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(07/25/02 8:23pm)
A barefoot Julia "Butterfly" Hill spoke Tuesday night to a packed Whittenberger Auditorium. Hill, an environmental activist, spent two years and eight days living in a tree to protect a community of ancient redwoods in California. As she spoke about her best friend, Luna, the tree she inhabited from 1997 to 1999, her experiences and passions, she called all the people in the room environmentalists, even if they didn't call themselves that. \nPiper Ingram, a junior in the audience, said that she attended the lecture out of curiosity, and that she felt "inspired to do something. She made me think that even my little contributions can make a difference, that we all can help."\n"I knew that this women was in business before all of this," Ingram said. "I just wanted to know how someone who was a business major in college ended up living in a tree."\nHill was not involved in environmental issues until a 1996 car accident. A drunken driver hit her, leaving her without short-term memory or motor skills. It took 10 months of physical and cognitive therapy to recover from that accident. During that time Hill said she started thinking about her values, purpose and reason for living. \nHill began crying Thursday as she described the motivation for her way of life. Through tears, Hill remembered the image of a tricycle handle sticking out of a pile of mud, all that was left of a home destroyed in the Pacific Lumber Corporation clear-cut mudslide. \n"The part of the picture that hits me every time I think about it is the picture of the man holding his little son's hand," Hill said. "And they are walking away from their home and from that tricycle. And they had to learn a lesson the hard way. That what we do to the earth, we do to ourselves." \nThat was the beginning of Hill's activism and love for the earth. She discovered a group called Base Camp, which was looking for someone to sit in Luna. \n"I had heard that a tree-sit is where someone sits in a tree in order to protect it. That was about as much training as I got on tree sitting," Hill said. "But I grew up with two brothers and no sisters on the road, so I figured I could sit in a tree." \nHill lived on a platform that was about 6-foot-by-6-foot. The walls and roof were made of tarp, and her water came from rainwater captured through a funnel. She owned few things in the tree -- just clothes, a hand-powered radio, a sleeping bag and eventually a portable phone. \n"I spent six to eight hours a day on the phone. And I don't even like phones," Hill said. "I addressed the United Nations. I lobbied the government. I spoke at festivals like Woodstock. I spoke at conferences and rallies. I spoke to religious groups. I spoke to preschools, to Princeton, to law schools. I spoke to anyone who would listen." \nUnion Board's director of lectures, sophomore Nick Hillman, said he wanted to bring Hill to IU because he knew there was a community that wanted to listen. Union Board was one of the lecture's sponsors.\n"I love seeing everyone together. People who didn't know each other were talking afterwards about the environmental cause," Hillman said. \nHill discussed how students can get involved in environmental protection in the community. She said this means finding courage and love and helping everyone else see that love.\n"You know that saying, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Hill asked. "Part of my purpose is being the ears, the eyes, the heart and the spirit in the place in the forest where it hits the ground. And helping people to hear it and feel it." \nWhile in the tree, Hill founded the Circle of Life Foundation, which works toward solutions to environmental and social problems. \nAfter 738 days and a few near-death experiences, she left Luna, successfully saving her "best friend" and the community of redwoods within a three-acre span. Hill said that area of forest is protected as a symbol of beauty, power and action and can never be used for timber. \nHill stressed the importance of getting involved and not taking anything for granted. She spoke of the first moments after she descended the tree. She said she knelt and kissed the ground she had been staring at for two years. \nShe said people often asked her what she missed most while in Luna. \n"I missed everything that I have ever taken for granted," Hill said. "I missed everything because it was all gone. My ability to walk, my ability to turn on a faucet and have hot water come out, my ability to go into some safe, warm shelter when the winds were raging and the sleet and the hail, snow was pummeling me. My ability to go to the store and get food. All the things that I had ever taken for granted in my life were right there in front of my face"
(02/27/01 6:41am)
To a packed house of students and faculty Monday, ABC news anchor and reporter Cokie Roberts and her husband shared comments on the political situation in Washington and a life of reporting the news.\nThe Center on Congress sponsored the lecture by Cokie and Steve Roberts -- also a Washington journalist -- in Alumni Hall of the Indiana Memorial Union.\nFormer Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton, also the director of The Center on Congress, introduced the couple with an anecdote about how the Roberts family isn't typical. Both Cokie's parents served in Congress. And her mother is just wrapping up another influential post. \n"Her job, as ambassador to the Vatican, was to represent Bill Clinton to the Pope," Cokie said. "This is not an easy job. They were together so much, and there were so many pictures of them taken together that when they were showed to children, they would say, 'There's the Pope and there's the Pope's wife."\nSteve added, "My mother-in-law is known as the Pope's wife," he said. "It isn't your typical journalistic experience."\nBoth journalists cover top political stories in Washington. With one troubled presidency over and a controversial election ending in a virtually tied election, Cokie offered her thoughts on the atmosphere in Washington. \n"We had this moment of hope that it was possible that Bill Clinton was actually leaving town." Cokie said. "We have given up on that and he is clearly here to stay. So he will stay as a shadow over George Bush and the Democratic Party."\nOn the flip side, Cokie said she feels sorry for Al Gore as he has to walk away from Washington. \n"Poor Al Gore," Cokie said. "I've known him my whole life. He was the best boy his whole life. Always the same, I mean boring. And he did everything right. He went to all the right schools, got good grades, married his high school sweetheart and stayed true to her. Then Gore got involved with Clinton and got blamed in some kind of a way. I kept thinking that through the whole thing that Gore was thinking, 'I could have had more fun in college. Bush had more fun in college.'" \nNow that Bush has been inaugurated, he will have to prove wrong his reputation as being a nonintellectual, Cokie said. Tonight, Bush will address a joint session of Congress and the entire country about current issues. \nCokie said Bush's highest priorities will be aimed at the people who didn't vote for him. She believes Bush has no choice but to cross party lines and get out from under the Democratic Party. He began to do this during the election, she explained. \n"Education. This was their highest priority issue because he wanted to appeal to women. And to some degree he wanted to appeal to African Americans," Cokie said. Unfortunately, when Bush tried to express these thoughts in a campaign he said, 'We want to provide a more literate and hopefuller country."\nSteve said he believes both Bush and Gore had been crossing party lines throughout the election. \n"In Washington, you're dealing with two separate forces," Steve said. "One set of forces is really pushing the two parties together to cooperate, and another set of forces is pulling them apart. Both sets of forces are present at the same time, sometimes in the same day. We had this remarkable experience during the campaign where we had one candidate running as a compassionate conservative and another as a pragmatic liberal. You tell me the difference between those two."\nThere wasn't much of a difference between the candidates, Steve said, causing both to campaign with each other's standpoints. Bush pushed education, a typically democratic issue, which he is still placing No. 1 on his list and Gore pushed deficit reduction, a classic Republican cause. \nRegardless of what was campaigned for during the election, Steve said he believes there is another underlying issue. During a poll taken after the election, Steve said, about 26 percent of Americans said they were strongly democratic. About 22 percent said they were strongly Republican. That means that 52 percent were somewhere in the middle. Steve feels that the new cabinet in Washington will have to govern appropriately.\n"This is not a revolutionary country. This is a modern, middle-of-the-road country. We like speed bumps in our politics," Steve said. "There are 'kitchen-table issues.' What do people really talk about around the kitchen table? They don't talk about Bosnia, and they don't talk about finance reform around the kitchen table. But they do talk about prices of prescription drugs. They do talk about their problems with HMOs. They do talk about their kid's school. They do talk about safety in their neighborhoods." \nSteve said he believes these are the power issues. These are the issues that will need to be addressed in a successful presidency. He reminded the audience of one thing to remember in politics:\n"There are only two slogans in politics," Steve said. "'You've never had it so good' or 'It's time for a change." \nCokie is now the ABC News chief congressional analyst, co-anchor of a morning show called, "This Week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts," and a news analyst for National Public Radio. Steve is host of his own television show called, "The Roberts Report," and a professor of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University. \nAs a married couple, they write a syndicated column that appears nationally in more than 500 newspapers and have co-written a book, "From This Day Forward," a testimonial about their own marriage, as well as other American marriages.\nThe couple answered a series of questions after the lecture and visited four different classes while on campus.
(02/12/01 5:48am)
Many people sacrificed sleep Friday night at the Health Physical Education and Recreation Building for this year's Spirit of Sport event, which benefits the Indiana Special Olympics. Up all night partaking in more than fifty recreational sports, students, faculty, volunteers and Olympians sported shirts bearing the logo, "I made it!"\nThe program began at 5 p.m. Friday and ran until 5 a.m. the next morning. The event began with the African American Dance Company and the lighting of the symbolic Olympic torch. \nSpecial Olympian Shelly Hackett lit the torch as she recited the official oath of the games and Olympians repeated: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."\nSpirit of Sport has been an annual event since 1976, excluding last year because of lack of funding. The program has raised more than $262,000 for Special Olympics and has had more than 4,000 participants. This year Spirit of Sport presented a $15,000 check to the Indiana Special Olympics.\nActivities ranged from human bowling and rock climbing to water polo and flag football. \nDean of Students Richard McKaig, who attended the event, said Spirit of Sport is not only for a great cause, but a way for students to come together.\n"This event brings together the whole community and really showcases IU activities and its facilities," McKaig said. "This is college student activity at its best."\nSpecial Olympians in Indiana are divided into groups based on age and ability, but anyone with a disability -- mental, physical or emotional -- has the chance to play. The Indiana division offers 16 official sports that are offered seasonally. Olympians present at Spirit of Sport participated in scheduled, competitive games including basketball, bocce ball and weightlifting.\nDennis C. Schmidt, executive director of the Indiana Special Olympics, said the program's objective is to provide the opportunity to participate in sports.\n"We are more of a participatory program than we are a program that emphasizes superior athletes," Schmidt said. "These people want an opportunity to play just like their brothers, their sisters, their neighbors and everybody else in the community."\nIt is also an event for the spectators. Family, community members, friends and supporters of the Olympians came to watch as the participants rose to the challenge of sports. Schmidt said it can be as touching for the parents as it is for the child.\n"It is really moving when you see the parents," Schmidt said. "For the first time, their son or daughter has the chance to be out there and shine."\nFor others, like Kathy Bayless, recreational sports director and assistant dean of the school of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, the event was partly about sport and the other part about giving.\n"The spirit of sport is also the spirit of giving," Bayless said. "It is about giving something in your life to make a difference in the life of someone else. Never underestimate the power of giving.\n"It shines like a beacon through our humanity. It cuts through the oceans that divide us and brightens the lives of all it touches."\nBloomington Mayor John Fernandez said it is an annual event that, among other things, should help people build skills, experience joy, make friends, feel achievement and demonstrate courage. Bayless agreed and reminded participants to savor these moments.\n"One of life's great laws (is)," Bayless said, "'You can't hold a torch to brighten other's paths without brightening your own."
(12/01/00 5:47am)
As part of Union Board's "Project Respect Diversity," Charlie Nelms, vice president for student development and diversity, addressed a group of students and faculty on the subject of multiculturalism Thursday night. Instead of taking the straight and narrow path of pointing out student apathy and student biases, Nelms gave the group "advice for life" with his few, simple points.\nNelms focused mainly on the need for self-involvement within the community. He stressed that everyone's voice can make a difference and as he said could be seen with the 2000 presidential election, every voice does make the difference. Nelms said he believes getting involved in society is an essential part of a college education.\n"A college education is more than a collection of classes," Nelms said. "Everyone is paying tuition for an education. Don't confuse getting an education with getting a degree."\nNelms said he believes another crucial part of education is learning to be comfortable with yourself and to be comfortable with others. To create a more supportive environment on campus and increase minority student involvement, people have to learn about other people, he said. \nPortia Maultsby, a professor of Ethnomusicology in the Folklore department, agreed and said how we treat people today will be important in the future.\n"It's a global world out there, so get to know these people now," Maultsby said. "It is important to cross cultural boundaries and get to know all different kinds of people because they will be the leaders in 10 or 15 years. And you can't meet these people by only sitting next to 'you' or people who look like you."\nSeveral audience members offered their suggestions on the situation. The suggestions ranged from being the first person to initiate conversation with someone who is different from you, to attending lectures, to traveling. Nelms urged the student body to leave behind the comfortable feeling of people with similar backgrounds and reach out to other opportunities.\n"Get out of your personal, cultural, comfort zones," Nelms said. "Part of being truly educated is being able to move beyond this zone. You don't have to know people to connect with people."\nGraduate student instructor Kadian Howell, said she hopes to make a difference in her classroom this year.\n"I am African American and my AI is from Hong Kong but the rest of my class is made up of Caucasian females and two males," she said. "There isn't much diversity and a lot of students aren't open to many different ideas. I hope to expose my class to other cultures by taking them to a multicultural events on campus and giving them a chance to experience diversity."\nThis is what Nelms said he wants students to do. He said people are not born with biases, they learn them. And if they are learned, then they can be unlearned, he said.\nNelms advocated going to events on campus as the first step.\nStudents in the group said they would like to participate, but there are not enough hours in the day and that time is the biggest constraint to getting involved. Nelms told students to evaluate how they use their time and invest it wisely.\n"The only thing that we have equal amounts of, is time," Nelms said. "If we learn how to manage this time properly, we can do anything we want to do. I believe that we all can change the world, but not alone and one step or activity at a time"
(11/10/00 5:56am)
Wednesday night marked the end of the five-week discussion group "Conversations on Race."\nThese discussions were sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Division of Residential Programs and Services and the Commission on Multicultural Understanding and were designed to provide a forum for discussion on race. Individual groups, assigned to each residence hall, were made up of students of all different races, cultures, sexes, religions and sexual preferences.\nStudents, advisors and faculty who participated in the discussions gathered for closing ceremonies at the Indiana Memorial Union to share their final thoughts. A pamphlet provided by the National Campaign for Tolerance was given out at the entrance and stated a common theme for the ceremony, "For all our differences of politics, race, economics, abilities, culture and language -- we share one world. To be tolerant is to welcome the differences and delight in the sharing."\nIn his introductory speech, Doug Bauder, coordinator of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Student Support Services, and a founder of the group, reminded the audience about hate literature that was passed around campus more than two years ago.\n"It was important to find some way for people of various races to come together and get to know each other to counter this hatred," Bauder said. "There had to be a way for us to understand each other better and develop some relationships. We wanted to develop a heart-to-heart dialogue on race."\nBauder said the relationships forged during the meetings were one of the program's main benefits. Sophomore Jessica Soto said her biggest learning experience came directly from other members in her group.\n"I met a lot of new people and we shared a lot of personal experiences," Soto said. "I never thought I was prejudiced, but I realized maybe sometimes I do pre-judge people based on their physical appearances. I learned how to put myself in other people's shoes before judging them."\nEach residence hall group had a turn at the podium, to outline the tools they gained from the discussions and to point to the future goals they plan on achieving.\nSophomore Marshawn Wolley said the group taught him to appreciate his own culture, and those of others.\n"It changed my perception of reality," Wolley said. "It opened my eyes to things that were lurking beneath the surface, waiting to be talked about."\nMany students said the open group format was beneficial. Sophomore Tobias Puehse, said the group's candid meetings helped him to better understand the issues.\n"The meetings were very personal, very open," Puehse said. "We had a good policy about how our information would be disclosed, because we kept it somewhat confidential within the group, without mentioning names. Everyone could really talk about the issues, getting to the bottom of them. We got people's emotions stirred up instead of just scratching the surface."\nDean of Students Richard McKaig, a participant in the weekly meetings, said the group allowed him to open up and tackle the issues in a different way.\n"Conversations on race lets you put your arms around that topic and that's how you can make a difference," McKaig said. "We go through our life on campus with lots of brief encounters and superficial encounters. To have an opportunity to deal with a significant topic in a significant way, it changes me, it changes you and it changes us all in the process."\nGuest speaker, Gloria Gibson, associate vice chancellor for multicultural affairs, told students they have to take a certain responsibility away from what they learned at the group meetings.\n"The program gave them the opportunity to grow," Gibson said. "Now they have the opportunity to plant the seed outside of the program. They should all feel the responsibility to help and educate others."\nPassing on knowledge and standing up for ourselves in tough situations, is something everyone can take away, Soto said.\n"Now if I see any racism going on, I know I can intervene and say 'hey that's not right,'" Soto said. "I will try and educate my friends about how to treat other people and share my group experiences with them."\nBarry Magee, a graduate student and RPS assistant director for diversity education, concluded the ceremony by praising the groups on their steps toward race education.\n"Talking one-on-one with each other, in small groups, that's where change is going to happen," Magee said. "It's going to happen with one person at a time, making a commitment to themselves and to others, to make a difference in their lives."\nBauder said administrators plan on continuing the "Conversations on Race," in the spring semester. \n"The program is a work in progress, as we all are, works in progress," Bauder said.
(10/30/00 6:12am)
Six months after MTV Campus Invasion Tour's Bush and Moby concert was canceled, many ticketholders still have not received refunds -- or an explanation.\nThe concert was canceled three days before the scheduled April 14 show, with no specific reasoning given and no answers for fans. \nTicketholders, who have been waiting for refunds since the cancellation, will continue to wait while a lawsuit between the William Morris Agency, which represents Bush, and local company Jason Millican Promotions plays out.\nMillican said his company is suing the William Morris Agency for a breach of contract and conversion resulting from the agency canceling the show. But he said the parties are working on a settlement in the meantime because "realistically you never know how long it's going to take if you go to trial."\nMillican's lawyer, Thad Kelley of the law firm Kelley, Belcher and Brown, said the complaint will be heard in a federal court.\n"We filed a complaint, which is a lawsuit, in Monroe County court and the defendants moved it to federal court in Indianapolis," Kelley said.\nA spokesman from the William Morris Agency said they would not be available for comment for two to three weeks.\nMillican said Pretty Polly Productions was working with the William Morris Agency to bring the bands to Bloomington. He said he gave Pretty Polly's Howard Cusack, who books bands, the money to line up Bush and Moby. \nMillican said Bush and Moby used Cusack as an excuse for canceling the show, claiming the bands didn't get paid and, in turn, refused to play.\nCusack denied having anything to do with the canceled concert deal and said this should be long forgotten. He said he thought everyone settled the matter out of court and was unaware of the lawsuit.\n"I don't have anybody's money," he said. \nMillican said he is disgusted by what he calls the money-hungry nature of the industry and said he wants out of the business for good.\n"I want to apologize to all the students, faculty and deans for any harm I have caused," Millican said. "Everyone can rest at ease, my concert-planning days are over."\nTyrone Morris, executive representative of Rock 'n' Roll Productions, the investment company Millican hired, said local competitors and other unnamed parties didn't want the concert to happen. He said he tried to persuade the band to perform even after the cancellation.\nMillican said he told Bush would pay them all the money up front if they would still perform. He said he had already paid 75 percent of the costs, which is an unprecedented amount.\nHe said Rock 'n' Roll Productions was in charge of refunds. \nMorris said he is waiting on the settlement to come through before giving refunds to ticketholders. \n"I want to make this up to the fans," Morris said. "Within the next two weeks, I will be releasing information about the current situation with the lawsuit. I will also give the fans a time frame for when they can expect a refund."\nMillican said there was controversy about who would be headlining the April concert. After tickets for the show had already been put on sale in April, event co-sponsor Phi Delta Theta fraternity announced that Rage Against the Machine would appear at the concert along with Bush and Moby. \nMillican said he went through Jeremy Larner at J.L. Entertainment to bring in the band.\nAfter the announcement, Rage Against the Machine publicly denied ever being committed to the show. \n"Larner is a personal friend of the band members. He told me that they were very interested in doing the show," Millican said. "The problem was that everyone was too anxious to announce the show on campus. I never had Rage booked, we were in negotiations. When we announced Rage as a headliner, not only did the band say it was premature, but Bush got angry as well that we were considering another headliner."\nLarner said he has done a lot of shows with Millican in the past but was shocked when Rage Against the Machine was announced as a headliner.\n"I never said I was friends with the band," Larner said. "I know some people who know their people and was helping Jason get the band. Their agents said they might be interested but nothing was ever booked"
(10/17/00 4:45am)
Editor's note: This article is to correct inaccurate information in the Oct. 11 article, "Library staff concerned about asbestos." The IDS regrets the errors.\nIn early June, IU decided to move forward with the removal of asbestos from the lower level of the Main Library.\nLibrary employees said they were concerned with the potential health risks of the removal and were confused about the procedure's exact parameters. To answer staff concerns, the Physical Plant, Environmental Health and Safety Administration and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management conducted an informational meeting to explain the rules, regulations and safety precautions involved.\nRichard Breeden, an Environmental Health and Safety Administration employee in charge of the asbestos removal at the Main Library, said the library staff was well-informed about the procedures during the public meeting.\n"The staff knew we were going to be breaking the tiles," Breeden said. "It is virtually impossible not to break the tiles when using a manual method, and we are allowed to do so."\nAccording to the American Lung Association, asbestos removal is an expensive and hazardous process that should only be used as a last resort. The association's 2000 report said the best way to handle asbestos-filled tiles, if they are in good condition, is to leave them alone. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, asbestos becomes harmful when it is released into the air by the breaking of tiles.\nAs the removal project was completed recently, library employees said they were frustrated, misinformed and questioning the possible health risks. They said when they confronted the Physical Plant about taking other measures besides the potentially dangerous removal, the Physical Plant's responded that having the tiles removed was University policy.\nPhysical Plant Manager Hank Hewetson declined to comment for the original article.\nRenovation and Facilities Officer Harold Shaffer said he hoped the information session had been enough to assuage employees' fears and that necessary testing was done.\n"Air samples were taken before, during and after," Shaffer said. "The room was sealed with negative air pressure ... and (the job) was completed by the guidelines as we understand them."\nWorkers posted the safety regulations outside the work area Oct. 2. The regulations were mandated by OSHA and are the strictest standards for asbestos removal. Some of the mandatory guidelines include that each person entering the work site wear protective equipment, a respirator be properly worn at all times and that before leaving the work area the protective clothing be cleaned and disposed of properly.\nLibrary employees Michelle Bard, Sherry Brookbank and Dennis Overall said they saw many workers coming in and out of the work zone in plain, nonprotective street clothes.\nBrookbank said she banged on the door and one of the abatement workers said they were "breaking up the floor tiles."\nLibrary employee Dennis O'Brien said that a day after the workers were confronted, the strict OSHA regulations came down and new, lenient safety regulations mandated by the Resilient Floor Covering Institute were put up in replacement. Shaffer said as he understands it, the Resilient Floor Covering Institute's regulations come directly from OSHA's regulations.\nO'Brien said the staff became skeptical about the removal procedures and began to notice cracks in the ventilation systems and very loud crushing and scraping noises.\nBut Breeden maintains there were no health or safety hazards with this job.\n"We could have done this job in an open hallway with just some tape around it," Breeden said. "No one is at risk of unsafe exposure."\nLibrary employees said they are concerned the workers were being lax in their work, allowing many tiles to break and not taking their time to complete necessary safety procedures.\nBut Shaffer said, "If I thought the guidelines weren't being done, I would have to call somebody else in."\nAlso of concern to the library staff was a perceived hastiness of the job. An e-mail sent to all library staff members from Shaffer stated the tile removal job would begin Oct. 2 and could end "sometime at the beginning of the week of Oct. 9."\nThe staff members said they were confused when the crew was done in five days. Shaffer said he was told by the Physical Plant the job might take up to two weeks because of possible scheduling problems.\n"It doesn't mean because the tiles were removed in five days that it was a sloppy job," Shaffer said.\nBrookbank said she is worried about the safety of the people in the building and wishes the staff was better informed.\n"Secrecy breeds fear," Brookbank said. "We really need to be updated with the truth."\nBut Shaffer said he and his staff asked the library workers for their concerns and made a frequently asked questions list after the investigation. He said the questions and responses to them have since been posted on their Web site.\nAccording to OSHA and the American Lung Association, there are no short-term symptoms that are linked to asbestos exposure. Long-term effects of exposure might be silent for up to 30 years. The most common asbestos-related diseases include: asbestosis, a scarring of the lung tissue; mesothelioma, cancer in the lining of the lung; and lung cancer, a tumor in the lung, according to the American Lung Association. The Environmental Protection Agency says there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos fibers. \nRoom 048 of the library, where the asbestos was removed, will contain the library's Media Reserve section.\nThe National Institute For Occupational Safety and Health said the primary concern for every removal project should be safety -- for the building occupants, the removal workers and the general public. Brookbank and the rest of the Main Library staff do not believe safety was the No. 1 concern in the asbestos removal.\n"The library has a closed ventilation system. Whatever gets into the air, stays in the air," Brookbank said. "So many people pass through the library every day, who knows what may happen in 30 years."\nShaffer maintains proper regulations were followed. \n"I want to enjoy retirement and grandchildren, so why would I put myself into a dangerous position, unless the perception is that the administration is sealed off from everything," Shaffer said.
(10/11/00 5:41am)
In early June, IU decided to move forward with the removal of asbestos from the lower level of the Main Library.\nAccording to the American Lung Association, asbestos removal is an expensive and hazardous process that should only be used as a last resort. The association's 2000 report said the best way to handle asbestos-filled tiles, if they are in good condition, is to leave them alone. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, asbestos becomes harmful when it is released into the air by the breaking of tiles.\nLibrary employees said they were concerned with the potential health risks of the removal and were confused about the procedure's exact parameters. To answer staff concerns, informational meetings were held by the Physical Plant, the Environmental Health and Safety Administration and OSHA, to explain the rules, regulations and safety precautions that were going to be taken.\nRichard Breeden, an Environmental Health and Safety Administration employee in charge of the asbestos removal at the Main Library, said the library staff was well informed about the procedures during the public meeting.\n"The staff knew we were going to be breaking the tiles," Breeden said. "It is virtually impossible not to break the tiles when using a manual method and we are allowed to do so."\nLast week as the removal project was completed, library employees said they were left frustrated, misinformed and still questioning the possible health risks. They said when they confronted the Physical Plant about taking other measures besides the potentially dangerous removal, the Physical Plant's response was that having the tiles removed was University policy.\nPhysical Plant Manager Hank Hewetson said he had no comment.\nHead of Access Services at the Main Library Harold Shaffer said he hoped the information session had been enough to assuage employees' fears and that necessary testing was done.\n"Air samples were taken before, during and after," Shaffer said. "The room was sealed with negative air pressure ... and (the job) was completed by the guidelines as we understand them."\nWorkers posted the safety regulations outside the work area Oct. 2. The regulations were mandated by OSHA and are the strictest standards for asbestos removal. Some of the mandatory guidelines include that each person entering the work site wear protective equipment, a respirator be properly worn at all times and that before leaving the work area the protective clothing be cleaned and disposed of properly.\nLibrary employee Dennis O'Brien said he saw many workers coming in and out of the work zone in plain, non-protective street clothes. He said many library employees started to question the Physical Plant workers.\n"I had to bang on the door very loudly to get anyone's attention," O'Brien said. "When one of them finally came out, he was wearing plain street clothes. I asked him what he was doing and he said that they were breaking up the tiles, and then he slammed the door in my face."\nO'Brien said a day after confronting the workers, the strict OSHA regulations came down and new, lenient safety regulations mandated by the Resilient Floor Covering Institute were put up in replacement. Shaffer said as he understands it, the Resilient Floor Covering Institute's regulations come directly from the OSHA regulations.\nO'Brien said the staff became skeptical about the removal procedures and began to notice cracks in the ventilation systems and very loud crushing and scraping noises.\nBut Breeden maintains that there were no health or safety hazards with this job.\n"We could have done this job in an open hallway with just some tape around it," Breeden said. "No one is at risk of unsafe exposure."\nStill, library employees said they are concerned the workers were being lax in their work, allowing many tiles to break and not taking their time to complete necessary safety procedures.\nBut Shaffer said, "If I thought the guidelines weren't being done, I would have to call somebody else in."\nAlso of concern to the library staff was a perceived hastiness of the job. An e-mail sent to all library staff members from Shaffer stated the tile removal job could span anywhere from two to three weeks. The staff said they were confused when the crew was done in five days. Shaffer said he was told by the Physical Plant the job might take up to two weeks because of possible scheduling problems.\n"It doesn't mean because the tiles were removed in five days that it was a sloppy job," Shaffer said.\nLibrary staff member Sherry Brookbank said she is worried about the safety of the people in the building and wishes the staff was better informed.\n"Secrecy breeds fear," Brookbank said. "We really need to be updated with the truth. All I know is that many of my students have been calling in sick with shortness of breath, dizziness, drowsiness and constant headaches. My boss, who is rarely sick, has been out with a fever and this morning I was feeling short of breath and dizzy. I just want to know if I am safe and if the people who will be in the building from now on will be safe."\nBut Shaffer said he and his staff asked the library workers for their concerns and made a frequently asked questions list after the investigation. He said the questions and responses to them have since been posted on the their Web site.\nAccording to OSHA and the ALA, there are no short-term symptoms that are linked to asbestos exposure. Long-term effects of exposure might be silent for up to 30 years. The most common asbestos-related diseases include: asbestosis, which is a scarring of the lung tissue; mesothelioma, which is cancer in the lining of the lung and lung cancer, which is a tumor in the lung, according to the ALA. Furthermore, the Environmental Protection Agency concludes that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos fibers. \nRoom 048 of the library, the place from which the asbestos has been removed, will contain the library's Media Reserve section.\nThe National Institute For Occupational Safety and Health said the primary concern for every removal project should be safety -- for the building occupants, the removal workers and the general public. Brookbank and the rest of the Main Library staff do not believe safety was the No. 1 concern in the asbestos removal.\n"The library has a closed ventilation system. Whatever gets into the air, stays in the air," Brookbank said. "So many people pass through the library every day, who knows what may happen in 30 years."\nBut Shaffer maintains proper regulations were followed and asked why he would want to endanger himself.\n"I want to enjoy retirement and grandchildren, so why would I put myself into a dangerous position," Shaffer said. "Unless the perception is that the administration is sealed off from everything"
(10/05/00 4:27am)
This week marks the beginning of a group that will discuss an age-old problem. A discussion group labeled "Conversations on Race" will come together once a week for five weeks to confront and address racial ties on campus and problems people have faced with racial biases.\nIssues involving racial hate crimes escalated after the graduate student Won-Joon Yoon was killed July 4, 1999. Doug Bauder, coordinator of Gay, Lesbian Bisexual Student Support Services and an original founder of the discussion groups, said the effects from that incident alone prompted him to take action.\n"The crime impacted me in ways that almost surprised me," Bauder said. "I was angered and outraged as an administrator at the University, as a Christian, a neighbor, as a gay man and as an American citizen. At every level of my being, I felt tremendously offended by this."\nNow, more than a year later, a well-organized and diverse group of students living in the residence halls has been put together by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Division of Residential Programs and Services and the Commission on Multicultural Understanding. \nThe groups, one for each hall of residence, consist of a mix of races, cultures, sexes, religions and sexual preferences. Scott Zuick, vice president of programming for the Residence Halls Association, said providing this service within the residence halls is a great way to educate incoming freshmen.\n"Many of the people living in the residence halls are freshmen who have been sheltered from diversity their whole lives," Zuick said. "Many come from places where the people around them are the same race that they are. This program will introduce these students to a new reality, new people and new ideas."\nBauder said the discussions are designed to lift people out of their traditional roles in society and to get a first hand look at what it is like to be a member of a different race living on this campus through a different race. \n"We want students to find out, through personal accounts, what it is like living as an African American, a Latino or maybe an Asian American on this campus," Bauder said. "But it isn't all about non-white students. It is also for white students to understand what white privilege means. We want all students to move beyond their comfort zone."\nThe certain comfort zone people within the same race feel with each other is just human nature, Bauder said. One goal of the group is to break this barrier down and to understand what it might be like to be another race, he said. \nBarry Magee, the assistant director for diversity education, said most people do not possess the tools needed to understand someone else's race.\n"We all see the world through the lenses that experiences have given us," Magee said. "We also think that all of these experiences are the same for everyone. But they aren't."\nMagee said he wants the student group members to feel safe talking about race relations. He said the students should leave the group with an honest sense of their surroundings, a vision for the future and an understanding that not everyone has the same life experiences.\nThe discussions will be based on a series of video clips and interactive activities. They will be personal discussions focusing on growth as a person, Bauder said.\n"It will be people speaking from the heart, rather than an intellectual exercise," Bauder said. "We are not hoping for confessions of racism, but we are looking for a sense of recognition that racism does exist and does impact everyone."\nBoth administrators said they want to also help students facilitate a similar program in the spring, give them ideas on how to get involved in the community and challenge the students to take action.
(09/28/00 4:24am)
No Sweat!, a campus labor activism group, organized an open discussion on the topic of corporatization on campus Tuesday night.\nAmber Gallup, a visiting lecturer, introduced the discussion by asking the question, "What should the role of a University be?"\nThe audience responded with answers such as "to encourage critical thinking;" "to take responsibility for social injustices;" "to be in a place of empowerment;" and "to be active members of a democracy and to feel a sense of a positive community." Not one of the responses included the need or want to change the University to fit the style of a corporation or to run the University as if it were a large business.\nGallup believed that the sense of a positive community that is hoped for usually takes place on campus, but she said even things in the classroom are changing.\n "The departments are in competition to get the involvement that they need from students, to get the funding that they need, to get the professors that they need," Gallup said. \n "To do this the departments have to get as many students in the classrooms as possible. They have to pack the students in and they're going to have to basically sink to the lowest common denominator in some cases and offer courses that aren't as rigorous, because they don't want to keep people away."\n School departments, as a whole on this campus are treated unequally, said Erik Woodworth who is taking a semester off from IU. He said regardless of academic standing, the Kelley School of Business continues to thrive while other departments are failing.\n "Take the music school," Woodworth said. "It's the best music school in the country and it's in debt. The business school, regardless of its national ranking, brings in a large revenue every year."\nMaia Bailey, a graduate student, agreed the focus of who and what is important at the University has shifted over the years.\n"We voice elective choices about what would be good for the students but it's against what would be good for corporations," Bailey said. "And do we see it going towards the students? No, we see it going towards a corporation's needs, continually."\nGraduate student Tom Buckingham said he wanted to know what happens to all the money the University gets from parking, meal points, grade release, phone registration, transcript release, as well as steadily increasing tuition.\n"I want to know what all the money is used for," Buckingham said. "And I want to know where it will be used in the future. What is the University's vision? I want to know where we will be in five years."\nMany organization leaders, like Gallup, said that although there might not be immediate gratification through change on campus, people are motivated to act now and take a stand. \n"People care about justice," Gallup said. "It's the only way that social change gets done. People come together because they care about justice and want to make a change. People on this campus are no different than any other people in human history"
(09/15/00 3:49am)
Communication and culture undergraduates, graduates and professors filled Ashton Center-Mottier, the department's new building, Wednesday afternoon for its 2000 welcome reception. The reception was held to start the new academic year and inform students about what the major has to offer. \nThis year's program offers a new chapter of the national honors fraternity, Lambda Pi Eta. Senior Sam McCormick, founder and brigadier general of the newly initiated Kappa Alpha Chapter, said he is excited to share the society with prospective members and nonmembers. \n"The group will be open to everyone," McCormick said. "While there will be requirements to be met for the national fraternity, there will simultaneously be an ongoing reading group open for anyone in any major of study."\nTo become a member of LPE, a student needs at least 60 hours of college credit, the completion of 12 semester hours in the department of communication and culture, a cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 and a GPA of at least a 3.25 in all communication and culture classes. \nThe fraternity brought many new faces to the welcome party. Junior Heather Tuttle said the main reason she attended the reception was the opportunity to ask students and professors questions about her major.\n"I am pretty clueless about where I am going with my major," Tuttle said. "I came here to network and meet people who might have some insight on what classes I should take, where I can go with this major and what I can do after graduation."\nOther students said they attended the party merely for the party atmosphere: the food, the punch, the free handouts and the crowd. Danielle Bader, a sophomore and communication and culture minor, said she wanted to interact and become part of the community. \n"I don't want to be in a corner. I don't want to be a little hermit crab," Bader said. "It is important for me to form relationships with people because I never know when I may be working side by side with them someday."\nWhether it is for contact purposes, recommendations or just for some friendly advice, student-professor relationships seem to be on the top of every communication and culture major's list. Jeremy Jacoby, a sophomore, said he chose the communication and culture department mainly based on the reputation of the professors.\n"It's not so much about a professor's personality," Jacoby said. "I like professors who are knowledgeable and like to teach and who are here solely to teach. And that's why I like the communication and culture department. The professors here want to teach what they are teaching"
(09/11/00 8:22am)
In addition to a wide variety of courses and a flexible curriculum, the communication and culture department will give birth to the Kappa Alpha chapter of the Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society. \nThe national society already has more than 250 active chapters worldwide. Senior Sam McCormick, founder and brigadier general of the new chapter, is eager to bring the honors fraternity to campus and get many interested students involved.\n"One goal of the group is to unify everyone within the major itself," McCormick said. "It will hopefully bridge the gap between all the different departments and levels of study. It will also be used as a supplement to class. The fraternity is like the extra step."\nThe group was originally a small, intimate reading group implemented by a few enthusiastic students in the communication and culture department, McCormick said. The hourly meetings were led by assistant professor Robert Terrill and became what he called the "roots" for today's honor society. The group, which read and discussed scholarly articles, was a way for students and professors to interact and engage in mentally stimulating conversations. \nTerrill said he plans on maintaining the reading group, which will be open to all students of any major on campus, as a sector of the fraternity. The fraternity will have many different levels and subdivisions to comply with the diversity of the students and professors involved, Terrill said. Natalie Fixmer, a senior and the public relations specialist, said the fraternity will have many parts to it. \n"The group is somewhat like an 'umbrella fraternity,'" Fixmer said. "Underneath the LPE name it will have on one hand a reading group, which will be open for anyone in any major of study. On the other hand, there is the national fraternity, which requires different student credentials."\nTo become a member of LPE, a student needs a minimum of 60 hours of college credit, the completion of 12 semester hours in the department of communication and culture, a cumulative grade point average of a 3.0 or higher and at least a 3.25 GPA in all communication and culture classes.\nAlthough there are academic standards required for the fraternity, there are many "nonacademic" ways to get involved. Junior Nathan Cross, chief overseer of professional services for the group, said he plans on focusing on the these aspects of the society.\n"I am working closely with the career center," Cross said. "With their help, we plan on holding resume writing workshops and career fairs, which will benefit all members, nonmembers and even nonmajors."\nAll noncommunication and culture majors are encouraged to attend the meetings, Cross said. It is an exceptional way to interact with professors and students in an informal setting. He said it is also a great way for undergraduate students to build their resume, possibly present their own papers at a scholarly conference and gear up for graduate school. \nTerrill, who will be advising the group, wants to bring new experiences into the lives of undergraduate students.\n"It is a great way to bring the graduate experience to undergraduates," Terrill said. "Students can create a link to their peers and professors during fireside chats and readings and it is a way to make a large department have more of a family atmosphere"
(09/08/00 5:22am)
The dissertation: It arrives at the end of every graduate student's curriculum and separates the potential doctoral students from the students who are considered "A.B.D." ' all but dissertation. \nIt is a grueling, lengthy assignment that leaves little to no time for extra-curricular activities, let alone any free time at all. Alli Glore, a graduate student, talks about the time restraints and responsibility it takes to commit to this frustrating task.\n"It is said that if a student works 10 hours a week solely on the dissertation, then it would take about two years to finish," Glore said. Graduate students are already under a great deal of stress at the onset of the project but the immense pressure that goes hand in hand with completing the final hurdle of graduate school may be more than a student can handle. \nThat is why Paul Toth, who has a Ph.D. in psychology and is a practicing psychologist at the IU Health Center, along with Glore, decided to start a dissertation support group.\nThe group meets from 1:30 - 3 p.m. Tuesdays on the fourth floor of the Health Center. The first two visits are free and every meeting thereafter is $7. Paul Toth made it clear that this group is open to a wide range of graduate students at every level.\n"The group is open to any student going through the dissertation process. Whether they have just finished exams and are contemplating a topic or if they are almost ready to submit their work," Toth said.\n"It is also important for students to understand that this is not group therapy; it is group support. We will leave it open for the group to help each other."\nThe group can be most helpful for students who feel they are alone during the process. Graduate student Mark Kline said a group such as this one is important for the process.\n"It can be valuable to many students as it is easy to become isolated during the dissertation process and to feel like you are the only person experiencing difficulty," Kline said. "Having others around who are going through the same thing can also provide a spur to continue working."\nThe motivation to actually "continue" working on the project is one of the main reasons graduate students feel so much stress. These are students who are accustomed to being on campus, having classes, deadlines, term papers and exams. When that is over, they are on their own to structure themselves. They have to propose, research, experiment and write something that will not only end their graduate program but allow them to contribute a significant amount of work to their field of study. Glore said it is this lack of structure and contact that may lead students to the support group.\n"I hardly have a reason to come to campus anymore," Glore said. "I work on my own and have little contact with other graduate students. Sometimes I feel very alone while working on such a frustrating task. I think the group will help bring local students together to give and get advice and feedback, and to relate to people who are going through exactly what they are."\nThe group is a place for students to gain peer support, set goals for themselves with regards to structuring time and to relieve stress. Paul Toth recommends the group for the overall bettering of a student's mental and physical health while coping with the many pressures of graduate school.\n"We will help students to understand the psychological definitions of stress and anxiety and where they come from," Toth said. We will also make sure that they are taking care of themselves by eating and sleeping well, in addition to maintaining some level of fun in their lives."\nGlore said this support group can and will achieve these goals and will be highly successful on this campus.\n"People won't resist coming to this one," Glore said. This service will not make people question their sanity or mental health; it will just help to better their overall general health and help people function better as students. This program has less of a stigma attached to it and is very user-friendly."\nAll graduate students need some type of student "family" to lean on when problems arise. Mark Kline already has an existing group such as this one. \n"I have an extensive network of fellow graduate students who are at the same point of study as I am. We meet regularly and discuss our progress as well as the highs and lows of graduate study," Kline said. \nThe creation of this new support group for graduate students is the perfect opportunity to form a type of graduate network and use a campus service beneficially.\nFor more information contact Paul Toth at CaPs (Counseling and Psychological Services) at the IU Health Center. The center is located at the corner of 10th Street and Jordan Avenue and is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The dissertation support group can be joined at anytime during the course of the year.