The Daily Northwestern — October 11, 2019 by The Daily Northwestern

The Daily Northwestern Friday, October ,11 2019

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Schakowsky talks hate speech in U.S. Congresswoman joins speakers at ETHS for event By SPENCER ALLAN

the daily northwestern @spencerlallan

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Stacey Abrams speaks at Cahn Auditorium. Abrams discussed the importance of the 2020 Census and her plan for free and fair elections.

Stacey Abrams calls on students NU College Democrats hosts the former gubernatorial candidate By JAMES POLLARD

daily senior staffer @pamesjollard

Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said though she knows she’s not the governor of Georgia, she still “won the election” — and now she needs the help of college Democrats across the country to ensure future elections are free and fair. “Leadership matters,” Abrams

said on Thursday to a sold-out crowd at Cahn Auditorium. “Speaking truth to power matters … 2020 matters. We are a nation in peril. We are a nation in crisis. And you are the solution.” Abrams, Northwestern University College Democrats’ fall speaker, discussed her plans to “recreate” American democracy. She lost her 2018 gubernatorial bid to Republican Brian Kemp — who would become the new governor — by less than two

Students struggle in Orgo sequence Some f ind alternatives to diff icult classes By ZINYA SALFITI

the daily northwestern @zinyasalfiti

The organic chemistry sequence offered at Northwestern — notorious among Northwestern students for its difficulty — has forced some students to resort to re-taking the course at other universities or taking it over the summer quarter to complete it. Organic chemistry at Northwestern is a three-quarter path that undergraduate students on the pre-med track or pursuing specific majors involving chemistry are required to take after completing or placing out of the general chemistry sequence. Fariha Ahmed completed the second semester of organic chemistry at Loyola University Chicago. The Weinberg junior said she dropped the sequence after one quarter at Northwestern because she was unsure of whether she was going to continue on the pre-med track.

Northwestern does not recognize organic chemistry credits from other colleges and universities, but Ahmed said she chose to complete the sequence at Loyola because her major — cognitive science — does not require Northwestern’s organic chemistry sequence credits. “The way it lined up was my first quarter at Northwestern covered everything they covered in Loyola for that one semester, with the exception of a couple of concepts here and there,” Ahmed said. She added that the third quarter of Northwestern’s sequence consists almost entirely of material beyond Loyola’s two-semester sequence, but because most medical schools require one year of organic chemistry, most students on Northwestern’s sequence complete the third quarter as well. Prof. Nathan Gianneschi is teaching the first course in the sequence this Fall Quarter. He said that although general chemistry feeds into organic chemistry, the type of learning required for organic chemistry differs from that of general chemistry, which students tend to be more familiar with. » See ORGO, page 6

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percentage points after the former Georgia Secretary of State wrongly purged over 340,000 voters from registration rolls. Motivated by her loss, the former Georgia House Minority Leader founded Fair Fight, an initiative dedicated to encouraging voter participation and educating people on their voting rights. As the first black woman to be nominated as a major party’s candidate for governor, Abrams

touted the “new playbook” her campaign used, which involved centering on communities of color and visiting all 159 counties in Georgia. That playbook resulted in the tripling of both Latinx and Asian Pacific Islander turnout rates and a 139 percent increase in youth turnout rates, Abrams said. White participation among Democrats in Georgia increased for the first » See ABRAMS, page 6

On Thursday night, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston), emphasized the dangers of hate speech locally and nationally. Schakowsky was one of four speakers at “Fighting Hate Speech in the United States,” an event sponsored by the Democratic Party of Evanston at Evanston Township High School. The speakers, including Schakowsky, saw President Donald Trump as a key factor for the rise of hate speech and hate groups in the United States. “President Trump is the proliferator of hate speech himself,” Schakowsky told The Daily. “He has excused not only hate speech but action.” Speaking alongside the congresswoman was Lecia Brooks of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Kelley Szany of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Dr. G. Kwesi Logan, a consultant for workplace diversity and culture. Brooks began the forum by discussing the hate groups her organization tracked. Thirty-one of those hate groups had been identified in Illinois, some of them part of the recent and rapid rise of white nationalist

groups in the United States. In 2018, the Southern Poverty Law Center recorded a 50 percent increase in the number of white nationalist groups in the United States. “Hate is in every state in the country,” Brooks said. “There were 1,020 active hate groups we identified.” Szany shifted focus, addressing global cases of hate speech, including the recent proliferation of hate speech directed toward Rohingya Muslims on Facebook. Logan, meanwhile, discussed his efforts to bring awareness of hate speech to the Evanston/ Skokie School District 65, after his son was the target of a racial slur. “Hateful language spoken by our children in District 65 is prevalent,” Logan said. “We have a problem at the staff level, we have a problem with our parents and we have a problem with our district.” Schakowsky rounded out the speakers by discussing her own motivations for pursuing legislation against hate speech, referencing a CNN article which she co-authored with U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). Published after a public apology Omar gave for what were considered anti-Semitic remarks, the article reconciles her and Schakowsky in the fight against religious hate speech. » See DPOE, page 6

Evanston declared a “hipsturbia” PwC study names Evanston as prime example of hipster suburb By EVAN ROBINSON-JOHNSON daily senior staffer @sightsonwheels

A quick google search of the word “hipster” brings up almost exclusively images of a white men with well-groomed facial hair and flannel shirts. This is just one type of millennial stereotype, but a new study by the Urban Land Institute and PricewaterhouseCoopers is using the term in conjunction with “suburbia” to describe cities, including Evanston, as “hipsturbias.” According to the report, Evanston is a prime example of this 2020 trend, with millennials increasingly choosing to “live, work, and play” in the northern Chicago suburb. Fountain Square epitomizes this balanced vibe and has been one of Evanston’s greatest successes, said Mayor Steve Hagerty, who gives the $6 million redesign credit for “reactivating” the city’s downtown district. Hagerty also said some of Evanston’s new coffee shops, like Newport Coffee House and Colectivo Coffee,

Evan Robinson-Johnson /Daily Senior Staffer

Northwestern students Molly Liu and Irem Ozturan enjoy Colectivo smoothies in downtown Evanston’s vibrant Fountain Square. A recent PwC report listed Evanston’s vibrancy as an example of “hipsturbia”: a national trend of revitalized suburban centers.

have added to the city’s recent economic growth. According to the report, “hipsturbia” — a combination of “hipster” and “suburbia,” — links Evanston to other vibrant communities like Santa Clara, California, and Yonkers, New

York, which are known for their vibrant arts scene and balanced retail spaces. However, some say Evanston is too generic and expensive to be hipsturbia. Molly Liu, a Weinberg junior, said a city needs cheap spots with “$2 teas” and “artsy

venues” with conceptual themes to be considered a hipsturbia. Her $7 berry booster smoothie from Milwaukee-based chain Colectivo Coffee, she said, did not fit her qualifications. » See HIPSTURBIA, page 6

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AROUND TOWN

Intense rainfall a concern at Environmental Board By LINUS HÖLLER

the daily northwestern @linus_at

Dave Stoneback, director of Evanston’s Public Works Agency, is concerned about the rain. “Rainfall conditions will probably only get worse with climate change,” he cautioned at the city’s Environment Board meeting on Thursday evening. Evanston’s storm sewers are not ready for a major downpour, Stoneback said. The existing system has only been designed to handle the amount of water from a five-year rain event. Nowadays, rainfall of this intensity occurs on average every three years due to shifting precipitation patterns as a result of the globally changing climate. “The worst case is that the water not only floods the streets but goes all the way up to people’s homes, pours in through the basement windows and flows in under the front door,” Stoneback said. The scenario awakes bad memories from the summer of 1987, when a downpour of 13 inches in just nine hours flooded many residents’ basements, Stoneback said. Since then, $210 million have gone towards a sewer improvement plan, which has been “fairly successful,” according to Stoneback. “Our main concern now is standing water on the streets rather than water in people’s basements,” he said. To further improve the city’s preparedness for

Evanston to hold sixth annual Zombie Scramble

Evanston is a big believer in spooky season, as the city puts on the sixth annual “Zombie Scramble,” a Halloween-themed race.

torrential rainfall, an external specialist will create a hydrologic and hydraulic model of Evanston over the course of the next few years. The proposal is expected to be released in December, with the selection of a contractor four to six months later. What will follow is a two-year period of intense measurements using rain gauges throughout the city and flow meters in the sewer systems to help identify areas which need the most improvement. Stoneback recalled that when the city had its own flow meters, it was “just awful.” He said maintenance costs would far outweigh those for a one-time contractor. Stoneback admitted there is one catch to the plan. “If there’s a dry year, then we’ve paid a whole lot of money for nothing,” he said. Stoneback said that the city would not be waiting for the completion of a plan before taking action. The use of so-called “green infrastructure,” already implemented in parts of the city, will be further pushed — especially near the lakefront, as these are the lowest-lying areas of Evanston. One area of special focus will be the upgrading of parking lots, replacing impervious concrete surfaces with permeable pavement alternatives. Permeable pavement is not new to Evanston, but there have been major issues with its maintenance in the past. “We have put a bunch of green infrastructure in, but then there is never any funding to maintain it,” Stoneback said. According to a draft of the city’s new “Stormwater Management Guide,” maintenance for permeable pavement is needed to ensure its functionality. The city’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services department holds the event. Children and families with flag football belts run through a course, and volunteers dressed as zombies attempt to snatch the flags. While individuals are allowed to register, the city recommends competing as a team for the “best chance to survive” the race. Registration for the “Zombie Scramble” closes Friday. This year’s race is on Nov. 2 and begins south of

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The Environmental Board is looking to improve Evanston’s preparedness for heavy rain, as the city’s current storm sewers are only designed for a five-year rain event.

“Over the lifetime of the permeable pavement system, there will be a need to clean any sediment, soil, dirt and debris from the permeable pavement in order to maintain a sufficient infiltration rate,” the document states. The city recently issued an ordinance against blowing leaves onto the roads to avoid clogging the storm drains. Environmental Board member Cherie Fisher said flyers will be passed out to garden contractors outlining that this practice is illegal in Evanston. “If you have some extra,” Fisher joked, “we’re

exactly the kind of people to put these sort of flyers on people’s windshields.” Looking forward, the city plans to develop a regular schedule to routinely sweep the parking lots and to replace the chips. Stoneback said at the meeting that he hopes the new routine will save a substantial amount of money. “We did not do this right and now we are restarting,” he said.

the Rotary Friendship Garden in the Ladd Arboretum. All participants must sign a liability waiver and be at least 8-years-old. The course is about two miles with two “challenge stops” where teams must stop and complete a challenge to proceed. At the finish line, participants who have still have a flag intact will receive a ticket for the Zombie Scramble raffle. Prizes include Robert Crown Community Center skating passes,

a Chandler-Newberger Center birthday party rental and beach tokens for 2020. Each flag or “life” saved is equal to one raffle entry. After the race, there will also be food, s’mores to cook over a fire, a zombie photo-op and a “spooky game room” for Halloween-themed activities.

hoeller@u.northwestern.edu

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019

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Abtahi fills role for LGTBQ students By YUNKYO KIM

the daily northwestern @yunkyomoonk

Starting his new position as the assistant director for LGBTQ issues at Multicultural Student Affairs, Matthew Abtahi said he felt like he was coming home. “Illinois has always been home for me,” the Chicago native said. “Coming back to Illinois has been like rewatering the roots that I’ve left here.” Evanston wasn’t the only reason why Abtahi decided to work at the University. As a member of the LGBTQ community, Abtahi has extensive experience assisting marginalized students in higher education. However, his development in social justice education and self-identity happened out of his home state. After obtaining his master’s degree at the Loyola University Chicago, Abtahi worked as a residential administrator at the University of Colorado Boulder and Purdue University. Abtahi most recently worked as interim director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at DePauw University. In his time at DePauw, he assisted domestic students of color, students in the LGBTQ community and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals students to create welcoming communities for marginalized populations on DePauw’s campus. DePauw junior Pia Ocvirk interned at the Center for Diversity and Inclusion with Abtahi. As a member of the LGBTQ community herself, she said working with an administrator who shares her experience improved her college experience. “It’s definitely nice to work with someone who you know is supportive of you,” Ocvirk said. “It’s nice that you know that your supervisor is not fundamentally against you having your basic human rights.” As interim director of CDI, Abtahi was receptive to ideas, Ocvirk said. She said she always felt respected by Abtahi. DePauw senior Katherine Umana, who worked with Abtahi for two years at CDI, said she felt that

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A pride sign in the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center. Matthew Abtahi entered his new role as assisstant director for LGBTQ issues at Multicultural Student Affairs.

he was “one of the few adults who actually wanted to improve the campus.” “(Abtahi) had a very big impact,” Umana said. “He is definitely going to be missed.” Abtahi also helped develop the Prism Leadership Program, an LGBTQ advocacy initiative at DePauw. He also consulted the university on the diversity recruitment process and collaborated to relaunch its Inclusive Excellence Campaign, which provides funding for diverse student activities, faculties and leadership opportunities. Abtahi said he aims to interact with students to determine the kind of support and community he can help them develop. Elynnor Sandefer, former Rainbow Alliance senator and ASG vice president of campus life, said she first met Abtahi during his MSA welcome event. “I am very optimistic about this person in this

role,” Sandefer said. “It seems clear that he’s the most experienced and qualified candidate for the position … I’m happy so far with the center reaching out to different students and communities on campus.” Working for students at Northwestern felt like the natural next step from his work at DePauw, Abtahi said. He wanted to return to the Chicagoarea and engage with the local community. He encouraged incoming LGBTQ students to reach out to campus resources and the MSA. “It’s a pretty amazing team of assistant directors here, so I’m excited to join in on the work,” Abtahi said. “I’m excited to work with particularly the LGBTQIA+ community here at Northwestern and helping reflect on those points and figure out how we’d like to move forward.”

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Friday, October 11, 2019

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I had to choose between my identity and the military LUCAS VIME-OLIVE

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

I spent the first half of my freshman year at Northwestern with a three-year Army ROTC contract, dreams of commissioning as a Second Lieutenant and a secret. However, my story starts long before I marched through the Arch my freshman year at Northwestern. Ever since I was little, I have known I was trans. My childhood experience follows that of the usual female-to-male transgender narrative. Short hair, love for Spiderman and an innate but indescribable sense that I was born in the wrong body. Knowing I wasn’t a girl, but not knowing how I could fix that, defined much of my early existence. Everything changed my sophomore year of high school when I finally learned that transitioning was an option. Through the power of YouTube, I stumbled upon a one-year update video from someone on testosterone who showed that it was possible to transition from female to male. After watching that 10-minute video, I automatically knew that this was what I needed as I saw his voice drop, facial hair

grow and muscles form. Being on testosterone, a hormone that helps aid the process of transitioning by masculinizing most secondary sex characteristics, became my goal. Discovering that it was possible to transition from the gender you were assigned at birth to the one you identify with prompted endless hours of research. Unfortunately, I went to a Catholic school that was not open to the idea of having transgender students. Staying in the closet and waiting to transition until I graduated was a better alternative than losing my only friends and going back to a hostile public school environment. Now, I would love to say that starting my freshman year I enjoyed being at Northwestern, but that would be a blatant lie. The problem was that I did not come out at the end of my senior year. I waited because of the way I was financing my future Northwestern education. I was all set to receive a three-year tuition-based scholarship through the United States Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. I was doing everything right — waking up early to work-out, doing well enough in my classes, commuting to Loyola University Chicago for ROTC every day. The list was endless. The only thing that eclipsed the joy of being

notified that I was awarded the 3-year full scholarship, saving over $150,000, was the magnitude of knowing I should be living my life as male. Being able to transition how I wanted while in the military would not be an option under President Donald Trump’s transgender military ban. Starting last year, the Department of Defense declared that any transgender person intending on medically transitioning could no longer join the U.S. military. I was faced with a choice: I could contract and become an official member of our U.S. military and graduate from Northwestern debt-free and with a job but sacrifice my capability of coming out until I was 28 years old. Winter Quarter last year, my resolve to join the army at the cost of coming out began to make less and less sense. I knew I was purposely throwing away my happiness to chase a dream that, by nature of who I am, was becoming a nightmare. So, I pulled myself up from my camo-colored bootstraps, marched into the Lieutenant Colonel’s office and told him the secret I had been hiding for well over five years. I was met with conditional acceptance. I was told that I could not contract if I decided to transition. I wouldn’t be writing this if I decided that the military — and the benefits — was worth staying in the closet for an indefinite amount of time. I picked

transitioning over the military and deciding to put a financial burden on myself because I knew that was the version of my life I wanted to live. This was about seven months ago. It has since been 200 days since I walked into his office and doing something that would change the course of my life. Every single day has been substantially better than the day before. I have started to live the life that five-year-old me only dreamed of. My newfound happiness does not erase the emotional damage caused by having to spend the majority of my freshman year fighting institutional barriers that are enforced for very arbitrary reasons. My rights seem to consistently be threatened in many parts of our society — from barring my potential contribution to the military all the way up to the Supreme Court. It is more important than ever to fight for our right to exist. Lucas Vime-Olive is a Weinberg sophomore. He can be contacted at lucasvimeolive2022@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.

Coming out to my roommate trapped me in the closet Looking back as a senior, I can finally laugh about my experience coming out as a freshman. I grew up in a small conservative town where being out as a queer woman was not an option. I longed for college, when I could finally surround myself with liberal people and feel accepted for who I truly am. Once I got onto campus, I almost instantly became close friends with my roommate. I felt completely safe with her, and I decided she would be the first person I would officially come out to. After a long night filled with laughs, I finally said the dreaded words: “I’m bisexual.” I grew up imagining this moment. I was finally around liberals. I expected coming out in a liberal

place to be filled with tears, hugs and rainbow confetti. Instead of my fantasy, my roommate replied, “Oh. I wish you told me that BEFORE I agreed to live with you.” Suddenly I was dragged back into the closet as I explained that sexuality was a spectrum so, “I’m probably 99 percent straight. Let’s just forget it.” Over the next few months, my roommate and I shared all the same friends. I couldn’t come out to any of them because I knew she would find out and implode my already fragile freshman friend group. I felt robbed of the liberal, accepting bubble I had dreamed of for years. I slept basically five feet apart from the person that kept me closeted and I forced myself to act like her best friend.

When Winter Quarter came, my resentment toward my roommate grew. I would often try to casually slip my sexuality in the conversation hoping something would change, but she would act uncomfortable, and I would retreat further into the closet. After being surrounded by conservatives my whole life, I couldn’t understand how she could march in the Women’s March and claim to support LGBTQ rights but not accept them in her dorm room. She was an outspoken liberal — except in the ways that mattered to me. Spring Quarter, I found queer friends that accepted me for who I was, but I still could not be out to my roommate because I was terrified of rocking the boat. I lost a year of accepting who I

In college, the closet is a revolving door HENRY ROGERS

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

My sexual orientation should be no surprise to those who know me. I’ve made no conscious attempt to conceal this identity in college — in fact, I’ve done more to embrace it than I ever expected to when I was younger. So why, despite this openness, do I still feel like I’m in the closet? I was lucky enough to grow up in a space where my safety and wellbeing weren’t threatened by my sexuality. And even for me, it’s still difficult to navigate through the countless heteronormative spaces in college. We may not have a choice in the hardships we face as a result of our sexualities, but we have a choice in what we do to prevent future generations from experiencing the same struggles. I began the process of “coming out” in eighth grade. In the years leading up to it — and the years that followed — I struggled with an internal battle between who I was and who I wanted to be. In middle school, I scoured the internet every night for an explanation: Can you like boys and not be gay? How long does the ‘gay phase’ last? Is it normal to be bi-curious? It was an endless pursuit for validation of who I desperately wanted to be. Every night ended the same way: in tears. I would attempt to reframe my internal struggle until I was reassured enough to fall asleep. My internal dilemma reached a climax in eighth grade after I came to terms with the possibility that I was bicurious. Locked in my bathroom, away from any eavesdropping family members, I messaged a

friend on Skype and told her my truth. Had it not been for her overwhelmingly positive response, I doubt I would have continued down the path towards self-acceptance. That night, I promised myself no matter where I was with my own selfacceptance in four years, I would begin college and enter adulthood firmly outside of the closet. Gradually, I began to tell more people I was bisexual. But during my sophomore year of high school, a friend asked me a question I had refused to acknowledge on my own: Do you think you could be gay? My initial reaction was pure disbelief. I didn’t understand how my best friend could ask me something so unfounded. Almost instinctively, I went through the checklist of things I saw as proof of my attraction to girls: I had a girlfriend, played sports and lacked any of the physical traits associated with being gay. I understood sexual orientation was unrelated to any physical traits or lifestyle choices, but I remained fixated on what I had done to make my friend think I was only attracted to men. I was disgusted at the thought of being gay. Had it not been for my friend’s relentless insistence that her perception of me wouldn’t change if I was gay, I doubt I would have admitted my sexuality to myself that day. My self-acceptance continued to grow, fueled by the affirming reactions of those around me. By the end of high school, I was openly gay and ready to continue being so for the rest of my life. I was finally ready to fulfill the promise I made myself in eighth grade — I would be out of the closet in college. But after my first day on campus, I knew the reality would be far different from what I anticipated. As I met dozens of new people, I found myself correcting their expectations about my sexuality multiple times a day. It’s difficult to navigate a

space where you have to correct others’ assumptions about yourself in order to feel like you’re being honest. It’s especially difficult if you spent years correcting that assumption in your own mind. I felt like I was back in the closet, but this time it was a revolving door that I could never escape. Any assumption about a person’s sexuality stems from observations, whether it be how a person dresses or how they talk. It’s human instinct to identify trends in the world around us and use stereotypes as a way to understand it. But when it comes to sexual orientation, assumptions reinforce the wrong idea that sexuality is determined by the degree to which one fits in a stereotype. It forces an expectation onto every person as to how they should be, even though it likely contrasts who they truly are. I should be able to wear polos and listen to Maroon 5 without being thought of as straight, and every straight man should be able to watch “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and talk about their feelings without being thought of as gay. I don’t feel like I’ve left the closet behind. But with so many stereotypes about sexual orientation and expression, who has? No one should have to suffer the pain of accepting a part of themselves they grew up thinking was wrong. Until we stop trying to infer sexual orientation from unrelated traits and gender stereotypes, the closet is inescapable. Henry Rogers is a Medill sophomore. He can be contacted at henryrogers2022@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.

was because I wanted her to feel comfortable. Fear of conflict trapped me, and if I could do it again, I would have stayed out the first time. Sophomore year, I had a brand new roommate. When I finally built up the nerve to come out to her, I interrupted her in the middle of a conversation and once again said the dreaded words: “I’m bisexual.” Her response was, “Ok. Cool,” and then she continued the conversation. I never got the coming out fantasy I wanted. There were no hugs, tears or rainbow confetti, but I realized nonchalant acceptance was the coming out experience I needed. — Anonymous

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6 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019

ABRAMS

DPOE

election since Bill Clinton’s, she added. “What we learned in that campaign is that if we see people, if we listen to them, if we understand their needs, we can transform their experiences,” she said. Abrams also discussed Fair Count, which works to ensure communities that have been previously overlooked will be counted in the 2020 Census. The 2020 count will be the first census that can be submitted electronically, and experts have expressed concerns about a lack of funding and community outreach during the leadup. Census data determines the allocation of federal funding and the creation of congressional districts across the country. “The narrative of who we are is written in the census every ten years and we will not let anyone be invisible,” Abrams said. “We will not let anyone be erased from the story of who we are.” Attendees electronically submitted questions for the Q&A after her speech. Political science Prof. Alvin Tillery moderated the Q&A, and he attended Morehouse College, across the Atlanta University Center campus from Abrams’ alma mater, Spelman College. When asked about the criminal justice system’s role as a tool of voter suppression, Abrams expanded upon the issue of “prison gerrymandering.”When taking the Census, she said the most impoverished communities tend to have the worst counts, and therefore do not receive the proper resources. Many of those incarcerated come from impoverished communities, she said. But the census counts these incarcerated people in the areas where they’re held, which Abrams said tend to be rural white counties. “That is voter suppression because you have stripped them of their power to increase their power simply by having the ability to vote,” Abrams said. “When those folks aren’t counted, they don’t get the representation they need.” Romie Drori, president of Northwestern’s College Democrats, said she appreciated Abrams’ highlighting of the importance of the Census. The group’s vice president, Uzair Qadir, said he admired Abrams’ directness. “Starting off her speech and starting off the event with, ‘We won in Georgia’ … was really powerful, really ambitious,” Quadir said. “That’s the sort of ambition that we need right now.” When asked to give advice for young, black female activists, Abrams opened up about the doubts her friends expressed for her as a black woman running for governor, but “no one has done it until someone does,” she said. “Who we are has made us who we are,” she said. “I am better at this because I was a poor black girl from Mississippi when I wanted to go to college. I was a poor black girl from Georgia when I wanted to win the Rhodes (scholarship). I was a black girl when I wanted to run for office. Each time I have tried and done something, I have been this exact person.”

“I feel particularly sensitive to this issue as a Jew,” Schakowsky told The Daily. “Jews and Muslims are two sides of the same coin of bigotry. This is a priority.” Schakowsky also discussed proposed hate speech legislation. One such bill, the Disarm Hate Act,

From page 1

jamespollard2022@u.northwestern.edu

blocks people previously convicted of hate crimes from purchasing firearms. At the end of the forum, Schakowsky focused on the importance of students in affecting policy. She cited efforts by Florida students to increase gun control following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that killed 17 people in February 2018. Schakowsky addressed members of the ETHS

debate team on stage and other students in the room, stressing the importance of their efforts. “We need to help amplify your voices and your experiences,” Schakowsky said at the forum. “We need to make sure you have a platform to speak out on these issues. You live in a world that is much more tolerant than that of many older people.” allan@u.northwestern.edu

ORGO

From page 1 One of the more difficult topics taught in the class, for example, involves visualizing molecules on paper, which can be exceptionally challenging since molecular models involve a three-dimensional arrangement of atoms, Gianneschi said. The slight departure from doing hard calculations to learning through a more conceptual lens is something that students and most people find challenging, Gianneschi explained. “I know that students find (the sequence) difficult because it is famously described that way,” Gianneschi said. He described the sequence as being similar to an upper-division class, although it is listed as a 200 level course. Some students said the difficulty of the course itself is compounded by the fast-paced nature of the quarter system. Eileen Medina, a Weinberg sophomore on the pre-med track, is taking the first class of the sequence this fall. She said although the material thus far has not been too challenging, she anticipates a difficult quarter ahead. “It’s just a lot of details and you have to keep track of everything,” Medina said. “Lots of information gets thrown at you and you somehow have to make sense of it all in your mind. Because (Northwestern) is a quarter system, (the coursework) is all rushed. Medina called the sequence a “major changer”

HIPSTURBIA From page 1

Chicago resident Casper Lasken, who works at Evanston Games and Café said the “generic suburb” is not interesting enough to attract hipsters. “It’s definitely a progressive place,” Lasken said, “but if I want a good place to hang out I’m still going to Chicago.” Hagerty was slightly more optimistic, saying that Evanston has all the right components to make it “hip.” “Having Northwestern headquartered in Evanston gives a vibrancy and energy to the city,” Hagerty said. The PwC report stated that Northwestern students are the “lifeblood” of Evanston hipsturbia. Last year, the NU student group The .WAV Company began holding open mics at Unicorn Cafe. Other performance venues such as Evanston

Zinya Salfiti/The Daily Northwestern

An organic chemistry lecture. Organic chemistry at Northwestern is a three-quarter path that undergraduate students pursuing specific majors involving chemistry are required to take after completing or placing out of the general chemistry sequence.

because the sequence forces many students to give up on the pre-med track. Weinberg junior Kumu Myla, who is majoring in neuroscience and took the sequence last year, said the course was manageable, but advised sophomores against taking the sequence with other science classes. “If you were taking other science classes, then it would be hard to manage,” Myla said. “Doing orgo alone was better than taking it with the bio sequence, for example.”

Medina explained that maybe if the class was taught at a slower pace — with opportunities to walk through one or two practice tests during lectures with the professor — students would have more time to get a better grasp on the material. “I feel like they are doing everything they can to make (the class) as bearable as possible, but it’s just a hard class that you have to get over with,” Medina said.

Rocks and SPACE have also hosted NU groups in addition to seasonal lineups of local musicians. Breweries and cafés have added to the downtown buzz, and city organizers have capitalized by planning events like Big Bite Night to bring greater attention to local businesses. “There’s an incredible amount of ownership here in Evanston,” Hagerty said. “It’s why people are so engaged, so willing to invest their time and money. It makes such a difference.” But most students’ investment ends at Davis and Ridge, said Weinberg junior Miranda Andrade, who works as a barista at Unicorn Cafe. As a barista at one of Evanston’s oldest cafés, Andrade said she sees a diverse customer base, but she is still very aware of the segregation in Evanston. Outside the bubble of Evanston’s “hip” downtown, there is a completely different side of Evanston, Andrade said.

“The downtown itself is a pretty white place,” she said. Although Northwestern students benefit most directly from urban development in the downtown district, data from 2019’s first quarter shows that Evanston’s 11 new businesses are distributed across five different wards. Hagerty said he sees Evanston as “a place for people of all ages,” from seniors to Northwestern graduates who choose to move back once they have families. Similarly, the PwC report said that a hipsturbia’s vibrancy starts with “hip” millennials but leads to benefits for residents of all demographics. “As we speak there’s a committee planning a new commercial investment in the 820 Davis Building,” Hagerty said. “That kind of new design, that’s exciting.”

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erj@u.northwestern.edu

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019

Gidon Bromberg talks water scarcity in Middle East By JACKSON MILLER

the daily northwestern

Jackson Miller/The Daily Northwestern

Gidon Bromberg speaks at Northwestern Hillel. Bromberg stressed how environmental issues offer opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation in a region where inter-state relations are often seen as a zero-sum game.

Wildcats for Israel on Thursday hosted Gidon Bromberg, the Israeli director and an original founder of the non-profit organization EcoPeace Middle East, for a presentation at Hillel. The non-profit facilitates environmental stewardship projects involving volunteers from Israel and the surrounding areas, including Palestine. EcoPeace Middle East also advocates for environmental policy both in Israel and internationally. He presented on the environmental challenges Israel and the Middle East face and stressed the potential for cooperation between Israel and its Arab neighbors. He explained how global warming has contributed to reductions in the Middle East’s access to fresh water, which has resulted in desalinated water is being routed back into Israel’s Sea of

Galilee reservoir. The body of water was at risk of becoming a salt lake. “But the problem of Gaza just doesn’t stop for Gaza, because the sewage is also flooding into the Mediterranean, 100 million liters, 100 million liters every day,” Bromberg said. Throughout his presentation, Bromberg stressed how environmental issues offer opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation in a region where inter-state relations are often seen as a zero-sum game. “We were trying to expand the discussion from a narrow military position to a broader human security position, and we’re using the environment to do so,” Bromberg said. Emily Shteynberg, president of Wildcats for Israel, said hosting speakers with unique views helps educate students on different “outlets of Israel.” “I thought it’d be a good speaker because he has a very different aim, and has a big aim to bring peace,

but through the environment, which is not something you hear all the time,” the Weinberg sophomore said. The founder gave a similar presentation to the U.N. Security Council and the World Bank earlier this October. Bromberg said he sees special value in speaking to college students — he said to encourage a college student to see opportunities to change the world is to complete an “important service to the future of the world.” SESP junior Melissa Batz attended the event to add to her existing knowledge of how environmental issues like water scarcity affect the Middle East. “And I don’t think we’re giving (the issue) enough weight. And I think it’s hard, especially since we live in a palace that is the United States, and we’re very separated from the needs of other countries,” Batz said. jacksonmiller2023@u.northwestern.edu

VOLLEYBALL

Northwestern looks for first Big Ten win against Purdue By CARLOS STINSON-MAAS

the daily northwestern @thepresidito

In five conference matches this season, Northwestern has won a total of two sets. Against ranked opponents, the Wildcats have won zero. They’ll look to change that this weekend as they take on No. 20 Purdue on Saturday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Boilermakers (10-4, 2-3 Big Ten) have also struggled in conference play, losing all three of their matches against ranked conference opponents and barely pulling out a win against Indiana on Wednesday. Their only other conference win came in straight sets last week against NU (9-8, 0-5). In last week’s match against Purdue, the Cats committed 17 attack errors and 13 service errors. The Boilermakers notched seven service aces en route to an easy three-set victory. After last week’s poor showing, coach Shane Davis said NU needs to limit mistakes. “That was one of our worst passing matches and

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No.20 Purdue vs. Northwestern

Evanston, Illinois 7 p.m. Saturday

one of our worst serving matches,” Davis said. “It’s just a struggle to beat anybody when you’re playing like that.” Purdue was also playing in front of a sold-out crowd last week in West Lafayette, so Davis said he hopes the Cats can “swing a couple points and rallies” at home. NU also struggled in Wednesday’s game against No. 7 Wisconsin, losing in straight sets. Sophomore setter Kiara McNulty said she saw some positives despite the loss. “I think we had some good offensive moments,” McNulty said. “And then I definitely think there’s also some things to clean up before we face Purdue on Saturday.” The Cats’ last win against the Boilermakers came in 2016 at home. That win is also the last time NU

has beaten a nationally ranked opponent. Statistically, the Cats have outperformed Purdue across the board, having a higher hitting percentage and more kills, assists, service aces and digs. However, NU has also committed more attack errors, service errors and receiving errors. A big contributor to the Cats’ inconsistency is a series of injuries that have plagued NU all season — namely sophomore outside hitter Ella Grbac and junior opposite Danyelle Williams. Davis said he believes the team is getting healthy again and improving because of it. “We’re starting to get everybody back, which makes for better practices,” Davis said. “We just gotta get them up to speed a little bit.” The Cats’ schedule won’t get any easier following Saturday’s game against Purdue. NU will face two top-10 teams in No. 6 Minnesota and No. 7 Wisconsin next week. In all, the Cats will face six ranked opponents in their first eight conference games. Davis said he’s confident the team can be competitive against the Boilermakers.

Daily file photo by Joshua Hoffman

Northwestern gathers for a huddle. The Wildcats will try to pick up its first Big Ten win Saturday against Purdue.

“We can play with the best of the best,” Davis said. “We’ve just gotta be able to do that on a consistent basis.” carlosstinson-maas2023@u.northwestern.edu

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We try not to have a lot of expectations coming in. I’m proud of the guys. (They) came ready to play. — David Inglis, coach

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Friday, October 11, 2019

MEN’S SOCCER

Wildcats seek first win over Penn State since 2016 By CHARLIE GOLDSMITH

daily senior staffer @2021_charlie

Northwestern started Big Ten play with a win at Maryland, the defending national champions, and it didn’t get easier after that. Not at all. The Sep. 20 game started a stretch where the Cats played six top-50 RPI teams in an 18-day stretch. That gauntlet ends with NU’s (5-6-1, 1-2-1 Big Ten) game Saturday at Penn State (5-5-2, 2-11), and coach Tim Lenahan admitted the games over the last three weeks have paid a toll on the Cats. “ The rest of the world doesn’t play so many games in 18 days, and if they do, they don’t have to go to school during the

Daily file photo by Alison Albelda

MEN’S GOLF

Penn State vs. Northwestern

University Park, Pennsylvania 6 p.m. Saturday

day,” Lenahan said. “You can sort of start to see a glaze in their face. We’ve got to put everything we have into this Penn State game because then things start (to) lighten up for us.” This run of games started off promising, as NU followed its win over the Terrapins with a walk-off overtime victory against IllinoisChicago on Sep. 24. The Cats played Ohio State to a scoreless draw the following Sunday, and three days later NU lost 3-1 against No. 5 Indiana. Lenahan said after that game that fatigue played a major factor in the missed upset bid, but the Cats haven’t scored since then. NU lost 3-0 last Sunday at Michigan and were upset by Loyola 2-0 on Tuesday. Lenahan said he was disappointed to see the Cats outplayed by a mid-major, especially with the team needing a boost in confidence after the recent slide. “We’ve got to find a way to be a little more grizzled and deal with energy,” Lenahan said after the loss

to the Ramblers. “You’re not always going to have your best effort but you always have to give your best effort.” After playing Wednesday night, NU took a 6 a.m. flight to get to State College, Pennsylvania. Then, after taking a “power nap” at the hotel, the Cats had a late-afternoon training session to officially start preparation for a pivotal Big Ten game against the No. 11 ranked team in the RPI. NU hasn’t beaten Penn State since 2016, but a win would take the Cats to fourth place in the conference standings. Lenahan noted the Nittany Lions didn’t have a midweek game this week and the home team an advantage because of that. But it does get easier after Saturday for NU. The Cats have eight, five and five days between their final Big Ten games this season. Lenahan said everything will start to fall into place once the team gets through the game against Penn State. “The last two games we were slow to the mark,” he said. “Slow to do everything and not playing with the sense of urgency needed to win a Big Ten game. So like I said, we don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves.” charliegoldsmith2021@u.northwestern.edu

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Cats head to Indiana NU searches for goals at home for last meet this fall By GREG SVIRNOVSKIY

daily senior staffer @gsvirnovskiy

By PATRICK ANDRES

the daily northwestern @pandres2001

Northwestern will take to the links Monday for the Crooked Stick Collegiate tournament in Carmel, Indiana — its final tournament of 2019 and its third consecutive competition at a former major championship course. The Wildcats competed at Olympia Fields — host of the 2003 US Open — in September and 2017 US Open host Erin Hills last weekend. Both courses are ranked in Golf Digest’s annual list of the top courses in America —Olympia Fields is No. 75 and Erin Hills is No. 42. Crooked Stick also checks in at No. 99. The two-day affair features a slightly larger field than last weekend’s Marquette Intercollegiate tournament, with 14 teams teeing off at the Crooked Stick. Joining NU in the field is Ball State, Cincinnati, College of Charleston, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Marquette, Michigan, Ohio State, Purdue, UNC Greensboro and Vanderbilt. Ball State, Indiana, Marquette and Purdue also competed with the Cats at the Marquette Intercollegiate. NU beat the Cardinals, Hoosiers and Golden Eagles by at least 13 strokes apiece, but fell to the Boilermakers by two strokes. Purdue was the only team better than the Cats at Erin Hills, as NU rode a 13-under-par final round as a team to a second-place finish. “We try not to have a lot of expectations coming in,” coach David Inglis said. “I’m proud of the guys. [They] came ready to play.” Freshman John Driscoll III, sophomores Yannick Artigolle and David Nyjfäll, and junior Eric McIntosh all tied or surpassed their lowest rounds of the season to date. Driscoll’s final round was especially notable, as the Florida native shed five strokes off his previous best score, which he achieved in September’s Windon Memorial Classic. This across-the-board success won

After starting last weekend with a draw against Purdue at Martin Stadium and finishing with a loss to Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey, Northwestern is back in action Friday, set to face off with Michigan State. It’s been a season-long offensive dry spell for the Cats (4-6-2, 2-2-1 Big Ten), as they’ve scored just nine times, taking only 97 shots in the process. Coach Michael Moynihan said solving the team’s mentality woes has a lot to do with maturity. “We’ve been talking a lot about mentality,” Moynihan said. “We have a lot of people who are eager and trying hard, but we’re also really young. Sometimes we lack composure and sometimes we lack the confidence in certain moments.” In practice, they’re incorporating lessons learned from previous wins and losses, working on connecting

Michigan State vs. Northwestern

Evanston, Illinois 7 p.m. Friday

better in the final third of the game and focusing on limiting their mistakes. They’ll be bolstered by a home crowd in the season’s final stretch, as NU will play four of its last six regular season games in Evanston. Home-field advantage hasn’t proven itself just yet. The Cats have won one of five home games this season, drawing twice. Both of NU’s conference victories have come on the road, and the team has scored only three goals at home all year. Still, sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Wood said fan support always helps to elevate the Cats’ play. “We just keep thinking we have to protect our home field,” Wood said. “That’s always in our thoughts and our mindset. I think that’s gonna be an awesome environment just having our fans to support us. “

If Wood is right, the homestand could not have come at a better time. All four of NU’s remaining home games are against Big Ten opponents, critical matchups to determine postseason seeding and tournament matchups. The contest against Michigan State will be a chance for the Cats’ to test their mettle against a team of national relevance. But it won’t be easy. The Spartans have scored 23 goals this season, led by sharpshooter Gia Wahlberg, who has found the back of the net nine times — as many as the entire NU offense. Michigan has forced through 144 shots and are holding opponents to a .105 scoring percentage. Wood said the key to a win and Northwestern’s season is talking to each other. “It’s just about communication,” Wood said. “Knowing when to contain them, and just communicating with each other, knowing where each other are. We’ll be ready.” gregorysvirnovskiy2022@u.northwestern.edu

Daily file photo by Alison Albelda

John Driscoll III follows through on a swing. The freshman’s final-round 66 at Erin Hills represented the lowest round of the Marquette Intercollegiate tournament.

acclaim from Inglis, who called the Marquette Intercollegiate overall “a real team effort.” “Everyone can feel good about contributing,” Inglis said. As was the case at Erin Hills, the weather will play a role on Monday. A sunny first round is forecast to give way to a stormy second round Tuesday afternoon. The chance of thunderstorms increases as the day goes on, potentially introducing variables such as delays and a soft course. The Crooked Stick Collegiate marks the conclusion of the NU’s autumn season, with the Cats taking a four-month break before resuming play at the Big Ten Match Play in Palm Coast, Florida on Feb. 7, 2020. patrickandres2023@u.northwestern.edu

Daily file photo by Joshua Hoffman

Regan Steigleder juggles the ball. The junior has one goal and one assist on the season, having started all 12 games.