A banner advertising an event for the University of Iowa’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter was vandalized on Monday, mere hours after it was put up, the organization said.

Vandals allegedly scribbled “ignorant” on the photo of Ian Haworth who is visiting Iowa City on Oct. 7. The banner was hung on a black fence surrounding Hubbard Park near the Iowa Memorial Union Monday morning, which YAF representatives say was vandalized within two-and-a-half hours.

Haworth is a British-born conservative that YAF’s website describes as a “conservative writer, speaker and podcast host.”

The Young Americans for Freedom released a statement Monday, saying the alleged vandalism “openly call(s) for violence against Jewish students.”

“It is appalling that at a Big Ten University, where tours are happening regularly and the administration promotes ‘inclusion,’ ‘safe spaces,’ and ‘welcoming,’ members of the Hawkeye community still openly call for violence against Jewish students,” the University of Iowa YAF organization said. “Terrorist sympathizers should not be celebrated—they should be held accountable for the hateful, criminal rhetoric they spread.”

YAF President Jasmyn Jordan told the Press-Citizen that she submitted a formal statement to the University of Iowa Police Department and plans to request a meeting with UI President Barbara Wilson “because blatant and deliberate hatred should not be tolerated whatsoever.”

More: Iowa governor deploys National Guard to help North Carolina after Hurricane Helene

Graffiti included Palestinian flag and the phrase “Free Palestine”

A Palestinian flag was also drawn next to Haworth’s face and was accompanied by the phrase “Free Palestine.” In small writing, a person allegedly scribbled “From the river to the sea,” a contentious phrase common at pro-Palestinian rallies that demonstrators say is a call for Palestinian freedom.

The American Jewish Committee says the ‘From the river to the sea’ phrase harkens back to Hamas’ 1988 founding document, which called for the destruction of Israel. A U.S. House resolution declaring the phrase antisemitic passed by a 377-44 margin in April.

“(L)eftist groups continue to engage in this behavior without consequence,” YAF’s statement continued. “How can prospective and current students feel safe, included, or welcome when their identities and fundamental beliefs are constantly under attack?”

More: When does early voting start in Iowa? Here’s when you can vote in-person this fall.

Conservative host visiting on anniversary of deadly Hamas attack

The UI chapter of Young Americans for Freedom will welcome Ian Haworth to the Iowa Memorial Union on Monday, Oct. 7.

His talk, titled “October 7: One Year Later – Hamas’s War on Jewish, Christian, American, and Western Values,” will explore how Hamas’ deadly attacks “targeted the foundational values of these groups,” according to a release from the Young Americans. Haworth will “advocate for the release and safe return of hostages taken during the conflict,” “honor the victims of terrorism” and “address the rising threat of antisemitism.”

Haworth previously worked at The Daily Wire, the Ben Shapiro-founded media organization.

“(H)ostage-taking is not a political issue and should never be silenced,” the YAF statement concluded. “By vandalizing our materials and attacking our promotions, these terrorist sympathizers are aligning themselves with the most unethical and immoral groups, whether they realize it or not.”

More: Protesters gather on Pentacrest in Iowa City as Israel ramps up conflict with Hezbollah

YAF regularly hosts conservative speakers

The Young Americans for Freedom chapter at the University of Iowa has hosted several notable conservatives over the past 18 months. They brought in well-known conservative Matt Walsh, Chloe Cole and Vince Everett Ellison as well as former University of Penn swimmer Paula Scanlan. Walsh’s appearance in April 2023, in which he also screened the “What is a Woman” documentary, drew hundreds of protesters to the Iowa Memorial Union and nearby streets.

One protestor was eventually convicted of disorderly conduct following a jury trial in April

More: Protesters gather on Pentacrest in Iowa City as Israel ramps up conflict with Hezbollah

Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.

A Black man alleges in a lawsuit that an Iowa trucking company fired him as a driver because he wouldn’t cut off his dreadlocks, the latest in a series of incidents across the country over an issue activists have dubbed hair discrimination.

Drew Harvey, 26, of Crete, Illinois, accused Des Moines-based TMC Transportation of racism in the lawsuit filed last week in state court against the company and two of its employees. The company didn’t immediately respond Monday to phone and email messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Similar issues have arisen in places like Texas, where a Black high school student was suspended because of his dreadlocks. And in Kansas, the American Civil Liberties Union raised concerns over a grade school forcing an 8-year-old Native American boy to cut off his hair after he grew it out for cultural reasons.

In Iowa, Harvey was hired as a flatbed truck driver in June. But one day after beginning orientation, his instructor told him to report to human resources, where he was told his hair was creating a “safety issue” and that he needed to cut his deadlocks or be fired, the lawsuit said.

According to the lawsuit, Harvey said his hair was “important to his culture and spirituality” and he offered to address the concerns by trimming his hair, styling it differently, wearing it in a hair wrap or purchasing a different hard hat.

But the lawsuit said the company told him the proposals weren’t acceptable. Fired, he was sent home on a bus in tears, the lawsuit said.

The suit said the policy was inconsistently enforced and a violation of the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Harvey said that during his short time with the company, he observed several non-Black male and female workers who had long hair. The suit said he was even more upset when he learned online that TMC previously fired another Black man for the same reason.

Harvey is seeking unspecified damages for lost wages and emotional distress.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education is launching the first testing period for its phased rollout of the 2025-26 form to apply for federal financial student aid on Tuesday, with more students set to partake in this beginning testing stage than initially expected.

The department announced in August it would be using a staggered approach to launch the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid — or FAFSA — in order to address any issues that might arise before the form opens up to everyone by Dec. 1. The number of students able to complete the form will gradually increase throughout four separate testing stages, with the first one beginning Oct. 1.

The phased rollout makes the form fully available two months later than usual and comes as the 2024-25 form — which got a makeover after Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act in late 2020 — faced a series of highly publicized hiccups that the department has worked to fix.

Earlier in September, the department announced six community-based organizations chosen to participate in the first testing period: Alabama Possible; Bridge 2 Life, in Florida; College AIM, in Georgia; Education is Freedom, in Texas; the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, in California; and the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria, in Virginia.

“Thanks to the wonderful organizations, we expect closer to 1,000 students in Beta 1 as opposed to the 100 we initially thought,” FAFSA executive adviser Jeremy Singer said on a call with reporters Monday regarding the 2025-26 form.

During this first testing stage, U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal said the department will process students’ FAFSAs, “give students an opportunity to make corrections, if needed, and send the records to colleges and state agencies.”

“Colleges will be able to use these same records when it’s time for them to make financial aid offers,” said Kvaal, who oversees higher education and financial aid, including the Office of Federal Student Aid.

Three more testing periods

The department on Monday also named 78 community-based organizations, governmental entities, high schools, school districts and institutions of higher education to participate in its three subsequent testing periods for the 2025-26 form.

Three of the community-based organizations chosen to take part in the first testing period — Florida’s Bridge 2 Life; Texas’ Education is Freedom; and Virginia’s  Scholarship Fund of Alexandria — will also participate in subsequent testing stages.

To help students and families prepare for the 2025-26 application cycle, the department said this week it’s releasing a revised Federal Student Aid Estimator, updated resources for creating a StudentAid.Gov account, including a “parent wizard,” as well as an updated prototype of the 2025-26 FAFSA.

Last week, the department released a report outlining 10 steps it’s taking to improve the FAFSA application process. Part of those efforts include the department strengthening its leadership team and working to address issues for families without Social Security numbers when completing the form, in addition to vendors adding more than 700 new call center agents.