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(12/12/03 5:16am)
IU Business professor Robert Klemkosky offered insight into the Dow Jones industrial average's brief foray above the 10,000 mark Tuesday for the first time in 18 months. Although reaching the 10,000 mark is promising for stock owners, the number itself doesn't hold a lot of significance, said Klemkosky, the Fred T. Greene professor of finance at the Kelley School of Business.\n"Ten thousand really doesn't mean much," he said. "It has been there before, but it gets a lot of attention because people get excited about that number."\nThe Dow also closed up 0.9 percent at 10,008 Thursday.\nThe Dow experienced a drop between 38 and 39 percent during the worst period of the recent economic recession, although the larger stock indexes fell much lower. \n"All stocks had lows last October when the economy was bad," Klemkosky said. \nStock prices rise and fall several times throughout the day. To come up with the final index number, the closing prices of each stock are combined in a formula at the end of the day. \n"The index number is significant because a rising stock market is always good news for the economy," said Scott Smart, associate finance professor at the Kelley School of Business. "But the actual number 10,000 doesn't really mean anything -- it has no magical significance."\nThe Dow Jones Industrial Average is not an index most professional money managers use, but it is well-known because it is made up of blue chip stocks -- stocks leading the industry world. Because of this, the index rise received a lot of attention.\n"Dow Jones isn't the most accurate representation of the market because it only has 30 stocks," said William Sartoris, professor of finance at the Kelley School of Business. "The S&P 500 stock has 500 different industries, which makes it much more accurate than the Dow."\nThe Commerce Department reported retail sales were up 0.9 percent for November, the largest advance since August. \n"The stock market is a precursor of what the economy will do," Sartoris said. "People like to look forward, especially if the future looks promising."\nSartoris said the public looks to the Dow as a barometer of the country's economic situation.\n"(The Dow) is the most popular index, mainly because they own the Wall Street Journal, so it has been popularized in newspapers," Sartoris said. \nThe Associated Press contributed to this article.\n-- Contact staff writer Lee Cleary at lgcleary@indiana.edu.
(12/10/03 5:15am)
Federal immigration officials have recently suspended a program that required immigrants to register annually while in the United States if they are from countries that have been linked to terrorism. \nThe Student Exchange and Visitor Information System was stopped Dec. 2, and a new program, called U.S. VISIT, was mandated.\nU.S. VISIT requires all visa holders to be to be photographed and fingerprinted when they enter the United States starting Jan. 5.\nWith such a large number of international students on the IU campus, this new program has a large impact here.\n"This new system is good because it involves no discrimination," said Sara Allaei, director of the Office of International Affairs. "(The system) involves everyone coming into the United States based on their country, age and gender. It can't single out anyone."\nThe original SEVIS program began last year. It called in four different groups of people to re-register based on their dates of birth and nationalities. The program was suspended because it was criticized for targeting thousands of men and boys from the Middle East, according to the Office of International Studies Web site.\nNow, the BCIS can monitor school and exchange visitor programs without being discriminatory, the Web site said.\n"A significant number of people have been affected," Allaei said. "Last year we had quite a few students who had to go through the call-in system."\nThere is more international involvement on the IU campus than just students, however. There are teachers, medical residents, graduate students and faculty who are affected.\nHowever, for students who have been to the United States for only one semester, the new program is all they have known.\n"It's a really easy system," said freshman Nikunj Bathwal, who is from India. "We had to include our grades, SAT scores and pass the immigration check. We haven't had to do anything since."\nFreshman Krishen Gupta, from India, said he hasn't been affected by the program change either. \n"I've been in the states for the past three-and-a-half months," he said. "I've never had a different program."\n-- Contact staff writer Lee Cleary at lgcleary@indiana.edu.
(11/19/03 5:17am)
Almost every painting, photograph or drawing done in the mid-20th century has at least one thing in common: a lack of color. Most art before the 1970s was done in black and white. That's what makes the Charles Weever Cuchman collection so unique. \nAmateur photographer Charles Weever Cushman took color images of everyday life between 1938 and 1969. These photos were all taken using Kodachrome film. Eric Sandweiss, IU's Carmony Associate Professor of History, wrote in an essay on the Cushman Collection Web site, that the photos transformed "a world that we had long-since resigned ourselves to viewing only in shades of gray."\nIU has recently received a federal grant to digitize the photos and post them on a Web site for all to see.\n"There was a federal competition, (for the National Leadership Grant) and IU applied for it," said Eric Bartheld, associate director at the Office of External Relations and Development. "The Institute of Museum and Library Services perceived IU as a leader in this area that could help other libraries in the country."\nThere are about 18,000 slides on the Web site, all taken by Cushman. Each photograph appears as it was taken, with a small handful that were restored after they had begun to fade. \nThe Kodachrome film that Cushman used was introduced in 1936, but was rarely utilized. Before Kodachrome, there were other methods of color, but this was the first with such clarity, speed, exposure latitude and tight grain. It was a more natural color, and nothing like it in photography had been seen before, said documentary photographer Rich Remsberg in his essay about Cushman's work throughout his life.\n"Cushman's pictures are so unusual because they are in color," Bartheld said. "Most pictures of that era were in black and white, so to see them in color is amazing."\nThe online project has two goals: first, to preserve and digitize 18,000 Kodachrome Slides of scenes that have almost always been seen in black and white, and second, to create a "finding aid" to categorize the photos.\n"Cushman took such detailed notes on his photos that they were very easy to categorize," Bartheld said. "They are organized several ways -- by year, subject, location, year, genre, even roll of film."\nThis collection holds interest for historians, photographers, researches and art students alike. The images portray times that have been forgotten, sequences of events that have never been seen in such vivid colors and bring back the past.\n"We know, whether from our own memories or from history books, that people's lives changed enormously from the 1930s to the 1960s, but we forget the extent to which their surroundings remained the same," Sandweiss said.\nWith this project on the Internet, it will serve as a prototype for other institutions so that they, too, can present similar collections. It will also provide a model for similar finding systems to be created to categorize visual information.\nThe pictures in the collection are very interesting because they cover such a long period of time and so many different areas. Although Cushman took special interest in the Chicago and San Francisco areas, there are also images of urban slums, Jewish jewelry shops and hundreds of others. \n"The collection is a photographic document of American social history in the 20th century," Remsberg writes. "Charles Cushman's photographs comprise a vast sweep, covering a large portion of the United States -- and to some extent other countries -- in a span covering five decades." \n-- Contact staff writer Lee Cleary at lgcleary@indiana.edu.
(11/05/03 5:39am)
Chemistry professor Milos Novotny will be awarded the Tracy M. Sonneborn Award tonight at the Indiana Memorial Union. \nThe award is presented to IU faculty members who have contributed not only to the University and the community, but to national and international groups, as well. \nTo be honored with the Sonneborn award, professors are first nominated by a fellow faculty member. After nominations, a committee made of past award winners and the vice chancellor decide who receives the award.\n"There are several nominees, and the committee looks over all of them," said Cyndi Connelley, in the office of dean of the faculties. "They read through supporting letters of recommendation explaining why the nominees are eligible and then decide." \nNovotny has won numerous awards in the past for research and teaching.\n"I participated in designing the experiment that is part of the analysis of martian soil," he said. "I have done a lot of work in other institutions, including the Institution for Pheromone Research and the Programics Center." \nNovotny will present his lecture, "Enhancing Interdisciplinary Thought and Methodologies: Biochemical Complexity In and Around Us," at 4 p.m. after he receives a plaque from the chancellor and the vice chancellor. After the lecture, there will be a reception, all taking place in the Frangipani Room of the IMU.\n"Part of the award is giving the lecture," Novotny said. "It will be a more general lecture for students, the staff and the community."\nThe speech will explain how to teach research skills, or "how to make scientists."\nNovotny, a European native, has been teaching at IU for 32 years after being educated in Europe. He was nominated for several reasons, one being his involvement in research programs at IU and another being his background in chemistry and biochemistry.\nIn addition, Novotny was selected to be the first director of the new Proteomics Research and Development Facility in 2002.\nNovotny's reception is open to anyone interested in attending.\nThe annual award was initiated in 1985 by the Office of the Dean of the Faculties to honor a faculty member who achieves special distinction as a teacher and as a scholar.\n-- Contact staff writer Lee Cleary at lgcleary@indiana.edu.
(10/29/03 5:18am)
Pope John Paul II has been the pontiff for the duration of most IU students' lifetimes, but in recent months, the 83-year-old's battle with Parkinson's disease has worsened.\n"(Pope John Paul II) is saying that his health is failing … he feels like God is calling him," said Father Charles Chesebrough, pastor of St. Charles Catholic Church. "Although his mind is still very sharp, his body is not."\nThe pope's health has been poor for months, but seems to be weakening even more at recent public appearances. He sometimes appears pained and reads only part of his prepared remarks, according to The New York Times.\nThe pope has suffered from Parkinson's disease since the early 1990s. It is a disease that leads to a reduction of dopamine -- a brain chemical vital for controlling body movement. As a result, patients suffer from muscle tremors, rigidity of movement and balance and coordination problems, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.\nBecause most IU students have not witnessed the election of a new pope in their lifetimes, the system is unfamiliar to many. \n"When a pope passes away, all of the cardinals are called to the Sistine Chapel in Rome to elect a new pope," said Chesebrough. "The cardinals stay until they elect a new pope. They must do it this way so that they won't filibuster."\nBefore a pope dies, he selects new cardinals to elect his successor. A ceremony was held Oct. 21 to celebrate Pope John Paul's 25th anniversary of papacy. At this ceremony, 30 new cardinals were confirmed. These cardinals will be electing the next pope.\nMany Catholic students say they are so busy with school and other activities that they aren't able to remain updated on the pope's condition.\n"I knew that the pope was sick, but I didn't know how serious his condition is," sophomore Mandy Gibson said. "I have such a busy schedule that it's hard for me to keep up with world news."\nChesebrough said if the pope is unable to fulfill his duties due to poor health, he would be able to step down as pope and resign his duties.\n"A pope can retire, although this has never happened," said Chesebrough. "It is usually for life. However, if the pope were to step down, he would first have to receive a unanimous vote from the College of Cardinals, his advisors. It is kind of a checks and balances system."\nMost students have never seen a new pope elected, and don't know what to expect. Because Pope John Paul II has been the pontiff for most students' lifetimes, a new pope would be a different experience for students.\n"I wasn't aware of the pope's condition, but it will be a really sad day for practicing Catholics around the globe since he has been so influential for so long," sophomore Ben Burr said.\nBecause John Paul has been in power for 25 years, choosing his successor will be a lengthy process for the cardinals. \nThe next pope will probably share many of the same views of John Paul because he has appointed all but five of the 135 cardinals who are currently under the age of 80, and thus eligible to vote for the next pope, according to The New York Times.\n"This should be an interesting time for (young Catholics) because you have never seen a new pope be elected," said Chesebrough. "This will be a new experience for you all."\n-- Contact staff writer Lee Cleary at lgcleary@indiana.edu.
(10/24/03 6:13am)
Pledging a greek organization can mean several things, but for some fraternities at some colleges, initiation procedures can get out of control.\nA recent event on the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor campus raised the question of "hazing" after a Sigma Chi pledge was hospitalized for kidney failure due to lack of sleep and over-worked muscles. However, due to laws in Michigan, this is not a crime because the pledge consented.\nMichigan is now proposing a law that will make hazing a crime, punishable by up to 20 years in prison if the hazing results in death. Consent would not be a factor.\nAccording to the Detroit Free Press, during Sept. 10-12, the eight pledges to the Sigma Chi fraternity at U-M were taunted. They were ordered to crawl on bare hands and feet over a basement floor littered with shards of broken beer bottles and had to do up to 1,000 push-ups. And they were deprived of adequate amounts of sleep, water and food.\nAccording to a police report obtained Wednesday by the Free Press, one pledge got sick the second day but refused to drop out because the pledges were told that if one gave up, none of them could join the house.\nIf an event such as this were to occur at IU, action would be taken depending on the case. \n"A fraternity that's in the situation of the chapter in Michigan's national organization, the University and the interfraternity council would examine the incident along with the greek judicial board," said Evan Waldman, president of IU's Interfraternity Council. "There are too many 'what ifs' attached to situations like these to determine one specific corrective action that would be taken. Incidents like these are taken case by case."\nIndiana does have hazing laws, and there have been such cases in IU's past.\n"We haven't had anything similar to that specific event (at U-M), but there has certainly been hazing, and a case of two students being hospitalized in the past," Dean of Students Richard McKaig said. \nAccording to www.stophazing.org, a Web site explaining Indiana's anti-hazing laws, hazing is defined as "forcing or requiring another person (to do something) with or without the consent of the other person; and as a condition of association with a group or organization, to perform an act that creates a substantial risk of bodily injury."\nIn order to prevent similar situations from occurring on IU's campus, highly esteemed speakers are brought in to the IFC at least once a semester to discuss some of the harsh realities in fraternity history, Waldman said.\n"There are several councils such as IFC and the Panhellenic Association that have educational programs," said McKaig. "When students join fraternities or sororities, they sign a form that acknowledges hazing as a notification process."\nThere are only eight states that still don't have anti-hazing laws. However, it is difficult to determine what is considered hazing and most incidents are not taken seriously, Waldman said.\n"Unfortunately, most people look at these types of situations as no big deal until someone gets hurt," Waldman said. "In similar cases in the past, fraternity members had no intention of harming their new members, but there are simply too many unforeseeable factors that come into the mix."\nAn anti-hazing law would simply make all forms of hazing illegal -- not just in fraternities but in any organization.\n"Michigan should have an anti-hazing law," Waldman said. "Hazing takes place on too many levels today. Greek letter organizations are by no means the only organizations where hazing can occur. Being a member of athletic teams, co-curricular clubs, or even being a freshman at some schools warrants hazing. In today's society, everyday life brings plenty of emotional, mental and physical burdens; yet we still insist on putting more weight on each other."\n-- Contact staff writer Lee Cleary at lgcleary@indiana.edu.
(10/14/03 5:16am)
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, and suicide rates have nearly tripled in the past 30 years.\nBut the Jed Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to solving this problem, has created a Web site to provide online help to students.\nThrough Ulifeline.org, students are able to anonymously find information about different mental illnesses, ask questions to experts and seek help through the Internet. \n"There are a lot of advantages to (ULifeline)," said Dr. Ron Thompson, of the Bloomington Center for Counseling and Human Development. "We are always trying to make ourselves more accessible for people to get treatment, and some people just cannot come in (for treatment)."\nThe purpose of an online healthcare center is to help students who are afraid or unsure of going out to seek counseling. \n"Some people just don't want to talk about their problems to anyone -- friends, family, doctors," said Jamie Hopkins, who handles the Jed Foundations' public relations. "This Web site is here for people to be able to get help anytime and get information anytime."\nThere are several services offered through Ulifeline.org. "Go Ask Alice" allows students to ask questions about mental health 24 hours a day. "Go Ask Alice" receives about 1,500 questions a week from college and high school students, parents, teachers and older adults, according to the Web site. \nA Mental Health and Drug information library is also available, featuring consumer health information from Harvard Medical School. \n"Students can go online and ask questions anonymously, without feeling like they are on display," Hopkins said.\nThe Jed Foundation was founded by Phillip and Donna Satow in 2000. The Satows' lost their youngest son Jed to suicide in 1998, his sophomore year in college.\nAbove all, the Jed Foundation is committed to reducing the youth suicide rate and improving the mental health support provided to students by universities nationwide. The Web site is available to colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada, and the number of schools using the Web site has doubled since the summer.\n"I definitely like this concept," Thompson said. "I'm always open to new things, and this could be very helpful to several individuals."\nUlifeline.org is growing rapidly. The Web site is now available to over 1.1 million students. \n"It isn't meant to replace treatment," Hopkins said. "Hopefully it will guide students, show them the proper steps to take if they feel like they or someone they know is at risk for suicide. (Ulifeline.org) increases the number of people who get information."\n-- Contact staff writer Lee Cleary at lgcleary@indiana.edu.
(10/03/03 5:08am)
The Bloomington Board of Realtors will hold an auction to benefit the construction of Jill's House, a recovery facility for patients of the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute, at noon this Saturday, Oct. 4. The auction will begin after the completion of the Jill Behrman Run for the End Zone, the annual run held to raise funds for Jill's House and the Jill Behrman Scholarship Fund. \nBehrman was an IU freshman when she went missing May 31, 2000. Her body was recovered March 13, 2003 -- the case is still under investigation. \nRegistration opens at 10:30 a.m. for anyone interested in bidding at the auction, which will be in the Mellencamp Pavilion. \n"(At the auction) there is something for everyone," said Celeste McGregor of the Bloomington Board of Realtors. "There will be all kinds of items; small money things, antiques, gift certificates, and the big item -- a 2004 Harley Davidson Sportster Roadster."\nMcGregor, along with several co-workers, formed a committee last year to help raise funds for Jill's House, which organizers hope to break ground on in March of 2004. With so many donations, the committee is hoping to raise thousands of dollars this weekend. \n"The community has been so generous," McGregor said. "This couldn't have happened without support from everyone involved. It has really been a community, Indiana University, Jill's House, and Bloomington Board of Realtors effort."\nThere will be hundreds of items to auction off, including a denim jacket autographed by John Mellencamp, a 1981 championship team autographed basketball, art work from local artists and gift certificates donated from Lowe's Hardware Store, O'Charley's Restaurant, Kinko's Copies, hair salons and several other vendors. \nThe Harley Davidson Roadster, donated by Harley Davidson of Bloomington, is the most expensive item in the auction.\nThe Bloomington Board of Realtors will auction off recreational items such as hot air balloon rides, a 48-inch JVC high definition television and two free hours of entertainment featuring the "Not-too-bad Bluegrass Band" at a personal event. \nWith so many items to auction, a large turnout is anticipated. \n"There are 1,500 runners, so that number is looming out there," McGregor said. "We would love for every (runner) to bring a friend."\nWhen the House is finished, it will be a facility to provide home-like care for those being treated for cancer. \n"It will be such a great facility -- a loving, caring environment where people understand each other and are going through the same thing," McGregor said. \nJill's House organizers are thankful that McGregor and others are putting on the auction.\n"The Bloomington Board of Realtors has been awesome helping us out," said Peg Howard, president of Jill's House. "They really want to see this house go up."\nHoward said several upcoming fundraisers are planned to benefit construction of the house, including an Antique Showcase on Oct. 18, which will be similar to the popular PBS television show "Antique Roadshow." \n"There are a lot of enthusiastic people, and a lot of funding coming in," Howard said. "Hopefully we will reach our goal soon."\n-- Contact staff writer Lee Cleary at lgcleary@indiana.edu.
(09/30/03 5:20am)
The room is set up similar to a cooking show, with a chef up front and chairs set up for the audience to observe. Moving quickly, she makes Mandalay, tossing brown noodles, chicken, vegetables into one skillet and tofu and bamboo shoots into another. Aye Soewin, owner of Burmese Gems Restaurant, prepared this dish and another composed of stewed eggplant Friday at the Asian Culture Center's first monthly cooking demonstration of the year. This is Soewin's first time cooking in front of an audience. \n"I've never done anything like this before," she said. "I've been cooking at (Burmese Gems) for two years, and (the ACC) called me to cook for the class."\nEach month, the ACC, 807 E. 10th St., will be featuring a different chef who will prepare a meal of his or her choice, discuss the varieties of the food and talk about how to prepare it. After the demonstration is over, audience members will taste the food and exchange recipes. Organizers invite all participants to bring their favorite Asian recipe and share it with the rest of the class.\nThis first-ever demonstration is part of an upcoming series designed to share Asian culture and ethnic food with the Bloomington community.\n"With cooking demonstrations, you learn not only about how the dish is prepared and cooked, but also about the people and culture of the place where the food originated," said ACC Director Melanie Castillo-Cullather.\nStudents and the Bloomington community make up the audience.\n"The whole demonstration was a big success. We were very excited because this year we are trying to do more with the Bloomington community and Monroe County as well as Indiana University students, and we had someone come all the way from Ellettsville," said ACC graduate assistant Theresa Chen. "It was really nice to see that more people are hearing about us and getting involved." \nThe classes are set up for about 20 people, and 13 aspiring ethnic cooks came to watch the demonstration. \n"The demo went very well, and we have a lot of food left over," Chen said. Admission is free and open to anyone, although early registration is required to ensure seating. \nThe ACC will feature Ay Schooner, the owner of the Esan Thai Restaurant, 221 E. Kirkwood Ave., who will prepare Yum Woon Sen -- a Thai dish of vermicelli noodles tossed with ground pork, shrimp, onions, chili, lime juice and cilantro from 5 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 24. The Nov. 21 chef is yet to be announced.\n-- Contact staff writer Lee Cleary at lgcleary@indiana.edu.