10.31.14 by Iowa State Daily

First-year honors program aides transition to ISU By Emily.Samuelson @iowastatedaily.com In the sweltering August sun, 450 first-year honors students stood clustered on the stairs of Curtiss Hall as a photographer snapped a photo that would soon be a memory. Among those students stood agronomy major, Truman Brady. Iowa State’s First-Year Honors Program (FHP) offers educational opportunities for a restricted amount of entering freshman. The FHP works to enable honors students to network as they exchange ideas and create a personalized academic program. FHP also works to help with the transition to Iowa State. It challenges students to take advantage of other learning opportunities offered by the university. “[We are] trying to help first year students have a good start at the university and make connections right away,” said Emily Wilcox, assistant director for the FHP. “We want [honors students] to hit the ground running and take advantage of all the resources at the university.” FHP students are currently just more than half-way through their first semester with the honors program. They will soon be making the decision whether to submit a letter of intent to continue with the program. The FHP offers freshman

benefits such as priority scheduling, the use of the Jischke Honors Building and computer facilities. In return, students meet twice a week during the fall semester for a seminar led by two honors upperclassmen. “My favorite part of working with my students is the things I learn in class,” said Preston Schaaf, current FHP co-leader of the group ‘C2’. “The discussions are probably my favorite activities.” Schaaf is a past FHP student and was trained with current leaders to create a program and curriculum for his class. “Each year our training for our teachers becomes a little more complete,” said Wilcox. “The caliber of leaders we have is amazing.” Each group of seminar leaders helps their group of students choose a theme of focus. Brady is a part of the ‘C2’ group, whose theme is “everyday heroes”. “[Our theme] has me thinking about the transitions in superheroes’ lives,” Brady said. “Culturally, our need for superheroes has changed. Everyday people can be superheroes.” ‘C2’ is currently creating a program of study that focuses on translating their theme into applicable activities that can be presented at the end of the seminar.

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Jessica Kline/Iowa State Daily

Do you believe in ghosts? Check out this map with some of the popular legends of hauntings around campus. Several buildings on campus are reportedly haunted, and some staff members claim that they have had first-hand experiences with the supernatural.

HAUNTED CAMPUS ISU staff members share stories of campus hauntings

Courtesy of Brian Nonnecke

David Acker, associate dean of ISU’s academic and global programs, learns about the school garden program from Iowa State and Makerere University students. ISU students have had the opportunity to work with students in Uganda for more than 10 years.

Garden program in Uganda works to educate children By Dylan.Roth @iowastatedaily.com Opportunity was a foreign concept in the Kamuli District 10 years ago. Today, opportunity in the small Ugandan town is difficult to miss. The transformation can, at least in part, be attributed to Iowa State’s Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihood (CSRL). The CSRL has been involved in the Kamuli District for more than 10 years. The primary mission of the CSRL is to improve the quality of life for people who live in a impoverished community. The CSRL uses agriculture as a gateway to supply adequate nutrition, sanitation and education. “I know firsthand what it means to be poor,” said Dorothy Masinde, associate director for nutrition education in the CSRL. “I have a passion for people who I feel are not as lucky as I am today.”

The CSRL aligns itself with local researchers in Uganda who are familiar with food production in the region. Based on the researchers’ recommendations and advice, the CSRL works to facilitate efficient methods of food production. Gail Nonnecke, faculty coordinator of ISU’s Global Resource Systems, said the biggest challenge facing the Kamuli District is that many people in the region lack the opportunity to become educated about agriculture. “Uganda has a suitable climate to be able to produce crops,” Nonnecke said. “It’s a matter of learning how to best do that.” The Kamuli District is located in Eastern Uganda and is commonly regarded as one of the poorest locations in Africa. “The yield levels of crops in the Kamuli District are quite low because of poor soil fertility, plant diseases and the use of seeds that

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By Vanessa.Franklin @iowastatedaily.com Grab some salt, sage and an EMF detector and strap on your Ghostbusters gear because ISU’s campus is haunted. These hair-raising hauntings are tales that Amanda Hall, former University Museum’s interpretation specialist, has been researching and recording to share at the Ghost Stories of Iowa State lecture. Haunted buildings on campus include the Gold Star Hall, the Memorial Union Hotel, the cemetery, the Farm House, Fisher Theater and some residence halls. Hall is also working on expanding her collection of stories to include the entire city of Ames, as well as the

campus sororities and fraternities. “Iowa State, because it’s a college, is a breeding ground for stories and I think that’s a way for people to connect to campus that you don’t often think about,” Hall said. “It’s kind of a subconscious way to connect to campus.” Hall began researching things that go bump in the night to share while she gave moonlight tours. This later became known as “Haunted Iowa State”, which lasted from about 2005-2012. “She’s kind of become a selfappointed purveyor and guardian of these ghost stories,” said David Faux, University Museum’s current interpretation specialist. “When she was here, that was something that she really channeled in the Haunted ISU event. It’s something she had a huge interest in.” The Farm House, which Hall

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