11-12-2020

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CEDAR FALLS, IA IHSSA

The UNI-Dome plans to host IHSSA football semifinals as previously planned.

NEWS PAGE 2

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VOLUME 114, ISSUE 42

VOLUME 117, ISSUE 25

PANDEMICS IN HISTORY

SIGNING DAY

CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 4

SPORTS PAGE 6

Rod Library display shows how the pandemic in 1918 affected UNI.

The Panther’s look forward to welcoming three recruits and two commits for the 2021 season.

Test Iowa site comes to UNI campus EMMA VILETA Staff Writer

GABI CUMMINGS/Northern Iowan

UNI brings a Test Iowa site to campus for students and staff.

Amid the rising COVID-19 cases on campus and in the state of Iowa, UNI has decided to enhance their testing capabilities and bring a Test Iowa site to campus to serve students and staff.

The testing site opened on Tuesday within the UNI Student Health Center, and is intended for student, faculty and staff use only. It will remain open for the majority of winter break, although it will be closed for certain periods surrounding the holidays, when all university operations close.

Northern Iowa Student Government President Elle Boeding wrote in an email to the Northern Iowan that she is “very excited” about the Test Iowa site coming to campus.

“It will be very valuable to our community to have increased testing capabilities,”

she wrote. “The potential for more accurate reporting data, more people to get tested, and a free option for testing are all very promising. I think it will benefit students, faculty, and staff greatly. The option to get more people tested on campus creates a more accessible system — which is always a good thing!”

The site opens just as Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has decided to extend the State Public Health Emergency Declaration for another 30 days in hopes of reducing the spread of COVID-19. Iowa has been in the media recently for having one of the top highest percentages of confirmed cases statewide. Counties that have been hit the hardest include Black Hawk, Johnson and Story counties, which are all the homes of Iowa’s state schools: University of Northern Iowa, University of Iowa and Iowa State.

The governor’s proclama-

tion, released Tuesday, restates many of the procedures already in place; however, the state now requires businesses to enforce that everyone is socially distancing and to be in groups of eight people or fewer (if not from the same household). Reynolds also stated that she believes it’s best for everyone to wear masks, especially at social events like weddings, parties, conventions and sports, but she has not made a state-wide mask mandate so far.

To receive a test from Test Iowa on the UNI campus, students, staff and faculty should visit the Student Health Clinic website and click on the UNI Test Iowa icon on the left-hand side. They will complete a survey to receive a QR code and then call the Student Health Clinic COVID-19 hotline to schedule a testing appointment.

See TEST IOWA, page 2

Illuminate Dance Troupe has final fall show DARIEN GORDON Staff Writer

On Nov. 10 the Illuminate Dance Troupe (IDT) held their second performance for the year.

This performance featured several styles of dance; folk, ballroom and studio style dances to name a few. The Illuminate Dance Troupe performed in the WRC along with special guest Orchesis Dance Company. The event was available for the public to watch via Facebook Live or in person. COVID -19 has presented lots of challenges for everyone but has made some performances more accessible to audience members who may not be able to travel to attend the performances.

Senior elementary education major Mary Kellis said, “I really enjoyed IDT this semester and I appreciated how everyone worked

together to pull our show together! I’m so happy I was able to spend my last semester on campus dancing!”

IDT had another performance back in September where they performed dances from last semester. The performers were very excited to be performing again and they continue to be thrilled with performing for audiences again. During the performance, several audience members commented on the Facebook Live video.

It was obvious the performance was well received by all, and the groups are all admired by the community and the university.

With the shortened fall semester, there are no more performances planned for 2020, but the groups are anxiously waiting to perform again next semester.

The group typically performs in April and has fundraisers and events throughout the year.

GELASE MAGNIFICAT/Northern Iowan

Members of IDT perform a Dutch folk dance, musical theater and other dances at their last performance of the semester.

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NOVEMBER 12, 2020 |

NEWS

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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ELIZABETH KELSEY News Editor

VOLUME 117, ISSUE 25

UNI to host IHSAA games as planned ELIZABETH KELSEY News Editor

The UNI-Dome will host the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) football semifinals this weekend as previously planned, despite increased restrictions from Governor Kim Reynolds announced this week.

The proclamation, made by the Iowa governor on Tuesday, restricted crowd sizes at indoor youth and high school sporting events to only two spectators per participant, due to the continued spread of COVID-19 in the state.

However, based on the size of the UNI-Dome and considering the previously planned precautions, the IHSAA released a statement clarifying that the governor considers the semifinals — and next weekend’s finals

— equivalent to an outdoor sporting gathering rather than an indoor event. In that case, the two-per-participant rule does not apply, as long as all non-athletes are wearing masks and all groups of attendees are seated at least six feet apart.

The UNI-Dome will follow these procedures and will limit groups so that no more than six spectators may be seated together.

Spectators, officials, staff, sideline personnel, cheerleaders, media members and all other non-athletes will be required to wear masks while in the UNI-Dome.

“We appreciate the consideration of Governor Reynolds in allowing the University of Northern Iowa and Black Hawk County to develop plans that keep fans socially distant at the UNIDome,” IHSAA executive director Tom Keating said

NI ARCHIVES

Although Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds recently tightened restrictions for youth and high school sporting events, the UNI-Dome will still host the IHSSA football semifinals and finals as planned prior to the proclamation.

in the press release. “We believe that with the seating

TEST IOWA

continued from page 1

“Having a Test Iowa site here is going to be a good thing because the Student Health Center originally had limited accessibility to get a test,” said Kaitlin Kerska, a second-year mathemat ics teachi ng major. “Since I was exposed multiple times, I decided to stay off campus and go fully online for the rest of the semester because I felt like that was my best option.”

UNI has stated that there are plenty of tests and appointments available at the Student Health Center.

The main benefit of adding the UNI Test Iowa site is the more comprehensive set of criteria to meet requirements for a test.

The Student Health Center follows the testing criteria outlined by the Iowa Department of Public Health, which require stu-

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plan and our mask mandates in place, we can conduct the

state semifinals and finals games safely.”

dents to either be showing symptoms and not have another diagnosis or have spent more than 15 minutes within six feet of someone with a positive test. Test Iowa guidelines are broader and can allow more campus community members to be tested even if they do not meet IDPH guidelines.

Being a part of NISG as well as the COVID-19 Response Team, Boeding has been involved in the university’s pandemic planning since the start of the semester. Throughout all the struggles, she remains hopeful and believes that UNI is doing everything they can to f inish the semester off successfully while “trying to balance the ever-changing f low of information.”

“As new updates come out, keeping our campus community informed of new guidelines is of the utmost importance,” she wrote. “A clear f low of information

is crucial in terms of maintaining the health and safety of students, and in order to finish the semester successfully.”

Boeding also emphasized the importance of mental health and self-care as students finish the semester.

“While student safety is at the forefront of my mind, ensuring our students are also making connections inside the classroom and out has also been a major challenge,” she wrote.

“With the increased social distancing and more virtual connections, many of our students have been struggling with their mental health. Ensuring they have access to the services they need to be successful has been one of the main priorities for me this year.”

For more information on the Test Iowa site and campus COVID-19 testing, visit health.uni.edu/. For mental health resources, visit counseling.uni.edu/.

The Northern Iowan is published semi-weekly on Monday and Thursday during the academic year, except for holidays and examination periods, by the University of Northern Iowa, L011 Maucker Union, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0166 under the auspices of the Board of Student Publications.

Advertising errors that are the fault of the Northern Iowan will be corrected at no cost to the advertiser only if the Northern Iowan office is notified within seven days of the original publication. Publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertisement at any time.

The Northern Iowan is funded in part with student activity fees.

A copy of the Northern Iowan grievance procedure is available at the Northern Iowan office, located at L011 Maucker Union.

All material is © 2020 by the Northern Iowan and may not be used without permission.

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PAGE 3

OPINION

EMMA’LE MAAS Executive Editor

NOVEMBER 12, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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VOLUME 117, ISSUE 25

Disclaimer: The following opinion articles featured do not reflect the opinion of the Northern Iowan newspaper or staff as a whole.

Don’t stop fighting, keep pushing

ADDI SEYBERT

Opinion Columnist

We did it.

It was scary, divisive and stressful to no end, but we did it. Joe Biden won the presidency, and President Trump will be kicked out of the Oval Office, much to the chagrin of his inflated ego and crooked administration.

This win was historically significant for several reasons: Kamala is now the first Black and AsianAmerican woman vice president, Trump became the first one-term president since George H.W. Bush in 1993, and a record-breaking number of voters turned up at the polls, making Biden the candidate with the most votes in history.

There were over 70 million votes for Biden alone, which means that more people made a conscious effort to improve the state of our nation than ever before.

Biden’s White House win is a relief for millions of people across the country and across the world, as it shows that people are actively trying to bring change.

Along with the mere

excitement and historical significance of this election come some harsh realities that our country now has to face. COVID-19 is still raging (and arguably getting worse), Black people are being shot in the streets, KKK rallies are being held not-so-secretly and gay marriage is being contested in the Supreme Court.

Over the last four years, millions of Americans have lost everything: healthcare, employment, social security, quality time with friends and family and the lives of loved ones, just to name a few. People are scared and people are dying, but some take comfort in knowing that the Biden presidency could put us on a track toward healing.

That being said, we cannot stop now. We won the presidency, and that is a fantastic first-step, but our problems will not be fixed if we just elect the president and then sit back. Having Biden in office is great, but we have to make sure we do not become complicit in settling for less than we deserve. It is our job as citizens to keep fighting for our own rights and the rights

Tribune News Service

Addi Seybert argues the importance of continuing to fight for important issues following Biden’s win.

of others, whether it is expanding abortion rights or defunding the police. No matter the task at hand, it would be an injustice to work so hard for the presidency and then just … stop.

This presidential election was an intense battle, but we won. For all intents and purposes, we have slayed the dragon. But the princess is still in her tower and our horse is thirsty. Our armor has dents and our sword

is nearly bent in half. The fight toward prosperity and equality has been long and exhausting; it would be so easy to just sit down and rest for a while, to assume that our job is done.

In reality, our work is far from over. If we want to save the princess (i.e. keep our country from imploding or diving into civil war), we as a nation must make a conscious effort to continue fighting for what is right.

Quitting now will mean that this country will just revert back into a state of chaos and deep division, instead of working toward a more inclusive future.

We slayed this dragon, but there are thousands of other villains and monsters waiting for us to track them down. We can win this together – we’ve just got to suit up, take a few deep breaths and keep fighting.

The Armenian conflict mimics global battles of this conflict.

Turkey suppor ted Azerbaijan in this con flict, which is unsurpris ing given Turkey’s histo As of Nov. 10, a peace ry with Armenia, perhaps agreement has ostensi- most notably the Armenian bly been reached between genocide, carried out by the Armenia and Azerbaijan. In Ottomans from 1914-1923. essence, it seems as though To this day, the official govthe Azerbaijani offensive ernment of Turkey denies to take control of disput- the Armenian genocide, ed territories through mil- and refuses to acknowledge itary invasion have resulted responsibility for the atrocin too many casualties on ity. In fact, Erdogan’s rightthe Armenian side. Prime wing AKP party will often Minister Nikol Pashinyan accuse Armenia of meddling has elected to surren- in its internal affairs as a der control of territories politically expedient scapegained by Azerbaijan during goat. The conflict between the course of the conflict, as Turkey and Azerbaijan, and over 1,000 Armenians have the conflict with Armenia died in this brief conflict. have both ethnic and reli This has led to an erup- gious dimensions. tion of protests in Armenia However, Turkey’s geoover what the protestors political positioning on the perceive to be the prime world stage is complicated. minister’s surrender to In recent decades, they have Azerbaijan, and it does seem turned to the West in order as though this sets a danger- to form allyships, and have ous precedent for countries unsuccessfully bid to enter willing to aggress, as gain- the EU. Turkey is also, cruing territory through war cially, a NATO member. is currently illegal under Many view Turkey’s supinternational law. However, port for Azerbaijan in this what we will focus on are latest conflict as an attempt the geopolitical implications to weaken Russia’s influMOHAMMED RAWWAS

Opinion Columnist

ence in the region. The fact that Israel supplied arms to the Azerbaijanis during this conflict only cements the fact that the Azerbaijani side of this conflict is indeed the Western-aligned one.

As for Armenia, their weapons were supplied by Russia, only solidifying the conception that this conflict also fits into the broader geopolitical conflict that has defined our modern politics for decades, just as Syria also turned into a mere proxy war between the U.S. and Russia.

This makes Western media coverage of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict all the more interesting to inspect, considering the fact that the Azerbaijanis were clearly the aggressors in this scenario, but U.S. allies such as Israel were on their side. The New York Times, for example, as the supposed “paper of record,” mostly relegated itself to a sober telling of events as they unfolded. An Oct. 21 piece entitled “In Azerbaijan, Pain and Loss Drive War Fever” frames the conflict from the per-

Tribune News Service

Opinion Columnist Mohammed Rawwas evaluates the recent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

spective of Azerbaijan, noting that “clashes broke out three weeks ago,” rather than what was clearly a conflict instigated by Azerbaijan. It is unclear whether such biased readings were also afforded to the Armenian side of the conflict.

Regardless of the specific details regarding the conflict, what is clear is that other geopolitical actors

such as Turkey and Israel have attempted to use this conflict to further their own foreign policy goals.

However, Russia was able to step in and mediate the conflict in order to produce the peace treaty, even if the conditions of the treaty seem unfavorable for many Armenians. For now, the conflict is over, and we will see what happens to the region in coming years.

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CAMPUS LIFE NOVEMBER 12, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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ANTHONY WITHEROW Campus Life Editor

VOLUME 117, ISSUE 25

Bringing pandemics to life across all generations ELIZABETH KELSEY News Editor

It was the comparison that everyone was making as the COVID-19 pandemic began to sweep the world in the spring of this year: “This has happened before.”

In 1918, an influenza pandemic killed more than 50 million people worldwide.

Just over a century later, the COVID-19 pandemic is following a similar pattern, and modern historians and journalists have been examining the parallels between the pandemics.

Among them were Rod Library Archivist Jaycie Vos and her colleagues, including Archival Processor & Reference Associate Tessa Wakefield, who wanted to uncover how the 1918 pandemic affected daily life at UNI, then known as Iowa State Teachers College.

With their co-workers in the library’s Special Collections and University Archives department, they combed through donated scrapbooks, diaries, letters and articles from the college newspaper at the time, “The College Eye,” to piece together the story. “(The materials) show a variety of perspectives,” Vos said. “Some things were really similar.”

For example, classes continued as normal during the height of the pandemic in October 1918, although other non-essential activities were cancelled, just as UNI continued to hold classes — albeit virtually — during the lockdown period this spring.

However, other responses

Gabi Cummings/Northern Iowan Rod Library is holding an exhibit showcasing the 1918 influzenza pandemic. The exhibit will run until Friday, Nov. 20.

to the 1918 pandemic were startling for Vos, such as the College Eye’s practice of openly reporting the names of those who had recently contracted the flu.

“Here’s a relevant example — it’s an article that is essentially a roster of students hospitalized with the flu, which would never happen today!” she wrote in an email.

Highlights of Vos and her colleagues’ work are currently on display in Rod Library, just outside the Learning Commons. The display case, which features diaries, photographs and copies of “College Eye” articles, is actually just one part of a multi-department exhibit, “Pandemics in the History of Northern Iowans.” Several other Rod Library departments, from the UNI Museum & Center for the History of Rural Iowa Education and Culture to the library’s Fine and Performing Arts Collection, have contributed.

According to Julie Ann Beddow, Library Assistant in the Fine and Performing Arts Collection, she and her department regularly select new artwork to adorn the wall along the Learning Commons. Over the last six years, the department has featured more than 45 exhibits there.

This fall, Beddow and her team wanted to install some “funky art” related to COVID-19 to catch people’s attention and hopefully offer a little levity. Their exhibit features student-selected images from a United Nations archive developed in March 2020. In that archive, the U.N. called on the world’s creative community to create engaging fact-based content around six COVID-19 related themes: “personal hygiene,” “physical distancing,” “know the symptoms,” “kindness contagion,” “myth-busting” and “do more, donate.”

“All of the artwork that is on the wall are selections of

over 4,500 pieces of artwork sent to the United Nations back in March,” Beddow said.

After developing the wall, Beddow and her team felt there was more of a story to be told. They realized this was a perfect opportunity to collaborate with their fellow Rod Library specialists.

“I could’ve put the art up, and it would’ve been modern 21st-century art, but the story needed to be bigger,” Beddow said. “I felt like with Special Collections and the Museum, there was the beef.

That’s the full entree.”

The final result? A multipart exhibit featuring not only the Fine and Performing Arts Collection wall and the Special Collections artifact display case, but also a display curated by the UNI Museum, under the direction of Director and Chief Curator Nathan Arndt.

“It was a total collaboration between these three departments,” Beddow said. “I couldn’t have done this with-

out more creative brains.”

The UNI Museum’s display case, directly underneath the Fine and Performing Arts wall, holds artifacts which also connect to the six U.N. themes. For example, an old landline telephone reminds viewers to spread kindness by calling friends and family, and old-fashioned bars of soap connect to the theme of personal hygiene.

It’s clear that the inter-departmental exhibit not only looks to the past, but also considers the present— and Vos and her colleagues are even thinking ahead to the future by spearheading an ongoing COVID-19 community archiving project.

Through a Google form, anyone may submit stories, reflections, links, photographs, videos and other files that capture their experience relating to COVID-19.

Citizens may also arrange to submit physical materials by contacting libarchives@uni. edu.

“We’ve been getting a lot of photos of ‘Closed’ signs (and) socially distanced parties,” Vos said with a laugh.

“We’re just trying to get information from students on what is their experience now like.”

“We’re trying to help make historical information relevant to today, to connect with today’s lived experiences,” she added. “When we reconstruct historical narratives through documents… history can be really relevant.”

For more information on the exhibit, visit h t t p s : / / l i b r a r y. u n i . e d u / events/2020-10/pandemics-history-northern-iowans

TheatreUNI presents virtual 10-minute plays SARA QUALLEY

Staff Writer

Theatre UNI will present virtual 10-minute plays from Tuesday, Nov. 17 through Sunday, Nov. 22. Amy Osatinski, a theatre professor at UNI, teaches a directing class each semester that presents these plays, which are student-led. Students take charge of directing and casting.

“I’m really excited to see what the students do,” Osatinski said. “I think they’ve all picked really great plays, and I always love the 10-minute plays.”

She describes these plays as the final project for the directing class and a culmination of everything they’ve learned from the theatre curriculum.

Students have had to be flexible due to peers being

Courtesy Photo/TheatreUNI

TheatreUNI will be presenting their 10-minute plays next week. Due to COVID-19, the plays willl be presented virtually for the first time.

in and out of quarantine due to COVID-19. In-person rehearsals have had to switch to online mediums like Zoom to ensure all cast members can participate. Students have also had to be mindful of social distancing procedures when staging their plays. They’ve had to be creative with actor placement to ensure they’re a safe distance

away from one another.

Presenting the plays virtually has been a unique challenge. Video rights have to be available and paid for so they can be streamed. If rights were unavailable for a certain play, students had to choose new plays.

“It’s been an interesting and different experience trying to navigate all of that,”

Osatinski said.

Video rights for plays only allow them to be available for a certain amount of days. They also put a limit on how many tickets can be sold. In this regard, Osatinski said the online formatting isn’t so different from seeing plays in-person. Live plays also have caps on tickets and can only be presented for so

long. The online presentation of the 10-minute plays is similarly as exclusive of an experience as it would be in-person.

Many of the plays are comedies, and Osatinski encourages anyone interested in viewing to request their tickets as soon as possible before they’re gone.

“It’s just a grand old time,” Osatinski said. “And right now, we’re all sort of stuck inside doing nothing, so you might as well grab a ticket to the play and grab your roommates and enjoy an evening of funny, student-directed work.”

About 100 tickets are available and can be requested by emailing Osatinski at amy.osatinski@uni.edu.

Tickets will be sent out on Tuesday, Nov. 17, with a link to an unlisted Youtube video.

ANTHONY WITHEROW Campus Life Editor

CAMPUS LIFE NOVEMBER 12, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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VOLUME 117, ISSUE 25

The films to come during winter break HUNTER FRIESEN Film Critic

While there hasn’t been much to look forward to within 2020, we can at least count ourselves lucky that we live in an age where escapism is easy to come by. The winter months of November through January are usually the busiest time for the film industry, as dozens of movies are released for awards season contention and to cash in at the holiday box office.

Unfortunately, this holiday season will not be as crowded compared to previous years, but streamers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and HBO Max have picked up some of the slack left behind by cinemas. Listed throughout this article are several new films that you should seek out during this extended break, many of which will be available instantly for streaming.

Note: Films marked with an asterisk still have plans to be released in cinemas.

These dates are subject to change.

Nomadland (Dec. 04*) Already one of the most acclaimed films of the year with its back-toback first prize wins at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals, Chloé Zhao’s third feature is an adaptation of a true story about a phenomenon where older Americans traveled around the United States looking for work after they had been devistated by the Great Recession.

In her first physical role since her second Oscar win, Frances McDormand stars as one of those wanderers. Her performance, along with Zhao’s direction and the cinematography, has been getting serious awards buzz since its premiere. This film will begin its run in limited release and gradually roll out to more audiences in subsequent weeks.

Mank (Dec. 04. Netflix) Since being upset for the “Best Director” Oscar in 2010 for his work in “The Social Network,” people have been clamoring for an opportunity to properly reward David Fincher.

2020 may be the year that happens as early buzz suggests his new film is an instant classic.

“Mank” tells the true story of screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz’s colorful experience with Orson Welles developing the masterpiece that would become “Citizen Kane.”

Gary Oldman stars as the titular character along with Amanda Seyfried, Charles Dance and Tom Pelphrey.

The movie is said to be made in the style of classic Hollywood films as the sound, acting styles, cinematography and score are all accurate to the time period. This is Netflix’s top Oscar prospect as it is expected to easily notch double-digit nominations and find a place on several best of year lists.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Dec. 18. Netflix) With the untimely passing of Chadwick Boseman in August, all eyes have shifted over to his final performance in the silver screen adaptation of August Wilson’s classic play about a tension-filled blues recording session in 1927 Chicago.

Based on the trailer and early buzz, Viola Davis as the titular singer and Boseman as her ambitious horn player are standouts and will surely find their way onto Oscar ballots.

Also to watch for is the snazzy directing by George C. Wolfe as he gives the material a jolt of energy through flashy cinematography and editing.

News of the World (Dec. 25*)

One of the few cinema blockbusters left in 2020, “News of the World” is a reteaming of star Tom Hanks and director Paul Greengrass after their successful work in 2013 with “Captain Phillips.”

Hanks stars as a traveling Civil War veteran who agrees to escort a young girl across America to her aunt and uncle. This marks Hanks’ first foray into westerns and the trailer showcases many similarities to recent successes such as “No Country for Old Men” and “True Grit.”

Due to Greengrass’ previous work in the “Jason Bourne” franchise, expect high tension and adventure set against beautiful scenery within the American frontier.

One Night in Miami (Jan. 15. Amazon Prime) Already an Oscar and multiple Emmy winner for acting, Regina King is looking to bolster her resume by directing this fictional account of the real meeting between Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown in the 1960s.

Early praise has already been heaped on the cast, especially Kingsley BenAdir as Malcolm X and “Hamilton” alum Leslie Odom Jr. as Sam Cooke. In a tumultuous year of political and societal upheaval, this timely and powerful piece won’t be one to miss.

Other Films to Look For: • Ammonite (Nov. 13*) • Hillbilly Elegy (Nov. 24) (Netflix) • The Prom (Dec. 11) (Netflix) • Coming 2 America (Dec. 18) (Amazon Prime) • The Father (Dec. 18*) • The Midnight Sky (Dec. 23) (Netflix) • Soul (Dec. 25) (Disney+) • Wonder Woman 1984 (Dec. 25*)

Tribune News Service

Film Critic Hunter Friesen previews multiple films releasing during the winter break.

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SPORTS NOVEMBER 12, 2020 |

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

COLIN HORNING Sports Editor

|

VOLUME 117, ISSUE 25

BASKETBALL

National Signing Day brings new talent COLIN HORNING Sports Editor

Wednesday, Nov. 11 was the National Signing Day for men’s and women’s high school basketball players around the country, where recruits formally signed their letters of intent to play basketball in college. This year, the UNI men’s basketball team signed three players, and the women’s team brought on two recruits for the 20212022 season. All five players from the both teams are from the state of Iowa, showing the ability of the UNI basket-

UNI Athletics

UNI women’s basketall head coach Tanya Warren announced two commits for the 2021 season.

ball programs to continuously find in-state talent.

Of the three players signed on the men’s side, two play their high school basketball in Cedar Falls. The first player signed was Michael Duax out of Hempstead high school in Dubuque, IA. A 6’5, 200 lb guard, Duax was a two-time unanimous firstteam all-conference selection, first-team all-state during his junior year at Hempstead and averaged nearly 21 points and eight rebounds per game as a junior. He was named the 2019-2020 Mississippi Valley Division Player of the Year this past season and will be one of the top players in the state of Iowa his upcoming senior season.

The second men’s player signed was guard Landon Wolf out of Cedar Falls High School, who is the younger brother of men’s basketball player Logan Wolf. He helped Cedar Falls finish in third place at the state tournament in 2020 and was also voted to the 2020 all-tournament team this past year. At 6’5, 185 lbs, Wolf shot almost 50% from the field and 44% from the three point line in his junior season.

The third and final player signed by the Panthers on signing day was center Chase Courbat, also out of Cedar Falls High School.

Standing in at 6’10, Courbat is a strong threat in the paint.

He averaged ten points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game, and he averaged nearly 60% shooting from the field for the Tigers. Courbat won state championships his freshman and sophomore year of high school and helped Cedar Falls finish third at the state tournament last season, along with earning first-team all conference honors.

Men’s basketball head coach Ben Jacobson was thrilled to add the three talented players. He told UNI Athletics at the signing day presser: “We are excited to officially add these three young men and their families to Panther Basketball. Each one of them has approached their academic and basketball careers with discipline and determination to excel at a high level. Most importantly, they are great young guys from terrific families!”

The Panther women signed two new commits on National Signing Day as well, head coach Tanya Warren announced. Cedar Falls High School guard Anaya Barney and Marion High School guard Riley Wright both signed their national letters of intent this past Wednesday.

Barney will join her sister and former high school

UNI Athletics

The UNI men’s basketball team announced the signing of three recruits for the 2021 season.

teammate Kiana Barney on the Panther women’s roster.

She led the Tigers in points, rebounds and assists her junior year of high school while shooting nearly 48% from the field. Barney will join Cedar Falls High School alums Kam Finley, Cynthia Wolf, Emerson Green and her sister Kiana on the UNI women’s roster.

Wright joins the Panthers out of Marion High School in Marion, IA. She averaged nearly 51% shooting and was second on the team in points per game her junior year, behind current Panther Kayba Laube.

She was named All-Metro

team captain and was firstteam all state her sophomore and junior years.

UNI women’s head coach told UNI Athletics at the signing day presser: “We are so excited about the addition of Anaya and Riley to our Panther family. We absolutely love the competitiveness and passion for the game they will bring.

They are both very versatile on both ends of the floor and will provide great depth for our backcourt for the next four years.”

Both interviews from coaches Jacobson and Warren can be found at www.unipanthers.com.

OPINION

The race for NFL most valuable player heats up NICHOLAS SCHINDLER Sports Writer

With the NFL season more than halfway complete, the race for the most valuable player is in full swing.

Among the contenders for the award are Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Coming into this past week, Wilson was the frontrunner. Following an abysmal performance, however, the race is now wide open for the second half of the season.

According to ESPN metrics, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has the second-highest odds of winning the award. He has been playing lights out this year, throwing for 24 touchdowns (good enough for third in the NFL) and only two interceptions.

He has a quarterback rating of 87.7, which is tops in the league. Rodgers has thrown

for 2,253 passing yards so far this season, which is ninth best in the NFL. I would give Rodgers a strong case right now in the MVP race, due to his consistently strong play and his potent offense with guys like Davante Adams and Aaron Jones.

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady was also improving his MVP odds coming into last week, but his poor performance and his team’s ugly loss on Sunday Night Football likely hurt his chances. Brady is fourth in the NFL in touchdowns with 20 and is sixth in yards with 2,398 on the season. He has also thrown seven interceptions and is No. 16 in quarterback rating with a 67.4 rating. These glaring numbers and his recent poor performance really hinder his odds at the award this season.

“Let Russ Cook” was a phrase many in sports media were saying prior to the start of the season, meaning to let Wilson do his thing. The

first half of the season gave many of these pundits reason to be excited, as he had some impressive games where it looked like he was the favorite to win the award. People were willing to overlook his bad games because he offset those with some great one. Last week, however, he threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles. His performance last week was poor, and Wilson is now near the top of the league in interceptions with eight.

Wilson is also first in touchdowns with 28 and fourth in both passing yards with 2,541 and quarterback rating with 80.5. However, pending a crazy statistical stretch without any interceptions, Wilson is unlikely to take the award this season.

Re igning s up e r b ow l M V P Pat r i c k M a h o m e s is quie t ly b r inging h im s e lf int o t h e co nve r s ation. Mahomes is first i n t h e N F L w i t h o n ly one interception and

Tribune News Service

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes looks like the frontrunner for the MVP race so far this season.

s e co nd i n t h e cat e go r i e s o f yar d s ( 2 , 6 8 7 ) , t o u chd ow n s ( 2 5 ) a n d q u a r t e r b a c k r at i n g ( 8 4 . 8 ) .

T h e r e r e a l ly i s n ’ t a n y d ow n s i d e t o h i s ga m e t h is ye a r. Al l o f t h e s e

numbers compiled on t o p o f h i s t e am p l ay i n g e xce p t i o n al ly we l l p u t s M ah o m e s i n t h e d r i ve r ’ s s e at fo r t h e aw ar d t h i s s e as o n , w h i ch w o u l d b e t h e s e co n d o f h i s car e e r.

KARLA DE BRUIN Managing Editor

FUN & GAMES NOVEMBER 12, 2020 |

ACROSS 1 “The __ Doctor” 5 “3rd Rock from the __” 8 Seaweed 9 Role on “Cheers” 12 Lesser of two __; better of imperfect choices 13 Singer & performer Eddie __ 14 “Something’s Gotta __”; Jack Nicholson film 15 __ Gilbert 16 Curved edge 18 “__ Life to Live” 19 “Chicago __” 20 “__ Trek: Voyager” 21 Actress Perlman 23 “2 Broke Girls” costar 24 Steerer’s place 25 Storm or Gordon 26 “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal __” 28 “Quantum __”

29 __ Foxx 30 Genius 32 Humpty Dumpty, for one 35 Tax-collecting agcy.

36 Harmon __; role on “JAG” 37 Apple’s center 38 Actor Ray 40 “The __ Chase”; John Houseman series 41 Pig’s nose 42 “__ Betty” 43 Golfer Ernie 44 Mayberry aunt and others DOWN 1 Actor MacLeod 2 “Splitting Up Together” actor 3 Flirt with 4 Public prosecutors, for short

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5 Frighten 6 Arm bone 7 Word attached to wit or pick 10 2018 legal drama series 11 __ Tuck; character in “Robin Hood” 12 Braggart’s problem 13 “__ 54, Where Are You?” 15 Setting for “The King and I” 17 “__. Doubtfire”; Robin Williams film 19 Norman of “The Ropers” 20 __ Ward 22 __ up; delayed 23 Singer Joan 25 Insincerely smooth 26 __ Lanka 27 Actress Deborah & her kin 30 Desires 31 “Game of Thrones” network 33 “__ Anatomy” 34 Setting for “Hogan’s Heroes”: abbr.

36 __ Julia 37 Actor Nicolas 39 Name for a Stooge 40 Tavern

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VOLUME 117, ISSUE 25

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CLASSIFIEDS NOVEMEBR 12, 2020 |

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KARLA DE BRUIN Managing Editor

VOLUME 117, ISSUE 25

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