Monday, Sept. 29, 2014 | Volume 210 | Number 25 | 40 cents | iowastatedaily.com | An independent student newspaper serving Iowa State since 1890.
Iowa City Police find body in car linked to missing student By ISD staff A body was found in a car late Friday night connected to a missing ISU international student Tong Shao. Shao, 20-year-old junior in chemical engineering, was last heard from on Sept. 8 when she was in Iowa City visiting a friend before she was expected to travel
to Minnesota for the weekend. On Friday, Ames Police said Tong had access to a Toyota Camry that was still believed to be in the Iowa City area. Later that evening, the car was located in Iowa City parked near apartment complex 44 of Dolphin Lake Point Enclave after an odor was reported coming from the car. Upon searching the car, Iowa
City Police discovered a body in the trunk of the vehicle. Marcus Nashelsky, Johnson County medical examiner, began an autopsy early Saturday on the body. Official results will not be released for four to six weeks due to processing the information, said Medical Examiner Investigator Clayton Schuneman. In a press release, the Iowa
City Police Department said the death is being investigated as a homicide. The Iowa City Police Department said Shao’s boyfriend is now the main person of interest in the case. Geoff Huff, investigations commander for the Ames Police Department, confirmed a text message to Shao’s roommates in Ames was sent Sept. 8 from
Shao’s boyfriend’s phone. The message said that Shao was messaging from his phone in Iowa City and her phone was broken. That was the last contact anyone had with Shao. Iowa City Police said they have reason to believe Shao’s boyfriend is now in China, but they are working on making contact with him.
Silence A voiceless classroom demonstrates ASL, Deaf culture for ISU students By Dakota.Carpenter @iowastatedaily.com In a silent classroom, Michael Ballard communicates with his hands, facial expressions and exaggerated gestures. His students are sitting in a circle and they are able to hear but are asked not to speak. Ballard is completely deaf. He is immersing his class of hearing students in the Deaf culture by using American Sign Language. “I always say dream big or go home, and if I can’t dream big here then I’m not sure exactly what I’d be doing here,” Ballard said via translator. Ballard is beginning his first year at Iowa State and is the only deaf faculty member on campus. He transferred to Iowa State because he saw the potential for the program to grow. “There’s no growth in comfort, but there’s also no comfort in growth,” Ballard signed.
ASL will be an approved minor by the end of this academic year due to the help and persistence from faculty and students, Ballard said. Ballard, who is one of two ASL lecturers at Iowa State, said he believes that getting the minor declared would not have been possible without the help of the students. “This was very much a student-led development,” Ballard signed. “The students really have worked some magic. It’s what they wanted and what they will definitely be able to benefit from.” Julia Takemura, senior in integrated studio arts, is in Ballard’s introductory class. Julia said she thought that it was a great idea to have ASL certified as a minor. “I think that’s fantastic,” Takemura said. “More people should be exposed to [ASL].” Ballard said that there
SILENCE p8
Richard Martinez/Iowa State Daily
Celebration for Dinkey Day brings crowds to Welch By Patrick.Budding @iowastatedaily.com Campustown’s Dinkey Day celebration drew hundreds of ISU students and Ames residents Friday. The event began at 5 p.m. with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Ames Historical Society’s new educational trailer. Alex Fejfar, project coordinator for the Ames Historical Society, said that the Dinkey used to be the train that shuttled students the two mile distance between campus and the town of Ames from 1891 to 1907. Fejfar and the Ames Historical Society were excited to debut the trailer at this event. “It made sense,” Fejfar said. “Dinkey was the first mode of mass transit in Ames, so we’ll use this event to showcase the first mass transit of Ames’ history.” At 5:15 p.m. the first band began to play. Spectators stood at the front of the stage or sat in several groups of four or five chairs that had been placed out by the Campustown Action Association. The live music attracted more than 200 people to watch the three-band set. Jean-Pierre Taoutel, senior lecturer of French and resident of the Campustown area, said he attended the event specifically to see the Ames community turnout. “You see a different kind of crowd, not just students. It brings people of all ages,” Taoutel said. “It doesn’t happen so often in Campustown. They should do more of this.” The face painting station drew some of the most attention from the families with children. The inflatables and the mechanical bull were also popular
throughout the night. Anyone who took a free root beer from the soda fountain also got a free commemorative “Ames 150” neon-green cups. The crowds were beneficial for any of the student organizations that were present, students said. Jessica Taylor, junior in political science, is the fundraising chair for Hopeful Africa, an organization that raises money for seven different schools in Kenya. Taylor said that she was happy to be representing her organization at the Dinkey Day celebration because of access to a new market.
“It made sense. Dinkey was the first mode of mass transit in Ames, so we’ll use this event to showcase the first mass transit of Ames’ history.” -Alex Fejfar, project coordinator “There’s a lot of families here,” Taylor said, “and there are no families on campus.” The Campustown Action Association had goals of hosting an event that would bring students into Campustown while also gaining attention from the Ames community as a whole. Kim Hanna, director of the Ames Campustown Action Association, said she felt that many of the event goals were met. Even early in the night, Hanna felt that there was potential for a great turnout, she said. “We love seeing all the families and students,” Hanna said. “It’s really just a beautiful day for an outdoor event.”
Caitlin Ellingson/Iowa State Daily
Red Wanting Blue performed at the Dinkey Day celebration on Welch Avenue in Campustown on Friday. Dinkey Day was celebrated in Ames through historical displays, booths showcasing several ISU student organizations, face painting, games and live entertainment.