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(09/20/01 4:43am)
While everyone in Bloomington stared dumbfounded at their television sets on Sept. 11, the Lotus Fest performers of Yat-Kha were holed up at an airport in Newfoundland. Stranded with 6,000 other passengers until Monday morning, the musicians traveled to a Chicago area Holiday Inn to await the show that must go on.\nAfter missing a festival appearance in California, Yat-Kha will perform at the Lotus World Arts and Music Festival this week -- the first show of its month-long stateside tour, tour manager Stuart Cohen says. He was in California awaiting the band's arrival and had to drive a van cross country to meet up with the Tuvan throat singers. \n"They're very happy to be in the country," Cohen says, calling from a torrential downpour on a Wyoming interstate. "They seem fine. They're determined to go ahead with things. They were very enthusiastic to be in a hotel room, in peace and quite, especially after their experience in Newfoundland."\nOther scheduled performers haven't been able to meet with the same improvisational travel tactics. But, despite cancellations from Bamboleo (for Visa problems), Kila, Altamira Carrilho, Gangbe Brass Band, Paris Combo, Susana Seivane, Vasen and Fiona Ritchie, executive director Lee Williams promised the Lotus Festival will continue.\n"We're amazed and proud that those groups would take those kind of risks and days and days and days to come here," Williams says. "It wasn't supposed to be like that…but we're in awe that they're going to make it."\nFor five days this week, a certain international flavor is infusing this tiny Midwestern pocket, filling Bloomington streets with the sounds of Dominican merengue, South Indian spirituals and Zimbabwean song. \nSponsored by Smithville Telephone Company, Abodes, The Herald-Times, Union Board and WFHB, the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival will feature artists of international acclaim and stature -- though they might enjoy relatively little exposure in the United States. \nAnd while the typical audience has previously consisted of the 25- to 45-year-old set, founder and director Williams says that doesn't have to be -- and shouldn't be the case this year.\n"That age group is the demographic for world music worldwide," Williams says. "College students usually aren't included in that group."\nHe says he's not sure why young people generally don't support world music, but believes the cost of attending many Lotus events deter students from coming to the concerts. Lotus supporters attribute more expensive ticket prices to the large number of international artists, many of whom college students often don't recognize. When students aren't familiar with top-billing acts on a lineup, they aren't willing to shell out more money to see an "unknown" act, Williams says. \n"Money's important," Williams says. "So if you see a ticket price of $20 and don't recognize any names, you're not likely to come."\nWednesday's kickoff concert, featuring African bluesman Habib Koité and his Malian band Bamada -- a group Williams says "students as well as 30-year-olds will like" -- is designed to alleviate those financial concerns (costing only $5 with a student ID) and drum up student support for Lotus events.\nThe concert, scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre on Kirkwood Avenue, will showcase Koité's guitar virtuousity, which caused The New York Times to deem him "a guitar god" in the United States. \nHis music swings like an easy Cuban groove, yet is tinged with blues influences that are distinctly American. The arrangements are largely acoustic, lacking extraneous adornments -- a throwback to Koité's childhood experience playing the kamele n'goni, a traditional Malian four-stringed instrument.\nKoité terms his rhythmic style "danssa doso," a Brazilian moniker he created.\n"I put these two words together to symbolize the music of all ethnic groups in Mali," Koité says. "I'm curious about all the music in the world, but I make music in Mali. In my country, we have so many beautiful rhythms and melodies -- usually, Malian musicians play only their own ethnic music, but me, I go everywhere."\nWhile the band gets minimal airtime on American radio stations, it has been featured in such mainstream American magazines as Rolling Stone, People and Rhythm Magazine and made its American debut on "Late Night with Dave Letterman". Yet Williams feels many students still haven't heard Koité's music, largely because they've been influenced heavily by local and networked radio stations, Williams says. \n"People find out about artists in very different ways," he says. "There's less opportunity to find out about world music. I think the majority of students would think world music's incredible, but the names are pretty obscure here."\nWilliams encourages students to "get past Indiana Avenue" and into Bloomington. The festival is a community event; IU has not subsidized the project. Williams says he feels many students stick close to their comfort zones, both literally and figuratively. \nWhile Williams acknowledges the difficulty in reaching certain segments of the IU population, especially freshmen, he realizes some students will seek out the cultural breadth Lotus affords.\n"You'll find the students that are naturally going to gravitate to left of center concepts, whether that's politics or cultural events," Williams says. "They'll find us, and they do -- and that's where those few hundred undergraduates will come and think the festival's fantastic."\nWilliams' own zeal for collecting world music spawned the first Lotus Fest eight years ago. He was working for local nightclubs as a booking agent, bringing contemporary and alternative music to popular Bloomington nightspots. But occasionally he'd bring in the sort of music he liked -- strange breeds of rock, pop, blues, jazz, of drums, vocals and rhythm characterizing world music. \nWorld music as a genre didn't really exist before the 1980s, says LuAnne Holladay, administrative director for Lotus. \nThe classification stemmed from a gathering of music business professionals in Europe unsure of how to classify the international releases that really didn't fall under any specific category. \n"Radio stations didn't know what to call them," Williams says. "When you have a group that, for example, mixes hip hop with salsa, that creates a totally different sound. So what do you call that?"\nFrom a "practical marketing" standpoint, Williams says, it's world music -- a name that "doesn't really define what it is -- but it's stuck."\nWilliams says bands often blur the edges within genres, as exemplified by the reggae-infused Indo-Carribean blend offered up by U.S. band Funkadesi. \nThe Chicago-based group is a hodepodge of Jamaican, European-American, Latino, African American and Indian American heritages, mixing vocals, guitars, saxophone, congas and traditional ethnic instruments to produce Indian-inspired funk. \nThe band strives to link ethnic and minority associations within universities with the community at large, as evidenced by several college-town appearances in the Midwest. Its debut full-length CD, Uncut Roots, has earned considerable repute and spin time in Chicago clubs. \nIt also sponsors youth workshops featuring live drumming and sampling, as well as forum discussions about intercultural collaboration and gender issues in the music industry.\n"Bands such as Funkadesi relate to students," Williams says. "Students can identify a cause they're allied with and say, 'Hey, here's a band that speaks to that,' and they can get hooked on that music."\nAllying music with the impetus for social change, Williams says, is a way to market the category of world music to new demographic groups, especially students. \nWhile world music isn't usual top 40 fare, Williams says students are guaranteed to find at least one group of interest headlining the festival.\n"For every one of the 32 featured artists, some students will think they're fantastic," Williams says. "It's just a matter of getting off campus and expanding your thinking."\nAdvance tickets are available at Athena, BloomingFoods, Borders and TD'S CDs and LPs, or by phone from the Lotus Festival office at 336-6599. Visa and MasterCard only are accepted for telephoned orders.
(09/20/01 4:00am)
While everyone in Bloomington stared dumbfounded at their television sets on Sept. 11, the Lotus Fest performers of Yat-Kha were holed up at an airport in Newfoundland. Stranded with 6,000 other passengers until Monday morning, the musicians traveled to a Chicago area Holiday Inn to await the show that must go on.\nAfter missing a festival appearance in California, Yat-Kha will perform at the Lotus World Arts and Music Festival this week -- the first show of its month-long stateside tour, tour manager Stuart Cohen says. He was in California awaiting the band's arrival and had to drive a van cross country to meet up with the Tuvan throat singers. \n"They're very happy to be in the country," Cohen says, calling from a torrential downpour on a Wyoming interstate. "They seem fine. They're determined to go ahead with things. They were very enthusiastic to be in a hotel room, in peace and quite, especially after their experience in Newfoundland."\nOther scheduled performers haven't been able to meet with the same improvisational travel tactics. But, despite cancellations from Bamboleo (for Visa problems), Kila, Altamira Carrilho, Gangbe Brass Band, Paris Combo, Susana Seivane, Vasen and Fiona Ritchie, executive director Lee Williams promised the Lotus Festival will continue.\n"We're amazed and proud that those groups would take those kind of risks and days and days and days to come here," Williams says. "It wasn't supposed to be like that…but we're in awe that they're going to make it."\nFor five days this week, a certain international flavor is infusing this tiny Midwestern pocket, filling Bloomington streets with the sounds of Dominican merengue, South Indian spirituals and Zimbabwean song. \nSponsored by Smithville Telephone Company, Abodes, The Herald-Times, Union Board and WFHB, the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival will feature artists of international acclaim and stature -- though they might enjoy relatively little exposure in the United States. \nAnd while the typical audience has previously consisted of the 25- to 45-year-old set, founder and director Williams says that doesn't have to be -- and shouldn't be the case this year.\n"That age group is the demographic for world music worldwide," Williams says. "College students usually aren't included in that group."\nHe says he's not sure why young people generally don't support world music, but believes the cost of attending many Lotus events deter students from coming to the concerts. Lotus supporters attribute more expensive ticket prices to the large number of international artists, many of whom college students often don't recognize. When students aren't familiar with top-billing acts on a lineup, they aren't willing to shell out more money to see an "unknown" act, Williams says. \n"Money's important," Williams says. "So if you see a ticket price of $20 and don't recognize any names, you're not likely to come."\nWednesday's kickoff concert, featuring African bluesman Habib Koité and his Malian band Bamada -- a group Williams says "students as well as 30-year-olds will like" -- is designed to alleviate those financial concerns (costing only $5 with a student ID) and drum up student support for Lotus events.\nThe concert, scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre on Kirkwood Avenue, will showcase Koité's guitar virtuousity, which caused The New York Times to deem him "a guitar god" in the United States. \nHis music swings like an easy Cuban groove, yet is tinged with blues influences that are distinctly American. The arrangements are largely acoustic, lacking extraneous adornments -- a throwback to Koité's childhood experience playing the kamele n'goni, a traditional Malian four-stringed instrument.\nKoité terms his rhythmic style "danssa doso," a Brazilian moniker he created.\n"I put these two words together to symbolize the music of all ethnic groups in Mali," Koité says. "I'm curious about all the music in the world, but I make music in Mali. In my country, we have so many beautiful rhythms and melodies -- usually, Malian musicians play only their own ethnic music, but me, I go everywhere."\nWhile the band gets minimal airtime on American radio stations, it has been featured in such mainstream American magazines as Rolling Stone, People and Rhythm Magazine and made its American debut on "Late Night with Dave Letterman". Yet Williams feels many students still haven't heard Koité's music, largely because they've been influenced heavily by local and networked radio stations, Williams says. \n"People find out about artists in very different ways," he says. "There's less opportunity to find out about world music. I think the majority of students would think world music's incredible, but the names are pretty obscure here."\nWilliams encourages students to "get past Indiana Avenue" and into Bloomington. The festival is a community event; IU has not subsidized the project. Williams says he feels many students stick close to their comfort zones, both literally and figuratively. \nWhile Williams acknowledges the difficulty in reaching certain segments of the IU population, especially freshmen, he realizes some students will seek out the cultural breadth Lotus affords.\n"You'll find the students that are naturally going to gravitate to left of center concepts, whether that's politics or cultural events," Williams says. "They'll find us, and they do -- and that's where those few hundred undergraduates will come and think the festival's fantastic."\nWilliams' own zeal for collecting world music spawned the first Lotus Fest eight years ago. He was working for local nightclubs as a booking agent, bringing contemporary and alternative music to popular Bloomington nightspots. But occasionally he'd bring in the sort of music he liked -- strange breeds of rock, pop, blues, jazz, of drums, vocals and rhythm characterizing world music. \nWorld music as a genre didn't really exist before the 1980s, says LuAnne Holladay, administrative director for Lotus. \nThe classification stemmed from a gathering of music business professionals in Europe unsure of how to classify the international releases that really didn't fall under any specific category. \n"Radio stations didn't know what to call them," Williams says. "When you have a group that, for example, mixes hip hop with salsa, that creates a totally different sound. So what do you call that?"\nFrom a "practical marketing" standpoint, Williams says, it's world music -- a name that "doesn't really define what it is -- but it's stuck."\nWilliams says bands often blur the edges within genres, as exemplified by the reggae-infused Indo-Carribean blend offered up by U.S. band Funkadesi. \nThe Chicago-based group is a hodepodge of Jamaican, European-American, Latino, African American and Indian American heritages, mixing vocals, guitars, saxophone, congas and traditional ethnic instruments to produce Indian-inspired funk. \nThe band strives to link ethnic and minority associations within universities with the community at large, as evidenced by several college-town appearances in the Midwest. Its debut full-length CD, Uncut Roots, has earned considerable repute and spin time in Chicago clubs. \nIt also sponsors youth workshops featuring live drumming and sampling, as well as forum discussions about intercultural collaboration and gender issues in the music industry.\n"Bands such as Funkadesi relate to students," Williams says. "Students can identify a cause they're allied with and say, 'Hey, here's a band that speaks to that,' and they can get hooked on that music."\nAllying music with the impetus for social change, Williams says, is a way to market the category of world music to new demographic groups, especially students. \nWhile world music isn't usual top 40 fare, Williams says students are guaranteed to find at least one group of interest headlining the festival.\n"For every one of the 32 featured artists, some students will think they're fantastic," Williams says. "It's just a matter of getting off campus and expanding your thinking."\nAdvance tickets are available at Athena, BloomingFoods, Borders and TD'S CDs and LPs, or by phone from the Lotus Festival office at 336-6599. Visa and MasterCard only are accepted for telephoned orders.
(09/13/01 4:00am)
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.
(09/10/01 6:45am)
Mark Shaw received a special package in Thursday's mail.\nIt contained the first copy of the former radio personality's new book, "Miscarriage of Justice: The Jonathan Pollard Story."\nExactly one year after former men's basketball coach Bob Knight physically grabbed Shaw's stepson, Kent Harvey, Shaw thumbed through the volume's pages with a sense of irony. \n"For that book to arrive on that day -- it's a sign of new start, that everything was kind of meant to be," Shaw said.\nIt's been a year since The General's reign was ended, brought to an end by IU President Myles Brand. A complete cycle of seasons have passed since angry fans marched to Assembly Hall, burning effigies and posting "Wanted: Kent Harvey, Dead or Alive" fliers.\nBut a year has been exactly what Shaw and his sons have needed to move forward. He doesn't like to discuss what happened a year ago. It's in the past, he said, and it's over.\nAnd while Shaw doesn't completely understand why his son was singled out by Knight, he lauds his stepson's ability to forgive as paramount to his well-being this year at IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis, where he is a sophomore.\nShaw cited Harvey's interview with the IDS last September, immediately following the incident, in which he said he "forgave everyone," and claimed his stepson still adheres to this mantra.\n"For whatever reason, it happened," Shaw said. "Kent really feels like the Lord, for whatever reason, chose to put him in that situation. Only the good Lord knows why out of 40,000 kids, it ended up being Kent -- but he's really been an inspiration to me."\nShaw said he feels the overpowering devotion of many Knight fans clouded the actual chain of events surrounding his termination. Most fans, Shaw said, want to remember the positive aspects of Knight's tenure.\nShaw said Knight was on a "collision course" for quite some time before he was actually fired. He said he believes the best thing Knight could have done last year was agree to take a hiatus from coaching. Shaw said he thinks the entire spectacle surrounding his family could have been avoided if Knight had stepped down for a year.\n"I understood more than anyone how much people loved the coach," Shaw said. "I witnessed it from every side and understood that for many people, life was Bob Knight. But whatever happened to the truth?"\nShaw said many fans were "reluctant" to come to terms with Knight's firing. But the marks on his son's arm were enough to convince him of the reality of the incident.\n"There was never any question in my mind," Shaw said. "For some, it all got clouded up and became murky. But people really need to be careful to sort out facts and not let so many things enter in to cloud the issue."\nShaw recognized many fans' claim that he orchestrated the incident, inciting his son to provoke Knight.\nAnd he calls it "impossible."\n"I was and still am a chief critic of Coach's," Shaw said. "People think I had an agenda or set it up or something, but that's ridiculous. I'm just not that smart."\nKnight never returned Shaw's phone calls and denied his request for an apology. Shaw also said no administration officials, except an assistant dean for scheduling, directly contacted the Harvey boys or their parents.\nShaw "didn't feel it was his place" to contact Brand or the board of trustees directly, but realizes the officials likely "had an agenda and an idea of what to do."\nNor has Shaw heard from Christopher Simpson, IU's spokesman during the firing, who has since left. Shaw said he was "very disappointed" in the way Simpson handled the incident.\nMany IU faculty have offered considerable support to the Harvey boys and their family, Shaw said. IUPUI Chancellor Gerald Bepco, an old friend of Shaw's, personally helped the students get settled in Indianapolis at the beginning of last semester.\nKent and his two identical brothers are currently studying business at IUPUI. All three men earned above a 3.0 grade point average last semester, and "not a single incident" has occurred stemming from the Knight controversy, Shaw said.\nThe incident has matured his sons, Shaw said, and brought them closer together spiritually.\n"The old saying, 'The truth shall set you free,' is really appropriate here," Shaw said. "We know what happened, so the boys decided they weren't going to look back."\nThe family has moved forward as well.\n"We do feel good about how this was handled," Shaw said. "Coach has a brand new start, and no one more than me hopes he takes advantage of this opportunity. The University has fresh start. I feel this is meant to be."\nKent Harvey did not return phone calls by press time.
(09/06/01 6:48am)
Less than a month after setting the stage for a trial in a lawsuit against the IU board of trustees, a Jeffersonville judge has decided to send the case to the Indiana Court of Appeals.\nThe plaintiffs, a group of 46 supporters of former men's basketball coach Bob Knight, filed an appeal to the decision Tuesday.\nThe plaintiffs allege IU President Myles Brand violated Indiana's Open Door Laws when he fired Knight last September. Brand consulted with two groups of four trustees before firing the legendary coach.\nThe University maintains no quorum was present at any meeting with Brand, eliminating the need for public notice.\nSpecial Judge Cecile Blau ruled in July to allow the plaintiffs to pursue their claim in court. The IU board of trustees appealed in mid-August, citing the release of information and embarrassment a trial could cause.\nBlau granted their request, sending the case to appeals court Aug. 20.\nGojko Kasich, lead counsel for the fans, said he has "never seen a court just grant" summary judgment and said he feels the plaintiffs should have been able to respond to the board's request.\nUniversity spokeswoman Susan Dillman said the board's motion speaks for itself and that the University will not comment further.\nThe motion also states discovery into several aspects of the defendants' case has been hindered by protective orders filed on behalf of the board.\nThose areas include defining the intent behind Brand's meetings with trustees last year, the content discussed in those sessions and whether a vote was taken to fire Knight.\nAnother provision of the appeal claims the attorneys for the board of trustees presented as evidence a document posted on an Internet message board -- evidence the fans feel does not constitute a "legitimate legal argument."\nThe message, defendants said, is an example of the "embarrassment" a public lawsuit could cause the University and the board of trustees.\nKasich said the plaintiffs can't understand who the University is trying to protect, calling their claim "irrelevant and improper." Plaintiffs cited a July case in the Washington Court of Appeals dictating communication such as even e-mail between an agency's majority can constitute a meeting under Open Door Law.\n"It baffles me what possible things could have been discussed (in the September meetings) embarrassing to anyone but Bob Knight," Kasich said. "Why are they so worried about protecting Knight after getting up in front of TV cameras and smearing the guy?"\nKasich maintains Knight is in no way personally involved in the case. \n"Bobby Knight's in Texas," Kasich said. "This is not a Knight case. This is government abuse of power." \nDorothy Frapwell, IU's legal counsel, was out of the office Wednesday and could not be reached for comment.
(09/06/01 4:00am)
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"
(09/06/01 4:00am)
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.
(09/04/01 6:18am)
Shirtless and sweating, the man called Steps to Freedom sat before a table filled with pamphlets, bumper stickers and newsletters. Flashing peace signs to passersby and nibbling on pasta, he greeted fellow Monroe County Green Party members with slightly upturned lips and a nearly imperceptible nod of his head. \nHe'd been sweltering in the midafternoon sun since 11 a.m. -- for nearly five hours -- and the turnout for the first day of Disorientation 2001 wasn't as high as expected. But Steps -- that's what his friends call him -- didn't mind.\n"It's slow so far, but it's Labor Day," Steps said. "We came out to raise awareness of the Greens, and that's why I'm here."\nThe Green Party is one of over 20 groups involved in the first annual Disorientation 2001, an event joining community members, students and local businesses in a collaborative effort to raise awareness of a variety of social issues. \nThe brainchild of senior Jessica Williams, the coalition brings together such local organizations as Jobs with Justice, the Center for Sustainable Living, Secret Sailor Books and Straight Allys of the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community. Each define Williams\' goal to \"reach beyond campus" and inspire students who have never taken a role in activist efforts to learn about a myriad of advocacy groups. \nMembers of the coalition have met weekly since May to write the event\'s manual, plan and raise funds. Disorientation manuals, modeled after a similar pamphlet distributed at the University of Wisconsin, are available free at the event.\nMonday kicked off the event which runs all week. Despite a sparse crowd and high humidity, organizers remained unfazed.\n"It is Labor Day, after all, and a lot of people are out of town," said senior Allie Rosenblatt, a NoSweet! member. Rosenblatt joined the anti-sweatshop activist group after a summer globalization experience in Mexico. "It's only the first day; we're expecting more students to come out later in the week."\nBloomington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty member Christy Campoll, a senior, said her organization decided to participate in the event because "it's a good opportunity to get students out to see what kind of activist groups are out there."\nCampoll, who also serves as vice president of Indiana Citizens to Abolish Capital Punishment, delivered a speech entitled "What You Don't Know About the Death Penalty" earlier in the day. She feels students are often unsure how to initiate social change. Disorientation provides the opportunity to increase that awareness.\n"We need to show people that they can do something about the bad things that go on in the world," Campoll said. \nSenior Jennifer Koch, member of ALLYs, IU's Straight Allies to the Gay Community, agreed with Campoll.\n"A lot of my friends are gay, and this is definitely an issue that needs awareness," Koch said. "The voice of straight students backing gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students definitely strengthens those individuals. It's not just gay students saying, 'Hey, we need gay rights,' -- it's other people as well."\nALLYs, along with Amnesty International, is petitioning to stop the arrests of homosexuals in Romania, where homosexuality is a crime. Petitions are available at the ALLYs table in Dunn Meadow each day this week.\nThe group is additionally sponsoring tours of the Kinsey Institute, IU's famed sexual research center. \nALLYs president Andrew Wilson approached Kinsey Institute Sexual Information Service for Students intern Emily Nagoski last spring with the request for facility tour times for students.\nKinsey was happy to oblige. \n"Since the Kinsey Institute is interested in opening its doors to the community and being a resource to the town and the University, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to introduce students to the resources available for them at Kinsey," Nagoski said. "At the same time, the tours meet Disorientation\'s goal of increasing student awareness of non-mainstream resources at IU"
(08/30/01 5:52am)
During the last five years, four separate security breaches have surfaced on campus, prompting many students to examine how well the University protects their personal information.\n• In March 1997, 256 faculty members had their Social Security numbers accessed, according to University officials.\n• Last February, more than 3,000 student Social Security numbers were accessed by an outside individual when a security "hole" was left open in an Office of the Bursar database, University officials said. \n• In June, a computer security breach in the School of Music gave hackers the opportunity to access more than 1,700 individuals' Social Security numbers, including nearly 150 IU students. \nUniversity officials said the discovery of hacking tools and Internet Relay Chat programs installed on the Web servers by the hackers lead him to believe they hoped to use the servers as a "safe haven" to store their software.\n• This summer, boxes containing pages of personal student information -- including full names, addresses, Social Security numbers and employment information -- were left unattended in Maxwell Hall as the University Division moved its facilities to Ashton Center, the school's dean said.\nIn light of the Bursar security breach, IU's board of trustees passed a resolution during a meeting in May to increase the security of IU's computing system.\nUniversity Information Technology Services is currently working on implementing a tougher security policy to prevent further hacks into IU servers.\n"We know that some vulnerability may exist (across the campus)," Bursar Susan Cote told the IDS this summer. "The more guidelines for training, resources and scans, the more secure the department as a whole will be."\nBut the sentiment resulting from the breaches has left many wondering whether the University is protecting IU students from identity theft.\nExpediency in informing students has emerged as a chief point of contention from those affected. \nThe Bursar's office learned of the breach February 6. But database administrators did not notify campus administrators until February 20, and letters to students affected weren't drafted and sent until February 22 -- 16 days after the original security breach.\nSoon after the incident, University officials told the IDS that the Bursar's office had to identify who the effected students were, and that's why notification took longer.\nThe theft of Social Security information poses certain legal concerns, including credit card fraud and personal identity theft for driver's licenses, birth certificates and other personal records.\nBut Professor of Law Fred H. Cate called the risk "exceedingly small." Credit card fraud incidents are among the least common of all frauds in the U.S., Cate said.\nIn a mid-February report to Congress, Cate said victims of credit card fraud are well-protected under federal and state law. The Social Security Administration has created significant deterrents to setting up a false identity or securing credit with stolen numbers, he said.
(08/23/01 4:54am)
Henna tattoos, Asian cuisine and opportunities to explore majors await incoming freshmen today as part of the Office of Orientation Programs' Welcome Week. Today's events include CultureFest, a celebration of cultural diversity on the IU campus, and the College of Arts and Sciences Freshman Reception and Expo. \nCurrently in its second year, CultureFest evolved as a result of collaborative efforts between the Office of Orientation Programs and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Last year's event garnered the support of more than 1500 students, said Melanie Payne, director of Orientation Programs. \nThe current steering committee constitutes a diverse cross-section of administrative and student groups such as Residential Programs and Services, Union Board, IU Student Association and various cultural centers on campus.\nThe festival will kick off with a Union Board-sponsored speaker at the IU Auditorium. Author and hip-hop historian Kevin Powell will issue a challenge to incoming freshmen concerning cultural diversity and acceptance. The host for Black Entertainment Television will begin his address at 4:30 p.m. \n"He's a very dynamic young man, and we felt he had the right combinations of educational background and personal attributes to be a dynamic speaker," said Gloria Gibson, associate vice chancellor for multicultural affairs \nPayne agreed, lauding Powell as "an interesting guy" to whom students can relate.\nThis year's indoor festival will be about a half hour shorter than last year's event. Then-Bloomington Chancellor Ken Gros Louis was last year's keynote speaker, presenting a brief history of IU traditions. \n"We didn't want to lose that depiction of the history and culture of IU as an institution this year," Payne said. "This year, we put together some highlights of history, but the key component will be Kevin."\nFollowing Powell's talk, students will then move outside to the Fine Arts Plaza for the celebratory festival portion of the event. Refreshments from seven food areas will be served and such groups as Latino music group Alma Azul, the IU Soul Revue, female a capella group Ladies First, the IU Swing Dancing Club, and hip-hop group Holistic Experience will perform. Capocira Angola, a Brazilian cultural art, and Chinese Gong Fu will also be demonstrated. \n"Something a lot of people don't understand is this is not a student organizations fair," Payne said. \nThe festival features "anchor areas" manned by representatives from various cultural centers on campus, but it is not a "recruiting tool," Payne said.\nThough the primary target audience is freshmen, Payne said all students are encouraged to attend. \nThe College of Arts and Sciences will also present a Freshman Reception and Expo Thursday afternoon. Representatives from the College's more than 50 departments and programs will be on hand to advise students and answer questions.\nAn estimated 1000 students are expected to attend the event,from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Alumni Hall Solarium of the Indiana Memorial Union.\n"It's one opportunity where all the departments and programs that offer majors in COAS are in one location," said Judy Woodley, coordinator of student recruiting for the College. \n"Complete freedom" distinguishes the COAS event from other similar orientations in other schools, said Linda Smith, associate dean for undergraduate education. She equates the event to a fair, where students may "shop around."\nWhereas other departments and schools outside COAS offer academic orientations focusing on program requirements, the COAS Expo offers a strikingly different format.\n"They can just eat, they can walk around, and they can go in and out of conversations," Smith said. "It's an easygoing, pleasant event -- an opportunity for freshmen to see the totally stunning array of intellectual possibilities in the College"
(08/22/01 3:58am)
The drinks were overpriced, the opening act played too long and the crowd bore an odd demographic resemblance to usual frat party fare, but when O.A.R. took the stage Sunday night at the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis, all was forgotten.\nBodies began moving among the soft orange glow of cigarettes as voices raised in response to lead singer Marc Roberge's request to sing along to the opening number "Hey Girl."\nIt's a strange breed of indie pop and reggae funk, a combination of vocals, beats and riffs enjoyed on college campuses throughout the country. While not entirely original in its conception, O.A.R's lyrics prove more complicated than the average student act's. \nFreely flowing and strangely introspective, the band's compositions can sometimes ramble on for a quarter of an hour, yet fans can't seem to get enough. \nUp-and-coming Ordinary Peoples opened for the band, playing an hour-and-a-half set that bordered on intolerable. Though OP's fusion of hip-hop, funk and live vocals captured the interest of audience members at the outset, restlessness soon took over as concertgoers migrated to the bathroom, to the concession line -- anywhere but inside the Egyptian Room, where a mere handful of dedicated fans danced and sang along to OP's oblique lyrics.\nO.A.R. lead singer Marc Roberge joined OP onstage for the final number in its set. As the song wound down, the other members of O.A.R. -- drummer Chris Culos, bassist Benj Gershman, lead guitarist Richard On and saxophone player Jerry DePizzo -- strolled unassumingly onstage, tuning instruments and exchanging high fives and handshakes with its opening act. \nFor the next two hours, O.A.R. played all the standards definitive of its tenure on the college rock scene, from "Night Shift" to "Black Rock" and "If Only She Knew." They also performed several numbers from their latest album Risen, released in February. \nCurrently students at Ohio State, band members plan touring and recording around their class schedules. And after nearly four years touring the college circuit, O.A.R. has retained the lack of pretension that characterizes their road shows. \n"We're not going to pretend to walk offstage and then come back," announced lead guitarist Richard On as the band wrapped up a seven-minute rendition of "Wanderer," a song inspired by several band members' experiences in a three-month exchange program in Israel. \nA single guitar riff was all the crowd needed to recognize O.A.R's signature "Crazy Game of Poker," the most recognizable piece in their repertoire and the evening's closing number.\nO.A.R. caters to a diverse group of students, a strange mixture of leftover hippies, greek T-shirt-wearing college students, and uber-trendy high school sophomores. Yet the concert Sunday night displayed the band's tremendous versatility and adaptability, especially in a smaller venue in a territory largely unfamiliar to the East Coast natives. \nO.A.R. will perform this week at Butler University and Purdue University. They will play Oct. 25 at the Bluebird.
(08/02/01 2:15am)
At 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning, following hours of deliberation, the national foundation of Beta Theta Pi fraternity decided to suspend and disband its IU chapter's charter. \nCiting a "number of risk management incidents" during the past several years involving IU's Pi chapter, Tom Olver, the foundation's associate director of communications, said a committee of administrative officials, staff, general chapter officers and Pi chapter alumni found the chapter "too large a liability" to remain on campus. \nRepeated alcohol and pledge violations brought Pi chapter conduct into question before the National Foundation, Olver said. The chapter was permitted to argue its case before a committee of peers from other collegiate chapters across the country. This committee agreed IU's chapter should be examined more closely by the national organization.\nDean of Students, Richard McKaig pledges the University's support of the Foundation's decision.\n"We certainly expect national fraternities to support our decisions as a University," McKaig said. "It's a matter of partnership based on mutual trust and respect." \nMcKaig said Beta has violated University hazing and alcohol policies four times in the past four years. One case involved hazing, and the other three were alcohol-related. Beta would have also faced two pending charges when the school year began this year, one involving hazing and the other concerning alcohol.\nThe chapter continues to face a pending lawsuit in which three fraternity members allegedly chased and beat Columbia University student Michael Kirk after a January party at the house, located at 919 E. 10th Street. \nThe lawsuit, filed in Monroe Circuit Court, primarily named Beta members Dustin D. Harrington and Carl R. Conedera as defendants. The suit also targets Beta Theta Pi\'s national foundation, the Pi chapter at IU and three other fraternity members accused in the assault. \nBrandon M. Kitkowski, a third defendant cited, was arrested and later charged with Class C felony battery, according to IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger.\nPi chapter officers were unable to be reached for comment Wednesday.\nThe IU Greek system has suffered similar blows within the past few years, including the suspension of Sigma Alpha Mu and Theta Chi. McKaig expressed disappointment upon learning of Beta's suspension, which "can't help but reflect" on the Greek system.\n"We wish we would have heard that (Pi) chapter won the outstanding chapter in the nation, which would reflect positively on the Greek system and the University," McKaig said. "In this case we have another men's chapter that simply is not meeting standards of the University."\nPi chapter's charter has now been placed in the hands of the general fraternity with the intention of returning to campus in "suitable time," Olver said.\nWhile he would not speculate how long specifically Beta will be off-campus, Olver said Pi chapter alumni met with Foundation Director Stephen Backer in Indianapolis Tuesday night to discuss the duration of Beta's time off-campus. \nHe also noted the chapter's charter has not been revoked, meaning the chapter could re-colonize in the future.\nBeta's national standards for re-colonization follow a specific policy developed in 1997 by the Foundation. Deemed the "metaprinciple initiative," the process is a "way of bringing chapters back in line with the founding principles and obligations of the fraternity," Olver said. Beta now boasts 34 fully partnered chapters across the United States. All re-colonizations follow this process. \n"It's somewhat difficult to speculate as to when Pi chapter will be expected to return to campus," Olver said. "The chapter was founded in 1845 and has an enormous and wonderful tradition and history, and a number of dedicated alumni want to be involved with re-colonization."\nOlver said he expected the University's cooperation in the process as well. \nTypically, Greek organizations seeking re-colonization live off-campus for two to four years, McKaig said. The chapter then files to return to campus and recruits new pledge classes. McKaig indicated such re-colonizations on the IU campus have generally been successful.\nMembers now in the fraternity will assume alumni status. Beta's spring pledge class will not be initiated, Olver said.\n"It's unfortunate, but current pledges will not be able to benefit from the ceremony of initiation due to the actions of their predecessors," Olver said.
(07/26/01 3:58am)
As a high school senior, Nora Colwell was lured to IU by the prestige of the School of Music. Colwell, now a senior studying music education, wanted a place where she could receive comprehensive, competitive musical training without sacrificing experience on a large Big Ten campus. She wanted to meet new people, students with interests and majors different from her own.\nBut she wanted personal attention. And Colwell found it within the 1,650-student School of Music, where she said individualized instruction has been instrumental in developing her skills as both performer and teacher. Her drill sections range between 15 and 20 students.\n"In order to make sure I'm grasping the concepts being taught, I need someone to observe my work and correct my mistakes as they happen," Colwell said. "It\'s all about finding your weakness -- with a small class, an A.I. is available to give personal attention to every student."\nThe downside to that great strength, Colwell said, is a tightening budget, which particularly effects students in the School of Music. She said she's personally observed the effects of budget cuts in the School throughout the past four years.\nMany materials and facilities are worn-down, and most pianos in practice rooms are past their prime, Colwell said. Additionally, she said stands, chairs, mirrors and new audio equipment are needed in the music buildings.\nThe discrepancy arises because of the campuswide system of routing dollars through administrative and instructional units. Since 1990, IU has allocated spending between schools and departments utilizing a system of Responsibility Centered Management, in which each school's income is contingent upon the number of credit hours it generates. Departments with high enrollments fared nicely, garnering large percentages of budget allocations. Smaller schools found themselves in deficit.\nThe School of Music is one such example. In December 1999, the School was facing a deficit of nearly $2 million. Former School of Music Dean David Woods told the IDS in 1999 this deficit resulted from faculty salary increases. He said any budget system would have created similar results.\nThe School has found itself in a somewhat unique financial situation this year -- it's facing a surplus, the first in recent years. The extra funds will be applied to the standing deficit, and School of Music Dean Gwyn Richards indicated he expects to obliterate a "good margin" of that debt by the fall semester.\nRichards said the School of Music operates on the philosophy that every student should be vulnerable in a learning environment. Allowing students to "put it on the line" through performing evokes a reaction from the instructor and allows teachers to address a student's individual needs.\nIn addition to private, one-to-one instruction, students within a particular specialization or major assemble once a week to perform in a group setting, a situation Richards deemed a "perfect combination" of individualized and group experiences. The School of Music prides itself on personal attention, and Richards said it will not deviate from that structure.\nBut personalized instruction often equates to higher costs.\n"This is the most expensive type of instruction," Richards said. "You don't get the economy of scale that larger departments and schools can utilize."\nThe School charges fees for individual lessons as a method of undermining costs. But that revenue did not keep up with increasing tuition this year, Richards said.\nAn obvious solution might be to increase enrollment within the School. But to maintain quality, Richards said, the School of Music cannot raise enrollment figures to more than 1,700 students. In fall 1997, enrollment peaked at just more than 1,700, and faculty and administrators realized the number was too great. It compromised the entire notion of personalized instruction and attention.\n"We have to be careful to admit only the best students," Richards said. "Students turn over more quickly than staff or faculty, and we have to attend to the quality of their education. If we don't, we'll quickly lose our reputation."\nInstead, the School has created courses for nonmajors designed to be taught at a larger scale. These classes include topics like the history of rock and roll or the Beatles, and the comparatively larger class size allows the "economy of scale" to work with the School of Music.\nState legislative officials reported IU's share of state appropriations for higher education grew at a mere 2 percent annually throughout the 1990s -- not fast enough to meet the needs of the School of Music. State appropriations account for 54 percent of the budget, while tuition accounts for 41.5 percent.\nBut the School doesn't depend entirely upon state appropriations to survive. \n"RCM is only a state appropriations tool for the distribution of funds," Richards said. "Any system has pluses and minuses, and RCM is no more than a tool."\nThe area from which Richards expects maximum growth is the private sector. Endowed chairs and professorships have the "single most direct impact on the operating budget" of the School, according to the School of Music Web site. Such programs as the University Faculty Endowment Matching Program provide stable sources of income that continue from year to year. Generally, it takes a minimum of $1 million to establish a chair, and $500,000 to establish a professorship.\nThe School has seen a marked increase in the number of endowed chairs during the past few years, said Viola Roth of the School of Music Office of Development.\n"In order to maintain the level of quality both in faculty and students, we have to have the funding," Roth said. "Fortunately, the private sector is responding."\nWhile the School is certainly not "out of the woods" yet, Roth said she believes the private sector will continue to understand and appreciate the advantages a small music school affords in the context of a larger university.\n"We're not just a conservatory," Roth said. "This is Juilliard with brains"
(07/23/01 12:58am)
It stands quietly on Seventh Street, mere feet from the Union, unassuming and modest. \nTo a passersby, it seems like any other administration building. Yet a quick glance at the sign welcoming visitors to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender offices belies that assumption. This is no ordinary campus office.\nIt's a place where men and women can go, regardless of their sexuality, to find a safe haven from the pressures of the University -- and from real life.\nThe group's director, Doug Bauder, has emerged as a priceless resource for countless men and women struggling with their sexuality. \nEquipped with considerable training in pastoral and clinical counseling, Bauder equates confronting one\'s sexuality with deeply significant spiritual questions.\n\"Students struggling with the state of their sexuality are essentially asking life\'s ultimate questions,\" he said. \"They\'re wondering what their families will think, yes, but most importantly, they\'re attempting to determine whether they can integrate their new lifestyle with their religious beliefs. And I believe they can do that. They don\'t have to throw it all away.\"\nOpportunities exist to ease the transition involved in coming out. OUT, the GLBT\'s student union, offers numerous support services, such as the Anti-Harassment Team, a personal support staff that counsels victims of harassment on a one-on-one basis, as well as events such as Miss Gay IU and Lesbopalooza, which took place Oct. 14 in Woodlawn Field. OUT sponsors the Safe Zone program, which designates automobile stickers representing the denouncement of all harassment and intolerance. \nAdditional programs target those involved in the greek system. Lambda 10 \"works to heighten the visibility of gay, lesbian and bisexual members of the college fraternity by serving as a clearinghouse for resources and educational materials related to sexual orientation in the fraternity and sorority experience,\" according to the group\'s Web site.\nStephanie Burnett, a graduate student involved in the Peer Support Program, said the peer supporter listens to the student\'s concerns, provides resources and, more often than not, can relate some common experiences and emotions.\n\"It\'s amazing how powerful sharing a common experience can be when a student is coming out. Often, a student will not know anybody else who identifies as gay or lesbian, so meeting another person and hearing that they too went through similar experiences can be very therapeutic,\" Burnett said. \"The program is a confidential place for a student in the process of coming out to talk to someone who has been there before. It\'s a discreet first step to let a student know that he or she is not alone."
(07/19/01 2:08am)
IU alumna Becky Wallihan made her television debut Tuesday night, schmoozing with Regis Philbin as a contestant on the ABC primetime quiz show "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire."\nAnd while she didn't walk away a million dollars richer, the 22-year-old Wallihan was awarded $64,000 in cash prizes. She had used all her lifelines by the $64,000 question and quit the game when she declined to answer a question about the book "Naked Lunch." \nWallihan claims she's always enjoyed watching the program but was "never the kind of person who turned it on every night -- if I have nothing else to do then I might turn it on." But when the show announced it would be holding open auditions in Indianapolis in April, she decided to give it a try.\nThe first stage of the process consisted of a written test to be completed in 12 minutes. Those who pass this stage are granted a short interview, according to the ABC Web site. From those interviewed, 10 to 20 contestants are chosen from each city holding auditions. \nWallihan was one of the chosen few. \nA former IU tennis standout and Wells Scholar, Wallihan says she feels her undergraduate studies in biochemistry and physics prepared her well for medical school at IUPUI. \n"Classes were great -- most of the time," Wallihan said. "IU has some of the best professors, and they helped me prepare for the future."\nIt's a future rich in prospects. Wallihan is serving as a summer intern for Lilly Pharmeceuticals in Indianapolis. Upon graduation from medical school, she plans to possibly enter the field of radiology.\nAccording to Scott Sanders, director of the Wells Scholars Program, Wallihan was "very quiet" and dedicated tremendously to tennis. \n"I\'m not really sure why they chose me," Wallihan admitted. "I think that they are looking for more minorities and women, and they are trying get more young people, so all of that could\'ve had something to do with it."\nSix weeks after learning she'd been chosen, the show's producers contacted Wallihan and set her up with a taping date. They flew her and her boyfriend to New York -- "a lot of fun," she said.\nThe taping spanned two hours, Wallihan said, but she had to be at the studio all day. Upon arrival, she consulted briefly with other contestants and the associate producers. \nContestants then went on-set and practiced "fast-finger questions" to acclimate themselves to operating the console. Following that session, contestants were presented with a legal briefing. They then retired to dressing rooms to "have makeup caked on" their faces, Willihan said. \nThe biggest surprise? The set.\n"It's smaller than it looks on TV," Wallihan said. "It is actually kind of intimate and I could make contact with some members of the audience."\nShe said she decided before the show aired she wouldn't answer any question worth more than $32,000 she couldn't answer.\nShe walked away at $64,000, satisfied. \n"I decided to walk away at $64,000 because when you\'re in med school, with loans and everything, that\'s a lot of money and can make a serious dent in my debt," Wallihan said.
(07/16/01 2:08am)
For eight years, John Walda has presided over the IU Board of Trustees as president. \nThat's eight years of meetings, of debates, of juggling a successful law career with the unignorable demands a Big Ten institution presents. Eight years of visibility, of scrutiny, of praise by friends and foes, by alumni and students. \nThey're years rich in accomplishment and progress. Since his appointment by former governor Evan Bayh in 1990, the Fort Wayne, Ind. attorney has fought to consolidate IU's hospitals with Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. He's served as president of the IU Alumni Association and on the board of directors of the IU Foundation. He's worked to bolster the quality of public education while approving the lowest possible tuition increases. \nHe's a man colleagues respect, a man with a legacy of strong leadership and remarkable integrity. In an issued statement, President Myles Brand deems IU "most fortunate" to Walda's service to the university throughout the past decade.\nBut after eight years, Walda is stepping down.\nThough he'll continue serving the Board as a trustee, Walda feels his position as chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based Association of Governing Boards conflicts with his ability to continue as president. \nA nominating committee met last Wednesday to decide who will step in to fill Walda's position. Trustee Jim Morris and vice president Fred Eichhorn were nominated for president and vice-president, respectively.\nEichhorn had expressed interest in Walda's position but said Friday he was pleased with the committee's decision. \nWalda served with Eichhorn on a committee commissioned by Brand last year to investigate allegations surrounding former men's basketball coach Bob Knight. Throughout the proceedings, Walda stressed the importance of "full and fair review."\nThe appointment of Walda and Eichhorn, both attorneys with strong ties to the University, was met with serious scrutiny throughout the IU community. Brand, however, claimed he chose the two men based on their "impeccable credentials" and "experience appropriate to (the) task."\nTrustee Stephen Backer served on the nominating committee and says Morris is "eminently qualified" for the position of president.\nMorris, chairman and chief executive officer of IWC Resources Corporation, has also served as president of Lilly Endowment and treasurer of the United States Olympic committee. He is also founding director of the Indiana Sports Corporation and was appointed by former president George Bush to serve on the Commission for Environment of the Americas. \nHe has served the Board of Trustees since his 1996 election by IU alumni. He is one of three trustees elected through alumni votes. \n"He is very well-known and respected locally, statewide and nationally," Backer said. "There was unanimous consent -- no dissension whatsoever."\nMorris has also served as chairman of the trustees' finance committee. He has been awarded the IU Alumni Association's Distinguished Service Award, the President's Medal of Excellence and Beta Gamma Sigma. \nBacker will present the nominated slate at the Board of Trustees meeting in August. According to new bylaws drafted in June, the nominating committee must present the slate of officers 10 days before the meeting. Nominations may also be accepted from the floor at the meeting. \nBacker pledged his support behind the man he describes as "warm and open."\n"I think at this point, while I can't speak for all the trustees, there is a sense that everyone's unanimously behind Jim," Backer claimed. "He is absolutely outstanding; he loves the University and has worked tirelessly for it. He wants to see it strive for excellence, as we all do"
(07/12/01 2:15am)
All sophomore Brad Mundy wanted to do was get on the road.\nThe South Bend native had loaded his father's Ford Expedition and prepared to head up State Road 37 to Indianapolis. He'd bought a cup of coffee and loaded his CD changer, ready to make the three hour trip home. All he needed was gas.\nSo he pulled into the Shell station at the corner of Third Street and College Mall Road, inserted his credit card and began filling the Expedition's tank.\nHe watched incredulously as the numbers began inching upward. Twenty dollars. Thirty. Thirty-five. The nozzle finally stopped at $39.45.\n"This is ridiculous," he said. "I know this is an SUV, but my God."\nWhen Mundy pulled into South Bend, he said, he was hit with gas prices approximately twenty cents cheaper.\nMundy isn't alone; in fact, despite a recent reprise in gas prices, consumers are increasingly discouraged by the nation's oil crisis, which has many Bloomington residents resorting to bicycle and pedestrian travel.\n"I just walk to class and stuff," sophomore Paul LeVasseur said, noting the "hassle" involved in filling up his Mercedes SUV regularly. "It's just so much easier to walk or catch the bus."\nThe fluctuations have incensed others however, provoking Bloomington resident Noble C. Reynolds to compose a letter to the editor of The Herald-Times in which he cited "price fixing" by cohorts in the gasoline industry as a reason for the ever-changing prices.\nIn late June, Bloomington Marathon station owner Bruce Brummett was selling unleaded gas at $1.369 per gallon. Prices have continued to fall, with Marathon, Bigfoot and Amoco subsidiaries selling regular unleaded at an average of $1.276 per gallon.\nBob Page, general manager of the South Walnut Avenue Bigfoot gas and convenience store, said price fluctuation doesn't really affect his store's revenue. Bigfoot relies primarily on in-store sales for profit.\n"It's really funny -- even though gas is so high, it doesn't stop people from driving," Page said. "It affects sales, of course, but people are still getting in their cars and driving places."\nThe decrease does often create problems for retailers, however, who buy gas at a set wholesale price. As pump prices fall, gas must be sold quickly or retailers run the risk of cutting costs to below the wholesale price. As a result, rural stations generating low-volume sales are often hardest hit.\nBut a media spokesman for Bigfoot in Indianapolis claimed lower pump prices often signify lower credit card fees for retailers. As a result, dealers often glean a greater profit margin.\nBut the market is volatile, Page said. \n"We have no idea how to predict how prices will rise or fall," he said. "It's just a numbers game, and people are going to have to buy gas to get where they're going"
(07/12/01 2:00am)
Sex sells.\nTurn on any television set and flip to MTV. Vocal groups sashay across soundstages, scantily clad in skintight vinyl. Sunbathing veejays pick at the strings of triangle bikini tops, desperately trying to report the very latest breaking music news while optimizing maximum cleavage effects.\nU.S. Surgeon General David Satcher knows sex sells.\nHe knows the image of so-called "healthy sexuality" the American media instill in the minds of impressionable adolescents. \nAnd he wants to do something to stop it.\nSatcher unveiled "The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior" in late June, a project aimed at increasing awareness while implementing intervention efforts. Families will be targeted specifically, as will professionals dealing with sexual issues.\nAdditionally, Satcher strives to improve access to sexually-related health care services and eliminate social and economic bias in providing those services.\nCampus officials share some of the surgeon general's goals, but many are divided on the proper method of educating university students on matters of sexual health. But, they have agreed to expand on programs already implemented on-campus to facilitate a sexual dialogue that's broader in scope.\nExecutive Director of the Kinsey Institute John Bancroft feels the surgeon general's plan acknowledges the difficulties in increasing sexual awareness while inciting a broad dialogue on a variety of social levels.\n"I have no problem in encouraging young people to abstain from sexual intercourse until they are mature enough to handle it responsibly," Bancroft said, noting the "awesome responsibility" of raising a child, an issue he feels any individual of the age of fertility must tackle. "But I have problems in advocating abstinence from all types of sexual activity, including masturbation, until marriage."\nMasturbation, Bancroft said, allows adolescents to responsibly explore their own sexuality. Ways also exist, he added, to enjoy sexual intimacy without the exchange of bodily fluids.\n"I would prefer young people to learn to be sexual in stages, not button it all up until they've walked down the aisle," Bancroft said. "I do not want to see young people getting married because they want to be sexually active."\nAgreement on family involvement\nA key plank to Satcher's plan includes education at the family level, an inclusion Bancroft deemed crucial.\nFrequently, Bancroft said, the "abstinence-only" mantra is drilled into children through a combination of family, school and religious issues. \nJolene, a coordinator for Indianapolis-based herpes support group IndyHelp who wished not to be identified by her full name, said while abstinence works theoretically, the notion often fails in practical applications.\n"People need more sexual education than what is available now," she said. "Even with more sexual education, be it from the schools, church or home, many people still feel invincible and thinks this kind of thing would never happen to them."\nIndyHelp exists to further the sort of education lauded by Satcher -- allowing a forum for individuals of all ages diagnosed with herpes to discuss personal and health issues. Jolene said her personal goal in meeting and assisting individuals is to let them know the disease doesn't mark an end to dreams or goals. Patients with herpes are capable of maintaining healthy sexual relationships and having children as well.\nMore than abstinence\nWhile the surgeon general's report includes encouraging the delay of sexual activity, it aims to educate a broader mass of people across generations about sexual responsibility.\nSatcher included strategies geared toward parents, emphasizing their role as their children's "primary educators" in sexuality. But, because families address such issues using a myriad of differing methods, school education is also a vital component.\n"The important aim is to get people across the board to discuss what they believe to be responsible sexual behavior and to look for the common ground on which we can all build our plans and hopes for the future," Bancroft said. "It has been our impression all along, that although there are pressure groups on both ends of the political spectrum who make their views only too well known, there is a large and mainly silent majority of people many or most of whom would not have difficulty in reaching consensus."\nThe surgeon general's approach is geared toward that constituency. Bancroft feels the broad definition of "responsible sexuality" inherent in the plan is "broad and sensible," allowing greater understanding among larger, more diverse groups. But, he stressed, the process must not end with Satcher's plan. Bancroft feels the initiative marks the beginning of an ongoing effort to increase awareness of sexual health.\n"Dr Satcher wants to set in motion a process which will run and run," Bancroft said. "(That) involves our talking, debating, disagreeing and agreeing about what is responsible sexual behavior and sexual health, across the age span."\nSatcher's report said the exchange of information concerning sexual health should cover a wide range of topics and should "continue through the life span."\nThose topics include recognition of sexuality in everyday life, the value and benefits of abstinence, though not necessarily until marriage, and awareness concerning protection against STDs and unintended pregnancy.\nSTD stigmas\nJolene, coordinator for the herpes support group, also indicated many stigmas exist related to sexually transmitted diseases. Physicians, she said, often treat patients with herpes as a "dirty person who deserved it." As a result, Jolene said, many patients become clinically depressed or seclude themselves from the outside world.\n"Physicians need to understand the emotional side of herpes and other STDs and not be judgmental of us," Jolene said. "The problem is that for the stigma to end, faces of herpes survivors need to be shown, but people are afraid of doing so because of the stigma - it's quite the Catch 22!"\nMisconceptions exist, Bancroft said, concerning the definition of a responsible sexual person. Until adults can define that for themselves, he said, teenagers should not be expected to be capable of sexual responsibility.\n"Families are a crucial source of guidance and support, but many families need guidance and support in order to fulfill that obligation," Bancroft said. "And for that families need other responsible adults in their communities they can turn to for advice."\nSexual wellness on campus\nAnne Reese, Director of Health and Wellness Education at the IU Health Center, said many services exist to allow students to explore issues of sexual health at will. In addition to the Center's Web site, students may also take advantage of the Health Center's Women's Center as well as STD and pregnancy screening tests at a notably reduced cost.\nAdditionally, Reese noted, students are ensured full confidentiality in screenings. The charges appear on a student's bursar bill as "Health Center charges." Nowhere are the specific tests detailed or the results released.\nThe Health Center also provides information sessions to classes and in residence halls, as well as to clubs and organizations on campus. \nReese said many incoming students, especially those from Indiana high schools, where sexual education is not mandated, enter IU ready to explore their sexual identity unequipped with the information necessary to facilitate that exploration.\n"Students are getting their information from the media, and that generally shows on-the-edge sexuality," Reese said. "It's almost like we're not allowed to talk about healthy sexual functions, but we can watch anything we want on Jerry Springer about exploitative sex. When it comes to discussing positive sex, there's just nothing out there"
(07/09/01 2:08am)
At 5 a.m. Friday, they came out in droves, a single cause uniting their raised voices. By 11 a.m. they toted bullhorns and cameras, their demonstration peaceful yet persistent. \nYoung and old alike they gathered, offering encouragement and support as the sun beat down unforgivingly at high noon. One fair-haired toddler moved aimlessly about, pausing occasionally to add a high-pitched protest to the melee. \nAnd at nearly 1 p.m., they watched as state police drove two of their own away in handcuffs. Police forcibly removed Ruth Hannah and Megan Hise from their position of protest, locked around a tree in the woods surrounding the Basswood apartment complex off S.R. 37., further fueling the crowd's angry cries. \nThey compose part of what a protester who identified himself as "Truth" terms a "large network of people dedicated to saving the earth." They gathered Friday to protest the development of the woods near Basswood for additional apartment complexes. \n"This is an injustice to me as a citizen of this city," claimed Bloomington native and IU student Myra Swoape. "Bloomington doesn't want this."\nSwoape, whose parents are environmental activists, claims she was raised to embrace nature, to support and give back to the earth. The message developers are sending to the community, she said, is that they "just don't care."\nTo overpower that message, Swoape said, Bloomington needs a plan and a mayor who respects green space. \n"I want my offspring to have trees and air to breathe," she said. "This is a time of crisis -- I'd say we have 20 years to get everything back together."\nLisa Hopwood, a friend of Swoape's and an IU student, said the privately owned land is considered to have the largest concentration of sinkholes in the city. She doesn't want to be responsible for "fixing their (developers') mistakes" if the building's foundations begin to crumble, she said. \nTruth deemed the development a continuation of the "urban sprawl" threatening to envelop Bloomington. He arrived at the tree-sitting at 6 a.m. \nHe thinks older, vacant buildings in town should be razed to make room for projects such as the Canterbury development. Homes in older, more run-down areas should be renovated, he said, before constructing totally new facilities. \n"This doesn't need to happen," Truth said. "This is a beautiful shaded area -- but profit is coming before people and the earth."\nHopwood agreed. \n"Money won out over the environment," she said. "We're paying taxes so they don't have to pay interest on their land"
(07/02/01 2:16am)
When Herman B Wells built the IU Auditorium, the venue was the largest of its kind west of the Alleghenies.\nYet Wells wasn't thinking of how to finance construction, of how the building would bolster the thriving School of Music. His thoughts centered on what he considered created the university community: the students. \nHe wanted to bring world-renowned performers to a sleepy town in the Indiana foothills. He wanted to pique students' interests in theatre, in opera and classical music. In short, he told colleague Ken Gros Louis, he wanted to bring the world to Indiana University. \nIt's a lesson that's stuck with Gros Louis as he ascended the University ranks to assume the office of Chancellor, a position he's relinquishing now, at 65. And though twenty-two years have passed -- twenty-two years of forging partnerships, of interacting with students and faculty, of progress and compromise -- the legacy of Herman B Wells continues to influence Gros Louis with each decision he faces. \n"What was unique about Herman Wells was his ability to understand that everyone at the University contributed to its success," Gros Louis said. "He was as friendly with janitors and food service people as he was with the most senior faculty."\nSuch personal interaction defined what Gros Louis termed Wells' "breadth of humanity." During his tenure as president and chancellor, Wells established a network of professional and personal relationships dedicated to making IU seem smaller and more accessible -- a goal to which Gros Louis claims he committed himself during his years as chancellor.\nOn his "Welcome to Bloomington" Web site, Gros Louis alludes to the University's serene atmosphere, to the pristine treasures he claims "make this place feel like college ought to feel." Yet neither the Musical Arts Center nor the Lilly Library, neither the Mathers Museum nor the Art Museum, truly define IU as a community, he said.\nRather, it's the tremendous rapport between students and faculty; it's the free exchange of ideas and opportunity for dialogue between great minds. This relationship, Gros Louis maintains, fosters the feeling of a smaller, more accessible learning community.\n"Public universities in America are one of the wonders of the western world in that they aspire to be accessible to all who want to learn about themselves and the world in which they live," Gros Louis said. "We are not a trade school and I don't think anyone coming here should put at the top of his or her list thinking about the job they'll get after graduation. While that's important, our hope at the top of the list is finding out as much as they can about themselves and the world."\nHe said he feels IU should be accessible to any student in the state of Indiana wishing to attend, and expressed concern as to whether IU's financial policies will be able to compensate for tuition increases. \nGros Louis came to IU in 1963 as an assistant professor of English and Comparative Literature. Shortly thereafter, in 1965, he was "sucked into" administration with his appointment as associate chair of Comparative Literature. In 1970, he assumed the position of associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and from 1973 to 1978 her served as chair of the English department.\nIn 1978, Gros Louis was appointed dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He became chancellor in 1980, a position he held until this year.\nFormer trustee Ray Richardson said Gros Louis's impact on the University is best expressed in the accreditation review by the North Central Association this year, in which Gros Louis is described as "what personally holds the University together."\nProfessor of Psychology and Bloomington Faculty Council president James Sherman described Gros Louis as "witty, efficient and humane."\nSherman worked with Gros Louis extensively this year through the Faculty Council. He said Gros Louis shares the values of Herman B Wells and has added his own touch in very tangible ways.\n"What distinguishes IU from other public universities is the fact that IU affords love and attachment," Sherman said. "A large part of the reason for this is the history and traditions of IU. Both Herman and Ken were absolutely committed first and foremost to the main mission of the University -- its academic mission."\nGros Louis upheld these traditions, Sherman said, by living them. By simultaneously focusing on the past and future of the University, Gros Louis expressed his understanding of the need to preserve conventions while maintaining progress.\n"He also brought us all together because we all knew that he always had the well-being of IU at heart," Sherman said. "We could trust that all his decisions and judgments were geared toward maintaining and improving the academic quality of the University."\nGros Louis has also bridged innumerable gaps between faculty, students and administrators during his time on campus, said Sherman. Above all, Sherman claimed, Gros Louis was a "faculty member at heart."\nThat commitment, said professor of journalism and associate director of the Wells Scholars Program Charlene Brown, allowed Gros Louis to connect to members of the IU community at every level. Students, faculty and administrators thought of him as a friend foremost, Brown said.\nYet when students begin flooding campus this fall, Gros Louis won't be watching the leaves change from his usual position before his office window. He said he plans to spend the coming year "not too much in sight" traveling with his wife. Once successor Sharon Brehm has settled in, Gros Louis will return once again to his passion: teaching.\nThat passion has served as an inspiration for scores of faculty members, including Brown herself.\n"I love his love of his field -- literature, especially poetry," she said. "Although he prepares carefully for every event and responsibility, writes his speeches months in advance, he can recite a cherished poem spontaneously for the moment at hand. How wonderful to care so much about one's field -- and to be able and willing to share that passion."\nDistinguished Professor of English and Wells Scholars Program director Scott Sanders said commitment to educating eager minds established strong bonds of trust between administrators, faculty and students. Throughout his years as chancellor, Sanders said, Gros Louis never lost his original zeal for teaching.\n"He has exemplified fidelity to place and purpose in a time when many people find it hard to believe in institutions," Sanders concluded. "And he has done all of this with rare generosity and good spirits."\nBut one might suggest Gros Louis is remembered most for his compassion.\nSherman cited the chancellor's support for improved staff salaries and his fight to preserve academic freedom as several such examples.\nSanders spoke to the similarities between Wells and Gros Louis as well, citing the two men's range of intellectual interests, rapport with faculty and "wizardry as administrators and absolute integrity." \nSanders deemed Gros Louis the "benign grandfather" of the Wells Scholars Program, of which Sanders is director. Gros Louis was present throughout each stage of development of the prestigious program, which awards full tuition, room and board and study abroad to motivated, incoming scholars each year.\nThe proposal was met initially by skepticism from both Wells himself and an assortment of faculty members, Sanders said. But he credits Gros Louis with assuaging those apprehensions.\nGros Louis also appointed the program's first director, Professor of German Studies Breon Mitchell, and teaches seminars for senior Wells Scholars.\nWells and Gros Louis share what Brown terms a "genuine, personal interest in and commitment to the well being of each member of the IU community; an appreciation of the importance of education in a democracy; a delightful wit; an inclination to laugh at themselves; and a commitment to excellence, which they encouraged and cherished." This dedication, Brown claims, markedly enriched the overall university environment. \nAs he turns the final pages of an illustrious administrative career, Gros Louis will pause to think, to consider. He'll reflect on moments of triumph. His thoughts will pause as he thinks upon the scores of successful IU graduates scattered across the globe. He'll think of the classes of Wells Scholars he welcomed to campus year after year as they began their careers as IU students.\nYet time and again, he'll think of the small things, of the encounters seemingly insignificant to a neutral bystander. Those one-on-one relationships and experiences, he says, have made his twenty-two years rewarding.\n"Every time I was able to help someone or get to know someone a little better or have someone thank me for whatever I might have done for them confirmed that I had made the right career choice," he said. "As I have said on other occasions, it's almost embarrassing to have been paid for doing something that was so enjoyable"
