Whether it is the year of the Poler Vortex or the year of Game Day, every year passes by with that one memorable thing that makes that year unique.

Here is a list of all the different things that were different this year at Northwestern. Decide how you will remember the year.

Just two weeks into the school year, College GameDay headed to our school for the first time since 1995, and I’ve got to say the experience was something truly remarkable. Some highlights include waking up 3:00 a.m. to get a spot in line at the Lakeville, reading the hilarious signs that my fellow students brought with them (crowd favorites were “Urban Meyer Cites Wikipedia,” and “Can You Read This Braxton”), nearly falling asleep while standing up, and booing when Lee Corso put the Buckeye helmet on at the end of the show, indicating that he was picking Ohio State to win. As far as the football game was concerned, there were a few things that stood out to me. For one, Ryan Field was more packed than I’d ever seen it. For the first time at Northwestern, I actually felt that I was a part of a “Big Ten” crowd. The game itself was unforgettable, even though we came up just short (I don’t care that the final score says we lost by 11, because any casual observer could tell how evenly matched both teams were from start to finish). The ‘Cats’ incredible performance, which was broadcast on ABC for America to see, put our football program on the map.  I remember receiving texts from my friends from back home, saying how impressed they were with Northwestern’s effort. While the season didn’t turn out the way we had hoped (and that’s putting it nicely), on this day our school banned together, and produced a level of camaraderie and school spirit that’s never been matched in my lifetime.  

Polar Vortex 

Normally, weather isn’t a defining characteristic of a school year, but in this case it absolutely was. Now, I’m from upstate New York, so I’m used to winters where the temperature’s around 30 degrees or so for an extended period of time. I can live with that. What I can’t live with is this: according to data released from the National Weather service in late January, the average Chicago temperature for the winter season so far sits at 20.3 degrees, making it the 13th coldest winter since 1872. While that’s insane, it doesn’t even tell the whole story because it doesn’t take into account wind chill, which plays a huge factor in Chicago, considering the city is located so close to Lake Michigan. You literally couldn’t walk outside for 10 minutes without wearing two thick layers, a hat, and gloves, or else you’d come pretty darn close to pneumonia. It was bad enough that Northwestern gave us two snow days, which according to Northwestern archives, was only the sixth time in the past century.  

Football Player’s Effort to Unionize 

By now you’ve probably heard at least a thing or two about how the Northwestern football team was awarded the right to unionize by the National Labor Relations Board in late March. The fight, led by former quarterback Kain Colter, was hard. Barely anyone gave them a chance, and they proved that if you believe that there’s systematic injustice, it’s possible to change the status quo.   Just because the decision was made doesn’t mean that the players immediately unionized: they had to vote first, and this is where things got real interesting. When the Board made it’s initial decision, most of the media assumed that the necessary majority of ‘Cats football players would agree to unionize. Then on April 7, less than two weeks after the historic decision, head football coach Pat Fitzgerald came out and said, “I believe it’s in their best interest to vote no.” He claims he did so because he didn’t feel there was a need to add a “’third party’ to advanced desired reforms regarding long-term health care and increasing stipends, according to Chicago Tribune writer Teddy Greenstein.   Whatever his ulterior motivations were, aren’t important, because at the end of the day, his words carried a ton of weight. After he denounced the unionization effort, several high profile ‘Cats football players, such as quarterback Trevor Simeon, publically backed their coach. So even though we still don’t know the results of the April 25 vote, all reports indicate that it will not receive the necessary majority for the players to unionize.   Some might argue that if it fails to pass, that this whole process was a waste of time, but I believe that the initial victory will lead other programs to take a stand against the NCAA.  

Peter Ludlow Scandal

While the Polar Vortex was a nuisance, nothing made the student’s angrier than the alleged sexual assault by former Northwestern professor Peter Ludlow. The story goes that two years ago Ludlow asked one of his students, then 19 years old, to accompany him to an art exhibit. Apparently, he had other reasons for bringing her along. According to the student, Ludlow had gotten her drunk, and then kissed and groped her while she blacked out. She complained to the University afterward but they showed “indifference and inaction,” according to the student. Because nothing was resolved, the student sued the University in February, on the basis that they had violated Title IX, which “obligates universities to investigate sexual misconduct claims in a timely fashion, and provide an environment free of retaliation against the people who make the claims.” The school looked into her claims, and according to the Chicago Tribune, Northwestern froze his pay for one school year and revoked his appointment to an endowed position.   Yet, they chose not to fire him, which enraged many students who decided to protest: they led a sit-in of Ludlow’s classroom, constructed an online petition, and “taped their mouths shut and marched down Sheridan Road to the dean’s office, demanding, among other things, Ludlow’s termination” according to the Chicago Reader.   On March 13, after many days of hostility, the University decided that Ludlow wouldn’t teach for the rest of the school year. During this school year he had accepted a position at Rutgers University, but amidst the controversy, Rutgers has yet to decide whether or not they will employ him next school year.