Serving the Northwestern and Evanston communities since 1881
The Daily Northwestern Find us online @thedailynu
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM
Former chaplin sues University
about the supervisor’s deciReligious sion to reduce funding for and prayer space leader alleges Ramadan accommodations on campus discrimination “without prior notice.”
By LUCAS KUBOVCHIK and EMILY DISSANAYAKE
the daily northwestern
Quinn Yates/The Daily Northwestern Biss’ campaign began with a 15-candidate Democratic primary and is set to end in an overwhelming victory in one of the country’s bluest districts.
Biss wins congressional race Former mayor rides blue wave to Washington, replacing Schakowsky By ALLISON KUESTER and MAX TURETZKY
the daily northwestern
Former Mayor Daniel Biss will represent Illinois’ 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, marking the district’s first leadership change since
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) won the seat in 1999. As of 9:57 p.m., Biss had received 78.1% of the vote with 71% of ballots counted, according to data from the Associated Press. AP called the race for the Democrat at 7:50 p.m.
Biss’ campaign began with a 15-candidate Democratic primary and ended with an overwhelming victory in one of the country’s bluest districts. The former mayor hosted an election watch party at the Jarvis Square Tavern in Rogers Park on Tuesday evening. Acting Mayor Jonathan
Nieuwsma and Schakowsky attended, alongside campaign volunteers and 9th District residents. Surrounded by supporters, Biss announced that John Elleson, the Republican
» See BISS, page 4
Former Northwestern Muslim Chaplain Tahera Ahmad filed a lawsuit against the University on Oct. 26, more than a year after she was fired by NU on Jan. 10, 2025. Ahmad, who worked as one of the University’s chaplains in its Department of Religious and Spiritual Life for more than 15 years, alleges her super v isors imposed “a series of discriminatory actions” against her during her last two years in the position. Ahmad is suing for retaliation against “protected opposition” to discrimination toward herself and Arab and Muslim staff, discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion and national origin as violations of Title VI, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit alleges that one of Ahmad’s former supervisors compared Muslim students to “dogs” during a 2023 meeting. The meeting was
The lawsuit also alleges that during the Israel-Hamas war, the environment on campus “became increasingly hostile” toward members of the Arab and Muslim community. When Ahmad advocated against this climate, NU “(let) her know that her opposition to discrimination should cease,” the lawsuit stated. According to the lawsuit, flyers attacking Ahmad and Muslim and Arab students had been distributed around campus, and in April 2024, Ahmad’s car was broken into with a hateful note left behind. The lawsuit alleges another student, who was Arab and/or Muslim, experienced a similar incident. The lawsuit claims the University’s response to the incidents was not reasonable, alleging a University official did not “meaningfully take any action” in response to the reports and denied Ahmad a request for a meeting regarding her safety concerns. In May 2024, the lawsuit alleges, when Ahmad notified the University official that the Coalition Against
» See CHAPLIN, page 14
Lawsuit looms Activists denounce ICE raids D65 parents threaten to sue over closures
By JORDAN BALOUSEK
assistant city editor
A group of Evanston/Skokie School District 65 community members are threatening to sue the district, barring a withdrawal of administrators’ comprehensive plan or a delay of its Nov. 9 vote, according to a demand letter sent to interim Superintendent Eric Witherspoon and the district’s Board of Education. Six demands for the district were listed by the seven signees, all of whom are district parents and attorneys. One demand calls for a transparent, independently reviewed financial analysis, particularly in light of the district’s $17 million overestimate of district spending over the next five fiscal years. Others include evaluating school closure alternatives, offering greater public engagement opportunities to guide the process, conducting and disclosing Recycle Me
a comprehensive equity analysis of proposed attendance boundary changes, investigating Foster School’s savings representations and providing a comprehensive analysis of educational and program impacts — with a focus on Dewey Elementary School’s TwoWay Immersion program and Lincolnwood Elementary School’s Structured Teaching Education Program. “These demands are intended not to prevent the District from addressing its financial challenges, but rather to secure a lawful, transparent, and responsible decisionmaking process,” the letter stated. The letter pointed out that the current trajectory of the closure processes for Dewey and Lincolnwood could potentially violate Illinois School Code, which requires three public hearings to discuss proposed closures before an official closure vote can take place. In the letter, the signatories wrote they hope to avoid litigation, noting it would place additional burdens on a district already saddled with “serious financial challenges.” j.balousek@dailynorthwestern.com
Community leaders mark one year since Halloween ICE confrontation By JACK BAKER
print managing editor
One year ago, Evanston resident Jose Marin was pepper sprayed by Border Patrol agents near the intersection of Oakton Street and Asbury Avenue. During a news conference at the Dr. Jorge and Luz Maria Prieto Community Center on Friday, he called the experience “the most intense and painful thing you could ever feel.” That day, Oct. 31, 2025, a civilian vehicle rear-ended a car transporting federal immigration agents at the intersection. The driver, a U.S. citizen, was pulled from the vehicle and detained by agents, drawing a large crowd of bystanders. The agents later arrested two more U.S. citizens. Over the next few minutes, one Border Patrol agent aimed his pistol at bystanders and threatened to shoot them, according to an April report compiled by the Illinois Accountability Commission.
Another agent repeatedly punched a handcuffed detainee’s head against the asphalt, the commission found. Afterward, a third agent pepper sprayed a bystander “from close range, without warning,” according to the report. “What happened that day was inexcusable,” Marin said. “They tried to break us down, but they failed. We came out on top because their actions brought us closer together.” Dozens of community leaders and rapid response team members gathered near the intersection Friday afternoon to reflect on the past year of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity. During the news conference, organized by advocacy group Sanctuary Evanston, several speakers highlighted the community’s resilience. “They want us to forget what they have done to us. They want us to get comfortable, and they want us to fall into complacency and forget the trauma they are putting our children through,”
Emily Dissanayake/The Daily Northwestern The Sanctuary Evanston news conference reflected on ICE activity.
Sanctuary Evanston organizer Jacqueline Mendoza said. “But we will not forget. This community will not forget.” Many attendees displayed paintings of butterflies to symbolize the about 100 known community members taken by federal agents during the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz, a federal immigration crackdown targeting undocumented immigrants across the
Chicago area that began in September 2025. “The pain is something that holds tight in the corners of our body, and for many whose families have been directly impacted, the devastation has only grown with the long detainments and separations that followed,” said Maya Oyarbide-Sanchez of Sanctuary Evanston. “But also,
» See SANCTUARY, page 14
INSIDE: Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Arts & Entertainment 6 | Gameday 7 | Opinion 11 | Games 15 | Sports 16
2 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
AROUND TOWN
Community groups celebrate Día de los Muertos By JULIANA AGUDELO ARIZA
the daily northwestern
The Ridgeville Park District, Latinos en Evanston Northshore, Evanston Latinos and Padres Empoderados hosted a Día de los Muertos celebration at Ridgeville Park on Thursday. Día de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and other Latin American countries primarily on Nov. 1 and 2, where families commemorate deceased relatives. Thursday’s celebration embraced many traditional customs. Papel picado, made by cutting designs into vibrant tissue paper, was strung across trees. Cempasúchil, or marigolds, decorated the ofrenda and nearby tables. Ricardo Villalobos, executive director of Evanston Latinos, said the celebration aimed to bring back Latino community engagement after federal immigration crackdowns in the Chicago area reduced attendance at Día de los Muertos events last year. “We’ve done a lot of work this year in strengthening our relationship with each other as Latino leaders of organizations serving our Latino immigrant community. And this is a culmination of that,” Villalobos said. “It’s the first time that we’ve all come together to celebrate this way, and we’re really, really proud of that.” Fabiola Zdrubecky, the co-founder and president of Latinos en Evanston Northshore, created and designed a Catrina and Catrín exhibition, which highlighted the skeletal figures that are closely associated with Día de los Muertos. Zdrubecky also set up a large community ofrenda, or offering, at the event. “Día de Muertos is a very big tradition in our countries, so bringing it here to Ridgeville makes us feel proud,” Zdrubecky said in Spanish. “On the other hand, we also feel proud to see other communities who want to learn from our culture.”[cq] The park was filled with families participating in arts and crafts, showing off their costumes and enjoying the traditional live music. Sharef Al Najjar attended the event with his
Juliana Agudelo Ariza/The Daily Northwestern Families gathered to celebrate Día de Los Muertos on Thursday through a night of culture, arts and music at Ridgeville Park.
wife and two kids. “This is part of my cultural heritage, and I wanted to expose my kids to it,” Al Najjar said. “I thought it’d be a nice way to bring Día de los Muertos and its significance to my little kids.” As the night went on, attendees took pictures with the ofrenda, savored the traditional snacks
and enjoyed the cultural festivities. Villalobos said the event celebrated the “thriving” Latino community in Evanston. “We’re not just people in crisis,” Villalobos said. “We’re not just people that need to be saved. We’re here, and we want families to feel safe with us and engage together and
participate in all things that happen in this community.” Editor’s note: Some interviews in this story were originally conducted in Spanish and have been translated to English. julianaagudeloariza2030@u.northwestern.edu
$20 BRAZILIAN WAX OR SUGAR first-time clients only
Scan to book
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
3
ON CAMPUS
Faculty seek to protect NU from ICE By SASHA BAUMGARTNER
copy editor
The Daily Northwestern
www.dailynorthwestern.com Editor in Chief Anavi Prakash
eic@dailynorthwestern.com
During a Sept. 30 meeting, Faculty Senate passed a resolution urging Northwestern to prohibit Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents from accessing any nonpublic spaces on the University’s Evanston and Chicago campuses without a judicial warrant. According to Faculty Senate President and art history Prof. Rebecca Zorach, some faculty members have exhibited a “new energy and some new kind of concern” after federal agents detained a U.S. citizen and Evanston resident, in September. One year after the Trump administration began Operation Midway Blitz, a federal crackdown targeting undocumented immigrants throughout the Chicago area, the Senate’s resolution aims to protect the Northwestern community from ICE. “There really still is a pressing need to protect the community,” Zorach said. “The University can do more.” The September resolution calls on NU to legally review ICE requests for student, faculty or staff records before responding. Additionally, the resolution urges the University to follow Evanston’s existing Welcoming City Ordinance and other city and state regulations which “serve to protect everyone’s constitutional rights.” The resolution also advocated for NU to provide Know Your Rights trainings to inform students, staff and faculty of their constitutional rights. According to the resolution, implementing these trainings would align with policies of peer institutions like Harvard University, Columbia University and Stanford University. Zorach said she had concerns about whether 864-8228 the(847) University had “done enough” during the 2025-26 academic year to protect the NU comneedlesexcellency@att.net munity from ICE activity in the Evanston area. As the chairs of the Senate’s Governance andtheneedlesexcellency.com Policy Committee and Social Responsibility Committee, history Prof. Helen Tilley and Pritzker Prof. Eric Sirota proposed the resolution to the Senate, and it passed with 61 affirmative
1630 central street evanston, illinois 60201
General Manager Stacia Campbell
stacia@dailynorthwestern.com
Holly and John Madigan Newsroom Phone | 847.491.3222 Campus desk
campus@dailynorthwestern.com
City desk
city@dailynorthwestern.com
Sports desk
sports@dailynorthwestern.com
Ad Office | 847.491.7206
spc-compshop@northwestern.edu
Daily file photo by Cayla Labgold-Carroll The resolution urged NU to legally review ICE requests for student, faculty or staff records before responding.
votes. “We wanted to make sure that Northwestern had adequate protections in place to keep their students, faculty, staff – et cetera – safe, and that people were aware of those protections and how they were being protected by Northwestern,” Sirota said. Zorach said she reached out to the general counsel at Northern Illinois University to find out how the public university protects students and staff from federal agents. She said she wanted to mirror Illinois public universities by providing clear and easy-to-find resources for University members worried about ICE activity in Evanston. But since NU is a private university, Zorach said she wasn’t sure if the Senate could compel the University to “do more.” Political science Prof. and former Senate President Ian Hurd said the body aims to “expand knowledge and creativity in human affairs” at the
University. “The American government’s maneuvers to limit universities’ international connections are retrograde, both in terms of the production of knowledge and creativity, and in terms of basic human rights for individuals,” Hurd said. After the Senate’s Sept. 30 attendees passed the resolution, Zorach said faculty members met with President Mung Chiang and other NU officials. She called the resolution “a starting point” for future conversations between faculty members and University administration. “It might not be carried out in exactly the way that we ask for in the resolution, but it’s a sort of negotiating process where we can talk to members of the administration and see what can be done,” Zorach said. s.baumgartner@dailynorthwestern.com
The Daily Northwestern is printed each Wednesday during the academic year, except vacation periods, the two weeks preceding them and once during August, by Students Publishing Co., Inc. of Northwestern University, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208. All news is published 24/7 online at Dailynorthwestern.com. First copy of The Daily is free, additional copies are 50 cents. All material published herein, except advertising or where indicated otherwise, is Copyright 2025 The Daily Northwestern and protected under the “work made for hire” and “periodical publication” clauses of copyright law. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Daily Northwestern, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208. Subscriptions are $100 for the academic year. The Daily Northwestern is not responsible for more than one incorrect ad insertion.
Check out
DAILYNORTHWESTERN.COM for breaking news
The needlepoint shop for all your needs
Pilates the way it was meant to be!
15% OFF FOR NU STUDENTS Fully equipped Pilates studio in downtown Evanston Private & small group classes • Monday–Saturday by appointment 847-492-7200 • 1609 Oak Ave, Downtown Evanston www.pilatesconnectionchicago.com
(847) 864-8228 needlesexcellency@att.net needlesexcellency.com 1630 Central Street Evanston, Illinois 60201 Canvases - Fibers - Classes - Finishing - Framing
1
PENDING DELIVERY. . .
The Daily’s
BIGGEST HEADLINES right in your inbox Scan the QR code or sign up at dailynorthwestern.com/email
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
4 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
BISS
From page 1
nominee, had called him to concede. “Today I’m the representative-elect from the 9th District. On January 3rd, I’m going to join a Democratic majority for the U.S. House of Representatives,” Biss said during his victory speech. “We are going to have to put a check on this lawless administration. We are going to have to fight to stop the madness.” During his campaign, Biss leaned on his five-year tenure as mayor of Evanston. He led the city’s response to Operation Midway Blitz, a federal crackdown targeting undocumented immigrants across the Chicago area, first announced in September 2025. He supported efforts to promote environmental sustainability, update the city’s zoning code and adopt a new comprehensive plan, Envision Evanston 2045. On Tuesday, he called the Chicago area’s response to federal immigration enforcement “the model of how solidarity allows us to fight.”
“The federal government has a lot to learn from what we’ve done in Evanston, and starting in January, those lessons are going to Washington,” Biss said. Before being elected mayor, Biss served in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly and ran for governor in 2018, losing that year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary to Gov. JB Pritzker. He was overwhelmingly favored to win his congressional race after narrowly winning the Democratic primary election in March. Biss received 29.6% of the vote, beating out a crowded field that included progressive content creator Kat Abughazaleh and State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview). In his victory speech, the former mayor highlighted Democratic gains across the country. “The American people are looking at the brutality, at the violence, at the corruption, at the self-dealing, and they are saying ‘No more,’” Biss said. “The people have spoken, and I think for the rest of the night they’re going to keep on speaking louder and clearer. Tonight we are putting the federal government back on the side
of the people.” Biss resigned as mayor Oct. 18, publishing a farewell letter on Substack that described his mayoral tenure as “an honor of a lifetime.” Nieuwsma, the 4th Ward alderman, became the city’s acting mayor Oct. 26. “I really hope that Evanston — being such a progressive and politically engaged community — that our blood pressure can go down with the Democratic Congress,” Nieuwsma said Tuesday. Vo te r s will decide Biss’ replacement in a spec ial mayoral election early next year. Schakow sky said she looks forward to working with Biss as he heads to Washington, D.C. “I’m very excited,” she said. “This is Daniel Biss’ night, and I know he’s going to be great. I’m very excited about the future and, as much as I can, helping him as much as he might want.” a.kuester@dailynorthwestern.com m.turetzky@dailynorthwestern.com
Juliana Stratton projected to win U.S. Senate race By KIERAN BLAKE and KARIM MELEK
the daily northwestern
Democratic Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is projected to win Tuesday’s U.S. Senate race, defeating Republican Don Tracy. Stratton beat Tracy in a state that has elected only one Republican senator this century.
The Associated Press called the race for Stratton when polls closed at 7 p.m. Stratton hosted an election watch party at the Ramova Theatre in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood Tuesday evening. Elected officials from across the state attended alongside campaign volunteers and Chicago residents. “Together, we showed that we can center a campaign on the people, not the powerful,” Stratton said in her victory speech. “And we made it clear that Illinois is not going backwards.” Stratton promised to fight against the “chaos” and “dysfunction” in Washington. She also noted the significance of a person of color holding office in a state where Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debated the expansion of slavery in 1858. Stratton pledged to be a senator for all Illinoisans. “When I walk into the United States Capitol, I intend to remember exactly who sent me there,” Stratton said. “Each and everyone one of you.” In her remarks, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) highlighted Stratton’s
record as lieutenant governor. She said Stratton demonstrated “the kind of leadership our families need right now.” Stratton will succeed longtime U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who announced his retirement last April. Durbin, the current minority whip, has represented Illinois in Congress for more than 40 years. “She was a leader as lieutenant governor,” Durbin said on Tuesday. “She’s shown in her personal life that she’s a caring mother and a devoted daughter. She has just the right temperament for this job.” Stratton won the Democratic nomination in March following a hotly contested primary. She received 40% of the vote against U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Schaumburg) and Robin Kelly (D-Matteson), who trailed with 33% and 18% of the vote, respectively. The Democratic candidates diverged over corporate PAC money and how best to combat Operation Midway Blitz, a federal crackdown targeting undocumented immigrants across the Chicago area that began in
September 2025. In April, Gov. JB Pritzker endorsed Stratton, his second-in-command in Springfield, and he has since donated more than $10 million to her campaign. Stratton spent much of her campaign attacking the Trump administration. At an October forum featuring Stratton and Tracy, she pledged to abolish ICE, calling the agency “Donald Trump’s private police force.” Stratton also called to raise the federal minimum wage to $25 an hour and voiced support for Medicare for All. She advocates for raising taxes on individuals earning over $1 million annually, while proposing tax cuts for middle-class and working-class Americans. “Tonight, we sent a message loud and clear for them to hear all the way in Washington, D.C.,” Stratton said. “That this seat belongs to the people of Illinois.” karimmelek2030@u.northwestern.edu kieranblake2030@u.northwestern.edu
Patrick Hanley to win Illinois’ 9th District State Senate seat By MICHELLE WU
the daily northwestern
Winnetka small business owner and Democratic organizer Patrick Hanley is projected to win against Republican candidate Tom Lally in the race to represent Illinois’ 9th District in the State Senate, according to FOX 32 Chicago. As of 11:10 p.m. Tuesday night, Hanley received 80.60% of the vote, according to data from the Cook County Clerk’s office. After the Associated Press called his race Tuesday evening at 8:15 p.m., attendees at the New Trier Democrats’ midterms election watch party at Pit & Tap broke into cheers. People hugged one another as smiles broke across everyone’s faces. “I’m honored to be elected to represent the 9th State Senate District of Illinois,” Hanley told The Daily. “I’m just so excited to get to work in Springfield in January.” Hanley will replace State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview), who has held the seat encompassing Evanston and nearby North Shore municipalities since 2019. She declined to seek reelection, mounting an unsuccessful campaign to represent Illinois’ 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Receiving 51% of the vote, Hanley narrowly prevailed over Evanston attorney Rachel
Ruttenberg, the Democratic Party of Evanston’s deputy committeeperson, in the March Democratic primary election. Campaign volunteer and Winnetka resident Tara O’Brien said the energy of Tuesday’s watch party captured months of grassroots organizing to mobilize voters, community members and volunteers. “Even if it’s one door, one voter or one phone bank, every step is really important. And you can see that pay off here,” O’Brien said. Hanley centered his campaign on bringing new leadership to Springfield at a time when he said Illinois residents need a strong state government. “I think people are looking for real change right now,” Hanley said. “The system is so obviously broken, so building a coalition of people who care, who share similar values, I think, is fundamental to change and to actually getting things done.” After witnessing the Trump administration’s increased immigration enforcement, diminished civil rights protections and federal budget cuts, Hanley pledged to champion the causes most important to Illinois residents. “The one thing that we heard in the doors all throughout the last 18 months of this campaign is people talking about bringing prices down and making sure that it’s livable to stay in our district and to stay in Illinois,” Hanley said.
Hanley previously served as president of the New Trier Democrats and co-founded the advocacy group Operation Swing State. Through grassroots organizing and progressive policy advocacy, he has worked closely with out-of-state Democratic candidates and Illinois representatives. His endorsements included U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston), state Senate Assistant Majority Leader Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) and Majority Whip Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield). “I think organizing is everything. And that if a political leader, or if a politician, or a political movement can incorporate organizing and
bringing more people in, you can just do so much more for longer,” Hanley said. Hanley’s campaign manager Chloe Madvig said she hopes the coalitionbuilding efforts that defined Hanley’s campaign will continue into his term as state senator. “Our door is open. So we want to hear your ideas. We want to hear what legislation you think that we should be pushing. We want to hear how we can help you,” Madvig said. Hanley’s opponent Lally, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary, did not campaign heavily leading up to Tuesday’s midterm elections. Lally decided to run after hearing Hanley called President Trump a fascist, according to his campaign website. Lally did not immediately respond to The Daily’s request for comment. In Springfield, Hanley said he would champion policies that lower the cost of living and combat climate change. “I’m going to be sitting down and thinking through my legislative agenda for January and figuring out how we can hit the ground running in January,” Hanley said. michellewu2030@u.northwestern.edu
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
Evanston residents cast midterm election ballots First Ward resident Janet Gans Epner supports Biss First Ward resident Janet Gans Epner voted at The Merion on Tuesday morning. Gans Epner closely followed March’s Democratic primary race to represent Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, with a particular focus on former Mayor Daniel Biss and State Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview). “It was important to me that either Daniel or Laura would win,” Gans Epner said. W hile Gans Epner’s neighbor and 1st Ward resident Liz Behrens said she wasn’t sure whether her vote would impact Illinois’ election results, she said “not to vote is not an option.” Gans Epner echoed her sentiment. “If you want to have any say in what happens in the world around you, you have to vote, and I believe in having a say in the world around me,” Gans Epner said. — Reported by Lauren Shein
Ninth Ward resident Molly Aceves condemns federal immigration enforcement, supports Biss After voting at Willard Elementary School, 9th Ward resident Molly Aceves said she’s feeling optimistic about former Mayor Daniel Biss’ congressional bid. She said her children attended the same school as his, allowing her to interact with the Democratic nominee personally. “I think that he is thoughtful and has a lot to offer,” she said. Aceves said concerns over Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Evanston during Operation Midway Blitz motivated her to vote for Biss. She said the presence of ICE agents outside her children’s school last fall worried her. She recalled how her children experienced a school lockdown and had friends fearful of walking home due to federal immigration enforcement activity. “That can’t be the state of our country,” she said. — Reported by Gabe Hawkins
Eighth Ward resident Jonathon Edwards laments lack of ‘more progressive’ congressional candidates Eighth Ward resident Jonathon Edwards cast his vote at Oakton Elementary School, calling Evanston’s general election ballot “unexciting.” He said he voted for progressive content creator Kat Abughazaleh in March’s Democratic primary race to represent Illinois’ 9th Congressional District. Edwards added that he was “really disappointed” when Abughazaleh lost, finishing about 4,000 votes behind former mayor and Democratic congressional nominee Daniel Biss. The bruising primary was defined by millions of dollars in outside spending, including from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “As we all know, the money that went into that race and some of the effects that some of the super PACs managed to have was a little distressing, and we’re just continuing to see that trend,” Edwards said. He said he ultimately wanted “a candidate that’s more progressive.” Edwards said he still liked and voted for Biss on Tuesday. He added that he previously supported Biss’ mayoral and gubernatorial campaigns. “I mean, what’s the alternative at this point?” Edwards said.
Eighth Ward resident Annette Bjorling expresses cautious optimism Eighth Ward resident Annette Bjorling beamed with excitement after casting her ballot at Oakton Elementary School on Tuesday. “I want to participate in democracy,” Bjorling said. “I just became a (U.S.) citizen recently, so this is my first major election, and I’m really excited to be participating that way.” She added that she was relieved by the ease of Tuesday’s voting process. Tonight, she said she will be “sitting at my computer screen and hitting refresh.” Although she is feeling “slightly hopeful,” Bjorling said she remains nervous. “It would be very naive, I think, not to feel nervous. On the one hand, there’s so many close elections, especially for the Senate,” she said. “And the other thing is what stupid things will Trump pull to try to hamper the election if they (go) positive for Democrats.” — Reported by Jack Baker
— Reported by Jack Baker
Localactivists activistsuse leverage postcarding to mobilize state Local postcarding to mobilize swingswing state voters By ELISE DYKSTRA
the daily northwestern
Following months of postcard writing events, local advocacy groups mailed hundreds of thousands of postcards this week, urging swing state voters to head to the polls. “I think they work because they make you feel that there’s a person behind someone asking you to vote,” said Ruth Lednicer, who volunteers with the Democratic Party of Evanston. “It’s literally a handwritten piece of mail addressed to you from someone saying, ‘I really hope you vote.’” Organizations including Indivisible Evanston, Operation Swing State, Pink Poster Club and the DPOE held regular events, gathering volunteers to write postcards. Indivisible Evanston has a postcarding committee co-chaired by Leslye Lapping, who said the organization mailed more than 225,000 postcards this election cycle. Lapping, one of the group’s founders, took on the role several years ago after stepping down from Indivisible Evanston’s leadership committee. “There was a little sense of defensiveness initially, because people acted like postcarding was just meant to be, for activists at least, a jumping-off point, and that it never compared to phone banking or canvassing,” Lapping said. “I felt a little differently about it.” She added that she has participated in door-to-door canvassing and phone banking, but that it was “discouraging” to see how few people answered the door or picked up the phone. She said postcarding presented a “simple, effective” alternative. Patrick Hanley, co-founder of Operation Swing State and Evanston’s Democratic nominee for the Illinois State Senate, said postcard messaging rarely
encourages voters to cast their vote for particular candidates or parties. Rather, he said, they focus on pushing voters to the polls, especially in swing states like Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan. Hanley said he has received positive feedback from postcard recipients. “People would mention that they received a postcard, and they’ve mentioned that they appreciated the special care that was put into it,” Hanley said.
Hanley added that while he believes canvassing and phonebanking are more effective methods to mobilize individual voters, postcarding is a potent way to reach a large number of people — especially when volunteers are pressed for time or lack door-knocking confidence. Indivisible Evanston has hosted volunteer postcarding events throughout the fall at local churches, cafes and restaurants. Lapping said the events give volunteers
Indivisible Evanston mailed more than 225,000 postcards this election season.
opportunities to “eat and chat and commiserate” while signing and stamping calls to vote. For Lednicer, postcarding is a reminder that every voice matters. “It’s easy to get cynical and think it doesn’t matter, but it does matter, because who gets elected actually does affect your life,” she said. elisedykstra2030@u.northwestern.edu
Photo courtesy of Leslye Lapping
5
6 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘Wicker’ features unique love story Fashion for frosty days By JAMES FRAZIER WILSON
assistant photo editor
This review contains spoilers. Before you ask — yes, there is a sex scene with a man entirely made out of basket reeds in “Wicker.” There are multiple, actually. I counted several. Basewd on Ursula Wills’ short story “The Wicker Husband,” the film stars Olivia Colman as The Fisherwoman of a small, vaguely medieval town. In response to the town’s perpetual teasing, she commissions a mysterious basket maker to create a husband for her out of wooden reeds. Given “Wicker” is a fantasy story, this, unsurprisingly, ends up working. What is surprising is where the story goes from there, as the Frankensteinian tale transforms to a softhearted, bucolic love story. One might expect “Wicker” to follow the typical fish-out-of-water beats, with the small-minded villagers growing increasingly tense around their new, magically-animated neighbor. But the opposite occurs: rather than treating The Wicker Husband with suspicion, the town embraces him rather too zealously. His quiet, ardent love for The Fisherwoman causes many of the town’s women to realize the myriad of ways their husbands don’t measure up.
It’s a unique switch-up to a classic formula, and it serves the film’s comedic tone well. It’s funny to think this is a high fantasy story, since the stakes feel distinctly human in scale. The film tackles themes of loneliness, social isolation and the boundaries of trust. Despite taking place in an original world with its own defined rules, traditions and relationship to magic, “Wicker” is more “Edward Scissorhands” than “The Wizard of Oz,” although The Wicker Husband’s stilted movements do have a distinct Tin-Man-like flair. The Wicker Husband himself — whose appearance was created with intensive facial prosthetics — lands perfectly between being charming and offputting. It is impressive how tender he comes off with his straightforward fidelity, delivered through a few spare, slowly spoken words. The Fisherwoman, like every other character, is never named; the tailor’s wife is The Tailor’s Wife (Elizabeth Debicki), and her sister is literally The Tailor’s Wife’s Sister, even to their spouses. In addition to providing comic relief, this decision reinforces a central theme: the way characters are stifled through being defined only by their positions. Colman possesses an uncannily expressive face, an asset which the film uses well. In one memorable scene — consisting of only a few spoken lines — in
which The Fisherwoman asks The Basketmaker to make her a husband, Colman’s facial expressions are so dynamic and forthcoming that the minimal dialogue has no effect on the scene’s clarity. Debicki holds her own as The Tailor’s Wife, who becomes increasingly sinister and violent as her control over the inhabitants of the town begins to slip. At 6-foot-3, the actress towers over nearly everyone else in the film, including her husband, underscoring her authority even as she seeks to present herself as a humble, benevolent force. Still, Debicki manages to garner a twisted sympathy as her porcelain facade completely shatters; The Tailor’s Wife, too, longs to escape the confines of her position. The script runs out of steam in the final act, when, after the climax, the limits of adapting from a 30-page short story become clear. The film might have benefited from a few minutes left on the cutting floor — The Basketmaker’s bizarrely muttered monologues, for one, took me out of the story — but the overall product is so much fun it’s hard to fault the writers for keeping some of the stranger flourishes in. Both as a unique love story and a fantastical fable, “Wicker” succeeds in providing an original, surprisingly comedic romp in an endearing world. james.fw@dailynorthwestern.com
STUDENTS GET $15 TICKETS* TO ALL MAIN SERIES SHOWS WITH CODE STUDENT15
NOW PLAYING
By OLIVIA GU
the daily northwestern
This upcoming week , Evanston is expecting a 10-degree temperature drop. As the infamous Chicago winter emerges from its slumber, Northwestern students have found ways to stay warm and stylish for a low cost. Stock up on HeatTech For Weinberg first-year William Shih, Uniqlo’s HeatTech is an affordable alternative to expensive heavy winter gear. “I can’t justify spending a trillion dollars on a puffer,” Shih said. According to Uniqlo’s website, HeatTech is a thermal fiber technology that retains heat by converting the energy from water molecules, released by your body, into heat energy. Through a thin blend of fabrics, the warmest HeatTech can be worn in temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius. To weather the winter, Shih said he plans on either purchasing more HeatTech or buying a hoodie that weighs “eight pounds” to wear daily. Invest in a statement scarf Medill first-year Kadija Fofana, who was a stylist assistant for the G Q x ESPN NBA Final s St y le Playbook, said “the statement scarf ” is a trend to look out for this year. Fofana said she owns a thick, yellow scarf she can use for this winter. “It looks striking on its own, but I just love throwing it over a basic outfit,” she said. Shih said he wanted an Acne Studios scarf. However, he said he plans on buying a knockoff version of the official accessory, which ranges from around $200 to around $1,550 on the company’s website. “I’m not buying an actual big ass Acne Studios scarf. I have like two bucks in my bank account,” he said. Go out and thrift
World premiere by
Stephanie Alison Walker
Directed by
Pam MacKinnon Featuring ensemble member Caroline Neff with David Darrow, Northwestern alum Katrina Lenk, Wendy Mateo and Sadieh Rifai
A femme-forward comedy about the hilarious hypocrisy in our own backyard
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW
steppenwolf.org | 312-335-1650 *With valid student ID.
Weinberg first-year Harper Armentrout said she worked in retail for two years and thrifted her winter jacket at Goodwill. She said thrifting is a solid source for her closet. “If people have been able to survive the winter in something in the past, then you can survive it this time,” she said. Armentrout said she recommends students interested in thrifting to take time to sift through every option. She explained spending 15 minutes at the store and expecting to get “good stuff ” is an unrealistic expectation. “Don’t be as restrictive with sizes,” Armentrout said. “Have a three-size range that you’re okay with wearing, and then also try to know how to mend clothes.” Don’t be afraid to buy outside of the ‘norm’ Shih found an unconventional place to buy highquality wool gloves: a military surplus store in New York. He said he’s a “big fan of those” because they are designed for combat and they keep his hands warm. Fofana said she wanted a jacket that matched her personal style. On Depop, she found a retro tie-dye The North Face jacket. “I’ve always seen people with the regular black ones, but I wanted to go with something that kind of still resonated with my personality and my character,” she said. From thrifting to military deadstock shops, NU students are proving that winter fashion does not have to be expensive. oliviagu2030@u.northwestern.edu Illustrations by Siri Reddy
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
E D A M Y A G
EYES ON IOWA
7
8 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
Q&A: Deasfernandes talks Iowa career, NU season By YONI ZACKS
social media editor
Graduate student defensive back Brenden Deasfernandes spent the first four years of his career at No. 21 Iowa before transferring to Central Michigan and later Northwestern. Ahead of the Wildcats’ (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) Saturday matchup against the Hawkeyes (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) — who landed at No. 19 in the first College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday — The Daily spoke with the seven-year veteran to discuss his time at Iowa, lessons from NU’s loss to Oregon, Ryan Field and more. This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity. The Daily: What really drew you to Iowa the first time? Deasfernandes: Coming out of high school, (defensive coordinator Phil) Parker (and) coach (Kirk) Ferentz believed in me. They’re a really big developmental school and I wasn’t developed coming out of high school, I knew that I wasn’t gonna be a two, three-year NFL player. It was gonna take me some time. I’m still developing right now. So all in all, I just kind of invested in them and they all got me better. The Daily: What do you think is the biggest thing that you developed (while at Iowa)? Deasfernandes: Being in football positions to make plays, you know, knowing (and) understanding leverage, understanding depth and width in certain zone coverages where my eyes got to be at. The basics that introduce you into the world of being able to play freely and making those plays. The Daily: What drew you to Northwestern? Deasfernandes: Coach (Tim) McGarigle, my first time meeting with him, it was me and another guy in the room. When I got out of that meeting, I was ready to put some shoulder pads on and play. But (it’s) very detailoriented here. The Daily: What’s the biggest thing that you’ve noticed in common between the two programs? Deasfernandes: Very disciplined. It’s a very disciplined program. Although you’re a little free, coaches are still on your behind, players on your behind, and the way we do things is the way that we do things. You gotta live up to that standard, everybody holds you accountable. The Daily: Especially coming off of a loss like Oregon, how do you guys make sure that you’re holding yourselves accountable but not focusing too much on the past? Deasfernandes: Keep our heads up. Next play mentality as a football player. You’ve always got to focus on the next play. You focus on the play before, then that play’s gonna eat you up forever. So I focus on the next play. People get beat, things happen. Nobody’s perfect in this life. Focus on the next game. What can we do to get better from now on? We always look towards a loss as a lesson rather than a loss or ‘We’re terrible.’ So that was a lesson for us to get better at the things that we didn’t know that we weren’t so good at.
Graduate student defensive back Brenden Deasfernandes spent the first four seasons of his career at Iowa.
The Daily: What is the biggest lesson that you think you’ve taken from Oregon? Deasfernandes: Just keep playing. Things may happen in the game, so put things in the past and keep it going. Playmakers make plays, you’re not going against anybody that’s bad. The Daily: You’ve got another night game coming up against Iowa. What is the environment that you’re hoping to see on Saturday? Deasfernandes: (The) Penn State environment (from) opening night, that would be great. Another night game. I love those night games in Ryan Field, (they’re) electric. That kind of environment, nice and loud, and fans are present, Wildcat Wall is there. Something like that. The Daily: What kind of home field advantage have you experienced so far at Ryan Field? What effect do you think it has for you guys? Deasfernandes: I think it’s really loud, and the fans make us feel like we’re here and they’re with us. The fans are essentially a part of us, a part of this football team, so we make them feel that way, and they make us feel successful. The Daily: Iowa, in the past, has had a very loud presence, especially when they’re coming in and playing in Evanston. How are you guys preparing in case that happens on Saturday?
Daily file photo by Alex Boyko
Deasfernandes: We’re used to the noise. Every team in the country practices with a lot of noise. We played away games this year, so if they’re prominent, if Iowa fans come in deep, we’ll be prepared in that case. But all in all, it’s not about that, it’s about everything between the lines on the field. The Daily: What does the ideal Saturday look like for you? Deasfernandes: Whatever I can do to help the team out to win. Whatever position I may be in to make plays, to do my
job. Coach McGarigle always says do your job within the framework of the defense. So that’s my personal job, but another big thing I have to do is help the team win. Be in my own position so everybody else can be in their position and do their job, and hopefully we can make plays for them. The Daily: Is there anything else you’d like to add? Deasfernandes: Go ’Cats!
NORTHWESTERN SCHEDULE
Gameday StafF
11.07 vs. Iowa 11.14 @ Ohio State 11.21 @ Minnesota 11.28 vs. Illinois
y.zacks@dailynorthwestern.com
GAMEDAY EDITOR Andrew Little WRITERS Alex Boyko Aanya Gupta Kamran Nia Yoni Zacks Gameday is a publication of Students Publishing Co. A two-page issue is published on the Wednesday prior to Northwestern road games and a longer issue is usually published on the Wednesday prior to Northwestern home games. All material is © 2026 Students Publishing Co. Questions or comments should be sent c/o Gameday Editor Andrew Little, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208.
wildcats vs. hawkeyes | Series history: 28-55-3 POINTS PER GAME
POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME
33.6 VS 28.3
I8.8 VS I2.5
PASSING YEARDS PER GAME
PASSING YARDS ALLOWED PER GAME
TOTAL YARDS PER GAME
TOTAL YARDS ALLOWED PER GAME
438.I VS 383.6 364.6 VS 325.4 RUSHING YARDS PER GAME
237.3 VS 209.4 227.4 VS I96.5 200.9 VS I74.3
RUSHING YARDS ALLOWED PER GAME
I46.8 VS 79
PENALTIES PER GAME
PENALTY YARDS PER GAME
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL
SACKS PER GAME
7.0 VS 5.6
5I.8 VS 44.4
+II VS +I
I.6 VS 3.0
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
9
Gupta: It’s time to learn our football traditions By AANYA GUPTA
sports editor
“Safety school! Safety school!” If you walk into Northwestern’s student section at a football game, you are practically guaranteed to hear that chant at some point during the game. Whether you will hear anything else in unison? Well, that’s up for debate. Being the only top-10 university in the Big Ten, it isn’t a surprise that sports spirit isn’t something that comes naturally for most NU students. For many, sports are simply a bonus rather than the reason they apply to NU. But with a brand new stadium, a — formerly — ranked football team and a major push from the athletic department, inevitably, school spirit is starting to build. As someone who was drawn to NU by the allure of Big Ten athletics, I am thrilled that students are finally showing out and being passionate about our football program. However, there are still sizable gaps in the student section that still need to be filled if we truly wish to be seen as a football powerhouse. The biggest of these gaps is with our football traditions. The problem is not a lack of football traditions, but rather that these traditions haven’t been effectively carried down. For instance, I took a look at the Northwestern Athletics official gameday website to see what NU considers “official traditions” to compare what they look like in practice. The website describes “The Growl.” “The tradition where every Northwestern fan holds his/her arm up angled upwards with a hand in a Wildcat claw,” the site reads. “This is followed by creating as much noise as possible in order to distract the opponent. The tradition occurs when Northwestern is on defense, and the growl is the loudest
during every third down.” In my two years at NU, I never once ever experienced “The Growl” from a student perspective. Do I hear a growl over the PA system on third downs? Absolutely. But have I ever seen anyone around me put up a claw and engage in this tradition? Not once. Instinctively, students do get loud on third down, but without having the claw, it would be a stretch to consider that a football tradition at all. Instead what we are left with is the single “safety school” chant that appears to unite all NU students. Another instance of a lack of gameday understanding was at the Penn State game. The student section famously stayed loud even when the offense was on the field, prompting senior quarterback Aidan Chiles to signal to the students to quiet down. Coach David Braun even addressed this in his post-game press conference. “After explosive plays down the red zone and out towards our student section, and they’re going crazy, our student section, as they should be,” Braun said. “But then we’re tempoing and we want to get the ball snapped and, for the first time, they’ve had to like literally learn how to help manage our crowd.” It’s not ideal at all to have your team managing its own student section, to say the least. Now, I don’t blame the student section for this one bit. In fact, I believe this is collateral damage from lacking a real student section experience at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium because the culture and etiquette surrounding football wasn’t something that most students had really experienced. There was never a “home field advantage” for NU, but now with the brand new Wildcat Wall and the metal stands that make so much noise, there is a sizable advantage of playing at home.
Daily file photo by Carter Nishi Northwestern’s student section showed out for the first-ever game at the New Ryan Field.
I credit the University for being aware of this gap and trying to be proactive about bridging it. Particularly, Braun spoke at a New Ryan Field student preview event that rallied students and aimed to explain student section etiquette. However, he was barely audible for much of the event and the crowd was so excited about the new stadium that I don’t think any of the traditions or “rules” really stuck in anyway. In order to rectify this, I propose that NU reintroduces the Purple Pride Pep Rally during Wildcat Welcome. The Purple Pride Pep Rally, held at Welsh-Ryan Arena, was an event for all firstyears and transfer students centered around sports traditions, to familiarize them with the student-athletes and build sports culture
at NU. By introducing school spirit in the first week, the lessons and traditions are much more internalized. This is also a great way for new students to learn the fight song. The assembly was discontinued ahead of my first year, and I think it would be a mistake to not reintroduce it next school year. I never got to experience the assembly myself and spent the entirety of my first year unaware of how our fight song went, what to yell at the opposing team and what gave our school Big Ten school spirit. At the end of the day, is there a point to having gameday traditions if no one knows what the traditions are? a.gupta@dailynorthwestern.com
With Oregon loss in ‘rearview,’ NU to host Iowa By ANDREW LITTLE
gameday editor
Entering the weekend riding a four-game win streak and sporting the No. 20 ranking, Northwestern left Saturday with a 34-26 loss to Oregon. The defeat dropped the Wildcats (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) out of the AP Top 25, who saw their College Football Playoff chances take a blow.
However, NU is leaving its disappointment in Eugene, Oregon, and turning its attention to a home battle with No. 21 Iowa. “All frustration needs to be left in the rearview mirror,” coach David Braun said in his weekly press conference Monday. “That frustration needs to turn into fuel. Any discouragement, any frustration will be absolutely not tolerated. We’re moving forward, we’re pouring gas on the fire that’s building within this team.”
Northwestern allowed 441 yards in Saturday’s 34-26 loss at Oregon.
The ’Cats were outscored 21-6 in the second half as the Ducks rallied for a comeback victory. Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola threw for 336 yards, his most ever against a Big Ten opponent. “You could feel the game in a spot of momentum and it just felt like we didn’t have that ability just to really keep our foot on the gas,” Braun said after the loss. However, after a conversation with quarterbacks coach Jerry Neuheisel on Sunday, Braun
Daily file photo by Moss Weigel
said his evaluation of the game was “inaccurate” and changed his messaging to the team. “I think we got tight,” Braun said Monday. “As you just go back and evaluate the film and you see missed opportunities. Uncharacteristic things showing up on film that is not who this team is.” The Hawkeyes (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten), who ranked No. 19 in the College Football Playoff Selection Committee’s first rankings Tuesday, are coming off a 30-0 home win over then-No. 25 Wisconsin. In the decisive victory, Iowa’s defense forced three turnovers and held its opponent to 52 rushing yards. “That is a remarkable defense,” Braun said. “They play together. They’re really talented on all three levels. They know where they’re supposed to be and they execute at an extremely high level.” Defensive coordinator Tim McGarigle said the ’Cats know to expect “physicality” Saturday. Under longtime coach Kirk Ferentz, the Hawkeyes have developed a reputation for playing a hard-nosed brand of football on both sides of the ball. Explosive plays plagued NU’s defense Saturday, as the Ducks had 10 plays of at least 15 yards, accounting for 280 of their 441 total yards. McGarigle attributed the ’Cats’ struggles to uncharacteristic missed tackles, and said tackling is a focus heading into this matchup. “It’s all tackle related,” he said Tuesday. “When our rush defense is not doing a good job, it’s explosive plays. Explosive missed tackles. When we’re making the tackles, it’s pretty darn good.” Iowa will be without its leading rusher, running back Kamari Moulton, for the rest of the season after he suffered an upper-body injury against Minnesota on Oct. 24. Quarterback Hank Brown had a strong day without his star running back against the Badgers, completing 20-of-24 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns. However, the Hawkeyes continued to lean on their running game against Wisconsin, carrying the ball 42 times. “We know what they’re going to be doing. They know what we’re going to be doing for the most part,” McGarigle said. “It’s a battle of the trenches. Our D-line has to have their best day along with the linebackers. This game is won and lost up front.” a.little@dailynorthwestern.com
10 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
Joe Spivak wants more for NU’s student section By AUDREY PACHUTA
senior staffer
Ninety minutes before any fan could enter the stadium and three hours before Northwestern kicked off its Oct. 24 game against Rutgers, former defensive lineman Joe Spivak (Communication ’21, Kellogg ’22) paced back and forth in a row of the empty Wildcat Wall. Sporting a small man bun, a black polo and white high-top sneakers, the 27-yearold in-stadium emcee wasn’t wearing his game-day garb quite yet. But in that quiet moment, with his eyes transfixed on the vacant gridiron and his hand waving a folded sheet of paper back and forth, he immersed himself in his own personal dress rehearsal. “I’m not the spark of energy,” he said to himself with a dramatic raspiness to his voice. “You are; the students are.” That morning, Spivak had arrived at Ryan Field before 8 a.m. with a Colectivo cortado and iced coffee in hand. During the week, he said, he doesn’t drink much caffeine. He wants to feel its effects as much as possible in the moments he needs it most — especially on game day. For the past year, ever since Pat Ryan Jr. — the son of Ryan Field’s benefactors and CEO of Ryan Sports Development — reached out via LinkedIn, the former football captain-turned-WWE wrestler has spent his days contemplating one question: What would it take to turn a student section long scoffed at as empty and subdued into one capable of creating a true home field advantage? As the man tasked with keeping NU’s Wildcat Wall rowdy from the first chord of ACDC’s “Thunderstruck” to the moment the game clock winds down to zero, it’s his job to seek out an answer. ‘Built for you’ During Spivak’s playing days, the program’s success fluctuated. He suited up for squads that amassed 10 wins and took down SEC teams in bowl games, while also enduring the hardships of two separate 3-9 teams in 2019 and 2021. And while he noticed the student section dwindle during those down years, he recognizes that even during a winning campaign like this season’s, the academic rigor of any NU quarter can make it difficult for students to attend each game. “Obviously when you’re at Alabama, everyone knows when there’s gonna be a home game,” he said. “But guess what: We’re not Alabama and we don’t want to be.” Spivak cherishes the idea that his alma mater produces well-rounded students — those who excel not only in athletics, but also in the classroom, on the stage and wherever else they may be. That’s a reality he embraced during his own college years. Aside from his impressive ascent from a non-scholarship football walk-on to a team captain, he pursued a theater minor and gained a reputation as a DJ, performing most memorably at house parties on Dillo Day. But regardless of how students choose to get involved during their years at NU, he wants them to know that there is a place for them on the Wildcat Wall — and a stadium full of ’Cats fans hoping they show up. “This is a truly rare breed of student that is on this campus, and Saturday games are such an opportunity to come together, relax and enjoy yourself at a place that is truly built for you,” Spivak said. “That 100 by 53 yards, that turf field, that’s for the football players. But the rest of that (about) $850 million stadium is built with the students in mind.” All systems go By 9:45 a.m. on the morning NU took on Rutgers, Spivak stood in front of a small stage in the plaza wedged between the “Purple Line” student section and Central Street. Directly in front of him, a small group of students had begun waiting in line for a chance to try their luck on a mechanical bull. To those watching The Jolt Show from their seats or observing its student competitions in the plaza, the hour-long pregame production might appear to run effortlessly. But behind the scenes, in the hours before showtime, conversations between
Audrey Pachuta/The Daily Northwestern
Spivak and his producer Grant Penrod can grow intense. On this particular morning, their debate centered around a game modeled after beer pong — more specifically, how they could keep the game inclusive but also engaging to those watching on the big screen. “Every week it’s very much trial by fire, and we are trying to make something better,” Penrod said prior to the pong debacle. “And when we get to do that, it creates an even stronger bond.” Penrod, a lanky man in his early thirties with long, flowing hair and glasses, works full-time to meticulously plan and refine The Jolt. A former high school media arts teacher with a wide range of production experience, Penrod came aboard to assist with NU’s gameday experience through a connection he made doing freelance work with Barstool Sports. Continuing his work with WWE, where he has wrestled under the ring name “Tank Ledger” since 2022, Spivak resides in Orlando, Florida. He travels to Evanston for each home game, leaving many of the backstage responsibilities to his producer. Ahead of the Rutgers game, Penrod arrived in his office long before the sun rose and passed the time eating Munchkin donuts, reviewing schedules and coordinating with other production team members before Spivak arrived. Spivak, with his prominent tattoo sleeve and bold western outfit, may be the “celebrity” fans recognize on the jumbotron, but without Penrod’s effort, both men agree that The Jolt couldn’t function in the way it does. So far, they said, the response from students, coaches and other fans has been overwhelmingly positive. “I have some family coming in for parents’ weekend and any other year it would’ve been like, ‘Oh, maybe we’ll go to the game to pass the time,’” said Weinberg sophomore Christina L’Hommedieu, who participated in The Jolt’s pregame mechanical bull contest. “But this year, the priority is going to the game.” Made for this To his family, friends and former teammates, Spivak’s role as the in-stadium host at Ryan Field comes as no surprise. In fact, they believe he was made for it. Troy Hudetz (Communication ’21, Kellogg ’22), a former NU linebacker who was Spivak’s teammate and roommate for five years, first met him through a mutual friend while they attended nearby high schools. Through two years in Bobb Hall, a summer in Jones Hall and three years living off campus, Hudetz said he got to know Spivak intimately — not just as a teammate who consistently brought energy to early morning practices, but also as a true friend who he could have “deep, real conversations about life with.” Hudetz remembers fondly the days during the pandemic, when the two would meet up at a hill between their Illinois hometowns of Darien and Naperville to run sprints and listen to music when the team couldn’t practice together. “He’s one of the best people I could pick to
Audrey Pachuta/The Daily Northwestern
be representing the program,” Hudetz said of Spivak’s new role at Ryan Field. Even though former NU linebacker Bryce Gallagher (SESP ’23) had his own biological brother playing beside him, he said he always viewed Spivak as a “big brother,” someone he could count on to hold him accountable and show him the ropes. On Thanksgiving, when Gallagher couldn’t return home to Massachusetts ahead of NU’s rivalry game against Illinois, he said Spivak invited him and his brother to celebrate the holiday with his family. Together, they would spend the day watching football and then a Christmas movie, which Gallagher called “some of the best memories (he) can think upon.” “The first time I met him and his parents, they just made you feel like one of their own,” Gallagher said. In addition to their willingness to open their home to his teammates on Thanksgiving, Spivak said his parents taught him a variety of lessons he carries with him today. Each day before he and his three older sisters left their childhood home, Spivak’s parents enforced something they called a “smile check,” a testament to their belief that a person’s smile is “the window that lets people see what’s inside.” Now that he’s grown up, that family tradition has followed Spivak to every corner of his career. Whenever he has a microphone in his hand at Ryan Field or in the WWE ring, he feels that he’s sharing his parents’ philosophy with everyone he encounters. “They always said, ‘Smiles spread, enthusiasm is infectious,’” Spivak said. “There’s no better display of that than the Wildcat Wall.”
who earned a highly coveted spot on The Jolt’s “Purple Couch,” a place where a handful of lucky winners can enjoy the rare opportunity to watch the game on the field, just a few feet beyond the endzone. At that point, his work was far from finished, but Spivak said he always takes a deep breath the moment a game begins. Thinking back to his own playing days, he said, there’s a moment when all the preparation settles in, and there’s nothing left to do but watch the fruits of your own labor. Spivak knows he has responsibilities to fulfill throughout the game, such as hosting short segments during commercial breaks where he invites students to complete challenges on the field. But for the most part, regardless of his job title or student section stardom, Spivak takes in an NU football game with the same raw excitement as the thousands of students standing behind him. “I think you’d be hard-pressed to find somebody who loves this school as much as I do,” he said. audreypachuta2027@u.northwestern.edu
For the love of the game Back at the Rutgers game, sometime between when the last ping-pong balls were tossed in the plaza and when the ’Cats commenced their first drive, Spivak migrated down to the field and took his place directly in front of the student section. There, he welcomed a group of five students
Scan the QR code to access the Joe Spivak multimedia feature online.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
11
OPINION
Join the online conversation at www.dailynorthwestern.com
Furberg: Make Illinois midterms interesting again MAX FURBERG
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
This Friday, an unknown number sent me a very urgently worded text: “She won’t keep us safe” it warned. Nithya “Raman is a proud self-acclaimed socialist” who “wants to defund the police.” For some reason, I was slightly skeptical of what “RamanFacts.com,” proudly sponsored by Douglas Emmett Properties LP, had to say about Los Angeles’ mayoral race. Nonetheless, the steady stream of campaign spam I’ve received — ranging from bland walls of text about zoning laws to amusingly hysterical red-baiting — is a pleasant reminder of just how lively election season is getting back home in California. Here in Illinois, however, things have felt a bit different. On Tuesday, Evanston voters will decide a number of federal, state and county elections. But of the most important races, I don’t expect a single one to be competitive. At a town hall I attended a few days ago, former Mayor Daniel Biss, Evanston’s non-incumbent Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives, was rather presumptuously addressed as “Representative Biss.” Further down state, things are hardly more exciting. All three of Illinois’ Republican representatives — Mike Bost, Darin LaHood and Mary Miller — were given a
98.5% chance of victory by Race to the White House on Sunday. Illinois and Cook County’s highly uncompetitive elections make our elected officials less accountable. They reduce most people’s role in midterm elections to duly ratifying whichever Democrat happens to be on the ballot. As a result, our elections tend to entrench incumbents. Our current U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) will be retiring this year after serving 14 terms. The last time she faced a competitive election was nine years before the invention of the iPhone. None of this is the fault of Schakowsky, who has by and large been an exemplary congressperson. But even a good officeholder should be kept on their toes, knowing that to keep their position, they must deliver results and not fall out of touch with their district’s needs. Perhaps more concerningly, though, a system that can entrench Schakowsky for three decades could just as easily entrench someone corrupt or ineffective, especially — in solidly blue Cook County — if they have a “D” next to their name. Every Chicago resident knows of the controversial reign of “Boss” Richard J. Daley, who wielded his control over the Democratic Party to keep an iron grip on the mayoralty. Daley used his office to erect an effective but deeply corrupt political machine that traded jobs, contracts and other favors for votes. Illinois and Cook County currently use an electoral
system that is common across the country: semi-closed primaries and first-past-the-post general elections. Voters help select a single party’s nominee and later choose between them. At each level, whoever gets a plurality of the vote wins. In solid blue areas like Evanston, the system gives Democratic primary voters, no matter how few they are, the ultimate say. Illinois and Cook County primaries suffer from much lower turnout than general elections — three times lower in the 2022 county elections, according to data from Ballotpedia. Those who do turn out in primaries are entirely unrepresentative of the population. They tend to be much older, wealthier and more loyally partisan than the average voter. An alternative common on the West Coast is the “jungle primary,” in which all primary candidates run against each other regardless of party, with the top two advancing to a runoff. Both rounds tend to be competitive. In deep-blue areas like Los Angeles, two Democrats usually advance, yielding a high-stakes showdown between progressive and moderates. But this system has its own flaws. There was much chatter earlier this year about the Democratic vote being split between so many candidates that two Republicans could advance to the runoff, despite California’s Democratic lean. Alaska offers perhaps the best existing alternative, combining a top-four jungle primary with
“instant runoff ” voting in the general election. Voters rank the candidates, and their votes are repeatedly reallocated to simulate a runoff between the two most viable candidates. This tends to produce vibrant, competitive elections. Academics, however, have noted that this system comes with its own flaw: It eliminates centrist candidates early on, leading to more polarized races. Of course, our policymakers need not limit themselves to these two existing alternatives. I would simply argue that our elected leaders ought to consider other systems, and prioritize choosing one that ensures lively and competitive general elections. Every two or four years, officeholders should face a legitimate challenge, and they should have to defend their policies to the people they serve. And every two or four years, I should receive a new slew of texts about “Who Won’t Keep Us Safe!” this election cycle. Max Furberg is a Weinberg first-year. He can be contacted at maxfurberg2030@u.northwestern. edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@ dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
Nemeh: ‘Chai tea’ and the importance of names
ELIZABETH NEMEH POUR OVER
In my culture, a standard custom is to name the eldest son after his paternal grandfather. This custom may be dying out with the times, but my mother followed suit when she named my brother Jiries. As you can imagine, it hasn’t been the easiest name to teach others to pronounce. If you can’t roll your r’s, it’s impossible to say correctly. When my friends ask me how to say his name, I take time to repeat it as many times as needed for them to do justice to his name — because it is a tribute to our grandfather and lineage. Then, I found out he told people on his basketball team to call him “Jay.” I can’t say I blame him. It was the easiest path forward and close enough, right? I’d argue it was probably only easier for his teammates. Another two minutes of effort on their end, and my brother wouldn’t have to dilute his name to
one syllable. He wouldn’t have had to change a large part of his identity to accommodate others’ unwillingness to learn. I’m a firm believer that it is not rude to repeat your name for others to pronounce it correctly. Nor is it rude to expect other people to put effort into respecting your name, or any name that requires a certain pronunciation. In a less serious vein, the unwillingness to learn cultural names extends to the places we gather. Swadesi Cafe, an Indian coffee shop in the West Loop, is a prime example of how ethnic names are a part of our everyday communication. I had to learn how to pronounce the name of the coffee shop. The menu items were no different. Walking in, I noticed an array of familiar and unfamiliar named items in the pastry display. I didn’t take three trains to Swadesi just to order my usual vanilla coffee, so I opted for a sticky date latte and a malai custard croissant. Unsure of how to pronounce “malai,” I pointed to its place on the menu and gave the cashier a look implying I didn’t know how to say it. I was afraid to ask directly at the risk of seeming ignorant. She answered casually,
making no big deal of my request as I previously feared she would. As I looked closer at the other menu items, I noticed that their teas were simply listed as “chai.” Compared to the “chai tea,” translated directly as “tea tea” that I hear in other coffee shops, this alleviated one of my minor pet peeves. In refusing to add the redundant English word, Swadesi normalizes the correct way to refer to the drink. Respecting the drink’s name means respecting its origin. This is barely different from respecting the origin of someone’s name. As I preach the importance of respecting names’ origins, I’m forced to reckon with my own hypocrisy. My last name contains an Arabic phoneme that does not exist in English. So, my family and I created an Americanized way of saying our last name. What’s the use of teaching people its correct pronunciation if they would never be able to say it? I’ve never bothered to, until last week. My Arabic professor asked each of us to go up to the whiteboard and attempt to write our full names in Arabic. My professor saw me struggle with writing my last name and
asked me how to say it. For the first time, I felt confident that a non-family member could repeat my name, so I said it correctly. And I wrote it correctly. I felt ridiculous for how much I smiled walking away from the board. All I did was write my name in a different language. My classmates didn’t even struggle saying it. Granted, half of them are native Arabic speakers. The fact of the matter remains that teaching someone to pronounce a phoneme that doesn’t exist in their language is extremely difficult. But there can be a middle ground between accommodating and erasing. If it takes a few extra seconds, so be it. Elizabeth Nemeh is a Communication sophomore and author of “Pour Over.” She can be contacted at n8a2q1@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
Slotkin: Maybe daylight saving time isn’t all bad
SYLVIE SLOTKIN
COMMUNAL SHOWER THOUGHTS
I used to dread daylight saving time — specifically in the fall, when it seemed as if the sun would set before I even got home from school. Even in college, I loathe walking home from the library in the dark. Don’t even get me started on how depressing it felt last year without the winter tree lights on campus. I’m shuddering just thinking about it. For the first time since I can remember, I believe I have made peace with the sun. I have no ill will towards her or the fact that she will now stop shining at 4 p.m.
I don’t exactly know why this is, but I have a couple of theories. First, I’ve found myself drawn to the moon recently — I feel like she doesn’t get enough credit. Like, yeah, the sun is critical for maintaining life on Earth, but the moon is so pretty. And she has different phases and sometimes changes colors, which the sun doesn’t have or do, not that you would know because you can’t really look at her. Unlike the moon — who also randomly controls the ocean? I think my elementary school science curriculum skipped lunar phases because it feels like everyone knows so much more about the moon than me. She’s very elusive. I mean, she literally glows. So I guess this late fall and winter we’re geeking out about the moon? Get with it. My second idea is less celestial and more based
on my trying to be in my fun era. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I enjoy partying relatively less than my peers, but I still kind of want to see if I can push myself to go out more, be open to new experiences and whatnot. And most of the time, going out is something people do at night. That definitely should make nighttime something to look forward to. A time to connect with people and perhaps even dance away the worries of the day. The sooner the sun sets, the earlier the night starts, and more importantly, ends, so I can tuck myself snug in my bed, which is ultimately one of my favorite treats. So, like, I’m not resentful of the evening at the moment. I still love when the sun is shining, but I also like when it’s not. I’m taking in life and all of its stages. This isn’t
just another winter at Northwestern, it’s my last, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to waste time moping about how bright it is outside at any given moment. It’s so unproductive. Hooray for my positivity streak! If you see me smiling walking home from class in the dark in the foreseeable future, know I’m probably thinking about the moon. Sylvie Slotkin is a Medill senior and author of “Communal Shower Thoughts.” She can be contacted at sylvieslotkin2027@u.northwestern.edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
The Daily Northwestern Volume 147, Issue 8
Editor in Chief Anavi Prakash
Print Managing Editors Marissa Fernandez Jonah McClure Sophie Baker Jack Baker
Multimedia Managing Editors Liam Barrett Siri Reddy Josh Singer
Creative Director Cayla Labgold-Carroll
Opinion Editor Ivy Frater
Assistant Opinion Editor Josie Belfer
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR may be sent to 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, via fax at 847-491-9905, via e-mail to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com or by dropping a letter in the box outside THE DAILY office. Letters have the following requirements: • Should be typed and double-spaced • Should include the author’s name, signature, school, class and phone number. • Should be fewer than 800 words They will be checked for authenticity and may be edited for length, clarity, style and grammar. Letters, columns and cartoons contain the opinion of the authors, not Students Publishing Co. Inc. Submissions signed by more than three people must include at least one and no more than three names designated to represent the group.
12 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
Illustration by Xuan Day Tran
One year ago, the Trump administration deployed an influx of federal immigration enforcement agents in the greater Chicago area. In Evanston, enforcement activity reached unprecedented levels. Neighbors were violently taken from the streets and homes. Those who stood up against federal agents faced tear gas and fierce repression. In the face of the trauma and violence that has come with Operation Midway Blitz, the Evanston and Northwestern communities have responded. This special issue aims to highlight their stories of resilience. From NU’s campus to neighborhoods across Chicago, community members, organizers and students have come together to protect their own. Here are their stories. — Emily Dissanayake, Diversity and Inclusion Editor
Groups continue immigration support By ISABELLA MASON and SOPHIE PONCE DE LEON
the daily northwestern
Before the Trump administration deployed federal agents in the greater Chicago area last fall, organizers from grassroots community defense network Protect Rogers Park had a sense of what was to come. According to organizer and Protect RP member Julian Jackson, the “hyper-militarization” of the Department of Homeland Security and threats from the federal government were signs of future risks to immigrants in Chicago. When agents arrived in Chicago, Jackson said he witnessed caravans of SUVs with masked and armed federal agents grabbing people — often violently — as they were walking down the street. “This is not careful deportation. This is based on skin color and visual appearance of folks,” Jackson said. “And this is something that I feel in my bones because I’ve seen it with my own eyes, happening to my neighbors.” A year after Operation Midway Blitz began, the federal crackdown targeting immigrant communities in the Chicago area, organizers like Jackson are still at work. Founded during Trump’s first term, Protect RP has trained over 40,000 people on the usage of orange whistles and SALUTE systems, which alert community members when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been spotted nearby. About 15 years ago, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights launched its Family Support Network Hotline to connect people throughout Illinois to various support programs. Some programs refer people who have been detained to immigration lawyers, while others direct families to support services such as food pantries, emergency housing and mental health care. ICIRR’s “Eyes on ICE” hotline helps with reporting ICE sightings in individual’s areas to alert their communities. “The Family Support Hotline has become something like a one-stop shop for immigrant families in Illinois,” ICIRR Communications Director Brandon Lee said.
During the peak of Operation Midway Blitz, the hotline experienced 500 calls in a single day, according to reporting by the Chicago Tribune. The majority of the calls were related to ICE sightings throughout the Chicago area. Today, ICIRR partners with Organized Communities Against Deportations to assist with connecting immigrants to resources. “Under Trump’s second administration, the hotline and the network of rapid response teams and our partnership with Organized Communities Against Deportations really ramped up,” Lee said. “We have used the hotline as the statewide go-to phone number for Illinois.” In the past year, Lee said, the number of operators working at a given time has expanded. Now, at least eight operators are readily available to meet the needs of immigrants in Illinois. While OCAD continues to connect people with immigration attorneys through the hotline, Evelyn Vargas, growth and leadership organizer for OCAD, said ICE has shifted tactics, utilizing databases to track and target individuals. “They’ve tapped into these systems of information that are allowing them to go up to people’s homes, or allowing them to surround people as they’re on their way to work, as they’re dropping their children off to school, as they’re going to court,” Vargas said. “They know their names, they know where they live, they know their family members, they know who they associate with.” ICE spending on surveillance technology has surged by 57% from 2025 to 2026, reaching $258 million during President Donald Trump’s first full year back in office, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. OCAD was founded by undocumented immigrants, offering a perspective that’s unwilling to work with law enforcement and envisions a future without ICE. “For OCAD, our fight here isn’t about ‘Let’s get people citizenship’ or ‘Stop hurting children and mothers,’ but rather that everyone deserves a dignified life, and that ICE should not exist, and that we should strive for a world in which DHS doesn’t exist either,” Vargas said. In 2025, OCAD gave out $300,000 in financial
assistance to support immigrant families with rent coverage, medical crises and food, among other necessities. Vargas said after a decrease in national media coverage of detainment and deportation, OCAD is receiving less and less money, which has led the organization to cut back on support. Now, it’s more focused on helping people who have been detained. Some organizations, like Protect RP, also lead mutual aid efforts for Chicago communities. According to Jackson, Protect RP emphasizes community-based organizing through mutual aid and food distribution. In collaboration with Protect RP, West Ridge Community Alliance, Living Water Community Church and Northside Community Resources, the group provides financial assistance through the Immigrant Solidarity Fund, which people can apply to and receive aid from. “People who are being affected by this stuff don’t need just whistles blowing,” Jackson said. “They’re sometimes afraid to go to work. They’re afraid to go to the store and buy groceries.” As community members have found a way to take action against ICE, organizations like ICIRR have reflected on their proactiveness during Operation Midway Blitz. Although many moments felt “hopeless” at the height of Operation Midway Blitz, Lee said the “long game” — local organizing, getting to know your neighbors, winning consent decrees, passing state and local laws like the Trust Act and Welcoming City Ordinance — and the
ways community members came together to take action continue to help organizations with their work. “That all contribute to keeping families together, keeping communities whole and making sure that this administration’s attacks don’t break us,” Lee said. The Trust Act and Welcoming City Ordinance laws work together to limit local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and protect immigrant residents. With these laws, local governments can help assist organizations through legal battles involving detainment. Despite fewer visible federal operations, Lee added there is still ICE activity. On Sept. 20, ICE agents mistakenly detained and injured an Evanston resident and U.S. citizen. “ICE is still present,” Lee said. “ICE’s presence has continued to be consistent and has escalated from the immediate post-Midway Blitz period.” While Operation Midway Blitz — its legacy and the damage it has done to families and communities — has left deep scars, organizers said they find hope in community responses to federal threats. “It’s also about caring for our communities in a more holistic way that really emphasizes that we’re human and that we need support from each other,” Vargas said. i.mason@dailynorthwestern.com sophieponcedeleon2029@u.northwestern.edu
Illustration by Emily Zhao
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
13
Evanston Latinos mobilizes residents By RAWYA HAZIN
assistant design editor
For Ricardo Villalobos, executive director of Evanston Latinos, there is never a day off from work. After one year with the Evanston Latinos, an Evanston-based and Latino-led nonprofit organization, and with almost 30 years dedicated to community development, Villalobos said he cares deeply about the power of unity. “Everyone should be able to navigate the entirety of our community and feel like it’s for them, and not just parts of it,” Villalobos said. “That work needs to happen, and it’s the constant work.” Evanston Latinos is a civic-minded organization providing community support through various events and outreach. Villabos began work at the nonprofit in late August 2025. However, despite his years of experience, Villalobos said it was a difficult time. On top of transitioning into his role, Villalobos also became part of a collective resistance organizing against the Trump administration’s Operation Midway Blitz — a federal immigration crackdown in the Chicago area that began last September. “The whole thing was exhausting and overwhelming, traumatizing for many of us,” Villalobos said. “This is not new to us, but this level of fear and violence was something that we hadn’t experienced in a very long time.” He said Evanston Latinos reacted immediately after Operation Midway Blitz began. He added
that he also coordinated support efforts with other Castillo said. “She became a part of my life, but like Latino leaders, a group later formalized as the my fuller life. And I get emotional about it because Coalición Latina de Evanston. that’s why we moved here. It was for my son.” Through coming together with intention, VilAld. Juan Geracaris (9th) said Mensh doza had first invited him to meetings a k lalobos said it was easier for leaders to ra P i v y Ana combat the feelings of fear and Daily file photo b with other Latino leaders in 2017 — the isolation brought by Operation same time President Trump was touting Midway Blitz. anti-immigration rhetoric. People supporting each Years later, after the COVID-19 other and finding ways to collabopandemic exposed the “big vacuum rate is a form of protest, he said. for services” for the Latino com“When you think about society munity at the time, Geracaris said and some of the obstacles we have the leaders organized under one apt to deal with, when we’re together, name: Evanston Latinos. we’re much stronger,” Villalobos said. Still, Geracaris said he likes to Villalobos added that anyone say the Latino community is “not a who says they work in community monolith.” for a reason that’s anything other than “There’s a lot of differences personal is “probably lying.” between experiences from difThis is true for Evanston Latinos ferent immigrants from different President Nancy Castillo who, prior to countries, but there is common moving to Evanston, said she lived “all struggles and common culture that does tie us over.” all together,” Geracaris said. She said she wanted to find a more permanent Geracaris’ personal background as an Argentine community for her baby son, but it was a shock immigrant was what first informed his work as the moving to Evanston in 2020. first vice president of Evanston Latinos and the Castillo said there are not many Latinos where city’s first Latino councilmember. she lives, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerHe said that while navigating life in the modern bated her feelings of isolation. She added she felt world is difficult, the challenges are “much biglost — until she met Evanston Latinos founder ger for folks who have language access needs.” He Rebeca Mendoza. started his community-focused work after realizing After getting to know Mendoza, Castillo joined Evanston’s lack of language access, specifically the organization’s executive board in 2023. advocating for Latino families struggling to register “Rebeca now and my son, they’re like besties,” their children for school.
“No matter who you are, no matter what language you speak, how much money you make, government should work for you just as well as anyone else,” Geracaris said. Villalobos said Evanston Latinos has come a long way since 2020 and after seeing the turnout at Evanston Latinos events for Hispanic Heritage Month, Villalobos said he is proud of people’s resilience. However, he added, struggles continue. The complications behind building a solid support-system for the Latino community, the struggles of staying afloat with limited resources and the occasional confrontation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents means consistently engaging in conversations and opportunities “to invite our Latino voices to the table,” Villalobos said. Villalobos said he wants to build a strong foundation to see more groups like Evanston Latinos, and with investment from the city, he said he can better work toward this growth and future opportunity. In Villalobos’ social media posts, he begins with “¡Hola communidad!” And in his email sign-off, he ends with “In community.” “For most of us who do this work and do organizing and advocacy, we do it because we find a connection to it with our own lives,” Villalobos said. “Knowing what it is to be isolated and managing all of the challenges that many immigrants manage is what I hold close to me and what keeps me going.” r.hazin@dailynorthwestern.com
NU student groups stand against ICE By MARISSA FERNANDEZ and LYNN-CLARA TUN
the daily northwestern
After seeing a University Christian Ministry post online about protests at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois, Weinberg senior Chandler Vargas said he decided to join the organization. “With everything that’s been happening in the country, ICE included, it’s been very easy to feel sort of helpless to be frank,” Vargas said. “So finding an organization where I can find community with likeminded people and find a connection with God of course, has really been instrumental for me in terms of caring forward during these trying times.” Since Operation Midway Blitz, a federal immigration crackdown targeting undocumented immigrants across the Chicago area, began in September 2025, student groups like UCM have supported the Northwestern community by hosting Know Your Rights trainings and speaker events. UCM, for instance, sponsored a training in October for volunteers accompanying undocumented immigrants to hearings. While Vargas said he is “a bit scared,” he said it was important for him to volunteer as a U.S. citizen and the son of immigrants. He added that people need to have compassion for those going through the immigration system, especially because that system is “more convoluted than it’s ever been before.” “So, I feel like as a citizen, I have the privilege to put myself in the situation, even though it might potentially be dangerous,” Vargas said. “The worst
thing that could ever happen to me is nowhere near as bad as what could happen to the person who’s undocumented.” Purple Sanctuary, a group of NU students, grad workers, faculty and staff focused on protecting campus from ICE, was created to call on NU to take action against federal immigration enforcement, according to eighth-year physics and astronomy doctoral candidate Jorin Graham. “Purple Sanctuary formed because we believe that Northwestern should be a place where people can study and research and teach and work and feel safe doing so,” Graham said. “And so far, Northwestern, we feel, has really failed to uphold their responsibilities in this regard.” Graham said Purple Sanctuary’s current focus is publicizing a petition that urges NU to institute policies that provide “meaningful protections” on campus and recognize the “harm and anxiety immigration agents have caused” on campus and within the surrounding community. In a statement to The Daily, a University spokesperson wrote that NU “closely monitors federal immigration developments and provides updates to the community as necessary,” while encouraging “members of our community to familiarize themselves with the published guidance for what to do if approached by a federal officer.” The spokesperson wrote that the Office of International Student and Scholar Services provides regular updates and links to resources for members of the international community. Purple Sanctuary hosted an event in October comparing NU’s response to ICE activity with
institutions in the Chicago area and other private, highly-ranked universities, Graham said. They added that, unlike NU, peer institutions had policies outlining areas where ICE agents could legally enter or trainings for students to understand their rights. The event and UCM’s volunteer training were both part of NU Disorientation Week, which aimed to highlight students to the work of activist and organizing groups on campus, Medill junior Kylie Chen said. “Part of the importance of coalition building and solidarity is that we all, at the end of the day, share the same values,” she said. “We’re all, at the end of the day, kind of fighting against the same entity, which for us in the immediate sense is Northwestern and the administration, and trying to get them to change so that our community can be better for everyone, safer for everyone.” Some of Purple Sanctuary’s most important work is “talking to our neighbors, talking to other groups that are working on these issues,” Graham said. SESP senior Alaina Parr, a member of Students Organizing for Labor Rights, a group of undergraduate and graduate students in solidarity with campus workers, said the group is open to coalition building to organize against ICE and protect community members. SOLR will mobilize its membership to support other organizations that are hosting events and taking other anti-ICE actions, she added. SOLR “didn’t want to reinvent the wheel” since there were other organizations working on this
issue, but the group still wanted to help, Parr said. “We wanted to find how we could close the resource gap between workers that may not be able to access current resources for whatever reason, and also try to see what we can do to hold Northwestern itself accountable for the fact that it was not giving any clear guidelines or any actual commitment to protecting its immigrant community,” she said. Closing the gap included distributing whistles and Know Your Rights resources to campus workers around Halloween last year, Parr said. SOLR also created a workers’ Know Your Rights guide in partnership with the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy and hosted a Know Your Rights training with the Moran Center and Illinois Workers in Action in April, she added. Even though Operation Midway Blitz has “quieted down,” the recent detention of an NU alum and presence of immigration agents in and around Evanston indicates that ICE remains a “threat to our community,” Graham said. “When institutions like Northwestern fail to step up to protect us, or when people feel like there’s danger in their communities, people have to have others, neighbors, colleagues, friends, classmates they can turn to when they need help,” Graham said. “That can only happen if we have relationships already built, relationships that are built on trust, relationships that are built on safety, where information can be shared and people can go to seek help.” m.fernandez@dailynorthwestern.com lynn-claratun2030@u.northwestern.edu
Know your rights on and off campus By GABRIELLA FOSTER
the daily northwestern
Federal immigration agents arrived in Chicago in September 2025 and began targeting immigrant communities across the city as part of Operation Midway Blitz. Amid the Trump administration’s crackdown, Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity intensified, leading to nearly 4,000 detainments. A number of these arrests took place in Evanston. This September, agents detained an Evanston resident, a U.S. citizen, who was hospitalized after the confrontation. The city has updated multiple policies throughout the year focused on protecting immigrants against federal agents’ immigration enforcement. Northwestern has also provided guidance for students at risk. A year out, here is a look at existing student protections. What are students’ rights on campus? Following the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, NU is prohibited from releasing
information from a student’s educational record — including their immigration status — without the student’s written consent, except when required by law. Under Fourth Amendment, which protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures, individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy in non-public spaces, meaning that ICE officers cannot forcibly enter non-public spaces on campus, like residential halls, without a judicial warrant signed by a judge or explicit consent from an authorized campus official. It is important to verify that a warrant includes a judge’s signature, as ICE has reportedly attempted to use administrative warrants to enter private spaces. However, federal agents can legally enter spaces on campus that are open to the public. If a student is engaged by a federal agent on or off campus, the University recommends calling the Northwestern University Police Department. What are students’ rights off campus? Evanston updated its Welcoming City Ordinance in January 2025, prior to Operation Midway Blitz, to bar the city from sharing data with federal
immigration officials and prohibit city staff and contractors from participating in civil immigration enforcement. Under the Illinois TRUST Act, Evanston Police Department officials “may not participate, support, or assist in any capacity with an immigration agent’s enforcement operations.” Additionally, for those with legal status, experts recommend immediately identifying yourself as a lawful permanent resident or a U.S. citizen. When encountering agents, experts have encouraged community members to record ICE operations so lawyers can determine what occurred during an arrest and identify potential legal violations. How have protections evolved since the operation began? The city unanimously passed a resolution on Oct.13, 2025, creating “ICE-free Zones,” which prohibit federal agents from staging immigration enforcement operations on city-owned property. Cook County passed a resolution to increase funding for seven additional attorneys for the Cook County Public Defender’s immigration division in November 2025. As a county home to more than
520,000 noncitizens as of July, the county’s Public Defender’s office hopes to have 12 attorneys on its immigration division by 2027, according to Cook County Public Defender Sharone Mitchell. The Faculty Senate also approved a resolution at its September meeting to push NU to establish concrete student protections. These included Know Your Rights trainings, the creation of an office to manage ICE-related inquiries and adherence to the city’s Welcoming City Ordinance. What resources are available to students? NU’s Student Enrichment Services offers free legal consultations with immigration attorneys to full-time undergraduate and graduate students. NU’s Student Affairs website also recommends a variety of external legal resources for undocumented students, including Northern Illinois Justice for Our Neighbors, Informed Immigrant and Justicia Lab’s Immigration Law Help. The University also offers additional guidance through its Travel and Immigration page. gabriellafoster2030@u.northwestern.edu
14 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
Emily Dissanayake/The Daily Northwestern
SANCTUARY From page 1
amidst the immense suffering, something unexpected happened. The same parts of us that vulnerably shouldered hurt left themselves open to connection and care.” Aline Lauture with the Chicagoland Coalition of Haitian American Organizations said Evanston’s Haitian community is “under assault at the highest level,” denouncing ICE raids. She said her organization provides legal advice and translation services to vulnerable residents. Eighth-year physics and astronomy Ph.D.
CHAPLIN From page 1
Antisemitism at Northwestern had doxed her, she was told the University could not control what CAAN publishes and took no action. Days later, the lawsuit alleges the same University official “reprimanded” Ahmad for signing a petition that supported “a ceasefire in Gaza and opposed a racially hostile climate for Muslims and Arabs on campus.” The lawsuit further alleges that the official told Ahmad the University was being pressured by “certain groups” to fire Ahmad and
Emily Dissanayake/The Daily Northwestern
candidate Jorin Graham, representing the Northwestern-based advocacy group Purple Sanctuary, said the University’s leadership has “in cowardice refused” to implement protections against ICE. “Sadly, the pain and suffering from the previous years won’t be erased ever. Neither can we undo the failure of our institutions like Northwestern to stand up for us when we needed them most,” Graham said. “The only thing that I take stock in and hope in at this time is the way that the bonds of community, when put under pressure, didn’t break, but instead they were strengthened.” Several city officials, including Acting Mayor Jonathan Nieuwsma and former Mayor Daniel Biss, also attended Friday’s news conference.
Ald. Juan Geracaris (9th) said marking the anniversary was important “because enforcement has not stopped” and “people are still being taken.” “As a local government, we have to do everything we can to protect our citizens and make sure that everyone feels safe, and I think we’ve done a good job,” Geracaris said. “The really frustrating, unfortunate thing is that those laws have been broken.” Addressing attendees, Mendoza recounted her experience growing up in Tennessee, where she said her mother worked to reunite immigrant families. Reflecting on Operation Midway Blitz, she reassured the crowd that “all this hate is not new.” She called on attendees to donate to immigrant rights groups and “stay organized,” especially
community members “who have never had to fear a knock at your door, who have never had to fear blue lights behind your car.” Marin said he is “always on guard” following last year’s incident, adding that Evanston residents are prepared for future ICE activity. “You just never know when they will strike. They can be out there right now just plotting something to eventually terrorize us again,” Marin said. “As a community, we have really grown together, and we will do anything in our power to make sure that does not happen again.” Emily Dissanayake contributed reporting.
advised her not to post about the war or campus environment on personal social media accounts. The same month, the official wrote to Ahmad that the department was “restructuring,” demoting Ahmad from “Associate Chaplain and Director of Interfaith Engagement” to “Associate Chaplain for Muslim Life,” according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also cited an instance in which Ahmad contacted one of her former supervisors around April 2024 with a request to reschedule a staff retreat marked for June 17, 2024, due to her participation in Eid-ul-Fitr that day. After her supervisor denied the request and Ahmad explained the reasoning for her absence following
the retreat, her supervisor told her the event was more important than Ahmad’s “summer activity,” the lawsuit alleges. In October 2024, students asked Ahmad to speak at a prayer vigil for lives lost in Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. The lawsuit alleges her supervisor gave Ahmad permission to speak but warned her not to go “off script.” Two days after the vigil, the lawsuit alleges her supervisor was “visibly angry” and “threatened to fire her.” In December 2024, Ahmad requested to work remotely while she received treatment for her disability, advanced fourth-stage patellar chondromalacia, which caused her “limited mobility and
pain,” according to the lawsuit. The University denied her request, despite Ahmad’s submitted paperwork. After she reported this to NU’s Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance Office, the office informed Ahmad on Jan. 8, 2025, that the information she had provided the University was complete. NU terminated Ahmed’s employment two days later. The University did not immediately respond to The Daily’s request for comment.
j.baker@dailynorthwestern.edu
l.kubovchik@dailynorthwestern.edu e.dissanayake@dailynorthwestern.edu
Schedule your
SENIOR PORTRAIT
Wednesday, 11/4 – Sunday, 11/22 @ NORRIS Sign up at tinyurl.com/seniorportnu questions? go to: www.NUsyllabusYearbook.com or email: syllabus@northwestern.edu
THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
15
Tacita de Café hosts Día de los Muertos event By CLARA B. FREETH
assistant campus editor
Tacita de Café, a student-led group of heritage Spanish speakers, hosted a Día de los Muertos celebration at Crowe Hall on Monday evening. The event had tamales and champurrado, a Mexican hot chocolate drink. The event was an opportunity for students of similar backgrounds and cultures to connect. The star of the show was the creation of an ofrenda — an altar that honors the spirits of family members who have passed — which will be displayed outside the Spanish and Portuguese department offices in Crowe until Nov. 9. Día de los Muertos combines Catholic and Indigenous cultures, said Spanish Prof. Teresa Villanueva, who organized the event. In the Catholic tradition, the day celebrates All Souls’ Day, and, in Indigenous tradition, it reflects the belief that loved ones’ spirits return to visit once a year. Villanueva said she is proud of the students who came to the event. “For some of them, it reminded them of home, and for others, they learned something new from their culture, because not everyone is Mexican,” Villanueva said. “But they understand the beliefs that we have and the values that we have through these traditions, such as gathering and celebrating with family.” The evening was split into two parts. The first featured eating tamales, socializing, making paper marigold flowers and drinking champurrado. The second half focused on decorating the ofrenda with photos and flowers that attendees had created earlier. Traditionally, ofrendas boast marigold flowers, small sentimental items and pictures of late family members. They are made to welcome spirits back to their families on the night of Día de los Muertos. Weinberg first-year Nina Hernandez said that, as a second-generation Mexican immigrant, celebrating Día de los Muertos is an important part of honoring her culture and family members who have passed away. “Coming to Northwestern, I wasn’t really sure what to expect if there would be more
or less (events for Latinos),” Hernandez said. “But I’m really happy that there’s a community here dedicated to creating a space for Latinos to celebrate our loved ones during this really special time of the year.” Hernandez added that Tacita de Café’s community brought her a lot of comfort.
Spanish Prof. César Hoyos Álvarez said many of the students at the event are part of the Spanish as a Heritage Language Track offered by the Spanish and Portuguese department. The track is another way for students to “reconnect with their culture,” Hoyos Álvarez said.
“(Tacita de Café) is a place to get to know people that may share similar experiences in a place where you can feel like there is a little home away from home here on campus,” Hoyos Álvarez said.
Traditionally, ofrendas boast marigold flowers, small sentimental items and pictures of late family members.
c.freeth@dailynorthwestern.com
Clara B. Freeth/The Daily Northwestern
WEEKLY CROSSWORD DOWN
ACROSS
2. Leader; measurement tool 3. _______ Park Zoo, accessible via the CTA Red Line 5. Cost of a day-long CTA pass 6. “What are the ____?”, saying indicating a surprising occurrence 7. ___ v. Wade, landmark Supreme Court case about reproductive rights 8. Very long amount of time 9. Code for Chicago’s airport located at the end of the CTA Blue Line 11. Friendly French city? 14. Small, troublesome mythical creature 17. Middle Eastern country neighboring Yemen 18. Mocktail variant of a classic tropical drink and song title 19. Dictatorial, in pre-1917 Russia 20. Northwestern stadium ____ Field; terminus of the Red Line 22. Reversed in the Chicago River? 23. “____ in…”, phrase meaning to control 24. Unwanted emails 25. “Don’t ____ me!”, phrase that might be said from a parent to a child before a timeout 26. To tell you the truth…, abbr. 27. ___-Manuel Miranda 29. Stack of Washingtons? 31. Company’s emblem 34. Has started, like a new hobby 37. “Sorry, I have to ___!”, saying explaining a hasty departure 38. Chicago CTA line terminating in Cicero 40. Physical action one may take to show respect to a leader or religious figure 41. JD Vance or Kamala Harris, colloquially 42. Molecule produced by the powerhouse of the cell 43. Spooky season poet 44. Hard hat, for a construction worker; mask, for a doctor, abbr.
1. CTA line connecting Northwestern to Chicago 4. Comedic Christmas movie starring Will Ferrell 6. Classic monochromatic sandwich cookie 10. Preferred location of activities in chilly weather 12. Fair-haired, for a man 13. Something to be divided or reinvested 15. Outside-of-class activities, abbr. 16. School color of Northwestern’s Chicago rival 19. Give up 21. Modern Language Style, abbr. 22. Small, newly-hatched fish 24. What you might do if you have pride or good posture 28. ___ Michele, “Glee”actress 29. Unlike the Purple Line Express on weekends 30. Month whose showers brings May flowers, in Spanish 31. Cut of meat, might be tender or short 32. Rapper, Lil ___ X 33. Chicago ethnic neighborhood famous for Lunar New Year Parade, accessible via the CTA Red Line 35. Ambulance staffer 36. Gossip ___, negative name for a tabloid 38. Plan your route, on a map 39. Destination accessible via the CTA Yellow Line 41. By way of, when traveling 42. Organ or part of written work that one can live without 45. _____campus shuttle, free transportation between NU’s Evanston and Chicago campuses 46. Kansas capital 47. What Tom might do 48. Cry for help, abbr. 49. Series of astronautical adventures, numbered one through 17
CHECK YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE QR CODE
Crossword by Lauren Shein
16 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2026
SPORTS MEN’S BASKETBALL
NU defeats Binghamton 86-60 in season opener By AANYA GUPTA
sports editor
Northwestern opened its regular season with an 86-60 win against Binghamton on Monday. The Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) never trailed in the matchup, dominating the Bearcats (0-1, 0-0 America East Conference). Captains sophomore guard Jake West and junior guard Angelo Ciaravino both opened the season with double-doubles. West tallied 20 points and 12 assists, while Ciaravino had 13 points and 10 rebounds. “His confidence is at an all-time high,” coach Chris Collins said of West. “I thought in those last 10 games last year, when he really made a jump down the stretch, I thought it really set the tone for his offseason.” Graduate student forward Jack Karasinski finished with a career-high seven three-pointers, missing just
four on the night. He led the team in scoring with 24 points. The starters’ contributions almost solely fueled the ’Cats. Six players checked into the game off the bench; however, sophomore guard Phoenix Gill was the only substitute to score. Gill finished with six points. Free throws proved to be NU’s Achilles heel. The ’Cats finished the first half shooting just barely over 57% from the line. NU improved its free throw percentage to 64% by the end of the game, not much higher than its field goal percentage, which finished at 55.8%. An offensive board turned layup by Ciaravino gave the ’Cats their first points of the regular season and NU never looked back. The first half was pure shooting domination. The ’Cats shot 72% from the field and 58.3% from 3-point range in the opening period. “In the first half, that was huge for our team,”
Collins said. “Even though we were playing really hard, we saw the ball go in, which was huge. So really good first win.” Graduate student guard LA Pratt sealed the half with a pull-up three-pointer from the right wing, going 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. West found a strong connection with Ciaravino and junior forward Okku Federiko in the paint and finished with eight assists in the first half. NU ended the half with 20 points in the paint. Defensively, the half was a physical foul-fest. The home team finished with 11 personal fouls, with two each for Karasinski, redshirt junior forward Ryan Soulis, Gill and Federiko. The ’Cats conceded 12 rebounds in the half. NU’s first second-half points came from a pump fake into a side-step 3-pointer from Karasinski. Karasinski’s hot hand was apparent as he shot 4-for-6 from behind the 3-point line to close the game. Overall, however, the team’s 3-point
percentage settled at 27.8% for the half, considerably lower than the first frame. Despite the plethora of early fouls, Federiko and Karasinski were the only two ’Cats to enter foul trouble — each picked up their third foul in the second half. NU also had some improvement from the freethrow line, making eight of 11 free throws in the second half. The ’Cats continued to pour in points in the paint, scoring 12 of their 35 second-half points from around the rim. Binghamton turned over the ball 12 times in the half, but NU was only able to score eight points from its opponents’ errors. After a couple days of rest, the ’Cats play the second of five straight home games against Stony Brook on Friday. a.gupta@dailynorthwestern.com
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
’Cats open Carla Berube era with tight victory By YONI ZACKS
social media editor
It was a tale of two halves as Northwestern opened the Carla Berube era with a narrow 64-60 victory over Milwaukee. “It was certainly a grind, a hard-fought win for us,” Berube said. The defense started off strong for the Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten), who forced an early shot clock violation to start the game. NU never let up, tallying six takeaways in the first quarter on the way to forcing nine throughout the game. Offensively, the ’Cats took a little bit of time to find their game, committing six turnovers of their own in the first frame and finishing with nine in the first half. NU looked flustered as the Panthers’ (0-1, 0-0 Horizon League) relentless defense forced quick, rushed passes that ended up going the other way or possessions that took the entire 30-second shot clock. “I think we can do a better job of pushing it and finding transition baskets,” Berube said. “But I don’t really want to be slow. But sometimes you just got to pivot and go with what’s working.” In the second half, the ’Cats finished with just four turnovers and Milwaukee only added three of their own as the teams recovered from their sluggish starts. Berube’s message to the team at the break was to “take care” of the basketball. Guard Rita Gomes led the way for the Panthers, putting up 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting, their only shooter who shot above 50%.
Outside the 3-point arc, however, NU took an early advantage. Sophomore forward Jasmyn CooperDerba and senior guard Casey Harter drilled long shots early in the quarter to try and get the offense going. As the game went on, the teams continued to claw at each other, exchanging makes and misses up and down the floor. For the entire third quarter, neither team led by more than one possession. Junior guard Lily Carmody led the way for NU with a 21-point performance, building on her 15-point outing in the exhibition match against Lewis. The leading scorer for Boston College last season, Carmody made nine of her 12 free throw attempts as she continued to drive to the paint. “I think we read the defense really well and finally kind of figured out where the ball needs to be and the mismatches needed to be,” Carmody said. “I think we just did a really good job on relying on our offense as well. The coaching staff, putting us in the right positions and where we needed to be. And if doubles came, just being able to swing the ball out. So everybody was a threat on the floor, which really helped keep me open.” Cooper-Derba finished with just 12 points as she only took eight shots. Both teams shot under 50% from the field, and the fourth quarter was the only one where either team eclipsed 20 points. With pressure mounting in the fourth quarter, the ’Cats couldn’t pull away. Junior guard Lexi Blue went 0-for-3 to start the quarter as she took three of NU’s first four shots in the final period. Harter continued to take shots from deep, at one
Olivia Gu/The Daily Northwestern Northwestern women’s basketball started coach Carla Berube’s tenure with a 64-60 win Tuesday against Milwaukee.
point attempting five shots in a row, but she wasn’t able to find the basket, shooting just 2-for-7 from the field in the first half. She found her footing in the fourth quarter, however, ending the game with a perfect 3-for-3 quarter from the field. Milwaukee refused to accept defeat, continuing to pressure NU as the game went on. The Panthers were on fire from deep, hitting nine of their 14 threes. The ’Cats struggled even more when their starters weren’t playing: Berube’s seven-player rotation featured just nine points from the bench, as sophomore guard Kat Righeimer and first-year forward Brooke Golden combined to shoot 2-for-4 in the first half. Carmody played 37 of the 40 minutes in the game, but she said summer practice had her ready. “I’ll do whatever I have to do and (go) where the
coaches put me,” Carmody said. Righeimer recovered in the second half, drilling a 3-pointer with four minutes left that gave the ’Cats a lead they wouldn’t give back. The lockdown defense from the first quarter returned, with Milwaukee ending the game shooting just 31.3% in the fourth quarter. A late 3-pointer by Gomes brought the Panthers within two points, but NU’s defense stood tall, holding on for the narrow victory. The ’Cats take the court again Thursday against Xavier. Berube hopes they can hold the Musketeers (1-0, 0-0 Big East) to under 60 points. “Sixty is too many, but we’ll work on that,” Berube said. y.zacks@dailynorthwestern.com
VOLLEYBALL
NU stays winless after collapse against Rutgers By ISAIAH STEINBERG
senior staffer
Leading 24-21 in set four, Northwestern was one point away from its first Big Ten win of the season on Saturday. Rutgers answered with five straight points to seize the set, going on to win the fifth and wrest the match from the Wildcats (7-16, 0-12 Big Ten). The ’Cats had a small yet mighty crowd of students in Halloween costumes in Welsh-Ryan Arena. What they didn’t have was an answer for the haunting offense of the Scarlet Knights (11-13, 2-10 Big Ten). Rutgers defeated NU 25-23, 22-25, 23-25, 26-24, 15-12 in heartbreaking fashion to deny the ’Cats a win on Senior Night. “We played hard and we worked hard, but we didn’t execute at the same level they did, and that was from the very beginning,” coach Tim Nollan said postgame. With NU last in the Big Ten and the Scarlet Knights second-to-last, Saturday was the ’Cats’ best chance to secure a conference victory and put them closer to the inaugural Big Ten Volleyball Tournament, which slips further out of reach with each loss. Rutgers out-hit NU .222 to .183 on the night, as well as in all five individual sets. The ’Cats had countless opportunities to capitalize: the Scarlet Knights picked up 30 attack errors and 16 service errors to 27 and five, respectively, for NU. However, Rutgers compensated by earning more
points on kills, aces and blocks. Across those three stats, the Scarlet Knights bested the ’Cats 92 to 68.5. Rutgers cleaned up its errors in the latter three sets, and the fourth-set comeback was illustrative: in the five-point run, the visitors earned every point. Despite the wide gap in service errors, the Scarlet Knights out-aced NU six to three. Rutgers tallied 14 total blocks to the ’Cats’ eight. Senior outside hitter Campbell Paris and sophomore outside hitter Bella Bullington led NU with 19 kills each, hitting .326 and .250, respectively. With junior outside hitter Mara Štiglic — the ’Cats’ kill leader — playing just two sets, NU needed another attacker to step up. It found a producer in redshirt junior outside hitter Cate Schnell, who tallied a career-high seven kills and hit .167. She also managed an ace and a solo block. “She fires us up all the time in practice and in game, so it was really awesome to see her step into that role and be what we needed in that moment,” Paris said of Schnell postgame. Still, the ’Cats’ offense was just two players deep for most of the match. Bullington and Paris contributed two-thirds of NU’s kills and were the only ’Cats to reach at least 10 kills, while four players on the opposing team notched double-digit kill totals. Scarlet Knights right-side hitter and middle blocker Malia Romes led all players with 22 kills, hitting .319, while outside hitter Karis Willow added 16 and hit .353. Outside hitter Skylar George led all players in attempts but only hit .118 on 15 kills, including
the match-winner. Senior outside hitter Lily Wagner opened set one with a service error, and Rutgers led by as many as seven points at 18-11. NU cut a 22-16 deficit to 22-21 with five straight points, but two late Romes kills sealed the set for the Scarlet Knights. The ’Cats gained 12 free points on unblocked attack errors and service errors and still lost. Set two saw 11 ties and five lead changes, and Rutgers committed its match-high six service errors. NU hit just .152 but pulled away late, and each of Wagner’s three kills on the night came in the final 12 points of the second set. The Scarlet Knights began to reanimate late in the set, but handed it to the ’Cats via a serve that sailed out of bounds. NU trailed 10-3 early in the third set before Bullington and Schnell led the team to five straight points. After Nollan called a timeout trailing 22-20, the ’Cats scored five of the final six points, including two consecutive Rutgers ball-handling errors, and won on a Paris kill. On its face, set four was NU’s best. The ’Cats hit their match-high .289, but the Scarlet Knights hit .308. NU led for nearly the entire set by as much as five points. Five of Schnell’s seven kills came in the fourth set. Nollan called a timeout at 24-22 following a Romes kill, but it didn’t slow her momentum: Romes added two more kills and a block assist to carry Rutgers’ comeback. Nollan said it was crucial for him to remain
calm for the benefit of his team following the Scarlet Knights’ comeback. “For me to be my best for them, I’ve got to have my wits about me,” Nollan said. Calmness notwithstanding, the ’Cats hit their match-low .056 and trailed from 2-1 on in the fifth set. After an NU timeout at 8-4 sparked a run that cut the deficit to 9-8, the Scarlet Knights answered with three straight points and held on. Romes added five kills in the set, and George closed it out with a kill. Soon after dropping the match, the ’Cats mustered their remaining energy to celebrate their senior class: Paris, Wagner, middle blocker Gabrielle Gerry and liberos Drew Wright and Gigi Navarrete. Each player emerged from the tunnel to a cheering crowd with their family by their side and took photos with their coaches and teammates. Nollan said the seniors have been “really important to the development of this program.” “Gigi and Drew have been here since before I have, so their leadership and guidance to the program and helping with the buy-in of the new coaching staff and the transitional leadership has been imperative,” he said. “And then Campbell and Gab and Lily were right there in lockstep with them when they came in. The ’Cats will now travel to Seattle to face No. 20 Washington on Friday. i.steinberg@dailynorthwestern.com