Spring 2010

The domestic diploma p. 24 Meet NU’s vampires Free Chocolate p. 11 Evanston’s best booze

p. 13 TOMS

revolution

p. 40 Sexting

NORTH BY

The fallout from getting caught may be worse than you think.

Busted.

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outlook 11 13 18

data9 cocoa boozin’ fests An easy C+

From Fluid Mechanics to Econometrics, we quantify the hardest classes at Northwestern

By Marc Snetiker

Chocoholism

Scientists take the fat out of chocolate — just add water

By Wendi Gu

features 27 30

discipline19 diploma23 diversity Spit out by the machine Navigating the NU judicial system

By Mike Elsen-Rooney

vamps

The feminine mistake?

After graduating with a $200,000 degree, is it OK to stay at home?

By Monica Kim

checkout 41 44

porn36 TOMcats23 wrestling engaged Smut 101 Step by step

Adult entertainment is older and classier than YouPorn.com

By Nicole Collins and Emily Scherker

Kicks, pumps or heels — not everyone has a pair

By Hannah Bricker

scope

squirrels45 sexting46 wildquiz47 Unlikely adventurers It goes around the world / Just Squirrely, Squirrely, Squirrel

By Shaunacy Ferro

T9 romance

Is it cheating if you can’t see, hear or touch each other?

By Gus Wezerek

north by northwestern

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“13� by Weinberg sophomore Lisa Wang spring 2010 photo contest winner

NORTHbyNORTHWESTERN.com Aubrey Blanche managing editor

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Overheard: Class of 2014 Facebook Group Are you a member of the big gay acronym community?

I hate Facebook chat and I still use AIM.

ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE

It is a unanimous agreement that ISP pulls down your GPA dramatically.

I can be super sweet or bitingly sarcastic. tend to logic.

Pretentious little fucks...you just wait.

Medilldos are undoubtedly the most attractive school at NU.

Remove the idea of straight A’s out of your head and you’ll be fine.

2340 SAT, 800 chem, 800 math II, APUSH - 4, AP lang - 5, AP stat -5, AP chem - 5

Context Free Comments ➽➽ from northbynorthwestern.com

you know the news is slow when ur talkin bout dem bitches walkin through glass puttin’ it in the poopshoot, aw yeah. some asshole like you, Matt Nazi Zeitlin.

I just solved a sudoku in 3 minutes! ducks, in particular – QUACK! the big Pharma companies are made up of people like you

Glossary Redefining Spring Quarter’s buzzwords. By Julia Haskins Chicago Spring Half Marathon: n.

1. A race around the city to support charity, all the while getting fresh air and great exercise 2. The best excuse to work off post- winter hibernation weight.

Chicago Weather: n.

1. The day-to-day changes in the atmosphere in Chicagoland and its surrounding areas 2. The reason we haven’t packed away our gigantic parkas yet.

Dillo Day: n.

1. A festival of merriment fueled by copious amounts of booze and ending in many poor decisions. 2. Allegedly, music. 3. The collective disapproval of students over headlining musicians. e.g. Regina Spektor? Screw that!

Prospie: n.

1. Prospective student 2. Wide-eyed newbie who has recently received his or her college acceptance. 3. Uptight high school student who crowds sidewalks and congregates around the Rock while asking tour guides obnoxious questions, e.g. What are my chances of getting in with a 4.3 unweighted GPA? north by northwestern|

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Graduate Journalism

Digital stories Data visualizations Social media

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Videography/ Broadcast

Magazine writing/editing Editorial content Design vision Advertising strategy

Interactive publishing

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The Hague Nairobi Paris

MEDILL Northwestern University

outlook Would you rather give up oral sex or cheese?

We polled 788 Northwestern students on northbynorthwestern.com. Here’s what they said.

By Amanda Simmons

49% said oral sex 51% said cheese

What’s your best Dillo Day memory?

“Having an excuse to dance like hippies.”

-Medill sophomore Jessica Schiffman

“Making a sandwich for security guards and having a conversation with a Tally Hall member without even knowing.”

-Communication sophomore Bruna Giberti

“Mac and cheese has been my comfort food since I was two years old. I need it.”

Medill freshman Sarah Bowman

“You can always have normal sex. And then sex with the cheese.”

PHOTOS: AMANDA SIMMONS AND ELYSE ROTH

Communication freshman Alex Kirschenbaum

“My friend gave up cheese for Lent. Guess what she didn’t give up?”

McCormick freshman Claire Mosier

“Cheese. Period.”

Communication senior Greg Hundemer

“Wrestling my roommate on the grass.”

-Weinberg sophomore Nick Ghizas

“Trying to introduce my best friend into the NU dating scene and being unsuccessful.”

-Medill sophomore Carley Lake

“I hula-hooped a hoop that was five times bigger than me… and it knocked me over!”

-Weinberg sophomore Elliott Glass

“Cheese can be used erotically in other kinds of forms.”

Weinberg freshman Sam Fishell

“Anything’s better than cheese!”

Communication freshman Becky Lang

“Losing my best friend and finding him in Wilmette the next day.”

-Medill sophomore Nicole Hong –Elyse Roth

outlook|

7

science of...

How to (really) disappear After this professor’s done, Harry might not be the only one having some covert fun. By Nicki Koetting

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Perhaps the similarities don’t stop at invisibility cloaks. By Sam Allard

Hogwarts Great Hall Deering’s Eloise W. Martin Reading Room

Hogwarts tunnels Northwestern tunnels

Gryffindor Willard

Hogwarts tunnels lead to provincial outpost Hogsmeade (specifically, the cellar of premier magical treats distributor Honeydukes).

Northwestern tunnels lead to purported network of top-secret subterranean laboratories, and a steam-era furnace in the basement of GarrettEvangelical Theological Seminary.

Come on. Celebrity alumni and champions’ mentality leave no other option.

Ravenclaw Slivka

The Great Hall serves as Hogwarts’s main gathering spot. Deering achieves medieval mystique, but lacks mass congregational appeal (see food restrictions and silence policies) and magic.

Hufflepuff SESP Self-explanatory.

Lots of really focused Asians.

Slytherin Bobb Tough call, but Bobb’s urine and vomit encrusted walls most closely align with Slytherin’s dungeon ambience.

Room of Requirement Blomquist By extension, Dumbledore’s Army might loosely find equivalence in the badminton squad, the breakdancers or the assorted middle-aged faculty members trying earnestly to learn the “Single Ladies” dance.

PHOTO: MAX BRAWER; ILLUSTRATION: GUS WEZEREK

He has not defeated an evil wizard (or two), nor has he created a Lucky Potion (à la Felix Felicis).

But mechanical engineering professor Cheng Sun is trying to accomplish something equally enchanting, Harry Potter-esque and yet very real; Sun wants to create an “invisibility cloak” of sorts.

Sun is leading a group of researchers in “transformational optics” — designing a material capable of scattering light so the object underneath the material is essentially invisible, a feat he expects to accomplish by the end of June.

“If we’re seeing a light, it’s refracting from some object because [the] object’s reflective surface is trying to scatter or disturb the light,” Sun says. “But if we can design the surroundings to compensate [for] that kind of disturbance, then the observer probably won’t be able to see that something exists. That’s the whole principle for this kind of optic design.”

Sun says the research, started in August 2009, is going well. His current experiment aims to make a bumpy object look completely flat by designing a structure such that “when the light comes in, it hits the bumped surface and reflects in different directions,” making it appear to observers that the object is flat.

“If we can design a certain distribution so to hide the kind of scattering feature in objects,” Sun says, “then observers will not be able to distinguish that kind of object.”

The applications for this kind of material are endless. The military could use transformational optics to hide weapons or even people from enemies; Lord Voldemort would also find creative uses for such a material.

“It could have some impact for security purposes,” Sun says.

“Because if someone tried to hide something that wouldn’t be detected, the airport would be a disaster.”

Harry Potter on campus

data

Major pains Rest assured, we’re all in this together.

By Marc Snetiker CHEM 212 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

MECH_ENG 241 FLUID MECHANICS I

THEATRE 241 SCENE DESIGN I

INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE 5.55

INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE 5.38

HOW MUCH LEARNED 5

PEOPLE SAY “I thought

PERCENTAGE OF NON-ENGINEERS TAKING THIS CLASS 0%

PEOPLE SAY “Be

RTVF 220 ANALYZING MEDIA TEXTS 1% OF STUDENTS SPENT >20HOURS A WEEK

HISTORY 395 RESEARCH SEMINAR

ECON 281 ECONOMETRICS

HOW MUCH LEARNED 5.21

INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE 4.93

PEOPLE SAY “The

PEOPLE SAY “Quite

PEOPLE SAY “All the

I wanted to be a chemistry major, and now I’m not–this class made me realize that fact.”

PHOTO: COURTESY OF NKZS ON SXC.HU

grading is inappropriately hard for an introductory level class and the expectations of an A are almost unattainable.”

possibly the most challenging course I have taken at Northwestern, but by far the most rewarding.”

prepared to stay up until 3 a.m. gluing railings on a tiny set of stairs.”

bad things you’ve heard about econometrics...well, it IS that hard.”

JAZZ_ST 330 JAZZ COMPOSITION AND ARRANGING

PSYCH 205 RESEARCH METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY

HOW MUCH LEARNED 5.67

HOW MUCH LEARNED 4.57

ENGLISH 205 INTERMEDIATE COMPOSITION INTEREST STIMULATED 5.56

INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE 5.84

PEOPLE SAY “I’m pret-

PEOPLE SAY “Be

ART 270 CONTEMPORARY ART SURVEY

SESP 210 INTRO TO STATISTICS AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

HOW MUCH LEARNED 4.53 PEOPLE SAY “I thought I was majoring in art so I took it… I’m not majoring in art anymore.”

ty sure everyone agrees this class sucks.”

There’s a lot of pride behind a college student’s major — it’s the first step to the world beyond graduation. That’s why the question of “What’s the hardest major?” is so hotly debated at parties, social gatherings and other highly intellectual campus forums. Of course, everything is relative. It’s impossible to quantify or qualify majors without undergoing some serious investigative work and crushing students’ academic pride in the process.

As none of Northwestern’s six schools release the average GPA for each course of study, North by Northwestern asked around for some of the most notoriously difficult classes in each major. We checked out the CTECs to compare and… Well, it’s a tough one. But if you’re struggling with your major, take solace in the fact that everyone else is just as miserable.

JOUR 301 ENTERPRISE REPORTING IN DIVERSE COMMUNITIES 53% OF STUDENTS SPENT 16+ HOURS A WEEK

PEOPLE SAY “301 is a miserable class.”

prepared.”

HOW MUCH LEARNED 3.16 PEOPLE SAY “It’s a fact of life: SESP stats is going to be less than ideal no matter who teaches it.”

outlook|

9

buyer’s guide

One Less Lonely Grill Get ready for barbecue season. By Zoe Fox Ready to blow off some steam — literally? Get grilling. Nothing says “summer” like barbecues, beers and buddies. And nothing says “summer in Evanston” like grilling with these barbecue essentials: Element Grill by Fuego ($449, ElementbyFuego.com) With this fire, you’ll forget there are another three elements. It’s a steep investment, but fall tailgating just might make it worth it. (not pictured)

3-PC Barbeque Tool Set with Oven Mitt ($14.99, Cost Plus World Market) Tongs. Turner. Fork. Oven mitt. Burn-free hands. (tongs above)

Fresh ideas for grilling this spring. By Kevin Short

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rware Outdoor Dinne Cost Plus , ($2.99-12.99 Mimic t) ke ar M World tdoor ou your mom’s ess. You dd go tic domes you to. ld to can say we

Nonstick Grill Topp er ($7.99, C ost Plus World Ma rket) No rusty grate “skid” marks.

Bronco Bob’ s Grilling Sauce ($5.99 , Cost Plus World Marke t) What’s life without som e spice?

PHOTOS: JOHN MEGUERIAN

1. KEEP IT CLEAN. Scrub the grates with a simple brush. No brush? A ball of aluminum foil will do the trick, Beckett says.

2. LUBE IT UP. Lubricate the grill with a spare rag doused in olive oil.

3. STAY COOL. Beckett recommends always having a good meat thermometer.

4. THAW IT OUT. Cold, frozen meats will contract when in contact with the hot grill, causing your meat to be tough and dry.

5. MAKE A CHOICE. Gas is ideal for small quantities of meats with a fast cooking time. But if you’re looking for flavor, charcoal is the way to go. “You’ll get a great smoky taste,” Beckett says.

6. WAIT TO SALT. Don’t add salts until the meat is almost finished; “The meat is going to sweat if you salt it and then just leave it on [the grill] for a while,” advises Beckett.

7. SCORE. Beckett says score marks are a sign of success. They’ll add flavor and texture while ensuring you stay satisfied and salmonella-free this spring.

Pigtail Food Flipper ($12.99, Cost Plus World Market) Grab your meat by the horns — or pigtail. (not pictured)

Barbecue! Bible: Sauces, Rubs and Marinades; Bastes, Butters and Glazes ($8.99, Barnes & Noble) When lost on the grill, the Bible’s always there to lead you back in the right direction. (not pictured)

Beyond BK Sandy Beckett, executive chef at Pete Miller’s Steakhouse, provides these insights to successful grilling:

Ace Charcoal Lighter Fluid ($2.99, Lemoi Ace Hardware) Come on baby, light my fire. (not pictured)

food

ATTN: Cocoa lovers

A new study says chocolate in moderation might be exactly what the doctor ordered. By Alex Jud

S

CHOCOLATE BAR, WOMAN: JOHN MEGUERIAN; TRUFFLES: EMILY CHOW

weet news from the March European Heart Journal: German researchers found that people who consumed about 7.5 grams of chocolate per day had lower blood pressure than those who ate only 1.7 grams. These

same chocolate-lovers showed a 39 percent lower risk of developing heart disease or stroke than those who ate less of the treat.

Before you raid the candy store, know this: 7.5 grams is only one square of a normal chocolate bar. Portion control is essential.

Linda Van Horn, a dietitian and professor at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, says chocolate is not a “magic food” that offers heart disease insurance, but moderated amounts seem safe.

“Certain types of chocolate — usually dark chocolate — have been found to have some antioxidant properties that could be helpful in the prevention of cardiovascular types of diseases,” says Dr. Van Horn. “But the jury is way out on any conclusive evidence.”

Craving chocolate?

Think dark

Cocoa is rich in flavonoids, antioxidants with major cardiovascular benefits. Dark chocolate contains a higher percentage of cocoa than white or milk chocolate, so aim for dark with at least 70 percent cocoa.

Get your free fix

Chocolate even the poorest college student can afford. By Zachary Wichter Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop 830 N. Michigan Ave. (312) 337-9330 Ghirardelli hands out everything from vanilla-filled white chocolate to mint-stuffed dark.

Samples vary, but if you crave a certain bite, just ask — if enough staff are present.

Terry’s Toffee 1117 W. Grand Ave. (312) 733-2700 A toffee shop seems like an unlikely place for your choco fix, but this toffee comes chocolate-coated. All 15 flavors are available for free tasting.

The Fudge Pot 1532 N. Wells St. (312) 943-1777 Sample any of the 10 different fudge flavors, if the manager is there.

They also sell chocolate molded into various shapes and lots of other non-chocolate treats.

Fannie May Candies 343 N. Michigan Ave. (312) 453-0010 Fannie May hands out free samples of a different chocolate every day.

They’re best-known for their turtle-shaped Pixies.

Avoid flavanol-reducing ingredients

Chocolate made with alkali or Dutch-processed cocoa contains cocoa beans that have been through a process that destroys most of the beneficial flavonoids.

Go for hot cocoa

Not only does a cup of cocoa have less saturated fats than a chocolate bar, but heating it releases even more antioxidants.

H2Choco

A new wave of chocolate promises less fat, same deliciousness. By Wendi Gu

According to researchers at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, it just might be possible to make water-based chocolate: chocolate that’s just as yummy — but not as fatty — as the regular stuff.

Elsevier, a leading health and science publisher, recently published a journal in which researchers Benjamin J.D. Le Révérend, Ian T. Norton, Phil W. Cox and Fotios Spyropoulos said that air-filled water droplets can easily replace pure oil or high fat particles

in chocolate. Translation: They eliminated the fatty content of chocolate while maintaining the treat’s original taste.

Too good to be true? Not according to Northwestern chemistry professor Dr. George Schatz. He says this is “a reasonable idea” and “fairly straightforward,” as chocolate sold in stores “in many cases contains more sugar and other components than chocolate itself.” Dessert, anyone?

outlook|

11

food

Baconfest And you thought this breakfast staple couldn’t get more interesting.

By Anna Wolonciej

Om nom nom ➽➽ SEE MORE PHOTOS ONLINE AT NORTHBYNORTHWESTERN.COM

I

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This year’s event consisted of 20 vendors, including the creators of bacon hot sauce, bacon farmers from Michigan, the author of Zingerman’s Guide to a Better Bacon and Enjoy, a Chicago general store that features products such as bacon bandages and Mr. Bacon’s Big Adventure, the meat-lovers version of Candyland.

To accompany the plethora of bacon entrees, the event was sponsored by four liquor brands, including Bakon Vodka, which debuted on U.S. shelves in April. This first meat-flavor spirit is ideal for Bloody Marys and chocolate martinis, according to one of its founders, Sven Liden.

One of the traditions carried over from the first Baconfest was the Golden Rashers, or the Oscar Awards of Bacon, according to Zurer. This year they were getting passed out for best bacon entrée as well as for best bacon poem.

Baconfest’s creators hope to continue the annual tradition and expand next year’s repertoire of items that go way beyond the simple companion to morning eggs and toast.

For most college students, considering food options means deciding between a cup of ramen and questionable dining hall meat. But three Weinberg sophomores took their passion for food to the next level and created Northwestern Oral Masicators, Northwestern’s new food club.

“We like all kinds of food,” says Pamela Hung, one of NOM’s three co-founders. “We wanted to create a forum for anyone who loves to explore.”

Hung came up with the idea for a food club at the end of her freshman year and, coincidentally, so did her neighbor, Lisa Wang. Bonding over this common idea while getting ready for a formal, they decided to put it into effect along with their friend Tiffany Hsu. Last quarter, NOM had its first meeting.

Forty food enthusiasts indulged in peanut butter, banana and chocolate hazelnut sandwiches while participating in food-related icebreakers.

Hung endorses unconditional love for all food, but her favorite dish is a barbecue pork bun, also known as cha xiao bao. –A.W.

PHOTO: GUS WEZEREK

n an unsuspecting mansion in Logan Square, nearly 1,000 food enthusiasts gathered on April 10 to celebrate their love of one sizzling breakfast favorite: bacon.

Vendors from all over the U.S. came to Stan Mansion for the Second Annual Baconfest in order to show off their products, which ranged from bacon-flavored floss to bacon cupcakes.

Over a year ago, three theater friends, Seth Zurer, André Pluess and Michael Griggs, got together and organized a small gathering for approximately 75 people where they served a few bacon dishes with matched up beers.

“My partners went to see a musical about craft beer,” Zurer says, “and they were flabbergasted that someone would care that much about beer just to make a musical. And I thought, what do we care that much about? Bacon.”

Immediately upon walking in, the venue unmistakably disclosed the presence of elaborate bacon concoctions prepared by the 24 renowned chefs asked to participate in Baconfest.

We get the dish on Northwestern’s own food club.

college drinker

Cocktail hour Indoor lectures got you down? Take a sip of summer. By Jamie Wiebe Aloha Martini – Koi 624 Davis St. The name alone might be enough to land this martini on any top 10 summer drinks list, and the taste certainly adds to its credentials. Made with Smirnoff, apricot brandy and pineapple juice, this is a girly drink with a serious kick.

At $8, it’s slightly pricey, but don’t worry. Be happy.

Sure, you can drink fresh, summery cocktails in the dark of winter, ruing the day you sent your deposit to Northwestern and not USC. But now that summer’s upon us, it’s time to sit outside and enjoy Evanston restaurants’ signature summer cocktails with the sun actually visible.

Margarita - That Little Mexican Café

Mango Mimosa - Prairie Moon

Pineapple Mojito - Bar Louie

Key Lime Martini - Bat 17

1010 Church St. These margaritas come in a cute little cup that totally belies their deliciousness. And they cost only $4 between 1 and 5 p.m., so they’re a great pick-me-up if you’re hungover or overworked. They may be loaded with tequila, but the fresh ingredients combine to create a light, delicate drink.

That Little Mexican Café opens its patio during the summer, so grab a drink, sit outside and pretend you’re in Mexico. We’ll understand.

Sunday mornings in the summertime just got better.

Include a mango mimosa with your brunch at Prairie Moon. These mimosas, made with Brut champagne, peach schnapps and mango nectar, are better for their $6 price.

1520 Sherman Ave. You may only be familiar with Bar Louie for its Tuesday night Dollar Burger insane-a-thon, but stop back there during the summer for a signature pineapple mojito. Massive chunks of pineapple spice up the summer cocktail traditionally made with rum, soda, sugar, lime juice and mint leaves. The drink may be a bit overpriced at $10, but pair it with a dollar burger for a tasty summer meal.

1709 Benson Ave. The key lime martini at Bat 17 tastes exactly like a key lime pie. Not vodka, not lime juice, but like your grandmother’s Fourth of July, perfect key lime pie. If you like dry and sour, this may not be for you, but don’t be surprised if your tastes change after one sip of this delicious concoction. On Saturdays, every Bat 17 martini is only $4.95, so there’s no excuse to stop after one.

Boozin’ at Norris

PHOTO: JOHN MEGUERIAN

Shake (or stir) things up with three Norris mini courses on drinking. By Kate Sheridan Drink Mixology teaches you how to stock your own bar and make classic drinks, as well as the mixing theory behind each concoction. Tasting is encouraged. Wine Appreciation offers two sections per week. After this course, you’ll “appreciate” approximately six wines per class and their complimentary foods. Fine Wines caters to the experienced wino.

You’ll “discover new, rarer wines in this course,”

according to the website’s class description. If you sign up for a wine course, don’t forget to bring two wine glasses to class. No drinking out of plastic cups.

Norris mini courses are classy.

SESP senior Katie Coombs registered for Wine Appreciation. “I did the belly dancing mini course freshman year, which was fun but not at all practical,” says Coombs. “I’ve been drinking for years, but

don’t know too much about wine.”

Each course meets five times a quarter for 90 minute sessions on Tuesday or Thursday evenings.

Courses run $92 for Northwestern students and $102 for the general public ($5 discount for registering before the quarter begins). Beware! Instructors check IDs at the start of each course, and you can bet they’re not as lenient as the staff at The Keg. outlook|

13

students

Can’t put it down

Northwestern alum Benoit Denizet-Lewis talks addiction in American Anonymous. By Amina Elahi

What are you addicted to? Think about it long and hard. Is it coffee? LOST? The Internet? Unless functioning without it — and not just giving up Gchat or getting your daily Starbucks fix — is impossible, you’re not an addict.

Take it from someone who is though: Benoit Denizet-Lewis knows firsthand that addiction is serious business. This Medill alumnus (’97) is a sex addict. Not only that, he followed eight people with addictions ranging from food to shoplifting to drugs to, of course, sex for several years. What resulted was American Anonymous: Eight Addicts in Search of a Life, a captivating and thought-provoking exploration of the world and mind of America’s addicts.

Over the course of some 300 pages, Denizet-Lewis intertwines the stories of these eight addicts, recounting their conversations, blog posts, stints in treatment centers and visits to support meetings. Using these narratives, he investigates the recovery process that various addicts undertake. For Sean, a college-age sex addict, this meant selling his laptop so he couldn’t look at porn and then checking into a full-time treatment facility. For another, the shoplifting addict Kate, confessing her sins to anonymous online discussion boards helped keep her stealing habits in check.

However, it is important to note that none of the eight addicts were able to quit cold turkey.

Some did get completely clean, or at least close to it, but Denizet-Lewis stays true to the nature of addiction by acknowledging nearly every instance of relapse the addicts face. Perhaps he does this because his own bout with addiction is littered with relapses and time spent in and out of treatment facilities.

There’s no doubt that Denizet-Lewis’ personal experience helped him really delve into the minds of his subjects - it’s what takes this book from a mere compilation of stories to a

psychological exploration of addiction. Beyond that, Denizet-Lewis fantastically highlights the virtues and deficiencies (and there are many) of the sociological forces that not only affect addiction but actually promote it.

This book will force you to question your perception of addiction.

You’ll learn about new kinds of addiction.

But furthermore, you’ll discover why Denizet-Lewis’s, Sean’s, Kate’s and the other six subjects’ stories are of addiction, not just habit or obsession. And, probably, you’ll start catching yourself before you say you’re “addicted” to anything. ➽➽ READ AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR ON NORTH BY NORTHWESTERN.COM

Talkin’ Prospies Mee-Ow’s Aaron Eisenberg looks at Northwestern’s newbies with NBN. By Emily Liftman

Aaron Eisenberg: Give you a meal plan that only consists only of JK Sweets and Chicken Bar. Or keep Stephen Demos on the football team.

AE: If you come to Northwestern, I am prepared to knock 10 hours off of your Dance Marathon time. Thirty is too many.

For you? Twenty. Not even dancing a full day.

14 |

NBN: Real questions from the Class of Northwestern 2014 Facebook group: I hear Northwestern gets cold in the winter.

AE: Oh do you? You hear Northwestern gets cold? Geez! Did you actually visit here, or do you know about the city of Chicago and the climate? That’s great.

You’re very well-read.

AE: Genghis Khan, he graduated in ’84.

And then God, he was ’79. And Zach Braff is OK, he’s OK. And so is Stephen Colbert. And, uh, who else? Charlton Heston, if you like Alzheimer’s or the NRA. Or you just have a Moses thing going, but Moses also graduated: he was ’71.

NBN: If you could hand select one member of the class of 2014, who would it be and why?

AE: Justin Bieber? Is he available? Is he too young? The Biebs? Aw man, it’s gotta be the Biebs. For sure Justin Bieber.

AE: Cutter or Qatar or Cater is a mystical land far, far away that we decided to put a lot of money into. What goes on there? I’m not sure.

To be totally honest, I’ve never even seen it on a map. Does it exist?

PHOTOS : GUS WEZEREK

NBN: You meet a prospie you dislike.

Finish this sentence: If you come to Northwestern, I am prepared to…

NBN: You meet a prospie you like, so you want him or her to come to Northwestern. Finish this sentence: If you come to Northwestern, I am prepared to…

NBN: Celebrities have huge drawing power.

Name drop the best celeb NU alum.

NBN: Another question from the Class of Northwestern 2014 Facebook group: Also would anyone be willing to give us a briefing on the Qatar campus?

sports

IMjuries

On Your Mark

How to treat the common ones. By Blaise Hope

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: JOHN MEGUERIAN

Like poker, IMs carry a risk, and you never know when you’re going to end up bleeding, screaming or both. Eric Chehab, an orthopedic surgeon at the Illinois Bone and Joint Institute, says 20 percent of his patients are college students. Here’s his advice on what to look out for, and what to do if you get hurt: Ankle sprains occur in any sport for which you run and change direction. Follow RICE: Resting, Icing, Compressing and Elevating. Wrap it up, relax and get an ice-pack. Ice regularly and keep it elevated to lower blood flow to it and help minimize swelling.

If it persists, seek professional help. Knee or knee ligament sprains happen in almost every IM sport, and you can injure your shoulder in any hard fall. Volleyball and softball can strain arm joints.

Breaks can happen anytime you fall down or come into contact with another object. If you break something, go to the doctor. Any deformity means you have to call an ambulance.

Lacerations are a big issue if an infection occurs.

Stitches aren’t actually that critical, but a thoroughly

clean wound is. So wash it. You can get checked out at Searle, but if it looks bad, head to the hospital.

Concussions, any loss of consciousness or an alternate mental state means you need an ambulance right away. If you don’t know you’re concussed, the symptoms can be subtle. Watch for persistent headaches, nausea, vomiting, forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating. As an IMer and not a pro, don’t play a sport until you can push yourself to the limit with no problems.

Other times to call an ambulance include if someone passes out for no reason. It could be their heart, and in those situations timing is critical. Same goes for the neck—the risk is just too big.

The bottom line is, if DIY treatment isn’t helping, you need to go to the ER. Don’t procrastinate — a waiting room is nothing compared to the consequences of ignoring a serious injury. Getting arthritis in college isn’t fun (as this reporter knows). But don’t panic — IMs are not a war zone. If you’re still scared, play dodgeball.

How a few Northwestern students prepped for the Chicago Spring Half Marathon. By Taylor Soppe On any given morning at 7 a.m., most Northwestern students lie curled beneath a tangle of sheets.

Communication sophomore Anna Rhoad, however, spent months of frosty mornings lacing up her running shoes and pulling a T-shirt over her brown curls. She then hit the gym or the pavement, all in preparation for the Chicago Spring Half Marathon.

Rhoad ran track and cross country in high school. “I decided this was the next thing to do,” she says. “And then I made Nathan do it.”

She and Weinberg sophomore Nathan Daly started training in February for the half marathon, which took place on May 16. Daly also ran in high school, but this was the first race of this magnitude either one of them have undertaken.

Their training regimen involved strengthening with weights, treadmill or elliptical and outdoor runs. Six days a week, the two dedicated themselves to the challenge.

Weinberg sophomore Hayley MacMillen ran this half marathon for the second time. Her challenge this year was to reach the end in two and a half hours. “Thirteen miles is such an awful number, but once you get into it, it is much more rewarding than painful,” she says.

MacMillen’s training consisted of three to four runs a week. Though she has other friends that run, she preferred to prepare alone.

Rhoad and Daly set out on increasingly long distance runs every Sunday. Though the race is 13.1 miles, the plan was to work up to ten the week before. “The schedule says the inspiration will carry you the remaining three miles. Whether or not that’s true, we’ll see,” Rhoad says.

Rhoad and Daly had more specific objectives.

“My goal is an hour and 45 minutes,” Daly says.

“My goal is an hour and 59 minutes,” Rhoad responds. “It’s a good mark,” Daly reassures her.

MacMillen anticipated feeling a confidence charged with bolts of nervous energy. “This is the first year I’ll actually feel like a runner, like I belong,” she says.

There are plenty of rewards to look forward to on the day of the race: T-shirts, food and the runner’s high. But Daly says it is crossing the finish line that makes the preparation worth it: “The feeling of being done and having accomplished it, that is incomparable.” ➽➽ check out northbynorthwestern.com to see how the runners fared.

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bikes

Biking laws you didn’t know Riding more than two abreast This is illegal unless you’re on a bike path.

Carrying packages

It’s not allowed if it prevents you from holding the handlebars.

Riding without a light at night When it’s dark outside, bikes need a lamp that emits white light visible from at least 500 feet in front and a red reflector in back.

Biking with broken brakes

Take a ride along this street for some new scenery and fresh finds. By Angie Jaime Sea Ranch 518 Dempster St., (847) 492-8340 This restaurant/market hybrid is a treasure trove of pan-Asian goodies — part ramen pantry, part sashimi bazaar. Seating is limited, so your best option is carry-out. Prices average about $6-$10 for 12 mouthwatering rolls.

Thee Fish Bowl 600 Dempster St., (847) 475-6500 If CuteOverload.com opened up a shop, they would be no match for Thee Fish Bowl. You might come for the Betta fish or chinchillas, but you’ll stay for the puppies. A pen in the center features pairs of pups looking for a home.

Your brakes must adequately control, stop and hold your bike.

I Dream of Sweets 611 Dempster St., (847) 859-6317

Clinging to vehicles

A flowery oasis of pies, pastries and cakes, this café is an unapologetically girly delight. Tables topped with copies of Vogue and fresh flowers make this cozy nook a perfect location for lunch with the besties. Guys might try this as a unique daytime date; you can’t go wrong with white chocolate chai cheesecake at just $3.35.

Attaching yourself to any vehicle upon a roadway is illegal — and sounds like it would hurt.

Bike-pooling

A bike should only carry the number of people for which it’s designed (unless you’re carrying a child in a backpack or sling).

Biking where it’s off-limits No biking on sidewalks in Evanston’s central business district or on Ridge Avenue from Howard to Emerson streets. — A.G.

check out northbynorthwestern.com for the bike guide

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So you’ll never be “that cyclist.”

By Amber Gibson

2nd Hand Tunes 800 Dempster St., (847) 491-1690 Evanston’s oldest record store holds a collection sure to make even the most jaded vinylloving hipster swoon. Stacks upon stacks of rare records, movies, CDs, cassettes and even VHSs are packed inside. The shop also purchases used music and movies, a quick way to make an easy buck if your collection needs to be refreshed.

Wiener and Still Champion 802 Dempster St., (847) 869-0100

➽➽

Bike Etiquette 101

This hot dog haven is not for the weak-stomached. The menu features such drool-worthy items as the Bacon Dog, a wiener wrapped in — you guessed it — bacon, then deep fried to a crisp. In honor of their appearance on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” the stand created the Dippin’ Dog Delux, a duo of hand-dipped corndogs smothered in homemade chili and cheese.

Always pass on the left It’s just like driving, only instead of putting your blinker on, you should yell, “On your left” to give fair warning.

Obey all traffic laws

Just because you’re on a bike doesn’t mean you can run stop signs. If you’re riding on the road, you need to follow the same rules as cars.

Learn hand signals

Basic hand signals include extending your arm straight out for turning left, bending your left arm up at the elbow for turning right and bending your left arm down for stopping.

Give space

Don’t get too close to other cyclists. Not only are you invading personal space, but you may cause a crash.

BIKE: GUS WEZEREK; PUPPY: DEVERS01 ON STOCK.XCHNG; SUSHI: TELEPNEVA ON DREAMSTIME; ALBUM: XPTAKIS ON STOCK.XCHNG; DESSERT: ARINAS 74 ON STOCK.XCHNG; HOT DOGS: ZEAFONSO ON STOCK.XHCNG

You’ll thank us later.

Down Dempster

summer

Here comes the sun ...whether you’re ready or not. What to do if your summer plans fall through. By Maura Brannigan

PHOTO: JOHN MEGUERIAN

T

he 1972 classic single “School’s Out” by Alice Cooper describes the pure, unadulterated glory of summer. Unfortunately, we’ve reached that age when a typical summer also includes long hours at a job or internship, despite Cooper’s anthem of summer independence.

But what happens if that business internship falls through, or your father’s company can’t even hire you for those three months? As much as it seems your life is over, don’t panic. Take a peek at these suggestions to create what could be the best, most fulfilling summer of your life.

Be a professional blogger. No, not one of those

“what type of bagel I ate today” blogs. Instead, think about your favorite class or an activity you’d want to explore more. Dedicate your days to playing with that idea, then post the details for your loyal minions to read. If you’re diligent about it, chances are you’ll attract attention from future employers as well. Log on to Tumblr.com or Blogspot.com to get started, and search the “Ivy Sneakers,” “Vandy Right” and “The Arizona Desert Lamp” blogs for inspiration.

Pull a Wet Hot American Summer — minus the debauchery, of course. There’s a camp out there for every interest — be a counselor for one! Check for a debate or chemistry day camp near you. Volunteer

at a special needs camp, like the one run by 2009 Dance Marathon’s beneficiary, Project Kindle (CampKindle.org) or Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times (CampRonaldMcDonald.org) for kids who have or have had cancer.

Travel. Every college student dreams of backpacking across Europe or hitchhiking down Route 69. Why not go for it? Spend the beginning of break planning and budgeting before you take off. Start at MyCollegeRoadTrip.com — a travel website written by college students exclusively for college students — to check out travel destinations, tips and events happening between April and September.

Catchin’ a few rays doesnt always mean cancer

Let’s face it — the sun gets a bad rap. Sunburns and skin cancer are just two of many dangers you face if you spend a lot of time soaking up rays. However, our minds and bodies still need sunlight to stay healthy. “[Sunlight] helps a lot of skin diseases,” says Evanston dermatologist Mark D. Gendleman. He names several examples — psoriasis, eczema and acne. Artificial sunlight can sometimes act as a therapy for those conditions.

Sunlight is also necessary for the body to produce vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium, keeping bones strong. Few foods provide this important vitamin, though supplements and milk fortified

with vitamin D can help.

A shortage of sunlight can even have negative effects on mood. “A lot of people are depressed during the winter when there’s less sunlight, and [they] cheer up in the spring,” Dr. Gendleman says.

This condition, seasonal affective disorder, can sometimes be treated with a lamp that mimics the sun’s rays.

Now that winter’s over, we don’t need special equipment to enjoy the sun’s light. Remember, though, that the sun’s dangers are very real. Like most of life’s pleasures, sunlight is best enjoyed a little bit at a time.

You still need to be careful, but a bit of glow isn’t that bad.

By Miriam Mogilevsky

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chicago

Chicago infestation Stop by the city’s summer neighborhood festivals for music, food and maybe even a Pet Parade. By Abby Shure Chicago’s neighborhood-y vibe makes it a daunting city to explore. Every neighborhood has its own feel, and there’s always a new one to discover. This summer is the time to dive in. Take the work out of your search and check out the best of Chi-town with its summer neighborhood festivals.

Any ‘hood fest will show you a new side of your own second city—or at least your new stomping grounds for good eats, sweet jams and serious shopping.

While you’re there...

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DO-DIVISION STREET FEST AND SIDEWALK SALE June 5-6, noon to 10 p.m.

| Division Street between Damen and Leavitt | Free, recommended $5 donation | dodivisionstreetfest.com

The Do-Division Street Fest and Sidewalk Sale screams localfest—it’s a ten-block celebration of all things Chi-town. From the Division Street restaurants’ munchies to the live music stages to the featured beer (PBR, of course), everything is chosen for its local popularity. Get in touch with your inner child with the petting zoo, pony rides and, for the nerdy kids, mad science demonstrations.

MAYFEST May 21–23, Friday 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and

Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Lakeview, 3100 N. Ashland | Free, recommended $5 donation | starevents.com/festivals-events/mayfest

Kick off the summer with a Mayfest your friends didn’t plan—Chicago Mayfest, which takes place a week before Dillo Day. It’s a three-day festival fit for both college students and their families, with local bands on a big stage, a Kid’s Day and tons of great food and beer. If you’re hiding a dog in your dorm room, take him to the Mayfest Pet Parade on Sunday. Fido can compete for awards for best looking, biggest and pet that looks most like its owner.

1531 N. Damen Ave. The crew who brought you The Violet Hour and Avec now presents a honky-tonk taquería and whiskey bar in Wicker Park’s nightlife area.

The reasonably priced lamb shoulder, al pastor and fish tacos hit the spot. Same with the $1 Schlitz drafts.

THE BOOK CELLAR

4736 N. Lincoln Ave. A bookstore, café and bar in one, The Book Cellar is a small community hangout right off the Brown’s Line’s Western stop. Grab a book and a beer and lounge the day away. While you’re there, be sure to browse their expansive local author section.

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GLENWOOD AVE. ARTS FEST Aug. 20-22, kickoff Friday 6 to 10 p.m., Saturday

Get your high culture fix at Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest. The festival kicks off with a party on Friday night and runs through Sunday with artists’ markets, theater, food and drink. It’s an easy way to learn about Chicago’s art scene without getting overwhelmed.

And you get to scout out Rogers Park and Loyola, our near neighbors to the south.

DUKE’S HIDEAWAY

6920 N. Glenwood Ave. If you’re a fan of The Mudflapps at Evanston’s Celtic Knot, consider the folky atmosphere and live music of Duke’s. It’s not uncommon for patrons to strike up a conversation with the friendly bartenders or ex-hippies to their right. They have rotating “bartender’s choice” specials every day, such as $5 Bloody Marys.

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TASTE OF RANDOLPH STREET June 18-20, Friday, 5 to 11 p.m. ; Saturday, 2 to 11 p.m. and Sunday, 2 to 10 p.m.| Randolph Street, just west of Halsted and the 90/94 expressway | Free, $5 donation | starevents.com/festivals-events/taste-of-randolph If finals keep you from the Do-Division Street Fest, check out Taste of Randolph Street.

The idea is similar: showcase the ‘hood with awesome food, music and stuff to buy. But on Randolph Street, Oprah’s Harpo Studios is the major cool factor. Lincoln Avenue also has a “Taste of” festival (July 24-25), which gives you a chance to explore the neighborhood before you party at DePaul.

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COBRA LOUNGE

235 N. Ashland Ave. This is your neighborhood psychobilly rock bar. Motorcycles and skulls adorn the walls while their sound system blasts heavy metal music to patrons from all walks of life. But it’s the $2-$3 weekday shot and beer specials that have us coming back. –Ryan Gallagher

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF DO DIVISION FESTIVAL AND WELLS STREET ART FESTIVAL

and Sunday Noon to 8p.m. | 6900 N. Glenwood Ave. (in Roger’s Park) | Free | glenwoodave.org

BIG STAR

C A U G H T !

The Northwestern judicial system can be scary. Our smallest missteps fall under criminal categories. The system is supposed to teach us a lesson, but often the one we learn isn’t the one intended. By Mike Elsen-Rooney

I

felt his arm clamp around my bare bicep and

I knew my run was over. I let out a sigh of relief; I was back in the system. Northwestern would evaluate my decision to run shirtless and briefly dance across the football field during halftime like my professors evaluate my writing each quarter.

My contact with the man at Ryan Field in a yellow poncho with “Security” on the back marked the end of one story. But it was the beginning of the story of my journey through Northwestern’s system of discipline and through my own internal one.

she met me first on the purple couches in Norris,

and she got straight to the point. Last spring, the junior – then sophomore – girl tried to kiss a freshman boy, and he pushed her away, she said.

This description is Emily’s* own account of her experience. The university found her guilty of sexual harassment, a violation of school policy.

“The experience itself was something I would never consider sexual harassment,” said she. “It’s something that occurs, in much greater forms, at places like the Keg. It blew up to so much more than it should have been.”

Quickly she clarified that the “happy ending” of her story was that she fought her decision in the Undergraduate Hearing and Appeals System (UHAS) and got the decision reversed. As she

told me her story, she molded her black hair band, wrapping it tightly around one finger, unwinding it and stretching it across all five. She spoke rapidly.

For her, the judicial process did not end when former Dean of Students Mary Desler or UHAS reached a decision. “So much stuff happened — as much as a year later, I’m still having to deal with the repercussions of it and ended up having to drop out of school for a quarter.”

“should i tell him i drank?” I asked my friend Adam — not coincidentally, the same one who encouraged me to run on the field in the first place. It was the night before my meeting with Dean of Students Burgie Howard to discuss and receive my punishment.

I saw him right before I ran out from underneath the stands.

Under the stands at Ryan Field, the field itself is impossible to see. How awesome would it be to run on the field, Adam asked. My thoughts orbited closer to the particular action of removing my shirt and running into the illuminated entrance to the field. Should I follow Adam? I can’t let him do this without me. I took my shirt off and ran towards the field. On the grass, I turned and lifted both my hands up to yell “Let’s go!” toward the stands. Yelling out was my acknowledgment that I fucking loved every second of being on

that field of grass with my nipples exposed to the world, and the world watching.

“Absolutely,” the senior told me. “Burgie won’t be vindictive. Just come clean. Own it.”

My mom, a lawyer, contacted a friend of hers and the mother of a friend of mine from high school who had been arrested several times to ask for advice. My friend’s mother insisted that I should not say anything. It was my duty, she argued, to protect myself from the injustices of this system.

I made up my mind about an hour before my meeting to admit to drinking. It was partly selfpreserving. I knew it would be easier for me to be civil with Burgie if I wasn’t lying to his face. But it was also a decision based on pride. I felt that if I was truly interested in “owning” or understanding my actions, I could not ignore alcohol.

Part of the reason I wanted to own my actions was that, originally, my mom did not think I could.

The phone ringing, I momentarily feared that she wouldn’t pick up and that I’d lose my momentum. “Hello?” my mom answered. I started, “I’ve been thinking about what you said over the past couple days.” I told her that blaming my actions on the amorphous frat allowed her to ignore my own role in my decision. I told her I had the impulse to run on the field, and despite my regret I enjoyed it. She was silent.“You’ve given me a lot of things I have to think about,” she told me. “I love you.” f e at u r e s |

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E

mily’s first meeting was with former

Dean of Students Mary Desler, popcultural figure at Northwestern with a reputation that cast her as mysterious and imposing.

“There are so many horror stories about Mary Desler,” said Emily. “But at the time, I mean she was very, very professional, she was incredibly good at her job. The second I walk in, she starts asking questions…she just takes pages and pages and pages of notes.” What exactly her job is — and how she can be good at it — is not a simple question. Howard told me that Desler, his predecessor, once told him that she is in the business of saving lives.

In their meeting, Desler encouraged Emily to tell her whole story, and let her continue uninterrupted from start to finish. After Emily was done Desler asked “several, which I thought were really probing questions that could have been discrepancies in my story, so she allowed me to clear up.” The questions concerned Emily’s relationship with the guy beforehand and whether he gave any signals.

Immediately after the meeting, Emily had a “pretty good feeling” about how it went. But she recalled in hindsight that Desler did several things in the meeting that foreshadowed the outcome.

One action — or lack thereof — that “annoyed” the junior was Desler’s refusal to take notes when the girl explained her own background and character. Since Desler took notes furiously during the official account of the story, it was a striking departure that she wrote noth-

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ing during the girl’s account of herself.

“I just wanted her to know who I was as a person. In the context of who I am this accusation of sexual harassment just doesn’t make sense,” said Emily. “I’m a gender studies major, I’m very involved with issues of sex and sexuality and sexual harassment on this campus. That’s what I want to do with my life, work in sexual assault. That’s what I was most concerned about, the fact that sexual harassment would be on my record and I’m working so hard to prevent it, that would just be terrible.”

Desler “stared” at her as she spoke.

At the end of the meeting, Emily said, Desler “said something like, ‘I hope you’ll know to never be this forward with a guy again’ or something.

That really rubbed me the wrong way.”

Emily expected Desler to review the case and decide that it did not violate the school’s sexual harassment policy. Instead, Desler sent an official letter in which she said she had found Emily guilty of alcohol consumption (which she had admitted up front) and of committing sexual harassment.

The university’s sexual harassment policy reads, in part: “Sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute harassment when… such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual’s academic or professional performance or creating what a reasonable person would sense as an intimidating, hostile, or offensive employment, educational, or living environment.”

This letter remains a powerful symbol for

Emily. “The letter that Dean Desler sent just made me feel like such a horrible person,” she said. “Just the way she worded things.”

The violation would stay on her Northwestern disciplinary record, though graduate schools and employers would not be able to see it because it did not merit suspension.

Also in the letter was information about Emily’s chance to appeal her case to UHAS. “I was really upset with everything that was going on, I just wasn’t concentrating on schoolwork. And then when I got the chance for an appeal, I just put all my effort into the appeal.”

burgie howard is a big man who speaks cleanly

and with a jovial laugh. He is a lifelong college administrator.

His office did not seem grand enough to encompass his responsibility for all “life outside the classroom,” as he put it. Neither did it seem severe enough to discipline me.

The two functions that Howard serves as Dean of Students — overseeing student extracurricular life and heading the disciplinary system — do not feel contradictory to him.

“My interest is in supporting students, and part of that support, oftentimes, is holding students accountable for their actions,” he said.

Howard said he believes forcing students to confront their actions helps them grow. “We know that this is a time when people are going to make mistakes and poor choices,” he said. “We hope that they aren’t critical, that they don’t hurt

“i had assumed that my actions somehow could not fit into clean categories like the ones he listed.”

PHOTO: JOHN MEGUERIAN

mike elsen-rooney themselves or other in the process of that mistake, but really what we want to see is learning.”

He compared the learning process in the disciplinary system to one in a classroom. In the same way a student who gets a wrong answer on a problem set looks more closely at how to get the right answer, a student who commits a violation considers how to arrive at the “correct answer” for conduct.

I imagined as I walked in that Howard had seen a videotape of my run across the field. Part of my defense was that I did not mean to harm anyone or disrupt anything except possibly the undivided attention of some fans on the marching band. He asked me to tell my story. I started with my first decision that morning; to drink at a tailgate. I told him I had run out onto the field impulsively, in a fit of passion, without thinking about the potential consequences of my actions for others — embarrassing the athletic department and university officials present at the game and momentarily distracting fans from the halftime show.

Howard appreciated my refusal to make alcohol an “excuse” for my actions. But despite my candor and my intentions, what I did was a felony, he told me. I was “lucky” to be in his office instead of a courtroom. “Being truthful in all dealings with university officials is a very important factor, and may have contributed to the decision of NUPD not to pursue the criminal charges that were available to them, as well as with me in my discussion with you,” he said.

Although no university officials ever pursued criminal charges against me, they never entirely

removed the possibility.

Instead, Howard handed down three punishments. Disciplinary probation for a year would account for the alcohol violation and the fact that I had committed university violations in two consecutive quarters. Community service at Ryan Field, as he said in his email to me later that day, would be a way to help “make things right” with the athletic department. Finally, I would write a letter of apology, to be forwarded to Howard and the athletic director, whose department my actions most directly affected. I felt my attempt to own my actions in that meeting by being honest about my influences and impulses had only become numbers in an equation: violation of student code #8a, “use or possession of

alcohol by individuals under the age of 21.” The very act of running onto the field violated school codes. “Student Conduct Code #3 – ‘Unauthorized entry to University facilities’” and “Student Conduct Code #4 – ‘Disorderly conduct or disruptive acts,’” Howard wrote in his email. I had assumed that my actions somehow could not fit into clean categories like the ones he listed.

a sorority sister she confided in set her up with

a student on the mock trial team — she was entitled, Director of Judicial Affairs James Neumeister told her, to a representative from the student body, faculty or staff during her appeal. f e at u r e s |

21

“my interest is in supporting students, and part of that support, oftentimes, is holding students accountable for their actions.” burgie howard

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opening statement, Emily said — she waited for the board’s decision. Soon after, the board overturned the sexual harassment violation with five votes (the smallest majority) — including all of the students on the board. She remained on disciplinary probation through the spring for her alcohol violation and was not allowed near her accuser.

Today, she plans to join Northwestern’s Sexual Health and Assault Peer Educators and add her own “flair” to the sexual harassment trainings. She hopes to discourage people from reacting to cases of harassment with their guts, and instead to examine the facts. She hopes to write a senior thesis on sexual harassment and fraternity hazing — she hasn’t planned how they will connect.

“Before I was always, not aggressive… I’m not afraid to ask a guy out and stuff,” she said. “But I have been since then. I’m just holding back for now I guess, so it’s changed in that aspect.”

we climbed in the cab of a dark green garbage

truck with “Northwestern University” on the side and rode through foggy dawn light around the

stadium to the tailgaters’ lot at the front entrance of the stadium. Inside the stadium, a team of laborers picked up the trash we’d left the day before. The lot we arrived at was a steaming pile of trash. Beer cans, uncooked meat, still burning coal and even full grills piled on the cracked pavement of the lot. By the time I left that morning at 10, I felt like a true garbage man — or at least had enough experience to create an illusion for myself.

Last winter, I appealed my disciplinary probation, and Howard reduced it by one quarter.

After a meeting to ensure them I would not run on any Chilean soccer fields, the study abroad officers approved my trip to Chile for next fall after looking at my disciplinary record.

I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for.

But I did come away with something else. It’s something I felt in my talks with Emily, something I noticed in her language, and something that enabled me to complete this article: a thread of hope that words I spoke in a disciplinary meeting locked away in the basement of Scott Hall would have meaning to someone else. I desperately want my meaning to come through, and I know it won’t fit into the little boxes of the student code of conduct.

PHOTO: JOHN MEGUERIAN

He was cavalier — saw the appeals process as a court game rather than a moral evaluation. Emily called him a “godsend,” and said he made her “feel a lot better.”

About three weeks after receiving a letter from Desler, Emily delivered her appeal to a group of students, faculty members and staff.

Desler represented the administration and argued that the girl had, in fact, committed violations. Desler gave her opening statement first — which Emily said matched the tone of the letter. Desler read off several criteria for sexual harassment from a book and claimed the girl had met each one.

She had worked on her own opening statement for weeks in preparation for the hearing, with help from her parents — both lawyers — and her student representative. She “was there to specifically question whether what happened to me was considered sexual harassment, or what happened, what I did, was considered sexual harassment.” Even from her choice of words here, it is clear Emily was not comfortable thinking of herself as a perpetrator. She said this more clearly later in our interview. “I dunno, I feel like I was the victim.”

“They really try to not make it like a court scene. They allow you to take breaks, they ordered pizza for us while they were making their decisions,” she said. But when asked if their efforts worked, she said, “Not really.”

In a room with her representative after both sides gave their closing statements — Desler’s was brief, and not nearly as pointed as her

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After graduating, women at Northwestern are faced with a decision: put that expensive degree to use with a highpowered career, or stay home and raise a family. But is there a right choice? By Monica Kim

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ALL PHOTOS: JOHN MEGUERIAN

FRAMING the degree

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PHOTOS: JOHN MEGUERIAN

it’s tuesday night at the keg of evanston.

Absent are the throngs of freshmen: hot, sweaty swathes of people grinding on the floor; girls in corners, sipping their drinks and casting sultry looks through their beer-bespectacled eyes. Instead, clean-cut men sit in booths and at tables, drinking bottle brews. Polos and pinstriped button-ups meld into a sea of pre-professionalism. It’s Kellogg night at The Keg, prime picking grounds for any female. f e at u r e s |

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P

ing. Ping. Plunk. I look over as a streak of silver finally flashes into the flimsy cup.

The girls hastily grab their beers and gulp them down, laughing. The laughs ring a little louder than usual, echoing into the air. Our eyes dart around the room, anxiously hoping to hook a guy or two.

“Mind if we join?” a 20-something guy inquires, with two biggie cups of brew and a few friends on his back. We smile winningly (only one of them is cute), but hey, there’s another round we don’t have to buy. Easy living indeed.

wants to share that same relationship with her family.

Perhaps surprisingly, her mother has had more schooling than her father. But when Jennifer was born, she quit her job to stay at home and only returned to part-time work when circumstances demanded it. Jennifer looks back on that time fondly, and as the oldest of four, has had to take on more of the housework in her mother’s absence. “[It’s] purely financial, if she didn’t have to work right now she totally wouldn’t,” Jennifer explains, clasping her hands reassuringly. “She likes being at home, and we like having her at home.”

it is a truth universally acknowledged that a northwestern woman, in want

of a husband, will hunt for a Kellogg student. Despite our fancy diplomas and years of hard work, the average girl will still look wistfully at the most successful men on campus in hopes of being whisked away from it all. It’s nice to fantasize during the quarter, but how many are actually shooting for that life?

A 2008 MSN article states that a stay-at-home mom is worth $138,095 per year, according to a study by Salary.com in 2007. Additionally, women who work outside the home “would earn another $85,939 for their mothering work, beyond what they bring home in existing salary.” And with total undergraduate fees totaling $52,463 for the 2010-11 year (that’s $209,852 for four years), what Northwestern woman wouldn’t plan to put her degree to hard use?

In a 2003 New York Times Magazine piece, Lisa Belkin wrote about the opt-out revolution: waves of highly educated women who chose to stay at home or followed less intense career paths to raise a family.

It arose only to be angrily scoffed and stomped into the ground, relegated to mythdom. The thought of women choosing not to work was preposterous.

Women are marrying later than ever, earning more than ever, they say.

“The recent news studies, [that there are] supposedly more women in the workforce than men, that’s purely because of the economy, not gender equality,” says Cara Tuttle Bell, director of programs for the Northwestern Women’s Center. “It’s not as promising as it might seem.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 5.1 million mothers stayed at home in 2009. Besides, plenty of intelligent, high-achieving women talk of these things, and what’s the shame in that? When did the scarlet letter come to stand for stay-at-home? Regardless of how you feel, it is impossible to regard these large life decisions as “female myths.”

“It’s not a myth because it has been documented among highly educated women,” says Bell. “It poses a financial risk to the individual woman, and it’s risky if your husband leaves you.”

As the daughter of the model stay-at-home mother, I had always assumed I would someday stop work to fully commit myself to a family. After three years at Northwestern, surrounded by high-achieving peers, I’m not so sure. Neither am I alone. Many students here are the products of highly educated, well-off families, which statistically lend themselves to stay-at-home parenting.

But in the end, life is a subjective experience. Raw statistics don’t always get to the heart of things, and numbers can’t explain it all.

A STAY-AT-HOME MOTHER medill sophomore jennifer haderspeck is incredibly close to her mom; their

relationship influenced her desire to be a stay-at-home mother. She smiles slightly, citing reasons for her decision. She wants to be there for her kids (she wants four to six), not missing any of those special firsts, and she

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“It’s hard to tell that to people because you feel like ‘I’m going to this awesome school, I should really do something more with my life and have these high aspirations.”

Jennifer continues to pursue higher education, even though she is aware that she could have easily gone to community college. Partially on her mom’s advice, who said that even if Jennifer wanted to stay at home, she would need degrees to keep options open. She’s found great support from professors, although answering honestly about her future goals has always been hard.

“Beth Bennett [her adviser] has even told me, you know you have this degree so you can be as intelligent as your husband, and you can have intelligent conversation with him,” says Jennifer. “That was a very supportive point of her to make.”

Harder than talking to advisers is talking to her peers. As a commuter student, Jennifer hasn’t met many people on-campus and even among those she has met, she has had difficulty talking about it.

“It’s hard to tell that to people because you feel like ‘I’m going to this awesome school, I should really do something more with my life and have these high aspirations,” says Jennifer. “Really, I just want to stay home with my kids, and it’s almost embarrassing to admit sometimes. [There are] people [here] who want to be this big CEO or world famous, and I have such small dreams in comparison.”

At this point she stops and grabs a string of hair, pulling the strand through her fingers. She’s wearing a necklace; two layered hearts, silver and vintage-looking. It’s a present from her boyfriend.

Vincent Storelli and Haderspeck have only been dating since October, but they’ve known each other since grade school. And although it hasn’t been all that long, they have already discussed getting married and having kids.

“I feel like we’re so naive because it’s only been seven months,” Jennifer says with a half-smile. “I understand I might not marry this guy now, but I honestly hope for it.”

Not to say they’re rushing into things. Storelli, an aerospace engineering major at Purdue, wants to go to graduate school so that he can provide for them. Jennifer’s thinking of going to grad school

as well–maybe the Medill five-year program. It all depends on where they are financially.

“He’s like, ‘If that’s what you want, I want to be able to give it to you,’” she says.

She seems happy, but not foolishly so. “He’s coming home this weekend, so I’m really excited.” She smiles, eyes crinkling.

UNDER PRESSURE in 1901, daisy myrtle girton entered northwestern at the age of 21; things

haven’t changed as much as you’d think. In her diaries, Daisy writes about the pressures of academic life and her overwhelming desire to please her father.

Most interestingly, she writes about social pressure.

“Sept. 28, 1902–There are so many cultured faces here in Evanston, and I would love so to think things and do things in such a way that I could become more and more cultured,” Daisy writes.

To this day, women feel pressured to match up to their peers. According to Bell, the feminist position is not that being a stay-at-home mom is bad, but that it is not valued and risky.

“It’s not that I personally don’t want you to be a stay-at-home mom, but here’s what happens when you choose it,” explains Bell, a former adjunct professor in the University of South Carolina Upstate’s Center for Women’s and Gender Studies. “Every woman who chooses to be a stay-at-home mom is making the rest of us look bad. And it sounds harsh, but it’s sending a signal to employers that it’s more profitable to hire men because they don’t quit working.”

Bell cites Linda Hirshman as an author who has urged women not to opt-out.

“What Linda is arguing is if these best and brightest women, from schools like Northwestern, Harvard, Princeton, if they’re opting out — and they do tend to marry their peers and be well-off — then you’re reducing the pool of eligible candidates for highest-ranking women,” Bell says.

Bell would likely approve of Weinberg senior Emily Raymond then.

Raymond has been involved with College Feminists since her freshman year and was president for two years. Raymond wants to practice law and sees herself working as long as she can. Although she definitely wants to get married and admits to “never say never,” Raymond doesn’t see any kids in the cards.

“I don’t have any problems with being a stay-at-home mom, I don’t think it’s unfeminist,” says Raymond. “My own mother stayed at home to raise my little brother and I, and I couldn’t have asked for a better mom. However, I think it is a little incongruous that people who don’t plan on working in the long term would put so much effort into an education at a highly competitive school like Northwestern if they didn’t plan on putting that education to work.”

In such a driven environment, voices like Jennifer’s get lost easily — a similar friend did not want to be interviewed. Determined women push their peers, and ambition arches over much of campus.

A DRIVEN ENGINEER

at just 20 years old, mccormick senior madison fitzpatrick will be graduating in

June after just three years. Tucking a strand of short brown hair behind her ears, her outfit is perfectly matched in shades of blue. She’s staying for the graduate program next year and is studying civil engineering, concentrating on transportation.

Madison was on the executive board for the Society of Women Engineers, a group seeking to provide support for women in a male-dominated field. The group gives women the resources to succeed, since a lot of women feel intimidated by the 70/30 split in McCormick. But Madison has never

experienced that sense of loss.

“It’s not in my personality to feel intimidated,” says Madison. “It was never really something I was consciously aware of, that I am a girl and I am different from everyone else in this classroom.” She straightens her back while adding that she’s usually better than the boys (only half-joking); she oozes confidence.

Until she was six, Madison and her older sister had a live-in babysitter while their parents both worked. As far as she can remember, there was never a time when her mom wasn’t working.

Her mom married when she was 29 and is of the firm belief that the older you marry, the less likely you are to quickly divorce. Consequently, Madison isn’t considering marriage anytime soon.

“Her sort of whimsical but half-serious rule is she’s not paying for the wedding unless I’m 28 or older,” Madison laughs.

But that’s not to say she wants to work forever. Partially because of the fast-paced, high-stress workplace, Madison doesn’t want to commit to a long-term career in engineering. When I ask her if she would ever consider taking time off to raise a family, she hesitates for the first time, stumbling over the “I thinks.” She thinks she would take time off to stay home with young kids, but nothing permanent.

“I think being a working mom, you can still be a great role model,” says Madison, “I can’t see myself being a stay-at-home mom forever. I think I would die of boredom.”

Madison admits that students here tend to “feed off of each other” with ambition, pushed towards professions. She looks a little bewildered at the thought of a Northwestern stay-at-home mom.

“It’s even a little bit taboo; like don’t you want to do something more with yourself?” Madison says.

f e at u r e s |

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IT’S FINDING THE BALANCE northwestern women appear to have a strong tradition of success and

long-term work. Alumni reports and magazines show that many women have maintained careers over the years; The Council of One Hundred, formed in 1993, is one form of female history we can rely on.

The council works as a vehicle for accomplished Northwestern alumnae to give back to the student community as mentors. Take Alexandra Levit (Weinberg ‘98) as an example. Nominated in 2008, Levit has a husband, a 2-year-old son and manages four paid jobs: columnist for the Wall Street Journal and Metro U.S., a speaker on workplace issues, a blogger for two companies (including Microsoft) and an author with five published books.

Levit picks her son up from the nanny-share at 5 p.m. and keeps the next three hours open to stay with him, as well as weekends.

Because she worked so hard to build her career, staying at home was never a real option, but she is happy with the control she has over her schedule now.

“I knew that I would want to create a flexible type of job,” says Levit. “My original career was marketing/communications, and I would’ve been working 80 hours a week, and it would be very hard to have the work-life balance I have now.”

Medill junior Heather Waldron is starting down a similar path. She entered Northwestern as a broadcast journalism major, but realized that it wouldn’t give her the flexibility that she would need to raise a family, something Waldron has always known she wants.

“I want to work when I have kids, but I don’t want a job that’s going to keep me away from home all the time,” says Waldron. “That was actually one of my main considerations when I started shying away from broadcast.

That lifestyle didn’t lend itself well to having a family.”

As a psychology/journalism double-major, Waldron plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology which will take at least six years. Waldron is putting her career first for now and figuring herself out. But when the time is right, her family will be just as important.

“Maybe I make marriage and family more of a priority for me than other people [here],” says Waldron. “I think it’s important to find the balance between them instead of picking one or the other.”

ENGAGED AND UNSURE

Her phone rings. Ali asks if she can take the call, her request punctuated by a polite smile. “Hey sweetie,” she answers, smiling into the phone.

“I’m talking about us.” They chat for a few minutes. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

Their marriage might be impending, but they don’t plan on having kids right away; not until after graduate school when they’ve settled into things.

It will be difficult, though, since neither feels particularly inclined to be at home. Ali has always been someone who could see being at home, but she doesn’t think it’s what she really wants to do.

“It’s hard because I’m definitely very family-oriented, so there’s a part of me that would love to be at home. I do like taking care of a home and taking care of kids,” explains Ali. “But there’s another part of me that conflicts with that, and I just don’t think I could.”

a home-grown texan, weinberg sophomore alison watts’ romantic life is

the stuff of fairy tales. Her boyfriend proposed over winter break during a family ski trip to Wyoming. In a snowy town square covered with white lights, he knelt down and gave her the ring they had picked out together; a bright silver band with three diamonds that flashes on her hand now.

Ali and McCormick junior Matthew Enthoven were moderators of an online teen forum. When they realized they lived 25 minutes away from each other, the pair arranged to meet and started dating a month later. Matthew is a year older than Ali, so when college time came around, they planned to make the decision together.

“At that point, we were pretty sure we were heading in that direction,” says Ali. “We at least wanted to go to school together.”

Matthew will be graduating next year, and Ali will be graduating two quarters early. They’ll begin planning the wedding soon after. He will spend their brief time apart looking for a job, and she will find a graduate school for psychology nearby.

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despite desperate entreaties to return, i’ve only been to kellogg bar night

once. An overwhelming schedule and flood of internship applications, among other things, have kept me away. Real life is looming, and it’s hard to think about what the future might hold.

Having my mother around was the greatest gift I never asked for, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. But Northwestern’s high-pressure atmosphere clouds things, choking thoughts and muffling voices. Jennifer’s like-minded friend did not want to talk to me–how many other girls are afraid to speak?

Our diplomas hang heavy over our heads, weighting our decisions. But paper is so light; it’s the frame that carries all the weight. It should be adjusted accordingly–each degree hangs on one wall only.

The lure of Kellogg bar night dangles seductively before me, a reflection of my mother’s life flashing in its silver hook. But my inbox flashes as well, signaling yet another assignment, and I know that it will have to wait.

talkingblack Students and faculty recognize that African-American enrollment is low at Northwestern. Here’s what’s being done to increase it. By Nick Merrill

“I

PHOTOS BY : GUS WEZEREK; ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CHRISTINA WALKER

think I may actually be one of the few, if not the only, black males to ever live in Chapin.”

Weinberg freshman Jeremy Aregood is half-white and half-black. “For me, being biracial means that you can’t really find a social niche that’s related to race,” Aregood says. “I don’t really go around looking for racial diversity. Still, it’s pretty obvious that black students are few and far between.”

Northwestern undergraduates tend to agree that there simply aren’t a lot of black students on the Evanston campus. Although the proportion of black students has increased over the past few years, many students feel that enrollment remains uncomfortably low.

Like most students, however, I didn’t know the reason why there aren’t more black undergraduates on campus. My investigation illuminated Northwestern’s hushed history of racial segregation, the fact that our low black enrollment isn’t uncommon among similarly-ranked universities and what Northwestern students and the administration are doing to increase it. Medill junior Bradley Akubuiro leads me down the halls of the undergraduate admissions house on 1801 Hinman Ave. Inside every room we pass, students sit at desks, phones to their ears, talking excitedly to admitted applicants.

Akubuiro is a member of NUambassadors, an organization he describes as the “student arm of the admissions office.” During NUambas-

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice that I’m the only black person in a class or that I don’t try to spot the one or two others,” he says. “I don’t think that I don’t belong because of this though.”

sadors’ Spring Phone-a-thon, Akubuiro and his colleagues work hands-on to convince minority students to choose Northwestern over their other acceptances.

“A lot of students come to campus and see that we have very small numbers of AfricanAmerican students,” says Akubuiro, a black student himself. “We just don’t have that critical mass where students feel that they can get comfortable here. When you’re walking down Sheridan, do you feel like you belong here?”

Aregood knows the feeling.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t notice that I’m the only black person in a class or that I don’t try to spot the one or two others,” he says. “I don’t think that I don’t belong because of this though.”

These racial issues aren’t too surprising after a look into Northwestern’s relatively recent past.

Throughout the ‘40s and ‘50s, University of Chicago students dubbed Northwestern “Country Club U” in reference to its racially homogeneous student body.

At the Northwestern of this era, Aregood wouldn’t have been allowed to live in Chapin at all — the school’s few black students were not permitted to live on campus until the university founded a segregated “International House” in 1947. I never heard that fact on my campus tour.

Let’s put Northwestern’s conservatism in perspective. The United States Military was integrated in 1948. And Major League Baseball was desegregated around the same time — there was

no “International League.” US News & World Report ranks Northwestern as the 12th best national university. Brown is 16th and the University of Chicago is eighth. As of 2009, Northwestern’s admissions department states that 6 percent of the undergraduate student body self-identifies as black. Black students comprise 6 percent of Brown University’s undergraduate student body and 5.7 percent of University of Chicago’s. Black enrollment may be low, but the proportion of black students at Northwestern is comparable to the proportion of black students at similarly ranked schools.

“We don’t have specific numbers in mind, except that every year we hope to do better than the prior fall,” says Michael Mills, associate provost for university enrollment. “There are instances where race doesn’t enter into the equation at all because they’re people from advantaged circumstances, and there are instances when it does. But it’s never the race or ethnicity by itself. There are always other variables.”

On whether or not it’s the responsibility of prestigious colleges to place underrepresented minorities into the more selective college system, Mills says, “Yeah. I guess I think it is.”

However, a few top-ranked schools are significantly more successful than Northwestern at placing minorities in their incoming classes. In 2008 — a year in which only 87 black freshmen walked through the Arch — Stanford University and Harvard University had undergraduate student bodies comprised of 9 percent and 8 percent black students respectively, placing their undergraduate black enrollment 3-4 percent higher than Northwestern’s.

Mills describes this discrepancy as the reality of prestige.

“Everybody vies for the same students,” he says. “That reality is exacerbated when you’re talking about low-income students and African-American students. I wish we were more successful than we are at getting minority kids to choose Northwestern over Harvard and Stanford, but that’s a tough road.” Much has changed since the pre-Martin Luther King era, but the roadblock facing NUambassadors like Akubuiro remains. Today, Akubuiro feels Northwestern is in a difficult position in their attempt to enroll greater numbers of black students.

“If we can’t get more black students, we can’t get to the point where they feel comfortable,” Akubuiro explains. “So we’re stuck here.”

Overcoming this stagnation means conquering the greatest obstacle Northwestern’s admissions office faces: more competitive financial aid offered by wealthier universities. Schools with larger endowments, such as Harvard and f e at u r e s |

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Stanford, have the ability to be more generous to minority applicants.

“A lot of other schools that we compete with for the same students are not asking for as much money,” Akubuiro says.

NUambassadors runs various programs to entice minority applicants to choose Northwestern, focusing on one-on-one outreach to applicants. NUambassadors launched a pen pal program in 2009 to reach out to what Akubuiro calls “high-potential applicants” even before they receive their admission decision in March.

“We don’t have a whole lot of sway with financial aid,” Akubuiro says. “We do have the ability to focus on the culture and the way people feel valued.”

Luckily, NUambassadors are not braving this tough road alone.

“Schapiro and his administration have really stepped up from what we were working on in the past,” Akubuiro says.

At the beginning of his term as Northwestern’s president, Schapiro launched a diversity and inclusion “task force” of which Akubuiro is a member.

In his “Conversations with the President” series in April 2010, Schapiro presented his State of the University address as an open dialogue in the Northwestern community. Schapiro revealed the upcoming product of the team’s year-long project for increasing socioeconomic diversity.

“We will shortly be unveiling a whole new campaign,” Schapiro said in his speech. “Good Neighbor, Great University. We want to be the school of choice for people who graduate Evanston township region and all the different schools in Chicago.”

Schapiro has confidence in his programs.

“Numbers are getting better, over the next couple years we’re going to be a leader among our peer institutions,” he said to the crowd of faculty, students, alumni and staff.

With only eight months in office, can we trust Schapiro to keep his word?

Schapiro boasts a strong track record on issues of diversity. As the president of Williams College, Schapiro began a diversity initiative in 2004 that brought sweeping structural changes to the institution. Every change, whether it was the appointment of an international consultant on diversity or a newly-created president for strategic planning and institutional diversity, aimed to increase the college’s racial and socioeconomic diversity.

Today, Williams is one of the most racially and 6% Black socioeconomically diverse liberal arts colleges in the country.

NUambassadors has already noticed Schapiro’s 22% Asian commitment to diversity.

“It’s really great to have the dollars coming up above as opposed 7% Hispanic to us just trying to push it along,” Akubuiro says.

Northwestern has come a long way since 1947 <1% Native — when blacks American were permitted to move into an “International House.” Decades

Northwestern University Class of 2013

64% All Other

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And Schapiro has confidence in his programs, “numbers are gettng better, over the next couple years we’re going to be a leader among our peer institutions.” after Martin Luther King, nationwide socioeconomic factors like the generally poorer quality of schools in predominantly black neighborhoods still lower the number of highly-qualified black students applying to top universities.

“We recognize how fierce the competition is and how relatively small the pipeline is,” Mills says. “We wish that were different and we hope that’ll change over time.”

However, even if this “pipeline” does grow, higher black enrollment does not guarantee an environment of racial inclusion at Northwestern.

Competitive diversity statistics are “the easy part,” according to Schapiro. “The tough part is, does everyone feel like they get the same stake as a member of the Northwestern community?”

Despite the challenges, Schapiro remains “cautiously optimistic.”

“I know the numbers will be better, but I think the sense of community will be as well,” Schapiro says.

Akubuiro echoes Schapiro’s sentiments, expressing even more confidence. “I have to say that I’m probably the most optimistic I’ve been.” he says. “This is my third year on NUambassadors and I haven’t seen any year that’s had better prospects.”

My generation grew up in an America free of segregation. To my generation, such discrimination is ancient, unthinkable -- confined to history books and our grandparents’ memories.

But Aregood is still among the few black students in his lectures and the only black man in his dorm. The shadow of Northwestern’s segregated past looms over the Obama generation. Fighting this low black enrollment means overcoming a dark historical precedent.

As students like Akubuiro help Northwestern to increase its diversity, students of a post-Jim Crow generation must erase Northwestern from its racist roots.

In the meantime, Aregood puts his minority status in a self-deterministic frame.

“I am not just a product of my race,” he says.

“To reduce yourself to that is what makes you not belong.”

Keepers of the Tomes

By Caleb Melby

Al la

Dead City Productions spends hours lch We creating characters for am their LARPs. But what yS tr b exactly does that mean? f se ea tc ut iroens |

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I

t is a dark, thunderous night in Anchorage, Alaska and Snowphish hangs onto life by a thread. He is a vampire, and he has pissed off the vampire-powers-that-be one too many times. One of his eye sockets is empty and his intestines are beginning to spill out from a hole in his stomach wall. He is in the torture chambers of Aaron Bradshaw, inquisitor.

“I do God’s work,” says Bradshaw from the darkness. “I sin because God commands it. He needs someone to take one for the team, so to say.”

Bradshaw’s voice is eerie and feminine.

This inquisition has gone on longer than Snowphish can now remember and it is about to get worse. Bradshaw casts a spell that will make Snowphish vomit beetles anytime he tells a lie. So he doesn’t lie.

For five hours, twice a month, on the second floor of Parkes Hall, he and 20+ other individuals go about creating a fictional world that is not quite novel, movie or play.

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It is a little after 10 p.m. on Saturday night and I am walking through campus with Weinberg sophomore Matt Faliszek. Faliszek wears plain rectangular glasses, has a sharp nose and keeps his dark-blond hair in a messy ponytail. He is trim and handsome in the bookish sort of way that indie-pop groups have recently popularized. It’s cold, and Faliszek wears a black pea coat and has a brown duffel bag slung across his shoulder. He is tall and long-legged, and we stride across campus with an almost brutal efficiency.

I’ve tried a series of conversation topics on Faliszek: the weather, the recent sounding of a fire alarm in a dorm we pass and the menu at Chili’s, which is where we are heading. Faliszek’s responses are curt and noncommittal, polite but distant. It is when he begins to talk about Anchorage and the vampires who live there that his demeanor enlivens.

Faliszek is a Live-Action Role Player, or LARPer for short. He was also Snowphish — before he was tortured to death, anyway. For five hours, twice a month, on the second floor of Parkes Hall, he and 20+ other individuals go about creating a fictional world that is not quite novel, movie or play. It is a game, but beyond that, no analogy really fits. It’s a

complex world that attracts a group of people with such a unique and passionate interest that it often becomes central to their real lives as well.

The first commercially available role-playing game (RPG) was Dungeons and Dragons, a tabletop game released in 1974. Since then, an entire industry of role-playing games has been created, and you can find RPGs in just about any Barnes & Noble. D&D has a character cast not unlike that of The Lord of the Rings. Players can be elves, dwarves, wizards or (if they’re boring) humans.

Many RPGs take place in entirely fictional worlds – the most recent addition is Pandora from James Cameron’s Avatar. It should be noted that many members of Dead City Productions find these other RPGs to be funny. You know, because vampires are clearly cooler than wizards, trolls and Na’vi.

The rules that guide role-playing are infuriatingly complex, and LARPing rules are even more involved. Northwestern’s LARPing group uses two different manuals, both about 400 pages long. But the members of Dead City don’t fwind these rules to be daunting. Rather, players revel in the rules and discuss them with head-throbbing intensity.

Role-playing games, by definition, involve multiple people playing as characters within a fictional world. In this world, the success or failure of any action (picking a lock, swinging a sword, etc.) is determined by a formal system of rules involving a lot of numbers and either cards or dice.

For this reason, a duel that might take 30 seconds to complete in real life can take upwards of an hour in a LARP. Unlike most games, LARPing is almost never about winning or losing. Collaboration, imagination and trueness to one’s character are the explicit goals of any devoted RPG player. Coupled with the stringent rules, this keeps “I shot you! You’re dead!”/”Nope! You missed!” scenarios from occurring. At the end of every game night, Dead City’s members vote for best role-player. This incentivizes character realism.

Each individual player is charged with creating his or her own character. This is an involved process that devoted players put a lot of time into. Biographies are often pages long and are accompanied by “character sheets” which are numeric representations of a character’s strengths and weaknesses. These are used for reference by numerous people throughout a game. In Dead City, players can choose from several vampire clans (races) and covenants (religiopolitical affiliations).

Characters are supposed to have a major goal they try to complete, like attaining a particular political rank, discovering who their father is, etc. These goals give characters divergent motivations and create conflict. Over the course of a game, characters go on adventures or solve problems in an overarching storyline designed by game-masters/storytellers. Many players also choose to design costumes for their characters. At Dead City, storylines last for the length of an academic year, and the characters are always vampires. This year’s story takes place in present-day Anchorage.

There is no script that LARPers follow. At Dead City, there are a handful of storytellers who have a basic idea of what’s happening, but other than that it’s all improv. As players interact with each other,

storytellers are almost always present, documenting the encounter and refereeing battles if need be.

The LARP does not stop when the game ends and players leave Parkes Hall. Players take part in “down-time actions” throughout the following two weeks. These are plot points developed between characters in the form of email correspondences. When players meet again, it is assumed that everything that was written in these emails actually took place.

These correspondences range from simple lists that enumerate what occurred to prosaic novellas that read like bad fantasy paperbacks.

Faliszek sent me a couple of his own downtime action emails detailing Snowphish’s final moments. One section reads: “Snowphish begins to laugh hysterically, tears running from his one good eye and mixing with the alcohol within the empty socket. His head falls to his chest, and as his hair covers his face in dirty, sweaty tangles, the alcohol and tears fall from his face.”

Largest LARP Groups in the United States The Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.

Said to be the single largest LARP group in the entire world, the SCA was founded in 1966. SCA is divided into kingdoms, with a total of 19 kingdoms in the United States and dozens more worldwide.

According to its website, the group had more than 32,000 members around the world in 2008. “Middle Kingdom” covers Illinois, as well as Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and parts of Iowa, Kentucky and Ontario. Members engage in armored combat, rapier combat, archery, thrown weapons and equestrian activities.

Amtgard So here is how a scene might work in a LARP. Take, for example, the torture scene found on the previous page.

Faliszek is leaning against a classroom wall with both his index fingers curled around two of the coat hooks that line it. He’s been given handcuffs by (in the real world) sixth grade teacher Robbie Romano, who is playing the mundanely named Aaron Bradshaw, vampire inquisitor.

Faliszek doesn’t wear the cuffs, he only holds onto them as a symbol that he is imprisoned. His (real-life) girlfriend and storyteller Weinberg junior Carly Ho is perched on a desk with an open binder, diligently and dispassionately taking notes on what is unfolding.

Founded in 1983 in El Paso, Tex., Amtgard is primarily based in the United States with branches in Germany, Croatia, Canada and Korea. The group has hundreds of active groups and more than 10,000 members worldwide — its closest branch, Ministry of Dragons, is in Glen Ellyn, Ill.

Dagorhir Battle Games Founded in 1977 in Washington D.C., Dagorhir has more than 100 chapters in the United States, including the Wildwood chapter in Chicago. The

group’s largest event is Ragnarok, a LARP event held every summer. More than 1,600 people have participated in Ragnarok at one time. The group is combat-focused, with members mostly participating in full-contact melee fighting and ranged combat. It differs from other groups in that it does not use magic.

Alliance LARP Formerly known as “The NERO Alliance,” Alliance LARP is one of the largest LARP groups founded in the United States.

Established in 1989, the group now has 14 chapters nation-wide, including a chapter in Naperville. For Alliance’s weekend events, players spend two days LARPing and stay at a campsite decorated to look like a fantasy medieval town. The group also holds day faires all over the country.

Live Action Roleplaying Association LARPA is a non-profit group based primarily in New England. The group is most notable for sponsoring Intercons, annual fantasy LARP conventions held throughout the Northeast usually in March. These conventions have been crucial in developing theatrestyle LARP. — Annie Chang

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Romano announces that Bradshaw tugs at Snowphish’s intestines.

“I do God’s work,” says Bradshaw. “I sin because God commands it. He needs someone to take one for the team, so to say.”

Romano tells Ho that Bradshaw is going to cast a spell on Snowphish that will make him vomit beetles whenever he tells a lie, and the two of them negotiate this with the help of a deck of cards. Now, as the sadistic scene continues to unfold, it is Ho’s job to declare “beetles” or “no beetles” when Snowphish answers Bradshaw’s questions.

“Let me know if I’m about to kill him,” Romano tells Ho. “I don’t know, we haven’t been keeping track of damage,” Ho replies.

Following the advent of Twilight, there are some people who believe that vampire LARPing must have some inherent fetishism — and scenes like this make it hard to prove otherwise. But Faliszek sees it as pretty harmless. He describes vampire LARPing as “a means to an end, one of the best ways to be able to do fun and crazy things that aren’t possible in the real world.” The argument that surrounds role-playing is similar (fair or not) to the one that surrounds hardcore porn: Can involved players separate fantasy from reality?

With Dead City, the lines are definitely blurred.

The whole concept of downtime actions means the game never officially ends. In Faliszek’s case, things that happen in the game affect his life in the real world too. This is his second year playing the game, and already he describes his social life as being Dead-City-centric. Mostly he just sees Ho, who he met in Dead City. Last year, their characters worked together in game and now they are dating in real life. Of the 25 or so regular players at Dead City, there are at least five couples, maybe more.

The community is very insular.

When Faliszek’s not LARPing or going to class, he’s normally reading or playing other games. He walks around campus with his earbuds in, listening to music, which seems to limit the amount of human interaction that he has to face. He tells me that he doesn’t LARP to escape, but his Facebook page reads, “I’m a good fan of alternatives to our own reality, cuz lets face it; earth is a little boring :P [sic].”

It’s a little after five and around 20 or so members of Dead City are gathering in a classroom that they call “the out of game room,” where players can get dressed, eat and be out of character.

Faliszek is revealing a new character tonight, following the death of Snowphish. He is picking his nails and striding through the desks aimlessly and stumbling over his normally carefully chosen words. He’s nervous. He strides over to Ho, and gives a one-arm hug that is made awkward by the desk (with a skull-encrusted treasure chest) that stands between them. Other players are asking about Faliszek’s new character, and he says they will get to see him at Court (which is the meeting of all of Anchorage’s vampires). The character’s identity is something that Faliszek has been guard-

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ing very closely from everybody but Ho, who sewed the character’s costume.

Faliszek moves into an empty room with his bag to wait until Court, which is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. tonight. Here, in secret, he lets me look at his character bio. His new character’s name is AlMunif Ghazi ibn Wajeeh ibn Miraj ibn Atiqua Azad al Asnam, The Sultan of the North, or Al-Munif for short. There is an entire biography that Faliszek has titled The Book of the North. This is written like an ancient religious text, complete with references to something called “The Goddess Devourer.”

Al-Munif has come to Anchorage to spread the influence of his sultanate.

“You can take a look at my costume,” Faliszek says, handing me his duffel bag. I take a peek, but it is an indiscernible bunch of cloth. Still, Faliszek’s nerves seem to need alleviating, so I tell him that it all “looks totally badass.”

Next, Faliszek gives me non-player basic training. Walking around with one arm across your chest is a signal for “I am out of character.”

I am expected to do this as I walk from room to room. Two arms across your chest means, “I am invisible,” which some vampires have the power to do (some can also turn into bats, wolves, etc.). An index finger and thumb, shaped in an ‘L’ with the thumb positioned in front of the mouth and the finger pointed toward the ceiling means “Even though you are hearing me speak English, I am actually speaking in another language.”

Other players are getting dressed. One girl is a 50s housewife, the politicians are in business suits, and there are several ensembles composed of black turtlenecks, slacks and trenchcoats. Some players have notecards pinned to their lapels to describe parts of their costume that cannot be conveyed any other way. “Striking features” and “Flanked by two guards” are some examples. Everyone is mulling around and cracking rules-based jokes that I don’t understand. Some of the players are from Northwestern, some are from a nearby college and even others are alumni — there is at least one guy that I peg at 40-plus.

After players have collected their character sheets and the storytellers have a headcount for who is going to Chili’s after the game, one of the storytellers shouts, “Game on!” Most everyone files out and moves into different classrooms throughout the hall. Each room has a sign outside it with a descriptive paragraph telling players what the place is, what it looks like, etc. There is a nightclub, a pirate ship and an art gallery, to name a few.

Faliszek is now standing in the empty classroom, almost fully-clothed in his Arab-style Al-Munif costume. His ponytail is situated on top of his head as he tries to put on a golden turban, which he fails to do several times. As he becomes frustrated, he turns to the window, which is dark and operates nicely as a mirror, and gives it a few more tries. Finally, he lets his hair down and wraps the turban so his hair fans out below it. From behind, his head now looks like a shiny badminton birdie. Jeans and sneakers show under his robes.

“I’m pretty nervous,” he admits. “I spent a lot of time and a lot of money on this character, and some of the political elite aren’t going to take kindly to him. I hope he doesn’t get killed.” section

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Rainbow Brite Medill freshman Miranda Viglietti has a style that’s practical and unique, from her orange and green hair to her classy and comfortable thrift store apparel. By Krislyn Placide Why are all your Facebook profile pictures of a rubber duck in random places?

I created a Facebook for the first time over the summer because I was trying to find a source for a story I was working on. I randomly put the duck as my profile picture because I didn’t think I’d seriously be using Facebook. I got the duck for 50 cents out of a vending machine in Wal-Mart when I was in seventh grade, and I used to joke with my friends that it was going to take over the world. I guess I just kind of prefer having a picture of a rubber duck out there for the world to see rather than my face.

What’s unique about your style?

I usually only shop at thrift stores. Because of that I don’t wear the same things as everyone else. And it might just be the hair.

What’s the story behind the hair?

In middle school my cousin and I talked about all the cool things we would do to make ourselves look awesome. Then I just wound up dying my hair different colors and I like it, so I keep doing it. One of the drawbacks is that people always used to always stare at me and give me crazy looks.

Have you ever seen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?

The last time I saw it, I realized that I’ve dyed my hair every color that [Clementine] did. Not purposely, the first time I saw it I maybe had one color that she did, but the next time I was like wow, I’ve really come far.

What are you main accessories? What can you not leave the dorm without?

PHOTO: JOHN MEGUERIAN

Sweaters and weird socks. Also this bag. I like it because it has the Clash, and I got it for a dollar. It feels like it’s made out of a T-shirt. When you wear a purse, you don’t want it to be a huge, crazy bulky bag and you feel like a mom. It’s nice because I can keep my camera in it.

When you’re putting together an outfit what’s your main priority?

Since coming to college, it’s usually trying to be warm. Also, I make sure I have good walking shoes. I also don’t want to look like a slob. I’ve never been a sweatpants and hoodie kind of person.

Gray shirt: Goodwill; light blue shirt: from a family friend; pants: community thrift store in Michigan; shoes: Vans; bag: Goodwill checkout|

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1043 Chicago Ave. (847) 328-7334.

Factory Vintage is an easy walk from the Dempster El stop and almost walking distance from campus. It has an excellent selection of women’s clothing and accessories, ranging from ‘40s style hats to ‘80s wedding dresses hanging on the wall.

Because each piece is picked out, the prices are a little steeper than a regular thrift shop — but lucky for us students, Factory offers a WildCARD discount. It also has a selection of ‘60s magazines, as well as new but cheap sunglasses, costume jewelry and some funky shoes.

855 W. Belmont Ave. (773) 549-1038.

Belmont Army Vintage is easy to miss. It is the entire fourth floor of Belmont Army, and the vintage section isn’t particularly well advertised. Yet once you find it and pass the skate shop, the new clothes on the first floor and the shoes and army apparel on the second and third floors, you’ll come to a vintage store with a pretty decent selection and some great deals. Featured prominently is a $1-4 rack, mostly of T-shirts.

It has a Western-leaning selection with a lot of cowboy boots and flannel shirts featured.

There is also a large men’s section. The prices for the nicer clothes can get a little high, but the majority of the clothes are very reasonably priced.

Thrift Store

Gap all within blocks of each other, it can be easy to just stay in town to buy clothes. But Evanston and Chicago offer so much more than the couple blocks close to campus, especially for vintage shopping. And the deadly combination of being a college student and the current economy makes vintage shopping more appealing than ever. With four great places right off the Purple/Red Line alone, there’s nothing to stop you from checking out stores outside the Northwestern bubble.

Lost in the shop?

Take some tips from these vintage vixens.

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7530 N. Western Ave. (773) 338-6898.

Unique is not handpicked vintage; the clothing items sold inside were donated to the store. If you’re looking for a “diamond in the rough” find, this is the place for you. Among the VHS tapes, cassettes and silverware (only 19 cents!), you just may find something to your liking. Unique has many locations, and the one closest to campus is off the Howard stop. However, be warned that it’s a bit of a hike from the station to the store, and it isn’t the kind of neighborhood that you want to be stuck in at night. But for anything from pillows to board games to dresses under $10, Unique is a great place to look.

STORES Boakye said her favorite places are Elliott Consignment, Lenny and Me, Crossroads Trading Co., Buffalo Exchange, The Salvation Army and Silver Moon in Wicker Park.

“I love The Salvation Army just for the basics like cool old flannels,” says Boakye. “Lenny and Me have a lot of designer dresses and funky knick knacks.”

Hughes recommends Knee Deep Vintage and Store B Vintage, but she does not limit herself to the confinements of a store.

“I look anywhere and everywhere,” says Hughes.

“High-end vintage boutiques, but I can’t pass an alley without looking at it.”

MEASURE UP “Having a tape measurer and knowing your measurements saves a ton of time,” Hughes says.

Boakye also suggests dressing in layers because many consignment shops don’t have dressing rooms, so a buyer can slip on clothing in a hidden corner if body measurements are not on hand.

Army Vintage

4 Hollywood Mirror

812 W. Belmont Ave. (773) 404-2044.

If ever you’ve visited the vintage-shopping mecca of New York tourists, Search and Destroy you already know the vibe of Hollywood Mirror. Unlike the other stores, Mirror is a mix of both vintage and new clothing. You can get a wedding dress for 50 bucks, or pick up a pair of bright gold shoes (they have quite a large collection).

They also sell a lot of punk-style clothing and accessories, with skull earrings one of the first things you see when you walk in. They also have a large collection of comic books (Archie, anyone?) and action figures. If you’re looking for an outrageous dress for a themed party, this is a great place to look. They also have a (admittedly very small) men’s collection.

CHECK THE LIGHT Hughes recommends placing potential purchases into natural light to search for holes and stains, especially if a person is planning on selling it later on.

TIME MACHINE Hughes also notes that the farther back in time a person looks, the harder any item from that period will be to find, especially if it is a designer piece.

IMPULSE BUY With that in mind, Boakye stresses being an impulse buyer while vintage shopping. Boakye says many shops won’t place items on hold and a potential buyer runs a great risk leaving a possible item behind.

“If you like it, you can’t let it sit,” Boakye says.

RESALE Hughes says that after wearing a piece of vintage clothing and keeping it intact, most items can be resold and original owners can make a good chunk of their money back.

“Vintage holds value,” Hughes says. –Aja Edwards

PHOTO: DUCHESSA ON SXC.HU

For Nicole Hughes (a vintage collector for 21 years and a professional seller for seven) and Communication junior Yaa Boakye, their vintage habit has resulted in fabulous finds — Hughes’ best garment was a late 1940s Claire McCardell dress; Boakye’s best finds have been a leather Marc by Marc Jacobs dress and an Oscar de la Renta cardigan. For a vintage newcomer, Hughes and Boakye offered many tips for getting started to save time, money and regret.

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2 Unique Score hipster cred with vintage threads. By Amanda Lerner With an American Apparel, Urban Outfitters and

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Getting Wet A proposal is underway, but will we really see the return of wet fraternities? By Shivani Banker

HANAN’S: GUS WEZEREK; D&D: ABIGAIL DENNIS

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n 2009, Sigma Phi Epsilon, the last wet fraternity on campus, lost their wet status as a sanction by the university.

Ten years ago, there was a rumored national movement that would remove all existing wet campuses. Before then, the rules stated explicitly that if a fraternity got sanctioned or kicked off campus, they must become dry. Now the reality is that when a fraternity comes on campus, it is dry.

“But why should fraternities be kept dry if dorms on campus are wet?” asks Weinberg junior Cody Kittle, president of Sig Ep. Kemper is a wet dorm and if residents are caught drinking, they are individually sanctioned.

“When people in a fraternity get caught, everyone gets trouble,” Kittle says. The proposal for wet fraternities allows them to house alcohol under similar rules to those in dorms.

Additionally, it allows the Interfraternity Council (IFC) to make rounds at frat events without writing students up.

“The aim is to put the rules in check with reality,” Kittle says.

With the new IFC executive board’s efforts, the arrival of Morton Schapiro and William Banis’ alcohol policy, wet fraternities are a plausible proposition. In addition to Kittle, many outgoing presidents and IFC’s VP Standards have been working to rally the administration for their cause; however, their efforts are not without obstacles.

“The school knows that this campus is inhospitable to its binge drinking culture,” Kittle says.

To apply for wet status, each fraternity must individually register and complete the quarter-long application process. Risk management and standards are also evaluated.

The fraternity must have an average GPA of 3.2 and two quarters without disciplinary sanctions. The process ensures wet status remains a privilege instead of a right.

“Fraternities would make sacrifices and it encourages self-policing,” Kittle says. “If you have more to lose, people will care more.

Right now, if something happens you just slow down, then new members come in and everything is like it was before.”

President Schapiro has not made any public statements regarding this policy. He recognizes the dangers of the binge drinking and is very receptive to change. Banis only has to sign the proposal for it to be in effect.

“I think there’s a lot of pressure on the student life office because of President Schapiro’s positive stance on the issue,” Kittle says. “All we’re asking is to go back the way it was before.”

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Why wet works While Northwestern toys with the idea of a wet campus, other universities can vouch for the policy’s merits.

University of Texas Arlington has always had wet fraternities, according to RobertThomas Jones, the program coordinator of Greek life and university events. He said allowing alcohol allows administrators to be open in educating students about its dangers.

“I don’t think that limiting fraternities’ right to drink at events or things like that, or just saying you can’t drink, necessarily solves the problem of underage drinking or overconsumption of alcohol.”

Andrea Barefield, coordinator for residential student conduct at UT Arlington, agreed.

She described her experience at working for the University of Kansas, a dry campus.

“Students try to hide students who

have alcohol poisoning or overindulged in alcohol and usually that leads to a death of a student, not to students not drinking,” she said.

Washington University in St. Louis has a similar policy. Although officials are considering revising it, Inferfraternity Council president Kurt Wall said he likes it the way it is.

“Students are going to drink anyway and it makes much more sense for them to do it so RAs can keep an eye on it,” he said.

Whose foods are finer?

Two family-owned grocers compete for Northwestern student’s affection. Which one comes out on top? By Sarah Collins

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Hanan’s Finer Foods

D&D Finer Foods

So sure, D&D might beat Hanan’s at the whole “selling food” business, but Hanan’s has its charms. It’s way closer for south campus students, and the prices are always competitive with CVS. Plus, nowhere else near campus is selling a single “I ♥ Bingo” candle for $3.99.

Hanan’s is consistent. It’s a place to go when you need to grab milk, eggs and cereal, or when there’s no toilet paper in the apartment. It stocks the basics well, with enough little tchotchkes scattered around the shop to make exploring worthwhile. They also excel in the coffee and delicious treats business. They brew fresh coffee, cappuccino and lattés, and they keep the beef jerky, cookies and potato chips within stumbling distance from the door. So whether it’s too late to make good culinary decisions or too early to see properly without caffeine, Hanan’s has it covered.

In any reasonable competition, D&D will win. It carries more foods than Hanan’s, plus booze, and a restaurant next door serves diner staples. D&D is a full-service grocery and deli. If you eat it, chances are you can get it here. And if you can’t, Kosta Douvekas, the owner’s son, will order it for you. “We’re the store that if nobody else carries it, we do,” he says. “I’m guessing about half of the things here are [...] special order items.” Which is probably why they have an entire rack of wine and several freezer cases filled with micro-brew beer, stock-in-trade like Goose Island and booze for the college kids — cases of Busch Light, Heineken mini-kegs and forties. Just remember Douvekas’s warning: “If you’re of age, I’m more than happy to sell it to you, but please don’t try to come here otherwise.”

Prices: $2.99 for a gallon of milk. $3.99 for

Prices: $2.99 for a gallon of milk. $7.99 for

1942 Maple Avenue, (847) 332-2402

various glass candle holders, including a highheeled shoe and a toilet.

Speciality: Hanan’s has a surprising

selection of Indian food—frozen dinners, meal kits and ingredients—that no one else is carrying.

825 Noyes Street, (847) 475-4344

Yellow Tail. $21.99 for a Heineken Keg.

Speciality: D&D shows its Mediterranean

roots by selling several options of bulk olive oil, fresh Greek yogurt and tzatziki sauce. Douvekas also hosts wine tastings Thurs.–Sat. from 3 p.m.–8 p.m. checkout|

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To the nunnery Not getting any? You’re not alone. By Myrtie Williams

There are several ways to approach the subject of sex in college. For many of us, our minds go straight to the “hook-ups,” and why not? College is supposed to be about sexual freedom, exploration and self-discovery, right? Well for some (probably a lot of) Northwestern students, sex doesn’t even come into the picture, and among those are students who have made a conscious decision not to have

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sex — even in their relationships.

Religious, personal and moral convictions may all play a role in why a person might choose abstinence over sexual activity, and after talking with a few students at Northwestern I was surprised to find that the choice seems to be more personal than religious. Weinberg sophomore Jasmyne McDonald, co-president of an on-campus religious group, says not having sex is rooted in reasons beyond health and religion. “I think there are bigger things to abstinence than just not having sex so that you won’t get pregnant or catch STIs,” she says. “From a Christian perspective, there is the idea that sex was created for marriage, but from a psychological perspective, people just don’t have a clue what they’re doing. That’s why I personally think that people just need to be very cautious and careful.”

“For example,” she continues, “I was just in a relationship—key word there being ‘was’—and if I had gone ahead and slept with him, here we are [each] going on about our business [separately]. I mean we’re friends now, but that’s the end of that. And I don’t think that people keep those types of things in mind when they are thinking about having sex. Those are the parts of abstinence that people don’t consider.”

I have to admit that before being assigned to this article I never really thought about abstinence for myself.

For me, abstinence was a just topic that came up in high school sex ed, something that the teachers were required to mention but that they didn’t even believe in. It was a little strange to me that abstinence could seem so novel of a concept when thinking about it today. SESP sophomore Irene Romoulo says she sees abstinence as the most practical form of protection, and she wishes it were something more people would consider as an option. “Too many people are engaging in sexual activity when they are not really prepared just because it seems so normal, but I don’t think it is,” she says. “Sex is something that should be special and is something that should be reserved for a person that you are truly committed to, and not just anybody.”

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“I also think that anybody can be abstinent,” continues Romulo. “It doesn’t just have to be religious people, and it also is something that can come from yourself. You don’t have to do it just because your parents tell you to; you can make that decision.”

It may be because in college, and particularly at Northwestern, our sex lives can be so unpredictable and often non-existent (whether you admit it or not). And in those cases it’s not like anyone is really choosing to be abstinent, you just are. Perhaps we feel like sex is so normal that those who are abstinent fade into the background.

Medill freshman Catherine Mounger stated in her interview that for her, sex in college could never be considered “normal” with all of the restrictions and complications of a college residential setting. “I’m glad to be waiting because I don’t think that it’s going to be as fulfilling if you’re having sex in your dorm room, because you have to worry about so many things. And really you should be able to walk around naked for a while [but you can’t do that here]. I know that when I [do] have sex, I want to be able to have my own space and not feel rushed, and it’s harder to have that when you are so busy with college and when there is always the possibility of a friend coming by or a roommate [coming in].”

So, after considering some of the more personal and practical reasons for abstinence, especially in college, it really made me want to take the time and consider my past sexual experiences. I had to ask myself, was the sex worth it? Was it something that I truly wanted for myself?

Could I enjoy every minute of it, including the next morning? Now maybe it’s just me, but each time I answered ‘no,’ abstinence began to seem like an easier and more practical option.

Whether or not you feel inclined to commit to a period of abstinence, I learned that it is at least worth taking the time to evaluate your sexual encounters to see if they were something that you honestly wanted for yourself and could enjoy. After all, what’s the use of having bad, unwanted or uncomfortable sex?

I CAN HAZ PRON? No sex? Don’t stress. Watch the pros do work.

Of the 11,000 adult films released in the United States each year, a select few can be considered the Citizen Kanes of the porn industry. Searah Deysach, owner of Early to Bed, offered up insight on landmark adult films of the past few decades, as well as a few of her personal favorites. –Nicole Collins and Emily Scherker

“CHEMISTRY”

“ANNIE SPRINKLE’S HERSTORY OF PORN”

“HOT RACKETS”

“BEHIND THE GREEN DOOR”

“PIRATES II”

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This campy classic is regarded as one of the most important contributions to the “Golden Age of Porn” in the late 70s and early 80s.

Real World with a “perv cam,” these videos began a trend that made porn “less about story, less about content, and more about people having sex.”

This documentary runs viewers through over 150 vintage sex scenes, photos and footage from her one-woman shows.

Herstory features her work with little people, transsexuals, amputated actors and other feminist activists.

“Something you’ll see is real boobs and mustaches [pubic hair]!” Deysach raves.

This film, which follows a curious chef named Gloria as she learns the secret of the “green door,” was one of the superior pornographies that “collectively pushed the boundaries and set the bar pretty high,” Deysach says.

Groundbreaking in their large-scale production value, the two Pirates films turned the tide in terms of how we view pornographic cinema.

Pirates II features high-profile adult actors in a fairly intricate plot, involving sea monsters, evil sorceresses and a scantily clad first mate.

➽➽read the full reviews at northbynorthwestern.com 36 |

PHOTO: ABIGAIL DENNIS

“DEBBIE DOES DALLAS”

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Giving Up Greek Fraternity and sorority life isn’t for everyone. These students chose to deactivate. By Julie Beck Lauren Bergman never really saw herself as a sorority girl. The Communication senior joined Zeta Tau Alpha when they were recruiting their first-ever Northwestern pledge class during her freshman year. She wanted to give it a try, she said, because Northwestern is “so Greek.” She deactivated a year and a half later.

While neither the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life (OFSL) nor any contacted chapter presidents would reveal any numbers about deactivations in recent years, it is not an uncommon phenomenon. One of the

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major reasons is that Greek life is expensive.

Bergman was paying around $500 a quarter for dues, food and social fees straight from her own paycheck.

Medill senior Nick Weldon was worried about finances from the moment he dropped his bid for Zeta Beta Tau. He was most concerned about paying for the fraternity’s meal plan, which he didn’t think he could afford on top of the dues. He talked to the then-president about his concerns and worked out a deal so he wouldn’t have to go on the meal plan. “They say, ‘We never want finances to be a reason for you leaving the fraternity,’” Weldon says.

Even so, cost combined with a lack of connection to the fraternity contributed to his decision to deactivate his sophomore year. In quintessential Northwestern style, Weldon’s level of campus involvement left him with little time to spend bonding with his brothers.

“Most people who dropped a bid in the fraternity already knew each other, and most of those people were able to devote a lot of time to being at the frat house,” Weldon says, adding that his absence from meals only advanced the issue.

This seems to be a pattern: behind the financial concerns lies a disconnect from the organization. “I never really, over the year and a half I was in it, truly bonded with anybody,” Bergman says. She didn’t feel justified in spending that much money on something she wasn’t in love with.

McCormick junior and Venezuela native Carolina Pardo originally joined Alpha Phi because she liked the girls and thought Greek life was a huge part of American culture. She deactivated this fall, expressing disillusionment with the sorority, though she “never questioned” the friendships.

“As time went by, friendships remained, but I wasn’t into the protocol,” says Pardo.

“What the fuck is chapter? A bunch of girls dressed up in a room, going over rules and chanting some songs.”

According to OFSL, the process for deactivating varies by chapter. All contacted presidents declined to comment on their deactivation procedures.

Despite this air of secrecy, Weldon says deactivation is not a difficult process. For him, it just involved having the president and the treasurer take him off “whatever lists they have for charging people.”

Pardo says she just had to go through paperwork and turn in her APhi pin.

Weldon, Pardo and Bergman all say they are happy with their decisions to deactivate. “I guess I knew myself better than I thought I did, because it wasn’t for me,” Bergman says.

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Springing into Recruitment Here’s a rundown on Spring C.O.B. As if students didn’t already have enough acronyms in their arsenal, one more rolls around every April for Northwestern’s Greek community. C.O.B. stands for “Continuous Open Bidding,” or the informal process by which chapters can gain more members in the spring.

According to Panhellenic bylaws, only sororities that have less than 100 members can opt to participate. “We allow chapters to C.O.B. up to the average chapter size,” says Amanda Chen, vice president of membership of the Panhellenic Association.

Wade Askew, president of Sigma Chi, adds that fraternities hold a small spring recruitment “to see if there are a few guys who we think would be a great fit for the chapter.”

Spring C.O.B. is a relaxed process, “allowing the chapters to get to know the personalities and values of the [Potential New Member] and vice versa,” Chen says.

As opposed to winter formal recruitment, “in spring, we really just do what we want and have fun,” says Chris Andes, recruitment chair of Theta Chi. It also gives sororities and fraternities the chance to even out their numbers by gaining members they may have lost during the year.

Spring C.O.B. has no standardized logistics.

“Some chapters hold multiple large events over consecutive days, and some may have individual lunches with their potential new members,” Chen explains. Other differences include the length of C.O.B., which is usually no more than a week. While some chapters participate every year, others never do.

Fraternities, however, all have a similar schedule — Phi Kappa Psi, Delta Chi, Lambda Chi Alpha, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Theta Chi and Sigma Chi held spring recruitment April 6 and 7. “Casino/Las Vegas night where we have craps, poker, black jack, renting inflatables for jousting [or] sumo wrestling, playing in the snow, laser tag or broomball” are just some of the activities Andes says his chapter held during the process. — By Ali Bruzek checkout|

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Suit Up, Soldier Study abroad is small beans compared to these exploits. By Shirley Li

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Young money Internships are overrated. Learn from these students who work for themselves. By Nolan Feeney Snitches has made plenty of mistakes.

Like when Communication junior Yaa Boakye, one of four co-founders of the fashion design company, mistakenly spent $200 on metal studs for their line of customized Northwestern apparel.

But for Boakye, that’s nothing.

Since founding Snitches this year, Boakye, Weinberg senior Harley Langberg, Weinberg freshman Annie Weiss and Communication freshman Jane Inhye have each invested hundreds of dollars into Snitches. So far, they’ve yet to see any profit.

“It’s more the emotional investment than a financial one,” says Boakye. “By next fall, it’ll be close to thousands. That’s when we’ll feel it.”

Northwestern students are no strangers to piling on extracurriculars. But for those running a business, there’s money on the line. And unlike exams, where studying hard usually pays off, it can take months before a business is profitable.

Although Langberg, an economics major, helps out with a lot of the business aspects of Snitches, the responsibilities extend to all four founders. But Bo Fishback, vice president of entrepreneurship of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, says it’s not uncommon to find student entrepreneurs without formal training. In fact, his foundation, the largest nonprofit supporter of entrepreneurship in the world, avoids working solely with business or economics students.

“We’ve seen so many entrepreneurs coming out of engineering and design,” he says. “The most exciting thing since the dot-com boom is the democratization of entrepreneurship on campus. No one thinks you have to be in the business school to start something.”

Communication senior Louise Huterstein is one of those people. Although she’s a communication studies and international studies major, she’s the outgoing CEO of Northwestern Student Holdings, an organization that organizes and runs four student businesses: Wildcat Express Delivery, Wildcat Special Delivery, NUTutors and Northwestern Airport Services.

“There are needs to be filled by people who are unconventional from a business perspective,” says Huterstein. “As long as you have the dedication and passion for it, you can still do it.”

NSH has some help, though. A nine-person board of directors, including former Fortune 500 CEO and McCormick professor Bill White, offers advice and support. But having such a resource at their fingertips doesn’t protect NSH projects from the ups and downs of starting a business.

Weinberg senior Joe Lischwe, CEO of Wildcat Express Delivery, thought WED would fail at times.

In the fall, WED was getting around four orders a night.

“The board of directors said we needed to think of a way to close this up quietly,” Lischwe said.

Now averaging 20 to 30 orders a night, WED is safe, although it’ll be awhile before Lischwe’s wallet benefits — currently, any profits are invested back into NSH. But if getting paid in experience means anything, students running businesses are rich in opportunity.

“You learn a theory and you see the theory applied,” says Huterstein. “It means so much more in context. As soon as you have a taste of that, you want it all the time.”

PHOTO: EMILY CHOW

If you think studying for finals is hard, try handling a grenade or commanding a platoon of soldiers.

Many international students have done just that. Mandatory conscription is implemented in dozens of countries around the world. Northwestern is home to over 2,000 international students, several of whom have served for their countries.

Take Hatim Thaker, for example. A Weinberg senior, Thaker was a sergeant in the Singapore Civil Defense Force and served from 2004 to 2006. At the Academy, he was a section commander and instructor for the military police. For Thaker, the intensive training was anything but easy.

“I’m not gonna lie, I cried,” he says. “They’re really cracking you down to the bare bones and building something they need. They break you down and rebuild your character.”

Though the physical aspect of basic military training is tough, the experience goes beyond just guns and tanks.

“We always have the impression that a soldier is like some Rambo, going around shooting,” says Alvin Tan, a sophomore who served in Singapore from 2006 to 2008. “Soldiering is all about teamwork. You come to the point when you realize that you need the people in your team to get things done.”

In fact, being in uniform doesn’t only teach these soldiers how to fire weapons or command platoons; it teaches them discipline by placing them under pressure.

Jee Suk Kim, a former staff sergeant for the Korean Air Force, had to manage up to 32 officers. Unlike the army, Kim often had to do surveillance in the middle of the night, watching the skies over parts of Japan, China, North Korea and South Korea for signs of aircrafts.

“When I was an airman, I was really nervous watching the North Korean territory,” says Kim. “I thought that if I made a single mistake, I could cause a war.”

As products of military experience, these students therefore learn to value their time and their life.

“I know for a fact it builds your character,” says Shawn Ang, who served as an officer in Singapore. “I had those two years to think about life. Not everyone goes through that. I definitely came out learning about time.”

In the long run, the lessons learned from their experiences motivate them to work harder towards their futures.

“The real world experience, the discipline, the drive, the motivation to keep going all stemmed from the military,” says Thaker. “The experiences you have there are never going to be available here at Northwestern.”

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Stress-free start Finding a job in this market is hard but not impossible. By Megan Friedman

Above: Weinberg senior Ricardo Creighton, Right: Weinberg senior Deepa Talwar

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ext time you groan about finding a post-grad job, just be grateful you didn’t graduate in ‘09.

“Last year was a tough year,” says Wesley Thorne, assistant director for business and employer relations at University Career Services. Almost a fourth of grads found themselves without a job. Though UCS won’t know for sure until seniors fill out a survey, Thorne says the job market looks a bit sunnier than it did last May -- and fields like government, energy and healthcare are actually growing.

Despite the uptick, the market is still messy. But three lucky seniors managed to snag dream jobs in this rough economy — and shared their tips on how you can, too.

Know yourself — and your job. When

Weinberg senior Deepa Talwar went through job recruitment this fall, she saw a future in consulting. But when she had to fly across the country for interviews, she chose a stationary job at Visa in San Francisco.

“Really figure out what you want and who you want to be, and what lifestyle you want to have,” Talwar suggests. Soul-searching can not only help you find jobs you like, but it can help you market yourself to employers.

PHOTO: EMILY CHOW

Intern like there’s no tomorrow. Skip

the Jersey Shores’s GTL and do what Weinberg senior Ricardo Creighton dubs GTO: Get that offer.

“Whatever field you’re going into, put your head down and do your job, enjoy it and meet different people,” he says. It paid off for him — he got a gig at Google, where he interned this past summer.

McCormick senior Rafal Ciechowski impressed

his bosses at consulting firm Accenture because “I didn’t feel that I was special in any way,” he says. “So I got right down to work.” He ended up heading a big project in his division, which led to a full-time offer by September.

Reach out. Career Services pros stress the

importance of building relationships, so check out Northwestern’s alumni database. But don’t be creepy about it. “There’s a fine line between being annoying and being persistent,” says Jose Santos, assistant director for liberal arts at UCS. “It’s an art form, like a dance.” Santos adds that companies will give bonuses to employees who refer candidates who end up getting hired, so everyone wins.

Keep your head up.Talwar says the recruit-

ing process was the hardest time she’s had at Northwestern. She interviewed for 25 jobs and was rejected from 21 of them. But if she could do it over again, she says she would chill out. “I was making it into this huge, massive thing, and it was going to determine the rest of my life. And it’s not. Everything will be okay, and you’ll get the offer you’re supposed to get.”

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It’s Business Time Fraternity life that can further your future. By Kayleigh Roberts When Weinberg sophomore Andrew Kang begins rush week with his fraternity, he’s in for the usual: lots of handshaking and mingling with hopefuls, most of whom will not be offered a bid. For those rushing Kang’s frat, this meet and greet can feel more like networking. That feeling isn’t unfounded, since rushing this frat can feel like applying for a job.

Kang is Vice President of Alpha Kappa Psi, Northwestern’s coed business fraternity, and admission can be as competitive as the current job market, with only 10-15 rushees offered bids.

Many students are unaware of both the benefits they offer members and the Greek traditions they observe, thinking of them more as special interest clubs than brotherhoods.

Like Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Greek organizations, pre-professional fraternities have formal rush processes and selective membership. The payoff for members isn’t just social, however. These interest-based frats can offer a leg up in achieving members’ long-term goals.

“We’re definitely looking for people who show ambition,” says Kang. “More than questioning about what they’ve done, we want to see if they have a plan for the future. We’re not trying to be business professionals too early, but we are trying to prepare.”

This preparation is a common theme throughout pre-professional frats at Northwestern. Members of Phi Alpha Delta, the coed pre-law fraternity, get help with law school admissions, as well as the chance to attend panels with professionals working in law and politics. The most important benefit, though, is the community PAD creates, says Phi Alpha Delta president and Weinberg sophomore John Lee. “I feel like there’s a huge econ focus, there’s a huge finance angle, and we provide the structure and framework through which students with different interests can come together,” he says.

Kang agrees that the community aspect is one of the biggest benefits for members of pre-professional fraternities. For AKPsi members especially, the opportunity to network socially with fellow aspiring business people is invaluable. Membership with AKPsi gives students access not only to the brothers and alumni of the Northwestern chapter, but to alumni all across the country. Kang says the organization has had more than 253,000 members in its history.

“In your career, you’re going to meet a couple of AKPsis,” he says. “Who knows if that might be the one connection you need to get the job that you want? It’s something you can’t get from just going to a good school or studying really hard.”

While Kappa Theta Epsilon is exclusive to McCormick students, most pre-professional fraternities are open to students of any major and gender. Still, those involved say the organizations fly under most students’ radar, despite the numerous social and professional benefits they offer.

“A lot of pre-professional frats don’t get as much notice, and we really do provide great resources for students,” Lee says. checkout|

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nels n FITCH Photography

His mission statement remains subject to the unpredictable whims of his inspiration, but Fitch cites French philosopher and social critic Roland Barthes’ idea that “a photograph is always invisible” as a principle that continues to guide him.

The co-owner of a wedding and family photography business that he started when he was in high school, Weinberg junior Nelson Fitch is by no means a novice to the art world. Yet, while the lighthearted optimism of family photos is certainly profitable, Fitch prefers to dabble in the more substantive genres of portraiture and fashion. With portraiture, he seeks to capitalize on the mannerisms and social context of his subjects in an effort to present them as individuals in a particular setting.

Ideas for pieces are thus subject to the events that he observes and the people that intrigue him. “It’s establishing relationships that excites me,” he continues, stressing that his subjects are what fuel his passion. Fitch references Sam Jones, Tim Walker, Denny Renshaw and Nick Knight as influences. — Stephanie Del Rosso

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n H “I don’t want to talk about fashion photography,” Fitch admits, adding that while the craft is amazing, the concepts communicated are not terribly engaging. “It’s establishing relationships that excites me,” he continues, stressing that his subjects are what fuel his passion.

➽➽ see more of ftch’s photography at northbynorthwestern.com checkout|

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Better your sole

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s most students headed indoors to avoid 40 degree temperatures and rain on April 8, Medill freshman Ryan Arrendell was doing just the opposite. Arrendell and 11 others trekked up Sheridan Road, not only braving the weather, but doing it shoeless.

The barefoot march was part of One Day Without Shoes, a nationwide effort to understand the experiences of those who do not have access to shoes. It was one of NU TOMCats’s first events on campus.

“We take it for granted that we all have shoes,” says Arrendell. “A lot of kids don’t and are getting sick because of bacteria in the soil or unpaved roads.”

Arrendell started NU TOMCats, a TOMS Campus Club, during fall quarter and is applying for ASG T-Status. There are over 1,000 other campus clubs around the world working to further the TOMS Shoes mission, according to information from Dayana Webster, a TOMS Shoes campus programs coordinator.

“I see people walking by all the time wearing

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A new student group does good with a little bit of footwork. By Hannah Bricker

TOMS,” says Arrendell. “I am hoping to incite awareness about poverty, and the product is a platform for that.”

Arrendell became interested in TOMS during her senior year because she liked the concept behind it, she says. She brought the club to Northwestern, where it has gotten off to a slow start.

“I was kind of over ambitious at first thinking a huge amount of people would show up,” she says.

“But you have to start somewhere, even if it’s small.”

The group consists of about 20 members. So far, the group has held informational meetings, a fundraiser at Buffalo Wild Wings and the Shoeless Sheridan Walk.

Some members are confident the group will grow once the Northwestern community learns more about its mission.

“A lot of students here are socially conscious.” says SESP freshman Katie Florez, NU TOMCats fundraising chair. “We think we can shed light on a

topic that isn’t conventionally thought about when it comes to poverty.”

Besides addressing domestic poverty, Florez thinks NU TOMCats can teach students about the “one for one” business model in which one pair of shoes is donated for every pair purchased.

“It’s very sustainable because it’s not like you are relying on donations,” Florez says.

Though NU TOMCats is still young, Arrendell has high hopes for the future. She wants to raise enough money to send members on service trips or bring TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie to campus.

But for right now, NU TOMCats is focused on spreading their message around campus, one step at a time.

“When I see a person walking by with a pair, it makes me smile,” says Arrendell. “There are people out there who are aware, so it’s just a matter of planting a seed, watering it and spreading it. Hopefully it will be full-grown by the time we leave.”

From where the ‘cats came

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for school uniforms, so any child lacking shoes might not get the education he or she deserves.

The shoes range in price from $40 to $100, with designs to appeal to all sorts of shoppers. The shoes come in a myriad of designs. The website even provides a category of shoes suitable for a wedding — customers can wear TOMS for literally any occasion.

The TOMS fanbase is growing rapidly. TOMS clubs on college campuses serve to raise awareness for the company’s cause. —Jordyn Wolking

PHOTO: JOHN MEGUERIAN

Blake Mycoskie founded TOMS Shoes in 2006. The idea was to make simple shoes and donate a pair of new shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased. This “one for one” model allows customers to help improve someone’s life while shopping.

For children in developing countries, new shoes are incredibly important but difficult to come by. Without shoes, these children get cuts and sores, which can become infected or transmit serious diseases through the soil. Also, shoes are usually required

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Master of the Galactiverse

ILLUSTRATION: EMILY CHOW; PHOTO: GUS WEZEREK

Bringing real life science to Caprica. By Tom Schroeder

Nestled deep in the heart of every fanboy lies the dream of having a say in sci-fi canon. Malcolm MacIver lives that dream.

A biomedical and mechanical engineering professor at Northwestern, MacIver works as a script consultant for Caprica, a recent prequel series in the award-winning Battlestar Galactica franchise.

“Battlestar is one of my favorite TV shows ever,” he says. “I’m not much of a TV fan, so that’s saying a lot.”

MacIver helps out on the show by coming up with ideas that are grounded in scientific principles.

“I suggest technical ideas, and I show how they work in a particular part of the script,” he says. “Then it’s up to the writers to incorporate my input or not.”

Among MacIver’s contributions to Caprica is the concept of generative algorithms — pieces of data that code for objects in virtual reality.

“It’s especially cool to see where I can borrow from my knowledge of artificial intelligence, robotics and neuroscience to help make the story more compelling or believable,” says MacIver. “For my set of interests, I can hardly imagine a show that would fit better.”

The scientist was introduced to the Caprica team through the Science Entertainment Exchange

(SEE), which connects TV and movie producers to experts in relevant areas of study. Also through SEE, MacIver along with four other scientists, brainstormed ideas for the script of TRON Legacy, the forthcoming sequel to the 1982 cult classic.

“The environment was really slick,” MacIver says of TRON’s studio. “It was fun in some ways, of course, but we were there with a specific job, and I was pretty focused on identifying what would be useful to contribute after coming all the way out from Chicago to do the consul… They showed us around the studio and showed us some footage they were working on, which was absolutely gorgeous.”

MacIver sums up a scientist’s experience in the studio as “an enterprise of nudges.” The responsibility of the experts is to give the finished product factual validity.

“Does the science in the film or TV show make sense? Is it technically feasible, or at least given a feasible explanation?” MacIver says. “Does it reflect the most exciting of what’s going on in labs right now?”

In addition, MacIver wishes to ensure that his profession is represented in the media as more than just a confederation of geeks in lab coats. “It’s about going beyond the mad scientist idea to something a little richer and more true to life,” he says.

Perhaps the greatest value of science fiction is the discourse it stimulates.

“The way shows like Caprica engage the public or raise awareness is to provide a neutral ‘play box’ for all kinds of scenarios that new science, technology or culture could bring into existence,” says MacIver.

“This paves the way for engagement in discussions on these things that are more grounded in reality.”

Wrasslin’By Sean Kane Wrestlepocalypse IV will be presented in Shanley Pavilion May 27--28 by Vertigo Productions. We had a chance to sit down with the referee of the show, Charlie Scaggs (Communication sophomore Ned Baker), or “The Tramp” that owns the ring.

What’s special about this year’s show?

I’ll tell you what’s special about this year: all sense of dignity has gone out of the fucking thing. I don’t know who’s running the show. I don’t know who’s making the rules, but I know I’ll be calling them.

The whole thing is chaos, man. The whole thing’s just gone ridiculous. We have the real scum of the Earth wrestling this year, and it fills the soul with equal parts thrill and disgust.

Do you feel that, as opposed to skill or honor, being a douchebag helps you the most?

Well, having inhibitions is certainly going to not help you at all. The douchebags have a certain way of going out there for what they think they deserve.

But it does make for a good show, I’ve found. You need skill and douchebaggery in about equal proportions, I’d say, to really advance in the world of Wrestlepocalypse. It’s a secret ingredient.

The show is on Dillo Day Eve. Do you or any of the other wrestlers have plans for Dillo Day? Uh, making my way to the hospital is my best guess. But if we’ve got some wounds, who knows what substances may be required to stem the pain. You do what you have to in those desperate circumstances.

As a merciless, bloodthirsty fighter… are you a fan of Regina Spektor?

Regina Spektor? Oh the things I wouldn’t do to that woman. That’s all I can say. I hear she does music too.

Why should someone come see the show?

It’s going to be so awesome, it will turn your brain into shit and blow it out your asshole. I don’t know if you can print that. checkout|

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➽➽ SEE A PHOTO SLIDESHOW OF CREATIVE ROCK DESIGNS AT NORTHBYNORTHWESTERN.COM

Put a ring on it Before you complain about the dating scene, see how these couples really made it work. By Mia Warren In the last intermediary between childhood and adult life, college students often form lifelong attachments, and in some cases, even find their future spouses.

What is it really like being an engaged undergraduate at Northwestern? For Weinberg senior Rachel Koontz, although other students seem “more aware” of her relationship, life “doesn’t seem too different” than it was before she was engaged to her fiancé, Communication senior Josh Ströud.

Although Koontz acknowledges that undergraduate engagements are “not the norm at Northwestern,” she and Josh, who have been doing premarital counseling in preparation for their married life, remain positive. The two plan to stay in Evanston after commencement, hoping to “ease the transition” of graduation and job-seeking.

For Koontz, Northwestern itself remains a common experience for herself and her fiancé, a place of memories the two will share for years. Although they are still “in the process” of wedding plans, the ceremony will take place at the Evanston Art Center.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing to be dedicated enough to a relationship to make this step,” she says. “I think it’s sad there aren’t more relationships like these at Northwestern.”

Koontz and Ströud make up a small percentage of engaged undergraduates. As a minority, Koontz remains optimistic. “Whatever challenges we face, we have each other for support,” she says.

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What was it like for preceding generations?

George and Carol Cameron met as freshmen in 1980, when they lived in the same hallway in Bobb-McCulloch. 30 years later, their daughter Jenny is now a Weinberg sophomore.

When the Camerons were at Northwestern, most of their peers were not in “a committed relationship.” Carol describes their friends’ reactions to their engagement as “a combination of bemused or surprised by the entire thing,” but reiterates that “[finding George] was just one of those things where you meet the person and you’re done. Whether you’re 18 or 50.”

George and Carol’s parents’ reaction to the news of their engagement was less ideal at first.

“Our families were not too thrilled,” Carol says.

However, George adds that their qualms “had nothing to do with the picking of the mate” and “it was more the timing” that made his mother “a little nervous.” Later on, though, they warmed to the idea.

“They were supportive, but nervous and apprehensive would be a good way to characterize it,” George says.

When asked if they would approve of their own children getting engaged at the age they did, the Camerons were unsure.

“It’s hard to tell because it worked out so well for us,” Carol says. “It’s situational.”

“If I was happy with the partner selection and that person was treating them well, then the timing wouldn’t bother me,” George says.

“The fact that they got engaged in college wouldn’t bother me.”

Rock on Find Northwestern’s sensitive side with a walk around the lakefill.

Marry me? Happy Birthday! Class of (insert graduation year here) rules!

That’s what most of the rocks surrounding the Lakefill say. The monolithic stones have become more of a decoration for the Lakefill, even though their original purpose was to prevent waves from eroding the perimeter of the manmade island.

But for many budding artists, hopeless romantics and celebratory seniors, the rocks by the Lakefill have become an easy way to exhibit their feelings.

Communication senior Matt McKenna had been dating a girl for a month before facing his first challenge in the relationship: a birthday present. Not knowing what to get her, McKenna decided to paint a rock.

“I made a video to document the whole process of buying the spray cans and walking over to the rock and wishing her a happy birthday,” he says. “I burned it onto a DVD and gave it to her.”

Weinberg freshman Simon Stahl went a similar route.

“I painted it as a Valentine’s Day surprise for my girlfriend last year,” he says. “The paint faded and someone half painted over it, so we went out there later and repainted over it together.”

Of those legible and dated, the oldest rock we could find is from 1995. Yet, it’s safe to say this unofficial Northwestern pastime isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. –Alexis Sanchez

scope Nosing out adventure Sometimes it takes an inanimate object to show you how to live. By Shaunacy Ferro

I

spent the majority of my spring break with a 5-inch tall ceramic squirrel. I would consider it some of the most productive time I’ve ever spent in my hometown.

On a Saturday night at 10 p.m., as the frozen yogurt shops closed around us, my friend and I were left with approximately three options: watch a movie, play a board game or find something vaguely illegal to do. We decided on the third and headed to the 24-hour CVS in search of a kite to fly out the sunroof of my car.

For future reference: CVS does not sell kites.

They do, however, sell ceramic garden statuettes.

“Dude.” I pointed. “Squirrel.” It only barely resembled any actual squirrel I had seen, but it was impossibly adorable, with giant beady eyes and a puffy-cheeked smile that I felt the need to imitate every time I looked at it. Ten dollars.

We had no idea what we were going to do with it, but we knew we needed it. Personally, I was in favor of breaking into someone’s house and leaving it there while they slept. Instead, we decided we would take it on adventures. We made it a Facebook account and proceeded to tote it around town with a digital camera for the next four days.

Why it’s easier for a squirrel to find adventure in a small town than two college students, I don’t know. Maybe the squirrel was easier to please. Still, it became our adventure. In only a few short days, it experienced about as much of my hometown as I had in 19 years. It went to the beach, played on the playground, played Frisbee, guitar and piano. It rode a skateboard, a surfboard and a dirt bike. It followed me to all my usual haunts: Barnes & Noble, Peet’s Coffee, even my high school. It protested the closing of my favorite burger hut.

But more importantly, it did all the things I should have done, all the things I have wanted to do but didn’t and all the things I never thought of doing.

It “got drunk” off my parents’ liquor, and ended up in my oven, a lingerie store, the shower and broken at the bottom of my Jacuzzi. It made friends with a whole host of dogs, Luke Skywalker, a Troll, a gnome, Samuel L. Jackson and Barack Obama. It reconnected with my high school friends. It hit up Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day… twice. It went on Chatroulette to have nice conversations with men with cats, girls with broken English

from across the world and a few masturbators.

That stupid little squirrel became a connection point. It was a reason for me to leave my house in the morning, forgo the exercising I promised I would do all of spring break, call up that quiet kid I never talked to much and say, “Hey, do you have five minutes? We have this project…” It was an excuse to go talk to my favorite teacher without the stigma of tooold-ness I always feel when returning to my high school. It gave me a reason to try to break into a church, and it should have been a reason for me to stop that nun and ask, “Would you hold this for a sec?” It was something to talk about when the dinner conversation between my recently separated parents became stilted.

It was a way to spend 80 percent of my spring break with one of my favorite friends and still always have an answer to the question, “What are we going to do?”

This summer, the squirrel is taking a road trip to Vancouver. It’s going to sit on my dashboard and guide me up the Western coast. It can’t read a map or help me find the nearest gas station, but it has a way of nosing out adventure that I think I find more useful anyway.

PHOTO: SHAUNACY FERRO

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1:28 AM

Idle Hands

I was 18 when I first had sext. Jake was 17. We began in confession.

Jake’s boyfriend, TMI - I hadn't ever jacked Mike, was the one who off before last week. I had showed him how to guess that's abnormal? masturbate. He admitted he was hard just texting the story. Me too, I wrote.

We had flirted before and knew there was a fantasy of us together, somewhere. It was enough for that night.

On the second day, we gave in to convention. What are you wearing? I asked, half-jokingly. A few more quips and the pants were off.

Wow. We’re really doing Afraid to send this. I guess I’ll start by kissing you, shyly. Maybe photos, our sexting I’ll say, “sorry,” afterward. amounted to punctuBut I won’t mean it. ated porn. Phone sex was too close, too risky. In the moment, who knew what we might say? Besides, neither of us had a very convincing Deep Throat.

What we lost in immediacy we made up for in surprise. The call to action could come at work, on the train or where they all ended up, in bed at home. It was a convenient, controlled intimacy.

I knew Jake well.

You calmly unzip your He cared enough to pants, looking at me the bang out fantastic whole time. We're not gonna finish the movie and paragraphs for me.

I don't care.

But for all his alleged enthusiasm I might as well have been sexting a stranger. Jake said he did want to meet up. Just not now, not while he was with Mike.

He carried so much drama on those thin, boyish shoulders. If erotica didn’t work out there were always the soaps.

I don’t want you to break At first, Jake was up with Mike. We’re just easy to please. Liar’s kids being kids. recourse — no harm, no foul if Mike didn’t know. We weren’t touching, so it

wasn’t cheating. It was enhanced masturbation and Jake was begging for it.

Once the pity-party started crashing every other message I quit beating around the obvious: Cheating was in the eye of the person being hurt.

Boundaries undefined defaulted to monogamy. That was the way our society worked.

More importantly, if sexting was only a less lonely way of getting off at night, why couldn’t he tell his (in) significant other? Or sext him, for that matter?

Jake eventually decided on honesty. We’d rein in the fingers until he told Mike.

I asked if that was really so noble. Perhaps Mike would forgive us. But if the guy felt betrayed, hadn’t Jake dumped his guilt on an unwilling victim?

In the meantime, I’m sorry I’m such a whiny Jake found his moratobitch. Do you want me to rium easier sent than start or do you want to? done. We were, in more ways than one, having a very hard time controlling ourselves. Every night we had to make a decision, though he always tasked me with saying no.

I’d been through this before. Earlier in the year I had cuddled with a guy for a week while his boyfriend was out of town. We jostled for hours until one morning our breath neared, lips ruddy full ready.

Again, I leaned over an arbitrary line.

And then we were Do not tempt me. If you don’t want to do anything men, not kids. Friends you might regret, we wait. being friends. We went Keep your guilt to yourself. hands-off until Jake came clean with Mike and Mike broke up with Jake. It was August when we met up for dinner to talk things over. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.

By Gus Wezerek

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I’m lost in the feeling, but suddenly guilt sets in. "No! I can't do this to him!" I struggle to get out from under you but you hold down my arms. You shut me up with a kiss and take off my shirt.

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Score your Spring Quarter

Ever wish there was a way to quantify your Wilcat-ness? We’ve got you covered. By Matt Connolly

AWARD ONE POINT FOR:

• Every hour spent listening to music on Dillo Day • Voting in the ASG elections • Every visit to the Lakefill • Every visit to Burger King • Every study session that took place outside • Every hour spent reading NBN

AWARD THREE POINTS FOR:

• Attending the A&O Ball • Every visit to the beach • Voting for a scatological-themed write-in candidate in the ASG election • Attending a Wildcat sporting event • Playing an IM sport • Every time a professor held class outside

AWARD FIVE POINTS FOR:

• Jumping in the lake on Dillo Day • Painting the Rock

AWARD NO POINTS FOR:

• Every hour of Dillo Day you don’t remember • Missing the A&O Ball then complaining nonstop about the Norris Box Office

SUBTRACT ONE POINT FOR:

PHOTO: NORTHWESTERN ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS/STEPHEN CARRERA

• Every hour spent studying on Dillo Day • Every time you posted on CollegeACB • Every time you called SafeRide in shorts weather

How to spend every day of Reading Week Tuesday, June 1

Laugh away the impending stress of finals with a comedic short at the Midwest Independent Film Festival. Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema (2828 N. Clark St.). Tickets $10. 6 p.m.

The game may be away, but you can still get close to the Cubbie cheering section by watching them play Pittsburgh from a spirited Wrigleyville hangout like Sluggers (3540 N. Clark) or Guthrie’s Tavern (1300 W. Addison). Game starts at 6:05 p.m.

Wednesday, June 2

Get pumped for the following week’s Chicago Blues Festival by attending Blues legend and

➽➽ OVER 25 POINTS

You’re a NUperstar! You set a shining example for thousands of your fellow students, and Morty’s got a picture of you in his wallet. You never vomit after a night out, but if you did it would be purple. Congratulations on living spring quarter to the fullest — you certainly don’t need any more advice from us.

➽➽ 15–24 POINTS

You’re purple-tinted, but you’re not quite there. Don’t fret — there’s still time to rock out to the best of your ability. (If you’re a senior, we recommend staying for a fifth year.)

Party hard, enjoy the weather and embrace the Wildcat you are.

➽➽ UNDER 14 POINTS

What is this, the University of Chicago?

Even Pat Fitzgerald himself may not be able to motivate you to get out there and seize the quarter.

Somewhere, Willie the Wildcat has buried his head in his paws, and a big salty tear is running down his furry cheek.

Grammy nominee Sam Lay’s performance at the Old Town School of Folk Music’s concert hall (4544 N. Lincoln Ave.). $5 suggested donation.

8:30 p.m.

Before drowning in your textbooks, re-spark your childhood curiosity at the Field Museum (1400 S. Lake Shore Drive). Be sure to check out the 40 million-year-old insects and a preserved baby mammoth. Free. Open 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Thursday, June 3

Forget dining hall Brussels sprouts and treat yourself to some bruschetta. Italian restaurant Buona Terra (2535 N. California) offers fixed-price Thursdays where you can get an appetizer, entrée and dessert for $21.95. Open 5 p.m.- 10 p.m.

After dinner, work off your food baby at CRISIS, the Neo-Futurist’s interactive musical game show (5153 N. Ashland). Arrive a half hour early for your own chance to battle it out in this retro pop culture and corporate life competition. Tickets $15. 8 p.m.

Friday, June 4

Nothing beats an afternoon of art and music right by Millennium Park. Take the El down to the Eastside Millennium Art Festival to see the work of 150 national artists. Free. 12 p.m.- 5 p.m.

Don a little dress or a crisp tie for a classy evening of live entertainment, Wolfgang Puck hors d’oeuvres and museum admission at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s (220 E. Chicago Ave.) First Friday event. 21+. Advance tickets $11. 6 p.m.-10 p.m.

Saturday, June 5

Bask in a day of soulful singing at the annual Chicago Gospel Music Festival in Millennium Park. Free. Performances from 11 a.m.- 9 p.m.

Gospel music not your style? Good thing Styx, Foreigner and Kansas will be blasting some good ol’ classic rock at Charter One Pavilion (1300 S. Linn White Dr.) Tickets $13.50-$76. 7 p.m.

—Natalie White

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