04-24-24

Uprooting Redlining

UNI class’s tree planting project aims to offset effects of redlining in Waterloo

Decaying houses, abandoned buildings and residual pollution from the Rath Packing Company reflect a troubled history of housing discrimination, economic disparity and segregation in a select number of Waterloo neighborhoods. But students in Professor Jayme Renfro’s Race and Public Policy seminar are seeking to change that – one tree at a time.

“We’re starting small, so we’re not changing the whole area, but we’re changing our little piece of the world in Waterloo,” Olivia Schneider, a student in Renfro’s class said, “It feels really good to get out there and make a difference.”

Maucker Union rooftop to be redesigned

One of the University of Northern Iowa’s most iconic buildings and center for student activity is looking to get a facelift.

It was recently announced that the rooftop plaza of Maucker Union will be redesigned due to part of the roof membrane underneath the walkable roof needing to be replaced. In order to be more cost effective, the university is looking to lessen the footprint of what would need to be replaced of the walkable roof, while also adding some additional features that students may be interested in using.

“What we’re looking at is the programmatic ideas that our university students would enjoy seeing,” Mike Bobeldyk, Director of Student Involvement and Event

Services, said. “This is an area that I think a lot of people would say has tremendous untapped potential.”

In order to gain some ideas from students on what features they would like to see on top of the roof of Maucker Union, the university gained

feedback from students in a variety of ways.

On Thursday, April 11 and on Friday, April 12 the architectural consultant that the university is working with conducted a series of interviews with Bobeldyk’s department staff, and with 16 or 17

prominent leaders of student organizations.

Also on Friday, April 12 in the Coffeehouse of Maucker Union, a focus group session was held for student leaders and those in the UNI community to engage in conversation and provide their input for what they would like the plaza space to look like in the future. Over 200 people participated in this process.

Another way the university tried to gain feedback on what to do with the rooftop plaza of Maucker Union was by sending out a poll through Inside UNI to the entire UNI community to gain feedback. The poll consisted of a series of six questions asking what spaces, amenities, activities people would like to see on the newly designed rooftop plaza. This poll closed on Friday, April 19.

MALLORY SCHMITZ

UNI has been collecting feedback from students and community members to redesign the Maucker Union rooftop plaza. Before the building was constructed in 1967, the site had two intersecting sidewalks. The rooftop being walkable has always been an important part of the union’s design.

COURTESY/MAPPING INEQUALITY

In the 1930s, the Homeowners Land Corporation created a series of redlining maps, like the one above of Waterloo, Iowa. These maps classified areas of the cities based on the level of real estate security, which likely played a role in companies denying loans to minority populations for decades. The effects are still felt today, with Wallstreet 24/7 ranking Waterloo as the sixth worst place to be Black in the United States in 2023.

ties, and continues to impact current generations.

Rumsey said it is important to acknowledge the history of redlining in the Cedar Valley and the impact it has on the community today.

“(Redlining) certainly didn’t make it any easier to get ahead in those neighborhoods,” Rumsey said. “It’s still hard to invest in those parts of town and becoming a homeowner is still difficult. You can still see struggles today in those neighborhoods that lack a lot of amenities. It’s one of those factors that has perpetuated inequalities that already exist.”

In an effort to combat the lack of trees in these formerly redlined areas, Renfro’s class has organized a tree planting event for Arbor Day, Friday, April 26. The class has organized hundreds of volunteers to plant trees, including the Iowa Army National Guard, AmeriCorps, and Vine Valley Real Estate among other corporations.

redlining with Jenna Peterson from Habitat for Humanity, and UNI professors, an Earth Day sampling planting event, creek cleanup and community engagement fair.

“The best part for me has been all the hands-on engagement that we’ve been doing,” Schneider said.

Tree Equity Score maps how well the trees in urban areas benefit those who need them most. The map above shows the scores for areas of Waterloo, the orange sections being where more trees are needed and green being where they are effectively serving the community.

The students in Renfro’s class have been studying the effects of redlining, a policy that began in the 1930s and played a big role in creating a racial divide in the area.

“It was all racism,” Renfro said. “When the government started insuring mortgages, they decided they weren’t going to insure everyone. Because of racism, it worked out that most of the people and neighborhoods that were deemed to be uninsurable were neighborhoods where people of color lived.”

continued from page 1 UNION

The consultants have taken all of the information gathered from various members in the UNI community and they will use that information to start planning what the rooftop plaza will look like in the future. Some of the feedback from students and those in the community included wanting some shade structure as well as softening the space with some plantings or turf so the roof plaza is not just all concrete.

Bobeldyk mentioned that the various ways in which the university and his department gained feedback from the UNI community is customary when it comes to thinking about projects for students.

“Whenever we do projects here, we know it’s important

History professor Brian Rumsey said redlining impacted thousands of cities across America.

“This wasn’t just something that was happening in one part of the country,” Rumsey said. “It wasn’t just a southern thing. Racism in the north or in the east was maybe a little bit more obscured, but just as harmful.”

The government created maps which color-coded neighborhoods based on their perceived risk for mortgage lending, and the “riskiest” areas were colored red, giving way to the term redlining. This policy impacted predominantly African-American communi-

continued from page 1 COURTESY/TREEEQUITYSCORE.ORG

to get student feedback. So really this isn’t our building, this is your building. I think it’s really important that we understand the students and where they see the needs and deficiencies, or what they like in different areas and how we might either enhance them or change them,” Bobeldyk said. The idea of a walkable rooftop was one of the main reasons Maucker Union was built. Before Maucker Union was built in 1969, the area where the building stands today was originally the intersection of two heavily trafficked sidewalks. When the building was built, the goal was to have the rooftop act as a sidewalk for students. The university also wanted the building to be a lower height compared to other buildings in order to not block any of the views of the other buildings

While studying maps of Waterloo, Renfro’s class noticed a key factor was missing from the formerly redlined areas –trees. According to Renfro, trees are often a key resource for neighborhoods that are often overlooked.

“Redlined areas tend to have a lot of commercial concrete parking lots, vacant lots, those sorts of things,” Renfro said. “They don’t have trees. And a lack of trees creates an even worse neighborhood.”

Without an adequate number of trees, the air quality in these areas is noticeably worse, and trees also help cool down an area with their shade, which is increasingly important with rising temperatures and global warming.

on campus. The rooftop on top of Maucker Union today was replaced in the early 1990s along with some patchwork completed throughout the years.

The renovation to the rooftop would be one of the biggest renovations to Maucker Union since the eastern half of the building was added in the early 2000s. This addition in the early 2000s included the food court, Center for Multicultural Education, Student Involvement offices and the underground tunnel that connects to Lang Hall.

Representatives from the university are looking forward to how this renovation will enhance Maucker Union and UNI as a whole.

“I think our biggest goal is how we might be able to take a space like this and create it into an area that people want

“It’s pretty exciting,” Schneider said. “Making that change and broadening the tree canopy in more of an equitable fashion, is what we’re aiming to do in Waterloo, but we also hope that people in other places can see what we’re doing, and follow our example.”

... we also hope that people in other places can see what we’re doing and follow our example.

Olivia Schneider Student in Renfro’s class

The groundbreaking will take place near 4th and Lime Streets. They plan to plant trees by East High School and near the People’s Community Health Clinic.

In addition to organizing the tree planting on April 26, the class has organized several events to educate the community including a faculty panel discussion about the history of

to meet. The hope is that it can attract those who just want to find a space to be alone and do their thing, or have a group of people gathering for lunch or maybe taking in an event.” Bobeldyk said. “I think it has great opportunities to do just that because of the location of

“Sometimes, especially in these political science classes, you’re learning about these depressing topics and it feels like there’s no way to actually change anything.”

Renfro said the class has truly gone above and beyond her expectations, and has helped make a positive change in the community.

“The students keep coming up with things to do on their own,” Renfro said. “I did not tell them to do this. They did this all on their own. They keep coming up with extra work, and so it’s been really cool to watch.”

Those interested in volunteering for the tree planting event can go to their website and fill out a volunteer interest form at csbs.uni.edu/trees.

the space, but we have to be able to then program it in such a way that people want to go there.”

Bobeldyk emphasized that as the university goes through this process, they will continue to involve students as much as possible.

Debate team strikes gold Team rebuilds under new director Squid Monteith

ESTELLE JOHNSON Staff Writer

Winning trophy after trophy, the UNI Debate Team has been rocking their tournaments this year. They’ve competed in debates located in Oklahoma, Kansas, and more. The members and coaches of the debate team have completely rebranded themselves.

For years, the debate team at UNI flew under the radar. There were only a few students who participated in the sport. But, this year, the number of members grew significantly. As a result, the team is now sitting on a golden pile of trophies and acknowledgments. Every member has put in significant effort to make debate a lasting legacy here at UNI.

The Debate team at UNI competes in two-person, policy debate and Lincoln-Douglas. Each year, debate teams representing colleges and universities across the nation select a single topic to research and debate for the year. After completing extensive research on the topic, students from UNI travel to a variety of regional and national tournaments and also compete in online competitions

The new director of debate, Squid Monteith, has come in and helped UNI students change the debate game. Monteith was hired by the Communication and Media department in August of 2023, and instructs Argumentation and Debate classes as well as Public Speaking classes. The strides that Monteith has made this debate season has earned them the ‘2024 New Director of the Year Award’.

For this fiscal year, the Cross Examination Debate Association decided on the topic “The United States should substantially reduce nuclear forces by 1. Adopting nuclear no-first use policy, 2. Eliminating one or more legs of the nuclear triad, and 3. Disarming nuclear forces”.

I enjoy the opportunities to engage in complex academics, as well as the community we’ve created.

“We debated mostly for no-first use policy and disarming nuclear forces, but we debated a lot with others who argued for eliminating one or more legs of the nuclear triad,” Monteith said.

Ela Bailey Debate team member

Monteith’s work has not gone unnoticed, as the whole Debate team was awarded the ‘Outstanding New or Rebuilding Program Award’. Monteith worked on building the program back up, and did so by tirelessly encouraging students to join the team. They did “sales pitches” in their classes, hung up flyers, and sent out emails. Monteith was consistent, and managed to gain more team members for their debate squad.

The majority of the team is built of freshman-standing students. There are a few upperclassmen, but they all pointed to their teammate Kat Van Buren, who actively brought new members to the team. Both Ela Bailey and Reece Whittaker were influenced by Van Buren’s convincing arguments. Much of the team had little to no previous debate experience, like Addyson Kaune, who is a grad student here at UNI.

“I saw a flier, so I said, well… I enjoy arguing with people, so why not?” she said.

The community that the debate team has is something everyone touched on. Many of the team members are in debate alongside other extracurriculars, such as the UNI pep band. Coach Monteith has been supportive and encouraging of their team and members’ extracurriculars.

“I think with the coaching

staff we have, we’ve been guided in the perfect direction,” Van Buren said.

Some members have found true solace in the debate team. Many suggested that joining debate has given them reasons to be better, academically and mentally. Ela Bailey added, “I enjoy the opportunities to engage in complex academics, as well as the community we’ve created.”

Though, it can be nerve racking to participate in debates. Each debate team does things a bit differently, no two teams necessarily the same. Each group has team members with certain strengths and weaknesses, and will look for any advantages they can find. For some team members, the nerves are higher than others. “You never know what someone else is going to argue,” Graduating senior Rose Britts said, Van Buren stressed that sometimes, debates don’t necessarily go as planned. There’s hundreds of students

who debate in these tournaments, and what happens can be unpredictable.

“In one of my first debates, the other opponent started speaking in fluent Spanish, and I don’t understand Spanish,” they said.

All team members have their favorite memories from debates. Reece Whittaker said, “I remember just getting slammed our our first tournament.”

Nobody expected the success the team would have this year. The number of debate members skyrocketed, and as a result, so did the awards. As each member continued to practice debating, they felt like their skill truly progressed. The way each team member participates together is what makes debate a technical sport.

The team asks for donations from those who are able to give. More information can be found on Facebook at University of Northern Iowa Speech and Debate.

Season Successes

Missouri State University

Season Opener

- Novice Semi-Finalists: Jack Border and Sriven Kadiyala

- 4th best speaker in Novice division: Jack Border - 2nd best speaker in Novice division: Sriven Kadiyala

Joe C Jackson Tournament hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma

- 3rd best speaker in the Novice division: Quinci Chapman

2nd Annual Big Tent Online Tournament hosted by Missouri State University

- Novice Finalists: Kat Van Buren and Ela Bailey

Sunflower Swing Tournament Part 1 hosted by the University of Kansas

- Novice Co-Champions: Addyson Kaune, Reece Whittaker and Sriven Kadiyala - 2nd best speaker in the Novice division: Reece Whittaker

Sunflower Swing Tournament Part 2 hosted by Kansas State University

- Novice Co-Champions: Addyson Kaune, Reece Whittaker and Sriven Kadiyala - 3rd best speaker in the Novice division: Sriven Kadiyala

University of Minnesota Invitational tournament

- Junior Varsity SemiFinalists: Addyson Kaune and Reece Whittaker

- Novice Co-Champions: Rose Britts, Ela Bailey and Kat Van Buren - 3rd best speaker in the JV division: Reece Whittaker - 5th best speaker in the JV division: Addyson Kaune

Cross Examination Debate Association’s National Championships

- Novice Quarter-finalists: Kat Van Buren and Ela Bailey

- Novice Finalists: Addyson Kaune and Reece Whittaker

COURTESY/FACEBOOK

Over the course of the season, the debate team has been keeping track of their many awards, including having two Novice Finalists and two Novice Quarter-finalists at the Cross Examination Debate Association’s National Championships.

COURTESY/FACEBOOK

The Debate team has been around for a number of years at UNI, but has been rejuvenated this year with new members and a new director. Squid Monteith was named ‘2024 New Director of the Year.’

Vince Gotera named Iowa Poet Laureate

KATE MURPHY Staff Writer

This past February, Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed UNI’s Vince Gotera as this year’s Iowa Poet Laureate. Vince Gotera is a professor in the Department of Languages & Literatures at the University of Northern Iowa.

Gotera is the fifth Poet Laureate in Iowa and will serve in the position for two years. The position was created 25 years ago with the intent to recognize the importance of poetry in Iowans’ everyday lives.

“I’m excited to represent poetry across the state of Iowa. Born and raised in San Francisco, and having lived a few years as a child in the Philippines, I’ve been very glad to be so welcomed in Iowa, where I have lived for almost 30 years,” Gotera said.

The Iowa Poet Laureate is nominated every two years and is chosen from a list of 3 nominees put forth by a volunteer citizen committee selected by Humanities Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council.

Jim O’Loughlin, Languages and Literatures professor and head of the department, nominated Gotera for the appointed position.

“Iowa has not only been

where he has lived and worked for the last three decades, but he has also exemplified the work ethic and openness to influences that I have come to associate with our state. As poet laureate, he would be an inspiration to younger writers and a proud proponent of poetry in Iowa,” O’Loughlin said.

Gotera has been teaching creative writing and literature for nearly 30 years. He’s earned the Faculty Excellence Award and the statewide Regents Award for Faculty Excellence. As an author, Gotera has published more than 300 poems in venues across the U.S. and internationally.

college, where I studied it at Stanford University and San Francisco State University,” Gotera said.

Gotera was a PhD student at Indiana University (19811992). He then decided to also get a Master of Fine Arts in poetry (1986), in order to pursue a career in creative writing and literature.

I would like to dispel, as poet laureate, the stereotype that many people have about poetry that it’s hard to understand and it’s too damn serious.

Vince Gotera Iowa Poet Laureate

“I’ve written poetry since I was about six, when I wrote my first poem. I wrote poetry all through school and

“I’m elated to promote poetry in the state and inspire Iowans to read and write poetry, to bring beauty and art to our everyday lives.”

Gotera hopes to eliminate the stigma that poetry isn’t for everyone because it’s ‘too it should be accessible to everyone and fun for folks of all ages and backgrounds.

“I would like to dispel, as poet laureate, the stereotype that many people have about poetry that it’s hard to understand and it’s too damn

serious,” Gotera said. “I will be taking part in the Poetry Palooza festival in Des Moines in April, and I plan to perform a rap poem while playing electric guitar.” Gotera plans to visit schools, libraries, colleges, universities, and churches to give poetry readings and performances, participate in various poetry events, in hopes of introducing audiences to other poets. He also hopes to give workshops to Iowans who want to learn to write poems.

Gotera will also create a poetry project online to reach as many Iowans as I can, since I can’t visit everywhere, though I will certainly try to visit as many Iowa locations as I can. He will also encourage as many Iowans who are interested to write poetry themselves.

“It’s important for Iowans to appreciate poetry because it’s a wonderful source of beauty and one of the major arts. Poetry expresses our deep and intimate connections to nature and culture.”

Conspiracy Theories

by Vince Gotera

Did a giant child drop a toy, red hoop and stick, frozen forever, spinning yet also standing still? Shards of vermillion

shrapnel fixed in air, a wild gyroscope. Into an angry sky, strange banners lift muffled alarums, a million alien

warriers landing their spaceships. But surely not? Just some welded metal in concrete, you say. Are you sure? A space invasion could never happen, right? Fake news, clearly. Or is it a warning?

COURTESY/INSIDE UNI

Professor Vince Gotera was recently named Iowa Poet Laureate by Govenor Kim Reynolds. Gotera will serve a two-year term, and is the fifth ever Iowa Poet Laureate.

COURTESY/VINCE GOTERA

Gotera’s poem “Conspiracy Theories” was inspired by the sculpture

“Balanced/Unbalanced Beaks” by Fletcher Benton, located near Curris Business Building.

Essentials at Essentials

Northern Iowan editors rank must-have snacks from Essentials in Maucker Union

BAILEY KLINKHAMMER Essentials Enthusiast

Every Tuesday, the Northern Iowan editors gather in the basement of Maucker Union to lay out the paper for publishing on Wednesday.

Every Tuesday, editors Caden Shea and Bailey Klinkhammer try a different snack from Essentials. Over the past year, the two editors have curated the best snacks offered from Essentials.

Honorable Mentions

Froot Candies

Any drink available for $1

10. Monster Ultra

For Caden’s freshman and sophomore year, it was rare not to see one of these in his hand. Also known as the “white Monster,” this energy drink is unexplainably good. With a subtle but tasty flavor, this is one of the first energy drinks you should look at when you go to Essentials.

9. Cookie Crunch M&Ms

The Cookie Crunch M&Ms are a fairly new addition to the Essentials line up, but, they’ve been loved in the office. The office has a strong affinity for sweets, and this has tickled our editor’s palettes. The inside is light and crunchy, and the outside is the chocolate flavor you know and love. A definite hit.

8. Teriyaki Yakisoba

This imaginative spin on ramen is a must-eat if you are in need of a quick meal before class. Just add water, heat it up and eat. Its flavor is so interesting and will leave you wanting more for the rest of the day. It’s cheap, it’s tasty, it’s Teriyaki Yakisoba.

7. Chocolate or Strawberry Core Power Protein Shake

If you’re like Caden and constantly on the fitness grind, look no further than a Core Power protein shake. You can barely tell the difference between this and flavored milk. This one is perfect for everyone from gym sharks to people just looking for something different in their beverage repertoire.

6. Diet Coke

You know it, you love it, Diet Coke simply had to make the list. Diet Coke is a Northern Iowan office staple. Its appearances aren’t just limited to layout days, but even makes appearances during editorial meetings, something that other items on this list have yet to do.

5. Taco Flavor Blasted Chex Mix

If you are looking for something unique and unlike anything else you have had, you need to try this. It’s like someone dumped a packet of taco seasoning in a bag of chex mix, shaked it, and presented it to the masses. It is nothing less than a work of beauty. It’s like a fiesta in your mouth.

4. Sno Berry Peace Tea

I don’t know what flavor this is. I don’t know what it is trying to be. But all I know is that it is delicious. The moment it first touched my tongue I knew it was a moment I would never forget. It is the best flavor of anything out there. It’s unique, sweet and a little tart. It is just something that everyone in the world might need to

try. It could be the thing that ends all wars.

3. Cookie Dough Bites

Both of the Chocolate Chip and Birthday Cake Cookie Dough Bites offered in the cold spot in Essentials have taken the Northern Iowan office by storm. The hype has even reached Northern Iowan Executive Editor Caroline Christensen who said the cookie bites are “quite possibly the best sweet treat she’s had in months.”

“Not to be dramatic, but the birthday cake cookie dough bites may have changed my life,” she added. “They are perfect for snacking your stress away.”

2. Chocolate Covered Chocolate Cheesecake Bites

Those in search of a rich sweet treat can find that in the chocolate covered chocolate cheesecake bites. Although refreshingly sweet and surprisingly light, Essentials doesn’t consistently offer these delicacies, so keep an eye out for them when they’re in stock.

1. Meat & Pepperjack Stick Pack

Arguably Caden and Bailey’s favorite snack in Essentials, this has been a layout staple in the editorial office. Most notably was its absence in the beginning half of the spring semester, which the editors griped about until its eventual return, being replaced by a different brand. While the brand that’s being sold now may not be the brand that Caden and Bailey originally fell in love with, the new brand still gets the job done.

On that workout grind? Look no further than

CADEN SHEA

Teriyaki Yakisoba is described as a “must-eat” “staple located in Essentials by the editors. A quick and easy meal, this food item ranks eighth on the ranking list.

CADEN SHEA

the Core Power Protein Shake. This beverage ranks seventh on the ranking list.

CADEN SHEA

A much beloved staple in the Northern Iowan offices, the Meat and pepperjack Stick Pack ranks number one on the ranking list.

Taylor Swift “Can Do It With a Broken Heart”

BY CALLEE FAIR Music Critic

April 19: a date that could not come soon enough for all of the Swifties around the globe. Star studded singer, dazzling performer and critically acclaimed songwriter Taylor Swift,dropped her highly anticipated album, “The Tortured Poets Department” last Friday night. Not only did she drop 16 songs on the official album, but released another half of the album comprising an additional 15 songs entitled “The Anthology.”

Swift, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner teamed up again to make the saddest pop album of the year. Swift’s style of songwriting that she used to paint rooms, draw symbols and metaphors for yearning, and write from various perspectives in studio albums “Folklore” and “Evermore” has come back to haunt her adoring fans with her recent album.

“The Tortured Poets Department” is by far one of her most well-written albums, if not the best. Her creative use of telling stories that symbolize human experiences she went through and powerful emotions she felt are what define this transparently deep album. British writer Percy Bysshe Shelley once said, “Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar.” This quote could not be more true and representing of what Swift’s 11th studio album means.

Her vocals laid in this album are stunning. It’s so fun to be able to listen to how she captures the story Swift is telling using

her voice. “Fresh Out the Slammer” shows her lower register off using a clear and rich tone that the fans don’t get to hear very often. Sure, she has sung in a low, raspy voice before, but usually it’s matched with breathiness. In this specific track, she cruises through the melodies with slight vibratos and making the atmosphere sparkingly dreamy. On the other end of the spectrum, Swift does not shy away from belting out her higher range in “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” It is no surprise how great her voice sounds with her prep for touring, but it’s nice to see that hard work being represented within this album.

describes a magnet without a home, yearning for a person that she just can’t obtain but feels connected to.

This album is Swift’s most vulnerable, unhinged, chaotic and human body of work.

She reveals in her 13th track, “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” paints the picture of performing her famous “The Eras Tour” night after night while going through the heartache of break ups and betrayal.

What is unique about this album is that in her past bodies of work, there are usually some songs of encouragement. The closest to becoming optimistic “The Tortured Poets Department” gets is in this track where she sings in the chorus, “I’m so depressed, I act like it’s my birthday every day.” “Down Bad” is another song that is catchy enough to dance to, but the content within the song

The best songs on this album have this cinematic build and atmosphere to them. Swift is masterfully known for the bridges she writes for songs, no matter the mood she creates for the piece. Hearing Swift dive into new formulas of creating music is refreshing, and gives the same emotional impact, if not more. “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”, “The Black

Dog” and “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” tell a story following notes until it leads to the orchestra of madness and revelation.

Her experimentation does not end there. In songs “Guilty As Sin?” and “So High School” create a 1990s dreamy atmosphere that still dwells in synth but leans more towards a timeless era with guitar and drumming fantasia.

Every songwriter’s goal creating music revolves around the transparency shaped as a wall between human emotion and what the listeners hear. Songs are supposed to be human emotions in a bottle by writing a narrative reflectant on

emotion

an emotion. The Grammy winner embodies this purpose by taking her listeners through a period of time of grief, pent up anger, and distraught she was feeling behind the scenes. The swelling ambience and additional strings Dessner and Antoff provide in the production of the album perfectly embody the emotions pouring out of Swift as she processes her woes. This album is Swift’s most vulnerable, unhinged, chaotic, and human body of work. “The Tortured Poets Department” offers

insight and perspective in healing the ugliest wounds marked on the soul and how it makes the singer-songwriter feel.

Although “The Eras Tour” is whimsical and alluring, this album of healing is the hidden beauty of what came out of it. The love that Swift once experienced is now unfamiliar once she pulled the curtains and saw it for what it really was.

COURTESY/BETH GARRABRANT Swift’s new album, ”The Tortured Poets Department”, sold more than 1.4 million copies on the first day of release.

COURTESY/BETH GARRABRANT

With raw

and pure devotion, Swift indulged her fans in her sympathies.

@UNIAthletics by the numbers

A closer look at representation on UNI Athletics social media accounts

Whether looking for score updates, exciting highlights or the latest sports news, Panther fans know one place they can always check: the official UNI Athletics social media accounts.

Social media is a vital tool for collegiate athletic departments around the world looking to capitalize on fan engagement and sports marketing. UNI Athletics is no exception, utilizing X, Instagram and Facebook to connect with over 54,000 different accounts across all three platforms.

Assistant Athletic

Director for Communication

Joel Wauters oversees the communications team for UNI Athletics. His duties include overseeing press releases, game recaps, the website and social media.

“I’d say our overall goal is to in general inform, educate and to engage with our fans,” Wauters said. “You know, people come to our games all the time, but some people aren’t able to see it. …A lot of times our social media feeds provide that information and those updates that they like.”

While the UNI Athletics accounts promote content for all 15 sports listed on their website, six men’s and nine women’s sports, some teams inevitably get more attention than others.

X and Instagram

In February 2023, ESPN analyzed the tweets of the then-65 Power 5 schools’ athletic departments on X. They revealed their findings in an article titled “Behind the Power 5 gender bias problem on Twitter.” The overwhelming majority tweeted about men’s sports more, raising questions about Title IX and equity in athletics.

The Northern Iowan set out to complete similar tests to the ESPN analysis using UNI Athletics accounts. They went through every tweet and retweet from the UNI Athletics account of 2023, tracking the number of tweets per sport. The findings were as follows:

54% of the UNI Athletics tweets pertained to women’s sports, the other 46% featuring men’s sports.

The sport most tweeted about was men’s golf, with 66 tweets in 2023. The women’s golf team wasn’t far behind with 60 tweets. However, according to Wauters, these two teams do not have their own individual team accounts, meaning that the official UNI Athletics account

The above graph presents data collected by the Northern Iowan from the official UNI Athletics X account. Every tweet from 2023 was counted and categorized based on which sport it was.

content was counted. Note that the men’s and women’s golf teams do not have

is the only official university account consistently providing golf content. Wauters said he’d like to see an X account in the future specifically dedicated to the golf teams.

“Having their own platform would be great,” he said. “We just have to build a following, which we’ll use the other platforms to help promote it.”

In terms of equally representing men’s and women’s sports, Wauters said the UNI Athletics works to balance content between the two.

“It feels a little imbalanced because we do have more women’s sports and we do men’s, but oftentimes when it’s a sport where we have both men’s and women’s team like basketball, we consider, is what we’re doing for the men’s team also fair for the women’s team… just so both teams feel like they’re well represented.” he said. “Having the different number of teams on each side of the gender spectrum is a little different, but we try to make it as balanced as we can based on the following and the interest.”

As part of the investigation, the Northern Iowan also looked at posts on the UNI Athletics Instagram from 2023. 57% of posts featuring athletes featured women’s sports, with 43% featuring men’s sports.

Individual Team Accounts

The majority of teams at UNI have their own X and Instagram accounts to post content for just their sport. While UNI Athletics still has some control over these accounts, Wauters said that a lot of the content comes from the teams themselves.

“It’s not quite in our budget to be able to travel to every single sporting event, as much as we would like to, so it gives people an idea of what our teams are doing when they’re away from home, and what’s going on in the tunnels and in the locker room,” he said.

As an example, Wauters named the perhaps unexpected person who has been responsible for a lot of the content on the UNI Men’s Basketball Instagram: the team’s own Bowen Born.

“He approached me, I want to say not last summer, but the summer before that,” Wauters said. “But he’s like, ‘Hey, so I kind of have just like a hobby of graphic design.’ And he threw out some template ideas for me and said, ‘Would you have any interest in using these?’ And I’m like, ‘Bowen, these are really good. Like, we could use these as our official designs for the season.’”

While individual teams have more control over their own socials, it also means that some discrepancies can be observed

not designate a gender for their men’s basketball team in their X handles, but did designate the women’s team.

UNI’s basketball teams’ X handles are equally designated — @unimbb and @uniwbb respectively. However, the X names are a different story.

The @unimbb account holds the name “UNI Basketball,” while the @uniwbb account is labeled “UNI Women’s Hoops.”

“To be honest. I think that’s a good thing,” Wauters said, referring to more and more schools using the “men’s” label for sports content. He said that UNI Athletics may consider changing the X name in the future, but it is uncertain.

“There’s also the brand awareness that we keep in mind,” he said. “I hope if we do it, it’s not a struggle and a change for people to get used to, but we’ll see.”

Instagram was similar, the men’s team using the handle @uni_basketball but the name “UNI Men’s Basketball.” The women’s team account has the handle @uni_wbb and the name “UNI Women’s Basketball.”

Looking Forward

as

between sports. For example, the UNI Men’s Basketball Instagram account posted 130 times between their exhibition game Nov. 1 and their final loss of the season on March 9. Of these posts, 48 were video content on Instagram Reels.

Comparatively, the UNI Women’s Basketball account posted almost half as much with 67 posts over the course of their season, from Oct. 31 to their NIT loss on March 24. 27 of these posts were video content. Wauters said that UNI Athletics strives to offer equal amounts of content for teams, but it isn’t always possible.

“It’s not so much of a lack of interest in doing it, sometimes it’s resources for us,” he said. “We have a pretty good sized student group of interns, but not everyone’s available to do everything at the drop of a hat like it’s a full time job. We have to pick and choose our projects sometimes, but when we can we try to make it as equitable as we can.”

Social Media Handles

ESPN also examined the number of Power 5 schools that used “Lady” labels or indicated a women’s team with a “w” or similar icon while the men’s team did not have any indication. They found that 19 schools in the Power 5 did

Aside from providing educational and informational content, Wauters said that finding a recipe for engagement is key.

“We like to educate but we also like to have fun,” he said. “We’ve seen it with a lot of other accounts from across the country, people getting engaged in some more of the fun, as I like to call it, the meme culture.”

“If there’s a specific audience within our fan group that I think we would like to really get involved, it’s our young fans. We have a tremendous fan base of all ages, but growing the next generation of fans is big, especially because a lot of them grew up as social media developed into what it is today, and it’s going to just continue to explode,” he said.

Amidst all of the moving parts of running a collegiate athletic department’s social media, Wauters said his team keeps the needs of coaches, players and Panther fans at the forefront.

“We always take input ideas from coaches and propose a lot of ideas to them,” he said. “Some get shot down, but we’re open ears, and any way we can improve and get more people involved in following the Panthers, we’ll take it into consideration.”

Original tweets

well as retweeted

individual team accounts on X.

Caitlin Clark is taking WNBA to new heights

OPINION

NICOLE WATERS Sports Writer

In this year’s WNBA draft, Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark was taken No. 1 by the Indiana Fever. It was a no-brainer that Clark was going to be drafted first. She has shown no signs of slowing down. She is already in the works with Nike in signing a deal that would launch a shoe of her own and already sold out of most jersey’s on the fanatics website as well.

Within two hours after being drafted, Clark jerseys sold out on the Fanatics website in all sizes but small. She became Fanatics’ top selling draft pick in any draft night history beating out names such as Trevor Lawrence. She has also sold out season tickets to the Fever games and created a major following with the organization boosting followers and awareness to their accounts. Other teams that the Indiana Fever are playing this next season have moved their games to bigger arenas to accommodate for the demand of tickets being sold due to Clark.

On top of all that, she is in the works of signing a deal with Nike that would be worth up to $28 million dollars. This is

something that has caused a lot of controversy when it comes to her salary compared to her Nike deal. Her rookie deal is worth $338,056, which would average anywhere between $76,000 and $97,000 within her four year contract. Unfortunately for the WNBA being much smaller than the NBA with only 12 teams compared to an NBA 32 teams, this causes for lesser pay for players.

Many of these players have to rely solely on endorsements and brand deals with companies in order to make a healthy compensation for themselves. Someone who is the first pick in the NBA Draft is to average about $10 million in their rookie year with tons of room for it to grow after that. There has been talks about potential expansion within the WNBA going from anywhere to 16-18 teams and that hopes to be the case in the upcoming years as they are trying to finalize places to franchise to.

On the brighter side of things, Clark as well as other fellow draftees were a part of the most viewed WNBA Draft ringing in 2.5 million viewers, peaking at 3.09 million. It broke the previous record from 2004 with

601,000 viewers. The Indiana Fever Instagram gained more followers the week of the WNBA Draft than they did in the last three years. From April 2021-April 2024 they gained just 67,000 followers and the week leading up to the draft they gained 75,000 followers. At this rate, Clark is on track to make a difference within the entire WNBA as she has already proven so thus far. She is already taking shape without even having played her first game yet for the Fever. Money is not the only thing that matters when it comes to this and does not take top priority as she is just happy to be given the chance to continue to play the game that she loves. Of course as a young girl growing up playing basketball, your ultimate goal is to go and play in the WNBA regardless of what you are being paid. You just want to keep doing something that you love and have been doing for all of your life. It is just hard sometimes seeing all the work these players have put in to get drafted and then not get the fair compensation that they deserve when the time comes.

NFL draft 2024: Late first round steals

Cooper DeJean, Cornerback, Iowa

The NFL draft kicks off tomorrow in Detroit. Teams will be looking for a player to not only help them in the long run, but for the upcoming 2024 season. Here are five must have players teams should have on their radar. These guys aren’t gonna be the first ones gone, but they have the best value in the late first round.

Terrion Arnold, cornerback, Alabama

Arnold is considered one of the best corners in this Draft class. His ability to play press coverage on receivers made him skyrocket up teams’ draft boards. Arnold also offers great speed and does a good job tracking the ball when in coverage. He deflected twelve passes and intercepted opposing quarterbacks five times during his Senior season at Alabama. At the NFL combine he ran a speedy 4.50 40-yard dash time with a 1.54 10-yard split. Arnold is everything NFL teams should be looking for in a cornerback, and has a great chance of becoming a future Pro Bowl player in the league.

DeJean is a true Swiss army knife when it comes to playing in the secondary. His ability to play both Cornerback and Safety while also being able to return punts is very attractive to general managers and scouts. DeJean is a ballhawk on defense producing seven interceptions in two seasons as a starter for the Hawkeyes. He’s aggressive to the football and overall a very quick player. The consensus feeling among many draft analysts is that DeJean will be a late first round pick. Whoever picks him will be getting a great player for years to come.

Michael Penix Jr, Quarterback, Washington

Penix had a phenomenal ending to his College career leading the Washington Huskies to the National title game. He ended the season with 4,903 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, and only eleven interceptions while finishing as a Heisman Trophy finalist. The twenty-four year old prospect has a rocket for an arm and is a great pocket passer. He can send the football 50-yards down the field with not much effort. Penix offers a lot of starting college

experience dating all the way back to 2019 with the Indiana Hoosiers. The one knock on Penix is if he can stay healthy or not, as he suffered multiple season ending injuries in College. However with the amount of teams in need of a quarterback, Penix could very well go in the top twenty picks tomorrow. Look out for the Broncos and the Raiders as potential landing spots.

Ladd McConkey, Wide receiver, Georgia

McConkey is a very quick receiver who does a good job creating separation from cornerbacks. He shows poised hands when receiving the ball and possesses great run after the catch ability. During his career with the Bulldogs, McConkey had 1,687 yards and caught fourteen touchdowns. He’s got a similar play style to current Rams Pro Bowl wide receiver Cooper Kupp. While that’s a big name to live up to, McConkey without a doubt has the potential to do it. Bottom line teams will be getting a shifty receiver whose main focus is making plays. Look out for a team like the Bills or Chiefs for some potential landing spots.

Graham Barton, Tackle, Duke

While Barton played the tackle position for most of his career at Duke, it’s very likely he’ll find a new home at either guard or center in the NFL. Barton is a reliable player on the offensive line and is phenomenal at both pass protection and run blocking. He excels at finishing blocks and bullying opposing defensive tackles at the line of scrimmage. He also possesses great posture when being attacked and stays poised. Barton has Pro Bowl level potential and

is a plug in play player right away on the interior offensive line. Look for a team like the Steelers or Ravens as a good fit for Barton late into the first round. A phenomenal player at Duke and one of the best lineman in the entire draft.

When thinking about the draft, it’s easy to get caught up in the high level players that will go in the top ten picks. However, many late first rounders turn out to be phenomenal players and future Pro Bowlers. Remember these five players when watching the NFL draft tomorrow night.

MICHAEL SPAHN Sports Writer

COURTESY/NBC NEWS

Caitlin Clark poses with her Indiana Fever jersey after being drafted by the team earlier this month.

End of an Era: UNI hit by transfer portal

The Panthers have been hit by the dreaded transfer portal over the past couple of weeks. Seven players have announced their plan to leave the school in favor of somewhere else next year. Nate Heise, Bowen Born, Michael Duax, Drew Daniel, Ege Peksari, Landon Wolf and Cole Henry have all announced their departure from UNI and entrance into the transfer portal.

Born and Heise were both key players in the starting rotation for the Panthers. Heise and Born led the team in scoring with 13.5 and 13.3 ppg, respectively. While Born has not yet declared where he will play his final collegiate year, Heise has already made his commitment.

Heise will be joining the Iowa State Cyclones under coach T.J. Otzelberger. The Cyclones were one of the best teams in the entire country last season. Heise looks to make a splash and be a key contributor on the floor right away. Even though he is leaving, it seemed like the choice to leave UNI was an easy one.

“First off, I am grateful for the 4 years I have spent at UNI,” Heise wrote on Instagram. “I have made lifelong relationships with the coaches, staff, players, and fans.”

Born was the latest to make the choice to leave UNI. He announced his decision to leave through a lengthy Instagram post on April 16th. “Coming to UNI was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made, and deciding to leave was one of the hardest,” Born wrote on Instagram.

“I love UNI to my core and have loved everything about this program, including my coaches, teammates, support staff and managers. Coach Jacobson is one of the most important people in my life and will always be someone I look to for guidance. I could not be more thankful for our time together.”

“But as I graduate from UNI in May, I believe it’s time for a change in my life,” he continued. “It’s incredibly hard to say goodbye to a program I’ve loved and given my all to these past four years.”

“… it is with mixed emotions that I will be playing my last year of college basketball elsewhere,” he wrote.

“I’m proud to be a Panther and receive my degree from UNI. I will cherish my years in Cedar Falls forever. Thank you to everyone for making this part of my journey so special.”

As for the other players, only a handful of them have decided where they will play next year. Duax will play at Florida Gulf Coast University, Daniel will play at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Wolf will play at Illinois State and Henry will play for the Green Bay Phoenix. Peksari, like Born, has not decided where he will spend next season.

The Panthers will not be out of stars next season, however. As of right now players like Tytan Anderson, Jacob Hutson and Trey Campbell will be continuing their run with the Panthers. Max Weisbrod, a guard formerly of Western Michigan, has announced that he will be playing for the Panthers next year, as well as former Loyola Chicago guard Ben Schwieger. The future remains bright for the Panthers despite the major shakeup caused by the transfer portal.

CADEN SHEA Sports Editor

Trey Campbell is one of the Paanthers who will be returning to action next year.

COURTESY/ ELLIE MARMIE

Seven players form the UNI men’s basketball team have entered the transfer portal.