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(02/17/14 3:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Strategy, strength and Super Soakers came into play as IU Recreational Sports’ second-annual intramural Battleship tournament came to an end this weekend. The four-day event spanned two weekends, beginning Feb. 8 and ending Sunday. The competition consisted of teams of four getting in canoes and battling to survive, outlast and attack opponents by splashing water into the opponents’ boats.Teams were equipped with a set of paddles, two buckets and a mat shield. Super Soakers were permitted, but not provided. At the sound of the whistle, the teams took on a free-for-all approach, with the objective to sink the competition. The winning team from each round was awarded T-shirts. “This is different from last year,” said Chris Carr, graduate assistant for intramural sports. “We no longer have playoffs because we found teams were too tired to come back for a championship round.” Collegiate intramural battleship has been up-and-coming, gaining popularity around the country, Carr said.“A lot of intramural sports are naturally competitive, like basketball, for instance,” Carr said. “With Battleship, there’s still a winner, but it’s more about having fun.” Some teams had coordinating T-shirts, matching bandanas and sailor or pirate wear.Up to nine teams were allowed in the pool per round. The day was broken into four competitions, beginning consecutively at 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. During each hour-and-a-half segment, teams battled to be the last floating boat, thereby accumulating the lowest number of points. Teams were given a number corresponding to the order they were sunk in each match. In a full round, the first sunken canoe is given nine points, while the last team in the pool receives one point, Carr said. SRSC sport supervisors used discretion in reducing the “battle zone” once teams were eliminated. “We want there to be as much action as possible,” intramural supervisor Meaghan O’Connor said. “If not a lot is happening, we reduce the playing space to make sure there is constant craziness.”Penalties included ramming into or grabbing onto other boats, using opponents’ equipment and removing water from within the team’s boat. Punishment included added water to the offending teams’ canoes. This year’s competition involved more boats in the pool at the same time to add more splashing and more chaos, Carr said. Seniors Amy Longfellow and Kate Miller, part of team “Burros Love Churros,” were back for their second try at the competition. “We did it last year because it just sounded weird and fun,” Longfellow said. “We do a lot of intramural sports with the same team.” As for battleship, Longfellow and Miller said they find division of labor to be the most effective strategy. Carr said the live-action Battleship is quite different from the board game, and the most important strategy is to not sink.Follow reporter Jill Ranegar on Twitter @JillRanegar.
(01/30/14 5:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Whether it’s emerging naked and thrusting himself against the walls of his set, lighting himself on fire or tasering his own groin, comedian Eric Andre is best known for his outrageous entrances on Adult Swim’s “the Eric Andre Show.” The star and host of what Spin magazine has called “the weirdest show on TV” will return to Bloomington’s Comedy Attic for several performances this weekend.Andre will perform at the Comedy Attic at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with additional shows at 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for students, and are available at comedyattic.com.“He could just as easily eat a live animal on stage or he could just do stand-up jokes,” Comedy Attic Owner Jared Thompson said. “No one will know until it happens. He’s a weird dude and we have a forgiving crowd that is going to allow him to be odd.”Andre co-starred in the ABC comedy series “Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23” and was cast in “the Internship” and “the Invention of Lying.” He created “the Eric Andre Show” as a television series produced by Abso Lutely Productions in 2012 with comedian and co-host Hannibal Buress.The live-action “Eric Andre Show” challenges the traditional talk show format with his manic performance style, stunts, mockery and improvisational humor. As a parody of a low-budget public access talk show, the program is known for taunting and tormenting an unpredictable mix of celebrities and imposters. Though the episodes are only 15 minutes long, the show is segmented with street pranks, hidden camera bits, flashes of inexplicable studio chaos and the general deconstruction of late night tropes.“If you ask a comedy club owner, ‘How do you feel about not knowing what’s going to happen?,’ most would be scared to death,” Thompson said. “But that’s exactly why I booked him. A one-of-a-kind experience is so much more than just a fun night out.”Andre’s previous visit to the Comedy Attic in October of last year was the night before the debut of his show’s second season. Now on the heels of season two, the show has been renewed for a third season expected to air this year, according to Adult Swim.A visit to Andre’s official website, ericandre.com, may give the viewer an indication of his comedic persona.The website features a penis cursor, raining buckets of chicken, animated sidebar .gifs and an ’80s style pong game.Thompson said it’s hard to predict just how comedian Andre will take the stage.“I want the audience to walk away thinking, ‘That is something I will never see again,’” he said. Follow reporter Jillian Ranegar on Twitter @JillRanegar.
(09/06/13 3:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As part of Bloomington’s Gallery Walk, roots musician David Wierhake will perform original tunes from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 6 at Max’s Place. Along with 10 other downtown galleries that participate in First Fridays, Max’s Place schedules special events showcasing local culture the first Friday of each month. “It’s great for people to be able to stick their nose in the door and look at some local art and talent,” Wierhake said.Missouri native Wierhake attended IU’s Jacobs School of Music to study piano but was drawn to the niche of musical improvisation after meeting jazz instructor Jamey Aebersold. In the late 1980s, Wierhake came across his first accordion at an Indianapolis thrift shop and taught himself to play. He has since played accordion on John Mellencamp’s 2001 Grammy-nominated single, “Peaceful World,” and has backed on acoustic guitar for fiddlers Brad Leftwich and Hawk Hubbard, along with other independent recording projects in Bloomington, where he now resides as an adopted Hoosier, Wierhake said. The songwriter said he classifies his music as Missouri Mad-Mule Roots Music, as indicated by its melodic feel, guitar style and finger picking influenced by Bob Dylan, John Prine and Steve Earle. “It’s for all ages,” Wierhake said. “I love to interact with children through music. I’m a substitute teacher and like to bring my accordion to school. My songs are about life and death and love and quirky, off-beat sounds.”Wierhake takes the stage as dwBrykalski to pay tribute to the life of his mother and his Polish heritage, to which he attributes much of his creativity for music.“Any song I set out to write, it just comes to me. I don’t know how, but the melody and core just progresses,” Wierhake said.In conjunction with live music, traveling gallery art from the International Art Project will be displayed for sale. The IAP collects original art from artists in developing countries and distributes it globally. Net profits are returned to the artist’s community for various necessities, including school supplies, food, clothes, medicine and housing. The canvas paintings range in color, size and style and are priced between $300 and $1,250.The music is free, but donations are accepted and encouraged, Travers Marks, co-owner and performance coordinator at Max’s Place, said. “We’re just expecting some great, quality, original roots music and hopefully some great company,” Marks said. Follow reporter Jillian Ranegar on Twitter @JillianRanegar.
(09/03/13 4:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Among the smorgasbord of community arts around town this Labor Day weekend, the festivities continued as live music, artistic talent, and local garlic-infused cuisine permeated Third Street Park for the Bloomington Community Art Fair and Garlic Fest. To celebrate garlic and food preparation focused on health, speakers presented by Garlic, Inc., shared helpful hints about integrating garlic into cooking. Festival-goers participated in the Healthful Garlic Cooking contest. Katlyn Mast won the adult competition with her falafel and received a $500 cash prize, sponsored by the Runcible Spoon.The Art Fair portion of the event featured over 40 vendors of arts and crafts ranging from handmade soap to pens made out of snakeskin, and a range of artistic mediums in between. Self-taught painter Laura Bulla of Nashville, Ind., stood outside her booth of oil paintings, striking conversations with festival-goers. As her first outdoor art festival, Bulla said the experience at Garlic Fest was an enlightening one.“It breaks down barriers because some people are intimidated by galleries,” Bulla said. “At outdoor festivals, there’s a lot of value to be able to walk into the booths and admire the different art.” M and David Roach of Leavenwoth, Ind., displayed their small handcrafted vessel flute ocarinas and pocketpipes and performed on stage Sunday afternoon. The festival’s other musical performances showcased Kid Kazooey, Gordon Bonham Blues Band and Jenn Cristy, among others. The musical finale from Soul Street brought a taste of groovy funk as spectators danced to Motown, disco and contemporary R&B covers. For Bulla, the most rewarding part of the day was seeing children in awe.“For artists, they say the festival circuit can be addicting,” Bulla said. “Having people come into the space and seeing that they were involved, most of them smiling, I get it.” Follow reporter Jillian Ranegar on Twiter @JillianRanegar.
(06/07/12 4:51pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>While the residence halls make the process as smooth as possible, these experts tell you how to avoid being caught in chaos by being prepared and organized. “We recommend packing in bags or boxes that can be managed by one person,” said Pam Sprong, assistant director of communications and marketing at RPS.Packing in laundry baskets and plastic tubs also make for easy trips to the car. These storage containers can stay in the room to store out-of-season or bulky clothing in the overhead closet compartments or under the beds.“I lived on the third floor, and we didn’t have an elevator, so making many light trips was better than struggling with heavy loads,” junior Ryan Bays said. Doors officially open at 8 a.m., but it is expected to be busy throughout the entire day. “The longest lines will probably be the traffic getting to campus,” said Melanie Payne, associate director of the Office of First Year Experience Programs and director of New Student Orientation. “In recent years, mid-morning seems to be a good time to plan for. Arriving into town the night before is often a good plan, to be ready to start and already be close the next morning.”Arriving students are to check in at their residence hall’s center desk, show their student ID and receive their keys.From there, vehicles are directed to curbside parking adjacent to specific buildings for a 15-minute unloading allotment. After everything is unloaded, vehicles can be moved to a nearby parking lot, and items can begin to be carried inside.While some rolling carts are available to check out, there is not an ample supply.“Rolling carts could be beneficial to bring, hence, everyone is trying to claim one when there are only seven or eight of them,” two-time Resident Assistant Wendy Pitts said. “If people brought their own, they could get done a lot sooner.”Another helpful hint is to avoid moving in at the same time as your student’s roommate. While it is exciting to meet the roommate for the first time, two families moving nine months’ worth of stuff into a dorm room can be stressful. Give your student time to unpack and get organized.To end the day, students and families are encouraged to attend the Freshman Induction Ceremony, an IU tradition and the ceremonial “welcome” to their new academic home. “That’s a great event to do together before parents then leave for home,” said Payne. “Students will have required orientation meetings that night and lots of Welcome Week events to help them adjust, so the Induction Ceremony and picnic is a perfect time for parents and students to say their goodbyes.”The official move-in day is Wednesday, Aug. 15. However, it is possible to sign up to arrive as early as Sunday, Aug. 12, and pay a $30-per-day charge. To register for early arrival, visit the Residential Programs & Services website.For more information, dates for standard move in and the link for early move in registration, visit the online Move In Guide at http://www.rps.indiana.edu/mig.cfml.More move-in tips
(10/06/11 11:04pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>What was once an abandoned Monon train station on the verge of demolition is now John Baker’s brainchild, better known as Baker’s Junction. Today, Baker’s Junction is a haunted railroad yard complete with a haunted museum and kiddie game room, a black light room, three adult haunted train cars and two outdoor mazes. And lest we forget, there’s a key chain made from Baker’s severed finger, priced at $5,000. While cutting a board overhead in the depot last year, Baker lost his balance. “The saw jumped out and wiped (my finger) right off,” Baker said. “It was so mangled up they couldn’t sew it back on, so I just stuck it in my pocket and brought it home.” Baker has been trying to sell the mummified finger key chain to fund new roofs on the train cars. Before it was taken off e-Bay on Tuesday, it had 25,000 views but no bids. "If it’d pay for a roof, I’d cut off another one,” Baker said. Baker’s Junction opened the first weekend in October with it’s annual charity night drawing a crowd of 500 customers. The haunted house is open Friday and Saturday nights during the month of October from 7-10 pm. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids.In 1976, Baker was medically discharged from the Navy with bone cancer. Later, he discovered the century-old station near his home in Clear Creek. With a grandfather who worked on a railroad and a grandmother who worked in a railroad boarding house, Baker said he couldn’t resist continuing the family tradition. Baker spent the next 20 years transforming the station into an antique railroad shop. Eventually, however, Monroe County officials and neighbors challenged the legality of his planning and zoning permits in 1995. Baker auctioned his antiques to meet court costs and fight what he called the “commie P-and-Z pinheads.”Losing money and patience, Baker decided to renovate the museum into a haunted house. Despite hardship, Baker remains in high spirits about a shift in his business agenda. “I’ve never made a lot of money,” Baker said. “It costs a whole lot more than I’ll ever make. But I just like to do it. It’s a way of life I’ve set up.”Family friend and longtime employee James Lane said there is a strategy and tactful technique to working behind the scenes. He credited his grandfather’s advice in his ability to frighten customers. “My grandpa always told me to walk on my toes when we’d go hunting. I like to creep up on customers — especially those who whine,” Lane said. Lane works year-round to tune up and modify the haunted railroad. “People like change to keep it new, but they also like to come back year after year and know what to expect” he said.Though the haunted house changes from year to year, one thing remains the same — John Baker’s one unrelenting fear. “The only thing that scares me is Planning and Zoning,” he said.
(06/14/11 2:13pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The long awaited anticipation meets reality each year as freshmen officially join the IU campus community on Residence Hall Move In Day. While the residence halls make the process as smooth as possible, these experts tell you how to avoid being caught in chaos by being prepared and organized. “We recommend packing in bags or boxes that can be managed by one person,” Pam Sprong, marketing director at RPS, said.Packing in laundry baskets and plastic tubs also make for easy trips to the car. These storage containers can stay in the room to store out-of-season or bulky clothing in the overhead closet compartments or under the beds.“I lived on the third floor, and we didn’t have an elevator, so making many light trips was better than struggling with heavy loads,” sophomore Ryan Bays said. Doors officially open at 8 a.m., but it is expected to be busy throughout the entire day. “The longest lines will probably be the traffic getting to campus. In recent years, mid-morning seems to be a good time to plan for. Arriving into town the night before is often a good plan, to be ready to start and already be close the next morning,” said Melanie Payne, associate director of the Office of First Year Experience Programs and director of New Student Orientation.Arriving students are to check in at their residence hall’s center desk, show their student ID and receive their keys.From there, vehicles are directed to curbside parking adjacent to specific buildings for a 15-minute unloading allotment. After everything is unloaded, vehicles can be moved to a nearby parking lot, and items can begin to be carried inside.While some rolling carts are available to check out, there is not an ample supply.“Rolling carts could be beneficial to bring, hence, everyone is trying to claim one when there are only seven or eight of them,” two-time Resident Assistant Wendy Pitts said. “If people brought their own, they could get done a lot sooner.”Another helpful hint is to avoid moving in at the same time as your student’s roommate. While it is exciting to meet the roommate for the first time, two families moving nine months worth of stuff into a dorm room can be stressful. Give your student time to unpack and get organized.To end the day, students and families are encouraged to attend the Freshman Induction Ceremony, an IU tradition and the ceremonial “welcome” to their new academic home. “That’s a great event to do together before parents then leave for home. Students will have required orientation meetings that night and lots of Welcome Week events to help them adjust, so the Induction Ceremony and picnic is a perfect time for parents and students to say their goodbyes,” Payne said.The official move-in day is Wednesday, August 24, however, it is possible to sign up to arrive as early as Sunday, August 21 and pay a $30 per day charge. To register for early arrival, visit the Residential Programs and Services website between August 1-17.For more information, dates for standard move in and the link for early move in registration, visit the online Move In Guide at http://www.rps.indiana.edu/mig.cfml.
(06/02/11 5:42pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>While moving away to college brings butterflies and excitement, it can also lead to compulsive packing. On the other hand, as your living situation shifts, you’re bound to run to a mall run for forgotten necessities. So where’s the balance? These IU sophomores offer helpful hints to proper packing.5 things to be sure to pack:1. Three-hole punch and stapler Most professors will doubt your dog ate your homework. These two items can be helpful tools in keeping organized and avoiding lost paperwork. “Stapling your papers goes a long way,” Nate Troscinski said. “It keeps you organized, and a lot of professors won’t take work if it’s not stapled.”2. Rain bootsRubber rain boots may not exactly sound glamorous, but they come in a wide variety of styles, patterns and colors. They are valuable additions to a college student who depends on their feet as a primary mode of transportation. “The weather changes on a dime here,” Alex Schenk said. “I was glad I had cute and comfortable rain boots to save the day.”3. Flash driveIt might be tempting to rely on emailing yourself, but carrying around this extra storage makes you better safe than sorry. “It’s such a hassle to email yourself all your papers,” Ryan Bays said. “Having a flash drive was an easy way to keep track of your saved work.”4. A nice dress-up outfitMaybe you’ll apply for a part time job or have an interview for a scholarship. In either case, having a nice outfit on hand definitely wouldn’t hurt. “I had to go to Target for a pair of black pants and dress shoes the night before a speech,” Ben Backes said. “I could have spent that time practicing if I had brought it with me in the beginning.”5. Dry erase board for your doorYour board is a fun place for friends to leave notes to come home to. “My birthday was the second day of Welcome Week and everyone on my floor wrote messages on my door,” Hillary Simon said. “It was really special. After that, we used our boards to give each other our numbers and leave fun messages.”5 things to leave at home:1. PrinterScoring a free printer with your MacBook is a great deal, but a huge perk of living in the residence halls is line-free access at the printing stations conveniently located in your building or quad. “A bulky printer will take up room in your room,” Hanna Waltz said. “Plus, you can take advantage of the free 650 page print allowance you get each semester.”2. Your entire DVD collectionThough preserving your childhood by re-watching “The Little Mermaid” and “The Lion King” is always a great time, create new favorites by exploring the free DVD and CD rentals available in the residence halls. “I loved being able to rent all five seasons of Dexter,” Cassi Kirk said.3. Sweatshirt and T-shirt overloadEven though the dorm rooms have quite a bit of storage space, excess clothes can be a hassle. “I brought all my favorite hoodies and T-shirts and ended up wearing the same two or three. You’ll get a bunch of free T-shirts at events too,” Brooke Nianick said. 4. High school letterman’s jacket Though it may be tempting to show off what a stud you were in high school, college is a chance to start over and leave the high school gear at home. “Joining the IU family gives you an chance to start fresh and wear cream and crimson,” Sarah Kusisto said.5. Things you’re not likely to use: Carefully consider which items are necessary and which will potentially become dust collectors. “I thought bringing my telescope down was a good idea but quickly figured out I was wrong,” Jory Kleemann said. “It took up way too much floor space, and recreationally learning astronomy was one of the first things I sacrificed to my busy schedule.”
(05/06/11 3:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The link between food and thought is complex and ingrained in human behavior, a professor explained in a lecture Monday. Dr. John Allen of the Dornsife Cognitive Neuroscience Imaging Center and the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California spoke in Lindley Hall about the correlation between food, the brain and behavior. His lecture, titled “Theory of Mind, Theory of Food?” demonstrated his position on a topic open for questions and future debate. To generally understand the correlation between the two theories, Allen first defined Theory of Mind, originally proposed by professors David Premack and Guy Woodruff in 1978, as the necessity to predict others’ behavior when socially interacting. His example: When a mother holds a banana to her ear and talks into it, a child has the ability to recognize the social act and correlate the fruit with a telephone. As humans grow, we learn and acquire motor, perception and attention domains, according to the theory. Such complex cognitive skills become “second nature,” Allen said. Allen applied similar theoretical aspects to the way humans perceive food. “The Theory of Food is an implicit, cognitive representation of diets in our minds,” Allen said. Allen explained that food is critical to social, communicative and reproductive behaviors that are influenced by family and socio-cultural environment. Food perception can be broken down into the way an individual thinks about food and the “normative” diet habits and behaviors of an individual. Evolutionary history also plays a key role in modern foodways, he said. Two anatomical landmarks of human evolution are bipedality (walking on two legs) and brain expansion. Food was likely a critical factor in contributing to a growing brain size, Allen said. Additionally, humans’ “super omnivory” trait implies their wide dietary spectrum and ability to consume meat and plant products alike. However, it is relevant to note that not all cultures eat all variations of food. Another evolutionary contribution was the advent of fire, which made plant and animal products more accessible. This added to the instilled procedural memory of food preparation. Much like the Theory of Mind, Theory of Food has adapted over time. Allen credited the endless abundance of “button-pushing foods” such as fats, sugar and salt, as well as pre-packaged food, to the stunted maturity of Theory of Food. A de-emphasis on social and ritual aspects of food has also become a contributing factor to the underdevelopment of the theory. “While we have food for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Allen said, “there are not holidays that primarily celebrate certain foods.” Allen suggested a need to maintain an active interest in food to promote successful aging, similar to maintaining muscle tone or social engagement. “Nursing homes have game rooms and TV rooms, but an open kitchen with choices could do a lot of good. Just like crosswords or Sudoku keep the brain active, it’s important to recognize food,” he said.Allen said that choosing a diet is trying to undo something that is cognitively deep. Allen loosely compared it to learning a second language. However, when gaining a second language, it is not likely one will completely abandon old habits the way a new diet demands. “It’s not simply a matter of changing eating habits,” he said, “but reworking a web of neural networks encompassing multiple cognitive domains.”
(04/29/11 2:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>While most teens’ interactions with technology during summer vacation involve pressing the snooze button on their alarm clocks and Facebook stalking, those attending the fifth annual Ready, Set, Robots! workshop will embrace the latest innovative technologies.Indiana University’s Pervasive Technology Institute will partner with IU GlobalNOC to offer a free workshop to local middle and high school students who wish to develop their robot-building hobby into skills in computer programming, logic and technical problem solving. The program will offer two sessions: traditional for students with little prior experience and advanced for returning students or more developed, tech-savvy students. Both programs will offer hands-on strategic experience with Lego Mindstorms series robots. Kurt Seiffert and Kristy Kallback-Rose, managers of the Research Storage Systems for the UITS/PTI Research Technologies Division, developed the workshops, which will allow students to formulate computer codes that create problems the robots have to solve. The mission is similar to that of Mars Rover. “We like to give the kids something close to a real world problem,” said Daphne Siefert-Herron, manager of strategic initiatives at PTI. “Something that might be seen in a scientific research or engineering environment.”As students are introduced to programming simulations as an interactive activity, they can develop skills in a non-threatening setting. “A lot of the people that are now working in these professional careers started out the same way as these kids,” Siefert-Herron said. “The technology might have been a little different, but it starts from play.” Another fun aspect of learning to work with robots is studying their interpretation of written commands, Siefert-Herron said. “Sometimes it surprises the kids how literal the robots are,” she said. “If you tell them to open their arms, they do, but they often keep opening them.”Most kids involved in the workshop express interest in technological careers. However, the task of tactical troubleshooting can be applied to a variety of career paths. The robots are equipped to accomplish a single task in a number of ways, which gives students an opportunity to aim toward the most efficient solution, Siefert-Herron said.Seifert-Herron said since IU is the national leader in research computing and high performance networking, the workshop is able to provide group leaders in technology professions from PTI and network engineers from GlobalNOC. “The kids get to see that they are also approachable, real people who are doing high-tech work that’s cutting edge, fun and exciting — not in Silicon Valley but right here in Indiana,” she said. PTI is offering an optional tour of the IU Data Center to the workshop participants. The tour will feature the IU supercomputers and the computing equipment it takes to support teaching, learning and research at IU. “We really like showing them it’s not magic,” Siefert-Herron said. “There’s a way it works, and the way it works can be learned.”
(04/21/11 3:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The sight of 13,000 faculty and graduate students walking the streets of New Orleans welcomed guests of the American Educational Research Association seminar.Researchers submitted drafts of their papers to the seminar, some about their original work as well as some about pre-existing data. The papers were reviewed and researchers were invited to attend the seminar, which took place April 8-12. This allowed researchers to collaborate before their work was published. AMERICAN PERCEPTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATIONIU’s sociology research representatives Kristin Jordan and Oren Pizmony Levy were among the crowd at the annual conference. Based on data conducted by Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, Jordan and Pizmony Levy presented an analysis of American views on college applicants. The paper focused on American perceptions of representation in higher education, specifically in regards to minority and low-income students. “The Blind Side: Americans’ Perceptions of Inequalities in College Access” presents issues of what kinds of people apply to higher education. While 43.4 percent of the adult respondents said qualified students from low-income backgrounds have less of an opportunity to attend college, only 26.9 percent said qualified minority students are at a disadvantage. SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT CORRELATES WITH GRADUATION RATESFar and wide, studies suggest a positive correlation between social interaction and success among high school graduates. The High School Survey of Social Engagement project studied postsecondary students from 86 public schools within 22 different states ranging from rural, urban and suburban in terms of size and location. Within the sphere of social engagement, the study points to the importance of active peer interaction not only within the classroom but also in school-sanctioned extracurricular activities and community development projects. While school districts aim to measure countable attendance and test scores as a proxy, Yazzie-Mintz challenges this way of gauging involvement. “Attendance measures whether they were there or not, but that’s not a measure of if they were involved in the learning,” he said. “My hopes are that school districts and policy-makers pay attention to the large variety of ways students connect to learning.”EXCELLENCE GAPSLeslie Rutkowski, an assistant professor in the IU School of Education’s Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology, presented on achievement gaps in student demographics. Analysis of data obtained from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study suggests that though some gaps persist, others show signs of marginalizing. “In the U.S. and around the world there is a persistent shortage of well-qualified people in mathematics and sciences, and this project really speaks to this issue,” she said. While mixed patterns between immigrant and native-born students leaves room for further analysis, gender seems to be an area on the rise of performance equality. “While in the last 15 to 20 years girls tended to underperform, a shift in thinking in education shows girls can do as well as boys,” Rutkowski said.
(04/11/11 1:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Seasonal allergies and eager enthusiasm are in the air for IU students this spring. In particular, the IU College Democrats are gearing up for the primary mayoral election May 3. Last fall’s election made Democratic students work together against their Republican counterparts. However, the choice between two Democratic candidates in this election — Mayor Mark Kruzan and opponent John Hamilton — has divided the Democrats and has proven to be an exciting challenge. “I think it’s a really good thing,” IU Democrats President Logan Souder said. “It relates back to Obama and Clinton both running for president. It makes for a good debate, and we end up getting the best candidate.”As a club, IU Democrats makes it a priority to maintain a high level of respect and professionalism toward its opponents. The weekly meetings have focused on specific topics of discussion in addition to offering equal amounts of time for candidates to guest speak.“IU Democrats is a really involved and educated group of people who can act independently when choosing between the two,” said Mariah Kick, an IU senior and intern for Kruzan. As an intern, Kick has been field and phone canvassing since February to educate the community and campus about Kruzan’s background and beliefs. “He is definitely a supporter for IU,” she said. “I appreciate his support for the arts on campus. As an alum himself, he stays really connected.”Kruzan is running for his third term, and Kick said this demonstrates his capability as mayor. “Mayor Kruzan has accomplished a great deal in Bloomington during the last eight years,” Kick said.While some want to keep Bloomington on the traditional track maintained by the current plans of action, Hamilton proponents said others see opportunity to shift the style of policy toward greater unity.Kimmie Lewis, an IU sophomore and intern for John Hamilton’s campaign, discussed the importance of public outreach and availability.“He (Hamilton) doesn’t think he has all the answers and doesn’t want to rely on his opinion alone,” Lewis said. “He wants to get others involved, whether it be mayors from other progressive cities, to find the best solution that way.” Lewis said Hamilton engages the public by having weekly public breakfasts to discuss issues affecting the community.“This is just one of the ways he would make himself available to his constituents,” Lewis said. “His accessibility is what really appeals to me.” Lewis said the choice between the two progressive Democrats may be a difficult one for many since both have solid plans to improve Bloomington.“I think it’s hard to see your friends work for a different candidate,” Kick said. “But at the end of the day, we’re all on the same side.”