Thanks IU

Recently my father noted that I take a few shots at IU in my columns. While this might be true, I feel we attend an overall exceptional school. In the interest of defying my dad by showing my positive side, and in light of the recent Thanksgiving holiday, I have compiled a list of reasons why I am thankful to be a student at Indiana University. \nIt's a beautiful campus\nBy the twenty-third time I heard this phrase at freshman orientation, I was ready to strangle the next person who said it in my presence. But the more time I spend on the Bloomington campus, the more I find myself describing IU in this way. From the mighty Jordan River to the abundance of orange leaves in the fall, walking to class doesn't seem like the burden it could be on other large campuses. The rustic surroundings provide students with an environment and opportunity to simply walk and clear their heads from whatever academic or social stresses are plaguing them at the moment. \nControversies\nI find it highly entertaining to open up the paper every week and learn of a new controversy surrounding the IU Student Association. Whether it's debate over the Corvette or the presidential search committee student representative, we can't seem to get enough. Life is just more fun when controversy abounds, and IUSA has been one of many providers of this excitement. Also deserving high marks in this category is Myles Brand. Life at IU was never dull with his controversial firing of Bob Knight, violations of open door policies and his even more controversial exit. Also earning an honorable mention are everyone's favorite porn stars from Teter.\nStudents' commitment to service\nStudents sometimes get a bad rap in the Bloomington community. We can be loud and rowdy and create heavy traffic in this small town. But IU students give a great deal to the community and hopefully this doesn't go unnoticed. There are student groups solely dedicated to service like the Volunteer Students Bureau, Circle K and the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. Speaking of fraternities, one of the only things I do know about the greek community is that it provides support and funds for many local social service agencies. According to the greek life Web site "Greek Columns," an average of $33,000 is raised yearly for philanthropies, and Greeks spend 8,600 hours providing hands-on service. Service is even becoming a part of IU's curriculum. Students in SPEA's American Humanics nonprofit management certificate program complete monthly service projects, and COAS offers a certificate in service learning. Every year at spring break, countless IU students skip out on trips to Florida to complete service projects in places from Bloomington to Arkansas to Mexico. As students, we should be proud of what we are giving to our community, country and world. \nIU Basketball\nEnough said.\nI'm graduating this month\nMaybe that doesn't sound the way I meant it to. Sure I'm excited to graduate, but I will miss IU. What I love about the fact that I am graduating soon is that I am leaving here with enough abilities and experiences to prepare me for the next phase in my life. Not that I've figured out what that will be. But whatever I decide to do with my future, I'm thankful that Indiana University has been a part of my past.