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(12/10/08 5:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Different definitions of equity caused enough agitation between IU’s culture centers and the office they report to that a meeting was called to clear the air of lingering misunderstandings.The Office of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs had a meeting with its head administrators and the directors of the University’s four culture centers on Nov. 21 to reassure the University is equally devoted to supporting all minorities.The meeting was prompted by disgruntled culture center directors who have long suggested diversity at IU focuses unfairly on black student resources and leaves smaller minority groups behind. While DEMA claims the whole situation is a misunderstanding, directors of IU’s smaller culture centers say the inequity exists in the amount of resources and support DEMA provides to them in comparison with the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. While some people say “equity” splits resources equally among the four, DEMA said the term refers to the amount of resources given, taking into account the number of minority students they serve.“There is a dissatisfaction across the board about how things are disseminated across the culture centers,” said Lillian Casillas, director of La Casa. “When they look at diversity, it’s a black-and-white issue.” What is equity?The Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, the Asian Culture Center, La Casa and First Nations Educational and Cultural Center are IU’s four cultural centers. Each is situated at different locations on campus, and each gets funding for the year from the office of DEMA. Edwin Marshall, vice president of DEMA, said the University is equally devoted to all minorities and said he wants to spark more rhetoric between DEMA and the culture centers to sort out the misunderstandings.“I’m a believer in building bridges to help solve problems,” Marshall said. “I hope anyone who is confused can come and talk to me.”While DEMA denies any intentional inequity, a problem remains because the culture centers and DEMA have different definitions of equity – a key element of their relationship. Charles Sykes, executive director of the African American Arts Institute and Multicultural Initiatives, is man to whom the center directors report for their budgeting. He said equity is defined as giving each respective minority group resources based on the number of students each has on campus. Casillas suggested equity means dividing resources equally between the four centers. Because she applies this definition, she believes equity is not being achieved. “The Black Culture Center has two graduate assistants, where we only have one,” Casillas said. “Native Americans have none. They don’t even have a director. I am their interim and only part time.” Although Sykes said he recognizes the need for additional graduate assistants, Vicki Roberts, associate vice president for budget and administration for DEMA, said providing extra graduate assistants for the other culture centers is not a priority. “It is unlikely in these financial times there will be an increase,” she said. Why does one get more resources?The Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center has its own large academic building that also houses the African American Cultural Center Library, the African American Arts Institute and the Office of Diversity Education. The Asian Culture Center and La Casa both have two-story houses that some say barely accommodate the growing numbers of students they serve. Senior Carlos Jara, a student leader at La Casa, said the size of each culture center is obvious evidence of unequal resources.“We just have a house,” Jara said. “Native Americans have a little office.” Melanie Castillo-Cullather, director of the Asian Culture Center, said she has a hard time justifying the size of her building to students when they ask why it is so much smaller than the Black Culture Center. “How do you explain that to the kids?” she asked. Sykes said the sizes of the buildings have nothing to do with discrimination against the non-black culture centers and noted the long history of black students at IU and the large amounts of fundraising done for the building. “I understand where they’re coming from, but I also know that it takes a while to get to that point,” Sykes said. “I hope that we can do a better job of supporting them.” But Casillas and Castillo-Cullather said they are also concerned with the support they receive in promoting their cultural heritage months, which they say are key to spreading awareness about their presence at IU. Until the Nov. 21 meeting, Casillas, Castillo-Cullather and many of their students were under the impression the Black Culture Center received an additional $25,000 in funding for its Black History Month celebration. This confusion raised some tempers because the Asian Culture Center and La Casa get little, if any, extra funding for their heritage months, and Casillas and Castillo-Cullather each spend the year looking for sponsors and outside donations. Sykes said while there was a fund put toward Black History Month in the past, it was not part of the Black Culture Center budgeting, and the funding no longer exists. “There is no money budgeted for Black History Month and especially for the Black Culture Center,” he said. While there is no extra funding for Black History Month, Casillas is still frustrated.“I would love to have the support that DEMA gives for Black History Month,” she said. “They have a graduate student who’s specifically hired to plan Black History Month, whereas we have to use whatever staff we already have.” Moving forwardWhile the three smaller centers have the most complaints about equity, the four are not pitted against one another. They are bonded and share a connection in knowing they serve the same purpose of promoting diversity. Casillas said this is why she is confused about what she sees as a disparity in University support.“We are all here to serve the whole community,” she said. “So why is there this inequity?” Audrey McCluskey, director of the Black Culture Center, echoed the complaints of the other three centers, saying she, too, faces a lack of resources. “There are never enough funds,” she said. “I want to keep in the forefront the goal of diversity and keep the University accountable.”Sykes chalked the whole situation up to a communication problem. “I think we have a public relations problem, which is deeper than a problem of inaction,” he said. “I’m going to act to help get better communication to and for the people who report to me. That’s what I promise them I will do is to help get some answers.” Casillas said the meeting was a good start and that more meetings are to come. “We had a very honest discussion, and a lot of this stuff came out,” she said. “Finally our voice got heard. I think things are moving in a better direction.”
(12/02/08 4:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>One by one, the candles were lit.“This is for Craig,” one woman said.“This is for my kids,” another said.“This is for my dad, Jerry.” These were the names of victims of the AIDS pandemic. Candles were lit in their memory at the World AIDS Day Ceremony of Celebration and Remembrance on Monday night in the Fountain Square Ballroom, where more than 100 people gathered with heavy hearts to commemorate the millions of people affected by the illness. Monday marked the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, which serves to spread awareness and promote education about HIV.“It’s a night to remember people who have passed away and their family and celebrate their lives,” said Jim Stevens, the event’s emcee.The evening began with an slide show of images taken from the lives of HIV/AIDS victims and allies. The pictures brought a number of people in the crowd to tears. “Every year I tell myself it’s supposed to be a celebration,” Stevens said. “But it’s a sad time for a lot of us. For those of you who feel that way, it’s okay to be sad.”The event featured performances by local musicians, including The LadyQuakes! and South Jordan. Deb Launer presented the 2008 Celia Busch “Making a Difference” Award to Vanessa Vale and Vicci Laine for their service to those living with HIV/AIDS.Local restaurants such as Bloomingfoods Market & Deli, Bloomington Bagel Company and Starbucks donated platters of food for the event.The event was organized by the Community AIDS Action Group, as well as Positive Link, a regional AIDS service organization based at Bloomignton Hospital’s Community Health Services.Emily Brinegar, the prevention coordinator for Positive Link, said World AIDS Day was especially important in the Midwest. “There’s a lack of education and a lack of knowledge about what HIV is,” Brinegar said. “People in more rural areas deal with more stigma issues.”Bloomington resident Patrick McDaniel was diagnosed with HIV three years ago. McDaniel said he believes the city is not a supportive community for those living with HIV. But he said Positive Link helps. “Positive Link is beneficial for a lot of people with HIV with helping them get health insurance, housing, things like that,” McDaniel said. Stevens said he is afraid people have forgotten the illness still exists. “AIDS is still around,” he said. “There’s still so much to be done. This is a wonderful time of the year to stop and reflect on what we’re doing as a community and individually.”While the night’s sadness was palpable, so was the hope. “Hope gives us something greater to believe in,” said Tim Gonzalez, the multicultural minister from St. Paul Catholic Center. “For us, there is hope in new and better treatments. There is hope in ongoing research. There is hope in the compassion and companionship of those around you. You are not alone.”
(12/01/08 2:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In honor of January’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the office of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs is holding its annual King Day essay competition.This year’s essay competition theme is “Times of Challenge and Controversy” to honor how King reminded people they are not measured by how they act in times of “comfort and convenience,” but how they act in times of “challenge and controversy.” To echo this message, Calvin Mackie, a motivational speaker and professor at Tulane University, spoke at last year’s IU King Day Celebration about his disappointment with the nation’s reaction to Hurricane Katrina, which devastated his hometown of New Orleans. “He had a really critical conversation about how he felt his state had failed the victims of Katrina,” said Roberta Radovich, program coordinator for the office of DEMA. “So the core of the conversation is Martin Luther King’s idea that we are to be judged by who we are and what we do in times of controversy and challenge.”This year’s essay competition invites IU graduate and undergraduate students to explain in a minimum of 1,000 words how they have taken action in response to Mackie’s call and honored King’s expectations. Radovich said the first- and second-place essay winners will receive an iPod touch and iHome iH9B6 stereo system. The third-place winners will receive a 16 GB iPod nano. While both graduate and undergraduate students are invited to submit essays, they will not be competing against each other. “There are a total of six prizes, and anybody can resubmit as long as they haven’t won a first-place prize previously,” Radovich said. Winners are chosen based on how well they answer the question by making reference to their own experiences and observations as well as the life and teachings of King. “I think they’re looking for craft and a succinct argument,” Radovich said. “And how gracefully and beautifully they can piece it together.” Six copies of each essay should be turned in by 5 p.m. Dec. 8 to the office of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs in Bryan Hall. Radovich said winners will be notified of their success in early January. The essay competition is part of Bloomington’s two-day MLK Day Celebration that takes place Jan. 18 and 19. Activist and former Black Panther Party leader Elaine Brown will speak Jan. 18 at the Whittenberger Auditorium in the Indiana Memorial Union. Jan. 19 is the national 2009 MLK Day and will include numerous celebratory activities and events throughout the campus and city. First-place essay winners will be asked to read their essays at the MLK breakfast on Jan. 19. “The prizes are awesome,” Radovich said. “They’re worth taking the time to reflect personally on their own life and the world around them.” Despite this, Radovich said she is concerned not enough students will submit essays. She said she hopes to see increased submission.“I think they find themselves frequently begging for students to submit something,” she said. “I know that it’s never enough. There are never enough students.”
(11/24/08 4:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Asian American Association’s Fashion Show did not draw the number of people organizers were hoping for Friday night, and it faced a number of technical difficulties. Despite this, the show offered a mix of talent and entertainment for its small audience.The Willkie Auditorium was packed with enough chairs to seat the 200 people expected at the Fashion Show, which is more like a talent show featuring IU students and Asian American Association members. But even after delaying the show for 30 minutes in hopes that a larger crowd would turn out, only about 75 people did. The show also faced problems with sound and music for the performers.“We had a few technical difficulties with the music and the lighting,” said junior Amy Truong, Asian American Association programming chair. Emcees Jake Zhang and Elizabeth Uduehi tried to lighten the mood with impromptu beat boxing when the music failed and were met with enthusiasm from the forgiving crowd. Most performers had a group of supporters in the audience to cheer them on.While there were disappointments, there were also accomplishments. The Asian American Association partnered with the National Marrow Donor Program to recruit minority students to be potential donors. The chance of finding a match for bone marrow increases if donors have the same ethnicity as the receiver. Currently, there are not enough minority donors.“I think people are out of town for the Purdue-IU game and Thanksgiving,” Truong said. “Our overall attendance was low, so that it affected the number of donors.”Even with low attendance, the Asian American Association successfully helped 20 students add their names to the donor list.The show featured a wide range of impressive talent that made up for the mishaps. Marisa Santiago performed a dance to “Come on Get Higher” by Matt Nathanson. She gracefully glided and spun around the stage and finished with a bow.Other highlights included a break dancing performance by two of the BeatSickMisfits, a sample of the smooth sounds of the Japanese flute played by senior Tyler Fry and the Rhythm and Bamboo “Tinikling” performance by the Filipino Student Association. The tinikling performers used large bamboo sticks to create rhythms reminiscent of a marching band. Hip Hop Connexions concluded the talent portion of the show with a hip-popping, body-rolling funk routine.The final portion of the show was a fashion walk. Models wore authentic attire from different Asian countries, and some models sported modern clothing seen in Asia today. Asian American Association President Jennifer Chen said these clothes, as well as the hip-hop performances, were part of an attempt to modernize the show. “We are hoping to take a more modern approach this year,” Chen said. Some audience members loved the more modern approach, but others were frustrated by the repetitive technical difficulties. “I liked the hip-hop,” said sophomore Sucharat Tayarachakal. “But I wish (the show) had more organization.” “I think it could have gone a little smoother,” Truong said. “But, I guess it happens.”
(11/24/08 4:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>During the week before Thanksgiving, a holiday many Americans spend eating, six Bryan House staff members ate on a food-stamp budget.They challenged themselves to spend only $21 a week per person on food, which is the estimated weekly food stamp-allotment for an individual in the United States. The Food Stamp Challenge was part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and served to spread awareness of the 22.2 percent of Monroe County residents who live in poverty and can’t afford to eat lavishly, according to the Stats Indiana Web site, a database of demographic information about Indiana. “It makes you aware that there are people who can’t afford a big Thanksgiving dinner,” said staff member Tami Davis.Davis, along with Elaine Finley, Diane Jung, Trudy Jacobs, Barb Metz and Devin McGuire, volunteered to participate in the challenge from Nov. 17 to Nov. 21. IU First Lady Laurie Burns McRobbie asked them to volunteer in her absence. McRobbie said it was unrealistic for her to eat with only $3 a day, given her schedule and social obligations. But she said she wanted to be a part of the cause, so she encouraged her staff to take part. “They’ve been doing it, I have not,” she said. “I said repeatedly, ‘you really don’t have to do this.’ But never once did anybody have hesitations about this.”The six staff members spent the week eating only two meals a day – breakfast and lunch – and they shared them as a family would.Metz, the chef of the Bryan House, did the shopping and the cooking for the meals. She looked for the cheapest fresh produce she could find at Kroger, Marsh and Bloomingfoods Market and Deli and avoided meat because it is expensive. “You can eat healthy on a small budget,” Metz said.She made oatmeal for the staff most mornings and a soup or salad for lunch.On Friday, the last day of the challenge, they sat down to a potato peel soup and a tossed salad. They reflected about the week behind them and the experiences they had.“It brought back a lot of personal anxiety and despair for me because I’ve been homeless and on food stamps with two kids,” Metz said. “So it really struck me in the heart.” Metz said now there are more facilities for the poor compared to when she used food stamps, and the food available to the poor is better. Not only did they eat on a food stamp budget, but they made a point to visit the facilities available to the poor to get a personal perspective of the poverty-stricken lifestyle.“We ate at the Shalom House on Wednesday,” Finley said. “And that was a revelation to me. When you saw the people there who come there every day, it was revealing.”Metz said she gave the last of the onions and tomatoes to an elderly woman who stood in line at Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, which gives food out on a first come, first served basis. “I gave it to her because I know we can eat onions and tomatoes next week,” Metz said. “But you can only go there once a week.”Jung said visiting Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard was one of the highlights of the week for her, and Jacobs said she agreed.“That makes you more aware than just eating less here,” Jacobs said. “We do this for a week, and then we’re going to go back to eating. They don’t have that option.”While the Bryan House staff will have full plates and stomachs this Thanksgiving, they are left with the memories from last week’s challenge.“I think it’s going to change the way I look at food,” Jung said. “I’m going to try to be the person I want to be with the food that I use on this planet. It’s been a really helpful experience.”Metz said she intends to volunteer after this experience. “You have to,” she said. “You have to do it in order to sleep at night.”
(11/21/08 4:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Asian American Association’s Fashion Show is expected to be more than a catwalk and chic clothing because most of the show will be devoted to talent performances.The show is expected to draw more than 200 people to the Willkie Auditorium on Friday night for the sake of both talent and charity.The Fashion Show begins at 7 p.m. and will showcase entertainment from Asian American Association members and other IU students, from hip-hop dancing to cultural performances.Organizers said this year the Fashion Show is partnered with the Indiana Blood Center to increase the number of registrants for the National Marrow Donor Program. “It is our main event of the semester and has an expected attendance of 200 to 300 people,” said junior Amy Truong, Asian American Association programming chair.The show has also transformed throughout the years.“It used to be a lot more fashion-centered, but not anymore,” said sophomore and Asian American Association publicity chair Jake Zhang. “We decided to just keep going with the name.” Guests will witness the IU B Boys’ break dancing skills, listen to the Japanese flute and hear the vocal performance of Marissa Santiago. But the show has kept some of its original style. Zhang said the end of the show includes a fashion walk featuring students from IU Asian student organizations dressed in their country’s traditional attire. “Many people from other student organizations will come to support their fashion walkers,” he said.Truong said it is hard to predict the exact number of people who will be in attendance because many students might leave town for Thanksgiving break or head to West Lafayette for this weekend’s football game against Purdue. Despite this, Zhang said he expects a large audience. “There’s just going to be a big turnout from the Asian community overall, as well as the overall population of IU and Bloomington,” he said.Truong said the fashion show serves to promote spirit of community, raise awareness of the Asian Pacific American presence on campus and to promote cultural diversity. “All the while providing a fun and entertaining show for everyone,” she said.
(11/19/08 5:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Elaine Finley’s refrigerator is bare.She isn’t allowed to eat at home this week – it would put her over her budget. Twenty-one dollars is the average food-stamp allotment per week for an individual in the United States. Finley, the director of presidential events at the Bryan House, is one of six Bryan House employees who volunteered to endure the Bloomington Food Stamp Challenge. Since Monday, they have each been eating on this small amount of money and will do so until Friday. “We’re not supposed to do any snacking. We’re not supposed to let anyone purchase a meal for us,” Finley said. “We are being very careful. We’re taking this seriously.” The Food Stamp Challenge is part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, which lasts until Sunday. This event serves to spread awareness of the 22.2 percent of Monroe County citizens who live in poverty, according to 2005 numbers. This is the highest percentage in the state, according to the Stats Indiana Web site, a database of demographic information about Indiana.To comply with the challenge, Finley, along with Bryan House employees Diane Jung, Tami Davis, Devin McGuire, Trudy Jacobs and Barb Metz, is eating only two meals a day – breakfast and lunch – and they will share them like a family would. They cannot eat out at restaurants, and they cannot eat anything already stocked in their pantry except condiments and spices. Metz, the Bryan House chef, does the grocery shopping and prepares whatever she can find for only $3 per person. She shops at Kroger, Marsh and Bloomingfoods Market and Deli, searching for the cheapest fresh produce she can find. “What we’ll eat is very light vegetarian type of food that mostly includes produce,” Metz said. “No meat, which is where you spend your money.” On Monday, they ate oatmeal for breakfast and polenta with roast veggies for lunch. Each had an animal cracker for dessert. “It’s going to be a little easier for us because I’m a chef and I’ve taken nutrition classes, and I know how to provide a balanced, healthy meal,” Metz said. She said she also has an advantage over many people living on food stamps because she has a fully stocked pantry of condiments and a car for transportation, and she is cooking for adults, not children who are picky eaters, as many young mothers on welfare are. But the people at Bryan House have all had their own real encounters with poverty, as most were struggling parents themselves. “At one point or another, in all of our lives, we have been without money,” Finley said. “This isn’t new to us by any stretch of the imagination.” But Metz said that today the cost of eating is much higher than it was when she was a young mother, and she is stretching every dollar allotted to her for the challenge. Despite the large number of poverty-stricken people in Monroe County, Metz said she thinks Bloomington is advanced in its efforts to promote awareness about the problem and provide options. “We have a community kitchen and community gardens,” she said. “And all of this has developed within the last 10 years.” Finley said she hopes the challenge will help her and the rest of the Bryan House staff relate more to those less fortunate than they are, while serving as a reminder that during hard economic times, everyone might have to give up a little of what they love. “We are going to get more hit with the economic downturn. It will get worse before it gets better,” she said. “Economically, we may need to learn how to tighten our belts.”
(11/17/08 5:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>President-elect Barack Obama’s story has inspired many, but his accomplishments had a strong impact at the fifth annual Men of Color Leadership Conference on Friday and Saturday.More than 350 young men from eight states spent the weekend at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center talking about their goals to succeed in a nation where color seems to be fading into the background and character is taking center stage.The conference, titled “Realizing the Possible: Changing Tomorrow by Reflecting on Yesterday,” centered around the roles of men of color in the past and promoting leadership and higher education to propel them into the future.“The baton is being passed to you,” said Bobby Fong, president of Butler University, as he stood at the head of a room full of young faces. “The future, my friends, is your time.”Fong was one of two keynote speakers at the conference, the other being New York Times best-selling author Omar Tyree. The young black entrepreneur encouraged the students in front of him to stop dreaming of their futures and start planning them instead.“You guys have the biggest opportunity in the world,” Tyree said. “Global competition is serious, and it’s yours. There are no excuses.”The conference had impeccable timing, as the leadership of Obama and his recent election has meant a lot for the minority community. Obama served as a strong focal point.“These are the years for you,” said Lawrence Hanks, IU associate professor of political science.He told the students that when he was younger he never would have believed a black man could be president.“We live in a country that changed, and everyone in your position can do or be what they want to,” he said.Clarence Greene, a senior from Michigan State University, presented one of the 15 seminars available to the students throughout the conference. Green talked about options for graduate school and said people of color are underrepresented at the graduate level. Along with seminars, students had a chance for personal dialogue with panel members, some of which were graduate students, while others were community leaders.Kiwan Lawson, a first-year graduate student and IU track and field athlete, served as one panelist. He said he hoped students walked away with ideas of how to create success in their lives by looking up to empowering leaders.“If you know people that are empowering, that are educated, that are well respected in the community such as Barack Obama, that’s what you want to follow,” Lawson said. IU alumnus Dallas Easton, who first organized the conference in 2003, said the number of students attending has grown substantially this year. “Obviously, the vision is being carried on,” Easton said. “I just try to do my part. This is bigger than me, bigger than you, because it impacts so many.”Easton said IU has shown it is dedicated to improving race relations and serves as a mecca for diversity.“Hopefully they’ll challenge other universities to jump on board as well," he said.Conference chairman Patrick Smith said he was pleased with the growing attendance.“Men of color are often stigmatized,” Smith said. “They are not recognized for the good things they do, so it’s good to see this large number of people here.”Most students at the conference were enthusiastic and curious about how to improve themselves and their future and left feeling empowered.Brandon Williams, vice president of external affairs for Student African-American Brotherhood at Virginia Tech University, said he hoped to leave the conference as a better leader.“I came to this conference to walk away knowing how to do better at my job,” Williams said. “And so I can encourage other people to step up and be a leader on our campus and so I can help to empower and unite my community.”
(11/13/08 4:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Men from throughout the region will gather at IU this weekend to celebrate their heritages and focus on their futures.More than 350 students from eight states are expected to visit campus for the fifth annual Men of Color Leadership Conference at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.The conference, themed “Realizing the Possible: Changing Tomorrow by Reflecting on Yesterday,” is designed to bring black, Latino, Asian and Native American men together to address issues pertaining to their demographic and create solutions to the problems they face. “These are issues that are overarching, that are far-reaching throughout all communities, not just communities of color,” said conference chairman Patrick D. Smith. “These are very important issues that we have to address.”Smith said there are a limited number of men of color pursuing higher education or leadership positions in the work force. He said he hopes people leave the conference with practical ideas and strategies to create positive changes in those areas and others.“We’re not just here to talk about the problem, but we’re also here to discuss solutions to those problems,” Smith said.The conference will begin at 9:30 a.m. Friday at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center with a session for high school students, three panels and two workshops, according to an IU press release. Activities for college students will begin at 2 p.m. and conclude at 7 p.m. with a reception. On Saturday morning, the conference will continue at 8 a.m. and feature its two main guest speakers, Bobby Fong, president of Butler University, and Omar Tyree, a New York Times best-selling author.Smith said he had expected to bring BET and CNN correspondent Jeffrey Johnson to speak at the conference, but Johnson had unexpectedly been assigned to cover a story overseas.Smith said Tyree will speak about using Martin Luther King Jr.’s messages to create solutions for today’s issues, as well as what the election of Barack Obama means for men of color. People at the conference will also have 15 workshops to choose from Saturday, most of which will focus on the past struggles for men of color and how to analyze these struggles to create present and future solutions.“It will allow us the opportunity to look at past experiences of those who came before us and determine how we can incorporate those experiences into an agenda that will assist us in moving our communities forward,” Smith said. “We’re looking at the past, present and more importantly, we’re considering the future.”Smith said the conference has traditionally taken place solely at the Neal-Marshall Center, but this year’s events will span different campus locations to give guests insight into the average IU student’s daily routine.Though the conference aims to address men of color, Smith said women and white students are also invited.“We all have an obligation to increase our diversity awareness,” he said. “It’s important to get involved in activities in which you can learn about the struggles of others.”Smith said he thinks IU could do more to promote diversity and added that he and the office of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs are trying to help the University do just that.“Diversity has to be a universal effort in respect to the overall institution from top-down to bottom-up,” Smith said. “The University can always do more. I don’t think there’s any bar, and if there is, we need to go beyond that.”
(11/07/08 4:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On Tuesday, while many people tuned in to the battle between Barack Obama and John McCain, a battle was fought in California to ban same-sex marriage – a battle that left gays across the country feeling defeated when the state passed Proposition 8 and banned gay marriage.Proposition 8, which is a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, comes only months after the state legalized gay marriage in May. Since then, 18,000 same-sex couples were wed, and gays around the country saw a glimmer of hope for their own civil rights.Doug Bauder, coordinator for IU’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services, said the ban in California was disheartening but not entirely surprising.“I’m saddened by it,” Bauder said, “The amount of money pumped into this from conservative religious groups from out-of-state nationwide was considerable. There were misleading ads and very low-spirited untruth.”Proponents of the proposition argue that the amendment “is NOT an attack on gay couples and does not take away the rights that same-sex couples already have under California’s domestic partner law,” according to the Yes on 8 Protect Marriage Web site.The Web site also states that legalizing gay marriage alters public school curriculums and “by saying that a marriage is between ‘any two persons’ rather than between a man and a woman, the Court decision has opened the door to any kind of ‘marriage.’”Ron Prentice, chairman of the organization Protect Marriage, thanked voters in a press release Wednesday.“This is a great day for marriage,” he said. “The people of California stood up for traditional marriage and reclaimed this great institution. We are gratified that voters chose to protect traditional marriage and to enshrine its importance in the state constitution. We trust that this decision will be respected by all Californians.”But supporters for the proposition aren’t the only ones calling for the government to take action.Helen Harrell, faculty adviser of OUT GLBT Student Union, called Proposition 8 alarming and disappointing but, like Bauder, said she was not surprised.“I have always believed the federal government needs to enact a policy like a civil rights law and extend it to the GLBT community,” Harrell said.Bauder, who is also a pastor, said the negative religious arguments made for the ban were bogus and left him feeling frustrated and even embarrassed as a religious figure himself.He suggested there is a connection between the black community and the gay community in that both have fought for civil rights. He said Obama’s win could have an influence on connecting these two movements. “There is an opportunity for these two communities to come together and start a dialogue,” he said. “Barack might be person to help enhance that dialogue.”The Indiana Constitution currently defines marriage as union between a man and a woman.Sean Lemieux, an Indiana attorney who serves gay, lesbian and non-traditional families, said Tuesday was a sad day for gays across the country.Lemieux said he had hoped to be persuaded by what he considered a legitimate argument for Proposition 8 but has yet to hear one that is not religious.“It illustrates how much more education needs to happen,” Lemieux said. “The ads were very deceptive.”Lemieux and Bauder both said things were changing and that the fight for civil rights would always have setbacks. “There’s work to be done,” Bauder said. “Tuesday’s election still gives me hope that change can come, but we need a different strategy.”Bauder encouraged residents to share their own stories and work toward better communication.“We need to get beyond media blitz and talk to each other. That’s what will win the day,” he said. “It’s going to be a while yet. But I’m still a person of hope.”
(11/05/08 6:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As the electoral votes leaned toward Barack Obama Tuesday night, Chelsea Kane, chairwoman of IU College Republicans, said she had expected more from her fellow Americans. “It’s very disturbing,” Kane said. “It looks like Obama is going to take the election, unfortunately.”Kane was watching the election from Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where Mitch Daniels threw a victory party celebrating his own re-election as the governor of Indiana. Kane said everyone at the victory party watched in stunned silence as the results rolled in.“We’re obviously really excited about the governor,” Kane said. “But what’s scary is the amount of seats we have falling in Congress.” Kane said she is frustrated the American people would elect Obama, citing his lack of experience compared with John McCain. She said she believes the election will lead to a lot of liberal policies that will “cripple” the country.Before the final results came in, Kane said she felt voters in Bloomington were ill-informed about Obama’s policies and were voting blindly based on his celebrity reputation.Junior Jessica Howell, IU campus coordinator for Mike Sodrel for Congress, said part of the reason Obama was so popular in Monroe County was because uninformed straight ticket voters dominated the polls.“I think that it’s very disheartening that so many young people are going to vote for someone because he’s a celebrity or because he’s an inspirational speaker,” Howell said. “It’s very scary that’s who’s going to run our country tomorrow.” Despite the media’s predictions about a win for Obama, at 10:30 p.m. Kane and Howell said they expected more results to filter in as the night continued. Howell, who worked the precincts in Monroe County, noted similar trends in 2004 when former Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry was expected to win but was overturned late in the election by George W. Bush. “I think it is interesting that they’re making all these generalizations and assumptions,” Howell said. “Just an hour ago, I was taking in votes from Monroe County still.” By 11:15 p.m., Obama was officially declared the winner of the election, and sophomore Amy Stansfield said she was at a loss for words. “Obviously, the youth votes have a lot to do with what happened tonight,” Stansfield said. “Time will tell, and we’ll see what happens in the next four years.”As Howell watched John McCain concede, she said McCain ran the cleanest campaign possible. “There’s nothing the Republicans should be ashamed of about the campaign or the leadership he’s shown in the last few months,” she said. “It’s more professional than what I’ve seen come from the Democratic Party.”Junior Pat Buschman, secretary for IU College Republicans, was in Indianapolis for Daniels’ victory party as well. He said he was disappointed by the results of the presidential race but had a positive outlook for the future. “The Republicans had their time in the past eight years, so now it’s the Democrats’ time,” Buschman said. Although he said he was disappointed John McCain was not elected, he wanted the response of the nation to be a positive one. “I’m gonna keep a close eye on Barack Obama,” Buschman said. “But politics and policies aside, he’s still an American. I wish Obama the best of luck. He’s our president now.”
(10/31/08 3:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In February, between 1,500 and 1,800 students from throughout the Midwest will flood campus for one weekend when the University hosts the 17th annual Midwest Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Ally College Conference. IU students can register now at the conference Web site, www.indiana.edu/~mblgta09, for $60. The first 100 students to sign up will be admitted to the event for free, due to a grant given to the conference planning team from the IU Dean of Students Office.“Living Out Loud: Examining our Past to Enhance our Future,” will take place from Feb. 13 through 15 and will include a series of workshops, entertainment and some celebrity keynote speakers.According to its Web site, the conference helps “to promote leadership, activism, networking, diversity, health and empowerment among gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, allied and queer students, staff and faculty around the Midwest and beyond.”Doug Bauder, coordinator of GLBT Student Support Services, said the conference is the largest of its kind in the Midwest. It serves as an outreach for GLBT students from the region who might not have the same level of support services IU has on its campus.“We’re eager to help campuses think about how they can do that,” Bauder said. “And it’s just an opportunity for kids to get to know other queer kids.”Bauder said IU was chosen to be the 2009 conference host after the GLBT Student Support Services put in a convincing bid to the conference oversight committee, citing Bloomington’s prominent gay community and gay-friendly campus as key points.“We made a particular bid and sold them on the idea that with the Kinsey Institute here, this is a really unique place,” Bauder said. “The campus is relatively gay-friendly. The community is pretty amazing, and we sold them on coming here.”The conference is expected to attract between 1,500 and 1,800 students from 13 different states, as well as GLBT supporters and allies.Rob DeCleene, director of tourism for the Monroe County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said in a press release the conference was expected to bring in substantial funding to the community.“The city can expect an economic impact of several hundred thousand dollars,” he said.Aside from local GLBT community members, one keynote speaker expected at the conference is LZ Granderson, a well-known and openly gay columnist for ESPN.com’s Page 2. Bauder also hopes MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow will speak, but said he is still negotiating.Roughly 40 IU students have already registered out of an expected 200 or more from the entire Midwest, Bauder said.“This is a huge effort,” Bauder said. “There are a lot of people in the community that will be there, and we are going to need as many volunteers as wecan get.”
(10/24/08 4:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Seven young girls sat dressed in colorful Indian sarees, waiting anxiously for their moment to shine at the Mathers Museum on Thursday night. Their bright dresses sparkled and jingled as they squirmed with anticipation, waiting to perform for Diwali, the Indian Festival of Light.“These girls are doing a dance that was created thousands of years ago in a small village across the world,” said sophomore Preya Davé.Since September, Davé has helped teach the girls the dance of Garba, a traditional Indian dance performed to celebrate Navratri, a holiday devoted to female divinity.Diwali is a major festival in Hinduism that represents good conquering evil. “It’s a festival of lights. Everywhere, you will find most of the houses decorated with lights,” said Bloomington resident Soumya Kashi, who attended the performance at the museum.Afterward, she traveled a few blocks to the Asian Culture Center’s celebration, where there were arts, crafts, songs and large amounts of warm Indian food. “The crowd that came was very diverse from alternate backgrounds,” said ACC staff member and senior Elise Magno. Children created their own rangoli, a decorative design typical of India, at the arts and crafts table. Eight-year-old Shay Upadhyay sat sprinkling her rangoli with glitter. Upadhyay was one of the Garba dancers at the Mathers Museum and said shyly that she was enjoying herself. Guests sat on the ACC lawn with plates of food from Samira’s and Bombay House. Davé and junior Ronak Parikh, the two captains of the IU Raas Team, demonstrated the traditional Indian dance of Raas, in which partners dance with wooden sticks. After the demonstration, guests lined up and learned the dance themselves. As the sun went down, dozens of candles were lit to line the sidewalk leading to the steps of the ACC in honor of the Festival of Light tradition. Mai-Lin Poon, a graduate assistant for the ACC, said the event went well. “People really seemed to like the demonstration,” Poon said, “and they loved the food.”
(10/21/08 2:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When sophomore Nick Lane, 19, smoked the herb Salvia divinorum, he spent 20 minutes in a state of complete physical debilitation. His hallucinations were vivid, colorful and terrifying. “I felt like I was on this crazy circus ride from hell,” Lane said. “I came out of it laying on my bed in the fetal position, trembling.”But the high, similar to those experienced after using psychedelic drugs, was a legal one.Salvia, a distant member of the mint family, is a psychoactive herb that has traditionally been used by indigenous Mazatec shamans in Oaxaca, Mexico, to induce a visionary mindset during spiritual healing sessions.The herb has gained popularity in the United States, where it remains unregulated by the federal government. Its use by young people is causing controversy and concern among lawmakers and parents who worry the herb might be just another dangerous hallucinogen, one that is readily available and considerably cheap. A recent New York Times article, which observed federal data on salvia use, reported that less than 1 percent of Americans have tried the herb, but on college campuses that number jumps to 7 percent.In Bloomington, the herb is sold for as little as $20 and increases in price based on the labeled strength and expected effects. Lane purchased his supply of salvia at a local Bloomington head shop called A 4:20, which has since then stopped selling the drug in response to national controversy regarding its legality.Stimline Variety, another Bloomington head shop, sells the herb’s leaves in six different strengths, the highest level costing about $50. Tim Sylvester, a Stimline manager, said the majority of people purchasing salvia in his store are older than 21. “I do sell a lot of it,” Sylvester said. “We definitely have an older crowd.”The six different varieties Stimline sells vary based on the amount of alcohol extracting done to the leaf to increase its potency. But Sylvester said he is not intending to sell it to be used for psychedelic experimentation.“It is sold as an incense,” Sylvester said. “I never tell anyone directly to ingest it.” Users experience out-of-body sensations, feelings of motion or of being in two places at once, colorful visuals and uncontrollable laughter. The psychedelic effects usually set in quickly after smoking the leaves and tend to last anywhere between five and 25 minutes, depending on the chosen strength. In Indiana all parts of the salvia divinorum plant and its extracts are legal to grow, purchase and possess, as well as distribute without a license. Despite this, Sylvester said he only sells salvia to customers 18 and older.“Even if you’re 50, I’m gonna card you and everybody who’s in here with you,” he said. The store’s salvia provider, a company called Club 13, sets age restrictions.“I have very strong moral objections to selling to underage kids,” Sylvester said. “Even if they didn’t make us police it, we’d police ourselves.”But that doesn’t stop younger teens from finding the herb.
(10/20/08 4:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>At 8 p.m. Saturday, junior Amit Pithadia, cultural chair of IU’s Indian Student Association, looked nervous and worried as he walked through an empty room at the Monroe County Convention Center that was supposed to be filled with the 100 people expected to attend the ISA’s annual Garba Festival. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I’m sure we’ll get started soon.” By 8:45 p.m., the same room was a blur of color as more than 200 students began to do a dance they had been doing all their lives.Garba is an Indian dance form done during the nine-day Hindu festival of Navaratri, which honors the goddess Durga, the protector of the heavens and conqueror of evil. “The dance is sort of a prayer,” said freshman Ronak Shah. “In India, you might have this kind of dance every night for the nine days.” The dancing began with only a few but caught on quickly, as more people poured in, slipped off their shoes and began to dance to the Indian music around the glowing tower-like centerpiece representing Durga. With every other step they bent sideways, their arms sweeping together to end in a clap. The room was a whirl of purples, pinks and oranges as people dressed in traditional sarees and kurtas spun exultantly. As the night progressed, the lights dimmed and the white Christmas lights and glowing candles were all that kept watch over the ever growing large group. With a change in music, everyone flocked to grab Dandias, the wooden sticks traditionally used in the next dance of Raas. They coupled up and danced toward one another, raising both hands to hit their sticks with their partners’. Karan Chawla, president of ISA, said they had provided 100 pairs of sticks for the event. He was being pestered for more by 9:30 p.m.At one end of the room, two rows of people stood facing one another, dancing Raas with their sticks in a manner reminiscent of a divine line dance. For many Indian students, the dancing came naturally. And for the two dozen or so non-Indian students who had no clue how to dance Garba or Raas, people like Shah gave step-by-step instructions. “I think it’s absolutely vital for any community to really spread its wings,” he said. “It’s a lot nicer to see people of different colors and different races coming and doing this.” First-year graduate student Anastasia Wypasek stood out in the crowd with her blond hair and white T-shirt. She said she had come to the Garba Festival because it sounded like fun. “Is it going to be hard if I don’t know the dance?” Wypasek had nervously asked before the dancing began. Two hours and a few lessons later, she was a natural.Senior Nichole Tramel and junior Karina Garipova from Theta Nu Xi, a multicultural sorority, each borrowed sarees from their sorority sisters and were learning to dance Garba and Raas. “It’s a little complicated because I get kind of dizzy,” Garipova said. “And it was a little intimidating to go out there with everybody who had already known it,” Tramel said. “But it’s fun, even with the dizziness.” By 11 p.m., broken sticks and hundreds of pairs of shoes lined the floors along the walls of the room. Chawla said he was pleased by the unexpectedly large turnout and attributed it to an increase in Indian students in the freshman class. For one of those freshmen, Deepti Joshi, who is from India, the festival was the first Indian meeting she had attended at IU. “I’m away from home and it’s nice to get dressed up like you’re back at home,” she said. “I meet so many who are doing the same, so yeah, it was a lot of fun.”
(10/10/08 3:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Students might have noticed a low attendance level in their classes Thursday, as many of IU’s 4,500 Jewish students took the day off to observe the High Holiday of Yom Kippur.While these students are excused from classes for the holidays, many of them said it was difficult to balance their religious observances with their academic obligations.Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is the single most holy day of the Jewish calendar and is celebrated 10 days after the Jewish new year of Rosh Hashanah. On Yom Kippur, Jews fast for 25 hours and spend the day in quiet reflection, searching within for self-improvement and purification.“It’s a 25-hour fast period where we’re supposed to purify ourselves for all our sins and ask God for forgiveness for the past year,” said sophomore Ari Ginsburg. Jews also typically take time to apologize to anyone they’ve wronged, all the while refraining from any form of work or labor on Yom Kippur. The Office of Academic Affairs states on its Web site that, “because of the prohibition against work, including writing and driving on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, students observing these holidays are not able to attend classes, take examinations or perform other class requirements.”Students who know they will be absent are required to fill out excused absence forms by the second week of classes and turn them in to their professors.They are allotted time to make up for missed work so long as the makeup does not “create an unreasonable burden upon Indiana University,” according to the Web site. Professors are required to schedule alternate times for students to take exams that fall on the holidays.Despite this, many Jewish students said they spent the day doing homework and that taking the day off for the holiday takes a lot of planning in advance. “If you are stressing out about missing classes, that’s going to impact the significance of the day,” said senior Dena Kranzberg, who said she had to go to her professors’ office hours and turn in papers early to allow herself time to observe the holiday. Sophomore Melissa Alper said one of her professors held a “mini- class” for her and her fellow Jewish students.But students said not all professors are so accommodating. Senior Rachel Wolfson said she has turned in the excused absence forms every year but has had professors express verbal disapproval of her absences.“I know a lot of Jewish students don’t take off for holidays because they don’t want to deal with professors,” she said. Senior Alan Rosenbloom suggested IU do away with the excused absence forms completely and said he felt offended by them. “Why do I have to explain what I’m going to be doing?” Rosenbloom asked. “I don’t think anyone should have to explain. It’s a religious thing, and that should be it – no more questions asked.” While many students use the day for reflection and repentance, some said they know people who use the excused absence as a day off, rather than a day of religious recognition. Though many said they find this offensive, they recognize that they cannot control the actions of others. “I had Jewish friends who were surprised that I took the day off, and I have Jewish friends who took the day off even though they don’t celebrate,” said sophomore Jon Igielnik.Wolfson said she feels students should be accountable for their own actions and that using the holiday as an excuse to leave class is irresponsible.Despite the roadblocks of celebrating the High Holidays as a busy student, Yom Kippur brings many Jews back to even ground. Kranzberg said in the 10 days since Rosh Hashanah, she has received e-mails and phone calls from Jewish friends apologizing for their wrongdoings and asking for her forgiveness. “In order to be truly forgiven by God, you also have to get forgiveness from your fellow man,” she said. “It’s traditional to say to anybody that you know, ‘If I’ve wronged you, please forgive me.’”
(10/06/08 5:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When senior Ryne Shadday goes out to the bars, he goes to the same places most IU students do – Sports, Kilroy’s and Jake’s. But he wishes he were at Bullwinkle’s or Willy Joe’s, the gay bars that once inhabited the city of Bloomington and are now gone, leaving the city’s gay community with few nightlife options.“We want to be normal like everybody else,” Shadday said, “but at the same time we want a place where we can all go and be with each other. I sense a lack of that in Bloomington.”While Bloomington is home to the nation’s fifth largest per capita population of same-sex couples, according to the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention and Visitors Bureau Web site, Shadday worries the outlets offered to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals in Bloomington are not sufficient. But other members of the GLBT community say the lack of designated “gay bars” signifies an acceptance of the lifestyle within the community as a whole.There is only one designated gay bar in town, called Uncle Elizabeth’s, which moved to its current location at 1614 W. Third St. in May. Shadday said he is often frustrated the only gay bar in Bloomington is far from campus life. “I love Uncle E’s, but I’d love to diversify where I went out at night,” he said. Shadday is not alone in this frustration. Ernie Lopez, a DJ at Uncle Elizabeth’s said he also thinks having only one gay bar in the city limits gay nightlife. But there seems to be a differing of opinions among the gay community about how separate they want to be from the straight community. While Shadday pushes for a bigger bar scene, others wonder if another gay bar would be necessary in a city they say is accepting of alternative lifestyles. Graduate student Bradley Blankenship noted that many gay people feel comfortable enough at straight bars like Kilroy’s Sports Bar, where he said he hears about boys meeting boys, or at Jake’s Nightclub, which hosts drag shows every Sunday night called “Boing night.”“How much of a need do we have for separate spaces?” Blankenship asked. “I’m seeing more and more integration. It doesn’t mean that we’re there yet, but it’s good that the edges are getting gray.”The owners of Uncle Elizabeth’s, Teresa Hacker and Steve Keith, said they see a multitude of students and community members alike on their dance floor on the weekends, but that Bloomington is liberal enough that another gay bar might not be necessary. Shadday said he also wishes Bloomington had a gay community center. There is the GLBT Student Support Services Office, but he said he worries gays not affiliated with IU feel uncomfortable using campus gay resources. “Bloomington is big enough to support a community center, especially because there are so many people living here that are gay,” he said.To combat what he sees as a lack of outlets for gay community members, Shadday organizes the monthly event Gay Bagels, a community gathering at the Dunn Street Bloomington Bagel Company that invites GLBT people and their allies to eat free bagels and socialize in a comfortable setting.Shadday said it began as a group of 15 to 30 people two years ago and blossomed into what it is today: an event that has in the past packed the BBC with more than 150 people.On Friday, the second Gay Bagels of the semester drew more than 85 people to the bagel shop, and they officially changed the name of the event to Queers and Schmears.“It’s a great thing,” Shadday said. “I’ve seen people ‘come out’ there.” Blankenship said the event provides a space where gays don’t have to worry about alcohol.“What I like about Gay Bagels is that it provides an outlet that is not alcohol-related,” Blankenship said.Most people at Gay Bagels on Friday said it was an excellent mixing of the community. “It’s not just IU students,” Blankenship said. “You have parents, you have high school students, you have faculty, you have staff, and you have community members and you don’t see that any other place.”Freshman Nick Endicott was at Gay Bagels for the second time and said he feels the Bloomington community is accepting of everyone, but that Indiana as a whole is not. “Indiana hasn’t been too great as far as GLBT issues,” he said. Whether or not the gay community agrees on the diversity of resources available, everyone at Gay Bagels on Friday agreed it was important to get together as a community and provide support for one another.“We’d absolutely love for new freshman ... to come and have that same feeling I’ve seen people have,” Shadday said. The next Gay Bagels will be advertised under the event’s new name, Queers and Schmears, and will take place Nov. 14. “It’s an absolutely amazing program,” Shadday said. “I think it’s a great model on how things can work out positively.”
(10/01/08 4:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As the sun went down in Bloomington on Tuesday night, about 200 people gathered in the Forest Greenleaf dining room to celebrate the end of the month of Ramadan. Some of them were Muslim – a majority of them were not – but they all participated in Fast-A-Thon and spent the day without food to raise money for the hungry people in Bloomington. Fast-A-Thon is the Muslim Student Union’s annual event that invites non-Muslims to make a pledge to fast for one day and raise money for the Community Kitchen of Monroe County. During the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world abstain from food and drink during daylight hours. “We might be fasting today by choice, knowing that there is food for us to eat afterwards, but there are so many people around the world that are hungry – not by choice – but because they simply cannot find food,” said Rodwan Saleh, affiliates coordinator for the Islamic Society of North America. Saleh spoke at the dinner, encouraging participants to remember the less fortunate people of the world. For every person who pledged to participate in the fasting, the community kitchen received donations of food or money from organizations around the state, and in the past, the event has raised up to $1,500. Junior Valkyrie Savage participated in Fast-A-Thon to support a Muslim friend of hers and said she enjoyed the event. “It was a little bit annoying being hungry, but it wasn’t bad,” she said. “I think it’s great that the community can come together like this.”The participants broke their fast on Tuesday night in the same manner Muslims have been practicing since the beginning of the month, by eating a date and drinking a glass of water. But soon enough, everyone was on their feet and heading toward the numerous trays of food local restaurants had donated for the Fast-A-Thon participants. For some, the day of fasting was difficult to get through. Freshman Becca Blake said she had trouble focusing on her schoolwork.“It was really hard,” she said. “I got really tired and distracted.”Junior Rashad Usmani is Muslim and has been fasting all month. He said school made fasting a daunting task. “It’s really hard to stay focused on school during the day,” he said. “It’s hard to keep up with your work.” MSU Vice President Aasiya Mirza said the number of people who attended the dinner exceeded her expectations. “There’s a lot more people that we expected, which is really exciting,” she said. Mirza said she was going to spend the rest of the evening with her Muslim girlfriends where they would dance and paint their hands with henna tattoos in honor of Eid ul-Fitr, the three-day celebration of the end of Ramadan. As Ramadan ends, so does fasting. But organizers hope Fast-A-Thon will continue to remind people of their observances.“We wanted everyone to get a taste of hunger,” Saleh said. “When people are agonizing with hunger and thirst, they get to remember those who don’t have much.”
(10/01/08 4:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For many Jewish students, the meals and services Hillel offers during the High Holidays are a good substitute for their home holiday traditions. Jamie Greenberg, a freshman from Los Angeles, had tears in her eyes when asked what it was like to be away from home during Rosh Hashanah. “It’s just so hard because my whole family is calling me and wishing me a happy New Year,” Greenberg said. The Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah began at sundown Monday as more than 120 Jewish students gathered in McNutt Residence Center for a kosher meal before heading to evening holiday services. The meal was provided by the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center and marked the beginning of the Jewish New Year.The tables were set with bottles of grape juice and challah – the traditional bread eaten at Jewish holidays and on the Shabbat. Also, apple slices and honey were provided to symbolize a sweet new year.Freshman Carly Ettinger from Minnesota said she would normally be at a friend’s house with her family.“It’s weird that I’m not there when everyone else is,” she said.This year, about 4,500 Jewish students are enrolled at IU. The Hillel Center offers services for both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which begins Oct. 8.Carlie Weisbrod, engagement associate at Hillel, said it might be hard for some students to celebrate the holidays this year because they fall in the middle of the week. “Students have school and feel obligated to go to class because they’ll fall behind or because they’re in some of the more competitive classes,” she said. “They’re torn between two things.”IU does excuse students for Jewish holidays but requires students to fill out an excused absence form at the beginning of the semester. Sophomore Jill Cogan said she and her friends had a hard time taking the day off. “A lot of my friends couldn’t get out of their classes because they have so much work,” Cogan said.Some Hillel staff members also recognize students’ difficulties. “It’s one of the things we face as staff who are trying to make this a warm and welcoming experience for everyone,” Weisbrod said. “Life as we know it is going on around us even though something really important to Jews is happening.”Despite the obstacles some might face, students said the Hillel Center really is a home away from home. “Hillel makes it really easy to be away from home,” said freshman Hope Spector. “They offer a lot of options. You’re with your friends.”After the dinner, Hillel offered two services at St. Paul Catholic Center, 1413 E. 17th St., and offered two there on Tuesday.For students experiencing homesickness during the Jewish holidays, Spector suggested they hang out with new people as often as possible. “You’ll make the place become your home, and you won’t feel homesick,” Spector said.
(09/30/08 3:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When the IU Asian Alumni Association board of directors sat down to review the nominees for their 2008 Distinguished Asian Pacific American Alumni Award, Judge G. Michael Witte stood out like a sore thumb.“His resume came in and honestly completely blew us away,” said Jessica Kim, president of the IU AAA board.Kim said Witte’s numerous professional accomplishments and long history of giving back to the community made it clear he had earned the award, which recognizes distinguished alumni that have done great things for the Asian community.“In the past, it has been a difficult decision,” Kim said, “but in this case, it really wasn’t.”Witte graduated from IU in 1979 with a Bachelor’s degree in forensic studies. He went on to get his Law degree from IU in 1982 and currently serves as judge for the Dearborn Superior Court No.1. He is accomplished as a judge, community member and an Asian American.“Judge Witte is an exemplary model to young adults, especially to IU students who aspire to go into law,” said Melanie Castillo-Cullather, director of the Asian Culture Center.Witte has made strides for the Asian-American community, as he was the first Asian-American trial judge elected in Indiana. In 2011, he will become the first Asian-American chairman of the American Bar Association’s judicial division.Although he has these “firsts” under his belt, Witte humbly said he prefers not to dwell on those accomplishments, but is more proud of what he has done in the community. He has built several Habitat for Humanity houses and has been actively involved in the YMCA.“Those are the things I guess I’m more proud of,” he said.Witte said the biggest honor has been his long-time service as an Eagle Scout.“That is what laid the foundation for everything else I have sought to achieve in my career,” he said.Witte is a strong advocate for community service and said doing things for other people is the best work of life.“I think any person that does that finds it very fulfilling,” he said.Witte will receive his award Oct. 3 at the Asian Culture Center’s 10th anniversary banquet. The banquet will start at 7 p.m. in the Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union. Castillo-Cullather said Witte will receive a plaque in his honor and will be joined at the banquet by his family and friends.“This award is a tribute to my mom and dad,” Witte said. “They put five children through IU and had a child on campus for 20 consecutive years.” Witte said he is excited to come to Bloomington for the 10th anniversary banquet, and reminisced about an undefeated IU basketball team and Trojan Horse gyros.“IU has a very dear spot in my heart,” Witte said. “I’m very appreciative of the opportunity they have presented.”