Students in the honors program at Iowa State will have the opportunity to observe and learn about the wide-range of cultures in San Francisco this weekend at the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference.

“It’s an opportunity to come together and network through a series of social events,” said program assistant Andrew Ryder.

Elizabeth Beck, coordinator of the honors program at ISU, said attending the conference is very popular among honor program students at the university.

“Over the years, we’ve had the best record for bringing the most students to these conferences,” she said.

Beck said it is unusual for a large number of students to attend the conferences for several consecutive years.

“They [students] get really excited and they talk to each other about it,” she said. “They talk to the students in the freshman honors program … the grapevine really works.”

One of the highlights of the conference is the “City as Text.” Students explore a neighborhood or area of the city in small groups for about three hours, Beck said.

Sophomore Anne Campbell, from West Des Moines, said she enjoyed last year’s “City as Text” in Pittsburgh, Pa.

“I got a chance to meet Andy Warhol’s brother,” she said.

“Last year, I saw cocaine being passed openly on the street and the most blatant racism. It’s amazing what you see and learn,” Campbell said.

It was different seeing illicit acts like drug deals happening in the open streets of Pittsburgh versus the naive “not in my back yard” sentiment of Ames, Campbell said.

Before an ISU honors program student was able to choose to go on an unguided tour of Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Park, Market Street and Coit Tower in San Francisco, a $180 registration deposit had to be paid.

“We knew the financial commitment would be steep,” Ryder said.

Sending the nine honors program students totaled about $8,000, according to a memo from Beck. Students will pay for the cost of their meals and entertainment outside of the conference. The University Honors Program Committee gave the students $1,350 to help pay for the trip.