The Daily Iowan WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2023
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THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA COMMUNITY SINCE 1868
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Dogs rescued from breeder get adopted, vet care
The 131 dogs rescued in August were sent to half a dozen rescues across three states. Shreya Reddy News Reporter
shreya-reddy@uiowa.edu
Students advocate for disability awareness The UI can’t fulfill some student American Disability Act concerns by law. AMPLIFY | 5A
After 131 dogs were rescued from a Johnson County dog breeder in August because of extremely poor living conditions, the animals
were sent to shelters and rescue centers in Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The neglect is still under investigation by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. After their rescue from a commercial breeder located at 3027 500 St. in Riverside, Iowa, the dogs were carefully spayed and neutered by a local veterinarian.
Following the dogs’ release into the Iowa City shelters, the Bissell Pet Foundation — a private foundation that supports animal welfare organizations located in Grand Rapids, Michigan — reached out to the center through the Animal
DOGS | 6A
UI alumni face impending payments Current and former students are preparing for federal loan payments to resume Oct. 1.
On the job, in the classroom University of Iowa thirdyear student Hailey Murray works to support her busy lifestyle. PHOTO PAGE | 3A
Books and Blocks Iowa football starting right tackle Gennings Dunker has physical strength because of his bizarre eating habits. SPORTS | 1B
University of Iowa alum Gina Whitty poses for a portrait in Iowa City on Sept. 25. Grace Katzer Politics Reporter
grace-katzer@uiowa.edu
FilmScene brings B-films to Iowa City Underground films are just as significant as blockbuster hits. 80 HOURS | 1C
ONLINE • Check out The Daily Iowan’s exclusive interview with Jelani Cobb, a long time reporter for The New Yorker, before his lecture at the Iowa Memorial Union on dailyiowan.com. • Look out for The Daily Iowan’s coverage of the upcoming state Board of Regents meetings on Sept. 27-28 at dailyiowan.com. • Listen to The Daily Iowan’s latest episode of the Above the Fold podcast where we cover the week’s biggest story at dailyiowan.com. • Get hyped for the next episode of The Daily Iowan’s sports podcast, Press Box Banter, coming out Sept. 29 on dailyiowan.com.
Over a decade after graduating from the University of Iowa and The Savannah College of Art and Design, North Liberty resident Gina Whitty carries over $100,000 in student loan debt — over double the average debt of almost $35,000 for the average borrower. Whitty’s journey with student loans started during the height of the Great Recession. Set to graduate from the UI in 2009 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design, the now 36-yearold knew she was not in a place to begin loan payments right away; she said it was nearly impossible to find a job at the time, with her only
options being occasional bartending openings or rare freelance design work. Ben Casselman with The New York Times wrote that 2009 was “the worst job market to graduate into in a generation” with an unemployment rate of nearly 10 percent. That year, Whitty’s future was largely unknown. So, the Iowa native did what she she felt was her best option: go to graduate school. Moving over 1,000 miles from Iowa to Georgia, she sought a Master of Fine Arts in graphic design at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and in doing so, she said she accured six figures in debt. “I incurred all this debt in grad school, but I really felt at the time there was no other option,” Whitty said. “I was definitely trying to chase the American Dream in a way and climb the ladder,
Sara Stumpff | The Daily Iowan
and just really do what I thought was necessary to pursue a job that I would like.” Whitty’s story is familiar to nearly 15 percent of the U.S. population who are preparing to begin federal student loan repayments on Oct. 1. When the payments were initially paused, nearly 45 million Americans were student loan borrowers, who are accounted for more than $1.6 trillion in total student debt. The average student borrower in the U.S. holds $35,210 in student loan debt. In Iowa, about 57 percent of students leave school with student loan debt, averaging $29,350 in debt. Looking back, Whitty said she definitely didn’t understand how taking out loans would
LOANS | 6A
Iowa City students help build housing The construction for the affordable housing project on Ronalds Street has broken ground. Isabelle Foland News Reporter
isabelle-foland@uiowa.edu
Students at the Iowa City Community School District broke ground on an affordable housing unit this fall. The school district reintroduced its Student Built House Program, which has not run since 2010, to make use of a vacant lot at 724 Ronalds St. that the City of Iowa City acquired in 2016. The students are helping construct a two-bedroom house during the school year, and there will potentially be another house constructed on the same lot next school year, according to a release from the City of Iowa City. Program instructor John Reynolds said the course is for students who are in the “trades” curriculum, which consists of construction, electrical, plumbing, and other trade skills. There are currently 16 students enrolled in the program who come from each of the three high schools in the district from West High School, Liberty High School, and City High School. The class is split into two groups, Reynolds said. One meets for three hours in the morning, and one meets for three hours in the afternoon. While the class mostly consists of hands-on work on the construction site, there is also a curriculum where students learn the basics of
HOUSING | 6A
Madison Frette | The Daily Iowan
Instructor of The Housing Fellowship John Reynolds and Iowa City Community School District student-built construction project talks to students on Sept. 18. There are 16 students enrolled in the program from three area high schools.