FACEBOOK.COM/NORTHERNIOWAN
WWW.NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
TWITTER: @NORTHERNIOWAN
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA CEDAR FALLS, IA THURSDAY, APRIL 5 VOLUME 114, ISSUE 42
CEDAR FALLS, IA
VOLUME 118, ISSUE 16
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021
CLASSIFIEDS
CAMPUS LIFE
SPORTS
CLASSIFIEDS PAGE 8
CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 4
SPORTS PAGE 6
Students weigh in on their favorite places in Cedar Falls.
Check out MVC men’s basketball 2021-22 preview.
The Clothesline Project returns to campus in an effort to spread awareness on gender violence.
UNIty Walk inspires justice
Second annual walk hosted by UNI Athletics in response to racial and social injustice
University aims to gather data about gender violence
ASHLYN RUIZ Staff Writer
On Monday, Oct. 18, hundreds of UNI student athletes and community members of the Cedar Valley area gathered at the south entrance of the McLeod Center, eager to begin the second annual UNIty march towards the Campanile, located in the center of UNI’s campus. The first walk was a student-led initiative last fall in response to the racial and social injustices being highlighted after a summer of social justice unrest. Panthers along with community members marched towards the Campanile with T-shirts provided by the athletic department surrounding the theme “Together We Rise,” in response to the recent racially motivated tragedies surrounding the country and rural Iowa. Mia Rampton, student athlete, gave the program introduction and stated the importance of knowing that performative activism has no place on this campus. “Having events
ANTONIA GOODWIN Staff Writer
ASHLYN RUIZ/Northern Iowan
UNI students, athletes and community members gathered to participate in the second annual UNIty Walk on a chilly Monday morning. A number of student athletes spoke about supporting diversity and inclusion.
like this are important to drive these difficult topics home, and help us as a campus community take a step in the right direction towards building a solid, trustworthy community on campus.” Student athletes wanted to organize a demonstration of unity and “togetherness” for the athletic department. “Everybody is fighting something different everyday – we stand next to each other, we
come from different teams, different backgrounds, they fight through things you may not know, and you may never know, but you always have to be there for them like a team.” Alfonzo Lambert, student athlete, says to the crowd, “It’s bigger than what we are doing right now; it’s bigger than sports; it’s bigger than all of us.” The captivating energy Lambert brought into
the event was confirmation towards what sort of team player he truly is on and off the field. “I know my teammates have my back, on the field and off the field.” A number of student athletes spoke on the importance of supporting diversity and inclusion efforts as well as showing up for one another. See UNITY WALK, page 2
UNI Traditions challenge endures Challenge encourages students to participate in classic Panther activities KARLA DE BRUIN Managing Editor
The Traditions Challenge is a friendly competition which Connecting Alumni to Students (CATS) started as a way to help students get involved on campus and keep traditions alive. Attending a UNI volleyball game, visiting the granite Panther, and snapping are a few pictures with T.C. and T.K. are a few of the traditions encouraged by the UNI Traditions Challenge. When students accomplish these traditions they must take a picture of themselves doing the activity and upload the picture onto a prepared presentation provided by Traditions at UNI. When students have the required amount of tradi-
KNOW MORE survey sent to students
Courtesy/Colette Sanford
Colette Sanford, Kat Gainer and Jace Bell complete the Granite Panther tradition by the UNI-Dome. If students complete the traditions challenge, they receive a pin or medallion at graduation.
tions completed, students can submit it to UNI Traditions through email.
If students complete the traditions challenge, they can earn a pin or medallion for
graduation. To earn a pin students must complete 25 of the traditions, and to earn a medallion they must complete 45 of the traditions. Seniors who have completed the challenge can attend a celebratory ceremony, and are officially considered a Traditions Keeper. The celebratory ceremony happens each semester and has speakers from different departments on campus. This year’s ceremony will be held Nov. 30. For Colette Sanford, vice president of Traditions, “The goal of the Traditions Challenge is to keep the spirit and history of UNI alive. The Traditions Challenge also gives students a way to look back at all of their memories at UNI. Some of our traditions here at UNI are very special
The Office of Compliance and Equity Management currently has the KNOW MORE Gender Violence Survey open to UNI students. The survey is available through Nov. 19, 2021. According to the Office of Compliance and Equity Management, the KNOW MORE survey is meant “to help understand student perspectives and experiences related to gender violence while attending UNI.” They have been using the KNOW MORE graphic since spring 2018 to attempt to gain information and awareness of gender violence on campus. It has been difficult to gather information on students’ perspectives, especially after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. See KNOW MORE, page 2
to us and keep our Panther pride alive- like Campaniling and the superstition that if you don’t kiss someone at Campaniling by your senior year a brick will fall on your head. Use the Traditions Challenge to make the most of your college experience!” Traditions at UNI started in 2010 through the Alumni Association. At the time students would print pictures and put them in their Traditions Booklet scrapbook. According to Sanford over 100 people completed the Traditions Challenge last spring. Students can still complete the 25 or 45 traditions by November. Sanford says students can complete the challenge in a semester, but it is meant to be completed throughout multiple semesters. To view the traditions and to access the presentation visit: https://alumni.uni.edu/ traditions.
PAGE 2
OCTOBER 21, 2021 |
NEWS
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
|
CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN News Editor
VOLUME 118, ISSUE 16
KNOW MORE
UNITY WALK
continued from page 1
continued from page 1
Following words from the student athletes, Director of Athletics, David Harris, approached the microphone to add some sentiments to conclude the event. “Its about all of us being together and being unified,” Harris said. “Today makes a statement.” After expressing his gratitude towards the volunteers and student athletes for coming forward last year he said, “You decided this was important. That this is a statement you wanted to make, so we are incredibly proud of you for coming together for this UNIty Walk.” He spoke fondly on the work the UNI Athletic Department has made. The athletics department has set a web page to record all of its diversity and inclusion endevours at UNIPanthers. com/inclusion. The athletics department also participated in UNI’s campus-wide Diversity Common Read initiative that studies diversity and inclusion issues. “It takes all of us to make positive change happen,” said Harris. “There is a reason that we have on our shirts ‘Together we rise.’” Follow social media accounts @PanthersRising on Twitter and @Panthers_ Rising on Instagram for more information.
ASHLYN RUIZ/Northern Iowan
The UNIty Walk was originally inspired in 2020 in response to a summer dominated by racial and social injustices. The theme of this year’s UNIty Walk was “Together We Rise” in response to the recent racially motivated tragedies that occurred around the country and in Iowa.
St udents received an email from U NI President Mark Nook, inviting them to take the survey on Oct. 1. This email contains a link to the survey as well as cur rent statistics on sexual assault on college campuses. The infor mation states, “Gender violence impacts as many as 1 in 5 women, 1 in 14 men, and 1 in 4 transgender students on college campuses each year. This means we will probably know at least one person in our lives who has experienced gender violence, whether we are aware of it or not.” T he K NOW MOR E survey takes students, on average, around 20 to 30 minutes to complete. The more st udents that participate in the survey, the more accurate the results will be. The infor mation the sur vey supplies is instr umental to U NI’s response to campus sexual har rassment. Taking the survey allows students to f ulf ill a cr ucial role in protecting and supporting the U NI community against this problem. To f i nd out more about the KNOW MORE Gender Violence Sur vey visit the K NOW MOR E website at https://equity. u ni.edu / how-help/prevent ion-a nd- educat ion / know-more. For additional information or support regarding gender violence on campus, please visit equity.uni.edu.
Courtesy Photo
NORTHERN IOWAN L011 Maucker Union Cedar Falls, IA 50614 www.northerniowan.com northern-iowan@uni.edu 319.273.2157
NIXSON BENITEZ Executive Editor benitezn@uni.edu 319.273.6826
KARLA DE BRUIN Managing Editor debruik@uni.edu 319.273.6420
EDITORIAL STAFF
PRODUCTION STAFF
CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN News Editor chriscbi@uni.edu
KARLA DE BRUIN
CATHERINE CROW Campus Life Editor catherine.crow@uni.edu COLIN HORNING Sports Editor chorning@uni.edu ERIN KAMP Copy Editor kampe@uni.edu
Webmaster Graphic Artist
ADVISORS
ANELIA DIMITROVA anelia.dimitrova@uni.edu
CHRIS MARTIN
christopher.martin@uni.edu
CIRCULATION
DORI CLAUSEN Circulation Manager
The Northern Iowan is published semi-weekly on Monday and Thursday during the academic year, except for holidays and examination periods, by the University of Northern Iowa, L011 Maucker Union, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0166 under the auspices of the Board of Student Publications. Advertising errors that are the fault of the Northern Iowan will be corrected at no cost to the advertiser only if the Northern Iowan office is notified within seven days of the original publication. Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement at any time. The Northern Iowan is funded in part with student activity fees. All material is © 2021 by the Northern Iowan and may not be used without permission.
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 maase@uni.edu.
SEND US STORY IDEAS
Tell us what’s happening on campus. Email submissions to northern-iowan@uni.edu. Do you want to have an event listed here? Email us at northern-iowan@uni.edu with information about the event to have it featured.
PAGE 3
OPINION
NIXSON BENITEZ Executive Editor
OCTOBER 21, 2021 |
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
|
VOLUME 118, ISSUE 16
Disclaimer: The following opinion articles featured do not reflect the opinion of the Northern Iowan newspaper or staff as a whole.
Field of Flags brings awareness ERIN KAMP
Copy Editor
TEHYA TOURNIER Staff Writer
Act ive M i nd s, a st ud e nt o r g a n i z a t io n t h a t e m ph a si z e s t he i m p o rt a nce of ment al healt h, hosted t he Field of Flags event at Law t her Field on T hu r sd ay, Oct. 14 f rom 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. T he eve nt i nclude d p osit ive messages on f lags a nd a ba ke sale. T h e Field of F l a g s eve nt u s e s 1,10 0 f la g s pl a c e d o n t o L a w t h e r Field t o r e p r e s e nt t he l ive s lo s t t o s u ic id e a n n u a l l y. P a r t i c i p a n t s a re encou r aged to stop by a nd w r ite dow n a posit ive message or i n spir at ional af f i r mat ion a nd pla ce one of t he f lags i n t he f ield. Ac t ive M i n d s i s a national non-prof it organization ded icated to r aisi ng awa reness of ment al healt h a mong col lege st udent s. T h is orga n i zat ion wa s fou nded by A l ison Mal mon i n 20 03 af ter t he loss of her older brot her by su icide. Now t here a re hu nd red s
of ch a pt e r s a c r o s s t he cou nt r y on college a nd h ig h s ch o ol c a m p u s e s h elpi n g s p r e a d aw a r e ness a nd g iv i ng suppor t. T h e president of U N I’s Ac t i ve M i n d s ch apt e r, Mol ly St ef fe n , said it is i mpor t a nt t o h ave Ac t ive M i nd s on ca mpu s becau se so ma ny st udent s deal w it h ment al healt h st r uggles. “ It ’s ju s t helpf u l t o have t he opt ion of bei ng i n a g roup where you’re work i ng a nd social i z i ng w it h people who may be d e a l i ng w it h t he s a me issues a s you r self,” she said. Stef fen said t he event ha d a g reat t u r nout , a nd t here were so ma ny posit ive word s lef t out on t he f ield for t hose on ca mpu s to see. “It mea n s so much to be able to be a pa r t of t h i s a nd b e a p a r t of s ome t h i ng for s t u d e nt s on ca mpu s to ma ke a d ifference a nd r aise awa re n e s s o n a n i m p o r t a nt topic.” S h e continued, “I t h i n k a lot of p e o ple stopped by to pa r t icipate or look. T here were a lot of f lags out ju st to show people a re here, a nd you a ren’t alone.”
KARLA DE BRUIN/Northern Iowan
Active Minds took over Lawther Field on Thursday to spread positive messages to those struggling with their mental health.
NORTHERN IOWAN EN ESPAÑOL
Los estudiantes deportistas de UNI celebran la segunda marcha anual UNIty ASHLYN RUIZ
Spanish Writer
El lunes 18 de Oct., cientos de estudiantes deportistas de UNI y miembros de la comunidad del área de Cedar Valley se reunieron en la entrada sur del McLeod Center, ansiosos por comenzar la segunda marcha anual UNIty hacia el campanario, situado en el centro del campus de UNI. La primera marcha fue una iniciativa liderada por los estudiantes el pasado otoño en respuesta a las injusticias raciales y sociales que se pusieron de manifiesto tras un verano de disturbios por la justicia social. Los Panthers, junto con miembros de la comunidad, marcharon hacia el Campanario con camisetas proporcionadas por el departamento de deportes en torno
al tema “Together We Rise” (Juntos nos levantamos), en respuesta a las recientes tragedias por motivos raciales ocurridas en el país y las zonas rurales de Iowa. Mia Rampton, estudiante atleta, dio la introducción del programa y declaró la importancia de saber que el activismo performativo no tiene lugar uno ocurre suficiente en este campus. “Tener eventos como este es importante para traer estos temas difíciles a nuestra propia casa, estos temas difíciles a casa, y ayudarnos como comunidad del campus a dar un paso en la dirección correcta hacia la construcción de una comunidad sólida y confiable en el campus.” Los estudiantes atletas querían organizar una demostración de unidad y “unión” para el departa-
mento de deportes. “Todo el mundo lucha cada día por algo diferente, estamos al lado de los demás – venimos de diferentes equipos, de diferentes orígenes, luchamos por cosas que quizás no sepas, y quizás nunca sepas, pero siempre tienes que apoyarnos como un equipo.” Alfonzo Lambert, estudiante de atletismo dice a la multitud. “Es más grande que lo que estamos haciendo ahora, es más grande que el deporte, es más grande que todos nosotros.” La energía cautivadora que Lambert aportó al evento fue la confirmación del tipo de jugador de equipo que realmente es dentro y fuera del campo. “Sé que mis compañeros de equipo me cubren las espaldas, dentro y fuera del campo,” explicó. Var ios est udiantes deportistas hablaron de la
importancia de apoyar los esfuerzos por la diversidad e inclusión, así como de apoyarse unos a otros. Tras las palabras de los estudiantes deportistas, el director de deportes, David Harris, se acercó al micrófono para añadir algunos sentimientos para concluir el evento. “Se trata de que todos estemos juntos y unidos,” dijo Harris. “Hoy se hace un manifiesto.” Después de expresar su agradecimiento a los voluntarios y a los estudiantes deportistas por haberse presentado el año pasado, “Ustedes han decidido que esto era importante. Que esto es una declaración que querían hacer, así que estamos increíblemente orgullosos de ustedes por haberos unido para esta Marcha UNIty.” Habló con cariño del tra-
bajo que ha hecho el departamento de deportes de la universidad. UNI, que ha creado una página web para registrar todos sus esfuerzos por la diversidad e inclusión en UNIPanthers.com/inclusion. También ha participado en la iniciativa Diversity Common Read de todo el campus, que estudia cuestiones de diversidad e inclusión. “Se necesita de todos nosotros para lograr un cambio positivo,” dijo Harris. “Hay una razón por la que tenemos en nuestras camisetas ‘Juntos nos levantamos.’” Cuentas de medios sociales a seguir: @ PanthersRising en Twitter y @Panthers_Rising en Instagram.
TO READ IT IN ENGLISH continue to page 1
PAGE 4
CAMPUS LIFE OCTOBER 21, 2021 |
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
|
CATHERINE CROW Campus Life Editor
VOLUME 118, ISSUE 16
FROM THE NORTHERN IOWAN ARCHIVES
New education center features media system T h e c o n s t r u c t io n of pha se I I of t he E ducat ion Complex wa s completed t h is fall. T he f i nal pha se i nvolves t he con st r uct ion of a t wo stor y bu ild i ng w it h one st or y for u se a s cl i n ics i n special i zed a rea s. T hese cl i n ics w ill be u sed by not on ly u n iversit y st udent s but also by ch ild ren a nd a du lt s f rom t he com mu n it y for spe cial i zed help, for exa mple i n t he a rea of rea di ng. T h e c o n s t r u c t io n of pha se I of t he E ducat ion Complex wa s completed i n Aug u st 1972. D u r i ng t h i s ph a s e t he 6 s t or y bu ild i ng now devoted to cla ssroom s, labor ator ies, a n d of f ic e s w a s c o n st r ucted. D r. T h o m p s o n s a i d t he a dva nt age of t he new E ducat ion Complex over U N I’s e d u c at ion fa ci l it ies i n t he pa st is t hat n ow t h e f a c i l it ie s a r e not so scat tered over t he ca mpu s. T he de pa r t ment of School Ad m i n ist r at ion a n d Pe r s o n n el , d e p a r tment of C u r r icu lu m a nd
Inst r uction, depar tm e n t of E d u c a t i o n a l Ps ycholog y a nd So c ia l Fo u n d a t i o n , a n d t h e Dea n of E ducat ion a re all lo c at e d t h r ou g hout t he ca mpu s i n bu ild i ngs such a s Wr ig ht , G ilch rest , a nd t he Mu sic Hall. T he sit uat ion t hen beca me wor se whe n G i lch r e s t bu r ne d i n t he Spr i ng of ‘72. T h e n e w E d u c a t io n Complex, said T hompson, of fer s g reater f lex ibilit y over t he “ t r a d it ional squ a re cla ssroom s” w it h i t s sl i d i n g p a r t i t io n s b e t we e n cl a s s r o om s of ir reg ular shapes and va r y i ng si z e s. He a l s o said t he new bu ild i ng ha s a complex med ia system. T h is “c om mu n icat ion system” a ccord i ng to D r. Rober t Ha rd ma n is t he most complex telev ision s ys t e m i n t he s t at e of Iowa. T h is system wh ich w ill be f u lly completed t he second semester of t he com i ng school yea r w il u se telev ision i n t he cla ssroom s a s a me a n s t o c a r r y va r iou s t y p e s of med ia such a s f il m s, sl ide s, v ide o t ap e, a nd
NI ARCHIVES
This sketch was released on May 18, 1971, during the planning of the new features added in Schindler.
l ive T.V. A not he r u s e, emphasized Hard man, was that the system wou ld also allow observat ion of cla sses i n t he Labor ator y School v ia a cable. T he i nd iv id u a l c olor telev ision s located i n 56 room s of t he E ducat ion Complex a re con ne ct e d to cont rol room located
i n t he g rou nd f loor of Pha se I, t hereby cent r ali z i ng t he system. T he a dva nt age of such a m e d i a s y s t e m , s a id Ha rd ma n , is i n t he a ccessibil it y a nd ea se of operat ion. Under t h is system t he i n st r uctor cou ld cont r ol a f i l m show n v ia t he T.V. by t he f l ip of a sw it ch, allow i ng h i m
to stop t he f il m at a ny desi red poi nt. Hard man said the Education Complex hopes to event u ally conne ct it s com mu n icat ion system w it h ot her bu ildi ngs on ca mpu s.
UNI clothesline project
On Oct. 20, 2021, the Women’s and Gender Studies program tabled in front of Chats to awareness of domestic violence against women.
ANNA STEVENS/Northern Iowan
PAGE 5
CAMPUS LIFE
CATHERINE CROW Campus Life Editor
OCTOBER 21, 2021 |
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
|
PANTHER PORTRAIT: Business & Community Fair
VOLUME 118, ISSUE 16
On Wednesday, Oct. 20 ,University Relations hosted the first ever Business & Community Fair. Many students and faculty went to Lawther Field where about 75 businesses were located. They enjoyed music from 98.5, inflatables, zipling, boutiques and axe throwing. Many businesses included McDonalds, NinjaU, Chad’s Pizza and many more businesses from the Cedar Valley. Karla De Bruin / Northern Iowan
Karla De Bruin / Northern Iowan
Karla De Bruin / Northern Iowan
Karla De Bruin / Northern Iowan
Karla De Bruin / Northern Iowan
Karla De Bruin / Northern Iowan
Karla De Bruin / Northern Iowan
Karla De Bruin / Northern Iowan
PAGE 6
SPORTS MEN’S BASKETBALL
OCTOBER 21, 2021 |
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
COLIN HORNING Sports Editor
|
VOLUME 118, ISSUE 16
MVC men’s basketball 2021-22 preview DREW HILL
Sports Writer
The men’s college basketball season opens Tuesday, Nov. 9 with the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) having several teams playing non-conference games on that day to open the season. As has become the norm for each season, the MVC looks like a deep conference. As many as five teams could contend for the title, and several of the teams are returning the majority of their players. Foremost among the players returning is UNI’s AJ Green, who was the Larry Bird Conference Player of the Year two seasons ago but missed most of last season with a hip injury. In the three games he played, he averaged 22.3 points per game. He is a leading contender for MVC Player of the Year and was named the MVC Preseason Player of the Year. Forward Austin Phyfe also returns for
UNI after averaging 12.4 and 7.3 rebounds per game. He has finished on the all-conference teams the last two years and him and Green will return as one of the best duos in the conference. Together with Trae Berhow and Bowen Born (last season’s MVC Newcomer of the Year), they will lead UNI to contend for a conference title. Loyola-Chicago, who is a perennial favorite, is an interesting team to watch this year. They won the MVC regular season and conference tournament last year, and reached the Sweet Sixteen behind their 2021 Larry Bird Award-winning center Cameron Krutwig, including a shocking upset over No.1 seed Illinois. Then, this summer, Krutwig graduated and went to play professional ball in Belgium, and their coach, Porter Moser, accepted a job at the University of Oklahoma. However, the team returns the rest of its key contributors, and their new coach, Drew Valentine, was an assistant for
TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan
UNI’s AJ Green, who won the MVC Player of the Year in 2019-20, was named the Preseason Player of the Year for 2021-22.
Loyola before being promoted to become the youngest coach in the country at only 30 years old. The team will contend for a second consecutive title this year and attempt to reach the NCAA tournament again. The Drake Bulldogs may have the best chance to win the conference this season. They struggled with injuries but still
finished last year with a record of 26-5, including an at-large bid and a win in the NCAA tournament. They return most of their key contributors from last year, including Roman Penn and ShanQuan Hemphill, but did lose one key player in Joseph Yesufu, who carried the team down the stretch last year when Penn and Hemphill were
injured. They added a heralded freshman prospect in Tucker DeVries and will also be a contender for the Valley title. Two dark horse candidates for the title are Missouri State and Southern Illinois. Missouri State finished third in MVC standings last year and returns arguably the best duo in the conference in Isiaih Mosely and Gaige Prim. Mosely is the leading returning scorer in the conference, averaging 19.8 points per game last year, and Prim is the leading returning rebounder, averaging 9.1 rebounds in 2020-21. Southern Illinois finished ninth in the MVC last year but faced a similar predicament to UNI when its star player, Marcus Domask, went down with an injury 10 games into the season. They also return all of their major contributors from last year. The 2021 conference play will begin on Dec. 1 and will finish in St. Louis with Arch Madness, running from March 3-6 at the Enterprise Center.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
UNI and Valparaiso end match in scoreless tie DEVON CANTY Sports Writer
The UNI women’s soccer team traveled to Valparaiso, Ind. to face off against the Beacons of Valparaiso University last Sunday. These two teams have very little history, but the match was highly anticipated. The Panthers won the last match 1-0, on March 28, 2021 in Cedar Falls. The
Panthers, who are looking to secure a bid into the MVC tournament this month, were looking for a big win to help secure their spot. A win over Valpo would have put them one game ahead of Drake for the final spot in the standings. This match went back and forth with neither team able to break through into the scorer’s column, resulting in overtime with the score tied at zero. In
overtime, neither team gained any leverage, ending the match with a tie. During the game the teams traded shots back and forth with both goalkeepers allowing very little ground with a combined 16 saves. Six of those saves took place during overtime. The Panthers showed a great effort as sophomore goalie Chloe Russo led them with seven saves. Russo’s
resiliency kept the UNI alive, not allowing the Beacons any breathing room. The Purple and Gold gave the Beacons several opportunities with a game high 11 fouls. However, Valparaiso wasn’t able to capitalize on these mistakes. Forward Lauren Heinsch came out very aggressive for the Panthers with a team high six shot attempts. The fresh-
man standout took the first shot of the game looking to bring some momentum to the Panthers side. Heinsch clocked in 99 minutes of playing time for the day. UNI will return home to face Southern Illinois for their final home game of the season on Oct. 21. The last time these two teams met the Panthers won in a shutout 5-0.
OPINION
NFL Week 6 recap: It’s now time to overreact HUNTER FRIESEN when he was the top draft pick
Sports Writer With Week 6 under wraps, we’re now one-third of the way through the newly adopted 18-week NFL regular season. For most sports fans, six games are just enough of a sample size to make judgments on which teams/players are failing, meeting or exceeding expectations. So let’s break things down and make some overreactions based on what we’ve seen so far. Of course, anything could happen over the next twelve weeks, so not everything I say can be taken as scripture.
Exceeding Expectations The Arizona Cardinals are the only undefeated team in the league. Kyler Murray has quickly become the superstar quarterback that was expected of him
in 2019. And with the signing of JJ Watt, their defense is finally starting to come into its own. Sitting only one game behind them in the NFC are the Dallas Cowboys, whose only loss came from a wild Week 1 finish against the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Cowboys won only six games all last season, but Dak Prescott’s recovery from injury is a big reason for this year’s turnaround, as well as the defense no longer being the worst in the league. Meeting Expectations For better and for worse, these teams have performed exactly as one would expect. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans all have winning records and are at the top of their respective divisions. Many of these teams, such
as the Titans and Bills, already have such commanding leads that a playoff appearance is a virtual lock. On the other side of the spectrum are the Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars, each with only one win or less. It’ll be interesting to see which of these teams make the first move when it comes to tanking for the top spot in next season’s draft. Below Expectations The Kansas City Chiefs have appeared in the Super Bowl in the previous two seasons. Now they sit at the bottom of their division at 3-3. What happened? Well, they’ve turned the ball over a league-high 14 times, and their defense has been even worse than expected. But it’s also a little unfair to say the Chiefs are in last place when they’re only one game behind the division-lead-
ing Chargers. There’s plenty of time and talent available for the ship to be turned around. The Seattle Seahawks are not in as nice of a position as the Chiefs. They’re last place in the NFC West and a whole four games back from the Cardinals. Even worse is that their star quarterback, Russell Wilson, will be out for an extended period as he recovers from finger surgery. Other injuries to key players may make this a forgettable season for the usually dependable Seahawks.
State of the MVP Race Unfortunately, the NFL usually has the most boring MVP race of all the major sports. The past eight MVPs have been quarterbacks, and there’s no reason to believe that streak is going to be snapped this season as the top eleven betting favorites are all in that position. Kyler Murray
is the favorite so far as he has led the Cardinals to an undefeated record and has been doing it in style. Not far behind him is Josh Allen of the Bills and Dak Prescott of the Cowboys. Rookie Quarterback Struggle Despite an NFL-record eight quarterbacks being taken in the first three rounds, none of them have performed all that well. Trevor Lawrence, Mac Jones and Zach Wilson have all experienced growing pains as they’ve adjusted to the huge expectations set upon their shoulders. We’ve been spoiled the last few years with rookie quarterbacks as Kyler Murray and Justin Herbert both won the Rookie of the Year award in the previous two seasons. Time will tell if these rookies will be able to live up to the high bar set by their predecessors.
PAGE 7
FUN & GAMES
KARLA DE BRUIN Managing Editor
OCTOBER 21, 2021 |
Across
1 Egg-shaped tomato 5 Molecule part 9 Winter outerwear 14 Suit on a board 15 Plumber’s piece 16 Playful trick 17 One raising a hand (TN) 19 Pedro’s “I love you” 20 Answer (for) 21 More confident 22 Wedge-shaped arch piece (PA) 26 Byzantine or Roman (NY) 27 Many California wines 28 Motel charges 30 Hockey legend Bobby et al. 31 Milk: Pref. 32 Abbr. for some Garden State senators 35 Piled-high hairdo (UT)
38 Fictional Korean War surgeon Pierce (IA) 40 ‘60s radical gp. 41 Loved ones 43 Tribulations 44 Coeur d’__, Idaho 45 One of the Musketeers 46 At an earlier date (OK) 49 Word in a fair forecast (FL) 52 Part of USDA: Abbr. 53 Top grade 54 Below, poetically 55 What seven puzzle answers are with reference to abbreviations in their clues 60 Colorful tropical fish 61 Genealogy diagram 62 Course with ratios 63 “Save me __” 64 Ranch group 65 Seek divine intervention
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
Down
|
VOLUME 118, ISSUE 16
1 Sermon giver: Abbr. 2 Tic-tac-toe loser 3 Actor Gibson 4 Puncture prefix 5 Likely will, after “is” 6 Attach with string 7 Tennis period since 1968 8 Trivial 9 “Bee’s knees” equivalent 10 Gets the better of 11 Video game pioneer 12 Microwave beeper 13 Composer’s creation 18 Washington MLB team 22 Drawer openers 23 Dog-__: folded at the corner 24 Belgian city where the In Flanders Fields Museum is located 25 Window framework 26 James of jazz 29 German cries 31 Tilt 32 Indian metropolis 33 Paintbrush bristles material 34 James of the Old West 36 Small talk 37 Change course suddenly 39 __ and kin 42 Breathe 44 “Peer Gynt Suite” dancer 45 Part of NBA: Abbr. 46 Seasonal gift giver 47 Curved moldings 48 Deliver a speech 50 Stomach problem 51 Microwaved 53 Lit. collection 56 Band equipment component 57 Blemish 58 Pilot’s prediction: Abbr.
Puzzle Answers CROSSWORD
SUDOKU ONE
SUDOKU TWO
PAGE 8
CLASSIFIEDS OCTOBER 21, 2021 |
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
|
KARLA DE BRUIN Managing Editor
VOLUME 118, ISSUE 16
VOX POP
What is your favorite place to go in the Cedar Valley? Photos and quotes by: Karla DeBruin
Sam Adams
Ryan Cronbaugh
Abby Morphew
Julia Leach
Chloe Wagoner
“I feel like my favorite place in the Cedar Valley would be on campus, specifically Maucker Union. I do love studying in here and doing homework in here."
“I'd say Big Woods Lake; it's a really cool place. The scenery is really pretty. If you go at sunset or somewhere at sunrise its like really pretty and really good views."
“I like to go to Hurts Donuts downtown; it's one of my favorite places. I like all the unique donuts that they have. There's always something new to try."
“Probably Greenhouse – I like their food there and they have good kombucha, and it's really hard to find good kombucha."
“I don't really leave campus that much. But probably the Union is where I go to most."
No matter who you are, an HIV test is right for you.
Ask your health care provider for an HIV test today.
Visit stophiviowa.org for more information, including testing locations near you.