To the editor:

John McCarroll’s utterly condescending remarks toward Sara Ziegler in his Feb. 21 letter are exactly the kind of brush-off students and taxpayers get at Iowa State University under President Martin Jischke.

Ziegler commented intelligently and articulately on the malaise at Iowa State — that the proverbial cheap seats are not as important as fat cat donors, she wrote.

Yet, McCarroll dismisses Ziegler’s criticism of the university’s misplaced priorities as “rumor and unfounded complaints.”

But when it comes to ISU policy on Hilton Coliseum, and a good number of other matters, it is McCarroll who is ignoring the facts. One need only look back to last year’s special election on the hotel and restaurant tax—a scheme cooked up and publicly endorsed by the ISU administration to afford high dollar donors luxury seating in Hilton at the expense of the cheap seats.

Both the ISU Democrats and the College Republicans opposed the plan — citing a lack of consideration for students. The Iowa State Daily editorialized against the move. And with the help of organizer Bill Kunerth and some student-friendly faculty, the measure was soundly defeated. So much for rumor and unfounded complaints.

McCarroll also criticizes Ziegler’s description of ISU funding. He alleges that Ziegler failed to discuss the largest single source of money: taxpayers.

It is so hypocritical for McCarroll to play taxpayers against students when he knows that his boss, Martin Jischke, prioritizes neither.

Ziegler eulogizes teaching at Iowa State University. And for good reason.

In point of fact, industry-driven research, including Ames Labs, is the number one expenditure at Iowa State University. Not teaching. That isn’t a cliche. That is fact. But because Jischke knows Iowans demand teaching be priority one, that’s what he and his flunkies tell the Legislature, the regents and the voters. Sheer hypocrisy.

Jischke has admitted that the first five years of his tenure — half the time he’s been on campus — brought advances in research and extension, but not similar advances in teaching. Despite token efforts and lip service since, teaching and infrastructure dedicated to students have never quite caught up, according to ISU financial reports. And according to the Carnegie Foundation, Iowa State isn’t a “Teaching 1” institution, it is a “Research 1” institution. It’s time for Iowa to face facts about Iowa State under Martin Jischke, even if John McCarroll won’t. Sign a copy of the petition at www.public.iastate.edu/~aaup and send it to [email protected].

David Cmelik

Alumnus

Iowa City