|
|
 |
Blog
The ISU Alumni Association Blog An online collection of everything we can't fit into VISIONS and ISU News Flash but that we want to talk about. And that we hope you want to talk about, too.
|
|
|
|
More entries 
|
Our Trivial Pursuits |
May 07, 2008 |
 Posted by:
Kate
5/7/08
After 12 years on campus here at Iowa State, I’ve earned several distinctions. Not only am I a rich and powerful communications specialist for the Alumni Association, maker of delicious Chex Mix for assorted potluck and tailgate events, and a decidedly uncelebrated blogger, I am also part of the 2007 Cy’s House of Trivia runner-up team: Team ABC.
That's my friend Scott, my husband Ben, my friends Sarah and Marge, my dad, me, and my mom: Team ABC.
Yes, let that sink in for a minute. Second place. In a trivia contest.
For this accomplishment, which involved knowing such important things as that “Meet the Press” is the longest-running program on television, my teammates and I were treated to a really nice pregame party and a halftime on-court introduction at this year’s ISU vs. Oklahoma State men’s basketball game. For those of you who attended, we were the random people shuffling onto the court at the start of halftime to a chorus of boos that I am sure were directed at the exiting officials. C’mon, I know you saw me; lots of people came up to me afterward and asked me what the heck I was doing on the court and was I lost.
We loved last year’s Cy’s House of Trivia. We talked it up to friends and urged them to get in on the fun for 2008. So much so, in fact, that we recruited enough smarty-pantses to drop us to fifth in the standings this year.
I actually found enough ammunition right inside the walls of Fisher-Nickell Hall to take myself down. Fellow blogger Carole, who cleaned up in the “Kid Literature” category, assembled a team that included one of my former co-workers, David, as well as Carole’s trivia buff husband, Dave. The result? First-year team “Never in Doubt” is the 2008 Cy’s House of Trivia runner-up. Watch for them to be awkwardly introduced at halftime of a basketball game next year. I’ll be there to boo. The officials, of course.
It was never in doubt.
The team that won this year’s event is a team of my former co-workers, which finished third in 2007 (actually, we tied them but won the tiebreaker). What did it take to push them over the top this year? Another of my current co-workers, Katie, who was literally the only person in the entire competition who knew the answer to the hardest question of the night. Do you know the name of Adventureland Park’s mascot? I didn’t think so. Katie does.
So if you ever worried that your Alumni Association lacked brainpower, fear not: We can proudly boast that our staff members were part of the first, second, and fifth place teams at Cy’s House of Trivia 2008. Here at the Alumni Association we know important things like the name of the Adventureland mascot, the location of the Bowling Hall of Fame, and the state in which the television show “Family Ties” was set. We’re here to serve you!
And at the risk of dropping myself farther down the final standings list in 2009, may I just briefly plug this fantastic event? It’s well worth the time and money and tons of fun. Kudos to Ryan McGuire and everyone from the athletics department who worked hard to put this together again in ’08.
And for those of you out there who want to know what it takes to win Cy’s House of Trivia, here is a random sampling of some of the questions Team ABC got wrong this year. If you know any of these, you may just be the next awkward halftime court-shuffler!
Question: At which university is the president’s residence named for Iowa native and former U.S. President Herbert Hoover?
Answer: Stanford University
Question: What is the name of the mascot at Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa?
Answer: Bernie Bernard
Question: Three people have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. Name one of them.
Answers: John Wooden, Lenny Wilkens, or Bill Sharman
Question: In what U.S. state is the T.V. program “That 70s Show” set?
Answer: Wisconsin
Question: What is the name of the little boy who is the main character in the book “Where the Wild Things Are?”
Answer: Max |
09:48 AM
| Add a comment
| Permalink
|
|
What are the students up to? |
Apr 21, 2008 |
 Posted by:
Kurt
4/21/08
Living in Ohio for a few years working at a different institution caused me to forget just how busy the students are at Iowa State. One quality of our students is that they become involved on this campus not only to belong to an organization, but to accomplish something. The students I advise (the Student Alumni Leadership Council) don’t want to just be a part of something – they want to participate in and create something! The Alumni Association (and myself!) are proud to say that there really isn’t a student organization on campus quite like SALC. The scope and variety of events and programs put on by these 70 devoted students are unlike any other at Iowa State.
As the semester wraps up it’s easy to look back at my first year in amazement of what the future alumni of Iowa State have been up to! We’ve planned Homecoming events, including Yell-Like-Hell, food on campus, lawn displays, and fireworks!
Cyclone Alley has attended every home men’s and women’s basketball game (with great props for all of the 2,500 Cyclone Alley members!), conducted two road trips to away games, and put together “gamewatches” for many others. One of the highlights of this past year for my students was the Pinkout against Texas on national TV. Cyclone Alley received a great deal of national attention for their participation in the fight against breast cancer.
Senior Class Council just finished up one of their biggest events – Senior Week! One week of food and fun for seniors wrapped up last week with the Grad Breakfast, hosted by Senior Class Council and ISU vice president for student affairs Dr. Thomas Hill. They also created a great gift package for graduating seniors, as well as hosted a professional development conference in February. Right now the Council is helping choose the senior class gift, and then getting ready to graduate!
The Ambassadors committee was busy this past year as well. Coordinating a job shadow program that over 150 current students and alumni participated in was challenging enough, besides planning the events of Beat Iowa Week and building the SALC float for VEISHEA. It was a cold weekend, but the hard work was definitely worth it!
Next year’s SALC committees have already been chosen, and it’s amazing to think that we’re planning for next year already. One thing is for sure – it’s never dull working with these students!
|
|
04:35 PM
|Add a comment
|Permalink
|
|
I (heart) New York |
Apr 19, 2008 |
 Posted by:
Carole
4/19/08
You’ve never experienced the New York subway system unless you’ve done it with 85 pounds of photo equipment.
I don’t know whether to say I’m especially proud to be a part of this club, but at least I can say I’m a survivor.
I was in New York earlier this week with photographer Jim Heemstra. We were there to do stories on two Iowa Staters for future issues of VISIONS magazine. One works in the Bronx and one works in New Jersey. Jim is not a guy who travels light. For my part, I had a tape recorder, pen, notebook, subway map, a lip gloss, credit card, and extra batteries for the tape recorder, all of which fit neatly into a big purse. Jim, on the other hand, had a camera bag that I literally cannot lift, a 50-lb. case on wheels that holds his lights, and a light-stand bag that looks sort of like the kind of bag you’d transport your skis in on an airplane.
I always “get” to carry the light stand bag. It’s really not that easy. It’s heavy and bulky and hard to get through doors. I often hit people with it. Once, on an earlier trip to New York, I whacked a woman so hard in the head that I was afraid she was going to call the cops.
The alumni we met in New York were great, but nothing was easy about this trip. To start with, I managed to book the only hotel in New York City that doesn’t have an elevator. Our rooms were on the fourth floor. That’s 85 pounds of photo equipment up, down, up, down, up down 59 steps. Not to mention our suitcases and a laptop bag.
So we were already sort of tired from the steps. And we were in lower Manhattan – a really cool location but unfortunately not anywhere near a subway station that would take us anywhere we needed to go. I do have to say I became a pro at reading the subway map on this trip. It took us three trains to get to the Bronx, but we did it all for like a buck and a half, so I take great pride in that. I’m not going to talk about the ride home, because it did not go smoothly. But we did make it back eventually and didn’t have to break down and hail a cab.
(Oh, and did I mention that we didn’t actually use any of the lighting equipment on our photoshoot in the Bronx? Yep, we hauled it out there for nothing. Not that I am bitter.)
So next we figured out a way to get to Jersey City, N.J., and we did a dry run early the second morning – without the photo equipment. We found out all we had to do to get where we needed to be was take the B or D train on Grand Street (about 4 blocks from our hotel), change to the F or V train at the Broadway/Lafayette station, hop on the PATH train at 14th Street, and zip into Jersey City. That part was fairly easy, unless you count all the steps up and down which we would have to lug the equipment. The big question mark was what to do once we got to Jersey City since we hadn’t a clue where we were going. So we broke down and hired a car to take us there, door to door. Yeah, I know – we wimped out. But we did take the trains back to Manhattan – all four of them, including a light rail, a PATH train from Hoboken, and two subway trains.
I joked (OK, maybe it wasn’t so much a joke as a whine) that I was going to need knee and back therapy upon my return to Ames. Jim wasn’t sympathetic, given that he was schlepping the lion’s share of the weight.
It was worth it, though, being in New York, a city that I love more than just about anything. We saw a Broadway show, ate in Little Italy no less than four times, bought fabulous bagels at Katz Deli, and shopped for knock-offs on Canal Street. We ventured into Central Park and basked in the spring-like weather, which we have been sorely missing here in Ames.
|
|
09:02 AM
|Add a comment
|Permalink
|
|
Birthday Treat |
Apr 03, 2008 |
Posted by:
Carole
4/3/08
If there’s anyone on campus who should be totally sick of Iowa State history, it’s me. I have been up to my eyeballs for about three years with all the talk of the 150th anniversary on campus. I’ve been thinking for a couple of months now that it’s about time for this birthday to end already.
So I was completely surprised when I went over to Morrill Hall on Wednesday with photographer Jim Heemstra to document the Morrill Act exhibition for the summer issue of VISIONS. I was blown away! I guess I’ve become sort of an Iowa State history dork because of all the stories we’ve run about the sesquicentennial in the magazine, but this exhibit is really special. For one thing, there’s the actual Morrill Act of July 2, 1862, signed by president Abraham Lincoln. It’s under glass and climate controlled, under the watchful (and armed) eye of a gallery guard 24/7 because it’s a super rare document, never before seen outside of Washington, D.C. (I’m told it hasn’t been seen at ALL since 1979. It’s been stored in the National Archives.)
To me, the act itself is cool but no cooler than the other artifacts, photographs, documents, and quotes about why and how Iowa State became a land-grant university. I am a huge fan of any well-crafted museum display, and this one is tops.
Consider this a major plug: If you’re in Ames for VEISHEA next weekend, don’t miss this exhibit. In fact, take a tour of the whole building. If you haven’t been in Morrill Hall since it was restored, you’re in for a real treat.
The exhibit runs through April 27.
|
|
05:53 PM
|Add a comment
|Permalink
|
|
Bringing the bracket to life |
Mar 26, 2008 |
Posted by:
Kate
3/26/08
Last Saturday night as I breezed toward the copier in the media host workroom at Wells Fargo Arena, I caught a glimpse of ESPN’s coverage of the NCAA Wrestling Championships and an interview with Ohio State’s 141-pound national champ.
I watched as the sweat-soaked athlete bent down to the microphone to answer an interviewer’s question, then leaned back and took a giant swig from a large bottle of Dasani water. My neck snapped into a double-take. My first instinct: Must teleport self to St. Louis. Pry bottle from strong man’s grip. Replace with sanctioned beverage receptacle.
I honestly don’t know the rule for beverages consumed at the wrestling championships (nor do I feel like looking it up), but all beverages consumed on the competition floor at OUR championship had to be poured into official NCAA/Dasani cobalt blue paper cups. Yes, EVEN bottles of Dasani water. It’s just one of the many things we learned…and had to police…as members of the 2008 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championships Des Moines site volunteer staff.
The funny thing is, we Iowa Staters are such loyal, rule-abiding, basketball nuts that the university was able to find plenty of nerds, er, people, like me who were willing to learn and embrace the tedium, including the playing of “Cup Police,” that comes with hosting March Madness. And we did this for basically no other compensation than the opportunity to enjoy as many snacks and beverages (out of NCAA/Dasani cups, of course) as we wanted.
Under the current championship hosting format, which is under constant metamorphosis and will once again be different when ISU hosts the women’s tourney at Hilton Coliseum in 2010, we had the pleasure of welcoming eight teams to Des Moines for this year’s tournament: Rutgers, Robert Morris, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, East Tennessee State, Ohio State, Florida State, and our own Cyclones. For a college basketball junkie like me, it was great having twice as many teams (and twice as many games) at our venue, even though by halftime of the fourth and final game Saturday (which didn’t even tip off until 9:30 p.m.), my eyes were a little bleary and my hair was looking decidedly, um, not cute. The opportunity to work with legendary coaches like Rutgers’ C. Vivian Stringer and witness first-hand the excitement of ETSU, which was making its first-ever tournament appearance, was a real joy.
And when it comes to host institutions, it’s hard to beat good ole Iowa State University. The people involved with running the tournament had fantastic knowledge and experience. The people who volunteered to help out in our media department came from all over the state, but a lot of them were former ISU women’s basketball players and former sports information interns, like me, who have fond memories of hosting at Hilton Coliseum and want to do what they can to make sure Iowa State remains one of the best places in the country to watch women’s college basketball. For many volunteers, the weekend made for a fun reunion.
It cannot be ignored what the fans of Iowa State, both die-hard and adoptive, did to make this year’s tournament hosting experience a success. It brought a smile to my face to glance through the record book and see the number 13,617 from James H. Hilton Coliseum jump off the page at me in the attendance section. While we didn’t approach that record this year, there were enough fans packed into “The Well” that I at least had to look up the list. ISU coach Bill Fennelly credits Stringer, the U of I's former head coach, for making the sport popular in the state; Iowa State fans credit Fennelly for making them “smile because it happened.” Building a program of which fans can be proud is a gift that Fennelly has given to this community and to the sport. And it’s the major reason why I can’t imagine a better place to host the tournament than right here.
When I was traversing the Des Moines skywalk system to get to my media credential distribution volunteer post last Friday morning, I tried to see the city I call home through the eyes of our visitors. And I’ll tell you this: If it were my first time in Des Moines, I’d be pretty impressed. For players, a gym is a gym. But for fans and other dignitaries, it’s sure nice to be in a community that supports and appreciates women’s college basketball and that has culture, dining, and first-class accommodations all within walking distance of an excellent venue. Even if it is just a little chilly.
In more ways than one and despite a loss in Monday night’s battle with Rutgers, last weekend was a success for Iowa State University, for Des Moines, and for women’s college basketball. I’d just like to thank everyone whose efforts this weekend made it possible for me to look forward to playing Lt. Cupswapper again in 2010.
Maybe by then they’ll have matching bendy straws.
|
|
02:49 PM
|Add a comment
|Permalink
|
|
Going for the Gold...and Cardinal |
Mar 06, 2008 |
Posted by:
Kate
3/6/08
One thing you have to realize about the staff of the Alumni Association is that we're all crazy. Okay, maybe that's going a little far. But we like to have fun (a lot of fun), and we really seem to enjoy each other's company (most of the time). It comes with the job. We throw events and are social butterflies, even when we're not working. And at work or outside of it, we can all agree on this: No event is complete without ample refreshments.
It is with this in mind that we created STAR (Staff Time for Activity and Recognition). STAR was created a few years ago with a different acronyn (STEM), but don't let that confuse you: STEM and STAR are essentially the same thing.
STAR works like this: We divide our staff into random committees. Each committee is in charge of planning a social, educational, or service event for the staff. We drew committees sort of late this year (February), and I had the bad luck of drawing the committee that is supposed to plan an event in January or February. We were given a slight scheduling reprieve, but we did our best to keep the schedule in order and therefore this Monday, March 3 my committee (Don, Barb, Pat, Shellie, and I) put on the Games of the Fisher-Nickell Olympiad.
With the impending opening of the new Alumni Center, our time in everyone's favorite Richardson Court sauna is drawing to a close. And the Summer Olympics are just around the corner, making this a perfect time for our staff, which I have to say is starting to come a little unglued having to deal with this winter, to host an Office Olympics.
We had four teams of seven, and the smack talk that occurred leading up to the Olympics was almost as fun as the Olympics themselves. Team 1 adopted the name The Aluminators:
The Aluminators include Scott Dahl, director of membership and marketing; Shellie Henry, director of student programs; Deb Cochran, assistant for Alumni Center events; Katie Bruxvoort, assistant director for reunions and special programs; AshLea Anderson, assistant for communications; Jan Breitman, director of travel and educational programs; and Deanne Stuart, program assistant for outreach and events. They were here to pump us up. Oh yeah, and aluminate the competition.
Team 2, captained by director of finance Don Behning, chose a hot pink fish as its mascot and Behning's Barracudas as its charmingly alliterative name:
Meet the Barracudas: assistant director for clubs and young alumni programs Cory Hanson, assistant director for Alumni Center events Emily Trevillyan, membership and marketing assistant Pam Plath, Don, and assistant director of membership and marketing Sara Gatchel
The Barracudas managed to earn a reputation for talking the most smack and even provided each opposing staff member what was supposed to be an intimidating gummy pink fish. Cory feared the idea may have backfired when he found a pile of decapitated or chopped up barracudas on his desk last Friday.
Team 3 decided to channel our mascot Cy's recent recognition as the world's most dominant and call themselves Team Super Cy.
This super team included Michelle Stotts, vice president; Cecilia Dunlay, assistant for student programs; Carol Thorson, receptionist; Barb Meyer, assistant for travel and educational programs; Carole Gieseke, chief communications officer; Jeff Johnson, president; and Pat Thiede, assistant for reunions and special events.
Last but not least was my team, which decided to call itself Team Penguin because A) We feel like we're living in the Arctic; and B) Black and white is an easy color scheme to pull off. Oh, and C! Penguins are "cool." Behning's Barracudas spent a large part of last week telling us that barracudas eat penguins, but whatever: They're just jealous because we won the gold.
Team Penguin was decimated by injury, but our five strong were me, "Brisk" Bruns; Julie "Ice" Larson, director of outreach and events; Beth "I can't remember what her penguin name was" Lott, assistant for outreach and events; Diane "Shivers" Smith, office coordinator; and Kurt "Chilly" Beyer, SALC adviser. Penguin Power!
The Olympics consisted of three events:
The Staple Chase involved each team taking its turn in the SALC office for 15 minutes. The mission? Find six hidden staplers, retrieve them, read the Olympics trivia questions taped to the bottom of them, and answer them as quickly as possible.
 The Floppy Discus involved teams on opposite ends of the hallway throwing floppy disks into empty recycling cans. Each team member threw three disks, and the team with the most disks in its can was declared the winner (this includes any disks that the opponent may have inadvertently overshot into the wrong can). See a photo of Kurt from Team Penguin competing against Cory from Behning's Barracudas at right.
The Paper Clip Lap Swim asked teams to work together to connect as many paper clips as possible within the allotted time. The paper clips were made into chains that ran the length of the board room table. The team with the most complete chains after 15 minutes won.
It should also be noted that we (surprise!) found a way to work food and drink into this activity. Shellie stocked our "training room" with Gatorade, granola bars, and trail mix...even some bandages and aspirin for those who needed it. We were able to work into the schedule 15 minutes for each team to spend in the training room rehabilitating, hydrating, socializing, and strategizing.
At the closing ceremonies, we awarded Gold (1st) and Cardinal (2nd) medals in each event, as well as an overall gold medal to the team with the most points (Did I mention that this was awarded to Team Penguin?). Everyone won a medal, and Barb did a fantastic job assembling them over the weekend using spirit beads, York Peppermint Patties, Christmas wrap, and paper printouts of the ISUAA logo.
The Aluminators accepting the Cardinal medal in the Floppy Discus
Jeff Johnson accepting his Cardinal medal in the Paper Clip Lap Swim from Barb Meyer
This event was a great opportunity for our staff to bond, but most of all it was just plain fun. I'll admit there was a good amount of work involved in planning, but it was nothing a team of five couldn't pull off in about a week...and without spending much money.
It wasn't quite as impromptu as Flonkerton and Hateball on NBC's The Office, but we were definitely flying by the seats of our pants. Heck, I was up Sunday night downloading the Olympic fanfare from iTunes in my pajamas.
So, I want to know: What does your workplace do for fun? Does anyone else have a program like STAR? Have you done an Office Olympics? If so, what games worked for you? Inquiring minds that have a blog want to know!
After all, I'm starting to get the feeling we're going to be asked to do this again next year. |
04:36 PM
|Add a comment
| Read comments (1)
|Permalink
|
|
Meet me in Kansas City |
Mar 05, 2008 |
 Posted by:
Deanne
3/5/08
Kansas City – here we come! The clock is ticking as we approach the Big 12 Basketball Tournaments in Kansas City. Iowa State fans will descend upon KC in droves. For the most up-to-date information on ISUAA activities, please check www.isualum.org/big12. We have made a few changes since my last post – for the better, I like to think!
There will be basketball and fun times in KC next week. Join other ISU fans, Cy, our award-winning ISU spirit squad and/or dance team, and the best pep band anywhere for spirit rallies before the SESSIONS in which our ISU women play. These will be in the Conference Center (either room 2502B or 2504A) that is across the street from Municipal. If you are going to the game, there isn’t any reason not to stop by for the rally. The specific times and room number will be posted on our Web site after we receive them from the Big 12. The rooms are near each other – just look for the Cardinal and Gold!
We also have a special room for Cyclone fans to get together before the games in which our ISU women play. Please join us in Room 2502A, also in the Conference Center, for a cocktail, soda, and snacks before you head into the game. We will have a cash bar and snack type food (pretzels, popcorn) available for our fans. This room will be open starting two hours prior to the SESSIONS in which ISU plays until 30 minutes prior to the GAMES that ISU plays in. For example, game at noon (1st game, 1st session), gathering from 10 a.m. until 11:30. Game at 2:30 (2nd game, 1st session), gathering 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. You get the picture.
Don’t forget to bring your ISUAA membership card! You will receive an “I heart Cy” pin plus be entered into a drawing for a $50 ISUAA merchandise gift certificate.
Now for the men’s games: Spirit rallies will occur prior to the SESSIONS in which the ISU men play. These are scheduled by the Big 12, and the schedules will be on our Web site when we know them. These are at the Fan Fest Tent located at the Basketball Oasis (between Walnut and Grand on Truman across the street from the Sprint Center). Plan to attend the rallies and get your pom and beads before you head into the game(s). You can find a map at www.isualum.org/big12 to help you navigate through downtown Kansas City.
Stop by the ISUAA table in the atrium of Kansas City Live! in the Power and Light District across the street from the Sprint Center. This area has several bars and restaurants for you to check out. We will be staffing the table before and after ISU men’s games. Once again – show your ISUAA membership card and receive an “I heart Cy” pin and be entered into a drawing for a $50 ISUAA merchandise gift certificate.
See ya in Kansas City!
|
|
03:56 PM
|Add a comment
|Permalink
|
|
What's in a name? |
Feb 20, 2008 |
Posted by:
Carole
2/20/08
Our staff has grown a bit lately as we prepare to move into the Alumni Center this summer. Our expansion to 28 people has caused some leg cramps in Fisher-Nickell Hall (have you even BEEN in Fisher-Nickell Hall? We like it here, but clearly it was not intended for 28 full-time professionals and a whole bunch of students who come by at random times all day and all night) – and it’s also caused some confusion because now many of us have the same names.
We have a Kate and a Katie, and what’s worse, both of their last names start with Bru. So they’re already getting each other’s phone calls and e-mails. Doesn’t help that they both used to work over in Athletics Communications and know a lot of the same people.
Our new receptionist is Carol Thorson, and I’m Carole, and we already had a Carolyn in accounting. Reminds me of the years when VISIONS was written primarily by Carole and Karol, and our office manager was Carolyn Ringgenberg. Twice today I was forwarded calls meant for Carol Thorson. So this will be fun.
Gone are the days of Dave and David, Breck and Brooke. Dave and David and Breck have moved to other jobs, and Brooke is out on maternity leave. So no confusion there. We do have a Kurt and a Cory, a Deb, a Deanne, and a Diane, but rarely do they get each other’s mail.
And our fearless leader, Jeff Johnson (who has experienced run-ins with many, many other Jeff Johnsons I am told) has FINALLY quit calling Nola Hampton – who’s been in the membership area for over a year – “Lola.”
I think she’s disappointed.
|
|
03:41 PM
|Add a comment
|Read comments (1)
|Permalink
|
|
She's proud to be an ISU alum |
Feb 12, 2008 |
Posted by:
Kate
2/12/08
ISU alumnua Michele Wehrle, who earned her PhD in August, recently shared this photo with us from her graduation day. The T-shirt was a recent gift from the ISU Alumni Association to 'New Grad' members of the Association.
Looking good, Michele! Congratulations! |
|
09:38 AM
|Add a comment
|Permalink
|
|
'Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer' Roofing for $800, Alex |
Jan 31, 2008 |
Posted by:
Kate
1/31/08
My husband is a construction manager (ISU-trained, of course!), so I go on lots of hard-hat tours of buildings in which I stare rather cluelessly at wall studs, random pipes and cords dangling from the ceiling, piles of sawdust, etc.
Don't get me wrong: It's not that I'm not impressed with what he does on a daily basis. Quite the opposite, actually. But it's just so horribly out of my brain's comfort zone that I just have to laugh sometimes. One of my husband's favorite games to play with me is, “Honey, what building material is this?” Typically clueless and without a lot of concern for the actual correct answer, my favorite guess is typically “EIFS,” which has always stuck in my head because it stands for Exterior Insulation Finishing System (E-I-F-S) yet for some reason is pronounced "EE-fis." This is somewhat distressing to the linguistics minor in me, but what can I say? It’s probably Brett Favre’s (Farve’s?) favorite building material.
Last month I took a tour that was not a construction quiz but one which brought clueless staring to a whole new level for me: a building tour that will soon have a drastic impact on my life. Our ISUAA staff got our first peek at the new ISU Alumni Center, which we'll be moving into this summer.
The result? Despite my extensive experience touring construction sites, I still don’t have a very good feel for how things on a project site will look when they’re finished. Some of the spaces looked bigger than I expected, while others looked smaller. One thing I do know is that the building as a whole is spacious and has a wonderful view. I was able to snap a few very dark and somewhat indecipherable photos of the place, which I will share with you below along with my humble attempts to explain them. (You're welcome to chime in if you can play "Name That Building Material" better than I.)
We started the tour on the first level, which will be the home to a multipurpose conference room and the offices of the Student Alumni Leadership Council (SALC), as well as offices for staff members in our outreach and events and student programs areas.
Here’s a peek at the first floor office suite and SALC office, respectively:
staff office suite
SALC office
Next we headed up a level to second floor, which is (perhaps most importantly) home of my new office but also home of, among many other spaces, the communications production room, a nice lobby with "Cy’s Pub and Parlor," and the all-important alumni ball room.
Here’s ISUAA president Jeff explaining the second floor to the staff:
And here’s a picture of VISIONS editor Carole and her husband, Dave (a member of the ISUAA board of directors), checking out the communications production room with editorial assistant AshLea and designer Scott. The room is going to be a great space for us to put together each issue of VISIONS, among other projects:
We then headed up the grand staircase to the third floor, which will include an executive board room, an alumni library, and several offices, including one for the ISU College for Seniors. Check out open feel and architecture we saw when we reached the top of the stairs.
staircase (obviously)
Nola and Cecilia on third floor
A lot has already changed since we took this tour in December, and I’m excited to get another tour this spring.
Even if I don’t know what I’m looking at. |
|
12:48 PM
|Add a comment
|Read comments (1)
|Permalink
|
|
|
|
|
More entries
|
|
