Rural Iowa Ain't Perfect

Here is another assignment for my journalism class. This is the first column I've really witten. I'm more of a "news" and "feature" junky, so don't judge me too harshly. At first, I was quite content with it because I thought I really "stuck it to the man" and took a strong position. When I got it back from my professor, though, I realized that I probably generalized and stereotyped rural Iowa in a rather offensive way. I changed a few things from the original article, but it's still fairly harsh towards the Midwest. I apologize if I offend. Enjoy (or not)! (Don't ask me why the spacing is messed up...I can't figure it out.) 

Northwest Iowa: characterized by rolling cornfields, old-fashioned churches on every corner, and “mom and pop shops” run by, well, mom and pop.

Lately, though, this isn’t all it is known for. There is a secret, darker side to this region of Iowa; one that its citizens do not speak of.

Recently, I was having a discussion with some friends about suicide and divorce in Sioux County. A Northwest Iowa native in the group mentioned something he called “Sioux County Syndrome.” My curiosity got the best of me as I made him explain.

“People here don’t talk about their problems,” he said.

Another woman sarcastically interjected with, “but Sioux County is perfect.”

At least, this is what they tell themselves and have been telling themselves for years. The residents of this charming community don’t want their neighbors to know that they are susceptible to problems; especially emotional ones.

Let’s be honest, how would it look if Farmer Brown rolled up to the Co-op with mud on his tires and manure on his boots, muttering, “I’ve been depressed lately. Any of you guys know a good counselor I could talk to?”

The combination just doesn’t seem to fit. It's probably rare for “the guys” to make reference to their emotions. Out on the farm, emotions come in the form of an Alan Jackson love song or a cuss word. Anything more is gettin’ too sentimental. 

Speaking of love, Sioux County actually appeared in the New York Times recently, but it was nothing to brag about. The article was titled “Once Rare in Rural America, Divorce Is Changing the Face of Its Families.”

The article talks about how the divorce rate in Sioux County is much higher than it was in the 1980s. It says that in 1980, there were 52 married people for every divorced person, but now there are only 14 married people for every divorced person. Some might ask the question, “Well, isn’t the divorce rate going up everywhere?” 

An article from getreligion.org responded to the New York Times by saying that “this county boasts a divorce rate that is one-third the national average.” The author claims that the Times article presents misleading statistical data. 

This may be true, but the fact that divorce is still on the rise and has tripled in 30 years says something about Sioux County, whether its residents want to accept it or not. There is an obvious change occurring within the people of this community, but what is at the core of it?

Let’s dig a little deeper.

According to an article in The Daily Iowan, suicide rates in rural counties of Iowa are much higher than in the urban counties. 

As stated in The Daily Iowan, “In 2008 alone, the rate for rural counties was 13.55 — the highest the average in Iowa has been since 2000 — and it was 11.46 in urban counties. Numbers have steadily increased in Johnson County, too, jumping from 19 in 2008 to 39 in 2009. County Medical Examiner Mike Hensch said he has noticed an increase in depression-related suicide.”

These figures might not sound significant comparatively, but for quaint, farm communities, it is a lot. 

When someone commits suicide in a town that only has a couple thousand residents, everyone knows about it, and there’s a good chance most of the community personally knew that person. It automatically becomes a big deal and can affect the community as a whole. 

So now we go back to the question of “why?” Why is this happening more in rural Iowa? Isn’t the “simple life” supposed to be free of brokenness, depression, and sadness? 

Well, the truth is, there is not an inch in this world free of such things. No matter how hard people try to cut themselves off from evil, it finds its way in every time. Humanity is funny like that. 

Utopias do not and cannot exist in this world. Pointing fingers at these rural communities for finally “coming out of the closet” and joining in with the rest of us in our broken, wicked states, only points three fingers back at ourselves. 

The fact is, rural communities are no different. They get divorced; they commit suicide; they cheat on their spouse; they get pregnant out of wedlock. They are fallen humans, just like the rest of the world.

Dordt student forced to flee Egypt while on Middle East Studies Program

This is yet another article I wrote for my journalism class that I am required to post to my blog. It is featured in this week's issue of The Dordt Diamond, as well. 

He ascends the Subway staircase crowded with people, all trying to get a peek. All he could see of Tahrir Square were the hoards of Egyptian police accompanied by the smell of tear gas. On January 25, 2011, Dordt student Adrian Hielema was in the midst of not only a riot, but of history.

Two months have passed since the protests in Egypt began, and Hielema, who is on the Middle East Study Program, originally stationed in Cairo, will not be returning to Egypt because of the instability, despite the fact that he would like to be there.

“It's an awesome and beautiful country, and the people there are some of the nicest you'll ever meet,” Hielema said. “I would kind of like to do a sort of a before/after thing, just get closure – we left rather unexpectedly.”

The protests in Egypt have been talked about all across the world and have even set off rebellion in other countries.

Hielema and his fellow MESP students just happened to be in the midst of it all. Though he would love to have stayed longer in Egypt, where all the action was, he is glad he was able to see and experience what he did.

“I mean we all knew even then that what we were watching would end up in history books on the Middle East for decades to come, and me being a history major, that was a pretty sweet feeling,” Hielema said.

After the initial protests began, the group spent the next several days in Luxor, as previously planned. Though they were away from the center of the riots in Cairo, the protests seemed to follow as a thousand people came and gathered along the main road in Luxor on Friday, January 28.

“The police launched tear gas over the Nile and into the crowds, but they continued undeterred,” said Hielema. “A wall of riot police formed, several protesters started throwing rocks, but the majority of the protesters simply walked around the line and the police didn't follow them.”

When the MESP students made their way back to Cairo on Saturday, they were told by their Egyptian security guards that they had to spend the night in the train station. As they were sitting by the tracks playing games like “Mafia,” they heard loud cracks and were told to retreat immediately to a small room in the train station.

“Just under 30 of us and a few Egyptians were all cramped into a tiny room, trying to find places to sleep in chairs and on the floor,” said Hielema.

The students were allowed to leave the station and return to Agouza the next morning. They loaded into taxis three at a time and rode through the abandoned streets of Cairo.

“The taxi ride was surreal, the usually crammed Cairo streets were incredibly quiet (it was still curfew at the time),” Hielema said. “There were tanks in intersections and Egyptian soldiers on the streets.”

Once the students returned to Agouza, they were told to pack their things as they would be leaving Cairo to go on a month-long trip that was supposed to be planned for later in the semester.

Since then, they traveled to Istanbul for a week, were flown to Tel Aviv, and then stayed at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute, which lies between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Despite the fact that there might be more excitement taking place in Egypt, the students get to see and experience much of the Middle East. They have been to the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Petra, Jordan, Old Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and the Dead Sea.

They recognize that the decision of the MESP leaders to leave early was wise.

“The situation is still too unstable and they don't want to take any unnecessary risks,” Hielema said.

Linda Van Wyk, Director of Study-abroad programs at Dordt, is pleased with the decision for the MESP to not return.

“Though Adrian's group may be disappointed at their abrupt departure from Cairo and the fact that MESP will not be returning from Egypt, the safety of the student is always the priority in off-campus study,” Van Wyk said. “Because of the Middle East Studies Program's history and their strong connectedness to the community in Cairo, they do have a good read on the risks of returning to Egypt prematurely.”

Hielema understands the risks involved with returning to Egypt, but that doesn’t mean he still wouldn’t want to go back.

“If they told us tonight that we needed to pack up because we're going back to Cairo, I can almost guarantee the class would erupt in cheers,” Hielema said.

Van Wyk, as well as the leaders of the MESP, are aware of the student’s desires, but they still believe the students are fortunate to travel to the various countries across the Middle East.

“Fortunately for Adrian and his comrades, the group was able to continue their studies in Turkey, Israel, and Jordan, and will be able to complete their semester of study,” Van Wyk said. “And, returning to Egypt or not, Adrian must have learned a lot about the Middle East this semester.”

As Hielema reflects on his experiences in the Middle East up to this point, his favorite memory is that of standing in Tahrir Square on January 25, a day that will be remembered forever.

“It's a cliché I've heard way too often this semester, but I got to see history being made, and that doesn't happen every day,” Hielema said. “The cornfields of Iowa just felt so far away during all of it, but I never wanted to be anywhere else. To arrive just as the people of Egypt were claiming their greatest victory in the history of their country was pretty lucky. I couldn't shake the feeling I was just an American tourist, but the Egyptians were so welcoming I sort of forgot about it.”

Students question the role of campus security at Dordt

This is an article that I wrote for my journalism class. I am required to post it to my blog as well as Twitter and Facebook. 


How would you feel if other students at your college were allowed to enter your room uninvited and search through your belongings?

At many private colleges, including Dordt College in Sioux Center, IA, this is allowed.

If the college permits it, campus security has the right and responsibility to enter and search the rooms of those whom they have reason to suspect of illegal activity.

At Dordt, the question is being raised as to whether or not student-run campus security should have this right. Not only that, but some students say they are not comfortable with having their fellow class-mates in charge of keeping the campus safe.

Student Jordan Janz, who has had a personal experience with security coming into his room and searching through his belongings, is not happy with the way it is being run.

“I think it is a mistake to have student security,” Janz said. “They came into my bedroom and wanted to search everything. It’s just creepy when other students are searching through your stuff.”

Student Jorita Mulder has concerns about security, but for different reasons. She believes that there are not enough locked doors on campus during the day which could result in anyone from off the streets walking into any dorm room.

“Compared to other college campuses I don’t think it is very secure,” said Mulder. “It’s just students who are on campus security. They need to hire officials or lock more doors and only allow students in.”

Robert Taylor, Director of Resident Life at Dordt, commented on the primary roles and responsibilities of security at Dordt.

“A lot of their job is being eyes and ears and being aware of and upholding policy,” Taylor said. “As I look through the past security logs, (they write a log every night) the way they spend most of their time outside of locking buildings would be by giving rides, answering questions, and writing parking tickets.”

Some students really enjoy the benefits that security provides on campus and do not have a problem with what they are doing.

Jeffrey McClelland likes security and their chauffer services. “They will pick you up if you are in “Siberia” [Dordt’s infamous off-campus parking lot].”

Student Owen Reinalda, however, has mixed feelings about what security is doing on campus.

“I think that what they are doing is good but they are way too overzealous,” said Reinalda. “From stories I’ve heard, they take it too seriously.”

Janz said he feels strongly about the way in which security is using its power on campus when it comes to laying down the law.

“I think they are more concerned with catching people breaking the rules and doing things that aren’t harming other students,” Janz said. “A security force is there to keep a campus safe. I understand if people are causing a ruckus, but they are inventing reasons to search when there’s nothing pressing the issue.”

According to Taylor, security is given the right to search if necessary and, despite what anyone may think, it is an uncomfortable process that they do not enjoy doing.

“They [security members] are an extension that is granted authority to enforce policy and in certain situations, if they need to search a room,” Taylor said. “It’s not unusual for staff to contact professional staff like myself and Bethany Schuttinga to get advice on situations involving a search. That’s what we prefer, but there are times when it is not an option. Staff has been trained in the best way to do searches that keep everyone’s dignity intact.”

According to Taylor, Dordt is also a private campus so, whether or not students are comfortable with it, they have the right to search and enter without any sort of warrant.

“I think students have to understand that housing is owned and operated by the college and as such the college is liable for anything that is happening behind closed doors,” Taylor said. “Other schools just like us have chosen to have the same protocols that we have.”

Student Brandon Lindemulder thinks that Dordt security should not be made up of all students.

“Some of the people take it too seriously and some don’t care at all and just let things go,” Lindemulder said.

Taylor believes that a full-time security staff would be unnecessary and costly.

“When we look at the incidents we have, we are convinced that we don’t need full time security staff,” Taylor said. “When you think about someone with full benefits and salary, that would make an impact on tuition.”

Despite what the tuition-paying students think, for now, campus security at Dordt will remain the same.

“Security is there to serve students and I believe the majority of students know that or they wouldn’t be asking for rides,” said Taylor. “People that have nothing to hide don’t worry at all about security.”