The Daily Northwestern — October 12, 2020

The Daily Northwestern Monday, October 12, 2020

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Officials warn of fall flu virus Where to get free or affordable vaccines in city

By DELANEY NELSON daily senior staffer @delaneygnelson

Illustration by Carly Schulman

Finding community at virtual conferences Journalism students join thousands of professionals for identity-based gatherings

By MARIA XIMENA ARAGON

the daily northwestern @menitaaragon

Through Animal Crossing meet-ups and interactions over social media with their journalism heroes, Northwestern student journalists attended virtual conferences in a step towards career advancement.

In early August, the National

Association of Hispanic Journalists, National Association of Black Journalists and Asian American Journalists Association held their annual conferences online for the first time due to the pandemic.

Between workshops, panel discussions and professional networking opportunities, NU students were among thousands in attendance.

Medill junior Gia Yetikyel, a former Daily contributor, attended the joint NAHJ-NABJ conference

that ran in early August and was originally scheduled to be held in Washington, D.C. “I kind of expected it wouldn’t be the same because virtual just feels like a two-dimensional version of anything,” Yetikyel said. “I must say they really did an excellent job of getting great speakers and great panels — they really wanted people to get involved, especially with the student workshop.”

Her years of networking with

NBC officials and taking headshots did not entirely translate to a virtual setting, but Yetikyel said she was able to connect with professionals she wouldn’t have had the chance to meet in person. Messaging NBC News Correspondent Gadi Schwartz through Zoom and receiving a comment from him on her Instagram post were experiences that Yetikyel described as highlights of her year.

Registration costed $105 per

member for the NAHJ/NABJ conference and $50 for the AAJA conference. The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications offered qualifying students reimbursements for attending.

Medill junior David Deloso, who joined AAJA in April, was debating whether he should attend the conference until Medill offered » See CONFRENCES, page 6

Evanston’s proposed 2021 budget, explained

New budget would run a $2 million deficit, as Evanston faces $12 million revenue loss

By JACOB FULTON, MAIA SPOTO

daily senior staffers @jacobnfulton, @maia_spoto

After a COVID-19-driven recession dropped city revenue, Evanston slashed portions of its proposed budget in hopes of reducing long-term deficits.

Due to the pandemic’s toll on sectors like hotels, athletics and entertainment, Evanston is facing an estimated revenue loss of $12 million this year, Hitesh Desai, the city’s chief financial officer, said. After cutting costs, the city’s proposed budget will run a $2 million deficit, Desai said.

Cuts to policing

The largest cuts to the budget, said interim city manager

Erika Storlie, lie in police funding reductions. Expected to save the city up to $1.8 million, the proposed budget will eliminate 11 currently vacant officer positions.

The 2020 adopted budget called for over 160 sworn police officers. At the moment, only 146 of those positions are filled, so the city is already operating “with some level of vacancy,” Storlie said.

“I don’t anticipate that there will be a noticeable difference in the level of service the city is receiving,” Storlie said. “We are not eliminating any actual positions that will be filled, in terms of officers on the street.”

Additionally, the city is planning to cut a records input officer and a towing coordinator. Two currently unfilled

Serving the University and Evanston since 1881

police commander roles and four desk officer positions will remain vacant, but will not be eliminated.

Storlie said in the past, when police chief Demitrous Cook was a younger officer, crime rates were higher but EPD had fewer officers on the force.

“Now we have more officers and less crime,” she said. “Over time, it’s prudent to evaluate your police force and your crime numbers to see if they still match up.”

The cuts to Evanston Police Department’s funding come amid national and local calls from activists to defund police departments in response to police brutality incidents. In Evanston, organizers from » See BUDGET, page 6

Daily file photo by Colin Boyle

Mayor Steve Hagerty and interim city manager Erika Storlie. The city made cuts to its budget in hopes of reducing the long-term financial impact of COVID-19 on Evanston.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, city officials and medical experts are recommending community members get vaccinated in preparation for this year’s flu season.

Flu season, according to Dr. Michael Ison, Feinberg professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, starts in late November and normally lasts until May. He said with the ongoing pandemic, the country faces the risk of overburdening the health system during flu season this year.

“What we know from COVID-19 is in areas like Italy and New York, where the healthcare systems became overwhelmed because of the number of cases that were coming in, there were more patients that died of the infection,” Ison said. “Many people that should have been hospitalized, couldn’t be because of lack of capacity.”

Because of this, Ison said it’s critical people get their fl u shots this year. He said receiving the vaccine doesn’t necessarily mean someone won’t get the flu, but it will reduce the severity of the illness. Other preventative measures like wearing a mask, socially distancing and washing hands can also reduce the spread of the flu.

The city is also encouraging residents to get vaccinated. In September, the city’s Health and Human Services department partnered with Walgreens for a vaccination event at James Park Field House. “ With COVID-19 still present in our community, getting a flu vaccine is more important than ever,” said Ike Ogbo, the city’s health » See FLU, page 6

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

2 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2020

AROUND TOWN

Evanston residents, organizations talk mail-in voting

By DELANEY NELSON

daily senior staffer @delaneygnelson

As Election Day nears during a pandemic, voting by mail is providing many voters across the country an alternative to going to the polls in person.

Recently, concerns have arisen about large-scale mail-in voting, some of which were prompted

by President Donald Trump’s criticism of the system and his role in reducing United States Postal Service functions. State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) said she isn’t worried about accessibility of mail-in voting, but worries about the president’s rhetoric.

“My big concern is the president questioning the validity of the mail-in ballot because we want everybody to have the opportunity to vote,” Fine said. “He’s going to make people question, and I don’t want people to be afraid to cast their vote.”

Some regions around the country are seeing high levels of voter suppression, but Fine said she doesn’t worry about that as much in Cook County.

In May, the Illinois legislature passed Senate Bill 1863, which expanded vote by mail access and protections, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill into law in June. Fine said this legislation makes her more confident in the mail-in voting system this election, and that everyone will feel safe voting by mail.

Mail ballot applications in Cook County are available in 12 languages. Once an individual has

POLICE BLOTTER A woman’s purse was stolen from her home in the 1100 block of Michigan Avenue on Thursday afternoon.

The woman, a 62-year-old Evanston resident, told Evanston Police Department she arrived at her home around 3:45 p.m. Police Cmdr. Brian Henry said she went upstairs to change and take a shower.

Daily file photo by Sean Su

Less than a month out from the November election, city officials and local organizations encourage residents to vote early.

their mail-in ballot, they can mail their completed ballot back to the Cook County Clerk’s office or drop it off at a drop box. According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, Cook County has over 50 secure drop boxes in places. These drop boxes are staffed by clerk employees and emptied every day.

Boxes are available at the five regional

courthouses in suburban Cook County, including the Skokie Courthouse. They will also be available at early voting sites from October 19 through November 2.

Rose Colacino, a leader on the team of election security integrity and security at Indivisible Illinois, said she has been in contact with election officials in the county, and has not heard of

While she was in the shower, her roommate arrived home through the front door at around 4:20, and Henry said the roommate saw the woman’s purse, containing credit and debit cards, photo identification and other miscellaneous items, on the counter.

However, when the woman came downstairs at 5 p.m., she found that her purse was missing, and her back door was left halfway open, Henry said.

Later that day, the woman got notifications from

her bank and credit card company saying her card was used at multiple Evanston stores.

EPD does not have any suspects in relation to the case.

Door broken at restaurant

The front door of the Peckish Pig, 623 Howard St., was shattered on Wednesday afternoon.

At around 1:50 p.m., a restaurant employee

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any limitations for drop boxes. Colacino said she thinks the county’s election system is strong, but if people have concerns about mailing in their ballot, they should use the drop boxes and contact local election officials. She said ultimately, it’s most important that people vote.

“We’re fighting for our democracy right now, we’re fighting for the soul of our nation,” Colacino said. “Now is not the time to be frustrated. Now is the time that we have to fight, and the only way to win is to make sure our voices are heard.”

Colacino said all ballots are processed the day they are submitted and received, but no ballots will be counted until polls close on election day.

So, she said, there isn’t an advantage of using either voting method.

Jennifer O’Neil, president of the League of Women Voters of Evanston, said she advises people to vote early.

O’Neil said her organization has partnered with other groups to provide educational opportunities throughout the community. The league has also set up a hotline to answer people’s questions regarding voting.

The League of Women Voters of Evanston has been in contact with local election officials to address residents’ concerns and distribute clear information to the community. From those conversations, O’Neil said she thinks both the city and the county clerks are well prepared for this election.

In Evanston, the last day to request a mail ballot is October 29. delaneynelson2023@u.northwestern.edu called EPD and reported that the glass front door had been broken. Henry said responding officers located a small rock outside the door. However, due to road work nearby, he said it was difficult to tell whether the rock was intentionally thrown or accidentally kicked up by traffic.

EPD has no suspects in relation to the case. ­— Jacob Fulton

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 3

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2020

ON CAMPUS

CTSS panelists discuss Trump impact

By EMILY SAKAI and ISABELLE SARRAF daily senior staffers @em_sakai, @isabellesarraf

From a progressive to a moderate Democrat to a Republican, all of Sunday’s panelists came to a similar conclusion — President Donald Trump is a “dangerous man” to have in the Oval Office.

The 2020 Election Panel, hosted by Northwestern’s Contemporary Thought Speaker Series, included conversations between four prominent voices in American politics and touched on many topics pertaining to the 2020 presidential election.

The panel was moderated by Michael Barbaro, host of the New York Times podcast “The Daily.”

Citing former Vice President Joe Biden’s doubledigit lead over Trump in the latest national polls, Barbaro asked panelists if they “trust the polling” in light of the “collective trauma” experienced by many after the polls failed to correctly predict the outcome of the 2016 election.

“I do trust the numbers. It doesn’t mean, however, that there isn’t a path for Donald Trump to win this,” said Jennifer Horn, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, an organization of current and former Republicans opposed to Trump’s re-election.

Horn said Trump voters who were “underpolled” in 2016 are now registered voters, and therefore they “can’t be ignored by the polls” this time around.

Elaine Kamarck of the Brookings Institution said other elements have changed since 2016 as well, including better polling in swing states and increased attention of polling organizations to the impact of the Electoral College.

Following the panel discussion, each guest participated in a Q&A session moderated by NU faculty, and audience members could select in advance which one they attended. Highlights of the Q&A sessions are below:

Michael Barbaro

In Barbaro’s Q&A, moderated by Medill Prof.

Peter Slevin, “The Daily” host discussed his role

as a journalist during the Trump era. Barbaro said one thing he and his colleagues at the New York Times have wrestled with is reporting on Trump’s dishonesty, which he said is “without equal” in the presidency.

He said it is “very rare” in journalism that you can say something is a “lie,” but that was the word used in the headline of his 2016 article about Trump’s claims that President Obama was not an American citizen.

“The decision to use that word and rarely use it since, no matter what you think of the president’s relationship with the truth, gives it greater value,” Barbaro said.

In terms of “The Daily” and election coverage, Barbaro said the team has made the decision to try to “demystify the voting process” and prepare listeners for “just how messy this election might be.” He said for the Times, the difficulty lies in having to send reporters out during a pandemic to make sure they’re not relying on “partisan figures” for information.

Brittany Packnett Cunningham

In a Q&A moderated by Medill Prof. Arionne Nettles, Packnett Cunningham called it a “travesty” that immigration hadn’t been discussed so far in this year’s presidential or vice presidential debates.

Given how focused the Trump administration has been on punishing and demoralizing immigrants, she said immigration deserves far more attention in the electoral conversation than it’s getting.

As an organizer, Packnett Cunningham said she uses every tool at her disposal to get the change she wants to see in this country. Whether it’s through voting, protesting, attending city council meetings or donating to candidates, she said there are many responsibilities and actions to take as a citizen that Americans have to do “long after election day.”

“If you’re building a house and you’ve got a toolbox, you’re going to use every single tool in your toolbox to build it,” Packnett Cunningham said.

“You’re not going to leave the hammer sitting right there. We are trying to build a house that houses and takes care of all of us — not just some of us.”

Wildcat Crossword

Jennifer Horn

Horn’s Q&A, moderated by Medill Dean Charles Whitaker, was marked by the uncertain future of The Lincoln Project and its goals. Founded almost a year ago, she said the project’s mission has explicitly been to unite Republicans to defeat Trump.

She said what this country needs is constitutional leadership that puts the country above political parties, but how that could manifest is unclear. This election is not just a contest between Trump and Biden or Republican and Democrat but a test of the idea of “We the People,” she said.

“Will we come together and put that partisanship aside? Will Republicans come forward and vote for Joe Biden? WIll Democrats embrace the idea of a more moderate approach?” Horn asked.

“Will ‘We the People’ step into this moment and do what is necessary and demand of our leaders what is necessary to preserve what is best about America?”

Elaine Kamarck

Political science Prof. Chloe Thurston moderated the Q&A with Kamarck, and asked her what reform, if any, should be done to the process of nominating presidential candidates. Kamarck said she has an “unpopular view” on the topic.

“What the nomination of Donald Trump shows us is that there is no break in the system.

There is no failsafe in the system, that a charlatan can run, that a demagogue can run, get a plurality of votes and end up with the most delegates at the convention,” Kamarck said.

She said it is “inconceivable” that Trump would have been nominated if party leaders and elected officials had been involved.

When there are “no breaks in the system,” she said, extremist candidates are able to come to power, as Trump did. She said she would recommend having superdelegates make the “first cut” of candidates, because they have first-hand information on the individuals and if they are “qualified for the job.” emilysakai2023@u.northwestern.edu isabellesarraf2022@u.northwestern.edu

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“Pitch Perfect” DOWN 1 Mediterranean port city 2 "The Jetsons" son 3 Go-getters 4 "Meet Me _____ Louis" 5 Genetic material 6 Sweetie 7 Dolt 8 Branch of Islam 9 Collar attachment 10 Duo ____ Sremmurd 11 Inhabitant: Suffix 12 Beginning of many a California city name 14 Presidential monogram 18 Samuel with a code 19 Seminoles sch.

24 Duolingo icon 25 ____-mart 26 Interest group that sticks to its guns 27 Oak seed 28 66, among others 31 Transcript figs.

32 "Hell's Bells" band 33 Second-largest of Greece's Ionian islands 34 Negatively charged particle 35 Bakery product 36 Devices with Windows: abbr.

37 Slang for a gangster's gun 38 Hundred Acre Wood resident 42 Piece of cricket equipment 43 In the past 44 Kylo ____

OPINION

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Monday, October 12, 2020

The thrill of seeking out those special moments DANI ZHANG

DAILY COLUMNIST

I never understood why some people feel the need to hang up a deer’s head in their home.

The entire concept of taxidermy, of displaying a wild thing as suitable wall decor, confounded me. That is, until one day, when mom and I were driving back home from a barbeque with her college friend’s family. Mom thought I had a crush on their son, and I was slumped in the car listening to the sound of her thoughts whirring about. I looked out the window. The sky was beginning to transition into night. Off in the horizon — what little of it that wasn’t blocked by skyscrapers and apartment buildings — streaks of orange were beginning to form in the sky. The show was about to begin.

“Mama, you can drop me off here,” I told her without glancing back. She didn’t ask any questions, and I didn’t provide any explanations. Pretty soon, we pulled over on a red light at the intersection of Burrard and West 4th.

I left the car. The light turned green, and she drove away. I took a deep breath in and felt warmed by the evening sun, which hugged me from an appropriate 150 million kilometers away. One of the few hugs that can abide by social distancing measures.

It was 7:33 p.m. — almost sunset. I had to hurry if I wanted to make it in time. There was a gas station across the street, and I went inside the store to browse for some mid-screening snacks. There were bags of gummy candy wrapped into funnel shapes for $2.99. Briskly, I purchased the candy and exited, walking down the street onto Burrard Bridge. I didn’t have to walk for long, but I wanted to sit down as soon as possible.

There is a seat that is never high on demand,

for a show that people never pay for. Yet, to me, the seat is more valuable than a reservation at a restaurant on Christmas Eve, with a better view than a dead-center, front-row seat on Broadway, and better yet — it’s open even during quarantine. It will always be open and available to everyone without discrimation.

At the midpoint of Burrard Bridge is a singular bench facing west. I can’t reserve it, and young couples sometimes beat me to the punch, but on that day, it was unoccupied. I sat down, took out my funnel bag of gummies, and looked out at the view of sunset.

In the distance, wisps of cirrus clouds flippantly floated about, already exhausted from a few hours of existence and soon to buckle against the breeze’s blow. A rim of neon orange raised up a body of pink, like hands beneath a boulder, supporting it amidst a cumulus cluster of dark purples and blues. For a moment, the sun was behind a large cloud, and rays burst through its center like divine spotlights

— whose moment is it on stage?

I’ve videoed clouds on DSLR, photographed them on 35 mm film, drawn them on paper, but nothing ever comes close to the joy of watching them in the sky, live in real time. I intend on painting clouds, on embroidering clouds, on using acrylic and watercolor and gouache and sumi black ink to try to illustrate their simple yet elusive beauty. And then, once I’ve captured all their lights and darks, their philosophical beckonings, the metaphors and the poetry, I will hang up my clouds, one by one, on my apartment wall, as a declaration of ownership.

Dani Zhang is a Communication sophomore. She can be contacted at danneszhang2022@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.

Students need to be able to strike an academic balance ANNIKA HIREDESAI

DAILY COLUMNIST

When meeting people freshman fall, we all get pretty good at the quick introduction of names and major. I kept getting the same follow-up question: “Oh, you’re a neuro major.

Are you pre-med?” I could have just said yes and left it at that, I suppose.

Still, I couldn’t shake the need to explain myself. The inherent assumption that neuroscience equaled pre-med felt like a cheapening of my chosen major. It also meant identifying myself as associated with a label that can carry negative connotations. As someone who places value in pursuing interests without ulterior motives, the idea of others assuming I was “in it for the A” was a painful thought.

I was struck by the parallels in other preprofessional tracks, particularly finance. What was it about the economy that so many people were interested in? I decided to take an intro course that winter to see for myself. To my surprise, I found myself genuinely excited by the material. Economics gave me a brand-new

perspective when considering issues like the climate crisis and pharmaceutical research.

For a while, I was reluctant to do anything more than express my intellectual appreciation. Adding a second major felt like a daunting commitment, and, once again, the pre-professional culture at Northwestern felt disenchanting. Finance was especially intimidating since I had no previous exposure to the industry. Despite these concerns, I thought about what kinds of classes I was excited to take, and I kept coming back to topics within economics. I declared a minor that same quarter, and switched to the major a few weeks later.

So, here I am with a double major in economics and neuroscience, each with its own set of assumptions with which to contend. In the midst of a pandemic, with an unprecedented amount of time to sit with my thoughts, I began to question the decision to steer clear of pre-professional pursuits. With the help of everything from podcasts to books to online coursework, I discovered aspects of healthcare and finance I couldn’t get enough of. This uninhibited exploration felt liberating, something that I’d sorely needed during the school year. My friends and family couldn’t help but remark on the newfound passion I

spoke with, especially in the intersection of the two industries.

Despite this excitement about all that I was learning, I began to realize that what I was doing wasn’t sustainable. Even with COVID19, it felt like everyone I knew had still managed to find a remote internship or virtual research project, a tangible experience that I was missing out on. As much as the ideal of learning for learning’s sake appealed to me, that simply wasn’t practical. I grew increasingly disenchanted with my efforts, which I was beginning to see as an idle pursuit.

I began to devote more and more of my time into the whirlwind of applications, student groups and networking despite the fact that I had only just begun to explore what these tracks meant for me. All of a sudden, the thought of anything finance or pre-med related felt like little more than a means to an end.

As Northwestern students, we place this pressure on ourselves to be exceptional the moment we set our sights on something.

Oftentimes, taking things at your own pace feels like losing ground when everyone around you is moving at light speed. After getting over my initial reservations about pre-professional tracks, I felt like I had to compensate for my prior indecisiveness by working double

President Trump’s role as agitator-in-chief LILY NEVO

OPINION CONTRIBUTOR

“Proud Boys – stand back and stand by.”

This was President Donald Trump’s response to moderator Chris Wallace asking him to denounce White supremacy during the first Presidential Debate on September 29. Unlike the myriad personal attacks weaponized on Tuesday’s debate stage, these words in particular rippled through televisions across the country as a stinging reminder that our self-proclaimed “law and order” president is not a symptom of racially motivated violence, he is the disease.

What happened on Tuesday was not an isolated event: Trump has a history of mutual support for White supremacists. Most vividly, these words are reminiscent of Trump’s response to the terrorizing 2017 Charlottesville, Va. rally, in which he stated that “you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides.” Just one year earlier, David Duke, the former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, had endorsed Trump during the presidential race.

But Trump’s encouragement of violence is not merely a campaign strategy. In 1989, Trump infamously bought full page newspaper advertisements demanding that the Central Park Five receive the death penalty for an assault we now know they had nothing to do with. Appearing just two weeks after the murder, the ad caused a shift in the public opinion towards the case. People were no longer mourning the victim, but rather, they were actively seeking punishment for the boys in custody. In an era of high crime rates and poor race relations, the

Black and Brown teenagers served as easy scapegoats for a city in fear.

Though it is difficult to say whether Trump’s ad reflected or shaped public opinion, it would be naive to think that many people who supported the boys’ sentences were not at least empowered by Trump’s words. Thirty years later, the Proud Boys seemed to celebrate the reference to them at the presidential debate, adding Trump’s quote to their logo and other merchandise.

Some will dismiss Trump’s comments as a panicked response in a moment under pressure, but his history suggests otherwise. In the midst of a pandemic that disproportionately affects Black Americans, the comment from the debate is yet another reminder that in Trump’s America, safety of Black Americans is not guaranteed. In Trump’s America, the justice system holds an officer accountable for the bullets that pass through walls but not for the ones that kill an innocent woman.

In Trump’s America, some protesters have resorted to looting. In Trump’s America, violence rooted in centuries of desperation is unacceptable, while violence from the privileged is condoned.

Also in Trump’s America, we have seen an increase in the number of hate crimes. Data shows that following the election of polarizing candidates, hate crimes tend to spike. Following a record high number in 2008, the number of hate crimes per year generally declined. Between 2016 and 2017, though, the number of hate crimes per year soared by roughly 1,000 cases. The difference between 2008 and 2017 is that one president incites racial violence, and the other made it to the White House despite it.

Beyond failing to denounce White supremacy, Trump also subtly promoted another form of Reconstruction-esque violence: voter intimidation. “Go into the polls and watch very carefully,”

Trump said during the debate. Though not explicitly encouraging voter intimidation, many of Trump’s supporters have already taken these words to heart at early voting stations, despite voter intimidation being a federal crime.

This comment is only the latest in a series of attacks towards the legitimacy of a pandemic election. Trump has repeatedly said that he will not commit to a peaceful transfer of power, pointing to the possibility of election fraud with mail-inballots Trump’s suggestion that he will not accept his loss poses a serious threat to American democracy. Even if this does not thrust the country into a full blown constitutional crisis, Trump’s statements will undermine the integrity of the vote for years to come. A pandemic election undeniably calls for creative changes to traditional voting methods, but this means widespread mail-in-ballots, not the descent into quasi-absolutism.

It has long been accepted that Trump does not abide by the rules of presidential etiquette, but the extent to which he demonstrated a disregard for the safety of the American people and legitimacy of the democratic processes is alarming. Regardless of whichever candidate emerges victorious on election night, America has lost this race. At best, political apathy and government distrust will soar, and the events of this year will leave us scarred. But at worst, the wounds of hatred and polarization will only continue to deepen, under another term with the agitator-in-chief.

Lily Nevo is a Weinberg Freshman. She can be contacted at lilynevo2024@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.

time to catch up with my peers. When we are enveloped by a culture that values accomplishments over authenticity, taking a pause is the only way to check in with our sense of fulfillment.

Even as I write this, I’m still struggling to strike a balance between my goals and staying true to myself. None of this has been simple.

However, the first step is recognition, and I’m choosing to reclaim what I found this summer. I’m beyond fortunate to have friends and mentors that I go to for support. Speaking with them always leaves me with a sense of renewed purpose and clarity. And, while it may sound simple, reading a newsletter with my morning coffee or sneaking in a podcast episode between classes has allowed me to continue learning on my own terms. I’m committed to finding meaning, whether that’s choosing the right track or forging a new path all together. All in good time.

Annika Hiredesai is a Weinberg sophomore. She can be contacted at annikahiredesai2023@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 142, Issue 7

Editor in Chief Marissa Martinez

Opinion Editor Ben Borrok

Managing Editors Austin Benavides Sneha Dey Molly Lubbers Jacob Ohara

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 5

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2020

Female business owners talk challenges, community

By SAM HELLER

daily senior staffer @samheller5

October is National Women’s Small Business Month, a time to recognize and highlight female-owned businesses. According to the United States Census Bureau, about 44 percent of businesses in Evanston were owned by women in 2012.

Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse is one of these businesses. Executive Director Aina Gutierrez took over the business a few years ago from the original owner, also a woman. The non-profit works to reduce landfill waste by deconstructing or renovating houses sustainably.

Unlike demolition, deconstruction allows the team to keep the home materials intact, which they then sell out of their warehouse. Gutierrez said it has been hard to break into the traditionally straight,white male-dominated industry of building-trades.

“I feel our responsibility is to push open the doors a little bit and diversify that industry, not only for women but also for people of color,” she said.

The warehouse was started in 2010 when the previous owner noticed people were remodeling and throwing away cabinets, appliances and other materials that were still in good condition.

Since the social enterprise started, it has been continuously growing, Gutierrez said. Later this month, the social enterprise will be upsizing to a warehouse almost double the size of their current space, she said.

While her business has seen growth, Gutierrez said she’s faced several challenges that come with being a woman.

District 65 schools plan to return to in-person classes as planned on Nov. 16

Evanston/Skokie School District 65 tentatively plans to begin a phased return to inperson classes as planned on Nov. 16, superintendent Devon Horton said in a Monday news

Daily file photo by Zoe Marlin

Cultivate Urban Rainforest and Gallery, owned by Louise Rosenberg, is one of many small businesses in Evanston owned by a woman.

“A lot of our male colleagues have relied on their sheer physical strength to do their work, but if you’re a woman and 130 or 140 pounds, that doesn’t work for you,” she said. “ You have to think about physics, how you hold things differently, and how you can leverage your body and maximize gravity.”

When giving advice to other women trying to start their own business, Gutierrez passes down the words of her own mentor: be “pleasantly persistent.” She said this means not backing down from what you want, but doing so without being rude.

Malik Turley, another female business

release.

Previously, the district was scheduled to return to an optional hybrid format on Sept.

29, but the return to in-person instruction was postponed until the start of the second trimester because of health conditions in Cook County.

Horton said any significant setbacks in county wide health conditions could still put a hold on in-person classes.

However, the return won’t incorporate all

students at once — instead, pre-K through fifth graders will be making the first trips back.

Students who are in second grade or younger, students with special education needs, beginning bilingual students, low income students and students in transitional living are all prioritized in the return to in-person instruction.

According to the news release, students with at least three of the aforementioned markers will be allowed to return to school. At this time, all

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owner in the community, started Hip Center Empowerment Center 10 years ago to create a safe workout space for women to help inspire confidence around their physical and mental strength. She said the goal of her exercise classes is to focus on individual achievements and success while avoiding body-shaming language.

“By being in a community of women and moving your body you are inherently addressing mental health,” Turley said. “The way that we are teaching the classes and the way that we are interacting with each other promotes a strong self-image and strong self-esteem.”

The class participants are also encouraged to talk through any challenges they are having while working out in class, helping to grow their own confidence in a safe environment, she said.

Her advice for aspiring women business owners: make the most of your resources and have clear goals in mind.

Louise Rosenberg started her business, Cultivate Urban Rainforest & Gallery, after realizing that many household plants are toxic for pets. She said in her quest to learn what plants were safe for her cat, she was faced with a small selection, with many dull choices.

Thus she opened her store to sell hundreds of unique plants for homeowners, and now also hosts art galleries regularly. She has enjoyed working each day, and goes out of her way to hire people with a similar passion for plants, she said.

Rosenberg advises aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue something they love and be kind to their staff.

“If you know what you are offering and you really love it, it is going to shine through,” she said. samuelheller2022@u.northwestern.edu

middle school students will remain in remote learning, regardless of whether they fall under the priority categories.

“It remains our goal for every child to return this school year whose family indicated an inperson learning preference and look to bring the remainder of students back in the second phase,” Horton said in the release.

— Jacob Fulton

6 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FLU

From page 1

and human services director, in a news release. “Although flu vaccines won’t prevent COVID-19, they will reduce the burden of flu illnesses, decrease hospitalizations, and help conserve scarce medical resources. Getting a flu vaccine is the best line of defense when it comes to protecting yourself and those around you from getting the flu.”

There are several places residents can go to get flu shots. Jewel-Osco is providing walk-in flu shot appointments for free with most insurance, or for $49 without insurance. Walgreens is doing the same, at a price of $41 without insurance. The CVS MinuteClinic on Sherman Ave. has walk-in appointments, and while the Howard location is no longer accepting walk-in appointments, they will provide seasonal flu shots for $50 without insurance. NorthShore University HealthSystem’s Evanston Hospital is also providing walk-in appointments, but AMITA Health Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston is only administering flu shots to employees at this time.

Ison said while flu shots may be expensive for individuals without insurance, getting the vaccine is likely worth the price. He also said residents who are uninsured can look for organizations hosting flu drives or

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2020

other free flu clinics.

“Even if you had to pay for the $25 for the flu shot, if it protected you and prevented you from having to get sick and go see a doctor, which would be a lot more than $25, or worse get admitted to the hospital, it’s money well spent to prevent you from getting sick,” Ison said.

Evanston resident Amy Funk said she plans on getting her whole family vaccinated, as she does every year. She said she has tried to get her family vaccinated twice, but the Walgreens pharmacy has been out of the shot. She said she saw this as an indicator that many in the community have been getting vaccinated.

Funk’s sister is an emergency room nurse, so Funk said she has seen firsthand the effects of an overburdened healthcare system and overworked health workers.

She said there’s no reason not to get a flu vaccine.

Even though she’s seen some in the community post online about their resistance to getting the vaccine, Funk said she thinks most in the community will be responsible and go in for a flu shot.

“It’s a community responsibility and something that we owe to the people who’ve worked literally around the clock at threat to their own lives and those of their families to keep us all safe,” Funk said. delaneynelson2023@u.northwestern.edu

BUDGET

partnership,” Storlie said. “In a true partnership, there is some level of cost sharing.”

Evanston Fight for Black Lives have called for at least a 75 percent reduction to EPD’s 2021 budget.

Money from the current reductions is not being reallocated into social service programs, which is what many activists have said they hope to see. Instead, the money is being eliminated entirely from the budget to bridge the deficit.

“When the revenue is gone… the money isn’t there to reallocate,” Storlie said. “It’s simply gone.

The pie is a lot smaller than it was last year, so there are no savings to move to anything else. We’re still trying to make ends meet with what we have.”

The city is currently negotiating with the police union to understand which other concessions they might be willing to take, Storlie said. As a result, the cuts to EPD’s budget could increase in the final budget. Storlie also said she expects the city will invest in alternative response models over the next decade, which could “organically” draw down the police budget in the future. One such program is being piloted in 2021, with funds coming from the Health and Human Services Department.

In addition, the proposed budget asks District 65 and District 202 to fund a portion of the school resource officer budget. Starting next fall, the districts will be expected to pick up 25 to 30 percent of SRO expenses, a share that should escalate to around 50 percent over the next couple of years, Storlie said.

“We see school resource officers as a

Health and Human Services amid a pandemic

From page 1

The Weekly: Unity March, GPhi alumnae Facebook group, budget

The news can feel overwhelming, especially in this time of change and uncertainty. For a weekly round-up of our top stories, check out The Weekly.

On Oct. 3, family members of Jacob Blake and Breonna Taylor led a unity march and rally in Evanston. Longtime civil rights activist Jesse

In 2020, the city’s Health and Human Services Department received $6 million in funding for its yearly operations. However, the original budget didn’t plan for COVID-19.

As a result, the department had to fund additional programs to support the city’s contact tracing efforts, senior citizen programs and other pandemic-related expenses. Looking ahead, some residents said the department should receive more funding to offset additional demands because of COVID-19.

For the 2021 budget, the department will receive $550,000 in additional funds, which will be generated by an increase in the Human Services tax levy. The money will cover the implementation of an alternative emergency response plan, as well as added support for senior services and general baseline expenses.

The department has also received a $420,000 grant for contact tracing, and will hold a senior management analyst position open to save money.

Property expenses and an impending eviction wave

The proposed budget also includes a 5.9 percent property tax increase. If this increase passes, Desai said residents could pay around 28 additional dollars per $100,000 of property — around $140 for a $500,000 home, for example.

Last year, the city had embarked upon a Jackson, U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky and co-founder of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panthers, Bobby Rush, were among those marching. What were participants calling for?

On campus, continued calls for the abolition of Greek life face backlash from Gamma Phi Beta alumnae. In a screenshot obtained by The Daily, alumnae share their thoughts on social media platforms. What are they saying? What’s the current status of the abolish Greek life movement?

On Friday, Evanston announced a proposed 2021 budget. Changes include cuts to funding

David Maialetti/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

COVID-19 testing at the Community-Accessible Testing & Education truck in Philadelphia on September 25, 2020. Evanston city officials and medical experts are encouraging residents to get vaccinated ahead of this year’s flu season.

three-year plan to replenish its reserves when the pandemic shook the city’s economic foundation.

“We got hit while we were down,” Storlie said.

“Next year, the only increase to the general fund from property balance is going to be to support contribution to the fund balance.”

City staff are also proposing residents pay an additional dollar each month for trash pickup, and could raise the annual property waste pickup fee from $25 to $35 annually, effective in July. The fee, Storlie said, still represents less than half of the city’s “heavily subsidized” yard waste pickup expenses.

The only additional staff position proposed for the city budget, Storlie said, is a property maintenance inspector who would deal with a “perceived lack of maintenance” around rental properties.

Through October 17, the city is observing a statewide eviction moratorium, which Gov. J.B. Pritzker has already extended several times. In addition, a Centers for Disease Control-issued federal eviction moratorium is set to expire at the end of the calendar year.

Both moratoriums protect tenants who fail to make rent payments for COVID-19-related reasons, but neither extend rent forgiveness for missed payments or protect residents from evictions unrelated to COVID-19.

“We’re anticipating, potentially, a large number of evictions once the moratorium is lifted,” Storlie said.

“Making sure those properties, if they do become vacant, are maintained — that’s why we’re adding the (property maintenance inspector) position.” fulton@u.northwestern.edu maiaspoto2023@u.northwestern.edu directed toward the Evanston Police Department and the implementation of a new alternative emergency response plan. What might this alternative emergency response plan look like?

What does the proposed budget mean for the future of the Evanston Police Department?

The Weekly: Week Four Recap answers these questions and more with the reporters and editors who covered these stories. Listen on SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Music.

CONFRENCES From page 1

to reimburse the cost.

The AAJA conference also provided workshops and programming ranging from “Multimedia Journalism in a Time of Social Distancing” to “Why It’s Important To Cover Pacific Islander Communities.”

AAJA also offered some social opportunities such as film screenings, pre-recorded karaoke and Animal Crossing meetups. Deloso said he used the conference to find people with similar interests and set up oneon-one appointments.

“My specific interests in journalism are a bit niche, and finding a broader world of people who are interested in the same things as me was really eye-opening,” Deloso said.

The opportunity for student journalists of color to expand their professional network beyond NU is an experience Medill Prof. Mei-Ling Hopgood credits her career to. Professional organizations like AAJA, NAHJ and NABJ have been “so influential” in her life, Hopgood said, which is why she urges her own students to join them.

As the industry continues to grapple with the effects of working remotely, conversations surrounding diversity and truth at professional conferences have become essential for both NU students and professionals alike.

“We have this steep learning curve in the industry going on about coverage, reporting, editing and producing in this environment,” Hopgood said. “We’re all learning together and the power of being part of those conversations is so important.” mariaaragon2023@u.northwestern.edu

“The Weekly” talked to reporters and editors about this week’s top stories. Scan this QR code to listen.

— Alex Chun and Susanna Kemp

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 7

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2020

Submitting some mail-in ballots may require notary

By JAMES POLLARD

daily senior staffer @pamesjollard

As the pandemic continues to interrupt life, experts predict about 80 million mail ballots will be sent this fall — over double the number returned four years ago.

But if you’re voting absentee in Missouri, Oklahoma, Mississippi or Minnesota, you might need a notary, Rob Donahue, interim director of Northwestern’s Center for Civic Engagement, told The Daily.

Key word: might.

Most states do not require a notary. According to the NU Votes website, if a ballot requires a notary, that means a “registered third party known as a notary public must verify your identity, witness you signing the document, and sign the document themselves, affixing their official notary stamp.”

The issue is “kind of hazy,” Donahue said, with some “wiggle room” for when a ballot needs to be notarized.

“We don’t expect a huge need for notaries,” Donahue said. “There’s not a ton of states that require it, and those numbers have been going down as a result of the pandemic.”

For example, those voting absentee in Minnesota can have any registered Minnesota voter serve in lieu of a notary. “If both you and your spouse or roommate are voting by absentee ballot, you can serve as each other’s witnesses,” a video from the Minnesota Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing explains.

Oklahoma voters may attach a copy of a valid ID to the affidavit envelope instead of using a notary. And “physically incapacitated voters” and those at high risk from COVID-19

Supreme Court seeks federal input on retirement suit against Northwestern

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court sought federal government input on a suit brought against Northwestern involving its retirement plan.

Daily file photo by Colin Boyle

An NU Votes staffer asks a student to fill out a form at the voter van table. According to the group’s website, the Center for Civic Engagement and Office of the Registrar both provide ballot notarizations.

can use two witnesses in place of notarization, according to the National Notary Association.

The association notes Mississippi has the strictest requirements for voting absentee. Voters with a “temporary or permanent physical disability” may have their ballot witnessed and signed by anyone over 18 years old as an alternative.

The Missouri Supreme Court recently upheld the notary requirement for most mail-in

ballots. Missouri voters can send in “absentee ballots” if they can’t go to the polls due to absence from their jurisdiction, incapacity or confinement, religious belief or incarceration, among other reasons. Those voters will need a notary’s signature, save for a few exceptions, including permanent disability, illness or physical disability. Those who have contracted COVID-19 or are in an at-risk category do not need a notary’s signature.

The original suit, filed against NU in 2016, argued that NU eliminated hundreds of mutual funds provided to those on the retirement plan.

Now, NU employees are asking the highest court of the land to undo a March decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which they say created conflicting decisions on pleading claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

The Seventh Circuit’s decision favoring NU created a “heightened pleading standard,” employees said, which differed from decisions made by the Third and Eighth Circuits, which moved similar lawsuits forward against the University of Pennsylvania and Washington University in St. Louis, respectively.

Since 2016, more than 20 elite universities were struck by class action lawsuits alleging retirement plan mismanagement. According to a Bloomberg

Northwestern has historically had high levels of voter participation. Over 90 percent of eligible undergraduate and graduate students were registered to vote in 2016 and nearly twothirds of eligible students ultimately voted that year.

To continue that success and ensure notary services remain accessible, Donahue said Katrina Weimholt, the assistant director of the Center for Civic Engagement, recently became a notary.

“We want to make sure people know this service is there,” Donahue said. “But we also want to not intimidate people… because the vast majority of Northwestern students are not going to need that service.”

For students who do need the service, here’s a list of other locations on and around the Evanston campus providing ballot notarizations: Center for Civic Engagement Office of the Registrar Illinois Currency Exchange Byline Bank, Chase Bank, and Evanston Community Bank & Trust may also provide services, though only for account holders, according to NU Votes’s website.

Donahue emphasized that the Center for Civic Engagement can be a “first point of contact” for anyone with questions about ballot notarizations or other voting needs. Students can contact the office at nuvotes@northwestern.edu or attend its drop-in hours to get help.

“Because of the nature of this election and because of all the changes that are happening as a result of COVID, there are fewer students that are going to need notary support,” Donahue said. “Folks should make sure to read the instructions very diligently.” jamespollard2022@u.northwestern.edu Law analysis, the move by the Supreme Court to involve federal input means a justice is interested in the retirement dispute — increasing the chances the case will be heard from 1 to 5 percent.

The Court’s decision to consider the NU case comes months after they denied a similar petition

by UPenn.

— Isabelle Sarraf

The Daily

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SPORTS

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Monday, October 12, 2020

ATHLETICS

NOT SO UNIFORM

Behind the scenes with NU’s longtime equipment manager, Meli Resendiz

By BENJAMIN ROSENBERG

daily senior staffer @bxrosenberg

Over the past 30 years, Meli Resendiz has had a front-row seat for some of the most memorable moments in Northwestern sports history.

Field hockey’s Final Four run in 1994? Resendiz was there. Women’s basketball winning a Big Ten title in her first year at NU in 1990, and then another in 2020? You bet. Softball making back-to-back trips to the Women’s College World Series in 2006 and 2007? Absolutely. And football’s historic 1995 season, which culminated in a Big Ten championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl? But of course.

“I’ve been there on the sidelines, just quietly doing my work, and happy to be a part of it in some small way,” Resendiz said. “It’s just really humbling, and I’m very grateful for all of these years to have been a part of it.”

As an associate director of equipment services for Northwestern Athletics, Resendiz has seen it all. But the Evanston native took a highly unconventional path to NU. Resendiz attended Lincoln and Dewey Elementary Schools, Nichols Middle School and Evanston Township High School. After high school, she found herself working in recreation at the YWCA Evanston/North Shore, trying to earn some money to help care for her mother. One of the lifeguards there was a NU field hockey player, and she told Resendiz

that the athletic department had a job opening for an equipment manager.

After meeting with Bill Jarvis, the head equipment manager at the time, Resendiz got the job. The chance to go to school at NU while working full time there sold her, and for the next 16 years, she worked in the equipment office by day while taking classes by night. She earned her undergraduate degree in psychology in 2006.

“Working full time at Northwestern, I had to pay for every single class along the way,” Resendiz said. “It was semesters, while the day school was quarters. I would take three classes a year, so I wasn’t fast-tracked on that at all.”

Her job has evolved significantly over time. When she started, Resendiz and the other equipment managers would track down every athlete at the end of the season to make sure they turned in all their gear, from T-shirts to sweatpants to socks.

But in the early 2000s, schools started signing multimillion dollar contracts with big companies. NU was with Adidas for a time before partnering with Under Armour in 2012.

One of Resendiz’s main responsibilities now is to help manage that large budget.

Resendiz currently takes care of the volleyball, softball and women’s golf teams, and a typical day for her depends on the season. During the summer, she’ll prepare an individual kit for each player, coach and administrator. In the fall, she’ll already be ordering equipment for the following year.

“All orders are pre-booked a year in advance,” Resendiz said. “So it’s a constant rhythm of placing the orders in the fall, working the seasons during the year, and in the summer, receiving and preparing again. It’s just a constant job in that way.”

Resendiz has worked with the softball team for nearly her entire time at NU. When Kate Drohan arrived as an assistant coach in 1998 — she was elevated to head coach in 2002 — she was immediately impressed by the energy Resendiz brought to her job.

The team brings her on road trips as often as possible, and beyond managing their gear, Drohan said Resendiz is great at establishing relationships with the players. Resendiz, trainer Natalie Meckstroth and strength

Illustration by Carly Schulman

coach Tyler Jorgensen have formed what the Wildcats call their “hype squad,” helping create momentum in the dugout.

“She is so positive and so consistent, and is always present for them,” Drohan said. “It’s amazing when our alums come back, Meli is usually the first person they go see. She’s tremendous at keeping in touch with people.

She’s a connector — she brings people together.”

Drohan described herself as a “traditionalist” when it comes to uniforms

— for example, the Cats will typically wear white on Friday, black on Saturday and purple on Sunday for a Big Ten home series. But she said Resendiz has pushed her to get out of that traditional mindset.

In 2014, Northwestern and Under Armour debuted the black “Gothic” uniforms, with the font meant to resemble the signs in front of campus buildings. Football was the first team to wear them, with Weber Arch portrayed on the backs of the helmets, and soon, several other Wildcat teams got their own versions. But last year, Resendiz helped design a white Gothic uniform, known as “Gothic Ice,” for the softball and lacrosse teams.

“We knew something cool and new was coming, but we had no idea it was at that level,” said Morgan Newport, a fifth-year senior softball player. “Meli always has new creative ideas up her sleeve. She takes so much pride in how good we look, and we love her for that.”

Resendiz, for her part, said the Gothic Ice uniforms were some of her favorites.

“Anybody that attends Northwestern University, they know the signs,

they know the arch, they know the significance,” Resendiz said. “I got ahead of everybody on the white Gothic, because white is such a hot color right now. So I had the opportunity to present that idea to the Under Armour reps, and they ran with it.”

Resendiz estimated that when she was first hired, she was one of about 20 female equipment managers in the entire country. But at last year’s Athletic Equipment Managers Association convention, she said there were roughly 200 female attendees.

She has been widely recognized for her work. Resendiz was named the National Equipment Manager of the Year in 2007 and has held many roles with the AEMA, including vice president, secretary and treasurer.

But the most important recognition for her has come from her colleagues at NU. “What makes Meli so good is that I don’t even know the things that she does,” Drohan said. “She just manages everything and handles it in such a professional way. She’s a real gift for our program.” benjaminrosenberg2021@u.northwestern.edu

FIELD HOCKEY

Athletes adjust to restrictions on play during COVID

By ELLEN O’BRIEN

the daily northwestern @ellenobrien0

After a strong 2019-2020 season that brought them to the NCAA tournament, Head Coach Tracey Fuchs said Northwestern was in a good place to repeat their success again this fall. However, the Wildcats’ hopes were delayed with the postponement of the Big Ten’s field hockey season. Fuchs spoke with The Daily about her team’s practice schedule, new players and goals for a tentative spring season.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

The Daily: What was your initial reaction when you found out that your season was postponed?

Fuchs: Realistically, I knew it was

coming. The world’s in a pandemic.

When you’re losing hundreds of thousands of lives, it makes sense that sports can’t go on. I’m a realist, and I realized that that was the best decision at the time. Fast forward a little bit, I’m really happy that the testing has improved. We will hopefully get a season in the spring.

The Daily: Your team is coming off a strong 2019-2020 season.

How have you maintained practice intensity, even with COVID-19 restrictions?

Fuchs: It’s been great — the student athletes have really been phenomenal. I wasn’t sure, especially with the heat, if we were going to be able to wear masks at practice, but we’re doing great. Everybody’s wearing a mask all of practice and feels safe.

We’re doing the best we can when

we come inside to social distance and follow the protocol. We’ve had a great few months and are looking forward to the winter or spring season.

The Daily: How has the format of practice changed?

Fuchs: It’s hard to tell expressions when everybody has a mask on. We’re not doing any intentional contact, but in most of our sport, that’s the case.

We’ve been really lucky that we’ve been able to do 90 percent of what we always do. That 10 percent will be coming soon. We’re just happy to get out there and run around.

The Daily: Beyond the field, what are some of the other challenges that your team is facing due to COVID-19?

Fuchs: Even though we’re in pods, when you’re inside or in the dorms,

you need to really comply with the rules. So just because a pod teammate might be your roommate — which we consider family — you still need to make sure you’re social distancing, wearing a mask and doing all the right things. It’s been a little tricky, but I would say our kids have done really well in those departments.

The Daily: How have the freshmen adapted to such an unusual first year at Northwestern?

Fuchs: This has really worked out for them. Typically, we have 10 days, and then we have a match.

Now, they’re getting three months of tactical and technical coaching experience. They’re going to be so far ahead of where they would have been had we had a fall season. With 10 first-years, it’s really going to pay off for us.

The Daily: Have there been any other good things that have come out of this time?

Fuchs: Adversity is always good.

Granted, I wouldn’t want another pandemic in my lifetime. The ability to adapt and adjust really plays into sport. From the coaching staff down to our players, we’re just taking it one day at a time. That’s always what we’ve asked our players as coaches, and with COVID-19, this is what we’ve had to do. I really couldn’t be more proud of our team and how they’ve handled the situation. Initially, everybody was pretty down about not being able to have a fall season and possibly not a spring season. Now that the spring is looking way better than it was in August, we’re pretty excited. ellenobrien@u.northwestern.edu