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(11/20/13 5:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU president Michael A. McRobbie declared IU’s support of the statewide Freedom Indiana coalition last month, publicly opposing the proposed House Joint Resolution 6 amendment. McRobbie’s announcement drew praise from groups like the IU and Bloomington Faculty Councils and IUSA, and inspired a domino effect of support through Bloomington, all the way to the colorful painted windows of Soma coffee shop.But criticism of the University’s decision soon followed. Some students and faculty members say IU, as a public institution, should not take a stance on social issues. Charles Trzcinka, professor of finance at the Kelley School of business, said he thinks McRobbie is taking a risk by publicly opposing a ban on same-sex marriage. The proposed amendment would constitutionally define marriage as a union between one man and one woman, banning protections for same-sex couples in Indiana. It will be put to a vote by the Indiana General Assembly in January.For McRobbie, HJR 6 contradicts IU’s “deeply held values” of inclusion and equality. He said it’s a ban that could negatively affect IU recruitment and retention. But for Trzcinka, it’s a social issue that does not directly deal with education, and it’s a debate IU should not join. “People in this state do not agree on the definition of marriage,” Trzcinka said. “At the end of the day, we are a state agency.”***Many of the University’s procedures dealing with prominent social issues have remained consistent since the foundation of IU, building on the vision of former president Herman B Wells. Generally, IU only takes action in certain cases where an issue directly affects students, faculty and staff. James Capshew, an associate professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, is a Herman B Wells biographer. “When something begins to inhibit the University’s ability to provide an open space for people of any orientation or background, it has a right and an obligation to weigh in on it,” he said. Wells, who served as IU president from 1938 to 1962, led the University’s efforts to desegregate its student body and admit African American students during during his tenure. He protected Alfred Kinsey’s controversial research on sexual behavior in the 1940s. He also fended off attacks from the American Legion on allegedly Communist faculty members. “Wells was very careful,” Capshew said. “But he chose to get involved when the University’s interest was being threatened or hampered in certain ways to maintain a neutral zone for all types of people.”When the direct interest of the University came under fire, Wells was always up front and vocal about protecting the academic freedom of students and faculty, Capshew said. “I think Wells would have went on record saying IU is opposed to changing the state constitution,” he said. ***A week after IU’s announcement, Depauw University and Wabash College joined the campaign. Hanover College and Ball State University followed suit, both joining late last week. But after IU came out in support of the Freedom Indiana campaign, Purdue University announced it would remain neutral, Julie Griffith, Purdue University’s vice president of public affairs, said. “Purdue has traditionally declined to comment on social issues that have been contended in the public arena,” Griffith said. “Any departure from this policy should be undertaken only after careful consultation with the university’s many and diverse stakeholders.” Riley Parr, junior and chairman of the College Republicans at IU, said he thinks IU should have taken a similar approach. He said the administration should have listened to opinions of students and staff before making a decision.McRobbie informed the Board of Trustees of the decision before making the public announcement, Mark Land, associate vice president of IU Communications, said. The president worked with the government relations staff to figure out how the decision would play out. It was an issue that different faculty councils on campus had supported for years, Land said, and the president had a good sense he had broad support. “Virtually everyone on campus has come out in support,” Land said. “There is a broad consensus that this is the right thing to do.”IU is comprised of more than 110,000 students and 17,000 faculty across all campuses. Many members of this IU community might disagree with the University’s stance, even if they haven’t spoken up, Parr said. “A university is supposed to be about openness and debate,” Parr said. “When you have the president deciding what the entire University’s stance is, it silences the opposition.” Trzcinka agreed that many faculty members in opposition might not be speaking about the issue. “I’ll bet I’m one of the few who express any concerns at all, and all I said was there are risks,” Trzcinka said. Land said although there has been no organized opposition to IU’s decision on campus, he acknowledges that many students, faculty and alumni might disagree. “It’s perfectly reasonable to ask that question, whether or not it was our place to do this,” Land said. IU government relations staff works year-round with legislators, discussing dozens of issues at a given time, Land said. The staff has been working “behind the scenes” on this issue for the last three to four years, Land said.In addition, the University has offered domestic partner benefits to employees for more than a decade. “We felt this issue was of significant importance to the University and the state...that the University felt compelled to speak publicly,” Land said.The proposed amendment would endanger the University’s ability to recruit potential employees by offering them a disincentive to live and work in Indiana, McRobbie said.Trzcinka said he thinks the economic argument is not relevant to IU’s decision to support Freedom Indiana.Kinsey’s research on sexual behavior indicated four percent of males and one to three percent of females had been exclusively homosexual at the time ofhis interviews.“With numbers this low, the economic impact will be unmeasurable,” Trzcinka said. “The only real argument is moral, not economic.”Whether its a moral, political or social issue, the University argues that it should play a role in the discussion. “This is one of the biggest issues,” Land said. “We thought it was important to be heard.”Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
(11/05/13 3:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Prominent voices in Indiana’s marriage equality debate gathered at the IU Maurer School of Law Monday to argue against the proposed House Joint Resolution 6 constitutional amendment. HJR 6 would void all same-sex marriages or civil unions in Indiana, even those solemnized in other states.IU government relations staff plans to visit state legislators face-to-face in its effort to oppose the proposed state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. “Our boots are on the ground,” said Jackie Simmons, IU’s vice president and general counsel.Representatives from IU, Freedom Indiana and Cummins Inc. answered questions from an audience of almost 200 law students, faculty and community members regarding their respective organization’s stances against HJR 6.IU announced publicly its opposition to HJR 6 last week and was joined by DePauw University and Wabash College Monday. Purdue University officials said the school, led by former Gov. Mitch Daniels, will not take a position on the issue, according to the Associated Press.Matt Showalter, president of Outlaw at IU Maurer School of Law , helped organize Monday’s event, which was intended to showcase a broad array of perspectives.He said Outlaw extended an invitation to pro-HJR 6 organizations such as the Indiana Family Institute and the Pence administration to speak in favor of the amendment, but neither organization attended the meeting.Ryan McCann, the director of operations and public policy at the Indiana Family Institute, a public education and research organization based in Zionsville, Ind., said the decision of what constitutes as marriage should be put in the hands of Indiana’s public.Simmons said the amendment would endanger the recruitment and retention of public employers like IU that have adopted domestic partner benefit programs for their employees.“If you’re trying to recruit a great chemist or professor from another university, it’s important to them that IU has a community that respects diversity and treats people fairly,” Simmons said. Megan Robertson, campaign manager for Freedom Indiana, said an individual’s support of Freedom Indiana isn’t reliant on his or her support of gay marriage. “Our campaign is a very broad coalition of organizations, faith groups and businesses,” she said. Robertson is a Republican campaign organizer who has served under the likes of Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and organized campaign rallies for Sarah Palin — politicians who are in favor of HJR 6. “This isn’t a partisan issue,” she said. “It was my responsibility to stand up as a Republican and say that I am against this.” If the Indiana General Assembly votes in favor of the amendment, it will appear on ballots for Indiana voters in next year’s off-year election in November. “Right now is a critical point in the campaign effort,” IU law professor Steve Saunders said. Robertson said Indiana is moving in the opposite direction as the rest of the country with the consideration of HJR 6, especially since 14 states now recognize same-sex marriage.“If this ends up going to the ballot, we are prepared to fight it at the ballot box,” Richardson said. “I haven’t seen anything that compares to the excitement of this campaign in my 10 years of work.” Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @Matthew_Bloom.
(11/04/13 3:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On nice days, Kathryn Hutton used to ride her bike to campus and play kick the can on Ninth Street.She lived in Bloomington, down the block from the Kinsey family. Mr. Kinsey was often outside wearing his underwear or very short shorts, Jennie Jacoby, one of Hutton’s three children, said. Kathryn Hutton passed away early last week at the age of 93.She and her late husband, Edward Hutton, were both alumni and benefactors of IU.In 2003, the family gave $9 million to IU to establish an endowment for the International Experiences Program, according to the Hutton Honors College website. The family’s contributions have assisted students with traveling and living expenses, allowing them to complete service projects and internships outside of the United States. “Thanks to the Hutton family international experience is affordable to our students,” Hutton Honors College Dean Fritz Breithaupt said.Jacoby said her mother was extremely humble, even to a fault.She never liked the limelight and she loved the city of Bloomington. “I’ve been struck by the number of friends who have been writing me emails,” she said. “Mom was like a second mother to them.” Edward worked in Germany during World War II.Breithaupt said Edward’s time there inspired him to help undergraduate students gain access to international experiences. In fall 2004, the University renamed the Hutton Honors College in honor of the Hutton family’s philanthropy. The Hutton International Experiences Program and the Hutton Family Study Abroad Scholarship are also named after the family. Kim Maryrose was a member of the first class of Wells Scholars and interacted with Kathryn during her time at IU. “She was always interested in what was going on (in my life) and was unfailingly kind,” Maryrose said. “I remain grateful to her all these years later.” While her husband was in Germany, Kathryn lived in Bloomington and worked at the IU library.Jacoby said her mother donated money to Bloomington’s local WGHB radio station because she liked listening to the classical music at home.Jacoby said it kept her Kathryn company. “Whenever she talked about her time at Indiana there was always this great joy,” she said. She said Bloomington was her mother’s playground. When it was warm enough, Jacoby said Kathryn loved to swim in the quarries, south of town. When Kathryn was young, a friend Dick Reid, who lived next door, couldn’t pronounce her name, so he called her Gainie.The nickname stuck with Kathryn for the rest of her life. As a student, Kathryn was elected president of Motor Board, a national organization for women in community leadership roles.Jacoby said her mother was much more open-minded than many others in her generation.She read one of her mother’s favorite quotes, the one from Barbara Streisand. “How boring life would be if we all were the same,” she said. “My perfect world is one where we appreciate each other’s differences — black, white, gay, straight. We are not the same, but equal.” Fallen yellow and red leaves now rest around a granite tombstone marked “Hutton” in Dunn Cemetery. The Hutton family plans to spread Kathryn and Edward’s ashes at IU next summer. IU Foundation President Dan Smith said the University community will be forever affected by all the Hutton family did to provide students with the means for true success in the global community. “The family’s extraordinary generosity and steadfast commitment to scholarship and academic excellence will impact students for generations to come,” Smith said. Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
(11/01/13 3:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Latin American markets present new battlegrounds for business school graduates, according to a professional panel at the Kelley School of Business. The first Latin American Business Conference Thursday afternoon brought together more than 75 Kelley students to discuss the challenges of navigating the business world in the expanding Latin American marketplace. Organized by the Institute for Global Organizational Effectiveness and the Latin MBA Association, along with several other sponsors, the event featured guest speakers from the Latin American marketing, consulting and finance industries in two separate panel discussions.A $4.8 million gift to IGOE in 2010 allowed the institute to fund outreach programs, like the Latin American Business Conference, to build relationships with companies across the region. Nitin Garg, president of the Global Business Society, introduced the first panel that discussed the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Latin America. “One of the key things we strive for as Kelley students is getting a global perspective on our education,” Garg said. “We have this common tendency of looking at Latin America as one big block of market, but it’s not.” The question-and-answer style panels allowed current students to ask questions about the complexities of navigating the expanding marketplace.Guest speakers Blas González, managing partner of Attreio Pharmaceuticals in Mexico, and Juan Coronado, Citi Bank senior vice president of global strategic sourcing, urged the audience to avoid generalizing the culture and economies of Latin American countries. “You wouldn’t just go to Brazil and try to speak Spanish to them,” González said. “You have to do your homework.” González, who has lived and worked in Mexico for five years, is a Kelley graduate. After working in the corporate world for most of his career, he said he saw potential in the Latin American pharmaceutical marketplace and decided to try his hand at entrepreneurship in the region. “There are stark differences within the legislation surrounding business operations as you move nation to nation,” González said. “There are a lot of complexities and nuances that you have to understand as you move into the Latin American market.”Herman Aguinis, director of IGOE, said the institute has doubled the number of MBA students in Kelley who are from Latin America or will work in Latin America.“It is a dream for me to be able to give an opportunity to so many motivated and smart students,” Aguinis said in a statement on the institute’s website. “Kelley is the perfect school to do this, because of the caliber of the faculty, of the students and the resources at IU.” Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
(10/29/13 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU announced its decision Monday to join a statewide bipartisan coalition, Freedom Indiana, in its effort to defeat the House Joint Resolution 6.HJR6 would amend the Indiana state constitution to add the state’s current statutory ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions to the state constitution. IU is Indiana’s first college to announce its support for the campaign, which was launched this summer.“HJR6 sends a powerfully negative message of Indiana as a place to live and work that is not welcoming to people of all backgrounds and beliefs,” IU President Michael McRobbie said in a press release. “We are proud to join the Freedom Indiana coalition and, in doing so, stand with some of Indiana’s most respected employers and organizations on the side of fairness.” IU joins other prominent employers including Eli Lilly and the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce in denouncing the amendment. The Indiana General Assembly will vote in January 2014 on whether to approve HJR6 for placement on a statewide referendum — slated for November 2014. Freedom Indiana campaign leaders stated in a press release that having the state’s largest university as a part of the coalition will strengthen the force of their message to lawmakers, who will consider HJR6 during the upcoming legislative session. James Wimbush, vice president of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs, said the proposed amendment was in direct contradiction to his office’s commitment to provide broad access to IU’s outstanding educational opportunities.“Not only would this amendment have a profound impact on Indiana’s economy, but it would codify intolerance in a way that directly contradicts the welcoming community that we strive to nurture at IU,” Wimbush said.“Indiana University is a large employer here in Indiana. To remain competitive in attracting the best scholars to teach the most highly qualified students, we must keep our state open to all types of teachers and learners.”About 20 student volunteers gathered in the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services office Monday evening for the campaign’s weekly phone bank.Freshman Freedom Indiana volunteer Morgan Mohr said she was relieved the University announced its support. “IU is taking an important stance towards equality today,” Mohr said. “Bloomington is one of this state’s strongholds.” Doug Bauder, director of GLBTSSS, said the IU administration advocated for LGBTQ equality legislation more quietly behind the scenes in recent years, making Monday’s public statement more effective. “It mirrors the growing number of Hoosiers that are understanding the value of marriage equality,” Bauder said. “The administration has just come out as our allies.”Mark Land, associate vice president of public affairs and government relations, said IU’s move to publicly announce support of Freedom Indiana was a result of senior leadership’s decision to step up for equality. “IU has made no financial contribution to Freedom Indiana as of now,” Land said. McRobbie said the passing of HJR6 would deter prospective employees, which would add to the state’s challenges of remaining economically competitive. “The University looks forward to lending a strong voice in the effort to ensure that the state’s Constitution is not altered to codify an intolerance that is not representative of the best of Hoosier values,” McRobbie said. Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
(10/23/13 4:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Kaleb Crain stood — arms outstretched like Christ on the cross — behind campus sidewalk preacher Brother Micah Armstrong. In bold black marker his right arm read, “I’m gay,” and his left, “God loves me.” An hour passed and a group of six students took turns supporting his arms and wiping the tears from his eyes.According to Crain, Armstrong called him out earlier that afternoon in early 2012, shouting, “The young man in the wheelchair is being punished for homosexual sins in a past life.”Shocked and frustrated, Crain couldn’t let it go.“I went off to my room, put on every single thing I had that was rainbow or tied to gay pride,” he said. “The only thing I was missing was a pride flag to use as a cape.”He then grounded himself behind the preacher for several hours, completely silent.“Words can crucify,” Crain said. “You have to think before you speak.”The experience left a lasting impression on Crain, and motivated him seek out a source of positive energy to bring to campus. He decided to dedicate the next year and a half to organizing a speaker he knew would inspire students.Judy Shepard was his top choice. “She is my hero,” he said. * * * On a Thursday afternoon in late September, Crain, an IU junior, sits in Wright food court, eating a turkey wrap. It had been one of those days, he said — a rough one. He planned to usher at the IU Auditorium that night, but realized upon arriving he had his dates confused. The stress of fall semester classes was piling up while his phone vibrated with Facebook notifications and emails. Crain is a full-time student majoring in secondary education. He was also in charge of orchestrating Judy Shepard’s visit to the IU Bloomington campus. Shepard is a nationally known speaker who advocates the prevention of hate crimes. Her son, Matthew, was the victim of a murder motivated by anti-gay hate in 1998.“Students will see that she is fighting for a larger issue and only using LGBTQIA issues as a lens,” Crain said. “She knows that if she can make it better for one community, then that community is going to make it better for another community.”By April 2013, Crain raised the $12,000 needed to bring Shepard to IU. “It told me that this was meant to happen,” Crain said. “Everything else just flowed like butter.”The funds came from multiple sponsors, including the School of Education and the Office of First Year Experience. Because of an estate gift donated to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services office, Director Doug Bauder said the office donated $5,000, by far the largest contribution Crain received. “We can’t control other’s bigotry, but we can control how we respond to it,” Bauder said. “There’s almost always something you can do, something positive and creative, and that’s the nature of Kaleb Crain.”Shepard was set to speak at IU on April 10, 2013. The morning of the scheduled event, Shepard canceled the talk due to a snow storm in her hometown. He had prepared for this day for six months, but he would have to wait another six before meeting Shepard. “Initially I was crushed,” he said.But she gave Crain a rain check, immediately rescheduling the event. And it all came together Tuesday night. * * *Crain, fixing his black tie, was almost speechless as Judy walked toward him at the pre-talk reception. “Happy birthday, Kaleb,” Judy Shepard said to him. Today Crain turns 21, the same age Matthew Shepard was at the time of his death.He didn’t say much to her. He couldn’t connect words to his feelings. The hero he had read about and brought to campus was finally here.Judy’s ability to use the tragedy of her son’s death as a vehicle for change inspires him to speak out against intolerance, he said.“I was born with cerebral palsy and confined to a wheelchair my entire life,” Crain said. “I’m finally able to find the positives in that because of Judy and Matthew’s story.”They shook hands, and he introduced her to his mother, Beth Crain. Beth Crain sat beside him in the front row at Tuesday night’s event.She wiped the tears from her eyes as Judy acknowledged her son’s accomplishment. “This was all you, Kaleb,” Judy said.
(10/23/13 4:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The audience was silent as Judy Shepard recited the victim impact statement she read in the trial following her son’s death, 15 years ago. “He was my son, my first-born and more — he was my friend, confidant and constant reminder of how good life can be and also how hurtful,” Shepard said. In 1998 Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson murdered her 21-year-old son Matthew, fueled by anti-gay hatred. Matthew was kidnapped, beaten and tied to a fence near Laramie, Wyo., where he was discovered unconscious 18 hours later. The crime struck the Shepard family and the country by surprise, inspiring a movement that continues to this day. Shepard urged students, faculty and community members to speak out against hate Tuesday night in the Whittenberger Auditorium in the IU Memorial Union. For 15 years Shepard has toured America and the world, telling Matthew’s story and encouraging safety and acceptance. “Hate starts with fear and ignorance of things we don’t understand,” she said. Hundreds of audience members filled the auditorium to maximum capacity, with dozens of students standing in the doorways. It was sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services along with several other organizations around campus. Director of the GLBTSSS Doug Bauder, along with junior Kaleb Crain, introduced the event.“I’m not a professional speaker,” Shepard said. “I’m a mom with a story to tell and opinions to share.” She said the night she got the call was something she’d never forgot.Shepard was living in Saudi Arabia with her husband at the time, and she thought it was simply a late-night call from Matthew. He could never work out the time difference between the countries, Judy Shepard said. After hearing the news of the crime from the hospital, she had to wait days to travel and see her son, not knowing if he was alive or dead.“Waiting to see Matt felt like an eternity,” Judy Shepard said. When she saw the figure in the hospital bed, she knew it was her son underneath the bandages. He still had the cute little bump on his left ear, but the twinkle of life wasn’t there, she said. Matthew Shepard died on Monday, Oct. 12, after being in a coma for several days. “All of our hopes and dreams for Matt were killed for twenty dollars,” she said. “There are days I think I cannot go on. But I know the love of my family and friends will support me, and it’s my duty to Matt to go on.” Shepard said she struggled with the decision to publicize her son’s story, but she knew it was what Matthew would have wanted. “We wanted Matt to be the martyr,” she said. “We knew we couldn’t hide.”Judy Shepard said she is determined to use her grief over her son’s death to make the world a more accepting place for everyone. She started the Matthew Shepard Foundation, an organization dedicated to replacing hate with acceptance and compassion through educational and outreach programs. All proceeds from her speaking engagements directly benefit the Matthew Shepard Foundation. The images of burning crosses and Matthew’s face appeared in the background as Judy Shepard’s voice spoke to the silent audience. Her message was poignant and serious, yet she maintained a conversational tone.“I consider myself a private, shy person,” Judy Shepard said. “I have to think that Matt is up there helping me do this.” Shepard said she thinks society has become silent, indifferent and complacent to hate. She encouraged students to tell their own stories in order to encourage acceptance of all individuals, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation. “If there isn’t a problem being discussed then there is not a solution being discussed,” Judy Shepard said. “We can profess anti-bullying policies and counseling, but if the community is not on board then it is all for nothing.” She said with the government shutdown, the nation has lost precious time and momentum in passing legislation protecting LGBT individuals, specifically those in the workplace. Individuals can still be fired for being gay in 35 states, she said. She said she hopes students can be not only advocates for legislation, but also be leaders in their own communities.“Engaging today’s generation is a challenge,” she said. “Don’t let your personal bubble prevent you from branching out.”Judy tells her story to thousands of individuals each year, but true change can only come if students speak up. “As much as I don’t want there to be any more Matthew Shepards, I don’t want there to be any more Aaron McKinneys and Russell Hendersons,” Judy Shepard said. “And you can change that.”
(10/21/13 3:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Red and white picture frames of Mary Tourner’s students and family dot the surface of her new desk. She holds up one of the picture frames, reminding herself to find a place for it somewhere on the blank walls of her new office. Tourner was appointed as the director of IU’s Groups Scholars Program on Sept. 6. Previously held by Janice Wiggins, the position was left vacant following Wiggins’ official retirement in early August.For the past month and a half, Tourner, the program’s fifth director to date, has educated herself and set plans to expand on the 45-year history of the program.Established in 1968, the Groups Scholars Program recruits low-income, first generation and physically challenged students to the University. It enrolls more than 200 students annually. First-generation college students graduate at much lower rates than the average student, Tourer said, but IU’s graduation rate for first-generation students is several percentage points above the national average at 28 percent.Tourner said she hopes to increase this number further.“The first-generation college student’s graduation rate is much lower than the University-wide average right now,” she said. “We’re doing the students an injustice if we don’t work to get them to graduate in four years.”Tourner is a first-generation college student herself, she said, and a former Gary, Ind., resident, like many of the students she serves. “I feel like I’m a Hoosier in so many ways,” she said.As one of her first actions as director, Tourner said she will enact policies regarding increased financial aid and life-skills coaching and counseling, so she can ensure that students like sophomore Treon McClendon have the support they need to make it to graduation.McClendon sat at a small round table in Tourner’s office on a Thursday afternoon preparing for an upcoming interview. A first-generation college student from Gary, Ind., McClendon said he relies on the Groups program for academic and emotional support. “We take our class work and our community very seriously while developing a community of lifelong friends,” he said. “I’m thankful for this program every day. I don’t think I would be as successful on this campus as I am now without it.”Tourner, a Purdue University graduate, began working at IU 12 years ago.“One of my plans is to have time every week where students can just come in my office and hang out with me,” Tourner said.Martin McCrory, vice provost for educational inclusion and diversity, said in a press release that Tourner’s dedication and enthusiasm corresponds with Groups’ strong historic foundations. Tourner said she plans to put a poster on her blank walls with the words “Students First” on it.“After you fall, you have to brush yourself off and get back up and start again,” Tourner said. “That attitude will set you apart from any other student, and you will be successful. And that’s what we strive for here at Groups.”Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
(10/16/13 2:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A group of IU students and staff gathered Tuesday to evaluate college campus LGBTQ centers, and whether they should offer information on gay-conversion therapy resources.In response to an article published in George Mason University’s student news outlet, Fourth Estate, the group met to discuss the ethics of offering similar resources at IU’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services office.The meeting, which took place at the Poynter Center on Third St., served as a kick-off for the new Ethics Over Tea discussion series and was facilitated by Emma Young, program coordinator at the Poynter Center.Gay-conversion therapy is based on the assumption that homosexuality is either unnatural or sinful, Young said. Supporters of the therapy believe counseling can change an individual’s sexual orientation from gay to straight.Doug Bauder, director of the GLBTSSS, said he saw no value in offering gay-conversion therapy information at IU’s center.“We’re a pro-gay organization, so to suggest that we should include information demeaning to people who identify as gay makes no sense to me,” he said. Voice of the Voiceless, an organization that advocates for the rights of ex-gay individuals, published a press release in early October arguing that all LGBTQ resource centers at state-run universities should be required to provide information about all LGBT viewpoints.Bauder said he checked with legal services at the University and determined his refusal to display gay-conversion therapy resources did not interfere with the office’s mission statement.“The mission of IU’s GLBTSSS office is to provide education on LGBT issues and provide support for LGBT individuals,” he said.The discussion group weighed the pros and cons of offering resources at IU’s GLBTSSS.IU graduate Maggie Oates attended said she thinks there should be gay-conversion information available to students who request it.“I can definitely see someone being uncomfortable in their own skin and sexuality,” she said. “If they are requesting information in their own free will, we need to provide it to them.”The event was co-sponsored by the Hutton Honors College and the WellsScholars Program.The discussion groups will meet twice a month, with special Ethics for Breakfast events taking place at the Hutton Honors College.“My goal is to create a welcoming and engaging conversation about breaking news that is less time-intensive for students,” she said.Young said she created the group so students can analyze issues in today’s world that affect them.“Students can use the lessons they learn here for the rest of their lives and careers.”
(10/14/13 3:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Framed photographs of Hoosiers hang along the upstairs hallway of La Casa, IU’s Latino Cultural Center. Lillian Casillas-Origel, director of La Casa, calls it her “hall of fame.”Some of the photos show banquets, Little 500 racing teams and greek organizations from years past. All the students in Casillas-Orgiel’s pictures have something in common, she said. They all came to La Casa looking for a place to belong. La Casa has been IU’s “home away from home” for Latino students since 1973, and this year marks the cultural center’s 40th anniversary.This weekend hundreds of alumni and current students networked and socialized, celebrating the 40-year landmark in honor of La Casa. The three days included dozens of events, culminating in a sold-out banquet Saturday night. The celebration allowed alumni to see the growth in the Hispanic and Latino community on campus. Casillas-Origel and student organizations must now adapt to the challenges of the expanding population. The percentage of Hispanic and Latino students has doubled in the past decade, while the space at La Casa has stayed the same. “It has taken a lot of effort for people to see the University as a home for Latinos,” Casillas-Origel said. ***Casillas-Origel sat down and pulled out a scrapbook from the thousands of archived photos in her office. 28 years ago, she came to IU as a freshman. She laughed as she pulled out a picture of herself with dark, curly hair and thick-framed glasses. The image of her as an undergraduate was taken at one of La Casa’s social events in the late 1980s. “During high school I felt like a woman without a country,” she said. “I didn’t fit in with the U.S., I didn’t fit in with Mexico, and it wasn’t until I came to IU that it clicked.”La Casa provided Casillas-Origel with a connection to her heritage and home. The University originally opened office space in a house at 410 Park Ave. for a small group of Hispanic and Latino student activists in 1973. Guadalupe Anaya was one of the first undergraduate workers at La Casa when it opened that year.Anaya worked with the Latino activist group on campus where she recruited Hispanic or Latino high school students to the University.“Our size was so small at the time that most people had no clue Latinos lived in Indiana,” Anaya said.In 1972, two students, Santiago Garcia and Dolly Manns, presented plans to administration for a newly structured Office of Minority Affairs.The Office of Latino Affairs was created by January of the following year to help serve the academic, social and cultural needs of Latino students. Never before had Latinos had their own space on campus.“It was the first time we didn’t have to struggle with finding a place to meet,” Anaya said. “We had one less obstacle to deal with.” The following year a porch collapsed due to poor structural conditions of the building, forcing the offices to find a new location, which brought La Casa to its current home at 715 E. Seventh St. The Office of Latino Affairs joined forces with other campus cultural centers in 1999, when it was absorbed into the Office of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs.When the restructure happened, La Casa’s full-time staff was reduced to just one person — Casillas-Origel. As its director for 19 years, Casillas-Origel has worked to foster a welcoming environment for students. This year, Casillas-Origel was named the 2013 IU Latino Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni, an award she was given at Saturday night’s banquet.Casillas-Origel has made efforts to form alliances with other culture center leaders.“Because we are close, I know that the other leaders have my back,” she said. “If there’s something that needs to be advocated for minority groups, they will speak on behalf of me and for my community.”***In the past year, more than 10,000 people have stepped through La Casa’s arched doorway. A clipboard in the front is used to record every person who visits. Its central location has brought the center high visibility on campus, Casillas-Origel said. “If someone were to say we could build a new house somewhere further away, I would seriously consider passing up that offer,” she said.The Hispanic and Latino population on campus grew from 2.2 percent to 4.2 percent of total degree-seeking students in the past decade, putting pressure on the small three-story house’s spatial resources.With 1,752 Hispanic or Latino students, this year’s class is the largest to date, according to official enrollment reports. Casillas-Origel said many of La Casa’s student organizations have outgrown the couches and chairs of the main floor’s living room.Expansion has proved difficult because the building is a historical landmark, Casillas-Origel said. “The growing pains that La Casa feels are the same that many other groups on campus feel,” she said. “We’re trying to create this one-stop shop for students, this one place where everything is centralized, but the space just isn’t there anymore.”Sophomore Tam Huynh said this year’s freshman orientation event attracted more than 100 students. “It was way too crowded in the living room of La Casa,” Huynh said. “Most of us had to stand and nobody could hear you unless you were shouting.” “I don’t think it’s big enough. We need to expand.” ***Casillas-Origel walked onto the main level where students rest and study between classes.The back porch is where most students hang out and relax. Senior Abner Gomez said he has made La Casa his second home — napping on the couches, cooking meals in the kitchen and forming many lasting friendships throughout the past four years. “This is somewhere I know I can find somebody I can relate to, especially in this big university where not a lot of people look like me,” Gomez said. “Being able to see all these people here makes me feel at home.”Casillas-Origel asked a small group of students, “What does it mean to you to have a cultural center for Latinos?”“Everyone here understands me,” freshman Exsenet Esler said, Huynh said the fact he is Asian-American didn’t prevent him from getting involved with La Casa. “There should be more places that inform students of the support that’s available to them,” Huynh said. “During my freshman year I felt like I knew nothing about being in school except for going to class and going back to the dorm.”On Saturday, Latinos Unidos at IU organized one of the weekend’s highlights — the Old School Sports Fest in Dunn Meadow. Students and alumni formed teams and raced through an obstacle course consisting of a multi-colored bounce castle and hula-hoops.The event hasn’t been offered for the past several years, but was brought back for the 40th anniversary celebration, said Citlali Meza, president of Latinos Unidos.As teams raced through the course, La Casa alumna Marisol Pellot Julkes watched from a distance. She said she looked forward to this event every year during her time at IU. Pellot Julkes was an undergraduate in the late 1990s. “We’re a big family,” she said. “It’s important that we continue to build on the foundation we already have.” Casillas-Origel said her dream is to add on to the house to make room for more students. She said she would love to hire a full-time assistant director or graduate assistant to provide additional resources for students. She also said she hopes to continue to voice the center’s needs to University administrative committees. “There’s still so much more that can happen,” Casillas-Origel said. “We have so much more time and things we can do as a community. We are strong.”Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
(10/07/13 2:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Freshman David Solkowitz cheered with 20 other IU students in a new, all-ages sports bar as he watched Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton score a touchdown Sunday. In early September, the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center converted its dining room into the Third Street Sports Grille — the first and only kosher sports bar on campus. The grille is now open on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays for football games and offers six new flat screen televisions with space for at least 50 students to sit and watch, Solkowitz said.He is the student manager of the grille. “It opens up sports viewing to the entire campus,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what religion — we’re just all here to enjoy sports together.” The grille offers menu items including hamburgers, barbecue sandwiches on pita bread and soda — but no alcohol. “As the semester progressed we realized that we should open up to all students,” he said. “This may be a Jewish building, but anyone is welcome.”He said the whole idea was pretty spontaneous. “There isn’t really anywhere they can go to watch these games because you can’t go into anywhere on Kirkwood,” Solkowitz said. “If you’re under 21 they wont let you. It’s a nice place for students of all ages.”Rabbi Sue Silberberg said she drew inspiration for the grille from a Hillel center in Florida. “It was difficult for a lot of students to watch their home teams on TVs in their residence halls,” she said. “We had the resources and thought this would be perfect at IU.”She said she wanted to expand on the idea with more kosher food options and the addition of Bloomington’s first Jewish Athlete Hall of Fame.The new Hall of Fame will feature famous athletes such as Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz, as well as current IU diver Cassidy Kahn and football player Nathaniel Hoff.Benjamin Brasch is the grille’s head chef.“It’s a great place to chill out — especially if you’re under 21 and you can’t get into a bar,” Brasch said. “Yes, there’s no alcohol, but I have all my friends here. We’re making it a new tradition to come here every Sunday.”Solkowitz said he plans to show every major football game at the bar and hopes to also show IU basketball games.“The best part is that I don’t see this as work or a job,” Solkowitz said. “I see this as me being required to watch sports, which is what I love.”Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
(10/03/13 4:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior Ethan Jackson was called out in the middle of his Kelley School of Business class and accused of cheating on a test last year.He was registered in the course under his preferred name — Ethan — but because of University policy, his student identification card still had his legal name, the name he no longer responds to, printed on it. Jackson, who declined to provide his legal first name, works as a Resident Assistant, is a business major and is also part of IU’s transgender student population living on campus. “The name on my ID card didn’t match the name on my professor’s roster, so there was no documentation proving that I was Ethan, the person supposed to be taking the exam,” he said. “When I walk into a classroom, I never know if the name my professor has on the roster will be my legal or preferred name.”Although IU policy allows students to list a preferred name alongside their primary or legal name in official academic records, some online databases such as OnCourse rosters automatically use students’ primary names, Senior Associate Registrar Lisa Scully said.A transgender student advocacy committee recently drafted a policy proposal calling for a centralized process to accommodate anyone using University information systems that choose to identify themselves under a preferred name. Currently, students can register a preferred name with the bursar office, but other data management entities such as the Health Center and Parking Operations often pull information that uses a student’s legal name. Assistant Director of Residential Life and Diversity Education Barry Magee, along with graduate student Nicholas Clarkson, presented the first draft of the proposal to the Bloomington Faculty Council on Monday.The proposal focuses on the idea that information technology systems should prioritize student ID number and preferred name and hide an individual’s legal name in as many instances as possible. “In certain areas the University doesn’t have policies addressing transgender and genderqueer issues and how to effectively accommodate students that don’t fit within the gender binary,” Magee said. When applying for acceptance into IU, individuals are required to indicate their gender based on two options: male or female. “We are all raised in a world dictated by our gender,” Magee said. “Right from the get-go all the people around you say, ‘is it a boy or a girl?’ From there we choose games, clothes and activities based on fitting into one of those two boxes.” Only when students begin to apply for housing do they encounter an additional gender option of transgender.More than 12,000 students fill out the housing application each year, and an average of 20 students self-identify as “transgender,” according to records at the Office of Residential Programs and Services. The number of transgender students has increased during the past decade, said Sara Ivey Lucas, assistant director for housing assignments. “RPS continues to be a leader in pushing campus to think about breaking the gender binary,” Lucas said. RPS now offers gender neutral bathrooms or individual “pods” with a toilet, shower and sink in every residence center on campus except for Eigenmann, Jackson’s residence hall for the past two years.Magee said not all trans-identifying students share the same opinions on matters such as housing.“We have mixed signals in our systems throughout the University,” Magee said. University policy states that it will not discriminate against a student’s arbitrary characteristics, such as gender and gender identity. In August, the nationally-recognized nonprofit organization Campus Pride released its annual list of American universities deemed as having the safest, most inclusive environment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender students. This year, IU didn’t make the cut.Institutions are ranked using the Campus Pride Index, which allows colleges to self-assess their resources through a set of questions based on eight different LGBT-friendly factors, including policy inclusion, support and institutional commitment, and housing. This year, IU scored five stars overall but lacked an “accessible, simple process for students to change their name and gender identity on university records and documents, LGBT housing options and themes, and insurance coverage for students transitioning from male to female and female to male to cover hormone replacement therapy,” according to the organization’s website. “The first year the list came out, we were in the top five schools,” Magee said. “If one year someone forgets to fill out part of the application, then our rating is affected by that.” But students like Jackson attribute IU’s slip in the rankings to a specific cause: IU’s discrimination of transgender people. “It makes me happy that IU fell off the top 25 for LGBT-friendly schools because that’s an acknowledgement to IU’s lack of policy in place right now for transgender students,” Jackson said. He said his leadership position as an RA allows him to keep a conversation going that challenges gender stereotypes.“Most of the discrimination I face isn’t from the student body, it’s from the institution,” he said. “Curiosity leads to some rude questions, but I’m all about educating people from my experiences.” This is the second year he and his coworkers fought the policy of the University Information Technology Systems that demands RAs use their legal name when filing incident reports. As a part of his job, Jackson said he was not able to identify himself with his preferred name — Ethan — on any official paperwork.“Last year we had a giant battle with UITS to get my preferred name used,” Jackson said. “When they redesigned the entire program this year, I faced the same exact issue — no one thought to include the preferred name clause again.” Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
(09/30/13 2:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Strings of Christmas lights illuminated the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center courtyard late Saturday night while close to 100 IU students salsa danced.
The women of Sigma Lambda Gamma, Gamma Phi Omega and Sigma Lambda Upsilon organized “Salsa Under the Stars” as part of the nationwide
Hispanic Heritage Month. The event began with a free salsa dance
lesson with instructors from Ritmos Latinos, a group on campus that
dances, teaches and performs a social form of Cuban salsa called Rueda
de Casino.
Following the lesson, participants indulged in free Chipotle and an open dance floor until 10 p.m.Dance instructor Anna Fiore walked the dancers through traditional salsa dance steps. “I’ve
noticed that the opportunities to take part in Latino cultural events
has increased dramatically in the past few years,” Fiore said. “I feel
like salsa is very simplistic — it matches up directly with the beats of
the music. Now that I’ve gotten into it more, I can add my own
creativity and my own movements, whether it’s hip movements, personal
styling or shimmies here and there.”
As the group picked up on the movements, partners began to add twirls
and elaborate steps like the enchufe, where the follower crosses in
front of the leader before quickly walking back to his or her original
place.
Fiore said the diversity in her dance classes is the largest it has ever been. “We’ve
had more demos and performances this semester than I’ve ever seen
before,” she said. “Compared to other social dances, it’s just so much
more prevalent.”
Ritmos Latinos offers beginner, intermediate and advanced classes in the
Indiana Memorial Union on Tuesdays and Thursdays to IU students and
members of the community.Michael Monroe Brown, a recent graduate of IU and member of Ritmos Latinos dances with the group regularly.
“Salsa in particular allows you to be social and dance with a partner,”
he said. “I enjoy that aspect because it allows you to show an amiga or a
novia a respectful night out instead of less-respectful alternatives.”The group was founded in 2007 and has since grown to more than 80 members, according to the organization’s website.
“Here I get to be with a great group of friends while appreciating the
aesthetic of the dance and all the people that surround me,” Brown said.Jessica
Rizzi, senior member of Sigma Lambda Gamma and event chairperson, said the salsa dancing event united all the historically Latina sororities on
campus.
“The Latina community at IU is a beautiful community. We are very
tight-knit and close due to support from places like La Casa, the Latino
Commission and El Centro Commercial,” Rizzi said.The salsa dancing
event joins the month-long calendar of social events in Bloomington celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, all leading up to La Casa’s 40th
anniversary celebration weekend Oct. 11-13.
“This is our way of giving our culture to the campus,” Rizzi said.Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
(09/24/13 3:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In honor of GLBT History Month beginning next week, Dr. Kand McQueen spoke to Indiana University students Monday about the history of societies’ responses to homosexuals in a presentation titled, “GLBT: History and Heroes.” McQueen, a professor at Indiana State University, is a nationally known keynote speaker on issues of intersexuality and the inadequacies of the current two-gender way of thinking. McQueen said his gender identity is fluid, and he tends to not conform to the binary way of looking at people. “I simply consider myself a human being above anything else,” McQueen said. McQueen’s speech took the audience through centuries of GLBT history, detailing legislation and experience of homosexuals around the world. “I want to tell students about some of the people who stood up in different ways and protested some of the ostracism that was happening,” McQueen said. “They were the ones that made a difference.”The presentation began with the first instance of repression. In 1533 the European Buggery Act outlawed same-sex activity and any form of anal sex. “We made people nervous,” he said. Doug Bauder, director of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Student Support Services at IU, helped bring McQueen to campus and introduced the event. “It’s an opportunity to explore various aspects of our sexuality,” he said. “The talk presented a new way at looking at sexuality from different disciplines and diversities.” Bauder read McQueen’s favorite quote from American poet Mark Van Doren aloud to the audience. “‘There are two statements about human beings that are true. That all human beings are alike, and that all are different,’” he said. “‘On those two facts all human wisdom is founded.’”According to McQueen’s website, his goal is to educate about the existence of those who fall outside the dichotomous categories of male and female, and in the process, facilitate societal understanding and acceptance of all human beings. “Two genders are not enough,” McQueen said. Sophomore Jessica Proctor sat in the crowd of 40 students. She said she heard about the talk and wanted to learn more about what her great grandmother’s generation went through in regards to the treatment of lesbians.“My grandmother came out as a lesbian after she had been married and had four children,” Proctor said. Growing up watching her grandmother hold hands with another woman didn’t strike her as wrong or bad, she said. “I was happy because she was happy,” Proctor said. McQueen’s talk culminated in a discussion about modern-day GLBT issues such as gay marriage and transgender equality. Sexploration 2013 at IU sponsored the lecture. Paul Nagel, health educator at the IU Health center and organizer of Sexploration at IU, said he hopes the program will create a sex-positive attitude for students and community members. “Our programs present a perspective on how we see things in the present,” Nagel said. “Having a historical perspective can add to the ubiquitous nature of sexuality today.” McQueen will return to IU in November to give a speech on transgender issues and the binary way society looks at gender. “This is my love, my passion and main focus professionally,” McQueen said. “Tonight was a celebration of GLBT heritage.” Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
(09/20/13 3:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hudson and Holland Scholars program is reinstating its incentive scholarships and initiating new collaborations across campus, after scholarships last year were discontinued.Promises to current students fell through when they did not receive their incentive scholarships last year due to the program’s budget cuts in early 2012. The program’s budget experienced a $159,659 reduction during the 2011-2012 school year. The changes reduced Hudson and Holland’s full-time staff and prevented the program from offering the special incentive awards to students.Sophomore Marisa White said the incentive scholarship helped make IU affordable for her. “I was upset because I’d worked really hard to get the GPA needed for the scholarship,” she said. “I felt frustrated that I was part of this program that was supposed to be helping me out.” At the program’s annual town hall meeting last Thursday, Director Marsha McGriff announced that the financial aid would again be available for students, giving them potential access to an additional $2000. “We’re putting it all back together again,” she said. After composing a survey for students, McGriff said she determined the program’s weaknesses. “A lot of the students felt like they wanted a more streamlined advising infrastructure between their school and the Hudson and Holland program,” McGriff said. McGriff said she set out to bring University Division advisors into the HHSP, so freshmen could connect to one advisor instead of going back and forth between two. “It’s definitely changed the tone of the program,” White said. “Last year seemed really unorganized, and this year it’s really taken a step forward.” When McGriff became director in October of last year, her staff was comprised of only two people. “I noticed immediately that we were small but mighty,” she said. “We needed to bring in more people.” She hired four additional staff members, and she said that an associate director is in the process of being hired.“When things aren’t efficient, we adapt to meet the needs of deserving students,” she said. “No more hanging out there in the wind and not knowing where we are going.”In 1988 the Minority Achievers Program, which preceded the Hudson and Holland Scholars Program, was implemented due to the University’s lack of qualified minority recruitment. Re-named the HHSP in 2004, its mission was to foster educational diversity by assuring the obtainment of students from under-represented minority backgrounds with a history of discrimination, according to its website. Today there are 866 Hudson and Holland Scholars on campus, the largest amount in history. James Wimbush, the newly-appointed vice president of diversity, equity and multicultural affairs, said he works with McGriff to ensure the growth of the program.“When you look at the talent that comes in and the work they do, it’s clear it’s a signature of our campus,” he said. Martin McCrory, vice provost of educational inclusion and diversity, said he expects enrollment in the HHSP to increase in the future. “It’s a really good time for HHSP, because there’s so much we can do to move ahead,” he said. “We’re not looking at cutting anything, actually the opposite.“I promise that I will do everything in my power to make this one of the best programs in the nation of its kind.”Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
(09/18/13 3:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Florida International University Professor Bill Darrow shared his research on America’s HIV/AIDS epidemic Tuesday to more than 100 students and faculty.Thirty years ago, he and his team were the first to identify HIV/AIDS as a sexually transmitted infection. Darrow directed the STD/HIV Prevention Branch in the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. In his presentation, “The AIDS Epidemic: What Went Wrong, When, and Why,” Darrow walked the audience through his interviews and studies on the first HIV/AIDS cases documented in the U.S. His work as principal investigator for the multi-million dollar HIV-prevention project during the height of the early 1980s AIDS crisis formed the basis for modern understanding of the disease. “At first we only asked them how they thought they were infected,” Darrow said. “It was completely confidential.” Darrow interviewed the known and suspected sexual contacts of New York-based flight attendant Gaetan Dugas, known as “Patient Zero,” who was one of, if not the first, to bring the virus to the States, he said. He said Dugas averaged about 250 different sexual partners per year since 1974. Darrow then contacted the names he received from Dugas to confirm his hypothesis that the disease was, in fact, transmitted sexually. By studying small clusters of infected men in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Darrow and his team identified the catalyst of the HIV/AIDS epidemic — commercial air travel. The billions of passengers traveling by air facilitated the rapid spread of the virus. “We had to intervene quickly,” Darrow said. “There wasn’t time to be patient when trying to stop this virus.” Since 1987 more than 50 vaccine candidates have been tested, but none have proven effective. “We may never have a vaccine,” Darrow said. His lecture was presented as a part of the College of Arts and Science’s 2013 Themester: Connectedness: Networks in a Complex WorldBernice Pescosolido, IU professor of sociology said students should witness the power of different types of networks, including the AIDS epidemic and how it affects life and death. “Darrow was a part of the team that broke the AIDS case wide open,” she said. “His work has saved hundreds, if not millions of lives.”Darrow’s lifetime role in contributions to HIV/AIDS prevention was written in Randy Shilts’ novel “And the Band Played On,” which was made into a motion picture in 1993 of the same name. Darrow said he hopes students can recognize the seriousness of the AIDS epidemic and appreciate the progress made to control it. “We cannot forget what has been done, what should have been done and what we need to do in the future to make up for past mistakes,” he said. Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
(09/17/13 3:54am)
Ingo Gunther spent the past 25 years of his life making globes.
(09/11/13 3:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Freshman Julia Horowitz sat in the Helene G. Simon Hillel center Tuesday afternoon, registering for her free ten-day trip to Israel. The eight-step application went live at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Sponsored by the Birthright Israel Foundation and the Government of Israel, the all-expenses paid travel to the Jewish state has been available to young adults since 1999. Students who register through the Hillel Center can experience the trip with peers from IU. IU’s Hillel Center has sixty open spots on their trip group, which will travel to Israel for ten days during winter break.Rabbi Sue Silberberg, executive director of Hillel, said this is the biggest group IU has ever sponsored. “We usually don’t get 60 spots,” she said. “Last winter we only had 20.”Students must have at least one Jewish parent and identify as Jewish to be eligible. Any student or young adult between the ages of 18 and 26 who fits these requirements can apply to the Taglit-Birthright Israel Trip. Horowitz said was interested in the trip and decided to stop by Hillel. “It sounded like a great opportunity to learn more about my religion and its culture,” she said.The idea of providing a free trip to Israel came from the shared belief that it is the birthright of all young Jews to be able to visit their ancestral homeland, according to the foundation’s website.“A big orientation before the trip helps everyone get to know each other,” Ally Turkheimer, engagement associate at Hillel, said. “Everyone is from the University, so it’s not awkward when you get to the airport and meet complete strangers taking you to Israel.”Turkheimer said she anticipates that more than 250 IU students will apply throughout the next three days. Jessie Nejberger traveled to Israel with Hillel in May.Four months ago, she stood in the middle of the Israeli desert. “You could see every star so clearly,” she said. Nejberger said the trip made her reflect on her ufamily history. “I just thought about my family members who were killed in the Holocaust and never got to see a Jewish state,” she said. “Now I’m their legacy and I have to do everything I can to protect it.”Silberberg said birthright is designed for students who don’t necessarily have a strong connection to Israel or their Judaism. “It’s not meant for people to become more religious,” she said. Students who do not get a spot in this winter’s group will be guaranteed a free trip within the next two years. “We never know how many spots we are going to get until the registration opens up,” she said. “There are many different ways to live a Jewish life. It doesn’t have to be completely religious,” she said. “We’re here to simply help students find a way to connect with their Judaism.”
(09/10/13 3:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Twenty minutes before OASIS Internationals’ first call-out meeting of the semester, volunteers met for the first time around a conference table in Union Street Center Monday evening. The team had one goal for the year — getting more students involved. Co-coordinators Tiffany Chang and Tao Liu are both second-year Psychology masters students. The pair reached out to multiple cultural centers and living-learning communities and recruited at involvement fairs through the past few weeks in preparation for the meeting. “We’re providing a service to international students that I and others never got as undergraduates,” Liu said. The Outreach and Support for International Students and Scholars is a program sponsored by the Center for Human Growth and the Office of International Services. Liu said she participated in English-practice groups during her undergraduate career, but never felt like she had an opportunity to learn about other cultures or form lasting relationships from them.“I felt like I missed a few things in my first few years in the U.S.,” Liu said. “I feel like this program is making a difference in these student’s experiences.” As the meeting began, international students filed in, taking slices of Hot-N-Ready Pizza as volunteers introduced themselves. The students and volunteers broke into smaller groups to focus on specific conversations on culture. “The topic changes each week,” said Liu. “How to make U.S. friends, how to interact with professors. We talk about American holidays and fun things to do in IU and the U.S.”Chang said the atmosphere is very casual and open.“We let the students come up with their own ideas, and we cater our discussions to their needs,” Chang said. Liu said she helped one student in particular deal with serious roommate problems.Students from France, Pakistan, Germany and other countries shared the hardships and surprises they encountered during their recent move to the U.S. “Volunteering with the group is a great way for me to gain experience of working with students of diverse backgrounds,” said Philip Himebaugh, a graduate student in counseling psychology. Chang said they have tried to recruit American students to attend meetings, in an effort to ease the social stresses of international students. Hussain Ather is a freshman volunteer from Zionsville, Ind.“I like to have a global perspective on things that I do,” Ather said. “It will help me when I study different languages and study abroad.”Every Monday evening for the rest of the semester, international students will gather to talk about their backgrounds and experiences with studying abroad at IU. “We’re not just giving them advice,” Chang said. “We make friendships.”Follow reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @matthew_bloom.
(09/09/13 4:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Naval veteran Captain Ernest Lowen walked up to the USS Indiana prow before kickoff, laying eyes on the relic for the first time in 65 years.Lowen, who operated the turrets on the USS Indiana during the war, traveled from his home in Fairfax, Va., with his son, Jim. He was one of 20 World War II veterans personally invited to Saturday’s celebratory installation ceremony.Hundreds of University officials, veterans, alumni and guests gathered in the Henke Hall of Champions Saturday to dedicate the wartime vestige to its permanent resting place. The behemoth new addition to Memorial Stadium’s west entrance joins the ship’s main mast and gun mounts, which the University acquired in 1966.Saturday’s football game attendees posed for pictures inside and around the prow, which functions as a ship’s forward-most part that cuts through the water.Lowen served on the USS Indiana in 1945 when he was 23 years old.“I never expected a ship that shot down five Japanese aircraft in one day would be sitting outside of a football stadium,” he said. He and his son sat at a large, round table directly in front of the main stage where President Michael A. McRobbie introduced speakers Secretary of the Navy Raymond Mabus Jr., Sen. Daniel Coats, R-Ind. and Sen. Joseph Donnelly, D-Ind.The speakers discussed the importance of the USS Indiana memorial on campus. Rep. Todd Young, R-9th District said the visual presence of the ship will impact Hoosiers the most.“We want people visiting the stadium to see the prow, pause and take a moment to reflect on the freedoms they have that so many helped protect,” Young said.The battleship was commissioned in 1942 throughout the south pacific theatre during World War II, receiving nine battle stars for her service in Iwo Jima and Okinawa.Mabus said she survived countless kamikaze attacks and duels with enemy ships, and she finally anchored in Tokyo Bay in 1945 for the Japanese surrender, which ended World War II. The USS Indiana was formally decommissioned in 1947 and sold for scrap in 1963. The Frank Spenger family acquired the prow and used it as a decorative piece for the family’s seafood restaurant parking lot in California.The team of IU officials asked the Spenger family if they would be willing to donate it to the University, said Mark Land, associate vice president of IU communications. “Then we worked with the folks at Crane Naval base to refurbish the prow to its original state,” Land said. In his speech, McRobbie said it was fitting for the ship to reside in Indiana’s largest and oldest university. It will honor those from IU who fought and died in U.S. forces and those who continue to serve in the Navy.“All Hoosiers can take pride that she bore the name of our state,” McRobbie said. The stadium’s naval memorial is a result of the University’s close ties with the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center, the third largest naval installation in the world, which is located about 25 miles south of Bloomington, McRobbie said. In 1942, IU established a naval training school. More than 5,000 men and women were trained for service before it closed in 1944. In 2011, the University formed a partnership with the Naval Center for training in public management, physics and other sciences.“We now have placed between our two institutions an extensive range of educational collaborations,” McRobbie said. “It is our goal to build further on this in future years.” The group of USS Indiana veterans were introduced to the thousands of IU students and alumni on the jumbotron prior to Saturday’s football game.Land said the Navy game was an appropriate time to celebrate the installation of the prow.“With Navy coming to play football today, it was natural to host the celebration tonight,” Land said. The battleship’s official number, 58, is freshly painted on the side of the prow, now cutting through the concrete outside of the stadium’s west entrance.Mabus said it was fitting for the historic relic to be brought back to this memorial.As part of his duties as Secretary of the Navy last year, Mabus named a new USS Indiana, a fast-attack submarine currently under construction. “It will carry this state’s name and the Indiana tradition set by the battleship across the world’s oceans for at least the next four decades,” Mabus said. Follow campus culture reporter Matt Bloom on Twitter @Matthew_Bloom.
