The Daily Northwestern – November 17, 2017

The Daily Northwestern Friday, November 17, 2017

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New University initiative aims to alleviate cost of materials for low-income freshmen in STEM

By ALLYSON CHIU

daily senior staffer @_allysonchiu

When most people feel like spoiling themselves, they indulge in decadent meals or go on shopping sprees. Communication freshman Carter Liebman treated himself to a Northwestern education.

“My being nice to myself and spending money on myself was coming here,” he said.

“And ultimately, that’s what was worth it for me.”

Liebman, a theater and neuroscience double major, is one of many Pell Grant-eligible freshmen interested in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics career.

While the University has taken strides to diversify its student body, low-income and

first-generation students find resources are lacking when they get to campus, said Madisen Hursey, vice president of Northwestern Quest Scholars Network.

Hursey said she has seen students trade spending money on food or socializing to buy books.

“Many students will sacrifice that social mobility to have their textbooks,” the Weinberg junior said. “Some students do feel stuck in that

position between, ‘Do I get the Northwestern experience that feels social to me, or do I buy a textbook?’”

Though all NU students face course costs, those in STEM classes often have higher textbook prices in addition to extra expenses for class-specific materials, said Student Enrichment Services director Kourtney Cockrell. » See IN FOCUS, page 4 Allie Goulding/Daily Senior Staffer. Design by Colin Lynch

Local shops deal with construction Petition challenges econ classification

By JULIA ESPARZA

daily senior staffer @juliaesparza10

As construction on Fountain Square lags behind schedule, nearby Evanston businesses expressed concern with the loss of customers and possibility of closure.

City officials initially projected the renovation would be complete by December, but a series of weather and coordination issues have led to delays. Construction is now set to end in May 2018, five months later than local businesses expected.

Denise Sieja, owner of Trattoria Demi — located at 1571 Sherman Ave. — said she was “nervous” about “surviving the » See CONSTRUCTION, page 13

Students, alumni ask for recognition as STEM major

By ALLY MAUCH

daily senior staffer @allymauch

Kate Salvidio/The Daily Northwestern

Edzo’s Burger Shop, 1571 Sherman Ave., borders the Fountain Square construction. General manager Jeffrey Wilson said the restaurant has experienced a drop in business since construction began.

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Jamison takes ‘leave of absence’ from NU

By PETER WARREN

the daily northwestern

Junior guard Amber Jamison has taken a “leave of absence” from Northwestern, coach Joe McKeown confirmed Thursday.

An athletic department spokesman announced the news before the Wildcats’ 88-70 homeopening win over Oakland on Thursday. The spokesman also said Jamison would not play again this season.

“She brought a lot of spirit to

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our team and I think she still is going to give us that spirit even when she is from home,” sophomore forward Abi Scheid said.

Jamison was expected to be a big contributor to the Cats this winter. Among returning players, the 6-foot guard was second in

scoring and second in total minutes played last year. She was also named a team captain by McKeown before the season.

In the team’s exhibition game against Missouri-St. Louis, » See JAMISON, page 15

More than 150 students and alumni signed a petition as of Thursday night asking administrators to recognize economics as a science, technology, engineering and math major to help international students when applying for work visas.

The petition, created by alumna Mahera Walia (Weinberg ’17), is addressed to the department of economics, the International Office and the Office of the President. If economics is considered a STEM major, international students pursuing it will have an additional year and a half-long visa extension to stay in the U.S. after graduation, as well as two additional chances to apply for H-1B work visas, Walia said.

The petition says NU currently defines the economics major as general economics, which does not fall under the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s

STEM Designated Degree Program list. For ICE to consider economics a STEM major at NU, the University would need to designate the major as econometrics and quantitative economics, according to the petition.

Walia, an international student who was born in India and grew up in Malaysia, said she struggled to find companies that would interview foreign students when she applied for consulting jobs her senior year. She was eventually hired by a consulting firm that would sponsor her H-1B visa, but said there is only a 30 percent chance she will get the visa due to the lottery system.

“If I don’t, I’m going to have to leave the country even though I was able to get a top, high-paying job in the U.S., just because of this lottery system,” Walia said.

“It’s not even an application, it’s a lottery.”

International Office director Ravi Shankar said it’s concerning that some international students choose majors based on their ability to get extra time in the country to find or maintain employment.

Shankar said his office “absolutely” supports the prospect of » See ECONOMICS, page 13

INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Gameday 7 | Opinion 12 | Classifieds & Puzzles 14 | Sports 16

2 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2017

AROUND TOWN City furlough day impacts hundreds of employees

By CATHERINE HENDERSON

the daily northwestern @caity_henderson

Between 250 and 400 city employees were placed on unpaid leave for the Nov. 10 furlough day, which was created to counteract budget shortages, city manager Wally Bobkiewicz said.

Although the city kept essential functions operating — such as childcare, street sweeping and the 311 system — the snow on Friday complicated the furlough day, and some departments were frustrated with not being able to provide services for residents.

Evanston Public Library board president Benjamin Schapiro said the furlough days were not a reflection of the library’s budget, but of the city’s, which is facing a $1.9 million shortfall after the city overestimated the revenue it would receive from this year’s building permits.

Schapiro said EPL has operated as a separate entity from the city for seven years, but library staff were lumped into furlough because they share a union with municipal employees.

“The next time the union and the city discuss furlough days, the library needs to be involved because our needs are different and our financial situation is different,” Schapiro said. “While our staff is part of the same bargaining unit as the city’s staff, we need to be sensitive to the differentiations between the city and the library.”

Still, Public Works Department head Dave Stoneback said he had to call in 13 other employees

POLICE BLOTTER Evanston man arrested in connection with criminal trespass at EPL An Evanston resident was arrested Wednesday in connection with criminal trespass in downtown Evanston.

Officers were dispatched to the Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave., for a disturbance, Evanston police Cmdr. Joseph Dugan said. The

Allie Goulding/Daily Senior Staffer

Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave. Between 250 and 400 employees were placed on unpaid leave for the Nov. 10 furlough day, which was created to counteract budget shortages.

Nov. 10 because of the icy conditions. The employees who worked then will be expected to make up the furlough day before the end of the year by taking

another day of unpaid leave, he said.

“I know employees were upset,” Stoneback said.

“When it was discussed that no one would work on

man involved had been banned from the library Monday and warned not to return to the premises, but was seen in the library Wednesday afternoon, Dugan said.

Although he made verbal threats toward library staff and patrons, the man never made threatening gestures or aggressive moves, Dugan said. The man was arrested in the 700 block of Clark Street and was charged with criminal trespass to property, a misdemeanor.

Local man charged with domestic battery in south Evanston A local man was arrested Saturday in connection with domestic battery in south Evanston.

A 26-year-old Evanston woman told officers that the man — her children’s father — came to see them at her home in the 100 block of Custer Avenue when the two adults got into an argument, Dugan said.

Dugan said the man struck the woman in the face and grabbed her by the hair. The woman grabbed a

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that day, I know they were upset that we then asked these 13 employees to work.”

Stoneback said he knew the city did not have many other options, and a city-wide furlough day was better than having to lay people off.

After negotiating with unions, Bobkiewicz said officials gave employees a month’s notice of the fourday work week. He said the city tried to make strategic decisions to minimize the impact on employees.

“Probably the biggest way we mitigated it is we picked a national holiday,” Bobkiewicz said. “We’re hopeful that by picking a day when many places are closed already is not inconveniencing people too much.”

The furlough day was not a “major challenge” for the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department, even though about 90 percent of staff took the day off, said Lawrence Hemingway, the department’s head. He added that his division was permitted to continue providing child care services and facility rentals.

“I believe the city did all it could to avoid furlough days,” he said. “Each department has taken cuts throughout the year in our budget to try to help meet the budget shortfall. I think after everything else had been tried, we still had to make up some differences.”

City staff has also proposed three additional furlough days for 2018: President’s Day, Labor Day and New Year’s Eve, Bobkiewicz said. These days have yet to be approved by City Council. catherinehenderson2021@u.northwestern.edu

knife to protect herself and was able to get out of the house and contact the police. Upon arrival, Dugan said, officers observed redness on the woman’s right cheek, and they also noted items in disarray in the area where the incident occurred.

The man was found hiding in the residence’s rear stairway, Dugan said. He was charged with domestic battery, a misdemeanor.

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ON CAMPUS ASG considers banning ground flyers

By KRISTINA KARISCH

daily senior staffer @kristinakarisch

Northwestern’s campus boasts scenic landmarks like the Lakefill, The Arch and University Hall, but one can’t help being distracted by the copious amount of flyers student organizations tape on the ground.

Parth Lalkiya, Associated Student Government’s vice president for B-status finances, said the flyers “tarnish” sidewalks and receive negative comments during campus tours. In addition, Lalkiya said the flyers are an outdated, environmentally unsustainable way for groups to reach out to students about speakers and events.

“I feel like the internet is taking over ads right now, and that it’s the best way student groups can communicate to a lot of students,” he said. “Ground flyering is just something that’s become antiquated and no one pays attention to anymore.”

ASG senators discussed Wednesday a code change, which would limit publicity funding for student groups that advertise using ground flyers, with the end goal of eliminating the practice across campus.

NU currently allows ground flyering in certain areas on campus, but requires that student groups remove flyers within five days of the end of the event. However, the code change states that flyers are often posted outside designated areas, and are rarely removed after events, leaving the job to Facilities Management.

If enacted, the code change — which was tabled at Wednesday’s meeting — would be tested in Winter Quarter 2018 and become effective in spring.

Vice president for sustainability Katie Mansur said ASG will not revoke funding from student groups that continue to post flyers on the ground in the winter, but ASG members will reach out to those organizations to explain alternative advertising options.

Mansur added that the proposed code change will put a means of “real enforcement” behind legislation first introduced in 2014, when ASG banned

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Parth Lalkiya, ASG’s vice president for B-status finances, speaks during Senate on Wednesday. ASG is expected to vote on a code change which would limit publicity funding for student groups who advertise using ground flyers.

ground flyering for its own events and called for a campus-wide end to the practice. Now, Mansur said ASG members are educating student groups about sustainable advertising.

Other options include the new banner printer in SOURCE, social media and TVs in campus buildings, according to the code change.

Pending the code change’s approval, B-status student groups found in violation of the policy will not receive publicity funding for the following quarter.

ASG may also withdraw publicity funding from an A-status group’s account if it violates the policy.

Lalkiya said he is confident the code change will be approved at the next Senate. He said other ASG members have been supportive of the proposed policy.

ASG President Nehaarika Mulukutla said the proposal is part of a broader effort toward a unified campus that promotes sustainability. She said pushback from some student groups is expected, but that NU should still prioritize the health of the environment, especially in terms of advertising.

“Student group culture and students’ events are such a large part of our Northwestern culture,” Mulukutla said. “The methodologies that (student groups) choose to use for advertising should be in line with the greater methodology that we use to uphold values as a school.”

Maddie Burakoff contributed reporting.

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4 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2017

Rachel Kupfer/The Daily Northwestern

IN FOCUS From page 1

To address this issue and make NU more inclusive, the University launched a pilot initiative at the beginning of Fall Quarter that allows eligible freshmen taking STEM courses to borrow their books and course materials for free. However, lowincome STEM students said the initiative only does so much to mitigate their challenges.

“It’s so important to create a university that’s diverse,” Liebman said. “Socioeconomically, racially, every other prospective diversity, but then what are you doing to keep us here?”

Choosing STEM

The pilot focused on low-income freshmen taking STEM courses because the number of Pell Grant recipients who intend to major in quantitative sciences is “disproportionately high” compared to the general population, said Mary Finn, associate dean for undergraduate academic affairs.

In a typical class of freshmen, about 60 percent of Pell Grant recipients pursue STEM degrees compared to about 40 percent of non-Pell Grant students, Michael Mills, associate provost for University enrollment, told The Daily in an email.

Weinberg sophomore Brandon Scott, who is majoring in neuroscience with an allied field in human behavior and cognition, said he saw a STEM education as a way to “escape” the life he was living and make things better for him and his mother.

“STEM is the easiest field to point at and say that’s where the money is,” said Scott, a Pell Grant recipient. “You see a career that is mostly lucrative and, in a way, can bring you out of the situation you already are in. For a lot of kids, coming in here and being a doctor was like the only way out.”

Scott said he hopes to use his degree to help children with learning disabilities and people with degenerative mental diseases like dementia.

Weinberg junior Marissa Mullen, also a Pell Grant recipient, said first-generation, low-income students are often concerned with financially supporting their families after graduation.

Mullen, who has wanted to be a doctor since she was in kindergarten, said she is still sometimes conflicted about going into medicine because of the time and expenses associated with additional years of schooling.

“I reason with it in my head, like, ‘If you become a doctor, you will really be able to support your family,’” she said. “But part of me is like, ‘Is there an easier or faster route, and is this maybe a selfish endeavor?’”

Scott said difficult courses coupled with the high price of required class materials could cause

Rachel Kupfer/The Daily Northwestern

low-income students to drop their STEM majors.

“You start realizing materials cost money, all these programs that you need to pass cost money,” he said. “You start realizing knowledge isn’t as important as money is right now.”

Finding the “cheapest way”

Many low-income students have to jump through hoops to find affordable course materials.

Instead of going out or meeting new people in her hall freshman year, McCormick fifth-year Yakira Mirabito said she and her friends spent more than a day holed up in a dorm room searching online for inexpensive textbooks.

Mirabito, co-president of Quest, said she used “a lot of janky ways” to find materials. She would buy the international versions of textbooks, or spend hours in the library photocopying a solutions manual, she said.

In addition to textbooks that could cost hundreds of dollars, Cockrell said STEM students also need additional materials like lab coats, goggles, software, clickers and online homework licenses.

“Many first-year students spend their first week on this couch in tears because they’re so overwhelmed about how they’re going to afford their books,” she said.

Mullen said she came into her first quarter knowing she had to find the “cheapest way” to procure her textbooks.

Though she was able to get affordable books through Amazon and Facebook, she said her first day of class presented unexpected expenses.

“I walked into class feeling all good about myself like already finessing the system as a freshman,” she said. “But then I sat down and they were like, ‘And then you need to buy the $70 software online,’ and I was like ‘What the … ?’ So those things sneak up on you.”

Because some students use alternative channels to get materials, they may sacrifice quality, said Mirabito, who used an unofficial version of MATLAB –– a software the McCormick School of Engineering now provides for its students.

On occasion, Mirabito said her software would not run programs properly, so she would end up sending them to friends who had the official version.

“Looking for resources is wasting time that could be used academically or socially,” she said. “It meant me and my one friend skipping an event because we were still trying to figure out how the hell we were going to get $300 worth of books in the next like two days.”

Unlike Mirabito and Mullen, Scott said he was “naive” Fall Quarter of freshman year and didn’t know about other ways to get materials, so he bought his books from the University’s bookstore.

Rachel Kupfer/The Daily Northwestern

Even with price matching, Scott said his books for the quarter cost him about $1,000 and he had to use a significant amount of his savings to afford them.

“The fact that my chump change had to be dug into so much, definitely affected my living style for the quarter,” he said. “I found myself asking my mom for miniature loans.”

A new initiative

In anticipation of buying books and supplies, Liebman said he transferred “several thousand dollars” into his checking account.

“I knew exactly what was going to happen,” he said. “I was going to land on campus, I was going to be OK for a week and then I was going to have to buy several hundred dollars worth of textbooks.”

However, one week before Fall Quarter classes began, Liebman, along with about 350 other freshmen, received an email from Mills informing them of their eligibility for the Books for Cats initiative.

The initiative –– a collaboration across University offices and departments that is funded by the Office of the Provost –– allows eligible students taking STEM courses to borrow free textbooks and supplies for those classes from the Norris Bookstore, said Lee West, director of undergraduate education. Students enrolled in chemistry can also rent free lab coats, goggles and LabArchives from the chemistry department through the initiative, West said.

Materials are available for 14 courses, including chemistry, math, economics, engineering, statistics

and design, according to Mills’ email to students.

Associate provost for undergraduate education Ron Braeutigam said administrators implemented the initiative because students were starting their classes without books.

“If you don’t have your books then you’re immediately a little bit behind the 8-ball, so we started looking at ways of trying to get the textbooks in their hands,” Braeutigam said.

More than 130 students obtained supplies from the bookstore and the chemistry department, West said.

Cockrell said the initiative reflects the University’s “obligation” to low-income students.

“We knew for the past three years that financial accessibility around books and supplies was probably the number one barrier that students were facing,” she said. “This was just one way to alleviate just one of several barriers in order to ensure students are successful and thrive, versus survive.”

Provost Jonathan Holloway, who authorized the program, said participating students on average spent $470 less on books and supplies.

Liebman said he was able to get all the materials he needed for chemistry –– a textbook, lab coat, goggles and clicker as well as homework, clicker and lab software licenses –– through Books for Cats.

Steve Hannen, assistant store manager of the Norris Bookstore, said Books for Cats differs from the traditional rental system because students are allowed to keep their books as long as they need them for a class, rather than having to return them at the end of the quarter.

“We had a lot of students that were really excited this opportunity was being given to them,” he said.

“Just seeing the looks on all the students’ faces when they came in and everything was taken care of, ready to go.”

He added it was “very satisfying” for him and his team to see the stress and anxiety normally associated with buying books lifted off students’ shoulders.

The initiative changes the first-year experience for low-income STEM students, Mirabito said.

“It allows students to enjoy their first year,” she said. “College is about learning and also about the community you build. It’s not about trying to scrape every nickel and dime from relatives, your bank accounts, savings (and) trying to get jobs.”

The money students would be spending on books can now be used toward anything from club dues to having a dinner with friends, Mirabito said.

As the initiative is in its pilot phase, sophomores, juniors and seniors — as well as students taking non-STEM courses — are currently not eligible to participate.

A pilot was necessary to gauge how students

Rachel Kupfer/The Daily Northwestern

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 5

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2017

Rachel Kupfer/The Daily Northwestern

would respond and what the University’s cost would be, Holloway said.

Holloway added he hopes Books for Cats can reduce the number of students who exit STEM. Students should be able to decide whether they have a passion for STEM on a level playing field, he said.

“A high number come in thinking they’re going to major in a STEM field, heading off to a career in medicine,” he said. “That’s sort of a traditional kind of track of ambition. We also know that a higher than we consider acceptable number of students … melt away. They walk away from the STEM classes.”

Weinberg freshman Chloe Wong, who borrowed her course materials from Books for Cats, said she came to NU intending to study biology and become a doctor. However, she switched to the pre-health track after deciding she did not like chemistry.

Wong said if she had paid for everything she needed to take chemistry, the amount for the class would have been “80 percent” what she spent on books and supplies this quarter. “(The materials) allow me to be on the same level again and be able to have the same opportunities and not be deterred because ‘Oh you don’t have money for this, you can’t do it,’” she said.

Existing efforts

Administrators have discussed ways to reduce barriers for low-income and first-generation students for years, said Lane Fenrich, assistant dean for first-year students and transition programs.

Even before the University committed to increasing the enrollment of low-income students, Fenrich said the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences was already implementing transition programs to improve students’ chances of success at NU. For Mullen, being able to participate in the NU Bioscientist program “changed the scope” of her undergraduate experience. The program runs from fall through winter and prepares students to do research. Participating students are also able to continue working on individual research projects during the summer between their freshman and sophomore years.

“I don’t think as a first-gen, low-income student, I would’ve even really had my mind on those things yet because I was still adjusting to college,” Mullen said. “Having that help finding a lab, getting ready to work in a lab was really huge because I don’t have that kind of background.”

The NU Bioscientist program is just one of various programs Weinberg offers to incoming students, Fenrich said. Summer transition programs such as BioEXCEL, ChemEXCEL and Bridge are also meant to help students prepare for courses in their chosen field of study.

Fenrich added that even before Books for Cats, Weinberg’s transition programs have loaned textbooks to participating students who continue with the subjects during the academic year.

Additionally, Finn said loaning free lab materials began in Weinberg as the chemistry department started providing supplies to students –– based on

Rachel Kupfer/The Daily Northwestern

a list from SES –– before the formal initiative was launched this quarter.

Other University offices, including the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, are also working to improve existing programs to better support students.

This year, the Academic Mentoring Program and the Gateway Science Workshop were consolidated into a single peer tutoring service called PeerGuided Study Groups, said Marina Micari, the center’s director of academic support and enrichment.

Last year, on average about 30 percent of registrations in course-specific academic programs were from Pell Grant recipients, Micari said in an email.

Students registered by either signing up for a group or coming to drop-in sessions, she said.

“There’s an increasing awareness certainly about the needs of low-income students, first-generation students, really any student who finds themselves struggling in any way,” Micari told The Daily. “We want to try to prevent that as much as we can. If not prevent it, help a student who’s in that situation.”

Micari said Peer-Guided Study Groups focus on STEM courses not only because the material is challenging, but also due to the fact that large lecture classes can feel “anonymous and impersonal.”

Through his AMP and GSW groups, Scott said he was able to find the support networks necessary to “survive” introductory STEM classes.

“I’m not the type of person who can go it alone,” he said. “That’s just not who I am. I work best in communities.”

He added that it was very helpful to learn from peers because they would explain things from the perspective of a student who had done well in the course rather than a professor.

Mullen, who has also participated in GSW, said it was reassuring to know free tutoring was available to her.

“It’s a really nice kind of buffer for low-income, first-gen students to feel like if they need additional resources there are things that won’t break the bank for them,” Mullen said.

In a continued effort to make services accessible for students, Micari said the center is collaborating with Weinberg to create a hub for tutoring resources, which will be located in Main Library and available in January.

The goal is to create a space that students can easily find and utilize, she said.

“We want to help students who maybe haven’t had that kind of experience understand that … going to get help is not a sign of weakness,” she said. “It’s actually a sign of strength and something that we all should be doing.”

A temporary fix

Though Liebman said he would have been “far less financially stable” this quarter without the free materials, he added that the pilot’s current limitations are “scary.”

“I feel like this is pushing off a problem that I know I’m going to have to face financially anyway,” he said. “Yes I didn’t have to pay for textbooks this quarter, I might not even have to pay for textbooks next quarter or Spring Quarter, but after that? …

It does scare me a little bit knowing that there isn’t a system yet for me next year.”

Administrators said the initiative is a temporary fix, and Braeutigam added that assessments will determine if and how the pilot will expand.

“The University does have money to help people and we can do almost anything we want to do, but we can’t do everything,” he said. “So it’s a question of trying to figure out –– and this is what assessment’s all about –– where we get the biggest ability to help students succeed.”

Expanding Books for Cats could mean extending eligibility to sophomores, juniors and seniors as well as increasing the number of available courses, Finn said.

Administrators said they are looking into how Books for Cats could broaden to cover other courses with high costs.

“We have to identify where else should we be providing the support in the curriculum and that’s

something we’re working on now,” Finn said. “We know there are high costs in art theory and practice. We know there are high costs in the foreign languages.”

Hursey, the Quest vice president, said expanding the initiative to include upperclassmen is crucial because they not only have to worry about affording textbooks, but also need to think about costs associated with living off campus or paying for exams like the LSAT or MCAT.

When assessing the initiative, Mirabito said administrators should keep in mind that giving a student a textbook won’t “magically” guarantee their success in a course. She said it is important for the University to consider other factors that could impact a student’s performance, like whether they are first-generation or if they came from an underserved high school.

“If they don’t consider (expansion), they’re failing us,” Mirabito said. “Anything that’s done, if it’s done well and works, should be expanded.”

Building momentum

Though various initiatives and efforts to improve the experiences of low-income students have only been launched this year, administrators said increasing accessibility has been a continued focus.

In 2016, University President Morton Schapiro announced several initiatives that would improve NU’s ability to support students financially. The changes included awarding aid packages without loans, placing a $20,000 cap on need-based loans for current students, providing University-funded scholarships for undocumented students and increasing aid for international students.

Mullen said financial aid was the only reason she was able to afford NU. “I am very grateful to be at a school that’s like ‘Here’s a place that ... someone like you with your background couldn’t go to and we’re going to make it affordable for you,’” she said.

Braeutigam said administrators involved in Books for Cats were conscientious of financial aid regulations when creating the initiative.

Books for Cats would not have been possible without campus-wide collaboration, West said, as it required contributions from Weinberg administrators, SES, the chemistry department, Norris Bookstore, the Office of Financial Aid, the Office of the Registrar and the Office of the Provost.

Conversations surrounding the initiative have opened the door to discussions that branch out beyond just wanting to get materials in the hands of students, Fenrich said. Administrators are now thinking about how classes are taught and what materials are necessary, he said.

Even though the pilot is a “Band-Aid solution,” Cockrell said its implementation raises awareness of larger issues surrounding how the experiences of low-income students can be improved.

“They gained a lot of attention and that’s going to help us to really build momentum for future

policy change,” she said.

In addition to seeing the initiative expand, students said they hope improvements will be made to the SES office, such as adding more staffers or moving the office to a larger, more visible location.

But Hursey said she is concerned that an expansion of SES could increase the expectation placed on Cockrell and her staff to solve every problem low-income students face.

If the University wants to ensure students from all backgrounds feel welcome on campus, initiatives must extend beyond the efforts of SES and individual departments, Hursey said.

“If you zoom out and look at the University as a whole you’ll find a lot of gaps that need to be filled,” she said. “I’m not sure I feel confident about administrative offices outside of SES that are working toward that end goal, which is why I’m inclined to say the University could be doing much better.”

Cockrell said Books for Cats is a “really powerful” initiative because it did not happen just out of the SES office. Often, she said, “diversity offices” can become a “dumping ground” where anything related to a marginalized group is expected to be handled by an individual office.

The pilot is indicative of a “systems change” as opposed to work done at the office level, Cockrell said.

Initiatives like Books for Cats make students feel wanted and valued by the University, said Scott, the Weinberg sophomore.

However, many students were unaware of the Provost’s Office’s involvement in the implementation of the pilot. Hursey said it is crucial for students to know high-level University administrators are aware of their needs.

“That is going to make them feel like institutionally Northwestern cares about them, which is a much bigger deal than saying the chem department cares about them,” Hursey said.

Cockrell said the short time administrators had to alert students about Books for Cats may be a reason why students were not aware of which offices were involved. However, if the initiative does expand, she said there would be time to “appropriately and properly” roll it out.

Other administrators agreed that one issue with implementation was the quick turnaround, as the initiative was authorized the Friday before the email was sent to students.

Schapiro said it is the University’s job to create these initiatives and that it “doesn’t matter who gets the credit” as long as something “right” is done. He added that although he is pleased with the effort, he wishes it could have been launched sooner.

“Every time I hear one of these innovations, my reaction frankly isn’t, ‘Oh, good for us,’ it’s like, ‘It’s about time, to be honest’,” Schapiro said.

Working toward inclusion

As the University continues diversifying incoming classes, students said there have to be more programs in place that make them feel comfortable.

Wong, the Weinberg freshman, said without Books for Cats and other initiatives, prospective students who are low-income may be too “intimidated” by NU’s cost to apply.

“By having these initiatives, you’re being more inclusive and you’re enabling people from all types of backgrounds … to come and contribute to the University and make something of themselves,” she said.

Despite the current resources, students said administrators could still do more.

Though the attractions for low-income STEM students are appealing, Liebman said the University must work on continuing support.

“Northwestern is enriched, Northwestern is helped and at the end of the day Northwestern is better because we have low-income students here,” Liebman said. “If you aren’t taking every single person into account, and you aren’t taking every single aspect of humanity into account, you’re not doing your job as a university.” allysonchiu2018@u.northwestern.edu

6 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2017

EPD to revive mentorship program after 30 years

By CHRISTOPHER VAZQUEZ

the daily northwestern @chrisvazquez812

Two generations before 15-year-old Kyla Guzman walked into the Evanston Fire Department Headquarters on Thursday evening, her grandfather worked as a police officer in Chicago, she said. Now, Kyla Guzman says she is considering a career in law enforcement herself.

Her next step in the process is the Police Explorer Program, which the city will bring back in January after 30 years of inactivity.

The Evanston Police Department hosted an informational meeting at EFD headquarters on Thursday to discuss the program, which is commissioned through the Boy Scouts of America and prepares youth for careers in law enforcement.

Jay Parrott, deputy chief of police, said the Explorer program aims to teach participants about the changing nature of policing.

“Law enforcement has changed dramatically in the last 30 years, even in the last five years,” Parrot said. “Those types of training that officers get and the exposures we get to the various situations that have occured, that’s something that’s going to be built into the program.”

Kyla Guzman said she believes the program can help her understand the realities of law enforcement. She added she hoped to benefit

Professor talks civil rights of Native people

By EMILY CHAIET

the daily northwestern @emilychaiet

K. Tsianina Lomawaima, a professor of justice and social inquiry at the University of Arizona, discussed at a talk Thursday how Native Americans and indigenous people have been denied civil rights and citizenship throughout U.S. history.

Lomawaima spoke to an audience of about 30 people in Annenberg Hall about the hardships Native Americans and indigenous people have faced in the past and still face today. She covered topics including the taking of Native Americans’ land and their struggle for citizenship. The event was hosted by One Book One Northwestern and the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research.

She explained different laws and Supreme Court cases that have outlined Native American rights, including the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. But even after governmental action, Lomawaima said Native Americans still lack many rights.

Land is vital to the history of Native Americans and indigenous people in the U.S., Lomawaima said.

She added that the taking of Native American land by the U.S. government has fueled stereotypes of Native Americans as nomads.

“The U.S. was built on Indian land, and the ways the U.S. acquired land carry a particular odor about them,” she said. “Even the cleanest transactions happened in a context of violence, epidemic diseases and environmental transformations.”

Lomawaima also said the difficulty for Native Americans to get citizenship was part of a broader issue on “delineating rights and responsibilities of the unmarked normal full citizen: the white property male.”

Jennifer Michals, program assistant at CNAIR, told The Daily she enjoyed learning more about what Native Americans thought about U.S. citizenship.

“Often the indigenous perspective is left out, so it’s nice to have that perspective told,” Michals said.

Frances Hartnett, a SESP sophomore, told The Daily she attended the talk for one of her classes and greatly enjoyed listening to Lomawaima speak.

Hartnett said she liked Lomawaima’s discussion about optimism and how many Native Americans have stayed positive as they spoke out against the U.S. government.

“It related a lot to what we’re talking about in class with power and privilege,” Hartnett said.

Native Americans never willingly gave up their land, and still view it as their own property, Lomawaima said.

She added that in the 20th century, Native Americans stood up more often for their rights and for their land.

Lomawaima said Native Americans today have a “historical consciousness” that allows them to speak up and fight back against their oppressors.

“Speaking out to power and privilege can be dangerous and scary,” Lomawaima said. “It requires tremendous optimism because power and privilege often win. This historical consciousness reminds us that change can happen. It may take decades or generations, but it can happen.” emilychaiet2020@u.northwestern.edu

from a “behind-the-scenes” look at police work.

Officer Enjoli Daley said the program could also benefit youth who decide to pursue fields outside of police work. She said she hopes to help them succeed and find confidence.

“For me, I think there is a genuine desire to see our youth thrive,” Daley said. “If we can be a part of that process, awesome. Especially when it comes to those who go into law enforcement, these kids might be our backup one day, so having that opportunity to have that first-hand experience with them is pretty cool.”

In addition to helping aspiring police officers achieve their goals, attendants at the meeting said they believe the program can help improve relations between police and local residents.

Both Kyla Guzman and her father, Gabriel Guzman, said the Explorer program can help prevent divisions between the two groups.

Gabriel Guzman said he hoped the program would improve relations between the Evanston community and police by fostering more respect for law enforcement.

“There’s kind of a disconnect between the community and law enforcement as of late,” Gabriel Guzman said. “It’d be nice to (mend) that relationship to help kids in this program move forward.”

Daley acknowledged the Explorer program in Evanston will have to adjust after nearly 30 years of inactivity. Officers are working to make the program more appealing to youth

today, she said.

Still, Daley said she is optimistic for the program’s future.

“After 30 years, it’ll be interesting,” she said.

“I expect to see it grow and thrive. I think it’s

needed in Evanston. I think the youth want something like this, and I think we’ll see where it goes.” christophervazquez2021@u.northwestern.edu

Jack Lido/The Daily Northwestern

Officer Enjoli Daley talks during the information session for the new Police Explorer Program. After 30 years of inactivity in Evanston, the program will prepare youth for careers in law enforcement.

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The Daily Northwestern

NORTHWESTERN VS. MINNESOTA SATURDAY, NOV. 18

Cover by Lauren Duquette

@DailyNU_Sports

INSIDE: Fearless Forecasters 8 | Skowronek Stands Tall 9 | Men in the Middle 10

8 GAMEDAY

The Daily Northwestern

Friday, November 17, 2017

Phillips talks Northwestern football Despite wins, The Daily’s sports desk sat down with athletic director Jim Phillips this week and discussed Northwestern football. Below are some of Phillips’ thoughts on the No. 23 Wildcats. His answers have been edited for length and clarity.

The Daily: You didn’t wear a jacket at the Purdue game — what’s the story with that?

Phillips: My blood runs hot, so it’s just not necessary. You know who has fun with it are the student-athletes. The game that really impressed them was when we were at Notre Dame, when it had just snowed there, a few years ago. They always ask me, no matter the conditions, ‘Dr. Phillips, you’re not going to wear a coat today, right? You’re not going to wear a coat?’ So, it’s become a little urban legend.

The Daily: What are your impressions of this football team, and what have been your favorite moments of the season?

Phillips: I’m just really proud of the string that they’ve put together, because I think that we are

playing better, and I think we still have our best football ahead of us with the last two weeks and then a bowl game. I don’t know if I have a favorite moment, but I also know that this season could have gone the other direction, so I’ve really just enjoyed watching the student-athletes have success.

Because I see them every morning out here at 6:30 in the morning. I see them here late at night. I see the time and energy that they’re putting into it.

The Daily: Did you like the three straight overtime games?

Phillips: No. I said to a group before the game against Purdue, ‘Welcome to Northwestern’s cardiac screening event. You think you’re coming in here to watch football, but we’re all going to put heart monitors on each of you, and at by end of the three hours, you’re going to have an assessment of how strong your heart is. So get ready.’ No, hey, that’s athletics, that’s what’s fun about it. But I have had the same sense that I hear the student-athletes talk about and the coaches: The more times you are involved in these kinds of games, and you have success, the more confident you become.

The Daily: What was it like watching the students rush the field against Michigan State?

Phillips: It was cool. I really appreciate the students that come out. People spend a lot of time talking about the students that don’t come out, and I surely wish that there were more that were coming out, but I’m more focused on the ones that do come out. And that was a special moment. We all have our feelings about what college athletics is. I think that’s one of the galvanizing moments that college sports has a chance to do on college campuses, and that is bring a community together. College is supposed to be fun.

The Daily: Is the possibility that the Big Ten may not get a team into the College Football Playoff this year concerning?

Phillips: I just think it’ll work itself out. And if we don’t get in, then we didn’t deserve to get in. We all wish we could go back. Ohio State wishes probably they could probably go back against Oklahoma, and Penn State wishes they could go back against maybe Michigan State or Ohio State. We’ll see how these last two weeks and the championship games go. And I sure hope we can get somebody in, because I do think the conference is strong.

The Daily: Is there any particular bowl where you’d like to see Northwestern end up?

Daily file photo by Lauren Duquette

Phillips: With this new bowl agreement, it’s just different in the sense that you used to be slotted based on your finish and how many wins you had, and now it’s not that way. The agreement is we’re going to rotate, over a six-year period, for whatever bowl. For the Pinstripe Bowl, over that six-year period, you’re going to have four, if not five, different teams in any given bowl. Which I think is great. You can go out to California and have a great experience; for those who went to New York, it was tremendous. The holiday time in New York — I had never been there at that time — it was amazing. So, where do I think we’re going? I really don’t know. We’re going to prepare and try to win the last two games.

— Daily Sports Staff

Jim Phillips watches from the sidelines. Phillips has served as Northwestern’s athletic director since 2008.

FEARLESS FORECASTERS

*against the spread

vs.

vs.

vs.

vs.

vs.

Minnesota at Northwestern (-6.5)

Michigan at Wisconsin (-7.5)

Purdue at Iowa (-8.5)

Maryland at Michigan State(-16.5)

UCLA at USC (-15.5)

Forecasting Record

Minnesota 7 TIM Northwestern 30

Michigan 21 Wisconsin 23

Purdue 13 Iowa 24

Maryland 17 Michigan State 20

UCLA 24 USC 48

26-24

Michigan 13 Wisconsin 30

Purdue 27 Iowa 23

Maryland 10 Michigan State 34

UCLA 30 USC 40

25-25

Michigan 14 Wisconsin 23

Purdue 9 Iowa 16

Maryland 20 Michigan State 35

UCLA 17 USC 41

32-18

Michigan 9 Wisconsin 28

Purdue 14

Maryland 10 Michigan State 38

UCLA 17 USC 35

31-19

Michigan 10 Wisconsin 27

Purdue 17

Maryland 20 Michigan State 27

UCLA 27 USC 24

26-24

Michigan 14 Wisconsin 24

Purdue 7

Maryland 10 Michigan State 34

UCLA 20 USC 34

26-24

Michigan 24 Wisconsin 31

Purdue 21

Maryland 13 Michigan State 30

UCLA 24 USC 35

26-24

WEEK 12 BALK

More like bronze Gophers.

Minnesota 14 Northwestern 24

MAX

Ski-U-Mah, everybody

SCHUMAN

Minnesota 21 Northwestern 24

BEN

Improving Gophers give Cats a scare.

POPE

Minnesota 10 Northwestern 27

COLE

Vegas has no love for the Cats.

PAXTON JONAH

DYLAN

Minnesota 24 Northwestern 20 Remember last time P.J. Fleck came to Evanston?

Minnesota 13 Northwestern 30

MAX

Row the Fitz.

GELMAN

Minnesota 24 Northwestern 28 GARRETT

JOCHNAU

Cats get revenge win over both Minnesota and P.J. Fleck

Iowa 24

Iowa 37

Iowa 20

Iowa 31

GAMEDAY Gameday Editors Tim Balk Max Schuman

Writers

Designers

Ben Pope Cole Paxton Max Gelman

Lauren Duquette Colin Lynch Katie Pach

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 © 2015 Students Publishing Co. Questions or comments should be sent c/o Gameday Editor Max Schuman, 1999 Campus Dr., Evanston, IL 60208.

Wildcats are rather boring MAX GELMAN

DAILY COLUMNIST

There’s something different about Northwestern football this fall. Even as the Wildcats put together one of their best campaigns ever, I’ve been bothered by something missing. Could it be just a typical blase senior attitude on my part?

Or might I be dreading the eventual graduation of Justin Jackson?

Alas, it’s neither, as much as I’d like it to be. Rather, I’ve come to the realization NU is boring.

Yes, that’s right. I’m talking about the same Cats that are on the cusp of the eighth nine-win season in program history, the same Cats that have the program’s winningest quarterback and all-time leading rusher, and the same Cats that became the first-ever FBS team to play in — and win — three straight overtime games. They’re boring.

This is not NU’s fault, but the circumstances the college football gods placed them in: The Cats play in the Big Ten West, a Power-5 division perpetually worse than its East counterpart. The imbalance of these divisions is almost comical at this point. In the West, teams like Michigan and Penn State would compete for the division title every year but hardly have a chance at a Big Ten championship because of Ohio State’s dominance.

It’s for this reason I’m dreading the final two games of the year, which will likely be non-competitive against markedly inferior football teams. P.J. Fleck has been Ski-U-Blah in his first year at Minnesota, producing a team with just two Big Ten wins and had averaged fewer than 20 points in conference play before last week’s fluky 54-21 win over an equally mediocre Nebraska team.

And Illinois will somehow be worse.

The Fighting Illini have lost an embarrassing eight straight games, leaving us pondering the fate of ex-Super Bowl participant coach Lovie Smith.

‘Hold up, you imbecile,’ you’re saying as you hate-read this column. ‘Winning is always exciting and you shouldn’t be complaining about a probable 9-3 season, especially when three of those wins came back-to-back-to-back in overtime.’

You’re probably right. Last month’s win over Michigan State was an objectively fun game between two good teams. The unpredictability of three overtimes and potential to beat a ranked team made for a high-stakes competition, and the students rushed the field in euphoria after the final whistle.

But if we’re being honest, the Cats’ overtime wins over Iowa and Nebraska failed to get the blood pumping. The Hawkeyes’ ground-and-pound approach made for a slopfest and the game ended on a dropped pass. Furthermore, NU could have easily dispatched the Cornhuskers by two touchdowns if it weren’t for two pivotal Clayton Thorson interceptions.

The Cats deserve credit for taking advantage of an underwhelming schedule and putting together a solid season.

They deserve to be ranked among the top 25 teams in the country. And, given the program’s history of futility, there are probably countless alumni who counted the Cats out as soon as those Iowa, Michigan State and Nebraska games reached overtime.

However, I’m left wistful for the days of last October, when they rattled off 38 points at Iowa and 54 at Michigan State, and nearly knocked off Ohio State in Columbus. NU hasn’t played a game matching those levels of excitement yet this season, and probably won’t unless its eventual bowl game produces a similar back-and-forth affair.

Until then, watching the Cats coast through November won’t excite anyone. maxgelman2019@u.northwestern.edu

GAMEDAY

The Daily Northwestern

Friday, November 17, 2017

9

Skowronek emerges as Wildcats’ top receiving option “When the ball’s in the air, you have to have the confidence you’re going to catch it,” Skowronek said. “(And) when the quarterback trusts you as a receiver, you have a lot of confidence in your game.”

As a freshman last season, Skowronek was one of a few players the coaching staff selected in a preseason meeting to play immediately, receivers coach Dennis Springer said.

The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native — a hometown he shares with Springer, who said the connection helped him initially recruit Skowronek — didn’t tear up any box

zone that gave the Wildcats a 14-0 halftime lead over Purdue last Saturday at Ryan Field.

“When the ball goes up in the air, I’m pretty confident he’s going to come down with it or get a call,” the junior quarterback said afterward. “It’s nice to have a guy like that. We haven’t had someone like that in a while.”

The receiving touchdown was Skowronek’s team-leading fourth of the season. His seven catches for 117 yards against the Boilermakers put him more than 100 receiving yards clear of fellow receiver Flynn Nagel for the lead in that category, too.

The 6-foot-4, 218-pound sophomore credited his tight relationship with his quarterback for his success.

By BEN POPE

daily senior staffer @benpope111

Asked at Big Ten Media Days in July about his relationship with receiver Ben Skowronek, Clayton Thorson said they’d “gotten close.”

Thorson wasn’t kidding. Not only had the duo grown close on the field, working together four to five days a week this spring and summer, but just weeks earlier — having lost his room key after former teammate Austin Carr’s wedding — Thorson slept on Skowronek’s mattress.

Four months later, Thorson and Skowronek were 11 yards apart but still in sync, this time on a jump ball in the back corner of the end

scores, finishing the 2016 season with just eight catches for 70 yards and struggling with drops. But the experience nonetheless made an impact.

“Last year, towards the end of the season, the games started to slow down a little bit for me,” Skowronek said. “I didn’t have the production I wanted to have as a freshman, but there was a lot of learning that took place … It also exposed my weaknesses, and I realized this offseason what I had to do to get better.”

That weakness was in the strength department, and so Skowronek said he went to work on bulking up. He added eight more pounds to his frame and, in the words of Springer, learned how to “create some space for himself, and not necessarily with speed.”

That offseason effort paid off with an eight-catch, 123-yard eruption in the opener against Nevada, then his first two career touchdowns two weeks later against Bowling Green.

Skowronek’s box score numbers then fell off somewhat, but the week-to-week reliability remained, coach Pat Fitzgerald said.

”

When the ball goes up in the air, I’m pretty confident he’s going to come down with it or get a call.

Clayton Thorson, Quarterback

Daily file photo by Christian Surtz

benjaminpope2019@u.northwestern.edu

Ben Skowronek lines up for a play. The sophomore receiver has emerged as Northwestern’s top threat on the outside this season.

(7-3)

NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS vs.

MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS 4

24

(5-5)

THE FOOTBALL

PODCAST SCAN TO LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S EPISODE

6

2

9 8

72

45

59

93

18

69

21

71

96

70

87

13

32

41

42

21

10 2

9 15

16

34

91

70

1

76

99 97

1 11

64 78 73 86

21 12

MINNESOTA

NORTHWESTERN

88

The numbers finally came back last weekend, including the touchdown connection that Skowronek said he and Thorson had stayed after practice to perfect just a few days before.

The receiver was far from open — Purdue cornerback Josh Okonye was, in fact, all over him — but Skowronek’s ability to high-point the ball led to a score anyway.

It’s that kind of vertical ability that has made, and will continue to make, Skowronek a critical aspect of the Cats’ offense, Springer said.

“He’s got an aggressive nature, and you have to in order to win those 50-50 balls,” Springer said. “That relationship with he and Clayton, knowing where the ball is, where to expect it and the timing of it all goes into that (skill) as well.”

25

Northwestern Offense

Purdue Defense

Northwestern Defense

Purdue Offense

18 QB Clayton Thorson 21 RB Justin Jackson 88 WR Ben Skowronek 2 WR Flynn Nagel 15 WR Macan Wilson 9 SB Garrett Dickerson 72 LT Blake Hance 59 LG J.B. Butler 69 C Brad North 71 RG Tommy Doles 70 RT Rashawn Slater

45 DE Carter Coughlin 93 DT Merrick Jackson 96 DT Steven Richardson 87 DE Nate Umlor 21 OLB Kamal Martin 41 MLB Thomas Barber 13 OLB Jonathan Celestin 4 CB Adekunle Ayinde 8 S Duke McGhee 2 S Jacob Huff 34 CB Antonio Shenault

97 DE Joe Gaziano 99 DT Jordan Thompson 1 DT Tyler Lancaster 91 DE Samdup Miller 32 SAM Nate Hall 42 MIKE Paddy Fisher 10 WILL Brett Walsh 24 CB Montre Hartage 16 S Godwin Igwebuike 21 S Kyle Queiro 12 CB Alonzo Mayo

11 QB Demry Croft 1 RB Rodney Smith 6 WR Tyler Johnson 9 WR Eric Carter 25 WR Phillip Howard 86 TE Brandon Lingen 73 LT Donnell Greene 78 LG Garrison Wright 64 C Conner Olson 76 RG Vincent Calhoun 70 RT Sam Schlueter

STANDINGS EAST Ohio State Michigan State Michigan Penn State Rutgers Maryland Indiana

(8-2, 6-1) (7-3, 5-2) (8-2, 5-2) (8-2, 5-2) (4-6, 3-4) (4-6, 2-5) (4-6, 1-6)

WEST Wisconsin Northwestern Iowa Nebraska Minnesota Purdue Illinois

(10-0, 7-0) (7-3, 5-2) (6-4, 3-4) (4-6, 3-4) (5-5, 2-5) (4-6, 2-5) (2-8, 0-7)

10 GAMEDAY

The Daily Northwestern

Friday, November 17, 2017

Hall, Fisher step up in middle of Wildcats’ defense

By COLE PAXTON

daily senior staffer @ckpaxton

Northwestern faced an uphill test Oct. 28 against Michigan State. The Spartans had won four straight games entering the contest in Evanston and stood at No. 16 in the country. The Wildcats’ two previous games against ranked teams had ended in ugly fashion.

Then, a pair of Cats linebackers had career days.

Redshirt freshman Paddy Fisher amassed a career-high 19 tackles and junior Nate Hall made a game-winning interception in the end zone in triple overtime, leading NU to an upset and second straight overtime win. The two performances also epitomized the duo’s rise, with Fisher and Hall announcing their presence as defensive standouts on a team that has now won five consecutive games.

Fisher has been a consistent stat-stuffer, leading the Cats with 95 tackles. Hall, also a strong tackler, has made himself known by making big plays at big times. “(Paddy’s) very productive, he makes a lot of plays. He’s tough. He’s physical,” defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz said. “Nate just keeps getting better.”

Stepping forward

The Cats entered spring practice with gaping holes at linebacker. Anthony Walker had departed for the NFL, the first player ever to leave school early under coach Pat Fitzgerald. Walker took with him 33 starts — including all 13 at middle linebacker last season — and several All-American honors from 2015.

Gone to graduation were Jaylen Prater, who started the first eight games of 2016, and Joseph Jones, who made five starts himself.

That left NU with a pair of part-time starters on the outside — Hall and senior Brett Walsh — and a large gap inside. Then Fisher announced his presence, edging sophomore Nathan Fox to earn a starting spot in the season opener.

Even before Fisher made his first start, Hall said he saw something special in his linebacking partner.

“You could see the instincts he had,” Hall said.

“You just go back to what you were like as a freshman, and you could see how far along he was.”

Some preseason chatter revolved around how NU would mask an assumed weakness at linebacker. But after just four games, when Fitzgerald was asked which unit had made the most progress since training camp, he had high praise for the middle of the defense.

“The linebackers have probably played better than I thought they would going into the start of the season,” Fitzgerald said. “Especially Paddy Fisher. He has played really outstanding football for us.”

A ‘generational linebacker’

Fitzgerald said he thinks the Cats got lucky when they landed Fisher.

Despite strong play in high school, Fisher was not a highly sought-after recruit. He had offers from only a small handful of power conference schools, and he was not among the top 50 inside linebackers in his class, according to 247Sports.

“I was shocked that he wasn’t being more heavily recruited,” Fitzgerald said. “I thought from a size, speed, production (standpoint), wow. He jumped off the tape.”

When the three-star prospect got to Evanston, coaches had an inkling he would be something special. After prepping at legendary Katy High School in Texas, Fisher arrived ready for college football, Hankwitz said.

The staff ’s assumptions were quickly validated.

In his second career game, an ugly blowout loss at Duke, Fisher was a bright spot with 18 tackles.

Then against Michigan State, he reset his career high with 19 stops — 14 of which were solo tackles. The freshman forced fumbles on consecutive plays with the Spartans in the red zone to keep the visitors off the board.

Fisher has 95 tackles to lead NU by a wide margin; only Josey Jewell of Iowa has more in the Big Ten. And Fitzgerald said he believes the similarities between Fisher and Jewell, an All-American, extend to their playing styles.

“They’re generational linebackers. (Fisher) easily could have played (decades ago) because of his size,” Fitzgerald said. “You think about a couple of the plays that Paddy has made outside of the numbers, even the fumble caused (against the Spartans), that was a big play in the game. That’s a big (245)-pound guy that can run sideline to sideline. It’s pretty impressive.”

Fisher has big shoes to fill. He follows Walker, one of the best defensive players in program history, and plays the same position Fitzgerald did two decades ago.

Though Fitzgerald won two Nagurski awards as the best defensive player in college football and comparisons between the two are inevitable, the

soft-spoken Fisher seems to not mind. He said he loves playing for Fitzgerald.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Fisher said before praising his coach. “He is the man. He has been in the same shoes as I am, so he sheds a lot of light and wisdom on me.”

Milestone maker

Hall didn’t begin his career as the loud playmaker Fisher is.

He finished fifth on the team in tackles his freshman season, then moved up to third last year as a sophomore. But he often took a backseat to Prater when the graduated senior was healthy, and he was often overshadowed by Walker.

Now, it may be Hall whose plays are most noticed. He leads the Cats in tackles for loss, and in “third down stops,” linebackers coach Randy Bates said, a metric used by NU coaches to determine who makes tackles or defends passes to force opponents off the field.

“Nate has played as well as I’ve ever seen him play. He’s making critical plays at critical times,” Bates said. “He can cover, he can run, he can play in space.”

Hall, for his part, said he started the season slowly. But after the Cats’ bye week, three games into the year, things began to click.

That was clear Oct. 14 at Maryland, where he recorded 11 tackles and 3.5 for loss, both career highs. The standout performance came a week after his first career sack, only one of several milestones this season for the junior.

“I’ve been better getting off of blocks and understanding the defense and pass coverage,” Hall said. “It’s just allowed me to have fun and play fast.”

Hall then took his game to new heights against Michigan State. He missed much of the first half after suffering a gruesome left hand injury in which two fingers were bent so far backward that they broke skin.

He then returned with 30 stitches in his hand and played the entire second half. And in the third overtime, he picked off Spartans quarterback Brian Lewerke’s heave — his first-ever interception — to send NU to victory and students rushing the corner of the end zone.

“I’m really proud of Nate’s toughness. … That was a pretty gruesome injury that he had,” Fitzgerald said. “To see the way he went out and played was awesome.”

Hall now sits second on the team in solo and total tackles — though he trails Fisher by nearly 40 in the latter category.

Despite their impressive numbers, Fitzgerald said he expects even better play from his top linebackers. Fisher, in his first season of game action, “is still learning,” Fitzgerald said. Hall still needs to continue “coming on,” in the words of his coach.

With three more games this year and at least one more season remaining in their careers, Hall and Fisher will each have opportunities to take their play to even higher levels. Still, the first 10 games of the year have made for a pair of impressive campaigns.

“They’ve both made big plays for us,” Hankwitz said. “I’d like to see that continue.”

Daily file photo by Lauren Duquette

Ben Pope and Max Schuman contributed reporting. colepaxton2019@u.northwestern.edu

Daily file photo by Allie Goulding

Daily file photo by Allie Goulding

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 11

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2017

YWCA to make advisory committee for male allies

By ADRIAN WAN

the daily northwestern @piuadrianw

As the first cohort of men in an Evanston/North Shore YWCA initiative completes training aimed at ending gender violence, the organization is planning to establish an advisory committee to help launch events that continue engaging men as allies.

The committee will include men who have completed The Men’s Leadership Initiative’s five-week training session — covering topics from healthy masculinity to bystander intervention — and are motivated to work with the nonprofit, said Antonio Rice, a coordinator for the program. He added that committee members will help the YWCA launch annual community events and produce public service announcements.

“Our mission is to stop domestic violence by making men the allies of women,” Rice said. “Women have been working on this issue for a long time, but we also need men to be allies against violence.”

Rice said six men are currently taking part in the training and many participants have shown interest in serving as mentors for Evanston Township High School students and assisting the YWCA with organizing community education campaigns.

The Men’s Leadership Initiative kicked off last spring with the YWCA’s first-ever men’s leadership community dinner, which featured keynote speaker Jackson Katz, a longtime leader in the movement of men working to promote gender equality and prevent gender violence.

Though the initiative empowers survivors, its main goal is to challenge participants to redefine masculinity in a way that doesn’t allow for gender violence, said Kristen White, the organization’s chief operating officer. She added that the initiative strives to help men understand how to make “different” choices.

“For decades, the women’s movement and domestic violence community have focused on experiences the survivors have,” White said. “But the perpetrators of gender violence are men, so unless we can change (their) behaviors, the violence will continue.”

Kumar Jensen, the city’s sustainability coordinator,

HAVE YOU

HEARD

has participated in the training sessions and said he learned how heteronormativity is still strongly enforced throughout mainstream media.

The result is the reinforcement of rigid gender roles, he said.

“The way that the media articulates what it means to be men is primarily based on power,” Jensen said. “TV shows and advertisements primarily put men in positions of domination over women, oftentimes violently. So it’s important for men to understand what they take for granted in terms of their relationships.”

One in five women are sexually assaulted while in college, and 40 million adult Americans grew up in a home with domestic violence, according to statistics provided by the YWCA. White said domestic violence and sexual assault are not limited to a specific race, ethnicity, religion or income level.

“It happens in all communities,” she said. “So it’s critical to engage men … in that conversation and help them understand the important role they play in changing that.” limingwan2021@u.northwestern.edu

Katie Pach/Daily Senior Staffer

YWCA Evanston/North Shore, 1215 Church St. The organization launched an initiative to combat gender violence by educating men about healthy masculinity.

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OPINION

Join the online conversation at www.dailynorthwestern.com Page 12

Friday, November 17, 2017

We need more diverse voices in our English readings YVONNE KIM

DAILY COLUMNIST

Every course I take toward my English literature degree is an emotional roller coaster.

It’s one I admit partially stems from my own obsession with having to get the most out of my college years, but I also believe it largely speaks to the nature of an English education.

I often treat quarterly registration like a sacred, week-long affair. Especially with only five quarters left on campus, I hope to maximize the cherished moments of sitting in a classroom and feeling the thrill of reading and discussing new material that turns me upside down. But the reason I have such a love-hate relationship with my major is that I don’t feel that thrill as often as I know I could. Rather, pursuing the degree has made me extremely critical of its homogeneous curriculum, disproportionately dominated by white (I might as well give you the whole package: European, male, Christian…) writers with minimal opportunity to read varied voices.

I don’t write this to imply that the widely accepted literary canon and intellectual stimulation are mutually exclusive. I’ve had my fair share of “thrill” moments reading what one may call stereotypical white English writers, under some of the most insightful professors I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. I will forever love “Little Women” and have been eyeing Austen and Faulkner courses for more than a year now. But there lies a certain joy in encountering something unlike anything you’ve known before, one that you certainly know if you’ve taken an ethnic studies course about your own lived experiences, or a history

24 Literally rooted in whiteness

8

10/10 very un-white 277 Intro to Latino/a Literature 268 The U.S. through foreign eyes 377 Special topics in Latino/a studies 385 Voices of Environmental Justice 388 Christian-Muslim Encounters

Not so white

Basically white but I’m giving them some benefit of the doubt 213 Intro to Fiction 313 Uncle Tom’s Cabin 371 Coming of Age

class that took you beyond the U.S. for the first time.

I took a look at the English department’s offerings for Winter Quarter 2018. It’s even more homogeneous than I expected. Excluding creative writing courses — they’re technically a different degree, and professors offer widely varying course readers not currently available online — there are a total of 24 English literature courses I have to choose from.

And at least four of them would require me to read Walt Whitman again.

I say that somewhat jokingly, but in all seriousness, I’ve already read Whitman three times. In fact, I will be reading him again this winter for my required English 300 seminar.

And though I’m stoked for the course and hold immense respect for my professor, I am concerned and disappointed by the range of options I have to fulfill my remaining requirements.

So I created a chart to reflect my headspace while going through course registration. Of course nothing is this rigid, and a course’s value is not reduced to a demographic breakdown of its readings, but these blatant discrepancies are disheartening to see before

classes have even begun. (Keep in mind that this is only one quarter, which one professor informed me may be disproportionately worse due to faculty going on leave. Past years’ offerings are available here.)

I’ve categorized two-thirds of the Winter Quarter course offerings as fundamentally rooted in whiteness, meaning the same names you see throughout English syllabi all the time: Keats, Shelley, Shakespeare, Woolf. The list goes on. The other eight seem to offer more flexibility. But still, only five of those immediately sparked my interest as something entirely beyond what English students are used to, a step away from a standard literature education.

The English 213 Introduction to Fiction class will look at several of the “greatest and most influential novels.” Yet three of these — “Frankenstein,” “Jane Eyre” and “Mrs. Dalloway” — are standard novels by 18th- and 19th-century European writers. That leaves “The Bluest Eye” the explicitly outlying, nonwhite text in a course intended to survey a genre as vast as fiction. Even coming from someone whose favorite book is “Jane Eyre,” this is eyebrow-raising: Clearly, even among

the eight courses I highlight, I provide significant benefit of the doubt when it comes to diversity of learning.

And this is emblematic of the department itself. My experience in the required American Literary Traditions sequence was hugely formative, but could’ve benefitted from writers beyond Poe, Hawthorne and Melville. A whopping six of the 24 courses read Shakespeare. In fact, I may drop the major entirely because I’m struggling to finish the three required pre1830 courses, and not a single one of the seven qualifying courses this winter — two of which are surveys of Shakespeare — allows me to venture beyond European literature.

I love English literature and I love my professors. And it’s only because of this love that I’m often disappointed by my experience.

There is so much more the field has to offer, and it is my hope that our department continues expanding to reflect this richness. The aforementioned professor hit the nail on the head when he said, “no English department is going to stop teaching Chaucer or Shakespeare, nor should they, but … there are ways of engaging the literature that can make it resonate with important questions that students face today.” The best professors I’ve had are the ones who make textual encounters as dynamic as possible regardless of the core curriculum, and these micro attempts are just as important — if not more so — in shaping our studies than the macro, structural whiteness of English literature.

Yvonne Kim is a Medill junior. She can be contacted at yvonnekim2019@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, 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 at The Daily Northwestern.

‘IT’S OK TO BE WHITE’ posters hint at false threat ALEX SCHWARTZ

DAILY COLUMNIST

Earlier this week, The Daily reported that posters displaying the phrase “IT’S OK TO BE WHITE” appeared in Crowe Hall, mostly around the African American studies offices.

Northwestern was just one of a growing number of American college campuses hit by a wave of these posters. The flyers originated in an alt-right 4chan post aimed to “nuke” the “credibility of far left campuses and media.” The posters on campus were promptly removed and reported to authorities.

I was appalled by these posters, and you should be too — especially if you’re white.

It’s easy to interpret reactions to these posters at NU (and on campuses around the country) as over the top or unfounded. What’s so wrong with saying that it’s OK to be white? Any tolerant person would say the same thing to a person of color, right?

Let’s go back to the rise of the “All Lives Matter” campaign as a reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement. Some people viewed BLM as unproductive, focusing only on one race but neglecting to value others. “Why is it that just black lives matter?” people asked. “Don’t all lives matter?” All lives obviously matter; BLM was an effort focused on bringing attention to the unequal treatment of black people in society,

particularly in law enforcement and the criminal justice system. If a house is on fire, we don’t say, “all houses matter” and hose down every home in the neighborhood — we use our water to stop that one house from burning. BLM called attention to that one burning house, and “All Lives Matter” was utterly unhelpful in extinguishing those flames.

Think of “IT’S OK TO BE WHITE” as the alt-right’s version of Black Lives Matter. It stems from the belief that white people are oppressed in society by globalism and multiculturalism.

It insinuates that white people must now take pride in their identity and work to preserve their cultural heritage in the face of forces that seek to destroy it.

The crucial difference between BLM and these posters is that this “white” house is not burning — there is no societal mistreatment of white people.

There is no data to support the notion that white people experience societal oppression in any way. We are not disproportionately targeted by police; we do not experience redlining or workplace discrimination; and we are not underrepresented in mainstream media. Instead, we experience privileges that put us ahead of people of color.

There is no need to say “White Lives Matter” or “IT’S OK TO BE WHITE” because there is no pressing problem white people as a race are facing in society that we need to call attention to. These posters would have you believe that, because you are a white person, you are experiencing some form of oppression that warrants a validation of your identity. White people don’t

need this — Western society was created in part to validate whiteness. White people benefit from being society’s default identity.

In this case, however, we can use the previously faulty “All Lives Matter” logic against the people behind these posters. We have to wave them away by saying, “Of course it’s OK to be white. It’s OK to be any race.”

These posters are still, however, a reaction to something. White nationalist 4chan trolls wouldn’t put them up if they didn’t feel that they’d be controversial in our national context.

And, in fact, they do recognize that something is in jeopardy here: white supremacy. With the emergence of far-right white supremacy groups to the forefront in recent months, America (read: white America) is coming to the realization that this ideology did not die with the Civil Rights Movement.

White supremacists are aware of this, and with these posters they are attempting to frame their movement not as an attempt to maintain control over people of color but as a grassroots effort to save white people from some imagined societal oppression.

It is the duty of white people like myself to call out and actively fight against this disguised violent ideology wherever we see it — whether it be on Twitter where neo-Nazis masquerade as young, dapper “white nationalists,” at the dinner table where a relative claims “black people get too many handouts from the government” or on our campus, where these posters try to fool us into thinking we are the oppressed instead of the oppressors.

It can be hard to accept this fact about

ourselves at first, that the very color of our skin puts us at an advantage in a society where many of us have been told that all humans are equal. It can be even harder to recognize that the largely comfortable lives we have led have been at the expense of others who were simply not fortunate enough to not be born the same shade as us. But these are crucial steps we have to take to make those childhood lessons of equality and acceptance a reality; we can’t live in denial about our positions as white people in society anymore.

I understand that, in a way, I am giving into these trolls’ wishes by bringing attention to the posters. But I feel that, in a political climate that is doing everything to prevent white people from discovering, recognizing and checking their privilege, this is an important lesson for us. We can’t be fooled into thinking that we play no role in perpetuating white supremacy just because we don’t wear Klan hoods or swastikas. In light of these posters, it’s time for white people to explicitly reject the notion that we are in any way disadvantaged.

It’s time for white people to stop coddling ourselves and start deconstructing a society that places us on a pedestal. But we need to recognize the existence of that pedestal first.

Alex Schwartz is a Medill sophomore. He can be contacted at alexschwartz@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern. com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.

The Daily Northwestern Volume 138, Issue 45 Editor in Chief Peter Kotecki

Managing Editors Allyson Chiu David Fishman Garrett Jochnau

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR may be sent to 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, via fax at 847-491-9905, via e-mail to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com or by dropping a letter in the box outside The Daily office.

Letters have the following requirements: • Should be typed • Should be double-spaced • Should include the author’s name, signature, school, class and phone number.

• Should be fewer than 400 words They will be checked for authenticity and may be edited for length, clarity, style and grammar.

Opinion Editors Mariana Alfaro Troy Closson

Assistant Opinion Editor Alex Schwartz

Letters, columns and cartoons contain the opinion of the authors, not Students Publishing Co. Inc. Submissions signed by more than three people must include at least one and no more than three names designated to represent the group.

Editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daily’s student editorial board and not the opinions of either Northwestern University or Students Publishing Co. Inc.

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 13

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2017

CONSTRUCTION From page 1

renovations” through the summer because construction teams blocked entrances and took over the sidewalks and parking spaces in front of the restaurant.

Trattoria Demi’s revenue decreased about 30 percent compared to last year, Sieja said, which translates to thousands of dollars. She said the restaurant suffered because it was unable to open its outdoor dining during the summer.

“Everything has been made almost impossible, from deliveries of the necessities we need to operate to parking,” Sieja said.

She said the already “horrendous” parking situation near her restaurant was made worse after construction led to the removal of almost all available spots. Sieja, who received a ticket herself after parking outside the restaurant, added that she doesn’t expect parking to improve after the renovation due to a

ECONOMICS From page 1

adding economics as a STEM major to give students more opportunities.

“We were aware that students in economics wanted economics to be STEM,” Shankar said.

“If it’s approved, then we are very happy to give that benefit to the students of that additional time.”

University President Morton Schapiro told The Daily in an email he had not heard of the petition.

Walia said she was first interested in starting the petition after hearing from colleagues that other top colleges and universities consider economics a

narrowing of lanes.

Jeffrey Wilson, general manager of Edzo’s Burger Shop, faced similar problems. He said construction has caused parking problems and a decrease in foot traffic for Edzo’s, 1571 Sherman Ave. Customers run the risk of receiving tickets for parking their cars in spots that don’t have meters yet, Wilson said.

He said Edzo’s began offering curbside pickup in response to the decrease in parking. The new service allows customers to remain in their cars while an Edzo’s employee brings out their orders. This ensures customers don’t get ticketed, but is “definitely not convenient for us,” Wilson said.

On a more personal note, Wilson said he was upset that construction continued during Northwestern’s homecoming weekend. The construction “killed” business on a weekend that is normally one of the busiest, he said.

“It’s one of my favorite times of the year,” Wilson

said. “Everybody comes out and we meet a lot of people from different states, but the fact they had the streets closed, people didn’t know we were even open.”

Wilson also described a time when construction workers busted a water line and didn’t inform Edzo’s. As a result, he said, the shop’s cooler broke and cost the business “a lot of money” to replace the equipment.

The city did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment on the matter.

Ald. Donald Wilson (4th), whose ward encompasses Fountain Square, said equipment on the sidewalks and other areas outside of the construction site have made it difficult for residents to navigate the square, but that the city is responding to the concerns of businesses. He said the city has begun issuing violations to the construction company when it takes up spaces outside the construction area.

City staff also helped Boltwood co-owner Brian Huston — who cited frustrations with parking and

outdoor seating — mitigate the construction’s impact on his restaurant. Huston said the city refunded a $400 outdoor dining permit for this past summer, though his business stood to profit much more by having that seating available to patrons.

Still, Donald Wilson said he was “frustrated” with the delays.

“It’s disrupting the residents and businesses,” the alderman said. “Its primary goal is to create a community space where people can spend time and interact but that keeps getting pushed back.”

Both Donald Wilson and the business operators said the area will be a great asset once completed, but that future seems far off, especially for local businesses who feel the brunt of the impact of construction.

“It can’t possibly be worse than this,” Sieja said.

“We definitely won’t stay open if it gets any worse.”

STEM major.

She said she found it odd that NU does not classify economics as part of STEM despite its “quantitatively-focused” curriculum.

“I looked into (how economics) is taught at schools like Brown and the way it is taught at Northwestern; it’s virtually identical,” Walia said.

“I got frustrated because if Northwestern makes economics STEM it can really change so much for international students.”

Walia said it is “exceptionally important” that the major not only be considered STEM going forward, but also that the change is applied retroactively so that 2017 graduates, such as herself, can benefit.

Aashrey Tiku (Weinberg ’17), an international student who also majored in economics, said the potential change would have “huge implications” for international students, particularly because of the difficult job application process.

Tiku said he had few options when applying for jobs, and was always conscious of the fact that his visa would expire one year after his graduation.

“It definitely has to be on your mind because the visa will only let you be here for one year after you graduate, and it’s on the company’s mind as well,” Tiku said. “That’s why a lot of them don’t accept applications.”

Tiku added that he hopes the petition will make

domestic students more aware of the difficult visa process.

Walia also said considering economics as a STEM major could help the University recruit more international students.

“From a Northwestern standpoint, there’s a lot to be gained from this, and of course from a student standpoint there’s a lot to be gained from this,” Walia said. “Isn’t it such a depressing thought that as a student, when you apply for your major, you have to think of it strategically in terms of ‘Will I be able to stay on in the country, or will I not?’”

juliainesesparza2020@u.northwestern.edu

allysonmauch2020@u.northwestern.edu

MEN’S SWIMMING

The Evolution of the Revolution: Media and the LGBTQ Community

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This talk and discussion will center around the history of LGBT coverage in the mainstream media.

Baim will address the current state of LGBTQ media, and how collaboration and networking can enhance and expand the pool of media and reporters covering this ever-evolving community.

Monday, November 27th 5:00pm - 6:00pm Fisk Hall, room 311 Sponsored by the Daniel H. Renberg Endowment

Wildcats suit up for TYR Invitational

By LEXIE MODEAS

the daily northwestern

Northwestern will host the annual TYR Invitational this weekend, the last meet of its fall season. Eight teams will travel to Evanston to compete, including Big Ten rival Michigan State and crosstown foes Illinois-Chicago and Illinois State.

The Wildcats (3-6, 0-1 Big Ten) won the meet last year, earning a total of 979 points and beating the Spartans by only half a point. Junior Justin Hanson said NU hopes to win again this year, and by a larger margin. In preparation for this weekend, the week of training consisted of lowerintensity sets and less yardage, Hanson said.

“Practices are about fine-tuning the details before our big meet, focusing on stuff like our starts and our turns,” Hanson said. “Not necessarily easy practices but more technique focused.”

Hanson said the swimmers will substitute their normal practice swimsuits with racing suits for the invitational, which they have not done for any other meet this season. Wearing a racing suit, Hanson said, instills confidence and excitement in a swimmer. With racing suits on and less intense practices, he said the team will be a force to be reckoned with.

At last year’s invitational, Hanson placed second in the 200-yard butterfly in 1:49.30. He said he’ll face tough competition in this year’s event, but thinks it will only motivate him to swim faster.

“I know Grand Canyon University has a really fast 200 butterflier,” Hanson said. “He is trying to qualify for NCAAs, so competing with him will be great.”

Hanson said he will compete in the 200- and 400-yard individual medleys, as well as the 100 fly.

Freshman D.J. Hwang hopes to impress at his first TYR Invitational. In the meet against Wisconsin, Hwang posted an in-season best time in the 1000-yard freestyle. He said he plans on dropping more time this weekend, but added that the three-day meet structure makes it challenging.

The meet starts Friday morning and ends Sunday evening. The preliminaries take place each morning, and those who place in the top 24 will race again at night.

The Cats have been successful at the TYR Invitational in previous years, with four NCAA ‘B’ qualifying times and a sweep in the diving events last year. For NU, which has suffered three losses in the last two weeks, success at the invite would help end the fall season on a good note.

“Mentally it will be a little bit tougher because we will be doing a lot of racing over the three days,” Hwang said. “Having my teammates with me along the entire way will be a big factor.” alexismodeas2021@u.northwestern.edu

14 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2017

WOMEN’S SWIMMING

Wildcats set on defending title in home invitational

By RACHEL KUPFER

the daily northwestern @rachkupfer

Northwestern will dive into the TYR Invitational this weekend looking to repeat last year’s win at this same meet and bounce back from Saturday’s loss to Wisconsin.

The Wildcats will compete against seven other teams, including Big Ten foe Michigan State, throughout the three-day meet. Coach Abby Steketee said the Spartans have historically been the toughest competition at this meet. They are a bigger team, she said, and because each swimmer is limited to two events per day, size and numbers help.

To prepare for the meet, NU used what Steketee calls a “drop taper” to rest. The intensity of practice slowly decreased throughout the week, and the team did not lift Thursday morning. Morning practices also started later.

“It’s just enough to take the edge off,” Steketee said.

Steketee also stressed the importance of rest and recovery throughout the three days, due to the size of the meet.

The Cats will wear tech suits this weekend, designed to make swimmers more dynamic and streamlined in the water. Freshman Calypso

Daily file photo by Alec Carroll

A Northwestern swimmer races. The Wildcats will look to win their second consecutive TYR Invitational this weekend.

Sheridan, who won the 400-yard individual medley last weekend, will use that perk to her advantage for the event, she said.

“I’m looking at going close to, if not getting, the NCAA ‘A’ cut,” Sheridan said. “I’m pretty excited about that.”

In addition to the regular meet schedule, the invitational will also have 50-yard events of each stroke and a 100 individual medley, senior co-captain Aja Malone said. She will swim the 50-yard butterfly, among other races.

“They’re not really events that we normally compete in in conference, but they’re just fun events to have and get up and race for,” Malone said.

Steketee said she hopes to see NU persist throughout the meet, and wants the swimmers to maintain a competitive mindset. Having fun is part of that, Steketee said.

To reward persistence and maintain good spirits, the coaches will pick a swimmer each day to receive the “TYR-ara,” a play on the words “TYR” and “tiara,” Steketee said. They will then have their “purple reign” until the next teammate is crowned.

Malone is not worried about keeping the energy up through the three days because everyone is ready to race and participate in the preliminary and finals sessions, she said.

Overall, Steketee hopes the fun of racing will contribute to weekend success. However, she doesn’t want NU to lose focus, she said.

“Instead of being afraid of it or instead of going for perfection, just be in the moment and really absorb all the excitement,” Steketee said. “Just put it out there in the pool.” rachelkupfer2021@u.northwestern.edu

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Associate head coach resigns before season starts, takes WNBA job

Christie Sides, Northwestern’s associate head coach, resigned just before the season began to take a WNBA job, head coach Joe McKeown said Thursday.

University donation to fund youth job training, city park improvements Northwestern donated $1 million to Evanston’s Good Neighbor Fund for the third year in a row to help support some municipal projects and services, the city announced in a Thursday news release.

The money will go to facility and park improvements, paramedic services and youth job training,

Before the Wildcats’ 88-70 win over Oakland, an athletic department spokesman said Sides had resigned. McKeown confirmed during the postgame news conference that Sides made her decision “a couple of weeks ago.”

No announcement has been made regarding Sides’ new destination, but McKeown said Sides would return to the WNBA, where she worked for six seasons before joining the Wildcats.

“She came from the pros and wanted to go back to the pros,” McKeown said. “The cycle in that league for hiring is right now.”

Sides, who spent one season in Evanston, was considered a significant hire when she arrived in October 2016. She was promoted to associate head coach in May. Following Sides’ departure, director of player development Kate Popovec will assume an assistant coaching role, McKeown said. He

suggested that current assistant Tiffany Coppage will fill the associate head coaching job.

Sides’ departure was just one of two significant personnel changes announced before Thursday’s game. Junior guard Amber Jamison is taking a “leave of absence” from NU.

the release said. Last year, the donation funded programs for youth in high-risk situations, police cameras, Evanston Fire Department paramedics, bike lanes on Sheridan Road and assisted families affected by violent crime.

“Northwestern is much more than just a good neighbor, it’s a partner in our community’s success,” Mayor Steve Hagerty said in the release. “I look forward to continuing our strong spirit of cooperation and support for many years to come.”

In March 2015, the University pledged to donate $1 million annually for five years to

Evanston. The funds go toward city projects that are jointly decided by the Evanston mayor and University President Morton Schapiro.

This year, $325,000 was allocated to Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center for interior improvements, $100,000 to renovate the Harbert Park basketball court and $25,000 to a CTA/ Union Pacific Viaduct Beautification Pilot Project.

In addition to improvement projects, $220,000 was given to the Evanston Fire Department paramedic services, $160,000 to job training programs for youth at risk, $100,000 to the city’s Youth and

Young Adult Division and $70,000 to Evanston Public Library to support a social worker.

“One of Northwestern’s key assets is our location in Evanston, a vibrant and thriving community where many of our faculty and staff live,” Schapiro said in the release. “Our partnerships with the City of Evanston and the Evanston schools continue to grow, and this contribution demonstrates our commitment to our home town.”

Peter Warren contributed reporting.

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— Amelia Langas

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 15

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2017

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JAMISON From page 1

Jamison played 18 minutes and shot 1-of-7 from the floor, finishing with two points.

The junior did not play in NU’s season opener at Chicago State last Friday, which the Cats won decisively.

“Amber is a tremendous student-athlete at Northwestern,” McKeown said. “(She) came in and has really grown in our program, helped us last year win 20 games, had a big impact on our team.”

The loss of Jamison reduces the active roster to only 10 players and five guards. Of those five, only senior captain Lydia Rohde had previously played significant minutes for NU. Starting in Jamison’s place is freshman guard Lindsey Pulliam. Pulliam, a top-100 recruit according to ESPN, has made the most of her opportunity thus far.

Against the Golden Grizzlies, the Maryland native finished with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting, all from within the 3-point line. In the season opener against Chicago State, Pulliam led all scorers with 18 points and collected six rebounds.

Sophomore guard Byrdy Galernik has also played well off the bench to start the season. She scored 8

WOMEN’S BBALL From page 16

Jordan Hamilton combined to score on the Cats’ next three possessions to stretch the lead back to 13 with five minutes remaining.

“They definitely pulled up the pressure and the speed of the game,” sophomore center Abi Scheid said. “We regained the lead by slowing down the ball and looking for good looks and taking good shots.”

In the closing minutes, NU coasted to its eventual 18-point victory.

Prior to tipoff, the athletic department announced that junior guard Amber Jamison is taking a leave of

MEN’S BBALL From page 16

its defensive identity comes Saturday in Connecticut, where it will face the Explorers (3-0). La Salle is led by senior guard B.J. Johnson, who enters the game averaging 21.7 points per game, more than any NU player.

Expectations are inescapably higher for the Cats, a fact reflected in their first preseason ranking in program history. Still, the 2-1 start shares parallels with last fall, when NU won its first two nonconference

points and dished out three assists against Chicago State, and tallied 5 points and three assists against Oakland.

“At times, I thought Byrdy did a great job against really quick guards,” McKeown said. “She has been playing well for us.”

Without Jamison, the team has struggled from beyond the arc. The junior was the leading returner in 3-pointers made, as well as in 3-point percentage among players with at least one attempt per game.

Last Friday, the Cats did not convert any of their eight 3-point attempts. Though NU improved against Oakland, going 5-for-10 from deep, 3-point attempts accounted for only 15.9 percent of the Cats’ overall looks.

Though the team will miss Jamison’s in-game contributions, Scheid said that “we always know she will be there for us” off the court.

Jamison will not step on the court of Beardsley Gym in the near future, but McKeown said her NU career is not over.

“She is a part of our program still,” McKeown said.

“When she comes back, she is going to have a great career.” peterwarren2021@u.northwestern.edu absence from the University.

For an inexperienced team that has now lost another experienced player, the early season game offered NU a chance to improve and flash the potential of a possible star in the making.

Both the Wildcats and Kunaiyi-Akpanah took advantage of the opportunity.

“I told our team it’s not even Thanksgiving yet and we start the Big Ten (season) December 28 and everything in between for us is just going to be growth,” McKeown said. “We have a really young team. … I just really like the way we close out.” benjaminapelbaum2019@u.northwestern.edu games before falling to another Big East team — Butler.

Despite the the bumpy beginning to the season, junior forward Vic Law said after Wednesday’s loss that the Cats are comfortable where they are.

“We’re in the same spot,” Law said. “Hopefully we can go down to Connecticut and win a championship.

Whatever it takes to win a championship.” timothybalk2018@u.northwestern.edu jonahdylan2020@u.northwestern.edu

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SPORTS

ON DECK NOV.

18

Football Minnesota at No. 23 NU, 11 a.m. Saturday

ON THE RECORD

Coming into Northwestern they weren’t doing these things ... so we’ll come in on this stage with the mindset — Kassidy Gorman, defender that we’re going to win.

@DailyNU_Sports

Friday, November 17, 2017

WOMEN’S SOCCER

NU heads to Los Angeles for NCAA second round

By CHARLIE GOLDSMITH

the daily northwestern @2021_charlie

Daily file photo by David Lee

Mikayla Hampton kicks the ball. The freshman forward and the Wildcats will take on No. 2 UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

Kassidy Gorman remembers when Northwestern was at the bottom, when winning in the NCAA Tournament wasn’t the baseline. When she was recruited, the Wildcats had one of the worst records in the Big Ten, but coach Michael Moynihan told her she would see the program rise.

Moynihan was right.

NU (12-7-3, 7-3-1 Big Ten) faces No. 2 UCLA (16-2-2, 8-2-1 Pac 12) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, looking to qualify for its second consecutive Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. If the Cats win Friday, they will play again Sunday against No. 3 Virginia or Pepperdine with an Elite Eight bid on the line.

After joining a team that won three games in 2013, NU’s seniors have become the winningest class in program history, and Moynihan said they changed how the team is perceived nationally.

“The growth of the program has been a shock for some of them, and it’s not what they came in expecting,” Moynihan said of his seniors. “Every

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Northwestern vs. No. 2 UCLA

Los Angeles, California 10 p.m. Friday

year we took some strides in different areas, and a big part is because of our culture. They’ve played the biggest part in the team coming together.”

After a dramatic penalty-kick victory in the first round Sunday against Butler, the Cats could qualify for their first Elite Eight with two wins in Los Angeles. Even though NU will face one of the most talented groups in the country Friday, Gorman said the seniors see a chance to make history.

“Winning in the postseason is something so incredible, and it pushes us to work harder and move forward,” the senior defender said. “Coming into Northwestern they weren’t doing these things … so we’ll come in on this stage with the mindset that we’re going to win.”

Though NU’s spirit is high, the Cats will face several Bruins with experience on the U.S. junior national teams, as well as freshman defender Kennedy Faulknor, who began playing internationally at 16.

Faulknor, who missed UCLA’s first

round tournament match, played for the Canadian national team instead last weekend. She’s simultaneously trying to qualify for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup and win an NCAA Championship, but Moynihan expects she will be back with the Bruins on Friday.

To make the matchup even more difficult, the Bruins will likely bring the biggest crowd the Cats have seen this season. UCLA drew the biggest crowd in NCAA women’s soccer history in its regular season finale, when nearly 12,000 fans watched the Bruins beat crosstown rival USC in overtime Nov. 3.

For reference, 277 fans watched the Cats play Butler last week.

Despite the talent and fanbase on the other side, senior goalkeeper Lauren Clem said NU won’t see anything it hasn’t seen before. With four years of experience in elimination games, she said Friday is a chance to show the progress the Cats have made.

“We always match the other team’s play,” she said. “When we’re playing a better opponent, we know the expectation is higher and we know what they’re going to bring to us, so we come in prepared. We know their caliber and now we’re ready to match it.” charliegoldsmith2021@u.northwestern.edu

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Wildcats cruise in home-opener NU looks to rebound

By BENJY APELBAUM

daily senior staffer @benjyapelbaum

In Northwestern’s first home game at Evanston Township High School, Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah had a career day to pilot the Wildcats to a 88-70 win over Oakland.

The junior forward stuffed the stat sheet with 27 points, shattering her previous career high of 14, and 21 rebounds, the second-most in school history. It was the third 20-20 game in program history. With the departure of last season’s stars leaving a production void, KunaiyiAkpanah was the catalyzing force behind NU’s (2-0) second straight lopsided win, after it defeated Chicago State 63-36 in its first game.

“I’ve coached a long time … Pallas tonight, that was a special performance,” coach Joe McKeown said. “I’m glad I got to see it because I won’t see it again.”

The junior came out on fire, securing her second double-double of the season a remarkable 12 minutes into the game and out-rebounding the entire opposing team 13-9 in the first half. She nearly outrebounded the Golden Grizzlies at the final whistle, but fell three boards short.

Kunaiyi-Akpanah was able to effectively use her size advantage and tenacity to dominate the interior, scoring effectively in the post and in transition. Her post touches were a point of focus for the offense all night, and after looking unpolished during her first two seasons, she displayed superior footwork and touch down low.

“My teammates were able to find me in the post whenever I would post up with high hands,” Kunaiyi-Akpanah said.

“We were looking to get the ball to me because most of the time Oakland would

Oakland

70

Northwestern

88

switch a smaller guard on me so I had the advantage.”

Kunaiyi-Akpanah’s effort was a major part of the Cats’ 42-24 rebounding advantage and 12-3 lead in second chance points. Her breakout came on the heels of a perfect 6-of-6 shooting night against Chicago State and sets the stage for a bigger role going forward.

To start the game, NU shot 69 percent in a fast-paced first quarter to race out to a 25-12 lead that it never relinquished. The pace continued throughout the game and when the final buzzer sounded, the Cats had attempted 63 shots, compared to the 51 they hoisted in the season opener.

After the first period, however, the Golden Grizzlies clawed back into the game, eventually cutting NU’s lead to seven early in the fourth quarter. Immediately after Oakland missed a free throw with a chance to slice the deficit to six, Kunaiyi-Akpanah and freshman guard » See WOMEN’S BBALL, page 15

Keshia Johnson/Daily Senior Staffer

Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah goes up for a layup. The junior forward tallied a career-high 27 points and 21 rebounds in Northwestern’s 88-70 win over Oakland on Thursday.

at Connecticut event

By TIM BALK and JONAH DYLAN

daily senior staffers @timbalk, @thejonahdylan

Northwestern’s nonconference slate has not opened as planned.

The No. 20 Wildcats (2-1) pulled out ugly wins against overmatched squads in their first two contests and then fell flat defensively in a shootout loss to Creighton (3-0) on Wednesday.

For a team looking to set the bar higher after its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance last season, the sluggish start has left much to be desired.

NU will now turn its attention to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame TipOff, where it will face La Salle on Saturday. Depending on the Cats’ result, they’ll play either Texas Tech (2-0) or Boston College (3-0) on Sunday. If NU wants to be successful at the tournament, it’ll likely take a much better defensive performance, as the Cats allowed 92 points to the Bluejays on Wednesday night.

“If you don’t stop the other team, it’s gonna kind of be difficult to win,” senior guard Bryant McIntosh said after Wednesday’s game.

After NU hung its hat on defensive consistency during the magical run to March Madness a year ago, the Bluejays’ scoring total represented a difficult pill to swallow.

Creighton’s 92 points easily eclipsed any opponent’s final output against the Cats last season. The performance could not have been what coach Chris Collins envisioned when he talked in the preseason about adjusting goals.

“The Tournament was a big goal,

La Salle vs. No. 20 Northwestern Uncasville, Connecticut 1:30 p.m. Saturday

and we were excited about it and we wanted to get there,” Collins said three days before the team opened its regular season. “But is that going to be enough?

Do you want to try win a Big Ten? Do you want to try to win a preseason tournament, that we’ve never done? Do you want to try to go undefeated at home?”

NU can no longer go undefeated at home after the loss to Creighton at Allstate Arena, the team’s temporary home court. But the rest of those objectives remain for a team that also flashed offensive potential in the loss. And though the wins over Loyola Maryland and Saint Peter’s proved uneven, they did have bright spots.

Senior guard Scottie Lindsey scored 26 points against Loyola. Junior center Dererk Pardon displayed an ability to get to the line in the team’s first two games, taking 18 free throws. Pardon, who said he bulked up during the offseason, could be a key player for a team looking to establish a post presence.

None of those positives will mean much if the Cats can’t smooth out early inconsistencies, particularly on the defensive end. Loyola managed 23 more points against NU than it did against Fairfield. Saint Peter’s finished with 26 more points against the Cats than it did at La Salle.

NU’s next opportunity to reestablish » See MEN’S BBALL, page 15