Monday
/NorthernIowan
April 9, 2018
@NorthernIowan
Volume 114, Issue 49
northerniowan.com
Opinion 3 Campus Life 4 Sports 6 Games 7 Classifieds 8
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
UNI held harmless from cuts 2
STD testing 3
African Night at UNI 4
Villanova wins March Madness 6
The Campanile: a campus icon RodCon GABRIELLE LEITNER/Northern Iowan
CALEB STEKL Staff Writer
Rising 100 feet into the sky and leaving Rod Library in its shadow, the Campanile is the most visible structure on UNI’s campus. The Campanile serves a unique and symbolic role on campus. Since 2015, it has served as the gathering place for everything from a gun walkout demonstration to a candlelight vigil after a student suicide. Couples also share kisses during Homecoming at the base of the Campanile, a tradition dating back to the 1940’s. History According to the Rod Library archives, the Campanile’s physical structure was completed in 1926, but the project’s origins date back to 1914. Fundraising for the Campanile began in 1915 but was halted by the economic demands of World War I. It was initially estimated to cost $12,000, but costs rose to $40,000 by 1921, according to reporting from The College Eye, the student newspaper on campus at the time. Fundraising efforts were slowed further by the 1920 recession. By 1924, cash donations and pledges totaled $20,500, and ground was broken that November. The dedication ceremony on September 19, 1926 was attended by 12,500 people, as estimated by The College Eye. One of the most iconic parts of walking across campus at UNI is the sounds of the bells of the Campanile. The Campanile’s bells are an instrument, located at the top of the tower, called the carillon. It has been used to perform songs and concerts since its installment in 1927, according to Rod Library. Recently, however, there have been concerns raised about the Campanile’s safety and the termination of public visits.
Safety Concerns The Guild of Carillonneurs (GOC) is a student organization whose goal is to carry on the tradition of carillon performances, according to their mission statement. Tommy Truelsen, their president, said he feels more needs to be done to ensure safety for carillonneurs. “The guardrail is one of the bigger safety issues,” Truelsen said. “It’s a very narrow staircase, and the distance between the rungs on the guardrail are large enough that I could fit through it; that concerns me.” The Campanile’s stairway has existed in its current state since the Campanile’s completion in 1926, according to Michael Zwanziger, the director of facilities management. Photographs provided by Abbie Greene, a member of the GOC and sophomore music technology major, show the large gaps in the handrail and rusting supports of the metal stairway. After traversing the stairs, students climb a small ladder through a crawlspace to reach the platform supporting the carillon. Other safety concerns include the lack of a fire extinguisher and smoke detectors at the top of the Campanile, near the heaters. Truelsen approached fire safety about the issue, but they would not fund a second extinguisher. The UNI physical plant told Truelsen major renovations would be required to ensure a second safety exit. As a last resort, all 13 members of the GOC went to the office of Danielle Massey, the Northern Iowa Student Government (NISG) Director of Finance. The Guild met with Massey to explain their concerns and ask what remedy may be available through contingency funding. A budget request submitted to NISG reportedly states that the Guild asked for $372.86 for a fire extinguisher, two smoke detectors and an escape ladder. According to Massey, NISG funds cannot be used to fund fire safety items, so the request was denied. What are seen as safety concerns by the GOC are part of the reason why the Campanile has been closed to public tours for three years. See CAMPANILE, page 2
2018
SOFIA LEGASPI
Staff Writer
Over 3,000 geek culture fanatics traveled across campus, Iowa and the Midwest to attend RodCon on Saturday, April 7. This is Rod Library’s fifth year hosting the Comic Con-esque event. “I think that fandom and geek culture is becoming more universal,“ said Caroline Francis, RodCon planning committee member. “Things like the Marvel Movies that have been really huge [...] are really drawing in whole families and people that didn’t know they were nerds, basically, to be nerds a little bit.” Francis creates handmade “geeky” jewelry and gifts. She was one of the 41 vendors in the “Artist Alley,” where RodCon visitors could purchase and browse through fandom artwork, handicrafts, collectibles and more. RodCon also featured a Kids’ Zone, a silent auction, door prizes, a “swag table” of freebies and caricatures by illustrator and cartoonist Chris Moore. “I got free comic books for my classroom!” said Jayd Brown, a junior spanish and dual elementary and middle-level education double-major who was getting her caricature drawn. Brown said her roommate forced her to go to RodCon. In the end, she was glad she came. “I think my favorite part has been seeing all the costumes and how I have absolutely no idea who any of these characters are or what’s going on, but seeing how animated people are and excited,” Brown said. Outfits ranged from young children in superhero capes to grown adults sporting intricate anime cosplay — and everything in between. Several popular Marvel and DC Comics heroes were present, including Black Panther and Wonder Woman. Other fans dressed as characters from lesser-known anime and web comics. A rendition of painting sensation Bob Ross even made an appearance. See RODCON, page 4