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THURSDAY, APRIL 5
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
VOLUME 114, ISSUE 42
VOLUME 117, ISSUE 12
TOWN HALL
PMB CONCERTS
MISSOURI VALLEY
NEWS PAGE 2
CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 4
SPORTS PAGE 6
Office of Community Engagement hosts virtual town hall.
The PMB holds their Outdoor Concert Series on Lawther Field.
Missouri Valley anounces football schedule for the spring.
Students march for Breonna Taylor SARA QUALLEY
Staff Writer
hh.UNI students marched for Breonna Taylor on Thursday, Sept. 24 after officers were not charged for shooting her in her Louisville apartment
earlier this year, as reported by AP News. “Taylor, an emergency medical worker, was shot multiple times by white officers who entered her home on a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation,” AP
News wrote on Wednesday, Sept. 23. “The warrant used to search her home was connected to a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside.” AP News also reported that former Louisville officer
KARLA DeBRUIN/Northern Iowan
In light of recent decisions in the Breonna Taylor case, UNI students organized a march on campus.
Brett Hankison was charged by a Kentucky grand jury Wednesday for three counts of wanton endangerment due to shots fired into a nearby, occupied home. Prosecutors found the other two officers involved in the shooting to be “justified in using force to protect themselves after they faced gunfire from her boyfriend.” UNI students gathered at the Maucker Union fountain for the march on Thursday. Max Tensen, a secondary mathematics education major at UNI, kicked off the event. Tensen expressed that he was disappointed in the judiciary system for not giving Taylor justice, and said he won’t rest until everyone has the same rights that he, a white male, possesses. Tensen then introduced speaker Alisanne Struck, a public relations major with an emphasis in special events. Struck told the crowd that Black lives aren’t being val-
ued, especially when an innocent Black woman was killed in her sleep. Police interviews and transcripts have clarified that Taylor was not asleep at the time of her death, although she had been in bed at the time police arrived at the apartment. Testimony from Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker, as reported in multiple articles from the Louisville Courier Journal, has indicated that both Taylor and Walker got out of bed prior to the police entering the apartment, and Taylor died on the hallway floor. Struck told the crowd that the U.S needs to do better, and loss only comes if people stop fighting for what’s right. Diamond Roundtree, a theatre performance major, addressed the crowd next. She encouraged white members of the crowd to speak up and use their privilege. See MARCH, page 4
Some in-person classes opt for online AASHITA VADHERA
Staff Writer
According to UNI’s COVID19 reopening plan as detailed at forwardtogether.uni.edu, the fall 2020 semester began with over 80% of classes meeting fully or partially face to face and only 20% being fully online. However, now that it is halfway through the semester, a number of classes have temporarily converted online due to illnesses or COVID-19 exposures. Others, for various reasons, have gone completely remote or online. Lucia Jaime Hernandez, a junior elementary education major, recently had two of her classes converted to remote learning. “Personally, the shift is worse,” she said. “I have a hard time focusing online and I can get easily behind in class.” However, she noted that there are some advantages, such as the opportunity to still par-
ticipate in class if she is sick or otherwise unable to attend in person. Katie O’Brien, American Sign Language (ASL) instructor, recently converted all her classes, which had been meeting in-person, to online delivery via Zoom. While some classes have moved online due to COVID19 exposures, O’Brien’s decision to go remote was pedagogical. When she taught in person, she needed to wear a mask, and it was difficult for students to see her face, an issue in the visually-based language of ASL. O’Brien said that while moving her classes online didn’t involve paperwork, she did have to notify the department chair, who then notified the registrar’s office. Her decision to move online also involved a lot of back and forth as she tried to ensure that her students understood her decision. “Initially, I surveyed my classes the first week to ask
them how they felt about moving ‘online.’ I had to go back and clarify that I meant ‘remote,’ as in we would still meet during our regular class meetings, just via Zoom, and that I wasn’t abandoning them/throwing them to the wolves/ghosting them,” she explained. She also commented that she did not know why her class would assume such a thing, but still she changed the survey to help them better understand the question. “I think many of them were apprehensive, but I sort of slowly moved them to Zoom to have them try it out,” said O’Brien. “They were much more interactive and responsive on Zoom than in the classroom! I think seeing my whole face makes a big difference for them.” Nonetheless, some of her students were still not very happy with the change, and after receiving a “complaint,” she decided to return to in-person. However, she soon realized that
GABI CUMMINGS/Northern Iowan
CAC 108 sits empty as the Department of Communications and Disorders decides ASL instructor Katie O’Brien’s classes are no longer meeting in-person.
it may not have been the best thing for the students’ learning. “The statistical data I got from their exam grades showed that they were struggling to understand me, which I greatly attribute to them not seeing my entire face,” she said. “Armed with that data, I was able to make the professional decision
to permanently shift all my class meetings to Zoom for the remainder of the semester.” Unlike O’Brien’s decision, though, some class shifts did not involve student opinions, as mentioned by Sophia Aguirre, a strategic public relations major. See ONLINE CLASSES, page 2
PAGE 2
SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 |
NEWS
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
|
ELIZABETH KELSEY News Editor
VOLUME 117, ISSUE 12
Town hall touts community engagement NICK BAUR Staff Writer
With many communities in and around Cedar Falls experiencing a series of enduring hardships in the past months, the need for members of the community to band together to create positive change has never been more necessary. The UNI Office of Community Engagement is specifically tailored to address and provide assistance to help fulfill the needs of the Cedar Valley and surrounding communities. On Friday, Sept. 25, the Office of Community Engagement orchestrated a town hall focusing on community engagement and problem solving. The virtual event hoped to bring current community leaders and others in the area together to create beneficial partnerships in Cedar Falls and surrounding areas, helping enable those seeking to assist their communities. What would have typically been held as an in-per-
son event in years past was adapted into an online format this year in order to adhere to campus COVID-19 guidelines. Participants were able to register online and take part in a Zoom video call with other participants from the community. The event was organized by Community Engagement Program Coordinator, Kristina Kofoot, along with Executive Director of the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, Julianne Gassman, who led the Zoom call. Participants in the town hall consisted of community members (including Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green), UNI faculty and students. The main goal of the gathering was to continue to implement effective conversations around concrete solutions to community issues within the Cedar Valley. However, leaders of the town hall clearly expressed these community outreach programs do not always have to include UNI itself, but rather focus on the overall benefit these programs
could provide to their respective communities. By way of multiple Zoom breakout rooms, attendees were able to engage in group discussions with fellow community members. These discussions pertained to a wide range of prevalent topics including youth education, STEM, economic growth and poverty, research, sustainability, direct service, social justice and health and well-being. Each breakout discussion was led by individuals from the Office of Community Engagement who focused on facilitating engagement among participants. Throughout these conversations, individuals were encouraged to direct their attention to incorporating anti-racism practices while also maintaining equity when directing or participating in outreach programs. Gassman spoke to this issue before the breakout discussions. “Consider how you practice anti-racism in all that you do and how you ensure equity,” she
said. “While we have different focused conversations... I still think it is really important to center anti-racism and equity in those conversations.” In the coming months, the Office of Community Engagement is hosting the UNI Fall Blood Drive at the Wellness Recreation Center on Oct. 21, with more events con-
UNI OFFICE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT/Courtesy
A slide from a presentation by the UNI Office of Community Engagement during their town hall describes ways to promote social change. The virtual event, held Sept. 25, drew students, faculty and community members.
ONLINE CLASSES
continued from page 1
NI STAFF/ Northern Iowan
This graphic details the number of new cases of COVID-19, students in isolation and quarantine, and positivity rates, both campus and county-wide, over the last week. The campus’ cumulative case total for the semester is 161. From Sept. 21-27, nine new positive cases of COVID-19 were self-reported by students, with none self-reported by UNI employees. However, these self-reported cases may also be counted in the Student Health Center weekly totals and therefore, the numbers cannot be combined for a grand total.
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tinuing into the next semester. For those looking for more information about the Office of Community Engagement and their wide variety of partnerships, or those seeking to get involved themselves, visit their webpage at https://engagement. uni.edu/ or visit their offices, located in room 107 in the Human Performance Center.
Aguirre had one class that went online temporarily, as well as other classes which shifted to online learning before the semester began. “I actually was not notified about this change from any of my classes that did end up going online,” she said. “I was instructed by my advisor that I should check MyUNIverse regularly over the summer to make sure I was staying up-todate with the changes. One of my classes changed its lecture room three times in the course of two months before moving completely to online learning via Zoom. As far as I am aware, I nor anyone else in my online classes were involved in the decision-making process.” Aguirre also talked about the difference in the quality of education between in-person and online classes. 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 © 2020 by the Northern Iowan and may not be used without permission.
“I definitely feel like I can get more out of my in-person classes … I believe I am retaining information better,” she said. “Not only that, but having the luxury of hands-on, collaborative learning makes such a big difference in my personal learning experience, more in fact than I thought it would.” Still, some students appreciate their professors’ dedication to keeping them safe, acknowledging that most of the shifts may have been due to bigger class sizes. Natalie Newhard, also a junior elementary education major, had an in-person class move online temporarily. She said the shift was “due to seating being too close together and people getting sick.” “I appreciate the caution from my professors and the school because I don’t want to get sick or pass on sickness,” she said. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters must be less than 300 words in length and are subject to editing. Not all submissions will be printed. Send submissions to maase@uni.edu.
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Tell us what’s happening on campus. Email submissions to northern-iowan@uni.edu. Do you want to have an event listed here? Email us at northern-iowan@uni.edu with information about the event to have it featured.
PAGE 3
OPINION
EMMA’LE MAAS Executive Editor
SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 |
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
|
VOLUME 117, ISSUE 12
Disclaimer: The following opinion articles featured do not reflect the opinion of the Northern Iowan newspaper or staff as a whole.
New Exec. Order excuses racism “Today, I am also pleased to announce that I will soon sign an Executive Order establishing a national commission to promote patriotic education. It will be called the ‘1776 Commission.’ It will encourage our educators to teach our children about the miracle of American history and make plans to honor the 250th anniversary of our founding.” President Donald Trump
Sept. 17 Press Conference
EMERSON SLOMKA Opinion Columnist
On Sept. 17 President Donald Trump announced a proposal for an education commission to promote a “pro-American curriculum,” predominantly in response to the New York Times’ 1619 project, which “aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.” In his address, President Trump rejected critical race theory (the idea that racism occurs systemically and is an inherent part of American law and institution), and accused “the left” of attempting to “silence dissent, to scare you out of speaking the truth, and to bully Americans into abandoning their values, their heritage, and their very way of life.” Given his decision on Sept. 4 to order federal agencies to halt racial sensitivity trainings, it seems
that President Trump is adamant about blatantly ignoring not only the United States’ racist history, but its racist present as well. Upon hearing President Trump’s address, it was only a matter of time until critics began to draw comparisons between the proposed 1776 Commission and the indoctrination of German youth during the Third Reich—that same day, “Hitler Youth” began trending on Twitter. Really, it’s hard not to see parallels between the two—“education” and “pro-anything” shouldn’t go together. Creating a “pro-American curriculum” would involve erasing all facets of history in which Americans were not purely noble and heroic (which would, arguably, be all facets of American history—no country has a clean reputation, and ours is no exception). President Trump uses the word “patriotic” repeatedly in his address, trying to
Tribune News Service
Emerson Slomka discusses President Trump’s new “1776 commision” and its possible consequences.
assure listeners that his education plan is for the betterment of the United States of America. However, the belief that the United States of America is superior to all other countries isn’t patriotic; it’s nationalistic, and nationalism is a dangerous mentality to have. Right-wing nationalism is a slippery slope that leads directly to fascism, which is a threat many Americans fear is becoming a reality. P r o p aga n d a in American schools is nothing new, however— American history classes have always been founded on the concept of promoting American excellence—they tell a story of a pilgrimage to a new, for-
eign land, a glorious battle for independence, and how America became the land of opportunity, all while glossing over the uncomfortable truth of genocide, slavery and mass poverty. It’s hard to imagine how the curriculum could become any more blindly pro-America, but one can only imagine that any mention of genocide, slavery, and mass poverty will be completely excluded from the narrative in favor of total glorification of America and its figures— as un-nuanced and one-sided as needed to promote the idea that America is flawless and beyond criticism. Needless to say, indoctrination has no place in our schools. Schools are a
place of learning, and history courses should teach the full story—comfortable or not—and students should be urged to analyze historic events and think about them critically. If America truly was great, we wouldn’t have to lie to children to convince them of it. President Trump has threatened to withhold funding from schools who refuse to teach his proposed curriculum, which is illegal under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), so it is unlikely that the 1776 Commission could be legally mandated, but the mere fact that the president would blatantly suggest indoctrinating school children should be cause for concern.
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CAMPUS LIFE SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 |
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
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ANTHONY WITHEROW Campus Life Editor
VOLUME 117, ISSUE 12
Reading Series features UNI faculty
Staff Writer The Final Thursday Reading Series had its September presentation this last Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Hearst Center for the Arts. The reading showcased two authors, both professors here at UNI. English Interim Department Head and Professor Jim O’Loughlin, and English professor Grant Tracey both read excerpts from their new books. Tracey opened first and shared the first chapter of “Winsome,” one of the two stories in his new book, the other titled “Bend of the Sun.” “I guess, with these sto-
ries I want to say they’re in limited third. So that’s kind of different from the crime books, which are mainly first person.” said Tracey. “I wanted to give you the action story; one’s loud and one’s quiet so I’m going to give you the loud one.” “Winsome” and “Bend of the Sun” are both noir fiction stories, as are many of Tracey’s other books, including the first two novels of the “Hayden Fuller Mystery series: Cheap Amusements and A Fourth Face.” The Hayden Fuller Mystery series will have a total of four books, the third is in the process of being published but was slowed down due to the coronavirus, and Tracey is currently working on the
BREONNA TAYLOR continued from page 1 “We have to continue to fight for change,” Roundtree said. After hearing from crowd members who were invited to speak after those scheduled, the march commenced. Students marched from the Maucker Union fountain around Lang Hall and passed Seerley and Sabin Halls before coming back to the fountain. Chants rang throughout campus as the students circled around campus. “Say her name: Breonna Taylor.” “Say his name: George Floyd.” “Black lives matter.” “No justice, no peace.” Logan Gray, a junior environmental science major, attended the march because he was upset about what happened to Taylor. “There’s been no justice
served for what happened to her, and there’s no reason for her to be shot in her own bed,” Gray said. Gray shared that as a white male, he has privileges that Black people don’t, and he doesn’t fear police officers when he walks down the street. He worries for his Black friends, who do feel scared when they see police officers. Cole Carolan, a junior English education major, said that he attended the march because “property shouldn’t be more valuable than life.” Genevieve Cruz, a senior movement and exercise science major, and Johnnie Hill, a senior family services major minoring in mental health, helped plan the march. Both students hoped the march would spread awareness about Taylor’s case and bring attention to her name. “She deserves justice,” Hill said. “No one deserves to be killed the way that she was
LAUREN MCGUILL
fourth. After his reading, Tracey sang two original songs while playing guitar, and Jim O’Loughlin accompanied him on harmonica. O’Loughlin then shared excerpts from his new book, “The Last Caucus in Iowa,” in which O’Loughlin recounts his experiences visiting as many presidential candidates as possible in the span of a year. The book is split into two parts, the first being O’Loughlin meeting presidential candidates, and the second being his memories of previous caucuses. O’Loughlin read one chapter on one of the lesser known presidential candidates; John Hickenlooper and another
Courtesy UNI Professors Grant Tracey and Jim O’Loughlin read from their new books.
chapter on Jim O Loughlin and his wife taking their
children to see Barack Obama back in 2008.
SARA QUALLEY/NORTHERN IOWAN UNI Students stand on the Maucker Union fountain holding signs saying “Justice for Breonna”
killed in her own home. It just kind of shows you that Black people aren’t even safe in their own homes, and that’s definitely a problem, and this is definitely an issue that we need to fix as a country. And we all need to on the same page about this because no one deserves to die
like that.” Both students feel Taylor’s case shows how the justice system is corrupt and wasn’t made to protect people of color, especially Black Americans. “I just hope people realize that it’s not about politics,” Cruz said. “This is just human rights.”
To further illustrate the purpose of the march they helped organize, Hill quoted civil rights leader John Lewis, who said, “When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something, to do something.”
Panther|Preview 10 minute play breaks w/ Interp. Theatre
outdoor concert series: Jazz band
PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM
COLLEGE HILL FARMERS MARKET
“PSYCHO” MOVIE SCREENING
Monday, Sept. 28 12 p.m.
Tuesday, sept. 29 6 p.m.
tuesday, sept. 30 4 p.m.
thursday, OCT. 1 4 P.M.
friday, OCT. 2 7 p.m.
Online
WEST GYM
ZOOM
COLLEGE HILL
KAMERICK ART BUILDING
CAMPUS LIFE
ANTHONY WITHEROW Campus Life Editor
PAGE 5
PMB hosts first live performance SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 |
DARIEN GORDON
Staff Writer
The Panther Marching Band, affectionately known as “The Pride of Panther Nation,” held their first live performance of the season on Friday Sept. 25 at 4:30 p.m. Justin Mertz, the band’s director, said before the event “The whole PMB is very excited to be able to make music together.” Viewers could hear that excitement in their music and with how they interacted with the audience after the performance. The band has had to make many adjustments for COVID-19. Not only do the band members stay six feet apart, they also wear masks, make special wraps to cut down on the air coming from the instruments and use more static visuals in place of marching around the field. PMB is also an academ-
ic course offered at UNI so they have course objectives and lessons. Their main course objective is to serve the community and the students at UNI with music. While it has been difficult not performing in the dome during football games, the band is still preparing and performing for audiences. Dr. Mertz also said “As the band’s director I am so proud of the students and staff for their perseverance, grace, and adaptability during one of the most atypical semesters we’ve all ever had. It is amazing to see almost 300 students work hard toward making our community a safe and constructive place to be for all of our members.” The band is beloved by, not only the Cedar Valley community, but also by its surrounding communities. James Mons, a trumpet player for the PMB said “I felt that the PMB was really well received!
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
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VOLUME 117, ISSUE 12
Live music is something that’s been missing from the world for a while and it felt really good to be able to provide that to people again with the PMB!” While the band is always well received by patrons, it is always exciting to see people smile from music made by this ensemble. For more information on future concerts and performances, visit the Panther Marching Band Facebook page.
GABI CUMMINGS/NORTHERN IOWAN
UNI’s PMB holds their first live performance outside of Lawther field.
UNI School of Music holds scholarship benefit AASHITA VADHERA
Staff Writer
On Friday, Sept. 25, UNI School of Music celebrated their 39th annual scholarship benefit titled “A Platinum Celebration” with everything virtual in true 2020 spirit. The premiere aired at 7:30 p.m. and has received over 195 views as of Sept. 26. The show opened with Jeffrey Funderburk, director of UNI’s School of Music. He addressed the viewers and talked about the changes that have been made to this year’s scholarship benefit as well as the lack of audience members. “Like everything in our daily lives some changes have had to be made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first
time that we have had to present our SBC as a virtual event without allowing audience members in the space,” stated Funderburk. He further went on to talk about the importance of the event explaining how the donations collected through it are essential in providing scholarships for the students in the department. Funderburk also mentioned that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center which has been a home to the scholarship benefit since it opened. “We will celebrate that tonight by highlighting its great technology in concert with the beautiful acoustics. This facility has had a tremendous positive impact on the school of music as
well as the entire cedar valley. It is a partnership that continues to thrive and is tremendously important for both the school of music and the performing arts center,” he said. Dr. Stephen Kerrigan, executive director of the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, spoke about the challenges of putting up this concert in COVID-19 times and how UNI’s School of Music worked hard to overcome all the challenges. He also talked about the dedication the School of Music showcased towards ensuring the health and safety of its students and faculty. When asked about the challenges of COVID19, he said they “reached out to epidemiologists and musicians from across the world
to create a safe environment where our students can move forward in their music education.” There are a lot of changes that have taken place, however according to Funderburk, the high quality performances that the concert is known for has not been affected such as the few surprises that they try to feature on every program. Everything is essentially the same with only one substantial difference: “The only thing that we could not do is find a way to provide in this virtual version, the champagne, chocolates and finger foods that have been a constant in previous events,” Funderburk joked. The cast of the show, which used to be about 100 was also cut short to showcase a few performances by
faculty and students as well as a guest performance by Carol Newer who performs on top of the Campanile on the university’s carillon. The concert included a variety of performances including UNI’s Faculty String Quartet, a video electronic music composition, piano, Opera UNI, flute and much more. Throughout the show there are video appearances from President Mark Nook, VP of University of advancement Jim Jermier, and UNI School of Music scholarship recipient Lizzy DeJong. These speakers spoke about the importance of music on UNI’s campus and urging people who are able to donate to the program so that they are able to keep supporting their students and faculty.
Responsibility in Research seminar takes place AASHITA VADHERA
Staff Writer
On Thursday, Sept. 24 Helen Harton, graduate coordinator and professor of psychology at UNI, held a workshop on social responsibility in research with six participants. The seminar was held online with Harton
doing her best to make technology her best friend. Although she had her doubts about presenting online, Professor Harton decided to go ahead with it, stating, “this is the first one of these that I have done on Zoom. I was a little nervous about doing it on Zoom because normally it is face to face because it is interactive
and we’re talking and sometimes that is a little more difficult with Zoom.” The seminar talked a lot about basic research processes such as harms, benefits, confidentiality, consent and risks. They also focused on human participant research as well the relationship between researchers and their social responsibilities
trying to find the answers to big questions like ‘If you create the atomic bomb and someone uses it to kill a bunch of people, is it your fault even though you never killed anyone, only created the device?’ Harton’s aim through the workshop was to make researchers more aware of their actions and purpose.
“As scientists, you have the obligations to conduct research honestly and accurately and share your results with others in a clear and understandable way,” she states. “You also have an obligation to know what to do, but you also need to push yourself during hard or stressful times to actually do what should be done.”
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SPORTS OCTOBER 1, 2020 |
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
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COLIN HORNING Sports Editor
VOLUME 117, ISSUE 13
FOOTBALL
Three Panthers stand out in the NFL DAVID WARRINGTON
Sports Writer
Northern Iowa is known as one of the most consistent, successful teams in all of Division 1AA. As a perennial playoff participant, the Panthers do a great job of producing NFL-caliber players in a level of football that often doesn’t produce that many. There are currently three former Panthers on active, 53-man NFL rosters, with others fighting to earn a spot. The most recognizable NFL player to come out of
UNI since Kurt Warner is running back David Johnson. He played running back at Northern Iowa from 20112014, setting numerous school records along the way. He was a third-round draft selection by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2015 NFL Draft. He immediately proved that he belonged in the NFL, putting up nearly 1,000 all-purpose yards as a rookie, and making the Pro Bowl in his second season. After several years in Arizona, Johnson was traded to the Houston Texans this past offseason. He came into the season as the starter
Sioux City Journal
L.J. Fort has found a role on the Baltimore Ravens after playing for several different teams in his career.
and has not disappointed. In the opening game of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs, Johnson had a strong game, running the ball 11 times for 77 yards, as well as scoring the first touchdown of the 2020 season on a 19-yard run in the first quarter. Overall, Johnson has had a pretty strong start to the year, running the ball 35 times for 134 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching seven passes for 71 yards. UNI alum L.J. Fort is doing big things in the NFL as a linebacker. He was a three-year starter for the Panthers and was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Missouri Valley Football Conference as a senior in 2011. Despite this success, he went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft. He was picked up by the Cleveland Browns prior to the 2012 season and bounced around from team to team for several years until landing with the Baltimore Ravens in 2019, where he has found the most success. After earning a starting spot midway through last season, Fort has come into his own this year. Fort has 12 tackles through three games, which is on pace to be a career high. He has also forced one fumble and recovered two, one of which he returned for the second touchdown of his
Waterloo Courier Houston Texans running back David Johnson during his time at UNI.
NFL career. After several years as a journeyman, Fort has solidified himself as a strong force on the Baltimore defense. Another former Panther currently in the NFL is wide receiver Daurice Fountain, who played for the Panthers from 2014-2017. As a true freshman he immediately received significant playing time, and by his sophomore year he had become the focal point of the Panthers aerial attack. He also received an invitation to the annual East-West Shrine Game after his senior year, where he was named the offensive MVP. All of this led to Fountain being selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. It’s been a bit of a strug-
gle to start Fountain’s professional career. After spending nearly all of his rookie season on the practice squad, a preseason ankle injury kept him out of action all of last year. However, this season he is healthy and ready to perform for the Colts. He has already caught two passes for 23 yards, and is ready to contribute more to the Colts offense. It is always exciting to see a player go from playing in the UNI-Dome on Saturdays to playing in NFL stadiums on Sundays, and with the success of the Northern Iowa football program, it’s no surprise to see former Panthers playing in the NFL. As the years go on, we are sure to see more and more Panthers drafted to the biggest stage that football has to offer.
NFL OPINION
NFL week 3 recap: who looks legitimate so far? NICHOLAS SCHINDLER Sports Writer
In week three of the NFL, there was a matchup of last year’s Super Bowl MVP and NFL MVP and with the two top teams in the NFC facing off in Sunday Night Football,. Along with that, the Chicago Bears decided to.start a former Super Bowl-winning quarterback under center and COVID-19 has unfortunately hit the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons lost to the Chicago Bears on Sunday after giving up yet another lead, this time by 16 points. Following their third straight loss to start the season, head coach Dan Quinn will likely be fired at some point this season. The Falcons gave up a lead in week one to the Seahawks week two to the Cowboys, and now to the Chicago Bears in week three. But perhaps the even bigger story is that Bears starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was benched for backup Nick Foles, even though Trubisky was 2-0 as a starter. After throwing an
interception while trailing in the third quarter, Bears head coach Matt Nagy had enough. Foles was placed into the game and led the Bears back. He threw three touchdown passes and had a passer of 95.2 for the game. Coach Nagy has now officially announced that Nick Foles will be their starting quarterback moving forward, marking the end for Trubisky as the Bears starting quarterback. The Sunday Night Football matchup was a battle of the two top teams in the NFC: the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints. The Packers were without their number one wide receiver Devante Adams and the Saints also were without top wideout Michael Thomas. Green Bay looked much better on Sunday. The Packers hung 37 points on the elite Saints defense and the offense looked unstoppable. Green Bay has now set their team record for points scored through three games with 122 points and look like one of the league’s most explosive offenses. As for New Orleans, Drew Brees’
Courtesy Photo/Baltimore Ravens
2019-20 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens suffered a defeat in their matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs in a matchup of top AFC teams.
arm seems much weaker and did not even attempt a pass twenty yards down the field. Overall, the Packers clearly seem to be a step ahead of the Saints in the NFC. On Monday Night Football, the Ravens and their MVP Lamar Jackson and the Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs faced off with the Chiefs dom-
inating the entire game. Jackson only had 97 passing yards and looked out of touch with the offense. He is 0-3 in his career against Kansas City, with the Chiefs seeming to really give him issues. Overall, the Chiefs still look like the best team in the NFL and the Ravens are still a good football team and will more than likely play the Chiefs
in the AFC Championship game. The season is still very young but this game was an eye opener. Finally, the Tennessee Titans had eight people test positive for COVID-19. This has caused the TitansSteelers game scheduled for Sunday to be postponed. This is the first time COVID-19 has affected a game being played by the NFL.
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SPORTS SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 |
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
COLIN HORNING Sports Editor
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VOLUME 117, ISSUE 12
FOOTBALL
MVFC announces spring football schedule COLIN HORNING Sports Editor
The Missouri Valley Football Conference released their spring 2021 football schedule last Thursday after the league had announced back in August that all fall sports would be moved to the spring due to the COVID19 pandemic and its potential risks. The eight game conference schedule will begin on Feb. 21, with the UNI Panthers starting their season at home against Illinois State. Each Valley team will play the standard eight game conference slate but will not have a non-conference schedule due to the spring schedule and the delays and cancellations of other football leagues around the NCAA. The schedule will have the same home and road opponents as were scheduled in the fall, but the order of the opponents will differ due to travel restrictions and potential weather threats from starting the season in the winter. UNI will start the season
in the UNI-Dome on Feb. 21 against Illinois State before travelling to Vermillion, SD for a Friday night matchup against the University of South Dakota. The Panthers return home on March 6 to host Missouri State but will then hit the road for three consecutive games followed by a bye week. They will travel to Macomb, IL on Mar 13 to play Western Illinois, followed by a matchup in Carbondale, IL against Southern Illinois on March 20. On March 27, UNI will go to Youngtown, OH to play Youngstown State for their final of the three road games before a bye week on April 3. On April 10, UNI will play host to the defending national champions North Dakota State. They will close out the regular season on April 17 at home against South Dakota State. Last Tuesday, Sept. 22, the NCAA Division 1 Board of Directors voted on a 16-team FCS playoff schedule to begin on April 24 with a championship game to be played anywhere from May 14-16. Northern Iowa finished last season with an overall record
UNI Athletics
UNI will be returning a strong team on both sides of the ball for the unconventional spring 2021 football season. The Panthers are ranked third in the country in the STATS Preseason poll and look to be a national title contender this seaseon.
of 10-5 and finished the regular season 8-4, led by freshman quarterback Will McElvain. The Panthers played the toughest schedule in all of NCAA Division 1AA in 2019, but managed a 6-2 conference record in the MVFC. They won their first-round FCS playoff game against San Diego and upset South Dakota State in the second round before falling to eventual national runner-up James Madison in the
national quarterfinals T h e Pa n t h e r s c o m e into the season r anked N o. 3 i n t h e S TAT S Perfor m Preseason poll, with six player s being named to the STATS Perfor m Preseason First and Second team. They retur n one of the top defenses in the nation and a strong cast on the offensive side of the ball as well. Head coach Mark Farely will also retur n
for his 20th season at the helm of the Panthers. His career record stands at 159-83. The MVFC as a whole looks to be one of the most competitive conferences in the nation, as last season the league had six different teams ranked in the top 25 along with the defending national champion NDSU. UNI looks to be right in the middle of a highly competitive season.
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
Sept. 28, 2013: Panthers take down McNeese State DAVID WARRINGTON
Sports Writer
On Sept. 28, 2013, the McNeese State Cowboys traveled from Lake Charles, Louisiana to the UNI-Dome for a matchup with the Northern Iowa Panthers. The Panthers entered the game with a 4-0 record and ranked fifth in the nation among all FCS teams. McNeese State came in 4-1 and ranked ninth in the nation. A rare matchup between two teams ranked in the top ten nationally meant there was sure to be some exciting football.
McNeese State won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. The game started off with a bang when defensive back Blake White forced a fumble on the opening kickoff that was recovered by fellow DB Jeremy Johnson. Unfortunately, the Panthers couldn’t capitalize as their offense went threeand-out and kicker Tyler Sievertsen missed a 36-yard field goal attempt. Both teams went back and forth, unable to put any points on the board, until UNI quarterback Sawyer Kollmorgen found running back David Johnson
for a 32-yard touchdown. Sievertsen’s extra point gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead that they would take to the end of the first quarter. On the second play of the second quarter, the Panthers faced a fourth and nine from the Cowboys 34-yard line. The Panthers lined up as if they were going to punt, but it turned out to be a fake as QB Justin Black found tight end Sam Rohr for 19 yards and a first down. On the very next play, QB Brion Carnes ran the ball in from 15 yards out for a touchdown. The Panthers offense stalled out at
Sioux City Journal
UNI Running Back David Johnson crosses into the endzone for one of his two touchdowns in the Panther’s 41-6 rout of McNeese State on Sept 28, 2013.
the 6-yard line on their next drive, but Sievertsen knocked in a 23-yard field goal. The Panther defense continued to dominate as they didn’t allow any points in the first half, and the score remained 17-0 at halftime. UNI got the ball to begin the second half, and fans in the UNI-Dome likely felt a sense of deja vu as there was another fumble on the opening kickoff of a half. Luckily, the Panthers got on top of the ball and did not lose possession. They were able to drive down the field, and they finished off the drive when Kollmorgen connected with wide receiver Chad Owens for a 25-yard touchdown. This gave the Panthers a strong 24-0 lead against the nation’s 9th ranked team. On the ensuing possession McNeese State put together their best drive of the day. RB Marcus Wiltz ran for 52 yards on the drive, and also put the Cowboys on the board when he caught a pass from QB Cody Stroud for a 6-yard touchdown. The Cowboys attempted a two-point conversion to try and make the game closer, but it failed, and the Panthers lead 24-6. Any hope of this possession leading to more momentum for the Cowboys was crushed when defen-
sive lineman Collin Albrecht forced a fumble that linebacker Sam Tim recovered and returned just two yards shy of the endzone. Two plays later, Kollmorgen ran it in for a touchdown to give the Panthers a 31-6 lead going into the fourth quarter. The game was pretty much over entering the fourth quarter as UNI held a large lead. However, that did not stop the Panthers from putting up another ten points. For the second time that day, Kollmorgen found Johnson for a touchdown, this time from five yards out. Sievertsen also knocked in a 17-yard field goal for another three points. The UNI defense didn’t allow any points in the final quarter, and the Panthers came out on top by a final score of 41-6. In what should have been a hard-fought contest between two top ten teams, the Panthers dominated the ninth ranked Cowboys. QB Sawyer Kollmorgen completed 16 of his 27 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns. RB David Johnson ran the ball 16 times for 87 yards, and also caught six passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns. LB Jordan Gacke led the team in tackles with ten. With the win the Panthers moved up in the rankings to number four in the nation the following week.
KARLA DE BRUIN Managing Editor
FUN & GAMES SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 |
Across
1 Have a sudden inspiration? 5 Embryonic membranes 10 “Good going!” 14 Ancient Andean 15 Fully committed 16 Cries at the Home Run Derby 17 Norwegian coastal horse? 19 Agitated state 20 Ring leader? 21 Parenthesis, e.g.
22 Dún Laoghaire’s land 23 Largest division of Islam 24 Excellent joke? 26 Alpine transport 28 2010 sci-fi sequel subtitled “Legacy” 29 Grassy stretches 32 Map line 35 “A Doll’s House” playwright 38 “The Martian” has none 39 Where a sensei teaches how to slalom?
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41 Stat for Chris Sale 42 Pronunciation symbol 44 PBS science series 45 Small racer 46 Barbershop part 48 McGregor who plays two roles on TV’s “Fargo” 50 “We sure fell for that one, Jack,” e.g.? 54 Jungle vine 58 Big star 59 Lincoln Ctr. site 60 PBS science series 61 Brit’s floor covering 62 Was yanked offstage ... or what four puzzle answers did, in a way 64 Fuss 65 Dvorák’s “Rusalka,” for one 66 Instead 67 Scandinavian name meaning “cliff ” 68 Block 69 Sunflower edible
Down
1 They’re kept under wraps 2 Pear variety 3 Contempt 4 Raises 5 Guitarist’s gadget 6 “Aladdin” prince 7 __ nerve 8 Petrol unit 9 Vehicle with caterpillar treads
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VOLUME 117, ISSUE 12
10 Often-cosmetic procedure 11 View from Corfu 12 Sound from a tree 13 Competitor of Helena 18 Small amount 24 Abdomen neighbor 25 Chamber music group 27 Storied craft 29 “__ Miz” 30 “You get the idea” letters 31 Light hair color 33 Brouhaha 34 Matthew Arnold’s “__ Beach” 36 Be off 37 Bryce Harper, for now 39 Ornamental band 40 Talk 43 Belgian language related to French 45 Deli snacks 47 Ra, in ancient Egypt 49 Cosmetic additive 50 Rejects suddenly 51 Jerk 52 Mr. Magoo, for one 53 Santa’s reindeer, e.g. 55 Whac-__ 56 Rope loop 57 FAQ part 60 Scorch 63 Amount past due?
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CLASSIFIEDS
SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 |
Puzzle Answers SUDOKU ONE
SUDOKU TWO
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KARLA DE BRUIN Managing Editor
VOLUME 117, ISSUE 12
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