The Daily Iowan — 12.04.24

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2024

DEATH THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENS

Emily Nyberg

Photojournalist news@dailyiowan.com

Mary Kay Kusner sat on an ottoman across from Mike Bosch, who took up his usual spot on his living room armchair on Thursday, Oct. 4. Kusner leaned in toward Bosch as he spoke of his love for his oldest grandson, pointing to a photo of the two on the bookshelf.

“The first is always special,” Kusner said.

A tear rolled down Bosch’s cheek as Kusner wrote the story of the day he met his oldest grandson in a journal

detailing special moments of his life.

In 2019, Bosch was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a typically slow-developing neurodegenerative disorder. However, when his symptoms progressed more rapidly than expected, he and his wife Joni sought a second opinion.

In March 2023, a brain MRI showed Bosch did not just have Parkinson’s but also multiple system atrophy, or MSA, a rare disease impacting the nervous system and causing nerve cell loss.

This diagnosis flipped the couple’s expectations for the future upside down. Both being retired nurses, they knew MSA would take Bosch’s quality of life rapidly, so Joni

reached out to a friend for guidance — Mary Kay Kusner. Joni met Kusner through her church, where Kusner worked as an ordained Roman Catholic Woman Priest. Outside her role in the church, Kusner served as a palliative care chaplain at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, now UI Health Care, for 30 years, retiring in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this role, she provided emotional and spiritual support and guidance for patients facing the ends of their lives and their loved ones’.

In 2023, Kusner felt called back to end-of-life care and

Iowa schools use state funding for security

Despite the temptation of NIL offers and the transfer portal, Iowa men’s wrestler Patrick Kennedy remains loyal to the Hawkeye program. Kennedy made his season debut during the annual Cy-Hawk series.

• 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.

Politics Reporter news@dailyiowan.com

This is the third installment in a multipart series about school safety in Iowa.

Following the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where a high school student killed 19 students and two teachers, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds decided it was time to ramp up funding for school safety measures in Iowa.

On June 14, 2022, Reynolds announced the Governor’s School Safety Initiative, providing $100 million in school safety funding to Iowa’s schools. This initiative was financed using the American Rescue Plan Act and the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, also known as ESSER, fund.

The $100 million was divided up into several facets going toward school security. $75 million was designated to a school safety

improvement fund that would specifically target security improvements in schools. Another $7.5 million was designated for vulnerability assessments for 1,500 K-12 school buildings in the state, and $6 million was allocated for digital critical incidents mapping technology. Another $4.5 million was designated for radios in schools, and $1.5 million was designated for digital technologies for threat reporting and monitoring.

The final $5.5 million was slated for the Governor’s School Safety Bureau operational funding, which lasts through 2026. The bureau is tasked with helping local schools identify and respond to security threats by providing emergency radios to schools and conducting training with school staff and law enforcement.

Dave Wilson, the coordinator for Emergency Management of Johnson County, said that after the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shoot -

Law impacts market for THC products in IC

The new law signed in May limits the amount of THC concentration allowed in drinks and other products.

Evan Watson News Reporter news@dailyiowan.com

Corrective legislation passed in March places limits on certain THC and hemp products. The bill, officially signed into law in May, prohibits retailers in Iowa from selling THC products with more than four milligrams per serving or 10 per container.

The law addresses a loophole in the 2018 federal farm bill that allowed THC-infused drinks to be sold with up to 1,000 milligrams per liter.

Most manufacturers did not make drinks with that concentration. However, Iowa City retailers that made eight-milligram drinks were left with unusable products and thousands of dollars in wasted investment.

ReUnion Brewery in Iowa City is one establishment that sells THC-infused drinks. At one point, it was making its own, but the business quickly found they could not be sold under the new law.

Kris Mondanaro, chief operating officer at the Iowa City ReUnion Brewery, said the products in development would incur an $8,500 fine at each eligible location if they were sold without the proper dram shop insurance.

Mondanaro said this effectively took ReUnion out of the THC seltzer business. They now only sell THC drinks made by other companies that meet the regulations. “Had we made the decision to pre-label our cans, we would’ve already invested in those products, but we found out just in time to pull the plug,” she said. She said ReUnion would have incurred $26,000 in total additional costs if they’d chosen to sell the seltzers.

She said restaurant locations, all owned by Jim Mondanaro, that carry seltzers have seen a drop in sales, but more casual environments like Bread Garden, she said, have not faced a similar drop.

This is a situation in which certain government interventions in a market limited SCHOOL | 8A THC | 8A

Emily Nyberg | The Daily Iowan

Mary Kay Kusner, a death doula in Iowa City, meets with Mike Bosch in his and his wife Joni’s home in Iowa City on Oct. 24. Bosch was diagnosed with multiple system atrophy in 2023 and has seen a significant decline in his quality of life. In his work with Kusner,

SECURING SCHOOLS

Infographic by Marandah Mangra-Dutcher | The Daily Iowan

became a certified death doula. Since then, she has worked around the Iowa City area providing comfort, care, and emotional support for those facing the ends of their lives.

During her first meeting with Mike Bosch, Kusner spoke with him about his relationship with his family and how he wants to live the rest of his life. He and Joni found comfort in Kusner’s experience and the normalization of what they were going through.

“It’s like, there’s a big pile of nerves and whatever the emotions are that are flying in, and [Mary] accepts them, and she filters out the bad stuff and just gives calm and peace back,” Joni Bosch said.

What is a death doula?

Death doulas provide holistic end-of-life support for those who are dying or facing a terminal illness. They can also counsel the loved ones of those who are dying. The list of services they can provide is extensive, largely led by the teachings of Alua Arthur, a death doula, author, and the founder of Going with Grace.

Arthur is a prominent figure in the Death Positive Movement. Members of this movement have an overarching belief that speaking openly about death and dying allows people to live more freely.

The term “death doula” was first used in the 1990s, with the term “doula” stemming from birth and postpartum care. Traditionally, this care was done by family members who cared for their loved ones at their bedsides. However, as medical care has advanced, end-of-life care has largely moved outside the home.

Annie Brownsberger, an Iowa City death doula and co-founder of the Iowa City nonprofit The Village Community, said this change has caused some people to feel disconnected from their dying loved ones.

“Like with anything else, things have gotten extremely expensive, and it’s really taken community out of death care and out of end-of-life care, and as a result, we have people who are suffering and in their grief, and they’re — they’re alone,” she said.

Brownsberger’s passion for endof-life care came from caring for her grandmother, whom she lost to lung cancer when she was 21. Through the end of her grandmother’s life, she spent almost every hour at her bedside, ensuring she was comfortable and cared for. Brownsberger said she had no knowledge and little support in caring for the person she

loved so much — but she did know the importance of comfort.

“When it came down to her final moments, I crawled in bed with her, and I pulled the blankets up over us, and I laid with her while she passed,” she said. “It was by far the most beautiful experience of my lifetime to be with someone who was there when I took my first breath when she took her last and to be held, and to know that she didn’t suffer, she wasn’t scared, she was surrounded by love was such a gift.”

Why hire a death doula?

When considering end-of-life and palliative care, hospice is usually the first avenue of care that comes to mind.

tiful.”

Death doulas can provide a wide variety of care, and every client is different. Brownsberger said she has done eleventh-hour care, bedside vigils, affair planning, legacy planning, cleaning, and anything else someone needs to be at peace. She said she often functions as a source of knowledge, with a large part of her work being to normalize the dying process for people and their loved ones.

“I say, ‘All right, what kind of work do you want to do as an individual? Do you have a will? Do you have an advanced care plan?’” she said. “But it also might be like, ‘What do you want your legacy to be? What do you want people to remember about you? What would feel good to you

“I’m a fierce proponent of grief, that grief forever changes us. It is not two weeks, two months, two years. What grief work is really promoting is a healthy relationship with those who have died.”

Mary Kay Kusner

Iowa City death doula

Hospice services are free under Medicaid and focus on comfort and maintaining the quality of one’s life.

This type of care can be provided in hospital outpatient clinics and in homes for people expected to live six months or less.

In 2023, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization released its Measures of Excellence report detailing national performance data for hospice care organizations. It was found that in 2022, primary hospice nurses had 16.43 patients on average in their caseloads.

Brownsberger said these caseloads can prevent hospice providers from providing in-depth emotional support to patients and their families. This emotional care is vital to palliative care, and another way it can be provided is through hiring a death doula.

While death doulas often work alongside hospice care providers, they differ in the fact they cannot provide medical care. Brownsberger said the relationship between death doulas and hospice is vital to the success of her work and can provide people with the care that some hospice programs do not have the capacity for.

“I would not do the work I do without hospice … I cannot prescribe the medications people need for comfort care,” she said. “When you are carrying a caseload of 30-40 and you can only see people once or twice a month, that is not sufficient … When we can partner, it is beau-

to leave the people you love with? Do you want to write letters to the people that you love?’”

One aspect separating death doulas from traditional end-of-life care professionals is their ability to work with the loved ones of someone who is dying or has died. Joni Jones’ husband, Jack, died of glioblastoma in their home in 1983. He was surrounded by loved ones, including their three daughters. She struggled with the guilt of how her husband died almost 40 years before she met Brownsberger and Mary McCall, who work closely together.

Jones attended a presentation the two gave on death doulas at the Iowa City Community Center. During the presentation, she said she felt a sense of comfort in the conversation. McCall and Brownsberger spoke of end-of-life care and grief as something that can be beautiful.

Afterward, Jones approached McCall and asked to speak with her in the coming days. McCall visited her house, and they spent over an hour talking through the events of her husband’s death. Jones said she felt immediate relief from the guilt.

“I felt like I could trust [Mary McCall],” Jones said. “I talked and she listened … She was able to tell me she would not have done anything different.”

Over a year later, Jones still meets with McCall. The relationship sparked a passion for compassionate end-of-life care in Jones, who has since hosted a neighborhood conversation about end-of-life care

in her home with the help of McCall

— a conversation that she said needs to happen more.

“It is not sad or scary to talk about death … We’ve put death in the closet for too long,” Jones said. Mike and Joni Bosch said working with Kusner gave them control over their grief. She made them feel like what they are experiencing is normal.

“She creates a safe space for feelings. It’s okay to feel. It’s normal to feel, and there’s happiness and joy, even in the sorrow and loss,” Joni said. “Sometimes he cries, and I cuddle him. Sometimes I cry, and he cuddles me. And sometimes we just kind of sit together and sob together, but we know it’s okay.”

Along with taking back control of their grief, Joni said Kusner gave Mike control of his life. One way he has done this is through the decision to do Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking, or VSED. VSED is a way that a cognitively capable person with a terminal condition can reduce the length of time they have to live with their condition.

“I think she’s helping him by saying, ‘Here, this is something you can do, this is something you can take control over.’ She’s giving him a little bit of a sense of self-advocacy,” she said. Mike said he felt comfortable with Kusner from the beginning of their time working together.

“She’s really kind. You’re not embarrassed if you cry in front of her,” Mike said. Kusner said allowing people to sit in their grief is vital to their well-beings going forward. She said one benefit of a death doula is that it will give you the tools you need to live with grief.

“I’m a fierce proponent of grief, that grief forever changes us. It is not two weeks, two months, two years,” she said. “What grief work is really promoting is a healthy relationship with those who have died.”

After months of working with Kusner to write letters to his children, complete a life journal, and spend his last Thanksgiving surrounded by loved ones, Mike plans to stop eating and drinking on Dec. 2 with the support of his loved ones.

Death in American society

Death can be a touchy subject in the U.S. However, the culture around end-of-life is changing. One way this is being done is through community conversations that normalize death and dying.

Death cafes have been hosted in Iowa City by the local Senior Center since 2015 as a space for community members to talk about their experiences with death. However, interest in these conversations did not stop there. After opening its doors in September 2022, Iowa City plantthemed bar The Green House began hosting monthly death cafes.

Kimberly Jaeger-Arjes, an end-of-life doula and meditation and yoga teacher in Iowa City, is one of the death doulas who has facilitated these death cafes. She was compelled to practice end-of-life care after experiencing loss in her family. She said she hopes to see people become less afraid of death.

“A lot of our fear is rooted in death … Some of us have a mindset that we have to hold on so tightly to life … but remembering that you will die, how do we want to live presently?” she said.

Jaeger-Arjes said people often think talking about death means you will die, however, she believes it allows you to live more fully.

“The unknown will not go away,” she said. “Folks need to consider their death, and although it’s hard, and it can take you into a lot of different places. There are people that

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Emily Nyberg | The Daily Iowan

Joni Jones holds a picture of her husband Jack in her home in Iowa City on Oct. 28. Jones lost her husband to glioblastoma in their home in 1983 and is working with Mary McCall, a death doula in Iowa City, to overcome grief that is still with her. She said she hopes more people start to have conversations about death and grief so they can lean on each other in times of need. “It is not sad or scary to talk about death ... We’ve put death in the closet for too long,” Jones said.

Emily Nyberg | The Daily Iowan

Books covering different aspects of end-of-life care and grief are seen on a table during a support group for caretakers led by death doula Mary McCall at the Iowa City Senior Center on Nov. 1. The group is one of many McCall leads at the Senior Center, including monthly death cafes and grief support groups.

Arthur

Jaeger-Arjes

will sit with you through it and navigate it with you to be a positive experience.”

Certification and education

There is no government-required certification for end-of-life doulas, however, there are many ways one can become certified. Most commonly, death doulas can become certified through the International End-of-Life Doula Association, or INELDA, certification course.

Though it is not required, most death doulas choose to attend a certification course for the comfort of both themselves and their clients. Organizations like Going with Grace, Life Span Doula, and the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance also provide certification programs.

Mary McCall, a death doula in Iowa City, became certified through the INELDA certification course in 2022.

She spent two weeks and around 16 hours completing the coursework, a time frame that she says is insufficient to understand the weight of the work done by death doulas. However, a licensing or certification curriculum is hard to develop when all death doulas have different strengths and services they can provide. McCall said while technical skills, including medication knowledge and understanding of health care systems, are valuable to them, connection is vital.

“You need to feel like you can click with this person, and you’re going to be comfortable and they’re going to hear you,” she said. “How do you license that? You can’t.”

There are mixed opinions from death

doulas around certification mandates.

Brownsberger, who was certified through Life Span Doula and the National Endof-Life Doula Alliance, said the lack of regulation is part of the beauty of the trade.

“We’re not regulated by Medicare or Medicaid or insurance companies or funeral homes or any of that. We are here as part of the community to serve the community,” she said.

Alternatively, Kusner said that while some people think certification requirements are limiting, clients have to know they can trust their death doula.

Taking on death doulaship

McCall said most death doulas feel called to their work, but that does not lessen the impact it can have on their well-beings.

“You need

work gives her a perspective on life that not many have.

“Working in death care makes me love and appreciate life. I just look around and I’m like, ‘Just take this in because it all ends,’” she said. “It allows me to be really present … At the same time, when things are just really bad, then I’m just like, ‘You know what? It all ends.’”

She said the emotional nature of her work can be taxing, and it is normal to be impacted by the grief of her clients and their families.

“It’s just really important to me to recognize when it’s my grief versus when it’s theirs,” Brownsberger said.

The cost of dying

to feel like you can click with this person, and you’re going to be comfortable and they’re going to hear you. How do you license that? You can’t .”

Mary McCall

A death doula in Iowa City

She said being available to clients 24/7 and working on community outreach projects is draining.

“I can’t do it 40 hours a week … I have to be really careful. It is not about quantity, but it’s about quality,” McCall said.

Brownsberger said taking care of herself is vital to her ability to help others, but the

The recent growth of holistic end-oflife care done by death doulas has created a financial gray area. Most death doulas chose the work due to personal experiences in which they felt called to improve end-oflife care.

Death doulas in the Iowa City area largely take compensation on a sliding scale. However, since there are no certification requirements, medical insurance cannot

cover the cost of a death doula. Because of this, most follow a pay-what-you-can system for compensation.

Brownsberger and McCall have three base packages clients can choose from, the first being a complete package costing $2,500 for six months of unlimited support. The extensive support services list can include advanced care planning, facilitating family meetings, providing guidance for caretakers, and aiding in daily tasks such as laundry, which cause their clients additional stress.

In addition to this, they offer a short-term package for two to four weeks of in-depth care for $1,000 and an hourly fee of $75 to $125. All of their package prices are flexible and allow for the care they provide to be accessible to those who need it.

Brownsberger said having accessible holistic end-of-life care is crucial to lifting the burden of grief in society.

“When you look at all of the mental health crises in the U.S., so much of it is just around unresolved grief,” she said. “So many other cultures know how to grieve and care for grieving people better than we do.”

Brownsberger said part of changing the relationship people in the U.S. have with grief is changing their relationship with the dying process.

“As soon as someone dies, we as a society are so eager to call the mortician and get their body out because it is gross and scary,” she said. “They’re not contaminated, they’re not unsafe, they’re not scary. It’s your beloved, it’s your mother, it’s your grandmother, it’s your child, it’s your husband, your spouse, your partner.”

Emily Nyberg | The Daily Iowan

(Top) Mary Kay Kusner holds a photo of Mike Bosch holding his oldest grandchild during a death doula session with Bosch in his and his wife Joni’s home in Iowa City on Oct. 24. Bosch was diagnosed with multiple system atrophy in 2023 and has seen a significant decline in his quality of life. “She’s really kind; you’re not embarrassed if you cry in front of her,” he said. (Middle left) Mike Bosch sits in a recliner while meeting with Kusner in his and his wife Joni’s home in Iowa City on Oct. 24. “She [Kusner] creates a safe space for feelings. It’s okay to feel. It’s normal to feel, and there’s happiness and joy, even in the sorrow and loss, said Joni. (Middle right) Kusner meets with Mike Bosch in his and his wife Joni’s home in Iowa City on Oct. 24. Bosch said he has felt comfortable with the vulnerability Kusner has encouraged. (Bottom left) Iowa City death doula Mary McCall looks over her weekly schedule in her home office on Nov. 20. Working as a death doula requires flexibility in McCall’s schedule, as most of her clients have constant access to her services. (Bottom right) Death doulas Annie Brownsberger and McCall talk with community members at the Lester Buresh Family Community Wellness Center in Mount Vernon on Oct. 17. They discussed the role of a death doula and answered questions related to their work. Community members stayed past the scheduled hour of the event to continue the conversation.

Lost in the noise: a neglected crisis

Iowa’s Sudanese population struggles amid a neglected civil war across the globe.

Mia O’Connor-Walker Politics Reporter news@dailyiowan.com

In December 2023 in Cairo, Mazahir Salih saw suffering. There to find her mother who had just fled Sudan, Salih witnessed the lines of tired and hungry Sudanese refugees outside of the U.N. location in Sudan, all of them with the same hope — safety.

The Sudanese refugees Salih saw lined up before the U.N. office in Egypt had just escaped a deadly civil war and humanitarian crisis in Sudan, the devastation of which is not only felt in Africa, but over 7,000 miles away in Iowa City as well. This war has also upended the lives of the Sudanese community in Iowa City, many of whom feel it is ignored in the U.S.

Given the emphasis on the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war moving in, the Iowa City Sudanese community fear their nation has been lost in the noise.

In April 2023, Sudan descended into civil war when its army, the Sudanese Armed Forces, and a paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, began a fight for power over the nation. However, over time, their visions for the future of Sudan began to diverge and fighting broke out.

The conflict in Sudan has been unmistakably violent, yet Dominique Hyde, the director of external relations at the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the U.N.’s refugee agency, has criticized the global order for not giving the conflict in Sudan the attention it warrants, saying “the world is not paying attention” in a U.N. News article.

President-elect Donald Trump has not expressed a foreign policy plan regarding the Sudan civil war, though he often boasts of a domestic-focused “America First” foreign policy.

“The war comes to every house in Sudan”

Haitham Osman came with his family to Iowa City in 2018. Originally a physician in Sudan, Osman now serves as an Americorps member at the Immigrant Welcome Network of Johnson County and has recently completed his master’s in public health at the University of Iowa.

In his office at the network, with rain tapping the window beside him, Osman recalled how his family was in Sudan when the war broke out in 2023. In the early stages of the war, the Rapid Support Forces came to their city, Jabal Awliya, so they fled.

Then, the Rapid Support Forces arrived in their new city. They moved again. The Rapid Support Forces came again.

Seemingly unable to escape the war domestically, Osman said his family had no option but to flee. They fled to Egypt, traveling sometimes in cars and other times on foot. This was particularly difficult for Osman’s mother, who is in her eighties and had a heart valve replacement.

Osman said the inevitability of the violence is a defining characteristic of the war in Sudan. He said the Rapid Support Forces comes to each village with the intent of killing its people, and sometimes the Sudanese Armed Forces will come to the villages in helicopters, shooting unsuspecting victims from above.

“The war comes to every house in Sudan,” Osman said. Even those in Iowa City have been affected by this unrelenting violence. If not in Sudan themselves when the war began, many have families who remain there. The community bears the burden of not just trying to help

their family escape Sudan but also the grief for their loved ones who couldn’t make it out soon enough.

Osman said every day he sees an announcement in the WhatsApp group that someone in Iowa City has lost a family member.

Salih, an Iowa City City Councilor believed to be the first Sudanese American to be elected to public office in the U.S., agrees the toll of the war has been significant on the Iowa City Sudanese community, and she echoed Osman’s sentiments that the killing is relentless.

“They’ve been killing everyone,” Salih said. “They go to any small village, and they just start killing people.”

Salih said she has lost one of her childhood friends, who was killed by the Rapid Support Forces after they intruded into her home. Salih’s friend resisted the Rapid Support Forces, and Salih said this act cost her friend her life.

“They just killed her in front of her children,” Salih said. “She died immediately. It [the bullet] went straight into her head.”

Salih’s two sisters, along with her mother and brother who are also both U.S. citizens, were all in her hometown — the nation’s capital city of Khartoum — when the war broke out.

They struggled to flee due to the inaccessibility of the U.S. embassy’s scheduled buses to Port Sudan. Salih said bus passengers were notified by email just hours before departure, even though the internet in most of Sudan had gone down.

The need to flee increased for Salih’s family, she said, when the Rapid Support Forces went into Salih’s family home and assaulted her sisters and their children. The Rapid Support Forces also stole everything of value in the home.

“My niece was wearing a necklace, they just pulled it from her neck,” Salih said.

Once targeted, the family knew they could no longer stay in Khartoum. They fled to Port Sudan, and on the way were stopped and searched by the Sudanese Armed Forces. Once at Port Sudan, Salih said the Sudanese Armed Forces accused Salih’s sister of being a part of the Rapid Support Forces, and they assaulted her.

Mohammed Aldirderi has lost some of his family to the war. Luckily, his immediate family is safe but requires financial assistance from him — which he doesn’t hesitate to provide. But, as a Kirkwood Community College student who is also supporting himself, Aldirderi said this has caused him to live from paycheck to paycheck.

Osman is experiencing a similar struggle. Now in Egypt, Osman’s family is not able to work. So, he supports them. This financial burden has been significant. Knowing his family depends on him, he pays all of their expenses, but it affects his budget and has

“They’ve been killing everyone. They go to any small village and they just start killing people.”

an impact on his family in Iowa City. With a limited income, being the primary supporter of multiple families has been a strain.

are interconnected.

“Media is a response to politics,” Sharif said. “If politics is directing the media to respond, then the media will respond.”

Given the number of those killed, displaced, and raped, he finds it unusual that the media response has not been greater. Sharif also finds a strange discrepancy in the fact that the U.S. has been a key player in the conflict since the beginning, getting involved in talks and forming avenues to resolve conflicts throughout Sudan, but ultimately it still isn’t getting media attention.

“It doesn’t make sense if the United States has all this interest and is putting in all this political effort at the highest foreign policy level, whereas at the same time, nothing really is mentioned about this in the media, so nobody really notices, like this is actually what is happening,” Sharif said, referring to the U.S. special envoy to Sudan’s visit in November.

Ultimately, Sharif believes it is the choice of the international political world, consisting of global powers with invested interests in this war, not to end this war. He said these global powers tend to influence global conflicts and crises throughout the world generally.

Finally, Salih says she was able to fund her mother’s and sisters’ passage to Egypt — a trip during which many, including a friend of her sisters, died along the way from heat exhaustion.

Salih was able to travel to Egypt to collect her mother and was shocked by what she saw. She says those who had fled from the war in Sudan lined up outside of the U.N. office for hours, seeking refugee papers. They would wait overnight, Salih said, and then when they were finally seen, they would be scheduled for another appointment six months later.

Salih said those in Egypt, including her sister, are only able to rent the smallest and most crowded apartments in the lowest-rent districts, oftentimes with several families living in these crowded spaces at one time.

Beyond the loss of life, the war has caused a financial strain on the Iowa City Sudanese community.

Osman even gets requests for money from people who aren’t his family. In his Sudanese news Whatsapp group chat, Osman receives messages from members who notice he has a U.S. phone number and think he may be able to help them.

“Even today, I received a message from a guy who told me that his mother is very ill, and he needs my help,” Osman said. “He doesn’t know me.”

Iowa Sudanese community criticizes response

With loved ones lost, displaced, victimized by sexual violence, or unable to support themselves financially, many in the Iowa City Sudanese community are shocked by the lack of attention this conflict has garnered in the U.S.

After her family was targeted by the Rapid Support Forces, Salih was desperate to get them out of Sudan, so she contacted the governor, department of state, and even the president. Salih eventually got in contact with the U.S. Embassy in Sudan and was told there was a plane her mother could take to the U.S. She said her mother was unable to board the plane, and Salih struggled to get further help evacuating her mother from Sudan.

This experience was illuminating for Salih, and she continues to feel frustration with what she perceives as a relative lack of critical aid being provided to Sudan by both the U.S. and international governments.

Salih has since brought her mother to the U.S.

Salih isn’t optimistic about the future of this conflict. She said she did not see adequate attention given to the conflict under the Biden administration and doesn’t expect any better from the Trump administration. She fears that as the conflict progresses, more Sudanese will die, not just from violence but from the indirect effects of the war as well.

“If they have not died from the bullet, they will die because they’re hungry or because they don’t have medications,” Salih said.

Haida Elzabir, who was in Sudan when the war began, said she is devastated by what she perceives as a lack of an adequate response from the U.S. and other international powers regarding the war in Sudan.

Elzabir said the U.S. and its allies have enough money and influence to make a genuine impact on Sudan even regarding things that may be viewed as simple. One of these things is clean water, which she said Sudan lacks. To get just a sip of drinking water, Elzabir said she would first have to move the dust and debris out of the way.

Elzabir feels the U.S. media and politicians are ignoring the war in Sudan, instead focusing on the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas war. She fears that nobody in the U.S. is seeing what’s happening in Sudan, from the poor living conditions to the significant loss of civilian life.

Given this lack of attention, Elzabir said this conflict and the lack of coverage it has received are both figuratively and literally erasing the identity of the Sudanese people.

Ayman Sharif, the director of the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa, said the political response and the media’s response

Sharif said the conflict will not be resolved until the global political world feels satisfied with its outcome.

“The conflict will continue until the interest of the big players is achieved,” he said. Iowa experts say U.S. interests contribute to media

Brian Lai, a UI political science professor and department chair, said the Sudan civil war has sparked divisions within the country that had previously been settled.

Lai said over time, the conflict has spread and gotten more intense. Lai said this is in part due to the Rapid Support Forces’ recognition of the writing on the wall. As the Rapid Support Forces face losing to the Sudanese Armed Forces, Lai said the army has begun to engage in more war crimes such as mass sexual violence. According to Lai, this comes down to their desire to control the populace and punish those who support the Sudanese Armed Forces.

Though the humanitarian crisis in Sudan is extreme, Lai said that, as opposed to the Ukraine and Gaza wars, it doesn’t present an immediate threat to U.S. interests. This is what contributes to the lack of attention the conflict has received from U.S. media.

Lai said the media has a finite amount of space to report, so they’ll report on issues regarding domestic politics, and then international issues like Gaza and Ukraine that are already taking precedence. Much of this comes down to political involvement. Lai said when facing a humanitarian crisis like this one, the U.S. will involve itself with economic sanctions or promote negotiations among participating parties, but it won’t get directly involved.

According to Lai, this is in part a result of the U.S.’s failure to resolve the conflict in Somalia, where the U.S. has provided over $818 million in aid and U.S. troops have now been stationed for counterterrorism efforts since 2003, with no end in sight.

He thinks this failure has contributed to the U.S.’s unwillingness to involve itself in foreign humanitarian crises, particularly in Africa.

Lai said this lack of involvement not just in Sudan but in Africa as a whole contributes to a lack of media coverage of African conflicts generally.

In the future, Lai said he thinks the U.S. will continue its current approach toward Sudan or even be less involved as the Trump administration focuses foreign policy efforts toward things like tariffs on China.

The fighting, then, will continue, and the humanitarian disaster will continue as well.

“Unfortunately, if regional actors can’t find a way to get those two sides to commit to some kind of peace agreement, you’ll see just continued violence,” Lai said.

This prediction is not at all different from that of the Iowa City Sudanese community.

Salih said even with the recent presidential election, she doesn’t expect to see any change in the U.S.’s approach to Sudan.

She didn’t see the attention she expected from Biden’s administration and doubts that a Trump administration would make strides to intervene and end the conflict.

said.

“I don’t have a lot of hope,”

Salih

Mazahir Salih

Iowa City Mayor Pro Tem and City Councilor

Infographic by Marandah Mangra-Dutcher | The Daily Iowan

Talan Nelson | The Daily Iowan

Iowa City Mayor Pro Tem and City Councilor Mazahir Salih ask a clarifying question about

the Burlington bridge project during a city council meeting at the Iowa City City Hall in Iowa City on Sept. 17. Salih believes the civil war in Sudan has had a significant impact on the Iowa City Sudanese community.

Bursting the liberal bubble in Iowa City

Thanks to a false sense of security and an echo chamber of liberal beliefs, Johnson County residents were shocked at the 2024 election results.

Reese Thompson Opinions Columnist opinions@dailyiowan.com

On the morning of Nov. 6, I went to my local coffee shop, as I do every morning. Like many people in Iowa City, I was distraught over the results of the 2024 presidential election.

My distress must have been written all over my face, because a man approached me asking if I was alright. We chatted about the election and how we planned to move forward.

I asked if he saw this coming, to which he replied, “No. I was taken by surprise, but we have the liberal bubble to blame for that.”

I had never heard the term “liberal bubble” before, and it intrigued me. I knew that Johnson County has voted blue in recent elections, and that the University of Iowa is a liberal arts college. What I didn’t know was how that impacted our community in terms of voter turnout and election results.

Iowa City residents live in a liberal bubble, meaning the people we interact with on a daily basis will, more than likely, share our political beliefs. Cities that are considered liberal bubbles tend to have highly educated residents and more cultural amenities than cities or counties that voted red.

Iowa City residents are twice as likely to have a bachelor’s degree compared to the national average and around half of those residents go on to receive a higher-level degree.

In terms of cultural amenities, or places that contribute to residents’ quality of life, Iowa City has the Iowa Writers’ House, Hancher Auditorium, The Englert Theatre, and the Haunted Bookshop, just to name a few.

The liberal bubble played a part in the election of Donald Trump as president because voters living in those areas didn’t feel the need to go to the polls.

Between voters feeling like nothing changes no matter who is in office and the idea that Vice President Kamala Harris was the clear choice being reinforced in many news narratives, there wasn’t as much impulse for prospective voters to cast a ballot. Voter turnout overall was down

compared to 2020, but it was mostly in the Democratic Party. Another factor that contributed to the liberal bubble blinding voters is the idea of “closeted” Trump supporters. It’s more common in historically blue areas for Republicans to avoid discussing their political views in order to align their opinions with those of their community members.

Opposing political views can put a strain on relationships and lead to social repercussions like criticism from friends, family, and colleagues. There’s also a level of psychological conflict when an individual holds certain personal beliefs that don’t align with those of anyone else in their community.

The liberal bubble was not the only factor that instilled hope in Democratic Iowa

voters. The Des Moines Register, among many other publications, published an article three days before Election Day claiming Harris was “leapfrogging” ahead in the polls during early voting.

Many local Iowa publications, and even Forbes, predicted Iowa would be voting blue in this election, so they spread the word. This gave Iowa Democrats a false sense of security and lessened their compulsion to go out and vote.

Independent voters also played a large role in placing Trump in the White House. The number of people voting for an independent party surpassed the amount of people voting blue and tied with the number of Republican voters.

Even though there has only been one

independent party delegate who successfully made it into the White House — George Washington — the majority of Americans still identify as independent. According to a Gallup poll taken in November, 42 percent of Americans consider themselves to be independent. This doesn’t necessarily mean they will vote for a third party candidate, as many independents lean toward the Republican or Democratic Party when it comes to voting.

Between Iowa City’s liberal bubble, the increase in independent party voting, and projected polling results, the results of the 2024 election were a shock to Johnson County residents.

The discrimination behind reproductive care limitations

Reproductive health care restrictions disproportionately impact marginalized women.

Abigail Jones Opinions Columnist opinions@dailyiowan.com

After the election, my mom confided in me about how terrified she was and shared her own experience seeking an abortion after a miscarriage.

“It was after I had you and before I had your brother,” she told me. “My body didn’t recognize that it was dead.”

A miscarriage in which the body does not recognize the pregnancy loss or expel the fetal matter is sometimes referred to as a missed or silent miscarriage. Continuing to carry is dangerous and can be fatal to the mother if left untreated.

“I was given medication that was supposed to abort the fetus through inducing heavy cramping,” she said. “But for whatever reason, it didn’t work. I didn’t have the cramps, and the fetus remained a hazard to my health. At that point, my doctor said I needed to have a full abortion procedure before it became too late. I was able to, and then a year later, I had your brother.

“I keep thinking if that happened today, to me, or you, or any of our loved ones, it wouldn’t have been that simple,” she said. “Abortions restrictions could have put me or the doctor in jail, even though it was for my own safety.”

Indeed, since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade precedent that protected women’s right to an abortion in 2022, 13 states have enacted total or near-total bans, with eight others enacting bans from anywhere after 6-18 weeks. These bans include medication abortions, like the one my mom tried, that are often used in instances of miscarriage.

ProPublica reported on Nov. 23 that a third woman had died under Texas’ abortion ban. Such bans and restrictions have

made doctors fearful to perform necessary treatment, opting to instead reach for riskier treatments or send patients elsewhere.

Following the death of Amber Thurman, a young Georgia resident, after miscarriage complications, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pointed out in the 2024 vice presidential debate, “How can we as a nation say that your life and your rights, as basic as the right to control your own body, is determined on geography? There’s a very real chance, had Amber Thurman lived in Minnesota, she would be alive today.”

With Trump set to take office Jan. 20, along with a Republican majority in the U.S. House, Senate, and Supreme Court, access to reproductive health care is bound to become stricter and more unforgiving.

Trump has often flouted that he was the one to kill Roe v. Wade, and Republican lawmakers were quick to establish abortion bans and blocks in the aftermath.

My mom pointed out that if — for whatever reason, under whatever circumstance — I came to need abortion care myself, she would plan for us to fly to Colorado, California, or even Canada if need be. She said she was comforted by the fact that we would be able to do so.

But this isn’t the case for many women across the country.

Although reproductive health care restrictions present dangers and difficulties for all women able to become pregnant, they disproportionately impact certain demographics, namely impoverished and minority women as well as transmen and nonbinary people, immigrants, adolescents, and people living with disabilities.

Pre-existing inequities in health care insurance and access, income, and health provider bias are only exasperated by further restrictions.

Already, the maternal mortality rate for Black women is nearly three times higher than the rate for white women.

The Emma Goldman Clinic, a nonprofit reproductive health care organization in

Jami Martin-Trainor | Executive Editor

Columnists: Carson Hartzog, Cole Walker, James McCurtis, Muskan Mehta, Abigail Jones, Caden Bell, Reese Thompson, Darrell Washington, Kennedy Lein, Jackson Mendoza

Editorial Board: Jami Martin-Trainor, Marandah Mangra-Dutcher, Jack Moore, Stella Shipman, Carson Hartzog, Charlie Hickman

COLUMNS, CARTOONS, and OTHER OPINIONS CONTENT reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.

EDITORIALS reflect the majority opinion of the DI Editorial Board and not the opinion of the publisher, Student Publications Inc., or the University of Iowa.

Iowa City, acknowledges on its website that “access to sexual information and birth control devices is a problem, particularly for teenagers and those who are poor or live in rural areas.”

Even just within city or state limits, if an individual lacks the means, time, or ability, the prospects of seeking reproductive health care diminish. This issue is only further exacerbated if people must travel across one or more states. Many women cannot just pick up and fly across the country to find care.

Forcing women to carry a pregnancy to term when they are emotionally, physically, financially, or otherwise unable to do so traps them. It discourages women from pursuing what they planned to — whether that be earning a degree, working, or even caring for current children. It limits hopes of mobility and independence. It can keep women who are already impoverished or disadvantaged stuck in that position.

Reproductive health care restrictions are a means of controlling women, an idea exemplified by the explosion of social media posts from far-right extremists following the 2024 presidential election stating, “Your body, my choice,” and “Get back in the kitchen.”

Women have different approaches to family planning. Not all women want children. Whatever choice they make or decision they come to, it should never be forcibly imposed onto them.

Despite the common pro-life argument that women could choose to put the child up for adoption, there is a false mirage in the adoption counter.

An analysis published as part of a five-year Turnaway study found that one week after being denied an abortion, 14 percent of 231 study participants reported plans to place the baby for adoption or were considering it as an option. Only 9 percent of the 161 who went on to give birth — 15 women — ended up placing their newborns for adoption.

It’s incredibly difficult for a woman to

go nine months carrying a child, birth it, see this part of her that she has created, and then give it away — even if all reason and logic point toward it being the better option. Guilt and a sense of responsibility also factor in. Adoption is much easier said or theorized than done.

While this fact may circle back to the pro-life claim that it’s simply better for the woman to keep and raise the child than any of the alternatives, doing so does not circumvent the initial reasoning and factors that argue otherwise.

The women that go through this process often remain mentally or physically unfit or financially unable to support a child. Many children may later end up in the overwhelmed and abusive foster care system when their parents are no longer able to put up with the costs and stresses of raising a child.

“Their children will languish in the system, and the cycle will continue,” Stacey Reynolds, a former longtime board member for the National Council for Adoption, said in a Washington Post article. It rather seems that the so-called “pro-lifers” are, in reality, only pro-birthers, for they do nothing for women or children once babies are born.

Few have adopted or fostered children or invested any money — personally or through legislation — into these systems. They continue to vote against public education and universal health care while advocating for the death penalty. And no matter how much they may claim to champion pro-life ideals, the overwhelmingly male politicians responsible for abortions bans and restrictions will never face such fear or uncertainty. They have the money and means to access abortion and contraception for their girlfriends, wives, and mistresses as needed. Although the election may be over, our fight to regain and retain bodily autonomy and the right to choose is just getting started. We will not be complicit.

COLUMN

Hannah Neuville | The Daily Iowan

A student votes at Petersen Residence Hall on Election Day in Iowa City on Nov. 5. Iowa polls were open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

SCHOOL from 1A

ing in which 26 people were killed, the Iowa governor’s office began to ramp up school safety measures.

Wilson, the state association president at the time, said the governor’s office put together a school safety task force. Six years later, in 2018, Wilson said high-quality emergency operation plans for schools in Iowa became codified.

He said this resulted in an increased need for training and school safety assessments within schools throughout Iowa. So, Reynolds established the Governor’s School Safety Initiative to provide the funding for these school safety measures.

The $50,000 from this initiative had to be spent by January 2024, and Wilson and his team worked with schools to determine how the money should be spent. Wilson and his team would assess vulnerability and then help establish

the number of participants and innovation. She said ReUnion is now uninvolved in the overall THC-seltzer market in the area.

“We don’t have a stake in the game other than selling other people’s seltzers,” she said.

Dan Caraher, director of operations at Field Day Brewery in North Liberty, said since the law went into effect, Field Day has lost 75 percent of its SKUs, which refers to a count of inventory. This is because Field Day had already produced seltzers that could not be sold.

However, Caraher said the law has not caused an excessive burden on their sales.

“In no way have we been devastated, but it did impact sales,” he said.

Despite the law impacting what Field Day is able to produce and sell, Caraher believes it is a useful piece of legislation to ensure people are safe.

“The regulations we have been [meeting] for age restrictions and milligram caps are good so we can ensure the safety of people here,” Caraher said.

Big Grove Brewery, a restaurant and brewery with locations in Iowa City, Solon, Cedar Rapids, and Des Moines,

physical safety measures like cameras, reinforced glass hardening, and security locks.

The Iowa City Community School District is among those that have put physical safety measures in place to protect students and staff in the event of a security breach.

According to the district’s website, Iowa City schools have established secured building entrances, locked classrooms, security cameras, shatterproof window film, security systems, emergency radios, mass notification systems, and have removed fire pull stations from most areas of schools except the main office and maintenance areas.

Kate Callahan, director of student services for Iowa City schools, said the district created a committee last year composed of department heads to help determine the best use of safety features in the district.

“We meet weekly, and our focus is on reviewing safety features and how we can enhance them at a district level,” she said. “That’s definitely been an increased focus.”

In an email to The Daily Iowan, Davis Eidahl, the Solon Community School District superintendent, wrote that his district completed several safety enhancements in the

sells a THC seltzer called Climbing Kites.

Climbing Kites is a “strategic partnership” between Big Grove and Lua Brewing, the originating brewpub in Des Moines, Climbing Kites Brand Manager Nick Iversen said.

Iversen said the law directly impacted Climbing Kites’ top-selling 10-milligram seltzer, among its other products.

“We had to reformulate our recipe and change the packaging to be legal,” he said.

Various retail locations also needed attention to comply with the legislation, he said, including John’s Grocery in Iowa City, New Pioneer Food Co-op, which has locations in Johnson County and Cedar Rapids, and more prolific locations like Fareway Grocery.

Iversen said Lua Brewing and Climbing Kites Co-Founder Scott Selix was primarily responsible for working with legislators during the company’s litigation because of the effect on their business. Field Day was also involved in the litigation, which ultimately did not favor the plaintiffs.

Like Field Day in North Liberty, Iversen said Climbing Kites is conscious of the emulsion concentration, or milligrams per serving, in their products. The law was passed to address cases of indi -

past school year. These enhancements included upgrading video surveillance systems by replacing older cameras with new ones and almost doubling the number installed.

“These cameras provide more coverage and are accessible by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department in emergencies,” Eidahl wrote. Additionally, Eidahl wrote that the district updated its key fob system for outer door access to its schools, providing a more secure system and faster lockdown capability. The district also installed film on the inside glass of classrooms to ensure they are safe in an emergency.

The funding for these enhancements came partly from the $50,000 Governor’s School Safety Initiative and from a general obligation bond, which was voter-approved in March of 2024.

The safety initiative provided the Solon Community School District with $200,000, and the district also used about $165,000 from its general obligation bond to complete safety enhancements. While these physical safety measures are progress in

viduals abusing a loophole, but Climbing Kites was already crafting and selling their beverages responsibly, he said.

“Potency has been driving the mar -

ket,” he said. “We’ve seen high demand for 10-milligram products, and that’s really the limit that we feel in a 12-ounce can is responsible.”

Downtown features women-owned ventures

Two downtown businesses reveal a deeper culture supporting women in business.

Evan Watson News Reporter news@dailyiowan.com

The Iowa City downtown area is always changing. New businesses come and go, but one thing that outlives a natural business cycle is culture. However, unlike flashing neon signs and ads in the paper, culture is harder to perceive than business. Culture in business can come from geography, like who and where a business serves. It can also come from the products it sells, attracting customers from different walks of life unified by similar interests and needs.

One key and often hard-to-miss element of business culture is ownership, and in a tight-knit community like Iowa City, culture between business owners can both unify and amplify.

Recently, the women-owned business environment expanded when Monique Holtkamp, owner of candy store Sweets and Treats and T’Spoons Coffee and Treats, opened a new location in Iowa City’s Pedestrian Mall. Holtkamp is also a realtor with Edge Realty Group and a business ambassador with Greater Iowa City. Holtkamp bought Sweets and Treats in the Old Capitol Town Center Mall in 2010. Now, she said Sweets and Treats will relocate to T’Spoons, and its current location will close, except for a holiday pop-up shop selling seasonal products. Holtkamp said she was considering relocating Sweets and Treats and eventually bought the coffee shop, but she ultimately decided to open it as a second T’Spoons location and consolidate Sweets and Treats between the two.

“My initial thought was Sweets and Treats in there, and then one thing led to the other, and I bought the coffee shop so then I could have both coffee and candy,” she said.

She said she opened the coffee shop as a second T’Spoons to generate two

revenue streams out of one business. However, she indicated profits are not her primary motivator for her continued investment downtown.

She shared several stories from community members that illustrate the connectedness in the Iowa City community.

One story, she said, is about a customer whose mother is an Alzheimer’s patient. The customer came into Holtkamp’s store looking for licorice pipes, which hold a significant connection to her mother.

“She told me how her mom has Alzheimer’s, but [the candy] gives her a good day. They stoke a memory,” Holtkamp said. “She wanted to buy a whole box, and after she told me that story, I always stocked a whole box for her.”

Holtkamp said she appreciates being able to help people in the community.

Another story included a far-away mother of a University of Iowa student who asked Holtkamp to deliver an order to her daughter on her birthday. She also delivered a candy basket ordered for a cancer patient in the UI Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital. She said her deliveries can bring relief and joy and, especially in the case of the hospital patient, make people “light up.”

“It’s so rewarding to do what I do on so many facets,” she said. “Like working with other women, entrepreneurs, and community.”

The second T’Spoons location downtown opened in the south corner of Cielo, a store selling clothing, jewelry, and gifts marketed specifically to women. While the eclectic nature of downtown Iowa City is growing, these developments reveal a deeper heartbeat of women’s

entrepreneurship.

Cielo is owned and operated by Monica Ferguson, another Iowa City entrepreneur. She said Holtkamp and her have been friends for 10 years, so when the previous coffee shop Daydrink occupying the corner of Cielo moved. Ferguson was unable to take care of the coffee shop herself, and she figured offering it to her friend would be a good use of the space. Ferguson thinks having more women-owned businesses, especially so close to one another, improves the downtown area.

“I love having two women-owned businesses under one roof,” Ferguson said. “We both cater to women customers, and it’s a safe environment.”

Ferguson has her own story as well. She said she began as an entrepreneur selling hand-made jewelry and working locally. As she grew her brand and later opened Cielo, she ended up selling her jewelry business to another femaleowned business, 223. Baby Co., owned and operated by Macy Krall.

Additionally, Ferguson said she runs a Facebook page called Business Besties, which hosts conversations and networking opportunities for 1,300 women in business. This, among other things, excites her regarding the growing culture of female entrepreneurs.

“We’re coming to an atmosphere with a lot of women collaboration in business, and that’s exciting to me,” she said. Iowa City Downtown District Executive Director Betsy Potter said Iowa City has always had a strong small-business environment. There are over 60 women-owned businesses in the downtown district alone.

Potter said walkability, which makes businesses more accessible and appealing, helps Iowa City’s downtown flourish. She said the work going on behind the scenes to market and unify businesses helps them collaborate and see mutual success.

“They know they need each other to be

Ava Neumaier | The Daily Iowan

Daydreamer drinks sit on the counter of ReUnion Brewery in Iowa City on Nov. 10. ReUnion is one of many bars across Iowa City impacted by a new Iowa law restricting THC products in establishments across the state.

Ava Neumaier | The Daily Iowan

Monique Holtkamp poses for a portrait at T’Spoons in the Pedestrian Mall in Iowa City on Nov. 15. T’Spoons is located in the Old Capitol Mall, and Holtkamp also owns a Sweets and Treats location in the Pedestrian Mall.

Reynolds

MEN’S WRESTLING

Money won’t buy loyalty for Kennedy

Despite the emergence of the transfer portal and NIL deals, Iowa wrestler Patrick Kennedy remains rooted in the Hawkeyes’ wrestling program.

Campbell University 174-pound Austin Murphy walks off the mat after being defeated by Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy during the second session of the

at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 21. Iowa finished the tournament in fifth place with a team score of 67 points.

Trey Benson Sports Reporter

sports@dailyiowan.com

Colin Votzmeyer

Sports Editor

colin.votzmeyer@dailyiowan.com

Even national champions are not guaranteed a starting spot on the No. 2 Iowa men’s wrestling team.

Patrick Kennedy — a U23 National Champion at the 2024 World Team Trials at Spire Academy in Ohio with a career record of 41-14 at Iowa — has found himself bat-

tling for time on the mat on a national-championship-contending team this season.

At 174 pounds, teammate Nelson Brands has secured both the starting role and a national ranking, dropping Kennedy to a back-up role despite qualifying for the NCAA championships in the last two seasons. That’s a role Kennedy almost surely would not be in if he were with another program. No spot is ever guaranteed at the high level of Division I wrestling, and this is

especially prevalent at the University of Iowa. With over 27 NCAA championships and 34 Big Ten championships, Hawkeye wrestling has constantly brought in top-tier talent from each weight class year after year.

So, it’s no surprise Kennedy is constantly battling and duking it out with top-ranked wrestlers every day of practice. But it would have been very easy for Kennedy to enter the transfer portal to find an easier opportunity to wrestle or make an exorbitant amount of money taking advantage of newly passed NIL regulations.

“I think a lot of people nowadays, they chase the money,” Kennedy said. “They

chase getting a bag.”

However, for Kennedy, wrestling for the Hawkeyes was never about the money. It was always about loyalty and the experience of participating in the sport he loves with his best friends.

“But for me, I love it here, and I love the people around,” he said. “Even when we’re not wrestling, we’re out cutting wood and bow fishing with the teammates. I love it here, and this is a place that I believe is the best fit for me. And it makes no sense in my head to go some -

VOLLEYBALL WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Stremlow bringing the energy

The first-year guard has brought a burst of confidence stemming from high school success.

of the decisions, but I’ll take that any day. And I love what I’m seeing out of Taylor Stremlow.”

Grading Iowa volleyball’s 2024-25 season

The Hawkeyes improved in Big Ten play this season due to impressive fundamentals.

Jack Birmingham Sports Reporter sports@dailyiowan.com

The Iowa women’s volleyball team concluded their 2024-25 campaign on Friday with a loss to No. 20 USC. The Hawkeyes finished the season 10-22 overall and 4-16 in Big Ten play. Despite the dim record, the season still showed marked improvement, as Iowa’s four conference victories were its most in two seasons. Without further ado, here are their season grades.

Iowa women’s basketball has yet another source of energy to boost the team — this time in the form of firstyear guard Taylor Stremlow. While the first-year guard is a new name on the Hawkeyes’ roster, Stremlow’s confidence has created both personal opportunities and team contributions.

Hailing from Verona, Wisconsin, Stremlow was ranked as the No. 88 overall prospect by ESPN in the Class of 2024 and averaged 16.1 points per game as a junior. She joins a highly-touted freshman class that is regarded as one of the top classes in the country.

“We have a really good freshman class, and Taylor Stremlow, she’s good,” Jensen said. “She’s crafty, she’s smart, and she’s a competitor. The intangibles, she’s mature in. She’s still a freshman in some

Despite growing up near rival Wisconsin, the firstyear player was impressed by Iowa’s tradition after the successful careers of coach Lisa Bluder and superstar Caitlin Clark, both of whom led the Hawkeyes to consecutive appearances in the NCAA title game the last two seasons.

“What Caitlin and coach Bluder did here was incredible and really set the stage for those of us that are new here,” Stremlow said prior to the start of the season. “Moving forward for the Iowa women’s basketball team, I think it’s incredible to see. The fans that came for Caitlin and Coach have stayed for all of us. They’re just as invested and just as excited, which is pretty incredible.”

Clark moved on to the WNBA after the season, and Bluder stunned many by announcing her retirement weeks later. Associate head coach Jan Jensen stepped

Setting: A

Iowa’s setting skills made a big impact this year, with third-year setter Claire Ammeraal’s achievement of 2,000 career assists in just the second game of the season being a prime example. With Ammeraal and firstyear Jenna Meitzler sharing time on the court this season, the Hawkeyes logged 1,313 assists against opponents. Ammeraal credited the offense as a whole for the team’s high figures, as well as her own.

“You can only get assists if your hitters are getting kills,” Ammeraal said. “It’s good to know that I’m putting people

Iowa head coach Jim Barnes praised Ammeraal, a Central Michigan transfer, for providing a strong presence on offense.

“I really enjoy training setters and especially offensive setters,” Barnes said. “Claire is the most offensive setter in the country, so there’s kind of a match made in heaven.” Barnes equally praised Meitzler, who stepped into a major role following Ammeraal’s injury early in the season. “She’s comfortable in competitive situations,” Barnes said. “That’s what has allowed her to be successful as a freshman. It’s not something she’s not used to. She’s used to being in high-pressure situations. In fact, she thrives in them.”

Both Ammeraal and Meitzler are set to return for next season, giving Iowa more building blocks as this program attempts to gain relevance in the Big Ten.

Cody Blissett | The Daily Iowan

NCAA men’s wrestling championships

Isabella Tisdale | The Daily Iowan

Iowa guard Taylor Stremlow poses for a portrait during Iowa women’s basketball media day at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Oct. 10. The players took photos and answered questions from the media.

KENNEDY | 3B

Kennedy

Ammeraal

Men’s Basketball

Saturday, Dec. 7

Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan

1 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

Saturday, Dec. 7

Tennessee

Brooklyn, New York

Men’s Wrestling

Friday, Dec. 6

Journeymen Wrestling

“Uncivil War”

Princeton and Army

St. Charles, Missouri

Women’s Wrestling

Saturday, Dec. 7 Jewell Dual Tournament Liberty, Missouri

10 a.m.

Track and Field

Saturday, Dec. 7

Sharon Colyear-Danville

Season Opener Boston, Massachusetts

WHAT YOU’VE MISSED

football’s No. 1 cornerback

Jermari Harris will not play the rest of the season for the Hawkeyes, per a report from David Eickholt of 247 Sports on Nov. 22. Harris will opt out in preparation for the 2024 NFL Draft.

A sixth-year senior from Chicago, Illinois, Harris has been a solid starter for two years now and the Hawkeyes’ best defensive back this season, posting three interceptions, 19 tackles, and a team-high seven pass defenses. Harris addressed the media just days before the announcement but gave no indication of opting out of the season. Iowa played Maryland on Nov. 23 and Nebraska on Nov. 29 in his absence and awaits a bowl game selection in the coming weeks.

Eickholt’s sources

“indicated that Harris has been playing with an injury all season long,” sidelining him for the final two regular seasons games and thus opting him out of that bowl game as many NFL Draft prospects do.

Third-year Deshaun Lee is Iowa’s other starting cornerback.

Listed behind Harris on the depth chart is Jaylen Watson. A first-year from Detroit, Michigan, Watson saw action in seven games in 2024, recording five total tackles. Another option at cornerback is third-year TJ Hall, who started four games for the Hawkeyes this season and collected eight tackles.

Regardless of who starts in Harris’ stead moving forward, his absence will hurt a Hawkeye defense that has lacked the consistency that made it so reliable last season.

Harris finished his collegiate career with 28 starts, 105 tackles, and eight interceptions, he has improved his stock into a projected late-draft selection.

In light of an injury cutting fellow cornerback Cooper DeJean’s Hawkeye career short last season and presumably hurting his draft stock, Harris will take the time off to heal in anticipation of Roger Goodell calling his name during the NFL draft in roughly six months’ time.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

The state of football is cloudy

If the Hawkeyes don’t fix their problems this offseason, then a nasty downfall could await the program and its players.

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

Before the season, many Iowa football fans and media analysts projected the 2024 squad to reach the College Football Playoff.

The Hawkeyes’ schedule featured only one opponent ranked in the Associated Press top-25 poll and returned plenty of experience on both sides of the ball.

The program was plagued by offensive inconsistencies for three seasons, but there was hope that new offensive coordinator Tim Lester could complete a major overhaul and bring the offense into the 21st century.

It seemed like those dreams would come to fruition as Iowa scored 40 points in the season-opener against Illinois State on Aug. 31. Players were optimistic, coaches were optimistic, and the fans were flying high.

But then it all came crashing down in an instant.

Just one week later, the Hawkeyes suffered a devastating 20-19 home loss to in-state rival Iowa State, a game in which Iowa led by 13 points in the second half. The Hawkeyes have long been known for maintaining second half leads, but the loss proved to be an unfortunate omen for the rest of the season.

The trouncing at then-No.3 Ohio State on Oct. 5 was expected, but the losses to UCLA and Michigan State certainly weren’t. Sure, they were on the road in primetime, but Iowa looked unprepared and outmatched at times against competition that was mediocre at best.

Iowa entered the season with the necessary talent and experience to win at least 10 games this season, but the chips haven’t fallen into place. Instead of playing in the College Football Playoff, the Hawkeyes are forced to play in a meaningless, almost exhibition bowl game, while in-state rival Iowa State enjoys its best season in program history.

This was a season in which Iowa was supposed to break out in the new landscape of college football, but the Hawkeyes are again stuck in mediocrity.

What is the current state of Iowa football right now? Well, it’s not very good.

First, there’s the Cade McNamara

Q&A | MADDY HELLWIG

saga — the senior quarterback who transferred in from Michigan to rejuvenate the Iowa offense prior to the 2023 season, but his injury problems and inconsistent play have led to him completing only 11 full games as the starting quarterback.

The Hawkeyes made the right decision by bringing McNamara in, but the experiment was clearly a disaster and has certainly gained plenty of negative publicity from the fanbase and the national media.

But it also showed a glaring problem — quarterback development. Iowa has had some of the Big Ten’s worst quarterback play over the last few seasons, and that’s a problem that cannot continue into the 2025 season.

Spencer Petras has been playing good football for Utah State this season, and former backup Joey Labas has played well for Central Michigan before suffering an injury.

I’m happy for those two guys, but their success shows that the Hawkeyes haven’t developed their young signal-callers properly, something that is unacceptable for a Big Ten program.

This isn’t 1985 anymore; it’s 2024. Iowa needs to value the quarterback position as a dual-threat and not just simply a game manager who will dink and duck down the field. Looking ahead to 2025, the Hawkeyes will face a gauntlet schedule highlighted by games against Indiana, Penn State, and Oregon. That’s certainly not the lighter schedule that Iowa has had this season, and yet the Hawks still sit in mediocrity with an experienced roster. Iowa will lose the services of stalwarts Nick Jackson, Jay Higgins, Sebastian Castro, and Ethan Hurkett on defense, and the team will likely lose star running back Kaleb Johnson, who declared for the NFL Draft on Dec. 1. Johnson broke Shonn Greene’s single-season touchdown record this year and has accumulated much of Iowa’s firepower on offense.

Not only that, but there is also no quarterback on the roster right now who the Hawkeyes feel great about heading into 2025. Brendan Sullivan showed some flashes, but his injury has left him without the

Iowa women’s club hockey discusses in-house team

Jack Birmingham Sports Reporter sports@dailyiowan.com

The Daily Iowan: What’s one word you associate with being a center?

Maddy Hellwig: I would probably say grit. You have to take the face-offs, so you are responsible for getting that puck back — making sure you can get that possession every time. Grit really can be applied to all the positions. It’s such a high-velocity sport.

What’s something in your background that made the transition over to hockey easier than it might have been? It sounds like an oxymoron, but cross country. With skating, you have to have a lot

Colin Votzmeyer Sports Editor

Yes

Iowa cornerback Jermari Harris has nothing left to prove with the Hawkeye football program, and the Hawkeyes, quite frankly, have nothing left to play for.

“He’s a pretty cool cat, and I like cool cats.”

Iowa men’s wrestling head coach Tom Brands on No. 1 157-pounder Jacori Teemer

STAT OF THE WEEK

Hawkeye football players currently projected to be selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft

Two more games against midtier Big Ten teams in Nebraska and Maryland gave him no room to prove something more to NFL audiences and mean nothing for Iowa’s place in the Big Ten. The same goes for the bowl game, especially in this era of college football, where the most important prize is a playoff appearance.

It’s not a great look that Harris “quit” on his teammates, but a deeper look showed he made the best decision for himself, and that’s what’s most important with the state of Iowa football right now.

On a team that won’t make a

of stamina because you do it so much. It’s taxing on your body. It’s a lot of labor. In high school, I was running all the time, so having that built in was very helpful when I started actually playing. When I was growing up, I would play street hockey, roller hockey, but never really played on a real team because there wasn’t [one]. I grew up here in Iowa City, and there’s not a hockey culture here.

valuable reps to prove he is the guy for next season.

Iowa has shown willingness to dip into the transfer portal in recent years, and finding some depth at the quarterback position is a must if it wants to be competitive next season and beyond.

Finally, there’s head coach Kirk Ferentz. Ferentz has completed nearly 26 full seasons as the head coach of the Hawkeyes, and though the 69-year-old coach doesn’t seem to show any signs of slowing down, any season could be the last for the legendary head Hawk.

Not all the disappointments of this season can be placed on Ferentz, but again, the Hawkeyes failed to meet expectations this season. Many fans are questioning if the program needs to start over with a new coach.

Regardless of your opinions, one thing is clear — this season has been a massive disappointment. Iowa has plenty of issues right now, making the current state of this program extremely cloudy moving forward. If the Hawkeyes can’t fix their problems, then the program could be in for a nasty downfall.

What’s one thing that hockey has taught you?

It’s taught me how to be part of a team. With cross country, I ran for six years, and it’s a team sport but not really. You can qualify to run in the state meet as an individual. If your team doesn’t qualify, you might qualify as an individual. In hockey, you can’t do that. If

Big Ten championship or College Football Playoff, Harris now has to do what’s best for him. The Iowa football collective means less when you’re only playing for yourself and the people around you. And that’s what he did. By sitting out the last three games, Harris allows the lingering injury he’s battled this season to heal — and prevent it from worsening. Look at Cooper DeJean last year. It’s hard to argue his leg injury mid-season didn’t hurt his draft stock even a little bit, dropping him to the second round and costing him a good chunk of money in signing bonuses. Moreover, as previously mentioned, three more games don’t give Harris much room to improve his draft stock much further. What does is the NFL Combine, which he can spend time preparing for instead of risking his already shaky spot in the selection process for a little more time in college. At the end of the day, college football players need to do what’s in their best interests when they’ve got NFL potential and not much left in college. Harris did, and that’s why he made the right decision.

you want to qualify for whatever, your whole team has to do it. You all have to do it. You’re all part of this success. Everybody really is

What is one thing you think hockey has done well in your life?

It’s a way to stay active and have fun. I ran cross country in high school, and I really loved being with all my friends. But those runs where I would be by myself, I didn’t really have fun. This is a team sport in the truest sense, where everybody has to do their job in order to play well and in order to succeed as a team.

Editor’s note: Maddy Hellwig is a former staff member at The Daily Iowan.

Birmingham

I’m the first to admit Iowa football is far from perfect, but the loss of Jermari Harris for the remainder of the season is still a substantial blow to the Hawkeyes. The key here is defense, namely its returners, who have held opponents to 195 points this season, with a 6-5 Nebraska squad the last opponent of the regular season and held to just 10. Harris, Iowa’s best defensive back, has logged three interceptions, 19 tackles, and seven pass defenses this season. A report from 247 Sports confirmed the Chicago native will opt out for the rest of the season, which sidelined him for the Maryland and Nebraska games as well as the anticipated bowl game.

This is a bad decision in terms of its effect on the team. While the Hawkeyes bested Maryland — ranked second-to-last in the Big Ten — and silenced Nebraska, too, without Harris, it’s more about the message that’s sent. Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson, and Sebastian Castro — each key pieces in the Iowa defense could’ve opted for the 2024 NFL Draft after significantly increasing their stocks last season. But they chose to return to finish what they started. The key word there is “finish.”

I understand Harris is battling a lingering injury this season, but he played on it the first 10 games. And the Iowa football program prides itself on a collective and high-class team effort from start to finish. Harris’ decision sends the message that this might not be the case. While Harris’ decision to opt out may push the player closer to NFL ambitions, it’s going to be a blow to Iowa’s defense, which, even with Harris and other defensive weapons last year, gave up the the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl to Tennessee in a 35-0 blowout.

Jack

Isabella Tisdale | The Daily Iowan

Iowa wide receiver Kaden Wetjen returns a punt during a football game between Iowa and Nebraska at Kinnick

Stadium in Iowa City on Nov. 29. Iowa defeated Nebraska, 13-10.

Harris

where and hate it but get paid.”

That loyalty stems from his upbringing in Kas son-Mantorville, Minnesota, a small town whose high school enrolls just 650 students. Kennedy said he doesn’t come from the wealthiest family, but that motivates him.

“If I finished wrestling, I go put my work boots on for the rest my life — I don’t care because I love being here,” he said. “It is my choice. It’s how the world works sometimes, but you can’t freaking cry and be a baby about it. You put your boots on, and you go to work.”

The four-time Minnesota high school champion is undoubtedly a solid catch in his craft, and he showed this on the biggest stage as he won the 2024 World Team Trials and freestyle national championship at the 2022 World Team Trials, both at the U23 level.

Kennedy qualified for the world team, joining the U.S. team at the 2024 World Wrestling Championships in Tirana, Albania, where he continued to be a student of the game.

“I wanted to definitely do a better job of finishing over there, getting my hand raised when it really mattered,” he said. “But I learned a lot … I feel like I was in the best shape I’ve ever been in. I was wrestling the best, so I think that if I do it correctly, it’s going to carry over into the season. So, it was a fun offseason, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”

Even after the summer success, Kennedy has fought for time on the mat behind Nelson Brands’ starting role, patiently waiting for his opportunity to come. And it came during one of the most heated and intense rivalries in all of college wrestling — the annual Cy-Hawk duul with Iowa State.

Iowa head coach Tom Brands found it most fitting for the team to start Kennedy in the 174-pound bout, some much-needed energy after a slow start and injury to topranked 157-pounder Jacori Teemer.

“Just shaking it up,” Tom Brands said bluntly after the meet of the change at 174. “It was too quiet upstairs, and [coach Terry Brands] was up there breathing fire. We had a bad thing happen at the break. ‘Hey, we’ve got to get ready to go.’

“‘It’s not a morgue,” he added of what he told his team after Teemer’s injury. “‘Here, guys, we’ve got five matches. We’ve got to get ready to go.’”

This move by Tom Brands showcased just how deep the second-ranked Hawkeyes are in their ability to sit the No. 6 wrestler in the country for Kennedy — who came into his first match of the year unranked.

“He is a guy that does it right,” Tom Brands said. “Lifestyle is intact, and he knows where his improvements have to come. And he addresses them every day.

“We love him,” he added. “He’s the epitome of what you want out of a stablemate. He’s loyal. He’s driven. He sticks

in as head coach, and the transition has been smooth for Stremlow.

“We don’t have a lot of risk-takers yet,” Jensen said.

up for his teammates, and he holds [himself] accountable. [He has] great leadership characteristics, and you could probably classify him as a player-coach.”

Fans were stunned at first when Kennedy, not Nelson Brands, walked out of the tunnel with flames and smoke intensifying the atmosphere in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. But the atmosphere only exploded from there.

But Kennedy, like so many times before, blocked out the roaring crowd and focused solely on one thing: his opponent, Hawkeye-turned-Cyclone Aiden Riggins.

Locked in and internalizing that tunnel vision, Kennedy took the mat with confidence. And he came out firing on all fronts, recording three takedowns against former teammate Riggins and taking an early 9-2 lead after the first period.

Riggins recorded an early escape to start the second period and bring the score to 9-3, but shortly after, Kennedy recorded another takedown to bring the score to 12-3. With a monstrous lead entering the third period, Hawkeye fans cheered loudly for Kennedy to

“We have a lot of youth. The biggest risk taker we have is Taylor Stremlow, and she’s made some pretty fun, flashier passes.”

Stremlow’s first game inside raucous Carver-Hawkeye Arena came on Oct. 30 in an exhibition contest against Missouri

Western State. Iowa bested the Griffons, 11055, and Stremlow played just over 25 minutes, the third-most on the squad behind third-year Taylor McCabe and fourth-year Lucy Olsen. The first-year tallied nine rebounds, two assists,

Attacking: C

Iowa’s attacking numbers leave room for growth, despite the strong performances of several athletes this season. Six Hawkeyes fell in the triple digits range for kills this year, including their leader, first-year Malu Garcia, who finished the season with 278 kills. Barnes noted Garcia as a high prospect on several programs’ lists, but Iowa managed to recruit the first-year from Hawaii.

“She really competes hard, so when the whistle blows, she’s just a true competitor,” Barnes said. “She’s a baller. She can adjust to plays, has really good instincts. That’s allowed her as a freshman to really produce.”

Another standout this season was fourth-year Michelle Urquhart, who finished the season just behind Garcia with 266 kills. Urquhart also set Iowa’s single-season service aces record during the season’s penultimate game against Big Ten newcomer UCLA, with 42 aces by the end of that match.

Fellow fourth-year Anna Davis, who logged 27 kills this season, praised Urquhart as a teammate.

“It’s awesome playing with her every game,” Davis said. “She brings a really competitive edge, experience. Everything she does brings a good, commanding but calming presence at the same time.”

Other high-scoring Hawkeyes this season included second-year Hannah Whittingstall, a transfer from SMU who collected 214 kills, and fourth-year Gracie Gibson, a transfer from Lafayette College who accumulated 197 kills.

While Iowa’s individual hitters put up high figures, the Hawkeyes were out-killed by opponents 1,534-1,440 this season, leading to critical Big Ten losses, namely a 3-1 defeat to Illinois on Oct. 27.

Defending: B

Iowa’s defense allowed some pushback early on in contests against teams such as Drake, Iowa State, and UW-Milwaukee. The same defense, however, won several close contests this season as well, including two 3-2 wins over Rutgers and Maryland to start conference play.

In the area of digs, a key defensive component in returning serves, Arizona transfer and fifth-year libero Joy Galles led with 444 total digs averaging 3.73 digs each set. Six additional athletes also landed in the triple digits for digging, including Ammeraal, Urquhart, and Garcia.

Another key component of the Hawkeyes’ defense was their blocking. Players like Whittingstall and Gibson shone here, using their respective 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-1 frames to create opportunities near the net.

Whittingstall led Iowa in blocking with 113 total blocks and was the only Hawkeye to average more than one block each set, averaging 1.10 blocks per set. Gibson, meanwhile, came nearly as close with 106 total blocks this season, averaging 0.94 blocks per set.

While heavy-hitting teams such as Nebraska proved harder for the defense to handle, a solid effort in digs and blocking allowed Iowa to hold their own in closer matchups.

continue his dominant performance, which he did by a 19-4 technical fall.

The victory added bonus points to Iowa’s team total and helped lead the Hawkeyes to a 20th-consecutive victory over the Cyclones.

“I have this image in my head of how I want my wrestling to look,” Kennedy said. “Make it how it looks in your head. And I think that will give me the best chance of sitting atop the podium.

“I just want my wrestling to look like a guy who’s out there who’s free-flowing and really chasing the points,” he added. “You want to see the scoreboard exhausted and tired … You just get your freaking hand raised.”

Kennedy’s experience and mindset on the mat have translated into that player-coach leadership role in the wrestling room.

“When we all have the same goal in mind, you have to lift each other up and lift yourself up,” he said. “You see something that doesn’t sit well with you, just say it. Or you really try to lead by example.”

a steal, and six points off the bench in the victory.

Stremlow and the Hawkeyes kept the momentum rolling with a 91-73 win in the season-opener against Northern Illinois on Nov. 6. The guard logged two points and three rebounds but also improved in the form of five assists and two steals in 22 minutes of action.

In addition to her impressive numbers, Stremlow was praised for her confidence and energy, especially after a sluggish first quarter that saw the Hawkeyes lead by only one point.

“I think her personality has that energy,” fourth-year guard Lucy Olsen said after the game. “She came in, she’s like, ‘Alright, let’s get a stop!’ She has some swag to her, offensively and defensively. She’s not afraid to do anything. I think we needed that little kick. She came in and did a really good job stepping up both offensively and defensively.”

The first-year’s trend of

pairing notable stats with a confident and energetic personality has continued in the games following the season opener. Stremlow has scored in every game this season except the 86-73 victory at Drake on Nov. 17.

Stremlow’s performance off the bench has garnered plenty of attention from Jensen and the coaching staff.

“You can argue that Taylor Stremlow is a pretty heck of a good sixth player,” Jensen said after the Toledo game on Nov. 13.

Despite being a freshman, Stremlow has already built strong relationships with her teammates.

“I’d say relationships all around have been the greatest part of being here so far,” Stremlow said before the season began. “I was actually surprised with how quickly I connected with everybody in different ways. All the girls that have been here, I felt like I didn’t miss a

Cody Blissett | The Daily Iowan

Iowa guard Taylor Stremlow goes up for a shot during a women’s basketball game between Iowa and Missouri Western State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City on Oct. 30. The Hawkeyes defeated the Griffons, 110-55.

Garcia

Urquhart

80 HOURS

Iowa City’s drag icons foster community

From newcomers to seasoned drag veterans, Iowa City’s drag community is always welcoming of kings and queens.

Shawn Mendes returns to the industry with vulnerability

After a summer of toned-down marketing, he released his folk-pop album, “Shawn.”

Kayla Person Arts Reporter arts@dailyiowan.com

“This album is about letting go of, and remembering who I am,” Shawn Mendes wrote in an Instagram post shared on Nov. 15. “It’s been my own personal medicine. I hope you love it.”

A short but sweet introduction was all Shawn Mendes offered on the release day for his newest album, “Shawn,” which was initially announced on July 31.

The album comes after a two-year hiatus and marks Mendes’ return to the stage after he announced the cancellation of his “Wonder Tour” in 2022 to prioritize his mental health.

Admittedly, the marketing for this album was lackluster. Neither of the promotional singles made a significant impact on the musical charts nationally or globally.

Regardless of commercial success, this album is a very vulnerable one and moves away from the pop sound masses may be expecting from Mendes.

The album opens with “Who I Am,” the first of several raw and vulnerable songs on the 12-track album. The song focuses on Mendes’ previously discussed reasons for canceling his tour and taking a break from music.

Though he expresses a deep regret for disappointing his fans, the opening track makes it clear that taking a break was the only option he had considering how much he was struggling at the time.

As a whole, the album has clear folk influences, especially on “Isn’t That Enough” and “Heavy.” Vocally speaking, Mendes almost strictly remains in the lower spectrum of his register, omitting the high notes fans know and love.

Despite low-level marketing and a lack of significant commercial success, this album provided Mendes with the perfect outlet to bare his soul to the world, despite the amount of criticism and public judgment he has faced over the years.

All of the songs are in the same vein: stripped down, emotional, and on the slow side. The biggest critique, though, definitely stems from the length of the album. Mendes’ albums have never been notable with their length, with most of them barely reaching 50 minutes.

This newest album, though, sets Mendes’ record for the shortest body of work in his discography, falling at an even 30 minutes. After such a considerable break and Mendes detailing just how important this album was for his mental health, it is not unreasonable to expect a longer album to mark Mendes’ return to the industry.

He makes up for it, though, through his “For Friends & Family” live concert film, which was announced in October and released the day before the album, on Nov. 14. At the end of the day, lack of marketing, album length, and commercial success notwithstanding, this album is beautifully crafted and a notable switch from Mendes’ usual sound, and it allows fans to see a much softer side of him.

“Wicked” stuns with emotional storytelling

Released on Nov. 22, the cinematic adaptation of the Broadway musical “Wicked” tells the story of two future witches trying to navigate the fantastical world of Oz.

Riley Dunn Digital Editor

riley.dunn@dailyiowan.com

From the spectacular vocals of Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande’s Glinda to the spellbinding visuals that make up The Land of Oz, “Wicked” awed me from the very beginning.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, the movie carries the similar sparkle and charm of his previous works, most notably “Crazy Rich Asians.” As the movie stretched onward, I found myself losing track of time and getting immersed in the story, captivated by each of the characters’ personal journeys.

The decision to split the popular Broadway story of “Wicked” into two movies — set before and after Dorothy’s arrival in Oz — was a smart one, as “Wicked” takes its extended time and uses it well, fleshing out each character and showing how they interact with one another.

Glinda and Elphaba loathe one another at first, developing an understandable and somewhat amusing

rivalry. This culminates in Glinda and her friends’ attempt to humiliate Elphaba, which Elphaba herself takes as a false act of goodwill. Eventually, the two are able to set aside their differences and develop a complicated relationship that leads them down the yellow brick road to exposing the wickedness behind Oz’s mystical curtain. Both Erivo and Grande allow their theatrical talents to shine throughout the nearly three-hour runtime of the movie, belting out memorable ballads such as “What is this Feeling?,” “The Wizard and I,” and the ever-beloved “Defying Gravity.” Grande’s version of the “good witch” Glinda is appropriately bubbly and funny, creating the image of someone who wholeheartedly believes she is the standard for all that is good. However, there is also a hidden depth to the character that shines through as well, as seen in her genuine acceptance and eventual care for Elphaba. Similarly, the future “Wicked Witch of the West” is given a compelling personality and arc through Erivo’s

acting. The main question at the center of “Wicked” remains: Are people born wicked, or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?

Throughout the film, Elphaba Thropp must face the hatred of those around her due to the green hue of her skin — a trademark of Oz’s original wicked witch. The scorn she faced could have driven her to become evil within the first few minutes of the film. Yet, there is goodness in Elphaba, as shown through the concern she holds for her sister Nessarose and the desire she holds to change her world for the better. I was captivated by Elphaba’s story and was drawn in by the various facets of her character and the relationships she had with others — particularly her rival-turned-friend Glinda. Each stage of the two witches’ relationship is given space to shine, and their relationship feels realistic in the way it evolves, so that the ending notes of “Defying Gravity” give the audience something to ponder before the second part’s release.

The characters’ connections to their

“Wizard of Oz” counterparts is also something that is subtly hinted at in the film, allowing “Wicked” to feel like its own thing while also being an homage to the famous story.

Audiences get to sit back and enjoy the stories and personalities of characters such as the carefree Fiyero, lovestruck Nessarose, and playful Boq, all of whom have their own passions and goals. The plight of the various talking animal characters in the story was another aspect of it that caused me to care for Elphaba’s journey. Elphaba’s interactions with goat professor Dr. Dillamond showcase both her genuinely good intentions and the connections she’s capable of building with others. Her development here is both endearing and makes sense in the large context of her story — as Elphaba herself was raised by a bear nursemaid. The questions left surrounding the worries of the animals, the role of the Wizard of Oz, and the relationship between Glinda and Elphaba promise a cinematic, emotional, and musically spectacular second act.

Mikala Compton/American-Statesman | USA TODAY NETWORK

Shawn Mendes performs at Moody Amphitheater during South by Southwest on Saturday, March 19, 2022.

Isabella Nekvinda Arts Reporter arts@dailyiowan.com

IC’s

and queens foster love of drag

Emma Calabro | The Daily Iowan Drag queen Beep Beep does their makeup before hosting and performing at Basix in Cedar Rapids on Nov. 30. Beep Beep talked about their experience joining the drag community, expressing that most queens join during Pride or Halloween. Beep Beep said they joined during Pride and enjoyed performing the most at Studio 13 in Iowa City.

in their heads and share them with an eager crowd.

Every Saturday night, Studio 13 is transformed into a competitive stage to determine Iowa City’s favorite drag queen and king. The bar hosts many events centered around drag, with their Star Search competition gathering much traction in the community.

Star Search was a “RuPaul’s Drag Race” invention: a competition that featured many popular drag queens and kings around Iowa throughout the seasons the show has been on air. One Drag Race competitor who performed at Studio 13, Jared Breakenridge, better known as Sasha Belle on stage, participated in season seven of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

The show, more than anything, however, gave a glimpse into the intricate relationships of Iowa’s favorite queens and kings. From past or current lovers to roommates and best friends, or even at times enemies, it seems that everyone in the drag community is connected in one way or another.

Considering Studio 13 is the only gay bar in Iowa that allows anyone 19 and older into the venue, the drag royalty in Iowa City remain busy during the week. From kings to queens, the drag scene in Iowa City is constantly growing in size.

With many getting their start from Studio 13’s Open Stage events, the performers emphasize maintaining an open mind and circle.

Cindy L. Jenkins got her start in the Iowa City drag scene in 2023 at an Open Stage at Studio 13. Driving down from Cedar Rapids, she decided to take a chance on a character she had been developing for some time.

“It took me a couple of years to work up the courage to go to an Open Stage,” Jenkins remembered.

The first reactions from the resident drag queens and kings were kinder than she was expecting.

“They all came up to me afterward and pushed me to come back. They pushed me not to quit and make it more than just a one-time thing,” Jenkins said.

It’s common for the Open Stage to act as a one-off opportunity for potential drag performers. The event, similar to an open-mic night, allows anyone curious about performing in a safe space to explore the characters that have lived

SOLUTIONS

Edited by Will Shortz No. 1030

were a rich man ...”

index finger, symbolically 35 Home with a dome 38 Agcy. that carries out the Controlled Substances Act 39 Original console for the Super Mario games, for short 40 Cost of a ride, say 41 Data cruncher 44 Appear angry 45 Garland, Barr, Sessions, etc., for short 46 Army rank: Abbr

47 Rock singer Shirley 48 Pay to stay 50 Fairy tale opener

52 Lindsay with a cameo in 2024’s “Mean Girls” 56 11,000+-foot peak in southern Italy 58 Web programmer’s code 60 Apple devices run on it 61 Cleanse (of) 62 Chicago trains 63 W.W. II arena 64 “Last four digits” fig.

“Newbies come and go all of the time,” Jenkins said. “I wasn’t expecting that response when I went into it. I thought I would just push myself to do it the one time. But with everyone being so nice and responsive to what I did, it was encouraging. It was really what I needed to push myself to do it again.”

Jenkins continued attending Open Stages at Studio 13 every Wednesday from that day forward.

Muuvi Premiere, a drag queen in Star Search’s recent season and Iowa City outsider, was initially worried about her fellow performers reactions to her presence in the show.

“I was worried about the social aspect of Star Search, in particular, when coming into it. I knew that there were going to be some friendships that were probably going to be put ahead of my relationship with them,” Premiere said. “But you forge friendships with people which are kind of hard to break, and you can’t really fault someone for having a best friend. I had a rough season and had a good support system and, believe it or not, some of those were my fellow competitors of the season.”

With many considering Iowa City a safe space, especially Studio 13, the LGBTQ+ scene continues to grow every day. “You see so many new faces and create so many different friends [at Studio 13],” Hazel Sanchez, an Iowa City drag queen, said.

“I go out on nights that I might not normally go out on to see the newer talent, especially on Sundays and Wednesdays for Studio’s Open Stage,” Sanchez continued. “It is important to support your local drag brothers and sisters even if you are not booked that night. It is still important to show up.” Sanchez hosts drag brunches across Iowa. When asked about her method of finding performers, she touched on the importance of creating spaces for local artists.

“I have always wondered what we can do outside of just June for Pride month. I wanted to express everything and show that [everyone] is loved and accepted,” Sanchez said. “In the world now, we just need drag and queer spaces opened up more than what we have before.”

This is a feeling Jenkins shares. In a time when LGBTQ+ spaces are fre com -

Emma Calabro | The Daily Iowan

Drag queen Cameron Byrd, who performs as Nevae Love, does their makeup before performing at Basix in Cedar Rapids on Nov. 30. Basix is owned by the same individuals who own Studio 13 in Iowa City.

quently under attack, it’s important for community members to be as supportive as possible.

“We are all in it together. We are all in it for the same thing. We are going to support each other no matter what,” Jenkins said.

Beep Beep, a Studio 13 drag queen, further described the duality of support and the more competitive side of performance, which sometimes comes with insults and high tension.

“We have a lot of fun. Anytime we are in a show together, we’re just talking sh*t and having fun and laughing,” Beep Beep said.

During Star Search, there was fighting, personal insults, and animosity. However, underneath the competitiveness was a real community with ties that contained deep connections. While they are oftentimes queens and kings who have to compete against each other, their competitors are their partners, friends, or roommates.

pen,” Beep explained. “They know that this is all a game, this is nothing personal. A lot of the time we will still go and buy each other drinks after the show just to be like, ‘Hey, I hope you are OK.’”

Beep Beep is one such queen who lives with a fellow performer. Despite the bonds within the community, this more

“Even if so-and-so said my shoes were ugly or even if we had this argument about this booking, we are all going to support each other and put the petty stuff aside,” Jenkins said. “Do we like to have fun and be petty? Yes. The constant reading and throwing shade at people helps us.”

“We have a lot of fun. Anytime we are in a show together, we’re just talking sh*t and having fun and laughing.

Beep Beep Studio 13 drag queen

intimate scenario can prove difficult.

“At times, you notice that your roommate is buying this outfit, but not paying a certain bill. A lot of the drag queens and kings try to stay away from each other in that aspect, but yeah, sometimes the roommate dynamic can be difficult,” Beep said.

From extra help on outfits from roommates to competing with ex-fiances, following up on Star Search gave plenty of insight into the good and the ugly of competing within such a small circle.

“Most of the time, people won’t do anything to mess with their really close friends, but sometimes it has to hap -

“There will always be that competitiveness, there are only so many people that can win, and so many people that can win a title,” Jenkins said. “To maintain that balance sounds so simple, but it truly is to keep the competition separate from your personal friendships and relationships.” DRAG from 3C

Despite these occasional bumps, the community still thrives. No amount of competitive animosity or roommate awkwardness stands in the way of kings and queens being supportive.

Friends of the Animal Center Gala

The organization celebrated its 25th year with a Roaring ‘20s-themed gala.

Emma Isenhart Arts Reporter arts@dailyiowan.com

Walking into the ballroom felt like being transported back in time. Sequins, feathers, and pearls covered the tables with candles supplying the lighting. Guests adorned themselves with spats, glitter, fringe, and everything in between. Images of dogs, cats, rabbits, and other beloved pets filled the room, reminding each guest what the night is about.

The Friends of the Animal Center has been throwing an annual themed gala for four years now, but for the 25th anniversary of the center, they went all-out on the theme of Roaring ‘20s.

Each guest came decked out in the most beautiful flapper gowns, handsome pinstriped suits, and full wallets to participate in the silent auction. Companies around Iowa City also showed out, donating both merchandise and experiences for the silent auction to help raise money for the animals.

25 years ago, the Friends of the Animal Center Foundation, or FACF, was merely three women with $500 in the bank and a dream to help abused and neglected animals. These women recognized the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center

didn’t have enough space or funds to give a lot of the animals hope, so they decided to create another organization to fill in these needs.

Since then, the FACF has grown exponentially. It has recently expanded into their building, and at the gala announced another 1,500 square-foot addition will be added to the building in 2025. Around 85 percent of funding for these massive projects is through donations, which help over 2,000 animals each year by covering medical care, surgeries, behavior training, food, and toys.

The amount of annual funding truly highlights how much the residents of Iowa City care for abused and neglected animals.

“This job has changed my life. I always wanted to work with animals, and I never thought there would ever be a job where I could do that and pay my bills. So this job is a dream come true for me,” Executive Director Stephanie Koehler said.

“To be able to work for animals and make a difference in their lives is just unbelievable, so I feel very blessed and very lucky I get to do this every day,” she said.

Thanks to donors and fellow animal enthusiasts, it looks like the next 25 years are even brighter than the past 25 for the Friends of the

“This is our second $1 million construction project in 10 years,” Koehler

we’ve come in that amount of time and the donors and the community that support us. It just gets bigger and better every year, and we’re so thankful for that.”

Ava Neumaier | The Daily Iowan

Attendees dance to a jazz band during the Roaring ‘20s Gala benefit for the Friends of the Animal Center Foundation in Iowa City on Nov. 16. Bread Garden Events hosted the meal and charity auction to help shelter dogs and cats in Johnson County.

Animal Foundation.

said.

“That’s just really a testament to how far

Emma Calabro | The Daily Iowan Drag queen Beep Beep puts on a jacket before hosting and performing at Basix in Cedar Rapids on Nov. 30. Beep Beep explained that the competitive side of performing can be challenging.