UI The Daily Iowan, IA
04-21-06
Students pitch in at park
Colin Burke - The Daily Iowan
After UI Student Government senator Ben Harringa helped dislodge a broken
tree limb, he felt he proved his manliness.
"Well, I don't have to prove my masculinity for the next four years," he said.
In a joint effort between the UI and the Iowa State University student
governments, executives and volunteers pulled on the work gloves and grabbed
trash bags Thursday afternoon to help Iowa City clean up Hickory Hill Park, 1439
Bloomington St.
UISG President Peter McElligott said the students got together around 1 p.m.
and found a variety of debris, including a pickup truck's bed topper, roof shingles,
and fiberglass insulation.
He said the student-government interests extend beyond university students.
"We're also committed to getting the city back on its feet and helping out anyway
we can," he said.
And so far, the project hasn't been limited to local service.
ISU student-government President Emily Jensen said as part of a project called
"Help the Hawks," she and fellow executives decided to join UISG in place of
class and VEISHEA activities.
"This is a really good way to show that students care about other students and
have to help each other out," she said.
The Iowa State student government's chief lobbyist, Nate Zoromski, swam the
proverbial extra lap to clear out the park. Zoromski, a ISU senior, went into a
nearby creek to remove a large piece of plywood.
He said he and Jensen lent a hand because they expected the same from the UI.
"We knew that you guys would do the same if something happened to us,"
Zoromski said.
A UISG senator Laura Fredrickson followed fellow officials Harringa, Adam
Large, and Sean Brady on the trail and into the park's deep woods, she said
significant progress had been made clearing the area and relished the
opportunity to assist.
"It's been a lot of fun being outside on this gorgeous day doing something for the
city," she said.
City workers were on hand to cut down trees.
Undergraduate Activities Senate Executive Mark Anthony Dingbaum said he
received an overwhelming number of requests from students to volunteer.
The student officers plan on returning to the park on April 23.
E-mail DI reporter Colin Burke at:
colin-burke@uiowa.edu