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THURSDAY, APRIL 5

THURSDAY, MARCH 12

VOLUME 114, ISSUE 42

VOLUME 116, ISSUE 43

UNI SEVEN

THEATRE UNI

TENNIS

NEWS PAGE 2

CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 5

SPORTS PAGE 6

The CME honored the 50th anniversary of the UNI Seven.

TheatreUNI presents “You Can’t Take It With You.”

The UNI Panthers take down the St. Thomas Tommies in Saturday’s match.

ELIZABETH KELSEY News Editor

The situation surrounding the novel coronavirus (COVID19) is changing moment by moment. As of Wednesday, March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a pandemic. According to the CDC on Wednesday, there were 938 total cases of coronavirus in the United States and 29 total deaths. The CDC releases updated numbers each day at 12 p.m. ET. In the wake of Iowa’s first cases of COVID-19 (the number of confirmed cases currently stands at 13) and multiple univer-

sities nationwide transitioning to online or distance learning, UNI administration released a campus email on Wednesday afternoon stating that classes would be moved online until at least April 3.

“We are requesting faculty work closely with students in order to continue coursework in an uninterrupted manner during this time,” the email stated.

“Faculty members should communicate with their students as soon as they determine next steps in arranging the delivery of their instruction and course materials.”

See CORONAVIRUS, page 2

GABRIELLE Tribune News Service

UNI student Tyler DeBondt wins ‘NBA 2K20’ Global Championship COLBY WEBER Staff Writer

On February 22, UNI junior physical education major Tyler DeBondt won the “NBA 2K20” Global Championship. After competing with players from around the world in Burbank, Calif., he won the grand prize of $100,000.

The tournament featured eight qualifiers that faced off in best-of-three matches in the basketball simulation video game. Each NBA team within the game could only be used once per player. Because of this, DeBondt tried to save the better teams for the finals.

DeBondt trained every day in order to get ready for the tournament. He said he has been playing the “2K” series since “NBA 2K9,” and he doesn’t play many other video games besides “Madden” and “Fortnite.”

“I played for four to six hours per day with different teams to get ready for the tournament,” DeBondt said. “I had to practice with nine different teams in case every series went to a best-ofthree.”

His favorite part of the event was getting the opportunity to compete. During high school, he was a foursport athlete who enjoyed competition. Now, DeBondt plays “2K” to get a similar feeling of competition that is demonstrated in basketball.

When he’s playing “2K,” he said that he feels the same highs and lows that he felt during high school competitions.

DeBondt stated that the “meta” of the game varied from player to player, meaning that he devised his own unique approach to the tournament. For DeBondt’s strategy, he tried to turn his oppo-

nent over as much as possible while shooting a lot of three point shots. Going into the tournament, DeBondt said that he felt these tactics gave him the best shot at winning.

DeBondt also previously participated in a 250K MyTeam tournament. After making it to the final 16, he lost a 10-point lead. DeBondt said that this loss helped him to prepare and move forward.

“I learned a lot this year from competing,” DeBondt said. “I think the thing I learned the most was just how to keep my composure no matter what. I believe this competition will help me in future events as well.

Going out to LA was a great experience for me.”

After winning the competition, DeBondt has made plans for what he’ll do with the prize money. Part of it will go to his little brother, who has been a major sup-

COURTESY PHOTO

porter of Debondt’s throughout his tournament efforts.

Besides that, he plans on saving and investing the rest of his prize.

In addition to the cash, DeBondt got a sense of relief after winning. He said that he feels as if all of his life, he had come up short in sports.

Throughout his high school sports career, DeBondt made it to sub-state four times but

never made it to the state level.

DeBondt had advice that he wanted to give to those who are looking to get into competitive eSports.

“Just follow your dreams,” said DeBondt. “Do not let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. If you put time and effort into pursuing your dreams, you will be successful.”

PAGE 2

MARCH 12, 2020 |

NEWS

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

|

ELIZABETH KELSEY News Editor

VOLUME 116, ISSUE 43

UNI Seven honored on 50th anniversary ERIN KAMPE Staff Writer

On March 9, the Center for Multicultural Education (CME) honored the 50th Anniversary of the UNI Seven in the Maucker Union Ballrooms.

This event helped raise awareness of the events that took place on campus half a century ago when UNI students took action against the administration for failing to welcome the African American community.

In 1969, the UNI AfroAmerican Society created a proposal to encourage diversity and inclusivity for African American students and faculty. One of the requests within this proposal called for a facility, to be named the Afro-American Cultural Society, to provide representation for African American students. The proposal was initially accepted, but faced intense backlash and anger from the campus community.

“I imagine charges of separatism and reverse discrimination were hurled at these black students who were numerically unable to pose any real threat,” said Reverend Abraham Funchess, Jr., executive director of the Waterloo Commission on Human rights, at Monday’s event. “But the truth is that the academic, intellectual and residential life of these students

CORONAVIRUS

continued from page 1

Although classes will be held online, dining centers and residence halls will remain open, as will facilities such as the Registrar, Financial Aid, Rod Library, WRC and Student Health Clinic. Internships, student teaching and other off-campus learning experiences are also not impacted. Student employees will still be able to work their on-campus jobs, but if they decide not to work, their job will still be available when on-campus classes resume.

Operations at GallagherBluedorn Performing Arts Center (GBPAC) will also continue as scheduled, per a cam-

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GABRIELLE LEITNER Executive Editor leitnerg@uni.edu 563.845.9067

SIERRA STEEN Managing Editor steens@uni.edu 319.939.8190

required them to negotiate and survive in white or integrated settings most of their lives.”

The Afro-American Society created another proposal to require more inclusivity throughout campus. Among the ideas proposed were safe spaces, scholarships and representation in curriculum for minorities. When these demands were ignored, a group of students organized a peaceful sit-in at the president’s house in March 1970 in order to increase awareness of the racism towards Black students and faculty.

The students who began the sit-in stayed overnight at the president’s house and were joined by 22 additional students the following day. This initial protest ended peacefully when the activists decided to leave at the end of the second day.

Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, the UNI administration suspended seven students involved in the protest, resulting in the name of this group: the UNI Seven. After the suspensions, another protest was staged where almost 30 students were arrested.

Ten activists who were involved in the protests were honored at Monday’s anniversary event: Ann Burke, Palmer Byrd, Christopher Dalton, James Johnson, Glen Moore, Terry Sallis, Terry Stevens,

Tony Stevens, Joseph Sailor and Byron Washington. Once these activists made their way to the stage, the audience recognized them with a standing ovation.

Dr. Mickye Johnson, director of the Upward Bound program, described the sacrifices made by the UNI Seven and their fellow activists. Several faced imprisonment from the protests, which impacted their financial aid and treatment on campus.

“Your sacrifice did not go unnoticed,” said Johnson, addressing the ten activists present. “You demanded respect and you got it.”

Two years after the 1970 protests, one of the four requests initially made by the Afro-American Society was met.

The Vice President’s House on campus was converted into

a cultural center called the Ethnic Minority Cultural and Educational Center. This space was later moved into Maucker Union, where it was renamed to become the CME. Christiana Downey and Alexis Moller, two students on the executive board of the Black Student Union, attended the event because they were interested to hear the stories of those who had fought against the administration and won.

Moller, a sophomore elementary education major, came to the event with the hope of learning more that could allow her to inform others about what has happened on the campus and how knowledge about the past can help fight battles today.

“I was interested because we’re still going through a lot of this stuff,” said Downey, a

marketing and business administration major. “[We are] trying to see what exactly they did for change to occur and what influenced the administrators to actually listen. And this is something very important to us as we’re trying to make a change on campus.”

During their return to campus, the ten activists were given the opportunity to see the president’s house and meet with the UNI President Mark Nook.

At Monday night’s event, Nook discussed the visit and informed the audience that the ten had many questions for him.

One of the biggest questions they asked was how campus relations had changed.

“The times are not very different in many cases,” Nook said. “There is much work to be done.”

pus-wide email on Tuesday, March 10, amid increased safety measures such as disinfecting.

“We feel a strong responsibility that the shows must go on, not just for ourselves, but to be that community gathering spot, the town hall, to provide that comfort and space,” GBPAC officials wrote.

Patrons who do not feel well or who would prefer not to attend performances at this time are encouraged to stay home, and will be offered a full credit for future shows or a refund.

The UNI administration’s decision to transition to online learning until April 3 mirrors similar decisions made earlier Wednesday by Drake University, Iowa State

University and the University of Iowa. Grinnell College had previously announced on Tuesday that the remainder of its semester would be conducted online and students will be required to leave campus by March 23, although they can petition for a need to stay in extenuating circumstances.

Similar campus closures have occurred at many universities nationwide, from Stanford to Harvard.

Additionally, until further notice, the Board of Regents will be extending last week’s international travel ban by seven days each Monday, effective Monday, March 9, providing a continuous 30-day window until conditions improve.

Domestic travel is an institu-

tional-level decision at this time.

The campus closures in Iowa come as cases of COVID-19 continue to mount statewide.

As the NI went to print on Sunday, March 8, Governor Kim Reynolds confirmed the first three cases of COVID-19 in Iowa, three Johnson County citizens who had returned from an Egyptian cruise.

On Monday, March 9, the Iowa Department of Public Health confirmed an additional five cases, bringing the total to eight and prompting Reynolds to sign a disaster proclamation.

As of Wednesday, March 11, that number has increased to 13 cases, 12 in Johnson County and one in Pottawattamie County.

“The reality now is, COVID19 is now here and we can

expect the number of tests and the number of positive cases will continue to increase in the days to come,” Reynolds said Tuesday evening. “While this news is concerning, it’s not cause for alarm. I want to assure Iowans that we are prepared, and we are taking additional steps to ensure access to resources to effectively manage the situation.”

On Wednesday, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) admitted its first COVID-19 patient, who is in critical condition, according to an email sent to university faculty and staff from UIHC CEO Suresh Gunasekaran.

It was unclear if the patient was one of the 13 previously confirmed cases or a new case.

EDITORIAL STAFF

CIRCULATION

The Northern Iowan is published semi-weekly on Monday and Thursday during the academic year, except for holidays and examination periods, by the University of Northern Iowa, L011 Maucker Union, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0166 under the auspices of the Board of Student Publications.

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.

The Northern Iowan is funded in part with student activity fees.

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.

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Art Director cummigaa@uni.edu CECILIA MITCHELL Campus Life Editor ceciliam@uni.edu COLIN HORNING Sports Editor chorning@uni.edu ELIZABETH KELSEY News Editor kelseye@uni.edu

KATIE CROW/Northern Iowan

Members of the UNI Seven racial equality protests of 1970 were honored at a 50th anniversary event on March 9.

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Associate Managing Editor

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PAGE 3

OPINION

GABRIELLE LEITNER Executive Editor

MARCH 12, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

|

VOLUME 116, ISSUE 43

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

Biden: a return to the Obama presidency MOHAMMED RAWWAS

Opinion Columnist

There are a multitude of reasons that Biden is a terrible candidate. From his Iraq War vote to his record of attempting to cut Social Security, not to mention his work with segregationists in opposing mandated bussing in order to desegregate public schools. Furthermore, his more recent comments regarding vetoing a Medicare-for-All bill should it pass both chambers of Congress are troubling, to say the least, as a flagrant violation of representative democracy. However, what is most troubling is not how his past record informs his future policies, or the fact that given his declining mental faculties, it will be near impossible for him to defeat Trump in a general election, but rather his complete lack of vision for a better future.

The issue with Biden is not so much that he is ideologically conservative, so much as he lacks a coherent ideology altogether. And given the unraveling of late neoliberalism, as exemplified by the climate crisis, the mental health crisis, wage stagnation and increasing income inequality. In many ways, the coronavirus, regardless of its

actual empirical significance, has also proven enlightening in showing the complete inadequacy of our national and global healthcare infrastructure to properly mitigate such epidemics, which of course will be impossible to properly mitigate so long as we remain within the logic of profit-seeking and capitalism. Healthcare cannot be adequately provided so long as tens of millions are disallowed access due to their economic status; the spread of infection cannot be contained so long as people are forced to work without a federally mandated paid leave. Of course, the countries that have done the best job at mitigating the outbreak of coronavirus are Communist nations such as Vietnam.

It is clear that issues such as the global climate catastrophe or epidemics such as the coronavirus require bold action; a clear paradigm shift away from capitalism as quickly as possible. In the face of these potentially apocalyptic concerns, what does Joe Biden provide?

Instead of positing forward a vision of change, Biden instead tells Sunrise Movement protestors to vote for Trump, as if chal-

lenging Biden on his policy towards fracking makes one a Trump supporter.

His campaign appears to be completely bereft of policy; instead, his entire campaign is predicated on campaigning as little as possible and cruising to victory. All the Biden campaign has to offer is a vague “return to normalcy,” a nostalgic yearning for the Obama years where Middle Eastern children could be drone-striked to oblivion while liberals bravely stood by and did nothing, proud of themselves for having elected a Democrat to office and a minority to boot. This nostalgic yearning can be seen in Biden’s healthcare proposal, which in his debate-stage rhetoric never seems to pass beyond the empty phrase “build on Obamacare.” Never mind the fact that Obamacare was a right-wing, market-based, Heritage Foundation, Romneycare plan that left tens of millions of Americans uninsured.

Furthermore, it should be reiterated that Donald Trump did not emerge from nowhere. Donald Trump is the product of the Obama years and Obama-era politics and the failures of the Obama administration are embodied in Donald Trump.

Tribune News Service

Opinion Columnist Mohammed Rawwas discusses how presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden’s policies mimick those of President Barack Obama.

African-Americans were disproportionately impacted by the 2008 financial crisis and the corporate bailout did nothing to assuage the hemorrhaging of wealth due to the financial crisis on the actual citizens of the country. This is not to retread the tired argument of what motivated Trump voters to vote for Donald Trump, but rather the more enlightening question of why people who voted in 2008 refused to vote in 2016.

The failure of Obama to enact the promises that he ran on in 2008 were instrumental in alienating a large portion of the Democratic base from the Democratic

Party, as it strayed further from working-class politics.

These “promises” are less about specific empirical policies that Obama ran on and failed to produce, but rather the stark divide between the politico-ideological disposition that Obama ran on, and the politico-ideological tendencies with which he governed.

Biden’s desire to return to the Obama era is simply the desire to reproduce the conditions of neoliberalism that ultimately always bring out authoritarian or outright fascist reaction without a properly left-wing, working-class base to counteract it.

Why would fans settle on crowning the NFL’s GOAT? NICHOLAS SCHINDLER Opinion Columnist

Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Serena Williams. All of these athletes are the best to have ever done it in their respective sports.

There is zero debate about it. When we look to the NFL, there has been much debate between fans as to who is the greatest of all time for the National Football League. And as of the last five years, since Aaron Rodgers has not won as many Super Bowls as

some had hoped, we have all settled on the fact that Tom Brady (aka TB12) is the NFL’s greatest player of all time. This bothers me. Why should the greatest sport, entertainment and America’s pastime have to settle on crowing our GOAT? This isn’t an election. We are not picking between two subpar choices. This decision should take time and we should avoid grabbing at the latest shiny object. We should all drop the GOAT status conversation from being

Tribune News Service

Opinion Columnist Nicholas Schindler explains why Tom Brady is not the greatest of all time (GOAT) in the NFL.

started every two minutes.

We should only debate the greatest of all time about every 25 years to take everything into perspective. But, since we live in a society that wants to always crown the GOAT, let’s discuss the NFL’s supposed goat, Tom Brady.

To start off, let’s dive deep into the “WOW” factor of Tom Brady. I know what you are thinking, what WOW factor? Exactly my point. The best to ever do it (play QB in the NFL) should be amazing to watch. I understand that Tom Brady has won 6 Super Bowls.

Thinking about that fact is the only “WOW factor” about Tom Brady, though.

Over the last 15 years, we have been trying to crown the GOAT for the sport of the NFL. First, we tried Peyton Manning, but a narrative started that he was a choker who always lost to Tom Brady in the playoffs. This was and still to this day is just absolutely asinine. Peyton Manning was 3-2 vs. Brady in the playoffs; all three wins for Manning were in the AFC

Championship where he led his team to the Super Bowl. But, the media put it in our heads that Manning was a choker and since Brady accumulated more Super Bowls than Manning, we just decided to throw Manning out of the conversation for good.

Next, we tried to crown Aaron Rodgers the GOAT. As Stephen A. Smith from ESPN put it, “The greatest talent at the quarterback position ever […] and he’s a bad man,” and Max Kellerman just says, “Aaron Roders has more influence on the outcome of a game than any player ever.”

Clearly, once Aaron Rodgers won his first Super Bowl in 2011, we were ready to crown him the king because his talent was unlike something we had ever seen and it looked like he was poised to win for years with the Green Bay Packers.

Unfortunately, for a Packers fan, which I am, Rodgers still has not won another Super Bowl and Brady now has six. So, unless Rodgers wins a few at the final stages of his career, Rodgers won’t

catch Brady.

And that brings us to today. We are trying to crown Patrick Mahomes as the greatest of all time. He is as fun to watch, has as good of an arm and makes as many spectacular plays as Aaron Rodgers. Do you see the problem here? Everything we say Mahomes does great, we compare it to Aaron Rodgers. Why? Because the NFL has the worst GOAT of all time. If Tom Brady was really the GOAT, we would compare Mahomes’ play to Brady. Guess what?

Brady isn’t on the same level as Aaron Rodgers or Patrick Mahomes. He’s the least exciting, most boring, check-down system quarterback GOAT of all time.

Time will tell if Patrick Mahomes will ever surpass Tom Brady, according to the media, as the GOAT, but to the viewer at home the talent isn’t close. We, as NFL fans, need to wait for the talent of a Rodgers/ Mahomes quarterback coupled with the accomplishments of Brady before the NFL should really crown our own Babe Ruth.

PAGE 4

CAMPUS LIFE MARCH 12, 2020 |

FILM REVIEW

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

|

CECILIA MITCHELL Campus Life Editor

VOLUME 116, ISSUE 43

Pixar’s ‘Onward’ is heartwarming HUNTER FRIESEN Film Critic

Set on an Earth where the magical and mythological exist together, Pixar’s newest animated film, “Onward,” tells the tale of two elven brothers.

The story begins on the 16th birthday of the younger brother, Ian Lightfoot, who never was able to meet his dad as he had died before Ian was born.

As a surprise gift for his now grown-up son, the father left a staff that, when combined with a spell, will bring him back to life for a full day. Unfortunately, the spell doesn’t go as intended and only reanimates the lower half of the father.

To bring back the other half, a rare gem must be acquired that is hidden deep within a mystical mountain.

With only twenty-four hours available, Ian and his older brother, Barley, must set out on a quest to fulfill the spell and bring back their dad for one last moment of bonding.

Directing: 3/5 “Onward” is directed by Dan Scanlon, a Pixar veteran and second time director who previously helmed “Monsters University.” Despite his best efforts, Scanlon still doesn’t

NI Film Critic Hunter Friesen reviews “Onward,” the animated film from Pixar.

seem to have the same directorial knack that many others before him have possessed.

Scanlon’s pacing of the film is both rushed and predictable, with the middle third being the most egregious example of this folly, as it re-hashes the same beats over and over again. The final third is able to pick things up a little but it too falls into the recent trend by Pixar to substitute light and noise for simple storytelling.

Fortunately, Scanlon’s supplementary material helps distract from his shortcomings. The animation is breath-

taking as usual and the score

by Mychael and Jeff Dana is wonderful as it balances both the epic and whimsical tone of the film.

Writing: 3/5 Scanlon lends his hand to the script, which is also co-written by Jason Headley and Keith Bunin.

Similar to the directing, the writing in the first half does no favors as it rushes from location to location with nothing but the basic plot on its mind. A sense of emotional complexity that is usually found within Pixar’s narra-

Tribune News Service

tives is sorely absent here.

But once the halfway mark hits, the film vastly improves as the emotional core of the story hits like a ton of bricks. The writing trio reminds you once again of the magic that Pixar wields as the earlier and underdeveloped themes of brotherhood and fatherhood are given new life in only a few short minutes.

As a sibling with a younger brother, the sentimentality of the story hit deep, leaving me in more of an emotional wreck than I was prepared for.

Acting: 4/5 Like all Pixar films, the impeccable voice work among the cast works hand-in-hand with the writing to develop the characters.

Tom Holland voices our main hero, Ian. It’s a bit of perfect casting by Pixar to have Holland play the shy, awkward character that must learn to control his newfound powers. Holland’s experience from his web-slinging days allows him to play to his strengths.

With the LEGO franchise and now this movie, Chris Pratt is starting to stake his claim as one of the best voice actors working today. Pratt plays the more rambunctious brother, Barley. His natural charisma enhances the material and creates some of the film’s funniest moments.

And as a bit of a bonus, the casting of Holland and Pratt in the lead roles give us a glimpse of what a possible Spider-Man and Star-Lord buddy movie would look like.

Overall: 3.5/5 While it may not be the finest work Pixar has ever done, the abundance of heartwarming magic found within “Onward” makes it an enjoyable tale for all ages.

Panther Esports teams update JACOB HILDRETH

For the Northern Iowan

UNI Panther Esports teams are in full-swing participating in Spring leagues for “Overwatch,” “League of Legends” and “Call of Duty.”

“Overwatch” is competing in Tespa, an international competition in which over 800 schools from the U.S. and Canada compete for $57,000 in prize money. “League of Legends” is competing in GGLeagues, a region-based league in which UNI plays predominately against other teams in Iowa and teams from neighboring states.

These teams battle it out at the end of the season to claim bragging rights for the best in the state. Last, “Call of Duty” competes in the Collegiate “Call of Duty” League (CCL). This league comprises 72 schools across the U.S. split into four regions.

The Panther “Call of Duty” team is primed to make it into the playoffs as their regular season winds down. They currently sit at 9-5 after a 3-0 sweep of

Robert Morris University Monday night. That record is currently good enough for 8th place in their region, putting them just on the better side of the playoff cutoff.

As it sits now, the only team that the Panthers will have to fend off looks to be the University of Illinois who sits at 8-5.

With wins this season against University of Iowa, Bowling Green and Butler, Player and Coach Charlie “Dorno” Dorn is confident about UNI’s playoff hopes.

“I feel like after beating both Butler and Bowling Green, who are ranked, [we] solidified our spot in the playoffs. Now we just have to see what else we are capable of and see how far of a run we can make,” he said.

After a top-64 finish in Tespa last year, the UNI “Overwatch” team currently sits at a 1-2 record with losses to University of Illinois, University of Minnesota and a forfeit win against University of Incarnate Word last Sunday.

With the recent introduc-

tion of rotating hero pools every week, the “Overwatch” team will need to keep on their toes and adapt to the changing metas. The “Overwatch” team plays Sundays at 7 p.m. They will be traveling to Hawkeye Community College on April 4 and 5 for the Iowa Collegiate LAN. They will also be traveling on April 18 and 19 to Iowa State University for the ISU Open LAN. Fall of 2019 saw the UNI League of Legends (LoL) team finish second in the region, falling to Morningside College in the finals match hosted in Iowa City. After the second rout this year against University of Iowa on Tuesday night, the Panthers sit at 3-2. They also boast a win against Waldorf College.

“We had a good solid win going into spring break, so I am excited to see the work that we have been putting in pay off,” said Jared “Hein” Charnas after their win Tuesday. The League of Legends team plays at 9 p.m. on Tuesday nights.

KIMBERLY CAVELIER/Northern Iowan

The UNI International Justice held their annual advocacy and education event on Wednesday, March 4 in the Maucker Union Ballroom.

IJM holds advocacy and education event KIMBERLY CAVELIER Staff Writer

On Wednesday, March 4, UNI’s International Justice Mission (IJM) presented their annual advocacy and education event. IJM is an international organization with chapters on hundreds of college campuses, as well as many offices around the world, committed to fighting against human traffick-

ing.

Each year, UNI’s chapter of IJM puts on a presentation to raise awareness and take action. This year’s event, called “Baited,” focused on labor trafficking in the Thai fishing industry, where workers are compensated with very low wages for extremely long work days.

See IJM, page 5

PAGE 5 CECILIA MITCHELL Campus Life Editor

CAMPUS LIFE MARCH 12, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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VOLUME 116, ISSUE 43

Preview: ‘You Can’t Take It With You’ CECILIA MITCHELL

Campus Life Editor

TheatreUNI opened their production of the award-winning Kaufman and Hart farce “You Can’t Take It With You” at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11 in the Strayer-Wood Theatre. The show will continue its run for seven more performances on Thursday, March 12, Friday, March 13 and March 25-29, all at 7:30 p.m. in the Strayer-Wood Theatre.

In a press release, Jim Bray, UNI assistant professor of acting and director of the show, said, “‘You Can’t Take It with You’ is an exciting fusion of humor, history and politics told through some very brightly colored characters, which allows our student actors to explore and experience deep character work and the challenging style of comedic farce.”

“The play is a character-driven comedy that centers on the engagement of Alice Sycamore and Tony Kirby – two young lovers who were raised by families with opposing ideologies. When the supremely

COURTESY PHOTO

TheatreUNI’s production of “You Can’t Take It With You” opened this Wednesday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the Strayer-Wood Theatre. Its eight-show run continues this Thursday and Friday night and March 25-29. Actors in this production include (L-R) Steve Taft (Martin Vanderhof), Abigail Chagolla (Mrs. Kirby), Collin Ridgley (Tony Kirby), Mikayla Wahl (Alice Sycamore), Alex Overturf (Henderson), Hannah Twitchell (Penelope Sycamore), Kyle Chizek (Paul Sycamore) and more.

upper-crust Kirbys accompany Tony to dinner at the Sycamore household on the wrong night, the Sycamore family is seen in all their vivacious and outrageous glory,” the press release states.

“Throughout our rehears-

al process, we talked a lot about love versus fear,” Dani Schmaltz (Gay Wellington), a sophomore theatre performance and drama & theatre for youth major, said. “‘You Can’t Take It With You” is set in the midst of the Great

Depression and the paranoia surrounding communism; however, the Sycamore family is able to maintain their happy little bubble because they choose love over fear.

“It’s astonishing to see how many parallels can be

drawn between a script from the 1930’s and our modern society. The issues we’re facing today are only escalating, and it seems we all need a little bit of what the Sycamores have. I hope that audiences will come in for a laugh, and leave a little happier — and with a little more room in their hearts,” Schmaltz said.

Tickets for “You Can’t Take It With You” are available at any UNItix location or at the Strayer-Wood box office, one hour before curtain time. Tickets are $20 for adults, $12 for UNI faculty/ staff and free for UNI students with their UNI ID. “It’s been an absolute joy to work on this production, largely in part of the cast. We get along so well as a company, and that camaraderie has allowed us to really dive headfirst into these eclectic characters and build strong relationships on and offstage,” Schmaltz said.

“We spend a lot of hours in rehearsal together and I think it speaks volumes that we still get together as a cast during our time off.”

THEATRE REVIEW

‘Burnt City’ comments on U.S.-Iran relations ANNA ALLDREDGE Theatre Critic

This weekend, UNI Interpreters Theatre presented three performances of “Burnt City: A One-Persian Show about U.S.-Iran Relations” at 7:30 in Lang Hall on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. The show was created and performed by Josh Hamzehee, and included English and Farsi, fire and paper planes and commentary on the past and futures of the U.S. and Iran.

“Burnt City” traveled through time and distance using poetry, humor, Farsi, current political climates and dystopia to convey the parallels between domestic abuse and violence perpetrated by governments onto citizens.

Through a series of vignettes, Burnt City allowed audience members to catch a glimpse into Iranian culture and artifacts, personal and political struggles between the U.S. and Iran and a catastrophic prediction following the xenophobic and anti-immigrant sentiments the U.S. is currently exhibiting.

Set in the year 2032, this production looks back on events that led up to the present. Donald Trump is re-elected at age 88 to serve his fifth term after the

thirty-third amendment was ratified in 2033. The U.S. is now on travel ban number five.

There was a blackout of the 14th amendment, the one which guarantees natural citizenship.

English has been established as the national language. The Statue of Liberty has crumbled, and citizens can now look on to the recently erected “Great Wall of America”.

For those of ethnically diverse (non-white) descent, this leads to deportation and alienation. In Burnt City, US-born Kurosh is deported to Iran because of his heritage.

He asks the elusive question: “What’s Blood got to do with It?” The blood of Iranian lives on American hands? The bloodlines of our ancestors and our cultural histories? The bloodshed in Iran and of its citizens?

Though the subject is often tough to comprehend for many Americans, Hamzehee presented the topic through pathways that many can access: emotion, humor, and empathy. He intertwined time and space, and both personal and national narratives, to create a unique and thought-provoking show.

He brought up national events, like when the U.S. unapologetically shot down Iran Air Flight 655, killing over 300

civilians, as well as cultural: the international wrestling struggle between Hulk Hogan and Iron Sheik in relation to cultural identity and perceptions.

Both setting and soundscape of this multi-faceted production added a sense of nuance, atmosphere and intensity to the intent of the show. Contrasts between light and dark, busy music in contrast to a single heart beating, and paper planes and Persian artifacts, lay at the heart of this powerful performance.

A large portion of the show derived from Hamzehee’s own confusion about growing up as the son of an Iranian military man who immigrated to Los Angeles in the late 1970s after the Iranian civil war. His sense of identity, appreciation, and belonging seemed to position him in both cultures, and at the same time, neither culture.

After a powerful performance, Hamzehee left the audience with a bittersweet taste in their mouth; things are not great right now, especially in terms of international relations and internal discrimination and violence. But, as individuals, we can begin to see that a better future begins with us. As Hamzehee said in his director’s note: “build bridges, not walls.”

Courtesy Photo

IJM

continued from page 4

Attendees were led through three stations in the Maucker Union Ballrom. The first focused on information about human trafficking. The second station showed a short documentary called “Esther,” which centered around a victim of human trafficking, and the third station gave attendees the opportunity to send an email to Congress.

“It’s head, heart and hands,” explained junior English and computer science major Autumn Lauen, who serves as the vice president of IJM. “First you educate yourself, then you watch a documentary that makes you feel empathetic towards victims and motivated to act and then the next station is where you take action by sending an email to Congress.”

The email attendees could send to Congress was a pre-written message request-

ing the allocation of funds to help end human trafficking.

“We are asking them to allocate 25 million dollars to help end human trafficking in the next budget year,” said senior communication disorders Raelynn Meade, IJM president.

Attendees were also encouraged to reflect on their time at the event by writing down their plan of action to help fight against human trafficking.

Senior political science and public administration major Micah McCutchan, said the event left her feeling motivated.

“The most impactful thing about something like this is that it makes you feel hopeful,” she said. “I think a lot of times we think about human trafficking, which is such a large issue, as something that we’ll never be able to solve. […]

But something like this makes me think that it’s an issue that we can do something about and that it is a solvable problem if we put the work in.”

PAGE 6

SPORTS MARCH 12, 2020 |

WOMEN’S TENNIS

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

|

COLIN HORNING Sports Editor

VOLUME 116, ISSUE 43

Panthers beat St. Thomas, get third win of 2020 PATRICK HANSEN

Sports Writer

This past Saturday, the UNI women’s tennis team squared off with the 6-4 Tommies of St. Thomas, Min., at home.

The Panthers were looking for revenge coming off a two-game losing streak and got exactly that in a match where the Purple and Gold dominated.

The match started off with doubles competition with the duo of juniors, Harri Proudfoot and Valentina Caro, sweeping the competition of Katie O’Connor and Sophia Dahlke, 6-0. Thaissa Moreira and Olivia Fain was the next duo for the Panthers, as they were able to take down the duo of Natasha Hood and Sarah Gustafson,

6-1. The final doubles match was the true-freshman duo of Emma Carr and Kim Zizek as they won a hard fought battle over the senior twins Taylor and Paige McLeod, 6-3 to finish doubles matches with UNI winning sweeping the competition.

In singles competition, UNI was on fire again as Emma Carr swept Taylor McLeod 6-0, 6-0 to take the set. Olivia Fain was next up with a win over Katie O’Connor taking the set 6-2, 6-2. Valentina Caro defeated Helen Watkins 6-2, 6-2, to take the set, followed Kim Zizek taking down Paige McLeod in a close match with a final score of 6-3, 6-7, 6-2, to keep the Panther win streak going. Thaissa Moreira took

down Sophia Dahlke 6-1, 6-0, followed by Madeline Doherty finishing the Purple and Gold complete sweep as she defeated Natasha Hood 6-2, 7-5, to finish off the meet.

The Panthers improve their

record to 3-8 on the season and will make the trip out to Phoenix, Ariz., for a match with Grand Canyon University on March 17 before returning home for their next home meet, March 21 against Stony Brook.

TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Hoops in the Heartland: MSU comes in as favorites BRIELLE KIEWIET Sports Writer

The 2020 MVC women’s basketball tournament “Hoops in the Heartland” beginning on Thursday, March 12 is without a doubt going to bring some tough match ups for teams in the Valley. Missouri State and Drake enter the tournament as first and second seeds, with UNI entering as fifth.

The tournament begins Thursday with game one between the eighth-seeded Loyola Ramblers and the ninth-seeded Indiana State Sycamores, with the Ramblers coming into the competition with two regular-season wins over the Sycamores. Seventh-

seeded Southern Illinois and tenth-seeded Evansville will also compete on Thursday for game two, with SIU in the forecast to take the win based on two 10+ point-wins against Evansville this season.

On Friday, Missouri State (26-4 overall, 16-2 MVC) will enter the tournament as number one seed for the 11th time in program history and take on the winner of game one.

Fourth-seeded Illinois State and fifth-seeded UNI will also compete on Friday in game four with the possibility to go either way. The Panthers have taken on the Redbirds in two close regular-season games falling by less than ten points in both, 65-57 in and 69-61 in

overtime.

Continuing in the Friday quarterfinals, second-seeded Drake (14-4 in the MVC), will take on the winner of game two. Third-seed Bradley and and sixth-seed Valparaiso will

face each other in game 6, the Braves projected to get their third win over the Crusaders after two during the regular-season.

On Saturday, winners of game three and four and win-

TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan

ners of game five and six will compete in the semifinals to decide who clenches their spots in the championship game on Sunday.

Missouri State will look to continue their impressive play and compete in the championship to claim their 12th MVC tournament title, the most of any Valley school.

The tournament will take place at TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill., beginning with the two opening round games on Thursday, March 12 and ending with the championship game on Sunday, March 15. The tournament champion will receive the Missouri Valley Conference’s automatic bid to the women’s NCAA Tournament.

OPINION

Selection Sunday: who will cut the nets in Atlanta?

NICHOLAS SCHINDLER Sports Writer

Selection Sunday is just three days away and after five months of play, teams now wait to see whether they will make it into the Big Dance or if their season is now over. There are 32 automatic teams that go into the tournament if they win their respective confer-

ence tournaments; followed by 36 at-large spots available for teams who did not win their conference tournament to make it into the NCAA tournament. This year looks to be a year of upsets because there has been so much volatility in the AP Top-25 polls all season.

The number one seeds I’m predicting are pretty standard throughout what most

in sports media are talking about: Kansas, Baylor, Dayton and Gonzaga followed by Creighton, Kentucky, San Diego State and Florida State as two seeds. These top-eight are pretty much agreed upon, barring any massive upsets in conference tournaments.

Now, let’s head to the all important bubble teams.

Getting into the tournament, I have the UNI slotted into a First Four game in Dayton versus Xavier. Most analysts don’t have UNI in the field of 68 but UNI should deserve an at-large bid because their body of work throughout the season is solid and a loss in the conference tournament shouldn’t determine whether they receive a bid or not.

Among other notable predictions, the Marquette Golden Eagles will get into the tournament despite riding

Tribune News Service

Uduoka Azubuike and the Kansas Jayhawks look to be the top-seeded team in this year’s NCAA tournament. They will look to win their first championship since 2008.

a three game losing streak.

However, many across the country want to see potential Wooden Award winner Markus Howard play on a national level and against some of the best competition in the country.

For the Final Four, red-

hot Providence will be coming out of the Midwest, Dayton out of the South, Auburn out of the West, and Bayor out of the East. The national championship will see Auburn cut down the nets after defeating Dayton in a wild March full of madness.

SIERRA STEEN

PAGE 7

FUN & GAMES

Managing Editor

KARLA DE BRUIN

Associate Managing Editor

MARCH 12, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

SUDOKU ONE

|

VOLUME 116, ISSUE 43

SUDOKU TWO

Have a happy Spring Break! Be safe and have fun!

CROSSWORD

37 Italics feature 38 Walter White shaved his off 40 In contention (for) 43 On the house 44 Aimée of “La Dolce Vita” 46 Dmitri’s dissent 48 In low spirits 49 Traitorous spies 53 Driver’s license info 54 Wayside stop 55 One-up 59 Halloween discards, and what the three sets of circles represent?

64 “Dallas” surname 66 Solid precipitation 67 Backside in a fall?

68 Long-shot rags-toriches enabler 69 Ices, mob-style 70 Girl in a Salinger story 19 Transports by truck Across 1 Potentially insensitive, 20 Winding, hilly thor- 71 Enter on a laptop 72 Italian eight oughfares briefly 73 Sweetheart 23 Gandhi’s land 5 Police 24 Like oysters on the half 9 ABBA’s “__ Mia!” Down shell 14 Vidal’s Breckinridge 1 Savory taste first identi25 French water 15 Pequod captain fied in Tokyo 28 Not kid around 16 Native Nebraskans 2 Carpet synthetic 33 IV amounts 17 Plenty 3 __ as a peacock 36 List-shortening abbr.

18 Islamic branch 4 Tabby stimulant

5 José’s house 6 “Fancy meeting you here!”

7 “No __, no gain” 8 Mall pizza chain 9 Goth hairstyles 10 Opposite of 17-Across 11 Headpiece for kids in Mickey’s TV club 12 Filmmaker Brooks 13 Biblical beast of burden 21 Yarn 22 Boating blade 26 Sleep concern 27 “¿Cómo está __?”

29 Dune buggy, briefly 30 “We did it!”

31 Throw wildly 32 North Pole toymaker 33 “Hanging” problems in the 2000 election 34 Algonquin transport 35 Iowa port on the Lewis and Clark Trail 39 Coax (out), as a genie 41 “Science Guy” Bill 42 Title for DDE 45 Fictional language spoken by Sheldon and Leonard on “The Big Bang Theory” 47 Sporty car roof

50 Wind up 51 Slangy “Movin’ right along ... “ 52 Had a late meal 56 Not long-winded 57 Daytime soap, e.g.

58 Big name in blenders 60 Opposed to 61 Float like a feather in the breeze 62 Breakup 63 “Let me add ... “ 64 Yellowstone grazers 65 Misery

Puzzle answers on page 8

PAGE 8

SIERRA STEEN

MARCH 12, 2020 |

Managing Editor

CLASSIFIEDS NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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KARLA DE BRUIN

Associate Managing Editor

VOLUME 116, ISSUE 43

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