gency contraception in fear of limited access or an outright ban under the Trump administration. Sales for emergency contraception spiked by 1,000 percent on Nov. 6 — the day after Trump was elected for a second term — on Wisp, a nationwide online pharmacy focused on sexual and reproductive health, according to the company’s CEO, Monica Cepak.
The Family Planning Council of Iowa, a nonprofit dedicated to providing family planning and contraceptive resources, has distributed roughly 8,400 reproductive health care kits, called Keeping Iowans Sexually Savvy, or KISS, kits.
Tara Shochet, director of programs and grants for the nonprofit, said political developments usually cause increases in demand for the items in these kits because people are worried about accessing care.
Before Iowa’s abortion ban, the nonprofit averaged 45 orders for the kits per month, which nearly doubled to 80 a month after the ban went into effect. In the 48 hours after the results of the 2024 election, about 100 orders for kits were put in, and there has been an average of 100 orders a month ever since.
Schochet said the emergency contraception provided by the nonprofit is donated, and the organization has noticed some of the national organizations providing these donations are restricting how much they can provide because of such high demand across the country.
She said while Iowa’s abortion ban does not include emergency contraception, she is concerned it may still impact Iowans’ access to the contraception of their choice.
“In theory, the ban is not about contraceptives and shouldn’t be about contraceptives, but I think there are a variety of ways in which it can and will impact access, certainly,” she said.
She said although there is not yet a ban on contraception, a potential limit to access discussed in political spheres can and will impact what type of contraception is available, how it is available, and how comfortable certain providers are carrying it.
“The real impact, the real fallout that we’re going to see, is yet to be determined,” Shochet said.
Iowa City activists and UI campus leaders have worked to create partnerships to ensure students and residents still have access to emergency contraception.
IC orgs partner to provide access
The UI’s Women’s Resource and Action Center, or WRAC, partnered with the Family Planning Council of Iowa roughly three years ago to provide free reproductive health care kits.
The council provides the kits free of charge, and WRAC makes them available to students at their location on campus.
Tucked into a purple plastic bag, the kit contains an informational booklet about sexual health, condoms, a pregnancy test, and two doses of an emergency contraception pill.
The partnership began roughly three years ago, and WRAC Director Linda Kroon said almost 2,000 kits have gone out the door over the past two years.
Kroon said demand has increased at least 50 percent this year.
This bump has moved upward this school year, Kroon said, and may have been sparked initially by the abortion ban and students returning to campus, then continued through Trump’s win into his second presidency. Kroon
said the kits reduce barriers so students can make their own decisions. Sometimes, students grab two or three kits in one go, Kroon said. “We let it be known that there are free products available here, and if people want to take advantage of them, they can,” Kroon said. “I think that’s a great way for a public university to operate.”
The Domestic Violence Intervention Program, or DVIP, which absorbed the Rape Victim Advocacy Program in October 2024, is another resource for individuals seeking access to contraceptive care.
Alta Medea, DVIP’s director of community engagement, said the organization provides support for those who experience reproductive abuse, which involves acts such as damaging or corrupting contraceptives, withholding contraceptives from a partner, or impregnating a partner quickly after they have given birth.
Medea said DVIP’s advocates can help individuals leave these situations and assist them with access to new prescriptions.
She added birth control is a necessary tool for women to establish autonomy and freedom.
“Individuals, whether they’re victims or not, having access to scientifically proven reproductive care is part of their ability to make decisions for themselves, have economic security, and autonomy,” she said. “When we limit access, we limit an individual’s ability to make decisions that fit their lives.”
DVIP also has advocates available to victims of sexual assault who choose to get a Sexual Assault Nurse Examination at the hospital. Part of the advocate’s role is to help educate the victim about medication options during the exam, which may include an emergency contraceptive.
“Allowing medical professionals and the individual to make the most appropriate choice for the victim is really what’s important,” Medea said. “It’s not our place to make a determination, or anyone else. It’s really a decision between a medical provider caring for their patient and getting them the resources they need.”
The UI Undergraduate Student Government, or USG, has also launched an initiative to provide access to contraceptives for university students and Iowa City residents.
Through a partnership with the Emma Goldman Clinic — a nonprofit women’s health care clinic that provides abortion and gynecology services, safe sex promotion, and education — USG is distributing free Plan B. Normally, Plan B costs around $50 out of pocket in pharmacies.
USG President Addison Eckard said the company Plan B One-Step donated 365 pills for distribution on campus, and most of the pills are still available for pickup at the Emma Goldman Clinic on 227 N. Dubuque St.
The pills come in a discreet, brown paper bag, and anyone can just walk in and grab one within minutes, Eckard said.
Brenda Ramirez, USG’s vice president, said the organization initially wanted to distribute the pills in the wellness vending machine it opened in the Iowa Memorial Union this fall, but providing medication proved too much of a liability for the university. However, despite the pills being distributed off-campus, Eckard emphasized the importance of birth control access for college students.
“Anything that’s able to help students be in a mindset where they can stay in school and be healthy is super important to us as individuals and to student government,” she said. “We advocate for students, so if you’re not a student, we can’t do much to help you. I think especially Iowa, with the reproductive piece [abortion ban], students need to be educated on their rights and resources, and that’s maybe where that bridge to student government can come in.”
Students face access barriers
Accessing reproductive health care may be more difficult for college students specifically, Kroon said, considering they are likely navigating being on their own for the first time, being away from their primary care provider, and potentially experiencing financial strain.
A motivator behind offering the reproductive health kits, Kroon said, was reducing the economic barrier for students.
The cost of Plan B One-Step, a popular overthe-counter, single-dose emergency contraceptive pill, ranges from $40 to $50. Generic brands like Take Action or My Way can still cost up to $40, according to Planned Parenthood.
“We get students from all different kinds of places in society, some of whom have less means than others,” Kroon said. “Some folks are depending on scholarships and loans and jobs — plural — and adding any place that we can relieve any of that burden, I think, is a good thing.”
The center is meant to help students succeed, Kroon said, and having access to the items in the kits allows students to reach their ideas of success.
“As part of the university here, we’re really trying to help students succeed, and success is defined by that student,” Kroon said. “In my mind, if someone is like, ‘OK, I’m pregnant, I’m going to become a parent, and that’s what I want to do,’ and they get to do that, then that’s success for that student. However, most people come to college intending to complete a degree, and so we want people to be able to do that because that’s what [they] want to do.”
Lyz Lenz, chair of the board of directors of the Iowa Abortion Access Fund, said she worries her 14-yearold daughter may not have access to reproductive health care when she goes to college.
Lenz said she was sexually assaulted in college and was able to get emergency contraception from a Planned Parenthood clinic, and she questions whether her daughter will have the same resource.
“I think about sending my own daughter to school, and will she be in a place where she can get that?” Lenz said.
Lenz said she worries reproductive health clinics will close due to abortion bans, which happened in the Hawkeye state. Iowa once had six clinics that would provide abortion care, Lenz said; now, the state only has two brickand-mortar clinics: Emma Goldman in Iowa City and a Planned Parenthood clinic in Ames. Lenz said as a parent to a young woman in Iowa, she has stockpiled the morning-after pill.
“That’s insane to me that we now live in a state where you can’t just trust that you can go to the doctor to get care, that you have to stockpile medicine and do all these things,” she said.
Lenz worries for her daughter’s access to care in the future when she is on a college campus.
“It’s not just about like is my daughter going to be able to get an abortion, but is she going to go to school in a state where, if something happens, she can get the care she needs?” Lenz said. “Is she going to be able to have a clinic next to her university? I mean, these are the things that people now
have to think about. In addition to what are you going to major in, are you going to go to a school and not be able to go to the doctor or get birth control or get emergency contraception after perhaps one of the worst things that may ever happen to you?”
Out-of-state strain
Iowa’s abortion ban not only impacts the state but also strains the resources of bordering states helping those who cross state lines to receive care.
Iowans are traveling to border states where abortion laws are far less strict.
Abortion is not restricted based on gestational duration in Minnesota, according to data by the Guttmacher Institute.
Abortion is legal in Illinois until fetal viability, generally 24-26 weeks into a pregnancy. The state has a shield law to protect abortion providers from investigations by other states and a state law that protects privacy for patients. The data shows that abortion is banned at 22 weeks in Kansas and 20 weeks in Wisconsin.
The number of Iowans who need support to cover the cost of abortion care and out-of-state travel has surged.
According to a Feb. 27 news release from the Chicago Abortion Fund and the Iowa Abortion Access Fund, 625 Iowans received abortion funding and practical support from abortion funds outside of the state in 2024, compared to 194 in 2023.
This is a 222 percent increase in just one year.
Six months after the Iowa ban in July 2024, nearly 370 Iowans traveled to a neighboring state for abortion services, according to the news release from the Chicago Abortion Fund.
These surges in numbers impact the region, significantly straining abortion funds and increasing appointment wait times in some states.
Nebraska and Wisconsin clinics are experiencing three to five-week wait times.
Minnesota and Kansas clinics have two to threeweek wait times, which delays care for both locals
and out-of-state travelers, according to the news release.
Alicia Hurtado, communications and advocacy director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, said the data is the most recent, and the increase with need is coupled with hurdles and barriers people seeking abortion care face when needing to travel out of their state.
The Iowa Abortion Access Fund and the Chicago Abortion Fund partnered before Iowa’s near-total abortion ban, drawing on lessons learned from other states where bans took effect sooner. The Iowa organization is still operating, but now all calls are directed to the Chicago Abortion Fund.
Hurtado said the fund has seen a 185 percent increase in call volume after the implementation of Iowa’s six-week ban. The fund provides one-on-one case management for people seeking abortion care, and, as Hurtado said, they have hired more support coordinators to help with the influx of need.
Hurtado said the trend of increasing call volume is influential in day-to-day operations, as they are fielding hundreds of calls a week and working to provide personalized and individualized support.
“It’s been really an exercise of flexing the resources that we do have, being creative, and forming partnerships with folks like the Iowa Abortion Access Fund to ensure that we’re kind of all working together to make sure that there’s no interruption in health care, especially for folks in our space that have a time-sensitive health care need that they can’t necessarily wait around for or wait for a better time,” she said.
Iowa’s abortion ban and potential barriers to access birth control and emergency contraception will only have negative outcomes, Moody said.
Access to birth control and contraception is important for Iowans, she said.
“It is a woman’s right to have an abortion,” Moody said. “Her reproductive health should be between her and her doctor and nobody else.”
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Isabella Tisdale | The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa second-year student Julia Moody poses for a portrait on March 25. Moody got an IUD after Iowa’s abortion ban on July 29, 2024, and stocked up on Plan B following President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Isabella Tisdale | The Daily Iowan
University of Iowa Undergraduate Student Government President Addison Eckard speaks with reporters from The Daily Iowan in the Iowa Memorial Union on March 28. Eckard and fellow members of USG teamed up with Planned Parenthood to distribute free Plan B to students at the Emma Goldman Clinic.
BREWERIES from 1A
ment, Farmer and Big Grove began to construct a plan of action.
“Before he was even inaugurated, we started making moves. We got together with our vendors and tried to figure out the best way forward and what we could do to get ahead of things, so that we were ordering before they became an issue. We do expect there to be repercussions coming down the pipeline in the near future,” Farmer said.
Farmer is not as concerned with the availability of aluminum cans but rather the cost. Big Grove’s vendors have estimated an increase of about 5 to 7 percent. Considering the company fills around eight million cans a year, the cost adds up. Big Grove Brewery distributes to six states across the Midwest.
ReUnion Brewery is another popular business with two locations, one in Iowa City and the other in Coralville. Kris Mondanaro, ReUnion’s chief operating officer, expects the company will face losses due to its reliance on imported materials.
“The main way the upcoming tariffs would affect us is when we purchase cans and some of our grains,” she said. “During the pandemic, the business went through issues when cans were hard to acquire due to shipping issues. The price of cans more than doubled.”
Mondanaro has found a community with other small brewers across Iowa experiencing the same struggles.
“Our brewery and other little breweries in the state are going against larger companies like Coke, Pepsi, and large domestic breweries that have more purchasing power. That makes acquiring cans in America or abroad difficult,” she said.
Another unseen circumstance that Farmer and the brewery expect to impact them is the tariffs on grains. Big Grove gets its barley from a Minnesota farm, but locally grown grain prices will likely increase with rising import costs.
“Any time you see a tariff added on to imported goods, that’s going to affect the domestic market. People are going to move towards buying American grain, and it’s going to drive that price up … It’s supply and demand,” Farmer said.
Coralville is home to Backpocket Brewing Company, another small and local company facing these tariffs.
tory are ignored or easily erased,” Miller said. “And because so often the power comes from those who control history and what is said, we need to have people that are gathering and keeping together information and materials about our history.”
Miller also discussed previous moments in history when archival work and documenting of marginalized groups were the target of erasure. One of these includes the first known LGBTQ+ archives: Magnus Hirschfeld’s “Institute for Sexual Science.”
This archive oversaw large-scale studies on the LGBTQ+ community in Germany, performed gender-affirming surgeries, and hosted a library that held thousands of books on same-sex relationships during the 1930s.
This institute and its archive were ultimately the target of the Nazi party and were looted then burned.
“It just shows you the importance and the vulnerabilities of keeping these kinds of things because there are people that want to erase this,” Miller said. “They want to make sure that we do not exist, and no one will ever find out about us.”
Adele Lozano, who worked for eight years in the UI’s Opportunity at Iowa office, spearheaded efforts to create a Latino and Native American alumni reunion, and from this reunion came the formation of the Latino-Na-
Backpocket started as a restaurant and brewery in McGregor, Iowa, before rebranding and relocating in 2008. Since they source their grains domestically, they are not as concerned with grain tariffs as with aluminum. Aaron Vargas, owner of Backpocket Brewing, has been biding his time until these tariffs were official.
“Our aluminum supplier has been communicating with us over the past few months, but they were expecting anywhere from 11 to 16 percent rise in cost. Now
tive American Alumni Alliance, or LANA3, which is housed in Iowa’s Center for Advancement.
For Lozano, this reunion and the formation of LANA3 were important in both ensuring alumni remain connected to the university and connecting alumni with current students who may need a guide during their time at the UI.
“It’s really important for them to know that these other folks before you, they went through this, here’s how they did it, and there’s really so many reasons for us to be proud of our legacy on this campus,” Lozano said. “It’s really important that we stand up and make sure that people know that we’re here, too, and here’s our legacy, and here’s how our legacy makes this campus that much better.”
In celebration of 50 years since the formation of the Latino Native American Cultural Center, LANA3, LNACC, and the Division of Student Life hosted the Alumni Alliance Reunion, whose page has also been taken down for review.
As a part of this three-day event, alumni were able to visit the LNACC Oral History Project for the UI Main Library’s Special Collections and Archives, which included two rooms full of archival material: newspaper clippings, literary magazines, photographs, and costumes from a dance troupe that previously existed.
“If we didn’t have the LNACC archives, then we would lose that history, first of all, but we also would make it impossible
that we have started to see the tariffs, we’re still gonna see an increase but not that drastically … about 3 to 6 percent. We’re expecting to see a price increase in April,” Vargas said.
Backpocket gets the majority of its brewing materials shipped domestically to its Coralville location, the only one that includes a taproom and live brewery. As of now, the tariffs on grain do not affect them and are no cause for worry.
“It’s really important that it’s documented and that folks know that they were important and had value .”
Adele Lozano
Member of the Latino-Native American Alumni Alliance
for future scholars, for students, to do research on Latino and Native American students and on the LNACC,” Lozano said. “It’s really important that it’s documented and that folks know that they were important and had value.”
Nancy “Rusty” Barceló, whose biograhy could previously be found on the Council on the Status of Women website, which has also been taken down for review, was one of the alumni who attended the LANA3 reunion and visited the archives, describing it as a moving and joyful experience to see.
Barceló was one of three students, including Tony Zavala and Ruth Pushetonequa, who worked to increase Latino enrollment at the UI and founded what is now known as the LNACC. The effort of these students to increase diversity and equity at the university level became models across the university and benefited all students, Barceló said.
“People don’t think about the contributions that diversity has made to universities, across the country and specifically in Iowa, that helped to transform the institution and to provide services to all students,” Barceló said. “I don’t think we did a good job talking about our contributions nor where we acknowledged. So, yes, it pains me, quite frankly, to know these programs are being dismantled.”
And while it can be disheartening to see all of these changes and the dismantling of years of effort made by students and people like Barceló, for the Orpheus Project, archival work is also essential in reminding students, faculty, and staff of the power they hold.
“We are the ones holding the power in this scenario, and not just the Orpheus Project,” the project’s member said. “When I say ‘we,’ I refer to all the student activists, everybody here, we have the power. We are the tools that the Board of Regents tries to use to accomplish their goals, and if we do not cooperate, there is nothing they can do.”
Larry Phan | The Daily Iowan
The tap bar of Big Grove Brewery & Taproom is shown on Sept. 23, 2021. The brewery expects the price of aluminum cans to increase with the implementation of tariffs.
Cody Blissett | The Daily Iowan
The Public Space One is seen on April 7, 2025. The LGBTQ Iowa Archives and Library is on the second floor.
Iowa needs to address the root cause of maternal care deserts
The state needs to fund maternal care resources and clarify abortion legislation. The Daily Iowan Editorial Board opinions@dailyiowan.com
Any expectant mother should only be worrying about a prep bag and baby names before giving birth.
But, in Iowa, many pregnant women approaching their due dates must also factor an hour-long drive to the near est hospital, the next nearest hospital if the first does not offer proper birthing resources, and even the potential implica tions of a simple headache, which cannot be monitored for blood pressure outside a hospital, into their birthing plan.
Over the past two decades, there have been more than 40 birthing-unit closures around Iowa, according to the American Medical Association. This has made it increasingly difficult for women in rural areas to access health care facil ities for giving birth, ultimately causing maternal care deserts.
As of 2024, a March of Dimes report found that 35 percent of counties in the U.S. are considered maternal care deserts, meaning there is not a single birthing facility nor obstetric clinician in these counties. And a comparable 33.3 percent of counties in Iowa are defined as maternal care deserts.
These deserts are caused not only by hopital shortages but also by low birth ing volumes and physician shortages, both of which are felt in Iowa.
Iowa Public Radio spoke to Steve Churchill, the CEO of the Iowa Medical Society, about the physician shortage and how to combat it. Churchill said patient care is becoming more prevalent than maternal care, as people are living longer, and many physicians are old enough to begin retirement. Meanwhile, young physicians entering the workforce prefer work schedules that better accommodate a work-life balance and avoid administrative burdens.
Even though access to maternal care in rural Iowa has been on a steady decline for years now, recent abortion restrictions have only exacerbated the issue.
On July 29, 2024, Iowa enacted a near-total abortion ban, following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, effectively ending federal protections for abortion access in the U.S. This ban bars all abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected, which can be as early as six weeks – before most women even know they are pregnant.
The vague exceptions to this ban that include cases of rape, incest, and threat to the life of the mother, make it more stressful and difficult for physicians to decide whether to perform an abortion.
Increasing numbers of medical students studying family practice and obstetrics at the University of Iowa have since chosen to leave the university for residency programs in states with less restrictive abortion laws. According to a report from the Association of American Medical College Research Institute, the overall number of applicants to residency programs in states with abortion bans has decreased by 4.2 percent as compared to the previous application cycle. Besides abortion bans, what makes maternal care more important than ever is the increasing difficulty of accessing contraception. While birth control is still protected by the federal government and President Donald Trump has not confirmed he is opposed to birth control, individual states can decide the extent to which it is accessible, and many of them are running with more conservative ideaologies.
A study from the Guttmacher Institute found that 10 percent of women in Iowa reported having troubles or delays in access to contraception between 2022 and 2023, as compared to 7 percent in 2021. The irony of all of this is that as the government spearheads legislation to reduce access to abortion care, which has trickled down to restrict birth control, it has made no efforts to support hospitals to keep birthing facilities open. In fact, a current U.S. House budget proposal seeking to cut spending on taxes and immigration would also require cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, both of which fund hospitals. So, the government cannot seem to make up its mind. Does it want to facilitate more births, even though the national birth rate has continued to decline, or indirectly kill more women and children who do not have access to adequate maternal care?
But here’s the question our state
needs to answer: How can Iowa effectively address the harmful impacts of recent legislation to decrease the number of maternal care deserts?
Missing the mark
Iowa legislation has certainly tried to address the impacts, but that doesn’t mean it has been effective.
On March 12, the Iowa House passed House File 516 requiring 80 percent of medical students admitted to be from Iowa or to have attended an Iowa college or university prior. The bill now awaits a decision in the Iowa Senate.
increase rates for health care providers who support mothers and babies.
The governor is quoted on her official state website saying, “The well-being of working families and rural communities depends on access to high quality health care. Iowa has a strong foundation to build on, but we need more medical professionals, including specialists, in every part of the state … That’s a game changer for rural communities and every part of the state.”
But is it?
their jobs. Abortion bans have driven so many prospective residents elsewhere specifically because of their vague exceptions that leave medical practitioners throwing up their hands. The exact wording of Iowa’s exception law states a physician “certifies that the fetus has a fetal abnormality that in the physician’s reasonable medical judgment is incompatible with life.”
Even if an OB-GYN resident in Iowa wants to practice in rural communities, there is a good chance there are no obstetric facilities in those communities to support them. The state must allocate funding to maintain clinics in rural counties before it funds more medical slots for residents in the UIHC, so those prospec-
It doesn’t do expectant mothers living in rural areas much good to have more OB-GYNs working in urban hospitals when it still takes them nearly an hour to get there, a distance that can be fatal depending on labor and complications.
While this bill might help the UI attract in-state students, it will not have any effect on the more important disparity of maternal care deserts and makes no provisions for retaining in-state residencies. In fact, it could worsen the situation by preventing the possibility of out-of-state students visiting Iowa and deciding to stay.
That is not to discount the level of training that medical students at the UI receive, however. UI Health Care has committed to offering rigorous training for residents studying family practice and obstetrics. Through a federal grant and a partnership with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, UIHC has been able to provide educational programs including a fellowship, midwifery training, and a rural rotation.
The rural track for the OB-GYN program is offered to two residents each year and includes hands-on experience in smaller communities. According to the American Medical Association, “The hope is that these OB-GYNs will choose to practice in these smaller Iowa communities after finishing residency.”
But hope is not enough.
If the state of Iowa wants to grow its health care workforce, decision-makers need to acknowledge why people are leaving, which is not because of a lack of sufficient medical training at one of the highest-ranked medical schools in the country. The UI’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology could produce the best OB-GYNs of our generation, and they will still leave Iowa for a state more conducive to their practices.
On Feb. 18, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds introduced a bill that would consolidate and more than double funding for current state-funded student loan repayment programs; enhance payment to draw down federal dollars to create 150 new residency slots at Iowa’s 14 teaching hospitals; and unbundle Medicaid maternal rates to
Editorial Board: Jami Martin-Trainor, Marandah Mangra-Dutcher, Jack Moore, Stella Shipman, Muskan Mehta, 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.
tive residents will have the opportunity to practice in rural locations.
It doesn’t do expectant mothers living in rural areas much good to have more OB-GYNs working in urban hospitals when it still takes them nearly an hour to get there, a distance that can be fatal depending on labor and complications.
It also doesn’t do them any good to have more OB-GYNs who are too scared to perform their responsibilities for fear of losing
According to an Iowa Capital Dispatch article, health care representatives “have criticized the medical exceptions in the law, saying that it is often difficult for doctors to determine when an abortion is ‘necessary’ to save the life of the pregnant woman. In other states with more restrictive abortion bans, advocates argue doctors avoid performing needed procedures due to fear of losing their medical license or facing criminal penalties.”
Legislation in Iowa needs to be more specific when it comes to outlining what doctors can and cannot do when it comes to performing abortions. It needs to define which medical emergencies constitute the procedure so that women are not bleeding out on tables, in waiting rooms, or in parking lots while their doctors ponder the ethical question of life.
Maternal care deserts are an effect, and the only way to address them is by making reparations to their causes.
Regardless of political or religious belief, we should all agree access to maternal and life-saving health care is a basic human right.
Let’s let mothers and fathers worry about putting cribs together instead of what might happen if they bring one less person home from the hospital.
MATERNAL CARE ACCESS IN IOWA
In Iowa, 33.3 percent of counties are identified as maternity care deserts.
Emily Nyberg | The Daily Iowan
Abby and Carson attend a pre-natal appointment with Kayla Harajli, a certified professional midwife, on Sept. 19, 2023.
Map by Marandah Mangra-Dutcher | The Daily Iowan
Iowa City grant returns art to the public
The grant supports locally based artists producing public art across Johnson County and downtown Iowa City to increase community engagement.
Isobel Perez News Reporter news@dailyiowan.com
At the Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee’s recent meeting, members discussed the applications of artists who submitted proposals to its Public Art Matching Fund Program, or PAMFP, which provides grants to support local public art projects, foster creativity, and enhance access to the arts in Iowa City.
Iowa City boasts an inventory of over 30 public art pieces, which are valued at over $1 million and spread across its downtown district and Johnson County.
These pieces are supported and maintained by the city of Iowa City and, as PAAC committee member and director of Iowa City’s parks and recreation department Juli Seydell Johnson explained, the city supports public art because it promotes community involvement.
“It helps make our neighborhoods vibrant. It helps bring people out to look at things and have discussions with our neighbors and kind of fosters that community engagement,” Seydell Johnson said. “It just helps identify Iowa City with some unique presentations.”
The grant received 10 applicants, with requests ranging from $682 to $4,000 to fund projects such as murals, video installations, podcast installations, concerts,
and collaborative art projects.
The city also promotes community engagement with public art pieces through its interactive map, which documents public art pieces like sculptures, murals, the the Literary Walk, and neighborhood art pieces, encouraging people to explore Johnson County. As Seydell Johnson explained, the art grant encourages this map to grow by expanding the types of public art displays and adding their locations.
“It allows for partnerships with a lot of different organizations or emerging artists and also lets us put arts in different places of the city, so it’s not all concentrated downtown or in one particular neighborhood,” Seydell Johnson said. “I think it fosters new art, and it fosters different types of art that are sometimes a little more experimental.”
Jonathan Sims, who also goes by the name Skelenaut, is a local illustrator and artist who has been commissioned to produce multiple public art pieces across Iowa. These include wood plank paintings and a mural at ReUnion Brewery, a mural of a prehistoric Dunkleosteus in “Art Alley” outside of Elray’s, and a mural for Alter Ego Comics in Marion, Iowa.
Sims said public art is important to a city because it welcomes both residents and tourists and encourages people to be outside in the streets of a city rather than isolated within their homes. This creates a vibrant
space that benefits inhabitants, businesses, tourism, and the city itself.
“I love how public art can give an identity to a neighborhood or a town and liven up the space,” Sims said. “It makes it really inviting to visit. I would definitely rather be looking at a mural or graffiti than a billboard or advertising. Especially being new to a place, I feel like you are more invited to explore and take your time and spend more time on those streets.”
Public art is generally more accessible to the public than art confined to museums and galleries, which patrons usually have to buy tickets or pay to see.
As Sims explained, by having art that’s unrestricted by the walls of a gallery or by barriers of cost, more people can view and learn to appreciate art.
“I love when cities take the time and resources to fill their town or their city with more art,” Sims said. “And I do think it’s important to put art in public places because not everybody out there appreciates art, and not everybody out there is going to seek it out on their own time by going to a museum or a gallery. I think bringing the art to the people is a really good solution to that problem.”
One piece of Iowa City public art that received attention recently was a mural painted by Keith Haring, a prominent street artist in New York City in the 1980s, for
of Art as a part of the exhibit, “To My Friends at Horn: Keith Haring and Iowa City.”
The mural, which was painted in one day in collaboration with 100 high school students, depicts characters bursting from the pages of a book in Haring’s signature cartoon-ish style.
Diana Tuite, the senior curator of modern and contemporary arts at the Stanley Museum, organized the exhibit and became well-versed in Haring’s artwork and life as an artist.
“He would say, ‘I like the idea of things lasting longer than you last,’ so for him, this idea that really motivated him was that art can create a shared and accessible and inclusive experience,” Tuite said. “It was about making art something that commuters could encounter in the course of their daily life, so it’s not a function of privilege.”
Haring’s art, along with many other public art pieces, including those in Iowa City, democratize art and are important for returning art to the public, Tuite said.
“I think we live in a world where everything is increasingly privatized, and so this idea of reclaiming a public sphere is really important for [Haring] and for many artists who have worked in his wake,” Tuite said.
Carrying on a radical Catholic tradition in Iowa City
At the Iowa City Catholic Worker House, volunteers draw on the movement’s core, founding values to support refugees and challenge systemic inequality in Iowa.
Emma Jane News Reporter news@dailyiowan.com
As immigration enforcement efforts intensify across the U.S., one unassuming house on Sycamore Street in Iowa City has become a point of refuge and resistance.
Run by volunteers, the Iowa City Catholic Worker House lives out faith-based values of feeding the hungry and “welcoming strangers” by providing shelter, resources, and support to those in need — particularly members of the immigrant and refugee community.
The Catholic Worker Movement began in 1933 when founders Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin opened the first house of hospitality in New York City. Rooted in Catholic social teaching, the movement combines direct aid to people experiencing poverty with a commitment to nonviolence, voluntary poverty, and communal living as expressions of faith and social justice.
Clare Loussaert, a second-year student at the University of Iowa, said these values reflect the works of mercy taught in Catholicism.
“That’s a huge part of the Catholic faith,” Loussaert said. “I think sometimes people don’t always see that being lived out, but that’s the basis of the Catholic
Worker Movement.”
Loussaert, who has volunteered at the Iowa City Catholic Worker House for the past five years, said each Catholic Worker House interprets the movement’s core values in its own way, reflecting the needs and character of its local community.
“Immigration made the most sense for us because one of our founders is a fluent Spanish speaker,” Loussaert said. “At the time they were getting the house up and going, there was a big need to support refugees in our community. So, that’s how that focus came. It came naturally.”
The Iowa City Catholic Worker House, in partnership with immigration advocacy group Escucha Mi Voz, provides housing to approximately 50 refugees, along with financial and legal aid and transportation support. The Sycamore Street House of Hospitality also offers essential services three days a week, including food, showers, laundry, toiletries, and clothing.
“All of our residents right now are refugees, mostly from Latin America,” Loussaert said.
For Maureen Vasile, a seven-year volunteer who works as the donation coordinator, the mission of the Iowa City Catholic Worker House is especially essential now, as the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, activity has
become more aggressive under the Trump administration.
“I’ve lived a lot of years, and I’m in shock right now, in total shock that all of this is actually happening,” Vasile said. “Catholic Worker really does a lot for many, many people — and that’s why I’m there. They don’t judge people, and that’s the beauty of it.”
Vasile said it pains her to see the way immigrants are characterized in the media and by politicians. The perception that they are criminals or looking to exploit social welfare, she said, differs vastly from her experience with the immigrants she has met while volunteering at the Catholic Worker House, people who leave their countries at great personal risk in hopes of building a safer life in the U.S.
“One woman that I’ve known for quite some time came from Honduras. Her whole family saw her husband murdered in front of them because they could not come up with the money that the drug cartel wanted from them,” Vasile said. “People don’t know the stories. All they hear is what comes across the media.”
Citing Trump’s recent invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants — alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang — to a prison in El Salvador despite a judge’s ruling, Vasile emphasized that negative
stereotypes of immigrants can have severe consequences.
“Who knows if they were [gang members] or not? Nobody even knew for sure,” Vasile said. “They were just foreign, so [ICE] just categorized them as these gang criminals.”
The Associated Press reported in a court filing after the deportations U.S. officials acknowledged many of the men now imprisoned in El Salvador had no criminal record.
While she described the actions of the Trump administration as shocking, Vasile emphasized immigrants often face harsh treatment from the immigration system even closer to home. She said she has seen it firsthand, accompanying many immigrants connected to the Iowa City Catholic Worker House who have been to ICE check-ins in Cedar Rapids.
“I’ve been to ICE quite a few times, and I’m just shocked at the way people are treated,” Vasile said.
Emma Calabro | The Daily Iowan
Jonathan Sims gestures to polytab in his workspace at ReUnions commercial brewing facility on April 7. Sims used polytab to transfer all three murals onto the walls of ReUnion in downtown Iowa City. Sims is an illustrator and designer for ReUnion Brewery.
Ernest Horn Elementary School, which was on display at the Stanley Museum
Emma Calabro | The Daily Iowan
Jonathan Sims poses for a portrait at ReUnions commercial brewing facility on April 7. Sims helped to brew a beer in collaboration with Daydreams for free comic book day. Sims has created three murals in ReUnions’ downtown Iowa City location.
Behind Iowa’s spreading crisis pregnancy centers
Since 2023, more than 10 new crisis pregnancy centers have opened across Iowa.
Kate Wolfe Arts Reporter arts@dailyiowan.com
Jack Moore Managing News Editor jack.moore@dailyiowan.com
The first nonmedical service advertised on the website of Informed Choices, an Iowa City crisis pregnancy center, or CPC, is a pre-abortion screening.
“Get a pre-termination evaluation and discuss your options in a supportive environment with registered nurses,” the page reads.
Once clicking on the link, visitors are greeted with information about abortion risks and ultrasounds. At the very bottom of the page, however, in a drop-down Frequently Asked Questions menu labeled “Do You Make Referrals Or Offer Abortions” reveals a significant detail: “Informed Choices does not offer or refer for pregnancy terminations or birth control. Information and services are provided only as an educational service.”
Matthew Fanning, Informed Choices’ executive director, said this reality is often a surprise to women visiting the clinic.
“We’ve had gals that come in, and they thought that it was an abortion clinic, and then they’re like, ‘Wait, you don’t do abortions,’ but we do still want that opportunity to talk with her, help her make that right decision,” Fanning said.
Informed Choices is a CPC. CPCs are generally known to help encourage mothers to carry pregnancies to term.
CPCs, however, long predate the state’s financial endorsement.
Thirty years ago, Iowa City resident Kymberly Koester sought to terminate an unwanted pregnancy in Eastern Illinois. In her search for an abortion clinic, she unknowingly stumbled upon a CPC, which was not Informed Choices, that tried to convince her to keep her baby.
“I knew right away that I did not want to be trying to have a baby as a young person,” Koester said.
CPCs are nonprofit organizations established by anti-abortion groups designed to dissuade individuals from terminating pregnancies, and they are on the rise in Iowa using tax dollars.
The centers have existed since the 1970s all over the country. Koester, as a 23-yearold, walked into one believing she could receive abortion care.
Although she was initially welcomed in — even after telling the front desk she was there for an abortion appointment — Koester quickly realized she was mistaken after seeing brochures on an adjacent table about adoption. A receptionist later called her name, taking her farther into the building. Sitting in a room with more brochures and images, which Koester described as fully developed babies that died lining the walls, the reality of her situation dawned on her. She knew she wanted to leave.
She got up to leave the clinic but was stopped by the front desk, where staff members tried to convince her to stay.
Although Koester’s experience happened decades ago, CPCs remain widespread today. Some CPCs present as health care clinics but use medically misleading claims to discourage people from seeking abortions. And several are being funded by Iowa tax dollars.
Creating crisis for generations
Mazie Stilwell, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood North Central States, said CPCs often attempt to look like a Planned Parenthood building or other recognized abortion care facilities.
In Iowa, there are two abortion providers: Planned Parenthood and the Emma Goldman Clinic. Combined, they have four brick-and-mortar locations. According to the Crisis Pregnancy Center Map website, there are 53 CPC locations across the state, up by more than 10 since reports in 2023. And some are being funded by tax dollars amounting to $1,101,225 over two years starting in 2024, according to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS.
In Iowa, the state-funded public program More Options for Maternal Support, or MOMs, has allocated more than $680,000 to four CPCs across Iowa in 2024, including
Informed Choices.
The Iowa legislature allocated $204,638 to Informed Choices to be administered through HHS. According to the 2024 report by Iowa HHS, these funds are used for a variety of purposes, including:
Targeted digital marketing to improve website visibility
• Localized search engine optimization to ensure clients find services in their county
• Printed brochures and flyers distributed throughout high-trafficked public areas
Streaming, radio, and other online broadcast advertisements
Social media
Attending or hosting public events
• Presentations at public meetings
The MOMs bill was met with significant pushback from Democrats, including Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, who said there is a fundamental issue with funding CPCs, as they are typically underregulated and often lack the necessary staff and accreditation to provide medical care.
“They act like medical clinics for pregnant women, but in reality, they have very few providers on staff,” Konfrst said. “They don’t necessarily know how to handle an ectopic pregnancy or other legitimate health issues. There was one [in Massachusetts] that missed a woman who was having an ectopic pregnancy, and she needed emergency surgery after they missed it.”
Konfrst referred to a 2023 lawsuit filed against the CPC Clearway Clinic in Worcester, Massachusetts. The complaint stated the women received an ultrasound from the clinic, but they failed to identify she had an ectopic pregnancy, which required emergency surgery a month later.
Despite Democrats’ opposition, the bill passed along party lines, with Republicans controlling the governor’s office and holding agenda-setting majorities in the Iowa House and Senate.
Over the past few years, funding CPCs has become a key piece in Republican efforts in the legislature, as Iowa remains one of the strictest states on abortion access in the country with women unable to get an abortion after fetal heart activity is detected, which often occurs before women know they are pregnant.
During discussions of funding for CPCs in 2024, Iowa Sen. Mark Costello, R-Mills, said putting funding into CPCs helps them expand their services but acknowledged their services and obligations are not synonymous with those of medical clinics.
“The purpose of the MOMs program is to
Dr. Lina-Maria Murillo poses for a portrait in her office at the
and
Power,
new book, “Fighting for
Borderlands” on March
these deserts, but she said there is an issue presenting nonmedical providers as the solution for Iowa’s systemic barriers to maternal health access.
“When we fund them at the state level, we are sending the message that we support and endorse what they’re doing, and we just can’t do that,” Konfrst said.
She also said funding CPCs sets a dangerous precedent because many are not bound by HIPAA laws, which ensure patient privacy.
Stilwell also had concerns surrounding patient confidentiality and said CPCs are not required to keep information private, which can lead bad actors to prey on women in vulnerable positions.
Additionally, many CPCs will advertise they are compliant with HIPAA, but there is currently no legislation nor board in charge of regulating these claims, meaning CPCs can choose to no longer follow HIPAA requirements at any point.
Konfrst said being voluntarily compliant with HIPAA means there are no laws that restrict CPCs from deciding not to follow the laws.
“There’s no protection there. There are no teeth to it,” Konfrst said.
This regulatory blind spot is exacerbated by a U.S. Supreme Court precedent designating CPCs as protected organizations under the First Amendment’s protection for freedom of religion and speech.
The case, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, dealt with a California law requiring CPCs to disclose if they were an accredited clinic and pro-
“When they can see that heart beating, it’s more than cells. The same baby that you see on the ultrasound with that heart beating at six weeks old is the same baby nine months later that you’re holding in your arms .”
Nurse
An employee at Informed Choices
provide support for non-medical services to promote childbirth,” Costello said. “The bill clearly states it is for non-medical services.”
Costello did not respond to multiple requests from The Daily Iowan for an updated comment.
Funded by Iowans
CPC oppositionists, however, point toward Iowa’s broader barriers to health care access and question the legitimacy of using tax-payer dollars to fund nonmedical organizations.
According to a 2023 report from PeriStats, an online source developed by March of Dimes, a national nonprofit that provides free access to perinatal, maternal, and infant health-related data, 33.3 percent of Iowa counties are classified as maternal care deserts. These areas lack any hospitals or birth centers providing obstetric care.
A 2023 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that Iowa’s maternal mortality rate has doubled in the past two decades.
Maternal health care deserts are growing across Iowa, and Konfrst said Republicans tout CPCs as a method of combatting
CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTERS IN IOWA
Of the 53 CPCs in Iowa, only two have accrediation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care.
vide abortion information on their website. The court ruled in 2018 that CPCs are not obligated to do this because of their First Amendment right to religion and free speech.
The decision explicitly affirmed CPCs’ right to omit any information on how to get an abortion.
Inside IC’s Informed Choices
According to Fanning, the executive director of Informed Choices, the CPC is accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, or AAAHC.
Of the 53 CPCs in Iowa, only two say they are certified for health care on its website: Informed Choices in Iowa City and Burlington.
AAAHC is based in Deerfield, Illinois, and it accredits clinics that specialize in outpatient care. According to its website, the AAAHC has accredited more than 6,800 organizations from a wide range of services, including:
Ambulatory surgery centers
• Office-based surgery centers
• Endoscopy centers
• Student health centers
Medical and dental group practices
Community health centers
Employer-based health clinics
Retail clinics
Indian and Tribal health centers.
The AAAHC website makes no mention of accrediting CPCs.
Due to Informed Choices’ accreditation status, they are covered by HIPAA.
However, according to the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, even licensed health care providers are only subject to HIPAA if they electronically transmit protected health information through transactions such as billing health care providers or electronically billing individuals’ private bank accounts.
CPCs frequently provide free services, such as pregnancy tests, meaning they are not required to send billing information, potentially exempting them from certain HIPAA obligations.
In charge of these services at Informed Choices is Fanning, who spent 22 years in the military and was a devout pastor before becoming the executive director of the nonprofit. His desire to contribute quickly landed him a role in the organization, he
said.
Despite having no past experience running a CPC, Fanning was tapped for the position.
“God’s got his way of working all these things out,” he said.
Informed Choices has two registered nurses at the location as well as radiology staff trained to perform ultrasounds, Fanning said. The location also provides counseling services for pregnant women and has donation services for things like diapers and car seats.
Fanning said most of the funding from the MOMs grant goes toward counseling services at Informed Choices, particularly pre-abortion consultation and counseling.
“They sit down with them. They go through all those choices with them and help them to make the choice that’s best for them,” Fanning said.
Most of Informed Choices’ funding comes from donations, which in some cases doubles funding from the state. According to the clinic’s filed 990 forms, Informed Choices brought in more than $440,000 in donations in 2023.
One of Informed Choices’ registered nurses, who declined to give their name but spoke with the DI, said they will walk women through a decision-making sheet to determine the pros and cons of carrying a pregnancy to term. The nurse said education is vital for what they do because of the abundance of misinformation surrounding abortion. When asked what type of information they see the most, the nurse said much comes from misconceptions about when life starts.
“When they can see that heart beating, it’s more than cells,” she said. “The same baby that you see on the ultrasound with that heart beating at six weeks old is the same baby nine months later that you’re holding in your arms.”
The nurse said religious beliefs do not impact the care they administer.
“We are a faith-based organization, yeah, but we meet them where they’re at,” she said. “We see Buddhists, Muslims, atheists, and all the above. And we just meet them where they’re at, and we love them where they’re at.”
Racing to the right
Lina-Maria Murillo, author of “Fighting for Control: Power, Reproductive Care, and Race in the US-Mexico Borderlands,” and gender studies researcher at the University of Iowa, said one of her ongoing concerns is the people who are running CPCs.
“We’ve seen them grow very much so, and yes, we’ve seen other kinds of reproductive care shrink in Iowa in a very, very short time,” Murillo said.
Murillo said in some cases abortion abolitionists, or people who do not believe in abortion under any circumstance, including from rape or incest, are seeking and achieving leadership at CPCs.
“They are really extreme people. They will say things like, ‘A mother should give her life up for the infant or for her fetus,’” Murillo said.
Murillo cited Iowa House Rep. Brad Sherman, R-Williamsburg, as an example of someone in Iowa involved in CPCs who is against abortion. Sherman was one of the co-founders of Informed Choices in Iowa City and has introduced legislation that would criminalize women seeking abortions. He is also running for governor of Iowa in 2026.
House File 2256, proposed by Sherman and other Republican lawmakers in 2024, would have made a person who completes an abortion liable for murder. The bill was killed in committee, but it contributes to concerns Murillo said she has regarding the leadership of CPCs.
Sherman did not respond to multiple requests from the DI for comment.
Murillo said the growth of CPCs creates more chances for vulnerable women to be manipulated, just like Koester said she experienced 30 years ago.
Koester fears what CPCs could mean to Iowans looking for abortions, but she has found a community of activists since she came to Iowa City and encourages others to speak out against societal injustice.
“I know there’s a lot of fear, like fear out there that we would be targeted then because of standing up for each other, but if we all need to stand up for each other and for ourselves, [we have to],” Koester said. “Because if we are going to go out, we got to go out by making noise and standing up for each other.”
Ava Neumaier | The Daily Iowan
Jefferson Building with her
Control:
Reproductive Care,
Race in the US-Mexico
7. Murillo is an assistant professor in the Department of Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies as well as History at the University of Iowa.
Map by Jacob Statler | The Daily Iowan
‘HANDS OFF’ GRIPS IOWA CITY
Protesters poured into the streets of Iowa City on April 5 to be a part of the national protest against the Trump administration, “Hands Off!”
Samantha DeFily | The Daily Iowan
(Top) A sign reading “Wake up” is seen during the “Hands Off!” protest in downtown Iowa City on April 5. The protest was one of around 1,200 anti-Trump protests across the nation. (Top left)
Janice Weiner, a member of the Iowa Senate, speaks during the “Hands Off!” protest. Weiner was elected Iowa Senate minority leader in November 2024. (Top Right) A protester paints on the outskirts of the “Hands Off!” protest. Several attendees made their signs once they arrived at the protest. (Beside) Newly-elected Iowa City City Council member Oliver Weilein speaks during the “Hands Off!” protest. Weilein won the open seat on the Iowa City City Council for District C in March. (Bottom) Protesters march during the “Hands Off!” protest. Throughout the nearly three-hour long event, around 1,000 individuals participated.
See more online
The Daily Iowan attended the protest on April 5 and produced a film of the event in Iowa City. Watch it online at dailyiowan.com.
Baseball
Tuesday, April 8
UW Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin
4 p.m.
Softball
Tuesday, April 8
Illinois State Iowa City, Iowa
4 p.m.
Men’s Golf
Sunday, April 6 through Tuesday, April 8 Calusa Cup Naples, Florida
Women’s Golf
Monday, April 7, through
Tuesday, April 8
2025 Veritex Bank
Challenge Dallas, Texas
Track and Field
Thursday, April 10, through Friday, April 11
Bryan Clay Invitational Azusa, California
Friday, April 11
Jim Duncan Invitational Des Moines, Iowa
Tennis
Friday, April 11
UCLA Iowa City, Iowa
5 p.m.
WHAT YOU’VE MISSED
Drake point guard Bennett Stirtz will follow new Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum to the Hawkeyes, he told Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68 on March 25.
Stirtz became the first player to transfer to Iowa after McCollum’s hiring, which has since seen Cam Manyawu and Kael Combs make the jump as a handful of Hawkeyes transfer out. Prior to playing for Drake, Stirtz spent two seasons with McCollum at Northwest Missouri State. Despite not receiving any Division I offers out of high school, he quickly became one of the sport’s top players, earning secondteam All-MIAA conference honors after posting the second-most points and a team-high 47 steals for the Bearcats. McCollum left for Drake ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, bringing Stirtz and several other Northwest Missouri State players with him to Des Moines. The move proved to be a match made in heaven for Stirtz, as he collected a team and Missouri Valley Conferencehigh 19.1 points and 2.2 points per contest. He also earned Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird and MVC Newcomer of the Year honors.
Stirtz’s performance helped lead the Bulldogs to a school-record 31 wins and their third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Once there, No. 11-seeded Drake upset No. 6 Missouri, 67-57, for its first victory in the first round since 1971. Now, Stirtz hopes to have the same success with McCollum at Iowa, where he looks to help guide the Hawkeyes to the Big Dance for the first time since 2023.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Maxwell Tjoa showcases his skill
The second-year golfer competed in all four fall tournaments last year.
Jack Birmingham Sports Reporter sports@dailyiowan.com
For second-year golfer Maxwell Tjoa, over a decade of experience has made him an ideal match for Iowa’s program.
On a team once dependent on two-time Big Ten champion Mac McClear but now consist ing of four upperclassmen, Tjoa has taken on more of a leadership role for the Hawkeyes.
The golfer from Cedar Falls said his passion for the sport is more than what it may seem.
“I think one thing is how simple it is yet how hard it really is,” Tjoa said. “On paper, it seems pretty easy, but I like how complex it is.”
As a first-year in the 2023-24 season, Tjoa achieved a low round of 68 and a stroke aver age of 73.7 in the fall before nabbing a stroke average of 74.4 that spring. Tjoa said his mo tivation behind a strong start that carried over to a bigger team role this season was a fresh start.
“One thing that helped me was being new to college — no previous records — starting from a clean slate,” Tjoa said. “I wasn’t real ly thinking of it as stepping up into a higher role, just kind of still playing my game, help ing with the freshmen where I can.”
Assistant coach Steven Ihm, who joined the program in July 2024, noted Tjoa as a player who exhibits regular stability.
“Max has always been very consistent,” Ihm said. “He’s starting to buy into our system, and he’s starting to use some of the drills that we use in practice.”
Ihm also noted how Tjoa’s consistency has shaped the second-year into a vocal asset for the team.
“He’s helping other guys realize that lay-
“One thing that helped me was being new to college — no previous records — starting from a clean slate .”
Maxwell Tjoa Iowa men’s golfer
ing a good foundation — good fundamentals, which is what Max has — is good for everybody,” Ihm said. “He’s really stepped up that way, showing other guys if you commit to what we’re doing in practice, it can translate to tournament rounds.”
Tjoa’s success as a golfer has paired well with Iowa’s program, but his skills trace back to his high school career. As a freshman in
Q&A | ALLI BOOKIN-NOSBISCH
2019, Tjoa earned second-team All-State honors, later achieving first-team honors for three consecutive years. He also led Cedar Falls High School to a Class 4A team state championship in 2021. Now, Tjoa credits golf as a sport helping enhance skills on and off the course.
“Time management, I would say, is a big one,” Tjoa said. “I’d say [it’s] just helping me grow as a person, managing all my schoolwork and the golf schedule throughout the season.”
This season, the eight-person Hawkeyes started strong in their fall campaign, placing
Mid-distance runner talks favorites, future plans
Morgan Burhans Sports Reporter sports@dailyiowan.com
The Daily Iowan: If you didn’t run, what sport would you play?
Alli Bookin-Nosbisch: I’d want to play soccer. Soccer has good vibes. I think it would be cool.
Who’s your favorite athlete and why?
My favorite athlete is Athing Mu. She is just so humble in the sport and has done such good things for track and field.
What’s your favorite activity to do in Iowa City?
I like to play pickleball. Even when the weather is bad, I’ll go to the Field House. It’s so fun.
“After speaking with Coach McCollum, I believe his vision for the men’s basketball team is one that aligns with mine. With that being said, I have decided to withdraw my name from the transfer portal and stay home. Go Hawks!””
- Iowa men’s basketball player Cooper Koch after initially entering the transfer portal with the departure of former head coach Fran McCaffery
STAT OF THE WEEK
Iowa men’s basketball players who entered the transfer portal after the season.
Mike Boddicker
Mike Boddicker was a homegrown talent in Iowa, born in Cedar Rapids on Aug. 23, 1957, and raised in Norway just 25 minutes from the city. He attended Norway High School and won two state titles. And after a dominant career on the mound for Iowa baseball, he remains the best.
At Iowa, Boddicker filled the Hawkeye record books. In his first season, he posted a single season record 0.79 ERA. The remainder of his Hawkeyes career was just as remarkable as his first year. In his second season, he struck out 84 batters in 65 innings. He then led the team with a .350 batting average while fanning 68 hitters during his third and final season.
Boddicker was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth round of the 1978 MLB Draft. It didn’t take the former Iowa
Contributed by Stephen Mally |
fourth out of 15 teams at the Gopher Invitational on Sept. 8-9, behind Iowa State and Big Ten competitors Minnesota and Nebraska.
Ihm further praised Tjoa’s consistency as a major factor in his and the team’s success.
“It’s a great thing to have as a golfer,” Ihm said. “Max is very consistent, shows up every day, gives it his all, shows up for workouts. He’s definitely a very consistent guy all around.”
Ihm also noted Tjoa’s strong performance at The Hootie in Charleston, South Carolina, where he tied for ninth with an eight-under finish, calling it a good breakthrough for him.
“I would just love to see him continue down the path he’s on right now,” Ihm said. “It’s a skill to learn how to shoot deep under par, so seeing him play one of his best rounds was awesome. Having him probably have one of the best finishes of his college career was great. So, I expect him to continue that trend and continue to lay the foundation for a solid career.”
Why did you choose to come to the University of Iowa? It was actually a joint decision. I have an identical twin sister, and we knew that we wanted to stay together, so we went on a visit with the team. It’s just really funny because we were like, ‘We’re not going to Iowa. We’re going out of state,’ and then we ended up at the school that’s closest to home. It just felt right. I don’t know how to describe it. It just made sense.
What is your major and why?
Right now, I am getting my master’s in sport and recreation management, but I am actually going to law school next year. I want to do sports law, and I eventually want to work in athletic administration. I think it would be cool to help make decisions and help better the athlete’s experience overall. But I do want to work as an attorney at some
star very long to make his way to the big leagues, making his debut on Oct. 4, 1980. There, he tossed 7.1 innings, allowing five runs on six hits in a loss to the Cleveland Indians.
Boddicker went on to have a 14-year MLB career, most of which was with the Baltimore Orioles. In 1983, he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. In that 1983 season, Boddicker went 16-8 in 26 starts with a 2.77 ERA. Boddicker also led the league with five shutouts and struck out 120 batters in 179 innings pitched. The very next season, Boddicker led the MLB in both wins and ERA. His 20-11 record helped him finish fourth in the Cy Young Award voting and be selected for his first and only All-Star Game.
point and advocate for athletes. I think it would be cool having the background as an
Where is your dream vacation?
Anywhere with the beach. Literally anywhere that I can lay on the beach.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Hopefully somewhere warm with a beach, working as a lawyer.
What advice would you give to an aspiring student athlete? Remember that natural talent doesn’t determine everything. Your work ethic and how much you put into your sport is what matters. Yes, some people might come out of high school and have crazy times and be so naturally gifted, but if you put in the work, you will see the results.
Boddicker finished his career with a 134-116 record and a 3.80 ERA. He recorded over 1,300 strikeouts in just over 2,100 innings pitched in his career while also throwing 63 complete games with 16 shutouts.
Boddicker’s success at every level makes him the best pick for the greatest Iowa baseball player of all time. Historically, not many former Hawkeyes have seen as much success at the Major League level as he did.
Brody Brecht
The day was March 23, 2023. Iowa baseball played host to Big Ten rival Maryland on a windy day in Iowa City. This was the day I witnessed what I believe is the best player in program history take the mound for the Hawkeyes: Brody Brecht. Brecht’s performance during the 2023 campaign helped the Hawkeyes to an impressive 44-16 mark and the program’s third NCAA tournament berth under head coach Rick Heller. Brecht fired seven innings and struck out eight batters in his lone postseason appearance, but Indiana State rallied for a 7-4 victory. While the final stat line wasn’t the cleanest — three earned runs on five innings pitched — witnessing Brecht strikeout 13 of the 24 batters faced on top of recording a 104 mile-per-hour fastball was enough to buy into the hype he was receiving. Brecht finished his Iowa career
putting up video game-type numbers. In 2023, Brecht led the conference in opponent batting average at .143 and strikeouts per nine innings with 12.74. His 4.32 hits per nine innings also ranked first among all collegiate pitchers. Brecht climbed the national rankings for strikeouts after the 2024 season, ranking seventh in total Ks and fourth with 14.71 strikeouts per nine innings. He again held batters at a low batting average of .165 while allowing 5.29 hits per game. As a starter in his last two seasons, Brecht was a back-to-back First-Team All-Big Ten nominee and had a combined earned run average of 3.33. Brecht forwent his senior season and immediately entered his name in the 2024 MLB Draft after becoming eligible. He is one of the highly touted prospects under Hawkeye head coach Rick Heller, selected as the 38th pick to the Colorado Rockies. Brecht currently sits as the fifth-ranked prospect in the Rockies organization and was recently assigned to their Single-A affiliate team in Fresno. While his MajorLeague career is not yet underway, expect it to take off above and beyond Boddicker’s.
Jackson Miller Sports Reporter
Sports Reporter
hawkeyesports.com
Iowa’s Maxwell Tjoa during the third round of The Calusa Cup at Calusa Pines Golf Club in Naples, Florida on April 9, 2024.
at age 43, with each replacing a long-tenured coach in the process. Ferentz had the difficult task of following legendary coach Hayden Fry after Fry’s retirement in 1998, while McCollum replaced Fran McCaffery after 15 seasons.
Both Fry and McCaffery left Iowa as the longest-tenured and winningest coaches in their respective program history, but the directions of both the football and men’s basketball programs were far from positive at the times of their departures.
Fry is the man credited with bringing Hawkeye football to national prominence, but a poor 3-8 campaign in 1998 left the cupboard nearly empty for his successor. McCaffery resurrected the basketball program after the disappointing tenures of Steve Alford and Todd Lickliter, but he missed the NCAA tournament in his final two seasons and was fired in March.
The ensuing coaching searches were highly anticipated.
Ironically, Ferentz wasn’t considered the number one option for then-athletics director Bob Bowlsby. Ferentz’s previous nine-season stint as Iowa’s offensive line coach placed him in the running for the job, but many fans wanted one man for the position: Florida defensive coordinator Bob Stoops.
Stoops, a former Iowa player and assistant coach, interviewed with the Hawkeyes, but Bowlsby wanted to wait and interview Ferentz. Oklahoma promptly swooped in and hired Stoops, and Ferentz was ultimately chosen as Iowa’s new coach days later.
The recent basketball coaching search also produced two likely names – West Virginia coach Darian DeVries and McCollum. DeVries was seen as the favorite due to his ties to the state of Iowa and high-major experience, while McCollum, also a native Iowan, was considered as the No. 2 option due to the fact he had only one season of Division I coaching experience.
DeVries bolted for Indiana before the Hawkeyes could pursue him, and they turned their focus to McCollum, who accepted the job on March 24, two days after his Drake team lost in the NCAA tournament.
Only time will tell how McCollum will perform in Iowa City, but the decision to hire Ferentz proved to be a wise one for Bowlsby and Iowa. After two rebuilding seasons, Ferentz has led the Hawkeyes to 204 wins, two Big Ten titles, eight years of 10 wins or more, and 22 bowl games.
Ferentz, who passed Fry as Iowa’s all-time winningest coach in 2018, is known for his consistent winning with Iowa, but it is how he has won that has earned him his flowers.
The Hawkeyes are often undersized and undermatched on paper against a lot of their Big Ten opponents, but Iowa’s hard-nosed, physical style of play has led them to plenty of unexpected victories in the Ferentz era.
“Iowa is the MMA fighter,” ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit told Sports Illustrated in 2021. “Iowa’s the guy that goes in the second round, and both sides are bleeding, and then they get you in that inevitable chokehold, and you’re like ‘Oh, my God. Trying to hold on, I can’t.’ Tap out. That’s Iowa. That’s the style of football. They don’t care. And you might look at them if you’re an SEC or Big 12 [team], whatever, around the country and be like ‘Iowa? Oh, man. They’re over -
rated.’ Until you get in the ring with them and want no part of ’em.”
That same mindset has also led to plenty of wins on the hardwood for McCollum, who owns an exceptional 426-95 mark in just 16 seasons of college coaching. McCollum’s meticulous game-planning and ability to adjust his style to his personnel parallels Ferentz style, but McCollum’s player development has made him a household name in the profession.
“A lot of his player development is just playing,” Austin Meyer, a former assistant coach under McCollum, said. “They play a lot in practice and scrimmages and things like that and just get better by putting kids in positions to read things and then go back to the film and watch it and break it down with them.”
While McCollum is known for developing athletes at every position on the floor, his specialty is the point guard position, something that can be compared to Ferentz’s history of putting offensive lineman in the NFL. Trevor Hudgins, Justin Kitts, and current Iowa point guard Bennett Stirtz are just a few of the notable point guards to flourish in McCollum’s system.
“He just put them in the best position for their success,” former player Ryan Hawkins said. “They show up every day for skill development, to work hard and, again, have the same high, high energy and a good attitude every single day.”
Hawkins is one of the many examples of under-theradar talent developed by McCollum. He played for McCollum at Northwest Missouri State from 2016-21, leading the Bearcats to two national championships and 124 victories during his tenure.
His performance led many Division I schools to
BERRY from 1B
If I succeed, that’s one thing, but having the whole team succeed is the bigger thing, and my job is to support that.” Berry has been excellent defensively so far this season. The infielder has a .950 fielding percentage with 50 putouts and 45 assists in 100 total chances. The sophomore has been part of an Iowa defense that has just 34 errors in 881 chances with a .961 fielding percentage through 33 games.
This outstanding defense from Berry and crew has gotten high praise from both coach Gollan and the pitching staff.
“It helps,” Gollan said of the Hawkeye defense following the sweep of South Dakota State on March 25. “It saves wear and tear on their arms. It gives them the confidence to go right after hitters and not feel like they’ve always got to beat the bats,
HISTORY from 1B
Vogelsang was the highest ranked freshman in the heptathlon and second-ranked overall. He had an outstanding meet at the Dr. Rick McGuire Invite in Columbia, Missouri, where he captured the gold medal with 5,882 points. His performance elevated him to third all-time in program history in the heptathlon.
“I didn’t have a lot of expectations coming in. It’s my first year in the U.S. I’m an international student, so I knew this was going to be a developmental year for me,” Vogelsang said. “But I’ve exceeded my expectations, and I performed very well, so I am very happy.”
Vogelsang didn’t know he had won the award until it was sent to him from a friend.
start inquiring about the 6-foot-7 power forward, forcing Hawkins to make a tough decision and transfer to Creighton for his final season. McCollum was one of the only college coaches to give Hawkins a look out of high school, but the extra year of eligibility granted by the COVID-19 pandemic made the opportunity too hard to pass up.
“It was tough because Northwest was my home, Maryville, the community, the fans, everyone there made it feel like home,” Hawkins said. “Very hard to leave, but, you know, at the end of the day that I had an opportunity because of COVID.”
Hawkins shined in Omaha, starting all 35 games and recording a team-high 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. The Bluejays advanced to the Big Dance and almost upset eventual national champion Kansas in the second round, falling 79-72.
Hawkins went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft but has since carved out a successful playing career overseas. He currently plays for Stade Rochelais Basket, a team based in La Rochelle, France, that competes in the LNB Élite.
Hawkins is thrilled to see McCollum return to the state of Iowa and lead the Hawkeyes. Though Hawkins admits that he grew up a fan of the archrival Iowa State Cyclones, he wishes nothing but success for his old coach. His message to Iowa fans?
“They’re going to have high energy every single day in practice, and then they’re going to go out and compete on the floor,” Hawkins said. “That’s what every single team I was ever part of [shared], even last year watching Drake. They just go out and compete their tails off every single day.”
Samantha DeFily | The Daily
Iowa players in a huddle during a women’s softball game between Iowa and Nebraska at Bob Pearl Softball Field in Iowa City on April 6. The Hawkeyes defeated the Cornhuskers, 5-2, in the third game of the series.
so it helps everybody.”
Iowa star pitcher Jalen Adams added her thoughts after the sweep of South Dakota State.
“I trust my defense behind me 100 percent. It just allows me to throw my pitches and do my thing.”
The high expectations placed on Berry at the beginning of the season haven’t affected her at all this season. She was named to Softball America’s Stars of the Week on March 25 following a dominant performance against then-No.6 UCLA on March 22-23.
Berry went 4-for-7 with four runs batted in and two runs scored in the two-game set, which included a 7-4 upset victory in game two. Her outing against the top-10 Bruins was no shocker, since she knew there was no pressure for her coming into the season.
“I feel like I still have a job to support my team, so that doesn’t really change anything,” Berry said.
“I was shocked, to be honest,” he said. “I was really stoked. It’s super cool. It’s kind of surreal.”
Vogelsang demonstrates a champion mindset when approaching meets.
“When you have a rough meet, coming back and then hitting a PR in another event — He is credited with doing whatever it takes,” Robinson said.
Both of the freshmen are hoping to carry these same results into the rest of the outdoor season. Vogelsang hopes to continue, or even improve, the same momentum from his indoor season.
“If you want to be truly world-class … compete for NCAA titles or make the Olympics, you have to continue to get better,” Robinson said. “Thankfully, we have a great tradition here in the multi and a great training group all around.”
Wyatt Goodale | The Daily Iowan
Newly hired Iowa men’s basketball coach Ben McCollum speaks at a press conference at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on
March 25. McCollum is an Iowa City native and held previous coaching jobs at Northwest Missouri State and Drake.
Iowan
IOWA’S FINALE BREAKTHROUGH
The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the No. 21 Nebraska Cornhuskers, 5-2, in the finale of a three-game series at Bob Pearl Softball Field in Iowa City on April 6.
Samantha DeFily | The Daily Iowan (Beside) Iowa infielder Avery Jackson walks toward first base with a physical trainer and the first base coach after being hit by a pitch during a women’s softball game between Iowa and Nebraska at Bob Pearl Softball Field in Iowa City on April 6. This was one of three hit-by-pitches in the bottom of the third inning. (Below left) Iowa pitcher Jalen Adams pitches during a women’s softball game between Iowa and Nebraska. This was her nineteenth start of the season. (Below top) Iowa catcher Allyssa Ramos talks to Iowa acting head coach Karl Gollan. She singled in the bottom of the third inning, allowing Iowa’s Jena Young to score. (Below bottom) Nebraska infielder Samantha Bland dives toward second base during a women’s softball game between Iowa and Nebraska. Stepping up to the plate four times, she earned one run in the top of the third inning. (Bottom) The Iowa dugout celebrates during a women’s softball game between Iowa and Nebraska. This was Iowa’s first win over Nebraska since 2023.
Singer and songwriter Emilia Bendler inspires
University of Iowa student Bendler details her musical pursuits and inspirations.
Isabelle Lubguban Arts Reporter arts@dailyiowan.com
Ever since she was a little girl, artist Emilia Bendler loved storytelling through song. As she grew up, she became fond of the opposite.
“Sometimes there’s a lot of pressure to write the right words or song,” Bendler said. “There are so many meaningful songs by so many artists, and there are so many fun songs by those same artists.”
Bendler said her grandfather was one of her main musical influences, introducing her to bluegrass and country music.
“He grew up playing the banjo and guitar. He would play little snippets of songs for my sister and me to sing. Waking up, we’d visit them, and they’d all have these speakers playing with old country music and a lot of Johnny Cash.”
Aside from her family, she was inspired by bands like the Lumineers and Pearl Jam, alongside singers like Dolly Parton and Chappell Roan.
“I’m kind of all over the place in terms of musical influences, in a good way, I think,” she said.
Country music was not Bendler’s favorite when she was younger. Nowadays, she takes the time to reminisce about those mornings by getting up and putting on a bluegrass record as an ode to her favorite person, her grandfather.
In her hometown of Huxley, Iowa, Ben-
dler started exploring a variety of musical instruments. Starting with the piano, she began learning when she was six, with her mother stressing its importance.
Bendler, however, hated playing as a kid and stopped until high school. Then, she started looking up chords to songs she liked and played those instead. She was a percussionist in her high school band and participated in choir. In college, she started a band with three of her friends.
“Doing that was my first time playing music for myself. It was a different experience than, 'Take this sheet music and play it because I said to play it,'” she said.
One of Bendler’s favorite shows to date was at Frank O’Dowd’s Irish Pub and Grill, where she sang when she was 10 years old. Located in Galena, Illinois, the bar was a part of the Irish Cottage Hotel where she stayed with her cousin. One day, they asked the hotel staff if they needed anyone to sing for them. They said yes, and Bendler got to sing an a cappella version of “Our Song” by Taylor Swift.
“That was a cool full circle moment,” Bendler said.
Most singers use the aid of voice coaches to prime and perfect their voices, but Bendler only went for a couple of months when she was still in elementary school.
“After that, I never really went. I just practiced singing by myself and figured it out my way. People always think it’s funny because I do have asthma, and the breath control can be hard sometimes,” she said.
‘Death of a Unicorn’ is fun in short bursts
The film never quite settles into excellence, but at its best, it’s a gory good time.
Grant Darnell Arts Reporter arts@dailyiowan.com
If the films “Jurassic Park” and “Nope” both vomited on the first draft of “Parasite,” the result would probably look a lot like A24’s “Death of a Unicorn.”
Alex Scharfman’s directorial debut stars Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father and daughter with a strained relationship who, on the way to a weekend business retreat at a remote opulent cabin, hit a unicorn with their car. Naturally, they have differing views on how to proceed, and the rest of the film explores the ramifications of their deadly collision.
I have yet to see a film this year that alternates so harshly between working and failing. I laughed at some lines and was thrilled by certain action sequences. Large stretches of characters talking in rooms felt like reheated leftovers from some of the films previously mentioned. Similarly, the first and second acts were quite choppy. It didn’t always feel like each scene caused the next scene or brought substantial narrative change, and the structure suffered for it.
Not only that, there were also several questionable writing beats. At one point, an online video is used to provide exposition, and at another point, it’s revealed that cellphones aren’t reliable in a certain environment. But then, the characters enter said environment with cellphones as their only form of contact. On the whole, I think all the film needed was another draft or two.
The technical elements were generally strong; I liked the score and the directing choices. I’m always a sucker for cool camera
tricks with mirrors, and one moment here certainly scratched that itch.
When watching the film at Iowa City’s FilmScene, you may get déjà vu when the Cocteau Twins’ song “Cherry-coloured Funk” plays over the opening credits, heard mere minutes prior in the Bijou promo. Hearing that excellent song might be worth the price of admission alone.
I’m always apt to find Paul Rudd enjoyable, but I think the MVP here is Will Poulter. He knows how to play up this kind of entitled and naive character, and most of the times I laughed were thanks to his line deliveries.
The third act showcased what this film could have been if it had lived up to its full potential. The horror elements reach their zenith at a particularly effective moment during the climax that wouldn’t have felt out of place in the films of Jordan Peele or Bong Joon-ho.
The third act also feels like something straight out of a “Jurassic Park” sequel, but I didn’t mind. After how much that franchise has been failing recently, it felt good to see a decently competent take on a similar story. Although elements of the ending were predictable, I found it unexpectedly mov ing. Unfortunately, the final scene muddled the message for me. I mulled it over during the credits, but I couldn’t quite figure out what the movie was trying to say with its final twist.
For what tries to be the next gonzo hor ror-comedy classic, “Death of a Unicorn” is ultimately a very predictable affair. Still, there are decent thrills to be had even if we’ll never get to see the great film buried under another round or two of rewrites.
Bendler does not think she has a favorite original song, but the first song she was proud of and wanted to share with others was called "Bad Luck." It was about the frustration of a past relationship and how she navigated it.
A setback for some artists is the all-too-familiar feeling of stage fright.
To Bendler, it varies from time to time.
“Sometimes I’ll play at a place I’ve been to multiple times, and all my friends who support me are there. [To me], that is scarier than playing for a bunch of people I don’t know. It just depends. Sometimes I’ll be a little nervous, and after, I’ll be fine. It depends on the atmosphere, too, if the crowd’s engaging or they’re kind of doing their own thing, which is fine, too,” she said.
Nowadays, Bendler does shows around Iowa City. A recent gig of hers was held at the Vue, a rooftop bar on the 12th floor of the Hilton Garden Inn. The
Inn's director of special events Krista Stramel said she had started working with Bendler in 2024 after Bendler had submitted an inquiry with sample videos expressing her interest in performing at the venue along with sample videos.
“Her work immediately resonated with the vision we have for our entertainment offerings, and I knew that her acoustic sound would add immense value to our space,” Stramel said. “Emilia’s pursuit of singing and songwriting is something we wholeheartedly support and admire.” Stramel and the Vue staff also mentioned Bendler had an authenticity and warmth that drew listeners in.
“Our restaurant saw an increase in patronage surrounding her performances, and I truly feel it is not only because of the anticipation for her music, but also because of who Emilia is,” Stramel said.
‘Eephus’ is a hilarious love letter to baseball
This sports comedy is laugh-out-loud funny.
Charlie Hickman Arts Editor charlie.hickman@dailyiowan.com
Early in Carson Lund’s indie comedy “Eephus,” a grey-bearded, bitter amateur baseball player watches a group of kids playing soccer on a pristine field. Looking down, he is reminded of the degraded outfield in Soldiers Field, where his team, the River Dogs, has played community-organized games for years.
“Eephus” doesn’t follow a typical plot structure, but the premise follows the final match between two small-town baseball teams the day before a school will be built on top of their baseball field.
What ensues is a sentimental, riotous nine innings that last well into the night. The game is segmented by time of day, rather than innings, and after each segment, I felt I knew a bit more about each character.
There’s a large ensemble on display here, since there are two nine-person teams and a few side characters. Even though the film comes in at a tight 90 minutes, I had a grasp on every character’s identity by the end.
There isn’t necessarily a main character; instead, the film sways between the men’s conversations to create narrative propulsion. There aren’t scenes where characters describe their situation, their attitude, and why they play baseball. Any necessary information comes across between the lines or through brief, naturalistic conversations.
One character, Graham, is risk-averse, and it shines through in his third-base coaching. He consistently advises players on third not to run home after plays in which they had ample chance to score a run. Watching the players humorously rag on Graham throughout the film only to congratulate him once he faces his flaw at the end of the film was very satisfying.
well, providing micro-character arcs for nearly everyone on the field. While the relationships between the men are what give the movie its engine, the central ideas are what mainly kept me engaged.
Halfway through the game, an experienced former college pitcher discusses the eephus pitch: a fake-out fastball that floats in the air for so long the batter either swings too early or too late. The player describing the pitch compares this to baseball, saying, “You spend the whole time looking for something to happen, then poof, it's over.”
Their conversation is the film’s centerpiece, two guys bonding over this pitch that is a metaphor for baseball. Throughout the movie, these players bicker, bond, and shout at each other, but baseball unites them all.
I found the film’s ideas about baseball, its place in history, and its ability to bring grumpy suburban men together touching but not overly sentimental. “Eephus” is a comedy, after all, so it conveys these emotional ideas through laugh-out-loud sports scenes.
Baseballs get lost in the woods, guys completely whiff pitches, and runners faceplant onto bases. While most of the comedy is deadpan or underplayed, the sprinkling of slapstick is incredibly effective.
A lot of the funniest moments come from side characters not involved in the game. A young onlooker gets on one of the red team players’ nerves, so the player gives him a couple of bucks to buy a pack of cigarettes. Toward the end, a man named Lee stumbles out of the woods and throws a perfect inning. While the sentimental core of “Eephus” is going to keep me thinking about it, the comedy is what got me in the door, and it did not disappoint. In a world of “Snow White” remakes and the terrible-looking “A Minecraft Movie,” the unique, humanistic charm of “Eephus” stands out, making it the best
Wyatt Goodale | The Daily Iowan
Iowa City singer and songwriter Emilia Bendler performs a live set at The Vue Rooftop in Iowa City on March 28. Bendler has been playing the piano and singing since age six.
Hawks flock to annual publishing conference
The University of Iowa brought students to attend the conference in Los
Riley Dunn Digital Editor riley.dunn@dailyiowan.com
Around 1,800 miles away from Iowa City sits the sprawling Hollywood hub of Los Angeles, California, home to many famous venues and stars.
From March 26-29, it was home to the annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs, or AWP, conference and book fair, including several Hawkeyes who gained insight into the future of the publishing industry.
Members of the lauded Iowa Writers’ Workshop MFA program and undergraduate English major made the journey to LA.
The conference included many panels featuring published authors and editors who spoke about different aspects of the publishing industry or craft methods they have implemented in their work. \Alongside the panels, the book fair featured table displays by publishing houses, literary magazines, and universities.
Located in the rows of booths stacked high with collections of crisp novels and literary collections was the University of Iowa’s black and gold-clad display, manned by UI staff and students.
Josie Boyle, a second-year English and communication studies student at the UI, has aspirations of becoming a copy editor. She came to AWP after applying through an invitation sent by her advisor, Kate Torno.
Some of the panels Boyle attended centered around a day in the life of literary magazine editors, alternative funding for small presses, sex and religion in fiction novels, and managing editors who manage other editors.
“One of the editors on that panel [Emily Stowe] works at the University of Northern Iowa, so in our neck of the
girls in religious communities, explored craft and content meant to bring the body and soul alive on the page. They also discussed how to navigate the discourse surrounding hot-button topics.
“I love that I’ve been able to talk about my work with confidence and just meet cool, like-minded people. And I love all the resources and alumni around.”
Mofiyinfoluwa Okupe First-time attendee
woods,” Boyle said.
In the panel, Stowe and other managing editors discussed their personal experiences working on magazines of all sizes and shared resources that have been useful to them throughout their careers.
Mofiyinfoluwa Okupe was a first-time AWP attendee who loved visiting panels in the past run by authors she’s been inspired by. She worked alongside Boyle and a collection of other undergrad and graduate writers at the UI’s tables throughout the conference.
Okupe, a graduate student in Iowa’s Nonfiction Writing Program, loved hearing authors read and speak in real time and delving deeper into their creative processes.
One panel that stood out to Okupe was one Boyle also attended, entitled “Holy F*ck: Women, Faith & Sex in Fiction.”
The panel focused on fiction that breaks taboos regarding religious beliefs, sexuality, and the intersection between them.
Five panelists, all of whom had experience writing about women and
“The room was full of Black, woman writers, and the energy in the room was really palpable and so encouraging,” Okupe said.
Talking about her work and experiences with other writers was one of the highlights of Okupe’s conference experience.
One night, she attended a reading with the African Poetry Book Fund and saw different writers she follows on social media, meeting them in person for the first time.
“I love that I’ve been able to talk about my work with confidence and just meet cool, like-minded people,” Okupe said. “And I love all the resources and alumni around.”
Okupe particularly enjoyed her interaction with Nonfiction Writing Program alum Faith Adiele. Adiele gave Okupe tips on her work, as both writers have experience in memoir writing.
The interactions post-panel are a big part of why AWP has become such a popular convention for writers and publishers.
While many writers traveled
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hundreds of miles to LA for the conference, it became apparent to attendees that a big move upon entering the job market may not be necessary.
Boyle has enjoyed learning about remote publishing opportunities at the convention. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, many jobs have transitioned to online formats, meaning it is no longer necessary to live in New York City to work in publishing houses.
As publishing opportunities have begun to drift away from big cities, the UI’s presence at AWP has only grown. Over the last five years, the university has continued to promote the Writers’ Workshop as one of its flagship
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programs and has recognized several of its other strong writing organizations, such as its undergraduate major and literary magazines.
Sara Moninger, a UI alum who writes for the Office of Strategic Communication, helped to coordinate the UI’s presence at the convention and has assisted the program since 2020. “I jumped at the chance to help out because I’m an Iowa City native. My dad went to the Writers’ Workshop,” Moninger said. “I know a lot about the University of Iowa, and I like to brag about my hometown.”
Clara Jarecke | The Daily Iowan
The book fair hall is seen during the 2025 Association of Writers and Writing Programs, or AWP, conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California, on March 29. The University of Iowa brought students from undergraduate and graduage programs to attend the conference.
Clara Jarecke | The Daily Iowan
The Iowa Review Editor Lynne Nugent converses with a customer at The Iowa Review booth during the 2025 AWP conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California, on March 29. Nugent has been editor since 2003.
