The Daily Iowan THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA COMMUNITY SINCE 1868
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2019
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DAILYIOWAN.COM
UI exploring privatizing utility system The UI is considering partnering with a private entity for up to 50 years for the maintenance and operation of its utility system. BY MARISSA PAYNE
marissa-payne@uiowa.edu
Iowa City community members seek the start of a tenants’ union
A Sunday night event focusing on raising funds to form a tenants’ union in Iowa City, which would place an agreement between tenants and their landlords on conditions and renting apartments.
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The University of Iowa is considering a public-private partnership with its utility system after Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ request that the state’s three public universities explore such partnerships — a growing trend in higher education as funding for state institutions falls.
A public-private partnership is a typically long-term agreement between public and private entities formed to provide a public asset or service. Under this type of partnership, the UI would continue to own its utility system while entering into a professional services agreement with a private-sector partner for up to 50 years.
UI Utilities powers and provides water to the East and West Campuses, operates and maintains the Power Plant, Water Plant, three Chilled Water Plants on the Main Campus, and satellite facilities at the Oakdale Campus. The UI would pay the vendor the cost of utilities and an amount “commensurate with the ongoing care, maintenance, and operation of the UI utility system, increased annually to account
for standard inflation,” according to the UI partnership website. The vendor would provide an upfront lump-sum payment that would be invested in the UI’s endowment, the proceeds of which would be allocated to areas that support the UI’s 2016-21 strategic plan and its teaching, research, and scholarship mission. The SEE UTILITIES, 2
NATIONAL POLITICS
Dem contenders visit eastern Iowa Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., campaigned through Iowa this weekend.
UI changing ‘clickers’ from Turning Point to Top Hat
The UI is planning on switching the software system that runs “clickers,” which allow students to interact in lectures via electronic devices. The change to Top Hat is planned to take place this summer.
Johnson County Citizens Police Academy reaches maximum capacity for the first time
Currently, the Citizens Police Academy, which has been running for 22 years and helps people better understand police work, has reached 51 members and had to turn Poole people away to participate at a later time. The academy has shortened its program to accommodate peoples’ schedules.
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Wyatt Dlouhy/The Daily Iowan Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. mingles with the crowd following a community forum at the Hawkeye Community College Miller Adult Learning Center on Feb. 8.
Shivansh Ahuja/The Daily Iowan Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., rallies the troops during a campaign event in the IMU on Sunday.
BY JULIA DIGIACAMO
BY JULIA SHANAHAN
2020 Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Cory Booker spread a message of unity and hope during his tour of Iowa on Feb. 8. In his first visit to Iowa since he announced his presidential campaign, he outlined an urgency for action regarding a variety of issues, including prison and health-care reform.
2020 Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren condemned President Trump’s economic policies as catering to wealthy Americans and putting the working class at a disadvantage in her eastern Iowa stops on Sunday — her first since officially announcing her candidacy. Sen. Warren, D-Mass., made campaign stops in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
SEE BOOKER, 2
SEE WARREN, 2
julia-digiacamo@uiowa.edu
Hawkeyes stun Wildcats with 15-point comeback
Iowa faced a 15-point deficit with 4:30 to play against Northwestern on Sunday. Led by Jordan Bohannon, the Hawkeyes made their last 7 shots to drop the Wildcats and pick up their third win in a row.
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julia-shanahan@uiowa.edu
Orchestra, Opera Director Free-speech bill moves through announces retirement After 22 years at the UI, Director of Orchestral Studies William LaRue Jones has announced his plans to retire.
Iowa Senate
The bill aims to protect free speech on Iowa college campuses, but some accuse it of allowing discrimination. Glynn steps up in DeSanto’s absence
BY CALEB MCCULLOUGH
caleb-mccullough@uiowa.edu
Austin DeSanto has been Iowa wrestling’s go-to guy at 133 pounds, and it’s been for good reason. But after getting suspended for the Hawkeyes’ dual against Maryland, Paul Glynn stepped up in his place and took advantage of the opportunity.
Tune in for LIVE updates Watch for campus and city news, weather, and Hawkeye sports coverage every day at 8:30 a.m. at dailyiowan.com.
Alyson Kuennen/The Daily Iowan UI Orchestra Director William LaRue Jones sits in his office at Voxman Music Building on Feb. 5. Jones will retire after teaching at the UI for more than two decades.
BY KATIE ANN MCCARVER katie-mccarver@uiowa.edu
Every day, there are rehearsals. The symphony practices on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The opera meets Tuesday evenings and through the end of the week. The
chamber orchestra meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, parallel to the graduate conducting class. Twenty-two years after his arrival at the UI, Director of Orchestral Studies William LaRue SEE ORCHESTRA, 2
First Amendment rights are up for debate in the Iowa Statehouse amid a controversial court case around religious liberty. Senate Study Bill 1099, a bill addressing First Amendment rights and regulations on college campuses, passed a House subcommittee meeting on Feb. 7, and it will move on to the Education Committee. The bill would designate the outdoor areas of campus as a “traditional public forum,” which would allow all expression protected under the First AmendQuirmbach ment, prohibit designated free-speech zones on campuses, and provide increased protections for invited public speakers. Additionally, the bill contains provisions regarding how universities can regulate student-group conduct. The bill discussion comes fresh on the trail of a court ruling stating the UI didn’t apply its human-rights polSEE BILL, 3