PRAIRIES WHAT MAKES THE MIDWEST SO IMPORTANT?
CROSS-COUNTRY BACK ATOP BIG 12 Iowa State women win fifth conference title in six years
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Monday, October 31, 2016 | Volume 212 | Number 50 | 40 cents | iowastatedaily.com | An independent student newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890.
Carving a career through pumpkins ISU student Ray Schmidt starts ‘Patches O Pumpkins’ By Danielle.Gehr @iowastatedaily.com Halloween is not complete without taking a large,
Cyclone Hockey: 4 Central Oklahoma: 3
orange vegetable, cutting off its top, emptying it of its seeds and flesh and giving it a face that will be illuminated on the front lawn with a candle. This experience of making jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween is something that many can connect with and is something that Ray Schmidt saw as a way he could make a profit in 2013 when he was just a sophomore at Iowa State. “I guess deep down, pumpkins remind me of the nostalgia of childhood, of fall weather, the changing colors on the leaves, just the whole experience kind of embodied into one pumpkin,” Schmidt said. Schmidt started a business called Patches O Pumkins, a name that he believes captures the light-hearted, fun spirit of his business. “We’re a fun company,” Schmidt said. “It’s a start-up, so we take a lot of risks. There’s a lot of fun, lively aspect to it. The name itself, Patches O Pumpkins, you can’t hardly not smile when you say that.” S c h m i d t earned a degree in graphic design last May and is now working to
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Illustration by Kelsey Garin
Tyler Coffey/Iowa State Daily
Multiple Homecoming banners were vandalized on Central Campus last week.
Vandals damage greek banners No direct info reported to police By Ellen.Bombela and Jean.Linde @iowastatedaily.com At least five of the banners created by chapters within the greek community had been vandalized as of Friday afternoon. The banners were created by sorority and fraternity pairings as a part of Homecoming week. As of right now, there is no information on who is responsible for the vandalism. Deputy Chief Carrie Jacobs, who leads investigations with the ISU Police Department, said there has been no direct information reported to ISU PD on the incident. Jacobs said that if the vandalism would have happened on the property of the sorority or fraternity, then there would have been a report filed, but because it wasn’t, there was no report filed. Some of the vandalism that was written on the banners included statements about Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), which is a fraternity that was suspended
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Resources guide start-up success By Jenna.Hrdlicka @iowastatedaily.com
Megan Mojeiko/Iowa State Daily
Cheerleaders perform a skit while the Iowa State University Cyclone Marching Band kicks off the Friday night pep rally at the Student Alumni Center. The event hyped up Cyclone fans for the football game against Kansas State on Saturday.
Pep rally spreads school spirit Ames, ISU communities rally behind Homecoming Week festivities By Emily.Hammer and Sarah.Rich @iowastatedaily.com The parking lot behind the Student Alumni Center was soon full of students, alumni and community members showing their Homecoming spirit on Friday evening. The music booming loud, the pep rally started off calm enough. A walking taco bar was available to those with Homecoming buttons and several bouncy houses were set up for students to let loose in. Samantha McCurdy, a senior in design, enjoyed seeing the bouncy
houses set up. “I like how there’s a lot of stuff both for us and younger children. It gets a lot of families involved,” McCurdy said. A huge Cy greeted attendees just before they walked into the center, where an arch of cardinal and gold balloons stood over the stairs. People were able to bid on items in a silent auction as well as shop through clothing and other items available. Allison Pitz, a senior in marketing, is excited to see the event come together after weeks of coordinating performing groups and their times. “I’m excited for students, alum-
ni and community members to come out and have fun and see Iowa State traditions,” Pitz said. Shy of a Dozen, a men’s a capella group, started the night off with their renditions of songs such as “Jessie’s Girl” and “Stacy’s Mom.” Then, the Dance Marathon committee got on stage and danced to a remix of songs before the Iowa State Sparkles Squad cheered for the first time at Iowa State. As the Sparkles exited the stage, the Iowa State Cheer Squad hyped up the crowd with cheers. After a few cheers, the marching band and color guard joined the squad
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After a long and frustrating day, all Nick Herrig wanted to do was go home and have a cold beer. The realization that he had none in his fridge could have led to despair, but instead led to the creation of the Midwest Beer Club with friend and business partner Mason Cook. Cook, senior in management, and Herrig, senior in industrial engineering, created a business that will allow people to order personalized boxes of beer to be delivered to their door. The business, similar to a craft beer-of-the-month club, uses an algorithm the duo created that takes their customers’ unique preferences and matches them to craft beer that the business has on hand from partnerships with local breweries. “[You receive] a unique box of craft beer catered to your preferences,” Cook said. Cook and Herrig began planning the business about 10 months ago, and have taken advantage of entrepreneurship resources at Iowa State throughout the process. They have worked with the ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, have been involved with clubs on campus and have utilized the knowledge and guidance of various ISU professors. Using these resources has proved beneficial in a variety of
ways, and is something that Cook recommends for other students interested in pursuing entrepreneurship as well. “If a student is passionate and truly wants to start something, I think they need to take advantage of these programs and resources,” said Diana Wright, marketing and programs director for the ISU Pappajohn Center. “A lot of times, when you’re in the real world it’s a lot harder to navigate.”
ISU PAPPAJOHN CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP The ISU Pappajohn Center offers academic opportunities such as the Entrepreneurship Scholarship Program, the ISU Entrepreneur Club and a learning community, as well as opportunities to gain work experience in the entrepreneurship field and to participate in programs. One of these programs, the CYstarters Summer Accelerator, proved especially beneficial for the Midwest Beer Club, Cook said. The CYstarters program gives students up to $12,000 to fund the creation of their business, as well as provides mentorship and a workspace. The CEO National Pitch Competition is another opportunity that has been beneficial for the duo. After placing in the top six at the national competition in Tampa, Florida, last weekend, they are the first ISU students to be finalists in the competition.
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