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THURSDAY, APRIL 5

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20

VOLUME 114, ISSUE 42

VOLUME 116, ISSUE 37

DEBATE

FILM REVIEW

SOFTBALL

Opinion PAGE 2

CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 5

SPORTS PAGE 6

Elle and Rachel talk platform, take questions.

Film Critic Hunter Friesen reviews “Sonic the Hedgehog.”

The Panthers go 1-4 in Hillenbrand Invitational.

‘Black and Educated’ calls for change ELIZABETH KELSEY News Editor

At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 18, Black Student Union (BSU) hosted a “Black and Educated” panel in the Maucker Union Ballroom.

Five UNI faculty of color shared their educational journeys and answered audience questions about the struggles of being a Black educator, calling for change and concrete action both at UNI and throughout the entire field of academia.

Panelists included Ieshia Brown, academic advisor for Student Support Services; Dr. Mickye Johnson, director of the Upward Bound program; Dr. Irenea Walker, assistant professor of elementary education, Dr. Shuaib Meacham, associate professor of literacy, and Dr. Robert Welch, director of academic advising in the College of Education.

After each panelist introduced himself or herself, the

floor was opened to audience questions. Shannon Jones, a senior choral music education major, asked panelists about a challenge they had faced as Black educators and how they had navigated that challenge. Panelists mentioned the struggle of overcoming stereotypes and preconceived notions about their race.

“One of the roadblocks for me has been being a Black man — being a 6’6’’ black man,” said Welch. “I can walk into a room and be the most knowledgeable person in the room, [but] nobody sees that. They see my size, they see my stature and they hear my voice. The word I hear a lot is ‘intimidation.’ I intimidate white people. Why? I don’t know.

I’ve had to learn how to circumvent that.”

Walker said that in her role as an elementary teacher, she had to work to convince parents of her

TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan

qualifications for the job.

“One of the challenges that I encountered as a new teacher was […] my white parents not taking me seriously, [not] understanding that I was placed in this position, I am competent and I can teach your child,” she said.

Brown and Johnson addressed the challenge of not only convincing others to believe in Black teachers and students, but also convincing the Black students themselves of their own potential.

“I limited myself,” Brown said. “I didn’t apply for things that I could’ve. Don’t settle

for less; push and pursue.”

“The hardest thing is to get somebody that don’t believe that they’re intelligent, don’t believe that they can achieve, to believe that and then to achieve it,” Johnson added.

“My emphasis on the festival has always been on education,” said UNI Director of Jazz Studies Christopher Merz. “While it is judged and points are awarded, one of the innovations that I brought in, maybe about 12 or 14 years ago, was to ramp up the educational opportunities. Each band, in addition to the performance slot, goes off into a room with a professional jazz musician who has heard their set. That person works with the band for 25 minutes, so they get a full-length clinic as well as the written and recorded comments from the panel of judges.”

For the songs that the high school bands play, it is expected that they do one song in the traditional swing rhythm style. Besides that, the bands are free to choose whatever repertoire they would like.

Even with this creative freedom, Merz has noticed a pattern among the performances.

After they play a swing tune, the bands will usually play something slow followed by a Latin tune. However, Merz said he enjoys it when their performances are taken in a different direction.

To add variety to each year’s festival, a guest artist is brought in to perform and teach the students more about jazz music performance. This year’s artist is Myra Melford.

“Every year we bring a guest,” said Merz. “Things were different long ago so I can’t really speak to that, I’ve only been here 20 years.

The guest artist provides a clinic workshop for the students and an evening concert where that person solos with Jazz Band One. I have tried to get people who are composers, people who will play their own music. Myra teaches at U.C. Berkeley and she has won a Guggenheim Fellowship which is kind of a big deal. I first encoun-

tered her music on a recording, she has a band called ‘Be Bread.’ I was so taken by her compositions that I listened to her album ‘The Image of Your Body’ for like, a month.”

For his role in the show, Merz works as a faculty advisor with the fraternity that puts on the show, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He picks the guest artist for the show and takes input from students.

In addition to problem solving, he considers one of his biggest responsibilities to be institutional memory. This means that he provides continuity and historical background from one festival to the next, which allows them to tweak the system.

Senior composition major Isaac Smith is managing the show and Merz expressed gratitude for his contribution to it.

See BAE PANEL, page 2

UNI to host Tallcorn Jazz Festival COLBY WEBER Staff Writer

Between Thursday, Feb. 20 and Friday, Feb. 21, over 60 jazz bands will be competing for points to earn a spot within the Iowa Jazz Championships during the 65th Tallcorn Jazz Festival, which is put on by the local Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia chapter.

NI Archives

The Tallcorn Jazz Festival consists of two parts. There is a competition between the high school bands and there are concerts from UNI Jazz Bands One and Two titled “Sinfonian Dimensions in Jazz.” Each jazz band in the high school area consists of 17-25 players. From there, the competitors are further broken up into school divisions.

See TALLCORN, page 5

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FEBRUARY 20, 2020 |

NEWS

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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ELIZABETH KELSEY News Editor

VOLUME 116, ISSUE 37

NISG debate: Elle, Rachel talk platform for all students, to be used by all professors on campus.

“Your name is your identity,” Boeding said.

She stated that using chosen names is an easy way to make students feel as comfortable as possible on campus.

Student comfort and success came through in every answer Boeding and Greene offered throughout the night. When Bass asked what they want their legacy to be at UNI, Boeding emphasized that the two “care deeply about student success.”

“I want every student we encounter to know that they are cared for,” she said.

Greene agreed, stating that she hopes to create a campus culture where students are proud to be Panthers.

“I want to make students feel more than happy with the decision that they made to come to UNI,” she said.

Bass then moved to audience questions, which covered topics from campus sustainability to Boeding and Greene’s plans to improve NISG. Boeding stressed that her goal is to make NISG more accessible and transparent for students and to help students

feel that NISG is something with which they can be involved, regardless of prior experience.

“For me as someone who has been passionate about social justice and politics and making things better for other people for my entire life, [the fact that] I didn’t get involved until this year because I didn’t think that I could is not okay,” Boeding said.

She added that as president and vice president, she and Greene want to ensure that all students know who their NISG representatives are, how to contact them and how NISG allocates funding for student organizations.

Several questions asked Boeding and Greene to comment on their plans to address budget cuts and hold higher administration accountable.

Boeding stressed that as president, she would focus on asking “the hard questions” as soon as possible, before decisions are made which affect students. “[We need] to ask why ‘because that’s the way it’s always been done’ is an okay answer, and [be] okay with challenging that,” she said.

Greene added that in holding administration accountable,

she and Boeding would take their cue from the work initiated by the Racial and Ethnic Coalition (REC) throughout this academic year. She said that REC has set a strong example of how to engage with university administration on student concerns.

As an all-female ticket, Greene said that she and Boeding feel honored to represent a demographic — both women in general and women of color — who may not have previously seen themselves in positions of power on campus.

“As a black woman, there’s very little representation of me anywhere on this campus, let alone in NISG,” she said. “We just want to make sure that we

do everyone proud.”

However, the pair also recognized that there are issues on which they cannot speak from personal experience, and that student voices are crucial. “[We want to] ensure that we’re actually listening to what students are saying, and not assuming that we know what they say, because that has been a systemic issue on this campus: white individuals not knowing what the actual experience is and then thinking that they can speak on behalf of that experience,” Boeding said.

Bass concluded the evening by reminding students to vote in the NISG elections, which will be held Feb. 25 through 26 in MyUNIverse.

The panelists also discussed the concept of “colorblindness,” the view that educators should “not see” color. All the panelists agreed that the idea, though it may sound positive, is detrimental to minority students, since not seeing the color of a student is equivalent to not valuing their culture, their background and their struggles.

“If I don’t see color, it is a disservice to my students, because then I don’t understand how they’re navigating through the process or how other people view them or treat them on campus,” said Brown. “Denying any part of a person discredits who they are as a human being.”

“Color does matter,” Welch said. “You can’t treat a black

problem with a white cure.”

The conversation turned serious as Ryan Frank, senior Spanish and sociology major, asked panelists to describe their perspective on being a Black professor at UNI and whether they felt welcomed.

“Every non-Black person in this room, I’m going to ask you a question,” said Welch in response. “Before me sitting up here this evening, if you were to walk past me on campus, would you go out of your way to speak to me? Raise your hand.”

The room was silent. Slowly, two hands were raised.

“Does that answer your ‘welcoming’ question?” Welch asked Frank. “I can count the number of times on one hand where students look me in the eye and speak and I can count on the other hand the number of times where faculty and

staff do. Do I feel welcome at UNI? Absolutely not. But do I let that get in the way of what I have to do? Absolutely not.”

Johnson offered a clear condemnation of the university’s lack of diversity.

“Since we’re in academia, giving [UNI] a grade, I would give it an F,” he said. “Tell me that it’s all right to have a department that’s all white [faculty] and we’re in 2020.

Tell me that things have gotten better. It hasn’t. We have fewer Black people on campus now than we had back in 1970. How is that progress?”

As the panel concluded, the speakers offered concrete ways that UNI students, especially white students, can contribute to a positive shift on campus.

“Speak.

Change.

Intentionally be different,” Welch said, encouraging white students to go out of their way

to include their Black peers in group assignments and acknowledge them on campus.

Brown agreed, describing her experiences as one of the few Black staff members in a previous job, where her white co-workers rarely spoke to her unless she addressed them. “[People of color] shouldn’t have to talk to you first,” Brown said. “The person of color in your office shouldn’t have to be the one who’s always being welcoming.”

Panelists also emphasized the importance of self-education and expanding one’s cultural horizons. Johnson encouraged attendees to read materials outside their discipline, and Walker called for future educators to introduce students to Black advocates beyond the well-known Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Educate yourself. If you

don’t know, how can you teach?”

Welch asked.

Students who attended the panel appreciated the educational opportunities it offered.

Sydney Foster, a junior biology education major, and Patten Tody, a junior communications and family services major, were both inspired by the stories of the panelists. As students of color, they emphasized the power of representation that the panel showed.

“It’s good to hear and see other people of color on campus who have been successful, who have navigated the field of academia and they made it,” Foster said. “It was encouraging to see that.”

“I didn’t know that we have people like that on campus — I didn’t know any of those people,” Tody added. “It’s amazing to see that we have people like that that we can reach out to.”

NORTHERN IOWAN

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CIRCULATION

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Advertising errors that are the fault of the Northern Iowan will be corrected at no cost to the advertiser only if the Northern Iowan office is notified within seven days of the original publication. Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement at any time.

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A copy of the Northern Iowan grievance procedure is available at the Northern Iowan office, located at L011 Maucker Union.

All material is © 2019 by the Northern Iowan and may not be used without permission.

ELIZABETH KELSEY News Editor

This year’s Northern Iowa Student Government (NISG) debate wasn’t so much a “debate” as a town hall.

The event traditionally gives competing presidential tickets the chance to debate their platforms and plans for the university. However, since Elle Boeding and Rachel Greene are the only ticket running for student body and vice president, this year’s event, hosted in the Maucker Union Coffeehouse at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19, featured Boeding and Greene discussing their platform with students.

NISG Chief Justice Bekah Bass served as the moderator for the evening. After attendees had a half hour period to talk informally with those running for senator positions, Bass began the presidential portion of the evening by giving Boeding and Greene the chance to introduce themselves. She then asked the pair about an original initiative which they hope to accomplish.

Boeding described their plan to create and implement a publicized list of chosen names, pronouns and name pronunciations

BAE PANEL

continued from page 1

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OPINION

GABRIELLE LEITNER Executive Editor

FEBRUARY 20, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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VOLUME 116, ISSUE 37

Disclaimer: The opinions featured in The Northern Iowan do not reflect the views of The Northern Iowan staff as a whole.

Guest column: it’s a great big world Editor’s Note: The following column was submitted by Megan Bradford, a senior public relations major with a minor in marketing.

With graduation just around the corner this May personally the thought of, “where am I going?” and “how far is too far?” crosses my mind at least a few times a day. Sure, I have tentative plans for myself but nothing is set in stone. I don’t think that until I walk across the stage holding my diploma in hand that it will actually hit me that my college career is over and that it is time to move on. To where though?

The future is frightening but the possibilities are endless.

My older sister, Madison, moved to New York City not long after graduation in September of 2018 with the dream to make the Big Apple her new home. She had a plan and made that plan come to life. How I wish I had her confidence and go-getter mindset. I have often thought to myself, “Wow, I could

never go that far.” Many dream of moving to NYC but for Madison, her dream is now her reality and man, is she killing it.

I have lost track of how many times people have asked, “So, are you going to go join your sister?” The answer is a big fat no. NYC for me is overwhelming and not a place I can see myself living, ever. I struggle with the idea of moving to Minneapolis or Kansas City. Being far away from home and my family is quite terrifying for me. I am very much a homebody and like to remain close to my family, friends and anything familiar. I have realized that going across the country isn’t for everyone and that is okay.

Of course, I would like to get out of Iowa for a bit but I am certain that I will always call it home.

Whether I decide to explore west of Iowa or venture somewhere down south, I say that with the end goal of being back close to Iowa afterwards. I long for some

adventure and know that there is no time like the present to go and find that adventure. Being from Cedar Falls and going to college in the same town becomes repetitive and, quite honestly, boring. I am in dire need of a change of scenery.

“If you don’t go right after college, you never will.” This message has been lingering in my head over the past few months when trying to map out my life come May. I wish I could pinpoint exactly who said this to me but regardless of who said it, it has stuck with me. I have heard it in different variations but all with the same message: go and travel after college or one day you’ll realize you don’t have the chance to do so.

You’re only young once and we should all take advantage of that.

I am one that puts doing what is best for myself off to the side, to focus on the present or to focus on concerns of others. I made a vow to myself not long ago

Pexels

Guest Columnist Megan Bradford reflects on her time living in Cedar Falls and what her future holds.

that I won’t hesitate, I will go and explore this big beautiful world. Of course, I am nervous about the process and all of the work it will take to end up somewhere different but that is all part of growing up and moving on. Thankfully, I have a more than supportive family behind me and countless other individuals who also want what to see me thrive.

The point of this (short) article is to not sit here and talk about myself but to hopefully push those who are hesitant to go out and explore.

If you would have asked me this time last year what I was doing, my plan would have been extremely different and I would have said Iowa will be home forever. The world is too big to sit back and watch others have all of the fun.

Wellness Services: Eating Disorder Awareness Week Editor’s Note: The following guest column was submitted by Student Wellness Services.

In the U.S., 30 million people are impacted from a clinically significant eating

disorder at some point in their life, including Anorexia Nervosa (AN), Bulimia Nervosa (BN), Binge Eating Disorder (BED) or an Other Specified Feeding or Eating

Disorder (OSFED) (NEDA, 2018). Approximately 95% of those who have eating disorders are 12-25 years old (MEDA, 2020). If eating disorders impact this large of a population, why are they so easily overlooked?

Student Wellness Services wants to help increase your awareness of eating disorders, gain tools to become an intuitive eater and boost body positivity on campus. Show your support by participating in the following National Eating Disorder Awareness Week Events on February 24-28, 2020. The events are sponsored by Student Wellness Services, Student Health Advisory Committee, UNI Dining, Eating Disorder Coalition of Iowa, Student Health Center, and

Recreation Services.

The schedule of events for National Eating Disorder Awareness Week is as follows:

•Love Your Body Yoga (February 24-28): Attend FREE yoga classes all week with Recreation Services.

Check out the schedule for class times at the WRC and Health Beat: https://recreation.uni.edu/fitness •K ar a Richardson Whitely Guest Speaker (February 25): Come hear Kara talk about her experiences as a plus-sized author who climbed Mount Kilamanjro three times!

Maucker Union Ballroom A, 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

•The Gene Project (February 25-27): Learn how to “love the genes” you’re in! Chat about Health

at Every Size with Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) on WednesdayThursday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

•Intuitive Eating Lunch & Learn (February 27): Bring your own lunch and learn how to live out an intuitive eating lifestyle!

Maucker Union Plaza Conference Room, 12 p.m.-1 p.m.

•Fat Talk Free Friday (February 28): Check out SWS social media to dismantle negative self-talk!

Stop by and check them out! For more information, contact Jenna Petersen at jenna.petersen@uni.edu or visit our website: studentwellness.uni.edu. SWS is looking forward to learning and spreading awareness together!

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CAMPUS LIFE FEBRUARY 20, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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CECILIA MITCHELL Campus Life Editor

VOLUME 116, ISSUE 37

Panther PORTRAIT: job & internship fair SOFIA LEGASPI

Staff Writer

UNI’s semi-annual Career Fair took place in the McLeod Center on Monday, Feb. 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Students were able to network with over 170 organizations and explore potential jobs, internships, volunteer opportunities and graduate programs.

Some students were visiting the fair for the first time on Monday while others were seasoned attendees.

Senior accounting major Evan Dosedel, who said it was his fifth or sixth time at the fair, encouraged students who might be nervous about the event to step out of their comfort zone.

“Always come,” he said.

“Just get comfortable with walking around and talking to

people and know beforehand who you want to talk to so you can plan that out.”

Lance Gesell, who was representing Menards at the fair, also recommended students have a plan.

“Have an idea on what you’re looking for as far as direction with a company,” he said. “Have some goals set for yourself to talk about.”

The quality Gesell looks for most in potential job candidates is an outgoing personality. Another job recruiter, Rachel Boyle, cited the importance of leadership and communication skills.

“Go out of your comfort zone and just talk to [job recruiters] because you never know who knows someone or has a connection, and you can really go way farther than if you were just to stay in

and not go out of your comfort zone,” said Boyle, who is an HR Generalist at VT Industries.

Even though he has been to several career fairs, Dosedel said each experience has better taught him what recruiters are looking for and how to interact with them well. “[I enjoy] learning about all the different positions available and then the opportunities that I had no idea were even out there,” he said. “Talking to people can lead to new things you didn’t know about.”

UNI Career Services provides various resources for students seeking employment, advice or simply direction in their future. Their office is located at 102 Gilchrist Hall, and more information can be found at careerservices.uni. edu.

SOFIA LEGASPI/Northern Iowan

Unash presents senior bassoon recital in GBPAC ANTHONY WITHEROW Staff Writer

When passionate musicians collaborate, people can often be treated to wonderful compositions and thrilling performances. Such was the case when music student Aaron Unash presented his senior bassoon recital on Feb. 17 in Davis Hall at Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.

Accompanied by faculty artist Robin Guy on piano, the brief performance consisted of three pieces. The event was free and open to the public.

The first piece performed was Antonio Vivaldi’s “Bassoon Concerto in E minor, RV 484.” The piece is cast into three movements.

The first movement opens with the piano busy, fastpaced theme, after which the bassoon presents its version

of it. The second movement slows the pace down and brings the tone to a more somber feel before introducing the third movement, which is as lively and busy as the first movement.

The second piece was José Siqueira’s “Three Etudes for Bassoon and Piano.” Like the first piece, this one was also cast into three movements.

The first movement fluctuated in tonality, starting with a slower, more somber tone with many whole notes and shifting to a smooth, upbeat tone with many quarter and eighth notes towards the end. The second movement maintains a dark, drab tonality, despite the pitch ranging from high to low. The third movement is a complete contrast to the previous, with a much faster pace and upbeat tone, using many eighth notes before its abrupt end-

ing.

The third piece performed removed the piano entirely and was strictly bassoon. Composed by William Davis, the piece “Serenade for Solo Bassoon” is one long solo not broken up into movements. The pace is very frenetic at first, but once it gets closer to the end, the pace begins to vary.

The tonality and pitch constantly fluctuate throughout the 11 minute solo. This was more of a showcase of Unash’s bassoon expertise than the other two pieces.

Unash grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He plans to graduate this spring with a degree in general studies in music. He began playing bassoon in 6th grade at Harding Middle School.

See RECITAL, page 5

GABRIELLE LEITNER/Northern Iowan

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CAMPUS LIFE

CECILIA MITCHELL Campus Life Editor

FEBRUARY 20, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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VOLUME 116, ISSUE 37

‘Sonic’ can’t outrun its problems HUNTER FRIESEN Film Critic

It’s been almost a year now since we were exposed to the horror that came with the first trailer for “Sonic the Hedgehog.” The blue furball we loved as a kid was turned into a monster with human teeth, small eyes and freakishly long legs. After the overwhelmingly negative reactions, Paramount Pictures announced they would be delaying the movie and taking time to redesign Sonic to better fit his classic video game look. Now in February 2020, “Sonic the Hedgehog’’ has been released with improved visual effects.

The story takes place in the small town of Green Hills, Mont. Sonic is living his best life there as he causes mischief for the residents and partakes in other fun activities.

On one night, Sonic’s actions get the better of him and he attracts the attention of the U.S. Government, who hires the insane Dr. Robotnik to track him down. Needing to go on the run, Sonic recruits the help of local police officer Tom Wachowski. The two set out on the road, getting into hijinks along the way.

Directing: 2/5 Directed by Jeff Fowler, “Sonic the Hedgehog” doesn’t have enough originality to warrant its existence as a movie. The structure of the story is eerily similar to “E.T.

RECITAL

continued from page 4

At Kennedy High School, he was involved in many musical groups; he was in the drumline and frontline in marching band and played piano in jazz band and show choir. He was involved in the All-State Music Festival his junior and senior years, playing in the band and orchestra.

After graduation, Unash attended Kirkwood Community College for two years. He was involved in small chamber groups, concert band, jazz band and a steel drum ensemble. At UNI, Unash has been involved in Panther Marching Band, West African Drum Ensemble, Taiko Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and NISO. Unash is also a member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity and volunteers with the Tallcorn Jazz Festival, helping out at their grilled cheese food cart.

Unash hopes to learn instrument repair after his time at UNI. He plans to attend Minnesota State College Southeast in Red Wing, Minn. for an instrument repair program.

Tribune News Service

the Extra-Terrestrial” as an alien creature gets stuck on our planet and must rely on an unassuming human to help him return to his homeworld.

The only difference here is that after the initial setup, the story turns into a bit of a buddy road trip movie. But the road trip structure here also apes other computer-effect character movies such as “Looney Tunes: Back in Action” and “The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.”

Fowler does impress slightly as two moments pop up that make for great fun, which are the moments where time slows down to account for Sonic’s super speed. It’s a nice comedic bit that shows

TALLCORN

continued from page 1

After he’s done working with the fraternity on the show, Merz’s favorite part of the festival is the final concert that’s put on during the second night.

“The concert during the second night is always my favorite part,” Merz said. “It’s so rare in an academic setting for musicians to get a chance to play the exact same concert twice in a row. Jazz music is largely improvised. That means that you’re stepping out on a limb every time you play. It’s always going to be a little bit different.

The first night is usually about trying to tick all of the boxes and be correct and accurate.

It’s about playing the ensemble music right and playing a nice concert. The second night is

off Sonic’s powers, even if it plays almost shot for shot the same as Quicksilver’s scene from “X-Men: Days of Future Past.”

It’s also important to point out that the decision by Paramount to redesign Sonic turned out to be the right move. The new look is very well done and is more appropriate to the character.

Writing: 2/5 While also being a ripoff of “E.T.,” the script for “Sonic the Hedgehog” also takes a few too many ideas from the playbook of other kids’ movies, most notably the self-referential humor found in “The Lego Movie” and its sequel.

‘Okay, we did the safe one. Now let’s take some risks.’ They don’t always work out, but it’s just so exciting to be a part of that.

People bloom when they get another chance at something.”

When UNI students show up to listen to the concert, Merz said that he hopes that they develop an appreciation for the passion that young people still have for jazz music.

He wants them to understand that jazz isn’t just the music of the 1930s, 40s or 50s. As he has continued to be a part of the festival for 20 years, the repertoire of music has grown and evolved. Through the Tallcorn Jazz Festival, Merz said he wants everyone to realize that jazz is an evolving and inclusive music that takes from all kinds of influences and sources.

CALLING ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS! Turn your passion into a career!

For more information, contact Art Director Gabriella Cummings or fill out an application on northerniowan.com.

This is a paid position and a great resume builder!

But while the Lego movies were able to catch lightning in a bottle, Sonic’s attempt is impeded by a less than talented committee of writers.

The producers must have needed money to fund the character redesign as it seems they sold off some of their jokes to corporate entities.

Many recurring gags surround Amazon, Uber, Zillow and Olive Garden. None of these jokes land and only get more shallow as the movie goes on.

There are also quite a few pandering pop-culture references to the likes of Keanu Reeves and the floss dance. Yes, Sonic flosses in this movie not once but on two separate occasions.

Acting: 2/5 Ben Schwartz voices the titular blue speedster. For better and worse, Schwartz is the definitive voice of the character, supplying a sly, sarcastic tone. He can be quite grating at times but it’s also not entirely his fault due to the poor material he’s been given.

James Marsden as Tom Wachowski fares the best out of the human characters. His performance solely consists of him reacting to his furry sidekick’s antics. You can tell that Marsden isn’t interacting with a real object, making for some awkward scenes.

Lastly, generational talent Jim Carrey plays the oddball villain, Dr. Robotnik. Carrey falls onto his usual schtick of thinking that high energy equals great comedy. He’s begging you to like him as he bounces around in a similar fashion to his earlier roles.

Overall: 2/5 “Sonic the Hedgehog” is about as bad as I was led to believe but not as bad as I feared it would be.

What’s ironic is that the best part of the movie, the visual effects, used to be the worst part. If only Paramount had decided to redesign the whole movie and turn it into something worthwhile instead of this needless cash grab.

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SPORTS FEBRUARY 24, 2020 |

WRESTLING

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

COLIN HORNING Sports Editor

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VOLUME 116, ISSUE 38

Panther Train takes down Badgers COLIN HORNING

Sports Editor

Rounding out the regular season slate of matches for the UNI Panther wrestling team was a trip to Madison, Wis. for a match against the University of Wisconsin Badgers. Coming into the match ranked No. 17 in the nation, the Panther men would take down the 12th-ranked Badgers 20-18 in a back-and-forth affair.

Jay Schwarm got things going for the Panthers at 125 pounds. Schwarm quickly took down his opponent, Eric Barnett, but was in turn reversed. After a swing in

momentum, Schwarm pinned his man with 43 seconds left in the period.

In the 141 pound match, Northern Iowa’s Michael Blockhus won the 9-4 decision, with four takedowns and ride time to seal the win over No. 4 Tristan Moran of the Badgers.

UNI sophomore Triston Lara filled in for Max Thompson against No. 15 Cole Martin of Wisconsin.

Lara would lead early on and throughout most of the match, but Martin escaped with the 10-8 win after two takedowns, cutting the Panther’s lead to 9-8.

Wisconsin would extend

their lead to 15-9 the 167 pound matchup as No. 4 Evan Wick defeated Austin Yount 16-4. However, the Purple and Gold would bounce back in the next three matches.

UNI senior Bryce Steiert had three takedowns and earned a 9-1 major decision in his bout, cutting the Wisconsin lead to 15-13.

He was followed by Taylor Lujan’s 12-2 major decision, which included a first-quarter takedown and four-point near fall, handing the Panther men a 17-15 lead with two more matches to go.

Northern Iowa senior Isaiah Patton’s match would be the difference, as his 3-2 win

Courtesy Photo/UNI Athletics

in the third tiebreaker period sealed the win for the Panthers. He entered the match with an 0-5 record on the year and 0-3 in duals, but overcame his struggles this season to take down Taylor Watkins of Wisconsin

in perhaps the biggest victory of Patton’s career.

The victory gives UNI an 8-4 dual record for the season. They will next travel to Tulsa, Ok. for the Big 12 Championship from March 7-8.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Women fall to Indiana State in OT, defeat Bradley BRIELLE KIEWIET Sports Writer

The women’s basketball team split two MVC matches in the McLeod last week, falling to the Illinois State Redbirds 61-69 in overtime

on Thursday, Feb. 20 and defeating the Bradley Braves 64-57 on Saturday, Feb. 22.

“All of our goals are still in play but one,” said head coach Tanya Warren. “Can we win the regular season? No. But everything else for us is still in play. There’s a lot still to

TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan

be played for, and that’s our mindset, that’s our approach.”

The Panthers took the Redbirds into overtime after recovering from their 14 point deficit in the first half on Thursday night. Illinois State held the lead throughout the first half and scored a buzzer beater to put them up 30-21 at the break.

UNI’s offense came out strong in the second half, outscoring the Redbirds 36-27. A free throw from Karli Rucker with 11 seconds left in the game put the Panthers ahead 57-54, taking them into overtime. The black and gold could not catch up and the Redbirds outscored them 12-4, taking the 69-61 win in the overtime period.

Sophomore Kam Finley led the Panther offense with 14 points and Karli Rucker tallied five assists.

The Panther women returned to the McLeod Center Saturday afternoon where strong defense played a key role in their seven point win against the Bradley Braves.

The teams traded leads throughout the first half, but the Panthers fell behind 21-28 at the break. Panther offense came out strong in the third quarter to regain the lead 41-38. Rucker continued her impressive play, leading the Panthers offensively with 16 points and going 6-6 from the free throw line.

Northern Iowa continued

their strong play into the fourth quarter where they took an eight point lead with 2:32 left to play. UNI controlled the rest of the game, ending with the 64-57 win.

The Panthers went 21-61 from the field and outrebounded the Braves 46-41.

“The league’s a grind,” said coach Warren. “And if you’re not ready to play, some not so good things can happen.”

Next, the Panthers play two games on the road. They travel to Indiana to take on Valparaiso on Friday, Feb. 28 and head to Illinois to play Loyola on Sunday, March 1.

The Panthers are now 16-10 overall and 8-7 in the MVC.

SWIMMING & DIVING

Panther women finish 1-2 in three-game stand

Sports Writer

The University of Northern Iowa Women’s Swim and Dive team headed down to Columbia, Miss., for the conference tournament last Wednesday through Saturday. Going into the tournament, the Panthers were 11-5 on the year for their meets and hopeful for a conference win.

NICHOLAS SCHINDLER

Courtesy Photo/UNI Athletics

After all the recording of swims were complete, the swim and dive team finished 5th overall with 445 points.

Missouri State took the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament with 826.5 points. Going into this season, UNI was projected to place 4th in the coach’s poll and Missouri State was projected to win it all.

The Panthers had seven top-six finishes in the meet.

Senior Mariah Ross finished

in first place in the 100 meter breaststroke with a time of 1:02.12. Two-time Missouri Valley Champion for the 200 meter backstroke, senior Katie Taylor, went into her third victory in the 200 meter backstroke with a time of 1:56.72.

Freshman diver Anna Penning received the Freshman Diver of the Year award. Taylor and Ross made the All-Conference team, with honorable mentions in Penning, senior Kylie Engstrom, sophomore Helena Hueberger, senior Jordan McCullough, freshman Mia Savicevic, freshman Sydney Schmidt and freshman Sarah Walpole.

The Panthers are graduating six seniors in Engstrom, McCullough, Ross, Taylor, Ashleigh Houlette and Jenna Willer.

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SPORTS FEBRUARY 20, 2020 |

SOFTBALL

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

COLIN HORNING Sports Editor

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VOLUME 116, ISSUE 37

Panthers go 1-4 in Hillenbrand Invitational BRIELLE KIEWIET Sports Writer

The UNI softball team traveled to Arizona for the Hillenbrand Invitational where they went 1-4 on Friday, Feb. 14 through Sunday, Feb. 16.

“This week was a definite learning experience for our

team,” said head coach Ryan Jacobs. “And typically every year we try to schedule us a really good environment, a tough environment, tough competition, really early in the season, to really kind of get a gauge on our team. And this weekend was that weekend.”

The Panthers started out the tournament Friday night going 0-2 with back to back games against the Arizona Wildcats and the Oklahoma Sooners. The Panthers fell 7-6 against the Wildcats in a tough eight-inning game.

Sammey Bunch led them offensively, starting the scoring in the first inning with a leadoff home run. After a 6-6 tie, the Wildcats stole the win in the remaining two innings. The Panthers fell to the Sooners 10-2 that same night.

The Panthers dealt with a tough schedule again on day two of the invitational, playing the first and last games of the day against Bryant and Long Beach State.

“The situation didn’t get too big for them, the adversity didn’t get too magnified to where they made a big deal about it, and we were able to play at a high level all weekend long in a great environment, great facility, and against great competition,” said coach Jacobs.

Northern Iowa gained a 6-0 lead in the first inning against Bryant and held that lead until the eighth where they took the 13-5 win. Emma Valainis led the Panthers at bat, going 1-for-2 on the day.

The Purple and Gold returned to the field later that night for a close game against Long Beach State where they

TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan

fell 8-7. The Panthers got on the board in the first inning again with three runs. The game was tied at five in the third inning, but Long Beach pulled ahead towards the end to retrieve the one-run win.

A rematch against the Oklahoma Sooners on the final day of the invitational ended 8-0 for the Panthers.

Hannah Kelley led the team

going 1-for-3 with a double.

“It was unbelievable to see our team compete like that, and answer every single adverse situation that we had,” said coach Jacobs.

Next, the Panthers will travel to Conway, Arkansas to compete in the Adam Brown Memorial Shamrock Classic from Friday, Feb. 28 through Sunday, March 1.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Tennis picks up first win of the season in Michigan tourney COLIN HORNING

Sports Editor

The Northern Iowa women’s tennis team took a road trip to Michigan this past weekend for a threematch slate against Ball State University, Western Michigan University and Ferris State University. Still searching for their first victory of the season, UNI would drop the first two matches of the week-

end before picking up a win against Division II opponent Ferris State.

Freshman Thaissa Moreira grabbed the only win for the Panther women in their match against Ball State on Friday afternoon by the score of 6-1, 6-1. The Cardinals took the other five in the singles matches and also swept the doubles point. Saturday morning’s match would be a tough one for the Purple and

Gold, UNI fell to Western Michigan in a sweep, 7-0.

On Saturday afternoon, however, Northern Iowa would break through for their first win of the season, by the score of 5-2 against Ferris State. The Panther women took the five singles points, but dropped the doubles point. Moreira fought from behind and defeated her opponent, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1). Val Caro would take her match in

a close battle, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3) and Olivia Fain wound up victorious in the No. 6 spot with scores of 6-0, 7-6 (7-5).

Next weekend, the Panthers will host Gustavus Adolphus College out of St. Peter, Minn. on Saturday, Feb 22 along with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Sunday, Feb 23. Both matches will be held in Waterloo, Iowa. The Panthers now sit at 1-6 overall on the season.

COURTESY PHOTO/UNI Athletics

OPINION

March Madness predictions: which conference is the best?

PATRICK HANSEN

Sports Writer

The college basketball season is coming down the wire on one of the most exciting seasons we have seen for quite some time, with only two weeks away from the start of the official post-season play with conference tournaments starting on March 3rd.

This season has been a rollercoaster of a ride as five firstranked teams have fallen such as Michigan State dropping their

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first game to Kentucky, followed by two upsets of Evansville taking down Kentucky and Stephen F. Austin taking down Duke. Some of the hottest teams at the beginning of the season such as Iowa State, Michigan and North Carolina have fallen off their horse and have faced harsh struggles through the last three months, and we are just getting to the Big Dance.

There are four main conferences to look out for. They are the Big 12 and Pac 12 (both looking to send five teams) the Big East, who looks to send seven teams and finally the Big Ten being projected to send at least ten teams, one team away from the record for most teams sent to the tournament, behind the Big East in 2011 with 11.

The Big Ten is looking to dominate the tournament this year as they have ten teams projected and 11 teams are in the hunt to earn a bid to the Big Dance. The Big Ten has a few dangerous teams that could make an impressive run such as Penn State, Maryland and

Wisconsin. The rest of the Big Ten is looking fierce and could do some damage but many are inconsistent. Michigan started out 7-0, giving Gonzaga their only loss on the year and winning the Battle for Atlantis but then suffered multiple losses on the road. Rutgers is an impressive 17-0 at home, but 1-6 on the road and Iowa has been playing strong all year, but the loss of guard Jordan Bohannon early on this season has forced the Hawkeyes to rely heavily on the consistency of Luka Garza.

This can work but it sometimes seems as if he is the only player that can hit shots in big losses, like their loss to Purdue earlier this season.

Currently, the four projected number-one seeds are Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas and San Diego State, so it is time to break down how likely their success will be in the tournament.

First off, we’ll look at Baylor and Kansas. Baylor started the season 1-1 but has won 23 games in a row since then,

including an impressive win over Kansas. With Baylor and Kansas both being from the Big 12, it should be an exciting conference tournament to see who comes out on top but both will likely keep their number one seed. Baylor has some solid wins, topping Kansas, Villanova and West Virginia and look to keep their winning ways going well into March.

Kansas also has a couple of big wins, topping West Virginia twice but has fallen to Villanova and Duke which is cause to ask the question if they will be able to compete with the big dogs in the Madness of March. Gonzaga and San Diego State both seem to pose big question marks at this point in the season. There is no doubt that both teams are good; Gonzaga has a win over an 11th-ranked Oregon team who was arguably not completely put together at the start of the season, and another solid win over 24th-ranked Arizona. San Diego State has yet to play in a ranked game which causes con-

cern for when tournament time hits and they’ll be matched up with other ranked teams.

Without the bracket being set in stone, it is hard to tell who will come out on top. The teams to watch out for right now are the surprises in Baylor and specifically Penn State, who has made a complete 180 turnaround from last year, with the biggest underdog looking to be Iowa with the help of Wooden award hopeful Luka Garza. The tournament this year will surely be an unpredictable ride.

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SIERRA STEEN Managing Editor

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FUN & GAMES FEBRUARY 20, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

SUDOKU ONE

CROSSWORD

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VOLUME 116, ISSUE 37

SUDOKU TWO

32 Learn thoroughly 34 Cutting in half, in math class 37 Seine summers 38 Lincoln or Ford 39 Love, in Spain 42 Nearby 47 Fidel who overthrew Batista 49 Aussie birds that don’t fly 50 San Francisco’s __ Valley 51 Diplomatic VIP 52 NBA tiebreakers 54 Sports team swaps 56 Attributed speaker of the circled words 60 Medical suffix 61 Sentry’s “Stop!”

62 Swiss peak in an Eastwood film title 66 Eye part warning Across 67 Oil cartel letters 19 Idi of Uganda 1 Weed whackers 20 Deer hunter’s dinner, 68 Iced tea wedge 5 Annoy 69 Icelandic poetic work perhaps 9 Macbeth, by birth 70 PC repair person 23 Holy Ohio city?

13 Saintly glows 71 Avec’s opposite 26 Bridal bio word 15 Impressionist 16 Lola’s nightclub, in 27 Sault __ Marie 28 “I think,” to a texter song 29 Childlike race in “The 17 Like an old joke 18 Wind that’s worth a Time Machine”

Down 1 Suffers from 2 One of an inning’s three 3 Pitcher’s stat 4 Soothing cream 5 Carol kings 6 Hoppy brews, for short 7 Serious criminal 8 Portmanteau for a false ally 9 “Beat it, feline!”

10 Is remembered 11 Addictive narcotic 12 Oil cartel ship 14 Started the grass-growing process 21 __ me tangere: “Don’t touch me” 22 Place to park it 23 Ocean motion 24 Skip over 25 Age-old romantic adage 30 A single time 31 “__ it my best” 33 Graceful pond swimmer 35 “That __ fair!”

36 Fedora feature 40 Great Plains tribe 41 Deli breads 43 Pants, briefly 44 Someone who’s good,

and obviously knows it 45 Skips, as class 46 Tel Aviv’s land 47 Sweet-talk 48 Got a smile out of 53 Suffix with land or sea 55 Spring zodiac sign 57 “Insecure” Emmy nominee __ Rae 58 Knighted actor Guinness 59 Draw with acid 63 ABC show for early risers, briefly 64 Long, long time 65 ICU workers

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FEBRUARY 20, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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SIERRA STEEN Managing Editor

VOLUME 116, ISSUE 37

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