Make it a healthier winter

Female nurse in purple gloves administers vaccine to female empl

Photo by Christopher Gannon.

Madison Akers (left), an academic advisor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, receives her flu shot earlier this week from nurse Becky Teed at the flu vaccine clinic for ISU employees. The clinic is open weekdays (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) through Oct. 18 in the fitness studio, 1218 State Gym. More information.


Happy 70th, Cy

Hallway filled with people and Cy mascot

Cy fit right in during a September 2022 open house at the Student Innovation Center. Photos by Christopher Gannon.

Cy the mascot, who turns 70 on Oct. 16, will spend his birthday doing what he loves: Cheering on his team and working the Hilton Coliseum crowd during that night's Iowa State-BYU volleyball match (6:30 p.m.). There might be some singing; at the very least there should be some happy birthday magic in the air that evening.

It will be one of about 100 regular-season gameday appearances -- football, soccer, wrestling, gymnastics and basketball, in addition to volleyball -- on Cy's calendar this academic year. A bowl game, conference tournament or postseason play for any of those squads swells that number, said Kendra Simpson, spirit squad coordinator and head cheer coach in the athletics department.

Louis Armstrong in tuxedo with early Cy mascot

Cy didn't exist yet for Louis Armstrong's first visit to campus in 1950, but he made sure to welcome the famed musician back for a concert in 1966.

Still, that load doesn't compare to Cy's community calendar: About 400 appearances each year at weddings, graduations, birthdays and tailgates, and university events such as Destination Iowa State. No two appearances can overlap, timewise.

That dude is busy.

Fortunately, each year, Iowa State's mascot squad comprises six to 10 students who divvy up all those events. It happens to be a six-member squad this year. Tryouts are held in the spring, and most squad members serve the full 3.5 years, Simpson said. Due to the costume's size, Cy the mascot students should be at least 5 feet 7 inches tall but not much taller than 6 feet 1 inch. They share eight costume sets, two of which always are out of the rotation while the squad's equipment manager launders them. Even so, mind that hot dog mustard when you're leaning in for a photo with Cy; a new costume costs about $11,000.

Cy's origins

(black and white) The 1954 Iowa State cheer squad with the origi

The Iowa State cheer squad introduced the original Cy during the 1954 Homecoming football game. Historic images courtesy of Special Collections and University Archives.

The first Cy was introduced to Cyclone fans at Iowa State's 1954 Homecoming football game at Clyde Williams Field. He was born out of two decisions in the early 1950s: the first a consensus among Iowa State students -- led by the pep council -- that "you can't stuff a cyclone." In the search for an alternate mascot, they opted for a cardinal bird, based on the school colors and the names of existing organizations, Cardinal Key and Cardinal Guild. Secondly, in a subsequent nationwide name contest, "Cy" was submitted 17 times and chosen as the cardinal's name.

The first Cy was nearly 8 feet tall, made mostly from chicken wire and aluminum. Virgil Petty, who completed his first Iowa State degree in 1957, was chosen by the athletics club to be the inaugural Cy (shortly after not landing a spot on the varsity basketball team).

Since his introduction, Cy has survived numerous redesigns and refittings, a plucking in 1961 at the hands of University of Missouri students, a car accident and emergency restorative surgery enroute to the 1972 Liberty Bowl in Memphis, and a series of kidnappings in the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1966, Cy secretly wed Susie Snapper Hawk from the University of Iowa. Naturally, that union was doomed.

In 1975, the first woman donned what at the time was a taller, 35-pound Cy costume. She was Betsy Thomas, a 6-foot-2-inch sophomore from Normal, Illinois.

Cy's sidekick, the agile Clone, was introduced to Cyclone fans at Hilton Coliseum in January 1989. An irrepressible dancer and a hit with children and students, Clone complemented the statelier Cy. The duo worked in tandem for several years.

In March 1995, when Iowa State introduced its new family of Cyclone logos at the Big 8 Conference men's basketball tournament, qualities of Cy and Clone were merged into one mascot, the friendly Cy.

Our thoroughly modern Cy still doesn't say much but is able to share his experiences on his own Instagram account. Check it out next week; maybe he'll post a few birthday photos.

 

 

Cy red bird mascot observes teams in varied color T-shirts packa

In August 2023, the Iowa Soybean Research Center invited Cy to a Soybean Month in Iowa event where volunteers assembled about 38,000 meals for the Meals in the Heartland program.

 


Senators receive updates on Workday Student, enrollment, AI in research

Vice president and chief information officer Kristen Constant provided updates on Workday Student and the new Office of Student Information during the Faculty Senate's Oct. 8 meeting.

The establishment of the Office of Student Information earlier this year brought the financials, academics, and enrollment and engagement teams within Workday together into one office.

"In previous incarnations of this administrative structure, each of those groups worked independently and now they are working to make it a more cohesive singular experience for the students, faculty and administrators," Constant said.

The office has five current tasks:

  • Complete the Workday Student implementation
  • Respond to help desk tickets related to Workday Student
  • Identify training needs
  • Escalate requests to Workday to fit ISU needs
  • Implement continuous improvements

Check your email

As part of the Faculty Senate's review of the office of the president, faculty received an email invitation Oct. 8 to complete a confidential online survey.

Workday becomes the system of record this month. Constant said the goals this fall are to complete the 2024 financial aid disbursement, continue to improve student orientation and onboarding, and prepare for spring 2025 student course registration.

Constant also introduced the teaching dashboard in Workday designed to put frequent instructor tasks in one place. Instructors open the main menu and select "Teaching" in the dropdown apps menu. Instructors can view their teaching schedule and class roster with large student photos. They can enter midterm and final grades, tasks that also can be done in Canvas.

Information technology audit

The state Board of Regents' office of internal audit recently conducted an inventory audit of ISU's information technology services. The audit returned five areas for improvement that must be completed by mid-2025.

  • Inventory tracking
  • Purchasing/procurement
  • Inactive devices
  • Redundant software
  • Website inventory tracking

"The recommendation is that we develop new policies or modify current ones to address these areas," Constant said.

Artificial intelligence

Vice president for research Peter Dorhout discussed with senators the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research. Dorhout said research publications use different rules and ideas on AI's use. Some do not allow AI to be listed as an author and require that its use be documented, while others do not allow AI use at all.

Dorhout also reminded senators that AI tools may not be starting with reliable information.

"Machine learning or computers depend very heavily on the input, so beware of the information used," he said. "It is important to know AI's limitations."

Dorhout said using certain AI chatbots, like ChatGPT, can be dangerous because they use any information they receive to build on their knowledge. ISU research not meant to be public becomes so once inputted. 

Enrollment achievements

Senior vice president and provost Jason Keith shared some strong enrollment and graduation numbers with senators. The one-year retention of students (fall 2023 to fall 2024) remained the same from a year ago at 87.6%, just 1% off ISU's all-time high. The four-year graduation mark set a record at 59.8% and the six-year mark remained steady at 75.5%.

Other business

Senators will vote next month on two proposed certificate programs in the finance department: 

  • A certificate program in risk management and insurance intended to attract students in multiple majors and provide a deeper understanding of personal and corporate risk management and the insurance industry. The certificate has four required courses and three electives. A certificate program is proposed because 70% of the courses overlap with a finance degree. The certificate would show prospective employers added skills of graduates without burdening students with the cost of a second undergraduate degree.
  • A certificate program in real estate focused on legal, economic and financial aspects. It would be open to all students but likely most useful to finance majors. It would prepare students for jobs in real estate sales, property management, mortgage lending and asset management. This certificate also has four required courses and three electives.

Faculty survey is part of administrative review of Wintersteen, president's office

 

During this academic year, the Faculty Senate is conducting a routine, comprehensive review of President Wendy Wintersteen and the office of the president. Senate leaders established a President's Office Faculty Review Committee to lead this review. Mandated by the Faculty Handbook, this periodic review is a standard procedure designed to provide constructive feedback and strengthen the effectiveness of university administration. The review process aims to enhance the office of the president's ability to support the university's teaching, research and service missions, while also promoting open communication between university leadership and faculty, reinforcing the principles of shared governance.

As a part of the review process, on Oct. 8 faculty received an invitation from the Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology to complete a confidential online survey. The subject line for the survey invitation is "ISU President/President's Office Review" and the "from" line will show as "Faculty Senate Administrative Review Committee" <noreply@qemailserver.com>. Faculty should check their junk mail folders if they do not see the survey invitation in their inbox.

The survey link in each invitation is not sharable. Members of the review committee encourage participation so they hear from all voices across campus, and extend their thanks in advance for thoughtful contributions to this important process. Faculty are asked to complete the survey as soon as they receive it, as the committee will spend the month of November analyzing the data.

Feedback from the university community also will be collected through interviews and comments. This input will be carefully considered in the preparation of the final evaluation report. All responses will be treated confidentially and reported only as summary statistics or aggregated comments. When the process is completed, a summary of the review will be made available to the university community.

For further information about the review, email: facultysenatepresidentofficereview@iastate.edu.

 


Online dashboards share police work data with the public

Dashboard

The Iowa State police department's dashboard tracking calls for service. It's updated daily and users can see a variety of information about police calls and which buildings are serviced most frequently. Screenshot by Deb Berger.

In the seven and a half-plus years Michael Newton has served as chief of the Iowa State police department he has made outreach and connection with the community a priority. One of the newest ways is the development and 2023 implementation of online public activity dashboards, tracking calls for service and arrests.

"We created the dashboards in an effort to be transparent and show the community the work that the police department is doing on campus," Newton said. "We want people to be aware of the types of calls for service we receive, the types of arrests we are making and the demographics of the people we are arresting."

The dashboards -- an enhancement to the monthly reports traditionally compiled -- are found at the top of the department's website and updated daily. Users can toggle between years, days of the week, specific locations on campus, reasons for call or arrest, and more.

"The truth is that we don't have a lot of crime on campus, making only a few hundred arrests a year," Newton said. "A lot of that is underage drinking, traffic and drug offenses."

Information is available back to 2020. It reveals alcohol and mental health are two consistent issues. They also are two areas the university continues to educate campus and provide resources for, Newton said.

Newton said he is looking for more ways to use department information, but compiling and sharing it is a significant financial and time commitment for the information technology team. He'd like to develop mapping that allows users to see where incidents occur across campus

Internal dashboards

The department uses non-public dashboards to identify trends across campus and adjust patrols accordingly.

"We can see where we are doing our most extra patrols, spending most of our time, where we are making traffic stops, all to ensure that we are concentrating on the things that are important to Iowa State," Newton said.

The information can be officer-specific to help a supervisor see areas where an individual performs well and where more training can be beneficial.

"It really helps us identify opportunities to help our officers grow and develop in their job," Newton said. "It can ensure we have a well-rounded officer."

Campus community

Newton said officers try to be present and approachable to faculty, staff and students on campus. From Friday T-shirt giveaways to fun social media engagement with Ferret Bueller, he called the practice the hallmark of the department.

This summer police officers conducted a required session during orientation for students and their parents. Newton said it helped build a stronger relationship with the first-year class and allowed parents to hear messages and resources available to reinforce with their students.

"This is a partnership, and the police are one aspect of it, but we all have to work together to really make an impact on our campus," he said. "If people are unaware, how can they get involved and help?"

The dashboards help keep the campus community aware. Newton recommends putting the department's phone number (294-4428) into your phone and downloading the Iowa State Safe app, which has push-button access through phone or email.


Nonpartisan voting resources available for campus

Editor's note: Karen Kedrowski is professor of political science and director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics

 

The 2024 presidential election will be held on Nov. 5. Iowans will vote for the U.S. president and vice president, four members of the U.S. House of Representatives, numerous Iowa legislators and other community officials.

In 2020, 72.9% of Iowa State students voted, an increase of almost 11% over 2016. However, voter turnout was not evenly distributed across campus. STEM students had lower voter turnout rates than average, while students in the humanities and social sciences were well above average. This disparity presents opportunities for innovative, targeted outreach strategies focused on Iowa State students.

The CyclonesVote team in the Carrie Chapman Catt Center has been working across campus to encourage all students to exercise their constitutional rights. It also is developing nonpartisan resources for students about voting that are available to students, faculty and staff outside of classroom settings:

  • Voting information handouts: The Catt Center's Voting FAQs page includes information about voting in Iowa, including key dates, and voter accessibility solutions. These materials can be made available for pickup, but should not be distributed in classrooms.
  • The #CyclonesVote team is available to speak to any registered student organization. The team is trained to provide nonpartisan, nonideological information on voter registration, absentee ballot requests and Iowa voting requirements. These student interns focus on creating innovative presentations and updated swag to engage Gen Z voters effectively.
  • Repost Catt Center and #CyclonesVote social media messages on personal social media accounts. The Catt Center and its #CyclonesVote team regularly post nonpartisan voter information messages on its social media channels. The Catt Center is on Facebook, X, Instagram and Threads. #CyclonesVote also is on Instagram. Campus units should refrain from posting political and election-related messages on their official social media sites.
  • #Cyclones Vote 2024 Canvas module: The Catt Center has updated its nonpartisan, nonideological Canvas module #CyclonesVote 2024 – Voting Information for Students. This innovative e-learning approach provides information for students who wish to vote in Ames, Story County or elsewhere, and it is free to download from Canvas Commons.

Please note: Do not offer extra credit to students for registering or casting a vote. Instead, encourage students to interact with the materials.

These innovative, nonpartisan approaches help students understand and participate in the democratic process and continue the university's mission to be a leader in campus civic engagement.

The Catt Center is here to help. Members of the campus community can contact the Catt Center staff at cattcntr@iastate.edu with questions related to voting, eligibility or other topics.

 


Four Seasons again

A crowd gathers around a fountain sculpture and water basin

Photo by Christopher Gannon.

 

At the conclusion of a short rededication ceremony Oct. 4, a new fountain spurted water near limestone replicas of the four maidens in Christian Petersen's Fountain of the Four Seasons sculpture. With the exception of a 30-day test of the new system this summer, the fountain had been out of commission for about 22 months. Weather permitting, the water will flow at least through Homecoming weekend, Nov. 2-3.