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(04/19/07 4:00am)
Two projects initiated by members of the Environmental Business Club that will begin by the end of the summer could save the University thousands of dollars.\nClub member John H. King, a junior, said the project originated after he noticed an extreme amount of water coming out of a faucet at the Kelley School of Business while he washed his hands.\nSo he and junior Stony Robinson, another club member, came up with an idea to install devices on sink faucets to limit the flow of water. The devices, called aerators, will limit the flow of water that comes out of faucets to 0.5 gallons per minute, versus the current 2.2 gallons per minute, the club members said.\nOnce the aerators are installed, they will save more than 640,000 gallons of water and about $6,000 over a 10-year period, based on how much water and money IU currently uses, they said.\nUniversity engineer Jeffrey Kaden said there are good motivations to install the aerators.\n“It saves money and saves resources – two good reasons,” he said. “The aerators are consistent with the other kind of utility energy-saving projects we’ve been working on. We’re excited about participating (with the EBC), and we’ll be looking for equipment to install to get this going fairly quickly.”\nSenior Jonathan W. Greenberg, president of the EBC, said this is a great example of what the club stands for.\n“Reducing cost, and more importantly 640,000 gallons of water, will reduce energy consumption. We completely overlooked this idea, and I give a lot of credit to Stony and John for thinking of it,” Greenberg said. “It’s clever, easy to implement and really effective. I’m really happy with it.”\nKing is excited about the success of the project.\n“It’s exciting to see one of your ideas you helped develop be implemented and developed in a useful way,” he said. “We’re just going to try and find other projects that can help the business school and the University as a whole. We want to improve environmental awareness. It is a growing problem, and we want to try to find solutions to those problems.”\nNew compact fluorescent light bulbs will be installed in the Business/SPEA Library that will save 250,000 pounds of carbon dioxide and about $15,000 over 10 years. Kaden said this will probably happen before the end of the school year.\nMaking businesses more “green” is something that will be more prevalent in the future. The EBC is working toward getting a class taught through the business school about environmental business.\nJulie Kriegshaber, a sophomore business major, said business has a lot to do with the environment. \n“The class we’re talking about, what we want, would be (taught) from an economic standpoint,” Kriegshaber said. “(The class would be) really profit-based. It wouldn’t just be about collecting trash. How can your business ... change its processes and increase its profit are a lot of the practices that are green practices.”\nJohn W. Maxwell, a professor of business economics and public policy, said he might be willing to teach a class about environmental business if and when it is approved.\n“I expect the course might have basic environmental economics and otherwise focus on strategic issues businesses face today,” Maxwell said. “These types of courses are increasingly being adopted in quite a few other business schools. ... These types of issues are impacting business at an increasing rate. People should know how to deal with them.”\nGreenberg said he believes the subject of environmental business will become a pillar of an undergraduate business education.\n“Every business is faced with some crisis in this area or will be in the future,” Greenberg said. “I think any good manager would want to be prepared to deal with the environmental situation and gear their strategy going towards being sensitive to the environment. We think it will really become one of the pillars of an undergraduate business education.”
(02/07/07 4:35am)
The nine students in the Environmental Business Club are trying to help make the campus more environmentally friendly and the University is listening.\nOn Dec. 14, they presented a plan to Residential Programs and Services directors about ways to cut back on light use in residence hall lounges. Most lounge lights stay on all night without anyone using the lounge. The club's proposed motion sensors feed off heat and movement and employ a timer that automatically shuts off the lights when the room is not being occupied.\nThe club's effort to make the campus more environmentally friendly has paid off. By late spring, motion sensors will be installed in Teter and possibly Wright Quad, saving the University as much as $35,000 over the next 10 years, according to the Environmental Business Club.\nIU alumnus Jonah Paul said he wanted the club to initiate environmentally friendly projects when he founded the club three years ago.\n"I think our motion sensor project symbolizes what the EBC is all about -- the end result is both environmentally friendly and saves electricity," Paul said. "Looking at environmental issues from a cost-benefit angle is what the club is about."\nStephen Akers, associate director of environmental operations for RPS, said he enjoyed the presentation from the student-led group.\n"They gave a great presentation," Akers said. "They are a good group to go to. They have innovative ways, and it's a good academic process to go through a student group -- to get ideas from them that we may not have thought of."\nJonathan W. Greenberg, president of the EBC, said the club is different from any other in the Kelley School of Business.\n"(The club) grapples with an issue that is important to me. We don't have the same motives as other clubs, we're not about having the most members -- we're all about action, going out and doing things in the community," Greenberg said. "You know when you exercise and you unleash that kind of energy? That's how I feel about this club. Because we're small, it has given me a lot of experience. My voice has been able to be heard."\nAnd heard it has been. Akers has promised to continue partnering with the EBC.\n"They have shown us through their data and research, and I think it's a great proposal," Akers said. "It will be a few thousand (dollars) to invest, but the payoff we'll see in a year. I've committed to Jonathan to partner with them in the future."\nAccording to the Sustainable Endowments Institute, IU received a D-plus on its College Sustainability Report Card 2007. Of 100 schools reviewed, only 20 received D's.\nDeepak Raj Gunasekaran, a senior and executive member of the EBC said he believes it is important to make IU and the students more concerned with the environment and its importance for the future.\n"I would really like IU to be more environmentally conscious and preach the importance of the issue to its students," Gunasekaran said. "I think the first step to teaching students is to set an example; this is why our projects are targeted to drive IU to implement sustainable procedures and environmentally friendly products in its buildings, rather than just educating students with speakers, fliers, etc."\nGreenberg said the group is working on projects to improve efficiency in the lighting of the Business/SPEA Library, along with water usage in faucets at the Business School, among other projects. \nBusiness professor Steven Kreft, faculty advisor to the EBC, said he is so interested in environmental economic issues that he has incorporated them into a required business class G202 for majors, "Business and Economic Strategy in the Public Arena." He said members of the EBC are similarly motivated by personal interests of environmental concerns.\n"They are getting a lot of results done, which sets them apart," Kreft said. "I think they are very persuasive and have very good arguments. They have done all the right numbers and these students are motivated to leave something behind at IU and at Kelley that said, 'We made our mark on campus.' I've been really impressed in their ability to follow through with these projects."\nThe EBC is holding a call-out meeting at 1 p.m. on Feb. 16 in room 306 of the Business School. For more information about the EBC, visit their Web site at www.kelley.iu.edu/ebc/.
(10/09/06 1:16pm)
For most people, a deep breath of fresh air and a walk outside is often taken for granted. \nNot for Pamela Warren, a cancer survivor who walked outside for the first time in six months Saturday morning in the one-mile family event at the seventh annual Hoosiers Outrun Cancer run.\nWarren was diagnosed in the fourth stage of large-cell lymphoma cancer. During her six-month battle, she walked three miles a week on the Bloomington YMCA's indoor track. Three weeks ago, Warren completed her chemotherapy, and she found out recently she is cancer-free. Her husband, daughter and friends walked with her to celebrate on the sunny morning.\nMore than 4,000 people and pets participated in the one-mile children's race, one-mile family walk and 5K run/walk. Some finished the race with their children in strollers or toted them through the course in red wagons. Friends and lovers held hands, hugged, laughed and cried at the finish on the turf of Memorial Stadium.\nJohn Haury, chair of the Hoosiers Outrun Cancer steering committee, said Saturday marked the largest participation in the history of the race.\n"We've raised at least $150,000 this year -- that is our best ever," Haury said. "We had more runners than expected, and so many people have shown up. We couldn't accommodate them, but they walked anyways. It was a great problem to have ... It's perfect, it gets better every year."\nAll proceeds from the race go to the Bloomington Hospital Foundation's Olcott Center for Cancer Education, a facility Bloomington residents Lloyd and Joan Olcott funded eight years ago to support cancer education, cancer patients and their families. The center was especially close to the Olcotts, since Joan Olcott had cancer twice.\n"We wanted to provide lots of education and special help for patients and their families," said Joan Olcott, whose husband died in 2001. Saturday Joan Olcott walked with her family and was ecstatic with the race's turnout.\n"I'm thrilled to pieces," she said.\nLike Joan Olcott, several people who participated in the races had been personally touched by cancer.\nJenn Walton, an IU student from Carmel, Ind., ran in the 5K race with her boyfriend, Zack D. Richards, a senior majoring in criminal justice and psychology.\nIn August 2005, Richards' father Mark was diagnosed with bone, brain and small-cell lung cancer. A month later, he passed away. Richards said they ran the race in memory of him because it was around the one-year anniversary of his death.\n"I wanted to do good for him," Richards said.\nThe winner of the 5K race, Gerry Groothuis of Mooresville, Ind., said there were multiple reasons why he ran, but one was most important\n"No. 1, by far is that my dad is a cancer survivor," Groothuis said. "He had lymphoma and was diagnosed almost eight years ago. He is in remission and doing really well -- he's really healthy, so that is my inspiration."\nWomen's basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack presented the race's awards.\n"Today is extra special because my father had throat cancer," said Legette-Jack, a Bloomington resident who lives on Olcott Boulevard, a street named after Lloyd Olcott. "I love the fact that we are doing something as a community."\nThe biggest group participating in the event from IU was a 161-member team from the Kelley School of Business. Members of the group wore T-shirts in celebration of accounting professor Walt Blacconiere, who has pancreatic cancer. His wife, children and several Girl Scouts from his daughter's troop also joined the team.\n"I am touched," Blacconiere said. "This is awesome."\nIn early September, Blacconiere informed his students he would not continue teaching in the fall semester because of the severity of his type of cancer. Second-year MBA student Rebecca Kvam subsequently put the team together.\n"Because Walt was such a caring professor, with a great passion for life, the MBA students wanted to do something to let Walt know how much we support him," Kvam said.\nLast year, Blacconiere ran the 5K with a time of 23:40. This year, he didn't run but stood by the finish line with the team.\nLike he told his students when he said he would be back to teach in the spring, he said at the awards ceremony: "I'll be back next year running"
(02/24/06 4:34am)
Visitors to Bloomington are often stunned by the rolling hills and beautiful architecture this Indiana college town has to offer. The Monroe County Historical Society hopes to preserve that and other history for native Hoosiers and visitors. \nThe not-for-profit society will have its annual benefit auction to help raise money Feb. 27. There will be household and outdoor items, antiques and art pieces for sale. The auction will feature an extra-large watercolor by Lee Weiss, an artist from Madison, Wis.\nThe Monroe County Historical Society expects about 60 people to attend. The event brings people into the building and makes them aware of the museum, said Lisa Simmons, the MCHS coordinator of education, volunteers and membership.\nGayle Cook, one of the society's founding members, said it hopes to raise $4,000 - $5,000. \nCook, a community member for 43 years, has played an active role in sustaining the museum. \n"I love history and antiques and architecture ... so this has been one of my loved activities for a long time," she said. \nThe Monroe County Historical Society was founded in 1905 and has dedicated itself to collecting, preserving and exhibiting local history and artifacts, according to its Web site.\nSimmons said the society is there to look out for the small pieces of local history. \n"We are out here to protect local history that may get overlooked on a state or national level," Simmons said. "(We are) interested in southern Indiana, what is important to this county."\nRachel McCarty, the president of the MCHS board of trustees, said the preservation of Monroe County's history is important. \n"It means so much to me. I'm so glad to be part of something that means the preservation of artifacts, to tell Monroe County's history is so important," she said. "My family is from Monroe County, and to be part of something that tells our history is great."\nThe auction will be in the Deckard Education Room at the Monroe County History Center at 202 E. Sixth St. Food will be available for purchase. The doors open at 5 p.m., and the live auction starts at 6 p.m.
(02/08/06 4:34am)
Most of the country might look to Oprah's Book Club to choose their latest leisure read, but the Bloomington community has another option -- One Book, One Bloomington and Beyond.\nFive years ago, Bloomington adopted the program, similar to other cities' programs nationwide, to get its citizens to read. This year, community members were able to vote on six book nominees at Bloomington bookstores and libraries, and they've selected "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald as the community's book of the year.\nNancy Krueger, a member of the One Book, One Bloomington and Beyond committee, said the program is designed as an opportunity for Bloomington residents to read a book each year and discuss it as a group.\n"The Great Gatsby" is a mythological American tale of the lives of the rich and greedy on Long Island in the 1920s. The novel, which takes place in the Jazz Age, is Fitzgerald's third book, and arguably his most famous.\n"It's a quick read; a book that, at a first glance, can seem simplistic," Krueger said. "It is one of the best American novels."\nMost students have read the book in high school or college, but the choice of this year's novel will allow people to revisit old literature.\n"I've found that when I reread things as an adult, it has been such a long time that you see different things than when you were in high school or college," Krueger said.\nMichael Simmons, the chair member of the One Book, One Bloomington and Beyond steering committee, said the community book discussions will allow citizens to have deep and interesting conversations with people whom they usually would not get to talk.\n"I would like for (the community) to engage with the author's dialogue, the issues that he raises -- hope and greed and love and the American dream -- and apply some of the insights that they get from the novel to contemporary American life," Simmons said.\nJoie Canada, the owner of Howard's Bookstore, 111 W. Kirkwood Ave., said she thinks Bloomington's choice of the classic American tale is excellent. \n"It encourages people to discuss books that are not just the latest best seller," she said. "People will talk about 'The DaVinci Code' till hell freezes over. 'The Great Gatsby' is a much better book. It has withstood the test of time."\nThroughout the year there will be different community events for people who want to discuss the book. For more information, visit One Book, One Bloomington and Beyond's Web site, www.artlives.org/obob06.html.
(09/16/05 4:41am)
Seven articles. Forty signatures. Twenty-seven Amendments. One Constitution.\nForty-three presidents later, on Dec. 8, 2004, George W. Bush signed into public law Constitution Day as Sept. 17. The purpose of Constitution Day, according to www.constitutionday.com, is to "perpetuate the Constitution to each succeeding generation ... to educate each generation the uniqueness and brilliance of our Constitution."\nRussell Hanson, an IU political science professor, said it is not clear to him why Congress needed to mandate a day, adding that the majority of the population doesn't even associate with the Constitution. On Sept. 17, 1787, delegates agreed to put a Constitutional proposal forward, but it wasn't until Dec. 15, 1791, that the Constitution and Bill of Rights was ratified by all 13 states and approved by Congress.\nHanson alluded to the fact that Congress hasn't mandated us to celebrate Independence Day.\nSome students have no idea what Constitution Day is or that it was being celebrated in observance today, mainly because the day falls on a Saturday this year. Others others expressed interest in the idea of a Constitution Day.\n"One should want to celebrate our Constitution," said Joe Lee, a junior political science major. "It's what separates us from the rest of the world." \nIn addition to IU students, Nicholas Sommers, a U.S. Army soldier stationed in South Korea, feels Bush has bigger things to worry about.\n"He needs to put his priorities in order and concentrate on the bigger picture -- and not some little Constitution Day," Sommers said.\nBrandon Fisher, a political science major, sees the importance in having a day dedicated to the Constitution.\n"I don't think people understand the purpose of the Constitution," Fisher said. "By dedicating a day to it, people will come to understand the meaning in the first place." \nIU will hold two events for Constitution Day. \nFive scholars from IU, the Georgetown University Law Center and Foreign Policy in Focus will present a town hall meeting 12 :30 p.m. Friday at the Whittenberger Auditorium, titled "The United States Constitution as a Model for Others."\nThe IU School of Education, in partnership with area high schools, will hold a Constitutional forum in the W.W. Wright Builiding Saturday.\n"Congress requires us to celebrate the day it was proposed to establish a national government with unprecedented power, unlimited by a Bill of Rights, and heavily insulated from popular control," Hanson said. "I prefer to celebrate today's Constitution, with amendments guaranteeing fundamental liberties to all, broad voting rights, an elected Senate, and a president who is ultimately accountable to the people. We should celebrate these improvements, and follow the example of those extraordinary majorities of American people who have, from time to time, altered the Constitution of Sept. 17, 1781, to better secure their safety and happiness. That's the best way to honor the Founders, and preserve our system of government"
(08/29/05 5:44am)
Upon receiving a Fulbright-Hays grant, one of the most prestigious awards in the world, Angela Martin will now be able to pursue a career in anthropology after completing a year of dissertation research in Zambia. \nShe will live in a tent in a remote village studying the migration and cooperative behavior of co-wives as it pertains to agricultural development. After her field work is finished, she will return to IU to analyze her data and write her dissertation.\nThe prestigious award was given to 19 graduate students at IU. They were awarded this year with either the Institute of International Education Fulbright grant or the Fulbright-Hays grant. \nThe J. William Fulbright Program was established to provide grants to students at the graduate, masters and doctoral level. The award was established in 1946 and has awarded about 255,000 grants, according to the U.S. State Department's Web site. \nSix more IU students received grants compared to last year. \nRose Vondrasek, Office of International Programs program associate and student Fulbright program adviser, said the pool of applicants changes every year. IU doesn't always know how many grants it will receive. \nMartin, one of eight IU students who was awarded the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Grant, said she was ecstatic upon hearing she received the grant. She said her research would have been delayed for a year had she not received it. \n"It was the best news I could have hoped for," Martin said. "Receiving the Fulbright-Hays has allowed me to pursue a career in anthropology and experience things most people never have a chance to." \nThe Fulbright-Hays grant is given to support dissertation research in modern foreign languages and area studies in non-Western European countries. About 400 students apply nationwide and about 140 to 150 grants are given each year with amounts up to $60,000. \nGrants at IU ranged from $17,000 to $43,000, according to a press release. \nMelissa Schnyder, who studies political science, has been granted the Institute of International Education Fulbright Grant. Her award money can go to teach in certain fields or to further their studies and conduct research to obtain professional training toward their degrees. \nSchnyder will be in Brussels, Belgium, interviewing civil servants who work at the European Union, along with representatives, migrants and refugees. \nAbout 4,500 people apply nationwide and 1,100 are given the grants. Vondrasek said the number of Bloomington recipients proves IU's academic excellence.\n"I think that IU has had an excellent reputation in research and has for decades," Vondrasek said. \n"They continue to have a high number of recipients, which reflects the high quality of the student body, faculty and academic programs," she added.
(04/19/05 4:38am)
Hip-hop star Talib Kweli usually communicates to the public through staged lyrical messages like: \nIn my soul, and my goals\nJust to stop smokin', and stop drinkin'\nAnd I've been thinkin' -- I've got my reasonsJust to get by, just to get by.\nBut Sunday, Kweli spoke to a Hoosier audience from behind a podium microphone.\nAbout 200 Bloomington community members came to the Bloomington Convention Center to support and celebrate the IU chapter of the NAACP at the First Annual Freedom Fund Banquet Sunday evening. \nMembers were elegantly dressed for the occasion to celebrate diversity, honor two IU students and an IU faculty member for their help of starting what some in the community hope to be a lasting chapter of the NAACP on campus. \nPeople have tried to start chapters of the NAACP but they have never fully kicked off, said Karma Calhoun, president of the IU chapter of the NAACP. The banquet is the beginning of a new chapter for the NAACP at IU. \n"I'm really, really proud to see what we've done in such a short amount of time," Calhoun said. "We really just got reestablished at the beginning of the school year. There were four of us starting off, and now we have 25 members. I am very, very proud to see what we've done so far -- it's really impressive." \nThe intimate session with the critically acclaimed recording artist brought out members of the Hip Hop Congress, fans of all nationalities and age groups.\n"We use hip-hop to get involved with the community, like we'll have an emcee battle or help support an event like this," said Aaron Berkowitz, president of the IU Hip Hop Congress. "Basically (hip-hop) is a way to utilize a culture that was created mostly on positivity and pushing forward." \nThe banquet began with student speaker junior Derren Chapman introducing the chapter and celebration. Sophomore Stephani Parker sang the NAACP anthem, and Dr. James Mumford, director of the IU African American Choral Ensemble, gave a pre-dinner prayer. \nKweli spoke for an hour after dinner, about his life and his music.\n"I was really excited to hear that he was speaking, I mean, everybody gets the chance to hear him play," said senior Andrew Kienle. "You pay $35 to go to a show but you're not seeing that intellectual speak, you can see interviews on MTV but this is personal -- for $12 you really can't pass it up."\nCharlie Nelms, vice president for IU institutional development and student affairs, received the faculty award for someone who has promoted diversity throughout the campus. The audience seemed to appreciate his acceptance speech, as exemplified by sounds of rabid applause and positive affirmations like "Amen."\n"I'm certain that this will be the best student chapter NAACP branch in the country," Nelms said. "We're gonna work to make it that."\nHe spoke of four things that he thinks will be needed to make the campus chapter the best NAACP chapter of all. \n"Make a commitment to excellence ... Become a member of the NAACP ... Be politically literate ... and the last thing I challenge all of you to do is to be a change agent," Nelms said. "As you become more politically literate, you will become more politically active and finally become a change agent. All you need is the determination and the commitment to do just that."\nCalhoun said she was very pleased with the success of the banquet and that she hopes membership will increase. \n"We want a strong prevalence of NAACP on campus, to build our name," she said. \nKweli spoke about diversity and change. After telling his life story, members of the crowd asked questions about his life, music and the future of hip-hop culture -- especially its worldwide influence. \n"Knowledge is what keeps you alive," Kweli said.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Christine Lunde at clunde@indiana.edu.
(02/07/05 4:44am)
Lillian Casillas welcomes people into La Casa, or "the house" in Spanish, as though it is a home.\nEvery academic year, about 8,000 people step foot into Casillas' "house," but only about 800 Hispanic students attend IU, making it a home not just for students of Hispanic background, but also for people interested in the culture.\nFreshman and Spanish major Carrie Biddle started traveling to Posoltega, Nicaragua when she was 14 through IU's Sister Cities program. She brought back photos of her last trip to share in an exhibit Wednesday night with the IU community at La Casa, 715 E. Seventh St.\nThe Nicaraguan exhibit will be on display this spring along with poems by the late Nicaguan poet Ruben Dario. Casillas, La Casa director, said she hopes this exhibit will bring more students into the organization and promote cultural awareness.\n"I think it can be very scary ... coming in here if you're not Latino," she said. "Or I have a lot of Latinos who don't come because they assume they have to speak Spanish, and so we try to make sure they feel comfortable."\nPosoltega has a mission to "promote peace through mutual respect, understanding and cooperation -- one individual, one community at a time," according to its Web site, www.sister-cities.org. \nThough Biddle is not Hispanic, she took an interest in the culture and became involved with the Sister City program. Casillas said she hopes to see this interest evolve in more students.\nWhile Biddle was a senior at Harmony School, 909 E. Second St., Biddle said she decided to travel to Nicaragua for a senior project. She was in Mexico and Nicaragua last April, studying and helping the people there. Even in high school, Biddle was involved with La Casa, and before Biddle left for the project, Casillas told her to take lots of photos so she might be able to have an exhibit at La Casa once Biddle became an IU student.\nCasillas and Biddle decided the exhibit would be a good way to draw people into La Casa this semester.\nBiddle said the photos are meant to represent the people and mainly the children in Posoltega. By bringing Posoltega to La Casa, Biddle said she hopes visitors will think about helping out the city's children. \n"I would like people to spark an interest (in Nicaragua)," Biddle said. "(I want) to get a group based from La Casa of students of different majors and different years to go to Posoltega, and do some kind of work, but basically to reconnect the University." \nSophomore Adrienne Garcia, who works at La Casa and helped with the exhibit, said the poetry is meant to bring more of the Nicaraguan culture into La Casa, but the photos are the main feature.\n"I went down there and I tried to capture everyday life," Biddle said. "More than just scenery, to see how people live -- see it from their eyes."\nThe Sister Cities program has sent people from Bloomington to Posoltega to help with the "Comedor Infantile" program, which provides 150 children one meal per day, five days a week. Garcia said often that meal is the only meal they get. \nLa Casa has held three different exhibits featuring work by students who have traveled to different Hispanic countries each semester, Casillas said.\n"It gives students a chance to go outside their comfort zone, coming into La Casa," Casillas said. "It's an opportunity to broaden horizons."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Christine Lunde at clunde@indiana.edu.
(01/24/05 4:56am)
Silver star balloons, glowing candles, glitter, pictures and play brochures adorned an upstairs room at the John Waldron Arts Center Saturday evening for the Bloomington Playwrights Project's 25th birthday party. \nThe guests began to filter in for the cocktail hour about 6:15 p.m.\n"It's amazing to have a whole group of people who are dedicated to theater; it's just wonderful," said Sonja Johnson, development director of the Bloomington Playwrights Project. \nFor the guests gathered in the elegantly decorated and beautifully catered room, it was a time to share in the excitement of a passion that created the BPP. The love of theater founded the Bloomington Playwrights Project and the passion for original play production has kept it in business for the past 25 years.\n"Writing is my life and has been since my childhood," said Russ Bridenbaugh, a Bloomington resident and playwright. "I like the ability to take nothing and then make an entire world or story -- that is very rewarding for me."\nBridenbaugh had three one-act plays produced in the early '80s through the BPP. \nBPP founder and playwright Jim Leonard and his wife traveled from New York to Bloomington for the Silver Season Gala. Both IU alumni, the couple were moved to be in Bloomington again. \n"We had no idea it would survive," Leonard said of the BPP. \nAt 8:15 p.m. Richard Perez began a series of remarks about the BPP. Perez spoke about his feelings for the BPP, \n"... Theater is about so much more than putting on a play, it's a place where we can come to learn more about ourselves and each other," Perez said. "It's a place to commune."\nFounders Tom Moseman and Leonard, past playwright Jim Poyner, past Artistic Director John Kinzer, who currently serves as director of audience development of the IU Theatre and Drama Department, and Education Director Breshaun Joyner also spoke. Pieces of past plays were performed between speeches. There was laughter and tears, and standing ovations for those who truly have made a difference in the theater community. \nGuests danced to music and enjoyed sliced beef tenderloin, lime-flavored chicken skewers and shrimp cocktail. There were speeches, and a silent auction before patrons entered the main room. Johnson said the idea was to have a "Bloomington feel" to the party. Many people traveled a great distance for the event. Director and founder Moseman, who came from Los Angeles, said he was most moved by the success of the BPP. \n"It's really absolutely most incredibly wonderful to be here tonight, I don't think many of you can understand what this means to me," Moseman said. \nHe continued to discuss his feelings toward theater and the start of the BPP. \n"It's not about the money ... it is about the community." Leonard said. "Theater is about people ... plays are about people, about ideas that grow." \nAnd his and Leonard's idea did grow, for 25 years, and will continue to with the birth of new, original theater.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Christine Lunde at clunde@indiana.edu.
(01/21/05 3:59am)
Twenty-five years ago, two young men created a venue for the arts, a safe place where they could perfect their craft and showcase their work. Saturday, these two men will be returning to Bloomington for the Silver Season Gala to celebrate 25 years of successful new works. \nPlaywright Jim Leonard, Jr. and director Tom Moseman started the not-for-profit Bloomington Playwrights Project in 1980, which has prospered, helping many artists and adding to the diversity of the Bloomington community. \nThroughout the years, the BPP has remained dedicated to the advancement of original plays and theater. \nThe BPP has a company of artists, while writers, directors and technology aficionados also belong to the organization, said Sonja Johnson, BPP development director.\nThe Gala will be held from 6 p.m. to midnight at the John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St. The evening will start with a cocktail hour until 7 p.m. when there will be a tapas buffet offered. Six speakers will represent different aspects of the BPP beginning at 7:30 p.m. Selections of work the BPP has put on in the last few years will provide entertainment until the music and dancing which will last until midnight. \nA silent auction will also be held featuring theater tickets, original art, an afghan from Textillery Weavers, ceramics, fine wine and an autographed copy of Parkers Wine Buyer's Guide. \nJohnson said he expects 150 people to attend the gala. So far the BPP has sold about 110 tickets. This is the first of six events to celebrate the community-based theater's 25th anniversary. \nThe Gala is meant to bring together people who have been in the BPP for years, said Johnson. \n"Not many theaters last this long," Johnson said, "(It's) pretty exceptional to have done that."\nThomas Shafer, a member of the Board of Directors at the BPP and the committee chair for the 25th Anniversary said it should be a great "birthday party." \n"We'll enjoy great food and drink and catch up with old friends and meet and make new ones," Shafer said. \nArtistic Director Richard Perez said he believes the BPP will see many more anniversaries. \n"It's one of those milestone events that confirms we'll be here for awhile." Perez said. "It affirms the work we do."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Christine Lunde at clunde@indiana.edu.
(01/20/05 6:32pm)
This summer, yellow plastic bracelets swept the country as not only a new fad, but a symbol of support for cancer patients across the world. \nThis semester, T.I.S. College Bookstore and the people of South-Central Indiana Big Brothers Big Sisters hope that red plastic bracelets with the inscription "TRADITION" will become the new fashion for the IU-Bloomington community.\nT.I.S. did a similar campaign to the "Livestrong" bracelets to help raise funds for the University of Illinois libraries. Liz Grenat, the executive director of the local Big Brothers Big Sisters said T.I.S. came to her organization in early December and asked if they could put together a fund-raiser.\n"T.I.S. has been a wonderful corporate partner for Big Brothers Big Sisters," Grenat said.\nThe red wristbands are a new way to support local children and sport Hoosier pride. One dollar from every sold wristband will go toward Big Brothers Big Sisters of South-Central Indiana. \nBeth Theile, who works in marketing at the T.I.S. Corporation, said that almost 3,000 bracelets have been sold. Ten thousand bracelets have been manufactured, and the organization hopes to sell all of them. If all are sold, $10,000 will go to Big Brothers Big Sisters. \n"The money will go into general funding, to support screening and other preparation for volunteers," Grenat saod. "The money will be utilized throughout all our programs."\nThe wristbands can be purchased at T.I.S. College Bookstore on East Third Street, at The Indiana Shop in College Mall, and at www.tisbookiu.com. \nT.I.S. hopes to sell all of the wristbands by the time the "Bowl For Kids Sake" benefit takes place in late February and early March, Theile said. The monetary award will all be presented at once. \n"I think it's a great idea," said Andrea Smith, who volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters. "It's really cool that we can have our own, really neat fundraiser using this popular trend."\nGraduate student Smith became involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters in Bloomington in the fall of 2003. She has been mentoring a 12-year-old girl for about 15 months. \n"In the past 15 months she went from failing school to now she has A's, B's and C's," Smith said. "She's doing great, she has increased confidence, and has set goals for herself."\nShe also emphasized how much the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization helps the community as a whole. \n"It's been really cool to see so many people in the community working to see one child succeed," Smith said. "It's remarkable."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Christine Lunde at clunde@indiana.edu
(12/06/04 4:24am)
Nine downtown galleries opened their doors to the public Friday night in celebration of the visual arts and the last Downtown Gallery Walk for 2004, Though it was just another walk for some, for others it marked a milestone. \n"I'm really nervous," said Tom Woodson, resident of Muncie. The Holiday Art Gallery Walk was his first show. His acrylic-based art featured vibrant colors of familiar landscape scenes in Indiana.\nAngel Mercado, the other featured artist at TOP Gallery, paints with Woodson once or twice a week. He said he likes to paint in the early morning or evenings. \n"When the sun is close to the horizon you see the most vivid colors," Mercado said. He started painting in 1996 when he took his first oil painting class. \nAt each art venue the atmosphere was unique; the change provided interest as viewers walked from gallery to gallery on the crisp December evening. From the ritzy feel of TOP Gallery, to the friendly, party feel of The Wandering Turtle Art Gallery, the evening brought much commodity, as well as laughter from friends conversing and onlookers meeting the artists. \nAt Gallery West Espresso, the colorful balloons welcomed visitors to a quaint white house featuring the calligraphy of Ms. Su-min Chen and the artwork of Angela Brown. \nMs. Su-min Chen's high school classmate, Jenny Min-ching Yang, a Bloomington resident, was there to represent the Taiwanese artist. Yang said her friend is turning traditional calligraphy into modern work. She uses layered rice paper and each layer turns out differently creating a unique effect. Yang said the words on the art relate to Buddhism.\nAt Gallery West Espresso Jenny Min-ching Yang's husband played an erhu, a two-stringed traditional Chinese violin. The seafood dip and wine added to the unique feel of Gallery West Espresso. Brown, a poet and schoolteacher, had works featured in another room. In one of her pieces she used the wings of a cicada, and attached them to an iridescent heart, giving the piece a touch of Indiana.\nTwo friends, Jacki Frey and Paul Lightfoot, were two of the founding members of Gallery North and have helped each other throughout their careers. The duo had their showing upstairs at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. It was the first year Frey painted full time. Her technique for her watercolor paintings is layering the wash. She let the colors flow onto the paper and then takes a subject matter and arranges it appropriately.\n"It is not abstract really -- more experimental," Frey said. \nLightfoot said it takes about two weeks to produce one of his photographs. The colorful photography is of old machinery, he said.\n"I like to find old machinery that is rusting and deteriorating," Lightfoot said. He said Third Street and the 45/46 Bypass is a favorite place to go. Lightfoot has done over 50 shows, but he said this event stood out. \n"I believe this is my best show yet," he said.\nEach gallery had their own way of hosting the visitors. At Fossil Rain, the deep sky astrophotography of photographer Scott Johnson was featured, and the pottery of his studio partner Kris Busch was featured. \nAt The John Waldron Arts Center, featured photographer H. Joseph Gore gave a half an hour talk on his tribal photographs. \nAt Wandering Turtle Art Gallery, The Great Inbetween played low-key jazz music while people wandered through the gallery. \n"I like the Holiday Art Show the best because every year I do a group show and the dynamic of the group is really neat," owner Jaime Sweany said. \nArtist Michael Redman made a "Tree of Gifts," where you write a wish on a piece of paper and put it in a box, then cut a gift from the tree and keep the gift until March 20, putting the gift in a place where you can see it every few days.\n"It's not about the wish," Redman said, "and will it come true, but rather, why did I make that wish and what does that wish mean to me?"\nAt Wandering Turtle Art Gallery many wishes were made and art was admired. \n-- Contact staff writer Christine Lunde at clunde@indiana.edu
(12/03/04 4:47am)
Nine art galleries will celebrate the visual arts during the annual Holiday Downtown Art Gallery Walk this evening. The walk will showcase local and regional artwork from galleries within walking distance of each other. The gallery walk takes place four times each year, and this will be the last Downtown Gallery Art Walk for 2004. \nMiah Michaelson, the gallery director for the John Waldron Arts Center, one of the participating galleries, said the walk encourages people to come out and meet the artists. \n"We expect several hundred people," she said. \nThe John Waldron Arts Center will be showcasing hand-crafted gifts from more than 50 local and regional artists in the Rosemary P. Miller Gallery. All gifts will be on sale, including holiday ornaments, greeting cards, jewelry, ceramics, textiles, photography, blown glass, books and framed art. The sale at the John Waldron Arts Center began Nov. 19 and will run until Dec. 23. \nUpstairs in the Flashlight Gallery, photographs from native Hoosier H. Joseph Gore will be on display. The exhibit will features photographs from Gore's travels of the Native American rock art in the Southwest. As a part of the gallery walk event Gore will do a gallery talk and slide presentation at 5 p.m. in the large classroom of the John Waldron Arts Center. Gore will discuss his photography, the process involved, and the landscape and culture of the Southwest. The talk will include a question-and-answer session. \nThe By Hand Gallery -- a cooperative art gallery owned by eight local artists in the Fountain Square Mall -- will also be included on the gallery walk. Located at 109 Fountain Square Mall, 101 W. Kirkwood Ave., the gallery will be celebrating 25 years, and will feature local and national artists. The artwork at By Hand will include jewelry, pottery, weaving, woodwork, blown glass, watercolors and prints. The gallery will also feature works from "flashy painter" Rick Hohimer, Ted Stahly's wood creations, and framed and matted photos from Randall Shedd. \n"This is not a big sales event," said Richard Hatch, a sales representative at By Hand. "It is an artistic endeavor to help local artists become known."\nMusical artists are also included in the walk and can be seen at The Wandering Turtle Art Gallery at 224 N. College Ave. The Wandering Turtle will present a multimedia, multi-artist celebration of the Winter Solstice titled "The Longest Night & the Rebirth of Hope." Music for the celebration will be provided by The Great Inbetween. Along with live music, the gallery will hold a group show of 14 artists.\nAlong with painting and music, the downtown gallery walk will also have a holiday jewelry show. The jewelry will range from metal and titanium to pearls and bead work. The show presented by The Gallery North, located at 116 W. Sixth St., will display jewelry by local artists Arturo Rodriguez and Tanya Tegmeyer from Indianapolis. Rodriguez who was born in Lima, Peru, works with fine metals, gemstones and other metals and materials. Tegmeyer works with beads and has had work published in the book "500 Beaded Objects." Other jewelry makers will include Lona Northener, Sharon Major, Kristi Carson, Kathy Lum, Linda Drescher, Marsha Hilgeford, F.C. Drew Design, Andrea Jackson and Gonca Ruscitto. The display will run until Dec. 31. \nThe walk begins at 5 p.m. and runs until 7:30 p.m. The galleries will have snacks and beverages for visitors and is free to the public. For more information about the Downtown Gallery Art Walk, contact the Bloomington Area Arts Council at 334-3100.\n-- Contact staff writer Christine Lunde at clunde@indiana.edu.
(10/19/04 6:16am)
The feel of autumn is everywhere. Sudden coolness has swept the air, the leaves are now changing to shades of yellow and copper, and the students are pulling out their fleece sweatshirts from the bottom of their closets. \nSophomore Robyn Jordan, who is from San Diego, has enjoyed the changing seasons in Bloomington.\n"I came to Indiana because I wanted a change of weather, and besides the rain, I think that fall is a great season," she said. "(It's) full of color and change. I love it." \nThis past week the trees have changed significantly adding to the beauty of campus. Around Ballantine Hall leaves have begun to fall, and as students walk from class to class, the crunch can be clearly heard.\nJunior Kelli Gaston said she likes walking through Dunn Meadow during the fall. \n"I like the fall best because it's not too cold and not too hot," she said. "It's pretty around this time."\nNow that autumn has arrived, some students choose to stay indoors and avoid the cool breezes, but this temperate weather is unique in Bloomington and the surrounding counties. \nTosha Daugherty, spokeswoman for the Bloomington Visitors Bureau, said fall is great chance for visitors and Bloomington residents to enjoy the beauty of this area. \nDaugherty recommended visiting Dillman Farms, 4955 W. State Road 45, to taste homemade jams and to try the newly added frozen custard and fudge. She also recommended driving to Freeman Family Farms, 6220 S. Victor Pike, to pick a pumpkin or walk through the corn maze, which is open until dark. \nAnother prime fall spot in Bloomington is Musgrave Orchard on North Old State Road 37, which has received Indiana's Best Cider award. It is open 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.\nAllie Rattet, a sophomore from Westlake Village, Calif., is especially fond of the changing leaves. In Southern California, the leaves don't change, so it was quite a shock for her when fall came last year. Rattet said she walked through campus and took three rolls worth of pictures last fall.\n"No one really appreciates the leaves because they're so used to (them changing)," she said. "When they're with me, they learn to appreciate it." \nOn campus, the IU Physical Plant staff began to prepare for fall last week with leaf removal, said Michael Schrader, assistant manager of campus division. By Thanksgiving, the staff will have the grass areas cleaned of leaves. \nThey are also finishing planting chrysanthemums. The planting started at the end of August in order to make the campus and Homecoming parade route look its best, and the mums should be in full bloom by then.\n"For Homecoming, we try to have the campus look as nice as possible," Schrader said.\nFreshman Madeleine Alexeeva from Minnesota has enjoyed fall at IU so far. \n"In Minnesota, the fall is drawn out, here the fall just happens and takes you by surprise. It's really beautiful," she said. \nMonday, she picked up a "fire-red" leaf to save as a memory from her first fall at IU.\n"The leaves are so beautiful, I don't know how to describe it," Rattet said. "It makes IU a place I want to be."\n-- Contact staff writer Christine Lunde at clunde@indiana.edu.
(10/08/04 6:22am)
Everyone has a particular medium that gets the person through life -- whether it's jamming out to a theme song, bingeing on a favorite food or simply having a cold one on a Thursday night.\nSenior Christy McGovern, one of only two art therapy majors at IU, finds her medium through art. She has combined her love for helping people, a trait she got from her father, and her artistic talents from her mother -- and has made them into her own major.\nMcGovern said she was riding her lawn mower and contemplating her future when it hit her. She could go into art therapy -- the practice of using art as a form of communication -- to help people. \nAmanda Flynn, also a senior and the only other art therapy major at IU, found out about art therapy while in the lunch line at the Collins Living Learning Center. She had been taking a lot of fine arts and psychology classes, and after talking to Karen Pollock, an art therapist formerly from Bloomington, she decided art therapy would be a good combination of her interests. \nFlynn has worked with autistic kids since she was 13 in Brown County, and credits it with giving her a passion to help people. She specifically recalls a particular boy who calmed when pinching and molding clay saying that it helped his sensory needs. \nArt therapy has been recognized as a distinct profession since the 1930s but is not yet well known, according to the Art Therapy Credentials Board's Web site. It is an important method therapists use to communicate with their patients, McGovern said. \nOften, people who do not feel comfortable speaking can use art as a medium to portray their feelings. Therapists, in turn, can assess and better treat the patient after reviewing the art. \nMcGovern said children find an alternative form of communication through art therapy. \n"(It) gives them a voice to express what goes on inside of them, which enables someone to help them," she said. \nAlthough art therapy is not offered as a major at IU, McGovern and Flynn have devised programs through the Individualized Major Program to obtain their degrees. Tim Mather, associate professor of art and Flynn's advisor through the IMP, said that they have designed a curriculum to prepare Flynn to go onto graduate school as if the major were offered at IU. \n"People who get into the IMP have to have a good dose of ambition and self direction ... they can end up doing pretty well," Mather said.\nOnce Flynn and McGovern graduate, they will begin graduate studies and get more than 1,000 hours of direct client contact and 100 hours of supervised contact. \nArt therapists most often work as part of a team consisting of physicians, psychologists and social workers, among others, according to the ATCB. The work environment can vary from a private office, to schools or hospital rooms. \nFlynn and McGovern both wish IU offered classes that dealt solely with art therapy. Even an "Art Therapy 101" informing students that it is a profession would help awareness, Flynn said. \nAlthough both seniors are majoring in the same field, they plan to use the therapy in different ways. Flynn hopes to open a private practice for youth after working with different populations. She would like to specialize with people under 21 who have autism. \n"I really want to be able to help people, genuinely help people," she said. "Things don't work on everyone but if I can impact someone, that could be momentous in their life."\nMcGovern hopes to use the treatment to help young women overcome eating disorders. Eventually, she hopes to make the process of creating art not always about the finished product, but also about the experience gained in the making. McGovern would ultimately like to provide people with a better self-awareness.\nThough IU does not offer a specific art therapy program, other universities such as the University of Louisville and Nazareth College are beginning to recognize the major as a growing occupation and are instituting degrees for art therapy.\nFor more information about art therapy as an occupation, visit www.arttherapy.org .\n-- Contact staff writer Christine Lunde at clunde@indiana.edu .
(10/08/04 6:22am)
When Dan Anthon decided to change his life and get a second undergraduate degree at age 30, he never imagined how successful he would be today. \nAnthon, a certified and licensed art therapist in Evanston, Ill., discovered his skills and abilities by taking an online assessment test. The test results said he had an innate ability in art and design, so he went back to school to pursue a career in the field. During his art courses he heard about art therapy and had a gut reaction to it. \nAnthon decided to become an art therapist to use his natural skills and to practice a marketable and successful job. After spending 2 1/2 years working in a hospital as a manager of an expressive therapy department, he was laid off because of new management and budgetary issues. Distraught, Anthon decided to take a chance at starting his own practice. \nNow, eight years later, Anthon is a well-established art therapist in the Chicago area working with all different populations. \nIn his Evanston studio, he works with patients ranging from children to adults and sometimes couples and families. He does not want the therapy to be about the cause of pain but about finding a new strategy or a new way to approach life.\n"What I'm trying to do here is help them discover what they need to do ... I try to figure out a way to get at what's going (on) inside the person and help them get it out," he said.\nAnthon also conducts art therapy sessions for children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease at the Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. \nLeigh Ann Erickson, the executive director of the Indiana chapter of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis, said the foundation holds art therapy sessions at Riley for children ages six to 18 with IBD. There are three sessions held each year with Anthon.\nThe disease itself is very debilitating and children often miss a lot of key socialization, Anthon said. Anthon says the children can get out "rather complicated" things in images during the two-hour therapy session. Although the therapy sessions are held only three times per year, Anthon says it has greatly helped the children. \nThe children feel more comfortable in the company of others who also have their same disease, he said. Anthon, who acts as their ambassador during the sessions, said he can be an adult but also likes to relate to the children. The groups have not been larger than seven or eight children but are still effective, he said. \nThe artwork produced by the children has evolved into awards given to volunteers of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, Erickson said. The Foundation has also highlighted some of the artwork at the annual gala event where the pieces were sold to raise money for the CCFA. \n"The kids seem pleased that their artwork is being used to benefit CCFA and its supporters," Erickson said. \nAnthon is most effective in his practice because he can communicate with his patients, whether it is verbally or expressively. \n"You can misinterpret communication but it gives you clues ... Art is the same way, it comes from a human being, the natural assumption is that the artwork is going to be an expression of the person." \nDan Anthon can be reached at danthon1@sbcglobal.net.\n-- Contact staff writer Christine Lunde at clunde@indiana.edu.