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The Daily Northwestern Monday, February 9, 2015
DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM
Offerman gives raunchy talk
Nathan Richards/Daily Senior Staffer
THE REAL RON SWANSON Actor and comedian Nick Offerman speaks at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall on Saturday night. Offerman discussed his woodworking hobby and political beliefs, and interspersed his talk with songs on a homemade ukulele.
By JEANNE KUANG
daily senior staffer @jeannekuang
Northwestern’s “Parks and Recreation” fans serenaded the show’s fictional miniature horse Li’l Sebastian in a singalong led by actor Nick Offerman on Saturday night.
Offerman, who plays Ron Swanson on the sitcom, sang a song from the series eulogizing the horse at the end of his talk at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall. Nearly 1,000 students packed into the venue to see Offerman’s sold-out show. The comedian, who visited NU as A&O Productions’ winter speaker, appeared without his character’s signature mustache.
“They were paying mostly for the mustache,” he joked. Offerman characterized his talk as having “momentum just shy of a bull in a china shop” and told explicit sexual jokes throughout the night, prompting shocked and raucous laughter from the audience. The rest of his remarks, ranging from discussions of his love of woodworking to personal stories and his political beliefs, were peppered with humorous songs Offerman sang while playing a homemade ukulele. He touched on his connections to NU in his opening, sharing anecdotes about an old relationship he had with an NU student when he was working in the Chicago theater scene. Offerman’s wife, actress and occasional “Parks and Rec” guest star Megan Mullally, also attended NU for over a year in the late 1970s, “if you can imagine such a time.” Offerman paused in his talk to perform a pun-filled song he had written for her. The actor discussed his desire to be independent from technology, criticizing Americans for developing a “softness” after acquiring many “luxurious” gadgets. He also deadpanned the roles that he imagined strangers on an El car would need to play in an apocalyptic scenario. “You have to think about these things, guys,” he said to a laughing crowd. “You’re adults now.” Offerman lamented the role of money in politics, referencing the Koch brothers’ recent pledge to spend nearly $900 million to elect conservative politicians, and riffed on major American corporations such as Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. “Never has anyone bitten into a McDonald’s sandwich … (and said) ‘I’m lovin’ it,’” he said. “Those words have never been uttered.” In a question-and-answer session after the talk, Offerman praised “Parks and Rec” star Amy Poehler as the funniest member of the show’s cast. “It’s not really fair,” he said when asked to choose. “Her first seven characters would be funnier than each of the rest of us.” He said he prefers live theater to other forms of performance for its immediate » See OFFERMAN, page 6
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NU to add Title IX investigator By OLIVIA EXSTRUM
daily senior staffer @olivesocean
Northwestern is in the process of hiring a full-time Title IX investigator, one step in a complete overhaul of the hearing and appeals system for sexual misconduct cases. The overhaul began in September when NU implemented a new University Hearing and Appeals System for all cases of alleged student misconduct, including sexual assault. Until this academic year, cases of sexual assault were adjudicated through the now-defunct Sexual Assault Hearing and Appeals System while other conduct cases were resolved through UHAS. “Northwestern’s conduct process was rewritten completely,” said Tara Sullivan, director of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution, in an email to The Daily. “Though it retained the name UHAS … it is a completely new process.” The changes were based on recommendations from the White House and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and new regulations under the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and the Clery Act, Sullivan said in an email to The Daily. In sexual misconduct hearings, the reporting student and the responding student will speak with the panel and an investigator. Title IX Coordinator Joan Slavin said in an email to The Daily that the Title IX office is interviewing candidates for the investigator position. Carrie Wachter, coordinator of sexual violence response services and advocacy at the Center for Awareness, Response, and Education, said there are four finalists for the position. The new job was posted in December. The investigator will also work with the Sexual Harassment Prevention Office. “We expect that the number of
complaints filed will continue to grow given nationwide attention to the issues of campus sexual assault, sexual harassment, and dating and domestic violence,” Slavin said. Slavin said although the office considered contracting external investigators, hiring a full-time investigator was the “best option.” “Hiring an employee is more costeffective,” Slavin said, “and by hiring an investigator, we can ensure that the person is available to conduct investigations for Northwestern whenever needed.” Wachter said having a full-time investigator will help the voices of students and survivors be heard. “They’re having a sole person who’s investigating all sexual misconduct,” she said. “It’s a huge win for us.” Through the new UHAS process, disciplinary cases can be resolved through an administrative or a panel hearing depending on the severity of the complaint. In Administrative Hearings, the accused party and a conduct administrator assigned to the case will discuss the alleged misconduct. All cases of alleged sexual misconduct are referred to a panel hearing. In the new system, the student reporting sexual misconduct does not need to be in the same room as the alleged assailant for the hearing. Under the new changes, students are not included on the three-member panel hearings for cases of sexual misconduct, according to the 2014-2015 Student Handbook. Sullivan said in an email that the new process “allows for increased transparency and ease of understanding, increased timeliness, and ensures a process and outcomes that are fair and equitable.” Under the defunct SAHAS process, the complaining and responding students, who were both in the room for the hearing, each made their case and called » See TITLE IX, page 6
Lacrosse
Cats overcome 7-0 deficit, stun Trojans in overtime OT No. 5 Northwestern
12
Southern California
11 By KEVIN CASEY
daily senior staffer @KevinCasey19
For Northwestern, a team that lost nine seniors to graduation, resiliency will be a flash word the entire season, and was it repeatedly tested in a 12-11 overtime victory Saturday. The No. 5 Cats (1-0) traveled to Los Angeles to face unranked Southern California (0-1) in search of a solid win to start the season, but matters crumbled quickly for the road squad. The Trojans scored in the first two minutes of the contest, then tacked on goals about every five minutes, putting USC up 4-0 less than 16 minutes into
the game. The Trojans then stretched the score to an unfathomable 7-0 margin with seven minutes to play in the first half. NU has replaced its mass exodus of seniors with the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, but youth has its downsides, and it showed in this contest, especially early on. The Cats lost five of their seven top scorers from last season, and the mix of veterans and newcomers starting on attack and at midfield looked out of sorts in the opening minutes. NU struggled with fouls early and turnovers as well, losing control of five possessions in the first 13 minutes. The Cats would commit only eight more turnovers in the remaining 47 minutes. Needing a barrage before the close of the half, NU scored three times to cut the score to 7-3, with senior attack Kara Mupo starting the action and freshmen Selena Lasota and Shelby Fredericks piling on. The Trojans, though, did exactly what they needed in the opening minutes of the second half, knocking in a pair to up
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the lead back to 9-3. The Mupo-Lasota duo would not be denied. The midfielder Lasota scored the next 2 goals as part of a 6-point night. And a pair from Mupo, who had a teamleading 5 goals on the night, moved the Cats to within 2 goals at 10-8 with 10 minutes to play. With 37 seconds left in regulation, NU finally crawled all the way back, as a Mupo goal knotted the contest at 11. Lasota’s go-ahead score in overtime propelled the Cats to victory. Despite growing pains, NU’s freshmen contributed a great deal. Eight of the team’s 14 points originated from the new set, and the freshmen took exactly half of the team’s shots on goal. Turnovers, however, were an issue, and the Trojans blew by the NU defense with their speed for essentially the entire game. A victory from a 7-0 hole is impressive, but if NU wants to entertain thoughts of capturing an eighth national championship, there’s still much work to do. kevincasey2015@u.northwestern.edu
Daily file photo by Brian Lee
WILDCAT CHARGE Northwestern could not buy a goal, or a stop, early on against the Trojans, falling into a 7-0 hole in the first 23 minutes of the contest. The Wildcats then kicked on the afterburners, using a threeheaded scoring attack to overtake Southern California 12-11 in overtime.
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