Interviews

My year-long internship after I graduate requires me to talk to many, many different people. We meet and more often than not I'll be listening and asking questions. Odd, how my journalism class is aiding me in my future job skills!

I've got my major interview "in the bag," so-to-speak. I'll be having a quick meeting at Brewed Awakenings on Thursday with Ashley Lungstrom. Lungstrom, a current senior at Coe College, had an apartment off campus during the flood of '08. Her second story apartment was untouched by the flood waters but her apartment building was closed off to her for many months. Even still, I don't know if Lungstrom has been able to go back and receive all of her items.

My second interview I hope to secure is with Anya Gersib, who also is a current senior at Coe. Gersib frequented the Piano Lounge last year and often brought a lot of Coe students with her. I hope to find out how the temporary closure of the Piano Lounge has affected the nightlife of Coe students.

Weather

The citizens of Cedar Rapids are nervous. Grey clouds burdened with heavy rain roll across the skies and the same question drips from everyone's lips, "what about the river?"

Last year, on Thursday, June the 12th, was the Epic Surge. The river peaked at 31 feet and devastated the whole downtown of Cedar Rapids.

I have a journal entry about this experience that I'd like to share.

The vivid colors of my memories were utterly soluble.

How the flood affects Coe financially

President Phifer addressed the school on Tuesday, March 24th about Coe College's finances and the rising cost of tuition.

"We've got a real, old fashioned recession going on here," says Phifer as he addresses the small group of students who chose to attend the meeting. The impact of the recession is compounded by flood damages that resulted in the loss of a city steam plant that powered the campus.

"I'll be candid with you. We're going to take a big hit in our endowments." Phifer addressed the students very personally, as if he was back in a classroom teaching again.

Phifer explained the average loss of endowment is 40% in private colleges. Pfiher reassured the students that the school made wise investments and suffered a modest downturn at 8%. "And I expect some recovery from that," adds Phifer.

This downturn affects tuition and is part of the reason Coe College students have seen an increase. Students next year will also be billed an energy surcharge for the additional costs in maintaining steam power to the campus. The surchage does not pay for the new steam plant, it pays for the additional energy costs from the rise in the basic cost of steam.

Coe College is uniting with St. Lukes and plans to create a small steam plant to heat both institutes. The total cost of the plant is projected at 4.6 million, and the new steam plant would be built on St Lukes property, directly across from Murray Hall.

Coe would come up with 1/3 of the cost of the steam plant.

"I'm cautiously optimistic that we're going to get help from the government" says Phifer. He has traveled to Washington, D.C. in hopes of receiving a grant to pay for the plant. Phifer says we have a "compelling case to department of Congress."

The new plant will use natural gas; which is is twice the cost of coal.Phifer hopes to sign a 5 year contact of natural gas at the price of $6 and roll the costs into the college's budget.

Coe received a total of 1.5 billion dollars in damages because of the flood - including the cost of the new steam plant. Coe does have 1 million dollars in flood insurance.

Newspeg source summary

One of the least considered damages from the flood is the affect it has on college students. Coe College students have lost the opportunity to explore their college hometown's history, enjoy the city's entertainment and night life and have a chance to be involved in their city.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette has many times addressed the issues of damages lost to the historic Czech Village. In the Gazette's Czech Village business survives 50 years, flood damage, the article supplements the point of how Coe College students have lost the opportunity to learn about the historic downtown Czech Village because of flooding. Thankfully, stores are being refurnished and returning to the town and people are hopeful of the Czech Village returning.

Czech Village is only one of the cherished places colleges students have lost. USA Today wrote an article Cedar Rapids struggling 9 months after flood , saying that it'll take up to 10 years before things will return to normal and historic downtown houses will be lost.

Gazette Live Chats also give us an insight to flood recovery and loss by live chats with professional historians, persons on the city council and news coverage. The sources discusses lost city history, the closings of downtown restaurants and night life and the desertion of downtown activity.

News Peg Idea: How Floods Affect Coe Students

It was pure inspiration.

Originally I was planning to interview Gazette staff to write a news peg about newspapers embracing online content and changing their paper in accordance to the current financial & advertising crisis.

Then I remembered all the times I've discussed the flood of '08 and it's impact on the city and its residents. And almost every time I could only be surprised at how little college students knew about the national disaster that hit their college hometown.

As I tweeted earlier, I want to educate the students on how the flood affects them.


One of my goals will be to not only educate the students, but to bring about awareness and encourage active community awareness or assistance via volunteer work, donations and a becoming a voice in city planning.

I might also bring up the issue of city planning and the proposals to make Cedar Rapids more like the college town it should be (read: downtown living, late night activities, non alcoholic activities/ activities for persons under 21, etc).

The Beginning

This blog will be used for a Coe College journalism class.

Welcome.

Who knows what I will post next!