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(04/02/12 1:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>They ride for tradition.The women of Kappa Alpha Theta cycling said they know just how much their performance in the Women’s Little 500 race affects not only their sorority as it is now but also past and future riders.So they push it, through fatigue, hunger and apathy.“It’s not just us that we’re affecting. We’re affecting every Theta rider that ever rode,” junior Kathleen Chelminiak said. “Anything we do is for the benefit for not just our team but for the benefit of Theta cycling. That’s just what we’re working toward.”Chelminiak, who started cycling for Theta this past year, has stood out already this spring riding season after topping both the Individual Time Trials and Miss-N-Out. She said the importance of alumni and future riders has always been important to her and her teammates.“We’re really close to the alumni riders, and we know how important it was to them and how many hours they put in,” Chelminiak said. “If we didn’t take it seriously, then it’s like, ‘Oh, we don’t respect what you guys built.’”In 1987, a group of women from Theta attempted to qualify for the men’s race. Their actions prompted the IU Student Foundation to create what is now the women’s race in 1988.Captain and junior Rachel Metherd said this isn’t lost to the women now, 25 years later.“We started the race in ’88. To ride for Theta is a huge honor,” Metherd said. “I would say that winning has always been a goal and a possibility. I don’t think one year we’ve been like, ‘There’s no chance, so let’s just play around on the track.’ We aren’t here to play around.”Alumni are incredibly supportive and helpful every year, with former team members visiting during training, qualifications and the race, Metherd said. The riders agreed that their current sorority sisters offer constant support.“They just work so hard every single day,” Theta junior Dorah Patton said while cheering the Theta squad during Miss-N-Out. “We don’t see half the stuff they do. They get up earlier than us to go on rides, and on the weekends, we’ll still be sleeping. We try to be supportive, and we write them notes a lot.”The 2012 squad, which includes one sophomore, two juniors and two seniors, was an almost entirely rookie squad in 2011. Metherd said it wasn’t easy, trying to navigate the ins and outs of the track for the first time alongside other rookies with only one returning rider to help. “We didn’t know what we were doing,” Metherd said. “Experience takes up a big percentage of doing well.”The team has progressed considerably since then. In 2011, the women qualified 11th with a time of 2:56.90. This year, they poled sixth with a time of 2:47.03.“This year, we have four returning riders,” Metherd said. “It’s a lot easier on everyone. We’re more independent. We pretty much have it under control, and there is nothing new. Everything on our training schedule doesn’t surprise us.”The training really began only a week after the 2011 race, with the process of recruiting rookie riders and easy rides around Bloomington. Metherd said it isn’t hard recruiting because of the passion her sorority has for the cyclists.“Our bike team trains year round,” said Theta junior Hannah Herman, who was also at Bill Armstrong Stadium, cheering on Theta cycling during Miss-N-Out. “There is no off-season for them. Everyone in our house has the competitive side to them.”Rookie rider and sophomore Kate McDougal said she never anticipated that Little 500 riding would be so intense or hardcore, but she said she loves it.“I always had strong legs in high school and wasn’t sure what to do with them, but now I feel like its beneficial,” McDougal said.McDougal, who came in 25 out of 119 women in ITTs, said she is not sure she will be riding come race day but that she has been happy be a part of the Theta tradition.“I think it’s an amazing thing to be associated with the first women’s team, and it puts a lot of weight on our shoulders to carry on the legacy,” McDougal said. “But it’s not something we can’t handle.“
(03/09/12 3:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Members of local indie-rock band Hotfox said they love the “swag” outdoor sporting gear company Jansport recently sent them — backpacks, duffle bags and more.But the opportunity to play at South by Southwest, the annual music, film and interactive conference in Austin, Texas, is their favorite gift.“I’ve been in Austin a lot, but I’ve never been to South by Southwest,” sophomore, bassist and Texas native Marcus Tedesco said. “I never got to be a part of it. I’m pretty pumped. I’m really excited.”Hotfox was recently announced as the winner of the Sonicbids-Jansport Battle of the Bands contest. After submitting the song “Mountain Tiger,” receiving support through rounds of voting online and waiting for judging by a panel, the band was chosen for an all-expense-paid trip to Austin and the opportunity to play in the Jansport Showcase.The SXSW festival takes place at the Austin Convention Center, begins March 9, includes various music showcases and an interactive festival where businesses and technology companies converge. The festival continues through March 18. Singer, guitarist and sophomore Oliver Hopkins said the competition had been on the band’s radar since 2010, when local band the Broderick won. “We went to a show, saw them play, and they were awesome,” Hopkins said. “We got to know about them and learned about the competition. It came around again this year, and we said, ‘Yeah, let’s try it.’ Submitted, and here we are.”Hopkins, a Jacobs School student, said the group has continued to play before spring break, including a send-off show March 11 at the Bishop.“If we can do OK at that show, then hopefully we’ll play well,” Hopkins said jokingly. “We’ll play the songs, get them under our fingers a bit more. If you do anything else, you’re just gonna spook yourself about going down to South by Southwest. No one likes those nerves.”Tedesco said he agreed.“I’d like to think of it as just another show, just somewhere really cool and hot,” he said.Along with the performance in the Jansport Showcase, the group will perform at a house show in San Antonio, Tedesco said. “We’re trying to play the shows we can, take advantage of all the shit that goes around in Texas,” Hopkins said. “It’s like a hot bed for music.”Hotfox, which formed in Indianapolis, where Hopkins and sophomore guitarist Duncan Kissinger met in high school, released the album “You, Me, and the Monster,” in 2010. The group has played with nationally known bands, such as Margot & the Nuclear So & So’s. The group is poised to release a new album this year but has yet to determine a date or album title. For now, the group members said they are enjoying the music scene in Bloomington — primarily playing in basements. “If there were money in house parties, we’d tour just the world playing in basements,” Kissinger said.
(02/13/12 2:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Standing in a pile of discarded petals, stem tips and green leaves, Judy Phegley places a red rose snugly in a seemingly jammed vase. Her daughter, Lisa Riggins, is close by, putting the finishing touches on a different bouquet. Several completed arrangements rest on a table nearby, some with balloons and boxes of chocolates. Judy’s 4-year-old shih tzu, Oliver, stirs and barks as customers come into the store.Behind them in the workshop, employee Kelly Watt adds a new order to a growing stack of forms — another bouquet to make for someone’s sweetheart.“It’s such a mess on the holiday,” Judy says, surveying her store. “Valentine’s Day is our busiest time of year. Mother’s Day is the second busiest.”Judy, having worked more than 30 years as a florist, is charged every year with creating a Valentine’s Day staple — floral arrangements — and works furiously to have them completed by Feb. 14.Judy’s Flowers and Gifts, a shop off Third Street on the west side, is usually closed Saturdays. But Judy’s staff, which includes her family members, is working overtime. From the time their Valentine flowers arrived to Tuesday’s last delivery, they will have worked an 80-hour week and completed about 150 bouquets.The holiday rush, Judy says, is a guessing game. Unsure how many arrangements they will sell, she makes a bulk order for flowers, greenery and more, and then accepts orders for bouquets until they estimate they will run out of inventory. By Saturday afternoon, they were getting close to that cut-off.Judy and her daughter laugh as they work — pulling dead petals off roses, trimming stems and spritzing the flowers with a finishing spray. As they work, they express their frustration and amusement at customers who ask for last-minute orders and delivery.“Everyone wants them on the 14th,” Lisa says as she cuts a strip of ribbon to tie around a vase. “No one wants them sent a day early. And then they call on Monday or Tuesday and can’t understand why we can’t take their order, that we’re booked.”The flowers that end up in each arrangement, Judy says, are grown in South America. They are kept in a large, humid cooler but slowly brought out to make room for the arrangements. By Tuesday, the entire cooler will be full of vases, and most of the roses, carnations and chrysanthemums will have been used.Judy and her daughter can make dozens of different bouquets of various sizes for Valentine’s Day, weddings and other events. Judy says she most enjoys making large arrangements — the most memorable she’s done included six dozen roses.“It was in a great big, huge container,” she says of the bouquet. “My husband delivered it, and the lady says ‘I have no place to put this container,’ so she said she’d give away the flowers and have us come pick up the container.”Judy was a stay-at-home mom looking for work when she was hired by another florist in Bloomington. As it turned out, she was good at it and soon after bought the business for herself, she says.“She does have a knack for it,” Lisa says of her mother. “She’s very creative.”It takes skills to put together a bouquet, they both say, that some of their competitors don’t have.“I think even if you go to school for it, I think you have to have a knack for it,” Judy says. “Cause I’ve hired some people who went to school for designing, and they didn’t know what they were doing.”Judy, who is not sure how much longer she will be in the business, says she is proud of her family’s work. Her daughter has worked at the shop since it opened, and her husband and son help deliver during the busy holiday season. Rarely, she says, do her long-standing customers complain about their bouquets, and the store’s attention to detail sets them apart from others.“I know what my flowers are,” Judy says. “The grocery stores are just a draw. They can afford to sell them so cheap because they order in such volume. They order for all stores. They don’t care if they make any money off it.”
(02/03/12 3:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With all eyes on Indianapolis for the Super Bowl, both the state capital and surrounding cities are preparing for residents and visitors who have come for the big game.Visit Bloomington — part of the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention and Visitors Bureau — has compiled information for visitors and residents who are staying in town during the weekend, while hotels, restaurants and transportation companies are planning for an upswing in business.The Fountain Square Mall will have one of 33 IndyCars, which were painted in each NFL team’s colors, in addition to one with a Super Bowl theme. Bloomington was chosen to have the Arizona Cardinals Super Car. All the IndyCars were on display south of Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis until this weekend when they were transported around the state.Visitors and residents can view the car from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The mall is also offering a free Game Center for children during the same time.“We are very excited to welcome Super Bowl visitors to our community and the state of Indiana, to let them see what a great community and state we live in,” said Mike McAfee, executive director of Visit Bloomington, in a press release. “We know Super Bowl attendees that visit Bloomington will absolutely have a super experience.” While Bloomington prepares to help entertain visitors, however, many students and residents have been traveling to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl Village, concerts and restaurants.Junior Leanna Larkin said she visited Indianapolis last weekend, primarily to hear artists John McLaughlin and Bruce Bentley.“It’s our home, so its cool to see,” Larkin said. “We went down over on Saturday at about 2 p.m. or so and walked around, saw everything the city had to offer. It wasn’t that busy, but more people than we anticipated.”Larkin said students visiting Indianapolis this weekend should take advantage of the music, as well as the food and atmosphere. Each day of music at the Super Bowl Village has been based on a theme, with hip-hop and pop Friday, Feb. 3 and rock Saturday, Feb. 4. “I would say to go to the stages,” Larkin said. “It might not be someone huge playing, but it’ll be someone local, someone smaller that you might really enjoy. Be there to experience it, because it’s only close to home so many times.”Both Larkin and Dianna Boyce, director of communications for the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee, said transportation is a huge part of the weekend. Larkin said carpooling or finding a friend who lives close to the city to drop off and pick up would make a visit downtown smoother, while Boyce stressed planning ahead.“Know before you go,” Boyce said. “We hope students know how to get up here. We want them to come, hear some bands, come to the NFL experience.”Boyce said the host committee and city have compiled travel information, routes and parking information online. There are three park-and-ride lots near downtown Indianapolis, with tickets $2 in advance online or $10 at the lot.Jill Webb, operations manager at Go Express Travel in Bloomington, said all chartered buses this weekend are booked, but that Go Express is still running its usual shuttles to the Indianapolis International Airport, where the Super Bowl host committee has also set up a free shuttle to downtown. Webb said Go Express will be running a special shuttle around midnight Sunday for travelers after the Super Bowl ends.“We are running extra buses for overload, to make sure anyone who wants to go can get up there, or catch their regular flight,” Webb said.
(01/24/12 3:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Indiana Youth Group sued the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in 2010 after having its request for a specialty license plate rejected.Now, that very plate is available for purchase in support of the youth group, which provides services and programs for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.The youth group, founded in 1988, is located in Indianapolis and helps fund programs and activities in the group’s headquarters, as well as in more than 35 high schools throughout the state.The plates cost $40 more than a typical license plate, with $25 directly benefiting the youth group. The plates have been available for order since late December but will be shipped starting in February. The plate has a logo with rainbow-colored hands reaching up in a circular shape.In September 2010, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a lawsuit on behalf of the group after two separate applications to the BMV were rejected. The ACLU suit claimed that the BMV used no set standards to decide what organization could have a specialty plate or not. The lawsuit was struck down, but the BMV accepted the youth group’s third application.“I find myself, just as a citizen of the state and a driver myself, noting messages that people are supporting as they’re driving around,” said Doug Bauder, coordinator of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services. Indiana is the first state to offer a license plate supporting gay youth, although Maryland was the first state to offer a general GLBT plate. Bauder said he has heard positive remarks regarding the plates and is excited to see them.“When people support these license plates, we know that they support our gay kids and gay friends,” Bauder said.Despite his support for the license plates, Bauder said he believes a license plate is just a tiny step for the GLBT community.“Symbolic things are important, but there is work to be done,” he said. “We had a guest lecturer come to the GLBTSSS, and he indicated that the statistics are still not good in terms of harassment, etc., in schools. Indiana doesn’t fare well. A license plate isn’t enough.”The American Family Association of Indiana, a chapter of the national nonprofit organization that promotes family and Christian morals, released a statement Jan. 17 refuting the BMV’s decision to sell the specialty plates.“You have to question what the BMV was thinking when they approved a license plate for a group which recruits teens into the homosexual lifestyle,” AFA spokesman Micah Clark said in a press release. “Since health risks do not seem to matter, what is to prevent a cigar club from now getting a license plate from the BMV?”Clark went on to say state agencies should be careful to promote homosexuality in minors, and that “it is very disappointing that Indiana is the first state in the nation to have a license plate celebrating youth involved in homosexual behaviors.”
(01/23/12 1:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Thirteen years ago, the Monroe County Public Library worked with IU’s Asian Culture Center to create a Lunar New Year celebration in Bloomington. The program Saturday focused on a holiday observed in countries such as China, Korea and Japan, and also highlighted one of many long-standing partnerships between the library and University organizations.“I think it’s fantastic,” said Mary Frasier, reference librarian and coordinator of the celebration. “The Asian Culture Center is one of our longest and enduring partnerships in terms of doing something on an annual basis. And they’re fantastic. The coordinators are easy to work with and the students are great.”On Saturday afternoon, IU students from the Asian Culture Center and Asian American Association performed an educational skit to explain the history of the Lunar New Year and the 12 zodiac animals. 2012 — the year of the dragon — primarily symbolizes power and good fortune. The actual Lunar New Year holiday is today.Along with the skit, IU students Echo Lu and Justin Zheng performed Asian music, including the popular Chinese pop song “It Is More Than That.”Following the performances, children made their way to an arts and crafts room to create dragon masks with markers, crayons and streamers, while IU students and volunteers served Asian cuisine. The culture center also set up calligraphy lessons in the library atrium, as well as more food.Frasier, who works for the children’s department, said it is important in two distinct ways for children to have a Lunar New Year celebration in their community.“There are a lot of different cultures that celebrate Lunar New Year,” Frasier said. “It’s good for children to see an agency in town celebrating a holiday that is important for their culture and family, and people who don’t come from that background to see something different and learn.”The program, Frasier said, has drawn a larger and larger crowd following its inception in 1993, garnering crowds of 300 people or more. Continuing to incorporate University organizations into programming events, Frasier said, will always remain a priority for the library.“We’re really fortunate to have IU two blocks away from us,” Frasier said. “IU is really a gold mine and a wonderful resource for us.”Making sure programs such as the Lunar New Year celebration are interesting for children, students and adults, she said, has been key to the partnership’s success.Freshman Kelsey Lechner, who is studying Japanese, said she was glad there was an inclusive event celebrating the New Year, particularly as a place for different groups of people to come together.“There are so many Chinese students on campus,” Lechner said. “It is good for people to mix with them a little bit more and understand their culture. I know a lot of the international students kind of group together and are shy to branch out.”
(01/20/12 2:50am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Monroe County Public Library has various rules of conduct: prohibiting the use of furniture for sleeping, prohibiting theft or mutilation of library materials and managing the noise level of headphones and music players.Now, this list of rules includes smoking, which has been officially banned outside the library on Kirkwood Avenue.Josh Wolf, manager of children’s services at the library, said the library Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to ban smoking on library property, a move in line with IU and the Monroe County Community School Corporation.“What has changed about our current list of rules is that we updated to include the no smoking ban,” Wolf said. “It’s a very positive step.”Wolf said one concern that led to the creation of the smoking ban was the homeless population that has congregated on library property.Wolf said he hopes the ban will be a step toward changing other behaviors of all library patrons, because of the overall deterioration of ambiance at the library and outside the building.He noted that feedback regarding the smoking ban from many Bloomington residents has been positive so far.Wolf said much of the work done to create and enforce the smoking ban and work on future campaigns will come from the newly formed Committee to Encourage Positive Patron Behavior, which Wolf helps manage.“We have about 3,000 people in here every day,” Wolf said. “With this many people, we see things that are visibly negative. It’s been a problem for years.”One plan Wolf said the committee is considering is to work on creating a quieter area for those who need to use the library for work. More quiet zones are in the works, particularly on the second floor, while creating common areas somewhere else for patrons to migrate to.“Now we’re focusing on the inside of the library,” Wolf said. “We want to remind people that this is a library. We wanted to eliminate the idea that a library is all ‘shush, shush’ but we’ve been too successful.”Wolf said the Herman B Wells Library on the University’s campus, where students can migrate toward the louder common area but be quiet and respectful in the towers, is a great model.“We have about 60 computers on the second floor,” Wolf said. “That’s an intense area. It’s louder than most areas. People are trying to find jobs and are paying taxes. It’s not managed as a quiet area, so we’re looking into that.”Looking into the committee’s future, Wolf said it is planning to introduce a civility campaign, which will work to make the library a more respectful location overall.Although it is not an overwhelming problem, Wolf said the committee is excited to be proactive about promoting civility and said he hopes it will have a ripple effect in the community.
(01/10/12 3:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Super Bowl may only last about four hours, but the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee has been prepping the city for four years.Approximately 1,000 employees — both volunteers and paid committee members — have worked with the city and state to bring music, attractions and food to the city before the big game.“We started with the big picture, then moved into the planning stage and now we’re executing,” said Dianna Boyce, director of communications for the host committee. “Now we’re making them happen. We’re in the red zone. We see the goal line, but there’s still 20 yards to go. There are still things we need to accomplish. We haven’t quite scored yet.”Next week, volunteers chosen to help during the lead-up to the Super Bowl on Feb. 5 will pick up their uniforms, signs and banners, Boyce said. The city will also begin to visibly change — with tents being erected and more than 50 signs being put into place to help direct traffic.The Indianapolis Department of Public Works will assist the committee in restricting different routes and streets in the city from Jan. 19 to Feb. 6. Boyce said it is important for anyone traveling — from Bloomington or elsewhere — to check online and plan their trips accordingly.“Even if you’re familiar with Indianapolis, it’s going to be different,” Boyce said. “The route you know may not even be available.”Boyce said the committee anticipates that about 150,000 people will arrive in Indianapolis for the Super Bowl, many of whom will not actually attend the game. For all visitors to the city, there are concerts, events, food and the longest temporary zip-line in the United States. The Super Bowl Village, which is free and open to the public, opens Jan. 27 on Georgia Avenue in downtown Indianapolis. The Village has two stages for concerts, with a third near Conseco Fieldhouse, and is where the zip-line is located. Eighty musical artists are set to perform before the Super Bowl on all three stages.“We want students to know about what’s going on, we want them to come the week before the game,” Boyce said. “The masses are really going to arrive Thursday, Feb. 2.”Tickets for the zip-line, which are $10, can be purchased online. Parking is also available at the former Indianapolis Airport, with free shuttle service downtown, and the $2 tickets for the parking can also be purchased online.Boyce said local businesses, and even Bloomington, will take advantage of the influx of people.“Downtown is going to be hopping,” Boyce said. “We have brought in food trucks, and Papa John’s is bringing in a local kitchen. Businesses are going to be packed. We’re hoping people eat in Bloomington, then come up here to have fun. This helps Bloomington and downtown.”Because so much of the work done by the committee involved city and state officials, as well as other organizations in Indianapolis, Boyce said collaboration was key to getting everything done in time for the big game Feb. 5.“Whether it’s the city or state or hotel management or restaurants or venues, in Indianapolis, we are a pretty friendly group,” she said. “It’s been nice, everybody sees the good for the bigger picture. They’ve put aside their problems and it’s been very collaborative. We’ve opened good relationships.”
(12/05/11 5:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>They might have never known each other, but Lauren Kahn and Adam Sarnecki were honored together by friends, family and community members.Kahn and Sarnecki, both murdered in November, were remembered with a vigil Saturday. A crowd of about 50 people gathered on the south lawn of the Monroe County Courthouse to light candles and speak against what is seen as escalating violence in Bloomington.“It just upset me greatly that there’s been no response about anything,” Bloomington native Kelsy Benckart said. “From murders to bank robberies, that’s not the Bloomington that I know and love.”Benckart, Kahn’s best friend, coordinated the vigil and gave a speech to the crowd. After the speech, she said Bloomington does not feel as safe as it did when she was a child.“Since I was a kid growing up, we used to be able to ride our bikes around the neighborhood,” Benckart said. “I own a condo in the same neighborhood I grew up in, and my daughter is 5, and there’s no way she would be allowed to ride her bike after dark.”She said being vigilant and smart about your choices is key in combating violence for both students and community members. Benckart also stressed the importance of community in reacting to the violence. She said Bloomington can return to a sense of community and acknowledge that everyone can play a part. “It’s not any one section’s fault,” she said. “We’ve become isolated. People say this is a University problem, this is a county problem or this is a city problem. It’s everyone’s problem. We’re all here. And I would like to see us band together and get back to the way we used to be because it’s possible.”Suspects for both murders, which happened at the victims’ respective workplaces, are in custody. Michael Angle, 26, admitted to stabbing Kahn during an attempted robbery at the Garden of Eden adult video store, where she worked as a clerk. Angle turned himself in to the police on Nov. 15. James Finney, suspected of shooting Sarnecki outside of Pizza X’s southside store, plead not guilty at his first court appearance Nov. 9. Sarnecki worked as a delivery driver and was shot after attempting to stop a man from breaking into another employee’s car. Benckart said she was pleased to see community members she did not know at the courthouse Saturday. Mike Stankovic, a Bloomington resident since 1971, said he did not personally know Kahn or Sarnecki but wanted to show his support for the families. Stankovic, who grew up in Gary, left his hometown to escape the violence he now sees in Bloomington. “The police are doing all they can,” Stankovic said. “I wouldn’t have a policeman’s job in any city, for any reason. They have a hard time because there is so much going on here. It takes the people of the community to say, ‘Hey, I know what happened.’ We need the people to step up.”
(12/01/11 1:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In an effort to recognize those affected by AIDS in Indiana and around the world, Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan, city officials and community members will meet at 11 a.m. today at Bloomington City Hall in the Shower’s Building to commemorate World AIDS Day. The event will include remarks from the mayor, local residents living with AIDS, health professionals and more.AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, affects more Americans then ever before. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported an estimated 1.2 million people are living with HIV in America, with as many as one in five unaware they have HIV. At the end of 2009, a total of 9,646 Hoosiers were living with HIV/AIDS, with those afflicted primarily male. “AIDS is an international pandemic,” said Steve Arnold, leader of the Bloomington chapter of the advocacy organization RESULTS. “It’s killed 40 million people in the last 30 years or so, and it has afflicted new people every year. The place it is most prevalent (is) in eastern and southern Africa. But there are people that live with it here in Indiana.”Arnold, a Bloomington citizen for 48 years, said RESULTS has lobbied for Congress to spend more on global support to end HIV/AIDS. This is the first year, he said RESULTS has taken part in the Bloomington World AIDS Day event.“We’re trying to advocate with Congress, even though we have a slow economy, our government ought to be promoting global help for AIDS,” Arnold said. “That’s the very exciting news lately that if you are put on antiretroviral drugs early, then you are 96 percent less likely to spread the disease. If Congress will support more foreign aid, and other countries follow suit, then we can greatly expand AIDS treatment.”Arnold also stressed that locally, students and Bloomington citizens can help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in Indiana by avoiding the activities that transmit the illness — primarily, unprotected sex. Joining Arnold at the Bloomington World AIDS Day will be Walter Miya, president and co-founder of Kilimanjaro Education Outreach, a Tanzania-based organization focused on community education and HIV prevention classes in rural Tanzania. Since 2009, the east-African nation has reported having 1.4 million HIV/AIDS victims. Along with Miya, School of Public and Environmental Affairs Senior Lecturer Henry Makhungu will also make a statement. Makhungu has been involved with the longtime IU program in Kenya, where students from IU have visited and studied at Moi University and helped collaborate on education and health projects.Also in recognition of World AIDS Day, Planned Parenthood of Indiana will offer free HIV tests at 19 locations, starting today through Dec. 8. Locations include Bloomington, at 421 S. College Ave., as well as Avon, Columbus, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis-Castleton, Indianapolis-Eastside, Indianapolis-Midtown, Indianapolis-Southside, Hammond, Lafayette, Madison, Merrillville, Mishawaka, Muncie, Richmond, Terre Haute, Valparaiso and Warsaw.--World AIDS Day EventWHEN 11 a.m. todayWHERE Bloomington City Hall AtriumMORE INFO Mayor Mark Kruzan, community members and city officials will speak about the effect of AIDS globally and locally. This event is free and open to the public.Free HIV TestsWHEN Today to Dec. 8WHERE Bloomington and other select Planned Parenthood of Indiana locationsMORE INFO Planned Parenthood of Indiana is recognizing World AIDS Day by offering free HIV tests at 19 of its health centers, including at its Bloomington location at 421 S. College Ave.
(11/21/11 1:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>If you call Bloomington home or are staying in town for this holiday break, there are several area restaurants that will not only be open for business Thursday but are also offering traditional Thanksgiving fare. Here are just a few options.ARestaurant TallentWHEN Order Monday and pick up WednesdayWHERE 208 N. Walnut St.INFO Restaurant Tallent will not offer Thanksgiving dinner at the restaurant, but a full meal can be specially ordered by the end of Monday and picked up Wednesday. The meal includes a turkey, side dishes and dessert.BFARMBloomingtonWHEN Noon, 2 and 4 p.m.WHERE 108 E. Kirkwood Ave.INFO From bisque to roast turkey, FARMBloomington will feature all the trappings of a traditional Thanksgiving meal Thursday, as well as a vegetarian option and desserts. Reservations are required for a set time at noon, 2 or 4 p.m.CTudor RoomWHEN 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.WHERE Indiana Memorial Union, 900 E. Seventh St.INFO The Tudor Room, located on the third floor of the IMU, will have a Tudor Thanksgiving 2011 buffet, including breakfast foods, such as omelets and crunchy blueberry-stuffed French toast, as well as roasted turkey, prime rib, baked sweet potatoes, desserts and more. For a full menu, visit imu.indiana.edu/dining/tudorroom.shtml. Reservations are required.DMother Bear’s PizzaWHEN Noon to 4 p.m.WHERE 1428 E. Third St.INFO This is the third annual Mother Bear’s Thanksgiving event, which features a free meal for all patrons between noon and 4 p.m. The restaurant will have special pizzas with turkey, along with side dishes, desserts and beverages. The restaurant, opened 39 years ago by Ron McConn and Bruce Storm, was named one of the best pizzerias in 2010 by USA Today.
(11/14/11 4:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The second Fall Energy Challenge is finished and has a new set of winners.The DeVault Alumni Center, Ashton Center and Phi Mu sorority were announced Friday as this year’s Fall Energy Challenge winners.The three buildings were among the 12 residence halls, 19 academic buildings and nine greek houses that took part in the four-week competition.The event, sponsored by the Office of Sustainability, challenges building managers, students and members of the greek community to reduce water and electricity consumption based on past baseline usage. In 2010, Willkie Quad, the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and Alpha Omicron Pi sorority won. “I like to see when a new building is in the front,” said Will McHenry, challenge coordinator and intern with the Office of Sustainability. “It’s kind of showing that they were doing well in the past, but they got a new group of students — a little more engagement. It’s nice to see a new building in the front and saving more.”This year, Ashton took first place of the residence halls by using 18.4 percent less energy than its expected baseline. The top three residence halls saved a combined total of 142,226 gallons of water and 115,187 kWh of electricity. Phi Mu consumed 12 percent less than its expected baseline, and the top sororities saved 10,074 kWh of electricity and 18,484 gallons of water. For the academic buildings, the DeVault Alumni Center used 36.7 percent less energy than its expected usage.Total savings of energy from all buildings combined was 359,595 kWh of electricity and 494,739 gallons of water.McHenry said that buildings that have won in the past — Teter Quad, for example — continued to do well this year, but because their usage was based on last year’s, they are kept to a high standard.This challenge, McHenry also said, differed from the past several years because of the reputation it had already built on campus. More effort was placed on engagement and cooperative efforts.“A lot of time in the past has been spent on just getting it started and expanding it to include more buildings,” McHenry said. “This semester, since we’re at a comfortable place, we didn’t try to expand any buildings but changing engagement in programming and excitement for the challenge.”This promotion included more events, programs and posters in the residence halls and involving more students, McHenry said. Hopefully, the challenge will lead into sustained efforts to reduce electricity and water consumption, he said.“Ideally, we wouldn’t have to have a competition to have students reduce energy use and water — it would be a year-long thing,” he said. “Even though the challenge is beneficial in the sense it can encourage students to save energy water, it can be a little detrimental because it’s only a four-week thing. It should be a life-long, consistent activity.”
(10/04/11 4:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Be sure to check out IDS video coverage HERE.“A woman walks alone down a dark, deserted street. With every shadow she sees, and every sound she hears, her pounding heart flutters and skips a beat. She hurries her pace as she sees her destination become closer. She is almost there. She reaches the front door, goes inside, collects herself and moves on, forgetting, at least for tonight, the gripping fear that momentarily enveloped her life.”Interfraternity Council President Matt Edwards quoted these words from the event’s website at the Take Back The Night rally Monday in Dunn Meadow. Sponsored by IU’s Women’s Student Association, the event has focused on preventing sexual and domestic abuse against women for more than 10 years in Bloomington and 36 years around the world.Students, leaders and Bloomington community members participated in this year’s rally, which included music, speeches, a march on Kirkwood Avenue and a Speak Out where men and women could share their experience and thoughts about sexual and domestic violence.
(09/29/11 1:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Get out your hammer and nails.For the second year in a row, the Kelley School of Business, Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County and Whirlpool Corporation have teamed up to build an off-site house. This year, it’s for Tora and Clarence Knapp, a local Bloomington family. Construction outside the Virgil T. DeVault Alumni Center starts today and will be complete Oct. 8. The house will be moved to it’s permanent location Oct. 9.Meagan Niese, development director for Habitat for Humanity of Monroe County, said Whirlpool and the business school were both enthusiastic about constructing a house on campus for the second time. In 2010, the project took place in the parking lot of Memorial Stadium.“It is unusual for us to build off-site, but it’s really fun,” she said. “It’s a great opportunity to be in a visible location. Sometimes if we’re working in a neighborhood, it’s not on a busy road where anyone can see it happening. But here, everyone walking to the football games or going to class can stop by, talk and ask questions about the build.”Niese said even the challenge of moving the house to its permanent location can be fun. “It’s certainly different for us to move the house, but the amazing thing is we partner with a moving company that helps,” she said. “We finish the house to completion and they move it to its permanent spot. It’s interesting to watch.”The project will be primarily run and completed by students, Niese said, and particularly students from Kelley and students involved in the Kelley School’s Institute for Social Impact.“A build like this takes about 500 people,” she said. “We have some community volunteers — they are usually crew leaders but have some construction expertise.”The Knapps have two children, and the family will be on-site throughout the week to help construct the home. Niese said Habitat currently has three other homes being built throughout Bloomington.Deb O’Connor, director of global corporate reputation and community relations for Whirlpool, said the corporation has been a contributor to Habitat since 1997. Whirlpool donates both a stove and refrigerator to every Habitat build in the United States, a move that has affected 70,000 families.“Whirlpool and Habitat have an alignment of mutual values with our values of teamwork and diversity and inclusion,” O’Connor said. “That’s the same with Habitat for what they do.”But beyond Whirlpool’s contribution to Habitat, their connections to IU come from a more personal level. Indiana native and Kelley graduate Jeff Fettig became Whirlpool Corporation’s CEO in 2004, and CFO Roy Templin also graduated with a degree from Kelley. Both will be on-site during the build — Templin today and Friday, and Fettig on Oct 8.Whirlpool, O’Connor said, also works with Kelley to recruit new employees.“We do year-round activities working to recruit employees,” she said. “We have quality employees from them.”To get involved in the Habitat build on campus, contact Molly Barwick at the Kelley School’s Institute for Social Impact by emailing KISI@indiana.edu.
(09/27/11 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With the University as his congress, IU President Michael McRobbie will deliver the State of the University address at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Frangipani Room in the Union.The speech, delivered twice a year by the President to the IU community, will focus on progress the University has made, University-wide initiatives and the challenges of the upcoming year.The address is open to the public, with students, faculty and Bloomington community members invited to the IMU to hear the President speak. The event will also be broadcast live online at broadcast.iu.edu as well as on the IU Bloomington Campus Cable station, channel 32. It will also be rebroadcast at 6 p.m. on WTIU-World or Comcast cable channel 17, and repeated at 11:30 p.m. on WTIU-HD or WTIU channel 5.MISSED LAST YEAR’S SPEECH?Here is a brief rundown of the 2010 State of the University address:The State of the University address in 2010 was titled “The Principles of Excellence” and focused on six core areas: education, faculty, research, international engagement, science and health, and economic development.When speaking about education, McRobbie stressed the importance of attracting diverse and under-represented students from local, national and international communities.In regards to faculty, the President said he hoped to hire new faculty even through the recession, and acknowledged the 2009 Nobel prize winner in economics, Distinguished Professor of Political Science Elinor Ostrom. In relation to this, McRobbie called the University a leading international university, but said it must continue to increase the number of international and study abroad students.IU researchers, McRobbie said, received a record $603.9 million in grants and awards from external sources in 2010.In his 2010 address, McRobbie also mentioned the collaborative work between IU and Clarian Health Partners, referencing the vote to change the name of Clarian Health to Indiana University Health.
(12/13/10 2:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>She may be a California native, but junior Gabrielle Reed is ready to represent Indiana in the upcoming 2011 Miss America Pageant.On Dec. 11, friends, family and local pageant officials gave Reed a send off party at the Indiana Memorial Union to offer support before her departure to Las Vegas on Jan. 6.Reed, a vocal performance major in the Jacobs School of Music, began her pageant career in the discontinued Miss IU Pageant – which she won in 2008. She was crowned Miss Indiana this June in Zionsville, Ind. after competing in her second Miss Indiana Scholarship Pageant.“I wasn’t one of those little girls that grew up wanting to be Miss America,” Reed said. “I went into Miss America program because I was looking for performance experience and the volunteer work. I wanted to do something bigger than myself.”More than 12,000 young women compete each year in state and local pageant events, with that number narrowed down to the 52 that compete in the Miss America Pageant. The organizations also provide scholarship money for contestants, which Reed said played a large part in her involvement.During her send off party, Reed sang, chatted with supporters and modeled the outfits she will wear in the Miss America competition. Reed was also presented a President’s Call to Service Award, given to U.S. citizens who complete 4,000 or more registered hours of volunteer service.Reed, who’s pageant platform is “‘Empowerment from the Start’ Communities Preventing Domestic Violence,” was given the award for serving more than 4,000 hours at the local Middle Way House and other domestic violence prevention organizations.“What I love about Gabrielle is that she knows who she is as a person, and that shines through every phase of competition — from her talent, to her interview, and even in her evening gown,” said Aren Straiger, Miss Indiana co-executive director. “The simple elegance that Gabrielle has, it’s a wonderful characteristic. It makes her a wonderful Miss Indiana.”To fulfill her role as Miss Indiana — which has included volunteer work, event appearances and more — Reed took this academic year off from IU.“The decision was up to me. They don’t require it,” Reed said. “I wanted to give my entire self to the job because it’s the only time you get to do something like this. I didn’t want to sacrifice my education. It made sense.”And that education, both Reed and Straiger said, is what has helped build a talented pool of Miss Indianas and Miss Americas that hail from IU and Indiana. Reed’s predecessor — Miss Indiana 2009 Nicole Pollard — graduated from the Jacobs School of Music with a bachelor of music education. Pollard went on to the top 15 at the Miss America Pageant.“You have to attribute the Jacobs School of Music,” Straiger said. “This year is the first time Miss America is having a parade in Las Vegas, and we’re supposed to use a state theme. What Gabrielle thought would be great would be if we did a tribute to the school of music, so her theme is opera. And that’s something she believes in. We want to say thanks to the Jacobs School.”
(12/08/10 3:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior Russell Saks dedicates hours to gaining weight — but he isn’t underweight or unhealthy. Saks is a self-proclaimed gym rat, a workout junkie who has gained 20 pounds of muscle in less than a year.His success did not come from exercise alone. Saks said he packed on the pounds with the help of athletic supplements: vitamins, proteins and nutrients meant to boost physical performance, energy and stamina.“You see results so quickly,” Saks said. “I’m personally hooked on them. You’re lifting more. You get a more efficient workout. You just wake up and you’re not sore.”But as happy as Saks said he was to gain the muscle, it didn’t come without a cost — literally.Saks, along with fellow Delta Tau Delta brother and junior Mike Kunz, said in the past they have spent hundreds of dollars at GNC for supplements. When that left them broke, they ordered what they needed online. And when that left them staring at the clock for the UPS man, inspiration struck.Now, Kunz and Saks run the website www.campusprotein.com, where IU students can order wholesale athletic supplements and receive same-day delivery from the entrepreneurs’ off-campus warehouse.“We didn’t intend it to be a business,” Saks said. “We did it so we could buy cheap and stop getting ripped off, then a lot of our friends asked if they could get it from us.”The website, which launched in April 2010, has seen strong success. Saks said sales have grown 100 percent since spring. And, he said, Lehigh, Vanderbilt and Boston Universities now have Campus Protein representatives who deliver supplements to students on their respective campuses for a commission.The success, Saks said, comes from a number of things — including the growing focus on nutrition in American society.“I think it’s the whole health craze going on right now,” Saks said. “Everyone wants to lose weight, be in shape. Now it’s all you see in the magazines, ‘getting in shape’ and ‘The Jersey Shore.’”However, some experts are worried the health craze might leave young athletic supplement users misguided and uninformed.Vijay Jotwani, an assistant professor for the IU Department of Family Medicine, said professional athletes have long used vitamins, minerals and proteins to gain a physical edge against their competition, but the motivation tends to be different for the casual runner or weight lifter.The industry, Jotwani said, is part of the growing American culture obsessed with body image.“Every study you look at, the percentage of people using supplements is growing,” he said. “I think you’re seeing a lot more young people use what athletes have long used but for appearance, to look better. They are not necessarily related to performing in a sport.”Jotwani, who counsels high school athletes in Indianapolis, said recreational athletes lack patience with their exercise routine, often seeking results supplements claim to bring — faster weight loss, muscle gain and more.Those assertions are rarely backed by medical research, Jotwani said, because they don’t have to be. Dietary supplements are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration as food products.“They are not medicine,” he said. “It’s like selling apples and oranges. They don’t have to substantiate any claims they make.”Because the medical world does not regulate or prescribe supplements, Jotwani said, doctors struggle when they are unaware their patients buy them. Few athletes, he said, tell their doctors what vitamins and proteins they are taking.“I think it probably happens 99 percent of the time. Young people don’t consult a physician,” he said. “Even athletes, along with young people, don’t trust their doctors. They think doctors will say supplements are unhealthy.”Saks, who said he does consult his doctor, does not believe any harm will come to his costumers from the products he and Kunz sell.“It’s nothing harmful, nothing bad,” Saks said. “Supplements have a lot of stuff you’d take every day. Caffeine, that’s in a lot of pre-workout (supplements), and protein, which is obviously in a lot of things. Even creatine — honestly, if you eat red meat, you actually get that naturally.”Although Saks said he and Kunz cannot predict what will happen to the supplement industry or health craze in the future, they have no plans to sell or leave www.campusprotein.com.“We’re gonna try to stick with it as long as we can,” Saks said. “We both love it.”
(11/22/10 4:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Elinor Ostrom, distinguished professor of political science and co-director of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis was recently awarded a $295,000 grant from the Fannie E. Rippel Foundation.The grant will help several professors, including Ostrom, the 2009 co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, to explore applying Ostrom’s theories and ideas to health and health care.Along with Ostrom, Michael McGinnis — a political science professor and director of the workshop — will conduct an 18-month research project.Rippel Foundation officials said they hope the analysis and research will help Americans become healthier while paying lower and more sustainable costs for high-quality health care.“The Rippel Foundation is excited about the prospect of extending professor Ostrom’s work to health care,” Laura Landy, president of the Rippel Foundation, said in a press release. “Managing the health care commons is a crucial challenge for our nation and the world, and Lin Ostrom and her team are uniquely qualified to lead that effort. We hope that this project will result both in valuable new insights and in practical tools for health care leaders and concerned communities.”Other members of the project include Kathleen Gilbert, professor of applied health science; Claudia Brink, assistant director of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis; and Joan Pong Linton, associate professor of English.The Rippel Foundation was created by Julius Rippel in honor of his wife, Fannie Estelle, and the volunteer work she focused on during her lifetime.
(11/15/10 3:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Seated in olive green leather chairs Friday on the IU Auditorium stage, journalist Jane Pauley and actress Meryl Streep discussed marriage, family and career with each other and an enthusiastic audience.Pauley and Streep’s visit was sponsored by the IU Foundation and Kate Benns Sturgeon Fund.The talk began with an introduction by IU’s first lady Laurie Burns McRobbie, after which Pauley commented on Streep’s Indiana ties.“How cool is it to be married to a Hoosier?”The actress’s husband, Don Gummer, studied at the IU-Purdue University Indianapolis Herron School of Art in the 1960s. Pauley’s own personal tie is as an alumna. She graduated from IU in 1972 with a degree in political science before becoming a prominent television journalist.The conversation flowed with Pauley leading throughout, with topics ranging from Streep’s first aspirations to sing, her discomfort during television interviews, raising children in the spotlight and theater training at Yale.Both Pauley and Streep also touched on insecurity, which both said comes from being behind a camera. However, after admitting she would not rule out plastic surgery, Streep offered the audience what she said was her “best piece of advice for young woman.”“Don’t waste so much time on your looks, your skin. Put your hands on what you do with your job and your career,” she said.Streep, whose own career began on the stage in New York City, also touched on her “special sauce” for acting.“I’d say my interest about other people is what animates my work,” Streep said. “I feel what I feel. I feel my skin is permeable. I have an interest in people. I’ve only played people I feel for. We’re not all different.”Breaking out of your comfort zone, Streep said, is important for an actor.Pauley also prompted the actress to sing briefly for the audience, which elicited excited applause from the crowd.“Every actor wants to be a singer,” she said. “It’s our secret dream.”Sophomore Bridgett Henwood, a fan of Streep’s movies, said she would be happy to see more events similar to Streep’s visit.“If we had to pay I wouldn’t have been able to come. They should do this more often,” Henwood said. She also said she was amazed at how each of the actress’ comments really stuck with her.“She’s so thoughtful, and everything she said had really poignancy,” she said.Following journalist Jane Pauley and actress Meryl Streep’s candid conversation, Streep answered questions posed by the audience. Here are some other highlights.Favorite actress?Streep said she does not have a favorite actor or actress, but she found herself inspired by several theatrical stars when she was first training, including Liza Minnelli.Feeling like a goddess?Asked if she ever felt like a goddess, Streep laughed and said, “No. No I don’t.”Turning down films?Streep said she has turned down film roles for moral reasons, citing that as a high-profile actress she has a responsibility to make movies that advance dialogue.Worst filming moment?On the last day of filming for “Out of Africa,” Streep came face-to-face with a lion that the film’s director Sydney Pollack had untethered for a particular shot. The lion growled loudly at Streep, who said she thought she was “going to die.”
(11/14/10 6:33pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Seated in olive green leather chairs Friday on the IU Auditorium stage, journalist Jane Pauley and actress Meryl Streep discussed marriage, family and career — with each other and an enthusiastic audience.Pauley and Streep, whose visit was sponsored by the IU Foundation and Kate Benns Sturgeon Fund, focused on the women’s philanthropy and advancement and in the 21st century.The 4:30 p.m. event began with an introduction by IU’s first lady Laurie Burns McRobbie, after which Pauley commented on Streep’s Indiana ties.“How cool is it to be married to a Hoosier?”Streep’s husband, Don Gummer, studied at the IU-Purdue University Indianapolis Herron School of Art in the 1960s. Pauley’s own personal tie to the University is as an alumnus. She graduated from IU in 1972 with a degree in political science before becoming a prominent television journalist.The conversation flowed with Pauley leading throughout, discussing topics ranging from Streep’s first aspirations to sing, her discomfort during television interviews, raising children in the spotlight and theater training at Yale University.Both Pauley and Streep also touched on insecurity that both said comes from being behind a camera. However, after admitting she would not rule out plastic surgery, Streep offered the audience what she said was her “best piece of advice for young woman.”“Don’t waste so much time on your looks, your skin. Put your hands on what you do with your job and your career.”Streep, whose own career began on the stage in New York but moved to the silver screen, also touched on her “special sauce” for acting.“I’d say my interest about other people is what animates my work,” Streep said. “I feel what I feel, I feel my skin is permeable. I have an interest in people — I’ve only played people I feel for. We’re not all different.”For a full story pick up Monday’s copy of the Indiana Daily Student.