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(04/22/06 2:06am)
Even with tables filled with hundreds of tiny flickering tealights, there weren't enough candles for the number of people who wanted to light them, said Reverend Jimmy Moore, associate pastor of First United Methodist Church.\nWith only a few hours of notice, attendants at First United Methodist Church, 219 E. Fourth St., managed to fill every pew -- including the balcony seats -- for a service to remember the lives of five IU music students killed in a plane crash late Thursday night.\nMore than 500 friends, colleagues and congregation members paid tribute to Zack Novak, who was the church's director of the adult and children's choirs, along with fellow music students Chris Carducci, Garth Eppley, Georgina Joshi and Robert Samels.\n"In the face of the loss of such lovely lives, we are left with questions," Moore said. "Tonight, we will find few answers."\nIn the opening hymn, the church, filled with hundreds of talented vocalists, echoed melodiously, even up to the highest rafters, yet resonated the tragedy of the day. This was a service by musicians, for musicians.\nRev. Joe Emerson, a teaching pastor, led the congregants in a prayer.\n"Dear God, we can't accept that you needed them for some angelic choir more than we do, but still, you (have) come," he said. "But we also come to be reminded that we live in the afterglow of Easter ... and that there is life after death."\nAfter the ceremony, Emerson spoke of his relationship with Novak. He said he will always think of him as energetic and excited about life.\n"Very few people have abilities to work with children and adults and be loved by both," he said.\nEmerson spoke with Novak earlier Thursday about his upcoming graduation and what he'd be doing in the future, he said.\n"What it teaches you, of course, is every day is a precious day," he said.\nMoore described Novak, who was on staff at the church for two years, as "the most responsible colleague" with whom he had ever worked.\nMany other attendants expressed their shock of the sudden loss of an influential young man.\n"I'm not at a point where I can even cry yet," said Stephanie Pettit, senior IU music major. Pettit knew Novak through the church choir and school, she said.\nOther individuals were touched to reminisce about the fond memories they hold of Novak.\n"My favorite memory of Zack is when he had this end of the year choir party," said Jenny Goodwin, member of the First United Methodist Church and mother of a child in one of Novak's choirs. "What he didn't tell us was that there was going to be a water balloon fight. And I mean he had the balloons already ready. The kids were so surprised. They said, 'You mean we get to have a water balloon fight in the church yard? All right!'"\nRachel Forbes, 9, daughter of Goodwin, said the water balloon fight was also one of her best memories of Novak.\n"He always smiled," Forbes added. "He was really fun."\nBrenda Tewel said she had a close relationship with Novak through the church. The two were in the process of directing a spring choral production for the children, ranging in ages 5 through 15.\n"Zack was the kind of person who just came into people's lives and just enriched them," Tewel said. "Age didn't matter, vocal ability didn't matter and he was truly a wonderful young man. He made the music come alive for the kids. They sang with their hearts, and they sang with their eyes."\nOn Sunday, the church will offer a mass in memory of the five students with special musical arrangements, Moore said. Following the morning service, at 9:30 a.m., the church will offer a faith counseling session for parents and children on coping with death.\nMoore said the church welcomes any community members grieving to attend the conversation. For more information, contact Natalie Proudfoot at 332-6396.
(04/16/06 11:24pm)
Meet Navaar. Following a serious accident, Navaar's right eye-socket was shattered, and his face was half-paralyzed. His survival seemed unlikely. \nNavaar's story is one of tragedy, struggle and defying the odds. \nNavaar is a horse. \n"People can relate to this horse, having been disabled himself," said Fern Bonchek, Navaar's owner and founder of People and Animal Learning Services.\nBonchek donated her own horse to PALS, a program that provided therapeutic riding instruction to individuals with physical, emotional and cognitive disabilities. \nMade up of three paid staff, five volunteer instructors and 150 weekly volunteers, this non-profit organization instructs disabled individuals ages four and up. It also sponsors an at-risk youth program in partnership with IU. The therapeutic lessons taught at PALS are equine-assisted activities, which can improve disabilities like Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and other impairments.\n"It's fantastically useful," Chris Holmes, a pediatrician and instructor at PALS said. "As a physician, I got exposed to it, and it made perfect sense." \nOn a physical level, horseback riding relaxes tight muscles, builds strength and improves balance and coordination. On an emotional level, the activity provides motivation for disabled individuals, as well as relaxation and self-esteem, according to the PALS Web site. \n"The movement of the horse is the same motion as the human walk," Bonchek said. "That motion can help people learn balance, coordination and memory skills." \nThe dozen horses used by PALS provide plenty of motivation in the 1,200 lessons they are expected to give this year, alone. "I like it here," 38-year-old Steve McGovern said, as he put on his riding helmet. \nOne of the 12 PALS students to attend Indiana's Special Olympics this summer, McGovern took home a silver medal. McGovern's mother, Diana, recently started volunteering at PALS. She said the therapy has had a noticeable impact on her son. \n"It's great ... he has better concentration and more confidence. He looks forward to it," she said. \nAs an owner of two dogs and three cats, Diana believes McGovern's condition -- fragile x-syndrome -- is improved by the presence of animals. \n"It's something about horses, though ... there's just something different about horses and riding," she said. \nBonchek agrees. \n"It does something for them," she said.\nAfter obtaining a degree in psychology in San Diego, Bonchek, whose mother established a therapeutic riding program in Bloomington, decided to follow the same path. \n"I've always loved horses, and I've always wanted to help people," Bonchek said. \nBecause PALS is a non-profit organization, it relies chiefly on donations and volunteer work. Donation sources often include scholarships and grants, as well as funding from the United Way. \n"There's a small charge for lessons, but no one is denied riding because they can't pay," Bonchek said. \nBonchek also teaches a course at IU -- "Intro to Therapeutic Riding." The class volunteers at PALS, along with others interested in helping. \n"It's a really good place to get experience with volunteering and fund-raising," Bonchek said. \nBut you don't have to be disabled or a volunteer to participate in PALS. The organization also sponsors able-bodied riding lessons for participants ages six and up, at the price of $20 per lesson. \n"You can't duplicate these results in physical therapy," said Holmes. "It's fun, and people want to come."\nAnd regardless of why riders choose to join PALS, animals have an affect on everyone. \n"An animal has unconditional love," Bonchek said.\n-- Contact staff writer Hannah Lodge at hjlodge@indiana.edu
(04/11/06 5:25am)
It's difficult to notice the stone figurine of a woman less than five feet long resting peacefully in the grass beneath a large tree on the south side of the School of Education. Those who do notice the figure, however, are often struck by its most distinguished characteristic -- its lost head. \nPrior to the construction of the School of Education, the area was used by fine arts faculty and students, said Adelheid Gealt, director of the IU Art Museum. \n"I remember there were roaches larger than dogs there until they condemned it," she said. "They were studios for graduate students and rooms for critiques and stuff like that." \nWhile no one is exactly sure how the figure ended up in its final resting place, sources say it was most likely a leftover piece of work from the fine arts studio. \nMike Schrader, assistant manager of the IU Physical Plant's campus division, said he is reluctant to dispose of the piece \nbecause of the folklore tied to it. \n"It's kind of tucked away, where it's not really in our way," he said. "I got the impression from some of the students that have worked for us over the years that there's some kind of folklore to it ... Because it's not really in the way of anything we need to do, we've just left it there." \nSchrader said he thought a student left the work behind. \n"This was right when I started, 20 years ago, before the education building was built," he said. "There were several old wooden frame structures in that area that the art department had studios in, and that was just kind of left as a result of when the art department used to be over there." \nJane Kaho, administrative assistant to the executive associate dean of the School of Education, said neither she nor staff members she spoke with were familiar with the sculpture or its origins, but they presumed a student from the fine arts studio left it behind.
(04/04/06 6:03am)
Answer: Stained glass window in the Kelley School of Business
(03/06/06 6:30am)
After nearly a year of achievements and setbacks, Vote for Pedro will wrap up its term of working for the IU Student Association when the newly elected ticket, Hoosier, takes office April 15. \nFrom disappointments, such as a bumpy start in IUSA Congress attendance, to the implementation of several long-term goals, such as universal transportation, Vote for Pedro executives and IU administrators reflect on the ticket's involvement in student government.\nFlippin' sweet skills\nIUSA President Alex Shortle said one of Vote for Pedro's most important achievements for the 2005-06 school year was implementing universal transportation, a program that allows students with a valid ID to ride IU buses for free. Shortle said universal transportation had been a goal of previous administrations. \n"That was probably the first big victory, but if nothing else, it made the administration realize that this is a powerful group," he said. "The students will speak their minds." \nIUSA also made its voice heard when it lobbied to remove the mandatory athletics fee, a $30 fee students paid to eliminate the athletics department's budget deficit. The board of trustees approved a plan in November that removed the fee but cut 500 student seats from Assembly Hall to give the seats to donors. \nShortle called the athletics fee a "huge headache," but said he was glad students were finally heard. \n"We ultimately did away with it," he said. "Whether or not that was the best thing, I guess time will tell. It certainly was something we fought about over the last two years ... Students have to be included in that process, and I think we made that point known." \nAssistant Dean of Students Steve Veldkamp said while Vote for Pedro implemented several specific initiatives, such as the student readership program, which provides students with copies of The New York Times and USA Today through a $2 annual fee, one of its most important accomplishments was following through on the work of previous administrations. \n"One administration takes (the issue) as far as they can, and then the next one picks up the ball and takes it further," he said. "I think the big accomplishment of the Vote for Pedro ticket is that they really respected the work of previous administrations and were then able to carry those ideas forward." \nDean of Students Dick McKaig said one of Vote for Pedro's most lasting influences will be the relationships it cultivated within the University. \n"They've established very good working relationships with the campus administration," he said. "I think Alex (Shortle) has been respected by the trustees and the campus for his advocacy for students. He certainly worked well with other campus leaders." \nIUSA Vice President Will Leckey agreed. \n"The passion we had for our friends at the University, both administration and students, will be (our legacy)," he said. "I think people will remember us not as politicians, but as their friends." \nIn addition to the work of executives, IUSA Congress also voted on a variety of legislation over the past year, including a unanimous vote to support the Bloomington Faculty Council's initiative to raise admission standards at IU-Bloomington. \nIUSA Vice President of Congress Courtney Thom said she was pleased with legislation passed by congress this year. \n"Dealing with congress, by far above and beyond, has been the best experience I've had at IU these past four years," she said. "We've brought some great legislation to the table, supported various groups in their endeavors, and I think congress has come a long way this year, and I'm really proud of that."\nMy lips hurt real bad\nBut the year wasn't without its disappointments, the executives said. \nWhile Shortle said he feels IUSA succeeded in making the student voice heard this year, he said he also faced disappointments, including an overwhelming transition period and a broken promise of T-shirts for basketball season ticket holders. \nWhile campaigning for office, Vote for Pedro said if elected, it would try to obtain free T-shirts for football and basketball season ticket holders. Because of confusion in the contract, the plan fell through for basketball ticket holders after being implemented during football season.\nLeckey said he was disappointed the plan didn't work. \n"We're not robots," he said. "That hurts us. We worked hard for it." \nShortle said while he was frustrated when the contract fell through, looking back, he realizes there are larger problems within IUSA that need to be addressed. \n"One of the biggest disappointments is how unprepared anyone is to do this. I was unprepared," he said. "And I think that's a flaw of IUSA. We don't have any transition. That's my goal for the rest of the semester: The president, executives and congress need to know how this University runs." \nLeckey expressed similiar sentiments, and wrote in an e-mail that the biggest disappointment he faced this year was "recognizing that sometimes students are of the least concern to Indiana University." \nJunior Betsy Henke, who will begin her job as IUSA President in April, said she plans to restructure leadership within IUSA, particularly directorship positions. Henke said she rarely saw directors in the IUSA office last year, and cited the fact that IU bookstores no longer allow students to bill books to their bursar account as an issue Vote for Pedro should have addressed. \n"I think they weren't an advocate for students in general," she said. "Students took a financial hit, losing bursar billing." \nVote for Pedro executives also faced criticism this year in the form of a mass e-mail. The e-mail, which was sent to roughly 12,000 IU students in September 2005, was sent by student Matt Lettelleir in an attempt to block the passage of the proposed IUSA budget for the 2005-06 school year. The e-mail, sent to a listserv address he titled "The Shortle Watch," said the budget was "full of self-serving perks." In spite of the attempt to block the budget's passage, congress approved the funds after a lengthy debate. \nIUSA Congress also faced attendance issues in the beginning of the year. In October, the congress was forced to remove 19 percent of its representatives because they had missed more than three meetings. \nThom said attendance has been an issue for IUSA Congress for as long as she could remember. \nTo reduce the number of senators who are recruited for IUSA but do not attend meetings, congress members approved changes in the election code that allotted a $3,000 spending limit to \ncampaigning tickets, regardless of how many congressional candidates were running on the ticket. Previously, tickets received a $1,000 base and an additional $35 per congressional candidate. \nThom said she was hopeful attendance will not be an issue next year. \nPedro offers you his protection \nShortle gave his biggest piece of advice for the newly elected executives: "Don't be afraid to ask questions." \nTo make the transition into office easier, Shortle said IUSA would hold its annual retreat in the spring instead of the fall, so current IUSA members could attend and give the new members advice. \nShortle also said he thought transportation would be an important issue for the next ticket. \n"We got universal transportation done, which is great, but one of the issues with it is the lines, and students being turned away because of the influx of students," he said. "There's a lot of room for improvement of transportation." \nMcKaig said items on the next ticket's agenda could include the selection of a new student trustee and addressing campus safety. \n"IUSA will probably have lots to work with," he said. \nVeldkamp said Hoosier will most likely have more flexibility than Vote for Pedro did. \n"This administration may have a bit more freedom to create an agenda as some of the lingering issues -- transportation, the athletics fee and the readership program -- have been decided," he said. "This administration is going to have a little more flexibility in finding out what student issues are for the future." \nLeckey said he gave a speech prior to the elections urging the new administration to be passionate about its positions. \n"The whole thing revolved around being a real person and being authentic, because I know that's what we did," he said. "And if you can continue that way, it's a wonderful thing for the student association"
(02/23/06 8:45pm)
The Bloomington Faculty Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a policy that would increase admission standards at IU-Bloomington. \nThe policy, which would be implemented in the fall of 2011, \nfocuses on increasing academic preparation and requires incoming freshmen to have additional high school credits in mathematics, social science and natural science. A credit is equivalent to a one semester course, according to the policy. \nThe policy also states that preference will be given to students with a B average or better and students who rank in the top 40 percent of their class in Indiana or the top 30 percent of their class if from out of state.\nThough the board of trustees has not yet approved the policy, trustee Vice President Pat Shoulders said he believes they will address the issue in their next meetings on March 2 and 3. \n"I know the trustees will take a very interested look at these standards," he said. "We want to work with the faculty towards that goal." \nBFC President Ted Miller said he thought the change in admissions would have positive results for the Bloomington campus.\n"I'm pretty pleased with the result myself, and I think most people are," he said. "While there are some concerns about access and diversity, those are things we're just going to have to work hard to make certain that it doesn't become a problem." \nCharlie Nelms, vice president for institutional development and student affairs, said he thinks the discussions surrounding admissions standards "represent a step in the right direction" and his initial misgivings regarding diversity have been resolved. \n"They've been resolved because the chair of the committee and the faculty council took into consideration a number of factors," Nelms said. "You want a policy that balances a number of different perspectives and needs, and I think this policy does this." \nUniversity Chancellor Ken Gros Louis stressed the importance of keeping admissions flexible and increasing diversity at IU-Bloomington. \n"National studies have shown that SAT scores in particular are not the kind of measure that adequately indicate the measures of success for a student of color," he said. "So I guess the bottom line is, yes, it's good to increase admissions, but no one should feel the guidelines will be rigidly followed because we still have a need to increase diversity on the campus."\nMiller said the policy will have an effect on the average SAT scores of subsequent incoming freshman classes, but that other qualifications will be more important. \n"The language that's used suggests that the faculty does want to see a group of freshman students with higher SAT scores, but that really is not the centerpiece of the policy," he said. "The centerpiece is clearly focused on the high school preparation of students." \nThe policy states that "preference will be given to Indiana residents who score above the state average and to non-residents who score above the national average," but it does not apply rigid standards to the test scores.\nIU Student Association President Alex Shortle said he was supportive of increasing standards.\n"I don't think it'll hurt our profile in terms of diversity, but I think we have to remain aware of that issue," he said. "It's just the makeup of Indiana." \nMiller said the first step to increasing admission standards at IU-Bloomington came from President Adam Herbert, who was involved in a project that recommended setting different admissions policies for each of IU's campuses. \n"He played a very important role in this particular outcome. He should get some credit for that," he said. \nMiller said that though the discussion surrounding whether to increase standards was lengthy and intense -- the issue was debated for more than an hour and a half Tuesday, he said -- and the policy reflects an agreeable resolution. \n"I think at the end of the day, we have come to a place where people on both sides, on all sides of that question, are feeling okay about it," he said. "I think that's where we are"
(02/14/06 5:10am)
Though probably the least lively spot on campus, Dunn Cemetery is also one of the most exclusive -- even deceased songwriter and IU alumnus Hoagy Carmichael was denied entrance. \nAccording to an IDS article from September 1978, Carmichael requested a plot in the cemetery, but was denied permission because only descendents of the sisters Ellenor Dunn, Nancy Alexander and Jane Irwin may be buried in the area, also referred to as "God's Acre." \nThe cemetery, located between the Indiana Memorial Union and Beck Chapel, is not owned by IU. According to a copy of the deed to Dunn Cemetery written by George Dunn in 1855, the land is to be used for the "perpetual dedication for the sole and exclusive purpose and use of private burial ground." \nAccording to an Indiana Daily Student article from February 2004, the University purchased several acres of land from the Dunn family after a fire, but was required to build around the plot dedicated to the cemetery. As recently as two years ago, descendent Marilyn Seward was buried in the area. \nDoris Marie Seward said in an IDS article from January 1983 that she had her gravestone prepared early for her plot in the cemetery. In hopes that she would live until the year 2000, she had the stone marked "1917-20" so the last two numerals could be added upon her death. \n"They can just put dashes through the '20' and engrave underneath, 'She was an optimist,'" she said, in reference to the possibility that she could pass away before the year 2000. \nSeward died in September 1999, and the numerals "2" and "0" have a line through them with the year 1999 engraved underneath. \n"She was an optimist" is also inscribed on the stone.
(02/13/06 5:18am)
Where on campus is this? See tomorrow's IDS to find out.
(01/30/06 5:54am)
See Tuesday's IDS to find out.
(01/09/06 4:57am)
After a week of laughter, tears and all-nighters, sorority recruitment came to a close Sunday as potential members received and accepted bids from chapters across campus. \n"It was fantastic," said Katie Fagan, president of Kappa Kappa Gamma. "We had one of our best recruitments ever. We had great morale." \nThe system changed in a few ways this year, including new names for some of the week's events. The first two events of the week, previously referred to as "12 Party" and "Six Party," were changed to "First Invite" and "Second Invite," because most women received fewer than 12 and six invites for each event. \nIn addition, Fagan said, the formula for determining how many women are invited to join a chapter changed this year. \n"They use return rates from previous recruitments, and that determines how many people you ask back," she said. "Houses with the best return rates ask back less women, so the numbers are more spread out to all the chapters on campus." \nFagan said she believes this method is superior to what was done in the past. \n"It's more of a set system and equation, instead of just pulling it out of the air, so it is a lot more fair," she said.\nHeather Larson, recruitment counselor for Pi Beta Phi, said the new system was set in place based on recommendations from other universities. \n"Everything is handled through computers," she said. "We heard that it's working really well for other universities." \nIn spite of these changes, Kyle Witham, director of business recruitment for Alpha Phi, said its pledge class of 47 was pretty standard compared to previous years. \nWitham also said the physical toll of recruitment has not changed. \n"We didn't sleep much the last two days," she said. "I've slept two hours a night since a week ago." \nLauren Henderson, a freshman who went through the recruitment process, said the week also had an emotional impact on the women involved. \n"It was really stressful in the beginning," she said. "There are a lot of tears." \nRecruitment counselors start training a year in advance in order to soften the blow of being denied entry to a sorority, Larson said. \n"There's hurt on both sides," she said. "Almost always, there are tears in the morning, then they pick themselves up and go to other parties and find a chapter they fall in love with." \nCourtney Bryant, new member coordinator for Pi Beta Phi, said after being on the other side of the recruitment process, she realized it is just as difficult for the women that are already in the sorority. \n"It's so different going through recruitment," she said. "You're so nervous about sororities choosing you, and you think it's just awful for you, but we're so nervous the girls won't choose us"
(12/02/05 2:04pm)
This April, Dunn Meadow will be filled with swords, maidens and jesters as IU takes a step back into the past. A group of IU students has created a club dedicated to putting on a Renaissance fair at IU this spring, to be held April 15, in what the group members refer to as "the village of Dunnston Meadow." \nGraduate student Christine Task said she created the group after spending her undergraduate career at The Ohio State University, which has held an annual Renaissance fair for more than 30 years. \n"People come and sell things ranging from books, clothing, (children's) toys, handmade crafts and leathers, soaps, oils ... all the way to swords and chainmail," she said. "There's also performers. We have a fight guild ... a group of people that study stage combat and then perform a play that has a lot of combat in it, because people like to see sword-fighting at a fair." \nCurrently the group meets Wednesday evenings in the Indiana Memorial Union to sharpen the members' acting skills, discuss the structure of the fair and learn stage combat techniques. \nTask said the fair will appeal to a broad group of people because it will focus on the history of the Renaissance. She said she would like professors to come give "little lectures" to provide historical background.\nThe group is holding a call-out meeting at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Walnut Room of the IMU. \nBloomington resident Justin McNeely, who heard about the group in a meeting of the IU Gamer's Guild, is working on creating a friar character for the fair. McNeely said he believes Bloomington is the perfect location for a Renaissance fair because of the "diverse group of people on campus." "There's been an interest in something like this for a while, it's just that no one's taken the initiative to do anything yet," he said.\nSenior Sarah Tilson, who is working on creating a rat-catcher character for the fair, said she has had a long-standing interest in the Renaissance. \n"I've been going to Renaissance fairs since I was a little kid," she said. "I like the idea that it's going to have more content and a more historical aspect to it, because I'm really interested in that." \nTask said response to the organization has been overwhelmingly positive. \n"We are planning on this becoming an annual tradition," she said. "Most people we've talked to are extremely happy to see this happen." \nStudents interested in performing or participating in the fair can contact Task at breninfo@gmail.com or attend Sunday's call-out meeting.
(12/01/05 1:06am)
In its last meeting of the semester, the IU Student Association Congress voted unanimously to support the Bloomington Faculty Council to increase admission standards at IU. \nSophomore Matt Fortman, sponsor of the resolution, said if standards are raised, they would only be increased enough to keep the University competitive.\n"If this is passed by the BFC, it's not going to raise them a whole lot," he said. "You probably won't even notice a difference. It's really just to keep up with other schools in the Big Ten." \nIUSA President Alex Shortle said it was important for Congress to make a statement regarding admission standards. \n"I think it's great for Congress to step up and make as statement regarding that issue," he said. "It's a paramount issue for the University right now. I think we finally have an active voice in University governance from a student standpoint." \nAdditional passed legislation included a resolution to write to the state legislature encouraging it to keep tuition payments separate from additional University fees, such as technology and health fees. \nFreshman Jordan Loeb said if student fees are calculated in combination with tuition, \nstudent groups that require funding could suffer. \n"Where the problem occurs is tuition can only be increased by 4.9 percent each year," he said. "Because they don't fall under tuition, (student fees) can increase separately ... We're writing to them to say start using two different numbers." \nA resolution permitting IUSA to fill vacant Congress seats with applicants who are not from the school or residency they would represent was debated and tabled until the next meeting. \nThe resolution was proposed to fill a seat for the School of Nursing, which has been vacant for the past several meetings. \nLoeb, who sponsored the resolution, said he was not surprised that it was met with resistance, but still believed it was better than leaving the seat empty. \n"I understand where they're coming from, but at the same time I also know that it's possible to be a good representative of people that you're not a part of the constituency." \nSome members of Congress expressed concerns that filling a seat with someone from outside the represented constituency was unconstitutional. Several suggested advertising the opening more before filling the Nursing school seat with someone from another school. \nWright Quad senator Claudia Rhye said she supported changing the seat if an applicant from the Nursing school could not be found. \n"I think that if this constituency really wants to be represented, then it's their responsibility to seek that, and we don't need to go out of our way and request that they be part of Congress," she said. "I think it's a brilliant idea to change a vacant seat position to an at-large position." \nCongress also unanimously approved the appointment of senior Keith Johnson as the 2006 IUSA election coordinator. Johnson served as president of the Indiana Memorial Union Board of Directors for 2005 and was in charge of the election process for the 2006 IMU Board. \nIn his recommendation, Shortle expressed a strong belief that Johnson was qualified for the job.
(11/29/05 10:35pm)
The IU Student Association Congress will vote on three pieces of legislation, including a resolution to support the Bloomington Faculty Council's admissions policy initiatives, in tonight's meeting.\nThe resolution to support the BFC's stance on admissions standards states that IU requires low SAT scores compared to the rest of the Big Ten schools, and increasing standards would keep the University competitive in attracting students and faculty. \nSophomore Matt Fortman, a senator from Collins Center, said he sponsored the resolution after attending several BFC meetings. \n"We came to the conclusion by looking at the data and going to the meetings that it'd be in the students' best interest to increase standards, obviously not to make it an elite University, but raise standards enough to keep up with what other Big Ten schools are doing," he said. \nA draft of the current BFC proposal states that admissions standards do not follow a "rigid set of rules" but generally recommend a high school grade point average equivalent to a "B" and that applying Indiana seniors rank in the top 45 percent of their class. Those applying from out of state are given preference if they rank in the top 40 percent of their class. \nIn order for the resolution to pass, congress requires a two-thirds vote. Courtney Thom, student body vice president for congress, said IUSA does not have direct power over admissions standards but that the resolution is still important. \n"We don't have the power to do anything in this sort of situation, but it's basically saying IUSA supports their initiatives," she said. "It's an important situation, and our input and opinion on the manner is an important aspect of it." \nCongress will also be voting on a resolution to send a letter to the Indiana state Legislature regarding how students are required to pay fees. \nFreshman Jordan Loeb, senator for Briscoe Quad and sponsor of the bill, said the letter would encourage the Legislature to keep tuition payments separate from additional University fees, such as technology or health fees. \n"The Indiana State Legislature has been saying students pay one fee," he said. "They put the tuition and all other fees together, and so what we're doing is writing a letter to them to ask them to no longer make it one fee." \nThe third piece of legislation concerns filling vacant congress seats. Currently one seat, from the School of Nursing, has yet to be filled, Thom said. The proposed resolution would permit filling vacant seats with a student from another school or constituency in the event that no better applicant can be found. Eleven of the 62 congressional seats were replaced because of a lack of attendance during the first three meetings of the school year. \nThom said attendance has improved greatly over the semester. \n"Attendance has been wonderful," she said. "I've been really happy with the way things have been going ... That problem was taken care of." \nThe meeting will take place at 8:30 p.m. in Room 211 of the business school.
(11/14/05 5:27am)
As faculty criticism of IU President Adam Herbert heats up, most student leaders say they feel like they've been left out in the cold.\nMany faculty members have been rallying against Herbert since he decided to restart the search for a Bloomington chancellor two weeks ago. Since then, the debate has reoriented itself as a referendum on Herbert's job performance.\nMost students, however, have not received the faculty's internal e-mails concerning Herbert and will not be allowed to attend the faculty's meeting Tuesday, which is closed to the public. As a result, student leaders are left to decipher the faculty's complaints.\nEric Zeemering, moderator of the Graduate and Professional Student Organization, said the initially vague criticism surrounding Herbert is becoming more specific. \n"I was surprised that things seemed to escalate very quickly, without very clear and coherent focus or leadership," he said. "A lot of people kind of jumped into the dialogue, calling for a number of different things, and over the last two weeks we've kind of seen the dialogue narrow to a more concrete set of issues. I think things have moved from a very emotional response to a response that's focused more on specific problems." \nZeemering, who still hopes to attend Tuesday's meeting, said having an open meeting would better honor the exchange of ideas that should occur in higher education.\n"I think that the exchange and contestation of ideas is critical to the nature of higher education," he said. "I think that we should always encourage students to think about professional ways in which debate can be carried out, to teach students about the nature of dialogue in a democratic society." \nIU Student Association President Alex Shortle said communication among the faculty has been very unclear, and he is glad the issue will be brought to light. \n"There's misunderstanding amongst the faculty," he said. "I think it's good for them to get together so they have a better understanding of the issues." \nShortle said he respects the decision to close the meeting, but as the student representative of the Bloomington Faculty Council, he feels he has a right to attend the meeting so he can educate students on what takes place. \n"I'm going to be writing to the president of the BFC tonight with my argument of why I should be able to attend," he said Sunday. "If that doesn't work, somehow I'll get into that meeting." \nSenior Andrew Lauck, chairman of the IU Republicans, said he does not agree with the faculty's criticism. "Honestly, it's very surprising because I have a lot of respect for the president's decision to continue the search," he said. "The move on the faculty now is rushing the process, and by rushing the process, they're denying the community and students the chance to have the best candidate the search committee can find." \nLauck also said he believes students should be allowed to attend Tuesday's meeting. \n"That's something I definitely have a major concern with," he said. "The faculty have had no problem writing a letter denouncing President Herbert and making sure that was public, but at the same time they have a problem with community members knowing what they're saying about him." \nJunior Laura Maul, speaker of the house for IUSA Congress, said she does not have a clear understanding of the complexities of the issue. \n"The upper throes of the administration are still somewhat of a mystery to me, despite my involvement with IUSA," she said. "It's a bit difficult to be interested when it seems so far removed from the students' hands."\nMaul said she feels apathetic as to whether or not the meeting is open, but she is glad that faculty members are speaking their minds. \n"I think it's admirable that the faculty are taking a stance," she said. "I'm not sure this is the best way to do it, but I'm glad the faculty isn't letting the president walk all over them"
(11/10/05 5:04am)
This spring, Bloomington will become the mecca for aspiring young scientists from across the country. \nThe National Science Olympiad tournament will be held May 20, 2006 at IU, marking the second time Bloomington has been offered the opportunity to play host to the esteemed science competition. \nThe tournament gives teams of middle school and high school students the chance to test their knowledge of science in a variety of hands-on competitions. \nCurt Simic, president of the IU Foundation, said being chosen to play host to the competition not once, but twice, was an honor for the University. \n"We're one of only two universities that have been allowed to do it a second time, so it really is a feather in our caps," he said. "There's such a resurgence of attention to the sciences on this campus, with the new Simon Hall building and with the really great leadership coming out of the College of Arts and Sciences departments ... it really is a wonderful statement of confidence in IU." \nThe tournament also takes place on a regional and state level, allowing teams to face off locally in order to move on to the national competition. IU has been playing host to the state-level competition for Indiana since 1995 but has not hosted the national competition in roughly 10 years. \nEvents are broken down into three general areas: science concepts and knowledge; science processes and inquiry skills; and science application and technology. Competitions range from identifying constellations to building bottle rockets and robots. \nJocelyn Bowie, IU co-director of National Science Olympiad, said the tournament is not unlike sporting competitions. \n"It's really like being on an athletic team of some kind," she said. "If you're on the track team, you don't run every event. That's how Science Olympiad is set up. Schools are allowed to bring teams of 15 students and up to five alternates."\nBowie said she expects about 60 teams to participate in the competition, as well as "junior varsity" teams that sometimes come to watch and cheer on their classmates. \nBowie said IU has known it would play host to the event since 2003, when it was encouraged to place a bid to put on the tournament. She said she expects somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 people to stay in Bloomington over the four-day course of the competition and hopes to gather between 300 and 500 volunteers for the event. \nBetween $150,000 and $200,000 will be raised for the nonprofit event, including a recent donation from the Sallie Mae fund for $50,000.\nSimic said the donation from Sallie Mae was very fitting. \n"Sallie Mae was very excited and interested in doing it," he said. "It was a good match for their interest and our interest. They really do push making it possible for people to go to college through a huge loan program, so this gives them a chance to get in front of some of the best students in the country." \nBowie said the tournament was also an excellent opportunity for the University. \n"We're going to show off the campus and hope we recruit a lot of students," she said. \nAnyone interested in volunteering in the event can fill out a volunteer registration form at the 2006 event's Web site at http://www.indiana.edu/~nso.
(11/09/05 4:37am)
The IU Student Association Congress discussed the athletics fee, faculty reaction to President Herbert's decision on the chancellor search and revamping IUSA bylaws in its fifth meeting of the year, held Tuesday night in the Kelley School of Business. No legislation was voted upon. \nIUSA President Alex Shortle said he would try to attend an emergency meeting to be held by the Bloomington Faculty Council next Tuesday, though he said it may be limited to tenured faculty only. \n"I'll be there," he said. "If I have to climb through the roof, so be it." \nShortle also said that though a decision had been reached concerning the removal of the mandatory athletics fee, he is hopeful that some IUSA input will still be considered. \n"I think it was partly my fault for being slow-moving on this," he said. "Hopefully we can get something done about the loss of seats in Assembly Hall and whether or not we can get a student section." \nIUSA Vice President Will Leckey read a report from Katie Schluntz, co-director of volunteer support for IUSA. Schluntz is overseeing a trip that will take place from Dec. 17 to Dec. 22 to help residents of Biloxi, Miss., who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. The report stated that 216 faculty and students had signed forms and made payments to participate in the trip, and more requests were still coming in. Students interested in attending the trip can contact Schluntz at kschlunt@indiana.edu.\nShortle also spoke about a current effort to "revamp" the IUSA bylaws. Because of the annual turnover involved in IUSA, Shortle said increasing the strength of the documents would make IUSA stronger. \n"We really need to start living by our documents," he said. \nCurrently, the bylaws govern departments within IUSA that no longer exist, such as the safety escort and faculty review departments. Shortle also said the bylaws haven't been updated since 1999 and do not include a process for making directorship appointments. \n"That needs to be ironed out so there's a systematic way to do that," he said. "It's just appoint as you please." \nCongress's next meeting will take place at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 29 in Room 211 of the Business school.
(10/31/05 5:56am)
The IU Student Association executive branch stated in a press release issued Thursday it would not advocate to keep the mandatory athletics fee. \n"We aren't going to continue looking for an athletic fee or discussing the matter," IUSA President Alex Shortle said Sunday. "It's a dead issue at this point."\nAt the IUSA Congress' last meeting Tuesday, representatives split into nine groups to discuss the results of a survey regarding student opinion on the mandatory athletics fee. The survey asked students to choose whether they favored keeping the athletics fee or losing student basketball seats and increasing ticket prices. \nFour surveyed groups were fairly split on whether or not to keep the fee, four said they favored keeping the fee rather than losing student seating and one group said students did not want to pay the fee. \nDespite of these discussions, Shortle said after he reviewed the surveys, he found results were evenly split between keeping and rejecting the $30 annual fee. The split indicates there is not enough "strong" support to justify lobbying to keep the fee, he said. \n"On this issue there just wasn't the support and I had to make this decision," he said. "But I'd like to see what the athletic department can do in terms of looking for alternate ways to raise revenue." \nThe athletics department recently unveiled a plan to eliminate its deficit without charging a mandatory student fee. In order to make up the revenue, the plan proposed increasing student basketball ticket prices by $4 per game, charging $5 for soccer and Olympic sports and reducing student seats in Assembly Hall by 500. The release said IUSA executives could tolerate an increase in student ticket prices if non-student ticket prices rose as well. But the executives expressed dissatisfaction with charging for currently free events, such as soccer, and removing 500 student seats from Assembly Hall.\n"IUSA will not allow the University to treat students in such a manner," the release said, quoting Shortle. "We will not allow them to concede these seats under the basis that we said no to a fee that was implemented against our wishes. There are other ways to generate revenue ... With its breadth of options, cultural opportunities and beautiful campus, why should we compromise this based on the lack of creative solutions to a small, financial problem?"\nThe release said increasing non-student ticket prices at the same rate of student ticket price increases would generate $1.1 million in revenue. IUSA also recommended applying to faculty seats in Assembly Hall the point-based system used by alumni, which lead to better seats for those who donate to IU.\nIUSA Vice President Will Leckey said students should not be forced to pay a fee or lose student seating.\n"It's really sad that all students would be hit with a fee even if some don't support it because of the negligence of fiscal responsibility," he said. "Taking 500 seats away from the student body is an absolute slap in our face. It's the last option to do this. With a lack of creative alternatives from the University, I personally, on behalf of the students as well as Alex, will not let this happen. And we're not going to go down without a fight."\nLeckey said the statement was sent to many University officials, including the athletics department, IU President Adam Herbert and the IU-Bloomington chancellor's office. \nIU spokesman Larry MacIntyre said the athletics department has been working to remove the mandatory fee. \n"At this point, it seems to me that the athletics department and director is doing exactly what the president has directed him to do, which is come up with a plan that does eliminate the athletics fee and, yes, that does involve some changes in student seating," he said. \nMacIntyre also said the IU board of trustees and Herbert are always interested in hearing IUSA's opinions on issues. \n"IUSA provides us with input and we appreciate the information," he said.
(10/27/05 5:51am)
Students might favor keeping the athletics fee, according to data compiled by members of the IU Student Association Congress.\nCongress members were required to distribute 10 surveys regarding student opinions on the athletics fee and the use of paperless class scheduling. Members broke into nine teams to discuss the general consensus of their constituents Tuesday, at the congress's fourth meeting of the year. \nOf the nine groups, four groups said the majority of students surveyed wanted to keep the $30 annual athletics fee, one group said their constituents did not want to keep the fee and four groups were evenly split.\nMatt Fortman, a sophomore senator for Collins, said his group reached the consensus that students would prefer to keep the mandatory athletics fee.\n"Ideally, the athletics department should be able to support itself, but we recognize the importance of having a strong athletics program," he said. \nThe athletics fee was instituted despite of protests from IUSA in previous years. Recently, the athletics department has created a plan to eliminate its deficit without requiring the fee. In lieu of the fee, the department proposed a $4 increase per student basketball ticket, 500 fewer student seats on floor in Assembly Hall and $5 per game student ticket price for soccer and Olympic sports.\nBut many of the students surveyed responded poorly to the notion of losing 500 seats at basketball games and an increase in ticket prices. \nIUSA President Alex Shortle said once congress voted on the issue, a recommendation would be presented to the administration. \n"If you want an athletics fee, we can advocate for an athletics fee, and I promise you we could have one," he said. "They would love that guaranteed revenue."\nBased on the discussion of the surveys, IUSA executives drafted an impromptu resolution concerning whether to open a debate on the issue. Drafting a resolution during a meeting is not a common practice, Shortle said. \nDespite of much back-and-forth debate about the athletics fee, the issue was tabled for the next meeting, and the resolution was not completed or voted upon. \nWright representative Claudia Rhye said she thought opening up the idea for discussion with an impromptu resolution was a good idea, but that the congress sometimes lacks initiative. \n"I think the idea behind it and the preparation for it was admirable, and the executives did a nice job of seeking constituency opinion," she said. "But often congress lacks the passion and motivation to follow through on their ideas and aspirations."\nRhye also suggested the wording of the surveys might have contributed to the outcome favoring an athletics fee.\n"I think part of the reason people voted one way was because the answers were so specific," Rhye said. "I think that might be a little skewed."\nThe survey asked students to circle one of two paragraphs they felt described their position on the athletics fee. The paragraph against the fee said: "Let the Athletics Fee die. We voted against it for two years and finally the University listened. The loss of seats and charge for games doesn't bother me as much as a mandatory fee. I like to think of it as a 'user fee.' I understand tuition (fees being a part of it) are going to increase by the same set amount with or without the fee. I would rather the money go toward other parts of the University."\nThe paragraph in favor of the fee said: "I want a fee even with the understanding that it would likely increase. I want to keep our 500 seats in Assembly Hall. I don't want to be charged for soccer/Olympic sports. I want sports to be as accessible as possible to those who find it difficult to afford tickets. Plus, they're going to raise our tuition by a set amount anyway. I would rather the money go towards my athletic experience than other parts of the University."\nDebate on the issue will continue at the congress's next meeting. Shortle said the congress can consider the wording of the survey at the next meeting as well.\nSurvey results also indicated students supported getting rid of the paper-bound booklet of class options in favor of an electronic-only edition. Eight of the nine groups said their constituents didn't mind using the Internet to look up available classes. \nOther initiatives included replacing non-participating members of the congress. Eleven representatives were removed for missing three meetings, and 10 new representatives were approved by the congress. A representative for the nursing school is still needed.\nSpeaker of the House Laura Maul said attendance had improved at the congress's fourth meeting, noting that 38 of the 51 unremoved senators attended.\nStudents who would like to voice their opinions on the athletics fee and paperless class scheduling can find their representatives' e-mail addresses at www.iub.edu/~iusa.
(10/24/05 5:26am)
During its first meeting of the year, the IU Student Association Congress was powerless to vote or make decisions as a unified body because too many people skipped meetings. \nAs a rule, to vote on or pass legislation, IUSA Congress must meet quorum, a two-thirds showing of the 62 elected representatives. \nSince the beginning of the semester, three official IUSA Congress meetings have taken place -- the same number of meetings representatives are allowed to miss before they are removed from their seats. During Tuesday's meeting, if legislation allowing the replacement of absent representatives is passed for the year, 12 members of IUSA Congress will be removed from their positions. \nHowever, these numbers are nothing new, said Courtney Thom, IUSA vice president of congress. More than half of the representatives were removed last year for missing more than three meetings. \n"Throughout the year there were 39 replacements," she said. "Sometimes the replacements would be replaced ... it's always been an issue." \nThom said the most common reason for the attendance issue is scheduling \nconflicts. Often when students run for the position in the spring, she said, they do not know what their fall schedules will look like. \nThe time and day of congress meetings is determined by the winning team of executives after the election takes place. \nIUSA Speaker of the House Laura Maul said the way students are required to run for congress might be the root of the problem. \n"There is one major change that could potentially fix the attendance problem," she said. "The general reason why we have these problems with attendance is because people that run for the positions don't care about those positions."\nWhen a group of students decides to form a ticket, she said, they must recruit 62 people to run for congress on their ticket, even though congress representatives are elected on an individual basis. Recruiting these people means the ticket gets more campaign support, but after the election is over, elected representatives must show up at congress meetings, regardless of whether or not the ticket they ran on won. \n"The problem is that the executives try to fill up all these seats with people that may be their friends or people they have barely met," she said. "And they tell them about IUSA and maybe it sounds cool, but they may not understand the responsibilities." \nMaul said she believes separating congressional seats from executive tickets would boost attendance, but it could be difficult to implement the change. \n"That's a pretty radical change," she said. "It's not something that a lot of people are going to want to accept initially."\nAssistant Dean of Students Stevan Veldkamp , who has met with Maul and Thom to discuss the issue of attendance, said the responsibility of implementing these changes rests entirely upon congress members voting for them. \n"It is up to the IU students and congress to decide the best way to structure the process to ensure the most active congress," he said in an e-mail interview. "All it would take is a congress member drafting an amendment to their bylaws and election procedures."\nThom said the current policy on absenteeism could lead to positive change because the students who take the time to fill out congress applications are generally the most involved, but she recognizes the need for change. \n"It was kind of an eye opener not to meet quorum the first meeting of congress all semester," she said. "It's an issue I'd like to address." \nThose interested in applying for a position can receive an application from the IUSA office in room 387 of the Indiana Memorial Union. Students can apply for a residential position, such as a dorm or off-campus housing, or can apply to represent their academic schools.
(10/17/05 4:27am)
From restroom fiascos to kids dropping the "F-bomb," Ira Glass has heard it all. \nNational Public Radio host Ira Glass spoke to an audience Saturday at the IU Auditorium about the importance of personal narrative and story-telling in the most candid way he could: by telling the story of his own radio show. \nThe show, "This American Life," has been on the air since 1995 and has since created over 300 hour-long episodes, pulling in over 1.7 million listeners each week. Rather than focusing on hard news, "This American Life" is a "slice-of-life," show, telling personal anecdotes or narratives relating to a specific theme in a three-act format, encompassing three different that tie together.\n"Public broadcasting gets a bad rep for being anti-fun," Glass said, reflecting on the dilemma of objective news-reporting. \n"The world that the news describes, through tone, is a world without pleasure and humor. And that makes the world seem smaller than it is." \nThat's not to say "This American Life" isn't an objective program -- it is. The show strives to present stories and situations without any personal bias from staff members, Glass said in an e-mail interview. \n"It's a tough thing to figure out how to do," he said. "Generally, we just follow the facts to whatever conclusions are completely inevitable. That way is more the way of traditional journalism and can lead to powerful stories." \nThe point of the show, Glass told the audience, is to capture a single moment -- whether it's talking to Katrina survivors about their pain, or to a child about using the "F word" -- and show how that moment transcends the situation to become a universal feeling all listeners can relate to. \n"It makes us feel less crazy," he said. "There's something about the sound of a voice that's hard to do in print ... if someone is talking from their heart, it just totally gets to you." \nGlass, in his own way, embodies the true point of the show. Throughout the hour and 30 minute appearance, he rambled off-topic to reminisce about personal memories, consistently revealing a little more than he meant to (at age 19 he saw his first naked woman -- a coma patient). However, Glass continued to keep the audience on the edge of their seats by being personal, real and above all, heart-breakingly honest. \n"Without that moment of reflection, it's not as satisfying," he said, explaining to the audience the importance of not only documenting a story, but listening to the author work out what it meant in a larger sense. \nGlass sat at a desk surrounded by radio equipment, using equipment on his left to play the gentle music underlying each week's show and equipment on his right to play clips. \nSenior Owen Sutkowski said he thought the set-up was appropriate for the show. \n"I love that they brought the radio equipment," he said. "He was so at home with the equipment on stage. He was so fluid." \nGlass was also openly opinionated -- a divergence from his observational role on-air -- about the Federal Communications Commission's regulation of the airwaves, playing a clip that is now "too hot" for radio. In the clip, David Sedaris agonized over an un-flushable, "huge turd" someone had left in the toilet at a friend's house, horrified at the idea that if he left it sitting there, someone would think it was his. \nFearing FCC regulations, NPR no longer plays the clip in re-runs -- if it were subject to penalty, broadcasting it on the 500 public radio stations the show runs on could cost $250 million. \nGlass expressed his disappointment in the government for holding the media to such strict standards while abandoning its responsibility to U.S. citizens in recent months. \n"I find the whole witch-hunt of this incredibly offensive," he said. "There are so many bad things happening… after Hurricane Katrina, I had this feeling like, 'We're on our own.'" \nThough Glass said he sometimes wants to quit his job to become more politically engaged, he assured audience members he would not leave the airwaves anytime soon, despite a deal with Showtime that could possibly mean a television version of the radio show. \nGlass said he had mixed feelings about appearing on national television. \n"It doesn't frighten me, but I don't look forward to it," he said. "I don't care to be recognized." \nGraduate student Roberta Burns, a long time fan of the show, said she was glad she attended. \n"I loved it," she said. "It had all the magic his radio show has, right there in front of you"