(Ames, Iowa) – Despite delays and other challenges faced by universities and students this past FAFSA cycle, state university officials said during an Iowa Board of Regents meeting Wednesday, in Ames, they share some optimism for the new cycle set to begin this winter. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports admissions leaders from the state’s public universities presented to the board of regents about the impacts of the last FAFSA cycle on enrollment numbers and demographics for this fall and expressed their hope for the next go-around, even with another scheduled delay.

University of Northern Iowa Director of Admissions Terri Crumley said that while universities saw the biggest change in the FAFSA form itself being delayed from October to December, the greatest impacts of a FAFSA cycle plagued with stops and glitches was the fact that they didn’t start receiving financial aid reports until mid-March. The delay, as well as further issues with the data universities were receiving, caused financial aid awards to be pushed back until April, which Crumley said created challenges for both families and financial aid staff at colleges. UNI serves a higher percentage of low-income and first-generation students than its peers, she said, and not being able to work with them consistently on figuring out financial aid was difficult.

The University of Iowa saw a record number of applications this spring, Assistant Provost and Executive Director of Admissions Kirk Kluver said, and a few thousand students had already accepted their offers, but staff had no way of knowing how enrollment would turn out once financial aid offers went out. Financial aid records began to trickle in on March 12, and just over a month later, the university started sending out offers. Kluver said the UI ended up with enrollment numbers right around its target, at just over 5,200 first-year students and more than 1,000 transfer students. While first-year student applications at the UI were up 8.1%, the number of those applicants who also filled out the FAFSA had decreased by 8.3% from last year, Kluver said.

Nationally, the number of high school seniors who filled out the FAFSA is down 9%, according to the National College Attainment Network. Of the enrolled first-year class, FAFSA filings dropped from 87% to 86% while Pell Grant recipients increased by almost 2% to 19.3%, which Kluver said he’s heard has been common across the U.S. Other areas of concern included the share of first-generation students, which remained steady at around 20%, and first- to second-year retention rates, which Kluver said hit 90%.

Iowa State University Assistant Vice President and Executive Director of Admissions Katharine Suski said during the presentation that the delays with the financial data looked to have a larger impact on nonresident students, both out-of-state and international, than on Iowa students. Nonresident students waited longer to make their enrollment decisions after financial aid offers were released, Suski said, which in turn delayed enrollment and budget management, housing coordination and orientation attendance, among others. However, ISU saw acceptances and enrollment from resident students throughout the FAFSA cycle.

Some students are still having issues even after getting their FAFSA submitted, Kluver said. The UI has found about 200 students who haven’t had their financial aid disbursed despite getting the form filed and accepting awards. The university has waived any late fees and is working with the impacted students to figure out their aid. Financial aid teams at the universities are still looking into impacts from other changes to the FAFSA, such as changes to applicants coming from families with farms or businesses, or who have multiple students in college at the same time. Kluver said the UI saw several students come in and try to find solutions to the possibility of their aid being reduced as a result of these shifts.

Next year’s FAFSA will be released fully to the public on Dec. 1 after a phased rollout to certain groups starting in October. In past years, the form has become available to all students in October, but Kluver said those in higher education are feeling confident about the timeline.

Kluver and others at Iowa’s universities are “eagerly awaiting to see if things go as planned on Dec. 1,” he said, and are hoping for a positive outcome of receiving financial aid records by mid-December.

“Looking ahead, however, we are optimistic, as we always are in admissions,” Crumley said.

(Radio Iowa) – Members of the Des Moines-founded heavy metal band Slipknot will make appearances at two central Iowa stores this week to meet fans and promote their new Iowa whiskey. Cory Meiners, spokesman for Fareway Stores, isn’t sure how many members of the band will be at today’s (Thursday) event at the Pleasant Hill grocery store, but he’s expecting at least a thousand Slipknot fans, known as Maggots.

The band will sell two types of Slipknot-branded whiskey, a regular bottle for around 35-dollars and a “reserve” version at 70-dollars, though no purchase is necessary meet the band and snap a photo. Slipknot is hosting a similar event at the Hy-Vee Wall to Wall Wine and Spirits in West Des Moines on Friday.

The band’s Iowa Knotfest 2024, a day-long concert featuring multiple acts, is Saturday at Water Works Park in Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa) – Some FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers will be closing soon and the federal agency is making a call to those who may not have signed up for help yet. FEMA spokesperson Sharon Karr.”We always try to reach everyone possible who may have been affected,” Karr says. Karr says families with diverse immigration status, including adults who are in the country illegally, may still apply for assistance if another adult member of the household meets the eligibility criteria. Or if they are the parent or guardian of a minor child who is a U-S. citizen, non-citizen national or a qualified non-citizen and they apply for assistance on behalf of the child.

“We have 28 languages that we can get out for people. We try to translate everything here in the Iowa,” she says. Karr says the quickest way to check your eligibility is to go to a disaster recovery center if there is one still open in your area. You can also go online.”We have Disasterassistance.gov if they’re comfortable going on to the website, and they can apply online there. The phone, it’s the 1-800-621-3362, that’s a direct line to FEMA, and they can also hook up an interpreter over the phone,” Karr says. You can also download the FEMA app.

Residents of Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Humboldt, Lyon, Monona, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, Sioux and Woodbury counties are eligible for FEMA assistance under the Federal Disaster Declaration.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – A man from Red Oak was arrested late Wednesday evening on a charge of Public Intoxication. Red Oak Police report 60-year-old Michael Robert Aguirre was arrested at around around 7-p.m. in the 200 block of N. 2nd Street. Aguirre was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Des Moines, Iowa/Radio Iowa) – A 53-year-old health care worker from Webster City claimed a one-million dollar Powerball prize on Wednesday at the Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive. Lynne Kannuan says she bought the ticket at a local grocery store for the drawing back on August 5th and stuffed it in her purse. While she usually waits weeks before checking for any winners, that wasn’t the case this time. Kannuan says, “The following day, my best friend from Arkansas had messaged me on Facebook, and she said, ‘Somebody from Fareway in Webster City won the Powerball ticket. Did you buy a ticket from there? Check your ticket, if you did,’ and I’m like, ‘Umm, okay, what time and what Fareway?'” Kannuan dug out the ticket, got online and verified she’d indeed matched the first five numbers but missed the Powerball.

She says, “I had to check the numbers twice to make sure, and then I got up slowly, walked straight to my boss’s office, and I said, ‘Umm,’ and she goes, ‘What? What’s going on, Lynne?’ and I’m like, ‘I think I won a million dollars.'” Kannuan told her husband about the win right away, but then they stayed quiet for about six weeks as they consulted with a lawyer and financial planner, before coming in to claim the prize. How will the winnings be spent?

Lynne Kannuan (IA Lottery photo)

“My plan is to pay off some bills, invest some, and then maybe give a little to my siblings,” Kannuan says, “then upgrade my car.” Kannuan and her husband both immigrated to the United States from Laos as children.

Three other Iowans, including Danny Buckelew, of Treynor,  have claimed Powerball prizes worth at least $1 million this year. Prizes of $1 million must be claimed at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.

(Lewis, Iowa) –  Cass County Conservation is hosting their 8th Biennial Lighted Halloween Campground on Saturday October 19th, at Cold Springs Park in Lewis.  The event takes place from 7-until 9-p.m. It’s intended to be a non-scary, Family Friendly, FREE drive into the night.

Prizes will be for the top 3 voted sites, and for some special categories. Sign up to decorate a site in the Lighted Halloween Campground. Deadline for decorating a site sign up is October 11th and the groups will have Saturday(19th) from Noon on to decorate. Please help make the event a success! Decorating participants receive Saturday night camping for FREE. (if you choose to camp- not required).

You DO NOT have to have a camper. Message, call, or email the Cass County Conservation Department. Include your name, email and phone number. Call the Cass County Conservation Office to get involved, at 712-769-2372.

The event will be cancelled if there is inclement weather. https://www.facebook.com/share/UNFJZZm1EBqbUsBj/

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s deputy secretary of agriculture says there are frustrating and confusing inequities in federal programs meant to support farmers trying to recover from natural disasters. Grant Menke testified yesterday (Wednesday) before the U-S Senate Small Business Committee.

“In addition to the overall complexity of these programs, one of the most significant issues Iowans have faced is the disparity in accessibility and eligibility between USDA and SBA disaster programs,” Menke says. Farming operations are not eligible for Small Business Administration loans and Menke says the historic flooding and a record number of tornadoes have created significant challenges for Iowa farmers.

“In many cases, these folks lost nearly everything,” Menke said, “not just farm buildings and equipment, but also their homes.” Menke says S-B-A disaster loans offer lower interest rates and a longer repayment period than the disaster loans farmers have access to through the U-S-D-A. “SBA disaster loans also offer deferral of the first payment and no interest accrual for the first 12 months – features that are not available with USDA disaster loans. These discrepancies place an undue burden on farmers and farm businesses who already operate on thin margins, especially during the softening ag economy.”

Menke says another frustration is the U-S-D-A’s disaster loans have an upper limit that’s less than the maximum loan amount available through the S-B-A.

(Iowa News Service) – Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a material as thin as an atom to reduce power consumption.
A national study showed by 2030, 9% of the country’s energy will be consumed by data centers, keeping the internet, AI applications and other technology humming.

Matthew Panthani, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at Iowa State University, and his team are focused on using light rather than heat to generate power for the data centers sprouting up close to home. “Iowa seems to be a popular place to build data centers,” Panthani observed. “Meta and other companies have built data centers, even in the Des Moines area. They’re taking advantage of the relatively low electricity prices afforded by wind energy.”

Panthani’s lab is focused on developing atom-thin sheets of a silicon-germanium alloy which are stacked in layers and used to create highly energy efficient semiconductors, which can be used in power-hungry data centers. Using light to transmit data is not new. Companies have used fiber optic technology to transmit light across oceans, for example. But Panthani pointed out doing it on a much smaller scale, such as between components on the computer chips in data centers, is something quite different.

“That’s really because there isn’t a material that can enable scalable, on-chip light sources,” Panthani explained. “The materials that we’re developing are intended to have properties, both the manufacturability and properties, that could enable that.”

According to the Electric Power Research Institute, the internet’s 5.3 billion users can demand as much power as 800,000 households. It will sharply increase this decade, sending the demand even higher and making new technology like this even more important.

(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa banker says there’s too much red tape in federal disaster recovery programs. Gus Barker is president and C-E-O of First Community Bank in Newell. “Disaster victims are in no position to complete that excessive paperwork,” Barker says. Barker testified this (Wednesday) afternoon at a hearing of the U-S Senate Small Business Committee. He told senators about helping a customer, who was a victim of the historic floods of 1993, complete a Small Business Administration loan application.

“We could not have completed that application without the support of the local SBA office,” Barker said. “Regretably since that time, SBA scaled back its presence in Iowa and applications are now approved in San Francisco, a distance which makes coordination much more challenging.” Barker says direct lending from the Small Business Administration and other federal programs have played a key role in the survival of disaster stricken businesses and he’s urging the agency to make changes.

Gus Barker, president and CEO of First Community Bank in Newell, testifies at Washington, D.C. hearing.

“SBA is known to file liens far in excess of the loan amount to secure their mortgages. These liens tie up their collateral and prevent a community bank from helping the borrower in any way in the future,” Barker says. “SBA should be willing to subordinate their loans in the way that USDA has, for example.” Barker says disaster victims should also be able to package federal benefits offered by different agencies — like a S-B-A loan and a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“Neither of which is adequate in itself in the rebuilding,” Barker says. “Today, a victim must choose one or the other. It’s too much to ask for disaster victims to learn the details of those programs and make an informed judgment of what to do.”

Barker, who has worked in his family-owned bank for 47 years, is on the Independent Community Bankers of America board of directors.