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(02/01/06 5:54am)
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire\nWASHINGTON -- President Bush laid out Tuesday night his optimistic ideas of how the United States should fill its role as a global power and announced proposals for programs to make Americans more "competitive" in a global economy. \nBush's State of the Union address was also an attempt to refocus his presidency after a year of setbacks. Bush wants to do this by reinforcing his policies in Iraq, reauthorizing the Patriot Act and finding alternative energy sources for American homes and automobiles. \nBush presented a stern defense of the war in Iraq, stating the United States has helped Iraqis build an inclusive government and helped with reconstruction efforts so that government can fight corruption. \nBush called on Congress to re-authorize the Patriot Act and defended his decision to start a covert domestic spying program by citing the authority from the Constitution and from statutes. \n"This terrorist surveillance program has helped prevent terrorist attacks," he said. "If there are people inside our country who are talking with al-Qaida, we want to know about it -- because we will not sit back and wait to be hit again."\nThis statement drew a cheer and round of applause from the Republicans but skeptical looks from most Democrats. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, laughed at the comment. \nBush also had stern warnings for two rising global threats. He told the Palestinian government, with a new Hamas majority, that it must "recognize Israel, disarm, reject terrorism and work for lasting peace." \nBush also made remarks on Iran, which were directed at the world. \n"The Iranian government is defying the world with its nuclear ambitions and the nations of the world must not permit the Iranian regime to gain nuclear weapons," Bush said, followed by a standing ovation. \nBush also announced the creation of a bi-partisan commission to study the impact of how the Baby Boom generation retirements will affect Social Secuity, Medicare and Medicaid. "We need to put aside partisan politics, work together and get this problem solved," Bush said, followed by a roar of support from both sides of the aisle.\nBush announced the Advanced Energy Initiative, which proposes a 22 percent increase in clean-energy research at the Department of Energy, hopefully reaching breakthroughs in "zero-emission coal-fired plants, revolutionary solar and wind technologies and clean, safe nuclear energy."\nBush also discussed how Americans are going to fuel their automobiles by looking for solutions in ethanol. \n"Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025 ... making our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past," Bush said.\nSen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said in a statement Bush's address focuses on important improvements in the economy, healthcare and education.\n"Critical to U.S. economic and national security is taking significant steps to decrease our dependence on foreign oil," Lugar said in the statement. "My work this year will focus on what steps we might take to accelerate the development of new, homegrown sources of energy and become more efficient consumers of energy"
(02/01/06 4:51am)
WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Judge Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. to be the 110th justice of the U.S. Supreme Court by a vote of 58-42, following a confirmation process that was marked with sharp partisan debate and a failed attempt at a filibuster.\nAlito, who has 15 years of experience as a circuit court judge, will replace the moderate swing vote on the high court of retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.\nSen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island was the sole Republican who voted against confirmation, while four Democrats joined the Republican majority in approving President Bush's nominee. \nSenators stood to vote from behind their desks and stayed until the vote was tallied rather than voting and leaving, underscoring the importance of the vote.\nDemocratic Sens. John Kerry and Edward Kennedy, both of Massachusetts, attempted to filibuster the nominee but failed Monday when the Senate voted to invoke cloture by a vote of 72-25. \nTwo hours later, Alito was sworn in at the Supreme Court building across from the Capitol by former Bush nominee and now Chief Justice John Roberts.\nIU Law Professor Daniel Conkle said Alito will make a difference on the court as he is replacing a "moderate conservative" and therefore will be less protective of abortion rights. He is also expected to differ from O'Connor when it comes to religious freedom and the issue of separation of church and state. \n"How Judge Alito will actually vote as Justice Alito will remain to be seen," Conkle said. "How a justice will react in terms of his relationship to the institution of the Supreme Court is always an uncertain matter." \nAlito was confirmed by a slimmer margin than Chief Justice John Roberts who was confirmed by a vote of 78-22.\nSen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said in a statement, "Judge Alito is a sound choice for Supreme Court Justice with great respect from the American Bar Association and legal community. He performed well in the arduous hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee."\nSen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., voted against Alito's confirmation.
(01/31/06 5:12am)
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire\nWASHINGTON -- President George W. Bush will attempt to get his presidency back on track tonight after coming off what some have called his worst year yet as president. He will also attempt the even bigger task of laying out a platform for the midterm elections. \nIn 2005 Bush had a secret domestic spying program outed, a relief effort for Hurricane Katrina fail, one of his advisers indicted in the CIA leak investigation and an attempt to overhaul Social Security stall -- all leading to the lowest approval ratings of his presidency. \nMost recent national polls show the president's approval ratings at 41 to 43 percent, including an ABC News/Washington Post poll published Monday that had his rating at 42 percent. \nBush said at a Jan. 24 news conference that his State of the Union speech will lay out an "optimistic agenda." The speech will address renewing the Patriot Act, continuing to protect the American people and asking Congress to make his tax cuts permanent.\n"I will talk about initiatives to make sure our health care and education and energy recognizes the realities of the world in which we live today and anticipates the problems of the world tomorrow so that we can remain competitive," Bush said.\nDemocrats and Republicans have weighed in on what the President should or shouldn't say to the enormous prime-time audience. \nIU professors are no exception.\nMichael Wagner, an associate instructor in political science who specializes in American politics and public policy, said this speech is a kickoff for the 2006 midterm campaign. He added that Bush needs to come up with some plans he can accomplish in the next couple of months so his party can maintain the tag of the reform party, which Wagner said is how Republicans gained control of the House in 1994. \n"If I was him, I wouldn't be shooting for large, strategic issues because a lot of the trouble the party has had is going to come out during the campaign," Wagner said. "He would be making a mistake to say he is still going after Social Security or some other large initiative."\nMichael Wolf, assistant professor of political science at IU--Purdue University Fort Wayne, said there is a lot of unease in Washington concerning scandals, and this speech is a chance for the president to "hit the reset button and get back to where he was last year" after his second term inauguration. \n"Most importantly, he needs to come out and define the domestic spying program not just to the public, but to Republicans in Congress so they can stand up and defend the program if they choose to," Wolf said. "It's very key in that point in order to keep his own people on board." \nThe stakes for Bush are not as high as in years past, Wagner said. However, it is an important speech for Bush's ratings. \n"Most presidents leave office less popular than when they enter. The exception in modern polling era is Clinton," Wagner said. "(Bush) is going to be able to need to show improvement in Iraq or legislation that he has helped get through that the public supports or three or four things that he or members of the Republican Party can rattle off in campaign speeches when they are running for re-election this year"
(12/12/05 6:33am)
By 2015, IU should have at least three new buildings devoted to the field of science. Multidisciplinary Science Building Phase I, II and III are all scheduled to be built in the near future. The completion of MSB I is already underway, and it's scheduled to be completed in June 2007. No dates have been set for either of the other two phases. \nMSB I\nSimon Hall, the 140,000-square-foot, $55.7 million research and teaching facility is being built north of Myers Hall and will house the Linda and Jack Gill Center for Biomolecular Measurement, the Johnson Center for Science and Entrepreneurship and scientists in biochemistry and proteomics. It is the first science-only building constructed on IUB's campus since the completion of the Geological Sciences Building in 1962, according to a statement.\nMSB II and III\nAnother science building is being built just north of 10th Street near the Geology Building, housing earth and environmental scientists and neuroscientists. The unnamed building, which is approximately 65,000 square feet, will form a courtyard with the Psychology Building, the Kelley School of Business Graduate and Executive Education Center and the Fee Lane parking garage. There will be paths on which the public can walk, and since the building is being constructed where the current Service Building is, there will be minimal tree loss. The building is expected to cost about $42.4 million, with the Indiana General Assembly promising to offset $31.9 million.
(12/12/05 6:29am)
A committee to examine the impact of digital information will shape the future of IU libraries, said IU-Bloomington Interim Chancellor Ken Gros Louis. The committee will mold the University's libraries to changing technology.\nThe committee has not been established, but will probably include Michael McRobbie, vice president for Information Technology, and Pat Steele, interim dean of IU libraries. \nGros Louis said there are several questions that the committee hopes to answer, including if it will effect how libraries are organized, how they are funded and how their budgets might be distributed differently. What kind of skills might their staff need? What might be their relationship to University IT organizations?\n"There will surely be books and journals, but much information will be available online in digital form. The implications of this shift could be very substantial," he said. "A longer range goal is to determine if the libraries are well-positioned to take full advantage of the rapidly approaching digital future. If not, what changes need to be made to better position them?"\nSteele said the committee will most likely last for more than a year, being headed by the new chancellor when the position is filled in early November. \nAbout eight months ago, the library unveiled a substantial renovation taking several months that added a second Information Commons to the Herman B Wells Library. The 68 individual computer work stations hint at the direction that libraries may be taking in the future as more and more information is being made accessible by computer.
(11/28/05 3:53pm)
In the first show of group support for IU President Adam Herbert, the Bloomington Black Faculty and Staff Council called on their colleagues to vote "no" on a resolution to review Herbert's presidency at a press conference Nov. 21.\nLaw professor Kevin Brown said he would meet later that day with some members of what some have called the "anti-Herbert movement," in an effort to convince them to pull their support for the resolution. Brown and other participants of the meeting declined to release any details of the discussion to the media.\n"One of the messages we are going to convey to them is when you are attacking the first African-American president in the 185-year history of this institution, there should have been at least a consultation and recognition and understanding of the implication that this will have on the entire African-American community of the state of Indiana," Brown said.\nThe participants at the conference said the conflict between the faculty and Herbert could hurt the recruitment of minority students and the ability to attract the most qualified faculty.\n"If (opponents of Herbert) halt the wheels on this protest it will demonstrate that Indiana University really has been a place that has changed," Brown said. "If they continue on with this protest it is going to be one of those difficult things that we are going to be trying to explain away what other people see as relatively obvious."\nLaw professor Fred Cate said he thinks it is irrelevant that his black colleagues are trying to convince him and others to pull their support for the resolution because the voting is already underway. He also said it was never intentional to exclude black faculty members from the process when it was in its infancy stages.\n"The issue on the table was how the president was performing his job and the people who came forward to talk about that thought they had first hand knowledge of how they were performing his job," Cate said. "The point that it would have been better to explicitly reach out to black colleague earlier in the process is well taken."\nFaculty members have been voting online on a resolution to urge the board of trustees to review Herbert's job performance following a Nov. 15 emergency meeting of the Bloomington faculty.\nAs of Nov. 21, 600 faculty members have voted, Bloomington Faculty Council Chief of Staff Kelly Kish said. Voting was conducted online and concluded Friday. Kish said the results of the voting could be releases as early as today.\nCate said he expects more than the required 800 faculty members to vote in favor of the resolution.\n"It would not have been a failed effort (if the resolution does not pass) but the BFC constitution provides this process for raising issues of importance with members of the Bloomington campus faculty and I think we've done our best to raise those issues in a responsible manor," Cate said.\nAudrey McCluskey, associate professor of African-American and African Diaspora Studies, said she does not necessarily agree or disagree with Herbert's opponents, but she attended based on principle.\n"I am here for the principle, that is the principle of balance and fairness and in this exercise thus far I don't feel that it has been fair or balanced," McCluskey said. "I call upon my colleagues to vote no on this resolution."\nDuring an opening statement, Brown listed several accomplishments of Herbert that he felt were not being discussed. He said Herbert has increased fund raising and the quality of the student body and added more initiatives to better organize the University. Brown also cited the life sciences initiative as a major advancement.\n"If such a review is passed by a majority of voting faculty," Brown said. "Then we go further and call upon the board of trustees to reject the call for a mid-term review (of Herbert)"
(11/22/05 4:50pm)
In the first show of group support for IU President Adam Herbert, the Bloomington Black Faculty and Staff Council called on their colleagues to vote "no" on a resolution to review Herbert's presidency at a press conference Monday.\nLaw Professor Kevin Brown said at the conference he will meet with some members of what some have called the "anti-Herbert movement," in an effort to convince them to pull their support for the resolution. \n"One of the messages we are going to convey to them is when you are attacking the first African-American president in the 185 year history of this institution, there should have been at least a consultation and recognition and understanding of the implication that this will have on the entire African-American community of the state of Indiana," Brown said.\nThe participants at the conference said the conflict between the faculty and Herbert could hurt the recruitment of minority students and the ability to attract the most qualified faculty.\n"If (opponents of Herbert) halt the wheels on this protest it will demonstrate that Indiana University really has been a place that has changed," Brown said. "If they continue on with this protest it is going to be one of those difficult things that we are going to be trying to explain away what other people see as relatively obvious."\nFellow Law Professor Fred Cate said he thinks it is irrelevant that his black colleagues are trying to convince him and others to pull their support for the resolution because the voting is already underway. He also said it was never intentional to exclude black faculty members from the process when it was in its infancy stages.\n"The issue on the table was how the president was performing his job and the people who came forward to talk about that thought they had first hand knowledge of how they were performing his job," Cate said. "The point that it would have been better to explicitly reach out to black colleague earlier in the process is well taken."\nFaculty members have been voting online on a resolution to urge the board of trustees to review Herbert's job performance following a Nov. 15 emergency meeting of the Bloomington faculty.\nAs of Monday morning, 600 faculty members have voted, Bloomington Faculty Council Chief of Staff Kelly Kish said. Voting is being conducted online and will conclude Friday by 5 p.m. The results will not be known until Nov. 28.\nCate said he expects more than the required 800 faculty members to vote in favor of the resolution.\n "It would not have been a failed effort (if the resolution does not pass) but the BFC constitution provides this process for raising issues of importance with members of the Bloomington campus faculty and I think we've done our best to raise those issues in a responsible manor," Cate said. \nAudrey McCluskey, associate professor of African-American and African Diaspora Studies, said she does not necessarily agree or disagree with Herbert's opponents, but she attended based on principle. \n"I am here for the principle, that is the principle of balance and fairness and in this exercise thus far I don't feel that it has been fair or balanced," McCluskey said. "I call upon my colleagues to vote no on this resolution."\nDuring an opening statement, Brown listed several accomplishments of Herbert that he felt were not being discussed. He said Herbert has increased fund raising and the quality of the student body and added more initiatives to better organize the University. Brown also cited the life sciences initiative as a major advancement. \n"If such a review is passed by a majority of voting faculty," Brown said. "Then we go further and call upon the board of trustees to reject the call for a mid-term review (of Herbert)"
(11/17/05 7:24pm)
Accusations made by the Bloomington faculty about IU President Adam Herbert not being responsive to University donors are "totally untrue," Herbert said in his first interview since the special-session faculty meeting Tuesday. During the interview, which Herbert agreed to partially in response to an Indiana Daily Student column, he also discussed issues of race, personal attacks on him and a lack of attention being brought to his accomplishments while serving as president. \n"Things that are being said are just not true," Herbert said. "The reality is I talk to donors. There is the case I cannot talk to every donor. You only have so much time and also it's important that people understand that at a certain level they clearly get presidential attention."\nHerbert said he is flying today to meet with a donor and he has done that several times during the past two and a half years. In explaining the president's role in the fund-raising process, Herbert said the deans, chancellors and people from the IU Foundation deal with gifts up to $1 million. \n"In a major research university that has the aspirations that we do from a fund-raising perspective, the president normally would focus on gifts that are seven, eight or nine figures," Herbert said. "Because what you have to do strategically is make clear those are very special donors and they need more time."\nBut Jack Kimberling doesn't share the same sentiment. Kimberling is the largest individual donor to the IU Law School, with donations totaling $5 million. Kimberling said he sent Herbert a letter and several e-mails to attempt to set up an appointment. Finally, after four weeks, the meeting was scheduled to discuss some "issues," Kimberling said.\n"It was a negative discussion," Kimberling said. "I doubt that I would donate money to IU while (Herbert) is president. I think IU is leaderless. I would like to see the leadership situation resolved."\nHowever, not all major donors share Kimberling's view. William J. Godfrey gave the largest single gift from an individual to the Kelley School of Business. Earlier this year he bequeathed land worth $25 million for need-based scholarships in the Kelley School and for the building's needs. He has met with Herbert on three separate occasions.\n"Whether it was (Herbert) or (former IU President) Myles Brand, it wouldn't have made any difference to me," Godfrey said. "(Herbert) was very cordial and pleasant." \nIU Spokesman Larry MacIntyre said there have been a number of specific criticisms and Herbert's heard some of these.\n"There has been criticism about the way Herbert had handled the Godfrey donation and President Herbert believes that criticism was wrong," MacIntyre said. "The president was just very appreciative of what Mr. Godfrey did, and it was the president's feeling that he and Mr. Godfrey had established a good relationship." \nIn an interview Wednesday morning, Herbert responded to other criticisms brought by the faculty in recent days. Herbert said he is disappointed that the information being presented has been more personal in nature. \n"I am disappointed that the focus has not been on the significant institutional accomplishments that we have experienced over the last 28 months," Herbert said. "If one is focusing on leadership of the University then I think we have a remarkable story to tell. I think it is one in which the entire University community and our alumni should be very proud of."\nHerbert said some of the allegations being made by people in the IU community are just "patently untrue," but declined to give examples. \n"I have shared with colleagues the inaccuracies of a number of those points," Herbert said. "If I get into a conversation about that it serves no use or purpose. I have talked with folks about the facts."\nOne of the main concerns discussed at Tuesday's faculty meeting was Herbert's lack of visibility on the IU campus, a point expressed by IU law professor Fred Cate.\nHerbert said he doesn't know what the word "visibility" means in that context, but he said he can probably do more.\n"If I'm going to give more speeches around the state, if I'm going to be involved in visiting with more alumni around the nation and world, more donors around the country and the world and be available to deal with the legislative sessions as they come up, what does that mean with the total amount of time I can spend on campus?" Herbert said.\nSome faculty members suggested the criticism of Herbert was an attack on a black president by a predominantly white opposition.\nHerbert said he doesn't deal with questions about race, and he has met with both black and white faculty members. \n"I did not limit meetings on whether a person was black or white," Herbert said.\nHerbert implored the faculty to move beyond these accusations and to focus on bettering IU.\n"I challenge the faculty to talk about a philosophy of undergraduate education and what does a degree from Indiana University stand for? I believe we have an obligation as a faculty to address those issues," Herbert said. "I've been trying to engage the faculty and the University community in a major process of institutional transformation. My regret is that we are not engaged in that kind of conversation"
(11/17/05 1:26am)
The continuing tension between IU President Adam Herbert and the Bloomington campus faculty escalated Tuesday night at the first special session of the Bloomington faculty in almost 20 years as members approved resolutions to have the trustees review Herbert's job performance.\nSince only 620 of the required 800 faculty members were present at the meeting, the resolution will now be sent out in an e-mail ballot to faculty members as early as today. If a majority of faculty members approve the resolutions, they will be sent to the trustees and Herbert for consideration.\nThe resolution specifies guidelines for how the review process should be conducted. These stipulations call for: the ability of any members of the IU community, including its "external constituencies" to provide factual evidence of Herbert's job performance; that a central part of the review be to determine the accuracy of any allegations that have been expressed; and to communicate the results in a manner that respect the privacy of all involved in the process.\nAnother approved resolution compels the board to take Bloomington campus considerations into account as the primary factor in the appointment of a new chancellor. \nPresident of the Bloomington Faculty Council and chair of Tuesday's meeting Ted Miller said he hopes the voting can be finished by the Thanksgiving break. \n"There was a good bit of debate on both sides of the question (of Herbert's performance)," Miller said. "I've been a member of the Bloomington faculty for 30 years and I don't think I've seen anything quite like this. (The meeting) was well done by the members of the faculty. I was very proud of them today."\nDespite a 40-minute delay because of a tornado warning, in which faculty members were ushered into the lobby outside the IU Auditorium, several described the meeting as positive and productive. \nTwo resolutions concerning College of Arts and Sciences Dean Kumble Subbaswamy were withdrawn after a vote of those present, but Subbaswamy had expressed his wish that this be done to several different faculty members who attended the meeting. \nIU Law Professor Fred Cate said it was a very positive meeting, and it's remarkable that 620 voting faculty turned out given how many have other commitments.\n"I don't think passing a resolution calling on the trustees to review the president is ever happy news," Cate said. "I don't think anyone in the room was happy about that. But it was viewed as a positive, constructive step forward rather than just criticizing the president. It's the job of the trustees to review these allegations and to see whether they are true or false. It was as good as I think a faculty could have done in this situation."\nDuring the meeting, some faculty members suggested this was an attack on the first black president in IU's history by a group of protestors who are primarily white.\nIU Law Professor Kevin Brown spoke at the meeting and said he doesn't think the protest "is motivated by invidious racial discrimination," but said it appears that way to observers.\n"Unless you have a diverse protest, this looks like a white faculty attacking the first African-American president in the 185-year history of this institution," Brown said. "That puts it in a racial context. If you want to take it out of a racial context, diversify the protest. From the African-American community, I suspect this is going to be a disaster."\nLawrence Hanks, a political science professor, said he attended the meeting to get information about the topic so he could make an informed decision when it came time to vote, but he couldn't help but notice whether race is an issue in this situation. \n"Probably most African Americans would argue that yes, there's race involved. Most whites would say no, there's not," Hanks said. "And that's a battle that no one can convince the other of. I think faculty of all colors are here to make a decision. They want to know what the facts are, not the innuendos, not the rumors. We want to know what the facts are, and at that point decisions will be made."\nSusan Gubar, an English professor, said there was a good conversation about race during the meeting, and it's important for the faculty to keep in mind "the perspectives of our African-American colleagues."\n"We want this commitment to diversity to always be articulated and reaffirmed by your American white colleagues and that happened today," Cate said. "It's important that all sides of the story speak and speak from their perspectives and are heard and that is part of the strength of the conversation." \nIn a letter to the Indiana Daily Student, Vice President for Institutional Development and Student Affairs Charlie Nelms said criticism seems to be "personal and vitriolic," adding that positive aspects of Herbert's presidency have been overlooked because of negative discussions.\nThe meeting, which lasted more than two hours, was called in response to a petition that was signed by 131 faculty members. \nCate said he speaks for senior administrators, alumni, donors, journalists and government and business leaders who are not in a position to speak openly. \nHe aired four specific concerns: "the president's inaccessibility to important constituencies, including journalists; significant delays in getting the president to act on routine business, such as signing letters of appointment to advisory committees, sending letters acknowledging majors gifts and responding to proposals for joint activities with external constituencies; the president's 18-month delay in appointing a search committee for Bloomington campus chancellor and senior vice president for academic affairs and in appointing and charging other committees; and the president's lack of visibility in the University and with external communities."\n"It is not the responsibility of the faculty, but rather of the trustees, to review these concerns," Cate said in an e-mail.\nHerbert did not attend the meeting, citing in a statement that his "participation might have hampered the candid discussion that such serious matters deserve.\n"I have the utmost respect for my faculty colleagues and their views. The University in many ways is like a big family -- and big families often have disagreements that must be resolved through dialogue and debate. I believe that all of our IU family members -- including those who have most vehemently disagreed with me -- have the best interests of IU at heart."\nOne resolution that was considered by the BFC agenda committee, but was pulled at the request of the author before Tuesday's meeting, was a vote of no confidence in Herbert. Miller said in his opening statement it is his understanding that several faculty members expressed their opinion that a vote of no confidence resolution should have been a part of Tuesday's agenda but did not actually submit a resolution. \nThough the outcome of the vote is yet to be seen, Brown said he has little confidenc the board will take any action in regards to a review of Herbert. \n"There are certain trustees who are very close to the president who I think are unlikely to vote for this review," Brown said. "Will a majority of the trustees vote in favor of the resolution to review Herbert's performance? My sense is that I doubt it."\nTrustee William Cast said the faculty's concern is obvious and the trustees take their concerns seriously. Cast was not a part of the board that chose Herbert to be president and said race is not an issue of Herbert's opponents. \n"My vote would be yes (for a review of Herbert)," Cast said. "I think (the board) will go through the process. I think that anybody, the entire board that will include the ones who were not in on the selection process, want him to be successful. I think they will have no trouble (conducting the review)." \nIU Student Association President Alex Shortle said he knew he was not going to be allowed in the meeting, even after attempting to plead his case to Miller. Shortle said he wanted to attend to keep the student body congress informed and to hear the discussion about this issue among the faculty. \n"I just walked in the meeting," he said. "I sat with the associate faculty quietly. I learned what I wanted to learn and I walked out. This is the best decision I've made since I've been president."\n-- Staff writer Peter Stevenson contributed to this report.
(11/03/05 4:06pm)
IU President Adam Herbert's decision to restart the search for a Bloomington campus chancellor has created a divide between him and many professors, prompting dissenting faculty members to voice their concerns in letters to Herbert and organize a meeting to discuss "leadership issues at IU."\nThe public clash could bring into the spotlight the growing division between Herbert, who is in his third year of his presidency, and University faculty who strongly believe in the idea of faculty governance.\nA meeting will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. today in Alumni Hall at the Indiana Memorial Union, according to an e-mail circulated among IU faculty.\nThe Indiana Daily Student has obtained two letters, one addressed to Herbert and one addressed to the IU board of trustees. The letters express discontent among the IU faculty about the search process and the fact that Herbert did not select College of Arts and Sciences Dean Kumble Subbaswamy as chancellor. The letters also show concern regarding Herbert's job performance.\nThe letter that will be delivered to Herbert states he should reconsider Subbaswamy as IUB Interim Chancellor Ken Gros Louis' successor. The letter says if Subbaswamy is not named as the next chancellor it "will have adverse consequences for faculty morale and academic quality, in the College, on the Bloomington campus and throughout the Indiana University community."\nThe letter, written by Political Science Department Chairman Jeff Isaac, is signed by 21 COAS department chairs, 11 directors and a professor. \nIsaac said there will be other letters written. \n"The letter that we wrote is not just about (Subbaswamy)," Isaac said. "It's about our sense of what is necessary to move forward and our belief that the University has a fantastic internal candidate who really ought to be given more serious consideration. The letter articulates -- what I believe and I think what the people who signed the letter believe -- that it was very unfortunate that this decision was made, and we do believe that the decision was unwise and ought to be reconsidered."\nIU Student Association President Alex Shortle, who is a member of the chancellor search committee, said he will do everything he can to be a part of tonight's faculty meeting to understand the faculty's concerns and to make a student's voice heard. \nA concerned faculty member, who wished to be unnamed, said he has seen four or five documents authored by different faculty members. One of the documents, which has more than 100 signatories, shows there is a great deal of concern among faculty about what these recent events suggest about the leadership of the University, he said. \nThe draft of a second letter, to be sent to the trustees, was given to the IDS by a member of the chancellor search committee, but the author of the letter was not disclosed. \n"It is now apparent that the Chancellor's search has been badly handled, and President Herbert has lost an opportunity to incisively move the mission of the University forward," the letter states. "His poor performance in this area is emblematic of his failing presidency. Indiana University can no longer afford to be patient with President Herbert and his continued bad decisions (or lack of action) in the academic arena."\nThe letter, which will remain unsigned until revised and finalized by faculty members, attacks Herbert's "complacency in relying on an interim administration." \nThe letter also sets out specific concerns for the trustees, including: the immediate need for a chancellor, specifically Subbaswamy; bringing attention to "unprofessional and disrepectful" treatment to Subbaswamy during the search process; creating a new procress for selecting chancellors; and addressing whether Herbert has the University's best interests in mind.\nThe letter also suggests Subbaswamy will leave his post as COAS dean as a result of the way he was treated in the search, which would leave another gap in the administration. \nThe letter closes by saying: "Further, we respectfully request that the Board of Trustees carefully consider a reevaluation of Adam Herbert's policies and performance as President of Indiana University."\nChancellor search committee member and School of Public and Environmental Affairs professor Robert Kravchuk said he doesn't think his signature on the letter would have any benefits, but it's important for the faculty members to convey to Herbert the strength of their feelings. \n"The plain fact is (the letter is) not going to get us a chancellor any quicker," Kravchuk said.\nHerbert spent Wednesday at the groundbreaking of Research Building III in Indianapolis but is aware the letter is coming, said IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre. Herbert will be attending the IU board of trustees meeting at IU-East in Richmond. \nMacIntyre said Herbert knew not everyone would be happy with his decision to continue the search, and he would be happy to take a scheduled meeting about the issue with anyone.\n"Yet as (Herbert) has said several times as president, he must make decisions which are based solely on what is best on the long-term interests of Indiana University," MacIntyre said. "(Herbert) just feels he cannot allow himself to be swayed by popular opinion. (Herbert) considers this the single most important hire he will make as president. He wants to work with the faculty and try to find as much common ground a possible." \nSeveral members of the search committee said they are more than willing to continue to serve on the committee citing a commitment to filling one of the most important positions at IU. \nTrevor Brown, chairman of the chancellor search committee and former School of Journalism dean, said there is much support for Subbaswamy because of the "oustanding" job he has done as COAS dean, something he said Herbert and Gros Louis agree with as well.\nWalter Gantz, chair of the telecommunications department, who signed the letter to Herbert, said he has worked with Subbaswamy for a number of years and was always impressed by his decision-making, openness, honesty, integrity and personal interest in every department and each faculty member. Gantz said he was pleased when the search committee recommended Subbaswamy because the COAS dean would help IUB, and IU in general, grow into a better University.\n"I signed on the letter along with the other chairs because I was keenly disappointed, and as the letter notes we hope that the president, who I'm sure gave it careful consideration, will reconsider his decision to not name Subbaswamy as chancellor," he said. \nSumit Ganguly, director of the India Studies department, said he respects Herbert's prerogative to name the chancellor he feels is best for the University, but he is particularly distressed by how the situation with Subbaswamy was handled. The fact that Subbaswamy was not given the chancellorship after his candidacy was made public completely undermines his position as the dean of COAS.\n"Once his name was known in the public domain that he was a candidate for the chancellorship, then to deny him the chancellorship in many ways, is deeply insulting," Ganguly said.\nGros Louis declined comment. IU law professor Fred Cate, who organized tonight's faculty meeting, and Subbaswamy did not return phone calls by press time.\n-- Campus Editors Rick Newkirk and Michael Zennie and Staff Writer Brian Baker contributed to this report.
(11/03/05 4:40am)
The Bloomington Police Department and the FBI are treating an early Saturday morning firebombing at the Islamic Center of Bloomington as a hate crime.\nNathan Ainslie, president of Bloomington's only mosque, said a rock was thrown through a window on the lower level of the mosque on 1925 Atwater. \nKevin Robling, corporation counsel to the City of Bloomington and Mayor Mark Kruzan's chief of staff, said the investigators found a Mountain Dew bottle filled with an unknown accelerant, along with a rock that broke the window and a Coca-Cola can that might have also been filled with an accelerant. The incident was estimated to occur at about 4 a.m., Robling said.\nThe suspects also placed a Quran, Islam's holiest text, in a paper bag and lit it on fire outside the 200-member mosque as well. \n"It was a modern miracle that one of our members of our community was here," Ainslie said. "He came in very early for our morning prayer. He was going to use the restroom and he was carrying a jug of water. He smelled the smoke when he came in and he went downstairs and just put the fire out after only a couple of minutes of the fire being started." \nThe room where the fire started had shattered glass strewn across the floor, burnt ash and burn marks part way up one of the walls. FBI Special Agent Wendy Osbourne said she could not comment on details of the incident because it is still an ongoing investigation. \n"The FBI is treating this as a hate crime and we take these investigations very seriously," she said. "We will pursue this investigation vigorously in order to identify the suspect or suspects in this case."\nHate crimes against Muslims rose 52 percent to 141 last year compared with 2003, and civil rights violations reported to the Council on American-Islamic Relations jumped 49 percent to 1,522, the group said in a report released in May. This attack follows several bombs that exploded in London, killing more than 40 and wounding hundreds of others. \nBPD, Bloomington Fire Department and members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force are all involved in the investigation.\n"The person or persons responsible for this action need to understand that they've just struck a blow on behalf of terrorism," Kruzan said in a statement. "They've chosen anarchy over democracy. At best, they're sadly misguided vigilantes. At worst, they're no better than those who target innocent civilians for their 'cause.' By attacking our friends in the Muslim community, these arsonists have violated all of us." \nAinslie said those who attend the mosque were notified Saturday in a meeting. \n"There was a lot of positive energy (at the meeting)," he said. "First of all, when people see how lucky we were that it wasn't burned down ... This is our sacred space and when we see how it was preserved from potential destruction it's very empowering in many ways." \nDennis Childers, executive board member of the center, said his first reaction was shock followed by a barrage of questions. \n"I got a call saying someone tried to set the mosque on fire and a million things are running through your mind," he said. "Who did it? Why? What does the mosque look like? Did anybody get hurt? Then your head starts to clear and you think why would somebody do this? That keeps staying in your head."\nChilders continued to say that other members of the religious community have responded by banning together against this incident and he doesn't know if the attack will deter people from coming to the mosque. \n"It's hard to tell the future, what will happen," he said. "I'm sure some people will be leery to come in and I can't say that I blame them. It's a very scary thing. We've just got to move on. Terrorism shouldn't stop anything whether it's terrorism against the Londoners or terrorism against us. You got to be who you are and you got to keep going." \n- The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(10/26/05 4:39am)
Students making the trip north to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the Halloween weekend festivities might want to think twice about putting on that French maid or Mario costume. A recent letter from the Dean of Students office at Wisconsin to all the Big Ten schools states the implementation of two policies that will be carried out this weekend in an effort to discourage out-of-town students from attending the annual bash.\nThe first policy states that if a student is arrested by the Madison Police Department or the University of Wisconsin Police Department, the crime, along with the student's name, will be reported back to their respective university. \nThis policy will allow for individual universities to apply their Student Code of Conduct to the situation in Madison and possibly take disciplinary action against the student.\nThe second policy will prevent Wisconsin students from housing out-of-town guests in any of the residence halls, forcing guests to find a hotel or stay with someone who does not live on campus.\nIU Dean of Students Richard McKaig said it is unlikely this will become an active policy across the Big Ten and IU's Code limits the University's authority over events that take place off campus. \n"Any information we receive about students arrested will have to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis," he said.\nIf IU takes any action against IU students who are arrested in Madison this weekend, it might cause a dispute between McKaig and IU Student Association President Alex Shortle. Shortle said if any action is taken against arrested students, his administration would be proactive and lobby on the students' behalf. \nDuring Halloween weekend, State Street in Madison becomes the town's own version of Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras. The number of people rocking their costumes on the stretch of pavement can reach into the thousands. \nMcKaig said he understands the problems Wisconsin is facing because IU had similar problems in the early 1990s with the popularity of Little 500, but said IU hasn't taken measures similar to Wisconsin's new policy.\nIUPD arrests are regularly reported to the dean of students, while BPD arrests are occasionally reported, McKaig said. The only exception to this is during Little 500 week when all arrests made by either organization are reported to McKaig's office.\nSenior Brian Mehler has attended Madison's Halloween weekend for the last three years and is planning to go to Madison this weekend despite the policies. \n"It's probably one of the biggest party weekends you've ever seen," he said. "It's crazy. You see a lot of police at 2:30 (a.m.) or so when they tear gas the crowd. It never really gets too out of control." \nElton Crim, interim associate dean of students at Wisconsin sent the letter and said these policies have been used in the past. \n"What we really want to do is discourage out-of-town visitors," he said. "From the data set we have from past Halloween instances, almost all the major problems we've had in the past around Halloween were exhibited by out-of-town guests."\nIUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said this reminds him of an incident that happened at Michigan State University during their run for the Men's Basketball NCAA Championships because students at other schools were held accountable by their universities. Several people took photos of the various acts of rioting and vandalism and posted them on a Web site. The purpose of this Web site was for people to visit it and identify those participating in illegal activity so the police could charge them with a crime.
(10/14/05 5:57am)
Runners, walkers and everyone with a pace in between will turn out this weekend for the sixth annual Jill Behrman Run for the End Zone. \nThe funds raised from this year's run, which begins at the John Mellencamp Pavilion, will be split between Jill's House, which houses patients undergoing outpatient therapy in Bloomington, and a scholarship in Behrman's name for students who display leadership skills and good ethics in their involvement with the IU Department of Recreational Sports. \nThe event was originally established to raise funds to find the body of Behrman, who disappeared during the summer of 2000. Since 2002, when her body was found, participants have continued to show up each year to honor Behrman's memory. \nEric Behrman, Jill's father, said this is an event Jill would have truly enjoyed and actively participated in. Eric and his wife Marilyn greatly enjoy seeing all the students and community members participate because the event allows a crossover between the University and the community.\nJoanne K. Orrange, assistant director of special events for RecSports, said somewhere between 1,200 and 1,400 people attend the event every year. Since the creation of the event, more than $75,000 has been raised with $15,000 of that coming in last year, she said. \n"I think people show up for the race because our proceeds go towards two great causes," Orrange said. "Another factor that I feel helps our participation is that we put on a really class act event. I feel that we pay attention to the details and therefore get many people who come back each year."\nEric said he and his wife walk the 5K every year for team the "Jill Behrman Team."\n"We have a great time walking together with friends and family members coming from all across the country," he said. "We even have some coming from Boston this year. We've got about 40-some members for the Jill Behrhman Team"
(10/06/05 5:55am)
IU officials are breathing a sigh of relief this week as the likelihood of another case of meningitis surfacing dwindles as the days pass, said Dr. Hugh Jessop, director of the IU Health Center.\n"If you're going to have a second case, that incubation period is usually 10 days," Jessop said. "We are really going to keep our fingers crossed that we get through the week without another case."\nIU issued a public health alert more than a week ago after freshman Ashley Lee was hospitalized with meningococcal meningitis -- the bacterial form of the disease -- at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. \nFreshman Lindsey Roscoe, Lee's cousin, said Lee is still in critical condition and her well-being is a "major concern" for her family. \nJessop said just under 200 doses of Cipro have been given out to students to prevent further spread of the disease. Cipro is "an antibiotic used to decrease the chance of serious infection in persons carrying these bacteria," according to an IU statement. \nLee's roommate, freshman Libby Spencer, said she did not know Lee before they were paired up as roommates, but became good friends with her. \n"It's hard because everyone knows about this situation, but not as many people know Ashley," Spencer said in an e-mail. "Our floor misses Ashley lots and hope for the best for her. This whole situation really comes as a shock to a lot of us, and we all want her to come back as soon as she can."\nLee and Spencer live in Briscoe Quad.\nIndiana State University also issued a public health alert because Lee had attended a fraternity party there Sept. 21. Dave Taylor, director of media relations at ISU, said about 250 doses of Cipro were given out to its students, and no other cases of the disease have been reported there.\nMeningococcal bacteria usually cannot live for more than a few minutes outside the body, according to the IU Health Center's Web site. The bacteria is usually not transmitted by routine contact in classrooms where an infected individual has been, and instead is transmitted through the direct exchange of respiratory and throat secretions, such as coughing, kissing and sharing unwashed eating utensils.
(09/28/05 5:22am)
The freshman who was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis over the weekend is still in critical condition at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, hospital officials confirmed Tuesday evening. \nIn the lounge on the first floor of Briscoe-Shoemaker Monday night, Dr. Rob Hongen, medical director of the IU Health Center, led an informational meeting to educate students who were worried about the disease after it was contracted by IU freshman Ashley Lee. At that meeting, 82 Cipro pills were given out to students. Cipro is an antibiotic used to decrease the chance of serious infection for those carrying the bacteria, were given out to students, said Hugh Jessop, director of the IUHC. About 150 people showed up to the meeting. \nJessop said about a dozen pills were handed out before the meeting, and students haven't had to wait more than 15 minutes to be seen.\nIU students are not the only ones in the college community who have come into close contact with Lee. Friday night at Indiana State University, Lee attended a party at the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, according to a statement from ISU. Dave Taylor, director of media relations at ISU, said health alerts were sent out to all faculty and staff. The health alert was also posted on a Web site students frequently visit for news about the ISU campus.\n"As of this afternoon, the student health center had distributed antibiotics to about 250 students," Taylor said. "Given estimates of approximately 200 students who attended the event, we feel we have successfully reached out to those in most need of the preventive treatment. There was very prompt response (after the posting of the health alert). About 10 to 15 minutes after that being posted, business really picked up at the health center."\nMeningococcal bacteria usually cannot live for more than a few minutes outside the body, according to the IU Health Center's Web site. The bacteria are usually not transmitted by routine contact where an infected individual has been. However, it can be transmitted through the direct exchange of respiratory and throat secretions, such as coughing and kissing or sharing unwashed eating utensils.\nDean of Students Richard McKaig was informed about Lee over the weekend and said the staff at Briscoe Quad and the health center have worked together very well to help students and to keep the student community informed.\n"Students have expressed their concern for Ashley's recovery," McKaig said. "They have sought out information about the illness and they have taken advantage of the health center services when they felt it necessary. When students register as new students, they receive information about meningitis and some opt to take the preventive vaccine."\nJessop said the last case of a student contracting meningitis he remembers was in the 1990s, and the student ended up dying from the disease.\n"We always worry about (other students contracting meningitis), but we've had a very good past history," Jessop said. "We've never had a second case and we hope that holds true in this case. A lot of that has to do with how fast you respond."\nStudents who believe they might be at risk of infections can visit the IU Health Center screening desk in room 216. The IUHC is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
(09/28/05 5:11am)
He was read his last rites by his priest and given a 30 percent chance to live but survived to tell others about his triumph over meningococcal meningitis.\nDespite the odds against him, Ryan Pike survived the same illness that currently has Ashley Lee in critical condition at an Indianapolis hospital.\nIn February of 1998, Pike was like any other IU student. He went to class and joined the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, but in one day the rest of his life changed. Pike, a Carmel, Ind., native, said his battle with the disease is the reason why he is development director for the Meningitis Foundation of America. His goal: to educate others about a disease that almost claimed his life.
(09/27/05 5:20am)
Ashley Lee, an 18-year-old freshman, was hospitalized and diagnosed with bacterial meningitis prompting a public health alert, University officials said Monday. \nLee, who lives in Briscoe Quad, was in her hometown of Terre Haute when she felt ill Friday, causing her to seek medical attention. She is currently in critical condition at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, said Dr. Rob Hongen, medical director of the IU Health Center.\n"This young lady is very sick up in Indianapolis. She has a disease called meningococcemia where the bacteria invades the whole blood system and affects multiple organ systems," he said outside Briscoe-Shoemaker, where Lee lives on the third floor. "It can cause kidney failure and liver failure. It can cause any number of things. It causes what's called vasculitis, inflammation of the blood vessels, and affects the circulation to all these organ systems and causes their failure."\nMeningococcal bacteria usually cannot live for more than a few minutes outside the body, according to the IU Health Center's Web site. They are usually not transmitted by routine contact in classrooms where an infected individual has been. Meningococcal bacteria is transmitted through the direct exchange of respiratory and throat secretions, such as coughing, kissing and sharing unwashed eating utensils.\nStudents who believe they might be at risk of infections can visit the IU Health Center screening desk in room 216. The IUHC is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. \nSusan Williams, assistant director of media relations, said there have been three or four cases of meningitis in the last 12 to 15 years. None have been passed on to a second person. \nA team from the IU Health Center met with students in the first floor lounge of Briscoe-Shoemaker on Monday evening to discuss the symptoms of meningitis. They also supplied an oral antibiotic, Cipro, to anyone who might be at risk.\nCipro can decrease the chance of serious infection, according to a statement. \nFreshman Brian Bradshaw was at the meeting, which was closed to the media.\n"(Hogen) said that she was in critical condition," said Bradshaw, who took the pill. "I wasn't really too worried about it, but my parents always told me it's better to be safe than sorry." \nFreshman Courtney Selking lives two doors down from Lee and is extremely worried about her friend. \nMeningitis can mask itself as a minor cold for a few days before it progresses to a severe meningococcal disease, according to information posted on the IUHC's Web site. Other symptoms include a fever greater than 101 degrees, severe sudden headaches accompanied by mental changes, neck or back stiffness or rashes. \nFreshman Lindsey Roscoe, Lee's cousin, confirmed Lee does have meningitis.\nHongen said those students who have been in close contact with Lee in the past two weeks should take the Cipro pill. IU recommends, but does not require, that students receive meningitis vaccination shots before coming to IU.\n"It can look like ordinary influenza. A person can just feel muscle aches and high fever and can just be very fatigued, and that's a lot of what the viral illnesses look like," Hongen said. "It has an unusual skin rash, and it unfortunately appears just as the person is about to get sick. It's only mildly to moderately contagious. Most people who get this in their system don't get very sick from it, in fact they don't get sick at all. They just carry it around without even knowing it's there."\nHongen could not confirm more specific questions about Lee's illness or condition because he is not her personal physician.
(09/22/05 6:25am)
A lack of state appropriations -- $77 million over the last four years -- has forced IU to halt a number of building upgrades and repair projects.\nTom Swafford, director of Space Management, said he has a drawer full of repair and restoration requests that all need to be done, but the University doesn't have the funding.\n"My understanding is there are a number of roofs that need to be replaced and we don't have the funding to do that," he said. "We are doing what we have to do to get by."\nLack of state appropriations for a fund called "repair and rehabilitation" has forced the IU Physical Plant to perform only emergency repairs on IU-Bloomington campus buildings, such as patching leaky roofs instead of replacing them. \nFrom 2001 to 2005, IU received $2.7 million dollars for R&R, which allows the Physical Plant to provide maintenance and upgrades to the buildings on the IUB campus. That funding is $77.2 million short of what the University would have normally received for that period. \nWhen the state approved its 2005-07 budget, up to about $20 million was marked for R&R purposes, but it is not certain how much the University will receive until the end of the budget period in 2007. \nIU Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Terry Clapacs said ideally IU would receive all $20 million. But because Indiana's state economy has been lackluster for the past few years, he is doubtful the University will receive all the money it needs to do all the repairs it wants.\n"We can internally try to reallocate funds and try to do work, but most of our funds are already committed to other areas," Clapacs said. "Normally we would have a routine program, and it's on hold. If there is a problem that could cause a safety issue for our faculty, staff and students, we address that issue."\nThe reason IU stopped receiving money from the state for this specific purpose is because of the condition the Indiana economy is in right now, said J. Thomas Forbes, IU's executive director for government relations. \n"A bad economy means limited funding for public institutions, when the economy went bad quickly the administration had to find ways to cut spending," he said. "It's a pragmatic administrative call, a tough call. There's nothing to be read in to it other than no money, no R&R."\nPurdue University has addressed repair funding problems by instituting a $250-per-year fee per full-time student for freshmen starting in the fall of 2006, said Cindy McAdams, assistant director of Budget and Fiscal Planning for Purdue. \nPurdue budget officials expect the fee to raise $7.3 million each year. The fee is not necessarily permanent, but will be charged to students "as long as it is necessary," she said.\nTo receive R&R funding, IU must submit a claim to the General Assembly's budget committee. The committee reviews the claim and, if approved, IU completes the project and gets reimbursed by the state at a later time. State Sen. Vi Simpson, D-Bloomington, a member of the state budget committee which approves R&R money for public universities, said the economy is partially at fault for this situation. \n"It's also partially a matter of priority," she said. "There is a $21 billion (state) budget, and so if higher education was a higher priority for some of my colleagues, then they would be willing to invest more in higher education. We all choose to put more money into the General Operating Budget of the Universities rather than into repairing buildings."\nIU Trustee President Steve Ferguson said the board is aware of the problem and they are aware of the way Purdue is attempting to solve it. \n"This is a major problem from several respects," Ferguson said. "A lot of our science labs, we've used R&R money to renovate the labs. Secondly, we have a lot of major structures that need to be maintained, air conditioned rooms to other immediate needs. What the board wants to address is the funding for those and what sort of funds we can find to do that."\nFunds can be reallocated from other departments in the University where IU is saving money. For example, upgrades have IU's energy production more efficient and has freed up extra money that can be put toward R&R, said Physical Plant Director Hank Hewetson. \n"We are not in a panic mode as of yet," Heweston said. "We are moving from a strategy where we are spending money to avoid failures by doing renovations and renewal to where we will be spending money to address failures. We are moving from being proactive to reactive, that's unsettling." \nAccording to claims submitted to the state, IU's most expensive R&R request was almost $410,000 for an interior renovation of the Main Library. The most common need for money from the R&R fund was remodels for various classrooms in IUB campus buildings. \nSo far IU has submitted claims for R&R funding totaling more than $9.5 million.\nForbes said the University is hoping the state budget committee will act on these claims by the end of next month. Repeated phone calls to Gov. Mitch Daniels' press office for more than a week were not returned by press time.
(09/08/05 6:06am)
As the rest of the nation answers the call for help from those affected by Hurricane Katrina, IU is no exception. The University has admitted more than 100 transfer students from universities not able to function because of the storm and has provided temporary housing at Ashton Center to about 130 non-student victims whose homes were destroyed.\nThe affected students will arrive early next week in two groups and will stay at Ashton until they can be permanently housed in Bloomington.\nExecutive Director for Residential Programs and Services Pat Connors said the idea for IU to help the victims of the hurricane emerged when members of the RPS apartment staff had a planning meeting with the Red Cross to make them aware that RPS would be able to provide on-campus apartments as long-term solutions for evacuees. \n"As the discussion continued our staff suggested the Ashton buildings might be a better logistical site in providing shelter and disaster related services to individuals and families as they arrived in Bloomington," he said. "We will be using Ashton-Coulter and Ashton-Aley, buildings that last served campus offices, (that) are currently empty, and are planned to eventually be razed. We will be supplying beds, fans, linens and some other room furnishings that we currently have in storage, and the Red Cross will also be supplying some cots."\nConnors also said IU will provide three meals a day along with bottled water, coffee and snacks for the evacuees. \nThe IU-Bloomington campus has admitted about 80 of those displaced students, 19 from the Tulane University Law School and 60 undergraduates from Gulf Coast universities. Buck Walters, director of planning for RPS, said every student who has approached RPS about housing has been accommodated. \n"We have space available as the students are getting admitted and enrolled. We are assigning them and we are glad that they are here," he said. "If we can house them with others of their friends who might be coming with them or near students who they know, we are trying to do that as best we can."\nThe last day for transfer applications will be Friday, but in order for the transfer student's paperwork to be processed, he or she will need to submit an application by 4 p.m. today.\nIUB Interim Chancellor Ken Gros Louis said the number of calls to the hotline has steadily decreased over the last couple of days, and many workers from the University have been working hard during this difficult time. The hotline, (866) 264-2491, was set up by IU for parents and students who have questions about the transfer process. Also, the University created a Web site, www.iub.edu/hurricane, to provide more information about IU's involvement in helping those affected by Katrina.\n"We are doing what we can to help all those affected by Katrina," Gros Louis said in a statement. "Bloomington is happy to house families temporarily. We have the space, so of course we will help -- that is the IU way. Red Cross will be staffing the facilities and will be responsible for the families' well-being." \nAdditionally, the IU Amateur Radio Club is offering the use of its AM radio to contact the families of students who have transferred to IU from the universities in the area. \nCurrently, the Salvation Army and others have been running communication "nets" where groups of amateur radio operators pass traffic, senior and club member Mark Hermsdorfer said.\n"To date, most of the traffic has been what would be classified as 'emergency or priority' traffic," he said. "Things such as diabetic supplies needed here, or 100 cots needed there. However, that traffic is starting to subside and what is classified as 'health and welfare' traffic will be able to get through. Health and welfare traffic is traffic pertaining to who is where and how they are doing."\nTo contact the club about sending a message or finding a family member, e-mail K9IU at k9iu@indiana.edu. Interested students can also contact Neukomm directly at his home, (812) 876-1751.
(09/08/05 6:06am)
Indiana is ranked the ninth fattest state in the nation with an adult obesity rate of 25.2 percent, and placed eighth in the nation with 61.7 percent of adults obese or overweight, according to a Trust for America's Health report. \nThis report comes months after Gov. Mitch Daniels announced in his inaugural address the need "to raise a new bar in Indiana" with his statewide campaign INShape Indiana, which aims to lower the state's obesity rate.\nThe heaviest state, according to the report, is Mississippi and the least heavy is Colorado. \nDaniels is not the only public official who is inspired to get his constituents off the couch and out into the fresh air. Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan is actively participating in the INShape Indiana initiative by encouraging those who are willing to sign up for the program and get fit. \n"We consider and promote the health and well-being of our citizens in several ways, such as when setting budget priorities," Kruzan said. "We've increased city funding for trails projects, as well as parks and recreation facilities."\nKruzan noted the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department offers several hundred activity-related programs every year at its 34 parks and at facilities, including the skate park, two swimming pools, outdoor sports fields, indoor gym, playgrounds, basketball courts, trails and tennis courts.\nKruzan, who said he works out by letting his dogs "walk him" everyday, said the city is sponsoring the Hoosier Hills Bike Tour, and is working with other local community groups to assist in smoking cessation efforts.\nThe Web site set up to help Hoosiers get healthy, www.inshape.IN.gov, lists several healthy ideas when it comes to preparing food, tracks the progress of Hoosiers who are part of the program and even lists Daniels' personal workout schedule. Anyone can join the free program simply by creating a username and password. Julie Frey, program coordinator of the Adult Fitness Program at IU, said Indiana spent $1.6 billion on obesity-related health care from 1998-2000.\nPenny Caudill of the Monroe County Health Department said the department takes part in different events to get the citizens of Monroe County in shape, such as organizing general health and wellness activities. \nDaniels said in a statement that 26 percent of adults in Indiana report taking part in no regular physical activity, nearly 1.2 million Hoosiers smoke and about 78 percent of citizens consume too few servings of fruits and vegetables each day.