43 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(02/13/07 3:31am)
The mantra of the procrastinator -- "I do my best work under pressure" -- is also a perpetual myth on campus. This motto keeps Starbucks in business, the Herman B Wells Library Information Commons open 24 hours a day and some students in a constant state of sleep deprivation. \nSo why do so many people subscribe to the myth? Because they've never done their work except in a state of panic, says Nancy Stockton, director of Counseling and Psychological Services at the IU Health Center. \n"People need to realize the rewards of not procrastinating," she said. "It can feel wonderful to get things done two days ahead of time." \nPutting things off until the last minute isn't just a phenomenon of the college years -- procrastinating behaviors follow people throughout their lives. According to a University of Calgary study, procrastination in American society is getting worse, making people poorer, fatter and unhappier.\nThe study, published by the American Psychological Association's Psychological Bulletin, found that 26 percent of Americans think of themselves as chronic procrastinators, up from 5 percent in 1978.\nThe study found that increases in technological temptations such as e-mail, the Internet and computer games are playing a large part in the rise of procrastinators. For anyone who sits down to do a paper and an hour later finds him- or herself having accomplished nothing but Facebook stalking, this rings true.\nRachel Gerling, who graduated from IU in December, said she put off doing school work until the last minute because the pressure helped motivate her to get things done. Now without the strain of immediate deadlines and more free time, she is having a hard time focusing her energies outside of academia. \n"Even having too much time now -- an overload of too much time -- still doesn't mean I get anything done any quicker," she said. "Looking online for jobs is a big problem. There are so many distractions there."\nMark Brostoff, associate director of the Kelley School of Business's undergraduate career services, said he believes students procrastinate in more profound ways than putting off their job searches. He said he thinks many students might get a job, but they put off starting what they see as their career. Brostoff said employers of these graduates notice minimum time and effort put into the job, an increase in job switching and a lack of loyalty.\n"Until students think about dedicating 10 years to a company, they are procrastinating," he said.\nBrostoff said the phenomenon of many graduates going home to live with their parents is a symptom of procrastination. \nWhile in college, there are steps procrastinators can take to put a stop to their self-defeating behavior.\nStockton recommends students divide large tasks into smaller, manageable ones and assign regular times to work or study. She said she finds that successful students tend to get their work done by late afternoon and early evening, giving them the late evening to relax. \n"Try to treat studying as you would a job," she said. "Study in a group of serious students -- it's easier to make commitments with a group than with ourselves." \nBut like any other bad habit, overcoming procrastination takes willpower.\n"People shouldn't feel guilty about (procrastination)," Stockton said. "Don't waste time feeling guilty -- do something about it"
(01/16/07 3:43am)
Far from the East and West Coast hot spots of entertainment, students at IU interested in the business side of the industry are at a geographical disadvantage. To give Hoosiers a fighting chance in such a competitive job market, the five-year-old Business Careers in Entertainment Club has worked to connect students with industry executives and hosted events on campus.\n"Basically we are the only way for people to get their foot in the door in\nthe entertainment industry," said the club's president, senior Ashley\nMcPherson. "Recruiters in this industry don't come to IU, so we take networking trips to New York and Los Angeles. We bring in guest speakers that members can network with as well."\nThe annual networking trip to New York and the newly established trip to Los Angeles are major selling points for membership, McPherson said. The club leaders work throughout the year to develop contacts with companies to help members network with executives and land internships and jobs. \n"Companies now recognize the BCEC name and see that we are obviously passionate about the industry," she said. "I'm told our resumes are put on top."\nThis year 18 members attended the New York trip, while 11 went to LA. Though the club has only been able to assist with a small amount of the cost, McPherson said she has never heard anyone complain about the expense because of the quality of the experience.\nThe group's Web site, available at www.indiana.edu/~bcec, lists 12 companies that students visited in New York on Jan. 2-6 and seven on a simultaneous trip to L.A. \nA call-out meeting for students interested in the club will take place Monday, Jan. 29, from 8 to 9 p.m. in Room 219 of the Kelley School of Business.\nThose who join pay a $20 annual fee and can get involved with as many of the club's eight committees as they are interested in. Representing different interests within the entertainment industry, students can choose from committees related to television, film, gaming, music, performing arts, publishing, radio and sports. Committee directors research and keep members updated about different internship and job opportunities and organize one event each year. \nThe King of the Court three-on-three basketball tournament is the event organized by the sports committee. This year teams will compete on April 14 at the HPER building basketball courts, which BCEC rents for the event. \nThe title sponsorship for the event this year is a company that was started by the former BCEC member who created King of the Court. Recent IU graduate Matt Kesten also sells the official fan shirt of IU basketball through his company, Hoosier Beat, and will allow teams to register for the tournament online at www.hoosierbeat.com. Kesten said he hopes that over the next 10 years the tournament will establish itself as a tradition, building up anticipation for Little 500. \nKesten said his involvement with the group gave him experience he could not have gotten anywhere else on campus.\n"It really provided me with outlets to do what I wanted to do," he said. "There's no program on campus that really did anything about or taught about the sports industry or took trips."\nLast year BCEC was the third- largest organization on campus; McPherson said there are about 200 active members this year. Still, she said, not everyone has heard about the club.\n"We are growing so fast, yet so many people don't even know about us," she said. "But once people find out about us, they fall in love with the idea"
(11/07/06 3:50am)
When Kim Ruggles, a senior majoring in apparel merchandising, started her job search, she had a tough decision to make: Should she "out" herself as a lesbian on her resume? \nRuggles was involved in various leadership activities in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community at IU, but mentioning those activities might prompt interviewers to ask her certain questions. After careful consideration, she decided not to indicate her sexual orientation on her resume.\n"I felt like I didn't want to be judged positively or negatively based on my sexuality," she said.\nWhat Ruggles did, however, was carefully research companies' diversity policies before applying and determine whether they offered domestic partner benefits. \nShe said she found that many did. Even in the last two years, she said she has seen an improvement in the corporate climate for GLBT students entering the workforce.\nAnd she's not the only one who's noticed. According to the 2006 Corporate Equality Index, a yearly report issued by the Human Rights Campaign that evaluates corporate policies affecting GLBT employees, 138 companies nationwide received a 100 percent rating. That is an increase of 37 companies since last year's report and an increase of 125 companies since the report was launched in 2002. Companies were judged based on whether they provide domestic partner benefits and transgender wellness benefits and if they explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. \nOnly two companies received a 100 percent rating in Indiana: Eli Lilly & Co. in Indianapolis and Cummins Inc. in Columbus. \nCummins representative Mark Land said the company believes offering domestic partner benefits to both gay and unmarried straight couples is just good business. Providing the benefits as well as actively promoting diversity helps the company not only recruit the best employees, but also retain them, Land said. \n"We work very hard to provide a good workplace, one where we've created an atmosphere where everyone feels welcome and diversity is embraced," he said. "This is another step in that process."
(07/21/05 2:49am)
IU is constantly trying to find new ways to attract students from outside the University. Now a new program through the IU-Bloomington continuing studies office is aimed at potential students already involved in the IU community.\nProject Advance is designed to serve IU staff, where they will earn an Associate of Arts in General Studies in seven semesters. Participants take two back-to-back evening classes a semester for a total of six credit hours. \nAccording to the IUB Continuing Studies Web site, a General Studies degree helps to advance students in their job or train for a new career, builds confidence and provides a sense of accomplishment and prepares for continuing studies in graduate or professional schools\n"IU has thousands of employees, many of whom don't have a degree," said Ron White, director of IUB Continuing Studies. "As a university we need to be in the position of encouraging our own people to advance their education. That's what we do for a living."\nThe program is specifically tailored for employees who will also be working full-time positions with IU. Classes start at 5:45 p.m. for the convenience of those whose workdays end at 5 p.m. The professors of the two classes offered this fall, Elementary Composition and American History I, will work together when feasible to link assignments. \nProfessors are also hand selected for the program.\n"We try to identify faculty who work well with older students," White said. "These students have more experience than 18-year-olds right out of high school, and we try to encourage incorporating that experience and building assignments around it."\nWhite said if enough IU staff enroll in the program, the classes will consist only of adult students. \nBernadette Robinson-Kinzer, staff representative for local 4730 of Communications Workers of America, said that the thought of classes with younger students can be daunting for some adults wanting to continue their education, and classes consisting of only adult students might be attractive.\n"There is a great deal of self-consciousness," she said. "They are very leery of going back to class. They feel they will look stupid, are afraid to ask questions and afraid they won't fit in."\nRobinson-Kinzer said that funding can also be an issue. Though staff members receive half off their tuition, the money they are discounted comes out of their department's budget. She said some department supervisors may be hesitant to part with precious funding if they feel they are simply paying for an employee to receive a promotion in another department.\n"We have to remember IU is a single employer," she said. "It's not an employee's fault they may not want to pay for fee courtesy."\nSome scholarships will be available to help get employees started in the program, White said.\nThough White said the program does not guarantee any sort of promotion or raise within the University for graduates of the program, he believes any sort of continuing education can only be beneficial.\n"In the most general way, any time someone increases their education, they also increase their potential for advancement," he said.
(07/11/05 12:50am)
In some ways, junior Samantha Roper is just like any other 20-year-old college student. She attends class, joins student organizations and dreams of a future in business. But, while most are still sleeping or relaxing after a hard day on campus, Roper heads to Rocky River Farms twice a day to pursue her hobby; horseback riding.\nCalling her equestrian passion a hobby is a drastic understatement. Though Roper insists school work, and later her career, will always come first, she has taken her "hobby" to the next level.\nHer classmates might never know they are sitting next to a world champion.\n"I've been first or second at the world show three times in my career and have been national champion nine times," Roper said without the slightest hint of bragging. \nThough barely in her 20s, Roper's list of accomplishments reads like a veteran of the sport.\nShe is an eight time Congress Champion, which according to its Web site is the World's Largest Single-Breed Horse Show. She was a member of the World Cup Team in 1998 and won a gold medal in showmanship in Italy. She was the American Quarter Horse Youth Association world champion in 'Hunter Under Saddle' style riding in 2003, and two-time reserve world champion.\n"I've had success in my younger years, but I always have the ambition to keep improving myself," Roper said. "What I enjoy about showing horses is that every time you go into the arena, technically you're competing against yourself."\nRoper said one of the most challenging things about her passion for riding horses is the fact that many don't recognize what she does as a true sport.\n"It's hard for them to understand the level at which people like myself compete at," she said.\nRoper's boyfriend, junior Kevin MacCauley, said he was stunned when he realized how hard it is to ride.\n"Some people think this is easy," he said. "When you get on it's extremely difficult."\nMacCauley attended his first show earlier this year, and admitted he was not a horse person before meeting Roper. After seeing her compete once, he said it was obvious how good she is.\n"It's truly breathtaking to watch the natural-born talent Samantha has with horses," he said. "When you see her ride, you know she's exceptional. When you see her compete, you know she's the best in the nation." \nRoper said working with animals always adds a challenging and unique element to her sport.\n"Animals are unpredictable at times," she said. "That is part of the fun for me. I never know what is going to happen and just prepare as best I can and hope for the best."\nAlthough some people spend their lives showing horses full time, Roper plans to follow in her parents' footsteps.\n"I enjoy is so much, but if I had to do it as my every day life I don't think I would enjoy it as much," she said. "It's always been a hobby for my family. My parents are business people and I've never really thought twice about it"
(06/23/05 12:39am)
It started out as a discussion over dinner about the inability of the average guy to grow a mustache and ended in a five week fund raiser. Starting July 1, five kinesiology graduate students and their adviser Joel Stager are asking for donations of a dollar a week for five weeks to raise money for the IU Cancer Center.\n"We were all joking about what it would take for us to grow one," graduate student Josh White said. "Instead of doing it on a dare, we decided to raise money for a good cause."\nA number of the participants have had close family members passed away from cancer. White's mother died from the disease five years ago.\nGraduate student Brian Wright also lost his mother to cancer, and is participating in the fundraiser which has been named "Staches for Cancer." He said he thinks his mother would definitely laugh.\n"My mom once painted one on my dad with makeup to see if it would look good," Wright said. "It didn't."\nThough neither Wright nor White think a mustache will look good, both said they are pretty sure they will make it the full five weeks.\n"It won't bother me that much, but I do think I'll look pretty goofy," White said. \nWright said he is actually excited about growing the facial hair, but added because he is engaged his situation might be different from some of the other participants.\n"I don't have to worry bout picking up women," he said. "It might affect the other's ability to date. But who knows, if it works out well they will probably end up keeping them."\nThe group has already surpassed their original goal of 500 dollars of pledges. The money they raise will go toward funding pilot research projects at the IU Cancer Center.\nThe IU Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in the state of Indiana and one of 60 elite cancer centers in the country. The Center is best known for the development of the cure for testicular cancer by Dr. Larry Einhorn, who also treated Lance Armstrong.\nAmber Senseny, development officer at the Center, said pilot projects are much like pilot television shows in that they test promising ideas in order to determine if they are worth further funding.\n"Doing major scientific cancer research projects costs hundreds of thousands of dollars," Senseny said. "If we didn't do pilot projects, we might spend money on a project that isn't very promising."\nSenseny also said the clever idea of growing mustaches will cause people to ask a lot of questions and hopefully generate more gifts.\n"I work with about 50 fundraising events each year," she said. "This definitely gets the most unique award."\n'Staches for Cancer participants invite anyone who would like to donate or grow a mustache to contact White at jocwhite@indiana.edu and visit the Web site http://mypage.iu.edu/~jocwhite/staches.htm.
(06/20/05 12:35am)
While most IU students are enjoying a vacation from classes, hundreds of adults will voluntarily spend a week of their summer participating in IU's Mini University. \nFrom June 19 to June 24, the temporary students attend 15 different two-hour classes. The week, though not limited to graduates of IU, purposefully coincides with Cream and Crimson Alumni weekend as many alumni choose to attend both events. \nStudents choose from more than 100 class topics such as art, political science, film and history. Taught on a volunteer basis by IU's most distinguished faculty, the classes allow participants to learn without the pressure of tests. Professors are rewarded with people who might be more excited to be in the classroom than most college students.\n"It's always fun because you're interacting with (the students) and they're always very enthusiastic," said William Itter, a professor in the department of fine arts who has taught at Mini University in the past. "I wish my students during the school year were as enthusiastic and had as much heart."\nJeanne Madison, co-director of Mini University, said she believes this is the major reason professors are willing to teach for free.\n"It's a very different experience from teaching 20-year-olds and it's gratifying for them," she said. "There are good questions and no one asks 'is this going to be on the test?' Many of them continue their dialogue through e-mail correspondence with participants through the next year."\nMadison also said professors must be invited by the program to teach a course, which recognizes them as one of the best or outstanding teachers at the University.\nParticipants attend the program year after year not only because of the quality of the courses and instructors but also the variety, Madison said. \n"The beauty of what we do is the fact that we have this smorgasbord," she said. "They don't have to pick a theme. They can choose 15 different classes, or follow a track like taking all art classes or science classes."\nThis year, students can choose from class topics like the geology of cemeteries, black spirituals and World War II. The choices are all different from previous year, as professors are not permitted to repeat a course already taught at Mini University. \nPeople come from all over the country come to participate in the program each summer. Last year 32 states and Canada were represented, said co-director Nicki Bland. \n"Most people are interested because they want to continue their education," Bland said. "They want the feeling of coming back to campus."\nBland said that while participants and the University strive toward a goal of life-long learning, events such as Mini University are also fun. Activities such as a picnic at the Devault Alumni Center, film showings and a trip to the Brown County Playhouse add a social dimension to the week. \n"They absolutely love it," Bland said.
(06/16/05 12:43am)
It's a weekend to remember, or rather for reminiscing, as IU alumni from all over the country gather for this year's Cream and Crimson Alumni weekend. From June 17-19, graduates will flock to Bloomington to reunite with friends and reconnect with campus. \nThis year, the Class of 1955 will hold its 50th reunion. The 1955 class is the only one in IU's history that has celebrated a reunion every five years since their graduation. This weekend will mark their last class reunion before become part of the Emeritus Elub for alumni who graduated over 50 years ago.\nAround 100 members of the class are expected to attend the banquet Friday night.\n"It's our last chance to come back," said class member John Peterson. "After this (IU) puts us out to pasture ... and retires us to emeritus."\nPeterson said he feels that although the numbers are not huge, there is an excitement about this reunion.\n"My wife has 16 of her sorority sisters coming back this year," he said. "That is very meaningful. I don't even think we had 16 in my class at Sigma Chi."\nPeterson said his class will spend Friday night celebrating and remembering. He is particularly excited about hearing Jeffrey Palmer, distinguished faculty member in the biology department, speak to the group. Ten years ago, the class raised the money to endow the professorship he now holds.\nAccording to the COAS Web site, Palmer was named in 2002 as one of the top 15 most highly cited researchers worldwide in the field of plant and animal sciences by the Institute for Scientific Information. He is widely considered to be a world leader in evolutionary genomics.\n"That is most meaningful to have the biology professor (we endowed) come to our reunion," he said. "I'm sure that one thing he'll say is thank you."\nOther events for all returning alumni during the weekend include the naming ceremony for the Herman B Wells Library and a barbecue at the DeVault Alumni Center.\nHeidi Wisen, from the IU Alumni Association, said in addition to all the activities, many come back simply to experience the campus and community.\n"Many will go to Nick's," Wisen said. "They love to just walk around the old crescent part of campus, which has changed the least. For these people, Bloomington has grown so much, they don't even know some of the places anymore"
(06/06/05 12:14am)
Everyone knows America is getting fatter. The question is what to do about the expanding waistlines plaguing so many people in today's super-sized society. Lloyd Kolbe, professor in the department of Applied Health Science, has identified 23 ways that schools, including IU, could work toward reducing the number of overweight and obese Americans.\nKolbe said that children are growing up without healthy-weight role models, creating a cycle of over-eating and under exercising.\n"At this point in history, we calculate that 64 percent of adults are overweight or obese," he said. "Our young people are seeing as they grow up that the norm is being obese. The rate of obese teenagers and children has tripled and hasn't shown any sign of stabilizing."\nKolbe said many shifts in society and behavior have combined to create an obesity epidemic. Increased consumption of calories and decreased amounts of physical activity are major factors.\nKolbe said he recalls growing up when during a time when far fewer people were obese.\n"On the rare occasion me and my sister would split a Coke, that was 7 oz.," he said. "I remember having to push the lawn mower. Now people have riding lawn mowers."\nBut, Kolbe said all these factors added up, there is no reason to blame young people or label them as lazy. He stresses the consequences of environmental changes which need to be addressed quickly.\n"We need to be careful about ... victim blaming," he said. "We do not want to create more stigmas for young people or adults who for many reasons may be overweight."\nOne place the lack of role models for young people can be addressed is within U.S. school systems. With 53 million students, and 5 million employees in the nation's K-12 schools, Kolbe said he believes schools have a unique duty to educate students about these issues. \n"Schools are more focused on test scores and place less importance on physical activity," he said. \nPolicies Kolbe suggested include recess that requires 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day and counseling and weight control programs available for needy students and families. \nMost of his policies are aimed at K-12 schools, Kolbe said. But can be applied to IU. \nBut, IU already offers services for students hoping to lose weight through the Health and Wellness center on the fourth floor of the Health center. More importantly, many of these services are free to students as part of the fees they already pay.\nDawn Lukas, a registered dietician at the Health Center, said in the 20 years she has been with the University, IU has always been concerned with obesity, though the problem is in the limelight right now.\nLukas also said she feels education is key to changing unhealthy habits.\n"A lot of people growing up now have never seen what a true portion size is," she said. "It takes a lot of education to help people understand their body needs to have healthy food, and if you try and survive on only fun food, you have a lot of extra energy you have to burn off."\nLukas sees free services such as fitness assessments and consultations and nutritional counseling as major benefits of being an IU student.\n"In the community, (my appointments) would cost a lot and you would have to have a doctor's referral," she said. "You don't have to be ill for a wellness check up. Whether overweight or obese or underweight you can come in and get medical nutritional therapy."\nLukas also said she suggests students visits www.mypyramid.gov, where they can personalize a food pyramid for themselves based on factors such as height, weight and physical activity. According to the Web site, one size doesn't fit all and says the MyPyramid plan can help people choose the foods and amounts that are right for them.\nThough Kolbe said society as a whole is more aware of health problems associated with obesity, he believes in the end the major motivation to lose weight will result from increased economic costs.\n"Obesity has the potential to really ruin businesses and industries by increasing the health care costs for their employees," he said. "In an increasingly aging society we are just beginning to see the health care costs spiral out of control. There is no way we will be able to pay the bill in the future"
(05/19/05 1:45am)
A new scam involving fake money orders is luring in IU students hoping to sublet their apartments.\nFourth-year law student Nancy Woodworth faced that dilemma this summer. She said she was dreading the thought of paying rent all summer in Bloomington while living in Chicago.\nSo Woodworth felt lucky when she got an e-mail response to her ad on www.IUcribs.com from a woman in the UK, offering to pay three months rent up front with a money order.\n"It sounded legit to me," she said. "I thought the money order would be real. For some reason I thought they were guaranteed by the bank."\nHowever, Woodworth soon became suspicious of the situation. The woman wrote urgent e-mails, saying her father suffered a stroke, and funds had been raised to help with medical bills. She requested that Woodworth cash the money order, keeping the amount for rent, and sending the rest to the UK.\n"She was supposed to send $1,500 for three months, and she sent $4,500 while I was supposed to send the difference," Woodworth said. "My friend had a similar scam on eBay when her boyfriend tried to sell his \nmotorcycle so that tipped me off they would be fraudulent."\nWoodworth's suspicions were confirmed when she took the money orders to the Bloomington Post office where she discovered they were indeed forged. \nSince the first incident, Woodworth has received two other similar offers for the summer, and said many of her friends have also been sent the scam.\n"You have to be wary of someone you don't know and haven't even met who is willing to send you $4,000 and trust you to send them money back," she said.\nChris Sevinish, customer service supervisor for the Bloomington Post Office, said they have seen an explosion of this type of scam. \n"This has really taken off in the last six or eight months," he said. "We rarely saw counterfeit money orders before, and now every office in Indiana has seen them."\nSevinish said clerks are trained to check security features -- like watermarks -- but when someone receives them they look valid. \n"There are various scams about sublets," he said. "Typically they are from foreign countries like Nigeria and the UK."\nThe post office has discovered about 50 frauds in recent months, and Sevinish said most of those have had to do with sublets.\n"I haven't seen one of those types of scenarios that is valid," he said.\nIf a fake money order does get cashed, at the post office or a bank, the person who cashed it is liable, whether or not they thought it was real.\n"If a money order is cashed and the money is spent and can't be paid back, the person involved is liable," said Tracy Bastin of Fifth Third Bank. "The bank would have to take legal action."\nBastin said though she had not heard of the subletting scam, it sounds similar to scams involving the lottery and eBay.\n"It's a new twist on an old scam," she said. "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." \nThough Woodworth discovered the scam in time, she said she had to scramble to find a legitimate sublet during finals week. \n"I would love if these people were caught," she said. "But I doubt if they ever will be."\nOfficials for IUPD and the Bloomington Police Department said they were unaware of the scam.
(04/27/05 6:36am)
Imagine belly-crawling through a muddy creek bed with only two feet between the floor and the ceiling, hundreds of feet underground. Then think of squeezing through impossibly small tunnels and climbing up and down slick rock walls with only a small light strapped to a helmet lighting the way. \nNow throw in the occasional bat swooping down from its roost in the shadows.\nFor members of the IU Caving Club, all these things are not only bearable, but constitute a great time.\nGraduate student Marianne Batchelder, president of the group, has been hooked on caving ever since she took her first trip earlier this year.\n"Part of it is social. It's a really fun group of people," she said. "But it's also a physical challenge."\nBesides holding meetings the first Thursday of every month during fall and spring semesters, IUCC members go on expeditions to local caves. Every Monday, members meet at Buckner's Cave to practice caving skills such as crawling and climbing. Though Batchelder said the location is great for beginners, she admits it isn't the beautiful cave it once was.\n"This cave has been trashed," she said while driving up the narrow gravel road leading to the cave. "IU students, locals and tourists would go there and party. There was lots of drinking, lots of graffiti and trash."\nOnce inside, the damage is obvious. No part of the one-mile loop the group traverses every week is untouched by graffiti. Beer cans and other trash litter the rocks.\nNatural formations such as stalactites and stalagmites are almost nonexistent. Batchelder has to look hard for examples that have not been broken off and taken home as souvenirs. \n"Way over there in the corner are a few," she said as she points to the high ceiling of the largest room in the cave. "Basically the only ones left are where no one could manage to reach them." \nOn her way back to the group she points to numerous stumps littering the ground as the only evidence of the formations that once existed. She joins the other members who are hard at work with wire brushes attempting to erase some of the more obvious graffiti. They make a mud paste to cover a particularly stubborn shade of blue that seems to have penetrated the rock.\n"We try to spend at least 15 minutes of every trip working on the graffiti like this," said Anmar Mirza, an IUCC member from Williams, Indiana.\nMirza is no stranger to caves, especially Buckner's.\n"I used to come here twice a week when I was a teenager for the exercise," he said. \nMirza's knowledge has come in handy over the years. As central regional coordinator for the National Cave Rescue Commission, he has rescued many lost or trapped spelunkers from Buckner's. Before access became regulated five years ago, Mirza said the cave saw between 100 and 500 people every weekend. He averaged one rescue per month for almost 10 years.\n"I would many times get calls on Sunday nights from parents worried because their kids never came home," he said. "Monday mornings I got calls from spouses."\nWhile climbing through an especially tight spot in the rocks, Mirza and fellow IUCC member Jim Johnson recalled rescuing two 300-pound women who rolled their way into the cave through its small entrance and refused to go any further when they reached that area. \nHowever, some caving rescues don't have a happy ending.\n"Three guys came here a while back and got drunk," Mirza said. "One of them passed out and the other two left him with no light. When he woke up, he tried to find his way out in the dark. He fell off a 15-foot ledge and he's now a paraplegic."\nPart of IUCC's mission is to promote safe caving.\n"Even a small injury in a cave can become life threatening," Batchelder said. "If you get something like a broken ankle and have to sit for long periods, you could get hypothermia very easily. We try to teach people how not to get hurt and how to get themselves out if they do."\nFor more information about IUCC, visit its Web site at www.indiana.edu/~iusc.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Haley Beck at habeck@indiana.edu.
(04/26/05 4:49am)
Two years of hard work for the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity culminated April 9 with the official installation of its charter, which recognizes it as a chapter of the national fraternity. \nForty-two newly initiated members were presented with their charter in the State Room of the Indiana Memorial Union. \n"It was outstanding," said Rick Wilson, assistant domain director for Phi Kappa Tau national fraternity. "By every measure it was a very special evening."\nGeoff Heisey, acting chairman of the board of governors, said even though the entire event was put together by the chapter, a professional event planner could not have done better.\n"I don't think I've ever been so proud to be a Phi Tau," he said. "There were wonderful speakers who know what the organization is all about: building men of character. Our men really personify that."\nThe fraternity has been absent from the IU greek community for 12 years, after a decline in membership led to the local Beta Lambda chapter voluntarily turning in its charter in 1993. \nHeisey was part of the last group of Phi Kappa Taus at IU before the current group.\n"In the late '80s and early '90s, we lost our identity as a frat," Heisey said. "We failed to recruit because we couldn't figure out what kind of organization we wanted to be. We lost our way."\nHeisey said he decided to become a part of the fledgling group at IU after hearing of the group's recolonization. Being a part of the fraternity in 1993 made him even more determined to make this group a success.\n"Being there when the charter was turned in was not a happy time for me," he said. "That failure prompted me to become involved and make sure they are successful."\nHeisey said the character and energy of the new group led him to believe the men would be successful in their efforts to reinstate the fraternity on campus.\nJunior Ryan Healy, president of the new chapter, said the group's next big hurdle is finding housing on campus. He said although 11 members currently occupy an unofficial house on 18th and Lincoln, not having a central location can cause some logistical problems for the fraternity.\n"Getting everyone together and communication is sometimes difficult," Healy said. "We have things like a phone tree and listserv, but we want to establish permanent housing as soon as possible."\nHealy said now that the group is an official chapter, recruitment and alumni support will improve.\n"A lot of our alumni are coming back who were upset about '93 and leery of whether we could pull it off," he said. "We also have a better understanding of the frat itself. It's easier to explain, and we have more to offer to new guys."\nHealy said there are benefits to joining a fraternity in such early stages.\n"We have something really unique going on here," he said. "Although we've chartered, there is still much more to do. You have a lot more control over the direction the fraternity goes in the next few years."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Haley Beck at habeck@indiana.edu.
(04/06/05 5:55am)
As the biggest employer in Bloomington, it's no surprise some spouses both end up working for IU. Sharing a common employer makes for some unique circumstances most married couples will never have to navigate. However, many couples say the University offers benefits for those who share a home and a workplace.\n"These days it's increasingly likely that both husband and wife aspire to professional careers," said the School of Journalism Dean Trevor Brown, whose wife Charlene Brown also works for IU. "In a small community like Bloomington, it may be difficult for both partners to find meaningful work. To have the University, which provides a great variety of work, is a great advantage to couples."\nBoth worked out of the same office at one point, but now Charlene Brown works as associate director of extracurricular activities for the Honors College.\n"It has been an absolute delight for my husband and me," Charlene Brown said. "It's like we've been able to go to college, so to speak, for most of our lives."\nShe said she enjoyed working alongside her husband.\n"I consider him a great colleague as well as a spouse," she said. "It is intellectually invigorating to work with him."\nThe Browns said that while raising a family, being academics allowed them flexibility to take care of obligations at home.\n"The University is so wonderful for couples because the nature of the work is so flexible," said Trevor Brown. "The life of an academic isn't really an eight-to-five job. It enables young couples to manage child care ... They can set up a schedule so there is no time when someone can't get home if they have to. That isn't always possible in other work places."\nBill and Julie Head, professors in the Department of Criminal Justice and the Kelley School of Business respectively, also found flexibility to be one of the best aspects of both working for IU.\n"When one of us has to work late, we call to see who goes home for chauffeur duty and to go to the kid's events," Bill Head said. "The job is pretty flexible. We have a lot of control over when we work."\nBecause both spouses tend to teach large introductory classes, Bill Head said they usually have a fair number of students in common. At one time the two might have one-third of the freshman class between them.\n"It's amazing how many don't make the connection," he said. "We both talk about our kids."\nWhen students do realize the common last name is not a coincidence, Bill Head said he believes it adds a personal dimension to their classes.\n"(Students) have a close bond with their professor," he said. "It's kind of unique."\nJulie Head said the large amount of students the couple has had during the year sometimes makes it hard to have a night away from work.\n"When we go out, invariably someone says 'Hi, professor Head'," she said. "We both turn around because we never know who they are talking to."\nThough both work on the same campus, they said working in different departments means they don't have much contact professionally. Julie Head said there is also no competition between the two.\n"We never argue about salaries," she said. "I think that would be silly. We want each other to make as much as possible. It's all going into the same joint checking anyway."\nJeanne Sept, vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of faculties, said in an e-mail that besides normal conflict of interest and conflict of commitment rules, no special rules apply to dual-career academic couples. Excusing oneself from a tenure vote on a spouse is an example, she said.\nShe said all faculty are treated as individual colleagues first and partners or spouses second.\n"We have a number of faculty couples who have done marvelous collaborative work, in addition to working on their independent research," Sept said.\nOne such couple is Gerald Wright and Christine Barbour, both professors in the political science department. Not only do they work in the same department and team teach Y103, but they have also co-authored the text they use in the class titled "Keeping the Republic." \n"Of course it's a challenge," Barbour said. "We have lots of tug of wars, but it always works out. We really, really like each other, and that helps a lot."\nThe couple said the main downside is that their work tends to follow them home.\n"When there is a deadline crunch, tension goes up in the whole household," Wright said. "We really had to work on stress management and have good communication."\nThe stress can prove to be too much for some couples, especially those who are in a similar situation to Wright and Barbour.\n"We know a couple who wrote a book together and were divorced before it came out," Barbour said. "You either learn the skills or you don't."\nShe said they both make sure to have interests and activities outside of work.\n"He goes to the golf course, and I write a food column," she said. "We also travel to Paris for Valentine's \nDay every year. We've developed rituals and traditions to get away."\nWright said students who take the class they joint teach benefit from the experience because they have two professors on the same wavelength. However, some are surprised to find out the two are a couple.\n"They always giggle when they find out we're married," he said.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Haley Beck at habeck@indiana.edu.
(02/21/05 6:30am)
Freshman Mandy Martin waited anxiously backstage at the IU Auditorium as her act prepared to go on stage to compete in IU Sing 2005, "Livin' Out Loud."\nMonths of hard work and late-night practices would culminate with just a seven-minute performance.\n"I used to dance in high school, and it's always the same nervous excitement," Martin said. "But we've practiced so much. I'd be really surprised if anything went wrong."\nOther members of the act lined up around her, reminding each other to smile. After a cue from the stage manager, the whole group sprang into motion as they took their place on stage.\nAll the acts were competing for the coveted over-all win trophy, which is passed on the best act year after year.\nAt the end of the night, Kappa Alpha Theta and Sigma Alpha Mu were declared as winners. Their song leaders bounded offstage with their larger-than-life award.\n"It was amazing," said sophomore Jess Elkins, a Kappa Alpha Theta song leader. "We worked really, really hard. It's a nice reward to pay off all of that work."\nThough Elkins said she knew the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts-themed act was strong, the group had its doubts before the awards ceremony.\n"We were surprised," she said. "We had heard Delta Gamma was really good."\nJunior Shannon Howard, a Kappa Alpha Theta song leader, also said she was not confident after seeing the other performances.\n"I knew there were other great acts," she said. "I was very nervous about the competition. It makes it even more exciting that we still got first."\nElkins and Howard both agree that their "Thriller" dance-and-stomp routine is what put the group over the top.\n"We did a 'Thriller' dance, which people usually would expect specialist dancers to do," Howard said.\nElkins said the group hoped to do something original with its routine.\n"When we decided on a stomp routine, we had no idea what it would be like," Elkins said. "It turned out to be a nice beginning to our show ... and made more of an effect by using pots and pans."\nThe group won not only the over-all trophy, but also first place in Division A, Best Choreography and Most Entertaining Moment at IU Sing.\nCollins Center took home first place for Division B, which senior songleader Sara Sutton said was a pleasant surprise.\nSutton said her group experienced technical problems during the act, which was a spoof on the Fox show "American Idol."\n"We got off to a bad start when the lighting came on at the wrong time and threw off the intro," she said. "Our act thought they had messed up, but I don't think that anyone in the audience even noticed."\nSutton said she thinks her group's unique choreography is responsible for the win.\n"Our choreography was (very) different," she said. "We used the floor space a lot more."\nHalf of the group comprised theatre or music majors, which Sutton said gave the Collins act an advantage over many of the other acts.\n"They aren't afraid of performing," she said. "They have lots of talent and strong voices."\nThough happy with the outcome of the event, Sutton said she is going to miss rehearsals.\n"It's kind of sad," Sutton said. "It has been a long three or four months."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Haley Beck at habeck@indiana.edu.
(02/18/05 6:13am)
For almost 50 years, professor Phillip Summers has witnessed first-hand the changes and growth at IU. He has seen traditions come and go but is always impressed by IU Sing.\n"I think it's amazing," Summers said. "Interest has remained strong though all that time."\nThe tradition will continue at 7 p.m. tonight in the IU Auditorium with the first performances of IU Sing 2005, "Livin' Out Loud."\nAccording to the IU Sing Web site, Hoagy Carmichael organized "Showdown," the precursor to IU Sing in the 1920s, which centered around commencement and was a final send-off for graduating seniors.\nIn 1928, a sing-along called "Hail to Old IU" was organized by professor George Schafer and occurred during graduation week.\nThe first official IU Sing, called "University Sing," was held on the steps of the Old Student Building and brought a competitive aspect to the event. \nAfter nine years, the show moved to the IU Auditorium, becoming the two-night competition still held today.\nFor Summers, who first saw the event in the late 1950s as an undergraduate, IU Sing may change from year to year but is always a reflection of the times.\nDuring the 1960s, Summers came back to see the show and saw the political themes of the era utilized in the acts.\n"Many acts were about protests and what was happening in D.C." he said.\nOne such act stood out in Summers' mind as especially clever.\n"A small group of guys did a parody of the Broadway musical 'Camelot.'" Summers said. "They changed the main song to 'Canada.' It was all about going to Canada to get out of the draft."\nMegan Rhamy, adviser of IU Sing, said she agrees that the annual themes of IU Sing reflect larger social changes.\n"A couple years ago as our country went to war we had the theme 'The Adventure Begins,'" she said. "It's not the most direct correlation, but those are the things (the steering committees) are very aware of and think about when choosing a theme."\nThis year's theme was inspired in part by the push for students to vote in the 2004 elections, said steering committee member Katie Hasse.\nRhamy said the event also represents changes at the campus level.\n"The major changes are really reflective of changes we have seen here at IU, like the different demographic of the campus," she said. "A lot more student organizations that haven't been involved in the past want to get involved now."\nSummers said the event was also smaller, reflecting a student population of about 16,000 rather than 40,000. "There were not as many people in the acts, and usually the people involved were not just freshmen," he said. "Now greek groups put new members in the show for brother and sisterhood activities." \nSummers said he recalls another performance category of stand-up singers. This group could move but had to keep one foot stationary.\nSigma Kappa sorority, no longer at IU, left a lasting impression on Summers with one such act.\n"They did the entire act a cappella," he said. "It was called 'Bells of Indiana,' and it started with a four-part harmony that sounded like bells chiming. They were wearing very attractive formal type costumes, and suddenly without moving, their costumes changed.\n"The front row never moved," he said. "It was done so quick and cleverly by people standing behind the front. Each song had a different costume."\nThe show has made such an impression on Summers that he offers extra credit to freshmen in his introductory psychology class who agree to help out with the show.\n"Students write a paper about what they did, the behavior they observed and their reaction to it," he said. "It gives the opportunity to take part in a major campus event."\nThe large scale of IU Sing is what Summers said makes the event unique.\n"It's one of the most fun campus activities that involves a lot of students," he said.\nThough Summers has seen IU Sing change over the five decades he has sat in the audience, he said one thing is the same every year.\n"They filled the auditorium then, and they fill the auditorium now," he said.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Haley Beck at habeck@indiana.edu.
(02/16/05 6:13am)
Former IU student Chase Coslett filed a lawsuit against Sigma Nu fraternity Feb. 9, seeking compensation for a hand injury he allegedly suffered as a pledge in the fraternity in 2003 as a result of hazing.\nCoslett, an 18-year-old freshman at the time, said he suffered permanent injury to his hand during hazing activities at Sigma Nu, 1015 N. Jordan Ave. Because of his injuries, Coslett is still experiencing serious pain. He claims he was unable to complete his second semester at IU, and later transferred to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville after receiving threats of physical violence from members of Sigma Nu.\nThe suit names the national Sigma Nu fraternity, Sigma Nu Alumni Association and the IU Sigma Nu chapter as defendants. Also named in the suit are Chris Droff, Casey Holsapple, Steve Barr, Chris Young, Doug Schaaf, Chris La Belle, Chris Hamman, Bill Wagner, Mike Crafton and David Pulse. All the individuals except Pulse, who Coslett alleges injured him, held leadership positions in the fraternity at the time of the incident.\nHamman said he had no comment about the case. Holsapple referred questions to the national chapter. All other individuals could not be reached by press time.\nAccording to court documents, Pulse was a member of Sigma Nu but had dropped out of IU. The suit alleges he was invited to participate in the hazing, deemed "hell night," and was paid for his participation.\nIn March of 2003, Pulse was charged with a class D felony for criminal recklessness. The case was dismissed later that year in October.\nCoslett alleges after serving as a "taxi driver" for members of the fraternity on Feb. 13 2003, he was instructed to return to the Sigma Nu fraternity house. \nUpon arrival Coslett and other pledges were made to kneel while holding their heads straight back. \nHe claims some pledges had trouble breathing, while one fell and sustained a head injury. Members refused to take the pledge with a head injury to receive medical treatment.\nCoslett said he was then taken to the basement of the fraternity house, where he was interrogated with questions about the local fraternity, national fraternity and brothers of the fraternity.\nCoslett said when he answered a question incorrectly, brothers picked him up by his feet and forced his head into a barrel of ice water for several seconds.\nAccording to the suit, after two or three dunks, Coslett said he answered another question incorrectly and in response Pulse picked him up by the neck and slammed him into a chair.\nCoslett said Pulse then ripped off his shirt and threw him into a pile of trash containing broken glass. Coslett said his right hand was gushing blood from a wound. \nCoslett said at first the brothers refused to take him to the hospital. When they finally consented, they instructed him to lie about the nature of his injury and not to file a police report.\nSigma Nu Fraternity Inc. said it has been made aware of the lawsuit.\n"Hazing is against the founding principles and the policies of Sigma Nu fraternity," Executive Director of Sigma Nu Fraternity Inc., Brad Beacham said in an e-mail statement. "Counsel for the Fraternity will be investigating the allegations and will respond to the case."\nThe University is taking no action with the lawsuit being filed and the matter is closed, said Dean of Students Richard McKaig. \n"The University handed out sanctions to the chapter at the time of the incident," he said. "The national association (of Sigma Nu) handed down sanctions as well."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Haley Beck at habeck@indiana.edu.
(02/10/05 4:57am)
IU's Kelley School of Business proved itself again to be a leader in the business community, ranking in the top 25 business schools in the and the world for the amount of research published by faculty in 22 leading business journals.\nIU was ranked 23rd nationwide, 24th worldwide and in the top 10 for public universities.\nThe University of Texas at Dallas School of Management compiled the rankings based on the number of contributions to the publications within the last five years. \nAccording to the database's Web site, a paper results in the school being credited with a score of one. If there is more than one author, the score is divided by how many people contributed to the work. This provides a clear picture of contributions from each school for the selected journals and time period.\nThe ranking, which differs from most other national rankings, provides insight into the research productivity of Kelley School faculty members.\n"An important part of the Kelley School's mission is to produce new knowledge on the most pressing problems faced by organizations today," said Kelley School Interim Dean Dan Smith in an e-mail. "From a research standpoint, our goal is to fundamentally affect the way scholars and managers think and behave."\nSmith said that UT-Dallas' rankings use the most prestigious journals, most with acceptance rates below 10 percent.\n"Being ranked in the top 25 in the world and top-10 among public schools using this stringent metric clearly positions the Kelley School as a leading source of cutting edge ideas," he said.\nVarghese Jacob, senior associate dean of UT-Dallas School of Management, said the rankings are a way for schools to benchmark themselves in terms of faculty productivity with respect to others.\nHe said IU should be proud of such a high rank in the nation and the world.\n"Look at the number of schools, there are thousands," Jacob said. "If you take out all the private schools, the ranking will be even higher."\nHowever, the Kelley School's ranking could change with continuing publication of the journals.\n"The database is dynamic, we update the information as issues are published," Jacob said. \nJacob said the rankings can reflect to future employers the quality of education graduates received.\n"If cutting edge work is being done at your school, most likely that is coming back into the classrooms," he said. "Students have access to these faculty members."\nSmith also said faculty research is valuable to students.\n"There is roughly a five year lag time between when research is conducted and when it ends up in textbooks," he said. "Our faculty bring their latest research findings and thought into our classrooms in real time."\nSmith said this gives Kelley School students an advantage.\n"Students at the Kelley School are assured to be on the leading edge in terms of their knowledge and skills," he said. "Quite literally, they are three to five years ahead of students who attend less research-oriented schools."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Haley Beck at habeck@indiana.edu.
(02/09/05 6:02am)
Despite what most people might think, IU Sing is not just a greek thing. \nThis year three groups from outside the greek community are stepping up to the challenge of competing in an event dominated by fraternity and sorority pairs.\nROTC, Read Center and Forest Quad, and Collins Living-Learning Center will be competing in the smaller division B, along with any unpaired fraternities or sororities. \nROTC participated for the first time last year and is returning to the show.\nSong leader and senior Michelle Lukas said the goal last year was to make the group's act stand out.\n"We wanted to do something different," she said. "We tried to not to do what everyone else did by bringing in a military aspect."\nThough their strategy brought them a win in their division, Lukas said ROTC will go for a different approach for this year's competition.\n"This year we are doing the opposite from what we did last year," she said. "A lot of people still wanted to work with the rifles, but we decided we can't do it two years in a row."\nLukas said the theme for ROTC's new act was inspired by a show in Columbus, Ind., about the history of songs. The group adapted the idea, and Lukas said the performance centers around how people have expressed themselves throughout the decade.\nLukas said the act this year is less serious and more fun.\nROTC IU Sing members practice their act three times a week for two hours at night. This time commitment is in addition to the seven hours members put in each week just by being in ROTC.\n"Everyone is very busy because we all have homework to do, and people have to get up at five in the morning to get ready for physical training," she said. "It's a way to learn to manage time."\nSenior Sarah Sutton, a song leader for Collins, said her group must also put in long hours. She said participants feel they need to prove themselves,\n"We take it very seriously," she said. "There is a lot of pressure on us to prove ourselves. This is only our second year, and we don't have the experience and tradition the greeks do."\nThough the Collins group is much smaller than most of the sorority and fraternity pairs, she sees this as an advantage to the act.\n"You can do more with choreography and floor space with a small number of people," Sutton said. "It's a lot easier to make 17 people look in unison than 60 people."\nHowever, she said getting people involved proved to be difficult.\n"It was a struggle," Sutton said, "especially because people automatically associate IU Sing with the greek system. There was a lot of apathy -- Collins can be a pretty isolated place."\nHowever, Sutton said advertising and lots of reminders eventually recruited enough participants. \n"Collins used to be good at IU Sing," she said. "They won the very first competition."\nSenior Lindsay Woodall, also a song leader for the Collins group, said she sees the competition becoming an annual event for the Collins center.\n"A lot of people have gotten really involved," she said. "This could definitely be a new tradition."\nWoodall's said the way to get other non-greek groups involved in IU Sing is to change the way the event is stereotyped.\n"Dispelling the myth that it is just something greeks do is important," she said. "It's really about getting people together and having fun."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Haley Beck at habeck@indiana.edu.
(01/28/05 7:17am)
Chi Omega sorority members and friends bundled up and braved temperatures in the teens Thursday night to hold a vigil in honor of the victims and survivors of the Dec. 26 tsunami that devastated Southeast Asia.\nA group of about 150 students on the sorority's front lawn lit candles and bowed their heads for a moment of silence in memory of those lost in the natural disaster.\nSorority members circulated the crowd with cans, asking for donations for the tsunami relief fund. Donations will be turned in to the Red Cross, where the money raised will be counted.\nSeniors Liz Doukas and Laura Klang-Glienna, event organizers, read an excerpt from the journal of a tsunami survivor in Sri Lanka named Cov.\n"... up and down the beach bodies were laying by the road, buses were turned over and cars were in trees," Doukas read. "I can't imagine how many will be among the dead, but it will be much higher than the numbers indicate right now ... so many lives are ruined."\nDoukas said the journal entry, which was found on the Internet, was important to the ceremony because of the large number of people killed in the disaster. \n"Over 220,000 people are dead. People can't comprehend that amount of people," she said. "It adds a personal account to help people understand."\nLadies First, IU women's a cappella singing group, also performed two songs, including a version of Mariah Carey's "Hero."\n"Ladies First sounded amazing," Klang-Glienna said. "When they started singing 'Hero' I got choked up."\nSenior Mackenzie Hartman said she felt the vigil was important for those in the greek community and those outside it.\n"It affected not just people there, but us too," she said. "Some of those who were lost were American tourists. We wanted to get together and remember everyone we lost, and the families."\nDoukas and Klang-Glienna said they were pleased with the turnout, especially in spite of the winter weather. \nThey started planning the event shortly after break, hoping to help people realize the magnitude of what happened and its effect.\n"Money is great, but it's more important for people to realize how lucky they are and that there are so many important things going on," Klang-Glienna said.\nBoth agree being in college can make people lose sight of the bigger picture, especially in a town like Bloomington.\n"We wanted people to get out of the college bubble," Doukas said. "See what's going on the world."\nDoukas also said she feels strongly about the tragedy after visiting Thailand last May while studying abroad.\n"It was gorgeous, and already so poor," she said. "They lost the little they did have."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Haley Beck at habeck@indiana.edu.
(01/26/05 5:12am)
IU Sing said goodbye to cheesy jazz hands this year with the theme "Livin' Out Loud." \nThe new theme allows groups to be creative and get real, said senior Katie Hasse, member of the five-person IU Student Foundation steering committee.\nThe event, to be held Feb. 18-19 in the IU Auditorium, gives residence halls, fraternities and sororities a chance to compete against one another by creating a five- to seven-minute skit.\n"IU Sing in the past has had what we call a 'high school prom' kind of feel," said senior Lisa Winternitz, also a member of the committee. "This year it has more of a rock star theme that is more appealing to both genders."\nHasse said with the theme this year students will take the competition to the next level.\n"We tell students this is your act, your stage and your night," she said. "Say what you want to say, get a voice, be different."\nWinternitz said the strategy has worked so far. Superhero, "American Idol" and Time Warp themes, usually common in acts, are not present this year.\nThough 19 of the 22 acts are greek, any student group is welcome to compete. However, the requirement of a minimum of 15 people on stage can be daunting to some smaller groups, Hasse said.\nLast year ROTC won their division and will return this year. Read Center, Forest Quad and Collins Living-Learning Center dormitories are also participating.\nThose who do participate in the event face enormous time commitments, Winternitz and Hasse said.\n"We put in over 40 hours a week," Hasse said. "It's beyond a full-time job. I don't get much sleep."\nWinternitz said song leaders spend at least 15 hours a week practicing and attending meetings.\nTwo song leaders from each organization create, edit, produce and direct their act. Leaders work toward points throughout the year by submitting material and attending meetings. These pre-performance points will be combined with points gained during the show to determine the winner.\nSophomore Kevin Waltz, a song leader for Sigma Chi fraternity, said the time commitment hasn't affected him so far.\n"It hasn't really taken its toll just yet," he said. "I've basically been structuring my days with a time management aspect."\nHowever, after only one official practice, he said he has high hopes for his fraternity and its pair, Alpha Delta Pi.\n"It's going to be a very exciting and entertaining show," he said. "We are going to be very competitive with the other houses."\nProceeds from IU Sing go toward scholarships awarded to 16 of the song leaders.\n"All the song leaders volunteer a lot of time," Winternitz said. "It's nice that some of them will be monetarily rewarded for all they did."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Haley Beck at habeck@indiana.edu.