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Greek Fest “The brotherhood is a feeling you can’t put into words.”

— Malik Burton, member of Omicron Pi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. By Nik.Heftman @iowastatedaily.com Malik Burton didn’t know much about greek life upon his arrival at Iowa State. He knew very little about greek traditions. Whatever exposure to greek life that he retained before attending Iowa State came from movies or television. “My freshman year, I wasn’t interested in greek life at all,” Burton said. “I didn’t understand what was going on.” Now, the junior in speech communication is a member of the Omicron Pi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate greek fraternity established for African-American men. “The values of [Alpha Phi Alpha] matched the values that I had for myself,” Burton said. “[Their values] matched the values that I would have more myself 15 years down the line. The brotherhood is a feeling you can’t put into words.” Alpha Phi Alpha was founded in 1906. It is one of nine historically African-American fraternities and sororities that collectively make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). The fraternities and sororities within the NPHC are often wholly referred to as the “Divine Nine.” Six of the Divine Nine bear representation at Iowa State: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Omega Psi Phi, Sigma Gamma Rho, Zeta Phi Beta and Alpha Phi Alpha. “You’d be at social gatherings and see someone start strolling and you’re like, ‘What are they doing? That’s kinda dope!’ But you’re still like, ‘What are they doing?’” Burton said.

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Chris Jorgensen/Iowa State Daily

London Suber (top left), Amber Abogunrin (top right), Kierra Right (middle), Melie Romine (bottom left) and Malik Burton (bottom right) are members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.

Lecture explains value of political correctness By Olivia.Meline @iowastatedaily.com There is no such thing as “just language.” Anne Curzan, associate dean of humanities and Arthur F. Thurnau professor of English at the University of Michigan, uses her knowledge of linguistics to discuss the social power language holds. Curzan is the author of “Gender Shifts in the History of English” and is the subject of a 36-lecture series titled “The Secret Life of Words.” In Curzan’s lecture, “Politically Correct: Do Our Language Choices Matter?,” she discusses everything from sexist language to preferred pronouns in order to dispel the stigma against politically correct speaking. She spoke to students in the Memorial Union Thursday evening. “It is never just language,” Curzan said. “As soon as anyone says it’s just language, it’s because they don’t want to deal with the real issue.” Curzan’s lecture centered around the modern use of politically correct speech and worked to dissect what that truly means: Is politically correct language a violation of freedom of speech or is it a practice of good manners and respect? There are set attitudes when confronting the topic of PC language, often surrounding negative connotation, Curzan said. Those who use political correct language often experience backlash, as it can be interpreted as being overly sensitive or as a form of sensory that violates a key First Amendment right. Many view the emphasis of politically correct language as a way to avoid more important issues. “This is not an either-or situation,” Curzan said. “ It’s very hard to get people to change their language, but changing language does have the power to change

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Alec Giljohann/Iowa State Daily

Anne Curzan, associate dean for humanities at the University of Michigan, responds to questions at the “Politically Correct: Do our Language Choices Matter?” lecture Thursday night.

attitudes.” The first half of the lecture focused on modern language and looked at what Curzan called the sexist history of the English language. Curzan pointed out that it wasn’t until 2009 that Congress recognized that government positions such as the chair head of a committee, formerly referred to as a chairman, should change their titles to encompass all potential candidates. It is often thought that the suffix “man” is an all-inclusive and general term, but Curzan compared this to using “woman” as a position suffix. For example, “camerawoman” is not viewed as an all-inclusive title. This is a practice dating back to the 1700s when male superiority was emphasized through saying in congressional docu-

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ments, “the masculine encompasses the feminine.” “The English language is sexist; it has a long history of being sexist,” Curzan said. “Language has always been politicized; it always involves a negotiation of power.” Curzan also touched on the proper use of pronouns. This is a difficult subject for many people to grasp, but Curzan said it holds growing importance in society. “If someone said to you, ‘Hello, my name is Chris, but I go by Paul,’ you would not say, ‘Well, I am going to call you Henry because that’s easier for me,’” Curzan said. “And the same rule applies to any pronoun someone asks to be referred as.” The English language has come a long way in the last one hundred years, but work still needs to be done to perpetuate an equal and inclusive society, Curzan said.

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Advocacy groups voice disdain for voter ID bill By Nik.Heftman @iowastatedaily.com With a 28-21 vote Thursday night, the Iowa Senate passed House File 516 (HF 516), a bill that would require voters to show government-issued identification at the polls. The bill also shortens the time frame for casting absentee ballots and voting early at satellite polling sites from 40 days to 29 days, according to the Des Moines Register. The legislation will now move to the office of Gov. Terry Branstad, who is expected to sign it. Since the legislation’s passing, local advocacy groups One Iowa, Iowa’s largest advocacy group for the LGBT+ community, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Iowa, have released statements raising social concerns surrounding measures presented in the legislation. “[The bill] includes measures calculated to harm voting in Iowa, including not only voter ID but also unreliable and burdensome signature verification, cuts to early voting and other provisions,” Rita Bettis, legal director for the ACLU, said in a release. “Legislators have done so with the full knowledge that these laws will erect barriers to make it harder for people of color, senior citizens and people with disabilities, in particular, to vote.” The bill was proposed by Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate in January as election integrity legislation. Pate sought to implement tighter voter identification laws that include instituting electronic poll books at every Iowa precinct, requiring voter verification at the polling place that could entail signature verification and requiring an ID number for voting per an absentee ballot. Bettis went on to dub the passing of the legislation “outrageous,” referring to the bill as “an omnibus voter suppression bill.”

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Iowa senator shares concerns with housing bill By Jake.Dalbey @iowastatedaily.com The Iowa House and Senate passed House File 134, leaving Gov. Terry Brandstad’s signature the only thing needed to overturn the Ames housing ordinance. The Ames housing ordinance limits rental occupancy to no more than three unrelated people. Sen. Herman Quirmbach spoke out against this bill, saying that it will cause overoccupancy and increased rent. The bill, which was originally sponsored by Rep. Chip Baltimore, R-Boone, restricts cities from “adopt[ing] or enforc[ing] any regulation or restriction related to the occupancy of residential rental property based upon the familial or non-familial relationships of the occupants.” Quirmbach offered an amendment that would allow Ames to continue its current ordinance but it was shot down by the Iowa Senate. He expressed that urban towns including college towns like Ames need to regulate density and limit overcrowding. Quirmbach then attempted to postpone the bill, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2018. He said that he tried to educate his colleagues that housing started in mid-summer, not mid-winter, calling the current plan an “impossibly short deadline.” “If Ames is going to have to find a new means of dealing with overcrowding, then the City Council will need at least a year to work with the community to find an acceptable strategy and then more time to inform landlords, realtors and students,” Quirmbach told the Senate. Quirmbach said that he feels that the push comes from landlords who would use the removal of this ordinance to increase the number of residents among various properties. “There are a few landlords in Ames, and by no means am I trying to broad brush everybody, I think there are a few landlords in Ames that are trying to push this bill,” Quirmbach said. The senator hopes that Branstad will veto the bill, but believes it to be unlikely.

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Draw of Fat Tire

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Draws of Miller Lite 2PM-6PM

Regular nachos 2PM-6PM

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