The Daily Northwestern — May 4, 2023

The Daily Northwestern

ASG freezes College Republicans funding

Motion comes one day after club hosts

By JULIAN ANDREONE the daily northwestern @julianandreone

Associated Student Government froze funding for Northwestern College Republicans Wednesday night.

The body passed the motion using emergency legislation.

Students protest Lindsay event

NUCR and YAF host conspiracy theorist and anti-LGBTQ+ activist

By JOANNA HOU, RUSSELL LEUNG and MAIA PANDEY

daily senior staffers

More than 150 demonstrators gathered outside Swift Hall on Tuesday evening to protest a lecture by James Lindsay, an author, conspiracy theorist and anti-LGBTQ+ activist.

Northwestern College Republicans and NU’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom hosted Lindsay, who helped popularize

“groomer” rhetoric. The rhetoric, which has been debunked and labeled as anti-gay by PolitiFact and the Anti-Defamation League, accuses LGBTQ+ people of enabling pedophilia. Lindsay has also promoted “white genocide theory,” which claims there is an intentional effort to replace white populations in majority-white communities. Historians have traced the white genocide theory to having antisemitic roots.

Prior to the event, several NU

students emailed University President Michael Schill expressing concerns about Lindsay’s invitation to campus. They also raised questions about the event’s funding — particularly why Lindsay chose to speak at NU for free.

SESP sophomore Katherine McDonnell, a former Daily staffer, said students can help shape the values of the University through protest.

“Mobilizing for students today, even if it doesn’t mean

administration will or can do anything, is an act of recognizing that we will hold each other accountable, and that we expect each other to actually think critically, to question conspiracy theorists (and) to lead with love,” McDonnell said.

Lindsay speaks for free, ASG discusses funding NUCR and YAF did not pay

» See LINDSAY, page 6

The vote, which went through with a large majority, came after NUCR and NU’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom hosted James Lindsay, an author, conspiracy theorist and anti-LGBTQ+ activist, on Tuesday for a speaker event.

While NUCR receives funding from ASG, YAF currently does not.

ASG co-President and McCormick junior Molly Whalen said ASG froze the funding because of flyers the two organizations posted advertising the lecture. One flyer featured sunglasses with a queer pride flag and a skull and crossbones superimposed over the lenses.

The legislation is based on ASG’s belief that the flyers advertising Lindsay’s lecture violate NU’s Policy on

Discrimination & Harassment. The policy states examples of harassment can include displaying and circulating “offensive objects and pictures that are based on a protected class.”

Whalen said neither the speaker’s ideology nor NUCR’s political affiliation played a role in the suspension of funds, which was strictly based on a “pretty explicit violation” of University policy.

“We can’t prevent a speaker from coming to campus as student government. That’s done by administration,” Whalen said. “We focused on the part that we could control, which is student group conduct and student group finances.”

Weinberg freshman Malik Rice, ASG’s co-executive officer of justice and inclusion, co-authored the legislation. He said when marginalized groups on campus don’t feel heard, it is ASG’s responsibility to amplify their voices.

“There is a side of injustice and (one of justice),” Rice said. “ASG does not want to be on the side of injustice.”

According to the legislation, NUCR’s finances will be frozen until the ongoing University investigation into its conduct has concluded to determine

» See ASG , page 6

Evanston aims to revitalize relationship with Chicago

Mayor Daniel Biss hopes to work with newly elected Windy City mayor on racial equity, climate, public

By ARIA WOZNIAK daily senior staffer @ari_wozz

With Chicago’s newly elected mayor, Brandon Johnson, set to be sworn in on May 15, Evanston

Mayor Daniel Biss said he hopes the relationship between Evanston and Chicago’s local governments will have a more collaborative dynamic.

Biss, who endorsed Johnson prior to April’s mayoral runoff election, emphasized the importance of building a stronger and more prosperous Chicago area by working together with the larger city. He said he sees this happening with Johnson as mayor.

“On the things that are our top priorities — whether that’s public safety, racial equity, climate, action, sustainability, affordable housing — I think we’re going to have a partner who shares our values,” Biss said. “A partner who we can really get some good things done with.”

He added that Evanston’s relationship with Chicago is a fundamental part of the smaller city’s identity since Chicago is an economic and cultural center of the region.

According to the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning in 2019, 37.8% of Evanston residents work in Chicago. He thinks many people are drawn to live in Evanston because of the greater Chicago region’s cultural vibrancy.

Both cities have already begun collaborating on multiple collaborative efforts, including the “One Howard Street” project.

The border between Evanston and Chicago sits along Howard Street. Evanston’s 8th Ward is just north of the street, while Chicago’s 49th Ward lies south.

The “One Howard Street” project aims to increase and support business in the Howard Corridor and bridge the border between the two cities.

Kyle Ryan, Chicago’s 49th Ward Manager of Economic Development, said he has been working directly with Evanston’s business affairs management team, Economic Development Manager Paul Zalmezak and Ald. Devon Reid (8th) to collaborate more closely on projects on Howard Street. They hold a working committee meeting every two weeks, Ryan said.

“I’ve already seen things in the last two months that we’ve been able to coordinate a little

bit better,” Ryan said. “It’s already given both municipalities a little bit of push to say ‘we’re not working against each other, and if we work together it’s more beneficial for both parties.’”

Ryan said he feels optimistic about the committee’s work so far.

He added that the committee recently noticed Howard Street is wide enough to support protected bike lanes without removing parking from either the Chicago or Evanston side of the street. Ryan said it was exciting to learn the cities could work together to ensure both sides of the street are paved with bike lanes.

Additionally, Ryan said the committee wants to help integrate the Chicago and Evanston communities to show that the border line, specifically at the Howard station, doesn’t mean the two cities operate separately.

“We need to start acting like a region rather than separate municipalities,” Ryan said.

The partnership between the two cities is crucial for safety and crime prevention, according to Evanston Police Commander Ryan Glew. He said the Evanston Police Department and the Chicago Police Department have a long

history of working together to keep the areas safe, and he is confident the partnership will continue.

“We will always look to maintain our relationships and two-way communication with all our law enforcement partners in the area,” he said. “(With) somebody new coming to the conversation, you’re hopeful and anxious anticipating their approach and what benefits that’s going to bring.”

He said given a significant number of common crimes like car theft in both cities, law enforcement stakeholders have taken a proactive approach about staying in communication and exchanging crime and safety information.

However, despite some public safety concerns and economic challenges, local government authorities Glew, Biss and Ryan have expressed optimism about the

future of the relationship between Evanston and Chicago.

“I ran for this office because I saw a confluence of a time and a set of issues that I thought create room for really bold transformational change in areas like housing and public safety,” Biss said. “I think we are putting the pieces together to make that change happen.”

ariawozniak2025@u.northwestern.edu

Katie Chen/The Daily Northwestern

A protester in the crowd outside Swift Hall held the transgender pride flag.

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Illustration by Lily Ogburn

Pingpong players with Parkinson’s create community

By COLE REYNOLDS and JAKE EPSTEIN the daily northwestern @charcole27 / @jakeepste1n

Evanston resident Jim Young (Kellogg ‘90) stared at the little white ball in his palm, cocking his paddle.

“Game point,” he said, flicking his eyes toward his opponent.

With a short stroke, he batted the pingpong ball across the table. Two bounces later, the Tuesday afternoon match ended.

Young and a plethora of other passionate pingpong players duke it out on two tables at the Robert Crown Community Center gymnasium each Tuesday afternoon. The games are often intense, with fast-flying banter accompanying rallies and sensational shots. But this is no ordinary crew of competitors — they’re part of a group aimed for people with Parkinson’s Disease.

Preliminary research shows playing pingpong may decelerate the progression of Parkinson’s symptoms. General exercise is thought to slow the disease’s advance, but the group said pingpong provides another benefit too: community.

“The thing about pingpong is that it’s a very social sport,” Young said, chuckling at a friend who was stretching for a shot just out of reach.

It’s easy to feel isolated in the early stages of Parkinson’s, Ruth Begelman, who was diagnosed in December 2020, said. Since many people with Parkinson’s are retired, Begelman said they can go long stretches of time at home without speaking to anyone. She felt left out, she added, when her friends made plans and she was unsure if she was able to participate.

Coming to play pingpong, she said, helps her counter those feelings.

The pingpong group started two months ago, Young said. He came up with the idea when his friend Brendan Duffy sent him some research about the benefits of pingpong for those with Parkinson’s.

Duffy received his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2014 and said he thought he’d have to give up many of his life’s plans. But about nine years later, Duffy said he’s still working and is able to do most everything.

For Duffy, who first picked up a pingpong paddle as a child, the group helps him stay active, make friends and have fun.

“You feel good during the exercise, and you feel good afterward,” Duffy said. “Sometimes when you’re doing an activity, you can move better than you could (by) just walking. Pingpong liberates your body.”

In addition to his smash shot and skill on the tables, Duffy is an avid boxer and lifts weights five days a week. He said he remains active to slow the progression of Parkinson’s, but especially enjoys the support of his new friends, whom he called “the best-looking people” around, when he is playing pingpong.

The games also offer an opportunity to “meet people you’d never know,” Young said.

That includes Sheila Meyer, who said she went out with the group for the first time on

Tuesday. She was familiar with the sport, having learned to play from her brother-in-law. But she said she was hesitant to join, worried her trembling right hand would interfere with the game.

But even after several years away from pingpong, she swiftly sharpened her shooting stroke, displaying finesse with her forehand technique. Meyer said she felt empowered by hitting shots like she used to.

“I realized that I had more ability than I thought I had,” she said.

On the other hand, Begelman said she hadn’t held a paddle in 20 years before joining the group — and her skills showed it.

“I spent more time chasing the ball than hitting it,” she said, laughing. But she added that it felt good to exercise and to socialize, and she’s been coming back ever since.

Even when players hit the ball long, sometimes community members are there to help out.

One child, donning a Batman cape, scampered between the tables, scooping up the ball and handing it back to Young after it fell from the table during Tuesday’s session.

Sharing the space isn’t a bad thing, Young said. Part of playing pingpong is to make people with Parkinson’s more visible to the broader community, he added.

Duffy said he encourages “everybody with Parkinson’s” in Evanston to come try their luck on the tables.

“When you’re chasing that ball, it activates you,” Duffy said. “Secondly, though, is the camaraderie — just meeting other people who have similar issues and talking to them about the solutions … everybody’s kind of in a similar spot.” colereynolds2026@u.northwestern.edu jacobepstein2026@u.northwestern.edu

Cole Reynolds/The Daily Northwestern

Every Tuesday, Evanston residents with Parkinson’s Disease play pingpong at the Robert Crown Community Center.

Bio, organic chem combo causes stress

By SAMANTHA POWERS the daily northwestern

@sqpowers04

It’s a fate many pre-medical students at Northwestern can’t avoid: taking biology and organic chemistry classes at the same time. The two-quarter sequence, which includes labs that can run between two and four hours each, leaves some students feeling emotionally and mentally drained.

Most students choose to take the combination during their sophomore year, though others can choose a different path. For Weinberg sophomore Tara Chen, who completed the sequence at the end of Winter Quarter, the combined course load proved difficult to manage.

“Having it done is a huge relief,” Chen said. “It just really put a massive burden on my sophomore year, and I really did not get to enjoy my second year of college at all.”

They said they had “zero free time” outside of studying, eating and sleeping during the first two quarters of the academic year, due in part to lengthy lab sections.

By the second quarter of the sequence, students typically take two four-hour labs in addition to their normal course work for the biology and organic chemistry classes. Chen said attending eight hours of lab each week in addition to studying took a toll on their mental health.

Chen skipped a Chem 215-2: Organic Chemistry II exam at one point during Winter Quarter due to panic attacks they had the night before. That week, they had two tests within 24 hours of each other, followed by a four hour lab and an additional lab report.

“I would have had to do my lab report and study for the orgo exam after finishing studying for the bio exam,” Chen said. “It was just such a brutal combination that I ended up being like, ‘I absolutely cannot do this right now.’”

Though their professor was accommodating and excused them from the exam when they procured a doctor’s note, Chen said some students may not have access to health professionals who are readily available to write such letters.

Weinberg freshman Ethan Lee is currently taking the biology and organic chemistry sequence and is set

to finish it in Fall Quarter 2023. He said his organic chemistry professor treats the course’s lab like a separate class with quizzes, midterms and finals of its own.

“Even though I’m only taking 3.3 units of credit, it feels like I’m taking four, just because of the lab,” Lee said.

He said he chose to take three classes a quarter, rather than four, while in the sequence, a time management technique he learned from older students on the pre-medical track. He plans to take two online classes this summer to keep up with his course plan, he said.

Lee said he manages the course load by utilizing resources like peer-guided study groups, office hours with professors and drop-in tutoring opportunities.

Weinberg sophomore Julie Paska, who completed the sequence in Winter Quarter, said she also utilized all the help she could find by staying after class to ask questions and setting up one-on-one meetings with professors. She said though the courses were difficult, she was able to do well by the end of the sequence.

“You are learning how to interpret, analyze and utilize a whole new language of science while also

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balancing that with other classes at the same time,” Paska said. “That ends up being a little stressful, but I will say that it’s not completely impossible to do.”

On a typical day while she was taking biology and organic chemistry courses, Paska would wake up at 6 or 7 a.m. and study until about 10 p.m. Then, she would wake up the next day and do the same thing.

Paska said while she worked herself too much in the fall, she had learned to prioritize her sleep by Winter Quarter.

“I realized that you could study for all of these hours at a time, but you’re not really actually going to acquire anything if you’re not sleeping enough,” Paska said. Paska said enduring challenges the classes presented made her a more resilient student and taught her to take initiative on seeking support.

Now that she’s no longer in the sequence, Paska said she is “straight chilling.”

“I feel like I actually have time to do things non-academic and just spend time by myself or with friends, without fear or pressure,” Paska said. samanthapowers2026@u.northwestern.edu

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Illustration by Lily Ogburn

For pre-medical students taking biology and organic chemistry at the same time, labs can take up as many as eight hours of their week.

Caleb Nunes’ op-ed, “Conservatives need a bold domestic agenda to win in 2024,” reflects a high level of political engagement in conservative politics. I am glad students are participating in critical discussions regarding national democratic processes that directly impact them.

However, the op-ed reveals more than just his beliefs about the Republican party’s ability to win the 2024 presidential election. The suggestions he proposed for an ideal conservative agenda are based on an ideology that inherently marginalizes and silences oppressed groups while uplifting colonial, capitalist and imperialist hierarchies. In praising the efforts of former President Ronald Reagan, Nunes and other modern-day conservatives commend a figure who demonized the African National Congress — opponents of apartheid in South Africa — and almost doubled the number of incarcerated people through his campaign on the War on Drugs.

Yet in celebrating America’s 40th President, Nunes

and other conservatives overlook the direct correlation between Reagan and our 45th president, Donald Trump, who Nunes vehemently criticizes in his subsequent op-ed, “Trump is wrong on trade.” Reagan-era policies contributed to a long pattern of presidential administrations silencing and harming marginalized individuals.

It is imperative that dangerous political ideologies, including those advanced by Nunes, are recognized for their harmful nature. Nunes advocates for an agenda that aligns with conservatives’ tendencies to capitalize on economic fears among the shrinking white majority in the United States. Nunes’ first suggestion of a single flat tax would disproportionately impact Black and Brown households whose median income is significantly less than those in white households.

Additionally, Nunes stands for increased investments in military and defense agencies, as well as more policing at the southern border. Such systems of policing, incarceration and surveillance have long been responsible for violence against Black, Brown and Indigenous folks in the U.S. and across the world.

Lastly, Nunes recognizes the salience of climate change for young folks, but believes investment in freemarket capitalism can “preserve our environment.”

This inherently contradictory stance fails to recognize capitalism’s role in environmental destruction –– or its reliance on the exploitation of Indigenous land and natural resources.

Nunes makes additional suggestions in the op-ed.

Each of his propositions is concerning because of the disproportionate impact the changes would have on low-income, Black, Brown and Indigenous folks, but because of also the support many of the same policies would garner from decision-makers, stakeholders and institutions. For instance, Nunes mentioned increasing “border security” just weeks after the Biden administration elected to increase the budget of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by nearly $800 million in the proposed 2024 budget. ICE regularly uses racial profiling and violent intimidation tactics to target undocumented people of color.

These conservative platforms, reflected in Nunes’ agenda, are often marketed as a political ideology. However, it’s important to note that no political ideology that endangers the human rights and livelihoods of any individual or group merits distinction as political discourse. Instead, these “ideologies” are part of a troubling pattern of uniquely American populism and fascism rooted in racism, xenophobia and classism.

In a June 2020 interview, Black revolutionary Angela

Davis argued that “we can’t eradicate racism without eradicating racial capitalism.” It is not enough to acknowledge the racist histories of capitalism. Rather, we must understand how modern-day capitalist agendas — advocated for by both conservatives, Nunes and liberals alike — exploit and endanger people of color.

I denounce conservative policies, but I also criticize those of liberal and Democratic administrations as well. Both political parties have and continue to actively oppress communities of color, and while I dream of a world of transformative liberation, a political system inextricably tied to capitalism and colonial histories intensively limits those possibilities.

As such, I take a stand against such ideologies not only to consider my safety as a South-Asian woman of color, but also in solidarity with every queer, BIPOC and individual with disabilities who experiences violence, trauma and oppression on a daily basis. I take a stand with every activist who has come before us, whose legacy of resistance against colonial and carceral systems we continue. And, I take a stand with activists around the world who call on institutions of all kinds to push for transformative justice and a future where we are all free.

— Anusha Kumar

Cook: Farewell to Northwestern and my students

in culture between different peoples.

One of the interesting things about teaching and being a faculty-in-residence at the University is having the chance to interact with you as you begin to form your adult personalities. The university years are when you forge your identity and start formulating your life’s mission. The classroom and extracurricular activities

My cherished students:

When I started teaching at Northwestern, I asked students to simply call me Rifka: That’s who I am. I do not believe titles make a person better or more important — I believe in being 100% genuine and sincere. Teaching has been my life’s passion, and this is my battle cry. As author Simon Sinek wrote, “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.”

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we all encountered unique pedagogical challenges. Even though we found ourselves in uncharted territory, the virtual “classroom” did not dampen my enthusiasm to teach nor your eagerness and desire to learn. The experience was our adventure, and I derived a special satisfaction and sense of accomplishment in navigating these troubled waters. Working through these problems forced me to focus more sharply on my goal of teaching not just language, but also the underlying differences

help guide you in the direction of life goals and your own personal truths. I’ve treasured the opportunity to exert a positive influence on these processes by way of teaching Spanish and conducting dormitory and campus activities.

Genuineness and sincerity are the lighthouses of my teaching philosophy. I hope I have imbued you, my dear students, with the same feeling. No matter your background, identity or ideology, each one of you is a unique and special person whose dreams will impact the world around you. If you trust in yourselves and march to your own drumbeat, you will succeed in carving out a meaningful life. You are my inspiration for these 50 years of teaching, and this pleasure has been an invaluable gift.

My professional career includes teaching in Israel, Venezuela and the U.S. Part of the joy of my job has been the contact and exposure to students from all over the world. Learning and exchanging ideas with multinational students engenders respect and tolerance for the whole spectrum of humanity.

I thank God for having given me the opportunity to make an enduring impact on my students’ lives. This year brings a formal conclusion to my academic career, but all of you will remain dear to my heart. We will always be connected through learning.

Some students have asked me if I will continue to teach. The answer is … not if it involves grading papers! I will still lecture on topics related to my favorite areas of research: Judeo-Spanish language, culinary traditions of the Spanish Jews during the Inquisition in Spain, Portugal and Latin America, and descendants of Crypto

Jews in the Americas. Through my lectures and writing, I hope to rediscover and revive the sacred traditions and incredible stories of these amazing communities. The rest of the world may then appreciate and respect the legacy of these forgotten peoples.

Now, I officially bid you farewell as a teacher and as a faculty-in-residence. I dedicate this letter to each of you whom I’ve met in class, on campus, in the dining hall, at games or in the theater. When I see any of you, my heart overflows with joy. Being with you and seeing your radiant smiles is something I will take with me forever.

I am moving to Israel and look forward to staying in contact with all of you. I invite you to email me at my NU account so we can stay in touch.

My life is richer and more joyful because of you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all.

See you soon, hasta pronto, lehitraot, Rifka

Rifka Cook is an Associate Professor of Instruction and a South Area faculty-in-residence. She can be contacted at rifka36@northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.

Saltzman: The University and its hate speech fetish

While it’s impossible to separate Tuesday’s speaker event by Northwestern College Republicans and NU’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom from James Lindsay, we’re misplacing our attention by fixating on the internet conspiracy theorist our peers invited to campus. Like so many on the academic right, Lindsay draws people out with epithets so provocative that any at-scale response could be branded as hysterical. Students protest the man known for calling “Woke ideology” the new slavery, and in return he gathers culture war materiel for his online base. NU’s front-facing conservative groups hosted a fascist circus clown, the physical embodiment of popular “liberal snowflake destroyed by alpha male” YouTube videos. Lindsay’s invitation is an extremist party trick designed to disorient a supposed liberal enemy — it’s about as politically serious as a racist rant on an incel message board.

We should pay attention to the problems that are at our level: NU’s institutional cowardice and our peers’ ideological insincerity. The University gave students the approval to invite a neo-fascist variety act to campus. Lindsay spoke for free, but NUCR’s funds, provided by the Associated Student Government, allowed the group to hire the entertainer a security detail that actively blocked protestors from entering the event. The administration makes a mockery of our intelligence by obscuring this behind the veil of “free speech” even as our tuition money pays to protect a bigoted fabulist from criticism.

If we want to address the debate over campus speech with any semblance of good faith, Tuesday’s events

must be a case study in defining hateful dialogue. If the administration disagrees with that, I’m sure many students are curious about what “too far” looks like to NU. Advertising an event with skull-and-crossbones over the queer pride flag does not meet the University’s threshold, and neither does inviting a speaker who claims critical race theory through “race marxism” will cause a “white genocide.” As pathetic as the administration’s apathy is, it’s also elucidating: NU draws no line when it comes to issues of speech. Can a proponent of the “white genocide” conspiracy speak on campus?

Yes. Asked and answered.

When contacted by multiple students about Tuesday’s event, University President Michael Schill responded to student concerns with the innocuous, platitudinal vocabulary of the media-trained. The quiet violence of Schill’s response is a betrayal of the students he is supposed to serve. We know there are technicalities, and we’ve heard them all before: “Northwestern is federally funded, it has to protect free speech; if these people aren’t given a platform, they’ll further radicalize; we can only respond to hateful rhetoric with self-love.” The institutions and ideas of speech the University relies on are predicated on the interest of all parties in an intact political system.

There’s a great quote by playwright Jean-Paul Sartre on the rise of antisemitism: “Never believe that antiSemites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous ... But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words.”

So when does concern for student safety exceed the institution’s fetish for unrestricted speech? Demagogues like Lindsay are employing a brand of rhetoric which adopts the fundamentals of Naziism and its fascistic counterparts in the twentieth century. If that feels like dangerous hyperbole, it’s supposed to. The genius of post-ironic conservatism is that it isn’t selfserious — it adopts the giddy cruelty of internet troll

culture to express a subdued but genuine contempt for minority groups.

When James Lindsay levels attacks against the Auschwitz Memorial or prays for queer activists to be drowned to death, he’s not operating within the realm of debate. He’s miles away, typing in the same basement as his followers when they peruse antisemitic conspiracies about Cultural Marxism online. After all, our peers in these organizations are the ones engaging with a romantic and fictionalized political world, a fantasy where they’re criticized for their bravery rather than their hatefulness.

The spectacle of Tuesday’s event, where students sloped through the side door of Swift Hall to witness an individual essentially watchlisted by the Southern Poverty Law Center, made clear how allergic on campus conservatives have become to actual political debate. These students decry “cancel culture” even as they silo themselves among the ideologically monstrous. What we witnessed on campus was a clarifying instance of a common political sequence. Students were put in harm’s way and gaslit by peers and administrators who blanketed extremism with the language of respectability.

The school actively chose to lend James Lindsay a platform. Through the vague rhetorical playbook of “honest debate,” these clubs hosted a far-right extremist who flew to NU and belittled the marginalized for the entertainment of our peers. While hate crimes against the very people Lindsay attacks continue to spike both in our community and outside of it, NU will claim its hands are tied and that we’re lucky to live within this system. It’s a staggering lie.

Levi Saltzman is a Weinberg sophomore. He can be contacted at levisaltzman2025@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.

The Daily Northwestern Volume 146, Issue 10

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Nunes op-ed reveals the dangers of conservatism and necessity of justice

Being with you and seeing your radiant smiles is something I will take with me forever.

- RIFKA COOK, Op-Ed Contributor

”

Ill. bill to remove liability protections for Uber, Lyft

By KATE WALTER daily senior staffer @katewalter03

Content warning: This article includes mentions of sexual assault.

In March, the Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill that would remove liability protections for ride-share companies such as Uber and Lyft.

Illinois does not currently classify ride-share drivers as “common carriers” like train conductors, airline pilots and taxi drivers. That means if a rider sues a driver, the company will not be held liable for any damages. The proposed legislation would remove this exemption.

State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview), the House sponsor of the bill, said current legislation must be reformed to reflect the modern transportation market.

“Today, I think it is very clear that rideshare apps are as common and ubiquitous as every other common carrier,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “So it doesn’t make sense that the public wouldn’t be able to rely on a rideshare company being held to the same standard as every other common carrier.”

The bill currently awaits a vote in the Illinois Senate, scheduled for Wednesday.

This legislation follows an Illinois court case about ride-share safety settled in 2022, Doe v. Lyft. A woman in Chicago alleged her Lyft driver sexually assaulted her during a ride in 2017. She sued Lyft, her driver and Sterling Infosystems, Inc., the company Lyft uses for background checks.

In response, Lyft argued the company is not liable for the driver’s actions under current law. An appellate court upheld this exemption, and the case was settled before the state Supreme Court could issue its ruling.

Some ride-share providers, however, say driver safety should be of more concern.

“We are in more danger than the passengers. We are inviting people into our car, into our lives,” said Matt Fischer, an Uber and Lyft driver in Chicago. “To say that passengers aren’t safe with us, it’s the other way around.”

Fischer said he opposes the proposed legislation because he thinks ride-share drivers

function well as independent contractors. The new bill would take away driver’s autonomy with their work by classifying them in the same way as taxi drivers and other common carriers, he said.

Both Uber and Lyft have issued statements opposed to the legislation.

Brent Kent, a senior public policy manager at Lyft, said in a letter to Gong-Gershowitz that the company’s current safety regulations — which include yearly background checks of employees and features that allow passengers to share their location — ensure riders remain safe. The letter added that new standards would increase litigation costs for customers.

Uber said in statements to news outlets including WCIA and WTTW News that the bill would impact drivers’ ability to earn money. Illinois would become the only state to classify ride-share drivers this way.

The bill passed mostly along party lines, with

some Republican state legislators voicing opposition to the bill. According to We Are Central Illinois, State Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) called the legislation “another attack on the free market.” State Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Harrisburg) said on the House floor that increased regulation could drive Lyft and Uber away from Illinois.

Lenny Sanchez, the director of the Independent Drivers Guild of Illinois, said both Uber and Lyft have asked drivers to sign petitions opposed to the proposed legislation — a move he criticized as the companies’ battle, not theirs.

“We told drivers in our community to not sign that, not support it,” Sanchez said. “That’s the companies’ problem. That’s not our problem.”

Sanchez said he also hopes the legislation will lead to future protections for drivers to seek damages from the ride-share companies if they are injured by a passenger during a ride.

Nolberto Casas, political liaison for the Chicago Gig Alliance, said the new regulations of ride-share companies represent a step in the right direction — though more oversight of the ride-share companies would still be required.

“We are staunch supporters of (the bill), but we recognize it as a baby step,” Casas said. “It’s going to close the loopholes so that billion dollar corporations don’t get preferential treatment over people.”

Gong-Gershowitz said the new legislation is long overdue to hold ride-share companies accountable.

“These common carriers who currently enjoy a statutory protection from common carrier liability are refusing to accept responsibility,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “It is long past time to revisit how we perceive Uber and Lyft.”

katewalter2025@u.northwestern.edu

Illustration by Sam Habashy

The Illinois State Legislature is considering a bill that would hold ride-share companies like Uber and Lyft liable in the case of damages.

Lindsay to speak at NU, said Weinberg junior and NUCR’s acting President Agustin Bayer. He said NUCR only spent funds on security and that the University asked the club to increase security as controversy surrounding the event grew. In the days leading up to the talk, other students disseminated a graphic on social media promoting a protest against Lindsay.

Lindsay’s speaking rate, according to the national website for Young America’s Foundation — a collaborator of both NUCR and NU’s YAF chapter — is typically between $5,000 and $10,000.

Although NU’s YAF chapter doesn’t receive funding from Associated Student Government’s Student Activity Finance Committee, NUCR does. The group may have funded event security with Student Activity Fee funding, according to ASG co-President Molly Whalen, a McCormick junior.

The ASG Activity Fee currently costs each undergraduate student $79 a quarter and is part of tuition.

“It’s our money that goes to bringing speakers in like this,” Communication senior and protester Jonathan Van De Loo said. “It’s pretty insane to me that there are students on this campus that can look at someone who blatantly denies that people who are trans exist … and (that) it was paid for with money that the school collects for tuition.”

University spokesperson Jon Yates said NU has “provided no funding” for the speaker beyond ASG funding. The University has no say on how SAFC funding is determined by ASG, he added.

Students voice concerns over hate speech

Protesters’ chants of “we are here, we are queer, we’re not going back” were audible inside Swift throughout Lindsay’s lecture. Shortly after the event began, many protesters crowded around the building’s front doors aiming to walk into the event. Event security turned some demonstrators away due to fire capacity, according to Yates.

On some flyers and social media graphics advertising the talk, YAF and NUCR featured an image of sunglasses with a queer pride flag and a skull and crossbones superimposed over the lenses. Another similar flyer also included a rainbow skull and crossbones, invoking the queer pride flag. Several protesters said this image, a variation of which is featured on the cover of one of Lindsay’s co-authored books, struck them as overt hate speech.

McCormick freshman Innocentia Eweyeju said a former classmate gave her a flyer and asked her to come to the Lindsay speaker event. As a Black woman, she said the invitation made her feel “very, very hurt” because she felt extremists do not want to see people like her on campus.

“I came to protest and make sure that other underrepresented minorities, queer people (and) low income students also have the opportunity to freely and safely get an education just like me to rise to the top,” Eweyeju said.

Communication senior Mackenzie Matheson was among multiple students who emailed the Office of the President about the flyer prior to the event. The office emailed Matheson back that while many of Lindsay’s views are “antithetical to Northwestern’s values,” universities serve as venues for “rigorous debate and discourse.”

Matheson said she was not satisfied with the Office of the President’s response. Though she said ideally the event would have been canceled or moved off campus, Matheson said she had hoped the University would have at least suggested NUCR and YAF create a flyer without what she considered a hate symbol.

“As a lesbian, I feel a bit worried and just uneasy (with) imagery of rainbow sunglasses with a skull and crossbones,” Matheson said. “I think Northwestern privately saying they condemned his values but not doing anything publicly is a sorry response.”

Debates on the balance of free speech and equity have intensified in recent years. Students nationwide say college administrations’ often trite responses to concerns about hate speech are indicative of broader campus cultures that make students with marginalized identities feel unwelcome.

In 2017, Schill wrote an op-ed in The New York Times saying he was silenced by student organizers while president of the University of Oregon. UO protesters prevented Schill from delivering his State of the University address that year after student appeals to the University to stop tuition hikes fell flat.

Event attendees defend Lindsay

In Lindsay’s talk, titled “The Dangers of Identity Politics and Intersectionality,” he condemned intersectionality as a vehicle for socialism and decried higher education institutions.

“Your education has been stolen by a corrupt system,” he said. “It’s brainwashing you into a corrupt program.”

Weinberg freshman Rhys Halaby, YAF’s treasurer, said the club intended for the event to foster conversations on campus about “contentious political issues.” He added that he and other YAF members didn’t agree with everything Lindsay said.

“I think certainly we created dialogue,” Halaby said. “There was definitely some back and forth.”

Halaby said the flyer design students wrote to Schill about was based on the cover image of “Cynical Theories,” a book Lindsay co-authored. Halaby said that the club would have changed it in hindsight. The original image featured just rainbow sunglasses, and YAF organizers added the skull and crossbones.

Bayer said he appreciated Lindsay’s focus on “academic integrity.” He cited the conspiracy theorist’s role in the 2017-18 grievance studies affair, in which Lindsay and several others submitted hoax papers to social sciences journals — some of which were published — to expose what they saw as poor research standards in fields such as gender and cultural studies.

“Searching for the truth is not dangerous to anybody,” Bayer said. “In fact, the truth will set people free.”

Conspiracy theorists like Lindsay contribute to a larger phenomenon of “populist and often

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conspiratorial anti-LGBTQ rhetoric” that increases violence nationwide, gender and sexuality studies Prof. Annie Wilkinson wrote in an email to The Daily. These homophobic and transphobic sentiments have spread more in the U.S. over the last few years, she said.

Wilkinson added that anti-transgender panic, furthered by people like Lindsay, has led to the introduction of more than 500 bills across the U.S. targeting trans people this year in statehouses. According to the Trans Legislation Tracker, 54 of these bills have passed thus far this year.

“One of the most important responses to ‘dangerous speech’ is communicating norms that such harmful speech is unacceptable,” Wilkinson said. “By giving Lindsay a platform on campus, Northwestern is failing at that.”

Weinberg junior Kendall McKay said though she didn’t know much about Lindsay before the talk, she enjoyed attending the event and agreed with many of his points on intersectionality.

McKay added that she had previously been interested in joining YAF to express her conservative political views.

“People of all political affiliations and ideological beliefs should be able to have groups on campus that they can join,” McKay said.

Protesters center joy

At the protest, a freshman organizer who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons invited members of the crowd to share what they loved about their identities. One by one, students talked about their experiences as Black, Latine, Muslim, LGBTQ+ and Jewish people, among other identities. The crowd cheered after each person spoke.

The organizer told The Daily this moment was a chance for the protesters to spotlight their joy and pride amidst hateful rhetoric.

“It’s important to show that you are not cowing to them,” the organizer said. “Queer people have always been here and will always be here, no matter what legislation has passed. Black and brown people will always be here, no matter what.”

Van De Loo shared his experience as a queer person with the crowd and later led about 50 protesters to fill the remaining seats in the room where Lindsay was speaking. He described the parts of the talk he heard as “childish” and “a broad conspiracy.”

He said he attended the protest to stand against national efforts to dehumanize queer people.

“I’ve had so many people who have been role models for me that have spoken out like that and shown themselves to be righteously angry and righteously joyful in the face of people like Mr. Lindsay,” Van De Loo said. “Part of the resilience of queer people throughout history (is that they) have been able to make their own joy in spite of all of the repression.”

Aviva Bechky contributed reporting.

joannahou2025@u.northwestern.edu

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DAILY SUDOKU

whether it did indeed violate NU policy.

NUCR acting President and Weinberg junior Agustin Bayer said he was “baffled” to find out his organization’s funding had been frozen. He said he expects an apology from the Senate and for the legislation to be overturned because the decision was made without NUCR’s knowledge of the meeting.

“(ASG) did not notify us and they did not involve us,” Bayer said. “Being withheld and not informed about ASG meetings is something that I have already complained about … We consider this an attempt to kill our freedom of expression and speech at Northwestern.”

Speaker of the Senate and SESP junior Leah Ryzenman said NUCR did not reapply for a student group ASG Senate seat for this academic year, despite holding a seat in the previous cycle.

Ryzenman said the NUCR senator stopped attending ASG Senate meetings starting April 13, 2022, three days before NUCR member Weinberg senior David Grow lost the ASG presidential race to former ASG President and Weinberg senior Jason Hegelmeyer.

Bayer expressed frustration that the ASG Organizing Grant specifically offered to “reimburse student demonstrators for the cost of supplies” in an Instagram post Tuesday that appears to reference the student protest against Linday’s lecture. He said the reimbursements show the freezing of funds was “nakedly political.”

Whalen said ASG does not know the identity of the speaker a group will bring when it grants funding to an organization for a guest lecture. Because NUCR normally books an annual speaker during Spring Quarter, this legislation will likely not affect the group for a significant period of time, she added.

But Bayer said the funding freeze will have a serious impact on NUCR’s upcoming operations.

“It has very severe (implications), which are the security payments,” Bayer said. “Luna Security was hired at the insistence of Northwestern officials, and they need to be paid once we receive their invoice.”

ASG co-President and SESP junior Donovan Cusick said he agrees with the legislation authors that the NUCR advertisement violated University policy and thus warranted strong action.

“I’ve been at Northwestern for about three, four years now, and not once have I seen a group so blatantly combine symbols of identity — specifically of a protected class — with harmful and threatening images,” he said.

julianandreone2026@u.northwestern.edu

DAILY CROSSWORD

Students studying abroad struggle to find subletters

By KRISTEN AXTMAN daily senior staffer @kristenaxtman1

Bienen sophomore Quinn Shumway is studying in London Fall Quarter and started his search for a subletter a few months ago.

Shumway started by posting his room in a four person apartment on Reddit. The social media platform wasn’t effective and everyone interested fell through, so he turned to the Northwestern Apartment and Housing Facebook group a few days ago.

He said he’s received some promising responses, but he has yet to finalize a deal with a subletter.

Shumway is one of many students scrambling to find a subletter for Fall Quarter. Posts offering sublet options have flooded platforms like Facebook and GroupMe. He said he is hopeful he will find a sublet, but is skeptical whether two of his roommates, who are also looking for a subletter, will find one.

“In general, if you ask around, I think it’s kind of rare for people to find (a subletter) to be honest,” he said. “Upperclassmen who studied abroad are always super pessimistic about it.”

Over the past few months, Communication sophomore Connor Tooman, who is studying in Paris Fall Quarter, said he’s received about four responses to his post on the Facebook group and two messages in the NU ’25 GroupMe. Most of the potential subletters interested in his apartment are grad students.

Before signing a lease for his apartment, Tooman said he did not consider living on campus or subletting someone else’s apartment for winter and spring quarters next year. Now, he said he wished he had taken the difficulty of finding a fall subletter into account before committing.

“I think the biggest thing is it’s definitely an extra expense to be paying, especially while I’m also going to be paying for housing when I’m studying abroad,” he said.

Searching for a subletter while managing classes can be time consuming, Tooman added. He hopes he will have more time and energy to look for a subletter over the summer.

Tooman added it’s difficult to answer potential subletter’s questions, because he currently lives on

campus and does not know all the information about his apartment next year. He said his apartment uses solar panels, which is not typical of Evanston apartments, and he has trouble communicating what that entails when prospective subletters inquire.

“I don’t have easy access to the apartment to offer to give tours, or give any good photos or videos of things they want to know more information about,” he said.

Unlike Tooman, Communication sophomore Jankhna Sura, who is studying in Denmark in the fall, said she knew it would be difficult to find a subletter. She said none of her friends have found

a subletter for the fall.

Plus, she added, it’s important for her to consider factors outside of her personal finances when considering who should live in her apartment.

“My two roommates that are staying here are also a little stressed about it because they don’t necessarily want to live with someone that they may not know,” Sura said.

Sura said the quarter system makes it even harder to find a subletter because fall is such a specific time window.

Shumway said several things helped his post generate interest –– including being flexible with

the lease dates, knowing the answers to specifics about his apartment and including photos in his Facebook post. He added students studying abroad in the fall should consider signing leases that begin in January.

Still, Sura said she is not giving up on her search.

“I’m pretty hopeful that there will be someone at some point that will magically need a place to live, so I’m optimistic” Sura said. “I want to believe that I will find someone.”

kristenaxtman2025@u.northwestern.edu

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What to watch for as Big Ten Tournament approaches

By JAKE EPSTEIN the daily northwestern @jakeepste1n

After 16 dress rehearsals, a primetime performance is finally on the horizon.

No. 1 Northwestern heads to Columbus, Ohio on Thursday for a Big Ten Tournament semifinal against No. 16 Michigan, hoping to maintain its presumptive top seed in the NCAA bracket.

The Wildcats (15-1, 6-0 Big Ten) look to complete the season-sweep over the Wolverines (11-6, 3-3 Big Ten), before facing the winner of a matchup between No. 10 Maryland and No. 23 Rutgers in the conference tournament championship Saturday.

NU picked up a convincing victory the last time they faced Michigan on March 16, as the Cats cruised to a 15-5 lead after three quarters and managed a late Michigan maneuver to pick up a 16-8 victory.

Kelly Amonte Hiller’s team won its next eight contests after the mid-March meeting, closing out the regular season on a 15-game winning streak. The Wolverines won five of their next seven contests, highlighted by regular-season and postseason triumphs over No. 21 Penn State.

With a ticket to the final and a newly minted No. 1 ranking on the line, here are three storylines to keep in mind as NU kicks off its postseason campaign against Michigan.

Player to watch: Michigan attacker Jill Smith

The Wolverines are a young and hungry bunch, looking to make some noise

and stun college lacrosse’s top-ranked squad. Jill Smith — a second-year scoring sensation — embodies the teamfirst culture that Michigan coach Hannah Nielsen is building in Ann Arbor.

Jill Smith has scored 55 goals and tallied 10 assists in 16 starts this season. Her knack for finding separation and exploiting shooting angles, combined with her elite speed, allows the Wolverines to punch well-above their weight.

She registered a hat trick the last time she faced the Cats, and her team needs her to match — if not eclipse — that goal tally for a fighting chance on Thursday. However, that feat seems easier said than done, as NU’s defense held the potent Terrapin attack to six scores in its last contest.

First-team All-Big Ten sophomore defender Samantha White will likely match up with the Wolverine standout for much of the game in a battle of best-on-best, while second-team all-conference junior defender Kendall Halpern will also make her presence known.

The conference’s top statistical offense and defense duke it out

Despite tallying a co-season low 13 goals in its regular-season finale against then-No. 12 Maryland, the Cats’ offense still hold the nation’s highmark in goals scored per game — averaging 17.75 conversions each contest.

However, NU will have to break down a tough Michigan defense for the second time this season.

The Wolverines surrendered a season-high 16 scores in the teams’ last tussle, but only conceded double-digit scores on two other occasions after

BASEBALL

that date.

Michigan carries the conference’s lowest goals per game average into Columbus, giving up a mean of just 9.13 tallies each time out.

While the Wolverines typically pose a defensive reckoning for their opponents, the Cats’ seven-deep scoring rotation means that Nielsen must draw up an elaborate defensive scheme to give her team a shot at the upset.

Cats get run-rule revenge on UIC

By LAWRENCE PRICE daily senior staffer @lpiii_tres

Northwestern and Illinois-Chicago’s electric matchup in mid-April broke the power bank.

The afternoon duel at Miller Park on April 11 lasted nearly four hours as Chicago’s Big Ten team (8-31, 3-12 Big Ten) couldn’t take the cake in a 44-run battle, losing to UIC (19-21, 6-12 MVC) 24-20.

However, the Wildcats got their revenge away from home Tuesday, downing UIC under the lights 17-7 in an eightinning run-rule match. Once again, NU’s bats turned it up a notch as temperatures dwindled.

With the Big Ten’s third-seeded Indiana next on the schedule, here’s what clicked on all cylinders for NU in the 10-run win and will be critical against the Hoosiers this weekend.

1. Once again: That 3-4 hitting combination? Yeah, don’t change it.

Straight away, dead center. That’s where senior infielder/outfielder Stephen Hrustich’s three-run jack in the first inning went to give the Cats an early lead. The home run only turned NU’s motor up from there, with the team plating four more runs in the second.

By the end of the night, Hrustich finished with another hit and led the team in RBIs with six — a career high for the three-hitter. And he’s only one half of the two-headed monster: Four-hitter sophomore catcher/infielder Alex Calarco knocked in two, scored three times and had two hits.

Although the team has struggled to produce at the plate throughout the season, the Hrustich-Calarco tandem hasn’t been an easy out, owning the top two

batting averages on the team (.317 and .290, respectively).

To ask Hrustich and Calarco to be perfect hitting wise is an impossible task, but outside the two, no player is batting over .250. Different than usual, though, three other players finished with two hits each against UIC. Production from the top to the bottom of the lineup is every coach’s wish, but at least coach Jim Foster doesn’t have to worry about the heart and soul of it.

2. Pitchers get much-needed reps

It’s not very common to see a pitcher get the win after tossing only one inning, but alas, Tuesday was one of them. Senior right-hander Reed Smith was given the victory after pitching an inning and striking out two.

Surprisingly, Smith wasn’t the only player to put in just one full inning of work; seven other Cats did as well. In total, 10 arms were used.

Even though the pitching load was spread out, it was a good chance for most players that will see the mound this weekend to get in-game reps and build confidence beforehand. Graduate student

right-hander and usual Game Two series starter Michael Farinelli started for the Cats, giving up zero hits and notching a strikeout.

3. “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore”

Dorothy’s signature saying in “The Wizard of Oz” about stepping outside of what’s comfortable looms large here for NU — Big Ten play hasn’t been too kind to the Cats.

After getting swept once again last week, NU received a significant morale boost from its big midweek win. However, this story has already been written before, as NU has won its last three out-of-conference games, only to lose all three of its weekend contests days afterward.

With three wins to its 12 losses in Big Ten play, the Cats have found its conference opponents to be tough outs. And now, with three weeks left in the season, it will be interesting to see how NU’s win in Chicago will play a role in its weekend affair versus the Hoosiers.

lawrenceprice2024@u.northwestern.edu

Dominance in the draw circle poses a crucial factor

NU won the draw control battle 13-11 in the teams’ last matchup, and sophomore midfielder Samantha Smith racked up a team-high four draw controls. But, Michigan attacker Lily Montemarano corralled a game-high five draws and caused headaches in the circle for the Cats.

Samantha Smith sits fourth in the

conference with 5.56 draw controls per game, and her campaign’s efforts were rewarded with a first-team All-Big Ten nod last week. Three spots behind the Cats’ sophomore midfielder, Montemarano pulls in an average of 3.71 draws each game. The draw battle doesn’t necessarily determine wins and losses, but winning the lion-share of possession will tip the scales slightly in the more successful draw unit’s favor. jacobepstein2026@u.northwestern.edu

MEN’S BASKETBALL

NU extends Collins’ contract through 2028

By LAWRENCE PRICE daily senior staffer @lpiii_tres

The gift of a historic season keeps on giving to the Northwestern men’s basketball program, specifically for coach Chris Collins.

After recently leading the team back to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history, the Big Ten Coach of the Year has signed a three-year contract extension through 2028, according to a Monday news release.

“The Northwestern community has become our family’s home, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue this journey,” Collins said in the release. “To have the opportunity to be a part of accomplishing so many firsts in the history of the basketball program during my tenure has been special, and I can’t wait to get to work to pursue more amazing moments in the future.”

Alongside winning conference coach of the year, making him the second coach to do so in program history, Collins received the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award as well — and with reason. On top

of returning to the Big Dance, Collins’ squad corralled the most Big Ten conference wins in a single season in program history, and the second-most overall wins. Adding onto its superb conference resume, NU earned the second-best record in the Big Ten for the first time since the 1958-59 season. On Feb. 12, Collins led the program to its first-ever victory over an AP No. 1 against Purdue, one of the team’s record four ranked wins this season.

After leading the team to the NCAA Tournament in the 2016-17 season, Collins received his first contract extension for the Cats, etching him in until 2024-25. Now, he gets to add on three more years.

Already making splashes in the transfer portal by picking up former Princeton guard Ryan Langborg, Denver guard Justin Mullins and Liberty forward Blake Preston, Collins and his crew are readying for another competitive run. NU now awaits the decisions of All-Big Ten senior guards Boo Buie and Chase Audige, who both declared for the 2023 NBA Draft while maintaining their college eligibility in early April.

lawrenceprice2024@u.northwestern.edu

Daily file photo by Mika Ellison

Seeger Gray/Daily Senior Staffer

Seeger Gray/Daily Senior Staffer