OPINION
Guest Columnist Steve Corbin discusses the Project 2025 policies on the ballot this November.
SEE PAGE 5
CAMPUS LIFE
Comedian Paula Poundstone gives a riveting interview about her career and political values.
ANOTHER ENROLLMENT
UNI sees consecutive growth since 2009-2010
MARQUETTE MILLAM Staff Writer
UNI has reported an increase in total student enrollment for the second year in a row. Total fall enrollment has jumped 2.9%, with total enrollment at 9,283 students. This enrollment jump marks the first time that UNI has registered an enrollment increase in consecutive years since 2009 and 2010. UNI’s Director of Public Relations, Pete Moris, discussed how on campus improvements have helped to see enrollment numbers grow.
videos, interactions at the state fair, etc, Morris said,
News briefs
UNIDos Kickoff in Seerly Park
UNIDos will be hosting their kickoff event on Thusday, Sept 19 from 5:308:00pm in Seerly Park. There will be games, food, piñatas and a raffle!
Comdedian Paula Poundstone at GBPAC
SEE PAGE 6 SPORTS
Sports Editor Cohen Kamaus recaps the Nebraska game.
PAGE 11
“With enrollment having increased again, the last time there was consecutive growth was 2009 and 2010,” Morris said.
“We are excited that more students are here on campus and from a variety of different fields of studies. But there’s a lot of work that folks across campus have done to make this happen. I think one of the biggest pieces is that we are now offering programs that not only students want, but Iowa workforces demand. For instance, nursing, various health-related programs in the School of Health and Human Sciences and applied engineering. These areas are in high demand, and businesses across the state are telling us they need more UNI graduates in these fields to meet workforce needs.”
When asked if he thought that university tours were better for capturing the interests of potential students compared things like ads, billboards,
“Absolutely, we want to get prospective students on campus and get the families on campus so they can see for themselves. It’s great to have a virtual tour online, but it’s even better to sit in a class and hear from fellow students about what they like about UNI. Campus tours are a big part of it because you get to meet so many different people and really get to kinda feel what it is like for yourselves. But we have to get on your radar somehow; you have to get to know about us before you even think about applying here. What we try to do is to hopefully find a nice blend of telling the real authentic stories of our students and what campus is like and what your campus experience might be like.”
When asked how the college is addressing the increased enrollment in terms of professors and college staff, Morris said,
“One of our jobs is to attract not only the best and brightest students, but also the best faculty and staff. This is a pretty cool place to work too. We work closely with the City of Cedar Falls and Waterloo because what’s good for UNI is typically good for those communities too. For example, we’ve collaborated on events like Panthers on Parade and partnered with the city to kick off Sturgis Falls, including fireworks over the dome. There is something about a college or university in your
community that makes the quality of life better. For some people that might be because they got to go to this cool show at Gallagher Bluedorn, hear this beautiful performance at the School of Music or see an exciting basketball game. A university brings a lot of variety, cultural and civic events that you don’t get in a place that doesn’t have a university. We like telling folks that it’s not only a great place to work and go to school, but it’s a great place to live too.”
When asked what other initiatives is the university planning to help capitalize and maintain student enrollment, Morris replied, “As enrollment grows, it not only boosts morale but also boosts the amount of revenue coming in. I always like to say that if you see construction happening on a college campus, it’s a sign that the university is doing something right because they are innovating, creating new spaces and renovating old spaces. Fortunately, through [the] Our Tomorrow campaign, we have had some really tremendous success in fundraising for a number of projects. The bulk of our campaign funds goes to scholarships and student and faculty support, but a kind of exciting piece is that you can show people the renovations happening. Iconic spaces like the Gallagher Bluedorn, the UNI-Dome and the Campanile have all benefited from the campaign.
See ENROLLMENT JUMP , page 3
Paula Poundstone, comedian and a regular panelist on NPR’s “Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me.” will be preforming at GBPAC Friday, Sept 20th at 7:00pm. Students get two free tickets to any GBPAC event each semester. This event is sponsored by IPR.
UNI Volleyball to play at home
UNI WVB has several games happening this week. They will play Texas A&M Thursday Sept 19 at 6pm in the McLeod Center. They will also face SMU Saturday Sept 21 at 1pm in the McLeod center.
Use the QR code below to register to vote!
JO BRAHMS News Editor
The beginning of a Prolific future
JO BRAHMS News Editor
If you were on campus last semester, you may have heard some buzz about a new magazine titled “Prolific” being created by a group of students. Starting as a passion project amongst POC students on campus, Prolific’s first edition was so successful, it has now become an official student organization on campus. The organization has a bright future ahead, and is laying the foundation for many prosperous semesters going forward.
Marcelo Acosta, a junior on campus majoring in business marketing and minoring in digital media production is the president and editor-in-chief of the magazine. When asked what running a magazine entails, he said, “Prolific Magazine is mainly a magazine that is here to represent multicultural students and POC students. So we are just providing that space for those students to freely express themselves, whether that be through their culture, their stories or their traditional attire. Basically, I’m just collaborating with other student organizations, like the Asian Student Union, the Black Student Union,
UNIdos, and creating space for those students. … Basically, I am organizing, planning and leading Prolific Magazine.”
Acosta expanded on why he and the founders of Prolific found it important to start a magazine and how Prolific differs from the already established Uprising Magazine, saying, “Uprising is a great magazine, like, I love their issues. My main concern was that there weren’t really many POC students being represented here on campus. Especially with the DEI bill that was just recently passed, that basically just dismantled a lot of those DEI programs and I just wanted to take initiative and create a magazine in which all POC students are free and feel welcomed. It doesn’t just include POC students either, it includes a diverse pool of students who might feel underrepresented; so LGBTQ, international students - everyone is welcome. So that’s why I really wanted to take initiative in creating this magazine. Last semester, we created the first issue, but it was just with a group of people who got together and collaborated and created our first issue. So, technically, this is our first official year being a stu -
dent organization. Right now, we are just trying to build a solid foundation and get ready so whoever takes over next is able to have a well structured organization.”
Acosta says that students can expect lots of unique content in the magazine. “We are planning on doing an article featuring International Engagement showcasing their International Education Week during November. I think we’ll take some pictures for them too. We also plan to include stories from students too, so we go ahead and interview them and then if they have anything that they want to share, we get some really interesting perspectives about their personal lives. Our team is broken down into the writing team, production team, post-production team and marketing team. So marketing handles social media contents, production is in charge of hair and makeup and contacting our models, post-production is basically our team for layout and edits and, finally, the writing team are the people out on campus searching for those stories.”
Students who are interested in learning more about Prolific Magazine,
creatively.
or joining the team, can go to @uni_prolificmagazine on Instagram and find the LinkTree in their bio to find both the link to the Prolific website and the applications to join the organization. There are tentative plans to publish the first official edition in December, or right at
the beginning of spring semester. That issue will be available to campus in physical editions, as well as in a digital format on the archive available on the website.
OneBuzz returns to College Hill
BAILEY KLINKHAMMER Executive Editor
OneBuzz will return to College Hill this weekend for a second bar crawl after the spring crawl’s success.
Brady Stein, a OneBuzz founder, is planning on expanding the bar crawls to different universities outside of Iowa and planning more bar crawls in Iowa college cities. Stein, a University of Iowa alumnus, noted how proud he is of the successes he’s seen in Iowa college towns.
“The only reason we do this is because it’s just so much fun for students,”
Stein said. “After seeing the turnout from UNI’s bar crawl we knew that we would have to bring it back again.” OneBuzz has worked with bars on College Hill to provide deals for students who wear the bar crawl shirt, which is their ‘ticket’ to the bar crawl. Students wearing the shirt will also not
have to pay a cover. “The bars on the hill have been so great to work with. They liked having an event that brought students together to hang out at their bar, seeing all of the shirts from last year was amazing,” said Stein. Student ambassadors on campus are able to sell shirts to students for the bar crawl. According to Stein, the student ambassador who sells the most shirts will get a credit to their bar tab at the bar crawl. “It’s just a nice way to reward our ambassa -
dors who do work on our different campuses,” said Stein. Reflecting on the successes on College Hill and downtown at the University of Iowa, Stein plans to help expand to Ole Miss University in an effort to grow the OneBuzz brand and involve students from across the country. “Seeing people sign each other’s shirts and the huge turnouts at bars in Iowa, we knew this was something we could take
to other schools,” said Stein. Beyond expanding OneBuzz to other colleges, Stein also plans on hosting bar crawls more often in the future. “OneBuzz is hoping to make the bar crawls a semesterly thing,” said Stein.
Students also expressed excitement about OneBuzz returning to College Hill this weekend. Andrea Daley, a senior at UNI, was hopeful OneBuzz would See ONEBUZZ, page 3
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COURTESY/Prolific Magazine
Prolific Magazine was founded to create a space for underrepresented voices on campus and let those people flourish
ONEBUZZ
continued from page 2
hopeful OneBuzz would return again. “Compared to last year I”m definitely more excited about the shirts… OneBuzz has brought a great crowd to the hill and who doesn’t love a good time with a bunch of UNI students?”
OneBuzz is expecting a turnout larger than last semester, estimating 1,000 or more students to pack the hill this Saturday. “I’m sure UNI students will be pleased with the turnout and the drink discounts we’ve worked with bars on. I’m excited to see student’s feedback on this one… they’re the whole reason we do this,” said Stein.
The OneBuzz bar crawl will take place this Saturday from 3 to 9 p.m., and stops on the crawl will include Sharky’s Funhouse, Sud’s Upstairs, the Octopus, Social House, the Library and Cooper’s Taproom. OneBuzz shirts can be purchased through their Instagram @onebuzzuni.
ENROLLMENT JUMP
continued from page 1
Our goal is always to be a very affordable institution and part of that is if you can bring some college credits with you. What’s also cool is that right now 1 in 9 UNI students graduate in 3 years. Of course, you can stay here as long as you want, get a graduate degree and all that. Another part that I think is pretty cool is 34% of our incoming freshmen are first-generation college students. Just for reference, Iowa State has 21% of their incoming are first-generation students and the University of Iowa is 19%. That is one of the things that we have always been proud of because we are an accessible institution. We try to keep that differential between us and Iowa State and the University of Iowa. We are excited that we have done this two years in a row and we hope enrollment continues to increase.”
Participación Electoral en UNI: Vota por Correo o en Persona
MARQUETTE MILLIAM
Escritora
LESLIE LARISSA CARLOS
Traductora invitada
Para algunos ciudadanos de Iowa, la idea de ir a votar el 5 de Noviembre suena como un trabajo. Pero, a partir del 28 de agosto, la gente de Iowa puede pedir una boleta de voto en ausencia llenando un formulario de solicitud en la página de internet de la Secretaría del Estado, y mandándolo por correo a la oficina del auditor de su condado. Los votos en ausencia son una buena oportunidad para los estudiantes de UNI de votar en sus estados de residencia mientras disfrutan de la conveniencia de votar por correo. Pero es importante entender el proceso y las fechas límite para garantizar que su voto sea contado.
“Muchos de los estudiantes no saben esto, pero si estás estudiando en la Universidad de Northern Iowa, puedes votar en Black Hawk County,” dice Justin Holmes, profesor asistente de ciencias políticas.
“Votar por correo es fácil, pero necesitas estar seguro de que has rellenado todo perfectamente y dejar suficiente
tiempo para enviar el voto por correo.” Holmes generalmente motiva a los estudiantes a registrarse y votar en el campus porque tienen la conveniencia de los recintos electorales en Gilchrist Hall y Mauckera Union. UNI también promueve la participación de los votantes con su campaña Panthers Vote, que anima a todos los estudiantes a que sus voces sean escuchadas.
Para obtener un formulario de boleta de voto en ausencia, los estudiantes pueden empezar visitando la página de internet de la Secretaría del Estado, donde los votantes pueden llenar y bajar el formulario de solicitud. Si estas votando en ausencia en Iowa, primero necesitas registrarte en la página de internet del estado. Los estudiantes de fuera del estado que deseen votar en Iowa deberían registrarse usando su dirección de Black Hawk County. Cuando estés registrado, baja la boleta de voto en ausencia y mándala a la oficina del auditor de su condado. Puedes mandar tu boleta de voto en ausencia por correo o entregarla directamente a la oficina del auditor.
Para los que van a votar, el día de las elecciones este año es el martes 5 de noviembre.
CORTESÍA/PANTHERSVOTE
El día de las elecciones es el 5 de noviembre de 2024. Para más información sobre la votación, visita https:// panthersvote.uni.edu/.
Para votar usando la boleta de voto en ausencia, necesitas entregar tu formulario de solicitud antes del 21 de octubre a las 5 p.m. Para garantizar que tu voto sea contado, debes entregar la boleta completada antes del 5 de noviembre a las 8 p.m. Holmes recomienda que los estudiantes soliciten su boleta lo más pronto posible, que la llenen con cuidado y que la envíen por correo temprano para evitar problemas. Cuando se le pregunta sobre si votar en el condado de residencia o en la comunidad universitaria, Holmes explica sus pensamientos: “Las personas deben escoger cómo quieren [votar], claro. Pero para los estudiantes aquí, tú también
eres parte de esta comunidad; aquí es donde vives por cuatro años.” Para los estudiantes de UNI, a menudo es mucho más fácil votar en el campus. Holmes señala la conveniencia de los recintos de votación y que los tiempos de espera son más cortos para los que voten en persona. Como estudiante de otro estado, yo entiendo la inquietud que causa usar el voto en ausencia. Hay preguntas como “¿qué pasa si la oficina de correos pierde mi boleta?”; o “¿qué pasa si se retrasa y no es contada a tiempo?”
Afortunadamente, el estado de Iowa ofrece maneras de monitorizar tu boleta para que los estudiantes puedan asegu-
rarse de que está en el camino correcto. La mejor manera de evitar cualquier problema es solicitar y entregar tu boleta de voto en ausencia temprano. Si los estudiantes tienen cualquier duda, deben considerar votar en persona si es posible. Los recintos de votación en el campus aseguran que los estudiantes de UNI puedan emitir su voto antes de o el día mismo de la elección. Es tu decisión si escoges votar por boleta de voto en ausencia o en persona. Holmes enfatiza, “¡La cosa más importante que puedes hacer es votar!”
Disclaimer: The following opinion articles featured do not reflect the opinion of the Northern Iowan newspaper or staff as a whole.
Project 2025 policies are on Nov. 5 ballot
STEVE CORBIN Guest Columnist
It’s becoming crystal clear the closer we get to the Nov. 5 presidential election, voters need to seriously check out the radical government reformation policies contained within Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. Here’s why.
The right-wing think tank Heritage Foundation has written not one, not two, but nine `Mandate for Leadership’ documents for Republican presidential candidates with their first playbook published in 1981. The Heritage Foundation spent $22 million – serious money -- to create Project 2025 for Donald Trump to implement.
Trump’s claim he knows nothing about Project 2025 is dubious. The Heritage Foundation’s website notes Donald Trump “fully embraced” 64% of their 321 policy reform recommendations during his 2017-2021 presidency.
The Heritage Foundation compiled a database of Republicans the 2016-elected Trump could hire of which 66 served in his presidential administration.
Five key Trump acolytes from that database included: Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education; Scott Pruitt, Environmental Protection Agency; Mick Mulvaney, White House Chief of Staff; Rick Perry, Secretary of Energy; and Jeff Sessions, Attorney General (New York Times, June 20, 2018).
Trump asked the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society to compile a list of 21 potential Supreme Court nominees. John Malcolm prepared the list for the Heritage Foundation and when Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to SCOTUS, Politico referred to Malcolm as “the man who picked the next Supreme Court justice” (Jan. 30, 2017).
In Heather Cox Richardson’s Sept. 7 blog, the Boston College History Professor revealed that on Sept. 5, Trump at an event with Sean Hannity of Fox News – “embraced the key element of Project 2025 that calls for a dictatorial leader to take over the U.S. That document maintains that `personnel is policy’ and that the way to achieve all that the Christian nationalists want is to fire the nonpartisan civil servants currently in place and
put their own people into office.”
Twenty-three videos have been prepared to coach future Trump administration appointees on how to implement Project 2025. 29 of the 36 video speakers worked for Trump or Vance (ProPublica, Aug. 10).
At least 140 people who worked in Trump’s 20172021 administration were involved in writing Project 2025 (CNN, July 11).
CBS News identified 270 of Project 2025’s policy proposals that matched Trump’s past political and current campaign rhetoric. Heather Cox Richardson’s blog noted that on Sept. 7, Trump held a rally in Mosinee, WI, where he publicly embraced Project 2025’s promise to eliminate the Department of Education.
Evidence is replete the Heritage Foundation and the
Trump-Vance GOP ticket are joined at the hip and, therefore, Project 2025’s extremist policies are implicitly on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Two-thirds (67.8%) of Americans are opposed to Project 2025’s extremist policy proposals (Newsweek, July 9). Likewise, none of former GOP presidents or vice-presidents has endorsed Trump.
Voters need to find out – on their own accord –what outlandish policies the Heritage Foundation wants Trump-Vance to implement. One highly credible and factual reporting news agency, The Fulcrum, has published over 30 op-eds devoted to analyzing Project 2025’s content; accessible – free –at: https://thefulcrum.us/tag/ project-2025.
The Fulcrum op-ed writers who delve into the nit-
ty-gritty details of Project 2025 policies are cross-partisan and are not associated with the Harris-Walz campaign.
Here’s a partial list of Project 2025 policy topics that have been thoroughly examined, individually, in The Fulcrum: Department of Education, Christian nationalism, Department of Defense, Federal Reserve, Department of Energy, Parents Bill of Rights, Department of Veteran Affairs, Education Savings Accounts, Department of Homeland Security, Voting Rights Act, Department of Labor, Christo-fascist manifesto, Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of State, Federal Communications Commission, Department of Justice and Schedule F (firing civil servants) threat to
democracy.
Since Trump implemented 64% of Heritage Foundation’s 2017-2021 manifesto and knowing he’s not a policy wonk, odds are great – if elected to office – he will embrace Project 2025 – lock, stock and barrel. Remember, past actions are the best predictor of future behavior.
Let’s agree that the soul of America is democracy. On Nov. 5, will you embrace Project 2025’s extremist-oriented policies that threaten our form of government or support well-reasoned policies that protect and preserve our Constitutional rights?
BAILEY KLINKHAMMER
The Northern Iowan encourages all UNI students to register to vote and make an educated decision come Nov. 5. While the presidential race will be on the ballot, so will multiple Iowa House seats. Students can register and request an absentee ballot by scanning the QR codes above.
Paula Poundstone coming to UNI
ESTELLE JOHNSON Campus Life Editor
Paula Poundstone is an American comedian, actress and writer who will be performing at the GallagherBluedorn Performing Arts Center on September 20, 2024. Poundstone has voice acted in the popular film series “Inside Out,” as “Forgetter Paula.” Poundstone has her own podcast “Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone,” where she discusses a wide range of topics with her audience. Poundstone goes to performing art centers all across the country, and she shares her ingenious observational humor with the masses.
At the American Comedy Awards 1989, Poundstone received “Best Female StandUp Comic.” From there, Poundstone wrote and acted in two HBO comedy specials that earned her even more awards. Poundstone has also been a consistent panelist for National Public Radios’ comedy podcast “Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me.”
One of the reasons Poundstone chose the standup life is because she’s always had a love for humor. “I like the sound of laughter,” Poundstone said. “I was camping one night, and there were people having a party at the campsite next to us. In the morning, my friend comes out of her tent all pissed off, and I’m like, what’s the matter?”
Her friend replied, “those people … they were up partying all night!” Poundstone
then thought, “I just heard the sound of people having a good time, and I like that.”
Poundstone got her start at small comedy clubs in and around the bay area. Robin Williams, the infamous actor and comedian who passed tragically in 2014, was sent to listen to her comedy set.
“Both Robin [Williams] and Dana Carvey were clients of the management company down in LA that ended up taking me on when I was a pup,”
From there, Poundstone was officially a managed comedian. “I went with this management company for a number of years,” she said.
“And it was good.”
Poundstone continuously reiterated her appreciation for Robin Williams, and how she personally benefited from the work he did.
“He was helpful to lots of
I always say any comic my age or younger owes a debt of gratitude to Robin Williams,
people,” she said. “I always say any comic my age or younger owes a debt of gratitude to Robin Williams, he created a renewed excitement for stand-up comedy as a whole, me and many others benefited from that.”
As far as consistently coming up with new and original content, Poundstone notes
“Every now and then I get into a state of flow.” “I carry a little notebook in my back pocket, and a small pen on my belt loop, and when I have a thought, by god, I write it down.”
Poundstone knows what works for her after being a comedian for multiple years. When coming up with ideas, she acknowledged how she does her work. Poundstone said “I have hundreds of pieces of paper lying around, with things I’ve just jotted down”
As far as her notes go, Poundstone isn’t always sure of where her thoughts end up taking her. “I have one [note] that just says ‘kids don’t listen,’ and although that’s the time-honored truth, I know that I wrote it because I had a joke based on that in my head,” she proclaimed. “But those words remind me of nothing, so.”
During her years as a comedian, Poundstone noted the bests and the worsts. Poundstone is constantly bettering herself as a comedian, learning from other comedians and performers every day. Poundstone explained “I never learned very much from someone who was really good,” she said. “Because you can’t see the seams, where if they’re bad, you can see what they’re doing wrong.”
Poundstone explained how being a comedian doesn’t automatically mean people find you funny. “Sometimes you’ll be on stage, like ‘oh god, I’m just getting nowhere here,’ and you pull out your A stuff, and it doesn’t go over.”
Over Poundstones years, she has gained understanding that audiences will not always give bold reactions. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come off the stage thinking ‘they didn’t like me,’ but then people come up saying that’s the hardest they’ve laughed.”
Poundstone prefers to think differently about those kinds of shows. She said “People will respond in whatever way they do.”
When Poundstone is off of the stage, she spends time with her pets, she packs and she parties. “I have 10 cats and one big dog, and it requires a tremendous amount of work.”
“I write, I have a podcast, “Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone,” and listeners would be shocked to know I write some of the things on the show,” Poundstone
exclaimed. “I write them, I just deliver them with an unpolished edge.”
Poundstone claims that she could win awards for packing her bags. “First of all, your socks and underwear go in the shoes, so they don’t bend and fold and crack,” she said. “What it means, however, is that you can’t just grab a couple of things from the bag, because everything is packed in something else.”
But, Poundstone does take major pride in her parties.
“I have ping-pong parties in the back of my yard every year, I look forward to it,” she said. “We have a doubles tournament, there’s trophies, we have an electronic scoreboard.”
“My kitchen wall is lined with invitations, because I pride myself on my invitations, they’re all carefully crafted,” Poundstone revealed. “I make them by hand, and I don’t do any of it online, I do make copies but that’s as technical as I go.”
And Poundstone’s hard creative work pays off. “Lily Tomlin has saved all of my invitations, even if she hasn’t been to all of the parties.”
Since COVID-19 and the 2016 election, Poundstone has been very vocal about her political values. Poundstone takes a comedic twist to her opinions, yet she still acknowledges the issues she feels are so important. “Trump was right about something in the debate the other night;” Poundstone said. “Kamala Harris won’t be able to pass a law protecting women’s reproductive freedoms, she won’t have the congress.”
“I wonder if I couldn’t get together a class action suit against Trump,” Poundstone added. “Just for the irritable bowel syndrome that has been created since he came down the escalator.”
As Poundstone found herself more politically active, she decided to pay her due diligence. “I’ve been making videos for an organization called Field Team 6 to help register democrats to vote,” she said. “and if Harris gets in office, and she can’t do anything, people will complain about that, but it’s because you [the voter] didn’t vote blue all the way down the ballot.”
COURTESY/Shannon Greer Poundstone in her signature black and white leather shoes.
“Ordinary Days” Photoshoot
Estelle Johnson/NORTHERN IOWAN
Grace Hamann and Sam Trumpold play main characters in the show.
Estelle Johnson/NORTHERN IOWAN TheatreUNI is preparing for their first show of the year, “Ordinary Days.”
Estelle Johnson/NORTHERN IOWAN
The students involved are thrilled for their peers to see their show.
Estelle Johnson/NORTHERN IOWAN
“Ordinary Days” will be performed through Oct. 4-13 at the Bertha Martin Theatre.
Panther Volleyball battles ranked competition
COLBY BONEWITZ
NICOLE WATERS Sports Writer
The Panthers started off the weekend against the No. 9 ranked Creighton Bluejays. The Bluejays offense proved to be too much for UNI in the first set, as they clocked 15 kills, while the Panther had nine attack errors. UNI battled as much as they could, but Creighton was too much for them as they took the first set 25-15.
In the second set, the Panthers found their groove a little bit more and kept the set very back-and-forth with 11 ties throughout. UNI was able to keep their way in set, with Kira Fallert assisting and the offense being more aggressive. The Panthers had a lead midway through the set at 12-11 and kept up with the Bluejays the rest of the way, Creighton was able to sneak out of this set with a win of 25-20.
UNI started out strong in the third set with a 4-1 lead, but Creighton found their way quick and boosted to an 11-4 lead. The Panthers were able to cut the lead to two midway through the set, but due to nine attack errors and struggles to slow down
the Bluejays offense, UNI dropped the third set 25-20 to the Bluejays.
The Panthers would then go on to play No. 4 Louisville. UNI would make Louisville work for their win in the first set, as posed a team 17 kills in the match. Going on a 5-0 lead they would cut the Cardinals lead to just one. They would go pointfor-point with Louisville down to the wire, but the Cardinals pulled away in a 25-23 win. Cassidy Hartman would have five kills, while Lily Dykstra and Olivia Tjernagel would bookend with four a piece.
UNI would come out on fire in the second set and keep a lead for most of it, thanks to Tjernagel and Kacie Rewerts. Though the Cardinals were slow to start, they quickly found their rhythm as the Panthers had 10 attack errors and four service errors in the set, but forced Louisville into extra points in their 27-25 loss to the Cardinals.
The Panthers would hang in there in the beginning of the third set, but not before the Cardinals ran themselves a pair of 4-0 and 6-0 runs. Louisville scored nine of the last 10 points of the
set to quickly take over and beat the Panthers 25-15 and take the match.
To close out the weekend, the Panthers faced off against Rice. UNI was dominant as they recorded six aces and 14 kills in the first set. With two separate 5-0 runs, the Panthers were able to keep their distance and cruise past Rice 25-12 thanks to four kills from Fallert and three each from Tjernagel and Kaitlyn Sellner.
The second set would start out opposite of the first and UNI and Rice went back-and-forth and were tied at 8-8 before the Panthers would go on a whopping 17-5 run. Hartman, Tjernagel and Fallert helped to carry the Panthers past a struggling Owl’s offense and fly past them in a 25-13 set two win.
Rice would put up a battle against the panthers in the third set early on, but it would be no match for UNI as they notched 12 kills on 10 attack errors from Rice. Fallert had double-digit kills in the set along with some service aces from Reese Booth to help boost the Panthers to a 25-18 set win and 3-0 match win to close out the weekend.
Who’s been better: Ohtani or Judge?
ADAM JOHNSON Sports Writer
This season, two players in the MLB have set themselves apart from the rest. Aaron Judge has been dominant for the Yankees, and is clearly going to win the MVP in the American League. In the National League, Shohei Ohtani is looking like he is going to run away with the MVP as well. With both players having amazing seasons, it begs the question of who has been the best?
The argument for Judge is a good one. Judge has probably been having the greatest season of his career to date, and he has had an MVP season before. This year he has a batting average of .321, an on-base percentage of .453, a slugging percentage of .687 and an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.140. All of these mark career highs for him, and he leads all of baseball in all of these numbers except for batting average. He also leads all of baseball in home runs, with 53, and runs batted in, with 132. Judge is about 10 points away from leading the league in batting
average as well, and if he could do that he would win the coveted triple crown. This is when a player leads the league in home runs, runs batted in and batting average. This has not happened since 2012, and before that the last time was 1967, so he would truly be in rarified air. Judge is genuinely having one of the greatest hitting seasons a player has ever had.
With the season that Judge is having, it is hard to believe anyone could compete with that, but Ohtani has been putting up impressive numbers of his own. He is batting .289, has a .373 on-base percentage, a .610 slugging and a .983 on-base plus slugging. He, in his own right, has also hit a lot of home runs, with 47, and has 104 runs batted in. Judge does have Ohtani beat in all of these categories, and likely will at the end of the season, but Ohtani has also stolen 48 bases. If he has a strong end to the season, he could be the first player to ever hit 50 home runs and have 50 stolen bases in the same year.
The downside for Ohtani is that he is only hitting this sea-
son. He has not been a pitcher and a hitter like in previous seasons, and he is not even playing in the field. Judge, on the other hand, plays defense and hits, and while he is not considered an elite defender, it still makes a difference.
The final stat to judge these two players by is their wins above replacement (WAR). WAR puts together all aspects of a player’s game, and equates it to how many more wins that player is worth than a replacement level player at their position. Judge has a WAR of 9.7, while Ohtanis is 7.4. Judge’s WAR is actually hurt by his defense, as his offensive WAR is an astounding 10.6. This marks his offensive value at over three points higher than that of Ohtani.
At the end of the day, the stolen bases from Ohtani are not enough to put him above the monster offensive numbers that Judge has been putting up this season. Judge’s offensive WAR puts him as having a top 20 season for a hitter of all time. If he finishes the year strong, he will certainly have been the best player in the majors this year.
COURTESY
The Panthers host Texas A&M this Thursday.
COURTESY ASHLEY LANDIS Aaron Judge has crushed 53 home runs this season.
COURTESY ADAM HUNGER Ohtani has registered 47 home runs and 48 steals this year.
Panther cross-country off to hot start
MICHAEL SPAHN Sports Writer
It was a successful Friday afternoon for the Northern Iowa cross-country teams at the RedBird Invite. The women’s team finished in second place in the six kilometer race while the men finished third in the eight kilometer race.
The women’s team had three runners finish in the top 10. Emma Hoins led the team, placing second with a career-best time of
21:35. Amelia Hill finished in seventh place with a time of 22:04, followed by a ninth place finish by Melody Ochana with a time of 22:18.
The Panthers had two more runners who nearly cracked the top 10. Eden Mueller finished in 12th place with a time of 22:24. Trailing her in 14th place was Leah Klapatauskas, finishing with a time of 22:34.
Rounding out the final runners, Brooke O’Brien finished 20th with a career-best time of 22:55,
while Clare Wright finished 23rd with a time of 23:13. Lauren Klein 34th with a time of 23:43.
The men’s team was led by fifth place finisher Caleb Shumaker, who ended with a career-best time of 24:38. Carson Owens wasn’t far behind Shumaker, finishing one spot outside the top 10 with a career-best time of 25:02.
The next runner to finish for the Panthers was Micah Rees, placing 20th with a time of 25:33. Jackson Bergman
and Levi Hill followed up Rees, both making the top 30. Bergman finished 26th with a time of 26:08 while Hill finished 29th with a time of 26:14. Caleb Kass and Drew Dombrosky both finished in the top 40. Kass placed 38th, finishing with a career-best time of 26:42, while Dombrosky placed right behind him in 39th with a time of 26:46. Josh Gormley followed behind finishing 49th with a time of 27:12.
Both the Panthers
men’s and women’s team will look to build off this performance in the Gans Greek Classic in Columbia, Missouri on Sept. 27. The women’s team will be running six kilometers, while the men will run eight. The following weekend on Oct. 5, both men’s and women’s teams will be competing at the Dan Huston Invite at Wartburg College in Waverly. This would be a great chance to support the Panther runners!
Vikings shine in early season action
BRODY LOVELL Sports Writer
After losing their franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins to an achilles injury in 2023, and proceeding to not reach terms with him in the offseason, the Minnesota Vikings looked destined for a rebuild going into 2024. To combat the pass thrower vacancy, the Vikings signed journeyman backup Sam Darnold on a one-year deal to mentor their prospective quarterback of the future J.J. McCarthy, whom the Vikings drafted with the 10th overall pick in the draft. Those intentions went awry, however, as Mcarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury after a promising preseason debut. With the team already in a tough NFC North Division, fans and the media put the team under the radar for the 2024 season, with little expectations for the team to succeed. Fast forward to week two of the season, the Vikings are now 2-0 and just beat the reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. A surprising
win to many, credit was given to the composure Darnold showed in the game, throwing two touchdowns and over 250 yards, including a 97-yard touchdown pass to All-pro receiver Justin Jefferson.
But what was more overlooked in that game, and what I believe is going to take this team far, is the defense led by Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores.
Remember how the Vikings could not agree to terms with Kirk Cousins? Well, with that money they decided to instead beef up their defense, making up for the loss of Allpro Danielle Hunter, Marcus Davenport and Jordan Hicks. In the offseason, the Vikings picked up notable free agents linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel and Blake Cashman, edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, interior defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard, and cornerbacks Shaq Griffin and veteran all-pro Stephon Gilmore. Though the sheer number of pickups is something of its own nature, it is the immediate impact of the new defense that really has
people talking. Linebackers Van Ginkel and Cashman have already made big plays this season, with Van Ginkel having a pick six in the team’s opener against the Giants, and Cashman interrupting a pass that would become an interception in a crucial moment against the 49ers last Sunday. Returning linebacker Patrick Jones II is second in the league in sacks with four, as Van Ginkel has two of his own as well. The front seven of the Vikings were the cause of both Daniel Jones and Brock Purdy to feel heavy pressure in both games, ultimately leading to an 11.5 PPG average to opposing offenses through two weeks. Though the signings and returning players are playing well, most of the credit, I believe, is due to Defensive Coordinator Flores. A former head coach with the Miami Dolphins, Flores has turned the defense without any big names into a collective unit of playmakers early in the season. The energy is evident in the games, with the team not centered around one play-
er making plays, but several at their respective moment, almost as if they feed off one another. The best example of this was Josh Metellus’s interception last sunday, with Cashman being the defender who initially tipped the ball, Metellus trying to grab it but failing, safety Camryn Bynum diving to keep it in the air, and Metellus finally collecting it. The collectiveness and team-working ability of this unit is something that should scare any opposing offense this season.
Is it too early to make any big claims about a team after only two games? Of course, and I am not implying that the Vikings are poised to make a long run into the playoffs. However, with the statement win last Sunday and the current play of their defense, they are not to be counted out this year from being competitive in the NFC North, and can no longer be a write-off for “NFL analysts” assuming they cannot compete with the best of them.
COURTESY KARSON KLEVE
UNI will host the MVC Championships on Nov. 1 at Pheasant Ridge Golf Course.
COURTESY MICHAEL WOOLERY
Emma Hoins won MVC Runner of the Week earlier this season.
COURTESY BRAD REMPEL
Sam Darnold has led the Vikings to a 2-0 start.
COHEN KAMAUS Sports Editoir
After their first 2-0 start in over a decade, the UNI Panther football team met its match in the 23rd-ranked team in the country: the Nebraska Cornhuskers
“They’re a great football team. They have good coaches,” said junior quarterback Aidan Dunne.
Nebraska hands Panthers first loss
Nebraska showed why they are widely regarded as one of the best teams in the country, jumping out to a quick lead thanks to a 24-yard touchdown pass from freshman Dylan Raiola to freshman Carter Nelson. Nelson found the endzone for the first time in an 11-on-11 football game, as he played high school football for Ainsworth High School, a small school in Nebraska in the 8-man division.
Following the Cornhusker touchdown, the UNI offense had a successful drive of their own. A 10 minute, 16 play drive mixed with short passes and effective runs resulted in a Caden Palmer 30-yard field goal, which would eventually be the lone Panther points of the day.
Nebraska picked up right where they left off, marching down the field in 8 plays for another touchdown. This time, it was Isaiah Neyor finding the endzone, thanks to a 18-yard pass from Raiola.
The next drive for the Panthers stalled, despite multiple completions of 15+ yards.
On the Huskers next drive, Raiola evaded a Panther pass rusher and unleashed a 59-yard bomb to Jaylen Lloyd, sending Memorial Stadium into a frenzy. Nebraska capped off the drive with another Raiola touchdown pass, completing
with Jacory Barney Jr. on a 10-yard score.
Unsuccessful drives by both teams brought the halftime score to 21-3 in favor of the home team.
The Panthers came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders. Dunne, Tye Edwards, and Amauri PesekHickson ran all over “the Blackshirts.” Just when they got to the Nebraska doorstep, an intercepted pass on the four yard line stopped the drive cold in its tracks.
“They adjusted well,” said Dunne when asked about Nebraska’s defensive adjustments. “They ran a lot of [man to man] on the perimeters and made it harder on us in the box.”
On the ensuing Nebraska drive, the Panther defense stood strong in the red zone, holding the Huskers to a field goal. Another unsuccessful drive for the Panthers led to another 3 points for Nebraska, bringing the score to 27-3.
In the early stages of the fourth quarter, Raiola dropped back and heaved a pass down the field that was intercepted by Fletcher Marshall Jr. On the play, it looked as if Nebraska’s wideout Jaylen Lloyd had come down with the catch. As he was coming down with the ball, Marshall Jr. ripped the ball from his hands, caus-
ing some confusion around the stadium as it looked as if both players had the ball. The referee determined Marshall Jr. had possession, giving him his first interception of his career as well as Raiola’s his first interception. After the game, Lloyd took the blame for the turnover.
“I should have done a better job going up for the ball,” Lloyd said. “I had my hands low. I should have went up for the ball with my hands high. I do think he got an interception. It was a great job by him.”
Nebraska found the endzone one last time, bringing the final score to 34-3 in favor of the Cornhuskers. After the game, coach Mark Farley had some good things to take away despite the defeat.
“We showed a lot of toughness. We should do that when you start rushing the football against Nebraska, or anybody like Nebraska. It’s a standard that you’re rushing against,” said Farley. “I think that we did a great job at the line of scrimmage. Our running backs ran hard. They got the extra yards. They’re always going forward, and then did it all night long, for four quarters. What our crew did, I thought they walked away with a toughness and that rushing game that we can build from. “
Dunne led the Panthers both through the air and on the ground. He recorded 117 passing yards and scampered for 49 more on the ground. Pesek-Hickson added 39 rushing yards and Sergio Morancy led the Panthers with two receptions for 30 yards. The Nebraska defense did a good job of limiting Tye Edwards, who recorded just 37 yards on 10 attempts. The Panthers owned the time of possession battle, occupying the ball for nearly 17 more minutes than Nebraska.
“They did a great job all game of keeping the ball away from us on offense,” Raiola said. “On the sideline we just kept saying, ‘We’ve gotta make it count, we’ve gotta make sure we put points up when we get the ball back.’”
“They did a great job in that they used up 10 minutes on that first drive. They were literally just sitting in the huddle, looking to the sideline. It was a master class by Coach Farley,” said Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule.
The Panthers will hop on a plane and fly to Hawaii to take on the Rainbow Warriors this Saturday. Kickoff is set for 11 p.m. central time and can be watched on Spectrum Sports PPV or listened to on the Panther Sports Radio Network.
COURTESY ELI HULL
Desmond Hutson hauled in three ctaches for 24 yards
"Lady Bird" Oscar nomi-
Tête toppers
Basic Latin verb
"At the Movies" co-host
Pennsylvania port
"Get the picture?"
Tolkien's Treebeard, for
South, south of the border
