The Daily Iowan WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2025
INSIDE
THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA COMMUNITY SINCE 1868
DAILYIOWAN.COM
Inauguration sparks mixed response in Iowa Iowans are divided regarding President Trump’s second term.
Roxy Ekberg Politics Editor
roxy.ekberg@dailyiowan.com
Iowa City loses its Sanctuary Sanctuary Pub, an Iowa City staple for 52 years, closed its doors permanently in December. The property manager said dwindling community support resulted in the closure. NEWS | 5A
President Donald Trump’s second inauguration raised contradictory feelings from residents in the Iowa City area. Some were moved to participate in a national march in protest, while others eagerly awaited the Republican’s Trump return to the Oval Office. Over a hundred people marched in the Coralville branch of the People’s March as a part of nationwide demonstrations on Saturday.
In solidarity with the larger national protest, the People’s March community members, leaders, and activists marched during freezing temperatures Saturday morning. The People’s March, known previously as the Women’s March, has taken place every year since 2017. The movement was organized by a coalition of groups with the intent to confront “Trumpism,” according to its website. Over 98,000 attendees marched at 382 events nationwide on Jan. 18, according to the movement’s website. There were also 79 additional events marked as upcoming. Co-organizers of the local event, Mary Cohen and Marie Garry, emphasized the importance of
building a strong community and making connections. “There’s a longing, a great longing, in many of us, given the times that things feel very difficult and challenging, and we need each other,” Garry said. “We need to learn to lift each other up, and singing and creating communities is how we do that.” Cohen led the group in song at their meeting place in the basement of the Coralville Library. Clapping and singing, the crowd ranged greatly in age. Toddlers bounced on the knees of their parents, and old friends gave warm embraces to newcomers.
TRUMP | 5A
Future wavers for GWSS Students and professionals worry about a UI proposal’s impact.
Kate Perez Senior Reporter
news@dailyiowan.com
Lawmakers eye comprehensive review of higher ed Iowa Republican lawmakers are eyeing a “comprehensive review” of the state’s higher education system, including the state’s three regent-controlled universities. NEWS | 6A
Meet the minds behind Iowa athletics’ hype videos When Iowa’s athletics programs square off in front of an energized crowd, highlight reels and hype videos add to that environment. The athletic department’s creative content unit spearheads that effort. SPORTS | 1B
Iowa students embrace healthy fandom culture Members of the University of Iowa fan communities discuss the healthy — and occasionally toxic — ways to engage with fandom in Iowa City as online stan culture skyrockets. ARTS | 1C
ONLINE • Listen to the latest episodes of The Daily Iowan’s two podcasts, Above the Fold and Press Box Banter, where reporters cover the latest news and talk sports at dailyiowan.com. • Nearly a year after the University of Iowa’s “Cancer in Iowa” report linked alcohol consumption to a greater risk of cancer, United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a new advisory Friday warning Americans about alcohol consumption risks. Check out our latest coverage at dailyiowan.com. • It’s been two years since
the University of Iowa Police Department restructured into Campus Safety. Check out our latest coverage of the partnership at dailyiowan.com.
The University of Iowa’s Department of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024. In 2025, it may no longer exist as an individual department. Established in 1974 as the Iowa’s Women’s Studies Program — one of the first in the United States — the program has since progressed to include a wider study of gender and sexuality, including the current social justice major. As the spring 2025 semester begins and students start to settle into classes, the University of Iowa will once again propose changes to the UI curriculum offered in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In February, the university will go to the Iowa Board of Regents for approval to create a new School of Social and Cultural Analysis. The university announced the proposal last month, stating the new school is a part of a “multiyear administrative restructure of the college intended to better serve students and faculty.” The college received approval from the regents for similar proposals in fall 2024, including creating a new School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability. The creation of the new school will result in the shifting of operations for many programs and departments within the college, including a new major and a Bachelor of Arts degree offered in Social and Cultural Analysis. If approved, the Department of American Studies and the Department of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies would both close. The current Bachelor of Arts degrees offered in American Studies and Social Justice would also close. However, all other majors, minors, and certificate programs would move into the new school come fall 2025, including: • The new Bachelor of Arts degree in Social and Cultural Analysis • The Bachelor of Arts degree in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies • The African American Studies; American Studies; Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies; Gender, Health, and Healthcare Equity; Latina/o/x Studies; Native American and Indigenous Studies; and Social Justice minors • The Jewish Studies and Native American and Indigenous Studies certificates Fewer than 60 students are currently enrolled in the majors of American Studies and Social Justice. The press release states the creation of the new school would simplify the operations of the interconnected departments, as the existing programs have limited faculty and overlapping
Illustration by Marandah Mangra-Dutcher | The Daily Iowan
curricula. These aspects create challenges “for faculty in sustaining teaching capacity.” Roland Racevskis, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences associate dean for the arts and humanities, said in the release multiple department chairs and directors run the current programs. In the proposed school, abbreviated as SCA, there would be a singular leadership team that oversees the operations of the programs offered, and all faculty would be moved into it. “This new structure would provide better coordination of curriculum across these related programs, easier pathways for degree completion, and support for interdisciplinary research opportunities,” Racevskis said in the release. Additionally, the proposed new degree aims to prepare students to go into fields like education, research, public policy, and community engagement, where they have to understand and analyze the world, Cornelia Lang, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences associate dean for undergraduate education, said in the release. “Students in this major would be able to connect their individual experiences and ideas to larger social contexts,” Lang said. “This would prepare them well for potential careers or grad-
uate work in cultural studies and related fields through highly adaptable skills like analytical thinking, effective communication, and research.” If approved by the regents, the change and the new school will go into effect on July 1 for the 2025-26 academic year along with the new School of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability.
UI students, professionals wary of potential changes College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Sara Sanders said in the December release the proposed change would help further the foundation the UI has created in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies while also enhancing the student experience, supporting faculty, and encouraging collaborative research across fields. “The creation of a School of Social and Cultural Analysis would allow us to build on our considerable legacy in areas that are essential to our mission while creating more sustainable structures and room for innovative new curricula,” Sanders said.
GWSS | 2A
Hills Elementary reduced to rubble
The Iowa City school district said they have no current plans for the land. Grace Olson News Editor
grace.olson@dailyiowan.com
Winding down the two-lane road connecting Hills and Iowa City, a school bus full of elementary school students traveled over seven miles out of town to Alexander Elementary School. Behind them, early in the morning on Jan. 13, dust loomed in the air over their former school as construction workers started demolishing Hills Elementary. Loud sounds of breaking glass and falling brick filled quiet a Main Street as the only school in the small town became a pile of drywall and insulation. The Iowa City Community School District Board of Directors voted unanimously in March 2024 to close Hills Elementary to save over $1 million in budget cuts. The district’s school board cited economic inefficiency as the main-
Ethan McLaughlin | The Daily Iowan
Hills Elementary is seen being torn down by a demolition crew in Hills, Iowa, on Jan. 15. The demolition began on Jan. 13, and was slated to last the duration of the week.
reason for closing Hills. Based on districting, students in Hills began attending Alexander for the 2025-26 school year and are being bused in daily. Before the demolition, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department used the empty school to do active shooter or ALICE training. In an email to The Daily Iowan, Iowa City Community School District Director of Community Relations Kristin Pedersen said the district has no current plans for the land now that the building has been razed. Hills City Council Member Teresa Volk said the town is interested in buying the land back
from the Iowa City school district to build a new fire station, but the district said it’s holding on to the land in case they ever want to build a new school there. “The city would like to have that land to benefit the community instead of having an empty lot there for who knows how many years,” Volk said. “It’s right at the entrance of our town, so I’m hoping they will keep it mowed and look nice and maybe park-like instead of just the empty lot. [It] makes the town look bad.” Volk also expressed her frustration with
HILLS | 3A