189 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(04/11/01 4:37am)
Responding to overwhelming student and faculty interest, last month the College of Arts and Sciences decided to revise its graduation requirements for students pursuing a double degree in the College and an outside school. \nUnder the old requirements, students desiring a bachelor of arts degree in a COAS-related field of study and a bachelor of science degree in an outside school were required to complete an extra 26 hours in the College of Arts and Sciences, in addition to the required coursework for each degree. In a unanimous faculty vote, the College eliminated those 26 hours, in an effort to better facilitate students pursuing two degrees.\nLinda Smith, associate dean for undergraduate education in COAS, said the eased requirements will allow motivated students to graduate in four years with a double degree. Under the old standards, this proved nearly impossible for students wishing to obtain degrees from COAS and another school.\nBut times have changed, Smith said. "We didn't want to make it too easy to acquire a second degree," she said, "but there are many more schools and more options for students now. For many students, a double degree has the same intellectual value as a double major."\nWhile the change in requirements will primarily affect underclassmen and incoming students, Smith said upperclassmen might also benefit.\n"Juniors and seniors may examine their schedules now and find themselves closer to the double degree than they may have previously thought," she said.\nBut academic adviser Jim Brown said the change affects only students pursuing two degrees at once. Returning students who have already completed one bachelor's degree must complete the additional 26 hours to obtain their second degree.\nAccording to assistant dean Steve Sanders, the COAS advising office has been "flooded" by positive e-mails and phone calls by students about the change. This interest, Sanders said, upholds the College's decision to adopt the change. \nBrown said since the initial announcement of the change, he has dealt with an average of 3-4 students per day expressing interest in a dual degree.\n"The new standards allow students to basically finish as many degrees as they can start without requiring an arbitrary number of hours," Brown said.\nHe said business students seem to be his "No.1 customer," with music students also expressing significant interest in the program. He cited the business school's field specialization requirement, in which students must complete work in an outside field to complement their business training, as particularly useful in pursuing COAS-related interests. He said business students tend to like the breadth of a liberal arts education.\n"The nice thing about the change in requirements is it breaks down the somewhat artificial barriers between schools," Sanders said. "It moves us much closer to the reality of students being able to capitalize on the best IU has to offer, no matter what school or degree option"
(04/10/01 4:23am)
Three years ago, senior Rachel Karess lost her best friend, a man with whom she'd shared a backyard since childhood.\nDeath didn't arrive swiftly for Brett Weinstein, Karess's "first friend." Nor did it come unannounced. Instead, it wavered constantly on the horizon, posing a relentless threat for the cystic fibrosis victim.\nThat threat intensified when Weinstein discovered he needed a lung transplant. Unable to find a suitable donor, Weinstein died, having never completed college.\nShaken by the experience, Karess, a political science major, threw herself into researching organ transplants. The native of Allentown, Pa., spent countless hours studying the availability of organs in the United States, seeking an answer to her friend's seemingly unjustifiable death. \nWeinstein found she was not alone. More than 71,000 individuals are awaiting organ donations, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Fewer than half of those patients will find an appropriate match. The answer, Karess said, lies in sheer ignorance, and thus a mission surfaced -- to increase education and awareness about organ and tissue donation.\nKaress formed "Life Goes On," a student organization whose members speak at classes, greek houses, residence halls and community events. The group promotes fund-raising activities throughout Bloomington. Since its inception in August 1998, the group has ballooned from six members to a network of 15 collegiate chapters across the country.\n"I felt, firsthand, the pain of losing someone who, ultimately, died senselessly," Karess said. "If there had been an organ donor, Brett would have lived." \nThat's why, she said, she formed Life Goes On. \n"So often, people say they'd like to be donors," she said. "However, the next step is actually confronting the issue and addressing it to friends and family. Most people don't do that. Our goal is to help those people make educated decisions based on facts -- not myths."\nKaress's zeal for her cause soon caught the eye of the Children's Organ Transplant Association. Inspired by Karess's efforts on the Bloomington campus, the association asked her to help implement programs similar to Life Goes On at other college campuses. In May 1999, she joined the association's staff, designing promotional materials and delivering educational presentations. She also assisted in fund-raising efforts.\nKaress's involvement with her organization led her to pursue a certificate in nonprofit management through the American Humanics program in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. The program, which requires 180 "contact" hours working with a nonprofit organization, also includes membership in the American Humanics Student Association, of which Karess is president. \nJunior Erika Eck, vice president of Life Goes On, cited Karess as a driving force behind the organization's continuing success nationwide. \n"Rachel is a dedicated woman who has made it her personal mission to spread awareness about the crucial need for organ donors," Eck said. "Her personal loss has driven her to make a difference in the lives of others, and her friendship and leadership have helped to shape me into the person I am today, he said." \nKaress, who will graduate this spring with a certificate in nonprofit management and minors in psychology and sociology of business, said she has high hopes for the future of her organization. She has named senior Kat Kirkwood as her successor as president, a choice she said will fill her void "perfectly."\nKirkwood, whose father received a kidney transplant when she was in sixth grade, said her chief concern is consistent with that of her predecessor -- to educate. \n"I just want to continue what Rachel started -- to keep speaking to people and raising money for those who need it," Kirkwood said. "She's the leader I want to be."\nCindy Bowers, director of the American Humanics program, said she agreed with Kirkwood's assessment. \n"Rachel sets the standard and raises others to that bar," she said. "She chose to make a difference, and that gives me great hope for the future of nonprofit organizations"
(04/04/01 5:41am)
Former board of trustees member Harry Gonzo first experienced the sharp slap of sexual discrimination as an IU student in the late sixties -- only it wasn't directed at him.\nWhen the standout quarterback and Rose Bowl champion's best friend announced he was homosexual, Gonzo supported the young man's decision. But he was in the minority.\nFriends turned against the student. Faced with the gravity of the decision he'd made and the accompanying lifestyle changes, the young man felt alone and confused. No IU offices existed at that time to assist homosexual students.\nFinally, the oppression overwhelmed him. He never completed his senior year here.\nIn his opening remarks at Tuesday's National Day of Silence luncheon, keynote speaker Bloomington Chancellor Kenneth Gros Louis reflected quietly on that story, told more than 10 years ago by Gonzo himself at a trustees meeting. The trustees were debating the viability of a gay and lesbian resource center at IU. Hailing the instance as representative of the need for such a center, Gros Louis lauded the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Student Services office for fostering acceptance of all types of diversity on campus.\nThe luncheon, held Tuesday in the State Room East of the Indiana Memorial Union, epitomizes such initiatives. Five years ago, GLBT started the event to bring faculty and students together to discuss how "issues of silence" affect the campus, said Doug Bauder, director of GLBT Student Support Services.\nThat mission continues to drive the event, just one part of the National Week of Protest activities on campus this week. \nSophomore Jaret Fishman said he hopes that message will garner additional support from administration and faculty in addressing student alienation issues. A CommUNITY Educator at Foster Quad and organizer of last year's luncheon, Fishman said while attributes do exist on campus facilitating acceptance of diversity, further steps must be pursued.\n"The goal of the luncheon and, essentially, of the week is to note how certain voices are silenced," said Barry Magee, assistant director of diversity education for Residential Programs and Services. "Our task now is to figure out how to, as a community, break that silence."\nFor Gros Louis, that often entails reacting softly and persistently. He said often, the most effective leaders are those who speak "quietly and appropriately," who aren't "constantly in your face." \nGros Louis championed protests of this week's sort as necessary precursors for increased awareness of campus issues.\nPam Huggins, a member of the GLBT anti-harassment team and faculty of the School of Social Work attending the event, conceded with Gros Louis. \nThe anti-harassment team, which responds to incidents of discrimination and harassment of all sorts, is one way to quietly and judiciously retaliate, she said. But the crusades cannot stop there, she claimed. Students must assume a proactive role.\n"We need to become involved in the creation of an inclusive society striving toward the elimination of oppression and discrimination," Huggins said. "Only then will we truly begin accepting one another"
(03/27/01 5:18am)
Senior Leanne Dodge is ambitious, to say the least.\nThe Bloomington native and Wells Scholar spends her days conducting trials in a cognitive science lab on campus. When she needs a break, she loses herself in a piece of music, playing her violin for hours on end. And in the evenings, she immerses herself in her duties as vice president of the IU College Libertarians.\nTo top it all, Dodge is pursuing three majors -- violin performance, cognitive science and political science.\nIn the past, students like Dodge have found it difficult to explore such a wide array of interests. But a change in graduation requirements by the College of Arts and Sciences will help in facilitating such efforts.\nThe University faculty voted this week to approve the measures. The changes are designed to "provide greater flexibility for students wishing to pursue joint degrees," according to a press release by the College. They will take effect in August 2001, and students pursuing a COAS degree will be able to adhere to either the old or new requirements.\nThe new plan grants greater range of choice in choosing elective credits outside a given course of study. Previously, elective choices were limited to an approved list of courses. Under the new system, those credits can be filled with any combination of courses from an outside school.\nThe new plan also simplifies the distribution requirements for graduation. \nCOAS students are now required to take four courses from each category -- natural and mathematical sciences, arts and humanities and social and historical studies, and one course from each area should be a topics course. The three areas are subcategorized as well. \nThe new plan eliminates the subcategories and requires students to take only one topics course.\n "Topics courses are meant to be a hard start into college study," said COAS associate dean Linda Smith. "But they ended up delaying students' entrance into their actual majors. It made it more difficult to explore different fields of study -- not a good thing."\n Smith said the change is largely in response to student concerns compiled during a semester-long study of the old program's effectiveness last fall. Sophomore Paul Musgrave echoed such sentiments.\n"The current system, which involves subcategories that artificially limit class options, does not broaden, but rather restricts, students' learning opportunities," the history and political science double major said. "If the purpose of a liberal arts education, which COAS provides, is to broaden students' horizons, then the current, ridiculously complex and limiting graduation requirements have been standing in the way of that goal."\nThe new plan allows students to pursue more than one degree simultaneously. The old requirements forced students desiring a second degree to complete an extra 26 hours in COAS outside of those required for the first degree, a stipulation Smith said has existed since the 1960s.\nDeeming the imposition "crippling" for serious students with various interests, Smith said the new plan, which eliminates this requirement totally, will better facilitate such exploration.\n"I think this is a wonderful move," Dodge said. "It will allow students to pursue varied interests without being bound so tightly by specific requirements."\nSmith said the College has been considering changing graduation requirements all year. She noted the change is especially timely with the arrival of the new chancellor.\n"It would not be an overstatement to say that a number of students found the old requirements 'student unfriendly,'" Smith said. "The goal of the new plan is not to weaken curriculum or make it easier, but to fix clunky things that weren't working before"
(03/21/01 5:08am)
The Carnegie Foundation has chosen to honor two IU associate professors as Carnegie Scholars for the upcoming year. \nCarolyn Calloway-Thomas of the Department of Communication and Culture and Dennis Rome of the Department of Afro-American Studies will represent the Bloomington campus as two of the 30 scholars. The foundation additionally recognized IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis professor Didier Bertrand.\nThe Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning sponsors the fellowships, designed to "create a community of scholars … whose work will advance the profession of teaching and deepen student learning," President Lee Shulman said.\nCandidates are chosen from a variety of fields of study, including biological sciences, communication, economics, education and teacher education, engineering, foreign languages and literature, health sciences, interdisciplinary studies, law, physics, political science and philosophy/religious studies.\nAccording to the program's application criterion, a premise of the program is that "faculty need scholarly peers in teaching as in research." Candidates are sought who are familiar with the latest developments in research and teaching methods, and who strive to foster the most engaging learning environment possible.\nIndividuals desiring consideration for the honor must submit a "tedious and painstaking" application in which a research proposal is outlined, Rome said. They are then screened through two rounds of interviews. The selected scholars are required to complete two summer residency programs. This year's group will assemble June 11 in Menlo Park, Calif., the home of the Carnegie Institute.\nCalloway-Thomas, whose research interests include African-American and intercultural communications, described the honor as "particularly sweet" because this year marks the first in which the field of communications was included as an eligible field of study.\n"I feel delighted to have been chosen as a Carnegie Scholar for the coming year," she said. She described her research goal as determining to what extent "representative illustrations," or common allusions utilized in relating course material to students, are effective in the learning process.\n"I believe that such tools -- for example, stories or anecdotes -- are instrumental in determining which students learn well and which learn poorly," she said. She will study subjects from four major institutions throughout the country as her research basis.\nCalloway-Thomas, a former Fulbright scholar and Ford postdoctoral fellow, earned a bachelor's degree and Distinguished Alumni Award from Grambling State University. She completed her master's degree at the University of Wisconsin and her post-doctoral study at IU.\nRome, also a former Fullbright scholar, said colleague and mentor Carla Howery, executive deputy director of the American Sociological Association, encouraged him to apply for the program. She lauded the Carnegie Foundation's focus on teaching and pedagogical concerns and deemed Rome's innovative methods, designed to engage students in the learning process, representative of that focus.\nHe said his project deals with the introduction of innovative teaching techniques into the classroom using computers, video cameras and other technological equipment. His research includes criminology, race and minority relations and research methods.\nRome earned his bachelor's degree from Bradley University. He completed a master's degree from Howard University and a Ph.D. from Washington State University.\n"It was a painstaking process, yes," he laughed. "But in such a competitive process, it was worth it"
(03/19/01 7:04am)
Most people accept when given the opportunity to be commemorated in stone and granite. Few decline the offer to have a building named in their honor.\n Yet Herman B Wells did exactly that. Faced with countless proposals of the sort, the former IU president and long-time University chancellor adamantly refused, choosing instead to expand on the work he'd done in IU's academic programs.\nIt was understandable that the idea of naming a scholarship in his honor was met with considerable timidity. After all, Wells had declined numerous offers to immortalize his legacy with University developments. He claimed, professor Breon Mitchell said, that his work had only begun.\nBut Wells characteristically surprised them all. \nHe accepted the suggestion with vigor and was present in 1990 to induct the first class of Wells Scholars.\n"They were nervous, yes," said Mitchell, the program's first director and one of its founding influences, of the first class. "I think, though, they knew they were part of something new, something fresh. It was a very exciting time."\nThe four-year award encompasses full tuition costs, room and board and miscellaneous fees. Scholars are also allowed a year of foreign study and a summer experience grant, both subsidized by donations to the program. It is supervised by director and distinguished professor Scott Russell Sanders.\nNever one to boast, Wells attributed his success to, as memoir's title suggests, "being lucky," and encouraged the incoming group of about 20 seniors to take full advantage of what opportunities the scholarship would offer.\nWells extended that bit of luck to me last year when I was awarded the Wells scholarship as a high school senior. Although I had applied to 10 schools, my family's financial situation severely restricted my options; I had no money reserved for college and would have to rely solely on federal aid and scholarships. Reading the program's literature detailing its terms and outlining achievements by former scholars, a cloud of anxiety descended. \nIt seemed just too good to be true.\nI met Wells during the interview process in December. Before the interview weekend, I knew little about him or his contributions to IU. But one weekend on campus changed that. His presence, it seemed, was everywhere.\nThough confined to a wheelchair, the 97-year-old's enthusiasm shattered my apprehension. He seemed genuinely thrilled to meet every potential scholar and was thoroughly interested in speaking with each of us. His feeble appearance belied his true character; shaking his hand at the final dinner reception, his firm grip and eager gaze surprised me. He simply radiated with pride for the University and what it could offer us. \nMeeting the man behind the name ultimately persuaded me to choose IU, and I can't imagine myself anywhere else today. Herman B Wells is remembered as a driving force behind the program's success, though his influence was not always directly imposed.\n"With Dr. Wells, what you saw was what you got," said former scholar James Stevens, who also worked as one of Wells's "houseboys" for two years while attending IU as an undergraduate. "The amazing thing was that what you got was a supremely gregarious, witty, interested and interesting man who rarely missed anything that passed his way. Whether he was watching a football game, or talking with a student, or listening to a string quartet or napping in the afternoon -- he tried to do it intently; he always tried to be, adamantly, 'in the moment.'"\nSince the scholarship's inception in 1990, more than 220 students have been in the program. While on campus, they serve as ambassadors to such distinguished visitors as former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev and South African playwright Athol Fugard. They build houses for Habitat for Humanity on the Honors College Alternative Spring Break. \nThe Wells Program boasts its own community service organization, launched by senior scholar Angel Cabral two years ago. Graduates often emerge as Marshall, Fulbright and Truman Scholars. They enter top-ranked law, medical and graduate programs. \nBut throughout their professional careers, their experiences with IU and the Wells Scholars Program are remembered as "inspirational," said former scholar Andrew Wang.\nNow a student at Harvard Medical School, Wang conceded with Stevens. \n"Dr. Wells made IU what it is today," Wang said. "To his students, he was simply an inspiration"
(03/08/01 5:33am)
After spending the last four years masterminding IU's information technology plan, Michael McRobbie will take a stab at doing it for the rest of the country as well.\nMcRobbie, vice president for information technology, was named this week to the National Science Foundation's computer science and engineering advisory committee. The committee works through the NSF's Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering.\nHe will serve on the advisory board for two years and continue to work in his posts at IU.\nThe NSF is an independent government agency designed to foster communication and technological advancements in science. The foundation consists of the National Science Board of 24 part-time members and a director, according to the organization's Web site. \nThe computer science directorate is one of six departments dedicated to advancing the development of policies in science-related fields. It deems its major goal as "contributing to universal, transparent and affordable participation in an information-based society," according to a press release.\nCISE Director Ruzena Bajcsy said McRobbie, a Fulbright senior fellow and Australian, was selected based on his professional record and his prior experience in dealing with the National Science Foundation. McRobbie's responsibilities to the committee will include granting funding to research programs in information science. \nThe National Science Foundation now accounts for more than 20 percent of federal support to academic institutions, Bajcsy said. \nOne of McRobbie's achievement's at IU includes a $10 million grant from the National Science Foundation to create a computer network, TransPac, that links Pacific Rim countries with the United States.\nIt is one of several collaborative efforts IU has joined since McRobbie's 1997 appointment. IU is also one of the key players in running Internet2, a research network established by the federal government to replace parts of the original Internet.\n"Since he's been here, McRobbie has had enormous opportunities nationally and internationally to participate in a variety of technologically-related matters," said Karen Adams, executive officer for the vice president. "NSF has been able, then, to see the sort of work he does and the roles he plays here."\nMcRobbie said he is pleased to offer his expertise by serving on the board.\n"The NSF, in appointing the committee, is essentially trying to get a group that will represent a whole set field of interests," McRobbie said.\nHe said his past experience as a recipient of NSF funding gives him insight on how the organization should develop. And his IU position allows him to observe current trends in student information technology, shedding a new perspective on the field's advances, he said. \nMcRobbie said the group meets twice a year and the position will not detract from his current responsibilities at IU.
(02/19/01 5:21am)
Armed with signs declaring "Taxation = Theft" and "Help IUSA Help You," more than 40 people gathered Friday to garner support for tax-free textbooks on Indiana college campuses. The initiative is part of the IU Student Association's yearlong efforts to increase visibility for a bill now being debated in the Indiana general assembly.\nThe bill's author, State Rep. Mark Kruzan, D-Bloomington, addressed the standing-room only crowd in the Walnut Room at the Indiana Memorial Union, lauding IU's success in raising awareness for the legislation. Many people, he said, believe that textbooks are, in fact, tax-free. IU's efforts, ranging from a fall petition drive to leading a similar rally last month in Indianapolis, have proven particularly effective in increasing student interest in the bill. \n"Over 2,000 bills are introduced each year in the state house," Kruzan said. "Only a handful receive the level of visibility as this one, and much of that can be attributed to IU."\nIUSA Legislative Relations director Ben Piper, a junior, cited the bill as a "nonpartisan issue with bipartisan support transcending political ideology." The fall petition drive, he noted, gathered over 13,000 signatures from all 19 Indiana universities.\nSophomore Josh Claybourn, secretary of the College Republicans, agreed with Kruzan, noting the collective importance of the issue to all students, regardless of political affiliation. Claybourn said students must "demand fiscal responsibility" on the part of the administration.\nClaybourn also said the textbook initiative is only the first step in the fight to subsidize student costs on college campuses.\nGraduate student Erin Hollinden, vice president of the IU Libertarians, said students should be allowed to choose where their money goes. Education is vital for economic growth, she said, and initiatives of this type would help decrease the margin between the "haves" and "have-nots."\nKruzan also talked about the possible implications on the state budget should his bill pass. \nIndiana is about $800 million short over the next fiscal year, Kruzan said. While the passage of his bill would mean $20-$50 savings for undergraduates, he said students should next focus attention on the tuition increases likely to result.\n"There is a continual level of underfunding for higher education," Kruzan said. "The affordability of higher education is an issue worthy of pursuit.\n"It's an uphill battle, and it's only going to get higher"
(02/16/01 3:40pm)
Students representing three major political factions on campus will rally at 3 p.m. today in support of a proposal for tax-free textbooks in the Walnut Room of the Indiana Memorial Union.\nSponsored by the IU College Republicans, Democrats and Libertarians, the rally is one in a series of efforts designed to increase awareness of State Rep. Mark Kruzan's (D-Bloomington) legislation, slated to go before the Indiana general assembly late this month.\nThe event will attempt to recruit more students in the fight for tax-free textbooks, said freshman Leanne Dodge, a Libertarian and primary coordinator of the event. Dodge maintains that, if enacted, the legislation will save college students an estimated $20-$50 per semester.\n"This is an issue that directly affects the financial well-being of every student on this campus," said junior Ben Piper, IU Student Association legislative relations director. "If students don't make a concerted effort to voice their concerns and participate in the political process, our legislators will be forced to make decisions which directly affect us without our input."\nIU College Republicans president Jim Banks, a senior, claims that while these efforts are a step in the right direction, additional steps must be taken to increase University accountability in funds management. Citing IU President Myles Brand's proposal to raise tuition, Banks contended that "the little money that we will save from tax-free textbooks will be insignificant compared to Brand's continual increases in tuition rates."\nLauding the collaborative success by the three driving political groups on campus, Banks also said "this rally is an example of all us working together, despite our political differences, toward the conservative principle of reducing the heavy tax loads, in this case on Indiana college students."\nPiper agreed with Banks. \n"I think the fact that students from each of the three major political parties have come together in support of this speaks volumes about the necessity and importance of a tax exemption on textbooks," he said.\nThe groups encourage both undergraduate and graduate students attend this afternoon's rally, featuring Kruzan as guest speaker. \n"Ending taxation of college textbooks is one small step in limiting our slavery to the state," said graduate student Erin Hollinden, IU College Libertarians vice president. "We hope everyone will do what they can to come and be part of the solution"
(02/15/01 9:47pm)
Sixteen years ago, Lauren Fagone began a love affair that would consume countless hours of tireless dedication and resolution.\nSixteen years ago, images of ballerinas on television enthralled the Pennsylvania native. Her mother found the 4-year-old sitting motionless before the set, mesmerized by what she'd seen, consumed by fascination. \nSixteen years later, Fagone, a senior, is miles and worlds apart from the YMCA ballet classes, from the little girl with stars in her eyes. She's arrived and carved a niche for herself in IU's ballet program, a department regarded as one of the nation's best. The quality of the music school faculty has four times led the deans and faculty members of the country's music schools to rank IU No. 1 in the nation, according to the School of Music's Web site. \nThe curriculum for ballet majors includes classes in ballet technique, pointe, variations, adagio, men's class and jazz dance. In addition to the curriculum, ballet majors take two semesters of pedagogy and have many opportunities to perform.\n"I did not know what to expect of the program in terms of intensity or talent when I first came to IU, but since then I have been in awe of the incredible talent, dedication and passion that the dancers here possess," Fagone says. "I was also unsure how the faculty would see me as a dancer when I came because I arrived at IU without much confidence and with a lot of uncertainty about my own abilities." \nNot that she now has much time to worry with insecurities.\nHer days are now filled with technique and pointe classes, as well as individual coaching sessions and production rehearsals. But she claims she's never felt subordinate to other dancers in the department.\n"I've never felt that the atmosphere here is competitive in a cutthroat or negative way," she says. "The department is relatively small, and we all spend so much time together on a daily basis that we've become each other's greatest supporters. It's a wonderful and probably somewhat unique environment where friends compliment each other on accomplishments in class and where encouragement is so group-oriented."\nFagone says she believes one of dancing's most striking characteristics is the role audiences play in a successful performance. Though the craft requires a physical separation of performer and audience, the dancer must convey an entire spectrum of emotion through careful, precise movement.\n"The separation exists to force the dancers to give themselves to the audience so purely and strongly that the audience can feel what you are feeling and can be involved in the story that you are telling," she says. "I overcome fear when I dance, and I guess in that way, ballet is my power."\nThat power has caught the attention of the faculty overseeing her training.\n"Lauren is one of the most talented dancers I've ever known," says Virginia Cesbron, an instructor present at Fagone's IU audition who has mentored her for the past two years. "She's like a sponge; she absorbs everything."\nCesbron believes Fagone has potential to dance professionally. "She's a choreographer's dream," Cesbron says. "When you show her something, she immediately makes it her own."\nThe effervescent senior has certainly been busy; since coming to IU, she has danced the roles of both Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy in Tschaikovsky's "The Nutcracker." During the 1999 season, she portrayed the bride in "Les Noces" and was part of a trio in Virginia Cesbron's "As Much as the Wind Has Taken."\n In the fall of 2000, she performed in "Les Sylphides" and Virginia Cesbron's "From Molly Again." Fagone additionally was a soloist in Jacque Cesbron's "Time Landscapes," a ballet with music composed by music professor David Baker.\n In the spring of the same year, Fagone executed the principal role in Mark Godden's contemporary ballet "Minor Threat." She also performed a pas de deux in Jacques Cesbron's "Souvenir de Florence," a part she deems one of her favorites since her college career's inception.\nFagone also serves as something of a mentor herself. Last October, she began instructing a Saturday morning creative movement class for young children. Though she is admittedly sometimes "more a student than teacher," Fagone says these weekend hours are ultimately rewarding. \n"I don't really remember much of my first ballet classes when I was that age, so I think that is why I adore these classes so much," she laughs. "I get to sing songs and run around, and play games ... sounds like time well spent to me"
(02/15/01 5:00am)
Sixteen years ago, Lauren Fagone began a love affair that would consume countless hours of tireless dedication and resolution.\nSixteen years ago, images of ballerinas on television enthralled the Pennsylvania native. Her mother found the 4-year-old sitting motionless before the set, mesmerized by what she'd seen, consumed by fascination. \nSixteen years later, Fagone, a senior, is miles and worlds apart from the YMCA ballet classes, from the little girl with stars in her eyes. She's arrived and carved a niche for herself in IU's ballet program, a department regarded as one of the nation's best. The quality of the music school faculty has four times led the deans and faculty members of the country's music schools to rank IU No. 1 in the nation, according to the School of Music's Web site. \nThe curriculum for ballet majors includes classes in ballet technique, pointe, variations, adagio, men's class and jazz dance. In addition to the curriculum, ballet majors take two semesters of pedagogy and have many opportunities to perform.\n"I did not know what to expect of the program in terms of intensity or talent when I first came to IU, but since then I have been in awe of the incredible talent, dedication and passion that the dancers here possess," Fagone says. "I was also unsure how the faculty would see me as a dancer when I came because I arrived at IU without much confidence and with a lot of uncertainty about my own abilities." \nNot that she now has much time to worry with insecurities.\nHer days are now filled with technique and pointe classes, as well as individual coaching sessions and production rehearsals. But she claims she's never felt subordinate to other dancers in the department.\n"I've never felt that the atmosphere here is competitive in a cutthroat or negative way," she says. "The department is relatively small, and we all spend so much time together on a daily basis that we've become each other's greatest supporters. It's a wonderful and probably somewhat unique environment where friends compliment each other on accomplishments in class and where encouragement is so group-oriented."\nFagone says she believes one of dancing's most striking characteristics is the role audiences play in a successful performance. Though the craft requires a physical separation of performer and audience, the dancer must convey an entire spectrum of emotion through careful, precise movement.\n"The separation exists to force the dancers to give themselves to the audience so purely and strongly that the audience can feel what you are feeling and can be involved in the story that you are telling," she says. "I overcome fear when I dance, and I guess in that way, ballet is my power."\nThat power has caught the attention of the faculty overseeing her training.\n"Lauren is one of the most talented dancers I've ever known," says Virginia Cesbron, an instructor present at Fagone's IU audition who has mentored her for the past two years. "She's like a sponge; she absorbs everything."\nCesbron believes Fagone has potential to dance professionally. "She's a choreographer's dream," Cesbron says. "When you show her something, she immediately makes it her own."\nThe effervescent senior has certainly been busy; since coming to IU, she has danced the roles of both Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy in Tschaikovsky's "The Nutcracker." During the 1999 season, she portrayed the bride in "Les Noces" and was part of a trio in Virginia Cesbron's "As Much as the Wind Has Taken."\n In the fall of 2000, she performed in "Les Sylphides" and Virginia Cesbron's "From Molly Again." Fagone additionally was a soloist in Jacque Cesbron's "Time Landscapes," a ballet with music composed by music professor David Baker.\n In the spring of the same year, Fagone executed the principal role in Mark Godden's contemporary ballet "Minor Threat." She also performed a pas de deux in Jacques Cesbron's "Souvenir de Florence," a part she deems one of her favorites since her college career's inception.\nFagone also serves as something of a mentor herself. Last October, she began instructing a Saturday morning creative movement class for young children. Though she is admittedly sometimes "more a student than teacher," Fagone says these weekend hours are ultimately rewarding. \n"I don't really remember much of my first ballet classes when I was that age, so I think that is why I adore these classes so much," she laughs. "I get to sing songs and run around, and play games ... sounds like time well spent to me"
(02/14/01 5:24am)
Computing at IU might have just gotten a bit easier. University Information Technology Services announced Tuesday it has implemented a second high capacity Internet connection for on-campus residents. The new connection allows students living in residence halls to link to Web sites separate from the University without campus Internet activity interference.\nChristine Fitzpatrick, manager of communications and planning for UITS, said the connection will double IU's ability to effectively transmit data to and from external Web servers.\nTerry Usrey, director of communications services, said the change was made to better accommodate students. \n"We added the new connection to alleviate congestion, provide better network usability and management, and give the students in residence halls their own window on the Internet," Usrey said in a press release. "We recognize that the Internet has become an integral part of student life at IU and greater bandwidth was necessary to accommodate increased student use."\nJunior Amy Harris, the Residence Hall Association's director of information technology, said there will be a noticeable difference in connection times. \n"The connection times are going to be a lot faster," Harris said. "Especially when so many of our classes have information on the net. It is a much easier, much more efficient way to get information on their computer."\nHarris said she already could tell the increased connection speed. \n"It's a noticeable difference -- one that you're not going to get off-campus," Harris said. "You notice it in terms of when you do jump online, things are coming up a lot faster. It's a definite benefit."\nUITS created a Web site to help students navigate the new system. The site provides students with opportunities to learn more about the network, as well as forums for news and announcements concerning campus technology.\nThe site can be accessed at resnet.indiana.edu.
(02/13/01 5:43pm)
The House ticket announced its candidacy for control of the IU Student Association this week, citing increased administration accountability as its primary goal. The ticket consists of freshmen Dale Drizd for president, Jim Brueggemann for vice president for Congress, Heath Voegerl for vice president for administration and Adam Traylor for treasurer.\nThe group said its strength rests in improving current standards established by past IUSA administrations. Ticket members said they can enrich relationships between on- and off-campus students, as well as faculty-student associations.\n"I haven't really seen any problems in the current administration," Drizd said. "However, House plans to elaborate on the framework IUSA has already established."\nThe ticket's platform consists of three major proposals, Drizd said. While acknowledging the validity of IUSA's current campus efforts, House strives to increase attention on faculty responsibilities, student rights and general University liabilities, Drizd said.\nThe ticket's official platform asserts faculty must accommodate student needs more readily. Drizd said this could be accomplished through more concentrated extracurricular assistance programs and lengthening office hours.\nHouse plans to rouse student involvement through polling and individual contact efforts, Drizd said. The group plans to "bring back individual rights to students," according to the platform.\nAnother ticket concern is the prevalence of on-campus vandalism. House plans to, if elected, integrate a fee in standard tuition fees to cover repair costs, Drizd said. Residence hall security is also another area of focus for candidates.\nBrueggemann said House plans to implement a University fund to subsidize vandalism costs. \n"There have been some vandalism issues on campus, and everyone has had to pay," Brueggemann claimed. "Essentially, everyone is found guilty."\nTaylor said the focus of the campaign is really on presidential candidate Drizd, not the rest of the candidates.\n"I'm not really the person to talk to," Traylor said. "I'm kind of just a space filler, along for the ride"
(02/08/01 7:47pm)
The IU Student Association race narrowed further Tuesday night when IUSA announced the disqualification of the TOGA party. Elections commissioner Erin Koops, a senior, said TOGA is ineligible because presidential candidate Joe Koleszar, a senior, is not a valid candidate. \nKoleszar helped form TOGA three years ago. The party, which won 505 votes in the 1997 election, was cited for illegal campaign violations, fined $75 and disqualified from candidacy. In 1998, TOGA formed again and was denied candidacy based on the unpaid fine. \nKoleszar contends no proof exists to validate the charges and said he regards them as ploys to prevent his party from assuming a voting majority.\nSenior Jeramy Foltz, former IUSA finance committee chair, authored an April 2000 resolution attempting to reinstate Koleszar. According to the resolution, last year's elections commissioner possessed no record of the 1997 charges, fines or decisions.\n"I was informed of this fine after the votes were counted," Koleszar said. "TOGA got an insanely high percentage of the vote, and people were scared. This conspiracy is a result of that."\nKoops claims TOGA was ineligible upon application, and she upheld Koleszar's inability to run for the presidential office, thus nullifying the ticket's place on the ballot. \nKoops said the remaining four tickets met the guidelines dictated by the elections code. These tickets -- Imagine, Miracle, ONE and Supernova -- may participate in Thursday's debate in the Maple Room of the Indiana Memorial Union.\nSenior Eli Ewing, campaign manager for ONE, expressed sympathy for the dismantled ticket. \n"If TOGA did not adhere to guidelines, then I believe the elections commission was following the rules by declaring them ineligible," he said. "It is sad, however, as our Congress wanted to make IUSA as inclusive as possible."\nTOGA refuses to be excluded. Koleszar said TOGA will be present at the debate and "making a whole hell of a lot of noise." \n"We're not out of this yet," he said.
(02/07/01 4:52am)
The race to win control of the IU Student Association became one ticket smaller this week after an IUSA declaration. The elections commissioner declared the Students Concerned with University Matters (SCUM) ticket ineligible Monday. The group has decided to remain involved in the election under the auspices of the Optimistic New Energy (ONE) ticket.\nIUSA declared SCUM ineligible because a congressional candidate was needed to complete the ticket, according to an e-mail sent by the IUSA elections commissioner. \nFormer IUSA senator and current ONE campaign manager senior Eli Ewing said the IUSA Congress decided last year to adopt codes increasing election inclusion. In a near-unanimous vote, the Congress passed a bill enabling congressional candidates to run together and executive candidates to seek office without an official ticket name.\nEwing said he believes SCUM's ineligibility results from a misreading of the election code. He claims IUSA based its arguments on the old code and failed to consider last year's legislation.\n"Initially, we were shocked," admitted former SCUM presidential candidate Andrew Hodgetts, a sophomore. "We thought we had read the rules fairly well, and hadn't noticed this particular provision. We looked over it again, and there was still some confusion as to whether or not we had actually broken the election laws."\nExpressing admiration for SCUM's proactive efforts in "bringing IUSA back to the students" -- SCUM's main goal -- ONE presidential candidate, senior Justin Treasure, supported the tickets' merger. He said the tickets plan to work on short-term issues while broadening the scope of IUSA itself.\n"SCUM's platform centered itself around campus involvement, an issue which the ONE ticket has been concerned with from day one," Treasure said. "As the other ticket comprised entirely of ambitious students outside of the current organization, we were sympathetic to the difficulty SCUM faced in getting involved in IUSA."\nHodgetts attributed SCUM's support of ONE to the need to increase voter turnout. Both groups advocate restoring IUSA to a student organization as opposed to its current state, what Ewing termed "bureaucracy." By rallying SCUM supporters to back ONE, both tickets said they believe SCUM's key goal can still be attained.\nBoth groups, accompanied by comedy troupe All Sorts of Trouble for the Boy in the Bubble, will conduct a press conference tonight at 7 p.m. in the Redbud Room of the Indiana Memorial Union. Interested students are invited to attend.\n"We believe that together we have an even better chance of creating a much more student-friendly IUSA, one in which every student has both the capability and inclination to get involved," Treasure concluded.
(02/05/01 5:38am)
Declaring its dedication to increasing student participation in the IU Student Association, the SCUM ticket announced Friday its official candidacy in the IUSA election. Candidates are sophomore Andrew Hodgetts, president; freshman Johnathan Roque, vice president; freshman Matt Brown, vice president for Congress, and freshman Ryan Yoshimoto, treasurer.\nStudents Concerned with University Matters cites its main goal as increasing student involvement in decision-making processes on campus. According to the group's official platform, 16 percent of students currently vote in IUSA elections. The ticket said this small percentage cannot be construed as a mandate. Thus, if elected, Roque said they hope to achieve greater voting turnout in coming elections.\n"Only a miniscule part of the student body actually knows what the IUSA does," Roque said. "Not only do we want to increase student involvement, we plan to teach students to be good citizens indirectly."\nGroup members said they plan to increase correspondence between residence halls, greek houses and off-campus students. They said this proposal would contribute to greater collaboration between diverse groups on campus. Coupled with online polling initiatives, the effort further supports the group's key aim.\n"If we are to make one promise during our campaign, it will be that we will heed the voters and non-voters alike," Hodgett said. "If they should wish to contact us any time, they should feel free to."\nYoshimoto agreed with Hodgett, stressing the importance of allowing individual students opportunity to voice concerns. \n"I want to put more pressure on the congressional representatives to find out what the people in their region want," he said. "I have never been asked by my current rep to voice my concerns. In fact, I don't even know who my rep is. That's a shame."\nThe ticket also plans to implement, if elected, a monthly "State of the IUSA" address. This statement, written by the president, would enable a vehicle through which students could become aware of pressing IUSA issues and developments.\n"I feel that IUSA can do a better job of being 'a government of the students," Yoshimoto said. "We can make that happen"
(02/01/01 4:58pm)
Picket signs and chants greeted motorists traveling past the Indiana Capitol Tuesday in Indianapolis. As the 5 p.m. rush hour approached, about 40 students representing eight Indiana universities gathered to garner support for tax-free textbooks.\nState representatives Sheila Klinker and Mark Kruzan recently introduced bills to the Indiana General Assembly exempting students from the 5 percent textbook sales tax, according to the IU Student Association Legislative Relations Office. Coupled with IUSA's fall petition drive, which generated more than 13,000 signatures supporting the exemption, the proposed legislation has buffered support from numerous student government groups statewide.\nThe House Ways and Means Committee is now debating the bill, said IUSA senator Lara Kalwinski, a sophomore. It should make its final decision concerning the bill's fate by the end of February. \nKlinker was present Wednesday to address the crowd, which gathered after the protest in the capitol rotunda. In her remarks, she indicated her unwavering support for the inter-campus efforts.\n"Never before have I received more support in co-sponsoring a bill than in this one at this time," Klinker said.\nIUSA congressman Justin Barnes, a sophomore, said government and campus groups must maintain close working relationships for this proposal to become reality. At Tuesday's rally eight representatives were present, including one state senator. IU, Purdue, Ball State, Butler and Valparaiso Universities, as well as the University of Evansville and Manchester College, were represented.\nAfter Klinker's remarks, students from each institution outlined proposals for further action and discussed their schools' efforts thus far.\nRoan Down, Manchester College student body president, said groups of students and faculty on his campus are continuing efforts to raise visibility, including a letter-writing campaign and community-wide phone calls. \nJunior Ben Piper, IUSA legislative relations director, said IUSA will continue similar efforts on the Bloomington campus as well.\n"Fundamentally, this is a matter of fixing something that's wrong," Piper said. "We expect to see our legislators working harder to approve this in the coming weeks. We want them to know that we're here, and we aren't going to stop fighting for this until textbooks are tax-free"
(01/25/01 5:22am)
Devin McGuire stands before a class of about 30 students at the Student Recreational Sports Center. The group has men and women, students and Bloomington residents, young and old alike. \nBarefoot and casually dressed, McGuire strides unassumingly across the room, greeting newcomers and passing out floor mats. His voice is soft and unpretentious. Even the muscle-bound men, who are wary of the class and whose eyes dart furtively around the room, seem to relax a bit.\nThat's McGuire's intention. He begins class with a simple question:\n"Why yoga?"\nThe class falls silent.\n"To relieve stress," one student remarks nearly inaudibly.\n"And why do you think yoga will help you do that?"\n"I don't know, it just seems healthier," the voice replies.\nMcGuire chuckles. "Indeed."\nHe goes on to describe the other physical benefits of yoga: Besides an improved mind-body connection, yoga has been often prescribed to aid back pain, heart problems, depression and other conditions. Because of its nonstrenuous nature, even novice exercisers safely practice the method. \nShoes begin to slip off as students sit cross-legged on soft mats, the sole equipment needed for traditional hatha yoga. A combination of poses designed to improve physical awareness, hatha yoga facilitates increased flexibility and muscle tone. \nThe precise chronological emergence of hatha yoga is debatable, but 5,000-year-old stone carvings depicting yoga positions exist in archeological sites in the Indus Valley. A collection of writings titled "Yoga Aphorisms," dating back to the first or second century B.C., is further indicative of yoga's prehistoric origins. \nAccording to the American Yoga Association, the manuscript details ashtanga yoga, a precise method containing eight steps: restraint, observance, physical exercises, breathing techniques, preparation for meditation, concentration, meditation and absorption. \nBut McGuire doesn't elaborate on the specifics; he instead instructs the students to lie flat on their backs, extending arms and pointing toes. \nStrolling quietly around the room, he then asks each individual to focus on the weight of his body on the floor, on the undeniable force of gravity. Closing their eyes, students begin to increase awareness of breath. McGuire next describes physiological processes involved with each inhale and exhale, asking each student to visualize perfect breathing technique.\n"Follow your breath," McGuire cautions. "It will lead you toward well-being."\nThe class continues with a series of both prone and standing poses designed to increase awareness of body symmetry and balance. Maintaining good breathing techniques becomes more difficult as students struggle to engage the "core" muscles of the abdominals and lower back, to concentrate on proper form.\nFreshman Liz Weikes, a participant with prior yoga experience, lauds the SRSC for incorporating mind-body techniques into its group exercise sessions. \n"As a gymnast for 15 years, maintaining flexibility is important," says Weikes. "When I was 16, I found that it was becoming more and more difficult to maintain the body needed to be a competitive gymnast. Yoga helped me maintain my proper physique and also relaxed me. Although I work out strenuously, I have found that yoga helps my body remain flexible."\nMcGuire has been teaching yoga at the SRSC since the program's inception four year ago. Buoyed by a career as a high school athlete, McGuire began reading yoga-related literature while attending IU during the 1970s. He began more rigorous study in the 1980s. In the early '90s, the yoga craze bombarded the United States. While there is no nationally recognized certification program for yoga instructors, the team leader, Cherry Darriau, is certified through a weekend program and conducts regular training sessions for SRSC instructors.\nA free shuttle runs to the SRSC from 5:30 to 10:30 each weeknight. The SRSC programs are seven weeks in duration. For a $25 fee, students may register for one of four possible days to attend the 75-minute class. A free "Yoga Sampler" class is also available for those with no prior experience. \nIndividuals with more extensive experience may register for Yoga II sessions, says Kimberly Ruff, director of marketing and sponsorship for the IU Division of Recreational Sports. These classes range from vigorous vinyasa, in which breathing is emphasized in a system of flowing movements, to intermediate yoga, which introduces more rigorous poses, to Himalayan yoga, an advanced study accentuating stress reduction and management.
(01/25/01 5:00am)
Devin McGuire stands before a class of about 30 students at the Student Recreational Sports Center. The group has men and women, students and Bloomington residents, young and old alike. \nBarefoot and casually dressed, McGuire strides unassumingly across the room, greeting newcomers and passing out floor mats. His voice is soft and unpretentious. Even the muscle-bound men, who are wary of the class and whose eyes dart furtively around the room, seem to relax a bit.\nThat's McGuire's intention. He begins class with a simple question:\n"Why yoga?"\nThe class falls silent.\n"To relieve stress," one student remarks nearly inaudibly.\n"And why do you think yoga will help you do that?"\n"I don't know, it just seems healthier," the voice replies.\nMcGuire chuckles. "Indeed."\nHe goes on to describe the other physical benefits of yoga: Besides an improved mind-body connection, yoga has been often prescribed to aid back pain, heart problems, depression and other conditions. Because of its nonstrenuous nature, even novice exercisers safely practice the method. \nShoes begin to slip off as students sit cross-legged on soft mats, the sole equipment needed for traditional hatha yoga. A combination of poses designed to improve physical awareness, hatha yoga facilitates increased flexibility and muscle tone. \nThe precise chronological emergence of hatha yoga is debatable, but 5,000-year-old stone carvings depicting yoga positions exist in archeological sites in the Indus Valley. A collection of writings titled "Yoga Aphorisms," dating back to the first or second century B.C., is further indicative of yoga's prehistoric origins. \nAccording to the American Yoga Association, the manuscript details ashtanga yoga, a precise method containing eight steps: restraint, observance, physical exercises, breathing techniques, preparation for meditation, concentration, meditation and absorption. \nBut McGuire doesn't elaborate on the specifics; he instead instructs the students to lie flat on their backs, extending arms and pointing toes. \nStrolling quietly around the room, he then asks each individual to focus on the weight of his body on the floor, on the undeniable force of gravity. Closing their eyes, students begin to increase awareness of breath. McGuire next describes physiological processes involved with each inhale and exhale, asking each student to visualize perfect breathing technique.\n"Follow your breath," McGuire cautions. "It will lead you toward well-being."\nThe class continues with a series of both prone and standing poses designed to increase awareness of body symmetry and balance. Maintaining good breathing techniques becomes more difficult as students struggle to engage the "core" muscles of the abdominals and lower back, to concentrate on proper form.\nFreshman Liz Weikes, a participant with prior yoga experience, lauds the SRSC for incorporating mind-body techniques into its group exercise sessions. \n"As a gymnast for 15 years, maintaining flexibility is important," says Weikes. "When I was 16, I found that it was becoming more and more difficult to maintain the body needed to be a competitive gymnast. Yoga helped me maintain my proper physique and also relaxed me. Although I work out strenuously, I have found that yoga helps my body remain flexible."\nMcGuire has been teaching yoga at the SRSC since the program's inception four year ago. Buoyed by a career as a high school athlete, McGuire began reading yoga-related literature while attending IU during the 1970s. He began more rigorous study in the 1980s. In the early '90s, the yoga craze bombarded the United States. While there is no nationally recognized certification program for yoga instructors, the team leader, Cherry Darriau, is certified through a weekend program and conducts regular training sessions for SRSC instructors.\nA free shuttle runs to the SRSC from 5:30 to 10:30 each weeknight. The SRSC programs are seven weeks in duration. For a $25 fee, students may register for one of four possible days to attend the 75-minute class. A free "Yoga Sampler" class is also available for those with no prior experience. \nIndividuals with more extensive experience may register for Yoga II sessions, says Kimberly Ruff, director of marketing and sponsorship for the IU Division of Recreational Sports. These classes range from vigorous vinyasa, in which breathing is emphasized in a system of flowing movements, to intermediate yoga, which introduces more rigorous poses, to Himalayan yoga, an advanced study accentuating stress reduction and management.
(12/11/00 5:44am)
In response to his book "Song and Story in Biblical Narrative," Associate Professor Steve Weitzman has been awarded the Gustave O. Arlt Award in Religious Studies by the Council of Graduate Schools. Weitzman formally accepted the award and its supplementary $1,000 grant at the Council's annual meeting Thursday in New Orleans.\nEstablished in 1971 by the Council's first president, Arlt, the award recognizes scholars who have written books "representing an outstanding contribution to scholarship in the humanities," according to the Council of Graduate Studies. \nDepartmental chairs or directors of graduate study at univerities nationwide nominate candidates. IU's nomination process is completed by members of the Awards and Financial Aid Committee of the IU Graduate Council, said Richard Miller, chairman of the religious studies department.\nTo be considered, a nominee's work must have been published within seven years of the award, and the individual must hold a position in a North American university. Additionally, nominees must have received a doctorate from a North American university within the past seven years.\nWeitzman was nominated by former religious studies department chair Robert Orsi last spring and was notified of the acceptance committee's decision last week. Orsi nominated him because of positive acclaim surrounding "Song and Story in Biblical Narrative," a work based on his 1993 doctoral dissertation at Harvard University and published in 1997.\nThe book focuses primarily on the intermingling in biblical texts of song and story, of prose and poetry, Weitzman said. Distinguishing this practice as pivotal to expression of Jewish and Christian tales alike, Weitzman deems the book his "best attempt to reconstruct what motivated this practice and how it was employed."\nWeitzman said his interest in the topic is twofold. Through the examination of the "art" of biblical narrative, he said he grappled with the logic supporting such an eclectic mix of song and story. This analysis prompted him to investigate the interpretation, especially by early Jews, of such combinations and the subsequent susceptibility of revision to biblical texts.\n"What is most interesting about this topic is what it says about the transformative power of reading, its ability to reshape what it is interpreting," Weitzman said. "The history of reading is central to my scholarship and teaching, and I find it to be one of the most fascinating aspects of human experience. The history of biblical interpretation is an especially rich resource for understanding reading as a religious and cultural act since the Bible has been read in so many different ways by so many different kinds of interpreters."\nWeitzman is the first IU faculty member to receive this prestigious award since Associate Professor Jan Nattier won the competition seven years ago, Miller said. \n"This is the sixth major book award garnered by a religious studies faculty member during the last 10 years," he said. "To the best of my knowledge, our track record has no parallel in other departments of religious studies in the United States. Weitzman's award is another indicator of the creativity and productivity of this department."\nWeitzman succeeded colleague Professor Emeritus Jim Ackerman in the position of Hebrew biblical study. Ackerman noted that Weitzman interviewed before beginning work on his doctoral dissertation, a prerequisite to the position. But the interview was "the best the department has ever seen." As a result, Weitzman spent the next two weeks completing his dissertation proposal, finishing it a year and a half later in what Ackerman called "mind-blowing speed."\nAckerman further praised Weitzman. "One of Steve's most impressive qualities is not only his high intelligence but how quickly he is able to focus and produce research of the top order"
