Tuesday, September 27, 2016 | Volume 212 | Number 26 | 40 cents | iowastatedaily.com | An independent student newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890.
Former student won’t face jail time in sexual assault By Alex.Connor @iowastatedaily.com A former Iowa State student accused in a 2014 sexual assault case, which triggered a lawsuit against the school for its handling of the case, has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, according to documents filed in Story
County court. Patrick Whetstone, 21, the defendant in the 2014 sexual assault, pleaded guilty on charges of assault with intent to commit sexual assault, an aggravated misdemeanor. He will be placed on probation for two years and pay a $625 fine following credit for time previously served in jail. He’ll also pay $300 for a proba-
tion supervision fee, a $250 civil penalty and court costs. Whetstone, a former Iowa State student, was originally charged with third-degree sexual abuse, a class C felony, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The incident took place in March 2014 at a Frederiksen Court apartment on the Iowa
State campus. While the victim, who is not being named by the Daily, reported the incident to ISU Police the day after, Whetstone was not charged until January 2015. According to court documents, Whetstone “touched [the victim],” who also was a student, and “should have known she was too intoxicated to consent” and
“intended to perform a sex act.” The documents further state that Whetstone was “sound of mind” at the time he committed the crime and did an act “intended to cause pain or injury” that could result in physical contact that is insulting or offensive to his victim, along with placing
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Tyler Coffey/Iowa State Daily
Iowa State President Steven Leath said he will no longer fly a university plane.
Leath to no longer fly ISU plane
BATTLE TESTED Candidates clash on debate stage for the first time By Alex.Connor @iowastatedaily.com By Rachel.Ori @iowastatedaily.com
D
was trailing behind Clinton by a mere 2.3 percent, according to the average compiled by RealClearPolitics. The debate also forced Trump to move into defense as the two battle for their position in the Oval Office. Here’s a breakdown of the main topics discussed during the first presidential debate:
On jobs and the economy
onald Trump and Hillary Clinton debated faceto-face for the first time since earning their presidential nomination on Monday night as the two tackled issues on jobs and the economy, racial division, cybersecurity and more or less each other. NBC Nightly News Anchor Lester Holt moderated the debate at Hofstra University in New York, where he asked questions in regard to America’s direction, achieving prosperity and securing the United States. Heading into the debate, Trump
Opening on the topic of achieving prosperity for the nation, the main focus was on jobs and income inequality. Clinton began the debate, saying that America needs an economy that works for everyone. “Investments in you, in your future,” were key components to her argument. Trump countered with a narrower focus on the job market, “Our jobs are fleeing the country, going to Mexico and China.” Trump said nobody in America’s government is “fighting the countries that are taking the jobs.” “We must stop our companies from leaving,” he said.
Eliza Sibley and Tyler Coffey/Iowa State Daily
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump went headto-head on the debate stage Monday for the first time this election cycle.
Trump went on to describe his economic plan, saying that he would reduce taxes from “35 percent to 15 percent” for large and small businesses. Clinton disagreed with that plan, however, saying a new term coined “Trumped upped, trickled down,” economics, with the basis being the tax cuts starting for the elite and slowly making their way down to the middle and lower class. A main focus of Clinton’s debate surrounded the fact that under her tax plan, nearly 10 million more jobs will be created, compared to Trump’s tax plan, which she will result in 3 1/2 million lost jobs. “I know how to really work to get new jobs and to get exports to create new jobs,” Clinton said.
On tax returns and emails
Hot-button issues specifically
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Campus offers students voter registration By Rachel.Orl @iowastatedaily.com Several Iowa State groups and Ames organizations are reaching out and encouraging students to get out and register to vote on National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday and the weeks leading up to the election. While Iowa allows for sameday registration on Election Day, voters can skip the line and be more prepared to vote ahead of time by pre-registering through the countless opportunities available on campus. Abhijit Patwa, senior in mechanical engineering, and Aimee Rodin, sophomore in mathematics, are both senators on Student
Government, who are aiming to get students excited and ready to vote, with a focus on bi-partisan ways. Encouraging all students to vote, no matter their political opinions, is very important to the group. Student Government will set up four locations that students can register at on campus on National Voter Registration Day. The locations include Parks Library, Union Drive Community Center, Seasons Marketplace and the Memorial Union. Representatives will be there from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Story County Auditor also will be on campus leading up to the election. Tools to register to vote and absentee ballots will be available to pick up near the Me-
morial Union during that time. The Rock the Vote Foundation will have a bus stationed on campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday equipped with information and registration materials. For those in the greek community, the Ames League of Women Voters will visit chapters during house meetings with information and registration materials. With presidential debates starting, debate watch parties also are being held. One took place Monday in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union, and the other is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 9, in Friley. Food will be provided, and all are welcome to attend. “People think that their votes don’t count because they’re set
in their points of view,” Rodin said. “… those who are wishywashy need to be educated.” Pawta added, “The amount of issues decided by [these] leaders directly affect college students. Most people don’t realize that [these] leaders will change their life.” Student Government has invested in TurboVote, which makes it simple for students to register online and to get text and email alerts throughout the coming months. Students can access TurboVote at https://iastate.turbovote.org, where they can register, access an absentee ballot, get information about key dates and elections, such as early voting, and cast their vote on Election Day 2016.
President, counsel: Use did not break law By Alex.Hanson @iowastatedaily.com Iowa State President Steven Leath said Monday he’ll discontinue his use of a universityowned plane, but his past use did not break any school rules or law. His statement Monday, Leath said, to respond to what he called “inaccurate” allegations that he violated university policy or state law, comes after the school admitted Friday a trip to North Carolina for both personal and university business resulted in about $12,000 in damage to the plane. Leath said, “to allay any future concerns, I will no longer fly any state-owned aircraft.” Leath is certified by the FAA to fly one of the university-owned planes, a single-engine Cirrus SR22. While the school employs three trained pilots, Leath flew the school’s plane to accommodate a tight travel schedule, John McCarroll, executive director of University Relations, said over the weekend. Leath made an 11-day trip to North Carolina in July 2015, where his family owns a Christmas tree farm and he and his wife, Janet, own a cabin. McCarroll said the trip included personal business, but Leath met with potential donors to Iowa State, making the trip part-official school business, part-personal. Leath said he consulted with the Offices of University Risk Management and University Counsel, which determined his use of the plane “was allowed under Iowa State’s applicable insurance policies.” While flying back from North Carolina, Leath stopped in Bloomington, Illinois, to refuel. Leath encountered a microburst, a localized downdraft within a thunderstorm, and made a hard landing, damaging the plane. The damage total was $12,591.72, which was paid for by university discretionary funds — money earned through university investments. He said The Office of University Counsel also “looked at issues pertaining to me reimbursing the university for portions of my travel in this aircraft.” Leath reimbursed the school $1,100 for the trip that resulted in damage, and on three other occasions, totaling $4,637.50. Leath said while the four trips had both a personal and university business component to them, he reimbursed the school for the full cost. Leath said the incident could have been covered by university insurance, but for “business reasons,” the school decided to pay for it in total. He also said that he and his wife were making a donation to the Iowa State Foundation
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