The Daily Northwestern — May 19, 2022 by The Daily Northwestern

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The Daily Northwestern Thursday, May 19, 2022

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Brazilian students host community events, organize mentorship programs at NU

MSA hosts sketchbook workshop for APIDA Heritage Month

Beyond the housing inequities in Evanston

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NU, city talk Dillo, COVID-19 protocols Security measures, virus mitigation discussed for Dillo By RUSSELL LEUNG

daily senior staffer @rjleung7

Content warning: This story contains a mention of mass shootings.

Illustration by Gemma DeCetra

Aston, the Evanston Police Department’s K-9 police dog, both locates suspects based on scents and identifies narcotics at crime scenes.

EPD K-9 Aston patrols Evanston Dog performs double duty in evidence location and drug searches By SAUL PINK

the daily northwestern @saullpink

Evanston police officer Random Johnson’s partner is

a 4-year-old from the Czech Republic. Every day, he rides along in Johnson’s patrol car, responds to calls with him and even returns to Johnson’s house when the day is over. Aston, a black German

Shepherd, is Evanston Police Department’s current K-9 police dog. Johnson, EPD’s resident K-9 handler, has worked with Aston since 2019. Police dogs assist departments such as EPD

with locating suspects, identifying narcotics and protecting officers in dangerous situations. They comprise a specialized unit in EPD, but

» See K-9, page 6

Northwestern administrators and Evanston city officials presented COVID-19 and Dillo Day information in a Tuesday virtual community discussion. Dave Davis, NU’s executive director of neighborhood and community relations, opened the roundtable with updates from the University, including on the upcoming succession of Rebecca Blank to University president, commencement in June and the Ryan family’s $480 million donation to support research and the renovation of Ryan Field. Davis said he is excited for Blank to expand relations between NU and the surrounding community. “I think the relationship between Evanston and Northwestern has been trending in the right direction for a number of years,” Davis said. “I’m confident that she will continue to build on those efforts and even broaden that engagement.”

Vice President for Operations Luke Figora discussed current trends in University COVID-19 transmission. He acknowledged the uptick in cases at NU — which reported a record-high positivity rate of 9.28% on Friday — but said the University will continue all inperson activities. Figora said NU continues encouraging community members to wear masks and get tested for COVID-19. He added the University’s high vaccination and booster shot rate has mitigated the number of severe coronavirus cases. “At a high level, things are relatively stable on campus. I think the overall focus on COVID has certainly leveled off a little bit from the Northwestern community,” Figora said. “Our population’s relatively healthy, and we’re looking forward to getting through the rest of the year.” Ike Ogbo, Evanston’s director of health and human services, discussed the city’s COVID-19 trends. The city reached a high transmission rate last week, Ogbo said. Despite the rise in overall cases, he said the number of cases that require intensive care has not increased significantly. Several law enforcement officials then provided security updates for Dillo Day. University Police Deputy Chief Eric Chin

» See COMMUNITY, page 6

YWCA executive ‘A solid and vibrant community’ reflects on career Newly approved Armenian Student Association comes to campus CEO of YWCA to retire after 18 years of leadership By JORJA SIEMONS

daily senior staffer @jorjasiemons

Content warning: This article contains mention of domestic abuse and anti-Black hate crimes. When Karen Singer started working as YWCA Evanston/ North Shore’s interim executive director in August 2004, she didn’t anticipate applying for the permanent position. “I had known very little about YWCA — it was kind of a quiet organization in town (that) kind of flew under the radar,” she said. “Once I got there, what struck me so immediately and profoundly was what an amazing mission this organization had.” The social justice organization’s mission, to eliminate racism and empower women, kept Singer around for executive applications that fall, and for the next 18 years as chief executive officer.

Recycle Me

She announced her intention to retire from YWCA earlier this month. Operating in Evanston for more than 90 years, YWCA Evanston/North Shore provides emergency shelter and longerterm housing for survivors of domestic violence and their children, as well as other services like counseling and employment assistance. The organization is a part of YWCA USA, the largest provider of domestic violence survivor support programs in the country. “It has been the journey of a lifetime for me, personally and professionally,” Singer said. With a background working with unhoused women and families, Singer said she considered herself rooted in gender and racial equity work when she started at YWCA. The only area of YWCA services she really didn’t know anything about was swimming, she said. Evanston’s YWCA also includes a robust aquatics program that hosts Flying Fish Swim School and a collaboration with Evanston Swims! to provide free

» See SINGER, page 6

By LAYA NEELAKANDAN

daily senior staffer @laya_neel

When Weinberg freshman Isabel Toghramadjian decided to attend Northwestern, she was disappointed to learn there were no Armenian student organizations on campus. Upon her arrival, Toghramadjian said she quickly found other Armenians because Armenian last names are recognizable. However, she said there was no way for them to meet in an organized setting, so she decided to do something about it. Toghramadjian is the president and founder of NU’s newly approved Armenian Student Association, the University’s only Armenian student interest group. The group aims to bring Armenian culture to campus through events and advocacy, she said. “I’m very optimistic,” Toghramadjian said. “We have the potential to create a solid and vibrant community … This is going to be something good and sustainable.”

She first started an Instagram account in Winter Quarter and began following as many Armenian students as she could to gather interest. Toghramadjian then applied to be an official organization with Student Organizations & Activities. Last week, she found out the organization was approved. This quarter, Toghramadjian said the club is looking to establish a general email list and launch a Wildcat Connection page. It also hopes to host a meet-and-greet event during Reading Period so students can get to know each other. Toghramadjian said she hopes the club will be fully solidified by fall. “I’m glad I could establish it early because it has potential for the next three years,” she said. “Hopefully it will also be sustainable once I’m gone.” Communication junior and Social Media Chair Anelga Hajjar said she also hopes the club can serve as a safe space for Armenian students and raise awareness of the diaspora. Hajjar said turmoil in Armenia over the past year

Illustration by Olivia Abeyta

The newly founded Armenian Student Association aims to spread Armenian culture to the Northwestern campus through events and advocacy, said Weinberg freshman and club founder Isabel Toghramadjian.

has made her feel isolated on a campus where she previously didn’t have a way to connect with other Armenian students. “There was a resurfacing for me about what it means to be Armenian,” Hajjar said. “(This club) helps create visibility because we might be small, but we’re mighty.” Hajjar said she also hopes the club will be a learning opportunity for students who identify as ethnically

Armenian but might not have a connection to the country and its culture. She said she has heard some NU community members deny the existence of the Armenian genocide, so she hopes the group can work together to advocate for Armenian rights. Weinberg freshman and club member Stephanie Rissmiller said she is excited to

» See ARMENIAN, page 6

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

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2022

AROUND TOWN

Community center receives LEED certification By LILY CAREY

the daily northwestern @lilylcarey

Rebuilt in 2020, the Robert Crown Community Center is Evanston’s main community center and athletic facility, featuring ice rinks, a preschool and a library. Yet for Andy Tinucci, the principal at Woodhouse Tinucci Architects, which helped design the new building, the facility is more than a hub for activities — it’s a highlight of the community’s commitment to sustainability. “Almost every resident of Evanston, whether you’ve lived there 50 years or lived there five months, has some story or interaction with the Crown Center,” he said. “It wasn’t just a recreation center. It wasn’t just a conventional sports complex.” Tinucci is not alone in recognizing Robert Crown’s significance. The building received its LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in April. LEED is a third-party certification program that sets a sustainable design standard for buildings around the world. Robert Crown’s LEED silver certification places it under the second of LEED’s four levels — certified, silver, gold and platinum. After nearly 20 years of renovation discussions and months of community debate over the Crown Center’s budget, designers and officials said their investment is starting to pay off.

Climate-centered technologies Just months after plans to rebuild the community center were approved by City Council in 2018, Evanston enacted its Climate Action and Resilience Plan – a broad policy framework, aims to promote sustainable development and push Evanston to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. According to City Engineer Lara Biggs, the city’s building code calls for new buildings to either meet the LEED silver certification standard or fulfill a number of smaller sustainability

requirements. With new climate policies on the table, Biggs said the city wanted to hold themselves to the same standard as other developers. “What the city decided is that we wanted to be a model,” Biggs said. “If we want developers to produce LEED silver buildings, which we do, then the city needed to step up and produce a LEED silver building.” Meeting these standards, however, was not an easy task, she said. Because ice rinks require a lot of energy to keep cool, Tinucci said the firm needed to get creative to keep the building energy-efficient while operating the rink. Brian Foote, project manager for Robert Crown’s redesign and Woodhouse Tinucci senior associate, said the facility extracts heat from water in order to create ice for the rinks. This extracted heat was channeled into creating heated bleacher seats for spectators without increasing the energy cost. The roofs of the ice rinks are also designed to hold solar panels, which Foote said could offset 5% of the building’s energy costs if the city installs them. In the future, Biggs said the city plans to hire an outside firm to install and manage the potential panels. Robert Crown’s sports fields include a stormwater detention system underneath, Foote said. This means that rainwater from the facility is stored underground to prevent it from damaging surrounding buildings as runoff. Though citizens identified stormwater control as an area where the budget could be cut in community feedback sessions, Biggs emphasized that abiding by local laws for stormwater detention is crucial — especially in a lakefront city with a history of flooding issues. “We didn’t want to not build a relief overflow system, and then create a situation where it would just turn around and run out of capacity as the community continued to build additional buildings that didn’t necessarily control their stormwater,” she said.

A community focus Tailoring the new space to what Evanston

Madison Smith/Daily Senior Staffer

The Robert Crown Community Center was recently awarded its LEED silver certification, reaching a milestone of sustainability in its building design.

residents wanted was also a priority for designers. Architects engaged residents who lived around the center in over 20 community feedback meetings throughout the construction process, according to Tinucci. In keeping with the overall mission of the building design, Amilcar Perez, the supervising librarian for the Robert Crown branch of Evanston Public Library, said the new branch location is also focused on sustainable programming, hosting a range of events open to residents. Having a convenient location with so many other city facilities, he said, has really helped and motivated the new branch to build up its programs. “It’s the immediacy, the urgency (of the climate crisis), but also the visibility in our location, both in hosting the programs and being able to reach

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other organizations around town,” he said. Robert Crown is also home to a Creative Play Preschool and after school programs for children up to 12 years old, which Biggs said benefit from having access to the center’s library and recreation spaces. As the city continues to pursue climate action and address debt undertaken during Robert Crown’s development, keeping up with community engagement is important, she said. “This kind of public process involves a lot of stakeholders, and can get very messy sometimes in its discussion,” Biggs said. “But in the long run, we are able to create a facility that’s truly of value to the community.” lilycarey2025@u.northwestern.edu

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2022

ON CAMPUS

NU’s BRASA hosts community events

Editor in Chief Jacob Fulton

By STERLING KOSSUTH ORTIZ

daily senior staffer @sortiz2000

For some international students, attending Northwestern during the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult. To travel to campus, McCormick and Communication sophomore Juliana Davoglio Estradioto, an international student from Brazil, had to secure a U.S. visa — even though all the available embassies in Brazil were closed at the time. Even after arriving on campus, Davoglio Estradioto said they struggled to adjust to living away from their home country. However, they said they were able to find community during this time through BRASA Northwestern, the University’s Brazilian student organization. “In Winter 2021, I was isolated on literally the other side of the world from Brazil,” Davoglio Estradioto said. “Having people to talk to and ask questions helped me get close with some people who I consider my family on campus.” Davoglio Estradioto is one of BRASA’s approximately 30 members. As public relations chair for the organization, Estradioto said she wants to create a healthy and welcoming environment for all Brazilians on campus and shape the next generation of Brazilian leaders. Weinberg junior Lucas Bezerra, one of the copresidents of BRASA, said the organization has helped his personal and professional development despite its recent founding, which occurred in 2016. “BRASA got me my first internship, working on the administrative side for an organization that is a partner of Teach For All, an educational residency company,” Bezerra said. “BRASA helped me secure my sophomore summer internship at McKinsey, because they matched me up with Kellogg alumni who helped me prepare.” Communication and Weinberg senior Bruna Rosario, the other co-president, has been on the group’s executive board since her first year. Throughout her time in BRASA, Rosario said she has strived to support new Brazilian students at NU just as older BRASA students did for her. “When you get into Northwestern, BRASA will

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BRASA at Northwestern has organized a mentorship program for new Brazilian students.

most likely automatically reach out by email,” Rosario said. “We’re going to ask you if you want to be part of our WhatsApp group and if you want to be paired up with an upperclassman that is in the same school that you apply to, so that you can ask questions.” BRASA members said they also appreciate how representative members are of the different areas of Brazil. For instance, Davoglio Estradioto is from Osório, a coastal exurban city in the country’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul. Bezerra, meanwhile, comes from Campinas, an independent city in the state of São Paulo. Rosario, on the other hand, is from Manaus, located at the mouth of the Amazon River and in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. Going forward, Davoglio Estradioto said they hope to collaborate with other campus groups such as Alianza and faculty in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. “Our community has been expanding so much over the last two years, so that’s changing our perspective

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on campus,” Davoglio Estradioto said. “From Lucas’ class to mine, it was such a big jump in the percentage of Brazilians being accepted, so we want to expand our operations in BRASA moving forward.” Looking back on his time in leadership, Bezerra agreed. He said the group hopes to host a Carnaval do Brasil event in the future, as well as organize programming for Brazilian American and nonBrazilians students alike. BRASA hopes to serve as a cohesive organization, bridging together various cultures on campus, Bezerra said. He also wants everyone interested in Brazilian culture to feel comfortable going to BRASA events, he added. “(People) could come and try some Brazilian food and listen to Brazilian music with us.” Bezerra said. “We want people to understand how diverse and how big Brazil is. If you’re interested, it’s a great country to learn about.” sterlingortiz2022@u.northwestern.edu

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4 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2022

OPINION

Join the online conversation at www.dailynorthwestern.com

Parham: Beyond the housing inequities in Evanston We didn’t talk about out-of-wedlock pregnancies of the 1950s. I know between my three aunts and my mother, there were several abortions. My aunt Dot had one during her college years, and she OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR did not fare well. Whoever terminated Dorothy’s pregnancy also terminated her ability to hold a baby to term, leaving her with an “incompetent Content warning: This story discusses miscarriages. cervix.” She would try a dozen more times to have a Evanston’s reparations program is currently baby, but every time she miscarried before four focusing on addressing financial inequities for the months. generations of Black folks greatly discriminated With that twelfth pregnancy, she was referred against in housing by her Black general opportunities from practitioner to a white the 1920s through the obstetrician/gynecologist. Under his care and 1970s. My own family was able to own supervision, she carried homes but still suffered the pregnancy to five My entire adult life, I have significantly from racmonths, much longer ism in 1950s and ‘60s than any of the other interacted with white people who Evanston. 11 times. Then, in his will do anything to avoid being My aunt Dot’s office at her fifth month dreams of heading hooked into feeling the pain a Black check-up, he informed south to farm our Georher he wouldn’t deliver person might have experienced. gia land were dashed her baby. His hos“did not admit when she “accidentally” Op-Ed Contributor pital Negroes.” won a scholarship to She left his office, Howard University by and refused to return to earning top marks on his care. Two weeks after that humiliating visit, she a scholarship qualifying test. Consequently, she lost the pregnancy. She gave birth in a hospital to studied the closest thing to farming available at a a stillborn infant; after 20 weeks, this is no longer “talented tenth” traditionally Black college: botany. considered a miscarriage. She returned to Evanston, where there were no Those are some details of what life looked and jobs in botany, nor opportunities to learn how to felt like, for one branch of my family, in de facto farm. Instead, she became a switchboard operator segregated Evanston. with a telephone company. My aunt Dot and her husband owned their In Evanston, she fell in love with a Black man own home on Lyons Street in the 1960s. When who had dropped out of high school to marry the my grandmother died, the Sherman Avenue home girl he impregnated before he fell in love with my she and my grandfather had struggled through a aunt. He divorced the mother of his child. He and my aunt married. They never had children together, 15-year mortgage to own was sold, with consciousness, to other Black folks. Family stories recount despite multiple attempts.

OPEYEMI PARHAM

”

- OPEYEMI PARHAM,

predecessors’ lives were scarred by disappointthe Black couple immediately “flipped it” and ment, failure and humiliating experiences. I was sold it to white residents as that part of Evanston inspired to write this series because Evanston is gentrified. leading America in a conversation about financial My aunt and uncle did well, selling their Evanston home for a profit. Newly ensconced in Los reparations to Black people who lived in 1920s Angeles, they were able to invest in a home in to1970s Evanston. I wanted to share family stories Baldwin Hills above the Crenshaw District in what that have contributed to my deeper understanding is known as the Black Beverly Hills. of what Evanston withheld from Black residents, They moved to LA largely to escape the while smiling and convincing ourselves how lucky humiliations and dead ends presented to them we were to have any access at all to “The American in Evanston. De facto segregation was present in Dream.” LA, but it was not as toxic as in Evanston. They My entire adult life, I have interacted with joined a thriving comwhite people who munity of fellow transwill do anything to planted Black Evanston avoid being hooked residents. into feeling the pain My mother died a Black person might at age 56 of end-stage have experienced, I don’t believe these premature renal disease. Her pain from which father, Alfred Parham, deaths were related to bad genes. they were protected died at 69 of uremic by white privilege. I believe they were related to poisoning — what Telling these stories we called end-stage years of stress from being middle challenges white racial renal disease in the innocence. Cultivating class Black folks. mid 1960s. My aunt’s empathy, raising one’s husband died of kidney for hearing Op-Ed Contributor tolerance cancer in his late 50s. the hard stuff is what I don’t believe these can lie beyond that premature deaths defensiveness. were related to bad genes. I believe they were At 65 years old, I feel complete. I appreciate related to years of stress from being middle class the white readers who are able to stomach hearing Black folks, attempting to carve out space for more about the bad parts of life for Black folks in themselves in a town that consistently resisted Evanston, the Black folks who managed to survive integration. and thrive in a challenging environment and everyone else who was willing to read these three essays. We now have a term for the stress Black women experience: We call it “weathering.” All those Opeyemi Parham is a retired M.D. who writes as an kidney ailments make sense. Louise Hay agrees. In artist, healing. If you would like to respond publicly an integrative health model, she suggests kidney problems represent emotional issues with criticism, to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed disappointment, failure and shame. in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all While several in my family found their way staff members of The Daily Northwestern. to wealth as property owners in Evanston, my

”

- OPEYEMI PARHAM,

Cabral: On Percy Jackson and BIPOC representation EMILIO CABRAL

COLUMNIST

I read Rick Riordan’s “The Lightning Thief ” for the first time during a fourth-grade field trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land. My friends were shouting about the cool cars we were passing and the 20-story buildings on either side of the street, but I paid attention to none of it. I was too engrossed with Percy Jackson, the series’s sassy protagonist, and the moments that would change his life forever. Sitting on that bus, laughing at Percy’s snarky commentary as he battled monsters straight out of Greek mythology, I could almost pretend I was in his place — I was special too. As I got older and Riordan wrote more stories about Percy and his adventures, I found myself writing my own stories starring Percy. In seventh grade, I wrote my own version of a chapter from Riordan’s “The Son of Neptune.” Instead of speaking Greek and Latin, I had Percy and his friends speak Spanish. While he was still from New York City, my version of Percy was a Dominican American boy with brown skin. I turned him into what I saw every timwe I looked in the mirror. But every time I went back to Riordan’s books, I was confronted

This isn’t to say there isn’t progress being with the reality that Percy was white. He wasn’t made when it comes to media featuring people just like me. of color. Ncuti Gatwa and Yasmin Finney — a If a white man doesn’t like the way he’s portrayed in William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies,” Black man and woman, respectively — are set or J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye,” he can to play the Doctor and Rose Tyler from the just go to the nearest Barnes & Noble and pick up hit television series “Doctor Who.” In a fullsomething more modern, like a copy of Christina circle moment for me, Leah Jeffries and Aryan Lauren’s “AutoboyogSimhadri — a Black raphy.” As a person of girl and an Indian color, I don’t have that American boy, respectively — are set to play option. Annabeth Chase and To this day, the Grover Underwood in only Dominican Why can’t people of color be the “Percy Jackson and coming-of-age novel cast in roles that are not based the Olympians” series I’ve managed to find on Disney+. is Junot Díaz’s “The on their identity? Why can’t When I heard the Brief Wondrous Life people of color tell stories that news about the recent of Oscar Wao.” While this book helped are joyful? Why can’t people of casting of Annabeth and Grover, I was me formulate ideas color be heroes? terrified Jeffries and about my identity, Simhadri would my culture and the Columnist be targeted by fans way they inform my attempting to veil their experiences, that racism with indignadoesn’t mean I’m not tion that the race of the actors did not match bitter about the fact that my white peers have their race in the book. Sure enough, on May 10, hundreds, if not thousands, more depictions Riordan released a statement disavowing fans of themselves in literature. That also doesn’t who had been harassing Jeffries. mean I’m not bitter about the fact that I’ve sat “You have decided that I couldn’t possibly through unwatchable television like The CW’s mean what I have always said,” Riordan said “Riverdale” just to get a glimpse of a character in the statement. “That the true nature of the of color who only has one line.

”

- EMILIO CABRAL,

character lies in their personality. You feel I must have been coerced, brainwashed, bribed, threatened, whatever, or I as a white male author never would have chosen a Black actor for the part of this canonically white girl.” The racism Jeffries has experienced since her casting as Annabeth is representative of the fact that white people believe only they have a right to stories about love, harrowing adventures and alternate dimensions. But why can’t people of color be cast in roles that are not based on their identity? Why can’t people of color tell stories that are joyful? Why can’t people of color be heroes? My copy of “The Son of Neptune” sits in the middle of the top row of my bookshelf. It used to symbolize my motivation to become a writer who could craft characters as inspiring as Percy, characters that kids wouldn’t have to pretend looked like them. Now, it’s a symbol of that dream becoming reality. A symbol of a generation of kids who will get to see a Doctor, a Rose, a Grover and an Annabeth who look like them. Emilio Cabral is a Weinberg Sophomore. He can be contacted at EmilioCabral2024@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 145, Issue 14 Editor in Chief Jacob Fulton

Managing Editors William Clark Yiming Fu Isabel Funk Angeli Mittal Laya Neelakandan Katrina Pham

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2022

Ahead of Dillo 50, a look back at the event’s history By SELENA KUZNIKOV

the daily northwestern @selenakuznikov

In 1973, two Texan Northwestern undergraduates founded Armadillo Productions and threw a small gathering. Those humble beginnings kickstarted NU’s beloved Dillo Day festival, now the largest student-run music festival in the nation. Dillo Day is a day-long music festival run and organized by Mayfest Productions and will celebrate its 50th anniversary Saturday. Communication senior Conor Metz, codirector of promotions for Mayfest, said he is excited because this year will be the first inperson Dillo Day since 2019. “It’s a lot of work, but the work is really rewarding, especially as we get to this time of year,” Metz said. “It’s just super exciting to see the student body come together and enjoy what we’ve been working on for months.” Throughout the school year, students in Mayfest Productions plan bookings, marketing, production and more on 10 committees and subcommittees. They also host programming events leading up to the festival, like Battle of the Artists. Communication senior Nicole Tank, codirector of promotions for Mayfest Productions, said working with the organization has helped her realize she wants to go into marketing and promotion. “It seems kind of crazy at times, explaining to people the work that we do,” Tank said. “But it’s an incredible experience you can’t really get anywhere else. Being able to work with Mayfest was how I figured out what I want to dedicate the rest of my life to.”

What really started Dillo? The campus tradition of Dillo Day began loosely as a counterculture reaction to political and social shifts in the 1970s, and even the origins of the celebration itself have an uncertain history. The most commonly held origin story comes from friends Donald Stout (Weinberg ’73) and George Krause (Weinberg ’73). Stout said in

Northwestern Magazine that he and Krause co-founded the event and named it Armadillo Day in honor of the Texas state animal and after a concert venue in Austin, Texas. The first Armadillo Day was held May 13, 1973 and was called “The First Annual ‘I Don’t Think We’re In Kansas Anymore’ Festival and Fair,’” according to Stout. Stout said they created the festival and organization as an alternative to a set of spring events that catered more to Greek life. “Remember — this was at the height of the counterculture era and this was definitely oriented to that very large segment of the student body,” Stout said in documents found in the University Archives. Stout said the event’s main organizers and volunteers were members of Pi Kappa Alpha and other students, but the event was not funded by or affiliated with the Interfraternity Council, according to the archives. An alternative origin story claims Dillo Day started two years earlier in May 1971. This version says Greek life members held a party with illegal beer kegs without telling administration beforehand, which inspired future festivities on campus. According to the University Archives, Mayfest began in 1977 as a combination of several spring events including Greek Week, Armadillo Day and A&O Productions’ Spring Festival. Dillo Day now serves as a mashup of these events, providing music, art, food and more for students.

The first Mayfest concert Steve Jarvis (Communication ’81) said before 1981, Dillo Day was a small celebration at the end of the school year. Jarvis served as the concert chair for A&O during his senior year and said a budget surplus created the tradition of hosting a free concert at the end of Spring Quarter. The production team saw a massive turnout of undergraduates because there was no entrance fee. “It was huge,” Jarvis said. “Everybody came out, everybody showed up. The weather was great. It stuck and people thought, ‘Why don’t we keep doing this?’” Jarvis said the stage was set up directly

Daily file photo by Noah Frick-Alofs

For Members Only first co-hosted Dillo Day with Mayfest Productions in 2019.

outside the Norris University Center, and the festival lasted for two days, with Robert Gordon and Muddy Waters headlining the event in 1981. Matt Crawford (Weinberg ’91) said during his time as a student, Dillo Day weekend was in full swing as a NU tradition. “It was just an opportunity to hang out and have fun,” Crawford said. “You could kind of count on it being a sort of weekend of activity. You sort of forget about classes and stuff like that and just hang out and have fun.”

Dillo Second Stage Starting in 2019, For Members Only began organizing Dillo Day’s Second Stage, previously organized by WNUR. The Second stage featured more artists in addition to the main stage performers.

Weinberg junior Mychael Torres, FMO’s vice coordinator of external relationships and partnerships, said the organization helps highlight and feature Black artists on the Second stage. “A lot of the students at Northwestern aren’t already engaging with these smaller Black artists,” Torres said. “Second Stage and FMO have the opportunity of introducing our campus to a lot of new artists and really great artists that they might not have otherwise listened to.” Tickets for Dillo Day on Saturday are free for undergraduate students, $15 for undergraduate student guests and $25 for Northwestern alumni and graduate students. Tickets can be reserved through the Norris Box Office’s website and can be picked up at Norris. selenakuznikov2025@u.northwestern.edu

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COMMUNITY From page 1

said the department has collaborated with student groups and Evanston’s police and fire departments. The safety measures will include a vehicle-free zone at the Lakefill, bag checks, an emergency operation center and sound meters. Chin said the nationwide wave of mass shootings over the weekend is further motivation to implement protective measures for Dillo Day. “We really want to ensure that this is a very successful event, especially with all the events that have been unfortunately unfolding just this past weekend,” Chin said. “We’re really cognizant of that and just trying to do everything we can to protect everyone that’s involved.” Richard Eddington, Evanston Police Department’s interim police chief, said the department is deploying 17 personnel for Dillo Day. He said UP will be the primary security force at the Lakefill, while EPD will focus on the surrounding Evanston community. Fire Chief Paul Polep added there will be three ambulances on campus running throughout the day, as well as two paramedics on bicycles around Firemen’s Park.

SINGER

From page 1

swim instruction to every second grader in Evanston public schools. Singer said working with the organization to open a second pool in 2006 showed her its connection to equity. “Aquatics opportunity and access, really, for the YWCA came out of a place of equity,” she said. “Women and people of color did not have equal access or opportunity to learn a life-saving skill.” Under Singer’s leadership, the Evanston branch has also expanded on YWCA’s founding principles to implement a unique initiative: the Equity Institute. The Institute hosts business equity consulting, racial healing circles, community engagement sessions and events — like April’s Stand Against Racism rally. According to director Tiffany McDowell, the institute is also providing facilitators for student affinity groups within Evanston/Skokie School District 65 to support the District 65 community following the racist anti-Black hate crimes that occured at Haven Middle School last Friday. McDowell said Singer has been a “great mentor” since she came on almost four years ago to launch the Institute, and that Singer has helped her create community connections. Kathy Slaughter, the organization’s chief development officer, agreed. As the director tasked with overseeing the YWCA branch’s private giving revenue, Slaughter said she has collaborated with Singer — who has prioritized organization expansion. “We’ve always been focused on diversity as an organization, but what could we be doing more in terms of our mission of eliminating racism?”

Weinberg junior and Mayfest University Relations Chair A.J. Rosenthal delivered a Dillo Day logistics presentation. Rosenthal said the group hopes to keep students on the Lakefill, ensure the area remains clean and maintain community safety. Mayfest volunteers will serve as a de-escalation task force and there will be free food and water, Rosenthal said. Mona Dugo, NU’s assistant vice president of wellness and dean of students, said the University has had “knocks and talks” with students that live in large off-campus homes about respectful behavior on Dillo Day. She said the administration suggested students warn their neighbors of gatherings in advance and install portable bathrooms in their backyard to avoid public urination charges. “We know some of our students are going to host parties on the morning of Dillo Day, and we have emphasized with them that the permanent residents get concerned about noise and trash in the neighborhood,” Dugo said. “In order to try to mitigate some of that, we’ve just had conversations with them about being good neighbors ahead of time.” rjleung7@u.northwestern.edu Slaughter said. “That was Karen’s vision that we expand from just saying, ‘oh, we have a racial equity program’ to saying, ‘no, we really want to be the leader in equity.’ ” During Singer’s term as chief executive officer, the organization’s private funding has increased tenfold, according to the Evanston/ North Shore YWCA board. The organization completed its $18.5 million capital project in October 2021 that renovated and expanded YWCA’s footprint in Evanston. Included in this project was the expansion of Mary Lou’s Place, YWCA’s safe, trauma-informed emergency shelter for survivors of domestic violence. According to Singer, the space went from having 11 rooms to 23 — doubling capacity to host survivors and their children. “In the new shelter, everybody has their own room,” Singer said. “It’s a safer, more independent kind of environment that could accommodate even being in a pandemic.” According to the organization, YWCA board members and advisors have formed a transition committee to oversee a search for the new CEO with a final selection anticipated at the end of this year. Reflecting on her retirement, Singer said she is most proud of the organization’s ability to establish its physical footprint in the community, which is emblematic of the mission. To her, while expanded physical spaces are important, the real assets are the training, education and development happening within. “As hard as it is to think about not being at the helm — because it’s been a joy and a privilege for so long — I think this organization is ready to take its next leap into the future,” she said. jorjasiemons2024@u.northwestern.edu

ARMENIAN From page 1

learn more about Armenian culture and language because she said she doesn’t feel fully connected to her Armenian roots. “Having this space on campus is really important for educating both individuals who are not members of the Armenian community, as well as members who want to learn more but find it difficult because resources about the culture and language are so scarce,” Rissmiller said. Rissmiller said she is looking forward to finding a community that shares her identity through putting on Armenian dance performances and other cultural events in Fall Quarter.

K-9

From page 1

they still take on day-to-day police jobs. “We’re a separate entity to an extent, but we are still assigned to patrol so we still answer the radio, we take on patrol calls,” Johnson said. “However, some incidents that require canine-specific skills do come up.” Aston is a dual-purpose dog, which means he’s trained in patrol — locating evidence and apprehending suspects — as well as smelling for narcotics. Officers typically call in Johnson and Aston when searching for a suspect, items with a suspect’s odor or drugs. During a recent string of burglaries in Evanston, Johnson said Aston was able to locate stolen electronics and other items that a suspect had left beneath a vehicle. To train for his current role, Johnson attended K-9 school in early 2019 at Shallow Creek Kennels, a police dog training school in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania. He said he spent six weeks there learning how to work with Aston. At Shallow Creek, dogs first receive individual training in obedience and basic skills needed to be a K-9. The purpose of the six-week intensive course is to acquaint the dog with the handler. While many assume that police dogs are trained to be aggressive, Johnson said they are really just learning to play a game. “Everything that they’re doing is a game with an objective at the end of it,” Johnson said. “When they locate an odor, they get a reward like a tennis ball or a tug toy. It’s just playtime.” Johnson said he always carries a large, bright orange toy with him that he gives to Aston after searches. Alex Rothacker is the owner of TOPS Kennels, a police dog training facility in Grayslake, Illinois. He said his company purchases the dogs, pre-trains them and then offers K-9 training for handlers. According to Rothacker, TOPS Kennels

While the group is still working to solidify executive positions and plans to officially launch Fall Quarter, Rissmiller said she’s excited to welcome both Armenians and non-Armenians who are curious about the culture to join the club, especially incoming freshmen. Ultimately, Hajjar said she is excited to have a space on campus where the people around her fully understand her identity and background. “It just feels good to be in a place where you can have a shorthand of people and where you don’t have to explain your identity,” Hajjar said. “Once it grows, it will be more of a safe space for Armenians to feel validated.” laya@u.northwestern.edu looks for dogs that are friendly and “crazy for a toy.” Rothacker said he “100%” trains K-9 dogs at his dog school to be aggressive toward perpetrators. “A police dog, when it’s trained properly, just finds one spot (to bite) and hangs on,” Rothacker said. “That, in my book, has been one of the most important things.” According to a 2019 study, about 3,500 emergency room visits occur from K-9 bites each year in the U.S., accounting for 1.1% of all dog bite visits. Johnson said Aston’s role as a protector is relatively minor, but the dog has strong intuition as to when his handler is in a dangerous situation. “I can get my gun used against me. I can get my baton used against me,” said Anthony Sosa, Johnson’s predecessor as EPD’s K-9 handler, in a 2012 video. “They can’t use my dog against me. He can de-escalate any situation.” K-9 units from the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System Mobile Field Force helped form police barricades at the NU Community Not Cops protests in 2020. Although EPD is a part of NIPAS, Johnson said EPD does not use K-9s for crowd control. While Aston’s training is specialized in detecting the smell of humans and drugs, much of his days are spent accompanying Johnson in whatever he’s doing. Johnson’s car is designed for riding with K-9s — it has enough room for Aston to walk around, and Johnson has a button on his belt that opens the door if he needs to let Aston out. Johnson recalled one time he got called for a recent traffic accident with Aston in his patrol car. He talked to the people involved and filed a report, while Aston stayed behind in the car. “My dog was with me because he’s my partner, but he wasn’t utilized in a way other than being present with me,” Johnson said. “I can’t emphasize that enough.” saulpink2025@u.northwestern.edu

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Leaders discuss implications of Roe v. Wade reversal the rights not explicitly mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, she said, it’s been recognized for decades as one derivative of liberty. By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court weakens that same statute of privacy, which is central to related cases, including those permitting contraceptives and same-sex marriage, Jacobi said, adding the country is likely to see challenges to these cases in the next couple years. “This isn’t just theoretical,” Jacobi said. “These are things that have been attempted in this country in recent years by Republican legislatures.” If Republicans gain control of both houses of Congress and the White House in the next several years, Jacobi added, the legislative and executive branches could also institute national laws restricting abortion that would nullify Illinois’s protections.

By ISABELLE BUTERA

the daily northwestern @isabelle_butera

Content Warning: This article contains mention of rape and sexual assault. For blue states like Illinois, a U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade won’t mean the end of legal abortions — but it will change the landscape of reproductive justice. In 2019, Gov. J. B. Pritzker passed the Reproductive Health Act, guaranteeing the legality of abortion even if the U.S. Supreme Court decides otherwise, a possibility suggested by Justice Samuel Alito’s recent leaked opinion. However, if Roe v. Wade is overturned, Illinois will be surrounded by states that ban or limit abortion access, according to the reproductive research-focused Guttmacher Institute. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported almost 10,000 of Illinois’s abortion patients in 2020 came from out of state, representing a 29% increase since 2019. It is expected to increase again if Roe v. Wade is formally overturned according to Lynne Johnson, executive director of the Midwest Access Project, which aims to make reproductive healthcare accessible. Johnson said this will put a strain on abortion providers with already heavy caseloads. She predicted that clinics statewide would require more staff to deal with the influx of patients and that abortion providers like Planned Parenthood would need more funding. “If it’s a fundamental right, and we know we’re going to experience an influx of patients, then the next step for the state is to provide resources to create those new services,” Johnson said.

Reproductive justice Johnson said making abortions more difficult to obtain will disproportionaly impact low income individuals due to high travel expenses. Bans are also expected to disproportionately impact people of color, who the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported receive abortions at higher rates. Illinois Chief Diversity Officer Sekile Nzinga said this is why activists and politicians need an intersectional reproductive justice framework that treats

Looking ahead

Illustration by Gemma DeCetra

Abortion is protected in Illinois with the 2019 Reproductive Health Act, meaning it could become a hotspot for out-of-state patients if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

access to reproductive healthcare as a human right. While abortion will remain firmly legal in Illinois, that doesn’t mean it will be — or always has been — accessible. Nzinga said it’s essential to provide financial and emotional support to all those seeking abortions. “Even since Roe has been in place, we have been mobilizing to provide access to abortions for women of color, indigenious folks, trans folks, queer folks, folks with disabilities because of the legislative barriers … and all the other barriers that are in place,” Nzinga said at a Roe v. Wade teach-in at Northwestern this week. Advocates like Christine Berry, director of services at the Illinois-based Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center, also worry about how a decision overturning Roe v. Wade will impact survivors of rape. Berry said her first concern was related to what might happen to a state policy currently allowing survivors of sexual assualt access to emergency contraceptives in emergency rooms. A U.S. Supreme Court decision similar to the leaked

draft could call into question routine practices that support survivors, she said. U.S. abortion policy rarely centers data, instead leaning on partisan politics and morality, Berry said. She said she’s seen a collective lack of understanding about the experiences of survivors, such as the retraumatization that occurs for sexual assault survivors who cannot access an abortion after rape. “It is integral for all survivors of sexual violence to have control over what happens and that access to reproductive rights and reproductive health and options,” Berry said.

Possible legal implications While Ilinois will not ban abortion directly, Pritzker Prof. Tonja Jacobi said a U.S. Supreme Court decision could have larger national impacts affecting the state’s policy options. Abortion is among the rights loosely protected constitutionally by the 4th Amendment right to privacy, Jacobi said. Although it’s among

State Rep. Robyn Gabel is among the Illinois legislators firmly in support of protecting access to abortion within the state. “The ability to control your reproduction is the essence of your freedom,” Gabel said. “When women can’t control their reproduction, they are forced to have children. It affects their emotional lives, it affects their physical lives and it affects their financial lives as well.” While she said she’s proud of the progress Illinois has made thus far, Gabel said she would support funding the construction of new medical facilities offering reproductive healthcare. She also said she would support additional resources for out-of-state doctors who want to provide abortions to get licensed in Illinois, as well as allowing nurse practitioners to provide abortions. For organizers like Nzinga, mobilization is key. At the Roe v. Wade teach-in, she recommended attendees pause before reacting in order to center the voices of established activists taking a constructive and intersectional approach to mobilizing. She said it’s also important to engage in conversations with those who don’t support reproductive rights. “We have to build power by engaging in the people that we don’t want to have this conversation with,” Nzinga said. “That is the real work.” isabellebutera2025@u.northwestern.edu

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WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Lauren Gilbert reaches new heights in final year By SELENA KUZNIKOV and JADE THOMAS

the daily northwestern @selenakuznikov @jadealexthomas

Graduate attacker Lauren Gilbert returned to Northwestern this spring for her fifth and final season, picking up traction and adapting to change. “We’ve been pretty much through everything this season — we’ve been in every position,” Gilbert said. “We’ve been up, we’ve been down, we’ve been tied, we’ve been down to the wire.” It’s not the first time Gilbert has found herself attempting to beat the odds. She is originally from Oregon, a region where historically, lacrosse has not gained significant traction, according to coach Scott Hiller. “This was a girl who came from a nontraditional area that didn’t play really at all as a freshman and just kind of put her head down and got better, and better and better to where she is now,” Hiller said. “That’s just an example that kids can look at, as times get tough.” The Wildcats (15-4, 5-1 Big Ten) recently won their last game 15-12 over Michigan in the second round of the NCAA DI Women’s Lacrosse Tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals. With senior attacker Izzy Scane out for the year with a preseason injury, the season seemed challenging at the outset. Yet Gilbert said the team was prepared for any obstacle

that might trip it up. “We were ready to have our backs against the wall in any way and be able to bounce back from it,” Gilbert said. “That’s just the type of team we are. Once we get rolling, we get rolling.” Hiller said Gilbert focused on developing the team’s collective talent instead of shouldering the weight of Scane’s absence. With the loss of Scane, he said Gilbert has helped the team realize its potential as a group. Coach Shelby Fredericks said Gilbert’s style as a leader is more focused on showing rather than telling. Gilbert might not have the most dominant voice on the field, she said, but her work ethic speaks volumes. “You’re not really going to see her on the field constantly talking and vocally taking charge of the offense or things like that, but she leads by example,” Fredericks said. “She’s done that extremely well and has really done that for her whole time here.” The example Gilbert sets is not only recognized by her team, but by outside bodies as well. This season alone, Gilbert was named the IWLCA Offensive Player of the Week and three-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for her performances against Rutgers and Syracuse, respectively. Instead of slowing her momentum, Fredericks said Gilbert’s discipline has only gotten stronger. “She believes in herself, she believes

Daily file photo by Jorge Melendez

in her teammates and she’s just one of those people that nothing is going to get in her way,” Fredericks said. Though Gilbert has devoted five seasons to the Cats, she said she sees her career as just one part of a larger picture of women’s athletic achievements at NU. She said she feels like she’s representing something bigger than herself.

Gilbert said the field hockey team’s national championship this past fall gave her chills — and the success of other women’s athletic teams inspires her team to reach for more. Fredericks said Gilbert has already created a healthy environment for even more progress and talent to bubble to the surface after she leaves.

BASEBALL

“Every single year, you have to create the culture that you want as a team,” Fredericks said. “(The team has) done an amazing job setting the standard of what Northwestern lacrosse is, and the future is incredibly bright.” selenakuznikov2025@u.northwestern.edu jadethomas2025@u.northwestern.edu

SOFTBALL

NU seeks Big Ten Tournament NU lands No. 9 seed

in NCAA Tournament

By LAWRENCE PRICE

daily senior staffer @lpiii_tres

By NATHAN ANSELL

A lot has changed since 2017 in Northwestern Athletics: Welsh-Ryan Arena has been renovated, multiple Big Ten and national championships have been secured and many coaches and players have come and gone. But one thing that has stayed the same is this baseball roster’s trips to the Big Ten Tournament: zero. Because of a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple sub .500 seasons, NU hasn’t finished in the top eight of the conference record-wise since 2017, which ended in a second place tournament finish. However, with one conference series left on the 2022 schedule, NU (22-26, 8-13 Big Ten) baseball’s season is on the line. The program is currently tied with Nebraska for the ninth best record in the Big Ten entering the last weekend of the regular season against Minnesota (15-34, 5-16 Big Ten). That isn’t good enough to make the Big Ten Tournament. Only the top eight teams continue their season, emphasizing the importance of the Cats’ play in hopes of making it to Omaha. Even with this exciting opportunity to break the five-year streak, though, NU can only blame itself for its current position. There were numerous games throughout the season that the Wildcats let slip out of their hands. But less than two weeks ago, the Cats were sitting pretty, flexing a .500 record and a sixth-place standing in the conference, with a second-to-last place Ohio State Buckeyes team up on the schedule. Everything went wrong that weekend. NU dropped all three contests on its home turf, including a 16-run Saturday loss. The team also lost this past weekend’s series to Purdue, the conference’s eighth-place team, leading to the Cats’ ninth place landing.

daily senior staffer @nathanjansell

Mika Ellison/The Daily Northwestern

Sophomore left fielder Jay Beshears takes off running. The team’s hit leader added to his breakout season with another hit in the Tuesday loss to No. 14 Notre Dame, 14-4.

Although these miscues can’t be overlooked, and the poor performing series will be viewed as the major reason behind NU’s demise, the Cats can still make it to Omaha, as the Boilermakers face the conference’s top team this weekend in Maryland. On the other side, NU travels to Minnesota to compete against the Big Ten’s worst team. With the difference in opponents, the jump to the eighth seed is very possible, but NU must sweep Minnesota to keep these hopes alive. Through this sweep, if Purdue is swept or loses two of its three contests, the Cats will move into the last seed of the tournament. Every game, inning and throw could be the deciding factor if they will take the field on May 25. Between that and the five-year drought, the pressure is on.

Although tensions are high leading up to Friday’s first pitch, NU does deserve praise. It overcame many changes and losses during the offseason, including five everyday starters, consistent arms and its head coach. Even with their slow start and roster changes, a sweep this weekend could not only send the Cats to the tournament, but secure the program’s best overall record since 2003 as well. However, that possibility won’t mean much if the Cats can’t capitalize. There’s no reason to beat around the bush here: NU needs to win all three games to keep its season alive. And in coach Josh Reynolds’s first year at the helm, it would be the cherry on top. lawrenceprice2024@u.northwestern.edu

If Northwestern needed any additional fuel heading into the NCAA Tournament, it certainly got some last Friday. Prior to Sunday’s announcement of the 64-team bracket, the Wildcats (40-10, 19-4 Big Ten) competed in the Big Ten Tournament. After a solid all-around performance in the quarterfinals against Wisconsin (2819, 12-11 Big Ten), NU allowed a go-ahead home run with two outs in the seventh inning against Michigan (36-16, 14-8 Big Ten), a game the Cats would eventually lose. “Last weekend was an anomaly, it’s not the rule,” senior shortstop Maeve Nelson said. “We’re going to come back, learn from it and rebound from it.” That gut punch against the Wolverines aside, coach Kate Drohan and NU have put together an impressive season. The Cats, who received the No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament bracket (their highest seed in 15 years), earned the privilege of hosting a regional for the first time in three years. NU has four wins against other seeded teams. The opponents that will be arriving in Evanston this weekend are Oakland (26-15, 18-7 Horizon League), McNeese (38-19, 15-3 Southland) and Notre Dame (3910, 16-5 ACC). The Cats beat the Golden Grizzlies twice in 2020, the only two meetings between the two sides, and have never faced the Cowgirls before. NU lost to the Fighting Irish earlier this season on April 5. The two sides have gone head-to-head four times since the end of the 2015 season.

“That game that we played earlier this season was a tough game, we came up short,” Drohan said. “We’re two programs that are very familiar with each other.” Despite not hosting a regional since 2019, a large portion of Drohan’s squad knows what it’s like to play at home in the postseason. Seven current Cats made an appearance in the last NCAA Tournament match at Sharon J. Drysdale Field three years ago. Assistant coach Michelle Gascoigne won a national championship as a player with Oklahoma in 2013. According to Drohan, many of the seniors are sharing playoff advice with the team’s younger members as well. “Going through the 2019 postseason, we’ve been through the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows,” senior catcher Jordyn Rudd said. “It’s shown this year how close we are.” Nearly every member of the team has at least some playoff history, as the Cats played three games in Lexington, Kentucky last year. With six seniors and a graduate student in NU’s usual lineup, the team’s mix of talent and experience has crescendoed to this moment. As the stakes climb higher than ever, NU’s more experienced players aren’t forgetting to enjoy the ride — it could be their last shot at postseason glory. “I hope I’ve left the program better than I’ve found it,” graduate right fielder Rachel Lewis said. “Coming in as a freshman, I had an awesome senior class, and I hope to leave my mark the same way on those younger players now.” athanansell2022@u.northwestern.edu