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Schapiro discusses inequality By ROSALIE CHAN
the daily northwestern @rosaliech1
University President Morton Schapiro spoke Monday about the socioeconomic experience at Northwestern, listening to questions and concerns from low-income students as part of a weeklong initiative by Northwestern Quest Scholars to spark a dialogue on the role of class and identity at NU. The fireside, held at the McCormick Tribune Center, is the first event of Money Matters week, the first campus-wide campaign to create discussion on socioeconomic issues. More than half of NU students receive some sort of aid. “I think we really could do a better job making sure every undergrad here has the same opportunity to prosper, to fully avail himself or herself to everything it has to offer,” Schapiro said. NU has improved in its enrollment of underrepresented minorities, Schapiro said. The University has moved from 15th I think we in the country really could to seventh do a better in having the highjob making est persure every centage of undergrad here underrepresented has the same minoriopportunity to ties. Howprosper. ever, Morton Schapiro, Schapiro University admitted President more work needs to be done and there needs to be a change in how low-income students are treated, especially in receiving equal opportunities in jobs and internships. “The truth is, that’s just really unfair,” Schapiro said. “It shouldn’t be harder for someone who is first generation or from a low-income background to prosper here, as opposed to someone who is legacy.” Students’ questions covered a wide variety of topics, including addressing socioeconomic issues, financial aid and NU’s culture of affluence. Students voiced concerns about unpaid internships, high textbooks costs, negative treatment from the financial aid office, feelings of disconnect and lack of awareness by faculty about low-income student concerns. “I thought he was very apologetic for a lot of things,” Medill sophomore Antonio Vielma said. “He presented a lot of comparisons to our peer institutions. While they may provide a qualitative view, it doesn’t talk about the experiences of students while here. The focus
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
From locker room to courtroom How NU became the center of the fight for college athletes’ rights
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» See schapiro, page 5
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
In Focus
By Rohan NADKARNI and Alex PUTTERMAN daily senior staffers @Rohan_NU, @AlexPutt02
On Jan. 28, four men stood at a podium in Chicago with a momentous announcement: A group of Northwestern football players had signed union cards and were filing to unionize as University employees. Former Wildcats’ quarterback Kain Colter, National College Players Association President Ramogi Huma, United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard and USW Political Director Tim Waters explained their purpose. College athletes, they said, deserve a collective voice in the ongoing dialogue about their rights. If certified, the players’ union — the College Athletes Players Association — would be the first of its kind and would invite similar action from athletes at private universities around the country. » See union, page 6
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NU alters financial aid site By lan nguyen
the daily northwestern @LanNguyen_NU
Northwestern’s undergraduate financial aid office made changes to its website after U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) accused many elite colleges, including NU, of violating federal law by misleading students to believe they have to pay to apply for federal aid. In a letter dated Feb. 3 to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Cummings singled out 111 U.S. colleges and universities, providing screenshots of their financial aid websites. Many websites said students needed to fill out the College Board’s CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, in addition to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Only the FAFSA is required to receive federal aid such as Pell grants and workstudy. “I don’t think that the institutions that he listed would do that at all,” Director of Financial Aid Carolyn Lindley said. “If you look at those colleges, they have some of the most generous financial aid programs in the country.” Shortly after the letter was released, NU made additions to its undergraduate financial aid website stating more clearly that if students wish to apply for federal aid, they only need to submit the FAFSA. “We had the information elsewhere on our website,” Lindley said. “We moved the information up to make it more prominent.” Lindley declined to comment on whether the website change was in response to Cummings’ allegations. The Higher Education Act says institutions may not charge students to complete the FAFSA. However, colleges are allowed to issue the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE, which costs $25 for one college and $16 for each additional school. Students may receive up to six fee waivers for the CSS Profile. The profile provides more information and helps determine institutional aid packages. Schools cannot require this form for students who only want to apply for federal aid. Cummings’ letter included a screenshot of NU’s financial aid website, which asked students to fill out both financial aid forms without including a distinction for students only seeking federal aid. The website now includes a clarifying statement. “Congress banned this practice in 1992 because it creates undue hurdles for students seeking federal student aid,” Cummings wrote in his letter. A College Board spokeswoman Kate Levin sent a statement via email, saying she is “confident that colleges are using the CSS Profile properly.” Provost Dan Linzer also refuted the accusations, stressing NU’s need-blind admission process for » See Financial aid, page 5
INSIDE Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Opinion 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 6 | Sports 8
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TuEsday, FEBRUARY 18, 2014
Around Town City evaluation of Ladd Arboretum trail reconstruction postponed
City Council’s evaluation of a project that would involve reconstructing a 0.9-mile multi-use trail through the Edward R. Ladd Arboretum was postponed until later this month due to the cancellation of Monday night’s meeting. The Public Works Department was scheduled to give a presentation on the history, progress and next steps for the Ladd Arboretum Project, as well as ask the Council’s approval to submit preliminary plans to the Illinois Department of Transportation and
proceed with final design and construction plans. The meeting was cancelled due to an expected lack of quorum due to inclement weather, assistant city manager Martin Lyons said. The project encompasses renovation of the Ladd Arboretum, 2024 McCormick Blvd., in its entirety, though the department’s prepared presentation focused specifically on the reconstruction of the multi-use trail, which goes through the arboretum from Emerson Street to Green Bay Road. The proposed renovations involve reconstructing the trail to be made of asphalt and be consistently 8 feet wide with 3 feet of clear space on both sides. The presentation also identified the path’s surface material, poor drainage, poor connections at street intersections and poor visibility from the street as other problems to
be addressed. In May 2012, the city applied for funding from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program to implement these changes and received $580,000 in January 2013. The department proceeded to collect preliminary data through the summer. Last October, a special committee dedicated to overseeing the project held a neighborhood meeting to discuss preliminary alignment, cross section logistics and paving materials. Pending City Council’s approval, the department seeks to complete preliminary engineering planning this spring and proceed with construction documentation with IDOT this fall. Proposed construction is planned for summer 2015. — Kelly Gonsalves
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City gang conflict continues with graffiti back-and-forth
The longstanding conflict between two rival Evanston gangs has escalated in the last six weeks as gang members have painted graffiti throughout the city in an ongoing back-and-forth dispute. Most recently, residents reported three incidents of gang graffiti Thursday. The graffiti stems from a pre-existing
Police Blotter Northwestern students arrested in connection with alcohol ordinance violation Police arrested two Northwestern undergraduates early Friday morning in connection with violation of the city’s alcohol ordinance. The students, 19, were arrested Friday morning after 2 a.m. in the 100 block of
conflict between the Latin Kings and the Spanish Gangster Disciples, police said. Since January, more than 10 incidents of gang graffiti have been reported. “That’s an indicator that there’s a more recent act of dispute,” Evanston Police Cmdr. Jay Parrott said. There have been no acts of violence between the two groups as of yet, Parrott said; however, a man arrested last week for illegal gun possession is believed to be a gang member. “Whenever somebody’s carrying a weapon, that is an indicator there’s a potential for
legitimate acts of violence,” Parrott said. “The officer may have prevented an act of violence by making that arrest.” Officers are reaching out to Evanston youth to mediate the confrontations, police said. Police have also received reports of nonEvanston gang members driving a landscaping truck and attempting to attack non-gang or non-Spanish Gangster Disciple members, according to a recent deployment meeting newsletter. Officers will be monitoring the development closely.
Barton Avenue. The men exited a cab and were walking through traffic and appeared to be intoxicated, Evanston Police Cmdr. Jay Parrott said. One of the men was also in possession of fraudulent identification. The students are scheduled to appear in court March 6.
The couple was walking from Saint Francis Hospital, 355 Ridge Ave., toward the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago just before 9 p.m. A man dressed in all black approached the couple and displayed a handgun and demanded their property, Parrott said. He grabbed the couple’s backpack containing tools, prescriptions and miscellaneous papers and fled eastbound on foot, he added.
Couple robbed at gunpoint in south Evanston
A Chicago couple was robbed at gunpoint Friday, police said.
— Ciara McCarthy
— Ciara McCarthy
spc-compshop@northwestern.edu
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TuEsday, FEBRUARY 18, 2014 the daily northwestern | NEWS 3
On Campus Biss discusses Ill.’s fiscal status, personal background By julian gerez
the daily northwestern @jgerez_news
State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) spoke at Northwestern on Monday about his political background and Illinois fiscal issues. The event, which brought about 15 people to the Roberta Buffett Center, was hosted by the Northwestern University Political Union. The senator, who has been at the forefront of efforts to reform Illinois public pensions, held a discussion about various budgetary issues. “The poor fiscal condition of the state of Illinois obviously results in a bad bond rating,” he said. “The bad bond rating obviously results in higher borrowing costs, and higher borrowing costs obviously mean that we pay more to finance anything that requires borrowing.” Biss said the higher borrowing costs are “massively frustrating” but the “numbers that are breaking the bank are the extra pension costs,” which were inherited from previous “shortsighted decision makers.” Building a road in Illinois costs more than building a road in other states that have better credit ratings and lower interest rates. Consequently, any time there is a proposition to spend tax dollars, that proposition becomes less attractive for taxpayers, Biss said. Biss, who represents Chicago’s northern suburbs including Evanston, grew up in Indiana, before attending Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning his undergraduate degree and his doctorate,
Microwave malfunction starts minor fire on Tech’s second floor
Technological Institute was evacuated Monday afternoon after a fire broke out on the second
the importance of focus and organization when running a campaign. In a district with more than 50,000 voters, Biss said it was important to connect with the electorate. “The most important thing it takes is disciA campaign pline,” he said. “A camshould be paign should be a detailed conversation with me a detailed and those 52,000 people conversation about all important matwith me and ters of public policy. But it’s not that; it’s basically a those 52,000 giant attempt to cut corpeople about ners and achieve as close a facsimile of that.” all important Weinberg junior matters of Connor Tatooles, copublic policy. president of the Political Union, said Biss State Sen. sparked an interesting Daniel Biss, discussion. D-Evanston “Biss offers a unique perspective given his educational background,” Tatooles said. Weinberg senior Samuel Ide, a member of the group, said it was important for the group to host Biss. “Illinois politics are such an interesting animal,” Ide said. “It’s really cool to have someone come from the state assembly to talk to us about Illinois issues as well as just what working in a state government is like.”
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Annabel Edwards/Daily Senior Staffer
‘breaking the bank’ State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) speaks at the Buffett Center on Monday night. Biss spent the majority of the event answering students’ questions and talking about the pension crisis and his beliefs on an individual’s role in democracy.
respectively, in mathematics. He was a faculty member of the mathematics department at the University of Chicago prior to running for office. “It felt inadequate to me to hang out in the ivory tower and just solve math problems,” Biss said. “I wanted to somehow be involved in thinking about social policy.”
To start the talk, Biss spoke about his history as a politican. He first ran for a seat as a state representative in 2008 but lost that election. He then won the next election in 2010. After his term ended in 2012, he ran to become a state senator, winning with more than 66 percent of the vote. Biss spoke about what he learned from these elections and
floor of the building. University spokesman Bob Rowley said students and faculty vacated the building at 2:37 p.m. after several fire alarms were pulled due to heavy smoke spreading in different directions throughout the building. Rowley said Evanston fire department units responded to and quickly extinguished the fire,
using fans in an effort to clear out the smoke. The fire departments allowed everyone to reenter at 3:03 p.m. The fire apparently started due to a microwave oven malfunction and was contained to Room 230, located in the M wing of the building, Rowley said. There was minor damage to the room where the fire occurred, but it was limited to the
EVER SEEN A
SUB FLY?
juliangerez2017@u.northwestern.edu areas surrounding the microwave and cabinets. No one was injured, and the building has returned to normal operations, Rowley said. “I’m glad that nobody was hurt,” Rowley said. “The building is back in business and the fire was a minor one.” — Rebecca Savransky
SPEND WINTER 2015 IN WASHINGTON D.C. Have you ever dreamed of rubbing elbows with the movers and shakers on Capitol Hill? Would you like to learn how D.C. operates from the inside as legislators, the Obama administration and advocacy groups grapple with key issues facing the country? The Northwestern undergraduate program in Washington is an exciting opportunity for students to gain invaluable knowledge and experience about how DC operates, working as interns in the mix of organizations involved in a variety of important national issues while taking seminars in privacy and civil liberties in an era of National Security Agency scandals, and presidential power versus congressional clout. The program, which provides four units of academic credit through the internship/practicum and two seminars, also gives students the opportunity to forge ongoing relationships with organizations and companies in D.C. that have yielded subsequent internships and jobs. The program is offered every winter quarter so that students are there to witness either an inaugural address or a State of the Union address. Students work out of Medill’s D.C. Bureau at 1325 G Street, NW, Suite 730, about two blocks from the Metro Center subway stop.
If you are interested, please contact Prof. Ellen Shearer at shearer@northwestern.edu. Interested students should submit a transcript, a cover letter explaining their interest in the program and the names of two faculty members for recommendations.
DEADLINE TO APPLY IS OCT.23.
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Tuesday, February 18, 2014
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Changing languages How ASG is like the can also change us Communist Party Heiwon Shin
Daily columnist
My tone of voice changes as I switch from one language to another. People who hear me speak find it surprising, but I find this change only natural because different languages use different parts of the vocal chords. What I do find striking, however, is how my personality changes. This may not be as apparent to others, but switching from one language to another changes the way I think, my attitude and, in a way, my identity. Switching languages changes how I think about the person I’m talking to. For instance, in English there is one way of addressing the second person: “you.” Regardless of the nature of the relationship between the two people, it’s the same: “you.” But in French and Spanish there is a distinction between “tu” and “vous,” and This may not be as “tú” and “usted,” which are the apparent to others, “informal” and but switching from “formal” secondperson singular. one language to In Korean, I another changes would describe the way I think, my how the person relates to attitude and, in a me and how much I know way, my identity. about them. In the beginning, when asking about the person’s age or grade, pronouns can be taken out and I would use the more generic honorific tone. Once I know the exact relation or position, I would use that term. Because I’m a girl, to address a female who is older than me, but not by too much, I would use “unni.” To address a male who is slightly older than me, I would use “oppa.” But if I were a guy, it would respectively be “nuna” and “hyung.” Unless the person is a friend my age or younger, I can’t directly use the “you” equivalent. So switching from one language to another also means switching from one mode of defining a person’s relation to me to another. My attitude changes, too. Language exists within the cultural context. If I wanted something done, in English I might just ask directly, whereas in Korean I indirectly hint that I want it so. I can’t necessarily generalize for all cases, but I can say that often word-for-word translations cannot exist because one needs to be aware of the cultural subtleties. My name sounds different too. I use my
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original Korean name: Heiwon. I don’t have any “English name.” But the thing is, due to differences in pronunciation, my name sounds different in English than it does in Korean. If it makes sense at all, my name in Korean sounds a bit more subtle, not as harshly pronounced. So when Koreans call my name in Korean, I find it weird because I’m not used to hearing my name that way. It creeps me out a bit. How I identify myself within different cultural contexts changes with languages as well. Cultural codes can be, at best, ideals or denominators that set cultures apart from one another and, at worst, a stereotyped persona that generalizes a nationality or a cultural group. But these codes exist, and they set certain attitudes, expectations and ways of interpreting and understanding others. Just be yourself. But being myself is situation and people-dependent, whether I intend it or not. I remember reading BuzzFeed’s “31 Signs You’re A Third Culture Kid.” I can’t agree with all of them, but some of the “signs” are funny and relatable. My accent does change. We often differentiate individuals according to their “distinct” characteristics — including their accents, tones of voice and identities. But in my case, these “distinct” characteristics are not hard-set; they change. This does not, however, mean that I’m an indistinguishable individual. Northwestern has many international students and people who speak multiple languages. I can’t pretend I can generalize my experience to this large group of people, but what I can say is that college is a new home and with so many people from different places and backgrounds, I feel I’m where I need to be. I don’t know if this means I’m assimilating to certain types of cultures, if I’m creating one of my own or both. The word “identity,” so far, sounds like it should be something firm on which we base ourselves. I’m not a monstrous being shifting shape like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. More and more people are subject to these changes and it’s time we change our perception about “identity” to something more of a progressive state, as something more fluid and less as “one thing.” The uncertainty about my own supposed “characteristics” and identity (identities) sometimes startles me, but then again, this challenge to figure, define and then redefine is also refreshing. There’s a saying that we’re opening a new chapter of our lives. If we are the authors of our own books, our lives, then we have the creativity to interpret our own freedom of style, vocabulary and content. Heiwon Shin is a Medill freshman. She can be contacted at heiwonshin2017@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com.
Tom Cui
Daily columnist
I have always been fascinated by Northwestern’s Associated Student Government. It reminds me of the Chinese Communist Party, under the rule of which my parents prospered — parents who have despised it since. That is, admittedly, the most heavy-handed metaphor I thought up. I stuck with it to illustrate an extreme case. A comparison to the CCP is not necessarily a bad thing. It is an institution that promotes those with previous competence, engineering perhaps the fastest economic development in history. Yet, like most of you, I am adamant that the system must change. Pollution, land seizure and forced abortions are among factors driving citizens to revolt. Regardless of the CCP’s record, it seems blind to public complaints for simple guarantees: property rights, a safety net and an end to contaminated food. The dilemma is this: How can an effective administrative body seem so ineffective at responding to some issues shared by constituents? On one hand, there are problems with the body’s structure. On the other, it has not found a way to legitimize its efforts to onlookers. ASG deals with this dilemma on a micro scale. I do believe it is meritocratic; those who make it to the executive board have shown results in committees and Senate. The room for democracy is likewise narrow: Either senators are elected by a small base (like those for Greek life and student groups) or are vetted by a board (like those for residence halls). Constitutional amendments to be voted on by ASG this week would eliminate elections for the academic and student life vice presidents. If those changes are enacted, the only position for which every student can vote in confidence will be the presidency. ASG has done work in providing grants, coding sites such as JobCat and Campus Voice and surveying student concerns. But those initiatives are inactive and unresponsive to campus-wide concerns, like mental health, improved housing and financial aid. The past two years have seen numerous Senate resolutions that touch on those matters. Even then, students do not react. The resolutions are not
How you meet your makeshift family Blair dunbar
Daily columnist
Recently, I have been watching a lot of “How I Met Your Mother” reruns to prepare for the long-awaited series finale in a little more than a month. After nine seasons, Ted is finally going to meet the mother! However, I’ve realized that the reason I’ve continued to watch and re-watch every episode is not because of the elusive mother. It’s because of the makeshift family that Robin, Lily, Marshall, Barney and Ted have made. Makeshift families aren’t new to television, but few are as developed or as clearly stated as the one in “How I Met Your Mother.” I think the last “makeshift” family to be as popular was the six friends from the sitcom “Friends.” When it comes time for any of the major holidays, rather than spending them with their parents or grandparents, the “gang” gets together to make their own celebration. Even the Super Bowl gets its own holiday celebration.
I used to drive five hours with my father and brother on Thanksgiving, Christmas and even Easter for huge family gatherings at my grandparents’ house in Des Moines, Iowa. All of my extended family was there — all 13 of us. But now, we’ve all gotten older. My grandmother passed away, and we are scattered across the globe. So my traditional Thanksgivings and Christmases are a thing of the past. I think this is what happens for most college students, especially Northwestern students. After all, our Thanksgiving break is so short that most students can’t go home. One year, a group of my friends decided to make a big Thanksgiving dinner of our own. It wasn’t quite as memorable as “Slapsgiving,” but it was delicious. As we get older and our parents retire and relatives move away, we have to make new holiday traditions with new parents. In our college years, I think shows like “How I Met Your Mother” and “Friends” become more relevant. These are the years we transition into adulthood and hopefully make lifelong friends. The kind of lifelong friends that will spend a whole day trying not to figure out last night’s score of the Super Bowl game, or, in my case, friends who are stuck in Russia and try to figure out
how to cook a turkey for the first time. Hopefully, Hopefully, you make you make the the kind of friends that don’t just stand kind of friends up at your wedding that don’t just but friends who your stand up at your children will one day refer to as “aunt” or wedding but “uncle.” friends who Family ties secured by blood your children never disappear. will one day But as everyone’s refer to as ‘aunt’ life changes, our traditions have to or ‘uncle.’ adjust. If you’re lucky enough, you might find a group of people whose loyalty isn’t based on blood at all. You might get a group of friends to be your makeshift family, a group like Robin, Lily, Barney, Robin and Ted. What more could you really ask for?
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Blair Dunbar is a Weinberg junior. She can be reached at blairdunbar2015@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com.
credible. Are there any problems with the body’s structure? Certain Senate caucuses do veto attempts at more elected positions. More generally, ASG has no official superiority over any other campus student group, save its authority to collect fees. It cannot negotiate improved housing because it has no leverage against hall governments, let alone residential services. It has not impressed the administration with cost-benefit analyses, like those from the Undergraduate Budget Priorities Committee. At NU, bureaucracy and business trump passion and empathy; though the situation might not change in the near future, its necessity is something to examine. How has ASG failed to legitimize itself? To their credit, without a mandate to affect change, members of ASG work out mutual agreements with administrators. Yet this tactic’s very nature stifles any substantial dissent; it is not negotiation, gracious recourse rather than negotiation. Even more cynically, it may not even serve the interests of students. Together, students and the administration could agree to pad each other’s resumes. No one can shift the blame to student apathy, which would make any legitimization impossible. My time on campus has seen outrage over racial discrimination, mental health and socioeconomic inequalities. Groups like the Living Wage Campaign and Quest Scholars earned support for their causes. Those who succeeded, I believe, focused on informing others and gathering perspectives from the ground up. They also have a different temperament than those in ASG; their causes are harder for the administration to stomach, so they build resources until confrontation occurs. Where is the senator that always wears her causes on her sleeve, or even one interested in the opportunity? It is easy to say student governments are all incompetent. NU’s is plenty competent, but it has the wrong prescription for the right problems. To enact lasting change, it must present itself as a popular force, chained with the passions of students. It should not expect passersby to take it seriously unless it claims a “monopoly on heart”: a mandate to override based on an urgency to care. Minus that, “One Northwestern” seems remote. Tom Cui is a Weinberg junior. He can be reached at tianfangcui2015@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com.
The Daily Northwestern Volume 134, Issue 76 Editor in Chief Paulina Firozi Managing Editors Joseph Diebold Manuel Rapada
Opinion Editors Julian Caracotsios Caryn Lenhoff
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 and double-spaced • Should include the author’s name, signature, school, class and phone number. • Should be fewer than 300 words They will be checked for authenticity and may be edited for length, clarity, style and grammar. 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.
TuEsday, FEBRUARY 18, 2014 the daily northwestern | NEWS 5
Former White House staffer talks national debt By jack corrigan
the daily northwestern @_jackcorrigan
Julia Azarcon/The Daily Northwestern
i.o.u. Former White House Associate Director of Public Engagement Ronnie Cho speaks Monday at Norris University Center about the national debt. Northwestern’s chapter of Moneythink organized the talk.
Financial Aid From page 1
students who live in the U.S. He said the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE is necessary for determining NU’s institutional aid. “The vast majority of aid that our students receive is institutional aid,” Linzer said. “We need to gather as much information as possible to grant them sufficient funds.” NU requires the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE for institutional aid because it gives a better understanding of a student’s financial needs than the information provided in the FAFSA, Lindley said. NU asks specific questions about students’ lives — including family members, businesses and cars — in order to assess need. Lindley said NU has a “robust financial aid program,” which requires the University to gather a lot of information to prepare aid packages. “The FAFSA is just a snapshot in time,” she said.
Former White House associate director Ronnie Cho spoke Monday at Northwestern on the national debt and how students can get involved in addressing the issue. Moneythink NU, a student organization that teaches underserved Chicago-area high school students about financial literacy, hosted the event. The group is part of a national organization, which also works to educate college campuses about the national debt. Moneythink is also a participant in the nationwide campus competition, Up to Us, focused on teaching college students about the current economic problems facing the United States. “We targeted Ronnie because he works directly with student initiatives within the White House,” said Janesh Rahlan, a Weinberg senior and president of Moneythink. “He also works with expanding equality in the education sector, which is part of Moneythink’s mission.” Cho spoke in Norris University Center about the federal deficit, specifically student loan debt. “With the profile, parents and students get the opportunity to give us their special circumstances.” Weinberg freshman Wan Kwok said she found some of the questions unnecessary. “Out of all the CSS Profiles I filled out, I felt that Northwestern’s was one of the most invasive universities,” Kwok said. “I was asked what kind of car my parents drive, and I feel like that is a flawed thing to base a judgment of need off of.” NU awarded $125 million in undergraduate scholarships during the 2013-2014 academic year, with about 45 percent of undergraduate students receiving an NU scholarship. Weinberg senior Chris Anderson said despite Cummings’ concerns, he trusts NU’s financial aid system. “If Northwestern didn’t care about helping students who deserve to be here pay for tuition, then they wouldn’t be so generous with financial aid,” he said. lannguyen2017@u.northwestern.edu
“The student loan debt is one of the biggest issues that this generation will face,” Cho said. “The minute you graduate you have on average about $30,000 in debt. Never before did you have to finance your education through debt.” He also discussed other economic problems the U.S. faces, including the country’s outdated infrastructure and tough job market. These issues are a result of the current state of the economy, and if America’s finances continue at this rate, the nation will be in jeopardy, Cho said. “There’s huge national security issues if we are weakened economically, if we rely on continuing to mortgage our future through debt,” Cho said. “It’s not good for American competitiveness.” Cho, who was the associate director in the White House’s Office of Public Engagement and worked for the Federal Communications Commission in 2009. He was involved in the National Broadband Plan, an FCC program which, among other things, is designed to bring high-speed Internet to every school in the country. The second part of Cho’s speech emphasized what college students and the rest of the millennial generation could do to solve the country’s economic problems. He said the country could not continue on this path and this generation
Schapiro From page 1
should be how resources for low income students are increasing or not, and how Northwestern is adjusting to low-income students.” Schapiro said he prioritizes increasing the percentage of low-income students but believes the current formula for financial aid is more fair and generous than it had been previously. Before the fireside, some quotes from the Tumblr page “NU Class Confessions,” as well as other statistics, were projected on a slide. The Tumblr currently has more than 450 posts. “I can’t say that I was terribly surprised by any of it, given that I was in this business for a long time,” Schapiro said. “When they speak honestly with me, I get to hear these things. If I were to categorize those hundreds of hundreds
must be held accountable to change it. He said he felt many millennials held similar opinions on issues such as gay marriage and religious freedom, enabling them to attack and solve “actual, real problems” such as hunger, poverty, climate change and wealth disparity. Millennials need to get involved in every aspect of society, Cho said. “We need new people in positions of power,” he said. “Until we get a new generation of leaders in business, government, media — every sector — you will not see anything change.” Even prior to graduation, making a change is still within the grasp of college students, he said. “Get pissed, mobilize, ask your president, ‘What are you doing to keep our college education affordable?’ Ask those hard questions and if they don’t give you the answer you want, make sure (everyone) knows,” Cho said. After the talk, Cho took questions from the audience for about 30 minutes. “He answered some questions like a politician, but nonetheless a good talk,” McCormick freshman Sam Cohen said. “You don’t get a youthful perspective on politics like this too much.” johncorrigan2017@u.northwestern.edu of confessions, one is guilt, one is anger, one is doubt.” Many students who attended said they hope this discussion continues. “It was satisfying to hear there was a mix of personal stories and questions,” Weinberg freshman Jessica Lewis said. “I don’t know if socioeconomic status can be covered in an hour. I just hope that these kinds of conversations happen on campus. These kinds of conversations are great for making people comfortable with what’s normally an uncomfortable issue.” Money Matters events continue this week with a dinner dialogue event at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Sargent dining hall, a film screening at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Harris Hall and a keynote speech by award-winning journalist Alfred Lubrano at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Harris Hall. rosaliechan2017@u.northwestern.edu
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6 in focus | the daily northwestern TUESday, FEBRUARY 18, 2014
years in the making Although NU’s players signed on recently, the effort to unionize college athletes has been a long one
1995: Ramogi Huma is a freshman at UCLA. Groceries are left on the doorstep of his teammate, Donnie Edwards, who gets suspended one game for violating NCAA rules. 1997: Huma starts the College Athletes Coalition.
1998: Ellen Staurowsky and Allen Sack publish “College Athletes for Hire.” Summer 2000: Huma emails major unions, making contact with United Steelworkers’ Tim Waters for the first time. Huma and Waters meet in California.
2001: The National College Players Association is established as a non-profit group. Jan. 30, 2008: The settlement of an NCPAbacked lawsuit results in a $10 million trust fund for former players.
Union
the immediate action of the football players — shaped the four men’s path to that podium.
Eventually, CAPA hopes to negotiate improved medical benefits for players during and after their college careers, more attention on athletes’ graduation rates and scholarships that cover what Huma calls the true cost of college. The success of the effort is far from a sure thing. The case will be heard by the Chicago branch of the National Labor Relations Board, then likely will be appealed to NLRB headquarters in Washington, D.C., and possibly to federal courts after that. A final resolution may be years away. Not that the movement leaders haven’t already been patient. For many of the parties involved, the CAPA announcement was years in the making. Two important partnerships have enabled the initiative to reach this point. One, the alliance of the NCPA and the USW, carefully planned each move over more than a decade. The other, the companionship of the Cats’ football team and its senior leader, acted quickly, perhaps rashly, only days earlier. That juxtaposition — between the meticulous NCPA and USW decision-making process and
A fruitful partnership
From page 1
Sometime in the summer of 2000, an email from Huma found Waters’ inbox. Waters, then USW’s director of rapid response, was in charge of “special projects,” often working with college students in that capacity. He took special interest in the correspondence from Huma, who was seeking support for the nascent NCPA. Huma was several years removed from a football career at UCLA. There, he had witnessed the suspension of teammate Donnie Edwards for accepting groceries left on his doorstep, and Huma had been inspired to action. In February of his sophomore year, Huma had started a coalition for student athletes. He hoped to develop the student group into a full-fledged advocacy organization and sought assistance from America’s major unions. Once Huma’s email reached Waters, the pair began a series of phone conversations, during which Huma outlined what he perceived to be NCAA injustices. Scholarships didn’t cover all college expenses and were not guaranteed for
Summer 2012: Kain Colter takes ‘Field Studies in the Modern Workplace.’
Sept. 21, 2013: Colter displays “APU,” short for “All Players United” on his wristband during a game.
Sept. 27, 2012: California passes Student-Athlete Bill of Rights.
Jan. 26, 2014: Many NU players sign union cards.
Spring 2013: Colter proposes unionization to Huma.
Jan. 28, 2014: The union effort is officially announced.
all four years of a player’s eligibility. Schools were not required to cover medical expenses for injuries lingering beyond graduation. As the financial “I was amazed at the stuff he was saying,” stakes have Waters told The Daily become so this month. obvious ... it’s Waters and a USW become more contingent flew to California to meet with obvious what Huma. Throughout the inequities their communication, it became more and more in the system apparent to the union are and that that Huma was right — the players in college athletes lacked certain rights and had the process no agency for improving their situation. are not being Thus began a fruitful represented partnership. In 2003, Huma Ellen Staurowsky, backed California legprofessor islation called the Student-Athletes Bill of Rights. The bill passed the state Senate before being halted in the California
“
Assembly’s Committee on Higher Education. Huma said the bill’s relative success prompted the NCAA to lift its prohibition on schools covering medical expenses during summer workouts. Five years later, the NCAA agreed to establish a $10 million trust fund for continuing education of former players as a result of a class-action lawsuit filed by former football and basketball players and backed by the NCPA. Although Huma said the settlement was disappointing, the case established a precedent for athletes to file class-action suits. Between 2010 and 2013, the NCPA published four studies on college athletes’ rights in tandem with Ellen Staurowsky, an expert in athlete exploitation and college sport reform who has written extensively on the subject of college rights. Huma first met Staurowsky in 2003 at a conference on sports reform in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The two kept in touch over the years, and in 2009, Staurowsky, then a professor at Ithaca College, volunteered her graduate students to help the NCPA gather data and publish their findings. The resulting studies — which detailed the » See Union, page 7
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Tuesday, february 18, 2014 the daily northwestern | in focus 7
Union
From page 6 NCAA’s “$6 billion heist,” estimated the average Football Bowl Subdivision player’s worth at $121,000 per year and much more — continued to raise public awareness of college athletes’ lack of rights. “The role the NCPA has played is creating public awareness of problems athletes have faced,” Staurowsky told The Daily. “As the financial stakes have become so obvious … it’s become more obvious what the inequities in the system are and that the players in the process are not being represented.” Huma’s greatest victories came in 2012 when California and Connecticut passed the Student-Athletes’ Right to Know Act, which mandated large universities be transparent and honest about their policies on scholarship benefits and medical expenses. That year also saw the signing of California’s Student-Athletes Bill of Rights, whose initial iteration had been shot down nearly a decade earlier. All the while, the NCPA had the support of the USW, which offered advice on organizational and legal matters and provided financial muscle. ‘Ready to go’ As time progressed, Huma says, he grew frustrated with the NCAA’s attitude toward college athletes’ rights and the NCPA’s lack of leverage as a mere advocacy group. So in late spring of 2013, when Colter reached out to the NCPA with the idea of unionizing NU players, Huma was all ears. “When Kain called last year, we were ready to go,” Huma told The Daily. “At that point, the question was whether or not the steelworkers would support it. I knew it would take real resources and expertise to get something like this done.” Despite the USW’s lengthy and prosperous history of cooperation with the NCPA, the union’s support for Colter and Huma’s plan was not guaranteed. The lofty ambition of a players’ union inspired hesitancy and required meticulous consideration. “It was a big change in direction,” Waters said. “We had to take a close look at it. One of the things was to make sure we felt 100 percent secure in the argument that they’re employees.” Waters recalls first hearing about the unionization plan from Huma right around Sept. 21, when Colter donned “All Players United” wristbands in a win over Maine. From there, the USW took its time considering whether its participation was worthwhile. The stakes were high. Without aid, Huma and Colter’s movement would have lacked the funds necessary for the coming legal battles.
“Back in the summer, we realized this wouldn’t be possible without real support,” Huma said. “We’d had a good relationship with the steelworkers, so I talked to the steelworkers about everything, and really, the whole plan would have hinged upon what the steelworkers said. If they didn’t want to support it, that would have been a major obstacle.” The USW convened a team of labor lawyers to evaluate whether college athletes were employees and therefore whether CAPA had a legitimate hope of succeeding. In December, Waters said, after weeks of contemplation, they got their answer: in his words, “a resounding yes.” An overwhelmed majority? “A resounding yes” seemed to be the football team’s response to the proposal as well. On Jan. 28, Colter repeatedly touted that an “overwhelming majority” of players on the team signed union cards. Only 30 percent of the team needed to sign in order for the process of unionization to begin. At the time the CAPA initiative was announced, the process of the team union vote remained a mystery. How had Colter organized for the entire team to meet and decide? How long had Colter been working on forming the union? Although Colter, Huma and the USW contemplated unionization for months, it appears they gave the players just a few hours — or less — to ponder the same move. The meticulous consideration and hesitancy that had marked more than a decade of slow progress was not part of most players’ decisions. Two players spoke to The Daily on condition of anonymity about the union process from the team’s perspective. Both players received text messages days before the announcement regarding a mandatory players’ meeting. That meeting ended up serving as Colter’s information session for the team. One player, a graduating senior, received the text about the meeting but did not attend and gained knowledge of the situation through conversations with his teammates. The other, a current player, attended the meeting about signing union cards. The players met in small groups, were given information about why Colter wanted to start a union and then were asked if they wanted to sign union cards. Colter, through his agent, declined to be interviewed about the process. According to the current player, the decision to sign union cards was brought to the team on Jan. 26, two days before the CAPA announcement. The current player said he didn’t “know much at all” about the process leading up to the vote.
When asked if he didn’t know Colter was thinking about forming a union until the same Sunday he was asked to vote, the player responded, “basically.” The graduating senior believes his group of players — students still at school on scholarship who no longer have football eligibility — actually received the invitation by accident. He noted graduating seniors cannot be part of the union, and he’s not sure if even Colter, who exhausted his eligibility at the end of the 2013 season, signed a card. The graduating senior, who emphasized he supported CAPA’s end goals, specifically those about improving health benefits, was wary of the process used to involve the whole team. “From an outside perspective, they pumped them with all this information about how this is wrong, how this needs to be changed, and then immediately after, asked them to sign these cards. It really gave We don’t no one time to process the information,” the go picking fights. graduating senior said. The ones we’re “I think unionizing isn’t necessarily the best way in, we’re in of going about (achievand not going ing CAPA’s goals). But I anywhere. don’t know what other ways there are to do Tim Waters, it. I really didn’t want United Steelworkers Northwestern to be the political director program to do this.” Still, according to the graduating senior, Colter was the best candidate to organize the team. “Kain is unbelievably intelligent,” he said. “Kain was always a huge leader. People rally behind him in everything. The fact that it was done by Kain gives it a lot of validation to the rest of the team.” The graduating senior also shed some light on the amount of time players spend week to week on football activities, one of CAPA’s main arguments in favor of players being deemed employees. According to the graduating senior, the NCAA limit of 20 hours per week of practice is really just “the minimum” of what players devote to the team. Between “voluntary” workouts that help determine who plays, rehab and injury prevention and team meetings, players are usually at the facility from 5:15 a.m. to noon every weekday. In addition to the workouts and meetings, there are games, travel time and work done at home to prepare for upcoming opponents. But the graduating senior put the onus on the individual players for the consequences of balancing football and school.
“
“Taking the information I have now, I don’t think I would’ve signed the union cards,” said the graduating senior, who was not at the meeting. “When it comes down to it, we’re the ones that choose to do this. It was my decision to sign my letter of intent to play football here. If you’re unhappy with the system, don’t do it.” Ultimately, the players seemed to be a blip in a months-long — even years-long — decision to start a union that could drastically change the NCAA system. But the people who’ve been working on the issue the longest insist they’re involved for the right reasons. In it for the long haul The USW will receive no dues from a potential CAPA union. Aside from publicity, there’s no apparent benefit to the steelworkers’ engagement. “There’s absolutely nothing in this for us,” Waters said, adding unions helping each other is fairly common. “It allows us to do the right thing.” Huma said the USW truly believes in CAPA’s cause and said their assistance is simply an example of an organization sharing its financial strength in the name of public good. “From my perspective, it’s philanthropy,” Huma said. “They can relate. They clearly saw this from the beginning as a workers’ rights issue. They’re looking at a group of people that the entire time was trying to scrap and gain leverage without asserting any labor rights. They thought they could be of assistance.” Waters is passionate about the injustice of the college sports infrastructure, which he sees as a “really, really, really good deal for NCAA,” and said he will be personally in attendance at Tuesday’s NLRB hearing. The USW, he said, is involved for the long haul. “We don’t go picking fights,” Waters said. “The ones we’re in, we’re in and not going anywhere.” The path toward unionization continues Tuesday, as hearings in front of the NLRB pick up steam. Colter will be among the witnesses called to testify, and lawyers from both sides will make arguments in the coming weeks in a case that will almost surely reach a higher court. CAPA’s success now relies on the effectiveness of the strategies Huma and the USW have developed and the shrewdness of their lawyers. The football players for whom the movement is intended did their part by signing union cards nearly a month ago. Their fate depends on a series of decisions that will take much longer to make. rohannadkarni2015@u.northwestern.edu asputt@u.northwestern.edu
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We just have power hits, line drives, short ground balls. That’s just been the story for us. — Kate Drohan, softball coach
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
@Wildcat_Extra
NU can’t come through in clutch, swept by USC By ALEX PUTTERMAN
daily senior staffer @AlexPutt02
Northwestern’s 2013 season ended with an extra-inning loss. This weekend, the Wildcats picked up right where they left off. NU (0-3) lost three straight games to USC in Los Angeles, the first two being extra-inning heartbreakers. Though losing hurts, especially after such an effort, the team can be satisfied to have played a competitive series against a quality team, after months of indoor practices. “Overall, the tone of the team is positive,” senior pitcher and designated hitter Jack Livingston said. “There are a lot of things we can build on for the rest of the season.” Friday night, junior pitcher Brandon Magallones allowed two runs in six innings and left the game in a 2-2 tie. After USC plated a run in the eighth inning, NU knotted the score in the ninth when junior catcher Scott Heelan singled home senior shortstop Kyle Ruchim. But the Trojans won the game in the 11th when Cats’ third baseman Jake Schieber’s throw to the plate was off line. The next night was just as dramatic and, for NU, at least as disappointing. Saturday’s contest was similarly low-scoring, with each team tallying a single run in the fourth inning. NU sophomore Matt Portland and USC’s Bob Wheatley pitched five and six innings, respectively, leaving the bullpen to carry the burden the rest
of the way. Relievers from both sides threw up zero after zero, and the game continued deep into extras without another run. For the Cats, Livingston was heroic, allowing only one hit and two walks in 4 2/3 scoreless innings. “When you’re the away team in an extra-inning game, the game can end at any moment, so you really have to go out there with your best stuff,” Livingston said. “My careerhigh before that was two innings, and coach told me as long as I want I can go.” But eventually, with senior Ethan Bramschreiber on the hill for NU, USC broke through, winning in the 15th inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of USC’s Joe Corrigan. Despite the two hard-fought losses, at least one NU player doesn’t regret the extra innings. “It was a blast,” said Heelan, who caught all 26 innings of the series’ first two games. “It’s always tiring, but I love being out there. It’s always great to be able to help the team. You get caught up in focusing on doing what’s called upon you that you ignore everything else until you’re at school the next week and you can’t feel your legs.” The series finale was a bit more one-sided. USC scored seven runs in the fifth inning to break a 5-5 tie and eventually prevailed 13-6. Sophomore Reed Mason, freshman Joe Schindler and senior Dan Tyson combined to allow 12 runs — nine of them earned — in five innings. The Cats’ bats did manage 14 hits,
Baseball
Daily file photo by Meghan White
SWEPT AWAY Senior Jack Livingston pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings of relief in Northwestern’s 15-inning loss to USC on Saturday. The Wildcats were swept over three games, two of which required extra innings.
salvaging a weekend in which the offense was largely impotent. Heelan, who got a well-earned rest Sunday, said he isn’t concerned about the team’s hitting, as shaking off a winter’s worth of rust against fresh arms can be difficult for everyone. “It’s always tough (to hit) early in the season,” Heelan said. “The pitchers have the advantage. Our lineup’s really deep this year. I think we’re
Men’s Golf
going to put up a lot of runs.” NU hopes the wear and tear of all those innings doesn’t cause problems going forward. The Cats play again Friday morning in Florida. Last season, eight of the team’s games went into extra innings, with three lasting 13 or more. That’s not a pattern any team hopes to repeat, especially if the outings end in defeat.
Extra play or not, Heelan isn’t worried. “Between our coaches and our captains, they’ve done a really great job of really instilling a positive attitude,” Heelan said. “We have great team chemistry and camaraderie right now, where it’s only going to help us down the road.” asputt@u.northwestern.edu
Softball
Cats snag 3rd at Match Play NU whips Penn State, By Kevin casey
daily senior staffer @KevinCasey19
Northwestern entered last season’s spring-opening Big Ten Match Play Championship as three-time defending titleholders, only to finish fifth. This time the Wildcats produced a better result, but didn’t quite make it back to the winners’ circle. With a loss sandwiched between two victories, NU finished third on Saturday at the sixth annual tournament. The No. 3-seeded Cats opened the proceedings Friday afternoon with a 4-1 victory over No. 6 seed Indiana. The following morning in the semi-finals, the team fell 4-1 to No. 2 seed Purdue, but, pushed into a consolation match for third place, NU kept up its fight to narrowly defeat No. 4 seed Iowa 3-2. Clearly, the break over winter didn’t dull the Cats’ edge. “Any time you take two months off from competitive golf, there’s going to be a little rust,” senior Jack Perry said. “That’s the beauty of this tournament, though. It kind of gets you right out under the gun and testing you.” And that test started from the very first match. Though NU took care of the Hoosiers 4-1 in the quarterfinals, the final score does not do the match justice. The seemingly comfortable margin was only pieced together on the strength of three 1-up victories from the Cats. For the most part, though, the task of building early leads staked the Cats to success. “We did a good job of getting off to a good start,” coach Pat Goss said. “It was a tough match, when they get to play in the morning and play as well as they did and they’ve gotten their
first round jitters out of the way. So it was important to be in good control from the beginning and we did a good job closing it out as well.” The following morning, NU, having advanced to the semis, was set to face off against Purdue. But the Cats didn’t bring the same stuff they pelted at the Hoosiers. Instead of pouncing on the opponent on the front nine, the Cats slogged through the opening half, trailing in three matches and leading the other two by precarious 1-up margins. Unable to make up the early deficits, NU mustered just a single point in the end. With eight double bogeys or worse on the Cats’ cards versus Purdue, it was hardly surprising NU fell short of the finals. “We had way too many unforced errors. We handed them the match,” Goss said. “They played solidly, but we didn’t make it too hard on them. We just forced too many mistakes, hit poor shots, poor wedge play. That really hurt us and we just dug too big a hole.” NU’s final match brought the team back into good spirits. The Cats pulled out a 3-2 victory over the Hawkeyes, as Perry and Matt Negri, the team’s Nos. 1 and 2, pulled out decisive victories. Redshirt sophomore Scott Smith, filling in for junior Bennett Lavin in the Iowa contest, produced the third point by holding on to a 1-up lead on the 18th hole. The biggest story of the weekend, though, might have been Andrew Whalen. The sophomore was a prominent player in the team’s lineup last spring, but did not see action as a non-individual this fall. This weekend, Whalen won his first two matches convincingly and produced a score of 3 under par in 14 holes in the latter contest, an effort Goss said was the “best round we saw all
drops 1 in Louisiana By REBECCA FRIEDMAN
daily senior staffer
Daily file photo by Josh Walfish
A LITTLE RUSTY Senior Jack Perry pulled out a decisive victory in Northwestern’s season-opening third-place finish at the Big Ten Match Play Championship. “Any time you take two months off from competitive golf, there’s going to be a little rust,” Perry said.
tournament.” The sophomore was blunt about his previous struggles. “I had a really tough fall,” Whalen said. “I spent the last couple of months really working so I could play myself back in the lineup.” As for the Cats as a whole, they came in at No. 3 and left in third place. That may imply a certain stagnation, but NU’s senior leader was pleased with his teammates’ play. “I saw a lot of guys make progress from the winter,” Perry said. “It’s really encouraging to see guys playing well. With the exodus of (Matt) Fitzpatrick, we’re going to need everyone to play well.” kevincasey2015@u.northwestern.edu
Northwestern had yet another successful weekend tournament, going 4-1 in the Tiger Invitational in Baton Rouge, La. The Wildcats opened the tournament against George Washington on Friday, edging the Colonials out, 12-11. The Cats’ impressive bats were on display all weekend and will continue to be arguably the team’s strongest asset all season. “The biggest challenge is writing a lineup,” coach Kate Drohan said. “We have a lot of players contributing in a lot of different ways.” Outfielder and pitcher Olivia Duehr was the offensive spark for NU in the win over George Washington. The junior blasted two home runs and batted in four runs. The dominant performance from the team’s No. 9 hitter shows just how much the depth the Cats’ batting order has. NU battled George Washington for a second time Saturday morning, this time rolling to a 10-3 victory. In between the two contests, the offensive prowess that has fueled the Cats’ hot start to the season halted in the team’s Friday afternoon matchup against No. 21 Louisiana State, with the Tigers handing the Cats a 4-0 defeat. The Tigers struck early and built their lead to 4-0 over the Cats who, despite several rally attempts, were unable to catch up. Still, the offense bounced back after its blip against LSU and stayed strong for the rest of the weekend. Pitching was the story in the weekend’s final two contests, with junior Amy Letourneau putting on a valiant performance in NU’s 2-1 victory over No. 18 South Alabama. “The game was really fun,” Letourneau
said. “It was a great win. We came out so early and dominated them right away. We attacked them, and they were not expecting it.” The Cats scored both runs in the first inning thanks to the scrappy play of seniors Emily Allard and Mari Majam. Letourneau was able to hold off the top-20 team the rest of the way with impressive work in the circle. “I was really pleased with Amy’s performance,” Drohan said. “She was efficient and worked ahead. She really had a good mix of pitches. She had the ball breaking on all planes and did a great job of keeping the batter off balance.” Letourneau’s impressive performance was enough to give South Alabama their first loss of the season. “We just have power hits, line drives, sharp ground balls,” Drohan said. “That’s just been the story for us.” The team stayed equally crisp against conference rival Penn State in the final game of the tournament, drilling the Nittany Lions 11-1 in a run-rule victory. “We were excited to have Penn State on the schedule,” Drohan said. “We don’t have them on the conference schedule. We’re excited to play Big Ten opponents.” The blowout victory over a Big Ten foe will give NU confidence heading into conference play, the team’s main focus of the season. “Competing well in the Big Ten is what we want to do,” Letourneau said. “The Big Ten is a big goal for us and then whatever after that.” After building a 7-2 record, the Cats have nothing but confidence heading into the rest of tournament play and, later in the spring, conference play. “We’re the only ones that can stop us,” Allard said. rebeccafriedman2015@u.northwestern.edu