The Daily Iowan — 04.10.24

Clark making changes to game

Iowa guard Caitlin Clark had an immeasurable impact on women’s basketball.

CLEVELAND — Lisa Bluder and her staff had to “work hard” to get Caitlin Clark to Iowa. She was the No. 4 recruit in the country and had an opportunity to take her talents to big-name programs like Notre Dame, Louisville, and Texas. But Clark didn’t take the easy route, the one where she would have the best chance to become a national champion surrounded by a roster of other five-star athletes. She joined a program that hadn’t made a Final Four in nearly 30 years. A program just a two-hour drive from her hometown that she was destined to put in the national conversation. Reflecting on her career, Clark said being an Iowa Hawkeye was “one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.”

“I really think that when she came in as a freshman and she said, ‘We’re going to the Final Four,’ a lot of people laughed at her and maybe even laughed at her for coming to Iowa, quite honestly,” Bluder recalled on Sunday about Clark’s commitment. “But she believed, and she got everybody else in that locker room to believe, and that’s not an easy thing to do.”

Clark’s collegiate career ended on Sunday with a loss to South Carolina in the national championship, the Hawkeyes’ second straight time making it to the final possible game of the season. Iowa’s 65 wins during Clark’s junior and senior seasons is the best two-year stretch in program history.

She is leaving Iowa without a ring, but her fondest memories as a Hawkeye stretch far beyond wins and losses. If Clark and her teammates brought joy to a single person throughout her career, she’s satisfied. The 22-year-old has “so much to be thankful for outside of basketball.”

“I’m proud of the way I’ve carried myself,” Clark reflected on her career. “It’s certainly been hard at times, to always be in the spotlight and have everybody’s eyeballs on you. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. The positive and the negative. I’m so lucky. I’m so fortunate.”

When Clark says “everybody’s eyeballs” are on her, she isn’t exaggerating.

Iowa’s Final Four win over UConn drew over 14 million viewers, making it the most-watched basketball game ever on ESPN. Before the season started, 55,000 people came to watch an exhibition game

versus DePaul at Kinnick Stadium. Carver-Hawkeye Arena was sold out for every home game, and if you wanted to see the Hawkeyes play on the road, it was just as difficult to get in the door. Clark, who has gained over 1 million followers on social media, is seen on TV even when she’s not on the court. She’s starred in State Farm commercials, Nike ads, and Gatorade promotions. She’s been mentioned on Saturday Night Live and has other top athletes like Lebron James, Steph Curry, and Patrick Mahomes commenting on her playing style. The star point guard said she went through some old pictures on Saturday night and looked at the “incredible” transformation in support of women’s basketball since her first two years in college. Drapes used to hang from the Carver ceiling to block out all the empty seats. The Iowa women hardly played a game on cable television before Clark blew up. Gabbie Marshall said Clark “put Iowa on the map.”

losing to South Carolina 87-75, in the final game of the NCAA Tournament, but the duo’s legacy will continue as the standard for what it means to be an Iowa women’s basketball player.

“They are both great leaders,” an emotional Sydney Affolter said following Iowa’s loss Sunday evening. “I think what a lot of people take away from them is just to give all you can to make this team win, and I think they [did] that every day.”

When fellow fourth-year Caitlin Clark potentially gets a statue outside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Marshall and Martin should — figuratively — be the pillars in said statue. The trio’s chemistry on the court made Iowa women’s basketball must-see

TV while also leading the program to the most success ever in its 50-year history. “There have been so many great Iowa women’s basketball players to come before us that allowed this program to be really good,” Clark said in the post-game press conference. “I feel like we took it to a whole other level. I feel like our program is in good hands moving forward.”

Martin recorded 16 points and five rebounds in her last outing for Iowa, while the defensive ace Marshall finished the game with six points and three steals.

The two left it all on the court, playing all 40 minutes of the contest against a powerhouse South Carolina team, which finished the season with a perfect 38-0 record. Marshall and Martin ended their careers having played the most games in Iowa women’s basketball history, with 166 and 163 games, respectively. The two, along with Clark, have started in nearly every game since the 2020-21 season, becoming as much of a staple at Carver as the signature Carver Cones or PA announcer Dave Gallagher’s booming voice. “We’ve been together for so long through the ups and the downs and everything in between,” Marshall said with tears in her eyes. “We’ve done pretty much everything together for these last five years, and I will have them in my life forever.”

Martin arrived on campus in the summer of 2018, and Marshall joined her a year

Seriously — everybody’s eyeballs are on No. 22.

“I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport,” South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said after winning the national title. “And it’s not going to stop here on the collegiate tour but when she is the number one pick in the WNBA Draft, she’s going to lift that league up as well. So, Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there, you’re one of the GOATs (Greatest Of All Time) of our sport.” Bluder said it’s hard to process not having Clark on her team anymore, a player she’s had to adjust her coaching style to and walk the line between “discipline and ‘don’t-put-out-the-fire.’” She thinks Clark’s legacy at Iowa will breed further success for the program and have a positive impact on recruiting, as the Hawkeyes have “opened up our geographic footprint.”

However, the head coach does have a specific concern for the program post-Clark.

“I pray that our team will still get the fan support even when Caitlin leaves,” Bluder said. “We’re going to have some growing pains next year. But I hope that people respect the way that we play, the way that we do things, and they’re going to want to support this young group of Hawkeyes next year, just as much as they have after the success we’ve had the last couple of years.” Clark has about a week before she moves to a different state, likely still in the Midwest, and opens a new chapter in her career. She is projected to go to the Indiana Fever as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft on April 15.

“I know what’s next is soon,” Clark said. “But at the same time, I’m not blind to the fact that I need to enjoy this, I need to soak this in and enjoy these last few moments with my teammates because these are some of my best friends. They’ll be my best friends for the rest of my life, and that’s what matters to me the most.”

later. Since then, the two have seen the popularity of the Iowa women’s team — and the sport in general — explode.

Iowa advanced to its first-ever national championship in 2023, which broke the record for the most-viewed women’s college basketball game with 9.9 million viewers. Iowa somehow managed to one-up that this season by playing in the first-ever basketball game held in Kinnick Stadium in front of over 55,000 fans and set or broke attendance records in all but two of its regular season games. The team broke the previous viewing record in two of their last three NCAA Tournament games against LSU and UConn, with this year’s national championship sure to continue this streak.

“I think that’s kind of where the emotion is coming from, just thinking of all we’ve done together from the Kinnick game until now,” Marshall said. “We’ve gotten to be the first to do things at the University of Iowa, and we’ve made history here together.”

Coming into this year knowing it would be their last at Iowa, Martin said it was her goal to spend as much time with her teammates as possible, and she succeeded. The team’s championship win in the Big Ten Tournament and making it to the national championship meant the Hawkeyes played in the maximum amount of games allocated. “I don’t want this to be over, and it stings

really bad knowing that this is it, and I don’t have a next year with Iowa,” Martin said. “But I know it’s not over with my teammates because I know we’ll be friends for life.”

Despite all the on-court accomplishments, both players said they are most proud of the joy they brought Iowa fans during their time careers and how they were able to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds.

“My teammates and everyone else [are] not going to remember how many points I scored every game, but I hope they remember how I made them feel, and I hope it had a positive impact,” Martin said. Both players said they ended their collegiate careers with no regrets, and they hope the success they brought to the team established a precedent for the program going forward.

“I knew I was going to give everything I had every single day, and I did that, and I’m proud of that,” Martin said. “I feel really grateful to Coach Bluder for believing in me and for all my teammates since my freshman year until now. I’ve been surrounded by some pretty good players, but above all, some really good friends.”

So, while this might be the end of “The Glue”

and “Pretty Eyes,” both will certainly be greeted with the utmost respect and admiration from fans whenever their faces grace the jumbotron in Carver again.

Ayrton Breckenridge | The Daily Iowan

Iowa guard Gabbie Marshall steals the ball from South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao during a NCAA Championship game between No. 1 Iowa and No. 1 South Carolina at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 7.

Ayrton Breckenridge | The Daily Iowan

Iowa guard Kate Martin and South Carolina forward Ashlyn Watkins jump for the ball during a NCAA Championship game between No. 1 Iowa and No. 1 South Carolina at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 7.

Bluder

Staley

Marshall Martin

Cheering on Iowa from home base

Iowa women’s basketball fans watched the game from 550 miles away in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Isaac Elzinga Sports Reporter isaac-elzinga@uiowa.edu

Excitement swelled across downtown Iowa City as Iowa fans packed the bars and restaurants to watch the women’s basketball team play in its second straight NCAA National Championship.

Fans were ready to give Caitlin Clark and the other fourth-years on the team the sendoff they deserved. In the streets downtown, they put on a confident face, knowing the team’s toughest test was ahead of them.

“I’m not very interested in sports,” UI second-year student Morgan Brunner said of Caitlin Clark’s impact outside Brothers Bar & Grill. “But it gives me goosebumps thinking about it … It gets people out and brings people together.” Hawkeye fans were ready to cheer from the jump in Joe’s Place with chants of “Let’s go Hawks” echoing following the pregame introductions.

Fans’ excitement paid off early as the Hawks had a fast start to the game and a quick 10-point lead. Fans were yelling at the screen with every Iowa mark and South Carolina miss as if they were in attendance in Cleveland.

“You just can’t beat this atmosphere,” Iowa second-year student Evie Del Campo said. “It’s so contagious. Everyone wants the same thing. It shows the community within Iowa City, and I love that about the city.”

The energy in the crowd quickly evaporated, though, as the Gamecocks brought the game back, tied it up, and took a lead of their own.

With South Carolina leading at halftime, bargoers’ frustrations started to bubble to the top, but they remained standing and eagerly hopeful for a second-half comeback.

The Gamecocks quickly dashed those hopes with a quick run to start the second half, and the Iowa fans fell silent, sensing the game’s momentum shift.

As South Carolina continued to build on its lead, the rowdy crowd grew more upset, sensing the game could soon get out of hand. However, they were still hopeful for some fourth-quarter magic by Clark and the Hawkeyes.

Fans were desperate to bring the game back in Iowa’s favor, and some Iowa threes gave the fans something to cheer about.

But South Carolina always had an answer, and the fans could feel the game may be over. The disappointment was visible on their faces.

Fans did have one final moment to cheer for right before the game’s conclusion as fan favorite Molly Davis checked into the game with under 30 seconds left. Fans applauded her first NCAA Tournament appearance in this season after missing time to a knee injury.

When the final whistle sounded, the bar fell silent as Iowa’s season ended in heartbreak.

As the bars emptied, fans emerged and began to walk the streets with their heads down.

Despite the loss, all were thankful for the energy and excitement this team brought them and were hopeful for the years to come.

“The atmosphere, the people are amazing, the support — 100 percent, the entire community around us, it’s just amazing,” Iowa second-year Sofia Espinoza said. “Being here and seeing the atmosphere and being around people that are so like-minded and want this for the Iowa Hawkeyes is amazing.”

Hawkeyes in Washington, D.C.

Hundreds of UI alumni packed in bars for the NCAA championship game.

the restaurant’s company, said a lot of the watch party attendees Sunday weren’t Iowa alumni but rather fans of Caitlin Clark and Iowa women’s basketball.

WASHINGTON — The Mission bar near Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., looked different on April 7. Tigerhawk logos covered the walls and nearly 70 University of Iowa alumni packed the house decked out in Hawkeye gear. UI alums watched the women’s basketball team fall to undefeated South Carolina, 87-75, during the NCAA National Championship game. Across the Washington, D.C. area, two other bars were also full of Hawkeye alumni and fans. Eli Herberts, a 2022 UI alum, moved to Washington, D.C., a year ago and went to watch some sporting events — but not at the level he did this year. “It’s people who went to Iowa, so they know what kind of energy to bring,” Herberts said. “You see familiar faces, and it’s good to have people come together for these things. It’s a family away from home.”

The Capital Area Iowa Club has been meeting at bars and restaurants to support the Hawkeyes all season long, said Levi Hofts, a 2008 UI alum and Capital Area Iowa Club board member.

“Wherever I go I try to find a club because I know on Saturdays or whatever game day it is I can find people and have something in common with them,” Hofts said.

When the Iowa women’s team led in points during the first half, alumni lept from their seats and cheered “I – O – W – A” across the restaurant.

Fritz Brogan, a managing partner of

“We love hosting Iowa fans, it’s a really fun crowd,” he said. “Got a ton of Caitlin Clark jerseys here.”

Valerie Jensen, a 1990 UI alum from Cedar Rapids who now works at the FDA, said she became a women’s basketball fan last year.

“I hate to say that I just got into it because I love it, and it’s been so much fun,” Jensen said. “The loss was really disappointing, but I think we’ve just had such a great season, and I am so proud of our team. It’s been such a great journey.”

Anthony Kasdorf, who grew up in Sioux City, Iowa, said Iowa star guard Caitlin Clark’s playing style made him a women’s basketball fan. Kasdorf, who had friends visiting from Iowa on Sunday, also attended the watch party.

“Women’s basketball is taking over the highlights,” Kasdorf said. “The way they’re playing tough, women’s basketball is more competitive, it’s higher scoring. There’s just a lot more going into it, and Caitlin Clark has been huge.” Clark, who averages 32 points per game, ended her final college game with 30 points Sunday.

As Clark moves on to the WNBA, Jensen said she still plans on watching the team.

“Just knowing how hard they worked and the great coaching — it’s just an awesome thing we should keep supporting,” Jensen said.

Roxy Ekberg, Liam Halawith, and Johnny Valtman contributed to this report.

Cleveland, Ohio, home of Rocket Mort gage FieldHouse, hosted this year’s NCAA women’s basketball championship game. However, fans back home came together to see the final game of Caitlin Clark’s col legiate career. Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City saw thousands of fans seated for the NCAA final watch party. The game was broadcast onto the stadium’s jumbotron in the same format it appeared on home televisions.

Concessions were open and attendees played games such as cross-court golf putt and a seemingly never-ending game of knockout on the court during commercial breaks and halftime.

Before the game, fans seemed united on one front: the excitement to see Caitlin Clark play one last time in the Black and Gold. However, there was undoubtedly trepidation about the challenging mat chup that was soon to take place.

Eric Jensen, a first-year student at the University of Iowa, said before the game that he and other fans were nervous considering how successful a team South Carolina was during the 2024-25 season. He said the team would need to put up their best, and noted that Caitlin Clark’s 40-point game was a substantial reason behind Iowa’s win against undefeated South Carolina last year.

Some fans were unfettered in their optimism. One fan, Bob Moser, a parent of a UI student, was firm in his belief that the game would end with a 75-69 Hawkeye victory. He traveled four hours to attend the Carver Watch Party with his daughter. The game

“I really just love being in Carver. I came here as a kid a lot to watch women’s basketball.”

Damien Garrett

University of Iowa student

game together. The feeling of community was important to the two

them, and

said the

in

stands was strong, regardles of whether the Hawkeyes were ahead or behind. Toward the end of the game, fans started to assess the stiff competition the women were facing. Multiple fans categorized the energy in Carver as “electric” and were proud to see how far the women’s team had come this year. While some fans believed Clark was the reason the Hawkeyes were successful this year, others placed more faith in the rest of the team. To some, Clark’s absence next year does not prove troubling.

The game ultimately ended in a Hawkeye defeat. Fans began to shuffle out with 30 seconds on the clock, acknowledging their team’s inability to make up South Carolina’s over 10-point lead.

Though the energy dwindled, fans remained optimistic about the great lengths to which the women’s team went this year.

“Everybody here loves to watch the team,” UI first-year student Tyler Morgan said after the game. “Regardless of whether or not we win or lose, everybody here is probably still happy about it.”

Ava Neumaier | The Daily Iowan Iowa fans watch the NCAA Championship game between No. 1 Iowa and No. 1 South Carolina at The Airliner on April 7. The Gamecocks defeated the Hawkeyes 87-75.

Evan Watson News Reporter evan-watson@uiowa.edu

Fans watch a halftime report during a watch party of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship game between No. 1 Iowa and No. 1 South Carolina at Mission, a bar in Washington D.C., on April 7.

Ethan Mclaughlin | The Daily Iowan

Fans cheer during a watch party of the NCAA women’s national championship game between No. 1 Iowa and No. 1 South Carolina at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on April 7. South Carolina defeated Iowa, 87-75.

First-year

Bringing attention to the game

The Hawkeyes and Gamecocks drew in a maximum of 24 million viewers on April 7, becoming the most-watched basketball game on TV since 2019.

Matt McGowan Sports reporter matthew-r-mcgowan@uiowa.edu

The Iowa women’s basketball team continues to set viewership records. Just two days following its semifinal victory over UConn on April 5 — which set a women’s basketball record of 14.2 million views — the Hawkeyes not only blew that number out of the water in the title match against South Carolina but broke new marks among professional ranks.

Broadcasted on ABC and ESPN, the battle between the Hawkeyes and Gamecocks garnered an average of 18.7 million eyeballs on Sunday and peaked at 24 million, per a press release from ESPN on Monday. The game was the most-watched basketball contest, men’s or women’s, professional or college, since 2019.

With the exception of football and the Olympics, the event was the most-viewed sporting events on TV in the last five years.

Compared to last year’s women’s national championship game, a bout between Iowa and LSU, television audience numbers shot up by 89 percent. From 2022’s contest, the increase was 285 percent.

ESPN and its family of networks, which includes ABC, has televised every game of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament since 2003 and in January, extended its contract with the NCAA for eight more years. This is the second year in a row that the title game was broadcast on ABC.

“Sunday’s Iowa-South Carolina game was a fitting finale to the most-viewed NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “These exceptional athletes, coaches, and teams captured our attention in unprecedented ways and it’s incumbent on us to keep the incredible momentum going.”

Breaking viewing records has become a trend during Iowa’s season this year.

Days before the championship game, the Elite Eight matchup between Iowa and LSU on April 1 was named the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record averaging 12.3 million viewers.

The Iowa-Ohio State game on March 5 — where Clark broke Pete Maravich’s alltime Division I scoring leader — broke the viewership record with 3.39 million average viewers and 4.42 million viewers at its peak. That game had the most viewers for a regular-season women’s basketball game since 1999 and was the most-watched women’s college basketball game in FOX’s history.

Then on March 12, Iowa’s 94-89 Big Ten Championship win over Nebraska was the most-watched conference tournament game on any network in women’s college basketball history with an average of 3.02 million viewers and peaking at 4.45 million viewers.

According to the Big Ten Network, Iowa also amassed more than 1 million viewers for both its Big Ten semifinal and quarterfinal games, the first time the network has seen two women’s games pass the 1 million mark.

Clark and Iowa women’s basketball have now set TV records for the most watched WBB game ever on seven different networks this year alone, including Fox, ABC, NBC, BTN, FS1, Peacock, and ESPN.

Chris Meglio contributed to this report.

basketball — the oldest and most prestigious player of the year award in the sport.

one Augustus, Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart, and Sabrina Ionescu as two-time recipients of the award.

arenas across the country, boosted televi sion ratings to record highs, and inspired a whole new generation of young girls to pick up a basketball and play the game,” WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew said in a statement. “The many records she set in her collegiate career may one day be bro ken, but the extraordinary impact she has had on our sport will be everlasting.”

“The ‘Caitlin Clark effect’ has helped fill arenas across the country, boosted television ratings to record highs, and inspired a whole new generation of young girls to pick up a basketball and play the game.”

Danielle Donehew WBCA Executive Director

Clark has received this season, including the Naismith Award, The Athletic National Player of the Year, and Big Ten Player of the Year for the third consecutive time.

the Dawn Staley Award, 94th AAU James E. Sullivan Award, and Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year.

throughout her career could go on and on. But just this season, No. 22 became the NCAA’s men’s and women’s all-time leading scorer, the first Division-I player to notch back-to-back 1,000-point seasons, and she broke the NCAA record for most points in a single season.

to be able to play for Coach Bluder and have somebody who has believed in me. Our entire coaching staff believed in me before I even committed there,” Clark said after receiving the Wade Trophy. “When I was really in eighth grade they started recruiting me and have loved me the same way over the course of the last eight years. And it’s crazy to think it’s all coming to an end here. But

Bluder stays true to values

Coach Lisa Bluder led the Hawkeyes to their second championship game.

Kenna Roering Sports Editor mckenna-roering@uiowa.edu

ALBANY, N.Y. — The all-time winningest coach in school history; a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year with five conference tournament titles; eight straight 20-plus win seasons, including a program-high 32 victories this year: These are just a few milestones Iowa women’s basketball head coach Lisa Bluder has achieved in her 24 seasons at the helm.

On April 7, Bluder’s Hawkeyes competed in the NCAA Tournament championship for the second year in a row. This time, Iowa faced the South Carolina Gamecocks. Iowa fell to South Carolina, 75-87, in the NCAA title game this year.

“I’ve always wanted to play for her ever since I was a little kid, and I’m so glad

that she’s still here and that I’ve gotten to play for her for six years,” guard Kate Martin said. “I’m really glad that she’s getting the recognition that she deserves because what she’s done is incredible.”

Growing up, Bluder said she didn’t have female role models like those in sports today. There was no coverage of women’s basketball. There was no Olympic team. Six-year-old Bluder wouldn’t have been able to comprehend where women’s basketball is today, the head coach said. Even without someone to model her game after, Bluder always had a desire to compete and come out on top in the final box score. It was Bluder who wore down the hoop in her childhood driveway and asked for the bushes to be trimmed down

so she could shoot from further out, not her two older brothers.

From playing six-on-six high school basketball to achieving the third-most wins among active Division I head coaches, Bluder was destined to be one of the faces involved in the explosion of women’s basketball.

“It’s the best time to be a female athlete. I mean, look at Paige [Bueckers], Juju [Watkins], and Hannah [Hidalgo]. I mean, I can go on and on about the tremendous talent that is coming up,” Bluder said. “This is not the pinnacle. In my opinion, this is just the start of it.”

Bluder started her coaching career at St. Ambrose, where she transformed the Bees into an NAIA powerhouse over six seasons. Registering a 169–36 overall record with the Bees, Bluder’s 1990 squad was No. 1 in the nation, and she earned NAIA Converse Coach of the Year. Bluder then moved on to Drake, compiling a 187-106 record during her 10 seasons in Des Moines.

She took over the head coaching job at Iowa in 2000 and has since become one of 27 Division I coaches to reach 20-plus NCAA Tournament games at one school. Along with leading the Hawkeyes to their first national title appearance last season, Bluder has given National Player of the Year Caitlin Clark a platform to shine. LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said she has great respect for what Bluder has done in her career and her ability to adjust coaching styles to fit her athletes. “She’s a Hall of Fame coach,” Clark said of Bluder. “Over the course of my four years, I don’t know if I would have the type of success I do if I didn’t have amazing teammates but also a coach who really allows me to be myself. For that, I’m forever grateful. She’s one of the best our game has ever seen.”

Something that Clark and Martin both mentioned is Bluder cares more about them as people rather than for their talents on the court. The two veterans said Bluder believes every single person on the team matters, and she makes sure each athlete knows how important they are. One of the walls in Iowa’s locker

room displays the values Bluder tries to instill in each of her players: positive attitudes, respect, integrity, and discipline.

“Our values are not just slapped on a wall,” Bluder said. “If you ask our players what our values are, they would be able to recite them because it’s ingrained in what we do all the time.”

Bluder constantly preaches about ignoring outside voices and only caring about those in Iowa’s tight-knit group. One of Bluder’s most well-known tradi -

“Over the course of my four years, I don’t know if I would have the type of success I do if I didn’t have amazing teammates but also a coach who really allows me to be myself.”

tions is having her team sit in a circle at mid-court pregame. Before the Sweet 16, Bluder went around the circle and told each of her players something she loved about them. For redshirt center Sharon Goodman, sitting in this circle gives her time to “center” herself.

The strong bond between Hawkeye players on the court is a byproduct of how Bluder treats everyone off it. Bluder, a Naismith Trophy Coach of the Year finalist for the second straight year, is who Martin said she hopes to emulate once her playing days are over and she transitions into a coaching role.

“I think it’s really important that your players see honesty when you’re talking to them, that you’re trustworthy, that you do what you say you’re going to do when you’re supposed to do it,” Bluder said. “What you ultimately stand for, what your morals and values are, hopefully they don’t change as you have success or have failures. You hopefully are the same person no matter what. I hope that I’m the same person that I was when my mom and dad raised me.”

Senior class ‘cherishing every moment’

Starters Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, and Gabbie Marshall played their last 40 minutes.

do whatever it takes to win,” Marshall said.

CLEVELAND — On April 7, the Iowa women’s basketball team said goodbye to three starters who have given everything and more to the program.

Caitlin Clark, Gabbie Marshall, and Kate Martin played their last 40 minutes in an Iowa uniform — arguably the biggest four quarters of basketball has ever played together.

Iowa faced undefeated South Carolina and did not clinch the Hawkeyes’ first national title.

Since Clark declared for the WNBA Draft, each interaction between her and the rest of the team has become that much more special.

“ You’re so focused on competing and enjoying every single second that you have and helping your team win that you’re not too caught up in ‘This is the last time I’m going to put on this uniform.’”

Caitlin Clark Iowa guard

Head coach Lisa Bluder said she has been more intentional about remembering little moments, and she was happy to have time to eat breakfast with Clark on Saturday morning. “Can she still change her mind? Is that possible? I don’t know. I would like that very much,” Bluder said about Clark declaring for the draft, prompting laughs throughout the press conference room.

In the words of Bluder, everyone on the team matters. The major impact Clark has had on the state of Iowa and women’s basketball is undeniable. However, it’s not just her deep 3-pointers or no-look passes that brought more eyes to Iowa basketball—it’s the contagious joy and trust Clark and her teammates exude on the court.

The point guard said a lot of people “would kill” to be in Iowa’s position right now, so her team needs to enjoy every moment with a smile. No. 22 added she couldn’t go into Sunday’s game dwelling on the fact that it was her last at Iowa.

She compared her feelings around the championship game to senior night during the regular season and the team’s final contest in Carver-Hawkeye Arena against West Virginia. “You’re so focused on competing and enjoying every single second that you have and helping your team win that you’re not too caught up in ‘This is the last time I’m going to put on this uniform, ’” Clark said. “That’s not how we view things around our program. It’s, like, you’re competing for this opportunity. You love this opportunity.” Clark, who’s broken about every record imaginable this season, said she doesn’t want her legacy to be remembered by how many points she scored or games she won. She wants to be remembered as a role model for the younger generation, as someone who encourages athletes of all ages to chase their dreams. Clark said she is still be proud of her Iowa career despite not winning a ring.

Martin, the longest-tenured Hawkeye on the roster, grew up with an Iowa women’s basketball poster hanging in her bedroom. It was a dream of hers to play for Bluder, to wear Iowa across her chest while competing in the game she loves. Nicknamed “The Glue” for holding the Hawkeyes together in times of both success and strife, Martin isn’t afraid to hold her teammates accountable

and is respected by everyone in the locker room.

Clark said she wouldn’t be the player she is today without someone like Martin by her side. The pair has started 138 consecutive games together, the longest streak by any Division I duo in the last 25 years.

Martin said she’s not “too sad or emotional right now” heading into her final game. This entire tournament, the sixth-year has been “feeling at ease.”

“Me and Kate are wired so similarly that we get each other on a different level,” Clark said. “She truly cares about and loves every person she’s been teammates with. I know it will be special for her to take the court one more time in an Iowa jersey … And I know when we walk off that court tomorrow, win or lose, we’ll have a lot to hold our heads up about. I’m just grateful to not only have a teammate like her but a friend like her.” Not far behind the duo’s 138-game streak is fifth-year Gabbie Marshall, who has started the last 135 contests for Iowa. Known for her gritty defensive performances, the one who always goes up against the opposing team’s best scorer, Marshall said Iowa’s senior class has built a bond that “will last forever.”

Marshall has come up with clutch play after clutch play throughout the postseason, including a game-sealing block against Nebraska to win the Big Ten Championship and drawing an illegal moving screen against UConn to propel the Hawkeyes to the final possible day of the season. “I am surrounded by so many great girls who love the game, are great role models, really want to win, and will

Of course, there’s Sharon Goodman and Molly Davis. Goodman started at the beginning of the season but hasn’t seen any minutes down the stretch, but was recognized for her contributions off the court on Wednesday night, earning the Elite 90 Award for the second season in a row. The honor is given to the athlete with the highest GPA of all players competing in the Final Four. As a health studies major with aspirations to be a nurse, Goodman currently carries a 4.0 GPA and will graduate this May.

“Regardless of whether I’m on the court or not, I still wanted to be the same person I feel like I’m called to be,” Goodman said.

Davis suffered an injury in the final regular season game against Ohio State and hasn’t touched the floor this postseason. Initially, Bluder thought Davis would be healthy enough to help the Hawkeyes come tournament time. It’s been an emotional end to Davis’s collegiate career, who had started every game this season for Iowa before getting injured.

A video posted by Chelsie Brown on X, formerly known as Twitter, circulated on Thursday. Davis was putting up shots during practice for the first time since her injury, and Bluder pulled her aside and sat with her on the bench. As Bluder put her arm around the fifth-year’s shoulder, the guard immediately started wiping tears. It’s unknown exactly what was said, but it seemed to be bad news about Davis’s chances of playing this weekend.

Bluder said she “would love” to get Davis on the floor for a couple of seconds in the national championship. “I would love for Molly to have that opportunity. She deserves it. My heart aches for that kid,” Bluder said of Davis.

Grace Smith | The Daily Iowan Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder claps during a NCAA Tournament Final Four game between No. 1 Iowa and No. 3 UConn at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 5. The Hawkeyes defeated the Huskies, 71-69.

Caitlin Clark Iowa guard

Martin Clark

Marshall

REPEAT RUNNER-UPS

RUNNER-UPS

The Hawkeyes fell, 87-75, to the Gamecocks on April 7 in their second NCAA Championship game. South Carolina finished the season undefeated.

Ayrton Breckenridge and Grace Smith | The Daily Iowan

The Iowa women’s basketball team walks down a red carpet before a NCAA Championship game between No. 1 Iowa and No. 1 South Carolina at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 7. The Gamecocks defeated the Hawkeyes, 87-75. (Bottom left) Iowa forward Hannah Stuelke goes for a layup during the NCAA Championship game. On ESPN, there was an average of 18.7 million viewers during the game, setting a new record for viewership in women’s basketball. (Bottom middle top) South Carolina runs onto the court after wining the NCAA Championship game. The Gamecocks went undefeated for the 2023-24 season. (Bottom middle bottom) The South Carolina women’s basketball team celebrates after the NCAA Championship game. The Gamecocks have won three titles under coach Dawn Staley in the past seven tournments. Confetti for South Carolina falls over Iowa fans after the NCAA Championship game.

Find more online:

The Daily Iowan’s coverage from the Hawkeyes falling to the Gamecocks at dailyiowan.com.

An all-round team win

Several Iowa players stepped up to seal the Final Four win against UConn.

Kenna Roering Sports Editor mckenna-roering@uiowa.edu

CLEVELAND — No one panicked in the Iowa locker room at halftime.

Down six to UConn in the Final Four.

Twelve turnovers. The National Player of the Year was 0-for-6 from beyond the arc with just six total points.

Even after an “uncharacteristic” first half, the Hawkeyes stayed confident. UConn had only scored 13 points off Iowa’s 12 turnovers. And despite Caitlin Clark’s slow start, No. 22 said her shot “felt good” in pregame warmups, so she knew her baskets would start falling.

“I think the best thing about our group is we went to the locker room at halftime and it wasn’t like ‘Oh, come on. You got to make shots.’ It was ‘Stop turning the ball over, and you’re going to be perfectly fine,’” Clark said postgame. “I don’t think we were like freaking out about our offense not working … Everybody knew we just needed to clean it up a little bit, and that’s exactly what we did.” It was a full team effort by the Iowa women’s basketball team on Friday night. Hannah Stuelke led all scorers with 23 points, and Clark finished right behind with 21 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. This is the second time this season Clark hasn’t been Iowa’s leading scorer — Stuelke scored a career-high 47 points against Penn State on Feb. 8.

The two Hawkeyes jumped off the stat sheet, but it was critical plays by Iowa’s other three starters that sealed the win.

“It’s not just me. It’s not just one player. That’s not what this is,” Clark said. “We wouldn’t be at this point right now if it was just one player. Everybody comes up and makes really big plays when we need them.”

Kate Martin had three critical scoring plays in the fourth quarter, including a turnaround jumper and driving layup in the final three minutes to give Iowa a two-possession lead. “The Glue” finished the game with 11 points, eight boards, and two steals, despite getting knocked in the nose and leaving the game momentarily.

Bluder said Martin “was not going to be denied” in the fourth quarter.

“I don’t know what happened to her nose, but obviously, we all saw a lot of blood,” Bluder said of Martin. “That poor girl has broken her nose I think every single year she’s been at Iowa, but she is a warrior. She’s a leader. She’s the heart and soul of our team.”

Then, there was Gabbie Marshall. Back in her home state with family and friends

watching from the crowd, Marshall held star guard Paige Bueckers to 17 points and made her work for every single bucket.

UConn trailed by one and had the ball with nine seconds left in the game. Marshall was in the right place at the right time and fell victim to a moving screen by Aaliyah Edwards. Marshall, pumping her fists and yelling at the crowd in excitement, regained possession for Iowa. “She doesn’t get enough credit for what she does,” Clark said of Marshall’s defense. “She guards one of the best players in the country and really challenges her quite a bit.” The Huskies had no other choice but to foul at this point. Martin moved the ball into Clark, an 86.2 percent free-throw shooter, and Bueckers fouled her with three seconds left.

Clark took a deep breath and swished the first free throw. The second rolled off the rim, but Sydney Affolter was right there to secure the biggest rebound of her career. Affolter

ended the night with six offensive boards.

It was reminiscent of McKenna Warnock’s game-sealing board against South Carolina in last year’s Final Four.

In the final 30 seconds of that game, Iowa was up 75-73 when Clark missed a deep 3-point shot. The ball ricocheted off the rim, and Warnock was right there to secure it. If the Gamecocks would’ve grabbed the rebound, they would have had 18 seconds to draw up a play and go for the tying or game-winning shot.

Affolter smiled big and said Warnock texted her right after Friday night’s game about their similar clutch plays.

“I didn’t even know that it finished the game, honestly,” Affolter said of her final rebound. “I just was thinking, ‘I got to get this rebound no matter what.’ I had to secure it whether it was at the end of the game or not.” Clark said the maturity of this Iowa team helped them move on to the next play and not dwell on turnovers or missing open

shots. The point guard said when she first arrived at Iowa, she felt like “[she] had to do everything.” Now, Clark and her teammates have the utmost confidence in each other to make big plays down the stretch.

Clark said she knew she couldn’t “fall in love with the 3-point shot” and commended UConn for how tough they guarded her. UConn consistently put two players on Clark when she started driving to the hoop, forcing her to give up the ball. UConn’s Nika Mühl, who Bluder compared to Marshall on the defensive end, especially gave Clark fits, getting in her space the moment she started dribbling the ball up the floor.

“A few years ago, she would have gotten so frustrated. She would have been really upset, and in the huddles, she wasn’t mad at all,” Bluder said of Clark. “Sometimes people can feed off of her if she’s emotional in a bad way. So I thought that her composure in the huddle even when things weren’t going well for her in the first half was really a sign of her growth.”

Stuelke plays on big stage

Hannah Stuelke finished the Final Four matchup leading the team with 23 points.

CLEVELAND — In one of the biggest wins of the season thus far for the Iowa women’s basketball team, star guard Caitlin Clark didn’t lead the Hawkeyes. Hannah Stuelke did.

The second-year forward recorded a game-high 23 points during the team’s 71-69 win against UConn in the Final Four on April 6. The win guided the Hawkeyes to their second straight national championship appearance.

“I thought Hannah played amazing tonight,” head coach Lisa Bluder said in the post-game press conference. “I was so pleased with her growth tonight, and as a young sophomore, she took another big leap tonight.”

Stuelke reached the 20-point mark for the eighth time this year, and her performance Friday night was just the second time this season that Clark wasn’t the leading scorer for Iowa. Stuelke scored a career-high 47 points against Penn State on Feb. 8.

“I think Hannah’s tremendous,” Clark said following her 21-point, nine-rebound performance. “ She played with a different energy about herself, and she knew she could go in there and dominate.”

Stuelke’s scoring abilities kept Iowa in the game during the first half, as Clark was held to just six points on 3-of-11 shooting after the first two quarters.

“I thought she played amazing and battled inside for some tough shots,” guard Kate Martin said. “Some of us guards were struggling to score at times, and I thought she did a good job of taking them off the bounce and finishing around the rim.”

Hailing from Cedar Rapids, Stuelke got most of her buckets — like she typically does — running in transition and snagging Clark’s Patrick Mahomes-esque passes to score on fastbreak layups.

“I think from the start I was being aggressive,” Stuelke said. “ I thought I prepared better for this game than I did for the last.”

Stuelke also wasn’t afraid of backing down All-Big East forward Aaliyah Edwards in the post and played a pivotal role in getting Edwards into foul trouble late in the game. “She goes toe to toe with Aaliyah Edwards, who in my mind, is one of the best players in the country,” Clark said. She was physical with her and guarded her well, and [Hannah] was definitely the difference maker.” Associate head coach Jan Jensen said

Stuelke was the one consistent scorer Iowa had in the first half and said she remained as such until her teammates got in rhythm. “She’s an absolute beast, and it’s great to see this happen because we all know how hard she works in practice to make us better,” guard Kylie Feuerbach said. “ She’s just an athletic post that can do a lot of stuff for us both defensively and offensively.” Bluder said the biggest thing that has got

in the way of Stuelke is her confidence.

Ayrton Breckenridge | The Daily Iowan Iowa guard Caitlin Clark dribbles the ball during a NCAA Tournament Final

Game day in downtown IC

Residents flooded downtown to watch the women’s basketball Final Four contest.

Isaac Elzinga Sports reporter isaac-elzinga@uiowa.edu

There was an anxious buzz around downtown Iowa City before the Iowa women’s basketball team’s Final Four game against UConn Friday night.

While many opted to enjoy the free hospitality of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, students flocked to the bars in the heart of Iowa City to see the game.

Such bargoers, although anxious and quiet with their eyes glued to the TV screens throughout the game’s four quarters, released much tension through screams of celebration when the offensive foul was called on UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards with seconds left on the clock. The foul ultimately sealed Iowa’s 69-71 win.

Black and Gold lined the bars across Iowa City, ready to cheer on Iowa’s star guard Caitlin Clark, who has injected energy into Iowa women’s basketball, the athletic department, and the university as a whole.

“I just think what Caitlin’s doing for women’s sports is so empowering,” first-year student Noor Albaghdadi said. “It’s bringing so much attention to women overall. And I just think it’s just amazing what she’s doing, especially for the University of Iowa. We prioritize women’s sports here.”

UI third-year student Grant Spalding, in line to get into The Sports Column, said he doesn’t follow sports very closely but that this Iowa women’s basketball team grabbed his attention as he knew it was on the brink of history this March.

Minutes before the game was underway, there was only standing room at The Sports Column and Field House. Iowa fans were ready to cheer, packed shoulder to shoulder and hoping the team could hear their chants in Cleveland.

“I think you get more of a fanatic experience,” UI second-year Charlie Fox said of the decision to watch the game downtown. “I was here last year for the Final Four game against South Carolina. Absolutely packed. I absolutely loved the energy.”

The Hawkeyes started slowly, but bar patrons remained energized and cheered on every Iowa score, hoping the Black and Gold could bring the game back when they fell behind. nued, much to the dismay of the fans across downtown.

Iowa’s quick scoring spurt at the end of the first half brought the energy back to its pregame level as chants of “Let’s go Hawks” rang across the streets. As Iowa stormed back in the third quarter, the fans grew louder, sensing that the Hawkeyes could be on the verge of a second national championship appearance.

The rowdy bunch screamed at the TVs on every corner for fouls as if the refs could hear their displeasure and would reverse of fans downtown. “When Caitlin gets the crowd going, everyone gets a really big bump.”

If the third quarter grabbed fans’ attention, then the start of the fourth had them enthralled. Iowa took a lead to start, and the fans erupted. But UConn climbed back into the game, and it came down to the final ball possession. Iowa fans’ nerves were palpable as they feared a Final Four victory could slip through their fingers, the Hawkeyes up one with seconds left on the clock, the ball in sealing the game for the Hawkeyes. The crowd’s tension was released, and fans jumped for joy as they watched Iowa make it to the NCAA National Championship for the second year in a row. Fans emptied the bars after Iowa won the game and stood outside, high-fiving people as they left. Others ran up and down the street and started singing the Iowa

song. “I think it’s such a positive environment now,” Albaghdadi,

fight

who is from Iowa City, said of the changes she has seen. “[Iowa] has always been somewhat decent at sports throughout the years … It just helps make

Ethan Mclaughlin | The Daily Iowan

Fans celebrate during the women’s basketball Final Four watch party inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on April 5. Hawkeye fans packed half of the stadiumand watched the game on the Carver jumbotron.

Ava Neumaier | The Daily Iowan

Hawkeye fans cheer during a University of Iowa women’s basketball game against UConn at Sports Column on April 5. Iowa won 7169. Fans chanted “I-O-W-A” that rang through the streets of downtown Iowa City for the Final Four matchup.

Ethan Mclaughlin | The Daily Iowan

Fans celebrate during the women’s basketball Final Four watch party inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on April 5. The Final Four game was the all-time viewed women’s match.

The Hawkeyes defeated the Huskies, 7169, on April 5 to advance to their second consecutive national title game and face undefeated South Carolina.

UI, IC STARSTRUCK BY ECLIPSE

Thousands of UI students and Iowa City residents gathered to watch the eclipse.

Fatima Salinas News Reporter

fatima-salinas@uiowa.edu

Evan Watson News Reporter evan-watson@uiowa.edu

At 2:01 p.m. April 8, thousands of University of Iowa students standing, sitting, or laying on the Pentacrest lawn looked up to see a phenomenon not seen in 20 years.

For the first time since 1979, a total solar eclipse darkened the skies over much of the U.S. Those in Iowa City could view a partial eclipse, drawing thousands of UI students and residents to two locations on campus.

A partial eclipse occurs when the moon passes in front of the sun and is viewed from an area outside the path of totality, which refers to the moon’s amount of coverage over the sun based on the angle at which the eclipse is viewed. Watch parties on the Pentacrest and courtyard outside the Sciences Library were hosted by the UI’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and Sciences Library. The departments hosted a similar event for the partial solar eclipse in 2017, which had a narrower path of totality.

The partial eclipse began around 12:46 p.m. and reached maximum totality at 2:01 p.m., ending at 3:16 p.m.

Dishan Das, a UI graduate student, viewed the event from the Sciences Library courtyard.

“I remember when I was a child in my country in India, I saw the eclipse. I think these glasses are so cool. I can see the Sun more clearly,” Das said.

Also viewing from the Sciences Library courtyard was fourth-year student Joel Castillo, who had never seen an eclipse before today’s event.

“It’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A fourth-year, kind of a cool story to tell that I saw the eclipse. It’s my last semester at Iowa so, it’s like why not,” Castillo said. Castillo said he appreciated the university’s support for students going to see the event and providing free 2,000 free pairs of solar eclipse glasses. Members of the physics and astronomy department also brought telescopes with solar-viewing lenses, including a model accessible for people who have disabilities at the event.

Caroline Roberts, astronomy expert and manager of the UI’s Van Allen Observatory, previously told The Daily Iowan the sun would be 90 percent blocked by the moon.

“It’s pretty rare for any one location to have a total, or

Chuck Grassley: ‘More

than six months of budget showdowns, lawmakers have yet to move forward with a farm bill.

Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley said a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill is likely while lawmakers continue to negotiate a bipartisan bill to reauthorize hundreds of federal grants and programs aimed at farming. The bill also contains the authorization for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs, one of the U.S.’s largest antihunger programs, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Grassley said lawmakers are looking to make reauthorization every seven years so farmers have more certainty on the availability of federal funds for subsidies and grants. Grassley said lawmakers are looking to make reauthorization every seven years so farmers have more certainty on the

even a partial, solar eclipse,” Roberts said.

Jonah Schwartz, a first-year student, observed the eclipse from the Pentacrest alongside some of his classmates, who were all excited to be there.

“Everyone says that this event is a ‘once-in-a-lifetime,’ so it was actually exciting to see that everyone is actually out here, enjoying the eclipse,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz also said he was happy to learn his professor had canceled class for the students to go out and watch the eclipse, something that was not mandated for every student today.

UI first-year students Caleb Gardner and Chas Rundle said their professor canceled class to let students enjoy the watch party. PHOTO:

availability of federal funds for subsidies and grants. “Farmers need certainty,” Grassley said in an interview with The Daily Iowan on April 8. “What’s holding it up is trying to get a bipartisan agreement to do what we on the [Senate] agriculture committee call putting more farm into the Farm Bill.”

According to Politico, Democrats don’t plan on taking up the farm bill anytime soon while they focus on TikTok legislation, combating the fentanyl crisis, and lowering prescription drug costs among other priorities. In a letter to Senators, Schumer made no mention of the farm bill when laying out the priorities for lawmakers in the coming weeks and months.

The 2018 farm bill expired on Sept. 30, 2023, but was extended to Sept. 30, 2024, in a stopgap funding bill in November 2023.

The farm bill has always been bipartisan, Grassley told the DI. However, lawmakers have been unable to reach an agreement on whether or not to include $15 billion in spending from the Inflation Reduction Act for climate-smart agriculture to remove the deadline for spending the money and making it permanent.

However, Republicans want to loosen restrictions on the money to give more to farmers with less strings attached, according to Politico. House Republicans want to move some of the climate-

“Farmers need certainty. What’s holding it up is trying to get a bipartisan agreement to do what we on the [Senate] Agriculture Committee call putting more farm into the Farm Bill.”

Chuck Grassley U.S. Senator

“The prices that were set in the 2018 farm bill don’t reflect [inflation],” Grassley said. “We need to have a reflection of the inflation [farmers are seeing] and that’s what’s keeping us from getting a bipartisan agreement.”

Grassley said that while Senate lawmakers are working on a solution, House lawmakers are looking to put forth their own proposal.

“For the first time that the house may put out a farm bill,” Grassley said. “I’m glad that they’re doing it, but I don’t think it’s going to [make an] impact until we get a bipartisan agreement here in the United States Senate.”

smart farming funds to farm safety net programs, but Democrats have rejected both proposals, leaving lawmakers in a stalemate. Grassley also said the 2018 Farm Bill doesn’t account for inflation that farmers are seeing in the basic goods needed to farm like diesel, seed, fertilizer, and chemicals. Grassley said he would like to see more funding for farm programs to account for that price increase.

DI IN D.C.

Cody Blissett | The Daily Iowan

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley answers questions during an interview at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington D.C., on April 8.

Iowa. Founded this year, the Back to Ground Natural Burial Cemetery group is in talks with local land trusts and the national Conservation Burial Alliance to give those in Iowa easier access to an all-natural, or green, burial option. A green burial typically occurs without embalming, a traditional casket, or a concrete burial vault. Conservation burial in particular aims to preserve the land while also letting the deceased return to it, said Jeffery Ford, a co-chair of Back to Ground. Although the group is still in its “building stage,” Ford said they hope to have a piece of land within the next two-to-three years. However, this space must meet a series of requirements, including size, conservation status, and location relevant to Iowa City and Coralville.

“Ideally, it would be within a short drive of the major metropolitan areas of the county. It would have some remnant native plant life and ecosystem on it. Ideally, it would be large enough that we could foresee a long-term solution,” Ford said. “We have a much less dense commitment to burial than a typical cemetery.”

While non-green cemeteries usually have anywhere from 1,200 to 1,400 grave plots per acre, Ford said a conservation cemetery will likely be around 300 plots per acre to preserve as much land as possible. To find space that would work for Back to Ground, the organization has been in talks with the fellow nonprofit Bur Oak Land Trust.

artist, and another co-chair for Back to Ground, and spoke with Taylor initially to conceptualize the nonprofit a little over a year ago.

While Hoffbauer has known about conservation burial for over a decade, she decided to look into it further as an option for her clients but noticed that Iowa was behind the trend.

embalmed bodies can cause harm to animals and can be found in ambient air. Hoffbauer said these factors make conservation burial a critical choice for the future of the planet. “Conventional burial is absolutely not sustainable. This planet can not bear those practices,” Hoffbauer said.

While cremation is on the rise in Iowa and across the nation as an alternative to traditional burial, the process is not as environmentally conscious as conservation burial.

“I’m most interested in this because I’m conservation-minded to start with, and I’ve found a great deal of connection and spirituality in the land. I think this provides a great opportunity to help people reconnect.”

Jeffery Ford Co-chair of Back to Ground

The trust was founded in 1978 and is run by Executive Director Jason Taylor. Both nonprofits frequently meet to discuss the next steps and any laws or restrictions Back to Ground might face while trying to acquire land for a cemetery. Taylor said the land trust is hopeful for its partnership with Back to Ground because both groups have similar environmental goals.

“From the beginning, there was an idea around if there is going to be a conservation burial ground, some organization is going to have to be responsible for the conservation side of it,” Taylor said.

Becky Hoffbauer is a practicing death doula,

Shreya Reddy News Reporter shreya-s-reddy@uiowa.edu

Sheala Been, a staff nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, found the unknowns that came with being a first-time mother more stressful than she imagined.

Been, the mother of 9-month-old Mabel, was constantly worried about whether her baby was okay and focused on personal health by eating well and staying fit to ensure she had a safe pregnancy. Between her scans during the early stages of pregnancy, Been and her husband would wait anxiously.

Feeling anxious and stressed during pregnancy and postpartum is common. Nichole Nidey, assistant professor of epidemiology at the UI, focuses on substance abuse, anxiety, and depression in pregnant women and the factors that play into these stressors.

Despite the link between mental health concerns and pregnancy, services in Iowa are limited. According to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, about 26 percent of mothers in Iowa diagnosed with depression received counseling during their pregnancy.

Nidey said Iowa currently ranks 44th out of 50 states in access to mental health professionals. During pregnancy, Nidey said one of the primary stressors is having enough paid time off to attend prenatal visits, which is a vital part of ensuring a baby’s health and safety.

“Sometimes you have to go every week, and for those women with high-risk pre gnancy, you have to go even more frequently,” Nidey said.

With Iowa being a rural state, Nidey said access to proper health care can be difficult to come by. Accor ding to a report from the Iowa Department of Public Health in 2020, there were

“Iowa is bordered by several states that have cemeteries dedicated to just natural burial, and most of them that I’m interested in are the conservation burial cemeteries that also act as a nature preserve and cares for the land in its natural native state in into perpetuity,” Hoffbauer said. “And that’s what I want for myself.”

Currently, the closest dedicated natural burial site listed on the Conservation Burial Alliance website is located in Elizabeth, Illinois — about two hours from Iowa City. Green burials are intended to be environmentally conscious, as they don’t allow for the leaching of chemicals into the ground from embalmed bodies. According to an Environmental Protection Agency report, formaldehyde leftover from

4.5 OB-GYNs per 10,000 women in the U.S. In Iowa, that number was as low as 3.3. “We have a lot of patients who will travel three, four, five hours to come to UIHC, for example,” Nidey said. “Not having enough maternal health care providers in the state of Iowa adds additional stress.”

For Been, having enough maternity leave after delivering her baby was also a significant postpartum stressor. Under the Family Medical Leave Act, Been was eligible for six weeks of maternity leave postpartum. Been had accrued six weeks of sick and vacation leave, meaning she had 12 weeks off to care for her baby.

“I can’t even begin to imagine what it would have been like to go back after six weeks because even after 12 weeks, I wasn’t ready to leave my baby, but I had a job that I needed to go back to,” Been said.

Nidey said another barrier for women postpartum was access to insurance.

The rules for Medicaid eligibility, for example, change during pregnancy. Nidey said women who may have been ineligible for Medicaid before pregnancy can become eligible during pregnancy as the requirements change. In Iowa, pregnant people are eligible for Medicaid with a family income of 380 percent of the Federal Poverty Line.

Under Iowa Law, postpartum mothers and their babies are eligible for Medicaid for 60 days after delivery. Once those 60 days have ended, many women lose access to the health care benefits they had received under Medicaid. Some Iowa legislators are currently working to expand eligibility to a year under Senate File 2251. The bill has passed both the House and Senate.

Alex Murphy, director of communications at the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, said maternal mental health is addressed by the Iowa Maternal Quality Care Collaborative and its Mental Health and Substance Abuse Subcommittee, which work to develop strategies to improve maternal mental health and provide additional services mothers may need.

Been said breastfeeding was her biggest stressor postpartum, as her baby would be unable to latch on, which made feeding times difficult.

“It took a lot of time, patience, learning, and grace,” Been said.

Nidey said finding adequate child care postpartum continues to be a stressor for many women as well. According to Nidey, waitlists can be up to 18 months long, and it can be especially difficult to find a spot for newborns. Been worried about

Lee Webster, the co-founder of the Conservation Burial Alliance, wrote in an email to The Daily Iowan that the cremation process doesn’t save land, but rather avoids it.

“Conservation burial is a one-step process that has no residual effects or downsides environmentally; in fact, it is the only method we have that sequesters carbon and other elements rather than emitting them into the atmosphere,” Webster wrote.

While the Back to Ground Natural Burial Cemetery continues to talk with Bur Oak Land Trust about potential land options and the business side of the nonprofit’s operations, Bur Oak might not be the group to eventually provide the land, Ford said.

Back to Ground has also spoken with Lensing Funeral Home in Iowa City, which offers biodegradable caskets, as well as a funeral home in Cedar Rapids, but no official partnership has been formed yet.

“The mission is to practice environmentally sensitive burial traditions that help conserve the land and to do that in a way that connects people back to the land for me,” Ford said.

what she would do once her daughter was born, as she didn’t want to send her daughter to daycare. Been only works weekends now, allowing her to spend more time with her child.

“I am grateful that everything worked itself out and that I had the support of my husband and family,” Been said.

During delivery, Been remembers the stress that came with childbirth.

“When it was finally time to push, I was overwhelmed with emotion. You can truly do everything you can to prepare, but nothing prepares you for that moment,” Been said.

“Motherhood can be really scary, especially with your first child, but trying to live in the moment is so important because that time will be gone really quickly.”

Emily Nyberg | The Daily Iowan

A green casket is seen on display at Lensing Funeral Home and Cremation Services in Iowa City on Feb. 3.

Isabella Tisdale | The Daily Iowan

Staff nurse Sheala Been poses for a portrait with her ninemonth-old baby, Mabel, in North Liberty, Iowa, on April 8.

The JoCo Supervisors recommended minimum wage increase to $12.64 per hour.

A new minimum wage could be coming to Johnson County.

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on March 28 to raise the county’s recommended minimum wage from $12.25 to $12.64 per hour. This increase is largely symbolic in the hopes of setting a standard for more affordable living in the county.

The board annually raises the county’s minimum wage despite former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad’s bill in 2017 that limits localities from raising minimum wages past the state and federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

The board has raised Johnson County’s minimum wage $5 over the set federal minimum wage over the past seven years. Although this raise can only be a statement of recommendation for local businesses, board members feel strongly about the importance of a higher minimum wage.

Guillermo Morales, the executive director of the supervisors, wrote in an email to The Daily Iowan that there are many benefits to increasing the minimum wage.

“It encourages socially conscious employers to establish a minimum wage which keeps pace with the CPI. It benefits their workers by enhancing their earnings and thereby the quality of life for them and their families,” Morales said. “The minimum wage is not only a benefit to low-wage workers. A rising tide lifts all boats.”

Before the start of the fiscal year on July 1, the board annually looks at collected data from the consumer price index, or CPI, to make a calculated decision to raise the minimum wage based on economic inflation.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Midwest’s CPI rose 2.8 percent in the past year due to a 4.3 percent increase in housing costs and a 2.2 percent increase in food costs.

These yearly increases have been approved since September 2015 when the board voted to start phased increases in the minimum wage.

Lisa Green-Douglass, a Johnson County

supervisor, said the federal minimum wage is not livable, and she supports raising it. “We have a lot of businesses, especially in the Iowa City area, that have continued to keep up with the county’s recommended minimum wage, recognizing that this is part of having a livable place,” Green-Douglass said. “But we can’t enforce it if a place of business is not paying that. We have no authority whatsoever.”

Kennedy Donovan, an employee at Yotopia, said she used to work a minimum wage job in high school and believes the minimum wage should be raised. “I feel like if I was getting paid minimum wage, I feel like we kind of deserve more than that just because we’re doing so much,” Donovan said.

Donovan said she now gets paid $11 in her current position at Yotopia in downtown Iowa City. Even though this is above the federal minimum wage, she still believes it’s important to raise wages. Comparatively, Illinois’ state minimum wage was raised to $14 per hour in January.

Morales wrote in an email to the DI that the rising prices of food, health care, child care, and education are all major con tributing factors to the Johnson County community’s struggles.

Morales stated that due to the state gover nment’s control over local governments, the county is not able to make many needed changes to better financially help the com munity.

Morales wrote that the state has prohibited local governments from not only raising the minimum wage but also instituting protections against high rent increases, redirecting needed money toward public schools, and the ability to grow revenue to pay for local services through taxes.

“Unfortunately, the state government has tied the hands of local governments and continuously thwarts efforts to improve quality of life and support the most vulnerable among us,” Morales wrote. “It appears the state is most interested in protecting and benefiting the wealthiest among us.”

Rod Sullivan, chair of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, said he wishes Republicans in the governor’s office and state legislature would recognize the importance of raising the minimum

According to the Congressional Budget Office, raising the minimum wage could cause employers to employ fewer people to avoid paying more money.

Because of this, some businesses believe raising the minimum wage could be harmful to their business.

Sullivan said there was no loss of employment in the community when the minimum wage was raised before the 2017 bill, only positive reactions from local businesses. Sullivan said the biggest change was the ability for low-income citizens to bring home more money.

Green-Douglass believes there is a bet -

ter way for the state to handle and address the minimum wage problem. “I would love for our state legislature to address the issue in a non-political way, but what I would like them to

IC child care staffing numbers improve Possible minimum wage increase in JoCo

Despite staff shortages in Iowa’s child care centers, Lionheart’s numbers remain steady.

Shreya Reddy News Reporter shreya-s-reddy@uiowa.edu

For Emily Brandenburg, director of Lionheart Early Learning, working in a child care center has always been something she is passionate about.

Since becoming director four years ago, Branden burg has seen multiple staffing shortages at the center. However, Lionheart’s numbers have since improved, preventing a shortage that would warrant a closure of classrooms or the center as a whole.

Located at 2717 Northgate Drive in Iowa City, Lionhe art is working to retain more staff members by boosting staff morale, gifting coupon books to staff members at Christmas, offering free coffee, and even giving away tickets to Heartlanders hockey games, Brandenburg said. However, across Iowa and much of the U.S., many understaffed child care centers are struggling to stay afloat.

According to a survey conducted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, or NAEYC, 37 percent of centers experienced some form of a staffing shortage while 35 percent were unable to open classrooms in the state of Iowa in 2021.

Missie Forbes, executive director of 4Cs Community Coordinated Child Care, said historically, the child care profession does not pay well due to high turnover and low retention rates of staff members. The average wage reported in the NAEYC survey was between $12.68 and $14.97 per hour for classroom teachers and roughly $19.79 per hour for directors.

According to Forbes, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this issue to the point where many classrooms in Iowa were forced to close and subsequently struggled to reopen.

“A lot of programs are toeing the line, and one person calling in sick can topple the whole entire structure,” Forbes said. At Lionheart, Brandenburg has experienced the effects of having many staff members call in sick. To cope with low staff numbers, Brandenburg said she would go into the classroom herself to help out.

Currently, the Johnson County Child Care Wage Enhancement Program, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, allows qualified staff a wage increase of $2 in an attempt to mitigate high turnover rates. Child care programs can apply for this funding given they meet eligibility requirements.

Brandenburg said in a child care center, there is a certain ratio of staff members to infants and children. Varying in age, there are four babies per staff member at Lionheart.

Iowa Administrative Code 109.8 requires centers to maintain this staff ratio with numbers varying depending on the children’s ages.

“We make sure that depending on how many kids are in the classroom, we have the necessary staff to meet that ratio,” Brandenburg said.

Laurie Nash, youth and family services manager for Johnson County Social Services, said staff retention has been particularly difficult and adds to the pressure of

keeping doors open.

“There is a lot of pressure in child care, and it is not as compensated, I think, as other jobs, making it hard to recruit and retain staff,” Nash said.

According to data from the Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children, national turnover rates for child care range from 26 to 40 percent per year.

Nash said the financial challenges to keep a child care center open — including mortgage, rent, and utility payments — never change regardless of staffing numbers.

“When there is frequent staff turnover, there are empty classrooms, and when there are empty classrooms, there is less income coming in,” Nash said.

Brandenburg said staffing impacts the center itself, but it also makes it harder on the individuals who choose to continue working there. Many staff members’ breaks get shortened or they are required to take a later break than normal when a staff member calls in sick, Brandenburg said.

“This can be very daunting because working eight hours a day with eight toddlers, for example, is a lot, and sometimes we don’t have the staff to replace them,” Brandenburg said.

Nash said families are affected by this shortage as well. When there are fewer spots in child care centers, families have fewer choices on where to send their kids.

“They may end up choosing a center that is further away from their home or work, especially for families with infants,” Nash said.

Brandenburg said many families don’t have family members who live nearby that they can rely on, leaving them no other option but to send their kids to a child care center. Brandenburg said this responsibility motivates her to provide the best child care experience possible.

“We want quality people here who want to work here, and this is truly the prime development stage for these children,” Brandenburg said.

Nash said families need reliable child care options that are consistently open.

“Child care is a basic building block of our economy, and if people can’t get to work because they don’t have child care, that is something that needs to be addressed,” Nash said.

Isabella Tisdale | The Daily Iowan

A childcare worker prepares snacks for kids at Lionheart

Early Learning in Iowa City on April 8.

Emma Calabro | The Daily Iowan

Members of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors during a meeting at the Johnson County Public Health and Clinical Services building on March 27.

GreenDouglass

Sullivan

OPINIONS

US Republican budget plan is a disaster

House Republicans propose frightening plan that shows what Iowa’s future could look like.

U.S. House Republicans want to make living even harder for individuals with lower incomes, take away women’s bodily autonomy, and give tax cuts to the wealthy in our country.

On March 20, 80 percent of U.S. House Republicans voted to pass a frightening budget plan for fiscal year 2025. The proposal, titled “Fiscal Sanity to Save America,” makes cuts to Medicare, Social Security, and Affordable Care Act funds. It also aims to reduce access to abortions, raise the retirement age, and give more tax cuts to the wealthy.

If this proposal becomes law, Iowans will be greatly affected.

The federal proposal was written by the Republican Study Committee, or RSC, which also aims to increase the cost of prescription drugs, housing, and the cost of energy by getting rid of the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy tax credits. President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union Address that he stands against this budget proposal, vowing to stop Republicans from making cuts to Medicare and Social Security, and from raising the retirement age.

RSC represents the majority Republican ideal for how this country should run: By preventing access to abortions, stomping on the lower class’s access to health care, and letting big corporations dry them out of money. The RSC is a congressional caucus composed of Republicans.

As we near the next presidential election, it is important to interpret this budget proposal as a threat to the well-being of the 78 percent of Americans who are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a February article from Forbes.

The RSC’s plan to solve the issue of the lack of funding for Medicare is to implement the program into a “premium

support model” that would give senior citizens a subsidy to pay towards private or Medicare insurance plans, while taking patients 55 and younger off Medicare.

Losing a big chunk of patients would increase out-of-pocket costs for premium private and Medicare insurance, according to a 2017 article from HealthAffairs. The proposal also aims to cut $1.5 trillion in Social Security by raising the age of retirement and reducing disability benefits, according to a March 21 White House Fact Check.

The RSC also stated in the plan that they want to implement the Life at Conception Act which would apply the 14th Amendment to all stages of life. This means legal protections would start at conception. They also endorse banning abortion after 15 weeks. In Iowa, abortion is banned after 20 weeks.

Additionally, part of the RSC proposal is to permanently implement former President Donald Trump’s 2017 rigged “small business” tax cut plan, which primarily benefited 82

wealthy families with a total of $1 billion in savings within the first year, according to a 2021 ProPublica expose.

Rather than cutting low-income households’ Social Security and Medicare benefits, our government should revise how much we spend on the military each year. This year totaled $841.4 billion for the Department of Defense, according to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024.

Meanwhile, Republicans want to force our older citizens to work longer, raising the retirement age to 69. Inevitable higher-cost insurance plans will leave them to fend for themselves, especially in Iowa, which has a rapidly growing population of older people.

University of Iowa researchers found that Iowa has the largest percentage of adults over the age of 80 nationwide. By 2030, more Iowans will be 65 years old or older than 18 years old or younger.

According to the 2022 Iowa City census, 13 percent of Iowa City’s population is over the age of 65.

Our government could work on better solutions proposed by the Center for Medicare Advocacy, such as reducing the cost of prescription drugs, allowing Medicare drug cost negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, or equalizing the cost of both private and federal health insurance.

To ban access to abortion is to alienate women from the 14th Amendment, removing their identity as an American. Removing their bodily autonomy is an ironic move on the part of many conservatives since they usually proclaim to protect people’s autonomy in all stages of life.

Republicans’ and Democrats’ fiscal fumble should not fall on the shoulders of hardworking Americans. Women should not have to be terrified about the criminal legal implications of using IVF or getting an abortion, no matter the reason. The wealthy do not deserve any more tax cuts when there are kids worried about when their next meal will be.

During this upcoming election, we must understand that this proposal could easily become law, resulting in a larger wealth gap, lower healthcare security, and further restrictions to women’s reproductive care.

Reynolds’ changes to AEA bill fixes issues

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds recently signed new legislation improvig teacher pay.

Aaron Al-Kerdani Opinions Columnist fouad-al-kerdani@uiowa.edu

As of July 2022, 12.5 percent of Iowa’s population has a disability, amounting to over 390,000 citizens.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has dodged a bullet.

On March 27, Reynolds made the right call in signing a new law to make important changes to Iowa’s Area Education Agencies after reviewing feedback from disgruntled parents and lawmakers as well as evidence of deficient testing scores for students with disabilities and the student population in general.

An area education agency, or AEA, has one main directive: to provide students who have disabilities under 21 years old with support and education services.

Reynolds’ new law has many benefits, but it didn’t start out that way. Back in January, the governor originally planned to allocate the funding meant for AEAs straight into Iowa school districts, which would have been an awful idea, considering an improperly funded AEA cannot continue to help students with disabilities.

However, the power of democracy came into play, and Reynolds met with parents and lawmakers to discuss an alternative solution. After a couple of months of deliberation, Reynolds signed the legislation into law. The final bill appears to be a success for both the AEA and the school districts. The revised bill makes it so Iowa’s AEAs will retain 90 percent of their special education funding, while school districts will have control over just 10 percent of

special education funds. Within another year of being implemented, districts would gain control over general education and media services funding within the AEA.

While the deliberations were going on, Reynolds chose to make these changes because the U.S. Department of Education had stated Iowa was in jeopardy when it came to an area of special education in a report from 2018.

According to Reynolds, the bill “shifts funding to school districts, empowering them with local control to decide how best to serve their students and improve education outcomes without disrupting services or dismantling the system.”

Reynolds is making the right call by allowing school districts some control to determine what is best for their students, but most importantly, preserving the majority of AEAs’ funding. These changes may actually work and improve the school system now that both the districts and

AEAs can do their jobs adequately.

Another important change the bill will bring is an increase to teacher salaries. Iowa teachers will now have their minimum salary raised to $50,000 after two years of implementation.

In fact, any teacher with 12 years of experience or more will have their minimum salary raised up to $62,000. Additionally, Reynolds had claimed that with the addition of a 2.5 percent state supplemental aid rate, the government would have invested around $4 billion in Iowa’s education system, according to Iowa Capital Dispatch.

Essentially, the governor has successfully increased teacher pay and allocated more control to Iowa school districts without the expense of Area Education Agency funding. All of these changes will no doubt help Iowa’s education system for years to come. Of course, like any legislation, there will be skeptics, but as it stands, this bill is an improvement for Iowa. Reynolds did well this time.

Prevent disease with functional medicine and diet

Diet and nutrition are key parts of our health, particularly in the prevention of disease.

Focusing on your health and wellbeing is the best medicine you can get. Health care professionals around the world are now incorporating functional medicine into their practice. Functional medicine is personalized care that addresses root causes of disease and focuses on preventative care rather than reactive care. Lifestyle modifications are the foundational aspects of functional medicine.

These lifestyle modifications include sleeping and exercising more, stress reduction, nutrition, and diet. However, while all the above aspects are contributors, nutrition and diet enhance many health outcomes and play a fundamental role in a patient’s health.

Dietary changes alone may not be enough for all patients, but it is an important first step that can empower and motivate patients after improvements they experience.

What is a “Food First” approach? why is it important?

A “food first” approach involves making changes to an individual’s diet before taking medication. Plant-based and Mediterranean diets are rich in vegetables, fruits, beans, peas, and nuts, and they minimize the consumption of processed foods. With the overabundance of processed calories in the American

diet, we are starting to see more nutrient deficiencies. Therefore, in addition to educating patients on the importance of diet and its effects on overall health, it is crucial for health professionals to assess and treat nutrient deficiencies.

Surprisingly, it is estimated that 31 percent of people in the United States are at risk for developing one or more nutrient deficiencies.

Common nutrient deficiencies from diet in the United States include vitamin D, vitamin E, magnesium, calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin C. Nutrients are key regulators in our bodies and play a vital role in many functions. Micronutrient deficiencies have been linked to physiological impairments, metabolic disorders, developmental issues, and decreased immune, endocrine, and cognitive function. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that we consider these concerns in our patients and in ourselves.

What else might lead to nutrient depletion?

In addition to diet, long-term medication use has also been linked to nutrient depletion. Certain medications

can cause our body to not fully absorb or benefit from the nutrients we get from food. Some common medications that deplete nutrients include oral contraceptives, anticonvulsants, and proton pump inhibitors. Oral contraceptives deplete folic acid and magnesium. Anticonvulsants (Diazepam, Gabapentin, Lamotrigine, Levetiracetam, Valproic Acid), which are commonly used for seizures, deplete calcium. Proton pump inhibitors (Esomeprazole, Lansoprazole, Omeprazole) are available over the counter without a prescription and are commonly used to treat heartburn, but long-term use depletes magnesium. Interestingly, it is estimated that 30 percent of drug side effects are due to drug-induced nutrient depletion. This can lead to a phenomenon known as a “prescribing cascade,” which refers to prescribing one drug to treat the side effects of another drug. Taking a deeper look into the causes of side effects from drugs is a key factor in treating the root cause of the problem.

How do we assess for nutrient deficiencies and how can we treat them?

There are many assessment tools to determine nutrition imbalances includ -

ing the nutrition-oriented physical exam. This is a physical approach that evaluates muscle, fat, fluid retention, functional capacity, and looks at lab values to determine micronutrient deficiencies. During the assessment, it is critical to identify underlying causes of chronic symptoms and conditions.

Functional medicine clinicians use an interprofessional team approach with primary care providers and ensure the patient is fully involved in their treatment plan. The Institute of Functional Medicine has a “Find a Practitioner” tool that allows you to search for certified functional medicine practitioners near you.

After assessment and diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies, treatments can be initiated. Treatment strategies include supplements, new dietary habits that help the patient increase consumption of nutrient rich foods, and a specific food plan tailored to each individual patient. The functional medicine approach gathers patients’ genetics, chronic conditions, and lifestyle choices to make a plan that fits each patient’s specific needs. While functional medicine is not considered mainstream currently, it may be a positive addition to any healthcare provider’s repertoire when considering the treatment of their next patient.

Abigail Rosano, a UI first-year student, said she was happy knowing she got to experience both the partial 2017 solar eclipse with her middle school class and now the 2024 solar eclipse in her first year at the university.

“I remember my middle school had an event similar to this, obviously on a smaller scale but it was very similar, and so I got to watch that one with my friends, similar to this now,” Rosano said. Elizabeth Childers, a UI first-year student, said she saw the 2017 partial eclipse when she was in seventh grade. She said she wanted to witness the eclipse this time around fully knowing the context behind it.

“I knew the eclipse was a big deal in 2017. I don’t really remember it, I wasn’t really conscious then. I wanted to see the eclipse at a time I would remember,” said Childers.

Childers said the event was “lovely” because it was a significant moment of community in Iowa City. She observed many students and non-students together to see the event.

The event was popular among students as both the Pentacrest and the Sciences Library courtyard ran out of the special glasses for students before the clips had reached totality.

Another UI first-year student, Lily Rennick, said she received her glasses at the Iowa City Public Library because the UI’s event ran out.

The next partial eclipse will be visible from Iowa City in 2029, but the next total eclipse visible over the continental U.S., like today’s event, will not happen again until 2044.

Jane contributed to this report.

Emma

Emma Calabro | The Daily Iowan

Two people share a pair of torn eclipse glasses during the eclipse watch party on the Pentacrest on April 8.

MISSION CREEK RETURNS

Iowa City celebrated music and literature over the weekend with the 19th Mission Creek Festival featuring three days of events.

See more online

To view more photos and coverage from the three-day-long 2024 Mission Creek festival visit dailyiowan.com.

DI Staff | The Daily Iowan (Above) North Carolina-based singer-songwriter Indigo De Souza performs at the Englert during the second day of the Mission Creek Festival in Iowa City on April 5. De Souza was one of the headliners of this year’s festival. This year marks the 19th year of Mission Creek in Iowa City. (Beside) Luke Burbank and Elena Passarello open the Live Wire Radio show at the James Theater during the Mission Creek Festival on April 6. The show, hosted by Luke Burbank and presented by Sarabande Books, featured writers and authors SG Goodman, Morgan Parker, Carmen Maria Machado and Simon Shieh. (Below left) Maya Hernandez buys a zine during the ICE CREAM zine market at Public Space One on April 6. The craft fair is a literary event, one of several literary events during the Mission Creek festival. (Below right) Larissa Pham speaks during the third round of the Literary Walk Around as part of the 2024 Mission Creek Festival at Prairie Lights Bookstore on April 5. Prairie Lights is one of many venues around Iowa City hosting events for the festival. (Bottom) Fans watch Indigo De Souza perform at the Englert during the second day of the Mission Creek Festival in Iowa City on April 5.

UI doctors perform and fundraise for Stead Family Children’s Hospital

West Music’s community outreach event, “Doctors in Concert,” raised over $650 in cash for patients at the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

Medical professionals make

A “Doctors in Concert” event April 5 showcased several of Iowa City’s musically-talented doctors fundraising for the

Arts Reporter riley-dunn@uiowa.edu

Some of Iowa City’s musically-talented doctors traded their white coats and stethoscopes for instruments and microphones for an evening of giving on April 5. The “Doctors in Concert” event returned to intersect music and medicine for the first time in seven years.

The concert was originally develope d in 2013 as a fundraising event to support the University of Iowa’s Stead Family Children’s Hospital. While admission was free, attendees were encouraged to make donations to support the hospital, which they could do either in per son or through a QR code provided in the programs.

After raising over $25,000 for the hospital through the event between 2013 and 2017, West Music experi enced staff shortages and was forced to repeatedly post pone the event.

The intention was to restart the annual concert in spring 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic halted plans for another few years.

“Thanks in part to Dr. [Isaac] Samuel and some other doctors being really persistent, we’ve been able to get this going again,” trumpet player Evan Fowler said.

Fowler oversees West Music’s community outreach in both Iowa City and Coralville, which is how he got in volved in the fundraiser.

Many doctors who performed on April 5 have long been tied to their artistic endeavors and value the chance to perform in front of a crowd. This includes bariatric surgeon Isaac Samuel, who has worked in the Department of Surgery at the UI for 25 years.

Samuel’s ties to the arts go back years. Beginning with medical school in India, Samuel has also lived in London and Chicago before finally arriving in Iowa City.

“Before I came abroad, my background was more in theater. I wrote my own plays acted in them, and produced them with my friends at a pretty young age,” Samuel said. “When I was in medical school in India, I also belonged to a semi-professional theater group.”

As part of this group, Samuel was invited to different cities to perform in plays, as well as to write and develop some of them.

His works were later staged in London.

“I’d finished all my exams and had my next job lined up at Northwestern. So I found myself with a free year in London, where I could focus on my extracurriculars before I went back to my academics and research in Chicago,” Samuel said.

Samuel’s focus shifted from theater to music upon his arrival in Iowa City.

“I was encouraged to take some guitar lessons with teachers who specialize in songwriting,” Samuel said. “So I kept writing songs and did some coaching with the

best music teachers.”

Eventually, this interest in songwriting inspired Samuel and his coaches to start a songwriting workshop, as many people in the Iowa City area were writing and performing their own songs. The group started with six people but soon expanded to include about 15.

“That’s where I get my monthly dose of music,” Samuel said.

Over the past few years, Samuel has written several original songs, some of which he has performed at Doctors in Concert, since getting involved in 2016. He cites 2017 as a particularly special year because his own kids were allowed to join him on stage.

“My kids were in elementary school, and I convinced them to come up on stage and participate with me. That was very cute, getting them involved,” Samuel said.

This year, Samuel was more than happy to return to Doctors in Concert due to both his continued appreciation for art and music as well as his admiration of the children’s hospital.

He was also the artist who began the night, introducing audiences to two of his own songs.

Following Samuel’s performance came the musical talents of Joel Berger, Alexandra Nica, the band TURKANA, Brian Gehlbach, and Ernie Found, who was joined on stage by Bill Emerson, Lily Westemeyer, and Barry Westemeyer.

“I loved how diverse the different types of music were in the performance,” audience member Jenna Link said.

Link attended the event to support Nica, along with fellow attendee Calvin McElvain. Nica currently works in the Tippie College of Business and had several of her students in attendance for her performance.

“She’s a genius. I knew she was good at piano, but I didn’t know she was that good,” McElvain said.

Both Link and McElvain also enjoyed getting to watch the Turkish band TURKANA in particular, because the band exposed them to a different type of music.

“The thing that’s unique about our event is that we have physicians who play instruments other than piano,” Fowler said. “We have guitar and jazz performers, and a Turkish music performance as well. It’s quite a variety of talent that we have onstage.”

The night ended with a send-off from Found and company, who played a rousing rendition of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” before concluding with the University of Iowa’s fight song.

However, the connection between doctors and music spreads far beyond the confines of Iowa City.

“When I was in school, there were people getting degrees in music who wanted to go on to have a career in something outside of music,” Fowler said. “Maybe they were getting a music performance degree and then intended to go to medical school, or law school. And music was something they had chosen to focus on earlier in life.”

“A creative mindset, hunger for knowledge, and need for improvement — that exists both in being a physician and in being an artist, whether that be in music or in visual art.”

Evan Fowler Trumpet player

Fowler recalled talking to his dentist about this connection and how she had gotten her undergraduate degree in piano performance from Northwestern University.

He credits the connection between medicine and music to the fact that both require a lot of focus, practice, and creativity.

“A creative mindset, hunger for knowledge, and need for improvement — that exists both in being a physician and in being an artist, whether that be in music or in visual art,” Fowler said.

Fowler believes that performing music is always a special experience and hopes that people will take their talents and share them with their community, family, and friends.

“The hospital and university are both right at the center of our community, both literally and figuratively,” Fowler said. “These performers are showing that they are more than just white coats. These people have personalities.”

Both Fowler and Samuel hope the new installment of Doctors in Concert will return to being an annual event, as both a fundraiser and community outreach.

“It’s cool to see all of these doctors that are still living their passion,” Link said.

Emma Gutzman | The Daily Iowan Medical professionals Ernie Found, Bill Emerson, Lilly Westemeyer, and Barry Westemeyer perform during the “Doctors in Concert” event at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts on April 5.