Mom, Dad of Year Honored at Game
Valerie Suchomel of Fairfax, Iowa, and David Reid Clark of Monmouth, IL, were honored at the Iowa-Illinois football game Nov. 6 as 1999 University Mom and Dad of the Year.
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| From left: Valerie Suchomel, Brooke Suchomel, Adrienne Clark and David Clark. |
They were selected on the basis of letters written by their children, Brooke Suchomel and Adrienne Clark.
Suchomel, a dental assistant and inside salesperson for Hamilton Avnet, is a caring, constantly attentive single mother for Brooke and her brother, Brooke’s letter says. "I have never had to go far to visit my mother, father, big sister, and best friend, for she has concurrently played all of these roles for me throughout my life," the letter says, in part. Brooke credits her mother for being with her during a difficult bout of anorexia a few years ago, and says her goal now is to be an eating disorders therapist with her mother as her model.
Clark is a criminal defense attorney, active in the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and Warren County War Memorial Foundation. He founded and directed the Monmouth Shooting Stars girls Basketball League and coached girls’ basketball teams to three national championships. Adrienne’s letter lists numerous awards and commendations.
Calling her dad a "silent leader," she said, "We received his trust freely; it didn’t have to be earned but it could be lost. I credit my success and ability to resist many high school peer pressures to the simple fact that I didn’t want to let my dad down."
Tuition Increase Approved by Regents
A 4.3 percent increase in student tuition for Iowa’s three regents universities was approved in late October. The regents’ action means in-state tuition and fees will increase in Fall 2000 by $206 to $3,204, compared with $2,998 in 1999-2000.
The regents also approved an increase in mandatory fees for The University of Iowa. The $154 increase will be split over two years, with $76 for 2000-01 and an additional $78 in 2001-02. The fees will cover the costs of student activities and services formerly funded by tuition, allowing the same amount of tuition revenue to be used for academic programs. Iowa now funds these activities in the same way as other Big Ten universities.
Despite the increases, Iowa still is by far the lowest in the Big Ten in both categories. In 1998-99, the most recent academic year for which there are comparison figures, student fees charged by public Big Ten universities ranged from $1,146 at Illinois to the $302 charged by Iowa.
The increased fees will cover the following improvements:
- $600,000 for student
financial aid.
- $1.1 million to
revitalize the library system, hire full-time librarians in all collegiate
libraries, and expand library hours.
- $1 million for
a comprehensive writing excellence program.
- $1.1 million for instructional equipment, improving student access to computers.
Experimental Classroom Opens
A new Experimental Learning Facility outfitted with 24 notebook computers capable of operating on wireless network and Internet connections is available for use in the English-Philosophy Building. The facility was developed in partnership with Gateway, Inc.
This facility is a pilot project for the University, testing future technological enhancement of classrooms on campus.