ToCELEBRATING UNI and Beyond 100 YEARS OF HOMECOMING
ORTHERN I WAN
THE
the University ofOF Northern newspaper since UNIVERSITY NORTHERNIowa’s IOWA independent, CEDAR FALLS, IA student-produced THURSDAY, APRIL 5 VOLUME 114, ISSUE 42 1892 CEDAR FALLS, IA
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3
VOLUME 116, ISSUE 10
INNOVATION FUND
MAKE THE CHANGE
SOFTBALL
NEWS PAGE 2
CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 5
SPORTS PAGE 6
IPR recieves $250,000 for projects over next five years.
Student org spreads kindness one word at a time.
Panthers finish fall exhibition play 2-0 at home.
Homecoming kickoff and beyond ZYRUS WHITEHEAD Staff Writer
Crowds of students gathered at Lawther Field to celebrate the start of UNI’s 100th homecoming week at the annual Homecoming Kickoff on Monday, Sept. 30. President Mark Nook gave opening remarks about
the upcoming homecoming events, even saying he looked forward to participating in the campaniling tradition with his wife on Friday night alongside students. The kickoff event then began with the annual Pride Cry competition. Student organizations like Camp Adventure, Dance Marathon,
Greek organizations and other various on-campus groups competed in a showdown of Panther spirit. Groups put together a performance that could include a skit, stepping, dancing or singing. They were required to include the UNI Fight Song twice. Each two-minute performance also had to correlate with this year’s homecoming theme, “To UNI and Beyond.” Judges picked three finalists to compete at the pep rally this Friday, where they will select one winning group. The 2019 UNI homecoming king and queen were crowned at the kickoff, following the royalty competition held last Thursday. This year’s winners were junior math education major Lauren Folck and junior music education major Jonathan Green. Sarah Rasing, a senior English major, has loved coming to Homecoming Kickoff for four years in a row. “[This event] really sets the tone of excitement for the week of homecoming,” Rasing said. She also emphasized the importance of getting involved with homecoming events and celebrations.
TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan
“These events really stick with you when you get to your senior year and beyond,” she said. The kickoff event was emceed by Ryan Frank, a senior Spanish and social work double-major and Mahlia
Brown, a senior psychology major. Frank and Brown also emceed Thursday’s royalty competition and will be doing the same for Friday’s pep rally.
don’t happen regularly, said Renfro. When unwanted behaviors start to become recurrent, that is when it is considered sexual harassment. Renfro said sexual harassment can happen to anyone.
“Sexual harassment is not only a male-on-female phenomenon. It’s also not only a boss-on-subordinate phenomenon. You can definitely harness somebody who has more power than you,” Renfro said. “There’s all kinds of different examples, anything from requesting sexual favors or telling somebody that their employment is conditional. There’s also creating a hostile work environment, by telling really inappropriate sexual jokes regularly and commenting on someone’s appearance over and over. It can go all the way to exposing yourself or physically touching someone.”
See KICKOFF, page 5
Addressing workplace sexual harassment LAUREN MCGUILL Staff Writer
On Tuesday, Oct. 1, Assistant Professor of Political Science Jayme Renfro collaborated with the Northern Iowa Feminists for a presentation on sexual harassment in the workplace. The presentation, which took place in the Oak Room of Maucker Union, covered what sexual harassment is, how to recognize it, and how to report it. Professor Renfro shared that sexual harassment is an important issue to her and hopes that her students can take what she teaches them with them into the workplace. Renfro explained how sexual harassment is a civil offense defined by the Equal
Opportunity Employer Commission as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal and physical harassment of sexual, sex, or gender-based nature. Sexual harassment,
can be legally pursued when it occurs in the workplace or a school setting. Sexual harassment generally doesn’t include teasing, one-time comments or asking someone out, as these are things that
TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan
See HARASSMENT, page 2
PAGE 2
NEWS
ELIZABETH KELSEY News Editor
IPR receives new Innovation Fund OCTOBER 3, 2019 |
ELIZABETH KELSEY News Editor
Iowa Public Radio (IPR) recently received a $250,000 commitment from the Heartland Mitzvah Fund, which will be used to establish an Innovation Fund to support IPR over the next five years. “With big goals ahead of us, this is a very special gift and I am eager to see where this takes us,” said Myrna Johnson, Executive Director of IPR, in a Sept. 24 press release. According to Gretchen Kasperbauer, IPR’s Marketing Manager, the Heartland Mitzvah Fund commitment came from an anonymous Iowa donor. The money will be equally disbursed over five years, with $50,000 being released each year to support research and development of new IPR projects. “It’s the creation or improvement of the content delivery channel or the development of new programming,” Kasperbauer said. She cited IPR’s new 2019 podcast, “Caucusland,” as an example of this kind of new programming, which provides a new avenue to spotlight the political process in Iowa. “What this fund is going to do is really kind of help us think about ways we can start testing new avenues, especially in the digital space,” she said. “[The] staff has really had a lot of creative ideas over the past couple years, so this
HARASSMENT
fund…will give them time to strategize and help put some of those creative ideas in motion.” IPR is based in Des Moines and has three main studios on the campuses of the state universities: University of Iowa, Iowa State and UNI. The UNI studio houses IPR’s Studio One program, which airs talk programming and adult alternative music. IPR’s other programs include News and Classical. The Innovation Fund will benefit IPR as a whole, Kasperbauer said, but the Studio One UNI office will feel concrete benefits almost immediately. “We’re going to kick this off here in the next couple weeks,” she said. “We don’t have a first
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project identified yet, so once we do, hopefully everyone will start noticing that in our social and digital efforts. This will be something that we start this year.” The senior leadership team of IPR— which includes Johnson as well as members from all three state universities—will meet to bring their project ideas to the table. Staff members across the state are being encouraged to present ideas. “We’re really looking for staff to kind of help us determine what that need is and making sure that that aligns with our strategic plan, and overall goal for IPR,” Kasperbauer said. No matter what projects
VOLUME 116, ISSUE 10
are ultimately selected, the Innovation Fund’s goal is to move IPR forward in a digital environment where media trends are constantly changing and legacy media like radio are forced to adapt. “The media landscape is rapidly evolving,” said Johnson, “and this is an opportunity fund that will allow us to test and develop new ideas and projects that have the potential to make a big impact for our listeners.” “Our biggest listenership is still on air,” Kasperbauer said. “We serve 220,000 listeners weekly on radio. However, we [also] have 24-hour streams between our news, classical and Studio One online. All three have a growing audience, which is just further proving that our
IOWA PUBLIC RADIO/Courtesy Photo
Iowa Public Radio’s new Innovation Fund, established through the Heartland Mitzvah Fund from an anonymous Iowa donor, will foster new projects and programs.
According to Renfro, sexual harassment became a greater issue approximately 50 years ago, when women first entered the workforce. In the 1970s, there was a stagnation of wages and an increase in prices. To make up the difference, men took second jobs and worked longer hours, and women began to work as well. This suddenly created a different and unfamiliar working environment for men, according to
Renfro, and it soon created a hostile working environment for women. Protections for women and minorities were put into place by the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, stating that women have a right to work. Renfro’s presentation also addressed sexual harassment in schools, specifically universities. Universities have a Title IX office, which deals with reports of sexual harassment and helps find resolutions to the problem. During the presentation, student questions centered
on the exact definition of sexual harassment, and whether the victim has to tell someone for an incident to qualify as “sexual harassment.” Renfro explained that there are some gray areas to sexual harassment. If you don’t report it, it isn’t legally considered sexual harassment. Therefore, she urged audience members to report persistent unwanted attention. Renfro said that while society has come a long way since the 1970s, recent years
have seen setbacks and less attention devoted to problems like sexual harassment, something she hopes will change in the future. Sierra Nemmers, a freshman communications major who attended the presentation, said, “I thought it sounded like a really interesting topic, and it’s always great to educate ourselves with new information.” Leanna Sooths, a freshman music education major, said she came to the presentation because it sounded like an engrossing topic that
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EDITORIAL STAFF
CIRCULATION
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CARTER HOVEY
SOFIA LEGASPI Campus Life Editor slegaspi@uni.edu
PRODUCTION STAFF
The Northern Iowan is published semi-weekly on Monday and Thursday during the academic year, except for holidays and examination periods, by the University of Northern Iowa, L011 Maucker Union, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0166 under the auspices of the Board of Student Publications. Advertising errors that are the fault of the Northern Iowan will be corrected at no cost to the advertiser only if the Northern Iowan office is notified within seven days of the original publication. Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement at any time. The Northern Iowan is funded in part with student activity fees. A copy of the Northern Iowan grievance procedure is available at the Northern Iowan office, located at L011 Maucker Union. All material is © 2019 by the Northern Iowan and may not be used without permission.
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audience is […] in other places as well. We’re trying to be proactive about reaching an audience in a different way, which is just another thing that this Innovation Fund helps us support. It’s setting aside the time to think about new ways that we can play in some of those areas and also be successful.” Even as the digital news landscape continues to evolve, Kasperbauer envisions that there will always be a place for public radio. “Iowa Public Radio […] gives a perspective of unbiased news,” she said. “I think it’s really important to have that source that supports both sides, in addition to having that cultural aspect as well, like our Studio One team.” Since public broadcasting programs don’t rely on commercial advertisements to generate revenue, commitments like this one from the Heartland Mitzvah Fund are critical to the continued vitality of IPR. 75 percent of IPR’s funding comes from private gifts, grants, and underwriting sponsorships, according to Kasperbauer. “Something like this is always welcome and super exciting for the team,” she said. “The $250,000 was a surprise to everybody. I think it’s going to be an incredibly exciting opportunity for Iowa Public Radio and it’s going to help our sustainability long-term.”
isn’t discussed enough. Both said they left the presentation with lots of new information. “I never realized how many forms sexual harassment can come in,” Nemmers said. “Even something that may seem small and subtle can be sexual harassment.” Sooths said she now knows more information about sexual harassment in schools. “Knowing how helpful Title IX is is really cool. This is a subject that isn’t talked about a lot but should be,” 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 leitnerg@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.
OPINION
GABRIELLE LEITNER Executive Editor
OCTOBER 3, 2019 |
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
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VOLUME 116, ISSUE 10
Impeachment not to be taken lightly COLIN HORNING
Opinion Columnist
The topic of impeachment has been circling the news cycle over the last few weeks due to a phone call in which President Donald Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding relations between the two nations and the investigation of 2020 presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter’s work with a Ukrainian gas company. After much scrutiny and pressure on behalf of the Democrats and the political left, the White House eventually released a transcript of the conversation between the two leaders, only to reveal that there was no crime committed by the President of the United States. However, the left continues to push the issue of impeachment, a Constitutional process that is certainly not to be taken lightly. But don’t just take my word for it: ask current House and Senate Democrats how they felt about the process during the 1998 impeachment hearings against then-President Bill Clinton. Current House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler called impeachment “an undoing of a national election” and that “they are telling us that our votes don’t count and the
election must be set aside” back in 1998. Then-Congressman and current Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that “history will show that we have lowered the bar on impeachment so much. We have broken the seal on this extreme penalty, so cavalierly, that it will be used as a routine tool to fight political battles.” And Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California claimed that Republicans at the time were “driven by such hatred and dislike of this president” as the only way to explain their motivations for wanting to impeach President Clinton. All of these quotes are accurately descriptive of current House Democrats today. Rather than focusing on issues that are geared to improve the quality of life of American citizens (as should be the objective of government itself), the current House of Representatives are dead-set on simply removing President Trump (a democratically-elected president) from office because they have hostility and hatred against him. This is a dangerous game to play for the Democrats (and some Republicans) in Congress. The 2018 midterm elections were no doubt good for the Democrats, as they had a net gain of 41 House seats and
flipped the majority from red to blue. As is typical in a midterm election, the party currently holding the White House usually sees their majority in the House or Senate dwindle or go as a result of independent voters seeing negative results or due to motivation from the opposing party to regain power in some sort. Many of these House seats were flipped by in large part for these reasons: swing voters who put the Republicans in the House in previous elections felt that these same politicians were not doing the things they wanted them to do, so in turn the people voted them out. This will likely be the case for Democrats in the House if they keep relentlessly pushing for impeachment for essentially no reason. Should the Democrat majority actually move forward with impeachment and use their simple majority to vote to remove Trump, it will only backfire in the 2020 election. Even if the House votes to impeach him, the Republicanmajority Senate will definitely not, especially since the Senate requires a two-thirds vote to remove a sitting President following a formal trial. What this would do, however, is motivate Republican voters to storm to the polls in droves in
2020 in a retaliation against the Democrats. It would also likely alienate many swing voters who went Democrat in 2018, because many of these voters did not vote Democrat for the sole purpose of impeaching the President. One can look as recently as 21 years ago to see this happen. Republicans back in 1998 thought that the impeachment of President Clinton would motivate their base in the midterms, only to find that Democrat turnout would be much higher, resulting in a loss of eleven Republican seats in the House, as well as no gains in the
Senate. It would be the first time since 1934 that the non-presidential party would fail to gain any seats in either chamber of Congress in a midterm election, and the first time since 1822 that the non-presidential party failed to gain Congressional seats in the second term of the president. If the Democrats feel that impeachment against a democratically-elected president is the best way to utilize their majority in the House of Representatives, then so be it. But as history shows, it will likely wind up backfiring against them in future elections.
behavior. Like many neurodevelopmental disorders, autism begins during fetal development, and a definitive cause has not yet been discovered. However, a paper published in “The Lancet” in 1998 changed public perception of autism and its supposed origins. Andrew Wakefield, a now-discredited ex-physician, published a paper entitled “Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children” in “The Lancet,” which implies a “link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination and regressive
autistic spectrum disorder.” Though it was uncovered by investigative journalist Brian Deer that Wakefield had manipulated evidence in his research, leading to the paper’s full redaction in 2010. Its bold claims alone were enough to inspire an entire crusade against pharmaceuticals. The results of the anti-vaccination movement, as one would expect, have been overwhelmingly negative. According to the CDC, from January 1 to September 26 of this year, there have been 1,243 reported cases of measles in the United States—the greatest number of cases since 1992. If we take a step back and remember the root cause of this epidemic, we come to the shocking realization that outbreaks of deadly diseases are rampant due to a misguided fear of autism—a fear so strong that, according to the Pew Research Center, nearly 10% of Americans would rather expose their children to life-threatening illnesses than have them be like me. When you’re autistic, the anti-vaccination movement becomes a personal matter. It becomes apparent that many see you as less of a person and more of a product of a
government conspiracy. The anti-vaccination movement is founded on a fear of autism, but as someone who has actually lived with autism, I can say with full confidence that it is not the terrifying disease that Wakefield and his followers believe it is. Dr. Temple Grandin, an autistic zoologist, concisely described the autism experience as “different, not less,” and I believe this is an outlook anti-vaxxers should consider. I do not believe that all anti-vaxxers are bad people. In fact, I would argue that they have good intentions. However, I do urge them to consider how their pathologizing of autism actually affects autistic people, and to understand that we are people, too. The anti-vaccination movement is founded on fear and ignorance, which we must actively combat. We, as humans, are naturally scared of what we don’t understand. However, rather than living in fear of what we don’t know, it’s important to keep an open mind and ask questions. Yes, the idea of our vaccines causing developmental disorders is scary on the surface, but there are a few things we should consider when presented with new informa-
tion. Was this information derived from peer-reviewed research? In Wakefield’s case, yes, it was. Was the research published in a legitimate journal? While Wakefield’s research was published in “The Lancet,” the fact that it was redacted discredits this. Was the research itself conducted ethically and without bias? As determined by journalist Brian Deer, no, it was not. Wakefield’s evidence was falsified, and he was actively trying to prove that vaccines cause autism, rather than remaining unbiased. When we look at information from an objective standpoint rather than accepting it immediately, we can prevent dangerous panics such as the anti-vax movement, which is founded on fear rather than fact. As an autistic person, I feel that the anti-vax movement vilifies me and treats me as a statistic rather than as a person. Given the pre-existing stigma against autistic people, this movement only helps to promote false information about us— information that is used to objectify us. However, if we as a society change the way that we process new information, perhaps we can forge a better, healthier future.
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
Opinion Columnist Colin Horning says that the recent impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump should not be taken lightly.
How the anti-vax movement harms autistic people EMERSON SLOMKA
Opinion Columnist
Throughout my life, it has always been apparent that I was a bit abnormal. Since I was a child, I’ve been faced with an inability to make eye contact with others and have always struggled in social situations. Classmates considered me a freak, while teachers were simply puzzled. Then, at the age of 17, a diagnosis would provide me the answer. I was diagnosed with autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by social impairment, sensory processing issues and repetitive
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
Opinion Columnist Emerson Slomka addresses how the anti-vaccination movement harms those who have autism.
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CAMPUS LIFE OCTOBER 3, 2019 |
Panther PORTRAIT
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
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SOFIA LEGASPI
Campus Life Editor
VOLUME 116, ISSUE 10
homecoming picnic 2019
SOFIA LEGASPI
Campus Life Editor
Gloomy weather wasn’t enough to stop UNI’s annu-
al Homecoming Picnic on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Despite the event being moved indoors from Lawther Field to the Maucker Union
to avoid the rain, hundreds of students, faculty and staff packed the building to enjoy walking tacos, cookies, lemonade and the UNI community.
Organized by the Campus Activities Board, the picnic also included free caricatures, balloon twisting and inflatables.
Information tables about Student Wellness Services, Riverview Center and sexual assault awareness were also present.
SOFIA LEGASPI/Northern Iowan
FILM REVIEW
‘Between Two Ferns’ thrives in limelight HUNTER FRIESEN Film Critic
What started as a joke and over the years became an even bigger one, Zach Galifianakis’ long-running web series “Between Two Ferns” has been given the feature-length treatment via Netflix. Just like the show, the premise of the film is simple: Zach Galifianakis has been doing his web show for Will Ferrell’s “Funny or Die” for over ten years now, making Ferrell millions in the process. Zach’s true dream is to have a late-night talk show with a live audience and guests that appreciate him. In pursuit of this dream, Zach enters into an agreement with Ferrell. If he can get ten more episodes of “Between Two Ferns” delivered within two weeks, Zach will have his show. With no time to spare, Zach and his team set out on the road to interview all the celebrities they’ll need for their final episodes. Directing: 3/5 “Between Two Ferns: The Movie” is directed by Scott Aukerman, who co-created the original web series with Galifianakis and won two Emmy Awards for his directing.
Making his feature directorial debut here, Aukerman does a respectable job. He keeps the story flying with a rapid pace, resulting in an 82-minute runtime that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Even though the length of the film isn’t a problem, the structure of it occasionally is. Just like the web series, the interviews between the two ferns are excellent and easily the best part of the movie. They’re so good that you wish there were more of them and that they weren’t so dispersed between the other narrative segments. The whole thing feels like a “Saturday Night Live” movie from the early 2000s. The running gag that anchors the movie isn’t enough for a feature film, so a few subplots and throwaway scenes are cobbled together to get over the hump. Most of “Between Two Ferns: The Movie” falls into this trap, as most of the material is needless filler to pad the time. It’s not an unforgivable sin; it’s just one that could have been easily avoided. Writing: 3/5 Written by Aukerman and Galifianakis, “Between Two Ferns: The Movie” follows the typical road movie plot. It’s the
one where the group heads out together to achieve their goal, some obstacles get in the way, the group splits up for a bit, they all get back together again after learning something about themselves and everything ends on a happy note. Now, there are a few shakeups to this cliched narrative, but it isn’t enough to make you care about what happens. The whole time you’ll be wondering when the next celebrity interview bit will be. Fortunately, the interview segments are worth waiting for. The writing is top-notch and gives off the perfect mixture of deadpan awkwardness and hilarity that make you laugh both at and with those involved. Even as the jokes get crueler and the interviewee looks more uncomfortable, the self-parodying energy in the room will make you laugh every time.
Acting: 4/5 Despite being a role he’s been typecast in for about a decade and has somewhat become a retread at this point, you can’t deny that Zach Galifianakis is great as a lovable loser. The one thing different in this role compared to his rest is that he plays and pokes fun of himself instead of a character, making the jokes more real and
Tribune News Service
Film Critic Hunter Friesen reviews “Between Two Ferns: The Movie,” a film adaptation of a popular online talk show series hosted by Zach Galifianakis.
edgy. The support group that makes up the production crew for Zach’s show is comprised of Lauren Lapkus, Ryan Gaul and Jiavani Linayo. They are all pretty good at bringing an improvisational group vibe to their performances that play well off each other and Zach. The movie may have the most star-studded cameo list of all time, as it strolls out celebrities such as Matthew McConaughey, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brie Larson, Paul Rudd, John Legend, Keanu Reeves, Jon Hamm, Chance the Rapper, Tessa Thomspon and several others. They all do a great job of reacting to the
various insults hurled at them in their brief moments of screentime. Overall: 3.5/5 “Between Two Ferns: The Movie” is a small experiment that somewhat does and doesn’t justify its existence. As you would expect, the interviews are the best part and the rest kind of just goes by without much fanfare. But, if you have to sit through 60 minutes of decent material to get 20 minutes of comedy gold, I’d suppose that’s a pretty good deal.
SOFIA LEGASPI
Campus Life Editor
CAMPUS LIFE OCTOBER 3, 2019 |
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Make the Change one word at a time NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
VOLUME 116, ISSUE 10
COLBY WEBER Staff Writer
After a long day, it can feel as if life is beginning to weigh down on you. Whether it’s an assignment that didn’t go as well as you had hoped or troubles with friends and family, there are a variety of problems that can make getting through the day tough. From professors to students, everyone can feel overwhelmed sometimes. However, a new student organization known as Make the Change is attempting to brighten the moods of those who need it. “We’re an organization founded on spreading kindness and encouragement to people who need it,” said Camryn Salvador, president of Make the Change. “Some of the main things that we do are our letter bundles.”
We’re an organization focused on spreading kindness and encouragement to people who need it. CAMRYN SALVADOR
Make the Change President
Words of love and encouragement are written on the letters and sent to selected nominees. Nominations can be for peers, friends, coworkers or professors. While the specifics of the nomination process are still being worked out by the
KICKOFF
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Frank praised homecoming week as a way for students to showcase their creativity integrated with Panther spirit, “It’s also a really good way to gather students,” Brown said, “just because homecoming is a lot about community and celebrating our university.” Frank is most looking forward to the Homecoming Parade on Saturday. “It not only brings together the community of UNI, but also the Cedar Falls community,” he said. Brown, who serves on the Homecoming Parade Committee alongside Rasing, said she also enjoys the parade because she looks forward to watching people create things that celebrate UNI and seeing how they incorporate each year’s theme. “There is so much to be done and so much to see and so much to participate in this week, but it’s also important to remember to stay safe,” Brown said. Brown and Frank both men-
executive team, it is primarily the vice president’s job to determine who their organization writes letters for. The nomination forms for letter bundles contain two to three paragraphs about why Make the Change should support a certain person. These letter bundles were inspired by More Love Letters, an organization that writes handwritten letters, cards and notecards. In order to avoid uncomfortable feelings, the letters which Make the Change sends out are not labeled with the names of the senders. According to their website, Make the Change has written a total of 204 letters to 20 people since their formation in 2018. They have also created “kindness rocks” to spread positive messages and “Pass it On” cards. Make the Change has a process in order to determine the content of their letters. “The members who are writing in the letters — we tioned that homecoming events set a good precedent for the rest of the year. “This week sends a message that we are a UNI community and we can come together and celebrate each other and our university,” Frank said. “There’s a lot of value in coming together as a community and continuing to support each other not just through homecoming but supporting our UNI community throughout the whole year.” More information on upcoming homecoming events is available at homecoming.uni.edu.
encourage them to use personal stories, favorite quotes and words of kindness that they might want to hear if they were going through something similar,” Salvador said. “We’re all humans, and we all have tough times. We try and let our members use those encouraging words that you once heard or words that you once told yourself.” While at club meetings, students are also encouraged to find quotes on Pinterest, Quotable or other websites. Some members even draw pictures. Each member has their own way of spreading kindness to others, and Salvador finds all the various methods for expressing love to be wholesome. After the letters are written, the executive team of Make the Change takes 20 minutes to screen the letters for potentially harmful content. This is to avoid situations where people who are down on themselves are sent mean or hurtful comments.
Courtesy Photo
Make the Change is a student organization founded in 2018 that works to positively impact the UNI community through kindess and encouragement. Pictured from left: President Camryn Salvador, Vice President Eric Ramos, Treasurer Morgan Cashman and Public Relations Manager Nicole Goodman.
“The mission of Make the Change is to strengthen and uplift our community through encouraging acts of kindness,” Salvador said. “That’s our very short version of that. We go on to talk about how we want everybody to join our movement and choose kindness always as their first option.” Leaders at Make the Change also realize the importance of taking care of oneself in addition to others. “As servant leaders within the community and as people who are pouring so much into others, that’s something that we really want to help our members with,” Salvador said. At their first meeting, members participated in a “letter to yourself ” activity. “We’re planning another member-focused activity at the end of the semester to help
them refill that cup that they’re pouring out of,” Salvador said. Salvador encouraged people to nominate those they know are in need of love and support. Even though they had an overwhelming number of nominations at their first meeting, she wanted people to understand that what they do isn’t possible without them. Those who would like to nominate someone for a letter can visit www.makethechange. weebly.com. Meetings for Make the Change take place in the Oak Room in Maucker Union, usually on Monday evenings. A schedule with specific dates and times is available on their website. Those who wish to get involved can find more information on their website and social media pages @makethechangeUNI.
TONI FORTMANN/Northern Iowan
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SPORTS
BASKETBALL
OCTOBER 3, 2019 |
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
JACOB POTTER Sports Editor
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VOLUME 116, ISSUE 10
Farokhmanesh’s journey after Sweet 16 JACOB POTTER
Sports Editor
Back in 2010, Ali Farokhmanesh hit one of the gutsiest shots in March Madness history to take down Kansas, the No. 1 team in the country. After the Sweet 16 team was inducted into the UNI Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 21, the former Kirkwood Community College player-turned-Panther reflected on the feeling of shocking the nation. “Elation,” Farokhmanesh said. “More than that, it was kind of everything we worked for coming to an end […] When you work that hard for something and it finally happens for you like it does; it was special for our whole group.” Farokhmanesh represented UNI on the cover of “Sports Illustrated” after clinching the first Sweet 16 berth in school history. At the time, the historic Panthers were set to take on Tom Izzo, Draymond Green and the Michigan State Spartans. Panther fans were flocking to St. Louis, unlike Jayhawks, to support the Purple and Gold. Michigan State had the advantage of seeing what the underdog team from Northern Iowa did to Kansas, and the Spartans didn’t take that 2010 team lightly. UNI was unable to take down the Spartans, as they battled valiantly, ultimately falling 59-52. UNI’s historic run is still remembered on a national scale, as March Madness TV posted a “Tournament Tales” video about that night in Oklahoma City. “People thought Kansas
COURTESY PHOTO/UNI Athletics
COURTESY PHOTO/UNI Athletics
would roll right through and get to the Final Four, but little did they know that there was this team from Northern Iowa,” said CBS announcer Kevin Harlan, who called the game. “Ali Farokhmanesh, who was probably, he couldn’t have been more than six feet tall. In fact probably smaller, but he was built like this little pocket Hercules. He had this swagger about him on the floor […] he did hit this gigantic shot with about half a minute left in the game,” Harlan said. “I gotta tell you out of all the games I’ve done, and I’ve done a couple in the tournament that really stand out, but individually what he did that day was the stuff of legends.” That’s high praise coming from Harlan, who has been broadcasting since 1982, and for decades on national TV. However, as one chapter of life closed for
Farokhmanesh, the next opened with promise. The 2010 NBA draft loomed, but Farokhmanesh went undrafted and would have to prove himself once again. “Coming out of high school, Ali had zero Divsion 1 offers, and I think zero Divison 2 offers,” head coach Ben Jacobson said. “He had none throughout high school.” Farokhmanesh had fought against the odds before, as he went from having no college offers to working his way up in the college basketball world. The Iowa City West High School grad started at Indian Hills Community College, and ended up at Kirkwood Community College before becoming a Panther. Many teams didn’t realize Farokhmanesh’s ability to shoot, but Jacobson noticed a diamond in the rough. Jacobson and his coach-
ing staff ’s eye for talent brought a sweet result as Farokhmanesh kept shooting, contested threes to help take down Kansas in the program’s biggest win in history. After the 2010 NBA draft, Farokhmanesh took his talents overseas, playing in Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands from 20102014. After his career overseas, Farokhmanesh decided to go back to school at Nebraska and became a graduate assistant coach for the men’s basketball program. “I think it’s the same approach to be honest,” Farokhmanesh said on the transition from playing to coaching. “Still competitive as ever … What’s fun about it is trying to get a group of guys to buy into a team atmosphere to accomplish more than they can individually.” Following grad school,
Farokhmanesh found himself in the Missouri Valley Conference again, this time as an assistant coach for Drake University. In 2018, Farokhmanesh went with Drake head coach Niko Medved to Colorado State University. The former Panther is now an assistant coach under Medved for the Colorado State Rams. From time to time, people will recognize that they are in the presence of the man that was part of the team from Northern Iowa that took down the Jayhawks’ star-studded roster with current NBA veterans Marcus and Markieff Morris. “They’ll ask about it every once in awhile and what not,” Farokhmanesh said. “Sometimes it will get brought up by someone else, and then they come back eventually and are like ‘wait, you were that guy.’ I don’t know if I just look like I couldn’t have done it or what.” For the Panther legend, UNI will always be home, and the 2010 team will forever be family. “Obviously coach Jake has always been there for me,” Farokhmanesh said in an interview with Panther Sports Talk. “Johnny [Moran] and Jake [Koch] are two of my best friends, so it feels like when I came back I hadn’t really left. It feels like I could just hop back in, get the jersey on, put the shoes on, get out there and start playing again. “[I] would like to be back at UNI at some point. It would be amazing to come back here and experience it from the bench,” Farokhmanesh said.
SOFTBALL
Panthers finish fall exhibition play 2-0 at home BRIELLE KIEWIET Sports Writer
The Panther softball team capped off their fall exhibition schedule with wins against Mount Mercy and Iowa Central, while falling to the Iowa Hawkeyes to finish fall play. The Panthers picked up two wins at home, defeating Mount Mercy, 4-2, and Iowa Central, 16-1. The Panther’s pitching came out strong out of the gate against Mount Mercy with Samantha Heyer holding the Mustangs scoreless through six innings. Pitchers Hannah Kelley,
Madison Parks and Jaclyn Spencer backed Heyer’s outing by allowing only two runs to finish the game. Senior Sammey Bunch got the Panthers rolling on offense in the fourth inning with a line drive to center field for a triple. Shortly after, Taylor Hogan stole second base, allowing Bunch to score. The Panthers added three more runs with a solo home run by Hannah Kelley in the fifth and a two-run RBI single by Sammy Moss in the sixth. The purple and gold followed up their 4-2 win with a high-scoring 16-1 victory
over Iowa Central. UNI went on an offensive attack in the first and fourth innings, combining for 14 runs in just two innings. The Panthers had four home runs off the bats of Alyvia DuBois, Sammy Bunch (2) and Jaclyn Spencer. The Purple and Gold also scored 16 runs on 19 hits with nine different players getting hits. Heyer was on the mound again for the Panthers, allowing one run and notching four strikeouts. Spencer also had four strikeouts without allowing a run. The Panther women took their show on the
COURTESY PHOTO/UNI Athletics
road last weekend to Des Moines to face their in-state rival, the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Panthers fell to the Hawkeyes, 5-1, but finished fall play with a winning
record. Up next, UNI will host a hit-a-thon at the RobinsonDresser Sports Complex on Thursday, Oct. 3 to conclude their fall schedule.
SIERRA STEEN Managing Editor
PAGE 7
FUN & GAMES OCTOBER 3, 2019 |
NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
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VOLUME 116, ISSUE 10
Howdy, Panthers. Happy Homecoming Week! Enjoy this out-of-this-world fun and games page!
HOMECOMING WORD SEARCH (Hurry up and do it, before Andy comes back!)
Word Bank: EATEMUP FOOTBALL GOCATS HOMECOMING HUNDRED INFINITY LIGHTYEAR NORTHERNIOWAN PANTHERS PLANET SPACE STAR TOYSTORY UNI WOODY
CROSSWORD
Across 1 Barely enough 6 Like a pooch’s smooch 9 “Happy Days” actress Erin 14 Software writer 15 Texter’s “As I see it” 16 Defunct defense gp. 17 Pear variety 18 Opening setting of
“Madagascar” 19 Be carried by the current 20 Fort Worth sch. 21 RR stop 23 Giuseppe’s god 25 “S” on an invitation 26 NFL’s Gronk and others 27 Roller coaster experiences 29 Previously, to a poet
There’s a snake in my boot... 30 1999 Ron Howard satire 32 Easy-to-spot jigsaw pieces 33 Ado 34 Turn back to zero 36 Hundred Acre Wood joey 37 Egyptian Christians 38 Word from Robin preceding headache, homework, and hamstrings, among others 40 “Beetle Bailey” dog 42 __ monster 43 Song and dance 45 Ramp, and what’s found in each set of circles 50 Con 51 Floor models 52 Putting game 54 Iconic lemon 56 “Live With Kelly and Ryan” network 57 Big name in whisky 58 Small songbird 59 Reevaluated favorably 62 Corp. tech boss 63 Action film gun 64 Privately 65 Journalist Curry 66 Brief time 67 Taste 68 Charles of R&B 69 Macaw, for some Down 1 Disperse 2 Admit having lost
3 Fiddles with 4 Fresh start? 5 Estate manager’s suggestion 6 Potter’s specialty 7 Angsty rock genre 8 “Ta-ta!” 9 Early PC platform 10 Above, to a bard 11 Elevate 12 Initially 13 Qualifier for a minimum price 22 With 48-Down, Time Lord played by various performers 24 They, in Calais 28 “Need __ on?” 31 Jam ingredient? 33 Cinematographer’s compilation 35 Temporary usage fee 37 PC key 39 __-back: relaxed 41 Solemn bugle solo 42 Early Christian 44 Kilimanjaro topper 45 Treat, as table salt 46 At hand 47 Put in prison 48 See 22-Down 49 TV pal of Jerry and George 50 Womb occupant 53 Weather map feature 55 Unbridled desire 57 June 6, 1944 60 Water filter brand 61 That, in Tijuana
Don’t fear if you’re looking for a sudoku puzzle to do- there’s one on the back page for you!
If you look at the answers before you even attempt to do these, then... you are a sad, strange little person, and you have my pity. (The answers are on page 8, though.)
PAGE 8
OCTOBER 3, 2019 |
CLASSIFIEDS NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
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SIERRA STEEN Managing Editor
VOLUME 116, ISSUE 10
Disclaimer: The advertisements featured in The Northern Iowan on this or any other pages do not reflect the views of The Northern Iowan staff.
SUDOKU
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Today’s Horoscope... Homecoming Edition (totally real)
Puzzle answers
To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.
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Contact John john@rentfromjohn.com Aries (March 21-April 19) -- Today is a 10You’re gonna have a great Homecoming weekend! Go cats! Live it up! Taurus (April 20-May 20) -- Today is a 10You better go to the football game... the stars say it’s going to be a fun time. Gemini (May 21-June 20) -- Today is a 10Did you know the Panther Marching Band is performing at halftime during the Homecoming football game? You should totally support them. I hear they’re really good. Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Today is a 10You look cute today, go get some coffee, take some selfies,
SUDOKU
and relax before the weekend festivities begin! Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Today is a 10- Your sign may be a lion, but it’s the Panthers who are gonna be on the prowl this weekend. You should go support them! Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Today is a 10- It’s a good day to wear purple and gold. It really brings out your eyes. And your Panther spirit! Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) -- Today is a 10- Have you sang the fight song recently? If so, go you, you’re doing amazing sweetie. If not... do it right now. The stars don’t care if you’re in class. It’s Homecoming week, baby.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) -- Today is a 10You’ll probably snag a hot Campaniling date. Bring gum! Or a slice of pizza, if kissing isn’t your thing. Whatever you’re into. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) -- Today is a 10- Go find a Gemini to go support the Panther Marching Band with at the Homecoming game! If you don’t know any Geminis... still go to the game anyway. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- Today is a 10- It was written in the stars that this weekend is going to be really fun for you. Go out and (safely) live your best life!
Word Search
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) -- Today is a 10Knock knock. Who’s there? It’s TC and TK, and they want you to show some Panther pride this weekend! Make sure you’re rocking some purple and gold! Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Today is a 10- If it doesn’t get rained out (here’s hoping), you should check out the Homecoming parade Saturday morning! It will be a fun time, and you’ll get to see a lot of great floats and people coming through. Also, you’ll probably see some dogs!
CROSSWORD