3-30-17

Thursday

/NorthernIowan

March 30, 2017

@NorthernIowan

Volume 113, Issue 46

northerniowan.com

Opinion 3 Campus Life 4 Sports 6 Games 7 Classifieds 8

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Sexual assault opinion 3

ACCESS DENIED

Out of the Darkness preview

African Night preview 4

5

Former UNI pres. named ISU interim president

students with disabilities say uni has work to do

BEN ALLEN

Shelby welsh & jacob madden

Former UNI President

Staff writer & News editor

Ma

di so n

Be n

zing

/Northern Iowan

Pictured above is the lower level of Maucker Union. The lower level is abundant with small staircases.

When Kyle Waterman, a freshman math and actuarial science major, wants to visit his friends on the second floor of Campbell Hall, he has to have one friend carry him up the stairs and one friend carry his wheelchair.

“It’s really annoying,” Waterman said. “The dorms are terrible for people in wheelchairs.”

According to Waterman, he can also barely get into the bathrooms in Bender and Dancer Hall.

Waterman is one of several students with d isabi l it ies on campus who says that UNI has a lot of improvements to make.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities is considered a disability.

According to Kelly Gibbs, the coordinator of Student Disability Services, says 744 students, six percent of UNI’s total population, are receiv-

ing formal accommodations through the Student Disability Services. Differently abled students are classified by five ability zones including: sensory, mobility, chronic health, learning disabilities and psychiatric.

According to Gibbs, Student Disability Services provide many different accommodations to those who need extra assistance both in and out of the classroom. This includes but is not limited to: Note-taking assistance, interpreters, mentoring, counseling, housing accommodations and other accommodations.

“Every student has an equal opportunity and we all have a legal obligation to fulfill this public service,” Gibbs said.

Gibbs emphasized that although the Student Disability Services could always do more to keep up with the rising population of disabled students, she thinks UNI is doing a pretty good job thus far. One of the biggest issues, however, is educating people about the fundamentals of disability. Many people can easily be trained on how to recognize a disability and how to cordially interact with those who do have disabilities, according to Gibbs.

Student Disability Services has found a few ways to both educate students without dis-

Tennis update 6

NICK FISHER

abilities and make those who are disabled feel more inclusive and supported. Gibbs said that the office is trying to start up unofficial student groups where they get together and talk about their lives, their disability, and just hang out. Gibbs thinks it would be a great way for students to network with others who are living with the same disability.

“Some students feel like they’re the only ones who are dealing with these problems,” Gibbs said. “When in fact, about 7 percent of students have a disability of some sort.”

According to Gibbs, Student Disability Services will be training Cat Crew Student Admissions and the Rod Library Staff on disability education and awareness specific to student interactions with those departments.

Steven Blair, a Kinesiology graduate student, is legally blind.

According to Blair there are some parts of campus that are easy to access, and others need work. “The accessibility part that I really like about campus is that when you get past the bridge that goes over Hudson, it’s really all sidewalks,” Blair said. “As far as technology accessibility, the library is a really good place.”

Former UNI President Ben Allen has been named the interim president of Iowa State University (ISU) following their current president’s departure to take up the helm at Auburn University.

Steven Leath, ISU’s current president, was named Auburn’s 19th president on March 20. The Board of Regents (BOR) voted to approve Allen for interim duties on March 27, and he will officially take over beginning May 9.

“It is indeed an honor to be asked to serve as interim president of Iowa State University ...”

Allen said in a BOR press release.

“I appreciate the opportunity to serve Iowa State University, the Board of Regents, and the state of Iowa. We especially look forward to meeting and serving the ISU students.”

Allen became a faculty member at ISU in 1979, and would serve as a dean and later as provost over his next 27 years at the university.

Allen served as UNI’s ninth president from 2006 to 2013, when he retired following the first faculty vote of no confidence in a president in university history — the vote was 197-53 in favor of the motion against Allen.

 See ACCESS DENIED, page 5

 See BEN ALLEN, page 2

Executive Editor

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Now Leasing 2017-2018 1704 E State St. Cedar Falls www.CedarValleyPropertyManagement.com

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NEWS

JACOB MADDEN News Editor

UNI VA hosts PTSD conference MARCH 30, 2017

LEZIGA BARIKOR

Associate Campus Life Editor

The UNI Veterans Association (VA) held their first annual PTSD conference yesterday, with a full capacity turnout, in the basement Maucker Union. Although the conference was held and organized by the UNI VA, they

LEZIGA BARIKOR/Northern Iowan

Pictured above are UNI graduate students Eric Eastman and his dog Trump (left) and Matthew Miller and his dog Nala (right).

BEN ALLEN

continued from page 1

The vote of no confidence followed 58 program cuts and the closure of the Malcolm Price Lab School, an on-campus school where education students could get in-class experience with students.

The reasons given were

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9:10 a.m. to a group of students, faculty, staff and community members. His presentation was titled, “What is PTSD?” Dickinson went through some history over the term “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” and the ways it gets medically diagnosed.

Some exposures that lead to PTSD according to Dickinson includes: death, threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence, and a person can be exposed either directly, through witnessing or learning about an event, or experiencing any of these forms of exposure repeatedly. An example of the latter, was a police officer constantly dealing with reports of violent crimes developing PTSD. In an interview with the NI, Dickinson explained a main takeaway from his presentation.

“Basically, PTSD has been with us since human beings have walked the earth,” said Dickinson. “It’s a real diagnosis, so because it’s a real

financial. The cuts and school closure, Allen said at the time, were in response to a $5 million budget shortfall that greeted UNI in 2012, as well as the loss of $24 million in state funding over several years prior to 2012.

The announcement of his interim presidency has astonished some at UNI, including Joe Gorton, pro-

NICK FISHER

Executive Editor fishenab@uni.edu 319.273.6826

HANNAH GIBBS Managing Editor gibbsh@uni.edu 319.273.6420

MICHELE SMITH

Northern Iowan Manager michele.smith@uni.edu

LAURA SMITH

Adviser laura.smith@uni.edu

VOLUME 113, ISSUE 46

LEZIGA BARIKOR/Northern Iowan

UNI Veterans Association President Chris Kennedy led in the creation of the statewide PTSD Awareness Conference.

diagnosis people need to be empowered to seek the accommodations they need to be successful in life.”

Dickinson also explained symptoms of PTSD and that the goal of the event was not for people to go out and diagnosis themselves and others, but to become aware that PTSD is a “normal response to an abnormal event.”

After the keynote speech, the conference split up into

breakout sessions. There was a PTSD Discussion Group in Oak room that explored triggers and how to to help students struggling with PTSD. There was also a panel on how to access support with PTSD and other disabilities in the areas of higher education, employment and other areas according to the conference agenda.

fessor of criminology and president of United Faculty, UNI’s faculty union.

“I like Ben … he’s a nice guy, he’s a good guy, [but] he made some very bad decisions,” Gorton said. “As much as I like him, I don’t think he’s a very good leader.”

Gorton decried Allen’s decision-making regarding program cuts and the Price Lab closure.

“When they decided to close down Malcom Price Lab, they took away one of the vital organs of this institution,” Gorton said.

Gorton believes school’s closure five years ago was directly related to a decrease in enrollment at UNI, from which the school is still recovering. He said financial rationales given for the closing of the school are “bogus,” and that long-term consequences of decreased enrollment far outweigh the immediate financial gain of

closing the school.

Gorton also added that the administration under Allen forced 23 professors into retirement.

Northern Iowan (NI) records show Allen said at the time that closing the school would save the university $2 million a year in addition to an estimated $30 million in renovation costs to update the aging school.

He told concerned community members, students and faculty at the time that the funds previously allocated to Price Lab could be used to enhance College of Education programs.

“This issue is not what we lost, but what we gain,” Allen said.

Julie Husband, professor of English, took over as department head for Languages and Literatures the year following the program cuts.

She said all French and German programs were cut without consulting faculty,

but professors rallied to support students.

“In the aftermath of program closures, faculty members in French and German were very generous with their time, often offering independent studies to help students meet their program requirements,” Husband said.

Husband said the French program has bounced back since the cuts with the addition of a new French minor and a program called “French 2 + 2.” This program allows students to complete a degree with two years at UNI and two at Université de FrancheComté in France.

Gorton maintained that it was not just the decisions themselves that concerned him and the faculty, but also how those decisions were made.

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covered issues of mental health beyond those related to military experience.

UNI VA President Chris Kennedy said that the event was fully booked by March 10. Kennedy said there were around 175 people in total involved in the event with around 129 of those people being attendees, and the rest volunteers and speakers.

According to Kennedy this event was inspired by the recent push from the Northern Iowa Student Government (NISG) to bring mental health issues on campus to the forefront.

“We took an event that we had last year and found that’s a we could incorporate it into NISG’s mental health push,” said Kennedy. “So we benefit both ourselves and NISG.” The day’s events started with an introduction by UNI’s Provost Jim Wohlpart stating, “Today is about listening, about being heard and ensuring success.”

The keynote speaker Scott Dickinson spoke to the packed University room early around

Several hundred demonstrators gathered in front of Maucker Union in 2012 to protest the closing of the Malcolm Price Lab School.

NORTHERN IOWAN

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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Associate Executive Editor olsaskyc@uni.edu Sports Editor padyd@uni.edu

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LEZIGA BARIKOR

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Circulation

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See BEN ALLEN, page 4 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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NICK FISHER Executive Editor

MARCH 30, 2017

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OPINION

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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PAGE 3

VOLUME 113, ISSUE 46

Bad studies don’t help rape victims I am continually surprised and saddened by the number of people, particularly women, in my life who have been sexually assaulted. From fellow undergraduate alumni to friends from church to new friends I’ve made in my short graduate studies here at UNI, so many have been affected by this in one way or another.

Especially as a happily married man, I don’t understand the very desire to force others into participation in sexual activity, much less the mental gymnastics it takes to justify actually following through on such desires. I see it as a horrific, barbaric crime that must be met with the fullest force of the law wherever it is found, and steps ought to be taken by individuals and institutions outside of the justice system to lessen its frequency and effects on the lives of

innocents.

That is why I cannot abide most sexual assault awareness campaigns. It is abundantly clear to me that most of them are not primarily about addressing sexual assault but are rather making the campaign participants feel better about themselves. Rather, these campaigns are routinely based upon half-truths, exaggerations and even outright lies about sexual assault.

Focusing on campus rape specifically, the now-infamous assertion that “one-infive college women will be sexually assaulted” is just not true. If it were true, as Emily Yoffe pointed out in Slate, that would mean that many US university campuses are as dangerous as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where rape was used as a weapon of war. Does anyone actually believe this to be true of any American college campus?

So why does this figure go flying around public discourse, including in the Student Wellness Services’

assault,” and are unfortunately included in calculations like the “one-in-five” figure.

Because they are included, “false promises” and “unwanted kissing” rhetorically become “sexual assault” and then “rape” in the minds of average people, who lack either the time, capacity or inclination to read these awful studies themselves and understand what they really mean.

The most reliable estimates come from the Bureau of Justice Statistics in the US Department of Justice, who put the figure for college women being victims Bureau of Justice Statistics of sexual assault is not oneStatistics from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Day says, are less fraught in-five, one-in-10, one-in-25: with methodology issues than reports indicating one in five college-aged it’s one-in-53. women say they have been sexually assaulted.

By claiming “one-in-five,” article in the Northern The bad questions will the feminist activists and Iowan last Monday? Because ask respondents about gender advocates are literit’s arrived at by studies that things like unwanted kiss- ally blowing up the problem are almost universally based ing and even whether they to be more than 10 times upon terrible survey meth- had been told false promises greater than it actually is. In odology, with the usual sus- as a means of getting them fact, that figure is a 16-yearpects being vaguely or badly to consent to sex. While low, with campus sexual worded questions and low unconscionable and violat- assault going nowhere but response rates from self-se- ing, these behaviors simply down. lected, non-representative do not meet any legal or samples. rational standard of “sexual

Let me take you back to a UNI most current students never knew, and most past students never knew could end.

The year is 2011. We have programs in French and German, let alone other languages and the teaching programs and minors therein.

The University Museum and the Malcom Price Laboratory School still stand in use, rather than standing in part just north of the Towers as an empty reminder of abject des-

olation.

Thanks to a 2012 decision made by former university President Ben Allen acting with the Iowa Board of Regents, roughly 25 precent of the programs offered at UNI in previous years came under fire, many of them being gutted or completely removed.

The University Museum was essentially turned into storage, and the Price Lab stands in memoriam of a UNI lost to shady budget cuts and illegal termination of tenure positions.

It is also important to note that these decisions were made without proper notification or inclusion of United Faculty, the faculty union on campus here at UNI — bla-

tantly ignoring UNI policy on budgetary actions of such a large scale.

In fact, these actions brought the threat of censure from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), which would have made UNI one of the largest universities to be rebuked in such a way.

Due in no small part to former professor Betty DeBerg of the Department of Philosophy and World Religion, and numerous other faculty members, United Faculty was able to save many of the positions under fire.

But it was too late for some.

In particular, Allen’s plan succeeded in gutting our language departments, and condensing them under the single heading we have today.

French, German, Russian, all essentially gone, but allowed to stay as shells of their former selves in some cases.

The programs were cut to less than the bare minimum of faculty so that it could be said that the majors and minors in the programs could finish their studies and graduate.

Many either dropped the programs or transferred, because there were not enough professors to handle the courses, however.

Today, UNI has begun to bounce back in the aftermath of the crippling blow dealt by

See ASSAULT, page 4

Ben Allen at Iowa State: Good luck, ISU

NI Archives

Heppeard revisits the program cuts and closing of Malcom Price Lab School in 2012 under President Ben Allen. Allen is slated to take over as interim president of Iowa State University beginning in May.

Allen and the Regents.

French and German are offered to fulfill the liberal arts requirements of foreign language, and French has seen a spectacular recovery beyond that. As noted in my previous article, a new French major, together with a minor and a certificate, have blossomed into a soon to be fruitful tree.

The major, as readers may recall, allows a student to spend two years studying at UNI, and two years abroad in Besançon, France, all while paying UNI tuition.

The UNI Museum is now largely located downstairs in the Rod Library, and stages free exhibits on campus for students and the general public to browse and learn at their leisure. They have also recently received funding to take part in the restoration of the Mastodon tusk within their collection.

Despite the damage done to UNI by this ill-advised and unlawful decision, the Board of Regents has elected not to allow Allen to stay in whatever hole he crawled into after his “retirement” following a vote of no-confidence by United Faculty. It seems the Regents will pull him out from under his rock in order to serve as interim president at ISU after their current president, Steven Leath, leaves for Auburn University in Alabama.

This will be the second university president to leave Iowa in as many years, as administration members flee sinking Iowa schools in the wake of the holes drilled in our state education system by the Board of Regents, like the one outlined above, by using people like Ben Allen.

Some of you might remember that former President Bill Ruud, who took the reins after Allen’s dumpster fire and worked with United Faculty to begin UNI’s reconstruction, recently left for Marietta College in Ohio.

Given the history between them, one can only wonder what the Regents have in store for ISU with the appointment of Allen.

Maybe ISU will be the next university on the chopping block, and their departments should gird their loins for the battle to come. Or perhaps the position, whether it remains interim or becomes permanent, is a generous $525,000/ year thank you gift from the Regents for a job well done with the butchering of UNI’s programs.

Whatever the reason, I cannot say why someone who has proven themselves to fall short when given this type of responsibility would be handed another institution.

All I can say is, good luck ISU. You’re going to need it.

PAGE 4

MARCH 30, 2017

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CAMPUS LIFE NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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CLINTON OLSASKY

Associate Executive Editor

VOLUME 113, ISSUE 46

African Night comes back to campus SYDNEY HAUER Staff Writer

One club on campus is working to educate people on the various cultures of Africa.

The African Union (AU) will be holding their Annual African Night from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 1. It will take place in the Maucker Union Ballroom.

AU members say the event will feature a fun and educational experience filled with many types of culture such as food, music and dances from different regions in Africa.

All are welcome to attend, and admission is free.

“We are calling it ‘We Are Africa,’ and it’s basically just a night of celebrating a lot of the different cultures in

Courtesy Photo

This Saturday, the African Union will be hosting their Annual African Night, where attendees will be able to experience various cultures from different regions in Africa.

BEN ALLEN

continued from page 2

“None of the affected parties were brought into a room to talk with the decision-makers to say, ‘Here’s what’s going to happen; here’s how this is going to affect families; this is how it’s going to affect students; this is how it’s going to affect neighboring schools [and the Cedar Valley],’” Gorton said.

“No one was brought into the room on that decision.”

In response to inquiries, the NI was forwarded a statement from Ben Allen regarding his appointment to interim president at ISU. Josh Lehman, senior communications director for the BOR, issued a statement regarding Allen’s appointment.

“Dr. Allen has a long and distinguished history at Iowa State, knows their institutional culture, and will be a great interim president,” Lehman said. “As the Board moves forward in its search

for a permanent president, we are thrilled that Dr. Allen has agreed to take on this crucial role.”

Gorton said Allen could boast of some accomplishments at UNI, including overseeing the creation of the Military and Veteran Student Services office in 2012.

Yet Gorton maintained Allen’s appointment is “one more bad decision made by Rastetter on his way out,” referring to Bruce Rastetter, president of the BOR, who has said he will not seek another term once his tenure is up in April.

“It would be like giving a taxicab license to someone who five years ago got arrested for an OWI accident,” Gorton said. “I don’t know why [Allen] would be any better at leadership now than he was five years ago.”

The search for ISU’s next president will be the third university presidential search conducted by the regents in two years.

Africa,” said Yena Balekyani, AU president and senior political science and sociology major. “They used to have the event here before, but it kind of stopped, so we’re just kind of bringing it back to campus.”

There will be food from the different regions for attendees to try. The main event will be a showcase of African fashion, music and dance, featuring student and professional dancers demonstrating dances from each region. There will also be a guest speaker and poetry.

Gorpu David, a sophomore psychology major, is the treasurer of the organization and will be attending the event on Saturday.

“I don’t know how to dance, but I’m doing it for the team,” David laughed.

Originally from West Africa, David said she is excited about the event because people will get to see what Africa really consists of beyond what they usually learn about in a classroom setting. She is also excited to try the food from differ-

UNI VA

continued from page 2

“Music Therapy in the Treatment of PTSD & Art Can Help,” “Veterans & PTSD,” “Sexual Assault and PTSD,” “Some Heroes Wear Dog Tags” and a student panel concluded the conference.

During the Sexual Assault and PTSD panel Joan Thompson shared a poem called “Those Pants” which told the story of a woman recounting how her sexual assault affected the way she saw her clothes. Thompson

ent regions and learn even more about Africa herself.

Brought back last year, the African Union was previously a club on campus, but it comes and goes with the influx or decrease of African students that are present at UNI at a given time.

There are currently 20 to 30 students, both domestic and international, involved in the AU. They meet once a week from 6 to 7 p.m. on Monday nights, and they have meetings where members are educated about African culture. They also host movie nights where they screen African films, cook food and play games together.

“A lot of our students are international students, so we wanted to do something that would make them feel comfortable or more at home,” Balekyani said. “One way to do that is to bring back games that we know they play in all the African countries.”

Balekyani said that one of the organization’s main

concerns is making sure that African students, both international and domestic, have a place where they feel comfortable and can relate to someone.

Anyone can join the African Union, regardless of whether or not they identify as having African heritage.

“It exists to explain to people what Africa consists of and to learn things about Africa,” David said. “Even me, I’m learning stuff daily as I am in the group.”

David said that the group is more centered around a desire to become more educated about Africa, and that non-African students are more than welcome.

Balekyani urged students to attend Africa Night on Saturday, citing both the fun and educational aspects that the event offers.

“You’re going to have fun [and] probably learn a thing or two,” Balekyani said. “Probably, it’s going to dispel some of the misconceptions that some people have about African cultures.”

used it as an example of how an item as simple as pants can become a trigger after a traumatic event.

Presenters Matthew Miller and Eric Eastman both led the session on the use of service dogs.

Miller, a current UNI graduate student and the incoming military and veterans education sports specialist at the University of Iowa (UI) discussed his experience at the event.

“We were more than happy to come in and talk about service dogs and how they’re actually helping veterans with

Post Traumatic Stress.”

Both Miller and Eastman had their own personal service dogs with them at the event.

“Trump is mine. I’ve had him for about three years, so he’s been placed with me since May 19, 2014,” Eastman said.

“They help us with our PTSD: crowds, being around people, going to school. I mean, it’s just the anxiety and depression [...] — they help ground us.”

Kennedy said this event was a success and he hopes to see it grow in the years to come.

LEZIGA BARIKOR/Northern Iowan

UNI graduate student and member of the UNI Veterans Association Matthew Miller had his service dog Nala (pictured above) accompany him to the PTSD Awareness Conference on Wednesday.

CLINTON OLSASKY

Associate Executive Editor

MARCH 30, 2017

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CAMPUS LIFE NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

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PAGE 5

VOLUME 113, ISSUE 46

Walk to raise suicide awareness CLINTON OLSASKY

Associate Executive Editor

This Saturday, April 1, the UNI chapter of Chi Sigma Iota (CSI), an international honor society for counselors, will be teaming up with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to bring the Out of the Darkness Campus Walk to UNI. The event, which will be held at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center (GBPAC) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., aims to raise funds for AFSP, as well as raise awareness for suicide prevention in general.

For the UNI community, the issue of suicide prevention hits particularly close to home.

“As you know, there were a couple of suicides on campus last year, and quite a few in the community in the past few years,” said Paige Hildebrant, the marketing coordinator for Saturday’s event. “It’s a topic that’s very real, but people have a hard time acknowledging it or talking about it because it’s a sensitive subject. People don’t

know the right way to talk about it. And so, I think a big goal of this event is to be able to have people come and feel comfortable.”

According to Hildebrant, there will be numerous activities and resources for attendees at the event leading up to the walk.

During the first hour, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., there will be resource providers available for participants, as well as memorial activities and a silent auction. Next, guest speaker David Romano from Active Minds, a national organization that focuses on educating the public on mental health, will be speaking at 2 p.m. “[Romano] is going to be talking about his experience with mental health and a suicide attempt that he had in high school,” Hildebrant said.

“And after that, it will be followed by a Q&A for anyone in the audience who wants to ask him something.”

After this guest speaker, attendees will participate in the campus walk, the namesake of the event. The threemile walk will consist of two laps around UNI’s cam-

pus and will end back at the GBPAC, at which point CSI will reveal the total amount of money raised for AFSP. “This year, our goal is $17,000, and we’re less than $1,500 away,” Hildebrant said.

“I’m honestly hoping that we reach at least $20,000. Each year, we want it to keep getting bigger.”

According to Aubrey Davis, the philanthropy chair for CSI, 50 percent of the money raised through the event will stay in the local Iowa chapter of AFSP, while the other 50 percent will go towards the national organization as a whole.

Davis said this money will be allocated towards various efforts related to suicide prevention, including: educational programs, support group training and research.

“And then, it also creates awareness, and that’s really important,” Davis said. “A lot of times, with mental health, it’s so stigmatized that we don’t really open up to people about what’s going on. We just kind of isolate, and it makes things worse.”

Christy Kessens, the public policy chair on the Iowa

Courtesy Photo

Pictured above is last year’s Out of the Darkness Campus Walk. This year’s event, which aims to raise funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), will be held on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

ACCESS DENIED

continued from page 1

According to Blair, the library could improve its accessibility by providing software on the computers, such as text-to-speech, but the staff is helpful and prompt in assisting students with disabilities.

“I would say the Maucker Union is not very friendly,” Blair said. “It is just a maze in there. Once you want to go down the stairs to the bottom floor or wherever, there’s so many nooks and crannies — so I’d say that Maucker

Union is not as accessible as I’d like.”

Making the Union more accessible is a relatively simple fix, according to Blair.

“Just as simple as saying, ‘Okay, we’re going to put the tables in columns and rows,’ to where everything is lined up so that now we have walkways,” Blair said. “Instead of walking forward and missing this table on my right, but if I go 10 more feet, I’m going to run into a table.”

According to Blair, UNI has good accessibility overall, but there is always room for improvements.

I would say the Maucker Union is not very friendly. It is just a maze in there.

Steven Blair

Graduate student

“The fact that this campus is its own little community helps me out,” Blair said.

“But there are always ways to improve, starting with technology and trying to figure out how to organize things in buildings better.”

Courtesy Photo

Christy Kessens (pictured right) serves as the public policy chair on the Iowa board for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP).

Kessens worked to bring the first Out of the Darkness Campus Walk to UNI four years ago.

board for AFSP and an adjunct instructor at UNI, aimed to raise such awareness when she decided to bring this event to UNI’s campus for the first time four years ago.

“About four years ago, in my [Perspectives on] Death and Dying class that I was teaching, I did an anonymous survey and talked about suicide,” Kessens said. “We found out that there are a lot of people affected. And then, because it’s the second-leading cause of death for college-aged students […], I decided I needed to do something. And so, I started volunteering for AFSP and doing advocacy work and brought the idea of a walk to campus.”

According to AFSP, suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 18 to 24.

Kessens went on to discuss her own personal connection to suicide and mental health.

“I have depression and anxiety, and I have since I was in high school,” Kessens said.

“And my college [years], like 18 to 21, that was the hardest time I had when it came to my depression. So, I feel like I can

ASSAULT

continued from page 3

One rape is too many. But one in 53 is a serious problem, not a crisis, and certainly not an epidemic. But this perception of epidemic-level severity (propelled by this and other myths about sexual assault) skews our perspective of the problem and causes us to pursue heavy-handed, misguided and just plain wrong means to combat it.

From mandatory consent training to kangaroo courts in which the accused is guilty until proven innocent even to the point where male victims of sexual assault are expelled purely on the word of their female accusers (looking at you, Drake University), we are pur-

relate to my students because it is so common, unfortunately, and I know how hard that can be. I have also lost a loved one to suicide, and so I know that aspect of it, too.”

Kessens said attending the annual campus walk has helped her over the years and encouraged students to attend the event on Saturday.

Hildebrant said students can register and donate at the same link, which is tinyurl. com/uniwalk17. According to Hildebrant, registering for the event is free, and participants will get a donor drive set up in their name when they register.

“You can start having people donate to your page,” Hildebrant said. “But there’s also a link if you just simply want to donate, too.”

Hildebrant said all students should register regardless of availability, as there will be the option to be a “virtual walker.”

“I think the biggest thing is just getting people signed up,” Hildebrant said. “And whether they can be there or not, either way, just acknowledging that this is an important topic to them is our goal.” suing awful solutions to a manufactured crisis.

So, as March warms into April, for the sake of my friends and all other victims, I ask you all to take up the challenge urged by the activists behind Sexual Assault Awareness Month: educate yourself. Do what you can to learn about the reality of sexual assault as it is, not as the activists want you to think it is. Don’t be content with feel-good halfway measures that only support your own moral narcissism.

Think critically about the sociologically-established link between sexual assault and alcohol consumption. Support measures that both enhance security for victims and preserve due process, and oppose those measures that fail to do either.

PAGE 6 DYLAN PADY Sports Editor

MARCH 30, 2017

OPINION

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SPORTS

NORTHERNIOWAN.COM

|

VOLUME 113, ISSUE 46

Final Four finally forward to Phoenix DYLAN PADY Sports Editor

The NCAA “March Madness” finals are just around the corner, and only three games remain until a champion will be decided.

In the national semifinals, we will witness South Carolina take on Gonzaga University, followed by Oregon facing off against North Carolina. Gonzaga and South Carolina will play their game first around 6 p.m. The Oregon and North Carolina game will begin shortly after, just before 9 p.m.

South Carolina (No. 7) began their basketball-filled journey in the East division with a 20-point victory over Marquette (No. 10).

After their essential “warm up” game, every team they faced afterwards was ranked higher and predicted to win. Their second game featured an 88-81 upset over Duke (No. 2), then another 20-point win against Baylor (No. 3). In their game against Florida (No. 4) for their chance at a Final Four spot, South Carolina walked away victorious after a 77-70 point game.

Representing the Midwest, Oregon (No. 3) had been the favored team for a majority of the tournament. Oregon’s first opponent was against Iona (No. 14), and they won 93-77. They faced Rhode Island (No. 11) and just barely squeaked by with a final score of 75-72.

In another extremely close victory, Oregon then beat Michigan (No. 7) by one point, 69-68. For their spot in the final four, Oregon would face Kansas (No. 1) and prove their worth as this was the first game the Ducks were predicted to lose; instead, Oregon would upset Kansas and win, 74-60.

In the West, Gonzaga (No. 1) was matched up against South Dakota State (No. 16), and the Bulldogs easily steamrolled past the Jackrabbits and won with a final score of 66-46. Afterwards,

they faced Northwestern (No. 8) and won 79-73, followed by another victory against West Virginia (No. 4). In this game, the Bulldogs emerged victorious after a score of 61-58.

For Gonzaga’s position in the final four, they only had to beat Xavier (No. 11) and won 83-59.

In my opinion, this was by far the easiest game within the elite eight, but it is easy to forget that anything can happen in basketball, especially during March.

The South was once again dominated by North Carolina (No. 1), and for good reason.

Their first matchup against Texas Southern (No. 16) was entirely one-sided, and the Tar Heels won 103-64. Their next game was a little more balanced as they took the court against Arkansas (No. 8), but North Carolina still won 72-65.

In their Sweet 16 game against Butler (No. 4), North Carolina won by 12 after their 92-80 victory. UNC had a pretty easy schedule up until their elite eight matchup against Kentucky (No. 2). This was one of the most exciting games of the tournament, seeing the two strongest teams in the division going head to head for their spot at a Final Four game. North Carolina just barely clinched their victory after a final score of 75-73 was achieved.

I expect Gonzaga to defeat South Carolina. Then, I would be a very happy man if Oregon could beat North Carolina. No matter what the outcome, or how busted your bracket may be, it is safe to assume that everyone just wants to see some well-played, competitive basketball.

There is a lot of drama within the National Basketball Association at the moment, especially in regards to teams resting their starting players before the NBA finals roll around. In this year’s 2017 NCAA tournament, coverage across four channels

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

North Carolina’s Luke Maye (32) hits a game winning jump shot in UNC’s 75-73 victory over Kentucky.

(TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV) is currently averaging 9.8 million viewers; this is a 10 percent increase from last year.

For individuals with busy lives or simply anyone who prefers to stream the games online, the 2017 tournament produced a new record with 88 million live streams, an increase of 31 percent from last season.

Year

Champion

2000 1997

Michigan

1976

Arizona Wisconsin

Oregon

Score 89-76 84-79 (OT)

Indiana

1941 1939

86-68

39-34

46-33

TENNIS

UNI tennis team to start Valley play BRENNAN WHISLER

Sports Columnist

The Northern Iowa tennis team’s season is in full swing, as they prepare to play the Drake Bulldogs this Saturday at 2 p.m.

This will be the first Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) game of the season for UNI, who finds themselves in a strange place in regards to their record.

The team stands at 7-4 with all one-sided victories.

However, their losses are a little more complex. Both Fordham University and Iowa State University (ISU) shut them

out while Navy only dropped two matches. Their loss against Milwaukee resulted in a one point loss, 4-3.

UNI has been a strong force at home, dropping only one meet to Iowa State, but recording three 6-1 wins. When playing the opposition on the road, UNI is just above .500 at 4-3.

The Panthers gained an edge within the MVC thanks to a decent neutral site record of 3-2 to balance the 1-1 away record. Going purely by winning percentage, UNI is technically first in the Valley; the team and Stony Brooke are also tied

for least matches played at 11.

The actual first place team is Wichita State (WSU), at 9-7 overall and 3-0 in the Valley, beating three sub .500 teams.

UNI now faces a strong three game home stand, starting with Drake and ending with WSU. Then, a two match road split against Illinois State and Bradley University. They’ll then end their season with two more home games against Southern Illinois and Evansville before the Valley Tournament.

The four seniors on the team are strong leaders. Elvira Lopez has the second best over-

all singles record at 11-5. While Astrid Santos isn’t leading the team record wise, she is playing strong and often at 10-10.

Jieke Stroobant and Sydney Wolfe are pulling their weight at 12-8 and 11-8. Santos and Stroobant lead the team with 20 competitions.

Junior Gisela Kemper leads the team with a 13-5 record in singles. She is also a strong doubles player despite having four different partners so far.

She is 12-5 in doubles play; she’s played best with sophomore Eve Small and Wolfe, going 5-1 and 4-0 in those pairings.

The last player on the roster is junior Savanna Hunt, who will look to improve her 4-9 record once conference play starts.

This team could make a strong run with a little help.

The main worry will be reloading for next year as four of the seven players are seniors. The two juniors and the lone sophomore are strong cornerstones, but only one has a winning record in singles at this point.

Hopefully, the team does as well as it looks like they can this year to help bring in some depth.

PAGE 7

FUN & GAMES

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MARCH 30, 2017 |

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MARCH 30, 2017

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CLASSIFIEDS

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HANNAH GIBBS Managing Editor

VOLUME 113, ISSUE 46

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