Iowa
State University Alumni Association| online edition | winter 2006
WINTER 2006
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A new spin on tornadoes
Angela Groh: 212 percent
Ask an Expert: Selecting a pet to suit your lifestyle
Rank you very much
We've got our eyes on Cy
VEISHEA alcohol policy relaxed
Order of the Knoll: New levels of giving
Summit on civil disturbances
It's official: We're over the top! 50,000 members!
A new spin on tornadoes (return to top)
The famous Iowa State University laboratory tornadoes created by Partha Sarkar, Fred Haan, and Bill Gallus blew into living rooms across the country in a National Geographic documentary, “Explorer: Secrets of the Tornado.” The show premiered last fall on the National Geographic Channel. Crews were on campus last March to conduct interviews and collect footage for the program. You can check out more info about the show online at http://www.tv.com/national-geographic-channel-explorer/show/29432/summary.html.
Ironically, if you were on the Iowa State campus on Sept. 8, you might have experienced a tornado that was NOT a simulation. A surprise twister caught the campus off guard around noon. High winds and a driving rain uprooted trees, ripped off branches, blew over a light pole, broke windows, collapsed tents, and caused damage to vehicles. Eight people were injured, and one person was hospitalized.
And then, if that weren’t enough, ANOTHER tornado sped toward Ames on Nov. 12, destroying homes in its path and causing Iowa State officials to evacuate Jack Trice Stadium. More than 50,000 fans were gathered in the area prior to the ISU vs. Colorado game, and most took shelter in Hilton Coliseum and other Iowa State Center facilities.
That tornado missed most of the city of Ames, and the game was played with only a brief delay. However, area twisters destroyed property in the towns of Stratford and Woodward, Iowa, and an 84-year-old Stratford woman was killed when her home collapsed.
Angela Groh: 212 Percent (return to top)
Angela Groh, a senior political science major from Thornton, Iowa, and president of ISU’s Government of 
the Student Body, is one of Glamour magazine’s top 10 college women as featured in the October issue. Groh was selected from 550 entrants after a friend encouraged her to apply and says she believes the magazine chose her because of her strong record of leadership. Groh has served as both president and director of governmental relations for ISU’s GSB, and she spearheaded a computer skills program for senior citizens that has now gone nationwide.
“I do my best even when no one’s watching,” Groh
said. “That’s something my dad told me when I was young. I always give 212 percent to try to make a difference.”
Groh says she plans to attend law school following graduation and hopes to become the first female governor of Iowa – if someone else doesn’t beat her to the punch.
Ask an Expert: Selecting a pet to suit your lifestyle (return to top)
Our expert is Kim Langholz (DVM 2000), a community veterinarian at Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Langholz, when selecting a new pet, what main lifestyle factors should be taken into consideration?
Carefully evaluate your resources!
• Time: Do you have time to take a dog on two or three 20-minute walks per day (or equivalent play sessions)? Do you have the time to brush a medium- to long-haired cat or dog for several minutes a day to prevent the coat from matting? Do you have time to train and socialize an animal – especially a dog?
• Energy: Do you have the energy at the end of a busy workday to spend 20-30 minutes caring for an animal? How much energy does the animal have? A Jack Russell terrier or a Border Collie has a higher exercise need than a guinea pig.
• Finances: Consider how much food, veterinary care, grooming, boarding, toys, etc. the pet will require. A 110-pound Great Dane takes more money for food, medications, and boarding than a cat.
• Living arrangements: Do you have access to appropriate exercise space? How many people are in the family, and who will provide primary care? (All family members must be consistent when training a pet.)
Lastly, if you are considering a bird or reptile, you must research the needs of these animals before acquiring one...they have very specific housing and nutritional needs.
If I’m at work all day and busy most weekends, what kind of animal would be best for me?
First, maybe this isn’t the right time for you to acquire a pet; however, an animal such as a reptile, guinea pig, chinchilla, ferret – or even some cats – might be appropriate if you really want one. You can interact with these animals and don’t have to worry as much about feeding schedules, toilet needs, and exercise. You can put food and water in the enclosure twice a day, clean the litter box, and then hold/play with/interact with the animal when you have a few minutes.
I would love to have a dog, but I really don’t have a good place to walk it. Are there breeds that don’t require much exercise?
Basically all breeds need to go for walks. Walks provide physical exercise and mental stimulation so they can see and smell new things. Most dogs love to go for car rides, so perhaps you could drive the dog to a park to go for a walk.
If there are young children in the family, what factors should parents look for in a new pet?
Factors to consider actually center more on the children: Is my child old enough to understand how to be “gentle” with a pet? Can I supervise the child at all times while it interacts with the animal? Do not get a pet to “teach your child responsibility.” Let the child demonstrate that he/she is responsible, and then discuss getting a pet. Remember, most of the time the parent provides the care for the animal. Perhaps an aquarium with some fish to watch would be a first step.
What about adding a new pet when there is already a pet in the household?
Introductions of a new pet should be slow, carefully controlled situations to allow the existing pet to get used to the new animal in the home. Introductions can take several days to weeks to avoid significant behavior problems. Your adult cat may not find the new kitten to be as irresistible as you did when you saw it at the humane society.
What if I adopt a new pet and it doesn’t work out? Then what should I do?
Talk to your veterinarian and try to see what you can do to make the situation a pleasant one for you and the animal. I would recommend that any person who is considering adopting an animal make an appointment for a pre-purchase consultation with a veterinarian to help identify the species that would be the best fit for your lifestyle, resources, and personality. Buying
or adopting an animal at the spur of the moment or because you are in a new town/school and are lonely is not the best situation. These animals live for 12-28 years and are entitled to the best possible homes that we can make for them.
Rank you very much (return to top)
Before U.S. News and World Report’s annual ranking of “America’s Best Colleges” hit the newsstands in August (Iowa State ranked 85th overall and 19th among the 106 land-grants this year), the editors of political magazine Washington Monthly decided it was their turn to take a stab at ranking the country’s institutions of higher learning – and they are proud to state that their criteria are different.
“Other guides ask what colleges can do for you,” the magazine announced. “We ask what are colleges doing for the country.” When you look at it that way, Iowa State really rates – in fact, the magazine notes that No. 34 ISU easily beats No. 44 Princeton (U.S. News’ co-No. 1) in the overall rankings. Iowa State also ranks among the top 10 in terms of encouraging service to the community and country. Find out more on the Web at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/ 21/AR2005082101009.html
We should also point out that Iowa State’s learning communities program was once again recognized among the nation’s best on U.S. News & World Report list of 25 top innovative academic programs. The program began in 1995 with 12 learning communities serving 400 students. Today ISU’s learning communities program includes 2,200 students in more than 50 learning communities, and nearly half of all freshmen participate. Read more online at http://www.lc.iastate.edu/.
We've got our eyes on Cy (return to top)
The bird’s the word around the state of Iowa these days. Our beloved Cy mascot is stepping out! A new “Eye on Cy” campaign has Cyclone fans everywhere turning “Fridays” into “Cydays” – with ISU faithful wearing their Iowa State gear to show their school spirit.
This fall, the ISU Alumni Association teamed up with KASI/Channel Q radio and Hickory Park Restaurant to present “FANtastic Fridays,” a special promotion in conjunction with the “Eye on Cy” marketing campaign to search for Cyclone spirit in the Ames community. Each Friday before a home ISU football game, a member of the ISU Alumni Association staff and Cy popped
in on Ames businesses and rewarded them with free Hickory Park lunches if their employees were properly decked out in ISU gear.
Let us know how you’re incorporating “Cydays” into your own office environment! E-mail VISIONS at cgieseke@alumni.iastate.edu.
VEISHEA alcohol policies relaxed (return to top)
ISU president Gregory Geoffroy announced in late November that there will be no special alcohol policy during VEISHEA 2006. On- and off-campus drinking was a central theme of community discussions that have occurred since riots marred the 2004 event, and Geoffroy elected to cancel VEISHEA 2005 while contemplating its future. Many have criticized the 1998-2004 VEISHEA alcohol policy, which banned alcohol anywhere on campus, claiming its restrictions forced off-campus parties to swell out of control. For 2006, Geoffroy says the university will follow its normal alcohol policy, which permits alcohol on campus and in residence hall rooms for students of legal drinking age only. “I want to emphasize that this decision to maintain our normal alcohol policy during VEISHEA does not imply that we will have a ‘wet’ VEISHEA. This policy is very restrictive, and it will be vigorously enforced during VEISHEA, just as it is at all other times of the year,” he said. “I have made this decision because of the confidence I have in our students.” VEISHEA 2006 will be held April 21-23.
Web link: www.veishea.iastate.edu/
Order of the Knoll: New Levels of Giving (return to top)
The Order of the Knoll, Iowa State University’s most prestigious donor recognition organization, recently began acknowledging new levels of giving.
This change was designed to encourage ongoing support of Iowa State and to better recognize its most consistent and loyal donors. Order of the Knoll members provide the financial leadership that transforms lives and creates opportunities at ISU. Their gifts – whether in the form of lifetime support, annual giving, or both – are essential to the future of Iowa State. The Order of the Knoll now acknowledges three levels of giving for individuals:
• W.M. Beardshear Society: Cumulative gifts, deferred gifts, or pledges of $1 million or more.
• President’s Circle: Cumulative gifts, deferred gifts, or pledges of $100,000 to $999,999.
• Campanile Society: Annual gifts of $2,500 or more ($1,500 for those under age 40).
Last year, a record 55,279 donors committed more than $82 million in private support to Iowa State, a 30 percent increase from the previous year. Many of those gifts were at the Order of the Knoll level.
For more information, contact the ISU Foundation by e-mail at OrderoftheKnoll@foundation.iastate.edu; on the Web at www.foundation.iastate.edu; or toll-free
at 866-419-6768.
Summit on civil disturbances (return to top)
It happens on campuses around the country every year: The football team wins a big game, a spring celebration falls on a particularly warm weekend, a prank goes a step too far – and before you know it, all hell breaks loose.
ISU has had its share of “celebratory disturbances” – primarily during VEISHEA weekends – and is doing something to educate itself and other institutions about the topic.
The City of Ames, ISU, and Government of the Student body recently hosted a National Summit on Preventing Civil Disturbances. The summit was a result of a recommendation by the VEISHEA task force, a commission formed to analyze VEISHEA problems and community relations following a 2004 Campustown disturbance.
“Local communities continue to struggle with celebratory riots, but much has been learned about how to prevent these disturbances,” said Chuck Cychosz, support services manager for the Ames Police Department and one of the event’s coordinators.
The summit provided new perspectives on event management, alcohol, zoning, student involvement and leadership, town-gown cooperation, and housing patterns.
It's official: We've over the top! (return to top)
Thank you for helping the Iowa State University Alumni Association reach our 50,000-member goal (set in conjunction with our 125th anniversary celebration) on Dec. 14, 2005. Association membership is now the highest in Iowa State history! Iowa State is currently the second largest dues-paying alumni association in the Big 12 Conference, and now that we’ve surpassed Kansas, our sights are set on becoming No. 1!
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Our 50,000th member is Tim Quick of Johnston, Iowa. A 2001 marketing and international business graduate, Tim is a business relationship manager for Wells Fargo in Ames. As the 50,000th member, Tim received a $500 gift certificate to be used toward merchandise or life membership.