November 21, 2001
Capitol Combustion Crisis!

An unspeakable tragedy befell the UI campus on Tuesday, as a piece of Iowa history went up in smoke (and I'm not talking about the dozens of doobies that have been lit over the years on the Ol' Cap's back steps). Yes, I'm talking about our once-fair Old Capitol Gold'n Dome. The color of Chick-Fil-A and the size of a mammoth's teat, the dome meant more to the community than just being recognized as that big thing that gets printed in prospective students' handbooks. It was a symbol of all that the UI community had come to hold dear: liberty, fraternity, equality. Tuesday it became nothing more than a symbol of combustion.

Mere minutes after the attack on the Capitol, emails were forwarded to several campus accounts that showed an eerie visage in the smoky haze surrounding the dome. Some thought it was the likeness of Satan himself. But don't take my word for it...