Truman State University students and faculty members traveled to Des Moines, Iowa to prepare for the Iowa Caucus Jan. 14. Events were scheduled to take place Jan. 12 through Jan. 15 throughout Iowa, but some were canceled because of the weather. The group had planned to go to Des Moines Jan.13, but both Kirksville and the Iowa region were hit with cold temperatures and heavy snow.
During the fall, students took a class taught by Jay Self and Donald Krause where they learned how the Iowa caucuses worked and how they would represent the Truman Media Network during the caucuses. Some students focused on the candidates while others focused on the media coverage of the events.
The group’s schedule was thrown off because of the weather, and they were not able to attend any campaign events. After a mixup with hotels, the group went to a Nikki Haley rally. Because of the snow, Self’s van got stuck on the way to the venue. With some help from other rally-goers, the group helped the van move, only to be trapped by the lack of parking. Eventually, the group parked and headed to see Haley, only to be told the event was coming to an end. The group went to Pizza Ranch to debrief and have a couple of laughs.
Stories written by the class are available at tmn.truman.edu.