Cyclones take the court
Task force set to offer proposal
The men sneak by North Dakota State while the women fall to Nebraska
The GSB senate plans to hear a proposal to lease and renovate the former Varsity Theater
see SPORTS on PAGE 10
see BUSINESS on PAGE 4
January 11, 2010, Volume 204 >> Number 76 >> 40 cents >> iowastatedaily.com >> An independent newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890
MONDAY
Cybrids
Football
CyRide goes green with hybrid bus By Sara Schlueter Daily Staff Writer The familiar CyRide buses that service the Ames community and ISU campus are in for a new makeover. CyRide is joining Rankin the initiative to “live green” and will add 12 hybrid buses, called “Cybrids,” to its fleet beginning this summer and continuing into December. “The guiding philosophy behind this is to be aware of our impact on the environment,” said Susan Gwiasda, public relations officer for Ames. The 12 hybrid buses cost $6 million. “We have been wanting to do this for a long time, and now we are able to because of the federal economic stimulus dollars we were granted,” said Sheri Kyras, CyRide transit director. Federal stimulus dollars will be the primary source of funding for the buses. The cost of one regular CyRide bus is $380,000 — compared to $520,000 for an electric hybrid bus — but CyRide officials think the cost is worthwhile. “The [hybrids] give off one-third less emissions,” Kyras said. “They are much healthier for the environment, have improved miles per gallon and they are
see CYRIDE on PAGE 6
The road to victory Insight win first since ’04 for Iowa State By Nate Sandell Daily Sports Editor TEMPE, Ariz. — On Dec. 20, 2008, Paul Rhoads took over a football program reeling from a two-win season and the abrupt departure of its head coach. Rhoads made a promise to his new team: The 2009 Cyclone football team would win a bowl game. One year later, that promise was fulfilled. Iowa State overcame four turnovers and a late surge from Minnesota to earn a 14–13 victory over the Gophers in the 21st annual Insight Bowl. The win was a fitting exclamation mark on the Cyclones’ turnaround season — a season in which Iowa State never had a losing record (7–6 overall). Moments after the game clock expired, senior defensive lineman Nate Frere summed up the team’s emotional reaction to the victory while wiping away tears. “It was a goal that we set out a year ago, when Coach Rhoads first got here. We’ve had some rough times here, and to do it in this fashion is an indescribable feeling,”
see SPORTS on PAGE 14
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Death
Student involved in fatal accident over winter break By Rashah McChesney Daily Staff Writer At about 7 a.m., just as the sun was coming up on Dec. 30, Whitney Jean Zimmerman, of Huxley, was driving on Mortensen Road near the intersection at Coconino Road when her car struck Lyle Clapp, 71, of Ames who was crossing on the west side of the intersection. Clapp was crossing on the side of the intersection where there isn’t a crosswalk. The officer who responded to the incident said it was the time of day when the change from darkness to dawn was just becoming noticeable, said Ames Police Cmmdr. Mike Brennan. “She just didn’t see him,” he said. “I think it was starting to snow a little bit and there was a car going eastbound and a car going westbound, and it could very well have been that headlights played a role in the incident as well. According to the news release, Clapp was taken to Mary Greeley Medical Center and later Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, were he died later that evening. “It’s basically just an accident,” Brennan said. “Just a really unfortunate, tragic situation.” There are no charges being filed against Zimmerman, and Brennan said none would be. “We had our traffic accident investigators come out and do their measurements and investigation and interviews with the witnesses and there was certainly nothing that [Zimmerman] was doing as far as speeding or driving recklessly,” Brennan said.
ISU coach Paul Rhoads holds up the Insight Bowl trophy after Iowa State defeated Minnesota 14–13 in the Insight Bowl on Dec. 31, 2009. Rhoads fulfilled his promise that his team would win a bowl game when he was hired on Dec. 20, 2008. Photo: Paul Connors/The Associated Press
Fans follow team to postseason success By John Lonsdale Daily Staff Writer On Dec. 31, Cyclone fans young and old gathered to cheer on their team in Tempe, Ariz., at Sun Devil Stadium. Outnumbering Minnesota fans 8-to-1, Cyclone Nation was exhilarated and ready for a victory. Not only was it the ending to a remarkable year, but it was also the end to an interesting football season. Cheering beneath the glow of the fireworks overhead, the sea of cardinal and gold flooded the packed stadium, the heat and energy radiating onto the field throughout the players and coaches. Cara Kjergaard, sophomore in agricultural business, watched with her brother and sister-in-law,
taking everything in. After a three-hour drive to a hotel in Kansas City, Kjergaard flew out at 6 a.m. the next morning and landed in Phoenix by 8 a.m., gaining an hour. Not only were Cyclone fans cluttering her flight, but she says they were all over downtown Tempe before the game. As the halftime show commenced, Kjergaard intently followed the marching band as it filed onto the field. From the stands to the field, Jake Faryan, freshman in mechanical engineering, had a very unordinary view of the game. As he and the marching band took their first steps onto the turf of Sun Devil Stadium, the crowd roared with excitement in anticipation for the show to begin. Unlike Kjergaard, Fary-
an traveled via bus for 24 hours with the marching band. Although it was a long bus ride, the band got to go to the game free of charge along with the everlasting memories they would gain from the experience. “All of our fans and the band were so excited, and we just played a bunch of songs, mainly the school song,” Faryan said. “The experience was a little different since we had to practice a couple times. We got the same excitement from the fans after doing our ‘Beyonce Dance’ as the first two times we did it. Just all in all it was a ton of fun and an honor to be able to play at the game.” As the music concluded, the crowd stayed ener-
see BOWL on PAGE 6
Closings
Campus locks buildings to save energy Winter storm, building closures create problems By Whitney Sager Daily Staff Writer While students, faculty and staff enjoyed winter break, the ISU campus took a similar break. From Dec. 24 to Jan. 3, the university was partially closed. The partial closing allowed buildings that do not experience much activity during that 11-day period to be closed or locked in order to save money. David Miller, director of facilities planning and management, said 55 buildings were either closed or locked during the partial closing. “Closed means no one was in the building and locked means it was closed to the public, but there may be a few people in the building working,” Miller said. The partial closing was a way to help deal with the budget cuts the university has experienced during the past year. Vice President for Business and Finance Warren Madden said the estimated savings of the
university during the partial closing reached upwards of $120,000. Madden said Parks LiMadden brary, one of the buildings partially closed, lowered its energy costs by 60 percent. “For them, they labeled it as a success,” Madden said. The winter storm much of Iowa experienced Dec. 24 and Dec. 25 caused some problems during the partial closing. James Dorsett, director of International Students and Scholars, said some flights were delayed for international students attending Iowa State for the first time during spring semester. Finding ways to safely transport these students from the Des Moines airport to campus was an issue due to poor conditions. “That made it somewhat more difficult for picking up students,” Dorsett said. The cold weather also proved to be bothersome for ISU marching band members when they came back from their performance at the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.
“I know when the band came back ... there were some challenges getting cars started,” Madden said. Beardshear Hall was also closed during this time, preventing new international students from obtaining their ISUCards. However, because International Students and Scholars knew of the partial closing ahead of time, the office was prepared to deal with the incoming international students who did not yet have an ISUCard. “While a number of offices were closed between Christmas and New Year’s, plans were in place to bring students in after the New Year’s holiday and offices were open and ready,” said Peter Englin, director of the Department of Residence. Overall, officials believe the partial closing was a success. “In general, we think we’ve done a pretty good job,” Madden said. Whether or not the partial closing will be something the university does again in the future is unknown. “I would expect there would be significant discussion as to whether something like that will go on again,” Madden said.
Current budget reductions ‘unprecedented’ for times By Jessie Opoien Daily Staff Writer “Now is the time to make the hard decisions,” said College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Dean Wendy Wintersteen on Dec. 22 in a public forum discussing the fiscal year 2011 budget, which she co-led Whiteford with College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Michael Whiteford. Several “hard decisions” — including introducing differential tuition and eliminating departments — were discussed at the forum, held Wintersteen in the Memorial Union’s Great Hall, as Whiteford and Wintersteen gave a presentation and heard questions from the audience. “The current budget reductions are unprecedented,” Wintersteen said. “Although I think we can go back to the 1930s and see some equally bad times.” According to the presentation, LAS can expect to start the 2010-2011 academic year with 12 million fewer state dollars than it had at the
see BUDGET on PAGE 6