The Daily Northwestern Wednesday, November 15, 2017
DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM 8 SPORTS/Men’s Basketball
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3 CAMPUS/Student Groups
Cats face Bluejays in nonconference game
6 OPINION/Alfaro
Chicago poet Eve Ewing discusses significance of social issues in work
Goodnight Nevin’s, we will all miss you
‘Radical’ feminists denounce ETHS rule
City OKs drafting of Harley contract Local nonprofit to renovate, lease lakeside mansion
School policy allows transgender pupils to pick locker rooms
By KRISTINA KARISCH
daily senior staffer @kristinakarisch
Aldermen on Monday authorized the city to draft a contract with Evanston Lakehouse and Gardens to renovate and lease the Harley Clarke mansion. The historic building, located in north Evanston along the lakefront, has been vacant since 2015 when the Evanston Art Center moved out. The mansion includes lakefront access, a greenhouse and a garden. As part if its proposal, Evanston Lakehouse and Gardens will restore the property and sign a 40-year lease to operate the mansion. The renovated space would feature outdoor recreational opportunities, community meeting spaces and environmental education. According to the proposal, Evanston Lakehouse and Gardens plans to keep the building open for events and meetings, and it will install a cafe to help fund the operation. Evanston Lakehouse and Gardens was founded in 2015 to restore the Harley Clarke Mansion. Since its inception, the group has received more than $90,000 in pledges for the $5.3 million project, board president Tom Hodgman said in October. The organization is looking to raise nearly $5 million of the costs through a capital fundraising campaign. In the original proposal, Evanston earmarked a $250,000 contribution. However, Ald. Eleanor Revelle (7th) said because of Evanston’s current financial position — officials are trying to fill a $6 million deficit in their proposed 2018 budget — the city will no longer provide the funding. The lack of municipal contribution and high cost of the project has led some aldermen to doubt whether the nonprofit can raise necessary funds. Ald. Judy Fiske (1st) said she is concerned about fundraising, but hopes that once the group signs a contract donors will feel more comfortable contributing. “We need to have clearly identifiable benchmarks along the way,” Fiske said. “If the funds aren’t raised, I think
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By AMELIA LANGAS
the daily northwestern @amelialangas
Design by Colin Lynch, Kim Sloan
Student leaders struggle with University’s barrier-free initiative for group admissions A “mad dash”
By STAVROS AGORAKIS
daily senior staffer @stavrosagorakis
A self-described “overachiever,” Weinberg junior Danielle Hojnicki thrived in her high school social scene. As a leader and member of several organizations — National Honor Society, choir, an art club, among others — she always felt eager to pursue her extracurricular interests. But coming to Northwestern, Hojnicki said the process of applying to student groups differed significantly from her experience in high school. At NU, the extensive application process freshmen go through to get into clubs quickly crushed her eagerness. By the end of her first year, she said she was rejected by half a dozen clubs. Hojnicki said freshmen often turn to clubs to build strong communities with other students early in their college careers. Not having had this option, she said she doesn’t know what experiences she might have missed out on. Following feedback on NU’s competitive student group culture, the University proposed a plan requiring groups to adopt open admission policies. Originally announced in spring 2016 by the Student Organizations and Activities office, the initiative aims to improve the first-year experience and increase accessibility by facilitating points of entry into groups. The plan — later coined The Inclusive and BarrierFree Student Organization Engagement Initiative — was rolled out in March, SOA director Kourtney Gray said. The initiative defines an inclusive student group as one that has “no extraneous barriers to general membership” and that allows “general members full participation in meetings, events, and other organizational activities.” Administrators previously said clubs not complying with the proposal might lose recognition but have since dropped this consequence. “Removing applications or making (student group admission) less difficult would’ve been very beneficial,” Hojnicki said. “I probably would have had a different freshman year experience.” Some student leaders criticized the University’s new direction, saying administrators have not communicated well about the initiative or the extent to which it will affect student group activities. SOA associate director Tracey Gibson-Jackson said administrators are not trying to enforce a blanket policy on all student groups, but rather encourage new ways for them to promote inclusivity. “Groups are thinking, ‘Oh my God. They’re putting a policy in place,’” Gibson-Jackson said. “It’s not a policy. … We’re not forcing people to change, we’re just trying to educate students about what some of their peers are saying and about removing some barriers.”
» See HARLEY, page 7
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Undergraduate students reflecting on their firstyear experience with club recruitment said they faced unnecessary barriers to join. Hojnicki said imposing barriers on admission to student organizations can often detract from an inclusive environment. Additionally, she said, applications and “rush processes” may inhibit students from professional and personal development. Weinberg junior Emily Ash said student group recruitment can be “terribly intense,” and described it as a “mad dash.” Although she was only rejected from a couple of clubs freshman year, Ash said her expectations of the NU social scene differed from those of other students due to advice from upperclassmen. “This competitive nature of student groups was very much part of the student narrative that I got from my older friends,” she said. “They told me it’s a very intense process and that I should be prepared for rejection.” Medill sophomore Gabrielle Bienasz, who did not get into the first two groups she applied to last fall, said some of her personal recruitment experiences were “awful.” During an interview for a club sport team, Bienasz said she was asked whether she liked beer. When she responded no, the student leaders told her she gave the “wrong answer.” “Certain student groups are more selective than Northwestern itself because the qualifications to get into a student group are so ambiguous and personality based,” Bienasz said. Hojnicki said freshmen are especially eager to forge new identities in college, and being turned away from student groups often leads to feelings of isolation and issues with self-esteem. She said it can leave students asking, “Why wasn’t I good enough?” Because first-year students may become organizations’ most committed members, Ash said groups should explore the option of admitting more freshmen. She hopes the barrier-free initiative empowers students to feel more ownership over their first-year experiences. “My hope is that first-year students feel less pressured to perform or posture or agonize about how they may appear in an application or an interview and focus more on identifying the right groups that they want to prioritize being in,” she said.
Focusing on first-years
Administrators and student leaders have clashed over the initiative’s effect on the first-year experience. Vice president for student affairs Patricia TellesIrvin, whose department oversees SOA, said the administration has solicited input from the community to help shape the final initiative. » See IN FOCUS, page 4
Evanston Township High School/District 202’s newly implemented transgender locker room policy received backlash from a self-proclaimed radical feminist organization, which voiced its opposition of the policy. The Women’s Liberation Front is a grassroots international organization comprised of all-female volunteers who work to empower women and “resist all systems of oppression.” Board chair Natasha Chart told The Daily in an email that WoLF does not support ETHS’ locker room policy because it does not create a “safe or equitable learning environment” for non-transgender girls. “Girls have privacy needs related to menstruation, and are often intimidated or shamed around these needs, particularly by male peers,” Chart said. “These policies also teach girls that they can complain about unwanted exposure to male nudity everywhere except their locker rooms, where they are also expected to undress.” Kara Dansky, a spokesperson for WoLF, said the group heard about ETHS’ new policy through its involvement in the national discourse on gender identity. In 2016, WoLF filed a lawsuit in New Mexico against an Obama-era interpretation of Title IX — which bars discrimination based on sex — to include gender identity. However, Dansky said WoLF is not considering any legal action against ETHS at this time. The District 202 board voted overwhelmingly last spring to pass the new policy, which allows transgender students to pick a locker room that corresponds to their gender. Previously, transgender students could use the bathroom of their choice but had to request access to a separate locker room. Board member Gretchen Livingston, who voted for the policy, said in May that the board had an obligation to “do better” for its students. “Simply put, we do not treat our students differently on the basis of characteristics like skin color or disability, nor should we do so on the basis on gender identity,” Livingston said. » See BACKLASH, page 7
INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Opinion 6 | Classifieds & Puzzles 7 | Sports 8
2 NEWS | THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017
AROUND TOWN Local lawyer named legislative inspector general By JAKE HOLLAND
daily senior staffer @jakeholland97
Evanston lawyer Julie Porter was appointed as Illinois’ temporary legislative inspector general on Nov. 4, filling a position that had been vacant for nearly three years. As legislative inspector general, Porter is tasked with addressing complaints of law violations, abuse of authority or other forms of misconduct by members of the General Assembly and state employees. At least 27 complaints have amassed while the position was left vacant, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Porter said though the opportunity came “out of the blue,” she is “honored and excited” to take on the role. The Legislative Ethics Commission voted unanimously to appoint Porter after praising her experience. “It’s a very important post and I hope to bring to it the need for swift work and integrity and accountability that one would expect of an inspector general,” Porter said. Porter said though she will not know of case specifics until her contract is finalized, she will investigate the complaints — if relevant to the office — and seek “whatever authority” she needs from the commission to do so. Prior to assuming the role, Porter worked as an assistant United States Attorney in Chicago for 12 years, handling cases related to corporate fraud and public corruption. After leaving her post as chief of the Chicago office’s criminal division, Porter helped found Salvatore, Prescott and Porter — a
POLICE BLOTTER Chicago man arrested in Skokie in connection with Evanston thefts A 24-year-old Chicago man was arrested Thursday in Skokie in connection with multiple thefts that took place in Evanston earlier this year. An Evanston resident first called police on
firm specializing in employment law, civil rights and white collar criminal defense. Sarah Prescott (Weinberg ’99), another founding partner at the law firm, said she was “really not surprised” about Porter’s nomination. She said Porter has an “incredibly tough” reputation in both prosecution and private practice circles.
“
I hope to bring to it the need for swift work and integrity and accountability
Julie Porter, Evanston lawyer
“(Porter) is incredibly well regarded in the Chicago legal community,” Prescott said. “It is a big pond and I think of her as a very big fish in that pond.” People need a place to make complaints about public government, Prescott said, and Porter is “passionate” about addressing those concerns. She added that Porter isn’t a “yes-woman” and isn’t afraid to present a differing opinion about legal matters. Prescott said transparency is an important tenet of the position, and that she’s confident Porter will make it a priority. She added that Porter has “the integrity and backbone to say what needs to be said.” Porter said her appointment is only temporary and the commission will still seek a regular legislative inspector general. Her term runs until next June. jacobholland2020@u.northwestern.edu May 27 to report unauthorized transactions made on her debit card, Evanston police Cmdr. Joseph Dugan said. The unauthorized transactions amounted to nearly $27,000 starting in midMarch and continuing until early May. Police contacted the woman’s bank and learned that the transactions were made in Evanston and other Chicago area suburbs, Dugan said. Officers
Source: Julie Porter
Julie Porter.
were able to find video recordings of several transactions and produced still images of the alleged thief. Security personnel at the woman’s retirement community identified the man as a former employee, Dugan said. Police, however, were not able to locate the man over the summer. When police learned the man had a court
date in Skokie on Nov. 9 for an unrelated offense, they sent officers to arrest the man, Dugan said. The man was taken into custody at the Skokie courthouse and charged with three felonies: theft, possession of another’s debit card and use of an account number or code with intent to defraud. — Jake Holland
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017
ON CAMPUS Chicago poet discusses social issues By ANAMARIA SAYRE
the daily northwestern @anasayre
Poet Eve Ewing read her work to students Tuesday while explaining how it interacts with social issues and hopes to create safe spaces for people to share their stories. Ewing –– a sociologist, educator, social activist and avid Twitter user –– addressed an audience of about 35 in Lutkin Hall as part of a speaker series held by Northwestern Community Development Corps. During the event she talked about racial discrimination, police brutality and other social issues, all while reciting four of her own poems that she said embody the topics. Noah Spector, co-chair of NCDC’s Dialogue Series, told The Daily the group’s mission is to engage the greater community outside NU. “She does a lot of great work, so we thought it would be really great to bring her on campus and give students an opportunity to interact with her and learn about things that happen beyond campus,” the SESP sophomore said. Ewing told The Daily her interest in the intersections of art and society — like how people respond to their social world through literature — led her to the work she performs now. She said she tries to imagine the world differently and engages her interests through various tools of expression. She added that her experiences as a teacher influenced her work. Many of the issues she talks about are rooted in the education system, she said. “When I became a teacher, it forced me to engage with the systems that make up our society in a different way,” Ewing said. “Every day I would have a room of young people in front of me facing all these challenges … that were much bigger and beyond us and beyond the classroom.” As a scholar, Ewing said it is important to think about how society takes in facts and how people construct history. Some of her poems
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Poet Eve Ewing speaks to students at a Northwestern Community Development Core event in Lutkin Hall on Tuesday. Ewing discussed how her poetry relates to social issues, including education and racial discrimination.
deal with the question of “which history counts,” she said. Her goal, she said, is to get readers to envision a world in which progress exists and people are accepted and valued. “I hope that it creates a space for people to imagine a different reality and a different world in a space that is unfettered by practicalities,” Ewing said. “Poetry is a space where you can imagine anything.” Medill sophomore Benjamin Krieger told The Daily that to bring the change that Ewing emphasizes, the key is to be empathetic. He said people should open their eyes to the problems
that may not affect them and understand others’ difficulties. He added that though his experiences as a “cis white male” in society are far removed from many of the people who may read Ewing’s poems, that does not change the impact and the understanding which her words have on him. “It just says that you have to call out little things that happen every day,” he said. “Every time you see something that’s not right, you have to try to step in when you can. Don’t let things that are little slide.” anamariasayre2021@u.northwestern.edu
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017
IN FOCUS
rejection, and I don’t necessarily think facing rejection is a bad thing,” Restieri said.
“We heard from a lot of students, especially first-year students, that it was harder to get into a student organization than it was to get into Northwestern,” she said. “This does not align with one of our principles, which is creating that sense of community and connection and belonging.” Telles-Irvin added there are several misconceptions about students’ transition to college. While many think freshmen can “make friends right away,” she said the first year can feel “isolating and lonely” — a sentiment only reinforced when students get rejected from numerous organizations every fall.
Implications of being “barrier-free”
From page 1
But several student leaders contested this notion. McCormick juniors Molly Dudas and Sarah Wong, Mayfest’s co-directors of promotions, acknowledged NU’s competitive culture but identified several problems with admitting more members into their group. Mayfest — which puts on Dillo Day every spring — is composed of 80 students, making it already feel “like a large club,” Dudas said. She added that growing Mayfest’s general membership board, where most first-year applicants are placed, may dilute the communal experience due to a lack of responsibilities. General members typically shadow Mayfest committees and assist with various tasks. “Shadows alone jump into the committee and don’t have that many jobs to do,” Dudas said. “If there are more shadows, there are less jobs and you don’t get your feet as wet.” Communication senior Andrew Restieri, cochair of The Waa-Mu Show, said it is necessary for some groups to not have total open admission. Waa-Mu — which puts up an annual studentwritten musical — holds auditions for its cast and interviews for its executive leadership. But Restieri said the group also offers an avenue with no barriers to enter, letting students assist on the artistic and business teams. Around 200 students are involved in the production of the musical. Restieri said it’s important that Waa-Mu allows for general membership — as it can be difficult for freshmen to get involved with student theater — but that this may not apply to other organizations. He added that learning how to overcome rejection is an essential part of the college experience. “There’s a lot of real-world preparation in facing
In addition to diluting the freshman experience, the initiative has divided administrators and student leaders over its effects on attendance and engagement with clubs. Though the initiative’s guidelines allow for applications and interviews to determine leadership roles within an organization, these barriers should not be prerequisites for general membership. Gray, the SOA director, said creating a general membership group in clubs is “basically the whole initiative,” a comment that was met with criticism from some student leaders. Weinberg senior Maddie Parrott, president of the Institute for Student Business Education, said the group receives 200 to 300 applications during its fall and spring recruitment cycles. Out of all the applicants, the group admits around a third each year to maintain a roughly 300-member body. ISBE members are immediately staffed into projects within eight subgroups, which Parrott said has helped “keep students engaged from the getgo.” Creating a general membership board would largely shift their day-to-day operations, she said. Parrott believes ISBE could “slim down” membership even more to make sure students remain active and accountable in the organization to “produce the output we want.” “When you have large groups of people … it can be very easy to sit back and have other people work for you,” she said. “If you cram people into the organization, you can hit a limit.” Leaders with open group policies expressed a similar view. Weinberg junior Calvin Anderson, co-president of College Democrats, said it can be difficult to maintain high involvement because the group doesn’t enforce strict attendance policies. While some 900 students are on its email list, Anderson said only 20 to 30 are “super involved.” Weinberg freshman Hannah Mandell, who joined College Democrats and plans to remain an active member, said it’s important for leadership to consistently track student involvement. “I went to the first meeting and then the second one, and there was a huge drop off with attendance,” Mandell said. “It’s really important for (the presidents) to keep track of who’s actively involved so that those people get preference for special events.” Gray said student leaders should “get creative” to maintain attendance and engagement. “The students who aren’t fully engaged, they will fall off and won’t return,” he said. “But how do you know until you give them the opportunity? What are the ways you can empower your fellow student?” Several leaders also stressed the importance of having an application process to admit new members. Studio 22, a filmmaking group of 12 board members, asks applicants to fill out a packet and come in for an interview to share their ideas. Communication junior Megan Ballew, copresident of Studio 22, said applicants have to be motivated to both fill out the extensive packet and discuss their interest in filmmaking with board members. “In certain communities, you feel a sense of camaraderie because you all have passion and talent that someone saw in you and chose you for this group,” she said. Ballew added that general membership may promote a culture where students get into organizations to pad their resumes. Allowing these members into the group would be “very disappointing,”
she said. “It’s hard enough when you have applications and you’re working with people who’ve said, ‘I’m passionate about this organization’ … and then they get into the organization and they’re not,” she said. “With open admission, this would be even more of an issue.” Weinberg freshman Anna Derrick, who wasn’t admitted to the ski and sailing teams, said first-year students “pick and choose” what activities they’re involved in after they settle into their academics. Derrick said this makes the student group culture less competitive in the long run, as students may find it more difficult to balance a rigorous social calendar with school work. In an October interview with The Daily, University President Morton Schapiro said groups shouldn’t encourage students to sign up just to reject them later on in the application process. “My heart breaks when I meet students who come here and they’re just told ‘no,’” he said.
Struggling to communicate
Before coming to NU in spring 2016, Gray said students, Associated Student Government and staff were already talking about making the student experience more inclusive. Re-registration data from more than 340 student groups in the past two years indicates that roughly 85 percent of these groups report having “some screening process, fee, or barrier” to student engagement, according to the Student Affairs website.
Additional SOA data shows that 85 of 358 campus organizations do not identify with the barrier-free definition designed by the office, which asks groups have no “extraneous” barriers to general membership. Gray said the SOA team met with more than 40 organizations that self-reported having barriers to brainstorm changes they could implement to improve their application and member selection processes. Originally, the office planned to meet with all University-recognized groups to discuss inclusivity. In Winter Quarter, Gray said it selected 90 representative clubs for this purpose. “It was never done solely from the administrators’ point of view,” he said. “Student voice was consistently (present) through all of it … to craft the actual definition and get it out.” From October until March last year, SOA created the barrier-free definition and supported the
Katie Pach/Daily Senior Staffer
Norris University Center’s SOURCE is a multipurpose space where student groups can access resources. Several student leaders have contested the University’s initiative to remove barriers in their admission processes.
initiative’s launch via various student and administration channels — including ASG and the Division of Student Affairs. Although Gray and Gibson-Jackson said they have maintained a working relationship with ASG on the initiative since Spring Quarter, ASG President Nehaarika Mulukutla told The Daily in an email she has not been personally working with administrators on it. ASG Senate introduced a resolution in May 2016 that would disavow the proposal to push exclusive student groups to open their doors to all. The resolution, sponsored by seven ASG members and signed by nearly 50 student leaders — among them members of ISBE, Studio 22 and two club sports teams — was tabled. Former ASG President Christina Cilento (SESP ’17) told The Daily in an email that the resolution was tabled indefinitely after the Office of Campus Life decided to collect more student input on open admission policies. Referencing students’ mixed reactions about the proposal, Mulukutla also said the office “almost completely” went internal to reformulate and create the initiative in a manner that wouldn’t receive that “backlash.” Brent Turner, executive director of Campus Life, deferred comment to SOA. Gray and Telles-Irvin said the initiative has not come up during either administrator’s bi-monthly meetings with ASG. Medill senior Alecia Richards, ASG’s vice president for student activities, said her committee is working on projects to promote equality on campus. Her committee is focusing on building better connections with marginalized groups in organizations and making ASG more accessible to the student body. Richards also said ASG’s efforts may not necessarily run in conjunction with the administration’s barrier-free initiative. “I’m confident that ASG is making strides toward student group inclusivity, but we may not be calling it the same thing the administration is calling it,” she said. Administrators have struggled to inform student groups about the initiative. Last year, Gray said he met individually with 11 organizations, including Mayfest, and held some roundtables targeted at groups with barriers. Later, his office presented the initiative to the rest of the groups at the Student Organization Symposium during Spring Quarter. Gray said SOA is currently looking to further publicize and explain the initiative through social media and email blasts. Weinberg senior Ben Zimmermann, chair of Contemporary Thought Speaker Series, said he and Gray have had regular meetings to discuss making CTSS more inclusive. However, Ballew — the Studio 22 co-president — along with many other student leaders said they had not heard anything new about the initiative since last year. Ballew added that the administration is responsible for starting a conversation about the guidelines. “It’s like the University has told us, ‘Oh we’re going to do this great thing,’ and then people have questions about it, they have concerns, and (administrators) haven’t addressed anything,” Ballew said.
A shifting mission
Since the initiative was first announced in spring, many student leaders have challenged their groups’ engagement barriers and are adopting a more inclusive mindset. Weinberg junior Jonathan Jen, co-president of the Chinese Students Association, said the group saw many changes over the year partly as a response to the original open admission proposal. He said the current executive board is the first to feature two inclusion chairs, who oversee programming to make events more accessible to general members. Moreover, Jen said the board will be more proactive in planning its social and cultural events so that every level of programming targets the entire group. In addition, he said more events will be open to the entire NU community. Through discussions with Gray and the SOA office, Zimmermann — the CTSS chair — said the group is adopting the barrier-free concept by increasing co-sponsorships of its events and collaborating with more diverse student groups. Last year, CTSS organized a poll for the first time to get further input from undergraduates, which Zimmermann said allowed the organization to engage with more students. “The point (of the initiative) is not to open the flood gates and let anyone join any student group,” he said. “You’re trying to make more people have voice at the decision-making table.” Mayfest is striving for inclusivity by not limiting itself to one type of applicant, said Dudas, the group’s co-director of promotions. Dudas added that the organization tries to recruit diverse majors and music tastes in its membership by attracting a variety of applicants. The group also plans to make the interview process more transparent to help applicants understand each committee’s responsibilities, Dudas said. However, other organizations foresee difficulties adapting their operations in response to the initiative. ISBE — which receives funding from corporate sponsorships and ASG — would likely not change
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN | NEWS 5
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017 the way it allocates its resources with a larger membership, Parrott said. Currently, the group allocates its budget in a more “ad hoc” manner, she said, with the president and treasurer having regular meetings to avoid major deficits. Parrott said ISBE receives “regular pushback” from ASG regarding the group’s inability to obtain A-status recognition, which would make it eligible for more funding. Additional expenses resulting from a general membership board would likely not be covered by the student government, she said. For example, ASG would not cover costs related to food and catering that more bonding events would generate if the organization grew, she said.
Alec Carroll/The Daily Northwestern
Cahn Auditorium, where the Waa-Mu Show holds its annual musical. Communication senior Andrew Restieri, a Waa-Mu co-chair, said the group offers an avenue with no barriers to enter by letting students assist on the artistic and business teams.
“It’s hard to operate a group with limited funds when you don’t feel supported by your university,” Parrott said. “It hasn’t felt like they’re super engaged from a student group perspective.” Ballew said Studio 22 — which receives financial support from ASG and the Department of Radio, Television and Film — would avoid planning more events because there isn’t demand in the NU community. She added that over-programming can be “a waste of money,” especially if it only stems from a need to assign projects to more members. Ballew said the RTVF department has faced challenges about the number of events it holds, with some of
them being expensive but ill-attended. “Studio 22 in some ways is like my baby,” Ballew said. “I want us to get stuff done, I want us to be a positive influence in the RTVF community. If someone on the board … doesn’t feel like they have much to do or doesn’t feel like they’re making a difference, that would hurt my heart.”
Searching for solutions
Ballew said the administration needs to be more active in collecting feedback from student leaders because the University may have only considered the issue from the perspective of students who keep getting rejected from clubs. Schapiro and Telles-Irvin both said they will discuss the barrier-free initiative with their senior staffers and ASG to further examine its implications on student groups. The SOA office is planning more outreach events to educate students and staff on the initiative, as well as a second round of one-on-one
meetings with organizations that limit entry, SOA associate director Gibson-Jackson said. She added that she invites group leaders to meet with her office to discuss ways they can promote inclusivity. “This is not our office talking,” she said. “This is direct from your peers saying, ‘This is hard. This needs to change. We don’t like how this feels and we can’t be involved.’” In an effort to incentivize the adoption of more inclusive approaches to admission, SOA has developed projects to further engage the student community. Many of the conversations Gray, the SOA director, had with freshmen and student leaders concluded with them expressing a need for money to support inclusive processes, he said. Whether these funds were allocated for training members or reducing entrance fees, Gray said a lack of resources was a common barrier across many organizations. SOA is planning a new system to merge three existing funds already offered by the office into a
single grant program that encourages more access for student-led initiatives. Gray said the office has earmarked about $10,000 toward this new system, which is set to launch this week. In an effort to showcase positive aspects of the initiative, Gibson-Jackson said administrators will not penalize student groups for ignoring the guidelines. As the process of organizational recognition is filtered through SOA, she said the office will not threaten groups with the possibility of losing recognition. Gibson-Jackson added that all students deserve to have a positive NU experience, a value she hopes campus groups of all sizes begin to internalize over time. “Change doesn’t happen overnight,” she said, “but if we keep working on these little changes, it will eventually change the culture. And honestly, the students have been asking for this.” agorakis@u.northwestern.edu
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OPINION
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Goodnight sweet Nevin’s, we are going to miss you MARIANA ALFARO
DAILY COLUMNIST
We all knew it was going to happen. We were just waiting for the day. Tommy Nevin’s Pub will officially close its doors next week to make space for a fancy new building that will in no way resemble the grit and glory of Northwestern’s favorite bar. The departure of Nevin’s — which comes four years after the closure of The Keg — leaves behind a gaping hole not only in Evanston’s college bar scene but in the fabric of Northwestern society. There are only two spaces at Northwestern even remotely similar to Nevin’s — Norris and Main. In any of these places you can run into the most random people — friends, enemies, your Wildcat Welcome crush, your freshman year RA and even the occasional TA. The difference is, at Norris and Main you see these people under heaps of books and assignments, enveloped by a cloud of stress. At Nevin’s, you see them holding a $6 pitcher of Miller, enthralled in conversation with a friend, a lover or a stranger. Nevin’s was the place of awkward flirtations, “incredibly deep” philosophical conversations and where students — “21 and older” — found escape from the daily struggles of class, problem sets and student group meetings. Many hours were spent at Nevin’s throwing darts while discussing the latest Northwestern controversy and,
Jack Lido/The Daily Northwestern
Tommy Nevin’s Pub, 1454 Sherman Ave., will close Nov. 22. The bar has served generations of Northwestern students since 1990.
of course, keeping a watchful eye on the door in case that cute person from your discussion section walks in. I remember my first time at Nevin’s. It was a Thursday night in spring, I had just gotten back from a quarter away from campus and I was reuniting with friends there. Walking into the crowded, hot bar felt like a warm embrace from smiling faces I loved and missed terribly. Though not all nights at Nevin’s after that first one were great and though most will be — or have been
— forgotten, I will always remember the sight of so many different Northwestern faces coming together to celebrate another week gone in the never-ending quarter system. Like me, I imagine hundreds of students and alumni remember Nevin’s with the same hazy fondness. You don’t really get that at other Northwestern bars. These last months have been tense for our Northwestern community; it is understandable
that now more than ever we students have looked for places where we can just relax with a pint of beer and a group of friends. We joke about Evanston being “Prohibition Town,” a desert. We worry that certain spaces where alcohol is also provided can be dangerous due to uneven power dynamics. I’m not saying Nevin’s was perfect, and that things never went wrong there, but to many of us, it was a great place to go and disconnect from the pressures of being at this university. The walk — or Uber ride on cold winter nights — was short from most off-campus apartments, the costs cheap for the typical student and the music good enough to vibe with for a few seconds before going back to your “deep philosophical” conversation. That is why it is so sad to see it go. I’m a senior now, which means that in a few months I’ll be moving to a new city where I’ll ultimately be forced to make new friends with whom I’ll find a new bar. Nevin’s will be but a memory. But I still wonder, will Nevin’s become a legend, like The Keg? Will undergraduates a few years from now whisper about it, wondering what they missed due to the poor fortune of being born a few years too late? I hope so. For now, all that’s left for us is one final Thursday night. Mariana Alfaro is a Medill senior. She can be contacted at alfaro@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.
Do not stop engaging in politics; focus on local races EISH SUMRA
DAILY COLUMNIST
My most distinct memory from Election Day 2016 is standing outside a bar in Paris, stumbling around crying snowflake tears. This time last year, I sat in beautiful parks around a foreign city observing people who didn’t seem to care about the epic shift taking place across the pond. What I most poignantly remember during this period of intense confusion is sending aggressive messages to family members in our group chat. I derided them, slightly too much, as I knew some of them didn’t partake in the recent Brexit vote.
As misguided as my comments were, I stand by the sentiment that if you don’t vote and listen to others, you don’t get to have a say in political issues. There is great uncertainty these days; it often seems as if you can split the world into three emotional camps: apathy, vague concern and commitment. That middle camp is one that many Northwestern students seem to fit in. After the noise of the election, it seems like we are losing the desire to be advocates, supporters or just engaged citizens. Given the turmoil of politics around the world, just having an opinion isn’t enough. We must engage with others and, more importantly, in local political events. One way to engage is to follow the Illinois gubernatorial race. The choices couldn’t be clearer in the Democratic primary among big money, family dynasty and grassroots progressivism. Engaging in this race — which will affect our
lives as students almost as much as the presidency — is of the utmost importance. This is no time for cavalier ignorance. If you were angered by the recent presidential election, look to your local senate and house races to make a difference. These races are often ignored, despite being the most impactful for communities and offering a platform to make the loudest statements. For an example, just look at Virginia. This past week, Virginians elected the first transgender and Latina legislators to their House of Delegates. Across the country, Sikh and black politicians won mayoral races. Local politics saw a surge of diverse candidates that can be replicated in Evanston and Illinois in the midterms next year. When you leave NU, many of you will be thrown into paths that stray very little from your natural environment. Whether you become a doctor, a banker, a consultant, a lawyer, you will
run the risk of becoming surrounded by people similar to you. This will get you nowhere. It’s easy to have opinions when issues are being thrown at you from the noise of Washington, but by listening, engaging and fighting closer to home, change can come quicker and in ways that benefit the whole community. Just because America has a president the vast majority of students dislike doesn’t mean you go to sleep for four years. In fact, it means the opposite. You act.
seemed like a public relations spectacle for the city clerk and his deputy — showing off all the FOIA requests they made as upstarts for public office against the City of Evanston, rather than helping ordinary people like me get public records. Perhaps they actually lack the competence to implement the reforms they advocate, as open data is challenging. If Reid and Burns were so concerned with the public, my request would have been handled in accords with the letter and spirit of FOIA resolution 43-R-14, which governs this matter. My daughter was injured at Roycemore School in March 2017 and had to go to the emergency room. In my fight with the school over how the matter was handled, I learned of the school’s poor financial state.
It was precarious despite a government-facilitated bond deal in 2011, which raised more than $14 million for new building acquisition and renovation. My contention is the school discriminated against me to protect its money and reputation. Some of the private school’s financial information related to this bond deal and subsequent city-regulated land development process is public. The legal department specifically defined and described the records as “unduly burdensome.” Burns referred me to the city’s website in general, though in last week’s meeting he said it was bad practice to do just that. The request was denied without appropriate explanation of other processes mentioned in the resolution. Follow-up has been
futile. Rather than try to score political points, Reid and Burns should focus on helping everyday people get access to information. In a resolution to facilitate the bond deal for Roycemore, City Council noted the school’s importance to the community. I would think releasing the documents showing that the Roycemore deal was, from the beginning, an unwise, public-facilitated financing, would also benefit that same community. It would show Reid and Burns can get information about something other than what makes them look good.
Eish Sumra is a Medill senior. He can be contacted at eishsumra2018@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.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
City clerk’s office should emphasize helping locals navigate FOIA requests
To The Daily Northwestern, The article “Citizens urge FOIA reform,” published Nov. 8, should have been called “The Devon Reid and Bobby Burns Show!” My recent Freedom of Information Act request was denied, and I believe Evanston staff acted to contradict both the letter and spirit of regulations on the matter. Therefore, last week’s public meeting to me
— Marlon Millner Evanston resident
The Daily Northwestern Volume 138, Issue 43 Editor in Chief Peter Kotecki
Managing Editors
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017
NU student creates blog for free, cheap local eats By ELIZABETH BYRNE
the daily northwestern @lizbyrne33
When Communication junior Lindsey Weiss walked into Chase Bank one day to get laundry quarters, they noticed free coffee sitting out in the waiting area for bank customers. They said it was so exciting to their “cheap miserly self ” that they decided to create a blog highlighting similar opportunities to snag free and cheap goods around Evanston. “There are so many opportunities on campus and off campus to get free and cheap things that people either don’t know about or aren’t taking advantage of,” Weiss, who uses “they/ them/their” pronouns, said. “I started this blog
BACKLASH From page 1
However, Chart said girls often are shamed if they do not include transgender people in their definition of “girls.” WoLF defines the term “girl” as “human female adults and human female children,” Dansky said in an email. Chart said Title IX “provides for comparable, but separate facilities for students on the basis of sex, rather than personality or opinions.”
as a way to organize my own knowledge of where to get all these free and cheap things and figured while I was there compiling these resources, … I might as well make these publicly available to anyone who wants to know.” Weiss said they founded their Tumblr blog, “Free & Cheap Evanston,” on Nov. 9. According to the blog’s description, it is divided into four different categories: free, cheap, fancy and temporary. Weiss said they used this system to better organize the information they received. Medill sophomore Zoe Johnson said she was excited to contribute to the blog, even if she would only have a small impact. “I don’t think that this blog is going to be a substitute for the meals that you eat daily,” Johnson said. “But I think if you’re in the situation where you don’t have the spare cash to
have coffee, which is something that you don’t need but you want, you still have a way of getting that.” Johnson added that the blog may be especially helpful to students who have financial need and could benefit from having access to free coffee, free breakfast and more. Communication junior Michael Kelleher said he saw the blog through a Facebook status Weiss posted and thought it would be useful because of the high cost of living for students in Evanston. “It’s a great idea because it’s something that everyone can use,” Kelleher said. “It’s useful information to have, especially if you need something that you don’t really have the money for.” The blog’s current target audience is NU
students who are looking to save money, Weiss said. However, Weiss said they would like to expand the blog so that it reaches the “often overlooked” low-income population of Evanston. Weiss added that they hope people reading the blog also contribute to it so that it will reflect the “collective knowledge” of people in the Evanston area. Weiss said they hope people collaborating to share resources on the blog will in turn translate into community building and economic justice. “It’s kind of a simple, jokey, stunty concept to be honest,” Weiss said. “But I think and hope that it can have real, material ramifications in how we interact with the town of Evanston.”
The 1972 education amendment legally removed barriers that prevent people from participating in educational opportunities and careers based on their sex. Yet while Title IX mentions sex, it does not address gender identity. In addition to citing Title IX, Chart said WoLF opposes the policy because ETHS already offered private spaces for students who did not feel comfortable in their assigned facility. “If students don’t wish to change in the facilities provided for them on the basis of their sex,
the school was already prepared to offer alternative, private facilities,” she said. “If a student is concerned about his or her safety, or additional privacy needs, this should be enough.” Taya Kinzie, associate principal for student services at ETHS, said the policy has not created any problems among students, including non-transgender female students. The school has measures in place that “respect the privacy” of all students, she said. These measures include partitions in locker rooms and
private spaces for students who “have a need or desire.” Since the policy has been implemented, Kinzie said no students have asked for increased privacy. “Our policy has been designed to affirm all student (identities), definitely not to cause harm or infringe on rights,” she said. “That’s our strong commitment.”
HARLEY
proposals for the space have been made since then, but officials have struggled to find a suitable plan. In July, two nonprofits requested long-term leases to invest in and renovate the mansion, according to city documents. Staff recommended Evanston Lakehouse and Gardens after the other nonprofit was deemed “non-responsive” because members failed to attend a mandatory meeting, documents showed. McCormick Prof. Aaron Packman, a civil and environmental engineer who attended Monday’s meeting, said he reviewed both proposals and spoke in support of Evanston Lakehouse and Gardens. “Educational use of Harley Clarke, including the lakefront property, requires a building to stage indoor-outdoor educational activities,” the 6th Ward resident said. “This could be a landmark opportunity for the city to make a facility that would draw people from across the North Shore and strongly support our public schools.” City manager Wally Bobkiewicz said at the meeting that a draft of the contract will be presented to aldermen at a Jan. 22 meeting.
From page 1
everyone needs to understand that we have a situation here where even in the worst-case scenario, what we would be doing is preserving our lakefront and restoring the dunes and recreating the natural environment.” Fiske added that officials have talked about renovating Harley Clarke for years and that it is time to act.
“
This could be a landmark opportunity for the city to ... draw people from across the North Shore.
Colin Boyle/Daily Senior Staffer
Ald. Judy Fiske (1st) at Monday’s City Council meeting. Aldermen authorized the city to draft a contract for the renovation and lease of the Harley Clarke mansion.
Aaron Packman, 6th Ward resident
After the city decided in 2012 to sell the property, community members have rallied to keep Harley Clarke open to the public. Various
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Wednesday, November 15, 7pm McCormick Auditorium ADDRESS: Nortwestern University 1999 Campus Dr., Evanston, IL 60208 What is the value of practicing meditation? Is meditation an escape from the world or a deeper encounter with reality? Are we biologically wired for peace and harmony?
11/15/17
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SPORTS
ON DECK NOV.
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Women’s Basketball Oakland at NU, 7 p.m. Thursday
ON THE RECORD
(Creighton’s) offense is something that can really get after you and make you play on your heels. — Senior guard Bryant McIntosh
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MEN’S BASKETBALL
Northwestern to face critical nonconference test By JOSEPH WILKINSON
daily senior staffer @joe_f_wilkinson
David Lee/The Daily Northwestern
Gavin Skelly defends on the perimeter. The senior forward will play a key role in defending Creighton’s pace and space attack.
Pace, space and a ton of threes. Those are the hallmarks of the NBA now, but they’re also the defining characteristics of Northwestern’s next opponent. Last season, Creighton (2-0) finished top-20 in 3-point percentage, took 22 threes per game and finished top-50 in adjusted tempo. For the No. 20 Wildcats, (2-0) who haven’t faced a stiff defensive test during their first two games, it will be a significant change of pace. “We’re going to have to be really locked in defensively,” coach Chris Collins said. “I know they’re a really good team. … I know they push the ball. I know they score a lot of points and like to play fast.” NU, on the other hand, ranked in the bottom half of the country in 3-point percentage and in adjusted tempo last season. On Monday, the Cats squared off against another team that played at a slow pace, taking down St. Peter’s 75-66. While the Peacocks didn’t pack a scoring punch, the Bluejays certainly will. Though they lost two of their
Creighton vs. No. 20 Northwestern Rosemont, Illinois 8 p.m. Wednesday
top three scorers from last season, that hasn’t stopped them from putting up 92 and 109 points in their first two games. That effort has been catalyzed by senior guard Marcus Foster, who led the team in scoring in 2016-17 and has put up 23 points in each of the first two games. He’s joined by junior guard Khyri Thomas, who dropped 22 points in the season opener and averaged 12.3 points per game last year. “They have two really good wings,” senior guard Bryant McIntosh said. “Their offense is something that can really get after you and make you play on your heels. I would compare their speed and how fast they play to Indiana.” So far this year, Creighton is playing even faster than last season, and the team hasn’t stopped its barrage of threes, taking 33 in its most recent game and making 16. Three of the Bluejays’ starters have made a 3-pointer in both games this season, and that spread-the-floor
style will likely challenge the Cats’ big starting lineup, which has featured senior forward Gavin Skelly at power forward in the first two games. While Skelly thrived against St. Peter’s, he struggled in the seasonopener against Loyola Maryland and has had issues in the past against teams that can space the floor. “Not having (sophomore forward) Aaron (Falzon) right now puts a lot of pressure on Gavin,” Collins said. “While he’s out, it puts a little bit more on Gavin’s plate.” While Creighton was ranked as high as No. 7 last season, the departure of Maurice Watson and Justin Patton from the team, along with its first round exit from the NCAA Tournament last season, has left the Bluejays unranked to open the year. Instead, it’s the Cats who opened the season ranked and with a target on their back. “We’re not trying to hunt down the big-time teams,” Skelly said. “They’re trying to come after us. … This is a big staple game for them, for a lot of programs. So we know that teams are going to give everything they can no matter what.” josephwilkinson2019@u.northwestern.edu
CROSS COUNTRY
Aubrey Roberts qualifies for NCAA Championships By ALISON ALBELDA
the daily northwestern
Aubrey Roberts was the silver lining in Northwestern’s disappointing season finish at the NCAA Midwest Regionals in Ames, Iowa, this weekend. At the race, hosted by Iowa State, the sophomore extended her impressive second season for the Wildcats and clinched a bid to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 18. NU went into Friday hoping to secure a team bid to NCAAs but fell short, making the sixkilometer race its last event of the year.
The Cats were led by Roberts, who finished fourth for the second straight season, this year with a time of 20:16.7. As one of the top four runners from a team outside the top two qualifying teams, Roberts locked down a trip to Louisville, Kentucky, for the championships. Roberts said she was pleased to qualify for NCAAs, where she placed 50th last year out of 253 runners. “I want to improve upon my finish from last year,” Roberts said. “The top 40 spots are All-American, and that would be something that would be pretty cool. Hopefully I would get
up in there and see how far I can work myself up in the race.” Coach ‘A Havahla Haynes said Roberts has run more conservatively in previous races to serve the team as a whole. She said Roberts will race this weekend with a different, more individualized mindset. “Be conservative on the front end of the race,” Haynes said. “But then essentially you have to go for those AllAmerican spots.” NU came into the weekend’s meet ranked fifth in the region, their highest regional ranking in four years. The Cats
finished ninth out of 33 teams with 301 points, compared to eighth last season. The team would have needed to be in the top two to qualify for NCAAs. Senior Isabel Seidel — who finished second on the team and came in 29th overall with a time of 20:56.0 — said she was pleased with her individual race but disappointed that NU failed to qualify. “It is kind of a bittersweet feeling,” Seidel said. “I know that the team was capable of (qualifying) if everybody brought their A-game. I am personally really happy with my own race, but
I’m sad that we couldn’t pull it together as a team.” Following Seidel was sophomore Sarah Nicholson with a 35th-place finish in 21:04.1. Nicholson had finished second among her teammates in all other races this year. The next finishers for the Cats were seniors Sara Coffey, Andrea Ostenso and Haley Albers. Freshman Hannah Tobin rounded out the top seven Cats runners. “We will be back next year,” Seidel said. alisonalbelda2021@u.northwestern.edu
FENCING
Wildcats dominate Vassar Invitational, finish undefeated By PETER WARREN
the daily northwestern
Northwestern went into the Vassar Invitational with a clear goal: an 8-0 weekend sweep. With only one bout coming down to the final few points, the Wildcats (13-3) achieved that goal. “The team fought hard, ground out win after win after win, which isn’t easy,” coach Zach Moss said. “The team did a really good job handling that pressure and responding to it and going out and taking care of business.” Facing off against eight northeast teams in an eight-hour span, NU finished with 171 individual wins while
suffering only 45 losses. Sacred Heart was the only team to put a scare into the Cats all weekend. Behind an 8-1 record from their epee squad, the Pioneers almost pulled off an upset. But NU came back to win 14-13. “It was a good challenge for our team to run into something that was more challenging than expected, and they responded to that really well,” Moss said. “The match was close but they fought hard. They pushed each other. They made sure we came away with the ‘W.’” Besides Sacred Heart, no other team came close to defeating the Cats. NU matched or exceeded 20 individual wins in its seven other
matches. After struggling against the Pioneers, the epee team went 9-0 in its final three matches against Stevens, Queens and Wagner. The Cats concluded the tournament with their best performance, routing Wagner by a score of 26-1. Of 18 Cats who fenced in the tournament, only two did not finish with winning records. For the sabre squad, freshman Ashley Gomerman led the team with an immaculate 14-0 record. Combined with her results at the Elite Invitational, Gomerman has yet to lose a bout during her first two collegiate tournaments. “The most impressive result was Ashley going 14-0,” Moss said. “That is not easy do against any opponents,
especially as a freshman.” In addition to Gomerman, fellow freshman sabres Jacqueline Hua and Zhesi Zhuang finished 12-3, freshman foil Sofia Simontov finished 12-2 and senior epee Katie Van Riper finished 9-0. Van Riper said she was pleased with the team’s focus during the eight-hour tournament in Poughkeepsie. “Having two collegiate meets backto-back can be very taxing physically, emotionally,” Van Riper said. “Everyone came into this weekend with an incredible amount of energy and stayed focused the whole day even though we were there for eight hours.” After the tournament, NU had a postgame meeting and discussed
how the team worked to support each other throughout the day. Gomerman said that discussion was a “great way to build the team” and hopes to make it a tradition. The Cats now have almost two months before they return to the strip Jan. 5 in Virginia Beach for the January North American Cup. With two collegiate competitions out of the way, Moss said the team is well on its way to future success. “We are in a really good place,” Moss said. “There is work to be done, but the team is coming together faster than I expected. I am excited to see what the next few months bring.” peterwarren2021@u.northwestern.edu