UI holds on to Pollock painting
Amid protests from students and University of Iowa officials, a state legislator withdrew a bill in February that would have required the UI to sell Mural, its famous Jackson Pollock painting.
Worth an estimated $140 million, Mural, originally donated to the school by Peggy Guggenheim, has been in the UI’s possession for more than 60 years.
Officials moved the painting to the Figge Art Museum in 2008 following the flood.
Professor sends profane e-mail
University of Iowa anthropology and women’s studies Professor Ellen Lewin sent a profane e-mail to the UI College Republicans in April in response to the group’s universitywide e-mail encouraging participation in "Conservative Coming Out Week."
The e-mail, which planted the UI in a national spotlight and caused hundreds of disgruntled individuals to send Lewin angry e-mails, expressed distaste for what she perceived to be the group’s insensitivity towards homosexuals and animal-rights activists.
Officials have still not said whether Lewin will be punished for the incident; Natalie Ginty, the president of the Iowa Federation of College Republicans, filed a formal complaint with the university.
UI professor resigns after child-porn investigation
Embattled University of Iowa Professor Gary Hunninghake wrote a letter of resignation in March following a series of accusations and criminal charges.
The former director of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science was placed on paid leave from the UI in April 2010 with a $360,000 salary during a child-pornography investigation by UI police.
During the investigation in April 2010, Hunninghake filed a false report after he stabbed himself in Chicago.
His resignation is effective May 31.
21-ordinance not repealed
Iowa City residents voted to uphold the 21-ordinance in November after months of debate.
The ordinance, which requires patrons under 21 to leave the bars by 10 p.m., went into effect in June 2010.
Officials revived the issue — the ordinance was voted down in 2007 — during growing concerns over high rates of alcohol consumption.
Following the vote to uphold the ordinance, several bars, including Vito’s, One-Eyed Jakes, and 808, closed. PAULA citations have been cut in half, and the number of tickets for presence in a bar after hours have jumped.
Rhabdo plagues football team
Thirteen Hawkeye football players were hospitalized in January after a strenuous workout.
The players suffered from rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which muscle fiber contents are released into the bloodstream, often causing kidney damage.
Football officials and some players defended the workout, saying it had been administered in previous years without consequences.
All football players were released from the hospital and cleared to return to physical activity.
However, defensive back Willie Lowe requested a release from his athletics scholarship, which was granted.
Since the incident, football personnel have agreed to discontinue the workout.
Former Iowa wide receiver arrested on drug-related charges
Former Hawkeye wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos was arrested on several drug-related charges in December, leading to his suspension from the team.
Police reportedly found marijuana, cocaine, prescription drugs, and more than $3,000 in cash in the residence of Iowa’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. Officers had served a search warrant on Johnson-Koulianos’ roommate, 21-year-old Brady Cooper Johnson.
The Campbell, Ohio, native — who later received a deferred judgment on Jan. 24 after pleading guilty to possession of marijuana — saw his stock drop from being a potential third-round NFL draft pick to going undrafted in April.
Satterfield, Everson case settled three years after dorm incident
One of the two Hawkeye football players charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault in 2007 was sentenced, and the other is awaiting to hear his penalty.
Cedric Everson, 21, and former teammate Abe Satterfield, 22, were originally charged with second-degree sexual abuse after allegedly sexually assaulting a former female Hawkeye athlete in a Hillcrest room.
In April 2010, Satterfield entered a plea bargain in exchange for his testimony against Everson; he was sentenced to a $625 fine, $326 in victim restitution, and two days in jail.
Everson stood trial in January, where he was found guilty of simple assault.
