The Daily Northwestern – May 8, 2019

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The Daily Northwestern Wednesday, May 8, 2019

DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM 8 SPORTS/Baseball and Softball

Find us online @thedailynu

3 CAMPUS/Academic

Reactions to defeat of coaches proposal

Fifteen students to travel with Undergraduate Language Grant for immersive learning

4 OPINION/Liu

Why ‘model minority’ is a harmful stereotype

High 56 Low 55

NROTC balances school, military Despite low numbers, students prep for careers By ZOE MALIN

the daily northwestern @zoermalin

Every morning at 5:30 a.m., Weinberg junior Daniel Witte wakes up and shaves. It’s “the rule,” he said. The midshipman — which refers to students enrolled in the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps — walks from his dorm to Floyd Long Field for physical training, followed by a naval science class. Then, he has a full day of Northwestern classes. By 4:30 p.m., Witte has been awake for 11 hours. But he still has plans left in his day. Sometimes Witte goes to Model United Nations, and other times he heads to the library to study. Witte usually goes to sleep around 10 p.m. so he can be well-rested for the next day’s wake up call. For Witte and his fellow midshipmen, this is their dayto-day routine. He says it’s challenging and takes a lot of self-discipline. But overall, Witte believes it is worth the commitment. “My dad was in the Army, and that was a big influence on my choice to join the military in general,” Witte said. “The Navy provided me with the best opportunities. It’s really

developed me as a person.” The Reserve Officer Training Corps is a program on college campuses that prepares students to become officers in the U.S. military and guarantees them a post-college career. NU’s ROTC program is a Navy unit, NROTC. It specifically trains midshipmen to take jobs in the Navy or the Marine Corps. NU’s NROTC unit was one of the original six established by the Navy across U.S. college campuses in 1926. At one point, NU’s NROTC program comprised of hundreds of students, said Capt. Christopher Adams, NROTC Chicago’s commanding officer. But this school year, there are only 35. “Having 35 students in our battalion is historically low,” Adams said. “So much of our demographics for a given class is affected by Northwestern University’s admissions process.” McCormick sophomore Dylan Utterback said low enrollment numbers have some benefits, though. He described this year’s group as a “small, close-knit and supportive environment,” especially because he is one of two sophomores in NROTC. Utterback said he applied because he wanted a “meaningful career,” as well as opportunities to travel. The NROTC scholarship pays tuition and » See ROTC, page 6

John Halloran / The Daily Northwestern (left) and Andrew Su / The Daily Northwestern (right)

‘Evil’ Dave Sheldon (left) on a return visit to campus and Nick Siebers (right) receiving the call learning he qualifies for the runoff election. Both are former ASG presidents from the ‘90s who ran on unconventional platforms, especially by the serious standards seen in ASG today.

Reflecting on past ASG presidents A retrospective on some unusual campus leaders of the 1990s following is a history of two particularly unusual ASG presidents, and the elections, traditions and platforms that defined their legacies.

By GABBY BIRENBAUM

daily senior staffer @ birenbomb

This week, Associated Student Government president Izzy Dobbel, a SESP junior, will complete the first week of her term after winning an uncontested election with 75 percent of the vote. While Dobbel’s path to the presidency was fairly straightforward, past ASG presidents have come to power in a variety of ways while prioritizing different initiatives. The

1995-1996: Nick Siebers The Context:

In 1995, ASG was having a rough time attracting the respect of the student body. Students perceived the organization as a space for political science majors looking to pad their resumes. In February, two months before the election, ASG president Alix Rosenthal

was found to have exceeded a $75 campaign spending limit by $26.02, and chose to resign rather than face impeachment after lying about it.

The Election:

Nick Siebers had two presidential campaign promises — to open an on-campus bar, and to bring either the Grateful Dead or Pink Floyd to perform at Dyche Stadium — now known as Ryan Field. A Weinberg sophomore at the time, Siebers had no ASG

experience and ran as an outsider. His campaign poster featured him holding bottles of alcohol on the steps of Beta Theta Pi, with a slogan of, “Is anyone else gonna try to do cool s--t? No! Why not vote for me?” After using his campaign funds to hold a party whose costs exceeded the campaign spending limit, Siebers was removed from the ballot. But a write-in campaign launched him to 30.3 percent of » See ARCHIVES, page 6

Panelists discuss universal health care UP investigating Speakers describe current state of health care, threats to ACA By EMMA EDMUND

the daily northwestern @emmaeedmund

Panelists discussed universal healthcare possibilities with Evanston residents at Tuesday’s Indivisible Evanston meeting. Indivisible Evanston brought three speakers to their May chapter meeting who described the current state of health care in Illinois and explained legislation that could lead to universal health care, including the Medicare for All Act. Indivisible Evanston is an organization whose mission is to “resist Donald Trump’s attempt to replace our democracy with authoritarian plutocracy” through non-violent action. Graciela Guzman, one of the panelists, is a coalition manager for Protect Our Care Illinois — a statewide coalition of health care advocates who fight against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. She said the ACA has been under attack, citing the Texas judge who

struck down the ACA as unconstitutional in December. The ruling is currently in the appeals process in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. “There’s been some pretty heavy sabotage on both the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid,” Guzman said. “We’re seeing less folks... enrolled than before.” Panelists then discussed alternatives to the ACA, including the Medicare for All Act, introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives on February 27. The bill would provide health care to all U.S. residents and cover items and services required for medical treatment, such as hospital treatment and prescription drugs. It would also prohibit certain charges for services, such as deductibles, copays and coinsurance fees. Dr. John Perryman, another panelist and a pediatrician from Roscoe, Illinois, talked about current American spending on health care. He discussed statistics from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development that lists the U.S. as having the second-lowest coverage rate of

Serving the University and Evanston since 1881

May 2 hate email African American Studies professor received last week By GABBY BIRENBAUM

daily senior staffer @birenbomb

Emma Edmund/The Daily Northwestern

Leslie Combs, district director for Jan Schakowsky (9th) at Tuesday’s meeting. Combs relayed Schakowsky’s support for the Medicare for All Act introduced in February.

OECD countries despite spending the most for health care as a nation. “I’m a doctor,” Perryman said. “I like people to spend money on health care, but this is clearly not a sustainable thing.” U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston), who has publicly supported the Medicare for All Act, introduced the Medicare

for America Act to the House in 2018. The Act provides for more incremental change, allowing employer-sponsored care, which Medicare for All would prohibit. The final panelist, Schakowsky’s district director Leslie Combs, said that Schakowsky still supports Medicare for All “100 » See HEALTH CARE, page 6

University Police is investigating an instance of racist hate mail sent to African American studies Prof. Barnor Hesse on May 2. On May 3, Hesse, who teaches a class called “Unsettling Whiteness,” tweeted the text of an email he had received. “Hey Doc., after I finish AFAMST 380: Unsettling Whiteness, I want to take AFAMST 101: Unsettling Chimps, you racist mother f***er,” the email said, per Hesse’s tweet. Within two hours of reporting it to the University, Hesse said he received responses from Provost Jonathan Holloway and dean of Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Adrian

Randolph offering support and resources and ensuring him UP had opened an investigation. “Response was rapid,” he tweeted. Randolph addressed the incident in a May 3 email to all Weinberg faculty. In his email, Randolph called the anonymous email “racist” and noted how it explicitly targeted Hesse’s work. “On behalf of the Weinberg College community, I condemn the cowardly act of sending such an email and strongly denounce all forms of racism, discrimination, and harassment,” Randolph wrote. “Such racism violates our expectations concerning inclusion and respect.” In a Tuesday statement, University spokesperson Bob Rowley said UP is actively investigating. “(UP) continues to investigate this hateful email and is trying to identify the sender,” Rowley said in a statement to The Daily. Hesse declined to be interviewed for this story. gbirenbaum21@u.northwestern.edu

INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Opinion 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 6 | Sports 8


2 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019

AROUND TOWN

Committee considers Noyes artwork, mural repair By JULIA ESPARZA

daily senior staffer @juliaesparza10

During a Tuesday meeting, members of the Public Art Subcommittee considered proposals for an art installation under the Noyes CTA viaduct and voted to propose the repair of three other murals throughout Evanston. The committee received proposals from the Chicago Public Art Group and CODAworx. The project has a budget of $16,000. The Chicago Public Art Group proposed a team of two artists, Andy Bellomo and Caesar Perez, who would install a large-scale outdoor artwork.The piece would be made from colored Plexiglas that would add a “vibrate, uplifting and exciting piece to the environment,”according to the proposal. The artists’ proposal included the possibility of adding a light system to the piece. Members also discussed the proposal submitted by CODAworx, which included portfolios of imagery from similar installations they have completed. Sample work submitted included bright, abstract artwork that used contrasting colors. The proposal stated that installation would cost $1,600, which is a tenth of the budgeted price. Committee members were unsatisfied with the enthusiasm present in the proposal though. “I was disappointed in CODAworx,” committee member Gay Riseborough said. “I expected some ideas, not portfolios, just ideas and some excitement.” The committee decided to move forward with CODAworx to craft a more detailed proposal. Riseborough said they will continue discussing the project

POLICE BLOTTER Man arrested in connection with assault Police arrested a 42-year-old Chicago man Monday afternoon in connection with assault and criminal trespass of property. Police responded to reports of a man harassing a

with the organization and give them more time to come up with “different” ideas. Committee members also discussed the Mural Repair Action Plan. During an April 2 meeting, EMAP presented five murals that need maintenance. Committee members considered repairs for the murals at Central Street, Dempster Street, Foster Street, Church Street North and Church Street South. The committee decided to propose repairs for the first three murals respectively, citing more foot traffic near the sites and the need to maintain the bright colors in the pieces. “I drive by the Church Street murals but I hear what you say that they are lighter so the deterioration is not as obvious,” said committee member Indira Johnson. Repairs for the Central Street mural will cost $750, the Dempster Street mural will cost $800 and the mural at Foster Street will cost $550. Additionally, the group sought to standardize and formalize the City’s public art donation policy. In creating guidelines for accepting art donations, the group considered aesthetic measures along with the power to place, move or destroy donated pieces as the city sees fit. “Are there certain standards that the piece has to meet to make sure that we are giving everyone a fair consideration,” said assistant to the city manager Paulina Martínez. “How do we evaluate whether the materials are suitable for our community, whether we have a space that makes sense for the piece?” The policy will be amended and reintroduced at the next Public Art Subcommittee meeting. juliainesesparza2020@u.northwestern.edu bartender at the Bar Louie, 1520 Sherman Ave. An Evanston Police Department officer arrived at the scene and found the Chicago man intoxicated, said Evanston police Cmdr. Ryan Glew. Glew said the man made racist comments toward the bartender and refused to leave the restaurant. At one point the man began advancing toward the officer, making the officer feel threatened. The officer pinned

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Julia Esparza/Daily Senior Staffer

The Noyes CTA viaduct. The Public Art Subcommittee discussed possible art installations to go under the viaduct.

the man against the Bar Louie door breaking the glass. Officers placed the man under arrest and charged him with assault and criminal trespass to property.

Car stolen in south Evanston

A 43-year-old Evanston woman reported that her car, which she left outside of her home in the 400 block of Florence Ave., was not on the street where

she parked it the night before. The incident occured between 11 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. Monday. The women said she still had the keys to the vehicle, a 2013 Ford Edge, Glew said. Police do not have any suspects at this time. ­— Julia Esparza

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 3

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019

ON CAMPUS

ULG to promote language immersion By PRANAV BASKAR

daily senior staffer @pranav_baskar

The Daily Northwestern www.dailynorthwestern.com Editor in Chief Alan Perez

eic@dailynorthwestern.com

General Manager Stacia Campbell

stacia@dailynorthwestern.com

A group of fifteen Northwestern students supported by the Undergraduate Language Grant will find themselves in countries like Turkey, South Korea and France this summer, where they will participate in immersive language programs. The ULG is an annual award that provides selected students with up to $5,000 in funding toward language study, geared specifically to support students who see language proficiency as central to their career goals.This year, the Office of Undergraduate Research awarded $75,000 in ULG grant funding. ULG Coordinator and Assistant Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research Megan Wood said the program has been running for “at least” a decade. “The primary goal is to help students gain an intensive learning of language — which everyone agrees is the best way to learn a language. But that’s not always feasible during the academic year,” Wood said. “One of the things that’s unique about this program is that there aren’t specific programs students have to choose from; rather, we just a list of requirements that a program has to fill, which makes it much more flexible for students to seek a program that best fits their needs.” According to OUR’s website, programs are eligible for ULG funding if they last at least six weeks and stand the equivalent of “a year’s worth of college-level language instruction,” among other criteria. To apply, students must draft a proposal detailing how their program of choice will contribute to key career goals, submit at least two faculty references and present a planned budget. The OUR welcomes applications from speakers of all levels. “Applications from heritage speakers are very welcome,” the OUR website says, “... but like all applicants [students] must demonstrate how a summer of intensive language study will help [them] achieve specific academic or professional goals.” Wood said the review process for the grant is extensive: each application is reviewed at least four

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An assortment of student planners ready to be filled with summer plans. 15 students will received Undergraduate Language Grants for the summer.

times by a 16-member faculty committee made up of administrators and language professors. Weinberg sophomore Mara Kelly, a recipient of the grant, said she will use the money to study Arabic in Amman, Jordan this summer. “It’s an intensive summer Arabic program, so basically I’m in class all day for five days a week,” Kelly said. “I’ll learn a year’s worth of Arabic over the summer.” Kelly said she finds studying the Middle Eastern/ North African region “very interesting,” and she’s also passionate about politics and foreign policy. She hopes she’ll be able to apply the skills she learns this summer to those pursuits. Wood said ULG’s flexible nature gives students a lot of space to push their language learning. Students can choose to study specific regional dialects and work with the Office of Fellowships to seek external

grants to further defray program costs, Novak said. Wood said that while no quotas are implemented to ensure a balanced distribution of languages pursued through the grant, applications of recent years have embodied a natural diversity. She added that both students from Northwestern’s Evanston campus and NU-Qatar are eligible to apply for the program and receive funding. Kelly said applying for a ULG was a “pretty big” process, but she is eager to see that work pay off this summer. “Overall, I was super excited to get it and I’m really excited to have the opportunity to travel abroad this summer,” Kelly said. “I think it will be a really great program for me and a great way for me to increase my Arabic skills.” pranavbaskar2022@u.northwestern.edu

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OPINION

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Wednesday, May 8, 2019

The ‘model minority’ stereotype is harmful to Asians LUCY LIU

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

As I clicked through a survey for my sociology class at Northwestern on inequality, one of the questions asked, “What percentage of your zip code would you estimate is each of the following?” The categories presented were “White or Caucasian,” “Black or African American,” “American Indian or Alaskan Native,” and “Hispanic or Latino.” Looking through the options, I wondered why “Asian” was not one of the categories. I found it ironic that a survey for a class called Social Inequality didn’t acknowledge such a prevalent race. Despite the misconceptions that Asians are not subject to discrimination in the U.S., the Asian community does, in fact, encounter discrimination, which can often be overshadowed by the model minority stereotype. While over half of the world is Asian, we are a minority in the United States at 5.8 percent of the population, as of 2018. Additionally, many Asians face a unique stereotype — the “model minority.” Asians are categorized as smart, wealthy, hardworking and obedient. They are seen as successful people who do well in society and have overcome the burdens their race has faced on their own — often pointed out to detract from other racial minorities. Many people don’t realize, however, that stereotyping Asians as smart and hardworking can also put pressure on Asian students

to live up to the unfair standards of academic excellence others expect of them. These tensions can instill self-esteem issues and increase stress for Asian Americans, especially within academic and work settings. Many may brush over this stereotype because calling someone smart and hardworking doesn’t initially appear to be negative. In addition, the model minority disregards the social diversity of Asians from South, Southeast and East Asian countries. According to the Pew Research Center, U.S. Asians have a wide range of income and education levels. While 72 percent of Indian Americans hold a bachelor’s degree, for example, only 9 percent of Bhutanese Americans can say the same. As a result, this dominating “positive” image of Asians all being highly educated overshadows other forms of discrimination — name-calling, prejudice, harassment. People don’t realize that Asians face and have faced forms of discrimination like other minority groups. Asians have faced great amounts of oppression throughout American history. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prevented Chinese immigrants from finding their own American dream. Anti-Chinese policies persisted until 1943 in the interests of gaining an allied force for World War II. For over 60 years, the United States continued to create obstacles through additional anti-Chinese policies. While the Statue of Liberty was gifted to the US, eventually becoming a symbol of hope and freedom for immigrants around the world, [CQ] Chinese Exclusion Acts were not repealed until 57 years after the statue’s dedication.

In 1942, President Roosevelt signed an executive order to relocate all Japanese Americans to internment camps. Two-thirds of the interned were born in the United States, many had never been to Japan and some were veterans of World War I. After the order was repealed, many Japanese Americans couldn’t return to their hometowns. This part in US history remains a violation of civil liberties and further demonstrates a history of Asian discrimination in the United States. As a Chinese-American myself, I have grown up experiencing stereotypes of the model minority as well as discriminatory insults. In elementary school, a boy came up to me and asked if I ate dogs and scorpions and didn’t believe me when I said no. I was appalled that he asked me that because I wasn’t even aware that some parts of China actually ate dogs and scorpions at the time. I started to become aware of Asian stereotypes at a young age, and they’ve haunted me throughout my life. During my freshman year of high school, I was walking down the hallway when a tall, white senior yelled “Ching chang ting tong” at me. His girlfriend quietly giggled and said, “Don’t say that!” Having just moved to Rye, New York, a couple of weeks before school started, I was taken aback by his comment because I didn’t expect a high school known for its good education in an affluent area to still have people who were so ignorant — people who used my ethnicity as entertainment. But my negative experiences don’t only reflect those kinds of associations — the

model minority myth affected me as well. Throughout my academic career, I have heard my fair share of remarks about how I’m “obviously good at math and science” and how I “get A’s all the time” and how I’m “pre-med because my parents told me to be a doctor.” While stereotyping is, unfortunately, a common issue across many groups, the best way to combat stereotypes is to raise awareness of their detrimental effects. Few children are taught about the dangers of overt, harmful stereotyping against groups of people. Furthermore, schools and parents rarely touch on less common forms of stereotyping — such as portraying Asians as a model minority. The model minority obstructs society’s views on the underlying discriminatory actions that affect Asian Americans. People shouldn’t overlook the painful history of Asian Americans, the nuances of experiences people from different regions face, and the derogatory remarks toward Asians just because Asians have been stereotyped as smart and hardworking. While the stereotype might not seem harmful at first, associations like these are still ultimately negative and have a harmful effect on wider communities. Lucy Liu is a Weinberg f irst-year. She can be contacted at lucyliu2022@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.

Mass restrictions on opioid prescriptions unnecessary WESLEY SHIROLA

DAILY COLUMNIST

This is the second column in “Failed Policy,” a series examining the history of drugs and drug policy in the United States since its founding. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency in response to the opioid crisis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 130 people in the United States die every day from an opioid overdose. Opioids have been around in the U.S. for over 200 years, but widespread addiction has only recently been proclaimed a public health emergency. As a result, the CDC designed non-mandatory prescription-practice guidelines for primary care physicians, but many states have placed significant additional restrictions on the prescribing of these drugs in an attempt to reduce their overuse and abuse. Yet, while a serious epidemic clearly exists in the U.S., heavily restricting access to opioid medications when patients are in need is not the answer. The many patients who need these drugs to live comfortably should not have to find themselves facing high barriers to get them. At the Interim Meeting of the American Medical Association in 2018, the

organization’s president, Dr. Barbara McAneny, shared a heartbreaking story. She had prescribed an opioid medication to one of her patients who was suffering from debilitating pain due to prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. The patient’s pharmacist called him a “drug seeker” and refused to fill the prescription. Feeling ashamed, the patient went home, hoping to endure his pain. Three days later, he tried to kill himself but was saved by his family. This story illustrates precisely why placing severe limits on prescription opiates is harmful to patients. Today, it is illegal in a majority of U.S. states for patients in acute pain from surgery or an injury to fill an opioid prescription for more than three to seven days, regardless of the severity of their surgery or injury. I experienced this firsthand the summer before entering Northwestern. I had major surgery and was given a five-day prescription for an opioid which significantly reduced my pain. After I ran out, however, I was still in debilitating pain and not yet fully recovered. That didn’t matter to the clinic and the pharmacy, however. Worried that I would become an addict, they left me to suffer. Refusing to fill prescriptions for patients who need them is completely unnecessary and, in some cases, downright cruel. Estimates vary, but most research has found that 8-12 percent of patients prescribed an opioid

develop an opioid use disorder. The actual number of patients that become addicted to opioids, however, is likely even smaller when you consider the breadth of cases covered by the term “opioid use disorder.” In fact, a patient can be labelled as having an opioid use disorder for simply meeting two criteria on a far-reaching checklist, such as taking more than the prescribed dose and having the desire to take more. In my opinion, these patients aren’t “addicted” in the traditional sense of the word. Thus, it is entirely possible that the scope of the opioid crisis is largely inflated. Opioids have been prescription-only in the U.S. since the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914, but they have been around in the U.S. since before the country’s founding. While addiction has always been prevalent, it has only become a crisis in the past 25 years or so after several pharmaceutical companies, including Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, spent hundreds of millions of dollars marketing new, more powerful opioids — OxyContin among them — that packed way more drug into any one pill due to “timed release” mechanisms. Clearly, not all opioids are created equally, and the opioid crisis takes on a whole new light when this is taken into account. While the number of overdose deaths per year from traditional prescription opioids since the introduction of OxyContin has increased

fivefold, the number of deaths per year from synthetic opioids — such as fentanyl — increased nearly tenfold. Furthermore, most of the growth in the death rate from synthetic opioids happened only within the last decade. What to do about the opioid crisis is highly debated among physicians, pharmaceutical companies, governments and public health experts. One thing is clear, however: Restricting or banning the prescription of opioids by licensed physicians for patients who need them is unnecessary and unethical. Some regulation is no doubt necessary. But we shouldn’t allow the minority of patients that switch from a doctor’s prescription to stronger and illegal street opioids to prevent those patients who actually need these prescriptions from receiving them. The solution to the opioid crisis is not likely to come anytime soon. In the meantime, more good than bad can be done by allowing patients with pain to receive the treatment they need to live their lives. It is simply immoral not to. Wesley Shirola is a Weinberg sophomore. He can be contacted at wesleyshirola2021@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 of The Daily Northwestern.

The Daily Northwestern Volume 136, Issue 111 Editor in Chief Alan Perez

Print Managing Editors Kristina Karisch Marissa Martinez Peter Warren

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. Letters, columns and cartoons contain the opinion of the authors, not Students Publishing Co.

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 5

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019

Journalism Prof. Jessica Hullman receives Microsoft fellowship

Journalism and computer science Prof. Jessica Hullman received the Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship, a $100,000 reward given twice over two years, according to a Tuesday University release. Hullman, who researches information visualization and communicating uncertain outcomes, is a faculty member in both the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications and the McCormick School of Engineering. Her research focuses on

making complex data more accessible through visualization and automation. “The Microsoft Faculty Fellowship will give my students and me more freedom to explore how our ideas around uncertainty visualization and reasoning can be useful in the world and across scientific domains,” Hullman said in the release. “For example, I’m excited to develop software that can make visualizing uncertainty easier for journalists and authors who may not have deep programming or statistical experience.” As one of five researchers chosen for the fellowship, the unrestricted grant will allow her to plan research, hire graduate students and purchase equipment. The other recipients work at Massachusetts Institute of

Fifth annual Evanston Literary Festival to open Saturday

Daily file photo by Brian Meng

Bookends & Beginnings, 1712 Sherman Ave. The store will partner with the Evanston Literary Festival for the fifth year in a row.

The Evanston Literary Festival will commence its fifth year of programming with dozens of events across the city, featuring local authors and writing workshops. The festival will open May 11, with the second annual Evanston Literary Festival Book Fair, where local publishers, authors and literary organizations will sell books and offer information at the Evanston Public Library. This year’s festival will focus on graphic novels, with a number of events hosted at Comix

Technology, Stanford University, University of Washington and University of California, Berkeley. According to Microsoft, the fellowship is given to relatively new faculty members who demonstrate promise and potential. Medill Interim Dean Charles Whitaker said Hullman is very deserving of the reward. “Jessica is truly deserving of this tremendous honor,” Whitaker said in the release. “Her innovative research in data visualization and graphic representation of complex concepts helps journalists and researchers engage audiences and tell more compelling stories with data.” — Gabby Birenbaum

Revolution. On May 16, representatives from One Book One Northwestern will speak on a panel about the new graphic novel release of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” this school year’s chosen book. Additionally, there will be events geared toward writing about global issues. Political science Prof. Wendy Pearlman, along with the nonprofit group 90 Days, 90 Voices, will speak at Monday, May 13 event focused on telling the stories of migrant people. Over the course of the week, local and national authors, as well as student authors, will present their work to the Evanston community and local writers will be able to participate in workshops free of cost. Festival co-organizers Lynn Haller and John

Source: Northwestern Now

Jessica Hullman. The journalism and computer science Prof. will receive $100,000 annually for two years.

Wilson partnered with literary institutions like EPL, Bookends & Beginnings, Comix Revolution and the Northwestern Spring Writers’ Festival to organize the events, which are meant to increase public knowledge about literature in the city. “There was so much already going on (in Evanston) like the Spring Writers’ Festival which a lot of the residents didn’t know about,” Haller told The Daily in 2018. “So that was some of the impetus, realizing all the gems we have here that we wanted to spotlight.” The festival will run from Saturday to May 19, and all of the programming is free. — Kristina Karisch

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah receives invite to Chicago Sky’s training camp

Just a few months after she finished her Northwestern career as one of the most accomplished players in program history, Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah took her first step on the path toward playing at the next level. The Abuja, Nigeria native will participate in the Chicago Sky’s training camp, the program announced Saturday.The Sky’s camp opened Sunday, and continues through the end of month

until the team’s season opener against the Minnesota Lynx on May 25. Kunaiyi-Akpanah finished her four-year career with the Wildcats with 1,112 career rebounds, the second-most in NU history. She also ended the 2018-19 season with 19 double-doubles, setting the program’s all-time single-season record, and earned first team All-Big Ten recognition. During the Cats’ postseason run in the NIT this spring, Kunaiyi-Akpanah set a tournament record for rebounds collected by an individual player, totalling 78 boards over the course of NU’s six games. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Kunaiyi-Akpanah and former DePaul guard Ashton

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Millender were added to the Sky’s training camp roster to fill the spots left by forward Gabby Williams and center Victoria Macaulay, who are still finishing seasons in Spain and Turkey, respectively. The Sky went 13-21 overall and finished fourth in the Eastern Conference last season. Ahead of the 2019 campaign, the team has undergone a coaching change, hiring James Wade as its new coach and general manager and drafting former UConn standout Katie Lou Samuelson with the No. 4 pick in this year’s WNBA Draft. — Ella Brockway

Daily file photo by Noah Frick-Alofs

Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah goes up for the shot. The forward has been invited to take part in the Chicago Sky’s training camp.


6 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN

HEALTHCARE From page 1

percent.” Some residents, however, raised concerns that by continuing discussion of the Medicare for America Act, Schakowsky isn’t showing true support for the Medicare for All Act. Combs reiterated her previous statement that Schakowsky supports Medicare for All. “Congresswoman Schakowsky supports Medicare for All,” Combs said. “She’s on the bill. You

ROTC

From page 1 books, as well as a monthly stipend. Anyone can join the program up until the end of their sophomore year, whether they are on scholarship or not. “I find meaning in serving my country,” Utterback said. “I feel like there’s a lot of evil out there and I’d like to be a part of bringing justice to people who can’t fight for themselves.” NROTC’s schedule is demanding. Midshipmen attend physical training on Mondays and Fridays from 5:50 to 7 a.m., a naval science course on Mondays and Fridays from 7:20 to 8:50 a.m. and a lab period Wednesdays at 7:20 a.m. After that, they go straight to their Northwestern classes. After acceptance into the program, Lt. Douglas Michael Ragsdale, assistant professor of naval science at NU, said midshipmen must meet specific requirements to stay in the program. They have to pass the minimum physical requirements for Navy standards — which involves running, pushups and sit-ups — maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA and show that they are willing to take on leadership positions. NROTC does not stop when NU breaks for summer recess either. Midshipmen take part in summer engagements — the specific activities depend on students’ grade level, but each gives midshipmen insight into different branches within the Navy. Weinberg junior Margaret Maddox participated in CORTRAMID the summer after her freshman year. CORTRAMID is a four-week event during which midshipmen gain experience in the four major warfare communities of the Navy: surface warfare, submarines, aviation and the Marines. Maddox said it was an “incredible experience.” “CORTRAMID taught me about the diverse opportunities in the Navy and military,” Maddox said. “I also found people that I truly meshed with. It was unforgettable.” Beyond their NROTC duties and academic obligations, midshipmen are encouraged to participate in extracurricular

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019

ARCHIVES

can go look it up.” Medicare for All, however, still has several steps before it can become law. The bill must pass through both Chambers of Congress and signed by the President — or passed over a veto by a two-thirds congressional vote — before it can become law. If the law passes on its current terms, its provisions would have to be fully implemented within two years of enactment.

From page 1

the vote, sending him into a runoff with David Waldman, the ASG vice president for student services, who received 20.5 percent of the initial vote. “I really want to make it clear that I’m not going to destroy ASG with drunken antics or anything like that,” Siebers told The Daily at the time. ment from studying for a midterm to find a full party in swing — he had won the runoff election with 66.6 percent of the vote, causing students to joke they’d elected Satan, The Daily’s editor-in-chief Christina Headrick told the Chicago Tribune. Siebers made a post-election commitment to getting a weekend bus service to and from Chicago for bar-hopping. He took office to the cheers of supporters and the dismay of some in ASG. Former speaker of the senate Ajit Phadke told The Daily voting for Siebers became the trendy thing to do on campus. “A lot of people who don’t see ASG on a daily basis can’t relate to the things that serious candidates are talking about,” Phadke said after the election. “Getting blasted every night is something some people can plug into on a more personal level.”

emmaedmund2022@u.northwestern.edu activities. Utterback is on NU’s varsity wrestling team, Witte is a member of NU’s Model UN team and Maddox is an RA. “Initially, it’s really difficult to balance everything on top of ROTC and class,” Maddox said. “But after freshman year, you begin to figure out a schedule that works for you.” In addition to the University’s NROTC program, some NU students are affiliated with the Army ROTC program, which has its flagship office at Loyola University Chicago. Djimitri Francois, a recruiting operations officer for the program, explained that Army ROTC is similar to NROTC’s program, but that instead of working towards being in the Navy, Army ROTC gives cadets the “full-blown Army experience.” Weinberg senior Jonathan Randell enrolled in the Army ROTC as a freshman. He leaves his apartment at 5:15 a.m. because he does his physical training and takes military science courses at Loyola. While balancing school work with Army ROTC is difficult, Randall said he wouldn’t have it any other way. “ROTC has done a lot to build my discipline and leadership skills,” he said. Upon graduation from Northwestern, midshipmen become commissioned officers in the Navy and are officially on active duty. In the Army ROTC, some cadets join the Army Reserve or National Guard, while others are selected for active duty. In October 2019, during her senior year at NU, Maddox will get her service assignment, which spells out her duties for the Navy post-graduation. She said she would be happy as a pilot or intelligence officer. Reflecting on her past few years with ROTC, Maddox said she appreciates everything the program has taught her. She looks forward to upcoming opportunities and identified one lesson as the biggest thing she will take away from her experiences. “I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter where you are, or what you’re doing,” Maddox said. “Everything in life comes down to the people that you’re with. The rest is just extra.”

Achievements

While becoming the first write-in candidate to win the presidency was certainly historic, Siebers struggled to follow through on his campaign promises. He found his position to be less powerful than he thought, and felt constrained by bureaucracy. By the end of the year, neither the Grateful Dead nor Pink Floyd had visited, there was no on-campus bar and no shuttles to Chicago were provided. He was able to get alcohol to be served at a University-sponsored event by separating those under and over 21, and championed an “Undie Run” for students to run through the campus with no outer layers of clothing. “I learned that most of it’s pretty boring,” Siebers told the Tribune. “Some of it’s ridiculous — printed agendas for meetings of 10 people, having to call on people before they speak.”

Where is he now?

After graduating in 1996 with a degree in integrated sciences, Siebers moved on from the title of ASG president Siebers to Dr. Siebers. He works in the clinical research unit at Covance Laboratories in Madison, Wisconsin.

1999: “Evil” Dave Sheldon The Context

Known to both friends and foes as “Evil Dave”, a nickname based on Sheldon’s hometown of Evanston — or Ev. Il. in the phonebook and his belief that Evanston is the center of evil in the universe — Sheldon ran a write-in campaign every year he was on campus. While his initial freshman campaign of 1996 only yielded 28 votes, Sheldon began climbing every year. He was known for staging antics at ASG debates, such

zoemalin2022@u.northwestern.edu

as wrestling planned debate interrupters and throwing popcorn chicken at members of his campaign staff. As the ASG senator for College Bowl, Sheldon was known for proposing outrageous bills, such as one titled, “I Wrote This in 10 Minutes.” Sheldon also garnered attention for saying he was an evil deity in charge of a cult of friends and supporters. He claimed to be a representative for ‘The People of the Lake,’ a group of half-fish, half-human residents of Lake Michigan whom he claimed were massacred by the administration when they built the Lakefill in 1964. After running four campaigns, Sheldon began to appreciate the art of attracting voters. “Campaigning was fun,” he told The Daily. “It was a foregone conclusion that I was going to win eventually, but the student body didn’t understand that until my senior year. They finally came around.” 1999 was the McCormick senior’s best opportunity to win — turmoil within ASG had brought cooperation to a standstill.

The Election

In 1999, Sheldon finally broke into the runoff election when he earned 23 percent of the vote to Manu Bhardwahj’s 43 percent. After gaining endorsements from the three candidates who had not made the runoff, Sheldon emerged victorious, winning by about 250 votes. Stephen Tiszenkel, who worked on all of Sheldon’s campaigns and was a member of his cult, said Sheldon’s unique style had universal appeal. “Dave was all things to all people,” he said. “If you were fed up with the system, then Evil Dave was your man. But if you really cared and wanted someone passionate about the position, he had you there, too.”

Achievements

Sheldon was never able to achieve his campaign promise of getting University administrators to overturn control of the Lakefill to its rightful owners, ‘The People of the Lake.’ His lack of success can be attributed to his short time in power — Sheldon graduated about a month after his election. Sheldon’s real achievement was his impact on ASG. Turnout fell from 3,000 votes per year whenever Sheldon was on the ballot to 2,600 in the election of 2000. Post-graduation, he still received 47 write-in votes. Richard Caldarone, the speaker of the senate, credited Sheldon for reigniting passion for ASG and forcing members to work together. “If I had to place one event that turned this organization around for the better, it would be Evil Dave’s election,” Caldarone told The Daily.

Where is he now?

Sheldon graduated from McCormick in 1999 with a degree in computer science, and landed a job at Microsoft. He lives in Seattle, and he now works in intellectual property law for a legal firm, as the head of their patent practice group — no word on if he maintains his cult leadership status. gbirenbaum21@u.northwestern.edu

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THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 7

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019

BARK IN THE PARK

Last Saturday, the Northwestern baseball team played for some extra special fans. With the support of energetic puppies visiting for “Bark in the Park” day and a lively purple band, the team triumphed over Nebraska. The sunshine and afternoon excitement gave everyone something to cheer about. — Evan Robinson-Johnson

Evan Robinson-Johnson/Daily Senior Staffer

New Quarter, New Round!

PLAY AGAIN WIN PIZZA Wildcat GeoGame dailynorthwestern.com/geogame


SPORTS

ON DECK MAY

10

Softball NU vs. Indiana/Penn State, 3:30 p.m. Friday

ON THE RECORD

If we are on the rise and have a lot of income coming in the softball world, so then why can’t we afford to pay our coaches at specific schools? — Skyler Shellmyer, outfielder

@DailyNU_Sports

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

The fallout from the defeat of the third assistant proposal By PETER WARREN

daily senior staffer @thepeterwarren

On the morning of April 19, Bo Martino was laying on a hotel bed in Corpus Christi, Texas. Stephen F. Austin, the school where Martino works as the volunteer assistant baseball coach, was in the city for a three-game series against Texas A&M - Corpus Christi. For the past few days, he had been meticulously checking his iPhone whenever it buzzed. Now, the Twitter notification he had been anxiously waiting for popped up on his screen. NCAA Proposal 2018-34, which would have transitioned the third assistant coach in baseball and softball from a volunteer to a full-time position, had been defeated at the NCAA Division I Council, the notification read. For Martino, the decision was heartbreaking. He had returned as the volunteer assistant coach for the Lumberjacks this past offseason, and has been holding lessons almost daily to make extra money. He immediately called his wife with the news. “She was pretty upset too,” Martino said. “It does put a little bit of strain on our family. We don’t really take vacation or anything because we can’t afford do those things.” Many coaches across the country received the news with disappointment and anger. Messages from head coaches, volunteer assistant coaches

conference commissioner Jim Delany was the Autonomy Conference commissioner representative for the Council. Delany voted “no” on the proposal, despite three of the five Autonomy Conferences being in favor of it. The Daily reached out to the Big Ten and Delany was unavailable for comment. According to reporting by Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com, some representatives voted “no” despite their conference athletic directors voting “yes” beforehand. This is similar to if a member of the Electoral College voted against the wishes of their state electorate. There have been no official statements about the vote from those at the meeting. The Daily reached out to Blake James, the chairman of the Division I Council, twice for comment — first on the day the outcome of the vote was announced, and then after the exact totals were released. Both times, James — who is also the athletic director at Miami — declined to comment.

Reaction at Northwestern

Northwestern head baseball coach Spencer Allen declined to comment on the vote when asked on April 23. In February, he said he hoped the proposal would pass, but understood the need to consider the entire athletic department. “As a coach, you’re always looking to move your sport forward,” Allen said Feb. 19. “I think the biggest thing to me is it’s like running a business, right? And I understand just where we’re at

Graphic by Peter Warren

and others flooded Twitter. Some athletic directors who voted against the proposal were forced to defend their position. As more details about the vote have come out over the past few weeks, the discussion persists. However, with the dust starting to settle, there are still questions left unanswered and next moves to still be decided.

What happened at the meeting

The general results of the vote were released the day after it took place. However, each specific representative’s vote was not disclosed until the April 2019 Council Meeting Report was published online roughly two weeks later. Of the 64 possible potential votes, the amendment received 25 “yes” votes, or 41 percent of the vote. There were 36 “no” votes to the proposal, and two representatives, with a combined vote power of three, abstained. Because of the abstaining voters, 31 votes were needed for the majority to pass the proposal. The representative for NonAutonomy Conference commissioners and the representative for FCS Conference commissioners abstained from voting. Three Autonomy Conferences — the SEC, ACC and Pac-12 — all voted “yes” for the proposal, while the Big Ten, Big 12 and the Autonomy Conference commissioner representative voted “no.” The Big Ten also had power, as

in the big scheme of things.” Northwestern softball head coach Kate Drohan said she did not know enough about the proposal to talk about it. Volunteer baseball assistant coach Dillon Napoleon was not available for comment, while volunteer softball assistant coach Courtney Gano declined to comment. On Twitter, Gano retweeted a tweet by Indiana volunteer assistant baseball coach Casey Dykes that called the results of the vote “embarrassing and disappointing.” Napoleon liked the same tweet and responded to it with “Casey, well said.” Junior Alex Erro said having a third paid assistant would be “a great thing” but felt he did not know enough about the proposal to give a full-fledged opinion. Freshman Skyler Shellmyer also said she did not know much about the proposal, but the news it had been defeated made her “a little upset.” “If we are on the rise and have a lot of income coming in the softball world, so then why can’t we afford to pay our coaches at specific schools,” Shellmyer said. “I get it, maybe a lot of schools can’t afford their third coach, but we probably could.”

Graphic by Catherine Buchaniec

the proposal passed in February. After the news was announced two weeks ago, Mercer tweeted his disappointment and also talked about it with the press, calling the decision “absolute hogwash.” “I’m still stunned as much as college baseball is that you can’t vote yes for the option — for the option — to give somebody the title to be able to a full-time coach and if you want to pay them, great,” Mercer said. “If you don’t, don’t stand in the way of college baseball.” Across the SEC, coaches in both sports vehemently voiced their opinion on the topic. Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt’s head baseball coach, said the decision was “gross.” “This is a need position for the sport to grow and the fact that it failed just infuriates me,” Corbin said on SEC This Morning. “I can’t even get it over it really. It sickens me.” Arizona State head baseball coach Tracy Smith, who was the head coach at Indiana from 2006-2014, called the decision “another slap to the sport.” On the other side of The Copper State, Arizona head softball coach Mike Candrea told the media he thought the proposal was going to pass easily and did not like the result. “Here’s the hard part, someone is volunteering their time yet you can’t do anything for them,” Candrea said. “To me, at least meet us halfway where you can open it up a little bit and allow us to do some things for the volunteer coach. It just doesn’t make sense to me.” Players also spoke out about their

experiences with volunteer assistant coaches and their thoughts on the amendment. Jake Burger, a two-time All-American at Missouri State who was selected No. 11 overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, was one of them. Burger told The Daily that the unpaid coaches he worked with in college — Matt Lawson and Joe Lincoln — were two most important people in his baseball career. While with the Bears, Burger said he was able to confide in Lawson and Lincoln for both on-field and off-field matters. This past year, Burger even lived at Lincoln’s house while he was in the area. Burger — who is currently in the Chicago White Sox minor league system — added that he considered Lawson and Lincoln his on-campus parents while in college and they showed “him the path.” “I know I’m not the only guy that they impacted their careers gratefully,” Burger said. “I literally can’t express enough how upset I am with (the vote).”

Looking forward to the future

Following the decision, the movement to add third assistant coach will have to be pushed to the side for the time being. Proposals that are defeated at the NCAA Division I Council are not allowed to be brought back for a vote until 2022. And if a similar amendment does find its way back to the Council, it may be strictly baseball-only. Administrators — including Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes and Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte — said they supported the

baseball side of the proposal, but not the softball side. Del Conte said the need for a third full-time assistant coach in softball had not been vetted enough, while Barnes told The Oregonian/OregonLive he wants to look at softball separately. During this interim period, other baseball and softball proposals and referenda may be brought to the table. The issue most likely to rise up in place of the third assistant coach debate is scholarships. Baseball is allocated only 11.7 scholarships for 35 players. For years, college baseball supporters have been hoping for the allotment to increase. Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt, who was against NCAA Proposal 2018-34, said on his radio show he was in favor of a “broader” discussion of improving the game, and scholarships are the place to start. Nebraska head baseball coach Darin Erstad echoed that statement, adding on Huskers Extra that if money is going to be put into college baseball, he would like to see it start with scholarships. Southland Conference commissioner Tom Burnett told The Daily that he had heard rumblings in the days leading up to the vote that it was not going to pass. The Southland had been “overwhelmingly” in favor of the proposal. He said he expects another proposal to be voted on soon. “This issue won’t go away,” Burnett said. “It can’t go away.” peterwarren2021@u.northwestern.edu

Reaction across the country

In the Big Ten, the most vocal coach in support of the proposal is Indiana’s Jeff Mercer. Mercer, who is in his first year at the helm of the baseball program, had originally expressed his desire to get

Evan Robinson-Johnson/Daily Senior Staffer

Rocky & Berenice Miller Park is the home of the Northwestern baseball team.


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