The Daily Northwestern Friday, October 13, 2017
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Swim test required for NU rowing team Drowning accident spurs University to review safety rules By ERICA SNOW
daily senior staffer @ericasnoww
Following the accidental drowning of Weinberg freshman Mohammed Ramzan last spring, the Northwestern crew team will require swim tests for members, University spokesman Al Cubbage confirmed to The Daily on Thursday. Ramzan told teammates he did not know how to swim, according to multiple interviews in an Illinois State Police report. Swimming was previously not a requirement to join the men’s crew team, according to a copy of the police report obtained by The Daily. Ramzan, 19, went missing April 10 after falling off a nine-person shell during a NU men’s crew team practice on the North Shore Channel. He was ejected from the boat after his oar improperly struck the water, according to multiple interviews in the police report. Cubbage told The Daily
in an email that following the accident, the University’s Department of Athletics and Recreation reviewed the crew team’s safety practices “to ensure that the club uses best practices in protecting the safety and well-being of participants.” “Northwestern Crew implemented a series of actions to further enhance the safety of participants, including additional training for team members and coaches, requiring members wishing to practice on water or compete at regattas to view safety videos and requiring members to pass a safety exam,” Cubbage said in the email. “Crew club members also are required to pass a swim test.” Travis Hillier (Weinberg ’13), the varsity men’s coach, and a team member jumped in the water to try and save Ramzan, according to the police report. Hillier deferred comment to the University. USRowing, the sport ’s governing body, recommends but does not require member teams to enforce mandatory swim tests, spokeswoman Allison Mueller told The Daily. » See CREW, page 9
Oreste Visentini/The Daily Northwestern
Kavi Ade performs at a Rainbow Week event on Thursday. The spoken word poet read some of their work and discussed their experiences with race, gender and politics.
Poet speaks for Rainbow Week
Kavi Ade discusses writing poetry about social justice, activism By MADDIE BURAKOFF
daily senior staffer @madsburk
Spoken word poet Kavi Ade said after they came out as queer and transgender, their mother
did not speak to them for years. “The last time we spoke, she says, ‘You are killing my daughter,’” Ade read from a poem they wrote. “And I am crying not as dead daughter or alive son. I am crying lost.” Ade, who uses “they/them/
their” pronouns, performed some of their poetry and spoke Thursday in Swift Hall. Rainbow Alliance hosted the event, which drew a crowd of about 20 people, as part of its annual Rainbow Week programming. Before the performance, Ade
led a writing workshop at the Black House, discussing how to write poetry about social justice and activism, Rainbow Alliance co-president Emily Zaniker said. » See POET, page 10
Scholars talk Quran, Islamic faith Pawar announces NU professor emeritus, associate chaplain explore Muslim text By JULIA ESPARZA
daily senior staffer @juliaesparza10
Christian scholar Garry Wills said he felt ashamed when his colleague asked him why, after all the time Wills had spent studying religion, he had never read the Quran. On Thursday at Evanston Township High School, Wills told nearly 160 community members that after the conversation, he immediately began reading the sacred text. At the event, Wills discussed his 2017 book about the Quran and encouraged the audience to also learn about the Islamic faith. “We live in a world where we can’t afford to be so ignorant of each other, as I was of the Quran,” said Wills, who is Catholic. Wills, an emeritus history
professor at Northwestern and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, writer and journalist, said he has spent his career studying how religion and politics intersect. At the event — sponsored by Family Action Network, a nonprofit that organizes speaker series for the community — NU associate chaplain Tahera Ahmad, who is Muslim, and Wills discussed the modern interpretations of the Quran and how the Islamic faith is often misunderstood. Lonnie Stonitsch, executive director of Family Action Network, said the nonprofit invited Wills as a speaker because the team believed the Evanston community would be receptive to the event. “Evanston is a very diverse community, it’s a very progressive community and I think (the » See QURAN, page 10
end of campaign Chicago Ald. drops gubernatorial bid due to lack of funds By AMELIA LANGAS
the daily northwestern @amelialangas
Colin Boyle/Daily Senior Staffer
Christian scholar Garry Wills and Muslim chaplain Tahera Ahmad discuss the Quran during a Thursday event at Evanston Township High School. Both agreed many have misunderstood the Islamic faith and there should be a greater understanding of other religions.
Chicago Ald. Ameya Pawar (47th) announced in a statement Thursday that he is dropping his bid for Illinois governor due to a lack of funds. Pawar’s campaign platform rested on recommitting to early childhood education and public schools without burdening the middle class, rebuilding infrastructure and reinvesting in “goodpaying” jobs. Overall, the campaign had raised $828,000, but it still wasn’t enough, Pawar said in the statement.
“We simply didn’t have the money to meaningfully scale this campaign statewide,” Pawar said. “Without more resources, the only choices for expanding the campaign to a scope that could earn the nomination were to take on more personal debt or to cut staff.” Although Pawar’s race for governor is ending, he also announced in the statement that he is launching a political action committee called One Illinois. The group will work to organize youth around progressive issues and “fight … divides around race, class, and geography,” he said. State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston), a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, congratulated Pawar on an “incredible” campaign in a Thursday Facebook post. Biss said Pawar’s campaign » See PAWAR, page 10
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