The Daily Iowan — 10.2.24

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2024

Iowa City’s flourishing African community

African Festival of Arts and Culture is a new annual event showcasing the diverse cultures of Africa’s 54 countries.

Isabelle Foland News Reporter news@dailyiowan.com

Charlotte Ericson Arts Reporter arts@dailyiowan.com

Looking around his classroom over two decades ago, Sunday Goshit did not see many students who looked like him.

Goshit came to Iowa City from Nigeria for graduate school around 24 years ago. He said he has been involved with the local African community ever since he set foot on Iowa soil.

While he has watched the community grow exponentially over the years, Goshit said some individuals in Iowa City’s burgeoning African population felt it was lacking something important: an event to showcase the continent’s culture and bring those from it together in one place.

This is how the idea for this year’s first Africa Fest originated. Goshit, the chair of the festival’s planning committee, and the other members and organizations involved in the festival spent months planning the event that would allow Iowa City residents to experience Africa’s rich culture.

In front of the Graduate Hotel, artists and performers of all kinds took the stage. Poets, jugglers, dancers, singers, and bicyclist tricksters showed off their many talents.

Walking down the Ped Mall, lines of booths were set up, with signs representing the associated artist’s identity. Clothing racks, beaded handbags, and dazzling jewelry caught attendees’ eyes as they walked by.

Fatima Saeed, a Sudanese immigrant who’s lived in Iowa City for over 20 years, works as a painter. She donates 45 percent of her profits to various organizations, specifically those that support underprivileged African towns and fund disaster relief.

“I helped raise money to build a school in Kenya for refugees with the [United Nations] because I used to be on the board with the Johnson County chapter,” Saeed said. “Now, Sudan is going through war. I support a lot of families, kids who have been orphaned…medicine, shelter…I sell this art to help these people and send a lot of money to help them.”

“I like to share ideas because there are a lot of different traditions between Iowans and Sudanese. Therefore, this festival provided a great opportunity to learn more about Sudanese culture along with other cultures across Africa.”

Fatima Saeed

The festival came to fruition on Saturday, Sept. 28. Iowa City’s Pedestrian Mall was transformed into an invigorating atmosphere filled with upbeat music, laughter, and foods from various African countries.

‘Every body is a rugby body’ Take a look into how the Iowa women’s club rugby team is breaking barriers through the rugged nature of the sport. SPORTS | 1B

Construction on a new food pantry in North Liberty began Tuesday. Check out our coverage of the groundbreaking at dailyiowan.com.

Listen to the latest episodes of The Daily Iowan’s two podcasts, Above the Fold and Press Box Banter, where reporters cover the latest news and talk sports at dailyiowan.com.

A new hub for energy drinks in the Ped Mall

Hyper Energy Bar specializes in handcrafted infused energy drinks.

Madelyn Ambroz News Reporter news@dailyiowan.com

Energy drinks have become a new fad across the country, with the University of Iowa reporting increases in student consumption of caffine in recent years. A new company, run by Iowan Chris Whalen and his wife Izabella Whalen is bringing a shop solely focused on energy drinks to Iowa City.

The business, called Hyper Energy Bar, is a beverage outlet that sells unique, handcrafted infused energy drinks. As of July, there are only five other locations open throughout the Des Moines area.

The first Hyper location opened in July of 2021. The newest shop will be located on 115 E College St., replacing the ReUnion Brewery gift shop.

Chris Whalen and Izabella Whalen have strived to create a friendly and welcoming environment and said they hope to expand the franchise nationally.

The pair knew they wanted a location in Iowa City. Chris Whalen explained that growing up in the Quad Cities, he would often visit the downtown area in the summertime. Chris Whalen said having his own business in the Pedestrian Mall has been a dream come true, and he knows how significant it is to open a shop in a college town considering roughly 92 percent of college students drink caffeine regularly.

Hyper locations are structured as drive -throughs rather than sit-down shops. The buildings are typically smaller and work as a two-lane drive-through to have fast and quality service. At the windows, customers are met directly with staff who will take and produce their order right before them.

In addition to helping people, Saeed is inspired to share her culture and learn more about other cultures.

“I like to share ideas because there are a lot of different traditions between Iowans and Sudanese,” she said. “Therefore, this festival provided a great opportunity to learn more about Sudanese culture along with other cultures across Africa.”

This festival transcended generational gaps and provided a

New lounge for Student Disability Services

University of Iowa Barbara Wilson spoke at an open house for the new space’s dedication.

Izabella Whalen explained that both she and her husband made it a goal to ensure hospitality for customers. In doing so, both decided not to include intercoms — despite Hyper being a drive-through-based shop — to ensure customers are met with face-to-face interactions with their staff, also dubbed as “energistas.”

“You get that interaction with someone and could make that person’s day,” Izabella Whalen said. “That really quick interaction can be something meaningful.”

The Iowa City shop will be a new concept for the franchise due to its location in the Ped Mall. This specific establishment will act more as a storefront or cafe where customers can walk in and order. However, the shop will not contain any inside seating. As it is an Iowa-based franchise, UI stu -

Bri Brands News Reporter news@dailyiowan.com

Located in Room 1101 of the Old Capitol Town Center, a new lounge dedicated to Student Disability Services is open to any student at the University of Iowa.

UI President Barbara Wilson spoke to a crowd of approximately 40 people on Sept. 24 during the lounge’s opening.

During her speech, Wilson recalled how students approached her during a meeting two years ago asking about a space dedicated to students with various forms of disabilities. At the time, she was unsure if the UI had the space to give them.

“[I’m] just grateful for our student leaders for saying this would be really helpful to have — a lounge that’s quiet, that we can monitor the temperature and the lighting, and really just take a deep breath and get a kind of a recentering moment,” Wilson said.

Mike Venzon, director of Student Disability Services, said surveys were conducted when designing the lounge.

“Student feedback was huge in finding out what some of the best practices might be,” Venzon said.

In addition to warm, adjustable lighting and a temperature-controlled room, the space offers a fidget center, weighted stuffed animals, different seating options for sensory preferences, adjustable tables, and soothing paintings as decorations.

The lounge is open to any UI student from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays.

“I’m really gratified to hear that it’s open to all students, which is really important because we can all learn about each other no matter what our backgrounds and differences are,” Wilson said in her speech.

Mackenzie Goss, a contracts and assignment specialist for UI Housing and Dining, supports students living on campus and used Student Disability Services as a UI student. Goss remembers how when she was a UI student, a lot of people wanted a space on campus that was quiet.

“I love that it’s not just for student with disabilities or students with SDS,” she said. “I like that it’s a really multiple space that isn’t necessarily academic focused or like a personal space, but just something in between, where you can go into the mall and you’re on campus.”

Cody Blissett | The Daily Iowan

Magnificat Choir members perform during the first ever African Festival of Arts and Culture in the Pedestrian Mall in Iowa City on Sept. 28. Over a dozen vendors present were selling food, jewelry, and clothing from a variety of African countries.

Emma Calabro | The Daily Iowan

Barbara Wilson is shown fidget toys that are available to students during the Student Disability

Lounge Open House on Sept. 24. The lounge is in room

on campus.

HYPER | 3A

AFRICA | 2A

Sudanese immigrant who has lived in Iowa City for over 20 years

space for African descendants to simultaneously come together to embrace their commonalities and celebrate the diverse cultures that enrich the continent of Africa.

The African community in Iowa has seen rapid growth over the years. According to the Migration Policy Institute, the African-born population in Iowa went from under 4,000 residents in 2000 to over 32,500 residents 22 years later. Iowa’s total population in 2022 was over 3.2 million.

As the African population in the state grew, Iowa City became a place that was attractive for immigrants because of the University of Iowa — specifically its smaller size, slower pace, and affordability, Goshit said. According to 2022 data, nearly 10 percent of Iowa City’s population — or over 17,000 residents — were born outside of the U.S.

Mawuena Morgan, a ceramic BFA and education major at the UI, described their experience as a first-generation Ghanaian, who was born and raised in Iowa as positive.

“This is the community event for me, and I’m just hoping that we have more and more and more,” Morgan said.

Moreover, they emphasized the importance of the event and how its presence provides a place of belonging for African American and Black Iowans.

“I think, culturally, Black culture and African American culture is surrounded by noise, like music, poetry, conversations, laughter — there’s always something being said, and I say that in the most positive way,” Morgan said. “It brings me joy to think about the loudness of a cookout, a birthday party, a graduation party, and these Black spaces. I like that these events give us space to be loud and laugh and laugh really hard for a long time.”

Goshit said African culture is about community and helping each other out in times of need. In Iowa City, many immigrants from Africa’s countries have formed informal neighborhood associations to meet periodically and support each other through challenges, he said.

Saturday’s festival was a chance to show this communal culture to Iowans, Goshit said.

“I think that bringing that aspect of the African culture here has been able to make [African immigrants] be able to adjust easier,” he said. “And that is something that I, for one, who is involved in organizing, would love to see that they continue to encourage — in fact, to even teach native Iowans that this is our culture.”

while her dad was getting his doctorate from Iowa State University but had to return to West Africa after his visa expired. When it was time for her to go to college, her parents encouraged her to move back to Iowa and attend the UI, from which she graduated in 2022.

The UI is a big draw for immigrants who are looking to get an education, Traore said. However, she said she can feel out of place only spending time on campus in classes that are predominantly white.

The African community has cemented itself in Iowa City, not only through raising their families here but also by starting businesses. Bukiwa Ansele came to Iowa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1994 and has lived in Iowa City since 1995. She said she has seen African grocery stores, churches, and clothing stores crop up in the city over the years.

Fatoumata Traore Iowa City Resident

“It’s a little bit isolating because when you’re on campus, yes, you see and interact with a few African immigrants here and there, but there’s not a lot of us on campus,” Traore said. “So, I would say that the time I was at the university was kind of like, ‘Oh, maybe two or three African kids with me.’ and [in] most of my classes, I would probably be the only person of color.”

“It’s a little bit isolating because when you’re on campus, yes, you see and interact with a few African immigrants here and there, but there’s not a lot of us on campus.”

While African immigrants and refugees have lived and worked in Iowa City for quite some time, Ansele said Africa Fest has finally given them a chance to show the city who they are.

“Nowhere in Iowa have I ever seen a festival devoted to Africans,” she said. “Not that we weren’t here, but it’s like we’ve arrived, and now we’re letting the community see a glimpse of what it is that can be showcased.”

For Fatoumata Traore, the African immigrant experience in Iowa City has been mostly positive. Traore was born in Ames

Once she got out into the larger Iowa City community, though, Traore said she met many more African residents from different countries.

Ansele describes Iowa City as a “unicorn city” because of how diverse and accepting the city is to those immigrating there.

“There’s just a lot of beauty here,” she said. “I see a lot of diversity, I see a lot of love, and I see a lot of people feeling like this can be home.”

Traore said Africa Fest gave others like her a chance to see that diversity as well.

“A lot of people, until they are involved in certain activities or community organization, they don’t realize how many of us are around,” she said. “They don’t realize how diverse the African community is here until they are gathered in a space that showcases that.”

Wyatt Goodale | The Daily Iowan

A vendor showcases goods at the first annual Africa Fest in the Pedestrian Mall Iowa City on Sept. 28. Intentional festival goers and pedestrians in the area interacted with the various vendors.

Ava Neumaier | The Daily Iowan

Performers look at a crowd during a Sudanese dance at the first-ever African Festival of Arts and Culture in the Pedestrian Mall in Iowa City on Sept. 28. The festival included live music, dancing, fashion, and other performances.

Artificial intelligence implemented at UIHC

Over 700 clinicians and physicians have used AI tools to manage patient information.

Evan Watson News Reporter news@dailyiowan.com

As medical practices advance, the health care sector is able to apply new, breakout technologies to its work. The University of Iowa is following this trend, by integrating artificial intelligence into its health care systems.

UI Health Care is consistently evaluating methods to improve both patient care and the lives of its staff. Recently, it has measured the impact of artificial intelligence on its staff and patients.

The hospital aims to reduce “administrative burden” by honing these technologies to assist in managing patient records and clinical documentation, among other issues, according to a release from the Carver College of Medicine.

In the release, UIHC Vice President of Bradley Haws said the hospital’s primary goal is to create the best environment possible for its staff.

“We believe in investing in clinician wellbeing and making sure they have the best tools to do their jobs,” Haws said.

The two new tools that the hospital introduced are Nabla and Evidently. Both were tested in the spring and are now available for clinicians.

Nabla is an AI tool that listens to clinicians’ and patients’ conversations and takes notes. This is significant for clinicians, as it reduces the time burden of writing notes. According to the release, for every hour a clinician spends with a patient, two more hours of desk work are required.

The software is also designed to avoid violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as it does not record the conversations.

The other tool is Evidently, which efficiently manages a patient’s medical records and chart during an appointment. Evidently processes large amounts of patient data and expedites the care process. The main liaison between UIHC and the two software providers was Jason Misurac, a pediatric nephrologist and associate chief health informatics officer at the hospital. He said Nabla is designed to reduce clinician burnout by lessening their workload.

When Nabla was tested in the spring, Misurac used a test group of 40 practitioners and physicians. He said the reported burnout rates dropped from 69 percent before the tests to 43 percent after.

Around 700 staff members have used Nabla since it was implemented on Sept. 3, Misurac said.

Using Nabla does not mean the burden of notetaking is eliminated. He said there still must be time dedicated to reviewing the notes Nabla generates. Misurac said

patient data are efficiently summarized and presented in an ergonomic user interface for the physician, Misurac said.

“It will generate specific problem-related data displays,” Misurac said. “If you click on the hypertension problem, it’s going to bring up the labs, the medications, and the recent visits that are all relevant to hypertension.”

Misurac said the response to the tools has been positive from staff. Any negative reactions were from those who have yet to

“You still need to review it and make sure it’s accurate, but I’d much rather proofread a document than compose it.”

Jason Misurac Liasion between UIHC and software providers

Nabla still saves time and energy.

“You still need to review it and make sure it’s accurate, but I’d much rather proofread a document than compose it,” he said.

He said Evidently is a beneficial tool for data integration. Pages and pages of

UI works towards coalfree initiative by 2025

New biomass replacing coal benefits human and environmental health.

Miranda Davis News Reporter news@dailyiowan.com

The University of Iowa’s former president Bruce Harreld announced in the beginning of 2017 that the university would be coalfree by 2025. But, with an active power plant on campus, this initiative seemed nearly impossible.

However, the work being done may make this goal achievable.

Stratis Giannakouros, director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment at the UI, has been working to spearhead the initiative.

“We, as a university, determined several years ago that we wanted to remove coal from our facility for the health impacts,” Giannakouros said. “And we had a strategy of how to do that that has evolved over several years.”

Since the UI commenced its zero-coal goal in 2008, ambitious sustainability goals have been made. One was to pursue an audacious 40 percent renewable energy objective that would assist in the transition of the campus from a hefty use of fossil fuels like coal to an eco-friendlier use of biomass and other renewable energy sources.

“One option that some universities have

a diversity of fuel sources.”

According to the UI Utility System, the UI requires roughly the same amount of energy as 42,000 homes. Most of that energy has historically come from coal, a nonrenewable fossil fuel that is burned to create electricity in power plants.

Most of the coal utilized by the university is brought by rail from Wyoming, Illinois, and Kentucky, and then delivered to power plants, as of 2022.

Peter Thorne, a professor in the College of Public Health’s Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, focuses his research on the health impacts of climate change.

“Since the Industrial Revolution, the burning of coal has led to massive release of carbon dioxide along with toxic metals like mercury and organic compounds,” Thorne said. “Air pollutants released from coal-fired power plants are associated with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, such as asthma and heart attacks, cancer, and neurological disorders.”

Since 2008, the UI campus has reduced its use of coal by 60 percent. In its place, the university began using substitutions of energy sources, including growing locally sourced biomass and partnering with local farmers, as well as a study with Iowa State

“We, as a university, determined several years ago that we wanted to remove coal from our facility for the health impacts, and we had a strategy of how to do that that has evolved over several years.”

Stratis Giannakouros UI director

of the Office of Sustainability and Environment

gone to is using natural gas solely as an alternative. We elected not to do that, even though it tends to be very clean,” Giannakouros said. “The reason is that we have a massive health care system, and we cannot afford to have a power outage. That leaves us vulnerable. So, we will always maintain

HYPER from 1A

dents and city residents are just as excited for this new location as the owners themselves.

“I was so happy to hear Hyper was coming to Iowa City. I think it’s a good idea considering it’s very popular in Des Moines and so many students here are from that area and talk about Hyper,” UI third-year student Trinity Newman said. On Sept. 25, the shop hosted open interviews at their new location, with roughly 200 people showing up for potential employment.

“We had a really, really good turnout for our open interviews last Wednesday in town and actually had overwhelming attendance that was fantastic,” Chris Whalen said. “It

University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, to develop a miscanthus energy crop — a grass that, when burned, produces a fuel efficiency of 35 to 45 percent.

Iowa is on track to plant 2,500 acres to produce 22,500 tons of sustainable

“I was so happy to hear Hyper was coming to Iowa City. I think it’s a good idea considering it’s very popular in Des Moines and so many students here are from that area and talk about Hyper.”

Trinity Newman UI third-year student

is another way to continue what we hope is our growth and our mentorship of the people who’ve worked for us since we first opened.” The owners hope to have a grand opening ceremony before the end of October.

explore the new tools in their work.

“We’ve received emails that say, ‘This is a game changer. I’m really excited about it,’” Misurac said.

Physicians and nurse practitioners are often overloaded by the amount of

documentation required during and after patient encounters, he said. Tools like Nabla, though, can cut down the burden substantially.

“Some of our physicians and nurse practitioners are seeing 200 patients per month, and that really starts to add up,” he said. “So, there’s some time savings there.”

Misurac said these tools, unlike other generative AI programs like ChatGPT, do not use the data input during patient care to train their language models. In other words, Nabla and Evidently do not “learn” from UIHC patient data, and patient confidentiality is preserved.

AI has other, newer applications in a hospital setting than what was negotiated with software companies like Evidently and Nabla. Research on the use of AI to track trends in vital signs can be beneficial in health care, Lindsey Knake said.

Knake is a clinical assistant professor of pediatric neonatology, which focuses on the care of newborn babies. Her research focuses on how new technologies can improve care.

Knake said the data generated from newborn babies on ventilators, her primary care focus, is tremendous. She said AI can process the data in a way the clinicians themselves cannot.

“How can the computers help us pick up on these subtle signatures?” Knake said. “That’s where I think AI will be more like augmented intelligence by showing us things that we as humans couldn’t detect.” Knake said processing the data this way can help make incredibly important decisions.

“We can find patterns that tell us early warning signs or inform other decisions like when should we take the baby off the ventilator,” she said.

Knake said the goal of efficiency in these new technologies is to help reduce the slow, burnout-causing parts of the job, instead allowing clinicians to pay more attention to developing relationships and proper plans of care with their patients.

“I think we’re getting into a new era of medicine, using these tools that will help us be more efficient and reduce the mundane tasks,” Knake said. “I hope we can use these tools to get back to the patient and back to the bedside.”

and renewable fuel for the campus annually. This creates a dedicated energy crop alternative to traditional row cropping to provideing a stable income to Iowa’s farmers. Miscanthus is considered carbon neutral, meaning it has no net release of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, which is a direct cause of global warming.

In addition to miscanthus, the university is using oat hulls as a source of power for the main power plant on campus. Introduced in 2003, this public-private collaboration with Quaker Oats created a new market for an oat hull by-product. Burning oat hulls had considerable benefits to the environment as well as to human health. By utilizing a half-and-half oat hulls-coal mix, when compared to burning only coal, carbon dioxide emissions decreased by 40 percent.

Over the first 10 years, oat hulls overrode 183,000 tons of coal and generated approximately $7.6 million in savings. In addition, oat hull usage displaced roughly 1,000 truckloads of coal per year, according to Facilities Management at the UI. When compared to burning only coal, co-firing with oat hulls reduced particulate matter by 90 percent, hazardous air pollutants fell by 41 percent, and metals including manga-

permit agreement. Peter Zayudis is the air quality construction permit supervisor at the Department of Natural Resources.

“Air quality construction permits are valid for the life of the equipment or until the equipment is altered, modified or removed from service,” Zayudis said. “The [Department of Natural Resources] reviews and issues permits to ensure the proposed or altered equipment complies with state and federal air requirements. These requirements are established by the Clean Air Act to ensure public health and welfare.”

In addition to the UI’s plans to be coal-free by 2025, the city of Iowa City is working towards a greenhouse gas emissions target. Iowa City’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, updated in August of 2019, declared a climate crisis and described work to reduce carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2030, and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Their 64-point-plan includes initiatives such as embracing electric vehicles and cycling, increasing recycling and composting, and reducing waste and consumption of material goods.

“By moving away from coal to cleaner and greener fuels, the UI is taking a meaningful step toward climate responsibility,” Thorne

Photo contributed by Liz Martin | UI Health Care

Ayrton Breckenridge | The Daily Iowan

The University of Iowa Power Plant as seen on Oct. 19, 2021. The UI is aiming to go coal-free by 2025.

Jessy Lane | The Daily Iowan

The entrance to Hyper Energy Bar as seen in Iowa City on Sept. 30. This will be Hyper’s first location outside of the Des Moines metro area.

It’s time to retire Brutalist eyesores

Opinions Columnist opinions@dailyiowan.com

For those unfamiliar with Brutalism, the origin of the word has been traced back to the French “béton brut,” meaning “raw concrete.”

Brutalist architecture first emerged in the 1950s in the United Kingdom as an offshoot of modernism. The goal was to create buildings using limited resources and materials to aid reconstruction efforts following World War II.

Raw materials such as concrete and exposed metal were used not only for affordability but also to highlight the simplistic and “honest” expression of the selected substances. Historically, the building type features straight geometric forms reminiscent of giant concrete cinder blocks.

This type of architectural style didn’t reach the United States until the early 1960s, creeping its way onto college campuses in the following decades. The modern notion is that most university campuses in the U.S. likely have at least one building resembling Brutalist design.

Examples you may recognize on the University of Iowa campus include Phillips Hall, the College of Nursing, and even the Main Library.

Despite the architectural style once being sensible and affordable, these buildings have overstayed their welcome on college campuses. Now, they remind students of the uncreative, drab, and rigid coursework often associated with higher education.

Iowa’s campus design should reflect the values of today’s students. Brutaliststyle buildings should be torn down or renovated to enhance campus facilities and engage students in nontraditional ways, ensuring that curiosity and creativity flourish through a focus on design and culture.

Many people associate Brutalist architecture with dark, depressing, and sinister origins, largely due to popular culture and historical design. These associations likely stem from social institutions like bunkers and prisons,

which often feature Brutalist design and carry negative cultural connotations.

This same notion is carried on by

UI senior Ethan Umina, who, when asked about the Brutalist style EnglishPhilosophy Building, said, “If the goal was to build a place that made everyone inside depressed, then it’s doing its job perfectly.”

This is just one of many student opinions that reflect the general consensus about many of the Brutalist buildings on campus.

Moreover, whether this distaste is warranted or not, public perception is typically hard to reshape. Despite the practical design choices of these buildings, they evoke a sense of uncertainty and complacency in passersby.

Brutalist architecture incorporates rigid structural elements and a lack of color, which can subconsciously stifle originality. This mindset should have no

in their academic goals and represented in all aspects of campus life.

Creativity, free thinking, and taking lessons beyond the classroom from reallife experiences is what college is all about. Recognizing beauty and applying it to an academic setting, especially outside one’s major, is crucial for all students. Despite what many critics have claimed, Brutalist architecture greatly inhibits students from doing so.

When the UI’s master construction and design plan was presented in January of 2022, there was little emphasis on renovating Brutalist buildings on campus. The only proposed renovation is for the Performing Arts Annex, which now holds the UI Department of Dance and other performing arts classrooms and spaces.

The plan excluded buildings like Phillips Hall and the English-Philosophy Building, which are outdated both internally and externally.

“The EPB was built over 50 years ago, and its design reflects that. It is a functional building but pretty dated,” Barb Pooley, the primary building coordinator for the English-Philosophy Building, said.

Pooley also commented on the current needs of the EPB.

“We don’t have any spaces – other than hallways – where students can sit and work or listen to online classes,” Pooley said.

Another item on the wish list? A new HVAC system.

The current system is original to the EPB and has trouble keeping the building comfortable, especially on hot, humid

According to the UI Design Standards and Procedures, when a building is deemed to require renovations, a code must be upheld.

“Universal Design is defined as a process that enables and empowers a diverse population by improving human performance, health and wellness, and social participation,” the standards state.

The irony behind this “standard” is that many of the proposed renovations in the 10-Year University Facilities Master Plan don’t make life “easier, healthier, or friendlier for all.”

There hasn’t been an emphasis on updating buildings for accessibility, nor creating a more friendly and engaging exterior for students. These hold-ups have historically been associated with older buildings on campus, some of which are designed in the Brutalist style.

Both Phillips Hall and the EPB only offer two accessible entrances. Compare that to buildings like Adler, which only features accessible entrances. Shouldn’t all students have the same access to learning environments?

This lack of accessibility and adaptiveness demonstrates the shortsightedness of the current administration, as well as a reluctance to better the life of students on campus, which I contend should be priority number one.

In this new age of technology and innovation, Brutalist architecture should be banned on college campuses. Universities can be catalysts for change and independent thought. It’s more than fair to expect their campuses to reflect

School just started — don’t overload yourself

Overextending yourself

James McCurtis Opinions Columnist opinions@dailyiowan.com

I woke up in a panic, realizing I was late for the 7:45 a.m. bus that took me from Mayflower to my morning internship. In a frenzy, I threw on my clothes, grabbed my penny board, and burst through the door only to see the bus leaving without me to find someone who would be on time.

Luckily, I made it to work with five minutes to spare and finished everything before my classes began at 10:30 a.m. School drummed along until 3:15 p.m., leaving little time to rest before I had to prepare for a fraternity meeting at 5 p.m.

Once the meeting finished, I clocked in for my shift as a resident assistant, where I stayed up until midnight corralling rowdy first-year students who decided it was reasonable to sneak a slip-n-slide into the hallway.

After everything was said and done, I relaxed and settled into bed. “Ah, crap,” I exhaled. “I forgot about my econ homework.”

Overload. Burnout. Mental fatigue. Whatever you call it, it’s hard to escape the increasing demands on our time and energy. From the “rags to riches” stories that populate the media to influencers like David Goggins who promotes working with little

rest, there’s a learned belief that overload is not only normal but encouraged.

Many people I know live a life similar to mine: always on the go with multiple clubs, jobs, and people pulling at their time.

“I say I try to take one task at a time, and when it’s good, it’s good. But when it’s bad, it feels like hands are grabbing me down and I’m drowning,” DeAndre Steger, a UI junior, said. “The feeling never really leaves. When you have free time, you feel guilty.”

With the proliferation of accelerated curriculums, many students face high academic pressure as early as elementary school. Add extracurriculars, jobs, and a social life, and it’s no wonder so many students burn out by their first or second year of college. A recent study found that 27.1 percent of first-year students felt psychological stress and 7.3 percent felt burnt out.

The University of Iowa admissions page lists eight bullet points that will help students prepare for college. Typically, universities want to see that a prospective student is a leader, personable, and offers a cosmopolitan viewpoint.

Furthermore, the UI states it takes pride in the number of students who hold jobs, writing, “Student employment is a win for both the student and the employer.”

With so many on-campus jobs, it’s no surprise more than 7,000 UI students work part time. The skills you can learn in a professional environment are invaluable, including teamwork – one of the 15 most important qualities for employees.

However, the increased burden of financial responsibility and sometimes inflexible scheduling of part-time jobs can be the tipping point for someone already pressed for time.

“The collective expectation is really overbearing, and I feel like every day I wake up disappointing someone,” DeAndre said.

With a social and academic emphasis on always doing more, students can easily overextend themselves, leading to mental and physical issues that can manifest in daily life.

Reduced immune functionality is also an immediate symptom of overexertion, which can be detrimental to students’ ability to learn. Lack of sleep can play a prominent role in feeling overexerted. Getting as little as 30 extra minutes of sleep can make all the difference in not only daily performance but also mental health.

Now that we know some of the negative effects of overexertion, what are the early signals to watch for?

Psychology Today tells us physical and emotional exhaustion are two of the most prominent. This can show up as loss of appetite, chronic fatigue, forgetfulness, anxiety, and depression. Increased irritability, cynicism, and lack of productivity are all also telltale signs. I want to emphasize that stress is not an inherently bad thing. Stress is normal and healthy. It can increase cognitive performance and help you complete your daily goals. However, negative stress, or distress,

can have long-term negative effects on your body, like headaches, insomnia, and weight gain. In 2021, it was reported that 52.8 percent of UI students felt moderate stress. 21.7 percent felt serious psychological distress.

This repeated state of distress is responsible for burnout. Burnout is the feeling of overwhelming stress, which results in a cycle of negative emotions causing students to withdraw emotionally, physically, and mentally.

Once I realized I had forgotten about my economics homework because of my long days, I knew I had to cut back on my responsibilities.

Now, I schedule my days out with a planner so I can make the best use of my time. I set clear boundaries for when I’m available. I also set aside time for myself. Whether it be a comfort show, video game, or hobby, find what helps you recharge your battery.

Saying “no” is also vital to establishing healthy boundaries. Even though I haven’t mastered it, being aware of the constraints on my time and energy has helped me tremendously in sticking up for myself.

The UI campus offers spaces to destress as well. The Meditation Club holds sessions every weekend in the IMU in room 346. Organizations like the Campus Activity Board also host events to decompress, like mug painting and bingo.

Follow these steps in whatever way feels right for you, and I know you’ll set yourself up for success this semester. Or, at the very least, you won’t forget your homework.

Iowa Democrats remain divided on foreign policy

Experts say this may harm voter turnout in the upcoming November election.

Mia O’Conner-Walker Politics Reporter politics@dailyiowan.com

With just over a month until the general election, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign faces a fracture within the Democratic Party, threatening her bid for the White House.

Iowa Democrats and Democrats nationally are divided over President Joe Biden’s response to the Israel-Hamas war, with progressives advocating for Biden to cut aid to Israel, leaving some proPalestinian progressives questioning how they will vote in November.

While the issue has not manifested as deeply for Iowa Democrats as it has nationally, Democrats across the state are unhappy with Biden’s handling of the issue.

The divide has plagued the Democratic Party since Hamas militants killed almost 1,200 people in an attack on Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023. The ensuing invasion of the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Defense Force has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians and leveled swaths of the densely populated enclave.

Pro-Palestinian activists have criticized Biden for his handling of the war with 61 percent of Democrats approving of his administration’s handling of the IsraelHamas war, according to a September George Washington University/HarrisX poll.

Iowa Democrats have not felt this division as deeply as Democrats have nationally, with only 38 percent saying they disapprove of Biden’s handling of the war, according to a June Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll. However, 65 percent of Democrats say that Israel’s actions are unacceptable.

Harris inherited Biden’s political liability on the issue, with protesters and activists calling for her to sign an arms embargo and end military aid to Israel — much like they did with Biden before his exit from the race.

Harris has largely mimicked Biden’s policies but has been adamant about her calls for a ceasefire in the conflict and stressed the importance of a two-state solution. A two-state solution is one in which both Israelis and Palestinians can self-govern and peacefully reside within mutually agreed upon and defined territories.

Harris has also said she would not support an arms embargo, or the cessation of arms sales to Israel, despite pro-Palestinian activists’ calls.

The party’s division could prove costly to Harris, with 17 percent of Democratic primary voters voting uncommitted in protest of Biden’s handling of the conflict. This is especially impactful in key swing states like Michigan, which boasts a large Arab American population — a key demographic for Democrats and among the most vocal in their support for Palestinians. A May ABC News/Ipsos poll found nearly half of those polled said the war is important in determining their candidate in 2024.

Democratic dissatisfaction with U.S. involvement in the war was further displayed at the Democratic National Convention in August, where more than 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters called for a ceasefire in Gaza and for Harris to withdraw her support for Israel. These protests revealed a division among Democratic voters and a clear vulnerability in Harris’s campaign.

Generational divide

Polling shows that both young and old Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of the war. However, they remain divided on who they support in the conflict. A July The Economist/YouGov poll found 58 percent of voters under 29 disapproved of Biden’s handling of the war and 56 percent of adults over 65 also disapproved.

Younger and older voters remain divided on who they support in the war, with 37 percent of voters under 29 saying their sympathies lie with Palestinians, while only 10 percent of voters over 65 say the same. Instead, 50 percent of voters over 65 sympathized with the Israelis.

Young Iowans share this disapproval of Biden’s handling of the war, with 78 percent of respondents under 35 saying they disapprove of Biden’s handling of the war in a June Iowa poll.

Delaney Waterman, a fourth-year University of Iowa student, said she has

apprehensions about Biden’s handling of the war and wants Harris to speak more on the conflict to reassure young voters who care deeply about the issue.

“[Biden has] not done a very good job with it,” Waterman said. “There’s obviously been protests and uprisings in a lot of different states and different communities — and for good reasons — because innocent people are dying over there, and I think that his kind of ignoring the subject and not speaking on it has really hurt his campaign a lot.”

While Harris has sought to define her stance on the issue, she has called for a ceasefire in the conflict and has said that a two-state solution is necessary to resolve the conflict, a stance that mirrors the Biden administration’s stance on the issue. She has said she does not support an arms embargo on Israel, a move that proPalestinian activists have been calling for.

Iowa State University Political Science Professor Mack Shelley said the divide among Democrats on the war is largely generational, with younger voters more likely to support Palestinians. Shelley said the generational divide over the IsraelHamas war is similar to the split that formed over the Vietnam War in the 1960s.

The experiences of younger voters who feel their voices are not being heard on this issue echo the experiences of younger voters during the Vietnam years, he said. While reaching these voters is important to Harris — and this is evident from the Democratic National Convention’s attempt to appeal to the younger generation — Shelley said the younger voting block is complicated.

Shelley said younger voters are less likely to vote as a block and have been historically inconsistent.

The most consistent voting block are those between their mid-60s and early 80s, a block that would not respond well to criticism of Israel.

“One of the dilemmas that Harris personally faces, and the Democrats face, is that if they do want to attract younger generational support, it’s going to be at the expense of probably losing even more votes than they would gain from the younger folks,” Shelley said.

The war has gotten worse in the past few months, he said, but it would be almost impossible for Democratic party leaders to come out against Israel. Shelley noted the importance of Israel as an ally, particularly given its geographic significance as a U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Israeli interests are also critical to winning elections, Shelley said, with much of the Democratic Party establishment relying on support from donors or campaign workers with Israeli interests. Condemning Israel, and losing the support of this important donor bank, could have catastrophic implications for the Democrats.

Shelley said Harris’ major talking points of her campaign realistically cannot say that she is pro-Palestinian, but at the grassroots level, there can be party activists who can reach out to the pro-Palestinian voter base.

Majority of Democrats support Biden’s handling of the conflict

While many Democrats show concern for Biden’s handling of the conflict, others within the party support his efforts.

A September George Washington University/HarrisX poll found that 61 percent of Democrats polled support Biden’s handling of the conflict.

A majority of Iowa Democrats feel the same, with a July 2024 Iowa poll finding that 51 percent of Iowans approve of Biden’s actions.

Tom Henderson, a co-chair of Iowans Supporting Israel and former Polk County Democrats chair, said he appreciates Biden’s decisiveness in handling the war.

Henderson appreciates Biden’s support for Israel, including military aid, but also supported Biden for the pressure he is placing on Israel to negotiate a ceasefire. Henderson sees the conflict as a human problem and voices concerns for the civilians of both Israel and Palestine.

“I think we all are very sad whenever we see anybody who is dying over there,” Henderson said. “Could be Palestinian, could be Israeli — nobody wants this death to continue.”

Henderson is not concerned with Harris’ handling of the conflict thus far, as he sees Harris as consistent with Biden and appreciates that she is working toward a ceasefire. A ceasefire, Henderson said, is the ultimate goal.

Henderson said any divisions within the Democratic party surrounding this topic stem from disagreements about the end of the conflict.

In terms of resolution, Henderson sees the conflict as needing consensus within the government.

“I would like the government to continue to encourage the two-state solution, to hopefully get both parties to agree upon areas where they can set up nation-states and coexist together without this armed conflict going on forever,” Henderson said, emphasizing that both the Jewish people of Israel and the people of Palestine deserve places to live and their own governments.

Going into the election, Henderson said voters are concerned that the current U.S. government is not doing enough to bring peace, but those voters do not have a place in the Republican party.

He said the threat this conflict poses to Harris is no-show voters, not voters who will cross party lines.

These no-show voters would have their largest impact in swing states, he said.

“You have to look at the swing states and then find out if there are significant groups of individuals that might be of Palestinian origin and might be concerned that the Democratic party isn’t really their friend,” Henderson said. “That’s where it would have an impact on the election.”

Activists not convinced by Harris’ calls for ceasefire

Pro-Palestinian activists still aren’t convinced that Harris would make a meaningful difference on the issue compared to Biden.

The leaders of the Uncommitted National Movement, formed to pressure Biden to shift his policy on the Israel-Hamas war during his reelection campaign by withholding their endorsement for his candidacy, recently refused to endorse Harris. They said she has not given the group indications of support for an arms embargo on Israel, a move which would ban the sale of weapons to Israel. The group did not encourage a third-party vote, however.

Yahir Jimenez, a first-year UI student

and the co-founder of Iowa Students for Justice in Palestine, a national Palestinian solidarity organization, said the group felt nothing had fundamentally changed for their cause when Biden exited the race in late July.

Jimenez said the student group expects, given Kamala Harris’ ties to President Biden, that her foreign policies will not differ too greatly from his. He described Harris as the successor of the Biden administration and expects her to continue Biden’s policies. The group will not be bought easily, he said.

To win the activist group over, Harris would need to enact an arms embargo and halt all military aid to Israel, solidify a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, and acknowledge the violations of international law by Israel, Jimenez said. Until then, Jimenez and other activists will continue to call for change.

Newman Abuissa, the chair of the Arab American Caucus of the Iowa Democratic Party and an uncommitted delegate to the Democratic National Convention in August, said he cast an uncommitted vote at the convention to serve as a voice for those frustrated with the Biden administration’s handling of the conflict.

Abuissa expressed frustration with what he considered hypocrisy from the Biden administration, as he criticized the administration’s calls for a ceasefire while also funding Israeli weapons.

He said when Biden was the Democratic nominee, he felt the chances of a Democratic win in the general election were slim.

Abuissa said with his foreign policy failures, Biden was losing traction with voters and Democratic enthusiasm was waning. So, when Harris replaced Biden as the nominee, he said he felt a sense of hope.

“Kamala Harris, impressively, was able to generate support and unify most of the party,” Abuissa said.

Now, Abuissa said Harris is walking a fine line as she tries to appease both sides of this Democratic divide.

He also said that while he recognizes the nuances of walking this line, Abuissa said he ultimately thinks that Democratic support for Israel in this conflict is harming Democratic values, such as defending human rights.

He said Harris needs to provide more clarity with her voters on what she intends to do to resolve this conflict.

“I would like the vice president to state specifically that she will take concrete steps to reach that ceasefire in the first week or two of her administration,” Abuissa said.

While he was an uncommitted voter at the convention, Abuissa said he still believes in the necessity of a Democratic win during the upcoming election, describing the alternative as “unthinkable.”

Abuissa said uncommitted voters, like himself, likely won’t be voting Republican but still need the Democratic party to prove to them that they care about the end of this conflict.

“If our Democratic party wants the progressive swing to vote in numbers and be mobilized and energized to vote, we need a solid plan to end the genocide,” Abuissa said. Abuissa said attempts to marginalize the Palestinian voters will impact the Democrat’s ability to mobilize their voter base. He said that this conflict is the “elephant in the room” for Democratic voters going into this election.

While Abuissa considers himself a singleissue voter, he still doesn’t plan to stay home on election day.

Up until the election, Abuissa will be advocating for Palestinian voices and implores other Democratic voters to contact their representatives and candidates in this election and demand a ceasefire.

And when Nov. 5 rolls around, Abuissa said he would be voting with his conscience.

“We need to let all candidates know, including the presidential candidates, that this is an issue we cannot ignore,” he said.

Shaely Dean | The Daily Iowan

Pro-Palestine protesters demonstrate at the Old Capital in Iowa City on Oct. 15, 2023. The ongoing conflict has recently caused fractions within the Democratic party.

Cody Blissett | The Daily Iowan

Protesters hold up flags and signs at a Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine march during the third day of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 21. Hundreds of police officers and other security officials surrounded Union Park leading up to the march.

A MANIFESTATION OF CULTURE

‘Every body is a rugby body’

Limited funding and resources don’t stop the Iowa women’s rugby club from competing.

Chris Meglio Pregame Reporter sports@dailyiowan.com

What’s the difference between a collegiate varsity team and a collegiate club team? The answer is simple: funding. Varsity teams are the ones that are publicized by their universities, receive funding from said institutions, and allow their players to earn money through scholarships, and name, image, and likeness — or NIL — opportunities. On the flip side, club teams receive little funding from the university, can’t offer scholarships for their players, don’t have any NIL opportunities, and tend to go unnoticed due to a lack of publicity.

played a certain sport a day in their life to play competitively. For the Iowa women’s club rugby team, the players and coaches are more than grateful for what they have.

Compared to varsity teams, club teams are tucked under the rug. But the one thing club teams offer is the opportunity for people who have never

“Having the opportunity to play rugby is everything,” team captain Alia Springer said. “It’s a huge reason that I’m the player and person I am today. These are some of my best friends on this team, and just having this group of women — it’s just so accepting.”

The team practices at the Hawkeye Recreation Fields on Mondays and Wednesdays, with gamedays taking place on the weekends. On off days, head coach Kathleen O’Neill and assistant coaches Gabbie Spenler and Kessa Kuyper design workouts for the players to do on their own time to stay in shape.

RUGBY | 3B

Iowa women’s soccer making major strides on offense

Head coach Dave Dilanni prioritized improvement on the team’s offense going into the 2024-25 season.

The Iowa women’s soccer team experienced a breakthrough season in 2023, winning the

FOOTBALL

The story behind Iowa’s iconic ‘Burrito Lift’

The Burrito Lift has become a popular tradition at major Hawkeye sporting events.

The Iowa football team has implemented many special traditions over the years, ranging from listening to an audio recording of Nile Kinnick’s Heisman Trophy speech before every home football game to the famous Kinnick Wave at the end of the first football quarter.

Another special tradition, affectionately known as ‘The Burrito Lift,” has reached new heights of success after first being made famous by a partnership between the Hawkeyes and local restaurant Pancheros.

The Burrito Lift incorporates fan participation while playing Belgian musician Danzel’s song “Pump It Up!” and originated in 2007. As the song plays over the loudspeakers, fans raise and lower their hands in unison as if they were lifting something. Some fans lift their friends in the air.

Alexis Puebla, the director of digital marketing for Pancheros, recalls how the famous tradition started as a joint idea between the restaurant and Iowa’s athletic department in 2007.

“Lifting a burrito on the giant screen was the idea,” Puebla said in an interview with The Daily Iowan. “The Pancheros team was trying to put their heads together, thinking about a song that made sense to pair with it. ‘Pump It Up!’ by Danzel really caught their ears and the repeating refrain that they have in the chorus just felt like it made sense.”

Rodney Anderson, the president and founder of Pancheros, agreed with Puebla.

“We really had to find that song,” Anderson, who founded Pancheros in 1992, said. “What’s very interesting is that [the] refrain was just perfect for what we wanted to do. It was a very unknown song at that time, so we decided to go with it.”

In a college town where original ideas can quickly reach new heights of approval from fans, the collaboration between Pancheros and the university has since stretched past the city limits, becoming a tradition that countless people associate with their own meanings.

Former Iowa defensive lineman and WWE wrestler Ettore “Big E” Ewen interprets the famous lift as an event

Isabella Tisdale | The Daily Iowan

An Iowa women’s rugby player warms up with teammates before a practice at the Hawkeye Recreation Fields on Sept. 26. Despite a lack of athletics funding, the team self-funds to travel around the Midwest for matches.

Nelson | The Daily Iowan

Forward Maya Hansen celebrates a goal during a soccer match between Iowa and Penn State on Sept. 2. The Hawkeyes defeated the Nittany

Football

Saturday, Oct. 5

Ohio State Columbus, Ohio

2:30 p.m.

Soccer

Sunday, Oct. 6

Indiana Iowa City, Iowa

1 p.m.

Field Hockey

Friday, Oct. 4

Penn State Iowa City, Iowa

5 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 6

Maryland Iowa City, Iowa

12 p.m.

Volleyball

Friday, Oct. 4

Washington Coralville, Iowa

8 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 6

Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska TBD

Men’s Golf

Sunday, Oct. 6, and Monday, Oct. 7

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Intercollegiate South Bend, Indiana Women’s Golf

Monday, Sept. 30, and Tuesday, Oct. 1

Diane Thomason Invitational Iowa City, Iowa

Tennis

Friday, Oct. 4, through Sunday, Oct. 6

Husky Invitational Seattle, Washington

WHAT YOU’VE MISSED

Despite the loss of superstar Caitlin Clark to the WNBA, momentum surrounding the Iowa women’s basketball program will continue into the 2024-25 season.

On Wednesday, the program announced that it sold out its general public seating inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the second-consecutive season. Student tickets will be available for purchase beginning Oct. 1.

The Hawkeyes are coming off a school record 34 wins that included a Big Ten Tournament Championship and second-straight NCAA Championship appearance. Iowa returns key links in Hannah Stuelke and Sydney Affolter, as well as the nationally renowned Lucy Olsen to fill Clark’s role as the star. It will be Jan Jensen’s first season as head coach of the Hawkeyes after Lisa Bluder’s retirement.

“I’m just excited about the changes this year and going through a reset, and now we say we’re going to do it the old-fashioned way,” Jensen told David Eickholt of 247 Sports, recognizing Clark’s departure. “Now we don’t have someone that shoots from the parking lot. They actually shoot from the three-point line. We’re going to go figure that out all over again.” Many fear the Hawkeyes will be unranked and underrated entering this season without the former Naismith Player of the Year and current WNBA Rookie of the Year.

The team will begin play with an exhibition game against Missouri Western on Oct. 30 before facing Northern Illinois in the season-opener on Nov. 6. Tip-off times and TV schedules will be announced at a later date.

A peek at Iowa’s basketball schedules

The men will tip-off their season on Nov. 4, and the women on Nov. 6.

Brad Schultz Assistant Sports Editor brad.schultz@dailyiowan.com

While football season is in full swing, it is never too early to talk about winter sports — especially college basketball.

The Iowa men’s and women’s basketball teams don’t return to action for another few months, but Big Ten released the conference schedule for the 2024-25 season on Sept. 19, signaling that a new campaign is around the corner.

The women’s squad enters the season with plenty of momentum after going 34-5, reaching the NCAA championship game for the second-consecutive season, losing in an 87-75 heartbreaker to South Carolina.

Despite the losses of superstar Caitlin Clark to the WNBA and head coach Lisa Bluder to retirement, Iowa announced on Sept. 25 that it had sold out all home games inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the second-consecutive season — a remarkable moment for new head coach Jan Jensen.

On the other hand, the men’s team struggled in 2023-24, going a measly 19-15 overall and missing out on the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018. The program is entering a crucial season under head coach Fran McCaffery, who hopes to guide the Hawkeyes back into the Big Dance for the eighth time in his tenure.

Here’s a look at both teams’ schedules for the 2024-25 season:

Men’s team

The men’s team will open the season on Nov. 4 against Texas-A&M Commerce. After two more contests against lower non-conferences foes, Iowa’s first test of the season will be on Nov. 15 against Washington State in the Quad Cities Hoops Showdown.

The game, played in Moline, Illinois, marks the first of three neutral site games the Hawkeyes

Q&A | MIRIAM SANDEEN

will play, with matchups against Utah and Utah State on the schedule. The Utah State game will take place on Nov. 22 in the NABC Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, marking the second meeting all-time between the two programs. Iowa returns to the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Dec. 21 for the Utah game. The 3,000-seat venue has often been a great home court advantage for the Hawkeyes, as they have won their last two games in the arena.

Arguably the biggest matchup of the non-conference slate is a contest against in-state rival Iowa State on Dec. 12. Iowa is aiming to get revenge on the Cyclones after losing last year’s matchup 90-65 in Ames. Both teams have alternated wins and losses over the past two seasons, and Iowa State hasn’t won inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena since 2014. The Cyclones will most likely enter Iowa City in the top 10, providing a major opportunity for a Hawkeye squad desperate to prove itself after last season’s disappointing finish.

Big Ten play

Since the Big Ten expanded to 20 conference games in the 2017-18 season, Iowa has been forced to play at least two conference games in December. In those contests, the Hawkeyes have compiled a dismal record of 3-12, including an 0-2 mark last year.

Iowa gets Northwestern at home and Michigan on the road this year, both of which present winnable games for the Hawkeyes to get some momentum heading into the rest of conference play.

Iowa avoids road matchups against Michigan State, Indiana, and Purdue, but has tricky road trips against USC, UCLA, and rival Illinois on the schedule. The home slate features matchups against Purdue, Oregon, and Indiana. Three home games will be on the weekend along with

individual walks into

two Friday home contests. Tip-off times and TV schedules will be released at a later date.

Women’s

team

Following their season opener against Northern Illinois on Nov. 6, things will immediately heat up with a contest against Virginia Tech as part of the Ally Tipoff on Nov. 10. Virginia Tech lost its head coach and star player Georgia Amoore to Kentucky in the offseason, but they still present a stiff challenge for Jensen and the new-look Hawkeyes.

After a game against Toledo, Iowa will make the short drive west to Des Moines for a matchup with in-state rival Drake, Jensen’s alma mater, on Nov. 17.

Like the men’s team, the women will also venture to the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls for a contest against Kansas on Nov. 20, followed by a return trip to Iowa City to take on Washington State four days later.

The Hawkeyes will then pack their bags and head south to

Iowa fourth-year distance runner talks on inspiration

Mia Boulton Sports Reporter sports@dailyiowan.com

The Daily Iowan: Where are you originally from?

Miriam Sandeen: I’m from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. It’s a suburb of Minneapolis.

Do you miss anything from home?

I just went home this weekend, and it made me miss it. We have a really long trail called the LRT, and I love running on it. I’m also a very familyoriented person, so I miss my family, my dog, and my hometown friends.

What kind of dog do you have?

Her name is Molly. She is a beagle and yellow lab mix. Originally, my dad wanted her for hunting. She gets scared of the smallest sounds. She’s very spoiled with pup cups and lots of walks.

If you weren’t a runner, what would you be?

I really like tennis and volleyball, so I’d probably play one of those.

Mexico for the Cancun Challenge against Rhode Island and Brigham Young. This marks Iowa’s fifth time competing in the tournament and the team’s first appearance since 2016.

Following their trip to Mexico, the Hawkeyes will travel to Brooklyn to take on Tennessee in the Women’s Champions Classic on Dec. 7, and then will host in-state rival Iowa State on Dec. 12 in a marquee matchup. Big Ten play

The highlight of the conference schedule is undoubtedly a contest with USC on Feb. 2. The Trojans narrowly missed out on the Final Four last season and will feature a star-studded lineup headlined by sophomore sensation JuJu Watkins.

The Hawkeyes will also have tricky home games against conference contenders Indiana, Nebraska, and Maryland. The road slate features matchups against Oregon, Washington, Ohio State, Michigan, and Nebraska. Tip-off times and TV schedules will be out at a later date.

Who have you met at the University of Iowa who inspires you?

Probably my anatomy teacher. She just inspires me because she really loves teaching. She did a really great job at teaching a really hard subject with a lot of material. What other athletes inspire you?

Dakotah Lindwurm. She is from Minnesota, so I like her even more. She was a walk-on to her [Division II] college, and she ran slower times than I have in college. Now, she went to the Olympic trials and got third and went to the Olympics and placed 12th.

Who introduced you to the sport in the I started in sixth or seventh grade because my friends did it. I didn’t even like it at first. I didn’t make varsity until my senior year of high school. It definitely took a long time to really enjoy it. It is a love-hate relationship.

Do you have any specific plans for after college? I want to do PA school. I was thinking of med or PA school. I didn’t consider it until last year, so I might have to take a gap year to work and get my patient care hours.

What interested you about exercise science?

Selfishly, I like to know what goes on physiologically while I am running. That’s where the exercise science piece comes in. I also really have a passion

Who is the greatest Hawkeye hooper?

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I put my team on my back, and I won.”

Kaleb Johnson after rushing for 206 yards and three touchdowns against Minnesota

STAT OF THE WEEK

rushing yards from Iowa

running back Kaleb Johnson this season, leading the rest of college football rushers by at least 100 yards

Caitlin Clark is the greatest Iowa basketball player to ever play at the professional level.

This is the part where I’m supposed to tell you about how great Clark is at basketball. I could draw comparisons of Clark’s college reign to that of what Michael Jordan did in the NBA in his respective era.

But you already know that, so I’m going to refrain from sounding like a broken record.

We all know Clark’s dominant career at the University of Iowa was nothing short of spectacular. Yet, where does Clark rank compared to other Iowa basketball greats who have made the leap from college to the pros?

Clark was drafted first overall to the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA draft and is the only Hawkeye to ever be drafted at first overall. Clark went from schooling opponents in March Madness to

starting in the WNBA in a short couple of weeks. In her first season with the Indiana Fever, Clark averaged through the regular season alone — 19.2 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game, and 8.4 assists per game, the latter of which is a league high. She was an All-Star, finished fourth in MVP voting, and broke a handful of other statistical records you’ll have to look up in your own time — far too many to list them here. As a rookie. What is even more impressive is that Clark did all of this — what no former Hawkeye hooper has done before — while only having a couple of weeks to prepare for her WNBA debut. These numbers propelled Clark to unanimously receive Rookie of the Year honors. And she’s propelled what was an abysmal Fever team to a competitive playoff spot. Clark is only in her first season at the pro level; the championships and other accolades are bound to come. And when they do, will it really matter? Clark has already proven she’s the greatest Iowa hooper-turned-pro — now and forever.

B. J. Armstrong

Will Caitlin Clark go down as the greatest Hawkeye hooper playing professional basketball? I’m sure. But let’s all rejoice at the fact that we’re in the present. And right now, that title belongs to B. J. Armstrong. Technically, it should be Connie Hawkins, but we’ll count him out due to his expulsion from the university. Drafted 18th overall to the Chicago Bulls in the 1989 NBA Draft — that saw the likes of Glen Rice, Nick Anderson, Tim Hardaway, and Shawn Kemp selected around him — Armstrong made a name for himself in arguably the toughest era of basketball ever.

In 1991, Armstrong backed up John Paxson and played in all 82 games, shooting 50 percent from deep for 8.8 points per game and 3.7 assists. That’s the first championship.

In 1992, Armstrong backed up John Paxson again, playing in all

82 games and shooting 40 percent from deep for 10 points per game. That’s the second championship. In 1993, Armstrong earned the starting nod, playing 30 minutes per game and shooting a leagueleading 45 percent from deep for 12.3 points per game and four assists per game. That’s the third championship.

Armstrong averaged a careerhigh 14.8 points per game in 82 starts for the Bulls in 1994 en route to a 55-27 record without Jordan, finishing second in the league in three-point field goal percentage. That earned him a starting spot on the All-Star team that year as arguably the best point guard in the league — in one of the NBA’s toughest eras.

The statistics speak for themselves.

At the end of the day, the goal in sports is to win. Armstrong has three rings. And while it might not be everything, he’s got the statistics to back it up.

Armstrong stood out as a top point guard and key asset to the Bulls’ first three-peat as he battled through a much tougher environment than any other Iowa hooper has ever played through. And he remains the greatest Hawkeye professional hooper.

Miriam Sandeen Distance runner Senior Eden Prairie, Minnesota Exercise science major

Colin Votzmeyer Sports Editor

Trey Benson Sports Reporter

Grace Smith | The Daily Iowan

An

Carver-Hawkeye Arena before a Selection Show watch party with the Iowa women’s basketball team in the Feller Club Room at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on March 17. The team watched the reveal of the NCAA Tournament bracket and answered questions from media members afterward. The No. 1-seeded Hawkeyes were set to play the winner of No. 16 Holy Cross and No. 16 UT Martin in the first round at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“We have [Kuyper] put in place a program for the girls to do lifting — any sort of training that they can do,” Spenler said. “We do a lot of conditioning at the beginning of practice as well, and that’s something they can do outside [of practice].”

The coaches don’t get paid, though. They work with the team voluntarily during their free time. That is not to mention the team doesn’t have trainers or doctors to care for injuries during practices or games, despite the rugged nature of the sport. The coaches care for the players themselves.

Luckily for the team, O’Neill is also a certified doctor of physical therapy.

Captain Kiana Shevling-Major was involved in a car accident at the age of 15, and the injuries she sustained from the car accident still linger today. She puts her body on the line every time she plays the sport.

And if any injury, minor or major, were to occur that requires attention from doctors, the players are forced to pay for it themselves.

“We’re very grateful to have [O’Neill],” Shevling-Major said. “I know a lot of us are hindered by our injuries … Especially in that financial sense too. Like, OK, this could be something small — I don’t really have to pay $50 to $100 to go get this checked out at urgent care.”

Marissa Vernon and Haidyn Lilly went to the same high school, and their rugby coach recommended they play in college.

Now in their first year with the Iowa club team, they fully understood the risks of playing when they signed up.

“It definitely sucks,” Vernon said of the lack of financial security surrounding injuries.

“I guess [Lilly and I] just want to play the sport so badly that we’re willing to take that risk. But it would definitely be nice if we had the funding and the support from other people around us.”

Lilly shared similar sentiments.

“As someone who’s very injury prone… It would be great to have that support and funding,” Lilly said. “But we love the sport, so it doesn’t really matter what we have to do to play it.”

In a way to help players avoid worsening their lingering injuries, those who are in the process of healing will wear a red penny jersey during practice, meaning they go down on touch instead of getting tackled.

Iowa used to play its home matches at the Hawkeye Rugby Fields, but games are now played on the recreation fields, as the rugby fields are being removed. The school offered to put uprights at the rec fields for the rugby teams, but that doesn’t remedy the blow.

To team president Miranda Basart, having the rugby fields removed isn’t a great

and certainly one shot on goal can make all the difference between a win and a loss.

In an interview earlier in the season, firstyear Berit Parten credited senior leadership as a big factor in Iowa’s offensive success this season.

feeling, but the support from recreation services — including adding the uprights — makes the situation easier.

“We’re a specific example of where we work directly with rec services so we can reserve the field without having to pay,” Basart said. “There are specific [club] examples, like hockey and ice skating — they have to pay because they can’t use university facilities.”

“It’s definitely more than what’s on the field.”

Regardless of where the team plays, Iowa is home to one of the better women’s club rugby teams in the country. Currently, the club is ranked 12th in the

country, according to National Collegiate Rugby, and rosters two all-stars from last year in Springer and Elizabeth Langlois.

The two traveled to Texas to compete in the 2023 all-star competition. Because the club receives little-to-no funding from the university, the trip was only possible with donations from the Iowa community. Nonetheless, the two are happy the community came through.

“We had some expenses covered by [National Collegiate Rugby] and stuff like that, but for the most part, it was about $400 to $500 just completely on our own,” Springer said. “I’m just not in a financial situation where I could have done that.”

Like many on the team, Springer began playing rugby late into her childhood. Starting out as a junior in high school, she decided to give the sport a try during her time in college and turned into an all-star-caliber player.

Had it been a varsity sport, she would’ve never been able to just sign up

Ingles were not on this team last year.

and play, and instead would’ve had to earn a private invite.

That unique element is the beauty of club teams in college.

“I would describe [club rugby] as a sport that’s literally perfect for anybody who’s looking to just be athletic and find something fun,” team member Gillian McRae said. “Find a team and a group of people that care about you … it really just combines the best aspects of all sports.” It doesn’t matter if you’ve never played rugby before college. The opportunity to play will be there at Iowa.

The team has a saying: “Every body is a rugby body.”

In other words, if you’re a woman, and you want to play collegiate rugby, you can play with the Iowa women’s club rugby team.

“I feel like as a club team, like, we all choose to be here every single week, even when the semester gets hard. Having the community that we have here is a really big part of [why we play],” Basart said.

Iowa head coach Dave Dilanni believes there are a multitude of factors that have contributed to his squad’s offensive success this season.

“We certainly have put a bit more focus on attacking shape and how we get the ball in certain spaces,” Dilanni said. “It certainly is not just [offensive] tactics that have helped us. Berit Parten, Maya Hansen, and Meike

“We have some really great seniors and graduate students who have really helped all of the freshmen on what to expect and what to do. They’ve helped us along the way. They’re pushing us and helping us get better while not getting too overwhelmed.”

That accounts for over half our goals. So, I definitely think that there is an element to personnel as well.”

With eight regular season games left and tough opponents such as Penn State, Rutgers, and Wisconsin left on the schedule, the Hawkeye offense is going to have an uphill battle to continue their dominance.

“I would guess as the Big Ten goes on, games will get tighter, and games will get harder… You just won’t get as many oppor-

that neatly pairs a popular team with a popular restaurant.

“I’ve been such a massive Pancheros fan since I got to Iowa in 2004 — my freshman year,” Ewen said. “For me, it’s really cool to see this integration of Pancheros and Iowa football. It feels like a very natural fit. It really captures the spirit of both Iowa fandom and what it means to be a fan of the Pancheros brand.”

Puebla enjoys that this event has garnered more reach and prominence than only within Iowa’s stands.

“It’s been cool to see the lift expand beyond Kinnick and Carver to become more of an in-game feature that is kind of Pancheros, but also Iowa as well,” Puebla said. “It’s been around for so long that I think fans resonate with it being a Pancheros-related thing, a restaurant that started in Iowa City over 30 years

ago. But I think it’s also something that they relate back to just the Hawkeyes in general.” Anderson also said the tradition has increased popularity for the song, the restaurant, and the Hawkeyes.

“I remember sitting here in the office, looking over somebody’s shoulder, playing songs,” Anderson said. “We had no idea what this song was, and we just thought it worked for us. It caught fire and did very well. Now I hear it on TV all the time in all these other sports stadiums for other teams. It’s kind of neat to say that we launched that song that’s the hype song in sports stadiums.”

Ewen said the tradition is something that brings people together, recognizing something they all enjoy.

“It’s a celebration of all things,” Ewen said. “It’s an opportunity for the crowd to all be involved as one. I love how communal it is — a communal celebration of our love for Pancheros burritos.”

tunities as you may have gotten in the past because there is more video [for teams to scout].”

A balanced offensive and defensive attack will be key if the Hawkeyes want to repeat as Big Ten champions. Dilanni provided some insight on what he envisions will separate successful teams from unsuccessful teams.

“The teams that are really good at the end of the year are the teams that had small victories, but did not get too high or too low,” Dilanni said.

BURRITO LIFT from 1B

| The Daily Iowan

Iowa forwards Berit Parten and Shae Doherty celebrate a goal during a soccer match between Iowa and Wake Forest at the University of Iowa Soccer Complex on Sept. 1. The Hawkeyes defeated the Deacon Demons, 2-0.

Isabella Tisdale | The Daily Iowan

Alia Springer throws the ball during a scrimmage at an Iowa women’s rugby practice at the Hawkeye Recreation Fields on Sept. 29. The practice began with drills and concluded with a scrimmage.

Miranda Basart Rugby team president

LIFTING UP WOMEN’S RUGBY

Despite rugby not being a sanctioned sport at the University of Iowa, dozens of students find a home within the Iowa women’s rugby club. Without the amenities of a trainer or school funding, the team looks to one another for support.

Isabella Tisdale | The Daily Iowan

(Top) Squirrel Langlois is lifted by teammates in

of

Recreation Fields in Iowa City on Sept. 25. Langlois won offensive player of the year in the 2023-24 season. (Above left) Tabitha Keith runs the ball down the

scrimmage at the University of Iowa Recreation Fields in Iowa City on Sept. 25. Keith is a returning player for the Hawkeyes and won co-defensive player of the year. (Above right) Sara Roling runs around teammates doing drills during a Iowa women’s rugby club practice at the Hawkeye Recreation Fields in Iowa City on Sept. 25. The team runs drills and scrimmages throughout practices. (Bottom) The Iowa women’s rugby club listens to head coach Kathleen O’Neil before a scrimmage during practice at the Hawkeye Recreation Fields in Iowa City on Sept. 25. O’Neil began her journey with rugby on the Iowa rugby team and now coaches the Hawkeyes.

80HOURS

The

The defining attribute that makes a writer a writer is debatable — it’s a job title, a history of published work, or an ambition to actualize the abstract. Most of all, though, what makes a writer is their ability to squeeze out the substance of humanity’s sponge.

The International Writing Program, also known as the IWP, is bringing 32 critically acclaimed writers from the 2024 residency to the Iowa Public Library on Fridays throughout the semester. Christopher Merrill, world-renowned poet, author, and director of the IWP for over 24 years, outlined the purpose of the residency.

“We hope to have the most talented and diverse group of writers we can find from every continent, working in as many different genres as possible and an age range from

the mid-20s to mid-60s,” Merrill said. “[We do this] so that we will have people coming at the common work of writing literature from quite different perspectives.”

These different perspectives are shared with the public in several panels. Beginning Sept. 1 and running through Nov. 17, these conversations cover a litany of substantive literary topics.

“We want [these writers] to engage with the community, but we also want to take advantage of their thinking and their skill as writers to address at least one issue in a serious matter,” Merrill said. “These writers are thinking through an issue that, in a few years, may feel like it’s news. Writers are often ahead of the curve, and so we just want to know what they are thinking about.”

The Sept. 20 panel was titled “Writing with the Weight of the World.” Writer-in-residence Pervin Saket, co-founder of the Kolam Writers’ Workshop and curator of literature at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, was in attendance.

“My goal for this discussion is to eventually get to a point where writers are not identified by the issues they write about. T.S. Elliot is a poet, but Rabindranath Tagore is an Indian poet, Kamala Das is an Indian woman poet,” Saket said. “So, the more you come from further away from the center, further away from this neutral space of creating art, the more descriptors get added to you. And you can’t just be a writer.” Saket pondered the ability of a person to become something outside of the identifications placed upon them by the world. Literature from our first-world, metropolitan country is exponentially different from the literature of second and third-world areas. The IWP platforms a range of writers from various places to dissolve the barriers between writers’ national identities.

Tabish Khair, an Urdu and Hindi-speaking poet, nov-

‘Megalopolis’: Messy, and masterful

Francis Ford Coppola’s controversial “Megalopolis” is a

HUGO Spritz

Read more

Read more of The Daily Iowan’s review of Maggie’s

Charlie Hickman Arts Editor charlie.hickman@dailyiowan.com

I haven’t seen anything quite like “Megalopolis,” and I’m not sure I ever will. “The Godfather” director Francis Ford Coppola’s magnum opus is absurd, occasionally incoherent, and problematic — but ultimately brilliant.

The film is abrasive, beginning with a thunderous boom and smash cut to a gorgeously composed image of an orange sky and glorious skyscraper. Cesar Catilina, played masterfully by Adam Driver, steps onto the sloped roof of the tower, gazing over the skyline of New Rome and commands “Time Stop!”

In this opening scene, the film’s thesis is shouted at us. Catilina, a stand-in for Coppola, has many ideas for the future of the city that created him, yet he feels he doesn’t have the time to execute them.

After leaving “Megalopolis,” I wondered how much of the film’s obtusity and loud moralizing was intentional. Upon thinking about it for, admittedly, far too long, it’s become clear the fugue-like nature of the film is entirely purposeful.

The film is something you have to experience for yourself.

The dialogue sways from contemporary slang to straight-up performing the “To be or not to be” monologue from “Hamlet.”

Nearly every line of dialogue feels strange but offers the stacked cast of actors an opportunity to make weird choices. At one point, Catilina shoos a young woman in his work office to “go back to da club” in an intonation I cannot fathom. I’ve been trying to replicate it with my friends since we left the theater. Nothing about “Megalopolis” can be imitated, which is cause for celebration to me. The editing, sound, and towering images contribute to the film’s distinct personality. There is no greater feeling than watching a camera move and having no clue how it could have been pulled off.

Percy Jackson’s new adventure is a treat for fans

Yet another successful addition is brought to Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson” universe.

Riley Dunn Digital Editor riley.dunn@dailyiowan.com

If the last decade of reading Rick Riordan books has taught me anything, it’s that Percy Jackson never fails to get into trouble — and I never fail to read about it.

Riordan’s latest book, “Percy Jackson and the Wrath of the Triple Goddess,” was no exception. Released on Sept. 24, the book is the seventh installment in the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series and the second installment of the newly dubbed “Senior Year Adventures.”

This time, Percy’s task is to earn a college recommendation letter by petsitting for the frightening and powerful goddess Hecate.

Hijinks ensue and soon, Percy and the gang are stuck chasing a runaway hellhound and polecat across the chaotic streets of New York City.

Riordan’s writing remains as gripping and engaging as ever, drawing in readers and keeping their attention. Even after over 15 different novels and adventures, he still manages to come up with unique, engaging plot points, and character developments.

One thing I liked about this book was its emphasis on moving on from past regrets and attempting to make up for prior mistakes. Everyone is flawed. Life isn’t perfect. Sometimes you’ve just got to take a deep breath, look at the bigger picture, and try to let go. Throughout the book, Percy does his best to connect with the other characters and lead them on a new — and less selfdestructive — path forward. He also does his best to try and help those who have found themselves in less-than-ideal situations.

For Percy, these small moments of empathy come while battling perfumeobsessed naiads or chasing hellhounds through shadows. But the messages gleaned from his conversations can be applied to not-so-dangerous lifestyles as well.

Percy’s emotional intelligence and strong moral compass are some of my favorite aspects of his

character and are a few of the reasons why I believe that he has kept his popularity in the young adult literary sphere for so many years. His friends and fellow members of the series’ core trio, Annabeth and Grover, have their time to shine in this book as well.

All through the story, Annabeth and Percy continue to show why they are the epitome of a healthy and supportive couple.

Annabeth’s careful strategizing and book smarts balance perfectly with Percy’s more carefree attitude and street smarts. At times, it truly feels as though the two are telepathically sharing their thoughts with one another, showing just how deep their love runs. They also — literally and metaphorically — help to take on one another’s burdens.

Grover, as well, is a valuable member of the team and you can’t help but root for him and his commitment to helping the group — even after he nearly destroys an entire haunted mansion. This entire book feels like it is an homage to October and the Halloween season. Starting from the very first line, in which Percy heralds October as the “best month ever,” the book grabs onto this concept and never wanes.

Hecate plays the part of the terrifying old witch, lording over her creepy, spell-invested house and willing to turn people into animals. Ghosts also turn up at various points throughout the book, and there are plenty of magical mishaps to go around.

“Percy Jackson and the Wrath of the Triple Goddess” was yet another fun ride with an entertaining cast of characters. The book is perfect for people of all ages — anyone who is willing to sit back, laugh, open their minds, and enjoy the ride.

Before the film was even released, it seemed many were primed for it to fail, not even willing to give the gonzo experience a chance. Some of this controversy was warranted, but some was not.

Other controversies hold more stock, as an extra on the film alleged Coppola was sexually abusive to several actresses on set.

While it’s worth noting Coppola filed a lawsuit against Variety , who broke the story, for defamation, this mars the film. Several scenes that were already debatably sexist take on a new light amid the allegations.

Coppola also made a big deal about hiring canceled actors.Shia LaBeouf stars as the villainous Clodio Pulcher, a populist nepo-baby who conspires to assassinate Cesar. His off-putting performance draws connections to Donald Trump, a figure Coppola has an outspoken hatred for.

The film is inherently politically charged for this reason, both in the context of the story and because of its real-life controversy. This blurring of lines between the story and reality, despite the surreality of the tale, is entirely on purpose.

In certain screenings, there is an interactive element halfway through the film. During a press conference scene, someone enters the theater and speaks a scripted line into a microphone, which Catilina seemingly answers.

“Megalopolis,” more than anything else, aims to incite discussion. The acclaimed director is old and wants to preserve a film culture that has more room for provocative films.

Cesar Catilina’s conceptualized utopia in the film reshapes and contorts depending on the needs of its inhabitants. Coppola seeks to create a film that morphs with our times, providing a wide canvas for viewers to cast any lens they wish upon it. At its core, that is what good art does. Perhaps my soapboxing about the universal conceit of art is ridiculous when it is placed in the context of a film in which Aubrey Plaza plays a character named Wow Platinum. But that’s the beauty of “Megalopolis” to me. It’s simultaniously hilarious, odd, awe-inspiring, and intellectually satisfying.

Coppola self-financed the film — raising money since the 1980s — and may lose millions on this ambitious venture, but I’m certain I’ve gained a film I will be thinking about for the rest of my life.

MAGGIE’S PIZZA’S

Photo illustration

elist, and critic understands the value of this concept all too well. Being raised in the state of Bihar, India, writing in English rather than his native language allows him to communicate a life that other English writers may not have lived.

“Most Indian-English writers are cosmopolitan people. They’re from the big cities of India or big cities abroad. They’ve been through quite a privileged education,” Khair said. “So, when I started writing in English, I thought they were often talking about my kind of world in ways that I did not always recognize or agree with. I wanted to talk about my experience of the world, my parts of the world, in ways that I felt would not be visible to people who had grown up in big cities.”

Writing, sculpted by language, is an ever-changing and oscillating medium thanks to the unpredictable tides of our world’s political climate. Reflecting on this, panelist and Ukrainian poet, screenwriter, and journalist Lyuba Yakimchuk explores the vehicle of language through an entirely different lens.

“I’ve seen how the destruction of our territories by war is mirrored in language — language, after all, was invented to reflect reality and our emotions,” she said. “I want to talk about how ethics shift in wartime, how language changes, and how creative writing evolves.”

Literature brings people of diverse backgrounds together. Born and raised out of nonidentical soil, weaving through disparate paths, people are still able to relate to each other regardless of how small their niches are.

“These

Christopher Merrill International Writing Program director

“We live in a pretty complicated moment in history,” Merrill said. “Everyone has their cross depending on where they are at this point in their political lives. Wherever [these writers] find themselves at this moment, we want to understand what the weight of the world is and how they propose to address it in their writing.”

Yakimchuk agreed, finding the injustices she has witnessed have largely shaped her purpose as a writer.

“Every writer has the ambition to make an impact. Our job is to achieve justice you can’t as easily achieve in real life. Writers model the future at the level of ideas,” she said.

In responding to the issues of their time, writers find that every word has a grave impact on their audiences, thus shaping the trajectory of social movements. Khair has observed this himself, learning that even though words may take on different meanings depending on the writer, their definitions are impacted by the contexts past writers have placed them in.

“Every word comes weighted with the world,” Khair said. “It’s not just your word, but the word that has passed through millions of miles, been in thousands of texts, every time, every space, every utterance, leaves it with a surcharge.”

Saket, too, is a part of this literary lineage. Silence is what motivates her to keep creating.

“For me, some of [the weight of the world] was the weight of silence, in the sense that we didn’t have the kind of stories that needed to be there in India,” Saket recalled.

As a female writer in India, Saket has sought out perspectives of marginalized women that highlight not only their struggles, but their accomplishments as well. Where she saw there were none, she filled these gaps of silence with her own voice.

Writing allows her — and other thinkers — to alleviate the weight of the world. Khair notes that this is a double-edged sword.

“I knew [writing was] what I wanted to do,” he added. “I wouldn’t say it made me happy because writing doesn’t make you happy. It’s just something I had to do. If you put it in a good way, you would call it a calling. If you could put it in a bad way, you would call it an addiction.”

For Yakimchuk, this need to create and share at the core of her writing is deeply rooted in her country and culture.

“What solidified my conviction that I must pursue literature was the concept of ‘srodna pratsya’ (one’s calling),” Yakimchuk said. “The idea is that everyone has a talent or inclination towards a particular type of work, and we should listen only to ourselves to figure out what that is. When you decide to be a writer, everyone will tell you that you can’t make a living from writing. But you have to listen only to yourself.”

This is what a writer is: a listener — but not just listening to the world and its people. We must first listen to ourselves before we lend an ear to all the other sounds around us. Writing is not done in the context of the world — it is the world, and with each word, we share burdens that we have carried on our shoulders for far too long.

Teasing the residency’s close, Merrill described the final panel in November.

Edited by Will Shortz No. 0828

“It’s called ‘Images of America’, and we don’t ask the writers to write something. We ask them to speak about something that they have witnessed or learned or understood better during their time here,” he said. “It’s usually a pretty funny engagement to have people from outside looking in on our life in this UNESCO city of literature.” Besides being home to the International Writing Program, the city’s UI is ranked ninth in the country for writing, according to the U.S. News & World Report. From sidewalk engravings and poetic murals to Prairie Lights readings and Hancher performances, Iowa City is filled with art and literature. The weight of words has literally impressed itself onto the very ground Iowans walk on, if not into the minds of students and writers who pass through.

“There is a sustained effort towards recognizing creative writing [here] as something that can be studied, that can be examined as a serious art,” Saket said.

Ethan McLaughlin | The Daily Iowan

Ethan McLaughlin | The Daily Iowan

Karoline Kamel and other panel speakers react while answering audience questions during an International Writing Program panel held in the Iowa City Public Library on Sept. 13. International Writing Program events will be held through November.

IC art and literary community fights censorship

The Iowa City Public Library and Stanley Museum discuss content restriction issues.

Emma

Isenhart Arts Reporter arts@dailyiowan.com

School libraries and art rooms are havens of inclusivity and information for children. Teachers take pride in creating a safe space where students can explore and express themselves most authentically.

Public schools, as well as public libraries, are becoming increasingly anxious about laws expanding past school libraries to violate the principle of intellectual freedom by prohibiting students from expanding their own knowledge of a specific topic or concept.

“Public libraries are designed to offer broad, inclusive collections that invite users to find what they want and need,” Elsworth Carman, the Iowa City Public Library director, said. “The idea of limiting this offering, based on the beliefs and standards of people from outside of our service community and outside of the profession of librarianship, is a serious philosophical and logistical challenge.”

With censorship on the rise, these institutions risk losing what once made them foundational for knowledge. It’s more important now than ever—amid an era of book-banning legislation—to know what’s at stake and what intellectual freedom means for young people.

The American Library Association defines intellectual freedom as the right for people to think for themselves, and that every person has the right to access information from all points of view, in all formats, and without restriction. Censorship, defined as limiting or removing access to words, images, or ideas, directly opposes intellectual freedom.

Legislation, like Senate File 496, aims to regulate content in school libraries. Specifically, it prohibits books depicting sex acts in school libraries up to sixth grade.

The legislation, however, is vague, allowing each school district to enforce it differently. Many books being targeted by bans include

LGBTQ+ stories, specifically ones about gender and sexual identity.

A large reason why Senate File 496 exists, and why so many are keen on censorship, is that children have access to adult materials and concepts.

“Many libraries, including [the Iowa City Public Library], have crafted policy around the belief that parents and adult caregivers play an important role in guiding their children’s reading choices,” Carman said. “The public library’s role is not to limit access based on perceived appropriateness, but rather to provide materials that reflect diverse perspectives and experiences.”

Not only are literary works being censored, but art is also on the chopping block. Just like books, art is necessary to express and explore difficult concepts. The Iowa City Public Library offers not only books but art as well.

“We are dedicated to maintaining a collection that allows every family to find the materials that best align with their values and interests, while ensuring the community has access to the widest possible range of resources,” Carman said.

The program called “Art to Go”has become increasingly popular within the Iowa City community.

“The artist is a lens, just like the author is a lens. They might take a topic or an object and make you rethink that object. Art can bring joy, but it can also bring other types of emotions, including sadness, and melancholy,” Anne Mangano, the collection services coordinator at the Iowa City Public Library, said.

Topics relating to the LGBTQ+ community are primarily at the front of these motions of censorship in both the literary and artistic sense. A prime example of this would be the work of Keith Haring.

Haring, a gay man diagnosed with AIDS, expressed both his sexuality and his diagnosis within his colorful, demonstrative artwork. He used his art as a form of activism, creating everything from anti-apartheid artwork to

AIDS awareness paintings.

Currently on exhibition at the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art, Haring’s 1989 print “Ignorance = Fear, Silence = Death” was created to bring awareness to the AIDS epidemic.

However inspiring Keith Haring and his artwork may be to some, others would feel better if his work were silenced. Due to the subject matter, some may feel the need to censor both the artwork and the artist to shield young minds from the uncomfortable.

“Exposure to diverse art — much like exposure to diverse literature — helps increase cultural awareness, empathy, critical think-

ing, and historical or political insight and help equip communities to resist censorship,” Carman said. “Art can be very powerful, serving as a means to express controversial ideas, resist or protest repressive environments, document history, raise public awareness, and establish an emotional connection.”

The Iowa City Public Library’s panel on Haring’s work on display at the Stanley Museum discussed the value of topics like sexuality and identity being readily available in both art and literature.

The full program is available online, furthering the library’s goal of promoting freedom of access to information.

Hickory Hill Lantern Festival lights up the night

The Golden Beaker organization hosted the event to promote STEM opportunities.

Isabelle Lubguban

Arts Reporter

arts@dailyiowan.com

Kayla Person Arts Reporter

arts@dailyiowan.com

The veil of the night sky had not yet fallen over Hickory Hill Park when participants began gathering. Before long, the park was filled with the twinkling golden lights of paper lanterns.

The Lantern Festival project was created by the Golden Beaker, a nonprofit organization founded a year ago by University of Iowa second-year student Amal Eltayib. It was held on Sept. 28 from 6 to 9:30 p.m.

“We started [this club] because we wanted to raise money for the low-income elementary schools in the district, and we also want to increase access to STEM opportunities,” she said. “We saw there was this water lan-

tern festival in Cedar Rapids, where they were releasing lanterns onto the river and then cleaning [them] up. We wanted to bring something similar to that into Iowa City since we know that’s far away.”

Vice President of the Golden Beaker Siena Brown also mentioned that their last event raised over $1,000, which provided supplies to over 600 elementary schools in the area.

Participants had the chance to decorate three types of white paper lanterns of various sizes with markers and colored pencils supplied at a main table. Designs ranged from hearts and sparkles to inspirational quotes and spirals scattered on the lanterns.

On top of the financial benefits of the event, the Golden Beaker Lantern Festival is also beloved by the parents of Iowa City who wish for the betterment of their children’s schooling. UI Associate Professor of Philoso -

phy Jovana Davidovic and Shea Brown, parents of one of the event organizers, expressed their appreciation and awe at what the Golden Beaker has achieved. The pair have children who attended schools supported by the Golden Beaker, including Southeast Middle School.

“I think in general, a lot of the schools like to see that the kids are supporting them,” Davidovic said. “I know a lot of the teachers in City High are really excited, even though this event isn’t for City High. A lot of the teachers in the sciences are really excited to see their own students being supported.”

Davidovic and Brown have also followed the events of the Golden Beaker closely, recalling a music festival that was held over the summer.

“We weren’t there, but they had, I think, five or six or seven student bands playing at Chauncey Park, and it was really good,” Davidovic said.

The couple served as the perfect example of the importance of the work the Golden Beaker does apart from the funding. When it comes to schools and their programs, morale can be just as important as money. At 8 p.m., Golden Beaker members led everyone into the woods for a lantern walk. The trees were illuminated with yellow lights, if only for a brief moment.

The festival was filled with groups of all ages, allowing the families and youth of Iowa City to come together for a beautiful evening. Along with raising money for schools, the communal creation process allowed for bonding with others.

“In the end, I’m just really impressed by how much money they’ve raised,” Davidovic said. “They’ve only been around for, like, five or six months and, to be honest, they’ve raised a lot of meaningful funds and made a lot of connections with the local teachers and businesses.”

Jessy Lane | The Daily Iowan

A festival goer decorates a lantern during the Golden Beaker Lantern Festival at Hickory Hill Park on Sept. 28. All funds from this event will help low-income schools in the Iowa City area.

Ava Neumaier | The Daily Iowan

Kimberly Datchuk moderates a panel with Oluwafemi Adeagbo, Laura Cottrell, and Saba

Khan Vlach (left to right) during the panel “Keith Haring, Censorship, & the Power of Art” at the Iowa City Public Library on Sept. 26. The panelists were involved in education and spoke about the impact of banning books on elementary school students.