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(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Upon entering an institution of higher learning, students typically expect some degree of confidentiality in the maintenance of their academic records and personal information. \nBut when that confidence is breached, trust in that institution begins to dwindle. This was precisely the reaction provoked when a stack of opened boxes containing private student information, including social security numbers and payroll stubs, was left unattended in Maxwell Hall last week as the University Division completed the final stages of relocation.\nBecause the University Division is moving from Maxwell Hall to Ashton Center for a few years, the moving process has been a "huge project," said Sally Dunn, acting dean for University Division.\nDunn said Thursday was the last day boxes were to be transported to Ashton. When several staff members checked the hallways for stray materials before leaving Thursday, they saw nothing, Dunn said. She credits the stray boxes to careless movers.\n"It appears that on the last day of moving, the professional movers overlooked those two boxes of material," Dunn said. The boxes were to be taken to an external source for shredding.\nDunn said most faculty and administrative staffs in the University contract with external shredders, though internal sources of shredding are often utilized. She said she's never personally investigated the credentials of the shredders because she "never felt the need to."\nBut the ease with which external sources may come in contact with personal records alarms many students, unsure of their confidentiality rights.\nAccording to Part I, Section F, Item 3 of the Code of Students Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, a "student has the right to have his or her education records maintained on a confidential basis by the University, subject to the rules and regulations stated in the Indiana University Policy on Student Records." \nSection F of Appendix 4 of the Code does specify this provision may be broken in times of "emergency." These include a serious threat to health or safety, the need for access in meeting the emergency, whether the person requesting the materials is in a position to deal with the emergency, and the how quickly the matter must be handled.\nYet the stray boxes of student records in Maxwell Hall were not placed there in a time of emergency; nor did a single individual request their disclosure. Rather, containing sheafs of paper detailing such private information as student social security numbers, the boxes lay open to the public. \n"This is an anomaly," Dunn said. "To my knowledge, it's never happened before. As soon as we were informed of the incident, we went over and picked them up."\nTo secure records, students must submit a written request to the Office of the Registrar, dean, or other appropriate faculty member. The University will then arrange a date and time for the student to review the records, according to the University's Annual Notification of Student Rights Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.\nStudents may also request to amend records they feel are inaccurate or misleading. Written requests must be submitted to the University clearly identifying the part of the record the student wants changed and explain why it is inaccurate. If the University chooses not to amend the record, the student is entitled to a hearing concerning the request.\nStudents also reserve the right to consent to the disclosure of "personally identifiable information." The University will disclose academic records to another school if requested.\nBut FERPA authorizes some disclosure without consent to school officials with "legitimate educational interests" -- individuals who need to review a record to "fulfill his or her professional responsibility," according to FERPA. Additionally, "public information" may be dispensed freely unless the student files a form, available at the Office of the Registrar. Public information includes name; address; college or division; class standing; degrees and awards; activities; sports; and athletic information. \nDunn extended an informal apology on behalf of the University Division, noting the staff will take a final pass through the building before closing its door this weekend.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Storm clouds loomed ominously overhead, and the humidity just wouldn't quit, hanging heavily in the air well into the evening.\nImpatient mothers admonished anxious children, juggling babies and corn dogs, while fathers checked out the latest in farm equipment being showcased at the outdoor arenas.\nYet it didn't deter the hundreds of parents and children, of husbands and wives, of high school sweethearts crowding the Monroe County fairgrounds on the southwest side of Bloomington Saturday night.\nThey danced to the tunes of local country and pop bands. They watched the Queen contest. They peered through wire cages at prizewinning floppy-eared bunnies, contestants in the annual 4H Rabbit Show. \nAnd in the end, they went home happy.\n"I've never been to a fair before," said Greta Smithville, a resident of Hilton Head, S.C., visiting family in Indiana this week. While she enjoyed herself despite the threat of rain, "I don't really understand the poultry obsession," she said, laughing. \nFairgoers can access the grounds from Airport Road each day from 4 to 8 p.m. Airport Road will be one-way westbound from Ind. 45 to Bunger Road. \nThose without parking permits can enter the grounds from Airport Road at Gate 1. But drivers will not have to pay the parking fee at the gate. The toll booth is now located at the end of a three-lane entrance ramp designed to relieve traffic problems. \nEight-year 4-H member Kara VanDeventer was crowned Monroe County Fair Queen Saturday night. She triumphed over 16 contestants vying for this year's crown. \nVanDeventer will attend IU in the fall and plans to major in elementary education. She says she plans to emerge as "a positive role model" for young adults in Monroe County.\n"She was just beautiful," gushed Indianapolis high school student Mark Wileska, who hit the fair with friends Saturday. "But man, I have no idea how I could have judged those girls." \nFair officials credit volunteers with the event's success. Volunteers work four-hour shifts in areas ranging from food service to ticketing to parking assistance. \nThe fair opened Saturday night and will continue through July 28. The schedule includes horse and pony shows, livestock exhibitions and competitions and performances by area musical groups at the 4H amphitheater and grandstand.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
With tuition increasing steadily throughout the Big Ten, many students are left wondering where their money's going. \nAnd this year, after the IU Board of Trustees' approval of an unprecedented 7.5 percent increase, those students' concerns have escalated. \nYet IU administrators want students to know the impetus behind the increase. They want students to know how their tuition is being spent. \nIn addition to tuition costs, set at $2,097.75 per semester for in-state and $6,965 per semester for out-of-state students, IU students pay a student activity fee of $59.87, a student health fee of $82.91, a technology fee of $100 and a transportation fee of $27.66 per semester. \nThe Board of Trustees, which deliberates and decides on the level of tuition increases, has attempted to maintain consistently low increases each year, said IU trustee John Walda.\nIn 1995, the Board voted to maintain a increase of 4 percent. Walda attributed the low hike to IU's commitment to accessibility for all Hoosiers "while offering one of the nation's best values in higher education. Moreover, our efforts to become more effective, efficient and accountable are producing internal cost savings that have helped to prevent big tuition jumps."\nBloomington's 1995-96 undergraduate in-state rate of $3,162 compared admirably with IU's Big Ten peers. In-state students at Penn State paid $5,188, while the University of Michigan cost $5,094, Michigan State cost $4,208 and Ohio State cost $3,039.\nThe following year, the Trustees requested the lowest increase in 16 years. The flat-fee undergraduate tuition for 1996-97 was $3,320, an increase of $158 from the previous year. The Board also discussed strategies for reallocation that year, including freezing vacant positions and deferring funding of new faculty and staff positions in growth areas.\nIn 1998, President Brand lobbied with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, requesting additional allocations to help keep tuition costs low. That year, the increase remained consistent at 4 percent. \nThe Board of Trustees continued to raise tuition at a relatively steady rate each year -- until this year's 7.5 increase, which sparked innumerable dialogues among both in-and out-of-state students, concerned with how their money would be spent. \n"I have to admit that the tuition increase affects me much less than my out-of-state colleagues, but the constantly rising cost of higher education very much frustrates me anyway," said senior Josh Huff. "I understand that perhaps IU needs more money; in fact, I'm glad that they are trying to make this University better for us and more appealing to prospective students. However, I don't know that I would come here if I were from out of state."\nAccording to the "Rules Determining Resident and Nonresident Status for University Fee Purposes," non-resident students who are 21 years of age or emancipated from their parents may apply for in-state residence. They must have been physically present in Indiana for 12 months prior to applying without the "predominant purpose of education.\nIf the student is under 21 with parents living out-of-state, he or she must provide a notarized statement from the parents indicating the date they last claimed the student as a dependent on their federal income tax returns. \nThe student must also submit a statement indicating the amount of income sufficient for self-support and must have been physically present in Indiana for at least 12 months. \nThis year's increase affects both in-state and out-of-state students, however. Much of the increase can be credited to a tighter state budget in which higher education receives a mere fraction of allocations. Since 1975, higher education's share of the state's general operating funds has slipped from 17.7 percent to 13.9 percent, said IU President Myles Brand.\n"The current economic downturn has resulted in tighter state budgets for all purposes, including higher education," Brand said. "While Indiana state leaders did their best to fund education adequately at all levels in the face of a difficult economic situation, the budgeted increases for existing programs at IU and Purdue will fall well short of the inflation rate. Meanwhile, the costs of energy and health care benefits -- significant expenses for universities -- are rising much faster than inflation."\nPurdue University has also been substantially affected by the state budget, according to Purdue president Martin Jischke. \nHe claims faculty compensation is a key issue in determining budget allocations. The budget for the upcoming year includes no increases for supplies and expenses and mandates reallocations internally within every academic and administrative unit. \n"Purdue understands the state's financial dilemma, and we appreciate the limited funding the Legislature was able to give us," Jischke said. "However, we also have an obligation to our students and their future employers to protect the academic quality of the Purdue degree."\nWhile Purdue's plan floats theoretically, the tightening budget affects instructional units on the IU campus somewhat differently, according to the Budgetary Affairs Committee of the Bloomington Faculty Council. Total operating state appropriation has declined significantly throughout the past decade. Inflation increased an average of 3.0 percent per year, while state appropriation has grown at an average of 2.2 percent per year. This discrepancy results in 7.9 percent less inflation-adjusted funding for the Bloomington campus, despite the need for increased funding necessitated by a rapid influx of students.\nAssessments for instructional units often find themselves in deficit before enrolling a single student at the beginning of an academic year, the committee said. \nThe committee urges the campus and the President's Office to "work diligently with the Indiana General Assembly to reverse the decline in real state appropriation, and to lobby effectively for a fair formula distributing the state appropriation to the various IU campuses."\nBrand also indicated increased competition among large research institutions for top-notch faculty has contributed to tighter budget concerns. Private research universities pay full professors, on average, $22,100 more than public universities, according to research conducted by the American Association of University Professors. The gap continues to additionally widen within the realm of public education as some larger institutions are able to offer significantly greater pay to full-time faculty. \nTo respond to those issues, Brand said, IU must continue to attract and retain faculty he deems "the foundation of the University's academic reputation." The 2001-02 increase will include merit-based raises between 3 and 4 percent on all its campuses. Individual departments will also be permitted to raise some faculty salaries by up to 6 percent. Additional revenue from the tuition increase will create mentoring, counseling and remediation programs for underclassmen, and more full-time faculty posts will emerge as well. \n"It's an issue concerning many major research universities jockeying for positions as dominant forces," IU Director of Media Relations Sue Dillman said. "There's a desire and need on behalf of the campus to attract and retain the top faculty."\nIncreasing salaries for assistant professors has been especially targeted in considering budget allocations as well. IU's professors are the lowest-paid in the Big Ten, Brand said.\n"Faculty are the single-most important aspect of a quality institution," Brand said. "Unless we have competitive faculty salaries, we will find ourselves in a situation the people of Indiana will find unacceptable." \nBrand claims IU realizes its responsibility to students to control costs and maintains efforts are underway to achieve that goal. In February 2000, the University enacted an administrative services review overseen by Arthur Anderson Higher Education Practice in an effort to control costs. \nBut IU's tuition hike pales in comparison to other Big Ten universities. Purdue also enacted a 7.5 percent increase for 2001-2002. Ohio State has raised tuition by 9 percent and has also unveiled a long-range plan which will enact similar hikes each year for the next four to five years. \nThe University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa will all experience hikes of 9.9 percent, according to the Iowa Board of Regents. The University of Illinois has enacted a 5 percent increase, as well as a $500 surcharge for incoming freshman. That charge will increase to $1,000 for the 2002-03 school year. \nThe average out-of-state tuition for Big Ten schools is $13,990. IU's rates fall in the middle of the spectrum, while the University of Iowa boasts the lowest out-of-state rates. University of Michigan nonresidents pay the highest tuition, at $21,037 for the 2000-01 academic year. \nBut Purdue offers the second-lowest resident fees among Big Ten universities. In-state tuition for Purdue students is waived, whereas out-of-state residents paid $9,032 in tuition fees last year. However, both in- and out-of-state residents paid $3,872 in "university fees". \nPurdue's operating budget last year was $1,110,929,557. State appropriations accounted for 28 percent of the budget, and student fees comprised 21 percent, according to Jischke. \nIU's recent hike is not at all indicative of future similar increases, University officials agree. Many, including Dillman, laud IU as the best value in the Big Ten. \nStudents concerned with this year's increase can take advantage of the 8 percent increase in financial aid this year, $3.6 million more than last year. About $400 million in combined state, federal and IU financial aid will be available to IU students as well. \n"It is a delicate balance to continue funding the outstanding education provided by IU," trustee Sue Talbot said. "I am certain that I join the entire Board of Trustees in working to keep tuition increases to the minimum while not sacrificing quality"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Special judge Cecile Blau ruled Monday to allow 46 plaintiffs to pursue their claim that the IU board of trustees broke the Indiana Open Door Law in firing former men's basketball coach Bobby Knight last September.\nWhile Blau ruled Myles Brand was within both the scope of the law and his legal authority as university president in firing Knight, she did acknowledge the plaintiffs' claim that the board met in executive session without public notice. Blau rejected both parties' requests for summary judgment and will allow the suit to commence.\nIn a ruling received by the Monroe County Court Monday, Blau agreed Brand had sole authority to fire Knight, a power designated by the trustees. Blau wrote that the president "had the authority to make, enforce and terminate contracts," thus enabling him to legally fire Knight.\nThe case will now continue on the grounds of the Open Door Law violation. State law defines a public session as a gathering of a group's majority. The 9-member Board met in two groups of four trustees. Because no majority was present, the University argued, the meetings were not considered public and therefore 48-hour public notice was not necessitated.\nLead prosecuting attorney Gojko Kasich disagreed.\n"The authority of Brand (to fire Knight) was never our issue -- it was a smokescreen IU brought up to excuse violation of open door law," Kasich said. "This is an open-door allegation. They do whatever the hell they want behind closed doors."\nKasich said the board of trustees could have convened publicly at their scheduled meeting in New Albany, Ind., Sept. 15. Instead, they met "at the same place, in the same room, within five minutes of each other" on Sept. 10, Kasich said. \n"It's all an ego thing," Kasich said. "It's about defining what a gathering is. If we have four trustees in one corner of Assembly Hall and another four in another corner and the president shuffling back and forth between them (for example), that's a gathering. The whole thing is about intent."\nThat intent, Kasich said, was to bring trustees together to "get information and get votes." Similar cases have been tried in the Minnesota Court of Appeals, Kasich said, and violations of that state's sunshine laws have been determined through deliberations. \nKasich said motions for at least 10 individual depositions will be filed. Another hearing concerning those depositions will likely commence. He speculated the case could drag on for another 2-3 months as depositions are carried out and new motions are filed. \nIf the trustees are determined to have violated the Open Door Law, the court can enter an injunction preventing them from taking similar action, said Kasich. Additionally, any action taken as a result of the violation would be voided. \nThus, Knight's firing would be rescinded. But that's not the issue, Kasich said. Knight is "happy where he is."\nIU might also be required to award attorney fees to the prevailing party as well, Kasich said. \nUniversity counsel Dorothy Frapwell said she has read the ruling. University attorneys are continuing review of the case. But because matters are still before the court, Frapwell declined to speculate or comment further.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Thirty-three days into her tenure as chancellor has left Sharon Brehm a bit frazzled. \nShe faces page after page of reading, of signing, of names and titles and phone numbers to remember. She attends countless meetings and luncheons and University activities. She's even managed to swing by the MAC for an opera theatre performance. \nBrehm might be frazzled, but she hasn't lost her focus.\nShe still adheres to the basic principles and goals she lauded upon accepting the position of chancellor at IU, and she plans to work closely with faculty, staff, administrators and students to bring her plans to fruition. \nOne such principle involves linking IU to the corporate world through a complex system of partnerships designed to enhance the research and profitability of both parties involved.\n"Certainly the notion of working together with business and industry throughout the state and in part with local businesses is a great idea," Brehm said. "In fact, the important developments within past generation have been increasing connections between University research and the private sector."\nThis "tech transfer" consists of the full spectrum of activity from basic research to creating products and marketing them effectively, Brehm said. \n"Both new and established companies can and do get involved tech transfer," Brehm said. \nWhile certain sticky issues do exist in tech transfer, including what Brehm termed "intellectual property" -- who owns which ideas, the concept has proven quite successful at other major research institutions. \nA partnership recently established between the University and the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, will test tech transfer's success at IU. Established in 1941, the Crane division covers more than 63,000 acres and employs nearly 3,800 individuals in Indiana's south-central region. It reaped $695 million in the 2000 fiscal year, according to Crane's public relations office.\nSmithville Telephone, a regional provider of telecommunications services, has installed the fiber-optic cable linking Crane to IU. \nResearch efforts will forcus on the development of technologies for improving system use to provide more cost-effective maintenance operations on Navy ships. \n"This research partnership will develop the learning process and technologies to leverage the systems' from those engineers and technicians who design and support the system as well as learning from the weapon systems' diagnostics and individual maintenance actions themselves," Fisher said. "This would provide knowledge focused for the sailor who must maintain these systems, with obvious benefits for both military and commercial systems' supportability."\nAccording to McMullen, IU and Crane have worked in tandem for the past three years in developing and researching Internet technology-related projects. \nCrane has also agreed to partner with other higher education institutions throughout Indiana. But IU was specifically targeted because of its involvement with the Internet2 Abilene Network Operations Center, as well as several networks for the National Science Foundation, according to Dave Fisher, Chief Information Officer for Crane.\n"IU is a recognized world leader in data networking," Fisher said. "Crane can leverage off the technical expertise at IU to provide sustainable and cost effective fleet support."\nThe gigabit fiber link will be used in seminar and distance learning applications, McMullen said. But its primary objective will be in assisting joint IU-Crane research endeavors.\nThe partnership will allow IU to further its research interests in knowledge management, secure distributed computing systems and advanced instructional and training technologies, McMullen said. It will also allow opportunities for advancement in secure data transmission and high-speed optical networking technologies.\nThe partnership will also enable opportunities for technology evaluation at the Smithville Telephone Company as well, McMullen indicated. The gigabit link utilized in linking IU and Crane is the first installation of its kind. IU and Crane are evaluating the fiber provided by Smithville in a "beta test agreement."\nThe system will specifically benefit the computer science departments on the Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses. The School of Library Science, the School of Education and the University Information Technology Services will also be targeted. Other IU science departments and the Kelley School of Business could be involved in the future as well, McMullen added. \nMcMullen lauded Vice President for Information Technology Michael McRobbie for his role in nurturing the partnership.\n"Vice President McRobbie has been very interested in building stronger ties with Crane to the mutual benefit of both IU and Crane," McMullen said. "Based on IU's strength in high performance networking nationally and internationally, it was natural for IU and Crane to center one of the projects on providing stronger communications infrastructure between the two institutions, which can serve as the basis for further projects."\nExact costs for system installation are being discussed with Smithville Telephone and Crane, according to Fisher.\nA Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility (IUCF) and Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC Crane) was signed Tuesday, March 13, 2001. This CRADA will meet an emerging need to test and validate the performance of 21st century space and military systems for operation in space and special military environments.\nPreliminary studies have shown that short, high-intensity pulses of high-energy protons from the IUCF accelerators are useful as simulators of important aspects of these special environments. This cooperative program has benefits for both military and commercial systems.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Both plaintiffs and defendants in a lawsuit charging IU with violations of Indiana's Open Door Law are appealing a ruling by a Jeffersonville judge.\nLast month Special Judge Cecile Blau said IU President Myles Brand had the authority to fire former men's basketball coach Bob Knight. She also said the plaintiffs, a group of 46 fans, may pursue their claim in court.\nThe University appealed Blau's ruling Friday, claiming the issue should be settled without a trial. \nThe plaintiffs' motion, filed Saturday, states the Court erred in its ruling that Brand had the authority to terminate Coach Knight last September. The plaintiffs said the Court made its decision without hearing testimony from Brand or any members of IU's board of trustees.\nIU alumnus Robert Nemanich, an original plaintiff in the case, spoke on behalf of the fans, claiming IU never legally proved Brand had the authority to fire Knight. \nNemanich cited the appeal as a "legal tactical move, to protect ourselves for the future over remedies and not forcing the suit being considered a mute issue."\nIndiana Code 20-12-1 grants trustees the power to dismiss, suspend and punish any faculty member or University employee violating standards of conduct, "after determination of guilt by lawful proceedings."\nBut Knight was not found legally accountable before Brand's decision to fire him, according to the plaintiffs' claim, which Nemanich deemed "undisputed."\nThe plaintiffs also said nothing supports the trustees' claim that Brand acted within the scope of legal authority. Knight was not included in the discussions between Brand and the Board, and was not aware and could not consent to any authority to terminate his employment by the University.\nKnight designated authority to the University and its trustees to review his employment in a mutual Employment Agreement. The Board is a group of nine individuals which may vote on University matters formally only with a majority of members present.\nIn an e-mail to Nemanich, Brand maintained a vote by the board to fire Knight was not necessary during September's sessions, which he termed "informal discussions."\nBrand said many trustees had planned to be in Bloomington the Saturday of the meetings, which coincided with the season's first football game. He had been communicating with members of the Board during the previous week by telephone. \nBrand said the trustees' physical presence on campus that Saturday allowed them to meet in "small groups" to discuss Brand's decision-making process. Brand recognized state law requires a quorum of members present to conduct an executive session of the board of trustees on matters concerning personnel. But, because a quorum was not present at any of the weekend's meetings, Brand claimed public notice was not necessitated.\n"In my opinion, and that of our attorney, our actions did not violate the state's open meetings act," Brand wrote.\nThe law requires public governing bodies and boards to publicize meeting times and to take action only with the vote of a majority.\nThe plaintiffs maintained the majority should have been present to approve Knight's termination. Nemanich indicated the public should not be excluded from such "public" proceedings. \n"A trial is a process where it seeks the truth in a matter in dispute and the fairest place that even government officials can demonstrate that they followed the law," Nemanich said. \nThe September meetings raise the question of what constitutes a "gathering of a majority of a governing body," according to the defendants' Aug. 17 appeal. The motion also stated both parties agree the issue can be settled "without further discovery or trial." The case should be resolved in an interlocutory appeal, the defendants stated, to allow a "more orderly disposition" of the case.\nThe defendants also claimed a risk of "discovery abuse" surfaces in this particular case. A protective order exists limiting discovery about Brand's reasons for firing Knight. The plaintiffs stated in their motion that the lack of any written contract between Brand and the Trustees allows all oral contact to be fully investigated and discovered.\nA 1987 university resolution allowed then-president Thomas Ehrlich full authority to initiate or dismiss employment contracts within the University, as permitted by Indiana Code 20-12-1-4. But, the plaintiffs stated no agreement was made between the current Board of Trustees and Brand allowing Brand that same scope of authority.\nNo written contract exists between the Board of Trustees and Brand enumerating such powers, the plaintiffs stated. \n"A public university shouldn't skirt the law and brag about it," plaintiffs' attorney Roy Graham said. "They admitted they violated the spirit of the law but denied they violated the letter of the law, and that's the same thing in my opinion."\nGraham said he and co-counsel Gojko Kasich do not believe Brand has the authority he claims to reserve. \n"This is a public interest lawsuit, and they have to go by the Open Door Law, and they haven't," Graham said. "They should admit their fault, settle this case and move on."\nIU Spokeswoman Susan Dillman, speaking on behalf of University counsel, indicated the motion best expresses the official perspective of the University.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Okay, so I'm not your typical race fan, to say the least. \nTry as I may, I just can't do the kegstand thing, and I'd rather wear a skirt and tank than the typically requisite NASCAR vinyl jacket and bikini top.\nBut I'll admit it: I love racing. I spent my formative years at the Haubstadt Motor Speedway a few miles from my hometown of Evansville, smashing Matchbox cars into one another as my father threw back Old Milwaukees while hurling obscenities at rival drivers.\nSo suffice it to say, I was thrilled when presented with the offer to cover the Brickyard 400 for the IDS. Free food, free press pass, a chance to glimpse my favorite drivers in the pit ... it was any red-blooded, southern girl's dream. \nI'd gone to stock car races before with my family and the Indy 500 with friends, but I was a Brickyard virgin. The morning of race day I filled up my car, slid my Garth Brooks Live album into my CD player and headed up Highway 37 to the Speedway. \nThe chaos confronting me was unimaginable. I think I was too young to appreciate the variety of folks deeming themselves race fans when I came to Indy as a kid. But on this particular Sunday, fully sober and a seasoned, cosmopolitan college girl, I met the experience head-on.\nI looked lost, I'm sure. I'd just walked nearly 20 blocks from my $15 parking space in a seemingly sweet old lady's front yard. I pulled off my exit and onto her lawn, certain she wouldn't charge -- much.\nYeah, right.\nMy bright smiles, chirping hellos and thank-yous were met with a sweaty palm and a barked, "15-and-don't-you-try-and-shortchange me."\nI left her mumbling strings of derogatory slurs.\nMy confidence shaken, I took off for the track. My fellow reporter had conveniently snatched the parking pass and took off for Indianapolis the previous evening, so I was planning on meeting him at the track. The media building was sure to be in plain sight, I figured -- we'd meet up there. So I whipped out my Nokia and dialed him up. \nImmediately, the scores of shirtless stock car devotees flanking me began hooting. "Oooh, I forgot my cell phone!" they taunted, mullets glistening with sweat.\nOh, God.\nClutching Colt 45s and gnawing turkey legs, these chauvinist jeerers poked. They prodded. They were shameless, their eyes lustfully drinking in countless women in cutoff jean shorts and halter tops. \nA few subtle eyerolls, coy smiles and flash of press pass were all it took, I discovered, to fend off these lovely suitors. But I was soon confronted with another problem: my feet. My new Nine West sandals seemed like the perfect companion to my ensemble when hoofed it from my apartment to my car earlier that morning. But, their performance paled in comparison to the two-mile trek to the speedway. \nWhen I finally arrived at the main gates, having shimmied over the hood of an El Camino to avoid the cooler-toting mob, I bent over to nurse a newly-formed blister. Raising my head, I was greeted with a pair of tanned legs. "Hmmm," I thought to myself. "This could be interesting..."\nHardly. Straightening to meet Prince Charming's bloodshot eyes, my visions of loveliness shattered. Dressed in a pitted-out wifebeater and #3-emblazoned swim trunks, "Mr. Lover," as he introduced himself, obviously mistook me for one of the Budweiser girls. He grabbed my waist, pronounced me "darn cute," and dragged me into the melee. \nThe ensuing confusion found me, 20 minutes and two bratwurst later, perched on a collapsible lawn chair 20 feet from Gate 6 with three new friends: Connis, Randall and Mark. \nBelly protruding underneath his airbrushed Dale Earnhardt tribute tee, Randall wiped a grubby hand on his stonewashed jean shorts and grasped mine, pulling from his wallet photos of children, grandkids and favored drivers.\nI spent the following hour not in the Media Center or pits, but hanging out with my three new drinking buddies, hearing their stories. One had gone to dental school but dropped out to take over his father's construction company. Another's little girl had just undergone a kidney transplant; she was in the hospital, recovering. He had hated to leave her, but she insisted daddy "go watch his drivers." And Connis, my "Mr. Lover," was 21 and going back to high school to earn his G.E.D. He wanted to be a neonatal nurse, working with premature infants. \nWow. \nI might not have met Jeff Gordon or interviewed Mark Martin, but those half-drunk, Nascar-crazed guys taught me a few things. I stopped turning up my nose at the drunken revelers brushing past me in search of food, booze and women. I instead spent a lazy summer afternoon with three men who define the stock car obsession -- and tossed out those first impressions.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Carrie Newcomer steps unassumingly into the Bakehouse, her simple black dress and flat-heeled shoes belying the national fame that's prompted The Village Voice to deem her a "burning talent."\nWith a tilt of her head and a flash of green-blue eyes, she acknowledges the barista behind the Bloomington eatery's counter, asking how she's doing and what's she's been up to. The employee's face immediately registers recognition and she's hooked, telling Newcomer of the past week's events as she brews a cup of coffee for the Bloomington singer-songwriter. \nMinutes later, Newcomer sits down with a loaf of the bakery's rosemary-olive bread, raving about its texture and the coffee's flavor. Listening to her soft-spoken, well-weighted words, it's obvious why personal friend and renowned author Barbera Kingswood describes her as "poet, story-teller, snake-charmer, good neighbor, friend and lover, minister of the wide-eyed gospel of hope and grace." Newcomer is all of these things packaged into a diminutive form. \nShe's both musician and activist, both small-town enthusiast and big-city performer -- yet after the release of nine albums, Carrie Newcomer hasn't lost the ability to connect with people.\nThis Saturday, Newcomer will join Habitat for Humanity in a benefit concert at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Fee Lane. The proceeds will go toward the Women's Build project, a Habitat initiative composed of all-female building teams. \nWomen's Build coordinator Carrie Thompson says Newcomer came to a few sites to observe construction and was "absolutely sold" on the concept of women joining together in construction. \nAnd, true to her innate spirit of activism, Newcomer was prepared to get her hands a little dirty. She joined Habitat for this year's Women's Build, both working and performing at a job site during the blitz. \n"We really have enjoyed Carrie's presence tremendously on the building sites," Thompson says. "She's an incredibly spiritual person, as her music reflects, and her true appreciation for respecting all people and including all people really comes out in everything she does."\nNewcomer hadn't done much with Habitat before the Women's Build, but the experience definitely left its impact.\n"Imagine 100 women with power tools," Newcomer says, mouth crinkling into a smile. "It's so cool, so very cool." \nSo cool, in fact, that Newcomer plans to donate a large percentage of the concert's revenue to next year's Women's Build project, slated to begin the week of July 4.\nA sense of activism has always permeated Newcomer's thoughtfully-penned music. She writes of common emotion, of what's "very human." And while composing allows a creative outlet for her own emotion, Newcomer's ultimate goal lies in reaching a broad demographic audience.\n"When I write, I'm not writing in my own diary," Newcomer says. "I'm writing of what makes me happy or proud, of what confuses and angers me. I write of things I'll grieve till the day I die, or of things I'm so pleased with I can't contain myself. It's geared toward humans -- I'm not trying to achieve some political end."\nShe writes of commonalities, and believes activism is a manifestation of "being human," but she doesn't let her personal involvement with the issues she discusses in her music stop merely at the creative process.\nShe instead performs benefit concerts on every CD release tour, donating percentages of profit to such organizations as the Literacy Volunteers of America and Planned Parenthood. "The Age of Possibility" tour donated 10 percent of all sales to the National Coalition for Literacy, and Newcomer raised over $20,000 for Planned Parenthood in Monroe County and the state of Indiana through release of a live acoustic CD last year.\nWith the release of last August's Age of Possibility, Newcomer's seventh album on Rounder Records, Newcomer has begun to challenge the "acoustic folk" label the industry has placed on her music.\n"Because I'm a girl with a guitar, there's always the question of what record bin to put me in, and often, that's folk," Newcomer says. "But the poetry of the song is really at the center of what I do, and I like to play with genres."\nA self-described crossover artist, Newcomer flavors her verses with recollections of experience both personal and observed. She writes of relationships between men and women, of political and spiritual experiences. Growing up near Chicago offered early exposure to the sounds of Motown and blues, and such influences as pop-acoustic singer Jackson Browne and the "indescribable" Lyle Lovett have peppered her music as well. \nShe suggests "Americana" as an appropriate label for her work, but notes that the distinctions between genres are blurring -- and she loves it.\n"There's such great creative stuff on the edges," Newcomer says. "Americana is learning farther into country. There's alternative country. There's alternative acoustic."\nBut in the end, Newcomer is not concerned with how she's pinned; she'd rather focus on the music. "Ani DiFranco once said, 'folk is an attitude,'" Newcomer says. "I'll just go with that."\nFor Age of Possibility, Newcomer collaborated with bassist Don Dixon, a "very hip alternative guy" responsible for much of alternative band R.E.M.'s early releases. The result is an album a little darker, a little edgier. \n"There's a saying in music that 'if you're not growing, you're dying,'" Newcomer says. "Each of my albums is different, and this one especially pushes the edges."\nPossibility features a broad range of composition, including several tracks intended for recording only. "Seven Dreams," one such piece, is simply "like a painting -- completed and better not performed live," Newcomer says.\nA native of Elkhart, Ind., Newcomer graduated from Purdue University and began touring around and outside the Midwest shortly thereafter. Her music was in "a different context" at that point -- more girl-with-guitar and the occasional upright bass -- and she performed with her sweetheart's band, New York City's Dorkestra, which she described as "alternative meets Elvis Costello meets Muddy Waters."\nThough initially lured by the big-city arts scene, she moved to Bloomington to care for her ailing mother -- and never left. \n"It was supposed to be an interim move," Newcomer recalls, laughing. "I fell in love with the place. The more I toured, the more I realized what an unexpected little jewel this place really is."\nAnd while she possesses some of the requisite wanderlust all touring musicians must have, she always loves returning to Bloomington after being away.\n"I get my big city fixes," Newcomer admits. "I go to Seattle and buy too many books and go to Boston and drink too much coffee, and there's some sort of energy about New York. But driving back, when those hills start to roll, I'm always glad to return."\nAnd it's that same small-town bond that keeps Newcomer touring in smaller cities at more personal venues, to audiences often composed largely of college students.\n"It's easy to listen on the surface," Newcomer says. "The thing about college audiences is they're willing to listen and consider on a deeper level what's going on. It's really a gift to the artist; I appreciate it considerably."\nShe loves traveling on the road because it allows her to connect personally with audiences -- a luxury not afforded many big-name acts in other genres.\n"The thing about this art form is it chooses you," Newcomer says. "But our society isn't set up for musicians and their message, and it's not always easy. But when audiences share with me, I'm really touched -- more than I think they know."\nShe hears the "hard stuff" as well -- personal accounts of fans and listeners provoked by the poetic lyricism of Newcomer's work. But through it all, she remains "hopelessly, yet unfashionably optimistic."\n"What a good gig," Newcomer says. "I'm up-close, taking risks, putting myself out there. It's easy to get cynical, but there are people out there -- good people -- doing good things, and I'm meeting them. That's a gift"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Junior Justin Miller has a lot to worry about.\nBalancing a double major in accounting and finance proves difficult to handle, especially when it comes to juggling classes, studying and exams. He also holds a leadership position in his fraternity and coordinates social events for the house.\n"In addition to classes, I've also got to worry about internships and finding a job when I graduate," Miller says. "Sometimes, I just get burned out and need an escape."\nMiller finds that escape in laser tag, a grown-up version of his favorite childhood game that allows him to distance himself from the stress of college life. \n"I definitely feel that as college students we need more chances to blow off steam," Miller says. "We are under constant pressure from school, and it is often overlooked that this is the time in our lives when we are still young and we should be enjoying it. Kid-type activities give us the chance to get out of the real world, and bring us back to the time when the most important thing in our day was nap time."\nMiller says he's also taken dates to the LazerLite Family Entertainment Center, 4505 E. Third St. The facility allows customers to take part in an interactive game of tag illuminated by black lights and laser beams.\nLazerLite general manager Susie Wolfgong says participants wear a lightweight high-tech computerized vest with an attached phaser. Hitting an opposing player with the laser scores one point, and the object is to score as many points as possible. Each game lasts for 20 minutes, which includes the game briefing, vesting and printing of scorecards. Twenty-one people may play at a time.\n"It's a game of strategy," Wolfgong warns. "A lot of adults are finding it's a lot more difficult than the game they remember playing as a kid."\nSportsPlex, at 1700 W. Bloomfield Road, offers 100,000 square feet of unique sport and exercise options and features five hardwood basketball and volleyball courts, a synthetic-grass soccer stadium, and a one-and-a-half mile suspended walking and jogging track.\nJunior Justin Miller visits SportsPlex regularly, saying the intramural teams offered there allow him to "relax, let down my guards and just have fun. I don't have to worry about work or classes or the general well-being of the universe."\nThe complex also features a newly-added 23-foot climbing tower. Open during designated free-climb times, "the ROCK" features handholds and footholds. Belaying classes are also offered, allowing participants to use the tower independently without supervision.\nMiller hasn't used the climbing facility yet, but said he plans to. \nHe says that when he was a child he "loved climbing anything I could."\nAn indoor golf simulator is also available by the hour for private golf lessons and for groups. \nFeaturing a 14-by-14 foot playing screen, infrared lighting and a camera monitoring club speed and ball spin, the simulator is available for $20 an hour for one player, $25 for a twosome, $30 for a threesome and $35 an hour for a foursome.\nFor the more independent-minded, rollerblading can provide a welcome energy release, which 22-year-old Shawne Richards has known for years. While visiting his brother in Bloomington last weekend, he spent the time cruising through downtown and checking out the Fourth Street Festival on a pair of battered rollerblades. \n"These things are pretty raggedy," Richards admits, pausing to take a bite of the burrito he picked up at the Laughing Planet. "But they get me around, and they're a lot more fun than riding in some gas-guzzling piece of scrap metal."\nRichards started roller skating at an early age -- "probably as soon as I could walk," he says. He bought his first skateboard at 7, and a pair of rollerblades followed shortly thereafter.\n"I started out going to birthday parties and stuff at our local skate club," the Hilton Head, S.C.-native says. "I loved the feeling of whizzing around the rink past all the other kids. I was good."\nLaughing, he adds, "I also loved checking out the girls in their cute little roller skates. And I still do."\nRichards deems Bloomington "an unbelievable place to skate" because of its many bike paths, hills and freshly-paved roads. \nAs chilly weather approaches, Western Skateland, located at 930 W. 17th Street, offers an alternative to outdoor skating. \nFor the less athletic, miniature golf always poses a great chance to brush up on putting ability while enjoying the familiar bright-orange signature decor of Bloomington's Putt-Putt, located at 277 S. Pete Ellis Drive.\nEmployee Dustin Finley says Putt-Putt is "flooded" with college students and couples in the evenings. "It's interesting; the groups of parents and their kids kind of move out and make room for the older kids," says Finley, a 21-year-old Bloomington resident. "And they have an even better time than the little ones."\nIn addition to mini golfing, sophomore Liz Coleur says go-karting excursions with her boyfriend often prove great ways to "let it all out."\nIndianapolis go-kart track Racers allows participants a "karting license" for a one-time fee of $20. Each 20-lap session costs an additional $20. \n"As college students, we're no longer allowed to express our 'inner child,'" Coleur says. "It's fun to go out and let all those frustrations out by crashing into someone else."\nBut many IU students claim they're on a budget -- seriously limiting their ability to pay for entertainment.\nThe frequent solution? Just sitting around on a Saturday morning and watching cartoons, sophomore Jermaine Miles says. \nSenior Josh Huff says he likes to curl up with a bowl of Fruity Pebbles and lounge in his pajamas on lazy weekend mornings. \nMiles agrees.\n"I just like to lay in bed and watch Loony Tunes," Miles admits. "It reminds me of when I was younger and had no stress, no worries."\nAnd when writing that dissertation on the inner psychological mechanism of butterflies proves just too tiresome, breaking out a coloring book and setting to work can often prove therapeutic.\nSophomore John Gilbert says he brought a few coloring books to school this year after reading they decreased stress in college students. \n"Anything has to be better than actually working on a paper or studying for a test," Gilbert says. "Nothing helps relieve stress like getting out your Batman, Guardian of Justice coloring book and box of crayons."\nAnd for those laid-back individuals preferring to enjoy the outdoors without breaking a sweat, blowing bubbles in the Arboretum or Dunn Meadow is a great way to spend a fall afternoon, especially if the bubbles are homemade concoctions.\nAnn Hallock, editor of Family Fun magazine, says an easy and inexpensive way to create your own bubble goo involves mixing 6 parts water, 2 parts Joy dishwashing liquid, and 3/4 part corn syrup. Store in a covered container and refrigerate, and create bubble wands from pipe cleaners, cookie cutters, or yogurt lids with the centers cut out.\nAnd when you need a true getaway, investigate TJV Balloons. Operating in Bloomington since 1988, TJV uses only FAA-certified pilots and crewmen. The enterprise is the largest and oldest hot-air balloon service in southern Indiana, according to TJV crewmen. \n"Ballooning offers a sense of adventure mixed with a feeling of relaxation," says Travis Vencel, pilot and owner of TJV. He claims ballooning is one of the safest ways to flying. \nTJV features "cross-country" flights, offering participants a panoramic glimpse of several states from 350 feet up. \nPrices are $165 for one person, $300 for two people, $425 for three and $550 for four. Payment is not required until the date of the flight, but a credit card is required to place a reservation.\nThe process usually takes about three hours. Actual flight time is generally an hour, according to TJV's Web site, but time must be allotted for inflation and deflation.\nAll flights begin at TJV's office, located at 1115 N. College, one block south of 17th Street. Pilot' notice in booking flights.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Few, if any, Bloomington residents have seen the backstage area of the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre -- unless they've performed in a community production or logged hours moving and painting sets. \nBut this weekend, IU Musical Arts Center manager and longtime Buskirk enthusiast Ted Jones will open the theater in its entirety to the public. \nThe theater, located at 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., stands much as it did when it opened in 1922, boasting the area's first talking film. \nAnd while theater promoters no longer send mules wearing advertising placards through town to promote the venue's latest acts, supporters of the Buskirk-Chumley refuse to let go of tradition.\nThis weekend, the Bloomington Area Arts Council will provide the Buskirk and other arts venues around town to showcase their facilities and histories. The Council's weekend-long Open House will afford Bloomington residents and IU students the opportunity to visit the John Waldron Arts Center, the IU Art Museum, the Musical Arts Center and the Buskirk-Chumley.\nCollaborative initiatives like the Open House are vital to sustaining interest in the local arts scene, said Sally Gaskill, interim executive director of the BAAC. \nThe BAAC began planning the event last spring after consulting with more than 100 artists and representatives of the Bloomington arts community. BAAC members approached individuals driving the arts to determine how to encourage greater participation and attendance at local events. \nThe idea of a collaborative open house is a "natural outgrowth" of those sessions, Gaskill said. Originally envisioned as a day-long "arts walk" between venues, the idea has since expanded to encompass an entire weekend. All venues, representing the spectrum of arts entertainment and education opportunities available locally, will be open at some point during the three-day period. \nOpened as a movie house in 1922 by Bloomington couple Harry and Nova Vonderschmidt, the Buskirk-Chumley has hosted acts running the gamut from alumnus and piano prodigy Hoagy Carmichael to contemporary female a cappella student group Ladies First.\nRecently, venue officials debated how to keep the financially-strapped facility open. \nIn what many consider a controversial move, the Bloomington city council voted Wednesday to allocate $600,000 from the city general fund to the Buskirk. Formerly the Indiana Theatre, the venue has faced financial difficulties since its reopening in spring 1999 as the Buskirk-Chumley. \nThe BAAC pledged $3.2 million to help the fledgling theatre, but current debt stands at about $1 million. \nThe BAAC's regular operating budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 is about $650,000, Gaskill said. That money -- raised "almost entirely from scratch" by the BAAC -- must drive programs at both the Waldron and Buskirk-Chumley. \nWhile Gaskill said "no guarantee from year to year" exists for city and state-appropriated arts funding, the Bloomington community consistently embraces arts education and is thus a healthy source of earned income. The Buskirk also rents space to community organizations to gain additional revenue, and programs such as this weekend's Open House allows greater accessibility to the theatre's resources and history, Gaskill said.\nThe IU Art Museum is also featured in this weekend's lineup. Originally established as a gallery in 1941, the facility outgrew two venues before building a larger facility next to the Fine Arts Building in 1982. The Art Museum includes three permanent galleries and a special exhibitions gallery and houses over 30,000 objects, said museum director Adelheid Gealt.\nVisitors of the IU Art Museum may also visit the facility's special exhibition, "Art and Life in Pottery: Vessels of the Southwest and the Mississippi River Valley," which continues through Oct. 28. The collection features ornate North American ceramics from those areas and artifacts dating to the thirteenth century. \nNew to the museum is the Revolving Door Series, a suite of 10 prints by surrealist photographer and sculptor Man Ray. The exhibit, located in the First Floor Gallery of Western Art, runs through Sept. 30.\nThe stage in the IU Auditorium will also be open, with volunteers on hand to answer questions about the upcoming performing season, which features acts such as David Copperfield, the 1998 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "Rent" and Willie Nelson. The control rooms and observation facilities also will be open to the public, according to General Manager Bryan Rives. \nVisitors to the Waldron will be exposed to performances by local music and dance groups and international exhibits in the visual arts galleries. In addition, registration for classes at the Center will be offered at a special reduced fee. \nThe event's organizers hope to add similar collaborative efforts to the upcoming arts season in Bloomington and on campus. But for those goals to come to fruition, the community must step in -- something Gaskill said she is certain will happen.\n"Individuals in Bloomington have always been so supportive of the arts," Gaskill said. "This effort is an example of the willingness now and in the future to collaborate." \nThe MAC will be open 1-3 p.m. Friday; Saturday, the John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St., will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; the Buskirk-Chumley will be open from 1-3 p.m. Saturday; the IU Art Museum will be open from 2-4 p.m. Saturday; and the IU Auditorium will be open from 1-5 p.m. Sunday.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Planned Parenthood will begin offering free emergency contraception to rape survivors this month.\nThe family-planning center will continue to sell the pill to the public for $29. \n"We feel rape survivors deserve emergency contraception," said Kelly McBride, community specialist for south central Indiana at Planned Parenthood of Greater Indiana in Bloomington. "Pregnancy is the last thing a rape survivor needs to worry about." \nThe pills contain higher doses of estrogen than traditional birth control methods and prevent pregnancy by blocking ovulation.\nMcBride said she's wary of referring to the pills as "the morning-after" method. Planned Parenthood has offered emergency contraception for a few years, and McBride has found many women believe the pill must literally be taken within 24 hours of unprotected sex. \nOn the contrary, Planned Parenthood officials say the pills are at least 75 percent effective in preventing pregnancy if taken within 72 hours.\nPlanned Parenthood studies have shown only 11 percent of women know the basic facts about emergency contraception, and only 1 in 3 have ever heard of it. McBride said offering the pills gives an alternative to pregnancy to rape survivors and women who are not on birth control or did not use a condom.\nBut, emergency contraception should never replace traditional forms of birth control, McBride said.\n"Of course, we urge the use of more regular and consistent methods, but emergency contraception works for those women who were raped or careless in using birth control correctly," McBride said.\nEmergency contraception legislation has faced considerable difficulty in the national and local arenas alike, particularly from pro-life groups.\nKent Grimes, administrative pastor at Cherry Hill Christian Center in Bloomington, said any form of birth control is "not right."\n"My definite thought is that a child becomes a child when it is conceived," Grimes said.\nWhile Grimes recognized rape situations present particularly difficult circumstances, "you still come back to the truth that that's a baby."\nUltimately, however, the decision to take emergency contraception is a personal decision, Grimes said. \n"The church cannot legislate to someone," Grimes said. "That's their choice and decision."\nMcBride maintained the pill is markedly different from RU-486, the European "abortion pill" that's recently surfaced in the United States. RU-486 ends pregnancy if taken within the first seven weeks. \nPlanned Parenthood will increasingly publicize emergency contraception in the coming months. Efforts directed at IU students include posting flyers in bars, advertising in college and local publications and sending letters to local hospitals and medical centers.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
For Associate Professor of History David Pace, the horror of Tuesday's events hit especially close to home.\nUpon hearing of Tuesday's attack on New York City's World Trade Center, his thoughts immediately turned to his daughter, who lives a mere two blocks away from the eye of the storm.\nHis daughter is fine, he reports -- yet he said he fears the shaken nation may not be. \nPace equated Tuesday's events to the assassination of John F. Kennedy -- an event of international intrigue evoking an unprecedented outpouring of emotion and public sentiment.\nAnd, much like the Kennedy murder, Tuesday's attack has "changed the shape of our universe." Suddenly, Pace said, things that never before seemed possible are challenging ideals at the very crux of American foreign security.\n"Day to day, we have some sense of what is expected to happen," Pace said. "Then something like this happens and we realize events and possibilities we hadn't thought of before."\nLike Pace, other IU professors spent much of Tuesday speculating what the attacks that left the World Trade Center and part of the Pentagon in Washington collapsed, will mean for the state of the nation and for U.S. citizens.\nA vulnerable nation\nTuesday's events evoked a multitude of conflicting emotions for Professor of Political Science Jeff Isaac. As a native New Yorker, he has family who live in New York, and knows people who work in the World Trade Center, Isaac wrote in an e-mail to his students, "I am as shaken as I have ever been in my 44 years."\n"Today is an awful day. The life of this country has been murderously disrupted," he said. "I cannot pretend that this has not happened, or go on as if we can simply do business as usual."\nIsaac said Americans often experience a false sense of security because the nation is an ocean apart from the traditional theaters of world war. With a direct attack to several locations on the U.S. mainland, that sense of security has been destroyed.\nIn light of yesterday's attack, Pace said, citizens are faced with questions to which no plausible answers exist. The result, he said, might manifest in explosive discriminatory reactions by embittered survivors, their families and Americans at large. \n"It goes back to the sense of betrayal we felt at Pearl Harbor," Pace said. "One form of dehumanization can also lead to another, and I worry about what those implications will be."\nIsaac deemed Tuesday's attacks a "Pearl Harbor for our own generation." \nHe said he doesn't believe the events will lead to world conflict but the subsequent trauma symbolizes a loss of innocence.\n"Beyond the specifics of our history, I think that these events signify a deep vulnerability that is central to our complex, post-industrial, globalized world," Isaac said. "We are incredibly reliant on others, all across the globe. Our daily lives are premised upon extraordinarily dense and fragile interrelationships. From the food we eat to the clothes we wear, to our manner of communication by phone and internet, to our manner of transportation by car or plane, to our manner of subsistence through the use of money, we rely on things beyond our immediate control. Our social world is built upon trust."\nSearching for answers\nAssociate Professor of Political Science Michael McGinnis described the attack as "well-organized, sophisticated...and truly unspeakable."\nHe expressed confidence in the government's ability to find the terrorists and said he feels some sort of retaliation will be initiated in the future, although it may be difficult to find the specific group responsible.\n"At this point, there are many false assertions, and we will have to wait until further investigations to make accurate assertions," McGinnis said. \nThe attacks were effective, McGinnis said, because they unexpectedly and simultaneously targeted some of the country's most vulnerable centers of political and social activity.\nMcGinnis speculated increased airline security and an overhaul of air traffic control systems will likely result from Tuesday's events. In addition, he expects urban centers such as Washington and New York City to substantially increase security efforts. \nBut Americans must be careful when targeting groups as potential targets.\n"It's important to hold off on any speculation right now because it's easy to misidentify the reasons or group behind this," McGinnis said. "Think about the Oklahoma City bombing; many misidentified that attack, in the beginning, as a result of Islamic terrorism."\nThe House Committee on Arms and Services debated this morning to deposit $800 million from plans to build a nuclear missile shield into anti-terrorism efforts -- clear indication, Pace claimed, of the government's commitment to strengthening foreign security.\nAssessing the Media Associate Professor of Telecommunications Herbert Terry was preparing dinner from his apartment in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where he is currently conducting research, when he heard the initial report.\nWithout warning, CNN interrupted a routine World News report to cut to coverage of the crisis. \nStricken, Terry sat down at 8:07 p.m. -- 9:07 a.m. in Bloomington -- to write an e-mail to the faculty of the School of Journalism, citing a "need to just reach out to (my) national colleagues." As he wrote, he watched the second tower of the World Trade Center collapse. \nTerry said the independent Russian network NTV has interrupted usual programming with summaries gleaned from CNN coverage. \n"They seem to be playing it pretty straight -- no more speculation about Osama Bin Ladin than on CNN itself," Terry wrote. \nAt press time, Terry said he expected correspondence from the U.S. Embassy or State Department later in the evening advising Americans to take special care to avoid places usually associated with the U.S. and hangouts for U.S. expatriates.\nHe said he does not fear for his own safety; he realizes he'll be "up all night watching this and then to go work and teach tomorrow." \nHe said he expects his students at the American University in Kyrgyzstan will want to discuss the situation, a request he'll likely grant. \nProfessor of Journalism Owen Johnson felt one of the biggest difficulties confronting journalists in handling the story is access. "Usual" sources abstain from commenting until more information becomes available, and independent experts willing to discuss such issues are often hard to find.\n"The good journalists are being ingenious in finding ways to talk to people who were eyewitnesses or were drawn into the maelstrom around the three attacks," Johnson said. "I did find it strange when one journalist referred to the 'alleged terrorists,' bending over backwards, I guess, to avoid blaming anyone."\nStaff reporters Annie Gill, Jason Rutherford, Chris Ensminger and Rachel Kipp contributed to this story.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Suze has had a long night.\nShe's been waiting tables at the Waffle House for nearly four hours now, and the night's just starting to pick up. \nShe's doing her own bussing and putting in orders, pausing to help the restaurant's sole cook when she can. She's hoping business will die down so she can take a breather. But the possibilities of such luck are slim. \nA gaggle of well-dressed, polished and hairsprayed young women sits down at a center table. They're ready for their drink order, but Suze hasn't gotten to them yet.\nIncensed, the girls pick of their purses and leave, spouting obscenities in their wake.\n"See," Suze sighs, wiping their table, "that's what you get late at night."\nSuze, who prefers to be called only by her first name, has worked at the Waffle House, 530 N. College Ave., for almost nine months. Working the graveyard shift, she's seen the drunks, the students trying to study and the young couples with small children craving a late-night snack. But whatever state they're in, Suze says she's seen it all.\n"You've got flirting, all kinds of people, socializers, weirdos -- the works," Suze says. "But I wait on all of them, and believe me, you can tell a lot about a person by what they eat."\nTypically regarded as a Sunday morning senior citizen hangout, Waffle House has become increasingly popular among IU students and Bloomington residents alike. Open 24 hours, the restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner at all times, and the most expensive item is just over $7.\n"I love the business," Suze says, "but God, you'd think students would have other things to do late at night -- like sleep -- or at least find somewhere else to go."\nBut IU is a campus that rarely does just that, and it's evident by the carloads emptying into 24-hour eateries, clubs and stores around campus. But few students are aware of some of the more obscure Bloomington late-night locales. \nInspired by the trend of interactive art studios flooding the East and West Coasts, the Latest Glaze, located in Jackson Creek Shopping Center on College Mall Road, allows students, families and couples to choose and paint pieces of pottery. Employees then fire the finished products in a kiln.\nPieces range in price from $4 to $40, owner Bill Benedict says. \nBenedict said he realizes hectic student schedules don't usually permit pottery painting during the week. In response to increasing demand by residence hall floors, greek groups and community families, Benedict created "Midnight Madness," a bi-weekly four-hour late night stint allowing students to pay a flat rate of $8 and play all night.\nThe program's enjoyed tremendous popularity since its inception last year, Benedict said. \n"College students love it," he says. "The concept has been going on, on both coasts for some time, and it's finally hit the Midwest."\nBenedict and wife Mary Jo recently opened a second location on Kirkwood Avenue near the Sample Gates. The new location features more space, different color combinations and pottery choices and a large back room to be used for private parties. \nThe next Midnight Madness will be hosted Sept. 14, beginning at 8 p.m. at the College Mall location. The Kirkwood location will host the next on Sept. 28. \nThe store plans to host the event every week during November and December.\nBenedict advises interested students to preregister for the late night events.\n"It might not be a bad idea to call," Benedict advises. "We can sometimes get as many as 60 people in here wanting to paint."\nThe Kirkwood location is just downstairs from another tried-and-true late night eatery, La Bamba's. \nBoasting "burritos as big as your head," the fast-food Mexican chain stays open "until the bars close." \nIt gleans crowds of all sorts from nearby bars, clubs and residence halls, sending the restaurant's seemingly vast array of employees scurrying around until sometimes 4:30 a.m.\nThe menu is affordable, the service fast and the customers are "hilarious," Bloomington resident Charlie Knoll says. \nKnoll hangs out at People's Park well into the early morning, he says, and often retreats to La Bamba's for replenishment.\n"The food's cheap," he says, munching on Bamba's signature tortilla chips. "I spent four bucks on this spread -- what more could you want?" \nJunior Chris Johnson orders a jumbo burrito and rice and sits near the window overlooking Kirkwood Avenue. He's been everywhere tonight -- driving around with friends to Lake Griffy ("a great place to think," he says), partying at houses and hanging out at local 24-hour diner Cresent Donuts. \nOverlooked by many IU students, Cresent, located at 231 S. Adams, offers donuts as well as traditional breakfast food for cheap prices -- "just right" for Johnson's budget, he says.\nJohnson also recommends local outdoor ski park Paoli Peaks as a good late-night alternative. Located an hour away in Paoli, Ind., the park offers all-night ski events for individuals and groups.\nJohnson and a few of his fraternity brothers spent an evening at Paoli last year.\n"We had a great time," Johnson says. "It was really different skiing in the dark, but it was such a cool way to spend an evening."\nThe facility's Midnight Madness ski sessions, hosted from midnight to 6 a.m., cost $28 per pass and $48 with ski rental. Board rental ups the price to $57. \nFor more late-night fare, try Denny's, located at 2160 N Walnut. The quintessential American greasy spoon, Denny's offers breakfast at any time of day -- and they serve a mean steak.\n"Yes, I'm eating sirloin at 3 a.m.," Bloomington resident Willy Nays says, poking a glob of meat with his fork and squinting. "But that's okay -- this is Denny's. I do that here."\nHe recommends the Scram Slam -- scrambled eggs, home fries, the works. \n"... look around," he says, motioning with a tattooed finger and rolling his eyes. "You get all kinds of people here -- the drunks coming home from the bars, the sorority girls wearing black pants, the good kids trying to study and chugging coffee. I talk to all of them."\nAnd the coffee's decent, even in the wee hours of the morning, 17-year-old Sarah Swiller says. \nSwiller, a nonstudent, comes to Denny's to read Kafka and pore over Dante's Inferno. She says the 99-cents-a-cup coffee is impossible to refuse.\n"I'll come at midnight and stay till 4," Swiller admits. "It's a good atmosphere; I can study here and kind of watch people. And it passes the time."\nNays comes to Denny's every Saturday night after clubbing in Bloomington or Indianapolis. He says the clubs in Bloomington are "decent, especially if you're under 21."\nNays recommends Vertigo, located on Ninth Street between College and Walnut Avenues, for the under-21 set. \nDaniel Duncan, one of Vertigo's managers, says the club negates the traditional "bar" atmosphere and instead focuses on the dancing. \n"Dancing is what a good portion of college students want," he says. "Now that so many nightclubs have emerged they're finally getting it. This kind of atmosphere gives them a chance to do what they love."\nSixteen-year-old Josephine McRobbie says she goes to clubs like Vertigo during the week, because "Bloomington's really boring otherwise."\n"I don't really go bowling or anything like that," McRobbie says, fingering a lock of bright-pink hair and stirring her Waffle House hash browns. "We go to Vertigo and dance, and then we go eat. It's just what we do."\nNightclubs also provide an alternative to greek parties, technically forbidden on the IU campus.\nSenior Kristen Trepina says she used to go to fraternity parties "all the time, before the Dean started busting them all the time." She says clubs like Vertigo offer a good alternative to the frat scene.\nTrepina says it was difficult before she turned 21 to really go out late, but she found ways to pass the time.\n"You can always order pizza," she says. "Pizza Express is the best; we'd always walk home and order a Big Ten."\nPizza Express employees say they're used to the drunk calls on weekends from students returning home from parties and bars.\n"You have the kids coming home at 2, 2:30, not even sure where they are and trying to order a pizza," (I HAVE THE NAME AT HOME) employee said. "It kind of wears on your patience now and then."\nPizza Express delivers until 3 a.m.
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For many, a stimulating Saturday consists of a trip off campus to Target or Wal-Mart, topped off with dinner at Malibu Grill. \nBut in the seemingly endless bustle of college life, many students overlook the small opportunities for entertainment outside Bloomington -- and many are as little as an hour's drive away.\nIf you're itching to see where the original "rebel without a cause" hung his hat, check out the James Dean Museum in Fairmount, Ind. The residents of the sleepy, rustic town take pride in their hometown hero, and it shows in their meticulous preservation of Dean's personal belongings and memorabilia, housed in an 1890s-era Victorian mansion in downtown Fairmount. \nThe museum is the culmination of more than 25 years spent collecting and cataloguing rare Dean memorabilia. Archivist David Loehr began compiling James Dean relics in 1974. His collection is now the largest in the world.\nThe Adeline Nall Room, dedicated to Dean's high school drama teacher, includes pieces from Dean's film wardrobes, photographs from his adolescence and copies of high school yearbooks. The room features some of Dean's original watercolor artwork.\nThe facility also features a screening room, allowing visitors to glimpse rare footage and screen tests from the early portion of Dean's career.\nLoehr says the museum is committed to preserving the memory of a man who "in the span of three motion pictures, changed the way we saw the world -- and more importantly, ourselves."\nThe museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. \nAnd while you're in Fairmount, stop by Dot's Diner, nestled on 421 First Street near downtown, for what resident Jimmie Recker terms "the best eggs and grits around."\n"We see all kinds of kids stopping through here," Recker says, nibbling a reuben sandwich. "They usually have a university sticker on their back car window, and they're always playing loud music, but we like to see them. Gets kind of boring around here."\nHe motions to his plate of curly fries. \n"But the grub's cheap."\nFor a more formal museum experience, Huntington, Ind. is the home of the Dan Quayle Museum. You've probably never heard of the Dan Quayle Museum. You may even wonder why anyone would commit their life's work to creating and maintaining a gallery devoted to the Indianapolis native who lived in George Sr.'s shadow for four years.\nBut the folks in Huntington take satisfaction in claiming the nation's only vice presidential museum -- and they're open six days a week to prove it.\nThe museum houses two galleries, says Marjorie Hiner, president of the board of directors for the Dan Quayle Commemorative Foundation. The first is dedicated to all vice presidents in U.S. history, containing personal artifacts, political cartoons and newspapers and books from each period in presidential history. The second exhibit is dedicated to Indiana vice presidents and vice presidential nominees. \nTours of the facility can be arranged by calling 219-356-6356 or by e-mail at info@quaylemuseum.org. \nYet if you'd rather relax than learn about former vice presidents, head to the French Lick Resort and Spa for a respite from studying and stress. \nAn hour's drive south from Bloomington (that's only one full-length CD) brings you to French Lick, a former Civil War-era haunt for the wealthy and well-to-do that currently boasts a 470-room hotel, hot springs, two golf courses and a full-service spa. \nThe spa features aromatherapy, exercise classes, facials, massage, pedicures and manicures, mineral baths, seaweed wraps and a full styling salon. \nGroup rates are available by calling 812-936-9822. Reservations can be made online as well at www.frenchlick.com.\nFrench Lick locals also recommend checking out the Wilstem Dude Ranch, located just outside French Lick on US 50 and SR 56, which offers over 30 miles of horseback trails over 1100 acres. \nInviting visitors to "come sit a spell on the front porch and watch the grass grow," the facility features cabin-style overnight accommodations as well as a 10-room main lodge\nOne-hour rides are $15 and 1.5-hour trips are $22 per rider. \nSenior Jordyn Katzman visited the French Lick Spa with her family a few years ago and says it's "not exactly what she expected" for a tiny Midwestern town. A few of her friends have gone as well, she adds, and "absolutely loved it."\nFor Katzman, a trip to the Oliver Winery, followed by a 20-minute drive to the hills of neighboring Brown County, proves a great alternative to longer road trips.\n"It's great to go out to the winery -- it's beautiful out there -- and then go out to Brown County and hike or spelunk," Katzman says.\nFramed by several state parks, the tiny town of Nashville, Ind., lies just 16 miles from Bloomington on Highway 45 East. Boasting "the world's best apple butter," Nashville is home to more than 360 specialty shops and the sort of "down-home" cooking most students don't get hanging around the dorm food-courts.\nWhile finding a parking spot may prove tedious, the view -- especially during the changing of the seasons -- is well worth the headache, according to visitor Charlie Andrews.\nAndrews, a student at the University of Kentucky, visited Nashville last weekend with his girlfriend on his way into Bloomington for the football game. They ended up staying -- and missing kickoff.\n"We spent the day hiking around the national park," Andrews says. "We didn't even know the town existed, but we've spent the entire day here, just walking around and looking at the craft stores. I haven't thought about school or homework all day."\nAngie Carter, a waitress favorite local restaurant Artists Colony, says she expects the town to be "flooded" during the next few weeks.\n"So many IU students come here with friends, family, whatever," she says, balancing a tray of buttered sweet potatoes and pork tenderloin. "And they are amazed. They just didn't know a place like this existed so close to Bloomington."
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This summer, senior Kunal Desai didn't think about sleeping in or slacking off. He forgot about homework; finding a job was the last of his priorities and preparing for MCATs seemed a distant task. \nInstead, for three months, the biochemistry major committed himself to the task of helping others in a totally unfamiliar place.\nWhile some of his contemporaries rose at about 11 a.m. each day, Desai woke daily at 7 a.m. to begin teaching at a tiny Kenyan preschool. For three hours a day, his patience was tested, his spirit tried. But for Desai, it was all worth it.\nDesai is part of Outreach Kenya Development Volunteers, a group of IU students and faculty who travel to Africa to assist Inter-Community Development Involvement, a grassroots Kenyan non-governmental organization. Volunteers arrive in mid-May and work closely with residents of the Western Province of Kenya to implement community development projects throughout the summer.\nThe brainchild of alumnus Hank Selke, the group strives to increase AIDS awareness in the Western Province. Founded in 1999 by Selke and fellow student Philip Roessler, Outreach Kenya lets volunteers witness first hand the "corruption and greed that can inhibit progress," according to the group's Web site. \nSuch circumstances distinguish the group from other traditional non-for-profit organizations. Outreach Kenya works not from the top, but with the "common people," -- those not usually reached by conventional educational methods.\nBut it makes financing the groups' endeavors difficult. Because of limited funds, volunteers at the group's conception were unable to shoulder expensive start-up costs, placing restrictions of the sort of work OKDV can perform.\nOperating with what directors Beth Messersmith and Martine Miller call a "shoe-string budget," Outreach Kenya is incapable of raising funds necessary to implement entirely new programs. \nYet volunteers don't see financial hindrances as setbacks; instead, they work throughout the year to garner support from the IU community, as well as from the IU Medical School in Indianapolis.\nSurfing the IUB Web site during his senior year of high school, Desai, a Wells Scholar, stumbled upon the OKDV Web page and contacted then-director Roessler for more information. \nThe pair "hit it off well," Desai said, and upon coming to campus, Desai immersed himself in learning the ropes, attending planning meetings and discovering what it took to coordinate a mission like theirs. \nHis interest piqued, Desai was prepped for takeoff -- but his parents weren't quite sure. \n"Initially my parents did not want me to go," Desai said. "They were very adamant about that and they told me I had to fund myself for the trip."\nSo Desai got a job and applied for an Honors College study abroad grant. He also used the summer stipend awarded by the Wells Scholars Program. \n "They just didn't like the idea of going to a far away place with so many dangers such as malaria, road accidents, and all those horrible stories they've heard about Africa," Desai said. \nThey began to come around, however, upon receiving e-mails from their son in Kenya. \n"After I told them how safe I felt in Bungoma and in Kenya in general, they realized how wrong they were in their perception of Africa," Desai said. \nOutreach Kenya kicked off this summer's program with a stay at the IU Medical School's housing facility at the Moi University Medical School in Eldoret, Kenya. Following a two-night stint in Eldoret, students were transported to Kabula, a village about 10 kilometers from the town of Bungoma, where most volunteer efforts took place.\nVolunteers were housed in what Desai termed a "huge family farm" with Kenyan volunteer Reuben Lubagnga.\nThroughout the course of three months, OKDV volunteers reached over 7,000 Kenyans through AIDS education presentations. The basic presentation used posters to introduce native Kenyans to traditional AIDS terminology. Several Swahili AIDS prevention films were screened as well. Swahili translators were on hand if needed as well, Desai said.\nOKDV volunteers also constructed a library in Bungoma. A system of borrowing and lending was devised by graduate student Tracy Lassiter, who organized a makeshift library in a volunteers' home until the final facility was ready. \nThe group also specifically targets women's groups with ideas for sustainable living projects. Graduate student Elke Jahns met with several groups over the course of the summer and assisted three women in implementing their own sewing business and a teaching school for other would-be entrepreneurs. \nBut for Desai, the most stirring part of his experience was interaction with Kenyan children.\n"Even though we spoke different languages and had no idea what the other was saying, they totally opened up to me and the other volunteers," Desai said. "They were constantly laughing and playing with us with open hearts. When they were sad, I felt sad, and oftentimes, I cheered them up by making funny faces."\nProjects for next year include a construction of Health Information Center and maintenance work on the library and preschool in Bungoma.\nThe group's efforts extend far beyond the African continent, as well. Outreach Kenya has, and continues to, impact students and administrators alike on the IU campus. \n"I have found the activities of the Outreach Kenya Development Volunteers to be quite extraordinary," said former Bloomington Chancellor Kenneth Gros Louis. "The two leaders of the volunteer group are deeply committed to helping the people of Western Kenya and have demonstrated that by spending summers there, collecting books for Kenyans, and sending materials as they have collected them from a variety of organizations in the community."\nThe group so deeply impacted Gros Louis that he alluded to its achievements in his 1999 Commencement address. He also obtained a laptop computer for them to use in Kenya. \n"In brief, anyone who speaks to the leaders of this organization could not help but be positively moved by what it is they are attempting to do," he said.\nDesai will succeed Roessler this year as director, along with senior Alanna Galati.
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Former basketball coach Bob Knight countered statements by IU President Myles Brand and waived confidentiality rights to his IU employment records in an affidavit expected to be filed today, the lawyer for plaintiffs in an open records lawsuit against the University said Tuesday.\nThe affidavit could prove beneficial for the plaintiffs in two lawsuits related to Knight's termination.\nThe Knight supporters, who filed a lawsuit last October, allege Brand violated Indiana's Open Door Laws when he fired Knight in September. Brand consulted with two groups of four trustees before firing the coach.\nThe University maintains no quorum was present at any meeting with Brand, eliminating the need for public notice.\nA lawsuit filed by The Indianapolis Star in October 2000 claims IU violated Indiana's Access to Public Records Act, which allows individuals and agencies the chance to review and copy public documents. The suit seeks open disclosure of Knight's personnel file.\nIn the affidavit, Knight responds to each of the arguments Brand used to explain the firing of Knight, said Gojko Kasich, lead attorney for alumni plaintiffs.\nThe University is bound by law not to disclose information concerning the terms of Knight's employment, Kasich said. But in the affidavit, Knight permits IU to publicly discuss those parameters.\n"Knight agrees nothing could be any worse than things IU's said already," Kasich said. "The University can't hide behind that veil anymore."\nKnight's contract delegated former IU president John Ryan the power to fire Knight only if the athletics director filed a formal written complaint. A hearing would then commence to allow Knight to respond publicly to charges.\nThe same contract delegated the board of trustees the power to terminate Knight at any time through a majority vote.\nThe September 2000 meetings between Brand and members of the board violate the provision and the Indiana Open Door Laws, the alumni plaintiffs' lawsuit alleges.\nA 1987 resolution passed by the board gave then-president Tom Ehrlich the authority to "execute" contracts at any time -- but not, Kasich said, to terminate them.\nKasich said Knight was never advised to the delegation of power to terminate his contract and confirms it in his affidavit.\n"What controls relationships between Knight and IU is his contract," Kasich said. "Knight was never made aware of who could fire him, so the University's claims don't apply here."\nKasich will also file a procedural response responding to a Sept. 21 motion by the University to accept the fans' case for appeal. Kasich said the fans' attorneys discovered the motion by coincidence and were never notified of its filing. State law permits Kasich to respond to all filings by the opposing parties within 15 days. The 15th day will be Thursday, he said.\nThe Indianapolis Star counsel Kevin Betz has not seen the affidavit but said The Star "firmly believes" Knight's employment records should be made public.\n"Any affidavit by Knight waiving his confidentiality concerns simply adds one more element to the mix that (the documents) should be public," he said. "The trustees should make them public to the citizens of Indiana."\nBetz said that Knight and The Star are in agreement the documents be made public should "tell the University something."\n"I don't know if Bob Knight has a long record of agreeing with the media about anything," Betz said.\nUniversity spokeswoman Susan Dillman declined to comment on the affidavit's affect on the University's position. She said University counsel has not had a chance to review the document. \n"The bottom line is this discussion should take place in a court of law," she said.\nKnight attorney Russell Yates did not return a phone call by press time Tuesday.\nKnight is men's basketball head coach at Texas Tech University. An official in the Texas Tech Athletic Department said Knight was traveling and could not be reached for comment.\nCampus editor Cory Schouten contributed to this story.
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Former basketball coach Bob Knight waived confidentiality rights to his personnel file and denounced statements by IU President Myles Brand as "false and misleading" in an affidavit filed Wednesday in the Indiana Court of Appeals.\nKnight also said he'd like more information about what led to his firing in September 2000 for violations of a "zero-tolerance" policy.\n"I am as interested as anyone in discovering the exact conversations held between Myles Brand and the trustees of Indiana University ..." Knight said in the affidavit, obtained by the IDS Wednesday.\nThe document was filed as part of a lawsuit claiming the University violated Indiana's Open Door Laws when it fired Knight.\nThe lawsuit, filed by a group of 46 Knight supporters, alleges Brand acted outside his authority in firing the former Hall of Fame coach. Brand met with two groups of four trustees before firing Knight.\nIU Spokeswoman Susan Dillman said the University finds nothing new in the affidavit.\n"We disagree with (Knight's) allegations and conclusions with regard to his dismissal," Dillman said. "Again, it's in the courts so there's nothing else we could say."\nIn the sworn statement, Knight maintains he was told he could only be fired if a majority from the board voted in favor of terminating him. His original contract, dated 1972, was extended in 1982.\nIn 1987, the board of trustees passed a resolution giving then-president Tom Ehrlich the authority to "execute" employee contracts. Knight said he was not aware of the change when agreeing to an extension of his contract in 1989.\n"Had I, at any time between June 28, 1982 and September 10, 2000, been asked if I would agree to any assignment or delegation of the provisions...of my contract with the Trustees of Indiana University, I would have refused," Knight said in the affidavit.\nThe document shows that Knight could be terminated only by the board of trustees, said Roy Graham, plaintiffs' associate counsel.\n"The affidavit shows that Knight would have not accepted the extension of his contract if he knew Brand could have fired him at will," Graham said.\nAttorneys representing the University have refused to release Knight's personnel file. By waiving his confidentiality right, Knight permits all records concerning his termination to be released.\nIn May 2000, Knight was suspended for three games, fined $30,000 and placed on "zero tolerance" by the board of trustees for choking a former player. At that point, Knight said, it seemed that Brand wanted him gone.\n"I suggested to (Brand) that a three-game suspension seemed unreasonable, and his entire demeanor changed," Knight said in his affidavit. "'Are you going to resign then?' he asked eagerly. He seemed disappointed when I said that I would not."\nHe said Brand called him on Sept. 8 and asked him to postpone a trip to Canada he had planned for the following day.\nKnight refused, but said he told Brand he could be reached by telephone while out of town. He alleges Brand then told the board of trustees that Knight's refusal constituted an "instance of gross insubordination." Knight refuted this claim, saying Brand never asked him to appear before the board.\nKnight also refutes Brand's statement that Knight was unwilling to work within the "normal chain of command" in the IU athletics department. Knight's written contract allowed him "approval of all matters associated with Men's Varsity Basketball" including games and practices, selection of radio and television announcers and staff selection, according to the affidavit.\nKnight also stated he did not verbally abuse University Counsel Dottie Frapwell, another reason Brand gave for firing the coach. Knight said he and Accountant Bob Shine met with Frapwell to discuss the $30,000 fine and later consulted with her concerning an "unrelated matter." He said he then asked Frapwell to leave his office so he could finish speaking with another attorney.\nKnight also contends he was never given specifics about the "zero-tolerance" policy imposed on him.\nFrapwell did not return a phone call by press time Wednesday.\nAn official with the Texas Tech University, where Knight now coaches, said Knight was unavailable for comment Wednesday. Knight's lawyer, Russell Yates, of Denver, did not return a phone call.\nThe plaintiffs hope the affidavit persuades the appeals court to send the case back for a full trial, where University officials could be called to testify. In August, a Jeffersonville judge sided with IU and sent the case to the Indiana Court of Appeals.
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Four weeks ago, the 70-plus members of Ballet Folklorico de Mexico were faced with a quandary they never encountered in more than 50 years of touring America -- the possibility of cancelling a performance.\nSlated to perform for 1,500 United Nations ambassadors and their staffs Sept. 11, the 45 dancers instead ceased warming up, stretching and rehearsing, rendered immobile by news of terrorist attacks on the United States. \nThe 25 musicians, swathed in traditional Mexican garb, stopped tuning, plucking and strumming. The crew paused in the midst of unloading 10 tons worth of costumes and set pieces at a theatre on the corner of 75th Street and Broadway in New York City. \nNo one knew what to do. The company was scheduled to perform three days later in Sacramento -- more than three thousand miles to the west. With no flights leaving the city, the cast and crew desperately sought a way to get west.\nSomehow, through some stroke of luck, they found a bus service willing to transport the entire company and its effects without stopping -- "just fast food and bathroom breaks," producer Adam Friedson said. They arrived in California after two and a half days of nonstop travel -- and never skipped a beat onstage before a crowd of 2,500 children.\n"It was thrilling," Friedson said. "The company knew what happened and was ready to go on and bring a celebration of life to the American people at a time of great difficulty."\nIn more than 50 years, Ballet Folklorico has never canceled a performance, and tonight they'll round out their American tour with a capstone performance at the IU Auditorium.\nFounded in 1952 by late Mexican choreographer Amalia Hernandez, the group began as an eight-member ensemble exclusively trained under classical ballet and modern dance techniques. Hernandez broke new ground, Friedson said, when she coupled her strong technical expertise with traditional Mexican folk dance.\nHernandez's vision of preserving and reviving traditional forms of dance enabled her to create a regime in which rigorous classical training was complemented by a more fluid approach to modern dance techniques.\nHer systematic approach to researching indigenous cultures in Mexico's municipalities facilitated a broad representation of pre-hispanic and Mayan groups in the country. \n"It's a very different style of footwork, of movement, of physical training," Friedson said. "Folk dance reflects traditions all over Mexico; those traditions reflect 32 different states. Those different cultural ingredients are the cultural stew of what modern dance in Mexico is."\nThe result is a "magic carpet ride" Friedson said has absolutely captivated him. Though a seasoned producer, he wasn't sure how exactly to bring Ballet Folklorico stateside when asked to join the production staff 14 years ago. The group had already toured extensively in the States, so name recognition wouldn't be a problem, but finances were a problem. Though not for long -- subsidization surfaced through American Honda, and the U.S. touring company of Ballet Folklorico was born.\nFriedson said he expects audiences to be particularly moved by the show's opening number, an exploration and celebration of Mayan culture. Swathed in elaborate head-dresses, female dancers take the stage to the beat of conch shell blasts. Those dancers are gradually replaced with choreography depicting French and Spanish colonial influences, resulting in a sort of "European-style polka footwork," which, Friedson said, is strongly reminiscent of traditional European culture.\n In fact, Friedson said, the entire show is an amalgamation of intercontinental influences -- from Afro-Carribean to Spanish to German, reflecting what Hernandez termed "the drops of blood from all cultures" making Mexico what it is today.\nEach piece has a distinct beginning, middle and end, contributing to the narrative sense of action and drawing a larger, more diverse audience.\n"It's not just dance -- it's a grand spectacle," Friedson said. "It's a celebration of life, a beautiful combination of Mexican music and huge painted backdrops and wonderful composers."\nThe group has most recently garnered the support of Columba Bush, wife of Florida governor Jeb Bush and backer of the company's Educational Series, which brings master classes and dance training to children throughout the country.
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Correction: Among other errors, this article incorrectly reported the number of students affected by the release of information. Associate Dean of International Services Kenneth Rogers confirmed that only "hundreds of students" were affected. The rest of the 3,200 international students at IU were not. We are continuing our attempts to verify the rest of the information in the article and will make further corrections as warranted.\nComplying with a request to colleges and universities nationwide to aid terrorism investigations, records of about 3,200 IU students were released to federal authorities last week.\nActing in collaboration with University legal counsel, the Office of International Services released the names of all nonimmigrant students who have taken intensive English-as-a-second-language courses during the past five years, according to OIS Associate Dean and Director Kenneth Rogers. Nonimmigrant students are classified as international students attending school in the United States on "F" or "J" visas.\nThe University responded to a direct FBI request to disclose the information. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act generally requires a subpoena to obtain personal student information such as Social Security numbers, grades and financial aid. But, in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. Department of Education declared a state of emergency, affording the sort of circumstances necessary to bypass standard procedure.\nWhile international students are protected by FERPA, certain conditions do allow the release of personal information without consent. Foreign students in the U.S., regardless of visa status, are constitutionally protected, Rogers said.\nOIS anticipated the possibility of the FBI request and formulated a "very strict set of procedures" immediately after the Sept. 11 attack to follow if student records were needed, Rogers said.\n"This is all being done very carefully in consultation with University lawyers," Rogers said. "Not one bit of information is being given out without being carefully checked by our lawyers."\nIn a letter to faculty last week, IU President Myles Brand said the University is committed to helping the United States in light of the terrorist attacks. He asked all faculty with expertise in important fields to make themselves available to the "… leaders who will shape our nation's response to this attack."\n"As a public institution of higher learning, we can provide valuable background, knowledge and insight …," Brand wrote.\nBrand has told the Bush administration through the Association of American Universities that the weight of this nation's public universities are "available."\nIU is not alone in its decision to release personal information. Several other Indiana institutions of higher learning, including Purdue University and Vincennes University, have also complied. Quaker-affiliated Earlham College denied a request from the FBI's Muncie bureau, claiming the issue restricted civil liberties. \nThe American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officials conducted a preliminary survey this month on campus consequences of the Sept. 11 attack. The study revealed 170 universities have been contacted by at least one law enforcement agency with requests for student information. The majority of those requests, 149, were made by the FBI. The overwhelming majority of requests were made without a subpoena.\nMany citizens may view the release of confidential student information as racial profiling, said Scott Palmer, assistant dean of International Programs in the IU School of Law. Yet the issue polarizes citizens and non-citizens, he said.\n"This is not necessarily an issue purely about racial profiling," Palmer said. "What's actually coming about in this context is a distinction on the basis of citizens and noncitizens -- not on basis of race -- that's becoming a new politically charged category in which civil liberties as a battle will be fought. This is not a story of civil liberties as we know it."\nPalmer referenced an Oct. 3 speech delivered by law professor Patrick Baude discussing the role of civil liberties in investigating terrorist attacks. \nBefore the September attacks, Baude said in his speech, media commentators had claimed the U.S. had reached a consensus against racial profiling, and the assault on the World Trade Center reversed the trend. \nBut Baude said he believes no such consensus ever existed.\n"To say that we've now lost some consensus is again borrowing these events to lend support to a preexisting agenda," Baude said. "I have no problem with the agenda, but a lot of what people are talking about now is just the old agenda -- made livelier by these events. I think when we talk about civil liberties and acts of terrorism it's important to distinguish between our general concerns and those arising from recent events."\nRogers maintains few students have opposed the University's decision directly.\n"There really hasn't been a great response (by students)," Rogers said. "This is all prescribed by law. The University has no alternative but to follow the law, and we have determined we shall fully respond to requests for information from law enforcement officers in connection with antiterrorist investigations."\nDonna Dvorak, an instructor and graduate student in the Intensive English Program, said she has not heard of the information's release to the FBI. No students had approached her, she said.\n"I didn't know anything about it," Dvorak said. "I'm sure (students) will be asking. I'll be asking tomorrow"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Representing a broad spectrum of academic disciplines, IU faculty will gather tonight to explore the causes and consequences of bioterrorism. Director of graduate studies in political science Michael McGinnis, accompanied by biology professor George Hegeman and associate history professor Nick Cullather, will speak at 7 p.m. in Swain Hall West Room 119 as part of a new lecture series sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor.\nWith the number of reported cases of anthrax on the upswing, the threat of biowarfare has emerged as a principal new breed of intimidation. In response to student and faculty concerns, the National Emergency Forum Committee, a directive of Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm, will sponsor a series of panel discussions concerning topics related to the Sept. 11 attacks, said Cyndi Connelley, administrative assistant in the Dean of Faculties Office.\nCo-sponsored by Union Board and the Bloomington Faculty Council, the group aims to provide a "timely" outlet for students to express their concerns and garner faculty support and opinion, Dean of the Faculties Moya Andrews said. Its representation is broad, consisting of student leaders, faculty and administrators.\nThe Committee hopes to be able to react quickly to breaking news events and put together similar panels to "disseminate information" to students in a timely manner, said sophomore Aaron Huffaker, a student representative and assistant director for the Union Board lecture series.\n "It is our goal to use this programming as a tool to bring the campus together in unity," Huffaker said. "The focus is twofold; we want to examine current issues and broad topics and be a source of programming to the entire campus."\n Selected faculty members are basically "on call," said Union Board Lecture Director and Committee member and junior Nick Hillman, so they may respond effectively and quickly should additional threats or attacks surface.\n"Being an organization that is designed to respond to student wants and needs, we found a good way to address such concerns," Hillman said. "It is important to act timely, and that is exactly how this series is structured."\nThe committee is a positive first step in facilitating dialogue between students and administrators concerning the events surrounding Sept. 11, said associate professor of journalism Carol Polsgrove.\nPolsgrove was approached personally by Andrews and asked to serve on the committee. She consented because she said the group presents the opportunity to discuss relevant issues and concerns on campus. \nThe committee has met once thus far to organize the semester's events. While the impetus for the group emerged as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks, Huffaker said he believes the committee's focus may soon expand to cover additional issues as well.\n"My own hope is that these forums will help us all feel more part of a community at this difficult time," Polsgrove said. "I hope, too, that they'll be occasions where we not only learn from others but can share our ideas and thoughts on what's going on."\nHillman said the group's position as an academically-sponsored organization gives its message special precedence. \n"While the television and Internet are the most common media where we learn about the attacks and the potential threats that are still possible, it is more important that students learn about this in an academic environment," Hillman said. "I encourage every student who is interested in discussing these issues to attend at least one part of this year-long series, stop relying on your television and take an active role in your education by becoming part of the debate."\nLaw professor John Scanlan is slated to address issues of civil liberties in another Committee-sponsored panel, scheduled for Nov. 14 in Rawles Hall Room 100. IU Police Department Chief Jim Kennedy will also comment, accompanied by John Irvine, director of Student Legal Services, and Michael McKillip, legislative director of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union.
