Briefly
Composting begins
in IMU River Room
University Housing and Dining recently began composting food waste in the Iowa Memorial Union (IMU) River Room Café.
Customers can place most of their food and beverage waste in compost bins located in the River Room. All to-go food containers, plates, and tableware in the River Room and coffee cart also are compostable.
University Housing and Dining has been composting River Room kitchen waste since September, while kitchen composting has been collected at Hillcrest and Burge residence halls since 2007. Approximately one ton of food waste from UI dining areas is composted each week at the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center.
Bob James, assistant director for retail in Housing and Dining, says the composting program diverts waste from the landfill and provides a useful product that can be used on campus and in the community. It also helps the university reach its goal of reducing 60 percent of its waste by 2020, he adds.
Iowa offering MFA in
Spanish Creative Writing
The University of Iowa is building upon its
superior reputation in creative writing with a new graduate degree in Spanish creative writing.
Offered through the Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the MFA is one of only three in the nation; the others exist at the University of Texas–El Paso and at New York University. UI officials say the new MFA program will stand out because of its connections to the university’s renowned creative writing programs—the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the International Writing Program—and because of Iowa City’s reputation as an international cultural center, recognized by its designation as a UNESCO City of Literature.
The UI has offered Spanish creative writing courses at the undergraduate level for five years, and the courses have been incredibly popular, attracting more than 400 students in 20 sections annually. The graduate program will consist of 30 students at a time, with 15 graduating each year.
