The Daily Northwestern — October 25, 2019

The Daily Northwestern Friday, October 25, 2019

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3 CAMPUS/Greek Life

Students discuss their deactivations

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Hunter Johnson’s winding path

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Remove John Evans’ name from campus

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There were no murders in Evanston’s 8th Ward in the five years leading up to 2016. In the last three years, the ward and its surrounding areas have seen three gun homicides. In our latest episode of “Toppling the Trigger,” The Daily’s series on gun violence in Evanston, survivors and community leaders discuss how gun violence has affected south Evanston and their own lives.

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Artist draws on Niemann urges equitable tenure-track city for inspiration Women of color face too many obstacles on the path, she told an audience Ben Blount’s art looks at stereotypes, identity and race

By ZOE MALIN

daily senior staffer @zoermalin

Evanston artist Ben Blount draws upon many sources of inspiration for his work.

Sometimes he’ll get an idea for a piece from a post on Facebook. Other times from discussions with friends. On a Martin Luther King Jr. Day years ago, Blount’s friend — a black woman — talked to a coworker — a white woman — who said, “If we had a day

Comedian Eric Andre to be A&O Fall Speaker

Performer Eric Andre will headline A&O Productions’

off every time a black man got shot, we would never go to work.”

Blount said he “couldn’t believe someone would say something so absurd.” He laughed at first, but said he “sat on” what he heard for almost two decades.

“I just kept playing it through in my head,” Blount said. “Having a day off from work because a black man got shot would mean the day would be a holiday, so I made that the premise of one of my pieces.”

That piece, titled “275 Holidays,” premiered in 2017 in an exhibit called “Recollection” in Evanston. It is a large hanging » See ART, page 12

2019 Fall Speaker Event, A&O announced in a Thursday release.

The annual show, held this year at Cahn Auditorium on October 29, will also feature opening act David Gborie, a Los Angeles-based stand-up comic, actor and writer, whose

By EVA HERSCOWITZ

the daily northwestern @herscowitz

Yolanda Flores Niemann, a psychology professor at the University of North Texas, urged allies to support faculty who are women of color by advocating for equitable tenure-track policies.

Niemann spoke on Thursday in Harris Hall as this year’s Women’s Center keynote speaker. The Latina and Latino studies program and One Book One Northwestern also cosponsored her event. In front of a crowd of about 35 people and a live stream to Northwestern’s Chicago campus, she said tokenism and service work prevent underrepresented women first stand-up special is expected to premiere on Comedy Central in November.

Andre is the creator and host of “The Eric Andre Show,” Adult Swim’s top-rated show. After proving himself as a stand-up comedian, Andre debuted the

academics from earning tenure.

Seventy-one percent of fulltime faculty in degree-granting postsecondary institutions are white. The few women of color who earn tenured positions are often tokenized, leading to a sense of “disrupted identity,” Niemann said.

“Faculty of color enter their positions as colleagues, scholars and experts in their field,” she said. “But their distinctive identity quickly shifts to being the black person, the brown person, the Asian or Native American faculty member. Their racial identity becomes the lens through which they are perceived.”

Niemann said these faculty members are often “talked into” » See NIEMANN, page 12

live action comedy television series in May 2012. “The World’s most unstable talk show host,” according to the release, is joined on his series by “longtime friend and profoundly apathetic co-host Hannibal Buress.”

“But of course he brings his

Brian Meng/Daily Senior Staffer

The Women’s Center keynote speaker Yolanda Flores Niemann spoke on Thursday in Harris Hall. Niemann urged allies to support equitable tenure-track policies for women of color.

own flare to what is otherwise a very organized and predictable late night routine,” the release said.

“Unlike his counterparts, Jimmy Fallon or Conan O’Brien, Andre’s unrelenting and constantly over the top humor puts some of his guests on ‘The Eric Andre Show’

into situations they never thought they would end up in.”

The Boca Raton, Fla. native also voiced the hyena “Azizi” in Disney’s summer remake of “The Lion King”.

— James Pollard

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2019

AROUND TOWN Diner Prairie Joe’s sells home-cooked dishes, art

By MAIA SPOTO

the daily northwestern

The diner on the corner of Prairie Avenue and Central Street is like an artist’s home.

Wood-paneled walls burst with bold landscapes and stylized portraits, which hang between plastic sharks, bike tires and model helicopters.

Beneath a painting of the owner cooking, eggs fry and sizzle. It’s Sunday morning brunch, and both rooms burst with brunch-goers of all ages, clustered in retro booths and lining the counter bar.

Prairie Joe’s, a 28-year-old family business with six employees, is known for its soups. However, owner Aydin Dincer said the diner’s founding mission was “to just cook.”

“What makes us different is that there’s an owner here all the time, and he cooks a lot of different foods,” Dincer said, referring to himself.

As diverse as the medley of paintings on the walls, Dincer’s menu features a broad range of dishes: diner classics, brunch, vegetarian, Mexican and Mediterranean. And Dincer designs the physical menus himself. A graphic on his lunch menu features a vintage family portrait, where a child wears fried eggs and wonders whether humans can escape reality.

He works seven days a week, but when he goes home, Dincer paints all of the art for the walls of Prairie Joe’s, drawing inspiration from his travels.

Dincer sells his art from his diner, and regular

POLICE BLOTTER Wallet taken from nursing home A 58-year-old Evanston man reported a wallet and purse stolen from his room at a nursing home on Wednesday, Evanston police said.

Evanston police Cmdr. Ryan Glew said the items were reported missing at 3:20 p.m. but

customer David Komie has a piece hanging in his house. Komie has been eating at Prairie Joe’s for about 20 years and said the diner’s food and unique, “neighborhood-y” character keep him coming back.

“I grew up going to a countertop diner, and they’re such a rare breed,” Komie said. “When I saw (Prairie Joe’s) it kind of sealed the deal for me to live in the neighborhood. It didn’t bring me to the neighborhood, but it confirmed it.”

Since Prairie Joe’s sits on a residential street, Dincer said he doesn’t see a lot of Northwestern traffic. Graduate students and teachers come through occasionally, but his restaurant is otherwise an undiscovered gem to the Wildcat community.

Even though Komie has been eating at Prairie Joe’s for decades, he said some things never change because Dincer has hooked a loyal customer base.

“The old dudes: They usually post up right there,” Komie said, pointing to a row of men perched on bar stools. “They’ve got certain orders, and they sit there every single time for years.”

The decor and the tone are full of nostalgia, said Joseph Dincer-Ubl, an employee and the restaurant’s namesake. For older generations, Prairie Joe’s is a wistful throwback; for younger generations, it’s a time capsule — a window into the past.

Dincer-Ubl, who grew up in his family’s restaurant, said he has spent the last five years working at other locations to bring back fresh that the incident likely occurred between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. The man told an employee of the facility that his wallet was missing.

Glew said there is no information on the contents of the wallet or purse. He added that it’s possible an acquaintance of the man who visited him may have taken the wallet.

Vodka taken from Jewel-Osco

Maia Spoto/The Daily Northwestern

Customers eat Sunday brunch at Prairie Joe’s. The retro neighborhood diner is also a gallery for owner Aydin Dincer’s paintings.

ideas that are popular in the industry so he can grow the business. Despite the new additions, however, Dincer-Ubl said he will maintain the diner’s essential character.

“When I bring them here, my friends are just

like, ‘Wow,’” Komie said. “Everything else is so chain nowadays. There’s no soul to (those places).

This place has got wit and soul, and it’s cool.”

A man took a bottle of Tito’s Handmade Vodka from Jewel-Osco, 1128 Chicago Ave., on Wednesday, police said.

Glew said an employee of the grocery store reported the crime in progress when she saw the man who took the alcohol running from the store. The employee told police that the man walked straight to the liquor section, put the bottle in a bag and ran out of the store

when she approached him. While running, he dropped his cell-phone, grabbed it and continued running.

The employee described the man as around 21- to 25-years-old, around 5’4” and was wearing a black jacket, pink hoodie and blue jeans, Glew said. There is no one in custody.

maiaspoto2023@u.northwestern.edu

— Samantha Handler

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2019

ON CAMPUS After deactivating, friendships remain

The Daily Northwestern

By JACOB OHARA

General Manager Stacia Campbell

daily senior staffer @jacobhenryohara

Sarrin Chethik was never a fan of Phi Delta Theta fraternity’s chapter meetings, but he loved to mingle at their dinners. Come junior year, he realized that the two were not necessarily tied.

Chethik, a Weinberg senior, joined Greek life as a sophomore before deactivating one year later. It was a choice he found ample precedent for among his fraternity brothers — he said around half of his fraternity’s senior class had dropped out.

“I felt like I could kind of recreate that since I built some relationships by that point,” Chethik said. “It felt like there weren’t very many benefits of staying in.”

Chethik’s experience is not uncommon. A number of students reported diminishing returns on what they often called an all-consuming experience.

Expensive dues and live-in requirements were also common grievances among students who’ve deactivated from Greek chapters.

Though not universally enforced, many houses on campus require members to live in-house for two years. In order to void their housing contract and live off-campus, some students said they decided to deactivate.

Weinberg sophomore Brianna Costa, a current member of the Delta Gamma sorority, said she and her friends were considering deactivation for this reason. Compounding this issue was their perceived limitations of Greek life activities.

“I did meet a ton of people, but it’s a very specific group of people,” Costa said. “If it’s not Greekrelated, I find that I meet so many more people, and it’s a different variety of people.”

In addition to issues of diversity, Costa felt she had “met everybody” after a year in the sorority.

With the ability to maintain those relationships outside of Greek life, she saw diminished incentive to continue her membership.

Kimberly Ortega, a first-generation student, saw

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Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Expensive dues and live-in requirements were common grievances among students who’ve deactivated from Greek chapters.

her involvement in Greek life similarly dwindle.

Despite a limited knowledge of Greek systems prior to enrolling at Northwestern, the Weinberg senior was determined not to write it off. However, after a little over a year in the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, she deactivated in the fall of her junior year.

As students set their eyes on graduation, Ortega said it can be difficult to surrender the time necessary for Greek involvement. For her, it was preparation for post-graduation that filled the gap left by chapter meetings. She blames her deactivation partially on this “reprioritization” of her time.

“I started valuing social time outside of the mixers and the parties,” Ortega said. “I want to stay in on a Friday because I need sleep to do something productive on a Saturday.”

Ortega said financial costs were also a factor in her decision, as she paid out of her own pocket.

Each student said deactivation did not necessitate cutting ties with Greek life; in fact, they each saw a continuation of Greek relationships outside

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of chapter events.

“One thing that’s great about Northwestern is that deactivating is not necessarily held to this bad stigma,” Costa said. “People can deactivate and still be friends with the people in their sorority… it’s not a bad thing.”

Students said they turned to Greek life in their first year to create new friendships and expand their social circles, but as relationships solidified, the value of membership changes.

Though currently inactive, Chethik said he valued his time in Phi Delta Theta. In departing from the fraternity, he was able to maintain those important relationships without sacrificing time and money.

“Last year at this time, I would have gone to a party that Phi Delt was hosting,” Chethik said. “(Now) it’s hanging out with friends...it’s just it’s not in the Phi Delt setting.”

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Friday, October 25, 2019

EDITORIAL

Remove John Evans’ name from campus buildings Two years ago, our editorial board wrote in support of removing John Evans’ name from campus buildings. Evans — the founder of Northwestern — was found in a University of Denver report to be “deeply culpable” in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre, in which American soldiers killed about 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho people. We wrote that as long as the University’s Board of Trustees — which lacks significant Native or Indigenous representation — refuses to support the removal of Evans’ name remains on campus buildings, Northwestern is failing to show it values the inclusion of all students.

Today, we’re republishing that editorial from October 3, 2017. While dates and circumstances have changed, the significance of the message hasn’t:

Northwestern’s difficulties with inclusivity are well documented and continue today. But nowhere does the past permeate into the present more than in the University’s inability to foster a fully inclusive environment for its Native American students, who to date still represent just a sliver — 1 percent — of the student body.

The University’s failure here is most visibly reflected in its resistance to acquiesce to the Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance’s requests to remove University founder John Evans’ name from campus buildings, including the Alumni Center. Though NU’s

Board of Trustees has endorsed recommendations by the Native American Outreach and Inclusion Task Force, it decided in June not to remove the Evans name from buildings and from a room in Norris University Center.

In the three years since NU launched its Native American Inclusion Initiative, the University created the Native American Leadership Council and named the inaugural director of the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research. Though all these efforts represent steps toward a more inclusive NU, their impact is diminished by the celebration of Evans’ memory in other University programs, scholarships and buildings.

The question of whether to remove the Evans name may be complicated, but the fact that it remains unresolved ultimately boils down to institutional inertia. Nearly two years after NAISA formally requested its removal, Evans’ name still clings to campus buildings.

Evans was the territorial governor of Colorado when John Chivington, a Civil War colonel, led an attack against Cheyenne and Arapaho camps, killing an estimated 150 people, the majority of them women and children. Though the NU task force concluded Evans was not directly involved in the planning of the massacre, another study conducted by the University of Denver — also founded by Evans — laid much of the blame at his feet.

Reminders of flawed historical figures loom in our current political climate, and it remains clear their veneration reflects and furthers the oppression of minority groups in the U.S. Fresh off the summer of Charlottesville, Virginia, there has been a renewed focus on, and acknowledgment of, the harm in memorializing such figures.

It’s time to turn that focus on our own campus.

Yes, names and memorials change meaning with time. Surely, not all who pass our University’s Alumni Center or who see the marble bust of Evans contained within consider the shadow his name casts. But some do, and University leadership can embrace their requests while using the removal of his name from NU property as a teaching moment. This is an opportunity to show that we as a University stand united against symbols of hate, racism and violence.

All students on our campus should take up this cause. When the conversation about Evans’ name resurfaces, some of us have the privilege to turn our attention away and focus on something else. But members of our community who are affected by Evans’ presence do not get the opportunity to ignore it.

These questions are not always easy conversations or decisions — they have played out dramatically on campuses from Harvard to Texas and from Princeton to Yale. And their resolution can raise further questions. Just as the scuttling

of memorials to Confederate leaders leads to reconsidering the honoring of Northern slave owners, pulling Evans’ name from buildings will lead to further conversations regarding his influence. We may be led to contemplate the fact that our city is named after Evans, or to look at other buildings on campus with names celebrating flawed figures.

Those, too, are questions worth engaging, and taking Evans’ name off campus buildings won’t provide answers in one sweep. University administrators must be held accountable for the inclusion of all students.

Likewise, removing Evans’ name from University buildings and scholarships would not erase what he did or stop future generations from learning about his actions. It certainly wouldn’t make our University’s Native American students forget.

It will serve as a step, however symbolic, to show the University values all its students. That’s a worthwhile cause. NU can take that step while still critically engaging with and reflecting on our history.

This piece represents the majority opinion of the Editorial Board of The Daily Northwestern. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members or Editorial Board members of The Daily Northwestern.

Names on Wildcards should be the names on rosters PALLAS GUTIERREZ

OPINION EDITOR

Many people at Northwestern go by names other than their legal names for a variety of reasons. Some are rather obvious, like Chris for Christopher, and some are middle names, often in the case of shared names within families. Others go by names with cultural or ethnic significance to them, even if that is not their legal name, or the Americanization of their foreign-language names. Some students go by other names because they are transgender, but haven’t legally transitioned and changed their names. Other students

The Daily Northwestern Volume 140, Issue 25 Editor in Chief Troy Closson Managing Editors Caity Henderson Kristina Karisch Peter Warren

Opinion Editor Pallas Gutierrez Priyanshi Katare Assistant Opinion Editors Zach Bright Kathyrn Augustine

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simply became more attached to nicknames they acquired and began going by those.

Changing your name in CAESAR is a very easy process. You log on to CAESAR, click Profile, click the pencil icon next to “Preferred” and enter your name. That name subsequently appears on class rosters, grade rosters, Canvas and the NU Online Directory. Changing your name within the NU library system is similarly easy; on the Borrowing Privileges page, there is a link to a name change form, which also contains a link to information about changing your name on CAESAR. Email addresses and names can also be changed relatively quickly: in account management, you can set up an account nickname, or you can update your name, which will allow you to change your official name and email in the school system.

By contrast, there is no publicized way to change the name printed on your Wildcard, other than a legal name change. A legal name change can be financially restrictive, impossible to get for family reasons or impractical if the name you go by is part of your legal name, such as a middle name or a shortened version of your first name.

Nevertheless, having your legal name instead of the one you go by on your Wildcard can be intrusive and potentially dangerous. At the library, the people checking out books are largely students, who might see that the name on your Wildcard and the name you go by are different, exposing trans students to outing or awkward questions.

Students also use Wildcards in Evanston and Chicago for other student discounts. Presenting a Wildcard with a name other than your chosen name can be uncomfortable, even to a stranger.

There’s no reason for Wildcards to display our legal names. They are not government-issued photo IDs. Their primary purpose is to identify us to students, officials and employees on campus, so they should display the names those people know us by. Allowing choice of name on Wildcards would make trans students and others who go by alternate names feel safer and more included in the Northwestern community.

Pallas Gutierrez is a Communication sophomore. They can be contacted at pallas2022@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.

Eurocentricity of study abroad is detrimental ALEXANDRA CHANG

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

Studying abroad has become an increasingly quintessential part of the undergraduate experience. Students often return to Northwestern and rave about the “life-changing” experience of living in a foreign country, as well as the “culture shock” of living outside of the United States. While I believe that there are many valuable benefits to studying abroad for a few months during undergrad, it’s important to acknowledge the Eurocentric norms of study abroad.

Of the 144 Northwestern, Northwesternexchange and Northwestern-affiliated study abroad opportunities listed on the Global Learning Office’s website, 71 — nearly half — of the programs are in Europe, despite non-European regions comprising the vast majority of the globe.

With its rich history and beautiful architecture, Europe offers an abundance of exciting adventures for young people, whether that be visiting a new museum every week or traveling by train to the dozens of other major cities just hours away. This is the idyllic, stereotypical image of study abroad, and admittedly, I was once entranced by its allure, hoping to study in Paris — despite not speaking a word of French.

Studying abroad is just one manifestation of how society has conditioned us to idealize the West and diminish the worth of non-Western nations. This norm of traveling to Europe as opposed to the plethora of other countries in the

world only further feeds the narrative that nonWestern peoples, cultures and educational systems are inferior.

Some defend the European study abroad experience, arguing that universities in the West provide a superior education, which may hold merit, given that European nations are generally some of the wealthiest countries in the world. I would suggest that most students go abroad not because of the quality of education they will receive while visiting the university, but rather, to try living outside of the United States in a new environment.

If students were truly motivated to receive the best education possible, the most sensible option would likely be to stay at Northwestern, one of the best educational institutions in the world.

Furthermore, the belief that European universities are higher-caliber than those in Africa, Asia or South America is largely due to Western educational standards and is simply untrue. The majority of the ways in which we assess the quality of an institution are by how well they conform to Western norms. As such, students overlook the skills they could gain by experiencing a different style of education that they would never be exposed to in the U.S. or Europe.

Students could also gain a fresh perspective on the issues they learn about at Northwestern. During my time studying abroad at Yonsei University in Seoul this past summer, I took a course on Chinese foreign policy. Although we offer similar courses here, I wanted to learn about Chinese politics from the South Korean viewpoint. From the course, I acquired new knowledge that drastically differed from how the topic is covered in political science classes here. Possibly even more valuable, however, was learning about China without

exclusively relying on anti-China rhetoric, which is the norm in America.

Additionally, living in Europe is not as much of a culture shift as living in Asia, Africa, South America or the Middle East. Studying in one of these regions would likely provide students with a higher level of the “culture shock” they claim to seek, allowing them to better appreciate nonWestern lifestyles.

A way that Northwestern can attempt to confront this is partnering with more institutions in non-Western countries. For example, GLO offers eight programs in Spain alone, yet in every other Spanish-speaking country — which is most of Latin America and South America — there are only 20 programs in 11 countries. Rather than perpetuate the notion that a European study abroad experience is superior, I encourage the GLO to expand the number of opportunities to study in non-Western regions and provide support for developing these programs, including additional promotional materials or academic scholarships.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the fact that this issue spans much further than Northwestern. The Eurocentricity of study abroad programs is just one example of our Western-oriented values. Accordingly, we must dismantle the idea that the best study abroad experience is one that takes place in Europe.

Alexandra Chang is a Weinberg sophomore. She can be contacted at alexandrachang2022@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.

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The Daily Northwestern

NORTHWESTERN VS. IOWA SATURDAY, OCT. 26

‘WE’VE GOTTA FIGHT’ A year after a Big Ten West title, Northwestern finds itself backed into a corner

@DailyNU_Sports

INSIDE: Fearless Forecasters 8 | Superbacks struggling 9 | McCall under fire 10

8 GAMEDAY

The Daily Northwestern

Friday, October 25, 2019

2009 team returns to campus, reflects on bowl loss

By JONAH DYLAN and PETER WARREN

daily senior staffers @thejonahdylan @thepeterwarren

On Jan. 1, 2010, Northwestern was on the precipice of what was once thought to be impossible: a bowl victory.

It was 61 years to the day since the Wildcats had claimed their only bowl victory. But in the time between they had been close — close at the 1996 Rose Bowl and closer at the 2008 Alamo Bowl just over a year prior. But, until NU finally broke the futility streak in the 2013 Gator Bowl, the 2010 Outback Bowl was the best chance the Cats had to vanquish it demons.

“The nickname Cardiac Cats is there for a reason,” former superback Drake Dunsmore said.

“There were so many great back and forth games.

But that had to be the No. 1 game that sticks out in my mind.”

That 2009 NU team, which lost the 2010 Outback Bowl in overtime on a fake field goal, finished the season with an 8-5 record. It’s not the best team in school history, but it has remained one of the program’s most memorable.

The first unforgettable moment came on Nov. 7 against an undefeated Iowa outfit ranked No. 4 by the BCS at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes, led by quarterback Ricky Stanzi and a ferocious defense, jumped out to a 10-0 advantage.

But Stanzi got hurt in the second quarter, and the Cats’ defense held Iowa offense to only 281 yards and 14 first downs as they pulled off the monumental 17-10 upset.

The victory was the first time Fitzgerald led the team to a victory over a top-10 ranked team, and it derailed the Hawkeyes’ hopes of playing for a national championship.

While Dunsmore — who caught a four-yard touchdown pass to give NU the lead it never relinquished — doesn’t remember much of the post-game celebration on the field, there is one image that stands out in his mind.

“I remember just pulling out of the stadium and just seeing the most dejected fans I had ever seen,”

Dunsmore said.

After a 21-16 victory over Illinois for the Land of Lincoln Trophy the following week, NU ended its season against ranked Wisconsin at Ryan Field.

Up 33-31 with only a few minutes remaining, safety Brian Peters forced Wisconsin’s John Clay to fumble the ball with only 1:44 remaining. After NU punted one final time, Jordan Mabin secured the victory with an interception in waning seconds, sending the purple fans in the crown rushing onto the field.

“We had a ton of guys playing incredibly on both sides of the ball that day,” Peters said. “We played sound defense across the board. Sherrick (McManis) was balling.”

The Cats’ eight wins were enough to earn them a spot in the Outback Bowl on New Years Day. Going up against Auburn at Raymond James Stadium, NU was down 14 points in the third quarter, but behind an infamous performance senior quarterback Mike Kafka, the Cats clawed their way back to tie the game at 21.

But then the Tigers went up two touchdowns again, this time in the fourth quarter, but once again, NU tied the game. After a fumble on a kickoff by Auburn in the last minute of the fourth quarter, NU missed a potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation.

The Tigers kicked a field goal to start overtime, and then chaos ensued. At one point, Kafka fumbled the football and Auburn recovered, but the referee ruled the quarterback down. Later, Stefan Demos missed a field goal, but a roughing the kicker penalty gave the Cats new life. With Demos injured following the penalty, Fitzgerald went for fake field goal to win the game, but it failed.

Kafka finished with an absurd 47 completions on 78 attempts, compiling four touchdowns and five interceptions. He also carried 20 times for 29 yards.

On the other side, Auburn running back Ben Tate rushed for 108 yards and two scores.

“I would have liked the legacy to be the first bowl win for Coach Fitz, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case,” Dunsmore said. “I don’t want to say it was the first season, but it was one of the early seasons that cemented Coach Fitz as a top tier coach in the Big Ten.” FEARLESS FORECASTERS

WEEK 8

Picks against the spread

STANDINGS EAST

BENJAMIN

ROSENBERG JONAH

Ohio State

(7-0, 4-0)

Penn State

(7-0, 4-0)

Michigan

(5-2, 3-2)

Indiana

(5-2, 2-2)

Michigan State

(4-3, 2-2)

DYLAN CHARLIE

GOLDSMITH ELLA

BROCKWAY PETER

Maryland

(3-4, 1-3)

WARREN

Rutgers

(1-6, 0-5)

ANDREW

GOLDEN

WEST

Source: Daily Northwestern Archive

Kicker Stefan Demos missed two field goals and an extra point as teh Cats fell in overtime for the second straight year, losing 38-35 to Auburn in the 2010 Outback Bowl.

The 2009 team wasn’t the one that ultimately broke the bowl win drought for NU, but there’s no question it had a massive impact on the program. Kafka played in the NFL and is now the quarterbacks coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, credited with playing a role in the development of NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.

Peters played four years with the Houston Texans and was a Grey Cup Champion with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

McManis is the only active NFL player from the 2009 team, as he’s enjoyed a long career as a specialteamer for the Chicago Bears. Defensive lineman Corey Wootton was drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 draft and played five years in the NFL. “We had a couple of great houses of guys too, so everybody was around it each other on and off the field,” Peters said. “Probably the best locker room while I was there for sure. It was just a tight-knit group of guys.”

According to the athletic department, 40 players from the 2009 team, plus a handful of student managers and trainers, will return to Evanston this weekend for Homecoming. Leading the pack as honorary captain is Brendan Smith.

Smith was a two-time captain for the Cats, and at this week’s presser, Fitzgerald said he named his youngest son after the former safety. Smith told The Daily that it is probably the greatest honor of his life.

For Smith, the opportunity to be back in Evanston this weekend with his former teammates and representing them as honorary captain is surreal.

“I have goosebumps right now thinking about it,” Smith said. “I gave my body to it, to this school, that program. To know that they’re still thinking of me 10 years later is unbelievable.” jonahdylan2020@u.northwestern.edu peterwarren2021@u.northwestern.edu

vs.

vs.

vs.

vs.

vs.

Iowa (-10.5) at Northwestern

Notre Dame (-1.5) at Michigan

Auburn at LSU (-12.5)

Wisconsin at Ohio State (-14.5)

NDSU (-4.5) at SDSU

Iowa 14 Northwestern 10

23-17

The Northwestern-Iowa brand stays strong.

Iowa 30 Northwestern 9

22-18

Iowa gets revenge for Akrum Wadley.

Iowa 20 Northwestern 10

21-19

The homecoming festivities go on as planned.

Iowa 17 Northwestern 6

21-19

Are we playing baseball or football here?

Iowa 10 Northwestern 13

17-23

On Oct. 26, 1957, both teams combined to score six points.

They score more Saturday.

Iowa 24 Northwestern 13

17-23

Hawkeye, Buckeye...doesn’t really matter. NU’s offense struggles again.

Iowa 17 Northwestern 6

Minnesota

(7-0, 4-0)

Wisconsin

(6-1, 3-1)

Iowa

(5-2, 2-2)

Nebraska

(4-3, 2-2)

Illinois

(3-4, 1-3)

Purdue

(2-5, 1-3)

Northwestern

(1-5, 0-4)

Forecasting Record

TROY

12-28

Big oh no on HoCo.

CLOSSON

GAMEDAY Gameday Editors Syd Stone Jonah Dylan

Writers

Designers

Andrew Golden Charlie Goldsmith Benjamin Rosenberg Peter Warren

Carly Schulman Roxanne Panas

Gameday is a publication of Students Publishing Co. A four-page issue is usually published on the Friday prior to Northwestern home games and a two-page issue is published on the Friday prior to Northwestern road games. All material is © 2019 Students Publishing Co. Questions or comments should be sent c/o Gameday Editor Jonah Dylan, 1999 Campus Dr., Evanston, IL 60208.

GAMEDAY

The Daily Northwestern

Friday, October 25, 2019

(1-5)

NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS vs.

IOWA HAWKEYES

(5-2)

Cats look to rebound after crushing loss

By BENJAMIN ROSENBERG

11

2

19 28

70

94

66 15

65

25

52

91 95 57

73

13 28

43

42

49

51

89 8

39

32

9

daily senior staffer @bxrosenberg

3

91

74

96

71

95 97

7

33

18

65

4 36 10

68

IOWA

NORTHWESTERN

81

77

6

Northwestern Offense

Iowa Defense

Northwestern Defense

Iowa Offense

15 QB Hunter Johnson 25 RB Isaiah Bowser 81 WR R. Chiaokhiao-Bowman 8 WR Kyric McGowan 19 WR Riley Lees 89 SB Charlie Mangieri 70 LT Rashawn Slater 66 LG Nik Urban 65 C Jared Thomas 52 RG Sam Gerak 73 RT Gunnar Vogel

57 DE Chauncey Golston 95 DT Cedrick Lattimore 91 DT Brady Reiff 94 DE A.J. Epenesa 49 SLB Nick Niemann 43 MLB Dillon Doyle 32 WLB Djimon Colbert 33 CB Riley Moss 9 SS Geno Stone 28 FS Jack Koerner 11 CB Michael Ojemudia

97 DE Joe Gaziano 95 DT Alex Miller 96 DT Trevor Kent 91 DE Samdup Miller 51 WILL Blake Gallagher 42 MIKE Paddy Fisher 28 WILL Chris Bergin 2 CB Greg Newsome II 13 S JR Pace 7 S Travis Whillock 18 CB Cam Ruiz

4 QB Nate Stanley 36 FB Brady Ross 10 RB Mekhi Sargent 3 WR Tyrone Tracy Jr 6 WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette 39 TE Nate Wieting 77 LT Alaric Jackson 68 LG Landan Paulsen 65 C Tyler Linderbaum 71 RG Mark Kallenberger 74 RT Tristan Wirfs

Superbacks struggling to produce for NU

By ANDREW GOLDEN

daily senior staffer @andrewcgolden

Coming off of the best season of his career, then-junior superback Cameron Green looked ready to become a key piece in Northwestern’s offensive puzzle in the 2019 season.

But right before the Wildcats’ first spring practice, Green announced that he was stepping away from football due to head injuries within his family.

Many teams embrace the “next-man-up mentality” — and NU had no choice but to do the same after Green’s retirement. But the superbacks on the roster this season haven’t been able to put up the same level of production; in fact, they’ve barely helped in the struggling passing game at all.

“We have not stepped up at superback,” superbacks coach Bob Heffner said. “We’ve worked hard, we’ve practiced hard, but when it comes to a game situation, we haven’t put it together.”

During the offseason, there was a position battle to see who would get the starting nod.

Coach Pat Fitzgerald, Heffner and staff looked at the superbacks room and even went outside of it. First Trent Goens switched from defensive end, and then Jason Whittaker stepped up from quarterback. However, when senior quarterback T.J. Green got injured, Whittaker switched to his original position.

Ultimately, on the first two-deep of the season, sophomore superback Charlie Mangieri started against Stanford. Mangieri, along with Heffner, said the superbacks performed well as a group in the Cats’ opening game — but it’s been downhill since that game.

“We took a couple of steps back from that game on,” Mangieri said. “We got to come back and just prove to the coaches, prove to the fans that we’re a worthy group and just keep doing our thing that we know we can do.”

This season, Mangieri has started every game for NU but had just three receptions for 16 yards, hasn’t recorded more than one reception in any game and hasn’t caught a pass since Wisconsin almost a month ago.

As for his fellow superbacks? They’ve caught just as many passes this season as Mangieri has in the past month.

Zero.

In order to turn the team’s offense around and increase the level of play at superback, Heffner said he needs to coach his players better. He wants to focus on the fundamentals, but Heffner

Pat Fitzgerald has made his disdain for technology quite clear over the past few months. But at Monday’s press conference, Northwestern’s 14th year coach used a computer metaphor to sum up the current state of his program.

“When things aren’t going great, there’s three magic buttons to getting things fixed, and they all have to be pressed at the same time,” Fitzgerald said.

“That’s control, alt and delete. You know what that does to your computer? It restarts it. That’s what we talked about this morning, about restarting.”

It’s not like the Wildcats have much of a choice.

NU (1-5, 0-4 Big Ten) is coming off its most lopsided loss in 12 years, a 52-3 beatdown at the hands of Ohio State. Junior quarterback Aidan Smith completed just six of 20 passes for 42 yards with an interception, and sophomore Andrew Marty, who replaced him, threw a pick as well. The run defense, normally a strength, allowed three rushes of more than 50 yards.

Even the special teams unit faltered — a botched punt snap in the second quarter set the Buckeyes up at the Cats’ 15-yard line.

Back to the drawing board it is.

“You just hit one (button) at a time, it doesn’t work,” Fitzgerald said. “All three have to be hit at the same time, kind of like offense and defense and special teams. That’s pretty creative. Might be the best T-shirt I’ve ever come up with.”

Off to its worst start since 1992, NU is desperate for anything to go its way. With the quarterbacks showing no signs of productivity, the Cats have tried to find other ways to get their athletic receivers involved. Junior Kyric McGowan received a pair of rushing attempts last Friday, including a 13-yard run on NU’s first offensive play.

But with almost nothing going right, the Cats have been forced to go back to the basics.

“It’s pretty simple,” junior linebacker Chris Bergin said. “You use the 24-hour rule, you flush it and fix it. We watched what we need to fix today in film.

We’re going to tip our hats where credit is due. Ohio State, right now, is playing the best football in the country. When you’re playing a team that gifted, that talented, you can’t afford to make any mistakes.”

The good news is that NU still has half the season left, and after Saturday’s Homecoming tilt with No. 20 Iowa (5-2, 2-2), the schedule begins to lighten up. Only one of the Cats’ last five opponents is ranked, so NU still has an outside shot at bowl eligibility.

The bad news is just about everything else. The Cats hardly resemble the team that stood toe-to-toe with the Buckeyes for three quarters last December with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line, and as Fitzgerald explained, their struggles have forced them to look internally rather than focusing solely on preparing for their next opponent.

“I wish I had time right now, with this year’s team, for me to look a lot at what our opponent is,” Fitzgerald said. “We don’t have that right now, we don’t have that luxury. We’re trying to get our guys to trust what we’re doing during the week and execute, fundamentally first and conceptually second, especially on offense right now. We’ve got half the season left, and we’re going to work relentlessly to get it done in a positive fashion.” benjaminrosenberg2021@u.northwestern.edu

Daily file photo by Noah Frick-Alofs

Cameron Green reaches to catch a pass during a game last season. The Wildcats have struggled to replace Green at superback this season.

said the list of improvements is too long to go through.

While Mangieri agreed that the superbacks need to work on the fundamentals, he also said part of the positional struggles could be a result of not playing enough with their instincts.

“Maybe it’s just a little mental thing, just focusing too much on fundamentals,” Mangieri said. “I can’t speak for any of the other guys, but I know I’ve struggled just trying to be perfect and make too many blocks instead of just reacting.”

It’s hard to strive to be perfect, but especially at the superback position, where previous NU players have set a high standard. Since Heffner took over as superbacks coach in 2009, the Cats have thrived, from Drake Dunsmore, who was a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2011, to Dan

Vitale and Garrett Dickerson, who played for the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants, respectively.

But while previous superbacks have set a high bar, Heffner believes that the current players on the roster can generate the same level of production — it’s just a matter of executing.

Aside from Mangieri, NU also has a few other options, including junior Trey Pugh, “The talent factor in the room is not the problem — there’s two problems right now,” Heffner said. “One, I need to coach better and two, they need to perform better on Saturday. It all starts with fundamentals and just going out there and letting it fly.” andrewgolden2021@u.northwestern.edu

Daily file photo by Alison Albelda

Two Ohio State players celebrate a touchdown during their 52-3 destruction of Northwestern.

10 GAMEDAY

The Daily Northwestern

Friday, Octbober 25, 2019

At 1-5, can Northwestern turn its season around?

By JONAH DYLAN

daily senior staffer @thejonahdylan

The noise is starting to get louder now. It’s been simmering under the surface, crescendoing up when times are bad and easing when times are good. It was an annoyance at first, something you could tune out if you concentrated hard enough. But it’s growing now, more than it ever has.

It was first a few people on Twitter, then a few more who thought they were smarter than the coach whose offense looked stuck in the mud. Then it was analytical breakdowns that seemed to reach the same conclusion. And then, finally, it was Friday night, when it appeared on a real life sign, not on the internet but at Ryan Field.

Fire McCall.

Northwestern’s embattled offensive coordinator has been the target of a staggering amount of criticism throughout his 12 years at Northwestern. But it’s never been as prevalent as now, with Northwestern sitting at 1-5 just a season after winning the Big Ten West.

“I don’t hear anything,” Mick McCall said. “I don’t hear anything. I don’t — how can I do a justice to our guys with worrying about that? I can’t do anything about that. I can’t. They pay for a ticket and they want to go, cool, whatever. It’s up to them. I can’t do anything about that. All I can do is be here for our guys, try to work my butt off for the guys, and that’s all I can do.”

Pick whatever stat you want to illustrate just how dismal NU’s offense has been this season. Among the 130 FBS teams, the Cats are 127th in total offense.

They’re 125th in SP+.

So as Northwestern prepares to host No. 20 Iowa in Saturday’s homecoming in Evanston, the Wildcats face several pressing questions: Can the Wildcats turn their season around? And if they can’t, will there be any major changes within the program?

*** Halfway through the season, NU is already out of the Big Ten title race. The Cats have zero chance of defending their Big Ten West trophy, and all their attention is now on trying to reach the six-win threshold for bowl eligibility. It won’t be easy.

Replacing Clayton Thorson, NU’s all-time winningest quarterback, was never going to be a walk in the park. Hunter Johnson — the No. 1 quarterback in 2017 recruiting rankings — was supposed to fill his shoes. He hasn’t.

After several lackluster performances and an injury, Johnson appears to have lost the starting job to junior Aidan Smith, who began the season as an afterthought competing for NU’s third-string spot.

While Smith and Johnson are both listed as starters on the depth chart, McCall said this week that Smith — who’s started the last two games — is “the guy right now.”

In NU’s last outing against Ohio State, Smith threw for just 42 yards and an interception, completing six of 20 pass attempts. One thing is clear: If the Cats are going to turn their season around, it has to start with whoever’s under center.

“We’ve got to execute a little bit better and just get some consistency in the throwing game,” McCall said.

“I think the biggest thing is the quarterback. Continuing to get more consistent, throw a more consistent ball, throwing it on people, being decisive with his decisions. I think that’s the biggest thing.”

As NU’s offense struggles, the defense has fared admirably, save for last week’s demolition at the hands of Justin Fields and the explosive Buckeyes. The defense single-handedly kept the Cats competitive in losses to Stanford and Wisconsin and gave them chances to win in almost every game.

As frustrating as it might be, defensive end Joe Gaziano said the defense only focuses on their side of the ball.

“Our job as a defense is to hold them to fewer points than our offense scores no matter how many points that is,” Gaziano said. “So we’re going out there

Daily file photo by Noah Frick-Alofs

Northwestern players chase after Wisconsin’s Noah Burks as he races to the end zone for a pick six. The Wildcats have struggled to a disappointing 1-5 start to the season.

Source: Jacob Brown

A “Fire McCall” sign in the Northwestern student section during an October game against Ohio State. As NU’s offense has struggled, its offensive coordinator has come under fire.

to put up defensive stands on every series every time we’re on the field. We’re not pointing fingers.” *** Just 10 months ago, Thorson was standing near the end zone at Lucas Oil Stadium, looking at the sea of red and white confetti that had taken over the field.

Ohio State was celebrating a Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl.

“Just a little extra motivation for the future,” he said later.

It wasn’t so much the disappointment of losing to a great team, but the realization that NU was this close — literally 60 minutes away — from a trip to the Rose Bowl for the first time this century.

A month later, after the latest in a series of improbable comebacks, it was Pat Fitzgerald’s admission that “this is home forever!” that inspired even more confidence in Northwestern football. Sure, the Cats were losing their quarterback and a few other major pieces. But they had their first-ever five-star quarterback recruit, and the future was bright.

But now NU is staring at its first losing season since 2014, making it much easier to look back than toward a murky future.

While players and coaches alike have consistently blamed “one-man breakdowns” and lack of execution, empirical evidence suggests the problems go a little deeper than that.

It was two of Thorson’s best performances that turned the 2018 season around at Michigan State and at home against Nebraska. It was Isaiah Bowser’s breakout game that saved the Cats during a trip to Piscataway, N.J. It was Bennett Skowronek’s highlightreel catch that won NU the Big Ten West title on a chilly afternoon in Iowa City.

But Thorson is gone. Bowser and Skowronek have battled injuries most of the season. The two guys who made key plays on those program-defining drives against the Spartans and Cornhuskers — Cam Green and Flynn Nagel — are gone as well. It may not have

felt this way at the beginning of the season, but NU is trotting out a radically different team than the one that had so much success a year ago.

Still, four of NU’s last six games come against unranked teams, including a five-game stretch with four home contests and a meeting with lowly Massachusetts. If NU can find a way out of its offensive funk, the season could be salvaged.

And though McCall has helmed NU’s offense for over a decade, he admits that this year’s iteration has struggled more than any other.

“It is what it is right now,” he said. “The answers are in this building. The answers are in this room of what we’re doing. So we have to find those answers and go be consistent with those guys, with what we’ve got. That’s the bottom line.”

But the answers need to come sooner than later.

Gaziano has been one of NU’s most consistent players throughout the last four years, and he knows the season — and his hopes of reaching a fourth bowl game — have reached an inflection point.

“It’s one of those things where, if not now, then when? So you kind of have to say to yourself ‘I’m gonna step up and be prepared more,’” he said. “Our backs are against the wall at this point. We’ve gotta fight.”

How does Mick McCall feel about fans holding up a “Fire McCall sign” at the end of Northwestern’s 52-3 loss to Ohio State?

“That’s fine,” he said. “Good for them. I don’t hear anything. I don’t hear anything. I don’t — how can I do a justice to our guys with worrying about that? I can’t do anything about that. I can’t. They pay for a ticket and they want to go, cool, whatever. It’s up to them. I can’t do anything about that. All I can do is be here for our guys, try to work my butt off for the guys, and that’s all I can do.”

“So, that’s beyond me. I can’t worry about that stuff.

That has nothing to do with us winning or losing games.” jonahdylan2020@u.northwestern.edu

Wildcats clearly missing a plethora of 2018 seniors

By CHARLIE GOLDSMITH

daily senior staffer @2021_charlie

Pat Fitzgerald actually looked under the podium during his press conference Monday, pretending he might find a way to end Northwestern’s worst start to a season since 1992.

There wasn’t anything there.

As the Wildcats (1-5, 0-4 Big Ten) have been outscored 151-75 through six games, they’ve clearly missed Clayton Thorson and the winningest class in program history. In addition to the school’s leading passer, NU lost three starting offensive linemen, its top pass catcher and three of the best players on defense.

One of them –– graduated defensive tackle Jordan Thompson –– said he’s noticed the Cats missing the resolve that led them to the Big Ten Championship game last season.

“We had guys on the team last year who just stood up,” Thompson said. “It was to a point where a group of guys would circle together and be like ‘if we’re going to win, it’s up to us.’”

Even when it was bad last year, particularly after losing to Akron, Thompson said the team’s leaders prevented the situation from turning as poorly as it has now. The other big difference, he said, was how NU trusted Thorson to execute the offense and come up clutch in the fourth quarter.

After he drove 99 yards against Nebraska and scored again to beat them in overtime, Thorson led the team to five consecutive Big Ten wins. When the team hit adversity,

Thompson said he knew Thorson would be able to lead the team forward.

“Clayton was our quarterback,” Thompson said. “He was the quarterback for so long that he just made things easier. When you have a new guy, especially a person who hasn’t played, you’re going to have some growing pains with whoever you want to lead with.”

Fitzgerald has said junior quarterback Aidan Smith’s advantage over sophomore quarterback Hunter Johnson is his superior understanding of the system. But neither of them know it like Thorson did, and as a result, the quarterbacks have already thrown ten interceptions.

The defense is having a similar issue replacing leaders in Thompson, safety Nate Hall and defensive lineman Fred Wyatt. Twice against Ohio State on Friday, the defense allowed Buckeye receivers to be wide open in the endzone because of a mistake in coverage.

Fitzgerald said he has no idea what will come first for this new-look roster –– talent or experience.

“They’re panicking because they don’t know what they’re doing,” he said. “Some teams, you can push their DNA harder, and some guys from a confidence standpoint are fragile. We’re working on the A, B, C’s and the 1, 2, 3’s.”

But the Cats won’t have an easy test Saturday, facing an Iowa (5-2, 2-2) team with a top-five defense and a four-year starter at quarterback. Nate Stanley is the Hawkeyes’ version of Thorson, and he’s led them to 25 wins over the 38 games he started.

Ten upperclassmen lead Iowa’s defense, and they’ve limited opposing offenses to an average

Daily file photo by Allie Goulding

Former defensive lineman Jordan Thompson takes down Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke.

Thompson is one of many senior whose presence the Wildcats have missed this season.

of 12 points per game. The Hawkeyes would be undefeated had their offense not struggled so much in losses to No. 19 Michigan and No. 10 Penn State.

NU has played some of its worst football in recent memory over the past few weeks, losing the last three games by an average of 25 points.

Senior defensive lineman Alex Miller said he recognizes the team has a lot of work to do.

“We just have to trust ourselves,” Miller said.

“We had some guys that were sometimes trying to do too much and that’s what’s hurt us.” charliegoldsmith2021@u.northwestern.edu

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 11

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2019

FALLCRAWL

An evening of boxing, booze and brushstrokes Over twenty local businesses opened their doors to the community offering drinks and demonstrations at the first ever Evanston Fall Crawl on Thursday. Here were some of the highlights: Sarita Kamat, the owner of Artem Pop Up gallery, demonstrated the delicate art of handpainted glass jewelry. Anthony Do, the lead trainer at Title Boxing Club, taught self-defense.

At Vinic Wine, Alicia Obertin helped crawlers

sample aged Central Coast Pinot Noir, her chief recommendation for the holiday season. Cupitol Coffee and Eatery gave visitors the option to spike their pumpkin-spiced latte with rum.

With such a variety of businesses all within walking distance, residents, students and visitors were treated to a sampler platter of Evanston’s downtown buzz.

— Evan Robinson-Johnson

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NEIMANN From page 1

unpaid service work: serving on diversity committees, mentoring students and chairing search committees. Because it’s difficult for these faculty members to participate in “time-consuming” service work while conducting research, they have to make a choice: fail to earn tenure or sacrifice their physical and mental health by taking on extra tasks.

Niemann is a University of North Texas psychology professor and editor of “Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia,” a 2012 collection that illuminates the challenges women of color encounter in academia.

ART

From page 1 print, covered with calendars for each month of 2017. Red dots placed on specific dates denote the murder of a black man in Chicago in 2016.

Some dates have no red dots, while others have up to seven. Along the side of the print are the names of the men who were killed. Blount also created a smaller version of the piece in the form of a page-a-day calendar.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2019

A new version, “Presumed Incompetent II,” will be released spring 2020.

Assistant Provost for Diversity and Inclusion Mónica Russel y Rodrígue and Women’s Center Director Sekile Nzinga-Johnson introduced Niemann. Nzinga-Johnson said Niemann’s message underscores the Center’s current programming, “By Degrees: Gender. Education. And Progress,” which acknowledges Northwestern’s 150-year anniversary of admitting women while recognizing the identities of non-binary women.

“As we think about the gender expansion of Northwestern and what that means, what’s been the progress, what’s been the roadblocks, what’s work that can still be done?” Nzinga-Johnson said.

Women academics who are pregnant, as well as those who report instances of sexual assault, often receive negative faculty evaluations. Combined with the strain of tokenism for women of color, this treatment can lead to burnout, workplace tension and pressure to assimilate to white, upper-class standards of professionalism. Niemann said support groups are integral for faculty of women of color.

This message resonated with Multicultural Student Affairs Director Daviree Velázquez Phillip, who said she often feels “spread too thin.”

“For those of us who are called to do this work — that work being serve students, fight for justice — we must take care of ourselves, we must surround ourselves with systems of care,” Velázquez said.

Niemann said that faculty who are women of color shouldn’t bear the entire burden of advocating for increased representation. She added that appointing more women deans, provosts and presidents, as well as reexamining tenure-track policies, can break down barriers in academia.

A person-centered approach that emphasizes support systems can bolster representation, she said.

“We need to examine existing policies and ways that they can be more humanized,” she said. “We don’t want to say scholarship is not important. It is important. But can we do it in a humanizing way?”

Blount said “275 Holidays” is one example of the type of art he seeks to share, exemplifying techniques he uses throughout many of his works. He trained in graphic design at Washington University in St. Louis as well as book and paper arts at Columbia College Chicago. Blount creates art from letterpress, type and the book form. His prints often revolve around themes like slang, stereotypes and white supremacy.

“My work is usually a response to what’s going

on in the world,” said Blount. “I’ll see something and want to make commentary, which is often about identity, race and culture.”

Blount was born and raised in Detroit, but always wanted to end up in Chicago. His mom grew up in Evanston, and he visited the area as a child. This led him to Columbia College for his master’s degree. Blount, however, said the degree “didn’t change his life that much.” For years, he didn’t create anything or share art in public settings.

That changed after moving to Evanston five years ago. He is now a featured artist at Lisa Degliantoni’s gallery, 1100 Florence, and a member of Evanston Made, the local arts organization of which Degliantoni is the executive director. The two met because their children went to school together. After getting to know one another in 2017, Degliantoni approached him about doing the first ever show at her gallery. Blount said yes, and now sees the show as the “impetus” to him regularly producing and sharing art.

“Ben’s work makes you pause,” Degliantoni said.

“His work is so topical in such a gentle way, and Evanston is thirsty for that.”

Blount draws upon many sources of inspiration for his work, such as Evanston residents and topics discussed in the city. In October 2018, he did an art show at 1100 Florence called “Residency.” that focused on those who live in Evanston. Blount created a series of prints based on interviews he conducted with residents, asking them to describe Evanston in a few words. Blount used those words as copy for the posters, creating prints that say things like Evanston is “diverse but segregated” and is “in process.”

The show also featured photographs of past and present black residents of Evanston’s 5th Ward taken by Steven Adams, a local photographer and a Northwestern librarian. After interviewing the individuals about their experiences, Blount printed their words over their pictures.

“My work asks, ‘Is Evanston what we want it to be?’” said Blount. “That really resonates with people, and the city has been a fertile ground for what I’m doing.”

Melissa Blount, Blount’s wife, also creates art about similar themes as her husband. The couple has participated in shows together, and Blount’s “275 Holidays” piece inspired Melissa Blount to create the “Black Lives Matter Witness Quilt,” where each square on the quilt signifies a woman or girl who died due to interpersonal or police violence.

“We both want to make people who have been intentionally dehumanized be human through our work,” Melissa Blount said.

Lately, Ben Blount has been sharing his skills and prompting conversations about the themes represented in his art at universities and conferences nationwide. He also leads introductory workshops on letterpress and gives presentations.

Regardless of the setting, Blount always tries to explain why he chooses to focus on race and identity in his work.

“I want people to understand the inherent power in printing, in putting a message on paper,” Blount said. “That’s one way I look at the power of the press.”

Blount’s most recent project involves sharing his work with the public and interacting with people in Evanston through his new studio. He moved his workspace from his basement to a building located at 1123 Florence Ave. in 2019.

Blount named the studio “MAKE” because he said “making and sharing” his art since moving to Evanston has been “transformative.” Blount hopes to “activate” the studio through events, community gatherings and workshops, in addition to traditional gallery shows.

Whether Blount’s art is shared at his studio, at 1100 Florence, or on his social media pages, Degliantoni said it’s clear that he is “so frickin’ talented,” both as an artist and a leader in the community.

“Evanston wants to have difficult conversations, but often, we just don’t know how,” Degliantoni said. “Ben’s work sparks very conducive conversations, and it’s an entry point for many people in this city.”

Zoe Malin/Daily Senior Staffer

Local artist Ben Blount creates prints dealing with topics like race, inequity and identity. His work is often inspired by Evanston residents and topics of conversation in the city.

evaherscowitz2023@u.northwestern.edu

zoemalin2022@u.northwestern.edu

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Celebrate Halloween in Evanston with these events

By ZOE MALIN

daily senior staffer @zoermalin

Evanston doesn’t have to wait until Oct. 31 to celebrate Halloween, thanks to a variety of themed events this weekend. Neighbors can show off their costumes, engage with local businesses and collect as much candy as they can fill their pockets with.

Reprise Coffee Roasters Spooky Latte Art Throw Down On Friday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m., Reprise Coffee Roasters is gathering baristas from local cafes to compete in a latte art throwdown at its new Evanston location, 710 Main St. Participants will pour steamed milk designs for a panel of judges, and attendees can watch while enjoying free snacks and lattes. To add a Halloween twist, Reprise is hosting a simultaneous costume contest and will play spooky music.

“The event is a great way for us to connect with our coffee community in Chicago and on the North Shore,” said owner Hunter Owen.

“I think it’s going to be a Graveyard Smash.”

Downtown Evanston’s Trick or Treat Stroll Downtown Evanston will host a costume parade from Raymond Park to Fountain Square starting at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26. Those interested can meet at the park at 10:45 a.m. A pet costume contest will also take place at 1 p.m. at the south plaza of Fountain Square.

During Saturday’s Trick or Treat Stroll from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., participants can visit local businesses to collect candy and other treats.

Some stores will give out coupons or offer discounts, and others are holding raffles. View the full list of activities on Facebook.

Spooky Saturday on The Main-Dempster Mile Starting at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, residents can trick-or-treat at businesses on The

Main-Dempster Mile and attend events like a dog costume contest at Soapie’s Dry Cleaning and Tailoring. Vogue Fabrics has a ghost-filled Halloween scene in its main display window, open to attendees for pictures. View the full Spooky Saturday schedule online.

Additionally, Katherine Gotsick, executive director of The Main-Dempster Mile, said “Amanecer Taco Shop is going all out for their Día de Los Muertos celebration,” which is from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. The restaurant will serve sugar skull cookies and pan de muerto from Evanston’s Sweet Temptations Bake Shop, and there will be face painting.

Cielito Lindo Family Folk Music, a band featured on “America’s Got Talent,” is scheduled to play outside the restaurant at 12:30 p.m. after its 11:30 a.m. set at Booked, a children’s bookstore.

Evanston Animal Shelter’s Fifth Annual Trick or Treat Trot for Tails Walkathon The Evanston Animal Shelter’s walkathon is on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 9:30 a.m.The 2-mile walk begins at the Charles Gates Dawes House.

The event is Halloween themed; participants and dogs are encouraged to come in costume, and those dressed up can enter in a costume contest before the walk begins. The shelter’s volunteers will walk with a group of shelter dogs, too. Registration costs $10 online or on-site the morning of the event.

“All money raised during the fundraiser goes to the shelter,” said Jill Cabot, communications director. “We are a no-kill shelter, so fundraisers like this help us a lot.”

Halloween Bash at Whiskey Thief Tavern Whiskey Thief Tavern is throwing a Halloween Bash on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. with a live DJ and costume contest. Firstplace prizes for the costume contest include a $100 gift card and a special bottle of whisky.

Attendees can enter the event for free from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. There is a $10 entry fee after 11 p.m. zoemalin2022@u.northwestern.edu

The Daily Northwestern Fall 2019 | An independent voice since 1923 | Evanston, Illinois EDITOR IN CHIEF | Troy Closson PRINT MANAGING EDITORS | Caity Henderson, Kristina Karisch, Peter Warren DIGITAL MANAGING EDITORS | Liz Byrne, Chris Vazquez ___________________ DIVERSITY & INCLUSION CHAIRS | Sneha Dey, Chris Vazquez ___________________ WEB EDITORS | Sneha Dey, Benjamin Rosenberg SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR | Stephen Council ___________________ CAMPUS EDITOR | Amy Li ASSISTANT EDITORS | James Pollard, Neya Thanikachalam ___________________ CITY EDITOR | Kristina Karisch ASSISTANT EDITORS | Emma Edmund, Cassidy Wang ___________________ SPORTS EDITOR | Andrew Golden ASSISTANT EDITORS | Greg Svirnovskiy, Sophia Scanlan

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2019

Students weigh in on Democratic 2020 race

By DAISY CONANT

daily senior staffer @daisy_conant

Four debates in and about 100 days away from the Iowa caucuses, voters across the country are beginning to declare their support for various presidential candidates. Among those voters are Northwestern student democrats, many of whom will cast presidential ballots for the first time come 2020.

With Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) leading the pack of 20 candidates in the tightening Democratic race, students have plenty of options.

In terms of who is fielding the most support, NU College Democrats press secretary Cameron Peters said the organization found the majority of students who attended their last roundtable, including himself, are leaning towards Warren.

While the Medill third year initially favored South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, because of his “bigger picture democracy reform plans,” Peters said his support for the candidate has decreased over the months. He attributed his shift to the mayor’s abandonment of “unabashed progressive” rhetoric and ideas.

As the race progresses, Peters noted his support for Warren over Buttigieg will most likely hold. However, he said he would like to see the senator begin aggressively making the case for her policy plans — such as Medicare for All — as opposed to defending them.

“I’m not sure the debates move the needle too much for me,” Peters said. “I think they’re a good showcase of why I might like or dislike any given candidate, but I don’t think I’ve come out of any of the debates yet thinking ‘wow, I hadn’t realized they were in this race, I hadn’t realized they felt that way, I want them to be president and I didn’t when I sat down to watch this debate.’”

Medill sophomore Imani Sumbi has been following the debates as well, noting she finds comfort in the fact that Warren began receiving attacks from the candidates in the fourth round. She said it resembles the “front-runner” treatment Biden is used to getting,

bringing Sumbi confidence that Warren is a leading contender in the race.

Echoing Peters, Sumbi is supporting Warren despite originally being drawn to back another prominent candidate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).

“I really wanted to want Harris — as a black woman, I wanted to want a black woman to be in office,” Imani said. “But as it turned out, she’s just not the ideal candidate because of her criminal justice record in California. I like Warren’s progressive policies… and I think her strength is in her consistency.”

Unlike Peters and Sumbi, Weinberg junior Molly Jo Molloy has found the candidates’ performances so inconsistent that she hasn’t settled on a favorite yet.

Although she has found both Warren and Buttigieg’s command of the stage to be eloquent and informative, Molloy couldn’t say the same for the other presidential hopefuls.

“I’d say Beto (O’Rourke) kind of pisses me off with the really vapid inclusions of the same seven Spanish words that he knows,” Molloy said. “Obviously watching Biden most of the time is painful, to see him try and navigate the situation he’s gotten himself into.”

Molloy is currently waiting to see how the contenders handle the pressure to fundraise and earn support from various demographics.

Apart from the candidates, Molloy criticized the structure and execution of the debates themselves.

She said the time spent rehashing certain issues over others is concerning, especially because topics like immigration continue to be omitted.

Sumbi also discussed her concerns with the content of the debates, noting she believes the topic of conversation should begin shifting away from electability and health care. She added the focus should be on issues such as voter suppression and the potential impact of gerrymandering on the census.

“We can’t wish things into existence if we don’t even have the ability to vote for the representatives we want,” Sumbi said. “So I definitely think that’s something that they should bring attention to, because that’s also a way of critiquing the Trump administration indirectly in a way that’s graceful and that’s relevant to everyone.” daisyconant2022@u.northwesterrn.edu

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 15

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2019

Struggling Wildcats to take on last-place Rutgers

By CARLOS STINSON-MAAS

the daily northwestern @thepresidito

The last time Northwestern was 0-9 in conference play, most of the 2023 class wasn’t born yet.

Now, the team will leave Sunday’s game with either its first conference win or yet another strike on a winless record.

The Wildcats travel to New Brunswick, N.J., this weekend to take on Rutgers in a battle of cellar-dwellers.

NU (9-12, 0-9 Big Ten) has struggled against conference opponents, winning a combined four sets in its last nine games. The Scarlet Knights (6-14, 0-9) have been even worse during that span, winning just three sets.

Both teams have had challenging schedules to this point, with Rutgers having faced three ranked opponents and the Cats facing six.

On Wednesday, NU fell in five sets to Maryland at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Cats were hot and cold, performing well in sets one and four but getting

outplayed in the other three. Coach Shane Davis said he was disappointed with the team’s performance after the game.

“We’ve been pretty poor as soon as our first contact is poor,” Davis said. “We’re either really good or really bad, and we’ve struggled to improve the play as it goes on.”

After winning a set against No. 7 Minnesota on Oct. 5, the Scarlet Knights lost five straight matches to unranked squads. They sit below NU in the conference due to their 6-5 record in non-conference play and 0-9 mark in the Big Ten. Rutgers ranks last in the Big Ten in hitting percentage, kills and assists, and it has no players in the top seven in any major statistical category.

Freshman outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara, who ranks first in the conference in kills per set and fifth in service aces, has been a bright spot in an otherwise underwhelming season. Davis praised Thomas-Ailara’s focus and work ethic.

“Her extra thing that she wants to do is continue to come in for additional film sessions,” Davis said.

“She’s doing a good job being a learner, and I think the team embraces it.”

Daily file photo by Joshua Hoffman

Temi Thomas-Ailara prepares for a serve. The freshman outside hitter is fifth in the Big Ten in service aces.

With a win against Rutgers, the Cats can grab some much-needed momentum and avoid a 10-game losing streak. Davis said NU needs to work on its mental game ahead of this weekend’s matchup.

“This team’s gotta work on something more than just volleyball,” Davis said. “Just gotta build that confidence a little bit. We’re winning some tight battles in practice, just trying to work on confidence moves

on our side of the net and some pressure situations.”

Davis stressed the importance of diligence in preparation for the game against Rutgers.

“We talked about working hard and putting ourselves in positions to compete,” Davis said. “Maybe we’re not working as hard as we need to.” carlosstinson-maas2023@u.northwestern.edu

Want to be NU’s Sole Survivor? You might have the chance

By ARI CROCKETT

the daily northwestern @CrockettAri

“Survivor,” the hit 39-day reality TV show, has inspired many imitations on Big Ten college campuses.

For the first time ever, Communication senior Chase Reed is bringing the contest to Northwestern.

In Northwestern’s rendition, Reed said he’s looking for undergraduate contestants from “all walks of life with beaming personalities and charisma.” As a followup to the online application, Reed is in the process of reviewing video submissions and in-person interviews.

Reed noted the importance of a contestant having their head in the game.

“Don’t apply if it’s a ‘maybe,’” he said. “Only apply if you want this.”

The RTVF senior said Northwestern contestants have the potential to meet new people and create

meaningful friendships through the game — and create lasting memories following graduation.

Reed said he’ll film during Winter and Spring Quarter of this school year. Similar to the TV show, this Survivor will have a pre- and post-merge phase. In the pre-merge phase, from Jan. 10 to Feb. 23, players will be divided up into “tribes,” and those tribes will compete in challenges against each other.

Each week, there will be an immunity challenge, and whichever tribe loses the challenge will have to go to tribal council — where someone will be voted off.

When the ranks thin down to just a few people, the tribes will integrate into one, each member competing against one another in the post-merge portion of the game, from Apr. 3 to May 14.

From there, each person eliminated will become part of the jury who will decide between the last two or three remaining contestants who will be the ultimate winner.

Fans of the show and competitive people are encouraged to apply, as Survivor fan and McCormick freshman

Nathan Arnold did. Arnold mentioned great memories of his whole family gathered around the TV on Saturday nights watching each new “Survivor “episode.

“My family would always say, ‘Oh, one of us could do that!’ But nobody ever actually wanted to go and try out for it themselves,” Arnold said. “So getting an option like this to do it would be amazing.”

Arnold says he is most looking forward to the chance to meet new people, as being in McCormick with classes mainly on North Campus means he rarely visits South Campus.

Survivor NU will take contestants all over campus, with challenges based on campus landmarks like the Rock and the Lakefill, Reed said.

Reed is planning to film the challenges and tribal councils, while contestants will film all other game talk, alliance building, searching for immunity idols and confessionals and send them to Reed.

Reed said Survivor NU will be a socially and physically competitive game. Everyone will be vying for the

grand prize and the title of sole survivor. However, Reed said he expects some social and competitive challenges.

That’s the aspect of the game that makes Arnold nervous, he said. Though blindsides and betrayals are often the juiciest parts of the show, he says he can’t imagine NU students getting that competitive.

“I’m really scared if alliances will form, and (I’ll) be targeted out immediately,” Arnold said.

The rivalries and betrayals expected from the original aren’t discouraged in Survivor NU, but Reed noted that it’s not the name of the game.

“You can definitely play Survivor and not be a snake,” he said, “But, blindsides happen.”

Arnold, like many other aspiring contestants, is hoping he can be named Sole Survivor.

“Everybody’s at least a little bit excited about the cash prize,” he said. “Just being able to play the game, being apart of that is going to be very fun.” aricrockett2023@u.northwestern.edu

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ON DECK OCT.

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ON THE RECORD

Football No. 20 Iowa at NU, 11:00 a.m. Saturday

I’m not just going to sit down and walk them through what to do. But the energy I always bring is something I’ve — Sean Lynch, midfielder been able to rub off a bit.

@DailyNU_Sports

Friday, October 25, 2019

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Wildcats drop heartbreaker against Minnesota

By GREG SVIRNOVSKIY

daily senior staffer @gsvirnovskiy

Daily file photo by Noah Frick-Alofs

We’ve all had that feeling. When you wake up on the wrong side of the bed.

When your shoelaces keep coming undone.

When the weather app is wrong. When the computer takes a little bit longer to load.

Days and nights that make you shake your head, and it seems everything is conspiring against you. For Northwestern on Thursday, this feeling manifested itself after a game-long effort of quality defending and organization was undone in the final few minutes by bad luck and a couple of inches.

The Wildcats lost a tight game to Minnesota by a score of 1-0. But the loss wasn’t the only bad news to come out of the game.

Freshman defender Danika Austin’s knee injury, occurring during a non-contact play in the game’s first minute, changed the complexion of the season and the team’s mentality.

“It’s even more than what she contributes as a player,” coach Michael Moynihan said.“Any time you see a knee injury, a lot of girls get really emotional. It’s a tough thing.

We were not playing well in the opening part of the game, and I think a large part

FIELD HOCKEY

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Minnesota

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of it might have been influenced by that.”

After their initial struggles, NU (5-93, 3-5-2 Big Ten) stabilized, holding the Golden Gophers (3-11-4, 2-6-2) to six shots on goal and forcing two saves from Minnesota’s goalkeeper Maddie Nielsen. Minnesota’s 14 combined shots were the fewest the Cats had allowed since October 11, when they held Michigan State to just nine.

In the 81st minute, Gophers’ midfielder Katie Duong fired a long-range curler that rang off the crossbar and back into play before being gathering into the waiting arms of sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Wood. On the field, it was not called a goal But the referees went to the video replay system, and after a long period of review, they confirmed the ball had just barely broken the plane of goal.

“I haven’t seen the replay but apparently it was in the goal,” Moynihan said. “I don’t know. They did enough.”

The loss doesn’t help the Cats’ chances of qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament

with a forthcoming matchup with No. 9 Wisconsin on Sunday.

Sophomore forward Olivia Stone said the lessons from this game, and other losses from this season, will help them against the Badgers.

“We came in fired up, ready to beat this team,” Stone said. “We’re a young team, we’ve learned these lessons throughout the season. I definitely think we’re putting them in our belt as tools, and we’re going to use them against a mature team like Wisconsin, going in, nothing to lose, proving ourselves and our program.”

This season, the Badgers have outscored their opponents 22-7. They’ve dominated in shot totals too, firing 220, and allowing only 125. Wisconsin has also compiled 107 corner kick opportunities, facing off against just 63.

For NU to secure its playoff spot, it’s going to need to rely on a tight defense and high work rate.

“It starts now,” Stone said. “Hydration, sleep, rest. We’re just looking to get a result again. We just have to prepare like we have for every game this season and go out and fight.” gregorysvirnovskiy2022@u.northwestern.edu

MEN’S SOCCER

No. 8 NU to face Big Lynch a key piece for the Cats Ten foe No. 10 Iowa

By CHARLIE GOLDSMITH

By GABRIELA CARROLL

the daily northwestern @gablcarroll

For some teams, it would be the biggest game of the season.

But for No. 10 Northwestern, it’s just another weekend.

No. 8 Iowa is the 11th ranked opponent in the 17 games the Wildcats has played this season. [cq] [cq] NU’s current record against ranked opposition is 7-3, and the Cats hope they can add a eighth victory Saturday in Iowa City, Iowa.

NU (12-5, 4-2 Big Ten) has been on a roll lately, dominating Rutgers and Kent State in its last two contests.

The Hawkeyes (11-4, 5-1) are coming off an overtime loss to Louisville, but are likely to play with an edge on their senior day.

The game will likely decide the Cats’ seeding in the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa currently sits in third place, with NU is right behind in fourth.

“We want to finish as high as we can in the Big Ten,” coach Tracey Fuchs said. “We’re just going to take this game as it comes, and we hope to go 1-0 this weekend.”

The stakes aren’t as high as they would have been in previous seasons, owing to the tournament’s new structure, which will see all teams play at

a single site. Although earning the right to face a lower-seeded opponent is the goal, without the benefit of home-field advantage, the difference between seeds is minimal.

The Cats have been scoring at a high rate, with an average of 3.12 goals per game. Senior defender Kirsten Mansfield said these opportunities rely on the forwards playing a good defensive game. When NU forces turnovers in the attacking 25, it tends to result in man-up scoring opportunities.

Last Sunday, NU held Kent State to one shot through the combined efforts of both the defensive line and the forwards. The Cats will need to sustain that level of defense in order to beat an Iowa team that averages 3.4 goals per game. To do this, NU will have to limit Iowa’s possessions inside the circle, something they struggled with against Maryland, and a strong offensive press is key to doing that.

“The forward unit is super good at putting high pressure, being smart on the ball, and then counterattacking really well,” senior midfielder Lily Katzman said. “We know Iowa likes to move the ball, and they have good, quick ball speed. Making sure we’re being smart forwards, and knowing when we pressure and how to break down the play.” gabrielacarroll2023@u.northwestern.edu

Daily file photo by Alison Albelda

Junior Midfielder Christen Conley battles for the ball against No. 2 Maryland.

daily senior staffer @2021_charlie

Sean Lynch is like a wind-up toy that’s always on. His teammates say he brings the most energy to practice –– sometimes so much that his coaches have to tell him to dial it down. Lynch says he hates those days.

Coach Tim Lenahan has watched the senior midfielder practice like the season was on the line for four years now, but his two-season spot in the starting lineup has been taken by more highly recruited underclassmen. Then, two injuries to starting defenders bumped Lynch up in the rotation for Sunday’s 2-0 win against Rutgers, which gave Northwestern’s (6-7-1, 2-3-1 Big Ten) game Friday against Michigan State (3-8-3, 3-1-1) major conference tournament implications.

Lynch performed so well Sunday that before Lenahan ended his postgame media availability, the coach went out of his way to praise what he saw from the senior on the field.

“Sean Lynch was terrific,” Lenahan said “As a senior who’s been in and out of the lineup, he stepped up in big games and played really well.”

Lynch was only in six games his freshman year because the coaches told him he wasn’t a good enough decision-maker with the ball. He’s still working on that, and some games he makes better choices than others. Lynch totaled 65 minutes Sunday, but he’s had two Big Ten games with fewer than 30. Sophomore midfielder Richie Bennett and freshman midfielder Logan Weaver took minutes away from Lynch and have as many minutes as anyone on the roster.

Even though his minutes have fluctuated during the season, Lynch is still the same presence in practice. He presses up on the person with the ball even when the coaches don’t ask him too, putting on the equivalent of a full-court defense. When the team scrimmages, Lynch is known to be extremely physical.

It’s the only way he knows how to play, and that hasn’t changed since his freshman season. Back then, it was something Lynch did to stand out on the bottom of the depth chart. Now, he says he feels like he has enough credibility on the team to

Michigan State vs. Northwestern

Evanston, Illinois 7:30 p.m. Friday

influence the way the rest of the group handles practice.

“Sometimes guys come in expecting to play more than they do, and then what happens when they don’t?” Lynch said. “I was all about bringing it every day, even if I wasn’t playing. Even if you’re not going to be the guy that’s starting every game or scoring goals, I learned that it was just about showing up the right way.”

It all paid off for Lynch on Sunday, as he connected multiple passes to attackers and helped the Wildcats move the ball up the field as well as they have all season.

Lynch said he did a better job positioning himself around the Scarlet Knights’ defense than he’s done his entire career,

and that led to him taking his first two shots of the season.

Heading into the two games that will determine whether NU accomplishes its goal of gaining home field advantage for the first round of the conference tournament, Lynch isn’t sure if he’ll keep this big of a role.

If the Cats win against the third-placed Spartans, they’ll jump to third place in the conference. But if NU loses, it’s much less likely that they earn a top-four seed. Even though this is as much pressure as anyone on the roster has faced, Lynch said he hasn’t changed his approach.

“I’m not just going to sit guys down and walk them through what to do,” he said. “But the energy I always bring is something I’ve been able to rub off a little bit.” charliegoldsmith2021@u.northwestern.edu

Daily file photo by Evan Robinson Johnson

Sean Lynch dribbles with the ball. The senior midfielder practices like the season is on the line.