Report alleges AgriSol is associated with human rights violations in Tanzania: Daily Iowan Reader, July 9

Report alleges AgriSol is associated with human rights violations in Tanzania

Lives on Hold, a report released today by the Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and the Oakland Institute alleges that the Iowa-based firm AgriSol Energy is responsible in part for human rights abuses against more than 160,000 refugees in Tanzania — an accusation which the agricultural firm vehemently denies.

AgriSol Energy Tanzania, the Tanzanian arm of Iowa-based AgriSol Energy, is named in the report as being indirectly responsible for the Tanzanian government’s eventual relocation of the former Burundian refugees from the Katumba and Mishamo settlements to make room for a large commercial farm. The chief executive officer of AgriSol Energy is Bruce Rastetter, who sits on the state Board of Regents.

But AgriSol Energy denies having any influence in the Tanzanian government’s decision to relocate the refugees.

Reached in New York City, AgriSol Energy Tanzania’s Director of Communications Henry Akona spoke on behalf of the company and Rastetter.

“AgriSol has absolutely nothing to do with the refugees in Katumba and Mishamo,” Akona said. “We were considering those areas a few years ago, but we have suspended any plans because the land is occupied.”

The report, researched by the California-based think tank, Oakland Institute, claims the Tanzanian government is burning down the refugees’ homes and crops, violating their freedom of speech, and providing inequitable social services in an effort to force the refugees out of their homes.

Read more here.

Revamped biology Ph.D. program aims to double admissions

UI Biology Department officials say renovations in the Ph.D. program will better train students for careers in science through collaboration and seminar opportunities.

Josh Weiner, head of the IBIO program and associate professor in the department, said the new program — to be implemented in the fall of 2013 — will attract students interested in big-picture puzzles in basic biology.

“We are rebooting the grad program,” he said. “We compete for students with other institutions and other overlapping UI programs, like the biosciences and interdisciplinary programs. We want to attract the kind of students who are most interested in big issues in basic biology.” 

Last year, four new students enrolled in the biology Ph.D. program, but Weiner wants to double those admitted. The program has 33 Ph.D. students; Weiner said the program used to house 50 before severe state and Graduate College budget cuts reduced the number.

Weiner said there aren’t many departmental graduate programs around anymore, noting many have merged to create interdisciplinary focuses.

Read more here.

David Fitzgerald reflects on 25 years as a UI career advisor

Despite spending his early years in agriculture, David Fitzgerald wound up working as a career adviser at the University of Iowa for the last 25 years — a position he will leave this week.

During that time, he has witnessed many changes, from students using hard-copy résumés prepared by professional typists to today’s electronic portfolios as well as changes in student attitudes about the value of their degrees and their outlook on job prospects after graduation.

“Two goals of mine for going into counseling were to help others get the kind of valuable advice that had been offered to me by a guidance counselor but also do something good with my life,” Fitzgerald said. 

Read more here.

Two UI alumni re-visit Iowa City to screen Sundance film

“Under the circumstances, how would you feel?”

Audiences in Room 101 of the Becker Communications Building on Saturday were asked this question repeatedly as they attended a screening of the independent film An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, created by Terrance Nance and James Bartlett,  both alumni of the University of Iowa’s Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) and McNair Scholars Program.

SROP/McNair, programs offering underrepresented undergraduate students with in-depth research experience and preparation for graduate work, sponsored the screening of An Oversimplification of Her Beauty. 

The film was accepted into the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, among dozens of other film festivals, and was written, directed, and starred in by Nance, while long-time friend Bartlett served as the movie’s executive producer.

Using inspiration from Nance’s real life experiences, animation sequences developed by a large team of animators and enough creativity to spare, Nance and Bartlett documented the events and emotions surrounding a sometimes romantic, sometimes platonic, almost always confusing relationship Nance had with Namik Minter, who also starred in the film.

Read more here.

Prime Time League: Aaron White leads in losing effort

Losing isn’t easy. 

The best competitors however, can rebound and use losing as motivation —  LeBron James lost in his first two trips to the NBA Finals but wouldn’t be denied on his third, the Boston Red Sox lost for 86 years before winning another World Series, the United States Ice Hockey team lost seven Olympic gold medals to Canada and the Soviet Union before finally winning one of their own.

Usually things turn around for the losers, eventually.

Iowa’s Aaron White, however, is learning what it’s like to be a leader on a team that can’t seem to catch a break.

White and head coach Ron Nove’s team lost a close game on Sunday to head coach Kevin Lehman’s team, 100-97.

“Every game isn’t going to go your way,” White said. “Can’t let the high’s get to high and the low’s get to low. You have to keep grinding.” 

But instead of giving up, White responded to the challenge.

Read more here.

Commentary: Injured USA hoops team can still earn gold

The USA basketball team took the gold medal away from Spain in Beijing, even when it wasn’t expected to. The U.S. will try to do it again in London this year.

This year’s roster just looks a little different from what it did four years ago.

Injuries played a role in the lockout-shortened NBA season, and they’ve also transferred into the process of selecting the men who will try to bring the gold medal back. Previous spot holders Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Derrick Rose, and Dwight Howard all faced injuries at some point during the NBA season that have prevented them from playing in the London Games later this month.

Even one of the potential replacements, the NBA draft first pick Anthony Davis wasn’t able to try out because of an ankle injury suffered during a Hornets’ workout. This brings us to the million-dollar question: Will these injuries prevent the USA from repeating? 

Probably not.

Read more here.

PCP: Should UI be participating in the e-book study?

No

Although Prairie Lights and UI are making changes for the future of e-books, the books are still questionable in their use. 

They may lighten the load in your backpack and save trees, but some studies have found that students don’t learn any better in an electronic format and that more than often, the results are worse. 

The problem with pioneering the use of e-books is that we’re pioneering: testing something that’s not guaranteed to be beneficial for learning. The positive outcome of e-books should be established before we pursue it, and the UI is not the place it should be tested.

Yes

Last semester, I took five classes, and three of them had all of the reading material online — and that was wonderful. I only had to purchase two textbooks — one which I forgot to open the entire semester — but the electronic material was hugely useful, and I still have some of the more valuable readings saved to my computer today.

The University of Iowa is participating in a research project with McGraw-Hill to examine the effects of e-books in classrooms. This is great for the university because e-books will likely prove successful, and if not, any program that studies ways to cut costs and increase efficiency is beneficial.

Read more here.