I can’t understand how that idea ever got off the ground to begin with, for all the reasons you listed (nice write up, by the way). Heck, common sense alone should tell you this is doomed to fail.
Jamie Pollard has a new title: “Endowed Cyclone Director of Athletics.” Clown U is still facing a $147 Million budget deficit through 2031
- Thread starter Franisdaman
- Start date
Nice, a hotel for clown football fans to stay in for six or seven weekends a year.
Never mind that most of them live in central Iowa. They may not want to pay for the Clown Hilton when they can be home in three hours or less.
The Board of Regents approved this?
Sheesh, what a terrible idea...for all of the reasons listed. This idiotic idea should not get even ONE DOLLAR of public funding.
Can't people just stay at Honey Creek and take a shuttle? I hear they have plenty of capacity.
Mebbe they should build it and then hire the ICCSD Superintendent to run it...you know, to ensure success. What a bunch of maroons.
I generally agree with you but Jack Trice has been hosting 2-3 concerts a year. Plus the boys state basketball tournament is moving there. Hilton also host a handful of high school graduation s. But yeah, generally agree.
Don't know. McDonalds seems like a shoo-in for, you know, obvious reasons.
They should put in a hangover treatment center in that clown town. As a college kid I would have frequented something like that the day after.
Does Wendy's come with a clown to cut the grand opening ribbon?
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This will make even less money than people think.
Most people will continue to tailgate with their own food and drinks. Those that use this new are are likely upper crusters that were already paying for premium parking and making donations to football program. All this does is dilute a revenue stream with more overhead.
If it is all enclosed with a heated tunnel to Hilton maybe they can squeeze some money out of that.
average Joe….I got cooler full of Busch Lite I go for $25 a case, but let’s skip that and go walk for 1/2 mile and pay $10 for a draw.
Most people will continue to tailgate with their own food and drinks. Those that use this new are are likely upper crusters that were already paying for premium parking and making donations to football program. All this does is dilute a revenue stream with more overhead.
If it is all enclosed with a heated tunnel to Hilton maybe they can squeeze some money out of that.
average Joe….I got cooler full of Busch Lite I go for $25 a case, but let’s skip that and go walk for 1/2 mile and pay $10 for a draw.
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The McD's colors will psyche the fans up. And Ronald will be there for the big games!
They should claim Ames as the birthplace of Ronald McDonald. Riverside claimed Captain Kirk.
Cytown is a Goldenrod Development project, which means Goldenrod is building the district, leasing the structures, and covering the cost of the development. Iowa State contributed roughly $25 million for utility upgrades and site work. That investment also included adding parking north of Hilton and CY Stephens, as well as repaving all of the existing lots in the Iowa State Center.
The Iowa State Center — CY Stephens, Scheman, Hilton, and Jack Trice — hosts events year‑round. The new hotel will serve visitors coming to campus for all kinds of reasons, not just athletics. Iowa State also partners with private companies on research and product development, and those visitors will use the hotel as well. But the hotel itself is also a private development.
The land lease from Cytown will provide the Iowa State Center with the ongoing revenue needed to maintain and update the existing facilities.
here is a link to Golden Rod current projects.
News
goldenrodcompanies.com
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Call it what you wish, to us it is Clown Town. Should have different versions of Ronald throughout.Cytown is a Goldenrod Development project, which means Goldenrod is building the district, leasing the structures, and covering the cost of the development. Iowa State contributed roughly $25 million for utility upgrades and site work. That investment also included adding parking north of Hilton and CY Stephens, as well as repaving all of the existing lots in the Iowa State Center.
The Iowa State Center — CY Stephens, Scheman, Hilton, and Jack Trice — hosts events year‑round. The new hotel will serve visitors coming to campus for all kinds of reasons, not just athletics. Iowa State also partners with private companies on research and product development, and those visitors will use the hotel as well. But the hotel itself is also a private development.
The land lease from Cytown will provide the Iowa State Center with the ongoing revenue needed to maintain and update the existing facilities.
here is a link to Golden Rod current projects.
News
This still feels a lot less like a need and a lot more like Iowa State trying to give itself a glow-up.Cytown is a Goldenrod Development project, which means Goldenrod is building the district, leasing the structures, and covering the cost of the development. Iowa State contributed roughly $25 million for utility upgrades and site work. That investment also included adding parking north of Hilton and CY Stephens, as well as repaving all of the existing lots in the Iowa State Center.
The Iowa State Center — CY Stephens, Scheman, Hilton, and Jack Trice — hosts events year‑round. The new hotel will serve visitors coming to campus for all kinds of reasons, not just athletics. Iowa State also partners with private companies on research and product development, and those visitors will use the hotel as well. But the hotel itself is also a private development.
The land lease from Cytown will provide the Iowa State Center with the ongoing revenue needed to maintain and update the existing facilities.
here is a link to Golden Rod current projects.
News
Iowa State University has always seemed a little self-conscious about how it’s perceived, so now the answer is to build a shiny district next to Jack Trice Stadium and the Iowa State Center and hope people start seeing it differently.
And let’s be honest about the “year-round destination” argument. The Iowa State Center is fine, but it is not exactly the cultural heartbeat of Iowa. If you are talking about arts and major performances, people are going to Des Moines Civic Center or other venues in the Des Moines metro, not planning trips around Ames. This is a land-grant agricultural school, not some flagship arts destination.
Calling it “private investment” does not really change the picture either. The university is still putting money into infrastructure and shaping the entire area. When public dollars help make the project possible, it is fair to question whether the return matches the investment.
At the end of the day, this looks less like solving a real demand problem and more like trying to manufacture a certain image. It might look great on a football Saturday. That does not automatically make it necessary or wise long term.
I’m not sure why you have a negative view of Land Grant Universities. ISU is credited with developing the first electronic digital computer and remains a national leader in scientific research, innovation, and sustainability. The university is especially strong in engineering, agricultural sciences, business, veterinary medicine, and cybersecurity. Both the Ivy College of Business and the College of Engineering consistently rank among the best in the country.
The University of Iowa and Iowa State University have different missions, but each excels in its respective areas.
The University of Iowa and Iowa State University have different missions, but each excels in its respective areas.
LAmes is a weak-a$$ college town. Their downtown doesn't remotely compare to the IC Ped Mall, which is why a large number of students make the drive east on weekends for a real college experience (& way hotter coeds). Those hefty MooU girls will keep you warmer in winter though!
More good news for Jamie.
https://www.thegazette.com/news/pub...P_kl7ZEv9hlijaldld_aem_yq2RN9WH1y7uCgyFGRWeYQ
https://www.thegazette.com/news/pub...P_kl7ZEv9hlijaldld_aem_yq2RN9WH1y7uCgyFGRWeYQ
I don’t dislike land-grant universities. They serve a purpose. But let’s not pretend they are cultural hubs. Places like Iowa State University are where the farm kids go to learn ag, engineering, and applied science. That is their lane. It is not where the state’s cultural center of gravity is, and never has been.
If you are talking about doctors, dentists, lawyers, professional writers, or the fine arts, you are talking about places like University of Iowa and the Des Moines metro. That is simply where those disciplines and institutions are concentrated in this state.
This feels a lot less like a need and a lot more like a glow-up. Build a shiny district next to Jack Trice Stadium and the Iowa State Center and hope the perception changes.
The “year-round destination” argument is where it really collapses. Pointing to C.Y. Stephens Auditorium as some kind of anchor is not serious. It is a dated venue with limited pull. If people are actually traveling for arts and major performances, they are going to places like the Des Moines Civic Center, not building trips around Ames.
Athletics fill rooms. That is proven. Fine arts programming in Ames does not come close to operating at that scale, and suggesting it will carry equal weight sounds more like marketing than reality.
Calling it “private investment” does not change much either. The university is still shaping the entire area and backing the infrastructure. When public resources are part of the equation, it is completely fair to question whether the return matches the investment.
At the end of the day, this looks less like meeting demand and more like trying to manufacture an identity. It might look good on a football Saturday. That does not make it necessary or smart long term.
If the U of I is this cultural center and all of that. Why do the doon the ANF patches . If that is what you rep maybe you should change the Universities missons.
Maybe the University of I is just trying to manufacture that iowa farm kid identity.
Maybe the University of I is just trying to manufacture that iowa farm kid identity.
Back in the 1980s Farm Crisis, when farmers were actually getting crushed, it wasn’t Iowa State University putting anything on helmets or stepping out front culturally. The place that’s supposed to embody the farmer didn’t exactly look like it knew how to speak for them
So Iowa Hawkeyes football did it.
“America Needs Farmers” wasn’t about pretending to be farmers — it was about recognizing who was getting hammered and actually saying it out loud, in a way people would see every Saturday.
If anything, the sticker exists because the people who should’ve carried that message… didn’t.
Hayden Fry began the tradition of ANF during the farm crisis of the 1980s. It gained national attention to Iowa's farmers, many of whom lost their family farms in those dark days. I am guessing many farmers in the state are Hawkeye fans, as are many working in agribusiness.
Edit: What paednoch said above.
Wow.
The game in Ireland took place less than a month after Jamie, in July 2025, warned the Board of Regents of an impending $147 million deficit through 2031 — amounting to nearly $25 million a year over the next 6 years
The full story:
Public records advocates sue Iowa State over details of Dublin football game
Trip expenses reached $845,435; guests included Gov. Kim Reynolds and 284 others
- Vanessa Miller
The Gazette - Apr 10, 2026
Iowa State University players celebrate after winning an NCAA college football game between ISU and Kansas State University on Aug. 23, 2025, in Dublin, Ireland. AP Photo/Peter Morrison
The Iowa Freedom of Information Council and its president want to know how much revenue Iowa State University derived from its August 2025 football game in Ireland, along with the full terms of its game contract, and they’re suing to find out — after waiting over six months for an answer to a public records request.
“The people of Iowa are still in the dark about the Dublin trip and whether it was a moneymaker or a money-loser for Iowa State University,” according to the lawsuit filed March 13 by the Iowa Freedom of Information Council and its president, Randy Evans, against ISU. “Beyond the dollars and cents, questions continue about who exactly received a free Dublin trip beyond the football team and coaches. Who paid their own way and who got a free pass?”
The 285 ISU-connected travelers who boarded an Aer Lingus Airbus at 7:11 p.m. Aug. 20, 2025, from Des Moines to Dublin for the 2025 Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium against Kansas State University included Gov. Kim Reynolds; a “Voice of the Cyclones” broadcaster; a campus police officer; a name, image and likeness fundraiser; a dietitian; and a video specialist.
The flight carried 120-some football players, along with ISU cheerleaders, the ISU general counsel and his wife, ISU Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Toyia Younger, associate and assistant athletic directors and a wide range of coaches and spouses — including then-head coach Matt Campbell — who since has left ISU for Penn State University — along with his wife and four children.
“ISU also separately listed some 22 students on the official 285-person Iowa State manifest of travelers to Dublin,” according to the lawsuit.
‘A strong interest’
Total trip expenses reached $845,435 — including $280,270 in hotel costs and $75,270 spent on suite tickets, according to the lawsuit and records provided to The Gazette in February in response to its Nov. 3, 2025, records request.“Airfare was provided by Aer Lingus, sponsor of the game,” ISU spokeswoman Angie Hunt told The Gazette. “Additionally, some members of the travel party reimbursed the university for the travel expenses.”
When asked for specific names of travelers who reimbursed ISU, the university provided The Gazette with a spreadsheet showing $9,172 in “donor reimbursements for ticket purchases,” $4,891 in “pending expense reimbursement from ISU Foundation,” $3,499 in “staff reimbursement for personal travel expenses,” and $1,630 in “reimbursement by guest for hotel expenses.”
That obscurity — manifest through long delays in record production, redactions and ongoing information withholding — is at the heart of the lawsuit. The suit asks a court to order ISU to immediately provide its entire unredacted event agreement along with complete and unredacted public records showing game revenues.
“Evans, the council, and the public have a strong interest in college athletics at public universities and the propriety of expenditures they make in underwriting travel abroad by public officials and government employees,” according to the lawsuit. “The council, Evans, and the public in general therefore have a substantial interest in learning the facts and details surrounding ISU’s Dublin football trip and game revenues from authentic copies of public records obtained directly from ISU.”
In response to questions from The Gazette, Hunt said “the media value of the Ireland trip for Iowa State was an estimated $189 million” — although she didn’t provide details of direct ISU income. “The game was the second-highest rated regular-season Big 12 game on TV in 2025 with more than 4.5 million viewers,” Hunt said.
The game took place less than a month after ISU Athletics in July 2025 warned its governing Board of Regents of an impending $147 million deficit through 2031 — amounting to nearly $25 million a year over the next six years. To cover its fiscal 2026 shortfall, ISU Athletics took a one-time transfer from the ISU Foundation of $26.7 million and imposed several budget cuts, including indefinitely postponing a $20 million wrestling facility and $25 million Hilton Coliseum renovation; increased ticket prices; and mandated other department cuts.
“The most significant savings have resulted from reducing travel costs for Olympic sports,” regents documents show.
‘Still waiting. Impatiently’
Just 11 days after the ISU party returned from its trip to Dublin on Aug. 24, 2025, Evans on Sept. 4 submitted a records request with the campus seeking — among other things — the game contract, names in the travel party and spreadsheets or summaries of game revenue, expenses and reimbursements.The ISU transparency officer acknowledged the request five days later on Sept. 9 but didn’t send an invoice seeking a prepayment of $150 to begin assembling the records until more than a month later on Oct. 8. Evans responded the next day, saying a check was in the mail, according to the lawsuit.
The check was deposited Oct. 22, and six weeks later — “having heard nothing more from the ISU transparency officer” — Evans reached out for an update. “The football season has now ended,” he wrote in his Dec. 9 email. “But I still want to receive the records I requested.”
The transparency officer responded a week later and then waited another 30 days before expressing her “hope to Evans to have the Dublin trip documents to him soon.”
Evans on Jan. 26 wrote a column criticizing ISU for its lack of responsiveness to his records request. “I am still waiting. Impatiently,” he wrote.
On Feb. 2, he received “the records responsive to your request.” The Gazette received the related records it had requested the following day on Feb. 3.
The records Evans received excluded the game contract and any information on revenue. When asked, the transparency officer said she accidentally left out the contract and then sent him a redacted version — citing a “trade secrets” clause in the Iowa Public Records Act.
But Evans argued in the lawsuit that was improper.
“At its core, ‘a trade secret is a process or device for continuous use in the operation of a business’,” according to the lawsuit. “The … event agreement related to a one-time event rather than a process or device continuously used in the operation of a business.”
For comparison purposes, Evans at that time requested the same game contract from Kansas State and received it in full, without charge, in less than 10 days.
Upon eventually finding the ISU game contract available on the internet, Evans accused ISU of trying to hide its “costs and expenses” and its “liquidated damages” clauses — stating that if ISU had failed to play in the game, the university could have owed $8 million.
Evans and the council are seeking a trial that would require ISU to file into evidence the unredacted documents, along with damages covering legal fees.
Clown Watergate coming up?Wow.
The game in Ireland took place less than a month after Jamie, in July 2025, warned the Board of Regents of an impending $147 million deficit through 2031 — amounting to nearly $25 million a year over the next 6 years
The full story:
Public records advocates sue Iowa State over details of Dublin football game
Trip expenses reached $845,435; guests included Gov. Kim Reynolds and 284 others
- Vanessa Miller
The Gazette- Apr 10, 2026
Iowa State University players celebrate after winning an NCAA college football game between ISU and Kansas State University on Aug. 23, 2025, in Dublin, Ireland. AP Photo/Peter Morrison
The Iowa Freedom of Information Council and its president want to know how much revenue Iowa State University derived from its August 2025 football game in Ireland, along with the full terms of its game contract, and they’re suing to find out — after waiting over six months for an answer to a public records request.
“The people of Iowa are still in the dark about the Dublin trip and whether it was a moneymaker or a money-loser for Iowa State University,” according to the lawsuit filed March 13 by the Iowa Freedom of Information Council and its president, Randy Evans, against ISU. “Beyond the dollars and cents, questions continue about who exactly received a free Dublin trip beyond the football team and coaches. Who paid their own way and who got a free pass?”
The 285 ISU-connected travelers who boarded an Aer Lingus Airbus at 7:11 p.m. Aug. 20, 2025, from Des Moines to Dublin for the 2025 Aer Lingus College Football Classic at Aviva Stadium against Kansas State University included Gov. Kim Reynolds; a “Voice of the Cyclones” broadcaster; a campus police officer; a name, image and likeness fundraiser; a dietitian; and a video specialist.
The flight carried 120-some football players, along with ISU cheerleaders, the ISU general counsel and his wife, ISU Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Toyia Younger, associate and assistant athletic directors and a wide range of coaches and spouses — including then-head coach Matt Campbell — who since has left ISU for Penn State University — along with his wife and four children.
“ISU also separately listed some 22 students on the official 285-person Iowa State manifest of travelers to Dublin,” according to the lawsuit.
‘A strong interest’
Total trip expenses reached $845,435 — including $280,270 in hotel costs and $75,270 spent on suite tickets, according to the lawsuit and records provided to The Gazette in February in response to its Nov. 3, 2025, records request.
“Airfare was provided by Aer Lingus, sponsor of the game,” ISU spokeswoman Angie Hunt told The Gazette. “Additionally, some members of the travel party reimbursed the university for the travel expenses.”
When asked for specific names of travelers who reimbursed ISU, the university provided The Gazette with a spreadsheet showing $9,172 in “donor reimbursements for ticket purchases,” $4,891 in “pending expense reimbursement from ISU Foundation,” $3,499 in “staff reimbursement for personal travel expenses,” and $1,630 in “reimbursement by guest for hotel expenses.”
That obscurity — manifest through long delays in record production, redactions and ongoing information withholding — is at the heart of the lawsuit. The suit asks a court to order ISU to immediately provide its entire unredacted event agreement along with complete and unredacted public records showing game revenues.
“Evans, the council, and the public have a strong interest in college athletics at public universities and the propriety of expenditures they make in underwriting travel abroad by public officials and government employees,” according to the lawsuit. “The council, Evans, and the public in general therefore have a substantial interest in learning the facts and details surrounding ISU’s Dublin football trip and game revenues from authentic copies of public records obtained directly from ISU.”
In response to questions from The Gazette, Hunt said “the media value of the Ireland trip for Iowa State was an estimated $189 million” — although she didn’t provide details of direct ISU income. “The game was the second-highest rated regular-season Big 12 game on TV in 2025 with more than 4.5 million viewers,” Hunt said.
The game took place less than a month after ISU Athletics in July 2025 warned its governing Board of Regents of an impending $147 million deficit through 2031 — amounting to nearly $25 million a year over the next six years. To cover its fiscal 2026 shortfall, ISU Athletics took a one-time transfer from the ISU Foundation of $26.7 million and imposed several budget cuts, including indefinitely postponing a $20 million wrestling facility and $25 million Hilton Coliseum renovation; increased ticket prices; and mandated other department cuts.
“The most significant savings have resulted from reducing travel costs for Olympic sports,” regents documents show.
‘Still waiting. Impatiently’
Just 11 days after the ISU party returned from its trip to Dublin on Aug. 24, 2025, Evans on Sept. 4 submitted a records request with the campus seeking — among other things — the game contract, names in the travel party and spreadsheets or summaries of game revenue, expenses and reimbursements.
The ISU transparency officer acknowledged the request five days later on Sept. 9 but didn’t send an invoice seeking a prepayment of $150 to begin assembling the records until more than a month later on Oct. 8. Evans responded the next day, saying a check was in the mail, according to the lawsuit.
The check was deposited Oct. 22, and six weeks later — “having heard nothing more from the ISU transparency officer” — Evans reached out for an update. “The football season has now ended,” he wrote in his Dec. 9 email. “But I still want to receive the records I requested.”
The transparency officer responded a week later and then waited another 30 days before expressing her “hope to Evans to have the Dublin trip documents to him soon.”
Evans on Jan. 26 wrote a column criticizing ISU for its lack of responsiveness to his records request. “I am still waiting. Impatiently,” he wrote.
On Feb. 2, he received “the records responsive to your request.” The Gazette received the related records it had requested the following day on Feb. 3.
The records Evans received excluded the game contract and any information on revenue. When asked, the transparency officer said she accidentally left out the contract and then sent him a redacted version — citing a “trade secrets” clause in the Iowa Public Records Act.
But Evans argued in the lawsuit that was improper.
“At its core, ‘a trade secret is a process or device for continuous use in the operation of a business’,” according to the lawsuit. “The … event agreement related to a one-time event rather than a process or device continuously used in the operation of a business.”
For comparison purposes, Evans at that time requested the same game contract from Kansas State and received it in full, without charge, in less than 10 days.
Upon eventually finding the ISU game contract available on the internet, Evans accused ISU of trying to hide its “costs and expenses” and its “liquidated damages” clauses — stating that if ISU had failed to play in the game, the university could have owed $8 million.
Evans and the council are seeking a trial that would require ISU to file into evidence the unredacted documents, along with damages covering legal fees.
I love how 40+ years later this still chaps clones fans butts and Hayden still getting the best of them. Instead of applaud and embrace the positive message saying good job for bringing attention to the crisis and framers they cry about it because they didn’t think of it first, even as the Ag school. Which is a laughable argument from a lot of them like they feel like they have the monopoly on anything farmer or ag related as if no farmers are affiliated with Iowa at all.
Hayden made many great psychological moves during his career at Iowa, both internal and external. Hidden under the Southern drawl good ol' boy thing was a uniquely intelligent man.
The ANF move was one of his best. 100% good will for the state and program and he completely undercut the clowns. Gotta love it.
‘ISU is credited with developing the first electronic digital computer’
and had to send it to Iowa to get it to work correctly.