The Daily Northwestern — February 25, 2022 by The Daily Northwestern

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The Daily Northwestern Friday, February 25, 2022

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As workers around the country grapple with pandemic-related austerity measures, Northwestern’s labor force continues to clash with university administrators over unionization efforts By ISABEL FUNK

daily senior stafer @isabeldfunk

About 50 people marched from The Rock to the Provost’s Office on Oct. 12, 2021 as Northwestern’s library workers prepared to deliver

a list of demands to administrators. Community members, including advocates involved in Northwestern University Graduate Workers and Students Organizing for Labor Rights, accompanied the library workers in support. The workers climbed the stairs to the Provost’s Office and waited. They weren’t allowed in, but some gave impromptu speeches sharing

their experiences and emphasizing the strength and solidarity of the union they were fighting to form. After more than a year of pandemic-related financial strains, they were coming together to stand up for their rights. Shortly after their arrival, a delegate from the office accepted the workers’ letter with a promise to deliver it to Provost Kathleen Hagerty. Energy

rippled through the crowd. The library workers were excited to begin the formal process of unionization and gain agency over University decisions that affected their livelihoods. NU Library Workers Union is not the only group of organized workers on campus to clash

» See IN FOCUS, page 4

NU makes masks optional Evanston to lift vaccination, Masks still required in classrooms this quarter By ISABEL FUNK

daily senior staffer @isabeldfunk

Northwestern will soon no longer require masking in most public spaces and non-classroom communal areas, including Norris University Center, libraries and residence halls, the University announced in a Thursday email. Beginning Monday, masks will be optional in most spaces, but remain required in classrooms until at least March 19, the last day of Winter Quarter for most students. Showing proof of vaccination will also no longer be required. Further information regarding Spring Quarter classroom modality will be announced in the coming

weeks, the email said. The announcement follows Evanston’s Wednesday update that masking will no longer be required citywide, in accordance with state guidelines. While Evanston’s case numbers have generally been declining since January, NU has seen cases rise on campus for two consecutive weeks, reporting 206 new positive cases last week. The number of cases increased by nearly 69% and the positivity rate rose to 4.35%. Masking will still be required on campus shuttles and in University health settings like COVID19 testing sites and Counseling and Psychological Services, the email read. In the email, the University

Daily file photo by Joanne Haner

Northwestern will no longer require masking in most public spaces beginning Monday.

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encouraged students, faculty and staff to continue masking “if that makes them more comfortable.” But NU added instructors and managers are not permitted to require masking of others except as part of an approved medical accommodation through the Office of Equity or AccessibleNU. “Northwestern continues to monitor the campus health environment closely, as well as the trajectory of the pandemic, and we will make adjustments to masking guidance and other mitigation strategies as needed, always in consultation with our health advisors,” the email stated. NU will also remove the colorcoded Campus Activity Level framework, used to evaluate the COVID-19 levels on campus, from its COVID-19 Dashboard, stating it does not account for the complexities of pandemic developments. However, the University’s COVID-19 website will continue to be updated with weekly updates on positivity levels. The University also announced it will continue to suspend the distribution of at-home tests as the school’s supply is limited “for the foreseeable future.” Free KN95 masks remain available for pick-up on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses. isabelfunk2024@u.northwestern.edu

mask mandates on Monday ETHS makes masks optional for students and staff By ANGELI MITTAL

daily senior staffer @amittal27

Evanston announced it will lift its vaccination and indoor masking requirements on Monday, in accordance with the state. Individuals will no longer be required to wear masks in indoor public spaces like grocery stores, libraries, restaurants, recreation centers and entertainment facilities, Mayor Daniel Biss relayed in a Wednesday message to the community. Masks will still be required in public and private schools, on public transportation services and in healthcare facilities, among other specified high-risk locations, to protect vulnerable populations. Several local school districts, including Evanston Township High School District 202 have made indoor mask wearing optional for students and staff once the mandate is lifted. ETHS will still require students to test every other week.

The city encouraged community members, especially those who are immunocompromised or unvaccinated, to continue wearing masks if they feel more comfortable doing so. Evanston held four KN95 distribution events Wednesday and will distribute more in the future. Businesses will no longer be mandated to require proof of vaccination upon entry starting Monday, though they may choose to continue to do so. Biss said these changes are not a sign that the pandemic is over, but a step in alignment with declining positivity rates and COVID-19 cases. “Following the surge in cases caused by the omicron variant, it’s become increasingly clear that COVID-19 won’t be going away entirely anytime soon, if ever,” Biss said. “We must continue to adapt and balance many public health, social and economic considerations as we determine our path forward.” Biss attributed the revised guidance to a monitored decline in COVID-19 case numbers, positivity rates and hospitalizations. In the last 30 days, the city has seen an 85% decline in hospitalizations. 30 individuals are currently in

Evanston area hospitals with COVID-19. This represents 11.7% of hospitalizations at the pandemic’s peak in January at 256. The city’s positivity rate has also been declining in the last month, reaching less than one percent last week. This week, it’s at 0.93% — a 22.63 percentage point drop from 23.56% at the pandemic’s peak. The number has seen an overall decline since the peak of the omicron wave in January. The city reported 17 cases Tuesday — three more than the average cases reported per day in the last seven days — 7.7% of the 221 cases reported at the peak of the pandemic on Jan. 13. W hile the community vaccine mandate will be lifted, Biss said city staff are still subject to the vaccination policy. The 11% of staff members who aren’t fully vaccinated must continue weekly COVID-19 testing. Guidelines are subject to change, including a potential reinstitution of the mask and vaccine mandates, as the public health metrics are monitored, Biss said. amittal@u.northwestern.edu

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

AROUND TOWN

Local bakery named among best bakeries in U.S. By KARA PEELER

the daily northwestern @karapeeler

Ellen King, a classically-trained chef, was selling bread out of her own kitchen in an “underground bread club” for years. Her partner, Julie Matthei, saw the potential to expand. And so they did: co-owners King and Matthei opened Hewn in June 2013. Through polar vortexes and the pandemic, the independent bakery has stayed in business, providing bread and other baked goods to the Evanston community. In January, Food & Wine Magazine said Hewn makes the best bread in Illinois, calling it “the region’s most inspiring.” Last year, the magazine named Hewn as one of the 100 Best Bakeries in the U.S. Wine Magazine. Hewn has also been named one of the best bread bakeries by Food Network and one of the best Chicago bakeries by Thrillist. “It’s always an honor to be mentioned among other really great bakeries throughout the country and in the state,” Matthei said. “It’s a testament to the hard work our staff does every day.” With a rotating bread schedule, Hewn offers different selections daily, such as their blonde country loaf or their “Evanston Red” bread. It also offers pastries and other desserts. Matthei said her favorite is the chocolate chip cookies. Maggie Coyne,an Evanston resident and middle school English teacher, said she enjoys supporting local, female-owned businesses — and she thinks other residents do too. “It’s great that a local bakery is honored, I think it’s good for Evanston,” Coyne said. “We’re trying to put money into businesses that we want to make sure stick

Evanston NAACP seeking donations after fire displaced 12 Evanston NAACP’s Civic Engagement Committee is collecting gently used household items

Angeli Mittal/Daily Senior Staffer

Hewn Bakery on 1733 Central St. Co-owners Ellen King and Julie Matthei opened the bakery in 2013.

around.” Their bakery was formerly located at 1733 Central St. and moved to a larger location on Dempster Street in 2020. Matthei said Hewn’s new location draws more people from suburbs outside of Evanston than their last site did. Lia Wallfish, a second-year theatre graduate student, is a Hewn regular. “I love going there because all of their stuff is super fresh and they use really great ingredients,” said Wallfish. Walking in, customers can see that Hewn uses crafted or repurposed materials and furnishings, and the kitchen door’s wood paneling is sourced from

old Michigan cypress pickle barrels. Wallfish said the bakery looks rustic and feels homey and warm. Hewn prioritizes quality locally-sourced ingredients like organic flour and grains. Bakers also refrain from using commercial yeast, preservatives, chemicals and additives. Matthei said Hewn has wholesale partners in Evanston, Chicago and some Northern Chicago suburbs. Their largest client is Sweetgreen, a national salad restaurant chain, who stocks their products in all Chicago area locations. Beyond business collaborations, Matthei said Hewn also aims to connect with the community. Hewn participates in the Neighbor Loaves

program, a local organization started in Chicago that aims to support sustainable farmers and bakers. It also donates to local soup kitchens. Matthei said seeing customer reactions has been a highlight of her work. She recalled receiving a note from a customer who called Hewn her “happy place” and a child who did a happy dance because whoopie pies were in stock. “We want to create good food for ourselves, for the people in the area, as well as creating something real and authentic for the community,” Matthei said.

to support families who lost their homes to a building fire. Evanston Fire Department said on Monday that a fire on the 1600 block of Monroe St. displaced 12 residents. The NAACP committee is seeking clothing, towels, socks and sweaters in all sizes. One of the families is seeking women’s size 14 and men’s large clothing.

All of the families’ most immediate need is housing, according to an NAACP email. The organization asked for any information on available units, adding the families have been referred to Connections for the Homeless. After the fire, the American Red Cross was notified to offer care and shelter services to displaced residents and animals.

Affected families are also in need of items like toothbrushes, toothpaste, plastic kitchen containers, kitchen towels, kitchen mitts, lotion, liquid soap and other “dollar store items.” Donations can be dropped off at 700 Mulford St. on the front step.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

ON CAMPUS

Initiative eases transfer student process By JOANNA HOU

daily senior staffer @joannah_11

Medill junior Nick Song wanted to be a journalist fresh out of high school. He decided to take a year off after graduating to experiment with radio and podcasting professionally. After his gap year, he enrolled in a local community college program before transferring to Northwestern last year. “NU was the only journalism program I applied to,” Song said. “(Reporters I talked to) all said if I wanted to go to j-school, Northwestern was the place to go … Understanding how widespread Medill travels, it carries a lot of clout. There’s always going to be a Medill person in any newsroom you’d go to.” Even then, Song said transferring came with a few bumps in the road. A new initiative, headed by sociology Prof. Monica Prasad, is working to address the difficulties community college students face when transferring to NU. The initiative aims to make the University more transparent about credit transferring and more accessible to community college transfers. Prasad said there are many reasons why NU should expand its community college transfer population. She said private institutions shouldn’t be reserved for the wealthy because they provide better aid and smaller class sizes, among other perks. As politicians discuss free two-year community college, Prasad said it’s in NU’s best interest to start solidifying its community college transfer process. She said these students are going through the process alone. “Right now, we put the burden of making organizations speak to each other on the shoulders of the students, so these are often disadvantaged students who are required to navigate this intensely complex bureaucracy on their own,” Prasad said. “We want to try to do things that make it a little bit easier for them to navigate.” NU does not release specific information on its community college student admission rate. Prasad said 10 students typically transfer from community colleges each year, although more may be accepted, a number she said is too low.

Prasad said she looked at ACT scores and grades from one local community college to see how many students qualified for NU. “We looked just at people whose ACT scores were at the 75th percentile of NU students. There were about 20 students who met those criteria every year,” Prasad said. “So if you think about it, if that’s true for the other colleges, that’s a pool of several hundred community college students who are competitive.” While NU accepts more than 10 community college transfers each year, Prasad said one of the top issues deterring them from choosing NU is the credit transfer process. NU doesn’t show which credits carry over between schools before potential students commit, sparking fears in potential transfers that their previous work will not count toward a degree. Song attended Santa Monica College in Los Angeles. His former college partook in the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, a program that allows students to take classes from community colleges and transfer them to the University of California school system. The curriculum helps students satisfy their freshman and sophomore year general education requirements before they transfer into a UC school. Because NU is a private institution, Song said credit transferring has been more difficult, but he will still be able to graduate in four years. “There were some hiccups, like not everything transferred as smoothly as I hoped for,” Song said. “That’s pretty common for most new college students, even those who went (to) community college within Illinois, just because NU is beholden to their own thing.” Apart from credits not transferring smoothly, transfer students don’t have a lot of access to information about NU and the admissions process in general, according to political science and sociology Prof. Jean Clipperton, who is part of the initiative. Clipperton teaches Sociology 288: Institutions and Society, where students learn about different types of institutions and try to develop solutions. This year, her class is focusing on tackling the community college transfers problem. One group of students suggested NU develop a set of transfer pathways called “cat tracks” to show potential students the ways they could ultimately

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A new initiative on campus aims to ease the transfer process for community college students.

attend NU. She said student ideas like these are important for the initiative to function well. “If one of the issues is that students aren’t thinking seriously about coming to NU, it seems logical that you would have some students work on that side of the problem,” Clipperton said. “They’re much closer to the age in time when you would be thinking about these things and they have a different perspective.” Prasad said she has also received feedback from community college students who feel NU’s privileged culture deters them. While the effort is to get students in the door, she said the initiative needs to expand to making transfer students feel more welcomed. Song said some people at NU believe community college is only for those who failed out of high school or cannot afford a four-year program. However, he said these stereotypes are misleading. If his community college had as many resources as NU, Song said he would’ve happily attended for four years. He added attending community college made him more grateful for the opportunities he has at NU. “It’s great that people view college in this transitory rite-of-passage way, but … I went through a lot to get to this point. It’s left me with this appreciation for being here,” Song said. joannahou2025@u.northwestern.edu

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with the administration. NUGW and NU’s dining and service workers also continue to face opposition. Represented by UNITE HERE Local 1, a union that supports more than 15,000 hospitality workers in Chicago and Northwest Indiana, NU dining and service workers concluded more than two years of contract negotiations in October 2021. Although the University has voiced support for employees’ right to unionize, some workers’ experiences tell a different story. SESP junior Neva Legallet said the University actively works against unions even though workers are essential to the function of the school. Legallet is a member of SOLR, a coalition of students advocating to improve worker conditions on NU’s campus. “The status quo of the relationship between NU and labor is one of exploitation,” Legallet said. A strained history While the library workers’ union is the most recent bargaining group to be successfully recognized on campus, several other attempts to form a union at NU have failed in the past decade. In January 2014, members of the football team announced they signed union cards and sought representation as the College Athletes Players Association. Two months later, the Chicago regional director of the National Labor Relations Board ruled in CAPA’s favor, noting the players were employees and could therefore form a union, but the University appealed the decision. In April, the players voted on unionization. The movement concluded in August 2015 when the NLRB declined to rule on the case, functionally reversing the previous decision. Because the board did not have jurisdiction over state-run colleges and universities, members said ruling on NU’s case would create instability in the NCAA. Due to the ruling, the vote’s results were never released. A year later, NU’s non-tenure eligible faculty held an election with the NLRB to form a union. Italian Prof. Alessandra Visconti, who was involved in the unionization efforts, said the University put together a website with what she described as anti-union rhetoric in an effort to dissuade faculty from voting for the union. “It was evident from the very beginning that they were going to fight it,” Visconti said. “NU, at least over the past 10 years, has been pretty virulently anti-union.” Visconti said faculty organizers met with the University to establish who could vote before the unionization vote in 2016. But due to questions over voter eligibility, NU and the union challenged more than 130 ballots. In May 2017, the N L R B’s Ch i c ago office confirmed the union’s membership with Ser vice Employees International Union Local 73, which primarily represents public service workers in Illinois and Indiana. However, 25 ballots remained disputed, and NU refused to negotiate, prompting the faculty to file unfair labor practice charges against the University. The union attempt failed that October when the disputed ballots were counted, shifting the vote tally to oppose unionization. In both cases, NU hired Cozen O’Connor, a law firm whose website states it “defend(s) employers against charges of unfair labor practices.” The firm has consistently represented employers in defeating unions at public and private schools and universities, construction sites and in other industries. In an email to The Daily, University spokesperson Jon Yates said NU hires Cozen O’Connor to “make sure it abides by its legal obligation” related to the processes of unionization. NU has been working with the firm for almost 20 years, he said. Although the University consistently hires Cozen O’Connor each time a new unionization effort comes to campus, Visconti said a shift in national discourse to be more pro-union might impact NU’s actions. Visconti is hopeful the workers will make progress in equity and rights but said she’s wary after seeing what she called NU’s past anti-union tactics. “Scaring people into believing that the union is not going to be serving their interests is false, first of all, but it’s also a way of intimidating people from voting for the union,” Visconti said.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

Third-party troubles Hugo Lemus, a cook in Allison Hall, has worked in NU dining halls for more than 18 years. In that time, he has worked in two different campus dining locations and experienced the 2018 transition to Compass Group, the University’s food service provider. Lemus, who is also a chapter representative with UNITE HERE Local 1, said understaffing in the dining halls makes it difficult for workers to do their jobs. “We want to cook in batches, and we really want to give the students fresh food, but if you don’t have enough people, you cannot do all of it,” Lemus said. “If we had more people, we could focus more on the quality of the food.” Compass has told the workers it’s in the process of hiring more employees, Lemus said, but vetting applicants takes time. An NU dining hall worker, who asked to remain anonymous out of concern for her job security, said an extra pair of hands would lighten her intense workload. But when she requests help, she said she’s told Compass is on a budget and cannot provide any. “I have to do everything,” she said. “I have to bring dishes to the room to wash and all that kind of stuff. It’s a lot.” Lemus said navigating contract negotiations throughout the past two years has been stressful. In October 2021, NU’s subcontracted dining and service workers voted to ratify a new contract with Compass that addressed their demands for increased wages, guaranteed health insurance and better working conditions. The original contract expired just over two years prior in August 2019. Lemus said Compass repeatedly rejected all of the workers’ proposals. In September 2021, workers voted with 95% support to authorize a strike in an effort to bring Compass back to the bargaining table. “It was very hard that when I was coming into work, my coworkers, they always asked me, ‘How were the negotiations, Hugo?’” Lemus said. “I want to give my coworkers good news, but I couldn’t give them good news, because they was rejecting everything.” The dining workers do not directly interact with the University because they are subcontracted through Compass. However, the anonymous dining hall worker said NU should have pressured the provider to care about the negotiations and treat workers better. When the University makes contracts with companies, she said NU should include more restrictions. Compass started bringing in and training temporary employees after the strike was authorized, Lemus said, which worried many dining workers. “They thought we weren’t going to show up to work. Of course we have to take care of the kids first — we always thinking of the kids before we’re going on strike because we’re not going to leave just like that,” the anonymous dining hall worker said. “I live by myself, I don’t have anybody, so how am I going to pay my rent? My bills?” In an email to The Daily, Compass District Marketing Manager Sophia Bamiatzis said Compass actively recruits for open positions and values the contributions of their associates. “Ongoing shortages within the labor pool continue to impact our staffing model and recruitment efforts,” Bamiatzis said. “We source temporary labor for open positions as needed to provide additional support for our associates, and to ensure our students’ dining experience remains uninterrupted.” Though the workers were prepared to strike, the action never occurred. Compass restarted negotiations, and the workers’ new contract, finalized in October, includes a minimum hourly wage of $19.88 and a permanent extension of health insurance benefits. Bamiatzis said the contract renegotiations were

made in good faith for the benefit of the workers. Prior to the ratification of the new contract, workers had not received a raise since 2019, and according to the union news release announcing the new contract, 74 out of 260 full-time employees had no health insurance coverage in February 2021. In the news release, one worker said she previously made $14.05 per hour. According to a union survey of workers conducted in summer 2021, 88.1% of 160 respondents identified as people of color, and 58% reported they did not make enough to pay their bills. Legallet said expectations of the workers’ ability to succeed were influenced by their demographics. “The service workers were underestimated,” Legallet said. “The majority of them are not white … a lot of them don’t speak English as a first language. I think a lot of the higher ups read that as they wouldn’t be able to achieve these things that they were fighting for.” SOLR’s work is not just about labor rights, Legallet said, but also about combatting the marginalization of non-white community members and meeting the needs of the workers. Throughout the workers’ negotiations with Compass, SOLR provided support through mutual aid efforts, raising awareness and petitioning the school. Legallet said the University does not interact with SOLR and almost never responds to their petitions. However, student support makes administrators pay attention, she said. “The University doesn’t want to recognize unions or their bargaining power, because of how they change the power dynamics,” Legallet said. “For any group looking to unionize, the University is not friendly to that.” Rapid recognition despite opposition Authority Metadata Librarian Jamie Carlstone, a member of the library union’s Organizing Committee, started working at NU in fall 2019, shortly before the University began pandemic-related austerity measures. Since then, library workers have faced furloughs, slashed benefits and lost retirement matching funds. Carlstone said her benefits were cut seven months into her new job. “It’s a very destabilizing feeling, and then I just felt really horrible for my colleagues,” Carlstone said. “Some people (who) had been there for decades (were) getting furloughed … it was really demoralizing.” Workers began planning and building the union during their free time, Carlstone said. When they went public more than a year later, she said the movement already had strong support from library workers. A library worker, who asked to remain anonymous out of privacy concerns, said he had never received direct communication from the Provost’s Office in his 20 years working at NU Libraries until fall 2021. Within a week of the library workers publicizing their unionization efforts, the worker said he received an email from the provost. He said it stated the University understood the workers had a right to unionize, but she emphasized NU valued its “direct relationship” with them. “We’ve been asking for more money to support our services and to expand our collections for years and been ignored,” he said. “It’s not until we organize ourselves that you actually pay attention to us, and then you tell us, ‘You don’t need to organize yourselves for us to pay attention to you.’” Yates, the University spokesperson, said NU

continues to make “every effort to communicate openly and directly” with library workers. The library worker said as soon as a union goes public, an employer begins its misinformation campaign. However, the library workers’ union was only announced about a month before members cast their ballots on unionization. Still, NU hired Cozen O’Connor — a response Carlstone said was unsurprising. “The University responded like pretty much any employer would: they didn’t want us to unionize and they made that clear,” Carlstone said. After holding a vote in November 2021, the NLRB officially recognized the library workers’ union on Dec. 3. The union represents more than 120 library workers through SEIU Local 73. The library workers’ union is preparing for the bargaining process, but Carlstone said it continues to face challenges with the University. The anonymous library worker is one of 21 library employees the University is arguing should not be allowed to join the union because their positions are considered “supervisory.” However, he said he doesn’t oversee anyone. In an email acknowledging the election outcome, the provost said she would fight to exclude the supervisors, he added. Carlstone and the library worker said they hope the University will move forward with negotiations in good faith and begin to repair some of the damage already done. “I wish that we already had a union at the library so we wouldn’t be scrambling after the cuts of the University to unionize,” Carlstone said. Radio silence The library union gained official recognition just under two months after announcing its plans to organize and delivering its demands to the Provost’s Office. But NUGW, the coalition of graduate workers, has strived for unionization for more than five years. NU ’s graduate workers first began unionization efforts after a 2016 NLRB ruling that graduate students could organize as employees and form unions. The group’s initial push was associated with the American Federation of Teachers, but NUGW disaffiliated with the organization in fall 2020. Since then, NUGW has focused on grassroots organizing to support workers and gain momentum. NUGW co-chair Julie Ming Liang said graduate workers are advocating for guaranteed benefits like dental care, vision insurance, child care and parental support. “The University does not treat graduate student labor as labor,” Liang, a fifth-year interdisciplinary biological sciences student, said. “They treat it as if we’re here to study, but that’s not true because we TA and we run classes. We also conduct the research at this university, and if all graduate students stopped working, the University would cease to function.” Yates said NU “has always regarded its graduate students as students, first and foremost” and is committed to supporting and mentoring them. NUGW co-chair Rose Werth said the University treats graduate workers as either students or workers depending on when it’s convenient for them. She said administrators have so far refused to meet with NUGW or negotiate with its members. “If they want to insist that we come in to labs, for example, and work during the pandemic,

Illustrations by Olivia Abeyta

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

then all of a sudden, we’re workers and we have to come in,” Werth, a fourth-year sociology student, said. “But other times, they’re like, ‘Oh, no, we don’t need to think about you in XYZ area because you’re just students.’ ” Graduate workers also receive fragmented communication from the University, Werth said. Leading up to the return to campus this quarter, Werth said graduate workers mostly received communication as students. But she and her peers didn’t receive the information sent to faculty and staff about teaching and access to personal protective equipment, she said. After the NLRB ruled graduate students are considered workers, Werth said NU began sending emails to graduate workers with what she described as false claims about the dangers of unions. The University also has a webpage, “Union Basics For Students,” which says it encourages graduate students to “gather the facts and stay informed.” Werth said this webpage intends to spin the benefits of unions, like standardized schedules, to seem scary to workers. “They make (it sound like) standardized schedules would be a bad thing,” Werth said. “But standardized schedules to a lab worker who’s working 80 hours a week on the behest of their adviser, that’s a good thing.” The webpage also suggests stipends negotiated by a union may not compare favorably to those granted by the University. But Werth said any contract negotiated by NUGW would likely have the support of the graduate workers, who would not choose to lower their stipend. The minimum annual stipend rate for the 202223 academic year is set at $35,196, an increase of $1,020 from the 2021-22 academic year, according to The Graduate School. However, NUGW’s analysis of the University’s 2021 fiscal year report found that, when adjusted for inflation, the new

stipend rate is about 3.3% lower than in the 201819 academic year. Liang said the University has the ability to voluntarily recognize NUGW at any time. But NU’s approach has been to ignore the group when possible, she said. Without the University’s voluntary recognition, NUGW has to seek external support. To become officially recognized, the group can also enter a process set up by the NLRB. Though the future of graduate student unionization at NU remains unclear, graduate workers plan to continue advocating for their working conditions and rights. “Graduate students fall into this crack where it’s like, ‘Well, they’re not undergraduates who live on campus, but they’re not faculty and staff,’” Werth said. “So we get left out of the picture.” “They just chose not to spend it on labor” NU reported a budget surplus of $87.8 million in the 2021 fiscal year. The University also saw its endowment grow to $14.9 billion — a 34% increase from the previous fiscal year. In a Jan. 13 message to the community, Executive Vice President Craig Johnson wrote that the surplus was in part because of “the shared sacrifice of many faculty and staff in adapting to financial constraints.” In a January 2021 email reporting a budget surplus for the 2020 fiscal year, President Morton Schapiro credited the surplus to “significant sacrifice and hard work by our University community.” The University’s total available financial assets and resources reached more than $2 billion, according to the NUGW analysis. Over the past three years, NU has maintained an average availability of $1.8 billion in a single year, the report found. NUGW’s report also found if endowment spending had doubled over the past five years, the endowment still would have grown. “The money is there, they just chose not to spend

it on labor,” the anonymous library worker said. “We feel like we deserve more than that.” Johnson said NU continues “maintaining an appropriate degree of prudence within an environment that remains uncertain.” But the University’s pandemic-era budget surplus has been $20 to $35 million larger than pre-pandemic levels, according to NUGW’s report. “Northwestern could not function without these employees,” Legallet said. “And yet they are all exploited in the name of NU making money.” The Primary Reserve Ratio measures how many years an institution could continue paying expenses without receiving any additional revenue or taking on debt. NU’s 2021 ratio projected the University could do so for more than four years. NUGW ’s report claims the University’s austerity measures “(pit) workers against each other,” adding that NU has underutilized its available financial resources and assets for years. “(The contract negotiations) was really sad. The employees, we live very poor,” the anonymous dining hall worker said. “We work hard and this University have a lot of money, so we deserve more.” A community of care NU’s workers are not the only ones facing challenges with unionizing on a college campus. At Columbia University, about 3,000 graduate workers went on strike for 10 weeks starting in November 2021, demanding increased pay and worker protections. The strike ended in January after the union voted on a contract with Columbia’s administration. Workers had been advocating for the contract since 2014, when they began unionization efforts. Just two weeks later, Princeton University announced a 25% increase of graduate worker stipends for the 2022-23 academic year. Members of Princeton’s Graduate Student Union have speculated the strike at Columbia may have influenced

the pay increase. At NU, community members continue calling for similar changes. Despite the University’s inconsistent response to unionization attempts, dining and library workers said they’re grateful for the level of student support on campus during their actions and day-to-day interactions. “I really love to work here, I really enjoy my job, and it’s fun to work here, to see the kids, to serve the kids,” the dining hall worker said. “When somebody comes to say thank you for what you’re doing, that really makes me happy.” Legallet said students have a responsibility to care for all members of the community, including staff, faculty and workers. But Legallet said the University abandoned workers across campus during the pandemic when their services were less necessary. These conditions — which she described as overworking, underappreciation and exploitation — prompt workers to unionize, she said. “For NU to truly be a community, there needs to be respect given to every member of the community, especially workers,” Legallet said. “The way that NU has historically treated their service workers does not constitute a proper community.” For now, Werth said NUGW is focused on supporting the community through efforts like distributing personal protective equipment to graduate students and pressuring NU to fully fund them through their fifth summer. Werth said NUGW creates space for graduate students to come together and access advice and care, even without University recognition. “It’s disappointing that Northwestern won’t let (our efforts) flourish,” Werth said. “But we’re not going to let their opposition stop us from creating the type of caring community that we want to see at Northwestern.” isabelfunk2024@u.northwestern.edu

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

arts & entertainment

Yiming Fu/Daily Senior Staffer

Imagine U premieres “The Ballad of Mu Lan” at Wirtz By JENNA WANG

the daily northwestern @jennajwang

The story of Mu Lan stretches back to sixth-century ancient China and has been told countless times since then, most notably in Disney’s 1998 animated movie “Mulan.” Imagine U’s “The Ballad of Mu Lan” began its performances Thursday in the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts and will run through March 6, which the show’s cast said is a version audiences have never seen before. One of the play’s most notable features is its traditional Chinese theatrical style based on Jīngjù, or Beijing opera. “It’s a totality of theatre, where you’re expected to be a quintuple threat,” said Alvin Chan (School of Professional Studies ’21), the show’s writer and

director. “They’re expected to do everything, like act, sing, dance, fight and flip.” Because Chan needed more time to train the cast in the style of Jīngjù, he also taught a theatre class at Northwestern called “Beijing Opera Movement and Combat” outside of rehearsal. For Communication junior Jonyca Jiao, who plays Mu Lan, having the opportunity to take the class for the production set an important precedent. “Northwestern has never done something like this,” Jiao said. “This is a huge step for the theatre department to see a different world and type of theatre presented on stage. It’s really good for me to also see my culture and my background presented on stage, especially in America, so this is very special to me.” This version of the production is more authentic to the original Ballad of Mulan than Disney’s version, Jiao said, as it will emphasize Mu Lan’s role as a warrior rather than focusing on romance as a core theme. Chan first encountered the story of Mu Lan

through Disney. However, he said his research into Mu Lan’s different iterations inspired him to write his own version where “there doesn’t need to be a talking dragon or a love interest.” Instead, Chan said he wanted his version to be more true to the original intent of the story. “(I decided) to not shy away from the dark parts of the story but also still define what it really means to have friendship and camaraderie regardless of gender,” Chan said. This version of Mu Lan features an all-female cast. Chan said he felt the decision lent itself well to the story and the Jīngjù form, which is traditionally only male. Communication freshman Sofi Pascua is one of the female actors in the production that portrays two male characters: the Xi Xia King and the advisor. “The Xi Xia King is the villain,” Pascua said. “He has this monster laugh and this giant spear. And the advisor is this old, 100-year-old man who just kind

of waddles on and offstage. So it’s been really fun playing these super large and dramatic characters.” As an Imagine U production, “The Ballad of Mu Lan” is geared toward children and families. In addition to the performances, Imagine U will also host creative drama workshops and a preview event at Evanston Public Library. For how different these characters can be from the actors themselves, there are also some commonalities. Though Jiao said she recognizes that she and Mu Lan come from different time periods and backgrounds, she believes their values align. “I see a lot of similarities between us, like I see this strong will, I see that she battles against patriarchy and against traditions that hold her back, so I see a lot of myself in her,” Jiao said. “She is like a hero figure for me, so it’s just my honor to portray her and my understanding of her.” jennawang2024@u.northwestern.edu

Arts Alliance board strives to create accessible theatre By JAMIE KIM

the daily northwestern

Art that is easy to relate to. Art that is easy to speak with. Art that is easy to reach. These are the three pillars of Arts Alliance, a Student Theatre Coalition board dedicated to bringing accessible, relatable and universally identifiable work to audiences at Northwestern. Communication senior and Artistic Director Charlotte Jones said the organization aims to create relatable work that leaves audiences with thought-provoking and entertaining experiences. “(We are) dedicated to community reflection and growth,” Jones said. “We’re always looking for new ways to improve and make art even

easier to relate to, even easier to speak with and even easier to reach.” Each fall, Arts Alliance holds its Garden Party and Fall McCormick shows. The board helps produce two Mee-Ow shows in the winter and later showcases its Spring Shanley show. The board’s mainstage productions are free for audiences. Arts Alliance also holds other events throughout the year, including ArtBox, a festival held in the spring featuring musicians, poets and plays that takes place in an empty shipping container on the Lakefill. The second Mee-Ow show, entitled “Mee-Ow You See Me,” took the stage Thursday and will run through Saturday in Shanley Pavilion. Communication junior and Finance Director Laney Yoo said during petitions for directors and

producers, Arts Alliance looks for individuals who are passionate about what they want to do and have a clear vision or a variety of ideas. Yoo joined Arts Alliance at the end of her freshman year. She said it was interesting to watch the board “relearn the rings” of an inperson show. “I wanted to have more of a voice and a role in theatre in this campus, and so it’s been really interesting watching the board transition from being on Zoom during the pandemic to back in-person,” Yoo said. Communication sophomore Matheus Barbee, an Arts Alliance apprentice, describes himself as a “performer first,” but said he is also interested in the business side of theatre. In his petition to join Arts Alliance, he talked about his interest in marketing and business within the theatre

world. He said marketing is interesting because it identifies special aspects of a project and shares it with as many people as possible. Barbee said he identified with Arts Alliance because of his love for musical theatre, which the group focuses on producing. Barbee also said, as an Afro-Latino student, he is underrepresented in the theatre world. He said he was excited to be on a board that prioritizes universally reachable art, and hopes Arts Alliance can continue to fulfill its mission of creating simultaneously accessible and meaningful art. “There’s a lot of opportunity for growth in making sure that the work that we’re putting out is boundary-pushing but still universally reachable,” Barbee said. jamiekim2025@u.northwestern.edu

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

Reel Thoughts: Tom Holland makes “Uncharted” work By ANDRÉS BUENAHORA

the daily northwestern @andresbuena01

Warning: This article contains spoilers. Carried by Tom Holland’s starpower, “Uncharted” premiered Friday to poor reviews, yet achieved major box office success. The film has already garnered the biggest opening for a video game adaptation since “Sonic the Hedgehog” in 2020. Based on the video game franchise of the same name, the movie tells the story of thief Nathan Drake (Tom Holland), who joins Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) on a journey to find the treasure lost by Ferdinand Magellan hundreds of years prior.

The project went into development in 2008 and originally featured Wahlberg in the principal role. After more than a decade, Sony produced the film and cast the younger Holland as Drake, with Wahlberg serving as his mentor Sully. Despite its star-studded cast — including Sophia Taylor Ali, Antonio Banderas, Tati Gabrielle and Rudy Pankow — the movie struggled with critics reviews, holding a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This adaptation includes some discrepancies between the film and video game. The movie shortens the age gap between the two characters. While Sullivan does serve as a mentor for Drake, the original game depicts their relationship as much more of a fatherson dynamic. That being said, “Uncharted” maintains the tone of the original game and delivers on an exciting adventure narrative.

Holland brings a bit of Peter Parker-ness to this role that offers a youthful and likable presence to the film, even as he’s kicking henchmen off a plane, sending them thousands of feet to their doom. His sense of humor balances out some of the darker elements of the film, and Holland’s witty one-liners during the middle of intense fight sequences will remind fans of his beloved time as a certain teenage webslinger. The comedic banter between Drake and Sullivan proves entertaining, and the story is elevated through Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas), the last remaining descendent of the Moncada family, threatening the duo in search of the gold. Banderas’s calm, measured approach and threatening demeanor provides a much-needed antagonist for Drake and Sullivan and creates a layer of subtext that improves an otherwise flat dialogue. The heart of the film is Holland’s portrayal of

Drake and his emotional search for his older brother Sam (Rudy Pankow). While he only appears in a few scenes, the Outer Banks star fuels the plot’s inciting incident and serves as the inspiration behind Drake’s decision to join Sullivan on this quest for Magellan’s treasure. The perfectly choreographed stunts, the fight sequences, the stunning visuals and backdrops of Barcelona, among other locations, make “Uncharted” an enjoyable film and another box office hit for Sony following the success of “SpiderMan: No Way Home”. “Uncharted” is an entertaining film that manages to go the distance thanks to Holland’s starpower. It could potentially set up a highly anticipated sequel or even a slate of future films within the franchise. andresbuenahora2024@u.northwestern.edu

Lovers & Madmen presents “The Lightning Thief” By ANNIE XIA

the daily northwestern

For her 14th birthday party, Communication sophomore Reva Sangal had a Percy Jackson themed cake. In middle school, Sangal wrote fanfiction about a character who was Hera’s only known child. Sangal said her life-long obsession with Percy Jackson started after she read “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan the summer before sixth grade. “It was one of our summer reading books,” Sangal said. “I read it, and then I finished the entire series in a week.” This weekend, Sangal will take the stage as Annabeth Chase in “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.” The show, presented by student theatre group Lovers & Madmen, will take place in McCormick Auditorium on Friday at 7 and 10 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m. In this adaptation, a female Percy Jackson discovers she is a Greek demigod and Poseidon’s daughter. After Zeus accuses her of stealing his master lightning bolt, she goes on a quest with her friends, Annabeth and Grover, to track down the missing weapon to save the world. Communication sophomore Morgan Frost, the

show’s assistant director, called the show a “nostalgic trip.” She discovered the Percy Jackson books while reading over a classmate’s shoulder on a third grade bus trip. Frost said one reason she loves and rereads the books every couple of years is how relatable they are. “The characters are so real,” Frost said. “They’re dealing with supernatural threats, but their reactions are so inspiring.” Sangal said being cast as Annabeth expanded her conception of the character. As someone who identifies as Indian American, she said the role has led her to alter the unmovable idea of Annabeth, who is white in the book series, she created as a child. She said she appreciated how Lovers and Madmen’s adaptation of the musical has allowed for such changes. Communication freshman Eli Blanks, who plays Grover, said he has been surprised by how enthusiastically students have responded to the musical. “They’re like, ‘No way, oh my god,’ or ‘I have to go. I love Lightning Thief,’” Blanks said. “I didn’t realize there were that many people who love it that much.” For Sangal, the musical’s childish jokes and lighthearted nature is the kind of theatre that people need right now. She said the shows will be

Seeger Gray/The Daily Northwestern

opportunities for people to laugh and not take themselves too seriously for two hours. “It was built for either middle schoolers or drunk college students — nowhere in between,”

Sangal said. “That’s what the show is meant to be. It’s just supposed to be fun.” anniexia2025@u.northwestern.edu

“Mee-ow You See Me” comedy show premieres in Shanley By NICOLE MARKUS

the daily northwestern @nicolejmarkus

Jacob Wendler/The Daily Northwestern

The Mee-Ow Show is set to perform in Shanley Pavilion this weekend. The show will run four times from Feb. 24 through Feb. 26, and is the comedy group’s second production of the quarter. “We put on our first show, and then we sat down that next Monday and we started writing our next show,” said Mee-Ow Co-Director Carden Katz. “It’s completely different, completely new sketches.” The fast-paced timeline distinguishes the organization from other Northwestern comedy groups. Katz said the group practiced five times a week, four hours a day to prepare for their biquarterly show. The show’s name, “Mee-ow You See Me,” reflects the opening sketch’s magic theme. Co-Producer Grant Albright said that while this show has similar comedy, the producers now have more experience putting on a live performance. The show is made up of pre-written sketches, improv games and live music from the band Ground Control.

The Weekend Ahead: Shows on campus By RAYNA SONG and ALEXA CROWDER

the daily northwestern @raynayu_song @alexacrowder

If you’re looking for weekend plans, here are some of the student performances you can find on campus. Imagine U: The Ballad of Mu Lan — Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts Josephine Louis Theater Friday 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. $6 to $15 Produced by the children’s theatre section of the

Wirtz Center, this retelling of the classic story of Mu Lan unites Chinese tradition and contemporary theatre. The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical — Lovers & Madmen McCormick Auditorium Friday 7 and 10 p.m., Saturday 2 and 7 p.m. Free This musical, based on the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, chronicles a newfound demigod’s quest to prevent war between Greek gods. Mee-Ow You See Me — Arts Alliance Shanley Pavilion

Friday 10 p.m., Saturday 7 and 10 p.m. $5 The second sketch comedy show of the quarter from this group, which boasts alums such as Seth Meyers and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Playing with Fire Goes to the Olympics — Playing with Fire Seabury Hall 250 Sunday 8:30 p.m. Free Tell a story from your life and Playing with Fire will retell it in the form of improv comedy. raynasong2023@u.northwestern.edu alexacrowder2024@u.northwestern.edu

Instead of the typical intermission found at other performances, The Mee-Ow Show opts to have a dance break where the audience comes on stage. “We really love to play songs that everyone knows the words to, people can sing along to, dance to,” said Ground Control bass player Noah Rabinovitch. “Between all the sketches we do 15 to 22 second bits or interludes that are either clips of a song or a little comedy thing.” Members of the Mee-ow Show, which has been running for about 50 years, have gone on to perform in top improv groups across the country, including Chicago’s The Second City, New York’s Magnet Theater and The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. Audience members can expect a wide range of rotating sketches. Albright said of the 20 sketches the group chooses per show, actors perform 11 during any given performance. “I like to call it a celebration,” Albright said. “It’s just so fun; the musical aspect and the way it’s just so intense that they’re just writing all quarter and then they get to show it at the end of the quarter.” Kaila Nichols contributed reporting. nicolemarkus2025@u.northwestern.edu

arts & entertainment Editor Rayna Song Assistant Editors Alexa Crowder Audrey Hettleman Kaila Nichols Designer Fiona Wang, Janya Sundar Staff Andrés Buenahora, Jamie Kim, Nicole Markus, Jenna Wang, Annie Xia

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

Northwestern admin denounces gun threat at Multicultural Center Content warning: This story contains mentions of threats of gun violence. Northwestern administrators denounced the

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

Tuesday threat to the Multicultural Center in an email to the community. NU is actively investigating the threat and reviewing video and security footage. The email also encouraged students with information about the incident to submit a Bias Incident Report. The Multicultural Center remains closed until Sunday, according to a Multicultural Student Affairs email. The Multicultural Center closed Tuesday night after a student office assistant discovered a threat

written on a whiteboard. The message read “I am insane, also I have a gun.” The students working notified University Police and closed the building. UP patrolled the building and reported it safe, but increased patrols in the area. As of Wednesday afternoon, UP has yet to issue a Crime Notice to the community or upload an incident report to its Daily Blotter. In the email, NU condemned attempts to intimidate or threaten community members, calling the

incident a violation of NU’s values. The University also acknowledged the recent bomb threats at more than a dozen Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the country. “Tuesday’s incident occurred in a space that centers the needs of our marginalized students while fostering community engagement and identity expression,” the email stated. — Isabel Funk

FGLI students feel unsupported in STEM courses By IRIS SWARTHOUT

the daily northwestern @swarthout_iris

Each year, a cohort of freshmen enter Northwestern and register for introductory STEM courses. Students in these roughly 200-person classes are often diverse in background, including in the high schools they attended. For first-generation and/or low-income students who went to relatively less competitive high schools, like Weinberg junior Vivica Lewis, these courses prove to be more challenging than for wealthier students with rigorous academic backgrounds. Lewis said she noticed this in a chemistry peer-guided study group during her freshman year. “I felt behind amongst the students in that group, where I was asking for extra help,” she said. “There’s this pressure to just get it. And I didn’t know who to tell that I just wasn’t understanding.” Lewis attended Carmen High School of Science and Technology, a charter school in Milwaukee, Wis. She said while her high school was academically stronger than other Milwaukee schools, it did not measure up to preparatory schools nationwide. Though Lewis did well in advanced placement courses, she said she felt ill-prepared for the advanced placement exams. For some students, including McCormick junior Bryan Sanchez, this created a false sense of confidence upon entering NU. “(In high school,) I didn’t need to work hard to do extremely well and do better than others,” Sanchez said. “I came to Northwestern with that mindset … it was a culture shock.”

Illustration by Olivia Abeyta

FGLI students at NU struggle with adjusting to STEM classes more than their wealthier counterparts.

While Sanchez said NU’s coursework is a difficult adjustment for everyone, individuals who come from more rigorous high schools know how to approach it. He said opportunity-wise, students who attend high schools in majorityFGLI areas are often not exposed to fundamental aspects of STEM college experiences, such as research. Exact statistics on the proportion of lowincome students in NU’s class of 2025 were not made public, but just over 15% of its class are first-generation college students. And though many of these students come from low-income

areas, some attended high schools with a higher degree of rigor. For Weinberg junior Kasha Akhtar, high school was a more difficult experience than college and taught her what her strengths and weaknesses were. She said after struggling with biology in high school and excelling in AP Statistics, she realized she wanted to study statistics to some degree. “I took AP Calc BC and I also took AP Stats, and both were pretty good and I would say both prepared me decently well for STEM at Northwestern,” she said. “(At NU) there was

definitely a learning curve because things were moving so fast, but I think I was able to adapt to it.” Akhtar, who studies MMSS, social policy and statistics, said she was adequately prepared for AP exams in high school and feels like she adapted faster than her FGLI classmates. However, as a first-generation student, she said she was unaware of certain aspects of college that students with college-graduate parents learned about. Akhtar said FGLI students often experience imposter syndrome adapting to an environment full of students who were familiar with college growing up. “A lot of times, you have to rely on yourself and you’re not taught to go to office hours and talk to your professor,” she said. “Whereas if you grew up in a family where your parents went to college and they tell you all about the college experience, that kind of mindset is just ingrained.” Now in their third year of college, Akhtar, Lewis and Sanchez said they feel well-adjusted to NU. Lewis said she entered as a pre-medical student and now studies sociology and global health, fields she said align more with her skill set. Although she might have still been on the pre-medical track at a university with a more accommodating introductory STEM course experience, she said she feels that her current career path is right for her. “It’s definitely a lot better as I feel less in survival mode all the time,” she said. “Now I actually get to thrive and build a valuable career and not have to worry so much about just passing my classes.” irisswarthout2023@u.northwestern.edu

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

Mayor Daniel Biss appoints Juan Geracaris as 9th Ward alderman Mayor Daniel Biss has appointed Juan Geracaris as the next 9th Ward City Council member, the mayor announced in a Wednesday news release. City Council will vote to confirm Geracaris’s appointment on Monday, Feb. 28. If approved by the council, Geracaris would be Evanston’s first Latino councilmember. He is a first-generation Argentine immigrant who moved to Evanston to attend Northwestern University,

and has now lived and worked in Evanston for 29 years. His two sons attend Evanston/Skokie School District 65 schools. Geracaris, who has lived in the 9th Ward for 14 years, currently works at the University as the senior network systems engineer in the Kellogg School of Management. He is the vice president of Evanston Latinos and has served as the vice president of the Oakton Elementary School Parent Teacher Association. He is a member of the Next Steps Evanston planning committee, a group of Evanston/Skokie School District 65 caregivers that aims to close the opportunity gap in local schools. He also founded local skateboarding organization Evanston Skates.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the 9th Ward and the greater Evanston community on City Council,” Geracaris said in the news release. “I will do my best to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard.” In a Feb. 17 community forum, Geracaris said he believes it is important to ensure people know the city is working for them. He said he will prioritize making city meetings and city services more accessible for Spanish-speaking families. In his application for the seat, Geracaris also said he aims to select a city manager who shares the community’s values, to ensure working-class families have access to affordable housing in Evanston, to invest in solar energy infrastructure and to provide

safer streets for pedestrians. The appointment comes after Ald. Cicely Fleming (9th) announced her resignation in December. If approved, Geracaris will serve until the municipal election in 2023. “I am pleased to appoint Juan Geracaris as Evanston’s next 9th Ward city councilmember,” Biss said in the release. “Juan has demonstrated his commitment to making Evanston more affordable, accessible, and sustainable through extensive community involvement. I am grateful for his willingness to serve, and I extend my deepest thanks to the wonderful candidates who applied for this position.” — Olivia Alexander

Five things you should know about Juan Geracaris Park District and is working with the city on building a skate park at Twiggs Park. Geracaris also serves on Evanston’s Skate Park Advisory Board.

By OLIVIA ALEXANDER

daily senior staffer @oliviagalex

Geracaris attended and works at Northwestern University.

Who will be Evanston’s next 9th Ward alderperson? A Monday City Council vote will determine whether Juan Geracaris (McCormick ’97) will take a seat on the council — but who is he? After former 9th Ward Ald. Cicely Fleming announced her resignation in December, the city began a search to find her replacement. Mayor Daniel Biss appointed Geracaris to fill the vacancy Wednesday. If approved by the council, Geracaris will serve until the 2023 municipal elections. Here are five things to know about him.

He moved to Evanston from Argentina in 1993 to attend Northwestern. Geracaris graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and he works at the University as the senior network systems engineer at the Kellogg School of Management. His top priority will be keeping housing affordable.

He is a founding member of Evanston Latinos. Geracaris is a founding member and the vice president of Evanston Latinos. The nonprofit organization was founded during the pandemic and seeks to support Latinx people in the city. On City Council, Geracaris said he would commit to increasing access to city meetings and services for Spanish-speaking families. In a Thursday community forum, Geracaris said the council doesn’t have interpreters. While leading the 9th Ward, he hopes to break down the language barrier and increase Latinx participation in Evanston politics. If confirmed by City Council, he would be Evanston’s first Latino councilmember. Geracaris is a Evanston/Skokie School

Daily file photo by Evan Robinson-Johnson

An aerial view of Evanston. Here’s five things to know about Juan Geracaris.

District 65 parent. Geracaris is the father of two children who attend Oakton Elementary School. He has also served as the Oakton Parent Teacher Association’s vice president and the liaison to the school’s Two-Way Immersion program, which aims to enrich the bilingual education of both native English and Spanish speaking students in District 65. Geracaris is also a member of the Next Steps

Evanston planning committee, a group of District 65 caregivers working to close the opportunity gap in the district’s schools. The group offers equity and anti-racism training to District 65 families. He’s one of the founders of local skating organization Evanston Skates. Evanston Skates advocates for skate parks in the city. The group brought a skate park to the Ridgeville

In his application for the position, Geracaris stated many goals for his time as the 9th Ward councilmember. These included selecting a city manager who shares community values, investing in solar energy infrastructure for city buildings and utilities and creating safer streets for pedestrians and cyclists. During the community forum, he said his top priority will be affordability in Evanston. He said he’ll make decisions with an equity centered approach and aim to support families who are struggling. “I came to Evanston because of all the opportunities here –– great schools, beautiful neighborhoods –– and that’s the case with everyone who lives here,” Geracaris said at the forum. “Everyone loves this town. I want to keep Evanston affordable for everyone.”

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2022

Evanston Art Center exhibit explores retrofuturism By JACK AUSTIN

daily senior staffer @jackaustinnews

Yaoundé Olu started creating art at the age of two. The pioneering multi-disciplinary artist and musician considers herself a storyteller and retro-futurist and said she wants to show different perspectives through her art. She said something within her propels her to create. “Black Field / White Field” is an exhibition of Olu’s art on display at Evanston Art Center through March 20. It was curated by Evanston artist Fran Joy. Joy said the exhibit is part of an initiative at the art center to feature more BIPOC artists. During the year, she said the center plans to display the work of three Black women and one Indigenous woman near the entrance of the gallery. “Her work, to me it looks futuristic and retro, but she incorporates the past, the present and the future,” Joy said. “You see the African roots to it, but it has an outer space vibe to it.”

Jack Austin/Daily Senior Staffer

A close-up of “Enterception of an Eyedea.” The painting by Yaoundé Olu is on display as part of her exhibit at Evanston Art Center, “Black Field / White Field.”

Olu said her work predates the modern popularity of the term “Afrofuturism.” Art and art history Prof. Emeritus Rebecca Zorach said she thinks Olu envisions her work as alternate realities of past and present, rather than strictly future science fiction.

Zorach said Olu offers unique perspectives on pressing issues. One painting in “Black Field / White Field” titled “Portal of Hope” features a woman with laser eye beams under the Edmund Pettus Bridge, a historic marching ground for civil rights.

“It’s about offering ways of thinking that break the frame or allow us to see alternative realities, different ways of thinking,” Zorach said. “She engages with contemporary issues, but at an interesting angle.” Envisioning new possibilities and positive portrayals for Black people remains a focus of Olu’s work. “I like to put Black people in a space context. Usually we don’t think of that,” Olu said. “In other words, we’re not just limited to being oppressed in the here and now.” The exhibition title refers to separate artistic processes. Black fields are colorful images with a black background, while white fields are paint sharpies on canvas. Using changed perspectives in an effort to eliminate barriers to unity is another goal of Olu’s art, she said. “I strive… to provide people with an alternative worldview, so we can see ourselves from another standpoint… and see how ridiculous some of the isms that separate and divide us (are),” Olu said. “The images I create highlight there are many different ways to exist.” jonathanaustin2023@u.northwestern.edu

NU’s Body Acceptance Week promotes authentic lives By LAURA SIMMONS

the daily northwestern @laurasio1351418

Content warning: This story contains mentions of eating disorders. Northwestern’s Body Acceptance Week, organized by Health Promotion and Wellness, offers programming every year during the last week of February to raise awareness of body acceptance and help students foster body acceptance. This year’s theme is “Live Your Reel Real Life,” focusing on how social media is a highlight reel that can have harmful effects on body image. Each day of Body Acceptance Week features events related to the main theme: Self-Compassion and Social Media Monday, “Beauty Sickness” and Social Media Tuesday, Eating Disorders and Social Media Wednesday, Moving Our Bodies with Joy and Acceptance Thursday and Mindful and Intuitive Eating Friday. Director of HPaW Angela Mitchell said Body Acceptance Week was created several years ago to engage the community about approaching messages from media, family and friends that are not accepting of all bodies. Activities include webinars,

Q&As and a talking circle, which is an open space for people to speak about vulnerable topics freely. “Our overall mission is to create and support a campus community in which all students can thrive,” Mitchell said. “Body acceptance is a core piece of one’s well-being.” HPaW provided resources on Monday to foster self-compassion. Marissa Knox, who studies mindful self-compassion, said recognizing common humanity is a way to practice self-compassion. Knox said there are numerous other ways to practice self-compassion, but it begins with getting to know yourself and what you need. “Even though self-compassion has self in it, it’s one of the most generous things we can do for others,” Knox said. “When we practice self-compassion, it benefits our relationships.” Other activities explored the impact of media on self-perception. On Tuesday, psychology Prof. Renee Engeln hosted the Zoom event “Ask Me Anything,” a Q&A on body image within society and social media. Despite the recognition of anti-fat bias and body positivity movements on social media, Elgeln said society still has a long way to go until accepting all body types. She added there is research to suggest fat bias is increasing. “It’s very hard for those movements to compete

against a culture that is overwhelmingly focused on appearance and narrow body ideals,” Engeln said. “There’s a lot of tension that people feel. We want a different media landscape, but when you spend your years being taught to value a certain body, you can’t turn it off.” Engeln said body acceptance is a radical stance to silence the constant inner critic and stop worrying about one’s body. Other events include talking circles with The Renfrew Center, which provides eating disorder treatment, and a webinar with award-winning yoga instructor Jessamyn Stanley. Site Director Gari Matsey said eating disorders thrive in isolation. She said talking circles can help spread awareness about eating disorders and help people feel more comfortable having these conversations. Lisa Carlson, NU’s campus dietitian nutritionist, wrote in an email that mindful eating is an extension of mindfulness, a Buddhist practice that encourages being present and judgment-free. To practice mindful eating, Carlson suggests removing distractions, slowing down and eating with others. Carlson said she wants students to view eating as a positive way to fuel their mind and body. There are no good foods or bad foods. “It is important to provide opportunities to

Illustration by Olivia Abeyta

This year’s Body Acceptance Week is focused on social media’s harmful effects on body image.

connect with students on this topic and share resources to help,” Carlson said. “It often begins with awareness and a conversation.” laurasimmons2025@u.northwestern.edu

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Evanston resident develops children’s board game By AVIVA BECHKY

the daily northwestern @avivabechky

Evanston resident Kate Hunt said her kids often asked her why they couldn’t build a treehouse outside their apartment. In 2019, she started working on a different way to build treehouses: through a board game. “A lot of kids have this innate desire for a hangout, a place that’s theirs, a place that belongs to them,” she said. “I thought that’d be a fun basis for a game: being able to build a treehouse.” Hunt recently made “Ultimate Treehouse” available online and in some Evanston stores. Players place whimsical cards decorated with illustrations like a squirrel squinting into a telescope onto their game mats. The goal is to be the first to collect six elements: walls, a roof, a floor and three fun items. Hunt made the initial version of the game with cards she decorated herself before sending the prototype to friends, including Evanston resident Keren Chookaszian. Chookaszian said she and her three kids first played the game about a year ago.

“I had never really seen a game that was great for everybody in the family,” Chookaszian said. “It was easy to follow. The kids really liked it.” Hunt said her kids also contributed ideas to “Ultimate Treehouse” — she said she added a disco ball to the game after her oldest child suggested it as an extra element. Last summer, Hunt met with local illustrator Matthew LaFleur to show him the prototype and discuss drawing the game. LaFleur said he added his own style to the game. When he first looked at it, the treehouse illustrations were only sparsely populated, he said. “I thought, what can we do to breathe a little bit more life into this?” LaFleur said. “My first thought was a rabbit would be flying down this zip line. And I was like, ‘Okay, so then now, we can have squirrels here. We get an owl there. We put a turtle over there, and birds in the tree.’” Hunt began selling the finished version of “Ultimate Treehouse” online in January, she said. It’s also available at Evanston Games & Cafe on Maple Avenue and Stumble & Relish on Chicago Avenue. Eli Klein, the owner of Evanston Games & Cafe, said he’s recently struggled to find kids

Photo courtesy of Kate Hunt

Kids smile while playing “Ultimate Treehouse.” Kate Hunt, an Evanston resident, designed the board game.

games he likes, but the response to “Ultimate Treehouse” has been good overall. “The people who come to hang out in the store and play games there and drink coffee there, they make the effort to buy from me because they want

to support their local game store,” Klein said. “That spirit extends to: We’ve got a game made by an Evanston resident.” avivabechky2025@u.northwestern.edu

Housing Subcommittee discusses rental licensing By AVANI KALRA

the daily northwestern @avanidkalra

Evanston’s Planning and Development Housing Subcommittee met Wednesday evening to discuss implementing a rental licensing program in the city. The program would make it necessary for landlords to obtain a license before they can rent out property. At the moment, a city ordinance requires annual registration for residential rental properties that are single family homes, rental condominiums, multifamily rental buildings and accessory dwelling units. Joseph Roth, the governmental affairs director at Illinois Realtors, said the change is premature. “The efforts are better focused on fixing the registration process rather than creating a blanket

authoritarian approach to all of our housing providers,” Roth said. “Licensing is, after all, a threat to their livelihoods.” Daniel Schermerhorn, president of Schermerhorn and Co. Property Management, said Evanston’s registration system needs an overhaul. Schermerhorn said the city has required registration for about a decade, and for more than half of those years, he has received a letter informing him he has failed to register his properties. He said this happens so often, he keeps a copy of his registration letter on hand. “I’m confused about what licensing is going to do for us that we don’t have with registration,” Schermerhorn said. “I’m also concerned about whether we have the wherewithal to go in a queue and maintain a licensing ordinance.” Still, Ald. Bobby Burns (5th) argued rental licensing is important. He said he doesn’t see evidence of

aggressive measures happening around licensing, but was open to taking a look at any examples. “Because the education component is mandatory, because you’re required to complete it to renew your license or keep it in good standing, we see better compliance,” Burns said. Burns said places like Iowa City experienced an increase in compliance after a licensing requirement. Evanston Housing and Grants Manager Sarah Flax agreed and said licensing is valuable. Most cities she’s consulted in Illinois regarding licensing have not revoked many licenses. The threat encourages landlords to resolve issues before that can happen, she said. When licenses are revoked, Flax said landlords can no longer obtain rental income. While there are only a handful of landlords that commit repeat violations, licensing offers the city an avenue through which to hold landlords

with repeat violations accountable, she said. Flax addressed the landlords in the room and said this change in policy is not directed at them, but at landlords who do not address violations or pay fines associated with them. No tenants made a public comment at the meeting. After a fine is issued, Flax said her inspector goes back out to see if the violation remains. If it does, the process starts again. She said a licensing program, or any sort of program beyond the fine, would offer a more tangible consequence. “We’re doing this for the rest of you. Because you guys are taking the time to take care of your properties. Because you guys are taking the time to take care of your properties,” Flax said. “Our current structure with violations and tickets and administrative hearings doesn’t solve the issue.” avanikalra2025@u.northwestern.edu

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Northwestern slides past Purdue on Senior Night By MARYKATE ANDERSON

the daily northwestern @mkeileen

Entering its penultimate regular season matchup, Northwestern — especially its senior class — understood what was on the line. “We’re all on the same page,” senior guard Jess Sancataldo said. “It’s an all-ornothing approach. We know we need to win every game from here on, so we’re going to do everything we can, leave it all out on the floor, and just fight for eachother.” The squad has their sights set on an NCAA tournament bid, but before that possibility can cloud their focus, the Wildcats must first wrap up the regular season and put on a showing at the Big Ten Tournament. NU’s first remaining hurdle was Purdue, a team they beat handily earlier this month and ultimately took down once more on Thursday’s Senior Night. The Cats (16-10, 8-7 Big Ten) topped the Boilermakers (16-12, 7-10) 68-51, in large part due to graduate guard Lauryn Satterwhite, another integral team member who played her final game in Evanston on Thursday.

Satterwhite’s game has markedly improved throughout February, and she exploded against Purdue. The Avondale, Arizona native registered an impressive 8-for-12 shooting from the field for a careerhigh 20 points, 12 of which were from three. After returning for a fifth and final year this season, Satterwhite could prove vital for the Cats’ success in March as her presence on the court continues to develop. “I came back for a reason,” Satterwhite said. “I didn’t know what it was. It wasn’t just to play basketball, but I think it was specifically to grow closer with this class and have moments like (today).” NU’s other eligible seniors also left their stamp on Welsh-Ryan Arena for the last time. Senior forward Courtney Shaw notched a career-high six steals to accompany 14 rebounds, which also matched her career high. Senior guard Veronica Burton, the Cats’ key playmaker, scored 12 points alongside eight assists and three steals. Sancataldo had her own night to remember. She missed the entire 2020 season due to COVID-19 travel restrictions and saw minimal court time this year. But, in the first start of her career, NU’s very own Aussie hit a three from the right corner with a large smile on her face as she scored in the first few minutes of the game.

“It was really special,” Sancataldo said. “I knew I could shoot the ball, I just had to back myself in that moment. But I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else, they’re my basketball sisters.” The Cats honored their most successful class in program history at Thursday’s Senior Night, in what would most likely be their final stint at home. Senior forward Sydney Wood — who was out most of the season due to injury — Sancataldo, Shaw and Burton have proven their place in the school’s history books since their debuts in 2018. The quartet led NU to a Big Ten title in 2020 as well as an NCAA tournament berth in 2021. Not only have they earned the second best win percentage over their tenure of any class — 68% — they could punch their squad a second ticket to the tournament this March. “When they came in here, they wanted to win and they wanted to impact Northwestern,” Satterwhite said. “To get to this point now, you just see the growth. I’m super proud of them … They’ve done so much for Northwestern and it definitely doesn’t go unnoticed, at all.” marykateanderson2023@ u.northwestern.edu

Angeli Mittal/Daily Senior Staffer

BASEBALL

MEN’S TENNIS

Cats to face No. 13 Winless NU looks to rebound Crimson this weekend By LUCAS KIM

the daily northwestern

By NATHAN ANSELL

the daily northwestern @nathanjansell

In the latest ITA team rankings, Northwestern made a massive jump to No. 14. It’ll have to prove it belongs there against the squad one spot above them. The Wildcats (10-2, 0-0 Big Ten) will attempt to back their ranking up against No. 13 Harvard (7-2, 0-0 Big Ten) on Sunday. Each of the teams’ last three showdowns have been one-point affairs. The Crimson won 4-3 matches in 2018 and 2020, but NU claimed victory in 2019 by the same score. “We certainly know that team from when we played them last, at least a majority of the players,” coach Arvid Swan said. “We’ll have a good game plan in mind.” Swan will also need to rehabilitate the Cats before facing Harvard. By Sunday, NU will have gone two weeks without playing outside of practices, as its last two matches have been canceled. Ensuring the healthy returns of some Cats affected by COVID-19 is a priority, too. “I want to go and get a bunch of strokes going, into playing with movement on the court,” Swan said. “From there, playing some ground stroke points and then on to match pace. There’s a bit of a progression.” In each of the three aforementioned matches, the team that won the doubles point went on to win the match. Harvard coach Andrew Rueb will defend his home

courts with strong pairings on all three courts, including the 20th-ranked duo of Daniel Milavsky and Brian Shi. The Crimson have won the doubles point in both of their home matches so far. “(Rube) always has the team ready to play,” Swan said. “His team conducts itself in a first-class manner, as do Andrew and the coaching staff.” Harvard’s singles lineup is potent as well. Shi came in at No. 30 in the individual rankings, and he’ll be playing alongside No. 20 Henry von der Schulenburg and No. 25 Harris Walker. None of them have lost a singles contest since January. “(Walker) is really good when he’s the more offensive player, so you have to play aggressive enough against Harris to neutralize his offense,” Swan said. “Shi is a great ball striker, so those two guys play really good offensive tennis in different ways.” The Crimson’s projected singles lineup will feature one player who wasn’t present in that 2020 victory: Milavsky. Swan praised Milavsky’s serve and variety of strokes, as well as the developments made since the start of his college career. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+, the first contest streamed on a national platform for NU in 2022. Despite the high-profile matchup, Swan said his team isn’t affected by the spotlight. “The focus really is just on the play itself,” Swan said. “(We’re) not worrying too much about who’s watching.” nathanansell2022@u.northwestern.edu

Following a winless four-game series at Birmingham, Alabama, last weekend, Northwestern is looking to notch its first victory in the team’s upcoming, fourgame West Coast road trip against Santa Clara (1-3, 0-0 WCC) this weekend. The Wildcats (0-4, 0-0 Big Ten) put up a valiant effort in their first game of the year, scoring six runs in the second inning before falling 8-7 to University of Alabama-Birmingham on a walk-off two-run single. NU proceeded to drop its next three games by an average of five runs to begin the 2022 season. Entering their second series out of three straight weekend road trips, the Cats hope to bounce back against a Santa Clara squad they haven’t played since the 2017 season. NU will rely on veterans like senior first baseman Anthony Calarco and senior right-hander Mike Doherty to help the team put one on the win column. In four games, Calarco has put up an impressive .400 batting average and 14 total bases in just 17 plate appearances, accounting for seven out of the team’s 14 runs thus far. The senior currently ranks fourth in RBIs (7) and seventh in slugging percentage (.933) in the Big Ten. Doherty — NU’s leader in innings pitched, games started and ERA last year — posted 5.1 innings on opening day, finishing with two strikeouts and five earned runs. Doherty is set to start on

Joshua Hoffman/Daily Senior Staffer

Northwestern baseball players celebrate. Northwestern will look for its first win of the season against Santa Clara.

Friday to open the series. Both Calarco and Doherty were named to the 2022 Big Ten Baseball Preseason Honors List, along with junior Stephen Hrustich. Left-hander Sean Sullivan, the probable starter for one of NU’s two doubleheader games this Saturday, leads a group of nine freshmen poised to make a difference for the team this year. In his first collegiate appearance, Sullivan struck out six batters in just three innings on Saturday, allowing only one earned run. Freshman catcher Bennett Markinson provided a spark from the leadoff spot in

the second leg of last Saturday’s doubleheader, picking up an RBI double in the second inning. Despite these efforts, the Cats failed to win their first four games for the first time since the 2017 season, when the team lost its first seven games but still made the Big Ten Tournament Championship Game. Now, under interim head coach Josh Reynolds, NU will look to give him his first win in a season marked by transition and development. lucaskim2025@u.northwestern.edu