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(12/06/04 5:43am)
Mere seconds separated victory from defeat for 541 members of the Bloomington community, from toddlers to senior citizens, who all lent a dreidel-spinning hand Sunday afternoon at the IU Fieldhouse in an attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Records record for the most dreidels spun in unison. \nDespite the effort by the Bloomington community, the University of Maryland will maintain its title as the official world record holder, with 535 dreidels spun in unison, as IU failed to meet all of the requirements to officially break the record. \nThe rules stipulate each person can only spin one dreidel. In addition, the event must take place specifically to break the record and all dreidels must spin in unison for 10 seconds or longer. \nIU met all but the last of these requirements. \nA little more than 500 dreidels spun for 10 seconds or more, leaving IU only a few dreidels shy of a world record. About 30 dreidels did not spin long enough for this attempt to count.\n"What is important is that the people who worked on it put together such a great event," said Rabbi Sue Shifron, executive director of the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center. "It was such a great time; we had a great message of working together as a community."\nAlthough Maryland holds the record, it will attempt to break its own record at a basketball game next week. \n"It is ignorant that Maryland is going to use a basketball game, because that is already an established crowd, there's no effort there," said Hillel employee Gregory Terry,\nThe event featured a live band, Spanky's Club House, and a chance for students to gather with members of the community to work toward a mutual goal. \n"It really shows how passionate people are about the Jewish community and their supporting of a Jewish cause because they are here during a Colt's game," said junior Matt Raidbard.\nThe dreidel-spinning event comes just a few days before Hanukkah -- the Jewish Festival of Lights.\nA dreidel is a four-sided top used in a Hanukkah gambling game, where chocolate coins called gelt, are the prize. Each letter stands for a different amount of gelt a player can win. A player spins the dreidel and if it lands on the letter Nun, nothing happens and the next player spins the dreidel. If the dreidel lands on the letter Shin, the player must put one coin in the pot; if a player spins the letter Chey, the player takes half the coins in the pot and if the letter Gimel is spun the player receives the entire pot of coins. The letters on the dreidel mean, "A great miracle happened there." \nSunday's event was IU's second attempt to break the world record. Last year, IU unofficially held the world record for a week but the paperwork was never sent in because Maryland beat the record one week later. \nIn spite of the disappointment of a near victory, morale is still high for next year.\n"We have to have better attendance," said senior Steve Kolmin, the event coordinator. "It's up to IU to come out bigger next year."\n-- Contact staff writer Amber \nNicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu
(11/19/04 5:51am)
Members of the IU-Bloomington community will have a chance to voice their opinions on the direction in which IU is heading today. The University is revamping its mission and seeking community input in planing for its future. \nThe meeting begins at 2 p.m. today in the Frangipani Room of the Indiana Memorial Union and will last until 5 p.m.\nIU President Adam Herbert sent a letter to the IU community in February outlining the need for Bloomington to differentiate itself from the other IU campuses with a specific mission statement. The committee is expected to approve a draft of that mission statement today, which calls IUB the "flagship campus ... with a statewide, national, and international mission, offering programs in a wide range of fields, while engaging in extensive scholarly research, continuing adult education, and public service."\nThe mission statement praises IUB's faculty, research, libraries, museums and collections, and defines its primary mission as "to create, disseminate, preserve, and apply knowledge." \nHerbert said Mission Differentiation has been one of his top priorities since he arrived in Bloomington in 2003.\n"The process is continuing, and we will have initial reports back from all the campuses next month," Herbert said. "At that point, (IU-Bloomington Interim Chancellor Ken Gros Louis) and I will go through all of the documents from the campuses."\nFrom there, Herbert said the campuses will have another chance to define their missions before they become official. \n"We'll go through that and then send any additional questions that we have back to the campuses for one final opportunity for the campuses (to respond)," he said. \nHerbert said he expects to make a recommendation to the board of trustees of mission statements for each of the campuses in late spring or early summer and expects reports in December.\nGros Louis said the differentiation will focus on all aspects of University life. \n"Each campus has had one or more conversations around such issues as admissions criteria, appropriateness of degrees offered and what it is that binds the campus plans for the future," he said. \nThe revamping of IU's mission occurs once every four years.\nThe discussion will be lead by IU Vice President for Institutional Development and Student Affairs Charlie Nelms. In addition to describing the current project, he will also review questions that were proposed at a previous meeting.\nGros Louis said he invited about 130 people to attend the meeting, including heads of student organizations, all deans, directors and vice chancellors, and the entire faculty council. However, the meeting is not a closed session.\n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(11/15/04 5:02am)
After an intense application process and daunting public interviews, the Indiana Daily Student has chosen its new editor in chief, fifth-year senior Josh Sanburn, for the 2005 spring semester.\n"It was something that I have been thinking about for a long time. Since I wrote my first story, I have always thought about what it would be like to be editor in chief," he said. "I finally realized that my desire to do the job and my ability to do the job came together." \nAfter completing an application outlining their plans for the future of the paper, Sanburn and competitor for the position, fifth-year senior Katie Schoenbaechler, went in front of a nine-member publications board which asked them to answer questions on the fly. The board included three IU students, three professional journalists and three IU faculty members.\n"Members of the pub board fired questions at them and they had to answer them on their toes," board member and senior Gavin Lesnick said. "Both did very well at what must have been a very nerve-wracking and difficult experience."\nThe session was opened to the public and was attended by 30 members of the IU community. In the end, Sanburn was passed the torch.\n"Josh seemed to have a little bit more thought into his application and would be an excellent coach for his management team and desk editors," said Dave Adams, student media publisher and board member. \nSanburn has held many potions with the IDS including reporter, campus editor and managing editor two times. He has also worked in the marketing department as the marketing manager. \nThe editor in chief is responsible for the paper as a whole and chooses the managing editors who then choose the desk editors, as written in his application for editor in chief, Sanburn said.\n"I have realized that the role of editor in chief is to set the tone for the staff from day one. The editor conveys to his or her staff that they are in charge, but doesn't get in the way of good writers and good editors doing their jobs."\nSanburn has many visions for the future of the IDS including: reorganizing some of the desks within the newsroom, such as the photo desk. He would also like to have a daytime editor for the Web page who would post breaking news on the Web site throughout the day. Furthermore, Sanburn seeks to enlarge the Nation-World section to inform students more on government issues and how those issues effect them, he said. In addition, he wants to make the art department stronger with more pictures and graphics, Sanburn said.\n"I want to give students a reason to pick up the paper," Sanburn said.\n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(11/05/04 5:42am)
After six years of abandonment, the IU Civil Liberties Union, a chapter of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, has been revived, ready to impact the community.\n"I have been juggling with the idea to start an American Civil Liberties Union chapter here for a long time," said junior Jared Sloane, the organization's founder. "After I became a card-carrying member, I began to think about how an organization such as the IUCLU could help students on campus get involved in the community."\nThe organization plans to involve students with the community through a number of different events.\n"We will probably hold our own events, which will include rallies, protests, fund-raisers and general awareness functions," Sloane said. "We'll have speakers and the like, and my main focus for the meetings will be to educate members and students about the issues that the ACLU deals with."\nThe purpose of these rallies and speakers will be to deal with issues affecting basic American citizens' rights.\n"Our main concerns will be dealing with issues affecting our rights, both stated and unstated, as citizens of this country," said junior Aamir Bharmal, a member of the new chapter.\nAlthough some believe taking a stance on a political issues would force one to choose a party, the IUCLU does not subscribe to this.\n"This club is nonpartisan and, therefore, associates with no particular political party or candidate," Bharmal said. "Members of all political parties are welcome to join."\nOther campuses across the country, including other IU campuses and the Notre Dame law school, have chapters of the ACLU. Some students on campus welcome the group -- as long as it remains peaceful.\n"I think it is awesome that people can speak out (to) use their freedom of speech," said senior Jene Mundil. "But sometimes I think they go too far to get their point across. If they don't make a big scene and are there to have their voices heard because it's a cause that they believe in, then by all means."\nAlthough the chapter is ready to run, no official date or time for a call-out meeting has been set, but the club's founder is available at jsloane@indiana.edu if students are interested. \n"The IUCLU is a doorway to opportunity for those who cannot find it on their own," he said. "And for those who can, the IUCLU makes it easier to make a difference, and that is what counts in life."\n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(10/19/04 6:16am)
Selling your used panties for profit might be seen as controversial to some, but it can be a big money maker for others. Born and raised in a small town near Muncie, sophomore September Harness, also known as "Teen Keira," has taken the next step in making it big with her self-made adult Web site. \nHer original site, www.teenkeira.com which first made the news in April, has acquired more than 700 members and sparked controversy nationwide.\nHarness was brought before the dean on several charges including violation of the student ethics code for unauthorized use of the University's name and space with the original site.\nShe was cleared of all charges by the end of April and her site remained up unscathed. \nHarness has since disassociated herself from the original site because of conflicts with her webmaster.\nFrom the success of the first site, she has now launched her newest addition to the adult industry with www.keiramodel.com. \n"The new site is slowly progressing and there is going to be different picture sets, there will be a store on the site where people can request certain pictures and there will be calendars and things like that," Harness said. "Soon there will be web chats where they can see and talk to me at the same time on the computer."\nIn addition to pictures and calendars, the store section of the new site will also take requests from members. This idea came from a recent e-mail Harness received from one of the site members.\n"I just got an e-mail recently from some guy asking me if I was willing to sell my used panties," Harness said. "That's a good idea for the site; we are going to start doing things like that in the store part; things that we put in the store will be by their request." \nThe new site will cost $19.95 for the first month and $24.95 for each additional month. \nIn addition to her latest site, Harness will also be appearing in next month's Hustler magazine.\n"Hustler contacted me last year, so I am doing some picture sets in Hustler that will be printed either next month or the month after," Harness said. \nAlthough hosting an adult site may seem easy, there are some drawbacks for Harness, she said.\n"The hardest part about this for me is people thinking that you are a different person just because you do something like this," Harness said. "A lot of people think it is a big deal and Americans in general think that nudity or nakedness is a horrible thing. I think that there are a lot worse things like violence that should be looked at first. I am not a partier or drinker or smoker, and people tend to get the wrong impression about me because of what I do."\nAlthough Harness said she feels people might see her in a different light, some said the view around campus is just the opposite.\n"If someone is doing that they must have a reason, even though that is not the choice I would make, it is not for me to judge either way," said senior Curtis Marcum.\nJunior Stephanie Balunda said the site isn't that controversial given the IU setting. \n"It can't be worse than what happens on the weekends," she said. "Heck, you might as well make some money off it." \n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(10/19/04 5:28am)
Religion and politics converged as four clergy members from different religious backgrounds, met to discus the November election's hot topics. \nThe debate focused on key election issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, the president's faith-based initiatives and religion's role in deciding the necessity of war.\nThe debate was held in Woodburn Hall 101 and consisted of panelists Mother Linda Johnson, the Episcopal Chaplin to IU and the Associate Rector of Trinity Church; Reverend Rebecca Jimenez, the director of the Center for University Ministry; Matt Nussbaum, lead pastor of Exodus Church; and Rabbi Sue Shifron, executive director of the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center. \nThe debate was formatted to present the opinion of the panelists as well as incorporate audience participation. \nThe moderator, sophomore Joanna Blotner, presented a question and gave each panelist a chance to respond. After the panelists responded, the audience was then given a chance to ask the panelist questions about their response. \n"Overall the presentation was very good," Blotner said. "The panelists gave excellent remarks, better than what I expected."\nThe views the religious leaders held in common varied from question to question. \nOn the subject of same-sex marriage, Johnson, Jiminez and Shifron all were in favor of same-sex marriage, while Nussbaum was against this idea. \n"I would be in favor of gay marriage; I do believe that homosexuality is not a choice," Shifron said. \nOn the topic of abortion once again Johnson, Jimenez and Shifron all took a similar stance while Nussbaum was left to defend his anti-abortion view alone.\nThough three of the panelists were in agreement of not overturning Roe vs. Wade, their arguments for doing so differed.\n"In a liberal democratic state, no religion should be preferenced," Johnson said. "If there were to be an amendment to the Constitution to ban abortion that would be preferencing some religions over others," \nWhen asked if the War on Terrorism had become a manifestation of a religious war, each of the panelists had his or her own opinion on the president's correlation between religion and war.\n"We have preemptively invaded a sovereign nation and there is no one on the globe right now who can call us to high-moral virtues and I find that very sad," Jimenez said.\nThis was in sharp contrast to Nussbaum's views.\n"I think there is a time for a preemptive action to eliminate evil," he said. "I sure, wish somebody in the world would have done a preemptive invasion of Germany." \nTaking after the panelist's contradicting views, the students in attendance had differing views of the discussion as a whole.\n"I thought the overall flow of the conversation was stimulating," junior Colby Gray said. "But, it pained me to hear some of the things that came out of the clergy's mouth."\nHillel professional staff member Aaron Gottlieb had a different view of the panel, \n"I think it is interesting how similar their religious beliefs are, yet how different that makes their political views," Gottlieb said.\n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(10/11/04 4:50am)
The Kelley School of Business MBA program moved up two spots from number 20 to 18 in the most recent Business Week ranking. \n"There are over 500 accredited MBA programs," Daniel Smith, interim dean and Clare W. Barker chair in marketing of the Kelly School of Business said. "To be ranked number 18 overall and number six among public schools places us among the elite in the nation." \nBusiness Week has ranked MBA programs every two years since 1988. \n"Business Week surveys both students and recruiters," Chair person, MBA program and Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management of the Kelly School of Business, Idalene Kesner said. "Students are asked to respond to factors such as the quality of the teaching and career service support. Recruiters are asked to evaluate the students on the following dimensions: communications, teamwork and analytical skills."\nSince Business Week began ranking MBA programs, IU has not fallen below a ranking of 21st in the nation. This 1998 ranking has been the program's lowest. The highest ranking IU has received was seventh in the nation in 1994.\nThis year's ranking places IU above other schools such as Yale (22nd), Purdue (21st) and Notre Dame (24th) according to the article. In years past IU has always fared better than all other universities in Indiana, including both Purdue and Notre Dame.\nWhile Business Week does not rank undergraduate programs, according to the most recent U.S. News and World report ranking, The Kelley School of Business undergraduate program was ranked 11th nationally. Other major fields such as management, marketing and finance were ranked in the top 10.\nThe Kelley School has also been ranked No. 1 by the Princeton Review for best-quality MBA teaching. \nThe credit for the Kelley School's upward shift in ranking has been attributed to many sources.\n"The MBA faculty, staff and students have all worked hard to contribute to our upward movement," Kesner said. "Credit also goes to our alumni and recruiters who are very supportive of our program and our students." \nThe Kelley School has set primary goals for its students to assure that their dreams come true.\n"We view the MBA program as a life transforming experience," Smith said. "We ask students to come to us with big dreams of what they want to accomplish with their lives. Our goal is to provide them with the skills and intellectual resources to make those dreams come true." \nThe overview of the Kelly School's MBA program is one with a positive future.\n"We have extraordinary leadership in our MBA office, an incredibly talented and dedicated faculty and a positive student culture," Smith said. "When you bring these three elements together, good things happen." \n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(04/30/04 5:50am)
Music from a Native American flute, prayers in Hebrew and Aramaic as well as a traditional Hindu dance will all be a part of IU's baccalaureate ceremony, an inter-religious event for all faiths in celebration of accomplishment, achievement and inspiration.\n"It has a long tradition on the IU campus (and) is traditionally a celebration of accomplishment," Bill Elliott, director of University ceremonies said. "It acknowledges the accomplishments of students who are graduating."\nFor the past 166 years, IU has held a baccalaureate service for graduating seniors. In 2002, a campus-wide committee restructured the traditional ceremony to include a diverse array of religious movements, including Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity and Judaism.\n"It's a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community and celebrate a special occasion in an interfaith diverse community," said Helene G. Simon Hillel Center Executive Director Rabbi Sue Shiffron. "It really represents the diversity of the IU community and of our world."\nPlanned by a committee of faculty, students, staff and campus chaplains, the service will begin with a candle-lighting ceremony and a prayer written by several clergy from the Bloomington community. \nProceeding the ceremony prayers from the Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian and Jewish traditions offering strength, guidance and wisdom will be read by IU graduates and undergraduates.\nIt will be during the Hindu prayer that the traditional dance, Pushpanjali, will occur. \nThe dance marks an offering of flowers to Lord Ganesha, who symbolizes auspicious beginnings.\nThe ceremony will then honor parents and loved ones for the help and support they offered the graduates throughout the years.\nThe diverse group of faiths represented in the ceremony will bless the graduates as participants will be asked to stand and sing a traditional prayer for travel lead by the St. Paul's Catholic Center Korean Choir. \n"My favorite part is where the audience is asked to participate in the closing song," IU Alumni Association President Ken Beckley said. "It's a moving song."\nThis year's baccalaureate will be held at 5 p.m. May 7 at the IU Auditorium and is free and open to the public. \n"We hope students will take time during the busy commencement weekend to attend the service," Beckley said. "It is only 45 minutes long, and I think those who attend will feel a little bit extra special when they leave the auditorium on the seventh of May."\n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(04/21/04 5:20am)
For the past six years, IU Dance Marathon has had the privilege of soliciting a $4 donation from students during registration, billable to the Bursar. This privilege is now in jeopardy, though, because of an insufficient number of students willing to donate to the cause.\n"There is a certain level you have to reach each semester, you have to have at least 10 percent of the entire student body donate or else we lose the privilege" Dance Marathon President Ryan Bulan said. "In order to get it back, we would have to get a petition with a lot of students signing it," \nUpon registration, students are offered many options in which they can purchase items such as season football tickets, bus passes or tickets to the Little 500. Among these options is a $4 donation to Dance Marathon.\n"We need to demonstrate that we are as well known on campus as other organizations," Internal Vice President Ashley Crouse said. "We have never had over 1,000 people do it and we need at least 4,000 (this year)."\nThe implementation of the new registration system OneStart has many members of the Dance Marathon community concerned.\n"We are concerned with the new OneStart system, it is really confusing to know if you actually donated because you have to click the 'submit' button before you hit 'continue' in order to verify your donation," Crouse said. "We are kind of concerned that this will confuse a lot of students and possible donors."\nDance Marathon is a 36-hour marathon in which participants are able to dance, play basketball, football, four square and eat, as long as they do not sit or sleep for the duration of the 36-hour event.\n"Basically, the reason they are not allowed to sleep is because a lot of Riley children come to the event and we want to show them that this event is for them," Bulan said.\nThe marathon was started in 1991 in memory of Ryan White, a high school senior from Kokomo bound for IU who died after contracting AID's from a blood transfusion. \nThe money raised from the marathon goes to support the infectious disease wing of the Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. During the past 13 years, the marathon has raised about $13 million.\nThis year, it will take place Nov. 5 through 7 and will include performances by 12 to 15 live bands.\n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(04/12/04 1:21pm)
Having Tom Arnold and Dan Cortez comment and joke about a film that started as a class project on national television may seem like a dream to some, but it has now become a reality for two IU students.\nSeniors Kevin Bar and Aaron Matas submitted their film, "IU soccer: The Season," to "The Best Damn Sports Show Period" Student Film festival. It was selected as one of 10 semi-finalists and was aired on the program Tuesday night.\nThe film, which was originally 15 minutes long and created for their T351 project last semester, was cut down to just five minutes for the film festival.\n"We just had to do a final project, and we decided to do something in sports," Matas said. "We knew some of the girls on the soccer team, so we decided to do a documentary about the season."\nThe video includes footage from this year's season and interviews with the coaches and some of the players, as well as music from the local band East Race.\n"ESPN has a program called 'The season,' and they follow a team for a season. And we tried to do that for the soccer team," Bar said. "It's basically a pretty good documentation of the last three games and a brief of the first 15." \n"The Best Damn Sports Show Period" is a 90-minute program shown weeknights on Fox that blends sports, comedy and entertainment with co-hosts Tom Arnold, Chris Rose and John Sally.\n"It's been on the air for a little more than three years," said Geoff Goldman of Fox Sports Net. "It attracts some really big-named guests every night from the genre of sports and entertainment. We have had everywhere from Shaquille O'Neal to Bobby Knight to Arnold Schwarzenegger." \nThere were two categories of completion: fiction and non-fiction. Bar and Matas' film was entered in the non-fiction category, and a panel of studio heads and producers will select the winner of the film festival.\nAlong with winning a Sony digital handy cam, the winner of the fiction category will receive a summer internship with Fox films. The winner of the non-fiction category will win an internship with the TV program.\n"IU soccer: The season" can be view on www.foxsports.com under the video link. The video is also scheduled to be re-aired on the "The Best Damn Sports Show Period" May 10. \n"We'll see if they like ours enough," Bar said. \n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(03/11/04 4:28am)
Oracle's nine-month, $9.4 billion attempt to buy out rival software company People Soft has been postponed due to a law suit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice Feb. 27.\nThe department filed the suit on grounds that "the merger would harm competitive landscape in the market for complex business software packages sold to large organizations," according to the Tri-Valley Herald in San Francisco.\nIU uses both People Soft and Oracle software. People Soft is an application vendor for human resources and financial aid departments, as well as student administration systems. Oracle is used as database management software.\nIU has recently implemented People Soft software for student registration.\n"When you go to register this spring that will be the first time that you will use People Soft software," said Dennis Cromwell, director of University Information Systems.\nIf these two companies merged, IU might feel an impact.\n"Clearly there would be an impact on the University. I think that it is fair to say that when the Department of Justice stepped in, it decreased the likelihood that his bid was going to be successful," Cromwell said.\nOthers do not believe this merger will have a direct impact on IU.\n"I would not assume it would have a whole lot of effect. I think that both companies are still going to offer both products that IU uses," said doctorate student Daniel Wright.\nThe suit was filed in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco and each side has requested 10 days to present its side of the case. As of now, the trial is scheduled to begin June 21 and is likely to conclude some time in late July.\nPresently, the attorneys generals of Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota and Texas have joined the suit.\nThe Department of Justice is concerned this merger will eliminate the completion. Oracle will argue the market is too monopolized and needs to be expanded to include other companies, such as IBM and Microsoft.\nAccording to the Chronicle of Higher Education, Oracle is offering to buy People Soft shares for $26, which is significantly higher than the market closing price.\nThe Department of Justice has been investigating this takeover for eight months, which has lead Oracle to request a list of witnesses three months in advance in order to have a fair chance to catch up with the plaintiff.\n"We've been tracking the whole bid (Oracle over People Soft) since it started last year," Cromwell said. "It would be devastating if Oracle took over. Oracle does not have as large a market presence as People Soft."\n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(03/01/04 4:27am)
IU honored outstanding faculty and students at the 184th Founders Day celebration held Saturday in Assembly Hall.\nWith President Adam W. Herbert presiding, the ceremony began with a prayer by Sister Concetta Fabo, pastoral associate from St. Paul's Catholic center.\nFollowing opening remarks by Herbert, Charles R. Bantz, chancellor for IU-Purdue University Indianapolis, announced IU's four newest distinguished professors, the "most prestigious academic appointment IU can offer," according to the Founders Day program.\nIU Professors Hal E. Broxmeyer, Timothy R. Noble, Loren H. Rieseberg and David P. Thelen were each given the title of distinguished professor.\nFaculty, alumni, students and other knowledgeable sources nominate the professors, and the chosen few are honored for outstanding scholarship, artistic literature distinction or other peer-recognized achievements.\nEleven distinguished teaching awards were then given in acknowledgment to teachers who have gone above and beyond.\nLibby Lewis, an honor student in the College of Arts and Sciences, gave an inspirational speech about listening to professors. She said a professor told her to take a walk while studying abroad. Thinking it would take an hour or two, Lewis did so. Ten hours later, when she finally finished, she had had an enlightening experience, thanks to a professor's suggestion.\nThe next segment of the program focused on honoring all students who achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or above during the spring or summer semester of 2003 or the fall semester of 2004.\n"My parents encouraged me to come because of my honors in academics, basically to celebrate my academic achievements," sophomore Sarrona Clardy said. "You never know how long it will last, you have to get it while you can." \nStudents were brought on stage before their professors, family members and peers in accordance to their school.\n"I thought it was very good to have your achievements recognized and to see everyone else who is an honors student be recognized as well," freshman Aaron Jackson said.\nDuring the ceremony, the IU brass quintet, the IU string quartet and the IU horn ensemble performed several pieces of music, including "Hail to Old IU."\nAfter the ceremony, students were invited to the John Mellencamp Pavilion to pick up their certificates, mingle with the professors and enjoy some light refreshments.\n"It was really nice, it was very well planned and the music was wonderful," freshman Melissa Taylor said. \n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(02/26/04 5:40am)
With the theme "Latinos con passion y direction," or "Latinos with passion and direction," diversity and leadership will be stressed during the fifth-annual Indiana Latina/o Collegiate Leadership Conference.\nStudents from IU, IU-Purdue University Indianapolis, Ivy Tech state college, University of Notre Dame, Purdue University, University of Indianapolis, IU-Kokomo and local high schools are expected to attend.\nNine different panel discussions will be held with keynote speaker Marco Davis, director of leadership and development at the National Council of La Raza, a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit and nonpartisan organization.\nThe panel topics include discussions about "English Language Learner in the U.S.," "Practice Leading Diversity Discussions: An Integral Component in Student Leadership Skills," "Taking charge of your Future: Reflections and Advice from Alumni," "Cultivating Latino Pride and Leadership on Campus," and "A Community Heath-Intervention Practice for Cancer Prevention among Latinas."\n"The main mission that we try to do is build leadership skills, Latino role models and create a strong Latino network," said Lillian Casillas, La Casa's director. "We celebrate distinctiveness of Latino scholarship and leadership and encourage development through panels and discussions."\nStudents will be given the chance to network with alumni, professionals and with other students throughout the day.\n"It's a great place to network and meet people, we try to build leadership and identify Latino role models and create a strong Latino network," said Jessica Rodriguez, chairperson of the event.\nIUB has 797 self-identified U.S. Latinos, as well as 200 international Latinos. Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the U.S.\nThe conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., March 6 in the Indiana Memorial Union. There is a $5 registration fee which will include breakfast, lunch and refreshments. Registration must be completed by March 3. \nFor information on how to register, contact Casillas at 855-0174 or by e-mail at mlcasill@indiana.edu.
(02/25/04 6:24am)
Black ashes in the image of a cross will grace the foreheads of students from four different churches after they come together today for an ecumenical service in the Indiana Memorial Union. Today marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day preparation for Easter.\nThe Center for University Ministry, Lutheran Campus Ministry, St. Paul's Catholic Church and Trinity Episcopal Church will participate.\n"We share a common belief that we need to ask for God's forgiveness and mend our life and ask for his mercy," said Father Dan Atkins of St. Paul's Catholic Church.\nThe service will commence with a gathering song followed by an opening prayer. The event will include readings from the Second letter of Paul to the Corinthians, the Gospel of Matthew and a reading from the book of the prophet Joel.\nParticipating students will also take a penitential rite in which they will ask God for his forgiveness for their sins.\nLent is built on three pillars: prayer, fasting and almsgiving, or acts of charity. It is during the 40 days of Lent that Christians will observe these pillars and prepare for Easter.\n"The Christian community did two things during that time," Atkins said. "It prayed for the people who were becoming Christian, and it was a time for those who were already baptized to get ready to recommit themselves to their baptismal promises."\nAccording to "The Little Black Book" by Bishop Ken Untener, the fasting aspect of Lent binds all individuals who are over 21 and not yet 60 to only eating one full meal during the day. Two other meatless meals may be consumed, but together they must not equal a full meal. Abstinence from meat, which doesn't include fish, on Ash Wednesday as well as each Friday during Lent is also observed. \nIn order to accommodate the student population which observes Lent, all Residential Programs and Services dinning halls will offer fish on the Fridays during Lent.\n"All of the dining halls are adding fish to their menus for Lent," said Gina Brooks, Gresham food court manager. "That's something we have always done."\nFor those in need of a meatless meal during the week, Collins dining hall offers vegan food alternatives every day.\nThe Ecumenical service will begin at 12:10 p.m. in the Whittenberger Auditorium.\n"We're encouraged to not only fast but to pray and rededicate ourselves to prayer and spending time with God," Atkins said. "Especially in reading the scriptures and doing works of charity."\n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(02/19/04 4:31am)
With the case theme "Elroy Fudd, the caskets are us," the IU Law team advanced to the semi-finals in the Regional National Trial Competition in Chicago. Second-year law students Jason Towns, Layne Keele and Leslie Morse were part of the team that advanced Feb. 7, but ultimately fell to Loyola.\nThe IU team competed at the Daley Center and argued its case against other law schools from Indiana and Illinois. Twenty-three teams competed for the top eight spots, one of which was won by IU.\n"It was great, some of these schools practice all year for it," second year law student David Francisco said. "I thought we did pretty well considering we had taken litigation the semester before and only had time to practice for three weeks."\nThe competition lasted for three days, with each team arguing one side of the case each day and the top eight teams competing for two national spots the third day. This was the first time this IU team competed in the tournament.\n"There are actually three trial teams," Francisco said. "This is the second-year team, so this is the first time any of us have competed against other schools."\nIn this competition, three-person teams are composed with four alternates. One team member prepares the defense of the case, another the prosecution and the third prepares both sides.\nThese cases are then heard in front of three actual judges.\n"They use real judges, and this gives you a real sense of what it will be like in the real world of litigation," Keele said.\nThe team received a mock case of a man attempting to bury his dead mother when the handle on the casket broke and her lifeless 425-pound body was hurled out of the casket and thrown down a hill.\nThe man was suing the casket company for suffering emotional distress, and the casket company was in turn shifting the blame to the funeral home, claiming they used an inappropriate casket size.\n"The most difficult aspect of this case was keeping a straight face," Towns said. \nTowns said the team also faced difficulty in being sensitive with word choice. \n"It is difficult to discourse a woman who is 425 pounds with sensitivity, using the right words as not to offend (those) who are listening," he said.\nKeele said the tournament is beneficial because these trials give law students a chance to have an experience in an actual courtroom setting.\n"It was kind of eye-opening to be out there making the motions and having motions ruled on and objected on," Keele said. "It is a really good experience to get trial experience under your belt while you're still in law school."\nThe team hopes to compete in the American Trial Association tournament next year. \n"Next year I would like to bring home a trophy of some kind," said Towns. "We were one match away from the hardware, and gosh darn it, I want some"
(02/13/04 5:58am)
The days of face-to-face rejection when asking that cute girl or guy out on a date are over thanks to Internet matchmaking services. Finding a perfect match for a date through these services is a growing trend for IU students. \nWeb sites www.IUMeet.com and www.Hoosiersingles.com are designed as a way for students to meet and make new connections outside of the classroom and noisy parties.\n"I just thought it would be something interesting and maybe I could meet some people," graduate student Travis Bruce said.\nThe site www.IUMeet.com began in September of 2002 as a way for the students to meet people from the privacy of their own home.\n"These are the same people that you are going to meet if you go out on the street ... it is just a more discrete way of meeting people and learning what they're really about," www.IUmeet.com creator Jeremy Buckler said.\nOf the two IU people-meeting services, www.IUMeet.com is a completely free service, while www.Hoosiersingles.com carries a fee of $19.95 per month or prorated amount of $44.95 for three months.\nAfter registration, which requires an e-mail address and a username, which is created by the user, seekers have access to pictures, profiles and e-mail addresses of people registered within the service.\nWhile this information is made public, Buckler said there's no reason to feel insecure.\n"I don't believe that the people you meet online are anymore likely to stalk you than someone you meet on the street or in your class," he said.\nMany people feel secure knowing those they are talking to are students on campus.\n"Since they are IU students, I think I would be comfortable," Bruce said.\nWhen entering these sites, students are required to answer questions about themselves, such as hair color, eye color and height. In addition to the physical aspects, there are also sections where the student tells about hobbies, majors, lifestyle habits, likes and dislikes.\nBuckler said you can get vital statistics about the cute boy across the parking lot from friends by talking to him or by reading his profiles online and then deciding whether or not to meet him.\n"I am a very strong believer in personal Web sites, they are very powerful," Buckler said. "I have had a lot of dates through Yahoo and other similar services."\nMany students who use these services have received positive results.\n"I have had a good overall experience using it," senior Chris Barnes said. "I kind of wish things would have worked out better for me personally as far as dates go. But that is how it goes in the world, some people aren't going to like you."\n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(02/11/04 5:09am)
President George W. Bush's 2005 budget proposal, released Feb. 2, will initiate a new distribution plan for Federal Stafford Loans. If implemented, the proposal would raise the amount a college freshman can borrow from the federal student loan program from $2,625 to $3,000.\nCurrently, students may only borrow $23,000 for their entire undergraduate career. But even if Congress approves Bush's request to allow freshmen $375 more, the maximum amount allotted to borrow will still remain at $23,000, with the money coming from upperclassman loans.\nThe $23,000 maximum has been in effect for more than a decade, and some do not believe this is a sufficient amount to help students pursue a college degree.\n"It saddens me to know where we are at this point in the 21st century -- to know that we have gotten ourselves into this situation," said Bill Ehrich, associate director of the IU Office of Student Financial Assistance. "There are a lot of people that have great aspirations, but it gets more and more difficult each year to make this happen."\nAccording to the IU Office of Financial Assistance, the estimated cost of attendance for an in-state freshman is budgeted at $16,708 per year, and $27,892 for non-residents. This cost includes room and board, books and supplies, transportation, fees and miscellaneous cost expenditures.\nThe maximum student loan allotted for a freshman is currently $2,625. This leaves in-state students a $13,083 balance and non-residents a $25,267 balance they must fund through their own sources, such as financial aid, Pell Grants, bank loans, federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students, work study programs or cash out of their pocket.\n"I had some money saved, and then I had some scholarships," recent graduate Brandon York said. "I paid one third, my mom paid one third and my dad paid one third."\nDuring the past 14 years, the average amount of student loans accumulated by IUB students has risen substantially, according to IU's Office of Student Financial Assistance. During the 1990-1991 school year, the average IUB senior had accumulated $7,620 in student loans. Last year (2002-2003), the average had risen to $19,377.\nStudents must begin repayment of these loans six months after graduation. This too has been a problem among students.\n"We should not have to pay them (student loans) back six months after we graduate because we are not even into our career," senior Rickesha Ewing-Spates said.\nThis budget has left much to be desired for many people. The Coalition for Better Student Loans,, has proposed to raise the maximum overall limit to $30,000, bringing the freshman loan option to $4,000 and sophomores' to $6,000. In the remaining years, the student would receive up to $20,000 in what The Chronical of Higher Education called "flexible borrowing accounts."\nThese loan maximum increases do not come cheap to the government.\nAccording to the Congressional Budget Office, over the next ten years this proposal would cost the government $20 billion.\n"They need to stop trying to send all of our damn money overseas to rebuild a country that we tore up and take care of home," Ewing-Spates said.\nAnother part of Bush's proposed budget includes a $33 million pilot program which would reward low-income students with an additional $1,000 in Pell Grants during their first year of college. With this money comes the stipulation that students must participate in college-preparatory courses in high school.\nStudents reach eligibility after participating in state-scholarship programs, which are currently operating in 14 states. These programs provide scholarships to students who complete three years of mathematics and science, as well as four years of English and social studies and courses in foreign language.\nIf this budget is approved, the maximum Pell Grant would remain at $4,050 for the third year in a row. Other programs which use Pell Grants, such as college work study and supplemental educational opportunity grants, will remain at their 2004 maximums.\nAccording to The Chronicle of Higher Education, additional proposals in the budget include revising the formula the government uses to distribute money for the three campus-based federal student-aid programs: college work-study, supplemental educational opportunity grants and Perkins loans. Other proposals require students to pay a fee equal to 1 percent of the amount the student has borrowed to student loan-guarantee agencies and expand extended repayment options for borrowers.\n Some students say these proposals are not making the grade.\n"They should stop marketing college like it is a business -- it is a place of learning," senior Isaac Kinsey said. "You go to college to learn how to make more money, but you start out behind. Once I graduate college, I will be 30 stacks in the hole."\n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(02/09/04 5:30am)
Thirty-one years ago, a title was passed that leveled the playing field for women in collegiate sports.\nFriday afternoon, that same bill -- Title IX -- was discussed in the IU School of Law's Moot Court Room by a panel of experts and scholars, including former Indiana Sen. Birch Bayh -- an IU alumnus.\nThe panel focused on the athletic aspect of the title and how women's athletics have changed because of this bill.\nBayh, who served in the U.S. Senate from 1962 to 1980 and co-authored Title IX, was the guest of the hour. He opened the discussion with an overview on the emergence of Title IX and summarized his involvement in the process.\nTelling of his childhood years and experiences from his grandparents' Indiana farm, Bayh revealed how he came to believe in the equality of women.\nHe then conveyed the struggles and obstacles which had to be overcome in order to pass Title IX.\nIn the closing of his speech, Bayh reminisced over a conversation he had with his father at a young age in respect to the equality of women.\n"Little girls need strong bodies to carry around their minds in, just like little boys," Bayh said.\nMary Jo Kane, a professor in the School of Kinesiology and director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport in the college of education and human development at the University of Minnesota, spoke of the progress Title IX has made since its debut in 1972.\n"In one generation we have gone from young girls hoping there is a team to young girls hoping they made the team," Kane said.\nShe continued to speak about the effects Title IX has had on women's athletics as a whole.\n"The question before Title IX was, 'Should females play sports?'" Kane said. "Because of Title IX, the question is, 'What will sports be like for females?'" \nMitzi Witchger, a gender equities consultant and the founder of Girls Really Expect a Team, proceeded Kane and discussed the accomplishments of women athletes.\n"Girls and women are changing the anatomy of sports," Witchger said.\nLaw Professor Julia Lamber, the last speaker on the panel, touched on women's issues outside the realm of athletics that have been influenced by Title IX, such as women being treated equally in the pursuit of higher education.\n"Without Title IX, admission into professional schools (women's admissions) would not have changed that fast," Lamber said.\nAmong the topics discussed, Title IX's effect on men's athletic teams was emphasized. The accusation of Title IX forcing men's athletic teams to set quotas was defended.\n"It is not Title IX that has quotas, it's sports that has quotas," Lamber said.\nThe accusation of Title IX causing quota setting became a hot topic in athletics and was brought to court.\n"The federal courts have said Title IX is not a quota system," Kane said.\nAt the conclusion of the discussion, a 15-minute audience participation portion was allotted. During this time the members of the panel answered various questions that the audience held.\nAddressed in this question and answer phase was the question of how long it will take for Title IX to be completely implemented and the playing field leveled.\n"It will take a while, but as long as we keep on making progress, we will get there," Bayh said.\n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(02/06/04 4:33am)
The Bloomington Rotary Club awarded graduate Matthew Konieczny, 29, a $25,000 Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship to study abroad at the Institute Polonistyki in Krakow, Poland. \nWhile in Poland, Konieczny will act as an ambassador to the Rotary chapters where he will speak about his life experiences in southern Indiana.\n"... (Konieczny) will not only be representing the U.S., but Southern Indiana," said Yolanda Trenviño, chair for the district scholarship committee.\nAmong in those ambassadorial duties, Konieczny will be expected to participate in some sort of community service.\n"They see a need in the community and work with Rotarians to help meet that need," Treviño said. "They are going to try to build good will and better friendships by serving in some way that is beneficial for that community."\nStudying in Poland will help Konieczny further his studies as well as allow him to gain field experience.\n"His Polish will get a lot better, and he will get some archival research experience," said Marci Shore, history adviser.\nKonieczny is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in East European history and will be leaving at the end of June for Poland. He will return in October of 2005. \nKonieczny moved to Bloomington in June 2003 and holds a Bachelor of Arts in international relations from Michigan State University as well as a master's in public policy from the University of Michigan.\nHis wife and two sons will accompany him during his stay in Poland.\nKonieczny came to IU for the history department, he said.\n"IU has one of the best Eastern European history departments in the country," he said. "They have a really great faculty."\nAfter completion of his doctorate, Konienczy plans on becoming a professor of history.\nMore than 1,100 scholars were selected around the world for the Rotary Scholarship. This year, the Bloomington district selected only one recipient.\n"It's pretty competitive because there are several universities in this area, it is quite prestigious," Trenviño said. "It's a really good opportunity to study abroad and get to know and work with others."\n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
(02/06/04 4:23am)
Chocolate, wine tasting and live entertainment will all be a part of the seventh annual Chocolate Fest.\nThe event is sponsored by Options for Better Living, a non-profit profit organization that helps mentally, emotionally and physically disabled people and their families.\n"As much chocolate as you can consume in three hours," said Mary Beth Roedl, board president for Options For Living.\nThe festival will feature the Old City Trio and the Dewdaddies, who will be playing a variety of honky tonk and bluegrass music.\nThe festival also involves a chocolate creations contest where members of the community can compete with their sweetest treats. First, second and third place will be awarded and judged on good flavoring and chocolate taste, use of chocolate, texture, the aroma and overall dessert display. The nine categories for the event include incredible cakes, cheesecake creations, brownies and bars, cookies, candy, white chocolate wonders, pies, cooking by kids and restaurants.\nAmong those entering the contest is Bloomington High School South's advanced family and consumer science class.\nBHSS has competed the last seven years and placed first in at least one category each year.\n"The kids learned about it, and it's one of the things that they get excited about and look forward to," said Teresa Tresslar, BHSS family and consumer science teacher. \nAlong with wine tasting from Oliver Winery, Upland Brewery will offer chocolate beer tasting, which was invented for the Chocolate Fest.\n"The base of the beer is traditional oatmeal-style, and we added organic chocolate extract to give it a real chocolate flavor," said Andrew St. Lawrence, a brewer at Upland. "It's a dark stout with a bit more body to it."\nThere will also be two silent auctions-- one for adults and one for children. The auctions offer baked good donations from local businesses.\nThe Chocolate Fest began seven years ago as a way to educate the community about Options for Better Living.\n"The disabilities range greatly in type of disability from least severe to most severe. The family members need support and rest," said Kimberly Ruff, co-chair of the event. "They need to be employed and have other parts of their life that they can live."\nLast year's Chocolate Fest earned $17,000 for Options for Better Living, and this year's goal is set at $20,000.\n"It just keeps growing every year -- last year we had 1,400 people attend," Roedl said.\nThe Chocolate Fest will take place at 5 p.m Saturday in the convention center, 302 S. College Ave. This year's event will also have a Valentine's Day theme.\nTickets are $14 at the door or can be purchased in advance for $10 at Bloomingfoods, The Chocolate Emporium, Kroger, O' Malia's, Sunrise Boxoffice, Bedford Chamber of Commerce or Options For Better Living.\n"It is truly one of the best run events that I have been involved with," said Ruff. "Behind the scenes, it is helping people with disabilities, but on the surface, people are just having a great time."\n-- Contact staff writer Amber Nicholas at amrnicho@indiana.edu.
