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(05/01/03 5:46am)
Chancellor Sharon Brehm announced the 2003-2004 University Chancellor's Scholars Wednesday. This award is given every year to 15 students that have excelled in academics and extracurricular areas. \nThe recipients of the award were junior Anna Crawford, senior David Howell, senior Natasha Ruser, senior Jessica Wylde, senior Mark Helmsing, junior Laura Bradenburg, junior Chris Olry, junior Jeff Cannon, junior Sandie Retzlaff, senior Pearl Hwang, second-year law student Seth Frotman, senior Robert Benirschke, graduate student Jacyln Stodola, junior Samira Jeihooni and graduate student Margaret Swan.\nAll of the students were nominated by a faculty member of their school and notified in mid-March of their standing. The recipients were chosen based on their involvement in their course work and their leadership in extracurricular activities on and off campus. \nEach student was given a book from the student's academic discipline or membership in a professional society as well as scholarship for $1,000 to go toward his or her education. \nChancellor Brehm and the deans of each of the schools presented the students with their award last week at a reception on campus. \n"Each of the scholars is in his or her next-to-last year of study, late enough to have demonstrated academic achievement and early enough to share reflections and ideas with the campus administration," Brehm said in a statement. "I am proud to have them as students on this campus."\nFrotman, a law student, was one of the top-15 students to be chosen for the award. \n"It was an amazing experience, especially when they all called us up to receive our award," Frotman said. "It's great to associate with such amazing people."\nFrotman interned at the Family and Social Services Administration in Indianapolis this semester, working on the Governor's Commission to provide mental health services to people in nursing homes and private residences. He also taught a class of sixth graders at Binford Elementary in Bloomington, teaching principles about the law and government. He also helped put on a mock trial for the students at the end of the semester at the School of Law.\nFrotman will be working again this summer in New Jersey for Senator Jon S. Corzine as well as a law firm. He said he plans to pursue a career in politics. \nHowell said the more he has become involved in his work, the more he has discovered there are still things he has yet to learn. But after receiving this award, Howell said it was a reminder of his accomplishments.\n"I really have learned a lot. It's kind of nice to sit back and be recognized for what I have done," Howell said.\nHe is a double major in physics and mathematics and is planning to attend graduate school and pursue a Ph.D. so he may some day become a professor. Howell has worked as an undergraduate instructor for several different courses, and he said he has enjoyed being involved in the academic side to school.
(04/25/03 4:53am)
Just when IU students thought tuition couldn't get any higher, the IU board of trustees will meet in early May to determine if tuition will increase again. The board approved a 7.5 percent increase for the 2001-2002 school year. Since 1999, tuition for in-state students has increased by $410 a semester and has increased by $1,362 a semester for out-of-state students. Currently, in-state tuition is at $2,286 a semester, while out-of-state tuition is more than three times that amount at $7,591 a semester. \nTrustees President Frederick Eichhorn said he has requested a survey on tuition costs nationwide but has not seen any budget figures yet. Eichhorn said he is waiting to see what the Indiana State Legislature will do and expects to discuss the matter during the next board meeting in May. \nEichhorn said there are three ways IU receives money -- gifts and grants, state appropriations and tuition. During the 2001-2002 school year, 50 percent of IU's money came from state funding and 50 percent from tuition and undesignated and unrestricted money from donors.\n"Inflation and the desire to move the University ahead are two factors in the rising cost of tuition," Eichhorn said. "You never get quality incentive dollars out of the legislature."\nIU has not been alone in their past decisions to raise the price of attending the University. Big Ten institutions like Ohio State, Penn Sate, the University of Illinois and the University of Iowa have all raised their tuition within the last year and are expected to increase their prices again.\nStudents and parents alike are concerned about the rising costs of a college education. But as state funding has decreased, IU has been faced with the decision to hike their prices in order to maintain their educational and research programs. IU spokeswoman Jane Jankowski said it's important for students to look at everything IU has to offer and to remember that with a tuition increase students are going to see increased expenses. \n"IU is trying to get the maximum amount of quality with the money they have," she said. "The University has a lot of services it offers its students."\nIn the past, state cutbacks in funding, the cost of health care benefits and the cost of energy have played a role in increasing expenditures. Many public universities have had to increase the salaries of faculty members to keep up with private universities who pay on average $1,400 more. \nSenior Jim Mellen said the problem with rising tuition is not IU's fault but the state of Indiana. \n"The real problem is that the state of Indiana doesn't make enough money," Mellen said. "They need to raise income and property taxes on its residents."\nJunior Allison Murphy said tuition increase might be necessary every year.\n"We're a big research institution and if we are still going to offer the same programs, competitive salaries for professors and be up-to-date with technology we're going to need that revenue from tuition," Murphy said.\nKirk White, the director for Hoosiers in Higher Education, said the University is working to make education affordable for students, but when IU is not able to get enough money from the General Assembly they have to look elsewhere. Hoosiers for Higher Education has been working to inform and influence legislators to increase funding to the University.\n"The University's basic needs need to be met in order to continue to have programs of rank and academic excellence," White said.
(04/09/03 5:30am)
Close to 50 students from the Coalition of Black Student Organizations and Programs took to the streets of Bloomington on Tuesday afternoon to show their support for affirmative action at IU. The march, which began at the Sample Gates, lasted close to an hour before ending at Showalter Fountain. The Coalition was recently formed to unite student leaders and concerned individuals at IU to represent the variety of black student groups on campus that work to create a more diverse environment. \nStudents marching through campus carried signs that read, "Fight racism and sexism" and "We won't tolerate the back of the bus." As students marched down Third Street they encouraged people to fight for equality, chanting "separate but equal is a lie, affirmative action must not die" and other sayings urging students to be a pro-active force against acts of discrimination and racism. The group met little protest during its march and recruited some students to join the cause. \nVice President for Student Development and Diversity Charlie Nelms joined the group when it arrived at Showalter Fountain. Nelms said he believes the march was keeping the issue of affirmative action at the forefront and on the public agenda.\n"It's an opportunity for people to affirm their commitments towards affirmative action and an opportunity for people of goodwill to interact with people who think and advocate in ways compatible to their own," Nelms said. Nelms also said he wished there would have been a more diverse crowd.\nAs he addressed the crowd, Nelms encouraged students to not only use their education, but also the opportunities that higher education presents to their advantage. \n"Don't confuse coursework with being educated. Get out of your comfort zone," Nelms said. "Make sure you are always true to yourself as a person. You are more than your major."\nJunior Carolyn Randolph, an active member in several black student groups on campus, was present to show her support for the cause. Randolph said the rally was to explain affirmative action, discuss the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case involving the University of Michigan and to show what IU is currently doing to promote diversity on campus. Randolph said she believes affirmative action is paying attention to the fact that there are divisions between people in this world, but it is not trying to create greater separations.\n"How can you promote divisions when the divisions already exist?" Randolph said. \nRandolph called on participants to be persistent and to use their degrees to "go back and help your brothers and sisters to have the same rights."\nGerald Mitchell, president of the Black Student Union, said he supported the march wholeheartedly. Mitchell also said he was pleased with a campus-wide e-mail sent from Interim President Gerald Bepko. The e-mail, which was sent in late February, stated that the board of trustees reaffirmed their commitment to the beliefs and principles outlined in the University handbook. Bepko discussed the implications of an impending Supreme Court decision involving the University of Michigan's law school. Mitchell said the black community has discussed the e-mail and future plans of action.\nSophomore Alexis Hunt also attended the march and said she wanted her voice to be heard on campus. \n"Affirmative action is going to help many people -- not just blacks," she said. "I don't think it creates divisions between people."\nHunt said she believes there are a lot of minorities that have been negatively affected because they come from poor families and areas. Hunt said even though students may have good grades, they are overlooked because of where they come from.
(04/08/03 5:05am)
IU will now be offering three new languages for students through SWSEEL, an intensive summer workshop in Slavic, East European and Central Asian Languages. This summer Tajik, Pashto, (a language spoken in Afghanistan and Pakistan) and Uyghur (a language spoken in China, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan) will be offered to students. \nThis is the first time in U.S. history that Pashto will be taught in this country.\nThe eight-week program includes 11 first-year and four second-year intensive language classes for students. The summer program can accommodate up to 150 participants for the second summer session and will cost all students the price of in-state tuition per credit hour.\nBill Fierman, director of the Center for the Languages of the Central Asian Region as well as the Inner Asian Uralic National Resource Center, said students come from all over to participate in these classes. IU is the largest and one of the only universities in the United States offering classes in languages from Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and Central Asia. \n"IU has a long-standing reputation and has been working on these languages long before they became front page news," Fierman said.\nThirty-seven students participated in the classes last summer from all different parts of the country, and 52 have already applied for this summer's program. The 8-week workshop includes intensive language courses in Russian, Polish, Romanian, Uzbek, Azeri and Turkmen. \nClass sizes can range anywhere from between 1 and 12 people depending on the interest, and all of the teachers are native speakers of the languages. Many teachers come to the United States with visas for the 8-week period. \nThe courses focus on learning and improving speaking, reading and writing skills. Students interested in pursing careers in business, government, not-for profit organizations, journalism and many other fields can benefit from the classes. \nDr. Shahyar Daneshgar, who has been teaching at IU since 1984 and is a native of Azerbaijan, teaches Azeri and occasionally Uzbek to students during the summer. He said there are a number of reasons why students have shown interest in learning some of these less-studied languages and why many government officials as well as businessmen have begun to learn how to speak these languages.\n"When you show to people respect for their language, doors open to you," Daneshgar said. \nDaneshgar said he believes these classes will become even more important as U.S. involvement in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan continues to grow.\nJen Maceyko, a first-year graduate student pursuing a master's in the Russian East European Institute, took one of the language courses in Polish last summer. Maceyko said she wanted to get a head start on her language training, and after completing the course, she was able to go directly into a second-year Polish class. \n"My knowledge went from absolutely nothing to being able to carry on pretty decent conversations in Polish," Maceyko said.\nAlong with Maceyko, Ben Levey, a graduate student, also participated in the program. Levey took a first-year class in Uzbek, a language spoken in Uzbekistan, Western China and other neighboring areas. After Levey spent three years living in China, the workshop was a great opportunity to specialize in Uzbek. \n"It was a stimulating and intellectual environment that primarily focused on language training but also incorporated some aspects of the culture as well," Levey said.
(03/14/03 4:40am)
Close to 400 women attended the 18th annual luncheon to celebrate Women's History Month Wednesday at the Bloomington Convention Center. Women from all over Monroe County came to have lunch, discuss women's issues and honor Bloomington's 2003 Woman of the Year, Carrie Newcomer. Newcomer, who was not present at the time, is an active philanthropist and successful singer and songwriter. \nLiving by the motto of "Let Your Life Speak," she is most well known for her musical talent and has released nine recordings on Rounder Records, performing worldwide. In addition, she has played an instrumental role in supporting many health, hunger, literacy, domestic violence and environmental causes. \nThe Women's History Month Project Committee has been recognizing outstanding women in the Bloomington community since 1988. It was not until 1987 that Congress declared Women's History Month an official month recognizing the work and accomplishments of women around the country. \nAlso highlighting the event was the keynote speaker, Wendy Sanford. Sanford is co-author of the best-selling women's health book, "Our Bodies, Ourselves." \nSanford outlined the origins and emergence of Women's History Month and discussed the impact of her book on women's health in the past, present and future. "Our Bodies, Ourselves" was released in 1970 and was the most informative and progressive book on women's health at the time. It has sold over 4 million copies in the past 3 decades and has been translated into many different languages across the world.\nIn her speech, Sanford said the book was not just about ovaries and fallopian tubes. She said it informs and encourages women to get to know their bodies and focuses on sexuality education and the confinements of sexual politics. She said if women were made to feel inferior and inadequate in their everyday lives, than why would women expect those feelings to go away between the sheets? \nSanford also questioned why in the past women were not informed on issues pertaining to their physical and mental health. She was leery of drug companies and pharmaceutical companies' desires to solve women's problems with the swallow of a pill. \nCarol McCord, assistant dean of Women's Affairs, said Sanford's book was a monumental step for women that covered issues and problems that were never acknowledged in the past.\n"It was the first book of its kind. Prior to that, women's health care was in the hands of men," McCord said.\nMcCord said Women's History month has meant many things to different communities. It started off as a working women's movement, catering to professional and work-related activism. Now it is also a way to celebrate the role women have played in history.\nThe event in Bloomington was especially important for McCord, who said it was an opportunity to celebrate women who are currently doing a lot for the community.\nRose Thomas, the local Bloomington author of "And So It Was As I Recall," said she was surprised by the large turnout and was enjoying meeting and speaking with everyone in attendance. Thomas's book made the number one best-seller list at Barnes and Noble for non-fiction books. \nThomas was glad to be a part of the luncheon on Wednesday and was also using the opportunity to speak about her book. \n"Women's History Movement helps women realize all they can do, have done and will do," Thomas said. "It gives us more satisfaction and courage with what we have done."\nMary Remley, also in attendance, has been a Bloomington resident for 27 years. Remley used to teach Kinesiology classes at IU at the School of HPER. She said she was delighted to be a part of the event. \n"It brings women to the forefront in our community," Remley said. "A lot of people do a lot of wonderful things we don't hear about"
(03/12/03 5:16am)
The IU Student Association voted Monday night against a resolution asking the student government to oppose a possible war in Iraq. \nMembers of the group Coaltion to Oppose the War Iraq, who presented the bill, said they are outraged and disappointed with the final vote against the student-sponsored resolution to take a stance against the war.\nIUSA Student Body President Bill Gray said there were a number of reasons why the resolution did not pass. \n"While many students aren't in support of the war, on the same hand they aren't opposed to it either," Gray said. "Students are waiting to see what will happen."\nGray said he was concerned about the idea of labeling people as either pro-war or anti-war. Members of COWI presented around 500 signatures from students opposing the war, out of nearly 40,000 students at IU. Gray didn't think that was a significant number.\nWhile Gray admits that some members of Congress were not as sure as others about how their constituents felt, he said the idea to table the bill was immediately dismissed. Members of COWI and others in support of the resolution wanted an immediate decision.\nSophomore Sam Lawrence, an active member of COWI, attended Monday's meeting. He said he was disgusted by the outcome and said he felt IUSA was misrepresenting the student body. Lawrence claims many members of IUSA's Congress didn't know the position of their constituents but still voted against the resolution.\n"You can't vote 'no' if you don't know how students feel," Lawrence said. "How do our representatives not know the feelings of their constituents?"\nLawrence said he felt the members who were unsure of student opinions should have abstained from voting. \n"If they would have voted 'yes,' it still would have upset me," he said.\nSophomore Daniel Mark, the main person behind COWI's resolution, didn't want to speculate on why the resolution didn't pass. He thought it was sad the student interest did not reflect opposition to the war. However, he said he still believes most people at IU are not in favor of it. Mark said the 500 signatures he and fellow members of COWI collected over several days was not indicative of the only people against the war. Mark explained there was a sense of emergency with getting the bill to IUSA before spring break and before the onset of newly-elected officials. Members of COWI said they thought it was most important to pass the resolution before the U.S. decided to wage a war against Iraq.\n"Had there been more time, the majority of students would have supported it," Mark said. "It was a great opportunity to take a stance against the war and they missed it."\nMark said he felt as though several IUSA members felt pressured and attacked by some of the people in attendance at Monday night's meeting. \n"The whole night the discussion was very odd for a number of reasons," Mark said. "I think the audience ended up hurting us more than they helped us."\nMark said a number of people in support of the resolution became upset once some members of Congress admitted they did not know how students felt but still voted no. He couldn't believe everyone in IUSA really voted according to how they felt. To Mark and other COWI members, voting "no" while second-guessing student opinion, didn't make any sense. \nCOWI plans on holding its next meeting the Monday after spring break, when it will discuss future plans of action and the possibility of sending the resolution back through IUSA.
(03/10/03 5:46am)
IU students in the Coalition against the War in Iraq will be submitting a resolution protesting U.S. involvement in Iraq to the IU Student Association tonight.\nThe meeting will be held at 8 p.m. in Myers Hall Room 130. The group will be asking members of IUSA to pass the resolution and speak out on behalf of IU students. \nThe resolution outlines the dangers of going to war with Iraq but supports continued U.N.-sanctioned weapons inspections and urges Saddam Hussein to comply with weapons inspectors. The resolution also states that an attack on Iraq may have detrimental repercussions to American citizens as well as members of the international community.\nDaniel Mark and Doug Hanvey, two members of COWI, designed the resolution and said they hope it will pass tonight. At least 30 schools nationwide and 133 cities, one of which is the city of Bloomington, have passed similar resolutions speaking out against the war. \nIn addition, universities in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Iowa have all passed their own resolutions and expressed dissent with President Bush's call for war. \nMark and Hanvey, who based their proposal on previously-passed resolutions, said Bush has failed to provide a compelling reason to go to war with Iraq. \nThe resolution is designed to be a collective voice of the students of IU, demonstrating that students are taking responsibility and action against decisions made by the government, Mark said. \nMark, who joined COWI in early January, said he felt his involvement in the group came at a crucial time since the war with Iraq seems imminent. He said it is important for students to say no to the war. \nMark has been on campus asking students to sign a petition against the war and urging them to attend tonight's meeting with IUSA.\n"I went into this thinking it would be an uphill battle," Mark said. "But now I am more confident the resolution could pass."\nHanvey said he feels people need to respond on both a local and regional level. By going to war, the U.S. will be increasing its chances of future terrorist attacks and will also take away from educational programs, he said.\nHanvey is looking for IUSA to support the resolution. \n"IUSA, being a student government organization, realizes the value that the government has and the place they have in making a statement that has power," Hanvey said. "For any member in the IUSA that is undecided or uncomfortable with the idea of war, voting for this resolution is not anti-American. It's how democracy works." \nHanvey said he wishes he and other members of COWI had more time to campaign on campus and inform students about the consequences of going to war.\n"There is a sentiment in America that the administration is not being responsive to how people really feel about U.S. involvement in Iraq," Hanvey said.\nHanvey is counting on this sentiment to be represented tonight.\nAnother COWI member, Zach Richer, spent last Thursday night asking students to support the resolution in the Collins-Living Learning Center. Both Richer and Mark spent two hours handing out flyers and urging students to attend tonight's meeting. \nRicher has been actively participating in lectures and demonstrations on campus while working with COWI to promote activities that speak out against the war. \nRicher said he thinks it is unnecessary to rush against the wishes of the international community and believes the IUSA is the best group to represent student's disapproval of the war. \n"If IUSA does its job, they will represent those voices," Richer said.
(02/27/03 5:48am)
Catch Me If You Can," the true story of the life of Frank Abagnale reaffirms the phrase, 'The book is always better than the movie.' \nWhile the movie may have thrown this crime story into the spotlight with big name stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, the real story rests neatly in the book. \nIn five years, Frank Abagnale passed 2.5 million dollars in fraudulent checks and became one of the FBI's most wanted criminals. Abagnale, who was wanted in 26 countries before his arrest, was a brilliantly smart and confident young man who became one of the world's most well-known and well-loved conmen. He posed as a Pan Am airline pilot hopping flights all around the world and was a pediatrician at a hospital in Georgia working the night shift supervising the floor. Abagnale went so far as to pose as a professor at Columbia University, teaching a class on sociology for a semester, and schemed his way into a job at a state attorney general's office as a lawyer. \nBut what makes this story so unique is it is actually true. Abagnale pulled off all of these scams before reaching his 21st birthday. Readers will be amazed at the level of detail and street smarts it took for this high school dropout to pull off one of the biggest fraudulent scams in the US. \nAs Abagnale tells his tale of deception and lies, he creates a story so big and so outlandish readers will think it is a work of fiction. But don't be deceived. This young scam artist was able to dupe authorities so well that even some of the FBI's best couldn't catch him in the act. \nWhile this story is funny as it is shocking, the motivation behind Abagnale's intricate schemes and plots push the story closer back to a reality that readers may be able to understand. Abagnale makes his case, claiming he needed the money, loved the attention he received from women and enjoyed the challenge, and it almost seems excusable.\nIronically, he now works for the very people he spent his life trying to avoid. Lecturing at the FBI in the Financial Crimes Unit and working as a secure document expert for the Financial Crimes Unit and for the Standard Register Company, Abagnale specializes in catching scam artists like him.\nThe book is an easy read and will capture readers with its bizarre twist of events and distorted look at making it big. With Abagnale's charm and magnetic personality, readers may find themselves on his side of the chase. This may be one of the few books in which it is difficult to view a criminal as a criminal.
(02/27/03 5:37am)
Mark Brostoff, the associate director of technology at the Kelley School of Business Placement Office, announced Friday he is seeking office for Bloomington City Councilmember At-Large. Brostoff has been a resident of Bloomington for 15 years. In addition to being an IU faculty member, he served 20 years in the U.S. Navy as a highly decorated Naval Commander, was a local business owner in Bloomington, and served as the chair of the Bloomington Ice Rink Task Force.\nBrostoff calls himself a "new Republican" and is running under the slogan "Local Issues First." He ran four years ago as a Democratic candidate but changed his party affiliation after he felt that city council members failed to keep their word. \nHis campaign is focused on getting all aspects of the community involved in local issues. The current city council, which has centered on issues such as the war in Iraq and the I-69 debate, has motivated Brostoff to bring the focus back to the streets of Bloomington and get things accomplished for the community. \n"My campaign is about being proactive," Brostoff said. "It's not lip service. It's action." \nUnlike previous council members, Brostoff wants students directly involved in his campaign. Already almost half of the people involved in his campaign are IU students, whom Brostoff considers a significant part of Bloomington. \nHe plans on holding open forums so the student population at IU can have a voice. He expressed concern over the relationship with students and the police and questioned whether the riots that occurred after the men's basketball run into the NCAA Final Four were handled properly by the city.\nBrostoff is the first openly homosexual candidate ever to run on the Bloomington Republican ticket. Along with having a large student-supported campaign, Brostoff is welcoming all people to join his effort, regardless of their affiliation. Essential to this is the idea that he will speak the voice of the person who is underrepresented. He said he hopes his openly homosexual candidacy will not work against him in this election. \n"A gay person knows what it means to be a minority and to be discriminated against," Brostoff said. "Being gay should not affect anyone's job status."\nOne IU student, sophomore Jordan Schweigel, is working for Brostoff's campaign and readily embraces his challenge to diversify. \n"The fact that he's gay proves that he's not just talking rhetoric," Schweigel said. "He is diverse." \nSchweigel and the rest of Brostoff's committee plan on working closely with organizations like OUT and the College Republicans to help coordinate his exposure to students. He is convinced Brostoff's decision to reveal parts of his personal life will work for him. \n"I think it's about time," Schweigel said. "Bloomington is a diverse place and needs someone to represent that diversity. " \nLike Schweigel, Jason Kay, who has worked under Brostoff for the past two years in the BPO at the Kelley School of Business, is happy for Brostoff. \n"It's nice to see someone being honest and open about a significant part of their life," Kay said. "It's a good thing for him."\nSome of the main problems Brostoff would like to address if elected are the survival of small businesses, incorporating student involvement and making infrastructure improvements. He said he feels many decisions made by the city do not take small businesses into consideration and more emphasis needs to be placed on protecting and communicating with small business owners. \nBrostoff is also pushing for improvements to be made to the streets in Bloomington, like fixing potholes or building sidewalks in neighborhoods that lack adequate places for its residents to walk.
(01/24/03 5:11am)
Since Jan. 21, public health officials began shipping 50,000 doses of the smallpox vaccine to at least 11 states, starting the implementation of a program designed to vaccinate medical and emergency workers in the event of a bioterrorist attack.\nSmallpox, a viral infection, was last present in the U.S. in the 1940s and declared eliminated from the world in 1980. However, some countries have been suspected of storing vials of the virus that could easily be used for a bioterrorist attack. Smallpox is highly contagious and easily transmittable through both the air and direct skin contact. Symptoms include a flu-like illness, fever, aches, and pains. A skin rash accompanies the virus on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet that quickly develop into blisters.\nIU professor Dr. Stephanie Kane, said she believes public health should be at the forefront of the increased U.S. effort to detect possible acts of bioterrorism such as the smallpox virus. Kane, an associate professor of criminal justice, presented a paper on the topic incorporating her research in cultural criminology. In her presentation, "Putting Public Health at the Center of Homeland Defense: A Semiotic Analysis of Bioterrorism" Kane argues for a strong public health infrastructure, "not someone out there with a gun." \nKane urged military and law enforcement officials to work together with public health officials. She believes the key to successfully responding to a bioterrorist attack is to place public health departments at the head of the effort and to have "expertise at a local level." Kane expressed concern that some state departments did not have an epidemiologist or health professional on staff to coordinate data on infection patterns. \n"This could certainly become a problem in the event of a bioterrorist emergency," Kane said in a press release. \nVickie Van Devencer, the infection control practitioner at Bloomington Hospital, said the hospital has a plan in place and has been educating their staff. Van Devencer is on the Community Hospital Bioterrorism Planning Committee and also works on the hospital newsletter that informs staff on diseases linked to bioterrorist attacks. \n"The Committee assesses hospital readiness and its capabilities in case of a bioterrorist attack," she said.\nBloomington Hospital, a Phase One hospital for the Monroe County area, has formed a smallpox response team and is asking for staff volunteers to be vaccinated with the virus. In case of a possible smallpox outbreak, Bloomington Hospital would be prepared to treat infected individuals.\nBloomington Hospital also participated in a daylong training session, called the Monroe County Biological Weapons Table Top Exercise on July 15 of last year. The workshop invited local media, police, fire, health, public works and the IU Health Center to attend and participate in bioterrorist mock drills. \nDr. Hugh Jessop, director of the Health Center, explained that the center spent the day going through scenarios to explore the "what-ifs" of a bioterrorist attack and ensuring all facets of Monroe County, IU and Bloomington would be working together and prepared.\n"As a University and town of 50,000 people, not including the students, the first question we asked is will Bloomington Hospital and the Health Center be overwhelmed," Jessop said. \nThe Health Center will also be sending immunization nurses to training at a specialized site within the next two weeks, so staff members can learn how to properly administer the smallpox vaccination. Due to the nature of the vaccination, and possible serious side effects, the vaccination will not be administered to Health Center personnel unless they volunteer.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
So just how much is too much? A study released last Thursday in Science magazine found that too much TV as an adolescent might result in increased aggression and violence as an adult. All it takes is three hours or more of television watching a day to leave a lasting impact. This study, which tracked around 700 boys and girls over the course of 17 years, might make some parents nervous and others a bit skeptical about watching so much television.\nBy the average age of 14, those teenagers who watched three or more hours of television a day were more susceptible to aggressive acts versus those who watched an hour or less of TV a day. Even more so, females by the age of 22 seemed to be more affected by extensive TV viewing than their male counterparts. According to Daphne White, executive director of the Lamb and Lion Project, the average child has seen 100,000 acts of violence by the time they reach elementary school.\nAfter hearing about this study, one wonders if the study accounted for factors such as the environment the children grew up in, and whether they were subjected to violent acts in their home, at school, or in their neighborhood while growing up. But researchers claim that childhood neglect, family income and other factors were taken into consideration. The link between watching television and aggression remained.\nThe dangers of excessive violence on TV have been around for a while. A U.S. Surgeon General's report on violence and television watching in 1972 stated, "Televised violence, indeed, does have an adverse effect on certain members of our society." Certain members like children. Thirty years later, I wonder: Did anyone bother to listen to that study? It's just television, right? \nBut for children who love to watch cartoons, parents should be aware. Today by simply watching cartoons, they will see between 20-25 violent acts in one hour. Even though any rational person knows cartoons aren't to blame for the actions of adults later in life, it still makes you think. Some people have speculated the video games that Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris frequently played encouraged them to open fire on fellow classmates at their school in Columbine. Their killing spree turned into a video game. Although I don't know if this is completely accurate, I have no doubt television, movies, video games and the like must have some lasting impact on their audiences. If anyone is going to be impacted negatively, it's young people.\nEveryone pursues young people -- cigarette advertisers, beer companies, you name it. Young people are impressionable and still forming ideas about the world they live in. So it shouldn't come to a surprise that children can be influenced by what they view on TV. \nThe National Cable and Telecommunications Association seems to think they have supported responsible television watching. Although many stations place ratings before a show comes on, these efforts still have done little to curb the amount of violence on TV. Viewers are now aware of their explicit content but this will mean nothing to a child unless they are under adult supervision.\nTelevision is a factor of increased violence in this society. It may not be the cause, but different forms of the media can and will continue to increase the use and acceptance of violent and aggressive behavior.
(04/08/02 4:14am)
I am sorry to go against my gender on this, but men have far better relationships with other men than women do with other women. Since being at IU, for every cool woman I have met, I can honestly say I have met five men who are just as cool. \nMen form stronger bonds with their friends. They are more trustworthy. Men don't get together to gossip or to bash one of their other friends. They simply chill. Furthermore, guys stick together. They are incredibly loyal and inclusive of one another. They don't play games where one friend is invited to a party and the other isn't, they don't purposely leave each other out and they don't try to make each other jealous. I don't even know if guys get jealous. \nMany women, after creating a fuss over being ditched by a friend for a guy, will turn around and do the same thing. Men seem less likely to ditch another guy for their "new girl." When is the last time you heard a guy say, "I really feel left out lately. Dave has been going out so much more with Stacey than with me"?\nMen are more likely to get together for a friendly game of basketball and interact with large groups of other guys. Women don't do that -- unless it is to organize a mass-shopping trip to the mall.\nGranted, some of the male bonding that takes place over beer and porn might not be at the top of women's lists of fun things to do on a Friday night, but at least they aren't sitting around a table saying, "Oh my god, and then she said this and I was like…" \nThere is nothing wrong with the way in which guys interact with one another. Sure, guys don't show their emotions and aren't likely to have a cry fest with their best friend after a hard day at work, but who cares? Too much emotion after a while is nauseating.\nWomen can be contriving, backstabbing and extremely methodical when dealing with other women. They know just the right things to say to get one woman to turn against another and can create a controversy within just seconds of opening their mouths. \nMen won't get offended if one of their friends doesn't want to go out one night. They aren't possessive or overly sensitive. While I applaud the sensitivity other women can have toward each other, it is often misplaced. Women don't take criticism -- no matter how constructive it is. The smallest comments are often blown out of proportion. \nWomen keep track records too. We are good at this. It doesn't take long for us to pull up a date from six months ago and still be pissed off over what happened. For men it's here one day and gone the next. They don't focus on the past. Why bother? Still, there are plenty of women who think having a series of talks to straighten things out is the end-all solution. It's like a parent-teacher conference -- only worse.\nMen are by no means perfect. They still do stupid things when they are all together that can be extremely irritating to witness. But I like their general attitude about friendships. There are a lot of great women out there that make for good friends, but I have to say that friendship is the one area men are better at than women.
(03/18/02 4:26am)
Things move slowly in Naples, Fla. Populated for the most part by retirees, senior citizens and families with young children, the atmosphere of Naples is anything but the typical spring break getaway for most college students. But even though it's not the typical party spot, it is where my sister and I decided we would we go for our break.\nNaples is like an enlarged retirement center spread out over the city. The speed limits are between 25 and 35 mph in most places, and the streets are lined with Cadillacs and Lincolns. The slow pace, lack of night life and overall complete absence of young people became frustrating at times, but what could I expect? It's Naples, not Panama City.\nWhat amazed me the most about Naples was the general attitude of the people living and vacationing there. Everyone was friendly and nice. They said hello to me when they passed by on the street and seemed to enjoy the company and presence of young people as well. They were welcoming and appreciative when young people were around.\nMen and women often stopped to talk with me and my sister, asking us where we were from or if we were having a nice time. We were treated as though we were everyone's grandchildren. One gentleman even asked us a series of jokes, obviously getting a kick out of his new, younger audience. His jokes included the following classics: How do you make Holy water holy? Boil the hell out of it. What kind of coffee did they drink on the Titanic? Sanken. The man, smiling as he told us he got them off the Internet, made me laugh at the idea of actually telling anyone my age these jokes. If anything, spending time in Naples showed me there was a different side to life -- one that didn't have to be full of stress and chaos. \nYou have to appreciate older people. They are cute and innocent in their own way. Many enjoy talking about the weather, the news and other trivial things that happened during the day. It makes for a nice change from the gossip and rumors that can circulate among young people today. \nMaybe older people posess the secret to happiness. My grandparents have been happily married for more than 50 years and still spend a huge portion of their day together in Naples. They spend their time golfing, going out to eat or running errands. \nWatching couples interact in Naples makes me feel like the current divorce statistics aren't accurate. \nMy grandparents' nightly routine of playing gin rummy "Hollywood style," as my grandpa calls it, doesn't seem to get old for them. They seem very content simply spending time together, interacting and playfully going back and forth over who will win that night's game. \nIt is possible that older people have discovered the long-sought after secret to happiness and contentment, just because they have already experienced so much in their lives. To an older person, nothing seems too big or too overwhelming to handle by now.\nThe simple act of growing old is an experience in itself, and although I don't necessarily look forward to it, I have realized that as I get older I begin to appreciate things I didn't in the past. Maybe that is the secret.
(03/04/02 5:20am)
The economic decline fueled by the tragic events of Sept. 11 and a decline in consumer spending and travel has affected the current job market. Companies are hiring 20 percent fewer workers. This year at IU, there were 30 fewer companies that came to interview students as potential employees, and companies at the internship fairs seem sparse. \nIn 1998, companies were knocking down student doors with job offers, and graduates were receiving salary offers in the middle-to-high $40,000 range. Companies were even offering signing bonuses. The economy was good.\nRight now that's not quite the case. For students who are not graduating this year, there is hope that by 2003 the economy will be back on the upswing.\nIn general, there are some important things to know when preparing to get a job after you graduate. Companies are interested in hiring employees based on skills and experience. Many people are under the impression that college revolves around your major and GPA. While this may be true in some cases -- if you are planning to go into a technical field, apply to a graduate program, etc. -- for most of us these play a small role in landing a job. Just ask the majority of people you know who have graduated from college. You'll find out a lot of people never went into the field they majored in and are actually quite successful in jobs that have nothing to do with their educational background. In many ways this is a good thing because it allows college graduates room for change.\nCompanies are looking for people who have been involved with more than just the academic side to school. So if you aren't doing anything now, get involved. However, be aware that simply joining a club as a resume-builder is not the route to go. Most employers are going to want to know how you were involved in the organization and what you did during the time you belonged.\nMany college graduates have revealed that they wished they had studied more areas in speaking, writing, group communication and leadership skills. These are all key areas employers need in the workplace. If you still have time, focus on building and improving your writing skills. The need to write well and effectively will never be replaced, no matter how advanced technology may become. \nInternships are also extremely important. Do as many as you can during your college career. Internships help students figure out if they want to pursue the field they are majoring in, provide hands on experience and teach skills that are crucial to the working world. For many students, internships are a gateway to landing future careers. If a company is impressed by your work ethic and skills, it will be more likely to hire you full-time once you graduate or recommend you to another company. \nOne way to get an job or an internship is to use your resources. Use the connections you have to your advantage. Although to some it may seem like a cop-out to rely on a family member or friend to get your foot into the door at a company, it's not. Companies are more likely to hire an individual that has been recommended by someone they know who will vouch for the individual's character and abilities.\nThese are all pieces of information I wish someone had told me my freshman year. But to those of you that still have time left, take advantage of the advice, and good luck.
(02/11/02 3:23am)
Let's say I walked into a store and held up the cashier at gunpoint and then proceeded to take all of the store's money from the cash drawers. If and when I was caught, would you hold me responsible for robbing the store, or would you hold the guy who sold me the gun responsible? I hope you would say I would be responsible, regardless of how I got the gun or whom I got the gun from. Accountability for our actions; such an interesting thought. In the last year or so, we have been bombarded with questions of accountability on this campus when it comes to drinking, much of it pertaining to underage consumption. \nLast year, when Seth Korona died after drinking and doing a keg stand at the Theta Chi fraternity house, heads were spinning. It was tragic, like every fatal accident that occurs.\nPreventable? Maybe.\nPredictable? No.\nDean of Students Richard McKaig, in response to the events surrounding Korona's death, told the IDS in a Feb. 5 article, "It would've been nice to hold someone accountable."\nWell what about the individual who chooses to drink?\nI feel terrible about what happened to Korona, and I am not trying to turn this into an individualized debate because the fact of the matter is, this happens everywhere on college campuses nationwide and this is not the first incident to hit the IU campus, either.\nMy problem with the whole situation, though, is that the individuals who choose to drink, who choose to attend the party, who choose to get behind the wheel and drive, who choose to snort a line of coke, etc., are the ones who need to be held accountable for their own actions. No one else is to blame.\nGranted it might be a lot easier to blame your misfortunes on someone else or to point to other excuses, but as students, I am pretty confident that we are all aware that the legal drinking age is 21. There is no more of a drinking problem on this campus than any other college campus. \n"Every college and university in the country wrestles with (alcohol)," Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm told the IDS in a Feb. 6 article. "There are no magic solutions."\nFraternities are being singled out unfairly because of past alcohol-related incidents. Is it the fraternity or the individual drinking that should be held responsible? What about shutting down McNutt the next time a student drinks too much and has to be taken to the hospital to get his stomach pumped? Or how about you start making house calls around campus and kicking whole groups of students out of their houses because one of the roommates was drinking underage. \nReally, if we are going to start blaming people, let's hold Anheuser Busch and other beer companies accountable for brewing the beer and marketing their product to young people.\nI am not advocating fraternities being able to go buck wild and throw huge bashes that openly serve underage students, but at the same time, members of fraternities who are 21 years of age should be able to have parties, have alcohol inside their houses and not be held responsible for their peers who aren't of legal age. Students will always be able to locate alcohol -- whether it be through a friend, older sibling or fraternity house.\nLet's hold members of the greek system to the same standards as everyone else.
(02/04/02 4:05am)
At the start of Temptation Island II, I told myself there was no way I was buying into that show. I watched the first one and was disgusted. I was not giving in this time. Wrong. Every Thursday night I find myself drawn to the television, nestled up next to my roommates as we all sit and watch the drama of Temptation II unfold. \nI don't agree with a single thing that happens on that show, and still I watch it, complain about it afterwards and then repeat the cycle. Whoever came up with the idea of throwing four uncertain couples on a deserted island with beautiful people set out to entice their boyfriends or girlfriends did a good job. I will give them credit because they definitely have found a captivated audience -- no matter how immoral, degrading or unrealistic the show may be. \nNext Thursday marks the final episode, and I am predicting that three of the couples will stay together and the other one will say goodbye. But honestly, my feeling is that even if I had left the island with my boyfriend, as soon as I saw of all the footage and the random hook-ups, I would be as good as gone. The wounds would not heal. \nThe problem with these so-called reality shows is that they are not reality. They draw people into their "real life" situations, create false perceptions of how life should be and perpetuate the idea of a glorified life of scandals, gossip, promiscuity and constant drama. I guess as long as people realize reality-based shows are anything but that, it doesn't matter. But I have a hard time believing that people don't sit back and think, "if only I could be in their shoes."\nKnowing all of this, I still can't get over the idea that I watch the show. It drives me crazy to watch as the women on the island are degraded into sex objects and fall into the stereotypical role of women today. They appear passive and insecure while their boyfriends have a good time on the other side of the island with the rest of the "boyfriend-stealing" women. The show seems biased against the women in more ways than one. The men live it up, the women cry and in the end, after the men have had their fun, they return to their ever-so-faithful and helpless girlfriends, who take them back with open arms. \nRegardless, shows like Temptation Island are always going to manage to weasel their way into prime-time television and gain a growing audience when there are people like me out there who hate the show for what it's worth and then blow it off as innocent entertainment. I am not sure yet what that says about me, but at least I am aware of what is really going on.\nThen again, maybe that's all it is: innocent entertainment. Still, when I hear people comment that the show is a good way to figure out if you want to be with someone, it makes me think twice about what innocent entertainment is in our society anymore. Maybe we are taking the "anything goes" attitude a bit too far. We have to draw the line somewhere.
(01/28/02 4:01am)
Our education system at IU is flawed. Students who want to change their majors, unless it is within their school of study, lose valuable credit hours, class time and a great deal of money. \nTake my friend Natalie, for instance. She decided to change her major from pre-med to education after her freshman year. Currently she has 117 credit hours and is of senior status and yet has two semesters left until she will graduate.\nShe lost 37 credit hours by changing her major. Our education system should work for us, not against us, but it is becoming increasingly difficult these days to graduate in four years.\nIt is also frustrating and disheartening that schools within IU do not work together to accommodate students. I am applying for the Washington Leadership Program through SPEA, but because I am a journalism major, I am not able to receive full credit for the program. \nThe School of Journalism will only accept three internship credit hours and through SPEA's program I would earn six. It is not fair that students outside SPEA may not be able to receive full credit for internships, even though they will work just as hard as anyone else. I will also still be required to pay the same amount of tuition as a full-time student, while not earning more than nine hours in the program. This will set me behind and chances are I will not be able to graduate on time.\nGraduating within the traditional four years is a big deal for many students. Not everyone has the luxury of all-expense paid schooling for four years and many people are paying their way through college. \nAn extra year or even semester is just not an option. And some students want to get out of school and get into the real world to pursue what they love to do. The possibility of not graduating on schedule is enough to make unhappy students settle with their majors and prevent some students from participating in worthwhile programs such as the Washington Leadership Program. \nIt is difficult as a freshman or sophomore to know what you are interested in doing after you graduate, yet by that time many colleges expect students to know. Students should not be penalized for changing their majors. We should not have to declare a major or even apply to get into a school until we reach our junior year. This way, it gives students more time to discover what they really might be interested in pursuing and it takes off some of the pressure of declaring a major. \nSchools should provide their students with as many opportunities as possible and encourage students to participate in internships, overseas study programs and other programs that help students broaden their horizons. They should be more than accommodating when helping students plan their schedules and do everything possible to help students graduate on time and pursue majors they enjoy. It should be the school's responsibility.\nCollege is a great time to explore different interests, but the education system is preventing many students from doing just that. The last thing students need to worry about is falling behind in school because they want to pursue internships, participate in overseas study programs or change majors.
(01/11/02 4:14am)
I don't know why the dating scene has gone out the door or even where it went. But as far as traditional dating on campus goes, dates are few and far between. A report conducted by the Institute for American Values and financed by the Independent Women's Forum, found in August of last year that only 40 percent of women are happy with the social scene on their campus. \nOnly half of college seniors surveyed were asked out on more than five dates in college and a third were asked on two dates or fewer. And this is not because there is a lack of intelligent, beautiful women on college campuses. The survey pointed out that dating has become either one extreme or another -- very serious, committed relationships or random hookups. \nNot only has the mentality of dating changed since our parents' time, it has moved into a mindset that accepts and promotes one-night stands. Is it the influence of a culture that frequently encourages no commitment, casual sex and cheating? Or could it be the fear of rejection that keeps guys from asking a girl out? Maybe it\'s both. Either way, traditional dating no longer exists. \nUnfortunately, most women I have talked to (and I am sure there are plenty of guys, too) would prefer to have a commitment and spend their time with someone special. But where can you meet a guy who is actually a gentleman these days? \nMany women are hesitant now when it comes to dating. And I can't say I blame them. After meeting guys who don't think twice about making a fool out of a woman (often spitting out the same, ridiculous lines) who would trust anyone anymore? But in defense of these guys, women will let them do it, and if guys can get away with it, why not have your cake and eat it, too? It takes two to tango. \nAs much as I would rather not admit it, some women look for random guys and wind up ending their nights with them. But many women will spend the night with guys for different reasons. Some want to believe that it will magically turn into a Hollywood romance the next day, but that is rarely ever the case. \n The circumstances under which they meet are usually too much of a blur for it to amount into anything meaningful or stable.\n I do believe there are nice guys out there, since I am dating one, but it gets difficult at times. Like everything in life there will always be a few (in this case maybe more than a few) who will spoil it for the rest. \n To all of the women and men frustrated with the dating scene: don't give up hope; just keep your eyes open. And guys, it wouldn't hurt to try asking a girl out to dinner some night, you'd be surprised. Most girls would be more than flattered to have a guy ask them out -- it's a lot better than just handing her a beer from across the bar and flashing a cheesy smile. Either that or we can ask you out -- that's what I did with my boyfriend and it worked.
(01/07/02 3:40am)
The holidays are over and the new year has arrived. And into 2002 came handfuls of people with resolutions to change some aspect of their lives. After failing miserably last year, I personally made no resolutions. Quite frankly, the more I think about it, the more I realize the odds are against us anyway. For one, it\'s winter -- it\'s cold, there\'s snow, wind and little daylight. That alone makes me want to crawl into my nice, warm bed and never leave my house. Also between Thanksgiving and New Year\'s, the average person gains five to 10 lbs. \nWith all of the holiday eating, trips through the drive-thru and late night snacking on chocolate covered pretzels and Christmas tree cookies, I would say I have had my fair share of holiday feasting. I have yet to step on a scale and allow myself to become another statistic, but secretly I know it\'s true. \nStill, I appreciate the people who vow to cut the fat out of their diet, to exercise more or to stop smoking or drinking. It\'s just that I have yet to meet anyone who has honestly kept his or her New Year\'s resolution. One of my roommates lasted a day before she gave in and started smoking again. So why do we torture ourselves every year with unrealistic fantasies of becoming a "new person?" \nSadly enough, I have become one of many people who lack the will power to drop my bad habits in light of a new year. Fortunately, most of the bad habits I have -- biting my fingernails when I am nervous, drinking coffee, staying up into the wee hours of the morning, etc. -- are not easily changeable.\nI think, if anything, I should try to work with what I have and be happy with myself. If there\'s one thing I have learned the hard way over the years, it\'s that at some point you need to just accept who you are, where you are and what you have. Our society has us conditioned never to be satisfied with any aspect of our lives. Commercials are geared toward making women insecure about their bodies, how they dress and what make-up they use to hide their blemishes. Men are influenced into believing they need to drive nice cars to get the women, have a more than ample bank account and work-out with the boys at the gym. But whose reality is that anyway?\nSo the new year has made me realize there isn\'t any reason to change anything about myself. There will always be things I can improve on and it\'s not to say I won\'t, but who needs the pressure right now? I might never reach society\'s standards, but I have no desire to. There are more important things to be concerned about. In fact, I am just crossing my fingers that as it gets colder out, my roommates and I can work out a carpool so we don\'t have to walk to class; otherwise, there\'s a good chance I might not make it. Plus the whole quitting smoking thing provides yet another opportunity for me to gain weight -- not that I am advocating smoking by any means, but when you quit, you gain more weight.\nSo I guess it is a good thing that I didn\'t make any resolutions for the new year after all. There could have been a slight chance that I would have quit smoking or started eating healthier or going to the gym or something like that.