Sanders, Trump win Poweshiek County caucuses: Final results By Andy Pavey [email protected]

FINAL UPDATE: The Scarlet & Black is pleased to announce that it can at last confirm the results of all caucuses within Poweshiek County after corroborating results with the Poweshiek County Democrats. The below article, which previously covered only races within the Grinnell, IA city limits, has been expanded to cover all caucuses in the entire county. From all of us at The S&B, thank you for reading.

Bernie Sanders wins big among local Democrats Graphic by Andy Pavey. File photo by John Brady.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has won the most delegates in the Poweshiek County Democratic caucuses, at 36. Sanders won three of the four Wards within the city limits of Grinnell, IA. The other was clinched by Massachussetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who ended with 28 delegates. In third, at 15 delegates, was Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, who won the satellite caucus held at the Mayflower Community senior living home. Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg won 14 delegates in the county, with Vice President Joe Biden trailing at 5.

At Grinnell College’s Darby Gymnasium, by far the largest contest in the County, “Uncommitted” walked away with an unexpected 4 delegates. Andrew Yang, Tom Steyer, Tulsi Gabbard, Michael Bloomberg, and Deval Patrick won no delegates in the entire county.

The results are a victory lap for Sanders, who narrowly won Poweshiek County in the 2016 caucuses against Hillary Clinton. He performed strongest within the city of Grinnell, sweeping three of the four Wards and earning 11 delegates from the primary Grinnell College caucus site. This election cycle, Sanders, embattled with health issues and the President’s impeachment trial, often relied on high-profile surrogates to get his message out to local voters. Two days before caucus night, however, he did visit Saints Rest coffee house for an event also featuring Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal, and his wife, Jane Sanders.

These are preliminary results being released in advance of the Iowa Democratic Party’s official count (which was delayed most of caucus night due to technical and quality control issues), and reflect The S&B’s original reporting from the scene of the caucuses as well as data released by the Poweshiek County Democrats early Tuesday morning.

Poweshiek County Republicans overwhelmingly vote Trump Graphic by Andy Pavey. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

Curious about the Republican caucus in Grinnell this evening? Spoiler alert: President Donald J. Trump won handily in Poweshiek County. But if you’re curious to hear from the participants who made it happen, check out Copy Editor Ben Mikek’s incisive coverage here.

According to his results, just 4 people out of a total 68 Republican caucus-goers voted for anyone other than President Trump. The overall number of Republicans who caucused is far fewer than Democrats, who turned out in droves to each caucus location around the County. Grinnell College’s Darby Gymnasium alone was attended by 830 people.

The final tally

And now, for the full results from the 2020 Democratic caucuses in Poweshiek County, starting with delegate totals across all Wards. Grinnell data were reported by The S&B on caucus night, while the remaining Wards were counted and released by Poweshiek County Democrats Tuesday morning.

Delegate totals*

Bernie Sanders: 36 Elizabeth Warren: 28 Amy Klobuchar: 19 Pete Buttigieg: 14 Joe Biden: 4 Uncommitted: 4

*Note: The totals released by the Poweshiek County Democrats do not include the results from the satellite caucus at the Mayflower Community senior living home. We have added these numbers to our totals with the aim of giving readers the most accurate portrait possible of how Grinnellians caucused.

Grinnell College

Bernie Sanders: 11 Elizabeth Warren: 9 Uncommitted: 4

Grinnell High School

Elizabeth Warren: 6 Bernie Sanders: 4 Amy Klobuchar: 4 Pete Buttigieg: 3

Hotel Grinnell

Bernie Sanders: 5 Elizabeth Warren: 4 Pete Buttigieg: 3

Grinnell Middle School

Bernie Sanders: 8 Elizabeth Warren: 4 Amy Klobuchar: 4

Mayflower Community

Amy Klobuchar: 4 Pete Buttigieg: 2 Elizabeth Warren: 1 Joe Biden: 1

BCMWJ Townships / Brooklyn

Pete Buttigieg: 3 Joe Biden: 2 Amy Klobuchar: 2 Bernie Sanders: 2 Elizabeth Warren: 2

Malcom / Sheridan

Pete Buttigieg: 1 Joe Biden: 1 Bernie Sanders: 1

CGWS Townships

Elizabeth Warren: 2 Amy Klobuchar: 2 Pete Buttigieg: 1 Bernie Sanders: 1 Deep River / Lincoln

Amy Klobuchar: 1 Bernie Sanders: 1

JUPS Townships

Amy Klobuchar: 2 Bernie Sanders: 2 Pete Buttigieg: 1

Montezuma

Bernie Sanders: 1 Joe Biden: 1 Pete Buttigieg: 1 Elizabeth Warren: 1

CORRECTION: This story previously claimed that Bernie Sanders had only won 7 delegates at the Grinnell Middle School venue and that 1 delegate had gone to Uncommitted voters. This was incorrect; the article has been updated to reflect new information. Sanders’s total number of delegates has also been corrected. Grinnell Republicans caucus overwhelmingly for Trump, cite concerns about abortion and socialism Dawn Driscoll, a Republican candidate for the Iowa State Senate, addresses attendees at the Republican caucuses in Grinnell. Photo by Ben Mikek.

By Ben Mikek [email protected]

Grinnell’s combined Republican caucus site for Wards 1-4 and CGWS, which includes rural areas surrounding Grinnell, went decidedly for President Donald Trump on Monday night. The caucus, which took place in four rooms at Grinnell’s Fairview Elementary School, was an opportunity for area Republicans to vote in a presidential preference poll, elect members of the party leadership, and propose planks for the party platform.

Compared to turnout at the nearby Democratic caucus, which was attended by 830 people from only Ward 1, numbers were fairly low, with no more than 30 caucusgoers in each ward. Nevertheless, Chris Varney, chair of the County Central Committee, said he was very happy with the turnout. “I think we had a good group for Grinnell,” he said. “I am really excited to see what this party can do together.”

In wards 3 and CGWS, Trump carried 100 percent, with 11 and 28 in favor, respectively. In Ward 1, which includes most of Grinnell College, 10 people voted for Trump and 2 for former Mass. Governor Bill Weld. Finally, In Ward 4, 15 supported Trump, and there was one vote each for Weld and former Ill. Representative Joe Walsh.

In addition to the headline-grabbing presidential preference vote, the attendees also selected delegates for the county convention, which will be held on Mar. 14 — “It’s pi day. … We’ll have pies,” said Ward 1 chair, Rick Jacoby.

Finally, the party accepted proposals for platform planks; each of the suggestions was open for debate, and then voted on by voice. In the combined Wards 1 and 4, resolutions to end gun control, “leave social security alone and protect the constitution” and “fight to protect life at conception” were all approved unanimously. Slightly more debate occurred on two further proposals. First, after two people spoke in favor, a plank calling for an end to daylight savings time was roundly rejected. Second was a call to “keep marijuana illegal.” This plank received significant debate, with multiple speakers in favor and against. In the end, it was approved by a voice vote.

“I don’t want to see Iowa go the way of some of these other states,” said Tim Sittig, a former Grinnell police officer. “Marijuana has increased the cost of traffic accidents and rehab [in Colorado and other states where it has been legalized. Sittig, who is in his upper 50s, said that more research needs to be undertaken before even medical marijuana is approved. A study in the journal “Addiction,” a publication from The Society for the Study of Addiction, did find that traffic deaths increased slightly in several states during the first 12 months following the legalization of recreational marijuana use but returned to normal levels after about one year.

The main theme of the night, though, was support for President Trump. Tim Carnes, 50, who used to be a Democrat and voted for Barack Obama in 2008, said he was supporting Trump because of the issue of gun control. “I think Obama did care about us. But I don’t like them trying to take away all our constitutional rights,” he said. “They shouldn’t do that.” And even though he described guns as the most important issue, Carnes said, “I don’t know if I have a problem with anything [Trump] has ever done.”

Annie Vander Weerdt, 29, and Tanner Vander Weerdt, 31, were both at the caucus to support Trump. Annie Vander Weerdt cited Trump’s anti-abortion stance and the fact that “he has helped decrease our debt” as reasons for her support. According to Treasury Department data, though, the federal debt has increased by more than $3 trillion since Trump took office.

Tanner Vander Weerdt praised Trump’s ability to follow through on promises. “Love him or hate him, he does what he says,” he said. On the U.S. military strike in Baghdad which killed Iranian General Qassim Suleimani on Jan. 3, though, Vander Weerdt was less certain. “It was a little iffy, scary at times,” he said. But “if it was a bad guy, he got what he deserved.”

Allen Simms, 69, and Don Ellis, 68, both support Trump for primarily economic reasons. Simms cited positive movement in unemployment, wages and his opposition to socialism as a reason for his support of the President. “Bernie [Sanders] talks the talk, but he wants to turn us into Venezuela. We like our country great and powerful,” he said.

“I don’t care for some of the tweets he puts out, but that’s him,” said Ellis, but “I hope more companies will come back from overseas [if Trump wins a second turn].”

In the end, though, caucusing is a very local act. “This is the grassroots, what we’re going right here. … Whether [a platform plank] is passed or failed, you are part of the process,” said Jacoby. Several other attendees also mentioned their concern about the changes they see in Grinnell.

“Immigrants … shouldn’t even be here,” said Simms. “If I did that in their country, I’d be in prison.”

“People are trying to back us into a corner [on our political ideas],” said Rachael Mahaffey, chair of Ward 2. “The College brings a lot to this community, but they don’t know anything about soybeans,” she said. Grinnell students voting “changed the flow of the county,” she said.

And Jeff Burkett, 43, a veteran and former recruiter for the military in Grinnell, complained that students had spat on him. “We already have free college and free health care,” he said. “All you have to do is sign on the dotted line and join the military.”

The Poweshiek County Republican Party holds meetings every other Monday at Pagliai’s Pizza. The party’s county convention will take place on March 14.

Bernie Sanders visits Grinnell for a pre-caucus pitch Senator Bernie Sanders speaks at Saints Rest on Saturday, Feb. 1. Photo by Ray Goedeker.

By Ben Mikek [email protected]

With two days remaining until the Iowa Causes, students and community members flocked to Saints Rest to see Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders speak one last time. The event, which lasted about an hour, was an opportunity for the campaign to build enthusiasm and to inspire new volunteers to canvass for the Vermont senator. About 80 attendees made it into the coffee shop, while campaign organizers estimated another 150 had to wait outside to avoid creating a fire hazard.

As Sanders, who was not originally scheduled to attend the event, spoke to supporters on the street outside, Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar highlighted the main points of his campaign.

“There is a beautiful, inclusive America that we export to the world. That beautiful America can exist, and we can make it happen with the help of President Sanders,” she said. “That America is one where there are no homeless people because we are going to invest in ending homelessness. … That America is one that says we are going to ensure that you have clean air and clean water. That America is one that says no kids will be separated from their families at the borders.”

After drawing extended applause, Omar was followed on stage by Washington congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. Jayapal described Sanders’ history of fighting for progressive causes. “I am really proud to be the co-chair of … the Congressional Progressive Caucus. … And guess who was the founder — one of the founders — of the Congressional Progressive Caucus back in 1991: Bernie Sanders,” she said.

Jayapal also compared Sanders to current President Donald Trump. “Let me talk about Bernie Sanders in office, what does that look like,” she asked the crowd. “It looks like a president who doesn’t hold up his finger and see which way the polls are showing in order to fight for what his heart says is right.”

Jane Sanders introduced her husband with an additional personal story. “I met Bernie when he was running for Mayor and I was a community organizer. We … organized a debate, and when he spoke, I felt that he embodied everything I believed in, and decide right then and there I wanted to work with him,” she said. “I can tell you he still embodies everything I believe in.”

Finally, the candidate himself took the stage for 20 minutes, going straight into an aggressive attack on Donald Trump. “What this campaign is about is whether we will continue to keep in office a president who lies all of the time, a president who believes he is above the law, a president who is a racist and a sexist and a homophobe, and a xenophobe and a religious bigot,” he said.

Sanders spent most of his speech reiterating the main points of his campaign. Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, ensuring equal pay, cancelling student debt, and stopping climate change all made prominent appearances.

“Here is my promise to you. We will run an administration that listens to scientists,” he said. “[My administration would] take on the fossil fuel industry, … would tell that industry that their short-term profits are not more important than the future of this planet.”

The 78-year-old senator finished with a call to action. “If there is a low voter turnout on Monday night, we’re going to lose. That’s about it. If there is a high voter turnout, we’re going to win,” said Sanders. “Today, I am here in Grinnell to ask for your help in not only coming out to caucus for us, but in brining your friends and your family, and your co-workers, and anyone else you can find.” The message was well-received in the room, as chants of “Bernie, Bernie” followed the senator out the door, and several students signed up to knock on doors. “This is my first time volunteering [for Sanders],” said Mack Trachtenberg ’23. “I’m fairly politically involved, so I volunteered a lot for NextGen last year, which is nominally non-partisan, but mainly democratic. … But it was more like to get the vote out generally for the midterms. … This is presidential campaign I’m volunteering for.”

While the majority of attendees were students, many community members, and even those from outside Grinnell, came to listen to Sanders, Omar, and Jayapal.

“I’m from California; I came here a couple of days ago to volunteer for Bernie,” said Rohan Jain. “I came to Iowa four years ago also to volunteer, and I decided to come back here because Iowa is the first primary.”

Both Jain and Trachtenberg emphasized Sanders’ honesty as a reason for their support, a sentiment matched by the three introductory speakers.

Campaign volunteers, attendees, and Saints Rest staff all described the event as a success. Cassidy Christiansen ’20, who supports the Sanders campaign and works at Saints Rest, helped organize the event.

“Saints Rest has hosted a lot of political and campaigning events, not just this election series, but in the past, … so there’s a long history of it,” said Christiansen. “The owner, Sam [Cox], is just a huge proponent of free speech and open dialogue.”

Sanders may not be the first, or last, candidate to visit the Grinnell coffee shop, but his campaign is counting on these last minute events to clinch a win in the Iowa caucuses, which will occur on Monday, Feb. 3. Sanders has consistently placed among the top 2 candidates in polls conducted during the second half of January, placing second with 21 percent to former Vice President Joe Biden’s 23 percent in a Jan. 29 Monmouth University poll, and first with 26 percent in a Jan. 26 Emerson College poll.

Grinnell students gain health care skills as nursing assistants in training

By Ben Mikek [email protected]

Grinnell students interested in health professions have a new opportunity to gain experience and a certification at the Mayflower Community. The program, which ran for the first time last summer, sees students taking courses, receiving practical instruction and then working with the community’s older residents to gain practice and experience.

“It was a fun time,” said Onyin Onuegbu ’23, who completed the program this month. “It has honestly widened my scope of practice and my knowledge in the health care field, especially in caring for the elderly residents.”

The second run of the program took place between Jan. 3 and Jan. 17. The course culminates in a certification exam—students who pass become Certified Nursing Assistants, or CNAs. Until now, the program has consisted of 75 hours of training, but according to Vickie Wieck, the program coordinator at Mayflower Community, this will increase to 90 hours this summer.

Contributed

Following the classroom time, students “do what’s called lab time, … where they learn the basics, CNA 101 skills. That’s hands-on, I’m there with them,” said Wieck. “We learn anything from making a bed to oral care, denture care, feeding [residents], moving them—all the skills that they would need when they come into the workforce.”

For many of the student participants, learning these health care basics is an important steppingstone to a career in medicine.

“Currently I’m a pre-health student. … I’m interested in health disparities and access to health necessities, so I figured a CNA is a good way to get patient interaction and … [to do] work with my hands instead of just reading and learning about things,” said Danielle Mydlo ’22, another student who participated in the program this winter.

Gretchen Schreiner ’20, who was among the first group of students to do the certification this summer, took advantage of the program by connecting it to her studies at Grinnell: “I went on to conduct sociology research on aging and dying at Mayflower this summer to suggest policy changes,” she wrote in an email to The S&B. “Combining this research experience with the CNA program allowed me to explore my interests in public health and holistic medicine, while also complementing my biology and sociology majors,”

All the interviewed student participants agreed that the program was a beneficial learning experience.

“[I learned that] you have to be careful, because these patients are fragile,” said Onuegbu. “You also have to give them your respect, because they have lived through life, they know more than you do. It’s all about humbling yourself and making sure that you have fun while you do it.”

For the Mayflower community, though, the training program is just the beginning of a longer process. “[We have] 19 of the students that will now not only begin using their experience and increasing their opportunities for post-grad education and for educational opportunities, we also have a workforce,” said Kellie McGriff, associate director and administrator at the Mayflower Community. Once they have completed the program, students go on to work for Mayflower during their next few years at the College.

“They made it a requirement this time to work 16 hours a month [after the end of the training],” said Mydlo. “I used to work at the Grill, but now, most of my hours will be at the Mayflower; I think I’m going to work like 15 hours a week there.”

The Mayflower Community plans to offer the training course again this summer. Applications should be available during the spring semester. According to McGriff, about half of applicants are accepted to the program. The collaboration is handled at Grinnell by Mary Jane Shroyer at the CLS.

Beep beep! Driving through Grinnell

By Ben Mikek [email protected]

Many Grinnellians are adding more to their workloads this semester and expanding their liberal arts education — not by writing papers or completing problem sets, but by learning to drive.

“[It’s] very slow, very slow. But yeah, it’s fun. I’m hoping to get my license soon,” said Farah Omer ’19. “It’s kind of slow because I have a schedule, but then things come up and I have to stop and do that thing, but I’m hoping, before the semester ends, I can get my driver’s license.”

Omer has now been practicing driving for about a month and says she started learning to drive at Grinnell because she did not get a good opportunity to do so earlier. “I went to boarding school for five years … so I missed a lot of the things that people learn to do between the ages of 14 and 19,” she said.

According to Omer, progress has nevertheless been good. And she isn’t the only Grinnell student learning to drive during their fourth year.

Marysia Ciupka ’19 is also learning the road rules and intricacies of driving as she finishes her final year at the College. She is learning to drive now because she has spent most of the time since her eighteenth birthday outside of her home country, Poland.

“It’s been really fun. I really enjoy it,” she said. “It also has become like a social thing. … When we go for a lesson, we hang out and we talk and catch up, and we also use that time to see the things around the Grinnell area that we wouldn’t have seen without having a car.”

The opportunity to see parts of Grinnell and Poweshiek County was a recurrent theme for the new drivers at Grinnell; both Omer and Ciupka mentioned it as something of a side benefit of learning to control a motor vehicle. Ciupka’s driving instructor, Andrea Baumgartel ’19, also noted the benefits of discovering new locations outside the orbit of the Grinnell campus.

“It’s … fun to show people different places on the outside of Grinnell that they might not have seen before,” she said. “There’s this one abandoned school far out, north of here. Before we’d driven, a lot of people hadn’t seen the [elementary and middle] schools.”

Even if it is an interesting sight, the abandoned school might not be the best place to plan a picnic.

“It looked kind of creepy,” said Ciupka of the same school. “We just got out of the car to check it out, and then this man appears … and he was really scary and he told us to get the fuck out, and he was kind of like threatening us. It was really weird.”

“It almost seemed like something sketchy was going on in that school,” she added, laughing, “as if he was, I don’t know, cooking meth in there or like, hiding dead bodies.”

Luckily, this abnormal encounter seems to have been the scariest moment so far for the student drivers.

“It’s really nice to drive in Iowa, because the roads are emptier,” said Baumgartel. “The biggest thing is watching out for animals and children because that’s always scary.”

There apparently have been no very close calls, aside from a few overshot turns and slowing down too soon for stop signs.

“It was not anything I saw myself doing,” Baumgartel said, who, despite some driving experience, is not a formal instructor. “I’m from Illinois, so I’ve been driving since diapers,” she said. “But these east coast people, they didn’t know where the brake pedal was.”

While it is true that rates of driving proficiency vary with geography, it is not a simple coastal phenomenon. The lowest rates of driver’s licensing in the country, according to the Federal Highway Administration, are in New York, Texas, Minnesota and Utah. The country is led by Indiana, where 864 of every 1,000 residents has a driver’s license.

Yet regardless of your background, it seems that Grinnell is not a bad place to learn to drive. “It is a fun activity that we do. … It’s just an hour that I feel like I take a break from Grinnell and the craziness of the day,” Omer said. “In that sense, it’s also like, when it’s especially nice out, it acts as a break.”

Grinnell’s student athletes attempt to balance work and play Raghu Inturi ’20 is part of the men’s tennis team. He also works at the Kistle Science Library. Contributed photo.

By Ben Mikek [email protected]

The vast majority of Grinnell College students have many scheduling demands on their plates, from attending class and tackling problem sets to work-study shifts and social obligations. But for the one-third of Grinnell College students who participate in one or more sports, balancing their schedule is a particular challenge.

“In terms of balancing it all, yeah, I struggle a lot,” said Raghu Inturi ’20 in an interview with the Scarlet & Black. “I’ve developed strategies for dealing with it, and my time management skills have gotten a lot better.”

Inturi spends about 14 hours each week practicing and competing with the men’s tennis team and another eight hours working at the Kistle Science Library.

“It’s not as difficult as one would think it is, but it’s definitely difficult managing shifts,” Inturi said. “Because of [Tennis] practice, I have to sign up for late night shifts, and I would definitely prefer not to do that.” Abigail Thomson ’19 also works hard to balance her participation in Softball with campus employment at the Fitness Center and at the Sexual Health Information Center.

“For SHIC it’s definitely harder [than for positions in the Bear]. In season, so the spring semester, … I can’t change my softball schedule, so unfortunately, I definitely have to put some pressure on them … I can’t go to all the weekly meetings, and occasionally I’ll have to drop a shift because I have a game or something, but I try to work it out so that … like, I’ll send them ahead of time, these are the days I’m going to miss … so I’ll try to make it work.”

Despite some initial challenges, though, it seems that students who simultaneously work and participate in athletics enjoy some benefits as well. A 2016 study by Kurt Beron and Alex Piquero of the University of Texas at Dallas, for instance, found that student athletes who had jobs on or off campus had higher GPAs than athletes who did not work. It is not clear whether or in which direction this relationship is causal, but both Inturi and Thomson said they had benefited from the experience of working and playing a sport.

“All the positions I work at, I can do a lot of academic work while I’m there, so that’s really not a problem at all,” Thomson said. “Honestly, it’s definitely a lot of time, but for me, I prefer being in season to not, because when I’m really busy like that, I have to be very organized and I have to constantly be working, and for me that kind of keeps me more motivated.”

“We’re in a [Division] III college where academics are above sports, and we come here for academics,” Inturi said.

He also noted an additional benefit of a busy schedule: “You have to question whether you really love all of the things that you’re into, if you really want to continue doing it, which I think is one of the prime benefits of doing tennis and work and extracurriculars and academics all on top of each other. You get to test the waters a bit.”

Some of those time management skills might come in handy in the future; a Purdue University and Gallup Polling study from 2016 found that former student-athletes were about two percentage points more likely to be employed than their classmates, and four percentage points more engaged in their workplace.

Nevertheless, some challenges to working and playing a sport remain. Inturi said that the time commitments of a campus job might set him apart from other members of the tennis team.

“On the team, there’s not too many people with jobs too, so it’s kind of hard to relate to other people in that sense,” he said. “Within the tennis team, it’s not necessarily division, but I guess there kind of is, because whenever I say, oh, I can’t go out tonight or I can’t hang out because I work, no one else on the team has work and can relate in that sense.”

Women’s Basketball ends losing streak in surprising victory against Lawrence University

By Ben Mikek [email protected]

The first month of the season for women’s basketball has had its highs and lows. This week, with the defeat of Lawrence University on Dec. 1, marked the Pioneers’ first away win in nearly two years.

“We came into Saturday’s game really fired up. … We played really up-tempo and tried to push the ball against Lawrence and I think, even though we had a pretty tired team, Lawrence was also tired, and at the end of the day, we were able to put pressure on them and just use our toughness to overcome that,” said team captain Daria Guzzo ’19. “I think we were good on the boards, [and] we had some people really step up in terms of shooting.”

The Pioneer’s Sasha Thomas ’22 scored 18 points and Tyria Heath ’21 added 11 points, which read 61-52 at the end of the game.

The most recent game maintianed a Grinnell College basketball trend: the Pioneers have lost to Lawrence only once since 2008. The victory also brought an end to an away-game losing streak that lasted all of last season.

“Nothing really changed dramatically. I think we have been trying to turn this page of, you know, we’ve been in a lot of close games in the past,” Guzzo said. “We’re obviously more comfortable and love playing in Darby Gym, but … our motto this year is rise up, rise up to the challenge, and that’s kind of what we’ve been going into every game with the mindset of.”

According to Guzzo, the team played up to standard, winning back nine points from early in the game.

“I think the favorite moment was just towards the end of the game where we were up by eight to ten-ish,” Guzzo said. “They came back and got within 6 with like a minute left, which was a little scary, but overall, we got a couple fouls and put a lot of our free throws in at the end. Kind of when we sealed the free throws we knew we were going to win that game … just knowing we had it in the bag and were able to minimize their runs and uptimes.”

The victory against Lawrence followed a narrow 57-62 defeat at the hands of Lake Forest College the night before.

“We played really well on Friday night [Nov. 30]. Unfortunately, we didn’t come out on top against Lake Forest, but we were pretty pleased with the way we played and wanted to correct the things, the little mistakes that we made on Friday night,” Guzzo said.

The Pioneers were also defeated 45-58 at Cornell College on Wednesday, Dec. 5, for the 15th time in a row.

“I think that we can compete with [Cornell College] better than we did last night. We let them bother us on defense, they’re a physical team and they want to push you out and make you uncomfortable, and they succeeded at that last night,” Guzzo said. “That’s something that, when Cornell comes here, we’ll really try to work on from this game last night.”

Now 1-2 in the Midwest conference and 3-5 overall, the Pioneer’s will next play Knox College in Darby Gymnasium this Saturday, Dec. 8, at 1 p.m. Daria Guzzo ’19 goes in a layup against Central College on Thursday, Nov. 8. The team lost 55-59. Contributed photo. Tornadoes tear through Central Iowa

The Marshal County Courthouse was severely damaged in the storm. Contributed photo.

By Ben Mikek [email protected]

Grinnell has been lucky compared to many parts of Iowa this summer, where multiple tornadoes have caused severe damage and various injuries.

According to the National Weather Service, 39 tornadoes have been reported in the state so far this year. The worst day for tornadoes in nearly three years occurred on July 19, when 21 touchdowns occurred throughout the state. Most of those caused no injuries, but two serious events caused a total of 35 injuries, but no deaths.

The worst tornado of the summer passed through central Marshall County on an eight-mile-long path, including Marietta, the central business district of Marshalltown — just 23 miles northeast of Grinnell — and several surrounding neighborhoods. The tornado caused 22 injuries during just 23 minutes, starting at 4:24 pm on July 19.

The National Weather Service rated the tornado a category EF3, meaning that wind speeds exceeded 135 miles per hour. A second EF3 tornado occurred about 20 minutes earlier and passed just northeast of Pella, about 24 miles southwest of Grinnell. That tornado injured 13 people.

In Marshalltown, the tornado destroyed several roofs and cars and damaged brick buildings surrounding the town square. It also knocked down the top of the courthouse cupola.

The monetary extent of the damage remains unclear, but Alliant Energy said in a statement given on July 20, 2018 that more than 5,000 people lost power after the storm struck.

The tornado also damaged the facilities of two of Marshalltown’s largest employers, Lennox International, a heating and air conditioning company, and JBS Swift & Co, a beef processor. Lennox International, according to a company press release, lost about $80 million in equipment and cleanup costs, and expects another $100 million in lost revenue.

The Des Moines Register estimated that between the two large employers, as many as 3,000 jobs have been impacted.

Lynn Olberding, Executive Director of the Marshalltown Chamber of Commerce, was also unsure of the precise extent of the damage.

“The greatest needs for the business community have been working through the insurance process and determining what programs might be available to assist,” Olberding wrote in an email to The S&B.

Even though six weeks have passed since the storm, Marshalltown remains in a state of emergency, as government officials and residents start taking steps to rebuild.

Businesses, according to Olberding, will be a central part of that effort.

“The [Small Business Administration] was in the community approximately two weeks post-tornado and offered low interest loans to small businesses, homeowners, and renters,” she wrote. “We are encouraging residents and visitors to support our impacted businesses who have reopened.”

Some local companies are also stepping up to the plate. Lennox International announced in a press release that they would be donating a total of $500,000 to local charities in the wake of the tornado. JBS announced $1 million dollars in charitable and investment spending in Marshalltown.

Nevertheless, Marshalltown residents face a years-long recovery period. While no one is sure quite how long it will take for life to return to normal, Olberding said that “most who have experience[d] a natural disaster have said [it takes] 4-5 years.”

Despite the potential for long-term difficulties, though, Olberding is optimistic about the future.

“In the long run, I believe Marshalltown will be a better and stronger community as a result of the tornado,” Olberding said. “There are small successes happening every day, but we all know there is a long road ahead. The S&B shares its reaction to The Periodic Table

The menu, walls and decor of The Periodic Table are all chemistry-themed. Photo by Andrew Tucker. By Ben Mikek & Kelly Page [email protected] [email protected]

As late April snow showers continued to decrease the likelihood of May flowers, The S&B’s staff members Ben Mikek and Kelly Page, both ’21, walked the three blocks to The Periodic Table at Hotel Grinnell with one question in mind: is it worth it to make the short trek in order to use the coupons handed out to all Grinnell students earlier this spring?

The beginning of our experience set a relatively low bar. Upon our arrival, it was somewhat unclear where to sit. No staff came onto the scene until five minutes had passed. Nevertheless, we made the best of the time by observing the surroundings.

The Periodic Table, a restaurant situated inside Hotel Grinnell, is one of the newest restaurants in Grinnell. Its big theme is, for obvious reasons, chemistry, with chemical symbols painted on the walls and chemical diagrams on the drinks menu, which did eventually arrive. The decor, though, was a bit eclectic, including cow-themed chairs, a variety of board games nestled in a corner, and a scoreboard from the gym of the middle school that once occupied the same building.

We tentatively selected a metal table near the bar and listened to ’80s music playing on the speaker. Eventually, a very attentive server arrived and, being the only patrons in the restaurant, we were caught up in a whirlwind of almost immediate service for the remainder of our meal.

Though not extensive, the menu contained a tasteful selection of appetizers, salads and main courses, including extensive vegetarian and vegan options.

To begin, each of us ordered a salad, all of which cost $3 in the smallest size. The zoodle salad was centered around the modern innovation of zoodles: zucchinis sliced thin enough that a middle-aged mom could say, “it’s just like pasta but without the carbs!” The salad tasted fresh, and peanuts and basil added nice dimensions to it. The red onion, which can be scary in its uncooked form, was a nice touch. The spinach salad likewise did a good job of balancing sweet (strawberries and dressing) and savory (spinach, walnut and onion) flavors.

For entrees, The Periodic Table offers options in two major categories: bowls and flats, all priced equally at $10. Again seeking diversity in our selections, we selected the green curry bowl and the chicken bruschetta flat. In the curry, to our surprise, the zoodles were back, stirred into the curry as the “seasonal vegetables” the menu promised, along with cauliflower. The zoodles were fun the first time, but placing them twice in a single meal seemed a bit much. The curry itself smelled a lot like coconuts and was just spicy enough to be invigorating without being painful. The chicken bruschetta, by contrast, offered a possibly better experience. As with the salads, the balance between the clashing flavors of chicken, cheese and balsamic vinegar was nearly perfect, and the mozarella was neither too heavy nor too sparse. Combined with the puffy but not overly-thick crust, these positive attributes far outweighed a somewhat odd choice of plate.

For dessert, we shared a raspberry cobbler. The confection seemed to consist of three layers: hot raspberry jam, a pastry which tasted pleasantly like sugar cookies and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Again, the balance of flavors was spot-on. It was a delicious way to end the meal, but at $8 might not have been worth the price.

Overall, The Periodic Table’s strengths include a balance of flavors and a strong dynamic equilibrium (pun intended) between culinary innovation and traditional flavors. On the downside, not all of the menu options are created equal, and particularly given the limited selection, prices are rather high. While it might be a place to visit once or twice with family, The Periodic Table is likely not the ideal restaurant for regular student outings.

Grinnell Orchestra to perform this weekend

By Ben Mikek [email protected]

On March 10, the Grinnell Symphony Orchestra, directed by Visiting Director of Orchestras Jaemi Loeb will perform its first concert of the spring semester. Loeb, who is leading the orchestra during the 2017-2018 academic year while regular director Professor Eric McIntyre is on sabbatical, will direct three pieces. Each piece has distinct musical, emotional and historical differences from the other two pieces.

The concert will begin with Charles Griffes’ “Poem,” featuring a flute solo by Kirsten Gillis ’18, who won the annual concerto competition to place this composition on the program.

“I’ve been playing this piece for over a year now,” Gillis said. “The orchestra has three or four months to learn it and play it, and that can be hard because [the] orchestra has so much less time.”

“Poem” communicates varying emotions.

“[‘Poem’] definitely does have this somber feel to it, but there’s also really fun and uplifting parts of it,” Gillis said. “The beginning is very pensive — I feel like it’s thinking about what’s going to happen — and then all of a sudden you get hit with this fast stuff and it gets really fun.”

“Poem” will be followed on stage by an innovative modern composition, Richard Ford’s “Bolts of Melody.” This piece crosses the boundaries of art forms, musically referencing the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Loeb, who knows the composer who conducted the world premiere of the piece in 2011, has directed “Bolts of Melody” before. The piece contains “quotations from [Emily Dickinson’s] poems, and some sort of exploration of … the concept of finishing a work—what does it mean to be finished?” Loeb said. “That’s a thing that poets, writers, composers, painters, all kinds of artists really struggle with. To me that’s really fascinating because as a performer, that’s not so much an issue; its finished when you walk out on stage and do it.”

After this reflection on completion, the orchestra will close the concert with Prokofiev’s “Lieutenant Kijé,” originally composed as a film score in 1934.

“It’s kind of like celebration music. It kind of sounds as if we were playing for some kind of wedding,” said Mayu Sakae ’20, a violinist. The piece, which maintains notes of humor from its cinematic origins, has deep historic roots.

“‘Lieutenant Kijé’ … from this standpoint sounds very Russian. In [Prokofiev’s] day, there were some naysayers about how Russian his music was,” Loeb said. “He had fled the Soviet Union, and in doing this movie score, he had high hopes of getting into everyone’s good graces.”

The concert, then, will attempt to unite three pieces from very different times and styles. Regardless, members noted teamwork helped the concert become reality.

“It’s really a group effort. … When everyone does it together, it’s just really awesome,” said Marie Spychala ’18, who plays the flute.

The concert will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 10. According to Sakae, there should be one simple takeaway.

“[The audience should leave feeling] encouraged or happy,” she said. “I guess it comes back to the positive attitude.”

The orchestra will perform on Saturday, March 10 at Sebring Lewis. Photo by Sarah Ruiz. Students clash with residents at democratic caucus

Poweshiek County Democratic Party co- chiar John Grennan addresses the caucus- goers on Monday evening. Photo by Sarina Lincoln.

By Ben Mikek [email protected]

Editor’s Note: The previous version of this article stated that the country convention will take place in Grinnell, but it will actually take place in Malcolm, IA. Also, not all members of the Glasson group left after delegates were selected.

Bitter temperatures and even five inches of snow were no deterrent to attendance of the Democratic Caucus for Grinnell’s First Ward, held at the First Presbyterian Church on Monday night. The event was a reminder of the upcoming 2018 midterm elections, in which residents of Grinnell will help choose not only a governor, but also state legislators and federal representatives.

The political backdrop to the Feb. 5 caucus was stark for democrats, who face Republicans in both the White House and the Governor’s Mansion, as well as GOP majorities in both houses at both the state and federal levels. Despite this challenging environment, recent democratic victories in Alabama, Missouri and other states do bode well for Democratic candidates in general. Even in a state where Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by a 10-point margin, Democrats maintain hope of victory at multiple levels. Republicans, meanwhile, hope to maintain or expand their majorities, and are confident in incumbent governor Kim Reynolds.

Before the parties begin to compete against each other, though, each party must select its candidate. In Iowa, this process begins with local caucuses — essentially meetings during which local party members express their preferences for candidates up and down the ballot. To take part in the process in Grinnell’s first ward, which includes the College, 88 constituents attended, debating candidates and positions, and finally choosing delegates for the county convention later this spring.

The caucus began with preliminaries delivered by Poweshiek County Democratic Party co-chair John Grennan, who called the meeting to order and read from a letter by Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price.

The goals, according to Price, are clear for Iowa democrats. “We have our work cut out for us this year: taking back the Iowa House and Senate, electing four democrats to Congress, … and — of course — putting a Democrat back in the Governor’s Office,” he wrote.

Price also emphasized unity, writing, “It is dedicated caucus- goers like you that represent what the Iowa Democratic Party is all about — people coming together from all different backgrounds to fight for our values.”

Unity, though, was far from omnipresent at the event. Cohesion began to deteriorate as participants considered whether to divide into preference groups — groupings of like-minded constituents who agree on a candidate to support.

The central purpose of the caucus is to select delegates for the county Democratic Convention on March 17. Caucuses may proceed in one of two ways. If all those present are generally in agreement regarding the goals of the precinct, then they may elect delegates from among the entire group. If, however, the group is divided on those to support, delegates are awarded to each group proportionally.

With seven declared gubernatorial candidates, the Iowa Democratic Party has many choices for the top of the ticket. The three apparent frontrunners are State Senator Nate Boulton, businessman Fred Hubbell and union leader Cathy Glasson. Supporters of Glasson, a group made up primarily of Grinnell students, were in favor of dividing the caucus by gubernatorial preference. After five minutes of spirited debate and vociferous opposition from a few party members, the Glasson group prevailed and gathered around to discuss their own candidate while others filed to another room to consider their options. The Glasson group numbered 51, while all other participants — a handful of students, and all local residents — numbering 37, remained undecided on a candidate for governor. After a brief reconciliation period during which members of both groups attempted to persuade others to join them, a single person joined the Glasson group, making the totals 52 and 36.

After selecting 14 delegates, many members of the Glasson group began to depart, leaving committee assignments and other party business to the older party members. In the end, the student constituency prevailed on the selection of delegates for the county convention, which will take place in Malcolm, IA on the first Saturday of spring break, March 17. The general election will take place on Nov. 6, 2018.

A simultaneous republican caucus was held at Grinnell Community Senior High School. Organizers could not be reached to provide information on the result by press time.

Supporters of Cathy Glasson chose 14 of the 24 county convention. delegates. Photo by Sarina Lincoln. Student organization on mental health hosts destigmatization event

By Ben Mikek [email protected]

On Nov. 29, organizers of the student group National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) hosted an event focused on the destigmatization of mental illness. Participants listened to stories of mental illness, statistics on the prevalence of mental health problems and a brief presentation on some appropriate ways to handle mental illness, either personally or among friends and acquaintances. “NAMI’s main three goals are advocacy, support and education,” said Rob Marko-Franks ’18, one of the event organizers. “It is all about destigmatization. … We want to fight the stigma and re-define normalcy.”

To help achieve these goals, NAMI collected submissions, many anonymous, from those who have felt the effects of mental illness. Group members read these powerfully personal stories aloud on Wednesday night, waking participants up to the very real mental health struggles around them.

“Mental disorders don’t pick and choose; it can affect anyone,” Marko-Franks said.

The personal impact of mental illness can be viewed not only through personal stories, but also through national statistics. As Marko-Franks pointed out during the event, the National Institutes of Health report that 17.9 percent of Americans — just under one in five — experienced a mental illness during 2015, with the rate somewhat higher (21.7 percent) for those between the ages of 18 and 25. Thus mental illness is highly prevalent and has a large impact. The destigmatization event was designed to spread the word and increase awareness of mental health.

“We’re focused on making sure the student body understands what mental illness is and doesn’t have a stigma about mental illness,” said Nina Galanter ’18, another event organizer.

However, making students aware of mental health issues is only one third of the battle. NAMI seeks to encourage students to act on their awareness and to improve access to and expand mental health resources on campus.

Once students are aware of mental illness, “the best thing is to talk openly about mental health and mental illness, and make sure to be careful with the words you are using,” Galanter said. Moreover, action can take many forms.

“There are many ways to advocate. The popular image of someone who is an activist is someone who is … spending all of their time devoted to a cause, holding posters and shouting. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to be there for someone in need and speak up for them when they can’t speak up for themselves,” Marko-Franks said.

Just spreading the word, according to NAMI, is a large step in the right direction. Once students have been made aware of and inspired to act on mental health issues, they must be empowered to do so. The third role NAMI hopes to play is in providing access to mental health resources, connecting sources of help to those in need.

“A lot of what we want to do is reach out to different student groups and different resources, and kind of get an idea of the web of resources that are available on campus, and see what’s missing and what’s there, and how we can strengthen it,” Marko-Franks said, citing cooperation with Residence Life staff and with Grinnell’s Psi Chi Chapter as examples of outreach to other groups. “Because there are so many tight knight-groups [on campus], it would be really great to have the conversation going in more places.”

NAMI organizers handed out resource cards, listing both confidential and reporting mental health resources on and off campus. Spreading awareness of these resources, even with continuous repetition, noted organizers, may help save students who cannot take the time to find them anew during a crisis.

As far as the prevalence of mental health resources on campus, there is reason to be cautiously optimistic.

“The College has definitely improved with its mental health services, … but I think that there is still a long way to go, especially in getting access to psychiatrists, for example,” Galanter said. “The college environment is still not the best [environment for] mental health. … Faculty need to be aware of how to adequately support students who have mental illness.”

Even though the college environment can be stressful by its very nature, mental health concerns, according to Galanter, should remain near the top of the list of priorities.

By combining destigmatization with awareness-raising and advocacy, NAMI hopes that it is making strides in the right direction for mental health on campus. The group is cooperating with the Grinnell Psi Chi chapter and SHACS to host a Mental Health Resource Fair from 4 to 5 p.m. today.

Robert Marko-Franks ’18 explains the stigmatization of mental illness during a NAMI-led talk event in Loose Lounge on Wednesday. Photo by Reina Shahih