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(02/20/12 4:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A Bloomington group is petitioning an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that could change the face of future elections.The petition, “Move to Amend: South Central Indiana,” stems from a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, in which the Court recognized corporations as people with the ability to endorse election candidates under the First Amendment.This could lead to those with more money dominating the democratic process, said Charlotte Zietlow, the group’s press secretary.“There are a lot of people who feel that’s just not right,” she said.People nationwide are looking at this Constitutional amendment, which would essentially overturn the 2010 Supreme Court decision by arguing corporations aren’t protected by the Constitution in the same way as individual speech.The informal Bloomington group has joined the cause against the Citizens United decision and held a meeting three weeks ago with about 70 people in attendance, Zietlow said. A smaller group is meeting weekly.Zietlow said two choices exist to change the Supreme Court decision. The first option is for Congress to create a law. The second option, which Zietlow said is the best, is to amend the Constitution.“We believe (the decision) was a misreading of the Constitution,” she said.The purpose of the amendment is “to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights,” the petition reads.“The hope would be it would level the playing field again and make it less likely for one or two people to spend indiscriminately their own money ... to affect the election,” Zietlow said.Because candidates spend their time raising money for elections, they aren’t addressing issues, she said.The goal is to gather 3,000 petition signatures by the end of March.The petition would then go to the Bloomington City Council and the Monroe County Council.Tim Mayer, president of the Bloomington City Council, said groups contacting the councils isn’t unusual and has happened before with national and international cases.In the past, groups presented before the city council and conducted one-on-one discussions with city council members to seek support. If the city council decides to go forward, it would create a resolution, publicize it and consider it for approval.Next, Congressional delegates in Washington would be notified. Mayer said groups could go straight to their delegates, but going through local government adds more weight to the message."It’s just another level of support,” he said.Some oppose this process, Mayer said, because they believe the councils have little impact in an issue that isn’t necessarily local. However, Mayer believes it’s an opportunity for citizens to voice their opinions.“I don’t see that as a waste of time or taxpayer money,” he said.As of last Tuesday, New Mexico and Hawaii have approved a bill that supports the amendment.The next steps for the group include gathering support and educating the public about the matter, which Zietlow said expands across all political affiliations.“It is not a partisan issue,” she said. “It is a citizen issue.”
(11/09/11 5:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The new vote-counting process for the Bloomington municipal elections caused significant delays in results Tuesday evening compared to other elections across the state.The slow start in reporting the results was caused by a system that caught precinct officials off guard, Chief Deputy Clerk Mike Szakaly said. The machine-free process required hand counting, extensive paperwork and self-entry into a spreadsheet, and the precinct workers were notified Monday of their expectations, he said.“In 2010, Monroe County decided to become a paper-ballot county,” Monroe County Clerk Linda Robbins said.The county signed a contract with the company ESNS for digital scanners to count paper ballots.In February of this year, the Indiana Secretary of State notified the county that the machines were to be decertified by the state and couldn’t be used for elections. When the company didn’t resolve the issue, the county entered a new contract and is currently waiting on a decision regarding voting centers, Robbins said.“Once we decide on vote centers, then we should be able to determine what kind of equipment we’ll need for the next election and we won’t have to do this again,” she said, adding that a decision should be made by Dec. 1.Two precincts refused to count votes at the polling station because of the time-consuming process.Bloomington precincts 6 and 16 packed their ballots and brought them back to the election’s central headquarters, Szakaly said.He also said the state statute expects the precinct officials to count their votes, but not necessarily at their polling center. This was new to election officials as of the night prior to the election, and Robbins attempted to notify all precinct officials, Szakaly said.A counter from precinct 6 said his staff was never told it was expected to count votes.“Our verbal instructions at the meeting and written instructions we had, both of those said, ‘Count the number of ballots, not the number of votes,’” Bill Baus said. “The instructions were specific.”Officials arrived with forms to begin the counting process Tuesday evening, but Baus said he and his staff also weren’t notified ahead of time that they had to count votes.Baus said if he had known this earlier, he believes the precinct would have lost volunteers for Election Day.After calling in to the counting headquarters, it was decided that the ballots were to be brought in and counted by others on location, Baus said.Szakaly said they refused to count on location due to what volunteers felt was a lack of expertise.Precinct 16 officials counted the votes at the central location while precinct 6 turned the tallying over to the election board, who appoints precinct officials, Election Supervisor Ruth Hickman said.“We can’t force people to do the work even though they were supposed to,” said Jan Ellis, Democratic appointee and chair of the election board.All of this confusion significantly slowed the voting process, delaying the election results. When asked whether releasing results usually takes as long as in this election, Szakaly said, “There is nothing usual about this (election).”
(11/08/11 5:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Four incumbents are opposed by three hopefuls for three Bloomington City Council At-Large positions and one District 1 position. Voting is today from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Each candidate was asked about issues like a proposed merger between Bloomington Transit and IU’s campus bus service and student issues, and was given the chance to give additional comments.
(11/07/11 5:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Monroe County Democratic Party is blowing its horn about what it thinks was illegal activity by a Bloomington City Council Republican candidate but the Republican Party said no laws were broken.“It has come to our attention that a number of IU students may have been offered a reward to vote in the form of a party to be sponsored by Buffa Louie’s,” Monroe County Democratic Party Chairman Rick Dietz said in a statement.He cited his information to the bipartisan absentee voting staff, who said students reported participating in a contest between greek houses sponsored by Buffa Louie’s.The restaurant’s owner, Ed Schwartzman, is running for Bloomington City Council for an at-large seat.Schwartzman said his intent was not to manipulate the system but rather to encourage students to vote.He said he checked with both local and state levels to see if such a celebration for voting was acceptable and was told that it was. The party, offered to the greek house with the most voter participation, was an incentive to engage students to vote, not for students to vote for him, he said.“Whether they voted for me is irrelevant,” he said, adding that kind of information isn’t made public anyway. “It had nothing to do with voting for me.”Monroe County Republican Party Chairman Steve Hogan said what Schwartzman did was not illegal.“It’s my knowledge he did not break any laws,” Hogan said.Several sections of Indiana law were cited in the release, including encouraging votes through promise of compensation, which is a Class D felony. By these laws, students aren’t necessarily responsible unless they accept the reward after the election, Dietz said.At this point, the best thing for the Monroe County Republican Party to do is explain the situation and withdraw the promise of rewards, Dietz said.“Every couple of years, there seems to be something similar to this come out of the Republican Party,” Dietz said.
(11/03/11 2:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Several federal agents were in town this week.The IU Criminal Justice Student Association had a federal law enforcement panel Wednesday with agents from six federal agencies.“Looking on the Internet can only get you so far,” said Mitchell Morris, CJSA president. Federal Bureau of InvestigationFBI Special Agent Russell Warlick grew up in Indiana and has been with the Bureau for seven years. He works in the Bloomington office.He spoke about what looks good on applications: accounting, math, languages and a law background.His hiring process lasted more than a year, which is fast, he said.“Set your expectations really low on how quickly things will get done,” Warlick said.Internships are a good starting point to being hired by the Bureau, he said.Immigration and Customs EnforcementSpecial Agent Chris Bryant from the Homeland Security Investigations department has been working in Indianapolis since 2004.Bryant is an IU alumnus who went through the ROTC program and earned an army commission.He said he has a variety of opportunities in Indianapolis, especially with an international hub for flights and packages.“Being in a smaller office, you really get the feel of doing a myriad of work,” Bryant said.He discussed disqualifiers for getting a job, like felonies and physical disabilities. The responsibilities include smuggling and sex offenses, technology security and fraud.Naval Criminal Investigative ServiceSpecial Agent Sherilyn Klueber works in Crane, Ind., but has had several offices in her eight-year career, including a stint in Italy.She said it’s normal for agents to jump from U.S. assignments to overseas.“NCIS has offices all over the world, essentially anywhere there is a naval or marine corps base,” Klueber said.U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspectors Laura Carter and Doug Biel from the Indianapolis office discussed the workings of their jobs.Biel graduated IU with a bachelor’s in criminal justice. He said he learned early that the field was highly competitive and wanted to diversify himself for his career.There are exams and assessments through their own center, Biel said, which possibly leads to acceptance into the academy.The service protects the postal service and its employees from scams and threats, as well as provide security, he said.U.S. Secret ServiceSpecial Agent Darren Brock from the Indianapolis office served as a police officer in his hometown of Knoxville, Tenn., before becoming a Secret Service agent.In the application process, there are intense background and financial investigations.“You won’t be able to hide anything,” Brock said. “The polygraph is absolutely brutal.”The Secret Service’s most visible responsibility is protection, he said, for current and former presidents, first ladies and vice presidents. They also protect foreign heads of state who visit and investigate financial fraud.Air Force Office of Special InvestigationsSpecial Agents William Rouse and Jason Hein discussed investigative jobs, which include technology agents, forensic consultants and recruiting spies who collect human intelligence.“You get the chance to serve in some very challenging environments,” Rouse, an alumnus, said.The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is similar to NCIS, aside from one difference, he said.“We would never land planes on ships because that’s crazy,” Rouse said, joking.
(10/30/11 11:11pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington residents took time out of their Friday night to sit in chilling temperatures and be spooked by scary stories from around the world. Listeners huddled together in Bryan Park, sipping hot cider while storytellers gave them goosebumps. There were Mexican, Native American and British folktales. One story was about a man travelling through Kansas after the Civil War. He stumbled upon a house and heard chopping, so he approached. The family in the house invited him in and cooked him dinner, only to attack him with a meat cleaver. The story ends when another traveller hears chopping and stumbling upon the same house, only to be offered another meal — the flesh of the first traveller. The night ended with a story from Indiana about a female student at IU who was afraid of blood because she had seen her father chop the head off of a chicken when she was younger. Her male friends played a trick on her by hanging a hand they took from a science lab to the pull string for her light. After a while, they went to check on her after she didn’t scream and eventually found her in a corner. She was eating the hand.This is the 30th year for the ghost story concert, said Stephanie Holman, an organizer representing the Monroe County Public Library and the Bloomington Storytellers Guild, both of which served as co-sponsors.The third co-sponsor was Bloomington’s Parks and Recreation Department, which provided a semi-trailer that folded out for a stage with lights.“There’s a strong audience for this type of story at this time of year,” Holman said. Even though the storytellers tell stories year-round, these stories are shared specifically for Halloween, she said.“We loved it,” Bloomington resident Ewa Paluszkiewicz said. “I enjoyed each one.”She said she and her son, Alex Ausbrook, came back to hear the stories after attending last year.Bloomington resident Karen Pollock said her children grew up in Africa, and as this is their second Halloween, she wanted them to be exposed to typical Halloween stories. Her son, Scott Pollock, 9, tagged along.Like in the past, Holman said they will continue to have the event the Friday before Halloween in the future.
(10/26/11 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>About 600 prospective law students attended Law Day on Tuesday at the Indiana Memorial Union and met with law school representatives from throughout the country.Admissions deans from law schools traveled from as far as Florida, California and Washington, D.C., to attend the annual event.Dan Bragg, from Ohio attended Law Day with his son, a junior at Cedarville University in Ohio.He said attending Law Day has been helpful so he can now have a knowledgeable conversation with his son about his options, Bragg said.“The benefits are just the education piece, the gathering data,” he said. “It’s a research project, in a sense. Everyone has been very nice. The representatives are really helpful.”Bragg said he was searching for represented Ohio law schools but also checked into schools that incorporate faith.“I think it’s good for students to talk to representatives from around the country in one place,” said Jessica Mehl, assistant dean for law admissions at the University of Toledo.For the seventh year in a row, Law Day was the largest law fair event. Representatives from about 120 of the nation’s approximately 200 law schools participated, answering students’ questions and handing out information.Students signed in outside Alumni Hall in the IMU and began the maze through about 120 tables that extended through the solarium, the room adjacent to the hall.“I can’t believe how big it is,” IU senior Samantha Kelly said. She said she hasn’t attended Law Day before but said it’s good to get face time with people who affect admissions, since getting into law school is competitive.Law school advisors have recognized the University’s Law Day as top-notch.“I’d never miss this event,” said Renee Alten, interim director of admissions for the Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville. “It’s one of the best in the country.”Alten said she has attended the event before and a lot more students participate in Law Day than other events like it.Attendee Alphonse Harris graduated last year from Denison University — a small school near Columbus, Ohio — and is currently working in Indianapolis.He said 80 to 90 percent of the schools he is interested in were represented at Law Day.Baylor University Law School Professor Jim Underwood also attended last year and saw a lot of students from different places.“It’s a really good use of my time to be here,” Underwood said.Law Day is an efficient way for students to get information at little to no cost, and they save time, Underwood said.Not only does he enjoy the event, but he said he loves being in Bloomington in October.“I love Big Ten towns,” he said.
(10/19/11 11:32pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>United States Attorney Joseph Hogsett was in Bloomington on Wednesday to talk to local educators about the dangers the Internet can pose to children.Hogsett, with the U.S. Department of Justice Southern Indiana District, attended the Project Safe Childhood conference, “Internet Social Networking: What Schools Need to Know,” at Jackson Creek Middle School with school educators and staff.“Social networking, generally, is a topic of enormous importance throughout the country and around the world,” Hogsett said during a press conference. Social networking appears in schools and across the population, and the dangers aren’t small, he said.The day-long seminar was used to alert and empower school officials who are effective first responders to concerns such as online sexual exploitation and cyber bullying, Hogsett said.The seminar was not only in Bloomington, but also in cities such as Muncie and Brownsburg, Ind.Protecting children is a priority for the Department of Justice and has been for some time for the Southern District, he said. The district has a 100 percent conviction rate for such crimes against children and “has developed a reputation across the country of being among the leading” units to prosecute offenders, said Steven DeBrota, assistant U.S. Attorney and Project Safe Childhood coordinator.Bloomington is safe, but no place is immune to the dangers, Hogsett said.DeBrota said the seminar provided educators with several aspects of education, such as introducing attendees to the methods of criminals, why they do what they do and informing them that the information taught for years is dated. Parents need to get involved with their children’s technology use. He also defined “sextortion” as the practice of online predators targeting children to do sexual activities through blackmail. The youngest victims of this new practice are 8 or 9 years old, he said.“That’s a phenomenon we’ve noticed in the last 24 months,” DeBrota said.With a variety of adults involved in children’s lives, from teachers to parents and siblings, this provides multiple outlets for children to voice concerns or problems they run into on the Internet, he said.“That’s the kind of thinking we hope to provoke,” DeBrota said.
(10/19/11 11:28pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>United States Attorney Joseph Hogsett was in Bloomington on Wednesday to talk to local educators about the dangers the Internet can pose to children.Hogsett, with the U.S. Department of Justice Southern Indiana District, attended the Project Safe Childhood conference, “Internet Social Networking: What Schools Need to Know,” at Jackson Creek Middle School with school educators and staff.“Social networking, generally, is a topic of enormous importance throughout the country and around the world,” Hogsett said during a press conference.Social networking appears in schools and across the population, and the dangers aren’t small, he said.The day-long seminar was used to alert and empower school officials who are effective first responders to concerns such as online sexual exploitation and cyber bullying, Hogsett said.The seminar was not only in Bloomington, but also in cities such as Muncie and Brownsburg, Ind.Protecting children is a priority for the Department of Justice and has been for some time for the Southern District, he said. The district has a 100 percent conviction rate for such crimes against children and “has developed a reputation across the country of being among the leading” units to prosecute offenders, said Steven DeBrota, assistant U.S. Attorney and Project Safe Childhood coordinator.Bloomington is safe, but no place is immune to the dangers, Hogsett said.DeBrota said the seminar provided educators with several aspects of education, such as introducing attendees to the methods of criminals, why they do what they do and informing them that the information taught for years is dated. Parents need to get involved with their children’s technology use. He also defined “sextortion” as the practice of online predators targeting children to do sexual activities through blackmail. The youngest victims of this new practice are 8 or 9 years old, he said.“That’s a phenomenon we’ve noticed in the last 24 months,” DeBrota said.With a variety of adults involved in children’s lives, from teachers to parents and siblings, this provides multiple outlets for children to voice concerns or problems they run into on the Internet, he said.“That’s the kind of thinking we hope to provoke,” DeBrota said.
(10/06/11 3:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Residential Programs and Services is trying to get involved in the community by providing locally grown foods and starting a new compost project on campus. Apples from LaporteEvery RPS dining hall now serves apples grown in Indiana.Garwood Orchards and Farm Market in LaPorte, Ind., is providing apples to RPS.In response to the University’s sustainability efforts, RPS is reducing its carbon footprint by buying local apples, said Chris Frank, outreach and communication manager for dining services.The national description of “local” is within the state or in a 400-mile radius, he said, but IU defines it as within Indiana or in a 150-mile radius. LaPorte is about 200 miles from Bloomington.“I think it’s important to support your own industry,” said Brian Garwood, production manager and vice president of Garwood Orchards.Garwood Orchards grows fruits and vegetables and distributes to IU through distributor Piazza Produce. For the last couple years, the state of Indiana has promoted homegrown foods, Garwood said.As long as a local grower is available, Garwood said it also benefits buyers because the products will be fresher and cheaper.Selling locally grown foods, such as a variety of apples, helps the state economy and draws attention to healthy food, Frank said.Senior Ivonne Romo agreed.“Sometimes we look at other snacks and they seem like they’re more convenient. But you can eat an apple on the go,” she said.RPS has been providing local apples for several years now. Dining Services buys about 140,000 apples a year and 80 percent of them are locally grown. The remaining 20 percent of apples are purchased when they aren’t in season in Indiana and RPS purchases them elsewhere, Frank said.Local CompostingUnion Street Market is the first stop in turning food waste into meals.Talks about this new project began last spring. Composting started about one month ago with a system in the market’s kitchen, Associate Director of Environmental Operations Steve Akers said.Food waste — all but meat and dairy items because of the way they decompose — is disposed of in buckets in the kitchen by employees and is transported three times a week to Hilltop Gardens in town. Bloomington students, both high school and college, visit the gardens and help build trenches for the compost. Eventually the soil becomes rich enough to garden with, Akers said.“So far it’s working terrific,” he said.Union Street Market has averaged about 45 gallons a week.The system is only in the kitchen now because it takes instruction to open it up to the students, and they have complete control over what is put in the buckets, Akers said.“Still, it accounts for quite a bit of waste,” he said.To deposit waste at a landfill, it costs $41 a ton. Composting is free, he said.Some food grown at Hilltop is given back to IU, including 30 pounds of free tomatoes that were recently donated to Wright Food Court and used in meals for almost a week.Part of the University’s operational money goes toward waste removal, Akers said. Composting will ultimately save students money.There is potential for other locations on campus to collect waste, as well as other compost sites because Akers said RPS doesn’t want to overwhelm Hilltop.In the end, composting is for the community’s good.“Local sustainability, overall, is the best benefit,” Union Street Market General Manager Brad Hayden said.
(09/28/11 3:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>What’s all that noise?Two related construction projects are underway on campus along Third Street, all in an effort to improve the living experience in the Southeast Neighborhood.On South Rose Avenue, a new apartment complex is being built for Residential Programs and Services to replace the housing lost when the University West Apartments were torn down at Jordan Avenue to make way for another project.The Jacobs School of Music is constructing an addition for faculty and practice space on that ground.A second RPS project — a new dorm — is in the design phase.STUDIO APARTMENTSThe complex, next to Willkie Quad, will open in fall 2012, said Director of RPS Patrick Connor. It will have 102 studio-style beds.The apartments are for any student after their freshman year, including master’s and doctoral students. Connor said RPS thought it was important to replace housing lost by the music school construction because many students in University West were music students and close to their instruction and practice at the school.“It could be their home for four, five, six years,” Connor said.The site was selected early last spring, he said.“We know that for the apartment building, there was a lot of unhappiness when we had to inform students the University West Apartments were going to be torn down,” Connor said.The apartment building will also serve non-traditional students and provide them with ease of access to campus amenities.NEW DORMThe second project is currently being designed, and RPS plans to break ground around March 2012. The dorm will be a 440-bed residence hall at Rose and Jones avenues, also near Willkie Quad. That site was selected by the University as the most effective location for the new dorm, Connor said.The dorm would provide higher levels of privacy, and 50 students would not have to share restrooms as is typical in the traditional dorms, he said.The dorm’s structure is on a smaller scale and more conducive to building community, as it will only be four or five stories as opposed to a high-rise building, he said.UPCOMING PROJECTRPS plans to roll out a new dining facility in 2013. The project includes gutting the center building of Forest Quad and reopening the dining hall it once housed. A majority of the facilities in Read Center would transition to Forest.
(09/26/11 3:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Residential Programs and Services is looking at options and seeking feedback from students to improve the way they are assigned roommates. Changes could take place as soon as next year, said Sara Ivey Lucas, assistant director for housing assignments.Lucas said RPS wants to make its assignment process more helpful to students.“The goal would be to allow students to have more personal control and responsibility over the roommate assignment process,” she wrote in an email.In the past, companies have offered a method similar to the one used by dating websites. This is essentially a survey that asks students about their hobbies, interests and preferences regarding living arrangements. But instead of finding a significant other, it matches roommates, Lucas said. However, the cost is about $100 for each participant.For the current school year, assignments were random unless two students mutually requested to live together.Right now, RPS officials are deciding whether they should pursue an option similar to a matching website or set rules and guidelines on the structure of a new assignment system, Lucas said. Changing the system has been discussed for about five years, Lucas said, but no major steps have been taken toward a decision. The staff wants students to get the best they can but simultaneously not set false expectations that the students will get what they want, she said.Freshman Katie Owens picked a random assignment and said she likes her roommate.“It’s pretty good,” she said. “We get along.”Will Gaslin, a freshman living in Forest Quad, said he knew his roommate for a few years before they lived together. Gaslin said requesting a roommate was easy, and he might have used a paid system if he’d had a bad experience.Each year, 40 to 50 people ask why they received their roommate because they wanted something different. Few realize that assignments are random, Lucas said.Students can submit feedback about improvements to be made to the current system, whether students would be willing to pay for a matching system and ways they picked who to live with and where. The information will help future students, Lucas said. Students can email housing@indiana.edu or talk to student government in residence centers to submit feedback.RPS could roll out a new system for the next school year. If it’s more complicated, the new system may not be ready until the 2013-14 school year, she said.
(09/20/11 2:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the third year in a row, IU dorms are partnering with local nonprofit agencies to volunteer time and energy for the greater good.The program was started by a Resident Assistant Brittany Paulk in Teter Quad.“She wanted non-profits across the Bloomington Community to partner up with each residence hall in order to improve the Bloomington Community and students’ connection to the entire community and offer a chance for them to give back,” Ashton Center Manager Shelley Arroyo said.At first, only select organizations could participate. Now, it’s open to all local agencies.“It’s been a great success in that we have all levels of involvement at the center level, student government, student staff and professional staff,” she said. “It started with having themes. The first year was poverty, the second year was children and this year was an open invitation for any nonprofit to apply for the program.”One of this year’s partner organizations, Youth Services Bureau of Monroe County, deals with at-risk children.“Our agency signed up for this program in the hope that we give a real face to the services that we provide to homeless, runaway or at-risk youth within the community,” said Kim Meyer, executive director of youth services bureau of Monroe county.This is the first year the organization has participated in the program, and it’s working with Ashton. During move-in day, Meyer said they had a booth set up outside the residence halls with information on Project Safe Place, a program that provides quick help to young people in crisis.Meyer said a full presentation of their services will be given in October.One of the bigger projects the partnership is working on includes a donation collection drive for the YSB Binkley House Youth Shelter, which Meyer said is the largest division that provides short-term housing and intervention for youth ages 8 to 17.“What we would like to do is try out the concept of having a collection site or donation box at Ashton Hall for needed items that keep our youth cared for,” Meyer said. “Such items will include basics like shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant and other hygiene essentials.”Meyer said every little bit from students helps.“Given that IU students may have the ability to donate these much-needed items or utilize their CampusAccess points to purchase some of these items to donate, we think that students may be an overlooked opportunity for supporting others in small yet very impactful measures,” she said.Meyer also said such donations will help offset the agency’s costs of purchasing the items.Arroyo said Ashton’s resident assistant staff is planning to help with YSB’s Facebook page, assisting with the Binkley House marketing campaign to get the word out and updating the organization’s logo.“We would be honored to continue any partnership with IU resident halls in future years,” Meyer said.
(09/19/11 2:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This week at IU is all about sex.Sexploration at IU features events during Sept. 19-23 as the opening week of the IU Health Center’s Wellness Weeks events, which will continue in October.“For our fourth annual Sexploration Week, similar to our past weeks, we’ve tried to include a combination of serious, fun, educational and entertaining events,” said Kathryn Brown, a certified sex educator and health educator at the IU Health Center. “This year is no exception, and we still feel that providing these events and activities to IU students, as well as the larger IU and Bloomington communities, is sex education at its very best.“It’s an opportunity to explore the many dimensions of orientation-inclusive sexuality,” Brown said. “It’s an opportunity for any individual to challenge their own perceptions about sexuality in general and their self-perceptions.”Sex talk“Americans and Sex: What they do, who they do it with and what they think about it” will be presented from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. Wednesday in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation Auditorium.The presentation is from a National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior.“This national sex study was the largest nationally representative study of sexual behavior ever conducted in the United States,” said Debby Herbenick, associate director of IU’s Center for Sexual Health Promotion and author of “Because it Feels Good.”The survey asked men and women ages 14-94 about their sexual behavior.“People tend to be curious about what others like them, or different from them, are doing sexually,” Herbenick said.“This presentation will give students a good opportunity to learn more about sex research going on right here on the IU-Bloomington campus and learn more about why it matters and a little about the history of sex research, which this campus has been an integral part in shaping.”Another aspect of Herbenick’s work is IUSecrets, a localized version of the PostSecret project. Herbenick began the project by asking — but not requiring — her Human Sexuality students to anonymously share a secret on a decorated notecard in 2010, and Herbenick said their participation has given her an insight into the lives around her.IUSecrets will be a part of Sexploration Week as students can share a secret and send the notecard via campus mail to HPER 116, Department of Applied Health Science.For more information on IUSecrets, visit iusecrets.tumblr.com.Sex Trafficking When: Noon to 1 p.m. today Where: Frangipani Room at the Indiana Memorial UnionMore info: Stepanka Korytova, visiting scholar in residence at the IU Center for the Study of Global Change, will discuss the history and Indiana laws of global human trafficking at “The Many Faces of Human Trafficking.”Mobile Health UnitWhen: Noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday Where: East Seventh Street near the IU Art Museum More info: The bus will offer free sexually transmitted infection testing for men, as well as information on sexuality, nutrition and how to quit smoking.Speed dating sessionWhen: 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday Where: State Room East of the Union.Dating game showWhen: 6:30 p.m. Thursday Where: La Casa Latino Cultural Center, 715 E. Seventh St.Drag show Performance: “the West End Girls”When: 10 p.m. to midnight Friday Where: Uncle Elizabeth’s Nightclub, 1614 W. Third St. More info: Students must be 21 or older to attend.For a full schedule of events, visit healthcenter.indiana.edu/wellness.
(09/16/11 4:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>You won’t find many typewriters in Ernie Pyle Hall today.Since its founding 100 years ago, techniques in the School of Journalism haven’t changed, but the tools have, trading the pens for typewriters and, eventually, the computers 21st century students use.“We’ve been around a long time,” said Owen Johnson, a journalism school professor since 1980. “We’re one of the oldest journalism schools in the country.” The early yearsJournalism instruction at IU began in 1893 with three students, according to the school’s website.“Classes in writing and reporting were taught at intervals during the next few years, supplementing the students’ liberal arts background in English, history and economics,” the site said.The College of Arts and Sciences launched the Department of Journalism in 1911, but students couldn’t major in journalism until 1932.Professor Joseph Piercy served as the first head of the department until 1938. Pyle left school in 1923 for a reporting job one semester shy of a degree. He received an honorary degree in 1944.From 1938 until his retirement in 1968, alumnus John Stempel served as head of the department.“It was in the Stempel years that journalism, after moving through various offices on campus, found its home in Ernie Pyle Hall in 1954,” the site said.Succeeding Stempel as department chair in 1968 was Richard Gray.The program became a school in 1974. And eight years later, journalism became a field of study at all eight IU campuses. The Bachelor of Arts in Journalism has been available since 1990.After 100 years, there are now more than 10,000 alumni worldwide.Alumni rememberMarjorie Blewett, a Bloomington native and 1948 graduate, started school in 1944 with the world at war and most of the male IU students in the service. Journalism education isn’t the same as when Blewett was in school.Blewett said she could still write and create headlines today, but making the product is questionable.“I wouldn’t have the faintest idea how to put out a paper today,” she said. “There have been a lot of changes, but that’s life.”But one aspect has stayed the same for Blewett — how the IU School of Journalism has put a continuous emphasis on writing.“We have always been strong in journalism and writing throughout the 100 years,” she said.Current faculty member Tom French is a 1981 graduate and won a Pulitzer for reporting in 1998. French said the students are sharper than ever as the field changes.“Journalism is constantly evolving, so the school is constantly evolving,” French said.The future of IU journalism“It’s a fascinating time for journalism and journalism education,” IU School of Journalism Dean Brad Hamm said. “Journalism will always be vital to any community.”This year, the school will honor 15 graduates with the Distinguished Alumni Award. The first class, which includes graduates from throughout the century, several of whom are Pulitzer Prize winners, will be honored Friday at a banquet and ceremony.For more information, visit journalism.indiana.edu.
(09/12/11 5:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Months after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Congress passed the Patriot Act to improve the government’s counterterrorism efforts. Ten years later, the law continues to play a vital role in U.S. national security. At the end of May, Congress approved a four-year extension. What is the Patriot Act?Several aspects, such as surveillance, were present before the law was passed, said David Fidler, IU Maurer School of Law professor and national security law expert. The act gave law enforcement more authority and the tools to use it. The events of 9/11 were enough to trigger changes to law enforcement legislation, he said. The act is formally known as the “Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act of 2001.” What does the law mean?The Patriot Act allows federal agents to follow suspects and conduct investigations without notifying them and also allows federal agents to obtain business records through the courts in national security terrorism cases.The Department of Justice website said the act was also updated to reflect new threats and allows investigators to obtain a search warrant “anywhere a terrorist-related activity occurred.” Another major provision of the act, as described by the Department of Justice, provides harsher punishments for terrorists or conspirators. Housing known terrorists, as well as bio-terrorists and attacks on transportation systems, is punishable.What’s the impact of the law?Fidler said the Patriot Act revealed the traditional tension regarding the government’s response to security and how that may invade civil liberties. There is controversy surrounding the law, Fidler said, because there has been no doubt of a shift of power. He also said it’s important to understand the bigger picture of security versus liberty. He said he believes the law is permanent and called it a “very significant piece of legislature that will continue to survive.”
(09/12/11 3:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU’s official Sept. 11, 2001 remembrance event produced tears from start to finish Sunday at the IU Auditorium.
“All of us know the story,” President Michael McRobbie said to open his remarks.
He said his summary of what happened wouldn’t do the day justice.
“No words can fully convey that devastation,” he said.
McRobbie also expressed gratitude for the IU faculty, staff and students who serve in the military or are in law enforcement.
“They are among those heroes we gathered today to honor,” he said.
The event also featured several speakers and performances by the Jacobs
School of Music. At the end of the event, the Jacobs performers and
crowd joined together to sign “Amazing Grace.”
At least two in attendance said Sept. 11 played a big part in why they enlisted in the armed forces.
“It’s good to reflect and say that we’re not invulnerable as a nation.
There’s still problems we need to work out,” said junior David Currey, a
U. S. Marine.
Krista Dora, a senior in the U. S. Army, said it’s important to remember service members.
“Those are people who risk their lives,” Dora said. “It’s the least we can do to remember them.”
Heidi Mitchell, a sophomore attending the program for a class project,
lived just south of Washington, D.C. 10 years ago when she was in fourth
grade.
Her father, a serviceman, worked in the Pentagon. She said knew her
father was fine that day, though, because her parents were with her
brother.
He was scheduled to have surgery, but all surgeries and appointments
were canceled to make room for expected burn victims, Mitchell said.
Other speakers included Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan and Kevin Bush, a
junior on the football team who is an Army veteran and served in Korea
and Iraq.
Bob Loviscek, president of the Bloomington Metropolitan Professional
Firefighters Local 586, also spoke. He traveled to New York City a few
months ago to pick up a beam from the debris in the hopes of creating a
memorial in Bloomington.
“Our nation saw evil that day, the worst of human nature,” Loviscek said.
(09/01/11 3:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Most freshmen are adjusting to sharing a dorm room. Two hundred thirty students are adjusting to sharing a lounge.In Read, four men have adopted their floor’s common space as home.Nathan Price-Presslaff, a sophomore transfer student and Bloomington native, said he signed up late on purpose to get the dorm that he wanted. He said he likes Read. Even though he’s only about a mile from his house, Price-Presslaff said he likes the lounge better than his own bedroom. He also said coming from a large family prepared him for living in the lounge.“I’m used to noise and light,” Price-Presslaff said. “It’s all good.”IU doesn’t have enough space to house all on-campus students, and about 220 students were originally placed in overflow housing, Residential Programs and Services reported. Sara Ivey Lucas, assistant director for assignments for RPS, said the problem is a combination of two issues: late registrants and not enough space. In addition, IU announced its second-highest enrollment figures in the University’s history for this fall.“As we continue to add more space, the folks in administration continue to add more people,” Ivey Lucas said.For the University, it means there is a supersized freshman class required to live on campus, Ivey Lucas said. It also shows a higher retention of returning students. There are also competing interests on campus, she said. Her staff was prepared for the higher enrollment numbers. They also knew they couldn’t leave certain dorms with worsening infrastructure, such as Briscoe, which didn’t have air conditioning until recently.Ivey Lucas said RPS has tried to lessened the number of students in supplemental housing by reducing the number of double rooms allowed for single room space. They also recently built Union Street Center, the first new housing building constructed at IU in more than 40 years. Plans are in the works to add a new apartment complex off of Third Street as well as a new residential hall in the southeast neighborhood.Data from the past two school years show that RPS efforts are working: The number of students living in overflow housing has decreased from the 2009-10 school year to the 2011-12 school year.“We are housing more students than we ever have, at least in the last 15 years,” Ivey Lucas said. Those living in lounges are paying 80 percent of their housing contracts compared to those living in a dorm room, Ivey Lucas said.Many students are concerned about privacy, but most complaints are voiced by parents, she said. The breakdown of students living in lounges is about 75 percent male and 25 percent female. Research based on students’ past experiences showed RPS that males tend to do better in that situation than females, Ivey Lucas said.“Chances are, we’ll continue to have men in supplemental housing for the full fall semester,” she said.Price-Presslaff said he and the others were told they would be in the lounge until October.His roommate, freshman Caleb Leake, said he doesn’t want to have to move and meet new people because he likes who he lives with.“I don’t really have any complaints,” said freshman Keagan Sorg, another roommate.Kyle Smith, a freshman living with three other males in Forest, said he was told he’d be in the lounge all year, and he hopes he stays.“The lounge is a good place,” said his roommate, freshman David Shan. “It’s spacious.”
(08/31/11 4:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU-Bloomington administration announced the second-largest enrollment in the University’s history, as 7,410 freshmen registered for classes.It is also one of the most academically successful classes in years, the University Communications office said.The average Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) score rose two points to 1201 for freshmen studying at IU-Bloomington. More than 74 percent of new students were in the top quarter of their high school class. Also, those who received National Merit awards nearly doubled, setting a record high at 84 percent this year — up 42 percent from last year’s class.“I love the campus. It’s a beautiful campus,” Dana Nathan, a freshman from Northbrook, Ill., in the education program, said. “I’m really excited. I love it here.”Cheyenne Montijo, a freshman from Chicago, said she hopes to study legal studies.“It had a lot of opportunity, and it had the major that I want,” Montijo said of why she chose IU. “And it’s not incredibly far from home.”Arthur Masyuk, a freshman studying music from Omaha, Neb., said he lived in Bloomington for a month in 2008 while participating in the IU Summer String Academy. Masyuk said he likes that he can hang out with non-music students as well.A native of Bloomington, Dane LeBeau said he and his friends never gave IU a second thought — it was a backup plan in case they didn’t get accepted elsewhere.“It’s always been in my backyard,” the freshman said.But as the years went on, LeBeau said he realized IU’s positives and decided to enroll. His mother is involved in the alumni center and his older brother is a junior at the University as well.American citizens aren’t the only ones increasing IU’s enrollment. International enrollment is also up about half a percent. The countries with high enrollment are China, India, Taiwan and South Korea.Across IU-Bloomington,42,081 students are enrolled in 565,010 credit hours — both figures are up about half a percent from last year.IU is reporting 108,041 students enrolled at all eight campuses across the state on the first day of classes. The figure recorded a week after classes start, known as the census figure, is expected to pass last year’s record of 109,445, but the official number won’t be available until early September, the University Communications office said.
(08/29/11 1:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU’s birthplace at Seminary Square Park was honored with a historical marker Friday.The University’s original 11-acre location was on the site of what is now Seminary Square Park. The event featured the mulching of a tulip tree, Indiana’s state tree, to symbolize the effort to replace hundreds of trees lost during heavy winds in the spring, said Karen Hanson, IU Provost and Executive Vice President.The Bloomington Parks Foundation is working to replace trees in the park and around the city. Stephen and Connie Ferguson, long-time Bloomington residents, have begun this effort by purchasing 100 trees for the city. The Fergusons have extended their efforts by donating 150 trees to replace those lost on the IU campus. Mayor Mark Kruzan, an IU alumnus, called Friday’s occasion a celebration.“This is fun,” he told the dozens of attendees. “I love this kind of event.”Jeremy Hackerd was the state historical marker program manager during the three years the site’s application was submitted and reviewed. He said the site is part of the Indiana Historical Bureau’s historic marker program and is not on the state’s register of historical places.The historical marker program and historical places register are not related programs.To become a historic marker, the bureau must decide the application’s subject had a significant impact on Indiana’s history, Hackerd said.There are about 500 historical markers in Indiana, and this new marker makes nine in Monroe County, according to an IU press release. Historical markers honor noteworthy events, people, groups and locations in Indiana history.“Indiana’s founders showed remarkable wisdom when they called for the establishment of a system of education,” Hanson said in the release. “The historical marker at Seminary Square Park will celebrate the close ties between IU and the Bloomington community — rich and varied connections that have endured for nearly 200 years and will continue to prosper.”