Northern Iowan t h e u n i v e r s i t y o f n o r t h e r n i o wa’s s t u d e n t - p r o d u c e d n e w s p a p e r s i n c e 1 8 9 2
JUNE 29, 2012
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VOLUME 108, ISSUE 58
FRIDAY
CEDAR FALLS, IOWA
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NORTHERN-IOWAN.ORG
PRICE LAB SCHOOL
Judge says Regents can close Price Lab UNI says it will continue with plans to close lab school; plaintiffs plan appeal KARI BRAUMANN Executive Editor
The University of Northern Iowa can continue with its plans to close Malcolm Price Laboratory School, according senior district court judge Alan Pearson’s ruling Monday. The decision comes from a lawsuit filed by 37 area parents, educators and community members against the Iowa Board of Regents this spring. UNI said it would close Price Lab in a round of budget cuts announced in February, and the BOR approved the decision. However, the plaintiffs argued that the BOR did not have the legal authority to close Price Lab. They referred to Chapter 256G, passed by the Iowa legislature in 2010, which changed “Price Lab and the Center for Early Childhood Development Education into the state’s Research and Development School,” according to the petition filed by attorney Thomas
BRANDON BAKER/Northern Iowan
Malcolm Price Laboratory School is pictured in early 2012. After the University of Northern Iowa announced plans to close the school by July 1, 2012, a group of community members, educators and parents filed a lawsuit against the Board of Regents arguing that the board did not have the power to close the school.
Frerichs in March. Time was of the essence as the hearing took place Monday, June 16, less than two weeks before the school was slated to close at the end
of the month. During the hearing, Pearson said “there is no wisdom of Solomon here,” according to live blogging done by Jeff Reinitz of the
Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Pearson said no matter how he ruled, one side would likely appeal his decision, according to the Courier. Frerichs argued that
UNI had a legislative mandate to run Price Lab as the state R&D school once Chapter 256G took effect. Jeff Thompson, attorney for the BOR, said the legislation “was clear that Price Lab was separate from the R&D school,” according to the Courier. He said Price Lab was only being considered as a site for the state R&D school, and was only mentioned in the legislation as being considered as the home for the school. In his rebuttal, Frerichs argued that UNI was trying to change the concept of the R&D school as indicated in the legislation, and opting for a “think tank” model went against the “legislative intent,” according to the Courier. According to the Facebook group Keep Price Lab Open, the plaintiffs have 10 days from the date of the ruling to appeal the decision and will likely do so.
SUMMER CAMPS
Students’ sumo robots duke it out at UNI summer camp CODY GRIMES News Writer
Miniature robots duked it out in the sumo wrestling ring last week as their young builders looked on. For the third year, the University of Northern Iowa Physics Department hosted a beginning robotics camp for students in grades eight to 10. The one-week camp, which took place June 18-22 in Begeman Hall, focused around the construction and modification of mini sumo robots. The week culminated in a public demonstration and battle between the robots the students built at the camp. Dale Olson, UNI professor of physics, coordinated the camp with the assistance of Jeff Wallace, a student in the physics graduate program and president of the UNI Physics Club. After instruction by Olson and Wallace, the students used their own skills to modify and battle their
robots on playing fields 30 inches in diameter. Onboard computers and near-field sensors assisted the autonomous robots in their battle to knock their competitors out of the ring. The 12 camp participants trekked to Cedar Falls from as far away as Ohio and Minnesota. Some campers were local students from the Cedar Valley and surrounding towns. Wallace said that the recent reduction of funding to the physics department didn’t deter students from enrolling in the camp. “Budget cuts haven’t impacted these kinds of activities. We’ve seen 12-14 participants for the last three years,” said Wallace. Jaspar Nitzsche of Ohio explained that the robotics camp at UNI is only his first of the summer. “I am involved in a Lego robotics camp in Ohio. Anything involving robotics and computers, I’m interested,” said Nitzsche as he
worked on modifying code for his robot. Sierra Thomas, a high school freshman from Waterloo, has been involved with and interested in computer science for a long time. “In middle school, sixth to eighth grade, I became interested in robotics and physical sciences. I’d like to be a computer programmer and work on automated machinery,” said Thomas. One can find sumofighting robots on campus at other times of the year as well. The UNI Physics Department teams up with the North American Robotics Association, or NARA, and hosts the MiniSumo Robotics Invitational every spring. The sixth annual camp, held earlier this year, drew a record 30 builders and 32 robots. For more information on the annual competition, visit www.narobotics.com and www.physics.uni.edu.
Courtesy Photo
Dale Olson, UNI physics professor, assists a summer camp student with her robot in Begeman Hall during the week of June 16.
NEWS
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NORTHERN IOWAN L011 Maucker Union Cedar Falls, IA 50614 www.northern-iowan.org 319.273.2157
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UNI MUSEUM
UNI Museum to hold final open house
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The University of Northern Iowa Museum is pictured in early 2012. The museum will host an open house Thursday, June 28, before permanently closing its doors to the public at the end of the week.
KARI BRAUMANN Executive Editor
Before closing to the public permanently, the University of Northern Iowa Museum will hold an open house Thursday night from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Selected for closure as part of a round of budget cuts in the spring 2012 semester, the museum will close after its regular hours end on Friday. The Thursday night event will commemorate the museum’s 120 years on campus. Attendees can view a special exhibit, “120 Years of Discovery, Learning & Inspiration,” which provides
information on the museum’s history at UNI. Museum staff have also prepared a high-tech scavenger hunt. Attendees can find and scan various quick response (QR) codes with their smartphones. The QR codes will lead them to additional information and photos, as well as the stories behind the origins of various objects in the museum’s collection. The University Museum is one of just five natural history museums in the state of Iowa, with a collection of more than 110,000 objects, according to a press release. Members of the museum
staff were already working on condensing the museum’s collections to items that were only relevant to university curricula when the museum’s closing was announced. After the building officially closes, the museum’s collections will move to various campus and community locations and administration of the museum will move to the Rod Library. In addition to the open house event, the UNI Museum will be open its regular hours Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission to the museum is free and open to the public.
Do you want to have an event listed here? Email us at northern-iowan@uni.edu with information about the event to have it featured.
THURSDAY
LIFESERVE BLOOD DRIVE CEEE 1:45 p.m.-3:45 p.m. Help prevent blood shortages caused by a summer dropoff in donations by donating at this blood drive for LifeServe (formerly The Blood Center of Iowa and Siouxland Community Blood Bank). For more information, or to schedule an appointment to donate, call Ashley Wolter at 319-415-7327. Appointments are also available online at www. lifeservebloodcenter.org.
FRIDAY
MOVIES UNDER THE MOON Overman Park 300 Clay Street, Cedar Falls 9 p.m. Enjoy a free showing of “The Goonies” at dusk. Cedar Valley Acoustic Guitar starts at 6:30 p.m. Popcorn and food will be available. Attendees must bring their own chairs and blankets. CEDAR VALLEY JAYCEES FIREWORKS FESTIVAL National Cattle Congress Grounds 257 Ansborough Avenue, Waterloo 5 p.m. The Waterloo Jaycees and National Cattle Congress present a two-day event Friday and Saturday celebrating Independence Day. Live music by the Dennis Wayne Gang (5 p.m.), Wild Card (7:30 p.m.) and Florida Georgia Line (10:15 p.m.). Fireworks at approximately 10 p.m. Friday. The Jaycees’ usual July 4 fireworks show near the UNI-Dome will not take place due to the larger event.
NEWS
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NORTHERN-IOWAN.ORG | FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2012
NATURAL DISASTERS
Three major fires wreak havoc in Colorado JENNY DEAM and JOHN M. GLIONNA
Los Angeles Times/MCT
Marking the worst fire season in Colorado history, three major blazes are burning uncontrolled throughout the Rocky Mountain state, destroying hundreds of homes, prompting mass evacuations in Colorado Springs and threatening the city of Boulder 100 miles away. For weeks, Colorado has been in a state of siege as the mammoth High Park Fire raged unhindered in mountain wilderness, destroying 257 rural homesteads and cabins, while residents of cities and suburbs to the east held their collective breaths and prayed that the flames would not reach them. Experts are warning fireweary Coloradans that this could be the new route for their state – that the blazes could rage all summer long until the arrival of the autumn rains. On Wednesday, the Waldo Canyon Fire, named for a popular hiking area west of the state’s second-largest city, continued to burn unchecked, prompting the evacuation of 32,000 people in the met-
JERILEE BENNETT/Colorado Springs Gazette/MCT
A firestorm of smoke and ash from the Waldo Canyon fire heads down the mountain toward the Mountain Shadows neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colo., on Tuesday, June 26, 2012.
ropolitan area of 600,000, including the nation’s Air Force Academy. The fire, which ignited Saturday, exploded late Tuesday, doubling in size in just hours. Propelled by winds blowing 60 mph, the blaze jumped barriers to scourge neighborhoods, destroying dozens of homes, as well as such landmarks the historic Flying W Ranch, a popular tourist attraction that drew as many as 1,000 people a night for music and western-style dining. Susan Joy Paul had
stood her ground inside the Colorado Springs home where she had raised her now-grown children, until she heard the panic in a friend’s voice on the phone. With the main highways clogged with 20,000 evacuees, she fled along back roads, finally reaching a vantage point where she could survey her Shadow Valley neighborhood. “It looked like big red torches going up,” she said. “That’s when it hit me: Those are houses.” Tom Tidwell, chief of the U.S. Forest Service in
Washington, said this year is the culmination of nearly a decade of record fire seasons. “Definitely we’re having a changing climate,” he said, adding that less snowfall in Colorado last winter brought the fire season to the state more than a month early. “This significantly exceeds what we saw 10, 20, 30 years ago,” said Tidwell, a former firefighter. He said the Colorado fires are especially dangerous because they are so erratic, adding that large fires can create their own weather patterns, rendering tradition-
al weather forecasts unreliable. In the Boulder area, residents this summer have learned to keep a wary eye on the sky, watching not only the plume of smoke rising from the outskirts of town but also the slurry bombers roaring overhead to dump their loads. By Wednesday, the fire was just a mile and half from town, and authorities had evacuated 28 households and warned another 2,500 households to be ready to flee. Meanwhile, officials worry about the fatigue of thousands of firefighters on the line. In northern Colorado, where the 136-square-mile High Park Fire has already destroyed hundreds of homes and killed one woman, fire managers offered to shift to Boulder and Colorado Springs to join the fights there. President Barack Obama planned to visit the state’s fire zones on Friday to thank firefighters. Continue reading this story online at www.northern-iowan. org.
FILM REVIEW
‘Brave’ hits all the right beats, minus trademark Pixar spark ALEX TOFT FIlm Critic
“Brave” is a Pixar-quality movie. That alone gives one an idea of what to expect, and perhaps, could suggest the difficulty of reviewing it. “Brave” is a pretty good standalone film, certainly better than “Cars” or “A Bug’s Life,” but isn’t in the same league as “Up”, “The Incredibles”, or the “Toy Story” trilogy. It is a solid film, gorgeously rendered and animated, with some excellent side characters, and a wellchosen theme not often seen from the point of view of a mother-daughter relationship, but “Brave” is dogged by some lazy storytelling and some pretty noticeable pacing problems. “Brave” has the level of visuals a viewer expects from such a great studio as Pixar, and the medieval Scottish mountains and lush forests are absolutely beautiful. Every blade of grass and pine needle has been individually animated with a new graphical engine developed especially for the movie (specifically to render the thousands of brilliant red curls on the head of the main character, Merida, played by Kelly Macdonald), and it shows.
“Brave” exists in a world unlike anything else Pixar has yet created, easily standing toe-to-toe with the gorgeous undersea vistas of “Finding Nemo” or the jazzy angularity of “The Incredibles.” The earth-toned colors of the forests and crags ensure that our red-haired heroine is always the focus of the shot, which is a great piece of art direction, but honestly, not the best for the story. The same can be said for all the characters. The art direction is so completely spot-on that a glance at any character immediately informs the viewer exactly everything they need to know about any character. This is most obvious in the design of Merida’s family: Her father’s solid frame and bold mustache, her mother’s tied-back black tresses, her three identical younger brothers and of course, Merida’s shock of bright red hair. This precise and effective character design, while brilliant on its own, becomes a crutch for the film to lean on; the characters are already rote and archetypal, and thus any sort of development is only touched on in familiar scenes and old tropes from classic Disney stories. The worst example (unfor-
tunately) is Merida’s character. She is the tomboy princess who finds her royal obligations as limits imposed on her freedom. Just like every other tomboy princess. It’s a character audiences have seen done ad infinitum, and it looks especially distressing in a Pixar film beside Billy Connolly’s raucous Fergus (Merida’s father and lord of the kingdom), and it allows Elinor (Emma Thompson), Merida’s mother and arguably the better main character, to completely steal the show. It’s not all bad, of course. Pixar’s writers are sure not to take the easy routes with character humor, and there are some pretty genuine and surprising moments (includ-
ing one great twist I won’t spoil), but it simply isn’t the top of their game. Also, the pacing of the film is pretty screwy. The story calls for two sneaking scenes: one in and one out of the castle, and they recycle the same action beats. Additionally, there is a distinct feeling that characters are being manipulated not so much by their own thoughts and feelings, but by mystical forces (their “fates”) that lead them from plot point to plot point. The effect destroys the tension built up in the first and second acts because everything unfolds exactly how it is supposed to, with the only variations on the theme being
two subplots that get quickly and easily tied up at the beginning of the third act. The problem may be that the story is just too tired. Pixar’s movies often focus on the relationships in families, especially those between a parent and child, and maybe Pixar has just gone back to the well one too many times with this theme in “Brave.” Perhaps Pixar thought they could shake up the formula by focusing on a mother-daughter tale (and good for them for doing so), but “Brave” simply lacks the spark and narrative drive that brought stories about glassyeyed fish and plastic toys to life.
classifieds
Brandon Poll Managing Editor pollb@uni.edu
JUNE 29, 2012
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NORTHERN-IOWAN.ORG
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FOR SALE / FOR RENT
FOR SALE / FOR RENT
ROOMMATES
Available July 1ST, 4 bedroom duplex. $960/MO., appliances included. 319- 236- 8930 or 319- 290- 5114.
Single bedroom unfurnished apartments available on-campus in Hillside Courts. Must be grad student or 23 or older, or married or veteran. 319- 273- 6232 weekdays or www.uni.edu/dor link to housing: apartments
1, 2 or 3 roommates needed. Available now through the school year. 319- 240- 0880.
4 or 8 bedroom duplex for rent. Half block from campus. 319- 240- 0880
ROOMMATES
1, 2, 3, 4 bedroom units, 10 minutes north of Cedar Falls. Security gated complex. Some utilities/cable paid. $400-800/MO. www.hildebrandrentals.com. 319- 352- 5555
1 OR 2 TENANTS NEEDED FOR BRAND NEW APARTMENT (2609 OLIVE). FACING UNI. HAS EVERYTHING. 266- 5544, 610- 2882
1 and 2 BR. available June and July. Most utilities included. Cats allowed. University Manor. 319- 266- 8586.
2 male roommates wanted to share house one block off campus. 3328 Panther Lane. $300 plus utilities per person. 563- 650- 7432
MISC Local game console repairs: 360 - PS3 - Wii - DSLite - PSP. www.cvxgameconsolerepair.com
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VOLUME 108, ISSUE 58
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
Help wanted. Tony’s Pizzaria downtown Main Street. Hiring servers, cooks and drivers. Go to www.277tony.com. Fill out application and mention The Northern Iowan.
Clerical Student Assistant: Hours: 20 hours per week/ 1 P.M. 5 P.M., Monday - Friday. Pay rate: $8 per hour. Start immediately until the end of the summer. Duties include answering the phone, scanning, faxing, filing and other clerical duties as assigned. Previous experience with Camp Adventure is required. Please email resumes to chumrley@campadventure.com.
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CALL OR GO ONLINE TODAY TO VIEW AN APARTMENT (319) 266-8586 UniversityManorOnline.com