Dueling
Columns
Daily Editorial Board members Kyle Peterson and David Riegner settle the issue of corporate rights. Read their thoughts and choose for yourself. see OPINION on PAGE 9
FRIDAY
January 29, 2010, Volume 204 >> Number 89 >> 40 cents >> iowastatedaily.com >> An independent newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890
Theater
Fashion
Clothing swap gets green light By Torey Robinson Daily Staff Writer
Brooke Dummermuth, senior in elementary education, sings during a tech rehearsal of Chaos in Candyland for Greek Varieties on Thursday. The group will participate in the second round on Feb. 5. Photo: Kelsey Kremer/Iowa State Daily
Almost showtime 2010 Varieties gears up for opening show By Tessa Callender Daily Correspondent The 2010 Varieties theme, “Living the Lyrics,” states exactly what the approximately 500 participants have been doing over the last couple of months. “Having fun, singing and dancing while hanging out with a bunch of new friends is a great way to break up the week,” said Kourtney Determan, junior in history. Sponsored by the Student Union Board and put together by the Varieties Central Committee, Varieties is a talent show that has been exhibiting the skills of ISU students for more than 70 years. These performances con-
The skits ■■
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The Not So Wonderful World of Diznee (Kappa Alpha Theta, Pi Beta Phi, Kappa Delta, Phi Kappa Psi, ACACIA) Starstruck (Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Tau Delta, Beta Theta Pi) Chaos in Candyland (Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Gamma Rho, Beta Sigma Psi) Evil Upheaval (Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Kappa Phi)
sist of 20 minute “mini-musicals” that are executed with original lyrics, choreography and even live bands. Included in Varieties are also shorter acts, called vignettes, that are performed as
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Sibling Smackdown (Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Chi Omega, Phi Beta Chi, Farm House, Sigma Phi Epsilon) Camp Ottowatta be Here! (Chi Omega, Alpha Delta Pi, Phi Delta Theta, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Pi Kappa Alpha)
In addition, there will be eleven vignettes that perform between the larger performances.
well, showcasing any talent a student may have — anything from juggling to rocking it out on the saxophone. “I really can’t say enough about the work both the groups and the central committee
have put into this show,” said Denton Patrick, head producer of Varieties and junior in biochemistry. “They have sacrificed a lot of time to keep Iowa State’s second oldest student-run program going and going strong.” Co-chairs of each group start putting their skits together in October, with practices starting in November. Students put in countless hours in preparation for this intense competition, writing lyrics, coming up with dances and choreography, building sets and sewing costumes. Currently, groups put in about six hours a week practicing their skits. “The Not So Wonderful World of Diznee” is a mashup of characters, from the Evil Queen in “Snow White” to Yzma from “The Emperor’s New Groove”
see SKITS on PAGE 3
Bridge future uncertain The Dinkey bridge isn’t dead yet. Gloria Betcher, adjunct associate professor of English and chair of the Historic Preservation Commission board said the historical significance of the Squaw creek bridge might hinder Union Pacific Railroad’s plans to demolish the bridge. The “Dinkey bridge” is an old railroad bridge running across Squaw creek. It is often used as a footbridge and is a popular spot amoung ISU students and Ames residents. “A lot of people have seen this as almost the end of discussion,” Betcher said. “Union Pacific said they are going to tear down the bridge by end of 2010. I don’t think that’s going to happen.” Betcher said Union Pacific is under the regulation of the Surface Transportation Board — a federal agency. According to the National Historic Preservation Act, any federally funded project that jeopardizes a historic resource must undergo a Section 106 review of the impact on historic resources. If the site is determined to have historic
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11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Bring in clothing and receive ticket for each item 1 – 1:30 p.m. Free Jeff’s pizza will be available while volunteers organize clothing 1:30 p.m. Raffle in which 1-hour massage from It’s All About Me will be given away 1:45 p.m. Shop for new, free clothing; participants may pick out one item for each piece brought in
turning into a glamorous event that doesn’t cost a lot of money. I wanted to try it on a smaller scale.” Although Leighton said the event has not been overly pricey,
see SWAP on PAGE 7
Attractions
Influential sculpture to join art at museum By Chelsea Davis Daily Staff Writer An influence on former local sculptor Christian Petersen, and on artists around the world, French sculptor Auguste Rodin’s “Saint John the Baptist Preaching,” created in 1880, will be installed at Iowa State with a dedication ceremony at 5:30 on Friday. Gathering in the Christian Petersen Art Museum Friday night, anyone and everyone can come see the new installment of Rodin’s and other new exhibits. “We have a high caliber of artists in our ‘Art on Campus’ collection and in our permanent collection, adding richness and depth,” said Amanda Hall, interpretive specialist for University Museums. Christian Petersen, to whom this particular museum is dedicated, was an influential sculptor on the ISU campus. He is well-known for having sculpted “Fountain of the Four Seasons” in front of the Memorial Union, “The Gentle Doctor” in the Veterinary Quadrangle and “Three Athletes” on State Gym. Although little is known about Petersen’s influences, Hall said, notes from one of his former lectures have been found, and in his lecture he mentioned Michelangelo and Rodin as influences — in particular “Saint John the Baptist Preaching.” “The sculpture represents an international fame and connection with Petersen,” Hall said. “And now we have one of [his] influences.”
Religion
Local Landmark
By Justine Scattarelli Daily Staff Writer
The first annual Closets Colide clothing swap will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at Jeff’s Pizza Shop, 2402 Lincoln Way. Students and community members are invited to bring clean, quality clothes to Jeff’s and may pick out one piece of clothing for each item they donate to the swap. Free pizza will be available for participants and donations for local shelters will be accepted. Kelsey Leighton, senior in apparel merchandising, design and production, wrote a proposal for the event as part of her English 250 class. The assignment was to come up with a plan of action that involved the campus and Ames community. “I researched clothes swapping because it’s becoming more and more trendy on the east and west coasts,” Leighton said. “There are parties and fashion shows that showcase swapping. It’s something that is
How to swap
significance the project must aim to mitigate damages to the structure. Recently Union Pacific rejected the city’s counteroffer to obtain ownership of the bridge from the railroad and incorporate it into a trail system connecting downtown Ames and the Iowa State campus. On Tuesday the company announced that in the interest of public safety they planned to demolish the bridge by the end of the year. The city’s proposal included a bike path that would cross over the mainline of Union Pacific rail on Hazel Street. Peter Orazem, an at-large city council member, said Union Pacific refused the city’s offer because the liability presented from having a bike trail that crosses the main railroad crossing. Union Pacific said the magnified risk involved with increased pedestrian and bicycle traffic weighed on their decision to reject the city’s proposal. Orazem explained that the company would be replacing one liability with another. Betcher said that a trail that avoids the main railroad line is a more likely possibil-
ity. Union Pacific said they would consider any additional proposals offered by the city. Ralph Christian, a historian with the State Historic Preservation Office, said that in response to inquires from Union Pacific, the office told the company that the bridge should be reviewed under Section 106 of the National Preservation Act and a historical survey of the site was necessary. Christian said Union Pacific is looking to hire a consultant to evaluate the eligibility of the bridge gaining official historical recognition. Betcher said according to her substantial research on the bridge, it is unlikely that a historian would deem the bridge unhistoric, and the potential connection of the bridge to the Manhattan project is one of the most significant historic factors of the bridge. During WWII, Iowa State labs produced purified uranium for the Manhattan project—a U.S. led project to develop the first atomic bomb. Betcher said the rail line was used to
see BRIDGE on PAGE 7
Lecture recounts ‘Journey to Islam’ By Rashah McChesney Daily Staff Writer The year Joshua Evans turned 17, he felt as though he had a clear path set out for him. He Evans was a temporary youth pastor at a Methodist Church in South Carolina and was enrolled at Bob Jones University, a Bible college in Greenville, S.C. “I wanted to go [to school] for what’s called textual criticism, which is basically Bible scholarship,” Evans said. “I was brought up with the belief that the Bible was the inherent word of God. This wasn’t really the case; the Bible does have quite a number of human errors.” His faith deeply shaken, Evans turned away from Christi-
“My Journey to Islam” ■■ Saturday at 2 p.m. ■■ South Ballroom of the Memorial Union anity and began looking for something else. “I left Christianity at the age of 17 and I started looking, and initially I didn’t find it,” Evans said. “I studied Judaism, Confuscism, Wiccanism, Hinduism — anything with religion or spirituality.” He even picked up a tract on Islam but discarded it almost immediately. “It spoke really, really negatively of Islam and said Muslims worshiped a moon god called Allah,” he said. “So I left Islam alone at the beginning. I read
see ISLAM on PAGE 7