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(10/10/05 4:30am)
Between now and Nov. 11, fans can bleed crimson, but students can give the gift of life and beat the rival Boilermakers in the 2005 IU versus Purdue Blood Donor Challenge.\n"It's a very friendly competition and it allows members to do something that will benefit their communities under the name of IU," said Senior Vice President of the IU Alumni Association John Hobson. \nThe winner will be recognized during another blood sport, the IU versus Purdue football game in Bloomington. On Nov. 19, one Old Oaken Bucket Trophy will go to the best football team and another to the university with the most blood donations. \nDon Creek, Bloomington Red Cross donor recruitment designee, believes so strongly in IU that he convinced the Red Cross to hire an additional crew for Monroe County during the competition. However, due to lack of donors and drives, that crew hasn't been utilized. \n"We could literally have a drive every single day at IU. But someone has to think of it and ask us," he said. "There are just too many empty dates." \nThe drive scheduled for the opening day was cancelled, leaving this week with two drives. Next week would be completely void had Willkie Quad not agreed to sponsor a drive at the last minute, he said.\n"Nobody says, 'We want the honor of having the first drive.' Our count for day one was zero," Creek said. "There are 400-something organizations. Any group that can get together three dozen donors, I'll be there. And that's three dozen more votes for IU."\nSince the challenge began in 1997, Purdue has dominated the series, leading 6-2. Last year, 5,164 units were donated from both campuses. That accounts for a very small portion of the schools' populations, where enrollment at each exceeds 35,000. \nCreek said while 60 percent of the general population is eligible to donate, only 5 percent of those eligible actually do. Creek is devoting his efforts to improve those statistics and beat Purdue at the same time. He said he hopes to follow coach Terry Hoeppner's example. \n"My rock is the groups sponsoring the blood drives in the Union. The walk is down Jordan and up Third Street at the dorms and greek houses," Creek explained. "It's a matter of traditions. Hep has 'The Walk' and 'Rock' to win his Oaken Bucket. It's the same thing with the other trophy."\nCreek wants IU votes so badly, he is hosting drives at area high schools to pick up the slack. Hopefully, he said, his efforts will pay off.\n"It would be very rewarding to win that trophy, and it makes us feel good that our alumni and students support us in that effort," Hobson said, eager to keep the trophy at the DeVault Alumni Center for the next year.\nThe blood supply at Indiana hospitals is diminishing after the initial rush of donations following Hurricane Katrina. Creek hopes the challenge will transform fans into regular givers.\n"We have all these miracles that doctors are able to perform but so many require a transfusion. It's life or death," Creek said. "They are my everyday heroes, someone who dedicates that hour every two months to save a few lives"
(10/10/05 4:25am)
Months from graduation, the Office of the Bursar can hold senior Jeremy John's diploma. He has an outstanding late fee for a movie he checked out -- five years ago. \n"I checked out a movie on Gandhi for a friend, and he says he returned it. Apparently he didn't because the library is charging me something like $100," John said. "I keep trying to talk to them, but they aren't going to take it off. They think because it is going on my bursar account that it isn't real to me, but I pay my own bursar bill."\nRandall Lent, head of circulation, shelving and security services at the Herman B Wells library, said this situation isn't uncommon. \n"I personally talk with students daily who have been billed for failing to return materials.\nAfter a student accumulates $5 worth of library fines, the fines are charged to the bursar. If a student fails to pay the fines on the bursar bill, that student can be denied access to certain services, such as transcripts, grades, the ability to register and receiving his or her diploma.\nEric Bartheld, assistant development director of public relations for the library, said the policies are not meant to be punitive but are in place to benefit all library users. He said the library circulates 1.5 million books in a year and a very small percentage of those never come back. \n"That's our bottom line -- we just want the books back," Bartheld said. \nBut students with fines exceeding the cost of the lost material have trouble seeing policies in that manner.\n"The movie probably cost like $20. That extra $80 is pure usury. That's 400 percent interest," John said. \nLent said to acquire such fees from the library, a student would have to be persistently neglectful of policies. He said his practice is to individually evaluate each situation and listen to the user before deciding on fines.\n"Generally, I give everyone a 'get-out-of-jail-free' card," Lent said. "Folks who are chronically disorganized or have contempt for the circulation policies soon show their true colors."\nThe library policies don't apply just to students. University Information Technology Services employee Christopher Lance checked out a book and returned it a week late. \n"They took it straight out of my paycheck," Lance said. "It definitely made me want to just check out books from the Monroe Library because they're much more lenient."\nJohn also prefers the Monroe County Public Library. \n"From that same period of time in my life when I was irresponsible, I had around a $90 fine at Monroe. I talked to them, said that I was sorry and that I wanted to be a part of the library system. They knocked the fee down to $20 and gave me my card back. That's what we call in Christianity 'grace,'" John said.\nLent argues that his job requires he figure out when grace is appropriate. \n"My job is to know when it is appropriate to 'bend' the rules," he said. "In doing so, I must remember I have a duty to serve the user who has a problem while equally serving the user who wasn't able to access the materials they needed"
(10/03/05 4:26am)
Willkie Quad residents discovered another thing to add to the infinite use of duct tape: construct an 8-foot-long yellow banana boat for the fifth annual Cardboard Boat Regatta held by The Council for Advancing Student Leadership.\n"It's laid back in Willkie, so we got started with Banana Boat sunscreen and went from there," Willkie Wonders co-captain and junior Matt Skiba explained. \nAs one of 24 teams competing Friday to have the fastest and most creative boat, the Willkie Wonders constructed their vast boat completely out of cardboard and duct tape. Not only did it resemble a banana, but it also had to hold its two captains, clad in duct tape coconut-shell bras and grass skirts, as it sailed across IU's Outdoor Pool. The Wonders attempted to sweep the scoreboard after receiving third place honors in both categories last year.\n"The strategy is to drill holes in all the other boats and pray," Skiba said.\nKim Shultz, CASL Event Director and senior, said praying is the fun aspect. \n"The most exciting part of the event is seeing which boats sink and which ones sail," she said.\nThe boats varied in their ability to stay afloat. Most boats tipped over, forcing their captains to doggie-paddle to the finish line while dragging their flimsy cardboard constructs behind them.\n"It's like watching an Olympic runner fall and get injured but get back up and finish the race anyway," sophomore Kris Kolish said of the spectacle. "I think they deserve a standing ovation."\nThe boats that did sail, however, dashed down the 50 meters. In the first heat, www.UniversityVolunteers.org surpassed last year's record time of 42.6 seconds. Outdoor Adventures Hellbenders outdid that short-lived record in a subsequent heat, only to be shut out by Grand Pappies in the final heat. However, it wasn't until the championship heat, consisting of the six boats with fastest times, that the Hellbenders blew the competition away, setting a new and final record of a mere 25.35 seconds. \n"We're going to paddle hard, stay above water and just keep going," Hellbender co-captain and junior Matthew Lattis said before winning the first place trophy. Global Sales Leadership Club and Grand Pappies took home second and third prizes, respectively.\nThe opposition was just as hot poolside during the "most creative" judging. The exterior of the boats varied in décor as much as they did in aerodynamics. Alpha Kappa Psinkers sailed an elephant named Bessie and the Student Alumni Association constructed a cross between Frank-the-Tank and Jaws.\nWillkie Wonders' Banana Boat took home third for second consecutive year. Grand Pappies' pirate ship won second, also for their second year. But Read Center caught the judges attention with their Viking ship and won first place. \nThe ship bore the name Hraesveig Farnagerd, meaning "corpse-swallowing cargo god." Co-captain and junior Clay Goad explained the choice while slicing a cardboard sword in the air. \n"We're going to destroy all other boats," he said. "We need the village, we need the plunder! That's our motivation." \nEach team brought its own motivations for entering. \n"It's fun to see the other organizations' boats and get together for friendly competition, but also we're pretty much going to kick some ass," said Adam Basey, public relations director for SAA.\nThe Grand Pappies were also motivated by victory. Complete with a duct tape flag, mast, Jolly Roger, stern and swords, the pirate ship was manned by two ex-students returning to defend their title. \n"I want to thank the fans," said Mark Bland behind a curly faux beard. "It's a good reason to come back. This is our homecoming."\nFor independent onlookers and fans, the regatta provided music, free food and raffle prizes. Though the event was free, each team was asked to donate $20. CASL will spend the proceeds on leadership scholarships.\nStudents were not the only participants. Twelve-year-old Matt Parmenter as the Skipper and 9-year-old Taylor Hoke as Gilligan floated a replica of the S.S. Minnow, which fell to the same fate as its predecessor. However, even with its junior captains, the boat floated the longest among the exhibition heat.\n"We thought we'd be a perfect match as the Skipper and Gilligan," Parmenter said.\nFriday seemed filled with perfect matches. The fall sunshine and amusing atmosphere brought students from all backgrounds. \n"All of CASL was psyched to see such a large turnout for the race day," Shultz said. "Our marketing efforts throughout September had truly come together. The cardboard boat regatta is sure to be a lasting event at IU for years to come"
(09/27/05 5:20am)
When students trek across central campus, passing IU President Adam Herbert's residence, they often do not think about the first Hoosiers who journeyed to class in the mid-1800s. Most don't realize they would have been walking down Second Street toward Seminary Square. The early Hoosiers would have passed a distinctive 1700s Georgian-style house belonging to IU's first president, Andrew Wylie. \n"Andrew came from western Pennsylvania," docent Carol Wise told a small group of tourists from behind an ivory lace bonnet. "He drew a sketch of the house and had it built. He knew it wasn't like any other house in Bloomington."\nSince then, Second Street has changed, but on the corner of Lincoln and Second, the two-story house remains a relic of the 1840s -- ornate with quaint, forest-green shutters, charming porches and an expansive garden. Built in 1835 and restored in 1960, it offers unique opportunities for students to learn Hoosier history and heritage.\n"It's the only place in town where you're going to learn about the Wylie family and how IU was founded," museum director Jo Burgess said. "It's surprising how many students, even those whose parents came here, do not know how the University was started or where it started."\nBurgess has seen the transformation of the property from a neglected wreck with an overgrown lawn to a site earning a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. \n"In the past five years, we've changed a lot. We have a long way to go," Burgess said. \nIn addition to further renovations, her staff plans to build an education center within the next couple of years to expand programming. \n"We would like to see every fourth-grade class in the county visit the museum as part of their Indiana history curriculum," Burgess said. \nSince restoration began in the 1960s, the museum has collected original Wylie pieces, painted the interior and exterior and paid detailed attention to recreating a home representative of south-central Indiana life in the 1840s. The museum also grows and sells heirloom flowers and vegetables that were cultivated prior to the 1850s, which Wise calls the "money-making project."\nThe museum preserves more than seeds to sell. It also preserves the legacy of the first IU president. \nInteractive media challenges the merits of preservation. As one of the earliest buildings in Bloomington, many take the Wylie house for granted as just an old building. However, Burgess considers structures integral to understanding the past.\n"Visual history is easy for everyone to grasp," she said. "History books put students to sleep, but when they walk into an actual house it immediately makes an impression. It carries you back so you are open to hear about the time period."\nHaving such a resource renders IU unique, Burgess said. \n"There aren't very many universities who own the house of their first president," she said. "In fact, I only know of one."\nThe museum offers students a better understanding of what would become of Hoosiers by preservation of their precedents. However, if that is still not enough motivation to get students on a tour, she hopes they remember the museum when they need a place to take their parents.\n"It's important for us all to know where we came from," Burgess said. "I really want students to come here and learn about the history and heritage"
(09/27/05 4:41am)
In 1996, the IU School of Music developed the nation's first digital music library, which allowed students to access vast music libraries and interact with what they heard through innovative digital capabilities at the University. \nNow, thanks to a $770,000 grant, students across the nation will hear that music, and IU will spearhead the changing landscape of music education.\nOn Sept. 20, the Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the School of Music a grant to expand the library software, Variations, to other universities across the nation. The IU Digital Library Program will head the project. \n"By the end of the grant, we hope to release Variations3 as open source software that would be free to any institution who wants to use it," said Jon Dunn, program director and associate director for technology.\nInstitutions who see Variations want it.\n"When members of the Variations2 team have given presentations at various conferences, one of the first reactions from music faculty is, 'Can we get this?' The aim of the new grant is to transform Variations into a system that other institutions can easily adopt," said Eric Isaacson, Variations2 principle investigator and chair of music theory.\nThe Digital Library Program developed Variations2 after the National Science Foundation and National Endowment for the Humanities awarded a $3 million research grant in 2000. Its predecessor, Variations, was one of the world's first digital music systems. \n"IU's Variations system, which went online in 1996, was the first example in the world of digitized music distributed over a computer network for educational use," Dunn said.\nSince the onset of Variations, students have benefited from digitally catalogued music. Students now have access to over 10,000 recordings in one location.\nBefore Variations, students had to check out CDs. LPs or cassette tapes to listen to music for class assignments and them at machines in the Music Library, said musicology professor Peter Burkholder. This meant that only a handful of students could listen to a particular song at a time.\n"This always created logjams, because everyone in a class is normally listening to the same pieces at the same times because they are preparing for a class session or studying for an examination," he said. "With Variations, all the students in a class can listen to the pieces on reserve when they want to, at their own pace. This was already a great step forward with the first Variations program." \nTraditional music education involves listening to a sound recording while studying a score, said Burkholder. But, Variations allows students to interact with the music.\n"One of the principal aims of Variations2 was to make it possible for students to work more interactively with music they were studying in their classes, rather than listening passively," Isaaacson said. "Among the benefits that have emerged, the students found the ability to listen to their extensive listening lists from their homes extremely convenient. The 'listening quiz' feature helped them prepare for exams. The Timeliner tool made it easier to illustrate the structure of works. The ability to display musical scores and highlight features in multiple colors with the annotation tools was more convenient and easier to see than using overhead transparencies." \nCurrently, IU's music students can bookmark places within a recording, view and annotate scores while listening, skip to a specific measure, analyze musical form with a Timeliner tool, create a playlist and prepare for tests with the playlist listening drill tool -- all in the convenience of their rooms.\n"It makes it incredibly easy to listen to recordings. You can access publication information, related texts and scores, which is fantastic," said Carmund White, Doctorate of Musicology and Voice student. The benefits are not confined to music students either. \n"Variations has really opened the School of Music because the technology is great. They're using it to make music more accessible, not just to music students, but non-music majors, too, who have classes involving music," White said.\nStudents cite the accessibility to be the paramount feature of the software. Doctorate of musicology student Kasia Sokol sat submersed in binders, visibly frustrated by her workload. The computer in front of her revealed the Variations homepage. She recognizes that the accessibility of Variations reduces her labor.\n"All the music I have to listen to is right here. I don't have to run separate recordings," Sokol said. \nAcademic institutions want this novel resource, and with the conception of Variations3, the School of Music will distribute this esteemed educational tool, reaching students across the nation. \n"Variations will give IU a lot of prestige," graduate student of musicology Jon Yaeger said. "They've already gotten a lot of good press in the academic world and especially in library science"