Monday, December 5, 2016 | Volume 212 | Number 70 | 40 cents | iowastatedaily.com | An independent student newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890.
4 study resources to avoid ruts By Rachel.Ori @iowastatedaily.com
Maddie Leopardo/Iowa State Daily
Annie Edelman, sophomore in journalism, studies Friday at Parks Library. The library will be open 24/7 during Dead Week and Finals Week.
When it comes to preparing for finals, many students can find themselves in a rut. First-semester students, especially those coming to campus straight from high school, often don’t have the study skills they need to achieve the grades they need on their finals. It’s never too late for these skills to be acquired, however, and Iowa State offers numerous
resources to aid students with studying. Whether students are looking to enhance their own habits or learn some new ones, the resources they need are readily available: 1. Flashcards Flashcards are popular among college students. Whether they are physical cards or an electronic program such as Cram or Quizlet, flashcards can make studying 10 times easier and 10 times more fun. Flashcards are effective be-
cause they engage “active recall” within the brain, according to Brainscape. People who use flashcards make their brain remember the concept or term on its own, rather than willing it to memorize an entire passage of a textbook. This type of engagement will lead to more retained knowledge and less panic attacks when it comes time to take the test. 2. Quizlet Quizlet ranks at the top of the list for study sites. Quizlet allows people to make
INSIDE SMALL BUSINESS
their own study sets, ranging from flashcards of terms to entire practice quizzes. Not only can people make they own but they can also browse other students’ sets and save them to their study library. The sets can be found by searching for a subject or course, and hundreds of sets will pop up. 3. SparkNotes Students who are majoring in English and are required to read novels in their classes can use
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Matthew Rezab/Iowa State Daily
Brian Martin of Des Moines, Brent Haverkamp of Ames and Todd Millang of West Des Moines are the new owners of North Grand Mall in Ames.
Local Iowa investors buy North Grand Mall By Emily.Hammer @iowastatedaily.com
Talia Jensen, an Iowa State alumna, has owned Portobello Road since its doors opened in 2012.
Portobello Road is a botique and decor shop on Welch Avenue. It first opened its doors in August 2012.
Portobello Road owner mixes fun with fashion By Abby.Patterson @iowastatedaily.com For many people, the work week never extends outside the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For Ames business owner Talia Jensen, dedication to her shop goes beyond general work hours. Jensen, an Iowa State alumna, is the owner and creative mind behind Portobello Road on Welch Avenue. Portobello Road is a boutique and decor shop that opened its doors in August 2012. Jensen grew up in Latimer, Iowa, a small farming town about 60 miles north of Ames. With a graduating class of 27 people, she decided to get away from her small town roots and attend Iowa State, where she majored in apparel, merchandise, design and production with a minor in entrepreneurial studies. “Now I understand [my hometown] didn’t have very much culture and life in general and I think that is why I was so interested in something that was outside of the farm,” Jensen said. “I suppose that’s why guys get into video games and why I got into fashion.” After graduating from Iowa State, Jensen moved to Los Angeles, where she received a job in visual display — moving things around to make them look visually appealing to clientele. “All of my friends were going out to [Los Angeles to find jobs] so I thought, ‘Hey, I’m a fashion major, I should probably go out to L.A., too,” Jensen said. Jensen knew she was doing what she loved, but she wasn’t in love with the city, especially coming from a small town in Iowa. “Once I got out to L.A., I could not stand the fact that I could not see over the mountains, which made me super claustrophobic,” Jensen said. “When you are out in the country, you can see all around you and it’s amazing. When you get out [to L.A.], there are mountains and oceans and buildings everywhere. Not the nicest people in general either.” Missing the Midwest, Jensen kept her love for the city in the back of her mind and moved to Minneapolis. She received a job at Trendy Home, a furniture decor store in the Rosedale Mall, and continued to do what she loved as a visual creator. “It was pretty much like running a store
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Hannah Olson/Iowa State Daily
Talia Jensen gets her clothing from resale markets in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
The inspiration for the shop’s name came from the famous Portobello Road Market in London.
Three local Iowa real estate investors have purchased the North Grand Mall after its previous owners defaulted on $37 million in loans, leading to foreclosure. The new owners are Brian Martin of Des Moines, Brent Haverkamp of Ames and Todd Millang of West Des Moines. The deal, finalized Thursday, was announced Friday morning. The three said they are excited to make investments in order to improve the property and bring new businesses, as well as customers, to the mall. “It’ll be an interesting learning experience for us,” Haverkamp said. “We’re trying to do it the right way and understand it and figure it out.” Martin and Haverkamp visited the mall Friday to answer questions and conduct interviews regarding the future of the mall. “We’re excited about the mall and we think it’s a great opportunity for investment,” Haverkamp said. “There’s a lot of people that want to get in here and because of some of the problems historically, they’ve had trouble doing that.” Elaborating on his partner’s comment, Martin explained what they believe originally pushed businesses away from the mall. “The prior owners — several years ago — we think they overpromised and underdelivered quite a bit to the city about what their plans were, which were very grandiose,” Martin said. He was quick to assure that he and his partners don’t want to take a similar approach and overpromise, but they have plans to deliver. “Our plans are going to be very exciting,” Martin said. “It’s going to create a lot of profit here, a lot of energy, which we think it also needs.” As a long-time Ames resident, Haverkamp said he understands the importance of the mall to the community and that it is a central retail place for Ames. “I’ve lived in Ames since 1985 and I remember coming here and shopping for a wedding ring for my wife,” Haverkamp said. He hopes to continue the feeling of community at the mall, as well as enhance it. While neither divulged the businesses they hope to bring to the mall, they are both excited for its future and the plans they have for it. “We’re going to work hard and learn and do the best that we can,” Haverkamp said. Martin hopes to bring about an exterior façade renovation, including general façade repainting. This, he says, will make the mall more appealing to those driving by. “Come out and see what we’re going to be doing,” Haverkamp said. “Enjoy it with us.”