Northern Iowan

Local mask mandates: Waterloo extends, Black Hawk County fails to pass

September 24, 2020

On Monday, Sept. 21, the Waterloo City Council approved a six-week extension of the citywide mask mandate. The mandate, which was originally passed in late August, would have expired at the end of September. It will now be in place until early November, at which time it will once again be up for r...

UNI announces shift to Spring Semester

ELIZABETH KELSEY, News Editor

September 17, 2020

When Parker Sherwood learned that his freshman year at UNI would not include the long-standing tradition of spring break, he was surprised but not opposed, he said. “I was a little shocked to hear that spring break was cancelled, but I knew it would be for the best,” said Sherwood, an undecided maj...

UNI announces Spring Schedule

ELIZABETH KELSEY, News Editor

September 14, 2020

Although the COVID-19 pandemic already makes vacations unlikely in the near future, UNI students shouldn’t plan on traveling anywhere for spring break in 2021. In a press release on Monday, Sept. 14, as well as an email to the campus community, UNI announced that the spring 2021 academic calendar...

COVID-19 on campus: 17 new cases

ELIZABETH KELSEY, News Editor

September 14, 2020

The UNI Student Health Center reported 17 new cases of COVID-19 among the campus community over the past week, bringing the campus’ cumulative total to 132 since the semester began. According to the university’s third week of COVID-19 data reporting, released on Friday, Sept. 11, the Student He...

Cedar Falls passes mask mandate

Effective immediately, Cedar Falls is under a city wide mask mandate for those 5 years of age and older.

ELIZABETH KELSEY, News Editor

September 10, 2020

Although UNI students and staff have already been accustomed to the expectation of wearing face coverings in public while on campus, the situation off-campus in Cedar Falls has been another matter. That changed Tuesday night when, in a 4-3 vote, the Cedar Falls City Council passed a citywide mask...

UNI releases latest COVID-19 numbers

Students study in Maucker Union while wearing masks. The UNI Student Health Center has released its second week of COVID-19 data, indicating a slight decline in the campus positivity rate and number of positive tests.

ELIZABETH KELSEY, News Editor

September 8, 2020

The UNI Student Health Center reported 35 new cases of COVID-19 among the campus community over the past week, bringing the campus’ cumulative total to 105 since the semester began. According to the university’s second week of COVID-19 data reporting, released on Friday, Sept. 4, the Student Hea...

UNI continues adapting to COVID-19

ELIZABETH KELSEY, News Editor

August 27, 2020

After Iowa’s two other public universities released the number of positive COVID-19 cases reported on their campuses this week, UNI plans to begin releasing COVID-19 information on Friday. “Beginning Friday, university data related to COVID-19 will be posted at forwardtogether.uni.edu,” the university’s official Twi...

New procedures keep campus clean

KAYLA LAWRENCE, Staff Writer

August 20, 2020

During the midst of a pandemic, there really is no such thing as too clean; UNI, it seems, has taken that to heart. Even before the much-debated return to campus, both students and staff had experienced firsthand the expectations and stress the university placed on cleanliness. Every student was required to ...

Summer orientation shifts to online in wake of COVID-19

ELIZABETH KELSEY, News Editor

April 22, 2020

During UNI’s two-day orientation sessions throughout the summer, incoming Panthers typically meet with advisors, explore the campus, stay overnight in a dorm and register for fall classes. This summer, due to the social distancing restrictions imposed by COVID-19, those sessions will take place onlin...

Student employment impacted due to COVID-19

EMMA'LE MAAS, Staff Writer

April 21, 2020

According to the University of Northern Iowa’s Career Services website, more than 5,400 students work on campus. Due to COVID-19 and the subsequent closing of campus operations, many of these students lost their jobs and income. Hannah Menken, junior family services major, reflected on her su...

UNI announces university’s first case of COVID-19

ELIZABETH KELSEY, News Editor

April 16, 2020

As the northeast corner of Iowa enters a virtual lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19, the UNI community announced the university’s first case of COVID-19. The individual was an employee who has not been on campus in over 30 days and who is currently self-isolating at home, according to a ca...

UNI Counseling Center moves to telehealth appointments amid COVID-19

ABIGAIL KRAFT, Staff Writer

April 13, 2020

As students transition to online learning at home due to COVID-19, students will still be able to access mental health resources while not on campus. The UNI Counseling Center has transitioned to telehealth appointments in order to reach students they cannot see in person. This includes Zoom and ph...