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FRIDAY
March 12, 2010, Volume 204 >> Number 119 >> 40 cents >> iowastatedaily.com >> An independent newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890
Investigation
Class Project
Police continue to search for Jon Lacina By Jessica Opoien Daily Staff Writer Almost two months after Jon Lacina was last seen, law enforcement officials continue their search for the missing ISU student every day. “We continue to Lacina check snow piles and remote areas during each shift,” said ISU director of public safety Jerry Stewart. “If there are no developments in the case, targeted searches may increase in specific locations to include areas that have already been searched, but under less-than-ideal conditions,” Stewart said, adding that search teams are now encountering difficulties with mud around snow piles. Volunteer search parties are currently still discouraged, in favor of using trained personnel. Concerns with volunteer searches stem from the possibility of vol-
see LACINA on PAGE 3 Jackie Kolpek, senior in landscape architecture, presents her design of a memorial garden for Robert Green, New Orleans, whose family was killed in the floods of Hurricane Katrina. Green visited Professor Gary Hightshoe’s class Tuesday, March. Photo: Erin Oftelie/Iowa State Daily
Students make a difference Landscape architecture team to create a healing garden for Katrina victim By Erin Oftelie Daily Staff Writer A class of third-year landscape architecture students who are creating a memorial garden for a New Orleans man held a review of their progress in the College of Design on Tuesday. Robert Green Sr., of New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward, lost his mother and granddaughter in the flooding during Hurricane Katrina. The project began last fall when Gary Hightshoe, professor of landscape architecture, along with fellow professors Mira Engler and Tim Keller,
took a group of second-year landscape architecture students on a six-week Savanna traveling studio, during which they stopped in New Orleans. It was there that the class met Green, and he shared his story of devastation and loss. Hightshoe said the main reason for the traveling studio is to “meet people and hear their stories, talk with professional landscape architects, and better understand the role of landscape architecture as it attempts to conserve and help communities plan for the future.” Green and the class’s correspondence until this point has been via video conferences, but Green traveled to Ames to see the review in person. “I thought it would mean more to come up here to see it… to show [the students] we appreciate it, and we’re going to make it happen,” Green said. Green said he feels it is important for the students to understand how important the project is to him. “If it hadn’t been for the students here, we
wouldn’t be going to the next step of implementation,” he said. Hightshoe said the Savanna traveling studio is something each second-year class does, and it is the only one of its kind in any landscape architecture program in the nation. “It was upon seeing and becoming inspired by the student drawings of his home that he shared his desire to create a beautiful garden on the adjacent vacant lot, in memory of his granddaughter,” Hightshoe wrote in a description of the project. “He invited the students to help him envision the garden possibilities. Toward this end, our class accepts his invitation.” While it was the second-year landscape architecture students who conceptualized the project, Hightshoe said the third-year students are pursuing it because “the third-year students are more ad-
see PROJECT on PAGE 10
Agriculture and Life Sciences
Budget Cuts
Vote passes in CALS to begin talks of merger
ISU braces for 2011 fiscal year
By Bethany Pint Daily Staff Writer A vote on Wednesday among tenure-eligible and tenured faculty members in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences resulted in a consen- Wintersteen sus that the college would begin talking about the possibility of a merger of two of the college’s departments. Nancy Grudens-Schuck, associate professor of agricultural education and studies, said talks would begin about the possibilities of merging the agricultural education and studies department and the horticulture department. “Mergers are times for tears and opportunities,” Grudens-Schuck said. The vote was conducted by secret written ballot, and Grudens-Schuck said she wouldn’t reveal how she voted. Wendy Wintersteen, the dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said the merger makes sense because of the “synergy” between the departments and programs. She said students
see MERGER on PAGE 10
By Jessica Opoien Daily Staff Writer ISU administrators are currently operating under the assumption that state appropriations to higher education for fiscal 2011 will be reduced $24.5 million from the fiscal year 2010 original General Fund budgets — the same amount the budget was cut when Gov. Chet Culver issued a mid-year reversion in October. A budget memo, available online, was sent to ISU senior leadership Feb. 26, titled “Preliminary Revenue and Expense Estimates.” The memo explains preliminary budget plans operating under the assumption of a $24.5 million cut; however, these plans are only preliminary, subject to appropriations decisions made by the state Legislature. Reductions to Resource Responsibility Centers — colleges, the Office of Research and Economic Development, the Office of Extension and Outreach, the Vice President of Business and Finance’s office and the Vice President of Student Affairs’ office — will “definitely” look different from the numbers represented in the memo, said Associate Vice President for Budget and Planning Ellen Rasmussen. The Iowa Legislature, which decides state appropriations for higher education, is scheduled to have made their decision by March 31, Rasmussen said. By sometime
Preliminary budget information: Predicted deficit by college: ■■ College of Agriculture and Life Sciences: 4.01 percent ($2,523,567) ■■ College of Engineering: 0.74 percent ($355,437) ■■ College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: 3.11 percent ($2,700,755) ■■ College of Design: 6.20 percent ($768,310) ■■ College of Human Sciences: 4.91 percent ($1,136,008) Predicted surplus by college: ■■ College of Veterinary Medicine: 0.98 percent ($1,602,998) ■■ College of Business; 1.05 percent ($168,663) in early April, Rasmussen said, the university will know with certainty how much must be cut from budgets as a result of changes in the state’s appropriations. Using the numbers presented in the Feb. 26 memo, college deans were given an April 1 deadline to return preliminary plans of how their colleges will absorb the cuts handed to them. When final appropriations numbers are known, Rasmussen said administrators hope to have finalized cuts to units by mid- to late-April, but individual units won’t finish their planning and decisions until mid to late-May. Rasmussen described the distribution of cuts as a “multi-step process.” First, the university receives appropriations from the state. A share of the appropriations is directed to specific units, such as the Leopold Center, in “very target-
Complaint Procedure
Krier appeals jury’s decision By Sarah Haas Daily Staff Writer An associate professor of sociology will appeal the decision of eight jury members who ruled that he abused university complaint procedure. “All we can say at this point is that we are planning to appeal the decision,” said Bob Brammer, spokesman for the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. He said he was unsure of the timetable of the appeal. When reached for comment, Krier said he “cannot comment on an ongoing legal matter” and will direct all questions to Brammer. He declined to comment on the appeal or the case decided March 5. Krier was found to have abused ISU administrative complaint procedure against two ISU sociology professors. A jury ruled that Krier did not use the ISU administrative complaint process for its intended use and awarded the plaintiffs, Terry Besser and Betty Dobratz, $18,442 for monetary damages and $24,000 in punitive damages. Both Besser and Dobratz said Thursday they were not surprised by Krier’s decision to appeal. “It still won’t set aside the jury verdict. It might say that, yes, Iowa States’ rules are not subject to abuse of process laws, but, in my view, it will still mean that our voices
see KRIER on PAGE 10
Weather
Rainfall sparks minor flooding By Allison Suesse Daily Staff Writer
ed ways,” and the rest funds general university work. Some areas within the general university fund are automatically protected from cuts, such as student financial aid and utility costs. Those areas are “taken out of the equation” as they move forward with planning, Rasmussen said. At that point, she said, they know by college and unit, what base amount the cuts will be applied to. “This year, the provost was very committed to doing differential cuts,” Rasmussen said. “You have to have criteria to decide.” Those criteria are explained in a budget memo released Jan. 27 titled “Salary Policy and DecisionMaking Timeline.” The factors listed as influenc-
As a result of warmer temperatures and rain, the Water and Pollution Control Department of the City of Ames predicts the Squaw Creek and the Skunk River will pass flood stage this weekend. Although flooding is unusual this time of year, John Dunn, director of the Water and Pollution Control Department, said he does not anticipate any damage to buildings or roads. The rainstorm that occurred Wednesday night pushed both the Squaw Creek and Skunk River past the flood stage. “We were prepared for it and already anticipating that as we looked ahead,” Dunn said of predicting Wednesday’s rainfall. The city has been using technology to monitor the potential for floods in concurrence with the amount of rain the National
see BUDGET on PAGE 10
see FLOOD on PAGE 10