Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016 | Volume 211 | Number 86 | 40 cents | iowastatedaily.com | An independent student newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890.
StuGov OKs Student Union Board contract
Dancing with the Story County Stars
By Zach.Clemens @iowastatedaily.com
Courtesy of the Heartland Senior Services of Story County
The Heartland Senior Services of Story County will host the third annual Dancing with the Story Country Stars at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Memorial Union. Tickets cost $15 for students.
Local celebrities ready to show off moves at fundraising event By Andi.Schieszler @iowastatedaily.com One of the top dancing programs on TV will come to Story County in the form of a fundraiser — Dancing with the Stars. The Heartland Senior Services of Story County will host a fundraising event at 6 p.m. Saturday at the ISU Memorial Union. Tickets are $25 for the general public and $15 for ISU students and can be purchased at the door. Dancing with the Story County Stars will be a twoand-a-half-hour event in which multiple local celebrities will each dance for 90 seconds. The Heartland Senior Services of Story County paired each celebrity with a local dance instructor. The Heartland Senior Services of Story County has hosted the Dancing with the Stars event for three years now and has raised thousands of dollars each year that goes to funding for senior services. Claudia Lemper, lecturer in plant pathology and microbiology, is one of the celebrities who is dancing at the event. Lemper got involved with the event after attending last year in support of a friend who was dancing. “I had a friend who did [Dancing with the Story
County Stars] last year and so I went [to be] part of the community and on community boards,” Lemper said. Lemper said she was chosen to be a dancer for the event because she has a lot of involvement in the community. While Lemper had danced in high school, she said she did not have much formal dance training before this event. “I mean, I’m not a dancer, but my family always danced,” Lemper said. “I’m a confident person to dance in front of a big crowd.” While Lemper danced in high school, she said she did not have much formal dance training before this event. While seven groups will dance, the Heartland Senior Center of Story County had to find people who are willing to commit the time to the event as well as be comfortable dancing in front of a crowd. “The hard thing is they have to find someone who is willing to do it,” Lemper said. “No. 1: commit the time and dance in front of people and be somewhat of a public figure,” Lemper said. The celebrity dancer is responsible for finding people who will attend the event and also for getting votes. Each vote is represented by a dollar that was donated.
DANCING p8
Student Government discussed a new financial agreement with the Student Union Board at the weekly Senate meeting at the Memorial Union. The contract, which was approved by the Senate with a vote of 30 to 5, is a three-year contract allocating a guaranteed $100,000. Another $50,000 may be allocated once per year, “with intended use being the use of Hilton Coliseum and all associated costs that are incurred with this undertaking,” according to the bill. The contract would go into effect July 1, 2016 and go until June 30, 2019. There was concern among the senators about the possibility of the extra $50,000 for possible events being allocated by just the finance committee and not Student Government as a whole. “The Senate has always had oversight of the finance committee,” said Finance Director Hamad Abbas. Student Government President Dan Breitbarth expressed frustration at the issues senators had because the contract was sent out two weeks ago and he received no follow-up questions. Sen. Cole Button, sophomore in finance, introduced a funding bill to increase campus lighting between Carver Hall and Parks Library. The proposal calls for two new light poles as well as replacing all light bulbs between Carver and the library with brighter, longerlasting LED bulbs. The bill was tabled by a vote of 22 to 16. Fitten called to table the bill to find a different route to get funding for the project. Sen. Khayree Fitten questioned if Student Government should pay additional funds to make a campus safer when tuition — particularly out-of-state tuition — is already being paid for issues like this. ”I’ve talked to many students about this and they are very excited and want this to happen,” said Sen. Emily Tosoni. The Senate discussed the Affordable Education in Iowa resolution, which would request $8.2 million in funding from the Iowa Legislature. This was passed with a vote of 32 to 3.
Candidates spread messages in Ames Huckabee urges group at Jeff’s Pizza to caucus
O’Malley looks for support as caucus looms
By Alex.Hanson @iowastatedaily.com
By Rakiah.Bonjour @iowastatedaily.com
Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor now running for the Republican nomination, made a plea Wednesday for potential voters to caucus for him when the first votes are cast next Monday. Huckabee, who won the caucus in 2008, has struggled to gain traction this cycle — currently hovering at only a few percentage points in most polls — but has already visited all 99 counties in Iowa and will attend 150 events just in January. Speaking to about 50 people gathered at Jeff’s Pizza on Lincoln Way on Wednesday afternoon, Huckabee joked with attendees, urging them to go caucus Monday, but, “If you’re thinking about caucusing for one of those other 320 people running, I would like to encourage you to stay home that night.” “It’s going to be cold out there,” Huckabee joked. Before taking questions, Huckabee told the audience that the 2016 election is important because what is at stake. Although outsider candidates like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz have locked in the most support, Huckabee pitched himself as someone who would shake up Washington and challenge the status quo. “I think the worst thing that has happened to the process of politics is that a handful of billionaires now control virtually every campaign and openly control the agenda of Congress in Washington,” Huckabee said.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley was in Ames on Wednesday night for a campaign rally just five days before the Iowa caucus, touting his experience as Baltimore mayor and governor to garner support for his campaign. While O’Malley played nice toward fellow Democrats Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, he took a jab at — without naming — Republican candidate Donald Trump for his recent comments. “When the guy who is in the forefront of the Republican party is a man who makes increasingly more racist, fascist appeals, who says outrageous things like if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue his poll numbers still wouldn’t go down — this should tell all of us that this is no ordinary campaign year,” O’Malley said. And while it is no ordinary campaign year, caucuses are right around the corner. Currently sitting at only a few percentage points in most polls, he is hoping his supporters will “hold strong” to gain that needed 15 percent threshold he needs to be viable for Monday. “I’m telling all my supporters to hold strong,” O’Malley said. “Work as hard as you can to persuade a few people and lift us up in those precincts where we are short on viability, lift us up to viability, and in other precincts we will walk in with viability.” O’Malley believes his consistent approach he takes to his issues such as education, clean energy and gun reform will get that needed support.
Alex Hanson/Iowa State Daily
Former Arkansas governor and current Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee talks with supporters at a meet and greet at Jeff’s Pizza in Ames on Wednesday.
When asked about his tax policy, Huckabee explained to the crowd why he supports the fair tax, which would change the current tax system and replace it with a national consumption, or sales tax — similar to what most pay already at the state level. He also differentiated himself from other Republican candidates running for president. Huckabee said he is the only candidate who would protect Social Security, instead of making cuts to the program. “I remember some of my early paychecks, I need that money taken out,” Huckabee said. “No, they took it away. But they always said they’re taking it away and will give it back at retirement. It is not the government’s money, it is yours.” He also went after Ted Cruz — without directly mentioning him — for his stance on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Cruz has consistently said he wants to phase out the federal mandate that requires ethanol to be blended into fuel. Huckabee, although saying
the federal government does not have many good ideas, said the RFS is one of the few ideas implemented that actually has a positive impact on the economy. Huckabee asked why “anyone” in Iowa would support a candidate who would get rid of the mandate, adding doing so would cost Iowa 75,000 jobs because of how it benefits the economy in the state. Cruz, who says he is against the federal mandate because of principle, continues to sit atop the polls with Trump. Actor Jim Labriola, known for his appearances in the TV show “Home Improvement,” also spoke at the event. While mixing in jokes with the audience, he said he believes Huckabee is a “modern-day Ronald Reagan” and is the only candidate who can get the job done if elected. Huckabee’s stop in Ames on Wednesday was his second in the city during the month of January. He hosted a town hall at Oakwood Road Church earlier in the month.
“Of the three of us running, one of us has been remarkably consistent throughout the years on [gun safety], and that person is me,” O’Malley said. “I intend to be relentless in pursuing comprehensive gun safety legislation … and requiring background checks.” O’Malley will be back in Ames on Monday to host a town hall event before the caucus that evening. His idea of what the Iowa people need is what makes him think the caucus will be a successful effort. “I believe that the people of Iowa are looking for a new leader,” he said. “Iowa likes a fighter … I’ve been here on other occasions where John Kerry they never saw coming. Gary Hart was at 3.5 percent before finishing second place on caucus night. There is a fight and it’s going to be a good one.” Kayla Flyckt, graduate student in biochemistry, is still undecided for caucus night but because she says O’Malley has the best comprehensive clean energy plan, she thinks he could sway her. “I really like his ideas about climate change and a green future,” Flyckt said. Max McReynolds, graduate student in plant biology, is interested in using bio-renewables, which O’Malley supports. “It seems really cool a presidential candidate is pushing for that,” McReynolds said. While some news outlets and the Democratic debates have been focusing on the battle between the two front-running candidates Sanders and Clinton, O’Malley said people are starting to notice their other options for this race. “The only opinion I care about are the people of Iowa and what they’re going to do on caucus night,” O’Malley said.