COLLEGE NEWS
- Shifts still available for Iowa State Fair exhibit
- Hail strikes fast; so does ISU Extension
- Freshman applications to the college
- New fax number for Ag Development Office
- Deadlines & Reminders
COMMUNICATIONS KIOSK
- Speak up for the ISU Speakers Bureau
INFOGRAZING
- Action in the House on ag appropriations for FY98
- Results from ISU entering freshman survey
EXTERNAL VOICES
- Use science to meet needs of the poor
MARGINALIA
- Summer storm approaching
C O L L E G E N E W S
SHIFTS STILL AVAILABLE FOR IOWA STATE FAIR EXHIBIT
Afternoon and evening shifts are still open for ag faculty and
staff who want to help out at the college's exhibit at the Iowa
State Fair, Aug. 7-17. The exhibit's theme is water quality. Two
volunteers are needed for each three-hour shift. Volunteers get
free admission and parking passes. For more information: Amy Litterer,
4-2957, or Marty Behrens, 4-5616.
HAIL STRIKES FAST; SO DOES ISU EXTENSION
Hail struck crop fields near Eagle Grove on Friday, June 20. The
next day, Wright County extension crops specialist John Holmes
and education director Don Untiedt surveyed the damage. Holmes
scheduled a crop re-planting meeting for affected farmers on Monday
morning, June 23, and contacted local media and producers. About
25 producers were expected; almost 80 attended.
FRESHMAN APPLICATIONS TO THE COLLEGE
According to ISU Admissions, as of July 1, the number of freshman
applications for fall '97 enrollment in the College of Agriculture
total 1,315. This compares to 1,300 applications last year.
NEW FAX NUMBER FOR AG DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
The College of Agriculture Development Office (Russ Wilson, Candi
Kelly and Donna Evans) has a new fax number: 4-6613.
DEADLINES & REMINDERS
July 8: Deadline, Leopold Center conference/workshop grants, 4-3711
July 30-31: Leopold Center Tenth Anniversary Conference, 4-3711
Aug. 7-17: Iowa State Fair
Aug. 21: College of Agriculture faculty-staff retreat on distance
learning
C O M M U N I C A T I O N S K I O S K
SPEAK UP FOR THE ISU SPEAKERS BUREAU
More than 40 College of Agriculture faculty and staff are active
in the university's new Speakers Bureau, in which ISU experts
speak to community groups around the state. Here are a few examples
of college speakers and their topics: Don
Beitz, cholesterol; Richard Carter, leadership; Joan Cunnick,
immunology; Willis Goudy, Iowa's population; Neil Harl, agriculture
in the 21st century; Dermot Hayes, future of Iowa's livestock
industry; Peggy Miller, equine nutrition; and Linda Naeve, Reiman
Gardens. Interested in serving as
a speaker? Contact Glenda McIntire, gfmcint@iastate.edu or 4-6136,
or Huang Tan, speakers@iastate.edu, 4-5992.
I N F O G R A Z I N G
ACTION IN THE HOUSE ON AG APPROPRIATIONS FOR FY98
In Washington DC, the House Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee
held its FY98 markup last week. The full Appropriations Committee
will meet on July 9. Although numbers haven't been finalized,
the tentative results of the subcommittee's work include: CSREES
research funding is nearly level ($420 million) compared to FY97;
CSREES extension funding ($415 million) is down $11 million from
last year; funding for the National Research Initiative increases
by $10 million to $105 million; special grant funding fares well;
and no money for buildings and facilities is appropriated.
RESULTS FROM ISU ENTERING FRESHMAN SURVEY
From a survey of freshmen entering ISU last fall:
Percent who said they attend college to get a better job: 81
Percent who attend college to learn more: 79
Percent who attend college to make more money: 75
Percent who selected ISU for its good academic reputation: 66
Percent who chose ISU because graduates get good jobs: 61
Percent who chose ISU because of low tuition: 24
Percent of freshmen in 1976 who chose ISU because of low tuition:
13
Percent whose first choice was ISU: 85
Percent who said they aspire to a master's degree: about 40
Percent who owned a computer: 35
Percent of freshmen in 1985 who owned a computer: 13
Percent of females interested in international experience: 59
Percent of males interested in international experience: 47
E X T E R N A L V O I C E S
USE SCIENCE TO MEET NEEDS OF THE POOR
"I want science to do something to help the billions of poor
people all over the earth. Too much of science today is making
toys for the rich. So my mission is to help push science in a
new direction; away from toys for the rich, toward necessities
for the poor." From a commencement speech given by scientist
and writer Freeman Dyson last month at the University of Puget
Sound.
M A R G I N A L I A
SUMMER STORM APPROACHING
(From the 1993 book "Silent Passengers" by Larry Woiwode.)
What makes summer storms so pernicious is the resistance in our
nature to admit them. We acknowledge the naturalness of storms
in the spring, yes, when rain on the roof can assume the sound
of a waterfall; or in the winter, with a wind accompanying drifting
snow; or even in the fall, when heavy-bodied rain tears off the
last of the leaves and pastes them over spearing stubble. But
summer is the season we're to be let off, to be free of this,
as we expect to be freed from texts and tests and every onerous
chore . . . So summer storms set us outside our expectations and
isolate us physically, since we don't take the precautions we
do during other seasons, but expect to take the summer off as
recklessly as -- well, that storm on its way.