12-5-22

OPINION PAGE 3

CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 5

Mark Nook joins the game

Panther Esports celebrat ed their latest milestone with none other than University President Mark Nook.

On Dec. 1, Panther Esports launched a campus-wide Minecraft server.

pus together. “I wanted to really get that big community outreach,” he said. “The whole plan was just to do a huge community engagement proj ect that will last from now into the spring semester.”

N.I. EN ESPAÑOL

Traducción: Fast Forward Workshop conecta estudiantes con

profesionales

“Kinnick: The Documentary”, y la última sesión exploraron los drones entre las otras medi as de la última tecnología.

Contribución de Karina Ortiz editora asociada de español.

Los participantes de la Fast Forward Digital Media Workshop 2022, recibieron cua tro sesiones completas el 4 de noviembre de 2022. Los ora dores de cada sesión son exper tos en los medios de comuni cación en el Medio Oeste que hablaron sobre las coberturas de noticias, contenido creativo, transmisión en vivo y cobertu ra deportiva. Adicionalmente, la primera sesión fue el ora dor y un exalumno de UNI, Christopher Cook, productor de

“Las dos más grandes expe riencias fueron aprender de estos expertos pero también crear un establecimiento de contactos. Poder ir e introdu cirte a alguien que es un exper to en este campo y hacer esa conexión es muy valioso”, dice el profesor de comunicación de UNI y el co-coordinator del taller, Eric Braley.

El taller fue gratis para los participantes y se proporcionó el almuerzo, gracias al patro cinio del Departamento de Comunicación en UNI y con Iowa Broadcasters Association Foundation.

MALLORY SCHMITZ News Editor

As Panther Esports President Tanner Braun said, the idea was meant to bring people from all areas of cam

Student Health Center calls for health supplies donations for cold and flu season

FATEMEH KARGARZADEH Staff Writer

It is that time of year again — the cold and flu season. The Panther community is here to support the students with their well-being. The Student Health Center is hosting a health drive

for its community from Nov. 28 until Dec. 9.

It would be greatly appre ciated from the Student Health Center if faculty members and students would be able to donate any of the following items: hand sanitizer, pain relievers like ibu

profen, cold and flu medicine, boxes of Kleenex, cough drops, over-the-counter medicine and thermometers. The cold and flu medicine and pain relievers need to be brand new.

The items listed above can be dropped off at the Student Health Center from Monday through Friday during the Student Health Center hours, which are 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. There is a table right inside of the Student Health Center where items can be dropped off.

The items that get donated to the Student Health Center will be sent to the Panther Pantry for students who are in need of health supplies during flu season.

Sarah Behrends has been the interim director of the Student Health Center since the beginning of this year on Sept. 1. She originally started working at the Student Health

Center in June of 2019 as the assistant director of nursing.

“It’s just a way for us to sup port our Panther Pantry. We’ve understood that the donations are really going quickly in the Panther Pantry, and so it was just a better way we could sup port the Panther Pantry and pro vide some materials for students to utilize, especially during the cold season,” Behrends said.

The Panther Pantry goes through cold and flu medicine quite fast, which is why the Student Health Center decided to help the pantry by hosting a health drive.

It is important to be able to help the students who are in need of these items, especially this time of year when sickness comes around.

It is imperative that students and faculty members know about the drive so that we can all help support each other. “It’s a way you can show your sup

port to students that are less fortunate or unable to purchase these items on their own. It is just a way to show support,” Behrends said.

By donating to the Student Health Center, we as a commu nity can show that by coming together, we can do great things for each other. Donating is one of the ways we show that we care for each other’s well being.

“In the spirit of giving, I hope that those that are able to help stop and give to those that are unable to purchase the items on their own,” Behrends said.

Behrends and the rest of the Student Health Center staff hope that we all can support each other’s well-being by donating. It is always important to stop a minute and think how we as a community can help those who are less fortunate.

EMMA KOEHLER Escritora YESSENIA RODRÍGUEZ Traductora

EMMA KOEHLER

Health items including unopened cold and flu medicine, cough drops and thermometers can be dropped off right inside of the Student Health Center on weekdays from

NIXSON BENITEZ

University President Mark Nook joined Panther Esports for the launch of their campus-wide Minecraft server. Panther Esports President Tanner Braun joined President Nook for a livestream of him playing the game in the Esports Lounge in Maucker Union.

CAMPUS LIFE Check out updates on the Campanile construction from the Verdin Company.

OPINION Nkasa Bolumbu presents an Iranian student’s perspective on the current state of Iran.

SPORTS UNI Volleyball falls to Minnesota, ending NCAA tournament run.

New Panther Esports Minecraft server creates community, one block at a time

COURTESY/CHRIS MARTIN

Eric Bradley (en la izquierda) y Christopher Cook (en la derecha) productor de “Kinnick: The Documentary”.

MINECRAFT SERVER

continued from page 1

The club’s plans for com munity outreach included none other than President Nook, as he was invited down to the Esports Lounge in Maucker Union to play Minecraft on the newly launched server, which was also livestreamed on Twitch.

The day of the launch, Panther Esports tabled in Maucker Union to gain interest and asked people passing by for a list of ideas for what President Nook should do while he played Minecraft that day. By the end of the stream, President Nook completed almost every objec tive on the list, including mak ing a pickaxe, fighting a zombie

and traveling to the Nether, the second dimension within the game.

Panther Esports Vice President Anna Plathe said that the exec board is very pleased with how the launch went. “I would say it was a pretty suc cessful launch. We did launch at noon, and we did have the pres ident here at 3:00, which that’s a busy class time,” she said.

“I think our top was over 40 people on the Twitch, and we had around at least 40 people in the room, so around 80 people during a busy class time, right near finals,” she said.

The server provides a com mon online space for UNI stu dents to play Minecraft, the best-selling video game to date.

A team worked on coordinating the back-end details of the serv er, and some community mem bers created the spawn point in the server, which includes recreations of the UNI logo and the Panther Esports logo out of blocks in the game.

“We have a lot of plans for the future for some community building events,” Plathe said. “So like every week maybe having a build of the week high lighting different community members.” Possible events also include completing mazes and one-versus-one battles in which players can duel one another.

The Minecraft server may also lead to educational oppor tunities as well.

“We’ve had clubs reach out to us, like computer club, and we want to get them involved as well,” Braun said. “We’ve had talks of having a part of our club to build video games them selves, and so they can hopeful ly get involved in this so we can teach people even coding kind of stuff through Minecraft, so we see a lot of possibilities.”

Aside from community out reach, Panther Esports is also taking action with accessibility to online games.

so you don’t have to buy a $30 Minecraft account.”

When putting together the components for the server, the team made it so up to 1,000 people can be on the server at a time. Additionally, the server supports both the Java version, accessible on computers, and the Bedrock version, accessible on Xbox, PlayStation and the mobile app.

“And really like with all of our events, we’re not just trying to get people that are in our club. We’re trying to get people who just want to come in and just play a game,” Braun said.

This is the first semester that Panther Esports has occupied their current space in Maucker Union, in the former location of the Health Beat gym. According to the Panther Esports execu tives, the space averages around 300 visitors per week, with their busier weeks surpassing 400 visitors.

“This room has exceeded our expectations for communi ty value,” Braun said.

ter to make it clear to poten tial students exactly what their space in Maucker Union is for.

“You can just have a good time and you can make friends here because so many of us have made friends through video games, but to have friends through video games that you know in person, too, is wild,” Seth Franklin, Panther Esports Finance Director, said. “And that’s something that can only really happen at college, so we want to get kids in from high school touring the place, seeing this, seeing that as a possibility, getting excited about it, then coming to the university and getting involved in that.”

The Panther Esports executive team estimates that around 40 people were on the server at the same time as President Nook, and around 40 people were gathered in the Esports Lounge to watch him play. The space, new to Panther Esports this semester, has an average of 300 visitors per week.

“There’s tons of kids on cam pus who don’t have a computer, who don’t have a Minecraft account, and then we’re here and we can provide that stuff,” Braun said. “We can provide accounts, we can provide a computer so that this can be an accessible thing for everyone,

dades.

“It’s interesting to see that this space is being utilized. President Nook said it in there, too. He was like, ‘yeah, this space wasn’t as utilized, and now look at this,’” he said.

Aside from planning com munity events and competing in gaming tournaments, Panther Esports has been recently focused on the group’s presence on campus. The exec board said that they have worked with campus tour guides this semes

The success of the club wouldn’t be possible without their strong leadership. As Franklin said, “We have a very strong exec board that takes care of things really well as a group, and nobody feels overwhelmed because we’re so well rounded. We each can take apart and handle these massive tasks, like launching a Minecreaft server with the president there. That’s crazy. How many people can do that?”

The Panther Esports Lounge is open to any and all visitors from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. almost every day, and an executive is always present in the room. For more information on joining the Minecraft server and upcoming Panther Esports events, check out their linktree at linktr.ee/ UNIPantherEsports.

HEALTH

DRIVE continued from page 1 WORKSHOP extendida de página 1

Behrends absolutely loves working with the Student Health Center. “To be able to work with the students on another level and to ensure support for them and have students feeling comfortable by knowing they can come to us if they have any needs that come up with their physical and mental health,” Behrends said.

For any more information, please reach out to the Student Health Center at 319-2732009.

La ventaja del taller fue la proyección de “Kinnick: The Documentary” el 3 de noviembre en el auditorio de Lang Hall. El documen tal explora la vida de Nile Kinnick, el nombre que lleva el estadio de fútbol americano de la Universidad de Iowa. Productor Cook se graduó de UNI en el 2008 con una licen ciatura en Electronic Media “Muchas personas se conmov ieron con el documental. Les encantó y fue algo genial para conectar con la comunidad”, Braley dice.

Se estimó que 130 estudi antes asistieran al evento, dos tercios de ellos fueron estudi antes de UNI de diferentes departamentos y un tercio de ellos fueron de otras universi

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“No estimamos cuántas personas podríamos atraer porque no sabíamos qué espe rar después de la pandemia”, comenta Chris Martin, el otro co-coordinator del taller y un profesor de comunicación en UNI. “Esto superó nuestras expectativas”.

Braley estuvo de acuerdo y dice, “[La asistencia] superó mis expectativas. Me quedé impresionado cada persona que dijo sí para participar en el comité. Yo esperaba tener 75 estudiantes que iban a asistir y tener el doble de estudiantes fue increíble”.

“Fue una buena manera de escucharlos y aprender de pro fesionales del campo mediáti co”, confirma Jessa Loges, estudiante de comunicación y estudios digitales interactivos

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de tercer año. “¡Pues existe una amplia gama de oportuni dades dentro del campo y esta conferencia me dio la opor tunidad de escuchar y apren der de otros individuos y de otra manera nunca hubiera hecho!”

“Lo que me llevé de la conferencia fue que tengo que seguir mejorando mis habil idades para ser un candidato más adecuado en el mercado laboral”, cuenta Jacob Butler, estudiante de medios digitales de tercer año.

Antes de este año, el taller fue virtual por la pandemia y fue agradable traer el evento presencial de nuevo.

“Fue maravilloso traer de nuevo la conferencia pres encial después de COVID”, Martin menciona. “Nada es mejor que estar en persona y

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estrechar las manos con los estudiantes y tener discusiones después de los comités”.

Como los dos coordi nadores para este evento, Braley y Martin dividieron las responsabilidades para asegu rar un taller exitoso. Braley organizó el comité trabajando con múltiples horarios y haci endo conexiones con expertos y otras universidades que iban a asistir. Martín se enfocó en el marketing y desarrolló la página de web y escribió el comunicado de prensa.

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Women, life and freedom for Iran

NKASA BOLUMBU Opinion Columnist

“Women, Life and Freedom.” These are the words of the Iranian people. These words hold the hope, the dreams, the pain and the fight to avenge, protect and keep the revolution going.

Three words came to life during the funeral for the young Mahsa Amini on Sept. 17, 2022. Today, thousands carry these three simple yet powerful words.

Amini died in a hospital in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 16, 2022. She was only 22 years old. She was beaten on her way to a detention center days earlier by the morality police following her arrest for an improper hijab according to government standards.

I interviewed a universi ty student of Iranian descent, who gave me her insight on the protests in Iran. “Even out side of Iran, we are not safe, which is why I have chosen to limit the information about myself in this interview.” The Islamic Republic goes to great lengths to punish and threaten those who oppose it.” To pro tect her identity, the student will be referred to as Raha.

Raha was born in Iran, but lives here in the United States. She makes frequent visits to see her family, who are still in Iran. She says that she “can’t express how awful it feels for Iranians outside of Iran to watch the news... You watch your loved ones continuous ly live under such harsh and unimaginable conditions.”

“We used to constantly video chat with my grand parents, but due to the incon sistencies with their internet, there have been times where we haven’t heard from them in weeks. I’m constantly worried and stressed about what will happen next,” Raha states.

“The Islamic Republic has used religion to justify all of

its violent and forceful behav ior for years,” Raha explains. “The protest and the revolu tion in Iran are not against any religion, but against its government and its dictator ship. The people of Iran are not fighting against Islam or the hijab. People are mere ly fighting for freedom from their horrendous government; they want freedom of choice and basic human and women’s rights. The lives of those fight ing for freedom are greatly at risk.”

She continues, “The Islamic Republic is not just a threat to Iran but to the rest of the world as well. Its govern ment has been linked to many terrorist organizations.”

Iranian celebrities and ath letes are not exempt from this treatment either.

Raha says, “The rapper Toomaj Salehi, whose only crime was his lyrics about the corrupted government and for social change, has been arrest ed.” His condition has been unknown for the last month since he was taken by the Iranian authorities, and they are trying to charge him with crimes which are punishable by death.

It’s been reported by the BBC that at least 15,900 pro

testors have been arrested since they started in mid-Sep tember. So far, the recorded death toll is about 348, includ ing children. The numbers will keep increasing. The Islamic Republic, or the regime, is using all its might to repress the revolutionary move ment for “Women, Life, and Freedom.”

Raha adds, “During this time, the Islamic Republic will go to unimaginable lengths to redirect the purpose of the rev olution and take away attention from the people of Iran.” The regime does this by spread ing false information, news and propaganda. Additionally, there are many others, like the NIAC (National Iranian American Council) and vari ous other people and influenc ers who support the Islamic Republic regime. They will help the Iranian government sidetrack and manipulate the spread of information outside of Iran. It is very important to be careful when reading and sharing news relating to the critical situation in Iran, as it can be false news created by the Islamic Republic.

The vast majority of pro testers have been peaceful and unarmed.

Raha states, “People are

being forced into fake con fessions in prison by being tortured, sexually assaulted and their family members are threatened. Everyone in pris on will soon be charged with execution because of practic ing their freedom of speech by either posting on their social media and/or attending anti-government protests in Iran. In the last two months, more than 50 children have been murdered by the hands of the Islamic Republic.”

Protestors essentially have no rights to fair trials; they aren’t being provided with lawyers. However, it’s hard to imagine true justice being given out by courts whose jus tice is denied to people within the country. Iran has one of the highest execution rates in the world.

The BBC reports that about 20 people have been hand ed death sentences, for which “enmity against God” and “corruption on earth” are cited as the charges.

Raha adds, “Young women and men as young as 8 years old are being killed, while those that are older are being detained, tortured and sexually assaulted repeatedly.”

The whereabouts of many protesters who have been taken

or kidnapped by the Islamic Republic are unknown. “Many people who are detained from the protests will be charged with crimes punishable by death and risk execution.”

The youth of Iran are fed up with the lies too. They are sick and tired of the regime’s injustices. They are tired of having repressive, weapon ized interpretations of Islam imposed on everyone, living in fear of the morality police and their government.

Raha states, “We are in a dire situation and need to make as many people aware of the situation as possible. The Iranian people are living in unpredictable and undesirable conditions today and need our support. We need to be their voice and speak up against what is happening.”

History Today’s article about “Women, Life, and Freedom” mentions the 2009 Green Movement protests against the poor economy, to which the government violent ly responded.

What makes this revolution different from all the rest? Today, Iranian women have been burning their hijabs and cutting their hair publicly as a sign of strength and rebellion against the regime.

“Not only has it been one of the longest protests, but it’s the first time we are seeing Iranian women lead such a movement while Iranian men are shoulder to shoulder with them, ready to fight,” Raha says.

The unity in this revolution among not just the genders but the different regions of Iran is another unique factor.

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

Protests have taken the streets in Los Angeles, London and many communities across the globe.

Traditions keeper ceremony

TREVOR MEYERS Staff Writer

UNI has its newest addi tions to the list of Traditions Keepers. As of Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, the December graduates that completed the UNI Traditions Challenge during their time as UNI students finally became Traditions Keepers.

The Traditions Challenge is a way to help make mem ories and create relation ships with other panthers that may last a lifetime. It is also there for students to make the most of their time at UNI and give people the opportunity to partici pate and reflect on activities they were involved in. To participate in the Traditions Challenge, all students must do is take photos of the listed activities. Examples include eating at the din ing center, watching a sports event, attending a musical or theater performance and

so much more.

Besides many price less memories of the col lege experience, students get something if they complete the challenge. If students complete 25 traditions, they will receive a lapel pin; if 45 traditions are complet ed, they get to receive a medallion that they can wear at graduation. Students are also invited to the Traditions Keeper Ceremony, where students are celebrated for keeping the panther spirit alive here at the University of Northern Iowa. Many people enjoy participating in the traditions challenge, such as Grace Juhl, a senior here at UNI who will be graduating this coming May. “I think it’s a great oppor tunity for students to get exposed to all the fun things that UNI has to offer and a great way to get involved with things on campus,” Juhl stated. When it comes to her favorite tradition that she has done so far, she said she

would attend the activities during homecoming week.

There is a simple and easy way to do that when it comes to documenting and keeping track of students’ traditions. First, students download the traditions challenge list, a copy of the traditions challenge presen tation, and students put pho tos on the appropriate slides. Students can even come up with 10 of their traditions that they can submit.

It’s always okay to start students’ Traditions Challenges as students can make friendships and memories from doing the Traditions Challenge. If stu dents have more questions about the traditions chal lenge and what to do to complete it, they can visit alumni.uni.edu/traditions for all students’ traditions challenge needs.

“We have regions like Kurdistan and Balochistan that continue to lead this revo lution despite the worst of the government crackdown and the loss of more lives,” Raha notes. “The most powerful aspect of this revolution is the unity among the Iranian peo ple, both inside and outside of the country. The Iranian people know what they want, which is to get rid of the Islamic Republic, and the line between the two sides is very clear. You are either with the Iranian people or with the Islamic Republic. For the first time, there is no middle ground in this movement, and I think this is beneficial for the revolution.”

Now is not the time to wait and see what happens–change isn’t passive in revolutions.

Raha says that, “The things that have already happened are more than enough. People around the world should not wait for more things to hap pen; this situation is very crit ical, and things are happening fast. They need to act fast and help now!”

Do not give in to the desensitized statistics or the hundreds—the question is not whether the ladder will break but when.

When asked about ways we can help people in Iran, Raha answered, “Raise awareness. Post on different

social media platforms, go to protests and reach out to our state representatives to share our concerns about the situation in Iran. The Islamic Republic turns off the internet when there are movements like this to stop the spread

of news of what events are happening inside of Iran to the outside world. Posting is critical. The Islamic Republic is counting on the world to stop watching and talking about what is happening—to silence its people.” Raha con

tinues, saying, “Put pressure on our own government to take action against the Islamic Republic. Additionally, there are many protests happening everywhere in the world, and another way to show your support is to attend. Power is

in numbers. It shows Iranians hope that we are supporting them.”

“I hope we are victorious in this revolution. I want free dom for everyone, especially women and girls. My hope is for my people in Iran to be able to choose what they wear and freely express themselves without being afraid of dying. I want people to be able to dance on the streets, to sing, and to be happy. My hope is for a new democratic govern ment that listens to its people and separates religion from how it governs. “My only fear is that more people and kids will die on this path of fighting for freedom.”

Revolutions are signs of the times. The signs that some thing has to break are every where—the rotting, inflexible ladder that only a few can make it across if they aban don morals, and the common good, and change on their way to the top. Revolutions are meant to break through that inaccessible ladder.

Raha states, “As protests continue, I’m hopeful that the revolution will be successful and the people of Iran can be free again. Until the Islamic Republic is gone, no Iranian is truly free or safe.”

TY WILLIAMSON

The Amazing Race is a part of the Traditions Challenge. Students, faculty, and staff run across campus, solving different challenges.

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

Protests have erupted worldwide supporting Iranian women and their fight against strict hijab laws. Mahsa Amini died in police custody for allegedly violating Iran’s hijab laws.

Campanile comeback:

Important updates on the campanile, carillon keybord and bells, and when to expect them

The silence of the campanile has been daunting, but soon campus will hear the familiar sounds of bells ringing again.

CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN Stafff Writer

The campanile upgrades have officially commenced, with the carillon keyboard and bells transported to the Verdin Company in Cincinnati, Ohio for renova tion.

According to Tim Verdin, the president of the Verdin

Company, the playing key board is nearly complete, all the original Meneely bells have had cast iron lugs and internal plates removed and the bell frame has been re-assembled. Currently, the company is creating draw ings for new head pieces and clappers for each bell.

According to Nicholas Fisher, a Senior Development

Writer working for the UNI Foundation, the plan is to reinstall the bells either at the end of April or early May. Reinstallation will involve lifting the bells back into the tower, and then installing the new carillon keyboard. The campanile will receive nine new bells, bringing the grand total of bells in the campanile to 56.

Michael Zwanziger, the Director of Facilities Management, notes the fence currently surrounding the campanile remains up as there is still construction occurring in the campanile. It has yet to be determined when the campanile’s plaza will begin renovations.

So far the university has had 500 donors raise just

about $1.5 million out of their $2.2 million goal for campanile upgrades. It is hoped all upgrades and ren ovations to the campanile and surrounding plaza will be complete by UNI’s 150th anniversary in 2026.

Preview

Thursday,

COURTESY VERDIN COMPANY

Panthers fall in Round of 32

ADAM JOHNSON Sports Writer

Following their victo ry in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship, the UNI Panthers went on their way to the NCAA Tournament. UNI traveled to Minneapolis, Minn. to go up against Florida State in the first round on Friday. They did come out victori ous against the Seminoles, and then they were matched up against No. 8 Minnesota in the second round on Saturday. The Panthers could not continue their winning ways, and lost in the final game of their sea son.

First up for the Panthers were the Florida State Seminoles on Friday. The first set was as close as could be, neither team got on any big runs, and the biggest lead in either direc tion was just two points. However, the Panthers did have a timely run in at the end of the set. When they were down 24-22, they went on a 4-0 run to finish off the set, and take the opener, 26-24. To make that run, Inga Rotto had two kills,

Emily Holterhaus had one and Florida State helped out a bit with an attack error for the final point.

The second set looked like it was going to be just like the first, with both teams going back and forth. The score found itself at 15-15, and that is when the Panthers got things going. They tallied up four in a row to go ahead 19-15, a lead that would prove to stick throughout the set. In fact, by the end of the match the Panthers extend ed the lead a bit more, and won 25-19.

The third set had UNI up 2-0, with a chance to send the Seminoles back home early. When down 10-8, the Panthers went on a big 5-0 run to give themselves a 13-10 lead. Once the Panthers took the lead fol lowing this run, they never gave it back the rest of the set. The Seminoles came close on several occasions, bringing it within one point a couple different times, but they could not bring it all the way back. The Panthers completed the sweep, win ning the third set 25-21.

Next up for the Panthers

was No. 8 Minnesota. In the first set, the Panthers snagged a narrow lead early on, but Minnesota got things going later in the set. When the Panthers led 16-14, Minnesota went on a 6-0 run to take a 20-16 lead. UNI only got two more points, so Minnesota ended the set with an 11-2 run, winning 25-18.

The second set did not start well for the Panthers, as Minnesota jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead. Things did not get much better either, as quickly that lead was extended to

11-3. The Golden Gophers ran away with this one, as UNI could never get the lead any closer than six points, and ultimately lost it 25-16.

In the third set, the Panthers would have to win to keep the season alive. Unfortunately, Minnesota was just too much for UNI. They maintained a solid lead early on, but real ly expanded it when they went from up 13-6 to up 17-6. The Gophers would extend the lead all the way up to 22-10. The Panthers brought a little life late in the set, tallying five straight points, but it was not enough, as they lost 25-15. The Gophers completed the sweep of UNI, 3-0.

This was not the way the Panthers would have liked the season to end, but it was a great year for UNI vol leyball. The Panthers were regular season and tourna ment conference champi ons, advanced to the sec ond round of the NCAA Tournament, winning their first NCAA Tournament game since 2017 and fin ished with an impressive 27-8 record.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

UNI goes 1-1 to open conference play

BEN LAHART Sports Writer

The UNI men’s basket ball team played their first two conference games last week as they traveled to Peoria, Ill. on Wednesday to play Bradley University and then played the University of Evansville on Saturday in the McLeod Center.

Against Bradley, both teams started off slow with the score sitting at 7-7 almost halfway through the first half. Beyond that it was still a very close, backand-forth game throughout the half. After the first 20 minutes, UNI led 30-29.

The second half did not fare as well for the Panthers. The game stayed very close but when the Braves gained a lead with 12:30 left in the second half they never looked back. UNI was not able to get the lead for the rest of the game before ulti mately falling to Bradley

68-53.

Bowen Born led the way in scoring with 22 of the team’s 53 points. Trey Campbell and Tytan Anderson both followed up with eight points each. Anderson also led the team in rebounds. UNI as a team shot 35% from the field as well as 38% from three. The men saw a season low in team points in this game as well as their second low est field goal percentage, which ultimately decided the game.

The Panthers had a bounce back game on Saturday with a dominant win over Evansville. UNI did not trail in this game and had a double digit lead that they held for a majority of the game. At halftime the Panthers led by 18 with the score at 38-20.

The last 20 minutes of the game were similar to the first. At about the 15 minute mark, Evansville made a slight surge knock

ing the lead down to just six points. An 11-4 UNI run erased that scare allowing the Panthers to coast out the rest of the game, at some points leading by as much as 20 points. The final score had UNI winning 72-55.

Born had another excel lent performance with 29 points to lead the team. The 5-foot-11-inch sophomore guard has had an impres sive start to the season as he is currently averaging 21.7 points per game, almost tri ple his average last year. Anderson had a season-high in points with 19 as well as a team-high in rebounds with nine. The Panthers shot 45% from the field and 40% from three in the blow out win.

UNI is now 1-1 in MVC games this season and they are 3-0 at home. However, the Panthers are also 0-4 when on the road. UNI cur rently sits tied for third place in the conference ranking in the MVC.The Panthers

will look to continue their excellence at home with three straight home games over the next two weeks.

The first of those will be Tuesday, Dec. 6 against the University of Toledo at 7:30 p.m.

COURTESY/ANDY SAIGH

UNI’s bench rushes the floor after UNI secured their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2017, taking down Florida State 3-0.

STEPH STARK/NORTHERN IOWAN

Bowen Born (13) continued his strong play on Saturday, finishing with 29 points in the victory over Evansville.

For Petersen, family is key to success

EMMA BECKER Guest Writer

With sports, there are highs and lows just like any other aspect of life. It takes a lot of patience to improve and an even greater amount

of support from others to help one get through those harder moments. For Baylee Petersen, a senior defensive specialist on the University of Northern Iowa’s vol leyball team, the support system she has established

when going through rough times in her volleyball career has played a huge part in learning how to bounce back and not lose hope, such as being injured for the 2021 season and not being able to play in any matches.

Petersen has been play ing volleyball for around 13 years, having started in fourth grade, but she had been exposed to volleyball long before then. Her mom, Bobbi Petersen, is the head coach for UNI’s volleyball team. “I was able to watch the girls since I was very young,” Petersen said. “Just being able to see how much they grow throughout all four years was probably what my biggest inspiration was.”

This appreciation for improvement is something that has remained with Petersen into her volley ball career. Petersen said the team goes through rig orous workouts in the off season in the spring to stay in shape and stay motivat ed. “As a team, we are very growth mindset in every thing we do. Being able to have that mindset of yeah,

this is hard and it kind of sucks right now, but you’re going to get through it, you’re going to get better, and even if you don’t suc ceed today, you’re going to come back the next day and do better.”

For example, Petersen connected this same way of thinking with one of the team’s matches against Bradley on Nov. 5. “I had a really bad pass, but just knowing my teammates have my back, that I’ve been practicing, and have been at UNI for five years and that I have the skills to do it has helped,” she said.

But despite the hard times, all of the hard work has felt worth it. The rela tionships that she has estab lished with her teammates, especially with her family on the team which include not just her mom, but her twin sister, Sydney, who joined UNI’s volleyball this year after four years at the University of Texas, and her aunt, Michelle Bolte, who is the Director of Volleyball Operations, have made her glad that she has stayed.

Petersen reflected on her own progress over her five

years at UNI. “I was look ing at some old pictures with my mom and it was really fun to see the young er me playing volleyball,” she said.

Petersen also highlighted the importance of the rest of her family’s encouragement on her volleyball career and how they have really come through to show their sup port. For her, they are every bit a part of the team as well. “My hometown is like 20 minutes away from here so every home game, we have a big support group and I think that pushes me to want to be better. My little sisters also look up to me and I want to be a good role model for them too,” Petersen said.

Even when things get hard, at the end of the day, there are always going to be people to help along the way and be there when they’re needed the most. “Just never give up and know that you have people in your corner that want to see you succeed and want you to do your best and that they have your back no mat ter what,” Petersen said.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

UNI drops game to SDSU, 80-69

CADEN SHEA Sports Writer

The UNI Panthers wom en’s basketball team fell short against the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits after a disap pointing fourth quarter. Despite a strong showing in the first half and much of the third quarter, the Panthers were not able to keep up the barrage and ended up on the losing side of a 80-69 game.

The Panthers defense was the focal point of the game plan in the first quar ter of the game. They used this to their advantage by converting on offense and locking their opponents down on the defensive end. They managed to get their largest lead of the game with seven points before the Jackrabbits would respond with a run of their own, making the score 17-15 with the Panthers on top entering the second quar ter.

The two teams volleyed

for much of the second quarter, trading buckets throughout. Although it looked like the Jackrabbits were going to have a decent lead on the Panthers enter ing the second half, Maya McDermott and Cynthia Wolf both hit shots from behind the arc to cut the Jackrabbits lead to one point going into the final half.

The Panthers looked strong throughout the third quarter. Kam Finley would get things going by hitting a three-pointer off of a turn over early in the quarter. The Panthers once again obtained a seven point lead over their opponent with four minutes left in the third. SDSU fought back, however, and managed to tie the game up going into the fourth and final quarter of play.

UNI started the fourth quarter out by scoring thanks to some early buck ets by Grace Boffeli and a three-pointer by Emerson Green. The Panthers kept

it a highly contested game for the early parts of the fourth quarter with the two teams going back and forth. However, the Panthers were no match for a late-game onslaught by the Jackrabbits. SDSU fin ished the game by scoring 18 points to the Panthers seven, handing UNI an 80-69 loss.

Despite the loss, many Panthers shined on the road. Green led the Panthers in scoring with 17 points with Boffeli and McDermott following with 15 and 14, respectively. The team shined on defense, collec tively recording six steals and six blocks. The team also performed well from behind the arc, recording a total of 10 three-pointers.

The Panthers will try to return to their winning ways when they return home on Tuesday to face the North Dakota State University Bison at 5 p.m. in the McLeod Center. The Bison are currently 6-2 after los ing their last two games.

STEPH STARK/NORTHERN IOWAN

Maya McDermott (0) pitched in 14 points on Saturday in the loss to South Dakota State.

JORDAN JUNGE/NORTHERN IOWAN

Baylee Petersen (8) stands next to her twin sister Sydney (2), preparing to receive a serve.

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

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ANSWERS

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