Candidate inspired by Wells

Jim Capshew graduated from IU in 1979 with a degree in psychology. Since 1990, he has been a faculty member in the department of history and philosophy of science. He is now attempting to become the first faculty member to sit on the board of trustees.\nCapshew said he decided to run partly because of friend Herman B Wells. \nFor Capshew, winning the trustee election would fulfill an inspiration given to him by the former IU chancellor.\nHis 23-year friendship with Wells began in 1977 as an undergraduate. Capshew started working for Wells as part of his private staff. For two years he was part of the house boys' tradition, a job that required him to live with Wells, attending to his needs, such as serving at dinner parties and driving him around.\nCapshew said a spot on the board of trustees would give him a chance to give back to the University.\n"I'm very interested in how an individual can influence. I think that I could attribute a historical perspective to the board. I think it's important to increase the diversity on the board," Capshew said.\n"Being a local IU flagship, I think I could be a voice for campus… I am also concerned with the direction the board is going."\nCapshew said the sitting board is more conservative and is taking the University in a corporate direction -- something he said is not good for the University. The board is comprised of mostly lawyers and businessmen, with the exception of Cora Breckenridge, the only female and African-American on the board.\n"I think increasing the professional diversity on the board is important … I also think we need to get back to the basics of being concerned with the needs of the students," Capshew said.\nHe also feels strongly about issues concerning faculty.\n"The faculty should have control over the curriculum, it should not be based on the business aspects of learning indicator courses," he said. "If I'm elected I want to make sure the faculty has their voice heard."\nAnother issue Capshew feels needs to be addressed is the communication among the board, the alumni and the students. He feels the board is 'out of touch' with the students on campus. Capshew suggested starting a 'Lunch with a Trustee' program where students could go to lunch with a trustee and voice their opinions about issues concerning them. He said it would signal that the trustees are listening and responsive.\n"When Dr. Wells was chancellor, he would have open office hours every week. We need to better communication overall," he said. \nCapshew said an example of this lack of communication is the small number of alumni that have voted in past trustee elections. \n"One of the strengths of IU is that we have over 400,000 living alumni. I'm a little disturbed that only about 10 percent participate in the voting process."\nCapshew said he feels the voter turnout could be a little higher this year, because of some of the issues that caused concerns on-campus, such as the Bob Knight firing and the controversy surrounding Griffy Lake and the golf course construction.\nHe said while people are concerned with these issues, he thinks even more are concerned with the declining quality of the University. Capshew feels it's difficult to say the entire University is declining because of the multiple facets that make up the University.\n"The University is going to grow and expand -- I share with Dr. Wells the same optimistic attitude toward the future of the University," he said.\nEnvironmental issues are also a chief concern for Capshew. He said the IU Physical Plant, renovations of old classroom buildings and the central heating plant next to the Kelley School of Business are things that need to be addressed.\n"There's a good amount of pollution that comes out of the heating plant, and it's unsightly. It would be a huge cost to move that or renovate that, but I will be paying attention to the basic infrastructure of the system to see what can be done."\nCapshew encourages campus ecology, and said there needs to be a leader in "our efforts to conserve energy and preserve green space on campus."\n"I think I can offer things that others cannot. Living in Bloomington I'll be around and I can't hide from anyone wanting to address me," he said. "In the past, I've had a reputation of being quite responsive, serving as a faculty counselor, working with the Wells' scholars and Collins Living and Learning Center."\nHe encourages all who are interested to visit his Web site at www.capshew.org\nIf elected, he promises to carry out the tradition of Herman B Wells, in empowering students to learn.\nCapshew is now working on the authorized biography of Dr. Wells.