Righting the ship
Dinner and a show
Football coach Paul Rhoads reflects on 2009 season
ISU students, alumni prepare for weekend Madrigal performances
see SPORTS on PAGE 8
THURSDAY
see AMUSE on PAGE 12
January 14, 2010, Volume 204 >> Number 79 >> 40 cents >> iowastatedaily.com >> An independent newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890
Greek Community
Fraternity floods Winter weather causes pipes to burst over break By Tessa Callender Daily Correspondent
The possessions of many Alpha Tau Omega members, ranging from speakers to computers, were damaged during the flooding of the house over winter break. The dining room encountered the most damage in the house. Photo: Laurel Scott/Iowa State Daily
Bare floors, torn up dry wall and personal belongings cluttered the hallway as members of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity dealt with an unexpected plumbing disaster. A comprised 77 known pipes in the ATO house burst at once around Jan. 4, causing all three floors to become completely flooded and totaling an estimated $160,000 in personal and property damages. ATO President Jonathon Schroeder explained that the boiler stopped working during winter break. When temperatures dropped below freezing, the pipes and the water they had in them froze all of the way through. “When we finally got the boiler fixed and the pipes started to heat back up, the water that came into the pipes along with the ice caused the pipes to burst. Since the boiler needs to pull water in to function, it tries to do this, thus causing the continual flooding,” Schroeder said. The original leak started on the third floor, when it happened it seemed as if it was “literally raining” inside the house. Initially, there was standing water a foot deep on each of the floors, which took three to four days to get out. ATO can hold up to 58 members and there are 45 living in the house now. The rooms now out of commission due to this ordeal knocked out 18 of those spots. This inconvenience has been hectic and is causing
see FLOOD on PAGE 3
By Paige Godden Daily Staff Writer The Varsity Task Force pitched the first of three presentations as to how the GSB could potentially buy the former Varsity Theater,2412 Lincoln Way. The pitch included the information that the building has remained dormant for the past year, not adding any appeal to the CamPetersen pustown area. The task force used examples as to why it would be a good idea for the GSB to look at the property, including a survey given last semester where results showed students wanting something to do other than going to bars and more activities for the under-21 crowd. The plan so far, according to Liberal Arts and Sciences Sen. Anthony Maly, is to play two Keppy movies four nights per week. The movies would play at 6:00, 7:00, 9:00 and 10:00 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. There are two screens in the theater. One room has 400 seats and the other 200. The group expects revenue to come from a full concession stand, the $1 admission charge and theater renting options. The numbers on the presentations suggest that the 400 seat theater would be $600 to rent, and the 200 seat theater $300. Tom Danielson, finance director, also suggested the possibility of allowing students to buy advertising time before programs begin. The presentation figured in some annual expenses including leases, staff, programming, concessions and possible land taxes. This fits into a Senate goal of rejuvenating Campustown,
see GSB on PAGE 3
Challenge
Iowans compete to live healthier lives for 100 days By Jody Korthaus Daily Correspondent
The initial contingent of 2,000 Marines could be deployed to the quake-ravaged country within the next few days to either help with emergency aid distribution or enforce law in conjunction with U.N. peace-
see HAITI on PAGE 4
see HEALTH on PAGE 3
Obama pledges U.S. aid to Haiti By Julie Pace and Matthew Lee Associated Press Writers
People carry an injured person after an earthquake Tuesday in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This was the largest earthquake ever recorded in Haiti. The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 and was centered about 10 miles west of Port-au-Prince. Photo: Radio Tele Ginen/Associated Press
of continuing on to Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand as planned. Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Gates postponed his trip so he and Clinton “can continue to work on the crisis in Haiti.” Obama has directed his administration to provide all aid necessary to assist with relief.
Theater lease proposals edge closer to reality
It’s a brand new year, and the Live Healthy Iowa 100 Day Wellness Challenge begins Jan. 14 to help attain those New Year’s resolutions for a healthier lifestyle. Live Healthy Iowa, previously known as Lighten Up Iowa, was founded in 2002 by the Iowa Sports Foundation to encourage Iowans to become healthier through physical activity and implementing good nutrition. By signing up as a team or individual, one can choose one or both of the two programs in the challenge. One program is the Minutes of Activity Division, where one records minutes of physical activity each week. The other is the Weight Loss Division, where one reports his or her weight online. Since teams range from 2 – 10 members, winners are chosen based on the percent of weight loss per team or the average activity minutes per member in each group. More than 100,000 people from Iowa participated in last year’s challenge, according to Live Healthy Iowa. ISU Extension is a partner of Live Healthy Iowa and has helped bring awareness to communities and education across campus. Last year, 836 people from the ISU organization participated in the challenge, making Iowa State the winner for most participants out of all other colleges and universities. Nicole Bruce, the Live Healthy coordinator, believes this is possible because of “the great support that Iowa State gives and the contributions made by the [ISU] Extension.” “I think that having the program based in Ames helped Iowa State get so many people involved because we were able to get the word out in a very effective way. But the staff at Iowa State really does a great job promoting the Live Healthy Iowa Challenge,” Bruce said. One of those staff members is Sally Barclay, a registered dietitian on campus and a clinician in the food science and health nutrition department at Iowa State. Barclay’s involvement in the Live Healthy Iowa program began in 2003 — her first year working at Iowa State. Barclay strives to bring health awareness and education to the campus. She has recently collaborated with associate professor Greg Welk of the kinesiology department, who offers a work site health promotion class that gets students involved various health promotions such as blogging and regular blood pressure checks on campus. “I think it’s really neat that Iowa has taken on the Live Healthy program. [Its] goal is to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation. With the increase of obesity in every state, if you can get people involved with a program like this it can really make a difference,” Barclay said. “We try to convince people that there are little choices you can take in your lifestyle that can really make a difference. I tell employees to use the bathroom at the far end
Earthquake
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials are laying out a massive military response to the Haiti earthquake, saying that ships, helicopters, transport planes and a 2,000-member Marine unit are either on the way or likely to begin moving soon. Gen. Douglas Fraser, head of U.S. Southern Command, said Wednesday that one of the U.S. Navy’s large amphibious ships will likely head to Haiti with a Marine expeditionary unit aboard. Fraser said other U.S. military forces are on alert, including a brigade, which includes about 3,500 troops. Fraser said during a news conference with other U.S. officials that the Pentagon is “seriously looking at” sending thousands of Marines to assist with disaster relief efforts and security in Haiti. President Barack Obama promised earlier Wednesday to mount an all-out rescue and humanitarian effort to help the people of Haiti overcome a “cruel and incomprehensible” tragedy.” The president said the relief effort is gearing up even as the U.S. government is working to account for Americans who were on the island nation when the disaster struck late Tuesday afternoon. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton cut short an extended trip to the AsiaPacific region to deal with the earthquake crisis in Haiti, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates called off a planned trip to Australia where he and Clinton were to attend an annual summit. Clinton told reporters in Hawaii on Wednesday she would return to Washington to help oversee U.S. relief efforts instead
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