The Daily Northwestern Wednesday, January 8, 2020
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Wildcats prepare to host USC rematch
Cambridge professors talk the threat for academic research in Egypt
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Are Americans too close-minded?
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NPEP hosts Q&A, film screening “Stateville Calling” looks at justice, rehabilitation By JACKSON MILLER
the daily northwestern @jacksonfire123
The Northwestern Prison Education Program hosted a documentary screening and Q&A panel on prison programming Tuesday in Harris Hall. “Stateville Calling” explores issues of justice, rehabilitation and safety while following prisoner’s rights advocate Bill Ryan as he promotes re-instituting parole for Illinois state inmates ages 50 and up. The Q&A panel that followed included NPEP director and NU Prof. Jennifer Lackey, youth and family counselor Andre Joachim Jr., and engagement producer of the documentary Naeema Torres. NPEP enrolls inmates at Stateville Correctional Center as official Northwestern students tuition-free. Inmates take Northwestern classes with in-person instruction from Northwestern professors and work toward degrees. One NPEP student was featured in the documentary. The documentary highlighted the stories of inmates
at Stateville Correctional Center — many who have been incarcerated for over 20 years — who found their own rehabilitation during their time in prison. “I’m not the person I was,” inmate Janet Jackson said in the documentary “I’m not mentally ill anymore, and I haven’t been in a long time. I’m no threat to society and if given a chance, I could show society I have changed.” said. The documentary also features some who are opposed to re-instituting parole for inmates over 50, including a mother whose son was murdered. Many parole advocates shown in the film said elderly inmates may be twice as expensive to incarcerate as compared to younger inmates. Meanwhile, an increasing number of elderly people are incarcerated in Illinois. They also said that once released from prison, elderly people have a smaller recidivism rate, meaning they are re-arrested less often. Lackey agreed age can reduce recidivism, but suggested there are more practical ways of achieving that. “Some criminologists will say that the most effective way of reducing the recidivism rate is just age,” Lackey said. “But that’s not just » See STATEVILLE, page 7
Owen Stidman/Daily Senior Staffer
Students gather to compose and package letters to send to incarcerated individuals. The Northwestern University Student-Prisoner Correspondence Night meets every first Tuesday of the month.
Fahmy speaks on academic safety
Cambridge professors talk the threat for academic research in Egypt By YUNKYO KIM
the daily northwestern @yunkyomoonk
On the first Tuesday of every month, students have gathered at the Multicultural Center to package
handwritten letters, zines and messages of support. These are collected and shipped out around the United States to incarcerated individuals — most of them non-white and low-income. The Northwestern University Student-Prisoner
Correspondence Night hosted its first regular event of the year on Tuesday. It was sponsored by the Rogers Park Prisoner Letter Writing Coalition, a local letter-writing meetup for incarceration solidarity, and Living in Color, a Northwestern student group
promoting artistic expression for queer students of color. Both organizations support prison abolition. “(The event) is abolition first,” said Eliza Gonring, a SESP junior and Living in » See LETTERS, page 7
Work at EPL illuminates activism Transitional shelter Student photography tackles environmental justice, range of social issues By MAIA SPOTO
the daily northwestern @maia_spoto
Responding to last fall’s student-led climate protests, eighth graders from Chute Middle School created images that grapple with environmental injustice, among other social issues. Themes of mental health, gun violence and self image also weave through their pieces, which are on display at Evanston Public Library until Jan. 31. Media Arts teacher Sherri Kushner, KIDS Global Network, Inc. president Ann Covode and photographer Yancey Hughes collaborated to lead the photovoice project for its third year in the middle school’s Advanced Media Arts class. In the class, instructors encouraged students to engage with movements that inspired them. “What Greta Thunberg has done in the last sixth months has made kids more aware of their voice and their position, and changed the way they view
for women to open By ZOE MALIN
the daily northwestern @zoermalin
Maia Spoto/The Daily Northwestern
A photograph and artist statement by Chute Middle School eighth-grader Karis Martin hang in the photovoice art exhibit at Evanston Public Library. Martin’s piece focused on global education disparities for girls.
their own abilities,” Hughes said. “Now, they have a voice, they have a say in the way the business of life is conducted.” Photovoice is a photography teaching method in schools and libraries focused on community
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
representation. A nonprofit of the same name strives to share diverse perspectives and enact positive social change through photography. Covode, who is trained in the photovoice method and
introduced the idea to Chute Middle School in 2017, said hearing concerns from students has heightened her understanding of issues like climate change. » See PHOTOGRAPH, page 7
Connections for the Homeless and First United Methodist Church of Evanston have partnered to open Daisy’s Place, a year-round transitional shelter for women. The shelter will be the first on the North Shore dedicated to housing homeless female-identifying adults, and it is slated to open sometime in 2020. Jennifer Kouba, associate director of development for Connections for the Homeless, said such a shelter would fulfill a “critical need” in the community. The shelter will have a permanent location in the lower level of the First United Methodist Church, 516 Church St., and it has already been issued a certificate of zoning compliance, according to a news release. Kouba said both
organizations were inspired to found the shelter after Tanuel Major, known as Daisy, was murdered on the steps of First United Methodist Church’s courtyard in November 2018. She noted that while Connections for the Homeless operates Hilda’s Place, a men’s transitional shelter, there is no designated space in the community for homeless women beyond domestic abuse services at YWCA Evanston/ North Shore. “We need to ensure that everyone in our community has a safe place to call home,” Kouba said. “Daisy’s Place is a low-barrier option for women seeking shelter.” Daisy’s Place will initially accommodate five residents, but aspires to grow long-term. Kouba said she expects the shelter to be fully occupied the day it opens. Daisy’s Place residents will have access to the shelter between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. » See DAISY, page 7
INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Opinion 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 6 | Sports 8
2 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020
AROUND TOWN Women’s suffrage exhibit explores 19th Amendment By MOLLY LUBBERS
the daily northwestern
“Mr. President how long must women wait for liberty” and “Liberty is a woman” appeared in all-caps on signs made 100 years apart. Suffragists protesting President Woodrow Wilson in 1917 made the first sign, and the other appeared in a march during International Women’s Day in 2017. Both images feature in “Rightfully Hers,” an exhibit commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. The exhibit, which also highlights voting history before and beyond 1920, opened on Jan. 2 in the second gallery of the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center. The Evanston Women’s History Project requested the pop-up exhibit from the National Archives Museum, according to project director Lori Osborne. The display is one of the events planned by Women’s Vote 100 Evanston, a group of community partners recognizing voting rights throughout the year with EWHP. “A lot of people have some ideas about the suffrage movement in the United States,” Osborne said. “They may not realize what a real fight it was and how the idea of women’s suffrage, even up until the 19th Amendment passed, was still considered a very radical idea and very controversial.” The exhibit is one of 1600 pop-up units circulated by the National Archives, according to its website.
POLICE BLOTTER Woman charged in shooting, two teenage women robbed A 41-year-old Evanston woman was charged in a New Year’s shooting, according to an Evanston police department news release. Officers responded to a report of a shooting on Jan. 1 around 5:50 p.m. in the 1000 block of Darrow Avenue. Upon arrival, the officers found a 53-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the torso. The injury
Molly Lubbers/The Daily Northwestern
The exhibit “Rightfully Hers” opened on Jan 2 in the second gallery of the Lorraine Morton Civic Center. It commemorates the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and voting history before and beyond 1920.
Osborne said “Rightfully Hers”will move to a new location in Evanston each month at least through August. Carter Craig, an intern at the city manager’s office, said he appreciated the portable aspect of the display. Osborne also said the fact it is movable means the national story of women’s suffrage can reach more people. “Maybe there will be people who make an intentional visit to see it because we’re publicizing,” Osborne said. “The other hope is that the fact it just happens
to be there, people will run into it and stop, and find out a little bit more.” The exhibit has four sides, with two detailing voting rights before the 19th Amendment, another focusing on the 19th Amendment itself, and one about those excluded from voting after the 19th Amendment as well as suffrage work following the ratification. Evanston resident Charles Loiseau said he often works in the space where the exhibit is located. He paused to look at the exhibit.
was deemed not life-threatening and the man is now in good condition. The officers also located the suspect on the scene. The woman was taken into custody and admitted to the shooting, according to the news release. EPD used interviews with the victim and witnesses, as well as surveillance video, to confirm the suspect’s admission. The following day, the suspect was charged with a felony count of aggravated battery with a firearm. The suspect had been living in the same multi-unit building as the victim. They engaged in ongoing disputes regarding the maintenance and use of common
areas of the building. Evanston police Cmdr. Ryan Glew said that the dispute was determined to be the cause of the shooting. The suspect has been released on bail for $25,000. The following court date is set to be Jan. 23.
Two teenage women robbed on Ashland Avenue
Two teenage women were robbed on the sidewalk while walking in the 1800 block of Ashland Avenue. A young man Glew estimates to be between 18 and 29 years old approached the women on Jan. 5 around
“I like the way it tied the past with the present,” Loiseau said. “It was nice showing how black women also were very powerful when it came to the suffrage movement and to women’s right to vote, and they’re still very involved in that.” Osborne said the exhibit highlights that while the 19th Amendment was significant for American women, it didn’t include everyone. “Rightfully Hers” has information about how women of color were barred from the right to vote and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. African American women were crucial in the fight for suffrage, especially in Illinois and Evanston, Osborne said. She added that these women often led the movement, and continued to lead as the movement transitioned to the Civil Rights Movement. Osborne wants people to be interested in the suffrage history of Evanston after reading about the national movement. Next to the exhibit, a stand directs visitors to the EWHP website, which contains information about how women worked locally for voting rights. She also hopes they’ll appreciate their own voting rights. “That’s what everyone really wants from this anniversary – not just to know this history but to really understand how rare it is and how much work it took to get those rights and how you should use them, that using your vote helps protect it so that it doesn’t disappear, that it’s not guaranteed even today,” Osborne said. mollylubbers2023@u.northwestern.edu 7:30 p.m. He was on a green bicycle, and he placed his hand into his pocket to imply he had a gun, pointed it at them through his pocket and demanded money, according to Glew. One of the victims gave the suspect $50 in cash from her wallet, Glew said. The suspect took the money and threw the wallet on the ground before fleeing southbound. The incident was reported soon after and the police arrived on the scene. The suspect has not been found. — Molly Burke
WINTER IS HERE... SIGN UP FOR YOUR SENIOR YEARBOOK PORTRAIT BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE. GEORGE R. R. MARTIN CREATOR OF "GAME OF THRONES" CLASS OF 1970 NU SYLLABUS YEARBOOK PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHERS WILL BE IN NORRIS FOR A LIMITED TIME. Several poses will be taken – in your own clothes and with cap and gown. Your choice will be available for purchase. All senior portraits must be taken by Prestige Portraits/Life Touch. $10 sitting fee required.
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020
ON CAMPUS Fahmy talks press freedom in Egypt By YUNKYO KIM
the daily northwestern @yunkyomoonk
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Editor in Chief Troy Closson
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Wildcat Crossword 2
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University of Cambridge professor Khaled Fahmy discussed the Egyptian government’s crackdown on media and academic research at a lecture in Kresge Centennial Hall on Tuesday. The event was hosted by Northwestern’s Middle East and North African Studies in conjunction with Weinberg Prof. Carl Petry’s research seminar course on the 1952 revolution in Egypt and the impact of British colonialism. “A university like Northwestern sends people (to Egypt), mainly graduate students,” Petry said. “There are serious questions about their capacity to do research in a country like Egypt now.” The Egyptian government under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi have utilized surveillance technology to prosecute activists, researchers and journalists, according to Human Rights Watch. In 2017, the Committee to Protect Owen Stidman/Daily Senior Staffer Journalists ranked Egypt as one of the “world’s worst jailors” of journalists. University of Cambridge professor Khaled Fahmy speaks in Kresge Centennial Hall on Tuesday evening. Fahmy, the Sultan Qaboos bin Sa’id Profes- Fahmy discussed the “promises and perils” of conducting academic research in Egypt. sor of Modern Arabic Studies at Cambridge, centered his lecture around the 2016 death relationship between national security and be more informed on international events that of Giulio Regeni, an Italian Ph.D. student freedom of information, Fahmy said. Still, he are not often covered. purported to have been tortured and killed by emphasized that the key to developing a stable “I think (Americans) get so insular, that we officials while conducting research on informal and robust Egyptian state is to recognize the only see everything through our lens,” Hamlabor movements in Egypt. freedom of the press and intellectual ventures. ilton said. “It was unprecedented,” Fahmy said. “Things Weinberg sophomore Natalie Myren said Fahmy, who has been involved in educahave changed significantly since then.” she enjoyed Fahmy’s new perspective on the tional reform movements, told an audience Fahmy said he observed a similar academic state of academic research in the international member he has not visited his home country passion in his own students and persistent sphere. in five years. The Egyptian university system discrimination against conducting research. “I think (Fahmy’s) takeaway was that one continues to be increasingly unsupportive of Henry He also said he witnessed researchers being way to notAlford just sit back and let nothing happen researchers, he said. accused of spying. Regeni’s death, he said, is to still try to do our work to research and be “The ‘why’ is what I am interested in and was an escalation of oppression byhenryalford2022@u.northwestern.edu the cur- critical,” Myren said. that question is now being buried,” Fahmy said. rent regime that renders academic research and Sharon Hamilton, a Chicago resident, said “(The Egyptian government) has gotten away freedom of expression difficult for domestic she was compelled to travel from the city to with murder.” and international scholars. Northwestern’s Evanston campus because she Many governments struggle to grasp the regularly consumes mass media and wants to yunkyokim2022@u.northwestern.edu
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"Bust a Move" Wed. 1/8/20
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by Henry Alford Welcome to The Daily's new student-created crossword puzzle. Come back every Wednesday during fall quarter for a new crossword. Answers on Thursdays. ACROSS 1 ____-mo 4 "The Bachelor" channel 9 Jerk 14 Feather go-with, historically 15 Santa _____, California 16 Bloody Mary ingredient 17 "I get it!" 18 Supernatural dance move from the 2010s? 20 Chinese medicinal herb 22 Abrupt 23 Cogito ____ sum 24 "What's up, ____?" 26 Scrapes (out) 27 Tuscany town 29 Ariana Grande's genre 31 Get up 34 Humiliated 37 Big deal 38 Incomplete dance move from the 2010s? 43 Step into the ring, maybe 44 Resistance to fatigue 45 Miniature 48 Spanish Mrs. 49 "Orange is the New Black" protagonist Chapman 53 Director Brooks and actor Gibson 55 Newt 57 Rational 58 "Stranger Things" star Ryder 60 Capital of North Carolina 62 Toothy dance move from the 2010s? 64 Dungeons and Dragons roller 65 Ghost costume piece 66 Bob Marley was one 67 Spanish article 68 Ladies' partners 69 Eight-man band 70 Domesticated animal
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“Bust a Move” DOWN 1 Play places 2 "Interpreter of Maladies" author Jhumpa 3 Clemson color 4 Zenith 5 Like love? 6 Slacks with a lot of pockets 7 ___-la-la 8 Floor cleaners, for short 9 Brand of 16-across 10 Fresh snow 11 Sticky 12 It's all over you 13 Road guide 19 Former Cavs coach Ty 21 Underwater nav 25 Measure against 28 Make a request 30 Tundra feature 32 Not a bro 33 Mini-albums, abbr. 35 That guy's 36 Code for an article, abbr. 38 Undecided 39 "I can't believe it!" 40 Inspector 41 Country-wide economic stat 42 Pay bump 46 Let 47 Ice cream drinks
OPINION
Join the online conversation at www.dailynorthwestern.com Page 4
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
Are Americans close-minded? My experience looking in LAURISA SASTOQUE
OP-ED CONTRIBUTER
About four months have elapsed since I stepped out of an airplane coming from Bogotá, Colombia, and embarked on the adventure of being an international student at Northwestern. Never having studied anywhere but in my home country, coming to the US felt daunting and unreal. Would I find like-minded friends? Would I be able to adjust to foreign paradigms of thought and culture? These questions fluttered around my mind as I unpacked my summer clothes and taped pictures of my relatives and friends on my gray bedroom wall. Thankfully, the American experience has been quite rewarding for me. I have made lots of new friends and succeeded in becoming more independent. Needless to say, however, being an international student has been anything but easy. Coming from abroad means that you can be perceived as an alien, or even as a threat, whose disparate systems of thought may clash with those already established in your new environment. Being an international
student means that your views may sometimes be undermined or altogether ignored by native students. To earn ideological respect you often must make an additional effort to prove your ideas as valid. This phenomenon is rarely related to the content of those ideas. In fact, I would rather attribute it to the subject — and its characteristic of “foreignness”— than to the object. I randomly encountered this issue during an afternoon study session at the Starbucks in downtown Evanston. I was sitting with a good friend of mine, trying to digest a rather eyebrow-raising reading for my English class, but a scenario playing out on the table besides mine snatched my concentration away. An exchange student from China, who I later learned had recently gotten his Ph.D. in Chemistry, was talking to a couple of middle-aged Americans. The couple, an Asian American woman and a white man, was enthusiastically questioning the student on his arrival to the United States. It quickly became obvious that the purpose of the conversation was to work on the student’s English level and to open up a space for him to practice. The interaction would have been completely normal, even delightful, if it weren’t
for a couple of details. First of all, the couple did not show any interest in the student’s life back home, only on his perception of America. When he did introduce narratives related to his home country, these were quickly dismissed or glossed over. Second, when the student was finally asked about his opinion on an issue linked to his country — the Hong Kong protests — he had only begun to explain his position when the American couple started insistently trying to press their views on him. Third, the couple kept correcting the student’s pronunciation. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against being corrected when learning a second language. But even though his pronunciation wasn’t wrong and was perfectly understandable, the couple was set on making him sound like them. This caused frustration to spray over the student’s face, contradicted only by his words of gratitude. It became really clear that the conversation was centered on the Americans’ views. Although it is true that learning about America should be the most pressing intention of an exchange student, the interaction did bring to light an issue that me and my friend discussed for a while — many Americans are willing to teach but are not willing
to learn. As an international student, I have found that Americans generally lack curiosity with respect to acquiring new perspectives, and instead tend to project their ideas on foreigners. Characterized by a rejection of difference and a desire to impose, one may even describe this behavior as reminiscent of colonialism. This behavior is, of course, not exhibited by many of the Americans I have met, and that makes me feel glad about the American mindset slowly becoming more open. Therefore, I want to invite Americans to profit from encounters with international individuals as opportunities for learning and expanding their horizons. To achieve this, Americans must develop a willingness, not to refute and reassert their views, but to engage in the type of human interaction that points towards global citizenship. Laurisa Sastoque is a Weinberg Freshman. She can be contacted at laurisasastoque2023@u. northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
Why be a radical, through looking at Martin Luther King Jr. DYLAN ZOU
OP-ED CONTRIBUTER
Martin Luther King Jr. was, without a doubt, a radical. Not only was King a socialist, desiring the “radical redistribution of economic and political power,” but King also recognized the role of violence in social change, by writing that “riots is the language of the unheard.” With Martin Luther King Jr. Day right around the corner, King is a lesson to all about the possibilities that radical politics may afford. It seems that in our current political moment, in the face of climate change, rising right-wing nationalism and inequality, we need to change more than ever. Yet certain politicians either say that radical change is impossible or that we should limit the amount of change we push for. These politicians preach that too much change will destabilize our society or that Americans do not desire too much change. Though I do not deny American culture,
structure, and ideology unrelentingly apologizes for and fortifies the status quo, the case for radicalism is often overtly understated, muted and dismissed. This idea that we must be conservative or incremental in our change is not new to our political climate. In King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King rails against what he calls “white moderates” who believe they can set a “timetable” for the freedom of African Americans. Throughout the letter, King criticizes the “white moderate” by accusing them of being more aligned to the preservation of “order” than to the creation of actual justice. King says white moderates prefer a “negative peace”, in which the status quo is actively harmful but lacking critical discourse, as opposed to a “positive peace,” wherein justice is actually delivered. Oftentimes, this advocacy for the status quo by the “white moderates” of the past and present blind their own vision. In an attempt to see both sides as equal they miss the simple fact that one side does not argue in good faith, as evidenced by Birmingham’s City Father’s refusal to negotiate with King’s movement.
This equivalence of King’s side, who has been historically wronged and displaced by the forces of the status quo, to another side, who has privileged directly from the same historical wrongs, is a dishonest comparison lacking contextual nuance. The value of radicalism lies in its ability to move history; an idea echoed by old and modern thinkers alike. Rutger Bregman, author of the 2016 book “Utopia for Realists,” has argued that history is moved by movements on the fringe. Georg Hegel, a philosopher from the early 19th century, argued that history is a culmination of constant antagonisms between two radically opposing ideas. One of the world’s most dominant religions, Christianity, could be considered radical during the high point of the Roman Empire, when paganism was the norm. The American and French revolutions are based in ideas considered radical at the time, but are now mainstream political canon. The United States, though reputed as conservative compared to European counterparts, is not alien to radicalism either, as in the cases of Martin Luther King Jr. A persuasive case for modern radicalism is
Russian lit. helped me understand sexism SIMONA FINE
OP-ED CONTRIBUTER
I’ve never been directly confronted and told that I should not be studying engineering because of my gender. There was no big, dramatic incident of sexism that caused me to begin to feel unwelcome in science. However, any time I ponder my experience as a woman in engineering or as a female student in Design, Thinking and Communication (DTC), a culmination of smaller misogynistic comments and gestures cross my mind. I didn’t fully understand why these little remarks and misconstrued statements bothered me so much, why they mattered so much, and how to act against them, until I was sitting in a Russian Literature lecture. Yes, that’s right. Introduction to Russian Literature. The popular course taught by Professor Morson that is often said to be the greatest class at Northwestern. As we read Anna Karenina, the idea of the small moment was stressed above all else. Unlike in many novels, principal developments in the characters from the book come from camouflaged sentences that contain meaningful realizations, not from any extraordinary events. For instance, Levin, one of the protagonists, comprehends that he cannot live as a farming peasant — not after mowing fields for a day, but after catching a glimpse of Kitty, the woman he loves, as she momentarily passes him on a train.
Similarly, I find that those little remarks I referred to earlier have influenced my opinion of sexism in McCormick. I’ll never forget how a DTC lecturer referred to inexperienced “females” learning how to use tools in the shop and how shocked I was that he felt the need to specify their gender. I’ll never forget when a teammate on a group project said that we couldn’t trust our client’s opinion because she was only a “little girl.” I’ll never forget when my team in DTC, which consisted of three women and one man, gave a group presentation to our class and my DTC professor approached my male teammate to give him comments on our collaborative work. Instead of also engaging with the women on the team, this professor simply ignored us. These actions were just noticeable enough to have made me do a double take and realize that they were motivated by some form of sexism, whether actively being practiced by the perpetrator or merely ingrained in their speech. Professor Morson also uses subtle words and phrases to characterize the cultures of families in Anna Karenina. For example, members of the Oblonsky family are ironically described as “simple” and “natural” to draw attention to their expensive taste and overwhelming vanity. Just as miniscule details define the values of families in Anna Karenina, they have contributed to my revelations concerning the misogynistic culture in engineering. I do not believe that these instances of sexism are isolated events, but rather, an indication of the habits
of people in McCormick as a whole. The inappropriate remarks that I witnessed in DTC are not any different from what other female students in engineering have faced. Sexism is so innate to the DTC experience that my friend reported that her professor explicitly stated that they would not put a woman in a group with three men, as she was too often regulated to a secretarial role by her male teammates. There are some people that are aware this is a systemic issue at our school. How do we change this culture? Russian literature provided the answer for that too. Professor Morson taught that Tolstoy’s explanation for the complexity of human nature is that people are the sum total of their habits, illogical and rational, and that the only way to create lasting change to one’s nature is to adjust these habits gradually. To combat the misogyny in engineering, we must first notice these small moments, as if we are performing a close reading on our lives. Then, we cannot simply brush them off but must call attention to these comments in an attempt to slowly change the habits of the individuals who perpetuate this sexist culture. Once we do this, these pesky misogynistic tendencies that persist may finally be eradicated, slowly, but surely. Simona Fine is a McCormick sophomore. She can be contacted at simonafine2022@u.northwestern. edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@ dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
Bernie Sanders, who turned Medicare for All from laughable nonsense to a legitimate political idea that most Democratic candidates nominally support. Radicals, defined by their Greek origins as the “root,” will always seek to answer the “root” of the problem, whether that root is correct or not. It is this impulse of the skeptic, the cynic, the radical to vigorously question the mainstream that is so immensely important. Martin Luther King Jr.’s courage to challenge the established norms around race, economics and politics as a radical created progressive possibilities. It is this ability of the radical to open space towards discussions that people are afraid to have that makes the radical essential to the health of society. Dylan Zou is a School of Communications freshman. He can be contacted at dylanzou2023@u.northwestern. edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
The Daily Northwestern Volume 141, Issue 2 Editor in Chief Troy Closson
Opinion Editor Zach Bright
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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 5
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020
Students talk navigating dining with eating disorders By MAIA SPOTO
the daily northwestern @maia_spoto
Ejun Kim started recovering from her eating disorder last summer. The Medill freshman said she was breaking free from bingeing and purging cycles; she was cultivating a healthy relationship with food and exercise. However, since moving to campus, adjusting to dining halls and social pressures has curbed her healing. “I seem like I’m in recovery. Like I’m all good,” Kim said. “Honestly, on the inside, I feel like I’m deteriorating slowly.” In 2008, 32 percent of female and 25 percent of male college students displayed disordered eating behavior, and rates were rising, according to a 2011 study published in Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention. Northwestern is no exception. Renee Engeln, a psychology Prof. at the University, said every quarter students approach her worrying about friends’ relationships with food. While rates for anorexia and bulimia are too low to constitute an “epidemic,” Engeln said subclinical disordered eating behaviors, which “dance around the edge” of eating disorders, are everywhere. She said the amount of choices in the dining halls, where food is massively available, coupled with scheduling conflicts that cause students to miss meals, creates a perfect storm for disordered eating.
Daily file photo by Owen Stidman
Psychology professor Renee Engeln said students approach her with concerns about disordered eating behaviors every quarter.
McCormick freshman Ben Fisk has an eating disorder that restricts the type of foods he can eat. Before he arrived at Northwestern, he said he didn’t know if he would find food that worked for him, or how he would socially navigate mealtimes. He worried that he would need to explain his history to every person he saw. Compass Group, NU Dining’s food service provider, focuses on “inclusive dining” by providing a wide range of dishes, from balanced meals to comfort food.
Because of this variety, Fisk said he finds viable plates every time he swipes into the halls. To date, no friends have confronted him over dietary decisions. On the other hand, Kim said she has found new ways to limit her food intake during her college transition, in large part by restricting her choices in the dining halls. She labels foods she can eat without fear “safe,” while foods that cause anxiety are “unsafe.” “I love chicken,” Kim said. “But now I’m like, is chicken a safe food? I don’t know. I can only eat tofu
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now.” In November, NU Dining held its second annual 21-Day Plant Forward Challenge. The challenge encouraged students to eat one, two or three “plantforward,” or vegan, meals each day for 21 consecutive days. The University dietitian, Lisa Carlson, said over 300 students joined the challenge, nearly doubling participation from last year. Monitors and associate workers promoted the challenge inside the halls, while blog posts on the Dining website taught the basics of veganism. NU Dining encouraged students to try vegan dishes for environmental sustainability, animal welfare advancement and personal health, among other benefits. “We have wonderful plant-based dishes on campus, and we want you to get to know them,” Carlson said. “It’s never been about restricting yourself.” If students are struggling, they should see Carlson individually or schedule an appointment with Counseling and Psychological Services, she said. However, certified eating disorder registered dietitian Mary Lynn Duvall said adopting veganism can be “a land mine” for some students, exacerbating symptoms in populations that are genetically predisposed or already vulnerable to disordered eating. A 2013 study published by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics said roughly half of anorexic women reported eating a vegetarian diet. Duvall said disordered eating emerges from a gradual trend of restrictive decisions. Individuals sometimes use animal welfare and environmentalism as a justification to continue their restrictions, she said. “The individual who is most likely to develop an eating disorder… (is) a high achiever who is perfectionistic,” Duvall said. “This just gives them another thing to attach that perfectionism to…. vegetarianism or veganism is another ‘legitimate’ way to restrict their eating.” Medill sophomore and former Daily columnist Kathryn Augustine said her Northwestern University Health Service doctor quipped about Augustine’s bulimic history last spring, exemplifying a lack of eating disorder education on campus. Augustine said she has seen veganism frequently progress into eating disorders, and that Compass Group should clarify any harm that may result when it promotes specific dietary patterns. “Anything that involves food, where it could be triggering, people are going to be affected,” Augustine said. Augustine also said she worries the challenge will normalize a perceived need to lose weight, since the lines between veganism and weight loss dieting often blur. Guided by state regulations for nutritional transparency, Compass Group posts calorie content and serving sizes for every dish, which Augustine said can trigger people who wrestle with eating disorders. Weight loss dieting is the primary predictor for teenage eating disorders, according to a 2016 study published in Pediatrics. Talk of the “Freshman 15,” the notion that students will gain 15 pounds their freshman year, buzzes in Kim’s ears. Her friends frequently rush to the gym, lamenting the calories they’ve consumed and terrified of weight gain, she said. They tell Kim they need a “skinny dinner,” which is a salad — or no dinner at all. “They’re things that seem so trivial, but they weirdly add up and enforce this idea that, ‘Yeah, I need to have a skinny dinner tonight,’” Kim said. “I should be like them. I should stop eating so much.” Claudia Rosen, a therapist and clinical director for Connections Health, an Evanston counseling service offering eating disorder therapy, said calorie counting obstructs recovery for individuals with eating disorders. She said they should learn flexible eating without focusing on rigid numbers. A difference exists between calories and nutrients, and counting calories is an unsuccessful method even for neurotypical dieters, Rosen said. “Having nutritional information that informs our self-care is useful,” Rosen said. “But there needs to be a very gentle process of utilizing that information to support a more relaxed, rather than anxiety-filled, approach.” Despite anxieties about the “Freshman 15,” freshmen gain only a half-pound more than non-college individuals of the same age, a 2011 study published in Social Science Quarterly found. Duvall said some weight gain during freshman year is healthy. Due to maturing organs, most females don’t reach their adult weight potential until age 20, she said. Weinberg freshman Julia Ammer said she sees room for improvement by starting conversations about eating disorders within the dining halls. Messages detailing nutrition information and sustainability hang in every dining hall. Ammer said perhaps the walls could also advance eating disorder education and provide resources for affected students. Engeln said individuals lay the foundations early for relating to food and body image, but in college, there’s still time to adjust and find a healthier footing. “I would love to see... more activism around really laying a solid foundation so you’re not setting yourself up for a lifetime of immersion in diet culture, which is where a lot of Northwestern students are heading,” Engeln said. “If you can plant a little radical seed that suggests there’s something else out there, it’s not a bad time to do that planting.” maiaspoto2023@u.northwestern.edu
6 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020
Students find home at Evanston Korean restaurants By RAYNA SONG
the daily northwestern
Emma Edmund/Daily Senior Staffer
Kokomo, located at 1639 Orrington Ave. The restaurant attracts local residents with its authentic Korean food.
Here’s a few events throughout Evanston for Dr. MLK Jr. Day
This month, Evanston’s organizing a number of events to celebrate and commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Here’s a few for residents and students to attend over the next few weeks:
MLK Day of Celebration and Evanston Unity
The Evanston Children’s Choir, the First Church of God’s youth choir and a number of musical guests will be performing at this event on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. at the FleetwoodJourdain Community Center. Pastor Monte Dillard will be the keynote speaker of the event.
For many Korean students on campus, Korean restaurants can serve as a gateway to home. Even among those born and brought up in the United States, many grew up eating kimchi, bibimbap and other staples of the cuisine. Only a few blocks away from campus, Soban Korea is a favorite among Korean students. The cuisine that Soban offers ranges from Korean pancakes to rice cake soup. Medill freshman Ryan Kim said Soban tends to have good Korean food, including budae jjigae, a dish he always gets. Budae jjigae, also known as spicy sausage stew, is made with ham, sausage, spam, beans, kimchi and gochujang. Because the dish was invented shortly after the Korean War using surplus foods from the U.S. Army, the dish is also called Army Stew. “I like a bunch of the ingredients that are usually in the stew,” Kim said. “I also just like stews in general, and Korean stews tend to be on the spicy side, which makes them even more refreshing for me.” Alice Lee, a Weinberg freshman, also mentioned Soban when talking about her favorite Korean restaurants in Evanston. She also recommends Kokomo, an Orrington Avenue eatery which opened this past summer. One of her favorite dishes at Kokomo is the white jjamppong noodles.
Lee said that Soban and Kokomo are relatively similar, but differ in size. “It’s just that the environment, the vibe is different,” Lee said. “Soban is more cozy, smaller.” Catering to a predominantly American population, some of these Korean restaurants adapt the taste of their dishes. Jenny Huh, a Medill freshman, visits Kokomo and Koco Table frequently. She said the restaurants are more “Americanized.” “None of them tastes super authentic,” Huh said. “Some dishes are not as spicy as I know them to be. Sometimes the food can be sweeter.” Lee also discussed ways Korean dishes in Korea are different from those in the United States including that the cuisine often tastes saltier in the U.S. Some students said the harsh winters in Evanston make spicy Korean food especially attractive, as it can remind them of home during a cold day. Huh’s favorite dish at Koco Table is the seafood ramen. She said the ramen “ warms up your heart, and it tastes like home.” In addition to restaurants, students can also go to Asian supermarkets to acquire foreign ingredients to make their own meals. For example, H Mart in Niles, located 25 minutes by car from campus, offers a wide variety of products imported from Asia and comes recommended by students. There is also an H Mart in Greektown, accessible via the El. raynasong2023@u.northwestern.edu
Alpha Phi Alpha Candlelight Vigil
The Alpha Mu chapter of Northwestern’s Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity has set its annual candlelight vigil for Monday, Jan. 20 at 4 p.m. at the Alice Millar Chapel. It’ll feature performances from different University student groups and a keynote address. She coined the phrase “Me Too” in 2006 as part of her work building support among young survivors of harassment and assault.
Tarana Burke comes to Northwestern
“Me Too” founder Tarana Burke will come to Pick-Staiger Concert Hall on Northwestern’s campus to discuss the movement’s founding and development over the past few years at 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 27. Burke’s keynote presentation is a part of Northwestern’s MLK Dream Week. — Troy Closson
Craig Kohlruss/Fresno Bee/TNS
Tarana Burke, a founder of the #MeToo movement, speaks during a public event about empowerment and advocacy at Fresno State’s Satellite Student Union on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019.
Evanston reinstates free Sunday parking — going back to before March 2019
Daily file photo by Marissa Martinez
A parking meter in downtown Evanston. The city brought back free Sunday parking on Jan. 1.
As of Jan. 1, Evanston has brought back free Sunday parking. The city announced it would remove the $1.50 per hour parking fee from 1 to 9 p.m. for all city-owned meters and pay stations in a December news release. The parking rate was originally introduced in March 2019 as part of the city’s 2019 adopted budget, but was eliminated again in the 2020 adopted budget. The reduction in revenue from this change in the budget will be counteracted by other sources of funding, including the recentlypassed ordinance allowing for-profit events to be held at Welsh-Ryan Arena — an action that is expected to bring in approximately $200,000
a year for the city. Parking rates for non-Sunday hours, however, will increase at pay stations this year, moving from $1.50 per hour to $2.00 per hour. Commuter lots will stay at the current rate of $0.50 per hour, a change that was incorporated into the 2019 adopted budget. In accordance with state-wide parking taxes, the city will also alter costs for hourly and monthly parking in its three downtown garages. Starting on Feb. 1, rates for the first five hours of parking will increase by $1. Rates for hours 5-12 will be divided into two new categorizations of 5-8 hours and 8-12 hours. Finally, rates for hours 12-24 will increase by $2. Monthly permits will increase by $5 at all garages, except for rooftop-only permits for the 1800 Maple St. garage, which will cost $10 more. — Jacob Fulton
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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 7
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020
PHOTOGRAPH From page 1
“It’s important to us as adults, but it’s much more important to them,” Covode said. “It will affect them much more than it will affect me personally.” Kushner, Covode and Hughes worked with students on the project for two months, enabling them to approach issues through their personal and community contexts and to employ photographic techniques intentionally. Students combined written, visual and audio
DAISY
From page 1 The shelter will provide a light breakfast, beds, showers, laundry and storage, and residents can attend dinner at Hilda’s Place or Evanston Interfaith Action’s soup kitchen seven days a week. Connections for the Homeless will also provide the shelter’s residents with access to health care, employment and educational support, and mental health services including psychiatric care, according
STATEVILLE From page 1
something we can actually do.” Lackey said former inmates with bachelor’s and master’s degrees are re-arrested substantially less often. According to a National Institute
LETTERS From page 1
Color organizer. “As much as we do enjoy being able to engage with people on the inside, ultimately we want them to be out.” The United States maintains the world’s highest rate of incarceration, according to the Sentencing Project. In the past 40 years, the number of people in prisons increased by 500 percent, with 2.2 million incarcerated as of 2017. People of color disproportionately make up the prison population, at 67 percent. Gonring said she wanted to assist people in the prison system this past year, hoping to contribute to an educational institution with many resources. She said she sought out
elements to communicate their concerns and built live online portfolios to document their work. Kushner said the students gained empathy for the messages that were important to their peers when they shared their stories with each other. “We had to peel layers back as the kids were writing artist statements, looking at photographers and thinking about how they wanted to approach it,” Kushner said. “We asked, how is that relevant in your life? And what’s your specific take on it?” Eighth-grader Gabi Burnett’s piece focuses to a news release. A case worker will be assigned to each resident to help secure permanent housing as quickly as possible, but there is no limit to how long a resident can stay at Daisy’s Place. A news release states that by meeting the needs of homeless shelters’ residents, the likelihood of them obtaining and maintaining permanent housing has historically increased by 60 percent. Daisy’s Place received a grant from the State of Illinois specifically dedicated to forming a women’s shelter and will also be funded by individual donations, according to a news release.
on violence against queer people of color. In the photograph, she stands against the pansexual color scheme — pink, yellow and blue — with a pansexual flag on her cheek and two x’s over her eyes. Burnett said she hopes the Evanston audience will understand the frustration she expressed in her piece and stand up for individuals whose identities put them at risk. “It was scary,” Burnett said. “But it’s time to be vulnerable, so other people will notice, and actually act on what you’re doing… I want to grow up to be an activist.” Kouba said it received a “warm welcome” at a December First Ward meeting and from Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty, as well as from those involved with Connections for the Homeless and the First United Methodist Church. Mary Taylor-Johnson, director of communications and membership engagement at First United Methodist Church, said the congregants and staff are “excited” about Daisy’s Place. She suggested community members to get involved with Connections for the Homeless or First United Methodist
EPL will host a reception celebrating the students’ work on Jan. 14. The exhibit, which currently stands on the library’s second floor landing, will move to the new Robert Crown Center in February, and to the One River School in May. Kushner said her class will update and expand the exhibit when it relocates next month. “Now, I want to encourage them to say, what can we do about the problems?” Kushner said. “Beyond dialogue? How can we give people the tools to take action, and take action ourselves?” maiaspoto2023@u.northwestern.edu Church through volunteer work and other opportunities. Taylor-Johnson said when these organizations have a dependable team behind them, they are better equipped to serve the city through additional projects like Daisy’s Place. “Ending homelessness is going to take a lot more than opening one women’s shelter with a limited number of beds,” Taylor-Johnson said. “But this is a great step forward.” zoemalin2022@u.northwestern.edu
of Justice, recidivism rates are 5.6 percent for those with bachelor’s degrees and “effectively” 0 percent for those with master’s degrees. Currently NPEP only offers associate degrees, but an expanded bachelor’s degree track is coming soon said Sophia Ruark, president of NPEP’s undergraduate program.
While instruction is carried out mainly by professors and some graduate students, undergraduates can still support NPEP by volunteering to facilitate workshops within Stateville. Ruark directed those interested to NPEP’s website and their weekly meetings. “Education is transformative in any
environment,” she said. “The privilege that I have and the opportunity that I have to be part of their journey and be part of their pursuit of a higher education is the most valuable thing to me.”
local organizations with another student and reached out to Graduate School student Casey Goonan, who founded Rogers Park Prisoner Letter Writing Coalition only a few months before. Goonan said he became active in prison abolitionism after his family members were involved in the Pelican Bay hunger strikes, in which California inmates protested long-term solitary confinement and prison conditions. Within the past few years, he became more interested in correspondence and political education for imprisoned people and started hosting Rogers Park Prisoner Letter Writing Coalition events in collaboration with other local organizations. “It’s important to create spaces where folks
can get together and talk about these things,” Goonan said. Meeting for the second time on Northwestern’s campus, students said they hoped to spur impactful change on the prison abolitionist movement through correspondence. Imani Harris, a Medill sophomore who attended both events, said she has relatives currently in prisons and that she uses letters to communicate with her them. “Sometimes I write to them,” Harris said. “So I just want to keep them on my mind and remember that they exist, and even though I can’t see them and hear them, that they are oppressed as hell.” Some students said they already received responses after sending out the first round
of letters last quarter. Gonring, who recently received a reply, said she knew that this communication could lead to long-term correspondence. Depending on the success of the monthly meetup, the group has plans to expand. While Living in Color is currently focused on letterwriting, they may expand by hosting teach-ins and skill-building activities, Gonring said. “It’s especially important to not only support prisoners with your words but to be able to make sure they’re not lost once they get behind the walls,” Gonring said. “It’s really easy to feel like society has turned against you once you are there.”
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SPORTS
ON DECK JAN.
8
Men’s Basketball Northwestern at Indiana, 6 p.m. Wednesday
ON THE RECORD
I’ve found that the most successful offenses were very simply geared towards getting the ball to the guy who can do the most with it in his hands. — Mike Bajakian,
@DailyNU_Sports
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
FOOTBALL
Mike Bajakian shares new plan for Wildcats’ offense By CHARLIE GOLDSMITH
daily senior staffer @2021_charlie
On Mike Bajakian’s first day as the Bears’ quality control coach 15 years ago, he walked into the team facility excited to watch some of the best players in the world practice. He was expecting this March practice to be “the greatest thing ever,” watching some incredible displays of athleticism and the execution of the most complex drills. What Bajakian got instead was a chance to watch the Bears do the exact same drills he did at the Pop Warner level. That day has always stuck with Bajakian, who was introduced as Northwestern’s new offensive coordinator in a teleconference Monday afternoon. When he ran the offenses at Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Tennessee and Boston College — or when worked with Jameis Winston as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ quarterbacks coach — Bajakian always went back to the basics. “Anywhere I’ve ever been, whatever level of college or when I went back to the NFL, I’ve always started with that thought process,” the New Jersey native said. “Even with Jameis Winston in Tampa, we went back, and the drills we were doing was the same we did in elementary school.” Now Bajakian, 45, is starting over
Joshua Hoffman/The Daily Northwestern
Senior Jared Thomas.
again with the Wildcats. After NU went 3-9 last season and had one of the 10 worst offenses in the country, Bajakian said he’s been given a “clean slate” to design the Cats’ offense in whatever way he and the assistant coaches see fit. “When I talked to coach (Pat Fitzgerald) in the initial stages of the
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Golden: Pat Spencer needs to find old form ANDREW GOLDEN
SPORTS COLUMNIST
In the 77-68 loss to Minnesota on Sunday, grad transfer guard Pat Spencer hit double-digit scoring for the first time against a high-major team in over a month. Spencer kept Northwestern in the game with his confidence attacking the basket aggressively and drawing defenders. If the Wildcats want to have any hope to turn their season around, Spencer needs to carry his aggressive style on offense forward throughout the rest of the season. Heading into conference play, NU (5-8, 0-3 Big Ten) is in a tougher predicament than the Cats originally thought they would be at this point in the season. Before Sunday’s game, NU announced that junior guard Anthony Gaines was going to have season-ending shoulder surgery and freshman guard Boo Buie is out indefinitely. This is rock bottom for the Cats at this point in time and NU needs a spark — and if there’s anyone to do it, Spencer is the guy. Spencer brings a high level of intensity and confidence, at least early on in the season and the team fed off that energy. It shows in his fiery emotion after he scores and in the way he plays. But that had been lacking recently. Buie was starting to come into his own at point guard offensively, while Spencer was heading in the opposite direction. In the previous three games, Buie scored 26, 25 and 14 while Spencer finished with 4, 8 and 7. But Spencer had shown his flashes too earlier on in the season, looking unstoppable against Bradley and Pittsburgh during the Fort Myers Tip-Off and averaging 20.5 points per game. Of the remaining players, Spencer has the ability to create his shot off the dribble more than any on the team — and he proved it time and time again on Sunday in the paint. Against taller defenders and dealing with tough angles, the graduate guard was able to convert and-ones and
make them look easy. But while the Cats need Spencer to score, his attacking mentality will warrant a lot of attention from the defense, which means he has to be a distributor as well. With just seven scholarship players remaining, NU doesn’t have a player aside from Spencer who has an ability to consistently create their own shot. Sophomore forward Pete Nance has his flashes and his partner-in-crime Miller Kopp is stronger on the catch-and-shoot. If the Cats want to find ways to get open shots without any playmakers, Spencer will need to show his ability to find the open guy when he’s on the attack. While he doesn’t have a plethora of options, he could drive and kick out to open guys like Kopp and Nance, which worked in the second half. On pick and roll sets, redshirt freshman Ryan Young has been able to find open shots throughout the season off passes from Spencer. The graduate guard can only do so much shooting, so creating for his teammates could be beneficial moving forward. Without Gaines or Turner on the court, NU needs a leader to set the tone and the example for how the team needs to be playing. Even though Spencer is as experienced on a basketball court at this level as the current freshman, he knows what it takes to be a leader of the team. No one expects Spencer to play out of this world and the team has more problems than just his early season struggles. But he needs to exude and play with the same confidence that he showed earlier in the season and attack offensively like it. If Spencer can play like he played tonight, it could be the first step in the Cats rising up from rock bottom. Andrew Golden is a Medill junior. He can be contacted at andrewgolden2021@u. northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
interview process, I said, listen, we’re not going to win football games because of some magical scheme,” Bajakian said. “We’re going to win football games because we play with greater effort than other guys.” NU had run Mick McCall’s spread offense since 2008, but after he was
fired on Dec. 1, Fitzgerald looked for a potential coordinator who had experience running multiple different schemes. At Central Michigan, Bajakian created an uptempo spread offense that highlighted star receiver Antonio Brown. When he went to Cincinnati,
he tweaked it so star tight end Travis Kelce would have more to do. At Boston College, the offense became more run-heavy, built around all-ACC running back A.J. Dillon. So Bajakian isn’t bringing a specific gameplan with him — he says his only philosophy is getting the ball in the hands of his best playmakers. “In my past I’ve been a part of many different schemes and many different personnel groups,” he said. “I’ve found that the most successful offenses were very simply geared towards getting the ball to the guy who can do the most with it in his hands.” Bajakian had his first meeting with the offensive coaches Tuesday morning, and NU will return its entire staff of offensive assistant coaches next season. The majority of the offseason will be spent recreating the offense around its best playmakers, which will include a powerful running back in Isaiah Bowser and a shifty slot receiver in Riley Lees. Bajakian said he has no timetable for naming a quarterback, but he said he won’t overanalyze Hunter Johnson, Aidan Smith and Andrew Marty’s struggles last season. “It’s a clean slate for everybody,” Bajakian said. “We’re still in the evaluation process, but more important than what they’ve done in the past is what they’re going to do moving forward.” charliegoldsmith2021@u.northwestern.edu
Warren: ‘NU’ goals for the 2020s PETER WARREN
SPORTS COLUMNIST
New Year’s resolutions tend to be boring, unfulfilled cliches that people forget by the time the calendar flips to February. But the start of a new decade allows for different goals that — for the most part — won’t fall into old tropes and cliches: new decade resolutions. The 2010s was a great decade for Northwestern athletics, both on and off the field, and the 2020s has the potential to be the same. The next 10 years are shaping up to be a fascinating time for collegiate sports, with the name, image and likeness law leading the way as the storyline to follow on a national level. But for the Wildcats’ athletic department, these are six resolutions that should be readily on their minds.
Continuing to invest in the Wildcats
The biggest sports accomplishment of the past decade has been upgrading NU’s facilities into some of the best in the country. The question for this decade is what’s next on the investment front. Maybe it’s one large project — like upgrading Ryan Field in time for its 100th anniversary in 2026 —or maybe it’s a plethora of smaller-scale ventures. Most likely, it’s a mix of both. In December, the athletic department announced a new program called Champions for Wildcat Women, which will further advance women’s athletics in Evanston. This program will be an emphasis for years to come, but I doubt it’s the only innovative campaign the athletic department pursues.
Raising the Northwestern brand
NU athletics is as national of a brand as it has ever been, and
continuing to build that exposure over the coming years is as crucial as ever. Some of it — playing football games on network television instead of BTN, for example — is out of the school’s hands, but there are still plenty of ways to raise recognition. Being innovative on online platforms, especially Twitter and Instagram, will be key to expanding the country’s awareness and respect for the Cats. And while these initiatives will help raise NU’s profile, there’s only one foolproof way to increase recognition: winning. That leads into the next two resolutions.
Win at least two national championships
There are plenty of teams who could lift a national championship trophy this decade. The lacrosse team tops the list — it would be shocking if they don’t win at least one national championship in the next 10 years — but they shouldn’t be the only ones. A great athletic department takes pride in being more than a one-sport school, and nothing proves that fact more than winning multiple national championships.
Make the Rose Bowl
The reason d’etre of the football program. There have been 106 Rose Bowls, and the Cats have only been in two — and they haven’t won since 1949. It’s the most famous bowl game in history, and in a world where many bowls have lost luster, the Granddaddy of Them All is still as glamorous as a Jay Gatsby house party. Pat Fitzgerald has accomplished a lot during his tenure at NU: sustained national relevance, won not just one but multiple bowl games, won the division. Making a Rose Bowl is the one big thing that has escaped him so far.
Improve student attendance at games
Student attendance at college sporting events is a problem
at schools all across the county, and NU has been no exception. When fans show up at Ryan Field, Welsh-Ryan Arena and the other facilities, the energy can be electric. But when they don’t, the atmosphere is as unexciting as it gets in the Big Ten. Winning games helps a lot, but it’s not a be-all, end-all for this issue. It’s about cultivating a gameday environment that is fun and makes fans want to come back. The athletic department is taking some of the right steps, but there’s still more they can do — like selling alcohol at games — to rise attendance to a consistently great level.
Nail the replacement for Jim Phillips
You can make a really strong argument that Phillips is the best athletic director in Northwestern’s history. He’s one of the best ADs in the country right now, and the school would love to keep him around for as long as possible. There’s a scenario where he stays in Evanston until then, continuing to revolutionize the industry while leading the Wildcats. But the odds he still has an office in the Walter Athletic Center by the end of the decade — when Phillips would be in his 22nd year on the job — are very small. If he leaves, NU needs to make sure his replacement has the potential to be just as good. That’s a tall task, but long-term achievement is built upon sustained success. And hiring someone who can build upon the infrastructure and culture Phillips shaped would make sure that happens. Peter Warren is a Medill junior. He can be contacted at peterwarren2021@u.northwestern. edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.