College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University

Caucus frenzy

Want an opinion? Schmidt and Bystrom talked to the nation about the Iowa Caucuses.

Blue sticky notes clutter Steffen Schmidt's desk, computer, phone and planner. Everywhere you look there's another memo from a reporter wanting Schmidt's expertise.

Dianne Bystrom's desk is just as cluttered. She jokes that she hasn't had a chance to clear it off in nearly a year.

That should all be changing now. Schmidt's phone isn't ringing off the hook and Bystrom's Catt Hall office is a little cleaner. All because the massive media hoard has left Iowa after the conclusion of the Iowa Democratic and Republican caucuses.

Schmidt, university professor of political science, and Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, were two of the most popular Iowa State University faculty and staff members who were regularly sought out by local, state, regional, national and even international media during the year-long caucus process.

Yet they weren't the only two College of Liberal Arts and Sciences faculty and staff members who were caught up in "caucus frenzy." Ray Dearin, professor of English and political science and the director of IRC (Interpersonal and Rhetorical Communication), is a frequent contributor. The Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication sponsored the taping of PBS's "Washington Week in Review" in Stephens Auditorium the Friday before the caucuses.

As a result of a question she asked during the "Washington Week in Review" taping, CBS News followed political science major Rachel Scherle as she participated in the presidential campaigns and caucuses.

And Jose Amaya, assistant professor of English, was interviewed for "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings" about Hispanics in Iowa.

Still it was Schmidt, known to his radio audiences as Dr. Politics, and Bystrom who received the lion's share of media attention.

"It's been unbelievable this year," said Schmidt, who has been dealing with the media on Iowa caucuses since 1972. "By all counts it was a record-breaking year."

Schmidt estimates he received two to three media requests per day in the three weeks leading up to the caucuses. That changed dramatically the weekend prior to Monday's voting.

"In the three days prior to the caucuses I probably received 10 to 12 requests a day," he said the morning after the big event.

The requests ranged from providing simple background information to an hour talk show on Wisconsin Public Radio. He was featured prominently on National Public Radio, Reuters news agency, CNN en Espano and even the New York Times.

"The Times article was wonderful," he said. "They even pulled a piece from one of my quotes and used it for the headline."

This was Bystrom's first foray into the Iowa caucuses. She arrived at ISU prior to the 1998 national elections, but was unsure of what to expect in her first caucus go-around.

"It exceeded my expectations," she said. "Not being from Iowa, I went into the whole process with mixed feelings. I wondered why all this attention was being lavished on this state."

Bystrom's media calls and cluttered desk began back in January 1999, when it was announced that Elizabeth Dole would be ISUÕs 1999 Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics. Although Dole had not yet announced her candidacy, media speculation was rampant.

And when Dole dropped out of the Republican race after the Iowa Straw Poll in August, Bystrom still remained on the rolodexes of various media outlets.

"Even though the media and the candidates have moved away from the state, we're still getting calls for us to comment on various issues," she said.

Schmidt also expects to continue to receive media attention. His association this year with a Boulder, Colo., radio station led to a stint providing analysis of the New Hampshire primary.

"While the requests slow down considerably, I have made connections that continue months and years after a particular caucus," he said.

Both Schmidt and Bystrom say they have specific reasons why they do so many interviews.

"My biggest goal is to get the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics and Iowa State attached to my quote," Bystrom said.

Schmidt says that the exposure that the university, LAS, his department and he personally gets in the stories and interviews is "pretty huge." He likes to tell the story of an ISU alumnus in Washington, D.C. who heard an interview with Schmidt on National Public Radio on his way to work. Once he got there the alumnus overheard a fellow employee talking about the interview and that person knew Schmidt was from Iowa State.

"If an Iowa State alumnus reads a quote from me in their local paper or sees me on TV, that is just another way they can connect back to the college," he said. "I think it makes them proud of their college."

Ironically, neither Schmidt nor Bystrom participated in the very event that demands so much of their time. Because of her affiliation with a non-partisan political center, Bystrom felt it wasn't appropriate to caucus. Schmidt has caucused in the past, but overwhelming media demands the day of the caucus made it impossible for him to attend.

"I miss that part," he says. "But I never get tired to talking to the media and getting Iowa State's name out in front of the public.

"It's a lot of fun and you get to meet a lot of interesting people. And I learn a lot. that's the best part."