Pregame

LIFE ADVICE FROM TRACY VAUGHN-MANLEY

The African American studies professor shares her thoughts on quilting and Qatar.

A FAREWELL TO WOO

CIRQUE DE NU

In this quarter’s installment of Shit We Found in the Archives... NU’s very own circus!

DISCOVERING ST. LOUIS

Tired of the Evanston weather? Visit Missouri with us, where it’s a whole 5 degrees warmer.

GAME ON

Find your next Sunday afternoon activity at Evanston Games & Café.

Tracy Vaughn-Manley

The African American studies professor on quilting and Qatar.

WRITTEN BY IVY FUNG and DESIGNED BY ANDIE LINKER

Professor Tracy Vaughn-Manley spent seven years at the Northwestern campus in Qatar (NU-Q). She teaches African American studies and quilts in her free time. Her colorful quilts have adorned the Department of African American Studies office, the Dittmar Memorial Gallery (twice!) and the frontpage photo for the New York Times’ 2015 interview with Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison. Vaughn-Manley is back on the Evanston campus as a recent recipient of the Charles Deering McCormick Distinguished Professor of Instruction award. We caught up with her to talk about her artistic pursuits and her experience at NU-Q.

On Quilting

I love every aspect of it. There is the initial part of the process when you are kind of planning the design, sometimes I know what exactly I want to do; there are other times when I don’t, but I have found a piece of fabric that I find inspirational. I have also done a quilt for the Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison. She was like, “You know, it’s been a while since I’ve had a quilt.” I asked if she wanted to schedule some time where she could see [my quilts] or anything like that. She said, “No, just do it.” Princeton gave her a celebration at the Lincoln Center in New York. President Clinton was there. We went on stage and I unraveled the quilt, and she got very emotional. It was a wonderful moment.

The benefits of having professors of color

I was a computer science major at California State University, San Bernardino, but I always took English courses. I enrolled in a course in my junior year on the Harlem Renaissance. On the first day, everyone was all kind of waiting for the professor to come in. This door opened, and this black woman walked in. It really was a transformative moment. She blew us all away. I remember being angry that I had reached this age of my life, and I never had a Black woman teach me. She walked with me to the registrar and I changed my major that day, and here we are.

Making the most out of college

I would recommend students be less focused on getting this degree to get a job. Take a class you may have just a remote interest in, allow yourself the luxury to do, and not be so focused on getting all your requirements. Indulge your curiosity – this is going to be one of the few opportunities that you have to do it.

On Qatar

In Qatar, because of religious laws, young women have to have permission from their fathers to go to school. They’re excited, they want to learn, they work hard, they read everything you give them. They were just so excited to have literature courses, it made me more than ever want to be excellent for them. I’m not saying I wasn’t before, but there is just a kind of renewed sense, and I love that. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

A Farewell to Woo

I remember the night I spent with my first love in college. We shared a drink and stayed with each other until two in the morning. I was just a freshman. It was only the second week of school, but I knew that I would never recover from this great love. There would be others, but this moment was about us.

Things started to change after my freshman year. I hadn’t been coming around as much, and we both knew it wasn’t going to work out. Things felt different. By the end of sophomore year, we called it quits. There were bigger powers at play, and we hadn’t seen each other since.

But this January, we met again. We’d both changed beyond the point of recognition, and I was immediately hit with a pang of melancholy. The latenight dining hall I wrote about with such affection on Valentine’s Day in 2015 was now a stranger to me.

Fran’s had gotten rid of her chicken Caesar salads; I’d become a vegetarian.

Sure, Willard was never “Hotel Allison,” “Hotel Lincoln,” Elder or even Bobb (and thank God for that), but it was never trying to be. Over the course of its 80-year history, over 500 students applied to live in Willard Residential College each year because they were looking for something that wasn’t state-of-the-art.

They wanted something with character and history, to be a part of a community. Or maybe they were just looking for an absurdly large room with a built-in bathroom.

The Willard renovations were part of the larger Northwestern housing plan, which requires new students to live on campus for two years to build a “neighborhood feel.” Visiting the new Willard feels like returning to my childhood neighborhood to see all the tiny houses torn down and replaced with condos and a Sweetgreen. It reeks of gentrification.

Many of the Willard Residential College traditions are events or stories that transcend location: Polka Party, the mismatched dress up affair at the Berghoff; Woo-Au Luau, the too-cold celebration of springtime; Fireside Chats about everything and nothing. But taking the memories I have of these events out of the context of the old Willard building is challenging. I can’t divorce my memories of Polka Party from the following late-night conversations in my too-big double. I cannot imagine a Fireside outside of the dimly lit, vermin-infested “Rat Trap” basement. To paraphrase Joni Mitchell, they paved paradise and put up a fitness center.

WRITTEN BY MALLOY MOSELEY DESIGNED BY AINE DOUGHERTY

But Kohmoto hopes that the sense of community remains despite the changes. For seniors like us, the spirit of the community is and always will be housed in 1865 Sherman Avenue. “I hope that the community can continue to be one that people feel strongly about for no specific reason,” Kohmoto says. “Especially that now they’re back in the ‘real Willard,’ even though it looks completely different.”

Incoming students have plenty of options when it comes to choosing housing. They can scope out NBN’s comprehensive housing guides, get wordof-mouth info from current students (or cluelessly read a Sherman Ave article and freak out about bed bugs, like I did). But Willard has always had something more. It rests on the laurels of the crèmede-la-crème of NU alumni who have graced its halls. Homecoming weekend my freshman year, I was delighted to see alumna Ana Gasteyer walking down my hall. I shrieked, introduced myself as a fan and fellow Willardite. We shared an obligatory “Woo-shack, Woo-rah,” and she told me she was delighted to see nothing had changed.

I’m sorry we’ve disappointed you, Ana.

Cirque de NU

From the archives: The NU Carnival brought elephants, cash – and racism.

WRITTEN BY SAMUEL MAUDE and DESIGNED BY AINE DOUGHERTY and SAVANNAH CHRISTENSEN

In 1908, the NU Circus became a University tradition much like today’s Dance Marathon. It was a monumental fundraiser for the Young Women’s and Men’s Christian Association (YWCA, YMCA). At its peak in 1930, the circus raised $183,819 (when adjusted for inflation) with elephants, massive parades and incredible university support.

At the beginning, the circus was hardly a blockbuster event. It was originally a YWCA fundraiser for the Northwestern Settlement, a home for Polish, German, Irish and Scandinavian immigrants. Called “The County Fair,” those early iterations of the circus took place outside of Willard Hall, with circus– goers meandering through booths selling trinkets and Christmas decorations.

In 1910, the YMCA joined the cause, and Northwestern renamed the event: “The College Carnival.” Later, the location moved to “The Big Top,” the recently built Patten Gymnasium. The 1913 Syllabus yearbook highlighted the impact of the new location, saying: “The new Gymnasium offered ample opportunity for really elaborate arrangements . . . A large bill of students appeared, including a circus, a vaudeville show and the famous Red-headed Band.” The circus exploded from there.

It was in 1914 that the circus board decided to create an “oldfashioned circus with a parade and all that goes with it,” according to the 1928 Syllabus yearbook. This change allowed student groups to create floats. One float in 1922 characterized “The N-U Spirit” as “laziness, dates, lack of unity, indifference of students, faculty and alumni.” These floats cruised down Sheridan Road with multiple platforms, meticulously painted words and interactive exhibits; memorable displays include a steamroller and a dinosaur float.

The circus kept growing, and by 1924, a water circus debuted on campus. It was so well received that the circus board brought it back the following year. Four Northwestern Olympians – Sybil Bauer, Caroline Smith, Ralph Beyer and Richard Howell – helped to organize and plan the event. This exhibit of speed and agility became so popular that the performers had three shows in 1930, and in 1931, the Water Circus featured “fancy diving” and a “fraternity motor boat race.” The 1928 circus program advertised, “the world’s greatest aggregation of human fish – the only water circus in the country,” which cost just 50 cents to attend. Many considered it a highlight of the circus.

Northwestern Greek Life served as one of the circus’ greatest supporters. Greek houses hosted their own events around campus, including shows in the Big Top. In 1929, Sigma Nu hosted the “Americanized Bull Fight” and Delta Tau Delta ran “Grecian Urn.” During that year, the University only gave awards to sororities and fraternities. Certain events focused entirely on Greek life, including the “intersorority relays.” Award categories included a clown contest, a side ring contest, a center ring stunt contest and and an all-circus cup.

The circus also had its share of bigotry. On November 22, 1910, The Daily Northwestern reported that “Indians decked with war-paint and robes skulked among the whites,” and in 1929, Beta Sigma Omicron hosted an “Indian Pow Wow.” In some photos, clowns wear outfits that resembled those of the Ku Klux Klan and many students wore blackface. In one parade photo, a crowd of clowns head down Sheridan in white robes and pointed hats.

The theme of suffrage also emerged at the circus. One parade float read: “Senators Arise! There’s a Lady in the crowd.” The poster endorsed Ruth Hanna McCormick’s bid to the House of Representatives.

While politics and racism made a significant impression around campus, fireworks made a bang in the sky in 1931. The circus fired off Northwestern’s “largest display of fireworks” over the lake on both Friday and Saturday nights, and the circus board praised it as “a fitting climax to the Circus program.” The fireworks display ended with an American flag “waving high in the breeze in various colors.” This event was free to all circus-goers.

Despite the circus’ incredible success, it ended in 1933, after the Northwestern University Sesquicentennial newsletter called it “the biggest and best [circus] ever.” The University decided that it took too much time away from its core purpose: academics. The following year, a “Greek Fraternity Ball” took its place in the calendar year and the Big Top never rose again.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES.

Discovering St. Louis

Getting to know the Gateway to the West.

WRITTEN BY NICOLÁS RIVERO and DESIGNED BY LUCY DWYER

One funny thing about Evanston winters is they tend to drag on until at least halfway through Spring Quarter. As temperatures refuse to rise and you’re begging for any excuse to escape this cold, cold campus, NBN offers you a way out: a weekend in St. Louis. Pack your bags Thursday night, sprint out of your Friday morning discussion section, and head south for three days of blues, barbecue and a bizarre children’s museum where a rowdy all-ages crowd roves until midnight. Don’t worry, overcommitted Wildcats – you’ll make it back in time for your Sunday night meetings.

Getting There: If you have access to a car, you can do the fivehour drive yourself. Otherwise, buying a ticket on Amtrak ($54 round-trip) or Megabus ($30 round-trip) will get you there about as quickly and is more affordable than renting a car.

Getting Around: The Metro works well for moving across the city from east to west, but you’ll have to walk a bit or connect to a bus to reach most destinations. A one-day system pass costs $7.50. Of course, you can always call an Uber.

Friday night

Beale on Broadway

(Cover charge ranges $7-15. Music starts at 8 p.m., and the headliner goes on at 10:30 p.m.)

This vibrant, intimate club features live blues seven nights a week and draft beers under $5. The small venue fills up quickly, and on nights when it gets packed, the standing-room audience members practically touch the stage. In fact, local musicians in the crowd may get pulled onstage to play a few songs with the band.

Saturday

Courtesy Diner

(1121 Hampton Ave. Open 24 hours a day. Breakfast plates start at $3.)

For a dose of Americana, start your day at this classic diner, which dates back to 1935. You can get eggs or a short stack of pancakes for as little as $3, but we recommend springing for the Hangover (two eggs, hash browns, and chickenfried steak slathered in white sausage gravy) at the high-rolling price of $6.25. Afterward, amble into Forest Park, just a block and a half up the street.

Forest Park (Free all day)

Walk off breakfast with a stroll through this mammoth urban park criss-crossed with creeks, bridges and crunchy gravel paths. As you move deeper into the sprawling green space, the sounds of street traffic fade away, but the high-rises of Central West End remain visible above the trees. Forest Park, which is nearly 500 acres larger than New York’s Central Park, is big enough to hold two museums, a planetarium and a zoo.

Missouri Botanical Garden

($12 for non-state residents. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Whether you’re escaping Evanston’s snow in Winter Quarter or coming down in time for the bloom of the spring, the Missouri Botanical Garden – one of the oldest and largest in the country – is worth a visit. Check out the Climatron, a massive aluminum and glass dome enclosing a steaming tropical oasis of orchids, starfruit and mangroves, complete with a 10-foot waterfall you can walk under.

World’s Fair Donuts

(Open 4 a.m. to 3 p.m. Donuts go for less than $1.) As you leave the gardens, make a pit stop at this momand-pop donut shop. The exterior is unassuming, but inside you’ll find a mouthwatering array of apple fritters, Long Johns and donuts ranging from buttermilk to red velvet cake, baked by the same couple that has run the place for more than 40 years. They only take cash, but you won’t need much to load up on enough sugar to boost you through the rest of the day.

Pappy’s Smokehouse

(Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Ribs go for $17/half rack.) This beloved barbecue spot specializes in dry rub St. Louis-style pork ribs, but you’ll have to show up early if you want to try them. At peak times, the line to order wraps through the entire restaurant, and on the night we visited the ribs sold out around 7 p.m. Pappy’s is popular for a reason: the barbecue is to die for, served with four kinds of sauce and sides that are every bit as delicious as the main dishes. On the walls you’ll find menus signed by Flavor Flav, Nick Jonas and Larry the Cable Guy. Any restaurant that can bring such an eclectic mix of people together at least deserves your consideration.

City Museum

($14. Open until midnight on Sat.)It’s hard to say why the City Museum exists, but I couldn’t be happier that it does. Ostensibly, it’s a children’s museum and four-story jungle gym. But you’ll find plenty of grown ups and couples in their 20s and 30s wandering around alongside toddlers, tweens and teens. Somewhere in this absurd jumble of tunnels, slides, ladders, trains, planes, fossils, aquariums and a circus you’ll become a wide-eyed child, amazed to discover all the elaborate nooks and crannies hidden in this 600,000-square-foot wonderland.

Sunday afternoon

Head Downtown

Spend a few stress-free hours downtown, near the train and bus stations, so that you won’t have to dash across the city to make your Amtrak or Megabus. Baseball fans can check out Busch Stadium, music lovers the Blues Museum, bookworms the Central Library. And if you want to take one last longing look at St. Louis before you go, you can shell out $13 for a trip to the top of the Gateway Arch. I couldn’t tell you what that’s like, because I chose to invest that money in beer at nearby 4 Hands Brewing.

4 Hands Brewing

(Open noon to 9 p.m. Beers run $5-7.)To take the edge off your fivehour train or bus ride home, visit the tap room of this local brewery, which on weekends teems with millennial yuppies, hip parents and a surprising number of little kids running around. If you want to grab a bite to eat before you go, there’s a food window where you can order a $7 brat or drop $14 on an elaborate plate of brisket nachos.

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Hidden behind a fingerprintstained door, Evanston Games & Café radiates light and vibrant colors. Inside, patrons mingle near stacks of games or munch on freshlymade grilled cheese sandwiches. In the back, a coffee machine lets out a hiss as it empties its contents into a white mug.

“If you wish to pass unsearched, I’ll be needing four gold pieces,” says Max Stoll, a senior at Evanston Township High School and a store regular. Right now, he’s playing a popular board game called Sheriff of Nottingham. Four other players join him, each posing as a merchant trying to sneak illicit goods into the city. Tensions rise as players eye their small piles of gold printed coins.

Stoll has been visiting Evanston Games & Café since 2015, when it was still called Elysium Games. Back then, Jessie Reynolds ran the store, using a large settlement from a motorcycle accident to fund the operation. But after a few years, Reynolds realized he did not have enough experience to run a business, and he offered the lease to Eli Klein, his old roommate, who entered with seven years of retail experience.

“One of the reasons I wanted to take over this place instead of letting it close down is the incredible community here,” Klein says. From his first day on the job, he says the community has been welcoming and accepting.

After taking over, Klein decided to partner with Chef Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Cafe, an upscale eatery in Skokie, Illinois. Her original creations range from Balsamic Onion Grilled Cheese to Lemon Berry Cupcakes. “She‘s phenomenal,” Klein says. “We couldn’t do this without her.”

Beyond the delicious food, store patrons can expect rousing games of Settlers of Catan, Dungeons & Dragons campaigns and a weekly board game night. Klein likes to say there’s something for everyone.

Today, players mull around the store, catching up with old friends or meeting new players. At the back of the room, a boisterous laugh erupts from a group huddled around an intricately arranged board.

Emmett Hilly, a sophomore at Northwestern, has visited the store a few times over the past year. “There’s a lot of theory about why people play games,” Hilly says. “But one of the central engagements is camaraderie. I like a good challenge and I’m competitive. Those are the two big drivers for me.”

The little shop doesn’t just attract the local community, though. At Magic the Gathering tournaments, players come to the store from as far as Indianapolis to gain a fighting chance at winning larger national brackets.

With sandwiches, steaming cups of coffee, and a tight-knit community backing him up, Klein says he’s prepared to make Evanston Games & Café bigger and better than ever before. “Even before I opened, an incredible community started forming here,” he says. “I’m not going anywhere.”

GAME CHANGERS

Wondering what game to play next Saturday night? We caught up with Eli Klein, owner of Evanston Games & Café, to get his expert recommendations.

SCYTHE

1-5 players | 115+ minutes $59.99 Set in 1920s Europe, players race to complete six of nine possible objectives, including building structures, constructing mechs, recruiting villagers and collecting different types of resources.

SPLENDOR

2-4 players | 30+ minutes $39.99 Step into the shoes of an enterprising Renaissance-era merchant as you construct mines, collect gems and eventually sell your jewels to wealthy patrons in a race to acquire as much wealth as possible.

LORDSOF WA T E R D E E P

2-5 players | 90+ minutes $49.99 From the minds behind Dungeons & Dragons, players go on quests and engage in sabotage and subterfuge to gain control of an ancient city over eight rounds of gameplay.