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UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN IOWA CEDAR FALLS, IA THURSDAY, APRIL 5 VOLUME 114, ISSUE 42
CEDAR FALLS, IA
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2025
VOLUME 122, ISSUE 15
IN THIS ISSUE
ESPAÑOL
After more than 26 years of leadership at the University of Northern Iowa, Steve Carignan will retire in January 2026.
See STEVE, page 4
University Archives & Ty Helmon/Northern Iowan (L) Kids playing at the Hillside playground. (R) Ian Sherman, UNI anthropology student, digs into dirt where Hillside Apartments once
Hillside Courts 53 years later
From student housing to an archaeological classroom By Ty Helmon Staff Writer
SESQUICENTENNIAL
Registration for the University of Northern Iowa’s annual Pack the Dome event on Jan. 19, 2026, is now open.
See PACK, page 6
“You can’t beat a class where you get to play in the dirt,” said Donald Gaff, UNI professor of anthropology. Standing on a quiet stretch of Jennings Drive, it’s hard to imagine that the grassy, uneven field before him was once the site of the Hillside Courts
Apartments — 278 units of bustling student life, built in 1972 and home to generations of UNI’s non-traditional students. For more than five decades, Hillside Courts served families, international students, veterans and married couples seeking an affordable yet semi-independent living
space. The apartments were furnished with refrigerators, stoves, and air conditioners, offering privacy while remaining close enough to campus. But Hillside’s charm came with cracks… literally. The buildings were consistently troubled by floods, insects, sinking foundations and a list of structural issues well docu-
mented in past editions of the Northern Iowan. By 2018, the cost to repair the aging complex far outweighed its value. UNI made the difficult decision to demolish Hillside, closing the book on half a century of student memories. Or so it seemed. See HILLSIDE, page 2
Moo’s Bakery marks one sweet year on College Hill By Lily Munnik News Editor
SPORTS
UNI women’s basketball secured two victories last week, defeating both Illinois State and Toledo.
See BASKETBALL, page 9
Moo’s Bakery is celebrating a milestone that’s been a long time coming. In early December, the plantbased bakery marked one full year since opening the doors to its College Hill storefront, just steps away from the UNI campus that shaped founder Maddie Palmersheim’s entrepreneurial journey. During the week-long celebration, Moo’s shared daily reflections on social media about its first year in the space, revealing the challenges and growth behind the scenes while also thanking a community that has shown up in more ways than one. Customers were also treated to birthday-week specials, such as a free slice of cake with every order. Palmersheim moved Moo’s Bak-
ery to College Hill in 2024 after years of keeping an eye on the vacant shop tucked away next to Sharky’s. “I always saw the potential in this little location,” she said. “I love the patio, the pathway and the general pushed back placement of the building.” That hidden-gem atmosphere has become part of the bakery’s identity, showcasing the same slow-and-steady mindset that has defined the business since Palmersheim first developed Moo’s original menu item, deluxe brownies, in 2021. As the bakery looks back on the past 12 months, Palmersheim shared something far more personal — the emotional toll of experiencing a tragedy last spring. See MOO’S, page 2
Courtesy Photo Maddie Palmersheim says the idea for Moo’s Bakery came to her in a random though paired with an energetic pull to start.