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VOLUME 114, ISSUE 42

VOLUME 117, ISSUE 23

SPRING CLASSES

GLEE CLUB

SPORTS

NEWS PAGE 2

CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 4

SPORTS PAGE 6

Spring semester at UNI will have a similar mix of in person and online classes as this fall.

UNI Athletics receives award for their voter registration efforts.

UNI’s Men’s Glee Club plans to release CD in place of annual Christmas Variety Show.

A Country Divided: UNI reacts to Election Day EMMA’LE MAAS

“The delay is something that was to be expected, and I’m just really hoping that all In the age of the COVID- of the absentee ballots that are 19 pandemic and civil unrest, still being counted turns some nothing in 2020 is typical, and things over,” she said. that goes to show in the 2020 Nicole Iradukunda, a senior election as well. public relations major, is ner Nationwide, a presidential vous about the delay in results. candidate is still uncertain as of “It’s making people anxious press time, while thousands of about what’s next for the counmail-in and absentee ballots are try,” she said. still being counted in several Still, she’s positive about key states such as Nevada and what the delay means.

Georgia.

“It’s kind of nice to see every Some states, such as body who voted and that’s why Pennsylvania, have until Friday, it’s taking so long to count,” Nov. 6 to report their num- she said. “It’s a good thing that bers, after a battle in the courts everybody took this opportunidecided to give them more time. ty to vote.”

A key component in the Eric Ramos, a senior biology delay has to do with these biomedical major was slightly court decisions, as states such surprised by the results that as Michigan were not allowed have came in. to begin counting ballots “I always had the hope that until Election Day. In North America was tired of everyCarolina, courts decided they thing, and I didn’t think the had until Nov. 12 to count election would be this close,” all of the ballots, including Ramos said. those postmarked by 5 p.m on He also expressed his disElection Day. appointment in Iowa’s results, Executive Editor

TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan

In Iowa, voters are able to register to vote on Election Day.

Michelle Guihen, a sophomore marketing and sales management major, hopes this election may teach officials to allow early counting.

“I understand because a lot of people voted early or had their ballots sent in, so I know it’s going to take a long time, but if it’s known to take a long time then I think it should start a little earlier,” Guihen said.

Allie Zapata, a senior biology major, hopes the mail-in and absentee ballots help her side.

which have been finalized.

Joni Ernst, the incumbent U.S. Senator, will remain in office, and in District 1, Democratic Representative Abby Finkenauer was unseated by former KCRG reporter and Republican Ashley Hinson.

According to the Associated Press, both races were close; Ernst beat out Democrat Theresa Greenfield by just over six points, specifically 110,376 votes. The House race was even closer, with Hinson win-

TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan

Voters wait in a socially distanced line to get their chance to vote in the election on the UNI campus.

ning with just over a two point lead and 10,759 votes. In Iowa, Trump won by an eight point lead and 138,706 votes.

UNI professor of political science Chris Larimer, who also serves as the political analyst for KWWL, spoke to the Northern Iowan about the races and the Democrats’ struggle to gain votes in Iowa.

“On a county-by-county base, from the presidential race to the U.S. Senate race and the Congressional race all the way down to the state legislative races, it’s down to that point where it’s hard to find a Democrat from a rural area who is elected to the state house,” Larimer said.

This divide proved itself as Biden only won six counties in Iowa, the same six counties won by Hillary Clinton in 2016. Obama had previously garnered 52 Iowa counties in 2008 and 37 in 2012.

Larimer continued, “It can be done, but for whatever reason, the last three election cycles, really starting in 2010, Democrats really struggled to make inroads into rural counties, and the divide just keeps getting bigger and bigger.”

Ramos said, “I would think that Iowans would take this more seriously, they would be more angry about how we handled COVID-19, how the government has handled COVID19, so I’m really disappointed.”

Guihen also expressed her frustration with how close the

race is.

“I feel like it’s been so on and off, like everytime you check it’s most of the country is red, or it’s blue,” she said. “I just hope they can finally make a decision.”

We may have a political win if Joe Biden wins, but it’s a moral loss.

ERIC RAMOS

UNI Student

Guihen, who is originally from the Chicago suburbs and chose to vote in Illinois versus Iowa, noticed the differences of the political atmosphere between the two states amongst her peers.

“It’s definitely eye-opening.

It’s definitely a different political view from where I’m from,” she said. “It’s helped me a lot with understanding both sides and perspectives.”

Both Biden and Trump gave speeches in the late evening of Nov. 3. However, they shared different messages.

Biden stated, “Keep the faith… it ain’t over TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan

Voters cast their ballots in the UNI-Dome on Election Day.

until every vote is counted,” in Wilmington, Del., while waving to a crowd of cars honking away.

President Trump stated, “As far as I’m concerned, we’ve already won,” and discussed his plans to argue voting counts all the way to the Supreme Court in Washington D.C. Ramos felt the former Vice President’s speech was uplifting.

“The message of hope is what we need right now, and just telling Americans that we need to be patient,” he said.

Zapata expressed her disappointment with the President’s speech.

“Like the rabbit and the turtle thing, don’t just be arrogant and accept victory when it could easily be turned around,” she said.

See ELECTION DAY, page 2

PAGE 2

NOVEMBER 5, 2020 |

NEWS

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

|

ELIZABETH KELSEY News Editor

VOLUME 117, ISSUE 23

Spring classes to follow fall pattern, increase distancing ELIZABETH KELSEY News Editor

Registration for spring 2021 classes is underway, and as UNI students plan their schedules, they will likely encounter a mix of online and in-person classes similar to their fall 2020 courseload.

Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Patrick Pease wrote in an email to the Northern Iowan that the university currently plans to hold about 74% of spring 2021 classes fully in-person, with about 8% hybrid and 18% online.

This compares closely with the distribution of classes during the fall 2020 semester. According to information published by the university at the start of the semester, 80% of classes were scheduled with at least some in-person component.

Pease said that during the spring semester, students and

faculty can expect an even greater degree of social distancing in classrooms in a continued effort to prioritize campus safety.

“Individuals will be even further spread apart in classrooms than they are currently,” he wrote. “Most classrooms in spring will have students six feet apart, and the remaining rooms ensure students are within six feet of only one other student.”

The adjusted spring seating plan was developed around the same time that the university implemented classroom changes for over 150 fall semester courses in early September, Pease said.

“In response to concerns we heard a few weeks into the fall semester, we instituted changes in our classroom arrangements to reduce the likelihood of quarantining, and then developed a plan to make classrooms even more distanced for spring,” he wrote. “Since developing the

TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan

A student wears a face shield and mask during an in-person science lab.

spring seating plan, the Iowa Department of Public Health has relaxed the requirements for quarantining people, recognizing that masks work. While that has been very helpful, we made the decision to continue with the more distanced seating plan during the winter/spring out of an abundance of caution.”

Pease also noted that during the spring 2021 semester, the capacity of each classroom will be reduced to 35% of normal, a slight reduction from the 40% used as a guide for in-person classes this fall. This restriction meant that, as occurred this semester, some classes that would normally be taught in person will be forced to shift online.

Decisions about the best modality for each course were made in “a variety of ways,” according to Pease.

“Departments made strategic choices about which classes would work best in an online format versus those that need to remain in a face-to-face classroom,” he wrote. “Those strategic decisions were based both on course content and the professors’ experience and comfort with online teaching.”

Additionally, faculty members with medical accommodations due to “high-risk circumstances” such as pregnancy or underlying health concerns could apply for telework options and online delivery modes for their classes.

TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan

Students attend a socially distanced in-person class in the Maucker Union Ballroom. Next semester’s classes will offer a similar mix of online, in-person and hybrid courses as students experienced during fall 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic has proven that it is impossible to predict how the world will look next week, let alone next semester, but many are continuing to hope for the arrival of an effective vaccine in the new year.

However, Pease said even if a positive shift in public health circumstances were to occur during the spring semester, reducing the risk of large in-person gatherings, online and hybrid courses would likely remain in their scheduled formats to avoid disruption to instruction and student sched-

ules.

“Changing from online to in-person would be difficult for a variety of reasons,” he wrote.

“Asynchronous classes would have to be assigned a day and time which would likely conflict with other obligations on students’ schedules. We would also struggle to find classrooms to put the classes in unless we reorganized rooms to seat students closer together…. I believe the best course would be to maintain as much consistency as possible and look to Fall 2021 for the changes.” matter what the results are, due to the closeness of the race.

“We may have a political win if Joe Biden wins, but it’s a moral loss,” he said. “The morality battle is lost because it shouldn’t have been this close in the first place. As a Hispanic male, as a gay male, it is very disheartening to see someone who doesn’t value a lot of my identity or a lot of the identities here is doing so well. It’s kind of just frustrating.”

Ramos was also disappointed in the way the President handled his speech.

“It’s very irresponsible, that as a leader of a democracy that you’re not really supposed to say ‘dump the votes,’” he said. “You really shouldn’t be doing that because that’s how people lose faith in the system, and that’s how you get, essentially, chaos.”

Larimer evaluated the effect the President’s rhetoric may have in the future.

“Long-term, that could be a problem if people have no confidence in the election or one side believes that a particular way of voting is fraudulent when it’s not,” he said. “That has the potential to really undermine future elections as well as patterns of voting in terms of the likelihood of people voting if they don’t trust the system.”

After a long day of awaiting results, the former Vice President took to the stage again on Nov. 5, stating, “In the past, only three presidential campaigns have defeated the incumbent president. God willing, we’ll be the fourth.”

In response to the current president’s threat of litigation, Biden responded, “We the people will not be silenced, we the people will not be bullied…. We will not be the presidency of the

red and blue states, we will be the president of all states.”

Larimer hopes the American people remain calm and positive during the wait.

“Everything is so polarized right now,” he said. “There was a lot of emotional buildup to Election Day yesterday, but I think if voters can be patient, let the process work the way it’s supposed to… just be patient and take a deep breath.”

Ramos is disheartened no

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ELECTION DAY

continued from page 1

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PAGE 3

OPINION

EMMA’LE MAAS Executive Editor

NOVEMBER 5, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

|

VOLUME 117, ISSUE 23

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

A disappointment for Iowa youth

DANI GOEDKEN

Opinion Columnist

The 2020 election is still too close to call. With mail in and absentee ballots still being counted, it’s tough to say who’s going to be the winner.

We’re having a record number of turnout this year, and that makes counting all those ballots even more difficult. It is expected that many of these will be finished by the end of Nov. 4. This will hopefully be the case because we don’t want to see this drag on for too long.

Biden is currently winning both the general vote and the electoral college, but Trump could still pull through.

With so many ballots left, it’s anyone’s game. As of Nov. 4, Biden has 248 electoral votes while Trump trails at 214. Either candidate would need 270 votes to win.

In Iowa, Senator Joni Ernst won reelection with 52% of the vote, defeating Theresa Greenfield. In

the House election, Ashley Hinson won District 1 against Abby Finkenauer here in Black Hawk County. There was a close call in District 2 between Mariannette Miler-Meeks and Rita Hart, Cindy Axne won District 3 and Randy Feenstra won District 4.

This far Republicans have 48 Senate seats, Democrats have 45, and other parties have two. Similarly, the House has 202 Democrats and 187 Republicans.

This red shift personally scares me. The Republican party has noted in their platform that marriage should be between a man and a women. This idea is harmful and challenges the laws we have in place already. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community I feel personally victimized by this statement from their party.

Not to mention, Ernst and Reynolds are both adamant about abortion and female reproduction laws.

As a female, I have a right to my own body, and I hate that because of these women, I may have to give those up.

All Republicans cater to

Tribune News Service

Joni Ernst has been reelected to her Senate seat in Iowa, as Iowa remains a red state in the 2020 presidential election.

their party and this means they all acknowledge the above statements, and to them, it was not a deal breaker.

My rights are being challenged but people continually vote to further challenge them. I, along with so many

other minoritized individuals, feel threatened and are tired of this nonsense.

The voters of Iowa have let down so many people this election, and we can only hope that there will be room to be saved by the states remaining

results.

Our generation fought so hard to be heard, as proven by the counties who did vote blue, and I genuinely hope they don’t lose their confidence going forward to more election seasons.

False accusations have bad consequences not pertain to Labour members at all. For merely restatOpinion Columnist ing the conclusions of the report, Corbyn was suspended from the party in a clear bid to

Jeremy Corbyn was recent- purge any elements of leftism ly suspended from the Labour from within the party.

Party over alleged claims that Corbyn has long been vilhis statement responding to an ified as supposedly not being internal report investigating resolute enough in dealing the party’s response mecha- with the supposedly ramnism to claims of anti-Semi- pant anti-Semitism within the Labour Party, when not being tism were inadequate.

Essentially, Corbyn mere- called an anti-Semitic himself ly pointed out that, while the outright. This cynical deployreport did bring to light legiti- ment of accusations of bigmate failures in reporting pro- otry for the sake of partisan cesses in order to respond to factionalism is repulsive for a cases of anti-Semitism with- number of reasons. in the party that needed to Perhaps most obviously be addressed and resolved, is the fact that anti-Semitism what also became clear from is a very real phenomena, so the report was the reality falsely accusing someone of that this narrative of ram- anti-Semitism (or any other pant anti-Semitism within the form of bigotry) in bad faith Labour Party was ginned up only serves to delegitimize by right-wing media and polit- valid, good faith accusations ical figures, in concert with of anti-Semitism. It further anti-left forces within Labour serves to obfuscate from the itself and that the scale of the real perpetrators of anti-Semissue was completely manu- itism, the Tories and the factured. As the report itself right-wing more generally, by indicates, there was a total of instead refocusing on Labor. two elected Labour officials It is because anti-Semitism is who had had legitimate com- an important issue that we plaints of anti-Semitism filed need to contend with that we against them, and hundreds of need to be careful in applying complaints that were filed did the label. The instrumentalMOHAMMED RAWWAS

ization of anti-Semitism for political ends only shows that the people who are instrumentalizing it do not actually care about anti-Semitism, and only deploy the term when it serves their political ends.

We have seen this practice replicated in the States as well.

Centrists often use smear tactics in order to character assassinate leftists. Ilhan Omar is often accused of anti-Semitism for her critique of Israel’s ethnic cleansing program. More recently, primary challengers Alex Morse and Shahid Buttar were falsely accused of sexual misconduct in what can only be deemed homophobic and racist campaigns against them.

What is most disgusting about falsely accusing someone of sexual misconduct is that it undermines the #MeToo movement and all that it has accomplished.

When people can point to clear instances of false accusations, that only serves to delegitimize valid accusations of rape and sexual harassment. Sexual harassment and rape are serious issues, not merely political cudgels to be utilized when needed. Those who deploy them in such a manner only show that they do

Tribune News Service

Jeremy Corbyn is suspended from the Labour Party following misconduct allegations.

not care about them as actual issues.

While claims of bigotry are verifiable, they are also unfalsifiable, meaning that while we can sometimes show that someone is bigoted, we can never prove that someone is not bigoted. With the recent advent of phrases such as “unconscious biases,” this only becomes more so the case, since a phrase like this means that biases are literally undetectable even by the person who holds them. This makes such claims of bigotry superfluous, since they can never be tested for falsity, and even if they somehow could be proven to exist, nothing could be done about them.

By definition, the unconscious is that which is not liable to the conscious. Such claims about the internal psychic economy of another therefore become meaningless, and it is unclear what the implication of such a claim would be. Except, of course, that there is no implication, there is nothing that needs to be done to resolve it, since those making the claims are not acting in good faith, they themselves do not believe the claims, so it does not matter to them that one resolve the bigotries that they know that person does not have. It is merely enough to have deemed them so.

PAGE 4

CAMPUS LIFE

ANTHONY WITHEROW Campus Life Editor

The show goes on for Glee Club NOVEMBER 5, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

|

VOLUME 117, ISSUE 23

EMMA’LE MAAS

Executive Editor

With November rolling in, the holidays are just around the corner, but one merry staple will be missing at UNI. The UNI Varsity Men’s Glee Club will not be holding its annual Christmas Variety Show this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the scheduling challenges caused by the early conclusion of the fall 2020 semester.

Junior math education major and Glee Club head of merchandising Bob Lockhart said, “We were also worried, even if the space could work out, what happens if we go home early? There goes our audience.”

Choral conducting professor and Glee Club director John Wiles expressed his emotions when realizing the big event wasn’t going to be happening.

“I was just super disappointed for the students,” he said. “It’s something the students look forward to, and that opportunity being taken away is just another opportunity students have lost because of COVID.” Nonetheless, Wiles quickly created a plan to ensure the show would go on for the group, deciding to view the situation “as an opportunity, instead of a lost opportunity.”

His final idea: the Glee Club will release a CD featuring 21 Christmas Variety Show hits as well as newly recorded tracks from the current members of the group.

The CD’s total cost is $12 and can be preordered on the Glee Club’s website.

Courtesy Photo/Varsity Men’s Glee Club

The Varsity Men’s Glee Club will be releasing a CD of old and new Christmas songs this holiday season in place of the Variety Show.

Those interested can also find more information on the Glee Club’s Facebook, which has been tracking their progress.

While most may have assumed a video would be the way to go, Wiles explained his thought process behind the CD. “The atmosphere of a Christmas Variety Show doesn’t capture well on video,” he said. “I have watched playbacks — it’s like looking at something black and white.

The magic just isn’t there.”

Wiles said that the audio-only format of a CD “engages imagination” differently from a video.

“You can hear the audience laughter, and that’s really where it came from,” he said.

“It was an attempt to recreate a listener’s imagination as much as possible, with what a Christmas Variety Show tries to be.”

Senior music education major and head of music for

the Glee Club Cole Flack thinks the CD is overdue, since the Christmas Variety Show is what the group is best known for.

Additionally, he added, there are some benefits to a CD format.

“There’s no coughing in the audience, or not that someone who is feeling really inspired in the Glee Club and wants to sing that First Noel like it’s their last,” he said.

“This one is the best one for the Glee Club.”

Lockhart was a little more hesitant about the idea, but soon changed his mind.

“For a while there I was like, ‘what is this CD going to look like,’” he said, “but once I understood what it was all about, I was like, ‘This is good. This is a good substitute for the show.’”

Recording a CD during COVID-19 is no easy task, however, and the Glee Clubbers have certainly hit a

few obstacles.

Each member has to record their part on their own, and then send in a recording to a shared drive between them all.

“It’s definitely different (because) we’re all our own worst critics,” Lockhart explained. “It’s a lot of extra independent practice and being brave and doing the recording and sending it in with confidence.”

That being said, the group is still optimistic.

“I wish it was normal, we all wish it was normal, but I gotta take in what I can take in,” Flack said. “I just gotta show my love of music with my brothers.”

Typically, the Christmas Variety Show’s funds go to the Glee Club itself. However, this year, the Glee Club elected to have all of their funds go towards the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, a decision that was easy to make for the

members.

“We are creating something that we knew would generate revenue, so it only made sense to try to connect that platform and the ability of the Glee Club with people in need,” Wiles said.

Flack added, “We’ve already raised over a thousand meals for our CD, when we’ve only sold maybe two dozen. The very little money makes such a big impact for the food donations. One in every five kids in the Cedar Valley is food insecure, so I’m glad we’re doing something about it.”

Like Flack, Wiles has an immense amount of gratitude towards the group.

“There’s not a part of my life that isn’t better because of Glee Club,” he said. “Glee Club has made me a better teacher; the Glee Club has made a better colleague; the Glee Club has made me a better father. The guys love each other, and they love what they do and it’s just the best thing in the world.”

Lockhart voiced the same sentiment.

“Glee Club has meant to me, absolutely everything,” he said. “I care about everyone who comes into Glee, regardless of how long they’re there.”

In the end, Wiles hopes the CD brings people together in a time where it’s needed the most.

“It’s an opportunity for the university community and the Cedar Valley and really people from all over Iowa to just celebrate each other,” he said.

Cedar Valley Angels to host “A Race to Embrace” TEHYA TOURNIER Staff Writer

UNI student Ryan Van Maanen was given an assignment for one of his classes to put together an event for an organization in the Cedar Valley area. Being a volunteer within the community, Van Maanen knew exactly what organization to choose: the Cedar Valley Angels.

Cedar Valley Angels is a non-profit organization based in Cedar Falls. The chapter was founded by Derek Kimball in 2018 and is under the direction of the headquarters in Austin, Texas called Austin’s Angels. The organization that is focused on supporting and walking with children in the foster care system as well as the caregivers who open their homes and hearts to foster children.

Cedar Valley Angels

holds value in building the community around foster families who have endured struggles. To help build and support the foster family community, they empower their volunteers who are committed to making a difference and giving hope to foster children and those who care for them.

They base their mission off of intentional giving, relationship building and mentorship. Cedar Valley Angels supports each foster child and family with their Love Box groups and the Dare to Dream mentorship program. They hope to reach every child and family in the foster care system to feel hopeful and empowered to succeed in life.

Founder Derek Kimball said their model is dependent upon community involvement and building

those relationships.

“It’s about being a support network to these families,” Kimball said.

Van Maanen has put together a virtual race in order to raise funds and awareness for the non-profit.

Those who participate are encouraged to walk, run, jog or bike to show their support for the foster care community.

Kimball said Van Maanen and his class group have been in communication with him and the rest of the Cedar Valley Angels team on details, but the class took the lead on this event.

“He and his group are running it,” said Kimball.

“I’m giving feedback along the way and really discussing the ins and outs of what is to come.”

This virtual event will take place Nov. 5-12.

Courtesy Photo/Ryan Van Maanen

A virtual race will be taking place later this week to raise awareness for children in foster care.

Participants can find more information and register on the Cedar Valley Angels website.

They are also encouraged to snap photos of them biking, walking or running and tag Cedar Valley Angels. There will be a social media drawing and raffle prize during the virtual event. The winners will be contacted by Nov. 15.

This event, like the many other events Cedar Valley Angels puts on, is important to raise awareness and make a difference for the foster children in your community.

“The visibility and awareness we get from things like this makes all the difference,” said Kimball. “It stirs people’s hearts and interest, and people want to help.”

ANTHONY WITHEROW Campus Life Editor

PAGE 5

CAMPUS LIFE

‘Borat 2’ is a funny retread NOVEMBER 5, 2020 |

HUNTER FRIESEN Film Critic

Back in 2006, Sacha Baron Cohen shocked the world with his hilarious mockumentary called “Borat.” Playing the titular fake news reporter from Kazakhstan, Cohen toured America interviewing people from all walks of life.

Through the character of Borat, Cohen showed Americans what they truly look like to the outside world: a bunch of overconfident and arrogant snobs that are too dumb to know how dumb they are. The film was an enormous success critically and commercially, which fueled rumors of a sequel for over a decade.

Now in 2020, Cohen is back as Borat Sagdiyev.

“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” or if you want to go by the official title, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” picks up where the last one left off. Borat has just been released from the Kazakh gulags and is being sent back to America.

Once there, he will deliver a special gift (it’s best I don’t tell you what it is) to Vice President Michael Pence to regain America’s trust and loyalty towards Kazakhstan.

What I just described to you is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to

the weirdness within this “moviefilm.” Borat’s mission is also just a shameless excuse for the character to return to America to do what he does best.

But instead of being joined by his producer Azamat like in the first film, Borat is accompanied by his daughter Tutar, who knows next to nothing of the world outside her village and is accustomed to being told that women are not smart enough to read, have a job or drive a car.

This is all played for laughs, but it also does mock the seemingly backward gender norms found in parts of the world. Similar to Borat in the first movie, Tutar’s visit to the home of the brave will be quite the culture shock.

Once there, Borat is quickly recognized by everyday citizens. Knowing that being an instantly recognizable star will jeopardize his mission, he must don an assortment of disguises as he makes his way across the states. He makes stops at the Conservative Political Action Conference, an anti-mask rally, and even catches Rudy Guliani doing some questionable acts, for which he has had to defend since the film’s release.

“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” is a lot like the leftovers you take home after a good restaurant meal. It’s still good, but it’s not as good as it was before and the only thing you can think about while eating it

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

|

VOLUME 117, ISSUE 23

Tribune News Service Film Critic Hunter Friesen reviews the new film “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.”

is how much you enjoyed the first meal. Most of the “pranks” that Cohen pulls off as Borat seem to be much more scripted in this go around. Much of the fun of the first film came from the loose and improvised feel. This sequel is much more calculated in what it is trying to say and how it goes about doing it.

This feeling of beenthere-done-that isn’t completely Cohen’s fault. Unlike back in 2006, Americans have finally started to come around to the idea that we aren’t so special after all.

Maybe it’s because of who we have (or had, depending on when this review is published in relation to the election) in the oval office or the idiotic way we are handling the pandemic.

2020 Americans don’t need another reminder that this

country kind of sucks. We see it in our news feeds every day as we try to navigate the broken social ladder.

Despite being unneeded on a story level, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’’ is a needed reminder of just how talented Sacha Baron Cohen is as he does what he was put on this world to do. This is his brand of comedy that no one comes close to competing in. Whether he’s dressed as Borat, a southern trucker, an extremely antisemitic portrayal of a Jewish man or Donald Trump himself, Cohen seamlessly slips into character and has you fooled instantaneously.

However, the MVP of this movie is not Cohen, but Maria Bakalova, who plays Tutar. Bakalova follows the same trajectory as

Cohen did in the first movie as she expertly pulls off the naivety of a sheltered girl in a lawless land. She also carries the emotional arc of the story as her relationship with her father flourishes with each subsequent hijink.

“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” is a perverse and vulgar film that holds a mirror up to America.

While the original was fresh and inventive, this follow-up is just more of the same with less luster.

Still, far worse movies have gotten far worse sequels, so we should count ourselves lucky that this sequel is redeemed by the comic genius of Sacha Baron Cohen and Maria Bakalova.

Panther|Preview “pandemics in the history of northern iowans” display

friday, Oct. 16 - Friday, nov. 20 rod library

“the way up” annual conference

race to embrace

unituba ensembles concert

“BlacKkKlansman” Screening

thursday, nov. 5 - friday, nov. 6

thursday, nov. 5 thursday, nov. 12

friday, nov. 6 6:30 p.m.

friday, nov. 6 7:00 p.m.

Coralville marriott hotel and conference center

virtual

virtual

kab 111

PAGE 6

SPORTS NOVEMBER 5, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

COLIN HORNING Sports Editor

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VOLUME 117, ISSUE 23

UNI ATHLETICS

UNI receives award for voter registration efforts DAVID WARRINGTON Sports Writer

This past Tuesday, Nov. 3, was the 2020 general election, with ever ything ranging from the Black Hawk County sheriff to president of the United States being on the ballot. The athletics department at the University of Nor ther n Iowa worked hard to get the message to student-athletes that they should use their voice and vote for what they believe in. They were rewarded for their hard work when Cedar Valley Character Counts awarded them with the Pur suing Victor y with Honor Award.

T h i s aw a r d , w h i c h is given to an athletics team, coach, student-athlete or organization that d e m o n s t r at e s c o m m i t ment to spor tsmanship and good character, was given to UNI par tially because of the work they’ve done with the Ross Initiative for Sports Equality (RISE) organization. RISE is a national nonprofit organization whose goal it is to eliminate racial discrimination in the sports community, as well as improving race relations by becoming more infor med and engaged citizens, which they do through education and empower ment.

UNI Athletics held a seminar known as “RISE to Vote” where all 400 student-athletes at UNI were instructed on both how to register to vote as well as why they should vote. All of this was part of a year-long effort to increase voter registration among student athletes.

The RISE to Vote event, which was a collaborative effort between the UNI

Athletics Department, RISE, League of Women Voters and UNI American Democracy Project, welc o m e d g u e s t s p e a ke r Isaiah Stanback.

Stanback, a graduate of the Univer sity of Washington, for mer NFL player and now a successful entre preneur, shared the stor y of his jour ney, and also encouraged student-athletes to b e c o m e i nvo l ve d w i t h civic engagement.

Another reason that UNI Athletics received this award was for their effort to tur n the UNIDome into a polling p l a c e. U N I A t h l e t i c s worked with UNI campus leadership and the Black Hawk County Auditor’s office and opened up the UNI-Dome as a polling place for both early voting, as well as voting on Election Day. This was the fir st time that the UNI-Dome had ever been opened as a polling place for the general election, and it allowed voter s plenty of space to safely social distance while filling out and tur ning in their ballot.

UNI has routinely had amongst some of the highest voter registr ation and tur nout of college campuses around the country for the last several years, largely because of organizations like UNI Athletics and Panther s Vote getting the word out of the importance of voting during each general election. Most of the time, Nor ther n Iowa’s voting efforts have gone unnoticed, but by receiving this award they are being recognized. The award will likely only further the get-out-andvote effort in many future elections to come at UNI as well as the surrounding Cedar Valle y ar e a.

Toni Fortmann/Northern Iowa

The University of Northern Iowa routinely has among the best voter turnout of college campuses in the country, in large part to the registration efforts by campus groups such as UNI Athletics.

Toni Fortmann/Northern Iowan

The UNI-Dome was used as a polling place for the general election this year, which helped play a part in UNI’s athletic department in winning the Pursuing Victory with Honor award.

KARLA DE BRUIN Managing Editor

FUN & GAMES NOVEMBER 5, 2020 |

Clavier” composer 41 Taking medication 1 “Ta-ta!”

42 Final flight destinations?

6 Kaput 44 Kitchen shelf array 10 Musical ending 14 Ready for the operation 49 Hitchhiking and texting?

15 Dance that may involve 54 Tick repellent 55 __ Club a chair 56 When repeated, fish on 16 “Amores” poet a menu 17 Eggs-uberant hen?

57 “That being the case ... “ 19 Like used books 20 __ Xtra: cherry soda 58 Letters after E? 59 What young elephants brand do for fun?

21 Apple on a desk 22 Word with ring or book 61 The third Mrs. Roy Rogers 23 Rights org.

62 Airer of many NCAA 24 Loon, at times? games 27 Butler on a plantation 63 Farm stray 29 Like Colbert’s show 64 1974 CIA spoof 30 Kiss 65 Reasons 35 Summit 36 Do some ‘80s Sochi sun- 66 Cornered, in a way bathing?

40 “The Well-Tempered

Across

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

Down

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1 Not up to snuff 2 Increase the value of 3 Consumer-friendly?

4 Hedge opening 5 Biblical traveler 6 Former SeaWorld attraction 7 Georgetown athletes 8 Eponymous vacuum brand 9 Roofer’s supply 10 Popular Toyotas 11 Has in common 12 Line through the middle 13 Include 18 Pot top 22 Lacking color 25 Ben of Ben & Jerry’s 26 “Toy Story” dinosaur 28 Scolder’s cluck 31 In the __ of 32 Creator of Iceland’s Imagine Peace Tower 33 Ties may be broken in them, briefly 34 Only half-pretentious?

36 Bar by the tub 37 If truth be told 38 Does a ragtime dance 39 “That’s disgusting!”

40 Skeeter eater 43 “60 Minutes” network 45 One slightly changed this clue 46 Storm shelter, say 47 Blues great Smith 48 Fired up 50 Sect in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County 51 Like maple trees and pigeons?

52 Ruling descendants of Genghis 53 Thing to confess 58 DJ’s inventory 59 Strange (to) 60 “Silent Spring” subj.

VOLUME 117, ISSUE 23

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CLASSIFIEDS NOVEMEBR 5, 2020 |

CROSSWORD

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

|

KARLA DE BRUIN Managing Editor

VOLUME 117, ISSUE 23

Puzzle Answers SUDOKU ONE

SUDOKU TWO

!

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