Iowa State University Alumni Association| online edition | fall 2008

FALL 2008
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AROUND CAMPUS

Alumnae reunite at RAGBRAI
RAGBRAI XXXVI in pictures
Fisher-Nickell demolished Aug. 12
Quote, unquote
Campus landmark gets a new name
A ground-breaking fall semester
It's easy being green
Just for fun: Our 10 favorite Iowa State groups on Facebook
Marginalia

Alumnae reunite at RAGBRAI (Return to top)

For three ISU alumnae, Ames’ first appearance in 25 years as a stop on the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) route was a special reason to celebrate. Kappa Alpha Thetas Joan Schultz (’58 applied art), Jody Plummer (’58 history), and Jacqueline Young (’58 home ec ed) traveled to Ames to commemorate their 50-year reunion with fellow Theta and Ames local Linda Emmerson (’59 general sci), reuniting on campus and putting the pedal to the pavement for the first three days of RAGBRAI XXXVI.

“It was either Jackie’s or Jody’s idea,” Emmerson said, “but neither of them will actually confess. Jackie called me and asked me if I wanted to do it, and I said ‘absolutely not.’ But the more we talked, I changed my mind. It was fun; I just don’t want to do it again. For our fifty-fifth I think we’ll do something different.”

But there’s already talk of a bike trip in London or trying to tackle Cycle Oregon. And don’t rule out those possibilities; this year’s RAGBRAI wasn’t the first physically taxing reunion the friends have put together. Young and Schultz biked down Mt. Hood a few years ago, and Young, Schultz, and Plummer have biked together through New York City’s five boroughs and Pennsylvania’s Amish country.

“I grew up on bicycles,” Young said. “It’s an exhilarating way to get around. I’m so happy that [cycling] is coming into its own again.”
Emmerson hadn’t seen Young in 20 years, and she hadn’t seen Plummer or Schultz since right after graduation. It was also the first return trip to campus for several of the riders, and the first RAGBRAI for the three out-of-staters.

“It was so fun to ride through campus past Beardshear and all the places that were there when I was in school,” Plummer said. “It’s such a beautiful
campus.”

“A big highlight was being back in Iowa,” Schultz added. “The warmth and generosity and helpfulness and kindness of the people is just absolutely overwhelming. I’m a professional therapist, and I say no one in Iowa needs therapy. This is the way we were created to be, like Iowa people.”

Emmerson said of the four riders, Schultz was the “most intrepid.” Schultz was the only one of the four who completed the route on day two, when violent storms rolled into western Iowa and she was forced to take shelter in a farmer’s shed.

“I had trained better than I thought,” Schultz said. “The momentum of all the people really gave me energy, and I think that’s one of the reasons I was
successful. I feel like I can do a lot of rides now that I never thought I could.”

“It was fun to have them back on campus,” Emmerson said. “They couldn’t get over how great their Iowa State experience was. I think we all felt that way. It was a good time all around.”

RAGBRAI XXXVI in pictures (Return to top)

Iowa State welcomed RAGBRAIers to "CYcling Country" July 22 as the annual event stopped in Ames for the first time in a quarter-century.

Enjoy more campus color from RAGBRAI XXXVI online by visiting our bonus photo gallery at www.isualum.org
/visions.

Fisher-Nickell demolished Aug. 12 (Return to top)

In August the ISU campus said goodbye to Fisher-Nickell Hall, the 1952 brick house on Richardson Court that has been home to the university’s home management program, student residence, and, most recently, the ISU Alumni Association’s offices in its 56-year history. The building was razed to make way for landscaping and a small parking lot at the Hixson-Lied Student Success Center, which opened adjacent to Fisher-Nickell last year. The timing of the demolition was connected to the Alumni Association’s move into the new ISU Alumni Center in July.

The demolition was emotional for some, including former resident Suzanne Gebel (’88 journalism). “How do we say goodbye to the structure that means almost as much to us as the friendships we forged when we lived there? I’m not sure,” she said. “The memories of my time at Fisher-Nickell are very vivid.”

ISU Alumni Association president Jeff Johnson admits he’ll miss Fisher-Nickell, too. “I’m really going to miss
the big front window that gave me a daily and nightly view of everyday student life,” he said. “I really love our students, and their energy inspired me every day.
I am grateful to the university that we got to spend our transition time there.”

You can read more reflections of Fisher-Nickell and share your own memories on the ISU Alumni Association’s blog. Just go to www.isualum.org/blog and scroll down to Kate’s July 23 post,
“A Nickell for your thoughts.”

Quote, unquote (Return to top)

"For thirty years, we have seen major structural changes that have caused the decline of the rural town.”

– ISU assistant scientist Liesel Eathington , quoted in a July 9 Associated Press article on how rising gas prices may help rural towns by keeping business local

“I have embraced Iowa.”

– Seven-time Tour De France winner Lance Armstrong in the Iowa State Center parking lot July 22, introducing the rock band Styx at RAGBRAI’s Embrace Iowa 2008 Disaster Relief Concert

“This is a way to show Iowans they should feel very proud of the commitment Iowa State University is making to the renewable energy issue.”

– University marketing director Carole Custer (’71 tech jrnlsm), speaking about the university’s exhibit at the 2008 Iowa State Fair, “Iowa State University: Leading the Renewable Energy Revolution.”

Campus landmark gets a new name (Return to top)

Alumni Hall, which has been home to a variety of campus offices and functions in its 101-year history, changed its name in August to something that more accurately describes its current function: Enrollment Services Center.

The name ‘Alumni Hall’ hasn’t accurately described the function of the building for many years now,” said assistant vice president for enrollment services and registrar Kathy Jones. “But primarily, we [want] to avoid confusion between Alumni Hall and the new Alumni Center.”

There are wayfinding and safety concerns associated with having two buildings that have similar names, Jones explained. “We want to make sure people get to the correct building – especially since prospective students and their families may be unfamiliar with campus,” she said. “But we also want to avoid confusion for essential city services such as police and fire.”

A ground-breaking fall semester (Return to top)

Iowa State is building!
The following groundbreaking ceremonies and building dedications are coming to campus this fall:

• Hach Chemistry Building
Groundbreaking – Saturday, Sept. 6
• Biorenewables Research Laboratory
Groundbreaking – Monday, Sept. 8
• Coover Hall Phase I
Dedication – Thursday, Oct. 2
• Seed Science Center
Dedication – Tuesday, Oct. 14
• Dr. W. Eugene and Linda Lloyd
Veterinary Medical Center
Dedication – Saturday, Oct. 18
• ISU Alumni Center
Dedication – Saturday, Oct. 25

It's easy being green (Return to top)

Just months after Morrill Hall became the first Iowa Regents building to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, ISU President Gregory Geoffroy is going for the gold. Achieving LEED Gold certification on all new campus construction and major renovation projects is just one of the goals Iowa State hopes to achieve through its new “Live Green!” initiative, piloted on campus this summer. The program also seeks to create an Office of Sustainability Programs and develop a $3 million revolving loan fund to support green projects on campus. The Live Green! Web site is also chock full of tips, news, and information at www.livegreen.iastate.edu.

Do you have a "green" idea for Iowa State? Send it to livegreen@iastate.edu.

Just for fun: Our 10 favorite Iowa State groups on Facebook (Return to top)

1. “Chipmunks are overrunning ISU” – 41 jumpy members
2. “Students who are creeped out by the paintings of giant floating heads in Kildee’s Lush Auditorium” – 24 art-critiquing members
3. “If you join this group maybe Ames will get a snowplow or salt” – 50 slipping and sliding members
4. “It will always be Elwood Drive to me!” – 219 purist members
5. “I’ve gone swimming in the Iowa State MU Fountain and/or Lake La Verne” – 261 soggy members
6. “The Iowa State Fair is my summer vacation” – 60 distinctly Iowan members
7. “Maximize your potential energy for the day: don’t go to physics” – 37 lecture-skipping members
8. “Sadness is Ames in the rearview mirror” – 54 sentimental members
9. “How many touchdowns does it take to beat a Hawkeye?” – 2,538 members who celebrated ISU’s five field goal, touchdown-free 15-13 football victory over Iowa last season
10. “I Hate the Crows” – 220 pooped- upon members

Become a fan of the ISU Alumni Association on Facebook!

Marginalia (Return to top)

Do you know where your fruits
and veggies have been?
A new online tracking program sponsored by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture can tell you. Visit www.leopold.iastate.edu/resources/
fruitveg/fruitveg.php to track them down!

320
The number of acres of Delaware County forest ISU student lumberjacks Jarrett Cook and Lucas Monson studied this summer during an internship to gain logging experience. The pair lived in a FEMA trailer without a toilet or running water for the entire summer.