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UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA CEDAR FALLS, IA THURSDAY, APRIL 5 VOLUME 114, ISSUE 42
CEDAR FALLS, IA
VOLUME 118, ISSUE 50
MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2022
OPINION
CAMPUS LIFE
SPORTS
OPINION PAGE 3
CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 4
SPORTS PAGE 6
Bailey Klinkhammer breaks down Iowa’s public education funding.
Panthers sweep Valpo in softball, remain in first place.
Film critic Hunter Friesen reviews “Secrets of Dumbledore.”
UNI voice professor wins Grammy
Voice professor and UNI alum Suzanne Hendrix-Case wins Grammy from opera production “Akhnaten” CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN News Editor
UNI 2001 alum and current Assistant Professor of Voice and Vocology within the School of Music Suzanne Hendrix-Case was sitting in the kitchen with her husband when she discovered she won a Grammy. “It’s kind of surreal.” Hendrix-Case said. “It’s nice because in classical music, I’ve won a lot of competitions and whatnot, but it’s not something that a normal person understands. But a Grammy, people understand.” Hendrix-Case is a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s cast of Philip Glass’ “Akhnaten,” which won a Grammy for the Best Opera Recording. Known as a challenging opera sung largely in Egyptian, Hendrix-
COURTESY/UNI School of Music
Suzanne Henrix-Case, pictured above, won a Grammy for the 2019 production of Akhnaten.
COURTESY/Metropolitan Opera
Philip Glass’ production of Akhnaten, pictured above at the Metropolitan Opera.
Case sang the role of Sotopenre, one of the protagonist’s six daughters. Only one vocal solo in the production is in English, and some songs do not have
lyrics at all with the vowel “ah” being used. The costumes complement the complex vocals, with a blue dreadlock wig connecting the sister characters via
a black harness. Initially Hendrix-Case discovered the production was nominated for a Grammy over a Facebook message group where cast members still keep in touch. One of the leads of the production messaged the group chat once he had accepted the award. Earning her undergraduate degree in music education at UNI in 2001, she realized elementary teaching was not for her.
TC Day celebrated by campus NI WRITER
The campus community received an email from the office of the president April 14 proclaiming the celebration of Tropical Celebration (TC) Day. Although the blustery chill of winter has not yet vacated campus, warm weather and tropical treats are on the horizon. Presidential Proclamation Whereas the students, faculty, and staff of the University of Northern Iowa celebrate the end of brutal winters with Tropical Celebration (TC) Day, and Whereas, as I pen this proclamation, it is 36° F and snowflakes are in the air, and Whereas UNI students, faculty, and staff have survived 63 days of below-freezing average temperatures since January 1, 2022, and
Pause on federal student loan repayments extended by Biden through Aug. 31 See GRAMMY, page 2
ARIANA FIGUEROA
Iowa Capital Dispatch
The Biden administration announced plans Wednesday to extend the pause on federal student loan repayments until the end of August. “I recognized in recently extending the COVID-19 national emergency, we are still recovering from the pandemic and the unprecedented economic disruption it caused,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “If loan payments were to resume on schedule in May, analysis of recent data from the Federal Reserve suggests that millions of student loan borrowers would face significant economic hardship, and delinquencies and defaults could threaten Americans’ financial stability.” The White House will
COURTESY/NPS
The Biden administration announced plans April 6, 2022, to extend the pause on student loans until the end of August.
extend the deadline for student borrowers to pause on federal loan repayments, interest and collections until Aug. 31. The announcement also provides a “fresh start” on loan repayments by removing any prior defaults
to allow those borrowers to re-enter repayment in good standing. The current pause would have ended on May 1. “The Department of Education is committed to ensuring that student loan
borrowers have a smooth transition back to repayment,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement. “This additional extension will allow borrowers to gain more financial security
See TC DAY, page 2
as the economy continues to improve and as the nation continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.” Cr isti na Tzi ntz ú n Ramirez, the president of NextGen America, an organization that mobilizes young voters, released a statement calling the announcement “another short-term fix to a crisis that demands a longterm solution.” “Young voters feel frustrated with President Biden’s failure to fulfill his promise on student debt cancellation,” Tzintzún Ramirez said. “While borrowers surely appreciate the help paying rent and making ends meet, what they really need is a debt cancellation that will allow them to buy a house and build a future.” See STUDENT LOANS, page 2