4-24-13

OPINION

SPORTS PAGE 6

OPINION PAGE 3

CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 4

West Scheel was a UNI freshman described by loved ones as endlessly curious and creative. They were majoring in environmental science with minors in geology and hydrology. They were originally from Madison Lake, Minn.

The UNI community came together for a celebration of life for West on Thursday, April 20. Friends, faculty and community members gathered to share and celebrate West’s memories. Faculty remember West often knitting or crocheting in class, always creating something. They were often early for class, and classmates fondly remember West’s smile.

They will be dearly missed by friends, family and the UNI community.

For anyone struggling, the university has listed the following available resources:

- Students can call the Counseling Center (319) 2732676 at any time of day or night and press #2 to speak with a counselor on the phone.

- Students can also utilize the Counseling Center between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, in the days and weeks to come.

Emergency appointments are available on a walk-in basis, no appointment needed.

This past week, the UNI Climate Study was released to the public. According to the Climate Study website, “Rankin Climate, LLC, an external consulting firm specializing in action-focused climate assessments,” was brought in by the university to assist with the project. The study was facili-

tated to understand how UNI could grow to be more inclusive to those on campus, students and faculty alike. There were 3,329 responses from across the university’s campus. Of these responses, 2,185 were undergraduate students, 232 were graduate students, 299 were faculty and 613 were staff members.

 See SURVEY RESULTS, page 2

West was described as always looking at the world with wonder. They had an unmistakable passion for protecting the earth and a love for nature. They loved building with Legos and creating artwork, and according to friends were, “obsessed with rocks.” West was also an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.

Friends remember West’s goofy sense of humor and love for everyone around them.

- Staff in the Office of the Dean of Students (deanofstudents@uni.edu) are available to support students who are in need of assistance in balancing grief, academic and other personal obligations.

- Faculty and staff are encouraged to utilize EAP Services (1.888.784.2057) for support, as well.

In addition, the Statewide Crisis Line can be reached at 1-800-332-4224. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Line can be reached by calling or texting 988.

Traducción: GBPAC anfitrión el concierto de primavera para el Proyecto Espectro

Gallagher Bluedorn

Performing Arts Center alojó el concierto del Proyecto Espectro el domingo de la semana pasada 16 de abril a las 2 de la tarde. La performance del Proyecto Espectro combinó arte, música, movimiento y drama para los niños con diferentes habilidades por todas partes de Cedar Valley. Los niños oscilaron desde edades 5 a 19 y la facultad del Proyecto Espectro incluyó estudiantes de UNI, Colegio de Allen y Colegio Comunitario Hawkeye quienes trabajan con los niños.

Jamie Knox es un estudiante del tercer año en UNI

estudiando educación de música vocal y fue una de las instructoras de baile para el proyecto. Knox estuvo trabajando con los niños del Proyecto Espectro durante todo el semestre para enseñar y coreografiar los bailes. Fue la primera vez que Knox fue parte del proyecto y también era el primer performance en persona desde 2019 por el virus de COVID-19. El performance de 2020 fue hecho en una película llamada Play!

The Movie, que está disponible en la página web de https:// www.spectrumproject.org. Y los programas de 2021 y 2022 se llevaron a cabo en línea.

“Debido a los años pasados estando en línea muchos de los estudiantes en campus no han tenido la oportunidad de ver ni ayudar con el [proyec-

to] y estoy muy entusiasmada que estamos volviendo a en persona!” dijo Knox.

Abby Wendland, una estudiante de primer año estudiando educación musical en UNI, también ayudó a creer el performance del Proyecto Espectro este año. Wendland es la directora de música quien estuvo trabajando con la porción de música infantil para el espectáculo, y eligió la música que cada grupo interpretará. Con el espectáculo 2023 siendo en persona por primera vez en cuatro años, las artistas, la facultad, y el auditorio estaban extáticos para ver el espectáculo entre bastidores.

EMILY EAVES/NORTHERN IOWAN

The UNI Climate Study, conducted in fall 2022, seeks to help understand interactions on campus, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. 3,329 responses were collected from across campus.

CAMPUS LIFE UNI’s RRTTC hosts events to help community celebrate Earth Week.

Kathie Obradovich of Iowa Capital Dispatch discusses recent progress in Iowa’s transparency laws.

BAILEY KLINKHAMMER Associate Campus Life Editor

NI STAFF

SURVEY RESULTS

continued from page 1

There was a wide range of questions asked on the survey, as documented in the Final Report from the Climate Study. Sense of belonging, academic success, seriously considering leaving the university, financial hardship and unwanted sexual contact were all surveyed and reported in the Final Report. Beyond some of the questions asked in the survey, the report also breaks down the fine details of the demographics at UNI, going beyond the racial or sexual orientation demographics. The Climate Study reported about how many students who were employed by the university responded, and what department those students worked in. The Climate Study reported about how many undergraduate students are in on-campus organizations, and what specific organizations, like Fraternity & Sorority Life, to health & wellness organizations, to campus publications. The Climate Study also collected data about how undergraduate students paid for college, broken down further into first generation students, and undergraduate student’s GPAs.

There is a wide range of data sets reported on in the Final Report from the Climate Study. But, one data set that will have the biggest impact on

the university’s inclusivity is the “Comfort with the Climate” data set. This set was broken down into smaller pieces, measuring by gender identity, racial identity, sexual identity, and disability status. Of the gender identity set, between 51%-59% of participants, including men, women and transgender people, responded with “comfortable” to express how they feel on campus. Overall, respondents in the racial identity set had a steeper range. Forty-one percent of Black respondents listed “comfortable,” 67% of Latinx respondents listed “comfortable” 56% of Additional Respondents of Color listed “comfortable,” 57% of White respondents listed “comfortable” and 51% of Multiracial respondents listed “comfortable.” With these data sets, UNI will be able to understand further how to promote inclusivity on campus.

Another measurement taken by the Climate Study is just how accessible UNI is for everyone on its campus. This section of the Climate Study reported on the barriers for students with disabilities at UNI. According to the study, “11% of respondents experienced barriers related to textbooks and 8% in relation to food menus…13% of respondents experienced barriers related to accommodations from faculty.” One of the emerging themes from the

study analysis in relation to accessibility was “issues getting accommodations,” where “respondents who identified as having disabilities/conditions also shared that they had issues getting accommodations at the institution.” In this analysis, two undergraduate students were quoted, one reporting, “The accessibility office offers nothing but lip service to students with disabilities. The professors offer no real help as well considering they have so many students to teach.” The second undergraduate student reported, “It was very difficult for me to get the appropriate accommodations needed for my medical condition. I was not treated with respect by the accommodations department.”

There were even sharper disparities in barriers between transgender respondents and inclusivity at UNI. Out of the transgender respondents, 41.7% reported that there were restroom barriers for transgender students at UNI, alongside an overwhelming theme of students wanting to see more gender neutral bathrooms on campus, as discussed on page 80 of the report. Another barrier theme documented by the Climate Study was issues with deadnaming on UNI ID Cards, where undergraduate students reported at the time of the survey that their UNI ID requires them to have their birth name on

their ID. The ability to use preferred names on UNI IDs was just implemented in January 2023. One undergraduate student commented, “The fact that my employer has access to my dead name because I am not in a position to legally change it yet is incredibly jarring and disturbing.” On top of barriers with bathroom and ID accommodations, transgender survey respondents also responded in starkly higher numbers than their cisgender peers in “Personal experiences of exclusionary, intimidating, offensive and/or hostile conduct as a result of their gender identity.” Overall, 33% of transgender respondents reported that they experienced this conduct

in some way, and 77% of transgender respondents accredited the conduct to their gender identity.

The Climate Study that was recently released includes information about diverse subjects that affect everyone on UNI’s campus. This data provided by the study will give the university more knowledge when it comes to what students, faculty and staff alike need to see when it comes to inclusivity and accommodations here at UNI. There is over 400 pages of data in the Final Report, and students have access to this report via the UNI Climate Study website. Students can login with their CatID to see the full report.

COURTESY/SPECTRUM PROJECT

El Proyecto Espectro ayuda a apoyar los niños con diferentes habilidades. Los “Compañeros” disfrutan el tiempo con los niños por la coreografía y enseñanza de baile.

NORTHERN IOWAN

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EMILY EAVES/NORTHERN IOWAN

The climate study revealed a number of statistics relating to UNI’s inclusivity. For example, 41.7% of transgender respondents reported that there were restroom barriers for transgender students on campus. The complete report is over 400 pages, which can be accessed with CatID.

PROYECTO ESPECTRO extendida de página 1

“Estoy muy emocionado por ver a las artistas poner un espectáculo increíble para sus padres y aficionados. Todos han trabajado duro, y están emocionados por enseñar sus esfuerzos. Mirándolos poner el trabajo que duró meses a un espectáculo estelar es mi cosa favorita”, dijo Wendland.

Con los 32 actuaciones divididos entre cuatro grupos, la producción no sería posible sin toda la ayuda y apoyo de Knox y Wendland, conjuntamente con otros instructores y Compañeros, quienes son estudiantes de UNI quienes trabajan con los grupos de actuación individualmente.

El Proyecto Espectro empezó con el Teatro

Espectro, que fue fundado por el profesor Gretta Berghammer del Teatro de UNI en 2012, y el primer concierto de Espectro fue presentado en 2015. El proyecto en sí se basa en el Base State Prism Project de Muncie, Indiana, fundado por Ryan y Amy Hourigan en 2010. El Prism Project es descrito como “un programa de las artes escénicas para niños con excepcionalidades” y ofrece a los niños trabajar con música, baile, arte y teatro. Mientras el performance de este año ya se terminó, puedes registrarte para participar en el Proyecto Espectro del próximo año en https://www.spectrumproject.org para ser Compañero, instructor o ¡simplemente para aprender más!

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CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN Associate Executive Editor

An open-records victory but still a long way to go

KATHIE OBRADOVICH Iowa Capital Dispatch

The Iowa Supreme Court said it loud and clear: The governor is not above the law.

The high court’s ruling issued last week was a significant victory for advocates of open government, including Iowa Capital Dispatch and our deputy editor Clark Kauffman. We were among the plaintiffs in the case because it was the only avenue left to maintain the Iowa Open Records Law as a meaningful, enforceable statute.

In a 6-0 ruling, the justices made it clear that custodians of public records can’t skirt the law’s requirements by simply ignoring requests for documents, as the governor’s office did for as long as 18 months before the lawsuit was filed.

Gov. Kim Reynolds, in a statement, blamed the pandemic for her office’s failure to comply with the law.

“During that time, there was an unprecedented number of open records requests and many of those went unfulfilled for a period,” she said. “While we disagree that this lawsuit should continue, my office has eliminated the backlog of open records requests and is committed to upholding our responsibility to respond to any new requests in a timely manner.”

Laura Belin, publisher of the Bleeding Heartland blog and one of our co-plaintiffs in the case, pointed out the hypocrisy of Reynolds claiming COVID-19 as an excuse.

“The pandemic placed unusual demands on many people, and we understood it might take state officials a little longer to process records requests,” Belin said in a Friday press conference.

“But the delays continued for many months, long after Gov. Reynolds had ordered state government staff back to their offices and encouraged Iowans to resume their normal lives.”

And even as the governor was arguing that releasing documents was an undue burden on her office, Reynolds and Republicans in the Legislature have been pushing for massive new transparency laws for public schools, including requiring up-to-date publication of all library and classroom materials.

The justices recognized that under the governor’s argument, Iowans would have no other recourse but to file a lawsuit to access public documents from that office.

That’s a relief. But even if this ruling and the litigation still to come turns out 100% in our favor, there will still be barriers to Iowans’ ability to access public documents.

One of those is the law’s failure to limit how much

government officials can charge the public for processing records before they are released.

Iowa Capital Dispatch has received estimates as high as $10,000 for fulfillment of records requests. Generally, state agencies say we’re paying for a key-word search for records and the hourly fee for a government lawyer to review each page to redact any potentially confidential information. Some of these lawyers are making $400 an hour.

Randy Evans, executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council and another of the plaintiffs in our lawsuit, points out these fees are intentionally prohibitive to Iowans seeking information to which they are entitled under the law. Lawmakers could easily fix this by excluding from “reasonable” fees the cost of attorneys to comply with the law.

The other significant barrier to Iowans’ right to know is the giant loophole that allows law enforcement agencies to indefinitely avoid releasing video from dashboard cameras, officers’ body cameras and other sources. The refusal to release video that might embarrass or expose an officer or the department means a lack of accountability to the public. Again, lawmakers could find a balance between the public interest and the privacy concerns of the public, but they

Letter to the editor: the appointing of Chad Aldis

CHRISTIAN DARNOLD Guest Columnist

Chad Aldis, a person with no teaching or school administration experience, was recently appointed as the head of the Iowa Department of Education. This appointment has been criticized, with many arguing that Aldis’ selection aligns with Governor Kim Reynolds’ agenda to promote school choice in Iowa. Reynolds’ school choice bill allows families to receive $7,600 per student to cover the costs of enrolling their child in a private school. However, studies

suggest that school choice policies mainly benefit upper-class families who can already afford to send their children to private schools. Private schools may not offer transportation or provide as many extracurricular activities and classes in the arts as public schools. They also tend to focus more on STEM classes and courses that boost SAT or ACT scores, which may not align with every student’s interests or needs.

Moreover, this school choice policy and the appointment of a pro-school-choice head of the education department may worsen the existing problems of Iowa’s underfunded and understaffed

public schools. Allowing parents to receive a stipend means more funding will be taken from the public schools budget and redirected towards private, often-forprofit schools that may not perform better than public schools in standardized tests.

In conclusion, Policymakers should prioritize investing in public schools, providing them with more resources and support for teachers and staff to ensure they are adequately funded and prepared to meet the needs of all students. By doing so, policymakers can make Iowa’s education system more equitable and successful for everyone.

have repeatedly chosen not to.

So yes, this Supreme Court ruling was a victory for Iowans who want access to the government that they are paying for with their tax dollars.

But there’s still a long way to go before Iowa government is as open and transparent as Iowans deserve.

Recycling & Reuse Technology Transfer Center hosts Earth Week events

UNI students had the opportunity to participate in events everyday from April 17-20, 2023 in celebration of Earth Week. The Recycling and Reuse Technology Transfer Center (RRTTC) hosted these events as their sustainability initiatives are highlighted during Earth Week every year.

“We’ve got a series of events all month long but really focused during the week of Earth Week,” said UNI Director of Sustainability, Eric O’Brien. “We really spend this time trying to engage students that might not otherwise think about the Earth or the environment in their every day.”

Over the week, there were a variety of events set up by the RRTTC. “We try to give a good mix of things that are fun versus things that students feel they are making a difference,” said O’Brien.

On Monday, April 17, disc golf was offered at Tourist Park at 2 p.m. Students were able to get outside and learn about the history of disc golf while playing. “We offered

an opportunity for students to be able to learn about disc golf and be more active outdoors,” said O’Brien. “Along with that there was some education about the history of some of our local parks in Cedar Falls and how we actually have the oldest existing 18-hole disc golf course in the whole country here in Cedar Falls.”

The Campus Cleanup was hosted on Tuesday, April 18. Students were able to pick up a trash bag and gloves at Dry Run Creek on Hudson and University Ave, starting the cleanup from there. Free Chad’s pizza was provided to participants after the event.

Free bike rentals were available for a leisure bike ride on Wednesday. Students met at Gilchrist to ride around Cedar Falls. This event brought awareness to the bike rental program UNI has, allowing students to rent bikes for up to a semester.

The big Earth Day celebration was hosted in Maucker Union On Thursday, April 20. The event had to be moved inside due to weather conditions eliminating the free bike tune ups that were

Cedar

going to be offered. Many local farmers were spotlighted at the event on Thursday. Beef from a farmer in Black Hawk County was used to make burgers. The Student Green Fund highlighted local honey and maple syrup to be put on cornbread muffins. Students were also able to make bicycle powered smoothies. The food and booths available are all tied back into local and sustainable consumption. O’Brien said they are, “...trying to do whole circle on everything. Bring everything local if at all possible or have a wellness component with it.”

O’Brien spoke about his favorite parts of hosting these events. “I know that during this time there’s an impact that we’re having on students,” he said. “In many cases it’s the first time that some students are thinking about this and it really is exciting to see some of the changes that they make.”

O’Brien stressed the fact that students create change here on campus when they have an organized voice and a vision of what they want done. “I love when students get engaged and that’s hopefully something we’ll con -

tinue to ramp back up,” he said.

Looking forward, O’Brien will be working with groups around campus to eliminate plastic bags from all UNI Housing & Dining retail locations around campus along with creating a few programs to reduce food waste at dining halls.

O’Brien also highlighted the work being done that people may not notice. UNI is transitioning to an electric fleet of mowers and ground

equipment. In addition to lessening pollution, this allows groundskeepers to be more efficient since they’re able to mow while classes are in session because of the reduced noise. “Those little efficiencies, are to me, what sustainability is,” said O’Brien.

To see the work RRTTC does with groups on campus and in the community visit the Recycling and Reuse Technology Center website or their social media pages.

MEG GROVE Staff Writer

PEXELS

UNI’s RRTTC celebrates Earth Week through campus-wide sustainability initiatives,

Valley historical education and environmentally conscious events for students to get involved.

BAILEY KLINKHAMMER Associate Campus Life Editor

The Refinery brings allergy-friendly options to Piazza

LUKE NELSON Staff Writer

Dining options at Piazza have heated up this semester with the addition of The Refinery. This new allergen-free station has replaced The Wok. It offers a wide variety of meals which are conscious of the top nine allergens most commonly found in food: milk, eggs, nuts, fish, crustaceans, shellfish, wheat, soy and sesame.

This new menu includes several meats such as chicken breast, pork chops, pork loin, different types of ham and beef. It also serves roasted vegetables among other sides. The menu is expected to grow as the semester continues.

While this station is specifically designed for allergen-free foods, the meals are available to all students. “It’s important for everyone to know they can get food there,” Assistant Director of Residential Dining Sara Eberle said. She expressed her concern that people may assume The Refinery is exclusive-

ly available to visitors with allergies. Due to the method of which the food is served, everybody can enjoy meals The Refinery has to offer.

Although the Wok station at Piazza was popular, it was hard to sustain. Due to understaffing issues, Piazza could not effectively operate the wok. Eberle explained that in

order to keep the wok open, “you need three to four student staffers working it.” She described it as “hard to operate without extra hands.”

The Refinery works a little differently than other stations at Piazza. Assistant Director of Marketing & Conferences Annie Karr described how The Refinery works. “You will get

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“After college, I want to continue living in the Cedar Valley My friends and family are all from Cedar Valley and I think it would be too big of an adjustment to move far away. I do a lot of traveling so I get to see other parts of the world ”

a clean plate each time,” she said. Eberle explained why: “Even if you have a single piece of chicken on your plate, we’re still going to give you a clean plate.”

Servers at The Refinery will always serve food to students on a fresh plate because serving food directly onto a plate with potential allergens

can cause cross-contamination. Cross-contamination occurs when the substance that causes an allergic reaction is transferred from one plate to the next through the utensils used to serve the food, in this case, tongs. This is also why people will directly serve the food to you at The Refinery.

“If our tongs touch something on your plate that has an allergen, then it’s unsafe,” Eberle said. She made it very clear that “someone will serve the food to you because it is a cross contamination issue with the tongs.”

This food station installation may not seem new to visitors of Rialto. The Refinery has been in place for about eight years at Rialto near the Dancer Hall entrance.

NI ARCHIVES

Karr and Eberle shared their adamant faith in The Refinery. “We anticipate that venue evolving as the semester goes on,” Karr said. The addition to Piazza aims to make work a little more manageable while introducing allergen-friendly dining options that are here to stay.

UNI, where would you like to live and why?

Quotes and photos by: Samaria Barnes

“ I will probably still live in the Midwest. My family has always been extremely close and I would like to have that for my future family and continue to be close to them. Also, I like the Midwest and having four seasons It would also depend on what churches are around, I want to be a part of a church community ”

“ I would like to live somewhere warm, probably in the Carolinas somewhere because I like how you can go to the beach, but you can also go to the mountains. I feel like that is a state that has a lot to offer I see myself living somewhere other than Iowa after I graduate But, I will probably move back to Iowa once I have a family and want to settle down.”

“I would like to stay in Cedar Falls and find a job here for a few years This will help me gain more experience in my future career path.”

Kylie Fink, 20, Interactive Digital Studies

David Mulimbi, 27, Business Administration

Mitchell Dietz, 19, Political Science & Geography

Samantha Ehler, 21, Communication & Science Disorders

The Refinery has replaced the Wok station in Piazza. While the Wok was a popular option, it was difficult to staff.

Panthers extend win streak to eight

BEN LAHART Sports Writer

The UNI softball team traveled to Normal, Ill. last weekend for a three game series versus the Illinois State Redbirds. The Panthers entered the weekend with a six-game win streak and looked to keep that streak alive.

The series began with a Friday night matchup at the Marian Kneer Softball Stadium. After a scoreless first inning, Illinois State got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning with a solo home run. UNI responded with an Alexis Pupillo double in the top of third, scoring two runs for the Panthers.

A scoreless fourth inning led to a Brooke Snider homer in the top of the fifth to give UNI a 3-1 lead. Illinois State responded in the same inning with a tworun double of their own to tie the game. A unique sixth inning featured a Pupillo walk, a Pupillo stolen base and finally a wild pitch to

bring her home and give UNI the lead back.

The Panthers solidified their lead with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh off the bat of Daryn Lamprecht to give UNI a 6-3 lead. After three quick outs in the bottom of the seventh, UNI won the game. Both Snider and Lamprecht hit their eighth home runs of the season in this game. Samantha Heyer pitched well with six strikeouts in the same number of innings.

On Saturday, the Panthers took their time before getting on the scoreboard. Illinois State put up one run in the first off a single to right field. Three scoreless innings followed, setting up a 1-0 game at the top of the fifth inning, where UNI finally got in their groove. First, Mya Dodge was driven home off a Taylor Hogan double to put the Panthers on the scoreboard. A Sammy Moss sacrifice fly allowed McKenna Kuper to get home and give UNI its first

lead of the game at 2-1. Illinois State responded in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run double to regain the lead at 3-2. UNI tied the game once again in the top of the sixth with a Dodge sacrifice fly, allowing Kylee Sanders to run home. With no runs in the bottom of the sixth, the Panthers entered a tie game in the final inning.

With two outs and a runner on first, Pupillo hit her 14th home run of the season to give UNI a 5-3 lead. The Panthers forced three quick ground outs to secure their eighth straight win of the season.

UNI played a third game on Sunday. However, the results were not available at the time of writing.

Eight straight wins is a season high for the Panthers and the two wins this weekend boosted their season record to 29-11 with an 18-1 conference record, which puts them in first place with nine games remaining. UNI currently leads the Missouri Valley Conference in hits,

runs, home runs and RBIs on the season. Pupillo currently leads the MVC in batting average, hits and home runs. She also sits second in runs, only trailing her teammate Sanders.

The Panthers next matchup will be Tuesday,

April 25 at 5 p.m. when they will face in-state rival Drake in Cedar Falls. UNI will stay at home next weekend as well as they meet up with Valparaiso on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Panthers conclude spring season in Iowa City

CADEN SHEA

Associate Sports Editor

The Panthers spring season came to an end this weekend as they traveled to Iowa City’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena to face Iowa State, Drake, Western Illinois and Iowa in volleyball action. The Panthers split their games on Saturday, claiming wins over Drake and

Western Illinois.

UNI commenced the competition by taking on the Iowa State Cyclones. The Panthers had two very competitive sets against their in-state rivals. The first game ended in a barn burner as the Cyclones barely edged out the Panthers 26-24. UNI looked to capture the second game after the loss to Iowa State, but the

Cyclones proved too much to defeat. The Cyclones closed the series by finishing the second game with a 25-20 score.

The next competition for the Panthers would be their conference and in-state rivals in the form of the Drake Bulldogs. UNI took it to their rivals right away, throwing the Bulldogs off of their game in the early phases of the

competition. The Panthers won the first game by a margin of six points as they won 25-19. The Panthers showed even more tenacity in the second match against Drake as they beat them by 11 points, showing no mercy to their opponents.

The Panthers ultimately won 25-14, concluding their series against Drake, giving a possible preview of what may come in the fall season.

The next challenge for the Panthers was the Western Illinois Leathernecks. The team kept up the same energy as they had in their previous game. The Panthers were in control for the majority of both matches. The Panthers knew what they needed to do and got the job done against the Leathernecks. UNI won the first match 25-19 in a somewhat close game. The Panthers dominated the second match, 25-16, to ensure their victory over Western Illinois.

The final match of the day was against

the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. The Panthers stayed on pace with the team for the majority of the match. The two teams dueled it out, continually trying to one-up one another and widen the gap on their opponent. The Panthers gave it their all but ultimately lost the first set with a score of 25-20 in favor of the Hawkeyes. The next set would be even closer as the Panthers looked to force a third. The Hawkeyes closed the set by two points with a final score of 25-23 to conclude the action for the day.

The Panthers had a great spring season, having great competition against opponents from all over the country. If this spring season is a sign of what to come for the Panthers in the fall season, the rest of the NCAA needs to be on watch as the Panthers may be ready to prove they’re still one of the top mid-major volleyball programs in the country.

COURTESY/UNI ATHLETICS

Alexis Pupillo had great games this weekend, hitting the winning home run on Saturday.

JORDAN JUNGE/NORTHERN IOWAN

UNI concluded their spring season against Iowa State, Drake, Western Illinois and Iowa this weekend in Iowa City at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

CADEN SHEA Associate Sports Editor

CADEN SHEA Associate Sports Editor

More than just a football player

ZOEY HUTTON Guest Writer

As a 6-foot-3, 260pound quarterback for the University of Northern Iowa, Nate Martens plays a physical, sometimes violent, sport. Yet Martens puts the Serenity Prayer at the forefront of everything he does, even if he does not consider himself the most religious person.

The prayer goes “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

“The serenity prayer has always been something I value and remember,” Martens said. The difference referenced in the prayer is the difference between knowing what is in your control and what is not. “Having the wisdom to know the difference is probably the hardest part, yet it is what keeps me sane most days,” Martens said.

Martens learned this way of thinking when he was struggling with football at a young age. At that time, his school had just gotten a new coach and the coach brought a new quarterback

TRACK & FIELD

with him who took over Martens’ position. Martens quickly learned that he had to accept the new circumstances for what they were. As Martens has grown, he has used this wisdom in many facets of life, such as work, school and friendship. One of the ways Martens has used this prayer in his adult life is through caring for others and helping them find the wisdom to know the difference.

“I will always care for another person,” said Martens. That is partially why he has chosen to study psychology at UNI. Martens, a redshirt sophomore in terms of athletic eligibility, but a senior academically, chose his major as a freshman. He settled on psychology because he liked it in high school and he “wanted to help others.”

Once Martens is done with his undergraduate career, he plans to either use his studies in psychology and his certificate in industrial organizational psychology to enter the human resource community, or go to graduate school and study communication. Either way, Martens knows that the right path is ahead of him, even if it is not fully paved

yet. Martens attributes a lot of his openness and caring to growing up in St. Louis, where “a lot of things were ever-changing.” In other words, St. Louis is a city of constant change and development. “St. Louis is so big that I was able to meet people of all kinds and do activities of all kinds, if I wanted,” he said. Martens gave an example of how big, and how it is possible to meet new people everyday in St. Louis when he said, “I could go back now and still meet people I have never even seen before.”

Martens was constantly learning new things as he grew up, and still is. Martens said he keeps an open mindset in everything he does. He values learning from others, no matter the person and their label. Martens’ philosophical side showed when he said, “taking the actual material and the content of anything is more important than the person it is coming from.”

Although Martens knows the importance of choosing what material to take from others, and who to take it from, Martens said his dad, Chris Martens, has had a huge impact on him. Martens

and his dad spent a lot of time on the road together going on recruiting visits, which meant they always had something to talk about. “Something I always talk with my dad about is the Serenity Prayer,” Martens said. Two of Martens’ most memorable trips with his dad are when they spontaneously decided to go to Niagara Falls while they were looking at a college in New York and when they had some “really good food in Boston.” Almost as if it was straight from a movie, the father and son share a bond over food, football and fun.

While football and competing in athletics have

always been a great part of Martens’ life, there is more to him than sports. Martens understands that “there’s a lot of stuff going on in our lives that not everyone sees.” Do not let Martens’ football stature get in the way of getting to know him. If there was one thing more people should know about Martens, it is that if people take the time to get to know him, they might see more than just a football player. Martens is a humble guy, and when it comes to talking about himself, he becomes a man of few words. “I never think ‘Oh I’m going to care for this person.’ It’s kind of just an instinctual thing,” said Martens.

Panthers flourish at Meet of Champions

BRADEN

ELTON Sports Writer

The Panthers found themselves with an abrupt change of plans as they traveled to Rock Island, Ill. this weekend to compete in Augustana’s Meet

of Champions. The change in schedule did not affect UNI as they returned home with seven first place finishes. Despite only competing on Friday, the men’s team finished third in team scoring while the women’s team finished first.

Makenna Wilson began the afternoon by clinching both the women’s discus and shot put titles. Wilson threw a career-best 160 feet, 1.25 inches in the discus. Katie Fare followed Wilson as she finished in fifth place with a throw of 141 feet, 8.25 inches, with Allison Flanscha placing seventh with a career-best throw of 133 feet, 7 inches. In shot put, UNI claimed the top two spots thanks to Wilson (49 feet, 6.5 inches) and Sarah Byrd, who was just behind Wilson with a throw of 45 feet, 8 inches. Mari Shavers took fifth place in shot put as well (42 feet, 6.5 inches).

For a second week in a row, Brendan Safley stood on top of the podium in first place for men’s pole vault, notching his second best mark with 16 feet, 2 inches. Last week at the Drake Jim Duncan Invitational, Safley had a career high 16 feet, 7 inches, taking first place there

as well.

Jack Sumners took first place in men’s long jump with a jump of 23 feet, 10.5 inches, beating out the second place finisher by 2.25 inches. The victory marked his first field event win of the outdoor season.

Paige Holub was able to claim her first victory since 2021 as she won the women’s 1500-meter run with a time of 4:38:20.

Ella Popenhagen followed close behind as she finished in fourth place with a time of 4:41:88, her career best. The Panthers also placed four individuals in the top 10 of the women’s 400-meter hurdles. Darci Wiseman led UNI with a first place finish with a time of 1:04:49.

Anna Winterrowd placed second with a time of 1:05:76, while Amelia Hill and Clare Basala finished sixth and eighth, respectively.

Emily Vos was able to

take home first place in the women’s 200-meter dash with a time of 24.42 seconds. Libby Wedewer came in third place with a time of 24.73 seconds, while Madelyn Sanda and Eden Barret finished fifth and eighth, respectively. In the men’s 200-meter dash, Tinashe Chigudu crossed the finish line in second place with a career best time of 21.35 seconds. Luke Meyers came in sixth, also running a career best with a time of 21.71 seconds.

Looking ahead to the upcoming week, the Panthers will be competing at the infamous Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. The meet starts on Wednesday, April 26, and finishes on Saturday, April, 29. The meet can be streamed on USATF.TV with a premium subscription, or you can watch portions of the meet on your local cable news networks.

COURTESY/UNI ATHLETICS

Former Panther quarterback Nate Martens proves that each athlete is much more than just their sport.

STEPH STARK/NORTHERN IOWAN UNI found a lot of success this weekend, as several Panthers were took first place in their event at the Meet of Champions.