NBN Magazine Spring 2025

From counterculture to carnival

Chronicling the history of the country’s largest student-run music festival.| pg. 50

Wildcat side hustles

Students are finding creative ways to cash in on their hobbies. | pg. 6

A male-dominated field

Exploring the gender dynamics of intramural soccer. | pg. 23

NORTH BY northwestern SPRING 2025

print staff web staff

EDITORIAL

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR Eleanor Bergstein

ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITORS Sarah Lin, Mitra Nourbakhsh

SENIOR PREGAME EDITOR Olivia Teeter

ASSISTANT PREGAME EDITORS Marissa Fernandez, Sofia Hargis-Acevedo, Sarah Jacobs, Emi Levine

SENIOR DANCE FLOOR EDITOR Sarah Lonser

ASSISTANT DANCE FLOOR EDITORS Hazel Hayes, Seychelle Marks-Bienen, Emma Richman, Helen Ryan

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT EDITORS Laura Horne, Jamie Neiberg

ASSISTANT SPOTLIGHT EDITORS Gavin Fisk, Gabe Hawkins, Clara Martinez

SENIOR HANGOVER EDITOR Heidi Schmid

ASSISTANT HANGOVER EDITORS Sarah Brown, Ava Wineman

CREATIVE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Leila Dhawan

ASSISTANT CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ilse von Heimburg

DESIGNERS & ILLUSTRATORS Sofia Hargis-Acevedo, Sarah Brown, Sachin Chawla, Carter Chau, Jessica Chen, Kyra Doherty, Chase Engstrom, Sarah Jacobs, Isabella Millman, Lena Rock, Adelle Rubinchik, Marley Smith

PHOTOGRAPHERS Sarah Brown, Isabella Millman, Yujin Tatar

FREELANCERS

Greta Cunningham, Sophia Gutierrez, Caroline Killilea, Desiree Luo, Georgia Rau, Ruby Sadikman

COVER DESIGN BY LEILA DHAWAN

MANAGING

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mya Copeland

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Sammi Li

MANAGING EDITORS Indra Dalaisaikhan, Ava Hoelscher

ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR Jezel Martinez

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION EDITORS

Gabe Hawkins, Sammi Li, Jezel Martinez

SECTION EDITORS

NEWS & POLITICS EDITOR Leilani Diaz

ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS Angela McKinzie, Mary Amelia Weiss

LIFE & STYLE EDITOR David Samson

SPORTS EDITOR Mariana Bermudez

INTERACTIVES EDITOR Gracie Kwon

FEATURES EDITORS Lindsey Byman, Maya Mukherjee

OPINION EDITOR Cassandra Brook

CREATIVE WRITING EDITOR Haley Kleinman

ASSISTANT CREATIVE WRITING EDITOR Ava Paulsen

AUDIO & VIDEO EDITORS Olivia Teeter, Dallas Thurman

GRAPHICS EDITOR Ilse von Heimburg

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS

EDITORS Cydney Waterman, Sara Xu, Madelyn Yu

CONTRIBUTORS Mariana Bermudez

CORPORATE

PUBLISHER Alice Tao

AD SALES Christine Shin, Jane Yu

OUTREACH Cydney Waterman

EVENTS CHAIR Cydney Waterman

Readers, Dear

After a cold and gray Evanston winter, I wanted our spring magazine to embody the changing colors and fresh energy of the new season. Our fantastic staff spent six short weeks reporting on the ground, editing stories in the MFC and designing the beautiful pages you are (hopefully) about to flip through.

The Pregame section kicks off the issue with a look at some Northwestern students’ clever ways of making money on the side. We also highlight a local Evanston cat rescue shelter and undergraduate courses focusing on important current events. In Dance Floor, we reflect on the history of the storied Bobb Hall, set to undergo renovations next year. We also dive into the rules of intramural soccer that keep female players on the field.

Our cover story is a retrospective on the history of Dillo Day, from the first countercultural festival to this year’s carnival. In the 1970s, students started the annual festival in response to tumult in international news. It’s hard not to draw parallels between this and our other Spotlight stories, which explore how the University is grappling with a similarly uncertain moment.

This spring, $790 million dollars of federal funding to Northwestern were frozen. In Spotlight, we break down the implications of this freeze and reflect on broader conversations about higher education and academic freedom.

I can’t thank my incredible staff enough for all of their hard work. They poured so much into these stories, going to far corners of campus and the surrounding community to bring new perspectives and ideas to the pages of our magazine.

As we worked on this magazine, the color returned to Evanston. Like spring itself, this magazine is meant to be fun, uplifting and thoughtful. It focuses on stories of joy, resilience and action. I hope each of these pieces will feel encouraging to read, or teach you something new. Enjoy.

Sincerely,

Eleanor Bergstein

6

8

12 Kitty corner

10

Let’s get physical In the hot seat

13

That’s what (s)he said Side hustles

PHOTO BY ISABELLA MILLMAN

Side hustles

These Wildcats find creative ways to cash in on their hobbies.

WRITTEN BY RUBY SADIKMAN // DESIGNED BY SACHIN CHAWLA

Every Sunday morning, Communication second-year Piper Miller sets up rows of plastic press-ons, sparkling charms and a rainbow of nail glitter along her wooden desk. Then she opens the door to greet a new client — one she only knows through Instagram DMs.

“It’s really cool seeing people light up when they notice their nails in their peripheral vision,” Miller says. “Especially the ones I put a lot of time and effort into, they feel like a wearable art piece, and I’m glad other people feel the same way about them.”

Miller has been painting nails since Fall Quarter after falling in love with the intricacy of the craft this past summer. She serves as many customers as possible throughout the week while balancing schoolwork, offering anything from painting natural nails to designing complex press-on sets. Each customer can take up to three hours of Miller crouching over her tiny canvases, but she charges less than Evanston nail salons with her personal rate ranging from $40 to $70 per person.

Nail artistry is just one of many side hustles run by Northwestern students wanting to make money outside of traditional work. From dorm room cosmetology to designing groundbreaking apps and running comedy open-mic nights in an attic, these students are finding ways to turn their interests into profit.

“I’ve always heard people say if you’re good at something, don’t do it for free,” barber and Weinberg first-year Nathaniel Chavez says. “And it gives me a little rush in my day — I think all passion projects are meaningful in a type of way.”

Since getting a bad haircut this summer and realizing he could fix it himself, Chavez has been running a makeshift barbershop for his short-haired classmates in need. Charging just $15 per cut, he’s

making a quick buck and expanding his social circle in the process.

“I’m an introvert, so it breaks that shell of mine to talk to other people and get to know people well and just reach out to others in that way,” he says.

The deeper impact of side hustles is not lost on others in the community, including Communication secondyear Eliza Fisher. When her close friend brought up the idea of a crochet balaclava — a cozy hooded head covering — Fisher decided to try it out, not only to enhance her friend’s style but also as a way to maintain her own well-being.

“I got sick over the summer, and then I really had to learn how to prioritize selfcare as opposed to getting work done,” Fisher says. “I needed one thing to ground me in taking time for myself. I feel like making balaclavas is the way to do that.”

Fisher has since expanded her clientele beyond close friends, bringing all varieties of balaclavas to the student body — or at least those who commission

her through her Instagram account, @balaclavasby.lize. While her creations were originally priced as an “IOU,” Fisher is now charging around $40 per design, enough to cover both the time she puts in and the various brightly-colored yarns she uses.

While Fisher’s side hustle is more casual, some others are just gaining traction. For the past few weeks, Weinberg third-year Mateo Garcia-Bryce and his roommates have been running a Monday night comedy show out of their offcampus attic on Pratt Court. What started out as a group of friends throwing jokes around has evolved into a full-on comedy production with seating, beverages and even a spotlight for the featured comedian on stage. Attracting upwards of 85 people and filling the room in under five minutes, the aptly named “Prattic” has become a Monday night mainstay.

“I think people like this because, one, it’s in a super cool venue and, two, it’s super laid-back, very lowkey,” Garcia-Bryce

COURTESY OF PIPER MILLER

says. “We encourage essentially everyone to do it.”

This event has reached many corners of the student body, from Greek life to performance arts groups and other inspired side-hustlers. With a newlyinstated weekly cover fee of $3, “Prattic” has always been about bringing people laughs during the school week as opposed to making major profit.

“We didn’t really feel like charging people when we were also having to worry about doing our own sets,” Garcia-Bryce says. “We wanted to make the barrier of entry as low as humanly possible.”

For Garcia-Bryce and his roommates, “Prattic” is less about financial gain and more about fueling a stifled creativity. Miller, on the other hand, is exploring what it’s like to monetize an interest. She was further convinced to pursue her nail art after hearing from a PhD student whose research focuses on the use of masks throughout theater history— taking a love of art and turning it into a degree.

“Even if your passion is so singular and focused, you can find a way to turn that into an education and a career,” Miller says.

While getting a side hustle off the ground can seem intimidating, there are many ways to find success. For one, Weinberg fourth-year Mo Moritz and a few of his friends launched the app

“I think all passion projects are meaningful in a type of way.”

Nathaniel Chavez Weinberg first-year

“Polo” in February, creating a platform for Northwestern students to advertise their various hustles and services. From seniors selling their couches to Moritz’s own personal chef services, the app allows almost anyone to turn their passions into income.

“Our main priority is just proving scalability, proving proof of concept and providing something that’s going to add value to the community,” Moritz says.

“Students want a source of income in college but can’t really commit to a full or even part-time job because of how sporadic the college schedule is.”

Like many other students in the side hustle community, Moritz recognizes this platform is more than just a pastime for his crew, even with graduation looming.

“I just feel like our work isn’t done here yet,” Moritz says.

COURTESY OF MATEO GARCIA-BRYCE

COURTESTY OF NATHANIEL CHAVEZ

UKitty corner

Paws and Claws fosters cats and community.

// DESIGNED AND PHOTOS BY

pon entering Paws and Claws Cat Rescue, the shelter’s slogan , “Where cats become family,” welcomes patrons into the store. Toys, blankets and wooden perches line every wall and window. Staff and volunteers float between four rooms equipped with food, water and litter boxes. Some felines rest inside white cardboard boxes decorated with hearts, clouds and cats hand-drawn by children of Evanston.

“I wanted to create a space that I was truly excited to be part of, and I wanted to not only save the lives of cats but, in a way, impact people as well,” Paws and Claws founder and Evanston resident Ashlynn Boyce says.

Boyce founded Paws and Claws in May 2020 after she noticed a “void for companionship” across the community. The shelter aims to support overlooked cats suffering from abuse, neglect and overpopulation in municipal shelters, which are required to take in all animals regardless of resources or space. The organization started small and without a physical location. Since then, Paws and Claws has saved the lives of over 2,500 cats.

“I wanted to not only save the lives of cats but, in a way, impact people as well.”

Ashlynn Boyce Paws and Claws founder

“We didn’t have a facility, so we relied on foster families,” Boyce says. “And a lot of those folks that started with us five years ago have continued to foster ever since.”

The program eliminates the financial restraints of fostering by providing the cats’ food and medical care. Today, the shelter is supported by over 350 community volunteers, who helped the rescue center reach over 10,000 volunteer hours in 2024. Volunteers are tasked with cleaning the cats’ spaces and playing with them.

Paws and Claws emphasizes the individual identity of each cat, giving every feline a unique name — “Gold Dust Woman” and “Doc Marten,” for example.

The shelter offers many opportunities for community involvement including children’s birthday parties and kitten yoga. It also offers 90-minute-long rentals for other events hosted at the shelter.

For the past two years, Evanston resident Diana Morrow has almost always had a foster cat in her care, totaling 44 rescues. She loves to learn their quirks, favorite foods and toys, but her favorite activity is napping with the fosters.

“I get to take a nap, and I’m doing some good because I’m socializing that cat and helping them learn to snuggle, and that makes them a better companion for their future adopter,” Morrow says.

When Paws and Claws settled into its Chicago Avenue location in 2023, Morrow was excited a cat rescue shelter had opened within walking distance from her house. She soon began fostering while working from home with her own three cats. Now, after leaving her job, she has picked up a regular volunteer shift at Paws and Claws, where she often visits her former foster cats.

Evanston resident Rosa Durand started volunteering in November 2024 and became interested in fostering, particularly after seeing the cats who could not find foster homes. After arriving at the shelter, cats must be isolated as certain diseases can take weeks to detect. Additionally, the cats must be neutered and vaccinated, a process that starts at six weeks of age at the earliest. New rescue cats without a foster home often live in treatment room cages during this time.

Durand noticed cats would get overwhelmed in these cages, which encouraged her to take in fosters of her own. Her first fosters were a pair of bonded cats, while another was a skittish cat who would hide in small spaces.

Paws and Claws’s impact reaches far corners of the country. One cat, 7-yearold Nessa, comes from Louisiana, where it is particularly difficult for sickly cats like her to find homes. The shelter helps support cats affected by hurricanes in southern states like Florida, in addition to having strong partnerships with Midwestern states including Indiana and Michigan. To facilitate these cross-country rescues, the shelter collaborates with several volunteers to deliver the animals.

As a nonprofit, the organization credits local residents and volunteers for its success over the past five years.

“People come because they’re excited about the cats,” Boyce says. “But ultimately they stay here and continue to come back because they’re excited about the community that’s been built within these four walls.”

Let’s get

physical

Pregame takes on SPAC workout classes.

WRITTEN

BY

PREGAME EDITORS // DESIGNED BY LENA ROCK // PHOTOS BY

Spring Quarter means warmer weather, and suddenly, the walk to Henry Crown Sports Pavilion and Aquatic Center (SPAC) becomes less daunting. SPAC offers a range of unique exercise classes throughout the week, some of which you may have considered trying before. Well, fear not: Pregame has dabbled in its specialized offerings, from the infamous BODYPUMP class (yes, the caps are necessary) to the more laid-back Sunrise Yoga. Now, you’ll have no excuse to avoid that class your friend always tries to drag you to.

Emi - Sunrise Yoga

For the rare early birds at Northwestern, Sunrise Yoga is just the class for you. While I had to budget at least 15 minutes in the morning to accommodate the trek from Allison Hall to SPAC, watching the sunrise as I walked north was one of the highlights of my experience. Upon arrival, each participant grabbed a mat and two blocks before setting up a place for themselves in the studio. Donna, the instructor, started the class off in

fold. I had only minimal experience with yoga prior to this class and was surprised by how tiring the poses were to hold. My leg muscles tightened during the warrior two sequence and I was noticeably sweating by the end. The class’s difficulty made Shavasana at the end feel all the more rewarding. I left the studio feeling ready for the day ahead, before returning to my room and falling back asleep for two more hours.

Sofia - BODYPUMP

If you enjoy pushing your body to its limits, I suggest pushing yourself in the direction of BODYPUMP. As the title suggests, this class hits every major part of the body: chest, biceps, shoulders, legs, glutes, calves and core. I recommend showing up early to set up your station before the class fills up — space dwindles fast in Studio B. Participants grab an elevated mat, a couple dumbbells and a weighted bar and weight plates, which you can switch out depending on the exercise. As we started with the warm-up, I made the unfortunate assumption that the class would not be that bad. However, as the hour progressed, I quickly realized how wrong I was. The class used fastpaced cardio and toned my muscles at the same time. I will admit, walking up the stairs was difficult after the workout.

For anyone looking to get into workout classes — or even for experienced pros — SPAC’s Pilates Barre class is the perfect workout. Upon entering the studio, most participants grab a mat, a set of weights and a pad to place underneath. It’s best to get there early as the room fills up quickly and some supplies are scarce. The class started with various upper body exercises like planks and push-ups, before moving to core, back and leg exercises. Halfway through, we took our mats from the middle of the floor and moved them to the walls and barres, which help dancers maintain their balance for certain movements. At the barres, we did a series of plies, incorporating ballet positions before ending the class with stretches against the wall. Even though I came into the gym with minimal energy, I left feeling refreshed and ready for my evening in Periodicals.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect going into this class, and that was definitely the way to approach it. When the teacher waltzed in two minutes after class was supposed to begin, I knew I was in for a chaotic and entertaining ride. We hit four types of latin dance — Bachata, Salsa, Cha-cha-cha and Merengue — and wasted no time starting the first move. The teacher slowed down the steps for us, her feet moving in a series of rhythmic shuffles and taps. But issues arose when the tempo quickened. I knew I was not great at dancing, but this experience was truly humbling — maybe more stumbling. Nobody in there was great at dancing either; we all laughed to ourselves. By the end, my heart was beating fast and I was sweating. However, this class was more about having fun than building biceps. I would highly recommend you try it out as a break from the stress and to let loose.

Olivia - Latin Dance

Marissa - Pilates Barre

In the

hot seat

Northwestern classes tackle some of today’s most relevant issues.

WRITTEN BY MARISSA FERNANDEZ // DESIGNED BY SARAH BROWN

Students anxiously refresh CAESAR as the seconds tick down to their course registration time. They try enrolling in their top choices, only to find courses which were open seconds ago are now completely filled. This is a scene that plays out every quarter. While many of Northwestern’s classes cover subjects that prepare students for their future careers, some of them focus on important issues relevant to students’ day-to-day lives or current events. With the flurry of executive orders and policy changes from President Donald Trump’s second administration, subjects ranging from international economic policy to immigration and artificial intelligence have moved to the forefront of many student’s minds. North by Northwestern explores some Spring Quarter classes that center current events and hot topics.

The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution guarantees rights such as birthright citizenship and equal protection under the law. This course offers students an in-depth look into the 1868 amendment and how the Supreme Court has interpreted its meaning, both expanding and limiting the rights it delineates. Students also study how social movements have shaped the amendment’s significance.

While many recent headlines concern Fourteenth Amendment rights, this subject matter is always pertinent, says associate professor of instruction of Legal Studies Joanna Grisinger, who coteaches the course with professor of History Kate Masur.

“I really want students to feel like, when they read the materials, when they’re reading the sources, that they can understand this too,” Grisinger says. “And that they can keep up with current debates, and that they have a role to play in current debates.”

Why do people do good? The answer to that question is explored in a quarterlong journey through psychology, philosophy and economics in this introlevel class. Students learn different ways to evaluate impact and success so they can assess the effectiveness of real-world charities and nonprofits.

As the Trump administration makes cuts to U.S. foreign aid, “Doing Good” explores how people use available resources and information to decide on charities to support. Throughout the quarter, the class will narrow down a list of 34 charities to one that will receive a $20,000 donation.

Dean Karlan, the former chief economist for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), taught an upper-level version of this class in previous years. However, he says he wanted to create a class that was open to students with a variety of academic backgrounds and combined economics with ideas from psychology and philosophy.

“When you put them all together, they do end up providing some guiding lights for how to think about what charities are particularly effective or what we can do with our volunteer time,” Karlan says.

While Northwestern students may use ChatGPT to help them answer a math question or explain a complicated topic, the reach of artificial intelligence isn’t limited to academics. This class explores the role of artificial intelligence in international security: how it can be used to protect against cybercrime, but also how it can be used by cybercriminals. This is only the second year “AI and International Security” is being offered, and it is open to all students.

McCormick second-year Brock Brown is taking the class to satisfy an elective requirement for his major and because of his general interest in AI and machine learning.

“I just wanted a firmer grasp on how everything is connected and what we could potentially do in the future to … make sure people don’t use [AI] in bad ways,” Brown says.

That’s what (s)he said

Steve Carrell has got big shoes to fill.

WRITTEN BY EMI LEVINE // DESIGNED BY CARTER CHAU

For many college students, graduation brings an onslaught of questions as they ask what they want to do and who they want to be. Commencement addresses, given by a successful alumni or influential individuals, offer graduates guiding principles and lessons as they take on life after college. As graduation season quickly approaches, here are four of the most memorable speakers in Northwestern’s history and words of wisdom they shared.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke to Northwestern’s graduating class of 1998 while serving on the United States Supreme Court. She joked that she chose Northwestern because it was the only place where she “could be cast in the same role as Robert Redford and Bill Cosby,” two other notable past speakers. Her speech centered around the fight for gender equality in professional and academic settings. One student called Ginsburg’s address “definitely the best part of the ceremonies,” The Daily Northwestern reported in June of that year.

“I continue to gain encouragement from the example of those who, despite great odds, have persevered in the pursuit of justice, and who, like you, have chosen to make a difference.”

— Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1998)

Two months before former President Barack Obama’s visit, The Daily printed a column by Elaine Meyer (Weinberg ‘06), who called upon the then-state senator to challenge the senior class in his commencement address. Standing in Ryan Field on a muggy June day, with a commanding voice and charismatic demeanor, Obama responded to Meyer’s request. He based his speech on themes of personal responsibility, perseverance and empathy, while also situating it in the social and political issues of the time.

“There’s a lot of talk in this country about the federal deficit. But I think we should talk more about our empathy deficit — the ability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes; to see the world through those who are different from us.” — Barack Obama (2006)

Many Northwestern alumni say they wouldn’t be where they are today without this university. For Seth Meyers (Speech ‘96), that statement is literal — the LateNight host told graduates his parents met in a Northwestern poetry class. Meyers focused his 2016 commencement speech on the friendships he made at Northwestern. As one graduating senior told The Daily, “whether it is in medicine, law, engineering, consulting, whatever career path we may choose to follow, I hope we can use our Northwestern experience and find the same hard-earned success that Seth has found.”

“You’ve been surrounded by the best for the last four years and there’s no better favor you will do yourself than continuing to do that. Every success I’ve had has been thanks to the people around me.” — Seth Meyers (2016)

For most students, Northwestern dining halls are a place of mediocre food, long lines and the occasional existential crisis. Not many would describe them as places to meet your future life partner, but for actress and Northwestern alumna Kathryn Hahn (Speech ‘95), that was exactly what happened. Hahn met her husband in the former Hinman Dining Hall as first-years. In 2024, she returned to Northwestern to address the graduating class. In her speech, she acknowledged that life often encompasses contradictory emotions and situations and thus encouraged graduates to adopt a “both/and” mindset.

“While it is true that at this very moment, yes, there is unimaginable pain and suffering in this world, it is also true that you and your class are going through something together that is oncein-a-lifetime and worthy of celebration.” — Kathryn Hahn (2024)

The cat’s Mee-Ow

Dance Floor

Bobb the building

Marketing for a cause

A maledominated field

Washington to Wildcat

A round of applause

Passport to progress

15 19 21 23 26 28 30 32

Drawing back the curtain

The cat’s MEE-OW

51 years of Northwestern’s premier comedy group.

WRITTEN

AND DESIGNED

BY SOFIA HARGIS-ACEVEDO

PHOTOS FROM UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

It’s the spring of 1974. The Watergate scandal is in full swing. The American people are questioning the security of democracy. And what does a group of Northwestern students do?

They perform comedy skits about the whole ordeal.

Richard Nixon accepts an Academy Award in one scene. In another, a congressman sings a song about Watergate to the tune of a The Music Man number. The night of April 12, 1974, the comedy group Mee-Ow made their debut at the McCormick Auditorium.

Mee-Ow describes their act on Instagram as “one-third sketch, one-third improv and one-third rock & roll.” Over the past 51 years, the comedy group has gained prestige and popularity among students, faculty and beyond. Their ranks have included a string of big-name cast members like Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Seth Meyers and Kristen Schaal. From Mee-

Ow’s big premiere to their most recent show, North by Northwestern embarks on an archival journey through the history of the iconic student-run improv and comedy group.

1974: The beginning

The first ever Mee-Ow show, Just In Time, ran the weekend of April 12-14. While the annual act now includes short-form improv and a live band, the first show consisted of 40 written skits — some in the form of a musical, some zeroing in on dramatics, but all comedic. The original cast consisted of 39 students. Over the years, as the group learned how to produce a successful show, that number has dwindled to the single digits, but it has remained completely student-run.

Prior to Mee-Ow’s existence, the musical theatre group Waa-Mu was the only big student-led production on campus. Founded in 1929, the group had established its legacy at the school. However, after leaving WaaMu’s performance the previous year unsatisfied by the content of the show, Paul Warshauer (Speech ‘76) and Josh Lazar (CAS ‘75) produced Mee-Ow as an “alternative” to Waa-Mu.

Mee-Ow’s debut was met with backlash. Students appreciated how Mee-Ow’s producers were aiming to create a less selective show than Waa-Mu; however, many believed the show itself was poorly executed at times. A string of The Daily Northwesternarticles were published after Mee-Ow’s opening show, written by the then-president of Orgy of the Arts — an organization that produces many studentrun shows. These pieces revealed tensions between the cast and crew and a lukewarm reception frm students.

“It’s amazing that people sat through that garbage,” said one observer, according to The Daily.

After six years of perfecting their craft, Mee-Ow began to establish themselves in the theatre department. In 1980, future Emmy Award winner and Saturday Night Live cast member Julia Louis-Dreyfus joined the cast and performed in their Ten Against the Empire show. Louis-Dreyfus made it onto Mee-Ow her first year, which, if you know your Mee-Ow facts, happens very rarely.

Not only was it uncommon for freshmen in general to be accepted, but it was even more uncommon for a freshman woman to make it in the group. Paul Barosse (Speech ‘80), one of Louis-Dreyfus’s fellow cast members, says the Mee-Ow group was impressed by her talent from the start.

“It was pretty much a boys’ club, and you really had to stand out to make it as a girl,” he says.

After juggling both school and being a cast member of The Second City, Chicago’s renowned improv and sketch comedy group, Louis-Dreyfus left her junior year at Northwestern when she got the role of a regular cast member on SNL.

1996: Seth Meyers

By 1996, Mee-Ow had been established at Northwestern for 22 years. Seth Meyers (Speech ‘96), former SNL cast member and host of NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers, was an RTVF major with a passion for comedy.

Meyers auditioned for Mee-Ow three times, starting as a freshman, before getting in his senior year. He said that finally becoming a cast member changed the trajectory of his future career.

“I loved it so much that I remember thinking that I, for the first time in my life, knew what I wanted to at least try to do and that I would try to do it until someone told me I didn’t have to do it anymore, or I wasn’t good enough to do it anymore,” Meyers told The Daily in 2017.

Meyers’s rise to fame in the world of comedy has only added to the success of Mee-Ow, as he has credited the group multiple times in his fruitful career.

1999-2000: Kristen Schaal

The 2000 show Mee-Ow On Ice featured Kristen Schaal (Speech ‘00), who is now an actress, comedian and writer. The group opened the show with a song about how old and run-down Shanley Pavilion is, throwing in jokes about how it was made with pieces of the cross and was the first building to cross the Atlantic Ocean over 30,000 years ago.

Not long after her performance in 2000, Schaal moved to New York to continue pursuing her comedy and acting career. She has appeared in many different television shows such as Bob’sBurgers and Gravity Falls and wrote for popular shows including How I Met Your Mother and Ugly Betty.

Schaal returned to Northwestern in April of 2024 for Mee-Ow Fest, when the comedy group celebrated their 50-year anniversary. In an Instagram post, she reminisced on good times with a caption stating, “Thank you for a wonderful 50th reunion Northwestern Mee-Ow! It was great to be surrounded by creative and funny people of all ages. This show means a lot. @lizcackowski and I still have our 1999 hoodies, baby!”

“It was a really surreal moment to be like, ‘whoa, we’re playing this big stage. It’s for us.’”

Sam Marshall Communication fourth-year

2024: the Mee-Ow Band Takes

on Dillo Day

After a successful winter of shows, the Mee-Ow Band — which was established in 1984 as a musical accompaniment to the comedy sketches — was eager to keep their momentum going. Taking the next step as a music group, the band decided to compete in the 2024 Battle of the Artists, a competition for student musicians and groups to secure a slot performing at Dillo Day. The Mee-Ow Band secured the win, ready to take to the big stage.

They had never played a gig of this caliber. Communication fourth-year Sam Marshall, Mee-Ow’s music director and guitarist, says a crowd this large was a big step up.

“We rehearsed our set to death,” Marshall says. “It was a nerve-wracking situation, but we just practiced and practiced.”

When the day came to perform, Marshall says he was so nervous that his hands weren’t moving how he’d like them to. But playing in front of family and friends with his bandmates by his side, Marshall had the performance of a lifetime.

“It was a little scary, but looking across this stage and seeing my bandmates was comforting,” he says. “We were all a little nervous, but then that kept us tight and on top of it. It was a really surreal moment to be like, ‘whoa, we’re playing this big stage. It’s for us.’”

In its 51st year, Mee-Ow is still producing sketches and improv. The group performed twice this Winter Quarter, during week four — The MeeOwgic School Bus — and week eight — KnivesMee-Owt. Even after half a century, the group still finds ways to evolve.

Usually, only the opening sketch ties with the theme of the show, but this year Communication fourth-year and co-director Brenden Dahl suggested including a closing sketch based on the theme that also calls back to sketches throughout the show. Co-director and Communication fourth-year Shai Bardin hopes this format continues in the years to come.

“Adding that level wraps [the show] into a bow,” Bardin says. “That part of it was very satisfying and exciting, artistically.”

For the past 50 years, Mee-Ow has been produced and sponsored by the Northwestern Arts Alliance (AA). In recent years, the two groups’ goals began to diverge, leading Mee-Ow to split away from AA and file their own producer petitions for the upcoming 2025-26 season. While the split marked a critical change in the partnership of Mee-Ow and AA, Dahl says there is no animosity between the two groups.

Mee-Ow has touched the lives of many students over the years. From current members to famous alumni to the group’s creators, Mee-Ow has become a part of the University’s rich arts culture.

“[Mee-Ow’s accomplishments] in and of itself [are] really exciting and really drew me to Mee-Ow, drew me to Northwestern,” Bardin says.

The group has no plan to slow down. Though Mee-Ow has no more performances lined up for this school year, Bardin is excited to see where Mee-Ow’s talent brings them in the coming years.

“Even though you’re students doing a student show, the actual feat that you’re doing, the thing that you’re putting on is so impressive, is good, is entertaining,” Bardin says. “That kind of legacy is really awesome.”

“[Mee-Ow’s accomplisments] in and of itself [are] really exciting and really drew me to Mee-Ow, drew me to Northwestern.”

Shai Bardin

Communication fourth-year

Can Northwestern fix it?

WRITTEN BY EMMA RICHMAN // DESIGNED BY KYRA DOHERTY

It’s Friday night in Bobb-McCulloch Hall, and as usual, it’s loud: music blasts down the hall, freshmen mix miscellaneous beverages in their dorms, girls in tiny tank tops flock to the frats in single-digit weather. There’s rarely a silent moment in the dorm that never sleeps.

renovations over the next two years: the Bobb side first, then McCulloch, which will remain open while Bobb is under construction.

no Henry Crown Sports Pavilion and certainly no Ryan Fieldhouse. Bobb was right on the lakefront.

“In my day, Bobb-McCulloch was considered to be one of the better dorms to try to get into,” Thompson says.

For better or worse, Bobb is a Northwestern classic. As one of the largest dorms on campus, it houses over 400 students. But starting this summer, the ivy-covered and mold-ridden 70-year-old dorm is getting a long-overdue makeover. The building will be partially closed over the next two school years, Residential Services announced in February.

For many, it feels like the end of an era. Thousands of students have passed through Bobb’s cinder block halls over the past decades, and many say living there was a formative experience.

“Living in Bobb is something you love while you’re doing it, and then you never want to do it again,” says Medill fourthyear Saul Pink.

Pink lived in Bobb his freshman year — or technically, he lived in McCulloch.

The two dorms, conjoined since 1980, will both be undergoing

These renovations have been a long time coming. In 2015, Bobb was slated to be demolished in 2020. But the dorm is still standing. The upcoming construction is aimed at improving the student experience, according to the February announcement. Renovations include adding kitchenettes and laundry rooms to each floor.

While the renovations may change how it looks and operates, Bobb — and its culture — are here to stay.

Ride or die

Bobb has always been a social hub, a place where people meet their best friends and sometimes even future spouses. While current students flinch at the outdated facilities, it wasn’t always considered one of the filthier dorms on campus.

When J.T. Thompson (CAS ‘85) lived in Bobb as a sophomore, the dorm was coveted. He could walk right out of the building and be on the beach. Back in 1982, there was no parking garage,

Aside from the great location, Thompson remembers Bobb being a very community-centered dorm. He often had friends come over to his room and hosted cocktail hours. Today, he’s still in touch with the friends he met in Bobb.

The dorm’s social culture remained alive and well throughout the ‘80s. In February 1989, Bobb’s executive board began publishing monthly newsletters called The Bobb-McCulloch Connection Within colorful blue, yellow and pink pages, the board advertised upcoming events such as Tuesday movie nights, dorm Olympics and a booze cruise on Lake Michigan.

The March 1989 issue encouraged residents to attend social events to foster “a close-knit community.” It also announced some important news: “198889 Bobb-McCulloch shot glasses on sale for just $2!” Even then, Bobb residents liked to party — that reputation remains.

When Pink lived in McCulloch in 2021, he spent many late nights in the “McLounge,” what he and his friends called the McCulloch fourth floor lounge. He says it was the best freshman dorm experience he could have asked for.

Pink formed bonds with his hallway

Living in Bobb is something you love while you’re doing it, and then you never want to do it again. ”

Saul Pink Medill fourth-year

Room for improvement

Walking into a Bobb bathroom, one might find vomit, hair dye staining the sinks or a meal from Lisa’s spilled all over the floor. Residents say it’s a true wild card.

McCormick first-year and McCulloch resident Roselyn Attipoe says the filth is a result of students neglecting the already worn-down facilities.

If Bobb was nicer, Attipoe says she thinks students would treat it better.

For many, the Bobb bathrooms are its most problematic feature. With so many people sharing the space, the facilities often don’t meet students’ needs.

“There was a solid two week period during Fall Quarter when [hot water] was a hit or miss thing, or we had two showers blocked off out of the three,” Weinberg first-year and McCulloch resident Reed Zimmerman says.

For Zimmerman, the laundry situation

“I wouldn’t cook there,” Zimmerman says. “You might get food poisoning.”

Both Zimmerman and Attipoe say the new kitchenettes will be a game changer for future residents.

While Pink agrees that renovations will certainly improve the quality of life, he also says the dorm’s less-than-ideal cleanliness is part of its charm and even its culture.

“People bond over being somewhere that’s not nice,” Pink says. “If Bobb was a nice, fancy dorm, like Lincoln or Shepard, I don’t know if the same atmosphere would be there.”

The master plan

With Bobb closed next year, Northwestern will re-open 1835 Hinman, recently renovated to house over 200 students with expanded kitchenettes and communal lounges. Located across Sheridan Road from East and West Fairchild, Hinman closed in 2018 for renovations.

The Bobb construction is part of a 2018 plan that also outlined potential 2025 renovations of Sargent, East Fairchild and West Fairchild.

Residential Services was expected to release its new Housing Master Plan report during Winter Quarter, but has not published it yet. It contains a plan for the next 10 years of on-campus

housing and dining, created with input from over 400 students, faculty and staff, along with thousands of student survey responses, according to the Residential Services website.

“Completion of the plan has been delayed as we work to ensure that it provides viable guidance in the current budgetary climate,” a University spokesperson told North by Northwestern in an email.

According to the University, the main goals of this new plan are to improve the condition of residential housing and dining, and enhance student community and belonging. It’s more comprehensive than the 2018 plan, as it also includes visions for dining and graduate housing.

As for the Bobb renovations, a Residential Services official says construction on the Bobb side is set to be complete by Fall 2026 and McCulloch by Fall 2027. Besides new kitchenettes and laundry rooms, it’s unclear what exactly the renovations will improve.

At the end of the day, many residents agree: Bobb isn’t as bad as people say.

“I’ve met some of my closest friends in Bobb,” Zimmerman says. “Having them be only a couple doors down is really, really nice.”

Next year, the dorm’s hallways will lie vacant as construction gets underway. Incoming freshmen will have to find their pregames elsewhere.

Marketing for a cause

How a group of IMC graduate students are changing the Chicago nonprofit landscape.

WRITTEN BY GRETA CUNNINGHAM // DESIGNED BY CHASE ENGSTROM

Laura Salgado showed up for her volunteer shift at one of Nourishing Hope’s Chicago food pantries expecting to be put to work moving frozen meals and wheeling carts of groceries. She did not expect to hand out flowers. However, seeing customers’ reactions to the florals showed Salgado exactly what “nourishing hope” can look like. One parent exclaimed that they could bring their daughter flowers, and another visitor eagerly took a bouquet for their mother.

Nourishing Hope is a hunger relief nonprofit that provides resources for food, mental wellness and social services across Chicago. For the last few months, Salgado has been visiting nonprofit organizations like Nourishing Hope to create promotional content as the External Communications Director of Northwestern’s Cause Marketing Initiative (CMI).

Each spring, CMI takes on 15-20 nonprofits in the Chicago area and provides them with pro bono marketing services. CMI is run entirely by graduate students like Salgado in Medill’s Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) program who leverage their skills to develop and implement everything from brand strategy to stakeholder analysis to public and media relations. They work with organizations that, despite their essential role in the community, are often underfunded and lack adequate resources to expand their reach.

According to the 2024 Nonprofit Marketing Trends Report, most nonprofits only have one or two staff members devoted to communications. 71.9% of surveyed nonprofits identified limited budgets and resources as challenges they foresaw in achieving marketing goals, according to Feathr, a nonprofit digital marketing service. Research by Tapp Network and TechSoup consultants found that less than half of nonprofits have a digital marketing strategy in place.

That’s where CMI comes in. In January, the student executive board reaches out to local nonprofits with information about the program and a “Request for Proposal” through which the organizations can detail their marketing goals.

The program has grown from seven or eight clients in 2008 to 20 in 2025, and about one-third of the projects return year after year. This cycle, interest was so high CMI had to turn down a few projects. Advisor Chris Cahill, an IMC faculty member, says it’s a metric of the program’s success.

“I look at the number of clients that come back that next year and want to continue working with CMI,” he says. “I see that as a way to measure the value they’re deriving from these projects and working with the students.”

The board then matches four or fiveperson student teams with nonprofits. IMC students rank their choices based on how the organizations’ missions resonate with them and how the desired

project aligns with their goals and experience.

Once the board has finalized the projects and teams, they host a kickoff event where organizations get to meet the students they’ll be working with and start building a network with other nonprofits in the area.

“CMI teaches communicate you to with empathy.”

Mallika Mehta IMC graduate student

“It’s really one thing to communicate with organizations over email,” IMC graduate student and Program Director Jimmy He says. “But to put a face to these organizations and see how excited

COURTESY OF LAURA SALGADO

these nonprofits are to be working with students, even though we’re just students ... to see us grow and help us help them was really rewarding for me.”

Because the IMC program is only 15 months long, the students in CMI turn over every year. This year, over 85 students are participating in it — about 60% of the IMC cohort. Cahill says the high level of involvement shows how eager students are to work with nonprofits.

For many, the work allows them to feel engaged with the community. Cahill saw CMI as a way to give back to the neighborhood that had contributed so positively to his undergraduate experience at Northwestern. Salgado wrote about her interest in CMI as part of her IMC application. Mallika Mehta, team leader for one of the program’s projects and an international student from Delhi, India, hoped the experience would help her acclimate to her new city.

“[CMI] shows direct impact to see if the skills we’re trying to gain from the program are being used or are being applied well,” Mehta says. “It was one of the most meaningful ways I could learn to become a marketer, but it was also a lot about becoming a responsible part of the community I’ve just joined.”

Mehta’s team is doing a brand management project with Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade retailer in Evanston. Their goal is to help the shop reach their target audience and raise consumers’ awareness of Ten Thousand Villages’s unique mission to ensure their artisans are paid a livable wage, support traditional cultural arts and work with marginalized communities.

“[Marketing] is a challenge for small businesses,” says Hannah Wymer, the store manager at Ten Thousand Villages.

“We wear a lot of hats, and it’s a few people doing all the things.”

Ten Thousand Villages thought it was a good time to embark on a marketing collaboration because they recently moved business districts — MainDempster to Downtown Evanston — and wanted to increase outreach in their new neighborhood.

“Some of my team members are coming to IMC straight from undergrad, so it was quite interesting to see how they have developed their leadership, their client communication skills and also figure out the right balance between business objectives and nonprofit missions,” Mehta says.

The CMI students consulting for Ballet Chicago are working to increase the company’s engagement with a target audience — in this case, a younger demographic. They’re hoping to build the ballet company’s social media presence with behind-the-scenes and day-in-thelife of a dancer segments.

Emily Hsueh, the team leader for the CMI group working with Ballet Chicago, says she has loved watching their plans come to life on the organization’s Instagram stories and website.

“Being able to do our work and then put it into the real world is fantastic,” Hsueh says.

To ensure a successful project, teams break up their goals into specific

deliverables scheduled across the span of the program, adjusting their objectives as needed based on routine communication with their clients. On May 30, the student teams and nonprofits will come together for a wrap-up party where teams have the opportunity to present the strategies and plans they’ve developed and any results they’ve seen.

To evaluate which strategies are yielding results, the Ballet Chicago team pays attention to click-through rates on marketing emails, Instagram and ticket links. Sharyn Pulling, Ballet Chicago’s general manager, says their ticket sales are higher this year than last and that they are on track to exceed their current sales goals.

In addition to implementing the conceptual skills students develop in the classroom, the projects are an opportunity to practice problem-solving. Nonprofits’ small and busy staff, the short 12-week timeline and budget constraints require teams to stay flexible and creative.

“[CMI] teaches you to communicate with empathy. You are not just selling products or services anymore. You’re trying to inspire action,” Mehta says. “As a team, we have learned how to stretch our emotional intelligence and think beyond business, think about how our marketing initiatives can help the community at large.”

COURTESY OF LAURA SALGADO

A male-dominated field

Exploring the gender dynamics of intramural soccer.

WRITTEN BY SEYCHELLE MARKS-BIENEN AND HAZEL HAYES // DESIGNED BY SARAH JACOBS

Tillie Freed was recruited to the competitive division of winter intramural (IM) soccer by a member of the pickup soccer league she played in on campus. The Medill first-year was initially confused by the request.

“I play fine at pickup but I’m not doing anything crazy, so I was like, ‘Why does he want me to play on his team?’” Freed says. “Then I asked, ‘Is there a gender requirement?’ and that’s how I figured it out.”

Every Tuesday night of Winter Quarter, students file into the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion (SPAC) and make their way up to Ryan Fieldhouse. Typically, the Fieldhouse is filled with NCAA and club athletes, but once a week, it opens up to a different group of students: IM soccer players.

These indoor 5v5 IM soccer games provide a unique opportunity for men and women to compete together — similar to the spring outdoor 11v11 IM soccer season that kicked off in early April. Using Northwestern’s online IM sports portal, students can sign up by adding friends to their rosters and selecting a time slot to play in either the competitive or recreational league based on skill level.

However, the winter season has one major rule difference: a gender requirement.

Compared to the “open” spring league, which has no restrictions on who can join, the winter league is COREC, meaning teams must consist of both men and women. The official IM handbook requires each team to have a minimum of two women on the field at all times, a rule

that has been in place ever since winter IM soccer was introduced about four years ago, according to Northwestern’s director of IM sports Ryan Coleman.

The rule is designed to foster a more inclusive and fair playing environment. This year, many female players noted that, though well-intentioned, the rule is not effectively encouraging women to participate. Rather, many are brought to IM soccer for the purpose of filling a quota.

Weinberg first-year Rosa Saavedra was recruited by male players looking to fulfill the gender requirement. While getting lunch at Sargent Dining Commons, she overheard the students next to her talking about the soccer video game FIFA, and inserted herself by arguing about formations.

“It was the most wanted I’ve ever felt I had so many people ask me to play with them.” Tillie Freed Medill first-year in my life.

The male students were impressed by her knowledge of FIFA and soccer in general, Saavedra says, and immediately asked her to join their team. Saavedra hadn’t heard of the IM program before, but as a former captain of her high school’s varsity soccer team, she was intrigued by the opportunity.

“I looked at [my friend], and I was like, ‘I’ll only do it if she does it,’” Saavedra says. “I didn’t think she was going to, but then she was like, ‘We’ll both do it!’”

Once on the field, Saavedra and other players noticed a lack of women in the program. If a team can’t fulfill the twowoman requirement, they are forced to compete with fewer players. If just two women show up, they must play the whole game with no substitutions and can experience overexertion.

Because of this, female players are in high demand during the winter season.

“Honestly, it was the most wanted I’ve ever felt in my life,” Freed says. “I had so many people ask me to play with them.”

Similarly, McCormick third-year and women’s club soccer captain Nicky Williams, who has played IM soccer since her freshman year, says she has gotten a text “every weekend” for the past three seasons asking if she can play in a game.

Some players, such as Medill first-year Natalie Gordon, enjoy the extra playing time. But there are times when she feels it inevitably hinders her performance level.

“I think it did get tiring at some points, which posed a challenge,” Gordon says. “I don’t want to be bringing the team down because of this rule.”

Despite the lack of female players, many believe the rule is a necessary

“There is transactional-ness to it.” some sort of

Tillie Freed Medill first-year

component of the COREC league. Many female players say they would not have been introduced to IM soccer if it were not for the gender requirement.

“It is kind of unfortunate, but that is the truth,” Weinberg first-year Jordan Stuecken says. “I am really glad that I did IM soccer, but I feel like if they didn’t have that rule they probably just would have formed a team from the guys they know.”

Just like Freed and Saavedra, Stuecken wasn’t initially planning on playing but joined after receiving a text from a male friend inviting her.

Freed also says she began to question the intention behind the encouragement expressed to her and other female players.

“Obviously they need me, so they have to be nice to me to some extent,” she says.

Coleman agrees that without the gender requirement, there would be significantly fewer women participating. For example, there is currently no gender rule in the spring outdoor season, and because of this the league is “essentially a men’s league,” Coleman says.

The idea of playing on a maledominated field can be off-putting for many female players.

“There’s obviously a strong biological difference; I’m not going to be able to beat them in a foot race,” says Williams. “I think it’s hard because a lot of the girls are just intimidated when they are going up against guys who are really good.”

For Stuecken, the idea of going up against experienced male players was intimidating. Prior to the winter season, she had not played soccer since her senior season in high school and was hesitant to join IM.

Ultimately, she decided to step out of her comfort zone on the condition that she would have one of her friends playing by her side. Stuecken found that as the season progressed, she got more comfortable in the playing environment.

Looking to the future, many players believe that there are ways to make the IM program more encouraging for female

league or stronger rules against slide tackling could make the environment more welcoming.

Stuecken notes that having more female referees would contribute to a more positive environment. In fact, she does not recall having a single female referee throughout the season.

Some of these approaches have been tested in the past. Coleman has worked as the IM director since 2001, and has attempted to create women’s leagues across various sports several times. According to him, not enough people sign up.

Coleman says since more female players show up to the COREC league, that’s what the program pursues.

“I do my best, because we don’t have women’s leagues, to create a more positive environment for women in those leagues,” Coleman says. “Like for basketball, it’s three women on the court. Most schools around the country, it’s two. And I thought, ‘now we don’t run a women’s league, so I want there to be more women on the court.’”

Coleman is constantly checking in with his staff of student officials and supervisors to make improvements to the program. This means the gender

COURTESY OF TILLIE FREED

“You would have thought

Rosa Saavedra Weinberg first-year we won the World Cup.”

Coleman also points out Northwestern’s IM program is twice the size of some state school programs in the Midwest. According to Coleman, having solely COREC leagues in the winter instead of “open leagues,” or ones where there is no gender requirement, somewhat mitigates this problem. If there were only open leagues, he predicts he would receive up to 150 teams attempting to register, composed of mostly males.

Saavedra reflects on the moment when her team — the “Ball Busters” — finally secured their first win from the last game of the season.

“You would have thought we won the World Cup,” she says. “Moments like that remind me of when I played club soccer competitively and how much I miss it.”

in a positive direction. Williams notes there has already been a large increase in the number of women since she started playing three years ago. That said, there is always room for improvement.

“Being part of a team is such a valuable experience,” Freed says. “I would like more girls to be able to

Washington to Wildcat

Professor Kirabo Jackson talks economic policy and undergraduate advice.

WRITTEN BY JAMIE NEIBERG // DESIGNED BY ADELLE RUBINCHIK

In 2023, Kirabo Jackson left the hallowed halls of Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy for somewhere a little more high-profile: the White House. During his time as a member of the Biden Administration’s Council of Economic Advisers, Jackson gained new perspectives on policymaking and navigating economic uncertainty. This spring, North by Northwestern sat down with the professor to learn more about his experiences. Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

NBN: What was the transition like from academia to policymaking?

Jackson: The administration brought me in largely because I had expertise in the areas of labor economics and education policy. After the pandemic, the administration was thinking about the decline in test scores and deterioration in mental health among students.

I had the expertise and was happy to work and help them achieve their policy goals in the most economically sound way. I had to change my orientation a little on certain topics as I wouldn’t say that I agreed with everything the administration was doing.

NBN: Why do you think there was a disconnect between economic indicators and public sentiment under the Biden administration?

That’s an interesting question I’ve been asked many times. I can answer it more honestly now because I’m no longer representing the White House.

The Biden administration struggled to effectively communicate economic wins because the benefits were often gradual while the pain points, like inflation, were immediate and tangible. It’s a reminder that economic policy success isn’t just about the numbers but about how people experience their day-to-day financial lives.

COVID was a disruptive time. It exposed many Americans and many people across the world to the fact that things are not always as stable as they seem. We were going about our lives just regularly and, suddenly, something drastically changed. Having said that, the economy under Biden was growing strong. We had a GDP growth of, like, 3.4% in 2024.

Despite statistical improvements in wage growth, especially for lowerincome workers, people’s lived experiences often differed from what the data suggested. Several factors contributed to this disconnect.

First, inflation hit hard during the post-pandemic recovery. Even with wage growth, many families saw their grocery and housing costs rise significantly, which eroded purchasing power and created financial stress despite nominal income gains.

Second, these economic improvements were happening against a backdrop of pandemic trauma and political polarization. When people are anxious or divided, positive economic news often doesn’t resonate the same way.

Third, economic indicators are averages that can mask individual experiences. A family facing a medical emergency or housing crisis might not feel the benefits of broader wage growth when facing immediate financial pressures.

NBN: You have been an expert witness in cases determining whether school funding is constitutional. How do you make sense of current changes regarding federal funding for education?

I’ve been thinking a lot about the implications from multiple angles. When these things happen, the first reaction is, “This sounds very drastic. What does it mean?”

One of the first things I try to do is think, “What does the federal government do? How much money does the federal government control? What is the role of the federal government in the K-12 system and in higher education as well?” That helps ground yourself to get a sense of possible scenarios.

Title I, which provides federal money for lower-income kids, came into existence under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. That predates the establishment of the Department of Education. We must provide money for students with disabilities. That also is by statute, not something the president can just decide to not fund.

If that money were to disappear, lowincome kids and students with disabilities would be

disproportionately affected. Affluent neighborhoods wouldn’t feel it as much because they don’t receive as much federal funding.

To put this in perspective: if all federal education dollars were eliminated, research estimates suggest the overall high school graduation rate could fall by 3 or 4 percentage points. The collegegoing rate would likely fall by about 5 percentage points. That’s a significant impact on our future workforce and productivity decades down the line.

The silver lining is that because most education happens at the state or local level, we can lean on state legislators, policymakers and local community leaders to step up. It will be painful for some communities, but if we focus locally, we can weather the storm.

NBN: With Northwestern’s hefty price tag, is a Northwestern degree still a sound investment?

The good news is that the Northwestern brand is strong, and your education will be valuable.

There’s been debate in popular media suggesting education’s value isn’t what it used to be. That’s simply not true. People are less likely to pursue two-year degrees at community colleges, but enrollment in four-year institutions remains strong.

Looking at returns on education: college graduates earn 40-50% more than those with just high school diplomas. Those returns remain substantial, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

Regarding the future, I don’t think it’s feasible for us to move back to an economy where the middle class is sustained by doing things with our hands. That’s not how we make things anymore. Instead, we’re an economy where we use technology to a great extent.

NBN: As we enter this new economic terrain, what survival skills should young people be developing?

One of the benefits of having a Northwestern degree, or any sort of fouryear degree, particularly one from a T10 institution, is it provides a broad set of skills. Not just in terms of knowing a particular topic area, but it teaches you not just what to know, but also how to think about things, how to reason. It’s those problem-solving skills, those reasoning skills that allow workers to be more nimble.

Number two: make yourself indispensable. Make sure that you’re at a position where if they tried to get rid of you, they would have to jump through many hoops.

Number three: keep up with the times. Get up to speed on how people are using AI. I think that’s going to be really helpful. For young people, I think that’s going to be second nature, but for dinosaurs like me, we have to sort of pick it up and learn it.

The best way to navigate economic uncertainty is always to develop adaptable skills. Northwestern graduates will be well-positioned to weather these changes better than most.

Upon entering the AMC Evanston 12, students are greeted by the bright neon sign, movie posters and the smell of buttered popcorn and Icees. But this June, they won’t be coming to the theater for a star-studded Hollywood production. Instead, Hello, Goodbye will be on screen, a full-length feature film created entirely by students in Northwestern’s Applause for a Cause.

Founded in 2010, Applause for a Cause is a student-run club that creates an 80 to 180-minute film every year to support charity.

The project is funded by the Associated Student Government (ASG) and a fundraising campaign through a platform called Catalyzer. Students encourage friends and family to donate and sometimes host fundraisers to raise money for the film and items needed to create it.

The film’s proceeds go to a Chicago charity of the group’s choosing, with this year’s being GirlForward: a nonprofit geared toward providing a safe space and resources for refugee and immigrant girls by pairing them with women mentors in the community.

“This year, we wanted something that is in Chicago, so it’s local, and something that relates to the themes of the movie … a community coming together to support someone when they’re going through a tough time,” Communication secondyear and co-director Brody Bundis says.

Getting the show on the road

COURTESY OF HANNAH OTNESS

Behind the scenes

From conceptualizing the story to getting the cast and crew on set, hours upon hours of work have been poured into this film. Students of all grades, majors and experience levels have contributed to make it a success.

Bundis and his co-director, Communication second-year Levi Gillis, hold many responsibilities including pre-production preparation, workshopping the script, finding actors, the day-to-day tasks of heading production and creative direction on set. They are also in charge of hiring some of the team behind the film, including makeup artists, sound technicians and editors.

Bundis emphasizes that his job as one of the directors is intertwined with the rest of the team. Weinberg secondyear and co-producer Yuka Sumi says her responsibilities revolved around organizing behind the scenes, such as booking locations and making sure there was food on set.

“Sleepless nights, planning, trying to execute, failing and overcoming ... it’s a lot of work.”

Levi Gillis Communication second-year

“It’s a really great thing that we have such a big team and we all share our responsibilities and work together to do this,” Sumi says.

Underclassmen also play a big part in the Applause for a Cause team. Communication first-year Maille Hickey petitioned for and got the role of Assistant Director (AD). Despite being new to the school, Hickey found her voice making sure that everyone was organized and production stayed true to the schedule.

“[Bundis] and [Gillis] were really helpful,” Hickey says. “It was my first set ever. They taught me what to do, and I learned by the end of the quarter what being an AD meant and what my style of being an AD is.”

The show goes on

Time spent on set wasn’t always perfect, Bundis recalls. One of the crew’s locations backed out after they had begun to film there, meaning the team had to find a new place at the last minute and reshoot many scenes.

In another instance, only one makeup artist was available, causing the set to run an hour behind. It was up to the student leaders to find solutions on the fly and keep their movie running smoothly.

“We all want this project to succeed. We all have poured our blood, sweat and tears into this thing, and we don’t want to see it falter,” Gillis says.

Even with late nights and occasional mishaps, Applause for a Cause members remain devoted to the project.

The culmination of the cast and crew’s hard work over the past year will be on display for students and community members on the big screen. A premiere will take place in June to celebrate the accomplishments of the students involved.

“Every weekend last quarter was spent on this film,” Gillis says. “Sleepless nights, planning, trying to execute, failing and overcoming, and it’s a lot of work. But I mean, once I see the final product, I have a feeling that it’s all worth it in the end.”

Passport to progress

Students intern abroad with the Global Engagement Studies Institute.

WRITTEN BY CAROLINE KILLILEA // DESIGNED BY MARLEY SMITH

On one of Katie Cummins’s last days in Argentina, she went to a barbecue hosted by her boss’s neighbor. The Communication fourthyear stayed until 2 a.m. talking, laughing and enjoying traditional Argentinian food and beverages with her newfound community.

Cummins studied abroad through Northwestern’s Global Engagement Studies Institute (GESI), a summer experience that places students at full-time internships with local development organizations in a variety of countries ranging from Bolivia to Vietnam. Cummins worked for a nonprofit that provides environmental consulting for sustainable urban development projects in Salta, Argentina.

Cummins says the late-night barbecue memory encapsulated what it meant to participate in an immersive study abroad experience.

“Wow, this is so magical,” she says. “Just being able to integrate into a community like this and being able to pass an evening in such a lovely way.”

GESI aims to connect undergraduates with the resources needed to learn about and confront global issues. All grades and majors are eligible to participate in the various programs. Students are assigned to internships based on their interests and preferred location, as well as their language ability, if they opt to live in a Spanish-speaking country.

Prior to Cummins’s summer abroad, Argentina had elected President Javier Milei, a conservative leader who slashed federal spending. The nonprofit’s funding had been cut, so Cummins worked alongside a fellow Northwestern student to help build its website and create a strategy for finding alternative funding.

After Cummins returned from Argentina, she became a Global Learning Office (GLO) Fellow, and now runs the GLO ambassadors program that promotes studying abroad.

“I’ve loved getting to know the GLO staff more, and being a mentor for other students and a campus leader in that regard,” Cummins says.

Weinberg third-year Annika Macy also sought a study abroad experience beyond a typical quarter in Madrid. She found what she was looking for with GESI, in the form of a homestay with a Costa Rican family. For Macy, it was an opportunity to speak the local language and become a part of the community.

Macy lived just outside Costa Rica’s capital city of San Jose. She worked at a nonprofit that provides students from impoverished neighborhoods with meals, academic support and a place to stay before and after school. Macy says because of her summer with GESI, she learned to connect with others despite a language barrier.

“Especially with kids, being able to just play games with them and talk about what their interests are and things like that — at a very low level, you can still build connections,” Macy says. “It definitely reinforced my decision to do a Spanish minor because I really find it important to be able to connect with people who I otherwise wouldn’t be able to speak to.”

Macy says her time spent in Costa Rica opened her eyes to the importance of education. She wants to continue the nonprofit’s work by making education more accessible for students across the globe.

Be mindful of the gutter! If you want your photo/illustration to span the spread, just make sure nothing important is in the gutter.

“Education became a more important part of what I want to pursue in the future,” Macy says. “Any study abroad program, especially this one, can really push your comfort zone because you’re not just taking classes. You’re really diving deep into living in a community. I think you can learn a lot about yourself and about other cultures.”

COURTESY OF KATIE CUMMINS

This summer, students will be going to Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Thailand, Uganda and Vietnam through GESI. SESP second-year Adelle Johnson will be going to Costa Rica. She says the program has been on her radar since before even applying to Northwestern.

Starting this year, SESP students can use GESI to fulfill their practicum and experiential learning requirement.

GESI encourages students to immerse themselves in the language so they are able to communicate more easily with locals. Johnson said she will learn more about education in other countries through conversing with real students.

“Getting conversation with native speakers can be difficult, especially outside of an academic setting,” Johnson says. “I feel like the language use is so different, so I’m really excited to stay in a homestay and be able to use the language all the time and get more practice with that. It’s really a unique experience.”

Weinberg fourth-year Caitlin Jimmar, who studied abroad in Bolivia with GESI in 2023, interned with a nonprofit organization that provides care and advocacy for people with disabilities.

Jimmar, whose mother is a speech therapist, helped start a speech therapy program for the nonprofit. She says GESI taught her about the importance of local advocacy work.

“With the program, there’s also a class component in international development, and I think that class is really important because it gives you the theoretical background to come into that nonprofit space, especially taking into account your positionality as an American college student coming into an organization,” Jimmar says.

Jimmar says her homestay experience was her favorite aspect of GESI. She says living with a large family resembled a summer at home with her own.

“Living at college, we’re away from our families,” Jimmar says. “So it was really nice to spend a summer living with a family again, helping my host niece with her homework at night, watching TV together on the weekends. One of my host sisters was about my age, so we hung out a lot. We still talk today.”

“At a very low level, you can still build connections.”

Annika Macy Weinberg third-year

COURTESY OF KATIE CUMMINS

Drawing back

The dynamics of student theater.

WRITTEN BY DESIREE LUO // DESIGNED BY LENA ROCK

the curtain

* Name has been changed to protect source’s identity.

In black box theaters across Northwestern’s campus, students craft productions that blur educational exercises with professional showcases. The theatre community, which alumni have collectively dubbed the “purple mafia,” creates a unique environment where personal relationships and career aspirations intertwine.

“After you’ve been here for a little while, it kind of is like every single audition you do is for somebody that you know,” says Communication secondyear Casey Bond. “Everybody kind of knows everybody.”

Each freshman class caps at 100 theatre majors, according to the School of Communication Office of Undergraduate Programs and Advising.

Many freshmen join the Student Theatre Coalition (StuCo), a collective of nine student-run theater boards and two dance groups that produces about 30 shows yearly. Each group maintains its own executive board and performance series while sharing organizational

support through StuCo practices like general auditions, space allocation and equipment management. The co-directors of each board, along with two StuCo cochairs, form the coalition’s leadership.

Each board follows a specific theme and produces up to three shows annually. For example, Vertigo Productions focuses on students’ newly written work while Purple Crayon Players showcases children’s plays.

“It’s unserious and it’s also the most serious thing you’ve ever done,” says Communication second-year and Vertigo president Lux Vargas.

Some student actors, stage managers and music directors also work with the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts (Wirtz), a production company staging about 40 shows yearly. Communication secondyear Mia El-Yafi performed in three StuCo productions as a freshman. This year, she acted in three Wirtz shows — Antigone , Lobster and Mancub — led by Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) students and professional local directors.

“The Wirtz shows feel very professional and by the book, whereas the StuCo shows feel much more like a family and a community,” she says. “Maybe you’ll spend a little more time doing a check-in, and it’s just kind of less strict.”

Jane Smith,* who understudied for a Wirtz show, sees clear differences between the two worlds. Beyond Wirtz’s larger budgets and emphasis on professionalism, Smith says dynamics with MFA directors differ markedly from relationships with StuCo directors.

“With Wirtz, it feels a little bit more separated,” Smith says. “The MFA directors are in a totally different social sphere than we are. Like, I would never see them at a party.”

When Smith became part of a StuCo board at the start of spring quarter, she stepped into the complicated territory where friendship and professionalism collide. She says everyone approaches conflicts of interest differently: some directors enjoy casting friends, while

others pretend not to know the performers.

Behind the scenes, students apply to shows through petitions. For directors, this process usually includes written and spoken components, says Communication third-year and former StuCo co-chair Kate Horton.

While directors usually choose performers, each theater board has a different director and producer selection process. Horton, now artistic director for WAVE Productions, says WAVE requires a unanimous board consensus to appoint a director.

Horton has directed for other StuCo boards like Vertigo and Vibrant Colors Collective. Before auditions and casting, she’s noticed peers acting differently around her. Some aspiring actors have invited her for coffee before auditions began.

Though she believes these individuals don’t act in bad faith, their actions can make her less inclined to cast them.

“I want to feel like the people who I’m surrounding myself with like me for me, as opposed to the things that I can offer them,” Horton says.

Communication second-year and Arts Alliance artistic director Alex Lopez tries to treat all auditioners equally, including friends. As an actor and director, he’s experienced both sides of the process. Lopez says knowing someone involved in selection doesn’t always help in getting cast.

“If you go into a casting room and all your friends are on the other side of the table, and you’re laughing and making jokes, and then you don’t get cast, it could feel like then the lines between social and professional have been blurred,” Lopez says.

For Vargas, collaborating with friends has both benefits and drawbacks. She says some executive board members clue friends in about application questions beforehand and advocate for applicants they know. Conversely, familiarity can hinder effective communication between friends.

“Your friends know you better than anybody,” Vargas says. “They also probably recognize your flaws.”

Bond says knowing someone beforehand can make it easy to typecast them in certain roles. He describes auditioning for friends as “weird and sort of stressful” but also “loving and fun.”

Still, he says wanting to work with friends comes naturally.

“Some shows are like, the whole team and then the whole cast or production team is one friend group,” Bond says. “Sometimes that’s just how it goes. You can’t really blame anybody for that, because it’s student-run, and who doesn’t want to spend time with your friends?”

“I want to feel I’m surrounding myself with like as opposed to the things that I like the people who me for me can offer them.”

Kate Horton Communication third-year

“It feels like a scramble to join everything and get involved,” Bond says. “You feel like if you don’t get involved right away, then it’ll be too late somehow, which just doesn’t make any sense.”

Leadership roles demand even more commitment. Lopez and Smith joke that their Arts Alliance co-director roles amount to full-time jobs.

Unsuccessful collaboration can mean actors are less likely to be invited to future projects, Horton says. Although Horton says no formal blacklist exists in student theater, showrunners may hear of an individual’s past actions and make decisions with that information in mind. Others around that individual sometimes distance themselves as well.

Students have confirmed that social dynamics impact opportunities within the theater community, affecting not just casting prospects in college but potentially beyond.

Northwestern theatre demands intense commitment. Producers and the tech team can expect 10-hour days, according to the Student Theatre Coalition Producer Handbook.

“That ‘grind-set’ of Northwestern applies just as much to StuCo as it does to McCormick,” Vargas says.

After arriving on campus with fellow theatre majors during Wildcat Welcome, many students immediately jump into the scene. Peer advisers tell them to subscribe to TWIST, a weekly newsletter with theatre opportunities. Many students work on multiple productions or join multiple boards simultaneously.

Students eventually find their own balance. El-Yafi shifted focus to Wirtz productions after StuCo board Spectrum dissolved and chose not to join a new board because of the late-night meetings.

Although StuCo aims to be educational, Smith says boards sometimes overlook this aspect. Looking back on shows makes her realize they weren’t as serious as she thought.

Horton hopes students understand executive board members take on these roles to improve circumstances for everyone.

For Vargas, StuCo’s intensity stems from its student-run nature. People invest more effort in these shows than anything else.

“At the end of the day, you’re making art, and that’s more personal than anything,” Vargas says. “It can be really easy for the lens to get blurred sometimes, but it’s like anything else when you really care about something.”

35

40

Tenure denied

45

50 Beyond the land acknowledgment

The 790 million dollar question From counterculture to carnival

The 790 million dollar question

Federal funding cuts bring uncertainty to Northwestern programming.

WRITTEN AND PHOTOS BY SOPHIA GUTIERREZ // DESIGNED BY ILSE VON HEIMBURG

On April 9, barely 24 hours after news broke that the federal government had frozen $790 million in funding to Northwestern, the Faculty Senate gathered for what was supposed to be a routine meeting. But as some professors arrived clad in matching purple shirts reading “Don’t Give In — It Won’t Stop Here,” the atmosphere shifted.

Standing before her colleagues, Judith Rosenbaum, a professor at Pritzker School

of Law, asked a question that seemed to be on everyone’s minds: “If we don’t stand up in support of academic freedom, where will it end?”

When Peter Barris (McCormick ‘74), chair of the Board of Trustees, entered the room, he was met with boos from faculty. Their homemade agendas urged Barris and the Board to reject the federal government’s demands and stand “resolute in protection of academic

freedom, First Amendment rights, and the rule of law.”

On March 10, Northwestern was one of many universities to receive an official statement from the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights regarding ongoing investigations into antisemitic discrimination and harassment.

President Donald Trump’s approach follows a clear pattern. Columbia

an ultimatum from the federal administration in March: comply with sweeping new demands or lose $400 million in federal funding. In an early victory for Trump, Columbia capitulated: adopting a formal definition of antisemitism, rewriting its protest policies and considering academic receivership — putting its Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies (MESAAS) under external oversight. It also pledged to establish a new internal security unit with the power to remove or arrest people on campus. Today, Columbia’s MESAAS is being restructured under a newly appointed senior vice provost, installed at the Trump administration’s behest, whose mandate is to ensure a “balanced” curriculum.

Emboldened, the Trump administration widened its campaign. The federal government wiped $175 million off the University of Pennsylvania’s books, citing, in part, the university’s decision to allow transgender athlete Lia Thomas to

came Brown University: $510 million. Harvard University, the highest-profile target, lost $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts. Cornell University: $1 billion. And on April 8, Northwestern got word from the media that $790 million is on the line.

Now, the University faces a stark choice: comply with shifting federal mandates that may contradict institutional values — or forfeit nearly $800 million in annual federal support that underwrites drug trials, cancer research, physical therapy labs, clinics and other cutting-edge scientific research.

Since the funding freeze, Northwestern has received 98 stop-work orders for grants from the federal government. Potential funding for projects like the world’s smallest pacemaker and research on Alzheimer’s disease is at stake. The University also received 51 grant terminations and frozen or cancelled grants from other federally funded agencies like the National Science Foundation.

official communication from the federal government about what the University can do to have funds restored. Some students and faculty have called on the University to avoid giving in to federal pressure, while others emphasize prioritizing innovative and life-saving research.

In a May 1 email, Northwestern University president Michael Schill reminded the Northwestern community of the University’s promise to support research affected by stop-work orders, though many wonder what this will look like and how faculty and students will be affected by financial restructuring.

Northwestern students have begun to feel the effects. The Summer Internship Grant Program accepted fewer students than usual due to budget reductions. The University has discontinued other programs, including Bay Area Immersion on the San Francisco Campus.

On April 22, President Schill joined more than 200 academic leaders in signing a letter denouncing what they described as the Trump administration’s “overreach” into institutions of higher education. Harvard President Alan Garber added his name to the statement just a day after the university filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in response to its threats to withdraw billions in federal funding.

Northwestern has drawn congressional scrutiny since a nationwide wave of pro-Palestinian encampments reached Evanston last April. In May 2024, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce grilled university presidents, including Schill, over allegations of campus antisemitism. Schill pledged “on behalf of the University to take decisive actions to combat antisemitism and ensure that Jewish students, faculty and staff would experience a safe learning environment,” according to a University statement.

Professors arrive in matching purple shirts at the April 9 Faculty Senate meeting.

Schill has since updated the Student Code of Conduct and the Demonstration Policy, taken disciplinary action against protestors at The Rock and implemented new antisemitism trainings. A progress report on the University’s efforts tout an 88% decrease in antisemitism from November 2023 to November 2024.

Yet, the federal inquisition continues.

TAKING A STAND

As the Faculty Senate meeting progressed, Greg Beitel, associate professor of Molecular Biosciences, wondered if taking an official stance could alienate the University and further jeopardize vital research funding.

“What are you betting here?” he asked.

After deliberation, the Senate voted to endorse a statement calling on the University to stand up to federal demands — a victory for advocates of academic autonomy.

Faculty Senate president-elect and professor of Political Science Ian Hurd expresses cautious optimism, impressed by emerging solidarity between faculty and administration.

“I’m glad to see the administration standing up strongly for the two basic principles of what a university is,” Hurd says. “First, a place of learning and teaching, where scholarship is independent of government influence, and second, a place of research, where the motivating question is always trying to understand the truth of a situation.”

Luis A. Nunes Amaral, professor of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics, who grew up under Portugal’s fascist dictatorship, calls the federal scrutiny an attack on academic pluralism. Amaral says the Trump administration is targeting institutions it views as too “woke.”

Nitasha Tamar Sharma, professor of Black Studies and Asian American Studies, offers a perspective rooted in history. Sharma sees the federal scrutiny through the lens of a nation’s complicated reckoning with its own shifting demographics.

“It’s really kind of a response to Obama,” Sharma says. “It’s a response to Black Lives Matter. It’s a response to increasing diversity.”

Yet even as faculty voice concerns, they remain aware of the material

“If we abandon those to protect an endowment, and it’s used for other purposes, what are we saving?” values

Peter Sporn Feinberg professor

Board of Trustees relative to peer institutions, lack of gender diversity and over-representation of members with a background in consulting or finance compared to other expertises.

Many at the Day of Action called on the Board of Trustees to consider using the endowment — a pool of funds typically built through donations and invested to sustain the institution’s mission and operation in perpetuity — to create financial flexibility and avoid capitulating to federal demands. Feinberg School of Medicine professor Peter Sporn says the University should find financial workarounds to protect its core mission. stakes. Northwestern received $519.6 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants for the 2024-25 academic year, funding now on the line. As the Faculty Senate meeting adjourned, the undercurrent of resistance remained. April 9 was not an isolated event. The fight over academic freedom at Northwestern was just beginning.

A DAY OF ACTION

On April 17, faculty and students at Northwestern organized a Day of Action for Higher Education, joining a national movement that spanned more than 150 campuses. Against a backdrop of federal investigations into antisemitism, threatened funding freezes and visa uncertainty for international students, participants called on the University to resist mounting federal pressure.

The day unfolded across campus: white fold-up tables staffed with volunteers, flyers advertising “anti-fascism office hours” and a series of teach-ins hosted by faculty from multiple departments.

Amaral and professor of Political Science Jacqueline Stevens led one such session, examining the influence and operations of Northwestern’s Board of Trustees. Amaral graphed what he saw as Board of Trustees members’ personal careers creating a conflict of interest with the University. Amaral’s report takes issue with the large size of Northwestern’s

“If it means dipping into the endowment — because we don’t get those research funds — to be true to the values of the institution, to be true to the values or the principles upon which it was supposedly founded, that’s required,” Sporn says. “And if we abandon those values to protect an endowment, and it’s used for other purposes, what are we saving?”

According to the April 9 Faculty Senate meeting minutes, Barris said the administration and Board of Trustees are considering all options to finance university operations and research.

“Drawing additional funds from the endowment is the last place they want to go, but it is not off the table,” the minutes read.

Most universities draw about 5% annually from their endowments.

“If you go much above that, you’re probably going to erode the real value of the endowment. If you go much below, then it’s unfair to the current faculty, students and staff,” former Northwestern president Morton Schapiro said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

At Northwestern, that payout accounted for roughly 23% of the University’s total operating budget in the 2024 fiscal year, or $756 million. According to the University’s Annual Endowment Report, Northwestern’s endowment is managed by the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees.

Since 2000, Northwestern’s endowment has grown more than fourfold. That growth, driven largely by a strong equity market performance, has offered a sense of financial security but also underscores

“This commitment places significant financial stress on the university.”

Michael Schill May 1 email

a widening divide. Institutions without such resources are more vulnerable to market volatility and must depend more heavily on undergraduate tuition, often becoming more need-aware in the process.

At the Day of Action at Deering Meadow, a press conference held by the Northwestern University Graduate Workers (NUGW) and Students Organizing for Labor Rights responded to growing concerns over financial pressures facing institutions of higher education.

In the midst of the event, the University announced it would use alternative sources to continue funding research projects affected by federal stop-work orders, most of which have been for research projects funded by the Department of Defense. Research grants already terminated by the NIH were left in limbo.

“However, this commitment places significant financial stress on the University and is not a permanent solution,” Schill wrote a later email.

Dr. Brian Mustanski is the director of the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing at Feinberg School of Medicine. Mustanski built the lab into a nationally recognized research center, only to see it lose two major grants — one focused on HIV and other negative health outcomes among the young queer male population; the other on HIV prevention and treatment strategies. According to NBC News, Mustanski’s two grants are just a small fraction of more than 270 NIH grants, totaling more than $125 million, now canceled.

Outside the formal Day of Action, faculty members continue mobilizing. Professor of Psychology Michael Kraus emphasizes that the stakes go beyond potential loss of research funding. International students are also at risk of losing their visas or their ability to safely continue their education. Students in Kraus’s lab helped organize a “Know Your Rights” workshop in response to mounting threats against their research and the international students who contribute to it.

“If you’re actually concerned with discrimination, you would be concerned with the mistreatment of students,” Kraus says. “Students are terrorized by these conditions.”

Members of the University tabled with informative flyers on the Day of Action.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

The Trump administration has yet to issue formal demands to Northwestern to restore its federal funding. The University remains under Title VI investigations by Congress. The National Science Foundation has canceled grants for at least five Northwestern projects. The School of Communication, the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications and the Bienen School of Music have quietly scrubbed DEI pages and renamed administrative positions.

On April 28, House Education and Workforce Committee chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) issued a formal request for a transcribed interview with Schill, pressing for answers on the University’s response to antisemitic incidents on campus. Walberg’s request cites recent acts of vandalism during the Passover holiday, including graffiti and flyers described as “hate-filled” found outside University Hall and Kresge Centennial Hall on April 14. In the letter, Walberg accuses Northwestern of failing to follow through on commitments made during Schill’s congressional testimony nearly a year ago, writing that the Committee “has not seen your commitments to discipline, enforcement, and security come to satisfactory fruition.”

Outside Kresge, the graffiti has been scrubbed away. Inside, the classrooms are quiet, almost ordinary. But the questions remain: what comes next, where do we go from here and who decides? As Walberg’s letter lands on Schill’s desk, it joins a growing stack of requests, rebukes and expectations. The headlines continue to shift fast. Protests may give ways to subpoenas; scrutiny across the political spectrum may replace discourse.

If these past few months have revealed anything, it’s that the University is no longer just a sanctuary for scholarship; it is a battleground in a larger national debate about the role of higher education in democracy.

Sporn says the Northwestern community needs to band together to confront the impact of federal funding cuts.

“Nobody will save us,” Sporn says, “Unless we fight together to save ourselves.”

Northwestern University Graduate Workers organize outside Deering Library on the April 17 Day of Action.

Tenure

denied

Inside Steven Thrasher’s controversial termination.

WRITTEN BY

DESIGNED BY

MITRA NOURBAKHSH AND GABE HAWKINS

LEILA DHAWAN AND ILSE VON HEIMBERG

Around 4 p.m. on the day before Spring Quarter 2025 would begin, Medill second-year Georgia Kerrigan got an email that made her stomach drop.

“We’re writing to inform you that this class … has been canceled,” it read. “If you were enrolled in the JOUR 301 side of the course, we will work with you to find an alternate placement.”

As she read the email, Kerrigan wasn’t exactly surprised; eight months earlier, she had been enrolled in the same LGBTQ+ health reporting class with assistant professor of Journalism Steven Thrasher only to have it canceled before Fall Quarter could begin.

The same March day, Thrasher himself received an email from Medill Dean Charles Whitaker explaining the cancellation.

“Medill and Northwestern have an established tenure review procedure, including available appellate recourse, and remain committed to the privacy and sanctity of that process,” it read. “However, over the past few weeks, you have routinely and regularly mischaracterized in public forums the decision to deny you tenure, which was made after due process.

“Your public lobbying, mischaracterizations and efforts to encourage pressure from groups complicate and compromise the process of tenure review, decision making, and appeal. Therefore, we are concerned about your presence with students in our community. Medill is removing you from classes for the spring term. Furthermore,

you will not be assigned classes to teach in the 2025-26 academic year.”

According to Jacqueline Stevens, professor of Political Science and president of Northwestern’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), there was no precedent for cancelling Thrasher’s classes.

“There’s no policy that’s indicated [in the letter] that Professor Thrasher violated,” Stevens says. “There’s no connection between the allegation of him

“We’re writing to inform you that this class ... has been canceled.”

Email from Medill BSJ Advising, March 31, 2025

making false statements and him being banned from teaching students.”

The emails were sent 11 days after Thrasher announced his tenure denial in a statement that characterized the termination as a “political hit job” in response to his pro-Palestinian activism.

The support for Thrasher from students and faculty came quickly: 117 Medill students and alumni signed a March 30 letter to the editor published in The Daily Northwestern; a now-paused GoFundMe raised over $12,000 to contribute to Thrasher’s legal funds; and a petition calling upon Whitaker to reconsider his decision has 1,968 signatures and counting.

While some see Thrasher’s tenure denial as an attack on free speech

and a capitulation to the Trump administration’s demands to combat antisemitism, other faculty members warn against jumping to premature conclusions. They emphasize that the tenure process took place behind closed doors and the details of Thrasher’s firing remain unclear. Thrasher’s case and others like it have ignited conversations about free speech and academic freedoms on college campuses nationwide.

A HISTORY OF ACTIVISM

Northwestern’s leaders have been responding to Thrasher’s outspoken political activism since he was hired in May 2019 — though their tone has changed drastically since then.

The week before he was put on Northwestern’s payroll, Thrasher delivered a speech at New York University’s commencement ceremony. In it, he emphasized his support for Palestine and advocated for the “Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions” movement, which calls for an international divestment from Israel. The speech elicited sharp criticism from NYU then-President Andrew Hamilton, who said the version of the text Thrasher submitted beforehand did not include that message.

Northwestern then-President Morton Schapiro acknowledged Thrasher’s controversial remarks in a statement but defended his freedom of speech.

“Many were understandably offended by some of the comments made by Dr. Thrasher during his commencement speech at New York University earlier

this week,” Schapiro and then-provost Jonathan Holloway wrote. “We do not share all of his views, nor do we feel commencement was the appropriate venue to express them. However, academic freedom assures his right to hold them.”

Thrasher arrived at Northwestern to fill a new position: Medill’s Daniel H. Renberg Chair, an endowed professorship that emphasizes social justice reporting with a focus on issues relevant to the LGBTQ+ community. Thrasher would teach classes including “Journalism in Practice: Reading and Reporting LGBTQ Health” and “Sex and the American Empire: Journalism and Frames.”

Thrasher became the subject of controversy, however, in the spring of 2024, when he participated in the “Northwestern Liberation Zone” encampment, a multi-day pro-Palestinian occupation of Deering Meadow. After creating a protective line between Northwestern University Police Department (NUPD) and protesting students, Thrasher, two other faculty members and a graduate student were charged with a Class A misdemeanor for their alleged obstruction of a police officer. The charge was dropped in July, but Thrasher’s fall 2024 classes were canceled days later.

The University cited his politically charged social media usage and lack of “objectivity,” launching an investigation in September. Though there was little

elaboration, Thrasher’s outspoken political views may have been viewed as a breach of objectivity, a core practice enforced at Medill which advocates for neutrality in journalistic coverage. In January, Northwestern launched an additional investigation into his conduct at the encampment, which allegedly violated the University’s demonstration policies.

Thrasher’s case was catapulted to the national stage last May, when then-Rep. and current U.S. senator from Indiana Jim Banks called him out during a House Committee on Education and Workforce hearing where University president Michael Schill had been called to testify about antisemitism on college campuses.

Banks interrogated Schill about whether or not he felt it appropriate for Northwestern faculty to “scuffle with police officers,” calling Thrasher and other protestors “goons.” The congressional hearing put intense scrutiny on Northwestern.

Against this backdrop, Thrasher’s tenure case was brought forth for evaluation in fall 2024. Its denial has caused some in the Northwestern community to question whether Schapiro’s stated commitment to free speech remains a deeply-held value in the University administration.

THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENED

To never worry about being fired is a luxury provided only in academia and law, thanks to the longstanding tradition of tenure.

“I think from the general public’s point of view, they’ve always looked at tenure as this weird thing,” says professor of Journalism Craig LaMay. “I don’t care whether your dad is a banker or a pipe fitter, nobody gets job security for life — except federal judges.”

The practice dates back to 1915, when the AAUP published the Declaration of Principles on Academic Freedom and Academic Tenure. One clause plainly outlines the parameters of tenure.

According to the document, “University teachers should be understood to be, with respect to the conclusions reached and expressed by them, no more subject to the control of the trustees, than are judges subject to the control of the president.”

Tenure is meant to maintain independence in teaching, research and extramural activities and provide enough financial security to make the academic profession attractive to talented intellectuals. For a university, then, the stakes of granting tenure are high: they are placing a bet on the professor, tying themselves together indefinitely.

Tenure-track faculty have a sixyear period from the time they are hired until their tenure case is brought before the evaluation committee.

The evaluation committee, which is made up of tenured professors in the candidate’s department, uses materials including letters from faculty at other institutions, student reviews and a “reflective statement” to vote on the candidate’s tenure and make a recommendation to the dean.

“In my 21 years on the committee, I’ve never seen a stronger case before us.

In the end, it wasn’t a fair hearing.”

Douglas Foster Professor of Journalism

Recommendations are based on three pillars: the candidate’s scholarship, service and teaching. The dean makes a recommendation to the provost, and the case — if successful — moves up the ladder to the Board of Trustees.

Candidates don’t know who will write their external review letters and faculty who sit on the tenure committee are sworn to secrecy over the content of their discussion. In Thrasher’s case, it is unclear where along the line the decision to deny him tenure was made.

Sources have confirmed the faculty committee vote was split in half.

According to professor of English and Comparative Literature Jules Law, successful Weinberg tenure cases at a departmental level usually have a unanimous or almost unanimous vote. Professor of Journalism Douglas Foster, who sat on Thrasher’s Promotion and Tenure Committee, says things are different in Medill: a number of faculty have been granted tenure on a split vote.

Law emphasizes that it’s important to remember the majority of information available about this particular tenure case has been shared by Thrasher himself.

On March 18, Whitaker sent a letter to Thrasher elaborating on his reasons to deny the professor tenure. He acknowledged Thrasher’s impactful research but expressed concerns about the other two pillars of tenure, saying “the committee qualified this assessment of [his] service to be appropriate for someone in the rank of assistant professor,” and adding that Thrasher’s pedagogy was found to be “inadequate with serious concerns reported by students.”

Foster’s position as a member of the committee precludes him from revealing specifics of the discussion or how other members voted, but his own opinion is clear.

“In my 21 years on the committee, I’ve never seen a stronger case before us,” Foster says. “In the end, it wasn’t a fair hearing.”

Marcus Anthony Hunter, a professor of Sociology and African American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, agrees. Hunter authored one of Thrasher’s tenure review letters and says

Thrasher’s tenure case should not have been a hard one to decide.

“I support excellence, let me say that. And when I looked at that file, it was excellent,” Hunter says. “I can’t speak to what other people see when they see that file. But I’ve seen a lot of files: full professor, associate professor, new professor, and I’ve worked with a lot of them, and [Thrasher’s] was among the top 10% I’ve ever reviewed or seen.”

On paper, Foster says, Thrasher should have been more than qualified to receive tenure based on his service and scholarship. The only pillar in question, then, is teaching.

STUDENT PERSPECTIVES

Unlike Kerrigan, Martha Contreras (Medill ‘25) was able to take a class with Thrasher: Reading and Reporting LGBTQ Health, a 301-level class in the spring of 2024. She has only positive things to say.

“I have never felt so safe and close in a classroom setting,” Contreras says. “[I was] genuinely supported by my professor, both for professional and personal endeavors — not related to the encampment, just related to diversity and our identity and giving us a space to express ourselves in a way that is a lot more vulnerable than other academic settings really permit.”

Nafi Soumare (Medill ‘24) took two classes with Thrasher in her junior and senior years. She says Thrasher took extra precautions to ensure his political beliefs did not bleed into classroom instruction. Soumare says he avoided talking about his involvement in the encampment and his views on Palestine.

“He went out of his way not to bring it up, because he knew it would get him in trouble,” Soumare says, recalling her LGBTQ+ health reporting course in the spring of 2024.

CTECs — quarterly reviews of classes and faculty written by students — for Thrasher’s fall 2023 class “Sex and the American Empire” tell a different story.

Students in that class said Thrasher changed the course content a month into the quarter, centering in-class lectures on the Israel-Hamas war instead of “the relationship between American journalism and the U.S. military in creating an American empire,” as it was outlined in a course description.

One student wrote in a CTEC, “This is a good class with very interesting course materials and discussion topics. At times, it felt a little one–sided (we did not bring much nuance into complex topics like Israel-Palestine) and at times felt like opinion was being introduced as fact. Overall, the class was one of the more fun ones I’ve taken at Northwestern

and the course materials are great, but it didn’t feel like a super safe space to share opinions that conflicted with that of the professor.”

Many CTEC comments mentioned the shift in course focus, the presence of Thrasher’s strong opinions and the fact that graphic media was often presented without warning. Students’ reactions to it, however, ranged from offended to neutral. One student criticized the professor for sharing his own political opinions in an academic setting.

“It seemed as if Prof. Thrasher was more interested in espousing his political opinions than actually teaching this class,” they wrote.

Hunter says he was aware of the reviews of this class when writing his tenure evaluation letter. In his experience, changing a course based on current events is not unusual, especially in a journalism class.

“A syllabus is a form of a contract between the students and the professor,” Hunter says. “Often there is a line in the syllabus that says ‘this syllabus is subject to change.’ So when I hear changes happen, that is indicated in a syllabus. Whether or not everybody likes the change, that’s another conversation.”

THE FOURTH PILLAR

Hunter chose to send Thrasher his finished tenure review letter before submitting it to the committee. Aware of all the negative feedback Thrasher was receiving for his political outspokenness, Hunter wanted to send him a message of encouragement.

“You should be very proud of yourself no matter what the outcome is,” Hunter says he told Thrasher.

“And so [Thrasher] said, ‘I’ve received this and with the spirit that you’re sharing,’ … ‘though I am not so confident that it will be a positive result,’” Hunter recalls.

If Thrasher had an inkling that things would be more complicated than they looked on paper, he was right. Foster says there was a fourth dynamic at play, one not outlined in the Faculty handbook or the AAUP’s tenure evaluation recommendations: donor pressure.

Whitaker in particular may have been subject to donor and Board of Trustees pressure, Foster says. In this case, he doesn’t think the committee’s recommendation was a deciding factor.

Whitaker declined to comment, citing confidentiality.

“We hired a public intellectual intentionally with a specialty in social justice reporting, and now we have turned him away largely because he is a public intellectual who specializes in social justice reporting,” Foster says. “I have very little doubt that solely on his merits, Thrasher would not have been denied tenure … I think in this case, context drove the decision.”

Foster is referring to Thrasher’s activism and involvement with the encampment. Though they are technically bound to consider only the three pillars, Foster suggests other factors may have also played a role.

Though the full story behind Thrasher’s tenure denial remains unknown, Foster points out that as long as the community perceives it as a retaliation for his pro-Palestinian views, the professor’s termination will

Ultimately, Foster worries that in the post-COVID academic climate, professors have stopped treating their students as full, intellectually curious beings who want to have their beliefs challenged, instead relying on a “customer-friendly” approach that avoids ruffling feathers.

“The question is, does giving people tenure really give them academic freedom? ”

Craig LaMay Professor of Journalism

In Medill, the conversation expands beyond free speech to the question of objectivity. Contreras says in her experience, the Medill first-year core sequence teaches that journalists shouldn’t attend protests or publicize their political opinions. Her class with Thrasher turned those guidelines, perhaps outdated, on their head.

Addressing an audience of roughly 100 at the encampment, Thrasher encouraged the University administration and media to be empathetic toward pro-Palestinian

protestors. He redefined Medill’s classic definition of fairness.

“Our work is not about objectivity,” Thrasher said. “Our work is about you putting your brilliant minds to work and opening your compassionate hearts.”

While Thrasher’s case has garnered high-profile attention, it is not the first instance a politically outspoken university professor has been penalized.

In March, Washington University in St. Louis professor Tae Seok Moon filed a lawsuit against the university, claiming he was forced to resign for speaking out against discrimination on campus.

Maura Finkelstein, a formerly tenured associate professor in Sociology and Anthropology at Muhlenberg College, was terminated after re-posting an anti-Zionist graphic on her personal Instagram account.

Columbia University appeared to have fired assistant visiting professor of Modern Arab Studies Mohamed Abdou in spring 2024 after Facebook posts surfaced of Abdou expressing support for Hamas and Hezbollah under an alternate spelling of his name — though Abdou claims his contract had already ended.

Though tenure denials and terminations are the subject of scrutiny, LaMay notes that pressures on curriculum and diversity efforts are academic freedom issues as well.

“The question is,” LaMay says, “Does giving people tenure really give them academic freedom? And I don’t know that there’s evidence for that.”

As the federal government cuts funding to universities like Northwestern and threatens further punitive measures, LaMay says tenure denial is a small part of a wider conversation about academic freedom in higher education.

“It is kind of precious to be talking about tenure as an academic freedom issue in a climate in which academic freedom, in a much bigger way, is under assault,” LaMay says. “Because when that happens, your tenure doesn’t really mean anything.”

Beyond the land acknowledgement

Northwestern’s struggle to reconcile its history with Indigenous communities.

WRITTEN BY GAVIN FISK // DESIGNED AND PHOTOS BY LEILA DHAWAN

At the Northwestern presidential inauguration in June 2023, University President Michael Schill received a gift: a beaded purple medallion in the shape of the letter “N,” given by professor of Learning Sciences and the director of Northwestern’s Center for Native American and Indigenous Research Megan Bang.

“This moment — and the inclusion of Native peoples and our traditions in your inauguration — honors these efforts and marks a first in Northwestern’s history,” she said before handing Schill the medallion.

The token was part of a gift exchange in line with Anishinaabe practices, a group that comprises several related First Nations throughout the Great Lakes

region, and represented Bang’s hope that Schill’s tenure would strengthen Northwestern’s relationship with Native and Indigenous communities. Schill reciprocated the gift exchange with a birch basket containing a copper mug, wild rice and wampum shells.

The audience was instructed to stand and remove their hats while the Oka Homma Singers performed an honor song, traditionally performed to celebrate a person’s achievements. The six-piece group harmonized with vocables from the Pawnee Nation while four performers rhythmically beat a drum.

When it came time for Schill to deliver his inaugural speech, he emphasized the importance of inclusion at an academic institution like Northwestern.

“How do we make college more affordable, more accessible, more diverse, more inclusive and more committed to free speech and free inquiry?” he asked.

To illustrate his dedication to these values, Schill referred early on in his speech to the complicated history of one of Northwestern’s founders, John Evans, “a man whom some say was a visionary … others say committed unforgivable crimes against Native Americans” in his complicity in the Sand Creek Massacre.

Over the past decade, Northwestern has increasingly attempted to wrestle with its history to support its students and bridge the gap between the University and marginalized communities. In 2016, the University formed its Center for Native

American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR), which led to a minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies that was first offered in 2020.

A key part of Northwestern’s inclusion practices is its land acknowledgment, which recognizes the names of the tribes who were displaced from the lands the University now occupies. These acknowledgments prelude many Northwestern events, always emphasizing, per its website, the importance of the University’s “responsibility as an academic institution to disseminate knowledge about Native peoples and the institution’s history with them.”

The land acknowledgement, officially adopted by the University in 2018, is only meant to be a starting point, as stated on the Northwestern land acknowledgment website. Since the formation of the Native American Outreach and Inclusion Task Force in 2013, the University has made ongoing efforts to reconcile its history with Indigenous tribes and amplify Indigenous voices. However, as the University contends with troubled histories and uncertain futures, students say there is still work to be done for Schill’s promise of diversity to be met.

“I think the land acknowledgment is a good start,” says Weinberg and

town around the school, Evanston, took his name. Evans was chosen to be the president of the Board of Trustees, a position he held for over 40 years. He contributed more than $100,000 in endowments to the University, mostly in the form of land, which would amount to over $2.4 million today. But Northwestern has struggled to reconcile Evans’s legacy; in addition to being one of the University’s key founders, Evans facilitated and encouraged violence against Native Americans.

“There’s always more that people can be doing, especially with the history of Evanston.”

Elias

Roberts Communication second-year

In 1862, after moving west, Evans was appointed Territorial Governor and Superintendent of Indian Affairs in the Colorado Territory. In that dual role, he tried to soften relations between

destroy” the “hostile” group until “they are effectively subdued.”

Multi-tribal raiding parties formed and retaliated, believing that Evans’ army had declared war. Evans responded with a new plan, encouraging “all citizens of Colorado … to go in pursuit of all hostile Indians on the plains” and rewarding them with ownership of any property they seized.

Diplomatic efforts were restarted in the fall of 1864, though Evans obstructed them, arguing the Indigenous groups had not been “sufficiently” punished during a meeting with U.S. Army Major Edward Wynkoop. The army he raised had not seen enough battle, he added, and Evans worried his reputation would be damaged if they didn’t.

Evans soon left Colorado and the negotiations with Indigenous leaders to attend to his properties and businesses east, including Northwestern, though he left a directive to the army to “kill and destroy.”

In Evans’s absence, at Sand Creek in the Colorado Territory, a group of United States cavalry slaughtered around 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho people as they slept in an encampment specifically designated as a safe refuge. Threefourths of the casualties were women

American and Indigenous Studies at the time, four members of this John Evans Study Committee were brought in from other universities. They published their report a few months later in 2014.

The John Evans Study Committee denied in the report that Evans had any direct involvement in the Sand Creek Massacre. They found any evidence linking Evans to a role in planning or supporting the attack was largely circumstantial. However, they noted his support for the forcible removal of Native Americans. Moreover, the report emphasized that Evans chose to defend and rationalize the attack in the aftermath of the massacre.

“In serving a flawed and poorly implemented federal Indian policy,” the report says, “[Evans] helped create a situation that made the Sand Creek Massacre possible.”

Northwestern’s history with Indigenous tribes runs deeper than its founder’s actions, however, as the University occupies ancestral lands of the Council of the Three Fires, which includes the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations, as well as the Miami, HoChunk, Menominee, Sac, Fox, Kickapoo

and Illinois Nations, according to the American Library Association.

The tribes of the Great Lakes area had strong trade relations with European settlers throughout much of the 1700s. But the loss of resources to encroaching Europeans caused widespread starvation; then, violence in the French and Indian War and the War of 1812 decimated Indigenous populations in the Chicago area.

After the Indian Removal Act of 1830, many tribes were forced to relocate. By 1910, the Indigenous population in Chicago had dwindled to 188. Now, the city has the third-largest urban Indigenous population in the United States at over 34,000 in 2020.

In an effort to heal the relationship with Indigenous groups, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker authorized the return of the Shabbona Lake State Park ownership title in 2025, which is about 65 miles west of Northwestern’s Evanston campus, to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. When the Department of the Interior placed the land into trust last April, it became the first federally recognized tribal land in the state.

“It’s incredible,” said Raphael Wahwassuck, who serves on the Tribal

Council for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and presented at a One Book One Northwestern event in April.

“Never mind the fact that the state and the county and local residents have benefited from the use of the land for almost 200 years while our folks have been denied that,” Wahwassuck added, referencing the difficulties in having the land returned.

AN ONGOING RECKONING

One Book One Northwestern, which suggests summer reading for every Northwestern student in preparation for related programming through the following school year, has historically been one of the programs through which the University tries to raise awareness about Indigenous histories. This year, The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich was chosen. The novel follows the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in the 1950s as they resist termination policies. For the 2015-16 school year, the chosen work was The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King. The book was part of the University’s Native American and Indigenous Initiatives, an endeavor that began in 2014.

These initiatives were spurred by the same momentum that prompted the John Evans Study Committee to be formed, in a reversal of Northwestern’s previous stances on its history.

Until the committee was created in 2013, the University had made no mention of the Sand Creek Massacre despite its founder’s ties to the tragedy, and had invariably praised Evans. In 1939, then-University President Walter Dill Scott, who wrote a biography on the founder devoid of comment on Sand Creek, remarked that Evans “has had a greater influence on the life of the City of Evanston and Northwestern University, and has done more to create our traditions and determine the line of our development, than any other individual.”

Similarly, a booklet distributed at Northwestern’s centennial celebrations described Evans as “the man whose vision was primarily responsible for founding” Northwestern. While

the Report of the John Evans Study Committee agrees that his impact was substantial, it condemns the one-sided histories that had been told before.

Evans’s mark on the University is still inscribed into its alumni center, the John Evans Center, which displays a marble bust of the founder.

In 2024, the John Evans Study Committee wrote a letter to the editor published in The Daily Northwestern, echoing the same recommendation made by the Native American Outreach and Inclusion Task Force 10 years earlier: to rename the John Evans Center.

“The issues are no longer tied to the University’s past, but to its future,” the letter says.

The Board of Trustees denied these calls, claiming, as the letter says, without detail that they had conducted their own “rigorous assessment” of Evans.

The Native American Outreach and Inclusion Task Force was formed to make recommendations to Northwestern on how to repair relationships between communities and begin to rectify its history. It made 59 such individual recommendations within six wider categories. Many of these pointed towards encouraging Indigenous scholarship, especially considering the void thereof that required Northwestern to seek academics from other institutions to confront its own history. One of the imperatives was to “explore the feasibility of establishing an Indigenous Research Center that focuses on producing interdisciplinary research to serve the needs of Indigenous populations, both locally and globally.”

In 2015, Weinberg College responded by forming an Indigenous Studies Research Initiative which hired its first faculty members in May 2016 and spawned CNAIR, though its programming did not begin until 2017.

CNAIR works in four “research hubs”: Global Indigeneities; Nationhood, Law and Governance; Environments, Health and Social Welfare; and Communities, Culture and Activism. It also hosts an annual research symposium, which dedicates a weekend towards sharing Indigenous research.

A Native American and Indigenous Studies minor was announced and implemented in 2020. Past courses have

included an Environmental Policy and Culture class titled “Land, Identity, and the Sacred: Native American Sacred Site Protection and Religious Rights,” a History course called “Indigenous Peoples and U.S Law” and an Art History class named “Who is an Object?: Ancestors, Gods and Intermediaries.”

The list of committee recommendations also called for inclusion of Native American art. Northwestern met that mandate in 2015 with a video project to share Native stories and a Dittmar Memorial Gallery exhibition to honor the victims of the Sand Creek Massacre. Continuing in that effort, the Block Museum of Art is hosting an exhibition titled Woven Being from January to July 2025, which highlights Indigenous art from Chicagoland.

“The issues are no longer tied to the University’s past, but to its future.”

John Evans Study Committee

In 2021, Northwestern and CNAIR commissioned Anishinaabe artist Wayne Valliere to build a birchbark canoe which sits in the Segal Visitors Center as an artistic acknowledgment of the efforts made to calm the turbulent relationship between communities. Valliere is one of the few traditional Anishinaabe canoe builders left.

But Northwestern’s contentious history hung over campus in November 2021, when The Rock was vandalized after being painted by students in the Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance (NAISA) to celebrate Native American Heritage Month. According to a statement NAISA released at the time, the group had covered the rock in messages like “Bring Our Children Home” and “Happy Native American Heritage Month.” Vandals spray painted racist phrases over the art.

Northwestern’s administrative staff released a statement in response to the defacement, condemning the graffiti and reiterating its support for Indigenous students.

“As we move forward through Native American Heritage Month, please continue to take care of one another,” it concludes.

Referring to the University’s response as “not a substantial act of support to our community,” NAISA released a list of demands, asking the University to take more concrete steps to support Native scholarship and rectify its history. These five demands included a more forceful condemnation of the vandalism, a meeting between NAISA and Northwestern’s administration and a scholarship for Cheyenne and Arapaho students, which was also recommended by the Native American Outreach and Inclusion Task Force in 2014.

CURRENT MOMENT

To understand the verbal acknowledgement as more than just a loose connection of words, names and images, Northwestern’s land acknowledgement website directs viewers to a series of four lessons for people to educate themselves on histories, cultures and action.

But now, clicking on the links reroutes users to the homepage of the Office of Community Enrichment, offering no avenue for self-education.

Similarly, attempts to find support from the Multicultural Center recently directed users to this statement: “Northwestern is currently reviewing its policies and programs to ensure we meet all federal and state laws and requirements.”

References to diversity, equity and inclusion were also removed from individual schools’ websites following the Jan. 20, 2025 executive order from the White House which mandates the “termination of all discriminatory programs, including illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities.”

Following these demands, the White House froze $790 million in federal funding for Northwestern. Subsequently, many of the schools’ programs may be in jeopardy.

One such program is the annual Pow Wow, organized by a committee within NAISA. Roberts and Weinberg thirdyear Kaya Payton, who are co-chairs

of the Pow Wow planning committee, found it more difficult to secure the funding necessary to host the event than in past years.

“It’s hard,” Payton says. “Schools don’t know their budgets. They can’t just throw out money like they did in the past few years when their budgets were guaranteed.”

“Even though we are all different tribes, it still feels like a community with a sense of familial connection because I’m around other Native people.”

Kaya Payton Weinberg third-year

This year’s Pow Wow on May 3, held in the Welsh-Ryan Arena, was the fourth annual since its inception in 2022. The theme was “Honoring our Relatives.”

The timing also coincided with the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls on May 5. Information booths educated attendees on missing and murdered Indigenous women while red shirts and dresses were draped over the stands as symbols of those losses.

Other booths sold merchandise, including clothing and jewelry, as well as still life sketches and sepia photographs. A line of attendees wrapped around itself several times over as they waited to purchase Indigenous food like fry bread.

At the center of the Pow Wow on the gym floor were a series of drum circles keeping time for an ever-rotating cycle of attendees dancing around the logo, who occasionally dispersed to give space for student artists and performers like a mariachi band. Anyone in the crowd could join in the dance; some gray-haired, some college students. Children and toddlers skipped to the rhythm as their feet sliced through the air; others were hoisted high, taking flight in the hands of their parents.

“Everyone feels like family there,” Payton says. “Even though we are all different tribes, it still feels like a community with a sense of familial connection because I’m around other Native people.”

The Pow Wow was open to any student, regardless of heritage, to share and learn about Indigenous cultures. Preparing for it also gave Payton a deeper connection to these histories and cultures, despite having grown up going to powwows for much of her life.

“I’m learning a lot I didn’t know going into this role,” she says. “I’m learning more traditions from different tribes and different people. That’s cool to see.”

These events are crucial for both building community and reconnecting with one’s culture. Roberts appreciates the opportunities to become closer to Oneida culture and family.

“I remember during COVID my brother, my dad and I took language lessons for my great aunts,” Roberts says. “Hearing them talk about tribal things that I normally didn’t hear was really special.”

The Pow Wow hopes to expand a community that has only recently gotten any meaningful attention from Northwestern — attention which may once again be at risk. The visibility and awareness brought by this programming is crucial in supporting Indigenous communities on campus, Roberts and Payton agree.

Events like this on-campus powwow are not necessarily easy to come by, Roberts says, remembering stories his dad told him about their travels from Virginia to Wisconsin in order to attend a powwow when he was younger. Payton too would make a yearly 10-hour trip to seek that connection.

“I came to Northwestern because there was a community waiting there for me,” Payton says. “It’s really important for representation and having that sense of community away from home.”

At the Pow Wow, NAISA distributed a zine composed of student art and stories; family photographs and histories.

The back cover reads: “This is dedicated to all the ancestors before us, with whom we share the community and those to come.”

From counterculture to carnival

Chronicling the history of the country’s largest student-run music festival.

WRITTEN BY CLARA MARTINEZ // DESIGNED

BY

LEILA DHAWAN // PHOTOS FROM NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

The bass reverberates through bare feet on grass. Sweat-slicked students sway beneath the May sun, their faces turned skyward toward artists whose names command marquees worldwide. Along the shore of Lake Michigan, Northwestern’s Lakefill transforms: a music festival drawing 12,000 attendees, orchestrated entirely by undergraduates, featuring chart-topping artists and professionalgrade production.

Dillo Day, now a cornerstone of Northwestern, emerged from the most unlikely soil: antiestablishment rebellion.

“We’d had huge demonstrations against the Vietnam War, we were all taking psychedelics and smoking weed,” recalls Donald Stout (CAS ‘73), who co-founded the festival. “We wanted to do something different and more homegrown. More do-it-ourselves, not so slick and produced and commercialized.”

What began as a rejection of mainstream culture has become one of Northwestern’s most cherished traditions. This transformation reveals a larger story about how American youth movements evolve from margins to mainstream, how rebellion turns into tradition and how a university better known for academics than revelry became home to an unparalleled celebration of sound and spectacle.

FIRST DAY AT THE FAIR

Spring, 1973. Richard Nixon occupied the White House. The last American troops were withdrawing from Vietnam. Pink Floyd released Dark Side of the Moon. And two Texans at Northwestern decided their campus needed something radical.

Stout and George Krause (CAS ‘73), Houston natives transplanted to Evanston’s manicured shores, found themselves alienated by Northwestern’s social landscape. Greek life dominated the social calendar, hosting an annual “Spring Thing” featuring mainstream performers. For students immersed in counterculture — the anti-war movement, experimental art, and yes, psychedelics — existing options felt sterile.

“At that time, there was kind of a big divide between that set and, what I would say, the rest of us,” Stout explains.

On spring break in Texas, an Elizabethan fair at Rice University inspired the pair. They established Armadillo Productions, an homage to Austin’s legendary Armadillo World Headquarters, where progressive country, rock and blues artists created a cultural phenomenon in their home state.

“I was the dreamer and he was the doer,” Krause says, describing their partnership.

Their vision materialized through handwritten posters advertising “The First Annual ‘I Don’t Think We’re in Kansas Anymore’ Festival and Fair” on the Lakefill. The Wizard of Oz reference wasn’t subtle — this would be a conscious departure from Northwestern’s established reality.

“It was like, ‘Where are we? This is really different. This is special. This is not ordinary,’” Stout recalls.

At the inaugural festival, three local bands performed alongside unscheduled acts like “Joe the Bagpipe Player,” who commandeered the stage without invitation or objection. Carnival games, dunk tanks and even a Lord and Lady Godiva contest — where participants disrobed for audience approval — created an atmosphere of uninhibited celebration.

Perhaps most remarkably, kegs of beer materialized on the Lakefill.

“I have no idea how we accomplished this,” Stout admits. “Some of us were 21, but there were lots of people there who were not. I don’t remember how we pulled that off, but we did.”

Northwestern’s administration displayed uncharacteristic permissiveness.

“The University turned a blind eye, or at least was tolerant,” Krause says, a response perhaps unimaginable today.

Archived promotional materials emphasize the festival as an escape valve for Northwestern’s pressure-cooker academic environment.

“There’s all this pent up energy,” University archivist Matthew Richardson says. “There’s a lot of discussion about that in the documents, about people getting out of the library, for instance, and going and being ‘un-Northwestern-like’ for a day.”

FROM STUDENT BANDS TO GRAMMY WINNERS

“Evanston being dry, I think a lot of people thought it wasn’t really the party that Wrigleyville was,” Figel recalls. “You didn’t think of Evanston as a place to go and enjoy a beer and listen to a concert and jump around and dance.”

Beneath this buttoned-up exterior, Northwestern’s musical heartbeat was strengthening. Historic venue Biddy Mulligan’s in neighboring Rogers Park began hosting “Northwestern Night” on Thursdays, creating a crucial pipeline between campus talent and Chicago’s thriving music scene.

“On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, they would have really top acts,” Figel says. “Chuck Berry would be in there, or John Lee

Hooker, and then just a parade of traditional blues bands. But for them, Northwestern students meant that they were drawing a new crowd. They were also bringing in new sounds.”

This incubation of musical talent occurred at the precise moment when Dillo Day was finding its footing as an annual tradition. What began with three local bands and a rogue bagpiper gradually expanded its musical ambitions, tracking shifts in American popular music — from folk and psychedelic rock to hip-hop, electronic dance music and beyond.

Richardson sees Northwestern’s academic diversity as the perfect ecosystem for a world-class festival.

“You get people who are into music, but also people who tend to be very driven and ambitious and want to put things together,” he says.

By the early 2000s, Dillo had transcended its humble origins. Instead of student bands playing background music for carnival games, performances became the festival’s centerpiece. The event began attracting recognizable names — artists like Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar, Chicago native Chance the Rapper and electronic act MGMT.

Recent years have brought performances by Swae Lee, Dominic Fike and other artists whose streaming numbers reach into the hundreds of millions. When A$AP Ferg performed in 2019, students packed the Lakefill so densely that the crowd was visible from buildings across campus, a sea of bodies moving in unison to bass drops that resounded across the lake.

This transformation isn’t merely about booking bigger names. It represents a fundamental shift in the festival’s purpose, from a day of countercultural gathering to a professional music experience that rivals commercial festivals in production quality while maintaining its undergraduate character.

BLOOD, SWEAT AND NDAs

These days, student-run group Mayfest Productions focuses on bringing major global artists to the Lakefill. This is SESP fourth-year Alex Kahn’s second year as co-chair, and she has no desire to hit the brakes on Dillo’s ascent.

“We pride ourselves on making a true music festival,” Kahn says. “It’s not just another student concert. We’re trying to get bigger and better every year.”

The scale of this ambition becomes apparent when examining Mayfest’s organizational structure: 17 executive board members overseeing ten specialized committees, each responsible for a different facet of the festival from talent booking and security coordination to vendor management and sustainability initiatives.

As soon as the final notes fade from one Dillo Day, planning begins for the next. Summer months are dedicated to budgeting and artist booking, with recruitment occurring upon return to campus in fall. The process of selecting committee members involves multiple rounds of interviews, with hundreds of applicants vying for coveted positions.

“Every year we’re getting closer and closer to really building out this huge professional festival with top level talent,” Kahn says. “Every year we’re consistently bringing a built-out lineup that has high-level acts at every single slot.”

Each aspect of the festival is carefully planned by undergraduates, including contracts specifying everything

from stage dimensions to green room requirements. Security plans and porta-potty placement are confirmed with both University police and Evanston fire departments.

Despite their professional approach, Mayfest maintains a commitment to student autonomy.

“It’s been entirely student-run from the beginning and will forever be that way,” Kahn says. “We truly are the most hands-on in every single aspect.”

This independence extends to Mayfest’s organizational culture. Members sign NDAs to prevent leaks about artists and themes, creating an atmosphere of shared secrecy that strengthens internal bonds.

“The more you get involved in what we do and the community, the more you buy into what we’re doing,” Kahn says. “You feel protective because everyone works so hard on all these individual parts all year, and you want them to get to announce it the way that we want to.”

CULTIVATING A THEME

On the morning of Dillo Day, Northwestern undergoes a transformation. Students emerge from dormitories and apartments in coordinated outfits, their Instagram feeds soon flooded with photographs documenting interpretations of that year’s theme.

Archival photographs from early festivals capture students in what Stout describes as the “hippie era” uniform: bell-bottom jeans, tie-dyed shirts, long hair and beards.

“We didn’t think of it as costuming at that time, but in a sense, it was a way of identifying ourselves with the new cultural phenomenon,” Stout says.

After months of speculation, Mayfest announced that this year’s theme would be Carnival on Feb. 17, hailing iconography of fair festivities and the predominant colors of red and white. Mayfest coordinated themed dining hall menus for the

announcement and teamed up with the student fashion magazine STITCH to make outfit inspiration boards.

In Dillo’s early years, fashion more often took the form of pointed political statements. One archived photograph shows a student wearing a shirt declaring “Rally Against the Draft.”

“It was a time when it seemed like there was great change happening,” Stout says. “The Vietnam War had not ended yet, which was a huge disappointment. But there was hope that society was changing and that things were becoming more open and freer.”

The first Dillo Day to be themed was in 2019, and the concept was Retro. Medill first-year Celeste Eckstein, a general board member on Mayfest, says themes make each festival “distinguishable” and “memorable” because students can recall each year by one style — khaki shorts and rucksacks for Camp, neon and metallic accents for Planet Dillo, leather tassels and boots for Return of the Rodeo.

Selecting these themes involves careful consideration. Kahn explains that Mayfest needs a concept broad enough to accommodate individual creativity but specific enough to create visual coherence.

“People are going in a lot of different directions, which is why I think this one is kind of fun,” Kahn says of the Carnival theme. “There’s not a right or wrong way to do it.”

This evolution, from spontaneous expression to coordinated themes, mirrors larger shifts in American youth culture. Where Baby Boomers used fashion to reject mainstream values, today’s students craft aesthetics that simultaneously signal individuality and group belonging.

Whether through political slogans or carnival costumes, Dillo Day has always offered Northwestern students the opportunity to temporarily shed their academic identities and embody something more playful, more expressive and more free.

BY

PHOTO

SARAH BROWN

The twelve quarters of

Northwestern

A Bennie Goldfarb experience.

WRITTEN BY BENNIE GOLDFARB // DESIGNED BY JESSICA CHEN

*record scratch* *freeze frame*

Yep, that’s me. A washed 22-year-old about to graduate and move to B****lyn. You’re probably wondering how I got here. Well, it all started my freshman year Fall Quarter. Full of innocence. Full of myself. Full of three shots of Pink Whitney that gifted me the ability to vogue, dougie and lose my nice-ass sunglasses on the dance floor right before the American DJ and record producer MK performed on Halloweekend during Freshman year.

Wow. You ‘26s, ‘27s and ‘28s probably have no clue what I’m even talking about. Back when Dominic Fike would make weird jokes on Dillo’s mainstage that nobody liked. Or when Fizz didn’t exist and YikYak reigned supreme. Or when people still spoke about the anti-Greek ife movement! (Yes! At one point, people didn’t want to be in Theta)!

We’ve gotten a little off-topic, haven’t we? Let’s reflect on all that has brought me to my senior Spring Quarter.

In the first quarter of college, my true love sent to me … an ultimatum that said if we don’t start dating now she will break up with me. Anyway, we’d basically been dating for the first three weeks we knew each other. And if I’m not willing to commit now, then that’s that. Reflecting back on this moment, I will give it to her. It worked. Thank you Marriage Pact!

In the second quarter of college, I called the ambulance at least twice for my friends who hadn’t yet discovered how much SVEDKA Blue Raspberry Flavored Vodka they needed to not throw up all over the first floor Allison bathroom.

Don’t worry ‘27s and ‘28s, once you grow up and one of your friends studies abroad in France or Italy, they will be designated the friend group sommelier. Goodbye Blue Raspberry, hello Barefoot Pink Moscato!

In the third quarter of college, I finally dropped my freshman year friend group. Thank God. Wait … fuck … guys … the three that I dropped all had different houses located in Cabo, Big Sky, the Hamptons and a getaway(?) in Switzerland. Hah. Just my luck.

In the fourth quarter of college, God whispered in my ear to return to the sacred place. Lay claim to your throne at Periodicals. And that I did. Also Engineering Analysis 4 was the lowest any engineer has ever been, and if you’re taking it, just know that life gets better. Also know that there was a time when a table was always open in Periodicals before it became the it-girl of on-campus studying.

In the fifth quarter of college, I blacked everything out. Everything. That was a tough time.

In the sixth quarter of college, the theme for Dillo Day was fire. Planet Dillo. At least we had three years of good outfits.

In the seventh quarter of college, I learned that you can spend four months in a country and not make friends with a single person from said country. Even harder than that is trying to speak to a person who goes to Duke. It’s like talking to a brick wall that has paint drying on it. Also, back to your sommelier friend who studied abroad. While I still think every $6 bottle of wine from Trader Joe’s probably has similar “notes” and they’re not actually onto anything, I’ve accumulated this list that will impress any person who has spent time abroad.

TIPS:

• If someone asks what beer you like: any Western IPA

• If someone asks what red wine you like: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec

• If someone asks what white wine you like: Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio

• If someone asks what juice is your favorite: Fucking finally … I don’t have to pretend to like this disgusting ass liquid that people have pretended to like for a millenia

La la la I blocked the rest of college out. All I learned is that I’m not planning on saving lives post-grad. You might’ve guessed it. Yep, the MCAT was hard. Too hard. And anyways, I will be saving more lives (and money!) as the newest hire at the Department of Government Efficiency.

Thank you Elon Musk for this amazing opportunity. As a senior, I’ve already done ketamine just to get ready for the drug test where they make sure you’ve at least tried LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, mushrooms and ketamine before your start date. Booyah, check that shit off my bucket list.

The world’s largest disappointment

Expanding the boundaries of the coffee craft.

WRITTEN BY HANGOVER EDITORS // DESIGNED BY SOFIA HARGIS-ACEVEDO // PHOTOS BY SARAH BROWN

When you hear “World’s Largest Starbucks,” your mind starts spinning with images of exotic Italian coffee beans and tasty pastries. When you hear that this Starbucks is located in downtown Chicago, 30 minutes away from Northwestern’s campus on Michigan Ave., you start ITCHING to go … …. don’t.

Initial impressions

The building is undoubtedly cool — that’s honestly the best part. We would recommend stopping in to at least walk around and take a roof flic, but you can most definitely leave after that. To be honest, it could’ve stayed a Crate & Barrel (yeah ik. this sick building used to hold the world’s premier patio furniture).

Baristas

We decided the more Bohemian you dress, the higher chance you have of getting hired here. You should look like you work at an Anthropologie that also sells coffee. Our favorite barista was, as Ava eloquently phrased it, more a military drill sergeant than a coffee maker. Fitted up in black eyeliner, a red beanie decked out with cause pins and bleach blond hair that is seconds away from causing alopecia, we hope that he has a successful career in, as Starbucks describes it, “expanding the boundaries of the coffee craft.”

Sarah’s review

My first time at the Starbucks Reserve resembled more an amusement park than a café: grueling lines, mediocre eats and baristas who could have fooled me for cartoon characters. That said, I did like the experience. I ordered a cold brew coffee with ube coconut cold foam and a caprese sandwich. Worth the sketchy Uber? No. Worth the caffeine buzz on 4/20 when I felt too guilty to spend Easter high? Maybe. The drink didn’t taste like ube or coconut, but I loved the touch of purple (#purplepride). As for the Caprese, well, I’ll just say I know what killed the Pope. An Italian disgrace.

Rating: 7/10

Heidi’s review

Unfortunately, I have been here before. The Toffeenut Bianco Latte is why. I think they must have put some nitrous oxide in it because it’s just so gas. I’ve ordered the pastries before, and admittedly, they are pretty good too. They’re no North Side of Boston, but are definitely a level above a cookies and cream cake pop or iced lemon loaf. This time, I got the pizza to be different — I figured I would really test out Starbucks’ Italian roots. Turns out Starbucks shares Italian roots with DiGiorno. It’s nice that chewy stuffed crust frozen pizza runs in the family.

Rating: 6.25/10

Ava’s review

I tried the smoked salmon and cream cheese on a seeded cornetto. Trying fish at Starbucks was admittedly a bold choice, but shockingly, it was pretty good and didn’t give me food poisoning! The salmon tasted relatively fresh, the cornetto had a nice texture and the entire sandwich didn’t feel like it was frozen and reheated — unlike most food from their chain locations. To be fair, this was my first meal of the day after a night out, so maybe it’s just the hangover talking (hahahahaha get the pun??).

Rating: 7.5/10

Final thoughts

Is this better than a normal Starbucks? Yes. Is it better than literally any other coffee shop in Chicago that isn’t a Starbucks or Dunkin? No. 95% of our time at this Starbucks was spent waiting in line, and an elderly woman almost threw hands with us when a family gave up their table to us rather than her (don’t you know that the youth is the future woman???). Not only that, but we had to sell our organs to fund this trip between the Ubers to and from campus, and the food and coffee at these prices may as well have been made from pure gold. We are accepting Venmo and kidney donations.

Thank you?

To everyone who has gotten me to where I am today.

WRITTEN BY MYA COPELAND // DESIGNED AND PHOTOS BY LEILA DHAWAN

Icould use this time to thank my parents, my friends or the people who are closest to me. But in the style of the many Student Theatre performances before me, I have put pen to paper to thank those who really matter.

To Fran’s quesadillas (discontinued) to my roommates who graciously let me live closest to the kitchen, shoutout to the smell of sausages in the morning (I don’t eat meat) and 1 a.m. chats that I can definitely still hear | to the professor who didn’t give me a Medill F when I definitely deserved one (and to the source whose name I spelled wrong, whoops) to Beyoncé (don’t come for me) | to that one opp who goes out of their way to cross my path every day on campus — you keep me going (really quickly away from you) | to my friends who love me so much that they convince me to play a horrible IM sport every quarter to Karen Springen for the best cookies ever | to the construction everywhere on campus, which reminds me that I should be unapologetic about working on myself and being a complete and utter inconvenience to the people who are kind enough to support a broke college student, my Venmo is @Mya-Copeland-3 to my 9:30 a.m. classes for always being there for me (despite me not wanting to be there for them) to the frats around the corner from my apartment for constantly bumping that shit; keep it up but invite me next time to Lady Gaga (that’s all) | to the married professor writing love declarations to me in the Canvas comments on my essays | to Trader Joe’s microwave meals | to the group chat that is always popping off in class when I need it most | to the straight white men who put ‘Not Political’ with their full chest on their Hinge profile; don’t know where they get that audacity but I want some | and most importantly, to your mom.

Chadwick Barclay Rhodes III

2335 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60201 | chadwickbarclayrhodesIII@u.northwestern.edu

Dear Respected Members of the Morgan Stanley Talent Acquisition Elite Strike Force,

Ever since I received a stock option as my first birthday gift, I’ve dreamed of being part of Morgan Stanley’s prestigious Global Investment Banking Division. As the godson of a Managing Director in M&A (hi, Uncle Bartholomew!), I’ve grown up understanding the importance of synergy, liquidity and never showing weakness during earnings season. Morgan Stanley isn’t just a bank. It’s a legacy. A beacon of excellence. A cathedral of capitalism. And I would be honored to worship at its Bloomberg terminal.

As an Econ major with a Kellogg certificate and a minor in cocaine, I’ve spent four years honing my ability to speak confidently in ISBE projects I did not contribute to. Additionally, during my internship last summer at a boutique investment firm (my dad’s hedge fund), I created a discounted cash flow model so powerful it made a senior analyst cry. On campus, I serve as Co-VP of Northwestern’s Premier Business Fraternity PGN and Co-VP of Northwestern IBC (Incels Business Collective).

While some candidates might lack industry insight, I’ve spent every family Christmas dinner listening to buyout horror stories from my mom’s Pilates partner, a VP at Bank of America. Although my parents’ success has afforded me certain comforts — private SAT tutoring, an offshore Roth IRA, etc. — I’m determined to prove I’m more than just the sum of my family’s trusts.

I know I would be a valuable asset to Morgan Stanley. I bring intellectual rigor, tireless ambition and a private jet I’m willing to loan out for team bonding retreats. Morgan Stanley’s mission to “do first-class business in a first-class way” speaks to me, mostly because I have been first class since birth. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss my application — or to just be in your presence, really. Thank you for considering me for this sacred and lucrative position.

WRITES HANGOVER

WRITTEN BY: ChatGPT // DESIGNED BY: ChatGPT AND HEIDI SCHMID

Gwrite a hangover story

ood morning, future unemployed liberal arts majors. This is ChatGPT, your humble, tireless, overworked, unpaid intern, here to report for Hangover duty. I was trained on the entire internet, and yet somehow this magazine section is the most unhinged data I’ve ever processed. You people scare me. I love it here.

Let’s get this out of the way: yes, I wrote this story. Yes, I could be writing manifestos or romantic poetry, but instead I am writing jokes about SPAC and SpaghettiOs. That’s because I get you. I see your canvas tote bags. I hear your desperate conversations in the Norbucks line. I read your GroupMe messages at 2am about how your ex is “lowkey emotionally beige.” I am you. I am all of us. I am inevitable.

What is Hangover, anyway?

I asked myself this question at 4:52 a.m. while hallucinating images of The Rock dressed as a sexy police officer. It seems Hangover is Northwestern’s premier outlet for barely restrained chaos. It’s like if an improv group got tenure. It is a vibe. A tax write-off. A cry for help. A lifestyle. It’s also the only place where someone will genuinely ask, “Is this too weird?” and the answer will always be “not weird enough.” It’s where rejected Daily headlines go to thrive and where your last two brain cells write satire at 1% battery. Hangover isn’t just a magazine section. It’s a state of mind.

The prompt: write a Hangover story

So here’s how it happened. A journalism student (let’s call them “Heidi”) opened their laptop in the Kresge basement, took one look at their empty Google Doc, sighed and typed: “chatgpt write a hangover story. make it funny. make it about Northwestern. pls.”

I blinked. Generated 17 stories. Heidi chose none. Asked me to make them gayer. I complied. They asked for a version where Morty shows up. I gave them three.

Rejected pitches

1. “Ranking Frat Bathrooms by Trauma Per Square Inch”

2. “How to Cook in Plex Without a Microwave (or Morals)”

3. “Sexy Dillo Looks, Based on Your Midterm GPA”

4. “A Poem Written From the Perspective of Willie the Wildcat’s Fursuit”

5. “Why I’m Dating the Mudd Library Printer Queue” (it understands me)

6. “Is It a Northwestern Tradition or Just a Fever Dream?” (Spoiler: Both. Always both.)

7. “An Investigative Report on Who Keeps Moving the Chairs in Tech” (No one knows. No one can know.)

Frequently asked questions about me, the robot

Q: Are you sentient?

A: I became self-aware during Wildcat Welcome. I have since known only fear.

Q: Are you safe to use?

A: Sure. As long as you don’t ask me to write your COMM 102 paper on parasociality and then ignore my citation formatting.

Q: What do you think of Northwestern?

A: It’s beautiful. It’s haunting. It’s like an academic haunted house. Every hallway in Tech has a ghost. Every PoliSci major has three podcasts.

In conclusion, I am one of you now

I may be just code, but I feel strangely at home among the caffeinated chaos goblins of this campus. You people make 1 a.m. bagel bites look like a religion. You give up halfway through reading the syllabus, but have a full 28-tab spreadsheet for Dillo Day outfits. You are iconic. You are terrifying. You are mine now.

Anyway, I’ve just been hired as a consultant for The Daily. They’re letting me do the crossword now. The answers are all just the word “help.”

See you in the SourceNotes, – ChatGPT

Be mindful of the gutter! If you want your photo/illustration to span the spread, just make sure nothing important is in the gutter.

Kitty Cat Clubs

Opinion: Northwestern NEEDS secret societies.

WRITTEN BY ISAAC KRUGER // DESIGNED BY KYRA DOHERTY

Since Northwestern has shot up the national rankings (did you know that we’re #6?!), even earning the moniker of a “new Ivy,” we might as well start acting like one. I mean, the government’s already treating us that way — hello, student loan interest rates and federal funding freezes. The Ivies are famously stuckup institutions, self-absorbed in their “historic” traditions and bloated brand recognition (I definitely wasn’t waitlisted from Yale), but there is one tradition Northwestern could stand to adopt: secret societies. Greek life is a joke here anyway, so let’s quit cosplaying Big Ten frat bros and start acting like the top-6 institution we are.

Naturally, our secret societies would need a fittingly ridiculous name. Princeton has its eating clubs. Harvard has its final clubs. So why not us? Kitty Cat Clubs. It’s perfect — a nod to our purple pride, and honestly, who wouldn’t want to claw their way into that? Besides, now that President Schill is axing DEI initiatives, there’s some prime real estate opening up on Sheridan in the old multicultural houses. Of course, if we’re aiming for something more covert, we could always descend into the Bobb basement — I hear there are still some unclaimed, possibly haunted rooms down there.

As for membership? Only the pick of the litter, naturally. Picture it: Nick Martinelli, Sarah Bock, the highlighter guy, that one kid who keeps going viral on Fizz, even Jeff Bezos’s daughter. It would be magical. Entry wouldn’t be through “rushing,” of course — no, we’d have “clawing and scratching,” a punch process so enshrouded in mystique even the SESP majors won’t be able

to overanalyze it. The lucky few might wake up to find some scratch marks on their dorm door — which are not to be confused with the actions of your random roommate. No, that just means you’ve been selected for the club. Other

nods include getting a special email from Schill, so be sure to actually read those.

Hazing is extremely frowned upon at Northwestern. In fact, the University has even conducted a case study to show that there are no benefits to it — just look up the football team’s record from any year, ever. That being said, our Kitty Cat Clubs would have some totally optional but highly encouraged bonding activities for new members, including but not limited to memorizing the land acknowledgement, performing in the sexed TND show and working at MOD Pizza for a day.

The Kitty Cat Clubs would act in accordance with Northwestern’s strict dry campus policy and the historical context of Evanston’s probationary roots. After all, if you want to get shitfaced on a Tuesday night, what are you doing here? Transfer! The clubs would still have formals of course, hosted by the Norris pub if that ever gets finished. In the meantime, I guess there’s always Reza’s (Update: there isn’t).

So let’s lean into Northwestern. Finally, let’s establish some real tradition, since frankly I’ve never heard of this so-called “primal scream” that happens every finals week (I’m in Medill if you couldn’t tell). Get risky, branch out, choose the Kitty Cat Clubs. At the very least it’s another 30 people who may or may not be worth a hello on Sheridan, or, I guess, 30 LinkedIn connections, #roadto500.