Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2015 | Volume 211 | Number 41 | 40 cents | iowastatedaily.com | An independent student newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890.
Board to talk tuition
Regents will also discuss center, graduate retention By Mitchel.Anderson @iowastatedaily.com
the number back, and they told me I made the top 12.” Then everyone in the community votes for three girls to narrow the pool. Blankespoor won. The next step was preparing for the Tulip Queen Announcement Party, a beauty pageant-like event with an interview round, 3-minute talent portion and an impromptu question at the end. Throughout the process, her mom, Laura Blankespoor, was by her side, but Blankespoor refused help from her mom, determined to perfect her performance on her own.
The Iowa Board of Regents will meet Wednesday and Thursday in Iowa City to discuss 20162017 tuition increases — notably a proposed $500 per year increase in fees for three years for non-immigrant international students at Iowa State — as well as the request to create a new center at Iowa State and a graduate and professional student financial retention initiative. The board is considering a 3 percent tuition increase for undergraduate resident students at the University of Iowa for the 20162017 school year. Undergraduate resident tuition was raised by 3 percent for Iowa State and University of Northern Iowa students for the spring semester and will not increase for the 2016-2017 school year under the proposed plan. The board will also consider raising non-immigrant international student fees by $500 per year for the next three years at Iowa State, per Iowa State’s request. “There are higher costs associated with providing services for international students,” said Jonathan Wickert, senior vice president and provost. “What’s been the case up to this point is that those costs have grown over the years, and it’s come to a point where we think it’s appropriate to have supplemental tuition for students who are really benefitting from those services.” Wickert added that a number of other universities have implemented a supplemental tuition rate or fee for international students, including the University of Iowa — which exceeds the rate Iowa State is considering. “Phasing it in like a staircase over a couple of years just makes the transition a little smoother and helps students with their planning,” Wickert said. “Nobody likes to increase tuition, but it’s really an issue of balancing the affordability with the quality of the education.” Another item on the Board’s agenda is to consider Iowa State’s request to create a Center for Statistics and Application in Forensic Evidence, which would provide a national research center in forensic sciences, a center of excellence for research, outreach and education
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Behind the Tiara Courtesy of Leah Blankespoor
Leah Blankespoor, sophomore in event management, dressed as a princess for a photo. Blankespoor was crowned the 2014 Tulip Queen in her hometown of Pella, Iowa.
ISU student makes her dreams a reality, becomes real-life princess By Taylor.Borde @iowastatedaily.com
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ost people think of classic fairytales when they hear the word “princess,” but they don’t look much beyond the handsome prince and sparkling crown. Leah Blankespoor, sophomore in event management, like many young girls, dreamt of becoming a princess. Unlike most, Blankespoor fulfilled that dream twice, pairing hard work and a title. Coming from Pella, Iowa, a town of just more than 10,000 people, Blankespoor was immersed in
the town’s heritage and traditions, especially the Dutch Tulip Time Festival. The three-day celebration in May drives tourism and small business industry, bringing in local and international visitors. “My birthday is during Tulip Time, and I’ve always been a huge, huge fan of [it] because they kind of went hand in hand,” Blankespoor said. She was very involved with the celebration during junior high and high school. From a young age, she had her eyes set on the crown. “[During the parade,] every little girl sees the Tulip Queen ride past in her horse-drawn carriage,” Blankespoor said, “and they say,
‘That’s what I want to be someday.’” Blankespoor focused on dance, speech and theater as she got older, with the thought of the Tulip Queen popping up from time to time. “That prepared me to try out for Tulip Queen,” Blankespoor said. The Tulip Queen is selected the fall before Tulip Time. Candidates must be at least 17 years old, be a resident of Pella and have to be nominated by an adult in the community. “I was in my choir concert when I got the call, so I got off the stage,” Blankespoor said. “I called
Moving beyond Veishea By Rakiah.Bonjour @iowastatedaily.com
Iowa State Daily
As conversations about Veishea arise once again, people look back on the events that used to take place. In this photo from 2014, Joseph Thien lets a Great Dane lick cream off his face at the Students Helping Rescue Animals booth during Veishea.
After the Veishea Advisory Committee nixed the idea of any further Veishea-related activities, students were concerned with what opportunities they would have at Iowa State. At the request of students, a committee made up of faculty and students was formed to offer alternative events for students that provide the same community engagement and campus involvement that Veishea offered.
The committee offered six events: a winter welcome-back celebration; a February celebration; a March Madness event; an arts celebration; a college showcase parade; and a community service event. The committee, led by Kevin Schalinske, professor of food science and human nutrition, and Dan Breitbarth, president of student government, along with other faculty and student members. “We are likely going to create different events, but these are just the preliminary negotiations that the faculty and students have determined to be a benefit to the
university,” Breitbarth said. The goal is to give students a way to interact with one another. “It’s an event to give students a sense of community,” Breitbarth said. “Often times, students don’t interact with very many [students] from other colleges. Tom Hill, senior vice president for Student Affairs, agreed that it is about student engagement, but the events also provide what he calls “positive aspects from Veishea” that should be retained. “Things that will provide stu-
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Students rally for professor with visa trouble By Tara.Larson @iowastatedaily.com Many students at Iowa State could say they like some of their professors or even have a friendship with one, but not many can say they are taking measures to help one get their job back. This is the case for many Arabic students at Iowa State. When Ghinwa Alameen, lecturer in world languages and cultures, lost her ability to work in the United States in September because of work permit issues, her students decided to take a stand. “I am on a work permit, and I filed to renew it back in Febru-
ary,” Alameen said. “It usually takes two to three months, but mine has been taking over eight months.” Alameen said she was told by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that her permit is still processing. Her former students have been working toward getting her back in the classroom ever since she was asked by the university to leave. They have been collecting signatures, arranging meetings with university administration and even communicating with immigration leaders and members of the U.S. government. “The overall impression of
her is that she is not just a professor that is there to teach and leave,” said Peter Benzoni, senior in computer engineering and one of Alameen’s former students. “She really cares about the success of her students, the program and the Arabic community as a whole.” Alameen came to Iowa State in 2005 to pursue graduate work. Before coming here from her home country of Syria, she worked as a teacher. She served as the only Arabic professor before her immigration issues. During her time at Iowa State, Alameen started many initiatives, including starting the
Arab Students Association last semester. There, she worked with getting more people involved with the association, including members of the Arabic community. Alameen is also hosting a cultural event Tuesday and Wednesday called “Save Syria” in the free-speech zone, where members of the organization will be raising awareness about the crisis in Syria. “She gave us the opportunity to tutor, she set up a situation for study abroad this summer, she’s just done so much to help me,” said Emily Bannantine, sopho-
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Courtesy of Iowa State
Ghinwa Alameen, lecturer in world languages and cultures, had her work visa recinded in September and is unable work. Her students have been attempting to get her back in the classroom ever since.