Underage Drinking Alternatives

These next three posts I have created focus on alternate activities for underage drinking. Night Games is a program at the recreational center that provides free activities and special events. CAB is an activities directory for the IMU that also provides free activities including movies on the weekends. Then, the Salt Company is a local worship group here in Iowa City that meets at the bar Third Base. All three of these events are cheap, entertaining and a great way to meet new people. Read on to learn more!

Night Games: A Special Event Every Time

The new recreation center is a great place to go work out but that’s not the only thing it offers. Night Games is free and open to the public. Some various activities they offer consist of rock climbing, dodgeball, swimming, basketball, badminton, volleyball, racquetball and special events. So instead of sitting around this weekend, get active and go to Night Games for a different night time activity.

Giving Students What They Like

Night Games is a student driven organization committed to providing leadership opportunities for students through the planning and facilitation of a safe, late night, alcohol alternative event for the University of Iowa campus community. All the games are held from 9 pm to 1 am in the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. Free pizza and fresh fruit is also provided at all events.

These activities provided really do help cut down underage drinking on the weekends, giving the students an alternate activity to do instead of going downtown with friends. Students are given the chance to still be in the downtown area and enjoy great programs and activities.

“There is such a diverse set of activities that students can choose from and all of these events are presented without alcohol, so by their nature, if students are attending these events, they are not drinking during that time.” Said Bill Nelson, Director of Student Life.

With the 21 ordinance in effect now, there has been a noticeable change in the number of students who come to the activities. The weekend after the 21 ordinance was put into effect, Nelson said that over 100 people showed up to Night Games, rather than the usual 50 or so. There is an increase in the actual events that the students plan as well, student programmers are planning at least 5 times as more activities now that more people are showing an interest in them.

“I feel like the quality of the events has been stepped up this year as well, so as to respond to the 21 ordinance, and provide students with programs that will interest them and that they are willing and able to attend.” Said Nelson.

There are many marketing techniques used in order to promote Night Games to students. Some of the most productive techniques that are used include posters throughout campus, advertising on the digital screens throughout the Recreational Center, Facebook events and ads and ¾ sheet handouts. Students programmers are usually coming up with a plethora of creative techniques daily in order to catch people’s attention.  When students plan programs for their peers, they are more likely to select something that others in their peer group would be interested in.

movies shown in the pool area of the Recreational Center

“When I am planning a new event for Night Games, I think to myself, is this something my friends would be really excited to attend? If it’s not something that would interest me or any of my friends then it’s more than likely not going to attract a majority of the other students.” Said Brittany Masen, student programmer for Night Games.

Special Events

One of the many special events that Night Games offers which has become extremely popular and unique is the Scuba Diving Club. The University of Iowa Scuba Club, in conjunction with SeatoSea Watersports, and the Night Games activity board provides one free night of scuba diving each semester in the Fieldhouse’s pool.  The Night Game’s Scuba Club starts at 9 pm in the University’s Fieldhouse’s pool, and ends close to 1 am. Those interested in trying out scuba diving should show up any time after 9 pm.

“The check-in is simple. Just go check in with your Scuba Club officer when you arrive, pick up and complete the waiver and registration form, then return it to the Scuba Club officer. Go change into your swimsuit and then wait until your name is called to get ready to dive.” Said Masen.

rock climbing is another popular activity during Night Games

Once in the pool, a certified Divemaster will instruct you on how to use your basic scuba gear, and then allow you to swim in the shallow end of the pool for around 20 minutes. The Scuba Club is fairly new and slowly gaining popularity as  All you need to bring is: your waiver, signed by parent or guardian if under 18 (nobody under 10 years allowed), swimsuit and a towel. The best part is, just like every other activity at Night Games, it’s free.

One more activity that has gained a lot of liking is the movies in the swimming pool area at the Recreational Center. Students are able to enjoy the best of two very enjoyable activities, swimming and watching movies. A  T.V.  in the pool area plays a movie and students are able to sit in the hot tub or lay on their floatie while relaxing and enjoying the entertainment of a good movie at the same time.

“Going to the movies in the swimming pool is probably one of my favorite things about Night Games. It’s so relaxing to just go lounge around in the pool while watching a movie that you like. I love it.” Said Katelyn Schany, Sophmore at University of Iowa.

There is a special event at every Night Games and students enjoy switching up their nightly routine from going out with their friends and joining in on some active fun with other students. There are some upcoming events for Night Games that sound enjoyable for students of all ages. These include movies in the pool and a volleyball tournament on November 26 and the Scuba Club and Swing Dance Club on December 3. So keep those events in mind when you are deciding what to do on that specific Friday. Night Games is a student organized program, so you can guarantee it will be to your liking.

Click here to see a video I created for Night Games

 

The Campus Activities Board: Giving You An Alternate Weekend Plan

So, there is an away game this weekend and you don’t have much to do. Sounds like you need a movie day. The problem with that is movies are about 10 dollars a ticket now and that just isn’t going to work. So skip the trip to the theater and go to the IMU for some free movies.

Events Of Different Types

The Campus Activities Board is one source of entertainment on campus. They are the head of the activities that go on at the IMU and there are various options, from comedy to casino night, to movies just out of the theater. The board is student run, guaranteeing entertainment that all students will enjoy.

Another activity at the IMU - basketball while attached to a bungee cord

“College is a time to dig in, get involved, and make a difference. Here at Iowa, CAB is a great way to do just that. There are many ways to get involved, and it all starts with just coming to an event. You’re only in college once, so make a difference and make it count.” Said Nellie Hermanson, Assistant Director on Campus Activities Board.

Some past events that the Campus Activities Board has set up really interested a lot of students at the University. Some of the most popular ones included, Speed Dating, The Dark Knight, JD D’Angelo from MTV’s The Real World and Casino Night. The Speed Dating seemed to be a little awkward at first for a lot of the students but after getting more comfortable with each other and getting to know everyone, it was an entertaining event.

College Humor comedian at the IMU, November 12

“Tons of Hawkeye singles were ready to mix and mingle at this event. We had to give everyone a little bit of a push in the beginning, but in the end everyone was having a great time.” Said Hermanson.

For the Dark Knight movie, the 2008 hit was featured as the first of CAB’s Midnight Movie series, showing the film in the Bijou Theater to a sold out crowd of UI students before it was released on DVD. As for the Casino Night, students showed up to have a great time playing classic casino games and had the chance to win prizes, including a free iPod shuffle.

“I don’t really know all that much about casino games, but I decided to go to the activity with my friends anyway. I ended up winning a free t-shirt after playing poker. Turns out I knew a little more than I had thought!” Said Sarah Fry, Junior at the University of Iowa.

One thing that the Campus Activities Board thinks about when planning these activities is how to appeal to the students at the University so they will actually want to come instead of going out and participating in underage drinking. They know that it is tempting to just go along with the social norm of going out on the weekends, but by offering free college friendly entertainment, CAB feels that more students will want to experience a different weekend trend.

“We just want the students to know that they do have the choice to engage in a fun, safe, sober weekend. We try to hype up our events as much as possible and there is always something going on every weekend, so there is never not an option of what to do.” Said Hermanson.

Don’t Worry About Money

One thing you will be spending too much of if you decide to go out and drink on the weekend, is money. However, CAB prides themselves on creating affordable, usually free activities. If there is a cost for any of the activities, it’s usually because it’s a huge event and the University can’t afford to pay for all the financial issues involved. For example, on December 4 students can join CAB for a trip to the largest mall in the United States, the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. Round trip tickets are 15 dollars and available at the University Box Office.

For this type of event, it would be nearly impossible to take everyone for free because there is bound to be a good number of students that will want to go and the University can’t pay for the amount of buses required and the gas for a round trip. For only 15 dollars though that is a great price and cheaper than any other shopping trip you would possibly want to take by yourself or with friends. CAB reconciles for that 15 dollars by offering various prizes and opportunities that would appeal to a college student. There is free admission included to the World’s Largest Underwater Aquarium and there will also be a shopping spree raffled off on the bus ride to the mall.

“We pride ourselves on the students having as much fun possible and who wouldn’t love to get free stuff? It’s a situation I myself would definitely take advantage of.” Said Hermanson.

Why Risk It?

Since the 21-ordinance has passed, the IMU events have looked a lot more appealing to younger students now. With the high risk of having a 750 dollar fine slapped on their records and house parties getting a little more attention now by the cops, students may decide that the activities might not be such a bad alternate after all.

“I hadn’t ever gone to any of the activities before because I would always go out on the weekends with my friends. However, with the ordinance in effect now, we go almost every weekend and have a great time. I’m actually upset I didn’t start going earlier.” Said Katie Clasing, Sophmore at the University of Iowa.

So before you think about going out with your friends this weekend, maybe you should check out what CAB has organized at the IMU. Even if you’re 21 or not, switch it up a bit and break away from the social norm, grab your friends and have a fun, sober night at the IMU. Who knows, you may want to go back next weekend.

The Salt Company – Local Worship Group in Iowa City

Stage for Salt performers. Photo taken by Jane Dogoty

“Can I see your ID please?” At least this is what I would have been hearing  walking into the local bar, Third Base. The atmosphere is a lot different when everyone isn’t there to drink, but worship God.

The first person that approaches me is Mark Arant, one of the lead pastors for the Salt Company, an outreach ministry that exists to share the good news of Jesus with Iowa City. He has been working with college students since 1999 and brought the Salt Company here to Iowa City. The atmosphere is geared for college students. This is why, to Arant, it seemed like the perfect idea to have meetings where students congregate.

“We wanted to meet in the bars because we were committed to being in a location that was highly accessible and familiar to students,” said Arant.

Arant is married, with 5 kids. Keeping up with his family and Salt is hard work but he knows he is blessed to have such a wonderful wife who helps.

“Everyday I wake up I say the same thing, God – it’s not about me today, It’s about everyone else, help me remember this.” Said Arant.

In Iowa City, the Salt Company meets at the Blue Moose and Third Base, all very accessible to most college students living near the downtown area. Carrie Clement, women’s coordinator of the Salt Company, said that renting a bar is a lot cheaper to rent than any other venue they found.

“We thought about it, and it just seemed fitting to bring light to a dark place,” said Clement.

The Salt Company started in Ames at Iowa State University with a small group and has grown to a group of about 800 college students. They focus on helping students in their spiritual journey by offering authentic and relevant worship and teaching from the Bible, along with small groups where people can get to know each other and talk about how to apply the Bible to everyday life.

Salt is still in Ames and they decided to come to Iowa City in 1999 in order to expand the program and interest more college students. Salt meets in Ames on Mondays at a local church called Cornerstone Church. It’s a very large location that seats up to 800 people.

“We don’t have as many people attending in Iowa City as we do in Ames, but we hope the word will get out and then maybe we will move to a bigger location.” Said Arant.

“We believe that college students want to change the world and if we can introduce them to Christ, he will use them in changing the world for God’s glory,” said Clement.

Expanding to Iowa City

The first meeting for the Salt Company in Iowa City attracted around 200 students. Quite a few came from Iowa State for the first Salt Company meeting in Iowa City.

Salt Company Staff. From left to right -Cody Cline, Carrie Clement, Shane Rothlisberger, Mark Arant, Sarah Vint and Ben Jensen

“The atmosphere was electric,” said Arant.

Each Wednesday focuses on  a different book of the Bible.  The Company teaches through the Bible, making it understandable and applicable to the life of a college student. Most people don’t know what to expect when they go to their first meeting and Arant tries to make his sermons as fun and upbeat as he can.

“We are passionate about good worship.  We have a few announcements and then a message from the Bible.  After the message, we have a few response worship songs and then Salt is over,” said Arant.

An Upbeat Worship

The music isn’t your normal hymnal songs though; it’s very loud, more modern upbeat music that really get the students involved. Sometimes there may also be some video elements and testimonies from students.  UI student, Megan Hauswirth, is a regular attendee and said that she loves getting to know the other students and sharing her experience with them.

“Everyone was incredibly welcoming, wanting to get to know you and very sincere,” said Hauswirth.

When Megan heard about Salt from her friend who goes to Iowa State, she wanted to check it out right away.

“It sounded awesome and I knew that I would love it so I went that next Wednesday. I didn’t have to go alone either, my roommates wanted to come along too.” Said Hauswirth.

Some people may think that a Bible study is simply just talking about God and reading the Bible, but the Salt Company really wants students to think about what they are getting out of Salt.

“We want them to connect with other believers so that we can have a positive impact on campus, in the Iowa City community, and around the world,” said Clement.

Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worth living. Arant hopes that students will be forced to stop and think about their lives, and consider what Jesus’ role might be in that. He wants students to learn how to love and follow the person of Jesus Christ.

“He is not only loving, kind, and savior of the world, he is smart. He has the most brilliant take on how to do life. I desire for students to get a glimpse of what life with God is like,” said Arant.

See my movie I made for the Salt Company on YouTube

Tell Everyone You Know

Attendees hear about the meetings by word of mouth. They want people to enjoy coming to Salt so much that they talk about it with their friends, co-workers, and classmates. But if people can’t make it to Salt on Wednesdays at the bar, they can go to Hotel Vetro for church on Sundays instead.

“We are the Salt and the Light of the world.”

Arant lives by this quote. It’s why the group is called, the Salt Company.

Look Up, Stories Are All Around

Being a journalist in today’s time may seem a little difficult to accomplish because of the decline of print and increase of television and internet coverage. One successful journalist though did the best he could to become the journalist he and everyone knew he could become. Stephen Bloom is a well known professor and author here at the University of Iowa and his effort shows how much hard work he has put forth throughout his life until now.

Bloom graduated with a B.A from Berkeley, the University of California in 1973. Journalism was the only thing Bloom was good at, he was bad at math, and journalism was the only thing he had any hope he could accomplish.

“Without Journalism, I would be homeless.” Explains Bloom.

Bloom tried to get out into the job field determined to put his skills to the test, but it was next to impossible to find a job. Everyone talks about how bad the job market is now; Bloom says that it was just as bad back then. In order to get a job, Bloom actually had to leave America and went to Brazil where he worked at a newspaper company. When he came back, journalists were losing their jobs and there was a plummet in journalism. Bloom worked for a few different companies as a reporter and got recognized for the immaculate work that he provided. The companies were The Sacramento Bee, The San Jose Mercury News, the Los Angeles Times and the Dallas Morning News. The Dallas Morning News was Bloom’s favorite job that he worked at because it was such a competitive atmosphere. There were two papers, one for the morning and afternoon; you can have any good idea and the editor will reply with, “Run it”. If a newspaper company sends one reporter and cameraman to a spot to get a story, the Dallas Morning News would send two reporters and cameramen. His work started to show up in a plethora of popular magazines and newspapers, highlighting his talent. Some well known sources that issued Bloom’s work were the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times. The first time Bloom’s work got published was when he was in college working at the campus newspaper. He worked at a part time job at an assembly line, pushing a button to lower fruit cocktails twice a minute. The job was so easy and boring that Bloom decided to write a story about it entitled, “The Cannery Connection”. Bloom was surprised one day though when he picked up the New York Times and there was his story, published in the newspaper. After that, his talent continued to expand.

Big Change, New Stories

Bloom was a big city kind of guy and in 1993 he made a drastic change to move to Iowa City, a considerable smaller choice to live. Along by his side was Bloom’s wife and son, his success soon began to develop here at the University. He wanted to do more long form writing, the stories in California were just getting too simplistic to do. Iowa was a new frontier for Bloom and everything was new to him. There were so many good story ideas in Iowa City for Bloom because he didn’t know anything about Iowa.

Writing books seem to be like a never ending process; it takes about a full five years. You have to come up with the idea, propose it, get an agent, convince the editor that the story is marketable, and do the reporting and writing.

“It can either be exhilarating, or suck the life right out of you.” Bloom stressed.

A novel that grasped a wide variety of people’s attention and especially got noticed by people who lived in small Iowa towns was written by Bloom in September 2008. The title was “The Oxford Project”, and Bloom had a co-author who was the photographer as well. This novel examines life in a rural Iowa community, Oxford, 20 years ago and Oxford now. Bloom had a very educational time examining the town and its community and people opened up to Bloom with no problem. Bloom believes that everyone has a story to tell, no matter if in New York or a small town. He did seem to have a closer relationship with the people in Oxford though, because it was such a small community and a lot more ground was covered in such a quick amount of time it seemed like. Bloom always enjoys talking to barbers, bakers or bartenders instead of mayors or politicians because he wants to know what really makes the town tick rather than talking to someone who cares mostly about themselves.  After the novel was finished, there was an art exhibition of the photographs and text, another successful moment for Bloom.

Bloom’s most recent book is entitled, “Tears of Mermaids: The Secret Story of Pearls”, published by St. Martin’s Press in 2009. This story chronicles the cultural, economic and political saga of pearls, the world’s first gem. It begins with Columbus’ third voyage to the New World and follows with narratives in numerous different countries such as Japan, Hong Kong and the Philippines. According to Bloom, nature’s oldest request is “Tell me a story”. He is always looking for a good story to tell people and there are good stories ideas everywhere. It may even be as simple as getting inspiration from a pearl necklace to make you travel over 30,000 miles in order to discover the secret behind them.

Hard Work Never Goes Unnoticed

Bloom has been a guest speaker at various different locations. He likes to cover as much as he can in his speeches in order to share with people his life story and how he got to where he is today but two words he always says are “Look up”. Bloom wants people to know that there’s drama swirling around and it needs to be noticed because a story could be held within. Bloom is a constant observer and that’s how he gets his story ideas and information. He has no recall for numbers, but Bloom will never forget a face because he is all about the visual effects. With all of Bloom’s accomplishments, it would only seem appropriate that he received some recognition and that’s exactly what he got only a couple short weeks ago. The University of Iowa honored Bloom with the Robert Laxalt Distinguished Writer Program which honors the memory of one of Nevada’s finest writers, Bob Laxalt. Bloom is the seventh writer to be honored for this award.

From not knowing what lied ahead for him in the future during college, Bloom became a very successful author, journalist and professor who still impresses people with his skills today. Being a journalist in today’s time may seem to be a little difficult, but through Bloom’s eyes, it’s nothing that can’t be accomplished. Bloom doesn’t really have any hobbies, he likes to work out every morning but other than that, he is always working and says that being a writer is the best job around. Interview with Bloom.

“I have no stamp collection, I don’t make model airplanes…Writing consumes my life.” Explains Bloom.

Bloom did recently get in touch with his New York agent to pitch his story idea for his new book, “Three Seconds – A Story of Crime, Punishment, and Absolution in the American Heartland”. It will be five more years of the reporting and writing process for Bloom. He is also planning on teaching in London this summer. His class will be about British media, which he knows nothing about but hopes to learn. It’s a three week class for the University of Iowa students and Bloom is excited to experience it.

French Senate Approves Burqa Ban

On Tuesday, the French senate approved a law banning an veils that cover the face. A fine if caught wearing one is 150 euros which is equal to $190 or you could have to take a citizenship course for a punishment. If someone forces another person to wear a burqa, the crime can be punishable by a year in prision. Some clothing that is acceptable would be the hijab which covers the hair and neck but not the face or the chador which covers the body but not the face. Why then was there a law in 2004 in France that banned the wearing or displaying of religious symbols in schools, including headscarves?

One source that I chose to relate to this article would be the Office of Student Life Cultural Resource Centers. The UI Cultural and Resource Centers provide intra- and cross-cultural education, leadership and organizational development opportunities, social justice education and change, a “home away from home” for students, and a safe space for cultural and psychosocial development. It would be a great place to go ask some questions of what makes cultural students feel good about themselves, whether it may be the way they dress or talk. I found this source through the Iowa Memorial Union because there are activities that go on there for it as well and it gives all the information on Student Life here at Iowa.

The second source that  I chose was a professor at the Law school here. I thought maybe I would take a different twist to the story and find out more about laws you can make regarding the way a person dresses because to me, I didn’t think you could do that but I guess there may be different situations for different countries. I know this may not get me anything, but I think it would be worth a shot to try. I could talk to Gail B. Agrawal who is the Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Iowa Law School. I found this source through the College of Law website which gives links to the faculty, programs, ECT.

Stephen Bloom

Stephen Bloom is a much honored artist, professor and advisor here at the University of Iowa. He is my advisor and has helped me figure a lot of things out to prepare me for the future.

Bloom has written a few books and one of his earliest ones that he is best known for his 2000 book Postville. He has also been named this year’s Robert Laxalt Distinguised Writer by the Reynolds School of Journalism.

Bloom’s work has been recognized by people everywhere and there are positive comments about his capturing writing that can be read in various different places. The Oxford Project is one story I saw that grasped a lot of people’s attention.

Bloom’s work has been seen in a plethora of magazines and articles. He has spoke here at the University and been a guest speaker at other campuses as well. The School of Journalism does a really good job recognizing Stephen Bloom and all his work so all the students can keep up with his life.

I chose three links to give a gist of what Stephen Bloom is really like. The first link is a website that talks about all his books and where his work has shown up, like the Chicago Tribune for example. The website also talks about the Robert Laxalt Distinguished Writer and how great of an honor it is. The other websites I look at were good, but this one mixed both Bloom’s life and the award together to make people realize how he deserved it. The second link is a blog by a person who purchased and read The Oxford Project and talked about the specific things and parts in the book they liked. I chose this blog because they really go into detail about what they specifically liked about the book and how they enjoyed Bloom’s riviting detail throughout the book. It also gives another link to a website of Stephen Bloom’s biography. The third link I chose was a Facebook page for the School of Journalism. I am a fan of this page because it keeps me updated on current events going on in the J School and you can post comments on whatever events are posted. For example, there was a post about how Stephen Bloom got the Distinguised Writer award, and there were comments below it saying, “Congratulations” and “You deserve it.”