9-6-23

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

President Nook looks to the future

The Northern Iowan sat down with President Mark Nook last Friday to discuss the future of UNI, artificial intelligence, DEI and student mental health resources among other topics.

What is the best part about being the president at UNI?

Interacting with students:

News briefs

Panther Mayhem is back

The official student section at UNI Athletic events, known as “Panther Mayhem” is back after a couple years hiatus since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020. Founded in 2009, the purpose of Panther Mayhem is to organize student presence at athletic events and ensure student-athletes have an engaged audience. Follow Panther Mayhem on Instagram @unipanthermayhem.

UNI Alum wins entrepreneurial competition

SPORTS PAGE 11

“I get to know students and work with students a lot. I went into higher education for that very reason. I went to a school that is smaller than UNI, but it has the same kind of emphasis. I saw there that people really cared about me.

Russel Karim, a 2015 graduate of UNI, has won first place and $40,000 at the John Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition. Dhakai, Karim’s business, allows eCommerce and apparel brands to transition from their idea to their final delivered product by using an ethical, sustainable and cost-effective single technology platform.

TC to Takeover

CAMPUS LIFE

Greek Life involvement numbers on the rise as new Chi Phi fraternity tries to establish itself on campus.

CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 6

Future of West Gym on shaky ground

The structure that UNI Wrestling has called home for nearly a century is sitting vacant; uncertified for occupancy due to stability concerns.

The building’s east wall is currently being reinforced with red structural supports on the outside. A chain link fence surrounds the outside, with signs that read “Closed for Construction.”

According to Moris, conversations about the stability of the West Gym have been ongoing for the past few years. The estimated cost to make the necessary changes to the building sits above $20 million.

Cedar Falls Tourism & Visitors Bureau will be implementing a community wide project featuring UNI’s mascot, TC. About 25 six-foot tall fiberglass mascots will be embellished by local artists and installed at various locations throughout the Cedar Falls community from May to October 2024.

OPINION

UNI Professor Steve Corbin discusses the threat of white Christian nationalism on American democracy.

OPINION PAGE 5

This has been the West Gym’s outfit for the past few weeks, a sign Director of University Relations Pete Moris says may give a clue about the future.

“The engineers and consultants have told us that the building will tell you when it’s time, and the building is telling us that it’s not doing so well,”

“We’ve obviously known for some time that there are structural deficiencies with the West Gym. It’s a building that’s nearly 100 years old and wasn’t constructed to today’s standards,” he said.

“It was really our hope that

these temporary measures would be able to get us through the wrestling season in order for the wrestling team to be able to continue to train in the facility for the remainder of this year. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that we can get the building certified for occupancy, even if we do spend more time and resources to further reinforce that east wall.”

The softball, track and field and wrestling offices located in the building were vacated on July 17 for the installation of the structural bracing.

UNI Tallgrass Prairie Center celebrates 50 years First seeded in 1973, the Daryl Smith Prairie, a part of UNI’s Biological Preserves, is one of the earliest reconstructed prairies in the state of Iowa. Named after a professor emeritus of biology, Daryl Smith, UNI will celebrate the golden anniversary of Smith Prairie during Iowa Prairie Heritage Week, September 10-16.

TheatreUNI’s 2023-24 season announced

“The Play That Goes Wrong:” Sept. 29 - Oct. 8

“Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy:” Oct. 26 - Nov. 5

“Heathers: The Musical:”

Feb. 23 - March 3

“Suzette Who Set to Sea:” April 20 - 21

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/NI ARCHIVES

SPORTS

Panthers fall short in season opener against Iowa State, 30-9.

CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN Executive Editor

MALLORY SCHMITZ News Editor he said.

...The building will tell you when it’s time, and the building is telling us that it’s not doing so well.

Pete Moris Director of University Relations

There are two faculty members I am still in touch with and, you know, I graduated 43 years ago from college. I’ve always believed that education needs to be personal, and here at UNI it is very clear that students get to know faculty members and they get to know staff members. Many of them even get to know the president. On many campuses you may know what the president looks like and you may get to hear them give a welcome speech, but I just walked across campus to the medical center and there were just a number of students that stopped to say hi and chat because that’s UNI, and that’s this campus.”

Looking to the future:

“What I appreciate is the opportunity to get to think about the future of this institution - 30, 40, 50 years from now. What I’ve really tried to help the university understand is the decisions we make today impact the students who will be here not just this year, or next year, even 40 or 50 years down the line. Some of those decisions students will really benefit from, and some of those they might not, so we need to get it right. I’ve been on different campuses, and on every campus I’ve been on

there was something on that campus that was a result of a decision that was made 40-50 years earlier. Some of those things were good things, and some of those things we were trying to figure out how to undo because it was having some unintended consequences. So we are trying to have some real thoughtfulness to planning, to thinking long term and not just making decisions quickly. “

Long term plan as President:

“One of the several cool things about being president here is the student body is just incredibly engaged. The faculty and staff really are committed to the success of our students. This time period is really unique in certain ways. In 2017 we had been UNI for 50 years. We became “UNI” in 1967 when we changed our name. In 2026 we will celebrate the institution’s 150th anniversary. So, we have this little 9 year window where we go from 50 years as UNI to 150 years as an institution. In what we recognized in 2017, we hadn’t really sat down and thought about what this university might be like 40-50 years from now. So we decided to take this period of time from 2017-2026 to ask those big questions and lay the foundation for the next 50 years. Ask the institution to think about what we need

as an institution to serve the needs of Iowa and the students that come here not in 2026, but in 2052. That’s hard, but it’s fun because there are no boundaries to that. We can think big, think bold. It’s fun to work with students, faculty and staff who are engaged in that kind of work.”

For you, what makes UNI special?

“UNI has this feeling of home, and a feeling of family. Some people talk about it as a small town feel, but it’s more than that. You really do get to know everybody here and make lifelong friendships, not just with other students, but with faculty and staff. You’ve got access to everything you’d have at Iowa or Iowa State, but now you’ve got access to faculty and to resources that are just really difficult to have at a major university. There’s been several people who’ve been through our campus and said they are blown away because it looks and feels like a small private college, but you walk around a little bit and you realize we have all the resources of a major university. Every alumni I’ve ever met with, when I ask who made a difference in their lives while they were here, can all name one, two or three employees as well as groups of students. It’s an amazing place and it’s different from any place I’ve been.”

Tell me about a moment that defined your summer?

“There was a group of us that traveled to Kosovo, and we have a couple universities that we work with there. We flew into Kosovo, the first thing we did was we went out to a site where the people of Kosovo staged their first revolt against Serbia. There was this old bombed out house where this general and his family made a stand against Serbian security forces. They left the building the way it looked after nearly all of these people were killed. It was a harrowing story. It was just tremendously moving and emotional to see that space, and then to go around the country and

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meet with university leaders and hear the stories from college students who were 10-12 years old when the war broke out. They remember having security forces come and take them out of their homes with guns in their back and their face. It was tremendously moving and you kind of had to process all of that. It was just this real, kind of emotional trip. But it was also outstanding to see the connection between Kosovo and the US. I am so proud of what we are able to do with some of the universities there and set up some exchange agreements. It was probably one of my most memorable experiences this summer.”

What are you looking forward to regarding UNI’s long term plan?

Nursing program:

“What we’ve done with nursing and healthcare. With nursing, and the need for nursing in our state, our opportunity to be able to deliver that gave us the opportunity to

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step back and ask, ‘what if we collected our healthcare stuff into a single entity?’ The faculty and staff that were engaged in healthcare education would be connected to that. We wouldn’t necessarily need to move them, but we need them working together. I think we are going to see some real growth and synergy around that.”

Engineering Program:

“Material science and engineering is our very first engineering program on campus, ever. We’ve had some engineering technology programs, but our full engineering will be the first. It’s really happening because of collaboration between the applied engineering technology program and chemistry and physics and the expertise of faculty in all of those programs around the engineering materials. It couldn’t happen without all three of them. So this entrepreneurial spirit has been really good to see.”

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 See NOOK Q&A, page 3

INSIDE UNI

President Nook signs a memorandum of understanding with the University of Pristina. Nook cites his trip to Kosovo as one of his most memorable experiences of the summer.

AVERY BARTHOLOMEW

When asked what makes UNI special, President Nook noted the campus’s small college feel while also having all of the resources of a major university.

PTSD run/walk to light up outdoor track

MALLORY SCHMITZ News Editor

Thursday night, the UNI Veterans Association hopes to light up the night in honor of those who have suffered

from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The group is hosting their second PTSD Awareness Run/Walk 3k at the Mark Messersmith outdoor track by the Neilson Field House

on the north side of campus. Registration is free in advance or in person starting at 6 p.m. The event kicks off at 7 p.m.

Henry Korf is the Military and Veterans Student Services Coordinator and is one of the organizers of the event. While the run/walk is the central event of the evening, he said the meaning goes a lot deeper.

“The big focus is on PTSD awareness,” Korf said. “We wanted to highlight their individual experience with PTSD with somebody they know, somebody who has succumbed either through suicide or whatever else from PTSD, they know somebody who’s struggling with it, they know somebody who has struggled with it and has overcome it.

Participants will have the chance to write the name or any words they associate with a loved one they are honoring

NOOK Q&A

continued from page 2

As we are entering the postCOVID era, how do you plan on addressing the financial and mental health struggles students continue to face?

“Mental health issues were very strong before COVID hit, and I think COVID exacerbated them and brought them to the surface and made them easier to see in some cases. One of the things we’ve thought about and recognized is what is it that students need? What can we provide? What should we provide? Because we can’t simply become a mental health care facility. While we have a healthcare center, no one expects us to do surgeries, nobody expects us to do anything except for the daily physical healthcare. It’s a place to go and get a vaccine, it’s a place to go if you have a cold so you can go get checked out to find what’s wrong. Major medical goes somewhere else, and mental health is probably the same way. We have to think about what those services are that we can reasonably provide students.”

Telus App:

“One of the things we’ve brought in this year is called ‘Telus’ which is an online 24/7 service available to students. I think that is going to be a big help and will take some of the pressure off our mental health clinic here and give them the opportunity to do things that require sitting down face to face. Hopefully that will make it much easier for people to get the appointments that they need.”

Student Involvement and mental health:

“We’re seeing more and more of our students get engaged in student organizations and things away from the classroom whether those are specific to the major they are in or other things like our sports clubs, BSU or Dance Marathon. Those probably do more for students’ mental health than anything else we can do because they help students connect. Oddly enough, the heat may have helped us that first week because people weren’t looking to stay in their dorm rooms, they were looking to get out of their dorms and apartments, unless they were air conditioned. The number of people in the Union and the Library was really high for the first week of class. But that also meant they engaged with each other in a big way too, so I can’t really say it was the heat, but I don’t think the heat hurt us. I think it really pushed people out of their little cubbies and whatever they see as their space into these public cooled spaces and I think it’s connecting our students and adding to some of this excitement in getting back at it.”

With the rise of artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGPT, how have you seen UNI professors navigate artificial intelligence? How do you foresee the balance of using AI for learning purposes versus the possibility of students using it to cheat?

“I’ve taken the approach, and many of our faculty have taken the approach that ChatGPT and other AI services are tools, they are nothing more than that. What we have to do now is figure out how to use them in a way that

on paper bag luminaries. They will then place a lamp inside the luminary and put it around the edge of the track.

“They’re going to place it around the track so every time they go around they’ll see that person and they’ll light up the track, hopefully,” Korf said. “By the time they finish it should be very dark, so the track will be lit up by the bags.”

The luminaries are a new addition to the event, which was held in the morning last year.

Korf hopes that anyone and everyone is welcome to the event, even if they don’t have a military connection.

“PTSD comes in all kinds of forms and it affects all kinds of people in different experiences from their childhood or a sexual trauma in their past or accidents of some

kind, all those kinds of things could potentially have PTSD associated with it,” he said. “It’s not only for the military, but it’s for the public as a whole.”

“Just the fact that they’re there provides the support and they want to heighten awareness for the PTSD cause.

For more information on UNI Military and Veteran Student Services, visit military.uni.edu.

To register in advance, use the QR code below. Walk-upss are welcome.

is actually helpful to student learning. There are good ways and appropriate ways to use this tool, and there are bad ways and there are inappropriate ways to use this tool.”

“I was the last class in my high school that had to learn how to use a slide ruler which allows you to multiplication, division, and other mathematical operations on this thing that looks like a ruler. We were the first ones then that were able to use a hand held electronic math calculator. They were new. At that time there were a bunch of math teachers and science teachers that were saying, “you can’t use those because you won’t learn how to multiply and divide and actually understand how to do it.” Well, everybody got over that. We recognized we could still teach people how to do math. When you look back at that time, there was this new tool. We had to figure out what

was ethical and what was not ethical in an educational scenario. I think AI is going to be exactly the same way.”

The campus climate survey found that 299 faculty members “seriously considered leaving UNI.” What is your plan to help retain and recruit staff at UNI?

“One of the things we are looking at and thinking about is how do we make sure people want to come to this institution and once they are here and want to stay - regardless if they are students, faculty, or staff. I have for a long time said it is higher education’s place, and this is a personal philosophy more than anything else, but it’s our place to help people reach their educational, professional, and personal life goals.”

“Especially through COVID when a large number of our people thought about looking

somewhere else, that was happening across the country in all fields. The goal for me is to develop an institution, and I know this is never going to happen, but to have an institution where everybody wants to come work here, and everybody wants to come in and hire our faculty and staff members, but nobody ever wants to leave. You know that’s not going to work out, but that’s the goal is to have a place where people really want to work, and they see they are supported and valued by the students they serve, the colleagues in the department, in the college across the university and the community that surrounds them and in this state in which we live. Some of those things we have control over, but some of the others we have absolutely no control over.”

HENRY KORF

Some people chose to “ruck” at last year’s event, carrying weight in packs over the distance of the walk.

In terms of student involvement, President Nook cited increasing involvement in student organizations such as the Black Student Union, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.

WEST GYM

continued from page 1

It continues to remain vacated based on the recommendations of a structural engineer.

The wrestling team has since temporarily relocated to the USA Mat Club, an off-campus facility on East Nineteenth Street, for their pre-season training.

According to Moris, there is still “ongoing conversation” about a short term solution to bring the program’s home back on campus. UNI is also looking further down the road at long term solutions to house the wrestling program, which saw seven Panthers qualify for the NCAA Championships last season.

“We’ve been working with a consultant for some time to try to come up with some options for a long term solution for wrestling to have a home of their own. We’re all very conscious of how important the wrestling room is for the culture of any program, and we want our student athletes and our team and Coach Schwab and his staff to have a place that’s theirs, where they can train and continue to achieve at a high level not

only on the wrestling mat,” Moris said. The Panthers were named the team with the fourth highest grade point average in the nation by the National Wrestling Coaches Association in April.

However, Moris explained that future athletics facilities cannot be funded with public dollars, and would have to be fundraised, just as the UNIDome and McLeod Center

were when they were first constructed.

Just over ten years ago, a $1 million campaign was on the horizon to update the facility. In 2012, the wrestling room was updated to accommodate three mats, and the locker rooms were updated in 2014. The original plans to renovate the weight room and sports medicine area were never completed.

The West Gym was once the primary home of UNI athletics programs before the construction of the Dome. It was home to the 1950 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships where the Panthers claimed victory. It was also home to UNI volleyball’s 74-game winning streak from 1997-2004. Given its history, Moris said it’s no surprise that the fate of the

building has brought a lot of emotions forward from the community.

“The history of accomplishment and memories that have been forged in that building is clearly significant, but those emotions don’t make the building any less structurally deficient,” Moris said.

“That’s our responsibility as a university to figure out how to make a good decision going forward that’s based on what the professionals, what the engineers, what the consultants are telling us about the safety of the building, and that doesn’t lessen the emotional connection, but it does make it more difficult to come to the reality that this building may not have much of a functional lifespan left.”

As for the fate of the building and the future home of the wrestling program, Moris said the community will have to stay tuned.

El edificio ha sido desocupado desde 17 de julio. Desde entonces, la lucha libre de UNI ha sido su entrenamiento de pretemporada afuera del campus en USA Mat Club en la calle este 19. Soluciónes a corto plazo para regresar el equipo al campus todavía están en discusión.

“I anticipate that in the near future we will have all the key decision-makers together and see if we can come to some conclusions, because obviously this was not anticipated that we would have to vacate the West Gym at this point,” he said.

El futuro del West Gym está poco sólido

do para hacer las reparaciones necesarias para el edificio se sitúa por más de 20 millones de dólares.

El edificio de la Universidad del Norte de Iowa (UNI) donde se practicaba lucha libre y ha sido llamado su hogar por casi un siglo ha sido desocupado debido a problemas de estabilidad.

La pared hacia el este del edificio actualmente está reforzada con soportes de aceros rojos. Una valla metálica rodea el exterior, con letreros que dicen: “cerrado por construcción”.

Las condiciones actuales y las señales que muestra el edificio, pueden darnos una idea del destino que le espera a este gimnasio, de acuerdo a lo afirmado por Pete Moris, el director de Relaciones Públicas de la universidad.

“Los ingenieros y consultores nos comentan: ‘los edificios te dicen cuando les ha llegado el momento y ahora mismo el edificio nos confirma su destino’”, dijo Moris.

Según Moris, las conversaciones sobre el mantenimiento del West Gym se han sostenido los últimos años. El costo estima -

“Obviamente, por muchos años se ha sabido que el edificio presentaba deficiencias estructurales. Es un edificio que casi tiene 100 años y no está construido de acuerdo a los estándares actuales”, dijo él.

“Era nuestra esperanza que estas medidas de renovación temporales, nos dieran tiempo para terminar la temporada de lucha libre y que el equipo tenga un lugar para entrenar durante el resto del año.

Lamentablemente, no hay las garantías que certifique el uso del edificio, incluso si dedicamos el tiempo y recursos necesarios para reforzar la pared”.

Las oficinas de sófbol, atletismo y lucha libre se desocuparon el 17 de julio para la instalación de soportes estructurales. Todavía está desocupado por los consejos de un ingeniero estructural.

Desde entonces, el equipo se ha reubicado al USA Mat Club , local que se encuentra fuera del campus en la calle este 19, para su entrenamiento de pretemporada.

Debido a Moris, todavía hay una “conversación en desarrollo” para buscar una solución de corto plazo y poder traer el programa de regreso al campus. También, UNI está mirando hacia el camino a soluciones a largo plazo debido a la importancia histórica del programa, que vió siete panteras clasificar para los campeonatos de la Asociación Nacional de Atléticos Universitarios (NCAA) la temporada pasada.

“Hemos trabajado con un consultor por un tiempo para elaborar opciones para una solución a largo plazo para que el club de lucha libre pueda tener su hogar propio. Estamos conscientes de la importancia de un cuarto para la lucha libre y queremos que nuestros atléticos, equipo, entrenador Schwab y sus empleados tengan un hogar que sea para ellos, donde puedan entrenar y continuar a obtener un nivel alto y no sólo en la colchoneta”, dijo Moris. Las panteras fueron nombrados el equipo con el cuarto promedio de calificaciones más altas en la nación por la Asociación Nacional de Entrenadores de Lucha Libre en abril.

Sin embargo, las facilidades atléticas del futuro no pueden ser financiadas sin dinero público y tendrán que recaudar fondos, como la cúpula del gimnasio y McLeod Center fueron financiadas cuando los construyeron. Hace más de 10 años, hubo una campaña de 1 millón de dólares para renovar la instalación. En 2012, el cuarto de lucha fue renovado para acomodar tres colchonetas y los vestuarios fueron renovados en 2014. Los planes originales para renovar el salón de pesas y el área para las medicinas de deportes nunca fueron completados.

El West Gym fue una vez el hogar primario de los programas atléticos de UNI antes de la construcción de la cúpula. En 1950, se dió el primer Campeonato de lucha de la División II de NCAA donde las panteras ganaron. También, fue el lugar donde UNI ganó 74 partidos de voleibol desde 1997 hasta 2004. De acuerdo con la historia, Moris dijo que no es una sorpresa que la comunidad tenga muchas emociones encontradas sobre el destino del edificio.

“Los éxitos y memo -

rias que se han forjado en el edificio son claramente significativas, pero las emociones de la gente no hacen que el edificio sea menos estructuralmente deficiente”, dijo Moris.

“Es nuestra responsabilidad como universidad tomar la precauciones necesarias y seguir los consejos de seguridad de los profesionales, ingenieros y consultantes, y eso no disminuye la conexión emocional de la gente, pero sí lo hace más difícil llegar a la realidad de que este edificio no tendrá un futuro”.

Moris dijo que la comunidad tendrá que mantenerse atentos sobre el destino del edificio y cuál será el próximo hogar del programa de lucha libre.

“Anticipó que pronto tomaremos decisiones claves para ver si llegamos a algunas conclusiones de manera colectiva porque obviamente, no esperábamos que tendríamos que desocupar el gimnasio tan pronto”, señaló Moris.

KORBYN RYAN

The building has been vacant since July 17. UNI wrestling has since been doing thier pre-season training off campus at USA Mat Club on East Nineteenth Street. Short term solutions to bring the team back on campus are currently being discussed.

KORBYN RYAN

MALLORY SCHMITZ Redactora en inglés KARINA ORTIZ Editora en español

White Christian nationalism threatens US Democracy

STEVE CORBIN Guest Columnist

Steve Corbin is a Professor Emeritus of Marketing at the University of Northern Iowa.

You may be among the 35% of Americans who have never heard the term “white Christian nationalism.” But, of those citizens who are knowledgeable of the concept, it carries a decidedly negative view. The belief is becoming more and more important to understand as cultural diversity, racism, immigration issues, political divisiveness and political candidate pandering is before us.

What is white Christian nationalism? Generally –according to the Southern Poverty Law Center – it “refers to a political ideology and identity that fuses white supremacy, Christianity and American nationalism, and whose proponents claim that the United States is a `Christian Nation’” (2023). Research conducted by the non-partisan Public Religion

Research Institute (PRRI) with the non-partisan Brookings Institution (BI) as well as a poll sponsored by Southern Poverty Law Center/Tulchin have the same conclusion: white Christian nationalism movement is a growing threat to America’s democracy.

The far-right antigovernment and religious rights movement of the 1990s is getting stronger and stronger and will play a major role in the 2024 local, county, state and federal elections.

During the Nov. 21-Dec. 14, 2022 time period, 6,212 Americans were asked by PRRI/BI for their reply to these five statements: 1) the US government should declare America a Christian nation, 2) US laws should be based on Christian values, 3) if the US moves away from our Christian foundations, we will not have a country anymore, 4) being Christian is an important part of being truly American and 5) God has called Christians to exercise dominion over all areas of American society.

Answers across all five questions were found to be highly correlated (Cronbach’s

alpha of 0.92) with a margin of error of +/- 1.6% at the 95% level of confidence. This is a take-it-to-the-bank research endeavor.

• Fifty-four percent of the GOP faithful are adherents of Christian nationalism vs. 23% of independents and 15% of Democrats.

The PRRI/BI research notes five core attitudes are often associated with Christian nationalist beliefs: antiBlack, anti-Semitic [Jewish], anti-Muslim, anti-immigration and patriarchal adherence of traditional gender roles [husband is head of the household].”

Furthermore, research

revealed “Christian nationalism beliefs are strongly correlated with support for QAnon, an extremist movement of the political right,” whose tenets include: “1) The government, media and financial worlds in the US are controlled by a group of Satanworshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex-trafficking operation, 2) There is a storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power and restore the rightful leaders and 3) Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country” (ibid).

The Southern Poverty Law Center offers a summary of the movement that should be a wake-up call to Americans: “White Christian nationalism is a key ideology that inspired the failed Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection and fueled multiple failed political campaigns in 2022 . . . however, white Christian nationalism remains a persistent and growing threat to U.S. democracy” (2023).

Any person with a modicum of intelligence knows European colonists immi-

grated to America to escape religious persecution, expand their economic opportunities and live in a country where there was separation of church and state. Followers of the white Christian nationalism movement want to contradict the principles and norms of democracy and make America an authoritarian country.

Adherents of white Christian nationalism are the drivers of antidemocratic conspiracy theories and election denialism (SPLC, 2023) and possibly book banning, LGBTQIA denigration, “sanitized” black history curriculum, anti-female reproductive rights, gerrymandering and attacking diversity, equity and inclusion.

Currently there are 14 Republicans and three Democrats wanting to win the Nov. 5, 2024 presidential election. Hundreds of candidates will be seeking local, county, state and federal offices of power. Citizens must be vigilant and keep candidates who espouse ANY resemblance of white Christian nationalism out of public office.

Citizens must be vigilant and keep candidates who espouse ANY resemblance of white Christian nationalism out of public office.

The rise of UNI Greek Life New fraternity seeks to establish on campus

TAYLOR NOHRENBERG Staff Writer

After two fraternities closed their doors during the University of Northern Iowa 2022-23 school year, a new, up-and-coming fraternity, Chi Phi, is planning to fill the empty space left by those groups.

With the recent addition of Chi Phi, UNI’s Greek life has seen recent changes with the closure of two fraternities within the last semester, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Pi Kappa Alpha, due to lack of interest to continue the organizations and/or lack of members. Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) Advisor Josh Farris says despite these closures, quite the opposite is happening with enrollment this year, and having another chapter grants more opportunities for student participation if one group wasn’t the right fit for them.

“Bringing in a third [chapter], it creates a new opportunity that hasn’t been available for students in a really long time, and it doesn’t necessarily happen very often,” Farris said of the Greek life expansion. “It creates a sense of energy for our community, and for that new, specific chapter as well.” The last time a new Greek chapter was proposed for establishment was 2016. The COVID19 pandemic and UNI’s downward-trending enrollment rates

“The average chapter size is about 25-26 guys, which is pretty good for institutions our size,” Farris said. “Granted, our number of chapters has decreased - I think right now we are at the pinnacle of the rise of fraternities and sororities at UNI.”

This year’s totals for sorority and fraternity members have almost doubled in the span of three weeks, according to Farris, who is in his second year as FSL advisor. Currently, UNI has eight active Greek chapters with three fraternities and five sororities.

“Our sorority recruitment numbers right now are already ahead of where they finished last year, and we’re still two weeks out for sorority recruitment,” he said of the current 68 registered, which is around 20 more than the year previous. “The goal would hopefully be for all of our fraternities and sororities to continue to grow so we can bring even more chapters in the future.”

Jason Santiago, Chi Phi Coordinator of Growth, is grateful to get the Chi Phi chapter up and running on campus and has high hopes for

because sometimes you’d be on some campuses and they’re not as receptive as others or some other situations, but being at UNI, it’s just been just kind of eye opening. It’s been super receptive from everybody all around,” Santiago said. “I think if we keep on building on the momentum, we can strive for a lot of cool opportunities and collaborations with other people.”

The group, whose motto is “Truth, Honor, and Personal Integrity,” will be raising funds for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and has partnered with RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) to raise awareness about these issues on campus and beyond.

Chi Phi has already had quite the presence during the first two weeks of the year despite being a young group. During UNI’s Welcome Week, the fraternity partnered with the sorority Gamma Phi Beta at Lawther Field for water games and giveaways.

“Hopefully we can get along with some other organizations and see what other opportunities there are as far

State University’s campus, making UNI the second in Iowa if established.

Santiago says that like a lot of other Greek organizations on college campuses, Chi Phi lost members during the COVID-19 pandemic. He hopes to build those numbers in the coming weeks.

“Right now we have a core group of five [at UNI]. So being there for a week and a half I feel like that was pretty solid,” Santiago said. “I think now until October we’re trying to look for maybe anywhere from 15, 20, to 25 guys would be ideal.”

Interfraternity Council

President Chase Anderson sees the incoming freshman class and the overall uplift in campus atmosphere as an added benefit for Greek life and all student organizations on campus.

“We are seeing growing numbers again in the FSL community, and will continue to see numbers rise even more as we stray away further and further from the pandemic that came in 2020,” Anderson said. “I think it was safe to say that the whole student organization community saw troubles in the past years, and much of that was related to COVID-19.”

Anderson said the current growth this year could continue an upward trend that may

here at UNI,” he said, adding that brand recognition is something FSL continues to work on to bring incoming and present students information about Greek life.

“I think Chi Phi brings new excitement and energy to the community and impacts both the fraternities and sororities that we have on campus,” Anderson said.

Samantha Hilbert, vice president of public relations of UNI’s Panhellenic Council Executives and member of Gamma Phi Beta, says that her specific sorority has been quite busy preparing for the upcoming recruitment session in September.

“We’ve had good successes with the events we have had so far,” she said. “We have more coming up, so we’re excited.” Students interested in getting involved in a sorority or fraternity at UNI can visit UNI’s FSL page or contact the organization through their social media page on Instagram. For more information on the Chi Phi chapter, students can reach out to the group on Instagram

The closure of two UNI Greek chapters, Pi Kappa Alpha (pictured) and Sigma Phi Epsilon, at the end of the 2022-23 school year opened the way for UNI’s newest fraternity, Chi Phi. UNI hasn’t seen a new Greek chapter since 2016.

CHI PHI Chi Phi, whose logo is pictured above, currently has a presence at Iowa State University. If established, the UNI chapter will be the second in Iowa.

I think right now we are at the pinnacle of the rise of fraternities and sororities at UNI.

Josh Farris Fraternity and Sorority Life Advisor

BAILEY KLINKHAMMER Campus Life Editor

Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” sweeps UNI students

146 shows. Five continents. A three-hour setlist. The Taylor Swift Eras Tour has swept the nation and stolen the hearts of thousands of young fans, including many students at UNI.

Jenna Westendorf is a first-year UNI student studying digital media journalism and has been a lifelong fan of Swift. In fact, she remembers the first time she ever heard a Taylor Swift song. “The first song I ever heard by her was when my friend played me her iconic ‘You Belong with Me’ song after her “Fearless” album came out. After that, I’ve just always been a huge fan of hers,” Westendorf said. “When CDs were still a thing, I always had to make sure I had a copy of her newest album. So overall this tour was definitely a full circle moment of all of the years I’ve been a fan of her, especially since it was my first time seeing her in concert.”

Westendorf attended two shows of the Eras Tour, one in Minneapolis and the other in Kansas City. According to Westendorf, the process of acquiring tickets was stressful. “I got my Eras Tour tickets by sitting in the queue for about an hour or so before finally securing tickets. For my second show, Kansas City night one, my best friend’s step dad actually got the tickets for us. The process was definitely nerve-wracking because it was kind of just a race to see if once you got in after waiting in the queue if you would actually get tickets or not. I was definitely crying when I secured my tickets,” Westendorf said.

Junior Morgan Kielly also attended the tour and took a different approach to buying tickets. “We had five of us with presale tickets in the queue, and only one of my friends ended up getting tickets. She got enough for all of us, but she was in line for over 6 hours and barely got the last seats in the stadium,” Kielly said. “Although we didn’t get the best tickets, we were just happy to get tickets at all.”

Westendorf and Kielly weren’t alone in their struggle to acquire tick -

ets. The mass popularity of the tour announcement caused the Ticketmaster site to completely shut down, causing outrage among fans. Taylor Swift herself even took to her Instagram stories to condemn the site, saying, “It’s really difficult for me to trust an outside entity with these relationships and loyalties, and excruciating for me to just watch mistakes happen with no recourse—

It’s truly amazing that 2.4 million people got tickets, but it really piss

Webster traveled from Des Moines, Iowa to see the show, spending money on gas and a hotel room. But, according to her, the experience of the tour made everything worth it. “Being at this tour was a mix of feelings. It was nothing but positively connotated emotions. It was bittersweet, sappy (sad and happy all together), healing, exhilarating, you get the gist. There wasn’t a moment that I wasn’t smiling during the concert,” Webster said. “My favorite part of

Tour with your mom and sisters, who have been Swifties with you since her first album.”

Regardless of where each fan saw the show, the common consensus was a feeling of connection to so many people.

Freshman Neesa Striegel credits Swift’s music in helping form a lifelong friendship. “I went with my friend Gwen and her sister Ada, who have been my best friends for a long time. The love we have shared for Taylor Swift over the years is unmatched by anything else in my life,” Striegel said. “My freshman year ed to really become friends. She was a year ahead of me, but

be terrified and overwhelmed by the amount of people, but honestly, I found myself feeling so safe and protected by all of the women I was surrounded by who were just as passionate as I was about Taylor. It was very comforting,” Hoeg said.

The fans came in all shapes and sizes, according to Hoeg. She said the best moments were witnessing fans make connections over the shared love of Swift’s music. “The last memory that is currently coming to my mind is sitting in front of me were these three dads who brought their daughters to the Eras Tour. They knew Taylor’s huge songs like ‘Shake It Off’ and ‘Blank Space’, but other than that they were pretty lost,” Hoeg said. “However, they stood almost the entire time. They were dancing, laughing and having a really fun time. They seemed like such kind dads and men, and they definitely had the time of their lives.”

cally unprecedented.

Breaking records, the tour is expected to gross over 2 billion dollars and become the biggest concert tour in history, which is a title currently held by Elton John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour. The widespread cultural phenomenon of Swift’s newest tour has resulted in an economic boom, revitalizing consumer spending in major cities. The average amount spent on the Eras Tour is $1,300 per concertgoer. Fans have spent thousands not only on tickets, but also on elaborate costumes, hotel rooms, tour merchandise, gas, friendship bracelet materials and more.

Alli Webster is a freshman at UNI studying public relations and she joined other fans in dressing in a specific “era” of Swift’s music during the first night of the Kansas City leg. “I dressed in the ‘Speak Now’ era. ‘Speak Now’ is my second favorite album, and I love the color purple. I decided to dress in the ‘Speak Now’ era because she was going to drop ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ the day that my concert was, which was July 7,” Webster said.

King, Taylor Lautner and Presley Cash.”

Claire Hoeg is a senior studying public relations at UNI, and she traveled to Chicago with her mom and sisters to see the concert. “It was such a fun mini vacation for me and my family. We had two hotel rooms, and we deemed one as the ‘getting ready’ room. By the time we left the hotel, that room was covered in glitter, makeup, hairspray and sequins. It was the most girl/Barbie thing ever,” Hoeg said. “It’s one thing to go to the Eras Tour with your best friends. It’s a whole other thing to go to the Eras

of music and volleyball, we connected immediately. So many of Taylor’s songs were shared between us and helped us through many days of a widespread range of feelings. She has a song for everything. Being able to have Gwen bring me to the concert was the best feeling in the world.”

Hoeg credited the many fans at the tour for the positive experience. “I will also never forget the feeling of pure sisterhood. I felt as though I was in a really big sorority. I have never been in an NFL-sized stadium before. I thought I would

Faith Springer, a freshman, also attended the tour, dressed in a reputation-era costume. A popular fan activity at the Eras Tour is to make friendship bracelets and exchange them with other fans at the concert. “One of the sweetest moments that happened was when we were scanning our tickets to enter the stadium, we talked to an older man working there. He then asked if he could possibly have one of our friendship bracelets for his granddaughter who couldn’t attend the tour. It was super cute,” Springer said.

ERIN MCRAE Staff Writer

COURTESY/ NEESA STRIEGEL

Taylor Swift performs her Suprise Song acoustic set at “The Eras Tour”

The aftermath of “Barbenheimer”

CALLIE FAIR Film Critic

It has been six weeks since the releases of the box-office-breaking, whirlwinds “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”. This movie event took America by storm when it hit theaters on July 21, as many fans have been preparing for “Barbenheimer” for weeks ahead.

Just as movie-goers were questioning the fate of cinema in a new streaming world, two of the biggest directors of the decade, Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan, both announced their anticipated films’ release dates which happened to be on the same day.

People from around the world were picking out specially curated outfits either dressing for “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer”. Memes were being made, plot theories were being shared and the star-studded line -ups for both films were being loved. All of the hype led up to the releases of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” where more than 200,000 people purchased tickets to see them on the same day, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners.

Together, CNBC

reports, that they produced more than $2 billion ticket sales since the opening weekend, with “Barbie” sitting at $1.36 billion worldwide in the box office and “Oppenheimer” with $850 million.

This excitement revived the love for movie theaters and made a significant cultural impact that will forever be remembered in cinema history. The biggest question now is, what’s next?

With the obvious success of “Barbie” specifically, there have already been rumors of a sequel to the feminist-progressive film. It’s been reported by Variety that Mattel, the company of “Barbie”, would like to capitalize on the movie’s success by creating more projects involving the multi-careered doll herself as well as their other lines of toys, “Barney,” “Polly Pocket,” “Thomas and Friends” and “American Girl,” to create their own Mattel cinematic universe.

While Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as well as the other Barbies and Kens were a joy to watch on the screen, what is the point of a sequel? Why can’t the audience just take the message of the

film and apply it to real life as it was intended?

To those who have watched “Barbie”, the fans can all agree that the message was about living in a world where everybody can be equal and fair to one another and not be discriminated against based on gender, sexuality, race nor any part that makes us who we are. “Barbie” showed us that everyone has value, and we should all live to continue to grow and keep discovering and sometimes rediscovering ourselves.

One of the recurring themes in the film is that “ideas live forever”. How beautiful would it be if we let “Barbie”, the stand alone movie, live on forever? Making a sequel for “Barbie” feels like another money-hungry movie company taking advantage of a film’s massive success, and finding ways to better profit off of it. It is saddening to see progressive and innovative ideas being creatively shown on screen, but being forgotten as Mattel attempts to try and shift everyone’s eyes toward the next movie. What does it all mean if the meaningful messages are being reduced to their monetary value?

“Oppenheimer” is also a profound movie that leaves the audience thinking into the dark abyss for the next 20 minutes. This movie’s goal was quite similar; to take what fans have watched and apply it to the real world. Nolan’s visual directing and beautiful storytelling take the audience through the series of events that led to the creation of the atomic bomb. This

film’s message is about the mistakes of humanity and how to cope with them. It sets the stage of where we are now in society, living in an age of A.I., nuclear bombs and unlimited access to knowledge. We can take that message from “Oppenheimer”, appreciate it for what it is and not hope for or expect a sequel. Why can’t we do the same with “Barbie”?

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION COURTESY/ IMDb

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION COURTESY/ GQ

Panthers sweep LSU

ADAM JOHNSON Sports Writer

On Friday, Sept. 1, Panthers volleyball went up against Louisiana State University (LSU) in the Bluejay invitational in Omaha, Neb. The Panthers came into this game following a loss to Western Michigan, and looked to bounce back. The Panthers came ready to play, and were able to rebound their loss with a solid victory against the Tigers.

The first set was a close one all the way down to the very end. Both teams had a lot of back and forth in the early going, until the Tigers went on a monstrous run when they trailed 10-8. They scored eight straight unanswered behind the work of six

A good hard fought victory for the Panthers against LSU moves them to 2-2 in the early going of the season

kills and an ace, and were looking rather dominant against the Panthers.

UNI slowly chipped away at the lead down the stretch, and following three straight kills late in the match, they trailed by only one. The Tigers got back up 22-19, but the Panthers would dominate the rest of the set, winning set number one 25-23.

As close as the first set was, the second one was even more intense. Both teams were neck and neck the entire match,

with the Panthers holding a narrow lead throughout the majority. With the Panthers up 20-17, the Tigers rattled off four in a row to take a 21-20 lead. The two teams tied it up at 22, but the Tigers scored the next two points and were only a point away from taking the set. The Panthers had other plans, as they scored three straight, reclaiming the lead. Extra points were needed for this one, but the Panthers managed a 28-26 victory.

The third set showed the wear that UNI had put on the Tigers. UNI played from ahead the whole set, and really started to stretch the lead out when they were up 20-14. The Panthers added a little bit onto this lead, as they

cruised to a 25-17 victory in the third and final set of the match.

A good hard-fought victory for the Panthers

against LSU moves them to 2-2 in the early going of the season as they compete in the remainder of the tournament.

UNI place second at Bluejay Invitational

DREW HILL Sports Writer

UNI finished their run at the Bluejay Invitational in second-place after sweeping the Ball State Cardinals but falling to the Creighton Bluejays. UNI had a strong 2-1 showing, including sweeps of both LSU and Ball State, as they improved to 3-3 on the season.

Following the sweep against LSU on Friday, UNI took on Ball State on Saturday, Sept. 2. Both the Panthers and the Cardinals came into the matchup with records of 2-2.

The first set saw both teams trade points early, as neither team could pull away by more than three. After an 8-8 tie, UNI never relinquished the lead again. The Panthers managed to

keep Ball State at arm’s length for most of the rest of the set. After taking a 12-10 lead, UNI never let the Cardinals back within two points as they pulled out a 25-20 win.

The second set began similarly. After Ball State got within two at 8-6, UNI went on a 6-0 run to take a 14-6 lead. It seemed like the Panthers might cruise to a win, but after UNI took a 20-14 lead, Ball State went on a 4-0 run of their own to bring it within two points at 20-18. The Cardinals managed to take the lead at 24-23 to give them a chance to win the set, but UNI rallied with three points in a row to take the set 3-0.

The third set saw the Cardinals pull ahead to take a 6-2 lead. UNI fought back and finally took back

The Panthers rallied with a 3-0 run finished by two kills from Holterhaus to take a 25-24 lead

the lead 12-11. Ball State regained the lead at 15-14, but UNI responded with a 7-1 run that put them in front 21-16. The Purple and Gold closed out the set 25-19 to claim a 3-0 sweep and improve to 2-0 in the event.

Emily Holterhaus led the way in kills with 13, followed closely by Olivia Tjernagel, who added 10 kills and led with five blocks. Tayler Alden had 37 assists to become the eighth UNI player of all time to hit the 3,000-assist threshold. Finally, Erin Powers led the team in digs with 14. The matchup against Creighton would prove to be a grueling one. Creighton came into the game with a record of 4-1, also having beat Ball State and LSU. The first set would see some back-

and-forth action early. After UNI tied the score at 8-8, Creighton went on a 6-0 run to take a 14-8 lead. UNI battled back and eventually cut the lead to two at 23-21, but Creighton scored the last two points to take a 25-21 win.

The second set would prove to be a test of grit and determination for both teams. Creighton got out to a 6-2 lead early, but UNI came back to tie it at 14 apiece. The Panthers pressed the advantage with a three-score run shortly after to take a 17-15 lead, but the Bluejays again tied it up. Creighton pulled out to a three-point lead, and looked poised to claim victory with a 24-22 lead.

The Panthers rallied with a 3-0 run finished by two kills from Holterhaus to take a 25-24 lead. The game would not end there, as the two teams continued to trade points, neither able to take the two-point lead necessary to win, until Holterhaus scored on three kills in a row to finally win the set 36-34. It was the longest set for the Panthers since 2016.

The third set saw an intense back-and-forth bat-

tle, with each team trading runs but unable to claim a definitive edge. Finally, after UNI took a 20-18 lead, the Bluejays went on a 7-0 run to win the set 25-20. The fourth set was similar. Creighton started to pull away midway through, but the Panthers rallied to cut the lead to one at 22-21. Creighton held on for a tight 25-23 win to claim the series and first place in the Bluejay Invitational. UNI finished second for the first time at this event.

Holterhaus and Kira Fallert tied for the lead in kills with 18. Fallert also had 17 digs for her second-straight double-double. Layanna Green led the way in blocks with 3. Alden again led the way in assists with 43 and added 19 digs for a double-double. Alden now has a total of 3,079 career assists. Powers led the way in digs again with 24. Fallert and Powers both were named to the all-tournament team.

UNI next travels down to College Station, Texas, for the Texas A&M Invitational, from Thursday, Sept. 7, through Saturday, Sept. 9.

JORDAN JUNGE

The Panthers defeated the LSU Tigers in straight sets.

JORDAN JUNGE

The Panthers were the runner-ups in the Bluejay Invitational.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Panther soccer remains undefeated

MICHAEL SPAHN Sports Writer

On Sunday Sept. 3, UNI’s women’s soccer welcomed Omaha for their sixth game of the season. The Panthers were challenged by the Maverick offense early, but goalie Caitlin Richards had two key saves to keep them off the board. Just after the 25 minute mark, Ashley Harrington weaved past Omaha defenders and got the Panthers on the board with a goal to make it 1-0.

Later in the period, the two teams exchanged shots on goal, but neither could connect. After the Panthers stole the Omaha throw-in, Morgan Barnette snuck the ball behind the goalkeeper to make it 2-0 Panthers going into the half.

Omaha responded quickly in the second period, cutting the lead to 2-1 just 5 minutes into the period. The Maverick offense continued to get

CROSS COUNTRY

close to the goal, but the Panther defense stepped up with two key blocks.

Just over halfway through the second period, Omaha tied the game at 2-2 off a steal close to the goal. The Panthers showed urgency on offense after the Maverick score, as they had two quick shots on goal, one by Maddie Eastus just missing off the crossbar.

The Panthers struggled with committing penalties, as they received their 13th on the day with just under 12 minutes to go.

The Mavericks found another scoring opportunity just before the 10 minute mark, but Richards held her ground and got the save.

With time winding down, Olivia Knoepfle had a great opportunity near the goal after the Panther throw -in, but Omaha knocked the ball away. With just under eight minutes to go, Harrington found Eastus

in front of the goal for the score to give the Panthers a 3-2 lead.

Omaha had one last chance with 10 seconds left. A shot on goal that was knocked away by Richards. The Panthers were victorious with a score of 3-2.

The Panthers improved to 5-0-1 on the season, their best start since the 2017 season. The team ended up tying the all time series with Omaha with a record of 3-3-2.

Harrington, Eastus, and Barnette led the Panther scoring with one goal each. Harrington and Eastus also led the Panthers with three shots on goal each. Harrington and Olvia Bohl each finished with an assist on the day. The Panthers also took advantage of six Maverick penalties. The team is back on the road tomorrow against South Dakota State at 4:00 pm on ESPN+.

UNI shows out at ISU Invitational

NICOLE

WATERS

Sports Writer

UNI kicked off their first cross country meet of the season at ISU for the men’s and women’s Cyclone Preview which took place on the ISU Cross Country Course Friday morning in a small field against Iowa State and Drake.

Junior Emma Hoins helped to push the Panthers in the women’s 5K posting a time of 17:30 and went on to finish 15th. Kate Crawford was also right behind Hoins in the 5K coming in at 18th with a time of 17:40. Junior Ella Popenhagen posted a time of 17:50 and freshman Eden Mueller posted a time of 17:52 as they crossed the finish line at 21st and 22nd, respectively. Junior Sophia Jungling also posted slightly behind with a time of 18:04 and finished 23rd. Over on the men’s side

of things, Freshman Chase Lauman placed 7th in his collegiate debut in the men’s 6K race with a time of 18:31 to help lead the panther pack. Junior Caleb Shumaker posted a time of 18:39 to come in shortly behind Lauman in 11th place. Junior Tyler Colvin crossed the finish line with a time of 19:05 and finished with a place of 15th. Junior Brady Griebel posted a 19:22 while freshman Carson Owens posted a 19:24 which placed them at 19th and 20th respectively.

Other notable finishes for the Panther women included freshman Kaylee Woolery (18:27) finishing 24th, freshman Kayla Young (18:43) placing 25th, freshman Brooke O’Brien (18:43) finishing 26th, and freshman Makenna Edwards (19:19) placing 27th and Junior Lauren Klein (19:25) helped fin-

UNI

ish out the women placing 28th.

For the men, freshmen Josh Gormley and Caleb Kass finished 21st and 22nd with posting times of 19:39 and 19:49. Sophomores Kon Dut and Drew Dombrosky posted times of 20:00 and

20:11. Also, freshman Levi Hill closed with a time of 20:44 to help wrap things up for the panthers respectively.

UNI takes the course again on September 15th at the Redbird Invite in Normal, Illinois which is

hosted by Illinois State University. The UNI Panther women will start off the competition at 5 p.m. with the women’s 6K race, followed by the men who start at 5:45 p.m. with the men’s 8K race.

Courtesey/UNI Athletics

Cross Country competes in first event of the season.

CADEN SHEA Sports Editor

Panthers defeated by Cyclones in Season Opener SPORTS

BRADEN ELTON Sports Writer

The UNI football team opened their 2023-2024 season against in-state rival Iowa State, in a packed Jack Trice Stadium Saturday afternoon. The Panthers were unable to get much going offensively to start the game, resulting in a 30-9 defeat.

UNI had the ball to start the game and looked poised in their first few plays. Theo Day threw a pass deep up the middle to Sergio Morancy, who drew a pass interference call on the play, advancing the ball 15 yards. The Panthers were able to gain another 16 yards on their next three plays to find themselves on the Iowa State 44 yard line.

Iowa State stood their ground and on the very next play Jeremiah Cooper returned an interception 58 yards for a pick six to give the Cyclones the first score of the game. The two teams traded three and outs on their next possessions before Iowa State was able to flip the

field on a punt return, setting up a fourth and goal touchdown from Rocco Becht, making the score 14-0 in favor of the Cyclones.

Iowa State would go on to score another touchdown in the final minutes of the second quarter as Becht connected with Tyler Moore for a 14-yard score. The point after try (PAT) was unsuccessful after a botched snap, resulting in a 20-0 deficit for the Panthers.

As UNI took the field again they looked eager to get some points on the board before the end of the first half. With 15 seconds left in the quarter, Day threw his second interception of the game to Cooper which set up the Cyclones with a 56-yard field goal attempt before halftime.

Chase Contreaz had the power and distance to give the Cyclones a commanding 23-0 lead over UNI going into the break.

Iowa State came out of halftime looking to put the game away for good, and did just that by scoring on their opening drive. Becht dropped back and threw a 36-yard pass to Benjamin

Brahmer to give the Cyclones a 30-0 lead.

The Panthers were not ready to go home just yet as they were able to score on the very next possession from Matthew Cooks’ 31-yard field goal, resulting in a 30-3 deficit.

UNI continued to heat up in the second half as Day connected with newcomer Jaiden EllisLahey on a 36-yard pass and tight end Layne Pryor for an 11-yard gain. The Panthers were knocking on the door for their first touchdown of the football season when Desmond Hutson caught a three-yard pass to cut the score to 30-9.

UNI was able to drive the field one more time before the end of the game, failing to convert on fourth and goal from the five-yard line, effectively ending the contest.

Despite the lopsided score, the two teams played each other very closely according to the stats of the game. UNI was able to lead in multiple categories including; first downs, third down efficien-

cy, total yards, passing yards, penalty yards, and time of possession.

Tye Edwards was the

Panthers on the prowl in the NFL

The NFL begins its season tomorrow night with the defending Super Bowl Champion, Kansas City Chiefs, taking on the Detroit Lions. UNI will be well represented during the season as three former Panthers have made NFL rosters while two others found a spot on the practice squad.

Spencer Brown: Buffalo Bills

Brown spent two seasons with the Panthers excelling at the tackle position. He was Drafted in the 3rd round of the 2021 NFL Draft and is entering his third season with the Buffalo Bills. Last year, he started 14 games at the tackle position and only allowed four sacks on quarterback Josh Allen. Brown helped Buffalo finish with a 13-3 record and a 2-seed in the NFL playoffs. He’ll start at right tackle this season and do his part to help deliver the Bills their first Super Bowl title in franchise history.

Trevor Penning: New Orleans Saints

Last year, Penning became the first ever Panther to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, going to the New Orleans Saints. He was coming off a spectacular 2021 season at Northern Iowa where he was named first team MVC at the offensive lineman position. In his rookie season with the Saints, Penning only played in six games due to injury. In the 124 snaps he played, Penning didn’t allow a single sack. He’ll get a fresh start this season as he’s projected to be the Saints starter at the left tackle position.

Elijah Campbell: Miami Dolphins

During his time playing defensive back at Northern Iowa in 2016 and 2017, Campbell finished with eight interceptions, 93 tackles, and 23 pass deflections. He’s entering his fourth season in the NFL and his third with the Miami Dolphins. Last season in Miami, Campbell played in 16 games at defensive back and finished with 12 tackles. He also played a big role on special teams. Unfortunately for Campbell, he suffered a knee injury in training camp

that will lead to him missing time this upcoming season. The Dolphins will keep him on the active roster in hopes for a return at some point this season.

Daurice

Fountain had a phenomenal 2016 season at Northern Iowa, finishing with 604 yards and 5 touchdowns. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 2018, and spent two seasons with the team. He also was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021.This past summer, he spent training camp in Chicago with the Bears. He made his mark, finishing with 116 yards in three preseason games. This included a phenomenal touchdown grab in his second preseason game against his former team, the Indianapolis Colts. The Bears decided to move on from Fountain after the preseason despite his performance. The Detroit Lions saw something in Fountain, however, and signed him to their practice squad. He’ll be ready to step in if the Lions get short-handed at the wide receiver position this season.

leading rusher for the Panthers with 72 yards on 16 carries. Day finished with 16 completions for 164 passing yards and a touchdown. Logan Wolf led the Panthers receiving core with 40 receiving yards on three receptions, while Sam Schnee added 34 yards on four receptions. Punter Noah Pettinger had a career long punt of 54 yards, and newcomer Broderick Calhoun led UNI with seven total tackles.

The Panthers look to bounce back next week as they take on No.10/13 Weber State for their home opener in the UNI-Dome. The Wildcats are fresh off a victory as they defeated Central Washington 35-10. Tune in to the game live on Panther Sports Network, or listen via radio on the Panther Sports Radio Network.

Sapp lll had a superb three seasons at Northern Iowa, finishing with 138 tackles, nine interceptions, and 16 pass deflections. His father, Benny Sapp Jr., also played football at Northern Iowa, and played nine seasons in the NFL. Sapp lll went undrafted, but signed a free agent contract with the Green Bay Packers. In three preseason games, he finished with five tackles. In the

Packers final preseason game against the Seahawks, Sapp lll made the play of the game. Late in the game, he secured the game winning interception to give the Packers the victory. Sapp lll didn’t end up making the active roster, but he’ll stick with the Packers on the practice squad for the 2023 season. These former Panthers will look to make an impact on their respective teams as well as represent Northern Iowa football on and off the field.

STEPH STARK

Tye Edwards breaks a tackle in Ames during the sweltering heat.

STEPH STARK

Theo Day attempts a pass against an impressive Iowa State defense.

STEPH STARK

UNI lost to Iowa State 30-9 on Saturday, Sept. 2.

Fountain: Detroit Lions

Benny Sapp lll: Green Bay Packers

COURTESY

Trevor Penning is the current starter at left tackle for New Orleans.

MICHAEL SPAHN Sports Writer

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