The Daily Northwestern — January 21, 2022 by The Daily Northwestern

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The Daily Northwestern Friday, January 21, 2022

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Newly-implemented state bill will require body-worn cameras for all police officers

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Local therapists address high demand Many therapists are continuing to offer teletherapy By AVIVA BECHKY

the daily northwestern @avivabechky

Photo and graphic by Jonah Elkowitz

Students living in Quarantine and Isolation housing adjust to getting roommates and struggle to get in contact with the COVID-19 Response Team.

Checking into Hotel Hinman

Students in Quarantine and Isolation housing share experiences By CAROLINE BREW

daily senior staffer

Communication sophomore Kalan Hauser tested positive for COVID-19 immediately after returning to campus for Winter Quarter.

City sees drop in positive COVID cases Evanston saw an almost two percentage point decrease in its seven-day moving average positivity rate this week compared to last. The average seven-day positivity rate among residents decreased to 4.16% compared to last week’s 6.02%, a declining trend for the last month. The seven-day average test positivity rate this week in Illinois has also declined to 14.8% this week — a 1.4 percentage point decrease from last week. In Cook County, the test positivity is 13.4% this week. Evanston now experiences a one-day delay in reporting COVID-19 case data after contact tracing efforts shifted from the city level to the state level on Thursday. Taking this into account, the reported number of positive cases over the last seven days includes 273 cases reported Jan. 13 — a record high in positive case numbers for the city. This figure was also reported in the seven-day cases count last week. When looking only at the last six days, excluding the doublecounted Jan. 13, this week had a 250 positive case reduction compared to the six days prior. The double-counting made Evanston’s

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Thirty minutes later, he moved into Quarantine and Isolation housing in 1835 Hinman — which he said was “not a fun stay at all.” “I felt malnourished. I felt alone. I felt not listened to (or) heard,” Hauser said. “I was just counting the days until I could positive case count appear higher than they are. Continuing to examine positive cases in a six day period, the average number of positive cases reported per day this week was about 78 compared to last week’s six-day average of approximately 119. As of Thursday, 95.4% of Evanston residents ages 5 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, which represents a 0.8 percentage point increase from last week — the same increase as the previous week. 85.3% of residents in that age group are fully vaccinated. In Illinois, 79.2% of individuals ages 5 and older have received at least one dose — an almost 1% increase from last week — and 69.6% are fully vaccinated. In Cook County, these percentages are 76.3% and 68.3%, respectively. Individuals 12 years and older who completed their Pfizer primary series vaccination at least five months ago are eligible for a booster shot. Those ages 18 and older who received the Moderna primary series vaccination at least five months ago are also eligible. Residents ages 18 and older can “mix-and-match” their booster shot, allowing them to receive a different vaccine type as authorized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. — Angeli Mittal

get out.” Students living in Quarantine and Isolation housing have reported facing a number of challenges, including some forced to live with assigned roommates, not receiving meals and unable to contact NU’s COVID-19 Response Team.

Northwestern announced it would assign roommates to students in isolation — those who tested positive for COVID19 — as cases increase. While Hauser did not receive an assigned roommate, he said the

» See Q&I, page 6

Content warning: This article contains mentions of abuse, depression and anxiety. Danielle Shannon started their own Chicago therapy practice with colleague Eva Ball during the pandemic. Many therapists did the same, Shannon said, finding new clients with an ease she’s never seen before. “It’s weird when your profession can expand more quickly and easily because of a societal crisis,” Shannon said. “That feels very strange for a lot of therapists who went into this field because they care about helping people.” As the pandemic continues, some therapists say they’re seeing increasing demand for services and rising amounts of anxiety, depression and isolation among their clients. They’re also responding to new challenges posed by telehealth therapy and changing relationships between therapists and patients. Increasing demand

In a December New York Times survey of 1,320 therapists, nine out of 10 said they experienced a rise in demand for their services. Among those seeing greater interest is Sadie Baker, a therapist at Chicago Therapy & Wellness. “Isolation is one of the biggest risk factors for depression and mental illness more broadly,” Baker said. “It’s sort of forced a lot of people to look at things that maybe they wouldn’t have.” Baker said isolation commonly causes worsening mental health. She added that many of her clients live with HIV and are dealing with the trauma of having already survived a pandemic. As pandemic restrictions change, psychotherapist Max Beshers said people’s worries do, too. Small losses of connection make an impact. “One of my patients was telling me today in his session that he noticed that he doesn’t smile when he’s out in public anymore because it’s covered by a mask,” Beshers said. “It takes a toll.” Eric Cho, a psychotherapist and owner of IMPROVing Life Counseling Inc., said most therapists at his practice have full caseloads. They’ve been referring interested patients elsewhere, he said, but many of the locations they refer to

» See THERAPY, page6

ASG, admin to discuss protest policy The revisions come after ASG meetings with student activists By JOANNA HOU

daily senior staffer @joannah_11

Members of Associated Student Government plan to meet with Northwestern administrators Monday to discuss potential revisions to the University’s demonstration policy. NU’s policy on response to student protests has sparked concerns among activists. Some worry about the vague outlining of potential consequences for violating the policy, while others believe the policy fails to protect protestors. Weinberg senior Margot Bartol, ASG’s executive officer of accountability, said the University’s protest policy is reviewed on a three-year cycle, with its latest review completed Aug. 20, 2020. During the review, Bartol said the policy itself remained untouched. After students protested at the Iowa-NU football game this fall, Bartol said some ASG leaders considered reviewing and revising the protest policy before the three-year cycle ends. Bartol and Weinberg senior Karina KarboWright, ASG’s executive officer of justice and inclusion, spent the

last month and a half meeting with student activists to get a sense of activists’ opinions and demands. They will introduce these points to the administration at Monday’s meeting. According to Bartol, the policy is unclear about the repercussions student protesters face, so administrators can decide on the consequences on a case-by-case basis. She added that this makes it difficult for student activists to conduct risk assessments for protestor safety. Numerous concerns and debates surrounded this section of the demonstration policy last fall. “What me and Margot really wanted to do is try to craft this new demonstration policy as much on the side of the students as we can,” Karbo-Wright said. Activists like Students for Justice in Palestine organizer and Weinberg sophomore Assem Belhadj said the consequences outlined have hurt many students, especially students of color. “(The policy) is contradictory to the needs of activists,” Belhadj said. “We think that it’s designed to prevent activism and prevent meaningful change at the University.”

Illustration by Olivia Abeyda

Over the last month and a half, NU activists have met with ASG officers to discuss the University’s demonstration policy. Now, ASG officials plan to take those concerns to administrators on Monday.

Fundamental contradictions and unclear boundaries In a Nov. 30 interview with The Daily, Vice President for Student Affairs Julie Payne-Kirchmeier said if student protestors were identified following the Nov. 6 Iowa-NU football game protest, the University would “follow up” with them. In a Nov. 9 email to students outlining the demonstration policy, possible ramifications for “disruptive” protest included “suspension,

expulsion or legal consequences as appropriate.” A SESP sophomore and member of NU Dissenters, who chose to remain anonymous because of safety concerns, said this section of the demonstration policy makes little sense to her. “There’s a complete and total misunderstanding of what it means to protest and (NU’s) definition of protest is not meaningful,” she

» See PROTEST POLICY, page 6

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022

AROUND TOWN

New state bill requires body cameras for all officers By ISABELLE BUTERA

the daily northwestern @isabelle_butera

Illinois is now one of seven states to require police officers to wear body cameras, small video and audio recording devices typically attached to an officer’s uniform. HB 3653, also known as The SAFE-T Act, requires officers to keep their cameras on while on duty or engaged in “any law enforcement-related encounter or activity.” The act, signed into law February 2021, will require body cameras for municipalities of over 500,000 people starting on Jan. 1 and extend to smaller cities in 2025. The legislation was part of an omnibus effort of the Illinois Black Caucus to counter systemic racism. State Rep. Marcus Evans (D-Chicago) is one of the bill’s co-sponsors. He said more states should also pass similar legislation. “We know this is the way of the future, don’t fight it. Let’s keep our law enforcement very open so that we can build trust,” Evans said. Officer-worn body cameras allow police to collect evidence, gather information for training and provide impartial documentation to settle allegations of officer misconduct, according to the bill’s text. The bill mandates that all recordings must be kept for 90 days, after which they will be destroyed. The supervisor of the recording officer may access the recording to complete incident reports, however, officers will not have access to their own body camera footage. State House Republicans took issue with the bill being passed in a lame-duck session. House Republicans filed HB 4499 on Jan. 13 in an attempt to repeal the SAFE-T act. Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis) filed the “anti-police reforms” bill and eight Republicans co-sponsored. “This is one step Illinois can take to restore law and order and stem the tide of spiraling crime,” Windhorst said in a statement on his website. The statewide mandate goes into effect in 2024 for Evanston, a municipality under 100,000. But Evanston Police Department instituted a body camera pilot program in 2017 and City Council granted the department $1.1 million to expand body-worn camera usage to

Illustration by Grace Wang

By 2025, all law enforcement officials must wear police body cameras while on duty. Cameras must be turned on at all times, equipped to record 30 seconds before activation, and capable of recording for 10 hours.

all EPD officers in 2018 following the pilot’s success. “Having body-worn cameras is a best practice is a commitment to transparency,” Evanston Police Cmdr. Ryan Glew said. “I think it gives officers and citizens a peace of mind to know that the body-worn cameras are deployed and the interactions are being recorded.” Other benefits from EPD’s body-worn camera program include their evidentiary footage,which can be used in court proceedings, as well as their ability to compensate for the failings of the human memory and the helpfulness in dispute and complaint resolution, Glew said. A July 2021 Daily investigation found EPD withheld body camera footage from a resident following an incident in which police may have pointed guns toward her kids. Kenny Winslow, chief of police in Springfield, Ill. and deputy director at The Illinois Association of Police

Chiefs said about half of his officers were hesitant to use body-worn cameras at first. But officers now tell him they don’t want to go on duty without their cameras. “We see how the cameras work, how they help with transparency, how they help with complaint resolution, how they help with evidence, how they help with improving case support,” Winslow said. “They also hold us accountable out there, making sure that our officers are doing what we want them to do. One major drawback of the body camera mandate is the cost. Ed Wojcicki, ILAPC’s executive director, said the three major costs include the cameras themselves, storage of footage and the personnel time to review footage and Freedom of Information Act requests. A June 2021 article from the American Civil Liberties Union raised the concern that body cameras will invade resident privacy. A 2016 study from the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy at George

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Mason University found 92.6% of recorded evidence from body-worn cameras was used to prosecute private citizens. Northwestern linguistics and computer science Prof. Rob Voigt studies body camera footage to measure linguistic differences that show racial disparities in police respectfulness during traffic stops. He said this law can be effective in reducing these racial disparities in police treatment as long as departments make body camera footage accessible to researchers and oversight agencies. State Rep. Camille Lilly (D-Oak Park) emphasized the importance of the body camera requirement for Illinois. “Body cameras will allow all of us to have the information and conversations that allow us to be a better society,” Lilly said. isabellebutera2025@u.northwestern.edu

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022

ON CAMPUS

Researchers find diabetes treatment

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By IRIS SWARTHOUT

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the daily northwestern @swarthout_iris

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Editor in Chief Isabelle Sarraf

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Researchers at Northwestern recently discovered a new potential mechanism for treating Type 1 diabetes. Using biomedical engineering and nanotechnology — the engineering of microscopic materials to conduct processes — researchers can make one-time insulin-producing cell injections into mice without provoking large-scale immune responses. McCormick Prof. Guillermo Ameer said he joined McCormick Prof. Evan Scott roughly four years ago to pursue an immunobiology project undertaken by a graduate student. However, Scott said his work with Ameer began well before then. “He was one of the faculty that helped mentor me,” Scott said. “We also do a lot of work together in diversity initiatives and regenerative medicine … we had been looking for a chance for our labs to work together and so this was perfect.” Type 1 diabetic individuals are unable to produce insulin, a compound that helps reduce blood sugar concentrations and keep them at a healthy range. Although many Type 1 diabetics take insulin capsules daily to account for this discrepancy, the researchers found a way to regularly introduce insulin to the body internally so treatment requires only a one-time injection. This newfound treatment relies on transporting pancreatic islets, or regions of the pancreas that contain cells necessary for blood sugar breakdown, into the body. Recent biomedical engineering Ph.D. graduate Jacqueline Burke, who defended the project in her thesis, said her work centers around the study of pancreatic islets and their application to diabetic patients. However, Burke said typical pancreatic islet transplants tend to have drastically negative impacts on patients. She added her motivation for making insulin-producing cell injections more comfortable stems from her personal relationship to the disease. “I’m a Type 1 diabetic, so it’s particularly impactful for me,” she said. “The other issue is with

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Northwestern researchers discovered a more accommodating treatment for Type 1 diabetes.

this immunosuppressive therapy that is required … the side effects that are affecting patients are worse than living with Type 1 diabetes.” Burke said her project, whose publication she co-authored with Scott and Ameer, subdues the immune system’s response to pancreatic islet transplants. By using nanotechnology, pancreatic islets can be inserted just below the skin for immune cells to identify and deliver to safe locations in the body while avoiding a dramatic immune response, Scott said. In mice, this safe spot is the kidney, but for humans the liver is treated as such. Scott added aspects of the process are similar to how modern vaccines work. When vaccines are inserted below the skin, immune cells can identify the disabled germ and distribute its genetic code to the rest of the immune system so it can be easily targeted and destroyed in the future. However in the case of Type 1 diabetic immunotherapy, Scott said the goal is different. “It’s like a vaccine,” Scott said. “Except in this case, the vaccine is teaching cells to not attack.”

This new development in delivering insulinproducing cells to the body without inducing retaliation from the immune system is a major development in immunobiology, according to Burke. He said he and Scott’s research groups are the first to reveal the feasibility of this mechanism. However, Scott said the development of a viable drug for diabetic patients is still years down the road. The Scott and Ameer labs have only experimented with mice at this point, and while non-human primates are the next subjects to be tested, Scott said it will take many clinical trials and fundraising efforts until the Food and Drug Administration can approve a pharmaceutical drug. Ameer said he is proud of Burke for her hard work in outputting the project and is satisfied with the current publication of the project. “I’m very satisfied that we have such high quality students that want to come up to Northwestern and join our teams … and do this type of high quality, high level work,” he said.

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WINTER CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL A celebration of chamber music brilliance

MIRÓ QUARTET

Saturday, January 22

YING QUARTET

Sunday, January 23

Blair Milton, director Made possible in part by the generous support of the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation

Bienen School of Music Quartet-in-Residence All performances at 7:30 p.m. in Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

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DOVER QUARTET Tuesday, February 15

4 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022

By RAYNA SONG

daily senior staffer @raynayu_song

Wearing a simple black T-shirt that says “GENDER IS OVER! IF YOU WANT IT,” Chicago-based actor Will Wilhelm (Communication ’14) spoke with The Daily about their non-binary identity and upcoming performances at Northwestern. Wilhelm will perform a solo show Friday at Josephine Louis Theater entitled “Gender Play: Or What You Will.” The show explores William Shakespeare’s classics from a gender-imaginative perspective. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. The Daily: What is your upcoming performance at NU about? Wilhelm: In “Gender Play: Or What You Will,” you will meet a genderqueer actor named Will who invites you into this space that, at first, has a party vibe, and then very quickly turns into something much more mystical and magical. We then call in the spirits of Shakespeare, and the two Wills become friends and help each other. While the playwright feels betrayed at how his legacy has been preserved, the actor tries to understand what it means to be a genderqueer person in a world where queer communities are not reflected in art and queer histories aren’t written down. The Daily: In the past, you worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon for two years, where you portrayed several genderqueer characters. How did you become interested in Shakespeare’s works? Wilhelm: I’ve always wanted to do Shakespeare professionally. Shakespeare is brilliant in that we are allowed to adapt and reimagine them infinitely. I think that’s where the power is, and the stories themselves are potent enough that they can be applied in so many places. By looking at the text and putting myself into many of these characters, it’s so easy to read queerness into them. My experience as a queer person also affects how I interpret the characters. The Daily: How did you explore queerness at NU? Wilhelm: Evanston was where I was able to really explore what queerness is to me, which is an enormous part of my identity. My queerness is so central to how I see the world, and this affects everything I do. At NU, it was really hard to construct who I was as a performer

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when there were a lot of things to learn about myself. In the few years after school, being around nightlife and the queer community, I started to step into and understand myself as a trans person and how that had its own ramifications in the work that I do. The Daily: If you could say anything to NU theatre students, what would you tell them? Wilhelm: I would say, don’t take everything so seriously. Continue to be just as passionate as you are, but know that this is the time where you get to make big swings and fail gloriously. This is the time to take that big, creative swing and see what happens, because you are learning. Remember to give your heart space to lead as well.

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Exploring Shakespeare’s classics from a gender-imaginative perspective

raynasong2023@u.northwestern.edu

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Photo courtesy of Tyler Core

A poster of “Gender Play: Or What You Will.” Actor and alum Will Wilhelm will perform at Northwestern on Friday.

“Emily in Paris” was not written to be taken seriously By DIVYA BHARDWAJ

the daily northwestern

There is a litany of common complaints against Netflix show “Emily in Paris,” mostly concerning its central archetypal storyline: a

clueless American woman moves to Paris for work and finds the French lifestyle equally charming and baffling. In Emily’s Paris, the French are adulterous, aloof hedonists who lack workplace etiquette, and she, the American, is a polished, brazen go-getter who loves her job a bit too

Stephanie Branchu/Netflix/TNS

much. French critics have condemned the show ’s romanticism and exaggeration of Parisian culture, and Americans have also taken offense to how Emily’s narcissism and ignorance perpetuate negative stereotypes about Americans. Even Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria penned a strongly worded criticism of the writers of “Emily in Paris” in response to the show’s critique of its deep dish pizza. For one reason or another, “Emily in Paris” struck a nerve — it quickly became a hatewatch phenomenon. Indeed, if “Emily in Paris” presented itself as a realistic, genuine portrayal of life as an American expatriate in France, I would understand why it’s the subject of so much derision. The Lily Collins-led show is an escapist dramedy — which makes those who put so much energy into pointing out its inaccuracies seem ridiculous. “Emily in Paris” wholeheartedly embraces its absurdity, even more so in the second season than in the first. Emily’s French-inspired but unmistakably American outfits become more whimsical. Secret romances and friendships become more complicated, and over-the-top workplace drama completely replaces any kind of actual work. Emily herself goes from being naive and a little annoying to arguably becoming the villain of the show. But as the cliche storylines and titular character became increasingly insufferable, the show became increasingly popular. The second season of “Emily in Paris,” which was released on Dec. 22, 2021, debuted in the Netflix Global Top 10, and last week Netflix announced the

show was renewed for a third and fourth season. While it’s certainly possible — and even likely — the majority of views are from hatewatchers, it’s clear that “Emily in Paris” has people hooked. “Emily in Paris” is excellent entertainment because of its lack of realism. While it’s not tasteful or convincing, watching Emily live out her romantic vision of life in Paris while committing faux pas after faux pas is captivating. As Darren Star, the show’s creator, put it, “if it were about a character who came to France and spoke perfect French and knew her place in a French company and behaved according to all the cultural dictates, there wouldn’t be a show.” Personally, I enjoy the extravagant, fanciful portrayal of Emily’s life in Paris — it is pure escapism. It is a creative work that’s disconnected from reality, and the genre of escapist television, film and literature has merit as a means of distraction from everyday concerns. I have been learning French for seven years and have spent time in France, so if I were judging “Emily in Paris” as a representation of French culture, of course it would fall short. But I don’t watch for education or even accuracy — I simply watch for leisure. In fact, people who only consume media for intellectual stimulation must be miserable. A television show doesn’t need to be a critically acclaimed, masterful work of social commentary to have merit. As the millions of viewers of “Emily in Paris” attest, works of art that exist merely for enjoyment are also greatly appreciated. divyabhardwaj2025@u.northwestern.edu

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022

Campus welcomes comedy “NU”-comers to the scene By NIXIE STRAZZA

the daily northwestern @nixiestrazza

While some students have dedicated years to crafting the perfect punchline, others at Northwestern are just getting started in the comedy scene. Communication sophomore Orly Lewittes’s comedy career began with a lie. She was first introduced to stand up when she snuck into an adults-only comedy club at age 14. Lewittes said she ended the night knowing how she wanted to spend the rest of her life. The following summer, Lewittes slipped into a training program for older students at The Second City, Chicago’s renowned comedy theatre, where she again dodged questions of her age to take classes on improv, stand up and sketch comedy. Lewittes honed her skills throughout high school, submitting self-written plays for school performances and participating in stand up for charity events. Despite her experience, Lewittes said arriving in Evanston was a completely different ball game given the immense talent at NU. “Getting to NU as someone who wants to do comedy is the scariest thing in the world,” Lewittes said. “But the best, scariest, most amazing, beautiful dark place once you figure it out.” Lewittes joined The Bix, NU’s musical improv group her freshman year, and auditioned for Sit and Spin Productions’ stand-up show. Much to her surprise, Lewittes said she was not only cast in the exclusive performance, but was also asked to close the show. After a whirlwind of auditions in the fall, Lewittes said she secured a spot in the Mee-Ow Show, NU’s improv and sketch comedy group, known to have rejected Seth Meyers (Communication ’96) until his senior year. With daily rehearsals and sketch deadlines for the group’s upcoming winter performances Jan. 27 to 29,

Lewittes said she has opted to be a part-time student this quarter. “I am putting my academics on the back burner to write a bunch of fart jokes,” Lewittes said. “And I couldn’t be more pleased with my choice.” Like Lewittes, Communication sophomore Eli Civetta began comedy at a young age. He was introduced to comedy by his father, a former actor and founder of the nonprofit children’s theatre Extraordinarily Sophisticated Imagination Club. He joined the program in middle school, where he tried his hand at improv through games and group performances held during the camp’s offseason. In 2019, Civetta was selected to participate in a kids comedy showcase at the Laugh Factory run by Saturday Night Live cast member Kenan Thompson. After arriving at NU, Civetta joined No Fun Mud Piranhas, known as “Cas-Prov” for its casual and inclusionary atmosphere, and is now the group’s secretary of education. Civetta said the group provides a place for all potential performers to workshop improv and sketch skills through games and individualized mentoring. He said there is more to learn from improv than simply getting laughs. “Improv teaches you to think on your feet,” Civetta said. “Taking an idea that someone throws out there and heightening it to the next level is a great skill to have in any collaborative environment.” Civetta regularly travels into Chicago during the week to perform improv at CIC Theater with his sister Sophie (Communication ’21), a member of The Second City’s conservatory program. Communication junior Anelga Hajjar began her improv comedy career in tandem with her theatre education. She joined long-form improv troupe The Titanic Players in her freshman year. Through Titanic, company members get the opportunity to perform regularly at The Comedy Clubhouse, a comedy club owned by artistic director

Illustration by Olivia Abeyta

Northwestern offers a variety of student groups and opportunities for students interested in comedy.

Mike Abdelsayed. To prepare for shows, Hajjar said the group focuses on ensemble-building to create a more cohesive storyline onstage. “It’s not about being the funniest,” Hajjar said. “It is about telling a story and supporting the ideas that your team members offer.” Titanic auditions a new team every year that sticks together for the rest of their NU career. Developing skills with the same group of people creates a space for shared growth, vulnerability and trust, which translates to good comedy, Hajjar said. Lewittes said it takes time to overcome growing

pains and find your voice upon entering the NU comedy scene. She compared the process to breaking in a leather jacket, an article of clothing she has admittedly never owned. In an industry where everyone is a “swiss army knife,” fit for many functions, Lewittes said she is glad to have the space to develop her craft at NU. “What scares you as a freshman quickly turns into awe and excitement,” Lewittes said. “You just learn so much from the people around you.” nixiestrazza2024@u.northwestern.edu

Waa-Mu Show turns 91, continues creative legacy By JOANNE HANER

the daily northwestern @joanne_n_h

More than 100 students work to put together the largest student-written musical in the country each year, the Waa-Mu Show. The Waa-Mu Show will soon celebrate its 91st

Photo courtesy of Madeline Oberle

Cast members perform in the 84th annual Waa-Mu show, “Gold.”

year in production with the murder mystery-inspired tale “A Peculiar Inheritance.” Communication sophomore Daniel Maton, who serves as a Waa-Mu co-chair, described this year’s show as “upbeat and exciting.” “Students are writing their own musical. That’s the thing that just astounds me,” Maton said. “The idea that people were both writing an entire book as well as composing it in what is basically a couple of months was just unbelievable.” The Waa-Mu show was founded in 1929 as a cabaret of songs intended to raise funds for the Women’s Athletic Association and Men’s Union, hence the name Waa-Mu. Over the years, the show turned into a more cohesive, full-length musical independent of its initial founding organizations. Communication junior and co-chair Madeline Oberle said Waa-Mu made history as NU’s first co-ed theatre production. While most of NU’s theatre boards are entirely student-run and organized, the Waa-Mu Show is the only student theatre group on campus that works in collaboration with the Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts. “All of that experience is still going to be facilitated by professionals,” Oberle said. “Knowing that we have the Wirtz staff and professionals that we hire in to comment

on how we can improve and what things are actually like in the real world and how we can make Waa-Mu emulate that better for students to be better prepared post-grad.” Unlike most theatre groups on campus, Waa-Mu premieres in Cahn Auditorium, which can hold up to 1,000 people. The only other student-run show on campus that compares in scale is the Dolphin Show. Waa-Mu also has a subdivision of first-year students known as Waa-2. These students work with the writers to help develop the show, as well as perform at events on campus or for alumni to promote the Waa-Mu Show. Bienen and Communication junior Wes D’Alelio joined Waa-Mu as a freshman and was a member of Waa-2. He now serves as one of the show’s assistant music directors and a member of the writing team. This year, he is also the organization’s first music historian. “Every bit of our storytelling and the inception of the idea and the structure and all the composition and all the lyrics, we can say that we did it and we did it together. And that’s really incredible,” D’Alelio said. joannehaner2024@u.northwestern.edu

Vertigo Productions’s playrights reach new heights By JAMIE KIM

the daily northwestern

As a theatre board that produces new student-written work, Vertigo Productions amplifies the voices of student playwrights. Vertigo is one of the theatre boards in Northwestern’s Student Theatre Coalition. The board produces one mainstage show in the fall, one in the spring and selects three plays for its Winter Reading Series. “We really try to uplift voices that have been marginalized in the past or might not have the same platform,” said Communication senior Rick Hilscher, Vertigo’s co-chair and president. This year’s Winter Reading Series features “Halal House,” “The Last Twelve Lives of Martin the Mayfly” and “Regicide.” Open call auditions for Vertigo’s spring mainstage show, “The Bloody Bricks and Blows of American Dream High,” were hosted on Thursday over Zoom. Vertigo also hosts a 10-Minute Play Festival at the end of Winter Quarter. Communication sophomore Daniel Calderon said it is different to write a work and actually see it performed, and that Vertigo gives student playwrights that opportunity and experience. Calderon, one of the production managers on Vertigo’s executive board, said the 10-Minute Play Festival is a great opportunity for first-time writers or playwrights who have never had their work produced before. Playwrights can not only write their own plays,

but also interact with actors and go through the workshopping process. Calderon also encourages students to come celebrate and support the work of featured playwrights because what is considered new work now becomes established work later on. “New work is the future,” he said. “New work reflects what’s going on on campus.” After trying to “poke around” and find boards that she connected with, Vertigo Co-Chair and Treasurer Sunnie Eraso petitioned to join Vertigo in the spring of her freshman year. The Communication junior had taken a playwriting class during Winter Quarter and attended several Vertigo shows prior to petitioning.

Eraso said joining the board with the explicit mission of supporting new student playwrights was a “soul-affirming” experience. Vertigo has given her the opportunity to be a part of a team that has developed her self-confidence and self-trust, she said, and she hopes it can be a place of support for other individuals who are just starting out. “If you’ve never written a play before in your life, but you have a story that you just have to tell, come talk to us,” Eraso said. The process of selecting works includes understanding why playwrights chose to write their stories and what speaks to them, Hilscher said. Board members also examine stories that speak to them individually and demonstrate interesting writing styles, experiment

with forms or utilize a traditional form well. Hilscher also said Vertigo has been a community that he depends on heavily and loves collaborating with. He’s excited to see what the future holds as new members petition to join the board in the spring. “I hope we can get some great new people to come on and share their voices and help shape the future of new work,” Hilscher said. jamiekim25@u.northwestern.edu

arts & entertainment Editor Rayna Song Assistant Editors Alexa Crowder Audrey Hettleman Kaila Nichols Designer Sara Gronich

Daily file photo by Joanne Haner

“Centerville, New Jersey Has a Problem with Trout,” Vertigo’s 2021 fall show in Shanley Pavilion.

Staff Divya Bhardwaj, Joanne Haner, Jamie Kim, Nixie Strazza

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022

THERAPY From page 1

are now filling their caseloads as well. “A lot of comments that I’ve actually gotten from potential clients is they haven’t actually been hearing back from some people,” Cho said. “There’s just been pretty high demand right now.” However, that increase hasn’t been universal or steady. Valerie Cifuentes and Alison Stoll, therapists who work at Children’s Advocacy Center of North & Northwest Cook County, said patient referrals slowed slightly when schools switched to virtual learning. Their waiting lists, however, have consistently remained present. Teletherapy The pandemic forced many therapists to move their practices online. While some have returned to in-person work, many have continued offering telehealth therapy. Online therapy is easier to attend for some, like those looking for a therapist of a particular identity group, those in rural areas or those for whom leaving their homes is difficult. Baker said she saw those benefits for her clients. “(Many of my clients) would never have been able to find a trans therapist, but they were able to see me because we can do teletherapy,” Baker said. “I would never have even thought (to do) teletherapy if I hadn’t been forced to.” But Baker said virtual meetings make it harder to gauge patients’ emotional states. Beyond that, not everyone has a safe, private space for therapy sessions. Cho said he’s had sessions with some patients in their cars and knows other therapists who have done the same. Some patients are also left doing therapy in the

PROTEST POLICY From page 1

said. “It’s not radical in the sense that to protest is to disrupt and in their policy that’s not allowed.” Payne-Kirchmeier said when protest interferes with a concurrent University policy and poses a risk to safety, students may be subject to the student conduct process. She did not elaborate on specifics of the process. Belhadj said the ambiguity around protesting that violates the demonstration policy is an “added stress” for student activists. “(The demonstration policy) is a way to restrict and define ‘appropriate’ protest … but protests can’t always be just one thing defined by a rich, predominantly white institution,” Belhadj said. “It definitely comes off as insensitive. It’s really out of touch.” Because so many activist groups on campus choose to protest controversial issues or choose to hold the University accountable for their actions, Bartol said students don’t feel they can actively

same places where trauma occurred. Stoll frequently works with children under age five who have experienced abuse. She and Cifuentes spoke about balancing who to see in-person. “A lot of times, we’re asking to do therapy in an environment where abuse has either taken place, or the abuser may still have access to that home,” Stoll said. “Trauma treatment only works best if you are in a safe environment.” Changing relationships This year, many of the traumas that patients discuss are ones that therapists are enduring, too. “When they’re experiencing things that I’m also experiencing, I found it taxing in a different way,” Beshers said. “When I’m worried about COVID, and then I have six people who all want to talk about being worried about COVID … that was a new sort of experience for me of just feeling worn out.” That sentiment was echoed by others, like Shannon, who mentioned that the usual boundary between therapist and patient has shifted the past two years. Zooming from home, she said, means a client might get a glimpse of them wearing casual pants rather than a professional outfit or see them get up to grab a package. Providing therapy through the pandemic has added a layer of stress, Shannon said. Though therapists are trained to handle emotional issues, she said many felt more burnt out — especially because they’ve been isolated from their support systems. Stoll, likewise, said her teammates at the Children’s Advocacy Center are key to supporting her. “There’s the saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’” Stoll said. “I think it takes a village to support a therapist.” avivabechky2025@u.northwestern.edu voice their opinions. “The school made this protest policy under the assumption that people wouldn’t be protesting the school,” Karbo-Wright said. Centering student activist perspectives The Dissenters member said meetings with ASG were “extremely helpful.” During the meetings, she said she felt heard as she and fellow activists shared their concerns about the policies. Belhadj agreed and said he thought the meetings were “very productive.” Karbo-Wright said she reached out primarily to activist groups who engage in “physical action or direct action” on campus because they would be most directly impacted by protest policy. During meetings, she said conversations revolved around defining the word protest, comparing NU’s policy to policies from other universities and finding specific language to improve on the policy. Bartol said it’s important to center activists’

Q&I

From page 1

email announcing students in doubles may be assigned roommates bothered him. “I was baffled when I saw that email,” Hauser said. “How are you going to put two positive COVID students into one room? What if they increase their viral load? What if they have different strands of COVID?” Weinberg sophomore Angie Aguilar said her quarantine roommate showed up one night without any warning from the COVID19 Response Team — and then moved out three days later. During their time as roommates, Aguilar said they did not talk to each other at all. “Having a roommate (during isolation) is really uncomfortable,” Aguilar said. “I couldn’t change in my room. I couldn’t just lounge around. It was just a really awkward experience.” Students reported mixed experiences with Quarantine and Isolation food services. According to Hauser, students were given two full meals per day and had to fill out a form before 8 a.m. to make their food selections. The form also had a section to ask for extra snacks because students only received two full meals a day, but Hauser said he never received any of his requests. However, Weinberg sophomore Jack Ding said he received all of his requests. “The dining hall staff was really quick to reach out,” Ding said. “I said that if I could have Cheetos or Pringles that’d be cool, and then they brought me that, so that was the highlight of my day.” McCormick sophomore Marcos Rios also said he received all his meals and that the staff perspectives in the discussions. “I’m not an activist … I shouldn’t be the person deciding what these changes are,” Bartol said. “So I’ve gotten a better idea of what activists are looking for throughout these conversations.” Karbo-Wright said as talks with activists went on, she started to question the intentions behind any policy limiting protest at NU. While she said she doesn’t think the administration will be receptive to removing the policy, she said she hopes some improvements will be made. Blocks in the road In an email to The Daily, Roma Khanna, associate provost for strategy and policy, said she and Lucas Christian, assistant dean of students, plan to meet with ASG representatives next week. “(I look) forward to hearing more about ASG’s work on (the demonstration policy) and to discussing potential next steps,” Khanna wrote in the email. Karbo-Wright said the preliminary talk with

was “very kind” in providing extra requests. When it was time to leave isolation, some students faced complications during the process of being released from 1835 Hinman. If students test negative on their fifth day in quarantine, they can be released early. Students who test positive on the fifth day have a second opportunity for early release if they test negative on the eighth day. However, for Aguilar and Hauser, their testing days fell on weekends. The COVID-19 Response Team wouldn’t let them test because the Donald P. Jacobs Center was closed, and they also would not provide them with overthe-counter tests, so they had to wait two extra days before leaving. When Aguilar tested negative on Monday, she said she had to wait four hours for the COVID-19 Response Team to send the confirmation email releasing her. Ding also said he did not receive the email confirming his release until the day after he tested negative. “For three hours I was ... calling them, and COVID case management was very unresponsive,” Ding said. When case management responded to Ding, they said they were backed up with hundreds of emails, so he said he understood not much could be done on their end. Rios agreed that not hearing back from case management right away was frustrating. “I feel like there’s real importance in finding the positive in everything,” Rios said. “Northwestern could have handled the situation better, but for what it was, it wasn’t the end of the world.” carolinebrew2024@u.northwestern.edu administrators was slated for this week but was pushed suddenly due to “emergency meetings with the provost.” The first meeting is expected to last around 30 minutes and will help her and Bartol figure out how to present demonstration policy revision information to the Policy Review Steering Committee in February. The Steering Committee will make decisions about what policies are reviewed by the full Policy Review Committee. If the Policy Steering Committee agrees to modify the demonstration policy, Bartol said the next three months will center on more in-depth meetings with activists and administration to change the protest policy. She said the end product of these meetings should be a “different document.” Belhadj said he remains optimistic that the administration will try to meet activist demands. “The hope is that the University administration understands that they have the means to create a better environment for activism at NU and they have the means to protect activists,” Belhadj said. joannahou2025@u.northwestern.edu

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

ACROSS 1 Like Jack Sprat, one would expect 5 Role in a Gershwin opera 9 Fellow 13 Her musical career started at age 16 at the Cotton Club 15 Pre-euro currency 16 Atomic physicist’s favorite cookie? 17 “__ a girl who sang the blues”: Don McLean lyric 18 Musicologist’s term 19 Deity with an eponymous day 20 Gaping mouths 21 Uncommon sense 22 Atomic physicist’s favorite Golden Age movie star? 25 U.N. Security Council permanent member 26 Poetic adverb 27 Say further 29 Word after look or sound 32 Wafer brand 34 “__ awake?” 35 Atomic physicist’s favorite side dish? 38 Consume 39 Lion __ 40 Mounted, as gems 41 Rightmost bowling pin 42 Wrath 43 Not leave alone 44 Atomic physicist’s favorite wall builder? 48 Beret relative 51 Move a bit 52 Superior cousin? 53 Takes charge of 54 Filled food 55 Atomic physicist’s favorite spy novelist? 57 Painter Nolde 58 As initially evident 59 Cozy places 60 Comprehends 61 Cretaceous giant

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

1/21/22

By Jeffrey Wechsler

DOWN 1 Lingerie items 2 Assistance, with “a” 3 Accommodating places 4 W.C.’s “My Little Chickadee” co-star 5 ’80s South African president 6 Misstep 7 Coral reef visitor 8 Snowe of ME, once 9 Begin a flight 10 Region from the Sanskrit for “snow abode” 11 “Anything else?” 12 Light touches 14 Many Rwandans 16 Other side 22 He directed Samuel in “Pulp Fiction” 23 Do a vet’s job 24 Versatile mount 25 “Notorious” studio 28 Roomba target 29 Lie next to 30 Falls behind

Monday 11/22’sPuzzle Puzzle Solved Thursday’s Solved

31 Possible “Finish your tax return yet?” reply 32 “Got any examples at all?” 33 Dick was his veep 36 __ minimum 37 U.K. part 43 Holiday songs 45 Tests without papers 46 Orange Muppet

1/21/22

47 Goes (through) carefully 48 Safer way to think 49 Wing 50 Umami source 51 Broke the law, in a way 53 Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan __ 55 Apple product 56 Young newt

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022

Illinois public university admissions go test-optional By ELENA HUBERT

the daily northwestern @elenahubert25

Illinois public universities will use test-optional admissions as of Jan. 1, a change enacted by the Higher Education Fair Admissions Act. Illinois follows several states and university systems in the nationwide trend toward test-optional admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rep. Nicholas Smith (D-Chicago) said legislators hope the change will reverse declining enrollment and increase diversity at public universities. “Our motivation as legislators is to increase enrollment in public universities and keep more Illinois students in the state to complete their education, get employed and contribute to society,” Smith said in an email. The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus supported this act as part of a push to dismantle systemic racism in Illinois. Smith said they focused on research findings about standardized testing and people of color. A 2020 study by the Brookings Institution found Black and Hispanic or Latinx students scored significantly lower on the SAT math section than white and Asian students. The study called the findings “a likely result of generations of exclusionary housing, education, and economic policy.” Test-optional admissions open up collegiate options for students discouraged by lower test scores, according to Beth Arey, Evanston Township High School’s College and Career Coordinator. “(College counselors) want to make sure (students) know they have options,” Arey said. “A lot of times the hang up or the barrier that students face related to their post-high school planning is the belief that you don’t have options.” ETHS junior Ahania Soni plans to take both the ACT and the state-required SAT. She plans to apply without test scores to schools like the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign if she does not reach her

Sound Source: Moyana Olivia makes music, community Bienen sophomore Olivia Pierce’s relationship

Daily file illustration by Cynthia Zhang

As recently enacted by state law, Illinois public universities will have test-optional admissions.

target score. However, Soni has doubts about how universities process applications without scores. She said many of her peers think colleges assume students did poorly on tests if they don’t submit scores. “What I’ve heard about a lot of them, especially the schools that are a lot more selective, is that they claim to be test optional,” Soni said. “But in reality, if

you don’t submit a test score, they’re just gonna think you did badly on it.” Soni has doubts that colleges will not penalize applicants without scores, but she said the new law is a “step in the right direction” away from standardized testing. She disapproves of the current form of standardizing testing, citing its discrimination against historically marginalized populations.

with songwriting began much before her latest song, “Missing You.” It was her second single in 2021. Her first, “Long Distance,” was released on June 18. In her music, Olivia sings stories of young love. And her music’s creation is a story itself — one that touches on identities, emotions, politics and community. She worked with other NU students to write and produce

her album, under her stage name Moyana Olivia. In this Sound Source episode, Pierce talks to the Daily about bringing her community together in the music production and marketing process. You can listen on SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Music. — Onyekaorise Chigbogwu

“A huge thing with testing is the discrimination it has against people of color, people who English isn’t their first language, people who come from different schools, different types of education, different countries, all those kinds of things,” Soni said. “(It) really impact(s) the way you’re going to do on a score.” elenahubert2025@u.northwestern.edu

Sound Source sat down with Olivia Pierce aka Moyana Olivia to talk about making music and making community.

WINTER IS HERE... LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP FOR YOUR SENIOR YEARBOOK PORTRAIT. 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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SPORTS

Friday, January 21, 2022

@DailyNU_Sports

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Nailbiting 63-59 loss despite solid performance By SKYE SWANN

daily senior staffer @sswann301

In a back-and-forth contest against Penn State Thursday night, Northwestern senior guard Veronica Burton went to the foul line with nine seconds left in regulation, hoping to tie the score and send the game into overtime. The stakes were high, the squad not wanting another loss on the record after the upset loss to Michigan State. But Burton missed the second free throw, turning the team’s dream of a win cold. “It’s disappointing that we didn’t come out with a win,” coach Joe McKeown said. “I thought we played hard, but we just got outrebounded.” The Wildcats (11-6, 3-3 Big Ten) fell short in a nail-biting 63-59 loss to the Nittany Lions (9-7, 3-3 Big Ten) Thursday. Burton led the team in scoring with 16 points and seven assists, while freshman forward Caileigh Walsh finished the game with 11 points. Despite the defeat, NU remained strong throughout the entire game, playing with high energy on both ends of the court. From tip-off, the Cats played aggressively, pressuring Penn State above the arc into turnovers and missed shots. Halfway into the first quarter, the lead changed four times, highlighting the grit and hustle from both squads. Compared to NU’s previous Big Ten opponent, the Nittany Lions transformed tremendously, playing with speed, agility and working as a unit inside the paint. At the end of the first quarter, the

Alyce Brown/The Daily Northwestern

Senior forward Courtney Shaw goes up for a contested jumper against Penn State defender. Shaw hit a buzzer beater second chance layup to tie the game at the half.

Cats took a four-point lead — tying the largest point differential of the game. However, Penn State came back fiercer in the second quarter and stole the lead yet again.

Multiple NU players stepped up to the challenge, including freshman guards Melannie Daley and Jillian Brown. Both players made crucial plays late into the first half to cut the Nittany

SWIMMING

Lions’ lead. Then, senior forward Courtney Shaw made a second-chance layup, tying the game heading into halftime. “Defensively, our game plan was solid,” McKeown said. “We had good

shots and good looks.” Normally, the Cats start the third quarter with a slower temperament in an attempt to slow down the pace of the game. NU entered the third quarter with more fire and intensity than the beginning of the matchup. Junior guard Laya Hartman said at halftime, the group tried to focus on the game and remain energetic in the second half. Throughout the third quarter, the two teams battled back and forth, switching the lead numerous times. McKeown said the second half showcased the Cats’ hard-fought effort, especially on the defensive end. Although it was an offensive battle, NU’s backcourt was stellar throughout regulation, stunning the Nittany Lions with their “Blizzard” defense. The squad worked together, collectively moving between players and communicating off-ball in a mesmerizing fashion. The Cats’ defense ramped up the intensity even more in the fourth quarter as the clock dwindled down. The last minute of the game was the most memorable of NU’s season so far. With Penn State up only by three, the Cats were pushing to the lead. Burton and Walsh both went to the free throw line after consecutive foul calls, but it was already too late. The Nittany Lions got the last possession, ending the ballgame and handing NU their second consecutive loss. “We really got to focus on us and take care of the things we’re good at,” McKeown said. “It’s just timing. We have to be a little more patient.” skyeswann2024@u.northwestern.edu

MEN’S TENNIS

Swim and Dive to Facing three familiar opponents face rival Wisconsin By NATHAN ANSELL

By KATE WALTER

the daily northwestern @katewalter03

Things are only looking up for Northwestern swimming and diving. Last season, in Coach Katie Robinson’s first year as head coach, both the women and the men’s teams set program records with the points they scored at Big Ten Championships, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively. At the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships, the women experienced their greatest success in two decades with a 16th place finish, and three swimmers on the mens’ side qualified as well. To round out the team’s accomplishments, divers Jaye Patrick and Leah Parsons achieved top-25 finishes at NCAA’s. NU is building off this momentum from last winter with a roster stronger than ever before. The men were ranked 24th in the preseason poll, one of their highest rankings in recent history, and the women ranked 16th. The team, which has not graduated any members of last season’s NCAA team and features Olympic talent in 2021 Tokyo bronze medalist Federico Burdisso, holds lots of promise. “There’s really only room to improve,” said graduate student and All-American Maddie Smith, who currently holds the 12th top time in the 100 freestyle in the NCAA. The Cats have been making waves this season. The women have gone 3-1, with their only loss to No. 11 Indiana, and the men have gone 1-1, losing to Indiana as well. The women won the Purdue Invitational and the men placed third. Both the women and the men defeated Illinois Chicago, and the women won in their meet

against Illinois. “It’s been a very positive and successful year so far,” Robinson said. “But we’ve got a lot more to prove and a few more meets coming up to show some even stronger results.” At the Purdue Invitational this fall, the team of Manuel Martos Barcarios, Kevin Houseman, Federico Burdisso and Andrew Zhang set a new school record by swimming the 200-yard medley relay in 1:24.68. This blazing time beat the previous record set in 2007 by a team that included Olympians and World Champions, one of the best in the NCAA at that time. “The fact that we were breaking times that were at the top back then is a really good step for our program,” Robinson said. This weekend, NU welcomes Big Ten rival Wisconsin to Evanston for their last home meet of the season, where the team will honor their seniors. Last season, the women beat Wisconsin by over a hundred points, while the men lost a close battle against the Badgers by only 13 points. In the NCAA preseason poll, Wisconsin was close to the Cats, with the women ranked 19th and the men 18th. It’s shaping up to be quite a duel in the pool Saturday at Norris Aquatics Center, as the women look to keep their winning streak alive and the men seek redemption. “We’ve gotten really competitive and it’s gotten really feisty between us,” said junior Kevin Houseman, who currently holds the fifth fastest time in the NCAA in the 100-yard breaststroke and was recently named as a member of the US National team. “There’s a bunch of banter with them. It’s a completely different dual meet against Wisco, there’s a big desire to win.” katewalter2025@u.northwestern.edu

the daily northwestern @nathanjansell

Northwestern is no stranger to adapting to unforeseen circumstances. Usually, however, those circumstances are on the court, rather than off. Originally scheduled for a road match against North Carolina State on Monday, last-minute travel cancellations forced the Wildcats (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) to reschedule the match to an undetermined later date. Instead, NU will stay in Evanston to face a slate of three separate opponents: Memphis on Friday, and a doubleheader against Louisville and IUPUI on Sunday. “It’s unfortunate that the weather is causing problems, but (we’re) still excited to get matches this coming weekend,” coach Arvid Swan said. Friday’s match against the Tigers (1-0, 0-0 AAC) will be Northwestern’s most formidable test of the three. Like the Cats, Memphis made the second round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament last year, and they also have a ranked singles player in No. 112 Oscar Cutting. Cutting will likely face off against Steven Forman, who played atop the singles lineup twice against Chicago State last weekend. “Steven’s just a really good college player,” Swan said. “He’s playing at an extremely high level, and when you’re playing against someone who’s playing No. 1 position, you’re always going to have a tough match.” NU will then host the Cardinals (2-0, 0-0 ACC) on Sunday at noon. Louisville dominated their opening

two matches against Dayton and Bellarmine, winning by a combined score of 13-1. Historically, matches against the Cardinals have tended to be close contests. NU has a slight edge in the all-time series with an 8-7 record. “We just gotta keep our nose down and work,” senior Trice Pickens said. “Control what we can control and just compete, go out there with a good mindset.” Finally, IUPUI (0-0, 0-0 Horizon League) awaits the Cats in Sunday’s evening match. IUPUI boasts a very young lineup, with five freshmen compared to just two seniors. IUPUI will be coming off a match against Michigan State from the day before, but unlike NU, Sunday’s match will be their first of the day.

“As a team, we’re all really fit,” Pickens said. “I don’t think, for most guys on the team, it’s much of a challenge to keep that level for two matches. Swan’s squad has faced all three opponents in the past. He said Memphis and Louisville in particular are good barometers of the team’s earlyseason abilities, as they are formidable in both singles and doubles. Northwestern defeated all three during the abbreviated 2020 season, but each team will bring a very different lineup to Evanston two years later. “It’s great to play non-conference teams that regularly make the NCAA Tournament,” Swan said. “It’s a good challenge and the guys are excited.” nathanansell2022@u.northwestern.edu

Alyce Brown/The Daily Northwestern

Simen Bratholm high-fives Brian Berdusco following a point. The duo won the Big Ten Doubles Championship in November.