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(01/26/11 4:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Members of the Indiana General Assembly have embraced Gov. Mitch Daniels’s call to action on education reform. Eleven education bills were proposed to the Indiana Senate and 22 to the Indiana House of Representatives this month. Below are a few of the proposed bills that may affect local school systems in the near future. House Bill 1249: Higher education scholarshipStatus: Jan. 12, 2011, read first time and referred to Committee on EducationProvides a $3,500 scholarship for any student who graduates high school before grade 12. To be eligible for the scholarship, a student must:— Be a resident of Indiana— Have attended a public secondary school for the last two semesters prior to graduation— Meet the minimum requirements set by the Indiana State Board of Education to earn a high school diploma by the end of grade 11— Become a student at an approved postsecondary educational institution within five months of graduationA teacher’s take: “I don’t think it’s a bad idea, but it shouldn’t be publicized for everyone. I’m broken up about it; I see the point that a kid could go get a good education at college when they’ve mastered things in high school, but some kids aren’t mature enough to handle the pressure of college and moving away from home that early.” — Drew Frey, mathematics teacher at Bloomington High School SouthHouse Bill 1369: Pay to performance program for school administratorsStatus: Jan. 18, 2011, read first time and referred to Committee on EducationRequires the Indiana Board of Education and school corporations to work together to set improvement goals in the following areas: standardized testing, student retention and graduation rates, budgeting and fiscal performance and school administrator professional performance. School corporations must implement a method of compensation that considers the listed performance criteria as a significant factor. Senate Bill 0171: School start date and calendarStatus: Jan. 20, 2011, amended, reported favorablyProhibits schools from beginning student instructional days before Labor Day and from ending after June 10 of the following year beginning with the 2013-2014 school year. Also allows for exemptions following public hearings and a majority vote of the governing body if the school coordinates calendars with a postsecondary educational institution. Monroe County Community School Corporation schools are scheduled to be in session from Aug. 16 to May 25 for the 2011-2012 school year. A student’s take: “The weather is miserable in August, and it certainly doesn’t help students think, especially when public school air conditioners are not always reliable. Getting out in May is a good thing though because students just really want to be living their lives outside when the weather is nicer.” — Alex Sinex, senior at Harmony School and former student at Bloomington High School SouthHouse Bill 1296: College credit for high school classesStatus: Jan. 12, 2011, read first time and referred to Committee on EducationRequires all state educational institutions to accept dual credit courses that are included in the core transfer library and are successfully completed by a high school student. The core transfer library is a list of courses that will transfer among all Indiana public college and university campuses, assuming adequate grades, and can be accessed at www.transferIN.net. A student’s take: Tony Tran graduated from Bloomington High School South in 2009 after completing a finite mathematics course. Tran is now a sophomore at Purdue University and said that his mathematics credit, a course in the core transfer library, did not transfer to his college transcript. Senate Bill 0001/House Bill 1488: Teacher evaluations and licensingStatus: Jan. 20, 2011, read first time and referred to Committee on EducationEstablishes an annual staff performance evaluation that classifies teachers as highly effective, improvement necessary or ineffective. Any teacher considered ineffective or in need of improvement may not receive a raise the following year. House Bill 1331: School CounselorsStatus: Jan. 13, 2011, read first time and referred to Committee on EducationEstablishes a target counselor-to-student ratio for the hiring of school counselors, social workers and psychologists. Aims to lower ratios to:— One school counselor for every 250 students— One school social worker for every 400 students— One school psychologist to every 1000 studentsThe bill also establishes a uniform job description for all school counselors and specifies the performance criteria necessary to earn a counseling license. A counselor’s take: “The Indiana School Counselor’s Association has been recommending something like this for years. It would be a dream and what we all want and need to be more productive and effective. I know Bloomington High School South has well over 400 students assigned to every counselor.” — Joel McKay, guidance counselor at Jackson Creek Middle School
(01/12/11 5:50am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Upon arriving at a small, dreary-looking club on Bloomington’s south side, visitors are greeted by an outdoor sign that reads “one dollar nose warmers.”At Night Moves, a strip club, women dance to earn money, bouncers protect them and the owners make sure the show runs smoothly every night. One of the bouncers — a middle-aged man in a plaid button-down shirt who is built like a former body builder, has been working at Night Moves for three years.Although he said many male patrons tell him, ‘man, you have the best job in the world,’ he said his job can be very stressful. He always has to have eyes in the back of his head.“When police show up, I have to deal with them outside,” he said. “It’s bad for business.”Indiana State Excise Police often enter Night Moves undercover and slap the bar with a 500-dollar fine when the dancers do not cover their nipples. “It’s been in the books for hundreds of years, and no politician will repeal it,” Night Moves co-owner Byron Fine said.Smirking, he said the law was written so a girl doesn’t lactate on the customers. In 1998, the owner of Third Base Lounge sold his business to Byron and his business partner, Rodney Domer, before the two turned it into Night Moves. Angel, one of the dancers, leaned onto the bar by Byron — topless. She graduated from Bloomington High School South in 2008 and has been working at Night Moves for about two years. She currently attends Ivy Tech Community College studying kinesiology.She said money is the reason why she got into the business.Angel said she earns up to 500 dollars on a good night and about 60 on a slow night.She also has a boyfriend, who Angel said puts up with her stripping job, even though it’s not uncommon for her to get asked out by the customers.“There’s always this shy guy during the week. He gets drunk, and I feel terrible,” Angel said. “He really wants to take me out.”Still topless, Angel was comfortable with her body, but she said it took her a month to be completely at ease.“The first guy I gave a lap dance to, I gave his money back,” Angel said.Although inappropriate touching of the dancers does occur, Angel said she has only had to walk away from a customer twice.“I’ll give you three warnings. One warning I wiggle off and don’t care. The third warning I just say ‘pay’,” she said. Gretchen, a waitress, said she also deals with inappropriate customers. “Of course you get perverts, but at a regular bar you do too,” she said. Gretchen also agreed that money was the primary motivator for working at the strip club.Angel said despite the money, she would be reluctant to encourage other girls from entering the business.“I will never wish this on anyone,” she said and left it at that.Rachel, another dancer, is 24, has three kids and also attends Ivy Tech, studying to be a chef. She mentioned the turnover rate for dancers is high, stating some last just a night.“Some girls make complete asses of themselves,” Rachel said. “I’ve seen girls fall off stage and hit their face on the pole.” She said she thinks there are roughly 50 girls employed by Night Moves between 18 and 25 years of age, but it is hard to be certain because many last such a short time. “A lot of people come in and don’t tip,” Rachel said. “They think we get paid hourly wages, and we don’t.”One of the bouncer’s responsibilities is to make sure patrons pay the dancers.The bar gets a 25 percent cut of the money taken in from each lap dance.“I do all in my power to get the money,” the bouncer said. “I’ve had guys try to fight me, but they never get a swing on me.”As far as the types of girls who are hired, Byron said there are no specific height and weight measurements he uses.“I let the managers do it. I give them some kind of guidelines,” Byron said. He said he’ll keep girls who aren’t traditionally attractive if they’re good dancers. “Last year, 190 girls got on stage,” Byron said. “Some last a day or two. Five to 10 girls leave in a month. A lot of girls think they can do it — then can’t.”Josh, a customer at Night Moves, sat with half a Heineken and a fist full of dollar bills. He wasn’t quite ready to leave yet as two dark, nearly naked young women took the stage, glistening under the pulsating strobe lights hanging from the ceiling.“One more song, dude,” Josh said to his friend.After the song was done, Josh had to nearly be dragged out by his friend.“One more beer, man,” he said.“Dude, you’ve had seven and spent a fortune,” his friend said.
(11/30/10 5:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When someone mentions “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” Meredith Alexander’s eyes light up. A 21-year-old junior, an IU Police Department officer and a criminal justice and sociology major, she said quite simply “I am Olivia Benson,” who is a character on the TV show. But there are things that set Meredith apart from other student officers.She’s a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and a volunteer with IU Dance Marathon. She was once a Riley kid herself.And in a time when binge drinking is on the rise around the nation, Meredith rides the line between the party culture and law enforcement. Every day, Meredith said, is a choice and a chance. ***It started in eighth grade. She was hooked on “Special Victims Unit.” Her parents were pretty sure she’d grow out of it. She didn’t. So the decision to come to IU was an easy one, she said. No other university in the country has a program where students can become officers before graduation, according to IUPD.They live in the residence halls, patrol the campus in shifts and wander the madness of the tailgating fields. On occasion, they are called on to literally tackle fellow students or mediate roommate arguments. The first week of freshman year, Meredith marched up to the IUPD station and picked up an application. Months later she was accepted. She spent last year as a cadet and all of last summer in the police academy. Now she works nearly full time as an officer.Meredith said it’s all she’s ever wanted.***The night was grey, the air filled with mist. Hand on her belt, Meredith walked down a hill into the sloping field behind McNutt Quad.“See, now that it’s rained, you can’t hear me walking,” she said. She came here to “see what she can smell.” As she checked each copse of trees and each small valley for pot-smoking freshmen, she seemed self assured, if not completely at ease being on patrol alone.She said it’s hard to turn the cop switch off. She needs to stay alert, always expected to be serving and protecting. ***The officers met at the station at 5:30 p.m., took roll call, hopped in their personal vehicles and drove straight to Gresham Food Court, where they took their dinner break “just to get it out of the way.” She sat with the guys. There were four of them at the table, fully dressed in uniform with guns on their belts. The other cafeteria-goers were staring slightly.Meredith admitted it can sometimes be difficult.“People are sometimes more intimidated by the uniform. But I’m still the same person as when I’m in my Pi Phi clothes.”While the guys grabbed food, she pulled out a picture from a weekend of bike training. Two oblong purple splotches mark her thigh. She fell off the bike and onto her gun. ***She walked straight to McNutt, where she’s assigned to rounds. It’s rainy, and no one will want to smoke tonight, she said. It should be quiet.“I’m actually a lot smaller underneath this,” she said, indicating her Kevlar and polyester uniform. At 5’4”, she works out twice a day to make sure she’s as ready as her male counterparts. She runs, swims and lifts weights at the Student Recreational Sports Center. “If I’m training every day and I have the mindset that I’m gonna win, well...” she said, “I’m gonna win.” Lt. Greg Butler, training coordinator for IUPD, said IU’s program is different from others in the nation.The program has existed since 1972. Its original intent was to professionalize the field of law enforcement, Butler said, while bridging the gap between students and officers.“For the longest time, you had the ‘us versus them’ mentality,” Butler said. Butler said officers also have to understand the responsibility that comes with service.“If they engage with someone off the street who’s doing something they shouldn’t be doing, they have to act as a police officer,” Butler said. That might mean they have to arrest a sorority sister, a classmate or a friend.“If they become discretionary to that degree, they won’t be in this field very long,” Butler said. While arrest policies haven’t changed dramatically in the last few years, Butler said the department has seen an increase in cases of extreme alcohol consumption. Blood alcohol contents between .15 and .2, for instance, when the legal limit is .08. Past that limit, an individual is considered to have participated in binge drinking. The proportion of students who frequently binge drink jumped 16 percent between 1993 and 2001, and there is no indication that it has fallen since then, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.What’s more, the study found that fraternity and sorority members are more likely to drink, binge drink, drink and drive, use marijuana or cocaine or smoke than non-greeks. Butler said he’s seen first hand the effect of the trend toward binge drinking. “We take almost as many to the hospital as we do to jail,” Butler said. ***“It’s good to take yourself out of being Greek for a second,” Meredith said as she stood on patrol outside of McNutt. “Some people know there’s a Pi Phi cop,” she said. For the most part though, she says she tries to avoid conflicts of interest. Sometimes sisters will ask her about a ticket they were served during a tailgate. Sometimes they want her to explain what her co-workers were thinking. And she isn’t allowed to bring her gun into the house. She said at 21, she likes to go out and have fun. Yet it seems that she sacrifices much more. She said during dinner, she had to text a guy she likes and tell him no, she can’t go out this weekend, she’ll be working.During Homecoming week, when some students spent nearly every night crowding houses to party, she worked a five-hour weeknight shift. She planned to take someone’s Homecoming football game shift, and she acknowledged that walking through the liquor-soaked tailgating fields, she might have to arrest someone she knew.Her roommate and sorority sister junior Allison Schmid said she thinks Meredith has to work hard to keep a steady balance. “She doesn’t get to go out and do a lot of the other stuff we get to do.” Schmid said she wishes people understood better the time Meredith puts into the force, the reason she might show up to dinner in uniform before running back out for rounds. But Meredith maintains that it’s worth it. Every party she skips, every date she misses, is another couple hours she is working toward her goal. “Sometimes I’d just rather be doing this because I love it so much,” she said.Editor's Note: The comments on this story have been turned off because of their harmful nature. Contact editor@idsnews.com if you'd like your opinion to be heard.
(11/30/10 4:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Unless you have prepared yourself and deserve to emerge victorious, do not expect to be disappointed when you lose.”Those words line one side of the IU wrestling room and epitomize the mindset of its two hometown heroes. From second grade through Bloomington High School South, and now as they begin their senior season, Kurt Kinser and Paul Young have been groomed to be on the mat.Bloomington South coach Royce Deckard is a distant cousin of Kinser, and Kinser’s father is a former Indiana High School State Champion.One of seven siblings, Young began his tenure on the mat when his oldest brother brought the sport home one day, and the rest of the boys followed suit.The Young boys have produced five state championships with Paul claiming back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006.Having watched Kinser and Young throughout their younger days, Deckard said the will to win was always there.“I had seen both of them wrestle in the freestyle and have known them ever since they were real little kids,” Deckard said. “I watched them grow and develop, and they both had great potential.”After establishing themselves on the varsity scene for the Panthers, the two capped off their high school careers with individual state championships.“We wrestle eight of the top 15 schools in the state, so they took a few knocks but kept working at it,” Deckard said. “To be under the lights at the state tournament is fabulous, and to see those two guys out there one weight class and then the next weight class, it’s a great feeling. I have had 17 state championships, and there is nothing like it.” It only seemed fitting that upon graduating from high school, Kinser and Young would continue wrestling at IU.Both wrestlers, coach Duane Goldman said, and the opportunity to continue to build the IU program were the key factors in staying in Bloomington.“We recruited them because they were some of the top guys in the country and obviously we felt they could be that here,” Goldman said.After redshirting during their freshman campaigns, both wrestlers have advanced to multiple NCAA Championships while being staples in the middle of the Hoosiers’ lineup.With both wrestlers in the middleweights, Goldman said there are a few striking similarities that overshadow the differences in their styles on the mat.“Paul is more of a leg attack guy whereas Kurt is more upper-body,” Goldman said. “They are both extremely hard workers and competitive and both really strong. “They actually have a lot more similarities than differences, which you might not know it by watching them wrestle. But their similarities far outweigh their differences, and thank goodness those are all great qualities.”This offseason, Kinser and Young were faced with the dilemma of whether or not to cut down a weight class before the season.However, Young was not going to cut down into Kinser’s 157-pound weight class if his longtime friend did not want to make the move as well.“They both went down a weight class this year, and that was a mutual thing too,” Goldman said. “Paul wasn’t going to cut unless Kurt went down, and Kurt decided to go down, so Paul decided to do the same.” It should come as no surprise to anyone that their coach shares the same aspirations as his senior leaders.“They are great friends, and they are also great teammates,” Goldman said. “Our only goal for them is to become national champions because our goals are their goals, and those are their goals.” Both Deckard and Goldman echoed the same sentiments regarding the leadership and hard work shown by their former and present wrestlers.The No. 6-ranked Kinser and No. 6-ranked Young were born to be wrestlers, and as they enter their final seasons as Hoosiers, they obviously have the same goal.“I thought this place gave me the best chance to win a national championship, which has been my goal since I was little,” Young said.Kinser echoed Young’s sentiment. “You always want to win everything,” Kinser said. “I don’t see why you would want to wrestle if you weren’t aiming for a national championship.”The quote can’t be missed inside the IU wrestling room, but now the real question becomes whether or not the name “Kinser” or “Young” will be etched on the board outside the room as the next Hoosier All-American.E-mail: kdbowen@indiana.edu
(11/23/10 10:14pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Protesting the wave of violence in the Middle East, around 40 students marched from Dunn Meadow to the Bloomington courthouse.The protest was fueled by the slaying of seven Palestinian workers by a former Israeli soldier, who Israeli officials determined was deranged, and correlated with similar demonstrations nationwide."We want to express our outrage and call for American support for the Palestinian cause," graduate student Assem Faress said in an IDS article. "We want our people to live in peace."
(11/23/10 7:36pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As Paul Helmke, student body president, made announcements at a rally
addressing a 68 percent tuition increase, a group of black students made
a late entrance. Helmke introduced Acting Chancellor John Snyder, who
responded to four students' demands for a recision of the fee increase. "Somehow, the Black student representatives got to the microphone," Gale L. Selis wrote in a paper titled "What's Happening on Our Campus?" "Another Black speaker seemed to 'let it all come out': ... 'If we have to burn down the G_ _ _ _ _ University, building by building, we will.' This was not welcomed at all by the other students, only the Black students."Coincidentally, smoke from a fire in the Graduate Library soon became evident to the group in the meadow. Helmke disavowed that anyone in the group initiated the fire.Library workers said the building's alarm sounded around 12:30 but stopped after three minutes. Smoke was first noticed near a lighting fixture close to the catalogue department, and workers notified others in the circulation department. By the time the fire was discovered, telephones in the building had died and someone in Bryan Hall had to make the call to the fire department.The fire was the second in the library in a little more than two months, causing around $500,000 in damages. The first firAs Paul Helmke, student body president, made announcements at a rally addressing a 68 percent tuition increase, a group of black students made a late entrance. Helmke introduced Acting Chancellor John Snyder, who responded to four students' demands for a recision of the fee increase."Somehow, the Black student representatives got to the microphone," Gale L. Selis wrote in a paper titled "What's Happening on Our Campus?" "Another Black speaker seemed to 'let it all come out': ... 'If we have to burn down the G_ _ _ _ _ University, building by building, we will.' This was not welcomed at all by the other students, only the Black students."Coincidentally, smoke from a fire in the Graduate Library soon became evident to the group in the meadow. Helmke disavowed that anyone in the group initiated the fire.Library workers said the building's alarm sounded around 12:30 but stopped after three minutes. Smoke was first noticed near a lighting fixture close to the catalogue department, and workers notified others in the circulation department. By the time the fire was discovered, telephones in the building had died and someone in Bryan Hall had to make the call to the fire department.The fire was the second in the library in a little more than two months, causing around $500,000 in damages. The first fire cost $665,000 and was confined to the sub-basement.Glancing toward the library during the rally, Ted Najam said, "Look, if the library goes, we won't need a boycott to close the University because without those books, this University is dead," according to an IDS article.e cost $665,000 and was confined to the sub-basement.Glancing toward the library during the rally, Ted Najam said, "Look, if the library goes, we won't need a boycott to close the University because without those books, this University is dead," according to an IDS article.
(11/19/10 5:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The spooning wall, a low limestone wall near the law school, was a favorite meeting spot for lovers.But as Hoagy Carmichael sat there, he realized just how alone he was. In 1927, at 28, he had returned to his college campus and his hometown of Bloomington. All his friends were graduated and gone. The girl he loved was gone too. And the campus lacked the vibrancy it seemed to have during his college days.But then, as legend has it, he decided to stop feeling sorry for himself and started with a tune. A melody popped into the songwriter’s head, and it was so compelling that he ran to his favorite hang out, the Book Nook. It was closed, but he pounded on the door anyway, and the owner let him in.Inside, he rushed to the piano to compose what would later, once its tempo was slowed down to a ballad, become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century.“Sometimes I wonder why I spend the lonely nights dreaming of a song.”The song was “Stardust.” Its melody became wildly popular, making Carmichael famous and rich.
(11/18/10 5:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As solutions to problems such as disease and hunger become more and more complex, life science companies are competing to find workers with the right set of skills.So, these companies are planning for the future.IU Kelley School of Business and its Center for the Business of Life Sciences will present a conference Friday that will focus on education for workers going into Indiana’s life science companies and will address the change needed as the industry becomes increasingly complicated.The conference, from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. at Cook Medical World Headquarters in Bloomington, will feature speakers from bio-manufacturing and research companies in Indiana, as well as representatives from IU, other Indiana colleges and state government.George Telthorst, director of the Center for the Business of Life Sciences, said the point of the conference is to show what life science companies think they need in the future in terms of employee skill and what education systems in the state can do to meet it. In short, he said, the conference will lay out what Indiana needs to do to match up workers’ skills with the industry’s opportunities so the state can stay competitive.“We need a workforce that’s engaged,” Telthorst said.Indiana is in the top six or seven life science states in country, he said, and the industry is an important economic engine. To remain competitive, Telthorst said, Indiana needs more people who are comfortable and have a technical background, including the ability to use the metric system, do calculations and follow written instructions well.He said providing the training, which would most likely need to be at least an associate’s degree, would give workers more opportunities.Besides the technical training, employees must be able to solve problems and work in teams, said Ron Walker, president of the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, which works with local life sciences companies.New college graduates will benefit from a background in science, business and a knowledge of regulations, said Vicki Neddenriep, vice president of global human resources of Covance Central Laboratory Services, Inc.Business people and scientists need to have some understanding of each other, Neddenriep said, and the biggest trend now is the continued advancement of complexity, which has resulted in more advanced products and technologies.“We’re able to diagnose and treat diseases we’d never be able to treat 10 or 15 years ago,” she said.The need for a grasp of scientific theory, math, interpersonal skills and business goes for employees with high degrees — doctoral and master — as well as workers in a factory.The days when corporate scientists could simply focus on science and not worry about the business side or team-based problem solving are over, said Kay Kuenker, vice president for new business development at Dow AgroSciences.And, she said, companies are competing for those workers with the right set of technical and interpersonal skills.“There is a talent war,” Kuenker said.More information about the Center for the Business of Life Sciences, as well as the conference, visit www.kelley.iu.edu/cbls/.
(11/03/10 4:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Before 2010, IU graduate student Julie Archer had never voted in a midterm election. This year, she not only voted, she volunteered to work about a 16-hour day at a polling location. Archer saw an e-mail from The School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation asking for Election Day volunteers. She decided to sign up on Oct. 27.“I was looking for candidates and saw on the county government’s website they still needed volunteers,” Archer said.Shortly after signing up, Archer received a phone call informing her she would be the Republican Sheriff for the Teter polling location. Both a Republican Sheriff and a Democratic Sheriff are required to be stationed at each polling location. As Archer sat on a chair just outside the entrance to the Teter Formal Lounge, she described her sheriff duties for the day.“We answer people’s questions, direct them to the voting area and remind them to pull out their IDs,” Archer said.Archer said the county government was worried about problems with excessive campaigning at polling locations. Another part of her job is to keep those campaigners at bay. Campaigners are required to stay at least 50 feet away from the polling booths, she said. “If there’s a riot or anything, we’re ready to take care of it,” Archer said, jokingly.One woman stood about 50 feet from the polling booths campaigning about Public Question Two, also known as the Monroe County Community School Corporation referendum. Archer said the woman had asked where she could stand earlier in the day and that there hadn’t been any problems.Archer was still wearing her winter hat that afternoon and her red jacket hung from her chair. Both clothing items were a sign of the cold morning she endured while sitting near Teter’s circle drive entrance.“We were both wearing our coats when the door was opening up, but it’s warmed up since,” Archer said.Archer had to wake up at 4 a.m. in order to report for her volunteer Sheriff duty at 5 a.m.. “I just got up and made some coffee and drove over here,” Archer said. “We’ve had some caffeinated products and food today.”A thick stack of reading material sat on the floor next to Archer’s chair.“I have a lit review due tomorrow so I’m trying to get that done,” she said.Nine and a half hours into her volunteer duties, she had managed to read four packets from the stack.At 5:50 p.m., 10 minutes before the polls closed, Archer was out of her seat to regulate the voting line, making sure people had signed in before they voted.She looked at the line of 16 people waiting to vote. Archer and her fellow volunteers at the Teter polling location couldn’t start to count votes until the last people in line had cast their ballots. “Somebody said it’s going to take three hours to count these votes,” Archer said, which means she won’t get to leave until about 9 p.m.She glanced across the room at a table filled with sandwiches. “But they brought us more food,” she said.Archer said she was tired, but enjoyed her day.“I think it’s definitely been an experience,” Archer said. “I think I’d still do it again if they asked me.”
(11/02/10 6:30pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IDS ReportsWith the polls closing in a matter of hours, the biggest reported problem coming from the polls is that the two public questions on the ballot are not written clearly.“I guess it’s just legal language,” freshman Katie Swintz said. “I don’t study law. I don’t understand the professional lingo.”Graduate student Sara Fry-Miller said if she hadn’t researched the public questions before showing up at Assembly Hall to vote, she wouldn’t have been able to understand them.Voters will encounter the two questions at the end of the ballot.The first is an amendment to Indiana’s Constitution that would place a cap on property taxes. The cap would be placed between 1 and 3 percent depending on the type of property.Proponents of the amendment say it helps taxpayers by keeping taxes low and keeps government spending under control.Opponents say the amendment is unnecessary because it is already a state law and is unfair to some taxpayers.The second question is a referendum that would raise property taxes to help replace lost funds for the Monroe County Community School Corporation, the public school system for Monroe County.Proponents say the money is needed to fix problems caused by a limited budget such as eliminated staffing positions.Opponents say the problem is rooted in the way school budgets work in Indiana and that the state legislature should address the issue in the beginning of 2011.Polling locations have seen a decent turnout though.“We’ve had a consistent flow,” Julie Archer, a poll worker at Teter Quad, said. “We thought it’d be really slow, but it’s been better than expected.”The polls will close at 6 p.m.. All voters must present photo identification when they arrive. Voters who registered in Indiana for the first time this election must bring proof of address.Voters can look up their precinct’s voting location online at www.indianavoters.in.gov.
(10/22/10 3:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Carven Thomas feels blessed.The Bloomington GE union president celebrated with co-workers Monday when GE announced a $93 million investment in the plant as part of a $161 million initiative through 2014.“To go from having to look for a job to knowing you’re going to have a job — a good job — for the next few years, that’s indescribable,” he said.The 44-year-old factory worker endured years of layoffs and closure threats, wondering if and when his job would cease to exist.At one point, he viewed the plant’s uncertain situation as a positive opportunity to go back to school and take on the challenge of a new career. That was before the economic collapse. Suddenly, he found himself facing the daunting reality of competing against recent college graduates with bachelor’s degrees in an unstable economic climate.Though previously threatened with a closing announcement two years ago, the plant now faces a significant investment for its future.The funding will convert the plant to run the new, energy-efficient products of the future. The conversion is crucial in a time when legislation continues to push for new energy efficient units and appliances, Thomas said.The investment also marks a change in strategies, as GE spent the past 12 years transferring production away from the Bloomington facility. “GE’s investment indicates the company’s faith in Bloomington and its workforce,” Mayor Mark Kruzan said in an e-mail. “This really is a perfect case study of what staying competitive and relevant means to the American workforce.”The side-by-side refrigerators from the plant will now meet anticipated high-efficiency Energy Star criteria as well as the 2014 U.S. Department of Energy efficiency standards. The funding will also create 200 jobs by 2014, bringing employment back to numbers similar to before last fall’s layoff of about 190 workers. Based on this job creation plan, the company can receive up to $2.25 million in performance-based tax credits from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.The benefit of those 200 jobs goes beyond the four walls of GE, said Ron Walker, director of the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation. As a result of supplier relationships and consumer spending, Walker projected that 170 outside jobs will benefit from the addition of 200 new GE jobs. This equates to about 140 households affected by the addition.Outside businesses also benefit, as the plant requires services and utilities.“They require everything from maintenance to food to paper towels,” Walker said. “All down the line they need things, and there are other companies that provide those things.”The economic ripple effect of this investment should not be underestimated, Kruzan said.“The buying power of the company and its employees means more dollars circulating through our community, which is really one of the defining aspects of what keeps a community livable,” Kruzan said. “The fact that not only is GE staying open, but is adding 200 jobs is nothing short of a blessing for Bloomington.”
(10/20/10 3:20pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>International students from more than 125 countries attend IU, but where can they go when they need help, miss home or want to meet people in similar situations?One place is the IU Asian Culture Center.Lanita Gregory Campbell, a graduate assistant at the Asian Culture Center, said the main focus for the center is foundation events, programs that are set in stone and occur with a certain frequency.Campbell coordinated this semester’s ongoing event “Over a Cup of Tea.” This monthly program is a discussion about issues that Pacific Asian-Americans face, with guest speakers coming in to offer their own input.The next discussion will take place 7 p.m. today in the center. The talk will cover public health programs that are geared towards Asian Americans.This semester’s topics for “Over a Cup of Tea” are immigration, public health for Asian-Americans and international adoption.September’s discussion, “Real Borders, Real Fences, and Real Laws: Immigration Reform,” focused largely on the new immigration law in Arizona with guest speakers Melissa Britton, the City of Bloomington’s Latino outreach coordinator, Gracia Valliant from the Commission on Hispanic and Latino Affairs and Christie Popp, an attorney with Indiana Legal Services Immigrants’ and Language Rights Center.Topics discussed ranged from Stephen Colbert’s work on the “Take Our Jobs” campaign to why people are so worried about illegal immigration.Valliant said illegal immigrants aren’t coming to take advantage of anyone.“They’re coming because of the opportunity the U.S. has,” she said.The talk also included the conditions were for these workers.“Employers take advantage and pay less,” Britton said. The jobs discussed were dishwashers and fruit and vegetable pickers. One student said where she lived in California, there was a strike with the fruit pickers.“The fruit literally rotted in the trees,” she said.The discussion also brought up both sides of the conflict in Arizona, how conflict is in other states and how different groups have been treated differently throughout America’s history.
(10/20/10 3:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Hopefully sooner than later, there will be some initiative taken by someone — anyone, for God’s sake — to correct the long overdue problem of unscrupulous sports agents giving college athletes, predominately college football and basketball players, illegal benefits. Although programs such as South Carolina, Florida and Georgia top the list of programs under investigation stemming from incidents this summer, it’s not a new problem. Last week, Josh Luchs, a former football agent and employee of super agent Gary Wichard, came clean with a tell-all story in Sports Illustrated. Luchs confessed his and others’ violations in a must-read revelation that brings the whole mess into perspective.Where does the problem start? Look no further than the NCAA itself. Let’s face it, the NCAA will never fix its hypocritical flaw in not allowing players to accept any form of compensation from anyone — the league itself or Bobby’s Burger Palace. By making millions in TV deals and player-specific merchandise, the NCAA is leaving its athletes — workers, in a sense — to fend for and support themselves. Nonprofit, eh?Someone tell me how a college athlete with a full class load while spending four to five hours a day with their sport in season is supposed to have a source of income supplying them with enough money to last the entire academic year. And that’s not even considering summer school and “voluntary” workouts during those months, a time when most students go home or take summer classes and have a summer job at the golf course or Cheeseburger in Paradise. There’s no problem with the fact that college athletics has become a year-round involvement — but there needs to be. What’s a graduated senior who’s preparing for the NFL supposed to do? Take off January and most of February to show up flat at the combine and lose thousands — maybe millions — of dollars based on where he’s drafted?Where it begins to become a problem is when the NCAA’s billions come at the athletes’ expense and well-being. Look at the BCS — how much of the TV, ticket and sponsorship cut is going to the players? The NCAA is all but asking the players to take money — where else are they going to get it? By leaving the athletes out, the NCAA baits representation firms to offer, and it baits players to accept even harder. Matthew Pope, director of football operations and marketing agent for Exclusive Sports Group, LLC, said he thinks there needs to be a cohesive effort on the part of the NCAA and the NFL Players Association to fix the agent problem. “I think the NCAA needs to team up with the league and the NFLPA to deter agents,” Pope, whose company represents more than 20 players in the NFL, said. “You have to look at it from the NCAA and NFLPA perspectives. There needs to be some sort of certification suspension.” The temptation to take up dirty agents on their cash or beach houses wouldn’t be enough to risk eligibility, and in turn, the opportunity to improve draft stock. It would also take some heat off the schools, the wrong places to dish out most of the blame. “You see the players getting in trouble a lot with (agent assistants or ‘runners’),” Pope said. “Most coaches teach kids the right way to do it, but they’re not with them 24 hours a day.”Agents have a vital role in a player’s well-being. They have to be hired. That is, at the legal time, which in football begins after the final game of a player’s senior year or when he declares for the NFL Draft. Picture a middle linebacker not making similar contract numbers to another who put up equal or lesser stats due to lack of research. Or picture a wideout suffering a season-ending injury while playing at San Diego. Who’s going to make sure he gets proper workman’s compensati on benefits in California, one of the most employee-friendly states in the union? The NCAA’s intentions are great, but it’s time they look at this from multiple perspectives and do one of two things: either team up with NFLPA and/or government to stick it to dirty agents, or team up with presidents and athletics directors and fix this problem themselves through some sort of financial support. They hold the power, just like they hold the green. Simple as that. E-mail: ftherber@indiana.edu
(09/17/10 3:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Leon Beckum isn’t the type of person that seems to like to talk about himself, but if you ask those around him, he’s more than deserving.“I’ve had so many people come up to me and say ‘Mr. Beckum, your son is such a gentleman,’” said Dan Beckum, Leon’s father. “It just makes me so proud.”The younger Beckum, a junior at IU, will make his first start as middle linebacker Saturday when the football team travels to Western Kentucky for its second game of the year. While starting is an accomplishment for any player, it seems to carry a little more weight for Beckum.Leon is a local product from Bloomington High School North, and despite a senior season with the Cougars that landed him on the all-conference team and gave him team MVP honors, Beckum wasn’t a heavily recruited prospect — partially due to his smaller size.“I really didn’t want to play football, but my high school coach kind of talked me into it,” Beckum said.That high school coach, Bloomington North’s Scott Bless, knew Beckum was the type of athlete who could overcome the perceived shortcomings.“He didn’t necessarily fit on paper, but I knew he had the intangibles,” Bless said, noting he’s not at all surprised to see what Beckum has accomplished.Bless had seen how Beckum operated under his tutelage with a steady, consistent work ethic and challenged the player with “quiet confidence” to go for it.“I talked to Coach Lynch, and he said he had a spot for me,” Beckum said. “I walked on to the team, and from there it was an uphill battle, but I just kept on fighting. Now, I’m here.”IU coach Bill Lynch said Beckum’s biggest obstacle was gaining size — a hurdle that the now 5-foot, 11-inch Beckum cleared in the only way he knew how.“He’s worked very, very hard particularly in the weight room,” Lynch said. “He is a physical, Big Ten middle linebacker now.”Lynch estimated that coming out of high school, Beckum weighed in at 195 pounds. The linebacker redshirted his freshman year in 2007 before making six appearances on special teams in 2008. Last season, Beckum registered five tackles in eight games while on special teams and as a back-up linebacker.For the season-opener against Towson, Beckum was second on the depth chart behind junior Jeff Thomas. Those roles have been switched for the WKU contest.“I always tell (walk-ons) when they come, its a marathon not a sprint,” said Lynch. “There’s a lot of things that you have to go through, and you have to outlast your competition. You may have to outlast that guy in your class that was a recruited guy.”A marathon is something Beckum has gotten used to, thanks to his father, Dan. The 67-year-old has competed in marathons and other running races since he started running to lose weight nearly 40 years ago. Now, the elder Beckum — a lifelong factory worker retired from GE — said he still works out and stays active six days a week.Lessons from such long-distance running, most notably never to quit, were always important to Dan and he passed those along to Leon and his older brother Dan Jr. However, academics were always the father’s priority.“Growing up, my dad always told me that school was first,” Beckum said. “He had 11 brothers and sisters that grew up on a farm together, and he wasn’t able to go to school. "He ended up working at GE, so he always put it in my head that school was first and that academics were where I had to go. After he installed that in my head, I just wanted to do good in school, graduate and get that degree.”To borrow a football term, Leon has out-kicked his coverage academically. Twice, Beckum has earned All-Big Ten Academic honors — one of 18 current Hoosier players to hold the distinction. Beckum is pursuing his degree as a fitness specialist.“I want to be a strength and conditioning coach,” Beckum said. “I like working out, I like lifting weights, I like training people. I can see myself doing that when I get older.”Beckum might have already reached the adult plateau of “older” though. His duties on the football field and academics aside, Beckum has a one-year-old son who turns two in December.“It’s hard with school and football practice and then trying to have time for him,” Beckum said. “It’s hard, but I’m in to the routine now, so it gets easier and easier each day.”The challenge is made easier, Beckum said, thanks to his girlfriend taking care of their child while Beckum is caught up in the football season. In between summer off-season workouts, Beckum also has a job at a local apartment community.Undoubtedly, raising a child with a plate as full as Beckum’s can be tough. But relying on his father’s advice to keep working, as well as forward thinking, have Beckum in a mature state of mind.“I don’t want to do anything that will embarrass him in the future or anything like that,” Beckum said. “I keep my head on straight for him, and it pushes me more to get that degree so I can raise him and give him anything he wants.”The result has also been a better football player, IU linebacker coach Mike Yeager said.“He’s real mature for his age, obviously, with his situation,” Yeager said. “He has great discipline and time management because I think he needs to in his daily life to handle being a father, going to school and playing Division I football.”Yeager said Beckum was in the weight room nearly every morning over the summer at 6 a.m. before heading to his apartment job.“Then, he comes back in the afternoon and runs,” Yeager said. “He’s the type of guy that you want to have in your program and help leading the defense.”
(09/02/10 1:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In 2008, students on this campus and on college campuses around the country accomplished something extraordinary. You turned conventional wisdom on its head by doing one simple thing: showing up. Here in Indiana, you made thousands of phone calls, knocked on hundreds of doors and came out to vote in historical numbers for the candidates and causes you care about. By doing so, you showed not only that young people care about the future of our country, but also that you are determined to shape it yourselves.And it’s a good thing too because you are inheriting some of the toughest challenges we’ve seen in generations.Among the most pressing challenges we’re facing — especially for those of you in your senior year — is putting our economy back on solid ground and ensuring there are abundant job opportunities for college graduates. The numbers don’t lie. The average college student now graduates with about $20,000 in debt. With an unemployment rate of just less than 10 percent, recent college graduates are competing against more experienced workers for scarce jobs. So our leaders must be focused on creating an environment that encourages businesses to choose Indiana and once they’re here, to grow and create good jobs for college graduates.The first thing we can do is ensure you have the skills and training you need to compete in the global economy. Indiana’s economy is shifting toward advanced manufacturing with high-tech plants that produce complex products for automakers, medical device companies and other major industries. Graduates must have the training necessary to do these jobs if we are going to continue expanding this sector of our economy. That means increasing investment in advanced manufacturing and engineering programs at Indiana’s two and four year colleges. It also means making tuition more affordable for students and their families. Our daughter, Andrea, graduated from IU just a few years ago, so my wife and I have experienced rising tuition costs first hand. I want to make it easier for Hoosiers to go to college. That’s why I supported legislation to cut the interest rate on subsidized student loans from 6.8 to 3.4 percent and to expand the Federal Pell Grant Program to provide more need-based college grants to millions of American students. These small steps will save IU students an average of $2,000 to $4,000 during the life of their loans.There are a lot of other things we can do to make Indiana the destination for businesses to locate and create jobs. That’s everything from investing in our infrastructure and schools, cutting the red tape that prevents small businesses from growing and thriving and providing long-term tax relief to allow middle class families and small businesses to plan for the future.We can pass common sense energy legislation that keeps utility bills affordable while beginning the transition to cleaner forms of renewable energy to power our homes, cars and businesses.We can invest in our schools, put talented teachers in our classrooms and make sure every student – no matter his or her background – has an equal chance to succeed at school and at life.And above all, we can elect leaders who put progress before politics; leaders who put others before themselves; leaders who will fight for everyday Hoosiers instead of the powerful special interests in Washington. Just as you did in 2008, you have the power to shape the direction of this country through your vote and your voice. You can make a difference — but only if you show up.So register to vote by Oct. 4, volunteer to make calls or knock on doors, and be sure to vote on Nov. 2.
(08/30/10 3:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s 2 p.m. and partly cloudy — the ideal time for Billy Graves to roll out of bed.After a busy night and busier morning of serving drinks and wiping tables, the 29-year-old IU alumnus wipes sleep from his hazel eyes — he’d managed six hours, this time — readjusts his signature mohawk and throws on a red Indiana shirt smudged with bright white paint. It’ll only get dirtier today.Instead of stirring cocktails, the full time bartender will spend the afternoon mixing paint.He must continue to transform, brick by painstaking brick, 79 feet of Kilroy’s on Kirkwood into a detailed reflection of Hoosier culture.Now serving legacyLast spring, Dave Prall, manager of KOK, decided he wanted a massive mural to cover the building’s left side. Kilroy’s has been under his family’s ownership since the ’70s, he said. It’s up to him to make it look good.He approached Graves with the commission just before the bar closed for summer renovations. After all, the bartender had graduated with a degree in fine arts, spent off hours illustrating comic books and had devoted nearly three years of service to Kilroy’s.It wasn’t Graves’ first artistic endeavor for Prall. He’d painted objects inside the bar, too: a logo-emblazoned table, an embellished “Drinko” wheel.But the 79-by-13-foot space — a canvas that would take three months to fill — was his largest undertaking.“It’s kind of a big deal, I guess,” Graves said. “But I don’t really have passionate feelings about it. It’s a job — not my personal mural, my personal ideas. But I do have pride. It’s mine.”Prall instructed Graves to cover the wall in IU memorabilia: scenes from Assembly Hall, cheerleaders, Little 500 cyclists and football players.To bring Prall’s vision to life, Graves arranged a collage with photos he’d found online. He sketched the scenes, used Photoshop to apply color and divided a mural outline into small grids.Then, he mounted his ladder and began painting in June.“It all started on paper,” Graves said. “Every inch I drew scaled to a foot of space on the wall. And it was hard to not get stuck on every foot of space because I’m so detail-oriented. I kept telling myself to focus on the big picture.”A job well paintedNow, as Kirkwood Avenue buzzes to life with the return of IU students, only a few blank spaces remain on the animated wall.Graves, admiring his work, reminisces on difficulties he faced throughout those long, hot afternoons of painting: abrasive construction sounds, uneven ground, workers throwing away his paint, shelling out cash to resupply his paint and surprise-attack bee stings.He estimates he’ll be finished by mid-week. And then, he’ll have a beer.“It looks so good — I love it!” his co-bartender and girlfriend Nisha said, as she stood outside the establishment and gazed upward. “But I knew it would be really good. I’ve seen his work.”Despite using durable paint, Graves said he knows keeping his work “really good” will require frequent attention. Thanks to continuous exposure of sunlight and rain, the mural’s lifespan peaks at four years.But Prall, pleased and impressed, will maintain the artwork. It’s the best mural in town, he said.“I’m very happy with the results,” he said. “The mural has exceeded my expectations and captured IU spirit.”As for Graves, he’ll continue bartending and illustrating comic books. Eventually, he’ll write his own. He’s already envisioned characters and a plotline, though he refuses to reveal details.But Prall has another task for the artist to complete before he serves a single Long Island.“You’ve got another table to paint,” he said with a grin.
(08/11/10 10:30pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Behind every popular food item is a story.The menus of many local restaurants feature items named after people, places and events in Bloomington.“Usually people don’t understand why things are named after people or specific things, and they might think that’s a little weird,” said John Santos, owner of Dagwood’s Deli & Sub Shop. “That might make the items harder to remember.”Some of what inspires many Bloomingtonians influences the names of their dishes.Hoosier PrideNot surprisingly, many local restaurants want to show support for their hometown.Bloomington is known as a college town with many students and young workers.“The Hoosier Scramble is something filling with a lot of substance,” said Bryan Mecsey, an employee of Village Deli. “It’s got two eggs scrambled on an English muffin with a good amount of sausage gravy on it — enough to get you through a hard working day.”Some take a more literal approach to Bloomington-based dishes.For example, the Cream N Crimson appetizer at Crazy Horse is arranged to flaunt IU’s school colors.“If you look at the hummus, on one side is roasted red pepper hummus and on the other is regular hummus, so they really are crimson and cream,” Crazy Horse manager Brian Radermacher said.LOCAL CELEBRITIESIt is common for local restaurants to name food items after the people responsible for creating them.The original owner of Nick’s English Hut was the inspiration for several dishes on the menu, including Nick’s Fries, Nick’s Original Chili Recipe and Nick’s Burger.“This place was just a bar when Nick Hrisomalos owned the place,” said Zac Coddens, manager of Nick’s English Hut. “Dick Barns bought Nick’s off of him, and when they expanded the menu to include pizza and burgers, he named some things after him.”Some owners are even responsible for some of the most popular recipes, including various dishes at Village Deli.“Paxton’s Patty Melt and Paxton’s Potatoes were named after the former owner, Mr. Paxton,” Mecsey said. “They were his specialties. About a month ago, the Food Network Magazine named it the best thing to eat in Indiana.”Menu items can also represent the inspiration that restaurant owners get from their families. BuffaLouie’s owner was so inspired by his father that he named the restaurant after him.Other times, it is the owner’s friends or employees who influence them. The Butch & Beaner’s sub at Dagwood’s was named after two long-time friends of Santos.“Beaner was a college roommate here at IU, and Butch was a friend from those days,” Santos said. “They were great supporters when we first opened up.”There are also many everyday Bloomingtonians who have earned their own dishes on local restaurant menus.“Bad Elmer’s Porter is actually a mechanic that works right around here,” said Angela Schnick, general manager of The Upland Brewing Co. “He’s on the label for this beer. We have him dressed in animal skin and an old-time musket to represent the ruggedness of the Uplands where it is brewed. We make some of our food with it, so those are named after him, too.”And Village Deli named a food item after Hoagy Carmichael, the same man who earned a statue of himself on IU’s campus in 2008.“Hoagy Carmichael was a famous pianist, and he also graduated from IU,” Mecsey said. “So Carmichael’s Hogie is a funny play on words for a Village Deli sandwich. It’s like an IU shout- out.”HOT SPOTSMany Bloomington restaurants show pride for their own locations. BuffaLouie’s, for example, named The Gable Burger after the tradition of the building our of which they operate.“The Gables Restaurant was in the same place we are now for a long, long time,” said BuffaLouie’s manager Scott Rogers. “We get a lot of IU alumni wanting to see what we’ve done with the place because they used to hang out here.”BIG EVENTS The Cutter’s Club at BuffaLouie’s is a celebration a favorite Bloomington pastime: the Little 500.“It is the team from the movie Breaking Away, and it is also the name of the independent cycling team that wins all the time at the Little 500,” Rogers said.BuffaLouie’s also named the Indiana Classic sub after one of Bloomington’s old traditions.“The Indiana Classic was a big early season basketball tournament,” Rogers said. “We hosted it in Bloomington every so often.”
(07/15/10 12:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indianapolis independent film “The Mini” is anything but small.The movie tells the story of Fran Molon, a humble futon salesman is looking to break into the competitive mattress business. Unfortunately, this Indianapolis industry is dominated by Molon’s high school bully-turned-casanova co-worker, Rick. Molon’s only chance to break into the business, become assistant manager and live out his dreams lies in beating his nasty colleague in the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon.Let the training begin.“The Mini,” though unaffiliated with the official Mini-Marathon, continues to run across the country and break records.Indianapolis native Ron Beck wrote and directed the mini-movie, which was shot completely in and around his hometown.“Filming in Indianapolis was crucial to the film’s success,” Beck said. “We shot in over 70 locations, which is really unheard of for an independent film with such a small budget, and Indiana residents always stepped up to offer their time, their businesses and their homes.”Beck also maintained the hometown feel by recruiting IU interns to work on the project. Assistant producer and recent IU graduate Kevin Bar was one of them.“‘The Mini’ has a wacky feel,” Bar said. “It’s a funny family film that was fun to work with.”Bar got involved with “The Mini” through IU’s telecommunications program. After he produced a documentary that featured the IU women’s soccer team, a professor recognized his craftsmanship and recommended him to work on “The Mini.”“Coming off my last semester at IU and getting to work with Ron Beck — it just looked like a fantastic opportunity to pursue,” Bar said.Bar now is working for MTV, a job his work on “The Mini” helped land.“When you think of interns, you usually think of people getting coffee, but we were really thrown in there,” Bar said. “It was frightening but cool.”Twenty IU interns were recruited for the project, from either faculty at the telecommunications department or through an intensive application process.The interns worked 16-hour days, designing specific frames for the movie, shooting and assisting with some editing work. Bar also worked on some of the pre- and post-production marketing for the film.One of the lessons Bar learned from “The Mini” had to do with the film’s $25,000 budget.“Students need to know that you don’t need a big Hollywood budget to produce a successful film,” he said.Producer Marty Allain agreed, saying the film was “produced on credit cards, determination and a passion for filmmaking.”“The Mini” has traveled beyond the borders of Indiana to receive national acclaim. It has won several film festival awards around the country, including Best of Fest at Temecula Valley International Film Festival in California, Best Comedy at Bluegrass Independent Film Festival in Kentucky, Best Narrative Feature at Foursite Film Festival in Utah and the Audience Choice Award at the Da Vinci Film Festival in Oregon. High praise also came from John Landis, director of “Animal House,” “Trading Places,” “The Blues Brothers” and “Coming to America,” who called the film “a very funny, heartwarming comedy.”“The Mini” continues to travel, however. Maverick Inc. has picked up the movie for national distribution. It is currently available in most Blockbuster stores and can be purchased online from Blockbuster, Best Buy and Amazon. It can also be queued up on Netflix.“We are proud to be one of a small group of films made by Indiana filmmakers and shot solely at Indianapolis area locations to be available on the shelves at Blockbuster and Hollywood Video stores across the country,” Beck said. “The hundreds of Hoosiers who helped with the film as actors, location owners, volunteer crew and extras should be proud that their hard work will be seen by so many.”
(07/07/10 11:02pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Three Bloomington businesses were recently recognized as some of the best places to work in Indiana.Computerworld magazine recognized IU’s Information Technology Department as one of the “Best Places to Work in IT,” while the Indiana Chamber of Commerce awarded Contact by Design and Employment Plus, Inc. with recognition as two of the “Best Places to Work in Indiana.”Contact by Design was listed as the fifth-best company in Indiana with 50-249 employees. Employment Plus, Inc. was ranked 15th in the same category.Though Jon Jeffries, vice president of Human Resources and Risk Management at Employment Plus, Inc., was humbled by the award, he said he was not surprised by the honor. “People who are satisfied at work produce more satisfied customers,” Jeffries said.Jeffries said this award is representative of employee satisfaction based on an extensive survey they completed for the nomination.Employment Plus, Inc.’s staff filled out surveys in January. The survey’s questions regarded employee satisfaction, benefits and vacations.The company works with employers in local markets around Indiana to provide them a cost-effective alternative to staffing their companies. Based on resumes and interviews, Employment Plus, Inc. tries to match staff to employers. The company is a full-service staffing agency, and Jeffries said he works hard with all employees to provide satisfaction at the job site.“I’m excited about the award, as it is indicative of who we are at the heart of the organization,” Jeffries said.Principal Systems Administrator Kristy Kallback-Rose at University Information Technology Services received bachelor’s degrees in physics and Japanese from IU but was somehow lured into IU’s IT department. She said she enjoys the variety of work she is given and is now participating in a workshop with LEGO Mindstorms, a programmed robot.“I enjoy working with a diverse group of people — from recent graduates to those have been with the company for 25 years,” Kallback-Rose said.IU employs 1600 IT workers at all campuses, not including IU-Purdue University Fort Wayne. IU-Bloomington’s IT Department employs just under 800 people who were randomly selected to participate in the surveys. “Our motivation is recognition not only from a recruitment standpoint, but more importantly for those people who currently work here,” said Debby Allmayer, human resources officer in the Office of the Vice President for IT at IU-Bloomington.Allmayer said she enjoys working every day, as her job is constantly changing and presenting new challenges for her and her team.Allmayer works in Bloomington and travels to Indianapolis to work with staff at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis. Working with different people keeps things interesting, she said. Her co-workers bring new outlooks to projects and other endeavors.“This award recognizes us as a resilient and strong company in Indiana,” Allmayer said.
(06/09/10 7:26pm)
Per IU:
