/NORTHERNIOWAN
@NORTHERNIOWAN
WWW.NORTHERNIOWAN.COM
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA CEDAR FALLS, IA THURSDAY, APRIL 5 VOLUME 114, ISSUE 42
CEDAR FALLS, IA
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2023
VOLUME 120, ISSUE 5
RETURN OF THE MAYHEM
OPINION
Opinion Columnists Drew Hill and Bailey Klinkhammer pose their different views on the future of the judicial branch.
Staff Writer
CAROLINE CHRISTENSEN Executive Editor
New life is being brought to the student section at UNI athletic events, as a call for Panthers to pack the stands has been heard all around campus. Saturday, Sept. 9, we got to see Panther Mayhem in
CAMPUS LIFE
The Olson family gears up for another season of fall fun at The Patch. SEE PAGE 6
full effect at the football home opener. By game time, the student section was almost entirely full — a rare sight from previous years’ games. Panther Mayhem’s efforts to draw in students seemed to pay off, and they brought much needed energy into the UNI-Dome. See MAYHEM, page 2 STEPH STARK
Students crowded into the Panther Mayhem student section for the home-opener football game on Sept. 9. Panther Mayhem as an organization is active for the first time this year since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meet the candidates: Cedar Falls City Council GRANT PEDERSEN Staff Writer
SPORTS
Football takes home first victory of the season over Idaho State, 41-17. SEE PAGE 11
For this November’s Cedar Falls City Council elections, two UNI alums have begun campaigns to be elected to the open Ward 4 seat vacated by incumbent Simon Harding’s retirement. The two candidates include area financial advisor Gabe Groothuis and local attorney Aaron Hawbaker. Ward 4 consists of the northern areas of the UNI campus (including Dancer and Bender halls), much of the College Hill neighborhood, and private homes between University Avenue, Rainbow Drive, and Grand Avenue on the east side of Highway 58. Groothuis is a recent 2019 University of Northern Iowa graduate with degrees in organizational leadership and marketing. While at UNI, he participated in programs with the John Papajohn
COURTESY/AARON HAWBAKER
Main Street Madness Join UNI basketball in downtown Cedar Falls Sept. 21 at 5:30 p.m. for some preseason college basketball madness. A live DJ, face painting, food and beverages will be available. Those who arrive early will receive a special edition rally towel courtesy of First Bank. Fans will get the opportunity to engage with student-athletes and coaches from the men’s and women’s basketball programs at this event. Registration is encouraged but not required. Visit supportthepanthers.com for more information. UNI Foundation experiences record-breaking fundraising The University of Northern Iowa Foundation received $58.4 million in gifts from alumni and friends of the university during the 2022-23 fiscal year. This is a record breaking number from previous years, with a 35% increase over the previous record of $43.1 million in 2020-21. Overall, 9,402 donors donated during the 2022-23 fiscal year.
SEE PAGES 4-5
ADAM JOHNSON
News briefs
COURTESY/GABE GROOTHUIS
Aaron Hawbaker is a long-time Cedar Falls resident and a 1991 UNI graduate. He has served as the senior defender at the Black Hawk County Public Defender’s Office since 2010.
Gabe Groothuis is a 2019 graduate of UNI with degrees in organizational leadership and marketing. He currently works at Thrivent Financial Group in Waterloo and was a proprietor of a small business during his time at UNI.
Entrepreneurial Center and was the proprietor of a small business while enrolled as a student. He currently works at Thrivent Financial Group of Waterloo. Groothuis was
born in Cedar Falls but grew up in Marion. Nevertheless, he returned to Cedar Falls to attend college and has stuck around since. See CITY COUNCIL, page 2
Family Weekend The tradition of students welcoming their families to campus is set for the weekend of Sept. 29 - Oct. 1. Families will have the opportunity to participate in a scavenger hunt, attend UNI sporting events, see UNI Theatre’s performance of “The Play That Goes Wrong” among many other planned activities. For a full list of events, visit familyweekend.uni.edu. 60th UNI Teacher Education Celebration UNI’s annual Teacher Education Convocation and Celebration is scheduled to make place Sept. 30 — coinciding with Family Weekend. This ceremony honors education majors who have met the criteria for acceptance into UNI’s Teacher Education program. About 700 future teachers have been admitted to the program since Spring 2022.
See NEWS BRIEFS, page 2