SIR Magazine Issue 11 Fall 2017

-THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD-

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Without the creative mind, life is structured around normalcy, and without defiance nothing would be original. The world we live in is centered on our traditions. Where we come from and the people we know become repetitive life cycles. Although tradition is a major part of our identities, finding your own voice is what makes one an individual.

For our Fall issue, we took a step back to analyze what we need to produce to keep the retention of our audience. We set out with a task to bring the Fall Issue’s concept back down to earth while continuing to meet the high bar we set for ourselves. Each issue is not about being bigger or better but about how we can craft a better story each time around. And what better way is there to craft a great story than to tell your own. As students of color at a predominantly white institution we are already individualized by circumstance. Oftentimes we find ourselves holding back when it comes to expressing the sides of us that resemble our own cultures in order to maneuver through society and the institution. With us successfully crafting two

great issues under the new vision for SIR, there wasn’t anyone for us to prove ourselves to, but ourselves. Every culture has their own brand of urban and highlighting those different urban looks from the 00’s was important for representing our audience.

We wanted to remain true to ourselves while also remaining a greater voice for under debated issues. The tagline, There Goes the Neighborhood, is something that struck a familiar chord with both of us. It demonstrates a sense of stigma within communities. It represents that mom and pop restaurant or that culturally significant building being uprooted for the sake of urban renewal. There Goes the Neighborhood, a multifaceted tagline as well an instrument for us to touch on gentrification, xenophobia, self love and the embracement of our own culture. This is the unapologetically urban issue of SIR Magazine.

Thank you to our amazing and one of a kind team as well as everyone who helped make this vision possible.

-EVA FABRAY AND TRE MOORE

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EDITORIAL TEAM NIKOLAS HEFTMAN VASUDEV NAMBURY CHARLIE ESKER

TREASURER MARAYA LAWSON

FASHION TEAM MATTHEW CHAPLEAU LYNETTE KWAW-MENSAH JENNIFER HUGHES JENA DEBAKER BRANDON SPENCER KELLY DIETZENBACH

ANNABELLE SCHOFIELD CARLEE HORN JASMINE WELTER TIM COOKE JIHYEON KIM

PHOTO TEAM KENNEDY DERAEDT TRE MOORE MARAYA LAWSON VASUDEV NAMBURY RISA GILLOGLY IZABELLA VARELA ANNA HALL

PR TEAM JOSHUA KNIGHT KEIARA WILLIAMS CHRISTABEL OKEKE

DESIGN TEAM COOPER MARTIN KIRA MANN MADELYN BUNN HELEN BARTON ONI WRIGHT SARAH ESTES KADEN JONES

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EDITORIAL

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BROWN BOY JOY

The story of an Indian Student and how he experiences life at Iowa State

06 POEM: POP CULTURE RAISED ME

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HOMIES’ DAY OUT

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MADELYN BUNN & KIRA MANN

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EDITORIAL RESTRICTED

Iranian students lose hope in the face of travel ban.

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SCHOOL DAZE

42 ILLUSTRATION BY ANNABELLE SHOFIELD

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EDITORIAL GENTRIFICATION

What is “Gentrification”? How has it effected Des Moines? Is it good or bad?

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THERE IT GOES

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“WE’RE NOT SELLING OUT WE’RE JUST BRANCHING OFF”

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-DEJA MAY

B BR 08

N WJOY BROBOY

B RO 09

BY: VASUDEV NAMBURY

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ndividuality is the quality or character of a person or thing that distinguishes them from others of the same kind.

It is the factor that differentiates people from their identical twin. In a social media driven society where the camera is constantly pointed at those living glamorous and flashy lifestyles, it is a common occurrence that individuals strive to be someone else.

Individuality and the identity of oneself is overlooked nowadays with the pressure of society pointing towards conformity rather than allowing us to envision our true selves.

Mariam Hassan is a junior majoring in public relations. She recognizes her home city of Abu

“People seem to be talking from within a shell.”

Dhabi the catalyst for her open-mindedness.

“I got the opportunity to meet people from different countries and learn different cultures because of that,” Hassan said. “I just grew up accepting people for who they are and I wanted the same for me.”

Like many people in Abu Dhabi, Hassan is a citizen of a different nation- Egypt. Hassan said that there are many perks to living there, especially in the fashion world. She said that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a very wealthy nation dominated by brands such as Chanel, Dior, and Louis Vuitton.

“It wasn’t just about the high brand for me, Hassan said. “It was how intricate and beautiful

the material looked or how long it lasted.

Longevity is the most important thing to me.”

Hassan added that diversity plays an important role on her personal style and outlook.

“Growing up with diverse fashion, I just loved it more and more,” Hassan said. “The more international fashion I saw around the UAE, the more I fell in love with clothes and accessories. [Fashion] is not a big industry in Iowa, but I try to bring it out.”

Hassan prides herself on expressing her style no matter where she goes. She said that people are afraid to get out of their comfort zone, adding that people should live life to the fullest because life is “too short.”

Aashwin Lamsal, a sophomore in Management Information Systems, lives with a similar set of values. Lamsal was born in Thailand and raised in the Midwest of the United States. Lamsal also said that people seem to be talking from within a shell.

“It’s all arbitrary small talk,” Lamsal said.

“We are not having meaningful conversations, it’s just talk we have when we are not comfortable with that other person. I’d rather have a reason to talk to that other person”.

Lamsal defined “realness” as someone following their own path and forming their own opinions. He said that people seem to lack their own voices. He added that he prides himself on

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

11 “the virtues of truth” and externalizing who he is.

“The one thing that will make you instantly real - stop lying,” Lamsal said. “Stop pretending that you are someone else other than yourself. Be yourself. Really reveal how you feel about situations and make it clear.”

Raghul Ethiraj, senior in aerospace engineering, was raised in the large South Indian city of Chennai - a city where self expressed was monitored and controlled.

“Self expression was highly monitored by parents, community and institutions,” Ethiraj said. “Anything out of ‘the norm’ was not acceptable. The most creative you could get was a snapback and bracelet - if you were lucky”.

Due to the amount of autonomy in his hometown, Ethiraj’s mindset evolved into expression of self-individuality.

“We are all insecure and constantly thinking about it,” Ethiraj said. “We always have this need to fit in - a constant reminder that we don’t know everything. Without dealing with

these things - you cannot be carefree.”

Ethiraj said that an important step in becoming carefree is removing toxic people from one’s life. He added that being alone is underrated.

“True acceptance is when you are comfortable with yourself and what you are doing,” Ethiraj said. “You live by your own rules without allowing others to see why - because it doesn’t matter.”

Late American poet and champion of individualism Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that be oneself in a world that is constantly trying to make one something else is the greatest accomplishment.

Individuality is about self-perception without outside interference. It’s about becoming a master of one’s choices and staying true to one’s own ambitions. Seeking pointless approval of society will make you an alien to who you once were, and it will close the door on the path that you want to follow.

Life is meant to be lived how you want to - so go live it.

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homies’ day out

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Y’all got Snickerdoodle?

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[muffled rap music playing in the distance]

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IRANIAN STUDENTS LOSE HOPE IN FACE OF TRAVEL BAN

BY: NIK HEFTMAN

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“I was considering going to school in France, but I heard that I would face problems with discrimination there, so I chose Iowa State” Iranian business student Mehdi Samimi migrated to the United States with his wife in August 2016 to pursue an education in a country he felt was politically stable.

The 31-year-old was born and raised in Iran. His brother moved to Houston in 2015 to work. The rest of his family stayed in Iran.

“I was considering going to school in France, but I heard that I would face problems with discrimination there, so I chose Iowa State,” Samimi said. “The offer was better, and I would receive a better salary for work.”

In February of the next year, six months after Mehdi arrived, President Donald Trump issued a 90-day travel ban that barred entry into the United States for nationals of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The executive order also banned the admission of refugees for 120 days. Syrian refugees were banned indefinitely. The order was met with national outrage, as many organizations staged protests in many U.S. cities.

Several student organizations banded together in wake of the executive order to protest its establishment. One of said groups was the Iranian Students’ and Scholars’ Association. Samimi is currently the treasurer of the organization.

On February, Iranian students braved

freezing temperatures to stand in front of Parks Library and wield signs that offered kind words and free hugs. On February 9, hundreds of Iowa State students and faculty marched around campus to show solidarity for those affected by the travel restrictions.

“I was actually surprised to see many people from different countries, and Americans, in the march,” Samimi said. “It felt very good to see that there were people from other countries who were supporting us.”

On September 24, the Trump administration signed a proclamation with new restrictions on travel to the United States as the original order was set to expire. The new restrictions applied to Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.

The Department of Homeland Security found the countries had inadequate identitymanagement protocols, information sharing practices and risk factors, according to the proclamation. It also suggested that nationals from Iraq seeking entry to the U.S. should be treated with “additional scrutiny.”

“We’re getting used to these policies and procedures,” Samimi said. “We haven’t planned any demonstrations to respond to these restrictions because they are unclear.”

CNN provided the following

summary of the latest restrictions: - North Korea and Syria: entry as immigrants and nonimmigrants suspended.

- Chad, Yemen and Libya: entry as immigrants and nonimmigrants on some business and tourist visas suspended.

- Somalia: entry as immigrants suspended, and nonimmigrants traveling to the United States to face enhanced screening and vetting requirements.

- Iran: entry as immigrants and as nonimmigrants suspended, except under valid students and exchange visitor visas - with enhanced screening and vetting requirements.

- Venezuela: entry of certain Venezuelan government officials and their immediate family members as nonimmigrants on some business and tourist visas suspended.

Samimi has not seen his family since moving to the United States. His family had planned to visit him this year, but the travel restrictions prevent that from happening.

Samimi currently holds a visa that allows single-entry into the United States.

If he were to visit his family, Samimi

Levine said that he could not recall an executive order of a similar degree during his time as an attorney.

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Jill Itzen/ Iowa State Daily would have had to apply for another visa - but the process is risky.

“The process is risky, unknown and sometimes very time consuming,” Samimi said. “There’s a background check that can take several months. You can lose your college admission because there is a deadline to return to the United States.”

There is no U.S. embassy in the Iran, so Samimi would have to travel to a neighboring country to apply for a visa - which adds additional costs and risks to the process.

“A lot of my friends have lost their admission due to the timing of the process,” Samimi said. “I have friends who fled the U.S. because they said that the restrictions added too much pressure. We used to live in a country where we couldn’t expect what would happen in the future.

Living here is becoming more unpredictable.”

Michael Levine, campus attorney at Iowa State, has worked at Iowa State for 27 years. Levine said that he could not recall an executive order of a similar degree during his time as an attorney.

Levine has been involved in aiding students confused about the travel restrictions since the first executive order. He said that the

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restrictions have placed a lot of fear and anxiety on students from the affected countries.

“There was a lot of justifiable anxiety on how it will be enforced if they needed to travel,” Levine said. “Students are concerned with family that planned a trip, or themselves having planned an activity in their country.”

Levine said that it has been challenging to keep up with student concerns revolving many of the recent executive orders instituted by the Trump Administration - included the recent rescindment of the Obama-era DACA Program.

On Sept. 5, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump administration will end the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA).

The DACA program was enacted by the Obama administration in 2012. The program allows individuals who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children to temporarily live, study and work in the U.S. An estimated 800,000 people benefit from the program.

Levine said that the travel restrictions complicated the entire immigration process,

leaving several students unsure of their plans to stay in the United States.

Sina Moharamzadeh, a doctoral student in environment engineering, is one of those students.

Moharamzadeh moved to the U.S. in January 2016 after receiving in bachelor’s and master’s in Iran. He was born and raised in the nation’s capital. He said that Iowa State was the ideal school for him, as the university had better facilities and a more comfortable atmosphere.

“I’m really disappointed right now,” Moharamzadeh said. “I don’t know how long I can fight. There is no organization that supports us here. How long can I stand there and hold a sign before I can go back and visit my family?”

Moharamzadeh stood beside Samimi in February to protest the initial travel restrictions.

He said that his educational experience at Iowa State has been great, but the actions of the Trump Administration have made it hard for him to focus on his research and work.

“I have financial support from the university through the U.S. government,” Moharamzadeh

“All I can do is wish for the best.”

Hannah Olsen/Iowa State Daily

23 said. “They support me, they train me to become an expert and then they just asked me to leave the country. I don’t understand the goal of that.”

Moharamzadeh is expecting to graduate in 2 years. His research focus is water treatment. He has taken up Spanish and other languages hoping to become a marketable employee in other countries.

“Everytime I check the news, I always wonder if I’ll find news about us. Is there anything that will make our decision to stay more difficult?” Moharamzadeh said.

A federal judge in Maryland is expected to rule on three lawsuits requesting preliminary injunctions to block the most recent Trump administration travel restrictions on Monday,

according to the Washington post.

On October 12, California joined five other states Thursday in filing a court action seeking to block the Trump administration’s new restrictions- arguing it is unconstitutionally motivated by anti-Muslim rhetoric.

Like Samimi, Moharamzadeh said that he has received a lot of support from students of many nationalities at Iowa State. Both students will consider employment outside of the United States after their graduation.

“All I can do is wish for the best,” Moharamzadeh said. “We tried our best after the travel ban. I don’t think there is a point in doing it again.”

NO FLY ZONE Hannah Olsen/Iowa State Daily

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THERE GOES THE NEIGHBOR

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HOOD

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-ANNABELLE SCHOFIELD

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FRANK CORDARO HAS LIVED HIS ENTIRE LIFE IN DES MOINES.

DES MOINES.

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orn in 1951, like many who have lived in one place, Cordaro has watched the city change and grow. Cordaro said that he has witnessed his neighborhood decline for a majority of the time he has lived there.

“It was really bad during the ‘80s,” Cordaro said. “Well, I mean, literally the block, during the ‘80s, 90 percent of all prostitution and drug arrests were done on the street [I lived on].”

Now, Cordaro believes that his neighborhood is finally beginning to bounce back. He stated that a lot of the change in Des Moines is due to new development that is happening in the city.

The numerous changes that Cordaro has noticed are commonly referred to as gentrification. According to Merriam-Webster, gentrification is the process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middleclass or affluent people into deteriorating areas that often displaces poor residents. This process is often characterized by the development of businesses, apartments and other attractions.

There are several organizations working to combat the culturechanging aspects of gentrification.

The Des Moines Neighborhood Revitalization Program is an organization working organize neighborhoods so that residents have a voice in the changes that come with gentrification.

Another group with a similar mission is Right to the City - a national social justice organization that seeks to halt the displacement of low-income people, people of color, LGBT+ communities and youths of color from historically urban neighborhoods, according to their website.

The Central Iowa chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is an organization that promotes the concept of democratic socialism through political action direct service, and education. They hold regular meetings discussing a wide range of topics - one of which is gentrification.

In August 2016, the Des Moines Register reported that 2,300 new apartment units were planned for construction in downtown Des Moines.

Cordaro believes the structural changes of Des Moines were due to an effort to encourage people to seek residency in the city’s downtown area.

“The gentrification that happened in this neighborhood was predominantly catered to the working class,” Cordaro said. “Which is a good thing.”

Cordaro was raised on the south side of the city. He graduated Dowling Catholic High School in 1969.

Following his graduation, Cordano developed a passion for community service.

After graduating from University of Northern Iowa, Cordaro became a priest. He served that role from 1985 to 2003. During that time,

45 he dedicated his life to being a peace activist and co-founded the Des Moines Catholic Worker group - where he remains to this day.

The Catholic Worker group is an intentional organization focused on living simply and serving the poor - values inspired by the late founder of the Catholic Worker Movement Dorothy Day. Day was an American journalist, social activist and Catholic convert known for her activism for women’s suffrage and pacifism.

Cordaro has been involved in many protests.

He was sentenced to at least eight sixmonth terms in federal jail for trespassing onto military bases and federal buildings during demonstrations, fighting for what he believed in. He has also given lectures at Universities in both Iowa and Nebraska.

Cordaro has noticed changes not only to structures in Des Moines - but also to the city’s demographics.

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47 “The neighborhood has become more diverse because [its residents] have become more diverse,” Cordaro said.”We are in a whole different landscape then we were 40 years ago.”

Though Cordaro remained neutral on gentrification, others have seen it leave a negative impact on their communities.

THE PROCESS OF RENEWAL AND REBUILDING ACCOMPANYING THE INFLUX OF MIDDLE-CLASS OR AFFLUENT PEOPLE INTO DETERIORATING AREAS THAT OFTEN DISPLACES POOR RESIDENTS.

Keesha Gaines, a senior in kinesiology and health, grew up on the east side of Des Moines.

Like many of her friends from the same city, Gaines has seen gentrification and its effects.

“I feel like a lot of the gentrification is in downtown Des Moines, not the east and west sides,” Gaines said. “Downtown is renovating a lot, so the price of living is going up.”

Gaines said she enjoyed growing up in Des Moines. She said that she was not able to recognize the consequences of development until recently.

“I personally have not been affected, but I can see people who have been affected by it.” Gaines said, “I do see [gentrification] as a negative, for sure.”

Gaines plans to continue her education as a graduate student. She hopes to move to a large city in Florida or Texas. She has no plans of returning to Des Moines, but hopes that if she ever does, it will not have lost the culture and tradition she remembers as a child.

Though the city around him continues to change, Cordaro said he plans on staying on the block that he has called home for nearly four decades. He also plans to remain involved in the Catholic Worker movement.

“Does [gentrification and diversity] make Des Moines better or worse? I’m not sure,” Cordaro said. “This neighborhood is better to live in right now than the one we were living in the ‘80s.”

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THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD

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[neighbors get restless]

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SPECIAL THANKS TO

AMES CITY HALL ALI CAKES EVA’S NEIGHBOR DAN FOR LETTING US USE HIS YELLOW CADILLAC

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THANKS GREENLEE

SIR Magazine would like to express our gratitude to the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication for their support and accommodation of our publication. The positive exposure and freedom Greenlee provides its students gives us an opportunity to express and stretch our creative minds. The entire staff would

also like to thank our advisor, Sherry Berghefer, for her inspirational guidance as SIR Magazine continues to embark on our new direction. We would also like to give a special thanks to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and ISU Student Government. We hope to maintain a forward-thinking and all-encompassing publication that can be a catalyst for creativity for the students at Iowa State University. As a constantly growing publication on campus, we are indeed grateful for all the support we have received from our advisor, our college and talented and hardworking staff. And of course, SIR Magazine would like to thank YOU for reading our fall issue. SIR is always motivated by the feedback we receive from our readers. We are excited and hope that our readers enjoy this issue as much as we enjoyed creating it. Until next time, SIR Magazine.

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SIR MAGAZINE // FALL 2017