The Daily Northwestern – February 4, 2019

Page 1

The Daily Northwestern Monday, February 4, 2019

DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM

3 CAMPUS/Events

8 SPORTS/Basketball

A&O Productions brings Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson to campus

Dererk Pardon’s ‘big’ journey to 1,000 points

Find us online @thedailynu 4 OPINION/Gutierrez

Queer rights: Where America is in 2019

High 48 Low 23

Students: Conduct training ineffective Negative reactions to mandated sexual misconduct course By CAMERON COOK

daily senior staffer @cam_e_cook

Northwestern students are reacting negatively to the University’s online sexual misconduct training, saying it’s insufficient for teaching students how to combat sexual harassment and violence. The training, rolled out Jan. 23, includes definitions of important terms and links to state laws and University policies and takes students through hypothetical situations. In a January email, the Office of Equity presented the training as new, comprehensive and necessary for combating sexual misconduct and violence on campus. Now, almost two weeks after the training became available, some students are saying it’s not as effective as the University claims. Communication junior Jillian Gilburne thinks online trainings are inadequate for conveying strategies for improving the climate on campus. Students are likely ignoring the message of the training and not reading the policies, she said.

“It says ‘learn about Northwestern policy’ and you click on a link that opens a PDF of the Title IX policy that’s 36 pages long,” Gilburne said. “And I guarantee you that no one’s reading it.” The modules in the training are also easy to skip through, said McCormick sophomore Spencer Colton, which is a function of doing trainings like this online. The audio can be muted, and students can click “next” without having actually read any of the information provided. Students who are already interested in the topics discussed — or have previously experienced sexual misconduct — are likely to actively participate in the training, Colton said, while those who aren’t interested won’t pay attention. But some students aren’t taking the training at all. Because the content of the training could be potentially upsetting for students with personal experience with sexual harassment or violence, the Office of Equity allows students who may feel uncomfortable to opt out by sending an email explaining their circumstances, said Colleen Johnston, the University’s Title IX coordinator. However, this leaves room for students who don’t want to take the time to complete the training » See REACT, page 6

Zoe Malin/The Daily Northwestern

Kellogg student Tammy Hsu is on her seventh session of white light therapy and feels the benefits already. The program was added to Henry Crown Sports Pavilion in October 2018 and aligns with NU Recreation’s goal of addressing the mental health concerns of the NU community.

SPAC offers white light therapy

New Wellness Suite service seeks to make the winter blues bearable By ZOE MALIN

the daily northwestern @zoermalin

There’s no doubt that Midwest winters are brutal, said Nancy Tierney, Northwestern Recreation’s associate director of fitness and wellness. The lack of sunshine and prolonged periods of subzero temperatures are saddening. With this in mind, she and her team at the

Wellness Suite in Henry Crown Sports Pavilion seek to offer services that make the winter a bit more bearable. Tierney said white light therapy, the Wellness Suite’s newest program, is the best one yet. “Everyone can benefit from white light therapy,” she said. “It’s like a bright sunny day after a long spell of darkness, it just makes you feel better.” On an flier Tierney made for clients, she explains that white

light therapy is exposure to fullspectrum light through light boxes. The light emitted is similar in composition to sunlight. When it enters through the eyes indirectly, the light is thought to stimulate the production of brain chemicals. Doctors have recommended the therapy to patients suffering from seasonal affective disorder, sleep and mood disorders, and low energy levels, too, Tierney said. Tierney said the key to feeling

the effects of white light therapy is repeated exposure as well as gradually increasing the amount of time exposed to the light. She recommends users come three to four times a week for maximum benefits. Tierney also suggests users enjoy white light therapy before 3pm, as exposure to the light after this time may interfere with sleep. “We have students come after » See LIGHT, page 6

Laptop loans on campus expanded ETHS students NU Libraries loans laptops to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds By ANDRES CORREA

the daily northwestern @aocorrea1

After three years of providing free laptop loans to first-generation and low-income students, Student Enrichment Services ended its laptop loan program before the start of this school year — but a similar program from Northwestern University Libraries provides laptop loans to students regardless of socioeconomic status. The SES program, which began in the winter of 2015, provided undergraduate students with 15 to 25 laptops for short-term loans to students from low-income and first-generation backgrounds. The program ended for a number of reasons, including limited staffing capacity, structure and management of expensive equipment, SES Director Kourtney Cockrell said in an email. In addition to internal issues, Cockrell said the office noticed an increase of requests for laptop loans from both undergraduate and graduate students who were just above the low-income threshold. “It is important to remember that not only low-income

students need laptops,” Cockrell said. “Many students fall just above the low-income cut-off, and thus have financial need as well.” Despite the removal of the program, NU Libraries began a pilot laptop loan program this past fall. The program came out of awareness for the need of laptops to serve the University community, Clare Roccaforte, the director of marketing and communications for NU Libraries, said in an email. The new program currently provides 10 laptops — available for quarter-long loans and the summer — for graduate students. It also provides all students and faculty seven-day loans for a separate 10 laptops. Unlike the SES laptop loan program that prioritizes laptops for low-income and first generation students, the library’s program operates on a first-come-first-serve basis –– just like all other library loans. While the library’s program and SES serve to provide the same resource, they are separate, Roccaforte said. “Our program developed independently of their work,” Roccaforte said. “It’s possible that the start of our program may have influenced their decision to end

Serving the University and Evanston since 1881

seek social justice Youth leaders rally community, create change

By SNEHA DEY

the daily northwestern @snehadey_

Noah Frick-Alofs/The Daily Northwestern

A Dell laptop given out by SES. SES said it terminated its laptop loan program for a number of reasons, including limited staffing capacity, structure and management of expensive equipment.

their program.” While SES will no longer manage the laptop loan program, it will continue to manage the Querrey Laptop Grant Program. The program provides free laptops for low-income and first generation students to keep, even after graduation. In the past two years, the program distributed between 200 and 250 laptops for students in the class of 2021 and 2022, Cockrell said.

“These laptops are their computers to keep forever, and part of the goal of this program is to prevent the need for loaners by giving students laptops as they matriculate to Northwestern,” Cockrell said. Such programs that provide technological assistance to lowincome students are important to those like McCormick sophomore » See LAPTOP, page 6

This story is part of a series of profiles of activist and community groups across Evanston. Liana Wallace, 18, thinks a lot about the future — not just hers, but what she wants the world to look like. That’s why she first sat down with Phoebe Liccardo and Mollie Hartenstein this summer. These three women — all seniors at Evanston Township High School — don’t meet as a club or an organization they can put on a resume, but Wallace said she simply can’t be passive when others are suffering. “Silence, any type of silence, is

a form of violence,” said Wallace. Wallace, Liccardo and Hartenstein are not alone as student activists. Students at ETHS engage with social issues, and they have created ripples of change within Evanston and the broader Chicagoland area. These three women and their work over the past year are representative of a growing drive among young Evanston residents to engage with social justice issues in their communities. ETHS principal Marcus Campbell said this generation is particularly active around social issues, and ETHS students are no different. “Our students are very socially conscious,” Campbell said. “When they feel there is some sort of active injustice… they really take that to heart and do something about it.” Most recently, ETHS students played a role selecting Evanston Police Department’s new police chief, Chief Demitrous Cook. Evanston held a forum where students spoke about what they wanted to see in » See ETHS, page 6

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


2 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2019

AROUND TOWN

School fundraises for cancer research By MADDY DAUM

the daily northwestern

Every year, Joshua Rein shaves his head for children with cancer. He initiated an annual fundraiser at his elementary school, Chiaravalle Montessori School, to raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Chiaravalle hosted its third annual fundraiser on Sunday, where students shaved their heads, donated hair and volunteered to raise money. The school partnered with St. Baldrick’s, which works with pediatric oncologists to help fund research for children’s cancer. In 2016, Joshua Rein watched his father, Allen Rein, offer to shave his head on the spot for children’s cancer at another event for St. Baldrick’s. Their family friend Sarah Zematis managed to raise $400 in two minutes with Allen Rein’s help. “It was so last minute and on the fly, I didn’t have time to get nervous, I didn’t have time to wonder what it would be like,” the elder Rein said. “It’s a wonderful feeling to feel like you are doing something so tangible for such an amazing cause… There’s something about a set of clippers going to your head that is just different and inspiring and moving.” Joshua Rein said he thought the event was so “awesome” that he was inspired to bring it to his elementary school, Chiaravalle. The charter school took over the St. Baldrick’s fundraising event in 2017. Zematis said this year’s event was a “spectacular success” and everyone came together to support kids who are struggling with a cancer diagnosis. Zematis’ daughter was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor when she was two years old in 2015. “So much of this journey is so dark and so heavy and feels very lonely,” Zematis said. “Our community has not only continued to support us, but their support is expansive. On those dark days it makes me know that we are never alone and we will always have people.” Chiaravalle raised $49,000 at its first event in

POLICE BLOTTER Evanston man threatened with knife A 50-year-old man was threatened with a knife on Thursday after a verbal altercation at his residence at the McGaw YMCA near the 1000 block of Grove Street. The man said he had an argument with another man at around 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the YMCA. The other man returned to the residence at 4 a.m. on Thursday and threatened the man with a jagged butter knife. The two men used profane language during their first altercation, and the offender said he would slash the man if he ever cursed at him again. Evanston Police Department Cmdr. Ryan Glew said the offender was described as highly intoxicated during both instances. Though no one was injured during the confrontation, Glew said the incident was documented to ensure the situation does not escalate further. EPD officers have not successfully contacted the man with the knife, and no one is currently in custody, Glew said.

Tools stolen from Evanston garage

Maddy Daum/The Daily Northwestern

Joshua Rein prepares to shave his head at his cancer fundraiser. Chiaravalle Montessori School hosted the event in partnership with St. Baldrick’s Foundation to raise money for children’s cancer research.

2017, increasing it to over $65,000 by the second year. On Sunday, it raised $56,000 and expect more donations as kids show off their freshly shaved heads at school on Monday. Zematis said that the most important part is “kids helping kids,” because the next generation will care for one another. Although Joshua Rein will be graduating from Chiavalle next year, he said hopes he will be able to participate in something similar at Evanston Township High School. “It really is mostly about the kids,” Allen Rein said. “Joshua is kind of leading the charge but even the whole subcommittee that was in charge of all the sponsor donations is mostly kids.…The kids who participate in the event or are shave-ees get all fired up — they’ve been talking about it for weeks.” Allison Maguire said there is a core group of

Take NU with you, wherever you go. Sign up for The Daily's email list to get the headlines in your inbox.

The Daily Northwestern

Email Newsletter Sign up at: dailynorthwestern.com/email FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS

TWITTER: @thedailynu FACEBOOK: thedailynorthwestern

volunteers including Rein and his wife who help organize the event each year. Maguire volunteered to write press releases, help initiate a new fundraising app and also shaved her head on Sunday. Maguire said that it is a community effort putting the event together and that Zematis hopes it will include the broader Evanston community next year. “(The event could) involve other schools who can have their own teams and raise funds,” Maguire said. “I think it could be huge. If you think about what we’ve raised in just this community, every year we’ve raised over $50,000. Imagine if we could broaden it to the whole Evanston community.” madisondaum2022@u.northwestern.edu

A 65-year-old man reported Wednesday that several items were stolen from his residence near the 900 block of Darrow Avenue. The man said he noticed various tools valued at over $1,000 missing from his detached garage.There were signs of forced entry, Glew said. An officer examined the scene, but no suspect is in custody. ­— Ashley Capoot

Setting the record straight An article published Monday Jan. 28 titled “Spoonfoolery offers means to furloughed” incorrectly stated that Mamata Reddy would donate the remaining money from her GoFundMe campaign to the city. She plans to use the money to promote food security in other nonprofit work. The article also mischaracterized Reddy’s work at the Gary Comer Youth Center. The Daily regrets the errors.


THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 3

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2019

ON CAMPUS

Davidson performs rowdy stand-up By AMY LI

daily senior staffer @amyhitsthebooks

Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson won the Northwestern crowd over on Saturday night with his delivery of a rowdy and racy stand-up set. The 25-year-old related to the audience of more than 500 college students by finding humor in awkward, raucous and personal confessions at an A&O Productions comedy show in Ryan Auditorium. His performance touched on topics typical to his comedic style –– like drugs, women and masturbation. Davidson was not afraid to share eccentric personal anecdotes, such as when he learned how to masturbate from his friend when he was 16. He was not aware that most boys his age masturbated to pictures of naked girls and told the story of his failed attempt with pictures of chairs from a Macy’s catalogue. “It wasn’t working so I was like, ‘Alright, maybe I’m a mahogany guy,’” Davidson joked. Comedy and political correctness don’t always go hand in hand, and Davidson was not one to tiptoe around sensitive subjects. His dark humor showed when the comedian told a controversial joke about people with intellectual disabilities. At a party, one of Davidson’s friends told the comedian that his “severely mentally challenged” cousin is a huge fan of Davidson’s work, and Davidson said he wasn’t sure about whether he should be flattered. Davidson jokingly argued that it is counterproductive to hold in laughter to be politically correct when intellectually disabled people have “the best comedic timing.” Although the crowd was tense at first, they began laughing along when Davidson called them out for holding back. A&O co-chair and Medill senior Isabella Soto said A&O was aware of the risks associated with bringing a comedian on campus –– particularly a comedian with Davidson’s style of humor.

www.dailynorthwestern.com Editor in Chief Alan Perez

eic@dailynorthwestern.com

General Manager Stacia Campbell

stacia@dailynorthwestern.com

Holly and John Madigan Newsroom Phone | 847.491.3222 Campus desk

campus@dailynorthwestern.com

City desk

city@dailynorthwestern.com

Sports desk

sports@dailynorthwestern.com

Ad Office | 847.491.7206

spc-compshop@northwestern.edu

Source: Nolan Robinson

A photo of Pete Davidson and NU students. Davidson performed a stand-up show at Ryan Auditorium during an A&O Productions comedy show.

However, she said she had faith that people who bought a ticket to the show were familiar with his brand and knew what to expect. Soto said A&O was able to bring Davidson to campus through several working relationships the student group has with talent agencies. Davidson was available at the right time, and the organization found him to be “extremely of the moment.” While the contracting process went smoothly, Soto said ticket sales were stressful. After ticket sales were delayed for two hours from the announced release time due to high demand, they sold out in 30 minutes. “We knew he was big, but we didn’t expect the reaction we got from the NU community,” Soto said.

What’s the most convenient way to reach a community of 20,000 STUDENTS, 7,700 FACULTY/STAFF, 75,000 EVANSTONIANS, & MORE?*

YOU’RE READING IT! Advertise in The Daily Northwestern For more info, contact the Ad Office at 847.491.7206 or email spc-compshop@northwestern.edu or visit www.dailynorthwestern.com/advertising *Based on NU 2014 enrollment figures

The Daily Northwestern

Jordan Rock, brother of comedian Chris Rock performed before Davidson. His stand-up included copious references to sex, drugs, and black popular culture. During his set, Rock poked fun at Weinberg freshman Alexander Redding, who was sitting in the front row. Redding, however, was left far from feeling upset or embarrassed and instead said he found the show to be incredibly funny. “It was probably one of the best experiences at Northwestern and in my life in general — just to be a part of the show, and communicate with them, and being able to laugh at myself,” Redding said. amyli2021@u.northwestern.edu

The Daily Northwestern is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, except vacation periods and two weeks preceding them and once during August, by Students Publishing Co., Inc. of Northwestern University, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208; 847-491-7206. First copy of The Daily is free, additional copies are 50 cents. All material published herein, except advertising or where indicated otherwise, is Copyright 2016 The Daily Northwestern and protected under the “work made for hire” and “periodical publication” clauses of copyright law. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Daily Northwestern, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208. Subscriptions are $175 for the academic year. The Daily Northwestern is not responsible for more than one incorrect ad insertion. All display ad corrections must be received by 3 p.m. one day prior to when the ad is run.

Check out DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM for breaking news


OPINION

Join the online conversation at www.dailynorthwestern.com Page 4

Monday, February 4, 2019

Where we are now: American queer rights in 2019 A. PALLAS GUTIERREZ

DAILY COLUMNIST

This is the second column in “50 Years of Queer Anger,” a series examining LGBTQ+ issues in the United States since 1969. Since the 1969 Stonewall riots brought the queer liberation movement to national attention, queer activists have made large strides despite large obstacles. Homosexuality and “gender identity disorder” have been removed from the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has been repealed. Several states have outlawed different forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Sodomy laws have been overturned, and same-sex marriage has been legalized. Stonewall was made into a national monument, and queer politicians have been elected to office nationwide. After the Obergefell ruling legalized same-sex marriage nationally, many people, both inside and outside the gay marriage movement asked, “What now?” Despite the false sense of security given by these advances in queer liberation, there are still

many forces threatening queer rights and people today. Homophobic hate groups protest Pride parades and the president attempts to ban transgender people from serving in the military. Obviously, there are many big issues facing the queer community, but there are a few represent a broad view of American queer rights in 2019. One of the biggest threats to American queer rights in 2019 is President Trump’s administration. In the two years that Trump has had control of the White House, he has supported two policies banning transgender people from serving in the military (only a year after Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced that the long-standing transgender service ban would be lifted.) The Supreme Court allowed the second policy attempt to go into effect on Jan. 22. The presence in the White House of such an openly transphobic president, along with Vice President Mike Pence’s rampant homophobia, normalizes and validates such hatred from a position of extreme power. This rhetoric of hatred cannot be allowed to pass our notice. Words create and allow violence. Due in part to the president’s focus on removing transgender rights, trans issues have been increasingly studied and covered over the last several years. In 2018, at least 26 transgender people were killed, 25 of whom were trans women and 22 of whom were trans women of color. The Human

Rights Campaign has been tracking violence against trans people since 2013, and 2018 is second only to 2017 for deadliest year for trans people in the United States. This statistic shows that the epidemic of hatred and violence against trans people is only growing, and we must actively combat transphobia in whatever form it takes. A way to fight queerphobic — including transphobic — rhetoric is through increased visibility. Movies like “Moonlight”; “Love, Simon”; “Saturday Church” and “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” among others, have not only increased the visibility of queer people overall, but have raised specific issues that their characters deal with. “Moonlight” and “Saturday Church” deal with queerphobia within the black community, “Love, Simon” deals with coming out in high school and “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” deals with conversion therapy from a lesbian point of view. While representation alone cannot solve queerphobia and other problems, it does allow for people inside the queer community to see their stories in media and for people outside the queer community to relate. On Jan. 28, openly gay actor Jussie Smollett was hospitalized in Chicago after a racist and homophobic hate crime. Smollett is reportedly in good condition, but this attack demonstrates how rampant both homophobia and racism are, and how they intersect.

Both forms of hatred are repeatedly associated solely with suburban and rural areas due to a variety of stereotypes, but the truth is that homophobia and racism are everywhere in this country. There are few spaces that are genuinely safe, and a combination of racism in the queer community and queerphobia in many communities of color makes life even more dangerous for those living at the intersection of both identities. We cannot allow ourselves to grow complacent that our city or our area is safe. Nowhere is safe until everywhere is safe. Obviously, this short column cannot reflect every issue facing the queer community. 11 percent of queer youth have survived sexual violence due to their identity or perceived identity, and 73 percent have experienced verbal threats. Representation is on the rise, but so is transphobic violence and queerphobic rhetoric. This imbalance between positive representation and negative lived experience makes it all the more important to keep fighting for queer rights, in the hopes of creating a better, safer, more just world. A. Pallas Gutierrez is a Communication first-year. They can be contacted at pallas2022@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@ dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

NU’s use of E-verify endangers students, employees

Since 2009, Northwestern faculty, staff and students have voiced concerns about NU implementing a discretionary program that turns over private data from students, staff and faculty to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security through a program called E-Verify. As the timeline on this matter shows, in the last decade, various NU legal and administrative officials have responded to our concerns by misrepresenting the necessity of E-Verify for those not directly employed by government contracts. We now have proof as to the shocking scope of individuals affected at NU and the false claims shared with us about the University’s need to participate. In response to litigation under the Freedom of Information Act, we received the Memorandums of Understanding NU signed to initiate and renew its participation in E-Verify, which then-General Counsel Philip Harris refused to release last spring. Through this litigation, we received national data revealing

that NU is the only research university in Illinois to participate campus-wide and that its participation is an extreme outlier: fewer than 1 percent of institutions of higher education have in fact signed these MOUs obligating campus-wide participation. The MOUs with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services prove that NU is under no legal obligation to force the vast majority of its community to provide their personal data to a Homeland Security database that, according to the ACLU, poses threats to our privacy and that violates the national criteria proposed for campuses seeking to welcome noncitizens. In sharp contrast with hundreds of research universities in states not obligated to participate in E-Verify, NU forced over 76,000 students, staff and faculty to submit personal information to databases that share their information with third parties. Anyone employed by NU since 2010 is in this database. Our analysis of the USCIS Excel sheet itemizing NU’s submissions of our data reveals that over 190 individuals were specifically targeted by NU for Homeland Security as attempting to work without authorization approved by E-Verify. The final

determinations are not yet clear; we expect to receive additional data from this litigation shortly. As the MOUs clearly state, NU can after 30 days notice stop reporting data on all new hires who are not directly working under federal government contract. At that point, everyone who is working on a federal contract will have been already included in the E-Verify database. The only new hires whose data would need to be submitted would be those working directly on a federal contract, which is exactly the situation of our peer institutions. If the University of Chicago (and over 99 percent of other institutions of higher education) can target only new hires working on federal contracts for E-Verify, then there is no logistical impediment to prevent NU from doing this as well. We have been sharing our concerns with President Morton Schapiro and Provost Jonathan Holloway since last spring. On Jan. 8, 2019 we wrote a letter to them stating that, in light of NU’s stated intention to protect the educational opportunities of its noncitizen community and this new information proving the inaccuracy of claims about NU’s

obligations to USCIS, we wanted them to reconsider their earlier position. We requested that NU immediately send the 30-day notice of an intent to withdraw from campus-wide participation in E-Verify. President Schapiro and Provost Holloway did not reply, though they regularly opine to The Daily their support of DACA students, a population NU’s own attorney has agreed is at special risk from E-Verify. We write now to ask others to join us in sharing with Schapiro and Holloway your concerns by signing this petition. — Students Organizing for Labor Rights (SOLR) Northwestern University Graduate Workers, nugraduateworkers@gmail.com Jorge Coronado, Professor of Spanish and Portuguese, President of NU-AAUP Alessandra Visconti, Assistant Professor of Instruction, Department of French and Italian, Vice President of NU-AAUP Jacqueline Stevens, Professor of Political Science, Secretary of NU-AAUP

The Daily Northwestern Volume 139, Issue 60 Editor in Chief Alan Perez

Managing Editors Maddie Burakoff Alex Schwartz Syd Stone

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR may be sent to 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, via fax at 847-491-9905, via e-mail to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com or by dropping a letter in the box outside The Daily office. Letters have the following requirements: • Should be typed • Should be double-spaced • Should include the author’s name, signature, school, class and phone number. • Should be fewer than 300 words They will be checked for authenticity and may be edited for length, clarity, style and grammar.

Opinion Editor Marissa Martinez

Assistant Opinion Editor Andrea Bian

Letters, columns and cartoons contain the opinion of the authors, not Students Publishing Co. Inc. Submissions signed by more than three people must include at least one and no more than three names designated to represent the group. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daily’s student editorial board and not the opinions of either Northwestern University or Students Publishing Co. Inc.


THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 5

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2019

S&P revises outlook on Northwestern to ‘negative’ By ALAN PEREZ

daily senior staffer @_perezalan_

A major ratings agency last week gave a weaker forecast of Northwestern’s financial future, warning that the University could lose its top credit rating if its operating performance does not improve. Standard & Poor’s, one of the Big Three credit rating agencies, revised its outlook on NU’s longterm revenue bonds to “negative” from “stable,” citing worries about the school’s increasing debt. The revision comes as the University grapples with a multimillion-dollar budget deficit, which has slowed the school’s expansion and narrowed the school’s operations. A credit rating is an opinion of an institution’s ability to pay back its debt, which includes bonds and other forms of borrowing. A “negative” outlook means S&P sees a greater possibility of downgrading NU’s credit rating in the future. A downgrade of Northwestern’s bonds would signal greater risk that Northwestern would not be able to pay back its debt to investors, meaning Northwestern could face higher costs when borrowing money. A weaker opinion of NU’s underlying financial strength could also impact the University’s ability to borrow short-term debt, a measure used increasingly in the last couple years to address the budget deficit. Still, S&P reaffirmed its top rating on NU’s short-term and long-term financial instruments, meaning the University is, at least for now, in good standing with the top three rating agencies. But it warned of a downgrade from its ‘AAA’ credit rating if the University’s finances do not improve, implying that its financial ratios, like

NU student Gabriel Corona found alive 4 days after going missing

Northwestern student Gabriel Corona has been located in Chicago and is alive, Evanston police said Saturday afternoon.

measures of debt, are nearing those of institutions with lower ratings. “The outlook revision reflects the University’s weaker operational results during the past two years compared with historical operating results, with projections that this will continue in fiscal (year) 2019 and fiscal (year) 2020,” Jessica Wood, an S&P credit analyst, said in a news release. The revision is also a reflection of Northwestern’s “expectation of increasing short-term debt” still owed in the next coming years. Moody’s, another credit ratings agency, also downgraded its outlook on Northwestern’s finances to negative in September 2017, though it maintained its top rating as well. Fitch Ratings has not changed its outlook since it reaffirmed Northwestern’s top rating in April 2016. In a statement, Northwestern spokesman Bob Rowley said the University “will continue to operate with discipline and prudence.” Craig Johnson, the senior vice president for business and finance, did not respond to detailed questions and instead directed the inquiry to Rowley. The University is facing a serious standstill as it tries to fill a $94 million budget gap, which administrators hope to resolve by 2021. Construction projects have been limited to renovations and started projects, dozens of staff were laid off since July, student group funding has been slashed, custodial services have been reduced and the University’s technological capabilities have faltered. Administrators have blamed a series of large investments Northwestern has made over the years, including buildings, student financial aid and research infrastructure, largely using the $4.16 billion it raised through the WeWill campaign. The University has since overhauled its budgetary process and forced non-salary cuts across schools and departments.

But the adjustments — including pulling from cash reserves and the $10 billion endowment — may not be enough to stop rating agencies from downgrading their forecasts. Administrators are reluctant to pull more from NU’s endowment, as they say a withdrawal greater than 5 percent annually is unsustainable. The Wednesday rating was another setback for administrators, who have expressed confidence in the strength of Northwestern’s financials. S&P noted Northwestern’s “impressive demand” and competitive admissions, strong endowment, diversity of revenue streams and sponsored research as reason for confidence in its assessment.

But students have expressed concern about the impacts of spending cuts, even as administrators aim to limit them. “There isn’t a lot of transparency about the budget cuts to the students — about how this happened, why it’s happening,” the former president of Associated Student Government Sky Patterson, said in a December interview. ASG substituted emergency funding for lost student group funding due to the deficit. “Students would like more transparency and more information about University spending,” she added.

Corona’s family has been notified, and he has been provided with the “appropriate follow up and care,” according to a University release. His location was not disclosed, though NU says he was found in “good physical condition.” Corona was first reported missing after he left his apartment Tuesday morning without his phone and did not return that evening. He was last seen in surveillance footage at

the Washington and Wabash CTA station at about 1:30 p.m. the same afternoon, police said. On Friday, University Police announced it had expanded the search and began checking over 200 buildings on the Evanston and Chicago campuses. Corona was found by the Chicago Police Department and was not the victim of a crime,

according to an EPD release. “I can’t tell you how happy and relieved we are that Gabe has been found safely,” University Police Chief Bruce Lewis said in the release. “We are extraordinarily grateful to Evanston and Chicago police for their hard work and collaboration in this investigation.”

Graphic by Roxanne Panas

aperez@u.northwestern.edu

New Quarter, New Round!

PLAY GEO WIN PIZZA Wildcat GeoGame Visit the website every day and answer one geography question.

dailynorthwestern.com/geogame

You can even look up the answer.

Play Now 7 Days/Week

It’s easy to earn a pizza!

35 Correct Answers = 1 Pizza 50 Correct Answers = 2 Pizzas

— Syd Stone, Catherine Kim


6 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2019

LIGHT

From page 1 class and sit in front of the light while they’re on their computer or doing homework,”Tierney said. “White light therapy is such an easy thing for people to do and a complimentary service for the Wellness Suite to offer.” Tierney said the program has been at the Crown Sports Pavilion since October 2018. She said she and her colleague Dan Bulfin, director of recreational sports, were inspired to offer white light therapy after seeing it at Purdue University. After researching programs at different universities, Tierney concluded that the benefits of white light therapy aligned with

ETHS

From page 1 their new chief, city manager Wally Bobkiewicz said. For Campbell, activism and education are intertwined — he said activism is a form of learning students have chosen for themselves. During summer 2018, Wallace, Liccardo and Hartenstein helped organize the Saint Sabina Peace Rally, a march in the night through Chicago’s South Side for peace and common-sense gun control. Later that summer, the trio also organized a bus from Evanston to the Dan Ryan Expressway shutdown –– another protest calling for gun control, education and community resources for the South Side. Over 40 North Shore residents attended, and Wallace recalled people singing and dancing when they were stopped on the highway. Student activism at ETHS has even manifested into concrete policy change, Campbell said. In response to students protesting the gender disparity in dress code citations during the 2016-2017 school year, ETHS administration implemented a new dress code the following school year. The new dress code focused on “body positivity instead of body negativity,” ETHS teacher Michael Pond said. Still, sometimes, Wallace said she sees activists who aren’t always participating for the right reasons. “People want to join in when its popular, when its

REACT

From page 1 to lie about their circumstances. The Office of Equity “did consider the possibility” that students might take advantage of the loophole, Johnston said, but decided that the benefits “outweigh any potential concerns.” Though Gilburne was skeptical of the training’s actual effects on campus climate, she said that people skipping the training altogether made her uneasy. “I didn’t even realize people might exploit it like that,” she said. “I understand that the University is walking a tricky line, but it’s problematic if you can just email them and say, ‘I don’t want to do it.’” Both Gilburne and Colton believe that in-person

NU Recreation’s goal of addressing the mental health concerns of the NU community. Bulfin said in an email that since white light therapy has been offered in the Wellness Suite, it has “helped over 80 folks combat depression that often occurs due to lack of exposure to regular sunshine” in the colder months. Lisa Carlson, NU’s campus dietitian, said the addition of white light therapy can compliment students’ healthy lifestyles. “I mention white light therapy to students with Seasonal Affective Disorder especially,” Carlson said. “I encourage them to consult their health care provider to see if it is right for them, and to try it if they get the go-ahead.”

White light therapy is “accessible to everyone,” Tierney said, and free for NU students, faculty and staff, and paying Crown Sports Pavilion members. Students can make an in-person or over-the-phone appointment as well as drop by the Wellness Suite for a walk-in session. “We never turn anyone away,” Tierney said. Kellogg graduate student Tammy Hsu said she started white light therapy because she was experiencing what felt like “never-ending jet lag” after returning from a trip. Her doctor recommended she try it, and she is now on her seventh session. “The first few times I did it, I felt lighter and more cheerful within the first two minutes,” Hsu said. “Carving out half an hour of my day to have

me-time while sitting in front of the light has been really relaxing.” Since it premiered Fall Quarter, Tierney said over 300 white light therapy sessions have been completed. She noted that the Wellness Suite now has “white light therapy regulars,” and most of them are students. The Wellness Suite plans to continue offering white light therapy through April and will resume the service again during fall 2019. “Especially during the next few months, I encourage students to stop in and try one session of white light therapy,” said Tierney. “You never know; it could make all the difference.”

fun,” Wallace said. “Activism shouldn’t be about just because everyone else is doing it. If someone was to come up and interview you, (you should be able to answer) why are you here.”

the walkout prompted further conversation about gun control at ETHS, including a discussion led by U.S. Sen. Jan Schakowsky (D-Il.) on gun reform in April 2018. At first, Stein said the student body was distrustful of the Student Union in their efforts around the walkout. The Student Union — previously named the Student Senate — has traditionally acted as a bridge of communication between students and the administration. Student representative had never played a role of activism before, and students of color did not feel it was right to have a white student leading the walkout, Stein said. “Gun violence is pretty isolated from the wealthiest, whitest neighborhoods,” Stein said “By no means is my experience with gun violence and how much I have been impacted by it the same as a person of color.” In response to “very legitimate” concerns about leadership of the event, Stein said the Student Union tried to make the planning process for the walkout transparent. Students could add their ideas at the planning sessions open to the entire student body, she said. After the walkout, Pond said the Student Union made organizational changes to diversify the group. Instead of eight elected representatives, the Union is now open to all students. “We decided to change the model…(as) part of a process to be more inclusive,” said Pond.

ETHS students SOAR

Leading the walkout

Emma Stein, an ETHS alumna and current SESP first-year, led the ETHS walkout on March 14 as the student representative on the student government group, the Student Union. Stein said the walkout was a “catalyst” for the Student Union beginning to advocate for social issues. The ETHS walkout was part of a national movement where thousands of students left class in response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 dead. At the walkout, students listened to speakers, including Wallace who performed her poetry. Stein also asked students to pull out their phones and call their representatives asking them to advocate for gun control. “I wanted to engage students in the political process,” Stein said. “It’s important to take that drive, that anger and bring it out into a national scale.” Stein said she later learned people manning the phones at Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office that day said they were confused and overwhelmed by the number of calls they received from ETHS. Stein said trainings — such as those done by Sexual Health and Assault Peer Educators — are much more effective in decreasing instances of sexual misconduct. Gilburne recently completed a SHAPE training with a student group and thought the atmosphere of “friends just talking to friends” made learning about combating sexual violence a good experience. She added that while she thinks it’s something “everyone should do,” she doesn’t know how the University would mandate in-person trainings the way they do with the training online. The Office of Equity offers free in-person trainings for University faculty, staff and students, but the trainings must be requested online and are not mandatory. Colton said the more interactive a training is, the

more receptive students will be to its message — but that it’s unclear how the University would change their policy or employ resources to better address the problem. Though Gilburne doesn’t know how she would change the process either, she said the training feels like empty gesture by the University to decrease liability — and that it probably doesn’t work. “Ultimately, what we have is this learning tool that people are clicking through, passively listening to and not learning from,” Gilburne said. “The University gets to check a box that says people were educated, but I don’t think it actually influences anyone’s behavior.”

zoemalin2022@u.northwestern.edu

Outside of Student Union, Pond highlighted Students Organized Against Racism, a club at ETHS focused on activism and social issues. Wallace said the club, informally known as SOAR, puts on two biannual conferences at Northwestern where ETHS students engage in dialogue about race. She added that SOAR also holds office hours, identifies safe spaces and runs a program where SOAR members mentor middle school students of color. Wallace has been a SOAR participant for three years. “(The mentees) know a ton and see a ton.” Wallace said. “We’re talking about who’s a part of the people of color community, gender inclusive language. We’re just expanding what they think.” Beyond SOAR, Wallace uses spoken word to fuel movements. She has established a name for herself in Evanston as a spoken word artist. At the Stoneman-Douglas walkout in March 2018, Wallace’s poem covered mental illness, race and education in context of school shootings. She ended with a call to action to her fellow ETHS students. “We will organize/build political coalitions/ we will protest/and yell/united,” Wallace wrote. “We will not live in a world,/ in a society/where human life is worthless.” snehadey2022@u.northwestern.edu

LAPTOP From page 1

Abednego Kipkirui, who had to spend his first two weeks of college completing his assignments on his phone or at the library. Through SES’ laptop grant program, Kipkirui was given a laptop for academic purposes. “I am a computer engineer, and I was really hoping to have my own laptop to do work on my own,” Kipkirui said. “It’s much more portable. When you are traveling and let’s say you’re going back home, it’s nice to have a laptop of your own.”

cameroncook2021@u.northwestern.edu

andrescorrea2020@u.northwestern.edu

DAILY PUZZLES & CLASSIFIEDS • HELP WANTED • FOR RENT • FOR SALE Classified Ads

For Rent

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN is not responsible for more than one incorrect insertion of an ad. Corrections must be received by 10am on the day before ad runs again, call 847-4917206. All Classifieds must be paid in advance and are not accepted over the phone. To run online, ad must run in print on same day. The Daily does not knowingly accept misleading or false ads and does not guarantee any ad or claim, or endorse any advertised product or service. Please use caution when answering ads, especially when sending money.

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN is not responsible for more than one incorrect insertion of an ad. Corrections must be received by 10am on the day before ad runs again, call 847-4917206. All Classifieds must be paid in advance and are not accepted over the phone. To run online, ad must run in print on same day. The Daily does not knowingly accept misleading or false ads and does not guarantee any ad or claim, or endorse any advertised product or service. Please use caution when answering ads, especially when sending money.

HELP WANTED ADS are accepted only from advertisers who are equal opportunity employers. The presumption, therefore, is that all positions offered here are available to qualified persons without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, handicap, or veteran status.

It is the policy of The Daily Northwestern to accept housing advertising only from those whose housing is available without discrimination with respect to sexual orientation, race, creed or national origin. The presumption is therefore, that any housing listing appearing here is non-discriminatory.

Help Wanted

APARTMENT RENTALS CUSTOMERSERVICE @EVANSTONAPARTMENTS.COM

Post a Classified! Now anyone can post and manage a classified ad. Go to: DailyNorthwestern. com/classifieds Questions? Call 847-491-7206

Complete the grid so each ROW, COLUMN and 3-by-3 BOX (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9.

For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk SOLUTION TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

3 BLOCKS FROM NU ½ BLOCK FROM FOSTER “L” FOSTER AND MAPLE 2-3-4 BEDROOMS FROM $1,175 RENT ENTIRE APT OR WE CAN PROVIDE ROOMMATES UNFURNISHED OR FURNISHED EVANSTONAPARTMENTS.COM MODERN AND SPACIOUS DEDICATED PARKING AVAILIABLE

FOR RENT Prime location. (right here)

Will build to suit. (free ad design)

Great price! (Fridays are free*) D a i ly Puzzle SPot

Level: 1 2 3 4

© 2018 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

847 869 1444

DAILY SUDOKU

2/4/19

DAILY CROSSWORD

Inquire within. 847-491-7206 or spc-compshop@northwestern.edu (*Pay for 4 days. 5th day is free!)

Friday’s Puzzle Solved


THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | SPORTS 7

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2019

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Finally healthy, Northwestern cruises past Ohio State By BENJAMIN ROSENBERG

daily senior staffer @bxrosenberg

Abi Scheid had missed Northwestern’s last six games, and Jordan Hamilton missed last week’s matchup against Illinois and was limited on Thursday against Minnesota. The junior forward and the sophomore guard both returned to the starting lineup Sunday against Ohio State, meaning the Wildcats were fully healthy for the first time in nearly a month. NU (14-8, 7-4 Big Ten) rebounded from Thursday’s loss and beat the Buckeyes (9-11, 5-6) easily, 76-59. “Having (Hamilton) back in the lineup really helped,” coach Joe McKeown said. “To have Abi Scheid out there, that’s a comfort zone for us. Just a great team effort. Everybody contributed, a lot of people did what they do well.” Th e Cats started slowly, with both teams shooting poorly in the early going. But they scored the last six points of the first quarter to take a 16-12 lead and did not trail again. NU forced nine turnovers in the first quarter to make up for its poor shooting. The Cats attempted 39 shots in the first half to Ohio State’s 23, which was a big part of why NU led by seven at halftime despite shooting just 33 percent.

The Cats then poured it on in the second half. Sophomore guard Lindsey Pulliam hit her first three shots in the third quarter and finished with a game-high 23 points. Senior center Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah powered her way to her 14th double-double of the year, finishing with 17 points and 13 rebounds to complement Pulliam’s scoring. “I always think whatever I put up is going in,” Pulliam said. “That’s just my mindset. I was in the zone, focused and just ready to play today.” NU continued to stretch the lead throughout the second half. After Ohio State cut a 15-point deficit to eight midway through the third quarter, the Cats went on a 12-5 run to end the period back up by 15. NU then scored 15 straight points in the fourth quarter to push the lead to 30, with Hamilton hitting back-to-back 3-pointers and Kunaiyi-Akpanah converting a pair of three-point plays during that stretch. The Cats began to pull their starters after that, and the Buckeyes scored the game’s last 13 points to make the final score look more respectable. But NU still picked up its first win over Ohio State since 2016, and did so in emphatic fashion. The win put the Cats in sole possession of fourth place in the Big Ten standings, which would give them a double bye in the conference tournament if things hold. More importantly, NU kept its hopes alive for returning

Owen Stidman/ The Daily Northwestern

Lindsey Pulliam lays it in. The sophomore guard scored a team-high 23 points.

to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015. “Th at third quarter and into the fourth, we locked down defensively,” McKeown said. “Made it hard for them to get to the rim. They have a lot of interchangeable parts, they’ve got

three-point shooters, they’ve got a great point guard who can attack, they’ve got big kids who can step out and shoot, and I thought we defended that pretty well.” benjaminrosenberg2021@u.northwestern.edu

MEN’S BASKETBALL

PARDON From page 8

the Wildcats up 8 points with 3:29 left. This was Dererk Pardon the closer, revealing itself for the first time in his career. Playing the role of a creator this season, Pardon has taken a career-low 65.1 percent of his shots at the rim, and his usage is at a career high. Northwestern’s offense statistically tanks when he’s off the floor. Of all the active centers in highmajor conferences, Pardon is the most efficient big man to average 13 points per game in the country.

“How many bad shots has he taken in his career at Northwestern? I bet you can count them on one hand,” Kwasniak said. “I laugh even when I watch him now, because everything he does is a variation of (what) we worked on when he was 14 years old.” But efficient post moves aren’t a ticket to millions of NBA dollars like they used to be. Ask most NBA coaches or general managers, and they’ll explain how the sport is trending away from traditional post play and toward fearless athletic shooters. According to many in the league, his lacking one-on-one defense and perimeter shooting make Pardon a rough fit for

today’s game. “I don’t think he’s a modern big,” Kimbrough said. “He can do a lot, but he does it in limited skill set.” “The proof is in the pudding field goal percentage wise,” Pardon retorts. “Post ups are a good way of settling the team down. They can think what they want.” It’s easy to become fixated on where Pardon is going from here, but the center is taking things one shot at a time. He’s never had this significant a role before, and he may never have it again. With just over than a month left in his college career, though, it’s already clear Pardon has outperformed all of the high school teammates that

once overshadowed him at VASJ. Bragg transferred from Kansas after facing a misdemeanor charge and is now a role player on a poor New Mexico team. Parker has filled up the stat sheet for four years at Marist but recorded just 29 wins in his career. And then there’s Pardon, the biggest little engine there is. “He’s going to leave here arguably as one of the top-5 or 10 players to ever put on a Northwestern uniform,” James said. “And after that, he’s going to be a success story wherever he is.” charliegoldsmith2021@u.northwestern.edu

The Daily Northwestern Winter 2019 | An independent voice since 1923 | Evanston, Illinois EDITOR IN CHIEF | Alan Perez PRINT MANAGING EDITORS | Maddie Burakoff, Alex Schwartz, Syd Stone ___________________ DIGITAL MANAGING EDITORS | Allie Goulding, Jake Holland WEB EDITOR | Peter Warren SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR | Gabby Birenbaum ___________________ DIGITAL PROJECTS EDITOR | Kristina Karisch ___________________ CAMPUS EDITORS | Catherine Kim, Elizabeth Byrne ASSISTANT EDITORS | Cameron Cook and Pranav Baskar ___________________ CITY EDITOR | Catherine Henderson ASSISTANT EDITORS | Clare Proctor, Sneha Dey, Maddy Daum ___________________ SPORTS EDITOR | Charlie Goldsmith ASSISTANT EDITORS | Andrew Golden, Benjamin Rosenberg

MONTHLY EDITOR | Madeleine Fernando __________________

VIDEO EDITOR | Chris Vazquez ASSISTANT EDITORS | Kristine Liao, Harrison Tremarello ______________

OPINION EDITOR | Marissa Martinez ASSISTANT EDITOR | Andrea Bian ____________________

AUDIO EDITORS | Cassidy Jackson, Ryan Wangman ___________________

PHOTO EDITORS | Alison Albelda, Noah Frick-Alofs ASSISTANT EDITORS | David Lee and Evan Robinson-Johnson ____________________

COPY CHIEF | Ella Brockway ___________________

A&E EDITOR | Andrea Michelson ASSISTANT EDITOR | Daisy Conant ____________________ DESIGN EDITOR | Roxanne Panas ASSISTANT EDITOR | Catherine Buchaniec CREATIVE DIRECTOR | Katie Pach __________________ DEVELOPMENT AND RECRUITMENT EDITORS | Julia Esparza, Amy Li, Ally Mauch

IN FOCUS EDITORS | Stavros Agorakis, Rishika Dugyala ___________________ GENERAL MANAGER | Stacia Campbell SHOP MANAGER | Chris Widman ___________________ BUSINESS OFFICE STAFF Johnny Avila, Emma Flanders, Brooke Fowler, Esther Han, Jason Kerr, Mychala Schulz, Liberty Vincent, Emily Wong ___________________ ADVERTISING PRODUCTION STAFF Nick Lehmkul, Hannah McGrath, Syd Shaw


SPORTS

ON DECK FEB.

4

Men’s Basketball Penn State at NU, 7 p.m. Monday

ON THE RECORD

(Chris) Collins has freed (Pardon’s) mind up so that if he’s open, he can take any shot he feels he can make. — assistant coach Brian James

@DailyNU_Sports

Monday, February 4, 2019

PARDON HIS TAKES

Dererk Pardon finally has a leading offensive role, and he isn’t wasting it By CHARLIE GOLDSMITH

daily senior staffer @2021_charlie

Dererk Pardon has an ambigram. It’s a twoinch by two-inch cursive illustration on his massive right wrist, and it’s more than just a tattoo. From Pardon’s point of view, the black ink spells out “love.” But anyone looking at it from the other side would read “pain.” An ambigram is reversible, saying one thing right side up and another upside down. Spend too much time looking at it, and your neck will get sore trying to take it in from both sides. Love. Pain. Love. Pain. Love. Pain. “I feel like it’s the story of my life,” Pardon said. “To know what true love is you have to feel pain. They go hand and hand.”

Pardon had the ambigram stained on le p ly fi top of the pulse of his right Dai wrist to remind himself that had one of a million things gone differently, he wouldn’t have been able to score 1,000 points at Northwestern and develop into one of the best bigs in program history. avid

D o by hot

Lee

*** In 2011, Pardon started his freshman year at Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School with less than two years of basketball experience. The school’s football coach recruited him hard, and the basketball program didn’t really need another big man. At the time, he was “a baby with baby fat,” according to VASJ head coach Babe Kwasniak. In a city littered with highly-rated basketball recruits, Pardon wasn’t close to the most anticipated incoming freshman in his class, but he was set on playing basketball. He played on junior varsity as a first-year and played a minor role on a state championship team as a sophomore, watching two of his classmates run the show. Forwards Carlton Bragg, who eventually became a 5-star prospect, and Brian Parker, a 6-foot-2 sharpshooter, found the spotlight right off the bat and controlled the ball for four seasons at VASJ. “The biggest thing was that (Pardon) was surrounded by some other big name players,” said Stan Kimbrough, a former NBA player and VASJ

alumnus. “He was in the shadow of Bragg for years. With a lot of the guys he was playing with, defenses would play those guys first, and see him as a second option. And to his credit, he was able to decide to be Robin instead of having to be Batman.” Ever since their first encounter, Kwasniak told Pardon to keep it simple in the post. Kwasniak has added new dimensions to the games of NBA players like Markelle Fultz and Michael Porter Jr. over the years, but what he wanted to see at first from Pardon was a left-handed baby hook and a counter-move with his right hand. By Pardon’s junior season, Kwasniak would expect the game-changing motor and rebounding that have defined Pardon’s game at the college level. But despite how hard Pardon worked, Kwasniak rarely drew plays that put the big man’s post moves on display. Pardon couldn’t remember that ever happening. “(Bragg and Parker) primarily were the scorers,” he said. “But I got mine off offensive rebounds, stuff that I did (at Northwestern) my first couple years.” Eventually, Pardon found a niche in VASJ’s system that led to him breaking onto the scene. He dropped 15 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocks in the state championship game as a senior, according to Kwasniak. By occupying his man in the paint and finishing when the ball was swung his way, he solidified a role alongside two of the most dynamic scorers in the state and finished his high school career with close to 800 points. But it didn’t come with much recognition. For big men, it rarely does. Pardon defended 15 McDonald’s All-Americans in high school, including Trey Lyles and Cliff Alexander, but it was the AllAmerican on his own team that grabbed the attention. Bragg, who averaged 21.3 points and 7.3 rebounds as a senior, packed gyms with college coaches who just wanted to watch him practice. At one particular practice, Tom Izzo, Bill Self and Roy Williams were all watching Bragg scrimmage against his teammates. There were other high-major coaches as well, all hoping to curry favor with the 6-foot-9 forward. Northwestern assistant Brian James attended that practice as well, curious to see Bragg but focused on the Wildcats’ recruitment of Pardon. Kwasniak has a relationship with former NBA coach Doug Collins, who told his son Chris and the Northwestern staff about the less-heralded big man at VASJ who could potentially make an impact in the Big Ten. James found a corner in the gym away from the chaotic scrum of coaches recruiting Bragg and started to observe. Like everyone else, he watched in awe as a big man showcased soft hands, quick feet and the motor of a Cadillac. After practice, James went to talk with Kwasniak to praise what he saw from the big man who had just dominated the practice, thinking it was Bragg. But it wasn’t Bragg who captured his attention — it was Pardon. James had the wrong guy. In almost 40 years of coaching, it’s the only time that happened. “I still give him a hard time for it,” Pardon says now. After that, Northwestern recruited Pardon harder than anyone else, and the Cleveland product committed on June 7, 2014. *** After high school graduation in 2015, Bragg

joined the team at Kansas University, Parker went to Marist and Pardon to Northwestern. As freshmen, Bragg played a small role on an Elite Eight team, Parker started for a team with seven wins and Pardon was told he had to redshirt the season. All three of them had to step into smaller roles at the start of their careers, but at least Bragg and Parker would get to play immediately. “I was actually surprised about (Pardon’s redshirt) because I thought he was better than that,” Bragg said. “With the work I saw him put in in high school, I thought he was better than that.” Bragg’s prediction came true that December. Pardon’s redshirt was burned in late December 2015 so he could contribute to a young team devastated with injuries. When he started playing, Pardon averaged 6.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 16.6 minutes in 20 games on a young team, developing chemistry with sophomore guards Bryant McIntosh and Scottie Lindsey. Pardon played a similar role to the one he had in high school, setting screens and jumping out of the gym for rebounds. His points typically came from offensive rebounds or assists from McIntosh. Over his first three seasons playing alongside high-volume guards, Pardon took about 67 percent of his shots at the rim and made around 70 percent of his attempts in the paint. It was easy living offensively on a team with offensive creators to spare. “There are a lot of guys that can only play when they’re considered the best guy on the court,” Kimbrough said. “They don’t know how to take a back seat and blend in. He’s had that experience.” Pardon was content being a Robin, especially one who started on an NCAA Tournament team in 2017. Sometimes he faded into the flow of the offense, but then there were moments when Pardon made the opposition pay for forgetting about him. Pardon was barely covered on the game-winning play of NU’s tournament-clinching win against Michigan. He was flanked on both sides by McIntosh and Lindsey, and the Wolverines’ defense basically dared senior forward Nathan Taphorn to throw the ball to the center who’d only taken four shots so far in that game. Michigan guard Derrick Walton guarded Pardon on the play — Pardon receiving the pass was so improbable to Michigan coach John Beilein that he put his smallest player on him. When Michigan played NU in Welsh Ryan Arena two seasons later, Beilein emptied the kitchen sink in trying to stop Pardon. He couldn’t do it. On Dec. 4, 2018, the Wolverines watched Pardon tear apart their defense against single coverage and double teams, in the post and on the perimeter. They had no answer, and Pardon dropped 20 points on one of the best defenses in the nation in a game No. 5 Michigan eventually won 62-60.

Ste ph

en J . Ca

rrer a/N

orth wes te

How could this have been the same guy?

rn A thle

tic C om

mu

nica tion

s

*** While it can be frustrating for a player to take a backseat in a team’s offense, Pardon says that’s at least something he was accustomed to. He’d gone 7 years of high school and college basketball without being one of his team’s best two offensive players, so he virtually had no experience running the show himself. And then came the spring of 2018. Coach Chris Collins and James sat down with Pardon after the season, explaining there would be some major changes to Northwestern’s offense. “I don’t want (you) to have just one or two moves,” James said he told him. “You need multiple moves in the low post.” That offseason, the Wildcats shuffled their offense following the departures of McIntosh and Lindsey. They had no one to replace the passfirst point guard and consistently feed Pardon in the post, so Northwestern changed its offense to bring more out of the big man. “Collins has freed his mind up so that if he’s open, he can take any shot he feels that he can make,” James said. “The thing with (Pardon) that he didn’t do as a junior was now we do a lot out of the high post. And now he can fake handoffs, he can face his man up and go one-on-one.” James pointed to a one-on-one play Pardon made late in a recent 73-66 win against Indiana. Pardon received the ball in the highpost, turned and faced the Hoosiers’ center and attacked the basket like he’d been doing it his entire life. His dunk put » See PARDON, page 7

Dai

ly fi le p

hot ob y Br

ian

Me

ng


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.