The Daily Northwestern - January 30, 2023

The Daily Northwestern

NU scientists predict future dental health

Research successfully studies orientation in single enamel rods

By NORA COLLINS the daily northwestern @noracollins02

Dental caries, or tooth decay, is the most widespread noncommunicable disease worldwide.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than $45 billion is lost in productivity in the U.S. each year, with untreated dental diseases as the number one cause.

Main Street Starbucks to unionize 519 Main St. employees voted unanimously for ‘better conditions’

By AVIVA BECHKY daily senior staffer @avivabechky

Employees of Evanston’s Starbucks at 519 Main St. voted 12-0

to unionize Thursday, making the location the first Starbucks in the city to unionize.

“Hopefully the unanimous vote is a reflection of having done a very thorough job of organizing and really coming

Collection boxes fill for ‘flow drive’

Houren said.

Period products, which remain taxable in some states, can be unaffordable for lowincome individuals.

together as a unit,” said barista Connor Brennan. “It’s a huge victory.”

Employees announced their petition to unionize in December, citing concerns about understaffing and underpayment.

According to CNBC, more than 300 Starbucks locations have voted on whether to unionize since December 2021, with more than 250 deciding in favor

» See UNION, page 6

Scientists have studied the composition and structure of tooth enamel on a scale larger than 50 micrometers and smaller than 100 nanometers. Enamel is the hardest substance in the human body and is the outermost layer of the human tooth.

A group of Northwestern researchers recently became the first scientists to successfully study crystalline orientation in single enamel rods, as well as in interrod enamel, as published in a December study.

The novel research could one day help predict an individual’s future dental health by illuminating structural differences which impact enamel lifespan.

McCormick Prof. Derk Joester, primary investigator and co-author of the study, said enamel is a “poster child” for being a hierarchical material, in which structural features largely depend on the length scale, or on the size magnitude, of the material studied.

“In order to understand how enamel dissolves when it’s exposed to acids that biofilms and bacteria in your mouth produce, you really need to understand it at all of these length scales,” Joester said.

The study, a result of more than four years of research, was also co-authored by Karen DeRocher (McCormick ’20), a postdoctoral research associate at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. She worked in Joester’s lab in 2020 when the study method was published.

DeRocher said her main role with the lab was to run experiments at the beamline, an advanced photon source tool located at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois.

“We were looking at how things like composition or crystal packing affect the orientation of crystallites,” she said. “We were also looking to see if there were any chemical gradients

» See ENAMEL , page 6

By BEATRICE VILLAFLOR the daily northwestern @beatricedvilla

Northwestern’s Menstrual Equity Activists is encouraging students to stock collection boxes across campus with period products like panty liners, tampons and menstrual cups as part of the organization’s quarterly “flow drive.”

Running through March 10, the drive includes collection points at all residential area desks on campus, as well as in Kresge Hall and the Norris University Center. All materials received will benefit local non-profit The Period Collective.

“(Menstrual equity is) a really interesting issue because a lot of people don’t think about it as a big issue in our country and in the world in general, because it only affects about half the population,” Weinberg freshman and MEA member Grace

Houren, a member of Associated Student Government’s Health & Wellness Committee, said lack of access to menstrual products can be debilitating for those who menstruate. She said some lower-income people who menstruate often resort to cardboard or socks to soak up bleeding.

“It’s a little bit frustrating that period products have been deemed non-essential, even though they are essential to maintaining your health and dignity,” Weinberg junior and MEA co-President Lili Pope said.

She said menstrual equity is just one subset of equal access to healthcare.

Pope added that lack of access to menstrual products can negatively impact a person’s overall well-being and mental health.

“(Restrictions on) reproductive rights have historically

By ANGELI MITTAL daily senior staffer @amittal27

As a Northwestern student, Adam Bennett (WCAS ‘95) played for NU’s Division I men’s soccer team. After a knee injury, he decided to go into sports medicine. Now, he’s the new medical director of sports medicine at Northwestern Medicine’s Sports Medicine and Imaging Center.

“Northwestern is near and dear to my heart,” Bennett said. “I’ve learned a lot about sports medicine and have always wanted to come back to home base, which is Evanston.”

The Sports Medicine and Imaging Center opened Dec. 1 at 1704 Maple Ave. It aims to provide efficient appointment scheduling for sports-related injuries, breast care, diagnostic imaging and other services to NU students and Chicago area residents.

Evanston already hosts Northwestern Medicine’s Outpatient and Immediate Care Center, which provides primary care, emergency and other specialized services

within a quarter of a mile from the new facility.

With the healthcare center in close proximity to NU’s Evanston campus, Bennett said the facility enables students to receive medical care without needing to trek far. He also said the center makes it easier for people to

decide whether their injury requires imaging, physical therapy or a specific healing period prior to returning to regular activity.

“(People) need physical therapy to get those answers, and they often had to go downtown (to Chicago) or somewhere else in the area,” Bennett

said. “But now we have it right downtown. It’s much more convenient for the students and faculty.”

When NU decided to create an orthopedic clinic in downtown Evanston, he was able to bring his vision of accessible

Seeger Gray/Daily Senior Staffer

Connor Brennan, a barista at the 519 Main St. Starbucks, places an order on the counter.

Main Street’s ADA compliance will be ‘first baby step’

By COLE REYNOLDS the daily northwestern @charcole27

Nura Aly’s wheelchair sometimes gets stuck in sidewalk cracks on Main Street. The sudden stop catapults her out of the chair, and she lands face-first on the ground.

“That’s happened so many times in my life that I’m used to it,” she said. “I’ve figured out how to do it safely.”

But that means she spends most of her time looking at the ground, watching for cracks instead of enjoying her surroundings.

Uneven sidewalks like these run up and down Main Street. As Evanston tries to calm traffic through its Main Street Improvement Project, it’s also redoing the sidewalks in compliance with city accessibility standards. But some staff at the local Park School, a public therapeutic day program where 40% of the student body uses a wheelchair, questioned if compliance is enough.

“They are unintentionally making this like a token,” said Aly, who works at the school as a paraprofessional. “Kind of like, ‘Hey, we’ve done it. Let’s celebrate,’ when this is the first baby step.”

Broken sidewalks, lost opportunities

Some of the most crucial learning happens outside of the classroom at schools like Park, according to Ren Heckathorne, a teacher at Park.

Heckathorne often takes students to a local coffee shop to practice communication skills. They said reallife experiences, like ordering food, can’t be replicated inside the school.

Getting students out into the community also has less tangible, but perhaps more important, benefits, Heckathorne said. Being able to access a coffee shop or a laundromat lets students — and everyone around them — know they are valued members of the community.

But the sidewalks can make it hard to do this, multiple staff at the school said. Some students require larger wheelchairs that don’t fit on narrower sidewalks or are prone to tipping over during bumpy patches. Because of this, staff said, not all students can attend the outdoor excursions.

“It’s sad that the main obstacle to all of that is the sidewalks,” Heckathorne said. “It’s just a truly unfair and inexcusable reason not to be able to access the community.”

Compliant doesn’t mean accessible

When the City last developed Main Street, it opted to install sidewalks paved with individual stones, according to Chris Venatta, a senior project manager on the Main Street Improvement Project. But those sidewalks were difficult to fully repair when they deteriorated, Venatta said.

As the years went by, those sidewalks fell into further disrepair and out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Venatta said.

The project, which is expected to start construction this spring, will replace the bumpy sidewalks with wider, smoother ones. While the project primarily aims to calm traffic on the street with Evanston’s fourth-most number of crashes, those improvements will also make the corridor ADA-compliant, Venatta said.

“We’re doing a disservice to some of our vulnerable populations by leaving sidewalks that are not navigable

by people with disabilities or people that are elderly,” Venatta said.

But to Aly, “ADA compliance” doesn’t necessarily equal accessibility. She says, to her, making infrastructure ADA-compliant means doing the minimum required effort.

When Aly was a student at DePaul University, she said she had to enter the school through a loading dock — which was technically ADA-compliant. But the ramp was too steep for her, she said, and she injured her shoulders trying to navigate the entrance.

At Park, she’s seen a similar lack of accessibility. Multiple staff members said students’ wheelchairs are prone to tipping over on access ramps at the school, which Evanston/Skokie School District 65 has ensured are ADA compliant.

“You have to really hold on to a wheelchair if you’re gonna take (students) down most classroom ramps,” Aly said.

‘Nothing about us without us’

The disability advocacy community often uses the phrase, “Nothing about us without us.”

The motto is supposed to highlight the need for disabled voices to be integrated into the planning process of projects affecting people with disabilities.

But Aly said she was concerned she hadn’t heard about the Main Street Improvement Project until after it was planned and approved. And she says its focus on ADA compliance, however well-intentioned, further ignores voices like her own.

Venatta acknowledged while the Park School added urgency to the upgrades, its presence didn’t push the City to consider any improvements beyond its standard ADA compliance measures.

Those measures, he said, are the best possible guidelines for accessibility. He also said two members of the Park School staff, who were included on a 15-person advisory committee for the project, raised no unresolved issues.

One of those members was Heckathorne. They said while they had a positive experience on the committee, neither they nor the other Park School representative has a physical disability. The city could be more intentional about including disabled voices in the planning process, Heckathorne said.

They urged Evanston to look beyond ADA compliance in the future, particularly around spaces for disabled people.

“Take that bare minimum and really push past it,” Heckathorne said. “I think it sends a strong message about the ways that (disabled) identities are being valued.”

While Aly said she’s happy to have better sidewalks, she also said the city needs to involve the disability community when planning capital improvements. She encouraged the city to create an office run by disabled people to consult on such projects, much like the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities in Chicago.

Until that happens, Aly said she’s stuck with a realization many in the disability community have had.

“As a person with a disability, you learn to decide which things you’re going to fight,” she said. “There’s always things that can be better. But I have to choose which battles to fight because I don’t want to live my life angry.”

colereynolds2026@u.northwestern.edu

TAQUERIA Y CANTINA

Cole Reynolds/The Daily Northwestern

The City of Evanston is improving the ADA compliance of sidewalks around Park School, which serves students with special needs.

NU wrangles new data science major

By PAVAN ACHARYA

daily senior staffer

@ pavanacharya02

Students are now able to seize the data with Northwestern’s new data science major, which began in Fall 2022.

The University first approved the major in Spring 2021, followed by over a year of hiring and preparation, according to data science director and Prof. Arend Kuyper.

Now, over 200 students are enrolled in the major, which operates under the Department of Statistics and Data Science. Within the 200, students from various academic focuses, such as economics, computer science and journalism are represented.

“Our belief is that (the data science major) is a good one to have another minor or major with because doing good data science work requires a context in which you work,” Kuyper said.

Kuyper said within the data science major, students learn more about theory and foundational knowledge than those who complete the minor, which focuses on visualization.

He added that the major also incorporates a more extensive curriculum including courses in mathematics and computer science.

But, Kuyper said the data science major also aims to be as accessible as possible.

The Office of the Provost currently runs a grant program to provide resources to develop free materials for classes, according to Kuyper. He said data science Prof. Arvind Krishna was awarded a grant and has been creating his own textbooks for Statistics 303-1: Data Science 1 with Python.

“We don’t want to make buying a book a roadblock,” Kuyper said.

Weinberg junior Annabel Skubisz, an economics and data science major, is currently enrolled in Statistics 303-2: Data Science 2 with Python. She said she appreciates that some of the textbooks from the year-long Statistics 303 sequence are created by professors

who are familiar with students’ levels of knowledge.

Skubisz said she chose the data major to do more mathematics and learn data-related skills that are key to consulting positions.

“If there’s some company that needs younger people who understand the rising field of data analytics (and) data science, then I can step in and be like, ‘I know a little bit,’” Skubisz said.

Similarly, Weinberg sophomore Becca Muro said she took on the data science major because it combined computer science and statistics elements into one requirement.

Even though the data science major is still new, Muro said she appreciates the efforts of faculty members involved in the discipline.

“They are all extremely dedicated and are

willing to help you with whatever you need,” Muro said.

Although the data science major has seen increased demand, Kuyper said he believes the department has managed the situation well.

He also said that students declaring a data science major may face a few trade-offs, especially since the major includes a year-long sequence.

But, there are other upsides — for example, students can choose to take courses in either the programming language “R” or Python. Kuyper said that it is advantageous to give students a choice between different programming languages and paths within the major.

“Students have a choice,” he said. “That’s one of the challenges of the curriculum.”

pavanacharya2025@u.northwestern.edu

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Over 200 students are enrolled in the data science major, which includes individuals from various academic focuses, such as economics, computer science and journalism.

A&E arts & entertainment

‘Matilda the Musical’ brings out our inner children

By NIXIE STRAZZA theatre critic @nixiestrazza

Aerial silks, fantastical stories and an enormous chocolate cake deliver a message of wonder and resilience in The Dolphin Show’s production of “Matilda the Musical”. Based on Roald Dahl’s novel of the same name, “Matilda” teaches audiences that age and size are no restraint to standing up for what is right, even if it means being a little naughty.

The 80th annual Dolphin Show, the nation’s largest student-produced musical, runs from Jan. 20 to Jan. 28 in Cahn Auditorium, with a special children’s matinee Sunday Jan. 22.

In building the company’s version of the beloved Broadway musical, music director and Bienen senior Kevin Park said the creative team made adaptations more fit for a modern context to reflect the diversity of its cast and the greater student body.

“Our views on gender had such a huge influence with casting, and also in terms of how I music direct,” Park said.

The role of Miss Honey, Matilda’s kind and gentle teacher typically portrayed by a femaleidentifying actor, was filled by SESP junior Matthew McGory. Park said the reimagining of roles and reworking of musical arrangements to

fit new vocal abilities was a worthwhile challenge, which contributed to Park’s growth as a director and musician.

Similarly, the role of Bruce Bogtrotter — a young boy with an affinity for chocolate cake — was played by Communication junior Kylie Kim, an Asian American, female-identifying actress. Kim said playing Bruce allowed her to both break gender norms and tap into her inner child, while delivering a core message that still rang true.

“The big thing is standing up for yourself and being true to yourself,” Kim said. “It’s knowing when you should stand up for something, and when something is not right.”

The circus feats of Communication junior Matthew Millin and Communication sophomore Julianne Zane, the Escapologist and Acrobat respectively, were captivating and impressively demanding. Serving as the physical embodiment of an elaborate story told from Matilda’s perspective, the two performed their moves with athletic grace and elegance, bringing to life characters beyond gravity’s reach.

Morgan Barber, a Communication sophomore who takes on the titular heroine, said the decision to include acrobatic elements came from director Lucy Harrington’s desire to reimagine the physical violence written into the script in a creative way.

“We used aerial silks, the lyra hoop and different

circus elements to tell the story in a way that would still depict those moments, but without causing any harm,” Barber said.

The multi-talented Millin again proved his prowess in a duet with McGory in act two’s “My House.” The performance by the two Matthews evoked all the pain, heartbreak, resilience and determination at the heart of the show. Their harmony left little to be desired.

Communication senior Kristen Waagner’s energetic choreography made the portrayal of elementary school children believable, without compromising form or precision. The opening number “Miracle” established the eclectic, fantastical world of “Matilda” with fierce dance moves and a contagious energy that remained the rest of the show.

Tallulah Nouss shined as the egotistical Mrs. Wormwood. The Communication sophomore secured a near-standing ovation by salsa-ing and shimmy-ing across stage during her rendition of the dynamic musical number “Loud.” A killer comedian in heels and big hair, Nouss’s performance would have had Broadway royalty and original Mrs. Wormwood Lesli Margherita back-flipping alongside her.

Despite Mrs. Wormwood’s recommendation to employ a “Loud” voice, however, many of the show’s major moments were lost on the audience due to a lack of volume. Matilda’s signature retort, “That’s not right!,” which punctuates the end of the first act, was nearly inaudible before intermission.

Her climactic telling-off of the “maggot”-hating headmistress Miss Trunchbull — played by Communication junior Lauren Gunn — was also unintelligible amid the staged chaos.

The same can be said about many of the lines from Communication sophomore Nathan Hiykel’s Mr. Wormwood, which missed the mark in comparison to Nouss’s performance. The absence of clear diction took away from countless jokes in his musical number “Telly” and other comedic moments.

Given the importance of words in “Matilda” itself, the gaps in sound were an unfortunate hurdle to overcome. In a show about the power of storytelling and taking the chance to rewrite one’s own, hearing every syllable of Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly’s work is imperative.

Communication sophomore Constance Harris, who was delightful in her role as Matilda’s precocious, self-proclaimed best friend Lavender, hoped audiences leave not only elated after taking in two hours of musical play but also armed with increased consciousness and care for those kept on the outskirts of society. “So many people can empathize and sympathize and understand what it’s like to have your voice feel like it’s been quieted,” Harris said. “But you can change your story, and you can speak up, and you can find love. It only takes one person who really believes in you.” nixiestrazza2024@u.northwestern.edu

Michelle Sheen/The Daily Northwestern

‘Northwestern fitss’ account features campus fashion

By OLATUNJI OSHO-WILLIAMS daily senior staffer @osho_olatunji

Weinberg freshman Nicholas Hoag was walking from his seminar when his subtle pairing of ripped Diesel jeans, a blank white tee, navy cardigan and Vivienne Westwood necklace caught the eye of Instagram page @nufitss.

“I wasn’t expecting to be photographed, which is the beauty of the page,” Hoag said.

From clear Patrick Bateman-inspired raincoats to Comme des Garçons bags, corsets and more, the student-run Instagram page has amassed more than 400 followers by highlighting the eclectic fashion choices Northwestern students make each morning.

The @nufitss team found Communication sophomore Sam Webster while she was chowing down at Norris University Center, and by the end of the day, Webster was featured on the page. Among the page’s fashion history discussions and weekly hot take Friday debates, Webster’s strawberry-colored cottage-core ensemble marked the 45th featured outfit displayed on the account.

“I was eating a sandwich, and a very cool-looking person approaches me,” Webster said. “I freaked out because I had a longstanding goal of getting on that page since I found it on Instagram.”

The page was created by Medill freshman Josephine White, who was inspired to start the page after her brother was featured on @watchingvassar, a similar account at Vassar College.

When she was a high school freshman, White, who is Black, dove into the world of fashion as a path to

self-discovery while attending a predominantly white high school. With stylistic inspiration ranging from Mugler to Pinterest boards, White’s personal style became a versatile mix of streetwear and pencil skirts.

“I like fashion a lot — just putting on different outfits,” White said. “I was hoping (@nufitss would) be a place where Northwestern students could connect through fashion.”

Rock-inspired archival fashion — crossed with classic Americana — is the fashion taste of Weinberg freshman Malcolm Gittens, who joined the @nufitss team after helping White search campus for possible outfit features.

Gittens now creates fashion history posts for the account, but his interest in fashion rose from the need for a creative outlet and seeing the iconic tartan wedding dress of fashion legend Vivienne Westwood’s 1993-1994 “Anglomania” Autumn-Winter collection.

“I was always in a family who was very into economics and work and school,” Gittens said. “But for me, I always want to express creativity in some way. That showed me that clothing could be fun and artistic and interesting.”

Once White or Gittens spots a good outfit on campus, they ask the person for a picture and then send the photo to their review board to initiate the curation process.

Review board member and Weinberg freshman Alec Easter, who often dons a workwear style composed of Carhartt and Dickies, says balance is what makes a good outfit.

“I like to emphasize the fact that different doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good fit,” Easter said. “For me, it’s proportions — a proper balance of doing something new and (innovation) — that still comes together and

looks like it’s clothes.”

While their personal styles differ, the moderators agree that the student body needs more variations in winter wear. The @nufitss team wants to see more leg warmers, trench coats and fur coats around campus and less Canada Goose coats.

The page shares an online space similar to Northwestern student-fashion account @northwesterngarb, which also aims to highlight Northwestern student expression through clothing.

In the midst of Northwestern’s time-crushing

quarter system, the moderators of @nufitss said they hope to make their page a community space beyond sharing the best outfits of the student body, with plans for on-the-street interviews and clothing store recommendations.

“It’s just a matter of finding time, but there’s a lot of potential,” White said. “I’m looking forward to what the page will grow into because I know we have a lot of ideas.”

tunjiosho-williams2025@u.northwestern.edu

Behind the scenes, ‘Matilda’ crew sets the stage at Cahn

By ALEXA CROWDER the daily northwestern @alexacrowder

If you have the chance to see The Dolphin Show’s production of “Matilda the Musical” this month, take a moment between the high-energy musical numbers and quirky, inspiring story to look up. You’ll see an intricate false proscenium — the part of a theater that frames the stage — the product of 100 hours of digital drafting and the manual labor of about 25 people.

This process was engineered and led by Communication sophomore Juan Barrera Lopez, who serves as one member of a multi-faceted team that runs the show behind the scenes — from design to construction to real-time cues.

Barrera Lopez’s responsibility as a technical director is to turn the designers’ ideas into a tangible reality on stage. For “Matilda the Musical,” he said this process

required 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of wood for the hanging set pieces alone.

“A group of incredibly talented artists (gives) you their ideas and how they want the show to look and feel,” Barrera Lopez said. “You help them get there and figure out what is realizable with the budget we have, the materials we have and the skill we have.”

A backstage crew is necessary for every campus production, and some students, like Communication sophomore Melanie Ahn, study the discipline academically.

A theatre major focusing on scenic design, Ahn is an assistant scenic designer for The Dolphin Show’s musical. She has also been a lighting designer for ReFusionShaka among other student dance productions.

Ahn said her childhood experiences influenced her interest in pursuing theatrical design as a possible career.

“I grew up in a lot of different places and moved around a lot, so I was always around different scenery,” Ahn said. “Being very cognizant of how those

different places and floor plans and areas and neighborhoods affected me is what drives me and makes me so interested in this design world specifically.”

Designers find their way into the craft through a variety of paths. While she started Northwestern primarily involved in the fashion world, Weinberg senior Annalise Biesterfeld said she realized she could merge her extracurricular passion for theatre through costume design.

This year’s Dolphin Show is Biesterfeld’s biggest project to date. As the lead costume designer, they are responsible for dressing 30 actors with an average of four costumes for each.

Biesterfeld said “Matilda the Musical” provided an opportunity to play with color contrasts: The set is black and white, the lighting is colorful and the costumes incorporate aspects of both. The schoolchildren wear muted white and gray uniforms accented with brighter, personalized accessories.

“It’s really fun and kind of a twist on the uniform,

because in this world, children are not really given a lot of freedom in how they dress,” she said. “We saw this as a little symbolic way to bring in youth and fun and happiness.”

Biesterfeld’s creative process started with “inspiration design planning” for each character’s style, pulling ideas from Pinterest, paintings, objects and clothing. Then, along with their assistants, they sourced all of the costume pieces from Amazon, Etsy and the actors’ personal wardrobes.

For Barrera Lopez, technical theatre is a rewarding process, especially — in his case — when it comes to ensuring the stage is safe.

“Someone needs to make sure that the site is safe, and that’s us,” he said. “It’s nice to know that you’re doing that in the background. No one will see you, no one will know you’re there. But it needs to happen and it’s really gratifying to know that it’s working.”

alexacrowder2024@u.northwestern.edu

Mee-Ow’s sexy first show of the quarter won’t be its last

By SELENA KUZNIKOV daily senior staffer @selenakuznikov

Lap dances and live music galore, Mee-Ow Comedy kicked off their first show of the quarter — Mee-owgic Mike’s Last Dance — with a bang. Opening with a performance from the Mee-Ow band to get the crowd pumped up, the group smashed its first two-hour long show of the weekend.

Communication senior and Mee-Ow co-director Liv Drury said she immediately felt that Friday night’s shows were going to be successful because of the crowd’s energy early on.

“It’s just a ball, it’s so fun,” Drury said. “It was just very nice to hear your friends get a warm

welcome and to hear the first laughs of the show.”

Mee-Ow Comedy is a short-form comedy group that combines sketch comedy, improv and live music. Sketches range from roughly five-minute scenes to one-minute jokes called “blackouts.”

The show also includes different short improv games where group members take suggestions from the crowd to create a sketch on the spot.

Communication sophomore Ferdinand Moscat joined the comedy group at the beginning of this school year. They meet almost every weekday, with each member bringing in around two sketches per session.

“Mee-Ow is just such a party,” Moscat said.

“You do some improv, you do some sketches and then you dance for like 20 straight minutes in the middle of the show. I felt very grateful to be able to do something that brings me so much joy, and

it’s just such a blast.”

Moscat said many of his sketches stem from everyday experiences that might be a little awkward or silly. One of the sketches in the show was inspired by his fear of being kicked out of a reserved library room.

Anelga Hajjar, Communication senior and MeeOw’s co-director, said one of her favorite parts of the show was being able to work with Drury and do a short improv piece together. She said the shows’ sketches are a part of a collaborative effort between the cast members.

“All these sketches are constantly evolving,” Hajjar said. “We’re always making like last minute tweaks based on how performances go and the improvising that a performer might do.”

She said the process of creating the show is a quick one as cast members do not get the script with the sketches that will be performed until the Sunday before tech week.

The cast members constantly play off of each other during improv and sketch scenes, according to Hajjar. She said one of the most important aspects of the show is improvising parts of sketches or games according to how receptive the audience is.

“We just get to act and have fun and improvise and do this performing fun thing,” Hajjar said. “I felt surprisingly calm this week. I was just like, ‘Is this all I have to do? Just go on stage for an hour and a half and tell sex jokes?’ It’s just so fun.”

The Mee-Ow band is one of the most important aspects of the show when it comes to pumping up the energy in the crowd and between cast members, according to Drury. The band’s guitarist, Communication sophomore Sam Marshall, said the improvised nature of the show influences the band as well, allowing band members to work with one another on the spot.

“It’s constantly changing,” Marshall said. “It’s never the same show twice. We all have to be

on our toes because at any moment we could have to jump into a sketch or add something to a scene. It’s been one of the most fun things I’ve experienced at Northwestern. ”

The band performs throughout the show between sketches and improv scenes, as well as during a short intermission where students are encouraged to head up to the stage and dance.

Mee-Ow hosts two shows in Winter Quarter — one during the weekend of week four and another during the weekend of week eight. Drury said the audience brings the sketches to life through their engagement and laughter.

“I think for the greater Northwestern community, it’s like a little beacon of joy in the harsh, sad winter,” Drury said. “I think people really enjoy coming and just laughing for two hours and dancing.”

selenakuznikov2025@u.northwestern.edu

arts & entertainment

Editor Selena Kuznikov

Assistant Editors

Jamie Kim

Tabi Parent

Design Editors

Valerie Chu

Kelly Rappaport

Anna Souter

Madison Bratley/Daily Senior Staffer

One sketch featured Communication senior Liv Drury acting as Timothée Chalamet in a strip show.

Photo courtesy of @nufitss

of unionization.

The Main Street outlet currently has 13 employees, but one person, Shift Supervisor Ashley Graham, was out of town during the election. She said she was disappointed to miss the chance to vote yes but is excited to see her store join a nationwide movement.

Graham and Brennan said they’re hoping to bargain for more consistent schedules and hours, a higher starting wage and full benefits extended to all employees beginning on their first day. They also expressed concerns about understaffing at the store, with Brennan saying employees are “stretched very thin with very little room for error.”

Unionizing will give workers a greater opportunity to push Starbucks to address these issues, Brennan said.

In response to a request for comment on the vote, Starbucks Media Relations said the company opposes unionization but is also working to listen and learn from partners in unionizing stores.

“From the beginning, we’ve been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed,” a spokesperson wrote in an email to The Daily.

For employees, Graham and Brennan said, getting Starbucks to come to the bargaining table is the next step.

So far, very few bargaining sessions between the company and local unions have occurred, which the national group Starbucks Workers United has attributed to Starbucks’ attempts to delay the process. The company has blamed the union for delays in bargaining.

“All I can do is focus on keeping the excitement and the momentum up at my store, and the conversations and the information going, while we wait,” Graham said.

Brennan said he was especially proud of the

ENAMEL

From page 1

across a single crystal.”

The team found elements like magnesium, sodium and fluorine segregated to the crystal boundaries. DeRocher said element segregation in crystal cores and boundaries make them more susceptible to acid dissolution. Additionally, elemental composition and crystal packing can lead to varying dissolution behavior, impacting enamel lifespan.

Feinberg Prof. and study co-author Stuart Stock ran the majority of the X-ray diffraction data, which was used to detect enamel rod signals — ultimately characterizing their orientations.

Stock said thousands of long, thin crystallites make up each enamel rod and that enamel damage by dental caries causes chemical etching, dissolving

unanimous vote in light of the upper management’s approach to the store’s unionization efforts. He said managers have held one-on-one or two-on-one meetings with employees to present misinformation about unionizing.

Starbucks has used aggressive union-busting tactics at locations nationwide, according to reporting by Slate and NPR, among other news outlets.

Regarding claims of anti-union retaliation, Starbucks Media Relations wrote, “Starbucks trains managers that no partner will be disciplined for engaging in lawful union activity and that there will be no tolerance for any unlawful anti-union behavior, if ever found to be true.”

In October, Starbucks closed its Edgewater location, which was one of the first Chicago locations to unionize. Since then, stores across the state have unionized, too.

Just last week, the Westfield Old Orchard Starbucks elected to unionize in a 10-6 vote. Tino Luna, a shift supervisor at the Old Orchard outlet, went to support his Main Street counterparts Thursday during their election.

“In terms of having another neighbor who’s unionizing? I think it’s awesome,” Luna said. “I’m hoping to keep it going.”

Camaraderie and community support proved “magical” as Main Street employees organized, according to Graham. Employees hosted a “sip-in” on Jan. 14, where they met union supporters and reassured themselves that “we’re in this for the right reasons,” she said.

Now, Graham and Brennan said they’re working to keep the fire burning as they meet members of Starbucks Workers United across the country.

“I’m really excited not for just our store, but just to join the movement as a team. There’s so many Starbucks stores that are unionizing,” Graham said. “It’s very exciting to have the backing of our community and to have the bravery and the excitement to join the fight for workers’ rights.”

avivabechky2025@u.northwestern.edu

some of the minerals in the outer layer of a tooth.

“It appears that the region between rods is a place which might be less organized and have more propensity to chemically be attacked,” Stock said “It’s more vulnerable.”

The 0.5- to 10-micron scale research required a focused ion beam connected with a scanning electron microscope. DeRocher said a stream of gallium ions used to cut up the enamel acted like a very tiny blade or scalpel.

But, she added that getting the right orientation of enamel on a micron-scale posed a challenge.

Joester said the team faced the challenge of being the first in the field to conduct lattice analysis on the mesoscale, which lies between the atomic scale and what the human eye can detect.

“We essentially had to invent the analysis and write the code,” said Joester. “We had to be very, very careful because ultimately, we used this

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FLOW DRIVE

From page 1

been used to dehumanize marginalized groups,” Pope said. “We’re just focused on restoring dignity for all menstruators and making sure that people can just bleed normally and healthily in a safe environment.”

MEA partnered with five organizations this quarter, including the ASG Health & Wellness Committee and Planned Parenthood for the drive.

Weinberg freshman Alison Bai said she plans on donating her excess pads and liners to the drive. She said she felt motivated to contribute after watching a video on menstrual inequities.

Bai said she appreciates that MEA hosts these drives each quarter and that it’s easy to assume people who menstruate have easy access to basic necessities like period products.

“People don’t often think of (period products) when they think of homeless people,” Bai said. “They usually think of food and shelter but for (people who menstruate) specifically … It’s really important.”

Houren expressed that the destigmatization of periods is important to raising awareness of the issue more broadly. She said the drive aims to disrupt this stigma.

But, in addition to hosting on-campus donation drives, Houren said MEA is working to provide period products free-of-charge in all dorms.

“Periods are very stigmatized,” Houren said. “If you’re going to the bathroom to put a tampon in, you’ll hide it in your sleeve because people have made it seem like a gross thing. The first thing would be to just be open to talking about the subject.”

beatricevillaflor2026@u.northwestern.edu

technique to measure distances with a precision in the picometer range — so smaller than an atom.”

Dr. Rares Raibulet and Dr. Marcos Montoya, co-owners and doctors at Stephens Dentistry in Evanston, said the most common day-to-day problems in their practice is either initial tooth decay, when outer enamel has been broken, or enamel decay around previous fillings.

Raibulet said once a tooth is compromised and enamel loss occurs, it becomes more difficult to keep the mouth healthy.

“We hope (the research) will be one of the puzzle pieces that really allow us to predict how enamel dissolves during caries,” Joester said. “Once we understand that, we have a foothold to design interventions that prevent that from happening.”

noracollins2025@u.northwestern.edu

HEALTHCARE CENTER

From page 1

medical care to life.

Having worked with national soccer teams and serving as the team physician for the National Football League’s Chicago Bears, Bennett said the center’s location attracts highly trained orthopedic physicians to Evanston.

The facility also offers diagnostic imaging services including mammography, ultrasounds, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, according to the center’s Jan. 18 news release.

Director of Ambulatory Breast Radiology

Sonya Bhole said this array of imaging is essential for women’s breast care.

“(It) is great to be able to offer (annual screenings) in a community center,” Bhole said. “But we wanted to take one step further and really be able to offer diagnostic imaging — that means any patients that are coming in with symptoms.”

Bhole hopes to start including biopsies and supplemental screening in its care in the spring. She said she hopes to eventually expand beyond Evanston and open small ambulatory centers throughout the Chicago area.

At the moment, Bhole and Bennett both said the center also offers fast appointments and works to ensure a short turnaround between diagnostic screening exams and results.

“We typically pride ourselves on same-day (and) next-day visits and even MRIs and other advanced diagnostics,” Bennett said. “We’re staffed with athletic trainers who are sort of the first-line responders for injured athletes.”

The facility isn’t necessarily able to provide same-day diagnostic testing and interpretation to every patient but is hoping to do so more often as the center gets up and going, Bhole said.

Ajay Chapa, the medical director of ambulatory imaging, said he hoped the center increases the community’s access to physicians.

“What we wanted to do is provide a patientcentered focus,” Chapa said. “We wanted to create a unique experience for the patient, where it’s going to be a ‘one-stop shop’ where they can go see their doctor.”

Bhole said she wanted the center to serve as a place where patients could advocate for their personal care in an intimate, accessible setting.

It brings the quality of Northwestern Medicine’s Chicago location to a local center in Evanston, she said.

“Allowing patients that access really helps us (remove) those barriers to healthcare that exist,” Bhole said. “Being able to offer academic medicine in your backyard is really what we opened this center for.”

amittal@u.northwestern.edu

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DAILY SUDOKU

Joint Lunar New Year event features food, games

By KAAVYA BUTANEY the daily northwestern @kaavya_butaney

Multiple student organizations collaborated to host a Lunar New Year celebration in Norris University Center on Saturday with food, musical entertainment and traditional games.

The free event — hosted by the Chinese Students Association, Korean American Students Association, Taiwanese American Students Association and Hong Kong Students Association — welcomed the start of the Year of the Rabbit.

KASA External President and Weinberg senior Jefferson Xu said it was his goal to reconnect Asian American organizations for a Lunar New Year celebration. He said the relationships between the groups were lost during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic after the old leaders of the student organizations graduated and left campus.

Weinberg junior and CSA member Ashlyn Tu said it was the first event like this that CSA did with the other organizations that hold spaces for those who celebrate the Lunar New Year. She said she liked how the event brought together different “flavors of cultures.”

“It’s very important to have cultural exchange programs and events together in one big shared space where we can communicate and share our ideas and perspectives on our unique but connected identities,” said Evan Yang, HKSA events co-chair and Weinberg freshman.

Celebrasia used to be the primary Lunar New Year celebration on-campus prior to this academic year. In previous years, the event featured more musical guests, dance groups and pre-recorded skits.

However, TASA co-President and Weinberg junior Yolanda Chen said this year, the organizations wanted Celebrasia to be more inclusive, which meant that the organizations needed to plan and organize a new Lunar New Year celebration.

Each of the organizations brought food, including bulgogi from KASA and dumplings from CSA, to the Lunar New Year event.

“Food is such a great way … to just meet more people who celebrate the event,” CSA

President Annie Tsui said. “It’s really great to show solidarity.”

TASA made scallion pancakes on the spot from scratch at its table on the second floor at the Norris University Center’s Louis Room by rolling out dough, pressing scallions into the pastry and quickly frying it.

TASA’s Internal President and McCormick graduate student Kaua’i Wu, said he had been looking forward to making the pancakes with friends at the event.

Wu added that the organizations hosting the celebration this year had never hosted a foodfocused Lunar New Year event before.

Attendees were also able to play traditional games at the event, such as mahjong from TASA and jegichagi, gongginori, tuho and Yut Nori from KASA. Xu said the organizations wanted to subvert the typical media portrayal that Korean culture only emphasizes K-pop and K-dramas, and pursue more traditional activities.

Weinberg sophomore and KASA member Minji Cho said she typically plays yutnori with her family and that it was nice to play with her friends Saturday.

“I feel like I don’t get too many opportunities to experience other cultures, even within East Asia and just across Asia,” Cho said. “I think this is a good way to gain exposure and meet a lot of different people from different cultures.”

The event also featured musical performances from groups such as Northwestern’s Treblemakers and individual artists like Weinberg freshman Zhanran Shi, who played the electric guitar.

Shi is a part of Songwriters Association at Northwestern, which was founded last year.

Treblemakers President and BienenCommunication senior Sabrina Chen said the event was an opportunity for the a capella group to perform while enjoying a holiday that most of the organization’s members celebrate.

“It’s just really fun to be able to perform for events like these because it’s just like a part of my childhood and a part of my culture that I really appreciate,” she said.

kaavyabutaney2026@u.northwestern.edu

Kaavya Butaney/The Daily Northwestern CSA, TASA, KASA and HKSA hosted a Lunar New Year celebration which included foods from each group.

Kaavya Butaney/The Daily Northwestern

TASA members made scallion pancakes on the spot from scratch.

Swann: It’s a guard-eat-guard world for Northwestern

By SKYE SWANN daily senior staffer @sswann301

Almost six years ago, Northwestern forward Nathan Taphorn threw a cataclysmic full court pass to teammate center Dererk Pardon for a buzzer beater win over Big Ten Conference foe Michigan.

Now, the Wildcats (15-5, 6-3 Big Ten) appear to be repeating history with a fiery hot start to the second half of the 2023 season. Cruising past Minnesota effortlessly in Welsh-Ryan Arena on Saturday, NU earned its third consecutive conference win in a week after recovering from a 13-day COVID-19 pause.

While the Cats have dealt with trials and tribulations the past few years, the missing puzzle piece the program was struggling to find surfaced in redshirt senior guard Chase Audige and senior guard Boo Buie. Saturday’s conquest over the Gophers solidified the dynamic duo’s place as NU’s top dogs.

“We were preparing for the zone,” Buie said. “We know (Minnesota) likes to go under on ball screens, so we knew that if we set some ball screens and got under that, you just got to be confident, step up and take the shot.”

Audige and Buie combined for 45-ofthe Cats’ 81 points at Welsh-Ryan, proving no matter the gauntlet, the duo is up for the challenge. Whether it was Buie

facilitating the ball or Audige driving inside the paint for a jumper, the guards were fueling each other up and going off one another to be a lethal weapon for the NU squad Saturday.

Coach Chris Collins said the two New York natives have been solid for the Cats the whole season, executing on the floor and using their experience to assist the younger players on the team. As a collective, the duo recorded 10-of-16 team assists over Minnesota and fed senior forward Robbie Beran, junior center Matthew Nicholson and graduate student forward Tydus Verhoeven.

“(These guys) compete, and all they’re trying to do is win,” Collins said. “When you have those qualities, you have a chance, especially when you have two elite guards like we do. They led the way once again.”

While most programs in the Big Ten play to the advantage of size, NU’s leading guards make up for where the Cats lack in their smaller sized team. Buie’s vision for setting up his teammates on the perimeter or inside the charity stripe is a skill NU can use to its advantage this season.

Audige noted the importance of the students in the arena Saturday, saying the crowd’s energy really motivated the group to get the win at home. Although he and Buie have played a NBA-esque schedule this week — three games in the span of six days — Audige was far from fatigued after hosting the Gophers. Wearing a big grin and remaining calm, he said this win

WRESTLING

is another one under their belt and that the Cats are looking forward to their conference schedule ahead.

The conference schedule ahead is something NU must look to keep nearly perfect if it wants to get back into the NCAA March Madness contention, similar to its historic 2016-2017 season.

And with alumni Bryant McIntosh and Taphorn being honored during halftime, Audige and Buie could be the next power tag team to lead the Cats to a similar fate, clinching the ticket to NU’s second NCAA Tournament exhibition.

Regardless of the commentary on the Cats’ squad and their turnaround from last season’s losing record, one thing is for certain: Audige and Buie are the critical components to ensure NU’s wins and losses for the rest of the season. While the guards are nearing the final chapters of their collegiate careers, the two players are leaving their mark on the Cats’ program.

As NU walks into another three game stretch this week, Audige and Buie will need to build on their success from Saturday’s matchup to secure more conference victories against heavy hitters in Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin.

“After games like today, we just chill out,” Audige said. “We just try to be smart. We all want to get in the gym and get shots up, but we gotta be smart with the minutes me and Boo are playing.”

skyeswann2024@u.northwestern.edu

NU remains undefeated at home

No. 14 Northwestern (4-2, 3-2 Big Ten) won its third consecutive home match Friday with a 18-17 game against No. 13 Wisconsin (7-6, 1-5 Big Ten). However, the Cats may have faced defeat if it weren’t for redshirt senior Lucas Davison’s win at the 285 pounds to round up the night. The Wildcats are set to rival Ohio State (11-1, 5-0 Big Ten) at their next home game Feb. 5.

— Angeli Mittal

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Wildcats bounce back for first conference win

By LUCAS KIM daily senior staffer @lucaskim_15

Going into the second half as the underdogs, Northwestern fought back in a matchup between the Big Ten’s two bottom teams, coming away with a 70-67 win over Wisconsin on Sunday.

Entering the weekend, the Wildcats (8-13, 1-9 Big Ten) had not won a regular season conference game since Feb. 24 of last year. With the victory over the Badgers (7-15, 2-8 Big Ten), NU has now won back-to-back games since snapping its eight-game losing streak.

Fresh off a dominant 87-64 performance over Chicago State on Wednesday, the Cats looked to keep up their newfound momentum as conference play resumed. But the Badgers quickly put an end to that hope.

After missing its first jumper of the game, Wisconsin went on a scorching 13-0 run, going perfect from the field on its next six shot attempts. A 10-0 run from NU quickly made the game competitive again, led by junior forward Paige Mott, who gathered four offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone.

Being held scoreless for more than five minutes, the Cats went down 36-20, their largest deficit of the game. The score stood at 39-26 at the half after NU went 2-of-17 from the field during the second quarter.

A jumper from Wisconsin’s star freshman Serah Williams put the Badgers up 15 to start the second half as the game looked more and more out of the Cats’ reach.

But that’s when the momentum took a 180-degree turn.

It started with a Mott free throw. Then three more buckets coming off Wisconsin turnovers. Sophomore forward Caileigh Walsh hit two straight three-pointers, along with a layup to tie up the game at 41. Finally, sophomore guard Hailey Weaver made a fastbreak layup to bring NU its first lead of the game.

Though the Badgers ended the third quarter with an 11-2 run to bring the score to 56-50, the tenor of the game completely shifted from blowout to nailbiter.

Predictably, the match went down to the wire. Down 66-61 with 5:33 remaining in the final quarter, NU didn’t allow Wisconsin to make a single field goal attempt for the rest of the game.

Two layups from Mott — supported by excellent defense on the other side of the court — brought NU within one. A steal and fastbreak attempt by Wisconsin guard Maty Wilke threatened to extend the Badgers’ lead to three with just two minutes remaining, but the freshman missed the wide open layup.

Freshman guard Caroline Lau took advantage of the opponent’s error by splashing a three-pointer on the other end, taking the 68-66 lead. Lau had gone 0-of-4 on shot attempts up until that point.

Wisconsin had a chance to tie the game up on a trip to the line but only converted on one free throw, allowing NU to go back up the floor and extend its lead on two clutch free throws from sophomore guard Jillian Brown with nine seconds remaining.

Those free throws put away the game for good as the Badgers missed a game-tying three-pointer as the buzzer sounded.

Mott led the offensive charge for the Cats with a career-high 23 points and nine rebounds, six of which were offensive rebounds. This was Mott’s fourth consecutive game scoring in double figures.

Walsh added 18 points, hitting three three-pointers, all in the third quarter. Graduate student guard Sydney Wood – who played all 40 minutes –contributed 12 points, five rebounds, three steals and three blocks.

NU will look to keep up its winning ways against Penn State on Thursday.

lucaskim2025@u.northwestern.edu

Esther Lim/The Daily Northwestern

Angeli Mittal/Daily Senior Staffer