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(05/30/14 6:09pm)
Bloomington is rich with its vibrant and diverse culture, and there are so many opportunities to experience the performing and visual arts. From off-Broadway musicals to Picasso’s artwork to rare manuscripts, IU offers many chances to experience all types of art.
(06/07/12 7:33pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>...or that 8 a.m. Finite class, that lecture from your dry professor, or Organic Chemistry. Let’s face it, there are some difficult courses at IU. Here are some tips to guarantee good grades in any class.GO TO CLASSThis is the easiest thing you can do to improve your grade. While some professors post lecture slides online, many important details and facts (that usually show up on exams) are only discussed in class. Attending class also allows you to ask any question you had over the material. Many professors also use class attendance as a factor in final grades.SIT TOWARD THE FRONTAlthough the average class size at IU is 36 students, some classes are pretty darn huge (Woodburn 100 can seat up to 420 students). Rather than strain to hear what your econ professor is saying from the back of a 100-student lecture, choose to sit in the first three rows. Not only will you be able to hear the lecture better and take more accurate notes, but the professor will be able to recognize your face in the sea of students.FIND A FRIENDThis could be your roommate or someone you see only twice a week in class. But having a study buddy is another easy resource to hold you accountable for doing your work and to talk about what you learned in class.REVIEW YOUR SYLLABUSThe first week of classes is when these handy papers are passed out outlining grade structure, attendance policy, class projects and weekly topics. Make sure to review each class syllabus and put important exam and due dates in your calendar so you don’t forget about a project or skip class the day of a test.KNOW THYSELFDo you like silence or noise when you study? Do you need convenient access to coffee or snacks? Do you study better alone or in a group? Do you focus more early in the day or late at night? Figuring out what environment you work best in is key to efficient study sessions. Read p. 56 for our favorite study spots around campus, or discover your own.GET ACADEMIC SUPPORTThere are three Academic Support Centers located around campus in Teter, Forest and Briscoe residence halls. These centers provide group and individual tutorials, study groups, study tables and Writing Tutorial Services, as well as offer academic advising and workshops on study skills. Best of all, these services are free.GO TO OFFICE HOURSEvery professor is required to hold weekly office hours, but many students forget to take advantage of this resource. Who better to go over material for that upcoming exam or ask questions about that lecture than the person who is teaching it to you? Professors are also a prime resource for letters of recommendation when you’re applying for internships and jobs. Establishing a good relationship with a professor in your field will come in handy not just for academic success, but for your future career as well.
(06/07/12 6:01pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington is rich with its vibrant and diverse culture, and there are so many opportunities to experience the performing and visual arts right here on campus. From off-Broadway musicals to Picasso’s artwork to rare manuscripts, IU offers many chances to experience all types of art. So whether you’re a theater neophyte or have been going to museums for years, here is a sampling of how you can immerse yourself in the arts at IU.IU CINEMA1213 E. 7th St.www.cinema.indiana.edu/The IU Cinema opened in January 2011 with state-of-the-art technology, surround sound, custom decor and renovated panels of Thomas Hart Benton’s Indiana Murals. Though it has only been open for a little over one year, it has become a premiere destination for film lovers in Bloomington and from around the area, with more than 150 films screened each semester, including new arthouse releases, film classics and foreign films. The cinema has also become IU’s center for the scholarly study of film. According to its website, the cinema is “the university’s first research facility where audiences can collectively revisit the cinematic works archived within Bloomington’s vast film print collections.”MUSICAL ARTS CENTER101 N. Jordan Ave.www.music.indiana.edu/opera/Home to the Jacobs School of Music’s Opera and Ballet Department, the Musical Arts Center (MAC) showcases worldclass performances, including an annual production of “The Nutcracker.” It is regularly compared to the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, and seats up to 1,460 patrons. For the 2012-13 season, the department has chosen six operas and three ballets, opening its season in the fall with W.A. Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.”OUR PICK Franz Lehar’s “The Merry Widow” is a comedy about a rich widow who, if she marries a foreigner, will leave her country and rob it of her fortune. Conducted by Dale Rieling, this Viennese operetta is sure to provide the best musical entertainment. When: Oct. 18 7 p.m., 19-20 8 p.m., 21 2 p.m.IU ART MUSEUM1133 E. 7th St.www.iub.edu/~iuam/Established in 1941, the IU Art Museum, with its unique angles, was built by I.M. Pei, who also designed The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum and the entrance to The Louvre. The museum houses pieces from nearly every culture and era, including works from Africa and ancient Greece and works by Pablo Picasso and Paul Strand. The museum is free and open to the public, and also has a cafe and gift shop. Upcoming exhibits include German Expressionism and paintings by landscape artist Barry Gealt, both opening Oct. 6 and running through Dec. 23.THE LILLY LIBRARY1200 E. 7th St.www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/Founded in 1960, the Lilly Library is one of the largest collections of rare books in the world, housing over 450,000 books and 7.5 million manuscripts. Some notable pieces include a Gutenberg Bible, George Washington’s letter accepting his presidency, the first printed edition of Shakespeare’s works and typescripts of Ian Fleming’s “James Bond” novels. Past exhibits include “The Beat Generation,” “The Poetry of Sylvia Plath,” “Spies and Secret Agents,” “Remembering Lincoln” and “The Remarkable Characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.”LEE NORVELLE THEATRE AND DRAMA CENTER275 N. Jordan Ave.www.indiana.edu/~thtr/For years, the Department of Theatre & Drama has been putting on phenomenal shows ranging from Shakespearean to Tony Award-winning at the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. This season opens with “When the Rain Stops Falling,” a drama by Andrew Bovell.OUR PICK Duncan Sheik’s award-winning “Spring Awakening,” a musical about German youth exploring friendships, love and sexuality. The ground-breaking show was a huge success on and off-Broadway, and should be masterfully performed by IU theatre students. When: Nov. 2-3, 6-9 7:30 p.m., Nov. 10 2 p.m., 7:30 p.m.GRUNWALD GALLERY OF ART1201 E 7th St.www.indiana.edu/~grunwald/The Grunwald Gallery of Art is an exhibition venue for both professional and student artists to display their work. Free to the public, the gallery “frequently collaborates with artists, scientists and scholars to produce exhibits that interpret visual art in a broader scientific or humanities context,” according to its website.IU AUDITORIUM1211 E. 7th St.www.iuauditorium.com/The IU Auditorium opened in 1941 after it was constructed as part of the Works Progress Administration program. Built entirely of Indiana limestone, it was the first building completely planned and constructed under Herman B Wells. With more than 3,000 seats, the auditorium is home to off-Broadway shows, guest speakers, comedians, orchestras, concerts and more, with acts appealing to every demographic.OUR PICK The auditorium opens its 2012-13 season with the Broadway hit “American Idiot,” inspired by alt-rockers Green Day. Following the story of three lifelong friends who have to choose between chasing their dreams or staying in the life they’ve always known, it is told through the music of the band, including songs such as “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” “21 Guns” and “Holiday.” When: Sept. 4-5, 8 p.m.
(02/21/12 2:33am)
Your last
class just ended, and you’re heading home to study for your A215 exam. Opening
the door to your dorm room, you hear heavy breathing coming from your roommate’s
bed — turns out he’s already studying some basic human anatomy.
(11/29/11 1:47am)
To be in the Kelley Honors Program, students must have a 3.7 GPA, be strong campus leaders, and mentor underclassmen also in the program.
(11/29/11 1:42am)
The first time Tom Shriver met Lauren Coburn, he proposed to her. But she wouldn’t accept until more than a year later.
(10/11/11 1:09am)
The
Indiana Food Code is his bible. He keeps a stack of alcohol swabs in his
messenger bag. He washes his hands upwards of 30 times a day.
(04/12/11 12:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It might be too late to get a pony or live in a castle, but if you’ve always had royal ambitions, it’s not too late to work on that inner sparkle. Prepare yourself to waltz at state dinners by stopping by an IU Ballroom Dance Club meeting every Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. in HPER 171.The Student Alumni Association holds free etiquette dinners each semester to teach SAA members how to dine with the best. Students may register online to attend the interactive dinner where they are served a five-course meal and learn how to present themselves during formal affairs.Or, be real-life royalty like Maggie Delaney, a previous Miss IU. Delaney held the title for the last two years, since she won as a freshman in 2008. Delaney’s platform is supporting IUDM. She danced in IUDM her sophomore year for her sorority, Delta Gamma, and now serves on the event’s Morale Committee.“It helps to get involved in something you’re passionate about,” Delaney says. “Miss IU needs to be a girl who is well-rounded and connected in campus life.” Take:CMCL-C 121 Public SpeakingPOLS-Y 109 Intro to International RelationsHPER-E 109 Ballroom and Social DanceWatch: The Princess Diaries, Elizabeth, The King’s SpeechYou’re going too far if ...1. You check William and Kate’s wedding website every day.2. You think crowns are acceptable to wear to class.3. You expect your professor to address you as “Your Highness.”
(04/11/11 11:55pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>If you were that kid who tried to jump off the roof using a bed sheet like a cape, Bloomington offers many ways for you to channel your inner Superman or Spider-Man. Practice your wall-climbing skills at IU Outdoor Adventures’ bouldering wall, located in Eigenmann Residential Center. For $5, you can scale three 11-foot walls without any ropes or harnesses — it’s just you and your spidey-sense. Bloomington Skydiving offers tandem skydiving with an instructor — perfect for beginners. Freefalling at speeds of up to 120 mph, you’ll feel as if you’re flying over the streets of Metropolis. One day of skydiving will set you back around $200, but when you’re training to fight villains, the result is priceless.Try out parkour like senior Dylan Cashbaugh and be a real-life Spider- Man. Cashbaugh describes parkour as traveling efficiently through your environment while moving under and through anything that’s in your way. It’s like turning your world into an obstacle course. Parkour participants scale walls, jump across gaps, and do flips to push themselves physically and mentally. It isn’t an official sport, but participants like Cashbaugh have formed a student activities group that meets on Saturday afternoons to practice their craft. “I can do things now that, before I knew about parkour, I didn’t know any human was capable of,” Cashbaugh says.Cashbaugh’s worst injury so far has been a sprained ankle, but scrapes and cuts are the most common injury associated with the sport.“We don’t try things we don’t think we can do. It’s all about safety and progressing until you know you’re ready to run up a wall or jump across a gap or do a flip.”Take: CLLC-L 100 Comics as MemoirHPER-E 145 Intro to the Martial ArtsTHTR-T 230 Costume Design & Technology IWatch: The Incredibles, Sky High, X-MenYou’re going too far if ...1. You’ve begged all of your friends to say “Man/ Woman of Wonder” after your name. 2. You’ve named your car the Batmobile.3. You make “whooshing” noises with every movement.
(04/11/11 11:49pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Going to infinity and beyond isn’t just for Buzz Lightyear. IU offers plenty of opportunities to channel your inner space cadet. When the weather warms up, spend your nights under the stars. In the spring, the Kirkwood Observatory is open to the public on Wednesday nights. Go online and order some of your favorite space-age foods from childhood — freeze-dried ice cream and Tang are available on Amazon. Or get involved with the IU Astronomy Club. Every Tuesday night at 7:30, club members meet in Swain West to share their passion for space. Senior Jen Kulow, club president, says each semester, the club hosts a Star Party at a local campground, complete with telescopes, tents, and campfires. This year the club also started an event called Sidewalk Astronomy — they set up telescopes on Kirkwood, near the Monroe County Public Library, and encouraged people walking by to stop and take a look.“This year we also have intramural teams,” Kulow says. “We had a fl ag football team called the Galactic Cannibals. And our soccer and softball teams, the InfraRed Cars and the InfraRed Sox, are in training.” Take:AST-A 100 The Solar SystemAERO-A 202 The Development of Air Power IICMLT-C 216 Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Western TraditionWatch: Apollo 13, Planet of the Apes, 2001: A Space OdysseyYou’re going too far if ...1. You pull a Lance Bass and actually try to pay to go into space.2. You say “Houston, we have a problem,” whenever there’s an issue.3. You’re saving up to spend SB ‘12 in Huntsville, Ala., at NASA Space Camp.
(04/11/11 11:38pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Grab your swim trunks and flippie-floppies, and don’t forget your nautical-themed pashmina afghan. While IU doesn’t have a marine biology program, there are ways to get involved in underwater activities in Bloomington.Southern Indiana Scuba, off IN- 37, offers a Discover Scuba class for $20 per session that gives you the chance to try out scuba equipment with a professional staff member’s help. Or, journey to the depths of the HPER building to the Office of Underwater Science and check out one of their projects — restoring a cannon from the legendary pirate Captain Kidd’s ship.Every summer, the Office of Overseas Study runs a tropical ecology trip for biology majors to the Grand Cayman Islands. Trip participants spend a week and a half in paradise, exploring and researching coral reef habitats with Professor Bill Ruf.“As we were diving or taking hikes through the jungle, we were learning,” says recent graduate Adam Cantor, who went on the trip last summer. “It’s one thing to learn about coral bleaching in a book. It’s another thing to see it firsthand.”Take:GEOL-G 341 Natural History of Coral ReefsSPEA-E 360 Intro to Water ResourcesHPER-E 270 Introduction to Scientific Scuba Watch: Jaws, Finding Nemo, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea You’re going too far if ...1. You like to swim in the Jordan River between classes.2. You practice dolphin or whale speech.3. You wear your scuba mask out to $2 Tuesdays.
(02/21/11 6:35pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Hugs are the simplest way to deliver a powerful message. They comfort. They warm. They say “I love you.” But the benefits of hugs go deeper than just brightening someone’s day.Numerous studies have shown that the human touch provides many health benefits. Stress relief, lower blood pressure, and improved moods are all results of regular human contact.The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill conducted a study of 100 adults to determine the benefits of hugs. Researchers found that frequent hugs release higher oxytocin levels, which can decrease anxiety and increase those good feelings. Oxytocin also lowers cortisol, the stress hormone responsible for high blood pressure and a slower metabolism.So go ahead and give those hugs. Share the warmth, show that you care, and make your heart happy.
(12/13/10 2:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sophomore Matt Saddler shuffles to the table where his friends are eating, juggling two plates of food and a glass of chocolate milk in his hands. Without a tray to balance his dishes, Saddler makes every move with the stealth of a hunter. “This is just inconvenient,” he says. “I need to have more body parts to facilitate this.”Though Saddler and other students might protest the lack of trays in the Landes Dining Room in Read Center, environmentalists certainly won’t. As of Oct. 1, the traditional dining facility went “trayless” in order to reduce food waste and conserve water.The new trayless initiative is just one of several other sustainability efforts in the University’s residence halls. And since the Task Force on Campus Sustainability formed in 2007, IU has focused on establishing more environmentally conscious programs. From encouraging recycling to teaching students smart conservation habits, the school is striving for a greener campus.Energy conservationOne University program working to address conservation is the Energy Challenge, a competition between residence halls, greek houses and academic buildings to see which in each category can save the most energy and water.The challenge, which was created in 2008, has since conserved 22,753,850 kilowatt-hours of electricity — enough to power 2,753 average American homes for 12 weeks — and 6,061,365 gallons of water — enough to fill more than 10 IU Outdoor Pools.In the past, the Energy Challenge occurred in spring semesters. This year, however, the competition took place in the fall to more accurately determine whether or not conservation habits were sticking with students throughout the year. Steve Akers, associate director of Environmental Operations, said he has noticed Energy Challenge participants habitually turn off lights after leaving a room.“I’ve seen tangible proof where even though the challenge period has ended, people will continue to use energy in a wiser way and not be quite so wasteful,” Akers said. “I’ve even had parents contact me and comment that their kids have come home and been more aware of their home usage, walking more, switching off lights and taking shorter showers.”Though Akers said the school is concerned about both the expense and use of water, especially after this fall’s drought, efforts are also being made to save electricity.“We are trying to install more occupancy sensors — light sensors that will go off at a certain time or automatically,” he said.This technology was installed in the new Union Street Apartments. The hallways, for example, use only 50 percent lighting when no one is occupying them. Akers said he hopes other buildings begin to use this kind of “smart” technology.Waste reductionEvery year, IU sends almost 5,000 tons of waste to its landfill, which is equivalent to 218 semi-truck trailers full of trash.“We’re really into the whole lowering-the-waste effort,” Akers said.For residence halls, this means both food and trash.Victoria Getty and Krisha Thiagarajah, lecturers in the department of applied health science, are conducting a study to compare the environmental impact of a tray and trayless delivery system in the Landes Dining Room. They are looking at changes in food waste, food costs and water, electricity and detergent usage.Though the study is still in progress, Read Dining Manager Linda McCoy said she has already noticed a decrease in the amount of waste and in water usage. Some students, however, complain about having to make more trips to carry plates.“There have been negative comments made directly to the staff and myself,” McCoy said. “I think it’s just because we’re all creatures of habit, and we went trayless later in the semester.”IU is also aiming to decrease trash by improving its recycling system.Akers said Residential Programs and Services is attempting to redesign the recycling system on campus to make it more uniform. These changes include a more efficient placement of recycling bins and better signs indicating what each bin is designated for.Though IU currently diverts 20 percent of its waste from the landfill through recycling efforts, Akers said anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of trash a year ago could have been recycled.“Bottom line is, this means we’ve got to start educating students on recycling,” he said.IU vs. Other Indiana schoolsOther schools in the state have also taken initiatives to become more sustainable. The Student Government Association at Butler University recently launched a green movement, which is aimed at educating and implementing sustainable actions on campus.Matthew Kasper, the student government’s vice president, said the movement was developed after members continued to hear student feedback about more ways to go green on campus. “Right now we are dealing with recycling,” Kasper said. “We’ve done a poster campaign with facts and are planning a video now. But the implementation phase includes funding more recycling bins, specifically outside for more types of plastics.”In 2007, Robin Ridgway initiated a Sustainability Council at Purdue University to disseminate information and help students with ideas and questions. The council works closely with student groups and is currently working on a campus energy plan, Ridgway said.“Many of the programs in existence today at Purdue would probably have happened anyway, but the Sustainability Council gives it relevance, exposure and connectivity to other campus undertakings,” Ridgway said.What’s next?As more universities adopt sustainability programs, Akers said he hopes IU will be at the forefront of the green movement. His immediate plan, he said, is to focus on the recycling awareness campaign.“We need to continue to look at where we need bins, and make them as convenient and clear as possible,” he said. “Lowering the amount of waste on campus is very important.”McCoy said she also encourages more recycling and said she thinks dining halls will start using more locally produced food. Additionally, she said, one of her goals is to start a composting program for the dining halls.“There are a lot of things that we could compost, from prepping vegetables in the kitchen to food waste from people’s plates,” she said. “It’s something that would have to involve the grounds people and maybe Hilltop [Garden and Nature] Center. As of yet, we haven’t collaborated, but it would be nice if we could.”
(11/29/10 5:06pm)
A true story of identity theft in the dorms.
(10/29/10 2:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The fourth annual IU Energy Challenge is underway.The contest pits academic buildings, greek houses and residence halls against one another to see which building in each category uses the least water and electricity. The challenge began Oct. 6 and ends Nov. 3.So far, Willkie Quad leads in the residence hall competition, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs leads in the academic buildings and Kappa Delta leads in the greek competition. This year, the Office of Sustainability chose to have the competition in the fall rather than the spring semester.McKenzie Beverage, coordinator of the challenge, said this would help the Office of Sustainability determine whether or not students are maintaining the conservation habits they learn at the beginning of the year. Additionally, the usage of water and electricity can be compared in both the fall and spring semesters of the academic year.“We wanted to be able to measure whether or not the conservation habits that we’re trying to instill in students and faculty are sticking with them,” she said. “Because the spring challenge ended so close to the end of the semester, there was really no way for us to gauge whether those habits were being maintained.”To monitor each building, an IU Physical Plant utility employee reads participating buildings’ electricity and water meters several times a week. The information is then entered into the Energy Challenge website and calculated to see the greatest percent decrease in per capita electricity and water consumption of each participating building. Willkie Quad officials are encouraging conservation habits through environmentally focused programming, said sophomore Carolyn Chang, a floor president and environmental adviser.“We’ve been dimming our lobby lights for the duration of the challenge, and each of our floor presidents have been advertising the challenge on their respective floors,” Chang said.Steve Akers, associate director of environmental operations and the Residential Programs and Services representative for the Campus Sustainability Advisory Board, said the campus energy challenge is the nation’s largest energy conservation effort.“Right now, the challenge encompasses — between residence halls, the greek system and academic buildings — about six million square feet of campus,” he said.Akers said IU has saved more than one million gallons of water during the past challenges, and the goal this year is to reduce overall consumption by 20 percent.“Even when the challenge period ends, people should continue to use energy and water in a wiser way and not be quite so wasteful,” Akers said.
(10/25/10 12:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Leah Gauthier is feeling vulnerable.“We, as a generation, depend a lot upon industries to make our clothes, grow our food, build our homes,” she said. “Very few of us in our generation have the skills to do those very basic things.”That is why Gauthier, a Bloomington resident and second-year art professor at Butler University, has decided to act upon her vulnerability through art. Her first project focuses on growing her own food.Gauthier’s exhibit “Tending a Difficult Hope” opened at 7 p.m. Friday at the School of Fine Arts Gallery with a reception. The exhibit, which will be on display until Nov. 19, encompasses growing, cooking, preserving and eating organic food. Gauthier said visitors can expect to see many jars of preserved food, pepper sculptures and a small healing garden, as well as other displays utilizing locally produced food. The public can also participate in free workshops. “The first one is planting herb gardens out of recycled bottles, then making herb vinegars and drying herbs,” Gauthier said. “What I’m responding to in some ways is my anxiety over not having the skills to take care of myself.”“Tending a Difficult Hope” focuses on sustainability, which relates to the College of Arts and Sciences’ Fall 2010 Themester “sustain•ability: Thriving on a Small Planet.” Though she started this project by growing food, Gauthier said she hopes to learn skills such as knitting and weaving. “I think becoming more self-sufficient will be called upon in the future,” she said. “It’s about living more sustainably.”Sustainable art, a contemporary movement that reinforces environmentally conscientious practices, has swept through Bloomington. Next door to the SoFA Gallery, visitors to the IU Art Museum can see how people in other countries live sustainably through art.On Sept. 25, the Art Museum opened “African Reinventions: Reused Materials in Popular Culture” as a collaboration with the Themester program. This exhibit displays objects from sub-Sarahan countries, with items ranging from recently-made to more than 20 years old.In this exhibit, one can find toy airplanes made from soda cans, jewelry fashioned from safety pins and light bulbs used as oil lamps, among many other objects. Diane Pelrine, associate director for curatorial services, said all items on display were acquired in Africa by IU’s African Studies faculty and students.“What one can hope people get from the exhibit is not just readily apparent things like recycling and reusing more but to look at the toys not just as toys, but as creativity,” Pelrine said. Pygmalion’s Art Supplies, located on Grant Street, caters to sustainable artists.“We have gotten many green products in,” Emil Reiling, an employee at Pygmalion’s said. “Most notably in regards to pencils and colored pencils.” Reiling said there are new products that cater to the green movement, and he predicts to see a decrease in the use of paper in art.“Pencils are produced in large amounts every year, huge amounts,” Reiling said. “We have woodless pencils, all graphite, that you can sharpen like regular ones, with a thin coating on the outside. This way you’re not using wood.”As a sustainable artist, Gauthier said her biggest tool, rather than any pencil, is inspiration.“I’m not a scientist. I can’t fix global warming,” she said. “But what I can do is offer inspiration. That’s where our power is, to inspire people who can do other things.”‘TENDING A DIFFICULT HOPE’WHEN Oct. 22 through Nov. 19WHERE SoFA GalleryMORE INFO Workshops are free and open to the public. For a schedule of workshops, visit www.indiana.edu/~sofa.
(10/12/10 5:10am)
The free Welcome Week swag was cool the first week of school. By now you’ve graduated from lanyards to wallets and found that you don’t have time to play Frisbee. Fashion merchandising major Sarah Donley shows us how to make the ultimate IU dry erase board.
(10/12/10 1:01am)
Turn a belt into a jewelry hanger
(04/08/10 2:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The third annual Energy Challenge is almost halfway over and the Geology Building leads the academic competition, Zeta Tau Alpha leads the greek competition and Collins Center leads the residence hall competition.The challenge is a four-week-long energy and water conservation competition between different buildings. During the challenge, IU’s Physical Plant Utilities Utility Information Group reads utility meters of the academic buildings, greek houses and residence halls throughout the week. Participants can view the results at any time on the Energy Challenge Web site, energychallenge.indiana.edu.Eigenmann Hall, the current second-place holder in the residence hall competition, is seeing such success due to small changes in residents’ daily routines, said Sarah Powers, resident assistant for Eigenmann’s Environmental Issues community.“For example, when I used to leave my room I would keep a small light on, but now I have every light off when I’m not there,” she said. “Everyone is seeing how easy it is to save water and energy.”Powers said the Environmental Issues community is also trying to advocate energy and water conservation in the residence hall.“The environmental issues floor has also ensured that every floor is aware of the challenge and each resident knows how they can cut back,” she said. “We’ve posted signs about energy and water use in all Eigenmann restrooms, the place most likely for residents to read.”Mckenzie Beverage, Energy Challenge intern at the Office of Sustainability, said she wants to stress to students that the competition is not about deprivation.“This competition is about implementing small behavioral changes into our daily lives and making them habit,” she said. “The results of the competition prove that these small individual actions, when performed in concert, become collective action.”Beverage said several actions that might seem small all add up to help conserve energy and water.“Not taking the elevator several times a week, turning off all appliances and unplugging them and turning the water off while you brush your teeth all make a difference no matter how small they seem,” she said.
(04/05/10 5:21pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It is completely normal for children to play with a Barbie doll or G.I. Joe action figure. But, are these childhood past times actually contributing to unrealistic portrayals of women and men?For decades, critics have condemned these toys for their potentially damaging effects on a child’s psyche. Bradley University’s Body Project, a program designed to increase awareness and acceptance of the human body in all its shapes and sizes, cites Barbie (small-waisted and big-breasted) and G.I. Joe (powerful and muscular) as giving children a misconception of beautiful and idealistic physiques.But are childhood toys exclusively to blame for negative gender stereotypes? Or is there another, more immediate catalyst propelling idealized and biased images of femininity and masculinity?Ever since its conception, the media — including television, films, advertisements and publications — has prided itself on relaying and communicating vital information to the public quickly and accurately.But are the images and depictions it uses, in fact, accurate?Society is filled with idealized images of men and women. These stereotypes have become so prevalent that people might not realize they still exist, despite the images’ profound impact on society.Origin of stereotypesThe term “stereotype” is a visually oriented word, said Colin Johnson, assistant professor of gender studies.“It originally comes from the printing trade, where it was used to refer to a mechanically reproduced second impression of an image that could then be used for the purpose of making as many unaltered copies of that image as the printer needed,” he said.Johnson said metaphorically, the word “stereotype” refers to an unaltered, endlessly-reproduced mental picture that circulates over time and across space.Stereotypes have manifested themselves in our culture in many aspects of life, including race, religion and gender.“American culture has a long history of gender bias,” said Kenny Irby, director of diversity at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla. “Many colonial values really do come forward today.”Brenda Weber, director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Gender Studies, said mainstream entertainment contains standard gender stereotypes.“Gender stereotypes perpetuated by the media have a tendency to strive for a status quo situation, where power systems always stay the same,” she said.The Marilyn paradigmThe traditional stereotype of women as being domestic and docile is particularly prevalent in certain types of media.“Women have been portrayed as overly feminine, weak and vulnerable,” Irby said. “You see that mostly in advertisement and fashion imagery.”There are, however, several other female stereotypes that are depicted in the media. The dumb blonde, for instance.“There is the image of the woman as sexually voluptuous, yet silly and intellectually girlish,” Johnson said. “And then there is the image of the woman who is smart and possibly even strong or assertive, but boyish in stature or appearance. The former is usually imagined as blonde, the latter brunette.”Johnson said that some familiar stereotypes can be traced back to specific moments in history.For instance, Marilyn Monroe helped define the stereotype of the curvaceous blonde during the 1940s and ’50s. Johnson said Monroe was extremely savvy and reportedly very smart.“Smart enough, for example, to understand that Hollywood probably wasn’t going to be making a lot movies about women who didn’t necessarily want – or even need to be – dependent on men during a period when women were actively being forced out of the workplace,” he said.Johnson traces the aforementioned sexy-versus-smart paradox to earlier beliefs.“The ‘you can be smart or sexy, but not both’ thing has been plaguing human thought since classical antiquity, when philosophers started trying to figure out the relation between mind and body,” he said. “(These stereotypes) contribute to the profoundly sexist notion that women somehow have to choose between being smart or attractive.”Intelligence vs. sexualityMen have often been depicted as strong, powerful and intelligent. The common images of the cowboy, the CEO and the doctor all contribute to these perceived notions.Many of these stereotypes have roots in early American culture.“Male stereotypes go back to the quintessential American prototype that man is the worker, provider, who is strong and rough,” Irby said. Intelligence also plays an important factor in determining a man’s sexuality, Johnson said.“There seems always to be some connection in common male stereotypes between intelligence and sexuality,” he said. “The smarter a man is, the less sexually dominant and therefore less ‘popular’ he gets to be.”Effects of gender stereotypes“Stereotypes help people make quick-and-dirty sense of a chaotic and sometimes disorienting world,” Johnson said. “Among other things, they help people sort both themselves and others into smaller and more manageable social groups that are defined in terms difference and similarity.”However, stereotypes “often also cause people to make all sort of inaccurate and unfounded assumptions about other people,” she said.This destructive behavior, research has found, includes eating disorders, steroid use and other harmful habits among teenagers. A study by the National Institute on Media and the Family found that young women who watch TV shows emphasizing the ideal physique and who read magazines with thinner models have a higher sense of body dissatisfaction.Stereotypes also impact college-aged students on a more subconscious level.“Given the fact that college students often arrive on campus feeling strong pressure to define themselves, or in some cases redefine themselves ... often makes them very susceptible to what seems like simple, comparatively straight-forward strategies for achieving social success,” Johnson said.This attitude might explain why students can excessively portray themselves in a certain way. “If doing a particular thing or presenting oneself in a certain way seems to make certain people like you, then doing it even more will help one to stand out in a crowd,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, all this really tends to do is make everyone more intensely the same.”Negating the biasesThe media cannot simply dismantle its use of gender stereotypes overnight. While the realization of the negative impacts these stereotypes have created might be dispelled in the future, the mainstream media must overcome a lot of injurious behavior from the past and present before that can happen.“Because stereotypes are defined by their dogged persistence over time, altering them is extremely difficult,” Johnson said.To dispel these misconceived images of femininity and masculinity, Weber said one must become more aware of what he or she is consuming from the media. “Engage with media critically,” she said.Johnson said that what society can do is try to denaturalize stereotypes by showing stereotyping for what it truly is — “basically intellectual and ethical laziness.”“We can also try to sensitize people to how heavily what they often regard as ‘their’ perspective or opinion is actually determined by other interests which they may or may not actually admire or respect,” he said. “This can be effective because, as it turns out, most people really don’t like to think of themselves as animatronic puppets who spend their entire lives mindlessly parroting unoriginal thoughts and ideas.”However, Irby said there is still hope.“I see examples and causes for hope when I see TV shows that have more integrated casts and story lines that speak to a greater range of life experiences and perspectives,” he said. “This is evidence of hope and progress that we have to keep building on, instead of continually harping on the ills of the past.”