The Daily Northwestern — April 3, 2023

The Daily Northwestern

Monday, April 3, 2023

12 SPORTS/Spring Sports Updates on NU’s spring sports season

AUDIO/Digital Diaries

Season 3, Episode 1: NU students discuss homesickness remedies

D65 hopefuls protest FAIR group

FAIR campaigns against diverse curricula nationwide, in Evanston

By AVANI KALRA daily senior staffer @avanidkalra

About 15 Evanston/Skokie School District 65 parents, teachers and students marched two and a half miles Saturday to oppose recent pushback to antiracist District 65 curricula ahead of Tuesday’s school board election. School board candidates and their supporters from the District 65 Caregivers of Color & Our Village assembled to oppose other candidates with alleged ties to the Evanston chapter of the Foundation Against Intolerance and

Racism. FAIR advocates for equal treatment “regardless of skin color” and campaigns against diversity programs nationwide.

In a letter sent to District 65 Superintendent Devon Horton last May, FAIR argued that District 65’s programs have taught children that people were in “‘danger’ because of ‘whiteness.’” They said the curriculum claims without qualification that white people have more opportunities than non-white people.

“Some candidates in this race suggest that the District 65 board could be improved by adding their diversity,” former District 65 Board of Education President and

Harris gave back $18,000, she says

Ryan family gave to her campaign amid field rebuild

By WILLIAM TONG daily senior staffer @william2tong

Following Northwesternaffiliated campaign donations to 2nd and 9th Ward City Council incumbents, all candidates say they would prioritize resident feedback when considering NU’s Rebuild Ryan Field project.

The University announced plans to rebuild the stadium in September following a $480

million donation from the Patrick and Shirley Ryan Family. To proceed, the University needs a special use permit for the stadium’s construction, a zoning text amendment to permit fullcapacity concerts and a liquor license from the city.

Ald. Krissie Harris (2nd) received $12,000 in campaign donations on March 12 and 13 from a member of the Ryan family and a former employee of Ryan Specialty Group — an insurance firm owned by the Ryans — according to Illinois State Board of Elections data.

Harris said she’s returned this

» See CAMPAIGN MONEY, page 10

demonstration organizer Anya Tanyavutti said. “(People involved with FAIR) say the board will be improved by adding a little rightwing dehumanization, racism, transphobia (and) ableism.”

Tanyavutti encouraged attendees to support incumbents Mya Wilkins and Sergio Hernandez at the polls, claiming some of their challengers have ties to FAIR.

Challenger Ndona Muboyayi volunteered for FAIR in the past but told The Daily she no longer works with the organization.

Candidate John Martin, who has also been accused of involvement with FAIR, has said he wasn’t involved.

7 A&E/Lipstick Burlesque Performance features lingerie and pole dancing

URAP suspended as SURG applicants rise

Students express disappointment, surprise at changes

By RUSSELL LEUNG daily senior staffer @rjleung7

Weinberg junior Jane Mavis was planning to work in a Northwestern clinical psychology lab this summer. It would have been one of her first experiences in a formal research setting, which she said would be critical for both solidifying her interest in psychology and bolstering her looming graduate school applications.

Summer Undergraduate Research Grant, which awards recipients a $4,000 stipend to lead their own independent projects, URAP is one of OUR’s flagship research funds. This year, however, SURG received 480 applications, 156 more than last year. According to OUR Director and Communication Prof. Peter Civetta, a faculty review committee selects grant proposals for funding solely based on merit, which means OUR’s budget doesn’t restrict the number of awards.

Speakers at Saturday’s demonstration urged attendees to vote against these candidates. Tanyavutti said groups like FAIR arose in direct opposition to her work on the school board.

Tanyavutti had implemented anti-racist work through initiatives like Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, LGBTQ+ Equity Week and Latinx Heritage Week.

“That’s how we got here today. Because the District 65 board dared to care about all human rights,” Tanyavutti said. “Local fascists and KKK, cloaked under the guise of FAIR and Evanston

» See EVANSTON FAIR , page 10

But when the Office of Undergraduate Research suspended its Undergraduate Research Assistant Program for summer 2023, Mavis’ hopes of investigating mood-reading and emotion recognition were suddenly up in the air.

“For me, it’s a big source of anxiety,” Mavis said. “I have next-to-no lab experience, so URAP was very much going to be something that got me comfortable in that kind of setting.”

URAP financially supports undergraduate students to work on faculty projects, catering to those with less research experience who want to receive more guidance from academic experts. Along with opportunities like the

Rather than change the review process for SURG, Civetta said the office decided to shut down URAP before applications opened for the summer. The funds originally intended for URAP will be redirected to SURG.

“It felt unfair and inequitable for us to change the rules in the middle, after everybody’s already applied,” Civetta said. “We felt like, ‘OK, if we’re going to continue to run this review process the way that we’re running it, we’re going to need more money.’ And the only way we can do that is either by arbitrarily decreasing the number of awards that are given to URGs, or (suspending) URAP.”

Because the SURG application review process is ongoing, Civetta said the total amount of money required to finance the grants is still unknown. But, he said the

» See URAP, page 10

Charity honors late Weinberg student

Daniel Gives Back has hosted four blood drives, saved 829 lives

By JOANNA HOU daily senior staffer @joannah_11

When Daniel Perelman applied for his driving permit in high school, he decided to become an organ donor.

“Nobody in our family was an organ donor, not because we have anything especially against it, but just because we never thought about this,” said Benny Perelman, Daniel Perelman’s dad. “He was thinking and saying, ‘This is an opportunity to do something in the remote possibility, right? Why not?’”

Daniel Perelman, formerly a Weinberg freshman, died in May after a plane crash in Wauwatosa,

Wisconsin. He was part of the Integrated Sciences Program and multiple clubs at Northwestern. Daniel Perelman, who planned to pursue medicine after graduation, also shadowed a cardiologist in Evanston once or twice a week, his dad said.

After his death, Daniel Perelman’s heart, liver and kidneys were donated to four people.

Benny Perelman said he and his wife, along with many of their friends, decided to become organ donors after seeing their son save lives. Daniel Perelman’s friends from NU would also occasionally message his family to tell them they registered for organ donation.

Rabbi Levi Brook of Chabad of Waukesha-Brookfield arranged his son’s funeral and service,

Benny Perelman said. Brook connected the family with Versiti, a non-profit that focuses on blood donation and research. In July, the

Chabad of Waukesha-Brookfield hosted its first blood drive in

» See PERELMAN, page 10

Seeger Gray/Daily Senior Staffer

Ald. Juan Geracaris (9th), members of his family and other advocates walk along Ridge Street toward the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center on Saturday.

Pavan Acharya/Daily Senior Staffer The Rock on March 2. Daniel Perelman’s friends came together to paint it in his honor.

Cook County still faces shortage of election judges

By CASEY HE the daily northwestern @caseeey_he

After reading about a shortage of Cook County election judges in the Chicago Tribune, Wilmette resident Jim Mann signed up two days before the primary election in March 2020.

“I decided I should do this because it’s the democratic process, and it’s a civic-minded thing to do,” Mann said.

Mann said he was essentially trained on the job. The other judges at his polling place showed him how to sign in and assist voters and operate the voting machines day-of. Mann has returned to his post for every subsequent election.

Three years later, however, Cook County is facing a “critical shortage” of election judges with the April 4 election day just around the corner, according to election administrators. Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough said the county is seeking an additional 1,000 judges during a public appearance on March 21.

“Without our judges, there is no election. Along with our voters, they are the crucial piece to the puzzle that is our democracy,” Yarbrough said.

This year, Cook County increased pay for election judges to $250, a $50 increase from the last election. Polling place technicians, who have more responsibilities in setting up and troubleshooting voting equipment, will make $385, a $20 increase.

This is the first time that the county has boosted the pay for judges during Evanston resident Katie Martin’s 20-year stint as a judge. She said she thinks the change will help with recruitment.

“Why should it just be a minimum wage job like any other job?” Martin said. “I think it would attract more people if (the county) continues to raise the pay.”

She said the County should also provide compensation to people who take time off from work to be election judges, she said. She sees the shortage of judges as a chronic problem. For the primary election in 2022, Martin said her precinct only had three judges, as opposed to the usual four to five, even with higher-than-expected turnout.

“When you have that few judges, you really can’t go out and get a little break,” Martin said. “You have

to be there at five in the morning. And you don’t get home until usually eight o’clock at night. It’s a long day.”

Martin said the election judge population is aging, which contributes to the shortage. The majority of judges she works with are retirees, and she would like to see the county put more effort into recruiting from the working population.

Mann said while the demanding schedule is the main reason Cook County sees a shortage, the pandemic also had a significant impact. The job requires face-to-face interaction with voters, which can be unsafe for older judges. Plus, Mann said, some people are concerned by recent threats made against poll workers.

Weinberg freshman Jessica Dean worked as an election judge in California before coming to Northwestern. After hearing about the openings in Cook County, Dean said she signed up for the Chicago mayoral primary election in February.

“I feel pretty accomplished,” Dean said. “It’s our civic duty. If you’re worried about the security of the elections, it’s your duty to do something about it.”

Dean said she thinks there is a lot of interest among college students to be election judges, and she would like to see more promotion of the opportunity. The county should also make in-person training sessions more frequent and accessible, she added, so judges can be fully acquainted with the voting process and technology.

Mann and Martin will be working as election judges in Tuesday’s consolidated election. Mann said he does not anticipate a high turnout, but it is still crucial to make sure people can cast their ballot in person on election day if they choose to.

“Even though it’s a volunteer position, it’s just so important that every six months or so, (we) do this,” Mann said. “Not a lot of countries in the world have this type of freedom.”

Any registered voter and current resident of the county, as well as high school juniors, seniors and college students, can apply to become an election judge, according to the Clerk’s Office.

caseyhe2026@u.northwestern.edu

Seeger Gray/Daily Senior Staffer

The Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center. Although Cook County increased the pay for election judges by $50 this year, the county still faces a shortage of 1,000 judges.

Profs. back liberal arts amid national cuts

By KRISTEN AXTMAN daily senior staffer @kristenaxtman1

Despite receiving federal COVID-19 relief funds, several universities across the country experienced large budget shortfalls this past year. Some financially struggling universities resorted to cutting or shrinking liberal arts departments.

In February, Marymount University in Virginia plans to cut philosophy, art, history and English, among other programs. The University of Alaska has discontinued or scaled back more than 40 programs, most of which are liberal arts-oriented departments. Though Northwestern did not announce a budget deficit or department cuts, professors still said losing liberal arts departments has real impacts across the country.

Art history Prof. Alicia Caticha said she is not concerned for the future of NU’s Art History Department because of its rich history and connections to the Chicago art scene. But she expressed fear for the future of the humanities nationwide.

“People are going to go into the world without this understanding of where we came from,” Caticha said.

Caticha said cutting liberal arts programs removes students’ access to knowledge about how the world works. Having a complex understanding of visual media requires critical thinking skills, she said, which students can develop in art history classes.

Caticha said the humanities receive less attention because these departments bring in smaller grants. Even STEM professors that focus on theory instead of running big labs are less valued, she added.

Philosophy Prof. Axel Mueller said eliminating humanities departments is a shortsighted decision. He said that no other institution in the US exists to explore the questions that the humanities grapple with.

Mueller, who is also the director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Philosophy, said the national post-industrial society views colleges as a way to boost economic development. But universities have a social responsibility to explore the human condition and create a more educated society, he said.

Caticha said there is more hesitancy among parents for their children to major in art history, because the art market is vast.

“STEM is very sexy, and parents paying a lot of money for college want outcomes and they can’t see clear outcomes,” Caticha said. “You will find art history is useful in ways you did not realize.”

Caticha added the sciences and the humanities are more intertwined than people believe. Students in STEM need to have an understanding of the history and philosophy of their field.

According to Mueller, the cost of college sometimes scares students away from liberal arts, but Mueller said a student’s major is not the sole predictor for their future income or employment.

Mueller said a student’s relationship with professors can predict future outcomes more than their major. He added the general intelligence liberal arts provides is a useful tool experts in any career path rely on.

“The record is by no means clear that as an English major, you must earn less money than an engineering major,” he said.

Art history Prof. Thadeus Dowad said he understands students’ fears about the humanities, especially students who can’t rely on their families for financial support.

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Still, he said students have a misconception that they won’t be successful or hireable if they major in humanities. While he said students often view the humanities as “fluffy” and believe they can gain an understanding of literature and history through pop culture, Dowad said digging into material with an expert is not comparable to anything else.

“We’re really developing fully fleshed minds,” Dowad said. “Students who are really good at writing, arguing and seeing situations from many different vantage points can take that set of skills anywhere.”

Mueller said he looked forward to the philosophy department continuing to evolve and include more diverse perspectives.

Similarly, Dowad and Caticha said the Art History department continues to grow and a new professor joined the department last year.

“Without a liberal arts education, you’re missing a huge dynamic facet of human existence,” Dowad said. “A liberal arts education is trying to get you to…be an engaged, informed citizen of the world we live in today.” kristenaxtman2025@u.northwestern.edu

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Illustration by Shveta Shah

Students petition for MENA study abroad options

By PAVAN ACHARYA daily senior staffer @pavanacharya02

In 2011, Northwestern suspended its study abroad programs with The American University in Cairo and American University in Beirut after the start of the Arab Spring movement.

Though the closings came as many U.S.based academic institutions shut down studyabroad opportunities in the region, multiple universities have since reopened their programs in the Middle East.

Northwestern’s study abroad programs in Cairo and Beirut, however, never reopened.

The Middle Eastern North African Student Association submitted a petition to the Global Learning Office earlier this month that aims to increase study-abroad opportunities in Middle Eastern and North African countries by reopening University programs with AUC and AUB. The petition, submitted by the Middle Eastern North African Student Association, also calls on the University to create new study-abroad programs in Palestine with Birzeit University and Arab American University.

The University currently does not offer study abroad programs in Palestine, Cairo and Beirut.

“By opening up study abroad regions, we’re helping to challenge and change harmful stereotypes and orientalist, western-dominated narratives the media pushes about us,” MENA Student Association President and Weinberg junior Sara Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim, who co-authored the petition, referenced NU’s current study-abroad options, which offer students more than 50 opportunities in Europe, 20 in Latin America and 20 in East and South Asia. It offers five programs in the MENA region in Israel, Qatar, Morocco and Jordan.

In summer 2022, Ibrahim studied at AUC after receiving the undergraduate language grant from NU. She said it would have been much more difficult to apply and be approved to study in Cairo if she wasn’t already an Egyptian citizen.

If NU reopens its program with AUC, students will have an easier time applying to and

being approved to study in Cairo, she said.

Iman Soliman, chair of the Department of Arabic Language Instruction at AUC, said the university’s Arabic Language Intensive Program is situated in its downtown campus, a “cultural hub” with recreational activities like concerts and movie nights for students.

She said more American-based universities have expressed interest in the program in recent years as amenities have expanded.

“If you’re thinking of learning and studying a language of communication, I believe you cannot miss Egypt,” Soliman said.

Arabic Prof. Ragy Ibrahim Mikhaeel agreed, saying Egyptian Arabic is almost the “lingua franca,” or common language, in the Arab world.

He said he supports the petition and its request for the University to increase its number of study abroad programs in the MENA

region, especially re-approving AUC in Egypt.

“The American University in Cairo is probably the most important and most experienced university when it comes to teaching Arabic for foreign languages and for study abroad opportunities,” Mikhaeel said.

Ibrahim also said creating study-abroad opportunities in Palestine is important since the University currently offers no program centering Palestinian voices, history, culture or heritage, she said.

Weinberg sophomore Mahdi Haseeb, who co-authored the petition, said many Palestinian members of the MENA Student Association do not feel comfortable studying abroad in Israel.

Haseeb, who also serves as MENA’s Senator on Associated Student Government, said he believes the University has not reopened study-abroad programs with AUC and AUB because there hasn’t been a push by students

and faculty.

“With a lot of things, when it comes to the administration unless it’s brought to their attention they don’t really think about it,” he said.

He added the GLO has been cooperative with the petition and met with members of the MENA Student Association in February to discuss what their specific demands would look like.

GLO is in “full support” of increasing study abroad options in the Middle East and North African region, University spokesperson Hilary Hurd Anyaso said in an email to The Daily.

There have been discussions within GLO over the past ten years to reopen the AUC program, according to Anyaso. But, she said these conversations have been hindered by a “volatile security situation” and a level increase in the Department of State Travel Advisory.

She added AUC is at the top of GLO’s list for programs to review and consider for a potential future partnership.

Though NU approved an affiliation with AUB in 2019, the program was unable to reopen due to the pandemic and Lebanon’s recent economic and political instability. Lebanon is currently on the “Restricted Travel List” for undergraduate students, and Anyaso said the program would need to fulfill a Travel Permission request from the Office of Global Safety and Security to be reinstated.

MENA Studies Director Rebecca Johnson, MENA Languages Program Director Franziska Lys and Turkish Studies Program Director İpek Yosmaoğlu all supported the petition and signed the document.

Those championing the petition, including members of the MENA Student Association, Johnson, and Lys, will meet with representatives from GLO in April to discuss their demands, Ibrahim said. She said these efforts to institute more study abroad programs in MENA countries are a smaller component of the MENA Student Association’s larger visibility campaign.

“This is definitely going to be one of our biggest goals and we’d like to see it happen so that more students can study abroad at these sites,” Ibrahim said.

pavanacharya2025@u.northwestern.edu

Illustration by Lily Ogburn

Some involved with the petition, including members of the MENA Student Association, Johnson and Lys, plan to meet with representatives of the Global Learning Office in April to discuss the demands.

A&E arts & entertainment

Liner Notes: boygenius lives up to ‘supergroup’ title

By KAAVYA BUTANEY and BEATRICE VILLAFLOR the daily northwestern @kaavya_butaney / @beatricedvilla

“Unpacking God in the suburbs” has never felt so easy in Evanston, thanks to boygenius’ debut album “the record.” Every song was heaven-sent.

boygenius — a supergroup comprised of singer-songwriters Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers — released the album Friday. Clocking in at about 42 minutes, the album incorporates each artist’s distinct style to create a collaborative new sentimental sound.

Perhaps the most surprising track for us was opener “Without You Without Them,” which, while not our favorite, used satisfying harmonies to brilliantly introduce listeners to the album. Contrasting the rest of the album with its a cappella vocals, the song gently welcomes listeners to the LP with its verses.

Take, for example, the single “Emily I’m

Sorry,” which calls back to Bridgers’ “ICU” in its melancholy reflection on an old flame. The entire song feels like an apologetic message to an ex. As soon as we heard this song, one word came to mind: yearning.

In fact, the whole album radiates the feeling of unfulfillment. Songs like the closing track, “Letter To An Old Poet,”and “Cool About It” remain musically unresolved, inspiring introspection in listeners.

The latter is a standout track that melds the group members’ individual strengths into one. Baker opens the song with her iconic rasp. Dacus’ sentimental reflection comes through in the second verse and Bridgers wraps the last portion up with her wistful pondering.

The lyricism in “Cool About It” is the best part of the whole album. Listening to lines like “Wishing you were kind enough to be cruel about it” and “I can walk you home and practice method acting / I’ll pretend being with you doesn’t feel like drowning,” we felt absolutely devastated by this masterpiece.

“Not Strong Enough” is another song with the unmistakable sonic richness of boygenius. The lyric “Always an angel, never a god,” takes on a heartbreaking meaning for those who have struggled to live up to their full potential.

Other songs carry a similar poignancy. Bridgers ponders a budding online relationship in “Revolution 0” with lyrics like “If it isn’t love, then what the f--- is it?” In contrast, Baker recounts a near-death experience in “Anti-Curse,” reflecting on how she’s lived her life as she sings “Making peace with inevitable death / I guess I did alright, considering.”

Thematically, the idea of loving someone in spite of their flaws connects much of the album.

From “True Blue”(“But it feels good to be known so well / I can’t hide from you like I hide from myself”) to “Leonard Cohen (“I might like you less now that you know me so well”) the artists both lament and appreciate what it means to be validated and loved.

“We’re in Love,” a stunning ode to love itself, became an unexpected favorite of ours. In this

simple track, Dacus tenderly describes the love of her life. Beware, single listeners: Lines like “There is something about you that I will always recognize” will have you wishing for cuffing season.

The album’s last song, “Letter To An Old Poet,” is both an angry retrospective on love and a callback to “Me & My Dog,” a highlight from boygenius’ first EP. The end of the song incorporates a clip from a live 2018 performance, which boygenius cherishes as one of its greatest moments, according to an interview with “Them.”

In “the record,” boygenius builds off of the momentum it has created by previous releases with elevated production and refined wordplay. After continuously blasting the album since its release, we’ve concurred: Branding boygenius with the title “supergroup” has never felt more apt.

kaavyabutaney2026@u.northwestern.edu

beatricevillaflor2026@u.northwestern.edu

Reel Thoughts: ‘A Good Person’ explores addiction, grief

By LEXI GOLDSTEIN the daily northwestern @lexipgoldstein

Content warning: This article contains mentions of drug abuse, death and gun violence. It also contains spoilers.

Crash. Your heart sinks. The screen goes black, and suddenly you’re transported to a silent hospital room.

Director Zach Braff’s (Communication ’97) latest film “A Good Person” delves into the concept of morality through the lenses of tragedy and addiction, woven together by a narrative of unlikely friendships made on the road to recovery.

Released March 24, the film features stunning performances from Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman that offset pockets of weaker writing. Though Braff is certainly not the first filmmaker to tackle addiction, the storyline offers a fresh perspective on grief and fate.

“A Good Person” opens with an engagement party, exuding excitement through the screen as viewers meet the promising young couple

Allison (Pugh) and Nathan (Chinaza Uche). Then disaster quite literally striked.

While driving into New York City to try on wedding dresses with her future sister- and brother-in-law, Allison hits another vehicle. Both passengers die, leaving Allison the sole survivor. Had she not looked at her phone and gotten distracted behind the wheel, it never would have happened.

Overwhelmed by grief and denial of her role in the accident, Allison leaves Nathan and spends the next year unraveling. She develops an addiction to opioids while working to physically recover from the accident, unable to emotionally heal.

In a scene marked by her impulsiveness, a spiraling Allison spontaneously cuts her hair short in a shaggy fashion, symbolic of her mental decline but also her attempts to gain control over her narrative.

After fighting with her mother over her opioid use, Allison begins to seek help from an Alcoholics Anonymous chapter where she runs into Nathan’s semi-estranged father Daniel (Freeman). Though Daniel holds some resentment against Allison, he sees it as fate that they attend the same meeting. Despite Freeman

being a nationally-beloved figure, Daniel takes on a new role as a formerly abusive father figure — putting on a heartbreaking performance balanced with the weight of being a grieving parent.

The remainder of the film follows Allison’s journey to rehabilitation as she learns to confront her role in the accident. Allison’s connection to Daniel through the AA meetings, and their decision to ensue an unlikely friendship, forces her to confront the ripple effects of the incident.

But a climactic scene in New York City, in which Allison relapses and Daniel pulls out a gun on his granddaughter’s older love interest, provides a “jump the shark” moment the movie could have gone without. The beautiful, albeit painful, dialogue following this blowup is minimized by the theatrics of the previous scene.

The silver lining of this scene is Freeman’s opportunity to showcase his incredible acting skills once he confronts Allison for the first time about her role in the accident.

While the movie may have made a few brief missteps, the overarching plot was rich with philosophy and intertwined with genuine, relatable family tensions. That’s what good art and

storytelling does — it wraps you up in feelings from personal experiences you can connect to a powerful performance. Braff’s direction in conjunction with the actors’ performances optimized the ability of viewers to find emotional connections with the film.

This evocative movie is definitely worth two hours of your time, as long as you have a tissue box on hand. Don’t discount it because of occasionally uneven moments — it’s worth watching just to see Freeman and Pugh give unforgettable performances. lexigoldstein2026@u.northwestern.edu

Illustration by Beatrice Villaflor

Illustration by Lily Ogburn

Lipstick Burlesque empowers students through dance

By MIKA ELLISON daily senior staffer @mikaellison23

Amid flashing red lights reflecting off the walls of the Louis Room this weekend, audiences were greeted with lacy lingerie, burlesque and pole dancing performances from dancers like “Miss Demeanor” and “Heave Hoe.”

Throughout Lipstick Theatre’s annual show, performers threw condoms into the audience and took off garments ranging from plastic gloves to shirts and bras, all to the tune of a lively audience. Performances during the 90-minute production included dance routines called “Pirate Booty,” and “Brawlesque,” as well as many others, all in burlesque style.

Burlesque was popularized in England in the 1840s and arrived in the U.S. shortly after. The art form has since evolved from parodic entertainment — often involving a striptease — to a style of performance known as neoburlesque, which outlines burlesque as a form of empowerment.

For Weinberg sophomore Amaya MikolicBerrios, Lipstick Burlesque’s performance was the first time she’d danced before an audience.

Although putting on a burlesque show can be intimidating, Mikolic-Berrios said the process of choreographing and performing her pieces gave her a feeling of artistic freedom.

“It’s sexualized, because it’s a burlesque show, but at the same time, we are expressing our own creativity,” they said. “(It’s) our own take on how we want others to perceive us in a way that is not like they’re objectifying us, but rather we’re putting on the show because we want to.”

Lipstick Burlesque co-Producer and Communication sophomore Sam Webster said, rather than focusing on the final product, she wanted performers to feel comfortable in their bodies and find joy through building confidence onstage.

Lipstick utilizes burlesque as a dance practice to empower people of all genders, body types and sexual identities, Webster said.

“When a lot of people think about burlesque, they think of the typical kind of show girl style, so the 1930s through ‘50s glitz, glamour, all-out feathers and sequins and elaborate costuming and typically very, very thin, able-bodied white performers,” Webster said.

Webster said to ensure performers felt safe and comfortable at all times, some students at the performances acted as security and monitored audience members to prevent instances of prohibited photos or videos.

Mikolic-Berrios said performing her routines was exhilarating. Having the freedom to improvise or enhance certain aspects of their performance was a highlight, she said.

“There’s a little twist at the very end, and hearing the audience react to it — I was literally leaving the stage grinning so hard,” MikolicBerrios said.

Some performances, including one of Webster’s entitled “Why Don’t You Do Right?,” were inspired by classic 1950s burlesque. Some others, however, leaned into burlesque’s historically comedic roots by using music like “The Pink Panther Theme” and the opening theme to “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”

Weinberg sophomore Isaiah Deleon, who attended one of the shows, said he loves the Lipstick Burlesque’s goal to encourage confidence

through performance.

“I look forward to Lipstick Burlesque every single year,” Deleon said. “It’s just such a fun event, and I love seeing body positivity.”

According to Webster, Lipstick Burlesque often draws participants from all across Northwestern’s student body, with some performers being STEM majors as well as theater.

Webster said the lack of an audition process coupled with a welcoming atmosphere allowed

her to form close bonds with the cast, making the experience all the more enriching.

“I love performing because I like getting to connect with people,” Webster said. “It’s also just ridiculously liberating to be able to take your clothes off onstage. It seems terrifying, but once you do it, at least for me, it makes me feel like if I can do this, I can accomplish anything.”

mikaellison2025@u.northwestern.edu

Davóne Tines reimagines Mass through opera recital

By BEATRICE VILLAFLOR the daily northwestern @beatricedvilla

Opera singer Davóne Tines presented a six-part concert reimagining Latin-language Catholic church practices Wednesday, with songs for each stage of the Mass.

The bass-baritone performed his latest work “Recital No. 1: Mass” at the Galvin Recital Hall on Wednesday and held a discussion of the performance Thursday.

Tines said he intertwined themes of humanity and spirituality, as well as elements of his identity as a Black and openly gay performer, throughout the program and recital.

“I’m basically queering the Mass,” Tines wrote in his program note. “Queering in the broad sense of bending it to my own understanding.”

Tines incorporated pieces from classic Western European works in his program, like J.S. Bach’s “Mache

dich, mein Herze, rein,” as well as African American spiritual songs and original compositions like “VIGIL.”

Bienen Prof. Stephen Smith introduced Tines for the Thursday discussion, calling his performance remarkable.

“(Tines) is establishing himself as one of classical music’s most important and creative voices,” Smith said. “One cannot help but feel like he is just getting started.”

Smith said the recital exemplified Tines’ gifts in a range of musical styles.

Tines shared the process that led up to the creation of “Recital No. 1: Mass” during the discussion, touching on his creative journey from childhood to adulthood.

He said centralizing his upbringing throughout his creative process has allowed him to infuse his work with purpose.

“(Considering) how am I really honoring the truth of that in anything I do? That, for me, is a life practice,” Tines said.

For example, Tines said he explored what it meant

to be a descendant of enslaved people by performing in the 2015 opera “Crossing.”

Tines also displayed clips of his other performances, such as 2018’s “The Black Clown” and 2020’s “VIGIL,” during his presentation.

During times of grief, Tines said his art acts as his “conduit.” That experience culminated in the conception of “Recital No. 1: Mass,” the product of four years of work, he said.

“My singing physicalized my need to scream,” he said.

At the end of the discussion, audience members asked Tines about the connection between personal lives and religious practice within his work.

Tines said educators should make intentional space for students to be known as individuals — like by giving them autonomy in their work for class — which he argued would create a generation of more expressive artists.

“I especially liked his assessment of how empowering students actually gets them to create better work,

not assigning them arbitrary standards that are centuries old,” Weinberg freshman Raav Ghuman said.

Bienen dual-degree junior Greta McNamee said she was required to attend Tines’ concert as a voice and opera major. Afterward, McNamee said she was glad she attended because she found the Tines’ recital stunning.

McNamee said she admired Tines’ unapologetic approach to music making and couldn’t help but marvel at his technique throughout the entire concert.

She said the unorthodox setting of his concert within the Catholic mass seemed like a more personal way to structure a recital.

“The most impactful thing that I’m going to definitely be carrying with myself is contextualizing everything,” McNamee said. “Contextualizing any art you engage with and choose to perform within your own life and creating your connection with it.”

beatricevillaflor2026@u.northwestern.edu

Reel Thoughts: ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’ steals the show

By JENNA ANDERSON and AUDREY HETTLEMAN the daily northwestern @audreyhettleman / @jennaanderson_1

Warning: This article contains mentions of a drug overdose. This article also contains spoilers

At exactly 11:03 p.m. on March 3, we settled in to watch the adaptation of our favorite summer read. We buzzed with just as much anxiety as excitement. Would Amazon Prime butcher “Daisy Jones & The Six”?

Just over three weeks later, on the last night of Spring Break, we sobbed while watching the heartbreaking season finale, emotionally purged but pleased with the hit show.

Based on the 2019 novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, the 10-episode miniseries “Daisy Jones & The Six” depicts the rise and fall of a 1970s rock band loosely based on Fleetwood Mac.

As fans of Reid’s novel, we were nervous about the TV adaptation. The book is written as an oral history where transcriptions of interviews with the characters form the narrative, with little intervention from the interviewer. Part of the fun for the reader is figuring out where the truth lies and where biases cloud recollections. We were worried this ambiguity would be lost in the adaptation, but were pleasantly surprised this was not the case. The show keeps the conversational charm by including interview snippets and still shows characters as unreliable narrators.

The show remained true to Reid’s original narrative with some notable exceptions, which we preferred for the most part. Camila Alvarez (Camila Morrone), Billy’s wife, sleeping with bassist Eddie Roundtree (Josh Whitehouse)

instead of an unnamed figure from her past makes the affair more personal and sharpens Billy and Eddie’s rivalry. Billy finding Daisy as she overdoses on drugs in the shower, a scene from which he is absent in the book, restores their intimacy just as he is about to kick her out of the band.

We were a little bummed to see Pete, the Six’s bassist in the book, removed from the adaptation, but the change ended up framing the band as three sets of foils. Karen Sirko (Suki Waterhouse) and Daisy represent the different ways women rose through the music industry at the time. While Karen tempers her femininity to be taken seriously, Daisy accentuates (and sometimes weaponizes) her sexuality. This dichotomy exemplifies the unique struggles women continue to face in the music industry.

The Dunne brothers, Billy and guitarist Graham, represent dark versus light. Billy’s controlling frontman persona contrasts Graham’s warm, easy going personality. Ironically enough, Graham has always looked up to Billy, but Graham has all the qualities Billy desperately needed: stability, devotion and peace.

Eddie and drummer Warren Rhodes (Sebastian Chacon) are ambition versus satisfaction, which the producers perfectly capture in later scenes.

We were apprehensive that the show’s music wouldn’t meet the standards for the biggest rock group in this fictional world. But, the 11 tracks on “Aurora,” the band’s first and only album, are genuinely impressive. The folk-rock songs have an Americana feel with plucky guitar riffs and tambourines that bring to mind deserts, outlaws and rattlesnakes. That dry fire is occasionally met with a softness that flows like water, reflecting moments of clarity in Billy and Daisy’s struggles with addiction and heartache.

Blake Mills, the show’s executive music producer, recruited a stacked set of artists, including Marcus Mumford, Phoebe Bridgers and 1970s rocker Jackson Browne, to write the music. Fleetwood Mac’s influence is obvious. That was intentional, according to the album’s liner notes, especially in songs like “Look at Us Now (Honeycomb),” whose intro and bridge are eerily similar to Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain.”

Keough does a fantastic job emulating Stevie Nicks on stage in her wardrobe, wild twirls and haunting vocals. Each time Daisy meets Billy at his mic, we felt the same electricity Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham created.

Although Claflin has stunning onstage chemistry with Keough, we found the 36-year-old actor too old to play a 20-something rockstar. We were frequently distracted from the story when he appeared on camera. Perhaps it was the childhood attachment we have to his character Finnick from “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” but it took almost the entire season for us to believe Claflin as Billy.

Criticisms aside, we have to give the producers credit for successfully adapting a beloved book and transporting viewers to the 1970s Southern California rock scene. Costume designers captured ’70s fashion without falling into the 2010s boho aesthetic, and the music emulated Fleetwood Mac without sounding like a caricature of classics.

After seeing Whitehouse’s cryptic TikTok about post-wrap rehearsals, we’re hoping the band will make a live debut soon. And, if Daisy Jones & The Six does perform this summer, we’ll be front-row.

audreyhettleman2024@u.northwestern.edu

jennaanderson2024@u.northwestern.edu

arts & entertainment

Editor Ella Jeffries

Assistant Editors

Lexi Goldstein

Beatrice Villaflor

Design Editors

Valerie Chu

Danny O’Grady

Anna Souter

Illustration by Lily Ogburn Amazon Prime transports viewers to the 1970s Southern California rock scene in its “Daisy Jones & The Six” adaptation.

Illustration by Lily Ogburn Lipstick Burlesque’s 90 minute performances featured pieces by performers such as “Foxy Trot” and “Connie Lingus.”

Two visions lead plan to revive Downtown Evanston

By COLE REYNOLDS the daily northwestern @charcole27

Annie Coakley, director of Downtown Evanston, remembers a “liveliness” about downtown, filled with people eating their lunches at Fountain Square.

Now, that liveliness is gone, she said.

“You walk down Sherman Avenue in the evening, and it doesn’t feel great right now,” said Paul Zalmezak, the city’s economic development manager.

The city is reviewing plans to bring that liveliness back, including a proposal to invest in cultural and infrastructural improvements and one to fund small businesses affected by COVID-19.

Zalmezak said much of downtown’s downturn results from the pandemic, when its office vacancy rates jumped to 15.4% in December 2021, far outpacing that of Evanston’s other business districts. Businesses lacked foot traffic, said Coakley, as remote work sapped a key customer demographic.

Before the pandemic,15,000 to 20,000 office workers commuted downtown, Zalmezak said. But even the rosiest estimates from the city say just 60% have returned, a pattern mirrored in other downtowns similar to Evanston.

“That’s people,” Coakley said of downtown office workers. “People have money, and people spend money on lunch, on workouts, on haircuts — all the things you do when you work in a specific place.”

City officials have more than $6 million in unspent American Rescue Plan Act allocations meant to revitalize downtown. Ald. Clare Kelly (1st), who represents much of downtown, requested $2 million of those funds for the “Small Business Recovery and Growth Fund.”

The program provides grants up to $50,000 to businesses affected by the pandemic. Zalmezak said there is a chance office workers could return in the next three to five years on their own.

According to Kelly, grants from her proposal could help small businesses weather those five years and adapt to the future.

“The positive impact (small businesses’) uniqueness and independent nature has on attractiveness and everything else in our city — that’s

a big component,” she says.

But Zalmezak said Evanston must also prepare for a future where those workers never return. That’s why he and other city staff recommended cutting $1.5 million from Kelly’s proposal, instead putting the funds toward attracting a different downtown demographic.

Zalmezak endorses the “Evanston Thrives” plan, aiming to replace office workers as the downtown customer base.

“There’s a little bit of a difference of philosophy,” Zalmezak said. “But it’s all about the same thing. It’s about supporting small businesses.”

“Evanston Thrives” says downtown must become more approachable for Black residents, who only represent 8% of foot traffic in the district. The plan also tries to attract more Northwestern students, of which almost 18,000 live

in Evanston and who could also help offset the loss of workers.

Catering to NU students has insulated Crossroads Trading Co. from the economic downturn. Manager Lizz Merdinger said the store’s business has actually doubled since the pandemic.

“We have to think of ways to get different people downtown,” Coakley said, although she also supports Kelly’s plan to provide payments to businesses.

A mixture of more publicly sponsored events and infrastructure improvements like streetscaping will attract those people, according to Zalmezak. The idea is to make downtown more walkable and provide more reasons to go there.

Housing, Zalmezak said, must also be the centerpiece of Evanston’s economic strategy to repopulate downtown. However, new housing is

not a primary goal of “Evanston Thrives.”

Coakley agreed with housing increases, saying that residents also can patronize local businesses.

“Downtown is a downtown, but it’s also a neighborhood,” Coakley said. “(Residents) can walk to a grocery store. They can walk to a movie theater … the more we have people doing that, the better everybody is.”

But some longtime Evanston businesses are “frustrated” by what they see as the city abandoning them in a time of crisis.

Nina Barrett, the owner of Bookends & Beginnings, said her store already puts on multiple events per week, each drawing between 60 to 100 people downtown. She said established businesses deserve monetary support for their contributions to the area.

“‘Evanston Thrives’ consultants came up with things like ‘placemaking’ or ‘events,’” Barrett said. “Let’s reward the businesses who are already doing these things.”

Zalmezak said direct payments, like those included in Kelly’s plan, carry a lot of risk for the city. Funding is finite, he said, and the city could — and has — erred in determining which businesses should receive it.

He expressed concern about propping up otherwise unviable businesses, especially since city staff aren’t trained to make such decisions.

“When the city directly invests into a business, the city is basically choosing winners and losers,” Zalmezak said.

Instead, the city’s job is to provide the people and the infrastructure, he said. It would be up to residents of particular neighborhoods to choose the businesses they favor.

Kelly disagreed, saying city leaders know which businesses are valuable and are experienced in grant underwriting. “Evanston Thrives,” she said, is too “vague” in its funding goals. Elected officials, not city staff, Kelly told The Daily via text, should be setting the policies.

Regardless, Evanston holds inherent advantages, like the University and the lakefront, over surrounding areas, Zalmezak said. They ensure Evanston remains attractive for owners and brokers, Coakley said.

“I don’t even know if ‘recovery’ is the right word,” she said “(Downtown) will be reimagined.” colereynolds2026@u.northwestern.edu

Cole Reynolds/The Daily Northwestern Office vacancies jumped during the pandemic, leading city officials to try reimagining Downtown Evanston.

Gas and propane powered leaf blowers now illegal

By JOYCE LI daily senior staffer @joyycee_li

Evanston banned the use of gas- and propane-powered leaf blowers in Evanston Sunday, making the city one of the first in Illinois to implement such a ban, according to Public Health Manager Greg Olsen.

City Council passed the ordinance in November 2021 in response to concerns about air pollution, noise and a directive from the city’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan. The city allowed for a 17-month transition period, during which gas-powered leaf blowers were permitted seasonally.

The city will enforce the ordinance through a graduated fine that begins with a warning and can go up to $250.

“It’s one of the smaller local steps that the city wanted to take in order to reduce our carbon footprint,” Olsen said.

Following the ordinance, Evanston landscaping companies are transitioning to electricpowered leaf blowers, which the ordinance permits year-round with the exception of city holidays.

Austin Hall, owner of Greenwise Organic Lawn Care, said his company started using exclusively electric leaf blowers, hedge trimmers and lawn mowers this season.

“That wasn’t a requirement from the city,” Hall said. “It’s the direction that the industry is going in more generally.”

Ben Klitzkie, maintenance manager at Nature’s Perspective Landscaping, however, said he felt the city did not give businesses enough time or financial assistance to implement the change.

Over the past year, the city has provided landscaping companies with grants of up to $3,000 through the Entrepreneurship Support Grant program to purchase electric leaf blowers. Landscaping companies registered with the City of Evanston can apply through the city’s website.

Though he is grateful for the financial support, Klitzkie said his company had to spend almost $70,000 on batteries and new equipment — the grant was largely unhelpful.

“Not everybody is able to pull the Band-Aid right off, and that’s where a three-year (or) fiveyear phasing period would have been great,” Klitzkie said.

Communication Prof. Nina Kraus said she hopes this ban will lead to more restrictions on other noisy landscaping equipment. She researches the effect of sound on the brain and said leaf blowers can be extremely harmful.

“It’s an injustice to the poor landscapers who are dealing with the noise and the vibration very, very close up,” Kraus said.

In addition to being ear-damaging, this type of equipment also contributes to a backdrop of

moderate but constant noise that weakens people’s ability to distinguish meaningful sounds from background noise, according to Kraus.

She said this background noise puts the brain in a state of constant alertness, weakening cognitive abilities over time.

Klitzkie said he is frustrated that the city allows the use of gas blowers on municipal baseball fields, golf greens and public road construction projects.

“Everybody deserves a cleaner, greener, quieter Evanston,” Klitzkie said. “So now that city really needs to stand by their ordinance and not exempt themselves.”

Olsen said the exemptions were made in part due to the scale of city landscaping projects, which cover greater square footage than most residential plots.

Evanston Director of Health and Human Services Ike Ogbo said the city intends to remove these exemptions in the future.

“We understand that in order for the ordinance to be equitable that the city also has to come on board,” Ogbo said. “(But) this will take internal conversations and developing ways in which we can implement it successfully.”

joyceli2025@u.northwestern.edu

Illustration by Emily Lichty

Landscaping companies are transitioning to electric leaf blowers after the city banned gas- and propane-powered leaf blowers Sunday.

money, as well as another $6,000 donation that the Board’s website does not show her campaign having reported yet. She said she was surprised by the three donations because of their size, though her team did not immediately check for where they originated, she added.

Donations will not affect how she views or votes on the Ryan Field project, Harris said.

The large donations from Ryan family affiliates are troubling to some residents regardless of whether Harris accepted them, said Lesley Williams, president of Community Alliance for Better Government.

“This just seemed like a different level of outsider influence, so people were angry,” Williams said. “It’s important for Harris to acknowledge that concern.”

Aside from the three $6,000 donations, more than 70% of Harris’ reported campaign contributions come from individuals who attended, worked for or acted as consultants for the University.

Harris said she does not solicit donations.

“Not everyone from Northwestern is in alliance with this projected stadium,” Harris said. “I’m getting money from across the board.”

Ald. Juan Geracaris (9th) — who is running against 9th Ward resident Kathy Hayes — said because he is an employee of NU’s Kellogg School of Management, he plans to recuse himself from any vote regarding the stadium. Residents he’s spoken with are mostly concerned about concerts at the stadium, he added.

According to the State Board of Elections, Geracaris’ campaign has received $4,500 total this cycle.

“It’s hard to reach people,” Geracaris said. “I don’t come from a political background, so I don’t have organizations that are necessarily helping me out.”

Harris said she wants to hear feedback and let Ald. Eleanor Revelle (7th) lead the discussion.

She said she’s heard people who support and oppose facets of the project, including proposed concerts.

“We tend to hear the loudest residents, but there are many residents weighing in,” she said. “I’ve heard

EVANSTON FAIR

From page 1

schools, are busy trying to undo any investment in human rights.”

Wilkins spoke at Saturday’s rally as well. Her grandfather grew up in a small town in South Carolina, she said, and would walk miles to school, watching white students pass him on the bus. He dropped out in third grade.

“It’s impossible for me not to make comparisons to my son today who is now in third grade,” Wilkins said. “So much has changed. But when I got older and started to understand the opportunity gap in our country, it became apparent that in some ways, kids are still watching the bus pass them by.”

She, like Tanyavutti, said she’s dedicated to continuing to close the racial opportunity gap. Ignoring that gap and the history behind it will harm students

across the board.”

The other two candidates for 2nd Ward — Equity and Empowerment Commission Member Darlene Cannon and Evanston/Skokie School District 65 teacher Patricia Gregory — have not raised as much money for their campaigns as Harris.

Gregory is self-funding her campaign, she added, and the Board does not show her receiving any campaign donations.

“Funding my campaign is up to me because I’m the one that’s running,” Gregory said. “I don’t want to put anybody in an uncomfortable position … This campaign seems like it’s getting a little nasty.”

Gregory said she wants to canvass more ward residents about Ryan Field.

According to the State Board of Elections, Cannon received at least $1,784 in campaign contributions this election cycle. Cannon said the proposed concerts at the stadium concern her the most.

“Is having 35,000 seat concerts in a residential area really best for this community?” Cannon said.

Still, Cannon said, how the project proceeds as a whole depends on community feedback.

Hayes said Ryan Field is a “hot button issue” the city needs to address, though not the only one that deserves attention. She said City Council can use Ryan Field as a starting point for discussing other ways for NU to invest in Evanston. Her campaign reported receiving $1,190, according to the State Board of Elections.

She said the city and its residents shouldn’t treat NU as an adversary in the process. So far, discussion about Ryan Field included heightened argument, Hayes said.

“I think Northwestern is quite capable of having a community agreement that ensures … safety, security, investment and help with small business or education,” Hayes said. “If we flourish as a community, Northwestern will flourish as a university.”

The 2023 consolidated election takes place April 4.

Shannon Tyler contributed reporting. williamtong2026@u.northwestern.edu

of color and disabled students, Wilkins said.

She also said she will continue to fight the efforts of FAIR representatives, who have said teaching children about the concept of “whiteness” is dehumanizing.

Hernandez, the current District 65 Board of Education president, said he was inspired to serve on the board because of his experience growing up in America as a Mexican student.

Groups like FAIR pose a danger to students because they oppose a focus on minority identities in the classroom, Hernandez said.

“We want to make sure that we continue and we never go back to the way things were,” Hernandez said. “We never go back to little children coming up to their teacher saying, ‘I’m not proud about who I am. I don’t like my language.’ I want everybody to see themselves reflected.”

avanikalra2025@u.northwestern.edu

collaboration with Versiti. The drive was an “amazing success,” according to Benny Perelman, and brought in more than 75 blood products.

“We just realized that this power, the power of the story, had the potential of drawing so much attention,” he said.

Since July, Daniel Perelman’s mom, dad and sister have led Daniel Gives Back, a charity that supports causes he cared about most. The organization has hosted four blood drives, donated 277 blood products and saved 829 lives, according to its website. Daniel Gives Back is also creating a scholarship in Daniel Perelman’s honor at Brookfield East High School, where his sister currently attends.

Benny Perelman said the organization has branched into organ donation registration work by helping promote Student Organ Donation Advocates, an organization that educates high school and college students about organ donations.

On Daniel Perelman’s birthday, March 2, about 15 of his friends painted The Rock with a plane, a heart and the words “We miss you Daniel.” They wrote the charity’s website URL on the ledge outside The Rock.

Weinberg sophomore Ariel Gurevich, Daniel Perelman’s former roommate and friend, led the initiative. He said he wanted to paint The Rock to show Daniel

URAP

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number of applicants exceeded what he had initially predicted enough that he wanted to act quickly to notify students and faculty of URAP’s suspension before deadlines passed for other University research funding opportunities.

Civetta added that he has had to reach out to other partners and institutions for additional funding and is still unsure whether there will be enough funds to fully cover SURG recipients.

Although the URAP suspension announcement directed students toward other NU grants, students planning on applying, like Mavis, expressed disappointment and surprise at the cancellation.

Communication sophomore Diana Deng was set on researching the archives of political activist and former English Prof. Dennis Brutus with English and comparative literary studies Prof. Harris Feinsod until she learned about the suspension.

Deng said she and Feinsod are pivoting by applying for a grant from the Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities. But, she now feels unsure the opportunity will pan out.

“This definitely poses a lot of uncertainties to our original plan. Personally, I feel really insecure because my summer has been planned around this research project,” Deng said. “This is something I really want to accomplish.”

Medill Prof. Karen Springen, who hired two students through URAP last summer for her research on journalists’ social media use, said she understands

Perelman’s parents that their son was still remembered on campus. Gurevich said he also wanted to spread awareness of the charity to support his friend’s goal of impacting people’s lives through medicine.

Gurevich remembers Daniel Perelman as someone who was “very, very bright.” He said Daniel Perelman brought many of his current friends together, and many of his good friends have remained close following his death.

“Daniel was an absolutely fantastic guy and brought so much life into any conversation, any interaction that he had with anybody,” Gurevich said. “The loss was felt by many of us very acutely. (There was a) strong force bringing us together in our remembrance and grief over him.”

Weinberg sophomore Andrew Chin became friends with Daniel Perelman during an organic chemistry lab their freshman year. He said Daniel Perelman always made an effort to talk to him, even though Chin was shy.

Last Spring Quarter, Chin said he introduced Daniel Perelman to his favorite anime, “Attack on Titan.” The two spent a lot of time watching TV together.

Since the accident, Chin said he and his friends have been trying to preserve Daniel Perelman’s legacy.

“He always wanted to help people,” Chin said. “We want to make sure that he knows that even though he passed away, we take on his ideas. I feel like as his friend it’s still really important to help him know that he still has influence on the world.”

joannahou2025@u.northwestern.edu

why OUR is prioritizing students’ ideas.

Springen added that she had to reject more than 20 applicants to work on her URAP project and prefers to be able to freely sign on to student-led initiatives.

“To me, the priority is for students and faculty to work together on wonderful research projects,” Springen said. “I am fine if it’s the student’s great idea instead of my own idea.”

Some students who previously participated in URAP also lamented its stoppage for this summer.

Weinberg sophomore Sophia Huang worked in Feinberg Prof. Gregory Phillips II’s lab during summer 2022, investigating alcohol and drug use among racial and sexual minority youth as part of a URAP project. She continued to work in Phillips II’s lab throughout the academic year and said the experience taught her the basics of conducting research.

Weinberg junior Elizabeth Vazquez researched racial terminology in anthropology journals with anthropology Prof. Erin Waxenbaum in summer 2021. Vazquez said she “adored” her URAP experience and added that it helped prepare her to become a Leopold fellow for the history department and participate in SURG the following year.

“Anyone can have their own journey and their own path with research, but I will say it really sucks that URAP isn’t around anymore,” Vazquez said. “It’s very comforting for if you have no idea what research even is, to have someone to be like, ‘Let me show you what research is.’”

russellleung2024@u.northwestern.edu

A trip to the West Coast: Cats travel to Sacramento

Wildcats March Madness run ends in loss to UCLA

By ALEX CERVANTES daily senior staffer @cervantespalex

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — At 8:35 p.m. PT on Saturday, coach Chris Collins, with his backcourt tandem trailing behind, took a seat on the makeshift podium in the media workroom of the Golden 1 Center.

The mood was melancholy, the kind of aura which hovers after a team, which has accomplished so much, sees its season end despite the most valiant of efforts. As the 48-year-old offered his opening statement, his voice choked up with every word. He was fighting off the waves of emotion that inevitably linger following the conclusion of a spectacular journey.

Sandwiched between the two players central to his post-2017 rebuild, senior guard Boo Buie and redshirt senior guard Chase Audige, Collins reinforced his love for this Northwestern team.

“I wanted to keep fighting with these guys,” Collins said. “What this group has done for me this year … how they’ve invigorated me as a coach was really special. I’ll always be indebted to those guys for that.”

The story of this Wildcats squad is one for the record books. The list of historical firsts for this team is seemingly never-ending, as Collins has quipped on countless occasions. Still, NU’s journey ends in the round of 32 — just as it did six seasons prior — unable to secure a victory despite a furious second-half surge.

Audige said he knew Saturday’s clash with UCLA was “going to be a war,” a battle in which every possession could tilt the game’s favor one way or another. However, in the early minutes, it was all Bruins.

UCLA’s gameplan was simple: Stifle Buie and Audige and make someone else beat them.

After 20 minutes of basketball, the Bruins had done exactly that. Buie and Audige combined for four turnovers and just five points — Audige was scoreless in the first half — on 1-of-8 shooting from the field.

In many respects, NU was fortunate UCLA’s lead wasn’t greater, considering the Cats shot 35.7% from the field and 22.2% beyond the arc in the first half. If not for the efforts of junior center Matthew Nicholson, who notched 10 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting performance, the halftime deficit of 10 points would’ve seemed all the more insurmountable.

“I’m just so proud of Matt,” Collins said. “He really cares; he works really hard. Then, it just so happened tonight, because of the way (UCLA was) double-teaming (Buie and Audige) with the big guy, we were able to find him a lot on rolls.”

Still, despite a double-digit lead and the momentum in his team’s favor, Bruins coach Mick Cronin said postgame he had watched too much film to know the game’s outcome wasn’t decided by halftime. He knew the Cats wouldn’t go away — and he was right.

Just 20 seconds after UCLA guard David Singleton canned a jumper on the first possession of the second half, Audige responded with a pull-up triple, his first points of the game. When a layup from guard Amari Bailey stretched the Bruins’ lead back to 13, NU — propelled by Audige, Buie and Nicholson — countered with a 17-4 run to knot the score at 45-45 with 11:26 to play.

“Chase (Audige) hit some big shots, Boo (Buie) got to the rim, we found some guys on kicks,” Collins said of the offensive surge. “It

just kind of opened up for us. Once we saw the ball go in a little bit, the crowd’s getting into it, all of a sudden the game’s tied. … We got in the huddle and we’re like, ‘Alright, this is what we wanted. It’s an eight-minute fight.’”

Out of the under-12 media timeout, UCLA rattled off six quick points before Audige and Buie nailed a pair of jumpers to bring the game within one possession.

In the closing stretch of the game, though, the Bruins’ first-half defensive intensity returned. The Cats were seemingly unable to buy a bucket, missing 12 of its last 14 shot attempts in the final eight minutes of the game.

UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr., who posted a game-high 24 points, said during NU’s run, his team was “switching flat.” After talking to Bailey and Cronin in a huddle, Jaquez said the Bruins started to ramp up the pressure again, “switching up into them” to make the Cats’ guards uncomfortable.

The adjustment made the difference late in the game, although Collins noted: “Sometimes a guy makes a shot and you miss a shot, and that’s the difference in an NCAA Tournament game.”

While NU’s early second-half surge ultimately proved futile in its 68-63 loss, the comeback aptly illustrated the unwavering resilience of this bunch.

The core of this Cats’ team, notably Audige, Buie and senior forward Robbie Beran, has been through college basketball’s ringer. Those three ended up on the wrong side of games more often than not. But this season, amid so much offseason turbulence and noise, they accomplished the unthinkable.

NU knocked off the No. 1 team in the country for the first time in program history. The Cats, after totaling 16 conference wins from

Angeli Mittal/Daily Senior Staffer Junior guard Ty Berry and junior center Matthew Nicholson help senior guard Boo Buie up after a play. Northwestern’s historic 2022-23 season came to an end after a 68-63 loss to UCLA in the round of 32 on Saturday.

2019-22, secured 12 victories in Big Ten play, finishing in a tie for second place.

It’s been a remarkable season for a team pegged to finish 13th in the conference. The journey may have come to an end, but the memories — well, those will last for a lifetime.

“We had a lot of fun along the way,” Collins said. “We worked really hard, but it was fun. We were really connected. These guys were incredible. (I) just couldn’t be prouder of this group.” alexcervantes2024@u.northwestern.edu

NU fans journey west to support Wildcats in Big Dance

By LAWRENCE PRICE and ALEX CERVANTES daily senior staffers @lpiii_tres / @cervantespalex

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In Northwestern’s two NCAA Tournament appearances there’s been one distinct similarity between 2017 and 2023. Both times, the Cats were dealt a hand in the West region — Salt Lake City, Utah, six years ago and Sacramento, California, this season. It was an opportunity for NU to compete and travel to areas of the country it usually doesn’t venture to.

However, the positives of playing on the West Coast do come with the cons. Around 1,800 miles separate Welsh-Ryan Arena and the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, enhancing the challenges for students, alumni and fans to follow the team out west.

Weinberg senior Alicia Webb flew into Los Angeles, California at 1:00 a.m. Thursday before taking a nine-hour train ride up to Sacramento. Upon arrival, Webb said she was “shocked” to see the contingent of purple enveloping Punch Bowl Social and the arena ahead of Thursday’s tipoff against Boise State.

“I’m really happy this team will have this support,” Webb said. “It’s really important because it shows

them that we believe in them. We didn’t all come here just to leave (Friday).”

Webb wasn’t the only Wildcat fan that found a way to see NU play in-person — over 900 fans attended the pre-game N Zone pep rally. This included 16-year-old Charlie Wright, who wore purple-and-white overalls to go along with an NU flag draped over his back.

Charlie Wright became a fan of the Cats before speaking his first words. His dad, Mike Wright (SESP ’94), played safety at NU in the early ’90s. Growing up, Charlie Wright attended many basketball and football games in Evanston, and has still held true to this tradition. He said he went around seven or eight games this season, including the Cats’ win over then-No. 15 Indiana at Assembly Hall.

Charlie Wright added that he and his family made the trip to Salt Lake City back in 2017 during NU’s first Big Dance appearance. He hoped for another exciting output this time around.

“They don’t make it to March Madness often, this is only the second time in school history, so you know I gotta go all out,” Wright said. “I went all out the first time, so I was like, I gotta go all out again.”

While Charlie Wright only had to wait 10 years to see the Cats dance, Kevin Blackistone (Medill

’81) had to wait 36 years after graduating. Returning back to the school for many events throughout the years, he was never able to scratch this off the checklist until 2017.

Before the 2022-23 season, Blackistone returned to Evanston for Homecoming in the fall and had a chance encounter with senior guard Boo Buie while walking towards Ryan Field.

“I stopped him,” Blackistone said. “I’m like, ‘Boo, what you got for us this year?’ And he goes, ‘Oh, we got something for you this year.’ Well, when they lost to Pittsburgh I wasn’t sure if he had anything for us this year, but he proved to be a man of his words.”

Buie’s preseason assuredness held true as the Cats secured the program’s second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

When NU went dancing in 2017, Blackistone “dropped everything” to make it to Salt Lake City. This season was a similar story, especially after NU’s five-game win streak in mid-February all but locked up a bid to the Big Dance. The decision between him and his buddies was made quickly, tickets were secured and the meet-up in Sacramento was finalized.

The Cats noticed the support, too. As fans filtered in for Thursday’s second session, a sea of purple

engulfed the arena. The pregame and in-game chants were loud and plentiful. Sophomore guard Brooks Barnhizer said the support from the NU faithful was indescribable, “almost unfathomable.”

With NU’s victory over the Broncos, the Cats’ clash with UCLA in the Round of 32 presents another opportunity for fans to fill the seats in the arena. Collins said Friday that both of the program’s NCAA Tournament appearances have illustrated the “power of the Northwestern fan base nationally.” He heard even more people will be in attendance on Saturday.

About 355 miles stand between UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion and the Golden 1 Center, illustrating the lessened level of difficulty for Bruin fans to make the trip than Cats fans from Evanston. Evidently, though, no distance is too far for NU fans.

“I can’t talk enough about the support,” Buie said. “To travel across the country and just see so much purple is just unbelievable … Going out there and just hearing that applause when you run out, kind of make it feel like a home game. I couldn’t be more grateful for them. They’ve been here all year for us.”

lawrenceprice2024@u.northwestern.edu alexcervantes2024@u.northwestern.edu

Angeli Mittal/Daily Senior Staffer

Monday, April 3, 2023

NU pummels Penn State 19-9, extends win streak

By JAKE EPSTEIN the daily northwestern @jakeepste1n

Through its first eight home contests this season, No. 2 Northwestern built Ryan Fieldhouse into an impenetrable fortress, knocking off four opponents from the ranks of undefeated and handing then-No. 1 North Carolina its first regular-season loss in 1,149 days.

However, a valiant challenger in No. 18 Penn State rode into Evanston on the back of a five-game winning streak, seeking to put the first damper on a high-flying home campaign for the Lake Show. While the Nittany Lions (9-3, 2-1 Big Ten) catapulted into contention via a second-quarter siege, the Wildcats (11-1, 3-0 Big Ten) vanquished any shadow of a doubt in a 19-9 victory behind gothic-garbed graduate student attacker assassins Hailey Rhatigan and Izzy Scane.

“(The win) means a lot,” coach Kelly Amonte Hiller said. “We want to fight for a Big Ten Championship — we want to get a top seed in the conference tournament.”

After five minutes of gutsy defensive play by both teams, Penn State attacker Brooke Hoss drew first blood in the contest. But Rhatigan punched back just 42 seconds later to level the score at one apiece. Scane received her first clean look on the ensuing NU possession and made no mistake on the go-ahead goal, handing the Cats a 2-1 advantage with 8:37 left to play in the first frame.

Scane, Rhatigan and senior attacker Erin Coykendall bludgeoned the typically stout

Nittany Lion defense, chalking up NU’s first five scores. After sophomore midfielder and defender Samantha White got in on the scoring blitz, Scane completed her first-quarter hat trick, giving the Cats a 7-1 edge after 15 minutes of action.

“(Scane) is doing an amazing job,” Amonte Hiller said. “She’s an extremely humble player — she’s doing all the little things to share the ball and make things happen.”

While sophomore midfielder Samantha Smith converted from point-blank range just 28 seconds into the second frame, stretching the NU margin to seven goals, Penn State suddenly caught lightning in a bottle.

Hoss grabbed her second score of the game before Nittany Lion attacker Gretchen Gilmore notched consecutive tallies to slice the deficit to four. After an errant NU clear attempt, Penn State midfielder Kristin O’Neill fed midfielder Kayla Abernathy for the Nittany Lions’ fourthstraight goal.

However, just when the Cats needed to call her number, the “Scane Train” revved her Tewaaraton-sized engine. The graduate student attacker executed a swift spin cycle and fired a missile to the top of the cage at the 5:35 mark in the second frame.

Although a media timeout gave the packed crowd a chance to revel in the caliber of Scane’s conversion, it also afforded Penn State coach Missy Doherty a shot to shore up the Nittany Lions’ comeback effort. Penn State pounced on two late chances and headed into halftime down 9-7.

MEN’S TENNIS

Amonte Hiller’s team left the intermission with a renewed fire, and Rhatigan rose to grab the reins of the wrangle. She used her blistering speed to rattle off three goals in a 1:04 span, single-handedly extending the lead to five with 11:18 left to play in the third frame.

“We started playing aggressive and with more heart … we started playing for each other in the second half,” White said.

Smith and Gilmore traded goals before senior attacker Dylan Amonte rifled in a shot from the eight-meter. A minute later, Scane hurled a howitzer beyond Nittany

Cats knock down IU, Purdue

By ALYCE BROWN daily senior staffer @alycebrownn

Northwestern hit the road this weekend, traveling through Indiana to take down both Indiana and Purdue as Big Ten play ramps up.

The Wildcats (14-7, 3-1 Big Ten) opened regular season conference play with a loss against No. 2 Ohio State and a win against No. 73 Penn State on March 24 and 26, respectively. Up first in NU’s effort to build on this weekend’s Penn State win was the Hoosiers (12-8, 1-2 Big Ten) on Friday, a team that was 11-6 going into the event.

The match started out wobbly. With both teams picking up one doubles win, the point came down to senior Natan Spear and graduate student Trice Pickens on Court 2. Though they originally held a 6-5 lead, Spear and Pickens dropped the next game, forcing a tiebreaker that saw the two duos neck and neck all the way to 7-7. In the final few swipes, Indiana took the tiebreaker 9-7, winning the match and the doubles point.

At this point in the season, the Cats are no strangers to rallying back in singles matches. Graduate student Ivan Yatsuk, who often occupies Court 2, was notably missing, but NU immediately broke away regardless. Sophomore Felix Nordby, junior Presley Thieneman and graduate student Steven Forman quickly downed their opponents in

Senior guard Buie enters NBA draft

For the first time in four seasons, Northwestern’s starting lineup and roster will likely leave out senior guard Boo Buie.

The first-team All-Big Ten player silenced rumors about what’s to come by tweeting Sunday night his decision to enter the 2023 NBA Draft. He will also maintain

straight sets, putting NU up 3-1 and setting victory within reach.

Graduate student Simen Bratholm and junior Gleb Blekher rallied back from Game 1 losses to force third sets on Courts 2 and 5, which turned into Wildcat victories for both players. Those final two wins handed NU the match with a 5-1 exclamation point.

The Cats sat in a comfortable position as they traveled up to West Lafayette to take on the Boilermakers (2-13, 0-3 Big Ten) on Sunday. Purdue entered the matchup fresh off a loss to Illinois and without a conference win.

After Blekher and Nordby earned an early doubles win, Purdue began to pressure NU. Courts 1 and 2 were both stuck at 5-5, deadlocked until Forman

his one remaining year of college eligibility.

“I could not be more grateful for everything and everyone Northwestern University has given me,” Buie said in the tweet.

“This season and what we have accomplished as a team is something I will forever be extremely proud of.”

Averaging 17.3 points and 4.5 assists per game, Agent 0’s leading-scorer performance was a major reason behind the Wildcats’ historical run. Buie’s 588 points this season

and Bratholm pulled away to grab the doubles point for the Cats.

NU shook off the tight scare in doubles, pulling away in singles. Pickens notched the first point, dropping only two games en route to his straight sets victory. Thieneman on Court 4 and Nordby, this match’s pick for Court 6, followed suit with straight sets wins. Those wins were the final two points needed to earn NU the 4-0 win and complete their Indiana victory lap.

The pair of victories in the Hoosier State extended the Cats’ win streak to four games, propelling them into a home swing against No. 22 Illinois on Saturday.

alycebrown2025@u.northwestern.edu

measured the third-most in a single season in school history –– and that’s on top of securing the program’s first first-team All Big Ten honor since John Shurna in 2012. His 31 games scoring double figures tied Shurna’s single-season NU record from 2010-11

Although the numbers are flashy, Buie’s production and impact over the past four seasons can’t be measured solely by figures. The senior guard started more than 80%

Lion goalkeeper Ashley Bowan, settling the score at 15-8 after three quarters.

Freshman midfielder Madison Taylor tiptoed in front of the net to open the final frame’s scoresheet, and Amonte added another goal just 27 seconds later. Taylor struck paydirt a second time with 9:28 left in the fourth period, activating the running clock.

As the cherry on top, Scane eclipsed the 60-goal mark for the season around the midway point of the final quarter with her sixth goal of the night, and NU cruised to a 19-9 victory.

“We have to take every game one by one,” White said. “Coming in May, we’ve really got to bring the fight.”

Next up for the Cats is the first stop of a three-game road trip: a matchup with No. 25 Rutgers on April 6 in Piscataway, New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights (4-5, 0-3 Big Ten) have posted back-to-back games with single-digit scoring outputs, meaning NU’s highflying offense may barrel through its next opponent.

jacobepstein2026@u.northwestern.edu

SPRING SPORTS

Reintroducing teams to watch for this season

There’s a lot to look forward to in the spring at Northwestern — warm weather, Dillo Day, turning into a beach school, the list goes on and on.

The most important of them all, though?

Spring sports!

The Daily’s Spring Sports Preview offered a great introduction for what’s to come in the last third of sports, whether it be in Ryan Fieldhouse, out on Sharon J. Drysdale Field’s softball diamond, in Rocky and Berenice Miller Park or at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium.

Now, a month and half later, The Daily’s sports desk is back to update you on the Cats’ seven programs in season — lacrosse, softball, baseball, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s golf and women’s golf.

Below is what everyone has been waiting for: a reintroduction to NU’s spring sports.

— SportsEditorLawrencePrice

Softball: Northwestern aims to continue win streak ahead of Iowa series on the road.

While Northwestern faced some adversity at the start of the season at its opening tournaments in Clearwater, Florida, and Clemson, South Carolina, the squad has since found its rhythm. Currently, NU holds an eight-game win streak ahead of a conference battle at Iowa.

The Wildcats (20-9, 5-1 Big Ten) have hit the ground running since the official

of his career games. More importantly, his decision to enter the draft may have a domino effect on his teammates.

Following a bittersweet conclusion to the season, the question of the hour was whether starters Buie, redshirt senior guard Chase Audige and senior forward Robbie Beran would use their one remaining year of eligibility to return to Evanston. With the head of the snake possibly gone, Audige and Beran may depart too, since

start to the spring season at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. After defeating competitors like No. 19 Auburn, UIC and Minnesota, NU must continue its success in order to make another appearance at the College World Series.

Backed by the return of four graduate players in pitcher Danielle Williams, catcher Jordyn Rudd, infielder Maeve Nelson and outfielder Skyler Shellmeyer, there’s much hope that the Cats will finish right where they left off in 2022.

Currently sitting in a three-way tie for first place in the Big Ten standings, NU’s undefeated conference streak ended this weekend after losing the second game of the doubleheader to Iowa Sunday afternoon. Although they won the series 2-1, the Cats dropping the last contest shattered their run in the win column.

With multiple big conference faceoffs still ahead against Rutgers, Nebraska and Michigan, NU must secure critical wins early this season in preparation for the long road to the postseason.

— AssistantSportsEditorSkyeSwann

the chances of returning to the Big Dance have lessened.

With Julian Roper II’s announcement to enter the transfer portal March 27, NU may lose its second player from coach Chris Collins’ rotation.

The coming weeks will be interesting to see what moves could impact next year’s Cats program.

— Lawrence Price

Daily file photo by Gabe Bider

Graduate student Steven Forman serves the ball.

Seeger Gray/Daily Senior Staffer