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(04/09/03 5:36am)
On a Wednesday afternoon in December 1978, Dee Owens and her friends in student government gathered to celebrate the end of another semester at Indiana State University. The close-knit group decided to have a couple drinks at a local bar in Terre Haute. They said their goodbyes before hitting the road home. \nThe next day, Owens picked up a newspaper with a story that said one of her celebrating friends from the day before had been killed in a car accident while taking his girlfriend home to Mooresville, Ind.\n"And I bought the last round," Owens said, as her head dropped into her hands. Owens is now director of IU's Alcohol Drug Information Center. "Talk about changing your life forever. And that stuff happens all the time. Everybody knows somebody, and yet we keep telling ourselves that we are having a good time."\nTwenty-five years after she lost her friend to an alcohol-related accident, Owens is dedicated to alcohol education and abuse prevention. She heads ADIC, serves on several boards and contributes to many alcohol-related organizations that aim to protect IU students from making the same mistakes. \nOne of her most recent and ongoing projects has been the creation of "Successfully Managing Alcohol Responsibly and Together." Although officially released in early February, SMART has been an ongoing, collective effort of campus and community groups to put many of IU's programs that target alcohol abuse into one comprehensive package. Some of these programs have been in place for some time and others are new attempts to curb alcohol abuse.\nThe newest of SMART's initiatives is a mandatory screening for alcohol problems of all students who received a sanction for alcohol violations through the campus judicial system. The screening process was put in place shortly before spring break and will help pinpoint those students who are heading down a more dangerous path and need treatment. A screening now might prevent a more serious sanction or injury later.
(01/21/03 4:26am)
Jenny Ravellette is scared about the future. As cash keeps slipping through her fingers, the 21-year-old junior feels increasingly unprepared to manage her money.\n"I have no idea what I'm going to do after school," she said, eyebrows raised in seriousness. "I've never had a real job with a lot of money, with big money coming in. I won't know what to do with it."\nRavellette spends money when she needs to and doesn't regret splurging on the perfect pair of jeans. She pays bills with loans and uses her $5.45 an hour paycheck from RecSports for weekend fun. She tries to shop smart for groceries by buying generic brands, but she needs her Smart Start cereal and Doritos, for which an imitation just won't do. \n"I don't deprive myself of anything that I want," she admits. "If I want that candy bar or that magazine while I'm waiting in line I get it."\nAmerica's youth is a spending machine that storms the fun and leisure market, according to American Demographics. Reflecting its social priorities, Gen Y spends 70 percent more than other generations on alcoholic beverages, 38 percent more on tobacco and 25 percent more on food away from home. After all the partying, young adults come home to their critical appliance: a home entertainment system, on which they've spent 31 percent more than other people.\nOn their own for the first time, many young adults discover they lack the skills to balance their budgets. In addition, they often run up huge debts.\nEighty-three percent of undergraduate college students have at least one credit card, according to a study conducted by Nellie Mae, a national higher education loan provider. The median credit card balance is $1,770, a 43 percent increase above the median in 2000. The increase indicates that more students are not paying off the balances, Mae said. There has also been an increase since 2000 in the percentage of undergraduates with high-level balances. Twenty-one percent of undergraduates with credit cards have a balance between $3,000 and $7,000.\nStudents double their average credit card debt and triple their number of credit cards from the time they arrive on campus until graduation, Mae said, and graduates enter the real world with an average of $20,402 in combined loan and credit card debt.\nFocused on a career in public finance, sophomore Emily King said she never learned any money skills from her parents.\n"My parents are big spenders, ridiculous spenders," she said, shaking her head in disappointment. "I learned from my uncle, not from my parents. It's funny how I'm so different from them."\nRavellette also said her parents lay off the money management lessons -- they don't give her advice or suggestions for budgeting money.\nHaving parents who are smart with money can be a great foundation to developing money-management skills, said Ryan Pittner, a financial consultant with Comprehensive Financial Consultants in Bloomington. But even without money-savvy parents, young adults can learn the essential life skill of managing money. \nPittner suggests making a simple budget based on income, even if its just jotting notes down on notebook paper. List all expenses and then subtract from total income; adjust amounts in personal categories to fit everything into your means; factor in all bills and goals to pay off any debts; free up money in other areas to increase savings. \nA budget can be broken down into three basic steps, according to CNN Money. First, identify how you spend money. Then, evaluate your spending and set goals to carry out long-term objectives, such as paying off debt. Finally, track spending to ensure you stay within your new guidelines.\nAn introductory finance course or a money-management class can also be helpful, Pittner said. Personal Finance is designed to help people manage their money, from simple budgets to estate planning. After teaching the course for 10 years, professor David Haeberle said there is no other class in the University that has such an effect on students.\n"I know I can make a difference in their lives," he said. "If students go home and do what we talked about in class that day, I've immediately put money in their pocket."\nBut, if you can't take his class, Haeberle said, there are many easy-to-read self-help books available and that it's everyone's responsibility to learn financial competence.\n"It's not about making more money," he said. "It's about spending less, whatever your income."\nHe also strongly suggests spending on a cash-only basis by staying away from credit, debit and ATM cards. \n"Its much harder to part with the green stuff rather than plastic," he said.\nThe credit card lesson is one Haeberle stresses to his students. While some young adults think they need to build credit, Haeberle warns that no credit is better than bad credit. The only appropriate uses for credit are for borrowing money to buy a house, a car or an education, he said. If you keep a card for emergencies, traveling or for the convenience of buying online, use it wisely, he said.\n"Credit card companies are teaching us that it's okay to consume on credit and it's not," he said. "You get nothing for your money."\nWhen credit card debt is getting out of control, try fixing it yourself before it's too late, suggests the American Bankers Association. First, get a realistic idea of the problem by adding up the entire debt you've collected. Immediately stop charging and put away those credit cards. After carefully reading your statements, figure out where the money went and apply the information to making a new budget. Many credit consolidators and counselors are also ready to help people drowning in debt, including the Consumer Credit Counseling Service, a non-profit organization that has branches across the nation. Doug Chokey, branch coordinator of CCCS in Bloomington, said most young adults come to him when they have run into trouble and don't know what else to do. His fees usually range from $15 to $20 depending on one's income and number of debtors.\n"If you make the choices you will stick with them longer," he said. "... We put the responsibility back on the client to look at their habits and how they spend money."\nChokey suggests paying yourself first when making a budget by putting whatever you can into savings, even if its just $5 or $10. As new investors and wage earners, young adults have an abundance of opportunities for long-term planning, he said, like immediately starting their 401(k) retirement fund at their first full-time job.\nMoney experts realize that long-term budgeting is a hard habit to develop, but Pittner said many people generally shy away from it because they don't know where to start.\n"Young adults are a little reluctant to put too much away because they want to enjoy things today," Pittner said. "They live for today and you can't blame them, but they need to take advantage of their youth and start planning for the future now"
(12/10/02 5:26am)
Justin Barnes had a friend in trouble, and he wanted to help. His friend was facing an all too common alcohol violation and a student judicial board hearing, not to mention a complete confusion about the system he was about to become a product of. \nAs the new director of the Department of Student Rights, Barnes assisted him through the judicial process by educating him about his rights and the procedures. But what began as a simple inclination to help a friend turned into something more.\n"I just figured there were probably more students out there like him," Barnes said. "I knew it was time to create a more formalized program."\nNow entering its second year, the case manager program within IUSA's Department of Student Rights has helped hundreds of students navigate their way through the student judicial system at IU. Trained student counselors are paired with students who request assistance with their case after being accused of breaking the Code of Student Rights, Responsibility and Conduct. The involvement of the case manager in the case is entirely up to the student, whether it's just to answer a couple questions or to attend the hearing. \n"We're not lawyers," Barnes said. "But we make sure students have the chance to make the best case they can possibly make. We are going to serve that student to the best of our ability, beyond our ability if we can."\nAfter contacting the department, a student will be assigned a case manager within a few hours. The case manager meets with the student to discuss the case, alleged violation and what to expect. A case manager can also discuss strategy and points they need to keep in mind when facing the board, explained case manager senior Grace Overmyer.\nThough the case manager may have extensive contact with the student to prepare for the hearing, the amount of action the case manager is allowed to partake in at the hearing depends on the level of the hearing.\nAt the informal hearing, most likely in front of a judicial board, the case manager, if the student wishes that he or she attends, is not allowed to speak, only whisper, write notes or take the student aside.\n"We try to keep them on track and focused," Overmyer said. "Students get really nervous in front of the board and cannot focus properly on the fact at hand. An outside perspective can tell them to concentrate more on another point, say what they need to say. Somebody's got to help them know their rights."\nAt higher levels of the process, the duties of the case manager can become greater and may include witness questioning and speaking on behalf of the student. However, Barnes said they encourage students to speak for themselves as much as they can to help their case.\nWhen hiring case managers, the department looks for motivated and dedicated students who truly want to make a difference.\nAfter a selective process of application and interviews, case managers are trained in the rules, regulations, procedures and confidentiality. Training and trust are the department's most important tenets, Barnes said.\n"Trust is beyond important," he said. "Without trust, we can't do our job."\nAssistant Director for the Student Judicial Program, Stephanie Reinking, reiterated the importance of confidentiality.\n"We do uphold the attorney/client privilege," Reinking said. "This isn't something we go home and tell our roommates about." \nOvermyer said case managers aren't even allowed to acknowledge their clients out on the street or in public.\nThe department is proud of the fact that the program is entirely student run. Barnes said the strength behind the program is that the students involved have been through the same situations and may have even broken the same rules at some point in their college career.\nReinking admits, that like most freshmen, her Code of Students Rights, Responsibility and Conduct was thrown in the dorm room desk drawer where it sat for the remainder of the year. Most students never really read it, she pointed out, and don't know where to begin when they receive a letter in the mail informing them of their hearing. \n"Case managers make sure students are aware," Reinking said. "Whether it's a freshman caught drinking in the dorm or a grad student accused of plagiarism on a thesis."\nReinking got involved with the program last year as a business major who, like many case managers, was looking for pre-law activities. She pointed out how efficiently the program runs though it is still fairly new.\nBarnes added they strive for improvement and quality.\n"We are always looking for ways to improve and become a stronger department," Barnes said, claiming an obsession for perfection. "We are good at what we do and we want to be even better. We want to reach past our potential."\nUp to 40 students are expected to be certified as case managers by the end of the semester, and Barnes said he is hoping for expansion to serve more students, including more outreach programs that educate students about the process. Already in progress is the Your-Rights-Explained division of the department that speaks to groups about the judicial process and informs students about their rights and options.\n"Students are always better off if they come to us first," Barnes said. "We work for that final outcome. We work for justice"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Latin dance sounds from Orquesta Son, a group of local musicians, filled Dunn Meadow Saturday as people danced in salsa steps, lounged on blankets, dined on ethnic foods and simply enjoyed Festival Latino. \nThe event, now in its fourth year, is a way to celebrate Latino culture on campus and in Bloomington. Festival Latino serves to connect the Latino campus and community with music and to provide information about services available on campus. \n"It's like one big family reunion. Food, music, fun and friendship," said Lillian Casillas, director of La Casa International, the Latino Cultural Center and main sponsor. \nThe festival was also sponsored by the Lotus Festival and included four acts of Latino music with free admission, from the dance beats of Orquesta Son to the smooth sound of Ramon and Irma with additional performances by Alma Azul and Joaquin Diaz. In addition to the music, several community and University organizations set up about 30 booths to sell food, provide information and raffle prizes.\n"We try to bring Latino organizations that are community based in addition to the student organizations, anyone who would like to share to educate and celebrate the Latino community in Bloomington," said Casillas, who began planning for the event in January by inviting groups to participate. "Festival Latino is important because it's the one event that La Casa can do to bridge Latinos off-campus with Latinos on-campus."\nMany community groups from La Central Latina to the Monroe County Public Library to the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation were among the presenters at booths.\n"This is a good way to get the community on campus," said Yolanda Trevino of La Central Latina, a community volunteer group, "It serves as an act of solidarity. The Latino experience is interwoven. It's not just the University, it's all parts of life."\nMembers from Latino-based University groups, such as La Casa, Sigma Lambda Gamma, Gamma Phi Omega and Latinos Unidos, also said they appreciated the opportunities of Festival Latino to unite and celebrate.\n"I like the chance to share our culture with the community. We need to learn more about other cultures to break the barriers," said Stephanie Santiago, a senior and president of Gamma Phi Omega. "It's also just a good opportunity to have a good time."\nAlthough the event was called Festival Latino, it was meant for people of all races and backgrounds, said Zelideh Martinez, president of Latinos Unidos.\n"We can show our Latino heritage and involve all ethnicities to promote our traditions and celebrate our music and foods," she said.\nThe students, families and children who crowded into Dunn Meadow Saturday reflected the diversity sought by the event's organizers. Festival Latino was successful in bringing many people together in celebration of Latino heritage, Casillas said.\n"We invite anyone, you don't have to be Latino," said Casillas, "We are bringing the community together whether you are Latino or not"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
With a beer on the stool behind him, Chad Nordhoff strums his guitar and in a surprisingly deep and husky voice and launches into his bluesy set with lyrics of "women done me wrong" and "love gone bad." He is a lone figure on a stage, armed with only an acoustic guitar, singing to a half-crowded bar. The 22-year-old Bloomington resident is one of many local musicians who have the guts to unleash their singer-songwriter talents on open mic night.\nWhether playing for fun, for practice or as the foundation for a professional career, musicians can be heard at local clubs and bars in the laid-back style of open mic performances. \n"Open mic is good practice to play in front of people," Nordhoff says. "There's still some pressure but still loose enough to let go. You have nothing to lose." He has been doing open mic for several months. By day, he does maintenance for the Department of Natural Resources. \nOpen mic gives musicians the audience and atmosphere to gain confidence in pursuing their musical endeavors, all within about a 20-minute set. The crowd is encouraging and the surroundings are casual. There is definite respect for those who bare their all and harsh feedback is lacking.\n"It's a comfortable atmosphere and the people are completely supportive. No one is judgmental," says Andrea Augustine, a regular performer at the Cellar Lounge. "We are in the same boat, just trying to be heard."\nMany of the performers at open mic are experienced musicians who have aspirations of making it professionally. Augustine, a 23-year-old employee at the Indiana Memorial Union, says it's been a lifelong dream to be a professional musician. She attended IU as a violin performance major and has been a musician since she was 4 years old. \nAs Augusine's passionate voice accompanies her powerful guitar ballads, it's hard to believe that she just picked up guitar a year ago. She heard about open mic at the Cellar Lounge from a friend and likes the chance to perform and play her original material, which she is writing all the time.\nAdam Meehan and Tony Sereno also like to play their original work and like to mix it up with some covers of '80s favorites and 1970s classic rock. Sereno, 24, and Meehan, 25, have been playing together since high school. They jam on guitar together with harmonizing vocals in T-shirts, jeans and baseball caps. The two are keeping their eyes out for other musicians to form a full band. \n"You get to talk to so many fellow musicians at open mic," Sereno says. "There's a lot of good people and a lot of good musicians that come out. I don't have a band yet, and I'm kind of searching around. Open mic is a great place to find people to play with."\nSenior Rory Sandhage says networking with other musicians and getting your name out in the music community is a plus of open mic night. He played a band open mic at the Bluebird Nightclub last year and was recently looking for a new guitarist for a band he has just formed. He put out fliers, but says he should have gone to open mic nights.\n"Open mic is a good place for singer-songwriter types," Sandhage says. "It's where a lot of them hang out. You run into good musicians, even members of established bands who are looking for an outlet, something else to do musically."\nOpen mic is also good for musicians just starting out, senior Josh Jenkins says. Jenkins has played his share of open mic performances during the past two years with his friends J.D. Clark and Cory Williams, also seniors. \nThe trio occasionally plays at the Cellar Lounge. Their stage presence is reminiscent of an MTV Unplugged performance. They invite their friends to come see them play, as many of the performers do -- friends and family fill the crowd at open mic nights. The event never draws a huge number, but it turns out to be a good crowd because performers invite viewers. \nHaving familiar faces in the audience may lessen the fear factor of taking the stage. While some artists say they live for the spotlight, others admit that it's a bit nerve-racking to do what they do. Most agree that getting up there is the hardest part, but once the music starts they become comfortable.\n"Absolutely, I'm nervous! But, you just get past that first song and you're all right," Augustine says. She adds that whether there's one person in the crowd or 100, it's equally challenging and equally exciting.\nThe crowd doesn't faze Nordhoff either. \n"If I enjoy the crowd, I try to please them, but I'm just as happy if they don't like me," he says. "I'm just doing what I like to do."\nLike Nordhoff, many performers appreciate being able to do their own thing as an advantage of open mic night performing. There are no requirements, rarely a set list, and if playing alone, they get to make all the decisions. It's the ultimate free forum for music.\n"We just go up there and have fun and see what we can do. It's definitely a good time," Jenkins says. "I would suggest open mic to anyone thinking about doing it"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
As a young girl growing up in Harlem, those around Ruby Dee already sensed that the vibrant youth had something very special. Family, teachers and friends encouraged Dee's ways of expressing herself and her lively imagination. \n"They recognized I had a flair for expression -- a creative spark," Dee said. \nDee, along with her husband Ossie Davis, will offer her experience and talents to the IU community as the keynote speakers at the dedication of the Theatre and Drama Center and the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center .\nDee grew to become an accomplished actress, writer and activist. She has won numerous awards on stage, screen and television. In the mid-1940s, she performed with the American Negro Theater and went on to star in a long list of works from "No Way Out" (1950), and "A Raisin in the Sun" (1961) to Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" (1989) and "Jungle Fever" (1991). She has had seven Emmy award nominations and won an Emmy in 1991 for her performance in "Decoration Day." \nRobin Roy Gress, director of university ceremonies, said Dee is a good role model for everyone. \n"Ruby Dee is so far from a one-dimensional person," Gress said. "She can do everything," \nDee is often found working alongside her husband, Davis, who she married in 1948. Both have balanced their lasting romance with successful and demanding careers. The two wrote "With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together," an autobiography that addresses how they've made their marriage work. \n"She is my wife, and I love her," Davis said. "She is a marvelous performer, and I am glad to be associated with her." \n When committee members gathered to choose the speaker for dedication of the center, the duo of Davis and Dee was at the top of the list. Gress said the committee was doubtful that it would actually be able to book the couple. But it was delighted to find that not only would the couple speak at the ceremony but also provide an evening program and conduct an acting workshop.\n"We're really not 'speakers,'" Dee said. "We entertain, we read and talk and present ideas. We offer a smorgasbord. Theater is about life and sex and religion and politics -- all life. There really is no shortage of material."\nSenior Christina McDougall, a member of the African American Choral Ensemble, said she is excited about the opening of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. \n"There are not many centers like this around this country," McDougall said. "It is incredible to be a part of an organization that promotes diversity. The facility is incredible." \nThe dedication is one of few engagements that Davis and Dee will partake in. They are not on tour, but the event was important and exciting for them. \n"We expect to be inspired as much as we might inspire," Dee said. \nComing to a university setting is a way for Dee to offer her insight to actors and actresses just starting out. \n"The new and the old need to get together and exchange information," Dee said. "It's how the arts move forward in their purpose. It never comes from just one place. We are continually taking yesterday into today and today looking into the future."\nDee advises young actors and actresses to keep open minds and explore their surroundings and each other in efforts to share information. \n"Pay attention to time and things around you," she said. "Have a desire to know what life is all about. Read, focus on relationships, dig behind the headlines, look for more than one point of view."\nAs a passionate activist, Dee has fought for social and civil rights throughout her lifetime. She has brought activism into her acting career by choosing roles that bring attention to social causes. Like acting, Dee traces her activist roots to her childhood in Harlem and recollects memories of her mother participating in picket lines.\n"People were always fighting to make a difference in one way or another," she said.\nWith the close timing of the dedication of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center and Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Davis and Dee can further help us reflect on King's message, Gress said, citing their role in civil rights and participation in the 1963 March on Washington.\nDee said King's words are more necessary than ever before. \n"We really need to pay attention to what Martin Luther King Jr. wrote and thought," Dee said. "We don't focus on the many other aspects of life, politics, and economics that he talked about." \nDee carries her own message of togetherness and harmony. \n"We need to look at the similarities as human beings, as opposed to differences," she said, "The more we see of people of the world, the more we see how much we are alike."\n"Everyone you meet is some kind of model for you. We teach each other as we touch everyday"
(04/10/02 5:41am)
On the third day of medical clinics in a remote mountain location in Honduras, outside the city of Tegucigalpa, IU junior Aaron Remenschneider mingled with a group of children in the hot sun, as they waited for their medication prescribed by the clinic doctor. An entire school had canceled classes that day to allow the children to go to the clinic, which was set up by the IU chapter of the Timmy Foundation. \nRemenschneider brought out a children's book to read to the kids. The book, however, was written in Spanish, a language Remenschneider does not speak. As he struggled through words and pronounced them erroneously as he sounded out syllables and vowels, two girls, about 12 years in age, came over to listen. They laughed with Remenschneider as he tried to read the story to the children and looked confusedly at the pages of the book. The girls started to help Remenschneider with a few words, and ended up reading the book to him, playfully shouting out the story in unison. Remenschneider was moved by the girls, who generously gave him a lesson in their language.\n"We had come with an ambulance full of medicine, balloons and bubbles to give them, but in the end they were giving to me," he said.\nInside the clinic, IU graduate Eddie Kubek was translating for a doctor as he examined an elderly patient. The man was only 60 years old, but his face and body were aged to that of an 80-year-old. The man had a variety of health problems: A goiter on his neck, a month and half old machete wound on his leg, cataracts and a variety of other ailments. \nDespite these problems, the man still worked six days a week, 12 hours a day on a steep-hilled farm to survive. Kubek was inspired by the man's strength and persistence despite his illness.\n"He was amazing," Kubek said. "If I could only be half as tough as that man."\nAs the Timmy Foundation Club worked four days of free clinics in Honduras over spring break, the IU students were touched as much as they touched the lives of the people they met, while completing their mission to bring medical help to a country in need. The successful clinics serviced about 2,000 patients, some of whom waited up to five hours to see the doctors.\nThe Timmy Foundation is an organization founded in 1997 by Dr. Chuck Dietzen of Indianapolis. The foundation is dedicated to bringing medical services to places all over the world with a major focus on helping the lives of children. The Timmy Foundation sends volunteers on five or six international trips a year and has sent medical care to approximately 50 countries through the funds, volunteers and supplies it solicits. \nJuniors Remenschneider and Dionisios Aliprantis, along with Kubek, organized a Timmy Foundation Club on the IU campus this academic year and spent months planning a medical brigade of 28 students, most aspiring doctors, to work in Honduras over spring break. While many IU students were partying without a care in the world, these students were making a difference, aiding doctors in clinics and connecting with another culture.\nThe students spent their days working in clinics they set up themselves along with five doctors from central Indiana. The students were organized in groups with various assignments to translate, assist the doctors, take vital signs of patients, triage patients, distribute medicines or work crowd control outside. Patients would come in with ailments varying from simple colds and sore throats to more serious problems such as brain tumors and stomach parasites. Kubek said that while some seriously ill patients could not be helped at their location, they made sure that these patients would be taken care of at another location. \nThe club brought extra funds to give patients if they needed additional services from another doctor, who they usually would not be able to afford.\n"If we couldn't directly give them services, we found someone who could," Kubek said.\nKubek is fluent in Spanish and spent most of his clinic time translating for the doctors. He said he loved speaking with the children and other patients. But even those volunteers who could not speak Spanish still found ways to communicate with their new friends.\nFreshman Margie Conely, who knew only a little bit of Spanish, said that the language barrier was not a problem for her.\n"You can still communicate with people without spoken language," she said, "whether it's with a smile or by giving a hug."\nConely met a young adult named Mario at one of the clinics who could speak a little bit of English. They sat together for nearly two hours chatting as best they could and teaching each other their languages.\nAs an aspiring pediatrician who loves children, Conely was most impacted by a children's AIDS hospice that the group visited. She was inspired when she learned that an American doctor had founded the hospice.\n"It gave me inspiration and motivation," she said. "You can't heal the world by yourself, but you can try wherever you can."\nLike Conely, many of the students' favorite moments were of playing with the children outside the clinics as they waited to see the doctor. Junior Lisa Maltz said that the strong sense of community that the culture breeds and the lack of materialism made the kids very social.\n"They have all kinds of games," she said. "Games you can play without any materials. These children play hard, barefoot and with health problems, while American kids sit and watch TV and won't go to school because of a cold."\nThe contrast between Honduras and America hit hard when the students returned home. In their class designed for the trip and taught by professor JoAnn Campbell, who also traveled with the group, the students discussed what it was like coming back home and what kind of impact the trip had on them.\n"I was a zombie for a couple days," Remenschneider recalled, "You've seen people who live (with) next to nothing and live more simply. Then you come here and see so much at once. It's a cultural shock going there, but it's even worse when you come back."\nThe students share writings, journal entries and photographs as they discuss defining moments, the service they did, and questions they have about dealing with their new feelings.\n"You feel blessed when you come back and see what you have," said Conely, who believes she has become a more patient person. "If I don't get something today, I can do it tomorrow." \nWhile she has found an inner calmness, Conely said at the same time she is less tolerant of petty things she sees Americans do and talk about. She gets annoyed when she hears people complain about simple aggravations, like rescheduling a doctor's appointment. People in Honduras don't even have the luxury to see a doctor at all, she said.\nConely hopes their experience and perspectives gained in Honduras will help the Timmy Foundation Club to grow into a long-term organization at IU. The members have formed a close group motivated by each other's positive energy. Flights have already been chartered for next year's spring break trip to the Dominican Republic and plans are in the making for a winter break trip to Yucatan, Mexico.\nIf you are interested in becoming involved, the group's next meeting is scheduled for April 16 at 7 p.m. in Jordan Hall A106.
(02/27/02 4:54am)
\"Next," he said. The slide changes to another colorful picture of a beautiful child with bright eyes. Looking at the image of these lively children on the projector screen, it's hard to imagine that they are living in worse conditions than Americans would let their dogs or cats live in, Dr. Chuck Dietzen said. The pediatric rehabilitation doctor from Indianapolis frequently refers to these children as his spiritual leaders and heroes. \n"Just your presence there will give these children significant hope," Dr. Chuck, as he is casually referred to, tells the room full of college students. "You can go back 10 years from now and they will remember you; remember you by name."\n"Next," Dr. Chuck said again. This time it's a small, pants-less boy happily running with a white pig on a string. The students, most planning to attend medical school, sit in desks and laugh at the amusing image. The smiles on the outside of the students' faces are not as big as the smiles on the inside though. As they look at the slides and listen to Dr. Chuck speak about his past journeys in twelve different countries, an inner satisfaction is growing, for they themselves will soon be touching the lives of children similar to the Haitian and Ecuadorian young ones they see in the slides of the presentation. \nDr. Chuck is preparing these students for a week-long trip with a group he founded called the Timmy Foundation. Dedicated to bringing medical services to places all over the world with a major focus on helping the lives of children, the Timmy Foundation sends volunteers on five or six international trips each year and has sent medical care to approximately 50 countries through the funds, volunteers, and supplies it solicits. \n"Typically if people ask for help, we'll give them something," Dr. Chuck said. "Everybody is somebody's child."\nThe Timmy Foundation has recently spread its message of healing to the IU campus. Juniors Dionissi Aliprantis and Aaron Remenschneider and IU graduate Eddie Kubek organized a Timmy Foundation club in Bloomington this academic year and are leading 25 students on a medical brigade to Honduras during spring break. Student volunteers will stay at an orphanage in Honduras, spending time with children and running a three-day clinic alongside Dr. Chuck and other doctors. \n"I will show you things you won't be able to see until your junior year of medical school," Dr. Chuck said to the group.\nDr. Chuck not only showed the students the delightful faces of the children, playing with volunteers on past trips, but also things that might be difficult to look at, such as people lying on streets and an open fracture wound that had been untreated for two years. Dr. Chuck said the students need to know that some of the things they will see will be disturbing.\n "You will see some suffering," he said. "But, for the most part, these kids don't realize they're poor. That's the life they know. They have nothing to compare it to. It will be overwhelming for some people, but this is a great opportunity. It's important to find out what the rest of the world is like."\n In preparation for the trip, volunteers can attend group meetings and register for a class that has been developed to supplement the trip: L200, Spheres of Caring. The group will also attend training sessions to learn how to do some medical basics, such as taking blood pressure and how to triage patients in the clinics that they will set up almost anywhere, whether in buildings or under trees.\nBut, Dr. Chuck said he doesn't want the IU group to be working dusk till dawn.\n"I want our people to get out and meet folks, to learn about the culture and spend time outside the clinic," said Dr. Chuck. \nThese outside clinic activities, such as playing soccer and reaching out to the community members can be just as important as the work done in the clinics. They are creating a bond with the close-knit communities of the culture to keep in contact with and make sure they are getting the help they need in the future. Preventative medicine is also a major component of the Timmy Foundation in forms of clothing, education, and nutrition.\nDr. Chuck started the foundation in 1997 and named it after his oldest brother who died as an infant. A life-changing experience of meeting Mother Teresa while working with Missionaries of Charity in India motivated Dr. Chuck to do more. He claims the meeting was the greatest experience of his life.\n"Mother Teresa epitomizes what we all are striving to be, whether we realize it or not," he said. "It does not take an extraordinary soul, but an ordinary person doing extraordinary things."\nDr. Chuck frequently tells volunteers a Mother Teresa quote: "It is not my job to be successful, it is my job to be faithful." He said that although he may not get to every child in the world, it doesn't mean he'll stop trying. \nHe stressed it's not about numbers, it's just about touching people's lives.\nThe Timmy Foundation had only been up and running for about a year when Aliprantis and Remenschneider met up with Dr. Chuck. Their involvement began with a series of chance events the summer before their senior year of high school in Indianapolis. A magazine advertisement led Remenschneider to the Timmy Foundation. \nWhen he approached his high school friend Aliprantis about looking into one of the volunteer trips, Aliprantis coincidentally said he had just heard about the same group from his mother, who had heard Dr. Chuck speak at her church. So intrigued by Dr. Chuck from what they heard, they set out the next day for his office. They ran in to Dr. Chuck, who had just happened to have his next appointment canceled, in the hallway of the building. One visit led to more with this inspiring mentor.\n"We just started randomly stopping by. He's such a busy doctor, but somehow he always had time for us," Remenschneider said.\nDr. Chuck put the two to work right away doing odd jobs for the Timmy Foundation, such as sorting medical items in their warehouse, and having patients flown in from Haiti for surgery stay in their homes. Aliprantis went on a trip to Cuba, Remenschneider went to Ecuador, and both went to Haiti to work in clinics with Dr. Chuck. When Remenschneider and Aliprantis came to IU, they met up with Eddie Kubek, who had traveled to Mexico on a similar medical trip, and after kicking the idea around for awhile, decided organizing their own trip with IU students was something they had to do.\n"We saw the impact that the trip to Haiti had on us. We thought it would be such a great thing, especially for people already thinking about being doctors," said Remenschneider, who takes pre-med classes. "Experiences like this give you a drive, gives you some purpose. If you get nothing else out of it, you get the clinical experience."\nWorking closely with the Executive Director of Timmy Foundation, Scott Keller, and other experienced organizers, the three men settled on Honduras as a practical location for a week-long trip where Timmy Foundation connections were already established with an orphanage community. Volunteers will stay with local families or in the orphanage itself. Mass e-mails were sent out through IU mailing lists and they found there was a lot of interest in the pre-med community though only spots for 25 students to go. After sorting through about 60 application essays, the group was established and it was time to tackle the biggest obstacle -- fundraising.\nWith estimated total costs of over $35,000, which includes airfare, transportation, medical supplies and extra funds to leave at the orphanage, Remenschneider admits that, at times, it was overwhelming, especially after sending out letter after letter without any response.\n"The only thing standing between medical trips like these is fundraising," Remenschneider said. "There were just a lot of dead ends. You'd get a pat on the back, but no help."\nThe group is very grateful for donations they have received here and there and several volunteers even received individual grants from the Honors College. Most recently, a meeting with the Vice Chancellor gained the group an additional $4,000.\nJunior Chioma Ndubisi, a pre-med biology major who is going on the Honduras trip, said fundraising wasn't much of a problem for her.\n"I've seen some of the best of people as I've fundraised for this trip," she said. She has received generous donations from her teammates on the IU track team, parents of friends, and from the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Ndubisi, whose dream is to open a women's clinic in her parents' homeland of Nigeria, sees this trip as a way for preparing for the future since conditions in Nigeria are likely to be similar to those in Honduras. \n"This is an opportunity to see medicine at its best," she said. "In America, medicine is overcrowded with payments and insurance. You don't really see the passion behind medicine."\nWorking alongside Dr. Chuck and gaining invaluable medical experience is also a plus for Ndubisi.\n"Just to be right there next to Dr. Chuck, performing procedures, like stitching someone's hand. Something as little as that is so big to me!" she said laughing.\n"He is basically living the life a doctor was meant to live, which is helping others," she said, becoming earnest. She credits the Timmy Foundation as one of the only ways she can have this experience.\nIn preparing for the trip, Ndubisi registered for the class and is hoping it will help her process the meaning of the trip more clearly.\nThis type of reflection is a major purpose of the course, said Assistant Professor Jo Ann Campbell, who will also be joining the students in Honduras. She is the director of the Office of Community Partnerships in Service Learning and approached Remenschneider about developing a course for the trip when she taught him last semester. In the six-week class, students are reading a book, "Don't Be Afraid Gringo," the oral history of Honduran activist Elvia Alvarado that will present a prelude to the culture. The class will also discuss models of caring and aspects of service leadership. \nNot only will the students be gaining an academic perspective on their trip, but also building a community with others who will be going.\nCampbell said service learning incorporates as much student input as possible and she is excited about working alongside her students in Honduras.\n"I love spending time with students, but it's usually in a classroom or in my office," she said. "In this, we are really peers learning together."\nWhile on the trip, the students are encouraged to keep journals and will spend time every evening processing what they learned that day and answer each other's questions so they can start fresh the next day, Campbell said. When the group comes back from the trip they will have two more weeks left in class for deep analysis and reflection and will be writing a paper about the trip.\n"Writing can be a powerful way to pull everything together," Campbell said.\nAlso, when the students get back, the Timmy Foundation Club plans to direct their efforts locally and do volunteer work in Bloomington while planning a trip for next year, hoping for eventually two trips a year. Aliprantis, Remenschneider, and Kubek want the club to become an established group that will continue to grow. They also want the idea to spread to other college campuses for they realize that much more must be done to improve the dire situation of the world's medical needs.\n"You can't solve the problem by going on the trip and looking there for solutions. The resources just aren't there," Remenschneider said. "The people here, in this country, are the people who can make a difference."\nThe three plan to speak and give slide shows at colleges and churches to propose the idea.\n"We hope the idea is transferable," Kubek said. "A seed can be planted here and there as people go off to medical schools or through friends at other schools."\nThey also hope that their accomplishments in Honduras will help them in their fundraising endeavors for future trips.\n"We have proof that students really can do something like this," Kubek added, smiling.\nDr. Chuck agreed that the IU students' work is an example of how powerful young people can be. He has repeatedly said that the Timmy Foundation is not in the habit of outlining missions, but in the habit of supporting missions. They encourage people to find their mission and let the Timmy Foundation help supply them with the resources.\n"We were not all born to be doctors or nurses," Dr. Chuck said, "but we were all born to be healers. Spiritually, there is no other reason for us being here than to help each other along on this journey. We are created to need each other and to reach out to each other. I like to help people find that, what is it that they have to offer to another human being to make this a better place"
(02/04/02 4:52am)
Tales of chivalrous knights and lovely heroines found in the texts of French medieval literature reveal much about court culture, but professor E. Jane Burns is not interested in what these characters are doing.\nShe's interested in what they are wearing.\nBurns presented the work of her current project, "Courtly Love Undressed: Reading Through Clothes in Medieval French Culture," Thursday at Ballantine Hall in a speech titled, "Saracen Silk: Dolls, Idols, and Courtly Ladies."\nBurns is the chair of the Curriculum in Women's Studies at North Carolina University and author of "Bodytalk: When Women Speak in Old French Literature." Her newest work examines medieval culture through the opulent and lavish garments that adorned courtly ladies of the time and how the dress of these figures served as a connection between the Western and Eastern worlds.\nAs Burns taught courses on courtly love, she first began wondering if courtly love would look different if examined through a different venue -- clothing as described by the authors of 12th and 13th century French literature. Love was greatly structured around clothing and worldly goods, which did not merely serve as decoration or as illustration of wealth.\nBurns then became intrigued by where the costly fabrics for these extravagant garments were coming from. In the spiritual component of Arthurian stories, the quest for the Holy Grail moved the characters to travel to various locations in the East. \nThe robes of courtly heroines were cut from silks and adorned with gems acquired through the trade routes from the East, making the dress of courtly ladies serve as a cultural border between east and west. Burns said this element, seen through the clothing, challenges us to rethink the western phenomenon of medieval times and how the protagonists in literature were shaped.\n"Eastern goods have become meshed in what we've thought to be western court culture," she said. "The western identity of court culture depended on goods from eastern cities. The medieval items of clothing owe their French character to eastern imports." \nPurple-colored saracen silk is one of many types of silks worn by the courtly ladies and denotes an eastern location. As Burns explained, there are many stories in old French literature that feature the character of the Saracen princess, an eastern character usually of Moslem origin, who was very often converted to Christianity and married to a courtly knight. Burns began seeing connections between the Saracen princess and the western courtly lady when the courtly lady began appearing in the same Saracen silk.\n"The western court lady complicates the dichotomy through her clothes," Burns said.\nProfessor Sheila Lindenbaum, director of the Medieval Studies Institute, said she was pleased that the subject matter of Burns' work tied into so many of the University's classes, shown by the large attendance of the event. Many members of the mixed audience of undergraduates, graduate students and faculty were most intrigued by the link Burns made between the East and West cultures through the lavish clothing of the elaborate courtly lady.\n"It was interesting to see the ways in which clothing brought the East and West together but didn't resolve the tension between the two," said Brent Moberly, a graduate student in English. "The courtly lady belongs in either the East or West. She is a landmark without a place"
(01/11/02 2:41am)
The band on stage, figures illuminated and accompanied by a balanced blend of melodic sounds. Actors' and actresses' crisp voices, full of emotion, their poignant visages clear and striking. It's not said through the actor's dialogue, but you know the time of day and you sense the mood by the lighting you see on stage, the actors faces still fully visible to you. Enjoying a performance, caught up in the gratifying visuals and sounds, there isn't time to stop and think about how the essential elements of light and sound are shaped and defined by the people behind the scenes. \nSound engineers and lighting designers are the technically and artistically talented people who stimulate our ears and eyes with their embellishments to the stage. With a tough market, unusual hours and demanding tasks, those who work on sound and lights have a more complicated and more rewarding job than you might realize as a simple audience member. \n"I've seen a lot of things, heard a lot of great stuff that most people have never experienced," says audio engineer Ryan Schilling. "I've got to meet a lot of people. There's new faces everyday on the job." Schilling, with 15 years of experience, is the resident engineer at Second Story nightclub and works for Frazier Audio. He appreciates the fun and flexibility that his career in sound brings.\n"I've always been a non-conformist. Audio engineering is the most open-ended, even insane, career," he says, smiling. "I have a very non-traditional job."\nSchilling describes a shift between stagehand and esoteric expert when doing sound. He says first he is required to do the loading and unloading of equipment, running cable, all things necessary for the set up. Then he transforms into the sound technician, adjusting to the players' needs, tweaking the instrument and vocal levels and mixing just right for the performance. The sound technician masters the cable systems, the outboard gear, the speakers and amplifiers, among other things. Then, it's back to stagehand at the end of the show, he says. \nProfessor Rob Shakespeare of the Department of Theatre and Drama says lighting design also has different components.\n"First, there is the art of creating the visual orchestration of a design which enhances the dramatic story told by a production," he says. "Secondly, the implementation of lighting design is dependent on technology and engineering prowess."\nThe theater department helps students develop their light design skills. There are two undergraduate courses and six graduate courses that prepare students for their professional careers in lighting design. Professor Shakespeare is head of the Master of Fine Arts in Lighting Design Program. He teaches the courses and stages productions himself, as well as designing and supervising productions at the Brown County Playhouse. He is also greatly invested in the light and sound dimensions in the new Theatre and Drama Center.\n"Our theaters and productions are our 'labs' and are integral to all of the degree programs we offer," Shakespeare says. His graduate students design independent and University productions.\nRick Todd, a junior, has had the opportunity to be involved in many productions as an undergrad. He says his lighting classes focus on how to realize lighting ideas and express lighting concepts, which can be difficult to explain and convey to the director. There are lighting plots, like blueprints, which are the guidelines for what will be implemented in the production. \nBecky Hardy, a graduate student in the Master of Fine Arts in Lighting Design program, is taking a computer visualization class to help her express her lighting ideas.\n"It's hard to show what you want to create," she says. "We take classes to learn how to portray what we want to accomplish."\nThe development of a lighting design begins with production collaboration meeting which joins the producers of the play with the design team, Todd says. There the fundamental elements are laid out and the designer can begin presenting ideas with pictures and drawings. The design becomes more and more refined as the designers, directors and producers communicate with each other. The designer will go to rehearsals and watch the movements of the actors to relate the lighting ideas to what the actors are doing on stage, he says.\n"You don't want to be obtrusive or step on the talent," says Don Oard of the IU Auditorium. "We have to work with the talent and find what is best for this particular moment."\nLighting can create a mood, set a tone, focus audience attention and build the entire imagery of a scene. The end results are very rewarding, as the designers watch the stage come to life with the lighting they have created.\n"It's amazing how you can motivate responses with light," Todd says. "I like to be able to enhance the performances and control the audience's emotions with light."\nHardy is also exhilarated by what lighting adds to the production. \n"Stage lighting removes the exterior world and creates the inner world of the play," she says. "Without the lighting, it wouldn't be what theater is. It would be normal life."\nThe fields of lighting and sound production can be quite competitive. As Schilling explains, Bloomington doesn't have as many performances as Indianapolis, for example. There is a tight market share and a high cost of living. With an economic recession, the entertainment dollar is the last to be spent. When hired for a show, he is expected to be responsible for any production needs, he says.\nWith the tight market and high expectations, a general knowledge of all stage production aspects is required. Many sound engineers are also required to do lighting, as Schilling also does at Second Story, and lighting technicians must be knowledgeable about all aspects of theater. \n"We all do a little bit," says Oard, a stage master electrician, "There are four full-time production employees at the Auditorium and we all work back and forth."\nOard has been with the Auditorium for 16 years. He stresses the safety factors of having temporary lighting and temporary electricity that is required for each show. With each show that comes to the Auditorium, the in-house lighting has to be coordinated and connected safely and properly with what the production brings. \n"The average electrician doesn't know what we are doing," he says. "It's more dangerous, more potential for injury. Whatever we set up, we have to do so making sure everyone is safe."\nLike Oard, sound and light engineers at a particular venue must connect what the performers bring with what the venue offers. Large, national acts bring their own crews and equipment, but the audio and lighting expertise of the house technicians is needed to make things work with what is already supplied. Local acts and events rely on the house technicians for their needs and give the engineers more freedom in developing the correct provisions.\n"Some bands trust me completely," Schilling says. "They like the way I mix them."\nThe show, the production, the people, the motivations and the requirements change with each assignment for those who work on sound and lights. They are continually evolving players in the world of live performance.\n"Anything has the potential to go wrong," Oard says. "It's a challenge each day to get everything right by curtain."\nAs audience members, we don't see that challenge or realize how the world presented in front of us was created. We can't imagine how bleak and barren the stage, the auditorium, the concert hall and the club, would all be without those who allow our senses to see and hear our favorite performances at the full potential of their talents.
(01/09/02 5:00am)
The band on stage, figures illuminated and accompanied by a balanced blend of melodic sounds. Actors' and actresses' crisp voices, full of emotion, their poignant visages clear and striking. It's not said through the actor's dialogue, but you know the time of day and you sense the mood by the lighting you see on stage, the actors faces still fully visible to you. Enjoying a performance, caught up in the gratifying visuals and sounds, there isn't time to stop and think about how the essential elements of light and sound are shaped and defined by the people behind the scenes. \nSound engineers and lighting designers are the technically and artistically talented people who stimulate our ears and eyes with their embellishments to the stage. With a tough market, unusual hours and demanding tasks, those who work on sound and lights have a more complicated and more rewarding job than you might realize as a simple audience member. \n"I've seen a lot of things, heard a lot of great stuff that most people have never experienced," says audio engineer Ryan Schilling. "I've got to meet a lot of people. There's new faces everyday on the job." Schilling, with 15 years of experience, is the resident engineer at Second Story nightclub and works for Frazier Audio. He appreciates the fun and flexibility that his career in sound brings.\n"I've always been a non-conformist. Audio engineering is the most open-ended, even insane, career," he says, smiling. "I have a very non-traditional job."\nSchilling describes a shift between stagehand and esoteric expert when doing sound. He says first he is required to do the loading and unloading of equipment, running cable, all things necessary for the set up. Then he transforms into the sound technician, adjusting to the players' needs, tweaking the instrument and vocal levels and mixing just right for the performance. The sound technician masters the cable systems, the outboard gear, the speakers and amplifiers, among other things. Then, it's back to stagehand at the end of the show, he says. \nProfessor Rob Shakespeare of the Department of Theatre and Drama says lighting design also has different components.\n"First, there is the art of creating the visual orchestration of a design which enhances the dramatic story told by a production," he says. "Secondly, the implementation of lighting design is dependent on technology and engineering prowess."\nThe theater department helps students develop their light design skills. There are two undergraduate courses and six graduate courses that prepare students for their professional careers in lighting design. Professor Shakespeare is head of the Master of Fine Arts in Lighting Design Program. He teaches the courses and stages productions himself, as well as designing and supervising productions at the Brown County Playhouse. He is also greatly invested in the light and sound dimensions in the new Theatre and Drama Center.\n"Our theaters and productions are our 'labs' and are integral to all of the degree programs we offer," Shakespeare says. His graduate students design independent and University productions.\nRick Todd, a junior, has had the opportunity to be involved in many productions as an undergrad. He says his lighting classes focus on how to realize lighting ideas and express lighting concepts, which can be difficult to explain and convey to the director. There are lighting plots, like blueprints, which are the guidelines for what will be implemented in the production. \nBecky Hardy, a graduate student in the Master of Fine Arts in Lighting Design program, is taking a computer visualization class to help her express her lighting ideas.\n"It's hard to show what you want to create," she says. "We take classes to learn how to portray what we want to accomplish."\nThe development of a lighting design begins with production collaboration meeting which joins the producers of the play with the design team, Todd says. There the fundamental elements are laid out and the designer can begin presenting ideas with pictures and drawings. The design becomes more and more refined as the designers, directors and producers communicate with each other. The designer will go to rehearsals and watch the movements of the actors to relate the lighting ideas to what the actors are doing on stage, he says.\n"You don't want to be obtrusive or step on the talent," says Don Oard of the IU Auditorium. "We have to work with the talent and find what is best for this particular moment."\nLighting can create a mood, set a tone, focus audience attention and build the entire imagery of a scene. The end results are very rewarding, as the designers watch the stage come to life with the lighting they have created.\n"It's amazing how you can motivate responses with light," Todd says. "I like to be able to enhance the performances and control the audience's emotions with light."\nHardy is also exhilarated by what lighting adds to the production. \n"Stage lighting removes the exterior world and creates the inner world of the play," she says. "Without the lighting, it wouldn't be what theater is. It would be normal life."\nThe fields of lighting and sound production can be quite competitive. As Schilling explains, Bloomington doesn't have as many performances as Indianapolis, for example. There is a tight market share and a high cost of living. With an economic recession, the entertainment dollar is the last to be spent. When hired for a show, he is expected to be responsible for any production needs, he says.\nWith the tight market and high expectations, a general knowledge of all stage production aspects is required. Many sound engineers are also required to do lighting, as Schilling also does at Second Story, and lighting technicians must be knowledgeable about all aspects of theater. \n"We all do a little bit," says Oard, a stage master electrician, "There are four full-time production employees at the Auditorium and we all work back and forth."\nOard has been with the Auditorium for 16 years. He stresses the safety factors of having temporary lighting and temporary electricity that is required for each show. With each show that comes to the Auditorium, the in-house lighting has to be coordinated and connected safely and properly with what the production brings. \n"The average electrician doesn't know what we are doing," he says. "It's more dangerous, more potential for injury. Whatever we set up, we have to do so making sure everyone is safe."\nLike Oard, sound and light engineers at a particular venue must connect what the performers bring with what the venue offers. Large, national acts bring their own crews and equipment, but the audio and lighting expertise of the house technicians is needed to make things work with what is already supplied. Local acts and events rely on the house technicians for their needs and give the engineers more freedom in developing the correct provisions.\n"Some bands trust me completely," Schilling says. "They like the way I mix them."\nThe show, the production, the people, the motivations and the requirements change with each assignment for those who work on sound and lights. They are continually evolving players in the world of live performance.\n"Anything has the potential to go wrong," Oard says. "It's a challenge each day to get everything right by curtain."\nAs audience members, we don't see that challenge or realize how the world presented in front of us was created. We can't imagine how bleak and barren the stage, the auditorium, the concert hall and the club, would all be without those who allow our senses to see and hear our favorite performances at the full potential of their talents.
(10/25/01 4:00am)
With a beer on the stool behind him, Chad Nordhoff strums his guitar and in a surprisingly deep and husky voice and launches into his bluesy set with lyrics of "women done me wrong" and "love gone bad." He is a lone figure on a stage, armed with only an acoustic guitar, singing to a half-crowded bar. The 22-year-old Bloomington resident is one of many local musicians who have the guts to unleash their singer-songwriter talents on open mic night.\nWhether playing for fun, for practice or as the foundation for a professional career, musicians can be heard at local clubs and bars in the laid-back style of open mic performances. \n"Open mic is good practice to play in front of people," Nordhoff says. "There's still some pressure but still loose enough to let go. You have nothing to lose." He has been doing open mic for several months. By day, he does maintenance for the Department of Natural Resources. \nOpen mic gives musicians the audience and atmosphere to gain confidence in pursuing their musical endeavors, all within about a 20-minute set. The crowd is encouraging and the surroundings are casual. There is definite respect for those who bare their all and harsh feedback is lacking.\n"It's a comfortable atmosphere and the people are completely supportive. No one is judgmental," says Andrea Augustine, a regular performer at the Cellar Lounge. "We are in the same boat, just trying to be heard."\nMany of the performers at open mic are experienced musicians who have aspirations of making it professionally. Augustine, a 23-year-old employee at the Indiana Memorial Union, says it's been a lifelong dream to be a professional musician. She attended IU as a violin performance major and has been a musician since she was 4 years old. \nAs Augusine's passionate voice accompanies her powerful guitar ballads, it's hard to believe that she just picked up guitar a year ago. She heard about open mic at the Cellar Lounge from a friend and likes the chance to perform and play her original material, which she is writing all the time.\nAdam Meehan and Tony Sereno also like to play their original work and like to mix it up with some covers of '80s favorites and 1970s classic rock. Sereno, 24, and Meehan, 25, have been playing together since high school. They jam on guitar together with harmonizing vocals in T-shirts, jeans and baseball caps. The two are keeping their eyes out for other musicians to form a full band. \n"You get to talk to so many fellow musicians at open mic," Sereno says. "There's a lot of good people and a lot of good musicians that come out. I don't have a band yet, and I'm kind of searching around. Open mic is a great place to find people to play with."\nSenior Rory Sandhage says networking with other musicians and getting your name out in the music community is a plus of open mic night. He played a band open mic at the Bluebird Nightclub last year and was recently looking for a new guitarist for a band he has just formed. He put out fliers, but says he should have gone to open mic nights.\n"Open mic is a good place for singer-songwriter types," Sandhage says. "It's where a lot of them hang out. You run into good musicians, even members of established bands who are looking for an outlet, something else to do musically."\nOpen mic is also good for musicians just starting out, senior Josh Jenkins says. Jenkins has played his share of open mic performances during the past two years with his friends J.D. Clark and Cory Williams, also seniors. \nThe trio occasionally plays at the Cellar Lounge. Their stage presence is reminiscent of an MTV Unplugged performance. They invite their friends to come see them play, as many of the performers do -- friends and family fill the crowd at open mic nights. The event never draws a huge number, but it turns out to be a good crowd because performers invite viewers. \nHaving familiar faces in the audience may lessen the fear factor of taking the stage. While some artists say they live for the spotlight, others admit that it's a bit nerve-racking to do what they do. Most agree that getting up there is the hardest part, but once the music starts they become comfortable.\n"Absolutely, I'm nervous! But, you just get past that first song and you're all right," Augustine says. She adds that whether there's one person in the crowd or 100, it's equally challenging and equally exciting.\nThe crowd doesn't faze Nordhoff either. \n"If I enjoy the crowd, I try to please them, but I'm just as happy if they don't like me," he says. "I'm just doing what I like to do."\nLike Nordhoff, many performers appreciate being able to do their own thing as an advantage of open mic night performing. There are no requirements, rarely a set list, and if playing alone, they get to make all the decisions. It's the ultimate free forum for music.\n"We just go up there and have fun and see what we can do. It's definitely a good time," Jenkins says. "I would suggest open mic to anyone thinking about doing it"
(10/12/01 5:38am)
After a two-year investigation of a man who allegedly secretly videotaped hundreds of IU women under the guise of a model search, police arrested a suspect Wednesday night in Woodburn Hall.\nIU Police Department Detective Greg McClure, who has been on the case since 1999, said a final check of Room 118 paid off at 8 p.m. when he arrested Timothy S. Joyce, 32, of Greenwood, Ind. He was charged with Class D Felony Voyeurism.\n"I can't say we've seen anything like this before," McClure said. "We've come across the sexually oriented things, but nothing like this."\nMcClure described the suspect as, "A little more subdued, a little more undercover, a little more slick."\nAbout 340 women answered to fliers for a company named Model Search posted in several campus buildings, including Woodburn, the Main Library and Ballantine Hall. The signs said, "Models needed, earn extra cash! No experience necessary!" and asked for interested persons to call a 1-800 number. \nThe women, students at IU and IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis, allegedly made appointments with the photographer and were videotaped as they stood against a wall and answered Joyce's questions. Videotapes recovered at the scene showed that Joyce hid a second camera in the room to tape the women changing clothes, police said.\nMcClure said he went to Woodburn after a person who made an appointment told police where the photo shoot was. McClure stopped by the room after work Wednesday, and as he approached the room he heard the woman and the suspect talking about modeling, he said. McClure said the suspect had used also used the room Oct. 4.\nSeveral videotapes and a wireless video transmitter to record the women were found at the scene, along with contact information lists of more than 340 women from the Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses, believed to be those who called the 800 number.\nMany of the meetings took place in Woodburn, McClure said.\nWomen who called the numbers on the fliers were instructed to leave call-back information, according to the IUPD. The women were contacted later to make an appointment and were told to bring changes of clothes, often including a bathing suit.\nAt the appointment, they would meet the photographer in an unoccupied classroom with one camera and a tripod, according to an IUPD release.\nWith some of the women, Joyce allegedly left the room to allow the women to change clothing and videotaped them with a hidden camera.\nMcClure said the investigation began in Sept. 1999. IUPD has tried several times to set up appointments, but Joyce failed to show up, McClure said. McClure said Joyce could face multiple felony voyeurism charges, depending on the number of cases that can be proven. In Indiana, a Class D felony carries a fixed prison term of one-and-a-half years and a fine of not more than $10,000, according to the Indiana Code.\nAnyone who has information or believes they were a victim of the incidents should contact IUPD Detective Greg McClure at 855-4291. The case is still under investigation.
(09/28/01 4:07am)
Alma Azul will say goodbye to their lead singer Saturday, but they won't let her leave without one last good time. The Latin rock band is scheduled to play their last show with lead singer Melisa Benavente at Second Story Nightclub, 201 S. College Ave., a favorite venue of the band where they always produce an exciting performance.\n"Alma Azul has been such a big part of my college career," said Benavente, who became tearful when speaking of cherished times with the band and how she will miss the group of musicians that mean so much to her. "It's been a phenomenon. Words cannot express the passion and excitement. I have been so blessed." she said. \nBenavente said she is excited to share her last Alma Azul experience with friends, fans and the city of Bloomington. She joined the group as a freshman and is now leaving the band to prepare to graduate in December with a degree in Musical Theater Performance.Alma Azul, which means "blue soul," formed four years ago, and Benavente has been with the group from its beginning. \nThe band's creator, Forest Gras, first conceived the idea of Alma Azul when traveling through Mexico and Central America. Gras said the group started as a three piece acoustic ensemble and has grown member by member and show by show into a festive dance band with horns and an emphasis on percussion and vocals. Their Latin dance themes have opened doors for Latin music and diversity in Bloomington as they have gained local success.\nThere are currently 10 members in Alma Azul who add to the musically diverse sound, blending saxophone, trombone, guitar, vocals, bass, drums and keyboard, or Montuno, which add the danceable Latin beats. \n"Latin rock music is very vague," said senior saxophonist Rahsaan Barber. "It can be so many things. People who think they may not like our sound are amazed by what they hear." Barber plays alongside his twin brother, Roland on trombone. \nThe band keeps their happy, passionate music as fun for the audience as it is for the band members. \n"If we don't feel happy or good about a song, we don't do it. When we start playing a song, we are all having a good time. What we feel about the song reflects to the crowd. The fun factor is huge for Alma Azul," said Barber.\nGras said there is also an element of spiritual and world peace in their concerts. They usually dedicate the song "The River of Life" to clean water and a healthy planet. Gras said when people come to see Alma Azul, they come for spiritual release and to dance. \n"I hope the spirit of music and dance will help the audience members find their higher self," said Gras. "We can use the music vehicle as an instrument of communication with people." \nWhile the band will miss Benavente, they will continue to play as back-up vocalist Nythia Rivera, a senior, steps up to lead vocals. The band realizes that losing Benavente brings on a change, but their direction will stay the same. The group has plans to work toward a second album, a follow-up to Viva La Musica, to record their latest original music. They are also eager to experiment with even more new styles and flavors.\nBenavente is glad to be playing her last show at Second Story, a place which Barber calls their unofficial home. Every member has high expectations for a dynamic performance and several past members of the group will be featured as special guests.\n"I anticipate nothing but excitement with us," said Benavente. "It's way more than music, more than a band. I want to express that on Saturday"