Cory's blog

Former Governor Terry Branstad visited Morningside College to discuss his run for the governorship in Iowa.  Many may wonder why Branstad is running for governor after already holding the office for 4 terms nearly two decades ago.  Branstad cleared that one up pretty easily, “I wanted to run for Governor because I love Iowa, and I couldn’t stand to watch the mess that it’s in.”  The “mess” that he’s primarily referring to is the unemployment rate which has skyrocketed to nearly 8.6%.  Branstad was firm on the belief that he could turn this economy around like he did last time he was in office. Nick Buth, a student at Morningside College, thinks that it might be possible, “I think that he won’t be able to do it in only one term of office, I don’t think anybody in their right mind would be able to.”  In other words, maybe Branstad isn’t necessarily the right answer.  Maybe the economy just needs a few years to right itself out and things can possibly return to normal.  Who is the right answer in this years election? Terry Branstad or Chet Culver?  Maybe neither is the right answer.  Soon enough we’ll find out.

Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity is hosting its 3^rd annual Sigs Stand Against Breast Cancer throughout all of Homecoming week at Morningside College.  From Monday night at 7:30 until Saturday at 6:00 P.M. somebody of the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity will be standing on a box in front of the Olson Student Center 24 hours a day, all day and all throughout the night.  All donations and proceeds will be donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  The first year of the event, the Sigs raised over $4,500, second year of the event they raised $2,800, the goal this year, however, is to raise at least $3,500.  A lofty goal many may think to accomplish but one that the members of the fraternity believe is possible.  Vice-President of the Sigs, Tim Smith, a senior at Morningside believes that this year will be a better year for a number of reasons, “We’re down in numbers this year in terms of the number of people that can help out at the box, but I firmly believe that even with these low numbers we can still accomplish much.”  Smith added, “We’re going to try and focus more on the professors and students directly, whether it be walking around the buildings here on campus and going to professors offices asking for donations or going to the dorms and knocking on students doors.  We want to make this as successful as possible because this is a great cause and we strongly believe in it.”

Many people may be wondering how this event got started in the first place.  It all started back in 2008 when then President of Delta Sigma Phi, Ryan Lickteig, got the idea that his group needed to do something to help better the community and to improve their standing with Morningside College President John Rynders.  “We really weren’t on President Rynders most loved list at the time, but I was trying to think of a way to help improve our standing at the college and with the community,” Lickteig went on, “I was surprised at how quick I found a cause to help donate our time to, I got into contact with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure here in Sioux City and I told them that our Fraternity would help raise funds for Breast Cancer Research and we would make it a weeklong event throughout homecoming and hopefully it would be a huge success.”  And so it was born, on a cold Sunday night, starting at midnight just after a chapter meeting had concluded, the box was laid out in front of Olson Student Center and a legacy was started.  “We had people walking by the next day looking at us wondering, you know, what the heck is going on here?  Professors were walking by and going, well it’s about time guys, and giving us huge smiles and reaching for their wallets and donating day in and day out.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that this would be such a huge success to us a fraternity and to the community as well.” Lickteig said.

How big was that first year then?  To make it more fun for the guys standing at the box, the guys decided to dance to the hit dance song “Cupid Shuffle” at least three times a day, even dancing in the middle of street holding up traffic and getting people to step out of their cars just to donate.  There was a buzz going on around the city, soon enough, the Sioux City Journal and several local TV stations came by and started putting stories together about the event and asking why they were doing this. $4,500 was raised that first year and Ryan says he could not be more proud of what has become of the event, “We now have Sig Alumni coming back for homecoming just for the box alone, just to see the looks on their faces and to have them compliment us on a job well done, it feels so rewarding and we hope that the community has embraced us for it because we’ve embraced them.” Lickteig beamed.  Hopefully it will become a long standing tradition with the fraternity and the community.  If the Sigs manage to raise at least $2,800, they will eclipse the $10,000 mark in only three years.