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ORTHERN IOWAN
the University of Northern Iowa’s independent, student-produced newspaper since 1892 CEDAR FALLS, IA
VOLUME 119, ISSUE 6
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022
OPINION
CAMPUS LIFE
SPORTS
OPINION PAGE 3
CAMPUS LIFE PAGE 4
SPORTS PAGE 6
Guest Columnist Randy Evans questions the benefits of government aid.
UNI volleyball beats Iowa State for the first time since 2017.
Latinx/Hispanic leaders and advocates highlighted for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Green Dot Week calls Entre dos mundos Panthers to step up N.I. EN ESPAÑOL
NATALIE ANDRANDE
Escritora invitada
Bystander prevention program aims to reduce gender violence TALIYA JAMES
Edición
Nota editorial de la editora en español Mayra Villanueva:
Staff Writer
“No one has to do everything, but everyone has to do something,” is the motto for the Green Dot program, launching an initiative the week of Sept. 19-23. Green Dot is an NISGsponsored bystander intervention program focused on gender violence prevention at UNI. They target sexual assault, stalking, dating and domestic abuse with hope to decrease the likelihood of it occurring on campus. Hannah Menken, the graduate assistant for the program, oversees all of the planning, scheduling, events, and assists with campus outreach to ensure a change on campus. “Green Dot Week is full of fun activities, tabling events, and trainings for staff, faculty, and students,” she said. There will be 90-minute training sessions on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday which is the best way to get
MAYRA VILLANUEVA
Esta es una colaboración especial con la clase de español avanzado de la escuela secundaria de Marshalltown. Se le quiere agradecer a la escritora por su contribución al periódico estudiantil y dedicación al escribir su artículo.
Mientras miraba el viejo videocasete, recordé nuestros estilos de ropa, el reflejo de la luz en las caras de mi primos y sus curiosos cortes de pelo. Mirando aquel video, fui transportada instantáneamente al pasado. Entonces, de repente, todo lo que sentí y vi en ese entonces resurgió. Ese día todo lo que me importaba era romper mi piñata Dora del tamaño mío, comer y soplar las velas en el pastel de princesas que les pedí a mis padres Ver
DOS MUNDOS,
EMMA KOEHLER/NORTHERN IOWAN
Green Dot uses the imagery of covering red dots of instances of sexual violence with green dots of prevention strategies. The green dot in the image above reads, “I stepped in when someone was continually catcalling my friend who was not interested.”
involved with the program. They also have other training opportunities throughout the year. “You can visit greendot.uni.edu to sign up for a training and learn more about what the training con-
sists of,” Menken said. There will also be a launch event on Sept. 21 from 7:00-8:30 p.m., located in Maucker Union. COURTESY/Natalie Andrande
Student-led project eliminates plastic waste See STEPPING UP, page 2
Fotografía de videocasete.
On-campus businesses now plastic bag free thanks to Student Sustainability Committee TALIYA JAMES
Staff Writer
An idea that was once circulated pre-pandemic has now become a reality: UNI on-campus businesses will no longer be using plastic bags. In fall of 2019, the Student Sustainability Committee got in contact with UNI Dining, which runs all the retail stores on campus, with the idea of eliminating plastic waste. They wanted to take a look at reducing the amount of plastic used by students and staff by replacing all the plastic bags with either paper or reusable bags on campus. It first began by surveying around campus to see others’ views on plastic use—one thing they discovered was students’ interest in environmental issues
TANNER RAINE/NORTHERN IOWAN
While plastic bags have been eliminated from on-campus retail stores, paper bags remain an option for those who don’t carry reusable bags.
and support of initiatives to reduce campus waste. The students on the committee
then saw an opportunity to make an impact with their idea. The project was ready to be launched in the spring of 2020—then everything was shut down by COVID-19. The group decided to put the project on hold because of the pandemic. The project was brought back late last fall. They revisited the subject and everyone was very receptive. Students that manage the student green fund worked with Dining and Retail to come up with a plan to give away reusable bags to every student on campus. With that, they would be reducing the plastic use at those locations. They took a look at the pros and cons of the project before launching. They spent
time crunching numbers and looking through how many bags were truly used in a year, which was an “eye-poppingly low number” according to Eric O’Brien, the University Sustainability Director. They discovered that most students on campus carry a bag with them and often don’t use the plastic bags in the retail locations. However, they knew they were going to need paper bags at locations in case someone did not carry a reusable bag with them. The project was funded by the student sustainability committee, the Dining and Retail Services and the recycling and reuse center. Although the students came up with the idea originally, the help from the other
departments pushed the project through. The project would not have been completed without the collaboration. This project was not only a good change for the environment but for the students on the committee as well. Some projects by this committee are behind the scenes and sometimes go unnoticed by students. O’Brien said, “It’s been a good talking point to discuss this and have some conversations with students. We’ve been able to use this as a springboard into some other topics that relate to environmental items but also some social responsibilities.” See SO LONG PLASTIC BAGS, page 2