The Daily Northwestern — February 18, 2020

The Daily Northwestern Tuesday, February 18, 2020

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Residents talk about role of endorsements Community shared views on impact on Dem. primary

By JACOB FULTON

the daily northwestern @jacobnfulton1

In elections, endorsements mean everything — at least, that’s what candidates seem to believe.

In competitive primaries for House or Senate seats, a presidential endorsement can be the difference between winning a party nomination and going home empty-handed.

Even though they may not have the presidency — or even a nomination — yet, potential presidential candidates also endorse races across the country that they feel exemplify their policies.

Locally, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) has endorsed U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for president. Since her Nov. 30 endorsement, she has continued to voice her support, speaking at multiple events in favor of Warren. Mayor Steve Hagerty has also publicly endorsed Mayor Pete Buttigieg, signing a Sept. 18 editorial with more than 50 other mayors across the country in

support of the candidate.

Political science Prof.

Tabitha Bonilla said presidential endorsements from newspapers, celebrities and other elected officials seem to carry a certain level of political influence for campaigns.

In a crowded field, she said strong endorsements can set candidates apart from the rest, though they don’t always do so. Former Vice President Joe Biden, for example, has received 86 endorsements from prominent political figures, according to FiveThirtyEight, yet came in 4th and 5th in the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries, respectively.

Bonilla said elected officials have to consider their constituencies in their endorsements to an extent, so endorsements across party lines are few and far between. However, within the party, she said ideological differences are less likely to harm a representative’s electability.

“In a primary, even though there are some really important differences between the candidates, there’s also a lot less between them compared to the other party,” Bonilla said. “So there’s some safety within a primary, even if a representative’s constituents aren’t » See JAN, page 6

Zinya Salfiti/ Daily Senior Staffer

Tamar Manasseh speaks about her work for Mothers Against Senseless Killing at the University Christian Ministry. The mother of two works to prevent gun violence and rebuild her community.

Manasseh dicussess nonprofit work

Mothers Against Senseless Killings founder shared with NU community

By ISABELLE SARRAF

the daily northwestern @isabellesarraf

Tamar Manasseh, founder of Mothers Against Senseless Killings and a rabbinical student, discussed her efforts to rebuild her community in Englewood through violence prevention

Monday.

Manasseh spoke at an event in University Christian Ministry sponsored by Northwestern Hillel, the NU Leadership Development and Community Engagement Office and the Brady Campaign NU. Established in 2015, Mothers Against Senseless Killings was created to foster community

building and engagement on a block plagued by frequent gun violence. Manasseh said she was inspired to fight for her community because she “was just a mom that didn’t want to lose her kids.”

She said she approaches gun violence prevention in a multi-faceted way, focusing on eliminating variables that contribute to gun violence like food insecurity by

cooking food for her neighbors on her street corner of 75th Street and South Stewart Avenue.

Manasseh emphasized that her upbringing was influential in growing up to advocate for the survival and education of the children in her community. As a young black girl from Englewood » See MANASSEH, page 6

Political Union backs free public college SOA to debut spring Members voted 10-8 in support of widely discussed potential policy

By JASON BEEFERMAN

the daily northwestern

Northwestern University Political Union narrowly voted to support the resolution that the US government should implement free public college free for all U.S. students.

In a vote of 10-8, with 3 abstentions, the union voted in favor of the resolution after an hour of debate.

Sachin Shukla, led the pro side and argued in favor of free college. In his prepared opening statement, the Bienen junior stressed how free post-secondary education goes in line with ageold American values of opportunity, and should be a right for citizens.

“This is the whole idea behind the American dream; the promise of America is that in this country, anyone can do anything,” said Shukla, who also serves as the group’s events coordinator chair. “As the American economy changes, what it takes to make the American dream a reality has also changed, and all signs point to post-secondary education as an essential ingredient of that opportunity.”

organizations fair Office expands past fall, winter after student feedback

By YUNKYO KIM

the daily northwestern @yunkyomoonk

Daily file photo by Caroline Megerian

With a vote of 10-8, Northwestern Political Union voted in favor of a resolution that U.S. should implement free public college.

Shukla also highlighted how when considering the U.S. federal budget in its entirety, which included $4.45 trillion in spending last fiscal year, the cost of free public education becomes “trivial.”

Medill first-year Felix Beilin

Serving the University and Evanston since 1881

opened the arguments against the resolution and used the framework of a slippery slope to justify his position on the issue. Beilin argued that a social responsibility to pay for all citizens’ bachelors degrees could eventually lead to the government deciding to pay

for students’ room and board, or citizens’ post-doctorate degrees.

“There are certain mistakes inherent to the idea that there should be universally free, fouryear college,” Beilin said. “If we » See UNIVERSITIES, page 6

Student Organizations and Activities announced Feb. 13 that it will debut a Student Organizations Fair in the spring.

The department has hosted the fair in only Fall and Winter Quarters in the past.

The fair will take place in Norris University Center on the first Wednesday of Spring Quarter. The office is circulating a sign-up form to get a table at the fair as of Feb. 14 and expects a minimum of 40 groups to be present.

“Our hope is that if we offer the organization fair in the spring as well, students will come to check out the organizations looking to grow and find their belonging and find their community faster on campus,” Joe Lattal, SOA’s assistant director, said.

The announcement comes after SOA consulted with about

15 student organizations during the last few weeks, Lattal said.

The office found that many organizations have opportunities for students to get involved in the spring, such as major events or board transitions.

The committee also heard from students that if students don’t get involved in groups in the fall or winter, they feel like they have to wait until the following Fall Quarter to have opportunities to join, Lattal said. Students may also feel overwhelmed by the number of organizations in the fall Student Organizations Fair.

“We look at the winter organizations fair and now the spring organizations fair as an opportunity for students to slow down, take their time (and) actually explore a little more,” Lattal said.

“We recognize that there won’t be as many participating organizations, but our hope is that students will be able to explore a little deeper than they would in the fall.”

In the fall, over 2,500 students attended the Student Organizations Fair, which hosted 300 groups divided by » See SOA, page 6

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

2 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020

AROUND TOWN

Q&A: A conversation with lawyer Pia Justesen

By MAIA SPOTO

the daily northwestern @maia_spoto

In her novel released last October, human rights lawyer and professor Pia Justesen wrote “From the Periphery” to spark a conversation about disability oppression and empowerment.

In her 2019 book, she elevates the voices of nearly 40 Chicago-area residents affected by disabilities as they weave narratives about “anger, school, work, independence, bigotry, solidarity and love.” Justesen met many of these individuals through her work for the Chicago independent living organization Access Living, as well as while teaching disability studies, an interdisciplinary subject focused on empowerment, in the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Justesen spoke about her process compiling oral histories to advocate for accessibility. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

The Daily: Before we begin discussing “From the Periphery,” I would like to hear what you believe to be the most common misconception people hold about disability.

Justesen: I think it is very important to not see disability as an illness. To not think of people with disabilities as people you have to take care of, who need your pity, but as people who have impairments and meet barriers in their surroundings that limit their lives. People with disabilities are people with the same wants and needs as everybody else.

Don’t focus on the person being disabled; focus

POLICE BLOTTER Woman arrested for retail theft

A 50-year-old Evanston woman was arrested Saturday for retail theft around 8 p.m. at Target, 1616 Sherman Ave. Security stopped the woman after she passed

on their environment, and their surroundings. The surroundings need to be fixed. It’s not the person you need to fix. But a lot of people still think like that — that if you fix the disability, you can fix the person. We want to try to move away from that, and change our focus to the barriers in their surroundings.

The Daily: What compelled you to gather these stories?

Justesen: I’ve been working with human rights almost my whole adult life, as a lawyer working on cases and case law. And I really wanted to get a better understanding of what it does to a person when a person is being discriminated against, or excluded, or oppressed. That’s something I’ve been thinking about for a very long time.

Being in Evanston and working with Access Living gave me the privilege to spend time collecting these stories. It’s all based on basic human rights, and the fundamental right to equal treatment. In this book, I focus not so much on the ‘legalese’ but more on the individual experience.

That way I can reach, hopefully, some more people in the majority population.

The Daily: Instead of adhering to a traditional journalistic narrative approach, you wrote “From the Periphery” in the form of an oral history. Each chapter reads like a transcript of an interview. Can you discuss that stylistic decision?

Justesen: I’ve been inspired by other oral historians. Studs Terkel was a famous Chicagoan. He had the same approach, trying to let the voices speak for themselves, and not interpreting, concluding or making recommendations based on the last point of purchase without paying, Evanston police Cmdr. Brian Henry said.

Employees said they witnessed her placing items in her bag before leaving.

The woman was stopped with over $400 of items including clothing, Barbie Dolls and action figures. She awaits a March 13 court date.

"If I went back to college today, I think I would probably major in comparative religion, because that’s how integrated it is in everything that we are working on and deciding and thinking about in life today.”

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The Daily: You have acknowledged that you are a white woman without disability and that you belong to the privileged majority. What does it look like to support people who are, as you say, on “the periphery” without crossing into saviorism?

Justesen: It’s a very difficult topic, and I’ve been thinking a lot about it.

Initially, I almost gave up on the project, because there are too many examples where white, wellmeaning women like myself try to ‘save the world.’

I appreciate very much that you don’t want to be saved by somebody else who doesn’t really understand your situation. But I’m also a true believer in general human rights.

I’m sure the interviews would have been very different if a person with a disability had made them. But because I don’t have a disability myself, I could ask the basic questions. I could ask, ‘if you

Package stolen from apartment building

A $25 package of clothing was stolen from the vestibule of an apartment building in the 800 block of Judson Avenue on Saturday around 3 p.m..

The Evanston man who ordered the

have cerebral palsy, and you’re shaking, how can you drive a car?’ And someone who has cerebral palsy can explain that as soon as you fixate your hands on something, they’re completely still, and you can safely drive a car.

So, I think telling these stories are really important to break down the attitudinal barriers for people to understand what it’s like. I’ve been very careful to write so it didn’t come across as me pitying or wanting to save anyone.

My only agenda really is that I want to live in a world where diversity is something that we value, and I want my kids my grandkids to grow up in a world where we respect each other.

The Daily: One of the key messages in “From the Periphery” is that invisible social barriers are just as prohibitive — if not more prohibitive — than the physical obstacles that people with disabilities confront. Can you speak to how accessibility affects every sector of life?

Justesen: If you don’t have accessibility, you won’t be able to have all of your other rights fulfilled. If you can’t get out of your house to your employment, your right to employment will be violated. If you can’t get to medical care or a specialist, your right to health will be violated. If you can’t move around, your right to an independent life will be violated. So accessibility is the foundation for all of these other basic human rights.

And accessibility is so crucial to the way people can see themselves. As full human beings who are just human beings, not as people identified by their disabilities. maiaspoto2023@u.northwestern.edu clothing got a notification that it had been delivered, but upon looking for it the package was gone. The building has surveillance cameras and the police will investigate, Henry said. ­— Molly Burke

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those. I was also inspired by Svetlana Alexievich.

She did a fantastic job of collecting the emotions of history, focusing more on emotions than on trying to prove facts.

I don’t have a disability myself, so I did not want to be preaching or putting out recommendations.

But I wanted to be a facilitator of those voices, letting them speak for themselves.

Of course, some of the interviews have lasted for hours, so I chose which words to put in the book. In that way I have an influence (over the narrative). But I haven’t changed any of the ways people phrased their thoughts. I would never write a book where I would paraphrase what people say. I wouldn’t make any kind of conclusions or recommendations, unless it was something that people have said themselves.

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 3

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020

ON CAMPUS

Student to compete on college Jeopardy

By AUSTIN BENAVIDES

daily senior staffer @awstinbenavides

It started off on a whim.

It was about 10 p.m. last October when McCormick freshman Beni Keown decided to take the 50-question entry test to see if he could qualify for “Jeopardy!”

Keown didn’t know that his late night submission would eventually lead him to compete in this year’s “Jeopardy!” College Championship against 14 other students from universities across the country for a $100,000 grand prize and a spot on the next Tournament of Champions.

“I wasn’t very prepared, but I went through it, and I thought I did well enough,” Keown said, “At every stage of the process, I didn’t expect to get through. After the test, I thought ‘that was fun, but I’m probably not going to get like doing the next part.’ After the audition, I thought it was a good experience, but I’m probably not actually going to get on the show — and I ended up being on.”

Keown is a member of the Northwestern Quizbowl team and was a part of his high school Quizbowl team at Evanston Township High School. He said he was motivated to try out for the entry exam after fellow Quizbowl member and “Jeopardy!” veteran Jack Izzo, a Medill freshman, told Keown to try out.

A month after taking the entry test, Keown received an email letting him know that he passed and he was invited to attend an inperson audition in St. Louis.

The audition stage was his first opportunity to survey who he might compete against on the show. For Keown, it wasn’t the trivia that made him unsure — it was the personal interview.

“They asked me a couple of questions just about myself,” he said. “And afterwards, I thought that I’d answered every one of them

poorly. I thought that I wasn’t as outgoing enough in the interview, but I guess it worked out fine.”

In mid-Januar y, Keown learned he was accepted to compete for the college championship.

Throughout each stage, Keown said he was more excited than nervous. The nerves didn’t set in for him until about 30 minutes before he went on stage, when he had the realization that this time he wasn’t following along with “Jeopardy!” like when he was younger. This time, he was playing for real.

Despite the pressure, Keown said, being able to appear on “Jeopardy!” and win a cash prize was a “great opportunity.”

“It was kind of like I had already won just by getting there,” Keown said.

Of the 15 college championship competitors, Keown is the only freshman. During the competition, he said, Keown didn’t feel any different about his performance as compared to the older competitors.

Communication junior Jack Drummond, president of the NU Quizbowl team,said it was “awesome” his teammate made it.

Regardless of Keown’s age, Drummond said he believes that he will hold his own during the competition.

“It doesn’t matter how old you are, it matters how much you know, and he knows a whole lot,” Drummond said.

Drummond added that Keown’s trivia skill really came through during their most recent Quizbowl competition against Purdue on Feb. 8 where Keown was the top scorer out of the whole tournament.

McCormick freshman Ben Timmins has known Keown since high school, where he also competed on the ETHS Quizbowl team.

He said Keown is an all-around trivia player and is good at “pretty much everything.”

Timmins said he remembered the excitement Keown felt throughout the process of making it on to “Jeopardy!”

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Alex Trebek, the host of “Jeopardy!” McCormick Freshman Beni Keown will appear on “Jeopardy!” in early April.

“He seemed to be sort of playing it cool — I think that he was in shock…he was actually going,” Timmins said. “Me and all of our friends were really excited for him.”

“Jeopardy’s!” College Championships will air April 6. Keown, along with the Quizbowl team, will be watching the episodes together. “ I just stay curious, if somebody says something that interests me I’ll read the Wikipedia article about it afterwards,” Keown said, “And that gets me pretty far.” austinbenavides2022@u.northwestern.edu

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OPINION

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Tuesday, February 18, 2020

China, WHO grossly negligent in coronavirus response WESLEY SHIROLA

ASST. OPINION EDITOR

The world first became aware of a mysterious illness in China on the final day of 2019 when the nation alerted the World Health Organization of several flu-like cases in Wuhan, the capital of Central China’s Hubei province with a population of 11 million — over three times that of Chicago’s.

The patients were quarantined, and authorities began searching for the source. On New Year’s Day, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified a meat market in Wuhan as the likely epicenter of the illnesses. The market was promptly closed and remains so today. On Jan. 3, temperature screening was instituted for passengers at Wuhan airport.

Unsurprisingly, actions taken during the first days of any suspected outbreak are crucial in determining its course. China’s and the WHO’s initial responses appeared reasonable and adequate. But that’s as good as things would get.

Despite numerous additional cases, the WHO issued a statement advising countries against applying travel or trade restrictions with China on Jan. 5.

The cause of the infections was determined two days later on Jan. 7 when Chinese authorities identified a novel coronavirus as the culprit. Coronaviruses, which are named for the crown-like spikes that protrude from their surfaces, can cause infections ranging from the common cold to more serious diseases like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, which also originated in China, infecting thousands and killing almost 800 in 2003.

By Jan. 15 the Coronavirus had crossed China’s border into Thailand and Japan, infected over 40 people and claimed its

first victim. Fast forward a month, and as of Monday, Coronavirus had infected more than 72,000 people across 27 countries and killed nearly 2,000. What happened in the intervening month was a series of fatal mistakes and outright negligence committed by China and the WHO. It took the WHO over four weeks before finally declaring the outbreak an international health emergency on the final day of January. In making the announcement, WHO leaders once again urged countries not to restrict travel and trade to China, despite the fact that many had already shut down borders, implemented vast screening checkpoints and limited visas.

Why did it take so long to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, and unleash the massive amounts of resources that WHO possesses? After all, by that point the death toll from the virus had touched 213, the total number of cases had increased to 9,776 and the virus had crossed borders. And, despite not being as deadly as similar viruses like SARS, it was still spreading rapidly and threatened to claim more lives — in China and abroad.

The WHO committee tasked with making

the decision had the ability to do so just over a week prior but chose not to, reportedly due to disagreements over the severity of the outbreak among committee members. Those opposed wanted to wait to see whether China’s own efforts to control the outbreak could prevent broader international transmission, and so the committee issued a report calling the global health risk from the virus “moderate.” Seemingly, the WHO had failed to learn its lesson from the SARS outbreak and instead chose to put thousands of lives in the hands of an authoritarian and communist government.

Astonishingly, the World Health Organization had another opportunity to declare a PHEIC only days after their initial refusal.

At this time the number of cases had more than doubled, but once again WHO officials chose not to declare one and instead revised their previous report now saying that the global risk is “high.”

It is impossible, of course, to know the precise impacts of these many displays of gross negligence committed by the WHO, but it doesn’t take a health expert to see the already vast impacts that the virus has had — not only in terms of infections and fatalities, but also in terms of the havoc it has wreaked on the global economy — and the even bigger impacts it will likely have in the coming weeks and months.

The WHO isn’t the only actor deserving blame for this massive crisis. In fact, China itself may be the most deserving.

Throughout the course of the outbreak the Chinese government has been maintaining the narrative that local officials in Wuhan and other cities were to blame for allowing the epidemic to spiral out of control. The Financial Times reported Sunday, however, that Chinese president Xi Jinping knew of the virus almost two weeks earlier than previously thought, according to an account that appears to contradict the government’s current narrative.

The new account came over the weekend

from the official Communist party magazine Qiushi which says that Xi met with China’s most powerful decision making body and gave instructions on the virus response on Jan. 7, 13 days before the public was officially warned about the severity of the outbreak.

Previous accounts from Chinese state media appeared to date Xi’s initial direct involvement to a statement issued on Jan. 20.

If these new reports are true and Xi was in fact aware and in charge of the response to the virus nearly two weeks earlier, then Xi and the rest of the Chinese government may have knowingly instituted a massive coverup of the outbreak, interfering with early responses and contributing to its exponential spread across the globe.

As of Monday, the outbreak shows some signs of slowing but continues to make headlines on a daily basis. Current attention is focused on a cruise ship docked off the coast of Japan where passengers had been in isolation for nearly two weeks. Confusion abounded Monday as U.S. officials in the process of evacuating American passengers only then learned that some of the evacuees were infected.

In an age of vast healthcare knowledge and resources, there was no reason for the Coronavirus outbreak to so rapidly get out of hand. It’s been a series of mishaps by China and the WHO that has already resulted in the loss of nearly 2,000 lives and will likely result in many more. For this, they are grossly negligent. We can only hope that they — and others — will learn from these mistakes so that such an outbreak need never reach this scale again.

Wesley Shirola is a Weinberg junior. He can be contacted at wesleyshirola2021@u.northwestern.edu.

If you would like to respond publicly to this column, 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

Responding to story on FGLI students’ concerns with abroad affordability

In “First-generation, low-income students feel priced out of study abroad,” reported by Andrea Bian, I was dismayed to see a misleading headline that sends the message to first-generation and low-income (FGLI) students that study abroad is beyond their reach.

Northwestern FGLI students actually study abroad at rates that meet or exceed those of the general undergraduate population.

Of college students who studied abroad during the 2018 to 2019 school year, well over half, 53.79 percent, self-reported that they received financial aid, and 12.41 percent self-reported they are first generation college students. In comparison, approximately 45.56 percent of 2018-19 full-time Northwestern undergraduates received financial aid.

Northwestern’s study abroad financial aid strategy is designed to facilitate access for students with financial need. Financial aid is portable, and students’ aid packages are calculated based on their anticipated airfare, housing, living costs and academic expenses

for the specific program and location they have selected. While this approach can’t account for every circumstance, students with high financial need should not be priced out of participating in a study abroad program, as their aid is adjusted to meet the needs associated with the actual program cost.

Yes, more efforts are needed to continue lowering barriers to study abroad participation for FGLI students. For many, the way financial aid operates is sometimes difficult to understand, and financial choices surrounding study abroad may be difficult to make. It can be challenging to plan and manage a budget in a foreign currency, or to choose between a higher-cost flight that provides more services versus a lower-cost flight that can result in other inconveniences. For many, this is the first time they are traveling internationally, which carries a host of new hurdles — visas, language barriers, vaccinations — beyond the financial. Other students face the added task of explaining the value of study abroad to skeptical parents.

We know these challenges are very real.

Continuous and campus-wide outreach is needed so that students know about the resources and services available to support their study abroad goals. Advisers in the

Global Learning Office, Undergraduate Financial Aid and the Office of Fellowships work together to demystify the process and support students as they seek to understand and fund their study abroad. We offer information sessions about money matters, individualized financial aid and fellowship

advising and an expanding array of online resources to help students understand their options, anticipate their challenges and connect with returned students with similar concerns. On an ongoing basis, we seek and listen to student feedback that can help us to improve these initiatives. For example, the

experience of the student cited in the article was instrumental in our decision to move to a new platform for Bridge Builder flight bookings this year.

Another contributor to the stress that students may feel comes from the realization that many of their peers will spend significant time and money traveling to other destinations while abroad. Increasingly, students have come to see such travel as part of the experience, yet because it is not part of the academic program, it is not factored into students’ financial aid. Students who can’t afford such travel may feel isolated in what is already an uncomfortable situation, studying in a different country, culture and often language. Just as Northwestern has been dedicated to developing resources for creating inclusive, equitable and supportive experiences for FGLI students on-campus in recent years, it is equally important that we figure out ways to extend these efforts to students when they’re abroad.

We are committed to working with students and our campus partners to make sure that study abroad is a key experience that every Northwestern undergraduate can and should enjoy.

— Sara Tully, Director of the Global Learning

The Daily Northwestern Volume 141, Issue 30 Editor in Chief Troy Closson

Managing Editors Gabby Birenbaum Samantha Handler Marissa Martinez Heena Srivastava

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.

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• Should be fewer than 400 words They will be checked for authenticity and may be edited for length, clarity, style and grammar.

Opinion Editor Zach Bright

Assistant Opinion Editors Wesley Shirola Tanisha Tekriwal

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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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 5

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020

D65 revamps Achievement and Accountability Report

By DELANEY NELSON

the daily northwestern @delaneygnelson

For the first time ever, Evanston/Skokie District 65 created individual school profiles to complement the overall district 2018-2019 Achievement and Accountability Report. The report is 29 pages shorter than last year’s, and includes a greater amount of qualitative data.

The report outlined a decrease in kindergarten readiness tested through the Illinois Snapshot of Early Literacy (ISEL). The district’s kindergarten readiness metrics decreased to 49 percent from 56 percent in the 2017-2018 school year. Kindergarten readiness is determined by assessing a student’s skills in alphabet recognition, story listening, phonemic awareness, one-to-one matching and letter sounds.

They are considered kindergarten-ready when they are at or above the 50th percentile for four out of five of these areas.

The district also saw a decrease in the percent of kindergarteners meeting benchmarks in the Developmental Reading Assessment, but increases in the percent of first, second and third graders meeting benchmarks. Overall, the percentage of students making expected gains on MAP testing lowered, dropping to 56 percent from 59 percent in English Language Arts and to 55 percent from 64 percent in Math.

Interim superintendent Phil Ehrhardt said he doesn’t see the data as “worrisome,” but rather as a tool for improvement.

“We ask the question of, ‘Why is that occurring?’” Ehrhardt said. “‘What are other practices that other schools might be using, that are successful, that we can adopt and adapt?’”

While the district did release some numerical statistics from the 2018-2019 school year, most of the report centers on qualitative data like individual school achievement. This data features student projects, educator accomplishments and new school initiatives throughout the district.

Last academic year, students worked on projects involving environmental issues, racial equity and advocacy. The district had 45 Nationally Board Certified Teachers. Educators at Willard Elementary helped create protocols for the

Daily file photo by Noah Frick-Alofs

District 65 board president Suni Kartha. Kartha said school officials should consider the implications of the Achievement and Accountability Report on their own schools at January’s Evanston/Skokie District 65 meeting.

Responding to Hateful Language and Discriminatory Acts, “which ultimately were adopted for district-wide use,” according to the report.

Office Discipline Referrals decreased by 55 percent at Oakton Elementary, which has also instituted school-wide mindfulness practices at the beginning of each day.

“What a better way to start the school day for the students,” Erhardt said. “Because they come from a variety of backgrounds, (from) what’s been going on at home, to come in there and kind of get everyone just to, for lack of a better word, chill out, is important.”

Kylie Klein, director of research, accountability and data, said at a September board meeting that the report changed this year partly in

response to a survey conducted in the district last July. Klein said 66 percent of respondents agreed there should be changes to the report, including condensing the report’s length.

Respondents also said school-specific information in old reports was difficult to access. In the previous report, assessments by school were located in Appendix B, and included 11 data tables of specific-school data.

The most recent overall district report didn’t include school-specific statistics or side-by-side comparisons of each school’s data. The district created an individual report for each of the schools in the district to provide more specific data on each institution. Klein said the new format is “very family friendly” and a “reasonable

length.”

While Klein said the quantitative evidence of student and district performance is critical, she said qualitative data in the overall district report emphasizes this year’s student, staff and community accomplishments through a more holistic lens.

“Many of the folks in our community — families, kids, teachers — they understand as educators that students are more than a score,” she said. “Student progress, growth, learning and development is a lot more than a simple assessment score in either reading or math...

Students show their growth as learners, their growth as leaders, their growth as members of a community.”

The report also acknowledged persistent opportunity gaps “faced by marginalized groups due to institutional racism in the education system.”

Ehrhardt said the district is examining the curriculum’s rigor and relevance to try and narrow the achievement gap, which he said is a nationwide issue.

He said the district strives to ensure that students learn challenging material they find interesting.

Klein had a similar response.

“We’re looking hard at our curriculum to make sure that the materials used in classrooms are authentic and engaging for students, and represent a diversity of cultural backgrounds and knowledge,” she said.

Ehrhardt said the report will also inform residents who don’t have any kids in the district’s schools.

“We have to be able to answer for our residents and our taxpayers, what is being done in the schools?” he said. “And how is my tax money really helping to build the quality of education, which for them is important because that’s going to have a direct impact on the value of their house,” he said.

In the coming years, Klein hopes to expand the report to include more student accomplishments and district participation, including attendance at school board meetings. She also said the district is currently translating the reports into Spanish, as well.

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6 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020

MANASSEH

JAN

attending a Jewish day school, she said she was educated about Jewish survival and values that the black communities of Chicago lacked.

“Being black tells you that something should be done, being Jewish tells you that something could be done, but being human tells you that something must be done,” Manasseh said. “If you throw all those things together, you get what we do on that corner.”

“They Ain’t Ready For Me” is a feature-length documentary released last month that followed Manasseh for two years to capture her work combating gun violence in her neighborhood. She said attending a screening of the documentary gave her hope that it would mobilize audience members to engage in conversations and join the movement to rebuild communities in Chicago affected by gun violence.

Lydia Greenberg, Hillel’s social justice coordinator, said she was inspired to bring Manasseh to campus because she exemplifies the Jewish value of Tikkun Olam, or repairing the world. She said this event felt like the perfect opportunity to connect with the Justice Talks series because of Menasseh’s prominent social justice advocacy.

“Oftentimes when we think of Jewish we think of white and when we think of black we think of Christian,” Greenberg said. “There’s something powerful about having somebody who is black and Jewish talk about how those identities inform each other in this work.”

Val Buchanan, assistant director of leadership development and community engagement, said she is interested in bringing activists, organizers and community leaders to campus to make it more accessible for students to learn about how people are doing “inspiring” work in Chicago. The hope would be, she said, to have these conversations spur people to get more involved in community engagement work.

Buchanan said Manasseh is an example of someone living out her passions and finding a way to practically and tangibly apply her faith to make a difference on her block. She said Manasseh’s story of creating the world she wants to see for her kids is the kind of example that everyone can draw strength from.

“She is a wonderful example of someone who is living out her passions and finding a way to live out her faith and her values in very practical, tangible ways that are making a difference in the block,” Buchanan said.

necessarily all on board. If they have a significant portion of voters to their left or right, I don’t think it would be a problem for most people.”

Bonilla said endorsements play two roles within a community: they can guide low-information voters whose opinions align with their elected officials to a possible candidate to support, and they can also show widespread support for campaigns. She said President Donald Trump used this strategy in 2016 in an attempt to gain credibility amongst a large pool of candidates.

For Schakowsky, the choice to endorse Warren was based on multiple factors. She said her personal experiences with the candidate proved her merit, and her progressive policies aligned with Schakowsky’s view of what Evanston represents.

“There are definitely some Bernie supporters, and definitely some Buttigieg supporters, so it’s interesting to see that there are a few people supported in Evanston for this election,” Schakowsky said.

“However, I do feel the match of the Democratic Party of Evanston and Elizabeth Warren is the best one that we have.”

Schakowsky said she thought it was important as a leader in Evanston for her to endorse Warren, because she agrees with the candidate’s message so strongly.

Evanston resident Peter Gann said he feels there is a strong chance Schakowsky’s endorsement may sway voters across the city, as she has made herself an integral part of the community for years.

“Jan Schakowsky is highly respected in Evanston

From page 1

From page 1

isabellesarraf2022@u.northwestern.edu

UNIVERSITIES From page 1

want to extend the social and educational entitlement idea to its extreme, why should we stop at college?

Why not pay for everyone’s postgraduate and doctoral degrees? … I’d say that we don’t have a social responsibility to go to these extremes.”

Beilin also said he doesn’t think taxpayers should

SOA

From page 1 two days, he said. In Winter Quarter, he said, nearly 1,000 students participated.

Ayelet Chavel, Associated Student Government chair of student activities and resources and a Weinberg junior, said she coordinated with SOA to receive feedback from student organizations, which gave positive comments on creating a spring version of the Student Organizations Fair.

“We decided (the spring fair) is not too complicated to organize and it would help newly approved student groups to get their name out there and have a small membership before the have to pay for the wealthy to attend free college, especially since the richer you are the more likely you are to attend college.

Though the majority of those who spoke on the issue opposed Beilin and were in favor of free public college, Ansh Prasad, a Weinberg sophomore, also argued strongly against the resolution.

“We are acting like college is the proverbial ladder that will solve America’s problem of social

— she’s a resident of Evanston, people know her, she’s been the congressional representative for years,” Gann said. “I’m a physician, and I’m a very big proponent of a single-payer Medicare for all system. For a long time, Jan Schakowsky was kind of on the fence about that, but when she came out and endorsed Elizabeth Warren, I was extremely pleased.”

However, it may be difficult to measure the impact Schakowsky’s endorsement will have on Evanston. Support for candidates is often tested through polls, especially in early primary states.

Because Illinois doesn’t hold its primary until March 17 — after Super Tuesday, on March 3, which is the make-or-break point for many campaigns — it is harder to determine the state’s candidates of choice, because polls are infrequent.

According to FiveThirtyEight, only two presidential polls have taken place in the state since the start of 2019.

As a result, local organizations such as the Democratic Party of Evanston hold events like its Feb. 9 endorsement session, where members vote for their favorite candidates. As a result, the group can get a sense of which potential nominees have a chance at winning the district. At the event, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was the most frequent first choice, followed by Warren, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Buttigieg.

However, Gann said the event isn’t necessarily an accurate representation of Evanston’s views, as the over 200 participants are a self-selected group that tends to skew toward being more politically involved. As a result, he said the endorsement session should be taken with a grain of salt, as other next school year starts,” Chavel said.

Chavel said this would also relieve pressure from that members of new organizations that feel they may have to compete for involvement in the Fall Quarter as well as decrease stress from first-year students who are settling in. She said she ended up signing up to around 20 organizations in her first year and went to meetings for three of them.

Communication junior Jacyln Orlando who serves as a producer of Mee-Ow said the improv and sketch comedy group works with SOA to make its shows more accessible for students.

Orlando said the troop will likely sign up for a table to present at the spring fair. Because there is an abundance of actors and not as much mobility,” Prasad said. “When there is a glut of people who have college education (and) there is not a proportional increase in the amount of opportunities available to them, these people are just effectively left with a college degree that is functionally useless.”

But being in the minority, Prasad’s argument was met with criticism from many of the other debaters.

Ellen Howard, a Weinberg sophomore, stressed

Daily file photo by Jacob Fulton

Rep. Jan Schakowsy (D-Evanston). Schakowsky has endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) in the Democratic presidential primary.

members of the community may not share the views of the DPOE members who attended, and the primary is the only true way to understand who Evanston supports.

“Evanston is going to be split, just like many parts of the country,” Gann said. “This is not a cross section of Evanston. These are the people who are most politically engaged; the most informed. They tend to be more educated and more wealthy. I have no idea how it’s going to turn out.” jacobfulton2023@u.northwestern.edu set, sound and lighting designers, Mee-Ow and other theater groups can benefit from introducing new designers in the spring, she said.

Spring, in particular, is a time for turnovers in the theater community, which would help student groups, Orlando added. However, she said she was not sure about the kind of members who may join in the spring. During the fall, there is a lot of interest from first-year students, she said.

“Honestly, for certain clubs (like theater groups) that are refilling positions in the spring, that can be super helpful,” Orlando said. “For groups that only audition or recruit in the fall, it can be tough.” yunkyokim2022@u.northwestern.edu that college is “not just a sorting mechanism,” but serves a more practical purpose.

“You kind of fundamentally misunderstand what college is,” Howard said in response to Prasad. “If your college education is actually giving you skills, then it shouldn’t matter if other people have the same piece of paper.” jasonbeeferman@u.northwestern.edu

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FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 18, 2020

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

ACROSS 1 Govt.-backed investment 6 Travelocity recommendations 10 Comprehends 14 Commandment verb involving parents 15 Niño’s “nothing” 16 Difficult exam 17 Kagan of the Supreme Court 18 Fruit grown in bogs 20 *Billy Crystal comedy featuring a cattle drive 22 __, amas, amat ...

23 Gnaw (at) 24 Grocery walkway 28 Offshore oil drillers 30 *Exact look-alike 34 Stiff-upper-lip type 36 Under, in French 37 Graffiti signature 38 *Daily filming schedule on the set 42 Musical gift 45 Roman robe 46 Hustle genre 50 *One in la-la land 54 Croat or Serb 55 Mexican mister 56 Correct 58 “__ had it!”

59 Somewhat liberal, or where you might find the first words in the answers to starred clues 64 Soap opera genre 67 1960s jacket style 68 Cooking spot 69 Large-scale 70 Warning signs 71 Like fake fruit 72 See socially 73 From Lillehammer, say

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

2/18/20

By Craig Stowe

5 Clear data from 6 Provoke 7 Dealer’s foil, briefly 8 Southern neighbor of Sask.

9 Reasonable 10 Enters 11 “To say they __ I dare not be so bold”: Shakespeare 12 North Carolina __ Heels 13 Cunning 19 Slow-cooked, as short ribs 21 Young chap 25 Bilko’s rank: Abbr.

26 Grazing area 27 Joule fraction 29 [not my error] 31 Family name in Mideast politics 32 Homer’s “I’m an idiot!”

DOWN 33 Feel remorse 1 “My Best Friend’s over Girl” rock band 35 Provided food for 2 Like poker games 39 Tone-__: “Wild for high rollers Thing” rapper 3 Small takeout 40 NYC airport near order Citi Field 4 Tiger mascot with 41 “__ the a red scarf season ... ”

Monday’s Puzzle Solved

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42 Scout leader?

43 Monkey relative 44 Sought a political seat 47 Move like a mamba 48 Carlsbad __ National Park 49 Do to death 51 Revolutionary territory 52 Wear away, as a coin surface

2/18/20

53 Nervous twitch 57 Noble gas 60 Dancer Astaire 61 Spanish appetizer 62 Leave out 63 Verne captain 64 Work on a lawn 65 “Training Day” actress Mendes 66 “Superman” villain Luthor

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 7

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020

BASEBALL

Wildcats go 1-2 against Omaha on opening weekend

By CARLOS STINSON-MAAS

the daily northwestern @thepresidito

Last year, Northwestern baseball opened its season in Mesa, Arizona, and the Wildcats lost two of their first three games.

This weekend, the Wildcats opened their season in Glendale, Arizona, and they lost two of their first three again. NU (1-2) lost its three game series against Omaha (2-1) but rallied to win Sunday’s finale 7-2.

NU got off to a promising start in Friday’s season opener, going up 3-1 in the 5th aftera two-run homer from sophomore catcher Michael Trautwein and five strong innings from sophomore pitcher Mike Doherty.

But the game unraveled in the 6th inning.

Junior Jack Pagliarini hit the first batter he

faced, and the next batter reached base on an error. Pagliarini gave up a run on a wild pitch before walking another batter and getting pulled from the game.

Senior Josh Levy relieved Pagliarini and also hit the first batter he faced, and then Levy then gave up a three-run double that put the Mavericks ahead for good. An RBI double by sophomore Shawn Goosenberg put the Cats within one in the 7th, but NU came up short, losing 5-4.

Goosenberg, who is coming off an injury last season, is now fully healthy, coach Spencer Allen said.

“He’s really throwing the ball well,” Allen said at media availability last week. “He’s a very, very good player. Making sure he manages that is gonna be really important.”

The narrative was similar in game two. The Cats took a 1-0 lead on a Trautwein double in

the 4th but imploded defensively in the 5th.

The first four batters all reached on errors, three of which involved senior Leo Kaplan, who was playing third base despite usually starting in the outfield.

Omaha capitalized on the errors, notching three straight hits and leaving the inning with a 6-1 lead. The Mavericks got three more runs on a base-clearing triple in the eighth, eventually winning 9-2.

Sunday’s game was a completely different story, as NU jumped ahead early and held on for a dominant win.

After scoring a run in the 3rd, the Cats capitalized in the fourth, scoring four runs after two Maverick errors and a three-run double by Goosenberg. NU scored six runs in the inning, going on to win 7-2 to salvage the series finale.

Sunday was the first career start and win for redshirt sophomore transfer Tyler Uberstine,

who pitched five innings and gave up one run on four hits.

“He’s probably one of the guys I’m most excited to see,” Allen said of Uberstine. “The stuff is really, really good. He’s done a great job of leading in his own way.”

Offensively, the Cats were led by Goosenberg, who went 7-14 with five RBI on the weekend. Senior second baseman Charlie Maxwell also had a great start to the season, going 5-12.

This weekend NU will travel to South Carolina for a three-game series against the Gamecocks.

“I challenge the guys to make sure that they believe, that they know that they’re good,” Allen said. “There’s definitely a lot of talent on this team, and I’m just excited to get rolling.” carlosstinson-maas2023@u.northwestern.edu

SOFTBALL

NU gains momentum post-wins in ESPN tournament

By GRAYSON WELO

the daily northwestern @graysonwelo

After a 6-2 win against No. 5 Florida State University and a visit from former Northwestern baseball player and World Series Champion Joe Girardi, Northwestern’s second week of the season was better than the first.

This weekend, the Wildcats headed to Florida for the ESPN St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational. They competed against some of college softball’s top teams, including No. 5 Florida State, No.15 Georgia, Kansas and Virginia Tech.

NU (4-5) finished the tournament 2-2, losing its first game of the tournament to the Bulldogs, 8-3, and its final game against the Hokies, 6-5. But the Cats pulled out two wins on Saturday, and coach Kate Drohan said she saw big improvements in the team from the

week before when NU went 2-3 at the Kajikawa Classic.

“A couple of areas we really improved on,” Drohan said. “Defending the running game — I thought Jordyn Rudd did a great job behind the plate throwing runners out and controlling the running game. The second piece was that our pitch selection was much much better, so in those two areas I think our team grew a lot.”

Sophomore pitcher Danielle Williams said the Cats focused on playing as a team in practice, and this weekend she felt the support of her teammates on the mound, especially during the game against the Seminoles.

“It was great that Kenna [Wilkey] was able to start something for our team,” Williams said. “Pitching with that kind of support is a lot easier, just giving it all every pitch, knowing that my team’s behind me.”

On Saturday, NU upset Florida State 6-2.

Junior pitcher Kenna Wilkey gave the Cats some momentum with a homerun in the fifth

inning before NU took the lead in the 6th with five runs scored.

Junior infielder and outfielder Rachel Lewis also served as an offensive powerhouse against the Seminoles, hitting three RBIs. She said the Cats needed to better at the plate to get the results they wanted in Florida.

“One of our goals was to wake the bats up a little bit,” Lewis said. “It wasn’t like we were missing on the little things; It was straight up we couldn’t hit last weekend.

Lewis also hit a homerun against the Jayhawks on Saturday to help beat Kansas 5-4.

Besides the offensive highlights, coach Drohan said graduate pitcher Kaley Winegarner played an integral role in NU’s win.

“Kaley’s maturity won the game for us against Kansas,” Drohan said. “She’s going to continue to have those opportunities. She’s steady, she’s confident, she’s really poised.” graysonwelo2023@u.northwestern.edu

Daily file photo by Brian Meng

Danielle Williams throws a pitch. The sophomore pitched played well this weekend for Northwestern.

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SPORTS

ON DECK FEB.

18

Men’s Basketball NU at No. 7 Maryland, 7 p.m. Tuesday

ON THE RECORD

“(Collins) wants this to be the class that turns around the program. Once AAU gets going, I’ll definitely be in touch with the other recruits.

— four-star recruit Luke Goode

@DailyNU_Sports

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

‘THERE’S TALK’ Joshua Hoffman/The Daily Northwestern

Chris Collins’ push for a program changing 2021 recruiting class

By CHARLIE GOLDSMITH

daily senior staffer @2021_charlie

Before Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Max Christie were five-star recruits and before they received dozens of scholarship offers from some of the biggest powerhouse college basketball programs, they were ball boys at Northwestern.

As kids, they mopped up sweat and rebounded missed shots. Sometimes, they handed out water to the players.

But as young fans with family ties to the Wildcats, they also got to know each other and the program really well.

When Baldwin Jr. and Christie were ball boys, Northwestern wasn’t very good. Back in the mid-2010s, the Wildcats still hadn’t made the NCAA Tournament, and Chris Collins was a young and unproven head coach. But Baldwin Jr. and Christie paid close attention over the last decade as Collins led Northwestern to the NCAA Tournament and showed the Wildcats could compete in the Big Ten. And now the two highly rated high school juniors are talking about teaming up at Northwestern and taking the program to another level.

“Obviously, going to Northwestern, we’re thinking about being a package deal,” Christie told The Daily. “There’s definitely talk about college decisions and where we both see ourselves in the future. There’s definitely talk.”

The Wildcats have never had a shot at a recruit as good as Baldwin Jr. or Christie. Baldwin Jr. is one of the best high school basketball players in the country, and Christie is the best shooting guard in his class. But they both have parents who were star Northwestern basketball players, and they both have taken official visits to campus.

Baldwin Jr. and Christie are still weighing all of their options, but Collins has been telling recruits that Northwestern’s 2021 class could be filled with stars –– potentially Baldwin Jr., Christie and other four star recruits who would be among the best signings in school history.

“Coach Collins has definitely expressed his thoughts that they want to make a big push with the class of 2021,” Christie said. “You can’t count them out if they can get a couple good players to go there. They could really trend up fast.” *** The Wildcats have been playing college basketball for over 100 years, and they’ve signed exactly four recruits with a four star rating or better.

Northwestern is trying to double that figure in 2021. Baldwin Jr. and Christie would be the cornerstones of the class, paving the way for more recruits to join them.

“If I commit, I could really make an impact,” Baldwin Jr. said last week.

“It would be something special if I do decide to commit… When Northwestern turns it around, you’ve seen how they can fill the house against Michigan and against Purdue (in 2017). You’ve seen the immense support.”

If he does commit, Baldwin Jr. could be joined by Luke Goode, a versatile 6-foot-5-inch four-star forward with a proven three-point shot. Goode is cousins with Wildcats’ quarterback T.J. Green, who Goode says praises Northwestern. If Goode signs, he’d be the second-highest rated recruit in program history.

“When I’ve talked to coach Collins, he’s stressed to me how big the 2021 class is,” Goode told The Daily. “He wants this to be the class that turns

around the program. Once AAU gets back going, I’ll definitely be in touch with the other recruits, and we’ll definitely talk about Northwestern.”

There’s also four-star guard Tamar Bates. He’s teammates and close friends with incoming freshman guard Ty Berry, and Bates would be the best guard the program has ever signed. The Wildcats’ coaches have frequently attended Bates’ games over the last two years, and Bates said he’d be excited to work with Northwestern’s coaching staff.

“To have a coach that knows the NBA –– and so does his father –– that’s a tool that some other coaches don’t have,” Bates told The Daily. “A lot of the schools that are recruiting me have a history of getting guys to the next level, but Northwestern is big on player development as well, and that’s very important to me as well.”

The Wildcats are also recruiting four-star forward Caleb Furst, one of the top-40 players in the country who took an official visit to Northwestern last year with Baldwin Jr. and Christie. And they’ve also reportedly offered scholarships to four-star guards Jaden Akins, Kobe Bufkin, Julian Roper and Pierre Brooks.

Northwestern won’t be able to sign all of these players –– there wouldn’t be enough available scholarships. But if the Wildcats could sign three or four, Goode said Northwestern would make a quick return to the NCAA Tournament.

“What’ll do it for them is one person starting off the class,” Goode said. “If Northwestern gets a big commitment early from the 2021 guys, then that could set it off. That’s my personal opinion, and I’m not 100 percent certain of that.

But if coach Collins gets the guys that he wants, then he could do big things with them.”

*** Collins’ contract with Northwestern expires in 2025, so he’s almost halfway through the extension he signed after making the NCAA Tournament.

But five years can fly by for a college basketball coach.

The 2021 recruiting class will graduate in 2025. This class would be the last group of players Collins can recruit and develop before having to negotiate a new contract. The players Collins is recruiting, though, have faith in Northwestern’s head coach figuring it out.

“Coach Collins is a great coach,” Christie said. “A lot of people are really ripping on him now because of the way Northwestern looks on TV or the way they’re playing. But coach Collins is in a tough situation right now where he’s playing a bunch of young guys with not a lot of experience. This can be a great year for them getting experience for their guys.”

“He’s a lot better of a coach than people give him credit for,” Goode said. “Just hearing him talk, hearing his plan for the future and seeing the young players that he has, I could definitely see him make something special at Northwestern. I know the record isn’t really showing it right now, but he’s a great coach.”

It’s no secret that the Wildcats are the worst team in the conference, and have been since 2018. Over the last three years, Northwestern has 11 Big Ten wins.

The next worst team, Rutgers, has 19 conference wins over that time span, and this year the Scarlet Knights are likely heading to the NCAA Tournament.

But it’s also no secret that Northwestern has the youngest team in the Big

Ten. With seven freshmen and sophomores on scholarship, the 2021 recruiting class would be joining a battle-tested group two years from now.

“Boo Buie is playing so well as a young point guard,” Christie said.

“Anthony Gaines is injured, but he’s a great player. Pete Nance has potential to be a great player. The team is young, but they have potential in the next upcoming years as they start to get experience.” *** The Wildcats still haven’t closed the deal with a single player in the 2021 class –– Northwestern is competing on the recruiting circuit with schools like Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Michigan.

But at least the Wildcats are in the conversation. In February, Collins, assistant coach Brian James and athletic director Jim Phillips sat courtside to watch Baldwin Jr. play at Welsh-Ryan Arena. And the entire coaching staff attended one of Christie’s recent high school games.

The Wildcats are dreaming big, planning for their 2021 recruiting class to change the state of the program.

“It’s an honor to me for a coach like coach Collins to say that they’re really focusing on my class and that they really want someone like me or someone like Patrick to go there,” Christie said. “It’s obviously intriguing for me as a seventeen-year-old kid who wants to make a name for myself. For a college to tell me that they want me to make a really big impact at their school, that’s obviously intriguing to me.” charliegoldsmith2021@u.northwestern.edu