Student Announcements

August 2013

Sick kids? Consider The Comfort Zone

The Comfort Zone is a "get-well" center for mildly ill children, infants through fifth grade, who are cared for by a registered nurse and professional child care staff. Preregistration is required to send your child(ren) there. Information is available online or by emailing czone@iastate.edu. The Comfort Zone, located at 100 University Village, opens Sept. 3. 

University is closed Sept. 2 for national holiday

Iowa State offices will be closed and classes will not be held on Monday, Sept. 2, in observance of the national Labor Day holiday.

Roy Reiman to speak Sept. 12 at Reiman entrepreneur series

Roy Reiman, founder of Reiman Publications, the largest subscription-supported publishing firm in the nation, will be the guest speaker at the next Reiman Entrepreneur Speaker Series event on Sept. 12 (lunch at 11:30 a.m.; talk at noon, MU Sun Room).  The public is invited to attend, but preregistration is required. 

Beat the heat: Buy Dairy Science Club ice cream

Members of the Dairy Science Club sell homemade ice cream every Wednesday (11 a.m.-1 p.m., outside the north entrance to Lush Auditorium, Kildee Hall). The cost is $1 for an 8-ounce cup; shoppers have 6-8 flavors to choose from each week -- and often a fun "flavor of the month."

Reminder: Iowa State has an ethics hotline

Iowa State contracts with a third-party hotline vendor, EthicsPoint, to allow anonymous reporting of activities that may involve criminal, noncompliant or unsafe behavior impacting ISU. You may submit a report online or by calling (toll-free) 866-384-4277.

Nominate an ISU woman for 2014 calendar

The nomination form for the Catt Center's 2014 "Women Impacting ISU" calendar is now online. Nominations are due by 5 p.m. on Sept. 30. Questions may be directed to Kristine Keil, 4-9867. More information is online.

LAS college invites students to "Picnic on the Plaza"

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is hosting "Picnic on the Plaza" for all LAS students and friends on Sept. 6 (11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Catt Hall plaza). Enjoy free food, student club displays, music, a photo booth and more. In case of rain, the picnic will be held in 302 and 353 Catt Hall. 

Policy reminders for students who will drive university vehicles

All undergraduate and graduate students who will drive a university vehicle must have a motor vehicle record check through ISU's Transportation Services every six months. Based on their recent driving history, some students will not receive permission to drive university vehicles.

In addition, students who are at least 20 years old and plan to drive either a 15-passenger ISU van or any ISU vehicle towing a trailer are required to take a free, two-hour class and complete a live driving session. The class is offered once a month in the evening; driving sessions are scheduled with transportation services staff. This training is required just once in your Iowa State career. Faculty and staff who will drive a large van or pull a trailer as part of their work with a student organization also are required to take the van and trailer training because student organization vehicle/travel insurance is with an outside vendor.

Host an event at the Alumni Center

ISU Alumni Center spaces, indoors and outdoors, are available for  departmental meetings, alumni reunions and special events as well as personal events, such as weddings, anniversary receptions and birthday celebrations. Discounts are available for spaces rented for university business and for Alumni Association members and student organizations. For more information and pricing, visit the rental website, or contact events staff at (515) 294-4625 or email alumnicenter@iastate.edu.

Energy use expected to peak in the heat; officials urge reduced electricity use

High heat and humidity over the next few days promise to put very high demand on electric services in the area. Ames and university officials urge residents to reduce electricity use to help reduce costs and improve system reliability during the sweltering weather.  Energy conservation is particularly helpful during peak usage hours, generally from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Here are some tips for reducing electricity use:

  • Turn thermostats up a few degrees
  • Shut off lights that are unnecessary; use task lighting instead of area lighting
  • Shut off or unplug equipment that's not in use
  • Avoid using major equipment during the hottest part of the day
  • Reduce openings and closing of exterior doors
  • Close blinds and drapes to block the sun

Nutcracker Ballet auditions are Sept. 8

Auditions for the Dec. 14-15 performances of The Nutcracker Ballet at Stephens Auditorium will be held Sunday, Sept. 8 (noon-7:30 p.m., Stephens). This 33rd annual production showcases the talent of more than 200 local dancers as young as 6 years old.  Guest professional dancers dance in the principal roles. Registration begins at 11:15 a.m.; dancers are asked to arrive early to complete paperwork prior to their audition. More information, including audition times, is online at the Iowa State Center website.

City provides "How to Party in Ames" brochure

The City of Ames has a brochure, How to Party in Ames, intended to advise new residents "how to have fun with your friends and not get into any trouble with your neighbors or the police." It includes information about the city's noise and bootlegging laws and monitoring your own gathering. It also includes a phone list of relevant city  offices. Other helpful information about being a good neighbor is on the city's "Strong Neighborhoods" site.

LGBTA ice cream social is Aug. 29

All faculty, staff and students are welcome at the 2013 LGBTA Alliance and Friends ice cream social on Thursday, Aug. 29 (6-8 p.m., plaza north of the Student Services Building -- or Howe Hall atrium if raining). The event is an opportunity to welcome new and returning students by connecting them to the LGBTQQIA (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and allies) programs, services, organizations and resources available for the Iowa State community.  The event will include activities, frozen treats and helpful information from numerous organizations. Come for all or part of the social. Questions may be directed to Brad Freihoefer, LGBT Student Services director, 4-5433.

Fall volunteer fair is Sept. 11

The 2013 fall volunteer fair will be held Wednesday, Sept. 11 (10 a.m.-2 p.m., MU Great Hall). Co-sponsored by the ISU Psychology Club and ISU chapter of the 10,000 Hours Show, the fair helps students from all disciplines find volunteer and internship opportunities with social service agencies in the Ames and Des Moines area. A list of participating agencies is online so students can explore agency websites prior to the fair.

Up late at Parks Library: Extended hours

Starting Aug. 26, Parks Library hours will be extended to better accommodate the study needs of students. Five days a week, Sunday-Thursday, Parks will be open until 2 a.m. -- two hours past the midnight closings in previous school years. Detailed information on library hours is online.

New hours

  • Sunday, 12:30 p.m. – 2 a.m.
  • Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. – 2 a.m.
  • Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
  • Saturday, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Graduate students sought for bioeconomy fellowships

One-year competitive graduate fellowships are offered as part of the Leading the Bioeconomy Initiative appropriation from the Iowa Legislature, and administered through the Bioeconomy Institute (BEI). These fellowships seek to attract high-caliber graduate students to ISU in agriculture, biosciences, chemical sciences, engineering, economics and other disciplines with research interests related to the bioeconomy. Three fellowships will be awarded to new graduate students admitted for spring 2014, and nine fellowships for new graduate students admitted for fall 2014. Additional information, including fellowship selection criteria and application deadlines, is online. 

You're invited: Open house to welcome Business dean David Spalding

The College of Business invites the ISU community to an open house to welcome Raisbeck Endowed Dean David Spalding, who arrived on campus Aug. 1. The open house is Wednesday, Sept. 4 (3-5 p.m., Bergstrom Commons, Gerdin). Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

Workshop introduces grad students to Parks Library

"Everything You Need to Know About the Library" is designed for Iowa State graduate students and will be offered twice next month: Sept. 12 (3-4:30 p.m.) and Sept. 13 (1:30-3 p.m.). Grad students will find out who their subject librarian is and learn more about the resources and services that will help them in their research and writing. RSVP is required (click on the preferred date above). Questions may be directed to Jody Kalvik, 4-6117.

Tickets on sale Aug. 26 for two upcoming Stephens concerts

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Aug. 26 for two fall Stephens Auditorium concerts. Country artist Kacey Musgraves will perform at 8 p.m. on Oct. 23, and Fitz and The Tantrums, along with electro-pop band Capital Cities, will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 19. Tickets for Musgraves' concert are $25 ($20 for students). Tickets are $35 ($25 for students) for the Fitz and The Tantrums/Capital Cities performance. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. Discounted student tickets must be purchased at the Stephens ticket office (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.). Students are limited to two tickets per university ID. 

MU's poster sale is Aug. 21-30

The Student Activities Center in the Memorial Union is hosting its annual poster sale Aug. 21-30 (9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, MU Campanile Room). There are thousands of choices from art prints and movies to music and pop culture.  Most posters are priced between $8 and $12.  Proceeds from the sale support art programs at the Memorial Union.

Committee on women seeks new members

The University Committee on Women announces membership openings for faculty, P&S staff, merit staff and students for the 2013-14 academic year. Information about the UCW is online. Interested individuals are encouraged to submit an application for membership; applications are due Aug. 30. The application can be downloaded from the News & Announcements list in the right  column of the UCW website. For more information, contact Jaime Watson, Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost.  

Summer session concludes on Aug. 9

Iowa State's second summer session wraps up on Friday, Aug. 9. Fall semester classes begin on Monday, Aug. 26.

Slow going, some closures on Bissell

Electrical utility work will continue to slow traffic and close the roadway and sidewalks along Bissell Drive over the next two weeks.
Road and driveway closures:
• Full closure of Pammel Drive just east of the Bissell intersection, Aug. 5 - midday Aug. 7
• North Armory parking lot closed Aug. 9-14.
Periodic sidewalk closures:
• From the front doors of Sweeney Hall to Osborn Drive
• From north of Armory to Hach Hall