Aug. 19, 2010

Despite flooding, the show must go on

by Erin Rosacker

More flood coverage

Thanks to last week's flooding, a change of plans (and venues) is in order for some campus events. Hilton Coliseum and the Iowa State Center bore the brunt of the damage, forcing planners to make alternate arrangements.

Destination Iowa State

Destination Iowa State, an introductory program for new ISU students, is expecting more than 4,000 students to participate in several activities beginning Thursday. Check-in has been moved to the Great Hall in the Memorial Union; central campus will be the backdrop for Thursday night's "Center of Ex-CY-tment" and kickoff; and Saturday night's performance by comedian Jeff Dye will be at Stephens Auditorium.

Cyclone soccer

The ISU soccer team's Aug. 20 home opener vs. Drake has been moved to the Prairie Ridge Sports Complex in Ankeny (1510 Northwest Ash Dr., west of Highway 69). Game time was changed to 5 p.m., and admission is free. A decision about the remaining home games will be made after damage to the turf at the ISU Soccer Complex is assessed. The team is on the road until its Sept. 17 matchup against the University of Iowa.

Cyclone volleyball

ISU volleyball will move all of its home matches -- including Saturday's 3 p.m. scrimmage -- to Ames High School (1921 Ames High Dr.). Wednesday night matches will start at 7 p.m., and weekend contests will take place as scheduled. Season tickets will be honored, leaving a limited number of seats (about 800) available. Single-match tickets are not yet available, but season tickets for the 15-match home schedule can be purchased for $35. The Cyclones face the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, in their home opener Sept. 3.

Iowa State Center

The Chris Cagle concert scheduled to take place in the Iowa State Center courtyard on Sept. 1 has been cancelled. Refunds are available at the point of purchase, beginning at 10 a.m. on Aug. 19.

Organizers of two career fairs scheduled for Hilton Coliseum are scrambling to find new locations. The College of Engineering's career fair is slated for Sept. 21, while the colleges of Business and Liberal Arts and Sciences are holding a joint event Sept. 22.

Floodwaters left Stephens Auditorium largely unaffected, allowing the College of Veterinary Medicine's Aug. 20 white coat ceremony to take place as scheduled (7-9 p.m.). However, the reception has been moved to the Gateway Hotel and Conference Center. Stephens' performing arts series, which opens Oct. 8 with the musical Legally Blonde, also will go on as planned; and comedian Brian Regan will take the Stephens stage Oct. 7.

Conferences and events planned for the Scheman Building are being relocated primarily to Fisher Theater and Stephens. Relatively few events were planned, and most anticipate fewer than 100 attendees. The Iowa Veterinary Medicine Association is expecting 250-300 people to attend its annual meeting Sept. 16-17, the first of several bigger events planned this fall.

Pat Dennis, director of event and conference services at the Iowa State Center, said that Sept. 17 is the tentative target date to resume operations in Scheman.