The Good
Drake University is right on target. The Bulldogs enrolled 863 first-year students this fall to meet the targeted enrollment level for the entering class which they believe will maintain the optimum size of the University along with the quality of the Drake experience and sense of community. In the two previous years, Drake saw class sizes at 902 and 924, respectively, but set the target well below entering this school year. Drake’s idea of smaller incoming classes has paid off — the university is at an all-time high for retention rate for first-year students returning for their sophomore year. At 89.4 percent, the school ranks in the top 10 percent of all four-year institutions in the country for retention.
Your pocketbook likes where you live. Tradeshow Week recently named Des Moines No. 1 for affordability for the second year in a row. The announcement, which appeared in the Sept. 7 edition, says that locals and visitors can do a lot in Des Moines for less. Rankings were determined by Tradeshow Week editorial staff from data collected within the federal government. Statistics showed the dollars go further in Iowa’s capital city and that Des Moines’ cost effective hotel rate and restaurants contribute to its ranking. For more insight on Des Moines’ top-spot notch, visit www.tradeshowweek.com.
The Bad
We know from experience that the University of Iowa is a wild and crazy party school. Now the data confirms it. According to a recent U.S. News and World Report survey, University of Iowa freshman are the least likely to return for a second year of school when compared to freshman at other Big Ten schools. The average annual freshman retention rate is 83.5 percent, which is the worst in the Big Ten, with Northwestern leading the pack with 96.8 percent. The retention figures are part of the magazine’s Best Colleges 2010 survey. Kids appear to be coming from smaller towns and are unable to adapt to the free flowing party lifestyle, leaving their parents with the tuition costs while they cure their hangovers.
Does “Big Brother” go too far? This is the question officials are asking after nine young women in Turkey were duped into appearing in Internet pornography after starring in a fake “Big Brother”-style reality show called “Somebody’s Watching You.” Contestants became suspicious after the show failed to follow the usual format, and naked pictures of the women were sold online. The victims were released from the luxury villa in Istanbul, and one Turkish man was arrested. There’s nothing like naked Turkish women to build Web traffic.
The Ugly
Being strip searched by a police officer is ugly, but when it happens by teachers in a high school, without police presence, — it’s unfathomable. On Aug. 21, Atlantic teachers ordered five girls to submit to a strip search after reports of a student’s money missing during gym class. The student, along with a female counselor, watched the five girls take off their clothes, lift up their underwear and in one student’s case, strip completely nude. The girls told their parents that gym teacher Tim Duff consulted with Assistant Principal Paul Croghan, then called in a female counselor to supervise the search in the locker room. No money was found. Last week, school officials insisted board policy was followed, but placed an unidentified school administrator on leave. These girls now stand to make a lot more than $100. We hope the district has strong legal counsel.
With their fancy art and hoity toity wine, the French claim they can think outside the box. They should start looking inside. Jean-Pierre Treiber, a double murder suspect, escaped prison by hiding in a cardboard box he built. He is believed to have hidden himself in the box when he was left alone in the prison’s workshop. The box was then loaded onto a truck that left the prison. Because he told officials he had a meeting with his parole officer, French prison guards did not realize Treiber was missing for seven hours. But what can we expect from a country known for fries, ticklers and kissing? CV
