The Daily Northwestern — January 22nd, 2024

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The Daily Northwestern Monday, January 22, 2024

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8 SPORTS/Fencing

5 A&E/Wonka

3 CAMPUS/Disorientation

NU Fencing takes on Philidelphia Invitational

Read what Wonka star Timothée Chalamet told The Daily about his newest musical project

Student activists launch week of campus teach-ins

High 33 Low 19

Crump talks legal activism Black Pre-Law Association hosts civil rights lawyer

By TAYLOR HANCOCK

the daily northwestern @taylorhancock23

Shun Graves/The Daily Northwestern

Cash on hand for Mayor Daniel Biss’ still-active campaign committee nearly doubled in late 2023, a newly filed report shows, though the mayor said he hasn’t yet decided whether to run for reelection.

Biss campaign donations double Funding influx comes as Evanston mayor debates 2025 election bid

By SHUN GRAVES

the daily northwestern @realshungraves

Mayor

Daniel

Bi ss’

still-active campaign committee saw its funds nearly double late last year, the committee’s quarterly report shows, though Biss said he has not yet decided whether

to run for reelection.

The committee, called Friends of Daniel Biss, received $64,350 in itemized individual donations that ranged from $250 to

$6,900 during the Oct. 1 to Dec. 31 reporting period.

With smaller donations and other non-itemized income,

» See BISS MONEY, page 6

Northwestern’s Black PreLaw Association kicked off its winter speaker series Thursday night at the Black House, inviting the Black community to hear from Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump.

In his talk, Crump recognized Martin Luther King Jr.’s legal experience and explained how he has carried his guidance with him throughout his legal career. Crump said he views it as the responsibility of upcoming lawyers as remembering the difference between what is the law and what is right. “(Dr.King) said no, if you’re gonna say you’re a good person, then you have to acknowledge that we have to challenge injustice,” Crump said. “We have to challenge corruption, we have to challenge evil or we can’t call ourselves good.”

The civil rights advocate described his upbringing in a segregated town in North Carolina where he learned

firsthand about the origins of racial discrimination. He said that from a young age he has been interested in the disparities between Black and white communities, and was particularly inspired by Thurgood Marshall to help fight for racial equality.

Throughout his career, Crump represented a number of families in high-profile cases, including those of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Tyre Nichols, Ahmaud Arbery and many others. Crump described how he has handled such emotional cases and pushed forward.

“What helps me deal with the tragedy and the loss — and I get asked this question often — is the fact that I know that we’re going to win,” Crump said. “I know we’re going to win. I know the enemies of equality won’t win, based on precedent.”

Communication sophomore and BPLA president Hannah Callentine said she hopes the organization’s speaker series can help create community for Black students by hosting inspiring guests like Crump. “(My mission was) not only to make it a supportable

» See CRUMP, page 6

Salvation Army NU AFSP chapter spreads awareness marks 3 months New student group provides mental health resources on campus Second-hand store aids community with winter gear

By NAOMI TAXAY

the daily northwestern

Evanston’s new Salvation Army Thrift Store has entered its first winter season, marking three months since the location’s opening.

The store, located at 2424 Oakton St., Evanston, opened its doors on Nov. 3 after moving from Skokie over the summer. The warehouse holds everything from clothing to children’s toys and “bric-abrac” items, adding a sizable thrifting destination to Evanston’s mix.

While Evanston is home to several second-hand stores, including Crossroads Trading Co. on Sherman Ave. and vintage boutiques closer to Trader Joe’s, there haven’t previously been thrifting options on the cheaper side in the area.

“The thrift stores in downtown Evanston are not my

Recycle Me

favorite,” Medill freshman Vincent Diaz Bonacquisti said. “They’re more like curated vintage stores.”

Diaz Bonacquisti has not been to the new Salvation Army yet, but is excited to check out the “more typical thrift store,” he said.

Evanston residents Jesse Dush-Hart and Ezekiel Porter said they used to have to travel down to Chicago to find cheap thrifting options.

Porter said he appreciates having a local option.

The store’s opening has even attracted customers from outside of the city.

Chicago resident Zofia Mrozowska and her friend visited Evanston specifically to check out the new Salvation Army Thrift Store, she said.

“It’s a well-organized store.

Depending on the Salvation Army you go to, especially on a weekend, they have a tendency to get crazy,” Mrozowska said. “So it’s nice to see things relatively organized and color-coded, it’s

» See SALVATION ARMY, page 6

By FIONA ROACH

daily senior staffer @fionaroach03

Content Warning: This article contains mentions of mental illness and suicide.

In addition to being roommates and best friends, Communication senior Gretchen Raedle and Weinberg senior Julia Winck realized last year they had something else in common: They had both lost friends to suicide.

After discussing how the experience had impacted them, they decided they needed a supportive space for those impacted by suicide on campus, and the Northwestern Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention was born.

The members of the new chapter of the AFSP are working on plans for a fundraising walk and other campus initiatives in hopes of destigmatizing mental illness on campus.

“I feel like in doing this, it’s my way of honoring my friend while also selfishly creating a space where I can meet other people who have been affected

by (suicide),” Raedle said.

Raedle said she encountered several deaths throughout high school, including one very close friend who died by suicide when Raedle was 15.

When she came to NU, Raedle said she went to several support groups in the area. Though they were helpful, she noticed a large age gap between herself and the other group members.

Raedle and Winck figured there must be other students who have been impacted by suicide and are looking for support, which inspired them to start the chapter.

“We recognized that it felt productive and helpful for us to talk about it,” Winck said.

“One day, Gretchen said, ‘I want to do something with this, because it feels weird to have all this energy about it and all these feelings about it, and I want to channel them into something.’”

Winck had participated in an AFSP Out of the Darkness Walk in honor of a friend she lost to suicide about a year and a half ago, which gave her the idea to connect with AFSP. After recruiting five other members for their executive

Illustration by Shveta Shah

board, Raedle and Winck started promoting the club through social media and an interest form. Based on the interest they’ve received so far, Winck believes the chapter is “overdue.”

Raedle and Winck reached out to the Illinois Chapter of the AFSP last spring and submitted the proposal for a new student organization this fall. The student organization approval process took longer than they expected, and the chapter was

thus unable to participate in the Winter Organization Fair.

“That was a little bit of a setback because it’s such an important thing, and we want to get momentum,” Raedle said. “To not feel like we were fully supported (by the University) was a little bit aggravating.”

University spokesperson Erin Karter told The Daily that Student Organizations and Activities received a “record number” of

» See SUICIDE PREVENTION, page 6

INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Arts & Entertainment 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 6 | Sports 8

2 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2024

AROUND TOWN

Evanston groups support emerging, youth artists

By JACK VERVERIS

the daily northwestern @jackververis

For David Cao (Bienen ’20), the founder of Evanston Young Artists, the story of the nonprofit has been one of growth.

Founded in 2018, the organization aims to provide kids from underserved backgrounds with free music lessons by connecting them with students at Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music.

Evanston Young Artists is just one group working to support young and emerging artists around Evanston. In recent years, organizations across the city have come together to offer unique opportunities and resources for the city’s budding artistic community.

Since Evanston Young Artists was founded, the nonprofit has tutored around 50 students, and currently has 18 students working with 16 volunteer tutors, according to the current co-presidents.

While the program’s curriculum is intense, as it’s modeled off of both Bienen studies and the popular Suzuki method, it’s also highly specific to students, the kids span a wide range of instruments, skill levels and tutoring needs.

“One hour, I’m teaching my youngest student, and then I have to immediately switch over to the advanced players,” Cao said. “It’s a different way to speak to them, a different way to explain things.”

Mentorship is key for Evanston Young Artists’ mission, Cao said. One of the group’s goals is to pair one student with the same tutor over a long period of time, allowing them to develop a musical relationship.

One student, who Cao said he started tutoring through the program three years ago, was recently accepted into Bienen.

“It’s really fulfilling to see them implement some of your own suggestions,” Cao said. “They have multiple different perspectives they can then draw on to make their own sort of story.”

Art Makers Outpost offers similar

Photo Courtesy to Valerie Kahan

One of the artist studios on the second floor of Art Makers Outpost. The seven visual artists and three musicians rent 24/7 access to the space and use it to create and collaborate.

opportunities for Evanston artists. The store didn’t have the easiest opening, cutting the ribbon on its south Evanston location the day before the U.S. declared COVID-19 a public health emergency.

Yet, according to Co-founder and Creative Director Valerie Kahan, it has remained dedicated to its mission to support young artists.

“Creativity fuels everything in life,” Kahan said. “Having the freedom to create is the basis for having the freedom to imagine a world that’s different from this one.”

The store offers art programs and camps for kids, with no-questions-asked limited scholarships and a focus on sustainability, Kahan said. It also rents out spaces for 10 professional artists, providing unique opportunities for collaboration.

“With kids, we have to kind of reimagine

how we talk about our art,” Kahan said. “I feel like the inspiration goes back and forth.”

This summer, the store plans to offer a new course teaching kids how to market and sell their own art. According to Curriculum Director Trinity Collins (Weinberg ’23), the program came about due to a lack of resources for “underserved artists,” as well as a desire to dispel “starving artist narratives,” which portray struggle as an inherent part of being an artist.

“It’s not ‘grind culture, capitalism, how do you make the most money off of your art?’”

Collins said. “But rather, ‘how do you survive, and how do you help your community survive?’”

The local nonprofit Evanston Made has also stepped up its efforts to connect emerging artists. Scott Greenberg, an artist and Evanston

Made member, said the organization has held mixers for almost a year to introduce new artists to one another.

While the organization includes a separate emerging artist section at its Maker’s Markets, the group has also held separate events for BIPOC and Indigenous artists, with artists receiving all of the proceeds.

Regardless of skill level or experience, Greenberg said meeting other artists and learning from them is key.

“Even if the piece isn’t 100% perfect, it’s never going to be 100% perfect — every artist will tell you that,” Greenberg said. “So connect with the community and try and showcase your stuff. That’s the only way people get to see it. jackververis2027@u.northwestern.edu

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MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2024

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3

ON CAMPUS

Students launch Disorientation Week

By JERRY WU

the daily northwestern @jerrwu

More than a dozen students convened in University Hall on Sunday to mark the first day of “Disorientation Week: What Northwestern Won’t Teach Us,” a series of teach-ins, discussions and bonding events hosted by various campus organizations.

Representatives from Fossil Free NU, Undergraduate Prison Education Partnership, Reform CAPS, NU Graduate Workers and Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance, among others, took turns to present on their organizations’ history and work in activism. Attendees also munched on nachos and tacos catered from La Cocinita.

“The primary theme throughout this week is … what are the lessons we can pull from our history and our recent presence and change-making work on campus,” Communication senior Jordan Muhammad, Fossil Free NU’s senior organizer, said. “We also want to look at the future presence

NU researchers find racial disparities in pediatric health care Researchers from Northwestern and other institutions found that non-white children receive far worse pediatric care than their white counterparts, the University announced in a press release.

Despite controlling for health insurance status, researchers found vast disparities in health care quality in several pediatric specialties such as neonatal care, emergency medicine and palliative care.

“Racism profoundly impacts not only children’s health but also people’s health on into adulthood, emphasizing the vital importance of tackling disparities in the care received by

of organizations on campus.”

Muhammad, who helped coordinate the week’s events, added that ki hopes other student organizations can continue to engage in community building to offer new opportunities.

Students began planning for the event at the start of the Winter Quarter, drawing inspiration from “Disorientation Week” at the University of Chicago. The organizers said they plan to hold the event annually every Fall Quarter.

Adam Goldsmith, a sixth-year Ph.D. candidate in communication studies, is a member of the NUGW’s bargaining committee. He said he came to the event to educate himself on campus activist initiatives while informing others about the union’s recent collective bargaining efforts.

“I wanted to learn what other organizations have been up to, their histories, their tactics, their wins and lessons learned,” Goldsmith said.

“I wanted to contribute to that, where I can talk about how history is coming to the present and near future with our collective bargaining that is going on.”

Attendees also raised questions and discussed with each other during presentations.

Communication sophomore Mel McDaniel, a Pow Wow Planning Committee co-chair of NAISA, said she appreciated the opportunity to learn new information from other groups.

“It’s always comforting to be in a group with people that are like-minded, just having a space where we can also mingle with other groups with similar interests,” McDaniel said.

The schedule for the rest of the week will feature movie nights, a teach-in held by NUGW and discussions about labor history, decision making and fast fashion.

Muhammad said it’s important that students continue to self-educate on NU’s history of student activism.

“Especially for those interested in changemaking work and interested in becoming active citizens of this university, it’s really valuable to know our history, our reality,” ki said. “Time and time again, our university is not going to tell us about our student movements and not show us how powerful we can be. We need to be the ones telling each other that.”

children,” Harvard researcher Natalie Slopen said in the press release.

According to the study, there is poorer quality communication between health care providers and families of racial and ethnic minorities. Black and Asian children are also less likely than white children to be diagnosed with developmental disabilities before preschool or kindergarten.

Researchers saw greatest disparity in care occurred in pain management, with non-white children less likely to be prescribed painkillers for serious medical conditions.

The authors suggest several policy measures to bridge the pediatric care gap in the U.S., such as investigating and reforming sources of structural racism within health care, investing in communities and implementing eviction prevention policies to improve economic conditions in segregated neighborhoods.

“There are deeply entrenched racial disparities

that span broad sectors of U.S. society and transcend generations,” Dr. Monique Jindal of University of Illinois Chicago School of Medicine said in the release. “These lead to, among other disadvantages, stark inequities in health care for children from minoritized racial and ethnic groups. It is abundantly clear that…there is a critical need for far-reaching policy changes that directly address deep-rooted structural racism at its core.”

The study said housing policies, criminal justice policies, immigration policies and economic policies including racial income gaps factor into the racial health care disparity.

“We must fundamentally rethink and redesign systems and policies, not only in health care but across the societal spectrum, to promote equitable, excellent health for all children,” Slopen said in the release.

jerrywu2027@u.northwestern.edu

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4 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

A&E

MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2024

arts & entertainment

Lexi Goldstein/The Daily Northwestern

Performances from local rappers created an electric atmosphere at Reggies during The Blueprint CNCRT.

Reggies showcases up-and-coming Chicago rappers

By MADELINE KING

the daily northwestern @madelineking_18

Several Chicago rappers delivered a highenergy and soulful show at Reggies Friday night as a part of local creative community CNCRT’s first ever concert, The Blueprint CNCRT. D2x headlined the event, which also featured performances from Kayo, better known as, SONNY and Kiraly Payne. Preme DJed the event.

Around 60 listeners swayed enthusiastically together in the dimly lit Rock Club at Reggies, a music venue bordering Chinatown.

With caution tape overhead and a haze rolling from fog machines, the ambiance was

grungy but slick. Strobe lights sent an array of LED colors reflecting off the fog, setting the mood of the event.

Many rappers asked for the lights to be turned off during certain songs in their sets, opting instead for audiences to illuminate the artists with their phone flashlights.

Payne captivated the audience with his set, performing songs with attention-grabbing beats like “Freez” and “Run Away.” Audience members were immediately drawn in by his natural stage presence and sang along to the choruses. Payne said he plans to release his first album this year.

SONNY’s set was a standout, with the addition of a saxophonist and electric guitar player on some songs. The live instruments added dimension to his performance, which electronic beats alone sometimes miss.

Kayo commanded the stage in his eyecatching neon orange pants. He seemed to be an expert at engaging the crowd, calling out specific audience members by what they were wearing to move closer to the stage. Kayo performed eight songs, including tracks from his most recent album “Until His Burial.” He closed out the set with “Wait on Me” and had the crowd singing along.

Between performances, Danny Pleckham, the organizer of The Blueprint CNCRT, came to the stage to thank the audience for attending the show.

D2x closed out the evening, and his performance electrified the room. Audience members eagerly reached up to shake hands with him as he rapped his first song. Tracks from his two albums, “Hotel 1105” and “The Color Blue,”

lit up the room.

In his set, D2x notably included valuable words of wisdom between his songs. He was vulnerable in front of the audience, talking about difficulties he’s faced and reminding listeners that they, too, will overcome their struggles.

D2x wrapped up The Blueprint CNCRT by asking audience members to raise their hands in heart shapes for a picture, a fitting gesture to end an uplifting, dynamic and lively concert.

“When I look at this crowd, I see so many beautiful people, and I know everybody in this crowd got a dream, man,” D2x said. “And I’m just telling you, bro, keep going. It sounds so cliche, but the moment that you stop might be a moment that changed everything tomorrow.” madelineking2026@u.northwestern.edu

81st annual Dolphin Show laces up its ‘Kinky Boots’

By KARA PEELER

daily senior staffer @karapeeler

Dressed in drag, Communication senior Matheus Barbee stands centerstage in Cahn Auditorium, rocking a glittery red dress and faux leather boots that rise above his knees.

Six drag angels high-kick and wave red feathery fans around him.

Barbee plays the lead character Lola in the Dolphin Show’s production of “Kinky Boots,” which opens Friday and runs through Jan. 27. Barbee dreamt of this role for years, and now he and about 180 peers are bringing the story to life in the largest student-produced musical in the country.

“Kinky Boots” follows an unlikely partnership between drag queen Lola and shoe factory owner Charlie — and what it means to find common ground despite different backgrounds.

Dolphin Show aims to use its wide-reaching audience to push for positive change with its 81st annual production, according to director and Communication senior Alexa Goldstein.

“With the attack on drag and how it’s seen as something to fear when it’s really this beautiful living art is just something that needs to be seen on stage,” Goldstein said. “It’s uplifting and celebrating drag as a community and also marginalized identities, bringing those stories to the forefront.”

For Barbee, “Kinky Boots” is special because Lola is one of the first characters in musical theatre canon to center Blackness and queerness in the plot — a celebration of his identities

through a story that “spreads joy” through drag.

With elaborate outfits galore, the musical is full of “campy moments,” according to Communication freshman Henry Jones, who plays factory employee Don. For many audience members, producer and Communication senior Ryan Nguyen said, this will be the first drag performance they’ve seen.

“I’m really excited to break those boundaries,” Nguyen said. “No matter who you are, you’ll definitely see a part of yourself on this stage and in the show. There’s so much magic within seeing such fun and humanity and celebration of diversity and individuality come alive onstage.”

Getting ready to go live is a monthslong process. Actors had to master the art of walking in heels and adjust to quick changes backstage.

Goldstein said this is a “monster of a production,” with extensive wigs, makeup, costumes and set design to fill the over 1,000-seat venue.

The Dolphin Show’s total budget was about $100,000, according to Nguyen.

Communication junior Sam Hernandez, plus a team of nine, individually cut and glued hundreds of pieces onto the boots used in the production. It took three months to design the costumes for one of the main scenes alone.

She said she wanted everyone to look at Lola’s outfits, which are based on RuPaul, and say: “That’s a statement.”

Throughout the costuming process, Hernandez centered building “relationships of trust” among actors to ensure everyone felt comfortable and confident in drag.

After about 20 to 30 hours of weekly

rehearsals, meetings and fittings, according to Barbee, the show is ready for the public.

“It’s such a spectacle of a show,” said Communication junior Abraham Deitz-Green, who plays Charlie. “As students, we are the generation of the future, and I think our voices have the power to use this medium of art to make meaningful, impactful change.”

This year, Dolphin Show partnered with the Student Activities Assistance Fund to offer “pay what you can” tickets for students. Goldstein said everyone who wants to see “Kinky Boots”

deserves to attend.

Dolphin Show is also running community events, such as the Kinky Cats Drag Show on Jan. 24, hosted by Chicago drag queen Coco Sho-Nell and directed by Communication junior Alex DeVito, who plays angel Christian.

On Jan. 26, Dolphin will host an alumni event at Prairie Moon for all past members.

“You will come for the drag,” Barbee said, “but you will stay for the heart.” karapeeler2025@u.northwestern.edu

Sonya Dymova/The Daily Northwestern

Communication senior Matheus Barbee plays one of the main characters, drag queen Lola.

MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2024

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

5

‘Mean Girls’ movie musical tries to have it both ways

By JACOB WENDLER

daily senior staffer @jacob_wendler

Right up there with “The Devil Wears Prada,” Tina Fey’s 2004 cult classic “Mean Girls” has held a special place in the hearts of many Evanston and Northwestern community members. Evanstonians can now catch a new take on the original film — adapted from the flashy 2018 Broadway musical adaptation of the same name — playing at the AMC Evanston.

The only moment that sparked applause at a pinkthemed early access screening on Jan. 10, though, was a brief reference to new girl Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) moving to Evanston from Africa because her mother landed a job at NU. The new film, with a screenplay by Fey and starring Reneé Rapp as “Queen Bee” Regina George, misses the mark on what made the stage adaptation work. Despite strong performances from much of the cast and a fresh supply of comedic material, the movie musical tries to have it both ways to its detriment. The adaptation manages to lose both the incisiveness of the original film and the flashy appeal of the Broadway musical.

While the team behind “Mean Girls” has said it hoped to avoid scaring away fans by going full Broadway, the new music only makes the musical theatre schtick stick out like a sore thumb. The score — stripped of some of the Broadway production’s strongest numbers — gets a new and unwelcome pop-rock makeover, putting a glaring juxtaposition between Nell Benjamin’s witty, theater-esque lyrics, and the movie’s synthesized, over-produced mixing.

Songs like “A Cautionary Tale” work with a bit more electric guitar and a bit less belting, but others are simply painful.

The songs that remain in the scaled-back tracklist often feel awkwardly shoved into the script (as if the

directors, Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., lack the understanding of what makes musical theater work as a genre). At other points, lines from missing songs are timidly spoken as dialogue, and the storyline aches for music to push it along, such as with the regrettably absent “Where Do You Belong?”

The cast is certainly not short of vocal talent, but Rice (who never quite reaches Lindsay Lohan’s level of nuance in the role) strains her way through her character’s few remaining musical numbers. It becomes clear less than five minutes into the film why “It Roars,” Cady’s upbeat “I Want” song from the original musical, was left out to the chagrin of fans and replaced with a weak original number: Rice simply can’t hit the notes.

Auli’i Cravalho and Jaquel Spivey, having each already proven their chops in “Moana” and “A Strange Loop,” steal the screen as Janis and Damian, the story’s two-man Greek Chorus who take Cady under their wing and help orchestrate Regina’s downfall. Both embezzle the score with clever choral commentary and consistent comedic cracks. They’re particularly effervescent in the well-staged “Revenge Party,” which benefits from strong production design and Kyle Hanagami’s contemporary choreography.

The film leans into Rapp’s singular cool-girl charisma, but in doing so, it sacrifices the very callous quality that made Regina George such an appealing character in the first place. While Rachel McAdams’ Regina was “shiny, fake and hard,” as Damian and Janis describe her, Rapp’s is transparently cruel and one-dimensional.

While Rapp’s vocal prowess is certainly one of the film’s highlights, the low lighting, foreboding framing and moody mise en scène contribute to a bone-chilling version of Regina that feels more “Heathers” than “Mean Girls” or “Legally Blonde.” The problem here is that Rapp’s portrayal of Regina shatters the allure of the Queen Bee: her ability to inspire both fear and admiration from her peers.

It doesn’t help that Rapp is dressed in cheap and

Illustration by Isabel Su

Reneé Rapp stars as “Queen Bee” Regina George alongside Angourie Rice as new girl Cady Heron in the new musical adaptation of “Mean Girls.”

garish costumes, which swing from dark leather sets to gaudy sheer tops that look like they were snagged off the sale section of SHEIN. While Rapp receives some nice fodder from her plastic peers, Paramount’s mission to sell Reneé Rapp by pushing her front and center leaves an unsatiated desire for more character development from Bebe Wood’s Gretchen, who soars in a mellow rendition of “What’s Wrong With Me?” but never progresses beyond surface-level insecurity and subservience. Avantika, fortunately, embodies the airhead demeanor of Karen, confidently swerving through a performance of “Sexy” that doesn’t stray too far from the original song.

The film also misses an opportunity to bring a fresh take to a now-classic coming-of-age story.

(The new adaptation promised, at the expense of insulted millennials, to be “not your mother’s ‘Mean Girls’”). TikTok montages are forced into musical numbers, but the film has nothing new to say on how social media has played into the high school social dynamics at the story’s core.

Unlike the hit 2023 film “Barbie,” which managed to take a classic but problematic piece of intellectual property and tell a heartwarming and self-aware story, the new “Mean Girls” garbles its original message amidst all the bells and whistles.

Contrary to Cady’s iconic mathematical conclusion that “the limit does not exist,” the new film suggests that, when it comes to adaptations of strong original material, the limit might be two. jacobwendler2025@u.northwestern.edu

Makena lei talks process, inspirations for debut project

By JACKSON WEIER

the daily northwestern @jacksonweier

Call it a hit: with major magazine attention and laudatory internet discourse, Communication sophomore Makena Carnahan’s debut project “Call It a Home” resonated with audiences through genuine lyricism and endearing instrumentals.

Carnahan — who goes by Makena lei professionally — sat down with The Daily to speak about her inspirations, recording process and themes present on her first LP. Carnahan began to conceptualize “Call It a Home” about a year ago. She had been writing a lot of songs and felt like the time had come to create something cohesive out of them, she said.

An important moment in the creation of the album came when she met Northwestern graduate Jamie Eder (Weinberg ’23). The two met after Eder responded to a flier Carnahan had hung up on campus, calling any collaborators who love indie band Big Thief.

Carnahan and Eder have since formed “a sort of

band,” she said. Two of the songs they wrote together at the beginning of this past summer — “Semi” and “Hiding From Nothing” — appear on the album.

“When we’re writing together, we pass it back and forth,” Carnahan said. “We don’t sit in a room and go, ‘Okay three… two… one, let’s write a song.’ One of us will have an idea, and then we’ll send it to the other in a voice memo, and then we’ll just send it back.”

Despite their spontaneous writing process, there aren’t parts of the songs that are distinguishable as belonging to either writer, Carnahan said.

Instead, she said, Eder and herself form a joint “creative consciousness.”

“When you’re collaborating with someone else like that, the song just filters through both of you so many times,” Carnahan said. “It kind of creates this third voice in a way, which is why I like writing with other people.”

As far as musical inspirations for “Call It a Home,” Carnahan wants to be upfront with listeners.

“A lot of Big Thief is running through my ears all the time,” she said. “I’ll be honest, a lot of Phoebe Bridgers.

Why lie, you know?”

Carnahan highly praised the pen of Big Thief’s

Adrianne Lenker, saying she would “die happy” if she could write songs like Lenker.

Out of all of the tracks on the album, the recording process for the last song, “See-Through,” stuck out to Carnahan. The song changed frequently and almost ended up as three different songs, she said.

“We all started playing around with different things in the room … I was taking photos in the studio, and I was like, this sound is so sick,” Carnahan said. “So there’s photos of me recording the side of my camera clicking into a mic, and that’s in the song.”

Communication sophomore Gavin Yi, who is a close personal friend of Carnahan, said he truly enjoyed the album.

“I love it, and not just because she’s one of my best friends, but because it’s genuinely a really good album,” Yi said. “I really enjoy the lyrics… every song creates its own picture.”

Yi’s favorite song off the album is the opening track, “Cowboy Music.”

Although he listens to a wide range of music, the song is his most streamed in the past six weeks, he said.

“I just remember the first time I heard it and it came out as a single — I listened to it on repeat for like two

days straight,” he said. “Something about it just really resonated with me, and I couldn’t stop listening to it.”

The album cover is meaningful to Carnahan, not only because of the feel of the project but also due to the emotions it explores.

The cover features a photo of her mother. Carnahan attributes this choice to how much closer she and her mother have grown together of late.

“A lot of us getting closer had to do with me working through stuff in my relationship with my dad, so I like that she’s on there,” Carnahan said. “She’s also a very creative person and a big inspiration of mine.”

Listeners can go see Makena lei perform at The Atlantic on Jan. 26, and Gallery Cabaret on Feb. 9.

While the release of “Call It a Home” has been the culmination of months of creative exploration, Carnahan has no plans of slowing down.

Carnahan and Eder are practicing frequently, she said.

“Jamie and I are working on recording some stuff, so we’ll see what happens,” Carnahan said. “More to come at some point.” jacksonweier2026@u.northwestern.edu

Timothée Chalamet, Keegan-Michael Key talk ‘Wonka’

By SELENA KUZNIKOV

daily senior staffer @selenakuznikov

Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel, Gene Wilder’s 1971 take and Tim Burton’s 2005 adaptation are spun into a new story by director Paul King in “Wonka.” The film starring Timothée Chalamet takes audiences on a sweet, wild ride.

The musical prequel, released last month, follows chocolatier Willy Wonka’s journey as a young man before his days at the factory.

Chalamet sings and dances alongside KeeganMichael Key (Chief of Police), Calah Lane (Noodle) and Hugh Grant (Oompa Loompa) throughout the dream-like movie.

Chalamet and Key joined The Daily and other college newspapers at a virtual roundtable interview hosted by Warner Bros. Pictures to discuss their journeys on set.

“Wonka” is a companion piece to the 1971 film, according to Chalamet. He said this adaptation of the character sees the confectionary maker view the world as full of possibility and the movie seeks to bring light into a world that desperately needs it.

“I felt like it was important to try to do my own thing with it, and I was helped by the fact that it’s a new story,” Chalamet said. “Once I got going, I tried to leave (Wilder’s version) behind. It’s sort of an impossible performance and film to live up to because it’s so beloved.”

Key said the sense of play throughout filming

surprised him the most. He enjoyed working in collaboration with King to provide his ideas for different scenes.

Being able to draw from the script and use his own imagination was a key part to building the Chief of Police into a character with much mystique in regards to his past, Key said.

“I couldn’t glean as much information about his past as a kid or when his addiction to chocolate started or anything like that,” Michael-Key said. “That was something that you just kind of have to make up using your own imagination.”

Key said he hopes the film contributes to Dahl’s

legacy. He said he had a lot of fun while making the movie, as if King was “whipping up cinematic chocolates” of his own during the process.

Chalamet said the history of the film and its importance to his family was a major part of his creative process. He said it was heartwarming to be revisiting such cherished material.

“I was surprised with how rewarding that sense of playfulness was, because with ‘The French Dispatch,’ ‘Lady Bird’ or ‘Call Me By Your Name’ and other films that were very grounded, what was rewarding was finding truth within serious moments,” Chalamet said.

While the musical aspect of the movie was a brand new challenge for Chalamet, he said it was more rewarding than any other set he’s ever worked on.

He said seeing young audience’s responses and reactions to the film is a “huge gift.”

“Every time I’ve seen it, people leave with a big smile on their face,” Chalamet said. “The truth is, a lot of people go to the movies to feel good, and this movie makes you feel good.” selenakuznikov2025@u.northwestern.edu

arts & entertainment Editor Lexi Goldstein Assistant Editors Madeline King Jackson Weier Design Editors Paloma Leone-Getten Bettina Sánchez Córdova Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Timothée Chalamet as Willy Wonka in Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Wonka.”

6 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2024

CRUMP

From page 1

environment for Black students at Northwestern who wanted to go pre-law, but also to just be a loving, supportive community, a genuine safe space, where not only leadership but community members are all supporting you,” Callentine said. “Something that is supportive without being competitive, where you can just feel the culture being a positive community.”

Leaders of BPLA also shared new club developments, including a new sponsorship by the Princeton Review that will support three scholarships for selected BPLA members to help prepare for the LSATs. Leaders

BISS

From page 1

Friends of Biss received a total of $64,561 in the period.

The 28 itemized donations — most at or above $1,000 — landed in the committee’s coffers between Nov. 27 and Dec. 27.

After paying for software and processing fees, the committee ended the quarter with about $127,000 on hand, almost double the nearly $64,000 it had on Oct. 1, the report shows.

“I feel really supported by the community,” Biss told The Daily. “I feel honored by that support. I take it really seriously. I think the relationship between elected officials and their bosses — their constituents — is a sacred relationship.”

The donations followed a contentious month for the mayor. A 7th Ward resident launched an anti-Biss campaign called “Better than Biss” in early November, after Biss indicated support for Northwestern’s plan to host concerts at a rebuilt Ryan Field.

On Nov. 20, Biss ultimately broke City Council’s tie in favor of NU’s controversial plan, later calling it a “generational investment.”

“The thing that changed was that someone was out there saying, ‘Daniel shouldn’t be reelected as mayor,’” Biss said. “So, it’s possible that maybe the donations were coming in reaction to that to say, ‘Oh no, we think Daniel’s great.’”

The Better than Biss campaign launched with a vow to oust Biss if he runs for reelection in 2025. Its website says Biss has let residents down and lists multiple grievances.

Founder Parielle Davis told The Daily in November that she started the effort because of a “complete lack of leadership” from Biss amid the Ryan Field debate. Davis told The Daily she was not available to comment on this story.

Most City Council members have closed their campaign committees since being elected to the council. Those who kept campaigns active received few, if any, contributions over the past

also spotlighted a new mentorship program pairing undergraduate students with Pritzker School of Law students.

The event was open to all students in the Black community. Medill junior Kaitlin BenderThomas said she anticipated the event for weeks ahead and was not disappointed.

“I really loved it,” Bender-Thomas said. “He was such a powerful speaker, and so motivating. I had to wipe my eyes when he was talking because I really felt what he was saying about the role that we can have as Black lawyers and the impact we can make on the world meant a lot to me.” taylorhancock2027@u.northwestern.edu few months, the state database showed. None reported itemized, or major, donations.

Friends of Biss filed its quarterly report last week. Since Biss’ landslide mayoral victory in 2021, the committee’s cash levels have hovered consistently around $60,000.

The campaign logged a total of eight itemized individual donations between March 2021 and October 2023, and then the flurry of contributions began to roll in. However, these donations don’t necessarily indicate a looming reelection bid, Biss said.

“Either I’m running for reelection as mayor in April 2025, or I’ll be leaving public office, at least for the time being,” he said. “That’s really the question, whether I’ll be running for reelection or not.”

Despite Better than Biss’ launch in November, no candidates have publicly declared for the 2025 mayoral election. Sebastian Nalls, who lost to Biss in 2021, told The Daily earlier this month he can’t say “what’s going to happen in the next year.”

Nalls said he thinks Biss’ sudden wave of donations could indicate a bid to discourage potential opponents — and they could prove “insurmountable” for anyone wishing to oppose Biss, he said.

“If this was a widespread effort from small donations or people just across Evanston that say, ‘Oh, I want to support the mayor,’ you would see a whole lot more small campaign contributions,” Nalls said. “These are very, very large contributions.”

However, murmurs about next year’s elections should not distract from the city’s agenda for this year, Biss said.

“In general, I don’t want to be in a situation where there are more political distractions getting in the way of governing this year than necessary,” Biss added. “That’s going to be one of the considerations in mind as I figure out an appropriate timeline on a potential 2025 campaign.”

SUICIDE PREVENTION From page 1

applications for new student groups this fall, which was responsible for the delayed processing time.

Since the approval, the chapter has started planning its main event of the year: an Out of the Darkness Walk tentatively scheduled for early May. The walk acts as both an awareness and fundraising event, as AFSP is not federally funded and relies heavily on donors.

The chapter’s executive board has also talked about hosting speakers and working with Counseling and Psychological Services to create a support group. According to Karter, CAPS would welcome the opportunity to connect with AFSP. Although AFSP has collaborated with other universities in the past, NU is the first campus to officially establish a college chapter. Angela Cummings, the executive director of the Illinois AFSP Chapter, said she hopes NU will be the first in a long line of college chapters across the state.

“During the pandemic, adolescents and college students self-reported increased rates of anxiety and depression,” Cummings said. “So we have been making a concerted effort to try to increase our presence on college campuses.”

SALVATION ARMY From page 1

quite impressive.”

According to Manager Irene Ramirez, the store has seen a steady flow of customers since its opening.

Ramirez, who has worked at multiple Salvation Army Thrift Store locations, said business usually slows down in the winter, but the location has “been lucky.”

The location has a donation center on the side of the building, where people can drop off whatever they need to, Ramirez said. The store sees about 30 separate donations per day, according to their records.

Items donated to The Salvation Army are sorted and sold at their thrift stores, such as the one in Evanston. Ramirez said the store sets aside 20% of

Psychology Prof. Robin Nusslock, the chapter’s faculty sponsor, said mental health support is an increasingly important need on college campuses.

He said the rise of social media, which often promotes unrealistic standards, could be a contributing factor to what he sees as a “mental health epidemic.”

“The adolescent young adult brain is very sensitive to social inclusion and exclusion,” Nusslock said. “There’s a lot of comparisons that occur between oneself and the other, and people don’t put photographs of their worst days on social media — they put their best days.”

Raedle said her main goal for the chapter is to provide a space where students feel safe and validated, as well as to remind them that they are never alone.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of high school students who attempted suicide increased from 8% in 2011 to 10% in 2021.

“You can feel just so down and like nothing’s ever going to be good again and like there’s no hope, but there always is hope,” Raedle said.

“Don’t give up on yourself.” fionaroach2025@u.northwestern.edu each month’s proceeds to fund the Salvation Army’s programs, subtracts store expenses and then gives another 40% to the organization’s rehabilitation programs, which provide therapy for those struggling with alcohol and substance abuse.

Currently, the store is collecting winter coats. To help Evanston’s unhoused population, the Salvation Army is giving out vouchers that allow customers to shop at reduced prices or for free in the thrift stores, Ramirez said.

“We do have a big mission. It’s very important for people to donate, because we can provide more help for people that are in need,” Ramirez said. “Every cent is a blessing.” naomitaxay2027@u.northwestern.edu

Naomi Taxay/The Daily Northwestern

shungraves2027@u.northwestern.edu

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Help Wanted

Help Wanted

Northfield couple in 80s seek assistance in 1) Transcription and preparation of third volume of oral history into book format 2) Preparation of family genealogy 3) Cataloguing and Distribution of 3000 volume library 4) Inventorying and distribution of accumulated objects.

Duration of six months with one day per week planned Competitive compensation.

Please submit resume and statement of qualifications to john@mccarterchicago.com.

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36 Safari park roarer 37 Rolled sandwiches 39 Prefix with space 40 First picture in a baby book, perhaps 42 Historic spans 43 Slangy aboutface 44 Voice range of many a 4-Down 47 Cocktails with peach schnapps and orange juice 52 Far from strict 53 Ram of horoscopes 54 Make a priest, say 56 Mario Kart units 57 Inauspicious beginning, or a feature of 17-, 24, and 47-Across 61 Narrow opening 62 Like agts. who no longer work for “the company” 63 Outback birds 64 “¿Cómo __ usted?”

65 “Stunning!”

66 Far from bold

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46 Educational TV ads 47 Untrue 48 Range between Europe and Asia 49 “Quiet, you!”

50 Brand of saltine crackers 51 Go to bat (for) 55 Celebrity couple 57 Hi-__ image 58 Good Grips brand 59 Feel shame about 60 “For shame!”

MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 2024

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

7

Illinois sees impacts months after ending cash bail

By LILY SHEN

daily senior staffer @llilysshen

In September, Illinois became the first state in the country to eliminate cash bail. Four months later, advocates, researchers, and the public are seeing the reform’s effects.

The state legislature passed the Pretrial Fairness Act in January 2021 as a part of the larger SAFE-T Act, an effort spearheaded by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus. The most notable provisions of the Pretrial Fairness Act included ending money bail and limiting eligibility for pretrial incarceration. Supporters of the act have argued that the money bond system disproportionately impacted low-income communities and communities of color.

The Illinois Supreme Court upheld the bill in July following several minor lawsuits, and the bill was fully implemented in September.

Because Illinois is the first state in the country to eliminate cash bail, many opponents of the act were concerned about implementing such an unprecedented law.

Rebecca Levin, former executive director of public policy at the Cook County Sheriff ’s Office, worked on the bill’s implementation after it passed in 2021. Levin, who is now the vice president of policy at Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, said she is pleased that stakeholders were able to overcome “a lot of egos and politics” to successfully implement the changes.

“I think there’s been some terrific effort around the

Ryan Field demolition to begin in days amid concerns from 7th Ward Demolition of NU’s Ryan Field will begin the week of Jan. 29, with fences, trailers and other equipment set to roll in next week, NU and project contractors announced at a 7th Ward meeting Thursday.

After a November vote to approve the project and allow concerts there despite opposition from residents, Northwestern has moved quickly to replace its nearly century-old football stadium. Demolition will take four months and further excavation could take even longer, officials said at the meeting hosted

by Ald. Eleanor Revelle (7th) and Dave Davis, NU’s

Pretrial Fairness Act of stakeholders from within and outside the government coming together to figure out how to get the hard work done,” Levin said.

Researchers at Loyola University of Chicago’s Center for Criminal Justice have been tracking the effects of implementation thus far.

According to a November report from the center, the Cook County jail population decreased by 12% in the month after PFA’s implementation, with similar decreases in several other Illinois counties.

“It’s gone pretty smoothly,” said Patrick Griffin, deputy director of policy and communications at the Center.

Across three days of observations in Cook County courtrooms, researchers also found that hearings on detention petitions took an average of 22 minutes, compared to a previous average of four minutes for bond hearings.

The Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice, a coalition of more than 30 organizations that advocated for the Pretrial Fairness Act, has also been closely watching the act’s implementation, according to Briana Payton, director of policy and advocacy at Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts.

The network said it has mobilized court watchers to attend trials and collect data as they wait for the state to collect and publish court data mandated by the PFA. Based on these findings, Griffin and Payton both expressed concerns that public defenders in resourcechallenged counties in Illinois may be overburdened by the new law.

The PFA requires public defenders to attend more hearings on a tightened schedule. Although the act senior executive director of neighborhood and community relations.

The Central Street Consortium, which includes contractors Turner Construction and Chicago-based Walsh Construction, will employ between 150 and 200 workers for the Ryan Field demolition, Turner Senior Superintendent Michael Musial said.

The come-and-go of trucks, people and debris elicited the most concerns by residents, who had the opportunity to ask questions later in the meeting.

“If there are any major concerns on site, the city is prepared to stop work,” said Andrew San Roman, Evanston’s building official and plan reviewer. “But we’re confident that the vibration monitoring that Northwestern will do will help in that regard.”

NU will conduct weekly analyses of vibration caused by demotion across the site, San Roman said,

Daily file illustration by Shveta Shah

Advocates say that implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act has been an overall success.

provided $10 million to help public defenders with its implementation, Payton said that may not be enough.

However, Payton said she thinks that implementation has been an overall success.

“It’s already affecting thousands of people and will affect hundreds of thousands more to come,” she said.

“It’s hard to put into words how amazing that is.”

Other advocates like Levin are already looking toward the next step.

She and the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice are

hoping to introduce a piece of legislation called the Pretrial Success Act in the coming legislative session.

She said the act would fund access to pretrial navigation services, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and transportation to trials.

“The Pretrial Fairness Act is absolutely essential,” Levin said. “But that doesn’t mean we’ve fully achieved a vision of pretrial justice.”

and the city will receive a monthly report from Northwestern. City permitting for the demolition will likely wrap up next week, he added.

The demolition will not use explosives or wrecking balls, Musial said, and will instead utilize a piece-bypiece excavator. Crews will “mist” the air and equipment at the site to keep dust down, he added.

Residents at the meeting expressed concern that Ryan Field’s asbestos and lead paint could degrade the neighborhood’s safety and environment during demolition, and they said officials had given unclear answers to their questions.

“It’s been identified by consultants as being addressed per the regulatory protocols that will be completed prior to any demolition,” Musial said.

Other officials clarified that asbestos removal has neared certified completion with demolition slated

for the coming days.

Though concern about impacts from concerts at the completed stadium — set to debut in fall 2026 — has dominated residents’ activism against the rebuild, the day-to-day construction will take center stage as demolition begins.

Work hours run weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Musial said, and the fenced-off site will have designated locations for trucks to come and go. More details on asbestos removal, truck movements and other details will come, the officials said.

“We certainly know what issues you’d like more information about for our next meeting, and we’ll certainly work on making sure we have all that,” Revelle told residents.

lilyshen2026@u.northwestern.edu

— Shun Graves

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SPORTS

Monday, January 22, 2024

@DailyNU_Sports

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Northwestern falls at Nebraska, snaps win streak

By JACOB EPSTEIN

daily senior staffer @jakeepste1n

When coach Chris Collins addressed the media inside Trienens Performance Center Friday, he spoke of a Northwestern team energized by its recent string of three victories in four games. Collins said his group had the confidence and ability to compete with any Big Ten foe — though he stressed that conference wins are tough to come by.

“We have to continue to improve because the teams you play against are getting better,” Collins said. “The level of teams you play against, the coaches, the environments, you have to get better in all areas.”

Hours later, the Wildcats (13-5, 4-3 Big Ten) jetted off toward Lincoln, Nebraska, eyeing a Saturday showdown against an opponent they had bested in seven consecutive games.

Despite entering the matchup on a two-game losing skid, Nebraska built a buzzsaw capable of dethroning the strongest conference powers inside its building.

The Cornhuskers (14-5, 4-4 Big Ten) had amassed an 11-1 home record, and no Big Ten team had ridden into Pinnacle Bank Arena and lived to tell the tale unscathed — not even No. 2 Purdue. For the first time in a decade, Nebraska faithful’s March Madness dreams may come to fruition.

That success had Collins and company on high alert.

“It’s probably the best Nebraska team that

(coach Fred Hoiberg) has had,” Collins said.

“He’s done a good job the last couple of years adding pieces. They do a great job, especially at home. To go into that building and try to get a win is incredibly difficult.”

Although NU appeared ready for the challenge, Nebraska packed just enough firepower to stave off the ‘Cats in a 75-69 victory.

After 20 minutes of a Cornhusker inside scoring clinic, NU was still within striking distance. Nebraska knocked down 16-of-23 firsthalf field goals, and graduate student guard Boo Buie poured in just four points on a 1-of-6 clip.

With their most dangerous weapon declawed offensively, the ‘Cats clung to a 39-35 deficit. In a game of runs, NU was just a hop, jump and a skip away from breaking Saturday’s contest wide open.

Instead, the Cornhuskers launched a 10-3 run in the second half’s opening 143 seconds.

Once Nebraska guard Jamarques Lawrence drilled his second 3-pointer in less than three minutes, Collins called a timeout to stop the bleeding.

Collins said he urged his group to battle back during the break.

“I said ‘You’re on the road, and this is a point right now where you’re going to fight back as a group and get back into this thing, or you’re just gonna let them run away from us,’” Collins said.

“The rest of the game we played really well, our defense got physical, we were able to generate some turnovers.”

Down 49-38, the ‘Cats turned to a veteran star to set the tone of a game swiftly slipping out of reach. It wasn’t Buie’s day,

Daily file photo by Gabe Bider

nor would last season’s Cornhusker kryptonite in senior guard Ty Berry unleash a downtown barrage.

Junior guard Brooks Barnhizer’s second-half spark plug ability has flashed throughout the season, but NU needed its Swiss Army knife to display his two-way prowess to muster a fighting chance for the ‘Cats.

With Nebraska looking to extend its lead to 12 points, Barnhizer leapt to deny a 3-pointer before corralling the miss, driving into the paint and converting a spinning layup. Later, Barnhizer fed graduate student guard Ryan Langborg an outside jumper that cut the Cornhusker lead to just four points.

Behind the junior’s quickfire 16-point downpour, NU fought back to even the score at 65 apiece with just under four minutes to play. Collins’ crew earned a clean slate in its final push, but the ‘Cats experienced an untimely 1-of-12 stretch from the field.

Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga’s 3-pointer with 25 seconds to play provided the dagger, and the ‘Cats fell on the road despite Barnhizer’s career-high 24 points on a 9-of-15 clip.

“When you’re right there in a one-possession game, you just want to find a way to steal it,” Collins said. “We just weren’t able to do that.”

NU will look to reverse its fortune against No. 14 Illinois at home Wednesday night. With Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. back in the rotation, the ‘Cats must stymie extra starpower against their in-state rivals, who won the teams’ Jan. 2 meeting by 30 points. jacobepstein2026@u.northwestern.edu

MEN’S BASKETBALL

FENCING

Recap: Cornhuskers best ’Cats NU bolsters chemistry at Philly Invitational

By AAYUSHYA AGARWAL

daily senior staffer @aayushyagarwal7

By ROSE CARLSON

Hoping to cap off a perfect week, Northwestern traveled to Lincoln to square off against Nebraska.

Entering the game, the Wildcats held a seven-game winning streak against the Cornhuskers and looked to extend their streak inside a hostile environment.

Both teams came out of the gates firing on offense, combining for 21 points by the game’s first media timeout. Graduate student guard Ryan Langborg’s pair of 3-pointers opened the scoring for NU. Graduate student guard Boo Buie’s pullup jumper capped an 8-2 scoring run and extended the visitors’ lead to 14-9 with 15 minutes remaining in the first frame.

Despite the early scoring barrage, the ‘Cats struggled to maintain their offensive momentum. The Cornhuskers capitalized on NU’s struggles, using an 11-2 scoring run to claim a 24-19 advantage with eight minutes before halftime.

Both squads traded outside conversions as the half winded down. Junior guard Brooks Barnhizer’s 3-pointer capped a third consecutive possession with a make beyond the arc, but the ‘Cats still trailed 39-35 at the break.

Nebraska looked to dutifully dispose of the visitors’ quest for a road victory, launching a 10-3 scoring run to extend their lead into double-digits just three minutes into the second half.

The ‘Cats remained in striking distance as the half’s action materialized. Coach Chris Collins’ crew consequently countered with a 9-2 scoring run, and Langborg’s 3-pointer trimmed NU’s deficit to just four points.

With the game in the balance, the ‘Cats capitalized off stellar play on both sides of the ball. Barnhizer’s steal and dunk capped a 10-0 NU run, turning another once double-digit deficit into a 65-64 margin with six minutes remaining.

Although the ‘Cats clawed all the way back into a tie ballgame, they were unable to hand the Cornhuskers their first home conference defeat, as a dagger from outside silenced their late push.

Here are three takeaways from NU’s

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Daily file photo by Henry Frieman

loss to Nebraska.

1. The ’Cats pour in early barrage of threes After shooting at a mere 6-of-21 clip in its win over Maryland, NU immediately found momentum from distance on Saturday.

By the game’s first media timeout, Collins’ group scored its first 12 points from downtown. Despite suffering multiple scoring droughts during the first frame, the ‘Cats continued to make dents in the scoreboard from beyond the arc.

By the intermission, NU remained within striking distance, courtesy of its 7-of-15 clip from deep. Eclipsing 1000 career points, Langborg’s three first-half threes paved the way offensively.

By the end of the contest, the ‘Cats canned 10 3-pointers.

2. ’Cats unable to stop Cornhuskers’ prolific shooting over first frame Despite Nebraska losing a significant two-way contributor in forward Juwan Gary, who was ruled out prior to Saturday’s contest with a calf injury, the ‘Cats were still unable to keep the hosts in check from the field — especially inside the painted area.

Allowing a scorching 16-of-23 mark from the field in the first frame, NU faced

difficulties quelling Nebraska’s direct point of attack.

While star guard Keisei Tominaga was limited to five points on four first-half shots, the hosts found offensive production elsewhere. Forward Josiah Allick led the Cornhuskers with 10 points in the game’s first 20 minutes.

Over the second frame, the ‘Cats defense capitalized on Gary’s absence, holding Tominaga and Allick to a combined 14 second-half points.

3. Buie’s offensive struggles stall NU’s late comeback attempt After leading the offense with another 20-point performance in Wednesday’s win over Maryland, Buie struggled to take the lid off the basket in Lincoln.

Despite the ‘Cats unconscious stretch from deep, the First Team All-Big Ten playmaker failed to capitalize from the field in the first frame — converting none of his outside looks. Entering the locker room, Buie was limited to 4 points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field.

As NU attempted a comeback in the second frame, Buie’s offensive struggles continued. The graduate student guard finished the afternoon tallying nine points — his lowest point total since the squad faced Detroit Mercy December 10. aayushyaagarwal2024@u.northwestern.edu

After last weekend’s Tufts Invitational, No.12 Northwestern put progress at the forefront during Sunday’s Philadelphia Invitational.

The Wildcats started with a 15-12 loss to No. 5 Duke and a 14-13 loss to No. 16 Penn.

Foil victories of 6-3 and 5-4 shone through Sunday morning, but weren’t enough to make up NU’s point deficit.

“We’re still trying to gain some momentum in terms of wins and losses, but I feel like the team energy, the way we’re working together as a group, was where we want it to be,” said head coach Zach Moss.

The ’Cats bounced back with a resounding 26-1 victory against Drew to start their afternoon in the Keystone State. Moss’ squad swiftly followed the victory up with a 22-5 roundhousing of NJIT. But NU came up short against No. 6 Yale, losing 15-12 in its last clash of the tournament, despite a 5-4 saber triumph.

“There’s some unique facility challenges that make it a difficult environment, but that’s a great opportunity to overcome some adversity, and it’s also why I’m really proud of how our team worked together,” Moss said, clearing his throat from a day of yelling through the cacophony of Penn’s facility.

A window glare from one side of the main fencing hall meant that teams regularly switched sides to avoid competitive imbalances, and fencers put tape on their masks to block some of the light. The sheer volume of noise in the space added extra pressure.

But, freshman foilist Karina Vasile said, that’s just part of the sport.

“There are a lot of external factors that could potentially have an impact on your fencing,” Vasile said. “You can’t get rid of them all, and you kind of have to learn to deal with them and still put up your best fencing, focus on what you’re doing and not think about everything else happening.”

Vasile made her dual debut at the tournament, coming off of a schedule chock-full

of international competition as a member of the Romanian National Team.

She said it was an eventful start to collegiate competition.

“It was a little overwhelming in the beginning because there were just like so many people,” Vasile said. “Everyone was shouting and screaming, and like all that energy was like a lot, but it honestly felt so good.”

Vasile fenced bouts against Duke, Penn and Yale — and even had the chance to face a familiar foe for her final fight.

Vasile has encountered Kristina Petrova, a Yale freshman and fencer for the Ukrainian National team, multiple times in international competitions.

“It’s like always tied, because she’s a really good fencer as well, so that was a very important bout for me,” Vasile said.

“I had to be locked in, ready to get in, and I won that bout, and everyone was just there, shouting with me. That was a really nice moment.”

Vasile said the college environment differs greatly from international competition. For one thing, players on national teams don’t necessarily train together, which can make it harder to form a sense of community.

At the collegiate level, she said, it’s a different story.

“You have so many moments you spend together and you’re so well connected as a group … it feels really nice and you feel like you can rely on each other,” Vasile said. “Everyone has everyone’s back.”

The ’Cats compete at the DeCicco Duals in South Bend, Indiana on Saturday. They’ll face a bevy of teams, but the tournament will be highlighted by a matchup against No. 2 Notre Dame.

“On any given day, we can be better than them, and they can be better than us,” Moss said. “So it’s just about who believes that and carrying that energy forward from this weekend, the momentum that we that we started to build, and not giving them an inch.” rosecarlson2027@u.northwestern.edu