Anyone who doesn't live in a cave is probably aware of the devastating floods that have deluged Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and other Midwestern towns. All of a sudden, Iowa City and the UI are big news all over the country and even the world (I received phone calls from worried friends in Britain and Australia who'd heard about the historic floods).

The UI campus is hit pretty hard, with many buildings closed (including the UI Alumni Association offices). That doesn't mean UI staff aren't busy, though. Many of us have been helping with sandbag efforts to hold back the rising river. Others (including the Iowa Alumni Magazine team) are working from home. It's work as usual--well, apart from the catastrophic events and the surreal feeling that we're starring in a M.Night Shyamalan movie!

You'll read more about the floods in the August issue of Iowa Alumni Magazine. In the meantime, check out coverage at the Daily Iowan.

Tina
Editor

That's what I'll be doing this Friday, when the legendary newsman visits the UI campus to meet students and tour the very impressive facilities at the Journalism School.

Art Director LeaAnn Randall and I will be following Tom around all afternoon and then sitting down with him for an interview and photograph shoot. By all accounts, despite his superstar status, Tom is a very laid-back, genuine, nice person with strong feelings for the University of Iowa (he spent a year here as a student before transferring to South Dakota, where he earned a political science degree in 1962).

The results of our interviews and photo session will appear in the August issue of Iowa Alumni Magazine. That's when UIAA members will get to meet Tom Brokaw, too.

Tina
Editor

The Gridiron Bash we told you about in the April magazine turned out to be a gridiron bust. All of the concerts that were supposed to take place this month as part of the nationwide college football celebration—including Kelly Clarkson at Kinnick Stadium—were postponed to the fall. Event organizers wanted to check with the NCAA about rules that might limit student-athlete participation.


Despite this turn of events, the UI has brought one of the best line-ups of bands to campus that I've seen in recent years. Indie artist Ben Kweller and classic rock group Three Dog Night pepped up crowds on the Pentacrest for Homecoming. The Counting Crows drew a sold-out crowd to the IMU on Tuesday, and you might have seen me rocking out at the Athlete and Switchfoot show last night.


As if that weren't enough, OK Go will be playing at the Englert next Tuesday. The band is headlining the 10,000 Hours Show, which you can read more about on page 36 ("What Are You Into?") of the April magazine. When I attended OK Go's show at the IMU two-and-a-half years ago, the band performed the dances from their famed music videos, so get ready to break out those treadmills!




Shelbi
Editorial Associate

Speaking of rock stars, I felt like one at the CASE Editors Forum this past March in New Orleans. When I told my fellow alumni magazine editors that I was from the University of Iowa, they knew our publication well and raved about our redesign. One of the conference speakers even used February's "Tattoo U" article in a presentation that featured best practices for covering controversy.


Just as musicians have their Grammys, alumni magazine editors strive for CASE's Circle of Excellence awards. When I arrived at the conference, organizers gave me a red ribbon to wear underneath my name badge that read, "Award Winner." I saved it to give to my coworkers, Kathryn Howe and Tina Owen, who earned the rock star recognition for IAM's December 2006 feature on meth addiction that won a silver medal for "Best Article of the Year."


Our peers have weighed in on the revamped Iowa Alumni Magazine; now we'd like to know what you think! Please send us your comments.


Shelbi
Editorial Associate