FRIDAY
March 25, 2011 | Volume 206 | Number 123 | 40 cents | An independent student newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890. ™
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Energy
Crime
Student stabs student By Kaitlin.York iowastatedaily.com An ISU student was arrested and charged with stabbing a man multiple times Wednesday. Liping Zhang, freshman in pre-business, is being held in the Story County Justice Center, facing charges of willful injury, assault, firstdegree harassment and fourth-degree criminal mischief. Billy Tong, ISU student, reported to ISU Police that he had been stabbed by Zhang after an argument that turned violent, according to a news release from ISU Police. The incident occurred late Wednesday night when Tong went to Frederiksen Court to retrieve some property from another student, according to the release. Several witnesses said Zhang damaged Tong’s vehicle as attempting to leave the area. “His windshield was broken and scratches were left on the hood of the car,” ISU Police Lt. Aaron DeLashmutt said. Tong was taken to Mary Greeley Medical Center where he was treated and released. His injuries were not life threatening, DeLashmutt said.
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Events
Ames to host first Eco Fair The first annual City of Ames Eco Fair will take place Saturday. At the fair, residents can learn how to reduce, reuse and recycle in their homes and community. The Eco Fair is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Community Center Gymnasium, 515 Clark Ave. Vendors and organizations from the city and Iowa State will be there to educate participants on energy saving practices. The event will include information about water conservation, reducing electric consumption, shrinking carbon footprints and Energy Star appliances. There will also be displays about the City of Ames’ Eco Smart programs that include electricity, water, transportation and trash. Games, free food and door prizes will be available for participants at the fair. By Daily Staff
Duane Arnold Energy Center Palo, Iowa
Facing a local nuclear issue Graphic: Samantha Barbour/Iowa State Daily
Effects of Japan’s disaster impact Iowa legislation Safety procedures required should not delay in constructing more of at all nuclear power plants By Addie.Olson iowastatedaily.com Although only the tremors from Japan’s massive earthquake were felt thousands of miles away, the disaster has impacted the state of Iowa by postponing nuclear legislation that was set to hit the floor of the Iowa Senate this week. Senate File 390 is a bill that would pave the way for expansion of nuclear power facilities in Iowa. The state already has one nuclear plant that is similar to the reactors that exploded in the aftermath of Japan’s earthquake. Although several lawmakers are trying to defer this legislation, Carolyn Heising, ISU professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering and expert in nuclear power plant safety, feels the state
these facilities. “The risk of having an earthquake of that magnitude is very low,” Heising said. “People are scared because of what happened in Japan, but disasters like this are very, very rare.” The state’s existing plant is located near Cedar Rapids and generates enough electricity to support the needs of more than 600,000 homes each year. The plant also employs more than 500 Iowans. Although these plants offer an affordable source of electricity, Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, feels there is no reason to rush the legislation. “I think in light of the situation in
By Elisse.Lorenc iowastatedaily.com The catastrophe that took place in Fukushima, Japan, has brought the safety of nuclear power plants across the globe into question, but for Gregory Maxwell, associate professor of mechanical engineering, the concern is unnecessary. Several aspects are required to be considered before any nuclear power plant is sited, and then constructed. “When you go build a new plant, you start with a site study, population has a lot to do with it, [nuclear power plants are] usually a few miles away from a downtown city,” Maxwell said. “They do a lot of meteorlogical studies, they want to know which way is the prevailing wind so that if you have
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Survivor
Leukemia victim relates recovery story By Frances.Meyers iowastatedaily.com Through her 21 years, Andrea Fox has had experienced many things, ranging from learning how to ride a motorcycle to battling cancer. Andrea, senior in hotel, restaurant and institution management, was a sophomore at Iowa State when she received the news she had cancer. “I’ve never really been sick in my life,” Andrea said. “But my freshman year in college, I started sleeping a lot and I would get these huge bruises. I would also randomly get really nauseous.” A petite-framed girl, she knew there was something wrong when her spleen enlarged to the size of a basketball, distending the upper part of her stomach. “I was experiencing severe abdominal pain that was so severe it would wake me up at night,” Andrea said. “So I went to the Thielen Health Center and they did some [complete blood count] tests. I was in a room back by the nurses’ station sitting on the couch and I could see the doctors in there whispering.” Getting an uneasy feeling, she called the most supportive person she knew, her mom. “Andrea called me and was like ‘Mom, the doctors are in the hallway whispering. I don’t know what that means, but I’m not sure it’s good,’” said Vicky Fox, Andrea’s mother. “That was our first conversation. They told her, her white blood cell count was high and they thought it was a mistake, so they wanted to do another test. Later, I talked to the doctors and nurses on the phone. They told me they thought Andrea had leukemia. I was in the car in 10 minutes, on my way to Iowa.” The doctors informed Andrea that her white
She just knew it was an ominous-sounding disease.” Chronic myelogenous leukemia is an uncommon cancer of the blood cells, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website. This leukemia occurs when the bone marrow makes too many white blood cells and typically affects older adults, rarely occurring in children. “Every year around 3,000 children are diagnosed with leukemia, and at 19, I was still considered a child,” Andrea said. “Of those 3,000, less than 2 percent are diagnosed with CML.” Being diagnosed with leukemia changed Andrea’s whole life. “I never had health issues so I didn’t make very many visits to the doctor’s before I was diagnosed,” she said. “After that day though, I was making weekly doctor’s visits. Each visit would be a two- to four-hour process with blood being drawn and all that. I was forced into a daily regimen with medications.” Andrea said at first the diagnosis caused her to be depressed for about a year. “This is something that I will have forever,” she said. “At first I was depressed. There wasn’t an immediate change to how I am today. At some point I realized that knowing you may not live makes you want to do everything.”
At some point I realized that knowing you may not live makes you want to do everything. I don’t want to waste my moments being unhappy or confused. I live in the moment for myself. I’m not dying today, I’ve learned how to drive a motorcycle, I got to celebrate my 21st birthday with all my friends and I’m graduating on time. I’m happy. - Andrea Fox blood cell count was rather high and that they wanted to do another blood test. After the second blood count, it was determined that the tests were in fact, not wrong. Fox’s level of white blood cells was around 200,000. The normal level of white blood cells is around 4,000 to 6,000. Doctors suspected Andrea may have leukemia so she was taken to the William R. Bliss Cancer Center at Mary Greeley Hospital. There, a bone marrow extraction was done on site. “I had eaten earlier that day so they were unable to heavily sedate me,” Andrea said. “So with only slight sedation, they did the procedure. I was conscious for the whole thing.” After a week in the hospital, Andrea was officially diagnosed with having chronic myelogenous leukemia. “It was surreal,” Andrea said. “The only thing that came into my mind when they told me was ‘A Walk to Remember,’ because the girl in that
Andrea Fox, senior in hotel, restaurant and institution management, shows the pills that she would have to take every day in order to suppress her illness. Photo: Karuna Ang/Iowa State Daily
movie had leukemia. I wasn’t really aware that leukemia was a cancer. I just knew that it was a disease and that it was bad.” “I was scared to death,” Vicky said. “I don’t think Andrea quite knew what leukemia was.
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