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Wednesday, November 12, 2025
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11 FEATURES / Diouf Communication senior talks professional lm work, next steps NU
New mutual aid initiative funded
Evanston fund secures $24,999 city commitment
By YONG-YU HUANG daily senior staffer
@yong_yuhuang
Just over a week a er the Nov. 2 food drive at Evanston Township High School, which saw an outpouring of public support in aid of food-insecure community members, organizer and Art Makers Outpost owner Valerie Kahan announced the creation of the Evanston Community Cares Fund at a City Council meeting Monday.
e new mutual aid initiative aims to address immediate nancial shocks, food insecurity risks due to the loss of SNAP bene ts, unexpected job loss and other threats faced by families in the community, according to Kahan, one of the fund’s lead community organizers.
“It is the fastest, most dignied and least bureaucratic way to stabilize families and individuals facing sudden crises,” Kahan said of mutual aid.
She pointed to ECCF’s demonstrated capacity and current scale of operation, seen through recent community initiatives such as the ETHS food drive, which supported Evanston
community members as well as pantries in Niles and Rogers Park, and the distribution of supplies to Evanston/Skokie School District 65 community members on Sunday.
Kahan also said the fund is organizing a gi card drive aiming to raise $900,000 in grocery assistance for 3,000 families that have been identi ed by District 65 and District 202 as having “critical needs.”
At the meeting, Kahan asked the city for $25,000 from its emergency funds for the group to launch its capital campaign, which is set to start ursday.
“We have already con dentially secured commitments from larger donors who are ready and willing to invest in our community stability, and this initial city funding will unlock their support and kick o our ability to help as many people in crisis and our community as possible,” Kahan said.
City Manager Luke Stowe said he could authorize $24,999 from city manager e ciency funds. In response, Mayor Daniel Biss said he is prepared to have a conversation with his family about lling the remaining $1 gap.
“We are in a situation where speed is important, and we appreciate you guys moving
» See AID, page 11
12 A&E / Grammy Awards e Daily o ers predictions for 68th Annual Grammy Awards
What’s on NU students’ minds?
e Daily polled undergraduates on Schill resignation, ee speech
By GRACE WU daily senior staffer @_gracewu
Who gets into Northwestern? Who has cheated in a relationship? Who de nes the college experience? Who are… (N)U? University campuses today
sit at a crossroads of free expression, student activism and a federal administration seeking to in uence higher education. At NU, students navigate a politically charged climate amid a federal funding freeze and tensions surrounding free speech on campus.
But beyond the headlines, students continue to deal with
Panel discusses freedom, ICE, unions
NU community members spoke at ‘University Under reat’ event
By LUCAS KUBOVCHIK and ISADORA URIO FERNANDES
Members of the Northwestern community assembled in Harris Hall on Friday to express their grievances on academic freedom, recent increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement activities in the Evanston community and the bene ts of unionization.
e panel was co-sponsored by University Under reat and NU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors. Panelists included faculty, members of the NU Graduate Workers Union and NU Postdoctoral Union.
Academic freedom
Sociology Prof. Laura Beth Nielsen began the discussion by emphasizing the importance of academic freedom in maintaining democracy. She reiterated the role of universities in producing critical thinking and argued NU and
other universities are being told to choose between their values and research funding.
“We’re dri ing away from our roots,” Nielsen said. “Universities like ours were not built as optional extras, but as sca olding for democracy to support communities of truth seekers, questioners and builders of civic understanding.’’
She cited the World Justice Project’s 2025 Rule of Law Index, which shows a 15% decline in constraints on government power since 2016. Nielsen said this trend is a representation of the slow “corrosion of norms (and) the intimidation of institutions” that have limited the ability of civil society institutions to hold their governments accountable.
Fourth-year behavioral science
Ph.D. student Peter Cummings, who is NUGW’s campus chief steward, said graduate workers have asked to stop receiving emails about the Union’s meetings. He said this is out of fear that the emails will be seen if their phone is con scated at the U.S. border, labeling them as a “le ist” and endangering their admission to the country.
Similarly, anthropology Prof. Jessica Winegar said she invited a Palestinian student to a end Friday’s event. However, she said the student was worried they would be “targeted” if they a ended.
Winegar said knowledge of academic freedom’s decline became more prevalent
following the a ack on Israel by the militant group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
She also mentioned that the a acks a ected those in academia who protested and taught about a genocide. Yet, she said the decline was
» See THREAT, page 11
the everyday realities of college life: relationships, mental health and balancing academic performance with personal wellbeing. At the same time, they adjust to the nancial burden of a ending university, worried about rent, tuition and their future job market.
In e Daily’s Fall 2025 poll, conducted Sept. 29 through
Oct. 6, we asked NU students about all of that and more. is story is hosted on the Fall 2025 Campus Poll landing page, where you can nd detailed data analyses of each polling section and an interactive graphic summarizing the results of each question.
City Council talks ICE, CBP presence
Evanston Police Department’s response to the situation was insu cient.
By RUBY DOWLING the daily northwestern
City sta presented a brief update on its responses to federal immigration activity in Evanston at City Council’s Monday meeting. In addition to a commitment to respond to and record reports by residents, the city may see legislative proposals to mitigate federal immigration agents’ presence in the next two weeks, Mayor Daniel Biss said.
e Nov. 10 meeting was the rst regular City Council meeting since at least three Evanston residents with citizenship status were arrested by federal immigration agents on Halloween, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson con rmed in an email to e Daily. One of the three residents, Jennifer Moriarty, spoke during public comment and said she felt that the
“I want to know what is the role of Evanston police in this community when their citizens are being a acked,” she said. “People were calling 911, and 911 was telling them they couldn’t respond. No time did a police o cer ask a single one of those agents if they were acting under any lawful warrant or doing anything lawful.”
While the Village of Skokie encourages residents “concerned about the legitimacy of any observed law enforcement activity” to call 911, Evanston’s “Welcoming City Resources” page does not, Ald. Clare Kelly (1st) said. She said she would like the city to be more speci c about resources available to residents, including whether or not residents can call 911 if they believe they are witnessing potentially unlawful conduct from federal agents. At City Council’s Oct. 27 meeting, the Evanston Police
Illustration by Siri Reddy
Isadora Urio Fernandes/The Daily Northwestern Jessica Winegar, a Middle East studies scholar, reads the Principles on Academic Freedom.
Soul & Smoke stocks community fridge amidst SNAP cuts
By CLARA B. FREETH
D’Andre Carter was always the rst person to taste his grandmother’s cooking. As a kid, he never thought he would become a chef, even if being the oldest grandchild meant it was his job to be his grandmother’s sous chef.
Together, they catered any and every family celebration, from birthdays to graduations, ring up the pit for ribs, chicken and her collard greens.
Today, as executive chef at Soul & Smoke, Carter incorporates his grandmother’s in uence everywhere — from the mac and cheese made with premium Wisconsin and Iowa cheeses to the smoked chicken gumbo that pays homage to one of her favorite dishes.
As Soul & Smoke has grown from a side gig to a restaurant, Carter has taken on new initiatives focused on giving back to the community. Tucked just outside the door of the barbecue restaurant sits a community fridge, free and accessible to anyone who needs it.
e restaurant’s Community Fridge Initiative launched just before the pandemic hit. When schools closed in March 2020, Heather Bublick, CEO and sommelier of Soul & Smoke, immediately thought of the children who depended on school lunch programs.
“Who’s gonna feed the kids?” Bublick said. “I was both postpartum and pregnant at the time, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, these kids aren’t gonna have food.’ I was crying and emotional, and I was like, ‘We can feed the kids.’”
And that’s exactly what the team at Soul & Smoke has done. During the pandemic, Carter and Bublick pivoted from their catering-focused model — which had primarily served corporate clients and private events — to become a full-service restaurant open to the public.
e restaurant also began stocking a community fridge with surplus food, eliminating waste and ensuring their neighbors never went hungry, Bublick said.
e fridge operates on a simple principle: Residents can take what they need and are encouraged to leave what they can. Soul & Smoke regularly stocks
it with ready-to-cook meals, fresh ingredients and le overs from the restaurant. Community members also contribute, creating a grassroots network of mutual aid.
e initiative is part of Soul & Smoke’s broader commitment to giving back, including partnerships with organizations like Abbot’s and the Evanston Community Foundation.
For many Evanston residents, the fridge has become essential, especially as uncertainty around food assistance programs continues. With payments
frozen for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, families are struggling to put food on the table.
“Losing the SNAP bene ts, it was very nerveracking, honestly,” said a 28-year-old single mother, who asked to be anonymous due to privacy concerns. “I was panicking about how me and my child were gonna eat all month. And then when I found out about the fridges, it just, honestly, it came in handy.”
Her family is far from the only one that utilizes
these resources. For its anksgiving meal drive, Soul & Smoke budgeted for 25 families. But as of Nov. 4, more than 200 had led requests, Bublick said. For Carter, the community fridge represents something deeper than feeding people — it’s about giving back to his community, he said
“Growing up in the South Side of Chicago, I knew that a lot of people need help,” Carter said. “I’m able to help, and that’s cool.”
clara eeth2029@u.northwestern.edu
Clara Freeth/The Daily Northwestern
Soul & Smoke’s community fridge sits just outside the restaurant’s entrance at 1601 Payne St.
Universities weigh deals with Trump admin
By ASHLEY WEI the daily northwestern
Universities across the country are deciding whether to comply with the Trump administration’s funding freeze to crucial research grants, the most recent being Cornell University’s restoration deal e ective Nov. 7. Cornell agreed to pay the administration $30 million, while dedicating an additional $30 million to United States agriculture research over three years, to restore funding and close pending civil rights and other investigations. Cornell agreed to provide the administration with undergraduate admission data and conduct an annual survey to evaluate the campus climate, among other requirements.
Meanwhile, Northwestern, which was rst reported by e New York Times along with Cornell, remains in a $790 million federal funding freeze amid ongoing civil rights investigations.
In response to frozen research funds, the University commi ed to nancially support research impacted by the freeze until the end of the calendar year, costing the institution between $30 million and $40 million per month, according to interim President Henry Bienen. e University has also undergone budget cuts, sta cuts and a hiring freeze.
According to e Wall Street Journal, the University was in active talks with the Trump o cials over se lements in July, which has since slowed, as reported by the New York Times in September.
In an interview with e Daily on Oct. 17, Bienen said the University has yet to receive a set of demands or requests by the Trump administration. Bienen also added that NU sent “some ideas” to the administration and has not heard back. He declined to clarify what was sent to the administration.
At the Oct. 15 Faculty Assembly, Bienen said that he wanted to make a deal with the Trump administration but will not put his name on an agreement that “hinders the autonomy of the University.”
Columbia University was the rst institution to make a deal, with a $200 million se lement across three years and a $21 million payment to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to compensate employees over claims of antisemitism.
In exchange, much of Columbia’s funding has been restored, and faculty can apply to future grants. e deal
Cornell has agreed to pay the Trump administration $30 million, and dedicate an additional $30 million to U.S. agriculture research over three years, to restore funding and close pending civil rights and other investigations.
also puts an end to federal civil rights investigations with no admission of wrongdoing.
Federal and university o cials must select an independent monitor to oversee Columbia’s compliance.
e Trump administration introduced conditions including sharing applicant data, reviewing regionallyfocused academics and maintaining a standing university police force with at least 36 o cers.
Brown University made an agreement with the administration on July 30, agreeing to pay $50 million over 10 years to workforce development organizations of Brown’s choice in Rhode Island.
In return, Brown must provide admissions data, stop providing gender-a rming care to minors and conduct a climate survey, among other conditions.
In contrast, Harvard University pushed back, ling a lawsuit one week a er the $2.2 billion freeze. Harvard rejected the list of demands by the federal government, which included governance reform, an audit of programs that the Trump administration said “fuel antisemetic harassment” and discontinuation of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.
A total of 24 universities, including the Massachuse s Institute of Technology and ve Ivy League schools, led an amicus brief supporting Harvard on June 9 aiming to provide insight to the court. e brief argued that, due to the intertwined nature of academic research, the funding freeze would hinder American innovation.
Though the judge supported the Trump
administration’s investigation of antisemetic behavior, the judge ruled Sept. 3 that the freeze violated Harvard’s First Amendment rights with li le connection between research and antisemitism. Since then, the majority of funding has been restored.
In an Oct. 17 interview with e Daily, Bienen said he did not want to sue the Trump administration.
e “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” was initially o ered to nine institutions on Oct. 1 — seven of which publicly declined — and was extended to all universities on Oct. 15. e compact would require institutional changes in exchange for preferential funding treatment, including a ban on considering race, sex and political views in admissions, a 15% cap on international enrollment, transparency in admissions data, promoting ideological neutrality and freezing tuition costs.
Universities without a deal are making internal sacri ces to avoid concessions and oversight from the Trump administration. Stanford University announced a $140 million budget cut, the University of Southern California laid o more than 900 employees and Johns Hopkins University created internal university funded grants to o set federal disruptions.
At the NU Faculty Assembly on Oct. 15, a resolution passed — with 595 for, four against and eight abstentions — to oppose capitulation to the federal government’s compact.
ashleywei2028@u.northwestern.edu
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Illustration by Zoe Oland
The Daily Northwestern’s
Student concerns run the gamut from paying rent to how federal policies will impact them, but most said that overall, they are satis ed with their experience at Northwestern.
Students have no consensus on Schill’s tenure
Former University President Michael Schill announced his resignation shortly before the start of the 2025-2026 academic year, so it isn’t surprising that
over 60% of freshmen said they have no opinion on his tenure.
Sophomores don’t have strong feelings either, with about half saying they have “no opinion” or neither approve nor disapprove of his leadership. Only about 30% of juniors and 30% of seniors said the same.
Seniors have the worst opinion of Schill by far. Around 32% somewhat disapprove, while 19% somewhat approve of his tenure. For juniors, those numbers are practically ipped.
Compared to e Daily’s Fall 2024 poll, a much
POLITICS
Evanston is no stranger to the impacts of recent shifts in federal immigration policies. As Fall Quarter began, the government announced new restrictions on H-1B visas — including dramatically higher fees for employers sponsoring skilled workers — increasing uncertainty for international students and workers.
At the same time, increased federal immigration officer activity in Evanston and the surrounding areas has led the community to rally in support of vulnerable members.
The Daily found that over 78% of Northwestern students identify as somewhat or very liberal, while moderates make up 10% of the student body, and somewhat or very conservative students come in at just 7.4% of the student body. Around 4% of students say they have no opinion.
Evidently, NU’s campus leans heavily left, but that pattern is divided along gender lines, with cisgender men leaning more conservative than cisgender women. Specifically, 12.4% of cisgender men identify as somewhat or very conservative, compared to 3.7% of cisgender women.
With free speech on U.S. college campuses gaining signi cant a ention amid federal funding freezes and investigations into elite universities, e Daily asked students about their views on the campus speech environment.
According to the Fall 2025 Campus Poll, conservative students, international students and Jewish and Protestant students feel less con dent in free political expression.
Universities o en sit at a crossroads when it comes to free speech: It must encourage diverse ideas and opinions while still maintaining students’ safety and comfort.
e Daily’s poll looked at the tensions between these goals, asking students how factors such as
NORTHWESTERN
higher percentage of students now have no opinion on Schill’s job performance, likely due to responses from rst-year students.
Numbers across all opinions decreased between Fall 2024 and Fall 2025, except for “no opinion,” which increased.
Responses from students of other gender identities were too limited to analyze separately.
Weinberg has the most conservative students, and conservative students are more open than liberal students to a ending events with controversial speakers they disagree with
Among schools with strong sample sizes, Weinberg has the highest conservative presence, with just under 10% of students identifying as somewhat or very conservative.
If presented with the opportunity to a end a controversial speaker event featuring someone they disagree with, almost a quarter of somewhat liberal students and 36.9% of very liberal students would not a end — no ma er the topic. On the other hand, half of these students (43.1% and 47.9%, respectively) would consider going depending on the topic.
However, based on the small sample size of conservative students who took the poll, 43.8% and 59.1% of somewhat and very conservative students would a end an event with a controversial speaker.
political beliefs, religion and areas of study might a ect their feelings about freedom of expression. Here’s what students had to say.
Conservative students feel more pressure to align with the “dominant view” on campus
Northwestern received an ‘F’ composite score in the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings, si ing at No. 120 of 257 total colleges studied. Of 379 surveyed students to determine the rankings, 41% “feel self-censored on campus once or twice a month.”
According to e Daily’s Fall 2025 poll, 78.42% of students identify as either “somewhat liberal” or “very liberal.” For the 5.14% of “somewhat
Most students applied to fewer than 20 internships last year
Across all grade levels, a majority of students applied
to 20 internships or fewer in the last year. Approximately 60% of seniors and 59% of juniors said they applied to 0-20 internships.
On the other hand, almost 16% of juniors applied for more than 100 internships last year, while only 7% of seniors reported applying to this many.
Depending on their major or career path, some students may not apply to traditional internships at all, instead opting to search for other types of opportunities, like being a research assistant. is may have impacted how students responded in the poll.
CAMPUS SPEECH
conservative” students, 77% said they feel pressured to conform to the mainstream political view. Of the 2.31% of “very conservative” students, 72% agreed.
In comparison, only 15% of students who identify as “very liberal” and 30% of students identifying as “somewhat liberal” feel the pressure to conform.
Of students who self-identify as “very liberal,” 38% say they are very politically engaged at NU, and 57% say they are somewhat politically engaged. Among conservative students, 15% say they are very politically engaged, and 43% are somewhat engaged. When asked about priorities between free speech or inclusion and safety, a majority of conservative students believe free speech should be prioritized, while liberal students are more divided. Additionally, fewer liberal students would be curious to hear the perspective of a controversial speaker compared to conservative students.
Fall 2025 Undergraduate Poll
With each new academic year comes new students and new admissions statistics. Here’s what freshmen and transfer students have to say about their journey to Northwestern. Almost half of freshmen respondents were accepted during the Early Decision round at around 48.0%, while
METHODOLOGY
Responses to the Fall 2025 Campus Poll were collected Sept. 29 through Oct. 6. e poll was administered via a digital form distributed through social media, email lists and in-person polling stations. A total of 727 undergraduate students completed the survey. Data analysis was conducted using Python.
As with the Spring 2025 Campus Poll, results were weighted to be er re ect the overall undergraduate population. Weighting adjustments were applied by class year, gender and school to correct for sampling biases, based on comparisons between the sample demographics and o cial NU enrollment data. Since the Fall 2024 Campus Poll was not weighted, any comparisons made to last year’s data may re ect di erences in methodology rather than true changes in student opinion.
While weighting improves demographic balance, it does not make the sample random or fully representative across all dimensions. As with all public opinion surveys, this poll remains subject to potential sampling bias. However, the wide range of polling topics aimed to mitigate participation bias om students with particularly strong views on speci c issues.
Northwestern’s social landscape is always changing with trends in relationships, sleep and social satisfaction. Whether it’s more co ee or fewer couples, e Daily’s Fall 2025 Campus Poll reveals how students across di erent majors and years navigate college life.
More breakups, fewer matches?
Only 29.5% of students reported to be in a relationship, almost 10 percentage points down from last spring when 38.4% students were in a relationship.
In line with both the Fall and Spring 2024 poll results, seniors were most likely to be in a relationship, making up a third (34%) of students who say they are in a relationship.
Nearly half of respondents have never had sex, 19% have it frequently and women have less
For the majority of undergraduates, being single means no sex life.
88.7% of respondents who say they are not in a relationship report never having had sex. Of those in relationships, 63.6% reported having sex once a week, and 82.9% reported having sex several times a week; one reported having sex multiple times a day, who was also joined by someone who described their relationship status as “complicated/ not sure.”
But, just being in a relationship doesn’t mean having sex: 14% of those in relationships have never had sex. 74.8% of those who reported not having had sex say they were satis ed with their social life.
Among women, the rate of reporting “never” having sex rose noticeably, from 43% in last year’s poll to 53% this year. Men reported roughly the same amount this year (41% last year to 44.3%).
Upperclassmen also reported higher sexual activity, with seniors making up 45% of students having sex several times a week. Juniors made up 28.9%, sophomores 19.2%, and freshmen 6.9%. 23.8% of LGBTQ+ students reported having sex frequently. Within that group, 12.9% of students have sex several times a week. 9.2% of straight students share the same frequency.
Cheater, cheater (not the academic kind) ough more than half of the students say they have never cheated nor been cheated on (53.2%), those not in long-distance relationships report more cheating. Of those who are currently in a long distance relationship, 15.2% reported they have not experienced cheating in any direction. In contrast, 23.3% of those who are not long-distance say they’ve experienced cheating. Freshmen were the least likely to be cheaters, with less than one percent indicating that they’ve cheated on someone before, compared to an average of 3.2% between other classes.
Frequent ca eine drinkers more likely to cheat or be a junior
Of people who drink ca einated beverages multiple times a day, 6.9% say they have cheated on their signicant other before, a stand-out from the total 2.7% of students who reported having cheated.
If you have a friend who drinks ca eine all day, chances are, they’re a junior. 35% of students who consume ca eine multiple times daily are juniors, the highest of any class. 20% of juniors drink ca eine daily and 16.7% infrequently.
Engineering and journalism students most satis ed with their social life
Engineering and journalism students are the most satis ed with their social lives, at 82.8% and 83.2%, respectively. Only 66.2% of students who study physical sciences reported being satis ed and 27.2% of them reported to be dissatis ed with their social life, while only 9.5% of journalism students reported dissatisfaction.
67.7% of students who study performing and visual arts agreed that NU has plenty of events, while only 44.8% of journalism students agreed with the statement.
Journalism students are most satis ed with their social life, but also think that NU needs more social events. It seems like physical sciences students are least satis ed (27.2%) with their social life and life sciences students think most highly of NU’s social life quality (66.6%).
Many results are broken down by demographic group; however, data are not reported for groups with fewer than 60 respondents. Some open responses were also aggregated into existing or new categories as part of the data cleaning process. Besides anonymous writein comments, e Daily does not publish individual response data.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, that number is signi cantly higher among rst years, with 17.7% of eshmen in long-distance relationships. For older years, long distance numbers hold fairly constant, with 9.8% of second years, 8.5% of third years and 9.4% of fourth years in long distance relationships.
irteen percent of students in relationships say they met their partner on a dating app. at was the fourth most commonly selected option a er mutual iends (28.2%), shared hometown or high school (24.8%), shared extracurricular (18.4%) and shared class (13.2%). Less common options included social outings (10.9%) and Wildcat Welcome (9.6%). Respondents could select multiple responses.
Some students wrote in answers. ree students said they met their signi cant other through Marriage Pact. One student said
46.4% of students were admi ed in the Regular Decision round. e remaining incoming class was transfer students or those admi ed through QuestBridge, a scholarship program connecting students from lowincome backgrounds to participating universities. e percentage of ED students decreased by 3.9% from the Fall 2024 Poll, which saw 51.9% of ED acceptances and 43.5% of students admi ed through RD. Similarly, the proportion of QuestBridge students decreased from 4.5% to only 2.2% this year.
Of the students who applied early, around 71.5% report not being on nancial aid, while only 27.9% report being on nancial aid. is is consistent with the 57.5% of ED acceptances who report that the cost of a ending NU was “not a concern.”
In contrast, 51.1% of RD students receive nancial aid, while 47.6% do not. RD applicants are also more likely to say the cost of a ending college was “signicant” or “somewhat” of a concern, with 69.5% of RD students compared to 42.5% of ED students.
In general, 52.2% of undergraduate respondents do not receive nancial aid from NU, while 45.7% say they do.
Between areas of study, there are gaps in cost concerns. Speci cally, 56.8% of students majoring in a social sciences eld report that cost was “not a concern,” compared to 39.5% of engineering students. Students studying performing and visual arts are more likely to say that the cost of a ending NU was a “signi cant concern” compared to students in other areas of study, with 41.4% of performing and visual arts students reporting as such.
Students who a ended private high schools also have di ering cost concerns from students who a ended a public high school.
Around 53.1% of students who graduated from a private high school report that cost of a endance was “not a concern,” while only 37.3% of students from public high schools say the same; rather, 62.7% of them say cost was “signi cant” or “somewhat” of a concern.
Overall, 43.2% of freshmen and transfer students who responded to the poll say that cost of a endance was “not a concern.”
e sample considered in this section only consists of freshmen and transfers, resulting in a smaller group of respondents than the overall poll.
City Council approves permit for 605 Davis project
By RUBY DOWLING
the daily northwestern @rubywright0
The proposed 29-story development at 605 Davis St. stumbled across the finish line Monday evening, as City Council approved a special permit for the project in a 5-4 vote.
Earlier in its journey to approval, the building was reduced from 31 floors to 29. At the Monday night meeting, the council approved a flurry of amendments to the proposal befitting the heavy first snowfall of the season Monday morning.
Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th) expressed strong support for the 605 Davis project before kicking off discussion of the amendments. The building will run on 100% electric energy, and 20% of its units will be considered affordable housing under the city’s Inclusionary Housing Ordinance.
“The 80-some affordable units that are proposed in this building are more than the number of inclusionary housing units that have been built in Evanston since our IHO was first introduced in 2007,” Nieuwsma said. “So we cannot pass up an opportunity like this to add that many affordable units.”
Much of the discussion centered around the community benefits offered by the development, which
include public art, subsidized public transportation for 605 Davis residents and funding for city beautification projects.
An amendment introduced by Ald. Matt Rodgers (8th) tackled the language of a condition set by the Land Use Commission stating that the development would provide 50 unlimited ride passes for public transportation per month for tenants. The proposed alteration proved especially troublesome, sparking debate among councilmembers as they dug into the weeds of word choice. The amendment was eventually withdrawn.
“This whole thing is sloppy,” Ald. Tom Suffredin (6th) said. “But if you want to pass it on a 5-4 vote, pass it on a 5-4 vote. Be comfortable with that, and explain it.”
The only amendment that failed a vote was Nieuwsma’s proposal requiring the applicant, Vermilion, to donate $100,000 to repair city alleys and the fountain in Evanston’s Fountain Square — a contentious and divisive topic at recent City Council meetings. The proposal to expand the donation to include fixing the fountain failed 4-5.
Even after the amendments, some councilmembers remained unhappy with the state of the project. Ald. Clare Kelly (1st) attempted to delay the vote to no avail, citing disappointment in the project’s proposed community benefits.
“We are acting completely contrary to the interests of our residents, and the community benefits are just shoddy,” she said. “This is just
Students slug snowballs, shiver through snowstorm
By RYAN OTTIGNON
Northwestern students were greeted with a blustery blizzard late Sunday night in the first measurable snowfall of the season.
Despite low visibility and strong winds, students built snowmen, participated in snowball fights and — for some — took in the unfamiliar conditions.
“I actually recorded my walk all the way home,” said Weinberg freshman Daniel Kim, who is from California. “This is my first time experiencing almost blizzard-like snow.”
The storm dumped 3.3 inches of snow on
Evanston, according to the National Weather Service. A second round starting after 8 a.m. brought an additional 3.5 inches of snow before 11 a.m.
Outside of Willard Hall, students living in the west end of the Sorority Quad donned their coats, put on Christmas music and started a large snowball fight.
“When I went out with some friends, we were gonna build a snowman, but people started throwing snowballs at us,” said Weinberg freshman Matthew Austin, who is from Missouri. “I haven’t seen snow like this in a really long time.”
The storm was likely caused by the lake effect, where water vapor is picked up from a warmer lake and rises through a freezing cold band of air, resulting in large deposits of snow.
As a result of the lake effect, pre-winter
snowfall is common. Twenty-five of the last 40 seasons had their first measurable snowfall during the meteorological fall, with Sunday being only the seventh earliest.
“I’m surprised we’re getting so much this quick,” said Weinberg junior Hassan Kanji, a Chicago native.
During Kanji’s walk next to The Arch, two city plow trucks cleared the road just before 1 a.m. Following the second round of snow in the late morning, most roads and footpaths on campus had been salted and cleared.
Despite the 10-degree “feels-like” temperature, according to data from The Weather Channel, Kanji had no regrets, even floating the idea of driving up to Wisconsin and going skiing.
The same could not be said for Kim, who said
he felt bitterly unprepared for his walk through the cold.
“Because the wind was so strong, there was a lot of sideways snow and I didn’t really have a face covering,” he said. “I also realized the gloves I brought were way too thin.”
Winds reached 14 mph overnight with gusts as great as 27 mph, according to data from The Weather Channel.
Sheltered in an underpass adjacent to Willard Hall, Austin similarly wished he had brought a face covering, but he didn’t let the wind bother him.
“I’m just really happy to be here,” he said. “I love snow.”
x5x4l1@u.northwestern.edu
Barrett/The Daily Northwestern
Ald. Clare Kelly (1st) expressed strong disapproval for the 605 Davis St. project.
‘Nothing’s really hard’
No stranger to adversity, 1-handed running back Albert Kunickis III turns obstacle into superpower
By DOV WEINSTEIN ELUL daily senior staffer
Of the more than one million high school football participants, only 3% make it to the Division I level — an extremely rare and impressive feat for any student athlete.
But for redshirt junior running back Albert Kunickis III, who was born without his right forearm and hand due to Amniotic Band Syndrome, a condition occurring in one in 1,200 to 15,000 births, his journey to the Big Ten is all the more exceptional. However, what might have been an insurmountable obstacle to playing football for most served as a motivator for Kunickis.
Never any di erent
Since he was li le, Kunickis’ parents wanted to make sure their son never felt sorry for himself because of his limb de ciency. At home, they made a point to treat him no di erently from his two siblings. at meant the same chores and the same expectations.
When the family went out for groceries, for example, Kunickis was responsible for hauling in just as many bags from the car as everyone else, his mother, Diana Kunickis, recalled. is mentality, his parents said, has stuck with him his whole life.
In high school, Kunickis worked as a busboy at one of the most popular restaurants in his hometown of Lemont, Illinois — Rosebud.
“On a daily basis, I was carrying like 15 plates — 10 in this (le ) arm, ve in this (right) arm — every night, weaving through tables and stu ,” Kunickis told e Daily. “Nothing’s really hard for me.”
Bobbing and weaving would be good practice for his career as a running back, and stacking the plates, he said, was even more challenging than running with the football.
e eldest of three, Kunickis played several sports as a child: baseball, soccer, football and basketball. ough best known at NU for his exploits at running back, Kunickis’ parents proudly note that he can still dust most two-armed foes in oneon-one basketball and catch any ball you throw at him.
Football, however, became Kunickis’s rst love.
“At rst, me and my brother didn’t really like it, because there’s long days, summer workouts and a lot of conditioning,” he said. “But when the season rolled around and we got to hit, tackle and run over people, I started to love it.”
Football quickly grew into an obsession for Kunickis, and soon he was pouring all his time into the sport. It was not all glamour from there, though. Growing up, Kunickis was no stranger to trash talk about his limb de ciency, whether it was kids laughing at him at Legoland or mocking him on the football eld during a must-win middle school game.
“Before the game, I was ge ing chirped heavily,” Kunickis said. “ ey were like, ‘No way, this kid’s playing, blah blah blah. He sucks, blah blah blah,’” But the haters only served as motivation. In that game, Kunickis, then a two-way player, snagged two interceptions and scored a touchdown.
According to his younger brother, Nathan Kunickis, the jeers also served as fuel for his good a itude.
“He would never talk back. It was just ‘Hey, good game,’” Nathan Kunickis said. “He’s just grown up and realized: ‘You know what, I’m living with it,
and I’m gonna show the people that this is how I rock. It’s just a part of his swagger.”
Football became a family a air for the Kunickis clan. Kunickis spent much of his time in middle and high school training alongside Nathan, a linebacker. eir father, Albert Kunickis Jr., stayed out with the brothers every day, rain or snow, helping them re ne their cra .
“In high school, we were always the last ones on the eld,” Kunickis said.
The brothers pushed each other their whole lives to the point that even breakfast would get heated.
Growing up, to maximize their tness, the brothers competed in a game they called “extra belly” to see who could scarf down more eggs. ough Nathan is now 19 and Albert is 21, the competition between them remains erce.
ough he didn’t have any stars coming out of high school, Lou Ayeni, the former NU running back coach and current running back coach for the Denver Broncos, and former coach Pat Fitzgerald saw something in him. Fitzgerald o ered him a preferred walk-on opportunity right then and there, Nathan said.
ough he also had o ers from Notre Dame and Michigan, Northwestern felt like “family immediately” to Albert, Nathan said. is sense of home, combined with a top-tier engineering school, made it an easy choice for him.
“He and I both know that I have the upper hand at 17 (eggs), but he’s probably going to tell you that he’s got me beat,” Nathan said.
Competition aside, Nathan, who plays Division I football at Brown, said that his older brother has been an inspiration his whole life. ough college separates them for the time being, he still remains a role model for Nathan.
“I’m always thinking about him, because he works his ass o to the point where it’s like, ‘Why am I not doing this?’ Plus, he’s got one arm,” Nathan said. “I’m just always thinking, ‘Oh, he’s probably eating more than me. Let me get an extra plate, because I got that extra belly.”
Becoming indestructible
Kunickis’ dedication applies to almost everything in his life.
He’s been in a commi ed relationship for the last ve years and nds time to talk with his girlfriend daily. He gets to the training facility at least an hour and 15 minutes before practice every day — and for years was routinely the rst one there. He is also a devout Christian and has commi ed himself to reading the entire Bible this year.
He said this mindset comes from the adversity he’s faced his whole life.
roughout his journey, he’s had to make some adjustments to accommodate his limb de ciency. Kunickis wears a glove on his le hand, but not on his right arm. As a result, when handling the football, he’s had to learn how to adapt to two very different sensations. In the gym, he modi es certain workouts by using resistance bands and cables for exercises he can’t perform conventionally.
Still, despite common misconceptions about potential pain to his upper right arm during contact, it actually feels more indestructible if anything, Kunickis said.
With these adjustments, his strong work ethic and dedication, Kunickis continued to improve year over year throughout high school. By the end of his four years at Lemont High School, he scored 33 varsity touchdowns in just 17 games, rushed for 1,393 yards and caught 14 passes without ever dropping the ball.
While stu ng the stat sheet, the Kunickis brothers a ended football camps at colleges all around the country to display their abilities. When they came to NU, Kunickis shined.
One arm, many talents Kunickis rst took the eld as a Wildcat as a redshirt freshman against UTEP. Since then, he’s suited up another four times. He said these experiences have been unforge able. ese moments are meaningful not only for Kunickis but also for coach David Braun’s sta .
Running backs coach Aristotle ompson said he is particularly impressed by Kunickis’ desire on the eld and in the weight room.
“He’s not looking for a blow because ‘Hey, I only have one arm,’” ompson said. “He’s nding a way to do it and then some. I love that mentality.”
With dreams of making the NFL, Kunickis said he’s starving for more.
“ at guy’s going to get his opportunity and he’s going to take full advantage of it,” Braun said in an interview with Fox Sports last November.
A true student athlete, Kunickis is deeply commi ed to his academics, majoring in mechanical engineering. He said staying grateful helps keep him focused.
“It’s hard balancing (school) and football, but you got to get it done,” Kunickis said. “You’re only hi ing college once and especially at a beautiful, great university like this. You’ve got to maximize everything.”
His academic drive is also a ributable to his upbringing. In high school, straight As and rigorous Advanced Placement classes were the family standard for the Kunickis brothers. e brothers were even prohibited from a ending football camps if their grades and test scores were lacking.
“Academics was number one, football was number two,” Nathan Kunickis said.
Creating a brighter future for disabled athletes
Kunickis never wanted to wear a prosthetic arm as a kid. e prosthetics never felt natural. But when it came to building muscle for football, it was almost unavoidable.
To make ma ers worse, the prosthetics couldn’t keep up as he got stronger. When he would a empt a bench press, the prosthetic would crack, his mom said.
“You could see him get frustrated with it,” Nathan said. “It’s snapping. It’s upse ing. I think any other person would just be like, ‘Hey, I’m done. Screw this, F that.’ But Al always was like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna gure out how to do it my own way.’”
Sometimes Kunickis would just exercise without the prosthetic, leaving his parents concerned about his safety, especially when he resorted to balancing the bar on his right arm to bench press.
“If you watched it, you’d be like ‘Okay, that’s kind of crazy,’” his father said. Now at NU and fueled by his frustrations, he sees an opportunity for change that his degree can help with. He hopes to help develop new kinds of prosthetics geared towards athletes, his parents said. Kunickis has already taken strides towards achieving this goal.
Kunickis was one of six student-athletes to receive the Immersion, Mentorship and Actualization Program Award in 2024. is award brought Kunickis to Iceland to connect with people working in the world of prosthetic devices.
More recently, last summer, Kunickis interned at Levi Hargrove’s Center for Bionic Medicine at the nation’s No. 1 physical medicine and rehabilitation hospital, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. ere, Kunickis wrote computer programs that connected to sensors on his arm, allowing his muscle signals to be read and used to control a prosthetic hand. He presented research to scienti c audiences and walked with a powered prosthetic leg.
Laura Miller, a prosthetist, and Kyle Embry, the principal investigator at the lab, worked with Kunickis this summer and said his understanding of prosthetic-user needs and engineering education helped bring a unique perspective to the lab. With his degree and background, Miller said Kunickis has the potential to make signi cant contributions to the eld, especially for athletes.
Miller and Embry were also struck by the commitment and curiosity with which Kunickis approached his work at the lab while balancing a demanding summer practice schedule that had him working out twice a day.
“I’m happy to brag about Albert,” Embry wrote to e Daily. “ at kind of dedication is admirable in any student-athlete.”
Helping others
Beyond his research and athletics, Kunickis has also made personal connections within the limb de ciency community. Shaquem Gri n, a onehanded former NFL linebacker, and Kunickis have cha ed on the phone numerous times.
“He’s given me a lot of great advice, ways to go about my daily life, and how to take it to the next level,” Kunickis said.
Now in his fourth year in Evanston, Kunickis has stepped up as a mentor for younger football players in similar situations.
Trooper Wright, a high school football player from North Carolina who lost his arm in an ATV accident, reached out to Kunickis for advice. e two talked and Wright even joined Kunickis at a spring practice.
For his family, watching Kunickis transform into a role model and example has been a beautiful thing.
“Seeing him be one of those people showing that you can have top-tier education, top-tier athletics and a top-tier life, even with adversity,” Nathan said. “ ose who are in the same situation, are gonna realize I can go and do this too and ght for my future. I think it’s real special.”
Kunickis will graduate from NU in the spring and hopes to continue playing football. ough he doesn’t know where his journey will take him as of now, he knows his arm and the resilience it has taught him will always be with him.
“It honestly feels like a superpower. I feel like I can break through any barrier,” he said. “Having that mindset is an awesome thing.”
dovelul2028@u.northwestern.edu
Alex Boyko/The Daily Northwestern
Albert Kunickis III warms up before the USC game.
Courtesy of Albert Kunickis Jr.
Albert Kunickis III attempts a bench press without a prosthetic.
By AUDREY PACHUTA daily senior staffer
@audreypachuta
Najee Story is privy to what you’re saying about him on social media, but he won’t let it consume him.
With the score kno ed 14-14 late in the second quarter of Northwestern’s most recent matchup at then-No. 20 USC, the graduate student defensive lineman intercepted a pass at the visitors’ 25-yard line and tro ed toward the endzone without much strife.
Taking his nal steps to what would have resulted in NU’s rst lead of the contest, Story extended his arm, unprotected, as he approached the goal line. Redshirt junior linebacker Braydon Brus threw his hands in the air to celebrate what looked like a done deal.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten), what was poised to be an NU touchdown never appeared on the scoreboard. Seeking
immediate respite for his recent pick, Trojans’ quarterback Jayden Maiava hit Story hard, knocking the ball out of his hands.
Brus, graduate student linebacker Mac Uilhein and redshirt junior safety Robert Fitzgerald each tried to jump on the ball, but it was too late. Touchback.
“ at was the fastest I’ve gone from happy to disappointment in my life,” Story said, re ecting on the play following a Tuesday practice.
By the time the game ended, and the ’Cats had lost 38-17, there was no shortage of posts and reposts. Footage of the nightmarish moment was shared by NU’s fans and foes alike.
Story said he sees it all, but he’s unbothered. e noise only fuels him.
“ e day it happened and the day a er, I probably watched that clip at least 20 to 30 times, just seeing what went wrong,” Story said. “But it’s a new week, we got a new opponent, so I just go a ush it out of my mind.”
Upon reviewing the lm, the veteran lineman didn’t beat around the bush when it came to evaluating his own shortcomings.
He didn’t blame other players, coaches or circumstances. Instead, he immediately pointed to what he considered a fatal mistake: reaching toward the goal line at the expense of protecting the football, which he said is only permissible on two-point conversions of fourth-down plays.
Looking back, Story wishes he’d just accepted the tackle, knowing that even if he didn’t score, NU’s o ense would take over with prime eld position.
Following the Friday loss, coach David Braun had kinder words for Story than either man had for himself.
“Najee Story makes an unbelievable pick and busted his bu to try and go score a touchdown,” Braun said postgame in Los Angeles. “We go a do a be er job on defense of just taking a breath, playing the next play. eir next play is an explosive run that ends up leading to a touchdown, a 14-point swing at that juncture.”
In the days that followed, Story and his head coach have shared a similar sense of heartbreak.
As Braun has lamented over whether USC’s controversial fake punt could’ve been avoidable
and Story has looked back on the costly fumble, the pair has reached a similar conclusion: It’s time to focus on the next task at hand in No. 18 Michigan. For Story, that shi begins with the support of his teammates, who were quick to help him regain con dence a er the play.
Immediately a er the ball bounced beyond the endzone, Fitzgerald helped Story back to his feet as he crouched, head in hands, in a t of frustration.
Graduate student defensive tackle Migo Jackson, in his rst game back from injury, told him, “I know you’re not still thinking about that, move on,” and defensive line coach Christian Smith instructed him to keep his head up. With sweat dripping o his face as he cooled down from Tuesday’s practice, Story said he’s focusing on what those who know him best have to say rather than external pressures.
“As a (defensive) tackle, you’re in the trenches all the time, and you’re not really noticed until something goes wrong.”
audreypachuta2027@u.northwestern.edu
By ANNA WATSON daily senior staffer @adub_sports
Graduate student running back Cam Porter’s season-ending injury le Northwestern running backs coach Aristotle ompson with a hole to ll in his position room just two games into the season. ompson talked through the options with o ensive coordinator Zach Lujan, and the two decided on a name: freshman running back Robby Preckel. Preckel, who originally made up part of the tight end room, caught Lujan’s eye in fall camp, and he passed the word along to ompson. e running backs coach started to watch Preckel closely. What really impressed him was Preckel’s performance in an explosive play circuit. ompson’s station in circuit is a drill he calls “Same Foot, Same Shoulder,” where the players contact a very heavy sled and have to knock it back. en, the players come o of it and have to break another tackle. ompson said Preckel knocked it back with great balance and ran through without falling over. “ at gets you red up,” ompson told e Daily on Tuesday. “You have a guy who’s over six foot, 230 pounds, fast and strong, good balance. I think we give him the ball.” When special teams coordinator and tight ends
coach Paul Creighton told Preckel he was being moved to running back, he was not bummed about it. According to Preckel, he accepted the challenge like any great player would.
Preckel estimated he played 15 snaps at running back in high school. He mostly played wideout and sometimes got in as a wildcat quarterback and tight end.
e freshman has already got his money’s worth as a part of ompson’s group. He received his rst carry against Louisiana-Monroe and was the second running back option against then-No. 20 USC a er redshirt junior running back Joseph Himon II and redshirt freshman running back Dashun Reeder were listed on the injury report.
Friday, he picked up 25 yards on ve carries.
Preckel said he’s playing decently well at the position, but there is always stu to improve upon, like ge ing more reps and trusting his vision.
Taking hando s is one of the biggest changes he has had to adapt to.
“It’s de nitely di erent because, as a receiver, you’re looking the ball in,” Preckel said. “As a running back, you’re not looking at the ball at all and usually not grabbing at the ball. Instead, you’re le ing the quarterback put it right there in your stomach.”
Preckel has spent time ge ing be er in this aspect of the game. On Sunday and Monday,
Preckel said he practiced extra with graduate student quarterback Preston Stone. He said he usually texts Stone the day before to ask if he can get some more hando s and work in.
e pair seem to have built a strong relationship during his short time as a Wildcat. Very soon a er Preckel got up to Evanston, Stone gave him the nickname “Cheese.” Neither Preckel nor ompson know where it came from.
“I love it,” Preckel said. “If you always get a nickname, you always know that the guys love you.”
His coaches have taken notice of his dedication. According to ompson, sometimes Preckel will come back the night of a game and catch balls o a machine.
In the weight room, ompson said that you have to tell him to get out of there when he has li ed enough.
“Robby’s a guy that you have to pull back,” ompson said. “You don’t have to tell him, ‘Hey, get going. Get going.’ You got to pull him back. He’s been doing that since he got here.”
Preckel is serious about his cra , but he is also lighthearted and a joyful presence in the running back room. According to ompson, he is always smiling and having fun.
When the ball is snapped, though, ompson says you be er watch out.
“He has bad intentions,” ompson said. “If
you’re on the other side of the ball, he has bad intentions for you. If you get in his way, even if you’re on the same side of the ball, you might end up on the ground.”
To ompson, Preckel plays carefree, like he has nothing to lose. at a itude has helped him to exceed his coach’s expectations. ompson measures this using two main metrics: Does the o ensive line love you, and are you able to consistently a ect the defense and change the game? ompson thinks Preckel has garnered the love of the o ensive line. Additionally, he has found ways to change the game, but now he has to do so consistently.
As a result, his expectations have moved because of what he believes his growth potential could be.
While Preckel is unsure of his role throughout the rest of the year, his goals are to win the next three games, make the most of his opportunities and, hopefully, score a touchdown.
One thing is certain for ompson, though: He can throw away his receipt for Preckel, because he is not returning his new weapon.
“I told coach Creighton, I appreciate him recruiting him to play running back here, but he’s not going back,” ompson said. “He’s going to stay at running back. He’s not going back to tight end.” annawatson2027@u.northwestern.edu
Robby Preckel sti -arms a defender while carrying the ball against USC. Alex Boyko/The Daily Northwestern
GEARING UP FOR MICHIGAN
Northwestern to take on Wrigley matchup as losingest team in FBS history
By ALEX BOYKO daily senior staffer @aboyko_nu
November football has nally returned to Illinois. Following a trip to the eternal summer of Southern California, Northwestern will head to the Friendly Con nes just as winter begins to take its hold on the Midwest.
For football purists, Saturday’s tilt with No. 18 Michigan checks all the boxes one could ask for. e weekend brought the rst snow of the season. e Wildcats (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) get another chance to clinch bowl eligibility in a nationally televised game. Fox Sports’ “Big Noon Kicko ” comes to town for a showdown between two of the conference’s premier rushing a acks. And all at Wrigley Field as the cherry on top. Sometimes, it’s hard not to be romantic about college football.
In honor of that romanticism, here are four things to know ahead of Saturday’s game — from the history and rivalries to what happens between the white lines.
An all-timer
A er a hot start in the Coliseum where it looked like the ’Cats would keep pace with one of the premier programs in the country in then-No. 20 USC, a slew of missteps across the nal three quarters ultimately spelled their demise. e manner of that loss looms large, but it stings a touch more a er what transpired the following day.
Over in Happy Valley, Indiana pulled o a spectacular fourth-quarter comeback with a toe-tapping catch from Omar Cooper Jr. to quash Penn State’s upset bid and remain perfect on the year. With the Hoosiers notching 10 straight wins and NU taking its 716th loss in program history versus USC,
the ’Cats stand alone as the losingest team in FBS history.
Fi ingly enough, this inauspicious era of NU football opens with a game against college football’s winningest team. is is not the rst meeting between the winningest and losingest teams, as the Wolverines (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) matchup with the Hoosiers just last year t that criteria, but the serendipity of it happening in the ’Cats rst game with the dubious moniker is striking.
To note, Indiana won that game.
Trench warfare
Nothing epitomizes Big Ten football quite like the ba le in the trenches. Deep in the heart of conference play, this game is no di erent.
ere are nine players across these two teams inside the top 250 players on PFF’s 2026 Big Board — seven Wolverines and NU’s graduate student lineman Caleb Tiernan and redshirt junior defensive lineman Anto Saka.
On the nine, six of them play on one of the lines, while the remaining three are a physical 6-foot-6 tight end, one of the Big Ten’s premier running backs and a strong run defender at safety.
e two o enses both have at least three games this season with under 150 passing yards, have a total of one player among the top 200 in receiving yards and are among the 15 best at preventing negative plays.
By all accounts, this should be quite the game for the smash-mouth football connoisseurs.
e ’Cats will have their hands full with a Wolverine run game with two talented backs averaging a combined 6.47 yards per carry this season, but the most interesting matchup is the one between its o ensive line and the visitors’ defensive front.
NU’s group has been one of the best in the nation, and four di erent members of the room
have been recognized by PFF throughout the season in its Big Ten teams of the week.
Last week’s test in Los Angeles is comparable to what Michigan has put on tape this season, with both teams grabbing 24 sacks across their rst nine games. Graduate student quarterback Preston Stone was dropped twice in the contest, both times by the player lined up opposite his right tackle.
For the Wolverines, edge rusher Derrick Moore has been on a heater, grabbing two sacks in each of his last three games. e star pass rusher lines up at both edge positions, but notched his two takedowns last week versus Purdue o the right side and will see a fair share of snaps there Saturday.
Coach David Braun has continued to rotate graduate student o ensive lineman Martes Lewis and redshirt junior offensive lineman Deuce McGuire a er announcing before the season that the two would split snaps to start the year.
twice, with the Wolverines keeping it in Ann Arbor each time. A er two consecutive away games to open the series, the trophy makes its maiden voyage to the Chicago area later this week.
Michigan has a rm lead in the all-time series, boasting a 60-15-2 record, but the ’Cats have performed well in their limited sample size of trophy games across its two rivalries at 10-8. e not so Friendly Con nes
Despite having just one other trophy game, the ’Cats have actually brought one into Wrigley Field twice before.
With the two swapping in and out and Moore moving around the line throughout the game, the right side of the line will be the place to check before every snap.
e George Jewe Trophy
NU and Illinois established the Land of Lincoln Trophy game in 2009, with the ’Cats winning the inaugural meeting 21-16 in Champaign. e following year, the team brought it into the Friendly Con nes as its doors opened for a college football game for the rst time since 1938.
NU has since played four more games in the ballpark, including last season’s nale versus the Fighting Illini.
Despite playing in the oldest conference in the FBS for more than 120 years, NU has only two trophy games — the Land of Lincoln game versus Illinois and a recently established game with Michigan.
e look through history presents a troubling pa ern ahead of the ’Cats third trophy awarding at Wrigley Field — a goose egg in the win column. e ’Cats have not only lost both games versus Illinois in the Friendly Con nes, the team also dropped the other three. NU has lost four of those by two or more possessions and has been outscored 159-83.
First awarded in 2021, the George Jewe Trophy honors the rst African-American player in both Michigan and Northwestern’s history. Jewe started his playing career in Ann Arbor before transferring in 1893 to complete his medical degree at NU.
NU and Michigan have played for the trophy
Pulling o the upset versus Michigan would check a lot of boxes for NU — securing the team’s rst ranked win since 2020 and a bowl game likely atop that list. Grabbing that rst win at Wrigley would be the cherry on top.
alexboyko2026@u.northwestern.edu
Alex Boyko/The Daily Northwestern Graduate student quarterback Preston Stone readies to throw against USC Friday.
Lights, camera, action: David Diouf navigates acting, film
By BIANCA DISHMON daily senior staffer
Communication senior David Diouf might not have ended up where he is today if not for a movie he now calls “stupid.”
He first saw the film — “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” — at a friend’s birthday party.
“For some reason, 13-year-old me thought that was the most human, most touching, most revolutionary experience of all time,” Diouf said. “I thought that I wanted to get involved in something like that.”
Growing up in Senegal, Diouf fell in love with visual and performing arts at a young age. He practiced drawing and community theater alongside his sister, but it wasn’t until his friend’s party that he discovered his true callings: acting and filmmaking.
In “Fantastic Beasts,” Diouf was entranced by the performance of Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski, an ordinary human exposed to the world of wizards. Kowalski is an adoring side character who aspires to be a baker and offers the audience a comedic reprieve from the more serious scenes of the movie.
The particular scene that solidified his admiration for Fogler was the film’s emotional ending. Kowalski, having become fully immersed in the wizarding world by the story’s conclusion, must sacrifice his memories due to his non-wizard status.
“Dan Fogler is the only reason I act, and I’ve never seen Dan Fogler in anything else,” Diouf said.
From then on, Diouf actively pursued acting and directing. Throughout high school, Diouf participated in a variety of theatre productions. But his big break came after his high school graduation.
In his senior year, Diouf auditioned for the Apple TV show, “The Changeling,” which follows a man as he searches for his missing wife. Diouf starred in two episodes after successfully landing the role of “jovial young man” Arthur, who serves as a catalyst for the family. For Diouf, the role was awe-inspiring.
“I felt so Hollywood,” Diouf said.
Filming commenced during Diouf’s freshman year at Northwestern. To film, he flew to Bogotá, Colombia from Evanston.
Although shooting only took three days, Diouf was there for a week. The extended time allowed him to explore Colombia and form deeper relationships with his co-stars and the crew.
“Getting to know the people, getting to know the crew was sort of a revelatory experience for me,” Diouf
said.
One of Diouf’s favorite moments with the cast was having dinner with them, he said. The dinner allowed him to get to know the cast on a more personal level and learn more about the ins and outs of the industry.
Diouf said his experience with “The Changeling” marked the first time he felt fully immersed in an acting environment.
During a scene with a prop gun, Diouf said he felt genuine fear even though he knew the gun was fake. This allowed him to experience the scene more profoundly, he said.
“It was this sort of switch in my brain that if I give myself to these imaginary situations fully, then I’m really able to lean in fully and then give the performance that my 13-year-old self wanted to give so bad after seeing ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,’” Diouf said.
The eight-episode series was released in 2023 to generally favorable reviews. Diouf said he deeply enjoyed filming the show. However, what really stuck with him was watching the premiere with his family.
Serving as an inspiration and support system for his work, Diouf felt an enormous sense of gratitude in having them be among the first people to view the show.
“It felt like a thank you to all of them that we were able to sort of share that moment together,” Diouf said.
Diouf credits many people as inspirations in his work, both behind and in front of the screen. He said he admires actor Jeffrey Wright as a cultural cornerstone and main inspiration, actress Viola Davis and directors Ryan Coogler and Jordan Peele. However, the most important are the family and mentors closest to Diouf.
Three individuals of particular importance are his mother, sister and Communication professor Felicia D. Henderson.
“My mother supports me on an emotional level. She’s my rock, she’s my best friend. My little sister is the reason I do most of the things that I do. And Felicia, my mentor, is sort of this force to be reckoned with that’s really inspiring,” Diouf said.
Diouf also professed admiration for Catherine Carrigan, a Communication academic advisor and assistant professor in the Radio, Television and Film department.
Carrigan first met Diouf during his freshman year, when he told her about “The Changeling.” She said she knew that day that he was destined to do great things.
“From the first moment I met him, I was like, ‘He’s the first one,’” Carrigan said. “He’s the person who’s going to figure out how to do a lot, how to do it conscientiously and to do it really well.”
Rivaling Diouf’s love for acting is his passion for directing. Diouf has directed multiple projects, but his most recent is his short film, “Holy Mother,” which premiered at the MultiStudio Premiere in June.
The short film was also selected to screen at the Maryland Film Festival Nov. 6 and 9.
“Holy Mother” addresses grief head-on. Starring Diouf himself, the short film focuses on a grandmother and grandson as they prepare for a funeral.
“One of the topics that keeps circling throughout my writing and throughout the performances tends to be grief,” Diouf said. “Grief and loss have been, at least for the last couple of years, at the epicenter of most of the things that I write or do.”
For Diouf, “Holy Mother” has been one of his favorite projects to date. He developed the script over the course of a year and said it allowed him to feel comfortable in his directing abilities.
Most rewarding, Diouf said, were the responses following the short film’s release.
“It felt heartwarming to know that the initial reason why I got into filmmaking was to tell stories that make people want to feel more human, stories that make folks want to call their brother, their sister, their mother, their friend,” Diouf said. “To hear that even just a tiny bit, I was moving towards my goal when the story was emotionally impacting people, it really did mean a lot.”
Communication senior Lee Ekong is a frequent collaborator of Diouf’s and was the editor for “Holy Mother.” The two first met during Wildcat Welcome when they were in the same peer advising group.
Their first collaboration occurred in the Spring Quarter of their freshman year, and since then, Ekong has always been Diouf’s go-to editor.
“It has just been a given that if David is working on a project, I’m editing,” Ekong said. “He is honestly the only person on campus that can walk up to me and be like ‘Hey, I’m working on something, you’re going to edit it,’ and I’ll go ‘Yeah, ok. Sure.’ He is the only person.” Ekong said that working with Diouf is unlike working with any other director. Even outside of their working relationship, Ekong praised Diouf’s friendship. What they admire most is Diouf’s devotion to his work and those working with him.
“He is so, so passionate about what he does, and it’s infectious,” Ekong said. “He’s like the hype man you never knew you needed in every context ever.”
Another of Diouf’s frequent collaborators, Communication senior Jackson Heller, shared many of Ekong’s sentiments.
Like Ekong, Heller and Diouf met because they were in the same PA group during Wildcat Welcome. The two co-wrote a script during Spring Quarter of their freshman year that earned them a Studio 22 Productions grant.
Since then, they’ve worked together on several different projects in many different places, including subletting a house the summer before their junior year to make films and traveling to Maine over spring break to shoot another film.
“I’m always right there for him; he’s always right there for me,” Heller said.
There are a myriad of traits Heller appreciates about Diouf, such as his ability to stay calm under pressure and his enthusiasm. But he praised Diouf’s work ethic above all else.
“His work ethic is infectious to be around,” Heller said. “Every time I’m working with him, I feel like I’m going to make it, I’m going to do what I love for the rest of my life, because I think he dedicates so much of himself to that.”
Currently, Diouf is working on his senior thesis project, a film entitled “Shithole.” As graduation approaches, another short-term goal of his is to join the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and find more professional work as an actor.
Further into the future, Diouf hopes to make a feature film within the next five years, consistently guest star in both television and film and take care of himself mentally.
But Diouf said his most important goal is giving back to his community.
“It’s often hard for kids that are like me who maybe don’t have the right background to access these doors, so my goal is to create a community hub for them,” Diouf said. “Provide them with resources, provide them with mentorship. I think mentorship is so important.”
Diouf also hopes to maintain the sense of community he has created at NU. He said he enjoys the time he spends with clubs like the MultiCultural Filmmakers Collective, Black Screens and the club basketball team because of how helpful they have been in providing an outlet for him to express himself.
While these goals seem lofty, Diouf stays grounded with a piece of advice he received from his mentor.
“Just keep crawling,” Diouf said. “At one point, you’ll start walking, and maybe even at one point, you’ll start running.”
biancadishmon2028@u.northwestern.edu
A&E
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The Daily predicts major-award wins for 2026 Grammys
By MAYA WONG, EMILY LICHTY, CLARA MARTINEZ, and CLARE KIRWAN daily senior staffers
@mayaw0ng / @emilymlichty / @claramart1nez7 / @clarekirwan31
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards nominations dropped on Friday, and members of The Daily’s Arts & Entertainment desk have some thoughts. Performing artists Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga lead this year’s nominations at eight and seven, respectively, so it will be interesting to see who takes golden gramophones home on Feb. 1.
Who does The Daily think will win the big four categories? Who was totally snubbed? Join A&E Editor Maya Wong, Editor in Chief and former A&E Editor Emily Lichty and Assistant A&E Editors Clara Martinez and Clare Kirwan to see who they’d cast their votes for.
Record Of The Year
Nominees:
• “DtMF” (Bad Bunny)
• “Manchild” (Sabrina Carpenter)
• “Anxiety” (Doechii)
• “WILDFLOWER” (Billie Eilish)
• “Abracadabra” (Lady Gaga) “luther” (Kendrick Lamar, SZA)
• “The Subway” (Chappell Roan)
• “APT.” (ROSÉ, Bruno Mars)
Maya: Record Of The Year typically involves the song that had the most cultural impact, and I think in that vein, “APT.” by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars takes the cake. I mean, what other song on this list has a simple dance to go along with it and will be played as a crowdpleasing PG song pick at wedding receptions? While “APT.” isn’t my personal favorite track nominated, this song is infectious and has longevity. It would also be great for K-pop to get the Grammy nod it’s long been deserving of.
Emily: If I had it my way, Chappell Roan would take home another Grammy for her track “The Subway.” First performed live by Roan in June 2024, fans eagerly awaited for the song to be available to stream for over a year. Roan delayed the release, partially because it took a long time to get the production just right. The wait was well worth it: The track strikes the perfect balance between campy city romp and a devastated breakup anthem. With “The Subway,” Roan lived up to her 2025 win of Best New Artist and hopefully proved she can keep her Grammys magic going.
Clara: This is a brutal set of nominations. Record Of The Year gives recognition to the production behind a song, and it’s surprising to see multiple tracks set to generic synth pop beats that lack much innovation. That being said, “luther” seems like an obvious pick. Kendrick Lamar and SZA seamlessly weave softer melodies with rhythmic interjections of rap. Even people who are not avid listeners of rap can find enjoyment in how the two artists complement each other in a smooth back-and-forth banter, not to mention a clever sample of Luther Vandross’ “If This World Were Mine.”
Clare: “luther” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA should be a shoo-in for the win. In a tribute to the late Luther Vandross, SZA and Lamar made a melodic rap performance that topped charts for months. The song is well-produced, blending SZA’s angelic voice with Lamar’s skillful rapping effortlessly. Though not my favorite song by any means, it’s versatile and has sound,
lyric and production quality, everything the Record of the Year should have.
Album Of The Year
Nominees:
• “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” (Bad Bunny)
• “SWAG” (Justin Bieber)
• “Man’s Best Friend” (Sabrina Carpenter)
• “Let God Sort Em Out” (Clipse, Pusha T & Malice) “MAYHEM” (Lady Gaga)
• “GNX” (Kendrick Lamar)
• “MUTT” (Leon Thomas)
• “CHROMAKOPIA” (Tyler, the Creator)
Maya: This nominee lineup doesn’t have a total standout, but Sabrina Carpenter should win for “Man’s Best Friend.” You know and love the cover. “Man’s Best Friend” is an equally-strong follow up to Carpenter’s 2024 album “Short n’ Sweet.” The project is cohesive in its country-and synth-pop-influenced production, and features some of Carpenter’s most clever (and R-rated) lyrics yet. It’s pure pop fun and deserves some serious recognition.
Emily: I haven’t reached super fan level with Lady Gaga yet. But, with seven nominations this season, I could see this year’s Grammys becoming the year of Gaga — even if it’s for lack of better options. “MAYHEM” offers a fresh take on Gaga’s signature sound while remaining reminiscent of her 2010s peak. Beyond the album’s impressive production quality, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Recording Academy favored Gaga simply to create an iconic awards show moment.
Clara: In terms of commercial success and cultural impact, Bad Bunny’s album “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” is the obvious choice. It spent four weeks in the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts, and Billboard went on to name him the Top Latin Artist of the 21st Century at the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards. The album is deeply connected to his Puerto Rican roots and feels more authentic than anything he has put out so far. Dealing with issues like immigration and gentrification, Bad Bunny’s album is striking a chord now more than ever.
Clare: To be honest, none of these albums particularly blew me away this year. But, if I have to settle, I suppose it will be for “Man’s Best Friend” by Sabrina Carpenter. Though “Short n’ Sweet” may have proved difficult to follow up for many artists, Carpenter did it with ease (and an awful lot of sass). Her lyrics are slightly raunchy, her performance charismatic — and the album, a true representation of what it means to be a “woman in male-dominated fields.”
Song Of The Year
Nominees:
• “Abracadabra” (Lady Gaga)
• “Anxiety” (Doechii)
“APT.” (ROSÉ, Bruno Mars)
• “DtMF” (Bad Bunny)
• “Golden” (HUNTR/X)
• “Luther” (Kendrick Lamar, SZA)
• “Manchild” (Sabrina Carpenter) “WILDFLOWER” (Billie Eilish)
Maya: In terms of songwriting quality, I think Sabrina Carpenter pulls through again here with “Manchild.” Carpenter, Jack Antonoff and Amy Allen’s lyrics are spunky, charming and undeniably clever. Yes, the song is a big F-you to men, but it’s also a unique reflection on Carpenter’s love life that reveals why she may portray herself a certain way to the public eye. Also, the
song’s accompanying music video is one of the best I’ve seen in a while.
Emily: A Recording Academy darling, Billie Eilish wouldn’t surprise me if she took home another Grammy for her track “WILDFLOWER.” While “Hit Me Hard and Soft” received mixed response from fans, I consider it some of the singer’s strongest work to date. With “WILDFLOWER,” Eilish once again demonstrates her gift for blending gut-wrenching, poetic lyrics with a transcendent, otherworldly soundscape. No one captures emotion through music quite like Eilish, and with each release, she continues to prove why she is one of the most innovative musicians of her generation.
Clara: “WILDFLOWER” is haunting and has a quiet intensity that is a representation of Eilish at her best. I have yet to meet someone who listens to “WILDFLOWER” and can’t relate it with a gutwrenching relationship from their past. Eilish’s album “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?” swept the four main categories at the 2020 Grammys, and I think her most recent album is even more sonically intentional and well-crafted than her 2019 smash hit.
Clare: “Anxiety” by Doechii played on repeat in my beats this spring. It takes the catchy track behind Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know,” and puts a fun twist on it. Her lyrics are fast, dynamic, relatable and also funny, especially in a musical age where musicians often pay less attention to their words and more to the sound. The song was originally just an experiment that she posted to YouTube in 2019. But her fans loved it so much they begged her to release it. With an underdogto-big leagues story like that, how could “Anxiety” not take the cake for Song of the Year?
Best New Artist Nominees:
• Olivia Dean KATSEYE
• The Marías
• Addison Rae
• sombr
• Leon Thomas
• Alex Warren Lola Young
Maya: In this surprisingly well-known lineup of nominees, I can’t help but go with the TikTok starturned-it girl, Addison Rae. She’s had arguably the most cultural impact online and most popular hits. Rae’s debut album “Addison” is a dreamy project that offers thoughtful reflections on her life, from fame to her parents’ divorce. A visionary who cares deeply about how her music is made and what image she conveys — it’s been a joy to see her growth as a musician and performer this past year.
Emily: I’ve followed Olivia Dean since the early days of her career, so I am thrilled to see her finally receive the flowers she deserves. Her latest project, “The Art of Loving,” radiates with a peaceful simplicity and refreshing vulnerability often missing in today’s music landscape. The record highlights Dean’s gift for captivating audiences with her buttery vocals and honest yet flirty lyrics. Her true star power lies in her effortless ability to bring refinement and warmth to everything she creates. With her infectious “girl’s girl” energy and authentic reflections on love, Dean stands out among this year’s nominees and firmly establishes herself as a rising influence in modern music.
Clara: For me, Olivia Dean has been a breath of
fresh air in the current landscape of female pop artists. She brought real instruments back into style on her September album “The Art of Loving,” bringing jazz to the forefront of mainstream pop. She demonstrates her versatility as an artist with some tracks that are suited for the happy couple montage of a rom-com, while others are best listened to with headphones and tissues. Although there are a few excellent nominees on this list, Dean is a cut above the rest.
Clare: We have TikTok to thank for many of these hitmaker artists on the list. And none other than Olivia Dean is my pick for the Best New Artist category. Dean has provided a fresh new voice for mature women around the globe, producing music that empowers and puts a pep in your step all at once. Her recent album “The Art of Loving” provides a sultry blend and lyrics that girls in their lover era, breakup era or thriving single era can all relate to. The English singersongwriter provides a compassionate new tune that I think is here to stay.
Who was snubbed?
Maya: My lord and savior, Lorde, was totally left out of this year’s nominations, and I’m furious about it. “What Was That” was one of the indie songs of the summer, and “Virgin” is a masterpiece that marked a return to Lorde’s electronic-inspired roots. Lorde was once a Grammy starlet, and I honestly don’t know what she’s done wrong to fall out of the Recording Academy’s graces.
Emily: This year, it feels like artists are being recognized more for virality than the true quality of their music. There is a long list of musicians who made an undeniable impact on the industry, but found themselves snubbed. For example, the cultural success of Role Model’s album “Kansas Anymore” should have easily placed him on the list of best new artists. I’m fine with the Recording Academy nominating popular TikTok songs for Grammys, but not if they snub the viral tracks that are actually good… Other artists who deserved more recognition this year include Laufey and Miley Cyrus.
Clara: The red carpet for this year’s Grammys won’t lead to the awards ceremony; instead, these nominations feel like a one-way ticket to a tween’s TikTok For You Page. I’m still waiting for the Grammys to appreciate bands that are a cohesive front, rather than one glittery frontrunner with a team of producers and arsenal of GarageBand backing tracks. Metal band Deftones put out “private music,” while indie rock band flipturn released the unskippable album “Burnout Days.” I also enjoyed Dijon’s album “Baby” and Dominic Fike’s “Rocket,” but at this point in the game I know better than to ask the Recording Academy to recognize artists without a viral soundbite in the main categories.
Clare: Where is backflip Benson Boone? And, where is “That’s So True?” The two questions that I racked my brain over as I read through the nominations. Though maybe not the biggest snubs of the award season, the two stars broke through last awards season, and it’s concerning that they are not back at the Grammys this year with growing momentum. I, for one, hope Benson Boone will stay mystical and magical and Gracie Abrams will have more luck in her next breakup album.
m.wong@dailynorthwestern.com e.lichty@dailynorthwestern.com claramartinez2028@u.northwestern.edu c.kirwan@dailynorthwestern.com
Illustration by Siri Reddy
Intro to Sculpture course project takes over Kresge Hall
By RUIXIN ZHANG the daily northwestern
On Oct. 28, Kresge Hall transformed seemingly overnight: Large hand sculptures popped up at every turn. The next day, and ever since, no student could escape the 33 hands throughout and surrounding the building.
“It’s a cool interruption to the typical Kresge landscape,” said Weinberg senior Olivia McAllister-Nevins who was reading in a corner of Kresge with an outstretched hand sculpture behind her.
The artists behind the installations are from art theory and practice Prof. Nick Raffel’s Introduction to Sculpture class. Over six weeks, students maneuvered chicken wire, burlap and plaster into hand sculptures that are 5 feet wide and 2 feet long.
The assignment came to Raffel while watching speeches by politicians. Feeling skeptical, he tried to glean something more authentic through their body language, but he said that became questionable, too.
For the project, students began with choosing a hand gesture from a monologue, whether it be from a politician, actor or influencer. The hand had to convey a different meaning from what its owner was saying.
From there, the students painted three gestures on photos of locations in Kresge, then selected one to build into an oversized sculpture.
Raffel said he wanted students to think about what the gestures they designed signal and what it means within its new context, all while letting previous understandings and steps “inform in the periphery.”
Communication and Bienen sophomore Sasha Durta chose a moment from stand-up comedian Josh Johnson, where he described Crocs as a “Swiss-cheese shoe” while making a clawing gesture with his hands.
“I thought that that was such a funny, ridiculous statement compared to the intensity of the gesture,” Durta said.
Durta’s sculpture is tucked away in the corner on the
fifth-floor stairwell of Kresge. The hand is outstretched onto a blue ladder in a dimly lit area, leading up toward a trap door and faces away from a large window.
“It’s trying to escape the light. It’s trying to escape the attention, the publicity,” Durta said.
In the process, Durta focused on getting the sculpture to be anatomically precise, particularly by using half-dried plaster to mold tendons onto the back of the hand. She said the process began with bending sheets of chicken wire to form a hand armature. Afterward, she dipped burlap into plaster and wrapped it around the wire frame.
Raffel said an important part of the assignment was letting go of perfection to work with the specific nature of the materials provided. The malleability of chicken wire enabled gravity to distort the original shape. Durta added that the fabric can easily stick to itself and wrinkle, making it hard to sculpt a smooth surface.
“Everyone ended up with totally different stuff,” Durta said. “I really enjoyed walking around on my own after class and seeing each one’s natural environment.”
Another hand found around Kresge was made by Communication senior Hannah Callentine. Positioned in a high-traffic area near the Kresge entrance, Callentine’s installation is of a “broken” hand on the ground with upturned joints and broken fingers, “severed off” with red yarn. By creating something “artistically uncomfortable,” she said she wanted to convey the importance of how people react to each other’s pain.
“Maybe (people will) take a closer look, but at the end of the day, (they’ve) got to go to class,” Callentine said. “Just in the same way when we look at someone’s suffering, are you a little concerned? What happens after that jolt reaction? Do you actually investigate it to learn more about it? Or do you just go on with your day?”
In contrast, Communication sophomore Zoe Qiu’s installation is located in a quieter area, the Kresge courtyard. To Qiu, the courtyard is a magical place where she is able to find quiet and calmness with nature.
Her sculpture is placed among growing trees and
white flowers. The intentional placement of Qiu’s sculpture in the soil allowed for early-growth to continue sprouting around it, as well as for autumn leaves to fall onto its palm — which she sees as “a cycle of life and death.”
In what Qiu called the “Kresge hand society,” her hand has its own personality — an ENTP on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which means it’s a compassionate hand that likes to build deep, authentic relationships. Qiu said that as she worked on her hand more and more, she began to view her hand as her female friend.
“I want my sculpture to be like a friend more than a sculpture itself,” Qiu said. “You can sit beside her, pat on her. She’s there. She’s listening. She might not be a wise person responding with a lot of suggestions and solutions, but she wants you to sit beside her and feel yourself.”
Wrapped by two metal cords, Weinberg sophomore Lena Rock’s installation hangs from the main entrance of the building. Rock said the hand is a reactionary piece that symbolizes themes people may be uncomfortable with confronting, like racism and sexism. Rock spoke of dealing with chosen ignorance in her freshman year, such as when a dormmate would rub it off when she told them about a pointedly racist comment she received.
Rock said putting the hand above the building forces people to walk under it.
“My call to action to people is to face the uncomfortable information, even if it makes you uncomfortable, and deal with that accordingly,” Rock said. “Don’t just sit and stay with it, you’re supposed to work through it, you’re supposed to burn some bridges, you’re supposed to make some boundaries.”
As the class project evolved, the students’ relationships with their hands evolved along too. Many felt as if they were buddies with their completed sculptures, some students even saw the hands as their child.
“I feel like we’re in it together,” Durta said. “We’re like partners in crime — I’m delighted by any potential mischief it can cause.”
ruixinzhang2029@u.northwestern.edu
Notes From The Newsroom returns with live LOTUS set
By SOPHIE GARDINER and KAYLYN NGUYEN
the daily northwestern
Surrounded by archival news clips and close friends, student band LOTUS performed a concert in The Daily’s newsroom Saturday afternoon as a part of Notes from the Newsroom.
The event, which was sponsored by student club Local Mojo, consisted of a multi-genre setlist ranging from “Zombie” by the Cranberries and “Black Magic Woman” by Santana to “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder and “Them Changes” by Thundercat.
Saturday’s event brought back Notes from the Newsroom, The Daily’s concert series modeled after NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts. The last edition of Notes from the Newsroom happened in February 2024.
Unlike LOTUS’ past concerts, Notes from the
Newsroom provided a more personal setting for the band to perform and produce long-form content.
“I’m excited to have the chance to have a more intimate space where we can bring in people that want to hear our music and jam and have fun in the space,” said Medill senior Eric Smith, a LOTUS keyboardist and vocalist.
LOTUS, which has 10 members, was founded by Weinberg senior Sid Chalasani during his sophomore Spring Quarter to bring together musically-inclined friends. The lotus symbolizes “infinite potential for transformation,” something that transfers over to the same practice of playing and performing music with friends, Chalasani said.
Using instruments ranging from a trumpet to a guitar, LOTUS performed a fusion of genres including R&B, jazz, pop and rock. The band switched amongst singers and instrumentalists during different moments
of their setlist.
“Having such a diverse range of instruments really gives us a very full and robust sound that not a lot of bands on campus have,” said Medill senior Jade Garcia, Local Mojo’s arts director and a LOTUS vocalist. “It has also opened up the ability for us to play so many different genres.”
In addition to those tuning in via livestream on The Daily’s Instagram account, a crowd of spectators gathered in the newsroom, many of whom said they came to support their friends.
As LOTUS performed in the back of the newsroom, audience members found seats at desks or on chairs, with some standing near the doorway to watch the show.
“I know a couple of songs that they do covers of, but I know they’ve also been rehearsing some new material, so I want to see how they’ve grown since I first saw them last year,” Weinberg junior Amy Argueta said.
‘Something Rotten!’ offers whimsical, joyful
By INA CHOE the daily northwestern
WAVE Productions presented four shows of the 2015 musical “Something Rotten!” in Shanley Pavilion on Friday and Saturday. Directed by Communication junior Marcus Dowd, the show put a modern twist on a story set during the English Renaissance, satirizing musical cliches through comedy.
The musical features two brothers, Nick and Nigel Bottom, trying to survive as playwrights while stuck under the shadow of “the Bard” — William Shakespeare. The story follows the brothers’ conflict as Nick begins to sacrifice his morals, seeking a soothsayer to determine Shakespeare’s biggest hit. The desperate playwright then creates a musical about an omelette — a misinterpretation of “Hamlet” — packed with convoluted and humorous references to modern-day musicals.
Dowd said WAVE Productions likes to showcase passion projects that deliver what is currently needed on campus, which he said “Something Rotten!” executed perfectly.
“It’s super high energy and encapsulates the joy and whimsy of musical theater, which is one of the reasons that I wanted to do it on campus,” Dowd said. “Shanley sees a lot of depressing pieces, and I wanted to bring back some of the joy that theater still has.”
One of the main humorous elements of the musical is the unconventional portrayal of Shakespeare as an egotistical but charismatic rock star. Communication sophomore Bryan Baumer played this role as the show’s primary antagonist.
To get into character, Baumer made a playlist of songs that he believed Shakespeare would listen to to “hype himself up.” The playlist included songs by Michael Jackson, “You Give Love a Bad Name” by
Bon Jovi and “Bye Bye Bye” by *NSYNC.
This was Baumer’s second time playing Shakespeare in “Something Rotten!” after taking on the role during his senior year of high school. Baumer said this portrayal differed from his first because of Dowd’s unique creative direction, which emphasized themes like race, class and gender in the musical.
“The show (plays) with gender, both in the ways that masculinity impacts how men move through the world and interpret relationships with other men and also in the way that representations of masculinity can be used to hold a mirror to the audience and criticize what we define as masculinity,” he said.
The cast only had a few weeks of rehearsals, during which many members had to learn tap dancing, which appears in multiple scenes of the musical.
As a member of Northwestern’s tap dance group TONIK Tap, Dowd said teaching the cast how to tap dance was one of the hardest challenges because of the style’s specific “movement vernacular.” An avid tap dancer, he said he appreciated the opportunity to highlight “a historically Black and often appropriated dance form.”
“One of the most fulfilling parts of this process for me has definitely been seeing tap dancing spread throughout this community of people that I’ve built,” Dowd said. “Getting to work against all of the dance inequity and systemic dance racism has been something that I’ve been really proud of.”
Although the cast and crew had a short period of time to practice together, they bonded through spending time outside of rehearsals, including having Taco Bell after Thursday rehearsals, Baumer said.
Dowd said the “Something Rotten!” cast is like the Muppets, where individual characters are “so hyperspecific” in their individuality but come together to create a collective energy and do meaningful work.
“This is very much a show where you have to
LOTUS played its first two events during Spring Quarter and hoped to bring more visibility to their group with Notes from the Newsroom.
Garcia also noted that by playing a range of genres, the group is developing a sound of its own for when it starts producing original music.
Being in the newsroom with an audience of friends enabled them to “curate a different vibe” that was “a little more intimate,” Garcia said.
Looking forward, the vocalist said she hoped the band, consisting of mostly seniors, would gain exposure in their last year.
“We are LOTUS,” she said. “We’re not here for a long time, but we really want to make these last six months on campus count.”
sophiegardiner2029@u.northwestern.edu kaylynnguyen2029@u.northwestern.edu
be fully comfortable being absolutely ridiculous in front of everybody,” Baumer said. “And they built that space.”
The musical was performed in Shanley Pavilion, or as Shakespeare called it in the pre-show announcement, “the newly renovated and recently relocated Globe Theatre.”
All four performances of “Something Rotten!” drew packed audiences of friends, family and students.
“I was thinking, this is why I do theater, listening to the audience being so happy,” said Weinberg
sophomore Jocelyn Wang, the show’s sound designer. Baumer said the show got better as each audience gave more energy than the last, which the cast needed to successfully perform four shows in 24 hours.
The small but intimate space allowed actors to interact with the audience, feeding off their positive feedback and reactions, Baumer explained.
“I’m happy to create a space that we can commit to staying joyful together,” Dowd said. “I hope that the joyful energy is something that we can take with us.” inachoe2029@u.northwestern.edu
Ina Choe/The Daily Northwestern
The musical “Something Rotten” features two brothers, Nick and Nigel Bottom, trying to survive as playwrights while stuck under the shadow of “the Bard” — William Shakespeare.
Ruixin Zhang/The Daily Northwestern
A sculpture of an extending hand by Weinberg sophomore Lena Rock hangs from the main entrance of Kresge Hall.
OPINION
Klineman: Dems must earn, then spend political capital
AIDAN KLINEMAN
OPINION EDITOR
Democrats won resounding victories in New Jersey, Virginia, New York and California last week, se ing the pretext for a highly anticipated midterm election cycle next year.
Virginia elected its rst female governor in Abigail Spanberger. e rst Muslim to win any statewide o ce in American history was Virginia Lieutenant Governor-elect Ghazala Hashmi. New Jersey elected Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), its second female governor in its history, and New York City elected its rst-ever immigrant and Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
Beyond how their victories rebuke Trump, the candidates’ campaigns represented a notable departure from a Democratic Party norm of prioritizing focus group-tested brands that predate the Trump years. is year, they focused on ideas over identity — how they di ered from Trump and honed in on the experiences of voters today.
We know this mobilized the Democratic base because it ran and won at the tops of their tickets last week: Women, young people and people of color dominated Trump-backed candidates up and down the ballot.
Where Democrats’ opponents leaned on
identity-based issues and culture wars, a acks only bolstered Democratic chances.
In New Jersey, media outlets reported that Sherrill lacked the enthusiasm and charisma to win in the nal days — a kind of criticism female candidates have had to contend with for generations. Sherrill consistently reoriented the race, away from her personal identity or hardships, toward the problems facing New Jersey voters and her opponent’s support of Trump’s unpopular agenda.
In New York City, Mamdani employed the same strategy. Accusations of communism and antisemitism from his opponents were constant. But Mamdani brought the conversation back to the a ordability crisis plaguing ordinary New Yorkers every time, hammering home promises of free buses, childcare and frozen rents. It didn’t necessarily exonerate him of guilt, morally or politically, of statements like, “when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF,” or make his bold agenda any more feasible.
But it made him an a ractive and unusual kind of politician in the Democratic camp these days. He was as consistent as he was tactical in a particularly fraught political landscape for an anti-Israel, socialist candidate in the city with the most Jews outside of Israel and the beating heart of American capitalism.
Speaking to voters’ a ordability struggles hyperlocalized the race. Mamdani ended up carrying a third of Jewish voters in the general election. is consistency, in conjunction with Gen Z’s embrace of him
on TikTok and his campaign team’s broader social media savvy, made Mamdani the obvious choice to head one of the most e ective and culture-de ning Democratic campaigns in modern history.
In 2024, Democrats lost signi cant ground with men of color, women and young voters. Many pundits pointed to impressions Harris and other Biden o cials gave that voters’ struggles with rising costs didn’t exist or were exaggerated as part of the reason for their defections from Democrats last year.
e Harris campaign had focused all its a ention on nailing Harris’s “look,” which, for a time, yielded some bene t online. ey secured key endorsements and put on shows at rallies featuring the likes of Beyoncé, and ran social media campaigns that harnessed the real virality of “Brat summer.”
But in viable, competitive campaigns focused on the long-term, good looks should come second. Time to focus on aesthetics and brand identity is earned from voters. A political brand is worth nothing without substantive, appealing policy backing.
Mamdani, Spanberger and Sherrill seemed to understand this. First, they made political capital by winning over voters on their merits. en, they spent it on creating e ective political brands that met the moment: Spanberger and Sherrill beat their opponents by double digits. Mamdani won a majority of voters in a race with a former Democratic governor running as an independent.
Political parties are in the business of creating e ective, winning candidacies out of appealing
policy positions, not the other way around. When you spend political capital on looks and brand before earning it, you are in debt to the political economy and run the risk of losing critical voting blocs.
From the Democratic Socialist Mamdani to the former intelligence o cial Spanberger, Democrats allowed ideas and opposition to Trump to earn them credibility and ignored less pressing issues concerning their personal identities. ey won such decisive victories because each candidate made only two things core to their messaging: opposition to Trump and meeting voters where they were on costs. e di erence in tone they struck with their Republican opponents can be summed up with a single moniker that seems to have far more brand uency now: “Democrat.”
e more Democrats commit to internalizing voter needs and regurgitating them in their rhetoric, the be er chance they have at turning the page on Trump, MAGA and executing their vision for a better America.
Just look at the scoreboard.
Aidan Klineman is a Medill junior and author of “O -Campus: White House.” He can be contacted at a.klineman@dailynorthwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Le er to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. e views expressed in this piece do not necessarily re ect the views of all sta members of e Daily Northwestern.
Hazin: An offensive defense of acquiring knowledge
Beauty, in its simplest form, really does exist.
It’s why you can’t dismiss the human experience as a ride on a oating rock. It’s why we still cry over sunsets, why we read poetry at weddings and why we ache to understand what’s beyond us.
It’s also why you can’t strip a book down to its bones. Doing so makes its anatomy nothing but a pamphlet of ink bleeding through paper — just a spine stubborn enough to stand upright and insist on meaning.
I nd beauty in books. Always have. But there’s something especially blissful in buying them — in curating a collection, in le ing them pile up before I ever turn a page. It’s not procrastination — it’s pursuit, and a humbling and hopeful one at that. To live among unread books is to accept the vastness of what I don’t yet know and to believe that one day I’ll be ready for them. ere is much comfort in the presence of these books, in the potential of all the words of wisdom si ing there, patiently, waiting to be read.
But lately, that scent of potential has soured. e decay isn’t in the pages — it’s in the people turning away from them.
ere’s a plague.
Hollow shells walk among us, but they look just
like everybody else.
We’re in an ugly, jaundice-skinned, wheezing and scratching period of anti-intellectualism. Pretension is out, and we’re all worse o for it.
No one, I would argue, is having a good time.
I come from a home that values knowledge.
My mother used to ask me to teach her what I learned in school that day, but really, she taught me. She deserves all the credit for showing me there’s always more to everything. If she’s curious about something, she’s already typing her query into “Mama Google.” But even so, when she nds her answer, it’s never enough. She has to scour down the subtleties — to know the “why” behind the “why.”
My father likes to test me. On long road trips, he’ll throw out a question and wait to see where my mind takes it. He’s a complex guy — analytical to the core, but he also has a penchant for the abstract.
One hour we’re debating: No, Baba. If you replace every plank, it’s not the same ship.
And the next hour, he’s pouring out everything he’s picked up from a life spent working in and driving through many parts of this country.
Yes, Baba, of course I’m listening. I still think you’re wrong about the ship.
So, obviously, I’m my parents’ greatest experiment. Knowledge wouldn’t feel this alive without them.
You could say I dabble in “yearnalism.”
My friend called me at 3 a.m. the other day because he didn’t know if he should accept his Hinge match request right away.
“I want to seem interested but not chronically online and still maintain some mystery,” he said. I hung up thinking it was the most accurate summary of modern dating I’d ever heard.
Online dating is exhausting. It feels like there are plenty of sh in the sea with endless swipes until you see your psychology TA or that person from class you’ve made awkward eye contact with once.
ank God I’m not participating in this clown show anymore. Now, I get to watch my single friends make the worst decisions of their twenties. is abundance of choice is a disastrous grand illusion. It has commodi ed people into things you can easily reduce to one click. It’s turned a genuine human connection into something transactional. e more we can choose, the less we want to stay. One minor inconvenience — an ick, if you will
— and you think, “It’s ne, I can always nd be er.”
Whether he uses the crying-laughing emoji unironically or has too many Instagram highlight circles, there’s always a li le voice in your head whispering that a er this date, you can go home, crawl into bed and swipe your way to the love of your life. at is, if you even get to the “date” stage. And when you accidentally swipe le on someone mildly cute, you’ll spend the rest of the night wondering if he could’ve been the one.
Sure, there are non-negotiables: If he’s against basic human rights, mistreats waiters, or — God forbid — still thinks Andrew Tate is profound. But what about the rest? What about the people who are just … human?
We’ve become so quick to discard anyone who doesn’t immediately meet our curated list of preferences that we forget real connection grows in the messy middle.
e irony is that dating apps were supposed to make love more accessible. Instead, they’ve turned vulnerability into performance. Every match feels like a mini job interview where you have to sound wi y, interesting, but not too interested in a desperate kind of way. You have to show that you care, but not too much. If you reply too fast, you might lose your mysterious nonchalant edge.
I’ve been on that carousel. e texts that start
ere are writings I know more intimately than most of my friends. If you dig into my skull, I’m convinced you’ll nd “ e Brothers Karamazov” instead of a brain. If you dig into the center of me, there’ll be “ e Symposium” and “ e Diary of Anaïs Nin” instead of a heart. If I bleed, know that the poems spray-painted on crumbling Palestinian walls might come streaming out.
at’s my favorite thing about life — everything can be learned deeply enough to the point of passion.
Go learn kni ing, astrophysics, clay-making, singing, cu ing your own hair, quantum mechanics, philosophy, jiu-jitsu, Icelandic — whatever! Do it scared, do it smart, do it stupid — just do it, because nowadays, you absolutely can.
Knowledge is divine, and sharing it is human. Everything is, in fact, that deep.
So, a er giving you this context — this meager sliver of who I am — you could probably infer why everything in today’s climate feels so dizzying for me.
A humanities education is seen as easy, half-baked and useless; the words “art” and “reading” are treated as if laced with vermin. e next generation of doctors and engineers are bragging about being reliant on arti cial intelligence to complete assignments. And according to researchers, we’re seeing unprecedented declines in global literacy rates.
To those experts, I say:
We can tell.
e thing about “Fahrenheit 451” is that by the time the books were burning, no one was reading them anyway. at fact — not just the censorship
with “hey :)” and die three messages later. e ones where you and your friends crowd around a phone, debating whether to go with a simple “hey” or “heyyy” (emphasis on the number of y’s) before pressing send in the middle of the night, convincing yourselves this one might actually be di erent. But they all tend to disappear a er a week because someone shinier appeared on their screen.
And yet, we keep going. Because what’s the alternative? Meeting someone in real life? at feels almost impossible now.
Sometimes I wonder if dating used to feel more sacred because it required actual e ort. You couldn’t scroll through possibilities while watching a show. You had to actually try. Try asking for a number, calling, showing up and having the guts to say “no” in real life. Now, it’s too easy to forget there’s a real person behind every pro le.
Maybe dating apps didn’t ruin dating. Maybe they just exposed the worst parts of human nature.
Aizere Yessenkul is a NU-Q Communication senior and author of “Yes-sentials.” She can be contacted at aizereyessenkulova2026@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Le er to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. e views expressed in this piece do not necessarily re ect the views of all sta members of e Daily Northwestern.
— is crucial. And if you have no idea what I’m talking about: drop and give me y pages.
I go through seasons of unlearning, but lately, the seasons have felt longer. Every step forward serves as a simple means to a shallow end. I’m surviving, but survival alone is sterile. It’s only one practicality already bordering on monotonous machinery. Machines survive, but they can’t ache. I’m surviving, I’m still stepping forward and I’m glad my feet are sore. Humans aren’t esh and neurons the same way books aren’t just ink and paper. Enough with indi erence and pe y ignorance.
I think we will witness a reversal. We will return to life. It will be slow and staggered, but it will happen. It has to. I don’t think it can get any worse. If you listen closely, you can hear the stomachs growling. People are starving. ey’re hungry to return to the pure presence of simpler times. To live life through the senses. To experience for the sake of experiencing.
To know for the sake of knowing.
Father, forgive me, for I am pretentious. But I’d rather live in awe than die in apathy. Death to anti-intellectualism.
Rawya Hazin is a Medill eshman and author of “Dear Reader, Love Rawya.” She can be contacted at rawyahazin2029@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Le er to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. e views expressed in this piece do not necessarily re ect the views of all sta members of e Daily Northwestern.
The Daily Northwestern Volume 146, Issue 9
Editor in Chief Emily Lichty
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Christina Lin
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Opinion Editor
Aidan Klineman
Assistant Opinion Editor
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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.
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fast,” Biss said. According to Kahan, the fund is supported by faith leaders across the city and staff from District 65 and District 202. Kahan said that everyone involved is a volunteer, with nobody
nothing new to scholars studying the Middle East. She cited the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign’s decision to unhire Steven Salaita in 2014 due to his tweets against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
“We are educators,” Winegar said. “If we do not have academic freedom, we are not delivering education that has been promised to our students.”
ICE activity
Nielsen also reflected on the impact of ICE activity on Halloween in the Evanston community.
“Every public school in Evanston was on soft lockdown, no recess… a holding pattern in something that is designed for when shooters enter classrooms,’’ she said. “It was our government.”
ICE
From page 1
Department announced it would send a supervisor to respond to reported incidents of federal immigration enforcement and attempt to obtain information about the agency conducting the enforcement.
receiving payment other than regular banking charges.
Community nonprofit Evanston Community Foundation will guarantee the “financial integrity and long-term stewardship” of the ECCF, Kahan said, and will serve as the fund’s fiscal agent “to ensure every dollar goes to the mission.”
Nielsen said she thought the Evanston community’s response to ICE action was one of courage.
She recalled how citizens stood outside of schools and churches. She also said they used phones, whistles and cameras throughout Evanston to protect their neighbors who were at risk of being “disappear(ed)” by ICE agents.
“They reminded us what can happen with solidarity,” she said. “We’re not going to turn our students, our staff and our neighbors into collateral damage because of the color of their skin or who they love.”
Art history Prof. Rebecca Zorach handed out “Private Area” signs that she said audience members could hang outside their office doors or classrooms. While acknowledging the unlikeliness of federal agents appearing outside of offices, she said the act is representative of the solidarity advocated for by Nielsen.
“It’s letting people who pass by our offices know
The initial $25,000 investment will support five organizations — Evanston Latinos, Sanctuary Evanston, Evanston Community Fridges and mutual aid efforts for both school districts.
Ald. Jonathan Nieuwsma (4th) thanked Kahan, recalling the overwhelming community response at the ETHS food drive — a stark contrast to the federal immigration enforcement activity the city
that this is a real threat,” Zorach said.
Unionization and research impacts
Second-year postdoctoral research staff and NUPU member Steven Baksa said local unions are key for fostering solidarity. In his presentation, he distinguished between two types of solidarity — the internal and the external.
“Internal solidarity refers to mutual support within a given group,” he said. “External solidarity, on the other hand, is huge support between different groups that share a context.”
He cited a 2025 Economic Policy Institute report on how a high union density is associated with various “positive spillover” effects, including higher wages, more robust public services and healthier democracies.
“I knew that there was a union formula on the campus,” Cummings said. “That union contract was
experienced on Halloween.
“When there’s a disaster, look for the folks that are helping, and that’s what we see in front of us,” Nieuwsma said, referring to a saying by Mr. Rogers. “To me, this is the best of Evanston, the best of our country, the best of humanity.”
y.huang@dailynorthwestern.com
the best way that I could see my life and the lives of my colleagues change for the better.” Cummings said his personal research was frozen by the federal government — despite landing in the 4th percentile section review for an F31 Grant from the National Institutes of Health. As of now, he said it is still pending administrative review with no further progress.
Cummings suggested the solution lay in solidarity. He echoed others’ arguments that graduate and faculty workers must fight for their rights through unionization to combat current external pressures that he said have impacted the academic freedom in the NU community.
“We at NUGW, UE Local 1122 will continue this fight,” he said. “When we do, I hope to be hand in hand with those of you in the room here.”
lucaskubovchik2029@u.northwestern.edu isadorafernandes2029@u.northwestern.edu
“A normal person looking at the outrageous conduct portrayed by those monsters would not believe it to be lawful,” Biss said. “There’s a lot to work through here, but when they are
In response to Kelly’s requests, Biss said that while local government and Evanston residents agree that federal immigration agents taking people is distressing, the actions must be determined unlawful for the city to take action. On Oct. 31, the federal agents involved in the collision and following detainments had identified themselves to EPD officers, he said.
representing themselves as a law enforcement entity doing law enforcement work, that does change the legal environment that our staff are operating under.”
In addition to specifying the language online about resources, Kelly suggested the city implement a child endangerment ordinance. Her suggestion is modeled after an ordinance approved by Chicago’s City Council on Sept. 25 prohibiting child endangerment by federal immigration agents or law enforcement.
The Daily Northwestern
Weekly Crossword: Dance On, Northwestern!
Biss said city staff are working on drafting legislation based on Kelly’s suggestions, with the hope of presenting them at the next City Council meeting on Nov. 24.
“I would like to see our city making more effort to do our part, to do what we can, to protect,” Kelly said.
rubydowling2028@u.northwestern.com
By Matt Wasilewski and Lauren Kee
crossword & games
Editor Miguel Tsang
Assistant Editor Kate Pollot
By Games Editor
ACROSS
2 Process of putting together a live performance
10 Embellished intricately
13 LAFC South Korean soccer player
14 Update provided through a wireless network, abbr
16 Voice of Disney’s “Rapunzel”’s surname
17 A small number of
18 British study of numbers
20 Cover ground with a hard surface
21 Score standard for a golf hole
22 Woody’s love interest in “Toy Story”
23 Suffix for sweet drink names
24 Network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery
25 To have as property
26 Portuguese word for “nor”
27 Prefix for “other”
30 Student leader in dorms, abbr
31 Receptionist in “The Office”
32 Lip balm and skin care brand, abbr
34 NU’s largest dance show of the year
38 Vegetable from Cameroon
39 Slang term for an older person
40 A greeting 42 Listen to again
44 A progressive neurodegenerative disease, abbr
46 “__ __ Baby” by Vanilla __
48 __ __, name of a New Zealand tree species
49 Fictional AI character in the “Space Odyssey” series
50 Singers with the highest male vocal range
52 Brief message that informs or educates, abbr
53 Greek letter after Theta
54 American organization providing solutions for otolaryngology, abbr
55 Tit for __
56 “Little __” by Louisa May Alcott
57 Greek letter written like the Latin alphabet P 58 “Soda ___,” viral song from a 2025 Netflix movie
59 An unfounded rumor
60 The Daily publishes one in print every Wednesday
Commercial organization
To reduce
Food with no prep needed, abbr 4 Implementation of procedures and tools to enhance performance and function, abbr
MEN’S BASKETBALL
NU’s transfer big man maintaining elite form
Junior center Arrinten Page racked up 17 points, 9 boards Monday night
By KAMRAN NIA daily senior staffer @kamran_nia
Junior center Arrinten Page was an afterthought at each of his previous stops before transferring to Northwestern ahead of the season.
Buried deep in USC and Cincinnati’s rotations, the Atlanta native rarely had a chance to make an impact in-game, averaging around 10 minutes per contest.
But upon his arrival in Evanston, the big man has become a mainstay, etching an impact in the Wildcats’ (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) 110-63 home win over Cleveland State on Monday.
Page was a force in the paint versus the Vikings (1-2, 0-0 Horizon), and he occasionally extended his range in a 17-point, nine-rebound effort. He finished with a plus-34 in 24 minutes, which was the second-highest on the team.
“He’s playing harder consistently than he ever has, and he’s trusting us with that,” coach Chris Collins said. “We’ve put a lot on his plate. We need him, and I think he feels that. And that’s why he’s playing the best basketball of his life right now.”
The transfer was critical in helping NU amass a 25-point lead by the break. At halftime, Page led the team with 15
points, five rebounds and a block. He also chipped in with hustle plays, fighting for multiple loose balls.
As the hosts opened an early advantage, Page converted an and-one opportunity to push the score to 20-8 in NU’s favor. Soon after, he slammed home an alley-oop dunk, further asserting his command in what would become a blowout victory.
Later in the half, Page showed off his range, stroking a triple to deliver NU a 53-28 lead that it took into intermission.
“Arrinten’s energy and motor to start the game was huge,” Collins said. “I thought his two loose balls he dove for were two of the biggest plays, just because it set the tone.”
Page said after NU’s season-opening win over Mercyhurst that the team’s coaching staff has shown faith in his talents, which he has repaid with strong play. He has seamlessly stepped into a void filled by the departures of former centers Matthew Nicholson, Keenan Fitzmorris and Luke Hunger, who all graduated or transferred after last season’s conclusion.
Through three games, Page is averaging 14 points, 9.3 rebounds and three stocks.
“I just truly see it as a blessing, as an opportunity, and just trying to make the most of it,” said Page of his role at NU.”
Collins hasn’t shied away from
FIELD HOCKEY
’Cats clinch Big Ten Tournament crown
By JONAH MCCLURE daily senior staffer @jemccl125
After a regular season characterized by utter dominance, No. 2 Northwestern looked to seal its third Big Ten Tournament title in program history.
The Wildcats (18-1, 8-0 Big Ten) did just that, shutting down No. 9 Iowa’s high-powered offense during Sunday’s 3-0 statement win. NU has now completed the sweep of the conference regular season and tournament titles in two of the last three seasons.
In contrast to the ’Cats’ high-scoring affair with Michigan on Friday, this contest started slow, with no goals in the first quarter. The Hawkeyes (14-5, 5-3 Big Ten) attempted zero shots during the quarter while NU attempted four, but Iowa goalkeeper Mia Magnotta defended her domain.
In the second quarter, the ’Cats entered the offensive zone within the first minute, but junior forward Ashley Sessa was unable to convert on her shot. Two minutes later, Sessa took the first penalty corner of the game, and despite a barrage of shots over the next few minutes, NU could not open the scoring.
In the latter half of the quarter, Hawkeye forward Fréderique van Cleef attempted Iowa’s first shot, but redshirt freshman forward Juliana Boon shut down the scoring opportunity.
The ’Cats outshot the Hawkeyes 6-1 during the quarter, but through 30 minutes of play, the contest remained scoreless.
Sessa gained possession to open the third quarter, avoiding a defender and running down the backline, looking for an outlet. She found graduate student forward Grace Schulze, who sent a speeding shot past a helpless Magnotta.
It was Schulze’s third goal in the past two games and gave NU the lead it had been searching for.
The offensive fire died down for
acknowledging how much the ’Cats have relied on Page. He mentioned how the team frequently runs the offense through him down low and on the elbows.
Page has offered Collins similar praise, noting that the offensive system has allowed him to thrive and crediting the coaching staff for their support.
“I just want him to consistently know he’s a needed guy,” Collins said. “It can’t be where he doesn’t show up. We need him. That’s what happens when you’re a good player — your team needs you to show up every night.”
During a preseason exhibition, Page found himself in foul trouble early against Illinois State, but still managed to drop 16 points in 10 minutes.
After that game, Collins admitted that NU needs his size on the court. Since then, Page has done well to avoid early fouls, making frequent trips to the charity stripe himself. While he has converted only about 63% of his 19 free throw attempts, the relatively high volume has provided a steady stream of scoring.
Page went 2-for-3 from the freethrow line against Cleveland State.
“I’m really proud of what (Page is) doing, and we want him to keep building on it as we move forward,” Collins said.
kamrannia2027@u.northwestern.edu
the ’Cats, taking just one shot during the remainder of the third quarter. On the defensive side, they limited Iowa’s opportunities and allowed just one shot attempt.
Early in the first quarter, NU earned its third penalty corner of the game and looked to extend its lead. Zimmer corralled a pass for junior defender Ilse Tromp, who shot the ball above Magnotta’s head for the goal.
Just three minutes later, graduate student midfielder Maddie Zimmer took possession just as Sessa had in the third quarter. She drove toward the net and sent a short pass through the air to Sessa, who knocked it in for the score.
Leading 3-0, the ’Cats fought hard on the defensive end, not letting their opponent pick up any ground in the contest. The score held, and as the clock wound down, NU officially clinched its third Big Ten Tournament championship. The win guarantees coach Tracey Fuchs’ squad an appearance in its seventh-straight NCAA Tournament.
Iowa finished the game with just three shot attempts, all of which Boon saved en route to her 10th shutout of the season. Sessa notched a goal for the fifth-straight game and tallied her fifth game of the season with at least two assists. Zimmer has two assists for the second-straight game. Tromp scored a goal for the second-straight game.
Schulze was chosen as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. She and Sessa were named to the All-Tournament team, combining for 14 points across the two games.
The ’Cats have now won seven of their last eight games against the Hawkeyes.
Despite a one-loss season and a Big Ten title win, NU was not chosen as a top-four seed during Sunday night’s selection show. The ’Cats face Yale on Friday at 1:30 p.m., which will be hosted by fourth-seeded Virginia. jonahmcclure2028@u.northwestern.edu
By ELI KRONENBERG daily senior staffer @elikronenberg
Sullivan a standout for shaky Wildcats
After senior forward Grace Sullivan’s showstopping 25-point effort carried Northwestern to a 64-51 victory over SIU-Edwardsville on Sunday, coach Joe McKeown said he was “concerned” about his star player.
“Every time we get off the bus now, she’s gonna have two people guarding her,” McKeown said. “We’re gonna have to get her security passes and everything.”
Two games into the Wildcats’ (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) young season, Sullivan has already established herself as a clear No. 1 option, commanding the paint on both ends of the floor.
On Sunday, Sullivan collected her 25 points on 10-for-14 shooting, sinking all five of her free-throw attempts and adding six rebounds. She followed up an 18-point, 18-rebound performance in NU’s season-opening win over IU-Indianapolis on Wednesday.
The Bucknell transfer in her second year at NU has knocked down midrange jump shots at an automatic rate since arriving in Evanston. And, with the keys to the ’Cats’ offense this season, Sullivan is relishing the opportunity to unlock defenses.
“I really wanted to focus on taking my time today,” Sullivan said postgame. “Doing that allowed me to get that turnaround jump shot, get the hook shots, mid-range shots — just hunt out the things I know I’m good at.”
Last season, Sullivan had to fight for minutes in a packed frontcourt that included two top-three scorers in former forwards Caileigh Walsh and Taylor Williams. After starting throughout NU’s entire non-conference slate, the
6-foot-4 forward was relegated to the bench for the vast majority of Big Ten play. She opened just four conference games on the floor.
Sullivan nevertheless made the most of her opportunities, averaging 10.1 points per game in 23.1 minutes and turning in the most efficient shooting of the ’Cats’ regular rotation pieces at 50.6% from the field.
Now, with Walsh, Williams and former guard Melannie Daley all out of the picture, this is Sullivan’s team. McKeown said the experience of playing behind Walsh and Williams has prepared Sullivan for the enhanced responsibility.
“I think it really helped her,” McKeown said. “In this world of one-anddone and transfer portals, I feel very lucky to have her for two years. And we’re seeing the benefits of that, cause she really learned our system last year.”
Sullivan’s dominant showing against SIU-Edwardsville coincided with what McKeown said was a greater emphasis on pounding the paint.
The ’Cats took just six 3-point attempts on the afternoon, making two. That sparse distance-shooting effort came following a bonanza of missed threes Wednesday, when NU shot 5-for-25 from beyond the arc and narrowly escaped a demoralizing upset defeat.
Last season, the ’Cats brought up the rear of the Big Ten with a 28.6% 3-point percentage, and McKeown remarked after a blowout home loss to Illinois that his assistant coaches were the best 3-point shooters in the gym.
However, Sullivan can claim complete innocence from that trend, as she took just one long-range shot all season. Sullivan’s newfound role as the centerpiece of NU’s offense could
allow McKeown to de-prioritize the three ball.
“We wanna play inside-out,” McKeown said. “In a perfect world, if we can take 15, 18 threes and get seven or eight to go, I think we’ll be a tough out.” As McKeown alluded to with his “security passes” comment, Sullivan’s red-hot start to the season may soon present a problem for the ’Cats as opponents look to double-team her out of games.
The Antioch, Illinois, native’s ability to adapt to that increased attention and unlock favorable positions for her teammates could play a decisive factor in NU’s season, especially as more ruthless Big Ten opponents loom on the schedule.
“That’s definitely something I’m trying to work on — kicking it out of double teams, triple teams even,” Sullivan said. “I know I have shooters on the outside that are wide open, and I trust my teammates fully to make those shots.”
Yet, the solution to defenses swarming Sullivan might alternatively come from pace of play, McKeown said. With senior guard Caroline Lau, graduate student transfer guard Tate Lash and sophomore guard Xamiya Walton all looking to push the ball in transition at times, the impetus to get Sullivan the ball early in possessions will only increase as teams become alert to her threat.
“The best way to beat a double-team is to beat it down the floor and play one-on-one,” McKeown said. “She can run like a deer… we’re asking a lot of her, but when other people can rebound, she can get out [down the floor] and she’s just really hard to stop one-on-one.”
elikronenberg2027@u.northwestern.edu
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Dov Weinstein Elul/The Daily Northwestern Page raised his arms to the crowd after nailing a 3-pointer in the first half.