3-6-12

Northern Iowan t h e u n i v e r s i t y o f n o r t h e r n i o wa’s s t u d e n t - p r o d u c e d n e w s p a p e r s i n c e 1 8 9 2

MARCH 6, 2012

I

TUESDAY

VOLUME 108, ISSUE 42

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Letters to the editor Students, professors and alumni share their views on UNI’s budget situation. < See PAGES 4 and 12

CEDAR FALLS, IOWA

BUDGET CUTS

UNI faculty pass vote of no confidence in Allen, Gibson

I

NORTHERN-IOWAN.ORG

BUDGET CUTS

Students react to closing of Price Lab OLIVIA HOTTLE Staff Writer

Since the University of Northern Iowa announced the closure of Malcolm Price Laboratory School on Feb. 23, many opinions have risen. UNI education majors, past and present, have several thoughts on the topic.

OPINION

Let us begin anew In light of budget cuts, Tom Early calls on the university community to fight for higher education. < See PAGE 4 BRANDON BAKER/Northern Iowan

The voting members of the UNI faculty (above) voted no confidence in President Benjamin Allen and Provost Gloria Gibson on March 2.

JOHN ANDERSON

Executive Editor

MUSIC

Colin Hay coming to GBPAC WIth his GBPAC performance around the corner, the former “Men At Work” singer opens up about his life and career. < See PAGE 5

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Saying goodbye to No. 13 Brad Eilers gives a fond farewell to UNI’s lone senior. < See PAGE 7

ONLINE

Bill could create sales tax holiday for textbooks Reineke wins excellence in teaching award The Boxing Match in the Middle East Sabin’s ‘light lounge’ works to offset SAD < visit northern-iowan.org

INDEX WEATHER..........................2 OPINION....................4 & 12 CAMPUS LIFE....................5 SPORTS.............................7 CLASSIFIEDS...................10

The University of Northern Iowa faculty passed a motion of no confidence in UNI President Benjamin Allen and Provost Gloria Gibson in a special meeting Friday afternoon in the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.

The motion against Allen passed by a vote of 197-53 with four abstentions, and the motion against Gibson passed by a vote of 17269 with nine abstentions and one spoiled ballot.

The largely symbolic resolutions come in the wake of the administration’s recent recommendation to close Price Lab and its announcement that it will cut academ-

ic programs, two decisions the faculty feel they weren’t properly consulted on.

“I’m sitting in this room full of doctors, and I’m wondering why all of these intelligent people weren’t consulted for ideas to fix this problem, ideas that wouldn’t compromise our mission, our beliefs,” said Andrew Stollenwerk, a physics professor.

The meeting was called

by UNI Faculty Chair James Jurgenson in response to a petition with 30 signatures that called for a meeting by the end of the week to discuss recent and coming budget cuts being carried out “with no faculty input.”

The UNI faculty senate met with the administration last Monday to look at a pre-

liminary list of programs in review for termination, a list that reportedly includes philosophy, religion and physics, more than a month after faculty members received an email from Allen saying tenured faculty will be affected by program cuts.

The university’s preliminary list included all undergraduate majors that have graduated an average of fewer than 10 students over the last five academic years.

“These are not good choices that are being made, and by the criterion they are using, they’re certainly not going to be able to make good choices,” said John Deisz, a physics professor.

Al Hayes, a professor in < See NO CONFIDENCE, page 2

BUDGET CUTS

Print Services to close by June 30 Student organizations look for other printing options

CAITIE PETERSON Staff Writer

On Feb. 23, the University of Northern Iowa announced UNI Print Services will close, saving the university more than $400,000. It will close no later than June 30, but the last date to submit a print or photocopy job is Friday, March 23, according to a recent issue update from University Relations.

DeWayne Purdy, the electronic communication manager in the Office of University Relations, said Print Services “just wasn’t sustainable,” citing the cost it would take to update older machinery.

Purdy also said Print Services is being used less.

“There’s less being printed because people are putting more things on the < See PRINT SERVICES, page 3

COLBY CAMPBELL/Northern Iowan

UNI Print Services (above) will close no later than June 30.

The last day to submit a print or photocopy job is Friday, March 23.

UNI students’ experiences at Price Lab

Many education majors complete their Level II field experience at Price Lab. Ann Echelmeyer, a graduate student in science education, spoke highly of her time at Price Lab, saying she learned different techniques from the teacher she observed.

Daniel Vargason, a recent UNI graduate, said his cooperating teacher at Price Lab helped him “more than any teacher I had in the three other field experiences.”

However, Liz Mastalio, a senior secondary mathematics education major, said the positive characteristics of her field experience “were not unique to the lab school setting” and she is “hopeful that they could be replicated in another area school.”

Similarly, though he said Price Lab was a positive experience, Thomas Cowell, junior social sciences teaching major, feels he would have benefited if he was able to “experience working with a more diverse classroom and working with some students who are entitled to special education services, which did not happen in my particular classroom.”

Mitch Lingo, a UNI alumnus currently teaching seventh grade in Omaha, Neb., said Price Lab “ had little effect on where (he is) today.”

“The school itself was an unrealistic portrayal as to what it is to teach in a real public school,” Lingo said.

“The students were cultured into working with teachercandidates.”

According to Lingo, Price Lab uses innovative teaching styles, but he feels they are unnecessary because they are not “practical or feasible.”

“I have heard the idea of < See PRICE LAB, page 3

NEWS

PAGE 2

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EXTENDED WEATHER FORECAST

NORTHERN-IOWAN.ORG | TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2012

DATA FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SUNNY

70% CHANCE OF RAIN

SUNNY

SUNNY

HIGH: 62 LOW: 33

HIGH: 55 LOW: 47

NO CONFIDENCE continued from page 1

political science, called the faculty to be careful not to weaken its reputation and ability to do hard advocacy and negotiation with the state.

“I don’t think the enemies are in Seerley; I think the enemies are in Des Moines,” he said. “… We should not spend all of our time snarling and biting at each other; we should try to figure out how to present a united front to the people that are really undercutting higher education in our state and all over the country.”

In order to pass the resolutions, which were introduced at the meeting, the faculty overturned bylaws requiring legislation not on the meeting’s docket be tabled until the next faculty meeting. A suggestion to adjourn the meeting and reconvene immediately was withdrawn, and a motion from professor Francis Degnin to adjourn and vote next week failed.

“I’d hate to see us abandon our own process at a time when we’re complaining about the processes working for the university,” Jeffrey Funderburk, chair of the faculty senate, said. “We represent roughly half the voting faculty in this room; the other half has not seen what we’re talking about doing, and it does have a significant impact.”

Funderburk said the senate had very good consultation last week, though it came very late, and didn’t want to see the vote of no confidence derail those talks.

Betty DeBerg, a faculty senator, said the “dumping” of the list of programs in front of the faculty senate was “for show” and that she doesn’t believe there will be much serious consultation.

“This administration has treated the faculty senate with utter contempt, and I don’t think it’s going to do anything different in the near future except for window-dressing,” she said.

Martha Reineke, a professor in philosophy and world religions, felt the administration has no understanding of how to realize the university’s goal of being a strong undergraduate university founded in the liberal arts.

HIGH: 44 LOW: 29

“The difference between liberal arts courses at a community college and at a leading undergraduate public university is this: students at the latter encounter real physicists, real philosophers and real scholars of religion,” she said.

Reineke said cutting liberal arts majors could turn away passionate scholars from the university and that instructors’ passion, knowledge and skills will “shrivel” without the support a major offers. Without these experts, she argued, UNI’s liberal arts education will be no better than that of a community college.

“You can’t cut the roots off a tree and have a tree left,” she said.

Cathy DeSoto, a psychology professor and chair of United Faculty, felt every faculty member should read the university’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, which she said shows the university’s resources allow it to meet its financial obligations.

“Every year, there is more income coming in than going out. Every year it’s right here,” she said. “… It’s like a Jedi mind trick: pay no attention to the black and white numbers in the book; there’s a financial crisis, so you have to cut your salaries, tuition has to be raised.”

Leslie Wilson, a professor in the College of Business Administration, had a different interpretation of UNI’s financial situation.

“We must balance our budget each and every year. So each and every year, that final budget will show that somehow, we’re balanced.

That does not mean that, looking into the future, we are in very good standing,” she said.

The annual reports show that the university’s state appropriations have been cut by roughly $23.5 million over the past three years. To make up those cuts, tuition has increased by 16 percent in that time, and the university has cut several positions, reduced support for auxiliaries, merged two colleges, instated early retirement for many professors and utilized onetime federal funds.

“Going into next year, we are $4 million short, and that’s without any potential cuts coming from the legislature,” Wilson said. “That’s a very

HIGH: 44 LOW: 26

Students show support for Allen

Several students in the back of the Great Hall held up signs that read “#teambenallen.” Many of the students are involved in a Facebook group called “Vote of Confidence for President Ben Allen,” which was created Thursday night and has 580 likes as of press time.

Morgan Johnson, a senior art major and member of the Facebook group, came to the meeting to show support for the administration.

“Regardless of where I stand … our administration is doing the best it can in the time of these budget crises,” she said.

Johnson did not want the group to be seen as anti-faculty, though she feels it might be misunderstood because of the “current division between the administration and the faculty” in a “tense” campus atmosphere.

Stef McGraw, a senior philosophy and Spanish double major, feels there are a lot of faculty who are concerned for very good reasons, but there is a lot of misinformation circulating.

“I don’t think they conducted themselves very professionally, and I don’t feel like this vote was the best course of action,” she said. “I don’t think they’re considering all the possible ramifications of this vote, and even if they dislike a lot of the things President Allen has done, this wasn’t appropriate. I think, overall, Ben (Allen) is a strong leader.”

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CAMPUS EVENTS

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TUESDAY

CAREERS IN MINUTES Maucker Union University Room and Lang Hall Auditorium 2 p.m.-4:45 p.m.

Careers in Minutes will explore careers in the field of communication, including careers related to majors such as public relations, electronic media, general communication, interpersonal communication and journalism. The first part of the event will have a speed dating format during which students can visit with alumni, while the second part will be a panel of alumni who will expand on their positions outside of the Midwest. The first part of the event will be in the University Room and the second part will be in Lang Hall Auditorium.

“YOU ARE WHAT YOU SHOP: WOMEN AGAINST THE SWEATSHOPS, PAST AND PRESENT” Curris Business Building Room 109 7 p.m.

Eileen Boris, professor at the University of California-Santa Barbara, will present this lecture as part of Women’s History Month.

WEDNESDAY

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

different picture than what you might see or might be thinking of. Last year, our final budget shows that we were $2.2 million short of income over expenses that had to be covered.”

Some faculty members expressed hope that the vote would get the administration’s attention and result in more consultation.

“I would love more than anything for this all to be something of the past and for us to find a way to work together and to actually move the university to make good decisions that will make UNI strong and provide excellent opportunities for Iowans in the future and do service to the state of Iowa to the best of our ability,” Deisz said.

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“AGING IN IOWA: WHO CARES?” Schindler Education Center Room 103C 3 p.m.-4 p.m.

Donna Harvey, director of the Iowa Department on Aging, will present this lecture.

“WHEN WOMEN ARE KILLERS: FEMALE PERPETRATORS OF RWANDA GENOCIDE” Seerley Hall Room 115 7 p.m.

Donna Maier, UNI professor of history, will present this lecture.

NORTHERN-IOWAN.ORG | TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2012

PRICE LAB continued from page 1

recruitment of students to UNI based upon the ‘uniqueness’ of (Price Lab),” Lingo said. “In all honesty, I cannot recall a single classmate saying, ‘I picked UNI because it has a laboratory school.’

Most picked UNI due to its small class sizes and a community that felt like the people in the state of Iowa.”

On the other hand, Daniel Lang, a senior English education major who has recently started his field experience at Price Lab, disagrees with the idea of the school’s environment being unrealistic.

“There have been some people who have talked about it being an unrealistic experience because the kids are so used to Level II students,” Lang said. “It kind of blows my mind, but they think it’s unrealistic because the kids really like school. It’s not like they went out and collected a bunch of awesome kids. They like it there because it’s a good school. They didn’t bring in good kids to make it a good school. ...to suggest that having kids be uncomfortable with you makes it a more realistic

PRINT SERVICES continued from page 1

web,” Purdy said, “and a lot of departments also have high-speed copiers of certain level where they can do smaller jobs themselves.”

The university is currently looking for a new vendor that will offer both offset printing and high-speed copying. The university would like the new vendor to be close to campus, according to Purdy.

“We’re more concerned about having a high-speed copy center close to campus and having a relationship set up with that center, so that we can still get that good service for people on campus,” Purdy said.

Several student organizations went through Print Services to make advertisements for their events, including the University of Northern Iowa Freethinkers and Inquirers. Corey Derringer, the current president of UNIFI, said the group is sad to see Print Services close.

“The people at Print Services were really, really nice to us. Just absolutely salt of the earth people, even though that’s a little cliché,” Derringer said.

According to Derringer, UNIFI used Print Services to make their advertisements for Darwin Week, which included things like posters and table tents.

To replace this printing, Derringer said the group will “figure out what our options are.”

experience seems kind of weird.”

Students’ thoughts on how closing will affect UNI and students

Cowell sees the closure of Price Lab as a positive change for UNI. “Schools in the Cedar Valley will have the opportunity to bring new techniques and pedagogy into their classrooms through UNI student teachers,” Cowell said. “UNI education students will gain more experience with different sized and more diverse classrooms, and all UNI students will have some relief from their constantly rising tuition.”

Mastalio thinks the College of Education can actually benefit by taking this time to reassess what things are necessary in instructing education majors. “... It forces us to look at what is most essential and important in a field experience and to make sure that UNI is creating and providing effective experiences for future teachers,” said Mastalio.

Lingo said the teachers he observed at other Cedar Valley schools “had been living the life and career of a public school teacher and knew what life was Kyle Burns, the president of the Student Admissions Ambassadors, said his group also used Print Services for programs and promotional materials, but he doesn’t think the closing of Print Services will affect SAA very much.

“I guess you could say that we’re more of an action-oriented group where we don’t require a lot of paperwork,” Burns said.

“Obviously we’re not happy to see Print Services go because they were a great asset for the university, but as it applies to our organization, I think we’re going to be able to get by without too much struggle.”

Burns said SAA will follow what the admissions office does in regards to printing once the university chooses a new vendor. According to Jenny Connolly, assistant director of outreach in the admissions office, the admissions office goes through University Relations for their printing needs.

“University Relations is really good and has a lot of good relationships with printing companies in the area,” Connolly said. “So, we haven’t had to do it yet, but I’m sure we’ll get good prices because they work so much with other printers around the area as well.”

In addition to vendors in the community, the UNI Grafx Club offers many of the same services as Print Services.

According to Corey Moen, president of Grafx Club, the club’s biggest business is shirts.

NEWS

PAGE 3

like in the world of teaching.”

“I think (having field experiences outside of Price Lab) enables (UNI students) to have the chance of a better understanding of what it is truly like to be a teacher in a public school,” Lingo said.

Lingo said he thinks this understanding may help students decide rather early on whether or not they truly want to even be teachers.

He also added that the schools in the Cedar Valley are diverse, so education majors will be able to “experience the rural environment, a highly urbanized district with the same issues seen in major cities, blue collar working class schools and the white collar suburban moneyed areas all within a five minute drive from one another.”

Other students disagree with these ideas.

“I think we lose the relationship that UNI has developed with Price Lab, where the teachers there are trained to teach Level II students,” Lang said. “… (Other Cedar Valley educators’) priority as teachers is for their students, whereas Price Lab’s mission is to teach us. I feel like we’re really

giving up something that is benefiting us directly, for something that’s ok, or maybe adequate, but it’s not that same standard that we have right now.”

Vargason said student bank accounts will be affected because students will now have to drive to their Level II field experience, whereas before they could walk to Price Lab. Echelmeyer added that the drive will cost students a lot of time and may cause the College of Education to restructure their schedule. She explained that students participating in a two-hour field experience may need to factor in additional time to drive or take a bus, meaning a possible extra hour for transportation, which could cause difficulties in scheduling classes or field experiences.

“If you have only three hours in the morning or three hours in the afternoon to do your Level II field experience, schools are only open 8 to 3:30, (so) you have to be there from 8 to noon or from noon to 3,” she said.

Echelmeyer foresees other possible negative effects for education students and the education program, such as a possible

limit on the number of education majors allowed at UNI because of a lack of teacher mentors for Level II experiences.

“The most invaluable thing that I see with Price Lab is the pedagogy that we’re taught in classes is directly aligned to what we observe in their classroom — the management stuff they use, the effective instruction strategies that we’re supposed to use,” Echelmeyer said. “They always use that and implement it in their classroom. It’s just awesome to see that so clearly.”

Echelmeyer thinks the closure of Price Lab “will directly devalue (her) degree.”

“When you go into a job for an interview, you will be directly valued on your field experience and the value of your degree, not as the institution it was when you got your degree … but the future of that institution will have to uphold,” she said.

For example, they recently printed shirts for Dance Marathon.

“But we also offer posters, and business cards and just any type of basic paper print we can also do,” Moen said. “We can even do banners and stuff like that that’s wide format.”

Moen said the club provides discounts to all student organizations that print through them.

“We can make it even cheaper

yet if you’ll just allow us to just put our little logo down in the corner,” Moen said. “I’d say that’s one of the biggest things.”

The only downside of the Grafx Club, Moen said, is the group only prints for about three hours a week due to the size of the club.

“It’s a first-come first-serve basis, and we get it done as fast as we can get it done,” Moen said.

Moen expects that, with the closure of Print Services, business will go up. He encourages anyone interested to join the club, which meets on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. in the Industrial Technology Center. With more students involved, Moen hopes to expand their printing hours to up to 10 hours a week.

READ MORE Read students’ thoughts on the effect of Price Lab closing on the wider community and their thoughts on the decisionmaking process online. < visit northern-iowan.org

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JOHN ANDERSON OPINION EDITOR ANDERJAO@UNI.EDU

MARCH 6, 2012

|

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Athletics? Or academics?

The University of Northern Iowa is facing tough times.

Substantial cuts to the general fund have come from the state legislature and that means the administration needs to make cuts. But where should these cuts happen? Should it be in academics or athletics? In the past year, academics ran about an $800,000 deficit while athletics ran a $4.5 million deficit.

Even if we subtract the $1.5 million the university contributes to athletic scholarships (which the athletic director said is untouchable), general operating expenses that the university covered for athletics is just over $3 million Should academics suffer some cuts? Of course it should. Some cuts need to be made to trim off the $800,000 in academic deficit spending. But what about athletics?

Athletics has suffered some cuts over the years and is planning to cut another $500,000 in the next three years (amounting to a trivial amount of about $167,000 per year). Yet, athletics does not have its house in order. It still runs substantial deficits and, in the past year, had $700,000 in unsold tickets.

People are not coming to UNI because of its athletics program; they are coming to get an education, and academics are where UNI’s main revenue stream lies.

However, it seems that Ben Allen and the administration would

rather make cuts to academics in order to subsidize the athletic program. In the short term, this may solve some immediate budget problems for the university and keep it afloat. However, what about in the long term?

Academics are supposed to be the mission of UNI. The university is here to educate, not subsidize athletics. Ask yourself this: Why did you come to UNI? Was it to watch UNI sports? Or was it get a quality education?

The university’s administration has to make difficult decisions during these difficult times.

There is value in having a quality athletics program; there is even more value in having a quality academics program. When cuts need to be made, as needs to be done now, the university should maintain its educational integrity. The proposed cuts reveal that the administration does not want to put the university’s academic integrity first. Its priorities are skewed and in favor of athletics.

I encourage all students to check the facts and do a little digging (It’s easy to do with the internet; all of the numbers I provided come either from the Northern Iowan or from the Board of Regents budget for UNI). I also encourage the administration to keep their priority on academics; education should remain the highest goal of our university.

Chase Felchle History, M.A. NISG senator-elect

LETTER TO THE EDITOR POLICY Letters may be no longer than 300 words, and may be edited for spelling, grammar, length, clarity and Associated Press conventions. Email submissions to anderjao@uni.edu. Not all submissions will be printed.

An open letter to UNI students In all my interactions with President Allen and Provost Gibson, I have found them to be persons of integrity. They care deeply about UNI and our students.

I respect them and appreciate their hard work. But I too love UNI. I want students to have the best learning experience possible, and when I see the administration poised to take actions I believe will harm UNI, I have a responsibility to speak out.

The first goal in UNI’s strategic plan is to become a leading undergraduate public university with a strong liberal arts foundation. Tragically, the current administration does not seem to understand how one makes that goal a reality.

UNI cannot be a leading university if it closes down liberal arts majors such as physics, philosophy and the study of religion, as appears likely as I write this letter. The closure of these majors will have a profoundly negative impact on student learning as well.

As a student at UNI, you have access to a quality of education that students who attend a community college or forprofit university do not have: your courses are taught by professors who produce knowledge. By contrast, instructors at these other institutions are provided with little or no funding and support for research. Your tuition is higher at UNI than at a community college or forprofit because your classes are taught, for example, by real physicists, real philosophers and real scholars of religion.

opinion

NORTHERN-IOWAN.ORG

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VOLUME 108, ISSUE 42

Let us begin anew

Years ago, our university made a powerful decision. The University of Northern Iowa decided not to invest in profitable research but in the sound undergraduate education of our generation. It decided that we students are worthy of being taught by Ph.D.s instead of T.A.s. For half a decade now we have seen our budget slashed by $24 million by our congress and have stretched every cent given to us. We did our part and took our lumps.

Now our state government has an $8 billion surplus. And what do we have? We have the most hostile and tense campus in decades.

Our university stands at a crossroads.

Both paths are filled with pain, tough decisions and hardships. One road is lit and the other is dark. On the lit road we can see a slope down toward a destiny of program cuts, school closings and a university few can be proud to call their own. This path slopes downhill because we need only let ourselves drift and we will arrive at that dreary reality.

The other road is dark because we do not know what new dreams may come if we stand up for this university, this faculty and administration, our home and our family. This road is dark because we cannot say for sure if our efforts will be justified by the legislature in Des Moines or in vain and thrown away.

Perhaps we can light it with that torch of old once spoken of by President John F. Kennedy. He solemnly warned, “We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.” He spoke those words

What is “real”? Your professors have a consuming passion for our disciplines, and our research emerges out of that passion. Networking with other physicists, philosophers and scholars of religion, nationally and internationally, we present research at conferences and publish articles and books. In our classrooms, we share insights from our research with you and open your eyes to worlds you did not know existed. We excite you about the natural world, empower you for critical thinking, inspire you to appreciate your cultural heritage and prepare your for a global society in which respectful and knowledgeable interactions with others will require knowledge of the religious beliefs and practices of adherents of all the world religions, lest you do harm through ignorance of another’s cherished beliefs. Students who share our passion for physics, philosophy or the study of religion major with us; hundreds of other students take courses from us in the LAC, minors and electives.

You may think that if you only encounter a practicing physicist, philosopher or scholar of religion in your LAC courses or an elective, you won’t be affected if our majors are shut down.

But if taking the MCAT is on your to-do list, don’t you want to take your physics classes from a practicing physicist? If the GMAT and LSAT are down the road for you, don’t you want to take Logic from an actual philosopher? If you are going to work for John Deere (with operations

TOM EARLY earlyt@uni.edu

to a generation of people that faced challenges very different than our own. However, this vision can be ours. After all, it is not the sword of battle but the torch emanating the light of knowledge which adorns our school’s crest. We can be a new generation that does not shrink from adversity, one that does not settle for the status quo but takes the torch of our forefathers and creatively rises to all challenges.

So I ask you, will you be a positive return?

Are you willing to work for the university that took a chance on undergraduate education? If you want to drift down the slope of mediocrity and confirm that our school is irrelevant, then by all means, sit and watch. But if not, shake off your dust and rise to this profound occasion. For once in your life, email or call your congressperson. If you do not know how, have the courage to ask someone. Join demonstrations that show that if we are going down, we are going down with a roar. We must inspire both our legislature and our state to believe that we are extraordinary people that deserve just support. So let us begin anew. Let us be extraordinary.

Let us take that dark road less trodden, seize the reigns of our destiny and show the world why we wear light, our crest.

Tom Early is a senior in the study of religion from Harlan, Iowa.

in India) or for a company that does business with China (as Governor Branstad hopes many of you will do), don’t you want to get ready for the intercultural encounters you will have by taking Religions of the World or Hinduism and Buddhism from a scholar of religion?

If UNI drops small majors such as physics, philosophy and the study of religion, perhaps some of the professors who teach classes in these disciplines may be retained. But as faculty retire or leave (by choice or by a layoff), instructors will take the place of professors, if we are replaced at all. Universities hire highly trained, research-ready professors for programs with majors, and Ph.D.s with a passion for research and undergraduate teaching apply preferentially for jobs in departments with majors. If programs such as physics, philosophy and world religions have no majors, UNI will draw any future instructors of these subjects from the same hiring pool used by community colleges and for-profits.

Because these new instructors will not teach in a major, they will not be expected to conduct research nor will they be funded to do so.

Is this a future we should embrace?

Don’t you want the students who follow you at UNI to have the same opportunity to be taught by professors that you have had? Why should students come here for the first two years and pay more when, increasingly, LAC instruction is no longer university-level instruction?

UNI also will find it harder to remain among the top comprehensive universities in the Midwest. How can UNI get credit for being one, when it guts majors that define what a university is and cedes more and more courses to instructors rather than professors?

In recent interviews, Jim O’Connor, spokesman for the UNI administration, has criticized UNI professors, saying that our desire to keep “inefficient” programs is not “good leadership or business practice.” Because students-are-like-widgets thinking tends to come and go in 10-year cycles, I’ve heard all this before. But never has UNI stood so close to the brink, so ready to forget that liberal arts majors such as physics, philosophy and the study of religion are the roots of the tree that is the university. Without their roots, trees topple and die. The proposed budget cuts will hack away at UNI’s roots, irreparably damaging it.

That these things are happening to the university I love is heartbreaking. Please let your legislators know that UNI’s budget needs to grow, not decline, and tell university leaders and the Board of Regents that, if cuts must be made, you want them to prune UNI’s outer branches and leave its roots intact.

Martha J. Reineke, Ph.D. Professor of religion, Dept. of Philosophy & World Religions

tehrene firman campus life editor firmant@uni.edu

campuslife

march 6, 2012

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KIRB K CHEC OSSEM KIRSTEN TJ t Writer en

Entertainm

A time- and money-saving spring break

Courtesy Photo

Colin Hay to perform at GBPAC KIRSTEN TJOSSEM Entertainment Writer

Colin Hay, a name familiar to fans of “Men at Work,” “Scrubs” and the “Garden State” soundtrack, will be performing at the GallagherBluedorn Performing Arts Center Friday, March 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Hay began his music career in the ‘80s as the lead singer of the well-known Australian band Men at Work, but his interest in music began well before then. Growing up, his parents owned a music store and both loved singing and dancing. The store surrounded him with instruments and successful bands, such as The Beatles, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones and The Who. He began teaching himself to play guitar at the age of 12.

“It was in the DNA I think,” Hay said. “I’ve just

always been surrounded by music and so it was never a situation where I thought, ‘Well. I’m going to become a musician.’ I’ve just always had this path laid out in front of me and I just followed it.”

Hay’s career didn’t stop after “Men At Work.” He began a solo career, moved to Los Angeles in 1989 and has released 11 albums since.

Now at the age of 58, Hay is soon to start another U.S. tour.

“Sometimes I think it’s just habit. You do something for a certain amount of time and then you just keep doing it because you’ve been doing it for so long. And sometimes I think it’s because I like it. And then sometimes I just think it gets me out of the house, because if I wasn’t doing this, I would just stay home,” Hay said. “And then I think that sometimes it’s because it’s the

way that I feel I’m part of the expanding universe. The universe is expanding at an ever-increasing pace, and you think ‘Wow. I just want to be part of that somehow.’ And the only way I can think of to be part of that is to go out and play the guitar and sing, and that way I feel like I’m taking my place in the world.”

Gathering Mercury, Hay’s most recent album, came after the death of his father.

“The fact that my father died influenced everything,” Hay said. “A lot of the songs on the record are reflections of how he lived — not so much the fact that he died, but what we shared together. And it was a way of bringing it back to life for a while where I could think about him and kind of enjoy those thoughts and memories.”

For more information on Friday’s show, visit gbpac.org.

As one of many college students who have jobs and yet have no money, every spring break I find it impossible to convince myself that getting all bronzed up to travel to some faraway beach is ok. With the fast-approaching spring break and last-minute plans being made, here are a few nearby suggestions that will satisfy your work schedule and your wallet.

Besides the obvious big reason, Minneapolis is the place to go if you’re looking to shop. The Uptown District has something for people of all interests, whether it be shopping, eating, art, movies, live music or nightlife.

There are so many places to go and so many things to see in Minneapolis that it’s impossible to list them all. Visit www.minneapolis.org for suggested itineraries and a bucket list of 150 things to do there.

Another city with an equally terrible football team is Chicago. There are plenty of other things to do there, though. Spend your spring break learning at one of the city’s many museums, such as the Museum of Science and Industry, The Field

Museum or The Art Institute of Chicago. If animals are your thing, visit the Shedd Aquarium, the largest indoor marine mammal habitat in the world, or the Lincoln Park Zoo, one of the very few remaining free zoos in the United States. If the weather is nice, head to Navy Pier or Millennium Park, home of the “Bean.”

Also, get some pizza please.

To our south is Kansas City, and with its newly improved downtown, it’s definitely worth the trip. It boasts the largest arts district (Crossroads) and largest entertainment district (Power and Light) in the Midwest.

Kansas City is also home to the Sprint Center, ranked third in the nation for the busiest arenas. Radiohead will be there March 11, and if for some not really unfortunate reason you didn’t get a chance to see Jason Aldean when he was here, he’ll be at the Sprint Center on March 17.

Spring break is your chance to relax. Senioritis is probably kicking in for everyone, so take some time for fun and check out what the Midwest has to offer.

CHECK IT:

Minneapolis: Uptown District for shopping, live music, nightlife, art

Chicago: Museums, Shedd Aquarium, Lincoln Park Zoo, Navy Pier, Millennium Park

Kansas City: Crossroads (art district), Power and Light (entertainment district), Sprint Center

Dodging for Diabetes raises $2,775 for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation FARIHA AFZAL Staff Writer

In the Wellness and Recreation Center on March 4, 26 teams competed against each other, dodging, ducking, dipping and diving at the fourth annual Dodging for Diabetes tournament. This event was sponsored by the fraternity Kappa Sigma.

“It’s been successful so far — it’s a lot better than last year,” said Nick Davis, senior marketing major and the main organizer of the event. “We don’t know how much we

raised yet, but it’s probably around $1,500. (Our) goal is $2,000, so hopefully we will get to it.”

Freya Walker, a UNI junior, thought the event was a great idea.

“I am really glad about the fact that the Greek (community) does these sort of things,” said Walker. “They put so much effort into it and all for such a good cause. You’re exercising, you’re having fun, you’re having a laugh — there are some serious competitors out there, but a lot of people are here just to have fun.”

Many local businesses cosponsored the tournament, and some sent representatives to help out during the tournament.

“I’ve had a pretty good time selling food and watching dodgeball,” said Amberyl Hauser, the representative from Kohl’s. “I think it’s a good cause. It’s a good turnout; we have sold a lot of food.”

After four hours of preliminary games, the final match began, which took < See DODGEBALL, page 6

ERIC CLAUSEN/Northern Iowan

CR Fire was the winning team of the Dodging for Diabetes dodgeball tournament last Sunday. (L to R) Patrick Dorman, exercise science major; Abram Philipp, construction management major; Eric Kleinheinz, human resources major; Zac Hornung, leisure, youth and human services major; JP Simmons, psychology major; and Austin Nedelcoff, education major.

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out this week / march 6 movies

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AMA strives to save lives MIRANDA CORONADO Staff Writer

The University of Northern Iowa chapter of the American Marketing Association is a student organization for future marketing professionals. Aside from learning about marketing, however, the group focuses on serving the community and is involved in community service projects, such as Adopt a Highway, and volunteering at

the humane society.

UNI AMA’s latest initiative is AMA Saves Lives.

College AMA chapters across the nation are promoting organ donation through the use of social media and event sponsorship.

To raise awareness, AMA has been hanging up posters and laying out brochures to inform UNI students about the importance of organ donation. According to the brochures, approximately 20

people die every day due to the lack of available organs to transplant.

Although “marketing” is in the name, AMA is not just for marketing majors, or even business majors.

Senior finance major Megan McMullen said AMA is beneficial to all UNI students.

“Everyone needs marketing,” said McMullen. “You need to market yourself to get a leg up in the job industry.”

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northern-iowan.org | tuesday, march 6, 2012

games

MASS EFFECT 3 X360, PS3, PC STREET FIGHTER x TEKKEN X360, PS3, PC I AM ALIVE X360, PS3, PC MLB 12: THE SHOW PS3

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DODGEBALL continued from page 5

an additional 20 minutes as neither team was prepared to lose. In the end, there was just one victor.

“It was fun,” said Patrick Dorman, a junior exercise science major and one of the members of the winning

team. “It was just good time to come out here for a good benefit. Just having a little fun with people you’re friends with. I haven’t won anything in a while so it feels great to win.”

Dodging for Diabetes ended the day by exceeding their fundraising goal with a grand total of $2,775.

‘Writers Talk’ Reading Series features Kim Groninga LAUREN JONES Staff Writer

The University of Northern Iowa “Writers Talk” Reading Series hosted a “Leap Day Poetry Reading” last Wednesday in Baker Hall featuring Kim Groninga.

Some may know her as one of their past or present instructors in English at UNI, but

Groninga is also the nonfiction editor of the North American Review.

The little sprinkles of snow on the ground kept the crowd small but very personal. Though Groninga claims to be best at nonfiction, those who were there were able to hear her read a short fiction piece as well.

“I never write fiction.

Seriously, I’m not a fiction writer,” she said, willing to take any feedback.

Groninga also read pieces from her book of poems titled “Other Things That Grow,” as well as some other poems, and a powerful nonfiction piece centered on laundry.

To stay updated on future “Writers Talk” events, visit www.uni.edu/langlit.

ERIC CLAUSEN/Northern Iowan

Austin Nedelcoff, education major, goes on the attack during Kappa Sigma’s Dodging for Diabetes dodgeball tournament in the WRC Sunday.

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BRAD EILERS SPORTS EDITOR EILERSB@UNI.EDU

MARCH 6, 2012

BRAD’S SPORTS BLURB

No.

BRAD EILERS

Sports Editor

If the University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team isn’t invited to a post-season basketball tournament, the team’s lone senior, Johnny Moran, will be forced to live with the final shot of his collegiate career being an air ball in the waning seconds of UNI’s 54-42 loss to Illinois State University in Friday’s Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

However, you can guarantee that’s not the lasting memory UNI fans will have of No. 13.

If Moran, a senior from Jacobs High School in Algonquin, Ill., never again laces up his shoes for the purple and gold, he will finish with 133 career games started (first in UNI history), 196 career 3-pointers made (second in UNI history), 150 career steals (fifth in UNI history) and 1,029 career points (tied for 30th in UNI history).

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FAREWELL

However, it’s the things Moran didn’t get credit for, at least not on the stat sheet, that made him a crowd favorite. He won’t be remembered for game-winning shots, highlight reel dunks, 30-point performances or anything flashy or fancy for that matter. Moran will be remembered for doing the dirty work, the work that most players don’t want to do. If there were a statistic for hustle plays, such as diving for loose balls, playing fundamentally sound defense, taking charges and always giving 110 percent, Moran would hold that school record as well.

As a Panther basketball fan, the past four years seem to have flown by. It seems like just yesterday that I was in the student section for UNI’s 2008-2009 season opener against the University of Denver watching Moran play his first game in a Panther uniform. I knew from that game alone, a game in which he scored 14 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and recorded two assists in

his first collegiate start, that Moran was going to have a great career.

Moran was never a star player at UNI; in fact, he never earned any major all-conference awards in his four-year career. However, I would be willing to bet that the Panthers would not have won two regularseason conference titles, two conference tournament titles and made an appearance in the Sweet 16 in the last four years without him.

The lasting images I will always have of No. 13 are all from that epic upset of No. 1-ranked Kansas University in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. They are: The emotion Johnny displayed after nailing the 3-pointer that capped a 10-2 run to open the game.

Moran hitting what I believe was the most important 3-pointer of the game with around four minutes remaining in regulation to push the UNI lead back to six points after KU had taken back all the momentum.

Seeing Johnny diving on the floor

to try and steal the KU inbounds pass with only five seconds remaining and the victory already in hand for UNI. Finally, seeing Moran take the final inbounds pass of the game and running over to celebrate with the UNI fans in Oklahoma City.

Moran finished the game with eight points, two rebounds and two assists while going 2-for-3 from beyond the 3-point arc, a performance most college basketball players would take in the NCAA Tournament against the No. 1-ranked team in the nation. However, it was just another average game for the “Algonquin Assassin.”

No. 13, you set the new standard for UNI basketball. It’s not all about winning championships or making multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, but giving 110 percent effort every time you set foot on the court.

For that, all Panther fans would like to thank you! Farewell, “Johnny Tsunami;” you will be missed!

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Cold shooting sends the Panthers packing BRAD EILERS Sports Editor

Junior forward Jackie Carmichael recorded his 12th double-double of the season, scoring a game-high 16 points and grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds to help lead the Illinois State University Redbirds past the University of Northern Iowa Panthers, 54-42 in Friday’s

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinal.

The No. 5-seeded Panthers (19-13) shot a season-low 25.5 percent from the floor and made just 14 shots in the game.

“Both teams had a hard time finding the basket there for a long time and it just felt like the first team to break through a little bit was going to be the one to get a four-,

five- or six-point lead. The way that game was going it was going to be enough,” said UNI head coach Ben Jacobson. “Illinois State played very well. They really defended well and they had a good plan for what they were doing. Carmichael had a terrific game and he made a lot of plays.”

UNI was led in scoring by their lone senior, guard

Johnny Moran. Moran scored 13 points behind the strength of three 3-pointers and was the only Panther in double figures. Junior forward Jake Koch recorded a team-high eight rebounds while contributing nine points.

Although the No. 4-seeded Redbirds (19-12) shot just 34.5 percent from the floor themselves, they dominated the post, outscoring the

Panthers 32-12 in the paint and outrebounding UNI, 48-33. ISU also recorded a season-high nine blocks against the Panthers.

“Defensively, this is the best kind of game,” said ISU head coach Tim Jankovich.

“For the game we shoot 34 percent and we can’t make a (3-pointer). It was just a < See BASKETBALL, page 8

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BASKETBALL continued from page 7

tough offensive night and when you can do that against an outstanding team and still win, those are the best kind of wins.”

After a sluggish first half in which the two teams shot a combined 26.4 percent (14for-53) from the floor, UNI held a 25-21 halftime lead.

However, the Redbirds used a 9-0 run midway through the second half to take their first lead of the half and never looked back.

The 9-0 run gave ISU a 38-31 lead with 9:17 left in the game and UNI got no closer than three points the rest of the way.

“In a game that is that close because the two teams are having a hard time scoring, sometimes all it takes is one really good play and Carmichael was able to provide that for their team,” said Jacobson. “They had the momentum after that, and

you could feel that, but we still had some chances after that.”

With a record of 19-13 and an RPI (Rankings Percentage Index) in the 70s, the Panthers have no shot at making the NCAA Tournament.

However, UNI still has a good shot at making one of the three other postseason tournaments: the National Invitational Tournament, the CollegeInsider.com Tournament or the College Basketball Invitational.

“We had a great nonconference (run) and we played very good the last three weeks of conference play, so we’ve done enough to get into a postseason tournament and we get to play some more,” said Jacobson. “There is a pretty good list of why that’s important and why that’s good for our program, and at the top of that list is always your seniors. Johnny (Moran) has been terrific for us and we are just glad we get to play some more.”

NORTHERN-IOWAN.ORG | TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2012

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

TRACK AND FIELD

Four Panthers finish in top five at the ISU Last Chance track meet MAT MEYER Sports Writer

MATT FININ/Northern Iowan

K.K. Armstrong (4) and the UNI women’s basketball team will face off with the Creighton Bluejays at 2 p.m. Friday in the MVC Tournament.

UNI women finish with No. 5 seed JAKE BEMIS

Sports Writer

The road woes continued for the University of Northern Iowa women’s basketball team as they dropped their final two games of the season this weekend, which marks a five-game road losing streak for the Panthers.

UNI has now lost six out of their last seven games. The Panthers’ shooting woes continued as well as they shot just 28.3 percent (17-for-60) from the 3-point line this weekend.

The Panthers (16-13, 9-9 MVC) started the weekend off by losing to Missouri State University 80-68 on Thursday night. Katelin Oney led the Panthers with 22 points.

UNI jumped out to a 14-8 lead with 16 minutes left in the first half, but MSU went on a 14-2 run to take a 22-16 lead. The Bears led by as many as 12 points in the first half, but UNI battled back to just a six-point deficit heading into halftime, with the score 46-40.

After MSU (21-7, 14-4 MVC) extended their lead to 58-48 with just over 13 minutes left in the game, the Panthers went on a 7-0 run in a two-minute span to cut the MSU lead down to three points. However, MSU then went on their own 12-0 run to take a 70-55 lead and never looked back.

UNI’s K.K. Armstrong and Rachel Madrigal scored 20 and 15 points, respectively.

The Panthers shot a seasonhigh 36 3-point attempts, but

made only 10.

The second game of the weekend and final game of the regular season was against Wichita State University on Saturday. UNI’s poor shooting led to a 75-53 loss.

The Panthers shot just 29.2 percent from the field, including 7-for-24 shooting from beyond the 3-point line.

WSU (18-11, 12-6 MVC) led 31-17 late in the first half, but UNI went on a 7-0 run to help cut the deficit down to nine points at 38-29 heading into the break.

The two teams battled back and forth to start the second half, but WSU went on a decisive 22-4 run to extend their lead to 64-38 with just over eight minutes left in the half.

The Panthers could never cut the deficit less than 20 points.

Armstrong, Madrigal and Brittani Donaldson led UNI with nine points apiece. Amber Kirschbaum added seven points and six rebounds. The Panthers were outrebounded 44-25 while being outscored in the paint, 42-18.

With the two losses, UNI dropped into a tie for fifth place in the MVC with Indiana State University and Drake University. The Panthers own the tiebreaker over both teams, which means they will avoid playing in the first round of the MVC Tournament on Thursday.

The No. 5-seeded Panthers will take on No. 4-seeded Creighton University in the second round of the MVC Tournament on Friday at 2 p.m. in St. Charles, Mo.

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The University of Northern Iowa track and field team traveled to Iowa State University on Saturday to compete in the Last Chance NCAA qualifier meet. Out of the selected group of Panthers to contend, four came out with top-five finishes to qualify for the Indoor Championships at Boise State University on March 9 and 10.

Senior Daniel Gooris came away with a third place finish in the pole vault with a leap of 16 feet, 5.25 inches.

Gooris is also on the edge of the selection for the heptathlon, ranking No. 15 in the nation. At least 14 heptathlon competitors gain access to the Indoor Championships; however, the lineup was unavailable at press time.

Both UNI men and women will be competing in the pole vault at the Indoor Championships this year.

Jenna Wexter of UNI put together another solid performance in the event, clearing 12 feet, 2 inches to give her the fifth-place qualifying finish.

Senior Michaela Brungardt of UNI finished strong in a close 400-meter race, finishing in third place with a time of 54.97 seconds. She was less than a second behind Texas Tech University’s first place finisher, Candace Jackson.

For the men’s team, Aaron Stockstell finished strong in the 800-meter race to help propel him the Indoor Championships. Stockstell put an impressive performance together with a new seasonbest time of one minute, 50.27 seconds. He now has the second best time in the 800meter dash in the Missouri Valley Conference this season.

Along with the four competitors who finished in the top five in the Last Chance meet, UNI senior Olimpia Nowak is also expected to qualify. Nowak is currently ranked No. 10 in the nation for her performances in the multi-event, putting her in position to be one of the 14 guarantied qualifiers.

In a talented line-up for the men’s mile, UNI senior Brady Fritz finished 10th with a time of four minutes, 15.84 seconds. Fritz finished just 4.83 seconds behind the fifth and final qualifying finisher.

The Panthers who have qualified for the Indoor Championships will be hard at work to prepare for the meet next weekend at Boise State University. The meet will take place over a two-day period on March 9-10.

NORTHERN-IOWAN.ORG | TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2012

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classifieds

Brandon Poll Managing Editor pollb@uni.edu

MARCH 6, 2012

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NORTHERN-IOWAN.ORG

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FOR SALE / FOR RENT

FOR SALE / FOR RENT

HELP WANTED

BRAND NEW 4 bedroom luxurious duplexes. 1750 SQ. FT. Security, hardwood, granite countertops, tile bathrooms, W/D. Available May or June.

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One 3 bedroom and one 4 bedroom apartment facing UNI. Has W/D, internet, parking, etc.

266- 5544, 273- 6264

1, 2 or 3 rooms to rent. Available now through May. 319- 240- 0880.

1, 2, 3, 4 bedroom units, 10 minutes north of Cedar Falls. Security gated complex. Some utilities/cable paid. $400-800/MO. www.hildebrandrentals.com.

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Friday’s, Saturday’s and one other day of your choice. Part-time.

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2 bedroom apartments available, close to campus. Clean and nice. Reasonable rent, responsible landlord, off-street parking. No smoking, no pets. 12 month lease begins June 1ST. Call Dennis 232- 6819 6 bedroom duplex. $1500/MO. 4 bedroom duplex. 1200/MO. No pets. 319- 939- 3277 3 bedroom apartment at 620 West Seerly. Small basement unit. $800. On site laundry, off-street parking. 277- 8719 110 North College ST. 3 bedroom duplex. Central air, garage. $900 per month. Available May 1st. No pets. Call 231- 2242 509 West 18TH ST. 4 bedroom.

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Call 231- 2242 For rent: 4 bedroom duplex.

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2, 3, 4 bedrooms. No pets. June 1st lease. Call 712- 358- 0592 4-8 bedroom duplex to rent half block from campus.

319- 240- 0880 Single bedroom unfurnished apartments available on-campus in Hillside Courts. Must be grad student or 23 or older, or married or veteran. 319- 273- 6232 weekdays or www.uni.edu/dor link to housing: apartments

3 and 4 bedroom houses $875 a month 319- 415- 4370

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Subleaser needed for studio apartments. Three blocks from campus. $525/MO. Available now until May 5th. 319- 230- 7759 1221 College Street. Large 3 bedroom house. $1100. Laundry, garage. 277- 8719 1 bedroom apartments. Large, clean, close to campus, utilities and cable paid, off-street parking and laundry. Available May 16th.

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IT’S NOT TOO LATE! Did you receive an invitation in your UNI e-­‐ mail from the National

Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)?

If you are a 1st-­‐year or senior student who was invited to participate & haven’t responded yet, you still have time!

You could still enter & win!

Help wanted. Tony’s Pizzaria downtown Main Street. Hiring servers, cooks and drivers. Go to www.277tony.com. Fill out application and mention The Northern Iowan.

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opinion

PAGE 12

NORTHERN-IOWAN.ORG | TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2012

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR As a student who has had the pleasure of meeting President Benjamin Allen, I was deeply disappointed to learn of the UNI faculty’s vote of no confidence this Friday. While I am mindful of how difficult cuts announced under President Allen’s administration have been for the university, blaming his administration for recent cuts to UNI’s programs is only shooting the messenger. This action will in no way benefit our university.

Our state legislators have foolishly chosen not to invest in education, our state’s greatest and most essential resource. They alone must be held responsible for these cuts. President Allen cannot maintain all programs on such a limited budget, no matter how much he or others may want to. Changing our university’s leadership will do nothing to change the fact that UNI is burdened with more than its fair share of the state’s financial problems. President Allen has been a dedicated leader and tremendous asset to our university. In all the times I’ve heard him speak, his genuine passion for UNI and commitment to giving students the best possible experience have been strikingly clear. Any other students I’ve talked to about him have shared this impression.

A leader who knows his community and is committed to improving it is the leader we need at a challenging time like this. President Allen is such a leader. We can choose to support him, to stand united for our university, and to send a message of strength to our community, or we can find fault in people who have nothing to do with the heart of our problems and further divide our university. New leadership at UNI will not reopen Price Lab School. Only our state legislature has that power, so let’s act accordingly.

President Allen, you have my full support, and I hope my fellow Panthers, students and faculty, will join me in support of you.

Rachel Zidon, TESOL/Spanish

Dear UNI community, The media coverage and citizen dialogs about the current crises at UNI are unprecedented. Opinion, persuasion, logic and even some data are flying back and forth in print, television and social media. I think this community discussion is a good thing, which leads me to the point of this letter: democracy. At least one argument is getting short shrift in this collective discussion, and that is the call for shared governance in higher education decisions via the democratic process. Indeed, many individuals are asserting that budget cuts must be made, we are in a fiscal crisis, the legislature is cutting state support, and therefore UNI’s administration must make “difficult” decisions for the good of all, because they are under the thumb of the Board of Regents and the Iowa legislature. Thus, as some argue, we should unconditionally support them rather than question or criticize them. Some have also criticized faculty for their vote of no confidence in our administration, and a few have gone as far as to ask that faculty not talk about these issues in the classroom. In response to these claims, I wish to offer a few counterarguments.

First, while I personally disagree with the stance of the #teambenallen group, they are certainly entitled to their opinion. However, the one thing I take complete exception to is the few students calling for faculty not to talk about the issue in classrooms. To me, that thwarts the very principles of democracy, and supports the big-boss-makes-allthe-decisions model of corporate capitalism.

One of the purposes of higher education is to foster critical thinking, community and politi-

cal engagement, discourse and debate. Our governmental and legal systems are designed to operate through such practices. To shut down dialog in the very institutions that encourage young adults to learn these skills is preposterous. It is also dangerously antidemocratic. To be clear, I am not referring to those calling for respectful and civil dialog – only those asking for dialog to be shut down.

We all have a responsibility to talk to each other, to share what we know and to discuss the issues. Students have a fundamental right and, I would argue, obligation, to be informed about issues that affect their university and their lives, and up until very recently, most didn’t have a clue what was going on, through no fault of their own. Students typically get even less information than faculty and staff.

Even the faculty did not know about the Price Lab closing, for example, until we saw it on the local news. This lack of informationsharing is simply unacceptable in a purportedly democratic institution.

Furthermore, no matter what the budget situation in the state, brushing aside the democratic process is simply bad leadership. I like our administrators personally, as many others have also stated. That is simply not the point of the no confidence vote. It doesn’t matter how likeable they are; what matters is how they have chosen to operate as leaders of an institution that supposedly values shared governance. UNI is not a corporation, nor should it ever be, but that is how this administration seems to be treating it. Over the past few years, administrators have conducted decision-making sessions in secrecy, and trivialized, did not seek, or out-

right ignored input from the vast majority of faculty, staff and students. They have repeatedly announced policy, curricular and budget changes that affect (often negatively) many in the UNI community without regard to the traditional higher-education model of shared governance.

Also, at the big faculty meeting, a physics professor asked why the administration is not drawing upon the collective knowledge and potential for ideas that faculty can offer.

I would add students to that question - many of you are sharp, informed, talented, passionate and imaginative. Why should all of us not have a say in how to resolve this crisis in ways that minimize the harm and maximize the benefits to all affected? Just maybe we, along with UNI staff and community members, whose input has likewise been unasked for, might come up with some great ideas about how to enable UNI to thrive, grow and maintain our academic integrity in the midst of the ongoing devaluation of higher education in the U.S. In sum, it should be obvious by now that UNI’s leadership approach mirrors the corporate-capitalist model, rather than respecting the democratic process. Ironically, both of these approaches are embedded in our society as the “American way.” As a part of UNI, which model do you want? Because you cannot have both – they are simply incompatible with one another, as the current Occupy Wall Street movement is demonstrating on a larger scale.

Respectfully, Ruth Chananie-Hill Assistant professor of sociology

Dear UNI Community, The vote of no confidence against President Allen and Provost Gibson is a clear statement of frustration over the process undertaken to balance finances with a vision for continued excellence in higher education at UNI. Lacking from the faculty votes of no confidence is a clearly articulated and consensus-based approach about what ought to happen to adapt to UNI’s budgetary challenges in the near future. By consensusbased, we mean not just among the faculty who dissent with the administration’s plans, but also

with other stakeholders across the institution.

President Allen and Provost Gibson are the right people to lead us through these challenging times. This isn’t the first time people have disagreed on an issue, and it’s also not the first time tough decisions have had to be made with regard to UNI’s finances. Students, faculty, staff and administrators can work together to move forward - that is what makes UNI great.

This brings us to our next point. The faculty members who voted no confidence are not the only voice on campus. That has

been more than clearly illustrated by the incredible amount of support and confidence that members of the campus and alumni communities have displayed toward President Allen and Provost Gibson. Now it’s time to take that support a step further.

President Allen and Provost Gibson need our support, and they need it to be visible. We encourage you to take a public stand in your campus organizations as students, staff and the many faculty who oppose this vote, to show your support for our leaders who had to make a tough decision for the better-

ment of this campus, and to do so visibly. The future of UNI will require not just a vision, but also the courage of members of this campus to carry through with it. Let’s start here by showing President Allen and Provost Gibson that we believe in their leadership, and let’s move forward

If you were in attendance at the emergency faculty meeting held at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center this past Friday, you were witness to a group of people who did not believe that their superiors were acting in their best interest. No, I am not talking about the faculty. I am referring to the group of students who sat patiently behind them in a show of support for President Ben Allen, the man against whom the assembled faculty passed a vote of no confi-

dence on Friday.

I agree with the faculty that there is a disconnect on this campus, but it is not just between the faculty and the administration. It is between the faculty and the students they are being paid to educate. As I listened to the statements brought forth by members of the faculty during this meeting, it occurred to me that what I was watching was a parade of bruised egos, each of them confident that their own individual ideas were better than

the ones presented by the administration. But they are not paid to be consultants. They are paid to teach, just as President Allen is paid to make decisions, even if that means cutting academic programs to keep the university sustainable in the face of decreases in state funding.

Caught in the middle of all of this are the students, who seem to occupy the role of the helpless bystander as they watch their educators wage a war of words with their university president.

The faculty claim they are acting in the best interest of the university, but are students not the lifeblood of every university? If the faculty believe their opinions deserve consideration, then the opinions of their students should be taken into consideration as well, but none of them seemed interested in that.

Through all of this turmoil, one thing is clear: We have failed, as a university, to communicate with each other. In a time of crisis, we should be coming together as one to fight through this, not tearing each other apart. By passing a vote of no confidence, the

faculty have forced this university into an “us against them” feud that will undoubtedly do more harm than good. When a student disagrees with the way a teacher is running their class, they typically don’t corral their peers into an uprising against said teacher, because that is not how you solve problems. You do that by bringing together both sides of the conflict and working together to reach a compromise because, in the end, you all have the same goal.

I applaud the students who showed up to support President Allen on Friday and I hope their civil action is the first step towards bridging the gap that has fractured this university. I understand that not all students support President Allen and not all faculty were in favor of the vote of no confidence, but I implore any members of the administration, faculty or student body who are reading this to stop the bickering, the finger-pointing, and the pushing and shoving. If we stand together, we cannot fall.

Blake Ruane Junior English major

Sincerely, Andrew Morse ‘09 2007-2008 Student Body President Adam Haselhuhn ‘11 2009-2010 Student Body President