“Getting to come back and do theatre makes me realize it’s the thing that makes me feel like I’m doing my purpose,” Carroll said. “It makes my heart hurt in a good way. I just feel very, very lucky.” anniexia2025@u.northwestern.edu

Seeger Gray/The Daily Northwestern

In “Something Rotten!”, Communication senior Peter Carroll plays the antagonist, a flashy and self-aggrandizing version of William Shakespeare.

A&O and .WAV introduce Polar Vortex, new winter concert

By KAILA NICHOLS

the daily northwestern @kailanichols07

A&O Productions and the .WAV Company will kick off their joint winter concert, Polar Vortex, this Saturday on Norris’ East Lawn.

DJ Sango is slated as the headliner for the event, while three student DJs, DJ Lu, DJ Intranet and DJ Lou Lou Lemon, will be opening performers.

Tyler Felson, whose stage name is Moondog, was initially set as the fourth student DJ to perform, but he will no longer take part because he tested positive for COVID-19, according to a recent A&O Instagram story. He was also preparing to perform a joint set with DJ Lou Lou Lemon.

“I hope you guys are still getting your tickets and getting ready to show up and support DJ Lu, DJ Intranet and DJ Lou Lou Lemon and Sango,” Felson said. “It’s

going to be such a fun event and I’m so sorry that I can’t be there, but I’m wishing you all the best.”

Planning for this event began right after A&O’s Fall Quarter Blowout, which featured WILLOW. During Winter Quarters, A&O traditionally plans a benefit concert at a smaller venue in Evanston, but decided to switch up the location this year.

“It really was born out of collaboration between us and .WAV and wanting to be able to open up the benefit to as many people as possible, especially since it is a charity concert,” junior Asta Ceesay, A&O Productions’ director of concerts committee, said.

Students can now purchase tickets for $5. Proceeds will go to SocialWorks Chicago, an organization founded by Chance the Rapper that works to empower youth through the arts.

According to Arthur Lebovitz, one of the heads of .WAV, there’s a bigger goal than just having fun.

“An awesome thing about music is just the ability to do things like this where it’s not just about entertaining,

but also making changes,” Lebovitz said.

The concert is also an opportunity to feature student performers and highlight electronic dance music and House music. Ceesay also said they wanted to represent female DJs since the industry is predominantly male.

Many of the featured DJ’s know each other through Streetbeat, a section of WNUR, Northwestern’s radio station. That’s also where Weinberg junior Lucy Poteshman, or DJ Lu, learned how to DJ last Spring Quarter.

“I specifically like to play disco-inspired-house and anything with female vocals because in general, there is a lack of female DJs,” Poteshman said. “Something I aspire to do as a DJ is to uplift both female DJs and voices.”

Bienen junior Louis Milne, who goes by DJ Lou Lou Lemon, said he’s honored to play at a bigger event with A&O after mainly doing formals and parties.

Leading up to the big day, Poteshman and Milne have their own ways of rehearsing. For Poteshman, it’s

The Weekend Ahead: Shows to watch

By RAYNA SONG

daily senior staffer @raynayu_song

If you’re looking for weekend plans, check out some of the student performances premiering on campus.

EAT THE RIND Alvina Krause Studio (backside of Annie May Swift Hall) Friday 6 p.m. - Saturday 6 p.m.

Free Be authentic and bring an open mind to this 24-hour participatory performance. You can stay as long or as short as you want.

Something Rotten The Wirtz Center $6 to $30 Set in the 1590s, this production centers on brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom who wanted to write a popular play and later started to write the world’s first musical.

Regicide — Vertigo Productions Shanley Pavilion Friday 10 p.m., Saturday 10 p.m. $5 suggested donation/pay what you can These three staged readings are part of the Vertigo Reading Series, which was written and directed by students.

Halal House — Vertigo Productions Shanley Pavilion Saturday 7 p.m.

Polar Vortex — A&O Productions and .WAV Company Norris East Lawn Saturday 3 p.m., $5 The outdoor show, a collaboration between A&O and .WAV Company, will feature student DJs and headliner Sango.

The Last Nine Lives of Martin the Mayfly — Vertigo Productions Shanley Pavilion Friday 7 p.m.

raynasong2023@u.northwestern.edu

a matter of finding which songs to play and figuring out what vibe she wants to create, while having enough flexibility to read the crowd as well.

“I’m very excited. I have a ton of good songs that I’m ready to play. My goal is really just to make a space that is very uplifting and hopefully can get people dancing,” she said.

Milne says he’s unsure whether or not people will like a few tracks, but it’s all about experimenting. He added that that’s the point both A&O and .WAV are making with the concert and hope to continue doing so in the future.

“It’s also opening doors for future events where maybe we do more events where we highlight all different kinds of student performers,” Ceesay said. “Because right now we’ve had people reaching out to (A&O Productions) asking to work with us. So I think that it could be a really cool opportunity.” kailanichols2023@u.northwestern.edu

arts & entertainment Editor Rayna Song Assistant Editors Alexa Crowder Audrey Hettleman Kaila Nichols Designer Sara Gronich Staff Pavan Acharya, Nixie Strazza, Annie Xia

8

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022

Students and faculty petition for an Arabic minor

By JOANNA HOU

daily senior staffer @joannahou_11

When Middle East and North African Languages Program Prof. Rana Raddawi started teaching at Northwestern, she said she was surprised there wasn’t any formal Arabic programming. “(There should be a minor) given the importance of the University, its very high reputation, expertise, needs of the students, wishes of the students and the importance of the language,” Raddawi said.

Students in Fall Quarter’s Arabic 211-1 class and the MENA Student Association felt the same way. Weinberg sophomore Sara Ibrahim, a board member on the organization and a former Daily op-ed contributor, worked with these groups to advocate for an Arabic minor at NU. Arabic is taught through NU’s MENA Languages Program. While students can use six Arabic courses to fulfill part of the MENA Studies major requirements, the major itself is not language-specific.

“Arabic is one of the six official languages of the United Nations and the official language of 23 countries. There are more than 300 million Arabic speakers across the world,” Ibrahim said. “NU offers minors and majors in some cases for almost every other language program, and not all of those languages are as widely spoken as Arabic.”

Students created two petitions to help establish an Arabic minor: 115 students signed one calling for its creation, and 48 signed another demonstrating interest in enrolling in an Arabic minor.

Raddawi has taught at several universities and said they all offered some form of it. An Arabic minor would benefit students in multiple ways, Raddawi said, because it could be fulfilling personally, careerwise and culturally.

“We have a very rich program, a growing program with content courses,” Raddawi said. “So these are really worthwhile causes to be studied by the largest number possible of students.”

Importance for careers Ibrahim said being able to include language proficiency on resumes and job applications could help some students with their career goals.

Communication freshman Rama Darayyad is a native Arabic speaker. She said she wants to help

communities in need of an Arabic-speaking health professional and recognizes how important bilingualism is for her career.

“For me, for someone who wants to intertwine Arabic with their career and where the field of translation is completely different than spoken Arabic, I need to be set up with the proper tools,” Darayyad said. “One of the ways to do that is to have a minor in which the proper classes are being offered.”

Darayyad added that having a formal declaration of her skills is important and gives her more formal credibility than saying she’s a native speaker.

Raddawi said the minor would hold a certain academic influence in the professional world.

“The minor … allows (students) to declare their proficiency in Arabic — their language skills — in a formal manner, and to add it to their resume and to their job applications,” Raddawi said. “A minor has a certain weight, if it’s official and accredited by the University.”

Cultural and religious values An Arabic minor would also help MENA students connect with their culture, Ibrahim said. For many native speakers, she said the minor is important for furthering their Arabic knowledge, especially in literature.

For MENA students without previous Arabic instruction, Ibrahim said college is the time for them to connect with their culture. She said many Arab and MENA students did not have access to Arabic classes growing up and want to become fluent in the language.

“It’s a really important way to identify with our homelands, to speak the language of our parents and the places where some of us may have been born or have lineage and connection to,” Ibrahim said.

Darayyad said learning Arabic helps further her understanding of her religion. The Quran, the holy book of Islam, is also written in Classical Arabic, she said.

“Having (a religious) connection to Arabic is unexplainable. It’s so significant, because knowing Arabic would help one better interact with the Quran and therefore better understand their religion,” Darayyad said. “So aside from it being academically important, it’s definitely a source of spirituality for myself and other students.”

Issues with retention German Prof. Franziska Lys, director of the MENA Languages Program, said an Arabic minor would

increase student participation in upper-level classes.

While Weinberg students can fulfill their two-year language requirement with Arabic, Lys said there are at least six other courses for students who choose to learn Arabic for four years.

“We have a small number of students who continue in the fourth year and they are terrific students, and we would like for them to have something to show on their transcript,” Lys said. “We are hoping that there might be other students who will continue with the language because they have a way of putting a program together that makes sense for them and is recognized by the University.”

Arabic 316’s three-course sequence counts for Weinberg’s literature and fine arts distribution area. But the remainder of Arabic course offerings are currently unapplicable to a distribution requirement or a MENA major or minor. Because the courses don’t count for much programwise, Lys said the setup does not recognize students for their hard work in language-learning and makes program retention more challenging.

Looking forward The effort to create the Arabic minor is awaiting approval from Weinberg Dean Adrian Randolph, Lys

Illustration by Olivia Abeyta

said. Students, faculty and leadership need his permission to start the process and put together a proposal for the minor.

Drafting the proposal would involve seeking input from students and faculty to design the curriculum and provide a general sense of what the minor should look like, Lys said. It then has to go through at least three meetings to become approved.

“So an Arabic minor ideally would contain … six courses beyond second year that would include thirdand fourth-year content classes in Arabic but also more language-focused classes in Arabic that deal with more grammatical issues,” Lys said.

Based on the current timeline, Darayyad said they don’t expect a response from Randolph in time for the minor to be addressed during the winter Weinberg faculty meeting, where it could be approved by professors — pushing the timeline to spring. However, she said she’s still hopeful the minor will be implemented.

“I just hope that they see the overwhelming support and the significance of having a minor,” Darayyad said.

“The fact that it was students who came together to propose this speaks for itself.” joannahou2025@u.northwestern.edu

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022

9

Local leaders respond to recent anti-semitic attacks

By ELLA JEFFRIES

the daily northwestern @ellajeffriess

Content warning: This story contains mentions of antisemitic attacks.

On Jan. 31, Chicago police responded to multiple antisemtitic vandalism attacks regarding an individual painting swastikas on synagogues and Jewish businesses in West Rogers Park.

These attacks came just a few days after Holocaust Day of Remembrance, and two weeks after an attacker entered Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas and took four hostages. The hostages were released unharmed after 11 hours, and the attacker was shot by an FBI Hostage Rescue Team.

Andrea London, senior Rabbi at the Beth Emet Synagogue, is a colleague of Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who was one of the four hostages. She raised safety concerns for places of worship moving forward.

“Congregations are supposed to be places that are open, welcoming and allowing people that are in need of that spiritual support to come in,” London said. “We need to figure out how to continue to keep our places open, but also safe, which is a balance that is certainly difficult to strike.”

Evanston resident Lesley Williams said her initial thought after hearing about the attacks was “America as usual.”

Williams explained an important aspect of

What to know about the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program Evanston just opened registration for the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program, which connects local teens with workforce opportunities to help them explore career fields and become familiar with job responsibilities.

The job fair will be on Sat. March 12 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Evanston Township High

Angeli Mittal/The Daily Northwestern

The Beth Emet Free Synagogue. After recent antisemitic attacks nationally and locally, many in Evanston’s Jewish community expressed feeling horrified and shocked.

effectively building ties within Evanston’s Jewish community is to recognize it comprises of more than just white Ashkenazic people. “(The Jewish community) is Miskai people, it is African American Jews, Latinx Jews, Asian Jews,” Williams said. “That often gets overlooked in these conversations, and the only way to address this is to look at the underlying question of white supremacy.”

Mayor Daniel Biss, who is Jewish, said he wants to act in tandem with other Jewish community leaders to address antisemitism.

He added that the city needs to continue to acknowledge antisemitism as a pervasive evil.

Biss also said he has been in contact with several Evanston rabbis and Northwestern’s Hillel and Chabad leaders to ensure Jewish congregations are supported and incorporated in the

School.​​Audrey Thompson, the city’s community services manager, said participants can meet employees at the job fair, sit down and interview for positions.

The program, which has run for 30 years, aims to provide skills and workforce opportunities for at-risk Evanston youth between the ages of 14 and 18, according to the city’s Youth & Young Adult division’s website. Upwards of 800 people participate each year, Thompson said. She recommends registering in advance on the city’s website.

Participants can pick from a wide range of jobs hosted by the city at recreation centers, local restaurants, small businesses and nursing homes.

Thompson said salaries can range from $10 to around $15 an hour and participants are hired for nine weeks.

The city is offering job readiness workshops through February and March for young people who may be applying for their first job and would like additional support and guidance before the job fair, Thompson said. She added that any young person who needs dress attire can email the city’s youth division at youth@cityofevanston.org to receive aid.

The workshops will be offered virtually at these dates: — ​​Tues., Feb. 22, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

city’s civic life.

“It’s very scary how deeply ingrained antisemitism is in the world of white supremacy and white nationalism,” Biss said. “(The recent events) are a wake-up call and demand we treat antisemitism as it is — a real live form of hatred that can be deadly when it grows unchecked.”

Echoing Biss, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) released a statement reacting to the upsetting events, and said she was “horrified” to learn of the West Rogers Park incidents.

“These are not isolated events. We are seeing an alarming uptick in antisemitic violence throughout the nation,” Schakowsky said. “This is unacceptable.”

In his recent budget proposal, Gov. J.B. Pritzker allocated $20 million in security investments to prepare for hate crimes. The State of the State and Budget Address explained Illinois is awarding grants to community-driven violence prevention efforts to reduce the direct burden on police from violent crime.

Rabbi Brant Rosen of Tzedek Chicago shared his thoughts regarding institutions, such as the police, being part of the problem.

“We are living in a time of growing intolerance in general. The Muslim community had been under attack since 9/11 and there is police violence toward people of color everyday,” Rosen said. “The kinds of racism and antisemitism that are paritcularly dangerous are the kinds that are institutionalized by the government, police, or hateful organizations.” ellajeffries2025@u.northwestern.edu — Thurs., Feb. 24, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

— Mon., March 7, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

— Wed., March 9, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

This year, Thompson said the Youth and Young Adult Division will be hosting HR sessions to train young people to notice and respond to sexual harassment and grooming in the workplace, along with other workplace policies and procedures.

They will begin investing in “career tracks,” she said, which will allow young people to continue pursuing future jobs in the same field by fully funding work certifications.

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10 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022

NU Dining reinstates MOD salad meal exchange option

By CAROLINE BREW

daily senior staffer @carolinebrew

Northwestern Dining reinstated salad meal exchanges at MOD Pizza on Jan. 31, with help from Bienen sophomore Allison Brook.

Meal exchanges allow students to utilize credit from their meal plans up to five times a week at select restaurants and vendors on campus. NU Dining previously offered the salad meal exchange at MOD during the 2020-21 academic year, but the policy was reversed in fall 2021.

Brook, who has severe dietary restrictions like nut, dairy and gluten allergies, said she could only use her meal exchanges for Patty Squared’s salads. “(NU’s) meal exchanges are super limited as of now,” Brook said. “They’re catered toward a specific type of student that can eat everything.”

Brook visited the hospital in December 2021 for an allergic reaction after eating a french fry that was cross-contaminated with pasta. She said this incident prompted her to prioritize her health and reach out to Campus Dietician Lisa Carlson.

In an email to The Daily, Carlson said Compass Group is constantly adjusting its dining program offerings, including meal exchanges.

“We work collaboratively with our chefs, dietitians, operators and marketing team (and campus partners) to make any changes — both big and small,” Carlson wrote in the email. “And when we make a decision, we try to move as quickly as possible and then communicate the changes to students.”

Brook said she told Carlson that Patty Squared salads do not offer protein and that dining hall salads are often cross-contaminated. Just a week after Brook first contacted Carlson, NU Dining announced that MOD salads would qualify for meal exchanges.

“This really showed me that the y do care about their students and what they’re pushing for,” Brook said.

While Brook said the salad meal exchange is a step in the right direction, she and other students say the University should provide more options for students

WILLIAMSON From page 1

and called Congress a system of “legalized bribery” that serves its donors rather than the constituents.

“We are not functioning as a government by the people and for the people —- we are a government by the corporation and for the corporation,” she said.

Students had a range of reactions to Williamson’s messaging. Weinberg junior Joe Maino said he was particularly inspired by her spiritual perspective on social justice and her emphasis on bipartisanship and unity.

However, Weinberg sophomore Chloe Porter said

Seeger Gray/The Daily Northwestern

A MOD salad. Northwestern Dining reinstated MOD salad meal exchanges after students advocated for their return.

with dietary restrictions or allergies.

Before NU Dining reinstated the MOD salad meal exchange, SESP sophomore Samantha Olson, who has celiac disease and adheres to a gluten-free diet, said she was also only able to use meal exchanges at Patty Squared. Even with MOD’s gluten-free pizza crust, Olson and Brook said there is still a chance of cross-contamination since workers do not always change their gloves between making pizzas.

“My parents eat gluten free, too, so everything in our house is gluten free,” Olson said. “Getting here and being so limited was a shock.”

McCormick sophomore Elizabeth Campisi, who

also adheres to a gluten-free diet, said the tongs used to serve salads at MOD help reduce cross-contamination for those with celiac disease. Campisi said cross-contamination is one of the biggest challenges that comes with having celiac disease and that she often has to take additional precautions while navigating dining at NU. “A lot of times it’s asking additional questions like, ‘Hey, do you mind changing your glove?’ or ‘Are you sure this is okay?’” Campisi said. “If I don’t really love the thing that’s at Pure Eats that day, I guess I’m not eating or have to figure out something on my own.”

Going forward, Campisi said she would

she was doubtful of the practical application of Williamson’s spiritual perspective.

“I like a lot of what she says, but I just don’t know how it translates to policy,” Porter said.

The audience also extended beyond the Northwestern community. Depaul University senior Devon Thomas and Chicago resident Danae Ing said they traveled from Chicago to hear Williamson speak.

Secker said about 65 of the 150 event attendees were non-NU students.

Audience members were struck by what Chen called Williamson’s “unique approach” to politics.

Williamson used physical and spiritual healing as a metaphor for how she wants to heal the nation,

emphasizing how America needs to build its “immune system” to fight problems before they grow out of control, similar to how the body attacks disease.

As she continues to campaign for non-corporatebacked candidates in the midterm elections, Williamson said she hopes her message of “taking personal responsibility” for the nation’s future reaches college students especially.

“We’re not going to heal the world by talking about what needs to change on the outside — we also need to talk about what needs to change on the inside,” Williamson said.

appreciate the University offering a greater variety of meal exchanges with gluten-free options, such as rice bowls at Viet Nom Nom. To further support students with allergies and dietary restrictions, Brook suggested the University provide a meal exchange vendor that solely serves allergen-free and vegan food.

“It’s difficult because you always have to ask and be super vigilant,” Brook said. “I wish I could have more options that I know don’t have cross-contamination and make me feel safe.” carolinebrew2024@u.northwestern.edu

MANDATE From page 1

doctors expected,” Pritzker said.

Still, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Oregon have a nnounced they will also lift their mask mandates in schools.

Pritzker is facing a legal challenge to the current mandate, as a Sangamon County judge issued a temporary restraining order exempting some school districts from the requirement last week.

lilycarey2025@u.northwestern.edu

avanikalra2025@u.northwestern.edu

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Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle DAILY CROSSWORD Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 “Smooth Operator” artist 5 Play groups 10 Pop of punk 14 Miso go-with, often 15 Sean who played Samwise 16 Many August births 17 Panache 18 Grand __ 19 Unique 20 Desire 21 Yogi’s barber?

23 Cheesy Mexican appetizer 25 One found among blocks 26 Related on mom’s side 30 Tiffs 32 Break into pieces 35 Troy, N.Y., campus 36 Tusker as tutor?

40 “Nice __!”

41 Do the math, perhaps 42 Light courses 46 “A moveable feast,” to Hemingway 47 They work in lofty places 49 Scratching (out) 53 Function of a straw man?

57 Ginza agreement 58 Formality 59 California coastal county 60 Super star 61 It precedes Romans 62 Hardly a libertine 63 Word with season or mind 64 Vanquished 65 Trim and graceful 66 Bench press muscle DOWN 1 Bygone Devil Dog competitor 2 One-consonant parting 3 “Any man’s death diminishes me” writer

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

2/11/22

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4 University dept.

5 __ May 6 K2 locale 7 Leading 8 Adds sepia to, say 9 Is bullish?

10 “__ by moonlight, proud Titania” : Shak.

11 Like art using circles, squares, etc.

12 Failed 13 River in Flanders 21 Old coffeehouse drum 22 Choler 24 Blacken a bit 27 Big letters in bowling 28 Begins a round, with “off” 29 Eventually become 31 Envy, say 32 “... but it isn’t free” 33 Shoeless Joe Jackson portrayer in “Field of Dreams” 34 Low wind

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36 Band with members Jimin and Jin 37 QB feeder 38 Prospero’s servant 39 Something to do 43 Division with A’s 44 Bugs address 45 Energetic dances 48 Tie-up

2/11/22

50 “Fingers crossed” 51 __ orange 52 Fairy tale figure 53 Maryland catch 54 Not subject to debate 55 Wheels 56 Short jog 60 Silent assent ... or, in two parts, a hint to three long answers

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022

11

Medill and SESP welcome new academic advisors

By JOANNE HANER

the daily northwestern @joanne_n_h

Medill and SESP are adding new advisors to their academic advising teams. After experiencing understaffing earlier in the year, Medill is bringing in Anika Patel and Jasmyne Dias, while SESP is bringing in Ian Williams.

Anika Patel Patel’s NU journey began in the summer of 2021 after she finished her graduate program at Miami University in Ohio. With a degree in student affairs and higher education, she came to NU as a career advisor for the Medill graduate program. In this position, she primarily worked in career development programming and employer engagement. In winter 2022, Patel made the transition from advising MSJ to BSJ students due to the staff shortage.

“I wanted to help students navigate the college process and be a supportive figure for students,” Patel said.

With parents who didn’t grow up in the U.S., Patel said she often felt she lacked basic knowledge about navigating the college experience, which left her no choice but to figure things out on her own. This led her to heavily rely on advisors throughout her college career.

Patel focused on sociology in her undergraduate years. She said learning about society, education and education inequality has helped her advocate for students, create an even playing field for students and teach students how to

NU profs create their own COVID-19 contact tracing systems Some Northwestern professors have created their own contact tracing systems to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their classrooms amid unclear University guidelines.

NU’s current contact tracing protocol does not

succeed on their own.

Although she does not have a background in journalism, Patel said she is excited to work with journalism students and the variety of interests within Medill.

“Medill students are super dedicated and driven,” Patel said. “I think it’s fun to see each student have such a unique path.”

Jasmyne Dias Dias started her career in advising upon joining Medill’s undergraduate advising team on Feb. 1. She is currently earning her master’s in higher education at Loyola University Chicago.

As the first person in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree, Dias said she naturally found herself in tutoring and advising roles growing up. She said even in her undergraduate years, she enjoyed helping her friends sort through curricula when registering for classes.

“It’s important to me for people to get where they want to be and then to have a support that fulfills something of access or inclusion for them, and a place of knowledge and growth,” Dias said.

Even without a formal background in journalism, Dias said she understands the impact of the industry and wants to do her part to help students achieve their goals.

She said growing up in a small town, journalists were the first people to expose her to other cultures and helped her find a sense of identity.

“My main thing is that I get to work with some of the most talented students in the world,” Dias said. “You all get to do a great job of changing the world through your voices, require assigned seating, making it difficult for students who test positive to identify close contacts in the classroom. Some professors have created seating charts to facilitate contact tracing if someone tests positive.

Jewish Studies Prof. Dana Mihailescu posted seating charts on Canvas for her students and asked them to sit as far apart as possible to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. She said this system works well with small classes, and her students consistently sit in the same seats.

“Whenever I come to class, I’m making sure that they are keeping to the seats that they were determined

Joanne Haner/The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern academic advising brings new faces to the team.

through the way that you speak, through the news that you put out, and it plays a critical and important role.”

Ian Williams Although Williams started as an SESP academic advisor last November, he is not a new face to Northwestern’s staff. For the last five and a half years, he worked as an advisor for the Northwestern Academy for Chicago Public Schools, where he supported first-generation, low-income students across CPS high schools through the college admission process. to use at the beginning of the class,” Mihailescu said.

Even though it’s not required, Mihailescu said she wants to take steps to protect her students and the community. She said faculty are encouraged to provide as much information as they can for contact tracing.

Gender and Sexuality Studies Prof. Paola Zamperini uses a seating chart for their larger class, but not for their smaller 10-person class.

“I’m hoping if any students were exposed, they would notify all of us because given the smaller classroom we’re in, all of us are always less than 6 feet away from each other,” Zamperini said.

The transition to becoming an undergraduate academic advisor felt like a “natural move,” Williams said. Even though his new position does not specifically focus on FGLI students, he said he continues to keep that framework in mind.

Williams said his mentality is to work with “the whole student” and emphasizes that paths in life are rarely linear.

“When I think about my experience in college, some of the people I often give credit for being that last push, outside of my family and friends, are all of my advisors,” Williams said. joannehaner2024@u.northwestern.edu But since students are not required to get tested regularly, Zamperini said she is unsure whether seating charts are still helpful.

Many professors do not require students to sit in assigned seats. Communication sophomore Aerin Gelblum only has a seating chart in one of her four classes.

“It’s more of a social responsibility than a University responsibility,” Gelblum said. “That’s just the line of being a good friend or human to those you interact with.”

— Ilana Hutzler

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WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Wildcats to kick off season against No. 1 Eagles

By SKYE SWANN

daily senior staffer @sswann301

Joshua Hoffman/The Daily Northwestern

WOMEN’S GOLF

Northwestern lacrosse is back in action.

Following a successful 2020-2021 campaign in which they made it to the 2021 Final Four, the Wildcats will kick off their season Saturday against No.1 Boston College.

With the team suffering a loss to the Eagles in 2019, the squad will head to Newton, Mass. seeking redemption.

The Cats will have big shoes to fill this year: senior attacker Izzy Scane will be sitting on the bench, sidelined with a season-ending ACL injury. Scane led the nation in 2021 with 98 goals, 124 points and 7.75 goals per game. Although her absence on the field will challenge NU, the group returns graduate student attacker Lauren Gilbert and graduate student midfielder Jill Girardi. Both players were critical pieces during the Cats’ dominant 2021 run.

Ranked fourth in the Inside Lacrosse preseason poll, the Eagles will make for one of the nation’s toughest season-opening opponents. Similar to the Cats, Boston College is jumping into the season as national champions. Defeating Syracuse in the 2021 NCAA championship, the Eagles are a highly competitive team on both sides of the field.

Led by graduate student attacker Charlotte North, the Eagles are an

offensive powerhouse in their own right. North finished the 2021 season with 102 goals and 114 points and won the Tewaaraton Award, the most prestigious award in NCAA lacrosse.

While NU had successful fall ball play against Colorado and Stanford, the squad has not played against non-conference teams in the regular season since 2020. This first battle will set the tone for the team going forward into an arduous season schedule.

One of the major goals for this game is for the Cats to find another offensive producer to compete with Boston College’s well-rounded attacking unit. Another key area for the squad is gaining draw controls as the Eagles’ circle game is one of their specialties. These factors will ultimately make or break the contest for the squad.

Defensively, NU returns graduate student defender Ally Palermo and senior midfielder Allie Berkery.

These two central players will be the backbone of the Cats’ defense, especially inside the eight. Although NU usually plays a backer-defensive zone, they will have to adjust with the Eagles’ past fast ball movement.

This showdown will give the squad some room to improve and grow, with this being both teams’ first matchups of the year.

Saturday’s contest will be the first of several all-out battles for the Cats, but the team’s 2021 season proved the team is ready for the fight. skyeswann2024@u.northwestern.edu

MEN’S TENNIS

Cats will compete Oregon, Notre Dame to test NU in Columbia Classic

By NATHAN ANSELL

By MARYKATE ANDERSON

the daily northwestern @mkeileen

After winning the inaugural Big Ten Match Play tournament earlier this month, Northwestern looks to continue its successes at the Columbia Classic Presented by Moon Golf on Feb. 13 and 14.

The event, hosted by Columbia University, will take place on Duran Golf Club’s 18-hole, par 72 course in Viera, Fla. over three rounds. The first two rounds will be played continuously on Sunday while the final round will begin Monday morning.

The Wildcats will compete in a field of 15 teams, including the Big Ten’s Illinois and Purdue. The reigning runner-up of the national championship, No. 2 Oklahoma State, is also slated to participate in the Columbia Classic. Other competitors hail from the Big 12, Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference and the Ivy League.

Entering the weekend of the event, the Cats are ranked at No. 49 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, below their Big Ten opponents No. 32 Illinois and No. 36 Purdue. NU took down Purdue in the championship round of Big Ten Match Play on Feb. 1 while Illinois did not participate in the tournament.

“We all have a shared goal to win the Big Ten and obviously make it to the NCAA finals,” sophomore Jennifer Cai said.

Each of these events are stepping stones to the larger titles at stake at the end of the season — the Big Ten Championship and, ultimately, the NCAA regionals and championship.

Continuing their momentum from

earlier this month and the fall season could be the key to a successful spring for the Cats.

After winning each of her three matches in Big Ten Match Play and headlining the team’s victory, NU’s senior Kelly Sim was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week on Feb. 3. Sim was the only NU team member to finish the tournament with a perfect record and walked away with six birdies and 28 pars.

The Edgewater, N.J. native was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team last spring before being recognized as a Big Ten Preseason Honoree this fall.

Sim said there were health concerns, COVID-19-related and otherwise, within the team leading up to the start of the spring season. But the promise of competition has kept the team focused on what is to come.

“We just keep our head down and try to control what we can control,” Sim said. “It just feels so good to be competing.”

These competitive events are back in full force this year. After the Columbia Classic, the Cats have three events remaining in the season to show their prowess before the Big Ten Championship.

NU has switched to practicing indoors in the midst of winter weather, but Cai said the team has been able to successfully transfer that practice to outdoor competitive golf, like the Columbia Classic.

“It was definitely a boost of confidence winning (Match Play),” Cai said. “I think it’s going to give us some good momentum going into the season.” marykateanderson2023@u.northwestern.edu

the daily northwestern @nathanjansell

Last week, two of Northwestern men’s tennis’ matches were decided by a single point. Coach Arvid Swan and his team will hope for more comfortable margins this time.

The Wildcats (8-2, 0-0 Big Ten) will battle Oregon (3-1, 0-0 Pac-12) on Friday and Notre Dame (4-1) on Sunday “We can use the lessons we learned from how we closed those matches out to improve this next week,” junior Natan Spear said.

“Experiencing those close matches is going to be useful.”

NU will be looking to take that momentum to Eugene, Oregon after a comeback victory against Duke that energized the team.

According to Spear, winning in the presence of a few Cats alumni was particularly thrilling.

“That was really fun to enjoy right after the match,” Spear said. “I think everyone enjoyed it for a little bit and then got back to work.”

Two NU players improved their singles rankings this week. Senior Trice Pickens, 9-1 in 2022, climbed to No. 55 nationally. Pickens’ impressive record includes two victories against other ranked players. Senior Simen Bratholm cracked the top 100 for the first time this year, landing at the No. 79 spot.

Friday’s opponents, the Ducks, don’t have any ranked singles players, but they do boast a top ten doubles pairing in No. 10 Joshua Charlton and Quinn Vandecasteele.

Freshman Felix Nordby mentioned that acclimating to Oregon’s facilities would be crucial.

“We know that they have a great doubles team,” Nordby said. “We’re

Gabe Bider/The Daily Northwestern

going to prepare well during the practices.”

After Friday’s match, the Cats will face the Fighting Irish on their courts.

Notre Dame’s singles is led by Axel Nefve, 2-0 individually so far. Nefve and Matt Che are expected to play at No. 1 doubles.

NU won the last meeting between the two teams, a 4-2 match back in 2020. Richard Ciamarra, who played at the No. 1 singles slot for the Fighting Irish that day, has since transferred to Texas.

“He was always a trouble spot for us,” Swan said. “He’s such a dynamic athlete. But (Notre Dame coach) Ryan (Sachire) has a loaded team, and we’re going to have our hands full.”

Senior Steven Forman, likely to top the Cats’ order once again, would face Charlton and Nefve, both left-handed players.

Forman, a lefty himself, has faced left-handed opponents in the past, such as North Carolina’s Brian Cernoch. Among his teammates, however, it’s harder to find left-handed practice.

“He’s our lefty on the team,” Swan

said. “It’s hard to prepare for that same matchup, but for him, it’s (focusing on) taking care of his own serve.”

Swan has been giving thought to the bottom of the lineup too. Graduate student Brian Berdusco, sophomore Gleb Blekher and sophomore Saiprakash Goli have all rotated through the lower positions recently.

All three will be options over the weekend.

“We have a number of quality players that are capable of playing six,” Swan said. “Part of the decision is matchups ... seeing what the opponents have in terms of the style of play at No. 6 as well.”

In doubles, there will be choices too. The duo of Forman and Nordby played No. 1 doubles for the first time last week, swapping with Bratholm and Berdusco.

Swan said he has faith in the Cats’ doubles, no matter the order.

“It means a lot, considering that I’m a freshman,” Nordby said. “It also feels like (Forman) can trust me, playing with him at No. 1.” nathanansell2022@u.northwestern.edu