The Weekly 10/15/09

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02 06 08Employed in Evanston

Alum: Queen of the deal

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Applyingmoney tomeaning in arecession

2 the weekly

This week’s cover story about Fiedler Hillel at Northwestern got us thinking about stu-dent involvement in religious organizations of all faiths on campus. Are students inter-ested in practicing their religion once away from home and without their parents wak-ing them up for church every Sunday? To fi nd out, we asked 100 students if they had ever considered joining a religious organization on campus. Most people were unequivocal on the matter, and 66 percent never even gave it a second thought. So many of us don’t think twice about dividing our time between in-tramural sports, Norris mini courses and ex-panding that rubber band ball collection, but involvement in the religious community is more polarizing; the majority of respondents were either enthusiastically involved in them or vehement about professing their extracur-ricular secularism. One person, though, was more worked up about Gmail clogging. “Hil-lel sends me so many emails! I never should have put my name on that sign up.”

CAMILLE BEREDJICK

THE WEEKLY MEMO

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EDITOR IN CHIEFalexandra ilyashov [email protected]

MANAGING EDITORkarina martinez-carter [email protected]

ASSISTANT EDITORStara kalmanson [email protected] leptoukh [email protected]

ART DIRECTORpaulina lopez [email protected]

ASSISTANT ART DIRECTORjaimie vaillancourt [email protected]

contact the weekly at:847.491.4901

send confi rmed and denied tips to the managing editor

want to join our staff?e-mail our editor in chief

A weekly supplement to THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN.

SURVEY IN NORRISReligious Activity

ALEXANDRA ILYASHOV

WHAT IF...You took orders from students?

confi rmed denied&

If I had to fi nd an overarching theme for this week’s issue, it would have to be activities fairs and involvement on campus — all within the context of dollars and cents. Our cover story by Elise Fo-ley on how Hillel is weathering the recession ex-emplifi es how it’s hit close to home from the per-spective of one (of many!) active campus umbrella organizations. The thoughtful piece also explores the trajectory of the less tangible, but arguably most meaningful, elements of investing oneself in an NU group — the collective experience of the involvement at hand. When budgets go awry, the challenge of sustaining and improving a campus organization tacks deeper signifi cance onto those endless meetings and countless e-mails. And then there are those consulting-oriented job fairs lur-ing my suit-attired peers to Norris on a near-daily basis. On these same premises, activities expos occurred a few weeks ago to help freshmen fi nd their niches. There’s a parallel sense of exciting uncertainty to projecting a version (or two or three) of oneself in the near future. Should you ascend the ranks of ASG or jump on the SEED bandwagon? (Check out Elena Pinsky’s Head First on going green for more on the latter topic.) If the over-achieving Wildcat prototype is any in-dication, you’ll probably do both. For those of us a few years beyond picking extracurriculars, we’ve compiled words of wisdom from HR contacts at some high-caliber companies on how to get your foot in the door. On a lighter note, the Brow re-views can help you compile a soundtrack for all your resume revamping and midterm cramming, and when you need a break, head to one of the superb events in Week by Weekly. So take a deep breath, enjoy our latest issue — and if there’s a big decision on your horizon, consider sleeping on it. Turns out, my mother is usually right about those things.

WEEKLY EDITORS

Forget the library or mail room. Some students head into Evanston to make extra cash.

Becca Cadoff is a shoe-a-holic. Her apart-ment is full of them. She’s devastated she can’t aff ord the Dolce & Gabbana sandals on sale at Nordstrom Rack. So when the SESP senior was looking for a place to work two years ago, she gravitated toward Williams Shoes. “I ended up spending more money than I made,” she says.

She worked for about a year at Williams in Evanston, performing accounting tasks like paying the store’s bills and occasionally work-ing the sales fl oor. “It was fun,” she says, “until it was really cold and I had to walk there.”

Cadoff is one of many Northwestern stu-dents who decide to take part-time jobs in Evanston. Ac-cording to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 31 percent of full-time students at four-year insti-tutions held down jobs as of last Oc-tober. The reasons for taking on a job range from the need for extra cash to opportunities for life experience and responsibility. Cadoff started working her sophomore year to help her parents cover tu-ition costs. “I felt bad that they were paying so much,” Cadoff says. “I thought if I could make a little extra, I could pay for half my books at least. I wanted to start becoming a little fi nan-cially independent.”

NU students visited the store frequently. Though she wasn’t acquainted with every stu-dent customer, some would talk to her about their purchases, and she eventually made friends in the process. After helping one customer pick out a pair of boots, she recognized her on cam-pus later. “We started waving at each other on campus,” Cadoff says. “She was a Northwestern student, but I knew her through Williams rather than through Northwestern.” But not every cus-tomer was as friendly. “It was kind of awkward to see people I wouldn’t usually say ‘hi’ to,” Cad-

off says. “It’s an, ‘I have to be professional and I also have to be serving you’ feeling.”

Weinberg sophomore Chris Lagedrost started working at Jamba Juice on Davis Street about a month ago for similar reasons. “Living in a higher-cost town, it’s nice (to have extra money),” he says, plus Jamba Juice is a “pretty social job.” His friends visit often, but he en-joys chatting with other students, too. “I usual-ly like when Northwestern kids come in here,” he says. “It’s something to relate to.” As far as tipping goes, Lagedrost says NU students are no cheaper than other customers. “It’s a couple

cents here and there when they don’t want to keep the change,” he says.

A few blocks south, Medill senior Mallory Gafas worked for a year and

a half at the upscale steakhouse Pete Miller’s. She says she needed the extra money and had worked several work-study jobs, but they had all let her down. “They were mostly adminis-trative…and I fi gured out that working in the evenings was better for me,” she says. “This just seemed more fun, easy, and it worked with my schedule.” Because Pete Miller’s is a more formal restaurant, students only dine on spe-cial occasions, and awkward encounters were infrequent. “I didn’t mind how many people knew me, unless they were trying to get a free steak,” she says.

But during Parents’ Weekend, comfort lev-els dropped. “I remember I sat 500 people in one night, and it was mostly all students and their parents,” she says.

In spite of the stressful weekends, working at Pete Miller’s was worth it. “It was one of my favorite things about living in Evanston.”

PEDICAB ITLooks like students are fi nding alternative modes of transportation to football games in the form of pedicab rides. A couple of environmentally-conscious pedicabbers were spotted circling an off -campus tailgate for tipsy (or just lazy) students heading up to Ryan Field after one hit a goldmine when six piled on top of each other in the back. “He looked like Lenny Kravitz! He was so hot! And he had the best nose ring,” one enamored customer says of her $5 ride on game day. We hunted down another pedicab driver who pedaled students to and from the game to get the three-wheeled dish. Oliver Hunt, 37, says the taxi driv-ers hovering around Ryan Field were “all pissy because they thought we were stealing rides from them. But we worked Northwestern games last year and I don’t remember there being any cabs.” And if that’s not enough drama, Hunt has some advice for anyone planning on waiting out the re-cession by becoming a pedicabber: “The sense of community I got from it last year was pretty much gone this year. A lot of the newer people are re-ally cutthroat. Plus, there was some drama when a group of pedicabbers came up from Houston.” We suggest not messing with Texas, or at least Texan pedicabbers.

NU v. THE IVIESIn some recent Internet browsing, one of our edi-tors stumbled upon The Ivy Plus Society (TIPS), a former Yale alumni club whose weak turnout led the president, Jennifer Wilde Anderson, to expand it to include other Ivies and Ivy-equivalent institu-tions, such as Berkeley, Johns Hopkins and even our neighbor, the University of Chicago. While Kellogg graduates are deemed worthy members, the rest of Northwestern is ignored. Naturally, we went undercover and sent an inquiring e-mail to

Wilde Anderson asking why we were left out. (Air Force Academy grads are acceptable company but not us? Some of us NU kids can fl y planes, too.) In her response, Wilde Anderson says they “will certainly give [NU’s inclusion] careful consider-ation.” But is it really our loss? They come across a little odd anyway. The DC chapter launch party invites asked “TIPSies” to pay attention to their alcohol consumption because there’s “nothing like death and destruction to ruin a promising politi-cal future.” Just can’t wait for confi rmation? Try e-mailing Anderson. “The events are always open to motivated, smart people such as yourself,” she wrote to us. Thanks, Jen. See you there.

ROTIMI. THE RAINMAKERS. NO ‘AND.’Last week while out on the town one of our edi-tors was approached by someone introducing himself as “one of Rotimi’s Rainmakers.” Then we heard rumors of a split between the artist and the group. Naturally, we called Rotimi for the details. The split is true — kind of. Like the relationship between artists in the Hustle Group (of two years ago), Rotimi and the Rainmakers are separate art-ists that only come together to perform at NU. “I’m a solo artist,” says Rotimi Akinosho, a Com-munication senior. “We’re all good friends. And when it comes to school bands, that’s when we get together. But we’re not really a group.” But there are plans for a record deal in the future. He’s got a phone date with Akon to look into Universal Re-cords and a couple others (“I don’t know if I can say”). The 20-year-old just got back from a perfor-mance at Rutgers in his home state of New Jersey and will be performing at Howard University’s homecoming. He plans to shoot the “Beautiful Music” video next month, but to get your fi ll now (be prepared), head to his site (frontroseat.com) for a video striptease. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

10.15.09

Have you ever considered join-ing a religious organization on

campus?

I thought if I could make a little extra, I could pay for half my books at

least. I wanted to start becoming a little fi nancially independent.

“Becca Cadoff, SESP senior ”

ing a religious organization on

No66

Yes34

social diary [seven nights out with an RTVF senior savoring his fi nal moments with a social life]

tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday sunday mondayScored 4 out of 10 on

a weekly quiz in a class I registered for specifi cally to avoid work and class. Those biological science professors are clever. Went to The Keg for Kel-logg night and tried on the grad student persona. Didn’t work, so I switched back to being the veteran 21-year-old senior for the dance fl oor. I don’t care what anyone thinks — The Keg is the most ver-satile bar in Evanston.

Leaving my house in the morning, encountered NUPD and Evanston po-lice offi cers waiting out-side my door to check up on me personally because of the court summons I received because of our “party antics” last week-end. No class so played golf with my roommates. Great round, only lost four balls. (I’ve played once in three years.)

Late for work and got threatened with being fi red, then had meetings until 11 p.m. My plan to go to The Deuce was shot, so I stayed in Louis Hall col-or-correcting a new music video until 2 a.m. Recreat-ing the glory of early-’90s rap videos is hard to do digitally, but in the end I succeeded, as always. Yes, an artist needs a big ego to be successful, but this vid-eo may actually premiere on MTV Africa.

Realized I haven’t bought any textbooks yet and went to Norris. The cost surprises me every time. Borrowed my new girlfriend’s new car at night to pick up a friend from home who surprised me with a visit. The night was great until I got another court sum-mons from NUPD. One offi cer told me to drop my beer, another told me he’d fi ne me $75 for littering. What’s with these guys?

Went down to the Loop and took an archi-tectural boat tour on the Chicago River. It rained the whole time. Learned that Chicagoans don’t think it’s called the Sec-ond City because it’s in-ferior to New York. Got a tattoo in Wicker Park. It’s a simple one but I was pleased. Went to a fi lm party off campus; not as good as I hoped. Showed off the tattoo more times than I took shots.

Woke up tempted to watch three straight football games. Instead, went to Home Depot and bought $150 worth of elec-trical parts for the movie I’m shooting. The Giants won, and I spent the end of the weekend watching the Yankees win their fi nal regular-season game and playing beer pong. Ignored calls from the producers and director of the movie for which I’m the director of photography.

Tried to get my two court dates moved to the same day, but learned I have accumulated more fi nes than I can ever pay. Visited the Art Institute to analyze expressionist lighting. Would have been better if I was high. Spent the rest of the day on lo-cation, shot-listing and storyboarding the movie I’ll be shooting. Unfortu-nately, these events signify the end of my social life for a few weeks.

the weekly 3 10.15.09

GETTING GRAPHICPaycheck, Please!

OLYMPIA PORTALE

Experts from six of students’ most coveted employers dish out tips for landing that gigStudy or party? It’s the eternal student dilemma. But as deadlines creep up for sum-mer internships and post-grad applications, the eternal dilemma becomes: Move back in with Mom or get a job? To help students navigate this stressful process, the weekly hit up human resources managers from some of NU graduates’ most desirable employers to help keep you from bombing that interview you worked so hard to get. So tailor your resumes, scan those company Web sites and gear up to sell out to the corporate world.

Betty Weekly1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208

[email protected]

closely with the creative department to � nd appropriate visual material.

I can o� er a strong background in photography and knowledge of Adobe programs in both Mac and PC operating systems. I have experience shooting and editing video in multiple programs, and I can brainstorm and implement ideas for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the Blackhawks’ o� ces.

At a national magazine based in Evanston, I edited four articles adapted from foreign publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have experience researching, fact-checking, and working closely with the creative department to

� ank you for your consideration. References and writing samples are available upon request. I look forward to hearing from you.

I am a junior at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, applying for a summer Web internship with the Blackhawks. I can brainstorm and implement ideas for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the

I am a junior at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, applying for

What do you look for in a cover letter?

[email protected](847) 555-2368

What do you look for in a cover letter?

[email protected]@northwestern.edu

October 15, 2009

Future Employer1901 W. Madison Street1901 W. Madison Street1901 W. Madison Street1901 W. Madison Street

How do I make my resume stand out?

multiple programs, and I can brainstorm and implement ideas for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the Blackhawks’ o� ces.


content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the Blackhawks’ o� ces.


What can I do to have a successful interview?

� ank you for your consideration. References and writing samples are available upon request. I look forward to hearing from you.� ank you for your consideration. References and writing samples are available upon � ank you for your consideration. References and writing samples are available upon

closely with the creative department to � nd appropriate visual material.




At a national magazine based in Evanston, I edited four articles adapted from foreign publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have At a national magazine based in Evanston, I edited four articles adapted from foreign publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have

How should I prepare for an interview?


publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have experience researching, fact-checking, and working closely with the creative department to � nd appropriate visual material.

publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have experience researching, fact-checking, and working closely with the creative department to � nd appropriate visual material.

publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have experience researching, fact-checking, and working closely with the creative department to


� nd appropriate visual material.� nd appropriate visual material.

Sincerely,

Betty Weekly

Sincerely,

“A cover letter should be no more than a paragraph. I don’t have time to read much more than a paragraph, and what I’m looking for is a quick summary of what I expect to see on your resume. When applying for a position in PR, think of the cover letter as your pitch about your personal brand. What am I all about? It is helpful to think of oneself as a brand rather than as an applicant.”

The difference between a career and a purpose is about 8,000 miles.

Learn more about the Peace Corps.Attend an information session.

800.424.8580 | www.peacecorps.govLife is calling. How far will you go?

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four articles adapted from foreign publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have experience researching, fact-checking, and working closely with the creative department to � nd appropriate visual material.

for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the

While freelancing for Gannett newspapers in Wisconsin, I wrote sports articles for the front pages of two weekly newspapers. At a national magazine based in Evanston, I edited four articles adapted from foreign publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish

I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish.

for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the

I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish. I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish. “We like short and sweet. Also, HSBC is an international bank, so it would be a good idea to talk about emerging markets.”

“Standing out is of the utmost importance. Ways of doing that are not for me to divulge but for the creative appli-cant to � nd and test on their own.”

I am a junior at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, applying for a summer Web internship with the Blackhawks. I can brainstorm and implement ideas for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the

“A cover letter should be no more than a paragraph. I don’t have time to read much “A cover letter should be no more than a paragraph. I don’t have time to read much more than a paragraph, and what I’m looking for is a quick summary of what I expect to see on your resume. When applying for a position in PR, think of the cover letter as your pitch about your personal brand. What am I all about? It is helpful to think of oneself as a brand rather than as an applicant.”I am a junior at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, applying for oneself as a brand rather than as an applicant.”I am a junior at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, applying for

for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the

1901 W. Madison Street1901 W. Madison Street1901 W. Madison Street

To Whom It May Concern:

I am a junior at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, applying for a summer Web internship with the Blackhawks. I can brainstorm and implement ideas





Chicago, IL 606121901 W. Madison Street1901 W. Madison Street1901 W. Madison Street

“It is important that your resume is tailored to highlight the spe-ci� c area of the business that you are interested in working. Please clearly indicate all relevant experience you have that is related to the role you are applying for.”

I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish. While freelancing for Gannett newspapers in Wisconsin, I wrote sports articles for the front pages of two weekly newspapers. At a national magazine based in Evanston, I edited four articles adapted from foreign publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have experience researching, fact-checking, and working

I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish. I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish. While freelancing for Gannett newspapers in Wisconsin, I wrote sports articles for the front pages of two weekly newspapers. At a national magazine based in Evanston, I edited four articles adapted from foreign publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have experience researching, fact-checking, and working

I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish. I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish. While freelancing for Gannett newspapers in Wisconsin, I wrote sports articles for the front pages of two weekly newspapers. At a national magazine based in Evanston, I edited four articles adapted from foreign publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish

I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish. “We like short and sweet. Also, HSBC is an international bank, so it would be a good idea to talk about emerging markets.”I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish. so it would be a good idea to talk about emerging markets.”I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish. I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish. so it would be a good idea to talk about emerging markets.”I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish.

a summer Web internship with the Blackhawks. I can brainstorm and implement ideas for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the a summer Web internship with the Blackhawks. I can brainstorm and implement ideas a summer Web internship with the Blackhawks. I can brainstorm and implement ideas a summer Web internship with the Blackhawks. I can brainstorm and implement ideas a summer Web internship with the Blackhawks. I can brainstorm and implement ideas

I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish. While freelancing for Gannett newspapers in Wisconsin, I wrote sports articles for the front pages of two weekly newspapers. At a national magazine based in Evanston, I edited

I have strong written and verbal communication skills in � uent English and Spanish.

a summer Web internship with the Blackhawks. I can brainstorm and implement ideas for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the Blackhawks’ o� ces.

a summer Web internship with the Blackhawks. I can brainstorm and implement ideas for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the a summer Web internship with the Blackhawks. I can brainstorm and implement ideas for e� ective multimedia content. I am eager to bring this passion and creativity to the a summer Web internship with the Blackhawks. I can brainstorm and implement ideas a summer Web internship with the Blackhawks. I can brainstorm and implement ideas a summer Web internship with the Blackhawks. I can brainstorm and implement ideas

“Be clear, concise and make it easy to read. Educational background should go � rst; a missing GPA is a red � ag. Also, proofreading is a must!”

“It really depends on the job; for some jobs, the interview process can be very technical. For example, an applicant could be asked to complete an algorithm. To prepare, it is important to look at the job description — you should be able to explain the di� erent aspects of the job description even if you have never done them before.”

“Learn more about who we’re looking for. Applicants advancing to the � nal interview stage will be given additional, detailed information about how best to prepare for the � nal interview when they are noti� ed of their status.”

“Do your homework, but don’t expect people from within the company to tell you. We are looking for people who can discover and execute to their fullest on their own. � at way there is no hand holding necessary… prove you can hit the ground running.”

“Show how bad they want it, that they are self-driven, and that they are team players.”

“Arrive to the interview early and prepared with all required documents. Demonstrate good judgment and professionalism.”

“Really listen to the questions you are being asked before shouting out your answer. Take a minute and understand what the question is. If it is an informational interview, analyze your skill set and apply it to the po-sition you think is best for you. Come to the interview with questions. When I ask if you have any questions for me, don’t just sit there and say ‘No, I think I’ve got it all.’”

Your Panel of Experts

Mark HoldenPresident’s Assistant

Steven OttensteinDirector, Talent Acquisition

Lorraine Anderson Human Assets

Krystal Weber HR Manager

Jenny Kim Park VP, HR Generalist

Kristin MolinaRecruiting Contact for NU

publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have experience researching, fact-checking, and working closely with the creative department to publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have the job description even if you have never done them before.”publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have experience researching, fact-checking, and working closely with the creative department to publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have the job description even if you have never done them before.”publications and wrote a 700-word pro� le of a Spanish artist to accompany them. I have

so it would be a good idea to talk about emerging markets.”so it would be a good idea to talk about emerging markets.”

4 the weekly 10.15.09

t was known as one of the cushiest jobs on campus. For $10 an hour, students could take friends to coff ee, attend din-ners and meet people – all in the name of networking and sharing knowledge of opportunities in the Jewish community.

The program, Hillel’s Campus Entrepreneurs Initiative, or CEI, has been at Northwestern for four years and hires at least 12 students each year, usually sophomores, to help spread the word about Taglit-Birthright Israel, Hillel-led Alternative Spring Break trips and other “experiences.” Students are given a stipend for projects, which could include programming or just grabbing a bite to eat to talk about Birthright trips. In the fi rst two years, this all worked out to up to $2,000 per student in pay, plus an-other $1,000 to spend on projects.

The economic recession changed things. Everyone was hit by it, but the Jewish population suf-

fered from a one-two punch. On top of a bad economy, Jewish donors seemed to be disproportionately impact-ed by Bernie Madoff ’s Ponzi scheme. Across the coun-try, many Jewish groups are downsizing or closing their doors, partly due to an estimated 25 percent drop in their wealth.

At Northwestern last spring, CEI’s future seemed up in the air. Funding for the program, which comes from a Hillel International grant, was uncertain. Andrea Jacobs, Fiedler Hillel’s director of engagement, decided to ac-cept applications for the program anyway. In April, she brought together previous interns to determine the fu-ture of the program. Hillel International off ered funding for eight interns, paid the same as in the past – something

CEI programs all over the country accepted. But for those who think CEI is all about students taking money to socialize, Northwestern Hillel’s answer might come as a surprise: They took on the same number of interns but paid them less, making NU the lowest-paying CEI intern program in the country.

Tightened Budgets

Fiedler Hillel’s budget is huge – about $1.1 million, even post-economic drop – but 60 percent comes from fundraising from parents, alumni and other donors, says acting Executive Director Cydney Topaz. Hillel’s two parent organizations, Hillel International and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, each contribute an-other 10 percent of the budget, and the fi nal 20 percent comes from the organization’s endowment.

This money is divided into three categories: staff sala-ries, building costs and programs. CEI falls under the cat-egory of a program, and its participants’ salaries have not yet been determined but will be signifi cantly less than $10 per hour, Jacobs says. The overall funding of the program is about half its previous sum. With a smaller budget in general, Fiedler Hillel shrunk its staff to four positions. Three staff ers have been either laid off or left Hillel and were not replaced, although one position, that of the ex-ecutive director, will be fi lled in the future.

The approach isn’t unique to Northwestern; other Hillels have had to respond to leaner budgets and fewer donations. At University of Texas Hillel, the CEI budget has remained steady through the grant from Hillel Inter-national, but overall funding is down, Executive Director

Rabbi David Komerofsky says. Like Northwestern Hil-lel’s budget, theirs is about $1.1 million and outreach is split between CEI interns and other students in a “double helix” or, as he jokingly calls it, “havdallah candle.”

Paul Bessemer, executive director of University of Or-egon Hillel, says his organization’s budget is down almost 40 percent. He was hired to the position last year, which he says “kind of felt like I got a mid-voyage promotion to be captain of the Titantic,” and has had to lead a series of cutbacks in the organization’s budget. They are no longer hosting marquee events and are focusing on organizing social service projects rather than big dinners. One posi-tion they lack is an engagement director, whose job would be to get students involved with Hillel and help connect them to opportunities like Birthright.

Oregon Hillel doesn’t have CEI or an equivalent pro-gram that pays students to help with outreach, and most religious and cultural groups at Northwestern don’t ei-ther. Sheil Catholic Center, for instance, has seen a drop-off in grant money and major donations, says Father John Kartje, Sheil’s Chaplain and director. They have no for-mal engagement director, but instead ask all staff and stu-dents to focus on getting others involved.

The CEI Solution

In the past, Hillel’s approach also was to ask students to reach out to their friends, but decided to start CEI to reach even more students. The idea for CEI started at Hillel International’s Washington, DC, headquarters, where the director of strategy noticed a problem. The or-ganization is built around reaching out to young Jewish

Hillel’s Own EntrepreneursEach year 13 students are chosen – and paid – to reach out to NU’s Jewish com-munity. What that means now.

I

this weekend in musicOCT. 16 - 18, 2009

FRIDAY SATURDAY

@ P I C K - S TA I G E R

BIENEN SCHOOL OF MUSIC N O R T H WE S T E R N U N I VE R S I T YTICKETS: 847.467.4000 OR WWW.PICKSTAIGER.ORG

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NUSO

Symphonic Wind EnsemblePick-Staiger, 7:30 p.m.$7/5/4Mallory Thompson, conductor

Ludwig van Beethoven, March No. 1 in F Major (“Geschwindmarsch”)Paul Hindemith, Paraphrase of Beethoven’s “Geschwindmarsch” from Symphonia Serena Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Serenade No. 11 in E-flat MajorAaron Copland, An Outdoor OvertureAaron Copland, Variations on a Shaker MelodyPaul Hindemith, Konzertmusik für Blasorchester

Symphonic Wind Ensemble

Northwestern University Symphony OrchestraPick-Staiger, 7:30 p.m.$9/7/5Victor Yampolsky, conductorTracy Figard and Tara Lynn Ramsey, violinAdam Neeley, violaJudith Manger, cello

Richard Wagner, Rienzi OvertureBohuslav Martinu, String Quartet with OrchestraLudwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 7 in A Major

HymnFest VIII: “Now Thank We All Our God”Alice Millar Chapel, 7 p.m.Freewill offeringStephen Alltop, conductor Alice Millar Chapel Choir Millar Brass Ensemble

Experience mighty hymns in a majestic space! The Chapel Choir, Millar Brass Ensemble, and audience will join the 100-rank Aeolian Skinner organ to “raise the roof” in hymn arrangements by James Biery, Jeffrey Blersch, Eleanor Daley, John Ferguson, John Rutter, Richard Webster, Mack Wilberg, and others.

ELISE FOLEY

people, the majority of whom are in college, but on col-lege campuses, Hillel was only reaching a small propor-tion of Jewish students.

Enter CEI. The idea was relatively simple: Take a doz-en college students, teach them about networking and leadership, and ask them to meet other Jewish students and connect them with trips or programs they might be interested in. If activities at Hillel weren’t enough of a draw for students to learn more about Jewish culture, maybe dinner at a restaurant would be.

The program piloted on seven campuses, including Northwestern. The first group of 12 students were hired in the spring of 2006 by Jacobs’ predecessor. Shauna Perl-man, who graduated last year with a Communication de-gre, was one of the original 12 interns. Perlman wasn’t very involved in Hillel her freshman year, but was interested in Judaism. When she was approached about doing CEI, she was unclear on how it would work, but thought it could be a good opportunity. “It’s like any group on campus – like for the newspaper, you’re not going to know what it’s like until you write the first story,” she says. “You’re not exactly told what’s going to happen.”

Jacobs didn’t know exactly how the CEI program would work either. She started working at Fiedler Hillel in the summer of 2006 and met some of the students in the first year of the CEI program at a training conference in Georgia before the start of the academic year. No one was entirely sure what they were getting themselves into. “Not all of them even came to Georgia because they were all skeptical about this,” she says. “I got there and was like, ‘I don’t really know what’s going on,’ and together we muddled through,” Jacobs says. “We figured it out.”

How It Plays (or Pays) Out

Some of figuring it out meant pushing back against Hillel International’s specific mandates. CEI interns are required to attend large group meetings on Wednesdays and small group sessions one day per week. Part of these sessions are devoted to Jewish learning with Hillel Rabbi Josh Feigelson. Another portion is for leadership training, which evolved from a curriculum based around much-re-viled packets to a series of guest lecturers who help stu-dents with their networking skills. They check in about their plans, what they’re working on and what is going well. This creates a three-hour requirement for CEI in-terns, in addition to their networking duties.

Students are supposed to build a network of at least 60 people, a seemingly random benchmark that Jacobs says she downplays to students. “It’s like a quantity or qual-ity thing,” she explained. “If you hit 60, that’s great, but are all those quality relationships? If you’re not making meaningful relationships, you’re missing the point of the project.”

Of course, some of those relationships are bound to be with people students already know. Some of the talk about CEI is true, at least in a general sense. Students can bill dinners to CEI if they’re using them to network, and their networks can and often do include friends. “Did I take my friends out to dinner, yes, but I wouldn’t just be with my best friend and say, ‘This is on Hillel,’” Perlman says.

Dinners weren’t necessarily just about pushing Hillel programs and activities, either. The point of CEI is that the interns are supposed to become friends with the peo-ple they are trying to reach, and reach the people they’re friends with. Most Hillel-funded events, then, are more about getting to know each other than selling students on trips to Israel. “We’re not doing it to stuff religion down anyone’s throat,” Perlman says. “I can see how people per-ceive that as abuse, but we’re not robots.”

There are no blank checks – all spending comes first out of the students’ wallets, and if they abuse the system

– which Jacobs says has happened – they can be denied reimbursement, Jacobs says, “because they’re spending their own money outright, we don’t always have to reim-burse them.”

There are loose restrictions on spending, but nothing formal. Wine is a part of the Jewish culture, and CEI din-ners sometimes serve it, says Marisa Johnson, a Weinberg senior who did CEI as a sophomore and is now the trea-surer for Hillel’s Leadership Council. “We’re not throw-ing ragers here,” she says.

Events are supposed to be relevant, replicable and sus-tainable, meaning a pizza party isn’t usually considered a good use of CEI funds. “We want them to look at big pic-ture things, not just one-off events, which is really tough to do because a lot of them are like, ‘Let’s have this big party,’” Jacobs says. “It did happen in the beginning, be-cause we were kind of testing the waters, but this year we’re really telling them to focus on building relation-ships.”

Interns in the program this year are paid “significantly less” than those in the first years of the program, Jacobs says, but CEI is still a job. This is partly to ensure stu-dents follow through on their commitments to the pro-gram, partly because they are asked to devote at least three hours per week to the program. “I think of it as not exactly a job, but definitely more than a club or an ex-tracurricular,” says Nora Gannon, a Weinberg sophomore who is working on helping fill spots in Alternative Spring Break trips.

She didn’t know what her pay would be until she was hired, but had heard about what CEI interns were paid before. She says she was “a little disappointed” to hear that the pay would be lower, but it didn’t make her less excited about doing the program. Hannah Roodman, a Communication sophomore who is focusing on signing students up for long-term Israel trips, says the money was attractive, but not her reason for joining the program. “I love that I’m Jewish – it’s a big part of my identity – and

I love to meet new people,” she says. “It’s definitely not something people do just for the money.”

The Result

CEI has achieved many of its goals. In its past four years on campus it has been a huge success, Jacobs says. Applications for Birthright and Alternative Spring Break trips have skyrocketed, and Jacobs now has to worry about keeping students off the waiting list for two years in a row instead of filling the list at all. There are three Hillel Alternative Spring Break trips, up from the single trip in the 2006-2007 academic year, and Jacobs says she hopes to add a fourth to the roster in the future.

For Taglit-Birthright Israel, which provides free trips to Israel for Jewish students, the rise was more dramatic: The year before CEI’s inception, about three NU stu-dents went on Birthright, Jacobs says. At its peak since then, Northwestern sent three full buses – 120 people – and left others on a waiting list.

Past interns also praise CEI. Perlman now lives and works in L.A. in the entertainment industry and network-ing has become a necessity. She says “it’s insane” how the skills she learned in CEI have been very helpful to her career, she says, both in terms of building and surviving it. “I developed a really good value system through (CEI),” she says. “I work 12 hours a day, but how do I take time out for myself? CEI helped me with that.”

Johnson was able to channel her CEI and Hillel expe-rience into a summer internship at Hillel International where she, along with Medill senior Stacy Jacobson and three other interns, was in charge of a CEI-like effort for Jewish students working in D.C. for the summer. Along with other projects, they planned happy hours for Jewish interns and tried to build their networks.

The main difference was funding: Johnson was paid for her efforts during the day, but networking dinners were on her own wallet.


Even in dark times, the Fiedler Hillel Center located on Foster Street welcomes a variety of student groups through its doors for a multitude of purposes and provides a supportive environment for Northwestern’s Jewish community.

PHOTO BY RAY WHITEHOUSE

Sampling the local wines of Israeli vintners at a Golan Heights winery on the Hillel Birthright Israel trip in December 2007.

Birthright Israel participants partake in the ancient art of sheepherding – one of many firsts for students on the September 2008 trip.

Soaking up the culture and art of Cuba on a Hillel-organized Al-ternative Spring Break trip in March 2007, in which participants collected and distributed medical supplies around the island.

COURTESY OF EMILY KINGSLEY-MACOURTESY OF ANDREA ROSENKRANZCOURTESY OF STEPHANIE SCHREIBER

COVER PHOTOS COURTESY OF: ANDREA ROSENKRANZ (BOTTOM AND TOP LEFT), EMILY KINGSLEY-MA (TOP RIGHT)

ELISE FOLEY

On my Alternative Student Break trip to Cincinnati, Ohio this September, our group visited the Rumpke Landfi ll, where all the garbage from the greater Cincinnati area meets its fi nal resting place. Our tour guide told us 60 percent of the material in the landfi ll could have been recycled, the ma-jority of that “wasted waste” being paper. Other than the dis-appointing taste of Cincinnati’s classic Skyline Chili, hearing that was the most shocking part of the trip.

Then last week, I was grocery shopping with my room-mate. As usual, I brought along my assorted collection of re-usable bags. I commented to my roommate that paper bags are better for the environment, implying that she pass this suggestion along to the clerk who was putting all of her food into plastic bags. My roommate simply gave me the “I don’t really care” smile and the off ensive bagging continued.

And while researching for this article, I logged onto a Web site that calculates one’s carbon footprint. I realized all of the small things I do to remain environmentally conscious in my day-to-day life are far, far off set by the amount of en-ergy used to heat the house I live in and fuel the fl ights I’ve taken to South America and back home to Maryland in the past year. Is there a way around that? Because I don’t think my bike will make it to Buenos Aires.

So who am I to take these events personally? I’m not an activist, a green entrepreneur or even a member of Students for Ecological and Environmental Development (SEED). I’m just someone who happens to care... a lot. I like to think I live a green lifestyle. That’s how I was raised, not through rhetoric of “save the environment this” or “green is that,” but the simple example that was set for me by my rather un-materialistic parents. Still hanging in our kitchen is the recycling-themed mobile I made at art camp. In fi fth grade, I started the E.A.R.T.H. club (once a clever acronym whose meaning is now lost to time). We made it to one successful stream cleanup when my friends started to suspect that may-be this was not going to be the most fun after-school club.

Yes, it was me, the girl you saw on her bike two Saturdays ago, reusable bag on her shoulder, heading to the Evanston Farmers Market to buy local produce. And, yes, Parliament Enterprises, it was me, the person who called your offi ce ev-ery other day for two weeks last year until you put a recycling bin behind my apartment complex.

To me, it’s not about being trendy. (This is not to say the thought of running into Leo DiCaprio at some kind of Toyota Prius owners convention hasn’t crossed my mind. Does such a convention even exist?) It’s about being logical. Turn off a light if it’s not being used. Ask for paper instead of plastic at the grocery store. And buying individually packaged foods is a waste; Tupperware comes in all shapes and sizes. (Consider, for a moment, if you will, the ratio of food to packaging in the average Lunchables.)

It seems like most of this people know, but don’t do, the same way we can all recite the Pledge of Allegiance by heart, yet when was the last time you fought for “liberty and justice for all?” It’s hard to get people to change, or even to care. It makes me think, is this cause diff erent from any of the other thousands of causes to which people feel dedicated, passion-ate and self-righteous? Of course, I think so. Environmental awareness is an issue that defi es political and national bound-aries.

“Going green” does not require a radical lifestyle change. It only requires one perform everyday tasks deliberately, rather than passively. Of course, there’s always more I could do on a day-to-day basis, but I feel the most important thing is to try to encourage others to also do so. How to accom-plish this without chastising or criticizing is something I’m still trying to fi gure out.

So, I’ll leave you with a piece of green advice that’s both logical and relatable. The next time you throw a party, con-sider investing in a keg. Just think of all the cans you’ll be saving.

6 the weekly

10.15.09

I get it, the job market is tough; the least I can do is provide a solid cover letter from which you might glean some pointers. (And by the way, dear die-hard DAILY readers, I wrote this before Mac LeBuhn was even conceived.) Looks like somebody’s going to have to change her fi rst name to “Career” and her last name to “Services,” am I right?

To Whom It May Concern: I am submitting the enclosed resume for consideration of the position of So-

cial Media Coordinator for the Illinois Turnpike Authority. Several hours spent using the Internet has given me the hands-on experience necessary to help your organization establish an online presence. With my profound understanding of the Web 2.0, I will build the dynamic community of Illinois Turnpikers you seek to boost your bottom line.

One of my key qualifi cations is that I am an expert across multiple social media platforms, including MySpace, Twitter and AdultFriendFinder. Although these sites are free and accessible to anyone who can mash his fat fi ngers into a keyboard, I am confi dent I can shape the Turnpike into a hip entity people will use to defi ne themselves. Here’s an idea: Now that Pizza Hut has changed its name to “The Hut” and Radio Shack “The Shack,” isn’t it time we call it “The Ill Pike?” That’s step one: rebranding and creating that personal connection to the pavement via the Web. I am capable of making your organization a customized Facebook fan page, which ought to get the ball rolling.

With a modest budget of $85,000, I will sign your organization up for ev-ery kind of account and fi ll out every profi le. I am the perfect candidate for the job because I’m highly skilled at making friends on the Internet. For instance, a woman from Zimbabwe named Carol off ered to make me a custom fake ID some years back, and though I never heard from her again after I wired her 350 Euros through Western Union, I still consider her a friend.

Having maintained a LiveJournal throughout my pubescent years, I am well equipped to start an Illinois Turnpike blog. While my blogging skills usually tend toward cat photos and video game cheat codes, I can quickly adapt to cover the zeitgeist of the road. I plan to create a hub of breaking news and thoughtful dis-cussion spanning all the hot turnpike topics: celebrity sightings, cell phone dead zones, that Roy Rogers that caught on fi re near Exit 17A — you name it.

Moving on to the Skills section of my resume, you may note that I am profi -cient in DJing. While I’ve never physically touched a vinyl record, I’m adept with Garage Band and am available to play you my mash-up of “The Cotton Eyed Joe” and Ludacris’s “Move, B****” (cleverly rebranded “Move, Cotton Eyed B****”). Provided I am given a set of noise-canceling headphones and two MacBook Pros per quarter of my tenure, I can make you a playlist upon request.

I am enthusiastic about exploring new social media opportunities with the Illinois Turnpike Authority, though fi rst I should say I prefer to receive my sal-ary and creative budget via PayPal rather than in burlap sacks of change from tollbooths. With that pesky little issue off my chest, I will contact you soon to schedule an interview at a mutually convenient time.

Thank you for your consideration.

CULTURE BLOTTER

EMMY BLOTNICK

HEAD FIRST

ELENA PINSKY

Having maintained a LliveJournal through-out my pubescent years, I am well-equipped

to start an Illinois Turnpike blog

Photo by Ray Whitehouse

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MAN ON THE BEAT

CATHERINE MOUNGER

ALEX WEISMAN, NU Senior and Chicago StarSenior theatre major Alex Weisman

balances schoolwork, time with friends and sold-out performances in Chicago. Not only is he nominated for the presti-gious Chicago-based Jeff Award for his role in “The History Boys,” but he did it while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Weis-man tells the weekly about his experiences performing in the hit show at Chicago’s Timeline Theatre Company. Why do you want to be an actor? As an actor you have the ability to really change someone’s life by showing them human truth that they’re too scared to see. I want to be fa-mous enough so that I can be the spokesperson for the American Heart Association. I have heart disease; I’ve had three open heart surgeries.

Why did you audition for “The History Boys?” I didn’t. They saw me in a show at Northwestern. I was studying at Oxford at the British American Drama Academy. I got back, and I had all these missed phone calls from this theatre company. They had scheduled my audition for while I was in Oxford. I missed the fi rst callback. My fi rst audition for them was the third callback, and I was reading for a minor role. The next day I got a call from them being like, “We’d love to see you for the lead.”

Who is your character, Posner? He needed to be told how he’s supposed to feel. He’s afraid to make the wrong decision. He views everything in this black-and-white world. He’s the boy who looks up words in the diction-ary in class. Ultimately his reliance on everyone else’s instruction defeats him when he’s given the wrong instructions.

What aspect of Posner was most diffi cult to grasp and portray? Posner walks through a room and he tries to take up as little space as possible. As Posner, my hands are always touching my side or a piece of furni-ture. I watch everyone else. I constantly am look-ing to the other seven boys as a model of how I’m supposed to behave. A joke is said in class,

and I can’t laugh at it until I know that it’s okay to laugh at. Discovering that that shy person is inside of me—I’ve done a good job of masking him. I had to learn how to not do that.

What did you do to prepare for this show? We had to become geniuses for this play to work. We had this 90-page packet that we had to learn before rehearsals started. We had to bring in ex-amples of poems into the rehearsal room. The rule was if you say it, you gotta know it like the back of your hand.

How was performing professionally dif-ferent from performing in Northwestern theatre? At Northwestern, I play a lot of the super funny roles. I’ve never played the quiet character; I’m always the loud character. When I originally audi-tioned, I auditioned for the loud character. It was scary, my fi rst professional show in Chicago, and I could be playing a role that I’m terrible for.

How has performing in “The History Boys” aff ected your life? It totally changed my life. I signed with an agent because of it; I got cast in another show because of it. I’m doing “A Christmas Carol” at the Good-man next. And I got nominated for a Jeff Award, which is like the Tony Award of Chicago theater. For the rest of my life, I will say, I got my break doing “The History Boys.” I feel so lucky.

Do students or directors on campus treat you diff erently after your success? My friends are still my friends. I’m just Alex who farts all the time and makes loud jokes.

Week by WeeklyWe’ve sifted through every gala and gallery opening, festival and free event, sample sale and soiree to prepare a weekly schedule worthy of even the most culturally discerning. Drawing from Chicago, Evanston and our very own NU, the weekly gives you seven days of first-rate diversion. If you missed Wilco at

the A&O Ball a few years back, you might have to wait a while before you can see them again at NU. But you can check them out this Monday at UIC! See-ing that these hometown heroes used part of the Chicago skyline as an album cover, it’s safe to say seeing them in Chicago is a can’t-miss.

Those cold, lonely months Chicago is (in)fa-mous for are coming up

fast. Stock up on what keeps you warm

this winter - and no, we don’t mean mittens and sweaters. Visit Lincoln Park’s alcohol

haven Sam’s Wine & Spirits and get discounts up to 75 percent on

thousands of booze varieties.

Want to see this year’s po-tential Oscar winner before the

hype builds? The 45th Chicago International Film Festival is run-

ning an eclectic selection of feature fi lms and shorts from all over the world through Oct. 22. This year’s festival has already produced plenty of exciting

moments, from the U.S. premiere of John Woo’s Chinese history epic to an appearance by Uma Thurman at a screening of her upcoming comedy, Mother-

hood. It may be diffi cult to decide what to see with so many fi lms getting their fi rst screen time in the U.S., but you can’t go wrong with Precious, the festival center-piece lauded by Oprah, or the Illinois fi lmmakers’ shorts, featuring NU alum Erik Gernand’s entry, Non-Love-Song. Films from last year’s festival included Slumdog Millionaire, a Best Picture winner, so don’t be surprised if that foreign fl ick you check out this weekend rakes in at the Oscars come March. Others will see general releases of the festival’s featured fi lms in coming months, but cer-

tainly without the opportunity to actually interact with their directors and stars. The fi lms are being screened daily at the AMC River East

21—a mere fi ve blocks from the Intercampus shuttle stop. And FYI—most showings sell out about a day before they

show, so snag your tickets early.

Oct 8-Oct 22AMC River East 21Tickets $12

45th Annual Chicago International Film Festival

FRIDAY

Fall French FestivalSATURDAY

WilcoMONDAY

7:30PMUIC PavillionUniversity Village

Sam’s Wine & Spirits Warehouse Sale

TUESDAY

9AM-8PM1720 N Marcey St.Lincoln Park

Paco Peña Flamenco Dance

Company: A Compás

THURSDAY

Take stargaz-

ing to the next level with the Adler Planetarium’s latest produc-

tion. Listen to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s rendition of Mussorgsky’s

suite “Pictures at an Exhibition” while watching a gaggle of intergalactic won-

ders come at you in 3-D. Can’t picture it? Think Pink Floyd’s Dark Side

of the Moon laser show for non-stoners.

3-D Universe: A SymphonySUNDAY

10AM-4:30PMAdler PlanetariumSouth LoopTired of

looking at sad, empty storefront windows on your way to class? Help celebrate Arts & Humani-ties Month at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center as it fi lls Evanston’s empty windows with a variety of works from local artists. Take that, recession!

WEDNESDAY

5PM-7PM708 Church St.Evanston

As great as French

fries are, nothing beats

true French cuisine. Experience French foods, as well as antiques, art and much more from

the land of romance and all things classy right here in Wrigleyville. A portion of the proceeds go to Lycée Français de Chicago, Chicago’s French Interna-tional School.

For many NU students,

exposure to cultural music and dance doesn’t stretch far

beyond the occasional Sean Paul song at The Keg. Paco Peña will get your hips

moving with a selection of traditional Flamenco music and dance focused on the theme of “rhythm.”

10AM-5PM613 W Bitterstreet Pl.Wrigleyville7:30PM-10PM

Pick-StaigerConcert Hall

Art Under Glass

Courtesy of Alex Weisman

NATHANIEL EDWARDS

THIS WEEK: ilms, French food and lamenco

ff

8 the weekly

10.15.09

critical reviews on the week’s new releases

WHY WE LIKEAfter Hours Movie Rental

Walking down Foster in the dead of night, there is little sign of life. But just past the El stop stands a light in the dark, neon sign aglow. Beyond the swinging door lies a strange little world: Bright paint covers the walls, kitschy novelty items are piled atop a counter and shelf after shelf of tightly packed DVDs crisscrosses the semi-grimy floor. It’s After Hours Movie Rental, Evanston’s (possi-bly last independently owned) video store, much-loved by Northwestern students. Don’t let the décor fool you. This cubbyhole of a shop shines like a beacon in the storm of tepid rental chains that too often seem to be the only option for eager cinemaphiles.

College kids love renting movies and it’s not hard to see why. It’s cheap and easy entertainment. That’s why it’s surprising to think about how few video stores actually exist on this planet (which, for the NU student body, is currently limited to ar-eas east of Ridge Avenue). Video Adventure is out. You need a membership, and getting one takes a good five minutes and involves filling out minor paperwork (gross). The last time I went to Block-buster, they told me I’d never returned a movie I’d rented two years ago (an honest mistake), and then gave me something they called “credit points” and I got my rental for free. Clearly, it makes perfect sense—they lose merchandise, and I get Final Des-tination for zero dollars.

Chain video stores are fine when you’re in the mood to watch popular movies. But for those look-ing beyond typical Hollywood fare, After Hours is a veritable one-stop shop. It’s one of those rare, indiscriminating havens where money-conscious collegians can rent both The Princess Diaries 2 and Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless. One wall is devoted entirely to famous directors. The foreign section actually covers more than a single shelf and con-sists of more than just anime! And it’s affordable—though at two dollars per three-day rental, it’s a little bit of a mystery as to how the store stays in business.

Questionable income source aside, After Hours still bears one trait that sets it apart from the Blockbusters and Video Adventures of the world: It actually lives up to the claim of “having something for everyone.” Sure it’s offbeat, but in the best possible sense. Whatever you’re looking for, you know you’ll find it. And whether your passion is Apatow or Altman, whether you prefer Matthew McConaughey or manga, you know you can always find your heart’s desires. And that’s a rare quality—one that makes a trek down Foster Street at night worth the trip.

ConditionsThe Temper Trap

THE BROW

Low BrowMud is not one of the four food groups.No one is interested in my underpants.

OVERHEARD AT NU“ - Chalkboard in Annenberg G21, Tuesday 7 p.m.

JAIMIE VAILLANCOURT

Music for MenThe Gossip

Mid Brow

SARAH FREISHTAT

Crazy LoveMichael Bublé

High Brow

JOHN WARLICK HANNAH VANDERPOEL

POST-GRAD PURSUIT’05 alum shows Chicago the art

of bargain huntingNoelle Provencial says she is always on the hunt for a good deal. The Medill ’05 alum believes that women don’t have to forgo the perks of a cosmopolitan life when on a budget. This belief is the foundation of her Web site, PoorLittleRichGirls.com, where Provencial works as the director of sales and marketing.

GRADUATION

FUTURE

AT NU

JONATHAN SIMIRIN

”

NOW

Provencial, who majored in broadcast journalism with a mi-nor in sociology, did everything from educating new members of TriDelt, to studying abroad in Australia, participating in Relay for Life and joining the Soci-ety for Professional Journalists, all the while working her way through school as a waitress off-campus. She says she thrived on her full-plate approach to col-lege. “I was really sad to leave. I just loved school in general and loved all these things I was a part of,” Provencial says.

After walking the stage, Proven-cial applied to jobs in the hospi-

tality industry and landed one at Marriot International. But she considers a career in marketing and journalism one in the same.

“In journalism, you’re selling yourself, you’re selling the story,”

she says. It was during Proven-cial’s three years in the hotel

business, over lunch breaks with a co-worker and soon-to-be

business partner, that she de-veloped the foundation of her Web site. “We found ourselves

talking about how we couldn’t do things in Chicago that we

wanted to do,” Provencial says.

A little more than a year after Poor Little Rich Girls’ launch,

Provencial’s Web site is now a full-fledged guide for budget-

conscious, young, professional women who want to get the

most from life in a big city. Provencial sees her site as a

throwback to the days when penny-saving savvy was in

fashion. “Women used to brag about how much they saved, and we really wanted to bring

that back.” But the content on Poor Little Rich Girls is much more than the Sunday paper’s coupons. The site offers advice

on restaurants, bar deals and home-decorating tips.

With the recession still afoot, it is becoming popular to live

the big-city life on a small-town budget. As Provencial’s site

continues to grow in popularity, she has her eyes set on expand-

ing Poor Little Rich Girls. “One idea we’re working on now is

to start selling things on the site, like clothing and gift certifi-

cates,” she said. Although the site’s content is geared toward

Chicago, Provencial says she hopes to bring the Poor Little

Rich Girl philosophy to other cit-ies including Los Angeles, Miami

and Boston.

In the words of Oprah Winfrey, Michael Bublé’s newest album, Crazy Love, will “make you feel SO happy.” Who knew your hips could sway so easily to our generation’s Frank Sinatra and his big band sound? (Not to mention his sexy voice and good looks—those also certainly help mat-ters). With songs like his own co-written “Haven’t Met You Yet” and a cover of Van Morrison’s “Crazy Love,” Bublé proves he can croon his way through any jazz or contemporary tune. His warm voice and smooth song interpretations are a nice break from the relatively lackluster pop and hip-hop music produced these days. As apparent from the album’s title, the songs may all be about love, or sometimes the lack of it, but Bublé’s un-believable talent makes up for occasionally cliché lyrics. Thanks to Bublé, jazz and blues are no longer genres for the history books.

Indie rock group The Gossip has a hit on its hands with its first ma-jor label studio album, Music for Men… or at least lead singer Beth Ditto will make you believe that. Ditto’s bluesy, don’t-mess-with-me voice com-mands you to listen, and it’s a good thing, since listening to this album may not be as easy as it seems. Songs become easily confused with one anoth-er, considering each one features the same repetitive chords and strong, pulsing beat. However, Ditto’s girl power lyrics, made believable by her impressive vocal chops, are enough to be a much-needed refresher from otherwise boring, simplistic pop rock. Take “Dimestore Diamond,” for instance. The catchy track features lyrics that call to mind Ditto herself: a leather-clad rebel chick ready to rock your world. With Ditto’s attitude-driven vocals, the song can rise above the monotony of the album’s instru-mentals. All in all, Music for Men accomplishes one thing: It proves The Gossip would be done without the Ditto.

Australian rockers The Temper Trap might be a less American version of Kings of Leon. The group’s debut album, Conditions, has the same ex-pansive, anthemic rock album feel, but its liberal use of keyboards and electronic beats give it something distinctively foreign. And foreign isn’t a bad thing — highlights “Love Lost” and “Sweet Disposition” are soulful, reverb-soaked slices of pop-rock, and the layered, desperate “Science of Fear” sounds like something Bloc Party wishes it could still pull off. Pro-ducer Jim Abbiss (who also helmed the Arctic Monkeys’ acclaimed debut album) and guitarist/singer Dougy Mandagi’s mesmerizing falsetto (equal parts Prince and Mika) make it happen. In the end, The Temper Trap’s sound may be best expressed as a composite of other established artists, but somehow, it’s not a fault. Perhaps Conditions’ greatest achievement is showing us how a new band can bring its own flavor to a music scene we thought might have gone stale.

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Photo by Ray Whitehouse

The Weekly 10/15/09

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