The Daily Northwestern — April 30th, 2025

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The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern

Charli

By NINETH KANIESKI KOSO and

ISAIAH STEINBERG

daily senior staffers

@ninethkk / @isaiahsteinberg

In a makeshift tent city pitched on the lawn of Deering Meadow, Weinberg senior and member of Northwestern’s chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace Paz Baum found something she hadn’t seen on campus up until that point: a

community that welcomed every aspect of her Jewish identity, including her anti-Zionist beliefs.

Others viewed the watershed five-day protest differently. Medill junior and former Wildcats for Israel President Madeleine Stern and NU Hillel Executive Director Michael Simon, worried about the encampment’s e ect on Jewish students. Over the course of the week, they became increasingly

concerned with what they viewed as antisemitic speech at the encampment.

NU’s 2024 pro-Palestinian encampment lasted from ursday, April 25 until Monday, April 29 and was one of the rst encampments across the country to end with an agreement. Policy changes during the encampment, direct negotiations with University leadership and a wri en agreement including concessions on both

The Deering Meadow Agreement,

University has taken steps toward implementation

By NINETH KANIESKI KOSO daily senior staffer @ninethkk

About this time last year, Northwestern administrators and student demonstrators reached an agreement to end the pro-Palestinian encampment on Deering Meadow under several conditions. is agreement included terms about the removal of the encampment, disclosure of NU’s holdings and additional support for Jewish, Muslim and Middle Eastern and

North African students.

When testifying before the House Commi ee on Education and Workforce last May, University President Michael Schill said he planned to follow the conditions of the agreement. Since then, the University has taken steps toward implementing each of the stipulations.

Advisory Commi ee on Investment Responsibility

e University agreed to reestablish the ACIR in the fall with

student, faculty and sta members. However, the ACIR was not fully reconstituted until Winter Quarter, holding its rst meeting since reestablishment in February.

e ACIR advises the Board of Trustees on investment concerns stemming from the university community. e commi ee currently consists of seven members who are faculty, sta , students and alumni. NU Vice President and Chief Investment O cer Amy Falls serves ex o cio.

» See AGREEMENT, page 11

sides made NU’s encampment stand out from those at other universities.

“I think the encampment was a really beautiful example of so many di erent members of the Northwestern student body and the larger community coming together for a common cause and a common goal that we believe in,” Baum said. “Ultimately we were able to have a peaceful resolution with the University and this agreement.”

NU’s new policies restrict protests

Pro-Palestinian protesters demanded two things last year: disclosure of the University’s investments and divestment from institutions that allegedly supported Palestinian oppression. e eventual agreement reestablished the Advisory Committee on Investment Responsibility; commi ed the University

to answering questions about endowment investments; established a temporary space for MENA and Muslim students; and promised to support visiting Palestinian students and faculty. Baum said she was disappointed by the lack of divestment, but that she appreciated the increased disclosure.

“I do believe that it’s really important to have that » See REFLECTIONS , page 11

Councilmembers sworn in to Evanston City Council ree newcomers join six incumbents, mayor and clerk

By CASEY HE daily senior staffer @caseeey_he

Members of Evanston’s 82nd City Council were inaugurated Monday, beginning a four-year term that is slated to shape key city initiatives like Envision Evanston 2045 and the future home of city operations — issues that emerged as major ashpoints leading up to April 1’s municipal election. Three newcomers, Alds.

Shawn Iles (3rd), Parielle Davis (7th) and Ma Rodgers (8th), now join the reelected Mayor Daniel Biss, City Clerk Stephanie Mendoza and incumbent councilmembers at the dais.

Re ecting on the oaths of o ce he had previously taken, Biss, who fended o a challenge from Je Boarini to secure a second term, said he is ready to work for all of Evanston.

“It is a magical thing because it’s a transformation of the complex messages sent by a whole community of thousands of

people into the ability to move an agenda on behalf of those people,” Biss said. “And it’s a sacred thing, and it’s this thing that I take incredibly seriously.” e ceremony marked the rst time City Council has seen new faces since 2022, when Biss appointed Alds. Krissie Harris (2nd) and Juan Geracaris (9th) to the council following their predecessors’ resignations. e next year, both of them ran and won in special elections for a » See COUNCIL , page 11

Illustration by Lily Ogburn

Casey He/The Daily Northwestern

High 55 Low 49

Lydia Home neighbors seek connection with residents

By JACK BAKER the daily northwestern @jdowb2005

Content warning: This story contains mentions of childhood abuse and neglect, including sexual violence.

Former 9th Ward resident Lucy Doyle grew up slipping through the slats of a wooden fence on Washington Street to visit her best friend, who lived next door at Rice Children’s Center.

Now called Lydia Home, the residential facility provides emotional and behavioral therapy to foster children who have experienced developmental trauma.

Today, Lydia is home to 36 children, ages 8 to 16, and shares a building with an Evanston/Skokie School District 65 institution that bears its former name. The fence Doyle once sneaked through regularly has since been fortified.

“It hurt my heart, both then and now, that so much sneaking was required for our friendship to exist,” Doyle said at a recent City Council meeting. “As a kid, it felt like there was a huge divide between the people who own property on the block and the children growing up in the Rice Center.”

Ninth Ward lot debate highlights community concerns

The relationship between the children residing at Lydia and their Washington Street neighbors received increased scrutiny this month while City Council debated the future of a vacant lot a few hundred feet away.

The lot, which sits near the corner of Washington Street and Asbury Avenue, sparked a heated debate between City Council and Washington Street residents this month. At its April 14 meeting, the council approved selling the parcel to Evanston Township High School for its Geometry in Construction program in an 8-1 vote. Students in the program plan to construct a single-family home that will be sold to a middle-income buyer.

City officials, including Ald. Juan Geracaris (9th), said this decision aligns with the city’s goals to increase affordable housing and offer hands-on job training for ETHS students. But many neighbors, including Doyle, proposed an alternative vision over two years ago. They suggested building a community garden designed in partnership with Lydia students and staff, an outdoor space they said could help

bridge the perceived distance between Lydia’s residents and the surrounding community.

“Over the years, that divide has increased,” Doyle said. “The fence has gotten higher, and the distance seems more imposing. This is all to keep the kids safe, but the price seems to be a potentially greater emotional and social distance between the residents on the block and the residents at the center.”

For Washington Street residents like Beth Cerny, the council’s decision raised practical concerns about whether the lot could support new development.

She said the parcel feels more like “a person’s backyard” than a buildable site and emphasized its lack of alley access and designated parking spaces.

“There’s so many reasons why this is a bad idea for this block,” Cerny said. “It has nothing to do with the fact that it’s an affordable home.”

Although Cerny and her neighbors said they supported affordable housing in principle, former Ald. Devon Reid (8th) questioned the sincerity of their concern for children living at Lydia at the meeting, suggesting their opposition to the GIC project represented NIMBY — not in my backyard — culture and exploited the neighborhood’s most “vulnerable” residents.

Cerny said she considers the controversy a “microcosm” of Evanston politics, adding she is now skeptical of the city’s commitment to progressive values.

“I spent my whole life thinking this is the greatest place on Earth,” Cerny said. “When I realized how the politics of this city were being run, it was like finding out that Santa Claus isn’t real.”

Lydia balances safety and community

In response to Reid’s criticism, Doyle pointed to foster children who frequently enter neighbors’ backyards after leaving Lydia without permission. She said the city has treated the facility’s residents “as if they’re invisible.”

“Growing up, the only poor people that lived on my block were all behind the fence,” Doyle said. “That’s still happening.”

When opposing the GIC project, many Washington Street residents argued building a new home would worsen existing problems on the block, including congestion caused by law enforcement dispatches.

These dispatches occur because police are tasked with locating Lydia’s foster children after staff members lose sight of residents who have left the facility without permission.

Elissa Garcia, director of residential services at Lydia, agrees children living in Lydia could benefit from stronger relationships with neighbors but said that any plans for community engagement must consider their physical and emotional safety.

“We’re not naive enough to think we can always keep them (inside the fence) or that (doing so) would be desirable,” Garcia said. “But we’re trying to keep these kids safe long enough for them to receive the treatment that they need.”

The center’s secure perimeter, including its new-andimproved fence, was built when Lydia agreed to take in children with more acute clinical needs, Garcia said. For Lydia’s residents, the fence represents a protective boundary during an incredibly vulnerable time, she added.

Many of the children living at Lydia have experienced what Garcia calls “developmental trauma.”

“Let’s say a child was born to a substance-abusing parent, so they experienced inconsistent caregiving. And then maybe when they were 18 months old, they were left with an unsafe adult and sexually abused. And then they were taken away from their parents at the age of 3 and placed in a foster home — maybe placed in five foster homes,” Garcia said. “That’s developmental trauma. That’s a kid who hasn’t experienced safety, and a lot of kids in this building have stories like that.”

Because of those experiences, Garcia said, Lydia operates with strict routines and around-the-clock supervision. Children leave the building in small, carefully monitored groups, and their “privileges” inside vary depending on their

behavior and progress in therapeutic treatment.

She also stressed that most children at Lydia are not originally from Evanston and ideally live in the facility for less than a year. As such, there is a natural “tension” between forging meaningful relationships with neighbors and preparing students for their eventual departure.

Ultimately, Garcia said the goal is not to exclude neighbors and that the center strives “to keep as open a door” as possible. Still, she pushed back on the sentiments expressed by some neighbors at the council meeting and emphasized foster kids at Lydia need long-term support.

“The thing that our kids need the most is relationships with people who are committed to them,” Garcia said. “Our kids have been rejected and abandoned and mistreated by a lot of adults, and they really need more safe, reliable adults in their lives.”

Garcia said she will continue consulting community members on how they can support Lydia’s residents and touted plans to create a new running club with the facility’s next door neighbor.

As with all of Lydia’s activities, though, safety remains paramount, she said.

“Everything that we do, whether it’s a big barbecue or a carnival or taking the kids to the beach, we have to plan out every detail of it to make sure that it’s safe,” Garcia said. “And that’s what we’re paid to do, that’s what we’re funded for — to have a safe space for our children.”

j.baker@dailynorthwestern.com

G e t a h e a d , c a tc h u p, t r y s o m e t h i n g n ew.

Jack Baker/The Daily Northwestern

Currently, Lydia Home houses 36 children, ages 8 to 16.

Researchers adapt to campus construction

By ASHLEY WEI the daily northwestern

For Northwestern researchers operating sensitive instruments, a sudden vibration from nearby construction of the Kellogg Education Center could mean lost time and compromised data collection.

The building — previously the Allen Center — is scheduled for completion in fall 2027 and will become home to the Executive MBA and Executive Education programs.

Until then, the construction remains disruptive for scientists in various natural science research buildings nearby, said molecular biosciences, physics and astronomy Prof. John Marko. Although he receives construction schedules from the University that include noise estimates, he said the demolition and pounding of metal walls is particularly frustrating.

Marko’s office on the fourth floor of PancoeNSUHS Life Sciences Pavilion hovers right above the construction site. His research examines how various molecules and cells physically interact and exert forces on each other.

Marko said the construction causes significant vibrations that disrupt precise measurements.

“We do a lot of very sensitive force measurements of forces exerted by molecules and by cells,” Marko said. “Our molecular forces are in the piconewton range, and our cellular forces are in the nanonewton range. Both those types of instruments are very sensitive to vibrations.”

To study how proteins interact with DNA, magnetic tweezers apply tiny forces to a DNA molecule, and the vibrational disturbances can introduce inaccuracies in data.

Ronald Biggs, a postdoctoral researcher in Marko’s lab, studies chromosomes by placing cells grown in a dish into a microscope and measuring forces. The experiments Marko’s lab conducts require delicate needles and pipettes, which shake due to vibrations. During heavy construction, Biggs said he sometimes stops experiments entirely.

“I tried doing calibrations one day while the construction was going on and the vibrations were too much,” Biggs said.

Marko said his lab has developed some workarounds. The lab conducts sensitive experiments after construction concludes around 4 p.m., focusing on experiment preparation during heavy vibration periods. Sometimes, lab members temporarily relocate within the building during noisy periods.

Even from the fourth floor of Cook Hall, not adjacent to the construction site, molecular biosciences Prof. Heather Pinkett said she must proactively adapt to the vibrations.

Her research as a structural biologist focuses on the study of proteins at an atomic level.

This research supports areas like improved drug development and chemotherapy treatments, Pinkett said.

An Advanced Photon Source looks at an individual “snapshot” of a protein’s state. Though the APS instrument is off-campus, the proteins must first be crystallized on campus prior to using the machinery. Vibrations deeply impact the crystallization process, she said, making the replication of results across experiments challenging.

“I may come in and I may see crystals, and seeing crystals — if there’s a vibration — could mean that the vibration helped to get crystals. But you can’t repeat the vibration,” Pinkett said. Crystallization can take anywhere from a few

minutes to six to 12 months, Pinkett said. To mitigate the effects of the construction long-term, her lab tracks vibrations and props the samples on a platform to absorb some vibration.

Pinkett’s lab uses cryogenic electron microscopy to capture the pathway of a protein’s transformation. Pinkett said vibrations require a recalibration of the entire instrument to ensure a clear capture.

Like Marko, researchers in Pinkett’s lab have adjusted their schedules, starting cryo-EM screening after construction ends around 4 p.m. and staying in the lab until midnight sometimes, Pinkett said. Since facility staff is not available after hours, support for calibration shifted to virtual communication.

“It slows you down substantially. … With construction, you would have to stop the collection. It kind of breaks up what you can do, and the demand for the instrument is really high,” Pinkett said.

“Sometimes what we’re signing up for is not a bunch of days, but we’re signing up for hour-long slots.”

As the construction progresses, researchers like Marko and Pinkett are finding solutions to continue their research despite the vibrational impacts.

“The impact of it has just been a game changer,” Pinkett said.

ashleywei2028@u.northwestern.edu

Illustration by Cayla Labgold-Carroll

The construction for the new Kellogg Education Center occurs next to many science research labs on campus.

Family leaves U.S. amid gender-a rming care cuts

By LEXI GOLDSTEIN and AIDAN JONSTONE daily senior staffers @lexipgoldstein / @aidanjjohnstone

Nicholas Reeve, his wife Amanda Reeve and their transgender son Sam Reeve, who all requested to go by pseudonyms for fear of retaliation, devised an “escape plan” for their family in anticipation of the 2024 presidential election.

Nicholas, a Northwestern University employee, and Amanda worried what another four years under President Donald Trump’s leadership could mean for their preteen transgender son’s access to gender-a rming care. e Reeves said the risk of trauma from potential treatment interruptions was intolerable.

For the Reeves, Election Day concluded with one certainty among a sea of questions: ey would move to Canada.

e Trump administration’s a ack on gendera rming healthcare

A week into his second term, Trump signed an executive order to halt federal funding for hospitals that provide gender-a rming care for people under age 19. Speci cally, the order aims to block access to puberty blockers, hormones used to stop the body from producing estrogen and testosterone, as well as surgical procedures that align a person’s appearance with their gender identity. e order characterizes gender-a rming care and surgeries as “mutilation,” a term widely disapproved of by activists and many medical professionals.

Under the executive order, Northwestern Medicine cut care for approximately 35 patients seeking gendera rming surgery, according to sources within the Feinberg School of Medicine, who all requested anonymity. is group includes patients who recently came under the care of NM a er just turning 18.

On the same day Trump signed the initial executive order, he signed another order that removed recognition for transgender, nonbinary and intersex people, directly impacting gender-a rming care from providers like NM and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

In response to Trump’s policies, Lurie Children’s released a statement in early February announcing a pause in gender-a rming surgeries for patients under the age of 19 until further notice. e statement, however, did not disclose any

changes to hormone therapy or puberty blocker access.

An NM spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Lurie Children’s and NM’s changes to gender-a rming treatment in light of Trump’s executive orders.

Access to gender-a rming care was already a long process

Sam came out as transgender two years ago and started on a puberty blocker in April 2024 under the Biden administration. He plans to begin testosterone hormone therapy in the near future. But to access gender-a rming care, the Reeves said they had to jump through many hoops.

Initially, the Reeves said they encountered long waiting lists to see a social worker and a gender therapist. en, to get puberty blockers, Sam had to have a primary physician validate his formation of breast buds to get a referral to see a doctor at Lurie Children’s.

Amanda estimated that it took six to eight months to get a foot in the door in the hospital’s gender identity clinic. Sam is still receiving care at Lurie Children’s while the Reeves transition their lives to Canada.

“I feel like in our political climate, people are getting the impression that hormone suppressants are being handed out at public school or that children can just decide these things and that the parents are not involved,” Amanda said. “It’s so frustrating, because I’ll tell you, it was so hard.”

Puberty blockers only delay puberty, which allows patients time to start hormone therapy before puberty begins for the sex they were assigned at birth.

Amanda said Sam’s doctors hope to get him started on testosterone as soon as possible, naming concerns with reduced bone density and muscle growth when on puberty blockers.

“ ey don’t want to delay puberty too much, because it’s not good for the kids, socially and emotionally,” Amanda said.

Straddling the U.S. and Canada

Sam is nishing the school year in Chicago, spending more time with his biological father, while Amanda lives in the Greater Toronto Area full-time to establish residency. Meanwhile, Nicholas travels frequently to Canada while working full-time in a hybrid position at NU.

Amanda was able to relocate to a Canadian o ce

of the same company she worked for in Chicago, but said she took a pay cut in the process.

Sam’s biological father is also moving to Canada this summer, hopeful to receive a student visa through enrollment in a graduate program.

e Reeves had to sell their dream home in Chicago to a ord both residences in Evanston and Toronto.

“As a result of all of this, what I call political persecution of transgender people, we had to sell that house. … at’s the house where we became a family,” Amanda said. “To me, it’s just another symptom of the whole, like, ‘Do they even know what they’re doing, pu ing families through this kind of stu ?’”

Despite the nancial sacri ces and downsizing of their lives, the Reeves said they feel “profoundly privileged” to be able to prioritize the health and wellness of their son.

At a family camp, the Reeves met other families with transgender children and have kept in touch with several families since. e couple said many of the families they met are facing similar predicaments with the future of gender-a rming care in several Midwestern regions, as well as an increasingly transphobic sociopolitical climate.

“How many families can a ord to sort of straddle these two countries and make this transition? I mean, so many stars had to align for us to be able to do this,” Amanda said.

e other parties invested

Patients at NM are not the only people who have taken issue with the hospital’s gender-a rming care cutbacks.

Medical personnel and patients haven’t been informed about the exact care being cut a er Trump signed his executive order targeting gender-a rming care for minors.

A er NM began cu ing care, students at Feinberg shared a petition directed at NM advocating against the care cuts and for increased transparency for both medical personnel and patients.

e petition — which was organized by Adam Davies and Rachel Washart, co-founders of the Gender A rming Care Interest Group at Feinberg — received over 160 signatures. Signatories were primarily third- and fourth-year medical students, as well as participants in a physician assistant program and clinical psychologists.

“We as students are in the dark. I can’t speak for providers, but it seems like patients are also in the dark,”

Davies said. “We don’t know exactly how they’re policing this.”

e petition pointed out an alarming aspect of Lurie Children’s and NM’s compliance with the federal regulations — they’re the only hospitals in the Chicago area doing so.

e petition noted that this goes against NM’s stated commitment to “deliver world-class, culturally competent care regardless of ability to pay, race, age, gender, sexuality or any other social factor, in the communities where our patients live and work.”

Still, gender-a rming procedures are happening in the Chicago area at non-NU institutions, Washart said.

“ e fact that Northwestern has paused, and to our knowledge, is one of the only big institutions that really has, speaks to our confusion in this case,” she said.

Equal rights groups have also caught onto NM’s cutbacks on gender-a rming care

Equality Illinois shared a press release on Feb. 6, denouncing both NM’s pausing of certain types of gender-a rming surgery and Lurie Children’s lack of clarity about which procedures are being cut.

What’s in store for the Reeves and transgender Chicagoans

Davies said they feel con dent that transgender patients can continue to nd gender-a rming care in the Chicago area.

“I think that trans young people, in Chicago specically, are still going to be able to access care that they need,” Davies said. “It just won’t include Northwestern Medicine (and) Lurie Children’s Hospital for gendera rming surgeries.”

For the Reeve family, however, the risk of their child losing access to gender-a rming care in the future was enough to spur their move to Canada from Chicago — a city the Reeves were making their permanent home.

“If a miracle occurs, I feel safe, and I think my child is safe, then it would be wonderful to return,” Amanda said. “My expectation and what I’m girding myself for is that we’re going to be here for six years, until (Sam’s) an adult, and then he’ll be going to college, and wherever he goes to college. Do we want to move? We will have to gure out what we want to do at that time. But that’s a 2030 me problem.”

a.johnstone@dailynorthwestern.com lexigoldstein2026@u.northwestern.edu

A&E arts & entertainment

TONIK Tap grooves through generations at show

By DESIREE LUO

Northwestern tap dance group TONIK Tap started without a performance floor.

After Leo Lamontagne (Communication ’05) founded the dance group in 2001, campus venues worried the dancers’ shoes would ruin surfaces like the Wirtz Ballroom stage, he said.

Despite this initial pushback, TONIK marked its 20th spring show with “Hall of Fame” Friday and Saturday in that very room. The group danced to songs in a range of styles, from Queen to Lady Gaga. Lamontagne founded TONIK his freshman year, but the group’s first show wasn’t until 2005. He guarded and painted The Rock, organized auditions and choreographed on his own, he said. From starting with around 10 dancers on a portable floor they purchased themselves, the group has since doubled in size.

Members no longer need to sand a slippery floor on an outdoor basketball court or worry about it being stolen from storage — both issues Lamontagne said the founding members faced.

“(The TONIK floor) is a wonderful foundation of what TONIK is,” he said. “It’s what we tap on. It’s where we make our memories, whether good, bad

or crazy. Then, you take a piece of it with you when you graduate.”

He said he still keeps his piece of their original floor, as do many TONIK alumni as part of a former tradition.

As each class of graduating seniors took pieces, remaining members added new ones every year. Although this specific tradition ended after the group found a home at the Wirtz Ballroom, other customs remain.

Each show concludes with the Shim Sham, a traditional 1920s tap routine that TONIK began performing at its first spring show in Lamontagne’s senior year. This weekend, alumni in the audience joined the current dancers on stage to perform the classic number.

Communication senior Alex Angrist, TONIK’s director of marketing, said she initially thought of reviving the group’s alumni outreach over winter break. After sending over 50 messages via LinkedIn, she chatted with alums online and even with some in person.

She said her meetup with TONIK alumna Ashley May Coussens (Communication ’12) at a New York coffee shop lasted three hours.

“I figured that this would maybe be 45 minutes, but there was just so much TONIK lore to catch up on,” Angrist said. “I literally took out a pen and paper

and started writing things down.”

Through these conversations, Angrist said she learned about lifelong bonds within the group — including marriages.

Samantha O’Connell (Bienen ’11) met her nowhusband Michael Salomon (Communication ’09) when she first auditioned for TONIK.

“I saw my husband as a 19-year-old guy, full ‘fro, sweatband, wearing a shirt that said ‘Reading Rules,’” O’Connell said. “And I was like, ‘Who is this goofball of a person?’”

O’Connell and Salomon got married in September. They performed a self-choreographed tap routine at their wedding.

TONIK also led to Jaema Green (McCormick and Communication ’08) meeting her spouse. A fellow TONIK member brought the group to a CD release party for their acapella group, X-Factors. There, Green said she met her now-husband Daniel Green (Bienen ’08).

Jaema Green became the group’s artistic director as a sophomore after Lamontagne’s graduation. She said other members nicknamed her “Mama T” (as in T for TONIK) because she was “mothering everybody at the time, even though we were so young.”

“We were rehearsing late at night and processing breakups and other stuff that was happening,” she said. “It was a group that knew everything that was

going on with me, and I knew what was going on with them.”

Although Lamontagne said he felt confident TONIK would continue under Green’s leadership, he said he never would have predicted it to last two decades.

Still, he said tap dancing’s niche nature forms close relationships. Most members do not tap dance in groups before joining TONIK, like Angrist, who said she learned to tap dance through open classes.

“People identify as tap dancers,” Lamontagne said. “When you put those people together, all of a sudden you’ve got this thing that is kind of personal, and you find people to share it with.”

For Angrist, TONIK offered community not only in tap dance but also at Northwestern. She said joining the group helped solidify friendships in her freshman year.

Before this year, her knowledge of TONIK alumni came from watching routines on YouTube. So she said meeting Coussens, whom she’d seen in one of those videos, was “a little earth-shattering.”

“These are people that we never knew, but we know that we’re somehow connected to them,” Angrist said. “It’s kind of like finding a long lost family that you didn’t know existed.”

desireeluo2028@u.northwestern.edu

Wirtz reimagines ‘Man of La Mancha’ in detention center

By ALEXIA SEXTOU

There are times we all find ourselves dreaming the impossible dream. But the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts’ production of “Man of La Mancha” ensures that — at least for one night — we come a step closer to making that dream a reality.

The 1965 musical adapted from Dale Wasserman’s novel and later non-musical teleplay “I, Don Quixote,” came to life in a contemporary reimagining Friday evening. Set as a musical about a play, Wirtz’s “Man of La Mancha” is a heartfelt, hopeful ode to the struggling reality of undocumented individuals awaiting deportation.

“Man of La Mancha” follows imprisoned protagonist Miguel de Cervantes (Communication senior Esteban Ortiz-Villacorta), as he stages a play in his prison cell to save his manuscript.

Through the story of Don Quixote — an aging man who believes he is a knight destined to right the world’s wrongs — Cervantes brings his cellmates together by inviting them to join his imaginative storytelling journey.

While the original production of the musical is

set during the Spanish Inquisition, Department of Theatre Chair and Director Henry Godinez gave the play a modern spin.

He found inspiration in his daughter Gaby’s own staging of the show in 2021, which drew a “frightening parallel” between the Inquisition’s prison and modern-day detention centers for undocumented immigrants along the United States’ southern border, according to the show’s program.

Four years later, Godinez borrowed his daughter’s concept and successfully made her dream a reality.

The show — and its brave reimagining — does not disappoint. With Mitch Leigh’s “The Impossible Dream” echoing throughout the performance, the space becomes a touching fusion of a detention center and a theatrical stage. Worn-out warning signs and rusty metal beds become lost within the lively scattering of medieval costumes and twinkling lights.

Most powerful, however, is Ortiz-Villacorta’s performance of Cervantes/Don Quixote, whose passionate commitment to his dream of whiteknight heroism stirs not only his on-stage cellmates, but his audience.

His performance reminds audiences that we, too, can feel laughed at or undermined for our dreams. But as in the case of Cervantes/Don

Quixote, we just have to keep on dreaming.

It’s also practically impossible to not fall in love with the protagonist’s muse, Aldonza/Dulcinea (Communication senior Isadora Coco Gonzalez). Her fierce stomping around the stage and resonant singing makes the audience empathize with her struggle while admiring her presence. Every time she turns her knight away, our heart cracks a little, making the ending all the more satisfying.

The duo’s love story is dramatic enough to shed tears, but is also sprinkled with the perfect amount of comedy, especially through Sancho Panza’s (Communication senior Nathan Hiykel) adorable, loyal character.

His rendition of “I Really Like Him” is the epitome of musical humor, reminding us in the most light-hearted way how much love — whether romantic or platonic — can be the sizzling catalyst that keeps us going.

But not all of “La Mancha” was a joyful, fantastical musical routine. The second act delivers a sudden, brutal shock with Aldonza’s assault unfolding on stage, which should have warranted a trigger warning.

Though carefully choreographed by Godinez and Intimacy Designer Cristin Carole to show

Aldonza’s body dissociating, the scene is still difficult to watch, lingering just long enough to feel unbearably uncomfortable and at the same time all the more heartbreaking.

While being taken on a rollercoaster of emotions, the audience’s absorption would not be possible without the ensemble’s soaring vocals. Throughout the two-hour performance, the ensemble finds the right moments to set the room tingling.

Within this powerful troupe, one voice uniquely stands out: Padre (Bienen sophomore Mackenzie Kirkwood) and his operatic tenor arrangement of “To Each His Dulcinea.” Even within his contribution to the ensemble, one solo did not suffice for the audience.

With every note, desperate plea and joyful outburst, Wirtz’s “Man of La Mancha” reminds us that even in the bleakest and darkest spaces, hope can take center stage. By the final and most memorable scene, the impossible dream feels defiantly within reach — if only we dare to fight for it.

“Man of La Mancha” will run from April 25 to May 4 at the Ethel M. Barber Theater.

a.sextou@dailynorthwestern.edu

Dalton Hanna/The Daily Northwestern

Charli XCX isn’t done with ‘Brat,’ and neither is Chicago

By EMILY LICHTY daily senior staffer @ emilymlichty

“Brat” isn’t dead. At least, that’s what Charli XCX says.

In an attempt to keep her most recent — and likely most popular — era of music alive, the electropop singer-songwriter is on the second tour of her latest musical movement, following her Sweat Tour with singer Troye Sivan. She brought her sixth album “Brat,” an ode to the messy, pouty and unapologetic party girl, to Chicago’s Allstate Arena Monday.

Released in June, “Brat” quickly exploded into a cultural obsession. The album was endlessly chopped into viral soundbites on social media, discussed in political spheres for its influence on former Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign and celebrated for reigniting Y2K fashion. “Brat” became more than music — it became a lifestyle.

Despite signs of public burnout from the cultural overwhelm of “Brat summer,” Charli’s tour proves that the era isn’t over. If anything, it solidifies the singer’s status as a pop icon and showcases the longevity of her brand.

Charli’s solo, on-stage rager keeps “Brat” from feeling tired. Her contagious party girl energy and commanding stage presence make her star power almost tangible.

The Brat Arena Tour is everything we hoped for last summer when “Brat” was at its peak: It’s fun, powerful and a little bit messy.

No one in the crowd seemed to care that we’re almost a year past Brat summer because Charli

doesn’t either. She stomped across the stage without background dancers, letting moody lighting, a strong beat and the undeniably iconic frenzy of hyperpop carry the night.

From the moment Charli stepped on stage to her song “365,” the audience followed her every step, cheering to her spontaneous dance moves and singing along to every word.

As Charli traversed through “Brat,” the show only gained momentum. Tracks such as “Guess” featuring Billie Eilish, “Girl so confusing” featuring Lorde and “Club classics” earned roaring enthusiasm. Strobe lights and pounding bass turned the venue into a euphoric, sweaty dance floor.

Charli wasn’t dragged down by a microphone malfunction or her obvious exhaustion from the relentless setlist. Instead, these imperfections seemed to fuel her. Her unapologetic approach is what causes fans to fall in love with Charli XCX, allowing her to liberally use autotune and gain respect — rather than lose it.

This respect was evident throughout the night as the artist struck a delicate balance between being one with the crowd and rising above it.

Charli spent parts of the performance dancing under the stage, visible only on the stadium’s big screens, but on the same floor as the audience. These moments, accompanied by careless dance moves that can only be mastered in a packed club, signaled that Charli XCX, at her core, is just a girl who wants to party.

At other times, the singer literally rose above the crowd, performing songs, such as “Apple,” on the stage’s lighting rig. In combination with her chaotic energy, her command over the room made her presence magnetic.

But, the magic of Brat — the album, the tour, the

lifestyle, the mindset — isn’t hers alone.

The perfect storm of Charli XCX was not possible without the crowd’s cooperation. While she danced as if no one was watching, her hunger for the audience’s energy was palpable. Charli has been rumored to criticize quiet crowds, and Monday’s show made it clear: The crowd’s enthusiasm is the backbone of her aura.

This symbiotic relationship between performer

and fans is what makes this tour feel electric. It’s also what keeps “Brat” alive.

At the end of the show, Charli teased a return of “Brat summer” this year, potentially hinting at new music. For the era to continue, both Charli and her fans have to want it. And from where I was standing Monday night, they absolutely do.

e.lichty@dailynorthwestern.com

Boomshaka’s ‘After Hours’ show keeps the night alive

By MAYA WONG daily senior staffer @mayaw0ng

The sound emanating from Shanley Pavilion this weekend was almost tangible.

Drumming and dance group Boomshaka performed its annual spring show, titled “After Hours,” four times between Friday and Saturday night. In the club’s hour-and-a-half-long set, members rattled the room while drumming trash cans, dancing numerous choreography styles and showing a wide range of rhythmic talents.

“I think that we’re living in really crazy times right now, and it can be challenging sometimes to just get through the day,” co-artistic director and Weinberg senior Mariam Adesiji said. “Our goal is to put a smile on people’s faces and brighten people’s day and entertain them.”

Preparation for “After Hours” began the first

week of Winter Quarter. Boomshaka hosted petitions where any member could show off an original dance or drumming piece to be put in the show. Members then voted on which pieces they wanted to showcase. In total, 26 out of Boomshaka’s 28 members either wrote or choreographed a piece, co-producer and Weinberg senior Anna Simmons said.

After petitions, the cast began rehearsing weekly. In addition to a four-hour-long full cast rehearsal, members practiced up to ten hours — each hour was dedicated to a smaller group piece, Simmons said.

Boomshaka also practiced together throughout spring break, as the group traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan and stayed at one group member’s home.

This year is the first where Boomshaka selected its show theme prior to choreographing or writing pieces, said Simmons. Previous themes have included “Hot Off the Press” and “Set In Motion.”

Simmons said this year’s “After Hours” had stronger theming throughout the performance as a result.

“What does Boomshaka get up to after hours?” Simmons said. “It’s just taking you through the roller coaster of what a night out can look like.”

The show consisted of 27 pieces revolving around the night-inspired theme, taking audiences to a slumber party, baseball game, jazz club, saloon and more. Boomshaka members danced and drummed to songs like Charli xcx’s “Club classics” and Phoebe Bridgers’ “I Know the End,” but also often made their own music on trash cans, stools or with their own hands.

The show also featured a host of other artistic talents as well. Dancers deviated from Boomshaka’s typical contemporary style and performed a tap piece.

A “Boomshakappella” interlude of members singing Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” showed the cast’s vocal range. The members also performed an

The Prattic: Stand-up comedy in an attic

By MAYA IKENBERRY the daily northwestern

Six out of seven nights each week, the attic of a house on Pratt Court is quiet. But Mondays at 9:30 p.m. offer a different story.

At around 9, a line forms, winding around the back of the house. Around 85 people fill the attic, with those that live there often having to turn people away because the space can only accommodate so many.

In an amphitheater arrangement, people sit on old couches, folding chairs, cushions on the floor or stand in corners, trying not to crowd others’ views. Eyes are focused on the center of the room, where a variety of NU students perform stand-up comedy sets throughout the night.

Three roommates, Communication junior Jackson Heller, Weinberg junior Mateo Garcia-Bryce and Communication junior Luca Hirsch used to be in a now-defunct comedy club called Sherman Ave. that incorporated a lot of stand-up. With the club gone, Hirsch said the three of them wanted another outlet to participate in stand-up, and thought their attic would be the perfect spot.

Heller said the physical space is integral to the stand-up comedy tradition they’ve created at “The Prattic” on Monday nights. He said the venue is what makes stand-up special.

“The stand-up shows I had done

at Northwestern (before) were in Fisk or Locy in these auditoriums, which, yes, could fit a lot of people, but felt like you were in class,” Heller said. “Chicago is probably one of the top three biggest comedy scenes, but you’d be hard pressed to find an attic show.”

The roommates said they began floating around ideas of hosting stand-up comedy last spring, but solidified plans when the three were abroad in the fall.

Heller said he often participated in stand-up comedy shows in Prague and wanted a space to continue doing consistent shows in the Chicago area after he returned.

When the roommates started hosting shows during Winter Quarter, Heller said it was just six people doing sets in front of around 20 people, mostly their close friends. Now, they have to turn people away due to small seating space and high demand.

Garcia-Bryce said he was surprised by how popular the show has been, but also thinks they’ve fostered a welcoming, fun atmosphere that has naturally attracted people.

“We made an Instagram, and things have just naturally developed,” Garcia-Bryce said. “We’re having a lot of fun organizing these events. … And I think that people saw that we were having fun.”

Hirsch said one of the reasons the Prattic has taken off is because of how welcoming it is to comedians who

have never done stand-up before.

Heller said NU’s comedy scene was one of the reasons he chose to go to school here. He said once he arrived he found it to be very exclusive, with many clubs requiring applications that yield low acceptance rates.

“We filled a niche that hadn’t been filled here, which was really an open, inviting group-centered comedy,” Hirsch said. “There’s just a lot of barriers around comedy here … and I think that (the attic) just kind of broke down the barriers. I think

that people are responding to that.”

Heller said he hopes to do more newcomer-focused events in the future. Aspiring comedians can sign up on a Google Sheets form and performance slots are first come first serve.

“Anyone and everyone who wants to do stand-up comedy on campus should know the Prattic, because we’re here for you,” Garcia-Bryce said. “You’re funnier than you think you are.”

m.ikenberry@u.northwestern.edu

elaborate mashup of 2011 hits like “Party Rock Anthem,” “The Edge of Glory” and “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” — all using boomwhackers.

“I’m always very impressed by how creative Boomshaka is,” said Communication sophomore Hadley Timmermann, who attended the show. “They always kind of find ways to integrate acting or singing or just really creative ideas into their sets.”

Throughout Boomshaka’s performance, family members, friends and spectators alike cheered with every beat and move.

“I think drumming performance is a pretty rare, unique thing on college campuses,” Simmons said. “I hope people who have never seen it before leave thinking, ‘Wow, that was awesome.’ I hope younger audience members leave thinking, ‘I would love to try that.’ Obviously, underclassmen thinking, ‘Wow, I’d love to audition for that.’”

m.wong@dailynorthwestern.com

Maya Ikenberry/The Daily Northwestern

The Prattic hopes to fill a niche at Northwestern for newcomers to stand-up comedy.

Photo courtesy of Henry Redcliffe

Charli XCX’s Brat Arena Tour came to Chicago April 28.

OPINION

Nobody to call for help

TALIA WINIARSKY

COLUMNIST

I was 7 years old when I first articulated in writing that I was worried about the state of the environment. My town held an essay contest in honor of Earth Day, and I submitted an entry about wanting to save flowers and animals from the effects of global warming. It was April 2011.

This Tuesday, 14 years later, I forgot that it was Earth Day. I didn’t hear about any collective action or celebrations. Instead, I read that about 450 staffers at the Environmental Protection Agency, some of whom work on environmental justice efforts, will be fired or reassigned.

In another world, I would’ve thought deeply about the impacts of this decision, and the people who will suffer because of it. But the slew of terrible news makes it impossible to understand the gravity of each situation. At this point, it’s hard to make me even more disappointed.

This effect is perhaps best illustrated by the shooting at Florida State University last week. Two people died and six people were injured. It was a news headline for less than a day. Years ago, although I wouldn’t have expected this to provoke meaningful legislative change, I still would’ve anticipated widespread outrage. But it didn’t come. It was merely another day of terrible headlines.

I read the news like it’s my job, as though by following the barrage of headlines close enough, I can put a stop to it. Someone recently asked about my “news diet” and I wanted to laugh; I consume everything in sight — there’s nothing diet-like about it. As a result of this habit, the anger that I used to feel while reading has evolved into a deep cynicism. Now, my outlook could best be characterized by a dull hopelessness.

the government — have narrowed or completely closed for me and others.

First, there is a hiring freeze within the federal government, which has recently been extended through July. Academia is also in disarray. Universities are admitting fewer students — or no students at all — to their Ph.D. programs because of funding cuts. Even summer internships, which offer brief but inspirational opportunities, are being canceled: The National Institutes of Health and State Department internships are not occurring this year. The Department of Justice canceled 1,000 law intern positions for this summer. I could go on, but I think you get the picture. Because of these changes, instead of pursuing work within the government or adjacent areas, I suspect that more students than ever will understandably prioritize more corporate, pre-professional paths over visions of public service. While there has been a lot of commentary from people who deride the rise of pre-professionalism within liberal arts colleges, I don’t think it’s an inherently bad concept, especially for students who use it to significantly advance their economic status.

What is upsetting to me is when college students who don’t want to join that path feel compelled to because they can no longer pursue their aspirations. In terms of job prospects, these people will be fine. Many are exceptionally smart students, in my experience. They’ll find jobs in the private sector. Banks are still hiring. Consulting firms are always there. Numbers are way up at law school this year, too, and I would imagine that they’ll stay high, if not grow even more.

A bit of optimism to go

NOAH COHRS OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR

In her April 23 op-ed, Talia Winiarsky observed how the “brooding cynicism” cultivated by our current political climate has permeated every aspect of our lives, from news consumption to job searching, and conceded that such cynicism has “nowhere to go” until the next election cycle.

I appreciate her courage and clarity in articulating a position many people our age find themselves in, especially in the wake of the recent federal layoffs and hiring freezes. Trapped by the feeling that we will never be able to make a difference, we give in to hopelessness, isolating ourselves instead of reaching out to others. We’ve all been there. It sucks.

It is also true that a lot of paths for creating positive change through our federal institutions have narrowed or been cut off. And that, too, really sucks, especially for those of us working towards a chance at one of those positions.

But I think the kind of cynicism Winiarsky describes tends to beget political situations like the one we find ourselves in, not the other way around. And because of that, it’s harmful to let such cynicism run rampant — at least, not without also taking a look at the other side of things.

Organizing, activism and nonviolent direct action aren’t what the government will hire you to do — but they are how real change is created.

And if you don’t think those democratic ideals align with how our government is actually structured, you are in excellent company. Countless people and organizations agree and are working tirelessly to revamp our political systems to become more responsive and accessible.

Twenty-six states now administer citizen ballot initiatives or referendum processes. Evanston debuted its first participatory budgeting process in 2022, with an exceptionally high turnout rate.

Students at Northwestern are currently implementing a small-scale participatory budgeting process focused on climate change. Now more than ever, our systems are changing to become more representative, and there are ways for any interested citizen to get involved in government.

I’d also like to address the view of politics Winiarsky alluded to — that there is nowhere to direct your feelings until the opportunity to campaign in the next election cycle. This is a view that I find to be both exceptionally inaccurate and dishearteningly common.

Politics is playing out all around you, all the time. Big elections and federal action capture the media with an iron fist, but so much more is always happening.

The problem is that the rules of the game have changed just as we were about to start playing.”.

- TALIA WINIARSKY, columnist ”

It is not new for college students to be pessimistic about the state of the country. What feels different about today, however, is that there are fewer avenues through which we can productively channel this desire for our nation to become better. I was always someone who believed in the capacity of our institutions to improve our country, and I hoped that I could be a part of that change. It sounds trite, but the young, optimistic mind often is. While I have never been exactly sure how I wanted to go about this, several of these paths — including going to graduate school or working for

This shift poses major consequences for young adults. While I believe there can be a healthy level of cynicism that can motivate us to improve our nation, today’s political climate makes this a difficult goal, therefore cultivating a brooding cynicism. Right now, there aren’t many places for this sinking feeling to go, besides clouding our vision of hope (at least before the opportunity to campaign in the next election cycle). Sure, there are people who believed in working outside of the system all along. But when this disillusionment is widespread, even reaching people who wanted to work for the government, I suspect it will have deleterious effects on the way that college-aged people now interact with — or turn away from — political systems in the future.

In every class about climate change I’ve had, starting from elementary school and continuing through college, my peers and I were told that there were lots of harms done in the past, but that my generation could make a difference. We were the hope. The problem is that the rules of the game have changed just as we were about to start playing. We are being locked out of the decision room, and there’s no one to call for help.

Talia Winiarsky is a Weinberg junior. She can be contacted at TaliaWiniarsky2026@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, 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.

Yes, everything is awful. This is not new. That’s why the communities we live in have created ways to work out social problems together. Nowhere to go? Try a city council meeting. A club meeting. A community event. A protest. There are countless avenues towards real, meaningful change. Granted, that change is not going to be as big and dramatic as you want it to be. It’s going to be small, local, hard-won and gradual. But, that’s how change has always been.

The idea behind democracy is that we can all shape the world, even if that’s not what we get paid to do. That you don’t have to work for the government, or in academia, or at a nonprofit, to make a meaningful difference.

The idea behind democracy is that we can all shape the world, even if that’s not what we get paid to do.

- NOAH COHRS , op-ed contributor

You don’t know about Mahatma Gandhi because of his mediocre career as a lawyer. You know him because of what he did on the side — the things nobody paid him to do.

Choslovsky: Northwestern’s Holocaust stain

Content Warning: This story contains mentions of racial violence and sexual assault. Though it is fashionable to protest ills far removed from campus life, there is one in Northwestern’s midst that lingers on with little fanfare.

His name is McCormick Prof. Arthur Butz. He is best known not for anything from the world of engineering, but rather from the world of hate and deceit. In short, Butz is a “Holocaust denier.”

I repeat, a learned professor on campus is a “Holocaust denier.”

In 1976, he penned a book titled “The Hoax of the Twentieth Century” denying that the Holocaust took place. Denying that six million Jewish girls, men, grandmothers, babies, uncles, neighbors, women, fathers, friends, sisters, colleagues, cousins, lovers, boys, mothers and aunts — six million human beings — were murdered.

For perspective, consider this: If you read each victim’s name — taking just two

seconds per name — it would take you 139 days to complete the task. Start today and you will not finish until September. But that is only if you never stop to eat, drink or sleep — much like the conditions the victims endured.

In 2006, former University President Henry Bienen condemned Butz, saying, “Butz’s opinions are his own and in no way represent the views of the University.”

But let’s be clear: These are not “opinions” — these are historical facts.

If a mathematician claimed two plus two is five, we would not call him a “mathematical revisionist” or criticize his “opinions.”

We would call him an idiot. As a University, we would be embarrassed to associate with him.

Hiding behind tenure policies and “the right to free speech” is equal parts cowardly and dumb. The First Amendment prevents the government from limiting your speech; it does not prevent a private university from firing a professor.

To put things in perspective, what would the reaction be on campus if a group of “antebellum revisionists” claimed African Americans were never slaves? That Black people were never sold, lynched, beaten, raped and

bartered? Suppose these “scholars” claimed the whole idea of a slave trade was simply a hoax devised by Black people to garner sympathy. How would we respond?

I would like to think I would be joined by everyone, no matter their ethnicity, in obliterating such a lie. I would like to think that the “revisionists” would be called racists. And I am pretty sure such a “professor” would be — rightly — run off campus.

Yet, Butz persists in your midst. No protests. Intellectual hypocrisy at its worst.

As today marks Holocaust Remembrance Day, take a moment to remember the victims, lest they died in vain. Better yet, in the spirit of the mantra “fight speech with more speech,” if Butz can freely exercise his right of expression, why not take five minutes and peacefully exercise yours by telling him and others what you think?

William Choslovsky is a former Evanston resident and NU summer student. He can be contacted at billychos@hotmail.com. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, 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.

Want to get involved? Try looking into state and local legislation. Get on your city council member’s mailing list. Contact your state representative. If you’re concerned about sustainability, Climate Action Evanston is doing great things right here in the community, and they’re always looking for volunteers.

Our government becomes what we believe it to be. If we think voting for president is our singular, all-important civic duty, we end up with a government like the one we’ve got. If we start actually valuing our congressional representatives, our judiciary, our state and local governments, maybe even, heaven forbid, the public opinion — a better future is possible.

I empathize with Winiarsky’s view, and I understand the frustration of being unable to pursue the rapidly dwindling number of careers in public service. But I take that as an incentive towards action, not away from it. Now more than ever, we need to roll up our sleeves and get to work on building a better, more resilient democracy. One controlled neither by exceptionally powerful unitary executives nor the do-gooder graduates of a handful of elite schools, but by its intended leaders: the people.

Noah Cohrs is a SESP sophomore. He can be contacted at cohrs@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, 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 149, Issue 4

Editor in Chief Lily Ogburn

Opinion Editor Eli Kronenberg

Assistant Opinion

Editor

Gabe Hawkins

Managing Editors

Anavi Prakash

David Samson

Leah Schroeder

Shreya Srinivasan Jerry Wu

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.

Hillel speakers talk Middle East policy, antisemitism

By EDWARD SIMON CRUZ

daily senior staffer @edwardsimoncruz

Dan Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, and Yair Rosenberg, a writer for The Atlantic, analyzed President Donald Trump’s Middle East policy and the rise of antisemitism in the U.S. at a speaker event hosted by Northwestern Hillel Monday.

About 100 people attended the talk in the McCormick Foundation Center Forum, which was moderated by political science Prof. Danielle Gilbert and cosponsored by the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies and the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.

The talk came at the start of Hillel’s Israel Week, which aligns each year with holidays commemorating the country’s independence day and remembrance day for fallen soldiers.

Andrew Kupfer, Hillel’s vice president and a Weinberg senior, said the event combined Shapiro’s expertise on foreign policy and Rosenberg’s knowledge of Jewish life in America.

“For me personally, it’s been really difficult to separate everything happening and distill one set of issues with another — a lot of it’s been coming together,” Kupfer said. “I think having them both speak at the same time was really nice and helpful for getting everything across the board.”

Shapiro served as an ambassador from 2011 to 2017 under then-President Barack Obama. He also

House Committee calls for interview with Schill on campus antisemitism

The House Committee on Education and Workforce sent a letter to University President Michael Schill Monday, requesting to conduct a transcribed interview with him as it continues its investigation into antisemitism at universities across the country.

The letter, penned by U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), alleged that the University has not done enough to combat antisemitic behavior on campus since Schill testified alongside several other University presidents before the Committee last May during

advised the special envoy to Iran and the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs during Joe Biden’s presidency, later becoming the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East from 2024 to the end of Biden’s term.

Shapiro said Trump bases his foreign policy more on “instincts” than strategy, pointing out that “grievances” and “selfishness” have shaped his administration’s emphasis on American self-interest.

The former ambassador called Trump “the grand deal-maker” and said the president is seeking partnerships with Russia and China to dominate the Western Hemisphere at the expense of America’s traditional allies.

“He talks about peace through strength. I see it more as diminishment through weakness,” Shapiro said.

Later in the discussion, Rosenberg referenced a 2024 survey from Democratic-linked data firm Blue Rose Research that found, in comparison to older voters, a greater proportion of young registered voters held an unfavorable opinion of Jewish people.

Rosenberg connected this increase in antisemitism to the growing temporal distance to the Holocaust and World War II, explaining that in the years directly after the war, America was associated with being “anti-Nazi” and protecting Jewish people. He also discussed the proliferation of antisemitism on social media and declining American support for Israel.

He called on attendees to “ask more questions” when talking with people who hold anti-Zionist or antisemitic views. By asking others about their

a hearing about antisemitism on college campuses.

During the hearing, he defended the University’s response to the pro-Palestinian encampment on Deering Meadow that spring.

“Since your testimony at the Committee’s May 23, 2024 hearing, despite Northwestern’s claims to the contrary, the Committee has not seen your commitments to discipline, enforcement, and security come to satisfactory fruition,” Walberg wrote in the letter in reference to Schill.

NU has suggested the opposite, releasing a progress report at the end of March on its efforts to combat antisemitism. In the report, NU noted an 88% decrease in reports of discrimination or harassment against Jewish students between November 2023 and November 2024.

HEADLINES

views on topics like Israel and Palestine, Rosenberg said people can connect over shared concerns or determine if others are perpetuating demeaning stereotypes.

Rosenberg emphasized the importance of asking these questions within political coalitions.

“If you don’t ask those questions, they will, in the end, end up polluting and perverting your movement from what it was intended to be,” Rosenberg said.

Darryl Einhorn, one attendee, said she appreciated hearing about the importance of not conflating antisemitism and anti-Zionism — given that she

NU also announced in the report that it has resolved 15 cases related to student activism in the current academic year; 11 students were found in violation of its new demonstration and display policies. Those students faced penalties including warnings and disciplinary probation, the report stated.

Walberg wrote that the Committee has not received any documentation regarding whether students at NU have been “meaningfully disciplined in response to the repeated incidents of antisemitism at Northwestern, including the harassment and violence against Jewish students at Northwestern’s 2024 encampment.”

Walberg’s correspondence cites recent antisemitic vandalism on campus, including “hateful” graffiti and flyers outside University Hall and Kresge Hall on April 14, during the Jewish holiday of Passover.

said one can both criticize Israeli politics and support the nation’s existence.

She said she sympathized with students who asked Shapiro and Rosenberg about ways to have conversations without feeling shut down or excluded from their surroundings.

“The ability to have these really complex conversations in ways that don’t shut down dialogue and that encourage curiosity and questioning and connecting to our humanness is so, so important,” Einhorn said.

e.cruz@dailynorthwestern.com

The letter said the Committee will utilize the interview requested with Schill as a resource to consider whether there “is a need for legislative reforms to protect Jewish students on college campuses, including potential changes to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

“Your testimony regarding antisemitism at Northwestern, and the steps that the university has and has not taken to address antisemitism, will assist the Committee in determining both whether there is a need for legislative reforms to combat antisemitic discrimination and harassment and what shape such potential reforms should take,” Walberg wrote in the letter.

— Henry Frieman

Edward Simon Cruz/The Daily Northwestern

Yair Rosenberg discussed an increase in unfavorable views of Jewish people among young Americans.

Ducks Dan and Dave: Lost and Not Found

The Daily Northwestern

Weekly Word Search

By: Sejal Mehta

Hidden Treasures

From page 1

transparency,” Baum said. “And I’m really glad that the encampment led to that increased transparency in terms of Northwestern’s spending.”

Perhaps the most immediate effects of the encampment, according to both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian activists, were felt in the form of revisions to NU’s demonstration policy; new display and solicitation policy; and new Intimidation Standard in the Student Code of Conduct — enacted in September 2024.

The new policies ban overnight demonstrations, limit “activity that disrupts classes and other functions of the University,” designate specific areas to post flyers and regulate the use of tents and light displays, among other provisions.

For Simon, the new policies represent a “positive and constructive step” toward creating a safe environment for Jewish students.

“Over the past year, we’ve seen a real improvement in terms of the environment,” Simon said. “From what I hear from many, many different students, they have felt that the (campus) is definitely more of a place that’s free of those kinds of concerns.”

Since the end of the encampment, Stern said she has observed a decrease in antisemitic rhetoric around campus. However, she said the encampment affected NU’s reputation in the broader Jewish community, causing several prospective students to ask her whether they should worry about antisemitism on campus.

Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian activists largely view

COUNCIL

From page 1

two-year term. Harris ran and won reelection in early April while Geracaris ran unopposed.

The inauguration ceremony followed the 81st council’s final public meeting, in which the council approved resolutions commending the outgoing Alds. Melissa Wynne (3rd), Eleanor Revelle (7th) and Devon Reid (8th).

Speaking about Wynne — who was first elected to the council in 1997 — several councilmembers, as well as Biss, Mendoza and City Manager Luke Stowe, waxed about her long tenure and deep commitment to the city’s civic life.

“Truly, we’re losing a giant, (and) we’re losing a giant piece of our history here,” Reid said.

Turning to Revelle, the city officials commended her for her nine years on City Council, leading on environmental and housing issues and representing the 7th Ward, a task complicated by Northwestern’s plan to rebuild Ryan Field in her ward starting in 2022.

City officials also sang Reid’s praises for his eight years on the council — split between 8th Ward councilmember and city clerk — advocating for Evanston’s “most vulnerable community residents” and spearheading new city initiatives.

“Even if sometimes you wanted to go further than I was comfortable with, you always made me think, and you always made me consider, and you always made me keep my mind open,” Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th) said. “I like to think of you as our progressive North Star on this City Council.”

Following the swearing-in, the councilmembers took to the procedural “call of the wards,” when they typically share updates from their wards, to

AGREEMENT

From page 1

Kellogg Prof. Therese McGuire, who is currently the only faculty member on the ACIR, said another faculty member will be added.

“I hope that this committee is viewed as a transparent and deliberative body for all constituents on campus for faculty, students, staff and anyone with a concern about the investment portfolio of the endowment,” McGuire said.

As of April, McGuire said the ACIR has only held one meeting, with another scheduled for May. She said the committee has not yet received any resolutions from the community to review.

The ACIR was initially created in 2016, after a student proposal for the University to divest from coal companies was rejected by the Board of Trustees.

In the committee’s original iteration, the Associated Student Government nominated the committee’s two undergraduate representatives and the Graduate Leadership Advisory Council nominated two graduate representatives. The Faculty Senate nominated two faculty representatives, the Alumni Association nominated two alumni representatives and NU Staff Advisory Council nominated two staff representatives.

However in its newest iteration, all appointments to the ACIR have to be approved by Schill.

“(With the previous nominations), there was a lack of continuity (and) understanding of what it’s about,” McGuire said. “Putting it into the president’s office’s hands was to get more structure, formality and continuity.”

The University also introduced a recusal policy that required all members of the committee to excuse themselves from decisions in which they are deemed

the new policies as incursions into free assembly and affronts to the University’s expressed values of free speech and critical debate.

A student who participated in the encampment and requested to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation said they remained skeptical about the impact of the encampment, citing the lack of measurable successes for pro-Palestinian student activism since.

“Victories have been far and few between. I don’t think that really anything has been achieved except maybe more visibility,” the student said. “Setbacks have been enormous just because of the egregious new Code of Conduct and the crackdown on students who are seen in violation of the Code.”

The student also pushed back against antisemitism claims, which plagued the encampment for several days, and said that any antisemitic incidents at the encampment — which included several signs posted near Deering Meadow — were perpetrated by outsiders.

Art and art history Prof. Rebecca Zorach said the revised Code of Conduct has led to a lull in student activism on campus, especially with feelings of uncertainty and anxiety swirling around President Donald Trump’s second term.

“It became harder to keep the focus on the issue of the war and the activism around the war itself as it became more of a conversation about the University’s response to activism,” Zorach said.

Yet despite Trump’s attacks on universities, Zorach said there has been a renewal of activism in response to the federal government’s actions.

Zorach noted that there have been many

statements pushing back against Trump’s narrative of rampant antisemitism on campus, including the statement from 100 NU Jewish faculty earlier this month condemning the Trump administration’s actions.

“Gaza and the plight of Palestinians in Gaza is something that has come out of focus in terms of what people are keeping on the front burner, so to speak,” Zorach said.

A legacy in the balance

Shortly after the encampment, debates erupted over the significance of the agreement and NU’s handling of the protest. On one side, University President Michael Schill defended his decision to compromise with protesters and maintain campus safety in his congressional testimony. On the other, lawmakers castigated Schill for “capitulat(ing)” to some of the protesters’ demands.

The student who participated in the encampment and requested to remain anonymous said the historical record of the event should be critical of NU’s response, noting that University police attempted to shut down the encampment multiple times.

“The University did not do a good job of handling the encampment … (it did well) compared to the universities who beat people and gassed them and arrested them, but that shouldn’t be the standard,” the student said.

Simon said the University could have prevented the encampment, or addressed it more quickly, had the now-existing restrictions on time, place and manner of demonstrations been in place at

the time. Those new policies have helped protect the Jewish community, he added.

“I think that day-to-day we are in a safe environment,” Simon said. “And I would say that is a safety that I don’t take for granted.”

Simon said he hopes students will continue to have constructive conversations on difficult issues across differences.

One year after the protesters packed up, Stern remembers the April 2024 encampment as a painful time for many Jewish students, including members of Wildcats for Israel, a student organization that aims to educate the NU community about the country.

“The encampment was very upsetting for a lot of our Wildcats for Israel members and the greater Jewish community on campus in general,” Stern said.

The anonymous encampment participant said the protest will likely be remembered much differently, whether in years or decades, than it is today. The student said the encampment could be remembered similarly to the 1968 Black students’ takeover of the Bursar’s Office — a celebrated symbol of resistance.

“People will be inspired by this movement, because it did achieve something,” the student said. “So many people were involved with all colors, all religions, all nationalities, and it was really a uniting moment for a lot of people at Northwestern for change.”

n.kanieskikoso@dailynorthwestern.com

i.steinberg@dailynorthwestern.com

thank their family and supporters and commit to serving their constituents and the city.

Rodgers, who previously served on Evanston’s Land Use Commission, said he looks forward to taking “the next step” in his involvement with city government.

to have a conflict of interest. However, critics say the policy will affect the diversity of voices and prevent the committee from advocating for change.

The University did not respond to multiple requests for comment on who would determine when an ACIR member would need to recuse themselves or how that decision would be made.

University holdings disclosure

As part of last year’s agreement, the University agreed to answer questions about specific holdings to the fullest legal extent from any internal stakeholder within 30 days. If unable to do so, it would “provide a reason and a realistic timeline” when they would respond.

The Daily sent the University a list of questions about its holdings in February, which officials failed to answer within 30 days. The University did not provide a reason for the delay or a timeline for a response.

The Daily resent the questions to the University on March 30, which NU referred to the ACIR for review on April 3. The Daily has yet to receive a response.

Supporting visiting Palestinian faculty and students at risk

The University agreed to support two visiting Palestinian faculty members for two years and provide full cost of attendance for five Palestinian undergraduates to attend NU during their undergraduate careers. It also committed to fundraise to sustain this effort beyond the current timeline.

The Daily has confirmed one Palestinian faculty member is currently a visiting scholar through the AtRisk Students and Scholars Program, which is facilitated at NU by the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs.

Noting high turnout in the 7th Ward at the April election, Davis said she is excited to serve on City Council and find ways to bring the city together.

“(The turnout) just shows how engaged and compassionate our community is and how much

The University did not respond to The Daily’s questions about the number of currently supported Palestinian undergraduates at NU.

Space for MENA and Muslim students

The agreement stated that the University would provide an immediate temporary space for MENA and Muslim students. The University agreed to renovate a house for MENA and Muslim students after the completion of the Jacobs Center renovation, expected in 2026.

Until then, the University has provided a temporary space on the third floor of Norris University Center for MENA and Muslim students. The windowless rooms can host about 20 people each, with both the MENA Student Association and Muslim-cultural Students Association using the space.

Weinberg sophomore Daniel Ibrahim, a member of MENA’s advocacy team, described the space as “cramped.”

“We can’t even really safely make it open to everyone because of potential overcrowding,” Ibrahim said. “The whole point of a space is that it’s a place where people can go and meet other people of similar backgrounds and find some sort of solace there. But obviously that’s not being fulfilled with the current space.”

With more than 250 people in the MENA SA, Ibrahim said the club is unable to host events in the room and uses it to only host board meetings.

Ibrahim also raised concerns about MENA students being grouped together with Muslim students in the same space.

people care,” Davis said. “I do love that, and I do think that it means very positive things for the direction of our city, where we go forward.”

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“I’m Coptic Egyptian, so I’m Christian. There are plenty of Muslims who aren’t MENA, and there are plenty of MENA people who aren’t Muslim,” Ibrahim said. “So the fact that we’re continuously combined is just unintelligent, to be honest.”

Additional support for Jewish and Muslim students

The agreement also stated that the University would provide additional support for Jewish and Muslim students within Religious & Spiritual Life. Because of the Deering Meadow agreement, Weinberg senior and member of NU’s chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace Paz Baum said JVP has partnered with RSL to get funding for weekly Shabbat dinners on Fridays.

“It has enabled me to build Jewish community on campus that I wasn’t able to do before because I didn’t feel welcome in Hillel and other Jewish spaces on campus,” Baum said. The Shabbat dinners include food and a reservation at Parkes Hall, but Baum said getting a rabbi for these dinners has proven difficult. Baum said JVP previously asked the University to hire a new rabbi, rather than one subcontracted through Hillel, but it has yet to do so.

Dining services

The University agreed to include students in a process that provides broad input on University dining services, including for residential and retail vendors. In a previous statement to The Daily, the University said more than 20 students serve on a Dining Advisory Board. The Board meets regularly to evaluate residential and retail dining, according to the statement.

Isaiah Steinberg contributed reporting.

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Casey He/The Daily Northwestern

Three newly-elected councilmembers, Alds. Shawn Iles (3rd), Parielle Davis (7th) and Matt Rodgers (8th), formally joined Evanston City Council at the inauguration ceremony Monday.

NU wins Big Ten Tournament in final seconds

By HENRY FRIEMAN daily senior staffer @henryfrieman

As No. 3 Northwestern led 7-6 with 95 seconds remaining in its Big Ten Tournament title clash with No. 7 Maryland Sunday, trouble struck.

Junior a acker Madison Taylor, the team’s top scorer, received her second yellow card, disqualifying her for the remainder of the game and leaving the Wildcats (16-2, 8-0 Big Ten) a player down.

With their newfound advantage, the Terrapins (14-5, 7-1 Big Ten) converted the game-tying goal, leaving 64 seconds — or, if necessary, overtime — to decide the Big Ten champion.

Senior mid elder Sam Smith controlled the draw. Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller called a timeout to scheme an a ack .

e clock read 16 seconds as senior mid elder Emerson Bohlig red a pass to freshman a acker Aditi Foster, who found an open look at goal with only Terrapin goalkeeper JJ Suriano to beat.

Foster’s shot ripped into the back of the net, and the ’Cats found themselves up 8-7 — the Big Ten Championship all but in their grasp.

e clock read zeroes een seconds later as NU descended upon graduate student goalkeeper Delaney Sweitzer, their 8-7 victory secured over Maryland. Since the Big Ten began sponsoring women’s lacrosse in 2015,

there have been 10 Big Ten Tournaments. e ’Cats have won ve.

Foster, graduate student a acker Niki Miles and Taylor each scored two goals, with Taylor adding an assist. Bohlig scored a goal and tallied an assist, while sophomore mid elder Noel Cumberland rounded out the scoring.

The Terrapins took control from the game’s outset.

Maryland’s leading scorer, Kori Edmondson, punched in a free-position goal two and a half minutes into the game. Taylor answered with a diving goal, splitting a double team to equalize the contest three minutes later.

But Maryland pulled away, scoring three straight goals to take a 4-1 lead with 10 minutes le in the second quarter, as they stymied

Liolios sets single-season program HR record in win

By ANNA WATSON daily senior staffer @adub_sports

With the way junior in elder Trent Liolios was swinging the bat through the season’s rst 30 games, it looked like Northwestern’s single-season home run record was bound to fall sooner or later. However, the Newport Beach, California, native soon without a home run, lulling at 15 homers.

But Liolios nally claimed what was his against Butler on Tuesday.

Facing a 1-0 count in the bottom of the h inning, Liolios took advantage of a pitch that was le right over home plate. He sent it over the center eld wall for his 16th home run of the campaign, breaking the program record for home runs in a season.

“It’s a big relief, to be honest,” Liolios said. “I’ve de nitely been struggling recently, so it feels good to get it out of the way and just be able to focus and not think about it.” e rest of the Wildcats’ (2022, 9-12 Big Ten) o ense proved to be successful at the plate, as they defeated Butler (14-30, 3-9 Big East) 11-7 with the help of four home runs.

Graduate student le -hander Blake MacMillan took care of the opposing o ense by holding Butler to three scoreless innings,

side in the top of the rst, junior infielder Owen McElfatrick, junior out elder Jack Lausch and senior catcher Benne Markinson ba ed in three runs in the bo om of the frame.

NU continued to put the bat on the ball and churn out runs.

Between the second, third and fourth innings, the ’Cats tallied six runs, three of which came o of home runs from graduate student utility player Tyler Ganus, sophomore in elder Ryan Kucherak and McElfatrick.

Ganus had a 2-for-2 day at the plate — extending his hi ing streak to four games — with a home run and two RBIs.

“(Ganus is) the embodiment of what you want in terms of a teammate and a player,” Greenspan said. “He’s had good at-bats. He’s been on base a ton lately.”

really fast,” Liolios said. “Just kinda being patient and waiting for a good pitch. I got it, and it worked out pre y well.”

Greenspan, in his second year coaching Liolios, said he is proud of the work his star has put in to etch himself into history.

“ ere have been a lot of baseball teams and a lot of baseball players that have come through Northwestern,” Greenspan said. “To own a record like that, a single-season record like that, is something that he should be really proud of.”

NU’s defense found trouble in the sixth and seventh innings, allowing seven runs, but the Wildcats held on to secure a 11-7 victory.

Liolios will have opportunities to extend his record, starting this weekend when NU travels to

the NU a ack. Suriano made 11 saves in the rst half en route to an 18-save outing, tying the tournament record for saves in a game.

Miles nally broke through with 9:38 le in the second quarter, poking a tight-angle shot past Suriano to cut the de cit to 4-2.

Maryland extended the margin to 6-2 halfway through the third quarter. en, the ’Cats turned the game on its head.

Foster red a rocket from the top of the 8-meter to trim the de cit to 6-3. Foster hasn’t started a game this season but logged key minutes coming o the bench Sunday. e Ambler, Pennsylvania, native has scored eight goals and tallied three assists this season.

About 45 seconds later, Miles

scored a spinning goal, her second, to make it a 6-4 game.

Cumberland charged through the fan as the third quarter wound down and drove a strike past Suriano to cut the Terrapin lead to 6-5 heading into the nal frame.

e fourth quarter remained a stalemate until the three-minute mark, when Bohlig slung a sidearm shot to knot the contest at six.

Sixteen seconds later, Taylor whipped a go-ahead goal.

Meanwhile, NU’s defense held its ground and then some, as the Terrapins scored just one goal in the game’s nal 22 minutes. Graduate student defender Jane Hansen caused three turnovers en route to winning the Big Ten Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award.

Five ’Cats were named to the

FOOTBALL

All-Tournament team: Hansen, Smith, Sweitzer, Taylor and senior defender Sammy White. Foster’s game-winning goal, which cemented her name in ’Cats lacrosse history, spelled an NU victory. e win marks the fourth time the team has swept the regular season and conference titles. e win also spells an automatic bid to this year’s NCAA tournament. It is safe to assume that the ’Cats will receive a seed within the top four, meaning they will host the rst, second and quarter nal rounds in Evanston. And, if they are ranked within the top four, they will have a rst-round bye. e bracket will be released on a selection show airing May 4. h. ieman@dailynorthwestern.com

5 ’Cats agree to NFL deals

By CHARLIE SPUNGIN daily senior staffer @charliespungin

A urry of NFL scouts entered Ryan Fieldhouse on March 18 to watch 10 Northwestern football players participate in various drills, each seeking to actualize their dreams of playing professional football.

Ultimately, no former Wildcats had their name called during the 2025 NFL Dra nearly six weeks later. NU was one of seven Power Four conference teams without a player dra ed. However, two former players — wide receiver A.J. Henning and tight end Marshall Lang — inked three-year contracts with NFL teams, while three other former NU players — defensive back Coco Azema, tight end omas Gordon and linebacker Xander Mueller — will participate in rookie minicamps across the league.

Henning became the rst former Wildcat to sign an undra ed free agent contract, doing so shortly a er the dra concluded Saturday. e Frankfort, Illinois, native signed with the Miami Dolphins, agreeing to terms of a 3-year, $2.98 million contract with $135,000 guaranteed.

“Just the competitive juice and demeanor that he possesses showed up in his unrelenting desire to show up to practice every day. … A competitor, high football IQ, and the ultimate teammate are the things that really stand out to me about A.J. Henning,” coach David Braun

touchdowns. He was also the team’s primary punt returner, elding 12 punts for 136 yards.

A er Pro Day, Henning said that he could see himself having a role as a returner in the NFL.

About an hour a er Henning signed with the south Florida squad, Lang found his new home across the country with the Seattle Seahawks. He inked a 3-year, $2.97 million deal with $5,000 guaranteed.

In ve seasons as a ’Cat, Lang logged 48 receptions, 491 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. is past season, he hauled in 11 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. He registered season-highs of three catches and 36 receiving yards Nov. 2 at Purdue.

Lang was a true freshman on the NU team that won the Citrus Bowl in the 2020 season, as well as a key member of the 2023 Las Vegas Bowl-winning team. In the la er contest, he tied career-best marks of three receptions and 39 receiving yards.

six seasons in Evanston and started in eight games during his nal campaign, in which he notched 32 tackles, one interception and one tackle for loss. Gordon will stay local and a end the Chicago Bears’ rookie minicamp. e Houston native, who spent six seasons as a ’Cat, is coming o his career-best season, in which he totaled 27 catches, 252 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown. Mueller, a captain for NU last season, will participate in both the Green Bay Packers and Washington Commanders’ rookie minicamps. Mueller appeared in nine games this past season, recording 57 tackles, ve tackles for loss, four pass breakups, one interception, one sack and one forced fumble. In 2023, he made the All-Big Ten ird Team, posting 110 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, ve sacks and three interceptions. On Pro Day, Braun said that the ’Cats’ culture intrigues professional teams.

“NFL organizations know that if they get a young man out of Northwestern football, they’re going to be ge ing a young man of high character, intelligent, hard working, team-first oriented,”

Anna Watson/The Daily Northwestern Junior infielder Trent Liolios hit his program single-season record 16th home run against Butler Tuesday.

Daily file photo by Henry Frieman

A.J. Henning caught 59 passes for 603 yards and four touchdowns for Northwestern last season. Now, he’s headed to Miami for training camp.