RHA discusses member compensation
The Residence Hall Association addressed compensation of members and proposed two new compensation models at a meeting ?Wednesday.
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The Residence Hall Association addressed compensation of members and proposed two new compensation models at a meeting ?Wednesday.
IU President Michael A. McRobbie received a Doctor of the University honorary degree from Griffith University July 25. According to a press release, this is the fifth honorary doctorate McRobbie has been awarded since being appointed president of the University.
Dennis Groth has been appointed vice provost for undergraduate education, effective July 1.
The summer heat is pushing energy usage on campus toward peak demand.
The IU Alumni Association Trustee election votes have been counted and a trustee has been elected.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last week, President Michael McRobbie was the first standing IU president to visit Vietnam. McRobbie met with leaders of Vietnam’s National Assembly and of Vietnam National University-Hanoi, the oldest of the country’s two national universities. According to a press release, McRobbie was accompanied by IU Vice President for International Affairs, David Zaret, and IU first lady Laurie McRobbie.McRobbie spoke with Vietnamese government officials and met with the U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, David Shear. Shear organized a reception for IU alumni, friends and senior Vietnamese officials at his home. Among the primary purposes for McRobbie’s visit to Vietnam were to expand upon a partnership, established in 2009, between Vietnam National University and IU. The IU president also sought to highlight the University’s top-ranked School of Public and Environmental Affairs and how it can offer its expertise in public policy and financial management to helping Vietnam’s government better serve its citizenry. Joined by David Reingold and Anh Tran from SPEA, McRobbie met with Phùng Xuân Nha, VNU’s president.Reingold, executive associate dean of SPEA, has helped forge partnerships between IU and VNU as well as with Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training. A native of Vietnam and a professor at SPEA, Tran founded the Vietnam Young Leader Awards, a prestigious scholarship program that brings outstanding government officials from Vietnam to the U.S. for master’s and Ph.D. degrees.McRobbie also explored new opportunities involving IU’s School of Global and International Studies. IU is in the process of expanding its Southeast Asian language and cultural courses and preparing to establish a new center for Southeast Asian studies. Vietnamese language, culture and history and other topics related to Vietnam will increasingly be part of SGIS’ focus in the future.The press release said the IU delegation met with members of the Vietnamese parliament’s Committee for Financial and Budgetary Affairs at the National Assembly, including its chairman, Phùng Quoc Hien. They discussed IU’s specialized teaching and consulting abilities in a number of legal and policy areas. McRobbie and Hien agreed they could serve as the basis for strong collaborative activities between their respective institutions.Members of the IU delegation also visited the National Academy of Public Administration, which provides undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate education in law, administration and government management for students and public servants in Vietnam. NAPA and SPEA signed an official partnership agreement in 2012. Since then, they have initiated several faculty and student exchanges and collaborated on research projects.McRobbie also met with Nguyen Xuan Vang, director general for Vietnam International Education Development in the Ministry of Education and Training, and with Ambassador Shear. They discussed IU’s continued engagement in Vietnam through the Vietnam Young Leaders Awards and other initiatives that will better Vietnam’s government and society, while furthering IU’s profile as a leading international university.IU has more than 300 living alumni in Vietnam, and about 45 Vietnamese students were enrolled this past academic year. Many of them, including nearly all of the graduates of the Vietnam Young Leaders Awards, attended a reception Wednesday at the U.S. Embassy.Javonte Anderson
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU Maurer School of Law recently signed a cooperation agreement with China University of Political Science and Law. This partnership establishes a new Academy for the Study of Chinese Law and Comparative Judicial Systems.China University of Political Science and Law Vice President Baosheng Zhand and IU President Michael McRobbie signed the partnership May 22 in Beijing. The main goal of the cooperation is to create and strengthen connections with countries around the world, said Austen L. Parrish, dean of the Maurer School of Law.“Regardless of where they practice, today’s lawyers need to understand the impact of globalization on our profession, particularly with respect to China and its growing and dynamic economy,” Parrish said. “The academy will be a tremendous asset, and we are proud to be partnering with one of the finest law schools in China.”The cooperation will allow a one-semester exchange program for all interested students attending either university. Maurer students will have the option of studying at either of China University of Political Science and Law’s campuses in Beijing.Parrish said some Maurer faculty members will begin teaching at China University of Political Science and Law and that some of China University’s professors will teach law students at IU.“The Maurer Law School has a strong global mission, and with the global legal profession growing it is important to deepen these relations,” Parrish said.Parrish said unlike most law schools with similar global programming, this cooperation is based on a student’s self-identified interest of wanting to expand his or her knowledge about global relations and law.Parrish said the largest number of applications for the law school come from China. He said the creation of the cooperation with China University of Political Science and Law fulfills a long-time demand by students and faculty.“We wanted to create a deep partnership with a well respected law school, and with so many students from China, we knew there would be a great deal of interest in this specific cooperation,” Parrish said.China University of Political Science and Law is widely known as the leading law school in China, with more than 200,000 graduates, McRobbie said in a press release.Currently, McRobbie, IU vice president for international affairs David Zaret, IU first lady Laurie Burns McRobbie and IU Foundation president and CEO Dan Smith are on a 15-day trip to five Asian countries. While there, McRobbie will also dedicate IU’s international gateway office for China in Beijing.The cooperation with China University of Political Science and Law is one of many between the Maurer School and law schools around the world. Other partnerships include ties with Jagellonian University and University of Warsaw in Poland, University of Hong Kong in China, University of Auckland in New Zealand and O.P. Jindal Global Law School in New Delhi, India.Alexis Daily
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As a native Colombian, department of Spanish and Portuguese lecturer Israel Herrera never anticipated living, let alone teaching and being a community activist, in the United States.This month, Herrera was named the 2014 Indiana Latino Educator of the Year. Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard presented the award to Herrera on May 3 at the Indiana Latino Expo.As a high school teenager, Herrera was captivated with American music. As a monolingual, the lyrics were beyond Herrera’s comprehension, but he remained enchanted with the rhythmic melody, instruments and composition of American music. He said he fondly remembers gravitating to a radio to hear his favorite song, Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Herrera’s desire to learn English, ignited by his passion for American music, prompted him to study “teaching languages” at his university in Colombia. Herrera began his coursework exuberantly learning different languages, unaware that the program was preparing him to be a teacher. “At first I didn’t realize it was for teaching students. I was just learning different languages,” Herrera said. After completing his studies in Colombia, Herrera got an opportunity to teach Spanish at South Dakota State University.Soon after, he departed for the University of Iowa, where he earned his master’s degree in Hispanic literature. Upon receiving his master’s, Herrera said he yearned to study a subject related to Latin America.“The IU Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies was the best program in the country,” Herrera said. After completing his second master’s degree, Herrera was offered a position as a lecturer in IU’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese.The Indiana Latino Educator of the Year is selected based on the merits of his or her educational and community impact.“They have to be exemplary in their field. We assess the numbers of lives they may have affected and how their impact has affected students and teachers in the state of Indiana and beyond,” Pamela Gemmer, an ILE awards committee member, said. “I’ve seen Israel make things happen for students, teachers and colleagues at all levels.”Herrera contributes to language education on a local, regional and national level by also serving as the president of the City of Bloomington Commission on Hispanic and Latino Affairs.“We try to promote and educate all aspects for the Latino community,” Herrera said. Herrera also serves as advocacy chair in the Indiana Foreign Language Teachers Association, where he is working to incorporate the Seal of Biliteracy in Indiana. The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by a school, district or county office of education in recognition of students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation.The Seal of Biliteracy encourages students to learn different languages and is attractive to future employers and college admissions offices, Herrera said. When the requisites are met and the legislation passes, Indiana will be the fifth state in the country to receive this distinction. Additionally, Herrera was recently elected the president of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. This organization promotes the learning of Spanish and Portuguese languages and cultures at all levels, Herrera said. “We organize workshops, conferences and programs promoting activities where teachers can improve and have professional development,” he said.Coming from Latin America, Herrera understands the need to advocate for the Latino community. “There are many members of society,” Herrera said. “We are a minority, so if you are a minority, people won’t constantly see you or realize what you are doing for other people.” Through his organizations, Herrera recognizes Latino high school students who excel academically, helping them obtain scholarships for college. He also strives to get recognition for language teachers across the state. Despite Herrera’s relentless advocacy for the Latino community and language education initiatives, he remains fervent about teaching and his students.“That’s my passion. That’s my thing,” Herrera said. “There will never be a moment when I don’t like teaching.” Herrera said he believes his impact and duty transcend the classroom. “I don’t see my role here as just teaching them grammar or teaching them to say ‘Hola, cómo estás?’” Herrera said. “It’s doing the personal things.”Herrera’s passion and teaching style has resonated with some of his students.“The difference with Israel is that he’s so passionate about teaching, and he loves the language,” William Northdquist, a sophomore and former student of Herrera, said. “He dedicates himself to his students and his classes like a professor I’ve never seen.”Northdquist said taking Herrera’s class had a lasting impact. Herrera told him education is indispensable, and promoting education is paramount.“He encouraged me personally to double major in Spanish,” Northdquist said. “If you don’t have education, you won’t take advantage of life as the maximum level,” Herrera said. “You can share and help people with what you know and assist in the welfare of many people.”“You will help with the development of a city, of a country, because you will be cultivating with your knowledge.” Herrera’s work ethic, benevolence and selflessness is lauded and has been recognized by his peers. “Israel’s leadership, creativity and dedication to turning ideas into reality are highly esteemed in the world language communities,” Gemmer said.
A month into his doctoral studies, Martin Law learned his department would be merged.
IU President Michael McRobbie is aware of the shoes he has to fill. He’s surrounded by reminders — the bust of Herman B Wells in his conference room and the library that bears the legendary president’s name. But some say McRobbie has already filled them.
A white piece of paper boasting bold, black numbers rests on professor Peter Guardino’s desk.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU-Bloomington is one of dozens of higher education institutions under investigation by the United States Department of Education for possible violations of federal law over dealing with sexual violence and harassment complaints.A list of more than 50 schools was released Thursday morning by the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights. The DOE will not disclose case-specific information regarding any of the schools under investigation, according to a press release.Associate Vice President for University Communications and IU Spokesperson Mark Land said IU’s inclusion on the list reflects a routine compliance review to check on the school’s handling of cases. Land said there have been no complaints filed against the University. “We try to be very transparent,” he said. “We know that the work in this area is never going to be done, but we do feel good about what we’re trying to do.”Land said the OCR informed the University in March that it had been selected for the list and will be cooperating with the review in hopes of further improving the University’s response to sexual assault. “We realize that this is an extreme, serious issue,” Land said. “We welcome all the help we can get.” According to the 2013 IU Annual Security report, 35 sexual assaults were reported on the IUB campus in 2012. This number does not include any assaults reported off campus.One other Indiana school, Vincennes University , is also listed.“We hope this increased transparency will spur community dialogue about this important issue,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon said in the release. “I also want to make it clear that a college or university’s appearance on this list and being the subject of a Title IX investigation in no way indicates at this stage that the college or university is violating or has violated the law.”Gage Bentley, Holly Hays and Michael Majchrowicz
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Soon, students won’t have to go to ratemyprofessor.com to find out if a class is right for them; IU will provide the same information.Beyond the prior grades professors have given, students will be able to find out how involved the instructor is and how much time a class might take using an online database.“The fact of the matter is students use this information,” said Dennis Groth, interim vice provost for undergraduate education.This online course evaluation was approved at a Bloomington Faculty Council meeting.Both the database and questionnaire are part of IU’s Online Course Questionnaire Policy, which was approved in 2012.“I think that the real benefit to students of these questions, which we’re asking, is to really assess how much time a student is going to spend in a given class so that they can better accommodate other classes in their schedule,” IU Student Association president Jose Mitjavila said.IU will provide only aggregate data and distribution, excluding students’ general comments, Groth said. “We just want to see answers to the qualitative questions,” Mitjavila said. The issue was raised that this database might not be useful to students who have to take a required course that only offers one option in time and professor.“From a student perspective, even in a vacuum with no other options, there would still be utility in the availability of this information in the sense that it would help students manage expectations for their semester,” said Chris Coffman, Graduate and Professional Student Organization president.IU’s Open Access policy was also discussed at the meeting. The Library Committee of the Bloomington Faculty Council researched open access to make a recommendation to the BFC as to whether IU should adopt an active open access policy.The committee did not recommend an active policy, said Jason Jackson, Library Committee chair.IU currently has a passive policy in which professors can publish their articles open access if they prefer. “Our concern, instead, was open access that’s achieved through the deposit of scholarly articles and manuscripts into a repository, such as IU Scholar Works,” Jackson said. Amendments to the common calendar were also proposed and put to a vote. Every motion was passed unanimously.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU employees were alerted they might be vulnerable to tax fraud in an email sent Thursday to faculty, staff and temporary employees. Multiple IU offices have received reports from faculty and staff who have been unable to file their 2013 tax returns electronically because someone has already filed a fraudulent tax return using their personal information, according to the email.“This tax fraud is basically a form of identity theft,” said Mark Land, director of IU Communications.Tax fraud is a rapidly increasing form of fraud.1.6 million fraudulent returns were filed with the IRS in the first six months of 2013, the email said, citing a recent article in the Boston Globe.Only 271,000 cases were reported in all of 2010.While IU employees have been affected by tax fraud, it’s not a result of a computer breach through the University, according to the email.According to the University Information Security and Policy Offices’ website, it has received approximately 25 reports from faculty and staff who have experienced fraudulent 2013 federal tax returns. These cases have been reported to the FBI, U.S. Secret Service and the IRS. “This is not an attack on IU,” Land said. “This is just something that happened to IU.”However, if employees becomes a victim of tax fraud there are resources they can use to help protect their identity.There are three major credit bureaus in the U.S.: Trans Union, Experian and Equifax. Any of these bureaus can alert people if someone applies for new credit in their name. “All we can try to do is to provide general information,” Land said.Jerry Minger is the University director of public safety.In his email, he advised employees who experience a tax fraud issue to file a report with the IU Police Department. If they are Indiana residents, they may also want to request a security freeze on their credit report, according to the email. That way, it’s more difficult for credit accounts to be opened in their name without their knowledge. Information about requesting a security freeze can be found at http://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/2411.htm.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>All campus bus routes will get a makeover by the time students return to campus in August. The Student Transportation Board presented five major concept changes during a public meeting Monday, IU Campus Bus Service operations manager Perry Maull said. Four were approved unanimously by the STB. All buses are adding stops to their routes. The X Bus will add stops at Woodlawn Avenue and Seventh Street; the B route will add stops at the Maurer School of Law and Jordan Hall; and the A route will return to an earlier route system, for which bus stops will be restored at the Sample Gates, the Indiana Memorial Union, Collins Living-Learning Center, Woodlawn Field and the Kelley School of Business, in that order. The A bus is returning to the route that preceded the expansion at the Kelley School. The re-routing brought on by the expansion resulted in decreased ridership, according to the agenda of Monday’s meeting. But the D and E routes are seeing the biggest adjustments. The two will be combined and go by the E route name, according to an April 21 notice to students from the STB. This change has caused some controversy. Some think the combination of the two routes will fill buses too quickly, leaving a large chunk of the route to be denied service because of full capacity. Shannon Foley, an IU Campus Bus driver, has been giving students rides along the D route for years. She said in an email to the IDS and the STB that to combine the D and E routes would mean cutting service to many stops in the latter half of the route. “The E route can’t adequately service Evermann, Red Bud, Campus View, Cedar Hall and Willkie, Rose and Forest,” Foley said. “You have to keep in mind that any one bus alone can only hold a maximum of 75 students. During the busy times on campus, that number is reached before the E route even makes it to 10th Street. That’s where the D bus picks up the slack.”Once the bus gets to Cedar Hall of Union Street Apartments, she said, the bus is already packed. There, she often has to ask people to move closer together to let new passengers on. After that, fitting more becomes almost impossible, she said. “You can take 13, maybe 15 if you plead with everyone to move, which is like herding cats in a thunderstorm,” Foley said. “You have now left 12 to 14 people at the bus stop who are going to be late to class or just can’t make it without the bus.”She said the rest of the people still waiting just won’t be able to get on. “Now what do you do about those at the next stop at Seventh and Union?” Foley said. “Who gets to tell those at the Willkie bus stop you can’t get on the bus? What about Forest?”When the D and E routes are combined, she said, she believes there simply won’t be enough buses to go around. More buses would have to be added, which might not be in the Campus Bus Services’ budget. The budget is already tight. The Campus Bus Service receives $200,000 a year from Parking Operations. It’s supposed to go toward bus replacement, but replacing just one bus costs $380,000, according to a statement from Maull.“The only way the E route can handle the D route added is if there are four buses, two running behind each other all the time,” Foley said. “With the proposed changes, the E route will be covering the largest population distribution of all the campus bus routes. It will be covering even more than the A or B routes, and those routes have five buses each.”Foley said she believes the current D and E routes are about as good as they can get and call for no change. “The current routes, the E with one full-time bus and one busy-time bus, and the D bus with two full buses is as minimal as you can get and still maintain adequate services to all the students living on the north east and south east of campus,” she said.But the D and E route combination is the only change that is expected to save the Campus Bus Service any money. The merge would save one bus a day, which would reel in about $38,000 of savings annually.In the agenda, the Bus Services acknowledged this would most likely cause a decline in ridership.The last concept of the five on the agenda proposed the E bus that runs during breaks should stop. That item was tabled and will be reviewed by the STB at a Sept. 15 meeting, Maull said. If approved, it will take effect during the 2014 Thanksgiving break. This would mean students who stay on campus during breaks will have one less major mode of transportation. The STB could not be reached for further comment about the adjustments. More detailed information on the changes is available online at go.iu.edu/aNN.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Bloomington Faculty Council had a scare Tuesday as it wondered if the IU Campus Strategic Plan had been for nothing.IU President Michael McRobbie is making his own strategic plan for the University that will span IU’s eight campuses. The Provost’s Strategic Plan covers only IU-Bloomington.“I’m no longer clear about what the Bloomington Strategic Plan means,” Donald Gjerdingen, parliamentarian for the BFC, said during the meeting. “I just don’t know. It’s just a question mark.”Michael Rushton, director of strategic planning for the office of the executive vice president for University academic affairs, told faculty they will be taking campus strategic plans from all University campuses, and using them as the basis for the University strategic plan.“The intent of the Indiana University Strategic Plan is to draw from these strategic plans,” Rushton said. “The intent is not to have a new plan that is in conflict with what the different campus plans have done.”The new plan will draw from IU’s already existing principles of excellence, Rushton said. “We think that vision is already articulated,” he said. “What we would like is in addition to that a few strategic objectives that fall under those categories of those principles of excellence in education, in research, in faculty, in health and in engagement.”Rushton said that the campuses shouldn’t have to change their campus-orientend strategic plan after the president’s plan is made.A faculty committee won’t be formed for it, but a draft of the document will be taken to the BFC and University Faculty Council in the fall, Rushton said.Provost and Executive Vice President Lauren Robel said she has the highest confidence in Rushton and in McRobbie for his track record of being clear about his initiatives and goals for the University are. That way, Robel said, hopefully the University Strategic Plan won’t conflict with the IU-Bloomington Strategic Plan.“So I’m hoping it won’t feel quite the disjuncture that it theoretically could be,” Robel said.Earlier in the meeting, the Principles and Policies on Tenure and Promotion was also discussed.Claude Clegg, the chair of the faculty affairs committee, headed the committee to change to document.A faculty member disputed the addition of the phrase “as a general rule” to the joint appointments and intercampus commitments section, to allow exceptions to the rule that only Bloomington-appointed faculty are allowed to vote on promotion and tenure cases.Despite this, the document was passed with one veto.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After learning about a proposal to merge Latino Studies, Asian American Studies and First Nations Educational and Cultural Center into one Ethnic Studies department, sophomore Rachel Colegrove created a petition to resist the proposed merger.Faculty and students in the Latino Studies program attended a meeting April 1 organized by Latino Studies Dean John Nieto-Phillips to foster discussion about the future of the program. The meeting was prompted after Nieto-Phillips attended a College of Arts and Sciences meeting where the idea of joining the programs into Ethnic Studies was proposed. “The intentions are quite good,” Nieto-Phillips said. “The intention is to raise visibility of ethnic scholarships and programs at IU. The question is, how do we do that? And a department of Ethnic Studies was brought up, but the consensus among faculty and students is clearly this is not the best way.” But the idea of merging the Latino Studies, Asian American Studies and FNECC together under an Ethnic Studies Department angered Colegrove. “It’s about saving money and consolidating,” Colegrove said. “It would be great to have these organizations collaborate, but it doesn’t mean we have to have an Ethnic Studies Department and take away their power.” One of the problems Colegrove said she has with the proposed merger is melding the programs together under Ethnic Studies, because the proposed department is not well defined. She said she doesn’t understand the need or want to merge.“It doesn’t make sense statistically to lump it under these other programs because of the popularity and desire there is to continue Latino Studies,” Colegrove said. In fact, she said the interest Latino Studies has gained should merit that continuation.“The sheer numbers of enrolled Latino Studies students shows it shouldn’t be demoted,” Colegrove said. “If it is to grow and mature it needs to be kept independent and autonomous and ideally given departmental status.”Nieto-Phillips also said he sees growth and increased interest in Latino Studies, and the data suggests Latino Studies is strong enough to be independent at IU.“Enrollments have gone up 55 percent in the past five years,” Nieto-Phillips said. “Most disciplines have gone down. Clearly students are interested in what we have to teach and the training we have to give.” Colegrove also pointed out the many events the Latino Studies program offers for student networking and education.“Junot Diaz was enormously successful and the Latino Film Festival happened all because of Latino Studies,” Colegrove said. “Latino Studies has its own voice on campus and resources as a program. If it has to share resources, you lose a lot of events.”The merger that would produce Ethnic Studies would send a bad message to Latino students and others about how diversity is valued at IU, Colegrove said. “It’s marginalization,” Colegrove said. “It’s taking a step backward in giving minorities voices. By putting them under Ethnic Studies we’re ‘othering’ them and shoving them into corners — sending a really bad message to Latino students.” “Othering” describes the act of ostracizing an individual or group because they are different. Larry Singell, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, confirmed in an email that there has been talk of a merger between the programs, but said nothing is set in stone.“It is true that such a merger has been discussed both within the Dean’s office and with the units,” Singell said. “However, no decision has been made and no decision is even eminent. Such a decision would require significantly more discussion and asking questions.”Nieto-Phillips said he sees the current proposals as the beginning of a conversation of how Latino Studies fits into the College of Arts and Sciences and the new Global and International School. “There is no plan right now for such a merger,” Nieto-Phillips said. “From my vantage point as director of Latino Studies, we’ve embarked on a conversation with faculty and students to gain a sense of what Latino Studies should become.” He said he even sees the possibility of creating a Latino Studies department.“Eventually, it’s not inconceivable that Latino Studies, like African Studies, gains departmental status,” Nieto-Phillips said. “The question is when, and it’s not something that can take place over night. The Latino population will continue to grow and additional pressure will be on the administration from students and public for more Latino oriented programs and commitment to diversity.” During the conversation, Nieto-Phillips said he encourages students to express their feelings and opinions, reiterating he doesn’t want his role as director to overrule student views. After the meeting, Colegrove said she took Nieto-Phillips’ encouragements seriously. She started campaigning for Latino Studies’ independence last week. “It’s important to have the undergraduate voice,” Colegrove said. “There’s only so much faculty can do because they’re getting paid by the University, but the students are paying. So the idea is that, hopefully, it will light more of a fire underneath the administration.” Currently, her petition has about 90 signatures online and about 40 handwritten ones, which Colegrove said she plans to send to President Michael McRobbie and Provost Lauren Robel. Students can sign the petition on change.org by searching her name. “If people want to get in touch with me or Latino Studies professors, I can point them in the right direction,” Colegrove said. “More important than signing the petition, though, is writing comments and a statement as to why you support this cause.” Colegrove said she hopes to get more than 500 students to sign, to send a strong message and secure Latino Studies as an independent program.“In an ideal world, it would be nice to say that we’re all just one big human race, so let’s celebrate those similarities in an Ethnic Studies department,” Colegrove said. “But I don’t think we’re at that stage yet. We’re still not giving enough voice to minorities and I think the way this is going isn’t about ethnic studies. It’s about these other groups they don’t know what to do with.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The city of Evansville will get a new school, and Bloomington’s campus will get new gateways, the Board of Trustees decided at Friday’s meeting. The trustees approved plans for the IU School of Medicine Multi-Institutional Academic Health and Science and Research Center-Evansville, to be built in downtown Evansville. “At the time when a lot of cities in America are struggling and nobody’s doing much about it, I think it’s extraordinary to see the support of the city and all the people of the city are really behind this,” Trustee Randall Tobias said at the morning facilities and auxiliaries committee meeting.The $69.5 million plan includes a new 170,000 square foot campus. It’s projected to earn the city of Evansville $340 million by 2020.While there were four proposed sites for the school, President Michael McRobbie endorsed the downtown location specifically, and the board unanimously approved it Friday afternoon at the business meeting.The trustees’ other business involved approving satellite campus chancellor appointments and construction projects.Ray Wallace, current provost and senior vice chancellor of University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, was appointed chancellor for IU-Southeast. Susan Sciame-Giesecke was made chancellor of IU-Kokomo after having served as interim chancellor since September 2012.Two new gateways, similar to the Sample Gates, were approved for installation on the IU-Bloomington campus.One will mark the campus’s Third and Union Street boundary. In addition to the actual gates, there will be an engraved wall made of limestone. “We quickly came to the conclusion that we’re really not here to create new traditions with this,” University Landscape Architect Mia Williams said. “We’re about enforcing the excellent traditions we have.” The Chi Omega gates, which currently stand at the end of the North Jordan extension, will be moved intact to the Woodlawn and bypass gateway of the Bloomington campus, Williams said. The Board, approving all new degrees, added four degrees to IU, two degrees to IU-Southeast and one degree to IU-South Bend.IU’s new degrees are a master of science in computational linguistics, bachelor of arts in biotechnology, bachelor of fine arts in dance and bachelor of science in computational linguistics.IU-Southeast will be adding a bachelor of science in music and bachelor of science in sociology to its degree programs, and IU-South Bend will now offer a bachelor of arts in sustainability degree.The business meeting included IUSA President Jose Mitjavila’s student report, in which he brought up the lack of intramural practice space now that the new baseball fields are built in their place.“A lot of students were having to go off campus to Bryan Park and other areas to practice intramural sports and things of that nature,” Mitjavila said. “In some cases, really late at night.”Tom Morrison, vice president for capital planning and facilities, said the old baseball fields are being renovated for intramural and recreational space as soon as the weather turns.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU has reviewed and updated its Programs Involving Children policy.The updated policy, announced April 11 in an IU press release, includes input from experts at the Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, the Indiana Department of Child Services and the IU School of Medicine to create a more comprehensive procedural outline.First established in 2012, the Programs Involving Children policy is crucial to IU-sponsored programs as well as programs run by external organizations that use IU facilities. It includes any programs that involve children, such as camps, workshops, clubs, teams and tours, according to the release. Staff members from public safety, policy administration and the general counsel’s office have traveled to every IU campus to consult with employees about policy revisions. The purpose of revising the policy was to create the safest possible atmosphere for children participating in university-sponsored programs. “DCS’ mission is to protect children from abuse and neglect,” said LaTrece Thompson, deputy director of staff development at the Indiana Department of Child Services, in the release. “One way we do this is by partnering with respected organizations and institutions like Riley at IU Health and the IU School of Medicine to educate and train our communities to recognize and report abuse and neglect.”Underlined aspects of the policy include points about child abuse, background checks and rules and procedures. All faculty, academic employees, staff, students and volunteers must comply with Indiana law under the revised policy, meaning if any member of one of those groups suspects an incident of child abuse or neglect, they must report it to the state Child Protective Services department or local law enforcement. When working with children in any capacity, participants are required to comply with background checks, which include criminal history and sex offender registry checks. These must be completed at least every five years.IU also must maintain up-to-date lists detailing programs they sponsor involving children, including locations and contact information. These programs must be equipped with clear rules and procedures in regards to child safety. These details span from weather emergencies to transportation complications.Violating any of these aspects of the new policy could result in sanctions, which could include the cancelation of programs and disciplinary actions for individuals. Almost 900 programs involving children across all IU campuses have been registered with the Office of Public Safety since the policy was established.“I appreciate the work of the many IU units involved in putting the policy into action,” said John Applegate, IU executive vice president for university academic affairs. “The policy has had broad impact and has improved awareness of the number and range of IU programs that serve children across the state.”Anicka Slachta
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Board of Trustees facilities and auxiliaries committee approved a proposed IU School of Medicine in Evansville with a unanimous vote Friday. The action item was taken to the business meeting later that day, where the trustees once again approved it.The IU School of Medicine Multi-Institutional Academic Health and Science and Research Center in Evansville was proposed to the trustees Friday morning at the facilities and auxiliaries committee meeting.There were four potential proposals for the location of the medical school—east Evansville, Warrick County, University of Southern Indiana campus and downtown Evansville. The board approved the downtown location of the medical school to open for the 2017-2018 academic year.Trustee Patrick A. Shoulders is from Evansville and said former IU president Herman B Wells regretted not having a strong IU foothold in Evansville.“Today Dr. Wells, we can say ‘we shall return,’” he said. Kathrine Schulze