Monday, March 20, 2017 | Volume 212 | Number 120 | 40 cents | iowastatedaily.com | An independent student newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890.
Report: Leath on ‘short list’ for next Auburn president By Alex.Connor @iowastatedaily.com Iowa State President Steven Leath may be on the “short list” for president of Auburn University in Alabama, the Opelika-Auburn News reported Saturday. Opelika-Auburn News, in an article detailing the lack of transparency within Auburn Univerity’s presidential selection, reported multiple unnamed sources that Leath may be a finalist for the position. The executive search firm R. William Funk and Associates was hired to handle the search. Funk told Opelika-Auburn News in September that if the final candidates are active presidents at other universities they would not be announced until a new president is selected. “We don’t want to do anything
to jeopardize those individuals’ careers back at their current institutions,” he said. “It won’t be us who decides that, it will be the final candidates that dictate it.” Auburn University’s current president Jay Gogue announced his plans to retire earlier this year, asking Aurburn’s board of trustees to begin a search. The university then launched a 14-member committee headed by Birmingham businessman and Auburn trustee member Raymond Harbert, Opelika-Auburn News reported. The Iowa State Daily reached out via email to the president’s office and the Iowa Board of Regents spokesperson and have yet to receive a response. An Iowa State spokesperson said Saturday via email that he was aware of the report, but had no information regarding the Auburn presidency.
Auburn’s board of trustees is expected to vote Monday on who will become the university’s 19th president. Leath has served as Iowa State’s president since 2012, and previously served as vice president for research at the University of North Carolina. Auburn University currently serves more than 28,000 students, according to its website, and its campus in Montgomery serves about 5,000 students. According to a press release on its website regarding the presidential search, “the University is seeking a visionary leader who has impeccable integrity, exemplary interpersonal and communication skills and a passion for educating students and preparing them for successful and productive lives.” The Opelika-Auburn News reported that Leath would be an attractive hire, with a former board
Lyn Keren/Iowa State Daily
Iowa State University President Steven Leath makes an opening statement to commemorate the Gold Star Hall ceremony on Nov. 7, 2016.
of trustees member saying, “We’re a unique university, and he would need to know who we are. If he has land-grant experience, he will know who we are.”
However, Leath’s name carries some negative weight as he has come under fire recently regard-
LEATH p4
A HIGH
PRICE
The treble for music majors By Jake.Dalbey @iowastatedaily.com Driving down the streets of campus, junior Peter Bekkerus knows that the euphonium stashed away in his trunk is worth more than the entire car itself. It also acts as his pen and paper, the key to a future in performance art. He is one of many students enrolled in the Iowa State music department, a curriculum that can be forgotten under the umbrella of the university’s focus on technology and agriculture. But for many of these students, earning a music degree isn’t as simple as playing notes correctly. It involves dedication beyond the classroom, which can culminate in large sums of money and even larger quantities of stress. Though students must still be accepted into Iowa State individually, the music program remains unique, as it is one of several colleges to handpick students into their respective programs. This process begins with an initial audition pertaining to either a specific instrument or vocal performance. Professors who lead audition-only studios then choose who they would like to accept into their space of practice. Only so many spots are open at any given time, so students who are not selected must wait another year until they are permitted to audition again. “Vocal performance is one of our most competitive studios,” bassoonist instructor and music adviser Kevin Judge said. “We have three professors, and they have to turn away about half of the applicants every year. Those who audition are categorized under liberal arts and sciences, which means you’ll either audition and get accepted or become open option.” Due to deeply-rooted passions, the audition process was a stressful period for hopeful music majors, not because of the time commitment but rather for the idea of rejection. “The selection process is why I applied to five different schools, because I didn’t want to stay in state,” said Rhett Allen, junior in communication studies with a
A price guide to student instruments Euphonium PRICE RANGE
$1,250–$9,000 Violin PRICE RANGE
$1,000–$5,000 Bassoon PRICE RANGE
$2,000–$10,000 Flute PRICE RANGE
$5,000–$20,000 Isaiah Johnson/Iowa State Daily
MUSIC p8
Medical amnesty bill passes unanimously in Iowa Senate, moves on to Iowa House By Alex.Connor @iowastatedaily.com
Max Goldberg/Iowa State Daily
Student Body President Cole Staudt responds to questions during a town hall meeting Nov. 29, 2016, in the Memorial Union.
March al: Speci for ce
A campaign platform Iowa State Student Government President Cole Staudt ran on last spring might be finally seeing completion before his term reaches an end. A bill regarding medical amnesty – SF 415 – passed unanimously 49-0 by the Iowa Senate Wednesday. The bill hopes to provide underage drinkers with immunity from legal prosecution in the case of a medical emergency. Staudt, along with other regent state university representatives, have been lobbying for the bill to be passed in the Iowa Legislature for months. Staudt said next week they hope to head to the capitol to lobby House leadership. The bill is currently being managed by Sen. Brad Zaun – who has
made multiple headlines this current legislative cycle after introducing a bill looking to end tenure at public universities. Staudt said, however, that this bill isn’t about partisan politics. It is rather about protecting students. “At the end of the day, we just want to help save lives,” Staudt said. In shaping the bill and moving it forward, Staudt said the process has been great. He said he’s had a lot of constructive conversations with the Iowa Legislature about the future of the bill and he said he hopes to see it move forward in the House. The bill, should it pass into the law as it currently stands, would “provide immunity from certain criminal offenses and prohibiting certain disciplinary sanctions for persons who report, seek, or require emergency assistance for
alcohol overdoses.” Zaun told the Des Moines Register, “There are 36 other states that have done this. I’m thankful for the students at the universities that came here many, may times lobbying for this bill. “It’s important, because reality is there is underage drinking going on on campus, and what this could potentially do is save a life.” On the bill passing unanimously though the Senate, Staudt said while he was expecting there to be some people that might not like it, it’s ultimately about student safety. Students from all three regent universities have worked together to lobby for the bill, including University of Iowa student body president Rachel Zuckerman. “Encourage anyone with an idea to pursue it,” Zuckerman said in February. “The citizen should be an active member in democracy.”
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