Black out, drop out
A recent study about Indiana University suggests our school prioritizes social life over academic success.
6 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
A recent study about Indiana University suggests our school prioritizes social life over academic success.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After a six-year hiatus following a brief hospitalization, Chan Marshall is back and better than ever. Cat Power’s past work largely delivered heavy vocals and despondent lyrics that could spiral an optimist down a path of heartbreak, to come out the other side suffering from the heaviest depression. Marshall could read the phone book and leave listeners bawling before even reaching the Bs. With an emotional voice and lyrics full of affliction, Marshall performs with her usual passion on “Sun.” This time, a combination of instruments juxtaposed with speakeasy vocals makes this album fit for more than tough times. Songs such as “Manhattan” and “Sun” are built on a rhythmic experimental sound. “Silent Machine” delivers repetition and electronic beats unexpected from Marshall. The honest and raw lyrics that popularized Cat Power still appear on “Sun,” but the layers of instruments accompanying Marshall’s compelling voice are a welcome refinement. By Emma Grdina
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Squeaky elevator doors opened to reveal the second floor of the School of Fine Arts. Handcrafted metal jewelry was displayed inside glass cases that framed the hallway. Campaign posters and invites to various media shows were splashed intermittently across the tan walls. In one of the very last studios, the five senior graphic design students worked meticulously to add final touches to their thesis projects. ¶ Each of the pieces are a semester’s worth of research and work. The thesis project has loomed in the back of the students’ minds since their acceptance into the program. This is the first time all five designers will display their work in one place. ¶ “We’ve all been going through this together,” said senior designer Cristina Vanko, who also works for the Indiana Daily Student. “We’re going to see the end product together.” ¶ Their work will be on display Dec. 6 to 10 with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday in the Grunwald Gallery of Art. ¶ Senior Ross Frazier’s project “Buried” explores eight burial rituals of four different cultures. The eight rituals are broken down by one of the four elements of nature: wind, air, fire and earth. Frazier created four fictional personas to embody the practices, displayed on 6-foot-high panels. ¶ “It’s a little taboo,” Frazier said. “And that’s kind of one of the things I was aiming for, to kind of deal with those subjects and not in an emotional ‘let’s cry about it’ kind of way.” ¶ Although their major falls under the Fine Arts umbrella, the five designers stressed the power of graphic design to convey information versus emotions. The Professional Association for Design defines graphic design as a creative process that combines art and technology to communicate ideas. ¶ “I’m a designer because I’m not necessarily a fine arts-oriented person,” senior artist Karen Radewald said. “I am really more interested in the communicative power of design. So, that’s something I really wanted to emphasize with this.” ¶ Radewald created three 9-foot panels that she said explore the standstill between oceanic discovery and oceanic destruction. The size is meant to submerse the audience in an aquarium-like setting. ¶ “Everyone’s projects are on a scale that I don’t really think has been explored before in our program,” Radewald said. “All of our projects are huge in size compared to size in projects of past semesters, so it’s kind of exciting to see them allso big in the gallery.” Each of the designers were encouraged to choose a topic they felt strongly about because the project’s work lasted the whole semester. Not only were they presenting the findings textually, but also visually. Senior designer Allison Tylek, who also works for the IDS, combined her graphic design major and psychology minor in a piece titled “The Creative Complex.” She created a total of 10 panels with information and graphics both handmade and computer-generated. The project compiles research about the effects sleep and stress have on creative thinking and how creativity evolves throughout a lifespan, among other brain processes and their relationship to creativity. “Going into this, I started out saying I just wanted to do a piece trying to define what creativity was,” Tylek said. “During my research phase, I came into a lot of problems because there hasn’t been a lot of research into this topic. It’s really hard to define what creativity is because it changes from perspective to perspective.” For Vanko, creativity is returning to the roots of instruction, specifically with handwriting. This past summer, Vanko’s “Sans Cursive” campaign for cursive instruction was born. Forty-five states have removed mandatory cursive instruction from their curriculum. When waiting for a bus during her internship, Vanko met a man who was illiterate. She said she began to wonder if our history will soon be indecipherable to children in the future, much like the fate of hieroglyphics. The severity of our nation’s adaptation to technology and the trend of teaching keyboarding in schools came as a sad realization, Vanko said. “My little brother picked up a Gameboy and learned how to read playing Pokemon because he had to ask my dad, ‘What’s this say? How do I get to the next level?’” Vanko said. Her four black, red and white chalkboards highlight the benefits of cursive instruction she sees: to uncover history, express yourself, stimulate the brain and refine motor skills. Vanko also created a book that includes visuals of the chalkboards in addition to the history of cursive writing, the legislation removing cursive instruction and a handwriting test. At the exhibit’s end, audience members can send a postcard asking the National Governor’s Association to encourage teaching cursive handwriting.“It’s not only a chalkboard,” Vanko said. “It’s a different way to communicate.” Senior artist Meghan Frost said she always knew she wanted to create a project that would incorporate both her graphic design and business majors. The result? A mock annual report format broken down into the four Ps of marketing: price, promotion, product and place. “I was applying for these jobs, and I really wasn’t excited about the interviews or the companies or the position, and I found that it was really coming across in the interview,” Frost said. “I wanted to come up with a way to do this whole job search on your own and be excited about it.” Frost wanted her piece to work on both a large and a small scale, so she printed four posters of some of the graphics in the annual report. For Frost, conveying her concepts visually as opposed to textually was the hardest part.“A lot of design isn’t meant to be not necessarily showcased,” Frost said. “The best design you don’t even realize.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett will engage in an informal question and answer session from 6 to 7:30 p.m. today in the School of Fine Arts room 102, followed by a free boxed dinner.“It’s such a significant opportunity that he’s coming to SPEA that we want to ensure we ask him the right questions and that people’s questions are heard,” said Quentin Ball, Education Policy Student Association president in an email. Bennett came to IU last year to talk with SPEA Assistant Dean Doug Goldstein’s Liberal Arts and Management Program class about education policy. Goldstein said he was thrilled when Bennett agreed to address a larger group at an EDPOSA event funded by SPEA and IUSA Aid. “They’ve done a really good job of reaching out to education leaders across the state and having conversations with them,” Goldstein said. EDPOSA’s undergraduate liaison for the College of Arts and Sciences and senior Amanda Steinken realized how lucky she was to attend private schools. When she came to IU, she saw how unfortunate some are to not receive a good education, she said. Dr. Bennett does a good job of implementing policies but allowing enough flexibility for educators and policy makers to change what does not work, Goldstein said. “If this is something that interests you, there are professional opportunities waiting for you,” Goldstein said. “You don’t have to do it for forty years before you can get involved.”Anyone is welcome to attend the Q&A event. However, only EDPOSA members receive emails that include relevant education policy news articles, potential job openings and upcoming career panels, among other events. To join EDPOSA, email Ball at ballq@indiana.edu.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An English professor from Michigan, a stay-at-home mom from Indianapolis and a nurse from Fishers, Ind., all used to call Bloomington home. This weekend, former Marching Hundred members David Stokdyk and Leah Moebius Trigg and former Redstepper Terri Fancher will join their friends and fellow alumni on the Quarry Field during the IU Homecoming weekend.“I’m one of those every-year people,” Trigg said. “Next thing you know, you’re out of college, and then you’re back.”Trigg is also the Marching Hundred Alumni Band president. A former drum major and trumpet player, Stokdyk grew up hoping to go to IU. After four years as a Marching Hundred member, Stokdyk said he had no doubt he would join the Alumni Band. “It was just a really great excuse to go to Bloomington and see everyone,” Stokdyk said. “Being in the Hundred and representing the traditions gives you a stronger feeling of IU pride.”All three alumni voiced their love for IU and their anticipation of returning.“You kind of feel like you’re part of it for one weekend, and the current band looks at you and thinks, ‘There’s all the old people,’” Trigg said with a laugh. “And they think, ‘I’ll never be that old,’ but they will be.” Every fall, Fancher said she plans her vacation around Homecoming so she can join fellow Redstepper alumnae kicking on the sidelines and dancing a two-minute routine during the pre-game show. Performing at the game holds a new meaning to Fancher after winning an 11-year battle with cancer, she said. Fancher has returned for every Homecoming game since 1999. “It makes it even more special that I’ve been able to do this,” Fancher said. “When I stand on the sidelines, and the Marching Hundred starts playing, I get very tearful, especially when they play the alma mater.”Fancher is one of the first Redsteppers that joined shortly after the group’s inception in 1972. As a pioneer member, she helped pick the group’s current name, which is based off the red go-go boots the girls wore at the time. The only difference between now and then is Fancher’s flexibility. “I can still get my legs up to my shoulders, but now it’s not as high as it used to be,” she said.During Homecoming weekend, spectators can find some Marching Hundred Alumni Band members at the Friday parade. Because of the distance and travel, more alumni will play at the Homecoming game Saturday.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After its inception last year, The Education Policy Student Association, known as EDPOSA, will bring a total of 10 speakers to campus during the 2011-12 school year. “Our mission is to be a one-stop shop for anything around education policy,” faculty advisor Ashlyn Nelson said.EDPOSA was started by graduate and Ph.D. students within the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Besides sponsoring speakers, EDPOSA also sponsors education documentary screenings, conducts information sessions and distributes emails to members containing relevant readings. Bi-weekly, a brown bag lunch session promotes discussions about these articles.“We want to make sure we have things that are academic but we also want to make sure that we have things that are more popularized so that we bring more people in and get them interested in education topics,” said Quentin Ball, EDPOSA president and a master’s student.Nelson is also working to set up a colloquium series that would provide talks about education research or findings, in addition to an EDPOSA internship in which a student would work at the local level or with a non-profit organization.“EDPOSA acts like a spider’s web in connecting students to each other through discussions, events, resources, internship or job help and anything related to education policy,” Ball said. Third-year Ph.D. student and EDPOSA Secretary Maggie Remstad joined the association last spring. “Teachers really capture the essence of what teaching is really about — reaching students on a daily basis,” Ramsted said. “And I think that is something that is often absent or not at the forefront of policy maker’s minds.” EDPOSA’s events are open to everyone. Indiana Superintendent of Public Education Tony Bennett will come to answer questions Nov. 7 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., followed by an informal dinner. “I think that teachers need to realize that they have a voice in policy making processes and decisions,” Ramsted said. “They don’t just have to be the recipients of education policy.”