The Daily Northwestern Tuesday, April 11, 2017
DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM 8 SPORTS/Women’s Tennis
3 CAMPUS/Sex Week
Wildcats dominate on Indiana road trip
Body piercing artist visits Northwestern for Sex Week, encourages body expression
Find us online @thedailynu 4 OPINION/Oh
‘Moonlight’ illustrates need for film diversity
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First-year crew team member Mohammed Ramzan dies
Ramzan fell into water during early Monday practice, body recovered by authorities after lengthy search By MARIANA ALFARO and ALLYSON CHIU
daily senior staffers @marianaa_alfaro, @ _allysonchiu
First-year student Mohammed Ramzan died Monday after falling into the North Shore Channel during a Northwestern men’s crew team practice, University officials said. Ramzan, 19, went missing Monday morning after falling off a nine-person shell during practice on the channel in Lincolnwood. University spokesman Al Cubbage said police were notified around 7:40 a.m. about the incident. In an email to students, vice president for student affairs Patricia Telles-Irvin said authorities recovered Ramzan’s body Monday evening from the channel. “We extend our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to Mohammed’s family and friends
for this tragic loss, which affects us all,” she said in the email. Ramzan was a first-year student from Auburn, Washington, Telles-Irvin said. In addition to the crew team, he was involved with the Freshman Urban Program and the Northwestern Quest Scholars Network. The NU men’s crew team had started practice Monday morning at the Skokie Park District Rowing Center on the corner of Oakton Street and McCormick Boulevard. After the student fell into the water, a coach in a motorized launch vehicle nearby and a team member went into the water to try to rescue him, Cubbage said. Lincolnwood fire chief Michael Hansen said the two men who attempted to rescue the student were taken to a hospital for nonlife threatening injuries. A fireman at the scene was also taken to a hospital after getting injured
during the search, Hansen said. Early Monday afternoon, Hansen said the Illinois Mutual Aid Box Alarm System was activated when the student went missing. The Lincolnwood fire and police departments were looking for the student, he said, and authorities were using radars to find the student’s body. The search lasted all day, TellesIrvin said in the email. Cubbage said search and recovery efforts were led by Illinois State Police. In an email early Monday afternoon, Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Jason Bradley told The Daily several law enforcement and fire department agencies were involved in the search, including a multi-jurisdictional fire department dive team. Cubbage said the crew team is a club team, and has been operating since the 1980s with no serious
Allie Goulding/The Daily Northwestern
» See RAMZAN, page 5 Mohammed Ramzan
Reclaim Evanston backs winners City employee Progressive group endorsed 2 victorious candidates for council, clerk By KRISTINA KARISCH
the daily northwestern @kristinakarisch
Reclaim Evanston, an organization that supports progressive legislation and candidates in local races, endorsed two winning candidates in this month’s municipal election.
The organization endorsed and supported the campaigns of Robin Rue Simmons and Devon Reid, who won the positions of 5th Ward alderman and city clerk, respectively. In addition, the group worked with Rob Bady, who narrowly lost the 8th Ward race against incumbent Ald. Ann Rainey (8th), according
to unofficial numbers from the Cook County clerk website. Reclaim Evanston is a chapter of Reclaim Chicago, an organization dedicated to aiding progressive candidates and fighting for economic, racial and gender equality. Tyler Darnell, an organizer for Reclaim Evanston, said the group works with its
grassroots leaders to interview candidates, and — if they align with its policy ideas and share its views — endorse their campaigns. “We work with (the candidates’) campaigns to different degrees,” Darnell said. “We are led by our grassroots » See RECLAIM, page 5
Source: Linda Del Bosque
Kellogg Prof. Robert Wolcott speaks Monday at the Entrepreneur and Leadership Women’s Conference. The event, hosted by Evanston Woman Magazine, aimed to connect female entrepreneurs with local resources.
Conference encourages female leaders
By MADDIE BURAKOFF
daily senior staffer @madsburk
In the eyes of Linda Del Bosque, women run the world of Evanston entrepreneurship. “Evanston is known for
empowerment,” said Del Bosque, publisher and editor in chief of Evanston Woman Magazine. “Women do dominate the entrepreneurship here in Evanston, and it’s because we are the fabric of empowerment and voice.” Thirty-five female leaders
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
came together at the Holiday Inn — 1501 Sherman Ave. — for the first Entrepreneur and Leadership Women’s Conference on Monday. Del Bosque said the five-hour event was organized by her magazine, and included networking opportunities and speakers
designed to educate women in business about local resources. The conference took about six weeks to plan, Del Bosque said, and was also sponsored by Acquirent, Northwestern and Hagerty Consulting » See WOMEN, page 5
wins green award Environmental services chief honored for work By SOPHIE MANN
daily senior staffer @sophiemmann
Paul D’Agostino didn’t realize he was up for the Chicago Audubon Society’s Protector of the Environment award until he received an email saying he won it. D’Agostino, who has served as Evanston’s environmental services bureau chief for nearly 30 years, was given the award in the political services category March 25 for his work building the Clark Street Beach Bird Sanctuary. The sanctuary works to attract and support migrating birds along the city’s lakefront. The project began after Northwestern needed to uproot trees on city property to build the Segal Visitors Center, D’Agostino said. “(Northwestern) gave us a check for $173,900 and that was back in December of 2012, so it was my task to … hold that money aside and not let the city suck it up into their general fund so we (could) replant the area once the building was finished,” D’Agostino said. The city used the money to hire a contractor and redesign the beach, a project that began in fall 2015 and was completed last spring, D’Agostino said. Additionally, the city received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which will be used for further planting and restoring of the area. That project will be completed by spring 2018,
D’Agostino said. Along with his efforts, D’Agostino said the Evanston North Shore Bird Club and volunteers — “bird sanctuary stewards” — also help maintain the area. “They point out invasive (plants) that they treat and try to get rid of,” he said. “It’s a really successful community project; not only is it Northwestern’s money and our project, but we have a lot of volunteers.” One of those volunteers, Libby Hill, was also given an award in the individual acts category. Hill is the program chair for the bird club and said she wants to work with community members to make Evanston a “conservation community.” When Hill heard about the visitors center, she said she started working with D’Agostino and another volunteer to have NU pay for the restoration of the land. “I realized it was going to be right on the border and was indeed going to take down this area that the birds had used for migration,” said Hill, who has been a member of the bird club since about 1990. “It seemed to me that it’s only right that Northwestern had to pay for all the trees that had to be taken down.” Award recipients are chosen biennially by a Chicago Audubon Society committee. The committee looks at significant conservation efforts in the Chicago area in the two years between ceremonies. CAS board president Dave Willard said this project was a great example of citizens working with government officials to » See AWARD, page 5
INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Opinion 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 6 | Sports 8
2 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2017
AROUND TOWN City Council approves Board of Ethics appointees By DAVID FISHMAN
daily senior staffer @davidpkfishman
City Council appointed two new members to the Board of Ethics and reappointed another Monday night, rounding out a contentious election season that saw numerous ethics claims from various candidates. The two new members — Rotary Foundation employee Karena Bierman and Coast Guard law enforcement specialist Vincent Thomas, Jr. — were appointed despite objections from Ald. Judy Fiske (1st) and Ald. Brian Miller (9th). Kelda Harris-Harty, also opposed by the two aldermen, was reappointed to serve a second term on the board. The board is scheduled to meet April 18 to hear a number of leftover cases from the municipal elections. The decision to appoint new members came after the Board of Ethics failed to reach a quorum last month, rendering it unable to rule on outstanding ethics issues concerning the recent election cycle. The normally fivemember board is tasked with making findings of fact and issuing advisory opinions to City Council on “questions of possible unethical conduct or conflict of interest.” Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, who is responsible for appointing members to the board, said at Monday’s meeting that it was “traditional” to reappoint members. Tisdahl has not appointed
POLICE BLOTTER Evanston woman arrested for domestic battery A 45-year-old Evanston woman was arrested at 2:40 a.m. on Saturday in connection with a domestic battery report after multiple altercations erupted between her and her child’s father at her home in south Evanston. Police were first called to the home in the 800
Daily file photo by Katie Pach
Ald. Judy Fiske (1st) speaks at a City Council meeting. Fiske on Monday objected to the appointment of new members to the Board of Ethics citing a potential appearance of a conflict.
anyone new to the board in recent years. But Fiske said because the mayor was named in one of the board’s pending ethics cases, she should not be involved in appointing — or reappointing — members to avoid block of Dobson Avenue just after midnight, when the 48-year-old Evanston man reported a verbal altercation between him and the woman, who was intoxicated, Evanston Police Department spokesman Perry Polinski said. The man said the woman tried to hit him, but he was uninjured. The man called a second time at around 2 a.m. and reported that the woman had pushed and shoved him, Polinski said. Officers then arrested the woman.
the appearance of a conflict. Fiske said she’d heard concerns from constituents about issues of transparency around the way city officials make decisions. Instead, Fiske suggested waiting until the Her court date has been set for April 19.
Evanston man battered, found unconscious
Residents notified an officer on patrol in downtown Evanston at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday that juveniles had battered a man in the area. The 59-year-old Evanston man was found unconscious near Church Street and Benson Avenue but regained consciousness before emergency
new City Council takes over May 8. “This is just not the right thing to do; it’s better for you to wait until the next council,” she said. “I just don’t think it’s going to hurt anyone and I think it says to the community that we care about the appearance of conflicts.” Ald. Delores Holmes (5th), however, said she felt “very hurt” after having been named three times in unresolved ethics cases. Holmes, who will retire from her position next month, has served on the council for roughly 12 years. “I’m doing this, number one, from a very selfish and personal level,” Holmes said. “I do not want to leave office with this craziness hanging over me.” Holmes said she attended an ethics board meeting March 21, only to be turned away because the group lacked a quorum. She added that the current council has an obligation to fulfill its duties. After the meeting, Fiske told The Daily she wanted to avoid any semblance of a conflict. She added that officials should be “very careful” not to betray the public’s trust. “A lot of codes of ethics are based on public perception, and if the public perceives you as being biased in any way that’s not a good thing,” Fiske told The Daily. “In a community this size, you’ve got to make sure that people trust … that you’re going to be making an impartial and informed decision.” davidpkfishman@u.northwestern.edu personnel arrived, Polinski said. He appeared to be intoxicated. The man told officers he approached a group of rowdy juveniles to address their behavior and was then struck by an unknown object from behind, Polinski said. Polinski said he could not provide suspect information. — Sophie Mann
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 3
TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2017
ON CAMPUS
Body piercing artist opens Sex Week
By CATHERINE KIM
the daily northwestern @ck_525
Renowned body piercer Elayne Angel kicked off this year’s Sex Week speaker series Monday evening by introducing students to different types of genital piercings during an event at Harris Hall. NU Sex Week, which is sponsored by College Feminists, invited Angel to speak to students about the variety of body modifications used for both sexual enhancement and ornament. Angel, who has been in the industry for more than 20 years and is the author of “The Piercing Bible,” said genital piercings can be beneficial for both users and their partners. “It might be through improvements in selfesteem and body image, through wearing jewelry that touches parts of your body and nerve endings that would stimulate you, or wearing jewelry that touches your partner during sexual activities,” Angel said. “It can definitely add sensation, definitely add focus and add some spice.” Throughout her presentation, Angel showed several different piercings and the ideal anatomy for each procedure. Angel stressed the importance of thorough examination of one’s anatomy before
Inaugural Global Humanities Translation Prize winners selected
Northwestern’s Global Humanities Initiative and Northwestern University Press selected two inaugural winners of the Global Humanities Translation Prize for an “in-progress translation” of marginal scholarly or literary texts and texts of non-Western origin, according to a University news release sent out Friday. The winners, who each received $5,000, are working on translating texts that meet the prize’s goal of “(promoting) translations that make the greatest contribution to literature and the humanities.”
receiving each piercing and showed examples of procedures going wrong due to poor position judgement. Angel said she finds her career “validated” when she is able to help her clients with their self-esteem through her work. For example, she mentioned a client who was unable to pierce her inner labia symmetrically on both sides because of their unequal orientations. Rather than giving up, Angel urged her client to “celebrate her asymmetry” by only getting a piercing on one side. “She just walked out a totally new person,” Angel said. “Absolutely took a part of her that she wasn’t comfortable about, was embarrassed about, and she left feeling proud of it and happy.” Angel urged students to visit accredited studios because of genital piercings’ “niche nature.” She said because it is a rarer body modification, there are fewer regulations surrounding it, leading to the risk of poorly done procedures, immense pain and loss of pleasure. Weinberg senior Wan Kwok, NU Sex Week codirector, said the purpose of the week of programming is to generate discussion among students on topics that are often seen as “provocative.” She said sex is something people focus their lives on but don’t talk about enough openly, and the group hopes to
change that. Kwok said Angel was specifically invited to speak at the event to address the stigmatization of genital piercings, especially those for sexual enhancement. Though it may be deemed as “extreme” or “niche,” she said people should see past their perceptions and explore something new. “I also hope that they open their minds a little bit to things we modify for sexual pleasure because we go around in our daily lives and … modify things like our hair and how we look, and why is that any less extreme than something we would do for sex?” she said. Communication freshman Kimani Isaac said she enjoyed the event because it showed how women “took back their bodies” through body modification. She said she saw body piercings as an expression of one’s identity, which can often make a powerful statement. “Female sexuality has been policed for so long, and the reins are kind of free right now,” she said. “It’s important that women be educated about their bodies, about pleasure and that they have the permission for themselves, by themselves, to themselves to pleasure themselves.”
Carl Ernst, the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Islamic studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is currently working on translations and annotations for Mansur al-Hallaj’s classical Arabic poems. Half of the 118 poems Ernst translated have never appeared in English. Though al-Hallaj is often regarded as a “pivotal figure in the literary and mystical cultures” of the Islamic world, Ernst’s translation would be the first fully comprehensive English edition of his work. Jason Grunebaum, a senior lecturer of Hindi at the University of Chicago, and Ulrike Stark, professor in the South Asian languages and civilizations department at UChicago, also received a prize for their work translating Manzoor Ahtesham’s “The Tale of the Missing Man” from modern Hindi. Ahtesham’s novel, a “milestone of modern
Indo-Muslim literature,” explores the Indo-Muslim psyche after the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent. Supported by both the Buffett Institute for Global Studies and the Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities, the Global Humanities Initiative aims to bring scholarly attention to works not often studied in the Western canon. Northwestern history Prof. Rajeev Kinra, cofounder of the initiative, described the prize in the news release as one which “(places) Northwestern University at the center of a vital international conversation about the continuing role of the humanities in building a more just, tolerant and humane 21st century.”
catherinekim2020@u.northwestern.edu
— Jake Holland
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Tuesday, April 11, 2017
‘Moonlight’ illustrates need for diverse storytelling LOUIS OH
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Last weekend Barry Jenkins — director of this year’s Oscar winner for best picture, “Moonlight” — came to speak on campus. Like quite a few of you, I was there. The event started with a screening of the film. It was my second time seeing it. Again, I soaked myself in the imaginative compositional flow, the carefully evocative sounds, the emotional density of silence, the raw vulnerability of its characters, the tender connections between its actors. Like with any great film, the repeated viewing left me with even more. I was reminded of why, despite expecting “La La Land” to win best picture, in my heart I still rooted for “Moonlight.” For a brief moment my expectations had been met. As “La La Land” was announced winner of the night, its cast and crew took to the stage and nearly finished speeches before the historic mixup was revealed. Against the odds, and in the craziest way anyone could imagine, “Moonlight” won best picture. I loved “La La Land,” and saw it multiple times as well, but this was a different sort of triumph. I remember feeling lost for words leaving the theater after seeing “Moonlight” the first time
around, deeply entranced by Little/Chiron/Black (Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes). The emotional intimacy Jenkins, and his cast and crew, elicits with the audience was powerful. Perhaps this is why, as Jenkins later remarked in his discussion at Northwestern, the film gained so much traction despite its limited release. For me, one of the best results of the film’s Oscar win is that it will receive an extra distribution push in otherwise unlikely places, like Korea where I grew up. Perhaps, through the sheer force of the art, “Moonlight” could pry open a few hearts and minds in a country that still tends to deny homosexuality and is inundated with racism and colorism. As I listened to Jenkins speak in the Q&A after the screening, it became clear to me that this beauty and tender power stemmed from how intensely Jenkins cared about and respected the story. Jenkins revealed that while his own influences very much manifested themselves in the film, more importantly, it was inherently a projection of playwright Tarell McCraney’s work, an unpublished semi-autobiographical script upon which the film was adapted. Jenkins spoke of the authenticity of lived experience. He recognized the limits of telling the story of a gay, black man’s self-reconciliation as a straight, black man. Deeply aware of this, he worked closely with McCraney, who eventually concluded their remote collaboration with trust that Jenkins would truly tell their story. It becomes
clear in the craftsmanship that the director sought to do right. I am neither black nor gay, but perhaps this is why I left the theater so impacted, so enraptured by a story nothing like my own. I believe it was for many of you, too.
”
We dreamt and told great stories of space travel long before it was realized (and no filmmaker is also an astronaut, yet).
However, all of this stood as a stark contrast to another side of the industry I was seeing. The weeks prior to this event had been particularly frustrating and disheartening in terms of entertainment for Asian Americans like me. Marvel’s “Iron Fist” on Netflix and Scarlett Johansson’s “Ghost in the Shell,” a film adaptation of classic manga and anime, have garnered wide criticism. Choices made in these productions displayed what seems more like superficial infatuation of the aesthetic of Asian culture rather than deep respect and cultural competence. They lacked care and sensitivity. Instead, they were full of disappointing excuses. Should it be to anyone’s surprise that they both had little popular or critical acclaim? I do not mean to
suggest that an Asian protagonist will undoubtedly lead to box office success. However, perhaps such mishandlings and under-representations of Asian identities and culture are indicative of a general insufficiency of care and respect for the stories they mean to tell. So many of us here at Northwestern are budding storytellers in one way or another: theater and Radio, Television and Film majors in the School of Communication, journalism majors like myself, creative writers and art majors in Weinberg, and anyone else with a passion for storytelling. I do not mean to bar any of you from engaging in and telling stories deriving from my or anyone else’s culture. Like Jenkins said, we dreamt and told great stories of space travel long before it was realized (and no filmmaker is also an astronaut, yet). If anything, more stories about people beyond white men wait desperately to be told. But please, I ask that you approach it with all the care and love you can muster for those of whom the elements you borrow are their reality. Louis Oh is a Medill junior. He can be contacted at eunsangoh2017@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
Respect for judiciary judgement crucial to democracy JOSE TREJOS
DAILY COLUMNIST
After a failed and misguided attempt at a Democratic filibuster, Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch was confirmed to the Supreme Court on Friday. While it was no surprise that Democrats did everything in their power to block the appointment of a conservative justice to the Supreme Court, some of the arguments they presented against Gorsuch displayed views about the role of the judiciary that I found downright scary. For decades, liberals have relied on the judiciary to pass left-wing policies instead of objectively interpreting the law, and this has increasingly perverted the role of the Court to that of a petty political office. The main charge Democrats repeatedly brought against Justice Gorsuch was that he fails to rule “for the little guy,” as Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) put it during the confirmation hearing. The most prominent example was the socalled “frozen trucker” case, in which a TransAm trucker was fired for using his truck without authorization to avoid dying in a snowstorm, after which Gorsuch ruled in favor of TransAm.
TransAm’s actions do exemplify a company’s unfairness and wanton cruelty against its employees. However, it is important to understand the reasoning behind Gorsuch’s ruling: the law was simply on TransAm’s side. When justices are expected to ignore the law to “do what is right,” we inject massive subjectivity into decisions that actively determine people’s lives. It is a system in which every defendant’s fate is determined by chance: who the judge is and what mood they are in. In the frozen trucker case, Gorsuch was certainly not claiming that worrying about the little guy has no place in law. Fighting for the little guy is indeed a crucial trait to look for when electing congressmen and other legislators. Gorsuch simply stands for the idea that judges — who are never elected nor given the constitutional burden of writing law — should not wield their authority to carry out their personal beliefs. In policy, the liberal mentality of judicial activism can lead to fairly transparent abuse, as was displayed a few weeks ago when a Hawaii judge decided to block Trump’s second attempt at implementing a travel ban. Personally, I have strongly opposed the travel ban, although what I saw as the more egregious contents, such as targeting holders of green cards and sponsored migrants such as students, were removed in the second implementation. However, the reasoning behind the ruling
was alarming. Judge Derrick Watson largely based his decision on the “religious animus” that he personally perceived to be the motivation behind the order, making few references to any actual laws. This ruling ultimately assumes that the man democratically elected to office with the explicit legal authority to pass this ban cannot exert their powers unless judges like Watson approve of them. In practice, it means judges like Watson have the dictatorial power to can stop whatever laws they don’t personally agree with. Losing an election means seeing the world get worse. Presumably, one believes the other side’s policies can hurt the economy and human progress, lead to injustices and even put the country’s existence at risk. And by all means, Democrats should fight policies they do not believe in as much as they can within the political system. However, if we are to call ourselves a democracy, we cannot continue to have judges pass policies they want whenever elected representatives “fail” to do so, as is ultimately the idea behind judicial philosophies like the Living Constitution. I am not unsympathetic about why Democrats have come to embrace the idea of judges as the ultimate lawmakers. Some core Democratic ideals have been realized through acts of judicial activism such as Roe v. Wade, which cited the “penumbras” of Constitutional rights to grant something its
Media provides ‘political cover’ to military
RYAN MASSON
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Immediately following the Trump administration’s missile strike on the al-Shayrat airbase in Syria last Thursday, voices in the mainstream media started manufacturing consent for another war in the Middle East. As news of the attack broke, cable news networks including CNN, MSNBC and Fox News rolled through a number of guest contributors to speak on the issue, but it seemed to me they failed to include a voice clearly dissenting from the government line that the strike was a good choice. Most of any critique stood on tactical grounds, as if there was already wide agreement on the merits. And then, a range of pundits started coming out with rhetoric that glorified the United States war machine. On Thursday night during live coverage of the attack, MSNBC anchor Brian Williams gushed over American military power, describing images of the attack as “beautiful pictures at night from the decks of these two U.S. Navy vessels in the eastern Mediterranean.” He then quoted a Leonard Cohen song: “I am guided by the beauty of our weapons.” Though Williams did immediately receive backlash for this, it was nonetheless astounding to see the anchor of a network often labeled as progressive to easily slip into jingoistic rhetoric, and abandon an
impartial voice about the event. The next morning on CNN, when asked, “What changed last night?” columnist Fareed Zakaria said Trump “became president of the United States.” His statement was troubling for two reasons. First, it expected the audience to believe there is nothing to question about the merits of the strike. Second, it advanced a knee-jerk militaristic viewpoint, where launching missiles immediately makes a president more presidential. Statements like these were not limited to television news. On the Wednesday before the missile strike, widely read New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman directly advocated for a full-scale regime change in Syria. He called for action too reminiscent of the Iraq War, saying “the least bad solution is a partition of Syria and the creation of a primarily Sunni protected area — protected by an international force, including, if necessary, some U.S. troops.” And on Friday, The New York Times published an egregiously spun story on the attack, headlined “On Syria Attack, Trump’s Heart Came First.” Although The Times later changed the headline, perhaps due to Twitter backlash, its original instinct was to play up the government narrative that this missile attack is part of a humanitarian mission. We should know by now that “humanitarian” interventionism is a lie. These huge TV networks and newspapers are how most Americans get their news. But if they are all you listen to right now, you’re not going to hear
adequate time given to voices who unequivocally oppose this increase in U.S. military action. There is a host of reasons to dissent. We have now bombed every side in the Syrian Civil War. We have been launching heavy strikes in Syria and Iraq for years; just last month we killed nearly 300 civilians in one airstrike in western Mosul. Fourteen years ago, we launched a catastrophic intervention in Iraq that destabilized the region, killed hundreds of thousands and set the stage for ISIS. And as we speak, we are supporting Saudi Arabia in a barbaric military campaign in Yemen that has killed thousands of civilians and left millions on the brink of famine. Looking at this landscape, how does further escalation of violence look like a good idea to anyone? The United States government is not willing, as always, to determine if there is public consent for military action abroad. But why attempt to do so, when CNN, MSNBC and The New York Times will provide instant political cover? Because of the rhetoric that flooded media after Trump’s missile strike, I am worried our country could be pulled into another disastrous interventionist project. Ryan Masson is a Weinberg senior. He can be contacted at ryanmasson2017@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
authors clearly never considered. However, the Supreme Court has a job to do that deserves to be carried out properly. It is there to protect what our society decided to be its core ideals in our Constitution, from freedom of speech to the right to equal treatment under the law regardless of race. Every time the court is used to push personal political priorities, our society’s commitment to these ideals is implicitly weakened. The late Justice Antonin Scalia would pride himself in a willingness to rule against his own beliefs when the law wasn’t on his side, once famously asking for a stamp that read “Stupid but Constitutional!” Such an ideal, in which judges can completely set aside their backgrounds and beliefs to dispassionately carry out the law, calls for almost inhumanly rational judgment. However, it is the only system that offers a world in which the people can honestly trust in a democratic system and in a fair hearing. Our new justice is one that will strive for that ideal. Jose Trejos is a Weinberg sophomore. He can be contacted at josetrejos2019@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern. com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
The Daily Northwestern Volume 137, Issue 101 Editor in Chief Peter Kotecki
Opinion Editor Yvonne Kim
Managing Editors Mariana Alfaro Matthew Choi Nora Shelly
Assistant Opinion Editor Troy Closson
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR may be sent to 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, via fax at 847-491-9905, via e-mail to opinion@ dailynorthwestern.com or by dropping a letter in the box outside The Daily office. Letters have the following requirements: • Should be typed and double-spaced • Should include the author’s name, signature, school, class and phone number. • Should be fewer than 300 words They will be checked for authenticity and may be edited for length, clarity, style and grammar. Letters, columns and cartoons contain the opinion of the authors, not Students Publishing Co. Inc. Submissions signed by more than three people must include at least one and no more than three names designated to represent the group. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daily’s student editorial board and not the opinions of either Northwestern University or Students Publishing Co. Inc.
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 5
TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2017
RAMZAN
together and supporting one another.”
From page 1
incidents during that time. “As we remember Mohammed, we must be intentional about taking care of each other,” Telles-Irvin said in a news release. “This is a time for pulling
Matthew Choi and Nora Shelly contributed reporting. alfaro@u.northwestern.edu allysonchiu2018@u.northwestern.edu
Allie Goulding/The Daily Northwestern
Search teams look for Northwestern student Mohammed Ramzan, who went missing during a men’s crew team practice Monday. Authorities recovered the student’s body later in the day from the North Shore Channel.
RECLAIM From page 1
leaders in these areas.” When candidates are endorsed by the organization, its volunteers go door to door canvassing and speaking to residents. Darnell said volunteers also make phone calls to potential supporters. When workers with Reclaim Evanston knock on doors, Darnell said they do not immediately focus on the candidate and their position, but ask the resident for their concerns. “We try to start our conversations first with people based on values, before we talk about candidates,” he said. “We try to … ask them what kind of problems they see in their community, what they want to be fixed, what Evanston could be like ideally for them.”
A news release sent out by Reclaim Evanston states that in the months leading up to the April 4 election, the organization made a combined 25,000 door knocks and phone calls. According to the release, the group had 400 volunteer shifts for its endorsed candidates from the beginning of January until the election. Simmons, who was endorsed by the organization, was elected as 5th Ward alderman with nearly 61 percent of the vote. She said the group’s support was an honor, and that the organization’s values on affordable housing and “liveable” wages lined up with her own. Reid, who won his race with 63 percent of the vote, was also endorsed by the organization. “Their support made a huge difference to my campaign,” Reid said. “We were going to doors every single weekend talking to voters one-onone. There’s nothing like face-to-face contact
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FEDERAL WORK-‐STUDY
WOMEN From page 1
— which is owned by businessman Steve Hagerty, who will likely become Evanston’s next mayor. One of the conference’s speakers was Tricia Spellman, founder and CEO of Marketing Intelligence On Demand, an Evanston-based strategic marketing and public relations firm. In a speech, Spellman discussed strategies for expanding marketing power. Because women remain a minority in business leadership, she said, it was valuable for them to come together and exchange ideas. Spellman said Evanston is generally a supportive place for both male and female business leaders. “It’s great for entrepreneurship — it’s a very tight-knit community,” she said. “The culture in Evanston, especially with the University and Kellogg (School of Management), fosters creativity.” The conference’s keynote speaker was Maudlyne Ihejirika (Medill ’87), a columnist and reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. In 2016, Ihejirika published her first book, “Escape from Nigeria: A Memoir of Faith, Love and War,” after what she said was a 17-year writing process. At the conference, Ihejirika read selections from her book and discussed President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on immigration. She said if the United States had not with other folks who are passionate about their community and making it a better place.” Darnell said his organization places an emphasis on municipal elections. He said local issues are what affect residents in their everyday lives, and get people interested in politics. Evanston had the second highest turnout rate — roughly 36 percent, or more than 18,000 voters — among Cook County municipalities with contested mayoral or presidential races. “(Municipal elections) are no less important than a presidential election, or an election for Congress,” Darnell said. “Talking to people about the stuff that impacts them every day — like potholes and rat problems — is the place where you can most get people interested in politics.” kristinakarisch2020@u.northwestern.edu
been welcoming to refugees and immigrants in the past, she “would not be alive today.” Ihejirika’s book tells the story of her family’s escape from Nigeria during the Nigerian Civil War of the 1960s. Her father was studying at Kellogg at the time, and his instructor worked with four other couples to bring the rest of Ihejirika’s family to the U.S. in what she called “a heroic feat.” “By hearing my story, I hope (people) now have a new point of reference to understand what is at stake,” she said. “To feel compassion and empathy for those who are forced from their home through no fault of their own.” Other speakers included Linda Larkin, executive director of the Evanston Chamber of Commerce; Kellogg Prof. Robert Wolcott; and Ellen King and Julie Matthei from Hewn, an Evanston-based bread bakery. Del Bosque said she hopes the conference helped spur further engagement between women business leaders and local support systems. Though women entrepreneurs in Evanston are talented and supportive of one another, she said the biggest challenge they face is a lack of education about available resources. “We have a landscape right now of women who own small businesses,” Del Bosque said. “But the potential of them downsizing and closing is greater if they don’t see the knowledge and the education.” madelineburakoff2020@u.northwestern.edu
AWARD
From page 1 mitigate habitat loss. “With development pressures like Northwestern’s up and down the lakefront, Libby’s and Paul’s efforts help others see just what is possible,” Willard said. D’Agostino said the award is proof that his work is being recognized, and it shows Evanston’s growth as a community that cares about the environment. “It shows Evanston’s commitment to conservation,” D’Agostino said. “For me personally, it’s just another recognition of the work I’ve been doing in the City of Evanston for the past 30 years, which is kind of nice.” sophiemann2018@u.northwestern.edu
6 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
Schakowsky protests United Airlines forcible passenger removal
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) released a statement Monday criticizing United Airlines’ policy and handling of an incident this weekend, after a video surfaced of the forcible removal of a United Airlines passenger off an overbooked flight from Chicago O’Hare International Airport. In videos circulating around social media, a man on an overbooked United flight departing Sunday evening from O’Hare was pulled from his seat and dragged through the aisle by a plain-clothed police officer. Uniformed officers followed as surrounding passengers protested and filmed the confrontation. The videos show the man shouting as he is being pulled, his glasses slipping down his nose and his shirt rising to expose his midriff. In a telephone interview with The New York Times, United spokesman Charlie Hobart said four passengers were chosen to be bumped when no one volunteered to leave, and three went without incident. The fourth individual was asked “several times, politely” to give up
TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2017
Hip-hop, electronic musician Gramatik to perform at Dillo Day
his seat before force was used, Hobart said. United CEO Oscar Munoz called the event “upsetting” and apologized for having to reaccommodate customers. “Our team is moving with a sense of urgency to work with the authorities and conduct our own detailed review of what happened,” Munoz said in a Monday statement. “We are also reaching out to this passenger to talk directly to him and further address and resolve this situation.” Schakowsky said United choosing to forcibly remove the passenger, rather than increase its offer for monetary compensation until a passenger chose to leave willingly, was “absolutely unacceptable.” At a minimum, she said, United should change its policy and give full restitution to the individual. “The response from United Airlines has been brazenly inadequate,” Schakowsky said. “Their apology over having to ‘re-accommodate’ passengers is completely insulting, and their attempt to pass the buck by blaming the Chicago Police Department for the incident demonstrates that they do not understand the gravity of this incident.”
Slovenian-American hip-hop and electronic musician Gramatik will perform as the penultimate act at Dillo Day, Mayfest announced Monday. Gramatik, whose real name is Denis Jasarevic, has released nine studio albums. His most recent, “Epigram,” debuted in 2016. “Native Son,” from that album, is his most recent single. In a 2016 interview with Mic, Gramatik called his music a mix of samples spanning genres.The magazine called his work “rooted in blues and funk.” Mayfest said in a news release that it is confident Gramatik’s “unique sound will appeal to diverse musical tastes on campus.” The 32-year-old musician received nominations at the Beatport Music Awards in 2010 and 2012. Gramatik is set to play at Lollapalooza this summer. He is known for saying it is “morally right for music to be primarily free” and has fought against internet censorship policies. All of his music is available for
‘Viral’ illnesses reported in certain Northwestern on-campus buildings
— Rishika Dugyala
University officials have received reports of illness in residents living in certain on-campus buildings, executive director of residential services Jennifer Luttig-Komrosky said in an email. The cause of the illnesses is unknown, but Luttig-Komrosky said the symptoms of diarrhea,
Five to receive University honorary degrees during 2017 commencement
Five “distinguished individuals” will receive honorary degrees from Northwestern during this year’s graduation ceremony, including commencement speaker Billie Jean King. Harvard University Prof. Donald Rubin, Washington University School of Law Prof. Leila Sadat, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Garry Wills and science policymaker Wei Yang will join King at Ryan Field on graduation day, according to a University news release. King, described in the release as a “champion of social change and equality,” has won 39 Grand Slam singles and has been a lifelong advocate for LGBTQ rights. She is also a recipient of a Presidential Medal of Freedom. Rubin joined the Harvard faculty in 1984 and is known for his work in the statistics field. He is a
Daily file photo by Katie Pach
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) speaks at an Open Communities event in February. On Monday, she released a statement condemning United Airlines’ forced removal of a passenger from an overbooked flight.
Source: Mayfest
Gramatik
free online. Gramatik is the first artist announced for Dillo Day, which is set for May 20. — Cole Paxton
nausea and vomiting are consistent with “mild, self-limited viral infection.” Staff have received the reports over the past 24 hours, Luttig-Komrosky said. Luttig-Komrosky said residential services staff is working to provide additional cleaning for “high-touch” areas such as bathrooms and community spaces. Evanston’s Department of Health and Human Services is investigating the source of the illness, Luttig-Komrosky said. — Nora Shelly
member of the National Academy of Sciences. NU’s award will be his fifth honorary degree, according to the University news release. Sadat, director of the Crimes Against Humanity initiative and president-elect of the International Law Association, has taught at Washington University since 1992. She holds law degrees from three universities — Columbia University, Tulane University and the Sorbonne Law School at the University of Paris. Wills, a journalist and author, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1993. He has written more than 40 books and taught history at Johns Hopkins University for nearly 20 years. He has worked at NU since 1980 and now serves as professor emeritus. Yang, president of the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China, was previously president of Zhejiang University in China and is an engineering expert. She holds a Ph.D. from Brown University and, according to the release, has made “fundamental contributions to the fields of fracture mechanics, mechatronic reliability and micro- and nanomechanics.” — Mariana Alfaro
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TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2017
Rauner introduces new steps in plan to combat hate crimes in Illinois
Gov. Bruce Rauner announced new developments in a plan to fight against hate crimes in Illinois by improving law enforcement training at a press conference Monday. Rauner highlighted a new partnership between Illinois State Police and the AntiDefamation League to improve hate crime training for officers. The announcement built on a four-part plan to prevent hate crimes, which seeks to improve hate crime curriculum in the public education system and strengthen hate crime laws and penalties, among other things. “As we are all too well aware, hate crimes are on the rise in America and around the world,” Rauner said at the press conference. “Violence and acts of bigotry and prejudice against people (are) purely based upon … their backgrounds, their ethnicity, their race or their religion; and we’ve got to do everything we can to work against this scourge.” In 2015, the most recent year federal statistics on hate crimes are available, the FBI reported 90 incidents of hate crimes out of 741 participating agencies in Illinois. Jessica Gall, associate regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, praised the state in taking a “leadership role” in its response to hate crimes. She said the organization looks
TENNIS
From page 8 unique weather conditions displayed toughness. Though it can be an equalizer, stronger teams can power through it, she said. The strong singles play demonstrates the Cats’ growing dominance in the Big Ten after a challenging non-conference season teeming
Ko races to top-10 finish, Orders follows close behind in 5,000 meters Sophomore Ashley Ko raced to a ninth-place finish in the 5,000-meter run at the Redbird
PAXTON From page 8
Jan. 9. Basketball immediately became a secondary concern; McKeown and his senior captains spoke often of the time they spent together off the court. NU won its first two games after Hankins’ death, but the emotional weight of the situation appeared to take its toll as the season progressed. The Cats were listless in an offensive disaster at Indiana and were stunned at the buzzer against Purdue.
”
As tempting as it may be, it is wrong to judge McKeown’s tenure by the wins and losses of the last two seasons.
forward to working with the state to develop its new police training curriculum. “Hate crimes and hate incidents have (a) unique and devastating impact in our communities,” Gall said at the press conference. “Training first responders to identify,
investigate and appropriately respond to these types of crimes will only serve to strengthen the relationships that law enforcement has in our community.”
with top-10 teams. Even when playing weaker teams, Larner said the team doesn’t take any match lightly. “We’ve gotten confidence from our Big Ten play,” Larner said. “I think (the beginning of the season) helped prepare us. We don’t overlook anyone.” Though NU is committed to success, the Cats must also continue to have fun on the
court, Pollard said. Especially after a rigorous beginning of the season, Pollard said, NU should savor its accomplishments. “We are enjoying our winning stretch and playing in one of the greatest conferences in the country,” Pollard said. “Enjoyment is a key to success.”
It is heinous, of course, to blame McKeown for those late-season on-court struggles. No coach could have squeezed more out of those players than him. As tempting as it may be, it is wrong to judge McKeown’s tenure by the wins and losses of the last two seasons. They have been disappointing, without any doubt, but they do not tell the full story. McKeown’s program has been a success academically and, to some degree, on the court as well. A fan suggested to me that NU has become stale, an argument difficult to rebut. Still, McKeown is bringing in the best recruiting class in the Big Ten next year and is probably a better coach than any replacement would have been. It may be harsh to say that McKeown has failed in the last two seasons. Whether he has or has not, he is still building his program. It is the right decision that he be allowed to continue building.
sophiemann2018@u.northwestern.edu
colepaxton2019@u.northwestern.edu
Source: Nancy Stone (Chicago Tribune/TNS)
Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks at an event. Rauner on Monday introduced new steps to combat hate crimes in Illinois.
Invitational on Saturday, clocking a time of 19:07.04 in Normal, Illinois. Ko was one of two Northwestern runners who competed in the weekend’s invitational at Illinois State, with fellow sophomore Mary Orders also representing the Wildcats downstate. Orders crossed the line in 19:24.32, good for 12th place. Orders and Ko last saw race action at the
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Orange and Blue Open in Champaign, Illinois in one of NU’s final races of the indoor track season. The pair grabbed top-10 finishes in the 3,000-meter race, and netted times of 10:57.85 and 11:02.70, respectively. At the Redbird Invitational, NU faced a field largely composed of in-state opponents, including Loyola, Northern Illinois and Eastern Illinois
among others. NU will travel to the West Coast this week for a pair of meets in California. The Cats will compete in the Bryan Clay Invitational, hosted by Azusa Pacific, before heading to Torrance for the Mt. Sac Relays. — Ryan Wangman
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SPORTS
ON DECK APR.
12
ON THE RECORD
For us to compete for a Big Ten title, we are going to have to be outstanding at every single point. — Claire Pollard, coach
Softball NU at Loyola, 4 p.m. Wednesday
@DailyNU_Sports
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
ROLLING ALONG Cats extend Big Ten winning streak
By SOPHIE MANN
daily senior staffer @sophiemmann
With a perfect conference season in the works, Northwestern did not plan to slip up on its weekend on their road trip to Indiana. Slip up it did not. The Wildcats (11-8, 7-0 Big Ten) extended their winning streak to six after taking down Purdue (5-13, 0-7) on Saturday before trouncing Indiana (11-11, 2-5) on Sunday. The visitors took the doubles in two matches, stripping the Boilermakers of an opportunity to take an early lead. Sophomore Rheeya Doshi and junior Erin Larner opened doubles play with a 6-0 win. The No. 14 team of juniors Alex Chatt and Maddie Lipp then sealed the victory for the Cats, winning 6-2. In singles, senior Jillian Rooney, Chatt, Lipp and Larner all won their matches in straight sets, earning the sweep for NU. Coach Claire Pollard said though the team is still working on its doubles lineup, it is important to not only win the doubles point, but be solid at every stage of competition. “It’s fun to be able to see a new lineup that looks really good,” Pollard said. “For us to compete for a Big Ten title, we are going to have be outstanding at every single
Northwestern
5
Purdue
0 7
Northwestern
Indiana
0
Leo Kaplan takes his lead. The freshman outfielder and the Wildcats are looking to translate this weekend’s success into midweek games.
» See PAXTON, page 7
» See TENNIS, page 7
NU looks to stay sharp in midweek games Coming off rare back-to-back conference wins, Northwestern is looking to keep its positive momentum rolling this week against Western Michigan and Bradley. The Wildcats took two of three games from Iowa last weekend, but this season NU is only 1-3 in midweek games, and has generally failed to carry any weekend momentum into its other performances. “Iowa’s one of the better teams in the Big Ten,” senior pitcher Pete Hofman said. “This series really showed us that we could hang and then carrying that momentum and success into the midweeks and then into the next one will be big for us.” Seniors Josh Davis and Cooper Wetherbee have held down the midweek starts for the Cats so far this season as they’ve combined for two of the top three ERAs on the team. Wetherbee boasts a team low 2.28 ERA, while Davis, who is slated to get the ball Tuesday, is third on the squad at 3.63. These two have shown impressive control on the season, walking only 15 batters total in 46 innings combined. Beyond the starters, the NU bullpen has struggled mightily at times this season, including in Friday’s game when juniors Richard Fordon and JR Reimer combined to allow 7 runs in the eighth inning. The next two games were a different story, with freshman Sam Lawrence throwing 5 scoreless innings Saturday and Hofman icing the Iowa bats for 3 innings Sunday. The Cats will need that weekend efficiency out of the bullpen against Western Michigan (13-14), which boasts a .302 team batting average. The Broncos, however, are not quite as
DAILY SPORTS @ckpaxton
Daily file photo by Katie Pach
point.” With a first win of the weekend in the books, the Cats traveled south to take on the Hoosiers. Not only did Doshi and Rooney open up doubles play with a quick win, Chatt and Lipp were at it again to get an early lead for NU. Even with more wind than expected, the Cats didn’t allow anything to slow them down. All six singles players won their matches — four in three sets, including a final-set tiebreak win by Doshi at No. 2 — something Pollard said she was proud of. “It was a great day, but it was windy; if you don’t use the wind, it could hurt you,” Pollard said. “We lost some really close second sets, and what I was most proud of was how quickly we got ahead in the third.” Larner echoed Pollard’s sentiment that persevering through
BASEBALL
daily senior staffer @joe_f_wilkinson
COLE PAXTON
The team accomplishments for the projected top picks in this week’s WNBA Draft are hard to miss: a magical Final Four run for Washington’s Kelsey Plum. A national title for South Carolina’s Allisha Gray. More than 120 career wins for Maryland’s Brionna Jones. Then there’s Northwestern’s Nia Coffey, who made a single NCAA Tournament appearance and saw her college career officially end with a one-sentence statement announcing the Wildcats wouldn’t play in the WNIT this year. That reflects immeasurably poorly on coach Joe McKeown. Armed with the best player and recruiting class in program history, NU was upset in the first round in 2015, then endured a pair of unfulfilling seasons that ended without the NCAA returns that should have come. The natural reaction, then, would be to call for McKeown’s firing. Without any doubt, he has woefully underachieved over the past two years. A season ago, McKeown led the Cats to a dismal 4-14 conference mark. Then this year, his team nosedived in February, losing four straight ugly games and plummeting off the tournament bubble. Both seasons, depth was an issue — a problem that falls squarely on the shoulders of the head coach, who has gotten little out of the two recruiting classes that followed Coffey’s. Last year, team chemistry seemed a concern, another poor look on McKeown. This year, the Cats’ offense was too often stuck in the mud. All those signs indicate that McKeown should be gone, and NU should move on. But that argument is superficial, fails to realize the growth of the program and ignores extenuating circumstances. When McKeown took over in 2008, he inherited a program firmly in the dumpster. His predecessor, Beth Combs, won seven Big Ten games — in her four seasons. June Olkowski was even worse, compiling a 7-73 conference mark in five years. That makes McKeown’s accomplishments all the more impressive. He led his team to the postseason in just his second year in charge. The 2015 NCAA Tournament team was NU’s first since 1997. In the past three seasons, McKeown has won more games than his two most recent predecessors combined. The Cats are not a perennial title contender, but they are a competent and respectable team. That’s because of McKeown, whose 15 NCAA Tournament appearances at George Washington are no fluke. As Coffey said of the Cats on a teleconference previewing the WNBA Draft, “they still have a long way to go, but (they’re) showing people that it is a good place to go.” There are few excuses for last season’s disaster. Untimely injuries have been a nagging concern, both an unfortunate circumstance and a bad look on McKeown’s recruiting. Then, this season, McKeown was dealt the most challenging and trying event of his career: the suicide of sophomore guard Jordan Hankins on
Daily file photo by Lauren Duquette
By JOSEPH WILKINSON
Results are poor, but McKeown should stay
Western Michigan vs. Northwestern
Northwestern vs. Bradley
Evanston, Illinois 3:30 p.m. Tuesday
Peoria, Illinois 7 p.m. Wednesday
impressive on the mound, where they have a 5.86 ERA. They were particularly poor last weekend, when they allowed 46 runs in three losses against a middling Ball State team. NU coach Spencer Allen said he hopes his team can take advantage of the struggling Western Michigan arms. “We had a chance to put up about
10 runs on Sunday,” Allen said. “That’s just the thing that I want to make sure that we do a better job of: spreading it out when we have the opportunity.” Those opportunities should be present against Bradley (12-16) as well, as the Braves have posted a poor 6.97 team ERA so far this season. In its most recent series, Bradley took two of three from Milwaukee,
but dropped the final game 13-4 on Sunday. Freshman Leo Kaplan, who started the rally against Iowa on Sunday, said he knows better than to underestimate the Cats’ upcoming opponents. “For the midweek games, just staying focused on them is crucial, even though it’s not Big Ten play,” Kaplan said. “We have a lot of momentum right now after the Air Force series and that (Iowa) series win, so we just need to continue with that momentum and continue doing what we’re doing.” josephwilkinson2019@u.northwestern.edu