NorthernIowan 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
JULY 13, 2012
I
FRIDAY
VOLUME 108, ISSUE 59
CEDAR FALLS, IOWA
UNI MUSEUM
UNI Museum building closes CODY GRIMES News Writer
An exhibit detailing the 120-year legacy of the University of Northern Iowa Museum greeted patrons as they bade farewell to the building during a public open house June 28. The building, situated on the corner of Hudson Road and University Avenue, closed its doors permanently July 1. Families, individuals and elderly couples walked the aisles of preserved animal specimens as the conversations centered around the closure of the museum and the role of the collections both in their individual life and that of the UNI community. Chad Swanson, the current president and five-year < See MUSEUM, page 2
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COLLEGE HILL
Arts festival coming to College Hill NI NEWS SERVICE
BRANDON BAKER/Northern Iowan
Members of the community visit the University of Northern Iowa Museum during its open house June 28. The museum and its programs were eliminated in a round of budget cuts at UNI in early 2012, and the building closed its doors for the last time on July 1.
The grassy campus area north of Lang Hall will transform in to a haven for art, live music, food and activities next weekend. The 34th Annual College Hill Arts Festival takes place Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21, on the corner of the University of Northern Iowa campus by the intersection of 23rd Street and College Street. At no cost, attendees can browse booths of artwork including photography, ceramics, glass, painting, jewelry, wood, fiber, graphics and sculpture. A total of 75 artists, including 20 newcomers, will display their < See FESTIVAL, page 2
FACULTY RESEARCH
UNI professor’s research discussed in national media WHITNEY PHILLIPS Staff Writer
KARI BRAUMANN Executive Editor
A study on unsubstantiated claims of “job killing” in the U.S. media drew national attention for a University of Northern Iowa professor and his research partner. Chris Martin, a UNI professor of communication studies, conducted the study with Peter Dreier, a professor of politics and urban and environmental policy at Occidental College. Using the databases LexisNexis and ProQuest, the researchers examined occurrences of individuals’ claims that policies were “job killers” as reported in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and Associated Press news stories. Martin and Dreier searched stories from those news organizations beginning in 1984 (the earliest year for which data was available). Terms such as “job killer,” “job-killing” or “kills jobs” appeared in 381 stories. However, in more than 90 percent of cases,
the journalists did not substantiate their sources’ “job killing” claims. “Job killing” claims were fairly uncommon in news stories until the early ‘90s, around the beginning of the Clinton administration. According to Martin, these terms are disproportionately leveled at one political party. “It goes down and (is) used less often in Republican administrations and more
“
... the fact that the news media doesn’t fact-check their (stories) is more worrisome.
”
Chris Martin
UNI communication studies professor
often during Democratic administrations,” Martin said. “And even more specifically, it seems to be targeted at the policies of the Democratic administrations.” Martin explained that the issue is not whether
one party is being unfairly attacked, but whether the media are uncritically reporting individuals’ statements, regardless of whether they are true. “The fact that they (the policies) are being called job killers isn’t worrisome, but the fact that the news media doesn’t fact check their (stories) is more worrisome,” Martin said. As a professor who teaches courses in mass communication and journalism, Martin said he finds it “disturbing” that some journalists are not verifying the facts behind their sources’ quotes. The journalist’s job, he said, is “not just being a stenographer and writing down what people say, but actually checking things out to see whether that is true or not.” Martin speculated on the reasons why media professionals may not attempt to substantiate their sources’ information in news stories. It is possible that some journalists are simply lazy and don’t bother to fact-check, he said. “Another reason is that some journalists are under the impressions that if you
Courtesy Photo
Chris Martin, UNI professor of communication studies, is pictured. Martin and Peter Dreier of Occidental College conducted a recent study on unsbustantiated claims about “job killing” policies in the media.
fact-check a source, that you are not being objective and that you are picking on the source,” Martin explained. “But to be objective is picking on what that person says but not putting your opinion to it.” In other words, it is more objective to fact-check individuals’ allegations than to be “hands-off,” Martin said, and regardless of a source’s political convictions, “everyone should be fact-checked.” During election seasons, political ads fill the airwaves
and other media. Martin believes the media can play a role in sifting through the constant flow of information and the back-and-forth of political arguments. “It’s difficult for us, as citizens, to sort through this,” Martin said. “And one of the real democratic purposes of the news is to help people sort through things. … Otherwise it’s just a cacophony of sound bites and quotes competing. So we need help sorting through that as citizens.” Martin noted that in his and Dreier’s study, the number of occurrences of “job killer” claims began increasing during roughly the last three years of the George W. Bush administration and for the past three years of Barack Obama’s administration. The number of claims went up 1,156 percent, “which is extraordinary,” he said. “That kind of illustrates that there is this partisan element to the use of that term,” Martin said. “And there very well may be certain terms that Democrats use against Republicans, but < See RESEARCH, page 2
NEWS
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FESTIVAL continued from page 1
work. The festival will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Attendees can also listen to live music on the Festival Stage between noon and 5 p.m. on Friday, and between 10 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. on Saturday. Featured bands and musicians include Karla Ruth, The Ramblers, Comfort Kings String Band and Veronica Johnson, as well as several others. Hungry patrons can purchase food from vendors who will be set up around the area, with picnic tables nearby. The festival also offers several activities for kids, including face painting and the Young Art Collectors’ Gallery, featuring art just for kids priced at $10 or less.
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Courtesy Photo
Patrons stroll through a previous College Hill Arts Festival. This year’s festival, set for July 20-21, will feature 75 artists, live music and food.
The College Hill Partnership will also host a wine tasting Thursday, July 19, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the plaza near 20th Street at the base of the Hill. Attendees can meet artists who will be at the festival while sampling wines from Roots Market in Cedar
Falls. Acoustic musicians will perform throughout the evening. Both the festival and the wine tasting are free and open to the public. For more information about the festival, visit www.chaf.cfu.net.
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The Northern Iowan is published semiweekly on Tuesday and Friday during the academic year; weekly on Friday during the summer session, except for holidays and examination periods, by the University of Northern Iowa, L011 Maucker Union, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0166 under the auspices of the Board of Student Publications. Advertising errors that are the fault of the Northern Iowan will be corrected at no cost to the advertiser only if the Northern Iowan office is notified within seven days of the original publication. Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement at any time. The Northern Iowan is funded in part with student activity fees. A copy of the Northern Iowan grievance procedure is available at the Northern Iowan office, located at L011 Maucker Union. All material is copyright © 2012 by the Northern Iowan and may not be used without permission.
MUSEUM
years and currently serves as director. Concerning the future of the collection being housed in the library, Grosboll feels that there are options that could be worse. “Rod Library isn’t a bad place at all. Central campus is still accessible to the public,” said Grosboll. Part of this process will include the evaluation and reduction of the current collection. Talks are underway for collaboration with the Grout Museum District in Waterloo and the Hearst Center in Cedar Falls to place items on long-term loan. “When people donate items to the museum, they don’t expect them to be thrown away. They are given to us on a long-term contract and (donors) expect them to be here, to serve the community”, said Grosboll. According to Swanson, the best way to serve the community is to find a successor to Grosboll, who is currently on phased retirement. “The Friends of the UNI
Museums are working with university administration in looking for a candidate to take over for Sue Grosboll. Without qualified leadership, the stewardship of the collection is jeopardy,” said Swanson. Despite the somber mood, there are some who have hopes of someday being able to open the collection to the public in a new building. Sarah Crim, a junior majoring in sociology, has been working with the Friends of the UNI Museums since October 2011. “I’m overall optimistic that we’ll be able to open the collection in another building,” said Crim as she greeted patrons coming through the museum door. In the spirit of community engagement, Grosboll’s wish is that wherever the UNI Museum collection is housed, it serves the public. “My hope is that the collection is housed somewhere that is easy for staff, students and the community to access and use,” said Grosboll.
continued from page 1
veteran of the community group Friends of the UNI Museums, helped organize the event. The Friends of the UNI Museums is comprised of community members like Swanson, staff members and students who raise money through fundraisers and donations for the museum. “In a way, the closure really limits the access to the public and the UNI faculty. The collection is not serving anyone behind a locked door,” said Swanson. After the current building closes, the collection will be transferred to Rod Library and acting dean Katherine Martin. The approximately 110,000 pieces which are housed in the old museum building will be under her care. Not everyone is convinced the closure will drastically limit the accessibility of the collection. Sue Grosboll has been with the UNI Museum staff for 20
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FRIDAY
FRIDAY’LOO Lincoln Park Mulberry & E. 4th St., Waterloo 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Enjoy food and beverages and live bands every other Friday in Waterloo. Free admittance. This week’s theme is “Ragin’ Cajun Night” and the Everette Smithson Band will perform. MOVIES UNDER THE MOON: “MAMMA MIA” Overman Park 300 Clay St., Cedar Falls 6:30 p.m. Cedar Valley Acoustic Guitar begins at 6:30. The movie begins at dusk, around 9 p.m. Popcorn and food will be available. Attendees should bring their own lawn chairs and/or blankets. Free and open to the public. WATERLOO COMMUNITY PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS: “THE WIZARD OF OZ” Waterloo Center for the Arts 225 Commercial St., Waterloo 7 p.m. L. Frank Baum’s musical classic tale takes the stage at the Hope Martin Theatre at the Waterloo Center for the Arts. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. After the Saturday performance, Baum’s great-grandson, Robert Baum, will discuss his great-grandfather’s life and artistic inspirations at no extra cost to audience members. Tickets are $25 and student pricing is available. To order tickets, call the box office at 319-291-4494. The box office is open from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and two hours before each show.
caitie peterson campus life editor petercap@uni.edu
campuslife
july 13, 2012
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northern-iowan.org
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volume 108, issue 59
FILM REVIEW
Sony takes a mulligan with ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ ALEX TOFT Film Critic
It’s only been 10 years since Sam Raimi’s first attempt at the Spider-Man franchise, and only five have passed since that attempt came to a messy end. This fact shouldn’t have any bearing on how Marc Webb’s reboot “The Amazing Spider-Man” plays for an audience, but for those who have invested some time watching the previous iteration of this franchise, it may lead to frustration with the new model. The major flaw of “The Amazing Spider-Man” is that the film is bogged down by the origin story of Peter Parker becoming the titular hero. Once the requisite hour of spider bites, high school nerdery and learning how to swing from buildings is over, the film begins to shine because of its strong cast and well-constructed plot. However, the plodding, rote manner in which the origin story is told makes the first half of the movie feel like a do-over, like Sony (which owns the rights to Spider-man) is shamefacedly looking at “Spider-Man 3” (2007) and saying, “Wow. That really went off the rails there at the end, didn’t it? I’m not sure how we can fix this one. Can… can we start over? Great. Thanks.”
The current “SpiderMan” stars a high-schoolaged Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) pseudo-awkwardly pining after his crush Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) while trying to solve the mystery of his parents’ disappearance about 10 years earlier. A chance discovery in his Uncle Ben’s and Aunt May’s (Martin Sheen and Sally Field) basement leads him to seek out his father’s former research partner, Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), for answers and to help him continue his research into trans-species genetic therapy at OSCORP – where Peter gets bitten by a spider. These are the more interesting bits that redeem the first hour of the movie; the subplots building up behind the familiar origin story give it a slight smack of originality and it is clear that this movie was conceived as part of a trilogy or a franchise. There are clear building blocks of arcs that will be completed as the franchise grows, most notably the disappearance of Peter’s parents and the shadowy presence of Norman Osbourne. They’ve also taken the cast into consideration as they plan for future movies. This batch of characters is far younger than the previous installment’s, and actually much more suited for their roles. Garfield’s Parker is great: he’s funny, smart
and miles ahead of Tobey Maguire’s smarmy, creepy mug. He also brings a natural athleticism to the role (This Spider-man skateboards because Garfield does so in real life). There are a few scenes of Peter trying to “relearn” how to do things with his increased strength that are some of the most entertaining in the film. Emma Stone is also extremely likable as Gwen Stacy, so much so that when she was in danger I never questioned the motivation to save her and genuinely rooted for Peter to win her over. Ifans, too, is charming as the one-armed Dr. Connors, at first. He jokes about his missing arm, but there is always an artifice to it, a little bit of darkness preshadowing his eventual fall. It’s really too bad that the exciting bits of his character come out so late in the movie. When they do, however, it is worth the wait. Marc Webb directs the action surprisingly well for a director whose only other major film credit is “500 Days of Summer” (2009). Most of the stunts were done practically by Garfield and Ifans, and they really end up looking fantastic. And the Stan Lee cameo (now standard for any movie featuring his creations) is probably the
RESEARCH continued from page 1
this one is really big ... and important because jobs are so important in our political debate. So when you say something is a job killer, then that is one of the worst things you can say about it.” Dreier and Martin found that “job killer” and similar terms were most used in federal elections and presidential campaigns. Martin said the terms are also used for more local races, however, including congressional and gubernatorial races. According to Martin, “it’s a pretty big term in the way it’s been deployed.” In the age of the Internet, a “job killer” claim can spread even faster and wider than before. “What we found is that one reference can reverberate (through) 10,000 differ-
JAY L. CLENDENIN/Los Angeles Times/MCT
Andrew Garfield arrives at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on Feb. 27, 2011. Garfield plays Peter Parker in “The Amazing Spider-Man,” currently in theaters.
best and most seamless of any to date. However, Webb’s true success is making the movie a lot of fun, without it becoming campy or over-the-top. If he stays on
to direct the next in the franchise, free from the constraints of an unnecessary origin story, it has a lot of potential to be a really great film.
ent hits on Google searches. … What we see in the web is just stories that get published or repeated, and so (if) the original case of someone’s allegations doesn’t get fact-checked, it can be a real danger,” Martin said. Dreier and Martin released their study in an “untraditional” way, Martin said. They released their results to the public last month, and will now format their work into a more traditional academic journal article to seek publication. The researchers chose this route in light of the impending fall elections. “… We didn’t want to wait nine months to a year to get (it) published. It would be too late to talk about the presidential campaign,” Martin said. Martin commented on the level of news coverage the story has received. “It’s always ironic to get
media attention when you are criticizing media performance,” he said. Still, the results seem to have stirred up discussion, Martin said, and he is glad about that. “The fact that it actually creates debate as it gets covered by the Huffington Post or NPR is a good thing,” Martin said. “We want that to be out there as an issue. Not just debate the position of the candidates, but debate how they are being covered by the news media. “That’s part of the process. We want people to think about that,” he said.
Know of a professor, staff member or student who’s doing something noteworthy or interesting at UNI? Let us know! Email northerniowan@uni.edu or call the newsroom at 319-273-3625.
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JULY 13, 2012
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ROOMMATES
Available July 1ST, 4 bedroom duplex. $960/MO., appliances included. 319- 236- 8930 or 319- 290- 5114.
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. 319- 352- 5555
1 OR 2 TENANTS NEEDED FOR BRAND NEW APARTMENT (2609 OLIVE). FACING UNI. HAS EVERYTHING. 266- 5544, 610- 2882
4 or 8 bedroom duplex for rent. Half block from campus. 319- 240- 0880
1 and 2 BR. available June and July. Most utilities included. Cats allowed. University Manor. 319- 266- 8586.
1, 2 or 3 roommates needed. Available now through the school year. 319- 240- 0880.
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VOLUME 108, ISSUE 59
ROOMMATES
2 male roomates wanted to share house 1 block off campus. 3328 Panther Lane, $300 plus utilities per person. 563- 650- 7432.
MISC
Local game console repairs: 360 - PS3 - Wii - DSLite - PSP. www.cvxgameconsolerepair.com
HELP WANTED
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.
Clerical Student Assistant: Hours: 20 hours per week/ 1 P.M. 5 P.M., Monday - Friday. Pay rate: $8 per hour. Start immediately until the end of the summer. Duties include answering the phone, scanning, faxing, filing and other clerical duties as assigned. Previous experience with Camp Adventure is required. Please email resumes to chumrley@campadventure.com.
HELP WANTED
Babysitter needed: I am looking for an experienced sitter to care for my two boys: Tristan, 5 yrs and Jake, 3 yrs. This will be for two days a week each week from 2:15 - 4:15pm each day starting in August. There are many other times that will be asked to sit for if sitter is free. My older son Tristan will be riding a bus home in the Fall so sitter will be responsible to get him off the bus in afternoon. Hourly wage $8. If interested can call/text Lori at 319-429-2071 or lorikuhn16@yahoo.com.
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