Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015 | Volume 211 | Number 17 | 40 cents | iowastatedaily.com | An independent student newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890.
Senate supports UI faculty Faculty Senate OKs message to regents By Josh.Newell @iowastatedaily.com
Myrna Wilhelm Elliott looks at a plaque inside Wilhelm Hall displaying her father’s name and his achievements.
building, which is now torn down. They would run the halls and oftentimes, their father would give them new sticks of chalk to draw on the blackboards. Myrna described her father as a curly-haired man who always seemed late and enjoyed playing the accordion and fiddle. Even 70 years later, the siblings share fond memories of their childhood spent on campus. The Manhattan Project In 1939, just before the start of WWII, scientists in Germany discovered a way to split the atom using neutrons. Kathy Svec, copresident of the Ames Historical Society said, when the atom split apart in the material uranium, they got a fizz. That fizz was energy releasing from the atom. Shortly after, German forces invaded Poland and began the Second World War in Europe within 50 years. Svec said many scientists in
The Faculty Senate met Tuesday for the first time this semester and focused on discussions surrounding the new University of Iowa president, as well as hearing a presentation related to Information Technology security on campus. Before the minutes from the last meeting were voted on, the senate voted to suspend its rules and talk about a special motion. The motion would send a letter detailing its thoughts to the Iowa Board of Regents about the UI Faculty Senate’s “no confidence” vote. The Senate voted unanimously to approve the letter. “The intent is to allow the faculty at University of Iowa to know that we value the same principals that they do,” said Rob Wallace, president of Faculty Senate and associate professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology. “This is a statement of collegiality with our colleagues at the University of Iowa.” Wallace said he will email the letter to Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter and Iowa’s Faculty Senate President Christina Bohannan, as well as send a copy to President Steven Leath. “We wholeheartedly reaffirm our commitment to openness and transparency,” the letter said. The one-page letter goes on to talk about the foundations that unite the three universities in Iowa and that the ISU Faculty Senate supports what is happening between the Board of Regents and the Faculty Senate at Iowa. “We support the ongoing dialogue between the University of Iowa Faculty Senate and the Board of Regents to reestablish trust and confidence that faculty input is important and respected,” the letter said. Annemarie Butler, secretary for the senate and associate professor of philosophy and religious studies, said a nice feature of this is it doesn’t play the blame game. The letter was co-authored by Butler and Steven Freeman, university professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, but will be signed by Wallace on behalf of the ISU Faculty Senate. “Our hope is to move forward and focus on shared governance,”
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Max Goldberg/Iowa State Daily
Changing history’s course ISU family recalls father’s role in the Manhattan Project By Michaela.Ramm @iowastatedaily.com
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hen Lorna Wilhelm Livingston sat down with her father for breakfast one day, she asked him in all seriousness, “Dad, what do you really do?” Normally, this question would not be an issue for a father to answer his daughter. However, for Harley Wilhelm, it was. All of his children, including Lorna, understood that their father was working on a project at Iowa State, but it was something they were told not to talk about. But on that day while Lorna was in college, Harley Wilhelm said he would give his daughter
three ideas. “Say a ship is going across the ocean and it disappears,” he told her. “Or, let’s say New York City is there today, but it’s not there tomorrow.” “You’re making a bomb,” Lorna said. “I must have been right,” she said, 70 years later. “He never gave me the third option.” Wilhelm was in fact building a bomb. In the midst of World War II, safe from the conflict in Ames, he led the research taking place at Iowa State that changed the world. U.S. military bombers dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima in Japan on Aug. 6, 1945 during the last year of World War II. Three days later, another bomb engulfed Nagasaki. Wilhelm called his wife, who had no idea what Harley was doing at his job. “Turn on the radio,” he said, disclosing his big secret. “This
is what we’ve been working on.” Wilhelm kept the secret of his work at the university for about three years. But as the city of Hiroshima was engulfed in an atomic blast, and the news raced across the world, he was released from keeping that secret. Until that moment, however, Wilhelm could not reveal the facts of his job, let alone the existence of the Manhattan Project, even to his family. The Wilhelm Children Wilhelm began his career at ISU when he earned his Ph.D. from Iowa State in 1931 and became an assistant professor in 1940. He married Orpha Lutton in 1923, and together they had four children. Lorna, who was born in 1926, is followed by Max, who was born in 1928. The younger sisters Myrna and Gretchen were born in 1929 and 1938, respectively. As children, the Wilhelm siblings often spent time at their father’s office in the Chemistry
Administrators react to protests at ISU By Adam.Sodders @iowastatedaily.com Representatives from two ISU administration offices have given their thoughts on Saturday’s silent demonstration, as well as various presidential candidates visits to the Cy-Hawk tailgate. Tensions still run high as community members look towards administration during the aftermath of the protest during the Cy-Hawk tailgate last weekend. The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs hosted a discussion Monday night in the aftermath of the protest. Protesters shared their experience, which many said included being jeered at and harassed by supporters of presidential candidates. Among the most talked about concerns at the discussion were the photos taken of Republican presidential candidate and billionaire businessman Donald Trump with ISU President Steven Leath prior to Saturday’s game. “Some have interpreted [the photos] as President Leath supporting or endorsing Trump, and that is not the case at all,” said Miles Lackey, associate vice president and chief of staff for the Office of the President. Lackey said Leath takes advantage of any opportunity to engage current and potential political office holders, no matter what party or affiliation they claim. Both Lackey and a statement given Tuesday afternoon by Leath deny any political affiliation or endorse-
ment of any candidate. “As president I do not and will not endorse any candidate, but I will accept any opportunity to discuss higher education policy,” Leath said in the statement. Lackey said the government plays a key role in funding regent universities. “The federal government is a major supporter of Iowa State,” Lackey said. “It would be shortsighted not to engage these presidential candidates.” Leath said he was not attempting to support any candidate in any way. Some students said they did not like that Leath was seen with Trump in photos taken of the two, such as Jovani Rubio, senior in mechanical engineering. “What [Leath] did was wrong,” Rubio said. Denise Williams-Klotz, assistant director of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA), was present at the post-protest discussion. She said the role of MSA was to give students a chance to have productive conversation. “I think some of the students were offended,” she said. She said political leanings and feelings toward Trump’s comments on immigration and Latinos probably influenced many students’ and protesters’ opinions. Williams-Klotz said it was not the job of her office to agree with all students but to facilitate conversation that would move the university forward. Lackey said it is unclear exactly when Leath learned about
Ryan Young/Iowa State Daily
Donald Trump walks around Jack Trice Stadium with President Steven Leath on Saturday before Iowa State’s football game against Iowa.
the treatment of the protesters. He said Leath has been out of the state since Sunday. “Harassment evidence has been trickling in,” Lackey said. He added the position of the president is that the actions of harassment against the peaceful protesters were deplorable. One part of the Leath’s statement refers to protester harassment. Part of the statement is in response to a video showing Shelby Mueller, 20, of West Des Moines ripping a sign held by Rubio. Muel-
ler is not an ISU student. “These [derogatory] actions are deplorable and not consistent with the type of atmosphere the university seeks to maintain,” Leath’s statement said. “[Mueller’s] actions and the disrespectful actions of others have no place on our campus.” Mueller also issued an apology Monday, saying it was a mistake to rip Rubio’s poster. “I wasn’t thinking. I don’t have anything against him at all. I respect his belief and that
we may have different beliefs on some things,” Mueller said. “This is something that got taken out of context and I never meant for anyone to get so upset about it.” Lackey also said he was in opposition to the actions of other people at the political events Saturday. “It is unacceptable, when folks are having a peaceful protest, to say derogatory remarks or destroy their personal property,” Lackey said. “It’s absolutely ridiculous that people would behave like that.”