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Water Panel to discuss the quality of Iowan water By Kelly Page [email protected] This Sunday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m., Bucksbaum 152 will host a panel discussion entitled “Where Does Our Water Come From & Where Does It Go? A Look at Water in Grinnell and Poweshiek County.” Coming shortly after the passage of a $282 million water quality bill in the Iowa legislature in late January, which aims to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous in Iowa water, this discussion is extremely timely and will offer a chance for Grinnellians to ask experts on local water about how state wide water-related patterns play out on a local level. There are many issues with water in Grinnell that may provide discussion points on Sunday. In Iowa, runoff from farming cause chemicals like nitrates to seep into water supplies. Additionally, in 2016 the Iowa Department of Natural Resources found that upwards of 6,000 Iowans may have been exposed to unsafe levels of lead in their drinking water. Although Grinnell was not one of the affected communities, many Grinnellians probably want to know for sure just how safe the town’s drinking water is. The water quality report on the City of Grinnell’s website has not been updated since 2016, when Grinnell’s drinking water did not violate federal contamination limits. Professor Peter Jacobson, biology, who will moderate the discussion, said, “At the national level people hear about Flint, Michigan and other areas where water quality is a significant issue, so folks may want to know how safe Grinnell’s tap water is.” Interestingly, some water taste judges say Grinnell’s water is some of the best-tasting in the country: it was a finalist in the National Rural Water Association’s Great American Water Taste Test, so that, according to the Center for Prairie Studies email about the event, “[it] is a point of local pride that the Poweshiek Water Association is providing its customers with some of the best tasting water in the country.” Additionally, Grinnell’s current wastewater treatment plant is outdated and its emissions are not in compliance with federal guidelines, so the City is in the process of updating their current facilities, which may be another issue attendees will want the panel to address. On the panel, which was assembled by Professor Jonathan Andelson, anthropology and prairie studies, will be Jan Anderson, water resources director; Chad Coburn, executive director of Poweshiek Water Association; Mindy Siek, watershed coordinator with the Poweshiek Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD); and Matt Tapken, the Poweshiek Water Association’s chief operations officer. Each member of the panel will give a ten-minute presentation, and afterwards there will be a chance for audience members to ask questions. Anderson has worked closely with Grinnell’s water treatment facilities since 1979, after he recieved a Master’s in geology from the University of Iowa. He has overseen upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant and the water treatment plant, and helped the community construct a deep water well in 2000. Coburn has worked in rural water for 17 years, collaborating with state and national government and several Iowa communities. Mindy Siek’s focus since 2008 has been improving the quality of water and soil in Iowa and Kansas. Finally, Tapken is an expert in water treatment and groundwater, as well as making water taste good. This dream team of local water experts are a perfect set of people to field questions about what comes out of Grinnell’s taps. Do Grinnellians need to Brita filter tap water and buy fancy bottles of water at Walmart? Or should they savor the local water’s supposedly top-tier flavor? This Sunday in Bucksbaum is the perfect time to find out. Urban Education Symposium addresses impacts of inequality By Zoe Fruchter [email protected] Although the urban education systems of cities may seem far removed from rural Grinnell, last Thursday, Feb. 22, the Urban Education symposium covered just that. In reality, though, urban education is not as far removed from the Iowa corn fields as one might think. “It’s important to know that education was the second most common immediate career field for the College’s class of 2016,” wrote Dan Covino, director of the Education Professions Career Community within the Center for Careers, Life, and Service and the Rosenfield Program, in an email to The S&B. Covino also noted that of the alumni that go into teaching work, many teach in urban areas. “Although urban education might seem far removed from Grinnell, it is a common career destination for our graduates. I hope the symposium provides students who are considering teaching in cities with some idea of the policy questions urban districts confront and the realities urban teachers face,” Covino wrote. Beyond post-college career choices, the topic of urban education holds relevance for various members of both the College and local communities. “Many of the issues (e.g. school choice, segregation, unequal access to educational opportunities) that our speakers will discuss affect education across the United States, not just American cities. … Since these issues affect education across locations, I hope many community members from Grinnell and surrounding communities will benefit from the symposium events as well,” Covino wrote. The Symposium consisted of three events: “School Segregation in the 21st Century: Conflicts over Education Equality and Community Control” presented by Rachel Moskowitz ’06, assistant professor of public policy and law at Trinity College in Connecticut; “Inside the Urban Classroom,” a panel discussion between alumni urban educators Emily Kugisaki ’09, Anna Taylor ’06 and Erin Whalen ’12; and a keynote speech by New York Times investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, followed by a discussion with Stephanie Jones, professor of education. “When designing the symposium, I sought to include events that would cater to the interests of different audiences. For example, I know from advising appointments with students that many are interested in education policy. [Dr. Rachel Moskowitz] is a professor whose research focuses on the politics of urban education reform. Her talk will provide insight for all attendees, but especially for those who are primarily interested in education policy reform. Likewise, since I know many students in the Ed Pros community are interested in teaching, I wanted to include a space to hear current teachers’ voices. I was lucky enough to add the alumni panel of teachers,” Covino wrote. The keynote address was delivered by Hannah-Jones, whose invitation was the impetus for the Symposium’s topic. Lauded journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones spoke on campus this week. Photo by Sofia Mendez. “Shortly after starting in my position as the Director of the Education Professions Career Community, in mid-July, I knew I would be planning a symposium for this spring but I hadn’t chosen a topic,” Covino wrote. “I asked Education Department faculty members for ideas about topics and speakers they would be interested in bringing to campus. Professor Stephanie Jones (Education) suggested that [Hannah-Jones] would make a great keynote speaker. Since much of Nikole’s work is about the re- segregation of American urban schools … the theme of urban education grew from there.” Hannah-Jones presented a keynote entitled “Focusing on the Role of Inequality and Segregation in Public Education.” This keynote address speaks to Hannah-Jones’ expertise within the field of racial segregation. She was awarded the MacArthur Genius Grant in 2017 for her reporting on school segregation and reports on this topic for The New York Times Magazine. Hannah-Jones is currently writing a book about school segregation entitled “The Problem We All Live With.” Hannah- Jones also helped found the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, an organization that aims to increase the amount of investigative reporters of color. The Symposium is mainly sponsored by Grinnell College Education Professions Career Community, with help from the education Department, the gender, women’s and sexuality studies department and the political science department. “The symposium’s underlying themes are multidisciplinary, which is one reason why several departments co-sponsored this event. I hope that the symposium provides insights for students across the campus, not just future educators,” Covino wrote. College faces ongoing health services challenges This past Tuesday, Feb. 20, Grinnell College held its 10th Annual Student Wellness fair. The fair provides an opportunity for campus resources, such as departments, offices and student groups, to publicize what they have to offer the student body. These resources for wellness range from academic advising, to physical and mental health, to identity support groups. Additionally, community resources, such as the Grinnell Regional Medical Center, were present at the fair. Having community resources present reminds students that opportunities for wellness extend beyond the campus. “[The resources offered] are meant to remind them that it’s important to take care of yourself before the semester gets too far into it and you get too busy with work,” said Connie Herchek, administrative support assistant for student affairs. “I think it’s good to just be reminded of what [resources] are out there. I think at Grinnell there’s so many different resources that sometimes we forget about the ones we need, because there’s so many different opportunities to do things or go places.” There is no budget exclusively for the Wellness Fair. Each group and organization in attendance uses their own budget to supply necessary items. If in need of funding, student organizations go through the Student Government Association, as they would with any other event. Organizations such as SHACS or the Wellness Lounge have their own budgets for this event and allocate any needed money out of their regular funding.

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