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Ex-U.S. reps to discuss lessons of Watergate By Michelle.Schoening @iowastatedaily.com

Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily

Abbie Andersen, freshman in open option from Florida, used an unconventional way to choose her adventure at Iowa State. Andersen’s choices were between Iowa State and University of Florida, and she made her choice after pulling out two M&M’s from a bag: one red and one yellow.

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Students choose college for many different reasons By Logan.Olson @iowastatedaily.com Making the decision to come to Iowa State University for some students is an easy choice to make, for others it may be something they have to mull over and may even be a last minute decision. For Abbie Andersen, a freshman in open-option, it was one of those last minute decisions. “My mom said ‘you really need to decide what you want to do,’ and I was waiting for a sign,” Andersen said. With this tough choice, she said she really had to weigh out the pros and cons of the two schools she was deciding between. “It was between Iowa State and the University of Florida. Both of them have always been my dream schools,” Andersen said. “My dad went to Iowa State, and I have family in Iowa, so that was a big factor...Florida was always my dream school because I’m from Florida, and my brother went there, so I’m a huge gator fan.”

‘You really need to decide what you want to do’ and I was waiting for a sign of what to do with my future.” Abbie Anderson

As she was eating M&M’s, one of her favorite candies, Andersen pulled out two colors, red and yellow. Andersen took this as her sign to come Iowa State and said she feels that this has been the best choice for her. “I feel like it’s changed me, because I was always at home,” Andersen said. “So being able to get away from my parents and do things on my own, become independent, has changed me a lot and made me a bigger person.” Hannah Harless, a freshman in political science, is here for her first semester, coming from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Harless’s parents work for the College of Dentistry at the University of Iowa, but that is not where Harless chose to go.

sign “I grew up in Iowa City and saw what it had to offer,” Harless said. “When I came on campus tour of Iowa State, I fell in love.” Harless said that her parents did not pressure her decision as long as she was happy. Harless has enjoyed her time at Iowa State so far and has joined a sorority and made new friends, she said. For other students being close to home is important. Kelsey Knudsen, junior in event management, listed this as a main reason to come to Iowa State. Knudsen also said she chose Iowa State, “because I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and my dad came here.” Caitlyn Baagoe, freshman in the apparel merchandise and design, chose Iowa State based solely on the fact that she knew what she wanted to do. “[Iowa State is] one of the only Universities in Iowa that has my program,” Baagoe said. “The University of Northern Iowa has it, but it’s not as good as Iowa State’s program.” While some of these students have had easier times deciding, and others needed a sign, all of them said that they feel coming to Iowa State was a good decision.

Forty years later, Watergate still teaches many lessons. Watergate will be the focus of a panel discussion at 8 p.m. Thursday, in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union. Former U.S. Reps. Edward Mezvinsky, of Iowa, and Elizabeth Holtzman, of New York, will speak on the panel. Both served on the House Judiciary Committee during the hearings of Watergate. Also on the panel will be Jonathan Yarowsky, general counsel to the House Judiciary Committee from 1988-95. “I think they will be able to answer the question,” James McCormick said of what can be learned from Watergate. McCormick is a professor and chairman of political science. “It

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House, Senate approve raising of debt ceiling By Emelie.Knobloch @iowastatedaily.com President Barack Obama said to the nation Wednesday night, there is no reason why we can’t work together. On day 16 of the government shutdown, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives approve a bipartisan deal to end the shutdown and raise the debt ceiling. The deal was approved 81-18 in Senate and 285-144 in House. “We fought the good fight; we just didn’t win,” said Speaker of the House John Boehner to a radio station in his home state of Ohio. The bill will continue to fund the federal government until Jan. 15 as well as raise the debt ceiling through Feb. 7. Thursday is the deadline for increasing the federal borrowing limit or the government is at risk of the first default in American history. “We need to get out of the hab-

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Police use social media to inform students about suspicious object By Makayla.Tendall @iowastatedaily.com The ISU Police Department is facing both positive and negative responses from ISU students for its use social media to update students, faculty and staff of a suspicious item found Wednesday morning near Parks Library and the Hub. Darin Van Ryswyk, investigations captain for ISU Police, said the object looked like a “cylindrical item about the size of a water bottle in a grayishgreenish sock.” The Hub was evacuated, and a large portion of the sidewalks and grass between Parks Library, Durham Hall and the Hub was taped off. Following standard protocol, the bomb squad from the Iowa State Fire Marshal Division was called in to remove the object. On Wednesday afternoon, ISU Police confirmed the object was not explosive and was in fact a hollow piece of Styrofoam encased in a sock. A member of the student organization Tir Asleen Medieval Combat Society

Ellen Williams/Iowa State Daily

Ashley Huth, graduate of Iowa State, is the new program coordinator in the International Students and Scholars Office.

Students explore visas for U.S. study By Kat.Grunewald @iowastatedaily.com

Brandi Boyett/Iowa State Daily

Students watched the investigation of a suspicious item outside of Parks Library from the third floor. Outside of Parks and the Hub was blocked off while the situation occurred.

identified the object as something they had used the night before. Both Van Ryswyk and Annette Hacker, director of ISU News Service, said ISU Police suspected early on the object might belong to the student organization, but they had to follow protocol. A little before 10:30 a.m., officer Anthony Greiter tweeted through the ISU Police Twitter

handle that there was a suspicious object and that students should avoid the affected area. ISU Police also posted frequent updates on Twitter and their Facebook page. The ISU emergency alert system was not used. “It’s used when there’s an immediate, continued, sustained threat to the campus community. The chief of police decides when that kind of

timely warning is warranted,” Hacker said “This situation just didn’t fit the criteria of an ISU Alert, because it was not an immediate threat. That’s not to say we might not have used ISU Alert had the situation changed.” Van Ryswyk said the location of the incident played into the fact that an alert was not used.

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This fall, ISU international students came from 106 different countries and throughout history students have come from more than 150 countries worldwide. To study in the United States, all of them needed a valid visa. The U.S. government can grant different visas, depending on the purpose of the stay. Students at Iowa State typically obtain a F or J visa. These are both student visas that enable the applicant to study in the United States. “An F visa is the most

common student visa here in Iowa State by far,” said Ashley Huth, program coordinator in the International Students and Scholars Office. “J visas are often granted for students in exchange programs or sponsored programs, such as Fulbright, which is a federal government program that provides money to both American and international students to pursue their studies.” Those with J visas sometimes might be required to go back to their home country when they have finished their studying, Huth said. Most inter-

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