The University of Iowa Native American Student Association, or NASA, announced April 5 that its 29th annual powwow, originally scheduled for this month, has been postponed.
Last year’s event, held April 20 at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, drew a large crowd, nearly two dozen vendors, and featured drummers and dancers from the Meskwaki Nation, along with a graduation celebration for NASA members.
“Due to fundraising challenges stemming from recent legislative changes affecting the university’s ability to fund cultural events, we regret to announce that this year’s powwow will be postponed,” the statement read.
NASA president Joe Maxwell said the group learned in February that new guidance from the Iowa Board of Regents prohibits UI departments from making donations to student groups.
“That is where the majority of dollars for powwow have come in recent years,” Maxwell said. “We were hopeful that we would be able to find enough community partners that aren’t affiliated with the university to fill that hole, [but] we weren’t able to find enough people.”
According to last year’s powwow budget, which
Maxwell provided to The Daily Iowan , NASA received donations — ranging from $100 to $1,000 — from nearly a dozen UI departments, as well as the UI Center for Human Rights, Undergraduate Student Government, UI Human Resources, and the now disbanded Council on the Status of Women.
NASA also received donations from six community partners, including local businesses and nonprofits, and a few individual donors, according to the budget.
Maxwell said he does not have clarity on whether UI departments cannot donate to any student organization or if the new rule only applies to cultural student groups amid sweeping legislation against diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI.
In a stated effort to comply with Iowa state anti-DEI laws, the UI disbanded its diversity councils, eliminated living and learning communities for students of similar interests or identities in February, and closed its Division of Access, Opportunity, and Diversity at the end of March.
The UI Office of Strategic Communication did not respond to the DI’s request for comment regarding the powwow.
“What it feels like, from my perspective, is the attacks on DEI are unpopular on their face,” Maxwell said. “So, they need to find a way to make
attacks on DEI popular with people who have general empathy. A great way to do that is doing it in the name of fiscal responsibility.”
Alicia Velasquez, owner of the Iowa City jewelry store, the House of Dotł’izhi, was responsible for vendor organization as a member of the powwow planning committee. With over 20 vendors selling food and goods at last year’s event, Velasquez emphasized the multiple ways losing the UI powwow impacts the Indigenous community.
“It’s not just a school event. This is affecting the livelihood of the vendors who rely on the powwow to make a living,” Velasquez said. “It’s a big deal for the Indigenous community because now they don’t have this resource.”
In addition to the economic impact, Velasquez said this is a spiritual loss, both for the dancers and drummers who participated in various powwow dances and the local Indigenous population by extension.
“It’s also a place of healing, a religious act where we come to feed our souls,” Velasquez said. “We get to see other family members, reconnect with community — even sitting in the stands if you’re Native is healing.”
Marie Krebs, managing director of the Indigenous-led nonprofit Great Plains Action Society,
Meet the university’s new YAF chairman
Brody Baker, a first-year student, will lead the University of Iowa’s Young Americans for Freedom after current chair Jasmyn Jordan wraps up four years with the group.
Emma Jane News Reporter news@dailyiowan.com
The University of Iowa’s chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, or YAF, has elected a new chairman as longtime leader Jasmyn Jordan prepares to graduate.
Brody Baker, a first-year sports and recreation management major, said he plans to follow in Jordan’s footsteps in his leadership.
But Baker’s political identity marks a stark difference from Jordan, who said she identifies as conservative.
“I’m a very big moderate,” Baker said. “I’m either on the center or a little left-leaning. Just because I’m there for caring. I’m there for healing. I think that’s what this world needs.”
When asked about the most pressing issue facing the country, Baker pointed to the U.S. health care system. Describing it as “broken,” he said it needs to be more affordable and
accessible but warned against a fully government-funded model, citing issues with Canada’s system as a cautionary example.
Another issue Baker highlighted in contemporary politics is the influence of big donors. He joked that politicians should, like NASCAR drivers, display the names of all their donors prominently to give voters full transparency.
While acknowledging that he does not closely follow politics, Baker said he uses Ground News — a news aggregation app that highlights media bias and source transparency — to stay informed with a balanced mix of perspectives.
One of the areas where Baker said he finds common ground with far-left individuals is the importance of free speech.
“I think everyone’s viewpoints are credible,
YAF | 2A
Volatility brings uncertainty for business students
Tippie organizations are adjusting to shifts in the markets they were created to study.
Following the 2024 presidential election, stock indexes and the U.S. economy overall saw increased returns as investors expressed confidence in the touted conservative, free-market policies.
One of President Donald Trump’s promises leading up to the 2024 election was the threat of tariffs on various countries with which the U.S. conducts trade. The idea Trump would enact the tariffs was not directly positive for investors; rather, his threats were a negotiating tactic.
as a businessman and the “art of the deal” as a significant reason for his election, citing the economy as a constant factor in politics.
“Teddy Roosevelt said, ‘Speak softly and carry a big stick.’ Trump doesn’t speak softly but carries a big stick,” University of Iowa political science Associate Professor Tim Hagle said. Hagle characterized Trump’s reputation
Then, the Trump administration levied the tariffs, defied expectations, and, according to the Wall Street Journal, caused the market to lose $3 trillion in market capitalization.
The UI offers students various opportunities, like clubs and advanced academic
Katie Goodale | The Daily Iowan
Dancers perform in the grand entrance during the 25th annual University of Iowa Powwow in the Fieldhouse on April 20, 2019. Hosted by the Native American Student Association, participants could buy traditional food and clothing, and sign up to perform traditional song and dance.
Photo contributed by Brody Baker
wow being postponed as furious.
“Why would any marginalized group come to the school? What would make anyone come to this school?” Krebs said. At the UI powwow last year, Krebs represented the Great Plains Action Society at an informational booth, which she said drew interest to the nonprofit and provided an opportunity to connect with others.
“This was one of the events that brought Indigenous organizations together to one event where we could all support each other and be around each other,” Krebs said. “It was a beautiful event that everybody really loved.”
Maxwell stated that the now-disbanded Native American Council, which assisted NASA with powwow planning last year, has continued to meet in an informal capacity outside of UI affiliation and is helping NASA determine its next steps. Recognizing the importance of the powwow, Maxwell said he and NASA members are working to find an alternate way to host the event in the future.
“We’re looking into avenues for crowdsourcing funding that’s in line with university rules,” Maxwell said.
even if some are a little out there,” Baker said. Free speech on college campuses has become a flashpoint since President Donald Trump took office again in January. In recent months, the administration has detained and sought to deport international students involved in pro-Palestinian activism, invoking a rarely used provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows removal of noncitizens deemed to pose “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”
Tufts graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk was among the more than 300 international students whose visas were revoked for pro-Palestinian activism, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Turkish doctoral student was seen on video being surrounded by six masked, plainclothes ICE agents and arrested near her home in Somerville, MA, on March 25.
“That’s not good,” Baker said, referring to Öztürk’s detention. “I don’t think, even if it was for someone that you should detain, you can’t roll up on someone with a mask on and pull them out and take them into a van. That’s abduction at that point.”
A U.S. State Department memo indicated that by co-authoring an op-ed critical of Israeli military actions, Öztürk was undermining U.S. foreign policy by fostering hostility toward Jewish students and appearing to support a terrorist organization, the Associated Press reported.
However, according to The Washington Post, a separate memo drafted before her detention found no evidence she had engaged in antisemitic activity or endorsed any terrorist organization.
“I think we all would agree that’s extreme — [to be] detained and removed from the country basically because she disagrees with the Israeli government,” Baker said, adding he believes his stance on Öztürk’s case is the moderate take. “That’s not on behalf of YAF, that’s on behalf of me.” Baker also specified that he believes deportation of international students who antagonize, threaten, or segregate Jewish students in the name of pro-Palestine activism is fair and should follow a standard procedure of due process.
His moderate worldview, Baker said, is rooted
programming, to step out and experience the real world. Now, their expectations and experiences are changing.
HawkTrade Investment Club is one such club. The organization is part of several student groups offered to all UI students through the Tippie College of Business.
HawkTrade meets weekly for current event updates and lessons on financial portfolio management, offering students resources and experience with real-world applications of what they study in Tippie’s halls.
Specifically, members are asked to participate in stock pitches and discuss stock opinions, which are individual evaluations of a company’s share price performance combined with overall performance.
Their understanding of this information is then realized through faux portfolios traded using an application called MarketWatch and its Virtual Stock Exchange, which provides stock information and simulates market behavior, allowing students to trade using fictitious money, according to HawkTrade co-president and UI second-year student Jack Kuehl.
“Every meeting, we sort of go over how our fictional portfolios have moved,” Kuehl said. “So, that’s been very interesting to follow with all this commotion going on in the economy.”
He said the fictional portfolios are monitored and ranked on a leaderboard in a competition watched throughout the year.
Kuehl added, however, that MarketWatch is not entirely accurate in that it allows them to trade in unrealistic ways. For example, he noted that HawkTrade members who are currently succeeding are constantly shorting the market, a position he said real stock brokers on Wall Street would not typically allow.
Comparatively, he said he has been more realistically longing the market, holding an asset long-term in the hopes its price will increase. When examining the current economic turmoil, he noted his portfolio is more suitable for traders whose portfolios are rapidly losing value.
“So, I’ve personally been still holding long positions, hoping things will go up, but my fictional portfolio has definitely taken a hit from that,” Kuehl said.
HawkTrade’s weekly financial headline updates, he added, have been much more “comprehensive” due to the sheer volume of information coming out of the market. Daily rallies and corrections perforated the market shortly before Trump announced a 90-day
postponed because of fundraising
American Student Association.
in his upbringing. He described his family as conservative in values but apolitical in daily life. Rather than focusing on differences with others, Baker said his family taught him to extend kindness to all, including transgender individuals.
“I believe anybody that shows respect to me and is able to have an opinion or talk to me deserves to have a conversation,” Baker said. “I may not believe in what you believe in, but we can talk about it. The main purpose of life is communication.”
The UI YAF chapter has sparked controversy in the past for hosting speakers like Matt Walsh and Chloe Cole, whose views on transgender issues have drawn protests and criticism. Since taking over as chairman, Baker has not faced any counter-protests but said he respects the right of others to demonstrate. He also emphasized that YAF is open to everyone.
“We allow anybody to come to our meetings,” Baker said. “We’re not against anybody coming to our meetings. We love everyone.”
While Jordan said YAF does not disclose its exact number of members, she told The Daily Iowan the group saw a surge in membership at the start of this semester, the largest in her four years with the organization.
“Something that we learn from national YAF is to be most active during the election years because that’s when people are paying the most attention to politics,” Jordan said.
Jordan said Baker has been consistently and enthusiastically involved with YAF meetings and events since he joined the group at the beginning of last semester.
“He made everyone around him feel super welcome and super excited to be a part of the organization,” Jordan said. “I think the chairman role really suits him well.”
Reflecting on her four years with YAF, Jordan said her involvement was a formative experience — one that influenced her to major in political science, gave her the opportunity to testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee twice, and connected her with most of her friend group.
However, the role has also come with challenges. Jordan described facing harassment following the Walsh event in 2023, including having her full name and address posted online. She said someone pounded on her dorm room door
pause on all tariffs, besides those on China.
Kuehl said the shock to investors came from the dissonance between their initial confidence in Trump’s policies and the severity of the tariffs his administration pursued. The confidence came from potentially looser standards of regulatory compliance, especially by the SEC, considering its reputation for stricture in the area of mergers and acquisitions during the previous administration.
Lower corporate taxes, he said, were another factor that encouraged investors and entrepreneurs. Though, as time passed, Kuehl said they realized a different set of circumstances.
“You get to April, you get to March, all of this tariff talk, I don’t think anyone truly anticipated how severe it would actually be,” he said.
However, amid the market turmoil, Kuehl said the only thing traders and investors can do is wait.
“Where we’re at right now, like U.S. retail investors, all we can really do is sit along for the ride. [We] can’t, unfortunately, control what’s going on with the economy,” he said. “It’s just sort of a fundamental economic disruption.”
Kuehl said, however, the market conditions being witnessed are not all bad. For HawkTrade, these distinct developments in finance provide members with more learning opportunities than anything else.
“Even though it’s not necessarily for the right reasons, this is kind of the Super Bowl for Hawk trade,” he said. “Being able to put a lot of the things that we’ve been instilling into our heads into practice, looking at the market, checking MarketWatch competitions, market updates, and just seeing a lot of the dynamics of the markets.”
Expectations and future predictions are fundamental elements in finance, but for some students, the damage to their expectations is being realized in more than just the market.
While HawkTrade is open to all students, another Tippie organization is more selective — and prestigiously regarded — but members are not entirely sure of what to expect for themselves.
The Hawkinson Institute is the UI’s undergraduate investment banking program. According to their site, only 20 undergraduate students are accepted into the program on average during the academic year.
The institute provides members with experience through meetings with industry professionals, select courses, and networking opportunities intended to land them internships, job offers, and careers after graduation.
and stood outside in a way that felt threatening.
Baker said he is less concerned about similar threats to his personal safety, but he does worry about how he, and YAF as a whole, is perceived.
“I’m scared about how I can be twisted in a certain way,” Baker said. “I tell people that you either love me or you’re OK with me. It’s hard to hate me because I’m always nice, I’m outgoing, I’m positive.”
On March 3, the national YAF organization filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, alleging that the UI’s diversity, equity, and inclusion policies discriminate against conservative students and violate federal civil rights laws and recent executive orders.
Baker said he was not familiar with the complaint – and Chris Brewer, public relations manager for the UI’s Office of Strategic Communication, said he hadn’t seen it either.
“The university was not aware of the complaint and has not received word that the Office of Civil Rights has elected to investigate,” Brewer wrote in an email to the DI Brewer also shared the following list of actions the university has taken to comply with state and federal laws, executive orders, and directives from the Iowa Board of Regents:
Eliminated 12 full-time positions since last spring in compliance with the Iowa Board of Regents directives and state law
Required all student organizations to state explicitly that they are open to all students
• Barred the use of DEI statements or participation in DEI activities as criteria for employment and admissions
• Prohibited mandatory disclosure of personal pronouns
• Removed all current and archived web content referencing DEI
• Discontinued three identity-based living-learning communities for the 2025-2026 academic year
Closed the Division of Access, Opportunity, and Diversity at the end of March
• Currently revising the mandatory human rights clause required in all student organization constitutions
Mitchell Joines, a fourth-year student with Hawkinson, has one thing on his mind in all the chaos: job security.
“Anytime you have the DOW dropping 4,000 points in a few days, you know, it’s going to make me a little bit nervous,” he said. “Little bit nervous, possibly for my own job, starting full time, and job security and things like that.”
Joines landed an internship during his second year for the summer prior to his third year, as he said is the goal of the Hawkinson program. Now, he is looking at a full-time return to that company. Through mentorship and networking opportunities, Hawkinson members are given the chance to get up to their knee in the door in the investment banking world.
However, the longevity of certainty is not always a positive, especially in the current world. The issues at hand when he started interning at the company where he would soon work were inflation and interest rates, he said, but now companies have different priorities, making it difficult for students to market themselves successfully after graduation.
“It kind of makes it hard for these banks to judge with head count is definitely something that we’re kind of mentioning, like full-time return offers to actually get the job after the end of the internship,” Joines said.
“It’s something we kind of talk about and kids are definitely a little bit worried about.”
As a student looking forward to a career in investment banking, Joines said the industry’s primary difficulty lies in merger and acquisition deals. With falling asset prices, these deals are struggling to retain a base requirement for the deals; the merging or acquiring firms themselves.
“Buyers are pulling out of these transactions. So, as an investment bank, when I’m representing a client’s business trying to sell it, and half the people that are interested in buying it just drop out, it makes it really difficult,” he said.
Joines and Kuehl are two students who are looking to network, gain experience, and prepare themselves for a career. Like Kuehl, Joines said the one thing they can do at the moment is wait for prices to return to a serviceable level so the skills and education they have acquired at the UI can truly benefit them in the world.
“So, it’s definitely affecting banks that purely do M&A, same place I’m working, so it makes me a little nervous to go work there and how they’re reacting,” Joines said. “Their stock price is being reflected with the tariffs. But we’re absolutely going to have to wait and see.”
Managing Editor, News Jack Moore jack.moore@dailyiowan.com
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John Charlson | The Daily Iowan
Attendees purchase items in the vender section of the 28th annual University of Iowa Powwow at the Johnson County Fairgrounds on April 20, 2024. The 29th annual University of Iowa Powwow has been
changes due to recent legislation, according to the Native
YAF from 1A
TIPPIE from 1A
Amana residents react to Whirlpool layoffs
The
company attributed the layoffs to shifting consumer demand for appliances.
Emma Jane News Reporter news@dailyiowan.com
Whirlpool Corporation announced plans to lay off approximately 650 employees within specific production teams at its Amana plant on April 1.
“We are committed to supporting affected employees through this transition by providing access to onsite HR support and a dedicated employee support line, an employee assistance program, and guidance on unemployment benefits through Iowa Workforce Development,” a statement from Whirlpool Corporation reads.
In an email to The Daily Iowan , Chad Parks, the director of external communications, specified that the layoffs, which will take effect June 1, are unrelated to the tariffs announced by President Donald Trump on April 2.
“It’s about adjusting our production at our Amana, Iowa, operations to be in line with current market conditions driven by consumer demand, particularly as it relates to certain appliances (refrigeration) made in Amana,” Parks wrote.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Solution Center, Whirlpool’s Amana facility spans 43 acres and employed nearly 3,000 people as of December 2020. Although 650 jobs represent a sizable portion of the plant’s workforce, Amana residents say the layoffs are unlikely to impact the community significantly.
Dennis Roemig, a guide at the Amana Heritage Society Museum and lifelong Amana resident, said most Amana residents work in neighboring towns.
“People live here, but they work elsewhere,” Roemig said. “This is where their house is, they come to sleep and eat. But their lives are outside of the Amanas.”
The Amana Colonies were founded in 1714 by German settlers seeking religious freedom and communal living. By 1932, growing dissatisfaction with the strict rules of communal life and a series of economic hardships led to the dissolution of the communal system. Around the same time, local resident George C. Foerstner founded the Electrical Equipment Company, which built its first beverage cooler in 1934 at the Middle Amana Woolen Mill.
The company was sold to the Amana Society in 1936, then repurchased and renamed Amana Refrigeration, Inc. in 1950. The mill site later became a major production center for refrigerators, freezers, and air conditioners — and eventually the Amana Whirlpool plant.
Margo Jarosz, who grew up in Amana, is the president of the Amana Heritage Society, and now works seasonally at the Gallery on Main, explained the former Middle Amana Woolen Mill has changed hands several times since Foerstner’s era.
“In 1965, when I was still living here, Raytheon purchased them,” Jarosz said. “They’ve had various corporate parents since then.”
Jarosz said during her childhood in the baby boom era following
World War II, many local Amana residents were employed at the plant; however, this changed with the plant’s expansion.
“Many of my friends’ dads and moms, for that matter, worked there. At that point in time, there’s probably more Amana people than outside people,” Jarosz said. “But it kept growing and growing.”
In 2006, Whirlpool Corporation acquired Maytag Corporation, thereby gaining ownership of the Amana brand and its associated manufacturing facility in Amana.
In 2020, Whirlpool sold its Amana plant for $92.7 million to WHRAMIA001 LLC, a foreign limited liability corporation using a fictitious name, as part of a sale-leaseback agreement intended to optimize its real estate portfolio,
Corridor Business Journal reported. As the plant expanded, Jarosz explained, it had to draw workers from surrounding communities, since the local population, just under 1,000 across Amana, Middle Amana, and East Amana, according to the 2020 U.S. Census, was not large enough to meet its labor demands.
Tonya Bern, who has lived in Amana for 34 years, said the plant feels out of place in the Amana communities, and the traffic and unfamiliar workers at the plant can be a concern for local families.
“We’re little towns,” Bern said. “You have grandkids, you have your kids growing up. You’ve got to keep them away because you just don’t know a lot of people that work there coming out of town. You’ve got to be careful.”
John Charlson | The Daily Iowan
The Recruiting Center entrance at the Whirlpool Corporation’s manufacturing facility in Amana, Iowa, is seen on April 15. Around 650 employees were recently laid off.
OPINIONS
Musk and Grimes illustrate our political climate
The
Haya Hussain Opinions Contributer opinions@dailyiowan.com
In 2021, Claire Boucher, or Grimes, made the entire internet cringe when she posed with the Communist Manifesto for a photoshoot. Satire or not, the experimental, alien-obsessed, gender-defying artist has made it clear where she lies politically. Kind of.
She’s a self-proclaimed socialist, but “not economically,” whatever that means.
And her baby daddy, Elon Musk, is just as politically confusing. Both are equally embarrassing, but as a former girlfriend of Musk, Grimes bothers me more because of her complacency to in regard to his politics. You’d think in dating her he would be teetering toward the left, until one day he appeared as the opener to President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The world is now alarmed by his sexist tweets, generous donations to Trump, and his gesture that bore a concerning amount of resemblance to a Nazi salute.
Since these developments, Tesla-owner and first-year student at the University of Iowa Jada Greer has found herself embarrassed by her vehicle, as Musk is the co-founder and leader of the Tesla company.
“I would’ve never expected this. I don’t align with anything he’s putting forth in the media. If I had known of his beliefs, I definitely would’ve urged my family to sell the car or something. And I’m sure a lot of other people feel the same way,” Greer said. There are also people who previously praised Musk’s work ethic who were shocked at his seeming shift in political beliefs. The man has been a staple for American business and manufacturing for years.
Personally, I think the signs were always present. Outside of being a mass consumerist and absolutely green-eyed for money, Musk’s relationship crashing and burning with the very liberal Grimes after having three children and writing dozens of X, formerly known as Twitter, pick-up lines
should’ve let us all know he was abandoning any leftist paraphernalia.
The couple had a lot in common: a love for futurism and AI, strong presences on X, colonizing space and Mars, and wanting a threesome with Azaelia Banks. You’d think their children would be even more unifying than that, including internet sensation X Æ A-12, who was videotaped picking his nose in Trump’s office.
But that actually seems more like a point of contention for the co-parents. Less than two months ago, Grimes tweeted at Musk, asking him to “Plz respond about our child’s medical crisis.”
That got me thinking about why it all went wrong. I don’t think anyone can understand these two oddities besides themselves. Still, the one thing they have never been able to see eye-to-eye on is politics.
Modern-day relationships can make it past anything: angry parents, cheating, reality TV, financial stress, and helicopter partners. But can they survive disparate political views?
Greer recalls being with a partner who didn’t share similar ideologies with her.
“It wasn’t even that we disagreed. He just cared less than me, and at points, it was embarrassing. I had to defend his indifference to my friends a lot. I was really passionate about certain causes, and his lack of support was definitely weighing down our relationship,” she said.
So, no, I don’t think there’s any room for political grievance in this day and age. It’s one thing to avoid watching the news together because it’ll spark a dinner debate and sleeping in separate bedrooms. But if your partner is canceling out your vote, are you really accounted for as a U.S. citizen?
awareness more negatively while women approach it as a compassionate trait.
That’s probably why Musk broke up with Grimes. He doesn’t seem like one for compassion and empathy, as seen in his hateful comments toward queer people.
It’s no coincidence Musk and Grimes
“I don’t align with anything he’s putting forth in the media. If I had known of his beliefs, I definitely would’ve urged my family to sell the car.”
Jada Greer UI first-year
student
Politics dominate our domestic lives. In late 2024, a study by Oddspedia confirmed this. One in six Americans are splitting up over their political disagreements. According to the study, men view political
take the limelight when a controversial political figure is in office. The people’s outrage with Musk is almost always synchronous with some big news from Tesla, and this term especially, the radio silence from the broken-up couple has been interrupted.
Maybe Grimes takes to expressing liberal rage on X when Musk is a hot topic because he is a representation of her dating history; a
lot of people think her liberalism is just a persona.
“I don’t really listen to her stuff, but ‘Oblivion’ was pretty big on TikTok and put her on a lot of people’s playlists. So, I’d say the internet does have a perception of her, and it’s questionable that she claims to be so involved in the LGBTQ+ community when the man she was in love with less than two years ago has been publicly transphobic and homophobic,” Greer said.
Clearly, love doesn’t outweigh politics. Grimes constantly had to defend Musk to her listeners, and that’s probably why she’s embraced being sappy now. There’s no coming back from saying “I know this isn’t your heart” after your boyfriend tweets “Pronouns suck.”
Honestly, I think something good can come out of the U.S.’s polarization. In fact, there should be a preference now on Tinder and Hinge for political affiliation. We don’t need any more embarrassing boyfriends and girlfriends who need to fight tooth and nail to defend each other’s problematic beliefs nor is it healthy to constantly have simmering tensions in a relationship based on political differences.
Shifting to positive narratives will bring about real change
We need to get rid of negativity in the media to let news inspire motivation.
Morgan Brunner Opinions Columnist opinions@dailyiowan.com
If we want to see positive change, the world needs more positive narratives surrounding prevalent issues. Accusations and complaints will never change the status quo.
Take climate change, for example. It is a pressing matter everyone knows about. Why is it that we are always being told that what we are doing isn’t enough? Every time I read about the issue or I see a post on social media, the message is always portrayed in a negative and accusatory light.
“You need to do this,” or “You don’t care about it if you don’t do that.” But what isn’t considered is what is being done and how it is positively impacting the planet.
We constantly see new people take new initiatives, and even the small steps are helpful. From increases in solar energy to more recycling awareness, people are showing they care about the pertinent issues plaguing our environment.
In Iowa City on April 26, the Neighborhood Energy Blitz event will take place, where community members will go doorto-door collecting lightbulbs, batteries, and other items for safe and correct disposal. This event is part of Iowa City’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, which aims to have zero carbon emissions in the city by the year 2050.
This is good news. This is a positive narrative.
But the good news is rarely what we hear about. Instead, we are always bombarded with upsetting affairs and how
they negatively affect society.
Coverage of the economy is also representative of the overarching negative narrative people are forced to interact with. An article published mid-March on CNN titled “Even Good News About the Economy is Bad News Now,” investigates the negativity surrounding economic issues. The author, Allison Morrow, claims there is nothing left concerning the economy that can be framed in a positive light.
It is true that, in the wake of President Donald Trump’s second presidential term, the economy has fluctuated dramatically. The imposition of Trump’s tariff agendas, the changes in taxes and inflation in the country, and the nation’s foreign involvement have all contributed to a poor economic outlook in the coming
“I think it’s important to be educated about what’s going on, but unfortunately, a lot of the things that are going on in the world are pretty negative .”
Maren
Denison
student
UI second-year
years. In situations like these, positivity is nearly impossible to find.
So, is this the reason negative narratives are so prevalent? Is it because there is only negativity around us and there are no positive ways to frame that information?
Maren Denison, a second-year student at the University of Iowa, said if she had to choose between a positive headline and a negative one to read a news story, she would pick the negative one.
“I think it’s important to be educated about what’s going on, but unfortunately,
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
may be involved.
EDITORIALS
a lot of the things that are going on in the world are pretty negative,” Denison said. But there’s more to it than just the negative events happening around us. People are often more psychologically attracted to negative news. A study done by Nature Human Behavior found negative words in the news increase consumption, while positive words actually decrease consumption and interaction, aligning well with the reasoning behind Denison’s choice.
This goes along with the popular journalistic phrase, “If it bleeds, it leads,” implying that stories with more tragedy gain the most traction. This opens another door for sensationalism and entertainment-based journalism, where journalists forget their duty to factually inform and rather produce content that will get them more interaction with consumers.
I’m not saying the lack of positive narratives is solely because of the influx of negative news journalists produce or because of how it attracts consumers. It’s also about how consumers react after consuming negative versus positive information.
The same study from Nature Human Behavior states negative information sticks more in people’s brains than positive information when they make decisions, learn about others, and find themselves. This is the same psychological phenomenon that explains why bad first impressions are difficult to overcome and why past experiences and trauma can be so impactful in how we live our lives now. This is partially because we tend to learn more from the outcomes of negative experiences than positive ones.
When it comes to the news, our reception of negativity can make us think we are avoiding possible danger or making ourselves more aware of how to recognize it. But the job of the news is not to
prime us for a potential future; it is to inform us of current events. This introduces the idea of news fatigue — the feeling of emotional exhaustion people can get after absorbing so much negative news about the happenings of the world. Oftentimes, this can lead to disinterest in current events and compels consumers to develop a negative narrative of their own outlook on society, defeating the goal of information sharing and the possible motivation for change.
But what if there were more positive news?
Many people argue positive news actually increases physical participation and community engagement, especially when it is through constructive journalism, a practice in which negative narratives are combated by the suggestions of ways in which people can take action in their lives.
Denison agrees with the power of positive narratives.
“Seeing positive articles and reports in the news encourages me to do my part in helping to combat the issues we face. I think more positive narratives would help communities come together and find a solution,” Denison said. An example of a platform that focuses on positive news is the website Open Global Rights, which recognizes the responsibility journalists have to cultivate positive narratives surrounding human rights campaigns. They create and publish hope-based stories focused more on taking action than on wallowing in the disparities many marginalized communities face — a practice more newsrooms need to adopt.
In the end, we must have more positive narratives in the news, and we need to stray away from being so negative, especially if we want people to take action and make the much needed change the world wants to see.
Emma Calabro | The Daily Iowan
Elon Musk is seen during finals of the NCAA Men’s Wrestling Championship at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA, on March 22.
Iowa GOP helps propel Trump’s DOGE
As Trump’s DOGE shakes up the federal government, Iowa’s deep ties are laid bare.
As President Donald Trump’s Depart ment of Government Efficency works to slash nearly $1 trillion in federal spending , Iowa Republicans have deep connections to those efforts.
One of Trump’s first actions during his second term in office was establish ing DOGE — Iowa Republicans have long championed the effort.
Trump directed the department — headed by billionaire and owner of the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Elon Musk — to complete a thorough review of the productivity and efficiency of the federal government and root out $1 trillion in federal spending.
Since Trump took office, the department has made headlines nearly daily for cutting billions in funding, firing tens of thousands of federal employees, and canceling hun dreds of contracts the federal government had awarded.
Iowa Republican leaders have long worked to champion similar efforts in Iowa and on the federal level.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds launched a state-level DOGE task force to pursue similar goals of streamlining government operations.
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, co-chairs the Senate DOGE caucus, and has long championed efforts to cut wasteful spending in Washington.
Iowa Republicans U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra are members of their chamber’s DOGE caucus.
“I like to say that we were doing DOGE before DOGE was a thing,” Reynolds said during her Condition of the State Address in January.
Iowa Republicans have played a key role in Trump’s efforts in slashing federal spending since he took office, with their connections rooted well before Trump’s DOGE was a concept.
The party of smaller government
Government efficiency is a bipartisan ideal, and shrinking the size of government is a bedrock of American conservatism but difficult to accomplish, University of Iowa Political Science Professor Tim Hagle said.
Many presidents have tried, Hagle said, but none have succeeded at making long-
and abuse from the government might be popular among most Americans, opponents to DOGE said the team isn’t cutting abuse and instead is taking an axe to programs they don’t agree with.
All reductions have been through executive actions so far, which has caused controversy from congressional appropriators on both sides of the aisle who say he is violating a 1970s-era law that banned “impoundment,” or the executive branch refusing to spend congressionally appropriated funds.
The Impoundment Control Act, passed in 1974, was in response to former President Richard Nixon’s refusal to spend certain federal funds.
Hagle said the legality of Trump’s spending freezes is an open question since Congress is not very specific about how
“It’s really, really hard to shrink the size of the government. That size usually only grows .”
Tim Hagle University of Iowa professor
term and meaningful changes to the size and scope of the federal government.
“It’s really, really hard to shrink the size of the government. That size usually only grows,” Hagle said.
Hagle said there are many factors making it difficult to shrink the size of the federal government.
One reason is federal agencies and offices are made to solve a problem and work to justify their existences by proving they are helping solve the problem, he said. This makes it politically difficult to shrink government because the recipients and supporters of those services will be upset.
“If you happen to be the recipient of some government largesse that’s all of a sudden going to get cut, you’re not going to be happy about it,” Hagle said.
Musk’s team has made extensive cuts and become unpopular very quickly.
According to a March NBC News national poll, the majority of voters approve of the idea of DOGE, with 46 percent in support and 40 percent against. Only 33 percent of respondents thought Musk’s team should continue at its current pace, while 28 percent said it should slow down but not stop, and 33 percent said it should stop what it’s doing.
While the idea of cutting waste, fraud,
funding must be spent, rather dividing it into buckets. Then, the executive branch decides exactly how it is spent within the bucket it is approved for.
“Congress just passes the basic authorization and leaves it up to the executive branch to work out the details,” Hagle said. “And that gives the executive branch a lot of leeway in terms of how they handle the stuff, how much they spend, and so forth.”
Hagle said it would require Congress to pass further legislation to restrict Trump’s slashing of spending if they don’t like his cuts.
“If Congress doesn’t like, in this case, Trump not spending money on things, then they can either pass legislation to deal with it or not,” Hagle said.
Opponents of DOGE have criticized its fast and loose attitude toward cutting federal spending. Musk admitted that there would be mistakes, but when notified, they would attempt to restore the spending as quickly as possible.
Musk’s cuts include a self-proclaimed $155 billion in canceled contracts and grants, ending leases for unused federal office space, laying off tens of thousands of federal workers. Many of those cuts affect services provided in Iowa, like the layoffs of federal workers.
“We all want to see government work more efficiently,” Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said. “We all want to eliminate fraud and waste and abuse. That is something that I hope that they’re able to accomplish, but the way they’re going about it certainly doesn’t give us any faith.”
However, Iowa’s congressional delegation has been quick to defend DOGE’s actions, despite public backlash.
Ernst’s deep ties to DOGE
Iowa’s deep ties to DOGE aren’t just from the state’s governor. Ernst, Iowa’s junior Republican senator, has made government efficiency a large part of her career.
When Ernst ran for Senate in 2014, she promised to find and root out waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government and to “drain the swamp.” She even released an ad in which she stated she would make Washington bureaucrats “squeal” by challenging the bureaucracy.
Ernst has previously advocated for federal employees to come back to work in person, has criticized former President Joe Biden’s administration for the cost of maintaining empty federal offices, and has sponsored legislation requiring enhanced reporting for government projects over $1 billion that are behind schedule.
Now, Ernst is the co-chair of the Senate DOGE Caucus, where she works closely with Musk and has pitched him ways to cut spending, including many of her previous legislative proposals, such as getting rid of empty federal offices and looking into how funds are spent on billion-dollar projects.
“I have worked on what I call my squeal priorities the past 10 years, and with that blueprint, I was able to present that to Elon Musk at DOGE,” Ernst said in an interview with The Daily Iowan in Washington, D.C. “They’ve used that as a blueprint on what they are examining.”
Ernst said she is happy with DOGE’s progress so far and the more than $800
work, earn a salary, pay taxes, they want to know that their taxpayer money is used wisely,” Miller-Meeks said in an interview with the DI. “And I think by having a federal government that works more effectively and more efficiently, that’s going to further allow our economy to grow, which then increases the amount of revenue that comes into the federal government.”
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, is not a member of the DOGE caucus, but as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, she supports the review and said the process could help improve service to Iowans by making the historically inefficient federal government efficient.
“So, in my mind, if we’re laser-focused on fixing a lot of these processes, it’s actually going to end up delivering better customer service for the taxpayer, which is what we all want to see happen,” Hinson said in an interview with the DI
“Doing DOGE before DOGE was a thing”
Reynolds spearheaded a massive realignment of the state government in 2023, which included reducing the number of cabinet-level agencies from 37 to 16. She also signed a bill into law last year that would eliminate 67 of the state’s boards and commissions.
Reynolds was asked to testify about the state’s efforts before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability in February. Democrats argued the federal government should follow Iowa’s example of a slower, more thorough process that involved lawmakers instead of the slash-and-burn style it currently deploys.
While the federal DOGE has faced criticism, Reynolds emphasized that Iowa’s state DOGE task force will focus on maximizing taxpayer returns, enhancing workforce training, and leveraging technology like artificial intelligence.
“I have worked on what I call my squeal priorities the past 10 years, and with that blueprint, I was able to present that to Elon Musk at DOGE .”
Joni Ernst Iowa Senator
per taxpayer DOGE claims it has saved.
“That’s just two months into the process,” Ernst said. “So, I think we have a long way to go, but I’m actually very excited about it.”
However, Ernst acknowledged DOGE is moving quickly, and there might have been a few bumps along the road. Ernst said Musk has encouraged members of Congress to reach out to them if they feel a cut was a mistake.
“Elon Musk himself has acknowledged that there have been a few mistakes along the way, but as long as they are quickly identified,” Ernst said. “When they are quickly identified, they will go in, evaluate if there was a mistake made, and then they can correct it.”
While Ernst has helped lead congressional support for DOGE, other members of Iowa’s congressional delegation have supported DOGE’s actions.
Miller-Meeks, a member of the House DOGE caucus, said Iowans elected Trump to look at how the government spends money and to find inefficiencies, and he is doing what he promised.
Miller-Meeks also said the review of spending is to help restore Iowans’ trust in the federal government.
“When you’re asking people to go to
The task force, chaired by Emily Schmitt of Sukup Manufacturing, aims to build upon previous efficiency efforts.
“This task force is yet another opportunity to apply Iowa’s proven formula of asking tough questions and making bold, transformative changes,” Reynolds said in an April 2 news release following the task force’s first meeting. “I couldn’t have more confidence in the talented members of this group, under Emily Schmitt’s leadership, to build on our strong foundation and chart the course for more efficient government at all levels for Iowans.”
The task force is looking to further Reynolds’ sweeping reforms by making recommendations to the governor instead of acting unilaterally. Schmitt said she wants to make it easier for Iowans to interact with the government and get their problems solved.
“We want Iowans to be able to feel a tangible difference when engaging with the government, hoping that our efficiency and streamlining will improve the process,” Schmitt said. “Because we want Iowans to engage with the government, and we want to make that simpler.”
The task force had its first meeting on April 2 and will continue to have meetings until it forms a report for the governor by Aug. 9.
Isabella Tisdale | The Daily Iowan
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, speak with The Daily Iowan in the Hart Senate building in Washington on April 7. The senators spoke about their support for DOGE and the closure of the Department of Education.
Isabella Tisdale | The Daily Iowan
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building is seen in Washington on April 9. The building houses DOGE offices.
DI IN D.C.
Local groups spending less amid rising prices
The three Iowa City buy nothing groups provide community members with a variety of essential resources that would have otherwise ended up in landfills.
Isobel Perez News Reporter news@dailyiowan.com
On any given day, West Iowa City’s Buy Nothing Facebook Group is buzzing with notifications of items ready to be gifted to a new home for free.
A slightly worn Columbia windbreaker. A bounce house. A ticket and towel from Caitlin Clark’s retirement game. Tostitos Spicy Queso that was described as “waayyyy too spicy.”
These are just a few of the hundreds of posts on the Facebook group’s page, along with a slew of “in search of” and “ask” posts where users are seeking specific items such as a hair crimper or toddler scooter.
But the West Iowa City Buy Nothing Group is only one of over 128,000 buy nothing groups worldwide. The Buy Nothing Project is a global movement of community-based groups who donate, lend, recycle, and share items among one another to reduce consumption and the amount of waste that ends up in landfills by finding new homes for used items that still have life.
And while Iowa City is nearly 2,000 miles away from the project’s origins in Bainbridge Island, Washington, where Liesel Clark and Rebecca Rockefeller created the first buy nothing group in 2013, the movement has grown so much that the original Iowa City group had to split into three smaller, hyper-local groups: West Iowa City, East Iowa City, and Central Iowa City.
Patty Rains joined the Iowa City group in 2016 before it split into smaller groups. She then joined the East Iowa City group in 2018, where she has served as an administrator for the past two years. During her time in the groups, she has given and received many items, such as baby clothing and her pet goldfish, who is now four years old.
“I had a baby in 2018, and I called him my ‘buy nothing baby’ because I swear all the baby furniture, clothes, supplies, even baby bottles, everything, I got off of buy nothing for him,” Rains said. “I literally had to spend no money on baby things for this little guy.”
And when her children outgrew their clothing, Rains was quick to post the clothing back on the Buy Nothing group for others to use.
“I hate wasting things, and I hate throwing things away that could be used again,” Rains said. “Somebody is always in need of kids’ clothes, so those go pretty fast, and baby items are a hot commodity, too. But you see a lot of everything in this group.”
There aren’t many limitations on what can be gifted in the groups, though there are a couple of guidelines members are expected to follow:
• Only join one buy nothing group, and join as yourself
• No mention of an item’s monetary value is allowed
• No buying, trading, or bartering is allowed
• Be honest about the description and condition of the item you’re gifting
• Be timely when picking up an item because it’s not the role of the gifter to hold onto an item for an extended period of time
• Let an item that’s being gifted time to sit before gifting it, so that people have enough time to find the post
“There have only been a couple instances where we’ve had to remove people from the group for consistently not showing up to pick things up that they were chosen for,” Rains said. “That’s been a very small issue.”
To join a group, individuals must answer membership questions that confirm they live in Iowa City. To do this, users need to simply provide the names of the closest intersecting streets.
Then, once a person joins, they can begin posting or responding to other people’s posts as long as it abides by the
rule that “there is no buying or selling, no trades or bartering, no advice giving, [and] no soliciting for cash.”
But it’s not just home items that can be found on buy nothing groups.
As the community guidelines outline, gifts of self, time, and assistance can also be provided to the community. These include giving others a ride, spending time with someone else, or cooking for others.
“We’ve had ladies offer to bake lasagna for an entire family, and that’s wonderful,” Rains said. “It’s like a free meal for a busy family. We’ve also had people order a meal from Hy-Vee, and they get the wrong one delivered, so they post that on Buy Nothing.”
Free food, home items, and services could become necessary resources for some, especially as the prices of groceries continue to rise and as President Donald Trump’s 10 percent minimum tariff on all countries is anticipated to increase food prices by 1.6 percent, according to a Yale University Budget Lab study.
“[The Buy Nothing group] is also kind of taking power back from capitalism,” Eva Roethler, East Iowa City Buy Nothing group member, said. “It’s just helping us make smarter choices about what we actually need to purchase and buy new, and I think that’s really powerful.”
Roethler joined the East Iowa City Buy Nothing group after being a member of buy nothing groups in Sacramento, California; Minneapolis; Minnesota, and Central Iowa City. Through all her moves, buy nothing groups have helped Roethler acquire necessary items and find new communities.
“There’s one person, and this is not on purpose, but almost every time I post that I need something, she has it. Or I posted something that I was giving away and she needed it,” Roethler said. “It’s funny to see the same faces. A lot of the time, there is someone here you know. There’s a friendly face who probably has what you need.”
Along with promoting stronger communities, Roethler was also drawn to the environmental impact buy nothing groups have.
“I care a lot about reducing waste, so being able to acquire used things is really good,” Roethler said. “It also reduces the amount of stuff that I have to throw away because it can go to someone who will actually be using it.”
Similarly, Megan Burns, who has been a member of the original Iowa City group and is now a member of the East Iowa City group, expressed how the
group, along with the Iowa City garage group she is a part of, promotes less waste and less spending.
“Anything I want, anything I need, it’s probably already been made, so how can I get that without adding more weight to this earth and consuming more energy and consuming more resources?” Burns asked. “Can I go to a thrift store? Can I post on my local Buy Nothing? Can I go garage sale-ing?”
The groups ultimately encourage community support, with many members recommending others to join and to learn how they can participate.
“Times are kind of hard right now, not just for
college students, but all around, and I just think that this group has been phenomenal at helping each other out,” Rains said. “And as a result, everybody’s thriving.”
Madison Frette | The Daily Iowan
Photo illustration of person browsing Facebook Marketplace.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Continuing coverage, continuing commitment
Two Daily Iowan alumni now cover former Hawkeye Caitlin Clark in the WNBA.
IndyStar’s Indiana
and Smith, both former University of Iowa
Matt McGowan Sports Reporter
sports@dailyiowan.com
staff photographer
covered
Glancing upward inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Chloe Peterson couldn’t help but reminisce at the sight. Long, flowing black curtains hung from the rafters, blocking out thousands of empty seats in the upper deck. The WNBA’s Indiana Fever faced the Connecticut Sun in the 2023 season-opener, and while the 7,356 fans present were a loud and lively crowd, they filled less than half the arena. The hype and excitement only went so far. Peterson had seen this limited range before.
curtain revealed how much growth was still needed.
Just three years ago, Peterson covered Iowa women’s basketball for The Daily Iowan and had regularly witnessed scores of empty seats inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Caitlin Clark was just a second-year then, her meteoric rise to fame and stardom yet to come. In prior seasons, as Clark grew up in Des Moines, the Hawkeyes still had talent but even smaller crowds. Just like the Fever faithful, those in attendance brought energy, but the backdrop of a long black
Clark also wasn’t present at the Fever’s 2023 opener, still at Iowa and preparing for another run to the national title game. From Peterson’s seat at the baseline underneath the basket in Indianapolis, she could hear a majority of what was said on the floor.
One year later, with Clark’s No. 22 on the court, Peterson has a new seat assignment between the upper and lower levels, where media covering the NBA’s Pacers usually sat. The baseline seats were now sold to fans and in high demand.
Iowa softball pitchers playing crucial role in 2025 resurgence
Starters Jalen Adams and Talia Tretton’s contributions have been invaluable, pushign the team to new heights.
and
Iowa softball is in the back end of its best season in years, as the Hawkeyes sit in eighth place in the Big Ten as of April 16. One of the primary reasons for Iowa’s success this season has been its pitching staff. The Hawkeye pitchers have been very reliable all season, especially starters Jalen Adams and Talia Tretton.
“I trust my defense behind me 100 percent,” Adams said after a doubleheader sweep of South Dakota State on March 25. “Even Desiree Rivera behind the plate, framing pitches. It just allows me to throw my pitches and do my thing.” In a typical three-game series, Adams starts games one and three, so the Hawkeyes needed somebody to step up and take the number two spot in the rotation. In stepped Tretton, a first-year two-way player for Iowa.
“That one was a lot more rowdy than the year before, obviously,” Peterson said. “Everyone wanted to see Caitlin play.” The black curtains were cast aside, unveiling the 17,000-plus spectators watching the rookie’s home debut. The curtains were never needed again. From cardboard cutouts to curtains to full-fledged Clark mania, Peterson and Grace Smith rode the surging wave that is women’s basketball, and they aren’t dropping off anytime soon. The pair of CLARK | 3B
WOMEN’S GOLF
From South America to the Big Ten
Second-year Ximena Benites is making a considerable impact on Iowa women’s golf.
Jack Birmingham Sports Reporter sports@dailyiowan.com
The Iowa women’s golf team has broadened their roster in recent years, with the 2024-25 squad featuring eight Hawkeyes from five different states and two foreign countries.
While fourth-year Paula Miranda represents Mexico and leads by seniority, second-year Ximena Benites of Trujillo, Peru, has found her own way to stand out with skill and composure. A graduate of San José Obrero Marianistas, Benites is now a mechanical engineering major and pragmatic presence for Iowa.
“One of the things that I really like about Ximena is she stays very level during competition,” head coach Megan Menzel said. “I think she just really is a good competitor and she’s figured out that piece of it. She continues to set strong, ambitious goals for herself.” Menzel, in her 14th season as the head coach, also noted Benites’ competitive nature.
“She likes to compete at a high level and puts herself in competitive situations,” Menzel said. “I think both those things have served her very well.” Despite Benites’ focus, Miranda said the second-year is also a good personality match for the team.
“She brings a lot of energy,” Miranda said during an interview. “She’s a really funny, uplifting person. You can definitely feel her presence when she’s around. She brings a lot of good energy to the team.”
Miranda noted the intensity of her teammate’s major as well and how seamlessly Benites has balanced school, sports, and other aspects, all while living abroad.
“I think she’s been doing a great job, especially with her being an engineering major,” Miranda said. “I think it’s really impressive. I think she’s been doing really well. I’m really proud of her.”
Adams has recorded a 2.19 earned run average with 104 strikeouts through 23 starts, while the first-year Tretton holds a 4.01 ERA and 73 strikeouts through 17
Being an international student can be a very rare experience; Six of Benites’ teammates hail from Arizona, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. That means both Miranda and Benites have had to adjust to a college athletic experience in an entirely different country. That’s a path unfamiliar to most Iowa underJackson Miller Sports Reporter sports@dailyiowan.com
Tretton has pitched 94.1 innings so far this season and has thrown six complete games, including three shutouts.
Cody Blissett | The Daily Iowan
Iowa pitcher Jalen Adams throws the ball during a softball game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions at Bob Pearl Softball Field in Iowa City on April 19. The Hawkeyes defeated the Nittany Lions, 2-1. Adams pitched the whole game, throwing three strikeouts and a total of 85 pitches.
Mykal McEldowney| IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Fever reporter Chloe Peterson and
Grace Smith pose on Sept. 17, 2024, in front of a Caitlin Clark mural by Indianapolis artist Kwazar Martin. Peterson
students,
Clark’s basketball journey through college. Both now cover Clark as a professional WNBA player for the Indiana Fever.
Baseball
Wednesday, April 23
St. Thomas Iowa City, Iowa
6 p.m.
Softball
Friday, April 25 Michigan State East Lansing
4 p.m.
Men’s Golf
Friday, April 25 through Sunday, April 27
Big Ten championships
Baltimore, Maryland
Track and Field
Thursday, April 24, through Saturday, April 26
Drake Relays Des Moines, Iowa
Tennis
Wednesday, April 23, through Sunday, April 27
Big Ten tournament
Ojai, California
WHAT YOU’VE MISSED
Iowa football quarterback Brendan Sullivan has entered the transfer portal, per a report from On3 Sports on Friday evening.
“I have loved and enjoyed every second I spent here,” Sullivan said in a later statement posted on his social media accounts.
“Thank you to the coaching and support staff, my teammates, and the fans.
You have all made this an awesome experience.
After continued prayer and conversations with my family, it is in my best interest to enter the transfer portal for my final year of eligibility. Thank you, Iowa!” Sullivan transferred to Iowa last spring after spending two seasons at Northwestern. He began the year as the No. 2 quarterback behind veteran Cade McNamara, but McNamara’s inconsistent play resulted in Sullivan taking over in the first half of a game against his old Northwestern squad on Oct. 26. Just as it seemed the junior was finding his footing, Sullivan suffered an injury against UCLA on Nov. 8. The injury was serious enough to sideline him for the remainder of the regular season, but Sullivan returned for the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30, 2024. The game was arguably his best performance in an Iowa jersey, as he completed 14 of his 18 passing attempts for 131 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Sullivan tallied only six rushing yards, but an incredible Seneca Wallaceesque scramble showcased his potential. The Hawkeyes ultimately snagged South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski and Auburn quarterback Hank Brown from the transfer portal shortly after the conclusion of the 2024 season. Gronowski was immediately tabbed by many analysts as the 2025 starter, leaving Sullivan’s status in Iowa City in doubt.
Sullivan will now have to find a third school in three years but should have plenty of potential suitors vying for his services.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Iowa’s first-year phenoms shine
Alivia Williams, Damaris Mutunga, and Chioma Nwachukwu have held to their standards and carry big weight in the second half of the season.
Morgan Burhans Sports Reporter sports@dailyiowan.com
The Iowa track and field team entered the 2024-25 season riding a wave of momen tum. The Hawkeyes had success on the track but also enjoyed great triumph looking to the future, securing three crucial prospects ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Alivia Williams, Damaris Mutunga, Chio ma Nwachukwu entered the year with lofty expectations, and they have certainly met those goals.
“Those three are probably three of the most highly decorated incoming 400 run ners we’ve ever had,” long sprint coach Ja son Wakenight said.
In their short time here, the trio has man aged to accomplish feats some athletes nev er do.
Hailing from Asaba, Nigeria, Nwachukwu has earned second-team All-Big Ten honors, placed third at the Big Ten championships, and holds the best 400-meter time in Iowa program history at 51.26 seconds.
And from Machakos, Kenya, Mutunga has recorded numerous accolades, including second-team All-Big Ten honors. The firstyear also claimed multiple Big Ten Freshman of The Week honors and holds the second best 600-meter time, 1:27.77, and fourth-best 400-meter time, 52.13, in program history.
“Chioma and Damaris, they are both very, very talented athletes,” Williams said. “Always push me to be better, and they’re always very optimistic.”
Finally, from Groveland, Florida, Williams collected second-team All-Big Ten honors and holds the ninth-best 400-meter time in program history at 52.92 seconds.
with second-year Olivia Lucas. Their relay holds the school record with an exceptional time of 3:30.42 seconds, and the trio earned second place with a 3:31.04 at the Big Ten Indoor Championships on March 14-15.
Although the three have had an extraordinary start to their freshman campaign, they hold heavy expectations for the rest of the season and their career overall.
“I expect those three to be elite, not just
“I expect those three to be elite, not just within the Big Ten, but at the national level.”
Jason Wakenight Iowa’s long sprint coach
The accomplishments mean a lot to Williams, but she isn’t ready to stop there.
“It did feel like a good stepping stone into reaching the goals,” she said.
The three have an elite 4x400 relay group
Q&A | GABLE MITCHELL
within the Big Ten, but at the national level,” Wakenight said.
On April 18 through 19, the group competed at the Tom Jones Invitational in Gainesville, Florida. Coach Wakenight expected a program
Shortstop talks baseball career, season highlights
Jake Olson Sports Reporter sports@dailyiowan.com
The Daily Iowan: What has been the best part so far this season as a team?
Gable Mitchell: Probably just the other day [against Nebraska]. The crowd here was incredible. It was a record of some sort with the amount of people here. We don’t get to play in those environments too often, so when we get the chance, it’s pretty cool.
Who do you think has the most aura on the team?
I’m going to go with Jaixen Frost. He just kind of has something about him that’s a little intimidating when you first meet him.
“I am beyond thrilled for Lucy! She is a relentless worker and was a joy to coach. Being a part of her journey and seeing her attain her goal of being drafted is simply incredible. ”
- Iowa women’s basketball head coach Jan Jensen via social media after the Washington Mystics selected Lucy Olsen.
STAT OF THE WEEK
years since Iowa women’s basketball hasn’t had a player drafted in the WNBA Draft.
Sam Phillips
The name Sam Phillips is probably not too familiar for most Iowa football fans, and it’s understandable. Phillips is a wide receiver who transferred to Iowa at the start of the spring semester after playing three seasons at Chattanooga.
Phillips joins a very interesting receiving core with the Hawkeyes. In 2024, there was no question that the Iowa air attack was subpar, even with some promising looks from young receivers like Reece Vander Zee.
The true freshman hauled in two impressive touchdown catches in the Hawkeyes’ 40-0 victory over Illinois State in week one last year, but a foot injury held back his production and playing time for the remainder of the season.
Phillips brings an attribute that Iowa has wanted for a long time — a deep threat.
Phillips averaged 16.4 yards
If you had to play for one MLB team, what would it be?
record in the 4x400-meter relay, and those expectations were far from dissapointing. Mutunga, Nwachukwu, Williams, and Lucas recorded the program record, clocking in at 3:30.92 and finishing 13th overall. This time crushes the previous program record of 3:31.55.
Nwachukwu shined individually, earning the program record in the 400-meter. She notched a time of 51.26 seconds, which earned her both seventh place and a personal best. Both Mutunga and Williams also each had successful weekends after they earned their personal bests in the 400-meter. Mutunga ran a time of 52.13 seconds, earning her 14th place. Williams followed with a time of 52.94 seconds, putting her in 21st place.
Wakenight is proud of the trio for their success in their freshman year so far but knows they have more to show.
“There’s just a lot more left in the tank,” Wakenight said. “A lot more that’s going to happen here in the next couple weeks that’ll rewrite the record books.”
Well, growing up, I would have told you the New York Yankees. I was definitely a Derek Jeter fan and just loved the pinstripes. Honestly, somewhere nice. Somewhere south. Wherever that would be.
What’s the coolest Big Ten field you have played on other than Iowa’s? Indiana two years ago was really nice. Ohio State was cool. I’d probably say those two.
Who’s the best player you’ve played against at Iowa?
The first one that comes to mind is Matt Shaw.
Did you see [Matt Shaw] at Maryland when he played here?
Yeah. I was a freshman, so I probably wasn’t playing that game. But he hit one over that [left field] light pole out there. And he obviously just had a great year as well.
What do you think your earned run average would be if you pitched a full season in college?
I would obviously put in a lot of work for it if I had to pitch, but I don’t know. Probably north of five. Maybe I can figure it out.
per catch last season and recorded three games with over 100 yards. His best game in 2024 came in a 24-21 loss to Georgia State, where he pulled in eight receptions for 195 yards and a touchdown.
Standing at 5-foot-9 and weighing 185 pounds, Phillips is certainly not a jump ball type of receiver but rather one who will take the top off the defense. Generally speaking, he also has the ability to create big plays after the catch.
In his monster game against Georgia State last season, 101 of his 195 yards came after the catch, including an impressive 84-yard touchdown reception.
I believe Phillips will shock lots of Hawkeye football fans and draw quite a few eyes at the spring practice on April 26 due to his deep threat and post-catch abilities and will make some big plays at the open practice.
Along with four of five other transfers for Iowa this season, Phillips was not listed on the official depth chart when it was released in March.
However, Hawkeye fans should be prepared for Phillips to be in the number two slot receiver position during the open practice and keep an eye out for some deep shots.
Although a lot of Iowa’s recruitment work has been based around positions like quarterback, a strong defense has been a Hawkeye hallmark in recent years. That’s why Jonah Pace, a defensive lineman transfer from Central Michigan, has a chance to make a big impact.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 285 pounds, the Marengo, Illinois, native brings size, skill, and experience to Iowa’s table.
After taking a redshirt year in 2021, Pace played in all 12 games for the Chippewas the next season, during which he saw 138 plays and made four tackles. By the time of the 2024 season, those numbers had grown to 34 tackles in the same amount of games, this time as a starter. This past season also saw four sacks, six quarterback hurries, and a forced fumble. A career-high of six tackles came against Northern Illinois who, let’s not forget,
made a splash of their own this season with a 16-14 win against Notre Dame.
It’s safe to say Pace made an impact at Central Michigan, and his ranking at second on the team in terms of tackles for loss in the 2024 season is a perfect example. Eleven tackles for a loss of 46 yards this past season alone? Sounds like a solid candidate for the Hawkeye roster.
Iowa is a team that has been widely known for its defense in recent years. In fact, at the end of this past season, the Hawkeyes were ranked fifth in the Big Ten and 11th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just shy of 18 points from opponents per game.
Now, with the departure of several key players, such as defensive back Jermari Harris, Iowa’s defense is in the process of filling that gap to ensure the integrity of the Hawkeye defense remains as strong and viable as ever.
While Pace may not have played the Big Ten gauntlet just yet, he’s no stranger to tough competition, either, thanks to past matchups such as Notre Dame in the 2023 season, where the lineman recorded two tackles. Defense has won games for Iowa in these last few seasons. With Pace now a part of that defense, he’s definitely a player to watch this spring.
Jackson Miller Sports Reporter
Jack Birmingham Sports Reporter
Jonah Pace
Photo contributed by Stephen Mally | hawkeyesports.com
Iowa’s Chioma Nwachukwu competes in the 400 meter dash event at the Hawkeye Invitational at the Hawkeye Indoor Track Facility in Iowa City, Iowa on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Iowa graduates worked for DI and joined The Indianapolis Star , Peterson as a reporter and Smith as a photographer. With notepad and camera, they continue their coverage of Clark’s team, now the Fever, after a historic four years with the Hawkeyes.
When Clark returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the Fever’s preseason matchup against the Brazil National Team on May 4, Peterson and potentially Smith will be in attendance, capturing and documenting the latest chapter of Clark’s basketball career.
Peterson said she wasn’t too surprised when she got news of the game, as WNBA teams had identical events for their most iconic players. A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces returned to her alma mater South Carolina for a preseason contest last season. Two days before Clark’s homecoming, Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky face off against Brazil at LSU.
Back in familiar territory, the duo will witness a sold-out crowd eager to experience another Clark logo-three. As public attention to the Fever and the rest of the WNBA increases, Peterson and Smith have a spotlight on their work. But they don’t feel any pressure, especially after covering Iowa’s postseason runs in 2023 and 2024. While Clark is their obvious star subject, Peterson and Smith strive to tell stories about a Fever team with title aspi-
PITCHING
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rations and an ever-growing fan base. Peterson covered Iowa women’s basketball for three years before graduating in 2023. That January, she earned an internship with The Indianapolis Star, but when a full-time position opened up in March, she called her editor and asked for a promotion. Peterson never worked a day as an intern. Her first day on the full-time job was the Fever’s opening game.
Despite No. 1 overall pick Aliyah Boston earning Rookie of the Year honors that season, Indiana finished the year with a 13-27 overall record, its seventh straight campaign without a playoff appearance. Peterson attended the team’s watch party for the WNBA Draft Lottery on Dec. 10, 2023. Clark hadn’t declared for the draft yet, but when the ping pong balls bounced in the Fever’s favor yet again, everyone inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse that day knew the future that awaited them. Then-general manager Lin Dunn fell out of her chair in a rush of excitement as the arena’s atrium exploded with noise. Amid all the pandemonium, Peterson embraced calm.
“I had all the background knowledge off the top of my head,” Peterson said. “I remember [Clark’s] first 10 games as a freshman in college weren’t televised, they were all on Big Ten Plus, and she played her freshman year in front of those cardboard cutouts … It helped with my stories. I didn’t need to do a bunch of research into that.”
Peterson reunited with Clark at the
She has stepped into her role as the number two pitcher while also getting plenty of reps at first base and maintaining a team-first mentality.
“Just knowing that regardless of who’s starting, our team is very tight,” Tretton said about how she’s filled the number two pitcher role. “Just knowing that I have the people I have behind me, and that in the event that I’m having a bad game, they’re going to pick me up and make plays for me — I feel like just knowing that I have the support behind me helps [calm] those nerves a little bit.”
The Hawkeyes’ pitching staff has been solid as a whole this season, pitching to a 3.97 ERA with the exception of just five innings pitched between Andrea Jaskowiak, Mya Clark, and Sofia Elliott, whose numbers are blown up to limited action.
Adams and Tretton have combined for 19 complete games and seven shutouts as of April 16. Tretton credits the Iowa pitchers’ success to their strong work ethic.
“Just the hard work that we’ve put in,” Tretton said. “In practice, we’re constantly trying to get as many reps as we can, asking Karl [Gollan] to watch film, we just do the little stuff.”
A great detail of trust was put in Tretton this season to be the viable option for the number two pitcher, and Coach Gollan makes sure his true freshman pitcher has the resources she needs.
“I think it really helps having Coach Karl,” Tretton said. “He is very easy to talk to if I ever have questions about what I should be doing or what I could do better. He’s very quick to respond, very quick to give me a bunch of mental tips. And my teammates have been really great.”
BENITES
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grads, as over 87 percent of its students come from Iowa and Illinois.
“It was obviously hard leaving my country behind, but at the same time, I knew I had big things coming up in the future here,” Benites said in an interview. “Golf is not very developed in Peru, so we don’t have as many facilities as I have here in Iowa.”
The second-year added that Iowa’s focus on equipment for the sport has also been a gamechanger.
“Coming here was definitely a big change for me, especially because I was working with TrackMan and more technology for golfing here,” Benites said. “That was good, and it obviously helped my playing, too.”
Benites has largely taken the transition to the states in stride, with Menzel crediting her previous travel experience as a factor.
“She’s kind of used to being around teammates, being coached by maybe several different coaches, and she was comfortable playing on the international scene,” Menzel said.
In addition to Benites’ pre-collegiate career which saw her named by the Congress of Peru as the South American Pre-Juvenil champion in 2021, her coach credited the Iowa community for an easier adjustment.
“I think she would be the first to give credit to her teammates and the community here at Iowa,” Menzel said. “I think that there’s just a lot of people that stepped up to make her feel very comfortable and to get settled.” Menzel ultimately
expressed plenty of optimism for Benites, noting the coaching staff’s excitement for the second-year.
“I think she made a comment the other day that she wants to be great
2024 WNBA Draft in Brooklyn. The pair met in a stairwell behind the stage for an interview.
“[Clark] was like, ‘Oh, it’s nice to see you again. You’re kind of stuck with me again,’” Peterson remembered. Clark first recognized Smith at her second home game of the season, waving at the photographer before player introductions. Smith had behind-the-scenes access to Clark and the Hawkeyes that 2023-24 season, helping document their Final Four run for the DI’s book, “More than a Moment.”
“It was, like, two weeks or so of just nonstop moving, non-stop taking photos, just to document the history of it all,” Smith said. “And I think it prepared me to document the history now happening with the WNBA and its growth. My head is always on a swivel, looking for storytelling around me.”
Smith entered Iowa knowing how to use a camera — but just for video. Since graduating in 2024, she has photographed Fever and Pacer games, the Big Ten basketball tournaments, and, most recently, the Masters Tournament.
Having viewed Clark through a camera lens for years, Smith knows the player’s ticks and anticipates her celebrations. She said she sometimes focuses more on what happens after a play than the action itself. And over the course of a 40-game season, that action flashes by in a blur. The challenge is focusing on images that reflect more than just the final score.
Whether it’s capturing a Fever player signing autographs, fans of all ages reaching for flying T-shirts, or Clark’s Iowa No. 22 in the stands, Smith finds storytelling photos most appealing.
“I’m just fixated on, like, ‘OK, what is a photo I can make that maybe other people aren’t looking for?’” Smith said. “Just finding those little things can be really storytelling, especially when you’re talking about the growth of the game.”
Peterson’s job is telling those human stories through words. She plans on writing a piece on the Fever’s longest-tenured player, Kelsey Mitchell, who dedicated last season to her father who died in March of 2024. There’s also stories to tell about Indiana’s new head coach Stephanie White, who played 112 games with the Fever and previously coached Connecticut. Free agent acquisition DeWanna Bonner is closer to family in Nashville but also on a different team than fiancée Alyssa Thomas for the first time since 2019.
From new characters to profile to new scenes to depict, Peterson’s and Smith’s jobs have new challenges ahead of them this season. The game at Carver is just the start as readers and viewers turn their attention toward the Fever and their quest for their first championship since 2012.
“I don’t really think much of it,” Peterson said of the increased audience to her work. “I would say, knowing there are a ton of people reading it, because that’s what you want.”
at everything she does, and I think that sums it up,” Menzel said. “She is really going to make a strong presence on this team and continue to move us forward.”
Samantha DeFily | The Daily Iowan
Iowa pitcher Talia Tretton in the middle of a pitch during a women’s softball game between Iowa and St. Thomas at Bob Pearl Softball Field in Iowa City on March 12. The Hawkeyes defeated St. Thomas, 1-0.
Sweeping the series
The Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions in all three games of their series, holding them to a total of four runs compared to Iowa’s 15. Sunday’s game, which was postponed to Monday afternoon, held a postgame egg hunt.
AVERY JACKSON
Both athletes tied for most home runs during the three-game series at
SIMON
DI Staff | The Daily Iowan
(Top) Iowa pitcher Jalen Adams prepares to pitch during a women’s softball game between Iowa and Penn State at Bob Pearl Softball Field in Iowa City on April 21. The Hawkeyes defeated the Nittany Lions, 3-1. Adams threw two strikeouts. (Right) Iowa infielder Avery Jackson reacts after a three base run during a softball game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions on April 19. The Hawkeyes defeated the Nittany Lions, 2-1. Jackson had one hit and one run. (Left middle) Penn State outfielders Natalie Lieto (4) and Jenna Nelson (22) go for the ball during a softball game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions on April 19. The Hawkeyes defeated the Nittany Lions 2-1. (Right middle) Fans watch the ball in the air during a softball game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions on April 19. The Hawkeyes defeated the Nittany Lions 2-1. (Bottom) Iowa catcher Hannah Lindsay runs home after hitting a home run during a softball game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions, on April 21. The Hawkeyes defeated the Nittany Lions, 10-2. Lindsay earned one run and one hit.
DEVIN
A look inside Iowa City’s independent film productions
Filmmakers around Iowa City are leaning on the uniquely supportive community.
The Black Angel
Tequila Verde
• Reposado tequila
• Jalapeño
• Cilantro
• Lime juice
• Agave syrup
See more recipes online
Catch more recipes and past cocktail columns from bars and restaurants around Iowa City online at dailyiowan.com.
IC's arts scene braces for tariffs
President Donald Trump’s tariffs worry local art business owners.
Grant Darnell Arts Reporter arts@dailyiowan.com
Among the arts-adjacent Iowa City business set to be impacted by President Donald Trump’s tariffs, a universal sentiment arose.
Uncertainty.
Since his inauguration in January, Trump has repeatedly imposed and backed down from tariffs on imported goods. These products come primarily from countries like Mexico, Canada, and China.
As of April 9, a 90-day pause on these tariffs is in effect, but the situation is rapidly evolving. From the publishing industry to clothing products and everything in between, the tariffs will be felt by businesses nationwide, including those within the arts world.
Chance Kirchhof, the co-owner of Critical Hit Games, had thoughts about their impact on the gaming industry.
“In a nutshell, prices are going to go up,” Kirchhof said. “As we all know, that goes downhill. Manufacturers are going to increase their prices because the materials are more expensive, then the distributors will have to pay more, they'll charge us more, and we’ll charge our guests more.”
Kirchhof also pointed out parallels between this issue and the adversity his business faced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Back then, supply chains were interrupted because of the worldwide pandemic, which is understandable. We can’t do anything about that,” Kirchhof said. “Trump’s tariffs seem very much like a human-made chokepoint that’s going to have similar effects to the pandemic. It’s way less justifiable.”
Kirchhof believes there is a big difference between how the industry should move forward and how it will move forward. He cites the capitalistic nature of most industries, including artistic ones, as the driving factor in why consumers will see prices rise in their hobbies.
“They’re going to raise prices and pass costs down the line. If sales crater because of higher prices, they might move off some products and look at other avenues. I’m not sure what that adjustment is going to look like.”
Kirchhof hopes the adversity prompts companies to see less expensive products and seek more solutions, but he admitted this was wishful thinking.
Raygun owner Mike Draper said there was a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the state of the economy.
“We’ve never had just one person throw the economy off a cliff,” Draper said.
Draper further explained how the administration’s goal of bringing manufacturing to the U.S. is faulty. When tariffs were in effect in the 19th century, the border was open for immigration, which encouraged manufacturers to staff their factories with cheap labor. Then, once the manufacturing base was built up and goods could begin being exported, tariffs would be lowered to nurture trade.
“You cannot build a manufacturing base without an influx of millions of people,” Draper said. “If you’re representing the party that wants to actively deport people, like students, not to mention not open your borders to new people, you will never have the staff to run these factories that you want to see in America. It would be like if I tried to increase sales at Raygun by dropping the price of everything to $5 and then locking all the doors,” Draper said.
According to Kirchhof, the tabletop gaming industry faces a similar problem. The games that stock the shelves at Critical Hit are manufactured at printing plants globally. Kirchhof doesn’t believe the infrastructure to take on that manufacturing exists in the U.S.
The administration’s uncertainty also impacts Sydney Ji, manager of Asia Plus Asian Market, a business in which importing goods from other countries is essential. Her business has a three month plan to take advantage of the 90-day pause on the tariffs.
“Food is essential for people. Right now we plan to stock up on inventory before the next shipment,” Ji said. Ji echoed fears about Trump’s unpredictability, but she hopes he’ll at least sit down and have conversations with other world leaders. Ji also expressed disapproval over how a trade war between countries has severe repercussions on citizens who don’t have any say in the matter.
From hobbies to necessities, the tariffs have the capacity to drastically alter what consumers are spending their money on in the coming months. In this era of economic fluctuation, businesses like Critical Hit can only hope for the best.
“I hope I’m wrong,” Kirchhof said. “I hope the distributors and manufacturers surprise me.”
The Black Angel casts a spell with delicious drinks
Bartender Jeffrey Simon produced three sweet and spicy popular cocktails perfect for settling into the warm weather.
By Stella Shipman Managing Editor stella.shipman@dailyiowan.com
While the location of The Black Angel restaurant on Iowa Avenue may not literally be “cursed,” as Iowa City locals would say, the good food, live music, and tasty drinks certainly cast a spell.
Co-owner of The Black Angel Derek Perez, originally owned the business Perez Family Tacos during the onset of the COVID19 pandemic before deciding to remodel the space and open
The Black Angel, a reference to the Black Angel statue in Oakland Cemetery steeped in local lore. He asked the former owner of The Mill, Marty Christensen, to help him and his brother with this process, and Christensen became a co-owner.
The Mill preceded Perez Family Tacos in the Iowa Avenue space, and before that, it was occupied by a variety of restaurants and a gas station.
“The name is because everybody assumes this place is a ‘cursed’ business,” Jeffrey Simon, bartender at The Black Angel, said. “There have been so many businesses, so they called it The Black Angel. It’s kind of tongue-in-cheek.”
The Black Angel is a unique business, attracting an older crowd of Iowa City residents during the week but drawing younger patrons with live performances on the weekends.
The restaurant also recently started displaying art pieces from Iowa City locals along one dining room wall, hanging them for about a month at a time. This month’s featured artist is Jayson Reid.
As the weather warms up, patrons can enjoy drinks like the Tequila Verde, a spinoff of a drink from New York called the Picante, made with cilantro and jalapeño.
Simon started making the drink by slicing a fresh jalapeño and gathering a bowlful of cilantro leaves. He muddled the ingredients together with an ounce of squeezed lime juice, added a shot of Reposado tequila and a pony of agave syrup, and shook the concoction with ice. He filtered into a rocks glass the final product, a swirl of light green flecked with cilantro and garnished with a jalapeño slice floating atop the singular ice cube.
Though I was hesitant at first about the mouthwatering scent of the jalapeño spice wafting from the drink, the kick was just strong enough to kiss my taste buds without being overwhelming. It had a warming effect combined with the tequila, and each sip ended with a sour quench of lime and the lingering sweetness of the agave. Completely subverting my expectations, this drink proved to be my favorite.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Family Therapy, a fruity treat modeled after a vacation drink in the ‘70s from the Virgin Islands called Painkiller.
For this cocktail, Simon poured ounces of dark rum and Aperol over ice in a mixer, followed by roughly an ounce of each blood orange juice, cream of coconut, orange juice, and pineapple juice. He shook up this feud of tropical flavors before pouring it over ice into a tall glass garnished with a lime wheel. As an homage to Painkiller, Simon said he tried to match the muted coral color of the drink to that of Advil. As perfectly colored as it was, the cocktail was also perfectly balanced. Every flavor appeared in each sip, beginning with the strong taste of pineapple. The surprising bitterness of Aperol blended with blood orange, the only possible black sheep of the flavor profile, was complemented by a coconut finish.
Hannah Childers Arts Reporter arts@dailyiowan.com
FilmScene is giving audiences a chance to revisit controversial films that were once booed at the Cannes Film Festival throughout April. On April 16, the theater screened Lars von Trier’s film, “Dancer in the Dark.”
“That film is incredibly sad,” Filmscene’s programming director Ben Delgado said. “There is a strong reaction to it, but I think that says something about how powerful it is as a piece of art.”
“Dancer in the Dark” was just one of the films featured in FilmScene’s latest series, Cannes-celled. According to Bijou’s programming director, Ben Romero, this film series took inspiration from the Cannes Film Festival’s method of showing their approval or disapproval after films premiere.
“It’s this historic film festival in Cannes, France,” Romero said. “It’s the film festival that’s been around the longest.”
The film festival was known for its audience members clapping for up to nine minutes, depending on the crowd’s appreciation for the film. Occasionally, before the trend of long- standing ovations came along, the audience would boo the film in front of the filmmaker.
“The coverage shifted,” Delgado said. “It’s now about how long a standing ovation is, and the boos don’t really happen anymore.”
FilmScene took inspiration from that festival by deciding to showcase films that had originally been booed but later went on to win awards. After each film, FilmScene invited each audience member to leave a red or green sticky note with their opinions of the film.
“Dancer in the Dark” warranted a lot of positive comments from FilmScene’s audience because of its sad nature. The negative comments were directed at the film’s camera style, as the movie had the fuzzy quality of being shot by a home video camera.
Before watching the film, attendee Paul Wise noted the complaints about the handheld camera work but found it enjoyable.
“I liked it a lot,” Wise said. “I thought it was really interesting and it added so much to the film.”
FilmScene front of house staff supervisor and Bijou member Grace McCabe also liked the camera work of the film.
“I thought that was very interesting, and I didn’t expect it to be shot that way,” McCabe said.
Björk, an Icelandic singer-songwriter and actress, played Selma Ježková, a Czech immigrant living in the U.S. Selma works in a factory to provide for herself and her son, 12-year-old Gene.
Within the first few scenes, Selma begins going blind due to a genetic eye condition. Characters in the film take advantage of Selma’s kind nature and unfortunate condition, particularly her friend and wealthy landlord,
Bill Houston. The difficult subject matter of the film is another element often cited by the audience members who originally disliked the film. As the film intensifies, the brief musical numbers help provide some comic relief as Selma is cast in a rendition of “The Sound of Music.”
“I really liked the musical scenes,” Wise said. “They were just so well done.”
During the film, Selma mentions how she would leave the theater during the next-to-last song so that the movie could go on forever when she was a kid. In a touching and heartbreaking parallel, Selma sings to her son Gene, but the movie ends before she can finish the song.
“They say it’s the last song/They don’t know us, you see/It’s only the last song/If we let it be,” read lyrics on the screen before it faded to black, leaving the viewers to process in stunned silence.
Ava Neumaier | The Daily Iowan
A Black Angel Paloma, a Tequila Verde, and a Family Therapy cocktail are seen at
The Black Angel in Iowa City on April 9. The Black Angel opened in 2023.
BOOK The Player by Michael Tolkin
MOVIE Babylon directed by Damien Chazelle
IC filmmaking community fosters collaboration
before becoming an MFA student at the UI. In his time in the graduate program, which is coming to an end this semester, Hodasefat has shot four independent short films.
undergraduate programs alike find collaborators and get a chance to experiment with set dynamics, but sometimes filmmakers want to work with someone more specialized.
Iowa may not have nearly the same level of glitz and glamor as the Hollywood Hills, but the state’s filmmaking network is strong. Thanks to filmmaker communities like the one present in Iowa City, the state is becoming more of a destination for film productions every year.
Film festivals like FilmScene’s Refocus, the University of Iowa’s Iowa City Documentary Film Festival, and Des Moines’ Interrobang Film Festival have cultivated a dedicated crowd of independent filmmakers. The plethora of places to show projects has drawn a lot of aspiring directors, many of whom end up in the UI graduate program.
One such graduate is Arman Hodasefat, an independent filmmaker who earned an M.A. in Film Studies from the University of Tehran in 2017
“I had to balance my classes to take more independent study or workshoptype courses to free up time for me to work on my films,” Hodasefat said. “In my first year at Iowa, I was taking a lot of heavy film theory-related classes, and on top of being in a new country, it was a bit much.”
When he isn’t shooting films or taking classes, Hodasefat is a teaching assistant for the Department of Cinematic Arts’ Modes of Film and Video Production course. Here, Hodasefat has met collaborators he could depend on throughout his graduate program.
“I’ve worked with Negar Torabi Soufi Amlashi, who is in the graduate program with me and teaches a section of Modes. Taryn Neal, my editor on ‘Home No Return,’ was in one of my Modes sections. The class structure allows you to meet so many people,” Hodasefat said.
With the infrastructure of production classes, students in graduate and
Hodasefat’s favorite aspect of directing is working with actors, so he frequently turns to the UI Department of Theatre Arts for casting.
While most of the cast and crew of his four shorts, “Harmony,” “Golden Hour,” “Mammoth,” and “Home No Return,” consist of cinematic arts students, theater students have proved very useful to Hodasefat’s vision.
“These students are so open and up to any challenge. They’re willing to perform just for the experience or practice,” Hodasefat said. “I don’t work with non-actors. I make sure everyone on set is perfect, from the production designer, cinematographer, to the boom, it is perfect. But from the moment I say action until I say cut, it is the job of the actors to get us to the finish line.”
Constructing the emotional worlds of his characters is the best part of the process for Hodasefat. He wants
to show his actors how to live through their roles.
For “Harmony,” he spent hours with the lead actresses apart, developing their characters. Hodasefat held off letting the pair meet for as long as he could before finally letting them interact without guidance and discover their dynamic naturally.
This kind of experimentation is a highlight of the production process and something improved by being in a campus setting with ample access to enthusiastic actors-in-training. Hodasefat’s films will be screened at FilmScene on May 10 at 4 p.m. as part of his thesis presentation. Actresses Jennifer Hogan and Leigh Ann Erickson will join co-writer Tatum Cacek in a moderated discussion to further discuss Hodasefat’s method. Undergraduate students, both past and current, utilize the support systems that make filmmaking so accessible in Iowa City. The university’s equipment checkout system has been especially integral to the two young filmmakers.
Edited by Will Shortz No. 0319
Ethan McLaughlin | The Daily Iowan
Members of the University of Iowa’s Student Video Productions are seen editing a film at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City on April 15. The organization started in the 1940s.
Cody Blissett | The Daily Iowan
Students work on a production exercise in the Becker Communication Studies Building in Iowa City on April 16. Film/Video Production: Selected Topics, or CINE: 4821, is a course that focuses on genres, issues, or processes in the art of filmmaking. This semester the course is taught by Patrick Wimp.
from 3C
Isaac Smith and Adrian Carmenate have been through the UI film program and are familiar with the equipment the UI provides. Smith, a 2024 graduate, and Carmenate, a fourth-year student, met through film classes and have been wanting to develop a feature film for a while.
While access to equipment and eager-tohelp cast or crew make the idea of putting a feature film together more tangible, Carmenate and Smith have run into their fair share of tribulations.
“Every week, we check if a location has gotten back to us about our request to use their space to shoot. A lot of times, it’s a no, so deciding where to shoot on a weekend-by-weekend basis,” Carmenate said.
Their film is called “Horseboy,” an absurdist road trip comedy Smith first wrote for the university’s 10-minute play festival. Carmenate and Smith have been using locations around Iowa City to shoot their film. From friends’ backyards to Smith’s sister’s garage, the duo runs a truly independent production.
“We’re on a shoestring budget, but I don’t know if we even have a string,” Smith joked.
“Or shoes,” Carmenate added. “But I think we at least have socks.”
The two said there is a pressure to appease the crew and ensure nobody’s time is wasted since most of the people on set are friends working on the film as a favor or to pay back for help on a past project.
The film community on campus largely exists on a favor-for-favor basis, where friends from production classes recruit each other for each other’s projects. Carmenate and Smith weren’t overly picky about who they brought on set, since a comedy has a more looser vibe.
“Some people have theater and acting experience, but some people have never seen a camera before,” Smith said. “Our friend Delaney Waterman put out some feelers for people outside of our bubble. We got engineering majors trying out, some dentistry students showed up … It was surprising.”
While neither filmmaker had gone on their own to make a feature before, working on crews in the past brought valuable experience to this project. Carmenate served as director of photography on “The Womenists,” a feature film written and directed by Ashley Cimarolli and Sophia Perez.
“I had no idea what I was doing when they brought me on. I remember I could hardly white balance a shot, I could barely use a camera,” Carmenate said. “I’m glad they trusted me because by the end, I felt way more comfortable.”
The support between student productions is what keeps people inspired to keep creating. Even after graduation, filmmakers like Smith choose to stay in Iowa City to work on their projects because they know there will be dedicated people to help out.
“It’s all a collaborative effort. Everyone here is super supportive, even the professors. It’s the kind of thing you know is rare and you can’t get everywhere,” Smith said. “I just hope fruit snacks are enough of a thank you for everyone because I don’t know if we have the budget for much else.”
Managing the stresses of a microbudget film wouldn’t have been possible for Smith or Carmenate without Bijou Film Board Executive Director Kat Trout-Baron. Trout-Baron is a producer on “Horseboy,” handling the organizational elements of production and creating schedules.
From the first meeting with the directors, they figured out a way to break the long work into smaller portions to ensure the project had enough time to be the quality piece the crew hoped for.
“Every month, I checked with cast and crew to see what their availability was,” Trout-Baron said. “Just focus on one month at a time and then see what we can film.”
This was not Trout-Baron’s first time being the producer for a project, which allowed them to work so efficiently on this one.
“I knew for certain what I would do right, which was not panic, not try to do everything at once, just take it a step at a time,” Trout-Baron said. “You don’t need to rush it because if you rush it, then you feel like it’s messy.”
Once the arduous production cycle is complete, filmmakers must survive post-production before screenings can begin. Second-year students Payton Hilton and Riley Gravert are currently in the final stage of their short film “Soma.”
The pair assembled their cast and picked their script through Student Video Productions, a campus organization that produces short films and video projects. While production was the most fun part of the process for Hilton and Gravert, they are both set on getting their movie shown by any means necessary.
“At the end of the year, SVP hosts a screening of all the projects they do over the semester, and after that, I think we’re going to submit it to as many film festivals as we can,” Hilton said.
Gravert and Hilton experienced several setbacks while filming. Props broke or were never purchased, a planned crane shot had to be handmade as the crane did not fit in the budget, and footage was lost.
“We needed a fake knife, but we just
somehow didn’t order it,” Gravert said. “So, the night we needed the knife, I had to make one out of a Pringles can. It looks pretty good for the shot.”
Despite the occasional mishap, the student directors are still optimistic about how the short film will turn out. Although Hilton and Gravert have both worked on projects before “Soma,” they have all been smaller in size.
“This one was a lot more intense, but I feel like it will pay off,” Hilton said.
Students and professionals alike are the backbone of Iowa City’s filmmaking community. Iowa’s support for the arts is stronger than in most midwestern states, at least that’s how Hodasefat characterizes it.
“All these major cities in Iowa are like hubs for independent filmmaking,” Hodasefat said. “The state provides financial support for productions, applied grants, and things like that. The support in Iowa City is about the people. There are always people in school and out of school willing to join a crew.”
Ethan McLaughlin | The Daily Iowan Members of the University of Iowa’s Student Video Productions are seen editing a film at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City on April 15. The organization produces short film and video projects.
