The Daily Iowan MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2021 THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA COMMUNITY SINCE 1868 DAILYIOWAN.COM 50¢ Remembering Marvin Bell The poet and 40-year Iowa Writers’ Workshop professor died on Dec. 14 at the age of 83, having touched the lives of many and leaving a long withstanding legacy of written work in his wake. Iowa’s First Poet Laureate Illustration by Kate Doolittle BY JOSIE FISCHELS he had many times before. ems by Bell, so many that the host of the event, Prairie Lights Book- [email protected] “You are not beautiful, exactly. You are beautiful, inexactly.” store, had to upgrade its Zoom subscription to fit them all. The subject of Bell’s poem, his wife Dorothy Bell, stroked his arm Bell died a little over a month later on Dec. 14, after undergoing In a soft navy vest over a buttoned shirt, poet Marvin Bell read and back just out of sight as Bell closed the reading — a three-hour treatment for aggressive, late-stage stomach cancer since Septem- his poem, “To Dorothy” on a couch in front of his MacBook. A pair Zoom his friend, International Writing Program Director Christo- ber. The poet was surrounded by his family when he died, the stereo of dark rimmed glasses bobbed atop his round nose as he spoke to pher Merrill, put together in his honor in November. More than 600 the screen in a softened but confident voice, reciting the words as people from all over the world attended to share their favorite po- SEE MARVIN BELL, 3 UI COVID-19 NUMBERS DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION IN THE COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY Number of self-reported cases for COVID-19 Students: 11 new cases, 2,935 Course set to-date Employees: 4 new cases, 428 to-date Data reflect since Feb. 3. 2021 Dentistry college to alter Source: UI COVID-19 campus update for in-person INSIDE approach to student speech The college will prevent faculty from including political opinions in mass fall 2021 6 emails to students and review the punitive process for future student speech. Lecture classes of more than 150 will remain online, with most other courses in-person. Lark and Owl owner to BY SARAH WATSON sell restaurant for $1 [email protected] An Iowa City restaurant owner, Yi Zhang, is selling his business University of Iowa officials are setting the gears in for a dollar after the pandemic motion for a mostly in-person semester in fall 2021 as took too great of a toll on foot the vaccine rollout continues across the state. Class- traffic. He’s hoping it’ll continue es with more than 150 students will remain online, under new management. the UI announced in a campus update leading into the weekend, but nearly all other classes that aren’t already offered as a distance-learning class will be in ONLINE person. Since classes moved online in March 2020, the campus has operated with more than 70 percent of classes online for the last three semesters. With pres- sure from lawmakers in Des Moines to conduct more education in-person and the promise of a vaccine for students, faculty, and staff in the summer and fall, ad- ministrators are looking toward a fall 2021 with hope for a more feasible in-person learning environment. According to the update, the UI will hold classes in Iowa City mask mandate buildings that meet Centers for Disease Control and still in effect Prevention ventilation recommendations to reduce Iowa City’s mask order will re- risk of COVID-19 transmission. That means some main in place despite Iowa Gov. Ryan Adams/The Daily Iowan lecture classes with more than 150 students will be Kim Reynolds lifting several Rep. Bobby Kaufmann speaks during the opening of the 2021 legislative session on Jan. 11 at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines. moved online, while discussion and lab sections meet statewide COVID-19 mitigation in person. measures beginning Sunday. BY LAUREN WHITE AND BRIAN GRACE former President Trump that prohibited federal agencies “While the prevalence of COVID-19 will likely be di- [email protected] and institutions receiving federal grant money from pro- minished, we will continue to take steps to reduce the Go to dailyiowan.com to viding students with diversity and equity training that risk of exposure to COVID-19 for our students, facul- read more. The University of Iowa College of Dentistry will ad- “scapegoats” certain races or sexes. ty, staff, and community,” the email stated. just its mass emailing practices after state lawmakers Michael Brase, a dentistry student at the college, re- Instructors can still choose to hold a large lecture reprimanded representatives from Iowa’s three public sponded to the mass email directly within the thread, in person or a small discussion online, but must sub- universities last week for a history of actions Republican disagreeing with the college’s stance. When he was sum- mit a request with the rationale by today. lawmakers said suppressed conservative voices. moned to a disciplinary hearing from college administra- “The goal is to hold as many face-to-face courses In a statehouse committee meeting, UI College of tors for “unprofessional behavior,” he sought help from as possible while maintaining flexibility,” the email Dentistry Dean David Johnsen told lawmakers he won’t Iowa legislators on the basis that his First Amendment stated. Tune in for LIVE updates allow College of Dentistry faculty to send mass emails to rights were being violated. UI department executive officers received an email Watch for campus and city students that include political rhetoric. “I don’t think that they should be sending out emails from administrators Jan. 29 outlining the plan for news, weather, and Hawkeye Free-speech experts and advocates told The Daily Io- against or for Trump executive orders, or against or for fall instruction, emphasizing that the UI “will begin sports coverage every day at wan that First Amendment concerns can often be thorny, Biden executive orders,” Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wil- a return to its primary goal of offering a residential, dailyiowan.com. but ultimately the purpose of public universities is to ton, said in an interview with the DI. “The goal of the uni- on-campus experience in fall 2021.” balance the protection of free speech with the fostering versity is to educate.” Associate Deans Cornelia Lang and Christine Getz of a conducive learning environment for students of all Johnsen, the dentistry college dean wrote in a state- wrote that faculty members could submit a request backgrounds. ment to the DI that he will not use his voice in any offi- to teach a class with fewer than 150 students online, The UI College of Dentistry sent a mass email to its stu- dents in October 2020 condemning an executive order by SEE COD, 2 SEE FALL 2021, 2 2 NEWS THE DAILY IOWAN | DAILYIOWAN.COM | MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2021 Volume 153 DRIFTY BUSINESS The Daily Iowan Issue 40 STAFF BREAKING NEWS Publisher. .335-5788 Phone: (319) 335-6030 Jason Brummond Email: [email protected] Fax: 335-6297 Executive Editor. .335-6030 Sarah Watson Managing Editor CORRECTIONS Call: 335-6030 Zandra Skores, Caleb McCullough Policy: The Daily Iowan strives for Managing Digital Editor accuracy and fairness in the Kelsey Harrell reporting of news. If a report is wrong or misleading, a request for a Asst. Digital Editor, Engagement correction or a clarification may be Molly Milder made. News Editors Rylee Wilson, Rachel Schilke PUBLISHING INFO Photo Editor The Daily Iowan (USPS 143.360) is published by Student Publications Hannah Kinson Inc., E131 Adler Journalism Building, Design Editor Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2004, Mondays Kate Doolittle and Wednesdays during the fall and spring semesters (plus Fridays of Politics Editor football game weekends) and Julia Shanahan Wednesday during the summer, Opinions Editor except legal and university holidays, Hannah Pinski and university class breaks. Periodicals postage paid at the Iowa Asst. Opinions Editor City Post Office under the Act of Lucee Laursen Congress of March 2, 1879. Arts Editors Maddie Lotenschtein, Josie Fischels SUBSCRIPTIONS Sports Editor Call: Juli Krause at 335-5783 Email: [email protected] Austin Hanson Jeff Sigmund/The Daily Iowan Subscription rates: Asst. Sports Editor As cars wait, two people deliberate on how to get their car unstuck from a snow drift on Feb. 4. Because of the high winds and heavy snow fall, travel was not advised. Iowa City and Coralville: $30 for one Isaac Goffin semester, $60 for two semesters, $5 Sports Projects Editor for summer session, $60 for full year. Robert Read Other universities have an- take months to complete. single class this fall.” Out of town: $50 for one semester, Copy Editor nounced a return to primary Yockey wrote that he’s hope- About three-quarters of FALL 2021 $100 for two semesters, $10 for Katie Ann McCarver CONTINUED FROM FRONT in-person instruction for fall ful the university will return to classes were online at the UI summer session, $100 all year. 2021. The University of Cali- a pre-pandemic teaching envi- by Thanksgiving, after thou- Visuals Director Send address changes to: Katie Goodale but that “a very small number fornia’s 10 campuses plan to ronment, but that he’d like to sands of students self-report- The Daily Iowan, of exceptions will be granted.” do so, though the system’s have a better sense of when all ed testing positive for the 100 Adler Journalism Building, Iowa DITV News Director The request must include president, Michael V. Drake, remaining students, staff, and virus at the start of the semes- City, Iowa 52242-2004 Bailey Cichon a rationale for the request said in a press release that faculty can receive the vaccine ter, a number which campus Managing TV Director to teach online and a short further details wouldn’t be an- before committing to a specif- officials attributed to off-cam- Harley Atchison proposal “indicating that the nounced until the fall semester ic format for his fall courses.