1-26-23

OPINION

Guest Columnist

Doris Kelley urges Iowa to update its primary voting system.

OPINION PAGE 3

CAMPUS LIFE

A closer look at the current state of Greek life on campus after the departure of PIKE fraternity.

CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 5

UNI alum gives $1 million to Dome renovation

Former football player gives back as Our Tomorrow campaign nears $200 million mark

In early December, 2022, Brad Baumler found a way to give back to a place he called home not that long ago.

Baumler, who graduated from UNI in 1993, donated $1 million toward renovations to the UNI-Dome. The extensive project calls for a total of $50 million in donations to make it possible.

His history with UNI is what he himself calls “extensive.” Baumler was recruited to play football for the Panthers right out of high school, but the influence of his family and UNI’s degree options sealed the deal for him.

“My mother was a pretty big influence on my decision to go to UNI, just because my brothers went there, and even though I had some other opportunities to play football at some of the other schools in the state, that was the one that she was influencing me toward,” he said.

He certainly didn’t regret his decision. After a successful college football career, Baumler graduated from UNI

double-majoring in business and construction management. Today, he is the proud owner of his own construction business in central Iowa, Concrete Technologies, Inc.

When it comes to talking about his donation, Baumler said that it truly was a case of the right time and the right circumstances.

“With the degrees I’ve earned, what I’ve learned from football and just the whole package coming out of UNI, I just thought it was the right thing to do and the timing was good,” he said.

Aside from wanting to give back to his alma mater, the Dome renovation project also spoke specifically to what

Baumler wants to see for the future of UNI.

“The athletic landscape has changed a lot in the last several years, and now is the time that UNI needs it. I want to see them try to be as competitive as possible,” he said.

Guest speaker Leo Lambert on keeping the heart in education

students are hungry to

hear from their professors. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, President Lambert sat down with faculty and staff from UNI and Wartburg to discuss the importance of building relationships and having authentic two way conversations with undergrad-

uate students in the classroom.

In a study conducted by President Lambert for his book, “Relationship Rich Education,” students that have concrete relationships with their professors tend to have a higher graduation rate and tend to look back on their time in undergraduate school with fondness.

President Lambert also believes that relationships with faculty proves to be one of the reasons students stay at a four year institution, as many students are “one conversation away from deciding to stay.”

“High level messaging about connections should be an institutional value. A college education without these connections is overall a poorer experience.” President Lambert describes the connections that undergraduate students have as “constellations.” He encourages educators to “forget about

turnstiles” and think about how students might fit into their classroom and their syllabus, and instead learn how to be a part of a student’s constellation.

Being forthright and having genuine connections strays away from the typical “transactional” model of relationships to a more “relational’”model of relationships. Instead of simply having interactions with students on a need-only basis, interacting with students about their interests and personal lives. President Lambert noted one of his peers’ tradition of bringing in a recent graduate to a freshman lecture class on the first day of class in the semester to discuss the importance of good relationships with professors. “Obviously, not every student will have that kind of relationship with every faculty member, but it shows an example of some-

SPORTS

Darta Dalecka excels on the UNI tennis team, thousands of miles from home.

SPORTS PAGE 7

Students explore the WRC’s “Free Week”

This week, the Wellness and Recreation Center (WRC) is hosting its annual “Free Week” where group fitness classes are being offered for free to UNI students. Students can try out different classes throughout the week to see what types of classes they may be interested in taking. Free Week has taken place at UNI for over 25 years now, and is a great way for students to start healthy habits for the new semester.

Some of the many classes available include: multiple Cycling options, Body Pump, Cardio HIIT, Fighter Body, Women on Weights and Butts and Guts.

Christopher B. Denison, who is the Director of Recreation Services at the WRC, shared that there will be some new classes as well.

CORRECTION

In the last issue of the Northern Iowan, a story titled “Remembering Julie Ann” reported that Julie Ann Beddow served as a librarian at Rod Library. She instead held the role of assistant librarian.

thing to strive for with your educators.”

“One of my colleagues, Dr. Steve Grande, the Director of Community-Service Learning at James Madison University in Virginia said this once: ‘Before I go into work I try to raise my consciousness on how my words impact my students.’” One thing that President Lambert stresses in his writing and in speaking to the faculty and staff is humility and intentionality when interacting with students.

BAILEY KLINKHAMMER Staff Writer

MALLORY SCHMITZ News Editor

LAUREN MCGUILL Staff Writer

 See DOME DONATION, page 4  See FREE WEEK, page 2

CEDAR FALLS, IA

COURTESY/UNI FOUNDATION

The above rendering shows a possible vision for the finished product of the UNI-Dome renovations. The project will include wider concourses, a new indoor track and greater accessibility. The project, part of the Our Tomorrow campaign, has raised over $10.7 million out of its $50 million goal.

COURTESY/TWITTER

Leo Lambert is the president of Elon University in North Carolina. He joined faculty from UNI and Wartburg in discussing how to interact with students on a more personal and genuine level.

“How are you?”

Leo Lambert, president of Elon University, says that this is the question that undergraduate

FREE WEEK continued from page 1

“We also have a couple of new classes this semester including willPower (a mix of balance and cardio), Breathe and Flow Yoga, and RAD (Self Defense). The RAD class will be taught by Lt. Dally (UNI Police) and is offered for free. There will be two options, one before spring break and the other after. Spots are limited in this class,” he said.

Along with new classes, the WRC has added new areas for students to explore. “We installed outdoor fitness equipment on the west side of the WRC, next to the sand volleyball court. We look forward to seeing students using this equipment,” he said. “We also built a boxing center in racquetball court 5 and that has been a big hit for those that are using it.”

Denison shared his joy at the current success of Free Week, and also mentioned for

HEART IN EDUCATION

continued from page 1

President Lambert also acknowledges how COVID19 may affect a student’s ability to reach out and create that connection. He implores educators to re-explain the rules of engagement in the classroom, because “you can’t expect students to learn through osmosis,” and stress people over content. “Yes, students need to learn content but their wellbeing and personhood is far more important,” elaborated President Lambert. He also encourages educators to swap office hours for “student hours,” which

students to keep their eyes open for future “Pop Ups” where the WRC will take fitness activities to other parts of campus, such as cycling at the Campanile and having yoga in GBPAC.

Students can expect each class to have an average size of 12-15 students with the maximum at 20. The WRC

currently has 13 instructors teaching, some of which are students. The WRC is always constantly looking for staff, so students who have a possible interest in becoming a student instructor can contact Christopher B. Denison either by his email, denison@uni. edu or stop by room 101 in the WRC.

N.I. EN ESPAÑOL

Traducción: Los estudiantes investigan WRC’s “Semana de gratis”

LAUREN MCGUILL Escritora KARINA ORTIZ Editora en español

Esta semana el Wellness and Recreation Center (WRC) está anfitrionando su anual “Semana de gratis” donde clases para grupos físicas están ofrecidas de gratis para los estudiantes de UNI. Los estudiantes pueden tratar clases diferentes durante la semana para ver qué tipos de clases les interesan a tomar.

“Semana de gratis” ha durado 25 años aquí en UNI y es una excelente manera para los estudiantes establecer hábitos saludables para el semestre nuevo.

makes for a more welcoming environment that might make students feel less intimidated and more inclined to stop by. “It’s important to initiate opportunities to connect, ensuring campus culture is enriched by staff and faculty as academic peers, it’s really important professional development skills.”

“Do you have a professor that knows your name?” or “Have you been to office hours?” are two “red flag” questions that President Lambert advises to ask students who might feel out of place on campus or in the classroom. President Lambert stresses that “Institutions can

do a lot, but not everything. Even then, great practices are happening everywhere.” One of the most beneficial, yet simplest practices that President Lambert encourages is self-identifying with students. Connecting with students on a personal level, professors who went through undergraduate school as a first generation college student connecting with other first generation students on campus and providing mentorship to those students, for instance. Geographic location, interests, being a part of another community – there are endless avenues for professors to connect with students with.

President Lambert’s Relationships at the Beating Heart of Education seminar gave advice to educators and provided them with tools on how to create genuine and meaningful relationships with students. Towards the end, President Lambert explained simply – that creating relationships isn’t hard. It’s just a series of small steps to build a foundation. “Small, simple things we as educators can do to make a difference, and we can watch a thousand flowers bloom.”

NORTHERN IOWAN

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NIXSON BENITEZ

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EMMA KOEHLER

Managing Editor koehlere@uni.edu

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limitado en esta clase”, dijo él. Acompañando las clases nuevas, el WRC ha añadido áreas nuevas para los estudiantes ir y explorar. “Instalamos un equipo de aptitud física al aire libre afuera en el oeste de WRC, al lado de cancha de voleibol de arena. Anhelamos ver a los estudiantes usar este equipo”, dijo él. “También construimos un centro de boxeo en la cancha de raquetbol 5 que ha sido un BIG HIT para los que están usándolo”.

Algunas de las clases disponibles son: múltiples opciones de ciclismo, Body Pump, Cardio HIIT, Fighter Body, Women on Weights y Butts and Guts. Christopher B. Denison quien es el director de servicios de recreaciones en el WRC contó que también vamos a tener clases nuevas.

“También tenemos clases nuevas este semestre incluyendo willPower (una mezcla de cardio y equilibrio), Breathe and Flow Yoga y RAD (defensa propia). La clase de RAD será enseñada por teniente Dally (policía de UNI) y será ofrecida de manera gratuita. Tendrán dos opciones, uno antes de las vacaciones de primavera y el otro después. El espacio está

Denison compartió su alegría por el éxito de Semana de gratis y también mencionó que los estudiantes mantienen los ojos abiertos para los “Pop ups” del futuro donde WRC va a llevar las actividades físicos a otras partes del campus, como ciclismo en la Campanile y teniendo yoga en GBPAC Los estudiantes pueden suponer que cada clase va a tener un promedio de 12-15 estudiantes con un máximo de 20. En este momento el WRC tiene 13 instructores enseñando y algunos de ellos son estudiantes. El WRC siempre está buscando empleados, entonces estudiantes que tienen un posible interés en hacer un instructor estudiantil pueden contactar a Christopher B. Denison en su correo electrónico de denison@uni.edu o puedes parar en cuarto 101 en el WRC

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EMILY EAVES

Los estudiantes tenían la oportunidad a tratar los clases de grupo de aptitud física para gratis durante la semana de enero 23-27.

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EMILY EAVES

Students had the opportunity to try out the WRC’s group fitness classes for free during the week of Jan. 23-27. Students should keep their eyes out for more unique opportunities with fitness classes around campus this semester.

NI ARCHIVES

Lambert noted the effect the COVID-19 pandemic may have on students’ level of comfort in the classroom and their understanding of the classroom environment. He encourages educators to re-explain the rules of engagement in the classroom.

Iowa: Abandon your ‘dark ages’ primary voting system

Editor’s note: Doris Kelly is an Emerita Iowa House of Representatives. She served in the house from 2007 to 2011 and was the Emerita Chair/Vice Chair –Iowa Board of Parole.

With Iowa in its 177th year of statehood (Dec. 28, 1846), by now we should have our ducks in a row. But, we are one of six states still in the dark ages when it comes to the primary election process.

Iowa, along with Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Wyoming operate their primary elections, which selects candidates before the general election, under a process referred to as “partially open.” This system permits voters to cross party lines, but they are required to change their party affiliation.

Thirty-two percent of Iowa voters have proclaimed they purposely

do not want to be affiliated with the Democrats or Republicans. Free-spirited souls, aren’t they?

Specifically, as of Jan., 2023, 31.2% of Iowa registered voters declared their political party of preference as a no party independent. Another 0.9% picked “other” as their choice.

Should these liberated and unconstrained citizens want to vote in Iowa’s primary election, they must declare being affiliated with a party they want nothing to do with. Of course, after the primary, they could go back to the court house and re-declare their unfettered political preference, but what a pain in the . . . buttocks.

What’s wrong about the six states – like Iowa - who have a partially open primary or other states who embrace a similar closed system? Very simply, it permits the far-right wing and far-left wing candidates and their respective extremist

minions to protect and elect oddballs to run for office. Meanwhile, the truly independent voters are left on the sideline without much say.

Partisan primaries - like in Iowa - disenfranchise voters. It’s a form of voter suppression and dissuades independents from voting. Low primary turnout means fewer voters are choosing their representatives, giving disproportionate influence to a small subset of voters.

If you wonder why we have so many wacko and out-of-touch elected officials representing us in Iowa’s Capitol (or in D.C. for that matter), look no further than Iowa’s primary election process. The phrase from the War of 1812 is apropos: “we have met the enemy and he is us.”

Fifteen states (i.e., Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina,

Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin) have an open primary.

The open primary system permits a citizen to cast a vote across party lines and their election privacy is assured. Open primaries increase voter participation as there are no barriers or restraints placed upon their participation. Open primaries permit independents to become more involved in the election process, which is good for our democracy. And, an open primary is election integrity at its zenith.

Opponents to the open primary system note it is unconstitutional because it violates their freedom of association. However, the U.S. Constitution does not mention political parties.

Voting is an American principle and a basic democratic right that should be protected, promoted and practiced. Iowa’s partially open primary system creates unnecessary voting

difficulties and is discriminatory to over 600,000 Iowans who do not want to be associated as a Democrat or Republican.

As Charles Darwin once said, “it is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

Iowa needs to get out of the dark ages and change to an open primary system, which would give its 36.4% registered Republicans, 31.5% registered Democrats, 31.2% no party independents and 0.9% “other” maximum flexibility and maintain their party affiliation or no party affiliation privacy.

All Iowans - versus a small subset of votersshould participate in our primary election process. Let’s embrace change and restore integrity to our primary election procedure by becoming an open primary state.

The message from Gov. Reynolds and the GOP: Transparency is for suckers

KATHIE OBRADOVICH Iowa Captial Dispatch

Editor’s note: This article is from Iowa Capitol Dispatch from Jan 23, 2023

Transparency is for suckers. That’s the message, loud and clear, from Gov. Kim Reynolds and her Republican enablers in the Legislature.

I’d suspect that this was another, particularly idiotic manifestation of the trans-phobia that has infected Republican officeholders the past few years. But no, Reynolds and GOP lawmakers are insisting on “transparency” through various priority bills in the Legislature while keeping the public in the dark. Everybody loves transparency

– as long as it required of other people.

Reynolds’ recent interview with Amanda Rooker of KCCI-TV made that abundantly clear. Rooker asked Reynolds about the so-called “transparency” measures she is proposing for public schools. These may include ideas proposed in the past, like requiring teachers to post their lesson plans online or school libraries posting every title on their shelves.

Rooker asked if Reynolds would also seek to impose those rules on private schools that receive taxpayer funds from her education savings account proposal.

Reynolds stammered.

“Well, you know they’re held to — you know, most of this would deal with public schools, would public schools right now. So you know, they – it would just be public schools.”

That last phrase is the actual answer. Only public schools would have to post course details and library titles and whatever else the governor and GOP lawmakers can think of to demand from public schools.

Why not private schools?

If we’re going to dedicate hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to give parents a “choice” on where to send their kids, shouldn’t that be an informed choice?

Reynolds says parents can figure that out for themselves.

“But again, it’s the parent that’s going to be making that decision. So if they feel that the school doesn’t meet their expectations, or what they’re looking for, then they’re not going to transfer their child there,” she said. “So I’m going to trust parents to do the research, to, you know, to make the decision of what environment is best for their children.”

Speaking of those taxpayer dollars that will be going to possibly secretive private schools, Reynolds said she is planning to hire a private company to handle the transfer of state money to parents and oversee how that money is spent. Lawmakers will not be informed about how that would be done and what company would be in charge until after the legislation has passed.

And speaking of taxpay-

er money, House Speaker Pat Grassley told reporters last week that the House doesn’t need to send the school scholarship bill through the Appropriations Committee to examine the spending. Why not? Because House Republicans have talked about the cost. Among themselves. In secret.

“I will tell you that, I probably talk so much about appropriations matters in caucus, I probably drive them nuts how much time we do spend on that,” Grassley said. “We take this very seriously, whenever we look at any sort of investment like this, and there has been significant time not only since we got to session, but leading up to session on what potential proposals would look like. So it’s not like we just started yesterday having that conversation.”

DORIS KELLEY Guest Columnist

DOME DONATION

continued from page 1

“In my several trips back here in the last several years, it has just become more and more evident that the Dome, even though it’s a phenomenal facility and still is today, needs a facelift. It’s at that point in time where it just needs some support,” Baumler said.

Over $10.7 million of the Dome renovation project has been funded so far, which amounts to about 20% of the $50 million goal. Some project highlights will include new seating and suites, wider concourses, new lighting and sound systems, a new indoor track and greater accessibility.

Fundraising for the UNIDome renovations is part of the Our Tomorrow campaign, which has a goal of $250 million by 2026. The fundraising period began in 2018, and the money will be used to enhance the campaign’s four pillars: Student Access and Success, Engaged Learning, Academic Programs and Faculty and Iconic Places.

or whenever we meet our dollar goal,” Hillery Oberle said, assistant vice president for strategy communications in University Advancement.

As Oberle explained, a fundraising campaign relies on both large gifts from donors like Baumler and high participation rates. The campaign has a goal of reaching 30,000 unique donors, and it has currently received donations from over 25,000 different donors.

“Whenever I talk about that [number], it really warms my heart. It’s a point of pride because I always think about, okay, that’s more than 25,000 votes of confidence about UNI and what we’re doing here and supporting our students,” Oberle said.

Aside from connecting with a wide audience of alumni and friends of the university, donations come in a variety of different forms. Currently, 25% of the donations to the Our Tomorrow campaign have been “planned gifts,” meaning the money has been written to UNI in an individual’s estate. Those donations are still counted in the total money raised, although the money will not be readily available until the individual passes away.

Many donations also take the form of endowment funds, in which the donated money is invested by the university, and the interest earned is then used to fund specific scholarships or programs.

Other donations come in the form of pledges made over a period of years or upfront donations that are available immediately.

While the Our Tomorrow campaign still has ground to cover before reaching their fundraising goal, UNI students have already begun to see the effects of the donations around campus.

The new $43.9 million Applied Engineering Building broke ground in June, 2022, which was partly funded by donors as part of the campaign.

So far the Our Tomorrow campaign has completed over 78% of the fundraising goal, having received $195.8 million from donors.

“We are 57% of the way through the campaign time period. So we started in 2018, and the goal is to end in 2026

“One big thing to understand is just where are all those dollars going and to know that it’s not only for short term benefit to the campus community, but also for the longer term stability and viability of campus,” Oberle said.

In addition, fundraising for the $14.9 million Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center renovation is over 85% complete. The project is expected to break ground this spring, with the new seating in the Great Hall to be installed this summer.

Another major capital project is the $2.2 million renovation to the Campanile and Campanile Plaza. It is currently expected that the new

and refurbished bells will be returned to the Campanile in early May, with further renovations of the surrounding area to take place in the coming years.

As far as benefiting students on an individual level, over 1,900 students received scholarships from private sources in 2022, with the dollar amount totaling $6.6 million. An additional $10 million was delegated to directly supporting campus services, such as study abroad funds, undergraduate research, and bringing guest speakers and support staff.

So far, 365 new scholarship funds and 210 new endowment funds have been created in the Our Tomorrow campaign.

Amidst all of the moving parts of a $250 million campaign, connecting with donors

like Baumler brings Oberle fulfillment.

“One of the things that is a real joy in the work that the [UNI] Foundation does is that we get to work with those donors, and when you get to hear them talk about how much this institution means to them and why they’re making a gift, we’re the ones who get to hear that,” she said.

“We can do big things like this because of the passion that people have for this institution. When you’re part of the Panther family, you have a lot of dedicated individuals that really step up and are helping us make this a success.”

More information about donating to the Our Tomorrow campaign can be found at ourtomorrow.uni.edu.

TRANSPARENCY

continued from page 3

None of those conversations were in public, however. Neither the governor nor legislators discussed details of the current, vastly expanded, scholarship plan during the campaign. Republican and Democratic “caucus” meetings are held behind closed doors.

The Senate did hold an appropriations committee meeting last week, but decided to push forward with the bill without a nonpartisan fiscal analysis. The chambers could send the bill to the governor’s desk as early as this week, without giving Iowans time to absorb the details.

Then, they’ll move on to talking about transparency for public school teachers, tax assessors, universities and all those other suckers.

We can do big things like this because of the passion that people have for this institution.

HILLERY OBERLE

Assistant Vice President for Strategy Communications, University Advancement

NIXSON BENITEZ Executive Editor

The fall of UNI fraternities and sororities

KATE MURPHY Staff Writer

Editor’s note: This story was written in the fall 2022 semester.

At the start of the spring semester, the fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha will be shutting down permanently at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) due to a lack of new members.

The president of Pi Kappa Alpha, Jake Merrill said he believes it was harder to get members this year due to the decreasing number of students enrolling at the UNI.

“The numbers are down, and with school staff there were a lot of issues,” Merrill said. “The fraternity and sorority life advisor, Josh Farris, is a great guy, but with him being only a month into the job during recruitment season the whole school was really behind going into recruitment.”

The current student enrollment population at UNI is 8,949. In 2017 it was 11,907.

Merrill came to the decision to shut down the Fraternity along with the rest of Pi Kappa Alpha members.

“We weren’t told to shut down, we chose to do it because we looked at the state of the campus, Greek life and the state of ourselves and knew it was best. It was a difficult decision to make. Our nationals tried to encourage us to stay open as long as possible but we knew that it would be better for the legacy of pike to shut down now,” Merrill said.

The process to shut down Pi Kappa Alpha began once Merrill reached out to PIKE international with a formal letter. Merrill then announced the decision to UNI’s Fraternity Sorority Life (FSL) advisor and the other chapters were later told the news.

“Part of removing ourselves was so we could set up a plan of action to return,” Merrill said. “We made an agreement with the University to debate how long we will be gone. At that point, the Alumni association for PIKE and internationals will begin to work with the University as well.”

The Pi Kappa Alpha members moved out at the end of the 2022 fall semester and the house will go back to the University to sublease.

Merrill also said that the way people perceive Greek life may also contribute to the decline in Fraternity and Sorority life at the UNI.

“PIKE has a similar image issue if not worse, especially in Iowa. It’s the last standing PIKE chapter in the state because

the others were shut down for behavioral issues,” Merrill said.

“So PIKE doesn’t have a terrific image overall even though our fraternity is not like that.”

UNI is not the only university seeing a decline in their Greek life. According to a study done at Willamette University (WU) in Oregon, fraternity and sorority recruitment has been down 42% in 2021 compared to the previous year. Only 24 new members joined fraternity and sorority at WU which was a drastic decrease from the 101 members that joined in 2017.

Another study makes a note that multiple universities across the country are also seeing a decline in recruitment. According to Drake University’s student paper, The TimesDelphic Many Drake fraternities and sororities had less numbers than they were typically used to. Anna Sutterer, a member of Drake’s Panhellenic Council, said she was disappointed with the lower recruitment numbers, but felt better seeing other universities had the same issue.

Drake Greek life members believe this is due to COVID-19 and fraternity scandals coming to light at other universities.

Josh Farris, UNI’s FSL advisor, confirmed these reasons are also contributors to why Greek life isn’t doing well at UNI.

“The stereotype Greek life

gets, especially fraternities, makes it so people don’t want to join. You tell someone to join a community-based organization and students don’t think anything of it. The minute you call it a fraternity or a sorority people look at you like you’re crazy,” Farris said.

Farris said since COVID-19 enrollment was down because everything was online. Things have just gone back to being fully in-person but it was a difficult adjustment since Farris was

said.

Cassie Williams, sorority Panhel vice president at UNI, believes Greek life is struggling more at UNI than other universities due to the campus size.

“Enrollment at UNI is down in general which is something that has been hard on a lot of student organizations in terms of membership,” Williams said. “I think part of it ties back to the unfortunate negative connotations that can be associated with Greek life. I think we are the ones that feel the effects of it the most since we’re already small, it’s easier to see the difference.”

Williams said that this negative connotation can also be fueled by movies and media and its portrayal of Greek culture.

“Greek life’s history is a long one and it certainly doesn’t come without controversy,” Williams said. “I do think, however, that Greek life is progressing toward a more positive light.”

“What I think a lot of people don’t realize is how Greek life has changed and continues to change to adapt to a more modern era,” Williams added.

new to the position.

“Recruitment was especially hard because there was nobody in my position prior to me fulltime. The students weren’t as equipped because they didn’t have access to help they usually did from an advisor,” Farris

and I are working with CAB (Campus Activities Board) on a trivia night event hosted by sorority life with the intent of promoting spring continuous open bidding! We mainly want everybody to have the opportunity to understand the FSL community for what it is and to join our community if they choose to.”

In regards to COVID-19, Chase Anderson, former president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, said that the pandemic has derailed student engagement even within the fraternity.

“Covid built a habit with a lot of people our age thinking that it’s alright to do a lot of things virtually, and not to be as involved. In the past semester getting involvement from my brothers to try and recruit was difficult,” Anderson said. Anderson believes that improvement of the atmosphere for UNI’s Greek life will make it more sustainable.

“Other campuses work to build a culture around their Greek life and I think that is UNI’s problem,” Anderson said. “I think with the university’s help and if students were more motivated we could bring that here.”

Williams said she hopes to see UNI Fraternity and Sorority Life flourish in the next five years.

“I think if Greek life isn’t flourishing it will be practically gone. I think we’re at that awkward stage right now where numbers are down, but if we go about recruitment right and marketing right, I honestly do think the numbers can get back up,” Williams said. “I think Greek life is heading toward a more progressive light as well to fit in better with this modern lens.”

According to Farris, the number of new members that joined sororities were at 75 in 2016 and right now it’s at 43. UNI Fraternity and Sorority Life’s goal is to get numbers back around to that area. Fraternities and sororities across the nation are dealing with the decline in new members; UNI is seeing an even more noticeable decline due to its smaller size and decreasing student enrollment. Merrill said the biggest issue is that nobody is talking about it at UNI.

Williams believes UNI’s Greek life could do a better job being more inclusive with the rest of campus.

“I think hosting more campus wide events would be really beneficial to the community,” Williams said. “Laura Harms

“It’s a shame to watch a student organization hurting so badly on campus and nobody is talking about it. It’s just a shame the University isn’t doing anything,” Merrill said.

“Knowing this was my last semester in PIKE didn’t make it any easier. Greek life is becoming invisible at UNI,” Merrill said.

We weren’t told to shut down, we chose to do it because we looked at the state of the campus and the state of ourselevs and knew

NIXSON BENITEZ

The decreasing number of enrollment at UNI has created a domino effect on student engagment. Many members in Faternity and Sorority Life feel the impact and struggles to recruit for their chapters.

Jake Merrill President Pi Kappa Alpha

McDermott sends Panthers past Bulldogs

DAVID WARRINGTON Sports Editor

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published online on Jan. 12, 2023. You can find more exclusive content via our website, northerniowan.com.

On Wednesday, Jan. 11, the UNI women’s basketball traveled to Des Moines for an in-state Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) matchup with the Drake

Bulldogs. Both teams entered the game with a 3-1 record in MVC play, looking to move to the top of the standings. Ultimately, it was a back-and-forth game that saw UNI win in the closing seconds.

To begin the game, both teams scored on their opening possessions, tying the game at 2-2. However, both teams went quiet after this, going scoreless for nearly four minutes before a Grace Berg 3-pointer put

Drake up 5-2. While leading 11-9 late in the opening quarter, Drake forced two UNI turnovers and was able to score the final seven points, leading 18-9 after a quarter.

UNI quickly got the game closer to begin the second quarter, scoring six of the first eight points and outscoring the Bulldogs 21-17 across the 10 minutes. However, the Bulldogs still led going into the break, 35-30.

The Panthers came out of the locker room for the second half ready to go. After allowing the first basket of the third quarter, UNI scored the next nine points, taking the lead, 39-38. The teams continued going back-and-forth throughout the remainder of the quarter, but Drake did have the final word, scoring 10 of the last 13 points to lead 57-50 heading into the fourth quarter.

Drake was attempting to cling to their lead in the final 10 minutes, but backto-back baskets from Maya McDermott tied the game at 63 with two minutes to play, and a 3-pointer from Kayba Laube gave the Panthers a 66-63 lead with just over a minute to go. Drake’s Sarah Beth Gueldner knocked down what appeared to be a game-winning jumper with four seconds remaining, giving the Bulldogs a 69-68 advantage and forcing a UNI timeout. However, the Panthers were not to be denied, and a McDermott floater with less than a second remaining gave UNI a dramatic victory, 70-69.

It was a great all-around game from McDermott, finishing with 19 points and six assists to lead the team

TRACK & FIELD

in both categories on top of hitting the game-winning shot. Grace Boffeli pitched in 11 points with a team-high 11 rebounds for yet another double-double. It was another great performance off of the bench for Taryn Wharton, as the freshman finished with 10 points.

For the Bulldogs, Katie Dinnebier, Grace Berg and Taylor McAulay all finished with 12 points to lead the team. Berg added a team-high nine rebounds.

“It was another great team win,” Head Coach Tanya Warren said after the game. “I thought we were relentless. We weren’t perfect but we stayed true to our game.”

“Maya’s had some really good games, but I thought that was probably the best second half she’s played in her career,” Warren said, referring to her sophomore point guard. “Just a terrific and gritty effort from everyone.”

With the win, UNI improves to 9-5, 4-1 in MVC play. The Panthers will be back in action on Sunday, traveling to Evansville, Ind. for a matchup with the Evansville Purple Aces.

Panthers compete at Larry Wieczorek Invite

CADEN SHEA Sports Writer

The Panthers took over Iowa City this weekend as they competed in the Larry Wieczorek Invitational.

Many Panthers made an impact in this meet including sprinter Rylan Santi who set a new school record.

The competition got started with field events.

Katie Fare recorded a third place finish in the Hawkeye Pro women’s shot put with a distance of 53 feet, 3.75 inches. Mari Shavers scored fourth in the women’s weight throw with a distance of 60 feet, 7.75 inches while Makenna Wilson finished in seventh place at 59 feet, 11.25 inches.

Emma Hoins had her season-best in the women’s 3000-meter run with a final time of 9:55.88 giving her a sixth place finish. Kate Crawford finished 11th in this race with her career-

best of 10:06.96. Andrew Ferguson finished in fifth place in the men’s 200meter dash with a time of 22.05.

Next up was the women’s 60-meter dash, giving Santi her time to shine. Santi crushed the preliminaries, running a 7.49. This would be a school record as she beat the previous score set over 20 years ago by 0.01 seconds. She would run a 7.52 in the final race, placing her in third position. She also scored fifth in the 200-meter dash the day before with a time of 25.16.

Jack Sumners had his season-best in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.09 and a finish in fourth place while Drew Bartles followed in seventh with an 8.16. Sixth place in the women’s 400-meter dash went to Erin Kerkhoff with a 58.31 while eighth place was secured by Auriona

Kimbrough with a 58.51. Onal Mitchell scored his career best in the men’s 400-meter with a 48.56 and a fourth place finish while Ferguson got ninth place with his season-best of 49.02.

Sophia Jungling achieved her career-best in the 800meter run with a time of 2:12.97 and a seventh place finish. The men’s 800 meters saw three Panthers get their career bests. Hanson finished in second in the Hawkeye Pro with a 1:51.33. Chase Knoche ran a 1:54.40 in the premier race to get third place and Micaiah Ellis was not far behind him in fifth place with a 1:55.29.

The meet closed with the 4x400 relays. The men got second place with Ferguson, Mitchell, Titus Jackson and Hanson running a time of 3:16.75. The women finished in fifth place with

the team of Kimbrough, Jill Bennett, Jungling and Kerkhoff running a 3:56.43. The Panthers will be in

action Feb. 3 and 4 as they will compete in the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb.

STEPH STARK/NORTHERN IOWAN

Kam Finley hugs Maya McDermott while the rest of the Panthers celebrate in the background following the conclusion of UNI’s 70-69 victory over Drake.

STEPH STARK/NORTHERN IOWAN

UNI competed at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational at the Iowa Indoor Track Facility in Iowa City this past weekend.

Dalecka thrives as international student

JAYE HAINES Guest Writer

Twelve years of experience in a sport can take a dedicated athlete a long way, and 12 years of tennis took Darta Dalecka 4,659 miles from home. “I am an international student coming from a country called Latvia,” said Dalecka, a sophomore tennis player at the University of Northern Iowa.

Finding UNI’s tennis team all the way from Latvia was a “funny story” according to Dalecka. Before discovering an offer from UNI, Dalecka received offers from other colleges starting in October 2021, but they did not seem to check all her boxes. After months of filtering through requirements, in February 2022 she was almost settled on a decision to take a gap year when she received an email from UNI tennis coach Chris Sagers just in time. He had made her an offer a few months prior but typed her email wrong so she had never gotten the message. After talking with Coach Sagers about the offer, Dalecka found that UNI was the place for her.

Tennis always came easy to Dalecka, but one of her largest obstacles was the initial transition from Latvia to UNI. “It was hard in the first semester to connect all the grammar (of English)

in my head,” she said. She admitted that at one point in the semester she was tired of speaking English entirely due to the challenge of speaking it as her primary language. However, language was not the only obstacle that Dalecka had to battle. “One word that relates to every student athlete’s life is time management,” she said. Between her multiple practices, training, classes and even physical therapy throughout the day, she was bound to feel the weight of those responsibilities. Due to these challenges, Dalecka expressed that during her first semester she felt extremely exhausted.

Though Dalecka had to endure challenges, she never gave up, and in turn has grown to feel more confident with her English and time management this past year. “Don’t be afraid of the challenges,” Dalecka says when explaining her most significant takeaway from her experience as an international student. “Just try your best and don’t think about what others think and you’re going to be fine. Embrace the differences.”

Being an international student-athlete, Dalecka faced many challenges but she also has achieved her share of victories. “Since I was a freshman, I was playing as first on the team,” she said. At first, this was a lot of pressure for Dalecka

but then she flipped her perspective to see it as “a great challenge” for her to learn and grow as a player. Today, Dalecka continues to play the first position on the team.

Dalecka was named MVC Player of the Week the week of March 1, 2022, last season after a four-match win streak. She also earned a spot on the Missouri Valley All-Select Team. “I was feeling really great about myself that I’m putting in so much work and it’s paying off,” she said.

On the academic side of Dalecka’s life, she is an exploratory major but is choosing between declaring a major in communications or psychology, though she is leaning toward communications. After finishing her education at UNI, Dalecka plans to move back home to find a job in the field she chooses.

Previous to playing tennis for UNI, Dalecka was already an accomplished player back home. “I won the Under 16 Latvian Youth Championships in singles and doubles. That would be one of my biggest accomplishments because that was a national tournament,” said Dalecka.

Dalecka said she has many great friends but nobody compares to her family. Her family consists of her mom Vineta and her dad Deniss, as well as her

three siblings, her older sister Marija, 28, her older brother Dags, 23 and her younger brother Reinis, 17. “I would say my family is the strongest influence on my life because I know that they will always be there for me in my good and bad times,” said Dalecka. “I just know they are always there and will be happy for me in everything that I do.”

She describes her siblings as her best friends even though it’s hard to communicate with them now due to the eight-hour time dif-

ference. In her early years, Dalecka said that she tried out for tennis when she was six and playing with her brother Reinis when he was only three years old for fun. Then when she was eight she officially started playing.

“It was my dream to play division one college tennis and to be playing in the U.S. When I have those hard times, of course, they sometimes happen, I can remind myself that I wanted this, it’s my passion and I am grateful for that.”

Panthers split with Fighting Hawks, Mavericks

DREW HILL Sports Writer

The UNI women’s tennis team hit the road for their first matches of the 2023 season. The Panthers stopped in Grand Forks, N.D., to face the North Dakota Fighting Hawks

on Friday, Jan. 20. They then traveled to Mankato, Minn., on Saturday, Jan. 21, to face the Minnesota State Mavericks. After falling 6-1 to the Fighting Hawks, UNI rebounded with a 6-1 victory over the Minnesota State Mavericks.

Against North Dakota,

Andrijana Brkic and Issa Sullivan came close to winning their doubles match, falling 7-5. Lasya Mylavarapu and Thaissa Moreira also dropped their doubles match 7-5. North Dakota completed the sweep with a 6-0 win over UNI’s Darta Dalecka and Lorena Cardoso to gain the doubles point.

In singles matches, Kim Zizek picked up the lone win and point for UNI with a hard-fought 7-5 win. Dalecka nearly won her second set, but wound up losing in sets of 6-3 and 7-6. Cardoso lost in sets of 6-0 and 6-1, Moreira lost in sets of 6-1 and 6-3, Brkic lost in sets of 6-4 and 6-1 and Sullivan lost in sets of 6-0

and 6-2.

UNI had a strong comeback the next day against Minnesota State, dropping only one singles match en route to a dominant 6-1 performance. The Panthers swept the doubles matches. Dalecka and Cardoso won 6-2, Mylavarapu and Moreira won 6-3 and Brkic and Sullivan won 6-4 to claim the doubles point.

Singles matches brought more Panther dominance. Zizek won her second match in a row in sets of 6-3 and 6-2. Dalecka won the first set 6-4, but after dropping the second set 6-0, she needed a big win to clinch the point. She did just that, winning her last set 6-2. Moreira and Brkic won

big in their matches, with Moreira winning in sets of 6-1 and 6-0 and Brkic winning in matching sets of 6-1. Sullivan faced a tough fight in the first set, pulling out a narrow 7-5 victory, but won the second set 6-3 to claim UNI’s sixth point. Cardoso was the lone Panther to drop her match, ultimately falling 7-5 and 6-3.

After splitting their road trip, UNI returns home for their next pair of matches. They host the Omaha Mavericks at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Black Hawk Tennis Center in Waterloo. Then, on Friday, Feb. 3, the Panthers host the Kansas City Roos at 11 a.m.

COURTESY/UNI ATHLETICS

Darta Dalecka has traveled thousands of miles from her home in Latvia, and is now a standout on the UNI tennis team.

COURTESY/UNI ATHLETICS

Andrijana Brkic picked up a dominant win in her singles match against Minnesota State on Saturday, winning 6-1, 6-1.

CROSSWORD

ANSWERS

Be around for countless memories to come.