Inside Iowa State

April 28, 2006

'Quiet' summers: A thing of the past

by Samantha Beres and Anne Krapfl

Each summer Iowa State hosts camps, workshops, athletic events and other gatherings. The demographic changes pretty dramatically, from a campus of predominantly college students to one where you see people of all ages roaming the grounds.

Thousands of people make our campus "home" for a little while in the summer. Below are some of the larger groups you may see.

Alumni Days

Hosted by the ISU Alumni Association, this year's event (May 10-13) will honor alumni from the classes of 1956 and earlier. Events include receptions, campus tours, reunions by college or department, and banquets. The Memorial Union is the home base for Alumni Days. About 350 people are expected, including Thomas Sutherland, who was held hostage in Lebanon (1985-91) by the Islamic Jihad. Sutherland received his master's degree in 1956 from Iowa State.

Iowa Special Olympics

More than 2,500 athletes will compete in this annual event, run with the help of about 2,000 area volunteers. Another 2,000 coaches and family members are expected to attend. The games (May 18-20) include 10 sport venues held in and around the Lied Center, Forker, the Iowa State Center and Beyer Hall. Most athletes will stay at Maple-Willow-Larch residence complex. The opening ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. May 18 in Hilton. (See Announcements for road and parking lot closings).

Odyssey of the Mind

More than 12,000 people will visit campus for the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals (May 24-27). About 6,500 of them are participants, grades kindergarten through college; another 6,000 are spectators. The program challenges student teams to use creativity to solve problems. Teams are from throughout the United States and more than 10 other countries. Opening ceremonies begin at 7:30 p.m. May 24 at Hilton. Competitions will be held in the Iowa State Center, Memorial Union, Forker, Pearson, Music and MacKay halls. Other activities will be in Lied and Beyer. Visitors will stay in all the residence halls (except Buchanan, but including Wallace and Wilson) and Frederiksen Court apartments, as well as hotels.

ISU orientation

More than 3,800 freshmen and 350 transfer students will visit campus with a projected 5,500 accompanying family members (May 31-June 28). Students will register for classes, take placement assessments, obtain ISU cards and e-mail accounts, attend acclimation sessions and get to know campus. Those spending a night on campus will stay in Martin Hall.

Cyclone sports camps

The athletics department sponsors 40 sports camps for an expected 2,000 campers in June and July. About 70 percent of the attendees will stay overnight, most in the Maple-Willow-Larch complex and some in Friley (swimming and diving). Camps run anywhere from one to 21 days, with a training camp for wrestlers being the longest (July 9-29). New camps include a women's basketball position camp and men's basketball day camp. For more information, go to http://www.cyclonecamps.com.

United Methodists conference

An estimated 2,000 women and men will attend the annual Iowa United Methodists conference June 8-11 at the Iowa State Center. They'll stay in Maple, Willow, Oak and Elm halls and Ames hotels.

Girls State

For the fourth year, Iowa State is the site June 18-23 for the American Legion Auxiliary's Iowa Girls State, a government and leadership conference of 380 girls who have finished their junior year of high school. They'll use Scheman by day, Stephens for their final event and stay in Maple-Willow-Larch.

4-H youth leaders

About 1,000 14- to 18-year-olds from around the state will visit Iowa State June 27-29 for this annual leadership development conference that is planned by a 4-H student team. They'll stay in all of the Richardson Court residence halls (except Maple-Willow-Larch). The conference includes large-group events at Stephens, topical seminars, social events and a morning of community service at various locations in the Ames area.

Special Olympics National Games

The first-ever national games will bring more than 3,000 athletes from all 50 states, 2,000 coaches and officials, 10,000 family members, 8,000 volunteers and 30,000 spectators to campus (July 2-7). Six of the 12 sporting events (and an exhibition event, motor activity training program) will be held on campus, in Lied, Stephens, Beyer, Forker and at the ISU soccer complex and Forker tennis courts. The opening ceremony begins at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 2, at Hilton. There will be entertainment (Mon.-Thurs.) at Festival Village in Hilton, and the Memorial Union will serve as Olympic Town, with ongoing activities for the athletes. Visitors -- including athletes, coaches, officials and trainers -- will use all campus residence halls, including Wallace and Wilson and Frederiksen Court apartments.

Iowa Games

For their 20th anniversary, the 2006 Summer Iowa Games are hoping to draw 20,000 participants and 40,000 spectators over two weekends (July 13-16 and July 21-23). Most sporting events, 47 of them, will be held the first weekend, and 12 the second weekend. Competitions will be held at Lied, Beyer, Forker, State Gym, Veenker golf course, the equestrian area at Vet Med complex, southwest athletic complex, the ISU disc golf course, ISU cross country course, the ice arena and most intramural fields. Some athletes and officials will stay in Maple and Willow halls. The opening ceremony begins at 8 p.m. Friday, July 14, at Jack Trice Stadium. Coach Ken Carter, the inspiration for the 2004 film Coach Carter -- about a coach's efforts to make his basketball players successful students -- will speak.

All-Star Shrine Bowl

Each year, graduates of Iowa high schools are chosen to take part in this football game. Coaches and 92 football players will arrive on campus July 13. About 60 cheerleaders will arrive July 17. Students will stay at Maple-Willow-Larch and practice at the intramural fields east of there and at Lied. A banquet honoring all participants will be held in Hilton July 21. Game time is 7 p.m. July 22 at Jack Trice Stadium. Tickets are available at the gate and proceeds benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children. Contact Jerry Hoffman, 276-3319, for advance tickets. Game day also includes a morning parade in downtown Ames.

Cheer and dance camps

The National Cheerleaders Association and the National Dance Alliance will hold camps at Iowa State simultaneously (July 19-22). An estimated 450 high school dancers and cheerleaders are expected. They'll live at Maple-Willow-Larch and use Lied and outdoor areas on the east side of campus.

Leadership forums

An estimated 85 students with physical disabilities will take part in leadership training forums sponsored by the Iowa Department of Human Rights for high school juniors and seniors (July 16-21) and college students (July 28-31). Day sessions will be held at the Memorial Union; participants will live in Friley.

Just 4 Juniors

A few hundred high school students going into their junior year will be invited to campus July 26 for a new, one-day admissions program. There will be hands-on activities and sessions for students and their parents, held mostly in the Memorial Union and scattered in classrooms around campus.

Get a Grip

This statewide initiative engages students in a discussion of issues relevant to them, their peers and their communities with a focus on alcohol and traffic safety. From July 25 to 27, about 100 high school students will participate. They will attend sessions in Friley and stay in Martin. Read more online at http://www.dps.iastate.edu/getagrip.

ISU academic programs

Departments around campus run programs to intellectually challenge young students. Living on campus gives high school students a chance to experience college life. Students for most camps stay in Friley. Here are some happening this summer:

• Early Outreach Program for 120 minority and first-generation, would-be college students (June 11-16 and June 18-23). Students will work on a theme-based curriculum.
• VR4u Camp (that's virtual reality) is for 40 high school students, with a focus on female and minorities (June 14-16). They'll stay in Eaton; most activities take place in Howe.
• Classes for Talented and Gifted students (32 courses this summer). Students entering grades 4-7 attend June 26-30 and July 10-14, and those entering grades 8-11 attend one-week programs July 9-29. Some highlights: Japanese and ancient civilizations.
• Engineering and Beyond will bring to campus 150 high school seniors-to-be. Camp dates are July 16-19, July 23-26 and July 30--Aug. 2.

Cyclone Lyndsey Medders with Special Olympians, 2005

Odyssey of the Mind world finals (May 24-27, about 12,000 visitors), Iowa Games (July 13-16 and July 21-23, 20,000 athletes over two weekends), and Special Olympics National Games (July 2-7, as many as 45,000 visitors) are the biggest special events coming to campus this summer. But they're not the only ones.