Tuesday, October 25, 2016 | Volume 212 | Number 46 | 40 cents | iowastatedaily.com | An independent student newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890.
The Haunted Forest: Behind the Scenes
HOW
MONSTERS ARE MADE
Maddie Leopardo/Iowa State Daily
Ian Warren, senior in biology, disguises himself as a vampire at the Haunted Forest.
By Reagan.Clay @iowastatedaily.com
I
Maddie Leopardo/Iowa State Daily
Tirra Birchmier, senior in public relations, is ready to scare visitors of Ames’ Haunted Forest. Birchmier enjoys going all out with her makeup and does something new every time.
t’s the time of year spooky citizens and students look forward to most — not just the tailgating or the beautiful leaves falling on campus, but the opening of the Haunted Forest, where each corner could be hiding a clown, chainsaw, witch or vampire. The Haunted Forest is a hair-raising attraction to not only Iowa State students but to surrounding towns as well. The unique setup of the forest may bring people in, but the actors who make up the forest bring the people back. The actors are what change the forest each visit. The Haunted Forest was founded by Lee and Lynn Ballard in 1999. It has been a family-run business since the beginning. “We are always here for Halloween,” said Linda Ballard, Lee’s wife. “The kids grew up being here instead of going out trick-or-treating.” Although the forest has been around for 17 years, the characters and scenes always change. “We’ve added and changed the pathway,” Linda said. “We also hired a lot of new students. They usually come up with their own ideas for costumes and sometimes scenes.”
Depending on the actor, they can come in anytime between an hour to two hours before it opens to the public. Upon arrival, actors sign in with Sara Ballard, daughter of Lynn. Sara is in charge of placing the actors and often helps them come up with ideas for their makeup and costumes. They are then free to do their makeup, get dressed or just hang out before the night begins. “They let you be as creative as you want,” said Bridget Coulter, senior in apparel, merchandise and design. “I’m not sure what other haunted house lets their workers do that.” This is Coulter’s first year at the forest. She is most excited to scare the people who go through the Haunted Forest with her friends, who also work there, all while earning some extra cash. Coulter was dressed as a clown each weekend but featured different makeup each night. “I find an idea on Pinterest and then try it out myself,” Coulter said. “It takes around an hour and a half to two hours to do.” In the designated semi-truck, dozens of costumes and masks can be found that are open for the actors to use and be creative with. The Ballards provide makeup, masks and costumes, but workers are allowed to bring their own. Mirrors and lights
MONSTERS p8
$595,568 for plane upgrades By Alex.Hanson @iowastatedaily.com
that’s not going to drive small businesses out of business or actually destroy jobs.” Currently, Iowa workers make at least $7.25 per hour, the Iowa and national minimum wage. In counties such as Johnson County, the Board of Supervisors has implemented a staggered three-year increasing minumum wage implementation. For example, those living in Johnson County made $8.20 per hour from Nov. 1, 2015, to April 20, 2016, then $9.15 per hour beginning May 1, 2016, until Dec. 21, 2016. From Jan. 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018, workers will make $10.10 per hour “A number of other states have increased their minimum wage, and now we’re seeing this activity in several counties,” Branstad said. “And I think it might be a challenge and difficult for many business and many people.” To do this, Branstad said he would hope to gather input from experts on what the appropriate wage level in the state of Iowa would be, along with reviewing the impact that it could have on businesses. The Iowa governor said he has also talked to local officials, such as county supervisors, about minimum wage.
At least $130,000 was paid for an entertainment system and to install high-speed internet on Iowa State’s Beechcraft King Air 350, the larger university-owned plane, according to documents released from the school Monday. The upgrades cost a total of $595,568, most of which went toward avionics, maintenance and safety upgrades. The latest information Monday comes after weeks of revelations on President Steven Leath’s use of both planes for a mix of personal and business use. Items installed include a ROSENVIEW VX Combination Moving Map, which allows passengers to track their location in the air, a DVD player, audio and video distribution amplifiers, a display and base, a receiver and a remote. The sum of the items cost $50,960, according to documents. The school said the tracking system was an “important safety component” because it allowed passengers to avoid constantly interrupting pilots. Also installed was an Aircell ATG-2000 high-speed internet system for $79,338. The internet costs $2,595 per month and was installed to allow passengers to conduct work online, the school said. The bulk of upgrades, which occurred after the plane was purchased in February 2014, were for a new G1000 Avionics system for $327,213, which includes communications, navigation, monitoring, flight-control, collision-avoidance and weather radar systems. “These specific upgrades were also completed with the same consideration given when upgrading athletics and other facilities: first-rate facilities for our faculty, staff, administrators, students, athletes and coaches is
BRANSTAD p4
PLANE p4
Richard Martinez/Iowa State Daily
Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lieutenant Gov. Kim Reynolds at a Sept. 10, 2014, Board of Regents meeting. Branstad said Monday that he supports a “uniform, state-wide wage in Iowa.” Branstad is concerned, however about the possible negative economical impact that the uniformed wage could bring to small, local businesses.
Finding balance in minimum wage Students share perspectives on the issue By Rachel.Ori @iowastatedaily.com Minimum wage is an issue in the current election that directly affects Americans across the country. In Iowa, the wage is $7.25 per hour — an amount that could see an increase in the coming years. Since 1938, a national minimum wage has been established. The amount began at a mere $.25, which would be equivalent to $3.98 today. In 1956, the wage increased to a solid $1 ($7.99 today) and in 1968, it reached its highest peak, with $1.60 ($10.34 today). These increasing rates and fluctuating values are due to inflation. Minimum wage has increased steadily as years have gone by, only holding stagnant from 1997 to 2006 at $5.15. The current wage of $7.25 has not been raised in seven years, with many Americans and national leaders calling for its expansion. Minimum wage affects workers of all ages, ranging from teens and college students to adults and the
elderly. The elderly man greeting you as you walk into Wal-Mart is making the same amount per hour as the teen scanning items at the cash register. Nicole Stout, sophomore in environmental science, worked as a camp counselor at Wesley Woods Camp this past summer. She said she made about $2,000, but that she wasn’t working exclusively for the money. But she said the pay didn’t reflect all of the work she put in. Stout went on to say that while she doesn’t need an increase to the minimum wage because of her current financial situation, “… there are plenty of people out there who can’t support themselves or provide for their kids who would benefit from raising the minimum wage.” When people think of minimum wage jobs, some assume these workers are flipping burgers at McDonald’s, or cleaning dressing rooms at Kohl’s. This isn’t always the case though. Lifeguards, child care providers, farm workers and big-box store employees at Walmart, Target, Home Depot, etc., often only make equal to or a little above minimum wage. Waiters and waitresses are often paid less than minimum wage, forcing them to make most
WAGES p4
Branstad shows support for state-wide wage By Alex.Connor @iowastatedaily.com Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said Monday that he believes it would be better if Iowa had a uniform, state-wide minimum wage, and that following the election season, it is his hope to sit down with legislative leaders to try and reach an agreement on the issue. Branstad said a number of states have already increased their minimum wage, along with several counties, inlcuding Johnson County, Wapello County and Linn County. By implementing a state-wide minimum wage, Branstad said he feels it may be better but is concerned about the possible negative economical impact that the unfirmed wage could bring to small, local businesses. “It needs to be a delicate balance though, because we want to improve the income for people that are at minimum wage jobs,” Branstad said at his weekly press conference in Des Moines. “[But] we want to do it in a way