The Daily Northwestern — April 10, 2023

The Daily Northwestern

Monday, April 10, 2023

5 A&E/Mudlark Local theater program to affirm Latine youth

AUDIO/Digital Diaries

Students share stories of favorite April Fool’s tricks and pranks

Activists rally for abortion pills

Federal judge suspends FDA’s 20-year-old approval of mifepristone

By SHANNON TYLER daily senior staffer @shannonmtyler

A Texas federal judge issued a decision Friday to suspend the Food and Drug Association’s more than 20-year-old approval of mifepristone — one of two drugs

used together for medication abortion during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.

The Donald Trump-appointed judge, Matthew Kacsmaryk, is permitting time for an FDA response by allowing his decision to go into effect a week after issuing the ruling for Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA.

Businesses debate Ryan Field rebuild

By KATE WALTER

daily senior staffer @katewalter03

With plans to rebuild Northwestern’s Ryan Field in the works, owners of businesses near the stadium hold mixed opinions on the effects of the project, with some looking forward to its projected revenue and others concerned about increased traffic from concerts and other events.

Last September, NU announced an $800 million renovation of the nearly 100-year-old football stadium located on Central Street. The University also suggested hosting concerts and allowing alcohol to be sold there.

Permits from City Council are required to move forward with the project and these proposals.

Some business owners on Central Street said the venue

is due for a renovation. Dave Gaborek, vice president of Let’s Tailgate, the official merchandiser of NU Athletics, said while the construction may affect his business in the short term, the “antiquated” stadium needs a renovation.

“The move will definitely affect us when they have to leave for a couple of years for the renovation, but in the long haul it’s overdue,” Gaborek said.

In terms of how his business will be affected by the absence of game days during Fall Quarter, Gaborek said “that’s just the way it is,” noting the store saw an uptick in business during NU’s basketball season this year.

The University announced a target of 35% of spending on local, minority-owned and women-owned businesses in its September announcement. Businesses can fill out a vendor inquiry form on the “Rebuild Ryan Field” website to offer their services during the project.

A federal judge in Washington state contradicted the decision and blocked the FDA from rolling back access to mifepristone in a separate case decided Friday. An appeal from President Joe Biden’s administration also on Friday did the same. The competing rulings will likely head to the Supreme Court, according to the Associated

Press.

“If this ruling were to stand, then there will be virtually no prescription, approved by the FDA, that would be safe from these kinds of political, ideological attacks,” Biden said in a news release.

» See ABORTION PILL , page 6

7 CAMPUS/Starch Madness

Students go on quest to find Evanston’s best fries

Cusick and Whalen run as co-presidents

Platform to focus on changing funding process for NU clubs

By JOANNA HOU daily senior staffer @joannah_11

SESP junior Donovan Cusick and McCormick junior Molly Whalen are running for Associated Student Government as co-presidents in the upcoming election. The two have served in various roles within ASG since Fall Quarter 2020.

“We’ve gotten involved in a lot of (ASG) projects, gotten to see a lot of projects brought over the finish line, but also start a lot of things,” Whalen said. “At a certain point, you just have a motivation to see that through.”

Whalen is a member of current ASG President Jason Hegelmeyer and Vice President Cusick’s cabinet, serving as executive officer of accountability. She’s also served as policy research chair and a Communication senator. Cusick, also interim chair of the Student Activities Finances Committee, has previously served as chief of staff, an Election Commission chair and a SESP senator.

Both will participate in a Presidential Town Hall at McCormick Foundation Center at 8

p.m. Tuesday, which will be livestreamed on The Daily’s social media pages. The official voting period for the election will be from Thursday to Saturday.

The slate’s platform prioritizes resource accessibility with a focus on student group funding, as well as community building.

“We complement each other very well,” Cusick said. “I think we work incredibly well together. We are both very passionate and excitable, especially about what we do. We each bring skills to the positions that really allow for us to have a strong working relationship.”

Improving student group funding, administrative relationships

Student group financing is one of the areas where ASG has the most power, Whalen said. While the organization is empowered to distribute money collected from the ASG student activity fee, Whalen said she and Cusick are trying to establish good relationships with Northwestern administration to get as much additional funding for student groups as possible.

Cusick said he and Whalen have gotten to a place with NU administrators where they can be “straightforward” when communicating student demands.

» See ASG PROFILE , page 6

Students learn police torture history

By KRISTEN AXTMAN daily senior staffer @kristenaxtman1

Content warning: This article contains mentions of torture and police violence.

About 15 Northwestern undergraduate and graduate students traveled to the Chicago Torture Justice Center to learn about the city’s history of police torture Saturday on a trip organized by One Book One Northwestern.

CTJC was created in 2015 after the Chicago City Council passed the Reparations Ordinance, granting reparations to torture survivors of Jon Burge, a former Chicago police commander who tortured predominantly Black defendants to obtain false confessions in the ’70s and ’80s. The package funded the CTJC, public school education on torture, $5.5 million in financial compensation and free access to Chicago city college education for survivors and their families, among other initiatives.

CTJC co-Executive Director

Aislinn Pulley said the ordinance resulted from a three decade long fight led by survivors, their families, activists, attorneys, artists and scholars. The center practices politicized healing, which she said focuses on grieving through political action.

“It’s healing to organize,” Pulley said. “Dismantling these systems that continue to incarcerate our people and continue to murder our people and torture people is healing.”

Pulley said Burge received a promotion within the police department due to his historic numbers of closed cases. She said his rise mirrored the politics of the country at the time: Reaganism, the demonization of the Black working class and the war on drugs contributed to the carceral state.

CTJC Safety Coordinator Gregory Banks and CTJC community organizer Mark Clements presented at the event. Both are Chicago police torture survivors.

A Cook County judge sentenced a 16-year-old Clements to a life sentence without parole in 1981, using a false confession he gave after being tortured. He

spent 28 years in prison.

Clements added the fight for reparations is not over.

“We have over 100 of Burge’s victims still inside of the prisons, as well (as victims of) disciples of Burge,” Clements. “Well into three to four hundred of those people are languishing behind prison walls.”

Banks shared his story of being tortured in the middle of the night in the Chicago Area 2 police station as a 20-year-old. He said the police beat him with a flashlight, held a gun to his mouth and suffocated him with a plastic bag.

It took four days for him to receive medical attention from a doctor.

“Every time I talk about my story, it’s really emotional,” Banks said. “Burge was a monster.”

Banks said politicized grief has made talking about his experience easier because it allows him to channel his energy.

Event facilitator Patricia Nguyen, former NU Asian American studies professor and current American studies professor at the University of Virginia,

» See BURGE AND BEYOND, page 6

Shannon Tyler/Daily Senior Staffer

Up 4 Abortion Rights member Patricia Wallin spoke at the downtown Chicago rally Saturday to call attention to the abortion pill decision.

Photo courtesy of Heidi Gross Aislinn Pulley, Mark Clements and Gregory Banks, left to right respectively, during the panel discussion.

CTA to prioritize ADA accessibility in renovations

By OLIVIA MOFUS the daily northwestern

This is a modernization-bound train making all stops. Doors closing on the right.

The Chicago Transit Authority announced work on the next phases of the Red and Purple Modernization Program, aiming to renovate and modernize the northern section of the Red and Purple lines. In public meetings on March 14 and 16, CTA staff members outlined their current timeline for the project’s execution. The RPM Next Phases Study will identify what needs to be fixed in order to enhance customer experience.

Both lines have infrastructure issues that surveyors say prevent effective accessibility and promote congestion. The lines operate on structures more than 90 years old, which generate increased maintenance costs and slower speeds. Many stations are not fully ADA-accessible.

The Red and Purple Modernization Next Phases Study is the first phase of the CTA’s larger RPM Program. The RPM Program falls under the umbrella of Red Ahead, an initiative to modernize the Red Line that began in 2009. The project is set to be completed by 2025. So far, the CTA has completed construction on a Red and Purple Line bypass in 2021 at the Belmont stop.

Medill sophomore Sophia Perry, who volunteers at a preschool in Rogers Park, rides the Purple Line from Foster or Davis to Howard, then walks to the school.

Her main concerns with the CTA are the lack of public restrooms, large crowds and unreliable early and late trains. She also noted the discomfort of being a solo traveler on both cramped and near-empty train cars.

“If I’m traveling alone, it can be unsettling to be the only person in the car with one person,” Perry said. “Then other times, it can be unsettling to be in a completely crowded car.”

As of the meeting in March, the RPM Next Phases Study has entered its ideation and discovery portion, which includes researching recommendations for increasing capacity and infrastructure needs after the completion of Phase 1 of Red

Ahead. The CTA will apply for federal funding from the Federal Transit Administration during this time once it has compiled the necessary data to support its appeal.

The current timeline for the RPM program is tentative, but if it follows a similar timeline as Phase 1 of the Red Ahead Program, construction could begin in as many as 10 years. Christina Bader, CTA project manager, said though the program is long-term, the timeline is subject to changes in planning, funding and other external forces.

“These complex infrastructure projects can take a long time and due diligence, which is why CTA is starting the next phases planning process now, overlapping with Phase 1 construction,” Bader said. “The timeline is highly dependent on the availability of federal funding.”

Project elements under consideration by the CTA include reducing delays at the Howard and Linden yard stops, providing ADA accessibility at stations, extending platforms, replacing and updating signal systems, increasing speed and reliability, upgrading traction power and adding more train cars to each line — there is potential for 10 cars for the Red Line and eight for the Purple Line.

Although ridership decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic and has not fully returned to pre-pandemic levels, it began rising again in the past two years. The CTA tweeted that throughout 2022, “ridership has continued to climb as Chicagoans return to the office, events, and daily routines.”

“A lot has changed since the pandemic, but we know that ridership is recovering and Red

and Purple lines will continue to be critical infrastructure for Chicago and the northern suburbs,” CTA Senior Manager of Strategic Planning Sonali Tandon said.

oliviamofus2026@u.northwestern.edu

Setting the record straight

An article published in Thursday’s paper titled “Students demonstrate for gun safety” misstated the date of the Covenant School shooting. The Daily regrets the error.

e t a h e a d , c a tc h u p, t r y s o m e t h i n g n ew.

Katie Chen/The Daily Northwestern

The South Boulevard stop on the Purple Line. The Chicago Transit Authority hopes to improve customer experience on the Purple and Red lines through comprehensive renovations.

Chemistry Prof. Knezz fosters inclusion

By BEATRICE VILLAFLOR the daily northwestern @beatricedvilla

Whenever chemistry Prof. Stephanie Knezz notices a chemical reaction is named after a white man, she usually makes a joke out of it in class.

“These guys were just doing the bare minimum and then naming things after themselves,” Knezz said.

Knezz said she aims to make a difference in her organic chemistry classes by talking about identity in her lectures. Science has a history of privileging white men, she said, which has caused structural problems in fields ranging from medicine to engineering.

Being open about her identity as a queer woman is one way Knezz encourages students who are underrepresented in science to continue pursuing STEM. Although she said that her visibility helps a little, Knezz acknowledged that there was more work to be done within these fields.

“The fact that you have an identity that’s not well represented actually means that it’s even more important that you continue in whatever field you are pursuing,” Knezz said. “We need the demographics of these fields to change in order to progress past a lot of the problems that we have.”

In the classroom, Knezz said, learners from marginalized backgrounds can feel isolated.

“Stereotype threat” — when people conform to preconceptions about their identities — and “impostor phenomenon” dissuade those from historically oppressed backgrounds from pursuing STEM, Knezz said. She added that if she had known about these terms in graduate school, she would have felt more validated in her learning struggles.

“I saw why a lot of people are scared by science classes, because I did have some experiences in classes where I was very scared and I did think that I was not going to pass them,” Knezz said.

Because of her experiences, Knezz said she strives to make classes joyful rather than competitive. She hopes to lessen the fear students can feel when taking organic chemistry, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds.

Weinberg freshman Preena Shroff said Knezz

exudes confidence, yet remains understanding and empathetic toward students. Shroff added that during her experience in organic chemistry with Knezz, Knezz was relatable in a way other STEM professors were not.

“Dr. Knezz has opened up the gates for people who struggle to express themselves freely in maleor white-dominated fields,” Shroff said. “She’s opened that gate for them to feel more comfortable learning and growing.”

Bienen and Weinberg freshman Eddie Zhou agreed that Knezz’s organic chemistry classes felt more welcoming. Because of Knezz’s focus on inclusivity, he noticed people were more actively engaged in her lectures as opposed to the lectures he experienced during his first quarter of organic chemistry.

“(Knezz’s class) does feel like an environment where people are encouraged to participate and contribute,” Zhou said. “Nobody’s really left out and it is open for anyone to be a part of.”

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Weinberg sophomore Julie Paska said she was initially daunted by organic chemistry, because she heard it caused students to drop out of the pre-med track and leave STEM altogether.

Paska added that she knew her identity as a low-income queer woman would put her at a disadvantage in STEM. However, she said her opinion about her ability to succeed changed because of the support she received from her organic chemistry professors, especially Knezz.

Paska said Knezz hosted frequent office hours and offered one-on-one sessions with students after class. That encouragement helped students like her feel more confident, she said.

Paska added it was a “blessing” to have been taught by Knezz, but also a “curse” because she will likely not have Knezz as a professor again.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a professor who’s as human and as relatable as Prof. Knezz,” Paska said. beatricevillaflor2026@u.northwestern.edu

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Illustration by Shveta Shah

Chemistry Prof. Stephanie Knezz said she aims to center inclusivity in her STEM teaching.

A&E arts & entertainment

Cirque Us spreads ‘circus magic’ with acrobatics

By JACOB WENDLER daily senior staffer @jacob_wendler

Although trash day on Noyes Street usually occurs Wednesday, the Noyes Cultural Arts Center was littered with garbage cans Saturday and Sunday for a trash-themed circus show. With four performances at The Actors Gymnasium, circus troupe Cirque Us brought daring aerials, acrobatics and juggling to Evanston this weekend.

The four shows were part of the third national tour of “One Man’s Trash: A Repurposed Circus,” a “junkyard adventure” that aims to channel teamwork and community through the performing arts. The tour spans more than 15 cities, from Boston to Madison, Wisconsin, over seven weeks.

The show’s plot centered around several

“trash people” searching for light bulbs to light up their community as they sorted through several trash bags. At times, their adventures were narrated by a radio host cheekily named “Canderson Ooper.”

Cirque Us Founder and Director of Operations Doug Stewart said he founded the New England-based performance group in 2016 with the goal of sharing his love for circus with others.

“The main theme is about spreading circus magic, which is something that other art forms get close to, but there’s nothing that does it like circus does,” he said. “The teamwork and collaboration and community of it all is just something that’s really beautiful, and getting to share that message with so many people is something that we love doing.”

This weekend marked the second time Cirque Us has performed at The Actors Gymnasium, but the connection between the two

groups goes back much further — Cirque Us Production Manager Justin Durham, a performer in the show, trained at The Actors Gymnasium as a child.

Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi, artistic director and co-founder of The Actors Gymnasium, said the performances represented a full-circle moment for her.

“I feel like a proud parent when (Durham) comes back,” she said. “It demonstrates where he’s taken this training that started when he was 9 and just a little boy with a crazy amount of energy, and he’s honed it to something that was really successful for him.”

The show, which ran about 90 minutes with an intermission, featured acts such as hand balancing, diabolo and aerial rope. It also included immersive elements, with the cast inviting audience members onstage for a game of musical chairs.

Samuel Simon, who attended the

Sunday matinee, said he enjoyed this interactive element.

“I took juggling lessons here 21 years ago,” Simon said. “It’s really nice to be back, and it was fun to be dipped into musical chairs.”

Hernandez-DiStasi said while she is selective about which external groups she allows to use the space, collaborating with Cirque Us was a natural choice due to the trust she’s built with the company.

She added that its family-friendly vibe matches The Actors Gymnasium’s artistic and educational philosophy.

“They’re highly skilled acrobats and they really embody what circus is about, being multiskilled,” Hernandez-DiStasi said. “They’re jugglers and acrobats and aerialists, and they do a lot of partner work. And it really is what The Actors Gym is about.”

jacobwendler2025@u.northwestern.edu

‘Laughs on a Hot Tin’ brings stand-up to Five & Dime

By LEXI GOLDSTEIN the daily northwestern @lexipgoldstein

A high school reunion might be to thank for Evanston’s emerging stand-up scene.

When stand-up comic Seth Davis attended a 20th reunion at his alma mater Niles North High School two years ago, the lack of stand up in Evanston inspired him to start a comedy showcase at his childhood haunt Five & Dime.

So Davis began “Laughs on a Hot Tin Roof,” which has been up and running every Wednesday night since October 2022.

Davis reached out to Daniel Kelch — owner of Five & Dime, Taco Diablo, Lulus and The

Blue Horse Tavern — who was looking to draw people into his restaurants during the slower winter season. With limited stand-up comedy options in Evanston, Davis said he wanted to provide a comedy option closer than Chicago.

“It was kind of a handshake thing,” Kelch said.

According to Kelch, the show works as an exchange: The comedians get a guaranteed performance space once a week, collect the show fees and have a free meal. Meanwhile, Kelch’s restaurants get foot traffic from people who dine before or during the show.

Comedy nights will be held on the first Wednesday of the month, starting in may. Weekly shows of “Laughs on a Hot Tin Roof” will return in October.

Co-producer Aaron McDavis said he uses the weekly showcases to try new bits or “dust the cobwebs off another older joke.”

For every performance, co-producers Davis, McDavis and Laura Hugg invite three stand-up comics to perform with them.

All three emphasized the importance of diversity in their lineups. Each producer is tasked with bringing in a new performer per show and performers come for varying backgrounds and experience levels. Davis, who started stand-up around 12 years ago, said he performed last year at the Laugh Factory, a comedy club in Los Angeles. But he still works smaller venues too — including a yacht club in Indiana and a Jewish funeral home.

“You’d be surprised, even when people kind

of get to a ‘make it’ level or whatever, they still would do a show like this just because they want the stage time, and they’re maybe desperate to make people laugh,” Davis said.

The show this week featured Laugh Factory’s Saku Yanagawa, Manny Petty and Zanies Comedy Club’s Natasha Pearl Hansen.

“Laughs on a Hot Tin Roof” is a showcase, not a hierarchy, Hugg said, so all performers get an equal amount of time on stage.

For Hugg, comedy is a natural creative outlet.

“You have to shape your material, but I also feel like I’m funny,” Hugg said. “It’s the one thing without having to buy something or be somebody other than I am.” lexigoldstein2026@u.northwestern.edu

Jacob Wendler/Daily Senior Staffer

Open Tab: Honeybear Cafe is a sweet spot to eat

By KUNJAL BASTOLA and RACHEL SCHLUETER the daily northwestern @kunjal_bastola / @rschlueter26

Honeybear Cafe is your new go-to springtime brunch spot, serving up rich flavors in a lively dining environment.

Located in Rogers Park at 7036 N. Clark Street, Honeybear Cafe is about a 15-minute drive from campus –– or a quick walk from the Howard CTA station.

Honeybear Cafe opened in 2020 and is still abuzz with customers on weekends. So if you’re planning a trip to Honeybear Cafe, make sure to reserve a table beforehand. We went to the restaurant on a Sunday morning, and it was packed with diners.

The cafe’s exterior is painted a vivid turquoise and decorated with flowers, plants and butterfly garlands inside. On one wall, yellow

neon letters read “Eat Well, Live Well,” against a backdrop of greenery. After our meal, we can certify this message holds true at Honeybear Cafe.

Honeybear Cafe’s menu is extensive, featuring a variety of sweet and savory breakfast items including Tres Leches French Toast and Biscuits and Chorizo Gravy.

From the savory side, we chose the Chicken Fried Chicken Skillet, which combined all our breakfast favorites into one. The hearty skillet featured breakfast potatoes, topped with a buttermilk fried chicken breast, bell peppers, onions, bacon, a blend of melted cheeses and two eggs prepared in a style of your choice. We chose to go with eggs over easy, and the runny yolk added an extra kick –– our mouths and stomachs exploded with flavor. Every bite was just as cheesy, crunchy and delicious as the one before.

Chocolate chip pancakes at Honeybear Cafe

consist of two fluffy, warm and moist buttermilk pancakes topped with mini chocolate chips, a drizzle of chocolate syrup and a dollop of whipped cream. Each bite was soft, and the chocolate just melted in our mouths.

The pancakes were a delectable, sweet addition to a savory meal.

Honeybear’s scramblers are the perfect breakfast holy trinity: eggs, meat and hash browns, all rolled into one dish. We ordered the Muscle Beach scrambler: scrambled eggs mixed with thick-cut bacon, sliced tomatoes, spinach and Monterey Jack cheese.

The scrambler was topped with avocado and came with a side of hash browns, grits, tomatoes or fruit. We went with the hash browns, which were fried and added a nice crunch to the dish.

On the side, we had the choice of toast, pancakes or French toast. We also chose pancakes topped with a blueberry compote. The

pancakes were thick and fluffy, with a nice crisp on the outside. The compote helped cut through the sweetness, but we wish the serving was a bit more generous.

No breakfast is complete without a fun drink, and the Nutellagraham latte delivered. More than just a classic latte, this drink has a little Nutella Hazelnut Spread in it and is topped with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle.

Honeybear Cafe’s menu also has lunch items, including burgers, wraps and salads. Sadly, we didn’t venture into the lunch menu, but because our Honeybear Cafe breakfast was so delicious, we’re sure we’ll be back for lunch sometime soon.

Whether you’re looking to try a unique breakfast creation or stick to a classic, Honeybear Cafe will surely satisfy whatever your cravings are.

kunjalbastola2026@u.northwestern.edu

rachelschlueter2026@u.northwestern.edu

Mudlark Theater Company empowers Latine youth

By MARTHA CONTRERAS daily senior staffer @marthacontrerr

At Latinidades Spring Break Camp last week, children ages 6 to 10 explored and affirmed their Latine identity through butterfly drawing and mirroring exercises.

The free, five-day camp is part of a year-long program created by the Mudlark Theater Company, an Evanston nonprofit that empowers children as artists. The program, which aims to provide theater opportunities for Latine youth in Evanston, is funded by a $47,000 grant from Northwestern’s Office of Neighborhood and Community Relations and is designed in collaboration with NU students and faculty.

The program began Fall Quarter with a 12-session theatre workshop held at NU for middle and high school students. Mudlark also kicked off a bilingual theatre class in collaboration with Washington Elementary School’s dual-language Two-Way Immersion program.

“The goal of that program is to create dualfluency in the classroom and not have a bias

toward one another but (to) have a supportive learning space,” Anastacia Narrajos, education manager at Mudlark, said.

The spring break camp offered a culturally specific Latine lens for 21 elementary students — most of whom were Latine — to explore their own identities and stories. It also served for parents as a free childcare during the academic break.

Narrajos said the camp aimed to create a supportive space for students to take ownership of and articulate their own stories locally, allowing them to come out of their shells while having fun.

“I hope to find more ways to partner and work with the community, while changing the framework for why we do theater,” she said.

Latino and Latina Studies Prof. Myrna García said this free opportunity “removes barriers,” and honors historically free Latine labor — including the work she herself did for the Mudlark project.

García created the camp’s curriculum as an opportunity for students to see themselves. Each day had lesson plans and activities that highlighted five different themes. For example,

the students discussed topics such as the importance of names, the meaning of community and the impact of migration during the camp.

García emphasized the importance of cocollaboration for creating that curriculum, noting the help of Communication Prof. Henry Godinez and NU students, as well as input from middle and high school students who participated in the fall camp.

“I’m not getting paid for this,” García said. “I’m doing it from mi corazón.”

Weinberg sophomore Kelly Vogt helped design Latinidades’ programming and assisted artists in teaching for three of the five days.

Vogt said she was moved by seeing people gain awareness about their Latinidad at such a young age, especially being half Mexican herself.

“Seeing that awareness at seven is really special, and it heals a little bit of me. I never had that,” Vogt said. “They’re proud of it. You could see it.”

The 19-year-old also started helping Mudlark’s full-year theater program at Washington Elementary School in March, where she now works with third graders twice a week in similar activities.

This spring, she also began taking García’s course Latino 391: Curandera Histories, Counter-Stories, & Knowledge, which is a companion course to the Latinx Mudlark Theatre Project.

García said the class will teach students to think creatively on how they perceive their identities and express themselves while they create narratives and performances — just like the children at the camp.

Vogt agreed, saying the class is already providing an opportunity for her to step out of her body and head through active exercises, a refreshing experience compared to her other NU classes.

García said she is hoping for a grant renewal to run the yearlong program again next year. If not, she hopes to continue it by finding a deeper and more sustainable engagement with the community.

“Here is a local opportunity. When we think about community engagement, it’s right here,” García said. “Latinx (people) are here in Evanston, and here is a space and dynamic that’s affirming.”

marthacontreras2025@u.northwestern.edu

Liner Notes: Daniel Caesar’s ‘NEVER ENOUGH’ unsatisfying

By BEATRICE VILLAFLOR the daily northwestern @beatricedvilla

With “NEVER ENOUGH,” R&B artist Daniel Caesar creates a sonic space and shift in tone and genre from his critically acclaimed album “Freudian” by presenting listeners with a new collection of dichotomies within each narrative.

Caesar released his highly anticipated new album Friday with a tracklist full of thematic opposites — like loving and losing, despair and hope. But, Caesar’s commanding and dynamic voice centers it all. From his falsetto in opener “Ocho Rios” to his confident croon in closer “Unstoppable,” his technique reaches new heights in his latest work.

Caesar’s new musical stylings are most notable in singles “Valentina” and “Do You Like Me?” Both showcase Caesar exploring unfamiliar techniques, such as his incorporation of percussion-heavy melodies and the unorthodox cadence in his vocal

delivery. It pays off.

Lyrically, the exploration of faithfulness hearkens to prior songs “Neu Roses (Transgressor’s Song)” and “Hold Me Down” in “Freudian.” In “Valentina,” Caesar sings, “I only need one moment of time to make you feel a way,” and though the song’s narrative remains inconclusive, he clearly intends to influence the listener to share in his pain.

While Caesar has no shortage of sexual imagery in his tracks, he yearns for a genuine connection in the vulnerable “Do You Like Me?.” Caesar asks a potential lover: “Do I titillate your mind?”

The verses’ beautiful harmonies mirror Caesar’s conflicting thoughts as he ponders the future of a relationship.

The album is broken up by the emotive ballad “Always,” in which Caesar assures his romantic interest that his devotion is not a phase. While not the most unique topic, Caesar’s earnestness comes through lyrically and makes it a welcome addition to the album.

“Buyer’s Remorse” is a personal favorite. The track speaks to resentment built up toward the

person you’re committed to — a theme often unexplored in love songs. Though it is not the most melodically inventive song on the album, “Buyer’s Remorse” is the most thematically nuanced. The lyrics “It’s not what I slaved for,” are contrasted with “I wouldn’t dare to change how I feel about you” solidify the track as a shift in the album’s narrative.

Standouts like “Buyer’s Remorse” highlight Caesar’s artistry but become muddled or hidden in a sea of lackluster tracks. In the latter half of the album, Caesar’s creative sound becomes inconsistent, albeit with a well-produced beat in the background.

“Shot My Baby” likens itself to SZA’s “Kill Bill” given its narrative of killing one’s ex but is devoid of the latter’s tenderness within such a vengeful sentiment. Similarly, the twelfth track “Homiesexual,” despite having one of the most unique titles on the album, falls flat in its bitter and vulgar dissection of a girl who has moved on from her connection to Caesar.

The string of disappointments do not end with the penultimate song “Superpowers.” While

different from Caesar’s usual exploration of love and lust’s complexities, the piece’s verses are repetitive and offer little substance to the artist’s oeuvre.

The album concludes with “Unstoppable,” a slight improvement from prior tracks that still leaves something to be desired from the soulful singer. The closing track lyrically emphasizes Caesar’s struggle to solidify a relationship by covering both love and loss, but musically accentuates his limits, all while the album concludes with overused instrumentals listeners have become accustomed to.

This album had high expectations to live up to the praise Caesar received after the release of its predecessor “Freudian.” But throughout the tracklist, the Canadian singer does not let outside pressures impact the breadth of his sonic experimentation on this album.

When his new endeavors work, they astonish. At some points in “NEVER ENOUGH,” Caesar astounds and impresses listeners with his vocal talents and poignant lyricism.

Still, Caesar struggles to create a cohesive concept to thread his 15 tracks together, leaving listeners unsatisfied.

beatricevillaflor2026@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 Beatrice Villaflor

Daniel Caesar’s newest album, “NEVER ENOUGH” was released Friday.

“Administrators want to hear from students and (we provide) a good opportunity for them to hear from students,” Cusick said. “They know us well and are ready to continue to have productive conversations considering that they already know where we come from.”

Whalen added the candidates’ previous and current roles on ASG help them see a “wider playing field” of all the groups asking for increased funding, which helps them contextualize individual demands into a larger picture to communicate with the administration.

Cusick and Whalen said they have also worked on student financing internally this academic year to reform the Student Activities Finances Committee’s long-standing tier system.

The tier system allows older student groups on campus to receive funding advantages, which Whalen said disadvantaged newer groups. The candidates will roll out their reforms at the end of the academic year, she said.

“If you were an older group, you were entitled to a certain percentage increase for certain events every time, and that made it really hard for new groups — which were largely affinity groups — to get the same amount of money,” Whalen said. “The way that’s been done in the past has not been equitable.”

Increased resources and partnerships within the NU community

Whalen and Cusick are also focused on advancing community building and support. The pair said they want to advocate for student representation on the Board of Trustees.

“Universities are for students,” Cusick said. “We’re the reason that the institution exists and what it is there to serve. Having student interests represented and considered is something that’s just incredibly important.”

He said student experiences should be factored into “important decisions” the Board makes, including

BURGE AND BEYOND

From page 1

is designing the CTJ Memorial, the last part of the ordinance that has not been fulfilled. She said she’s hopeful Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson will fund the project.

“If we had private money, this would have been built. But we want to hold the city accountable,” Nguyen said. “The city cannot pretend like this history never happened.”

The memorial design is a spiral that displays a timeline of historical events, leading to a community center at the end. The survivors’ names will be on the walls, along with space for future names to be added.

SESP senior Alyssa Coughlin attended the

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those involving tuition costs and University investments. Whalen added lacking student representation on the Board becomes a “transparency issue” when students feel the impacts of these decisions without having a stake in making them.

According to the ticket’s platform, Whalen and Cusick also aim to increase outreach to Residential Services, which has historically worked “very little” with ASG. Whalen added they will also try to ncrease resource accessibility, especially for first-generation and low-income students, by expanding programs like Books for ‘Cats.

Addressing voter turnout in a one-ticket election

In 2019, the uncontested ASG presidential election had one of the lowest student body turnouts in at least 10 years, with 852 votes cast.

Election Commissioner and Weinberg freshman Enzo Banal said the Election Commission, which aims to ensure the election process is free and fair, is concerned about lower voter turnout. He said the committee has been “behind” their optimal targets in past elections. But he added he still wants students to engage in the election so they can understand how the process works.

“This has applicability for future years,” Banal said. “Not every single campaign is going to be just two candidates that are running on the same ticket. If we build that grassroots foundation this year, then, in future years, people will understand when and where the process is, and be more incentivized to vote going forward.”

Though they are running uncontested, Whalen said she and Cusick are still doing “all of the campaign work,” and are meeting with various student groups and their new executive boards. Cusick added improving voter turnout was a goal of their executive board last year.

“We still want to see voter turnout,” Cusick said. “We’re still doing all of the regular stuff to try and campaign. We’re not treating it as if we’re just gonna walk away with it. That’s not what we’re here to do.”

joannahou2025@u.northwestern.edu

event because of their interest in policing and prison abolition. Despite growing up right outside of Chicago, they didn’t learn about Burge in high school.

Coughlin said they research police violence, but the academic world often cuts out the voices of those affected by an issue. They added that the conversation about politicized healing especially stood out to her.

“It’s lovely they’re providing these services to people for free without any stipulations and will not abandon these people,” Coughlin said. “We are so willing to abandon people once we’ve decided that they’re bad, and that’s never going to make the world a better place.”

kristenaxtman2025@u.northwestern.edu

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Because the Texas decision is a national injunction, the result can affect the accessibility of abortion pills across the country, regardless of state laws. Mifepristone was used in more than half of all facility-based abortions in 2020, according to a Guttmacher Institute survey.

About 20 members of Chicago’s branch of Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights held a press conference and rally to call attention to Kacsmaryk’s decision at Federal Plaza on Saturday.

Patricia Wallin, a member of the abortion rights organization, said almost a year after the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization eliminated the constitutional right to an abortion, the situation is getting worse for the abortion rights movement.

“(Kacsmaryk) banned the FDA-approved pill that helps women have a safe abortion,” Wallin said. “What he said was, ‘We will criminalize women for trying to get a safe abortion.’”

According to Planned Parenthood, the medication is the first stage in a two-step process for terminating a pregnancy during the first 10 weeks.

First, mifepristone blocks the hormone progesterone to break down the uterus lining so pregnancy cannot continue. Misoprostol, the second medication, is then taken to empty the uterus.

In the Texas decision, Kacsmaryk said the

RYAN FIELD

From page 1

Kandi Corbbins, owner of iKandi Hair Studio on Central Street, said she is skeptical of the University’s pledge to promote Black businesses.

“I’m just concerned with how they are portraying what they’re going to do for the Black and brown community with this project,” Corbbins said. “I don’t know how one has to do with the other.”

While vendors that sell food and NU merch may not be as affected in the long run, Corbbins said businesses like hers that provide client services may feel more of an impact.

She pointed to the increased traffic congestion that more events would bring.

“I am one of the few Black businesses on this block, and this is not going to be a help for me at all — it’s going to be a hindrance,” Corbbins said.

Donna Parise Byrne, owner of Pilates Central Wellness, located down the street from the stadium, also said she is concerned about the proposal for more events at the new Ryan Field.

Parise Byrne said she knew when she first opened her business that there would be about seven football game days a year, but increased street traffic during events will present new challenges.

“Pouring 35,000 people into this neighborhood on a regular basis is very concerning to

original FDA approval of the drug in 2000 and the 2019 approval of its generic form were invalid. Kacsmaryk wrote that the court “does not second-guess FDA’s decision-making lightly,” but questioned the soundness of the evidence proving mifepristone is safe because the agency used an accelerated approval process meant for drugs that treat life-threatening diseases.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association and several other medical organizations signed an amicus brief for the case stating that data shows mifepristone is safe.

In a news release, Gov. J.B. Pritzker assured Illinois residents that reproductive rights remain enshrined in the state’s law. Many Democratic state leaders around the nation have said the same. But, many abortion rights groups have said they’re worried about the Supreme Court deciding the case after it reversed Roe v. Wade in June 2022.

Wallin said even after the efforts of groups like Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights during the past year, federal lawmakers still have not done enough to ensure that “women’s rights are not up for gambling.”

“We marched, we rallied, we mobilized, we traveled, we had meetings, we got informed,” Wallin said. “We did everything, but it wasn’t enough.” shannontyler2025@u.northwestern.edu

me,” Parise Byrne said. “I won’t be able to see people on stadium event days because people are not going to be able to get here.”

According to the Rebuild Ryan Field website, the University will work with city officials and the community to decide on an appropriate number of concerts to host each year and has “a plan to reduce congestion on game days.” The sale of alcohol at the new stadium has been a topic of frequent debate among Evanston community members.

Some businesses near the stadium, such as Central Street restaurant Mustard’s Last Stand, believe the rebuilding process will provide a boost in sales. Samuel Licea, manager of Mustard’s, previously told The Daily he hopes his business will benefit from construction workers eating at the restaurant.

Brian O’Malley, owner of bottle shop Beer on Central, said while football games do help his business, they aren’t “big linchpins” in revenue. He also said it would be “cool” for the new stadium to incorporate local vendors once the stadium is built, but that this proposal ultimately won’t impact his store all that much.

“I think that for our particular businesses, (the rebuild) would be good,” O’Malley said “But I also don’t want to make light of how it would affect other businesses.”

katewalter2025@u.northwestern.edu

DAILY CROSSWORD

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

Local fries fight for carb crown in Starch Madness

By SAMANTHA POWERS the daily northwestern @sqpowers04

Thirty-two restaurants. Fifty-six students. One champion title. This is Starch Madness: the competition for Evanston’s best fries.

When SESP junior Armaan Ajani posted on Snapchat asking his friends if they wanted to join him in a quest for the best fries, they responded immediately and enthusiastically.

He got the idea from friends who started a “best fries” bracket, but graduated before they could finish it. So, Ajani picked up the torch. He started with about 50 participants and said the number continues to grow.

Over spring break, Ajani made his plan: Participants would be split into teams of three or four. Each group would judge between fries from two restaurants every week. He organized the restaurants into four regions: brunch, burgers, wings and miscellaneous. His 14-point rules list lays out logistics like permitted sauces, transit options and more.

“I was very bored over spring break,” Ajani said.

The group has made it through the first round of the Starch Madness bracket, with the “Savory Sixteen” round set to close on Sunday night. Students keep the community informed with updates on the official Starch Madness Twitter account after each matchup.

McCormick junior Molly Whalen, a judge in the wings region, said her favorite part of Starch Madness is its absurdity.

“So much work went into this absurd thing,” Whalen said. “I just find it really hilarious, and I also think it has been like a really good bonding thing.”

Whalen said trying fries with her team members has been a good icebreaker. Ajani said although most people already know each other, he tried to make sure everyone had at least one friend on their team.

Weinberg junior Christine Jie said sharing a meal with her team allowed her to get to know them better.

“It definitely gives me something to look forward to at the end of a long day,” Jie said. “It’s been a good way to meet people that I probably

would not have met or eaten with otherwise.

It’s kind of silly, but I really like it.”

McCormick junior Marcos Rios, a self-proclaimed fry-lover, described the experience as “relaxing.” He even went as far as to leave his backpack at home for the excursion — a rare occurrence, he said.

From the start, Rios said he was enthused by Ajani’s idea. Still, he said he was surprised by how many people were willing to participate.

“I was like, ‘Damn, Armaan was able to pull together 55 people crazy enough to do this. That’s really impressive,’” Rios said. “But if there’s anyone that could do it, it’s probably him.”

Rios has been watching the competition closely. He said Bob’s Pizza has his favorite fries in Evanston, but he’s been closely following the brunch region of the bracket — especially Le Peep.

Ajani said his favorites for the title thus

far are Habibi In and Mid Kitchen. He said he hopes the competition will culminate in a “Frynal Four” party to determine the overall winner.

Ajani said it’s been fun to see the upsets thus far, and he looks forward to seeing which restaurant takes the title.

“That’s the madness of it all,” he said. samanthapowers2026@u.northwestern.edu

Illustration by Emily Lichty

Students keep the community informed with updates on the official Starch Madness Twitter account after each matchup.

Monday, April 10, 2023

Wildcats romp past Great Danes in road victory

By JAKE EPSTEIN the daily northwestern @jakeepste1n

No. 2 Northwestern carried a 12-game winning streak into John Fallon Field in Albany, New York on Saturday, looking to cruise past its final non-conference contest against Albany. But the Wildcats (13-1, 4-0 Big Ten) found themselves in a dogfight against the Great Danes (7-6, 3-0 America East) midway through the second quarter.

Graduate student midfielder Elle Hansen opened the scoring at the 13:04 mark, and senior attacker Dylan Amonte doubled NU’s advantage to 2-0 nearly five minutes later. Although the Cats appeared to pick up where they left off against Rutgers two days prior, Albany packed a powerful counterpunch and flipped the matchup on its head a minute after Amonte’s conversion.

Great Dane midfielder Katie Pascale split the deficit with a free-position shot just before the midway point of the first frame.

Albany midfielder Sarah Falk and attacker Ava Poupard then piled on a pair of goals to take a 3-2 Great Danes’ lead.

While freshman midfielder Madison Taylor and senior attacker Erin Coykendall responded with two goals in 30 seconds,

Falk leveled the score once more off a Pascale feed.

Sophomore midfielder Samantha Smith recaptured the lead for the Cats in the waning seconds of the first quarter. However, the first 15 minutes were far from NU’s ideal script, as Great Dane midfielder Haley Phalines dominated the draw circle with her elite height at 6 feet 1 inch, while the Cats trailed 6-4 in the draw control battle.

After nearly seven minutes of scoreless lacrosse in the second frame, Albany midfielder Grace McCauley equalized from the eight-meter. Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller needed a spark for her team to regain momentum — otherwise, an underdog allowed to stick around for too long could fester into a perilous power.

With a diverse range of weapons to turn to, NU didn’t choose just one — the team chose many. First, graduate student attacker Izzy Scane,who faced persistent doubleteams and aggressive marking from the Great Danes, made her first imprint on the contest by finding Taylor for the go-ahead goal. After Hansen added another score, Coykendall diverted the opposing defense’s attention before delivering a pinpoint pass to Amonte. The senior attacker took a wideopen lane and struck gold.

At the other end of the field, McCauley

BASEBALL

broke loose for a slick behind-the-back finish. The celebration of the highlight-reel worthy play appeared short-lived as Taylor fired home an unassisted tally, upping the Cats lead to three.

Just 20 seconds later, the “Scane Train” barreled full speed ahead. While Scane — the nation’s leading scorer — failed to convert her first five shots of the game, she launched a rocket into the back of the net with 44 seconds left in the first half. She utilized the same tactic on the ensuing possession, scoring in almost identical fashion to give her team an 11-6 halftime advantage.

Albany attacker Shonly Wallace notched the opening goal at the 12:37 mark of the third frame, but inadvertently triggered a Lake Show-sized tsunami. Scane completed her hat trick just 23 seconds later and Amonte tallied back-to-back scores, giving NU a seven-goal lead. The Great Danes then sent Scane to the eight-meter for a freeposition play where the graduate student attacker capped a 4-0 run for the Cats. McCauley put a temporary stopgap on NU’s theatrics, picking up her own hat trick. But minutes later, Taylor responded from point-blank range — grabbing her fourth goal of the day in emphatic fashion.

Albany held graduate student attacker Hailey Rhatigan in check up until the third

NU wins first series vs Illinois

By LAWRENCE PRICE daily senior staffer @lpiii_tres

It’s been 323 days since Northwestern’s baseball program and fan base has felt the Sunday evening satisfaction of leaving on a high note — winning a weekend series.

Sometimes, it takes a while for a program to reach this status. For Northwestern (5-21, 3-3 Big Ten), this meant waiting 26 games into their 2023 campaign before their first series win of the season, taking two out of three against their instate rival Illinois (13-15, 3-6 Big Ten).

Although the spring sunshine began to finally show its face at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park, none of the victories this weekend came easy. Even in the madness, coach Jim Foster expressed that the tough battles helped the team get better.

“We’re starting to figure out our identities and play better so that’s nice to see,” Foster said. “Knowing who you are and what you got to do to help them be successful, not just short term, but long term.”

NU meant business from the get-go in the series’ first matchup Friday — or at least graduate student outfielder Griffin Arnone did. The captain of the outfield’s slicing line drive to center tipped out of Illinois’ diving outfielder Connor Milton’s glove, leading to Arnone legging out the sure-to-be base hit into a double and sliding head first into second base.

From there, team captain and senior infielder and outfielder Stephen Hrustich took control of the steering wheel with his RBI double, putting the Cats up 1-0 early.

The Fighting Illini struck back though, scoring two runs in the fourth, and another in the seventh. Outside of those three runs, the trio rotation of juniors right hander Matt McClure and left hander Nolan Morr, and senior right hander Coby Moe stifled Illinois at the plate, giving the Cats a shot to win.

“We got good pitching this weekend,”

Foster said. “It started on the mound, you know, that was the best thing.”

After gaining a small offensive heartbeat after scoring in the first inning, NU’s offense revived in the ninth. Down to their last out, graduate catcher Cooper Foard became a superhero right on time, winning NU’s first game of the series in walk-off fashion.

Following a 7-2 loss Saturday, the Cats called on junior right-handers Luke Benneche and Ben Grable to take them to the promised land for the rubber match.

“We’re looking for that third starter, and (Benneche) got a chance to get out there today and do it, and really shined,” Foster said. “On the mound, you know, we’re not giving them as many freebies.”

After Hrustich’s three-run blast put

After 82 games, 1,009 points and 60 steals — the fifth-most in program history — redshirt senior guard Chase Audige is entering the NBA Draft while maintaining his eligibility, he announced Sunday on Twitter. “Northwestern, you have shaped me and given me blessings I used to dream about,” Audige said in his announcement. “Thank you to the community that has helped me grow in so many ways.”

Audige’s three-season career in Evanston has been a roller coaster. After redshirting during the 2019-20

NU up 3-1 after the first inning, the two programs went tick for tack, settling at four runs apiece by the seventh inning stretch.

Yet, in the eighth inning, freshman shortstop Owen McElfatrick broke the game wide open on the first pitch of his at-bat. The infield captain’s no-doubt homer quickly exited the ballpark, leading to a team and home crowd celebration and a watch-and-stare moment for McElfatrick.

“Coming into today, I just tried to do too much and try to top what I did yesterday,” McElfatrick said. “I kind of got back to that approach my last at-bat, just staying loose, having fun, and that’s how I felt.”

With momentum in his favor, Grable made quick work of Illinois in his third inning on the helm — capped off by a diving catch by Hrustich in the right center gap.

“We’re just chasing series wins every weekend,” McElfatrick said. “We’re .500 in the Big Ten now, our records don’t really matter.”

lawrenceprice2024@u.northwestern.edu

season following his transfer from William & Mary, Audige scored a team-high 12.3 points per game during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign.

Audige’s second year in purple and white was one compounded by injuries, and neither he nor NU strung together much momentum, ultimately sputtering to a disappointing 15-16 (7-13 Big Ten) finish.

But between Iowa’s 36-point shellacking of the Cats in the 2022 Big Ten Tournament and tipoff of the 2022-23 season opener against Chicago State, Audige helped shift the energy within the program.

Audige, alongside fellow senior captains Boo Buie and Robbie Beran, righted a seemingly sinking ship, leading NU to its second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

Audige’s season, similar to his backcourt mate in

quarter, when she shot out a cannon to give the Cats a nine-goal lead. Following a Taylor pass out of a free-position play, Scane saw Rhatigan cutting toward the cage out of the corner of her eye and fed the Mercer transfer for her first goal of the afternoon. Then, after a late Falk conversion, the Cats carried a 17-9 advantage into the final frame. Rhatigan kickstarted the fourth period, capitalizing off a Coykendall feed to extend NU’s edge to nine goals. But, after Scane was sent to the sideline following an offensive-zone collision, the Great Danes became NU’s first opponent to notch double-digit goals against the Cats since

Marquette on Feb. 23.

Fortunately for NU, Scane returned to play later in the fourth quarter while Rhatigan and senior Eve Hritzuk combined for the squad’s final three goals. Falk scored a last-minute tally, but Amonte Hiller’s team decisively drubbed its opponent 21-11 on an afternoon eight different Cats found twine. NU will play its final road game of the regular season at Ohio State on April 15. The Buckeyes (5-9, 0-4 Big Ten) conceded 18 goals against No. 10 Maryland Saturday, which means the Cats should sharpen up their shooting sticks for a high scoring affair.

jacobepstein2026@u.northwestern.edu

SOFTBALL

Northwestern drives in record 24 runs in game

By KUNJAL BASTOLA the daily northwestern @kunjal_bastola

No. 23 Northwestern (24-9, 9-1 Big Ten) picked up its second sweep of the season this weekend, wiping out Penn State (20-11, 2-7 Big Ten) in a three-game series at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, further proving its dominance at home.

The first game of the series Friday was highlighted by a sixth-inning offensive rally.

Graduate student pitcher Danielle Williams dominated in the circle, securing 11 strikeouts over seven innings.

The Cats’ offense started off strong in the first inning with three runs. However, NU cooled off for the next four frames, going scoreless but giving up only one run to Penn State. Entering the sixth inning, NU led 3-1.

The Cats turned the bats on in the sixth inning to extend their lead and bring home the win. NU’s second-to-last inning was topped off by home runs from both senior utility Angela Zedak and sophomore infielder Ayana Lindsey. The Cats’ offensive show propelled its lead to 9-4, with six of the nine runs scored in the sixth inning.

NU continued to dominate on Saturday, setting a franchise record for runs scored. Leading 11-0 by the bottom of the second inning, the Cats went on to score 24 runs total while allowing just six runs to the Nittany Lions — leading to a five-inning run rule.

Junior infielder Hannah Cady was the first to score for the Cats in the second inning, courtesy of an RBI from Zedak. NU’s offense didn’t stop there, however, as they scored 10 runs the following inning and three in the

Buie’s, was one filled with both individual and collective triumphs. He became one of the nation’s best two-way players, acting as coach Chris Collins’ ballhawk defensively — and a microwave scorer on the other end of the floor. The New York native posted career-highs in points (14.1), assists (2.9) and steals (2.4), while adding 3.4 rebounds per contest.

His career year helped propel the Cats’ historic run to the Big Dance, while also securing Audige co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors and a second team All-Big Ten nod.

Following Sunday’s announcement, Audige joins Buie in testing the NBA Draft process, while maintaining the possibility of a return to Evanston for one final year. Though he’s not currently projected as a draft pick come June 22, Audige’s prowess as a perimeter

fourth.

Graduate student outfielder Skyler Shellmyer had three hits, and behind Nader, drove in the second most runners with three.

The Cats topped off the series in epic fashion Sunday with graduate student catcher Jordyn Rudd’s walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning lifting the Cats to a 5-2 win.

The game was scoreless the first three innings until Nader secured a hit in the bottom of the fourth, allowing freshman infielder Bridget Donahey to score.

Down 2-1 entering the seventh, the Cats disrupted their offensive struggles with Rudd homering to left field with the bases loaded, scoring herself, Shellmyer, sophomore infielder Grace Nieto and freshman infielder Kansas Robinson, giving NU a three-game sweep.

Each player contributed to the Cats’ prolific play this past weekend — proving just how well-rounded head Coach Kate Drohan’s squad is. In total, 14 different players scored runs this weekend, contributing to NU’s astonishing offensive performance. With the Women’s College World Series just under two months away, the rest of the season looks like an exciting one for NU if they continue playing at this level.

The Cats will take on Illinois on Wednesday before another Big Ten series matchup against Wisconsin (20-10, 7-2 Big Ten) in Madison, Wisconsin this weekend. Wisconsin — currently ranked third in the Big Ten — could present a challenge for NU, but the Cats should be able to pull off another series sweep.

kunjalbastola2026@u.northwestern.edu

defender lifts his stock and could tempt an NBA team to potentially select him in the second round or sign him to a two-way deal.

Regardless of whether Audige has played his final game for the Cats, he provided the NU faithful with a laundry list of memories — from the season-high 28 points against DePaul to the late-game heroics and right-corner triple against No. 1 Purdue to the 20-point, four-steal performance in the victory over Boise State in the NCAA Tournament.

“Thank you to all the Northwestern fans, and people supporting everywhere,” Audige said. “This year was extremely special, and I will never forget the memories that were made.”

— Alex Cervantes

Chase Audige declares for NBA Draft, maintains eligibility for one last year

Daily file photo by Seeger Gray

Seeger Gray/Daily Senior Staffer