10-10-22

OPINION

Nkasa Bolumbu gives an inside look at UNI’s level of accessibility from those impacted the most.

CAMPUS LIFE Majors in Minutes offers an opportunity to learn about UNI’s wide variety of majors on Oct. 18.

UNI students compete on

‘American Ninja Warrior’

CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN

The hit NBC TV show American Ninja Warrior covers elite athletes as they tackle America’s most challenging obstacle cours es. Two UNI students, Jon Klippenstein and Ella Sankey have had the oppor tunity to compete nationally on these formidable courses in front of a camera and live audience.

Klippenstein, a junior majoring in exercise sci ence, has been training for

American Ninja Warrior since he was around twelve years old.

“It’s been a very long time in the making for me,” Klippenstein said. “I used to watch it with my brother, so it was definitely a childhood dream of mine.”

Sankey, a sophomore majoring in computer sci ence, also grew up watching the show.

Panthers fall short in Homecoming game against Illinois State Redbirds,

Ding dong: New bells cast during Our Tomorrow campaign launch

CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN Staff Writer

Eight new bells were cast under the shadow of the Campanile on the Verdin Bell Company’s bell foundry on wheels Oct. 6 and 7. Tim Verdin, CEO of the Verdin Company based in Cincinnati, Ohio noted the historical saga of UNI’s connection with the Verdin Company.

“We are a very old company. We were started in 1842 by my great-great-great grandfather,” Verdin said. “We had a rela tionship with the bell foundry that cast the original 15 bells installed in 1926.”

The Verdin Company also installed clock movements on the Campanile in the 1940s and expanded the original 15 chime bells into a carillon in 1968. The company’s most recent work on the Campanile included the casting of eight bells to success fully establish a full octave car illon utilizing their bell foundry on wheels.

“We load the furnaces, assemble all the sand molds, melt the bronze, and cast the bells on site,” Verdin said. “They cool down and then use sledgehammers and other equipment to essentially break the mold from the bells and then we polish them getting ready for the public to view.”

Verdin continued, “It’s a spectacle you can learn from. It

shows how you can essentially start from nothing, which in our case are these bronze ingots we load into the furnace, and with a little bit of hard work and some time you can turn them into something as beautiful as a bell.”

The significance of bells was emphasized by Verdin, and how it can create a sense of community while bringing back fond memories.

“A bell has a special mean ing,” Verdin said. “The sound of a bell can kind of bring back memories of what it used to be like.”

Verdin continued, “To my knowledge, this is the first time that a carillon bell has ever been cast on a mobile bell foundry in this country. They are pretty unique.”

The Verdin Company will also work on existing bells in the carillon, which is set to be up and running again by next Homecoming.

Rod Library program strives to make course materials accessible

According to a UNI stu dent survey, over half of UNI students cannot or do not purchase required course materials because they sim ply cannot afford it. Rod Library’s Textbook Equity Program aims to change that statistic.

While the program was founded in 2016, Rod Library continues to strive to make course materials more accessible for all students. Anne Marie Gruber serves as Rod Library’s liaison and

textbook equity librarian, and she sat down with the Northern Iowan to talk about all things Textbook Equity at UNI.

“Accessing textbooks is not equal for everyone. Some struggle more than others to purchase books. Those that struggle with the most basic of needs find it even harder to access course materials,” she said.

UNI students are not alone in this struggle. It’s no secret that textbooks are incredibly expensive, and prices only continue to climb. Paying for tuition, housing, food and

course materials can be a lot for college students. This is why the Textbook Equity Program was created. Because it’s an equity program, there are many dif ferent ways students and pro fessors alike can access free course materials. Faculty are able to fill out a form through Rod Library and submit their syllabi, and a faculty librarian will work with the professor to find free and affordable course materials for students.

EMILY

TANNER RAINE Onlookers watched the pouring of eight new bells the night of Oct. 6.

COURTESY/JON KLIPPENSTEIN

UNI junior Jon Klippenstein competed on season 14 of ‘American Ninja Warrior,’ which aired in June 2022. He advanced onto the second round of the competition due to his fast time before being eliminated.

BAILEY KLINKHAMMER Staff Writer

NINJA WARRIORS

Continued

1

“I was always a superfan,” Sankey said. “I had seen so many different types of peo ple be able to compete on this platform, and I thought it was so cool. I’ve done local compe titions for years, and getting on the show is really the top level in the ninja community so it was really the goal to get up there.”

Both Klippenstein and Sankey trained at Ninja-U, a local gym in Cedar Falls locat ed on University Avenue. They both met the age eligibility requirements this year to apply for the show, and submitted a video recording and paperwork for their official application.

“I waited for the call from the 818 code from Los Angeles,” Klippenstein said.

“I actually missed my call because I was napping so I woke up to a voicemail saying, ‘Hey, this is Mike Edwards from American Ninja Warrior.

Call me back when you have

N.I. EN ESPAÑOL

the chance. I have some good news for you.’ It was super cool.”

Klippenstein’s brother was also accepted onto the show. Sankey received an email con firmation from the show’s pro ducers that she was selected to compete.

“I was actually sitting in the UNI library, and I checked my email and it said I had been selected to compete,” Sankey said. “I kind of lost it and went crazy. I was being way too loud to be in the library.”

Klippenstein was slightly intimidated by the size of the obstacles on the show, but was undeterred.

“I was surprisingly not the most nervous I’ve been for a competition,” Klippenstein said. “When I do local com petitions I get super nervous, but when I got there I was just like, ‘Well, I’ve made it. I’m on American Ninja Warrior.’”

Sankey recalls her favorite moment on the show being just before she began the course.

“When I first walked up to

UNI ha tenido una variedad de líderes latinos y hoy sus impactos continúan creando a más líderes.

the stage we had the opportu nity to have friends and fam ily Zoom in, and I remember looking at the big screen see ing my whole family and some of my closest friends up there,” Sankey said. “It was insane to think I had worked hard enough to get to that point. My favorite part was just standing

do de priorizar el bienestar mental de los estudiantes y trabajar con otros para incen tivar conciencia sobre ello.

there and seeing the crowd and the obstacles. It was just unre al.”

Klippenstein fell on the second to last obstacle during qualifiers, but made it to the second round due to his fast time.

“I wasn’t paying atten tion to the time or anything

Baeza es bi racial y su famil ia es de Michoacán, México.

because in my mind I was going so slow,” Klipperstein recalled. “I fell and I went back into the holding area. I was sitting there for a while and eventually one of the producers came over and was like, ‘Jon, will you come with me? We have to get your information so you can move on.’ I said, ‘So I can do what now?’ That was a good moment.”

Both Sankey and Klippenstein note the friendly nature of the ninja community they encountered while com peting on the show.

“It was very much a compe tition, but it was also just a fun trip with friends,” Klipperstein said. “Everyone in the com munity is super supportive of each other and super nice. You get to meet a lot of like-minded people and hang out.”

Both Sankey and Klippenstein plan on trying to get on the show again.

NIXSON BENÍTEZ Editor Ejectutivo MAYRA VILLANUEVA Editora en español

Basado en los datos de Data USA,4.65 por ciento estudiantes en UNI se identi fican como latinos/hispanos.

Desde que tenía seis años, la Directora de Salud Mental del Gobierno Estudiantil Liz Montalvo soñaba en conver tirse en abogada. Montalvo está persiguiendo su meta y ganando experiencia de lid erazgo en el gobierno estudi antil. Montalvo menciona a la ex alumna Stephanie Flores Montalvo quien abrió camino y la inspiró a con vertirse en la líder que es en UNI.

“La salud mental es muy importante. Especialmente cuando se viene de una cul tura que ha marginalizado la salud mental. Es importante romper el estigma especial mente en la universidad”, dijo Montalvo.

La presidenta de UNIdos, Yessenia Rodríguez organiza eventos para la comunidad latinx en campus y se ha comprometido a brindar un entendimiento de la cultura. Rodríguez tiene una larga lista de roles, de mentora y participación en las ori entaciones de verano y está planeando en hacer una mae stría en student affairs y con tinuar su impacto.

COURTESY/YESSENIA RODRÍGUEZ Rodríguez es la presidenta de UNIdos y se ha enfocado en crear un impacto en campus para los estudiantes latinos y compartir la cultura con todos.

NORTHERN IOWAN

L011 Maucker Union Cedar Falls, IA 50614 www.northerniowan.com northern-iowan@uni.edu

NIXSON BENITEZ Executive Editor benitezn@uni.edu

EMMA KOEHLER Managing Editor koehlere@uni.edu

“Quiero ayudar a una comu nidad más grande y porque no tratar de hacerlo en una comunidad más pequeña aquí en UNI. Creo que los jóvenes ven a líderes latinx que forman parte de organi zaciones como el gobierno estudiantil. Por eso he decid ido tomar roles más grande”, comentó.

Montalvo se ha encarga

EDITORIAL STAFF

MALLORY SCHMITZ News Editor schmimbt@uni.edu

DIAMOND ROUNDTREE Campus Life Editor diamondr@uni.edu

DAVID WARRINGTON Sports Editor warringd@uni.edu

SOPHIE HOFFMEIER Copy Editor hoffmeis@uni.edu

TANNER RAINE Multimedia Editor rainetab@uni.edu

“Cuando vine como estudiante de primer año quise crear un impacto. La primera organización a la que me integré fue UNIdos. Laura era la presidenta y me encantó su energía. Me encanto su vibra porque mire cuánto la gente la admiraba. Ella me inspiró a conver tirme en esa persona”, dijo. Rodríguez siguió: “No veo a muchos latinos o latinas en un puesto de poder… si vemos a la Corte Suprema, tenemos a Sonia Sotomayor”.

La Asistente Directora de Admisiones de Diversidad Janine Baeza también está de acuerdo con Rodríguez en la falta de representación.

PRODUCTION STAFF

EMMA KOEHLER

Baeza es estudiante de primera generación y se cre ció en Sterling, Illinois. Fue a un colegio universitario y se transfirió a UNI en 2015 y se graduó en 2017. Desde entonces, ha encontrado su casa y voz en admisiones. Baeza comentó: “La ase soría auténtica es lo que me motiva. Tengo una maestría y nunca tuve a un maestro latino como profesor. De hecho, desde la escuela ele mental todos los maestros han sido blancos. Buscamos mentores que se miran y que comparten similares expe riencias como nosotros. Continuó: “Nosotros, como profesorado y empleados latinx, tenemos un impac to en las experiencias de los estudiantes en UNI. Podemos ser los mentores que buscábamos y que nunca encontramos ”.

El Profesor Asociado de Historia Fernando Calderón, Ph.D., originario de California se especializa en la historia moderna mex icana, derechos humanos, violencia política, etc. com parte que a pesar que el Mes de la Herencia Hispana tiene

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buenas intenciones debería ser celebrado todo el tiempo. Calderón dice, “Es impor tante mostrar la diversidad de la cultura latina porque creo que la gente tiene una idea muy generalizada de ella y hay mucha más diver sidad”. Continuó, “Los lati nos tienen una historia com partida y una lengua, pero hay muchas diferentes cul turas a pesar de esto. Creo que celebrar la diversidad heterogeneidad de América Latina es super importante”.

Muchos de los líde res latinx de UNI animan a jóvenes líderes a intentar nuevas cosas. Calderón men cionó que usar la universidad para incentivar el desarrol lo intelectual de los estudi antes.

Rodríguez intenta redefinir los roles de lider azgo y aceptar la identidad. Baeza agregó que el cambio no pasa sin los líderes y no hay una edad límite para hacerlo, el único requisito es la acción.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must be less than 300 words in length and are subject to editing. Not all submissions will be printed. Send submissions to northern-iowan@uni.edu.

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COURTESY/ELLA SANKEY

superfan

the

show.

at

Do you have access?

NKASA BOLUMBU Opinion Columnist

The first week of classes was full of welcome events. The Center for Multicultural Education hosted a Cones and Connections event on Aug. 31. A conversation starter inspired this article.

“How’s your semes ter going?” Caleb Gahle answered with a smile, “Not so good. My wheelchair broke and I’m not used to walking around campus.“

Gahle is a fifth-year social studies education major with a minor in pub lic history. He’s a student ambassador who gives tours and advocates for accessi bility services on campus. He’s the co-vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This means regu lar meetings with the univer sity’s president and various departments. Gahle is a stu dent ambassador.

Gahle also has a phys ical disability caused by cerebral palsy. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, cerebral palsy refers to a number of neurological disorders. This appears in early childhood and perma nently affects muscle coor dination and body movement This disorder caused him to have limited mobility in his lower limbs. His wheelchair helps him make 10-15 min

ute walks easier for him. It would take weeks for him to get a replacement, so he had to use a walker to get by in the meantime.

Gahle is also creat ing a new student organi zation called Awareness, Community, Collaboration, Empowerment, Support and Success (ACCESS). A group for disabled stu dents of all kinds to have a place where they are able to share and spread aware ness about themselves and stigmas around disabili ties, allyship and a place for people to be themselves. Disabilities come in many different forms. They are not just physical but can be mental, visul or auditory and can affect people in different ways.

Gahle states, “Frankly, the issue is awareness; it isn’t whom we talk to, but that largely when we do, no action is taken.”

Awareness is the first step to realizing that there are problems that affect those who aren’t us. Those prob lems can impact or present themselves differently indi rectly. But it takes multi ple different groups to help solve them.

Why turning the UNI Health Beat into an Esports area sucks

ABIGAIL SAATHOFF Opinion Columnist

Even since my freshman year in college, I’ve gone to a tiny gym in the Maucker Union, Health Beat, when I wanted to work out. The gym was small, usually not super busy, and was just a short walk from my dorm, and then my house. But, this year, during my first week of school, I got dressed in athlet ic wear and walked over to the Union to do my workout and found an Esports/gaming area in its place. My jaw dropped. The University replaced a gym with a gaming area.

Since then, I’ve struggled with what to do next, I don’t have a car, which means if I want to go to the gym I have to brave the eighteen-minute, nearly mile-long walk to get there, and then repeat it after my workout to get back. The walk length is also consistent

among all of the dorms.

According to google maps from Rider Hall: it’s 17 min utes, from Dancer Hall: it’s 12 minutes and from Panther Village: it’s 19 minutes. Meaning if I want to go to the gym, I have to leave at least thirty-six minutes for the walk there and back, not including my workout. This is a stark difference from the five-minute walk to the Union from my house. This distance, and my busy schedule, make it nearly impossible for a fulltime student with a part-time job to work out on campus.

This change has made it even harder for students at the University of Northern Iowa to work out, especially if they are like me and have very lim ited breaks, making a quick stop at Health Beat the ulti mate miracle. Additionally, working out has some serious benefits; Colorado Technical

University states that working out can result in heightened focus, elevated mood (lower stress), increased energy, and sharper memory. All benefits may make the difficulty of living college life on your own just a bit easier.

Along with this, turning a gym into a gaming area results in some interesting thoughts. Though I can argue that gaming is likely popu lar at the university, and is probably a better utilization of the space, gaming has far fewer positive benefits than a gym. According to Harvard University, “Gaming has also been associated with sleep deprivation, insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, depression, aggression, and anxiety.”

On the other hand, According to the CDC, work ing out “can improve your brain health, help manage weight, reduce the risk of dis

ease, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve your ability to do everyday activi ties,” and that’s not even all of the benefits.

I understand why the change took place, the gym was likely not being utilized

enough for UNI to call the expense worth it, as chairs and tables are far cheaper than workout equipment, but UNI has unintentionally made it far more difficult for students to work out on campus.

COURTSEY/NICK JOHNSON

An Image of Caleb Gahle in Feb. 2021 reaching for the accessibility button to enter Redecker Center.

NIXSON BENITEZ/NORTHERN IOWAN

The gaming hub

located near the tunnel that connects Maucker Union

Lang Hall.

Student Caleb Gahle speaks on his journey in advocating for others to have access

Majors in minutes returns

AUBREY SCHAFBUCH Staff Writer

The most beneficial cam pus event for exploratory majors and underclassmen is here. Majors in Minutes is hap pening Tuesday, Oct.18,2022 bringing a unique perspective of what majors UNI offers to the heart of campus. This event is hosted by the Office of Academic Advising in the Maucker Union Ballrooms, allowing for students to learn more about majors from the perspective of their senior peers in a fun, low-stress envi ronment. It will begin at 7 p.m. and go for about two hours.

Academic Coach Angela Tudor lays out the setup of Majors in Minutes. “Each major will have a roundtable that students can join during ten minute rotations,” she says.

“During those minutes seniors will share things such as: how did they decide on their major, what classes do they take, what types of projects have they worked on, what have they done for internships and what types of jobs will they be pursuing after graduation?”

After the ten minutes is up, music will play and students can choose a new table.

This setup uses a group, speed-dating approach to take some pressure off of asking questions. Since it is peers speaking and not profession als, there is no intimidation or stress factor either. There is no requirement to have anything prepared going into the event, but it may be helpful to put together a list of questions to ask the seniors in a program

of interest. Think about the things that may be helpful in a certain program, like getting involved in campus organi zations. Ask about what to expect going into a certain major and what things proved to be the most beneficial for them. Or, simply ask for tips on how to be the most success ful in their program.

Majors in Minutes is geared towards underclassmen to learn about the wide variety of majors offered on campus, but anyone and everyone can get something out of it. Tudor says the event is, “a great opportunity for our explorato ry majors to learn about poten tial majors that they might be considering…And of course, there are always students with declared majors who might be debating a change and this is a fun way to check out other options with no commitment.”

Also, for first or second years who are well within their pro gram, it is beneficial to go and learn from the seniors in their own department.

The benefits that come from attending are vast. Majors in Minutes exposes students to new fields and gives them a snapshot of what it is like to be fully immersed in them. So often, new students can come in with a superficial view of what being involved in their major is like and this opportu nity opens the door to learning and being involved at a high er level. Not to mention, the seniors will be able to share the absolute best professors and classes to lead underclass men to success.

Beyond fully transition ing to free and affordable course materials, profes sors can also place holds on course materials in the library for students to access throughout the semester. Semesterly holds allow for students to come into Rod Library on their own time and use the mate rials or books for three hours at a time. While books on semesterly hold are not allowed to leave the library for the sake of serving all students, digital media that is placed on a semester ly hold is allowed to be checked out for the night. Course reserves come at no additional cost to pro fessors, and ensure that all students have access to the required course materials.

Program doesn’t just aim to provide free materials for those who can’t afford them, it also aims to allow course materials to take dif ferent forms to make them more accessible for those who may need accommoda tions.

“This levels the playing field,” Gruber noted. “Not only can we make materials affordable, we can change materials to make them accessible. Prints or images can be larger, we can alter materials, the list goes on.” Rod Library’s Textbook Equity Program wants to service as many students as possible, because when course materials are made accessible, course drop percentages go down and academic success goes up. For students where course material accessibility is a need, this can help tremen dously.

Currently, Rod Library

has a grant application open for professors who are interested in transition ing their class to free books using existing free mate rials. The grant applica tion closes Oct. 12, so pro fessors still have time to apply. The grant will pro vide the necessary fund ing for professors to switch over to existing affordable materials to make their class materials accessible to all students.

“Our biggest goal is to make sure all students have what they need to learn,” Gruber said.

Students or professors who are interested in mak ing use of Rod Library’s Textbook Equity Program can find more informa tion at https://guides.lib. uni.edu/oer, or can email Gruber at anne.gruber@ uni.edu to start making course materials more accessible.

Major in Minutes gives you an opprotunity to hear about the variety of majors on campus.

The university abides by the Federal American Disability Act (ADA) of 1990 and Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008. These acts protect people with disabilities from discrimina tion in companies, workplaces and public institutions. The ADAAA of 2008 requires that buildings have equal access for all, which includes hand icap buttons and ramps for mobility. Equal access also means providing alternative routes and regular updates to possible physical and limited barriers like captions for the hard of hearing, a handicap button not blocked by con struction, a clear snow path and auxiliary aids for the visu ally impaired.

Nick Johnson graduated in the spring and earned a degree in graphic design from UNI. Johnson was the Co-Director of Accessibility alongside Gahle for the Northern Iowa Student Government (NISG) in 2019. Johnson and Gahle met during a dorm room meet ing their freshman year. Gahle remembers saying, “Hi, my name is Caleb. I have cere bral palsy. “ Johnson shout ed, “Hey! Me too!” in reply. They became roommates after. By bonding over shared experiences, Johnson helped inspired Gahle’s interest for advocacy following the Polar vortex of 2019. These prob lems have persisted since before their predecessors in NISG, the change of direc tors for Student Accessibility Services and even now.

Gahle stated that: “One may be ‘sorry’ that these issues have occurred, but the correct apology is continued, substantial action. Being too high up in the chain of com mand is not an excuse for con tinued inaction, especially for a university that prides itself on inclusion and attending to the needs of its students.”

Johnson shared stories of many trips and falls due to chunks of concrete missing in the sidewalks. Gahle has spun out and fallen out of his wheelchair several times due to the same issue. Johnson recalled having to dig a stu dent in a power wheelchair out of snow with his bare hands. This was because the ramp was packed with snow.

They created various email threads of mass communica tion to different departments regarding large-scale acces sibility issues, following the guidelines by taking pictures and filing complaints. They

invited themselves to annual safety walks with administra tors showing the areas they’ve fallen, the chunks of concrete that are supposed to be intact or updated.

They came up with the Snow Removal Act. This act created superimposed routes for the facilities office to remove and prioritize so that students, disabled or not, are able to walk to class without slipping and falling on ice or getting their wheelchairs stuck in the snow. That was only a temporary solution since the plan was stopped after a year or so.

NISG President Leila Masinovic and Vice President Micaiah Krutsinger agree that it’s important to spread and share the issues to find solutions to continued prob lems. The NISG leaders were surprised to hear about the scope of their issues. Prior to our interview, Masinovic and Krutsinger were drafting an Ice Snow Removal Act.

The proposal would use IT to create an app that lets students know the best routes during the winter. This goes to show that there’s not a continued dialogue from the adminis tration with other student-led groups concerning accessi bility. Especially when NISG has positions for accessibility directors within the organiza tion.

Masinovic states: “First, we need to seek to under stand and be more educated on issues that affect others, especially those we want to work with so that we can help each other.” I know I’m privi leged in the sense that I don’t have to worry about accessi bility issues. I can’t believe that these problems have been going on for so long. The university needs to take stu dents seriously and give ALL students the same care. We may not be able to solve every problem, but we can at least try to do something.”

Notable departments on campus that deal with acces sibility concerns are Facilities Management, University Housing and Dining, Student Accessibility Services and the Office of Compliance and Equity Management.

Tiffany Dodd is the assis tant dean of students for acces sibility services. She regularly works with Gahle. She advo cates a lot for the students who come to her. Gahle states that her office is always in his corner.

Leah Gutknecht is the assistant to the president for the Office of Compliance and Equity Management (OCEM). She’s also the lead compliance

officer, meaning she adheres to and supervises the office by following “Title IX, Title VII, ADA/Section 504, and related civil rights based regulations.” Gutknecht states that, “the OCEM ensures equal oppor tunity in all of the institution’s educational and employment opportunities.” That includes: “responding to concerns of protected class discrimination and harassment, managing our affirmative action and preven tion efforts. “

Gutknecht said: “We [OCEM, SAS, UHD, Facilities Management] all end up work ing together to address any issues that cross over multiple areas.” She also expressed that it can be challenging to keep campus buildings up to date with the ADAAA since they were built before its imple mentation in 2008. “Right now we’re in the process of documenting some of the enhanced commitments we’ve made via changes to Policy 13.15 Accommodations for Disabilities.”

Rod library staff have concerns regarding bath room accessibility too. Some shared that they would like to convert some 2nd-floor staff bathrooms into accessible single-use all-inclusive bath rooms.

Recent construction and renovation around campus raised concerns for accessi bility updates. The need for a regular update can help dis abled students and walkers on campus with alternative routes, alternative entranc es, and more time to plan a trip-free trip to class. Gahle proposed an alert system sim

Broken curbs and plethora of cracks outside of Rusell Hall parking lot. ilar to that of the university’s police department. He hasn’t heard any feedback since.

The university needs to be honest and transparent regarding the timeliness of addressing issues, concerns, and courses of action for stu dents and staff. There may be more barriers than longterm solutions at the admin istrative level. The office is capable of creating at least a short-term fix to the more sig nificant problem of systemic issues on campus. It’s truly

up to the students and facul ty to hold our administration accountable and transparent. Whatever the excuses, we deserve an explanation as to why the issues that affect our day-to-day are pushed back.

This article is a brief sum mary of a truly larger scope of the issues surrounding acces sibility advocacy on campus and the larger systemic issues of transparency, continued solutions at an institutional level.

NKASA BOLUMBU/NORTHERN IOWAN

Panthers fall to Redbirds, 23-21

DREW HILL Sports Writer

UNI hosted the Illinois State Redbirds for UNI’s 2022 homecoming game this past Saturday. This was their second consecutive home game in a four-game stretch. They won the previous week against Indiana State, 20-14, to improve to 2-3 on the sea son, having won two in a row. Illinois State came into the game at 2-2, having lost their previous game to Southern Illinois, 19-14. Illinois State won last year’s meeting between the two teams, 17-10 in overtime, but UNI had won the previous three games.

The game started off with a quick three-and-out for UNI, who punted the ball to Illinois State. The Redbirds put together a time-consum ing drive, going all the way to the end zone. This gave the Redbirds a 7-0 lead. The Panthers wasted no time, as after a few short gains, Theo Day found Sergio Morancy, who took the ball in for six on a 53-yard pass, tying the score at 7-7.

Illinois State once again

drove down the field on the ensuing possession, highlight ed by a 26-yard pass that got the Redbirds down to the UNI 16-yard line. However, the Panther defense held strong, forcing three straight incom pletions to limit Illinois State to a field goal. Illinois State took a 10-7 lead. UNI drained the rest of the first quarter. Despite an early first down, they were forced into a punt ing situation, giving the ball to Illinois State near the begin ning of the second quarter. Illinois State once again went on a long drive. It was their longest of the first half at six minutes and 40 seconds. They ended up scoring on a run play to take a 17-7 lead. UNI had one more scoring drive before the end of the half. Highlighted by a 27-yard pass from Day to Sam Schnee and a 32-yard run for Dom Williams, UNI got all the way down to the 2-yard line of Illinois State, where Williams punched in a short run to cut the lead to three at 17-14. Illinois State drained the rest of the first half, kicking a 25-yard field goal at the end to take a 20-14 lead into the break.

UNI struggled to limit Illinois State’s offense in the first half, as they did not force a single punt or turnover. That changed in the second half. Illinois State did score a field goal on their first drive of the second half to make the score 23-14, but that was the last score of the game for the Redbirds.

UNI’s first drive of the third quarter looked promis ing. However, after getting to the Illinois State 30-yard line, Theo Day was sacked and fumbled the football. Illinois State recovered it at the Redbird 43-yard line. The UNI defense stepped up and forced the first three-and-out of the evening, forcing Illinois State to punt the football back to UNI.

The Panthers put together a long drive that took 6:18 off the clock and drained through the third quarter and into the fourth. It was highlighted by a 23-yard pass to Schnee and a 23-yard run from Vance McShane. Schnee finished it off with a short touchdown run to cut the lead to two at 23-21 with 12:50 to go.

Holding onto a two point lead with a long way to go in the final quarter, Illinois State meticulously went on their longest drive of the game, tak ing 7:24 off the clock. They got all the way down to the UNI 12-yard line, but missed a field goal that would have extended the lead to five. UNI got the ball at their own 20-yard line with 5:26 to go in the game. They did not have any huge gains, as the longest was 12 yards, but moved the ball methodically. However, after a false start penalty and only seven yards gained on the ensuing downs, the Panthers faced a fourth and eight from

the Illinois State 39-yard line. A pass to Schnee went incom plete, and Illinois State took over.

However, despite there only being 1:31 left in the game, UNI managed to force a three-and-out. Illinois State only took 21 seconds off the clock and had to punt it back to UNI. UNI had time for one last drive. Day found Williams for a 28-yard gain on the first play, getting UNI up to their own 47-yard line. Day rushed for 10 more yards on two plays and threw three incom pletions, leaving UNI with

time left for only one more shot at winning the game. Unfortunately, Illinois State got through for a sack, and the game ended with Illinois State winning 23-21.

With the loss, UNI falls to 2-4 on the season, while Illinois State improves to 3-2. Day finished with 212 passing yards and a passing touchdown. McShane led the rushing attack with 90 yards. Schnee led the receivers with 75 yards on five receptions. UNI’s next game is at home against Utah Tech on Saturday, Oct. 15.

UNI drops opener to Iowa Hawkeyes

ADAM JOHNSON Sports Writer

On Friday Oct. 7, UNI swimming and diving played host to Iowa. This was the first time since 2012 that the Hawkeyes swim and dive team has made its way to Cedar Falls. UNI was not able to take advan tage of the opportunity at home however, and lost the opener 197-103.

First place finishes were

hard to come by against the Hawkeyes, as in the 16 events on the day, the Panthers were only able to come away with first in one of them. However, the Panthers had plenty of sec ond place finishes through out the day. The first of which came at the hands of Helena Heuberger, Sydney Aird, Scout Bergwall and Faith Larsen, who finished second in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:46.29.

Hallory Domnick got second in the 200-yard freestyle, with a time of 1:54.08, which was close to beating Iowa’s Sabina Kupcova, who finished with a time of 1:53.58. Amber Finke finished second in the 100-yard backstroke, and was also responsible for the only first place that UNI took on the day. She came out victorious in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:01.84.

Larsen took in two sec

ond place finishes as an individual on the day. She took second in the 50-yard freestyle at 23.71, and fin ished second in the 100-yard freestyle at 53.04. Bergwall and Ema Lavigne added on a couple more second place finishes for the Panthers.

Bergwall placed second in the 100-yard butterfly, and Lavigne in the 200yard individual medley. In the 400-yard freestyle relay, the Panthers relay of Amber Finke, Morgan

Meyer, Natalia Varastegui and Larsen finished second as well.

In the diving portion, reigning MVC Diver of the Year Taylor Hogan led the way for UNI. She finished fourth in the one meter div ing, and third in the three meter diving.

The Panthers will get back in the pool when they travel to Chicago to com pete in the MVC Showcase on Oct. 21 and 22.

COURTESY/UNI ATHLETICS

Sergio Morancy (82) runs towards the end zone, completing a 53-yard touchdown reception during UNI’s 23-21 loss to Illinois State on Saturday.

COURTESY/UNI ATHLETICS

Vance McShane (20) runs with the football during UNI’s loss to Illinois State. McShane ran the ball 13 times for 90 yards on Saturday.

Panthers stay perfect in the MVC

BEN LAHART Sports Writer

The UNI volleyball team ended Homecoming week on a high note, extending their winning streak to six straight after a dominant weekend featuring two matches in the McLeod Center against Bradley University (5-14, 1-6 MVC), on Friday, Oct. 7, and against Illinois State (8-10, 1-6 MVC) on Saturday, Oct. 8 following the football loss to the Redbirds.

On Friday, the Panthers continued their dominance over the Missouri Valley Conference as they quickly

took care of Bradley win ning three straight sets. UNI won the first set comfort ably 25-18, before winning a close set 25-23 to go up 2-0. The final set was highlight ed by three separate four point runs boosting UNI to a 25-17 win and securing the match 3-0. Following this match UNI had won nine straight sets over their last three matches.

Inga Rotto led the team in kills totalling 11 in the match followed by Olivia Tjernagel and Kira Fallert who each had six. Carly Spies and Tjernagel tied for the team lead in blocks with seven

apiece. Fallert finished with six blocks as well. Sydney Petersen accounted for half of the Panthers total aces with two. UNI also did not allow Bradley to score a sin gle ace throughout the three sets.

Illinois State took the first set on Saturday winning a back-and-forth contest 25-21. UNI countered winning an even closer set during which they trailed by as much as eight points before ending the set on a 12-3 run to win 25-23. In the third set, after starting off on a 10-3 run, Illinois State was able to fight back and keep the set close until the Panthers ultimately won 25-22. In the fourth set of the night, UNI put together two separate 5-0 runs, helping carry them to a comfortable 25-15 victory. With this, the Panthers won the match 3-1.

Fallert had a great match, leading the team with a sea son high 20 kills, just one kill shy of tying her career high. Rotto also had dou ble digit kills, tallying 10 herself. Tjernagel and Rotto both finished with two blocks. Payton Ahrenstorff led the Panthers in aces totalling three in the match.

a 6-0 conference record as well as a 13-6 record overall. They have won 12 of their last 13 matches dating back to Sept. 9. The Panthers have only lost 13 of 49 sets over that span as well.

After another perfect weekend, the Panthers remain the only undefeated team in Missouri Valley Conference play at 6-0.

UNI continues to sit at the top of the Missouri Valley Conference rankings with

UNI will finish a five game homestand this week with three matches in five days. The Panthers “White Out” match will feature a tough opponent on Tuesday, Oct. 11, as they play Drake

(14-5, 5-1 MVC), who is currently the number two team in the conference. This match will take place at 6 p.m. in the McLeod Center. Friday, Oct. 14, UNI will host the University of Illinois Chicago for their “Pink Out” match. Finally, Saturday, Oct. 15, the Panthers will play their sec ond match of the season against Valparaiso.

UNI ties third consecutive match against Drake

CADEN SHEA Sports Writer

A highly contest ed matchup on Thursday between the UNI Panthers and in-state rivals Drake

ended in the third straight tie for UNI. This game was filled with a lot of physical ity between the two teams with UNI totalling 13 fouls and the Bulldogs tallying 17 fouls. This is one of the first times in several years

that the Panthers have tied in three straight matches.

UNI played a very aggressive first half against the Bulldogs. The team was very methodical with each pass, constant ly looking for the chance

to strike. They were relent less on their shots, consis tently attempting to break the defense down with their multiple shot attempts. The first half remained scoreless for both the Panthers and the Bulldogs as both teams looked to score in the next 45 minute period of play.

The Panthers were seek ing out their opportunity to score against the Bulldogs towards the beginning of the second half. Both UNI and Drake were extremely com petitive on the offensive side of the ball with both teams combining for five shots in the first eight minutes of the second half. Drake was the first to score as Meghan Brown got a quick one over on the Panthers in the 58th minute. The Panthers would not stay down for long, however. Forward Sophia Meier connected with the back of the net after an

assist from fellow forward Lauren Heinsch to tie the game up in the 66th minute. The Panthers would remain the aggressors against the resilient Bulldogs with even more shots on goal for the remainder of the second half. However, the game would remain at a standstill resulting in both teams get ting yet another tie on the season.

The Panthers offensive brigade was in full force with eight different play ers getting shot attempts resulting in a resounding 15 for UNI. Both Heinsch and Allison Whitaker tallied three shot attempts against Drake solidifying the sheer physicality and aggression the Panthers showcased in this contest. This was yet another impressive game for the Panthers despite their inability to pick up the win.

COURTESY/UNI ATHLETICS Kira Fallert (9) had a standout performance in the 3-1 win over Illinois State, finishing with a season-best 20 kills.

COURTESY/UNI ATHLETICS

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