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(11/09/09 3:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Inside Global Gifts, the walls are painted in earth-toned hues. The brightly colored products on the shelves catch your eyes. Global Gifts, Bloomington’s first fair trade store, offers a new spin on shopping, stocking only items handmade in third world countries.“It’s guilt-free shopping,” says Eric Nelson, vice president of the IU Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE). “It’s not just another purchase.”For several years, SIFE and local organization Fair Trade Bloomington have been pushing for a fair trade store in Bloomington. Global Gifts has been showcasing products from 35 different nations for more than 20 years in its Indianapolis location.Fair trade organizations, which are now forming a stronger presence Bloomington community, work to benefit third world countries by providing a fair price to laborers for the goods they produce, says Global Gifts General Manager Sam Carpenter.“I see fair trade as a way of helping people in developing countries who wouldn’t have means of employment,” Carpenter says, “helping those people reach the market place."In addition to providing wages, fair trade cooperatives also aid in other aspects of the business process. They work on product development to assist the artists in choosing colors and patterns that will sell in the Western world. The cooperatives also strive to achieve gender equality in the work place and look for products and materials that are environmentally sustainable, says Mary Embry, faculty advisor for SIFE and president of Fair Trade Bloomington.Purchasing an item at Global Gifts allows artists in developing countries to grow their businesses. When a fair trade cooperative places an order, they loan the artist 50 percent of the total cost of the order up front. This helps the artists complete the order while avoiding working with loan sharks in their respective countries, Embry says.“It works like a regular business model, just the intent is different,” Carpenter says. Both SIFE and Global Gifts hope this focus on business ethics will attract students as well as the Bloomington community to shop at the new store.“We’re going to try to have stuff that appeals to students, but we hope they appeal to the message, and they think about where their dollar is going,” Carpenter says. Bloomington local and Global Gifts customer Christina Warner says the work Global Gifts is doing allows the artists’ communities to be empowered. “It’s not just a fair wage,” she says. “It gives them a new way of life.”The store carries selections ranging from home decor and sculptures to jewelry, totes, and musical instruments.“It’s diverse,” Warner says. “ They’ve definitely pulled from a lot of different areas of the world. You can see the craftsmanship, and the work just makes it very unique.”Global Gifts also wants to work with the IU community. Carpenter says the store plans to partner with the university for special projects, including some in the business and marketing departments.Students can also become involved by volunteering at the store. More than 40 volunteers help in staffing the store.“Fair trade is something that’s really growing,” Carpenter says. “More people are doing their shopping in a way that’s consistent with their own values.”
(11/02/09 6:50pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Weekend parties. Provided meals. Sixty of your close friends. Who would want to leave a house that offers all this?Even with all the perks of living in a greek house on campus, many members of sororities and fraternities choose to live out each year.“I think it was just time for me to live on my own,” said Phil Langenfeld, a fraternity member. Many greek houses on campus have a live-out policy. This means that the chapter requires the member to live in the sorority or fraternity house for two or more years and then allows the member to live outside of the house after those two or more years if desired.While living in the house, members are expected to abide by the house rules. This includes, among other things, no alcohol or drugs, and for sororities, a man-hour policy which restricts men from being in the house during certain times. However, for many members, the benefits of living in the house far outweigh the inconveniences some of the rules might cause.“I like that we get a good breakfast every day, and we don’t have to make any of our meals,” said Emily Watkins, a sorority member. “And we live so close we can just walk everywhere.”Many members see the experience of living in the house as a time to live with a large group of their closest friends.“Living in is one of the reasons our house is so close,” Watkins said. Although living in a sorority or fraternity house provides many benefits, many greek members believe that after two years it is time for a change. Kyle Behringer, a fraternity member, chose to live out because he did not like living in a house with so many people.“I couldn’t stand rooming with two other guys, and I didn’t like having to share a bathroom with that many guys,” he said. “Now everything is individual.”Langenfeld agrees with Behringer and thinks that life outside the fraternity house is “much different.”“Now I have my own bedroom, my own bathroom and my own kitchen,” he said.Although time spent living outside the fraternity house can be a great opportunity for members to experience life on their own and party without the rules of living in a greek house, some members seem to lose the connection they had with their fraternity or sorority.“We still attend the social events,” Langenfeld said. “But it’s harder to meet the new guys and stay involved.” Watkins said she will not have the option of living out, but even if she did, she believes that many of the members of her chapter would chose to remain living in the house.“The sophomores are just as close with the juniors and the seniors because we all live under one roof,” she said. “We have our whole life to live in an apartment.”
(08/25/09 4:13pm)
IU students share family recipes that will leave any food connoisseur hungry for more. Bon appetit!
(02/17/09 4:00pm)
You don’t need a gallery to showcase these done-in-an-hour art projects. Make a corkboard out of memorable wine stoppers, or string cup lights around your basement bar. Most of the supplies can be found at a thrift store, or if you feel like going for a dive, your neighborhood Dumpster.
(02/17/09 4:00pm)
Put a cork in it
(02/11/09 11:45pm)
Though Bloomington is not the Paris of the Midwest, there is plenty of romance to be found here.
(12/05/08 4:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Todd Diemer, an IU graduate, spent more than two years volunteering for the Peace Corps in The Gambia and replicating the local holidays, but now Diemer has returned to the States to celebrate in his own home.Peace Corps volunteers in The Gambia focus on introducing information communication technology to both teachers and students, as well as setting up basic computer labs. Diemer was recruited as an information technology volunteer, and he spent most of his time working in high schools teaching students computer skills.Diemer joined the Peace Corps upon graduating from IU. He was heavily influenced by his father, who was a Peace Corps volunteer during the ’70s, and by the surroundings in his hometown, Bloomington.“Because Bloomington is so diverse and you have people from all over, you are exposed to a lot of different cultures,” Diemer said. “Spending a lot of time there growing up, it really helps lower your fear of something new.”Rose Galer, Peace Corps campus recruiter for IU, credits the decision of many IU graduates to join the Peace Corps to the environment in which they grew up.“Maybe it’s just within the Midwest hard-work ethic that’s bringing these students to want to do this,” Galer said.After college, Diemer had to make the difficult transition from college life to the real world as all graduates do, but in a developing nation thousands of miles away from home.“It was definitely a good way to become an adult and sort of grow up a little bit,” Diemer said. “It was stronger in this environment because you were thrown out into a stressful situation, and you had to cope with it pretty quickly or you would just fail.”Despite the stress, Diemer was able to transition to his new life with the help of his host family. Throughout his stay, Diemer said he was able to build strong relationships with the family.“I’m pretty close with them. It’s something that I wanted to have going into it,” Diemer said.In addition to his host family, Diemer also had other Peace Corps volunteers he could turn to for help and support. While Diemer worked in The Gambia, there were 100 volunteers in the country.“You always have people coming and going that you could rely on. That came in handy for holidays and stuff,” Diemer said. During his first year, Diemer said that he and the other volunteers would try to get together to celebrate American holidays. As time went on, these holidays became increasingly hard to replicate, so they found themselves celebrating the local holidays instead.“You don’t really have that deep cultural understanding, but after a while they do have some value for you, especially in the second year,” Diemer said.While working in The Gambia, Diemer missed out on a lot of events back home. He said the hardest aspect was missing pop culture talk, like music and movie references.“People talk about (pop culture references) because they are surrounded by them, and I sort of smile and nod and go along with the flow,” Diemer said.However, he said the rewards he has gained through his experiences with the Peace Corps far outweigh awkward pop culture moments now that he has returned home.“You missed out in a way, but it help builds who you are,” Diemer said. “The experiences are a lot more personal. You get to have a sense of where you’ve been, and that helps you decide where you want to go.”Galer said she agreed with Diemer that volunteers gain personal experiences as well as professional experience.“It gives you great international experience, cross-cultural experience and language experience,” Galer said.In addition, Diemer has taught many students about basic technologies that will greatly impact their future.“There’s a few people I trained really well. They are taking the skills that I gave them and sort of making a life for themselves after that,” Diemer said.Since his work with students in The Gambia, Diemer said he has gained a new appreciation for technology. Although he is not quite sure how, he hopes to work with technology in some way in the future.“The biggest thing was just coming back and feeling like you’ve done a lot of good stuff and gained life skills,” Diemer said. “You can’t express that in a resume.”
(09/23/08 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Combine Latin music and salsa dancing with resistance training, and you have the recipe for “Zumba,” the new exercise dance craze that’s trying to make working out fun again.“We take that feeling you have in the club when you go out dancing and take that to the fitness room,” said Tony Witt, a Kansas City-based Zumba instructor who recently led an instructor certification session in Indianapolis.Witt said Zumba is “a party.” The exercise class dances to Latin rhythms with simple moves inspired by salsa and merengue dances. The dancing, fused with resistance training, burns fat while toning and sculpting the body. The Zumba craze is beginning to spread locally.The Monroe County YMCA offers Zumba four days per week. The classes cost $35 for members and $88 for non-members. The Indianapolis instructor certification session held Sept. 14 also drew a sold-out crowd, Witt said. That kind of popularity is easy to explain, said freshman Emily Kitchen. “It’s a fun workout,” said Kitchen, who started Zumba six months ago at her home in Carmel, Ind. “I always feel great after I’m done. I don’t even feel like I’m exercising.”She said she’s now looking for a class to take here in Bloomington. So far, Zumba is not offered at the Student Recreational Sports Center. Kim Cullman, publicity assistant for campus recreational sports, said it’s also unclear if any classes will be created next semester or in years to come.Even so, people are becoming more aware of the workout, said Shelly Vail, an Indianapolis-based Zumba instructor.“People are always saying ‘What’s Zumba?’” she said. Vail moved to Mooresville, an Indianapolis suburb, about 11 weeks ago to create the city’s first Zumba class. The goal of Zumba, according to its Web site, is for participants to “want to work out, to love working out, to get hooked.” “Beto” Perez, a famous Colombian fitness trainer and choreographer for international celebrities, created Zumba in the mid-’90s after he forgot to bring music to his aerobics class. He used Latin music instead, and choreographed new moves to coordinate with the beats, creating Zumba.“(Zumba classes) use music the way that it was written,” Witt said. While most aerobics classes remix songs to create beats for the class, Zumba does the opposite.The instructors look at the music and create moves that coincide with the song. There is one dance move for the chorus and another for each of the verses, Witt said. This creates a total of only three or four moves per song. “It’s fun. You come to class, and you don’t have to think,” Witt said. Although the steps are easy, the beats change every couple of minutes, keeping the class energized. During a one-hour Zumba class, the average person will burn about 700 calories, Witt said. However, he has seen people burn up to 1,400 calories in the same one-hour class.This combination of simple moves, high-energy music and fat burning makes Zumba appealing for people of all ages, he said.
(11/08/07 5:00am)
IU Student Foundation, known by most students as IUSF, can now proudly boast that it is the "Best Student Organization" on campus. For the first time in Best of Bloomington history, IUSF nabbed the title.\n"There was a pretty big push this year for votes," said senior Meera Jogani, one of the leaders of IUSF's development and communications committee.\nIUSF has approximately 350 members and consists of six subcommittees, with anywhere from 25 to 60 members per committee. IUSF President Tricia Runkel and Director Jenny Bruffey said they made announcements every week at committee meetings, encouraging members to vote IUSF the "Best Student Organization."\nLeaders of the group agreed that the Best of Bloomington contest is a way to publicize IUSF. Runkel said it is important for the organization to gain recognition.\n"The Student Foundation is tied to some of the long-standing traditions on campus," said Doug Davis, one of the leaders of IUSF's development and communications committee.\nThe group coordinates three main events each year: Little 500, Little 50 and IU Sing. Last year IU Sing brought in $4,800, which the organization gave away in scholarships, Runkel said. IUSF spends much of its time organizing Little 500. Planning Little 500 is "a year-round, 12-month process," Runkel said. \n"We have a lot of students involved, and we do a lot of great things on campus," Runkel said. "It was important (to win) because we touch the lives of so many students."\nIUSF sees Best of Bloomington as a way to promote IUSF and encourage membership. \n"It's one of those things that, if you're a part of this organization, it's such a life-changing experience," Bruffey said. "We want to portray that to others and get (them) to join."\nIn addition to planning the big events on campus, the group helps students in other ways. Jogani said she hopes that by having IUSF voted best student organization, students will realize that the organization does more than just plan Little 500. \nThrough a program named Career Connections, the organization tries to connect its members with event sponsors to help the students land jobs and internships, Runkel said. Runkel described the program as being similar to a job fair for the group's members. According to the IUSF Web site, participating companies for the 2007 Career Connections include major restaurant chains, food and beverage distributors and insurance companies.\nIUSF awards two $25,000 grants, one in the fall and one in the spring, to student organizations that show a need for the money for a philanthropic cause. The organization also awards more than $80,000 in scholarships to its members each year. IUSF also holds socials for members and plans alumni events. \n"It's what we give back to the students that makes us one of the best organizations," Davis said.
(10/22/07 5:19pm)
Nothing is better associated with Hoosier pride than the color crimson. To show off IU pride all day and night during Homecoming week, the campus has been lit up with crimson-colored lights. \nCalled the “Crimson Glow,” this decorative display of school spirit hopes to illuminate the campus in a crimson hue.\nThe Student Alumni Association purchased strands of red lights for each greek house on Third Street and Jordan Avenue. At $3 a strand for the lights, this glowing display cost about $450, which was funded through the Alumni Association’s homecoming budget, said Erin Datteri, a graduate assistant at the Alumni Association.\nThere was no cost to the greek houses to participate in this display of school spirit, said Kim Lindsay, a representative for the Student Alumni Association.\nIt was up to each house to put its own lights up. Each was given two strands of lights, and after that, they had to get creative, Lindsay said.\n“We know the houses do have Christmas lights,” Lindsay said, “but are they actually going to put them up? Because it’s kind of a hassle.”\nThe greek houses were asked to hang the lights on Monday, the beginning of Homecoming week, said Phillip Blomeke, president of the Student Alumni Association. The plan is for the lights to remain up for the duration of the week until the game. \nBecause Third Street will be host to the Homecoming parade, the idea is that the lights decorating the houses will add even more Hoosier spirit to the festivities.\n“That’s the idea, to show your pride,” Blomeke said.\nThe lights can also be seen as a way to unify the greeks and the alumni in supporting IU spirit. \n“This is the one time when the whole greek community can come together,” said Colin Nabity, president of Alpha Tau Omega. \nAndrew Howerton, president of Theta Chi, said his house chose to hang the lights as a display to “welcome alumni back into the frat (in which) they once lived.”\nAlthough lights have only been purchased for the greek houses, any house or dorm is welcome to show its pride by hanging lights as well.\n“We would love anyone to participate,” Datteri said.
(09/26/07 4:49am)
Although The Cinemat was in danger of closing over the summer, it is now here to stay. \nOn July 20, the 5-year-old Cinemat was put on the market by owner Steve Volan, but at the end of August, he decided to keep the Cinemat running. \nVolan said he was forced to put his business up for sale because he simply did not have enough time to keep the place running. He is a current Bloomington City Council member for District 6, and is running for re-election. He said he thought someone else with fewer obligations might be able to dedicate more time to running the Cinemat.\n“I’m spread a little thin,” Volan said. “I’ve never been able to do just one thing.”\nThe Cinemat operates as a two-part business. Half of the store functions as a video rental store, which is comprised of roughly 5,000 different titles, Volan said. \nThe other half of the store now functions as a film screening and live performance venue.\nVolan said although a screening room in a video store sounded like a good idea on paper, it was not pulling its weight. \n“I run two different businesses in one place, it just happens to be the same cash register,” Volan said.\nWith only a few people interested, Volan was ready to throw in the towel at the end of August. However, a few faithful customers, who Volan now refers to as “The Booking Cloud,” were able to change his mind.\n“It’s a great place, and it shouldn’t go to waste,” said Sally Ward, member of “The Booking Cloud.”\nThe people who comprise “The Booking Cloud” are either in bands or know bands. Together the four of them have managed to book live shows for almost every day of the week. By the end of August they were able to liven up the screening room.\nWard said she handles the promotions, while fellow member Chris Couchman does most of the booking.\nVolan said the Cinemat plans to host more than just rock bands, but a variety of entertainment – bluegrass, jazz, comedy, game nights and even opera. \nThe Cinemat is open to “anyone who wants to put on a show,” Volan said. “We are a really good venue for it.”\nSince it’s the only video store in Indiana with a permit to serve beer, the Cinemat has the versatility to do a variety of shows. Beer can be served during events for the 21 and over crowd, but the Cinemat is still willing to hold all-ages shows. Shows are available for booking at $25 for a four-hour block, Volan said.\nAlthough Volan is still a busy man, he is focusing his energy on keeping the Cinemat running, he said. \n“I was looking forward to the extra time,” Volan said. “But I love what I created here.”