The Daily Northwestern — February 5th, 2024

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The Daily Northwestern Monday, February 5, 2024

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Petition calls on SPC to drop criminal complaint

By SAMANTHA POWERS and JACOB WENDLER

daily senior staffers @sqpowers04 / @jacob_wendler

Eighty-nine student organizations, faculty and Northwestern community members signed a letter to the editor published by North by Northwestern Friday calling on Students Publishing Company — The Daily Northwestern’s parent company — to drop a criminal complaint against two Black students connected to the distribution of imitated front pages of The Daily.

The students were charged in November with theft of advertising services — a Class A misdemeanor in Illinois — by the Cook County State’s Attorney Office in relation to their alleged involvement in the incident after a representative with SPC filed the complaint with University Police.

SPC is a non-profit organization governed by a board of directors composed of Northwestern alumni, faculty, staff, affiliates and student volunteers. The board does not interfere with editorial decisions made by Daily staffers. The company’s main functions include managing donations from alumni, soliciting advertisements and overseeing the newsroom’s budget.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. Under Illinois law, the

state’s attorney has sole prosecutorial discretion to bring or dismiss criminal charges.

Title III, Part C, Article 16 of the Illinois Criminal Code of 2021 defines theft of advertising services as an incident in which an individual “knowingly attaches or inserts an unauthorized advertisement in a newspaper or periodical, and redistributes it to the public or has the intent to redistribute it to the public.” The statute does not apply if the publisher or distributor of the newspaper consents to the attachment or insertion of the advertisement or if the individual has a contract with the publisher.

The letter calls the charge a “gross overcharge” symptomatic of the over-policing of Black students on campus.

“This situation is yet another instance of a widespread effort to silence pro-Palestinian voices, disproportionately impacting people of color,” the letter reads.

Its signees include student organizations including NU’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Wildcats for Ceasefire, the Middle Eastern North African Student Association and NU’s newly formed chapter of Educators for Justice in Palestine. It also includes faculty from Black studies, political science, Middle East and North African studies, and several other departments.

The letter also criticizes the behavior of University

Police, alleging that their conduct in the investigation — leaving a note under the door of one student’s home and stopping the second student at their classroom door — caused the two students “undue emotional distress.”

“The Students Publishing Company, independent publisher of The Daily Northwestern, pursued a criminal complaint related to the publication of the ‘fake Daily’ this fall,” University spokesperson Jon Yates told The Daily. “As required by law, University Police pursued a criminal investigation, which led to a citation for violating state law that was issued to multiple students.

Those criminal proceedings are pending.”

Yates did not respond to allegations against University Police made in the letter.

The letter also called on staffers of The Daily to urge SPC to drop the charges. It also asked all members of the NU community to sign a petition pressuring administration to “do more to protect Palestinian and pro-Palestinian voices” and to urge SPC to drop the charges against the two students.

As of Sunday evening, the petition had received over 5,500 signatures.

“Staffers at The Daily Northwestern did not initially report this incident,” said Medill junior Avani Kalra, The Daily’s editor-in-chief. “Our staff is committed to reporting fairly and accurately on our campus and is not

involved in any current legal proceedings.”

The imitated front pages, distributed in October, featured a photo of doctors surrounded by deceased civilians at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza and a headline that read “Northwestern complicit in genocide of Palestinians.” The pages also imitated The Daily’s formatting and included a nameplate that read “The Northwestern Daily” in a font resembling The Daily’s masthead.

The papers were wrapped around copies of The Daily’s print paper in on-campus newsstands in more than a dozen buildings, pinned to the community posting board in Norris University Center and placed on desks in academic buildings like the Technological Institute.

Since October, Israel’s continued ground and air offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed over 27,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials. The militant group Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel killed about 1,200 Israelis, according to Israeli officials.

SPC Chair John Byrne declined to comment on the letter Friday, referring to the Board of Directors’ initial statement in response to the tampering of The Daily’s papers.

In an editorial published Oct. 26, The Daily’s editorial board emphasized its independence from SPC. samanthapowers2026@u.northwestern.edu jacobwendler2025@u.northwestern.edu

Edit board objects to prosecution SPC responds to letter and petition In a letter to the editor published in student magazine North

by Northwestern on Friday, 89 student organizations, faculty and other Northwestern affiliates called on Students Publishing Company to drop charges against two Black students implicated in the false front pages placed onto copies of The Daily Northwestern’s Oct. 23, 2023 print paper.

As of Sunday night, over 5,500 people have signed a petition urging the same.

After SPC — The Daily’s parent company — reported the incident to University Police, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office charged two Northwestern students with theft of advertising services in November. This charge is a Class A misdemeanor in Illinois and carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.

While the students’ alleged actions may violate Illinois law,

Recycle Me

SPC’s decision to engage the criminal justice system during this investigation was unnecessary and harmful. As the editorial board, we have outlined our concerns with SPC’s course of action and asked the board of directors to submit a formal recommendation to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office requesting that charges against the two students be dismissed.

Neither SPC nor The Daily has the authority to bring or dismiss criminal charges against any person — that decision lies with the state’s attorney’s office. However, the editorial board hopes that if SPC notifies the office that it no longer has an interest in seeing the students prosecuted, the prosecutor will likely drop the charges.

Specifically, the act of attaching imitation papers to The Daily’s print paper without a contract can be seen as theft of paid advertising space under Illinois law

–– regardless of their content or status as protected speech under the First Amendment.

The Daily did not authorize the copies nor their content.

We object to tampering with The Daily, and we acknowledge that the imitated front pages damaged our relationships with community members. Our publication remains committed to free expression and sharing stories with accuracy, nuance and precision.

Despite these objections, the editorial board cannot support the criminal prosecution of our peers.

Our newspaper has always prided itself on its commitment to informing and supporting students, and we believe our publisher should play no part in perpetrating harm against the communities we aim to serve.

Our University and community — along with the American policing and justice system as

a whole — has a long history of placing people of color in harm’s way. As a publication that strives to unearth these injustices through our reporting, we remain wholeheartedly opposed to any course of action that would entwine our publication with this harmful legacy.

We hope this situation invites reflection about the impacts that people, particularly people of color, may face as a result of decisions that involve the police.

Making that call or filing a complaint demands extraordinary thought and consideration beyond an action’s legality.

This piece represents the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Daily Northwestern. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members or editorial board members of The Daily Northwestern.

Last October, approximately 300 copies of The Daily Northwestern were tampered with — a fake front page was wrapped around copies of the actual Daily Northwestern newspaper in a dozen locations on campus. This act of vandalism interfered with the rights of student journalists to publish and distribute their work.

The board of Students Publishing Company, the publisher of The Daily Northwestern, reported the incident to campus police. The content of the fake front page had no bearing on this decision. This is not an issue of speech or parody. A fake newspaper distributed on its own, apart from The Daily Northwestern, would cause no concern. But

tampering with the distribution of a student newspaper is impermissible conduct.

The State’s Attorney ’s Office charged two individuals with theft of advertising services for attaching the fake front page to hundreds of copies of The Daily without our consent. Any charging decision is made by the State’s Attorney alone. As a private entity, SPC cannot bring or drop charges.

All individuals have a right to express their opinions on issues that matter to them. But just as you cannot take over the airwaves of a TV station or the website of a publication, you also cannot disrupt the distribution of a student newspaper.

INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Arts & Entertainment 4 | Opinion 7 | Sports 8

2 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2024

AROUND TOWN

‘Like a small city’: Camp Echo celebrates centennial

By SHAE LAKE

the daily northwestern @lake_shae53899

Terry Brenner, then a recent high school graduate, joined Camp Echo as a seasonal worker in the 1980s, where she met her future husband, Jon Brenner. She said late-night conversations in cabins turned into long-distance phone calls and love letters, which transformed into a lifelong romance.

It ranked as one of countless milestones for Camp Echo’s alumni. But this year, the camp will celebrate perhaps its biggest one: 100 years of operation.

Founded in 1924, Camp Echo is a residential summer camp and is run by the McGaw YMCA in Evanston. It is located outside of Fremont, Michigan, on a peninsula surrounded by Ryerson Long Lake. The camp hosts traditional overnight summer camps for children from third through 11th grade, in addition to family camps.

Last summer, Camp Echo hosted approximately 1,500 campers and 200 staff members.

Bernard Rocca, the branch executive director of McGaw YMCA, said the main focus of Camp Echo is growing young people’s sense of independence and community.

“I think an interesting piece of the overnight camp experience or overnight camp community is that it truly is like a small city,” he said.

This past October, McGaw YMCA hosted a kickoff celebration for the camp’s centennial, which drew more than 150 community

Mayor to step in as a committeeperson for Evanston Democrats Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss told The Daily he’s “excited” to step in as a committeeperson of the Democratic Party of Evanston, pending a decision by the county party, after a closed-door vote last

members. There will be various celebrations throughout the year, including an Echo Fest Community Day at the McGaw YMCA in late April. The festivities will conclude the weekend of Sept. 20, when current Camp Echo families and alumni will be invited back to camp to celebrate the anniversary.

Amid these celebrations, however, Camp Echo is also reckoning with a complicated history.

When the camp originally was founded in 1924, it welcomed only white, male, Christian campers.

The summers of 1947 and 1965 were the first time girls and Black children, respectively, were allowed at Camp Echo, Rocca said.

Brenner said she’s excited for the camp to take the centenary as an opportunity for reflection. Camp Echo has introduced new initiatives to make the camp more inclusive for all campers’ experiences, including all-gender housing options.

“There will probably be some deeper understanding of Echo’s history and owning that, and not making it seem like it’s this idyllic place that never hit a missed note,” Brenner said.

Camp Echo had camp sessions separated by gender for many years.

Katie Trippi, the senior gift officer at McGaw YMCA, attended Camp Echo as a child and said she learned a lot from having a female-only space to develop.

“The impact of female leadership on my own leadership skills and understanding of my potential and development of my self-confidence and goals for my career grew out of those seeds that were planted at Camp Echo,” Trippi said. week to nominate him for the position.

The 7-5 vote by the party Thursday evening came after Eamon Kelly, who served in the role for more than a decade, announced plans to resign early and recommended Biss to serve the rest of his term.

“I really appreciate their confidence in me,” Biss said. “I’m very excited to do this work. This is an election where democracy is literally on the line — the presidential election. I think all of us have a responsibility to do our part.”

Courtesy of Katie Trippi

The camp has hosted traditional overnight summer camps for children from third through 11th grade, as well as family camps for whole families to join in the activities, since 1924.

When Camp Echo became fully co-ed in 1982, Trippi said she was surprised. But, when she returned to camp as a parent, she said she observed her children forming the same strong bonds and learning valuable leadership skills in Camp Echo’s co-ed space. In 2004, she joined Camp Echo as a full-time staffer.

Since then, Trippi has been developing an online database of all of Camp Echo’s previous campers and has found the names, birthdays and home addresses of Camp Echo alumni all the way

back to the 1920s. She also helps keep track of the contact information of approximately 12,000 previous campers.

Camp Echo has helped develop the leaders of Evanston for several decades and carries that responsibility in the years to come, she said.

“I hope that camp will exist for every kid in Evanston for at least another hundred years,” Trippi said.

The nomination will now advance to the Cook County Democratic Party’s Central Committee for final ratification.

Kelly told the Evanston RoundTable that Biss’ previous experience leading a campaign for governor would prove helpful for the Evanston party apparatus, which organizes campaign and fundraising efforts for the heavily Democratic city.

“Obviously, there’s a lot to be done and this whole thing hasn’t even been ratified yet,” Biss said. “What

I anticipate is an outpouring of enthusiasm on the part of Evanston to help reelect the president.”

Biss’ new role arrives amid a contentious moment for the mathematician-turned-politician.

Despite not declaring a reelection campaign, Biss saw an influx of donations last year after he cast the tie-breaking vote to approve NU’s controversial plans to rebuild Ryan Field.

shaelake2026@u.northwestern.edu

— Shun Graves

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2024

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

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ON CAMPUS

Grad workers, admin reach agreements

By JACOB WENDLER

The Daily Northwestern

www.dailynorthwestern.com Editor in Chief Avani Kalra

eic@dailynorthwestern.com

daily senior staffer @jacob_wendler

General Manager Stacia Campbell

Northwestern University Graduate Workers reached five tentative agreements with administrators Thursday in their ongoing bargaining process for a new contract with the University.

NUGW reached tentative agreements on medical benefits, childcare and caregiving, commuter subsidies, and retirement benefits in its 14th bargaining session with the University. In addition, the University offered a multipurpose additional payment of $100 which graduate workers can choose to put toward commuter, transportation or healthcare costs.

Including the new developments, NUGW has reached tentative agreements on 29 of its 33 proposed articles since June 2023. After all sections of the contract have reached a tentative agreement status, NUGW members will vote to approve or reject the entire contract.

The negotiations come just three days after the graduate workers’ union launched a pledge to go on strike if the University does not meet its remaining contract demands. According to organizers, more than 1,000 graduate workers signed the pledge within 48 hours of its launch.

NUGW co-chair Esther Kamm said the union had been pushing for 100% vision and dental coverage in addition to the expansion of adoption assistance and senior adult dependent care resources to graduate workers — two key wins the bargaining committee secured Thursday.

In addition, the tentative agreement reached Thursday allows graduate workers to claim TGS Graduate Student Childcare Grants for up to three children, as opposed to the previous limit of two children, and raises the benefit per child.

In a survey organized by the Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Parent Peer Support Group last year, more than a quarter of graduate worker respondents reported spending over 30% of their monthly income on caregiving expenses.

Kamm said the strike pledge put significant pressure on the University to come to the table

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Daily file photo by Jacob Wendler

A demonstrator holds a poster at a November NUGW rally. The graduate workers’ union has now reached tentative agreements on 29 of its 33 proposed articles.

and take the union’s demands seriously.

“We know that they felt that pressure,” Kamm said. “And if they weren’t feeling the pressure, they wouldn’t have come back today with such significant movement on medical benefits and on benefits for parents and caregivers.”

The University also offered counter-proposals on compensation, international employee and tax assistance, tuition and fees, and infrastructure and accessibility in its Thursday bargaining session.

NUGW is pushing for a base stipend of $48,000 for standard teaching assistants — increasing annually to $52,416 by 2025 — which would mark a nearly 30% increase from the current base stipend. The University countered Thursday with an offer of $41,000 per year starting in September 2024, with ​​ annual

increases of about $1,000 through 2026; In November, the administration had previously offered a $38,808 base stipend with annual increases laid out until 2028.

“We want to recognize that the economic realities of grad workers across both campuses have been getting more and more strained, and many grad workers simply can’t wait until September to see economic relief,” Kamm said.

“That’s why we started this compensation schedule in 2023. We also don’t want admin to have an incentive to drag out bargaining when we know that so many grad workers need a contract now.”

The University did not immediately respond to a request for comment. jacobwendler2025@u.northwestern.edu

The Daily Northwestern is published Monday and Thursday 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; 847491-7206.

First copy of The Daily is free, additional copies are 50 cents. All material published herein, except advertising or where indicated otherwise, is Copyright 2023 The Daily Northwestern and protected under the “work made for hire” and “periodical publication” clauses of copyright law.

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4 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2024

A&E

Madeline King/The Daily Northwestern

“Working: A Musical – Localized Version” runs from Feb. 2 to Feb. 11 at the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts.

arts & entertainment

‘Working’ tells stories of Evanston workers in musical

By MADELINE KING

the daily northwestern @madelineking_18

“Working: A Musical – Localized Version” at the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts highlights the experiences of local Evanston workers through song, speech, dance and video. The show runs from Feb. 2 to Feb. 11.

Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso originally created the “Working” script in the 1970s based on interviews with workers published in Studs Terkel’s “Working: People Talk about What They Do All Day and How They Feel about What They Do.” The two collaborated with numerous composers to create the score, also based on the interviews.

Additional scenes have since been added based on more recent interviews.

Today, the show’s script allows for theatre companies to add local elements to the story and

rearrange the order of songs and monologues.

To incorporate stories of local workers into the show, video artist Rasheed Peters recorded interviews detailing the subjects’ personal experiences with first jobs, familial influences and other stories about working.

Joseph Williams-Salgado, a senior at Evanston Township High School, was interviewed by Peters.

He said the incorporation of local workers’ perspectives in the show gives representation to “people who really don’t get the spotlight they deserve.”

“When different people hear other people’s unique stories, it can inspire them in their own lives and help them implement things to better their own lives,” Williams-Salgado said.

The video interviews are projected throughout the show in between songs and scenes.

“Working” Director Erin Ortman said these video interviews enhance existing songs and help illuminate the show’s purpose of revealing “the extraordinary dreams of ordinary people.”

“What the play is doing, I believe, is to really,

authentically go into the audience and asking one to imagine walking in the shoes of another character,” Ortman said.

Each actor depicts the lives of multiple real people in “Working,” singing songs and reciting monologues based on the original interviews.

Communication junior and “Working” cast member Coco Gonzalez said she feels a great responsibility to represent these stories accurately.

“It is so important to me to have put the work in that I have, so that when I go on that stage and I play the seven different characters that I play throughout the musical, I feel connected to every single one of them and feel like I’m honoring them through myself,” Gonzalez said.

To achieve this accuracy in storytelling, “Working” cast members participated in a class during Fall Quarter to discuss the ethics of creating documentary theater. The cast also conducted extensive research into their characters and the show.

Communication sophomore Oliver Tam said

the class made him confident that he and his fellow cast members will deliver an impactful performance.

“We’ve put a lot of time and care into the characters that we’ve researched and made our own versions of,” Tam said. “I think we’re going to represent them accurately to a pretty solid degree.”

“Working” will feature a talkback with Ortman, cast members and Assistant Dean and Wirtz Center Executive Artistic Director Tanya Palmer following the Feb. 8 performance.

Gonzalez said she hopes the show inspires audience members to think more about the lives, thoughts and dreams of those around them.

“I just hope that when people leave the theater, the next time that they see a janitor or see a teacher, they think twice about what their life is like, and maybe even have more respect for that person than they did before seeing the show,” Gonzalez said. madelineking2026@u.northwestern.edu

Bee venom beauty trend promotes natural products

By JILLIAN MOORE

the daily northwestern @jillian_moore7

The latest buzz in the beauty industry surrounds an ingredient with a sting. Increasingly common in cosmetics and skincare, bee venom has received its fair share of praise and scrutiny in recent months.

Rachel Sommers, CEO and founder of Intoxicated Cosmetics, said topical solutions with bee venom are popular because they prevent aging, treat acne and heal scarring. She describes her brand, seen in British Vogue and Forbes, with the phrase “based on nature but perfected by science.”

Sommers had a “lightbulb” moment after reading about the qualities of bee venom while researching alternatives to Botox.

“Bee venom also contained antimicrobial properties,” Sommers said. “It reproduced collagen and elastin and blood flow in the skin, and it had a similar

but, of course, smaller-scale effect than Botox does in the sense that it inhibits neuromuscular transmitters, your facial muscle movements.”

Put simply, bee venom can make skin smoother and lips plumper. Peer-reviewed studies acknowledge that skin reactions to bee venom could include immunological responses, like anaphylaxis, but also show the ingredient’s effectiveness. For example, the National Library of Medicine published a study which found the twice-daily application of bee serum stimulated the healing progress from 8.6% to 52.3% in 30 volunteers with mild to moderate acne vulgaris.

Weinberg freshman Sabriye Powell said she uses the Bee RX Bee Venom Lip Plumping Serum three to four times per week. She continues using it despite a tingling sensation which she described as “bordering unpleasant,” because it works.

“I thought it was just like a cool name that they gave it. I didn’t realize they actually use bee venom, so it was kind of a shock to me,” she said.

According to Jessica Dawn, owner and sole esthetician of Dawn Skin Studio in Evanston, research shows bee venom can help address issues like dermatitis, alopecia and other significant skin conditions that would otherwise be treated in a dermatology office. However, she said she has reservations about whether the ingredient will become commonplace.

“I would question if it would become a standard active ingredient because of the methodology of collecting the bee venom, it could maybe not sit well with some people as far as how it may not be deemed ethical,” she said.

Beekeepers collect bee venom via low-voltage electrical stimulation. Collection frames with a low electrical current and glass base are installed in honey hives, causing bees that come into contact with the wire electrodes to receive a small shock and sting the glass.

Sommers said because the glass “sting plate” cannot be penetrated, the bees release the venom while keeping their barbed stinger, allowing them to survive.

“It’s definitely been a challenge, but I think the more we sort of harp on how we would never harm any animals, like I’m such an animal lover myself, that was really important to us to get that message across to consumers,” Sommers said.

While you might have heard about bee venom from media outlets featuring celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Middleton back in 2016, social media has since propelled the growth of the bee venom extract market to an estimated $378 million with a compound annual growth rate of 5.0% from 2023 to 2033, according to Future Market Insights.

However, Dawn cautioned her clients against using products without researching them first.

“Take everything that you see or hear about on social media with a grain of salt,” she said. “Always be your own advocate and go above and beyond to the next level of actually looking into that product, looking into the ingredients.” jillianmoore2027@u.northwestern.edu

Sejong Cultural Society celebrates 20th anniversary

By FRANCESCO THORIK-SABOIA

the daily northwestern @francescothorik

This Sunday, Bienen and Weinberg freshman Sean Jang will play the violin at Galvin Recital Hall on campus in the 20th Anniversary Concert hosted by the Sejong Cultural Society, a Chicago-based Korean-American cultural association.

Jang has been playing violin since he was 4 years old and will be playing alongside his longtime violin teacher, Kyung Sun Lee, a professor of music in violin at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

“Lee’s the reason why I am where I am now,” Jang said. “It’s an honor to be able to play with

her.”

This is Jang’s first involvement with the Sejong Cultural Society. He was invited to perform by Lee and Lucy Park, the executive director of the organization.

According to Park, the Sejong Cultural Society’s objective is to bridge the cultural gap between Koreans, Korean-Americans and Americans in the U.S. “Our mission is to introduce Korean culture to American audiences, and our focus is young people and the younger generation,” Park said.

The 2015 Sejong Cultural Society violin competition winner, Karisa Chiu, will also play in the concert.

Chiu is currently pursuing her master’s degree in violin performance at the Cleveland Institute of Music and has been involved with

the Sejong Cultural Society for more than a decade.

“I first participated in Sejong when I was 10 or 11 in 2010,” Chiu said. “Back then I was doing the junior division, and I participated every year since then, until 2015 when I won the senior division.”

The Sejong Cultural Society also works toward its mission through other programming, such as competitions in piano, violin, music composition, writing and most importantly, sijo.

The ancient writing style has been prevalent in Korean culture for centuries. Sejong Cultural Center is trying to bring sijo to a wider audience here in the U.S. “The biggest program is writing Korean poetry, sijo, and writing sijo in English so it immediately becomes a part of American

culture, and it enriches American culture,” said Park.

David Ludwig, the dean and director of music at the Juilliard School, shares this sentiment.

Ludwig originally became involved with the society as a music competition judge at Park’s request and is now returning as the 20th Anniversary Concert’s keynote speaker. He will deliver a speech via Zoom at the event.

“There’s something really beautiful about the idea of building bridges between multiple cultures, finding ways for people to find common ground and communicate together,” Ludwig said. “And I think that’s ultimately the goal of this organization.” francescothorik-saboia2027@u.northwestern.edu

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2024

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

5

‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ misses mark

By TABI PARENT

daily senior staffer @tabithaparent12

Look, I didn’t want to be a Percy Jackson TV show hater.

If you’re reading this because you think you might be a Percy Jackson TV show lover, my advice is to close this tab right now.

If you’re a normal viewer, reading this because you think it’s just interesting commentary, great.

I envy you for being able to believe that people are casual about their favorite childhood book series.

But if you recognize yourself in these paragraphs — if you feel something stirring inside — stop reading immediately. You might be one of the haters. And once you know that, it’s only a matter of time before the TikTok TV critics sense it too, and they’ll come for you.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

I give these warnings because I was not a fan of Disney+’s new television adaptation of Rick Riordan’s beloved “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” even though I desperately wanted to be.

There are two unsuccessful, but admittedly deeply iconic, previous attempts at translating the series to the big screen in the early 2010s. Riordan has spent years trying to “normalize bad movie erasure”— a dig at the Chris Columbus-directed adaptations of “The Lightning Thief ” and “Sea of Monsters.”

Given the disappointment these movies caused, when production on the Disney+ show was announced, fans already had relatively low

expectations.

“Uncle Rick,” as longtime fans have lovingly dubbed Riordan, seemed pleased with the way the show was shaping up. As show creator and executive producer, he had been given more creative control than he had during the making of the original movies.

And yet, if this TV show adaptation is any indication, it’s clear that while lighting never strikes twice, it may be able to miss twice. One thing’s for certain: there is a noticeable lack of “Poker Face”

by Lady Gaga in this adaptation — perhaps that’s where things started to go wrong.

Rather than an artful adaptation, Disney’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is a sad copy and paste of its source material that reads as though it’s been run through ChatGPT. Riordan and the show’s other writers have spent too much time trying to cram the godly genius of the series into eight fleeting 40-minute episodes.

There seems to be an underlying fear throughout the script that viewers have not read the original source material. This makes for awkward bouts of exposition embedded in the dialogue and a simplification of the plot that makes the bibliophile in me wince.

Perhaps to combat the anxiety that viewers will not have read the books, it seems that Riordan and the other writers spent too much time devising new, ‘exciting’ plot points — notably deviating from the book’s main climactic point.

Perhaps this was an attempt to make the show’s woefully suspense-killing writing seem slightly more spectacular.

The pacing is off — probably due to the extreme Disney-fication of the fight scenes that always seem

to end in some perceived off-camera gore or bloodshed. The violence in the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” books was mild, and one might go so far as to say, tasteful. For a show based on books that tout the independence of teens, there’s an obvious catering to overbearing parents and guardians (it’s almost like the OG overbearing dad, Zeus, had a hand in making the show).

I wish I could say that acting saves the show, but the three main characters were underprepared to manage a script such as this. While Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) set off on an impossible quest

to save the world during the TV show, the actors set off on a possibly more difficult one: a quest to save the show from its script.

In all of his diminishing of the failed previous Percy Jackson movies, Rick Riordan got a big head.

His books, beloved by so many for the way they bestowed power on teens, in particular, teens with learning differences (demigods in the books have dyslexia and ADHD, a facet based on Riordan’s own son), have yet to receive their justice in “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” tabiparent2025@u.northwestern.edu

Illustration by Lillian Ali

Disney+’s new “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” show premiered last year on Dec. 19.

Glazer’s ‘The Zone of Interest’ is imposing, horrifying

By JACKSON WEIER

the daily northwestern @jacksonweier

Content Warning: This story contains mentions of death and genocide.

This review contains spoilers.

For this year’s Academy Awards, “The Zone of Interest” has received nominations in five categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound, Best International Feature Film and Best Adapted Screenplay. It is the United Kingdom’s submission for Best International Feature and the fourth feature film directed

by Jonathan Glazer.

A finely executed arthouse movie, it displays the wicked indifference present in the Holocaust by depicting the family and work life of a cog in the Nazi machine. Glazer takes viewers on a journey to explain why these tragedies occur through evocative artistic choices.

Set in 1940s Poland, “The Zone of Interest” follows

Rudolf (Chrisitan Friedel) and Hedwig Höss (Sandra Hüller) as they go about their quotidian lives in their illustrious cottage-style home.

While their daily activities appear aesthetically mundane, a disturbing reality is quickly unearthed: Rudolf Höss is the commandant of Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration camp.

The Höss family home sits just feet away from the walls of the camp. The vileness of Nazi uniforms contrasted with the natural beauty of the surrounding rivers and meadows is upsetting — even distressing.

Many of the film’s shots feature a minimal background of the camp’s infrastructure. The unbalanced ratio of the frames is suggestive of the behavior of the Höss family; While systematic mass murder surrounds them at all times — and enables their lifestyle — they refuse to acknowledge the ever-present evil.

“The Zone of Interest” opens with a prolonged hold on a black screen. The audience is only allowed to experience the intimidating menace of the score, with droning sounds eerily and ominously surrounding the viewer.

While Glazer never shows the operations of Auschwitz, the horrifying sounds of screams and

industrial noises serve as a reminder of the crimes Rudolf Höss is responsible for.

The brilliance of “The Zone of Interest” lies almost completely in its presentation. Lacking any substantive plot, the movie is constantly self-examining, forcing viewers to balance what they see with what they are unable to see. The conflict between Höss’ matterof-fact delivery, the seemingly innocent life the family leads and the terrors that are not shown is provoking.

One of the most adrenaline-inducing scenes comes when Höss accompanies two of his children down the river to swim. The camera cuts wide with Höss in the center of the river as a decaying corpse drifts towards him. Now fully enveloped, Rudolf reaches into the water to pull out a human jaw bone. He and his children have been swimming in the remains from the camp.

The scene plays like a cut from a horror movie as they frantically rush out of the river. Glazer aptly communicates that Höss’ fault is inescapable. The scene is fiercely upsetting.

Glazer emphasizes the benefits reaped by those who perpetrate despicable crimes. Nearly the entire film depicts the lavish lifestyle that Rudolf’s work has

afforded the Höss family. The director seems very interested in communicating why he believes these terrible things happen: because there are people who profit from them.

In the final scene of the movie, Rudolf Höss begins walking down flights of stairs, experiencing a ruthless coughing fit. As he walks and wretches, the film begins to flash forward to the modern day Auschwitz as employees clean the glass-encased exhibits. The camera continues to cut back and forth from the cleaning to Höss’s worsening condition. Provoking and inconclusive, the finale is petrifying.

It is a bold choice to make an arthouse-style film about the Auschwitz concentration camp and the barbarity of the Holocaust. It is even more bold to portray these horrors via what is — on the surface — a family drama and work film. But bold choices make the lights bright. Glazer does not shy away from the lights and rises to the occasion, creating one of the best films of the year.

It is a finely executed, daunting and horrifying metatextual movie. jacksonweier2026@u.northwestern.edu

The Last Dinner party stuns with debut ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’

By EMILY LICHTY

daily senior staffer @emilymlichty

If you told me the five members of The Last Dinner Party were time travelers, I would believe you.

With the release of their debut album Friday, the British indie-rock band seemingly popped up out of nowhere, dropping 41 minutes of heartbreakingly angelic vocals, reminiscent of a medieval fantasy.

With tracks such as “Caesar on a TV Screen” and “My Lady of Mercy,” the album invokes a woozy vibe that transports the listener to the 1970s. The album feels like ABBA’s dark and twisted younger sister.

The theatrics also summon an era of gothic royalty, leaving me wondering if the band’s five members are fairies, vampires or something else entirely.

The album indicates a shiny career in the works for this new girl group. The project is stunning and distinct. The album mixes a variety of sounds, from chiming opera to edgy guitar riffs to tinkling wind chimes, that seem like they could never go together. But, The Last Dinner Party makes it work and sounds like they have been perfecting their sound for an eternity.

The opening track “Prelude to Ecstasy” — nearly a minute of pure instrumentals — sets the tone for a wacky listen. The introduction reminds the listener to not just pay attention to the angelic vocals, but also the album’s exceptional production.

The next track, “Burn Alive,” feels like a modern “The Phantom of the Opera.” With haunting lyrics like “candle wax melting in my veins.”

“Caesar on a TV Screen,” which follows, ensures listeners of The Last Dinner Party will be thinking of the (trending) Roman Empire on a daily basis. The song is a wildly addictive rollercoaster ride. At times,

it’s powerful, and at others, heartbreaking. Like the entirety of the album, it feels like something you want to dance to and cry to at the same time.

Sing-songy vocals and heartbeat-esque drums in “The Feminine Urge” continue the album’s dreamy but eerie vibe. The song’s lyrics, which describe “dark liquor stretched out on the rocks,” are jolting. The contrast between high-pitched sounds and tragic lyrics defines the band’s unique, chaotic sound.

“On Your Side” and “Beautiful Boy” bring out the albums’ angelic, melancholic side. These slower songs are by no means a lull in the album. Instead, these tracks seem to have arrived right on time for the heartbroken on Valentine’s Day. “Sinner,” the album’s 8th track, radiates “big hit”

energy. The song is catchy and slightly upbeat. Guitar riffs and chants ensure the song doesn’t stray from the album’s strange sound. While the album’s later track “Nothing Matters” has received immense (and deserved) hype, “Sinner” is underrated. Out of the album’s 12 tracks, “Sinner” stays closest to its pop influence.

The album’s real star of the show is “Nothing Matters.” The Last Dinner Party released the single in April, and it is simultaneously devastating and enchanting.

The band’s hopefully exciting future is captured in their viral performances. Seemingly endless clips of the band’s lead, Abigail Morris, dancing and stomping freely to “Nothing Matters” on stage in ruffled

dresses and boots have fans calling her a real-life Lucy Gray Baird.

Despite a multitude of listens (I’m expecting to see this track on my Spotify Wrapped come December), the song never gets old. I credit this band’s seemingly endless passion to the song’s success.

While I have only witnessed the song through video, the group’s captivating stage presence is what makes them the girl band we didn’t know we needed. The Last Dinner Party makes audiences want to climb on stage with them and dance, and “Prelude to Ecstasy” brings this band’s fresh, exciting persona to life. emilylichty2026@u.northwestern.edu

arts & entertainment Editor Lexi Goldstein Assistant Editors Madeline King Jackson Weier Design Editors Paloma Leone-Getten Bettina Sánchez Córdova Illustration by Isabel Su

“The Last Dinner Party” debuts as a fresh new girl band with their debut album “Prelude to Ecstasy.”

6 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2024

City revamps Daddy-Daughter Valentine’s dance

By MISHA OBEROI

the daily northwestern

Children tumbling around, blowing bubbles in the air and eating dozens of chocolates filled the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center for the city’s K.I.S.S. dance Sunday.

K.I.S.S, which stands for Kids Invite Someone Special, was originally the Daddy-Daughter Dance event hosted at the community center annually during Valentine’s Day season.

This year, the city broadened the audience to kids and parents of all genders, allowing them to bring “someone special.”

“We’re just evolving with the times, with the community. We didn’t want anyone to feel left out,” said Evanston Program Coordinator Marchelle Bonner.

The dance is open to kids of all ages and usually gets around 40 to 60 people in attendance from Evanston and nearby towns like Skokie and Wilmette, Bonner said. It was organized with the help of full-time staff and after school counselors at the community center.

The dance is a great way for kids to bond with their families, and for the people in the city to celebrate the community that they love, Bonner said.

DJ Glenn David, who has been DJing for similar city events for years, echoes this sentiment.

Although he doesn’t have any children of his own, he says he adores interacting with them.

“I get to put smiles on faces for a living. It’s a blessing,” he said.

Six-year-old Kiing Clark from Chicago attended the dance for the first time. He said his favorite activity was decorating the red paper cut-out of the “Valentine’s heart,” which he plans to hang in his home.

Clark said he thinks Valentine’s Day is about “spreading love with everyone.”

His mother, Omega Clark, accompanied him to the dance and said she hoped he would enjoy the event and meet new people. They will be

Misha Oberoi/The Daily Northwestern

Kids and families from Evanston and nearby towns attend the K.I.S.S dance organized by the city at Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center Sunday.

returning to the event next year, she said.

Other activities at the event included the cha-cha dance and chicken dance. David led these after huddling in a corner with the children and convincing them to bring their partners to the dance floor.

David also led a segment where the parents were told to imitate their children’s dance moves, leading to commotion all around the room as the children performed neat splits,

somersaults and karate chops that the adults could barely keep up with.

“I like the dancing and the activities. I like how interactive it is,” 12-year-old Ella Shortenhaus said.

She added that her sister Abigail Shortenhaus also attended the dance with their father, and said that Valentine’s Day means “hanging out with friends and family.”

“She can be annoying at times, but she’s very

special to me,” Ella Shortenhaus said.

Skokie resident Diana Serb said she was grateful to be able to accompany her son, 13-year-old Michael Serb, to the dance and looks forward to future events.

“The parents are coming out and taking an active role in their kid’s life — that’s the best part,” David said. mishaoberoi2027@u.northwestern.edu

Students report user interface issues with CAESAR

By ISAIAH STEINBERG

the daily northwestern @isaiahstei27

When Student Enterprise Systems redesigned CAESAR in 2017, students were hopeful that the interface would be more user-friendly. However, Northwestern students have continued to report difficulties with login and class registration.

Several students said when they attempt to log in to CAESAR, they are redirected to a screen that says they have been logged out.

“There’s a whole issue where you’re trying to sign in and then it takes you to some other page that’s completely unrelated,” McCormick freshman Roman Pantazopoulos said. “You have to keep reloading the page and it sucks so bad.”

This sign-in issue contributes to a poor user experience, Pantazopoulos added.

Another issue students reported has to do with CAESAR’s user interface — the onscreen layout of various sections of the website. CAESAR, which is based on a software package called Oracle Campus Solutions, was originally introduced in 1999. Although Oracle updates the software occasionally, several students said the interface remains confusing to navigate.

“Before I was actually enrolled as a student, just after getting accepted, trying to use CAESAR was very tough,” SESP freshman Hope Jordan said. “It was very confusing. I think it could definitely use some updates and a bit more clear formatting.”

The CAESAR student homepage features 10 categorical tiles, including “Profile,” “Degree Progress,” “Academic Records” and “Manage Classes.” Students said the interface gets increasingly complicated and confusing to navigate within the categories.

Pantazopoulos said he encountered another issue within one of these sub-menus. When he opens CTECs — or course and teacher evaluations — for a class, he said CAESAR creates a new tab with the CTECs and closes the previous tab so he is unable to return to his class search.

Jaci Casazza, the assistant provost for university records and university registrar, manages

Science professor to construct gravitational wave detector on team An international team of scientists, including physics and astronomy Prof. Shane Larson, will construct a new gravitational wave

Illustration by Shveta Shah

Jaci Casazza, the assistant provost for university records and university registrar, said the University plans to introduce new software in the coming years to replace some CAESAR features.

CTECs and class listings on CAESAR. She said the University has received complaints about CAESAR, but it is difficult to update Oracle’s old software.

“Students find class registration to be confusing at first, expect better phone compatibility, and we all wish that the degree audit were easier to understand and use,” Casazza said in a statement to The Daily. “We communicate this feedback to the vendor or appropriate Northwestern team to help ensure the best possible user experience.”

Casazza said NU does not plan to update the CAESAR interface since it is not an NU product.

However, she said the University is examining

alternatives to CAESAR for class registration.

Pantazopoulos said such an alternative cannot come soon enough, and he offered several recommendations for changes to CAESAR. “Have someone redo the whole website,” he said. “Make the CTECs things better. It’s annoying that you have to go and open a new tab and try to redo that whole thing. Just make it all accessible in one spot.”

Pantazopoulos also said when he attempted to register for classes at his assigned time, the classes appeared to be available, but then did not allow him to register because they had filled up in seconds.

In response to student concerns about the current state of CAESAR, Casazza said the University monitors student complaints to NU Information Technology and plans to eventually implement new systems to replace several CAESAR features.

“A new wave of student information systems is being built now that are some years away from being functional for Northwestern,” she said.

“We’re very active in advisory groups for these new products, so the vendors know what our students, faculty and staff need and expect.”

detector with the European Space Agency over the next 10 years, the University announced Jan. 25.

Larson is a U.S. board member on the consortium overseeing the construction of the detector, named the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. He was also a member of the international team that first detected gravitational waves in 2016.

“This is a huge milestone for LISA,” Larson said in a Thursday news release. “This will be the first gravitational-wave observatory in space. It will be the only one of its kind, likely for decades, and will transform the landscape of astronomy.”

He added that the new technology for the detector has already been built and tested as part of mission design. LISA will consist of

three satellite devices orbiting around the sun.

Larson is the associate director of NU’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics. His research group at NU focuses on simulating the Milky Way’s population of “white dwarf ” stars, a major observational source for LISA.

isaiahsteinberg2027@u.northwestern.edu

— Samantha Powers

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2024

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

7

OPINION

Join the online conversation at www.dailynorthwestern.com LETTER TO THE EDITOR

LTE: Boycott The Daily until criminal charges are dropped The recent charges against two Black Northwestern students for their alleged involvement in distributing satirical newspapers represent a concerning pattern of suppressing student expression, particularly voices supporting Palestinian rights. This incident is emblematic of a deeper, systemic issue where advocacy for marginalized groups, especially proPalestinian voices, is met with undue penalization.

These charges are a stark reminder of the intersectional battle against racial bias and the silencing of dissenting voices within our academic institutions.

They reveal a disturbing confluence of over policing and anti-Blackness, disproportionately affecting students of color who dare to engage in critical discourse and advocacy. This is not merely about the suppression of dissenting voices; it is also a manifestation of the systemic racism that targets Black individuals, further exacerbating the challenges they face within and beyond educational institutions.

It’s disheartening to see these charges by a company that operates at Northwestern, a place of learning and supposed bastion of free speech, especially as an action that contributes to broader societal efforts to stifle advocacy for Palestinian rights. Such actions not only betray the principles of freedom of expression by discouraging dissent, but also disproportionately impact students of color, further entrenching systemic inequities.

”

We call on SPC to align their actions with the principles of free expression and equity by advocating for the same at the state level. Only through such actions can we begin to address the systemic injustices this incident has brought to light.

In response, we, the undersigned student organizations, unequivocally condemn the charges brought against our fellow students. We see this as a pivotal

moment to voice our staunch opposition to practices that silence essential discussions on racial justice and human rights.

Until the Students Publishing Company takes meaningful steps to reverse their stance — by not only dropping the charges against these students but also rescinding their complaint with the district attorney and law enforcement — we will not speak, collaborate or engage with The Daily Northwestern or the SPC.

”

This is not merely about the suppression of dissenting voices; it is also a manifestation of the systemic racism that targets Black individuals, further exacerbating the challenges they face within and beyond educational institutions.

Our decision to disengage and boycott is not taken lightly but stems from a commitment to uphold the values of justice, equity and the freedom to advocate for those whose voices are often marginalized or silenced. The issue at hand transcends the immediate legal implications for the two students; it is a matter of principle. Our choice reflects a broader commitment to support the right to advocate for Palestinian rights and against racial injustice.

By taking this stand, we aim to send a clear message: The suppression of pro-Palestinian voices or any marginalized communities has no place in our academic institutions. We call on SPC to align their actions with the principles of free expression and equity by advocating for the same at the state level.

Only through such actions can we begin to address the systemic injustices this incident has brought to light.

Signed, Mayfest productions A&O Productions Jewish Wildcats for Ceasefire Student Theatre Coalition For Members Only WNUR Rock Show WNUR Freeform Arts Alliance

Alianza Soul4Real Fusion Dance Company The Impact Movement TBD Performance Group Chinese Student Association Rainbow Alliance B. Burlesque Middle Eastern and North African Student Association SASA Out Da Box Pakistani Students Association Art Union Northwestern Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers QUEST+ Muslim Mental Health Initiative Northwestern Physicians for Human Rights, Undergraduate Chapter Muslim-Cultural Students Association NSTV NU College Feminists NSSLHA, Undergraduate Chapter Vietnamese Student Association The Jasmine Collective NAISA ColorStack @ Northwestern Strive Alpha Psi Lambda Inc. (NU Inaugural Line) Eye to Eye Freshman Fifteen Students Organizing for Labor Rights Bhakti Yoga Society Korean American Student Association Asian Pacific American Coalition Black Health And Wellness Collaborative Al Bayan Magazine Advancement for the Undocumented Community Fossil Free Northwestern SJP K-Dance Northwestern Women Filmmaker’s Alliance Northwestern University Community for Human Rights Northwestern Community Ensemble Moroccan Student Organization Northwestern Thrift Store The Dolphin Show Health Equity Group at Feinberg School of Medicine Hospice Patient Care Club Minority Association of Premedical Students NU Blockchain Polerize Turkish Student Association Bakan Student Association

Prairie Cats Ecological Restoration Club Undergraduate Prison Education Partnership Ethiopian and Eritrean Student Association Ballet Folklorico Northwestern: Ritmo de Mis Ancestros Lumi Tutors Black Pre-Law Association SigO Women’s Ultimate Wave Productions SNMA at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Editor’s Note: This letter may not represent the views of every individual registered member of each of the 70 named organizations. At least one member of each executive or operating board signed this letter.

The Daily Northwestern Volume 145, Issue 8 Editor in Chief Avani Kalra Opinion Editor Ethan Lachman Assistant Opinion Editor Chiara Kim

Managing Editors Colin Crawford Jacob Wendler Lily Carey Shannon Tyler Ashley Lee Micah Sandy Danny O’Grady

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 and 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.

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.

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Help Wanted

Help Wanted

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

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

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FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 5, 2024

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle DAILY CROSSWORD Edited by Patti Varol

ACROSS 1 Reduce to a paste 5 Self-confident and then some 9 City in “Aeneid” and “Iliad” 13 Field of expertise 14 __ Grey tea 15 Philosopher Descartes 16 Elements of a PG-rated outburst 19 Computer capacity 20 __-purpose flour 21 Yoga pose 22 Groups of groupies 27 Oodles 29 Still contending 30 Vehicle for a large family, perhaps 33 Jazz legend Fitzgerald 34 __-toity 35 Dessert served in a goblet 38 Former Iranian rulers 39 Ferris wheel locale 40 NBA tiebreakers, for short 41 Speck 42 Covers for outdoor wedding receptions 43 Common accessory at a construction site 45 Larceny 50 Charged particle 51 Baby’s foot warmer 52 Allergy warning, and a description of 16-, 22-, 35-, and 43-Across?

57 Color associated with the L.A. Dodgers 58 “Checkmate!”

59 Adjust for space limitations, say 60 Long-term goals 61 Addendum to a real estate sign 62 Strong urges DOWN 1 “__ Mia!”: Meryl Streep film with ABBA music 2 Zodiac ram

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

2/5/24

By Aidan Brand & David Karp

3 2014 civil rights drama set in Alabama 4 Was dressed in 5 Hot 6 Weather report backdrop 7 Cybersquatter’s target, for short 8 Gathers bit by bit 9 Enormous number 10 Fire up, as an engine 11 Dollar bill 12 “That’s correct” 17 Whiteboard wipers 18 “90 Day Fiancé” channel 22 Vegetarian pita filler 23 Insistent 24 Reino __: England’s country, in Spanish 25 Tried to chomp on 26 Eyelid woes 28 The NBA’s Cavs, on scoreboards 30 Sojourn 31 “Bless you!” trigger

Last Issue Puzzle Saturday’s Puzzle Solved Solved

©2024 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

32 “Peachy keen!”

34 “Their Eyes Were Watching God” author Zora Neale __ 36 Goblets 37 Take a load off 42 Sport played on a variety of surfaces 44 “Get off the stage!”

46 Mead need

2/5/24

47 Many a Chopin piece 48 Feel at home 49 Class challenges 51 Tie 52 Deg. for a CFO or a CEO 53 “Rumble in the Jungle” boxer 54 “Tastes great!”

55 Early afternoon 56 Feel poorly

SPORTS

Monday, February 5, 2024

@DailyNU_Sports

FENCING

Northwestern sweeps weekend duels at home

By ROSE CARLSON

the daily northwestern @roselcarlson

As the sun rose above Ryan Fieldhouse on Saturday morning, Northwestern fencer Megumi Oishi set the tone for No. 8 Northwestern’s undefeated run at the Northwestern Duals tournament — but she didn’t do it by sword.

With a crowd of spectators, fencers and staff turned toward her, Oishi flawlessly executed the notes of The Star-Spangled Banner, just as the Wildcats would go on to defeat every single one of its opponents over the course of the two-day tournament.

“I’ve been struggling with my social anxiety a lot this quarter,” Oishi said. “And I was like, what better way to put myself out there and do a brave thing.”

Oishi’s singing was just the start to a weekend of perseverance and energy that kept the hosts going, even when they seemed to fall behind.

NU faced No. 11 Temple in the first round of the match — one the ‘Cats came dangerously close to losing. NU turned a 13-9 deficit into a 14-13 triumph over the Owls, decided by Karina Vasile’s 5-3 victory against Temple’s Anna Novoseltseva in the last bout.

The comeback was no small feat for NU, coach Zach Moss said.

“We haven’t seen that this season, and I feel like it was in us, but it was good to see

that come out, and the camaraderie and the energy of the team just driving and propelling each other forward was awesome,” Moss said.

The ‘Cats defeated No. 10 Cornell 16-11 round two, but not without confusion.

Ron Thornton, a veteran saberist and the referee for the saber match, was seeing double.

It was identical twins Levi and Sterre Hoogendoorn, who stood on opposing sides of the strip Saturday morning before their respective universities, NU and Cornell, battled it out for victory.

“I’m familiar with seeing Hoogendoorn for Northwestern,” Thornton said. “And I saw Hoogendoorn over here, and it looked like her, and I was like, wait a minute, what’s going on here?”

Sterre and Levi grew up fencing against one another, but said they try to avoid meeting in college competition whenever possible.

“Everyone wants to see us fence because they think it’ll be fun,” Sterre said. “But for us, it just kind of sucks.”

Levi won two of her three bouts against Cornell, but said there was a lot of emotion surrounding it — both because she knew her sister was watching, and because she’s had trouble against the Big Red in the past.

Though not between twins, the subsequent 14-13 UCSD triumph featured another notable sibling clash –– the ‘Cats’ epeeist Athina Kwon fenced her older sister, UCSD epeeist Tiara Kwon, in what was

likely Tiara’s last collegiate competition.

Athina and Tiara’s parents, Aeran Min and James Kwon, traveled from Las Vegas to see their daughters compete.

Min said it was a powerful but nervewracking moment when Tiara was subbed in for Athina’s second bout against the Tritons.

“You have to sit in the middle, who are you going to cheer for?” Min said. “So I decided when somebody won, and then somebody would lose, I cheered for them too, at the same time.”

The sisters’ bout was characterized by tight, back-and-forth action. Multiple double touches kept the siblings locked at 4-4 until Athina finally stole a touch.

Tiara said it was a highlight of her career.

“It was really fun,” Tiara said. “It was probably my favorite of my entire experience honestly.”

After a 14-13 victory against No. 2 Notre Dame and a 20-7 defeat of No. 8 Penn State to close out Saturday, NU found tough competition in No. 5 Ohio State Sunday morning.

But, resilience kept the ‘Cats going. A five-bout scoring drought in epee ended in four straight wins for NU, and the foil squad exhibited a similar comeback with three consecutive wins to close.

After securing 6-3 finishes in saber and foil, the ‘Cats cruised to a 16-11 victory.

Boston College brought energy and volume, especially at the end of its foil match against NU, but an 8-1 finish from saber

Anna Watson/The Daily Northwestern

helped to send the ‘Cats to a 17-10 victory against the Eagles.

With the help of a few bye bouts, NU dominated Incarnate Word 20-7. The ‘Cats also overcame No. 15 Air Force 19-8.

Before defeating FDU 25-2, NU honored seniors JY Yoon, Sumin Liu, Sky Miller, Levi Hoogendoorn and graduate student Blodwen Bindas in a teary ceremony filled with flowers and cutouts of

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

the players’ faces and family.

Yoon, whose parents and two older sisters traveled from New Jersey for the tournament, said the weekend was emotional.

“I think it’s just really hitting me that four years of being part of an incredible team is coming to a close,” Yoon said. rosecarlson2027@u.northwestern.edu

FENCING

’Cats decimate the Badgers NU senior saberist

Sky Miller shines bright

By AUDREY PACHUTA

the daily northwestern @audreypachuta

By JERRY WU

On the heels of a historic sellout at Welsh-Ryan Arena against Caitlin Clark and Iowa last Wednesday, Northwestern hosted Wisconsin for the teams’ second clash of the season.

When the Wildcats (8-14, 3-8 Big Ten) last faced off against the Badgers (10-11, 3-8 Big Ten) in January, they pulled away with a much-needed victory on the road.

Entering Sunday’s contest, they hadn’t won a game since.

“We just needed a win like this. We needed it as a team because if you could come to practice, you’d see our hard work and how much they’re supporting each other as a team,” coach Joe McKeown said.

NU began the game with a 9-0 scoring run in the game’s first three minutes.

In an electric first quarter performance, sophomore guard Caroline Lau and junior forward Caileigh Walsh combined for 12 points.

The tandem manufactured the team’s first eight points of the afternoon, setting the tone for a decisive win that NU desperately needed to break its five-game losing streak.

By halftime, the ‘Cats held an eightpoint lead, capitalizing on the Badgers’ dismal 26.7% field goal percentage during the opening 20 minutes.

NU dominated Wisconsin after the break, outscoring the visitors 21-8 and solidifying a victory that had already begun to seem inevitable from the opening minutes.

With the win all but solidified, the ‘Cats cruised to the finish line in the fourth quarter.

Here are three takeaways from NU’s home victory over Wisconsin.

1. Dominant first quarter sparks momentum For the first time all season, the ‘Cats led a Big Ten opponent after the opening quarter. McKeown’s squad tallied 19 points on an 8-of-17 team scoring clip.

Lau opened the team’s scoring with two quick layups in the first minute,

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Freshman guard Casey Harter holds the ball on the perimeter against Wisconsin Sunday.

setting the tone for what would become NU’s best opening frame all season.

On the defensive front, NU forced eight turnovers in the opening frame and generated 14 of their 19 points off relinquished Badger possessions.

Lau said improvements in communication were key in the squad’s defensive showing Sunday.

“We were really harping in on talking and communicating every possession, in transition and in half court,” she said.

2. It’s Caroline Lau’s world and we’re just living in it In Sunday’s game, Lau never missed a shot.

As one of the premier passers in the Big Ten, the Connecticut native tends to make her impact in the assist column of the stat sheet. Prior to Sunday’s contest, she averaged 7.2 points and 5.8 assists per game.

In a season-best shooting performance, Lau proved her prowess in both playmaking and scoring, tallying 24 points on a perfect nine-of-nine clip, including four from beyond the arc.

“I haven’t been shooting well recently,

but they were falling today so I just kept shooting,” Lau said.

Lau ranks second in the Big Ten and 13th nationally in assists per game this season.

3. NU looks ahead towards Illinois on Thursday McKeown’s squad will look to build momentum after Sunday’s win, as they look to face in-state rival Illinois on Thursday.

The last time the ‘Cats faced off against the Fighting Illini, they lost by 41 points and had their worst team shooting clip of the season. Illinois entered that game in search of its first conference victory and found it in blowout fashion.

“Illinois came in here and played great from the start and we just couldn’t get any momentum, so hopefully we can go down there this week and get off to a great start,” McKeown said.

If NU hopes to find revenge when they travel to Champaign, McKeown’s group must bring the offensive prowess they displayed against Wisconsin. audreypachuta2027@u.northwestern.edu

Dozens of eager competitors descended upon Ryan Fieldhouse for this weekend’s Northwestern Duals, beckoning collegiate fencers spanning from the East to the West coast.

The 96,135 square foot host venue gleaned with a radiant interior, echoing a blend of joyful cheers and anguished cries throughout the weekend.

When senior saberist Sky Miller took her steps under the glaring lights, she performed and delivered as she’s routinely done throughout her storied Wildcat career.

“Sometimes it doesn’t feel at all, and then other times it feels surreal. I can’t believe that it’s almost over,” Sky Miller said.

“This is just one of the best facilities for collegiate fencing in the U.S. I’m so happy I got to fence at least a few more times.”

One last time, the North Carolina native donned her stainless steel mask amid a lively crowd of her NU teammates.

Completing the first day of competition with three wins and three losses, she eased through Sunday, securing victories in all nine of her bouts against Boston College, Ohio State and Fairleigh Dickinson. The ‘Cats wrapped up the weekend undefeated, besting three time-defending NCAA champions Notre Dame.

“Sky’s been instrumental in our team’s success for over four years,” coach Zach Moss said. “She really has set a tone for what our program can and should accomplish.”

From the age of 10, Sky Miller jumped into fencing, despite a small fencing community in her hometown of Durham.

She had previously danced semicompetitively, but her father Paul Miller decided to put her into the sport after watching the 2012 Olympics on television.

“Sky’s a very competitive person, and I wanted something that was competitive,” he said.

Her afternoons soon consisted of a regular rendezvous at the fencing club within

walking distance from her school. After notching up victories at local regional tournaments by age 12, she soon found familiar success, consistently placing among the top athletes on the national circuit.

The miles traveled across the country soon turned into international flights around the world. She won a gold medal in the 16U world division in Mödling, Austria in 2018 on the Cadet World Circuit.

Once she reached high school, the four-time first-team USA Fencing All American took her chance to be on the Cadet U.S. World Team, missing the team by one spot.

“It’s a thrill like riding a roller coaster sometimes, you go up and down,” Paul Miller said. “She’s done very well, she’s had bad days, she’s had great days. It’s just the whole journey of the thing.”

Her commitment and arrival to NU in 2020 coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although required to wear a mask underneath her helmet and follow health and safety protocols, she felt team practices slowly foster a camaraderie and said she enjoyed the new team element of the sport compared to when she fenced individually.

“The highest priority is to focus on the team and being a collective, which for an individual sport, that’s one of the biggest challenges to overcome, but it has also been the most rewarding thing in the evolution from my freshman year,” Sky Miller said.

A year later, she etched her mark in NU fencing history, recording a historic secondplace finish at the NCAA tournament — the highest ranking in program history.

Sky Miller said the idea of resilience has always stuck with her. Consistent long nights of practices and competitions helped solidify her athlete mindset, and she has continued to make strides in collegiate competitions since.

Sunday may have marked Miller’s final time fencing on her home turf, but as she looks to the future, one thing is certain: her eternal passion for the sport.

“I will never stop,” she said. jerrywu2027@u.northwestern.edu