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12 SPORTS/Figure Skating
NU Purple Line talks potential spring show
4 A&E
Footage released of Jan. 9 shooting
Students advocate for name inclusion
EPD and CPD communication remain unclear
Chinese students celebrate names, share their stories By WAVERLY LONG
the daily northwestern @waverly_long
By DELANEY NELSON and ALEX HARRISON
the daily northwestern @delaneygnelson @alexhairysun
Questions regarding the suspect’s motives and coordination between the Evanston and Chicago Police Departments remain unanswered, more than three weeks after a series of deadly shootings that ended in Evanston. There are no records of communications between Chicago and Evanston police about the shooter heading to Evanston, assistant city attorney Alexandra Ruggie wrote in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. On the afternoon of Jan. 9, 32-year-old Jason Nightengale fired shots at numerous locations across Chicago, starting in Hyde Park, in a pattern police described as random. He shot seven people over the course of the afternoon, before Evanston police responded to calls of shots fired at CVS and ended the spree. Nightengale fled across the street to the IHOP, 100 Asbury Ave, where he took Evanston resident Marta Torres hostage and shot her. He then ran across Asbury Ave and W Howard St toward the Dollar General, where he was shot and killed by officers. Body camera footage released by EPD through the Freedom of Information Act indicates officers fired shots across W Howard St traffic toward Nightengale. It is unclear whether any bystanders were in danger of being hit in the shootout. At least one car parked on W Howard St appears to be occupied in provided photos. EPD declined to comment on any details regarding the officer-involved shooting, citing an ongoing investigation. The night of the shooting, EPD sergeant Kenneth Carter said shots were fired at officers, the officers returned gunfire and Nightengale was struck. Carter said that Nightengale, a Chicago resident, may have had ties to Evanston. Evanston police also
» See SHOOTING, page 10 Recycle Me
High 35 Low 12
Muralists bring beauty to Evanston
After the firing of Northwestern’s cheerleading coach, questions remain about the handling of racial discrimination within the program By ALYSSA JOHNSON
the daily northwestern @amichelej
Editor’s Note: Alyssa Johnson was a member of the Northwestern cheerleading program during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. She was contacted by the Office of Equity for their investigation on Pamela Bonnevier but did not participate. Content Warning : This article includes mentions of physical harassment, racial discrimination and sexual assault. Erika Carter (SESP ’18) never imagined she would sue her alma mater. As a Black member of Northwestern’s cheer program from 2016 to 2018, she faced unequal treatment for wearing her natural hair, was forced to split up from other Black teammates on the sidelines for “optics” and was told in writing that ethnically Black hairstyles like braids were not allowed on the team. Now in her post-graduation years, she said she plans to take legal action for the racial discrimination she experienced. “I have real effects, mentally and emotionally, from being on that team,” said Carter. She received therapy from Northwestern’s Counseling and Psychological Services during her final year at the University to process the trauma of her experiences on the team. The suppression of her identity as a Black woman and the forced assimilation took a toll, she said — a sentiment others on the team echo. Carter grew up around Northwestern, went to games as a child and saw her brother graduate from the school. Now, she is planning to file a lawsuit against the University in the near future — a decision that she said did not come lightly. Her attorney is writing the complaint now, to start the process. A separate lawsuit filed Jan. 29 by a former cheerleader is alleging officials delayed investigations after she was groped and harassed by fans. “No one wants to sue their undergraduate university,” Carter said. “But at the same time, it has hurt
and taken so much away from me that I want to make that known. To me, it’s about Northwestern taking accountability for their actions.” Carter is one of many women to detail racist behavior and abuse from former Northwestern cheer coach Pamela Bonnevier. Bonnevier was fired in Fall 2020, but interviews with current and former cheer team members indicate consistent negligence and coverup from other University officials. The experiences Carter and her teammates voice raise questions about reporting processes and the handling of racism in the University’s athletic and marketing departments. A QUIET FIRING Pamela Bonnevier worked at the University for the past decade as head coordinator of the Spirit Squad and as head coach of the cheerleading team. But on Nov. 2, after a 2020 investigation conducted by the University’s Office of Equity, Deputy Director of Athletics for External Affairs Mike Polisky informed the cheer team members that Bonnevier was fired, according to Weinberg junior Brielle Hampton, a current member of the team. Northwestern did not make any announcement about the firing, and the specific findings of the investigation were not made available to the public. The former coach did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The Spirit Squad consists of 21 cheerleaders and seven Willie the Wildcat mascots. It falls under both the marketing and athletics departments but athletics considers it neither a varsity nor a club sport, meaning the oversight of the team falls almost entirely to the coach. Their contract states that “Spirit Squad responsibilities should be second only to academics.” Several cheerleaders said they were contacted by the Office of Equity early in the summer to share information on Bonnevier as witnesses in the investigation around reports involving discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct. Those who took part in the investigation recounted
» See IN FOCUS, page 6
After Weinberg junior Yujia Huang came to the U.S. for her freshman year of college, she was struck by the Sinophobia in U.S. media and the racial divide she witnessed in Northwestern’s sororities while rushing. Her experiences inspired her to create a video along with 11 other Chinese international students about the stories behind their names. “A lot of the intentions and incentives for (Yujia) to start this project was trying to eradicate some of the discrimination and bias that a lot of non-Chinese people, especially people in America, have about the Chinese community,” said Medill junior Skye Li, who participated in the video. In the video, students share the meaning of their names and why their parents chose them. Li said it was important to include the Chinese characters in the video in order to show viewers an aspect of Chinese names they don’t often see, adding that calligraphy deepens the meaning of a name. Third-year McCormick Ph.D. student Suwei Liu, who also participated in the project, said the video was a way for Chinese students to share their culture. Through sharing the meaning behind her name, Liu talked about the blessings and wishes her parents and grandparents gave her. “(This is) another side of me that I want to show to my American friends, or some foreigner friends,” Liu said. Communication and Weinberg sophomore Ruoyin ( Jonyca) Jiao, who also shared the meaning of her name in the video, said students have reached out to her after watching it to ask about her culture. She said she feels this is important because talking about her culture is a way for her to
» See NAMES, page 10 INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | A&E 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 10 | Sports 12