The Daily Northwestern Thursday, November 7, 2019
DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM
TIP-OFF
12 SPORTS/Women’s Basketball
Northwestern wins exhibition game
Find us online @thedailynu
High 32 Low 20
PAGES 7-10
Experienced Wildcats prep for campaign
Weinberg introduces Native Studis minor The minor will launch in 20202021 school year By AMY LI
daily senior staffer
Weinberg introduced a Native American and Indigenous Studies minor, passed during an October faculty meeting and starting in the 2020-2021 academic year, according to Weinberg associate dean for undergraduate affairs Mary Finn. The Center for Native American and Indigenous Research established the minor in response to recommendations from the John Evans Study Committee and the Native American Outreach and Inclusion Task Force. Its creation addressed a key NAOITF recommendation to provide undergraduates with a certificate or minor in Indigenous Studies, according to the minor proposal to the Weinberg Curriculum Committee. Finn told The Daily that she hopes the minor will signal welcome to current and prospective Native American students and provide support for faculty members in Native American studies to help them receive leadership positions in college. “I think it’s going to create
a wonderful synergistic faculty community — which is really the most important thing — that we have a faculty presence in Native American studies that’s growing and strong,” Finn said. “That then helps us diversify our Weinberg college leadership, which is important.” Most of the faculty who will teach courses in the minor are Native American, Finn said. The courses offered in the minor are already available for undergraduate students but are listed under different departments like anthropology, sociology and global health. The minor identified and organized all courses related to Native American and Indigenous Studies. Though the minor will launch next fall, students who are interested in minoring in Native American and Indigenous Studies can begin taking the available courses now, Finn said. In 2017, Weinberg Dean Adrian Randolph appointed professors Patty Loew and Kelly Wisecup as the codirectors of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Center, created after the Dean’s Office received a $1.5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support Native American and Indigenous studies. » See INDIGENOUS, page 11
Delaney Nelson/The Daily Northwestern
Denyse Wang Stoneback speaks to attendees of Wednesday’s fundraising event at Curt’s Cafe. Stoneback is running for State Representative in the 16th district, focusing on gun control and reproductive rights.
Biss endorses two local candidates
First-time candidates LaPointe, Stoneback run on progressive values By DELANEY NELSON
the daily northwestern
Former state Sen. Daniel Biss expressed his support for two female candidates running for the state legislature at a fundraising event Wednesday.
The gathering, held at Curt’s Cafe, 2922 Central St., was an opportunity for community members to learn about state Rep. Lindsey LaPointe (D-Chicago) and Denyse Wang Stoneback, both first-time candidates running for the Illinois State House. First, they have to win their primaries
in March. Biss first introduced LaPointe, who is the current representative of the 19th district — the first woman to hold the seat. She was appointed to the position in July and since then has signed onto 45 bills. Next week, she’ll start work on the Mental Health Committee
in Springfield. With a background in social work, LaPointe said she’s ready to continue to “press the gas pedal” and fight for reproductive freedoms, affordable housing and a graduated state income tax. Above » See BISS, page 11
ASG responds to Sessions protest Activists urge for Emergency resolution provides students with more time, resources By YUNKYO KIM
By EMMA EDMUND
the daily northwestern @yunkyomoonk
In response to student protests against former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ speech at Northwestern, the Associated Student Government introduced an emergency resolution during its Nov. 6 session to provide students with more time and resources. The resolution, which passed 28-2 with two abstention votes, calls on the University to reconsider attendance policies for students who hold marginalized identities and may have been impacted by the protests, the legislation states. It also seeks to expand comprehensive counseling and the Center for Awareness, Response and Education. It also requests the University to train their staff to exercise peaceful engagement after police officers were documented using physical force against student protesters. The resolution, if implemented, will give students time and resources to heal and continue their academic performance, said ASG senator Daniel Rodriguez, who wrote the resolution. “You can’t expect such rigor and also expect such great performance when students aren’t able to have healing,”
legal aid in dying daily senior staffer @emmaeedmund
Evan Robinson-Johnson/Daily Senior Staffer
Daniel Rodriguez, resolution author and ASG senator, fields questions from other senators during the Nov. 6 session. The legislation passed 28-2, with two abstention votes.
Rodriguez said. It was the SESP sophomore’s first time authoring a resolution on his own. However, Rodriguez said he was compelled to
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
write the legislation because he heard a lot of feedback from students who said they » See ASG, page 11
Some Evanston activists hope to introduce a resolution to City Council in early 2020 that would urge the Illinois government to pass legislation to allow medical aid in dying. The proposed resolution opens the possibility for doctors to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill adults who choose to end their lives, sometimes known as medical aid in dying. In this particular case, Amy Sherman, the regional campaign manager for Compassion and Choices — a nonprofit organization that advocates for endof-life options, including medical aid in dying — stressed that the process, which is one option of many, is meant for terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or fewer to live. She added that the patient has to be mentally capable of making this decision — for example, a dementia patient would not be eligible for the
process — and doctors merely prescribe the medicine while the patients self-ingest it. She said that based on the organization’s experience, many people who consider this option have traditionally painful terminal illnesses, such as cancer and ALS. “The option is to request a doctor’s prescription for medication that they can decide to take,” she said. “Again, it’s an option, it’s voluntary — that they decide to take in their final days or weeks could end intolerable suffering.” Eight states and Washington, D.C. already allow this practice. Fay Clayton, a member of Evanston’s action team for Compassion and Choices and one of the activists responsible for the proposed resolution, hopes Evanston can play a role in getting such a law passed in Illinois. Clayton hoped to get the resolution introduced at the end of October or the beginning of November, before City Council got busy with the budget or » See RESOLUTION, page 11
INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | A&E 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 11 | Sports 12
2 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019
AROUND TOWN Orgs. lay groundwork for carrying out CARP goals
economic inequality. “Our youth get it,” Eberhart said. “Our youth get that we need to connect the dots between rising carbon emissions, corporate greed, environmental pollution, white supremacy and more. They get that these problems are interrelated and they get that our solutions, our responses to these crises need to be interrelated as well.” CARP also recognizes that climate change disproportionately harms people of color, immigrants, refugees and lower-income populations. Jensen said he also plans to produce an annual report on CARP and its progress every spring. At the end of the meeting, he proposed roughly quarterly meetings, including potential ones in January, April and July, to further discuss fulfilling goals. Several attendees expressed concerns that these organizations shouldn’t focus on just one CARPrelated objective at a time, because each organization has a different focus and may not be able to help with every goal. City staff also has its own plans for implementing CARP. Staff members are working on developing policy packages centered on waste reduction, municipal operations and buildings. The city’s recycling and garbage collection contract for commercial properties is expiring next year, which Jensen said presents a huge opportunity. “It’s a really good time to be aligning the policy with a contract,” Jensen said. “It’s one of the very powerful mechanisms for change.”
By EMMA EDMUND
daily senior staffer @emmaeedmund
Evanston city staff and organizations on Wednesday laid the groundwork for coordination on the city’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan. City Council passed CARP, Evanston’s comprehensive guide against climate change, back in December 2018. Recently, Kumar Jensen, Evanston’s chief sustainability and resiliency officer, praised outreach as one of CARP’s biggest accomplishments in the months since its passing. At the meeting, organizations ranging from Evanston Made to Citizens’ Greener Evanston floated ideas about tackling CARP objectives, such as the plan’s goal to make the city zero-waste by 2050. The organizations expressed a need to figure out how they can help each other fulfill their individual goals, and Kathy Halper, an artist representing Evanston Made, suggested a Facebook group or website for organizations to post in and use to solicit help. “I feel like you guys need a centralized location to express ‘this group is looking for this’ and ‘this group is interested in this,’” Halper said. At the meeting, one attendee passed around a signup sheet for organizations interested in collaborating. Organizations at the meeting discussed goals ranging from hyper-local to national. Laura Winston and Joan Muller from Evanston’s chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby called for the city to urge the national government for a carbon tax. Melanie West from
Evanston Fire Department announces new smoke detector law
The Evanston Fire Department and public health officials urged residents Tuesday to learn about the state’s new smoke detector law, which requires residents to replace them by 2022.
Emma Edmund/Daily Senior Staffer
Organization representatives at Wednesday’s coordination meeting for the Climate Action and Resilience Plan. City staff held the meeting so Evanston organizations could come together and discuss possible collaborations to further CARP-related objectives.
Tiz Media Foundation, a nonprofit organization that offers services to educate and engage students, asked meeting attendees to help bring speakers to talk to students and to donate different parts, like solar panels, for fourth and fifth graders to tinker with and use. “Our main thing is we want to help them feel empowered and use their voices,” West said. “They’re the ones who really have to deal with this stuff.” Several people at the meeting pushed for more youth interaction. Sylvia Wooller from District 65 Green Teams mentioned that through Evanston/ Skokie School District 65, people can reach 25 percent of Evanston residents. She said the organization, consisting mostly of working parents, can only focus on
“low-hanging fruit,” such as composting and recycling in lunchrooms, and that they are also limited by the eight years their children are in the district. She asked attendees to help the green teams get the district more committed to implementing sustainable practices. Some of the high schoolers who organized the September international climate strike at Fountain Square emphasized at the meeting how many young people in the city feel a sense of urgency around climate change. Timothy Eberhart, a committee member of Environmental Justice Evanston, a sub-organization of Citizens’ Greener Evanston, praised the high schoolers, as well as other younger activists, for linking the issue of climate change to issues like racism and
According to a Tuesday EFD release, EFD worked with the Illinois General Assembly to pass the law because of the number of deaths that occur in Illinois homes without smoke detectors. In 2018, 70 percent of the residential fire deaths were in homes without smoke detectors, the release said. The new law requires residents to install an alarm with a 10-year sealed battery by the end of 2022. “People often have a false sense of security when
it comes to fire safety,” state Rep. Robyn Gabel years ago. He said the majority of deaths are caused (D-Evanston) said in the release. “The new require- by smoke inhalation, which can be prevented by ment just updates that law to reflect the changes people escaping faster. in new technology, aimed at saving lives, while Greg Olsen, Evanston’s public health manager, making it easier and more cost-effective for Illinois said in the release that installing the new detectors residents to comply.” will help residents stay safer. Evanston fire chief Brian Scott said in the “People don’t realize how quickly a fire can turn release that though the number of people killed deadly and how important escape time is,” Olsen in fires has decreased in the past, people are more said. Henry Alford likely to die in a residential fire than they were — Samantha Handler
emmaedmund2022@u.northwestern.edu
henryalford2022@u.northwestern.edu
Wildcat Crossword by Henry Alford
“Road Movies” “Capital One” Answers Answers Wed. 11/6/19 Wed. 10/2/19 1
2
3
4
A D O P
5
.
S O M E O N E
.
17
S U N S E .
26
Grand Opening Thursday, November 7 from 7am–6pm
63
817 Emerson
Join us for free Big Gulp® drink, free small Slurpee®, free medium coffee, free Big Bite® hotdogs and Free pizza slices! One per guest while supplies last.
.
19
G
27
.
I 28
.
A C K
31
Please join us for our
7
E D
15
T
6
T
22
32
.
M U
40
L
.
47
.
48
.
E
56
L
T
O L
E
38
.
42
39
.
16
O C T O B E R
58
.
S 33
.
30
.
24
E S M E
K O R E A N
H U N G
M A R A
I
A N D D R
L
S
52
.
49
.
43
.
44
.
A
E P
I
G R A M
.
D E
T
E C T
.
62
B U
64
59
.
34
.
35
.
.
N E Y I
V E L
.
H C
L
.
.
50 53
45
54
55
.
A W N
T R E E L
36
L G A
A C H E D
A S H E
S
41
A R T
W O R D O N T H E S
61
25
21
L
R C A S .
14
.
I
57
13
.
H O L
E E
12
A A R P
S E M P E R
51
11
E V A R D
E M P A N E
46
10
L
29
T
9
C A S C A D A
B O U
20
S N
C H E S
37
23
.
T
18
8
K
I
60
.
T
E R
E S C O R T
S
New NU crossword every Wednesday PL AY ON LI N E AT
dailynorthwestern.com/crossword
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 3
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019
ON CAMPUS In interview, Holloway talks diversity
The Daily Northwestern
daily senior staffer
General Manager Stacia Campbell
By AMY LI
In mid-October, members of The Daily’s editorial board sat down with Provost Jonathan Holloway for an interview. Jeri Ward, the vice president for global marketing and communications, also sat in on the meeting. His answers to these questions have been edited for clarity and brevity. The Daily: When it comes to diversity and inclusion among undergraduates, what gaps or areas for improvement do you hope Northwestern focuses more on (or continues to focus on)? Any other priorities in the next decade we haven’t touched on? Holloway: If we claim to be a world class university that engages the world, we better have the world here. If we’re going to be leading national university, we need to have the complexity of our national demography — gender and sexuality, race or religion — whatever it is needs to be here also. The Faculty Pathways program has, at different moments along the way, a very clear commitment to that kind of enterprise. On the diversity on the undergraduate side of things, we’ve just launched the Undergraduate Student Lifecycle project moving into its implementation phase. That group that did this amazing work for a year and really came forward with a lot of concrete recommendations related to firstgeneration low-income, underrepresented minority group students and marginalized students. You’re going to start seeing — starting around spring semester — some things starting to get implemented. That will pick up pace as we move forward over the next few years. (The changes) are collectively about recognizing the excellence that is everywhere. We’ve done a really great job — Chris Watson and his team over at admissions — we know how to find talent, and we now know how to package the resources to recruit talent to come here on the graduate level. But… diversifying is not our challenge at the
undergraduate level. Yeah, we can do better here and there, of course we can, but it’s about making the undergraduate experience inclusive so that our students can thrive. Because these things are interwoven. Our commitment is real. I would love to say that we can make it a dollars-and-cents commitment and put a number name on it. I’m just making it up, $50 million of the next five years to diversify our faculty to do these kinds of programs. But as we’re coming out of the financial challenges, we just aren’t in a resource place to do it. What we’re really trying to deal with is changing culture and climate, which isn’t necessarily expensive, but it’s exquisitely difficult. If we don’t have an implementation plan about how to do it, then we know it’s just not going to happen. I’d hope in the next couple of years, we can put a dollar figure on it.
The Daily: According to the 2018 D&I report, in almost all undergrad and graduate schools, more than 70-80 percent of tenure-line faculty is white. That issue shows up in different ways in different schools. Medill, for example, has had few Latinx professors and few spanish-speaking faculty members for years. What’s Northwestern doing to improve that across schools? Holloway: There was a two hour session about search committees that my office hosted. What was really exciting to me is that this was not mandatory meeting, but it was full. We just hadn’t had that kind of turnout in the past. The challenge in an equity rep is finding a member of the faculty in that specific department, who, done properly, has training on unconscious bias and things like that. The pool for his position is cultivated. The fact that we did not have a free seat in the room for a two hour seminar session on this topic tells me that faculty really are interested and they want to know — they want to be proactive in all of this — they aren’t happy about this either. So the challenge in that is we’re talking about culture change, too. But I’ll tell you, if we didn’t have 60 people in the room, if we had like a quarter full room of
people that are sort of feel like they’re begrudgingly, I’d feel a much different way than I do today, having seen that full room and people leaning in and wanting to learn more. So I’m cautiously optimistic that there is a heightened awareness about these things. The Daily: Last April, you mentioned that Jabbar Bennett had commissioned external consultants to spend six to nine months talking to people throughout the University to understand what NU’s commitment to D&I looks like, resulting in a report. What’d that report show? Holloway: Well, that report came in, I want to say over the summer according to my best recollection. It was a helpful diagnostic. The main thing it shows is that we as an institution, we provide the community much greater clarity about the respective missions of those offices, diversity and inclusion and equity in a number of places. So (I told) my staff to do a study, of not just the best practices, but the best organizational practice. And we looked at nine different peer schools, and we came back with seven different models — that’s not helpful at all. And I actually called a number of provosts that are in schools that we that are very much like us, hoping then I’ll get a consistent answer. … The fact is, all of us, Provost universities are trying to sort out the right organizational model for these issues to create an infrastructure to support the different ideas. There is no single path forward. I was talking with Jabbar earlier this week about that very fact, and he is going to be rolling out plans with his team later this fall, but certainly by winter term and spring term with the goal of by the end of this academic year to have some very clear next step plans for how we are going to do our best work or how we can build an infrastructure to support the agenda that we do share about trying to improve the quality of life, being an inclusive atmosphere, as it relates to diversity and inclusive issues. amyli2021@u.northwestern.edu
www.dailynorthwestern.com Editor in Chief Troy Closson
eic@dailynorthwestern.com
stacia@dailynorthwestern.com
Holly and John Madigan Newsroom Phone | 847.491.3222 Campus desk
campus@dailynorthwestern.com
City desk
city@dailynorthwestern.com
Sports desk
sports@dailynorthwestern.com
Ad Office | 847.491.7206
spc-compshop@northwestern.edu
The Daily Northwestern is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, except vacation periods and two weeks preceding them and once during August, by Students Publishing Co., Inc. of Northwestern University, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208; 847-491-7206. First copy of The Daily is free, additional copies are 50 cents. All material published herein, except advertising or where indicated otherwise, is Copyright 2019 The Daily Northwestern and protected under the “work made for hire” and “periodical publication” clauses of copyright law. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Daily Northwestern, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208. Subscriptions are $175 for the academic year. The Daily Northwestern is not responsible for more than one incorrect ad insertion. All display ad corrections must be received by 3 p.m. one day prior to when the ad is run.
Check out DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM for breaking news
4 A&E | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019
A&E
arts & entertainment Noah Frick-Alofs/Daily Senior Staffer
Cast members of “Rip Current Water Entry.” The show opens at Shanley Pavilion on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and runs through Nov. 9.
Vertigo Productions highlights generational anxiety By JENNIFER ZHAN
the daily northwestern @jenniferzhann
Sand: In the words of Anakin Skywalker, it’s coarse, rough, irritating and gets everywhere. And thanks to a forklift and U-Haul truck, Vertigo Productions now has 3,000 pounds of it. The sand creates the beach setting of “Rip Current Water Entry,” a play that follows four young adults working as lifeguards and grappling with concerns about the future as the summer draws to a close. The show opens at Shanley Pavilion on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and runs through Nov. 9. According to Communication senior and show writer Dora Grossman-Weir, towns with wealthy tourist populations offer an interesting opportunity to explore class dynamics. While two of the lifeguards in the play work at the
beach club as a way to pass time, their coworkers depend on the job to pay their bills and support their families. Grossman-Weir said many details in the script have been shaped by Communication junior and show director Sydney Johnson, who is from Martha’s Vineyard, the Massachusetts island where the story takes place. “It’s been insane because (Martha’s Vineyard) is the most precious thing in the world to me, and now I get to share it with this community,” Johnson said. “All the nuances of it and the things that I love about it — it’s just incredibly thrilling, and I feel so lucky to have this vehicle to do that with (Grossman-Weir), who feels the same way.” Grossman-Weir describes “Rip Current Water Entry” as a production that’s “full of laughter until it’s suddenly not.” Up until a week before the opening, she was still tweaking dialogue to ensure jokes are meaningful and reveal how characters redirect their discomfort.
According to the senior, work on the script began during a yearlong playwriting course where she asked classmates to share the issues and fears that most occupied their minds. “I wanted to write something that feels true to this particular moment in time and in history and the anxieties of the world,” Grossman-Weir said. “I also wanted to write with the casualness and the vernacular of people my age, and not try to make the language feel formal or heightened while tackling big issues.” When approached from a personal level, Grossman-Weir said a lot of today’s “big-ticket buzz words,” including the #MeToo movement, teenagers’ party habits, toxic masculinity and class issues, are much more complicated than they are often portrayed. She added that while many people view her generation as “shallow and unkind,” “Rip Current Water Entry” highlights the often overlooked ways young people look out for each
other. At Northwestern, Communication sophomore and show producer Rick Hilscher said students are often cast as parents or older adults. He said he thinks audiences will find something truthful in a production where teenagers play teenagers and connect to the anxieties they actually face. Johnson added that as young people in the audience watch the four lifeguards at this beach club struggle with various internal and external conflicts, she wants them to realize it’s okay to cut themselves some slack. “I hope that they can accept that it’s really hard to be this age,” Johnson said. “It’s the most tumultuous time of our lives. We’re just learning how to be adults right now. And while it feels like the whole world is already on us, we’re just about to step into it.” jenniferzhan2022@u.northwestern.edu
Ladysmith and Steppenwolf Theatre reunite for ‘Lindiwe’ By WILSON CHAPMAN
daily senior staffer @wilsonchapman6
When Communication Prof. Kärin Kopischke first moved to Chicago from the West Coast in the early ’90s, she worked as an assistant costume designer for “The Song of Jacob Zulu” at Steppenwolf Theatre. The play was a collaboration between Steppenwolf and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a five-time Grammy winning South African male choral group well-known for being featured on Paul Simon’s 1986 album “Graceland.” Now, over twenty years later, Kopischke is costume designing Ladysmith’s return to Steppenwolf, “Lindiwe.” Inspired by the myth of Eurydice and Orpheus, “Lindiwe” follows the love story between the titular character, a singer from South Africa, and Adam, a blues drummer from Chicago. The two bond over their shared passion for music, but their relationship is tested by both distance and cultural differences. The show opens Nov. 7 at Steppenwolf ’s Downstairs Theatre and runs through Jan. 5. “It’s a really unique piece of theater,” Kopischke said. “It’s not a play, but it’s not a musical theater. It’s a play with music, but it’s somehow more than just that.” “Lindiwe” is the third collaboration between Steppenwolf and Ladysmith, following the productions of “The Song of Jacob Zulu” and “Nomathemba (Hope)” in 1995. Jonathan Berry (Communication ’07), the artistic producer at Steppenwolf and co-director of “Lindiwe,” said the play shines a spotlight on Ladysmith’s guiding philosophy. As a group, Berry said they believe music has the power to unite people in spite of their differences.
Berry added that members of Ladysmith act as a greek chorus for the story and developed the music for the show. The group conducted several music rehearsals, which took place entirely in Zulu, where they also mapped out and developed the choreography. “It’s been a remarkably collaborative experience that feels very organic in the moment,” Berry said. “As we’re building it and responding to a new script that is changing, they are very much engaged in the process and seeing it through their lens.” Erik Hellman (Communication ’03), who plays Adam, said he’s been a fan of Ladysmith Black Mambazo since he was 13 or 14, when he saw their concert in D.C. As a musician, Hellman said it’s been rewarding to learn about Ladysmith’s musical style and the formation of their melodies. The group does not use backing music, Hellman said, but instead rehearse rigorously to develop their vocal harmonies. According to Hellman, “Lindiwe” mixes heightened theatrical elements with a realistic and relatable story. The show includes many energetic pieces and incorporates a vibrant design aesthetic. Still, the relationship between Lindiwe and Adam and the strain that forms between them is presented with nuance and sympathy to both characters, Hellman said. “There are these huge musical numbers and large tech heavy transitions and then very small interpersonal scenes about relationships, breaking up and how hard it is to be in love with someone,” Hellman said. “It’s got a really nice mix of the theatrical and the real.” Kopischke said the story deals heavily with loss and grief, which has struck a chord personally for the Steppenwolf community since the rehearsal process started. Both former artistic director Martha Lavey and stage manager Malcolm Ewen at Steppenwolf passed away recently, Kopischke said. Because of these losses, the
cast and the crew have responded strongly to the themes of learning how to move on and accept the loss of a loved one. Pointing to music as a force to unite people, Berry said “Lindiwe” is both timeless and relevant. Although he admits it’s not a revolutionary statement, Berry said there’s power in telling a story about human connection when people are living in a very divided time. “There’s something that happens when you hear the music from Black Mambazo,” Berry said. “It ends up reaching something that’s deeper and more connected to the universal human soul, something that says we’re a part of something larger and bigger than ourselves.” wilsonchapman2021@u. northwestern.edu
Source: Madeline Long
The cast of “Lindiwe” rehearses. The show is the third collaboration between Steppenwolf Theatre and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | A&E 5
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019
Red Bull Music Festival returns to Chicago this fall By JANEA WILSON
daily senior staffer @janeaawilson
It was late one Friday night when Communication sophomore Lauren Washington got up in a panic to buy a ticket for a “Tierra Whack” show at this year’s Red Bull Music Festival Chicago. “She is too iconic for me to miss,” Washington said. The Red Bull Music Festival Chicago is a series of eight shows starting Nov. 17 that runs until the end of the month. Unlike other music festivals, each performance takes place in a different venue, ranging from Metro in Wrigleyville to Garfield Park Conservatory in the city’s West Side. SESP senior and Red Bull student brand manager Nick Westfall said changing the show locations allows for increased accessibility amongst Chicago residents and lets patrons see more of the city. According to the festival’s press release, all of the artists featured in the festival are native to Chicago or have a strong connection to the city. In addition to Whack, Washington said she’s most excited to see Pivot Gang, a hip-hop collective from the West Side of Chicago. Despite her mom’s protests, she’s coming back early from Thanksgiving break to see them perform. “This lineup is something you cannot miss,”
Source: Red Bull Content Pool
Attendants enjoy a Red Bull Music Festival Chicago show last year at Metro. The festival will return to the city with eight shows this month.
Washington said. “A festival as small as this is something I can’t pass up, especially in a music city as huge as Chicago.” The festival will begin with the “Gramaphone 50,” a show that honors the 50th anniversary of
Gramaphone records shop and the city’s house music scene. Being a huge house music enthusiast himself, Westfall said he’s happy to see a staple of the Chicago music scene recognized in the festival. “They’ve done a good job curating the lineup
to really harness influential Chicago music artists,” Westfall said. “It does a great job at celebrating Chicago and amplifying the cultural impact that these artists have had, not just in Chicago, but around the world.” Westfall said he’s drawn to how Red Bull tailors the show to the local audience rather than aim at the widest demographic possible. As a Red Bull student brand manager, Westfall’s excited to promote the festival among the Northwestern student body. He said it’s been great to be able to reach many students on campus while gaining hands-on marketing experience. Westfall said he also encourages students to take online quizzes on the Red Bull site.The quizzes consist of timed questions about Chicago musicians, and participants have the opportunity to register their scores for a chance to win tickets to the shows. Williams Noglows (Medill ‘17) said although he didn’t win a ticket through the quizzes, he’s still psyched for the festival and is persuading his friends to join him. He said he’s most looking forward to seeing staples of the Chicago music industry. “It can truly be a Chicago event rather than just bringing Red Bull around each city and just throwing on a typical music festival,” Noglows said. “I love to see more of that going on in the city.” janeawilson2022@u.northwestern.edu
‘Hoodoo Love’ features magical realism and power By VY DUONG
the daily northwestern @vyhduong
When actor Martasia Jones decided to return to the stage after two years of being on screen, it was more than just a turn on the road. As Jones read the script for “Hoodoo Love,” she was instantly drawn to the story’s “richness,” but more so, to the drive and strength of a woman. “To play a character like this, it’s a real dream come true,” Jones said. “She has so many different levels and she’s so human.” Presented by Raven Theatre, “Hoodoo Love” is a spellbinding drama that follows Toulou, a young woman who ventured to Depression-era Memphis in hopes of becoming a famous blues singer. When Toulou fell for a musician named Ace of Spades, she turned to a Hoodoo practitioner for help of casting a spell on the man, which comes with a price. The show opened on Oct. 31 at the 56-seat Raven Theatre’s Schwartz Stage in Chicago, and will run through Dec. 15. Jones said “Hoodoo Love” is more than just a love journey and “magical realism.” Through Toulou, the actor added, the show shines a spotlight on women’s ambitions and the power they can manifest to accomplish those desires. “It’s a beautiful love story that blossoms, but it’s also a story about a young woman who’s very ambitious, who has dreams and goals at a time where women weren’t allowed to pursue such things or weren’t
celebrated in such a way when the patriarchy took control over everything,” Jones said. Director Wardell Clark said when he first saw the script, he instantly came up with many ideas to help tell this powerful story. Although he approached “Hoodoo Love” like he normally did with other productions, Clark said the show has a lot of intense moments, including a two-minute scene where two actors simulate sex on stage. Clark said he worked closely with the intimacy designer Rachel Flesher to create a safe and comfortable space for the actors. With his dance background, Clark added that being able to craft and choreograph the show with the cast members has been fulfilling. As a director, he said he wants to do the characters justice. “I try to make sure that all the characters are very much three dimensional people, and that the complexity they have on the page is even much deeper on the stage,” Clark said. “They’ll have a deep level of emotion that allows the audience to not write off people, but to understand that it’s about humanity.” Scenic designer Sydney Thomas (Communication ’19) said she designed around 15 shows during her time at Northwestern. After graduating last spring, Thomas said she had the opportunity to collaborate with Clark first in “His Shadow” on 16th St Theater before becoming the scenic designer for “Hoodoo Love.” Thomas said while many people may view hoodoo as a “dark, evil and disruptive” energy, she wants to portray the often overlooked potential of hoodoo through her set for the play. She added that it’s important to showcase the possibility that lies within the practice
as well as the spirit of the practitioners themselves. “We have this physical piece of a railroad that somehow becomes disrupted by Toulou’s shack and go haphazardly into the distance,” Thomas said. “That would be early physical objects at this disruption, and this magic and derailing that come from the way the women try to save their faith.” Working with Thomas and other production members, Jones said, has been a humbling and fulfilling experience that she hadn’t felt on stage for a while. She said she hopes the audience find the courage to explore and manifest the power inside them. “You have everything inside of you that you need to be what you want to be,” Jones said. “I would love for them to understand that dreaming is something that’s necessary. That’s what makes life worthwhile.” vyduong2021@u. northwestern.edu
Ice House Gallery hosts student film fest By AARON WANG
the daily northwestern @aaronwangxxx
While studying in Prague, Communication senior Lauren Loesberg decided to make a movie about her trauma. The Ice House Gallery will host a screening of the final product, a seven-minute film called “Janek to the River,” along with four other student films. The film follows a woman who encountered a family tragedy and strives to reconnect with her loved ones. Loesberg said it is both scary and rewarding to show a project that personal to the public. “When you put your art out there, you’re baring your soul to the audience,” Loesberg said. “You’re showing your personal inner feelings and thoughts. Because your art is an extension of you and your heart, and you want to be appreciated and liked.” “A Night of Student Filmmaking” features several movies by Radio, Television and Film undergraduates, including “Dogmeat” by Jesse Zhou, “Cloud 9” by Erika Rodriguez, “Blunderbuss” by George Ayoub and “Crush” by Mega Dafiagor. The movies touch on subjects ranging from isolation to robbery, artificial intelligence and The Bachelorette. Chloe Fourte (Communication ’19) said she wanted to organize the screening event in response to a lack of support from the RTVF department to promote student films. She said she hopes “A Night of Student Filmmaking” can help RTVF majors get familiar with professional settings after college. Hannah Litvan, the founder of Ice House Gallery, echoed Fourte’s sentiment. She said she’s dedicated
Source: Ice House Gallery’s website
A screenshot from the film “Cloud 9” by Communication senior Erika Rodriguez. The movie will be screened this Saturday at Ice House Gallery’s “A Night of Student Filmmaking,” along with four other student productions.
to supporting emerging artists from the Evanston community. Knowing the barriers student artists face when entering the professional field, Litvan said she hopes the screening can be an opportunity
for young filmmakers to gain gallery experience and build connections. “(Student filmmakers) have the talent and skills to create compelling pieces, but they don’t necessarily have the exposure,” Litvan said. “I want to put their work into the rest of the art world.” A former art student herself, Litvan understands these difficulties. According to Litvan, she applied to more than 150 jobs after she graduated, but the industry was mostly looking for experienced artists. She said she didn’t get called back from most applications due to her lack of exhibition experience and connections with art professionals. “My experience trying to make it to the professional art world contributed to how I run my gallery now,” Litvan said. “I want to do something that will push (young artists) to do something bigger.” Communication senior Erika Rodriguez, who wrote and directed “Cloud 9,” said many people don’t understand how time-consuming filmmaking can be. The life trajectory of a film project requires team effort, from the idea to the writing and shooting stages. Rodriguez is excited to see the spotlight shine on the teams behind the works. “The average life span from beginning to the end of editing, filming, production takes a lot of hands,” Rodriguez said. “By having this gallery event, you are not only showing the writer, director and producer, but also every person that makes the release possible. I’m glad that so many people are being recognized for their hard work.” xuandiwang2022@u.northwestern.edu
Photo by Michael Brosilow
Cast members rehearse “Hoodoo Love.” The show opened on Oct. 31 at the 56seat Raven Theatre’s Schwartz Stage in Chicago, and will run through Dec. 15.
A&E arts & entertainment
Editor Vy Duong Assistant Editor Wilson Chapman Designer Emma Ruck Staff Jennifer Zhan Janea Wilson Aaron Wang
6 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019
Archie, ‘The Wildcat Prince,’ turns 6 months old By WILSON CHAPMAN
daily senior staffer @wilsonchapman6
A prince, a future duke, a bundle of joy, a symbol of change, a cultural icon and an honorary Wildcat. All these are some of the ways people have described Archie “Bubba” Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, the baby boy of Prince Harry and Northwestern alumna Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Born six months ago on May 6, Archie is seventh in line for the British royal throne. He is one of the few royals with both American and British blood and the first royal baby with black heritage. Although the Duke and Duchess have mostly kept their son outside of the limelight, in the six months since his birth, he has developed his fair share of memorable public moments. Here is a rundown of Archie Harrison six months later.
Birth:
Archie was born on 5:26 a.m., British
Summer Time, on May 6 at Portland Hospital in London. At time of birth, Archie weighed seven pounds and three ounces. Unlike other royal babies, Archie, then unnamed, did not make a public appearance immediately after birth — instead, Harry opted to make a public appearance at Windsor Castle while his wife recovered from labor. “This little thing is absolutely to die for, so I’m just over the moon,” Prince Harry said. “It’s been the most amazing experience I could ever possibly imagine. How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension but we’re both absolutely thrilled and so grateful to all the lovely support.”
First Public Appearance:
The new family made their public debut two days later at Windsor Castle. Archie was wrapped in a white blanket, with a white beanie on his head, matching Meghan’s white dress. The shoot received praise for how Meghan did not hide her post-pregnancy bump. Immediately after the appearance, Meghan and Harry announced their son’s name, Archie Harrison, on Instagram. The unconventional name of Archie — in addition to inspiring a
number of “Riverdale” memes — took Royal Family followers by surprise, as many speculated the name would be one of a former monarch or iconic royal family figure. Archie is traditionally a nickname for men and boys named “Archibald,” a Scottish title associated with boldness and genuinity. Harrison is an English surname meaning son of Harry, a potential reference to Archie’s father, Prince Harry.
Baptism:
Two months after birth, Archie was baptized at Windsor Castle by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The July 6 ceremony was conducted in private, and the Duchess and her husband released only two photos from the event: a family portrait and a black and white photo of the couple with their baby. During his baptism, Archie wore the same christening gown as his cousins from his father’s side, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte.
The Royal Tour:
Archie made his most notable public appearance during Meghan and Harry’s recent South African charity tour in September 2019. During
the trip, many photos were snapped of the infant, who reached a newfound level of visibility to the public. On Sept. 25, the family made an appearance at Cape Town with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The royals posted a video of their visit, which included footage of Tutu and the infant high-fiving. According to royal correspondents at the event, both Meghan and Harry referred to their son by personal nicknames. Meghan called Archie “Bubba” several times during the meeting, while Harry referred to his son as “Arch.” On Oct. 23, British channel ITV aired a documentary of Meghan and Harry’s trip: “Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.” During the documentary, Meghan and Harry revealed that their son had always been a happy child, but his time during their African charity tour were the happiest moments of his young life. “He clearly loves Africa as well because he’s been happy looking out the window,” Harry said. “He found his voice here. He was bouncing up and down and making more noise than he’s ever made before.” wilsonchapman2021@u.northwestern.edu
Small Business Saturday will promote shopping locally By MAIA SPOTO
the daily northwestern
For Small Business Saturday, customers should think about how they can “vote with their dollars,” said Nina Barrett, owner of Bookends & Beginnings. “Shopping locally… is like a present that you can give to your community, in addition to the presents you’re giving to individual people,” Barrett said. To kick off the holiday season on Small Business Saturday, coming up Nov. 30, customers will receive “shopping passports” guiding them to local businesses in Evanston, such as Bookends & Beginnings. After spending $100 at participating locations, customers can redeem their passports for a tote bag with prizes. Barrett’s independent
bookstore engages with both the city-wide initiative and with a separate national Small Business Saturday, led by the American Booksellers Association. On Nov. 30, children’s book author Sydni Gregg will begin the event at Bookends & Beginnings with a storytime at 10:30 a.m.. Betsy Bird, an Evanston Public Library staff member and children’s book blogger, will run a table at the bookstore in the afternoon. In the evening, Bookends & Beginnings will offer festive food and drinks. “For 15 years, I’ve known how to get kids engaged with picture books,” Bird said. “Now I have my own picture book, and you had better believe your kids are going to be engaged when I present it because I’m going to pull out all the stops.” According to the 2012 Andersonville Study of Retail Economics, $68 of every $100 spent at local
businesses remains in the Chicago community. For every $100 spent at chain companies, only $48 remains in the Chicago community. Annie Coakley, the executive director of Downtown Evanston, said more people are choosing to shop online for convenience. With Small Business Saturday, she said she hopes people will spend locally. “Keeping the dollars here... keeps the stores open, which is a large reason why people move here in the first place,” Coakley said. ”When I talk to residents downtown, they say, ‘Oh, I just love all the shops and restaurants.’ Well, if you don’t shop in them, they’re not going to stick around… they need to be supported.” Barrett said the holiday season is about personal connections. She said chain shopping takes the mystery and excitement out of gift-giving. But
Barrett said shopping at Bookends & Beginnings is an enjoyable and social process — holiday shopping as it was intended to be. She said her employees are always ready to make conversation and offer personal gift recommendations in a way that virtual algorithms cannot. Barrett thinks a lot of people worry about the concentrated money and power of online retail giants, but making an effort to shop locally could help transfer some of this authority back to Evanston. “Ask yourself: Is that something you want to be contributing more data, more money, more support to, when that is support that you could be giving to your local businesses, to strengthen your local community?” Barrett said. maiaspoto2023@u.northwestern.edu
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 2019-20 SEASON PREVIEW @DailyNU_Sports
INSIDE: Veronica Burton’s role as captain 8 | Season Predictions 9 | Abbie Wolf looks to fill void at center 10
TIP-OFF
The Daily Northwestern
Thursday, November 7, 2019
AYE AYE, CAPTAIN!
Veronica Burton looks to guide the Cats as a sophomore leader By RYAN WANGMAN
daily senior staffer @ryanwangman
Every good redemption story needs a hero. Northwestern is coming off a season that played out like a Hollywood script, with a deep tournament run in the WNIT that saw the Cats’ almost-miracle fall short in the finals. It was fueled off the back of last-second game winners, improbable comeback rallies and the final act of star forward Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah’s career. Now, Kunaiyi-Akpanah has graduated, and the team is aiming to come back with a vengeance. So who will now fill the leading role? Much of the preseason hype has surrounded junior guard Lindsey Pulliam, a First Team All-Big Ten selection last year. But while Pulliam is undoubtedly a prolific scorer, her productivity comes in spurts — there are times when her signature midrange
jumper looks as unstoppable as Dirk Nowitzki’s did in his prime, as well as stretches when her shot runs colder than the ice planet of Hoth. Enter Veronica Burton. Burton, a sophomore guard, was a ridiculously efficient defender last season. Her steal rate — the percentage of opponent possessions she stole the ball — was 4.1 percent, per advanced analytics from the women’s basketball website Her Hoop Stats. She also got it done offensively, boasting an elite 2.4 assist to turnover ratio, which also ranked 40th in the country. By more traditional stats, Burton stands out as well. The Massachusetts native averaged 3.6 assists per game, 2.6 steals per game and shot a team-leading 85.5 percent from the charity stripe. Coach Joe McKeown also clearly believes in her, naming her captain in only her second year on the team. Burton joins Pulliam and senior forward Abi Scheid as the three trying to guide the Cats back to the NCAA Tournament. “She was the best defensive player in the league last year, and maybe didn’t get recognized,” McKeown said. “Maybe the most underrated player in the Big Ten. But she was a freshman too. So we don’t worry a whole lot here.” If and when Burton takes the next step this season, she’ll be the ringer the team so desperately needs. Here’s how she can do it.
Beyond the Arc: How Burton can fill NU’s offensive weakness
Last season, Northwestern’s scoring blueprint was pretty cut and dry — either feed the ball to Kunaiyi-Akpanah inside and let her bully the opposition in the paint or find Pulliam in the midrange and let her work her magic. However, the team had a glaring weakness behind the arc, as they shot a middle-of-the-pack 31 percent from 3-point land and scored less than 20 percent of their total points from the area. This predictability allowed defenses to key in on Pulliam and Kunaiyi-Akpanah, daring the Cats to hoist up threes. For NU to become an NCAA tournament team this season and improve on its WNIT runner-up finish, this has to change. And Burton can help foster that change. While Pulliam, the clear primary option on offense this year, has claimed she’s worked relentlessly on her three-point game over the summer, she’s yet to prove the results of her training in game action. Adding a three-pointer to
Daily file photo by Katie Pach
her repertoire would dramatically alter the nature of her game — in each of the past two seasons, Pulliam scored less than 8 percent of her total points from behind the arc. She was also one of the worst 3-point shooters in the country last season, chucking up a ghastly 11.3 percent from deep. So the answer is simple: give Burton more opportunities. Burton was the most efficient three-point shooter on the team last season, connecting on 36.8 percent of her shots behind the arc. But she took only about seven total shots per game, which was just the fifth-highest mark on the team. Burton has a quick release, good shot mechanics and is intelligent with her shot selection, so McKeown should design the game plan to get her as many opportunities as possible. “From a Burton standpoint, (she has) a little chip on her shoulder and I want her to play that way,” McKeown said. “And you know, she’s tough as nails.”
Replacing Pallas: Burton has the ability to make up for the lost production
Last season, Kunayi-Akpanah’s usage rate — the percentage of plays during her time on the floor she finished by either shooting, getting to the line, or committing a turnover — was 26.6 percent, meaning there’s a sizable amount of offensive opportunity available within the team. Burton has the ability to fill the 6-foot-2 hole left in the wake of Kunaiyi-Akpanah’s graduation. Last year, Burton’s usage rate was about 14.5 percent, which ranked in the bottom 20 percent of all players nationally. If she can become more aggressive in creating her own shot as opposed to simply setting others up, the offense will benefit from her deadeye marksmanship. Some opportunity will undoubtedly go to freshmen guards Laya Hartman and Kaylah Rainey, but Burton is so efficient that she deserves a shot. Pulliam’s usage doesn’t really have room to increase, as her 29.8 percent usage rate last season was one of the highest in the country. In fact, some might argue that Pulliam’s usage should actually decrease, as she forces up bad shots consistently, but if you reign her in, you miss out on Pulliam’s how-did-she-do-that shots. Burton is a high IQ passer and defender, and has already showed a deep understanding of the game on the college level in her first season. Now, having earned McKeown’s trust, the biggest question that remains is how she will respond to the offense always running through her or Pulliam, or occasionally fellow backcourt mate Jordan Hamilton. “That’s a scary combination,” Pulliam said. “That’s all I gotta say. I mean, I love playing with them. I think both of them can score, they can score the basketball. They’re great on defense, and I think they bring a lot to the table for the team.” ryanw@u.northwestern.edu
WNBA legend Tangela Smith looks to aid NU as a coach By SOPHIA SCANLAN
daily senior staffer @sophia_scanlan
Joshua Hoffman/The Daily Northwestern
Tangela Smith smiles on the sidelines. Smith is in her second year as an assistant coach at Northwestern.
After being the No. 12 overall draft pick of the 1998 WNBA Draft, accumulating a career 42.3 field goal percentage and ranking in the league’s all-time top-10 in points, blocks and rebounds, WNBA superstar Tangela Smith ended a 15-year career in 2012 and traded her jersey for a clipboard. “I always wanted to coach,” Smith said. “(And) I bring a lot of knowledge of the game, a lot of experience.” Entering her second year as an assistant coach with Northwestern and her sixth as a coach, Smith said she was “honored” when coach Joe McKeown offered her the position with the Wildcats in 2018. She’d spent the previous four seasons as an assistant for Western Michigan but took the job because she thought Northwestern would be a good fit as she’s from the area. A graduate of George Washington High School on Chicago’s East Side, Smith isn’t new to the Big Ten. Smith earned a degree in sports, health, leisure and physical studies from the University of Iowa, where she led the Hawkeyes to Big Ten championships in 1996 and 1998. Smith also won the Big Ten Player of the Year award as a senior. After she was drafted by the Sacramento Monarchs, Smith played seven seasons with the franchise before moving on to the Charlotte Sting, Phoenix Mercury and San Antonio Stars.
Smith said her experience in the WNBA helps her dish out advice to her players. “If they want to get to the professional level, (I know) things they can do,” she said. “(I’m) just giving them the tools the coaches when I came along gave to me.” As a former college athlete herself, Smith added that she’s able to give the players advice on being student-athletes and how to manage their time. Smith has had no problem establishing connections with the team. She said she’s developed a rapport with the students in the past year and spotlighted her relationship with graduated forward Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah, since both of them played in the post position. The assistant coach said she’s become close with sophomore forward Courtney Shaw, as well, and is pushing her to reach her potential. “I’ve built a real nice relationship with her,” Smith said. “But I push her hard because I know that she can work. She has really good potential to be a really good player.” Looking ahead to this winter, Smith said she’s optimistic about the Cats’ postseason chances. The former pro said she thinks NU is ready to take it “to the next level”: winning the Big Ten championship and reaching the NCAA Tournament. “I know we have the potential to do it,” Smith said. “We have a lot of great guards, great leadership. We’re not really young — we only lost one player last year — so the chemistry is there. We can do it.” sophiascanlan2022@u.northwestern.edu
TIP-OFF
The Daily Northwestern
Thursday, November 7, 2019
9
Schedule G Veronica Burton
G Lindsey Pulliam
5’9” sophomore Newton, Massachusetts
G Jordan Hamilton 5’8” junior Frisco, Texas
5’10” junior Silver Spring, Maryland
C Abbie Wolf
6’4” senior Greenwich, Connecticut
F Abi Scheid
6’2” senior Elk River, Minnesota
11/10 Loyola Maryland 11/14 Marquette 11/17 Duke 11/21 Valparaiso 11/27 Colgate 12/1DePaul 12/4 Boston College 12/7 Dartmouth 12/16 UT-Arlington 12/20 Eastern Carolina 12/21 Xavier 12/28 Illinois 12/31 Maryland 1/5 Iowa 1/9 Minnesota 1/12 Purdue 1/16 Indiana 1/19 Penn State 1/23 Michigan State 1/26 Maryland 1/30 Michigan 2/2 Penn State 2/10 Michigan State 2/13 Michigan 2/16 Nebraska 2/19 Rutgers 2/22 Wisconsin 2/25 Ohio State 2/29 Illinois Home games are in bold
Head Coach Joe McKeown
Centers Abbie Wolf (Sr)
Assistants Kate Popovec Preston Reid Tangela Smith
Fearless Forecasters
Predicted Record
Forwards Abi Scheid (Sr) Bryana Hopkins (Sr) Courtney Shaw (So)
Guards Veronica Burton (So) Lindsey Pulliam (Jr) Jordan Hamilton (Jr) Jess Sancataldo (So) Kaylah Rainey (Fr) Lauryn Satterwhite (So) Sydney Wood (So) Brooke Pikiell (Jr) Byrdy Galernik (Sr) Amber Jamison (Sr) Laya Hartman (Fr)
Season Outlook
20-9 (13-5 Big Ten)
The Wildcats have so much talent on back court, from sophomore Veronica Burton to juniors Jordan Hamilton and Lindsey Pulliam. A year after the experience of the WNIT, Northwestern will get back to the tournament.
17-12 (9-9 Big Ten)
Trying to replace Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah will prove lethal for Northwestern’s postseason chances. Lindsey Pulliam and Veronica Burton will garner heaps of indiviual accolades, but the Big Ten is good and the Cats aren’t ready yet.
22-7 (14-4 Big Ten)
This is the year for the Cats to make noise in the NCAA Tournament. Pulliam and Burton are both All-Big Ten caliber players who have enough ability to lead the team to the NCAA Tournament and a top-four Big Ten finish.
20-9 (12-6 Big Ten)
The Cats will miss Kunaiyi-Akpanah, but the roster is full of talented players from last year’s squad who are more than capable of leading NU to another deep postseason run. They may not win it all, but it’s going to be a big season.
BENJAMIN
19-10 (11-7 Big Ten)
NU has “bubble team” written all over them. The Cats are laden with veterans and possesses one of the depeest backcourts in the Big Ten. If the Cats can get to the last two weeks of the season above .500, they should be in good shape.
PETER
22-7 (12-6 Big Ten)
This is NU’s time. Four starters return from last year’s solids squad and there are plenty of key contributors expected to step up. Look out for sophomore Sydney Wood to make the leap this campaign.
ANDREW
GOLDEN
RYAN
WANGMAN
CHARLIE
GOLDSMITH
SOPHIA
SCANLAN
ROSENBERG
WARREN
10 TIP-OFF
The Daily Northwestern
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Opinion: NU is primed to make the NCAA tourney CHARLIE CHOLDSMITH
SPORTS COLUMNIST
Daily file photo by Katie Pach
Lindsey Pulliam dribbles the ball. The junior guard will look to be an experienced leader this year as she tries to lead the Cats back to the tournament.
Joe McKeown has already done the hard part. Two years ago, after losing one of the best senior classes in program history, McKeown rolled into his season opener with two unabashed freshman guards and a group of wings with no college experience. He watched forward Abi Scheid shoot 3-for-10 from the field in a 15-point loss to Chattanooga. He watched guards Lindsey Pulliam and Jordan Hamilton miss 16 shots combined in another loss against Milwaukee. That’s all in the past. Freshmen eventually become upperclassmen, and these players have gotten better every step of the way. Pulliam and Hamilton, two juniors, senior forward Abi Scheid and sophomore guard Veronica Burton have almost as much experience as a professor with tenure. Now, there’s no reason why they can’t lead Northwestern to the NCAA Tournament. In 2018, Big Ten competition wanted to play the Wildcats. The 12-win team lost almost half of its conference games by double digits, including a 30-point loss to Michigan State and a 21-point loss to Michigan. But there were signs that a bright future was on the horizon. Puliam scored 19 points in a three-point conference loss to No. 14 Maryland in January. It was the first time she performed so well against a top team –– before she became an all-Big Ten player –– and McKeown said he saw that game as a step in the right direction. “I told our players, ‘That’s why you came to the Big Ten,” McKeown said after that game. “We just had opportunities in the fourth quarter with the game tied where we just couldn’t get a stop.”
Then last season, NU leveled up. The Cats finished 9-9 against Big Ten competition and beat three ranked teams. In the postseason, NU advanced to the WNIT Finals with Pulliam torching opponents along the way, averaging over 16 points per game in the postseason. All of it –– from blowout losses in 2017 to the WNIT run last March –– has been leading up to this. Every player projected to be in the rotation has been thrown into the fire before and survived, putting up impressive numbers in the process. NU should win 20 or more regular season games this year. This cast of players fared well against highly ranked teams even when they were all untested. Now Pulliam, Hamilton, Burton and Scheid will get to take advantage of the less experienced teams they play. There isn’t another team in the Big Ten who has relied on the same players for this long. Because almost every NCAA player stays four years in the women’s game, younger players usually have to wait their turn. They move their way up from the end of the bench and then a supporting role before finally getting to run the offense late in their career. The Cats’ core players have been leading this offense for years now, and they led NU to becoming one of the best scoring teams in the Big Ten last year. How can you doubt a group with such a track record of being productive and competitive? This group used to be stomped on by conference foes in blowout losses. That part of the journey is over, and a tournament appearance seems likely. After a long wait, the fun part is about to begin. Charlie Goldsmith is a Medill Junior. He can be contacted at charliegoldsmith2021@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 Cats will look to Abbie Wolf down low this season By BENJAMIN ROSENBERG
daily senior staffer @bxrosenberg
Joe McKeown has compared Pallas KunaiyiAkpanah’s rebounding ability to Moses Malone and Dennis Rodman. He said he’s coached “very few players” like her. He described her as “different.” Now Kunaiyi-Akpanah is playing professionally in Italy, and it will be a tall order — literally and figuratively — for Northwestern to replace her production. Asked this week how the Wildcats plan to replicate KunaiyiAkpanah’s rebounding prowess, NU’s 12th-year coach replied quite simply, “you don’t.” “What (her graduation) does is it creates opportunities for other players to step up,” McKeown said. “Nobody’s going to put up those numbers individually, it’s got to be a team thing. She tried to get every rebound, in practice, shootaround, in pickup games, anything. There’s nobody like her that I’ve ever been around in basketball.” Senior center Abbie Wolf will have the most opportunities as she becomes a firsttime starter this year. Wolf served as KunaiyiAkpanah’s primary backup for the last two years, and said she learned a lot from her and they remain close friends. Although she started just once, Wolf appeared in all 36 games last season, averaging 14 minutes per contest, putting up 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. But those numbers do not tell the full story. Wolf improved significantly as the season progressed and her usage increased. When Kunaiyi-Akpanah got into early foul trouble in a game at Michigan, Wolf played a seasonhigh 29 minutes and finished with a doubledouble — 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting and 13 boards. “I’m really proud of her,” McKeown said. “She’s a senior, she’s played a lot of big minutes for us, made a lot of contributions, had some big games. I just want to see her have a great senior year. She gives us a different dimension, because of her size, than Pallas.” Wolf is taller than Kunaiyi-Akpanah — 6-foot-4 to the Nigeria native’s 6-foot-2. McKeown said Wolf ’s height gives her the ability to score with her back to the basket and to rebound the ball in traffic. The Cats will need her to do both of those Daily filewell. photoNU by Noah Frick-Alofs thin on frontcourt things is extremely
depth — 11 of their 15 players are listed as guards. Wolf will likely start in the frontcourt alongside senior forward Abi Scheid, but beyond the two of them, only senior forward Bryana Hopkins has played meaningful minutes. “It’s just going up and getting the rebound, knowing that I’m the tallest player on the floor and I need to utilize my height and strength and experience now,” Wolf said. “Just having that patience as well in the post, on offense, faking out, being a little crafty now that I have some more freedom this year.” Wolf is looking to improve her game away from the rim as well. While she said she is a consistent shooter in practice, she shot just 46 percent from the free throw line last season. Developing a stronger outside shot would force defenses to get extended, opening up driving lanes for the Cats’ guards. Wolf and KunaiyiAkpanah lived together last year, and Wolf said they would scout their future opponents together at their house. She said Kunaiyi-Akpanah taught her to bring maximum intensity and focus to every play. Although Wolf is not a team captain, she said she has still become a vocal leader on defense, just as Kunaiyi-Akpanah was a year ago. “I’ve always been a hard worker myself, but pushing others in the locker room and on the court is something I’ve tried to do and continue working on,” Wolf said. “It’s easier and more natural for a senior player to do that. I’ve definitely grown into being consistent with talking and bringing the younger girls up.” benjaminrosenberg2021@u.northwestern.edu
Daily file photo by Katie Pach
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 11
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2019
RESOLUTION
BISS
holiday breaks, but due to a rule change, the team was unable to submit the resolution in time. “We decided we would wait until the beginning of the year,” Clayton said. “The system’s too jammed-up now.” Ald. Melissa Wynne (3rd) has agreed to introduce the legislation, according to Clayton. Wynne did not immediately respond to The Daily’s request for comment. At the statewide level, state Sen. Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-Evanston) and state Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) both support medical aid in dying legislation. Fine said Gabel would push a bill through the Illinois House, while she would push the bill through the Senate. Fine stressed the importance of getting legislation passed quickly, but not before Illinois residents and officials have been properly educated on the subject. “The sooner we’re able to get it done, the better for people who would benefit from it because you don’t want somebody living in a life of pain if they don’t have to live in that life of pain,” Fine said. “But on the same note, if we take our time with it and make sure we get it right and make sure we answer all of these questions, and have a better opportunity of passing it and getting it signed into law, the better off we’ll be.” Currently, Clayton and her team are also working to educate Evanston residents about the issue. They have held talks at ward meetings, The Mather and different religious organizations. They sometimes play an educational movie with the discussion. Across the country, support for medical aid in dying has grown. A 2018 Gallup poll found 72 percent of Americans support legal euthanasia, but that the process of euthanasia involves someone other than the terminally ill patient administering the lethal medication, which is illegal in the U.S. As for doctor-assisted suicide, which is a term Gallup uses for patients who self-administer the lethal dose, only 52 percent of Americans in 2019 said they support the practice. Gallup said this might be because “suicide” sounds harsher than the description for euthanasia. Sherman wanted to stress that medical aid in dying, however, is not suicide. “(Medical aid in dying) is for people who would love to live but are dying, and are suffering,” she said. “It is done with a very considered process.” Many laws also build in multiple steps before patients can go through with terminating their lives. For example, in Oregon, the law stipulates a waiting period between two oral prescription requests, which must be at least 15 days, in addition to other requirements.
everything else, she said she’s “most interested in getting things done.” LaPointe is running against four Democratic opponents in the primary. She said politically, she’s the furthest left of the four. Stoneback served as an educational publisher for 20 years until the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. She said the shooting left her floored, as legislators failed to stand up to the National Rifle Association by passing gun control policy. She then founded the nonprofit People for a Safer Society, through which she has advocated for gun policy reform in Springfield,Evanston and Skokie. Now, she’s running to be state representative of the 16th district. Along with gun reform, Stoneback said she supports the Fair Tax, a proposal she said would generate $3.4 billion in revenue for Illinois and take the burden off the lower 20 percent of income earners.
From page 1
From page 1
emmaedmund2022@u.northwestern.edu
INDIGENOUS From page 1
Loew and Wisecup then began building a minor, which first requires enough faculty to teach the required courses, Finn said. The center’s co-directors hired into the minor across different departments, including sociology, English and history. Loew, who is a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, said that in the process of creating the minor, she and her colleagues focused on achieving a set of learning objectives that they hope students achieve by the end of their minor courses. “What should someone who gets a minor in native studies know at the end of his or her journey?” Loew said. “These are concepts like sovereignty, treaty rights, mobility. They should understand indigenous research and study methods, talking circles, reciprocity, respect, responsibility — values that govern indigenous research
ASG
From page 1 were not given a lot of opportunities to process what happened during the speech. Adam Davies, ASG’s executive vice president and co-sponsor of the resolution, said the passing of the legislation was important for the Northwestern community to recognize that events on campus foster an unsafe environment. “(The resolution) would allow them to have the ability to reach out to their professors and get the extra time they need,” the SESP senior said. Davies said ASG should be able to provide resources for the students and encourage
While both of these candidates are running in competitive primaries, Biss said these races are an opportunity to elect “remarkable” people amid corruption and machine politics in Illinois government. One attendee raised concerns about the speaker of the State House Speaker Mike Madigan’s powerful influence over legislators. “That’s where people like us supporting candidates like these really matters,” Biss said. “Not just because they’re good and brilliant people, but because when they get to Springfield on the backs of our support, they don’t owe (Madigan) anything.” Evanston resident Rachel Ruttenberg said she came to support two progressive candidates willing to stand up for women’s rights. “Here in Evanston, we’re always looking for ways to spread the progressive goodwill, and so I think it is important for both us to extend our network out of our own districts,” Ruttenberg said, “but then also for candidates to be able to access individuals in Evanston.” Attendee Andrew Rowlas came from Chicago
to support Stoneback. A new volunteer to her campaign, he said he’s not happy with the incumbent in the 16th district, state Rep. Yehiel Kalish (D-Chicago), because Kalish is not “encompassing enough of what the community represents.” Rowlas said Stoneback is a progressive candidate who will fight for issues like gun control. Stoneback called attendees to action, saying “we all must do everything that we can to affect the change that we believe must happen, and not just on guns but on every other issue.” Biss concluded the event,urging attendees to donate and volunteer for the candidates. He emphasized how in tight elections, even one mailer sent by an opponent could decide the primary. “I just want you all to think about Illinois government run by people like this,” Biss said. “You wouldn’t feel the frustration you now feel reading the paper if people like this are in charge of Springfield. We can make it happen.”
and studies.” Loew said the minor is structured around foundational courses at the core and four cardinal directions emerging from the center. At the center, students will be able to choose between one of three foundational courses in sociology, history and English. In the Northern direction, the courses pertain to creative expression, including topics in English literature and art history. In the East, topics cover the social sciences such as anthropology, law and history. The South will deal with global indigenous health and environmental science. The fourth direction is focused on global indigeneity, comparing and contrasting the differences between Native American and indigenous studies from a global perspective, Loew explained. Loew said besides the work faculty and administrators have put into the minor’s establishment, “this was the result of student activism.” “I don’t think Northwestern would have committed resources on its own without pressure
from students,” Loew said. “This is a really successful story on the part of Northwestern students.” Northwestern’s Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance and other student activists have advocated for the minor since the center’s establishment. Randolph also said students were the main catalysts behind the minor, as well as the John Evans report in 2014. Randolph said he supported devoting a research center to support faculty studying Native American and Indigenous Studies since he assumed his role as Weinberg Dean in 2015. He said he hopes the minor is the next step in the college’s continuing support for these faculty members. “My hope is that the minor is just the most recent, exciting result of hiring faculty and having them form an intellectual community,” Randolph said.
professors to reconsider attendance policies. They hope students who feel unsafe on campus due to the events on Tuesday would receive the resources they need, they said. Izzy Dobbel, ASG president and co-sponsor of the legislation, said she was surprised to wake up this morning to articles and media that showed campus police responding inappropriately and unsafely to students. “Campus is feeling unsafe and that someone has entered their safe space that is home and that makes them feel threatened with their acts of hate speech,” the SESP senior said. “(The resolution) is calling the University to allow for flexibility right now to deal with what that trauma looks like.”
The legislation also emphasized that ASG does not endorse any political parties but that they will focus on providing support to students regardless of their presence at the protest or the event itself. Rodriguez said he hopes ASG and the Northwestern community have active conversations about how to better support students to feel safe in times of campus political conflicts. “I knew it was a hard topic to navigate, and I didn’t want to cause further harm,” Rodriguez said. “Moving forward, I really want us to keep having that conversation of what it means to heal.”
delaneynelson2023@u.northwestern.edu
amyli2021@u.northwestern.edu
yunkyokim2022@u.northwestern.edu
DAILY PUZZLES & CLASSIFIEDS • HELP WANTED • FOR RENT • FOR SALE Classified Ads
Help Wanted
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN is not responsible for more than one incorrect insertion of an ad. Corrections must be received by 10am on the day before ad runs again, call 847-4917206. All Classifieds must be paid in advance and are not accepted over the phone. To run online, ad must run in print on same day. The Daily does not knowingly accept misleading or false ads and does not guarantee any ad or claim, or endorse any advertised product or service. Please use caution when answering ads, especially when sending money.
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN is not responsible for more than one incorrect insertion of an ad. Corrections must be received by 10am on the day before ad runs again, call 847-4917206. All Classifieds must be paid in advance and are not accepted over the phone. To run online, ad must run in print on same day. The Daily does not knowingly accept misleading or false ads and does not guarantee any ad or claim, or endorse any advertised product or service. Please use caution when answering ads, especially when sending money.
It is the policy of The Daily Northwestern to accept housing advertising only from those whose housing is available without discrimination with respect to sexual orientation, race, creed or national origin. The presumption is therefore, that any housing listing appearing here is non-discriminatory.
HELP WANTED ADS are accepted only from advertisers who are equal opportunity employers. The presumption, therefore, is that all positions offered here are available to qualified persons without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, handicap, or veteran status.
For Sale
Post a Classified! Now anyone can post and manage a classified ad. Go to: DailyNorthwestern. com/classifieds Questions? Call 847-491-7206
DAILY SUDOKU Complete the grid so each ROW, COLUMN and 3-by-3 BOX (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9.
For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk SOLUTION TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE
Large 3 Bedroom Furnished Apartments On Campus SHERMAN & EMERSON 1901 Sherman Ave Available September 2020 Hardwood Floors, Ceiling Fans Appliances, Heat, Hot Water FREE Large Storage Units Bike Room, Intercom $2725 Laundry Room Cable Ready Open House Showing Thursday November 14th 5 to 6:30 pm Friday November 15th 5 to 6:30 pm Cagan Management 847-324-8992 mlungu@cagan.com
Order your YEARBOOK on CAESAR & SAVE 10% Log into CAESAR and go to Student Homepage > Profile > Syllabus Yearbook Orders Offer ends 11/30/19
11/7/19
Level: 1 2 3 4
© 2019 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Media Services. All rights reserved.
nusyllabus.com
FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 7, 2019
DAILY CROSSWORD Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by RichEdited Norrisby and Joyce Lewis Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Astrological Ram 6 Cleans out badly? 10 __-pitch softball 13 Dry up 14 Old photo hue 15 Equivocate 16 International waters 18 Scrabble vowel value 19 Focus of a modern crisis 20 Branch bit 21 “The Persistence of Memory” artist 24 Teleflora rival 25 Ice Capades setting 26 Word with string or sing 28 Washington post 31 Ulaanbaatar native 33 One concerned with bites 35 South of France? 36 Trifling amount 38 Former NBA exec Jackson 39 “Dumbo” (2019) director Burton 41 Off-leash play area 44 Like many courtside interviews 46 Pine detritus 48 New York Harbor’s __ Island 49 “Mad About You” daughter 51 __ Zion Church 53 Actor Alan 54 Runs 55 Audit 58 Holstein sound 59 Politically diverse ballot ... and an apt description of each set of puzzle circles 63 New Haven alum 64 L.L.Bean headquarters locale 65 River in some Renoir paintings 66 “Voices Carry” pop group __ Tuesday 67 Unaccompanied 68 Lauder of cosmetics
11/7/19
By Sean Biggins
DOWN 1 Fitting 2 Root word? 3 Hot temper 4 Bouncing off the walls 5 Castaway’s salvation 6 Lived 7 Slanted page 8 Slant 9 KLM rival 10 Locker room feature 11 Red Square honoree 12 Luxury watch 14 They’re poured at bars 17 Many an animated Twitter pic 20 Picard’s counselor 21 Stops up 22 Vocally 23 Marinated beef dish 25 Harmonize 27 Grammy category 29 Game console letters 30 Member of the opposition 32 Attachment to a car or a boat?
Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved
Answers to yesterday’s
Wildcat Crossword are on page 2. The Wildcat Crossword is also availiable at daily northwestern.com/cross word ©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
34 Shy 37 Result of Googling 40 Natural table 42 Heist units 43 “How to Get Away With Murder” lawyer Annalise 45 Quick looks 47 Clobber, biblically 49 “Glengarry Glen Ross” playwright
11/7/19
50 Garlicky spread 52 Tonsillitis-treating doc 55 Row 56 Parts of hips 57 65-Across feeder 59 Texting format, briefly 60 Set for assembly 61 Dallas-toMemphis dir. 62 Simple top
SPORTS
ON DECK NOV.
8
ON THE RECORD
It’s important, especially this weekend, to fight each game, to fight each whistle, and to fight for our teammates. — Kayla Blas, defenseman
Men’s Basketball Merrimack at NU, 7 p.m. Friday
@DailyNU_Sports
Thursday, November 7, 2019
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Northwestern blows out Lewis in exhibition game By GRAYSON WELO
the daily northwestern @graysonwelo
Joshua Hoffman/The Daily Northwestern
During Wednesday’s exhibition game against Division II Lewis, junior guard Lindsey Pulliam displayed early on that Northwestern will attack with speed and aggression this year. The team captain missed two 3-pointers within the first minute of the game, something she said she worked on during the offseason, but still ended the game with 15 points. Last season, the Wildcats ended on a low point — scoring a meager 42 points in a loss in the WNIT Finals to the Arizona. But Wednesday, NU surpassed that score by halftime, leading the Flyers by 29 points, before defeating Lewis 89-34. “Everytime (Pulliam) shoots I’m thinking let’s get back on D because I think the balls going in,” coach Joe McKeown said. “When she gets hot, the only one that can really guard her is me, and that’s by taking her out of the game.” While one of NU’s top guards thrived on Wednesday, junior guard Jordan Hamilton missed the contest. Last season, Hamilton finished second on the team in assists and fifth in total points last year. Despite missing one of their lead ball handlers, the Cats still had three double-digit scorers in addition to Pulliam. Sophomore guard Sydney Wood and senior guard Byrdy Galernik matched Pulliam with 15 points, while sophomore forward Courtney Shaw finished with 11
points. “I liked our depth, I thought people came in and gave us sparks, and they came in and changed the game at times and the pace,” McKeown said. “To be able to play a lot of players kind of gives you hope that we don’t lose a lot when we rotate people in. So I liked what I saw tonight.” NU led by 36 points at the end of the third quarter which allowed for newcomers, including freshman guards Kaylah Rainey and Laya Hartman, to get off the bench and re-energize the team. “Our bench definitely came with a lot of energy, so that ’s always really fun to watch from the bench too,” Wood said. “When they come in and carry over what we started tonight. It was really exciting to see Kaylah and Laya score their first baskets. In the fourth quarter, the Cats had five steals and limited Lewis’ offenses chances, allowing the Flyers only nine points in the final quarter. McKeown said that the Cats defense was a strong point for the team in the exhibition matchup which he hopes the team will continue to work on. “I thought we did a lot of good things defensively which has really been our focus in practice,” McKeown said. “One of the things we’ve been working on every day is deflections and trying to get loose balls and turning them into transition buckets. We’re getting there… it’s just such a long season now and tonight was a good start.” graysonwelo2023@u.northwestern.edu
VOLLEYBALL
FIELD HOCKEY
NU ready for postseason The Cats lose 12th Big Ten game By GABRIELA CARROLL
the daily northwestern @gablcarroll
Last time No. 14 Northwestern faced No. 16 Rutgers, the Wildcats walked away with an easy 4-1 victory. NU will take on a resurgent Scarlet Knights team in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday. The Cats (13-6, 5-3 Big Ten) earned the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, and to earn a bid in the NCAA tournament, coach Tracey Fuchs said the team will have to make a run this weekend. And that starts with Rutgers (10-7, 4-4). The Scarlet Knights’ biggest strength is their defense, which only allows an average of 1.29 goals. NU overcame that defense on Oct. 13 by forcing and converting penalty corners, which has been one of its strengths this season. The Cats will need to once again apply pressure into the circle and take as many shots as possible — a shot that leads to a penalty corner is almost as successful as one that leads to a goal. With newly anointed Big Ten Freshman of the Year and All-Big Ten first team forward Bente Baekers leading the attack, the Cats are aiming to repeat their earlier performance against Rutgers. “Although Bente has led the team in scoring, we have a lot of different threats, including field goals and our corner attack,” Fuchs said. “We’re hard to defend, because if you take one player out of the game, we have five or six that can
step up.” This is the first year of a new tournament format, where every game is played at the same site, this year, at Penn State. Previously, the first round of the tournament was a home game for the top seeds before the remaining teams travelled to one location for the semifinals and finals. Having a home game may have provided an advantage for NU, but sophomore defenseman Kayla Blas said she thinks the road environment will help the Cats stay focused. “The energy of seeing all the teams there constantly, of always being there on campus, and feeling the environment will keep us energized,” Blas said. If the Cats win, they’ll move on to face the winner of Iowa vs. Ohio State. NU defeated the Buckeyes 4-1 on Sept. 20, but lost a heartbreaker to the Hawkeyes 2-1 on Oct. 26. Wins against the Scarlet Knights and either of those two teams would boost the Cats’ NCAA tournament resume. Although NU is third in the Big Ten standings, there are three teams in the Big Ten ranked ahead of them in the national rankings, and need a boost this weekend to solidify a spot in the NCAA postseason. “I think we’re all excited to finally be back there,” Blas said. “We want to earn it, and we want to fight for our teammates. It’s important, especially this weekend, to fight each game, to fight each whistle, and to fight for our teammates.” gabrielacarroll2023@u.northwestern.edu
By CARLOS STINSON-MAAS
the daily northwestern @thepresidito
Northwestern fell in straight sets to No. 7 Nebraska for the second time this season when the teams met in Lincoln, Nebraska on Wednesday. The Wildcats have now dropped 11 straight matches to the Cornhuskers (19-3, 11-2 Big Ten), last winning a set in 2013. With the loss, NU (10-15, 1-12) has lost all 21 sets against ranked opponents. In the last matchup on September 28th, the Cats battled against Nebraska after getting off to a poor start. They lost the first two sets, allowing Nebraska to take advantage of their mistakes early. But in the third and final set, NU showed resilience, playing the Cornhuskers hard before falling in the final set 30-28. Unfortunately, the second matchup wasn’t competitive. Nebraska led the entirety of the first set, winning 25-18. They finished the set with a hit percentage of .229, compared to .000 for the Cats. NU’s offensive performance in the second set was even worse. The Cats opened the second set with four consecutive attack errors, and never erased the deficit. The Cornhuskers scorched the Cats for the rest of the set, handing NU its worst set loss of the season at 25-7. The second set was a statistical nightmare for the Cats, as they finished with a -.129 hit percentage and only four total kills. On the season, freshman outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara alone is averaging
Daily file photo by Joshua Hoffman
Temi Thomas-Ailara prepares to receive a serve. The freshman outside hitter returned after missing the last couple of games.
over four kills per set. NU took its first lead of the match in set three after back-toback attack errors from Nebraska put the Cats ahead 5-3. The Cornhuskers rebounded quickly, however, breaking off a 9-0 run and maintaining their lead, eventually winning 25-18 to clinch the sweep. Overall, NU had arguably its worst performance of the season. With the exception of graduate setter Payton Chang, who recorded only one kill, no players had a positive hit percentage for the Cats. In other words, all but one player had as many or more errors than kills. Thomas-Ailara did return from injury, starting her first game since Oct. 27. She finished with five kills, good for second most on the team — however, she broke her streak of 19 straight games with double-digit
kills. Junior outside hitter Nia Robinson led the team with six kills, and freshman middle blocker Desiree Becker added a team-high six total blocks. With Wednesday’s win, Nebraska moves to 11-2 in the conference, and looks ahead to the NCAA tournament as a potential top seed — they’ve remained in the top 10 for the entirety of the season. NU, on the other hand, is virtually eliminated from tournament contention, having already clinched a losing conference record and failing to produce against both ranked and unranked Big Ten foes. “We’ve struggled improving the play as it goes on,” coach Shane Davis said. “Maybe we’re not working as hard as we need to.” carlosstinon-maas2023@u.northwestern.edu