The Daily Iowan
A healthier Iowa, but at what cost? Iowa’s MAHA movement confronts a complicated reality.
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child does not have to be old enough to read a nutrition label to experience the consequences of an unhealthy diet. In an examination room in Ames, Iowa, these conversations begin when children are just 3, 4, or 5 years old. For Dr. David Moore, a pediatrician at McFarland Clinic in Ames, obesity is not an abstract statistic or problem reserved for adulthood. It is something that can emerge before a child has entered kindergarten. The conversations often begin with questions about what a family eats. Parents describe the meals they prepare, the foods their children enjoy, and the challenges of encouraging healthier habits. Sometimes, those meals sound perfectly healthy. But between breakfast and dinner are the chips grabbed throughout the afternoon, the cookies between meals, the glasses of juice or soda can add calories
without leaving a child satiated. For Moore, these conversations are not simply about telling parents what their child should eat. They are about understanding what families can realistically change. Some parents may not recognize how much their children consume between meals, while others understand the recommendations but struggle to balance nutrition with the cost and convenience of feeding a family. Moore said he has noticed more families becoming conscious of what their children eat, re ecting how the MAHA movement’s growing political in uence and national debates over food additives and childhood obesity have brought nutrition to the forefront of public conversation. These everyday challenges have become the focus of a much larger political debate, as lawmakers increasingly seek to in uence what children eat and how families make decisions about their health. The Make America Healthy Again movement, championed nationally by
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has brought renewed attention to artificial food dyes, processed foods, childhood obesity, and environmental contaminants. Its supporters argue addressing potentially harmful ingredients and promoting healthier lifestyles could help prevent chronic illness before it begins. But improving Iowa’s health may require more than changing the ingredients in its food. In rural communities, families may travel miles to reach a grocery store, while rising food costs can make nutritious meals di cult to afford. At a state level, Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn has made the health of Iowa one of his major running points while his Democratic opponent has focused more on food access. U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Hinson has outwardly supported the movement’s spotlight on
Vintage and whimsy? Yes please! Iowa’s
bumblebee buzz
OddLuck is home to local art and quirky coffee flavors, looking to serve students and the surrounding community.
On campus and other Iowa locations, sightings of federally endangered bees are on the rise.
Nestled on Iowa City’s Washington Street and abuzz with chatter, a new brick and mortar, OddLuck, boasted a series of art pieces from local artists, classic vintage finds, and uni ue coffee avors. For owner Courtney Davidhizar, vintage was not her first home. Working as a barista for over 10 years, she got into the vintage scene when she started dating her wife, Kaitlyn Amborn, back in 2020. Amborn had always worked in secondhand clothing, Davidhizar said, building a collection and selling products online during the pandemic. Not long after, Odd uck took off, with the couple doing pop-ups on the Pedestrian Mall and with Iowa City Flea, while also selling clothes on Etsy. “Our house was taken over with vintage,” Davidhizar said. About a year ago, OddLuck found a new home: a warehouse on the southside of Iowa City at 2339 Heinz Rd. Moving into their new space, formerly home to local boutique Heim, Davidhizar said it felt like a “natural next step.” The store held its grand opening on Oct. 10, revealing the space to the community for the first time. “Making coffee has always been a big part of building community to me, so we’ve always known we’ve wanted a space where we could foster both vintage and coffee because there is community wrapped up in both those things,” Davidhizar said. Taking the vintage, "whimsical" art world by storm Displayed throughout OddLuck’s space, art from locals and non-locals
have a weird little baby covered in tattoos.” The name OddLuck itself took the couple a long time to come up with. Formerly known as Untitled Threads, Davidhizar knew the name was always a placeholder. OddLuck, she said, comes from a James Tate poem about an adventure taken by a man and an alien. “It felt like this odd luck of life that they found each other. It is a sad poem but has a lot of magic in the fact that they found each other,” she said.
This past summer, Shae Loecke saw something almost too good to be true. While walking near the Iowa Memorial Union footbridge, Loecke, a fourth-year environmental engineering student and intern for the University of Iowa Office of Sustainability and Environment, saw a critically endangered species: the rusty patch bumblebee. Having done survey work for the UI’s Bee Campus, Loecke knows bumblebees. He knows which species are common, which species pollinate which owers, and which species are rare. All around the UI, Bee Campus has planted gardens of native plants intended to attract pollinators of any species. They also work with facilities management to reduce pesticide usage in landscaping on campus. Their hope is that these efforts will protect spaces for pollinators and encourage them to nest and pollinate on campus. Since Loecke found the rusty patch bumblebee, chances are it’s working. The UI o cially a liated with Bee Campus USA in 2022, an effort falling under the umbrella of the nationwide pollinator conservation group Xerces Society of Invertebrate Conservation. Research organizations around Iowa and Bee Campus USA at the UI are part of an effort to restore native pollinators throughout the country. Since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified Iowa as a high-potential zone for rusty patched bumblebees, research on the insect in Iowa is strategic. The rusty patched bumblebee has been critically endangered since 2017, so Loecke couldn’t believe his eyes. Naturally, he took as many pictures as he could. “I never thought I’d ever even see one, let alone be able to get a picture of it,” Loecke said. “It blew my mind.”
is displayed across the walls. Racks of vintage clothing line the wooden oors. ess developed, Odd uck’s basement sports a dressing room, and eventually, Davidhizar said, comfortable seating for community members to lounge. Throughout the store, little Cupid babies remain hidden from customer sight, by Davidhizar herself. A longtime collector of the knicknack, she wanted to incorporate her love into the store’s logo. “They are just weird and funny, and I also really love tattoo culture and the really traditional American style,” Davidhizar said. “There’s a lot of cool history there, so I wanted to
parental understanding. Iowa’s attempt to restrict Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, purchases has raised concerns among hunger advocates, who say the rules affected foods like prepared salads and fruit cups. For doctors and hunger advocates, those challenges raise a question reaching beyond the MAHA movement Can Iowa make its residents healthier without first addressing the barriers shaping what families can afford to eat? The movement has found fertile ground in a state built around agriculture, where the land produces an abundance of crops, but access to healthy food remains uneven. Iowa knows how to grow things. But the question remains: How does it nourish its people?
For Iowa Sen. ara Warme, R-Ames, one of the clearest signs of the MAHA movement’s political appeal came during Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Condition of the State address. When Reynolds discussed removing artificial food dyes from school lunches, Warme recalled, the reaction inside the chamber was immediate. Outside the Capitol, Warme’s phone began to fill with messages from constituents who supported the proposal. She said it re ected parents’growing anxiety about the substances their children encounter every day. “Am I poisoning my kids Is there something we’re doing I don’t realize I’m doing?” Warme said, describing the questions she believed parents were asking. Signed into law by Reynolds on May 20, Warme served as the Senate oor manager for House File 26 6, Iowa’s sweeping MAHA legislation which brought together policies addressing nutrition, childhood health, and technology used in schools. Iowa’s legislation is one example of how the national MAHA movement has translated concerns about food and health into state policy. While Kennedy has championed changes to American nutrition at the federal level, Iowa lawmakers have pursued their own approach through school food standards, medical education, and restrictions affecting children’s daily routines. A 2021 report from the Robert Wood ohnson Foundation found 16.9 percent of Iowa children ages 10-1 were considered obese, slightly above the national average of 16.2 percent. The report highlighted concerns about childhood obesity and its potential long-term health conse uences, including increased risks of diabetes and heart disease. The MAHA law’s reach extends beyond the dinner table. Among its provisions are efforts to strengthen nutrition education for medical professionals and limit screen time for elementary school students. Warme said nutrition education was particularly important because families are more likely to trust information from their doctors than from government o cials. That relationship between doctors and families has become increasingly complicated as health decisions receive greater political attention. The national MAHA movement has elevated uestions about food ingredients, childhood health, and medical recommendations, placing doctors in the position of having to navigate both scientific evidence and the concerns parents bring into the examination rooms. Lahn has said MAHA will assist in the “large systematic change” that needs to be made. He said in an interview with WeAreIowa, the government has a large role to play in making sure the food grown and served in schools is safe. “That’s a big priority for me and what I’m doing is bringing that Iowa First, Make America Healthy Again type of agenda to all sorts of aspects of governing,” ahn said. The national MAHA movement has faced scrutiny over claims con icting with established scientific research. Kennedy has questioned the evidence disproving a link between vaccines and autism, despite extensive studies finding no credible connection, while the administration’s redesigned food pyramid has drawn criticism from nutrition experts for emphasi ing animal proteins and fats over established dietary recommendations. Despite the controversies, Warme maintained that Iowa’s MAHA legislation was grounded in scientific research. “I can’t think of any divisions of the bill we passed that aren’t backed by science and research,” Warme said. In a follow-up email, Warme identified several books she relied on while developing the legislation, including “The Anxious eneration” by onathan Haidt, “Spark” by ohn Ratey, and “The Digital Delusion” by ared Cooney Horvath. Inside the Statehouse, the promise of a healthier Iowa has taken the shape of legislation, and given Republican state and federal candidates another campaign priority. Outside its walls, that same promise has become something else: a political message, a campaign talking point, and a uestion of who gets to decide what healthy looks like.
As the midterm election approaches, the politics of nutrition have become intertwined with competing visions for the state’s future. Lahn has made public health and environmental concerns central themes of his campaign, including Iowa’s cancer burden, water quality, and exposure to agricultural chemicals and was the first candidate in the country to be endorsed by MAHA. ahn’s campaign did not provide further statements after multiple re uests for comment. At the federal level, Hinson has expressed support for the MAHA movement’s emphasis on greater food transparency and parental awareness. “I’m a teenage boy mom myself, so I am very aware of what my kids are eating, and some things are better than others. I think what’s important about that movement is that it has
educated a lot of parents about what they’re feeding their kids,” Hinson said. She said the movement has encouraged manufacturers to reconsider their ingredients, but she favors consumer pressure over government intervention. “I don’t think we need government mandates for everything, and I think sometimes consumer-driven is the best,” Hinson said during a September public appearance in Ely, Iowa. Sand has approached food-related health issues through affordability, hunger prevention, and support for local agriculture. During a discussion with food security advocates in early October, Sand expressed support for universal free school meals and efforts to connect Iowa farmers with schools and hospitals through long-term purchasing agreements. For Whitney ahnd, assistant professor of health management and policy at the UI, even the government’s dietary recommendations exist within a political and economic landscape. She questioned how agricultural interests may in uence the emphasis placed on certain food groups, particularly animalbased proteins. She said the science supports a more balanced approach, including fruits, vegetables, fiber, carbohydrates, protein, and fats. No single ingredient, she said, can explain the nation’s chronic disease challenges. But beyond the campaign trails and Capitol corridors lies a contradiction rooted deep in Iowa’s soil. In a state that feeds millions, the uestion is not simply how much food its land can produce, but how much nourishment reaches the people who call it home.
Fields of corn and soybeans extend beyond small towns and rural highways. ivestock production supports communities across the state. Agriculture remains central to how Iowa understands itself. et much of what Iowa grows is not destined to become fresh produce on a family’s dinner table. Republican candidate Lahn said we should prioriti e state grown foods, which would not only be healthier for children but also help create new markets for farmers and opportunities for smaller operators that want to serve their community. “[Iowa] can grow nutrient dense, healthy food for our kids and replace a lot of this nonnutrient dense food that’s coming into our schools being trucked in from thousands of miles away,” Lahn said in an interview with WeAreIowa. Corn and soybeans feed livestock, support fuel production, and enter industrial food supply chains. Moore sees an opportunity in that contradiction. He said Iowa could strengthen partnerships between farmers and schools to make locally grown fruits and vegetables more available to children. Instead of treating agriculture and public health as separate conversations, he believes the state could connect them more directly. For Zahnd, those systems are essential to understanding chronic disease. She said one of Iowa’s most significant nutritional problems is the limited consumption of fruits and vegetables. According to figures she cited and America’s Health Rankings, 9 . percent of Iowans consume less than the benchmark of two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day. A neighborhood without safe sidewalks can make physical activity more di cult. A rural town without a nearby grocery store can limit healthy food options. A family struggling with food costs may prioriti e affordability over nutritional variety. ahnd said improving access to healthy foods and creating opportunities for physical activity would likely provide substantially greater public health benefits than focusing primarily on food dyes. Iowa’s fields may stretch for miles, but abundance does not guarantee access. Between the farm and the dinner table lies a distance measured not only in miles, but in grocery bills, household budgets, and the choices families can afford to make.
For ohn Boller, the executive director of the Coralville Community Food Pantry, the conversation about making Iowa healthier begins with a uestion of access. As an advocate with the Iowa Hunger Coalition, Boller works on issues affecting residents who struggle to afford food. He said the coalition opposed Iowa’s MAHA legislation partly because of provisions connected to restrictions on purchases made through SNAP. Iowa pursued a federal waiver, backed by Reynolds, restricting SNAP purchases of taxable food items, Boller said the restrictions went beyond candy and soda, affecting products that could be part of a healthy diet, like Pedialyte, pre-made salads, and fruit cups. U.S. District udge Amy Berman ackson struck down the waiver on une 22, halting the restrictions. Federal o cials indicated they intended to appeal and pursue further waiver applications. Boller said people experiencing food insecurity often already want the very foods health advocates recommend. The problem is paying for them. At food pantries, Boller said, some of the most re uested items are meat, produce, and milk. They are also among the items families may struggle to purchase regularly with limited grocery budgets. “Those products that are essential for maintaining a balanced, healthy diet — they’re the most expensive items at the store,” Boller said. It is a dilemma familiar to the families Moore sees in Ames. A doctor may recommend adding more fruits and vegetables to a child’s diet, but that advice carries a different weight when parents are calculating how to stretch their grocery budget through the end of the week. Boller said the coalition favors incentives that make healthier foods more affordable, including Double Up Food Bucks, which increases the purchasing power of SNAP benefits for eligible fruits and vegetables.
“If we truly want to make America or Iowa healthy again, we need the system to change,” Boller said. For some families, the price of healthy eating is measured at the checkout counter. For others, its conse uences emerge later. But in examination rooms like Moore’s the distance between what children need and what families can provide can become visible before a child can tie their own shoes.
By the time a child arrives at Moore’s o ce, the habits shaping their health may already be years in the making. He said genetics can contribute to obesity, but daily behaviors and the environment surrounding the child also matter. A family might prepare balanced dinners but struggle with fre uent snacking. A child might drink multiple glasses of juice without the parents reali ing how uickly the calories add up. That distinction matters to Moore. The challenge is not always convincing parents healthy eating is important. It is helping them identify changes that fit into their budgets, schedules, and children’s preferences. Moore said parents sometimes overcomplicate healthy eating because preparing meals from scratch can feel overwhelming when packaged food is readily available. He encourages families to simplify their approach, find meals their children will actually eat, and use accessible resources to plan balanced diets. “Those fruits and veggies, especially now more than ever, are not cheap things when you’re buying them at the grocery store,” Moore said. For Moore, those challenges are especially apparent in rural communities, where access to food assistance and community programs can be limited. He described finding numerous food-related resources in the Ames and Story County area while recognizing smaller communities may have far fewer options. Moore said programs such as SNAP, Women, Infants and Children nutrition assistance, school meals, and summer food benefits remain important tools for supporting families. Even when assistance exists, families may not know where to find it. Moore said doctors themselves can struggle to identify all the resources available to their patients, and with a typical pediatric appointment lasting only about 20 minutes, there is limited time to address nutrition, physical activity, and the social conditions in uencing a child’s health. For Moore, healthier childhoods are built through small decisions repeated at kitchen tables, in grocery aisles, and between school days. But as MAHA turns its attention toward the ingredients inside America’s food, another uestion emerges How much of the nation’s health crisis can be traced to what is hidden inside a package A brightly colored drink, a packaged snack, or a cereal containing unfamiliar additives can raise questions about what consumers are putting into their bodies but the science of healthy eating cannot be reduced to a single ingredient, just as the health of a child cannot be measured by a single meal. In a statement to The Daily Iowan, the American Heart Association outlined its March 2026 dietary guidance, emphasi ing vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, and other healthy protein sources while limiting added sugars, excess sodium, and alcohol. Whole-grain breads, fortified grain products, and nut spreads, for example, can contribute to a healthy diet despite sometimes falling into categories associated with ultraprocessed foods. Somewhere between the policies written in Des Moines and the meals served at home, those decisions become something more than a political debate. They become a child’s everyday life.
Back in Ames, Moore’s conversations with families do not begin with the political identity of a health movement. They begin with children. A parent wants to know how to improve a child’s diet. A doctor asks about meals, snacks, and exercise. Together, they try to identify changes a family can realistically maintain. Sometimes the solution is as straightforward as replacing a sugary drink or finding a healthier snack. Other times, the barriers extend beyond anything a physician can resolve during a single appointment. Moore said lasting improvements often require changes involving the entire household. A child cannot be expected to maintain healthy habits independently of the environment surrounding them, and families cannot always overcome structural barriers through individual effort. The MAHA movement has succeeded in bringing renewed attention to questions doctors and public health researchers have raised for years What is in the food Americans eat? Why are chronic diseases so common? What can be done to give children a healthier future Those questions have resonated in Iowa’s Capitol, among parents, and across political campaigns. But the answers are less easily packaged. A food dye can be removed from a product. A nutrition label can be rewritten. A school can change what appears on its lunch menu. Reducing childhood obesity, improving access to healthy food, and preventing chronic illness require changes that are harder to measure and sustain. Iowa’s fields will continue producing crops. Its grocery stores will continue filling shelves. Its doctors will continue encouraging families to make healthier choices. For Moore, the challenge remains personal and immediate: helping the next child who enters his o ce. For lawmakers, it is a uestion of whether the policies passed in Des Moines can meaningfully change what happens inside homes across the state. And for families, it may come down to something far simpler than the politics surrounding MAHA not whether they know what healthy food looks like, but whether they can put it on the table.
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to get a picture of it,” Loecke said. “It blew my mind.” The species’ endangerment is why experts say small, local efforts are critical to reviving the bumblebee population. Researchers like Danielle Holthaus predict that conservation efforts could lead to a significant increase in bumblebees, so anything can help. “Community action is key,” Holthaus said. By being an o cial Bee Campus, the UI allows students to take action themselves. At the UI, Bee Campus has four focus areas to protect native pollinators: creating habitats, limiting pesticide use, promoting conservation education, and engaging students through service opportunities. Holthaus also aims to protect the species through her work as a research station manager with Monarch Research, an Iowa-based nonprofit. Over the summer, Holthaus and her colleagues recorded a rusty patch sighting. Holthaus said the bee’s renewed presence in Iowa is unexpected due to the species’ rapid decline. The bee only occupies one percent of its historic range, and Holthaus said research suggests the population has decreased by approximately 90 percent since 2000. Holthaus’s bee was the first one seen on Monarch Research’s property in 10 years. The endangered insect has been spotted in various locations in Iowa recently, so Loecke’s sighting is part of a larger trend. Experts find pollinators like bumblebees are understudied and undervalued as assets to food production and the overall environmental health. “They are essential,” Holthaus said. “They’re one of the
adventure taken by a man and an alien. “It felt like this odd luck of life that they found each other. It is a sad poem but has a lot of magic in the fact that they found each other,” she said. Davidhizar and her wife Kaitlyn buy all vintage clothing when it is at the “end of its life.” The store will primarily sell workwear and western wear. “Being from Texas, I really like that Americana feel. I love that in clothes and want to bring that into this space,” Davidhizar said. A long time proponent of “weird, freaky art,” the couple wanted to bring in art and prints that felt fun and whimsical. “That is a big part of what odd luck is — just not taking ourselves so seriously. So having art that creates those feelings is so nice,” Davidhizar said.
The coffee cart, previously a mobile push cart traveling throughout Iowa City, opened in May. It will be available to customers Friday through Sunday with a series of eclectic drinks. Davidhizar currently operates the service and hopes to one day make it a permanent coffee bar within the space. “We want to see how people like it, how the space functions, and how we want to build out a little bit more long term,” Davidhizar said. For their opening day on Oct. 10, Davidhizar came up with a new latte to welcome patrons and customers alike: the Richard Scary Ahh Latte, consisting of honey, apple cider, cardamom, fennel, allspice, and black pepper. Davidhizar said all syrups are made in house and many of the recipes are inspired by her Texas roots as a way of “paying tribute.” The Big Red Soda, a favorite in the southern state, inspired Davidhizar’s Cupert’s Luck Latte, with candy, orange, citrus, and vanilla. Oscar Rodriguez, an Iowa City community member who attended the opening event, said he liked that the owners have put a big emphasis on coffee as well, hoping for a fun matcha drink. “I like supporting local coffee shops around town, and I think a lot of people are excited to have another space for just coffee too that’s not on opposite sides of town,” Rodriguez said. Rodrigue said he knows a coffee shop is
most important pollinating groups out there.” Beth Mac en ie, a program director of UI Bee Campus, said a bumblebee’s role as a pollinator makes its status important for plant growth. In Iowa, there are plant species that can only be pollinated by rusty patched bumblebees. Other than native plants, many crops also need bumblebees to pollinate them. Tomatoes, strawberries, and peppers benefit from bumblebees, specifically because they engage in a form of pollination called “buzz pollination.” Buzz pollinators grip owers and vibrate their bodies to shake pollen loose. “If we lose the bee, then we might also lose the ower that’s not able to be pollinated,” MacKenzie said. Additionally, bumblebees, including rusty patch, have a unique motivation behind pollination. Other bee species only pollinate as a by-product of other duties. Honeybees, for example, seek out nectar from owers and accidentally spread pollen around as they move. On the other hand, rusty patched bumblebees don’t make honey. Instead, they go out of their way to find pollen for their young, who need it for development. Combined with their use of buzz pollination, bumblebees’ deliberate search for pollen makes them a backbone of native plant growth. But rusty patched bumblebees are federally endangered. As a result, plants and crops that need rusty patched bumblebees to pollinate them are getting harder and harder to grow. Those involved with Bee Campus and Monarch Research, like MacKenzie, Loecke, and Holthaus, all encourage people to do what they can to help native bee pollinators. UI students can check the UI Bee Campus website to get involved. “Every little bit helps, and even students at the University of Iowa can assist with that,” Holthaus said.
good when they have a good matcha. “That’s my standard, so I’m excited to see what they come up with here,” he said. “I like chai teas and matcha, so I am more of a tea-oriented person but that fits into the scope of coffee too and I’m looking forward to that.” Liz Flanagan, a community patron who loves vintage clothing and coffee shops, echoed a similar sentiment, and said she had already heard good things about Odd uck’s coffee. “The drink they are advertising today [the Richard Scary Ahh Latte] sounds so interesting and I will literally try anything once so we’re just gonna see how it goes,” Flanagan said. “I’m intrigued.” Davidhizar and Amborn also operate OddLuck’s “Vinyl Sips” in collaboration with Sacred Collective, a multi-denominational spiritual community located on Iowa City’s Northside. where members of the community can receive free coffee. “It’s nice to remove transactions and just get to know more people in Iowa City,” Davidhizar said. “I’m hoping we can do a lot more of those types of things here, and I’m excited to use this space to foster more of that type of connection.”
For Rodriguez, spaces like OddLuck are something the Iowa City community needs. Coining them “third spaces,” OddLuck isn’t necessarily a place where people have to buy something, but a space where individuals can come together. “It is a place for like-minded people who like fashion and vintage, and I feel like they [OddLuck] have been touting the space as more of a community space than just some space for people to go shop,” Rodriguez said. A longtime customer at OddLuck’s warehouse, Rodriguez is excited about the community building aspect and having a space where individuals are able to pick and choose their involvement. “If you want a coffee, you can get a coffee, but if you just want to admire vintage and decor you can do that too,” he said. The fact that OddLuck is run by members of the community is appealing to Rodriguez as well. “It’s not just two nobodies running this space. These are actual people you know, and I think that is really great,” he said. Davidhizar said the Iowa City community has been warm and welcoming in helping foster a collaborative space. “It has felt really easy to be able to
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accomplish things because everybody shares resources here,” she said. For Flanagan, the vintage scene has always appealed to her as she consistently searches for secondhand items. Buying items secondhand has not only been a money-saving tool, but has also served as an alternative to the mainstream clothing sold. “So many of the clothes made today all look the same or are made of really cheap materials,” Flanagan said, “Often when you are shopping vintage, you can find nicer quality things or things that will last you a bit longer, and that’s what I am trying to do in my own wardrobe.” Rodriguez agreed with this sentiment, emphasizing the uniqueness of buying vintage.
“There’s likely no other person who you run into that has the same piece of clothing that you have found. I think we are all striving for more individuality in a culture where algorithms decide what you wear,” he said. Rodriguez likes the idea of having shop owners curate what items are on the oor at any given time and is intrigued by how intentional making a sustainable choice, such as buying secondhand, is. Davidhizar hopes to continue to foster this environment within the new space, feeling as if the location they are in was meant for them. “It feels very cosmic, but rewarding and I am excited that we are just being intentional and taking it one day at a time,” she said.
OPINIONS STOP OVERCHARGING PARENTS
Every year during Parents’ Weekend, Iowa City and Coralville hotels engage in blatant and coordinated price gouging.
Every year during the fall semester, the University of Iowa schedules a fun, activity-filled weekend for parents to visit students living on campus. Every year, the hotels in the city choose that weekend to hike their prices through the roof. Rooms normally priced around $150 reach up to $400 per night, depending on location. On top of that, some locations require a two-night minimum stay, especially for football weekends, which already have increased prices.
The Graduate by Hilton in downtown IC, for example, specifies Blackout Dates, during which university-affiliated discounts do not apply and rates jump to a minimum of $259 per night. Family and football weekends are almost always included in these dates. Short of somehow being a really crazy and highly predictable pattern of bizarre, annual coincidences — which seems highly unlikely — it’s pretty clear what’s going on: price gouging. Deliberate, coordinated price gouging. Parents’ Weekend isn’t even a fixed date year to year; it moves around to accommodate university sporting events and programming. And somehow still,
mysteriously, like clockwork, hotel fares skyrocket for that exact announced period of time, whenever it happens to fall. As a business practice this is morally reprehensible on pretty much every level. Parents' Weekend is already a massive revenue bump for these hotels, not just given the sheer amount of families that visit, but the number of them that otherwise probably would have waited until the holidays for students to come home or opted for a day trip without an overnight stay. Instead, without the hotels ever having to invest a cent, the university draws from its own budget to host, create, and promote a giant event that encourages families to spend a whole weekend here in Iowa City. It is undoubtedly an important weekend, but it comes at a high cost for parents. It’s a giant, free marketing campaign for the hotels every year. They reap incredible benefits by just existing, yet that doesn’t seem to be enough for them. When presented with this already massively advantageous situation, they collectively don’t see a generous boost in new repeat customers, but instead, an opportunity to be further exploited. Interestingly enough, while complaints were generally universal, even within families, opinions are more divided on whether something ought to be done. “All the Hilton products in Iowa City and Coralville were either sold out or charging upwards of $600 per night for one king bed or two queen bed rooms,” Lawrence Reisman, visiting father of UI student Emily Reisman, said. “Even Cedar Rapids was charging $400 or more for similar rooms. While it is frustrating, I understand the market forces at play, and the local hotels want to capitalize on the limited supply compared with the much greater demand during Parents’ Weekend.” Reisman’s numbers were corroborated by the Hilton website, as well as matched or exceeded by other local establishments. However, Ellen Dickson, the student’s mother, respectfully disagreed with her husband. “Even though America runs on a market system of supply and demand pricing, I think gouging shouldn’t be allowed, so I believe that while prices can go up to some degree, it should be capped because it becomes an unfair marketplace if only the really rich can afford it,” she said. Both parents make fair arguments; Dickson finds it exploitative and thinks someone should put a stop to it. Reisman finds it irritating but an acceptable concession for a free market economy. While I see Reisman’s point, I am ultimately inclined to agree with Dickson. Iowa City hotels are teetering right on the edge of discriminatory pricing, which, while in the majority of cases is shockingly legal, is more than likely considered an unethical, or at least highly questionable, practice by most consumers. It’s technically not because the hotels charge anyone those rates to stay on Parents’ Weekend, but in spirit, it’s pretty hard to deny the broader intent, which is to charge parents more than is ordinary for other guests. That, in my eyes, is what makes it a problem. It is done in bad faith, and it needs to end.
Local political ads are getting out of hand Overexsposure to political attack ads is harming voter motivation in Iowa City.
Just because you can shove your face in front of people as soon as they turn on their TV, check their mail, or step outside, doesn’t mean you should. And yet, candidates running for the upcoming Iowa general election seem to have no problem numbing the minds of every Iowa City resident with a constant barrage of smear campaigns. “On average, I would say I see about four ads a day. It can definitely get repetitive,” University of Iowa student Sam Wagner said. The issue here isn’t that there’s an important election coming up and people don’t want to hear about it, it’s that oversaturation of political marketing is harming prospective voter motivation. Picture this: a UI student moves in from out of town, open to registering to vote in their new home for the semester. A few weeks later they walk right by one of the street registration volunteers without a passing glance. This sight may seem like a cold demonstration of ignorance, but in that student’s mind, they’ve grown an aversion to hearing the names Rob Sand, Josh Turek, Marianette Miller-Meeks, and other candidates during their time in Iowa City. Could anyone truly blame them for this? Does it not seem a little grating that you can probably recite the line, “Liberal politician Josh Turk missed 58 percent of his votes, hundreds of votes, yet still collected his full taxpayer-funded paycheck,” from memory? It was created and distributed by the Senate Leadership Fund, which is run by senate Republicans, according to Iowa Capitol Dispatch. The ad is like many others this election season in its aggression and lack of context. Regardless of the correctness of the statement, the quick jumping to conclusions and rampant use of bu words to stoke the ames of party-hatred should feel belittling to anyone watching. Another inescapable viewing this election season has been the unnerving ad, “Terrifying,” produced by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird’s campaign. The ad contains a claim befitting of its title that Nate Willems, who is running against Bird in the election for Attorney General, isn’t
bothered by the fact that a convicted child predator could be living near you. It adds that Willems actively voted against keeping tabs on sex offenders, a bold claim clearly meant to terrify. Things like party a liation and even fact checking take a back seat to the fact that the majority of ads people will see this election season are both negative and talking down to the viewer. This feeling can start to stack up. What should be a place where enthusiastic students with diverse perspectives breathe life into a political landscape, feels like an overwhelming place that is pushing said students away. UI political science professor Tim Hagle explained that a candidate or other political interest group running a great deal of ads has a very specific audience in mind. They’re attempting to throw ads in as many slots as possible in a large broadcast window, hoping people who can’t watch a program in its entirety will still see their message. For those who happen to watch the entire program, this
can be extremely exhausting and even defeating. “It feels like they aren’t even trying to say anything good or hopeful anymore, it’s all very negative,” Wagner continued. Hagle was able to provide an explanation for this phenomenon as well. “Fear tends to motivate voters more than good feelings or vibes,” he explained. “You need the positive advertising as well to counter the negative [...] at a certain point you reach a saturation level, and it actually can potentially become detrimental. You just get tired of the ads.” The combination of a lack of positive balance and the sheer volume of ads is certainly becoming a nagging issue that will likely get more intense as the election draws closer. However, it’s critical for voters to understand how important this election is. Major positions like U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, and Iowa Governor will be decided. It should go without saying that positions like this can drastically affect the experience of living in Iowa as both a student and resident. So the next time you groan at a local
Colony Acres celebrates 100 years
The family-run farm celebrates the growth and changes over a century.
What started in 1926 as a farm of cattle, chickens, and horses, plus many types of grain, has since become an expansive pumpkin patch with apple cider slushies and attractions for all ages. Colony Acres is known for its luscious pumpkins that customers can pick off the vine, rubber duck races, hayrides, and many more activities for families and friends to enjoy. It also has options for shopping inside the barn and renting out the space for events during the off season. The family-run farm is located in North Liberty with 28 acres of pumpkins. When owner Dean Colony was growing up, it was primarily a hog farm, but as neighborhoods cropped up around it, diversification became necessary. Diversifying was nothing new to the Colony family. Dean Colony said his grandparents endured the farm depression, and his parents faced the 1980s farm depression, but his love for the farm stayed strong through those challenges. When it was Colony’s turn to decide how the farm would succeed, he chose pumpkins. Colony said when his oldest daughter, Megan Colony, was young, they would go to a pumpkin patch to give her alone time from her siblings. After one trip, Colony returned with the idea that, instead of grabbing a pumpkin from a display, they could let customers pick their own. “I absolutely love the fall, just the harvest part of everything,” Dean Colony said. “The fruition of everything you’ve done for the season comes together right there, so to get people out to the field, to get their hands dirty a little bit, to build, to wash up their own thing they pick from the vine, I think it’s really special.” Colony and his wife, Katie Colony, began growing pumpkins 21 years ago, raising two babies and a threeyear-old at the same time. Colony said their kids have seen the challenges and hard work that go into owning a business, but also the joy and fun moments. Megan Colony is the oldest, and she said she has been lucky to grow up in a customer-focused environment because it gave her skills that could be transferable to different jobs. Colony is a kitchen manager at Colony Acres, and she enjoys training other employees. “I really, really push our staff to be interactive with guests,” Megan Colony said. “I want you to feel like you’ve been coming here your whole life. You’ve been here, you’re part of the family, in a way.” The Colony Acres farm sits between neighborhoods with a high school in its backyard. Families are often stopping by the pumpkin patch to zip-line or race down a potato sack slide. “I have kids that came when they were little, who now work for me,” Katie Colony said. As generations move through the farm, so do new challenges. Katie Colony said this year, with the rain at the beginning of the season, she was reminded of the 2008 Cedar Rapids flood, which caused crop failure at a time when they did not have as many attractions. Now, with activities, retail, and food, the weather doesn’t have as great an effect, but it can still prevent attractions like hayrides due to the mud. Yet, in these hard times, Colony said it can be good to hear customers’ experiences. “We just love hearing the stories and hearing the connections,” Katie Colony said. “That’s what kind of makes it all worth it.” North Liberty resident Rachel Schramm enjoys a pumpkin patch weekend with her husband and kids every October. Schramm’s parents always join them
for this annual family weekend of fun. “They have something for everybody, and it seems like what they have can grow with our kids too,” Schramm said. “When they were little, we stayed around some of the smaller things they have, and now that they’re grown up, they can kind of just run free, and we’re just here to watch and take pictures.”
Schramm said her family always goes on a tractor ride with their apple cider slushies, and before going home, they make sure to buy some donuts for the weekend. Having peanut allergies in the family, Schramm said Colony Acres is one of the places that is very open about their menu. In addition to donuts and homemade pumpkin
bread, the farm has had a bar for the past two years with local beer on tap. Megan Colony has taken charge of the bar and strives to supply it locally. “I don’t need to have Busch Light on tap because anybody can get that anywhere, but a cider from Jefferson County, that’s pretty hard to get,” Megan Colony said. To celebrate 100 years of the farm being in the family, Dean Colony found a distillery in Spencer, Iowa, that could turn the corn they produce at the farm into bourbon, which they can use at the bar and sell to customers. Katie Colony said they took their team to the distillery so they could bottle it together. For Colony Acres, the season does not end when the leaves stop falling. The first weekend of November, they host a 5K run on the farm to close out the fall season before taking a short break and transitioning into Winter Wonderland. Instead of pumpkins, families are greeted by locally sourced Christmas trees and decorations that embody the Christmas spirit. No admission is required for tree shopping, and there are tickets for special events like a breakfast with Santa and horse-drawn carriage rides. “Twenty years ago, when we started this thing, I would never have pictured that we would have something like this, but we keep listening to our customers,” Dean Colony said.
As JoCo needs rise, funding diminishes Community members face the question of what will happen if nonprofit services begin to dwindle.
Johnson County community members are asking themselves what will happen if their nonprofit services begin to dwindle as those organi ations undergo financial troubles. The community’s needs are not diminishing, but funds are. United Action for outh is a nonprofit in Johnson County that has youth programming services like mental health care for people in crisis, pre-charge diversion programs, and more. Talia Meidlinger is the executive director of the nonprofit and has been involved in nonprofit work for 1 years. “What we’re experiencing in terms of funding loss and notification of pending funding loss is unprecedented,” she said. Meidlinger said this fiscal year, United Action for Youth has lost $400,000 in grants, two of which were supposed to be renewed. It is not just the funding loss that is di cult but the lack of notice, she said. For a pre-charge diversion program, there was only 15 days’ notice that the funding would not be renewed. She said her team has received calls from law enforcement who are asking for help with finding the correct programming for a kid, and United Action for Youth is not always able to provide the correct resources because they no longer have the staff or funding. Some grants have to be from a local entity, so United Action for Youth will partner with Johnson County Social Services and apply for the grant together. This was the case for the juvenile precharge diversion program, which was not able to renew its funding. The program helps to keep juveniles who have a first offense of a simple misdemeanor out of the justice system. Laurie Nash is the youth and family services manager at Johnson County Social Ser v ices. She said, when considering options for the future of the pre-charge youth diversion program, she is asking questions like: “Is there still a need for the program?” “Does anything need to change?” and “If there is no funding, how do they taper it off Nash said the county allocates
$350,000 annually toward juvenile just ic e a nd yout h development programs. In addition, they get requests from nonprofits wishing for help in their own funding challenges, and the county does not always have the means to help. Board of Supervisors member Rod Sullivan said Johnson County has a long history of supporting local human and health services and programs, but as federal and state constraints are put on local governments, this funding can slowly diminish. “There’s no question the next two years will be more di cult,” Sullivan said. “Iowa has what is described as a structural deficit, and so, in other words, the state has spent several years spending more money than it takes in.” The state provides a funding service called pass-throughs. This is when the state gives the county money through a grant that can then be used to fund different projects. Sullivan said due to the deficit, he is anticipating pass-throughs will decrease, if any at all. Domestic Violence Inter vention Program and Rape Victim Advocacy Program, or DVIP RVAP, is a nonprofit providing domestic violence and sexual assault crisis services and supports individuals across eight counties. The support given looks different based on the economy of each community. D e l a n e y D i x o n , DV I P/ RVA P co-executive director and chief executive operations o cer, said DVIP is working to meet the need, but the amount of need is outpacing its funding schedule. “The real question is: How do we make the limited funds that we have stretch to meet the complicated needs of the different survivors ” she said. Alta Medea, chief executive engagement officer and co-executive director at DVIP/RVAP, along with Dixon, said one of the best ways people can support is through sustainable giving, which is monthly donations. “That consistent income is something we can count on in uctuating times with grants or with state and federal award dollars,” Medea said. DVIP’s budget is broken up between different types of funds. Fifty-two percent comes from state and federal dollars, about 10 percent from individual donors,
and the rest is from a variety of grants. Medea said they have had to apply to more and different grants than they did in the past. “The competition has gotten much harder, as many nonprofits across our country are navigating very similar funding cuts,” Medea said. Meidlinger said after the first federal funding freeze when President Donald Trump was re-elected, some nonprofits decided they needed to come together as a united front. Since then, they have developed the Johnson County Nonprofit Alliance. “We’re starting to work on ways to send a message from the entire nonprofit
community to join entities. Local government, and the community at large, so people can really understand what we’re facing right now,” Meidlinger said. As grants and aid become more challenging and competitive, community members can support nonprofits by donating or volunteering. Nash gave the example that an accounting firm could offer a nonprofit a discounted service, so they can focus their funds on their expertise instead of administrative work. “In general, everyone is being expected to do more with less,” Nash said. “It doesn’t mean families don’t need the support or the kids don’t need the support. The need doesn’t go away. Just the funding.”
“LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT” TOUR
Turning Point USA brought its “America: Love It or Leave It” campus tour to the University of Iowa on Oct. 8, drawing over 1,000 students and community members to the Iowa Memorial Union’s Main Ballroom.
Iowa farmers weigh election year concerns Rising costs and trade policies are shaping how farmers will be voting this election season.
Rising input costs, trade policies, and corporate consolidation are among the issues shaping Iowa farmers’ concerns as candidates seek support ahead of the Nov. 3 election. As agricultural organizations announce political endorsements, farmers are weighing how candidate policies could affect the future of their operations, from rising production costs to to trade and competition in agricultural markets. For Sean Dengler, a former Iowa farmer who left farming at the end of 2024, some of the most pressing challenges facing farmers are economic. The fifth-generation farmer said rising costs for fertili er, seed, machinery, and other production expenses have made it extremely di cult for smaller farming operations to remain profitable. Dengler inherited his family farm from his father in 2020 and said telling his father he was done farming was one of the hardest things he has ever had to do. He said corn and soybean prices were dipping, but the cost of producing these crops were still high. Dengler said larger companies’ inf luence over agricultural markets limits farmers’ ability to negotiate prices for the supplies they need. A large reason why Dengler left the industry was due to the lack of control he had of resources and costs. “You have to produce more hogs and grow more corn— you have to go bigger,” he said. “ ou are forced to produce more because your margins are so thin.” As farmers face these economic pressures, agricultural organi ations are backing candidates they believe will address challenges facing rural communities. The Iowa Farmers Union endorsed Josh Turek in his race for U.S. Senate, along with Christina Bohannan in her race for the U.S. House. Lindsay James, Sarah Trone Garriott, and Dave Dawson were endorsed for U.S. House seats around the state. The union cited concerns around rural healthcare, water quality, and trade policies, saying they were endorsing candidates who they felt would advocate for these issues. “For over a century, Iowa Farmers Union has been vocal that family farmers and rural communities deserve leaders who will fight for them,” Aaron ehman, Iowa Farmers Union president, said in a statement announcing the endorsements. “We need leaders in Congress who are ready to take real action on the issues that matter to our members.” The Iowa Farm Bureau, a political action committee, or PAC, that advocates for Iowa farmers, also released its endorsements for the election, announcing their
support for Ashley Hinson in the U.S. Senate race, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, oe Mitchell, ach Nunn, and Chris McGowan for seats in the U.S. House. The endorsements re ect a partisan divide in how Iowa’s agricultural organi ations are backing candidates this election season. While the Iowa Farmers Union endorsed Democratic candidates across the U.S. Senate and House races, the Iowa Farm Bureau endorsed Republicans in each of the races listed, including Hinson for Senate. Dengler said endorsements from groups like the Iowa Farmers Union may help inform farmers on how to vote, but he doesn’t expect endorsements alone to determine how Iowa farmers will vote this election season. U.S. Senate candidate Turek has similarly emphasized the effects of state and federal policies on farmers. In May, Turek’s campaign announced the Farmers for Turek coalition, a group of 16 Iowa farmers who are supporting Turek. In September, Turek announced an additional 1 new members to the coalition. The campaign highlighted Turek’s agricultural platform, which includes ending the war in Iran,
opposing tariffs it says hurts family farms, and passing a comprehensive farm bill. The farm bill is a large federal law that governs agriculture programs, crop insurance, conservation efforts, and food assistance. “Our farmers need, more than any other group, open trade and open markets,” Turek said in a debate with Republican opponent Hinson on Oct. . “What the tariffs have done has led to the decimation of open markets.” Dengler said trade policies can affect farmers both when they purchase supplies and when they try to sell their crops. Tariffs on agricultural exports can make it more di cult to find buyers, while tariffs on imported goods can make production costs increase. He said he would like to see candidates devote more attention to market concentration behind many agricultural costs. He said a small number of companies have a substantial in uence over markets for fertili er, farm machinery, and other supplies, leaving farmers with few alternatives when prices rise. “I don’t want any other farmer to go through what I had to do, where I had to call my dad and tell him I was done farming,” he said.
The changing landscape of youth activism Organizers cite financial stress, social media, and negative news as factors shaping youth involvement.
As young people find new ways to engage with political issues, local organizers say youth activism is shifting, with social media, economic pressures, and a sense of hopelessness about t he political system. ori Nelson, board president of PEACE Iowa, an advocacy group promoting peace and social justice, said over the years there has been less participation f r om p e ople a ge s 1 -2 across local activist groups in Iowa City. Nelson sa id younger generations tend to star t polit ic a l groups, whet her on campus or for a specific issue, but those groups end up burning out. She said the benefit to these long-standing groups is they have more experience and a larger perspective on activism. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and I think some of the younger groups approach it as a sprint, and then maybe there’s less continuity,” she said. According to the Center for Information and Research o n C i v i c L e a r n i n g a nd E nga gement , a C I RC L E , a n o np a r t i s a n r e s e a r c h organi ation based at Tufts University in Massachusetts
fo c u si ng on yout h c iv ic engagement, 20 percent of youth, ages 1 -29, have engaged in issue advocacy and 18 percent have gone to demonstrations. The same study found social issues drive action. LGBTQ+ rights, democracy, and climate change are linked to higher civic engagement. Social media has become an avenue for younger people to engage with political and social issues. According to a study done by Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank, percent of users under 30 years old say social media is personally important for getting involved with issues that are meaningful to them. achary Adams, the treasurer for the University of Iowa’s chapter of Young Democratic Socialists of America, or YDSA, recognized the effectiveness of social media in helping to inform people; however, he said it can also work as a detriment and prevent an organization from engaging members. “A lot of people would rather post than join the organization, get people to sign the petition, go to a protest, or canvas for a political candidate,” he said. “It’s a lot easier, and you still get the same feeling of [involvement].” Nelson ref lected a similar sentiment and said online activism can only go so far.
in-person exchange of ideas and social interactions,” she said. Adams said one of the ways DSA tries to combat this is by engaging in local issues rather than tr y ing to get attention on social media and “generate outrage.” “The nature of that is just Fifty-three percent of Gen Z said they are likely to engage in posting on because we’re mostly focused social media as a civics behavior. on local issues rather than engaging in debates and stuff like that, or trying to get the rise out of people because I don’t think we feel that’s very productive,” he said. With access to news from around the world, Adams sa id people c a n become overwhelmed by the number of crises they see every day, mak ing it harder to feel that individual action can create change. “It generates among a lot of people a feeling of nihilism and hopelessness because we’re bombarded with the horrible things going on in the world, from climate change, wealth inequality, the genocide in a a,” he said. Adams said the constant exposure to negative news “If you’re just sitting in front of your computer, the potential e f fe c t i vene s s i s l i m ite d . Ac t iv ists rea lly need t he
Gen Z’s relationship with activism, civil discourse
can lead people to accept the problems they see rather than trying to address them. “It’s easy for a lot of people to give up and accept that the world is terrible,” he said. “Whereas back in the day, they didn’t really have that same constant stream of negative information.” Nelson also attributed the economy to making it di cult for younger voters to be more politically active. According to the CIRCLE, 60 percent of people ages 1 -29 say they sometimes, or often, have trouble making ends meet. That same research found youth who said they didn’t vote in 2024 and didn’t plan to vote in 2026 are more likely to be struggling in 2026. “They’re busier with other things in their life, jobs. I teach part time at a university, and a lot of students work a pretty substantial number of hours per week,” she said. “They might have two jobs, and activism is hard. It’s hard to find the time and the emotional, mental energy to get involved. But not to say people don’t.”
SPORTS
The cost of competition
For Iowa students Addy Heileson and Owen Stoltz, bodybuilding requires more than hours in the gym.
F
or two particular Iowa students, their daily routine is more precise than most. Despite balancing diet restrictions, hours spent in the gym, and the endless toll on their bodies, the end goal is worth the wait for fourth-year Addy Heileson and third-year Owen Stoltz. Heileson is a student bodybuilder who entered her first competition this past May. After deciding she wanted to try power lifting at 16, an injury pushed her in a different direction. “In 2023, I got two herniated discs in my back and no longer wanted to put that amount of pressure on my spine that I had to for all of the deadlifts and squats,” Heileson said. “I tried to figure out how I could still compete, and I decided to try out bodybuilding as it was something I’ve always wanted to do.” That dream stuck as she fell in love with bodybuilding, eventually deciding to enter a competition. Heileson ended up winning the title of 2026 Wellness Novice Overall Winner at the OCB Mr. & Ms. Natural Minnesota bodybuilding competition in May. Underneath her medals and smile, however, was the extreme process she stuck to for six months. At the beginning of the training process, Heileson was in the gym a consistent five days a week, doing three lower body workouts and two upper body workouts. She focused on growing her quads, glutes, shoulders, and back muscles, as these were the biggest focal points of her category. “I made sure I was eating well and eating a lot of protein, focusing on pushing some heavy weight, and working on the specific body parts I needed to perform well in my division,” Heileson said.
Then, the week before her competition, Heileson’s routine changed. “On Monday of competition week, I had a 1,400 calorie limit, Tuesday was 1,500, Wednesday was 1,600, and Thursday [and] Friday were 1,700,” Heileson said. “I worked out four times a week at the very end of my prep because I just didn’t have the energy to do anything more than that.” Spending so much time in the gym allowed little time for outside activities,
and when Heileson did have time, she didn’t always have the energy. “There were multiple times I was told I became a totally different person because you’re putting your body into fight or ight as you literally starve yourself to the point of getting so low in body fat that it’s unhealthy,” Heileson said. “I didn’t have the energy to hang out with friends and do the things I normally do.” Heileson said her body could only
National status brought to IC
handle two-hour spurts with her friends before she needed to go and eat her meal. The process was exhausting. The other di culty she found during prep was her late nights. “I’m a personal trainer and a bartender on 1,260 calories a day,” Heileson said. “When you are on that little calories and you have 18-19 hour days, it gets to be
Staying within Iowa soccer’s second-year Liana Tarasco has garnered experience in her state lines time with team Canada that has elevated her game at Iowa.
Eleven of Iowa’s cross country runners are Iowa natives, allowing them to stay connected to the community they grew up in.
“Iowa? I’m definitely not going to the state of Iowa.” Those were the first thoughts of Montreal native Liana Tarasco when Iowa first reached out to her for recruitment. Now in the middle of her second season with the Hawkeyes, the midfielder wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Starting soccer at the age of six, Tarasco began as an offensive player and has stayed in that role her whole career. Her high-level play in high school warranted a lot of attention from top-level col lege s, c ausing a st re ssf u l recruitment process. “I was young and had big schools reaching out to me and offering different things,” Tarasco said. Throughout her recruitment journey, Tarasco constantly felt rushed to make a decision by schools. When she started talking to coaches at Iowa, that feeling
wasn’t there, which made Tarasco a lot more comfortable. “They cared more about me as a person than as a player, which made Iowa stand out,” Tarasco said. “It was amazing to see how many facilities there were and the support provided; I knew it was a place I’d thrive in.” In her first season with the Hawkeyes, Tarasco couldn’t help but notice how much more physical the style of play was in the NCAA compared to back home in Canada. The culmination of that realization came in her first Cyhawk match, where she got pushed to the ground by a center back, resulting in a broken wrist. Having never broken a bone in her life, Tarasco was immediately facing adversity in her freshman season and had to wear a cast for the rest of it. “I had to get the cast wrapped, and it basically looked like I was playing with a robot arm,” Tarasco said. “It did throw me off a little bit, but honestly my teammates and I just made jokes about it.”
Even with the cast, Tarasco still managed to put up quality stats, warranting her a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and even a Big Ten Freshman of the Week appearance early in the season. “Back home I was a part of a good academy, so I feel like I came in prepared,” Tarasco said. “I have a good mentality and can adapt in difficult situations, which got me through the whole season.” Tarasco started off her sophomore season on a hot streak, recording an assist in the opener and a goal in the team’s second match. After those matches, Tarasco took time away from the team to compete in something meaningful: The U20 World Cup. Alongside her teammates Iba Oching and Léa Larouche, Tarasco headed to Poland for a month for an experience she could barely put into words. “Just representing Canada and wearing the badge is a feeling I can’t
For many Hawkeye runners, the path to Iowa City didn’t require crossing state lines. They grew up within hours of the university, running on Iowa’s roads and high school courses. Now, they are representing their home state on one of its biggest stages. Out of the 19 runners on both the men’s and women’s University of Iowa cross country teams, 11 hail from the state of Iowa. “Wearing Iowa on your chest, you have a lot of pride representing your own state,” senior Luke Knepp said. Knepp, a native of Bettendorf, Iowa, grew up surrounded by the running community. Knepp started running at a young age, heavily in uenced by his mom. As he reached the high school level, he had multiple runners older than him that he looked up to. His freshman year at Pleasant Valley High School, he ran with Max Murphy — a UI cross country alum. “I really aspired to be like him,” Knepp said. Watching Murphy’s development throughout high school and college, Knepp wanted to have a similar experience. After struggling throughout his high school career to hit the times he wanted, Knepp put forth a strong season in his senior year. In May 202 , nepp received an offer from the UI, which he accepted almost immediately. “After I hit the walk on standards, coach Randy Hasenbank was the first one to call and give me a spot,” Knepp said. “I thought that Hasenbank did a really good job with [Murphy], so I thought coming to Iowa, I could have a similar experience to his. When I got the call, I basically accepted on the spot.” For junior Julia Gehl, the decision to stay in Iowa came from the sense of community and familiarity. Gehl, a native of Dubuque, Iowa, has also been around the running community for a majority of her life. After a decorated high school career, she decided to commit to the UI after visits to other colleges. She already knew some of the runners on the team, which added to that decision. “I wanted to go farther than in-state, but I did all my college visits, and I didn’t feel like any of them clicked,” Gehl said. “I decided I wanted to give Iowa a shot, so I came here and I really liked how close this team is.” The runners from the state of Iowa all arrived at the UI for different reasons. But once they got to Iowa City, they found something they already shared: a familiarity with the teammates around them. “A lot of us have known each other since high school and we’d see each other at high school meets,” Gehl said. The connection between Iowa’s high school running community and the Hawkeyes goes beyond familiarity. For Iowa head coach Hasenbank, the state’s high school programs provide a strong pool of talent for the Hawkeyes to recruit from.
A swift but lasting impact
Iowa field hockey’s Fréderique van Cleef, the team’s leading scorer, reflects on her time as a Hawkeye while preparing for her next steps.
Middle hitter talks food, role models, and celebrities
The last five years of Iowa field hockey have given fans the joy of watching some generational athletes. This season might be the true birth of a new one, albeit with a story ending faster than it seemingly began. Previous starting goalkeeper Mia Magnotta—who graduated last spring—and the nation’s leading goal scorer, fourth-year Dionne van Aalsum, are two athletes who helped reshape the Hawkeyes in recent seasons. This season, fifth-year Fr deri ue van Cleef is beginning to enter the conversation with such athletes, even with her time at Iowa coming to a close. Although van Cleef is only in her second year of wearing the black and gold, she’s technically in her fifth year, collegiately speaking, rendering her unable to continue athletics after this season. Being in her final season as a Hawkeye so soon, van Cleef is continuing to give fans a reason to remember her name, even after being named to the All-Big Ten First Team last season. In the first nine games of this season, van Cleef recorded 13 goals scored, quickly surpassing her season best from the previous year. By the end of the team’s 12th game this season, the offensive threat was sitting at a season-high 16 goals, giving her a remarkable 1.33 goals per game, a figure second in the entire nation only to Richmond’s Clara Larripa. “For me during the games, it’s always a mindset of ‘I want to win this game with my team,’” van Cleef said. “I don’t ever think about wanting to earn a point or a goal.” Head coach Lisa Cellucci was quick to note the attributes distinguishing van Cleef as a player. “What sets her apart physically is her speed,” Cellucci said. “She has unbelievable quickness. She’s just a matchup nightmare for teams, and we are so glad she’s on our side.” Cellucci, now in her 13th year as the program’s head coach, was also very adamant on how impactful van Cleef is at every spot on the field, from the top of the circle, to more of a mid-range, even in super tight situations. The fifth-year doesn’t just excel at finding the back of the net. Van Cleef’s high field hockey I allows her to impact the team in all ways, shown by 39 total points, and 3.25 points per game, only 12 games into the season. “I know the teams I’m playing, I know my teammates more and everything around it,” van Cleef said.
The second-year appeared in seven matches last season, including one start.
“I feel like I’m more myself this year than I was last year.” In this stat, there is nobody better, not on the team, nor in the country. “[van Cleef] just has such a high field hockey IQ and understands the game at such a high level that allows her to be successful in so many different ways,” Cellucci said. Cellucci named Maddie Murphy as a past player van Cleef resembles most, whose career saw her rise to only the second player in school history to achieve four All-American Honors. With several strong performances this season, van Cleef has earned herself Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week recognition three times, one more than van Aalsum had in her nation-leading performance last season. Although comparison is not the aspect of greatness to focus on, depth certainly is. Entering this season, the Hawkeyes knew they had a superstar they could call on. Now, the program agrees it has two. “I think I’m more confident now than I was last year, [when] everything was so new,” van Cleef said. “I didn’t feel like I could be my best version, and this year I know what to expect.” Since taking another huge step after a great season last year, van Cleef has given this top-ranked Hawkeye team another level of depth that seemingly can make this team a top contender in the country.
“We know if something does happen, we have the ability to go back through the rest of our team, and it’s not going to downput the level of our game,” fourth-year Lauren DeRose said in a previous interview with The Daily Iowan. Having an athlete like van Cleef has proven essential to the team’s depth because it allows capable athletes to be fallen back on in times of need, rather than being forced to. Although van Cleef’s career as a Hawkeye is coming to a close, her story continues outside of the sport. The grad student is pursuing clinical exercise psychology, hoping to one day do cardio, rehab, or preliminary rehab in hospitals. She is also leaving the path of more private clinical work open to consideration. van Cleef has also considered continuing her field hockey career for some local clubs in the Netherlands. However, location is a very important aspect that may affect her plans. For now, there’s confidence that she can make an impact on the field, regardless of where that may be. “It’s been a very cool experience, especially because it was two years,” van Cleef said. “I built a lot of friendships. Then, school-wise, I’m very grateful for the opportunity I got to do my master’s here. Coming back to the Netherlands with a master’s really means something.”
What is the best NFL conference? Sports reporter Tate Balkenende argues for the AFC, while Assistant Sports Editor Jack Birmingham argues for the NFC.
In the NFL, the AFC and NFC have bounced back and forth for who runs the league every year, but, as of now, if you want to watch the best football you’ll be watching the AFC every Sunday. The AFC may not have been as competitive as the NFC last year, but the future is looking much brighter in upcoming years. The AFC’s biggest advantage is its quarterback talent. Patrick Mahomes has been one of the best QBs in the league and has turned the Kansas City Chiefs into the most recent dynasty in the NFL. Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, and amar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have been some of the best QBs to perform in the regular season. In the past eight years, these Bs have accounted for five MVPs shared among them. The AFC also has some of the most promising young talent in the league with players like cornerbacks Patrick Surtain II and Christian Gonzalez, as well as quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Bo Nix.
When it comes to the NFL, both conferences provide a strong source of entertainment through competitive teams and talented players. However, the NFC reigns supreme due to its better performances in recent years. For instance, in the 2025-26 NFL Playoffs, NFC teams combined for 336 points scored. With seven games including the Super Bowl, that’s 48 points per NFC game, 24 points per team. In that same time span, AFC teams scored 243 points, good for just under 35 points a game. This figure includes the Super Bowl, where Drake Maye and the New England Patriots were stifled by a dominant Seattle Seahawks team, 29-13. The previous year, Super Bowl LIX saw another dominant NFC team, the Philadelphia Eagles, topple the highly-touted Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22. Every super bowl between 2021 and 2024 had been decided by three points. For two NFC teams to win by a combined
34 points in the span of two years shows the odds have shifted in favor of the NFC. For years, Chicago Bears fans have grieved the organization passing on Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL Draft. Mahomes has been a great example of the level of skill on display in the AFC, but that doesn’t change the fact that the pendulum is swinging the opposite way. It’s also impossible to judge the quality of a conference based solely on the skills of its notable athletes. It would be a logical fallacy to argue that the AFC is better because Mahomes won back-toback Super Bowls with the Chiefs, and it would be just as bad to say that the NFC is better because Jahmyr Gibbs is one of the best running backs in Detroit history. Players are the backbone of the NFL; the organization wouldn’t exist without them. Football games, however, are not individual competitions. Rather, they are part of an aggressive team sport that requires several moving pieces to come together to secure a victory. To fully make a decision on which conference is better, it’s crucial to make a decision at the team level and, while I could see good arguments for both sets of teams historically, right now it’s the NFC that’s trending in the right direction. The bottom line? Expect the Seahawks to be only the latest in a long line of dominant teams from the National Football Conference.
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These players will help the AFC stay on top of the NFL for years to come. The competitive teams in the AFC are what makes the conference so impressive. Obviously, you have the Chiefs, who have dominated the league for years now, but you also have the Bills, Ravens, and Bengals, who have been the league’s top contenders regularly and have some of the most complete rosters in the league. Another advantage the AFC has over the NFC is how strong the AFC divisions are. The AFC North is known for competitive games and top-tier defenses. The AFC West has had the most exciting offenses in the league in past years, with teams like the Chiefs, Chargers, and Broncos. With the conference being so competitive, certain teams have to adjust and try to reach the top even when that seems nearly impossible. We’ve seen this with the New England Patriots, who, after losing Tom Brady, hadn’t had much success building a competitive football team. This past season, they made a huge leap. After going 4-13 in 2024, they jumped all the way to 14-3 and made the Super Bowl. The AFC has some of the best players in the league, whether they be tenured veterans or rising talent. Having competitive play in all divisions in the conference, being able to overcome adversity, and making giant leaps in performance shows why they run the NFL and will for many years to come.
a little brutal. It makes the capacity to study really difficult as well.” But for the University of Iowa’s bodybuilding club president, Alex Swanson, he didn’t think anything could stop Heileson. “Addy is an absolute workhorse,” Swanson said. “I’ve seen her walk into the personal training office off of four hours of sleep coming from her job, and she would still go in and knock out a workout.” Though, the week leading up to the show, her routine became increasingly tighter, and the effects began to weigh more than before. “I could tell the show took a toll on her,” Swanson reflected. “Everything had to be tighter, and you could see the exhaustion start to take hold in the rims of her eyes and the bones of her cheeks, but she still managed to pull through.” And despite all the obstacles she encountered on the way, the end results were worth it for her. Thanks to her sister, so were the treats Heileson was rewarded with after the show. “She made me German chocolate cake, which was absolutely amazing,” Heileson said. “I also made these big kitchen sink cookies for everyone that came to support me, and we all cheersed our cookies before we ate them.” When asked if she would ever compete in another show, Heileson’s answer was an immediate and easy one. “I will because it’s so much fun,” Heileson said. “I had so much fun the day of the show and seeing how much work I put into it.”
even describe,” Tarasco said. “Every time I stepped onto the pitch, I had to dismiss the pressure and think, ‘I have to play for everyone back home watching me.’” The moment she’s most proud of actually comes from a match her team lost, but one where Tarasco came up big. In their match against Brazil, her team earned a red card early on, which forced Tarasco to play lef t f ullback, something she had never done before. “I bat tled through that game and played the full 90 even though it was super difficult,” Tarasco said.
That fun is something Owen Stoltz looks forward to experiencing one day. Stoltz is another bodybuilder at the UI, currently training for his first show in 202 . The third-year got into bodybuilding his first year on campus, as he found it a fun activity he could stay consistent with. “I really just fell in love with the progression and intensity, and how you are basically able to get out exactly what you put into it,” Stoltz said. “Being able to follow that consistency, whether it be with training, diet, or recovery, was something that really resonated well with me.” Stolt ’s intentions explain why he fit right in joining the Iowa Bodybuilding club. And it seems other club members have enjoyed watching him grow as well. “The biggest thing that separates Owen from a bunch of other people is how dedicated he is to tracking the little things,” Swanson said. “He weighs every single piece of food he consumes, he tracks all of his calories, he tracks all of his workouts, and he documents his form over time.” A typical workout for Stoltz often depends on his academic workload, but there are many consistencies for him in the gym. “I usually do six exercises per lift, doing
The best part of it all was that her family had own out to Poland to watch her play, providing immediate support after the loss. “I remember walking off the pitch and seeing my family and crying because of how di cult the game was,” Tarasco said. Above all, it’s hard not to be proud of scoring your first goal in the World Cup. For Tarasco, she didn’t even realize it until her teammates started celebrating. Off a free kick, the ball was bouncing in the box, and Tarasco hit it with her back heel with the hope of sneaking it past the keeper. She didn’t even think she made contact with the ball until she turned around and saw it in the back of the net.
“For a small population, probably around 3 million, it produces some high-quality runners,” Hasenbank said. “There are people putting out great marks over the last 10 years from Iowa high schools and I don’t see that changing.” Knepp said his experience in Iowa’s high school running community also prepared him for the transition to college. At Pleasant Valley, his coaches emphasized development and recovery rather than rushing athletes to immediate results. “High school coaches know more than ever,” Hasenbank said. “There’s a much higher level of coaching coming into the high schools.” The strength of Iowa runners at both the high school and collegiate levels continues to grow, giving younger runners more examples to look up to. “Everybody sees what they’re achieving, and they want to do something great as well,” Knepp said. Runners such as Murphy and Western Dubuque High School graduate
“I started laughing, and Iba was next to me laughing too,” Tarasco said. “My family was there watching as well, so it was nice to score my first goal in the World Cup with them there.” After Canada’s run in the World Cup came to an end, it was time for Tarasco and company to head back to Iowa City to reunite with the team. The travel, mixed in with the soreness coming off a World Cup, proved to be difficult for the midfielder. “We landed at 1 a.m., and the next morning at 4 a.m. we had to y out to Penn State all after a 10-hour ight from Poland,” Tarasco said. “I didn’t even unpack my suitcase.” Now that she has had time to finally unpack her
Quentin Nauman are some examples of in uential runners. Murphy holds multiple UI school records and has competed at the national level, while Nauman became the first runner in Iowa high school history to run under four minutes in the 1600m in 2025. For Gehl, staying in Iowa has also meant being able to keep her family close throughout her college career. With many of Iowa’s meets within driving distance, her family has been able to make the trip to watch her compete. The familiarity extends beyond the course. Gehl said staying in Iowa has allowed her to remain connected to the community she grew up in while also competing at the Division I level. “If you grow up a Hawkeye fan, that’s your ultimate goal, to run for the Hawkeyes,” Gehl said. For Knepp, the connection to Iowa came from a different place. He did not grow up as a Hawkeye fan, but after spending his entire life in the state, competing for Iowa has given him a new appreciation for where he is from. “Being born here, living here my entire life, getting to represent Iowa at a national level is something very special,” Knepp said.
multiple exercises to target different joint actions,” Stoltz said. “I make sure I take every set until failure, as I’m very much a proponent of low-volume, high-intensity training.” Stolt ’s diet also looks a bit different than Heileson’s. “I usually eat between four [and] six meals a day, really trying to prioritize carbs,” Stoltz said. “Energy helps fuel your workouts, so I try to prioritize balance and the quality of the foods I’m eating.” But for Swanson, he gave Stoltz a lot more credit than the third-year gave himself. “It takes a lot of dedication to do what Owen does, and probably a little obsession as well,” Swanson said. “The man ate almost the same thing everyday, no uctuations, no cheating.” Stoltz is also prioritizing sticking to his plan for success. The UI’s bodybuilding club is putting on a show in Iowa City in April, which Stoltz is hesitant to compete in. “My timeline has always been to compete in 202 after I graduate,” Stolt said. “Doing that show would throw off my timeline a bit, and I know if I want suitcase and get back on track with being in Iowa City, Tarasco has gone back to benefitting the team, something head coach Dean Ward has taken note of. “She has great ability on the ball and wants the ball to take control and have that pressure to create things,” Ward said. “Off the ball, she wants to press, be aggressive and get into tackles, and compete.” Off the pitch, Ward can’t help but notice the spark Tarasco brings to the team that he describes as her being “unapologetically herself.” “She adds some spice to our team off the field a nd a round prac t ice with a good personality t h at i s i n f e c t iou s ,”
to be competitive in the show I do after I graduate, I need as much time as possible to put on size.” The third-year also sees a lot of preparation in terms of his regimen. Sticking to a good eating routine means bringing his meals and snacks with him, ensuring he’s prepared. “It’s just about planning in advance and making sure you do all of your meal prep for the week,” Stoltz said. “Just trying to not get behind, because that’s when it can slip into eating stuff that is more convenient that probably isn’t the best for your meal plan.” Outside of everything else, Stoltz cited the mental weight that he feels when training as one of the biggest reasons bodybuilding is so di cult. As he looks ahead to his 202 show, he grows excited to see his work pay off in the future, but until then, he believes there is more work to be done. “Getting prepared for each set and understanding what you have to do definitely takes a lot of mental strain,” Stoltz said. “My big mentality is that you have one shot at everything, and you’re never going to be able to get that set back. So you have to give all of the intensity that you have at that moment.”
Ward said. “Sometimes she’ll crack jokes, and sometimes she’ll give you a dirty look like ‘What are you talking about?’ and I like that; she’s got a bit of attitude in a good way.”
Classifieds
Even after all of these accolades and national team appearances, Tarasco is still only a second-year player with a lot of soccer ahead of her and the makings of a Hawkeye great.
HAWKS MUZZLE HUSKIES The then-No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Washington Huskies, 41-24, at Husky Stadium in Seattle on Oct. 9. Quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski was named the starter and finished 14-of-19 for 202 yards and three touchdowns.
HOURS
Health and Wellness on campus Fitness clubs on campus promote physical and mental well-being.
Shoes pound against the pavement. Upbeat music blasts through earbuds. The sun gleams on the gravel trail surrounded by trees and glints off the Iowa River owing nearby. Thanks to the surprisingly still-sunny October weather in Iowa City, the streets and trails continue to be filled with runners. From a group of students taking a jog near the busy streets of downtown to a solo runner along the Iowa River Corridor Trail, Iowa City has grown accustomed to an expansive running culture. But running is only one piece of a cultural shift. Across the country, wellness has moved out of the gym and into the social calendar. Daytime parties built around group runs and cold plunges are going viral, pilates classes are filling up, and college students are treating
a workout as a place to meet people. The University of Iowa is no exception. At the UI, the Spring 202 UI National College Health Assessment, which surveyed 1, 0 undergraduate students, found that . percent of students feel health and well-being is a priority, and .9 percent agree the campus climate encourages free and open discussion about student health and well-being.
College students are rethinking how they spend their free time. Some darties, short for day parties, are now built around exercise. A TikTok of one such fraternity “wellness darty” at the University of Florida went viral, showing students on a group run, taking a cold plunge, and eating protein bars. Its caption read, “A little bit of wellness in college won’t hurt anyone.” UI students are seeing this shift on campus too. Keira Colestock, the
co-president of the Iowa Wellness Society, accredited this shift to social media. “There has been a significant shift in how students approach wellness over the past few years,” Colestock said. “One major reason for this is the growing presence of social media content that promotes a healthy, balanced lifestyle, emphasizing the importance of both nutrition and physical activity.” Colestock said that wellness in uencers play a large part in that. “Their content can encourage students to prioriti e their wellbeing by promoting healthy habits and balanced lifestyles. Social media also provides practical resources for college students, including affordable meal-prep ideas and simple ways to incorporate more movement into their everyday routines,” Colestock said. The Iowa Wellness Society is a student organization that curates campus events, from
nutrition pop-ups to mindfulness workshops. The chapter recently partnered with the UI Recreation Center to host a Pilates class. For students who want community without the pounding of a long run, Pilates offers a low impact alternative.
Established in 201 , the UI Run Club welcomes runners of all experience levels. Sydney Vaughan, fourth-year communication studies major and president of the club, said that running is more than an exercise and serves as a great way to form social connections. “I watched people first meet and then they start showing up together and interacting consistently,” she said. The club also works as a pressure
Fall weather is coming, but IC’s moped culture isn’t slowing down Mopeds have become a staple of Iowa City transportation, giving residents and UI students an affordable and convenient way to get around, even as cooler temperatures settle in.
Walk down any street in downtown Iowa City and there is a good chance a shiny moped is parked somewhere nearby. They have their own tiny spaces along the sidewalks, sit outside houses, and fill parking lots across campus. For many University of Iowa students, hopping on a moped is part of the everyday routine of going to class, work, or cruising around campus. Some are bright red, blue, or green, while others are sleek and black — regardless, no two seem to look the same. Helmets hang from handlebars, backpacks are shoved under seats, and sometimes two friends s uee e onto one leather seat, pulling off into busy Iowa City streets. For students, choosing a moped over a car as their ride has become increasingly popular. As more places around the city make room for the vehicles and local businesses make it easier to buy, maintain, and ride one, mopeds have become more of a common sight on streets and sidewalks. As temperatures start to drop, riders will have to figure out how to handle the cold while still getting around on two wheels. Tyler Persinger, who works at University Scooters in Iowa City, has gotten a close look at the blossoming moped community and the many students who rely on them. University Scooters opened in 2010, after its original owners saw an opportunity for mopeds to become the newest way for students to get around. “At that time, there were no moped parking spots, no moped parking passes, so you would just park them at bike racks,” Persinger said. The lack of parking, along with high gas prices and limited access to services like Uber, all helped the moped business boom in Iowa City. Persinger believed mopeds were suited to become popular in Iowa City because of their convenience and e ciency. “Our old slogan was fun, affordable freedom. To me, it’s really that freedom part of it — you can just hop on and go,” Persinger said. “You’re not waiting for Cambus or Uber, and the locations of the [moped] parking spots on campus are great.” For many UI students, the freedom aspect is what makes these mini motorcycles so appealing. For Emily Regelstad, a recent UI alum and Iowa City resident, the convenience of her shiny
moped made every day easier, and is part of why she enjoyed being a part of the Iowa City moped community. “I’ve had it for two-and-a-half years, and I’ve found it’s a lot faster to park in a moped lot rather than looking around Iowa City for a parking spot or driving through a parking ramp,” Regelstad noted. The convenience isn’t the only reason why Regelstad has grown to love her moped. Riding became a part of her social time on campus, giving her another way to spend time with friends. “My favorite part is riding around Iowa City with friends,” Regelstad said. “It’s definitely worth the money.”
Ethan Hsia, an Iowa City resident, has realized owning a moped is about more than getting from point A to point B. Since investing in a moped, he has gotten used to the small routines that come along with ownership, from finding a compact parking spot downtown to deciding when it is worth riding through the cold weather. Although Hsia has grown to love his moped, he didn’t actually make the conscious decision to buy one. His moped was a gift from his father. “My dad had a moped from way back when. He used to be a student up here in Iowa City, and he had had it forever,” Hsia said. “He was like, ‘You know what, I’m
going to give this to you because it’s a great way to get around.’” For Hsia, the affordability of owning a moped is the main part of its appeal. Compared to the costs that come with owning a car, a moped provided him with an inexpensive way to get around Iowa City. Despite the affordability and convenience, owning a moped also means paying attention to the weather. For Hsia, deciding whether to ride usually comes down to the road conditions rather than the temperature. He has been willing to bundle up in the cold, as long as the roads permit it. “When I was a freshman, I would drive until it started snowing,” Hsia said. “On a moped, you can always layer up and it won’t be that bad — but when the roads get slick, that’s when I usually put it away.” Moped culture has become a familiar part of life in Iowa City, with their accessibility and convenience leading people to make the switch from four wheels to two. As fall weather sticks around and the roads remain clear of snow for the next few months, mopeds may very well continue to be a common sight zipping through busy Iowa City streets.
Bringing connectivity back to live concerts As cellphones have become the center of attention in society, several artists including Bob Dylan and Phoebe Bridgers have implemented policies to ban cellphones from their concerts.
Whether they’re for convenience, safety, or entertainment, cellphones have evolved from a portable form of communication to a necessary, constantly present object. The hold cellphones have on society is undeniable, especially when the small screens are buzzing and glowing all day, wailing, “Look at me! Look at me!” As the smartphone era has progressed, society has formed new etiquette regarding appropriate times to use a cellphone. Movie theater previews ask audiences to silence their cellphones instead of asking for conversations to stop before the movie begins. Wedding guests are sometimes asked to leave their cellphones in a designated spot outside the ceremony to prevent flash photography and distractions. Schools mandate students leave their phones in backpacks or lockers during instructional time. Still, there are plenty of people who ignore these rules without being stigmatized. If these rules were enforced in a take-it-or-leave-it manner, audience members could only attend certain events without a cellphone. At live concerts, cellphones have created a disconnecting environment. Fans desperate to relive the moment or post on social media hold up their cellphones to record segments of the show. “I went to a Tate McRae concert, and I basically recorded every song,” Alivya Petersen, a University of Iowa first-year student, said. “I didn’t want to forget anything that happened.” The constant recording and photographing splits audience members’ attention between the screen and the real experience. This phone dependency leaves the crowd less immersed in the moment and the music’s energy, and more focused on digitizing the event. The artist feels this disconnection too. Instead of performing for eager, attentive faces, the artist perceives only a sea of rectangles ashing and jolting distressingly. It can be incredibly tough for performers to read the room and connect with the
audience when everyone’s face is buried in a phone — which is why some artists are incorporating policies banning cellphones during performances. The idea was implemented during Bob Dylan’s “Rough and Rowdy Ways” tour. Before magnetic sealing phone pouches were an option, Dylan enforced a zero-tolerance policy on cameras and mobile devices at his shows by having security check attendees before his performance. In 2022, he began requiring his fans to place their phones in Yondr pouches, phone-sized bags that magnetically secure their phone inside. After the show, fans get their phones unlocked on their way out. UI fourth-year student Lauren Abbott recalled her positive experience due to the cellphone ban during Dylan’s concert at Hancher Auditorium in March 2026. Abbott claims the concert felt more engaging and intimate without access to her cellphone. “It was really nice to be in the moment and not having to feel like I should record,”
Abbott said. “I got to enjoy the music without anyone texting me the whole time and being obligated to respond.” Not having a phone at Dylan’s performance altered Abbott’s perception of all concerts. After the concert, Abbott stated that she had less inclination to use her cellphone during music performances that allow phones. “I go to a lot of concerts, and I’ve stopped recording very much because I get so frustrated with all the phones in front of me, and I don’t want to do the same thing.” Abbott said. Phoebe Bridgers is another artist implementing Yondr pouches to bring back connectivity to concerts. Before Bridgers’ latest album, “Lost Weekend,” was released, she performed spontaneously in pop-up shows, releasing the show details only hours before the performance. The main features of these surprise shows were the unreleased music, so Yondr pouches
were used to prevent songs from being leaked online. When Bridgers’ long-awaited album release was announced, she revealed that the no-phone policy would continue on her tour to enhance the audience’s experience by minimizing distractions. UI first-year student Lilyana Upshaw attended a Bridgers concert on Sept. 18 at the United Center in Chicago. She experienced the lock-up firsthand, and noted that the positives of a phone-free concert outweighed the negatives. “Obviously, it’s sad that I can’t look back at videos or have proof I was there, but I liked the environment and energy that came with not having access to a phone,” Upshaw said. “At other concerts I’ve been to, you look around, and everyone is holding their phone to record or is on their phone. But at Phoebe Bridgers,’ everyone was in the moment, and I got to talk to so many people I wouldn’t have talked to if I had my phone.”
A whole latte pumpkin
What downtown coffee shop has the best pumpkin latte in Iowa City?
Now in the thick of fall, most autumnophiles have likely bought their first pumpkin latte — or second, third, or fourth — of the season. With the warm blend of pumpkin and pie avors, a pumpkin latte offers a spicy derivative of the typical espresso and milk combination that quenches a seasonal thirst. The pumpkin spice latte, or PSL, was infamized by Starbucks, but many would argue their local coffee joint does it better than the popular global chain. Although the PSL has its critics, it’s established itself as a cult classic beverage when fall rolls around and nearly every coffee brand or cafe has its own version. Since so many coffee spots in Iowa City are pushing pumpkin this October, The Daily Iowan went around to some popular downtown locations to see who’s doing it the best.
Located on Bowery Street, the coffee shop is selling a Pumpkin Peanut Butter latte. This creative take on the classic PSL offers a creamy, decadent finish. The drink was well balanced, with the syrup, coffee, and milk all working together rather than sticking out on their own. The syrup was also not too sweet, so the richness of the peanut butter didn’t impede on the drinkability — in fact, it provided a nice savory quality cutting through the dessert-like avors. Although the coffee to syrup ratio was on point, the pumpkin avor was a bit lost. I appreciate the ambition to bring two warm
avors together for fall, but I don’t think this was better than a classic, plain pumpkin latte. This drink was also on the pricier end of the list, coming out to over $8 before tip. We rate the Daydrink Pumpkin Peanut Butter latte a 3.5/5.
Sitting across from the University of Iowa Voxman Music Building, Encounter Cafe offers a Pumpkin Caramel latte. After the first few sips, I was blown away by the drink. The caramel and pumpkin worked perfectly together and both avors were equally detectable and didn’t over power the espresso avor. However, once I drank about half of the latte the sweetness became unbearable, and I couldn’t finish the drink. Encounter’s pumpkin latte is definitely for those with a sweet tooth, and at times it tasted more like a milkshake than coffee. This drink was also on the expensive side, coming out to over $8 after tip. We rate the Encounter Cafe Pumpkin Caramel latte a 2.
Similarly to Encounter’s latte, the ava House’s Pumpkin Pie latte was more milkshake than coffee. This drink was intensely sweet to the point that it was nearly undrinkable. I couldn’t stomach more than a few sips — sips void of any noticeable pumpkin avor. The latte hardly featured any of the classic notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and all spice that create the pumpkin spice avor. The drink also had a gritty texture that I would attribute to the syrup crystali ing.
This pumpkin latte left a lot to be desired, but for those looking for a sweet treat, this might satiate the craving with its whipped cream and caramel drizzle topping. We rate the ava House Pumpkin Pie latter a 1.5/5.
Unlike the ava House’s pumpkin latte, indred Coffee’s Pumpkin latte wasn’t remotely sweet. It had no detectable pumpkin avor, and there was so much spice on the latte’s surface that the first sip felt like doing the 2012 cinnamon challenge. This fell completely at for me. It wasn’t inedible, but I wouldn’t order it again, especially considering its price, which was
above $8. We rate the latter a 1/5.
indred Coffee Pumpkin
On Iowa City’s northside, Midnight Coffee is brewing an impeccable Pumpkin Pie latte. This latte checks every box on a PS lover’s wish list. The coffee avor, pumpkin avor, pie spices, and sweetener are all perfectly balanced. The drink tasted exactly how a PS should — sweet and spicy, but not so sweet that it’s more like a dessert than coffee. Midnight Coffee decisively has the best pumpkin latte in downtown Iowa City, and also has the best bang for your buck at under $7 before tip.
The ultimate runner-up fall flavor debate Arts reporter Madisyn Hunt builds a case for chai while arts reporter Anna You represents cider lovers.
During the fall season, pumpkin avoring simply cannot be beat in the U.S. The mostly unanimous decision isn’t without reason; pumpkins are a native food here after all. However, there’s room for more than one flavor to take over the autumn season. Personally, the runner up on my list is chai. Chai isn’t the all-American avor apple is, I can agree with you on that to an extent. But why must we limit our palates when the cultural exchange of today gives us a plethora of new avors to try and enjoy And I don’t want to hear you bring up apple pies and fritters. I mean, I am not arguing with you on that; they sound
yummy. But we are purely talking about avor here, a runner up to pumpkin spice. Does the sweet scent of a milk-toned black tea with top notes of ginger and bottom notes of spiced star anise not sound better Apple is limited to its September-October season. After the last fruit has been picked, apple starts to be phased out for an icy winter edge while pumpkin rides home until Starbucks gets tired of it. Chai is much more versatile. The drink being a warmly-spiced beverage instead of strictly fruit- avored gives it much more of a societal life. When was the last time you wanted to order an apple cider in the midst of a December bli ard Now, what about a milky cup of chai with steam leaving the cup, warming your hands and heart while you watch the snow pile up Chai is good no matter how you make it. For the cold months, chai is without a doubt the next best avor to pumpkin spice. Take it from me. If you want a drink to stick with you when the leaves begin to fall and the trees become barren, chai will have your back.
There is a specific temperature drop in October when the frosty air turns piercing enough to make your breath cloudy. Every fall, coffee shops try to convince us that drowning black tea in steamed milk and chai syrup is the ultimate autumn experience. I’m not buying it. My heart, and my mug, belongs entirely to apple cider. There is something suspicious about a tea drink that can be iced in uly, blended into a summer specialty, and scooped into December. If a flavor can exist so comfortably in every season, can we really call it the avor of fall Apple cider should be the undisputed hero of the season. Rich and tangy.
Fresh and mouth-watering. Warm and comforting. Whether it’s served angrily hot so your tongue sizzles in anticipation, or poured over a bed of chilly ice, its unrivaled avor makes it absolute heaven in a cup. The epitome of fall, and living fall to its fullest, is harboring and enjoying a golden glass of cider. Fall is when the orchards open their gates and crank out the delectable, decadent apple cider donuts accompanied by their signature cider. Cider knows exactly when and how it’s supposed to show up. Cider has a uni ue spark chai just can’t emulate. There’s something so satisfying about the combination of a crisp apple avor and the warmth of a drink that makes it inseparable from the season. Chai might offer a warm and co y distraction, but cider carries the authentic quintessence of a nostalgic fall. Let chai have December. But when leaves turn into hues of purple and bronze, cider takes the crown.
43 44 46 47 48 50 52 54 57 60 63 64 67 68 69 Across 1 “OK,” in modern slang 4 Develop 9 Postlarval insects 14 Prefix with skeleton 15 Ewok’s home 16 Blow, as 13-Down does repeatedly 17 Top starter 18 Unsecured artillery that can slide across the deck 20 “Semper Fidelis,” for one 22 Advantage 23 Me-time destination
24 Creature of Egyptian myth 26 Bus schedule component 28 Some landscaping equipment 31 Worker who’s behind the Times? 35 Plow puller of old 37 “Verb,” ironically 39 Part of a black suit 40 Its three largest cities all have names starting with C 41 Completely lost … or
70 71 72 73
where the now-idiomatic answer to each italicized clue has a literal meaning Barely made (out) Chat, informally Old-timey “Listen!” Out of juice Paint options Permanent-press Part of many a shallowwater ecosystem Music genre for some yoga classes Suffix with devil Expresses approval, in a way Remove from its original packaging, say Equatorial ocean area notorious for lack of winds Consumed Character in “Monsters Inc.” Like many a campfire story Hiker to a QB: Abbr. Elevate, as a flag Shell out cash Word with sewing or starter
Down
1 Has a happy face 2 Former member of the force 3 Stand barefoot in formation along seams of deck planks 4 Fit in 5 Game in which players draw and skip
6 Big celebrity 7 When repeated, leading only to bad outcomes 8 Leftovers 9 Stir-fry add-ins 10 Decorative vessel 11 “Sofa, so good” and such 12 Each 13 Sicilian smoker 19 ___ as a bug’s ear 21 Drift with the natural flow of currents 25 TV’s “Warrior Princess” 27 Bosun’s whistled call signaling a shift change 29 I.R.A. classification 30 Lazy ___ 32 Flattened against the masts in a changing wind 33 Roman theaters 34 Comedian Foxx 35 Soft leather shoes, for short 36 “That’s not good” 38 Fiddler-emperor, legend has it 42 Similar 45 Minimal paint job 49 Promote 51 Not just thrown away, say 53 Gradually tapered cuts 55 Jailed New York crime boss 56 Wield, as authority 57 Bite reminder, maybe 58 “Get away!” 59 Prefix with sphere 61 Dice peppers, e.g. 62 Positive 65 Personally contacts online, for short 66 Max’s opposite
valve during the semester. “I think it just kind of helps with taking stress off people,” Vaughan said. “We’ve had people say ‘I have an exam in two hours, I just wanted to come get a run in.’” The UI Triathlon Club, founded in 2001, meets nearly every day of the week, whether it be for swim, running, or biking practice. Oscar Anderson, a fourth-year human physiology major and club’s sponsorship coordinator, said it grew from 20 members to around 60 after the COVID19 pandemic. According to the UI Triathlon Club web page, it holds no tryouts, since its main goal is to introduce people without prior experience to the sport. Anderson said club members have different levels of participation, with about a third of the club never competing at all. He said the club invites participants to train based on their own goals and levels of experience. “It’s a fun event where if you can go, that’s awesome,” Anderson said. “If you can’t, you can just go to whatever practices you want.” Cade Baker, the founder of the Iowa City Run Club, said he formed the club to develop a cohesive running community at a time when there wasn’t one in Iowa City. The club has grown from five members he knew to an expanded community of over 20 people this year as a way to find a space for meeting like-minded runners. Baker said the members of the club, particularly young adults and recent college graduates, participate in a monthly fun run to branch away from competitive running. For one event last November, they ran to different shops and bakeries in Iowa City. “We used that as an opportunity to move away from the super competitive aspect of running that we sometimes get and say, ‘Hey, we’re just doing this fun thing where we run about a mile in-between these coffee shops’ and then we stop and just hang out for a half hour,” Baker said. Evan Felton, a second-year exercise science major, is in his second year of the UI Triathlon Club. He said the workouts provide a wide variety of health benefits. “Mentally, I feel like it’s a nice break from school and stressing about things because when running, you just have to put one foot in front of the other instead of thinking,” Felton said.
Running provides many physical and psychological health benefits, but it also coincides with higher risk of injuries students must take into consideration at any experience level. Peterson explained that the high injury risk comes from impact. Every time a person jumps up in the air, lands on their foot, and springs back, there’s a lot of impact force as a result. Runners could experience injuries such as foot and ankle overuse injuries, achilles tendinosis, foot stress fractures, tibial stress fractures, runners knee or anterior knee pain, lateral knee pain, and hip pain. According to Runners Connect, stretching has no effects on long-term injury rates but can improve range of motion. Furthermore, strength training that is focused on singleleg movements is the most evidence-based injury prevention tool, as there is less stress on bones, connective tissue, and cartilage. “All those things are really common
with running, which is why I always tell my students when we’re teaching about exercise, running is a great activity if you love to run,” Peterson said. Human Physiology courses Peterson has taught include “Biomechanics of Sport and Physical Activity” and “Metabolic Exercise Testing and Prescriptions.” Peterson also advised runners to use a fairly cushioned training shoe and could seek assistance at a shoe store when choosing a pair that works for them. Peterson said he thinks the best thing to do is talk to someone knowledgeable at a running store and tell them about your injury history, tell them about how you run and where you run and how much you run, and they’ll watch you run and see how much support you likely need. “People need varying levels of support,” Peterson said. “Some people need a higher heel lift, some people need a lower heel lift.” The running clubs have offered students major opportunities to connect with a community of runners and improve their social health. UI Triathlon Club member Felton said the activities are good opportunities to develop the supportive community within the club and be able to embrace the running scene of Iowa City. “There’s a lot of good places in Iowa City to go and a lot of well-lit roads,” Felton said. “The culture’s pretty good because obviously there’s a lot of students coming from running high school or [who] just want to be fit, and there’s a lot of walking places.”