The ongoing legacy of the UNI Seven

More than 50 years later, how has UNI responded to the demands of the first Black group on campus?

In March 1970, seven students from the Afro-American Society at the University of Northern Iowa gathered at President James W. Maucker’s house on a Monday night to ask him a question — the seven of them, six Black and one white, did not emerge until Tuesday evening, with the peaceful protest resulting in those involved later getting arrested and suspended. They became known as the UNI Seven, and were pioneers for change.

The question was about a proposal from a group of Black students called the AfroAmerican Society for a designated culture center on campus. When they heard it was not included on the Iowa Board of Regents agenda — and the issue of parking was — they went to Maucker’s home to ask him why. When Maucker provided little to no answers, the students decided not to leave until he made some kind of decision.

The development of a culture center for minority students was one of six proposals made by members of the Afro-

American society, in a list that was published in the Northern Iowan. The list included having a culture house, implementing a minority recruitment program, naming a dormitory after Martin Luther King, Jr., increasing minority staff, having more social and cultural events during Black History Month and for the Student Senate to conduct a drive to raise money for the Martin Luther King Scholarship fund. This list of demands was published in 1968, while the sit-in occurred in 1970. So what progress has UNI made with satisfying these demands, decades later?

Creation of the Center for Multicultural Education (CME)

The list of six proposals were presented to the University Committee on Minority Group Education in 1968. Dwight Bachman was the spokesman from the Afro-American Society who delivered these proposals to the committee.

 See SIX PROPOSALS, page 2

Sports

UNI wrestling brings in almost recordbreaking crowd and falls to Iowa State, 19-12.

SPORTS PAGE 6

N.I. EN ESPAÑOL

Traducción: La banda de ánimo de UNI regresa al camino

La banda de ánimo va a atender una conferencia de torneos de basquetbol gracias a un donador anónimo.

Las bandas de ánimos de UNI van a atender la conferencia de torneos de basquetbol de Missouri Valley Conference por la ayuda de un donador anónimo.

El Northern Iowan reportó en noviembre de 2022, que la banda de ánimo no estarían viajando a las conferencias de hombres ni mujeres de torneos de basquetbol por causa de los cortes de presupuesto con las atléticas de UNI.

De acuerdo con el director David Harris del departamento atlético de UNI, desde que publicaron el artículo, un donador ha pasado adelante para proporcionar los fondos que necesitaban para mandar la banda al torneo de los hombres en St. Louis, Mo. y el torneo de las mujeres en Moline, IL.

 Ver BANDA DE ÁNIMO, página 5