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(04/22/03 5:22am)
The Information Commons in the Main Library is on track to open this fall after a semester's worth of construction. The project, a joint effort between the IU Libraries and University Information Technology Services, will provide a centrally-located site where students and faculty can interact and have access to library and information technology resources at the same time. \nThe Commons, which will be located on the first floor of the Main Library's west tower, will cover 27,000 square feet and feature more than 250 state-of-the-art workstations for both individual and group work. \nIt will be open 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. \nOther services, such as an adaptive technology center, writing tutorial services, wireless networking, a multimedia production lab and an IT support center, will also be part of the IC. IT training and education classes will also be offered.\nCharles Rondot, senior communications specialist at UITS, said the construction is on course and is expected to be completed by mid-summer.\n"We felt the need to integrate information technology with traditional library resources," Rondot said. "It's all about the students and getting them the tools they need to be successful."\nThe project, funded by IU Bloomington libraries and UITS, is estimated to cost $1.5 million. \nSue Workman, director of user support at UITS, said the construction will reflect technological changes in how students access all types of information. \n"We can see that libraries and the information students are accessing are changing," said Sue Workman, director of user support at UITS. "It just made sense to provide this kind of service."\nShe added that the services that had existed prior to construction were still being offered.\n"This is a combined service point," said Carolyn Walters, head of undergraduate library services. "So you can do research, write your paper and e-mail your instructor all from one place."\nWalters said the IC would have an UITS support center that would offer the same services as the Indiana Memorial Union support center. \nThe third and fifth floors of the undergraduate wing are also being refurbished, and the workstations will be upgraded. Three instruction clusters will be included.\nIU Bloomington's Main Library, which opened in 1969, hosts a network of 19 libraries on the Bloomington campus.\n"This is one of those exciting things IU's doing," Rondot said. "I think this is something that other universities in the Big Ten will look to IU as a model"
(04/16/03 5:39am)
The Bloomington Faculty Council deferred IU's revised mission statement until the fall semester during their final meeting of the semester Tuesday. The statement, which was presented by the BFC Long Range Committee, will undergo further revision until the next meeting in September.\n"We want to have a mission statement that most people here are happy with," said IU-B Chancellor Sharon Brehm, addressing the committee.\nThe statement's wording was debated and no majority emerged to approve it.\n"I don't think we should pass a mission statement that is breaking down in the middle," she said.\nSome of the issues outlined in the statement were recognizing IU's role as an 'engine of economic opportunity,' embracing diversity 'in all its dimensions' and supporting high quality research. \nMichael Hamburger, who presented the statement to the council, said he was not unhappy with the deferral. \n"This was the first public discussion of something that's very important for the University," he said.\n"It's a work in progress and is intended to reflect the mission of the school and the community." \nDiversity was a large issue in the statement, with some disagreement about it on campus. \nEric Rasmusen, a professor at the Kelley School of Business, said that he would have voted against the statement in its current form because it had too much of an emphasis on diversity. \n"I think diversity is nice but not essential," he said. "For example, it's nice to have male and female students, but it's certainly not essential."\nHe added he would have voted against the statement in its current form.\n"The mission of the University is to advance learning and scholarship, and diversity is a side issue."\nDespite this, however, many don't think enough is being done.\n"I think these are very important issues," said Hamburger. "Concerns are raised but there is no action being taken on how to resolve them."\nCommittee's name changes\nThe council approved a proposal to change the name of the Affirmative Action Committee to the Diversity and Affirmative Action Committee. The resolution on diversity, which was to be presented by the AAC, was also postponed. \nThe statement on diversity was also postponed until the next meeting due to time constraints.
(04/08/03 5:55am)
The Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute held an open house at IU's cyclotron facility Monday. The event gave the public an opportunity to tour the facility and witness first hand how the cyclotron is being used for both research and proton radiotherapy. \n"We really wanted to open the place up to the public before we open up the medical facility," said Allan Thornton, medical director at MPRI. "I've actually had people bring a lot of friends and family who may be potential patients."\nThe proton therapy facility is the first of its kind in the Midwest and the third in the United States. Three treatment rooms are currently under construction and are expected to be completed by 2005, with the first one to be completed this July. They hope to treat 1,000 patients per year once all three rooms are fully functional. \n"The robotics and technology is truly state of the art, even for a proton facility, which, by definition represents the paramount of radiation therapy," Thornton said.\nMPRI was founded in 1996 and began carrying out clinical trials testing the effectiveness of proton therapy on the choroidal neovascular membrane, a condition associated with deterioration of vision in elderly people. \nProton therapy is different than conventional radiation therapy in that the radiation can be focused on a small area and does not penetrate through to the other side of the tissue. \n"The response has been very positive from medical professionals, scientists and cancer patients," said Dennis Friesel, project manager for the construction of the proton therapy facility. "We conducted these tours to give people an idea of what proton therapy can do for cancer patients."\nHe added that the facility is expected to cover a five to six state area, providing mostly for the Midwest. \n"This is a very effective way of treating localized cancerous tumors," Friesel said. "You can kill the cancerous tumor with very little collateral damage."\nIU's first cyclotron was operational by 1941, just three years after the first cyclotron in the nation was built and was kept in Swain Hall. It was used until 1966 when construction of the current cyclotron began. \nHans Tischler, a retired IU musicology professor, found the tours informative even though much of it dealt with technical terms.\n"I'm not a physicist, but I can see for myself that this is a very impressive facility," Tischler said. "It gives hope to a lot of people."\nThe MPRI was started with the help of a state donation of $10 million as well as federal grants. Continuous funding is expected to be covered by medical receipts. \n"Treatment normally lasts six to eight weeks and can vary anywhere between $15,000 and $50,000," said Thornton.\nDespite the cost, he said there were already patients signed up for treatment, including the first pediatric patient.
(04/07/03 6:12am)
IU will receive a $50 million donation from the Lilly Endowment toward its genomics research initiative. The grant will be announced today and will be the second investment Lilly has made to IU since its initial $105 million grant two years ago.\nIU Interim President Gerald Bepko said the Indiana Genomics Initiative, which will benefit from the grant, is helping to advance the cause of genomics research. \n"We're probing the very essence of life," Bepko said. "As our society matures, people believe and understand that people can increase their longevity." \nINGEN is IU's largest research project and began in 2001, a year after a working draft of the human genome was announced. \n"There's a substantial investment of University resources already," Bepko said. "We have to keep investing in our strengths."\nThe University said it hopes the grant encourages the state, foundations and other private investors to contribute toward the project. \nIU spokesman Bill Stephan said IU hasn't decided where to invest the money yet, but cited the College of Arts and Sciences as a strong possibility.\nHe said part of the grant will go to the IU-Purdue University Indianapolis School of Medicine. \nStephan said the money would help fund phase two of the multi-disciplinary science building. \n"It's a spectacular achievement," said Dean of IU's School of Medicine Craig Brater said.\nHe said he believes the reason for the grant was detailed progress reports and results from IU's continued life sciences research.\n"My presumption is they made a lot of progress with their initial grant and must be pretty satisfied with what the University is doing," Brater said. "I think what also feeds into it is that we give very detailed reports about what's going on."\nBepko said he hopes the state can continue to support the University's research.\n"The state has a chance to play a significant role in the life sciences," he said. "So it's important that everyone puts their shoulder to the wheel and helps"
(04/03/03 5:45am)
PeopleSoft, the six-year project expected to cost IU more than $40 million, has gotten some attention recently due to a California school's underestimation of the project's costs. \nCalifornia State University, which has almost three times as many campuses as IU, was criticized by California auditors, in mid-March, for understating costs for its project and failing to create a proper business plan. \nUnderhanded activities have also been suspected in the CSU case with a university executive receiving money from PeopleSoft between 1996 and 1998, prior to the university acquiring the system.\nBloomington Faculty Council president Bob Eno said the cost of the project was estimated low to begin with because the University wanted to get the project underway. \n"The total cost is going to exceed, by a substantial amount, what was printed," he said.\n"(The school) budgeted costs for people working on the project, but those people that were borrowed were not budgeted."\nEno said the project was funded in part by a state grant, but the rest was acquired from other campuses, in particular Bloomington and IU-Purdue University Indianapolis. \nHe does not think what happened at CSU will happen at IU.\n"I don't see that happening here," he said. "I think the project is moving well. I don't see any black boxes like in the CSU case."\nThe PeopleSoft system, which started in the spring of 2000, is involved in two areas. The first is Human Resource Management, and the second is a Student Information System. Before the transition, IU was using systems developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s.\nCurrently seven Big Ten schools use the PeopleSoft system. \nComputer science professor Chris Haynes doesn't think the low estimates were unexpected. \n"The early estimates were a little bit low, but that shouldn't come as any surprise," he said.\nHaynes, a member of the University Information Systems Task Force, said he believes IU is doing an excellent job, spending a lot less when compared with other schools in the Midwest. \n"Other schools are spending considerably more, sometimes several times more," he said.\nDon Hossler, co-chairman of the SIS Steering committee, said part of the reason for the problem at CSU may have been due to the large number of campuses.\n"I think it's unlikely that something of that sort will happen here because it's a very different environment," he said.\nHe added, however, that problems in California may lead things to be more closely monitored. \nEno, who does not regard the system set-up as problem-free, said the people involved are being forward with the progress.\n"I think they've been as up front about this as any institution that has implemented this," he said.\n"As we learn more and more about this, there seems to be a greater deal of transparency"
(03/24/03 5:11am)
An electronic child support system, designed to cut costs and distribute support funds more quickly, will be implemented by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration this summer. The pilot program will be tested in Marion, Allen and Vanderburgh counties beginning in May and will be evaluated by professors from the School of Public Affairs and Environmental Sciences.\n"Our goal is to eliminate paper checks and minimize costs," said Mary Beth Davis, public information officer for the FSSA. "Families will receive their child support quicker and won't have to deal with check cash in fees."\nThe system will offer two methods of support distribution, either by direct deposit into an account or through the Hoosier Works debit card, the latter of which will be issued by Citicorp and will function just like a regular debit card. \nA federal grant of $327,500 will fund the pilot and the system will be carried out in three phases.\n"In May we'll begin offering direct deposit and by the summer we hope to have the Hoosier Card technology," Davis said.\nShe added they hope to have the system statewide by 2005.\nAn evaluation team of SPEA professors will be assessing the system. \n"It's really our goal to measure the cost savings, satisfaction and how many people this brings into the banking system," SPEA professor Maureen Pirog said.\nPirog, along with associate professor Craig Johnson, will be heading the evaluation team. She described the system as a national demonstration project.\n"This is designed to help smooth the way for other counties and states," she said. "The plan is to work out the kinks and disseminate it statewide."\nPirog added that the system would make things more convenient for people who are victims of domestic violence. \nThe FSSA distributed a total $420 million in child support in 2002, with $43.7 million received from employers electronically. \nPirog said there will be some setup costs associated with the project, which will not be covered by the grant.\n"The savings from the project will cover these costs," she said. \nThe state also expects savings since a lot of manual processing will be replaced by the automated system. \n"At the county level it's going to eliminate a ton of work," Davis said.\nIndiana already provides electronic fund transfers of child support payments from employers by means of an online system.\n"This cutting edge electronic system is a huge step forward for Indiana's families," FSSA Secretary John Hamilton said in a press release. "Making sure that child support reaches families quickly is another step in providing a better future for our children"
(03/07/03 5:18pm)
The Bloomington Faculty Council discussed the implementation of a possible administrative review for chancellors at all the IU campuses at its meeting Tuesday. The review, which is currently in draft form, is designed to provide the president and trustees with information concerning the quality of leadership provided by chancellors.\n"I think we have a lot of goodwill surrounding this," said BFC president Bob Eno. "Everyone wants to see this succeed."\nThe proposal will be discussed at next week's University faculty council meeting, Eno added.\nThe review process will begin in the spring semester one year before the proposed review, where IU's president will notify the BFC of the formation of a review committee. \nNominees for the committee would be tenured faculty and will be appointed to broadly represent the campus.\nThe review committee chair will be appointed by the president, and at least one semester will be allowed for completion of the review process. The review, if implemented, will be carried out early in the chancellor's fifth year in office and in successive five year intervals after that. \nEno said that it was not an unusual procedure for the committee chair to be appointed by the president.\nIn addition, an academic administrator, who is not part of IU, will partake in the review as a peer reviewer. An outside adviser may also be employed if the review committee and president see the need for one. \nCriteria for assessment will include how the chancellor portrays the campus to the public, how effectively he or she implements university policies and how well he or she fares under pressure. A final report will be submitted to the president detailing the findings and recommendations. \n"We'll talk to some trustees, some chancellors and if it looks like we're close, we're going to work fast to complete this," said Eno.\nThe need for the review was questioned by several faculty members who didn't think they would be able to find someone who would be able to spend so much time on this process. \n"Is this something practical?," asked BFC member Richard Carr. \nThe president of the board of trustees, Fred Eichhorn, said an administrative review already exists.\n"There is one in place but there was some dissatisfaction with it," he said. "They're working to change that."\nEno added that the trustees had asked the BFC to deal with the issue.
(03/03/03 6:20am)
The IU board of trustees unanimously approved a resolution to restrict increasing health care costs at its meeting Friday. The resolution would take stronger measures to limit growth of IU funding for health care, which increased 21.3 percent this year, to 14 to 18 percent per year.\nDan Rives, associate vice president of University Human Resource Services, said IU's funding for its health care programs increased from $61.1 million in 2001-02 to $74.2 million this year at Thursday's board meeting. \nHe said technological advances, newer, more expensive prescription drugs and a growing aging population were some of the factors that contributed to the health care inflation.\nThe hypothetical cost in four years is $173 million. \nFred Eichhorn, president of the board, said the target rates pertained to IU funding for health care. \n"The resolution was intended to put emphasis on controlling health costs," he said. \nTrustee Sue Talbot said it was not an easy thing for the University to do.\n"A lot of health care companies have gone out of business," she said. "It's not the University that's trying to cut this out for its employees. It's the health care companies."\nThe IU Commission on Health Care will be dealing with the practical aspect of budgeting costs to allow for funding to increase between 14 and 18 percent.\nThe resolution will have an affect on tuition, trustee Stephen Backer said. \n"Certainly it will have an effect on it," he said. "But if we don't control this, they will have a much greater impact."\nResolution for former Pike house approved\nA proposal, allowing the University to exercise "statutory authority" over the former Pi Kappa Alpha house, was approved Thursday by the Facilities Committee and was approved by the board Friday.\nIt will give IU the right of eminent domain, which will allow the University to acquire the property once it goes through the necessary legal procedures. \nThe property, which was purchased by a private real-estate investor in early February, has been the cause of much controversy, after a local social service group, Millennium Project, proposed to turn the house into a homeless shelter. \nIU, whose initial offer of $640,000 was refused by the owner, has been trying to buy the property since September of last year. Eminent domain gives the University the right to take private property and use it for the public once the owner is fairly compensated.\nTrustee Peter Obremskey said it was unusual for the University to go through legal procedures to obtain the property, but added it was not the only option.\n"It doesn't mean we cannot continue to try and buy the property," he said.\nThe University is likely to use the property for administrative offices for the College of Arts and Sciences.\nThe Interfraternity Council also expressed an interest in the house, saying it needed the additional space. \nObremskey said the trustees had not heard anything official about the intentions of the private investor, but he said IFC may be considered if the University purchases the house.\n"The IFC is certainly an option," he said. "It just depends how badly the College of Arts and Sciences needs the space."\nWhen asked about the risk of upsetting the community he said he hoped they would back the University's plan.\n"It's hard to speculate what action the community would take but I would hope that they support us," Obremskey said.\nEichhorn was skeptical about the likelihood of the property being turned into a shelter, if it was rented to the social service group. \n"(The chance) that it would become a homeless shelter is remote," he said. "We think it is better used as a University facility"
(02/28/03 6:34am)
The IU board of trustees approved a proposal to exercise "statutory authority" over the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house Thursday. The University's initial appraised offer of $640,000 was refused by the owner, but the new proposal could mean the University will be able to acquire the house. \n"In this particular case, the owner wanted to sell the house for more than IU was offering," said Lynn Coyne, assistant vice-president of University Real Estate and Economic Development. \nHe added the University had been interested in the house since last year. \n"IU's interest in this property began in late September of 2002," he said. "We've been engaged in this ever since."\nThe procedure IU will have to go through consists of appraising the property and offering the owner the appraised value. If the owner refuses the offer, the University can file a complaint in court. \nThe court will then appoint three of its own appraisers who will report back with their own appraised value. If this court-set value is also refused by the owner, there will be a court hearing.\nTrustee Peter Obremskey affirmed the University does intend to buy the house.\n"If we go through the statutory procedure, we will be able to acquire the house," he said. \nHe added the house would be used for administrative offices for the College of Arts and Sciences.\nCoyne was wary of court proceedings which, he said, were unpredictable.\nHousing costs likely to increase\nA proposal put forth by Residential Programs and Services to increase housing costs by 6 percent next year has been delayed until the next board of trustees meeting. Housing costs normally increase an average of 3 to 4 percent per year.\n"One of the things that pushed the rates was the building of a new learning center," said Bruce Jacobs, associate vice chancellor for administrative services at IU.\nRHA President Ilia Smith said although the rate increase was understandable, it would also discourage existing students to stay in the halls. \n"We understand and appreciate the reasons given for the rate increase, but we are concerned with retention rates," Smith said. \nJacobs said despite the 6 percent increase, IU is ranked eighth in housing costs out of all the universities in the Big Ten. \n"If you look at what we've done in relation to the rest of the Big Ten, we have been very conservative," Jacobs said.\nHe added the increases were tied to various factors including the stagnant national economy.\n"We're one of the largest employers on campus and when something like that hits, it hits us hard," he said.\nConnor also said RPS plans to introduce Web-based assignment program that would enable students to sign-up for housing online.\nBoard to discuss health care costs today\nHealth care costs for the next four years are expected to be $173 million, said the Director of IU's benefit programs, Daniel Rives. IU funding for the health care programs have increased 21.3 percent ($74.2 million) for 2002-03. \nRives named technological advances, newer, more expensive prescription drugs and a larger aging population as some of the health care inflation factors. The rise is also expected to affect tuition costs. \nThe trustees will vote and take action at the next set of meetings, April 3 and 4.
(02/26/03 5:42am)
Many retirees are condemning IU's health benefits policy for retiring faculty and staff, which offers insurance plans that receive no funding from the University. \n"After 35 years with the University, you begin to function very much like a family," said former IU faculty member James Crowe. "That feeling fades very quickly once you retire." \nCrowe, who retired in October of 2000 after serving as chair of the department of applied health science, said he was disappointed with the lack of contribution from the University in helping retirees pay their health care costs, particularly since these costs had increased drastically in the last couple of years. He said his premiums had jumped from $388 to $929 in less than two years.\n"People just can't afford those kinds of premiums," he said. "As a result, many retirees are driven out of the 'pool' and opt for different programs."\nCrowe said the University had succeeded in driving retirees out of the IU insurance programs and into other ones, which is what it had always intended. He advised those planning to retire to "look elsewhere for insurance programs."\n"If the IU administration looked in the mirror, the reflection that they would get is that they're not treating faculty fairly," Crowe said.\nEdward Grant, a distinguished professor of history who retired in 1992, argues that the problem remains because not enough people are aware of it. \n"I never paid any attention to it until the last few years," he said. "Most faculty at IU have no idea about this until they are confronted with it."\nIn a letter to Ben Brabson, president of the American Association of University Professors, Grant stated the University had "chosen to deny health benefits to all of its faculty and staff retirees … by consigning … insurance plans to which IU contributes nothing."\n"A lot of other universities pay premiums for their retired faculty," Grant said, citing the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and the University of Illinois as examples of schools that provide "good retiree programs." \nIU offers three health insurance options to its retiring faculty and staff -- the IU PPO, the Anthem Blue Retirement plan and the COBRA option. Although IU sponsors these programs, it does not provide funding for any of them, which means retirees do not get any contributions toward their premiums. \nTrustee Peter Obremskey said though he sympathized with the plight of retirees, it was a problem that had not yet been formally addressed by the IU board of trustees.\n"The cost of health care has gone through the roof," he said. "I personally sympathize with them, but the board has not yet taken a position on this issue."\nTrustee Stephen Backer said the issue of health care costs was a problem, but one that had not yet been addressed at the level of the board. \nDaniel Rives, director of IU's benefit programs, said although the University did not contribute to retiree premiums, it did use the large number of employees to get preferential pricing by leveraging costs. \nPreferential pricing sets prices by taking into consideration the ability to purchase. \nRives said he will be discussing employee health care costs this Thursday at the board of trustees meeting. \n"(The trustees) have questions about health care costs and want to know how much the University is spending," Rives said.
(02/20/03 6:24am)
Several Bloomington Faculty Council members voiced concern at their meeting Tuesday over former IU president Myles Brand's six-year unpaid leave, which would allow him to eventually return and claim deferred compensation.\nBrand, who became president of the NCAA this year after announcing his resignation in September 2002, will be entitled to receive deferred compensation if he chooses to return to IU as a professor in the next six years.\nIf he returns, he could collect an estimated $300,000 from the University when he turns 65, money some BFC members say could be better spent. \nTrustees agreed in January to grant Brand the leave.\n"Has the University ever given anyone a six year leave?" asked BFC member Richard Nash at Tuesday's meeting.\nNormally, IU faculty are allowed up to two years' unpaid leave.\nWhile some faculty members said giving Brand a longer leave was unfair, IU spokesman Bill Stephan said this was a case where the trustees had "acted in a way that they felt was appropriate at the time."\n"I'm sure the trustees took into account President Brand's performance when they decided to offer him the deal," Stephan said. \nDean of the Faculties Moya Andrews said the arrangement may have been something that was part of the package offered to Brand when he was originally hired.\n"There's no rule that says there can't be more than two years' (unpaid leave), but that's what normally happens if it is in the best interests of the University," Andrews said. \n"In order to decide whether the whole compensation package the president receives -- salary, deferred compensation and other benefits -- you have to look at the packages being offered to other presidents in the Big 10," Andrews said.\nSome IU alumni also expressed concern over the deal.\n"Why are they giving him this money? Is the university just being nice?" asked IU Alumni Mark Thompson, owner of Thompson Furniture. "There is no reason this has to be done," he said.\nThompson also stressed that students and faculty should get involved in the matter. \n"I think part of the problem is that people aren't asking enough questions."\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.
(02/19/03 5:38am)
The Bloomington Faculty Council passed two resolutions Tuesday afternoon, one calling for the continuation of the PeopleSoft Student Information System and another allowing grade context reports to appear on student transcripts.\nThe system allows students to access their grade distribution reports online and have them appear on their transcripts. Grade distribution reports show how grades are allocated in a course.\n"A student representative at our last meeting spoke about the usefulness of this system, so I think this is something that we should maintain," said Chairman of the Educational Policy Committee David Daleke.\nThe BFC originally adopted a policy in 1976 that stated the Office of the Registrar should offer grade distribution reports for undergraduate courses to the various schools and departments. The idea behind the grade distribution reports was so students would be able to see the distribution of grades for their courses. \nThe PeopleSoft system will be used to record these reports and this will be the first step in the initial implementation of the SIS. \nIU purchased two systems from PeopleSoft in 1999 -- a human resource management system and a student information system. The latter is designed to manage data for over 95,000 students on all eight campuses, including enrollment, scheduling, advising and admissions. Prior to the transition, IU was operating on systems developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Currently, seven Big Ten schools use the PeopleSoft system.\nAs well as allowing students to determine where they stand with regard to the rest of their classmates, the grade distribution reports enable professors to monitor their grading practices compared with the rest of their colleagues. \n"This is an essential component of self-assessment for my department," said mathematics professor William Wheeler in his address to the BFC Tuesday. \nHowever, the PeopleSoft system has come under scrutiny in recent months partly because of the cost of the project, estimated at $40 million, but primarily because people are having to deal with the transition. \nMary Rothert, undergraduate academic adviser for the English department, uses the software but confesses to having difficulties with it. She also questions the impact it will have on the quality of service being provided to students. \n"We're all going to be struggling with the new software, but the question will be, 'What will we be losing?'" she said.\nOther issues that were discussed were policies on the use of e-mail for administrative mass communications and how it contributes to spam. The resolution, calling for the prohibition of using mass e-mail for commercial mailings and having periodic, targeted e-mails sent to any substantial portion of the campus be accepted by the appropriate campus officer, was approved.
(02/12/03 10:41pm)
IU professors are expressing concern over the health benefits being offered to retiring faculty and staff. Currently, retirees are offered three options, none of which receive funding from IU.\nRetirees can choose from the IU PPO plan, Anthem Blue plan or the COBRA option.\n"These are tough times," said former IU professor Edward Grant. "But they should be able to do better than they are now."\nGrant, a distinguished professor of history who retired in 1992, said it was unfair that the University regards active faculty in a separate pool as retired faculty. Since active professors are not covered by Medicare, IU contributes to their health benefits. Once professors retire from the University, IU does not continue contributing money toward their insurance.\n"It seems to me that people of my generation got quite a shock at the end of their careers," he said.\nGrant recently sent a letter to the president of the American Association of University Professors complaining about the University's health plans. \nIn a letter to Ben Brabson -- an IU physics professor and also president of the AAUP -- Grant called the health care plan a "cruel joke."\nBrabson, also a Fringe Benefits Committee member on the Bloomington Faculty Council, was more neutral on the issue.\n"Whether or not the University owes the faculty health benefits is debatable," he said. "Older people, who are more likely to get ill, will obviously have to pay higher premiums."\nAt most universities, two-thirds of insurance costs for retired faculty and staff are covered by Medicare, Brabson said, with the University picking up the remaining one-third. \n"For active faculty it's a split between IU and the faculty member," he said. "For retired faculty, it's a split between the faculty member and the government." \nRetired faculty members have little voice in the insurance process, Brabson said. \n"If you separate the active faculty from the retired faculty, they have very little say," he said.\nBrabson said it was not until the mid-1980s that the University started considering retired faculty as separate from active faculty in terms of retirement health care.\nIU Director of Benefit Programs, Daniel Rives, said IU was responsible for sponsoring these programs, but did not provide funding for the IU PPO or Anthem Blue plan for retirees.\n"IU doesn't contribute to the premium," Rives said.\n"The IU PPO essentially offers the same benefits for retirees as it does for active faculty, but when the employee turns 65, Medicare becomes the primary, after which whatever is paid by Medicare is reduced."\nRives added that the University used the large number of employees to the advantage of the retirees.\n"We use the large number of employees to leverage costs and get preferential pricing," he said. \nThe COBRA option is also beneficial to employees because it lets them stay with their existing insurance plan or remain insured for up to 18 months after leaving IU, Rives said. \n"Retirees don't always sign up for our plans," Rives said.\nAstrophysics professor Richard Heinz said it was important for the University to contribute in some way.\n"I think they should contribute to retiree health care," he said. "A lot of retirees feel offended."\nHeinz, chairman of the BFC Fringe Benefits Committee four years ago, added that it was something the Committee wanted to deal with, but the school was unable to afford it at the time.\n"If they contributed, a lot of retirees wouldn't feel as disenfranchised," he said.\nCurrently the issue is under consideration by members of the AAUP.
(02/05/03 5:53am)
A proposal requesting that tenured faculty receive a three-year extension to their contract after their first three years was turned down by the Bloomington Faculty Council Tuesday. \nAfter a lengthy debate, the BFC sent back the proposal because of the wording. The council said the proposal will be discussed in March.\nCurrently, tenure-probationary faculty are granted a three-year contract, following a preliminary evaluation after a minimum of two years on the faculty. At the end of the contract, the faculty member is re-evaluated, which extends that person's contract by another year. A re-evaluation is required each successive year until the member's sixth year.\nThe Faculty Affairs Committee's proposal sought to prevent the annual evaluation process, which they regarded as unnecessary. \n"If you find a person to be adequate after the first three years, they should be appointed for another three years," said geology professor Abhijit Basu. "My belief is that we should beg a person to stay (if they are qualified)."\nBasu, a member of the Faculty Affairs Committee, regards the annual evaluations as unnecessary, believing that they put excessive pressure on faculty.\n"What we are proposing is that if there is no proof of misconduct. Let the faculty member alone," Basu said in his address to the BFC. "It's productivity and quality that makes IU."\nThe FAC originally submitted a circular on tenured faculty as a topic for discussion in a BFC meeting in September of last year. The article put forward questions very similar to the proposal submitted on Tuesday. \nBen Brabson, president of the American Association of University Professors on campus, stressed the importance of tenured professors and the "academic freedom" that came with it.\n"We (the AAUP) believe in the concept of academic freedom," he said. "This means being able to speak out without fear of losing your job."\nBrabson added that he was in favor of the proposal because tenured faculty get a certain degree of freedom and immunity.\n"The only reason you can fire a person on tenure is if they don't perform their job or engage in immoral activities," he said. \nMoya Andrews, vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of faculties, said she thought they had made progress in the meeting despite the fact that nothing was passed. Though she agreed with the proposal, she stated that it was important that the policy was "consistent across all the campuses."\n"We've had annual reviews, for both tenured and untenured professors before, and they've been successful," she said. "As long as it doesn't become such a big process that the person becomes discouraged. We all have the same goals"
(02/03/03 5:42am)
The IU trustees unanimously approved construction of the first phase of a long-needed multi-disciplinary science building Friday. The building will unite the research facilities for all life science departments at IU and will be located between Myers Hall and the Chemistry Building, where a grove of trees currently stands.\n"This building is going to be a centerpiece of our science and research departments," trustee Peter Obremskey said.\nArchitect John Belle, who also designed the new graduate building of the Kelley School of Business, said the building would be connected to its neighboring buildings by means of underground passages.\n"When we initially designed the building, almost half of it was underground," Belle said.\nThe building is to be designed in the collegiate gothic style of Myers Hall. \nUniversity Architect Bob Meadows said he wanted to give the appearance that "both buildings arrived at the same time."\nBelle added that the building is strategically placed as a multi-disciplinary building.\nAccording to a press release, the building will be the first since the construction of the geology building in 1962 to be solely devoted to scientific research. \nIssue of space\nPhase I of the building is expected to cover an area of 80,000 sq. feet. It will be designed with the purpose of preserving the wooded areas between Myers Hall and the Chemistry Building as much as possible. \n"This is not a small undertaking," said Terry Clapacs, vice-president and chief administrative officer. \nThe building is expected to provide laboratory space for research in various scientific fields such as genomics, bioinformatics, biochemistry and biophysics.\nThe cost of the total project is estimated at $50 million, with about $30 million coming from state appropriations and $20 million from gifts. No start date for the project has been given. \nBiocomplexity institute\nA project to establish a biocomplexity institute for the Bloomington campus was also approved during Friday's meeting. Former Notre Dame Professor James Glazier, who worked with a biocomplexity institute at Notre Dame, will be helping to incorporate a similar program at IU.\nBiocomplexity is the study of the complex behaviors that arise from the interaction of biological entities such as molecules, cells or organisms.\nGlazier, who is now the director of the department of physics at IU, said that it would be interdisciplinary in nature, combining aspects of computer science, biology, math, physics and chemistry. He defined biocomplexity as the attempt to understand complex phenomena from simple events.\nThe project will promote research cooperation between departments at IU as well as other colleges in Indiana.\n"Anytime you combine other institutions, it is always good for the state," trustee Stephen Ferguson said.
(01/31/03 5:17am)
Three years after its establishment, the School of Informatics finally found a new home Thursday in a dedication ceremony that took place in the school's new building, situated at 10th Street and Woodlawn Avenue.\n"Although we deal with cyberspace, it's nice to have a physical home," said School of Informatics Dean Michael Dunn.\nIU's School of Informatics was the first in the nation, which is split between the IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis and Bloomington campuses, along with a pilot program offered on the South Bend campus. \nCurrently IU has almost 1,200 Informatics students in total, with close to 500 of them on the Bloomington campus.\nIn his speech, Dunn described the mission of the school as training students to "see that advanced information technology is in fact indistinguishable from science and the arts."\n"We see ourselves as a 'bridge' between (information technology) and various other domain areas," he said. "I cannot begin to tell you how much this building means to me, our faculty, our staff and our students."\nDunn said the Informatics School, IU's first new school in 28 years, was IU's response to the information age.\nInformatics is still a fairly new field that emphasizes the application of IT in other fields of study such as biology, economics and journalism. The Bloomington campus offers a master of science degree in bioinformatics, human computer interaction and chemical informatics as well as a bachelor of science degree in informatics.\nPreviously, Informatics students had to go back and forth between various buildings on campus for classes, but the new building will host classes and also give faculty and students a chance to socialize. \n"It's important that faculty and students get to mingle," said IU trustee Sacha Willsey. "It gives them the opportunity to get to know each other."\nIU began renovating the building, which sits at the address of the old Alpha Omicron Pi house, in the spring of 2002, and faculty and staff moved into the building that fall while it was still under construction. Classes were first held there in January 2003. \n"This is a great adaptive use of the building," IU trustee Patrick Shoulders said.\nHe attributed the new building to the "explosive growth of the school." \nIn addition to administrative and faculty offices, the building also houses the Informatics Research Institute, instructional laboratories, collaboration studios and a presentation room. \nDunn closed his speech by quoting Winston Churchill saying, "'We shape our buildings and afterwards, our buildings shape us.' I am confident that this building will positively shape us and our future."\nThe IU board of trustees will meet at 3 p.m. today in the Frangipani Room of the Indiana Memorial Union. On their agenda is a vote for or against the construction of a new multidisciplinary science building.
(01/27/03 5:44am)
IU geology computer technician Denis Taaffe "rocks" at work and at home.\nTaaffe's instrumental guitar album "Modern Rock Guitar Vol. III" was pre-nominated for a Grammy in early December in nine different categories, including "Album of the Year" and "Best Rock Instrumental." Three of the 36 entries in the latter category were from Taaffe's latest album. \nThough Taaffe made it through the preliminary screening and nomination procedures, he was notified by the Recording Academy on Jan. 7 that he hadn't been chosen as one of the five finalists. Considering he independently releases all his albums, which are recorded at his home studio in Bloomington, performs live without a backing band and maintains his own Web site, Taaffe said he isn't discouraged.\n"Getting recognition like this legitimizes what I do as an artist because it shows that people appreciate what I do," he said. \nHowever, his achievement does not come as that much of a surprise to Taaffe or those that know of his endeavors.\n"A lot of people (I know) were expecting this to go places," he said of his new album.\nTaaffe's unique approach to guitar playing lies in his improvisational style and innovative use of looping, a process by which musical phrases are recorded and repeated through the use of rack-mounted effects. This not only provides Taaffe with complete artistic control when recording but also enables him to play live without a rhythm section. \nHe is able to mimic bass guitar lines, synthesizer melodies and percussion sections single-handedly while performing for an audience. His new album was recorded in this manner, with the addition of a drum machine, and was completely improvised with no over-dubbing. \nBorn in Madison, Wisc., Taaffe has been a Bloomington resident for 20 years. As a child, he went to St. Charles Catholic School in Bloomington, where students were encouraged to participate in musical activities. At the age of seven, Taaffe first started playing guitar.\n"It was either that or singing in a choir," he said laughing. \nTaaffe graduated from IU in 1994, majoring in French, and worked in various IT related jobs at IU for six years before focusing on his music. He currently works part-time in the IU geology buildings computer support department and also gives guitar lessons at Vance Music Center in downtown Bloomington. \n"Denis was a customer here for a quite awhile before he started teaching," said Eric Gause, general manager at Vance.\nGause said he is popular with the guitar students.\n"Most of his students, if they quit, it's because of time conflicts, not because they don't like him as a teacher," added owner of the music center, Phil Gause.\nIn addition to the recognition he has attained in the last year, Taaffe has also been asked to perform at several music showcases including the Millennium Music Conference in Pennsylvania and the West Virginia Music conference. Such events offer artists an opportunity to perform their music for music industry professionals. \nTaaffe can be seen performing at various venues around town such as Vertigo and the Runcible Spoon.\nHis CDs are available at www.amazon.com or visit www.dtguitar.com for more information.
(12/16/02 4:43pm)
IU's School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation has established the first ergonomics masters degree program in the nation. The department of kineseology adopted this program to offer expertise in a profession that is increasing in importance.\nAccording to the International Ergonomics Association Web site, ergonomics is a "systems-oriented discipline which now extends across all aspects of human activity."\n"Basically the goal is to adjust the workplace to better match the task to the worker," said John Shea, chair of the kinesiology department in the HPER. \nThough it may sound vague, a degree in ergonomics can demand an impressive salary- beginning from $45,000 to $65,000 per year. \n"Insurance companies, worker unions and government agencies all employ ergonomics professionals," Shea said. "It's a growing field so jobs are plentiful at this time, but I also think they're going to increase because it's something that's gaining importance."\nErgonomics has traditionally been offered in engineering schools, and the profession has gained popularity in recent decades. But the lack of an engineering school at IU meant that there was no such program. The kinesiology department seemed to be the department most suited to offering the major since it dealt with worker productivity on a cognitive level.\n"We deal with things that other departments in the HPER don't, such as performance psychology, work physiology and biomechanics," Shea said. "We're just uniquely suited to offer this degree."\nThe program consists of a non-thesis masters degree of coursework, which is completed over a period of nine months (including the summer), plus an internship.\nThe profession certainly seems to have hit home with many students, particularly those that study at the HPER.\n"I'd consider doing it. If anything it'd give me a new perspective on things," said freshman Pamella Martins, who is a sports marketing major. "I'm glad that they're offering this type of degree because it helps me keep my options open."\nMoreover, students are beginning to understand the significance of ergonomics.\n"There's always the chance that you could increase your output," said Tom Hughes, a freshman majoring in sports management. "Your competitor could be doing it and increasing productivity while you're just looking for ways to cut costs or save money, when what you should be doing is looking for ways of increasing output."\nErgonomics is treated as a form of "preventative medicine," Shea said.\n"If you can prevent an injury it's more effective than treating an injury," Shea said. "If you look at a worker claiming compensation for a lower back injury, for example, costs for such a thing could come up to $35,000, which can now be avoided"
(12/13/02 5:39am)
Being diagnosed with cancer can come as a tremendous shock both to the victim and to the victim's family, but what is sometimes equally as tough is the prospect of treatment.\nThursday night IU's Cyclotron Facility, a physics research laboratory, hosted a dedication ceremony which marked the beginning of a new treatment room to help cancer patients through proton radiotherapy.\n"The goal of this facility is to take away the fear of cancer treatment," said James Slater, the chairman of the Department of Radiation Medicine at Loma Linda University Medical Center.\nThe center is home to the world's first hospital-based proton treatment facility and remains only one of three such facilities available in the United States. The facility is the first of its kind in the Midwest.\nState representative John Hostettler called the facility a place of "healing and research." \nIU President Myles Brand said he is confident that it will have a positive effect on the local economy. In his address at the ceremony, Brand said the facility is expected to create 50 jobs when fully operational.\nSince the facility is one of only a few in the nation, it raises the question of why Bloomington was chosen.\n"The reason it's in Bloomington is because of the machine," said Allan Thornton, medical director of the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute, in reference to the Cyclotron Facility. "The location just happened to be good. It's got good transport routes and cheap accommodation."\nJill's House, which is currently under construction near the facility, will house patients and their families and aims to provide a "healing environment" for patients.\nProton therapy is still fairly new in terms of practical use. According to MPRI, 32,000 patients have been treated and half of those were in the United States. IU's Cyclotron Facility began testing an experimental proton therapy program ten years ago, under which 33 patients were treated over a period of several years. \nIn 1996, MPRI was founded and began carrying out clinical trials testing the effectiveness of proton therapy on choroidal neovascular membrane, a condition associated with deterioration of vision in elderly people. \n"Dose by dose it's no more effective," Thornton said of the treatment. "But the difference is that you can aim the (proton) beam better than conventional X-rays. You can also control how deep the beam penetrates the skin, which prevents damage to healthy tissue surrounding cancerous cells.\n"When all is said and done, this is the facility that will treat our families in the Midwest," he said. \nDr. John Cameron, the director of IU's Cyclotron Facility, said costs could reach $25 million.\nThe first treatment room is expected to be completed by spring of 2003 with two more planned by 2005. The facility plans to have the capacity to treat 1,000 patients per year by the time all three are operational.\n"It's a dream come true for people to get treatment for a life threatening disease and not feel much different than they were before," Cameron said.
(12/12/02 5:09am)
Many IU students and faculty are experiencing frustration when attempting to access their e-mail messages through the Webmail system.\nThey are enduring several problems that don't seem to be the fault of the user. Entire address books being erased, e-mails not being sent and inability to access Webmail accounts are commonplace. \nBut this may simply be because of the surge in spam that seems to be plaguing e-mail addresses.\n"The problem is not really with Webmail per se, but it's to do with the message storage servers," said Sue Workman, the director of user support for UITS. "The increase in spam messages (which are stored on the Internet Message Access Protocol server) reduce the bandwidth of e-mail servers, and, as a result, e-mail server speeds get slower."\nSpam, unsolicited messages used to promote deals, products, etc., seem to have increased "exponentially" this semester, Workman said.\n"We don't make them available to anyone," she said of student and faculty e-mail addresses. "A lot of times, students post their addresses on Web sites or chat rooms." \nIndeed, "e-mail harvesters" or spam bots, are programs designed to retrieve e-mail addresses from Web pages. Once e-mails are collected they are compiled in a 'spamming database.'\nWebmail was introduced in January 2001 in response to students' and faculty members' requests for a more 'feature-oriented' e-mail service. Previously, users had to access their accounts through Telnet, a text-based protocol that connected to the PINE program, which allowed users to access their e-mail accounts through Kate, Ariel, Lear and Iago. \nDuring the launch of Webmail, University Information Technology Services emphasized that the PINE interface would not be replaced and that Webmail would simply be another option for students to use. \nBut PINE has not been introduced to students during orientation since fall of 2001. Instead, Webmail has been promoted to new students as the interface to use when accessing e-mail accounts. Webmail offered the benefits of letting users access attachments. It made navigation more simple through its interface and made arranging messages into folders a reality.\n"Webmail is our answer to users' requests for a Web-based e-mail service," Workman said. \n"If you look at the UITS user surveys over the last few years, there are a huge number of surveys requesting a more feature-oriented and robust e-mail service," she said.\nThough Webmail has emerged as a popular alternative to the Telnet based e-mail services, it has had its fair share of complaints.\n"If we're going to pay for a service like this then I expect it to work," said sophomore James Herter, who has experienced problems on a number of occasions when trying to access his Webmail account. "It seems to be a problem more than just from time to time."\nEach spring, UITS sends out user surveys to help them determine ways of improving Webmail. Prospective changes then go through all levels of the UITS hierarchy before any definite plans for changes are made. \n"Changes can start happening immediately," Workman said. "It just depends on the resources that are available."\nDespite the bad reputation Webmail has received in recent months, it does have its supporters.\n"I like it; I use it," said freshman John Glennon. "Occasionally it's slow, but it works fine for me."\nThe UITS Support Center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is located in room M084 of the IMU. Students can call the Support Center 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week help line at 855-6789.\nUsers who are concerned about receiving spam can go to the UITS Web site at kb.indiana.edu/data/adbh.html.