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(07/01/11 3:55pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Robert and Charlene Spierer addressed the press this morning at a conference at the Bloomington Police Department.Their message: We aren’t going anywhere.Their resolve to find out what happened to their daughter Lauren, who went missing four weeks ago on June 3, is just as strong, they said.Both Robert and Charlene directly addressed friends of their daughter who might have information about what happened early that Friday morning.“To the person who has knowledge about Lauren...If you think that our determination is any less, it’s not,” Charlene said. “We are just as determined today as we were on day one.”Robert said that while friends and family gather for Fourth of July celebrations, he hopes parents will sit down with the students who were with Lauren and ask what they know.“Help your children find the courage to come forward. Help them find their moral compass,” he said. “With your guidance and strength, they’ll do the right thing.”At a previous press conference, the BPD said only one of Lauren’s friends has come forward with information about that night.Robert thanked the thousands of searchers, as well as the entire Bloomington community.Charlene said the Bloomington Police Department has her full support as they investigate her daughter’s disappearance.The BPD did not take questions, and did not provide information about recent canine searches at 5 North Townhomes at 11th Street and Morton, where Lauren visited friends before she disappeared.Charlene said her husband listened to old voicemails on his phone yesterday when Lauren’s voice came on: “Hi dad! It’s me.” “I just want to say, ‘Hi, Lauren. It’s mom. We’re going nowhere. We’re here for you. We just want you to come home,’” she said.For full audio of this press briefing, click here.For full video of this press briefing click here.
(06/17/11 4:55pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In a brief press conference this morning, the Bloomington Police Department said it is following up on tips regarding the case of missing IU student Lauren Spierer.BPD Capt. Joe Qualters said the BPD is sorting through the nearly 1,000 tips it has received, including more than 500 since photos of a truck of interest were released Wednesday.Qualters then spent time thanking BPD officers and investigators for their work.“Two weeks ago today the Bloomington Police Department received a missing persons report on Lauren Spierer,” he said. “Since that time an extraordinary effort has been put forward.”He said the BPD will continue to interview friends who were with Lauren early in the morning June 3.Qualters did not take any questions from reporters and said press meetings would resume Monday at 11:30 a.m.He did not give details about a WTHR report that police removed evidence from Smallwood Plaza early Friday morning. According to that report, police walked inside Smallwood and emerged after 10 minutes carrying a brown paper bag. They placed it in a police car and drove away, according to the report.Robert Spierer, Lauren’s father, said searches will continue this weekend. Volunteers can sign up at McNutt Residence Center to search nearby woods or visit Smallwood Plaza to hang posters.On Saturday, America’s Most Wanted will run another segment about Lauren at 9 p.m., Robert said.He paused.“We all know that this Sunday is Father’s Day,” he said. His wife, Charlene, held his arm and kissed his shoulder. “I would ask any of the children out there to let your parents know...”Charlene filled in for him.“The greatest gift that Robbie could have would be information about Lauren,” she said.Robert continued.“Let your parents know how much you love them,” he said. “Parents, let your children know how much you love them.”For an audio clip of Friday's BPD press conference click here.
(06/16/11 5:07pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Bloomington Police Department has received about 300 tips after releasing photos of a truck that could be linked to the case of missing IU student Lauren Spierer, BPD Capt. Joe Qualters said at a press conference Thursday.Most of the tips are related to the truck, Qualters said. The BPD is currently processing and following up on the information, he said.Qualters also tacked up a poster showing an aerial map of the streets where Lauren was seen on camera during the morning of June 3. Annotated in the margins were approximate times and locations:Lauren entered Kilroy’s Sports Bar at about 1:46 a.m. and exited at 2:27 a.m.She entered the Smallwood Plaza apartment complex at 2:30 a.m. and exited at 2:42 a.m.Lauren was then seen on video walking to an alley between two apartment complexes at 2:48 a.m. The alley is between College Avenue and Morton Street.She was seen on video leaving that alley at 2:51 a.m.From then on, Qualters said, the BPD relies on witness statements from those who were with Lauren.She was said to have visited an apartment on the southeast corner of 11th and Morton Streets and her final known location, based on statements from friends, was on the corner of College Avenue and 11th Street at about 4:30 a.m.The BPD has completed its “canvassing” of the half-mile around that intersection, Qualters said. Those searches included knocking on doors, asking neighbors questions and looking for any items that might be linked to Lauren.The truck of interest, Qualters said, is particularly important because it was seen on camera circling Morton and 10th streets around the same time Lauren disappeared.It first appeared on video at 4:14 a.m., then drove north on Morton and appeared again on video heading west on 10th at 4:24 a.m.BPD described the truck as a white four-door that is either a Chevy Silverado or Colorado. There appears to be writing on the side door and rear panels.There are many construction sites around that area, and the driver of the truck could have been a worker, Qualters said. The driver may not have been involved with Lauren’s disappearance, but may have information about her, he said.Qualters addressed questions about whether the BPD thought it looked like someone was sitting in the back of the truck.“That is a hot topic on blogs,” he said. “And I wish we could tell you, but we are in no way in a position to say specifically what might be in the back of the truck.”He said that in video footage, the truck appears to carry equipment such as painting tools. Private individuals have offered to help analyze the footage in a more detailed way, he said.Robert Spierer, Lauren’s father, said he and his wife don’t know what will happen next.“We don’t know when we’re leaving. We have no plans to leave,” he said. “We get through it with the help of everybody who comes in touch with us...The emotion and the energy and passion and concern are so genuine and comforting and energizing.”He thanked those have helped search for Lauren, and asked for continued support. The McNutt Residence Center will now be the center of search operations, he said, and volunteers can arrive as early as 8 a.m. to sign up and help. Searches are being conducted daily at 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.He asked that volunteers wear close-toed shoes and appropriate outdoor clothing during searches and bring photo identification to sign up.Nearly 150 searchers have joined the BPD from the Indiana State Police, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Ellettsville Police Department, Team Adam, IU Police Department and Bloomington Fire Department.Charlene Spierer also spoke, this time directly to those who know information about her daughter.“This could be you,” she said while holding up a picture of Lauren smiling and walking out of Smallwood Plaza. “This could be you going out on a night with your friends to just have a good time and be happy... I’m begging you, put yourself in Lauren’s place... Please give us the information that will lead to Lauren, that will help us complete our family once again.”
(06/16/11 12:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Although the user behind @NewsOnLaurenS said she does not want to reveal her identity because it would take the focus off Lauren, she agreed to a "Twitter" interview with the IDS.NewsOnLaurenS was created two days after Lauren Spierer disappeared and already the Twitter user has gained a following of more than 21,000.In fewer than two weeks, the social networker has gathered the world’s attention to tweet at celebrities, catapult missing IU student Lauren Spierer’s image all over the Internet and create a community of support for friends.The user behind the account has a background in marketing.“Twitter is a giant interactive platform where content can spread like wildfire,” she said in an email.She has networked with friends and supporters to create “advocates” who send Twitter messages to celebrities, asking them to Tweet about Lauren.Hans Ibold, who researches new media in the School of Journalism, called Twitter a “game changer” in the case of Lauren Spierer. He said it levels the playing field and makes celebrities accessible.“It’s been good for this family to have more people talking about the case,” he said. “Everyone is talking about Lauren.”Ibold pointed out there are multiple online communities besides Twitter. Commenters on news sites and Facebook have also sprung up as forums for discussing the case.“When you’re posting anonymously, it’s a nice freedom to say something without fear of social retribution,” Ibold said. “The commenters may be adding things that wouldn’t be said by the reporter because they couldn’t be verified.”Each commenting community has its own personality and norms, said Kevin Makice, a Ph.D.. candidate in the School of Informatics who wrote a textbook on Twitter.Commenters on news sites and Facebook often engage in more speculation, but @NewsOnLaurenS has done the hard work of keeping the conversation to facts and support for the family, Makice said.The person behind @NewsOnLaurenS has done many things well, he said. First, she has set a friendly but urgent tone. She quotes news sources and separates quotes from her own voice.“Lauren can’t speak for herself,” he said, “so the picture of her and this account become a proxy.”@NewsOnLaurenS retweets other people, so there’s a sense of humanity that people all over the country can be involved in the conversation, he said.“The value of Twitter is in the serendipity that you’ll get by including more people,” he said. “You don’t know what skills and information people will bring to the puzzle.”The user is also asking people to target specific celebrities, then making sure to thank them if they tweet the message about Lauren, he said.Makice said the biggest challenge for @NewsOnLaurenS and those involved in the Twitter dialogue will be to keep the momentum up on a slow news day.“It’s the digital equivalent of the way taste buds work,” he said. “After a while, the brain will tune out the same tweets or it’ll be overwhelmed. You’re more likely to respond to new information.”To combat compassion fatigue, the account can release more details about Lauren as a person and friend and keep on top of news updates, he said. He added that the user has been doing those things consistently.“Everything that account has done has been really well done,” he said. “I don’t know if, in the absence of Twitter, this story would have gotten people’s attention like it has and picked up national press.”@IDSnews: What is your connection to Lauren and the Spierers? @NewsOnLaurenS: I learned about Lauren, like most of the world, online. I had no personal connection to the family before Lauren went missing.@IDSnews: Why are you so motivated to do this?@NewsOnLaurenS: Lauren is all of us. She is me. She is my best friend. She is my little sister as she leaves home for her first year in college. @NewsOnLaurenS: Indiana University means a great deal to our family. Both my parents are alum and my brother is currently attending. @NewsOnLaurenS: I do work in marketing, so it made sense to bring my professional skills to bear as a natural extension of my work. @IDSnews: What does your day look like?@NewsOnLaurenS: I’ve been falling asleep around 2 - 3 a.m. after one last “PUSH” to remind followers to RT (retweet) Lauren’s info. @NewsOnLaurenS: A few hours later, I wake up, grab my iPhone and update my feed. @NewsOnLaurenS: Typically, I find an inspiring message to RT to energize myself and our community. Then, it’s off to my regular business day at work. @NewsOnLaurenS: I’m never too far away from my phone. If my schedule allows, I will tweet through the press conference and occasionally during the day. @NewsOnLaurenS: In the evening, I continue to strategize and find new ways to inspire those to continue their advocacy work to help #FindLauren.@IDSnews: How have you gotten so many influential people to tweet about Lauren? @NewsOnLaurenS: The response has been really amazing, but I think it’s important to remember that it’s not about one person. @NewsOnLaurenS: While I’m grateful for the support of the celebs, there are thousands of people who have been working tirelessly to help to #FindLauren.
(06/15/11 5:12pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Bloomington Police Department has released details about a vehicle of interest in the case of missing IU student Lauren Spierer.The vehicle is a white four-door truck that is either a Chevy Silverado or Chevy Colorado. It has a short bed, bed liner and unidentified equipment in the bed. There appears to be writing on the side door and rear panels. Captain Joe Qualters said the truck has distinctive wheels. At a press conference this morning, Qualters held up two pictures of the truck heading west on 10th Street toward Morton Street. It first appeared on video at 4:14 a.m. It then drove north on Morton and appeared again on video heading west on 10th Steet at 4:24 a.m., meaning it circled the block. The times are what the video showed, and cannot be verified, Qualters said. He added that the constant motion of the vehicle meant the BPD could not capture a clearer picture. “We are relying on clocks attached to video systems,” Qualters said. “They could have been set wrong... Let’s not get hung up on the time as if it’s exactly correct.” Video footage shows the car did not stop at the stop sign on 10th Street, Qualters said. He explained that few cars travel that block at about 4:30 in the morning, around the last time friends of Lauren confirmed seeing her. Qualters said there is “absolutely” a chance this vehicle is involved in Lauren’s disappearance. “Because it circles the block,” he said. “We think it’s significant to us. That person may have some direct responsibility or that person may have information.” With all the construction in the area, it’s possible the driver may not be from around Bloomington and may not have an indication the BPD has an interest in the truck, Qualters said. BPD also released a photograph taken from a Smallwood video camera. It shows Lauren walking out of the apartment complex. Qualters said the photograph was taken before she joined friends at Kilroy’s Sports bar. In it, Lauren is caught mid-stride. She’s wearing black leggings and a white V-neck loose T-shirt with mid-length belled sleeves. She appears to wear a watch or dark bracelet on her right wrist. She carries a white jacket or long-sleeved piece of clothing over her left arm. She looks to be smiling and playing with her hair. Robert Spierer, Lauren’s father, held up the picture of his daughter. “It’s a fuzzy picture but you will see who Lauren is,” he said. “She’s a happy, smiling beautiful young lady on her way out for the evening to meet with friends. That’s the Lauren that we’re looking for.” Qualters said the BPD is currently looking at more video footage of Lauren from that night, but would not release the video’s location or content. He said the BPD is able to identify who was with her in the footage. “I can tell you that we have video that depicts Lauren in various locations and we aren’t in the position to tell you where it’s from,” he said. Qualters commented on the various items of clothing — a piece of a black bra for instance — that searchers have found in the past week and a half of combing downtown Bloomington and surrounding areas. “There have been a lot of articles of clothing that have been gathered up,” he said. “But I don’t think we have anything directly related to Lauren.” The BPD will continue interviews with persons of interest, Qualters said. Police are also canvassing the neighborhoods and apartment buildings within a quarter-mile radius of Lauren’s last known location at College Avenue and 11th Street. They are asking questions of residents and conducting thorough searches, Qualters said. Robert Spierer said searches at 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. will continue despite today’s rainy weather. If searches are called off, he said, volunteers will be alerted. He asked anyone who knows even a small detail about Lauren’s night, the truck of interest or anyone else involved in Lauren’s disappearance to contact the BPD at 812-339-4477. Calls can be anonymous. “We miss her terribly,” Robert said. “She’s very dear to us. We love her very much. We want to get her back just to embrace her and tell her we love her.”
(06/10/11 3:41pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>One week ago, Lauren Spierer’s friends were waking up to realize she never came home.The junior was last seen Friday morning at 4:30, near the corner of 11th Street and College Avenue, according to what a friend of Lauren’s told the Bloomington Police Department.Exactly a week later, volunteers roamed the streets Lauren is known to have walked late Thursday evening and early Friday morning.“People are creatures of habit,” said Don Cranfill, volunteer and local resident.At 2:30 a.m. on Friday, he and about 20 other volunteers sat outside the Copper Cup and Smallwood Plaza, the apartment Lauren never reached that morning. The lobby of Copper Cup was lined with boxes of sunscreen, ponchos, clip boards and water bottles—the supplies of a search stacked away until more volunteers would arrive at 11 a.m.Thursday night’s volunteers wanted to talk to anyone who was out socializing to tease out any details—no matter how small—about Lauren, the friends she was with, or anything suspicious.Groups of four or five volunteers walked laps around the areas Lauren was known to have visited—Kilroy’s Sports bar, Smallwood apartment complex, Morton Street, an alley between the two, 11th Street and College Avenue.They shined flashlights throughout a construction site at the northwest corner of 11th Street and College Avenue. The group talked to students sitting on their front porches and people out walking with friends.“A week later, talking to them in this environment might jog their memory,” Cranfill said. “We’re searching for that needle in the haystack memory.”At Kilroy’s Sports bar at about 2 a.m. (the same time a week ago Lauren was seen on cameras there) a few people lounged in low chairs and took off their shoes to play in the sand. An outdoor beach area included shallow pools and a bar.It was quiet but for thumping music. Fliers explaining Lauren’s disappearance hung throughout the bar.One employee said Lauren’s face looked familiar. He works Thursdays until close at 3 a.m., and he was working last week when Lauren visited. He said Kilroy’s Sports told all employees not to talk to the press.Sports has two levels, a rooftop and an outdoor beach area, which were spotted with people, but not packed. Sports is one of Bloomington’s most popular bars.A bouncer checked IDs as people trickled into the bar. He said summer nights at Sports are always quieter than those during the school year, even though there is no cover charge during the summer.College Avenue was calm. The occasional group of bar-goers walked arm in arm between bars, Smallwood, and other apartments and houses.BPD and IU Police Department cars patrolled the same streets Lauren walked on.
(06/09/11 2:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Before the national news paid attention, before Ryan Seacrest tweeted
about Lauren, before the press conferences and the search parties,
Robert Spierer taped up a picture of his daughter. At 9:45 a.m. Sunday, he walked into Smallwood Plaza. He looked at his daughter’s face smiling under the words “Missing.” A roll of masking tape on his arm, he stuck another piece along the side of the white paper and rubbed it down against a lobby door in Smallwood.He talked about Lauren, the younger of his two daughters, who loves fashion and talks to her mother every day.He couldn’t have anticipated how huge this story would become. In the next few days, millions of people would see his daughter’s face.Marilyn Behrman has been there.When her daughter, Jill, disappeared, Marilyn didn’t expect it to become a national story.“It went local, national and then back to local,” she said. “I guess it doesn’t matter as long as someone cares enough to follow it so it doesn’t become a cold case.”Jill never returned from her bike ride on May 31, 2000. Her father Eric filed a report the next day with the police department and her brother Brian printed off fliers with his sister’s picture.The story of the girl who went bike riding and never came home received local attention immediately and then national attention after a year.Marilyn remembers the mornings she would wonder if she needed to wear makeup, in case she was on TV that day. The Behrmans wanted a normal routine. But more than that, they wanted their daughter.After nearly three years of dead-end leads, false hopes and sometimes complete silence, two hunters found Jill’s remains in a wooded roadside area in Morgan County. In 2006, John Myers II was found guilty of the murder, and he is now serving a 65-year sentence at the state prison in Michigan City, Ind.Marilyn said she hopes there is a much happier outcome for the Spierer family. One huge benefit, Marilyn said, is there are many more communication tools at their fingertips. When Jill disappeared, there was no Twitter or Facebook, and cell phones were much less common. Social networking sites have been a hub for those interested in Lauren.“Everything took a lot more time and effort and you couldn’t do things instantly,” Marilyn said.She remembers the days just after Jill disappeared and how surreal everything felt. She remembers feeling numb and on autopilot, just hoping to get through the day.The support of friends and strangers does keep spirits up, Marilyn said.“It didn’t take long to figure out who your real friends were because they were the ones who were there,” she said. “It just means so much to know that people out there care, even if it’s someone you haven’t met before.”When the story expanded into the national sphere, Marilyn said it helped to have someone handle requests for interviews. An IU spokesperson volunteered his time and support to the Behrmans. Like the Spierers, the Behrmans spoke at press conferences because all news outlets could hear reports at once.“It’s so much better to say, ‘We’re having a press conference at such and such time’ because otherwise you’re just going to get overwhelmed by everyone,” Marilyn said.The Behrmans learned which reporters really cared about the story and which ones just wanted a scoop and a sound bite. Marilyn watched some reporters turn on the waterworks just for television viewers, she said.But the worst thing, she said, was a false lead that seemed promising.“Over time, people start reporting things that they think they saw and that gets worse,” she said. “They think they saw her somewhere and that sends you off in directions that might not be valid.” Speculation can hurt, too, Marilyn said.During police investigations, Marilyn had to share every detail of Jill’s personal life. The media becomes interested in those things too.“It should not be an issue that Lauren was out at 4:30,” Marilyn said. “That may or may not be a fact, and it should not even be an issue. The issue is this girl is missing and her family and friends are desperate to find her. It matters because she’s important to people.”Marilyn has attended both of the Bloomington Police Department press conferences regarding Lauren’s disappearance. She understands the yearning the family must feel for their missing girl.Lauren’s mom, Charlene, has stood by her husband at press conferences. On Wednesday, she wore a red “IU Mom” T-shirt and held her other daughter Rebecca’s arm.“Lauren is 20 years old, so she’s an adult officially,” Marilyn said. “But unofficially, to mom, she’s always a child.”
(06/08/11 5:01pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Bloomington Police Department is continuing to interview missing IU Student Lauren Spierer’s “associates and acquaintances,” Lt. Bill Parker said at a press conference at 11:30 a.m. He said the BPD is using polygraph tests.“We believe that the chances are very great that there’s foul play,” Parker said.Last night, police fulfilled a search warrant for the Smallwood apartment complex where Lauren lives. They broke down doors and took computer towers and CD cases from rooms residents described as mail and security rooms.“We needed to obtain video footage,” Parker said. “We need to have it ourselves in evidence form.”Parker said the BPD has wanted this video footage all along as evidence, but Smallwood administrators’ wanted the BPD to obtain an official search warrant before they handed over the video.Police arrived at Smallwood at about 8 p.m. last night.“At some point, we were denied access,” Parker said. They used two battering rams to break open two doors in the lobby.A statement from Smallwood said no one was present at the complex when police arrived, otherwise they would have unlocked the doors.The following is a statement sent to the Indiana Daily Student from Smallwood:“Smallwood Plaza has and will continue to fully support and cooperate with this police investigation, and respects the decision to obtain these hard drives as quickly as possible. At the time police attempted to serve a warrant, an on-site staff member was not available with a key to gain access to the needed area. The search for Lauren Spierer takes precedence and our thoughts and prayers go to her and her family.”Parker said no one who works for Smallwood is a person of interest in the case. There is no indication that any video footage has been tampered with or deleted, he said.Parker emphasized that there is nothing new on the footage, the BPD just wanted to acquire it as evidence.After Parker’s statements, Lauren’s father Robert spoke. He echoed statements he made yesterday, thanking the community and friends for their support. He asked people to continue the search and not give up hope.Charlene Spierer stood next to her husband wearing an red “IU Mom” t-shirt. Lauren’s older sister, Rebecca, stood next to her parents. A friend of the Spierer’s said Rebecca flew in yesterday.The entire city of Bloomington has been searched, Parker said, but it’s important to keep searching.No specific tips or information have directed BPD out of city limits, but they are starting to expand the search into surrounding areas, Parker said.The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and FBI are also providing resources, Parker said.
(06/07/11 4:38pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Bloomington Police Department has released new details in the case of missing IU student Lauren Spierer.At a press conference this morning, BPD Lt. of Detectives Bill Parker said Lauren was hanging out with friends Thursday night, June 2. They were drinking at Kilroy’s Sports, a bar on the intersection of Eighth and Walnut streets, according to friends’ testimonies and Kilroy’s cameras.Lauren left Sports with a friend at 2:30 or 2:40 a.m. She left behind her cell phone and shoes, Parker said. The items are in police custody. Lauren likely left her shoes because there is a fenced-in beach and sand area at the bar.The two walked to Lauren’s apartment complex, Smallwood Plaza, but video cameras show she did not enter her apartment. The friends stayed inside the complex for a short time and then headed north to another friend’s apartment.The two met up with friends at an apartment complex on the corner of 11th and Morton streets. Police found a small purse and keys that belong to Lauren along this route. Parker said he thinks Lauren left the items on the way to the apartment complex.The two went into one apartment, then to another apartment a few doors down to hang out with some friends.Around 4:30 a.m. Lauren told her friends she felt like heading home to Smallwood. A male friend watched Lauren leave the apartment. He saw her last on the corner of 11th Street and College Avenue, he told police. That male friend was the last person to see Lauren, Parker said.Police are interviewing everyone Lauren was known to hang out with that night. Parker said police are focusing on about 10 people of interest, but they have no official suspects.Parker said police are focusing on the areas Lauren visited early Friday morning. They are using K-9 units to search between the two apartment complexes. They have no leads to other counties, he said.Foul play is possible, Parker said. He added that he has no reason to believe this case is connected to the September disappearance and murder of local resident Crystal Grubb.The other searches around Bloomington and surrounding areas will continue, as organized by the Spierers and IU Hillel Center, police said. Volunteers can meet each day in front of Smallwood at 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to search.Parker held up a sign with Lauren’s picture and said that although she has naturally blonde hair, her hair color could have been altered if she was abducted.The BPD has received hundreds of tips and has put a system in place to process them, Parker said, adding that the department would follow up the tips locally and call on the FBI if tips have a national scope.Lauren’s parents, Robert and Charlene Spierer, stood together at the press conference. Charlene wrapped her arm around her husband as Parker spoke. After the police statement, Robert walked to the microphones. He thanked local law enforcement, the Bloomington community, family and friends for their support.“We ask that if anyone saw Lauren, with anyone, please share that information. It doesn’t matter how small it is,” he said. “Every little bit we get is important.”Then he spoke about his daughter.“Lauren is a child and person that is full of life, always on the go, fun to be with, and with a large circle of friends,” he said. “She’s very close to her mother. She spoke to her mother every day.”Charlene stood behind her husband and bowed her head.“We need everything we can get,” he said. “We are continuing in earnest every day. We are not going to give up. And that’s all I have to say.”
(06/07/11 12:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The search for missing junior Lauren Spierer became more organized and focused on day three as groups met throughout the day in front of Smallwood Plaza, the apartment complex that Spierer never reached.Spierer’s parents met with the Bloomington Police Department throughout the day. They will attend a BPD press meeting at 11 a.m. Tuesday to speak with reporters.On Monday, the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center stepped in as the primary organizers of searches.Rabbi Sue Silberberg and other Hillel volunteers passed out printed maps with a highlighted square around Bloomington. The area had been gridded out and numbered so that groups of about five people could search each area. There were about 25 areas.Organizers advised the searchers to stay where they were if they found something of interest. Searchers also posted fliers providing information on Lauren. Throughout the day, more than 500 volunteers showed up to help, according to estimates based on the sign up sheets at the searches. Several IU athletic teams and coaches also helped in the search. Lauren was last seen near the corner of 11th Street and College Avenue, heading south on College at 4:30 a.m. Friday, June 3, according to the BPD. Police will not confirm who saw her last.Lauren’s mother, Charlene Spierer, said Lauren had been out with friends at Kilroy’s Sports Bar earlier in the evening. The bar closes on Fridays at 3 a.m.Police would not comment on where Lauren was between 3 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.Video cameras at the Smallwood apartment complex show Lauren never made it home.Blair Wallach, also an IU junior, has been Lauren’s best friend since the two were 9 years old. Wallach left IU after spring finals and is at home in New Jersey.Saturday, Wallach started receiving panicked texts and phone calls from friends saying they had not heard from Lauren all day.“It was a huge game of telephone,” Wallach said. “All of a sudden, my phone was blowing up with calls and texts. All her friends and family have been connected ever since.”Saturday morning, Charlene and Robert Spierer flew to Indianapolis, rented a car, drove to Bloomington, and began searching for their daughter themselves. They alerted the BPD, which started searching the area around Smallwood with canine units, Robert said.Sunday morning, friends, local residents and a few students who live in Smallwood met with the Spierer family to search for Lauren. The Spierers said they wanted to search further than the immediate area, and they wanted to do anything to look for their daughter.They are from Westchester County, N.Y., and are unfamiliar with the surrounding Bloomington area. They had, however, heard about the Jill Behrman case that involved searching wooded areas around Bloomington, so they decided to head outside the city.With help from locals, campers, boaters and volunteers, the family drove around Lake Monroe, hanging up fliers on trees and at boat ramps. The parents also yelled for their daughter when they stopped along the gravel road and walked through the woods surrounding Lake Monroe.Charlene told the IDS that Lauren suffers from a heart condition called Long QT Syndrome, which made it all the more important that anyone who knew her whereabouts contact BPD, she said. Long QT is an inherited condition, Bloomington cardiologist Dr. Louis J. Calli said. Its symptoms can be arrhythmic heart beats and passing out. In some cases, heart palpitations can lead to sudden cardiac death, but the incidence of death caused by this condition is quite rare, Calli said. Loud noises, exercise and stress can aggravate some types of the syndrome, Calli said.“There are many known triggers, but I would not say that alcohol is one of them,” Calli said. “This is someone who has a well-known genetically identified condition. That would of course be a concern that something could happen while she is missing.”The Spierers met with Bloomington police Sunday evening and throughout the day Monday. At 11 a.m. Monday, police only said they were continuing to investigate and they had not found Lauren. They made no further comments throughout the day.The Dean of Students Harold “Pete” Goldsmith sent out a message Monday morning alerting students and faculty that workers would search the IU campus and buildings for any trace of Lauren.Associate Dean of Students Carol McCord said she had been in touch with the family and had alerted them to the campus searches. She said students who are affected by Lauren’s disappearance can contact IU Counseling and Psychological Services. McCord stressed that it is too easy to spout blame at someone who may have been drinking or walking alone. She said that she hopes people will stick to the fact that someone who many people love is missing. “Information about someone being at risk is scary for us and we want to distance ourselves from the possibility of something bad happening to ourselves,” she said. “We want the reason that something happens to someone to be their fault because it’s easier to say ‘Oh, she must put herself at risk.’ It’s a natural human response and that does not in any way make it right. I would encourage people to fight against that and go with their higher response and ask themselves, ‘How can I help someone and be understanding?’”For Lauren’s friend Blair Wallach, helping means staying connected at a distance. While in New Jersey, she has turned her couch into an office. She’s tweeting, sending Facebook messages and emailing national news outlets to cover this story. She said she just wanted to do something to help spread the message that her best friend is missing.It’s the least she can do, she said, to support Lauren. She said she misses everything about Lauren — her love for cheap delivery pizza, her support through difficult times, and the memories of deciding to attend IU together and share a room freshman year.Blair said she wishes she knew what happened early Friday morning.“I know what everyone knows. Honestly, the only things that I know are the facts that are out there. I have no idea if she went somewhere else. All I know is she never went to Smallwood.”
(06/06/11 12:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Lauren Spierer, a 20-year-old IU student, has been missing since 4:30 a.m. Friday. The Bloomington Police Department, family, friends and local residents continue to search for her. Spierer is 4 feet 11 inches tall, weighs between 90 and 100 pounds and has blue eyes and blonde hair just below the shoulder, according to fliers posted throughout Bloomington.She is from Westchester County near Scarsdale, N.Y. and just finished her sophomore year at IU. Spierer studies fashion merchandising and is a University Division scholar. She planned to stay in Bloomington for part of this summer to take a course at Ivy Tech Community College before starting an internship at the clothing store Anthropologie in New York City. Her parents and older sister live in New York.Spierer was last seen walking south on College Avenue. She had been hanging out with friends at Kilroy’s Sports Bar. The bar features a sand and beach area, which may explain why she was seen walking away with no shoes, her mother Charlene Spierer said. She was wearing a white tank top, a loose, light-colored button shirt and full-length black stretch pants.Spierer’s apartment is only a block and a half away from Kilroy’s Sports, and the last place she was seen, the intersection of 11th Street and College Avenue, is another two and a half blocks away. Her known locations are all within a three-block radius of her apartment. Video footage at the Smallwood apartment complex shows that she never made it home.Robert and Charlene Spierer, Lauren’s parents, flew in from New York early Saturday morning. They immediately contacted the Bloomington Police Department, filed a report and started printing fliers with their daughter’s smiling picture. The police department told her parents they had custody of their daughter’s phone and wallet. There were conflicting reports stating the items were found in either her friend’s house or the bar. The Spierers stayed at a downtown hotel Saturday night. At 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, a search group of about 20 friends and Bloomington residents met outside Smallwood Plaza. In the group was an Eagle Scout, a local resident with his two small children and a rabbi. Robert and Charlene handed everyone fliers and tape, then split volunteers into groups to search around lakes Monroe, Griffy and Lemon. Others drove throughout Bloomington, hanging up posters at businesses and handing out fliers.The Spierers said BPD forces had already combed through nearby construction sites, apartment complexes and streets. The Spierers themselves had spent all day Saturday searching the blocks around Smallwood and Kilroy’s Sports.Amanda Monacy, who also just finished her sophomore year at IU and knows Lauren from Smallwood, said she can’t believe someone could disappear on such a popular, well-lit street in Bloomington. “It’s really scary,” she said. “People walk here all the time and don’t think twice. Something happened a block and a half away from home. That’s crazy. We’re all really shaken up by this.”In the rented car driving toward Lake Monroe, the Spierers answered constant calls and text messages on their cell phones, gathering any information. Charlene said Lauren suffers from Long QT syndrome, a heart condition that sometimes requires medicine. Charlene said this condition makes it all the more important that anyone with information come forward, in case Lauren is somewhere she could not receive medical attention.At about 11 a.m. they pulled off along a gravel road near Lake Monroe.They parked the car and trekked into the woods, walking separate ways to cover ground.They screamed their daughter’s name for about 45 minutes, their words echoing through the woods. They came back to the car and honked the horn repeatedly.Then they got back in the car and drove up to Boy Scout Camp Maumee. Cars pulled in as people who had heard the news wanted to help search.Even as rain started to sprinkle at 1:15 p.m., the volunteers mapped out a search plan. They would cover as much territory around Lake Monroe as possible, hanging up fliers at all boat launches and ramps. One man suggested they leave stick crosses at trailheads after they had already searched to avoid covering the same ground.At 3 p.m. the family decided to head back into town to meet with police. Friends of the Spierers also created a Facebook account, “Lauren Spierer Missing” and a Twitter handle, @NewsOnLaurenS for anyone who wants to give or receive more information.If you have any information regarding Lauren Spierer, contact the Bloomington Police Department at 812-339-4477.SEARCH TIMELINEFridayBefore 4:30 a.m. Lauren Spierer hangs out with friends at Kilroy’s Sports Bar and a friend’s party.At 4:30 a.m. Spierer is seen near the intersection of 11th Street and College Avenue, walking south on College.Video footage at the entrance of Smallwood Plaza that night shows she never made it home.Saturday morningSpierer’s parents fly into Indianapolis from New York after hearing their daughter is missing. They rent a car, drive to Bloomington, file a police report and begin combing the areas around Spierer’s apartment and Kilroy’s Sports. The Bloomington Police Department also starts searching with dogs.10 a.m. SundayVolunteers gather outside Smallwood Plaza to create a search plan. Local residents, students, friends and family map a route to explore Bloomington and Lakes Lemon, Griffy and Monroe.Sunday afternoon The Spierers drive around Lake Monroe, stopping to search for their daughter. A caravan of cars drive together. At 4 p.m. The Spierers meet with BPD to discuss the next steps.
(06/06/11 12:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sippers and guzzlers, the daring and the confident. Categorize beer drinkers however you want — the characters drank at Bloomington’s first Craft Beer Festival Saturday afternoon. On the grounds of the Woolery Mill, a closed limestone mill seen in “Breaking Away,” beer lovers sampled more than 120 beers from about 40 breweries across the state.Brent Molnar is a beer sipper and a strategist.The WTIU program manager’s tactic was to ask each brewpub its fan favorite and sample that one. At Cutters Brewing Co., a server said her favorite was the stout, so that’s what Molnar tried. Although he’s more of a pale ale guy, he liked the new brew. Cutters is Bloomington’s youngest brewery and made its public launch at the festival. Even its labels make reference to Hoosier spirit, with India Pale Ales named Half Court and Full Court.Across a limestone barrier at the Upland Brewing Co. tent stood two former IU students sipping at a lighter beer, the Infinite Wisdom Tripel.Kaitlin Myers is a beer drinker who knows what she likes.“This is fruity,” she said. “It has a twang but not a hop.”One of the reasons Bloomington is such a great beer town is because there are so many atmospheres — for undergrads and for those wanting to get away from the undergrads, she said.Townies also enjoy the local brews. At the Bloomington Brewing Co. tent stood two Bloomington residents using their festival programs to fan away the bugs and waft away the heat.Betsy Braun is a beer drinker who dared to try something new at the festival.She said she’s a Coors Light girl, but she went for the Java Porter and loved the coffee taste. Beer drinkers like Braun checked out the festival to learn something new about porters, lagers and ales. Indiana has about 40 breweries, and craft brewing is making a comeback. A total of 1,753 breweries operated for some or all of 2010, the highest total of breweries since the late 1800s, according to The Brewers Association, a national organization of beer brewers focusing on craft breweries.In 2008, the Brewers Association ranked Indiana as the 28th state for number of breweries per-capita.Cari Crowe, who was on the festival’s planning committee, said while two or three breweries open every year, one or two also close in Indiana. She said craft brewing is still making a comeback, and numbers are back to pre-prohibition levels.Hoosier Beer Geek helped organize the festival with the Brewers of Indiana Guild. Jessica Harbison of Hoosier Beer Geek applied sunscreen while looking down the line of tents where people milled in and out, beers in hand.“The gates opened, people got here, and now people are drinking beer,” she said. “In my mind, that’s a success.”
(05/02/11 6:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It took eight men to haul the fish.On Friday morning, IU Physical Plant workers installed all five fish sculptures back into the Showalter Fountain, and the fish should be spouting water by late this week.The bronze monsters weigh nearly 800 pounds each and were removed this winter for cleaning and repairs.It’s always been Sherry Rouse’s goal to have the fountain finished for graduating seniors to enjoy. The curator of campus art was worried that recent rain would delay the installation, but Friday was clear and sunny. The slate around the fountain is also being replaced and re-grouted.One fish, poached this summer, needed to be recast in bronze and replaced, and the rest of the fish received a makeover. Venus Bronze Works in Detroit refinished the patina finish on all of the sculptures.“The bottom line is the fish took a hit this year,” Rouse said. She estimated that repairs on the fountain cost nearly $50,000.As the crew of men in blue jeans and ball caps installed the fish, they added wires that may become part of an enhanced security system in an effort to prevent further vandalism.Rouse said the wires could potentially be used to alert campus police about attempted thefts or people rocking the fish. During the Nearly Naked Mile this October, runners in the Homecoming week celebration swarmed the fountain and rocked one of the fish back and forth until it broke off its stand.IU Police Department Chief Keith Cash would not comment on details of the new wiring.“When it comes to matters of security measures, we do not discuss these as this would jeopardize the effectiveness of the measures we are taking,” Cash said in an email.Security is a concern for the fountain, which has seen both the fish and Venus targeted.Robert Laurent sculpted Venus and her dolphin-like guardians. Grace Showalter funded the project as a gift to her late husband. It was dedicated in October 1961.Students didn’t wait until long after the dedication to start the fun that has marked Venus’ time on campus. Just a few days after the ceremony, the fish spurted green foam.Students have swum nude with her, tossed coins at her and covered her in soap, Jell-O and dye. In 1972, Venus saw 15 carp swimming around her until Physical Plant workers caught them.Venus has worn bras of all sizes and colors and had her nails painted. At Christmas one year, she wore a duct tape bikini with fur trim and a Christmas hat. The attention isn’t all vandalism, though. As ordered by Rouse, she gets a wax once a year to keep her patina polished.There is a longstanding rumor that Mrs. Showalter didn’t like the size of Venus’ bosom and requested a breast reduction for the classical figure. IU Assistant Archivist Carrie Schwier, who oversaw an exhibit on the fountain last spring, said part of the fountain’s distinct look is its modern style.It’s not anatomically correct, and the shape of Venus’ stomach and breasts looks unnatural. Schwier said Showalter was likely involved later in the construction of the fountain and dealt more with financial than creative matters.The fish have been called dolphins and tuna. In 1987, after IU won the NCAA championship, all five were removed. When the last fish was finally discovered the next week, it sat in front of an apartment entrance dressed in an IU shirt with its lips painted red.Rouse said she understands that the fountain’s central location makes it a target for students.“I don’t really mind people interacting with the fountain,” Rouse said. “They’re going to get in the water. What I don’t like is the vandalism.”
(04/26/11 4:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This month, students await grades and sign up for next year’s class offerings. Across the country, “A” is the most commonly given grade at universities, the nation’s GPA guru said.Stuart Rojstaczer, who has written for The Chronicle of Higher Education about grading, runs the website www.gradeinflation.com, which tracks GPA changes across campuses all around the United States. GPAs are rising at both private and public schools. IU is no different.But to say grades are “inflating” implies a type of thinking IU is moving away from, said George Rehrey, IU instructional consultant.Rehrey advises teachers to provide information about course assignments that make it possible for students to achieve an A — if they put in the work.“Grades can be used to separate students by using a curve, or they can be used to guide and motivate students to successfully achieve the course goals,” he said.He simplified two competing grading theories like this:STICK Grades single out students. It is not possible for every student to receive an A because students are graded against one another based on test and assignment scores. Some educators call this grading style norm-referenced grading.CARROT Grades motivate students to meet certain learning benchmarks. There is no quota for grades, and all students can achieve top grades if they excel in the work explained in rubrics. Educators call this criteria-based grading.WHY ARE GPAs RISING AT IU?That’s a difficult thing to prove, but new grading techniques could be one answer. Another factor is students’ ability to drop classes into the middle of a semester, said Burnell Fischer, director of Undergraduate Programs for the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He said he talked to professors who watch their course GPAs soar when students with lower grades drop a class weeks into the semester. Instructors then lose the lower end of their grade curves. This spring, students could withdraw from a class until March 9, according to the registrar’s website.IS IU DIFFERENT FROM SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY?No. Rates of inflation at IU have been close to the national average, and IU’s percentage of A’s awarded is slightly higher than the national average, Rojstaczer said. Rojstaczer collects data on GPAs across the country. Private schools give about 5 percent more A’s and B’s than public universities, he said.HOW DOES THIS AFFECT ME AS A STUDENT?Look deeper than professor-rating websites. Check out how your teachers grade, talk to other students who have had them in class, and ask professors how much information you’ll be given before an assignment.Professors often give a variety of assignments to assess different skills. “I do not put a lot of stock in testing alone, but I do give detailed descriptions and rubrics for each assignment,” said Thomas Simon, who teaches an introductory-level SPEA class. “I value hands-on learning. No one assignment makes the grade. It’s about doing well across the board.”DO BETTER TEACHERS GIVE HIGHER GRADES?It’s not that simple. Teachers develop their own grading philosophies and grading styles.Teacher evaluations are one way departments assess teachers, but they don’t provide a complete picture of the student-teacher relationship.Rojstaczer, a former Duke professor, said he once taught a class and gave no A’s. He said an A should only be given for excellent work.“Grades are not about penalizing students or sorting students but to give due credit to those who are working hard, who are bright and creative,” he said. “You want to give them a mark of distinction.”Assessing excellence is up to the teacher. Every professor has his or her own idea of what excellence looks like, but if professors are consistently giving A’s to half or more of their undergraduate students, their idea of excellence may be skewed, he said.
(04/12/11 12:21am)
Inside investigates what's possible at IU and what's just crazy.
(03/20/11 9:42pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Andy Lunsford found his voice in the basement of his Colorado home. Three years ago, he put on a CD he’d bought on a whim years ago from Target, “Lifescapes: Opera.”It was the only opera music he owned. He enjoyed musicals growing up, but the only opera he’d heard was on spaghetti commercials. When he put on the CD, it was a blur of Italian noise.“So I just tried to sing along,” he says. “I was just trying to imitate how an opera voice was high and loud.” He could do it.The next day, he and his dad drove to a music store.“Have you got any opera songs?” He asked the clerk.“Do you mean arias?” The clerk corrected him. He walked away with Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma,” an opera song made popular by Luciano Pavarotti.At home, Andy propped the sheet in front of his computer, looked up Pavarotti singing it on YouTube and followed along. Finger tracing the lines, he started to read the notes.He hit all of them.What happened next can only be described as remarkable.Andy auditioned for a local performance of “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” where he met Amy Stuemky, a fellow singer who ran a boutique opera talent agency.She was overwhelmed by the power of his voice. She explained that he could take the easy “pop” opera route and make a living with scattered gigs. Or, he could study the true art of opera and have a dif?? cult career with the pay-off of a trained, polished voice capable of performing in opera houses around the world.Andy was up for the climb.Amy began introducing him to opera singers in Colorado, who agreed to teach him. Eventually, he met Ken Cox, a famed bass and voice professor at the University of Denver.The first time he heard Andy’s untrained voice, he heard a future. Ken says Andy has the comfort in high notes (the famed high C is a breeze) that made Pavarotti the best. As a tenor, Andy’s high notes are his money notes. Tenors are most often the male leads in operas and the highest-paid stars. A graduate of IU’s master’s program in music, Cox helped Andy arrange an audition at his alma mater.Andy flew to Bloomington and sang in front of professor Carol Vaness, a world-famous soprano. Andy stood before her with nothing to lose. After he sang, Carol picked up the phone and called the dean. Andy walked away with a full ride to one of the world’s most prestigious music schools.He was ready, and his family supported him. He moved his wife and their two boys away from their extended family and the only home they had ever known in Colorado. In fall 2009, Andy became the oldest member of his class as a 30-year-old freshman.Now, Andy has represented the school by singing across the country and starring in IU’s spring opera “Faust.”“When I sing a high note, I just feel like I can breathe,” he says. “It’s as comfortable and as warm as taking a deep breath.”
(02/21/11 6:39pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The assignment: Live free of money for a week. I could cook with groceries purchased during a normal shopping trip the week before, and I could bargain, haggle, dumpster dive, and beg for food and rides. But no cash could leave my pocket or checking account. ¶ I live a comfortable college life. I drink coffee like it’s my job and I’m seeking a raise. I meet my friends on Fourth Street rather than cooking dinner, even if I have enough groceries at home to throw something together. I’m careless about parking tickets. ¶ When I don’t see money, I don’t see how quickly it leaves. I’m not wealthy and I don’t live on my parents’ money, but I’m forgetful enough that I cringe each time someone swipes my debit card: Do I have any money in my account? ¶ I wanted the third week in January to be different. ¶ Sunday morning, I grabbed a few crumbled bills on the way out the door to church. As the offering plate passed from pew to pew, I remembered the assignment and tucked them back in my pocket. ¶ I couldn’t spend any money, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t pay. Here’s what my week cost:Attention.There is so much free food on this campus that it’s amazing we shell out for anything during the first few weeks of a semester. With all the callouts, information sessions, and open houses, there are enough pizzas and veggie platters to feed a small country. Or a large campus. I looked at Facebook and fliers to find events with free food. I attended a “Taste of the Union” event where vendors gave away samples of their products. I ate little cups of pasta salad, pico de gallo, and wolfed down half a cheeseburger, even though I haven’t eaten red meat in months.Creativity.I ran out of toothpaste on Thursday. I scrounged in my bathroom for travel-sized tubes from past trips. When I used those up, I dusted my brush with baking soda. You can use that stuff for anything.An open friend tab.Allowing someone else to provide me dinner when I didn’t know where else I would get food was a beautiful and humbling thing. When my friend Laura cooked me beans, rice, roasted squash, and goat cheese, I told her I wanted to pay her back. She said to put it on our friendship tab, and I like that idea. There’s no official accounting. We just make each other food or pick up the bill for a coffee date from time to time. We don’t keep a record, we just know when it’s time to take the other out.Community.Every Thursday, the Hillel Center on Third Street gives out free pancakes. I stacked a plate with apple-butterscotch and chocolate chip-banana pancakes. My friend Rachel has been trying to get me to learn about her Jewish faith for a year, and she tempted me to Hillel with free food. I walked throughout the building with her, and she even showed me the beautiful Torah scroll. Hearing her read from it made me realize how much she cherishes her faith. I came for pancakes, she came for God and fellowship. We ate and left nourished.Time.I valued my schedule more when I had no money. Every morning, I woke up early enough to play with my dog and make breakfast, two things I forget about when I rush around. I brewed coffee and poured it into a thermos instead of sleeping late and hitting Starbucks first thing.Lessons.I spent more moments saying grateful prayers over food. I surrendered embarrassment and dove to pick up wrapped mints on the sidewalk. I planned my time better, tried new recipes, and carved out more time for friends — especially when they cooked dinner.Sunday morning, my free week was over. I dropped a few dollars in the offering plate. I took my boyfriend out to breakfast at the Runcible Spoon. I drank coffee, savored the refills, told him to get whatever he wanted, and then paid for it.
(02/03/11 3:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>By 8:25 a.m. the University had called off classes until 1 p.m. But nearly half of IU’s classes meet at 1 p.m. or later, meaning students whose schedules lean into the evening still had to brave the ice to reach campus.Ballantine Hall was eerily quiet during its usually packed passing times. Sara Marquez, who works at Campus Café in Ballantine, said she had only sold a few cups of coffee in the morning — mostly to professors and students who hadn’t heard that classes were canceled until 1 p.m.Junior Theresa Schneider said her walk between Woodburn Hall and the Indiana Memorial Union was slick, but she wanted to attend her 1:25 p.m. statistics class.Provost Karen Hanson said the University consults the National Weather Service, state and local authorities and the staff’s own assessment of walkways to say when it is safe for students to attend classes.“I know students love a snow day, but let’s face it: We want this to be a place where you’re getting an education, not a vacation,” Hanson said. “Sorry — but remember that Spring Break is not that far away.”
(02/02/11 4:00pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The University has called off classes until 1 p.m.The announcement, made first via Twitter and the University’s emergency website, extends class cancellations three hours. Yesterday, the University canceled classes until 10 a.m.Provost Karen Hanson, part of the group of administrators who makes snow day decisions, said the longer time period will allow crews time to work on walkways that students and faculty use to commute to class.She also noted that the National Weather Service forecast predicted winds would be dying down by 1 p.m. A winter storm warning still warns of snow until 7 p.m., although an ice storm warning is no longer in effect.The emergency website and Twitter posts also advised students to dress for winter weather. Winds could reach 40 mph, and could blow tree limbs and fell power lines, according to the National Weather Service.
(02/02/11 4:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Students sliding on ice to their 2:30 p.m. classes Tuesday stopped when their phones vibrated. Some received an official e-mail. Some saw the University’s Twitter post: All classes canceled for the rest of the day.So some students trekked back home under threatening gray skies.But many students turned on their heels and made an early pilgrimage to their favorite bar despite warnings of treacherous ice.Kilroy’s on Kirkwood’s $2 Tuesday was packed early, never mind the looming storm that students were calling “apocalyptic.” Even NASA named it a “monster,” one of the largest storms it had seen since the 1950s.But to Kilroy’s they clomped. Girls weren’t sporting little dresses and sparkly earrings. They were wearing jackets and ear warmers — the clothes they were planning to wear to class. Guys flicked small ice pellets off their gloves before they handed the bouncer their IDs.This winter storm would not be survived with cans of soup. It would be celebrated with Long Island Iced Teas.At 2:15 p.m., senior Alex Peirce received a joyful text from a friend. “Classes cancelled beginning at 230!!!!!!!!!”“Also I don’t think it’s safe to walk home so we should probably all just go to Kilroys . . .” Peirce was out the door.Minutes later, she skidded her feet along Smith Avenue, heading to Kilroy’s to meet her friends. Peirce said she wanted breadsticks and a strawberry lemonade Long Island.The storm, already spewing ice and sleet, was knocking out power lines across the county and state. Thanks to Twitter and text messaging, students stayed connected. One student even tried to start the hashtag #icedinatRoys.Peirce said she gets sentimental about any defining moments at IU — and this was one of them. The last time IU called off school was January 28, 2009 — Peirce’s sophomore year. She was travelling in Spain and missed the fun. Now she has the memory of a snow day spent at Roy’s.At 3 p.m., both the downstairs and upstairs were packed, snow and water streaking the floor and soaking the steps. The top floor looked as crowded as it usually does at 10 p.m., bartender Jerrod Jeffries said.He tossed a bottle of root beer schnapps in his hands. He said it’s a good thing the bar stocks up on liquor the day before. He’ll make Long Islands all night with the root beer and other flavors. An extra bartender worked with him, filling in early to help with the rush.“Yeah” by Usher blasted.“Next thing I knew she was all up on me screaming ... ”A young woman leaned over the bar, pushing a small pitcher full of a neon blue drink toward Jeffries. It matched her thick scarf.“Can you put another shot in here?” she yelled. “Because it doesn’t taste like there’s very much alcohol in it.”It would be like this until 4 a.m., Jeffries said, predicting that the memories will continue tomorrow, even if IU cancels classes.Just past the doorman lounged senior Broderick Thompson. Legs tucked around a barstool, he ordered a water and $2 chicken wings. At 2:30 p.m., he had finally reached Sycamore Hall when a student passed by and told him class was off.“I just turned around and walked out then tweeted that I was heading to Roy’s,” he said. His friend Kimberly Sanders saw his tweet and joined him, but they said they planned to take their wings to go before the storm gathered more power.Few students were paying attention to the ice falling from the sky, said doorman John Fiorentino as he quickly checked IDs from a line of students bundled in wet coats. Fiorentino’s first night of work was scheduled to start at 10 p.m., but he went in early after his 2:30 class was canceled.“I’m sure some people ... the smarter people ... are staying in,” he said. “But it’ll be packed here. It’ll be a good night.”Fiorentino said he’s an avid Twitter user. Just as his shift started, a friend tweeted at him: “... it’s my man’s 1st night working at kilroys and its about to be a zoo ...”