North Central News

A December to remember from a media perspective at North Central College

Kelly Murphy

Dec 30, 2021

December closes out a landmark year for North Central in the media spotlight. Throughout the entire calendar year, the College has been both reactionary and proactively seeking media engagements to showcase its subject matter experts, athletics, programs, and facilities.

At long last, the Cardinals got the chance to defend their 2019 football national title, working their way through the postseason and staying at the top of the charts for highest-ranked team in Division III. North Central finished the year as national runners-up and set all-time school records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

The team’s momentum and track record mustered up quite the media following (see below). To get all the details on the Cardinals’ run through the postseason, visit the athletics website.

North Central College football team moves through postseason in media spotlight

As the postseason continued to bring North Central College Cardinal football great success, they stayed firmly in the media spotlight. The College saw record media attention throughout the postseason and as the team headed into Championship Week, where the team took over media outlets across every TV network in Chicago.

North Central College postseason media features

North Central College vs. University of Mount Union

North Central College vs. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Chod shares insights on new legislation opting for women to qualify for the draft in The 19th

As the law currently stands, every “male citizen” and immigrant — regardless of legal status — between the ages of 18 and 26 must register with the Selective Service System, the agency responsible for running a draft. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, a Democrat and former U.S. Air Force officer, wants to strike the word “male” from the bill and expand the registration to all Americans, regardless of race, color, sex or gender.

Houlahan introduced an amendment to the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)  this year that would require women to register for the first time in U.S. history. The bill passed in the House in September and continues to be negotiated in the Senate.

Suzanne Chod, professor of political science, interviewed with The 19th and shared that there is not strong public support for women registering for the draft.

“This overall lack of strong support, though, illustrates what we call benevolent sexism, which is a sexism that rests on paternalistic beliefs: ‘Women need protection, and their skills are nurturers, not fighters. We need to protect them from war so as to not corrupt their virtue and purity and inhibit them from fulfilling their duties as wives and mothers,’” Chod said. “This was the same argument made in the 19th and early-20th centuries to bar women from voting.”

Click here to read the full article on The 19th.

Swede highlights state-of-the-art technology that offers hands-on experience to students in Naperville Community Television (NCTV17)

North Central College’s new health sciences and engineering building features state-of-the-art technology, offering a hands-on experience that prepares students to excel in their fields. Marci J. Swede, dean of the School of Education and Health Sciences, interviewed with Naperville Community Television (NCTV17), where she explained the various opportunities offered.

“So we looked at what best practices are in medical health education and how we could build a building that would encourage our students to take advantage of those top-notch educational opportunities,” Swede said.

Click here to watch the full interview on NCTV17.

Wis shares insight into conducting safe holiday caroling in Naperville Sun

Singing carols with family and friends can evoke memories that last a lifetime, even for those diagnosed with dementia. Family singalongs or caroling, whether Christmas or other traditional holiday tunes, create memories. For those thinking about sharing that joy with the community through caroling there are many tips and tricks to conducting a successful sing-a-long.

Ramona Wis, Mimi Rolland Professor in the Fine Arts and professor of music, was quoted in the Naperville Sun stating a few ideas for novices and experts alike.

“Caroling is a trickier process than it may appear to be,” Wis said. “Are you doing Christmas caroling or holiday caroling? Not everyone celebrates Christmas, and even those who do might celebrate in a secular, but not sacred fashion, so work for balance in your approach and awareness in your song selection.”

Click here to read the full article on the Naperville Sun.

Caliendo discusses controversial SCOTUS case on abortion on FOX 32 Chicago

The Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments on Mississippi’s 15-week ban on abortion. The conservative majority indicated that they would uphold the law and might even go further to try and overturn the right to abortion. While abortions have been legal in the United States since the Roe v. Wade opinion in 1973, and ever since then, lawmakers in various states have tried to modify or limit that right and now it looks like Mississippi’s 15-week ban on abortion might be upheld by the court.

Stephen Maynard Caliendo, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, interviewed with FOX 32 Chicago where he discussed the implications of the SCOTUS hearing and its long-term impact on the nation.

“It’s a test case out of Mississippi,” said Caliendo. “We can take some indications about the questioning, but we’re not going to know for a few months exactly how the decision falls. But, if indeed the ban is upheld, it will mean that there is no protection for women’s reproductive health, specifically as defined under Roe v. Wade for the last 50 years, and it would mean that states are eligible to decide if they want to have similar bills. So, if the Mississippi bill stands, other states could follow suit.”

Click here to watch the full interviews on FOX 32 Chicago: