The Iowa Stater
February 2002
AMES 50012
National Geographic magazine regularly takes its readers to wild and
amazing places -- deep space, remote jungles, ocean floors, Iowa State
residence halls.Iowa State residence halls?
In September, writer Hillel Hoffmann and photographer Scott Houston lived in Helser Hall's Richey House for a week. Their assignment: the magazine's ZipUSA feature, which zooms in on a specific zip code. In this case, the focus was 50012 -- Friley and Helser residence halls' zip code.
Hoffmann and Houston dined on cafeteria food, soaked up room decorating styles, studied video game culture and talked to lots of Iowa State students. The mother of a Richey House resident even sent the pair a care package.
During their visit, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Hoffmann and Houston, both East Coast residents, attended a candlelight vigil and a remembrance rally on campus. They also experienced the tragedy through the eyes of Iowa State students -- a young man worried about a potential war's impact on his family's farm; a young woman putting aside her studies for National Guard drills; a group of Muslim students fearful of the situation but comforted by the kindness consistently shown them by Iowans.
Iowa State's turn in ZipUSA is slated for fall 2002.