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IIAC CHAMPS
An experiment of leaving this “third arm” alone for 24 hours Page 7
Men’s cross-country team wins Iowa Conference Page 11 November 6, 2014 — Vol. 93, Issue 6
Stepping Mother of Sandy Hook victim speaks out against gun violence down, but not out
After 23 years as chair of the English Division, Dr. Kevin Koch decides to step down from his position
Nicole Hockley, mother of Dylan Hockley, who was 6 years old when he was gunned down during the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, CT, in December 2012, speaks last week in the Marie Graber Ballroom. She sought to raise awareness of gun violence and mental illness and to encourage others to take steps toward preventing future gun violence.
by RYAN GRAHAM| sports editor
photo by KATHERINE EDWARDS
Republicans seize U.S. Senate GOP also tightens its grip on the U.S. House
In recent years, Republican voters have made a habit out of outperforming Democrats during midterm elections. The polls also predicted a long night for Democrats. But it wasn’t just a bad night for Democrats — it was a nightmare. Riding a wave of voter discontent, the GOP captured majority control of the U.S. Senate and tightened its grip on the U.S. House in elections certain to snarl President Obama’s final two years in office. Republicans entered Tuesday night hoping to take six Senate seats from Democrats. They did that with room to spare, pulling at least seven seats away from Democrats. Two runoff elections in January could add two more in the GOP column. The GOP also dominated the U.S. House races. With dozens of races uncalled, Republicans had picked up 11 seats that had been in Democratic hands, and given up only one. Prognosticators say Republicans are poised to own at least 246 seats in the House. That’s a number not seen for more than 60 years, since the Truman Administration. The Republican tide also was felt in the tri-states. Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst defeated Democratic U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley for a U.S. Senate seat, Bruce Rauner became the first Republican governor of Illinois in 16 years after unseating Gov. Pat Quinn, and Dubuque businessman Rod Blum defeated Pat Murphy in Iowa’s First Congressional District — a rare win for a Republican in a heavily Democratic district. Republicans picked up Senate seats in Iowa, West Virginia, South Dakota, Arkansas, Colorado, North Carolina and Montana, all states where Democrats retired. They had needed a net gain of six seats to end a Democratic majority in
place since 2006. Obama was at the White House as voters remade Congress for the final two years of his tenure. With lawmakers slated to convene next week for a postelection session, he invited leaders to a meeting on Friday. The shift in control of Congress probably means an assault on budget deficits, additional pressure on Democrats to accept sweeping changes to the health care law that stands as Obama’s signal domestic accomplishment and a bid to reduce federal regulations. Obama’s ability to win confirmation for lifetime judicial appointments also could suffer, including any potential Supreme Court vacancies. After years of a sluggish economic recovery and myriad foreign crises, the voters’ mood was sour. Nearly two-thirds of voters interviewed after casting ballots said the country was seriously on the wrong
track. Only about 30 percent said it was generally going in the right direction. More than four in 10 voters disapproved of both Obama and Congress, according to the exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and the television networks. Still, a majority of those polled supported several positions associated with Democrats or Obama rather than Republicans — saying immigrants in the country illegally should be able to work, backing U.S. military involvement against Islamic State fighters, and agreeing that climate change is a serious problem. No matter which party emerged with control of the Senate, a new chapter in divided government was inevitable in a nation marked by profound unease over the future and dissatisfaction with its political leaders. The elections’ $4 billion price tag spending was unprecedented for a non-presidential year.
Iowa state Sen. Joni Ernst celebrates being one of seven Republicans to wrest control of U.S. Senate seats from Democrats in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Ernst will replace retiring Sen. Tom Harkin.
Over the last three-plus decades, Dr. Kevin Koch has been synonymous with the Loras College English and Language Department. He’s been a mainstay in Hoffmann Hall, serving as a professor for the last 33 years and as the Department/Division Chair for the past 23 years. After this year however, Koch will be stepping down as division chair. “Dr. Koch has become a professor that students can turn to for advice, guidance and interesting classes,” said senior Hannah Way. “He is passionate about what he does and it shows in and out of the classroom.” Though he will no longer serve as the Division Chair, Koch will remain at Loras as an English professor. He listed a few main reasons that led to his decision to step down. “Over the last few years, I’ve developed some new courses that I wouldn’t get to teach in regular rotation as the Division Chair,” Koch said. “Another reason is that I’ve got a new writing project that I’d like to get started on. There’s a fair amount of summer work as a Division Chair, so I’ll be able to get some writing time back that I’m looking forward to. The third reason is that we’ve got some good younger faculty and it’s a good time for them to step into the position.” Dr. Koch is a 1981 graduate of the English program himself. Since that time, Koch has been a first-hand witness to the growth of the department. “Some of the key things that are different are the courses,” said Koch. “We’ve developed the Irish Studies program with Dr. Auge. I’ve developed courses myself in Nature Writing. Bill Jablonsky has developed coursework in Screen Writing and Fantastic Fiction. We have several new things that have all been good additions to the department.” Over the last 23 years, Koch said that one of the biggest challenges has been fighting the stigma that comes with being an English major. “It’s a frustration of mine that the stigma exists in our culture,” he said. “I think the reason it exists is that culture tends to thinks if you’re ‘this’ major it means you’re preparing for ‘this’ job. It works that way for some things. Most accounting majors become accountants. Most nursing students become nurses. But with humanities it doesn’t work that way. Our graduates go in a lot of different directions and have success in a multitude of different fields. But it’s hard to get society to realize that sometimes.” Koch’s successor has been chosen, though their name has not been officially announced at this time. The successor has big shoes to fill, though Koch provided one piece of advice. “My advice would be to spend a lot of time listening,” he said. “It’s important to understand what students’ needs are and to understand the goals of the faculty and their individual approaches to teaching. Listening is certainly a very important aspect of the position.” Koch’s successor is expected to be announced later this year.