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FRIDAY
March 26, 2010, Volume 204 >> Number 124 >> 40 cents >> iowastatedaily.com >> An independent newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890
Prestigious Career
Prodigal son returns Editor’s note: This is the final installment of a threepart series detailing ISU alumnus Dwight Ink’s career serving seven presidents as a public administrator. The first relayed Ink’s experiences working at the Atomic Energy Commission, while the second included Ink’s employment under Presidents Lyndon Johnson through Ronald Reagan. The final part discusses Ink’s lasting relationship with Iowa State.
Conference gives voice to students By Sarah Gonzalez Daily Staff Writer
By Sarah Haas Daily Staff Writer Dwight Ink had almost abandoned his goal of attending Iowa State when his parents surprised him with the $100 needed for tuition and books. “My parents, unbeknownst to me, hocked my mother’s ISU fraternity pin, with which he had ‘pinned’ my mother,” Ink said. Ink went on to graduate from college and graduate school and had a uniquely successful career serving seven presidents, ranging from President Dwight Eisenhower to President Ronald Reagan. “His success conveys to me that he is the consummate bureaucrat because of his ability to deal with a variety of issues,” said James McCormick, chair and professor of political science. Yet Ink never forgot his humble roots, which are firmly planted on
Student Research
Dwight Ink stands in front of his collection of presidential memorabilia donning the walls of his basement in Lansdowne, Va. Ink served seven presidents, beginning with Dwight Eisenhower and ending with Ronald Reagan. Photo: Sarah Haas/ Iowa State Daily
Brush Ridge, in Madison County. His father graduated from Iowa State with a degree in horticulture and began harvesting apples. The young orchard was tested by a series of droughts during the Great Depression, the first of which occurred in 1931. “The Great Depression — and it was a great depression — seriously affected everyone in our community,”
Campus Activities
Culture event to celebrate diversity with food, dance By Leonardo Guaiquirian Rivera Daily Staff Writer The Student Union Board will host the 5th Annual Global Gala, an event that celebrates the diverse cultures that make up Iowa State. This year, it will take place at 9 p.m. Friday in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union. Eva Morales, senior in interdisciplinary studies and multicultural director for the Student Union Board, planned the event last fall. Lucas Novotny, graduate student in educational leadership and policy studies and Student Union Board adviser, also helped in the planning. Morales explained nothing was put into action until last January, and for the past three months she has been in charge of contacting student organizations, performers and food contractors as well as getting the proper room setting for the event. “Our budget was tight, but luckily we didn’t have to cut down on the quality of the event,” Morales said. “This year we will actually have more performers and more food. By coming to the event, people will get a brief snapshot of the diverse cultures that make up Iowa State. Not only is it going to be educational, but it’s also going to be fun.” Morales mentioned as well that a few of the student organizations and performers participating in the event will include the United Native American Student Association, the Indian Student Association, ISU Banghra, Descarga, the Malaysian Student Association, the Celtic Dance Society, Raqs Jahanara and the African Student Association. Lauren Frandsen, senior in journalism and mass communications and Student Union Board vice president of public relations, hopes a large amount of people will attend the event and encourages them to wear semiformal or traditional clothing. “I hope people can come and take away an understanding of the songs, dances and food of cultures that they have not experienced before,” Frandsen said. “We’ll showcase the diversity in the Iowa State campus through songs, dance and food. And it’s free, so I hope that people can come.”
Ink said. “Several of our neighbors committed suicide because of the depression.” The Ink family’s neighbors accepted government food relief, but Ink’s father would not. “Once he stood in the bread line and was so humiliated he vowed never to do it again,” Ink said. “It’s one thing to go hungry, and it was another
thing to starve, and I don’t think he would have turned down help if we were starving.” Instead, Ink’s father accepted relief for the family’s cow and a couple of chickens. The family subsisted on turnips they pulled and the generosity of neighbors.
see INK on PAGE 3
Department Funding
Yearly rate increases for double occupancy rooms with full board 15.0 14.0 13.0 12.0 11.0
see RESEARCH on PAGE 3
Health Care Reform
Component of health bill still in limbo By Alexander Hutchins Daily Staff Writer
10.0 % change
Graduate and undergraduate students have the chance to present their research at the Midwest Ecology and Evolution Conference this weekend in the Memorial Union. The conference has 220 people registered and will consist of 90 oral presentations, 60 poster presentations, and three guest speakers Friday through Sunday. This year’s speakers are Jeff Feder, from the University of Notre Dame, Alan Knapp, from Colorado State University, and Ellen Damschen, from Washington University-St. Louis. The group of graduate students that began and organized the MEEC believe the event gives a unique opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students to learn from each other. The difference between the two levels of education may be more significant than some think. “Graduate school is much more on a personal level with a particular professor,” said Tim Mitchell, graduate student in ecology, evolution and organismal biology. “One thing undergraduate students don’t understand is how important it is to pick the right adviser.” This type of event could be beneficial to students in any area of study, said Erik Otarola-Castillo, one of the organizers for the MEEC. He believes students can gain their maximum potential by getting involved and talking with other students.
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Graphic: Katie Joyce/Iowa State Daily
Residence, dining request for funding increase in 2010-’11 By Zach Thompson Daily Staff Writer ISU Dining and the Department of Residence plan to request rate increases of 0–2.7 percent for the 2010–’11 academic year, according to the Residence System Governance Report submitted to the Board of Regents by the three regent universities. The Board of Regents received the reports from the regents institutions’ residence systems at its telephonic meeting Wednesday afternoon. For double occupancy rooms, which constitute the board’s standard for measuring changes in rates charged by the universities’ residence systems, Iowa State’s DOR plans to propose a 2.7 percent increase — from $7,204 to $7,397 — at the board’s April meeting. Pete Englin, director of the DOR, said Wednesday that the increase would be the lowest in the last 10 years. ISU Dining plans to request meal plan rate increases of 0 to 2.0 percent, according to the report. The report also contained a five-year plan for each of the schools’ residence systems. Several
projects would be financed through the department’s net revenue during this period, according to the report. Heat and smoke detectors should finish being installed in several of the residence halls, including Friley Hall, by 2011. Sprinkler installations in several of the residence halls are scheduled for each year, and all of the projects are expected to be completed by 2017. According to the report, the availability of funds and vendors may accelerate or slow their plans to install. Improvements to the Richardson Court fire escapes will be completed this year. The DOR has also partnered with Information Technology Services to install wireless Wi-Fi LAN service in all of the residence halls in fiscal year 2011. The installation of 240 surveillance cameras in the entryways, elevators and common areas of all of the residence halls, Frederiksen Court apartments and the SUV Community Center is also scheduled for fiscal year 2011. The department will seek the board’s approval to increase its rates at the board’s April meeting.
The SAFRA, or Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, was passed as a component of the recent health care reform. At the time of publication, the Senate has not yet voted on a set of revisions to the SAFRA act attached to a related Senate bill. The additional restrictions are primarily linguistic but could require the bill to be sent back to the House for reconsideration, thus slowing the passage process. Roberta Johnson, director of financial aid at Iowa State, said SAFRA is intended to eliminate the privately funded yet publicly backed loan program used to fund a large amount of federal student aid. The federal government originally began to loan money to students in 1965 at a time when there was no legislative precedent for the government to loan money directly to individuals, Johnson said. The original student loans were issued by private lending institutions but backed with federal money to ensure their reliability. President George H.W. Bush signed legislation to create a direct student loan program in 1993 that allowed the government to lend money directly to students. Iowa State switched to the system of direct loans in 1994 and does not issue privately backed loans. SAFRA makes more money available to students by ending the backing of student loans with public money and eliminating subsidies to private lenders for offering loans to students. The freed funding will be used to make more money available to students as direct government loans. “I really don’t think our students are going to see much of a difference,” Johnson said. This is because Iowa State does not use privately issued loans as student aid.