10-7-2021

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UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA CEDAR FALLS, IA THURSDAY, APRIL 5 VOLUME 114, ISSUE 42

CEDAR FALLS, IA

VOLUME 118, ISSUE 12

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2021

OPINION

CAMPUS LIFE

SPORTS

OPINION PAGE 3

CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 4

SPORTS PAGE 6

Jetta Colsch questions if removing Professor O’Kane from the classroom was a good decision.

UNI volleyball falls to Loyola 3-1 Saturday.

A look back in the NI archives at the construction of Bartlett Hall in 1915.

Students speak out over professor removal On Oct. 5, students of Professor Steve O’Kane met together in the greenhouses to talk more about the trajectory of their Plant Systematics course.

O’Kane was removed from the classroom by the university due to violating the Board of Regents policy banning mask mandates. O’Kane required his students to wear masks in his classroom as he has health issues. He threatened to lower their grades if students did not comply. The university was notified about his mandate and removed him from the classroom.

As a result of O’Kane’s removal, his students have concerns about completing the class. More than a third of his students graduate in December 2021 and many students are required to take O’Kanes’ course for their major. O’Kane is the most qualified UNI staff member to teach Plant Systematics.

Biology major Aaron

NIXSON BENITEZ/Northern Iowan

Student Body Vice President Alisanne Struck, Speaker of the Senate Sam Caughron and Student Body President Samantha Bennett listened to student concerns over Professor O’Kane’s class Oct. 5.

Boies helped facilitate the conversation with his classmates about the future of their course. Many students mentioned feeling mentally drained. This class is a four credit course, and labs are about 70% of the students grades. One student

expressed concern as not completing O’Kanes’ class may jeopardize their career.

Many of the students have also expressed the need for compensation for the lack of education they are receiving in O’Kane’s absence.

With the university enter-

ing the seventh week, many of these students have been working on numerous labs and assignments. Although another professor could theoretically step in the shoes of O’Kane, the work would be too much for one professor to handle, especially nearing

the halfway mark of the fall semester.

Student Body President Samantha Bennett and Vice President Alissane Struck were in attendance alongside NISG’s Director of Public Relations Timothy Perksen and Speaker of the Senate Sam Caughron who listened to the students’ concerns and what they would like administration to do.

Students are demanding to know exactly who decided to remove O’Kane from the class.

Many students mentioned that it is the university’s responsibility for students’ education.

“They should have the students’ interest first, not political interests. So, if you’re not going to sit there and do your job, you need to go,” one student said.

As a result of the decision to pull O’Kane out of the classroom, the quality of education students are receiving has been impacted. Many students are frustrated that they were not consulted by the administration.

See STUDENTS SPEAK OUT, page 5

Industrial Technology Check “DIS” out Center to be modernized

The DIS Harvest Conference will be hosted Oct. 14 for the first time at UNI

Editors Note: The previous article published in our last issue (Oct. 4) included outdated and incorrect information.

This article provides the most updated and correct information regarding the modernization of the Industrial Courtesy/Industrial Technology Center Technology Center.

Above is a proposed schematic design of the main north entrance of the ITC. With no significant upgrades in 47 years, the ovations is $44,776,000, addition will be added to Industrial Technology Center approved by the Board of the northwest portion of the (ITC) is finally receiving Regents. The building will building. much needed renovations receive renovations to the starting in May 2022. existing facility on the See INDUSTRIAL TECH, page 5 The total budget for ren- southeast side, and a new

T he DIS Ha r vest Con ference spon sored by the Depar tment of Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice (DIS) will take place on Oct. 14, 2021.

The Harvest Conference will be a dual event, the first event will be taking place in Maucker Union from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

The first event will only be offered to U NI students. The application to sign up will close Tuesday, Oct. 12. Students will be

excused from classes and provided breakfast and lunch. Seating is limited to 150 students.

Keynote speaker and former NFL player Jerry James (J.J.) Moses Jr., will be introduced by KWWL Spor ts Di rector R ick Coleman. This event is open to the public. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and will begin at 6:30 p.m The Harvest Conference was created for multicultural students to “reset, renew and refocus,” after hardships due to COVID19.

See DIS CONFERENCE, page 2

PAGE 2

OCTOBER 7, 2021 |

NEWS

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

|

CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN News Editor

VOLUME 118, ISSUE 12

Meet Cedar Falls’ mayoral candidates ELLE OLTHOFF

Guest Writer

On Nov. 2, Cedar Falls citizens will place their votes for who will become the next mayor of Cedar Falls and hold the two year term position.

The election for mayor this year is a split three way race between incumbent Mayor Rob Green, Dave Sires and Tom Blanford.

“If Mayor Green retains the office of mayor, he will remain the 47th mayor of the city of Cedar Falls,” Cedar Falls City Clerk Jacque Danielsen said.

“If someone else is elected as mayor, they will become the 48th mayor of Cedar Falls.”

Current Mayor Green has served in this role since Jan. 1, 2020, and will finish up this term Jan. 1, 2022. He has his masters degree in Instructional Technology from the University of Northern Iowa and also has a Government and Public Policy degree from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

Currently, he is in the works of getting another masters degree from UNI for Library and Information Science.

Courtesy/Cedar Falls

Courtesy/wcfcourier

Mayoral candidate Tom Blanford has two years as at-large city councillor under his belt and is a business owner.

Mayoral candidate Dave Sires is a current councilman representing the Fourth Ward and has been a representative since 2020.

In his past, he has spent time as a U.S. Coast Guard in Alaska and Washington D.C and was a full-time web-developer at UNI. Besides being the current mayor he is also a successful start-up entrepreneur. Now Green is married to Waterloo native wife Jocelyn Green, and together the two of them have two young children.

Green is focused on a few major categories during his mayoral candidate run. He groups his issues into three categories, including quality of life, economic development,

and government efficiency.

Within the quality of life category, Green is focused on making streets more walkable for pedestrians and is in favor of more people using public transportation. Additionally, he is in support of a limited window of time for firework use but wants to increase fines for misuse and increase education on the proper use of fireworks. He would like to keep downtown as a place to promote business and be the city center for Cedar Falls.

Under his economic devel-

opment platform, Green wants to incentivize development with existing infrastructure and create a tighter community between older generations and millennials. He also wants to place a focus on remote worker retention and attraction of Cedar Falls as a great place to settle down.

Finally, with government efficiency Green desires to make City Council meetings easier to understand for the public so they can be a part of what takes place at them.

He also wants to make Council

DIS CONFERENCE

continued from page 1

Moses, a Waterloo native who began his career in football in Waterloo East High School. Moses played for the Packers, Chiefs and the Houston Texans during his time in the NFL. Moses is now a motivational speaker and helps NFL athletes with their transition outside of the NFL. “We’re putting this on for the students, so we just don’t want students to miss a great opportunity to be able to,receive from great or from outstanding professionals that have a lot of perseverance,” Loveless said.

With DIS Har vest Conferences around the corner, “DIS” is one not to miss out on. Students may contact dis@uni.edu for more information or register using the QR code to sign up.

According to Interim Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice Chiquita Loveless, the idea of harvest references “what’s already been planted. Once a harvest is completed a farmer, for example, has to prepare to renew, reset and refocus for the next set of crops.”

Each season brings new sets of challenges. Many U NI students and students across the state have faced challenges due to the restrictions and challenges each semester continues to bring. For this reason in the early planning process for this conference, the main goal is to have students engage with professionals from a variety of fields.

Many of the speakers are successful individuals in

their respective fields that navigated many challenges.

DIS invites students to attend with an open perspective and engage with professionals. Professionals come from all over Iowa, many of which are advocates in serving their community.

DIS also invites the community to show support to

NORTHERN IOWAN

EDITORIAL STAFF

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CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN News Editor chriscbi@uni.edu

KARLA DE BRUIN

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

Courtesy/tomforcfmayor

Mayoral candidate Rob Green is the incumbent mayor and has been serving as mayor since January 2020.

TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan

CATHERINE CROW Campus Life Editor catherine.crow@uni.edu COLIN HORNING Sports Editor chorning@uni.edu ERIN KAMP Copy Editor kampe@uni.edu

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CIRCULATION

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Chambers more accessible for those who may have a disability, and he wants to address certain City Ordinances that may be left up for interpretation.

“I believe one of the mayor’s most important responsibilities is to be the ‘conscience’ of the city,” Green said in response to a candidate questionnaire. “Any mayor should be committed to representing the best of what the community’s all about – to put the city’s interests light years ahead of their own interests.”

Another person in the running for mayor is Blanford.

Blanford is a long-time citizen of Cedar Falls. He grew up attending Cedar Falls High School and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a Political Science degree.

Currently he works as the Vice President of Administration for Collins Holding Company in Cedar Falls, serves on a number of boards throughout the community, and has in the past held positions on the Cedar Falls City Council.

See CANDIDATES, page 5

Courtesy/DIS

Scan the QR code above to sign up for the Harvest Conference on Oct. 14 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

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.

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All material is © 2021 by the Northern Iowan and may not be used without permission.

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PAGE 3

OPINION

NIXSON BENITEZ Executive Editor

OCTOBER 7, 2021 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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VOLUME 118, ISSUE 12

Disclaimer: The following opinion articles featured do not reflect the opinion of the Northern Iowan newspaper or staff as a whole.

Was removing Dr. O’Kane from the classroom the right choice from UNI? UNI professor Steve O’Kane, Ph.D was recently relieved of his duties as an in-person educator on campus. At first, this seemed like an odd occurrence when considering the fact that we just began getting back to normal, having in-person classes and engaging with professors “irl” (in real life).

One would think that the university would be doing everything they can to put things back to the way they were, right? While this seems to be true, they are also doing everything they can to keep us safe – not only from COVID-19, but from unlawful requirements as well.

O’Kane, a biology professor who has been teaching at UNI for 26 years, made the decision to require masks in his classroom, threatening the grades of those who refused to wear them. While this feels like it was a simple attempt to protect himself and his students, that’s not all it was.

Not only is it prohibited by the Board of Regents and

the university, but I don’t think that it’s a fair ask either. While I fully recognize that it was not his intent to infringe on our lives and rights, I don’t see how mandating masks over the heads of the university and state official rules is something that is okay.

Honestly, this is a very hard topic to draw a line on. While I am vaccinated and wish that would ensure complete protection from COVID-19, I know that isn’t the case. With the new Delta variant running rampant and transmission rates skyrocketing, it’s hard to determine what the right move is.

As I said, I am vaccinated and have been for quite some time, so I don’t personally enjoy wearing a mask at this point. I do so when requested, but I don’t choose to wear one anywhere I don’t feel it is necessary.

In a setting such as a classroom, I know that it is hard to see why it would be such a big deal to wear masks. Not only are college students – in general – the lowest-risk group when it comes to COVID-19, they also are least likely to follow social distancing practices outside of classes as well.

What’s the point of protecting each other for that ~1.5%

NIXSON BENITEZ/Northern Iowan

Many of the students on campus have been talking about the decisions of the University as the story continues to grow.

of our week when we’re not doing so for the other ~98.5%?

Because it’s not the general population that we’re aiming to protect.

Oftentimes, the ones who request mask-wearing are the people who are or have family members who are high-risk. Personally, I wear a mask for them. Similar to this, people in an older age demographic – such as some professors – can also feel more in danger when it comes to COVID-19.

O’Kane is very passionate about this issue, and I have complete respect for him in that sense. He told The Gazette, “I told the provost most of us somewhere in our lives have a hill we are willing to die on, and this is one of my hills.”

That being said, I do not think it’s okay to require masks in the way O’Kane did. Not only was he disobeying numerous people and organizations, but it is unfair to threaten grades based on what a person wears. This

is comparable to giving a student a C on an assignment simply because they didn’t wear red on Tuesdays.

While I understand where O’Kane and others are coming from when it comes to mask requests, I do not agree with the way he specifically attempted to handle it.

Having your own opinion is one thing, but forcing it on others – especially when it’s against the law – is a completely separate issue.

NORTHERN IOWAN EN ESPAÑOL

UNI acogerá la conferencia “Harvest”

Cedar Falls– La Conferencia Harvest, patrocinada por el Departamento de Diversidad, Inclusión y Justicia Social (DIS) tendrá lugar el 14 de octubre de 2021. La conferencia Harvest será un evento doble, el primer evento tendrá lugar en Maucker Union de 9a.m.-3p.m, se ofrecerá sólo a los estudiantes de UNI. La solicitud de inscripción se cerrará el martes, 12 de octubre.

Los estudiantes serán excusados de las clases y se les proporcionará el desayuno y el almuerzo. El aforo está limitado a 150 estudiantes a continuación, seguirá la ceremonia de clausura,

que se celebrará en el Centro de Artes Escénicas Gallagher Bluedorn, y cuyo orador principal será el ex jugador de la NFL Jerry James (JJ) Moses jr, presentado por el director de deportes de la KWWL, Rick Coleman. El segundo evento está abierto al público.

Las puertas se abrirán a las 6 p.m. y comenzará a las 6:30 p.m.

La idea de la conferencia de la Harvest vino de reconocer a los estudiantes que tienen un semestre difícil a causa de los mandatos de uso de mascarilla y las restricciones de COVID-19. La misión principal de la conferencia es invitar a los estudiantes a restablecer, reenfocar y renovar su bienestar.

Se eligió el término “cosecha” porque se considera “recoger lo que ya se ha plantado”. “Una vez terminada la cosecha, un agricultor, por ejemplo, tiene que prepa-

rarse para renovar, reajustar y volver a centrarse en la siguiente serie de cultivos”, dijo la Directora Interina de Diversidad, Inclusión y Justicia Social, Chiquita Loveless.

Al igual que los agricultores, cada temporada conlleva nuevos retos. Muchos estudiantes de la UNI y de todo el estado se han enfrentado a retos debido a las restricciones y desafíos que sigue trayendo cada semestre. Por esta razón, en el proceso de planificación inicial de esta conferencia, el objetivo principal era que los estudiantes se relacionaran con profesionales de diversos campos.

Muchos de los ponentes que han sido invitados son personas de éxito en sus respectivos campos, que navegaron por la opresión, la supresión y la depresión.

Muchos de ellos ayudarán a

verter una perspectiva diferente para renovarse, reajustarse y reenfocarse en la preparación de los estudiantes para ganar.

El éxito es diferente para una variedad de estudiantes, especialmente cuando las circunstancias dadas que cada estudiante tiene son diferentes. Sin embargo, a pesar de este desafío, DIS invita a los estudiantes a asistir con una perspectiva abierta y a comprometerse con los profesionales y el contenido de ganar todos los días. Los profesionales vienen de todo Iowa, y muchos de ellos sirven como defensores de su comunidad.

DIS también invita a la comunidad a mostrar su apoyo a Moses, un nativo de Waterloo que comenzó su carrera en el fútbol en la escuela secundaria del este de Waterloo. Moses jugó para los Packers, Chiefs y los Houston

Texans durante su estancia en la NFL. Moses es ahora un orador motivacional y ayuda a los atletas de la NFL en su transición fuera de la NFL. “Lo hacemos por los estudiantes. Así que no queremos que los estudiantes se pierdan una gran oportunidad de poder beneficiarse de grandes o de destacados profesionales que tienen mucha perseverancia” dijo Loveless.

Con las conferencias de DIS Harvest a la vuelta de la esquina, “DIS” es algo que no hay que perderse. Los estudiantes pueden ponerse en contacto con dis@uni.edu para obtener más información o para cualquier pregunta o duda. Los estudiantes también pueden inscribirse utilizando el código QR para inscribirse.

TO READ IT IN ENGLISH continue to page 5

PAGE 4

CAMPUS LIFE OCTOBER 7, 2021 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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CATHERINE CROW Campus Life Editor

VOLUME 118, ISSUE 12

“Whose Voice” museum exhibit Museums have been used as a source of information, a childhood field trip and sometimes as a date night. But how often do the visitors stop and think about how the artifacts were obtained? The colonial past of museums cannot be denied. In the early years, items were stolen and confiscated from various groups of people around the world, taken as the thieves’ own and are now put on display as his-

torical pieces. Do these curbeen several hundred rent museums have the right years –for some, thouto display these artifacts and sands of years – since tell their story and the unique the thievery. Does story of the people they once it matter now? Take stole from? some time to ponder The varying perspectives that question. may alter the truth about the There are a few ways colonies that were robbed. to conclude about this.

Coming Monday, Oct. 11, Perhaps the thought is, UNI Museum will be open“No, museums don’t ing its new exhibit titled have the authority.

“Whose Voice?” The purThese are stolen artipose of the exhibit is to ask facts and the true ownvisitors to question who has ers should hold them Library the authority to tell the sto- “Whose Voice” exhibit will COURTESY/Rod and choose if and when be available to see ries of these Indigenous cul- at the Rod Library starting Monday, Oct. 11 to share their stories.” tures, as well as how these from 4-6 p.m.

Possibly, “Yes, stories are presented to the museums do have have the right to present and public. It’s a thought-provok- share the artifacts and stories the authority. Their job is to ing question. Do museums of these communities? It has inform the public about his-

torical artifacts and events.

Because of that, they have every right to display these items.”

Or, “This doesn’t pertain to me nor my life, therefore I have no opinion.”

These varying positions will make for an interesting discussion. To better understand and get some insight, head over to the UNI Museum in the lowest level of Rod Library on Monday, Oct. 11 from 4-6 p.m. with remarks being given at 4:15 p.m. Bring a buddy and an open mind to explore the eye-opening “Whose Voice?” exhibit.

FROM THE NI ARCHIVES

Bartlett Hall – From the NI archives Referenced from The College Eye, printed Sept. 29, 1915 Up to the year of nineteen fifteen all students have been in quartered in private houses, but this year the new dormitory known as Bartlett Hall opened its doors to one hundred and twenty four students.

Bartlett Hall is named in honor of Professor Bartlett, the senior professor in what was formerly the Iowa State Normal school. Professor Bartlett was a native of New England, so it seems quite appropriate that the new dormitory have a colonial touch in its architectural plan.

The exterior, perhaps, can not justly be commented upon because it constitutes only one half of a quadrangle which is

to be completed, by another Goodwin purchased the furhall, similar in construction. nishings and deserve much As we reach the interior credit for their tasteful choice. we see, first the lobby, with The girls’ dwelling rooms its settees, and fireplace, and or the dormitory (etymologpiano and some beautiful as ically), proper, are furnished well as comfortable rockers. with a bed, two chairs, a dressWe next enter the parlors er, two study tables, a rockwith their appropriate furnish- er, and a large arclight. Each ings, including some splendid room is equipped with a lavreproductions of such great atory, hot and cold water, and paintings as Turners Sunset. two roomy closets. Besides The draperies and the this there are four shower bath upholstering on the chairs room on each floor for general and settees are a beautiful use. blue. The floors are covered So much for the equipment in Whittall rugs which add and furnishings. But we want greatly to the cozy appearance to say just a word about the of the rooms. government.

Mrs. Marion McFarland The government of Bartlett Walker and Miss Lillian hall is under the general

supervision of Miss Helen Broeksmits, Head of House, be student control.

In the first place an upperclassmen will be appointed House Chairmen. She together with our other students will constitute the House Committee. The other persons are to be chosen, one from each wing, to act as proctors, in the four wards. These proctors hold office for four week.

In addition to these proctors there will be appointed a kitchenette proctor, who will probably be familiarly known as the “Candy Kid.” A social chairman will be chosen a little later to arrange the social events of Bartlett Hall.

With this governmental machinery then, Miss Brocksmit proposes to govern the six score and four girls who are making Bartlett Hall their college home.

In justice to the public we think it might be of general interest to know at least those rules which concern the department of state. Of course after ten o’clock no noise, except snoring and hte sighs of those enjoying sit-ups for examination, are tolerated, and it is requested that the former be indulged in as little as possible.

Calling hours will be observed on Friday and Saturday evenings and on Sundays from 8 until 9:30.

KARLA DE BRUIN/Northern Iowan

Bartlett Hall was one of the first dorms and was where the women lived. After they took down Baker Hall they moved a lot of departments into Bartlett. In 2018 they re-opened Bartlett as offices in the whole building.

PAGE 5 CATHERINE CROW Campus Life Editor

CAMPUS LIFE OCTOBER 7, 2021 |

STUDENTS SPEAK OUT continued from page 1

On Wednesday, Oct. 6, there will be a resolution introduced in the Northern Iowan Student Government (NISG) meeting to recognize “The consequences currently decided upon by the University for Dr. O’Kane resulted in a punishment not only for him, but for his students, who have neither violated policies nor made any actions that necessitate punishment.”

The Board of Regents sent a statement to the Northern Iowan stating “Regarding Professor (O’Kane), personnel matters are handled at the university level, and the decision was made by UNI. The Board was not involved in that decision. The Board of Regents very much appreciates hearing from students at our public universities. The well-being of our students is always top of mind.”

University Relations sent

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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a statement to the Northern Iowan as well, stating the following: “After listening to the concerns and working closely with all parties involved, the University of Northern Iowa has reached an agreement with a faculty member to continue teaching his course. Board and university policy has not changed and masks will not be mandated in the class. Biology Professor Steve O’Kane will instead teach his Plant

VOLUME 118, ISSUE 12 Systematics course and lab online. Another high-qualified professor will handle other classroom duties. UNI continues to support the rights of all our faculty, staff and students and is pleased to have reached a resolution that protects all of those involved. As noted in previous statements from the university, under Board of Regents directives, neither the university nor faculty members can mandate that face coverings be worn on campus,

INDUSTRIAL TECH

continued from page 1

NIXSON BENITEZ / Northern Iowan

Amidst the university’s decision to remove Professor O’Kane from the classroom his students gathered to discuss the future of his course.

CANIDATES

continued from page 2

Blanford breaks down his platform into three main categories as well, and they include, community, economy and trust.

“The three points, community, economy and trust, are to me, the core functions of local government,” Blanford said. “I view the role of local elected officials as creating a community that is safe and welcoming, building a diverse local economy that provides opportunity, and generating trust in the idea that local government can be a partner and a force for positive change.”

Under community, Blanford discusses that he desires to create a healthier community with a focus put towards mental health, build partnerships within the community from schools to businesses helping each other, preserve historic downtown areas and plan and prepare housing for the expansion of the city.

With his economy platform, Blanford wants to expand internship opportunities and create a student loan forgiveness program for students who agree to stay in the community for a certain number of years. Additionally, he wants to create a new mode of public transportation and place a focus on energy efficiency.

Finally with his trust platform, Blanford discusses how he would be a “24/7 mayor.”

He would remain engaged

with the public and work to create an open and accessible City Hall.

The final candidate running for mayor is Sires. Sires is a lifetime Cedar Falls resident.

He is also a business owner to several different businesses, and he has worked in construction for a portion of his life.

Currently he is serving on the Cedar Falls City Council as the Council Member atlarge. He has held this position since Jan. 1, 2020 and will hold it until Dec. 31, 2023. If elected as mayor someone else would be elected to finish his role on the City Council.

According to Sire’s candidacy signs, he runs his platform on the statement to, “Put the People Back in Charge.”

“It is time to put the power back into the hands of the residents and establish the people’s voice in the elected members that represent the public,” Sires stated in his Official Statement of Candidacy.

Because his platform runs on being a voice for the community, much of his platform is based on what he believes the desire of the community is. He has a strong desire to be a voice for the residents of Cedar Falls and feels that in the past this has been something that has not happened.

One of his main focuses is to have a separate fire and police departments because he believes that this will better allow each separate department to take care of the city and be more properly trained

in their field. He also wants to eliminate the Public Safety Director position in support of establishing separate fire and police chiefs who maintain this role.

He also wants to place a focus onto public safety, economic development and making sure that taxes people are paying in Cedar Falls are actually going towards projects that are taking shape and not just sitting.

The election is particularly interesting this year because typically it is a two person race, but this year it is a three way race, so it becomes much harder for one candidate to receive a majority vote and win the election.

“The Cedar Falls City Code of Ordinances calls for a runoff in the event that no candidate gets 50% +1 of the votes. If no candidate can get over 50% of the votes in the regular election, then the top 2 vote getters run against each other in a runoff election,” Cedar Falls City Clerk Jacque Danielsen wrote in an email interview. “This is to assure that the winner is elected by the majority of the voters who voted in the election. What is important to understand is that although one candidate may receive the most votes in the regular election (but not 50% +1), they can lose in the runoff because the votes of the third candidate who was eliminated may get directed to the second highest vote getter.”

The process for getting the modernization of the building approved has taken years.

According to the Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences John Fritch, UNI first made the proposal for renovations in 2017, and later proposed it to the legislature in 2018. However the proposals were turned down due to funding. In 2020 the project received partial funding, and full funding was granted this year.

The building is in dire need of an upgrade, as little work has been done to keep up with the growing technology fields.

“The building was built in 1975 and it was state of the art for 1975,” Fritch said. “It is still state of the art for 1975.”

He continued, “The second thing is the structure of the building is dated. For example, each faculty office has only one power outlet. So you know, they had a place for a lamp and eventually a typewriter. But now nobody can get by with one outlet in their office. But now we’re doing robotics, and those kinds of things. We just do not have the power in there. Plus we’ve outgrown the building. We need much more space.”

The renovation will allow UNI to develop new programs

including in classrooms. An exception to this is in limited spaces where masks are required, such as a healthcare or campus childcare setting or service.”

The next classroom meeting will take place on Thursday Oct. 7 at 12:30 p.m. UNI faculty and students are invited.

More updates will be provided in Thursday’s meeting in the greenhouse, room 26.

in continuously emerging fields and engage students in interactive learning and projects. The building renovations are specifically designed to be flexible and create space for new work.

“Who knows what the world will bring in 20 years, so we want to be ready to make those kinds of changes,” Fitch said.

Additionally the technology department hopes to attract new students.

“We’ll be better able to tell students what it is that we actually do,” Fitch said. “Now you walk in the building and it looks like a very old, out of date building, so they may assume our programs are that way as well. We think students will better understand what we do.”

The modernization project has received generous donations from sponsors to assist with the cost. Dave and Karen Takes donated $10 million to UNI in 2019, and $1 million of that money will be used with renovations. John Deere is providing $750,000 for the project, and Master Builders of Iowa is contributing $250,000. Fitch acknowledges how proud they are to have people and corporations recognize all the hard work the technology department at UNI has accomplished, and will continue to accomplish.

visit our website northerniowan.com to read more on UNI

COURTESY PHOTO

There are a lot of candidates for Cedar Falls mayoral. Voting begins on Nov. 2. There will be multiple debates between now and November.

PAGE 6

SPORTS VOLLEYBALL

OCTOBER 7, 2021 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

COLIN HORNING Sports Editor

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VOLUME 118, ISSUE 12

UNI loses conference road opener to Loyola The UNI women’s volleyball team hit the road for their first conference road game after a three-game home stretch as they traveled to Chicago to face the LoyolaChicago Ramblers. UNI came into the game with a 6-10 overall record, and a 1-2 conference record and their opponents came in 11-5 and 4-0 in conference play, so the Panthers knew they were in for a challenging road opener.

UNI was coming off back-toback losses, so a win against the top Missouri Valley team would get them back on track in a big way.

The first set saw UNI take their first lead at 3-2. Loyola battled back, however, and tied it at nine. Loyola took the lead 11-9 and never trailed again in the set. UNI got the score within one at 17-16, but Loyola pulled away to win the set 25-19.

The second set was backand-forth. Loyola pulled ahead to a 14-11 lead, but UNI stormed back to tie it at 14 and then again at 16. After that, UNI seized control, going on a 9-0 run to end the set and win with a score of 25-16, evening up the series 1-1.

In the third set, Loyola dominated early, taking a 3-0 lead and eventually getting up by as much as 10 with the score at 17-7. UNI didn’t give up and battled back to get within two at 22-20. The Ramblers held on to

TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan

The UNI volleyball team lost their first conference road game against Loyola in four sets. They will travel to Missouri State for their next match on Friday.

the lead, however, and grabbed a 25-22 win to get to two wins in the series.

The final, deciding set saw the Ramblers get out to a 4-0 start and never look back. They never trailed and took the set and series with a 25-17 win.

Emily Holterhaus once again

led the way for UNI in kills with 15 and also posted 11 digs.

Carly Spies posted a careerhigh 10 blocks, which was the first double-digit game for UNI since 2017. Tayler Alden and Jenna Brandt posted 26 and 19 assists, respectively. Payton Ahrenstorff led with 17 digs.

Loyola was led by Addie Barnes, who had 15 kills to go along with 14 digs. Taylor Venuto posted a near double-double with eight kills and nine blocks. Lane Jenkins had a whopping 32 assists to lead the way for the Ramblers.

The Ramblers improved to 12-5 on the year and with a 5-0 conference start, Loyola is on top of the Missouri Valley.

The Panthers dropped to 6-11 and 1-3 in conference play, putting them at eighth in the standings. They will stay on the road against Missouri State on Friday. Missouri State is 2-2 in conference play, so a win would create a tie at 2-3, allowing UNI to move up in the standings. The road game is followed by the final game in the road trip against Southern Illinois on Saturday.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Panther women beat Redbirds in overtime, 2-1

The UNI women’s soccer team celebrated Alumni Day this past Saturday as they hosted Illinois State in the second game of the conference-only portion of their schedule.

After the previous week’s devastating loss to Loyola, the Panthers were able to jump back into the winning column with a strong 2-1 victory over the Redbirds.

UNI wasted no time getting their offense going as Lily Caso nearly scored in the first minute

of the game. Her shot from the right edge of the box sailed just past the net. That confidence became infectious, with Ashley Harrington and Lauren Heinsch having attempts on goal in the next 15 minutes. Redbird goalkeeper Priya Gillan put a stop to the Panther attack, saving Heinsch’s attempt and blocking a corner kick header near the end of the first half.

Not to be deterred, the Panthers opened the second half with the same fiery energy from the first. This time, their effort was rewarded with a goal as Heinsch was able to slot one past Gillan, giving UNI a 1-0 advantage in the 48th minute. Harrington assisted on that goal. Heinsch

almost struck gold twice as her next attempt was blocked

by Gillan in a bang-bang play.

The Redbirds were able to equalize just fifteen minutes later with a goal by Hailey Glover.

With only ten minutes left, Harrington attempted a freekick, which Gillan dove to save.

Caso attempted another shot on goal just before the end of regulation, but it went just above the net.

Just as overtime began, goalkeeper Caitlin Richards was called upon to make a jumping save against a Redbird attack.

On her third attempt of the day, Caso buried her shot into the left side of the net in the 93rd minute, winning the game

Courtesy Photo/UNI Athletics

Panther soccer knocked off their conference rivals Illinois State with a 2-1 overtime victory this past Saturday.

with a golden goal. Caso’s final shot was a part of the four shots on goal that the Panthers had on the day.

The win brings UNI’s conference record to 1-1, and an

overall record of 4-7-1. The team will stay in Cedar Falls as they host the Sycamores of Indiana State on Saturday, Oct. 9. Game time will be 1 p.m. at the UNI Soccer Field.

OPINION

It’s past time to overhaul the NFL overtime rules It’s a perfect Sunday afternoon. You’re settled into your favorite spot on the couch, enjoying your go-to game day snack, ready to watch your favorite National Football League team take on that week’s opponent. Perhaps it’s a high-scoring shootout, or maybe it’s a low-scoring defensive slugfest. Either way, through the 60 minutes of regulation, a winner has not been decided and the game is still tied. Therefore, a 10 minute overtime session begins.

However, after those 10 minutes the game is still tied.

Instead of continuing to play until there is a winner, the game just ends in a tie, and you are left feeling annoyed and upset.

Whether as an athlete or a fan, there is no worse feeling than a game ending in a tie. After a win, you get the uninhibited joy of celebrating a great victory. Even after a loss, you at least know how to feel, allowing a sense of disappointment and sadness to run over you until it’s time to move on to the next game. After a tie, however, there really is no appropriate feeling to have, and most people are left having no clue how to react.

That’s why it’s so inexplicable that still, in 2021, the NFL allows regular season games to end in a tie.

Of the four major sports leagues in the United States, the NFL is the only one that still allows games to end in ties. In the National Basketball Association, five minute overtime periods are played until one team holds a lead after a period concludes, with that team being crowned the winner.

In Major League Baseball, teams continue to play extra innings as long as necessary until one team ends an inning with the lead. In the National Hockey League, teams play one, five minute sudden-death overtime period, and if that isn’t enough, they go to a shootout.

There are two main options that the NFL could go to in order to fix this problem of ties. The first option is that

they could do what they do in the postseason, where ties are not allowed. In the playoffs, if the overtime period comes to an end and the game is still tied, then they simply go to a second overtime period. This could go on as long as needed until somebody manages to break the tie, winning the game for their team.

The second option would be to do what college football teams do. In college football, the overtime session begins with one team getting the ball at their opponents’ 25-yard line and trying to score. After their possession ends, whether by a touchdown, field goal or turnover, then the other team does the same thing. If they match the other teams’ total from their possession with the ball, then

the game continues to a second overtime. However, if they fall short or overtake their opponents’ point total, then the game is over, with the team with more points being declared the winner.

Both options definitely have their problems. With the NFL postseason rules, all players could potentially have to run a lot more plays, creating much greater chances of injury.

With the college rules, there is a potential to run up the score and player statistics, causing confusion when looking at the stats post game. However, all of these problems are very manageable compared to the chronic issue of NFL games ending in a tie. Players and fans alike are likely to agree that there has to be a better way to end overtime games.

PAGE 7 KARLA DE BRUIN Managing Editor

FUN & GAMES OCTOBER 7, 2021 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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Across 1 Roasting bird 6 Kennel racket 10 Doze, with “out” 14 How writers often work 15 NATO alphabet ender 16 Ancient Andean 17 Lift 20 Bar sing-along 21 Quasi-convertible option 22 Rock gp. with winds and strings 23 Mil. training site 25 Pizzeria attractions 29 Nervous giggle 32 “Cure Ignorance” online reader 34 Glamorous Gardner 35 Windy-day window noise 37 Strummed strings 38 Lift 42 Linen fiber source 43 Newspaper space measure-

VOLUME 118, ISSUE 12

ment 44 So last week 45 Take in the wrong way?

47 Split with the band 51 Pet shelter mission 53 Apt name for a cook?

55 Put the cuffs on 56 Does one’s part?

58 Elves, at times 61 Lift 65 Curved entrance adornment 66 Drop 67 Nautical table listing 68 “Okay, granted” 69 “Bossypants” memoirist Fey 70 Mail-order-only company until 1925 Down 1 Small jewelry box 2 Acid neutralizer 3 “Little grey cells” detective 4 Draft category

5 “Quo Vadis” emperor 6 Tenochtitlán native 7 Play about automatons 8 Like much desert 9 Acquisition on a blanket, perhaps 10 Brand with a flame over the “i” in its logo 11 Artist Yoko 12 Big name in bar code scanners 13 Dennings of “2 Broke Girls” 18 Hybrid tennis attire 19 Ticked off 24 Besmirches 26 Powerful shark 27 Say with certainty 28 Carrier to Oslo 30 Cereal “for kids” 31 Work on a course 33 Many a “Hunger Games” fan 36 Bluffer’s giveaway 37 Colorado natives 38 Cobalt __ 39 “Aw, shucks!”

40 Harder to see, as shapes 41 Have-at link 42 Voting yes on 45 “That stings!”

46 Hit a winning streak 48 New York lake near Utica 49 Pantry 50 Dominate the thoughts of 52 Hidden stockpile 54 Iota preceder 57 California’s __ Valley 59 D-Day transports 60 __-dieu: kneeler 61 New Year’s party handout 62 Clearance rack abbr.

63 Fort Worth sch.

64 Many holiday guests

Lista completa de candidatos a las elecciones municipales de Cedar Falls Una vez más, es casi el momento de votar para los ciudadanos de Cedar Falls.

Si bien no hay ningún candidato federal o estatal en la boleta electoral de este otoño, hay varias carreras locales a nivel de la ciudad, de las que los ciudadanos de Cedar Falls deben ser conscientes y prepararse para votar el 2 de noviembre.

La primera y más prestigiosa es la carrera por la alcaldía de Cedar Falls. El primer candidato es Rob Green.

Quien es el alcalde titular, y ha estado sirviendo como tal desde enero de 2020. Dado que los alcaldes son elegidos sólo por dos años, Green ya está de vuelta para defender su posición. Green se graduó en 1998 en la Academia de Guardacostas de los Estados Unidos en New London, Conn. y sirvió en ella durante una década como oficial comisionado. También obtuvo un máster en tecnología de la instrucción en la Universidad de Northern Iowa en 2016, así como otro máster, este en

estudios de biblioteca e información, en la Universidad de Wisconsin-Madison en 2019.

Green tendrá dos contrincantes en lo que será una singular carrera a tres bandas.

El primer aspirante es Tom Blanford. Quien se graduó tanto de Cedar Falls High School como de UNI, saliendo de esta última con una licenciatura en ciencias políticas. Blanford también tiene doce años de experiencia trabajando en la industria bancaria. El otro contrincante de Green es Dave Sires. Sires es actualmente un concejal que representa el Distrito 4, una posición que ha mantenido desde 2020. Sires es un ciudadano de Cedar Falls desde hace mucho tiempo, así como propietario de un negocio local.

Debido a que esta es una carrera de tres vías, es bastante probable que esto resulte en una segunda vuelta electoral.

Si ninguno de los tres candidatos recibe la mayoría de los votos emitidos, los dos más votados pasarán a una segunda vuelta, en la que el ganador se lo llevará todo.

Además de la carrera por la alcaldía, también hay cuatro escaños en el ayuntamiento que están en juego en este

ciclo. Todas estas carreras son para ganar un mandato de cuatro años. Uno de los dos puestos del consejo de la ciudad en general estará en juego. La titular es Kelly Dunn, que ha ocupado ese lugar desde 2020, terminando el resto del mandato de Green después de que asumió la alcaldía. Dunn creció en Aurora, a unas 45 millas de Cedar Falls, y se trasladó a la zona en 1996 para asistir al Hawkeye Community College y posteriormente a UNI. En la actualidad, Dunn es una enfermera práctica licenciada. El oponente de Dunn será T.J. Frein. Frein, que es un veterano del Departamento de Policía de Waterloo, fue uno de los cinco candidatos en una elección especial para el puesto vacante de Green en 2019, la carrera que finalmente ganó Dunn.

También se decidirá el puesto de concejal de distrito uno, y esta carrera es única porque el titular Mark Miller, que ha ocupado el puesto desde 2014, ha decidido no presentarse a la reelección.

El primer aspirante, Derek Peisen, es un residente de toda la vida de Cedar Falls, veterano del ejército de los Estados Unidos, y ahora trabaja como mecánico. Su oponente, Gil

Schultz, se retiró de Deere and Co. en 2016 después de trabajar allí durante 29 años. Ahora es profesor en el departamento de tecnología industrial de UNI, así como consultor de Kelly Services en Waterloo.

El siguiente lugar para la elección es la posición del consejo del distrito tres. Al igual que la carrera por la alcaldía, también será una carrera a tres bandas, y es probable que obligue a una segunda vuelta. El titular es Daryl Kruse, que está completando su primer mandato que comenzó en 2018. Kruse es un graduado de la UNI, recibiendo un título en finanzas y economía.

Desde entonces, ha trabajado como planificador financiero certificado para Ameriprise Financial durante los últimos 31 años, y también ha sido un inversor inmobiliario y un propietario. La primera candidata opositora a Kruse será Kara Bigelow-Baker, una peluquera que se animó a presentarse al escuchar las quejas de sus clientes. La segunda candidata opositora Kruse es Carole Yates, jubilada de su carrera como gestora de programas del Centro de Educación Energética y Medioambiental de la UNI. El último puesto del ayun-

tamiento que se disputa es el que representa al Distrito Cinco. Frank Darrah está tratando de ganar un quinto mandato en el lugar que ha ocupado desde 2006. Darrah, que vive en Cedar Falls desde hace más de 30 años, se graduó en la Universidad del Norte de Colorado, donde obtuvo una licenciatura y un máster. Darrah pasó sus 35 años de carrera como administrador de educación especial, los últimos 29 en Cedar Falls. También ha impartido clases tanto en la UNI como en el Wartburg College en Waverly. Tratando de batir al titular de cuatro mandatos está Dustin Ganfield, un analista de sistemas básicos con Veridian Credit Union.

Ganfield tiene casi 20 años de experiencia en la industria de los servicios financieros, y actualmente estudia gestión de emergencias y recuperación de desastres en la Universidad de Upper Iowa en Fayette.

Independientemente de por quién piense votar, asegúrese de informarse sobre los candidatos locales, que tendrán un gran impacto en su tiempo en Cedar Falls. Las elecciones de la ciudad de Cedar Falls tendrán lugar el martes 2 de noviembre.

PAGE 8

CLASSIFIEDS OCTOBER 7, 2021 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

|

KARLA DE BRUIN Managing Editor

VOLUME 118, ISSUE 12

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