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(06/07/12 6:16pm)
Libby was one of about 1,500 women to go through sorority recruitment in
2010. Rush began in December with 19 Party and ended in January with
Bid Day. IU has one of the most competitive rush processes in the
country. This is Libby’s story.
(06/01/11 4:20pm)
Follow Libby on her journey through the recruitment process
(06/10/10 3:53pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Libby Lienhoop was born to be in a sorority.Her parents met while they were in the greek system at IU, and her brother, aunt and grandparents also spent their college days in IU fraternities and sororities.Libby grew up with her mother’s sorority memorabilia – mugs, clothing, jewelry and a rug that’s been falling apart for years that her mother refuses to get rid of.Now a freshman at IU, Libby wants the same thing.“When I was little, my parents would drive me around campus and show me the houses,” Libby said. “Being able to go through them all was just so fun. ... I just feel like it’s my turn.”Libby was one of about 1,500 women to go through sorority recruitment in the last week. Rush began in December with 19 Party and ended Monday with Bid Day.Knowing that IU has the most competitive recruitment processes in the country made Libby nervous, but above all, she was excited.“I try not to think about it,” she said of not getting a bid. “It makes me really sad. I have no idea what I would do.”However, Libby pushes any negative thoughts out of her mind and reminds herself what this process is really about.“I’m just looking for good friends and good connections,” Libby said. “This is something I’ve been waiting my whole life for.”FIRST INVITE, DAY ONEThe chants grow louder and louder.“We are the Alpha Gams, Alpha Gamma Delta hey!”Potential new members file into Alpha Gamma Delta as the sorority sisters yell, clap and welcome the women.“Basically, we just want members that are going to positively affect our house,” says junior Rachel Brotman, vice president of recruitment for AGD.At First Invite, each chapter prepares a skit to perform for the potential new members who have been invited back to the sorority.The theme is “AGD Update,” and the women will use this skit to showcase the chapter’s personality.“We do humor very well, so this is definitely our favorite part of recruitment,” Brotman says. “It allows PNMs to see who we really are.”The skit begins and Taylor Swift enters the stage. She is excited to learn of a bid from Gamma Gamma Gamma until Kanye West takes the microphone and informs her that, in fact, Alpha Gamma Delta is the best house around.Brotman says she can tell that a girl will fit into the house when the conversation clicks.“It’s kind of called a ‘rush crush,’” Brotman says. “When you think back on it, it’s just the easiest conversation of the day. You’re smiling and honestly talking to a person, as opposed to ‘girl flirting,’ because that’s a lot of what recruitment is.”***Libby is jumping in the snow. “I’ve been cooped up inside all day, and all I’ve wanted to do is play in the snow,” she giggles while bounding down the sidewalk.Earlier in the day, Libby was handed her First Invite list, with all 14 houses back that she ranked during 19 Party.“My Rho Gamma was like, ‘That doesn’t happen,’” Libby said of her recruitment counselor. “I was just so ecstatic.”Libby’s excitement stayed with her throughout the day. She visited eight sororities and tried to keep an open mind.“You hear stigmas and stereotypes of all the houses, and you try to erase them before you go in,” Libby said. “It makes it a lot better if you don’t think about it.”At one sorority, Libby said she felt so comfortable that she didn’t even feel like she was going through recruitment. At another, she fell down the stairs and almost took some composites with her.“I’m cracking up at myself ... and all the other girls are laughing,” Libby said. “But the girl who was rushing me, I just couldn’t get a laugh out of her.”That’s when Libby knew that the house wasn’t right for her.“I was just like, ‘Please laugh at me,’” she said. “Whenever you talk to the girls and you get them laughing, it makes the conversation a lot better.”FIRST INVITE, DAY TWOThe sounds of whispering and shushing alternate, until the women begin yelling, clapping and banging on the doors.“Zeta love is good, won’t you join our sisterhood, if you’d like to stay, you can be a ZTA ... a boom boom,” they yell, increasing the volume each time.“If the chapter is having fun and the chapter enjoys this, the PNMs will, too,” says senior Lauren Tomboni, vice president of membership for Zeta Tau Alpha.The potential new members are led away to chat with some of the sisters, while others set up the multipurpose room to look like “Movie Night with the Zetas.”The Zetas act out “The Hangover,” “Confessions of a Shopaholic” and “He’s Just Not That Into You.” Tomboni says these movies each carry a meaning behind them, such as ZTA couldn’t work so hard at philanthropies if they were hungover every morning.Different ideals are emphasized, but above all, Tomboni says conversation is key in her house.“We’re looking for a pledge class that is well-rounded and well-suited for the house,” she says. “Asking the right question and getting answers that are actually meaningful ... is something we really focus on.”***Libby slipped again – this time in a mud puddle.“I was walking on my tip toes, trying not to get the back of my pants wet from the snow,” Libby said. “Little did I know there’s a huge-ass mud puddle. I landed straight in it in my flats, and oh my gosh ... I screamed.”She was already running late to a house, and having to clean mud off her “purple and brown feet” made it all worse.However, she did have something to break the ice with.“You get more relaxed and relieve some of the tension,” she said.Libby visited six chapters that day, one of which was the “epitome of a sorority.”“They always look good, they are always wearing makeup and are perfectly groomed,” she said. “I didn’t really see myself fitting in there.”After finishing with all of her houses and having to narrow her list from 14 down to eight, Libby was stumped.“Everybody else had their lists all done,” she said, “and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t know what to do.’”After finally selecting her houses, Libby said she was looking forward to Second Invite, the party where sororities provide some sort of entertainment to potential new members.“With slide shows, you’ll be able to see how they portray themselves in pictures ... and what they’re really like,” Libby said. “I have more pictures of me being goofy and making silly faces than of me being serious. It will be interesting to see what kind of pictures they have.”SECOND INVITEThe women of Kappa Kappa Gamma stand in two lines, forming an aisle between them. “Kappa Kappa Gamma presents ... ” one woman reads, followed by a name. Each potential new member called back to KKG for Second Invite is announced individually.“The nights are always rough and sometimes the voting is really long, but everything has been running smoothly,” says junior Sarah Capps, recruitment chair for Kappa Kappa Gamma. “Except last night the moving company forgot to show up, so that was ... well, there’s always surprises, but you just learn to roll with the punches.”In the formal dining room, there are red linen-draped tables, all with coffee beans, candles and flowers strewn on top. Each potential new member is shown to a seat where a “Kappa Kappaccino” awaits her.After a video and photo slide show, seven women step to the front of the room.They sing “For Good” from the Broadway musical “Wicked.” Sisters standing around the room are sniffling, and at least one starts sobbing.“We have singers that sing songs that deal with sisterhood,” Capps says. “The parties get a little bit more serious with this entertainment.”***Libby is confused.While visiting her eight chapters, she had an awkward conversation at one of her favorite houses, and isn’t sure where she should rank it.“This girl came up to me, and I had a bad feeling,” Libby said. “I should have never said the word ‘philanthropy,’ because that’s all she talked about ... I just wanted to tell her, ‘I don’t care, let’s talk about something else.’”Libby was further confused by the atmosphere of the house, which was upbeat compared to the house she had just come from, where she got very teary.“I knew it wasn’t going to have the same effect,” Libby said. “I mean, if you turn the lights off and give me the right song, I’m sure I can get emotional.”And then she fell in love ... with a house.“I felt totally relaxed,” Libby said. “When I was waiting for the round to start, they tell you to look around at the girls because they could be your future pledge class. I loved all those girls.”After the day’s emotional roller coaster, Libby said she wouldn’t wear very much makeup for Preference Round.“I’m afraid I’m going to cry, and I never cry,” Libby said. “I didn’t even cry during ‘The Notebook.’”PREFERENCE ROUNDWomen in white dresses descend the staircase, holding onto the railing decorated with white garland.As one Pi Beta Phi sister gives the women a ten-second warning, another starts to fall down the stairs, but luckily, her sisters catch her.“Smile bright,” says senior Elizabeth Adamo, recruitment chair for Pi Beta Phi.“My whole theory is that a happy Pi Phi recruits a happy Pi Phi,” she says.The women begin to hum in unison as potential new members are introduced one by one. A strand of pearls is placed around each woman’s neck as she is escorted into Pi Phi’s version of heaven.There are white sheets covering the floor, walls and ceiling. Silver stars dangle alongside crystal chandeliers. The women sit on soft, white pillows, which surround tiers of treats – chocolate-covered strawberries, mini quiche, pineapple drop cookies and sparkling apple juice.“It’s good because we have 100 girls here that can help set up,” Adamo says. “We have a pretty efficient system down.”After chatting in heaven, the women are led into the entryway, where they are read the Eight Pearls of Pi Phi, including love, patience and honor.“These are all really important characteristics we hope to see in our potential members,” Adamo says.Next, the Fireside Chat is performed. Each sister holds a note card or slip of paper in hand and reads it to a specific potential new member, highlighting parts of a conversation they’ve had or aspects of the woman’s personality that they like.“It makes the potential new member feel really special and recognized,” Adamo says. ***Libby is ready.After four rankings, seven days, 19 chapters, 44 parties and countless nerves, she knows where she belongs.“They always say you’ll have a feeling and you’ll know ... and I was like, ‘That’s not going to happen to me,’” Libby said. “I’ve never been into the whole fate thing, but I kind of feel like that now.”She said when she was talking to one of the women; she had to stop herself from breaking a rush rule.“I just wanted to be like, oh my God, you are my sister,” Libby said. “I want to be in this house.”Even though Libby said she has a good feeling, there’s no sure thing in sorority recruitment.“It’s overwhelming just waiting,” she said. “I’m so nervous. I feel like I’m psyching myself out.”However, Libby enjoyed her time at each chapter and said she could see herself in any of them.“But it was just that feeling,” she said.BID DAYWomen crowd around a bus in the middle of Jordan Avenue. They scream and bang on the bus’s doors and windows. They’re holding signs, balloons and cameras, waiting to take pictures with their new pledge class.The doors open and Libby is the first one off the bus. She jumps off the last step and into the arms of her new sister.She’s instantly holding a balloon and a sign, and she can’t wipe the huge smile off of her face.“When I opened my bid, oh my God, I started crying,” Libby says. “I didn’t want to open it, and I inched it up, and I saw the ‘C’ and ... I was so excited.”She’s being pulled in every direction; being introduced to her new sisters, taking pictures with her pledge class and hugging every woman in sight.Libby is handed a black hoodie with her new sorority’s letters on it – Alpha Chi Omega. She pulls the sweatshirt over her head while continuing to jump up and down.“This is fate,” Libby says.She’s still smiling.
(04/30/10 2:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Top of the third inning. As usual, junior Dylan Swift squats behind home plate.With his elbows fanned out across his knees, he squeezes the baseball as it smacks his glove, twisting it in a way he hopes will make it look more like a strike.IU’s starting catcher succeeds. The umpire convincingly pumps his right fist, howling “stee-rike” in the only way an ump knows how.Swift picks the ball out of his glove and fires it back to the pitcher. It’s 0-0 in the first game of IU’s April 17 double-header against Iowa in Bloomington . The opposing batter changes his strategy. It’s time for a bunt. He gets a piece of the ball, dribbling it down the line between the pitcher and Swift. Both sprint toward the ball, yelling, “mine, mine, mine!” The pitcher gets there first, and Swift rolls his body out of the way at the last second. He throws his hand up in the air, visibly irritated that he almost ran into his teammate.The pitcher heaves the ball to first base, and even though the batter is out, Swift is frustrated. His near-error could have cost the team.***Swift is severely critical of himself. He estimates that he has about 175 chances to mess up in a game. Just one, and he’s unhappy.As the catcher, Swift takes responsibility for his team. He says his baseball smarts and leadership on the field are the reasons why he’s even playing for the Hoosiers.“I was never an elite athlete,” he says, “but my impact on the game could very easily be greater than anybody else in a day-in-day-out scenario.”Swift’s knowledge comes from a life filled with baseball. His father was a catcher in college, and he started playing as soon as he could walk, tossing the ball up, hitting it and running around in circles.Although he says he would rather be a pitcher given the chance, he was built for catching. It requires intelligence, patience and prowess — all qualities he possesses.“I knew that it was the most impact I could have on the game, outside of being a pitcher,” Swift says. He said he is an “average” athlete at the college level, but catching gives him the opportunity to highlight his strongest assets — leading his teammates and mapping out scenarios.“It’s kind of like chess,” he says.Swift is the chess master. He has eight different sets of hand signals to communicate with each of his teammates, telling a player where to go and what to do. This isn’t the case with all catchers. Swift is trusted more than the average team leader. His coaches and teammates have confidence in his vision and his control.Assistant coach Ben Greenspan says Swift’s abilities command respect.“He’s able to take the data from watching one swing and say, ‘This is how I’m going to get this guy out,’” Greenspan says. “He’s calling every pitch.” *** Swift stands up from his squat. It’s the top of the fifth and the score is tied 1-1. He extends his right arm and wiggles his fingers, motioning to everybody that he wants the pitcher to intentionally walk the batter.The pitcher throws wide, and after four soft volleys, the opposing batter jogs to first base.Swift is strategizing. He knows that walking this player puts two runners on base for the other team, but there are two outs, and if this next batter hits a ground ball, there’s going to be a force-out at each base. Swift signals to the pitcher, and his plan is set in motion.Six pitches later, ground ball. The shortstop nabs the ball and flips it to second base, where the second baseman makes the easy out.Check. *** To the people in the stands, Swift might seem inconspicuous. He signals to his teammates with his back turned to the crowd, hiding his major role. He hopes to stay unnoticed. If he doesn’t, that means something’s not running smoothly.Some might say Swift’s mentality echoes that of an offensive lineman in football. He makes it possible for his teammates to perform well, but he wants none of the credit.The intricate way his mind works in baseball can be partially attributed to his interests outside of it. He’s built his own computer and originally planned to major in computer science, but because of the NCAA degree progress requirement, he had to switch to general studies.While he still has the dream of playing in the Major Leagues, Swift tries to be realistic. He hopes to become a college baseball coach someday, helping more from the dugout than behind home plate.Just like in baseball, Swift is constantly planning out different life scenarios. It’s simply the way he operates.“I still believe that I could be good enough to succeed at any level,” he says, “but sometimes you gotta step back and say, ‘What if this doesn’t work out?’” *** In the bottom of the seventh inning, Swift sheds his catcher’s gear to take a swing at the ball. He’s first at-bat and the Hoosiers are ahead 3-1.As he walks up to the plate, “Still Not A Player” by Big Pun blasts from the speakers. Swift chose the song because it relaxes him. He’s not a player that needs to get hyped up to hit. Plus, it’s a crowd pleaser and was recently voted the second best at-bat song on the team.As the music wanes, Swift remembers what his hitting coach taught him as a freshman. When the pitcher winds up, he thinks “yes, yes”. Once the pitch is released, he senses it won’t be a strike, thinks “no” and doesn’t swing. Ball one.This time when the pitcher releases, he thinks “yes,” but swings and misses. Strike one.He doesn’t have the time to decide during the third pitch. He is struck by the ball and jogs to first base.The next IU batter bunts and Swift advances to second. Two batters later, the opposing team’s catcher misses a wild pitch. Swift decides to take off for third base. Safe. *** In the final inning, the pitcher, following Swift’s instructions, strikes out two batters in a row, ending the game and clinching the 4-1 victory.IU wins the second game of the double-header as well, topping Iowa 4-3 in 10 innings. Swift plays all 19 innings.After a brief team meeting and quick tidying-up of the field, the players begin to leave Sembower Field. They’ve been at the stadium for almost nine hours, and there’s another game against Iowa in the morning. Swift jogs around the infield with the team’s other two catchers. It’s time for them to clean up, cover the mounds and make sure everything looks ready for tomorrow’s matchup.Even though IU won both games today, Swift isn’t completely satisfied with his own performance. A missed ball here, a foul hit there, and he’s beating himself up.“There’s always something you can get better at,” he says.
(04/07/10 4:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A Statue of Liberty shot is already poured before the door closes.“How you doing?” asks Bloomington bar owner Andy Aronis.The customer lights the shot on fire before tipping it back and heading outside. Aronis snatches the shot glass and wipes down the bar.It’s just another ordinary night at House Bar.On a Tuesday, 10 people congregate in the bar. The white strings of lights hanging from the walls welcome the customers, and Apples to Apples sits on a table near a comfy armchair. The bar isn’t built for a quantity of people, but rather for quality of experience.“What’s up fancy pants?” Aronis asks as another friend enters the bar.“Can I get a shot of Beam... sir?” he asks.Aronis spins from his perch, pours the whiskey well above the fill line and slides the glass across the bar.“You’re not making quite as much money as you could on the bottle, but you’re keeping people happier,” Aronis says. “People remember that kind of stuff.”Everybody in the bar knows Aronis. He was born in Bloomington, and aside from the three years he spent in New York, he’s lived here his whole life.He leans in the corner and taps his fingers to “Tupelo Honey,” the song playing from his iPod. His dark hair is tied back in a ponytail, and the first dollar he ever earned is taped to the mirror behind him with blue masking tape.“Not too many people frown when you hand them a beer,” Aronis said. “There are definitely worse jobs.”Even though he deems it the “perfect job,” Aronis has bigger aspirations at 24 years old than owning a bar four blocks from the house he grew up in. He loves his job, his friends and his hometown, but this is the life he wants when he’s 50, not now.He started taking cello lessons when he was two and a half years old and has been a musician since. He enrolled at IU and took mostly rock ‘n’ roll history classes his freshman year. He said he was learning about people who were his age making it big.“I’m just thinking, ‘Man, I’m sitting here in my hometown in a class, not knowing what I want to do,’” Aronis said. “‘I need to get out of here.’”Aronis dropped out of the Jacobs School of Music and moved to New York City to attend Hunter College. He said he needed to get out of Bloomington and make things happen.Aronis stayed in New York for two more years, doing anything to earn money, including delivering cheese steaks by bicycle, giving cello lessons and nannying. Even with all of those odd jobs, New York was just too expensive.He decided to move back to Bloomington, hoping that someday he would leave again.Aronis opened House Bar in September and has been co-managing the joint since.“I’d be gone tomorrow if I got the right phone call,” he said. “If I had something I couldn’t pass up, I’d literally move tomorrow.”Aronis has some projects in the works. A few of his recordings should be finished soon and his band, Andrew Aronis and the Lower Cascades, is playing shows around Bloomington and headlined at the Bluebird on March 20.Writing and playing music is Aronis’ dream job, but owning a bar in a city he loves isn’t bad either.There are only five stools around the bar, and the rest of the seating is made up of black patio furniture. The checkered floor is more reminiscent of an old kitchen than a Bloomington bar. In a way, Aronis says, House Bar is a reflection of his personality.Friends call him an “eccentric smartass.” He’s intelligent but also quirky — he has pierced ears, but he also has a real estate license.He never uses an alarm clock but somehow wakes up at the same time every day. He pawned his keyboard to pay House Bar’s rent the first month, even though music is his life.Aronis doesn’t want to settle in his hometown until he’s moved away and had some other experiences, including being a songwriter and musician, living abroad and touring.“If I ever want to raise a family, I can’t think of a better place to do it than Bloomington,” he said.That’s a while away, however. Aronis said he’s at the age where he can be poor and dumb and take a lot of chances. To him, the saddest thing in the world is regret. He doesn’t want to miss his chance to write and play music while wiping down his bar. But until he hears something from a record company or the like, Aronis is stuck.“All the time I feel like I’m wasting time in Bloomington,” Aronis said. “I feel like I’m in limbo just waiting for things to fall into place.”New York was different. There were always people making moves. The friends that Aronis made while living there had some serious goals and the drive and courage to go after them, something that was addictive for him to be around.“You don’t go to New York to do your second favorite thing,” Aronis said. “You go to do the one crazy thing that you love doing.”Aronis is worried that he will get too snug living in his hometown and serving alcohol to his childhood friends.He says he fights getting comfortable and is always reminding himself that he would leave in a second.Until a phone call comes inviting him to write, record or play music, Aronis will wait, comfortable but not satisfied.That’s the catch, though. How do you give up the perfect job and a comfortable life for a chance at your dream?“I feel guilty because people will come in to House Bar and be like, ‘Dude, this is awesome. This is my dream job,’” Aronis said, “and it’s like, ‘Yeah ... Do you want it?“‘I’ll trade you for a plane ticket.’”
(03/29/10 3:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It all started with a harmless question asked at a board of trustees meeting.What is the relationship between different communications departments at IU? Specifically, are journalism, telecommunications and communication and culture best serving students in the way they are currently organized?Now, after six months, countless conversations and the formation of two committees, Provost and Executive Vice President Karen Hanson is still trying to find the answer.“In any case, there is no consensus,” Hanson said.The two committees — external and internal — are expected to submit a report to Hanson in mid-April, making a recommendation about the units’ structures that Hanson will eventually present to the board of trustees. This could potentially result in a reorganization of the departments or no changes at all.Brad Hamm, dean of the School of Journalism, said he and his faculty are open to the question and would welcome a reorganization. “Asking this question at IU is a normal thing,” Hamm said, noting the numerous programs around the country that combine communications studies into one unit. “This idea of a possible merger has, at this University, been discussed for more than 40 years.”However, the departments of telecommunications and communication and culture are not as open to the idea of a complete reorganization.According to Hanson during a Bloomington Faculty Council meeting on Feb. 2, communication and culture said that some aspects of reorganization would be acceptable and telecommunications “did not think that there was any reorganization that would be appropriate for its unit.”Gregory Waller, chairman of communication and culture department, said faculty members tend to get nervous about questions of reorganization, especially when budgets are being discussed. He said members of the department voted earlier this year that they wanted to stay together as a single unit inside the College of Arts and Sciences.“We think we’re a really unique and progressive way to do communication studies,” Waller said. “We want to be able to keep that kind of identity.”Telecommunications department Chairman Walter Gantz said his faculty is very comfortable and happy to be in the College of Arts and Sciences as well.“Across the three programs ... I think the differences are so significant and important that the units will stay separate,” he said. “I think there is a reason now, and five years from now, and 10 years from now, for these programs to stay as separate units.”Still, Waller said undergraduates see connections across the departments, citing students who double major in communication and culture and either telecommunications or journalism.“I think there’s some fluidity possible, but it’s not clear whether it would be inside the College, if the departments would stay the same shape as they are now or if it would be a new school outside of the College,” Waller said.Hanson said some faculty are concerned because of this very reason. Aside from the three main departments under review, many majors offer some sort of communications classes. Communications is such a big field that any reorganization would involve the entire campus.And then there’s the issue of resource implications.“It’s not wholly a money issue, but we can’t say it’s not at all a money issue,” Hanson said. “It’s a resource issue, but all in a very complicated way.”Hanson cited tuition, grants, external fundraising and the allocation of resources as things that would be affected in the event of a reorganization. For example, if telecommunications and communication and culture — two programs with high enrollment — were to become part of a separate school, less resources would be available for the College of Arts and Sciences.Another issue takes an academic perspective. The units in the College are viewed as providing a liberal arts education, while journalism is often seen as a professional school, Hanson said. For some, the perceived differences would be hard to reconcile.But reorganization isn’t a sure thing. The committees could report back to Hanson that nothing should be done at this point in time.“If there’s a good reason for the organization to stay exactly as is — the faculty are able to do their best work there and the students are best educated — then that’s what the trustees would want to do,” she said. “They don’t have a prior view of how this should go.”Still, Hamm said whether or not the question is answered in the near future, it will always remain. He said he doesn’t see it as one program absorbing others, but three programs looking at the best way to benefit students.“I think that three strong programs, either with this structure or a different structure, would still be three strong programs,” Hamm said. “The goal is to help all three excel independently and together.”
(03/29/10 3:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It all started with a harmless question asked at a board of trustees meeting.What is the relationship between different communications departments at IU? Specifically, are journalism, telecommunications and communication and culture best serving students in the way they are currently organized?Now, after six months, countless conversations and the formation of two committees, Provost and Executive Vice President Karen Hanson is still trying to find the answer.“In any case, there is no consensus,” Hanson said.The two committees — external and internal — are expected to submit a report to Hanson in mid-April, making a recommendation about the units’ structures that Hanson will eventually present to the board of trustees. This could potentially result in a reorganization of the departments or no changes at all.Brad Hamm, dean of the School of Journalism, said he and his faculty are open to the question and would welcome a reorganization. “Asking this question at IU is a normal thing,” Hamm said, noting the numerous programs around the country that combine communications studies into one unit. “This idea of a possible merger has, at this University, been discussed for more than 40 years.”However, the departments of telecommunications and communication and culture are not as open to the idea of a complete reorganization.According to Hanson during a Bloomington Faculty Council meeting on Feb. 2, communication and culture said that some aspects of reorganization would be acceptable and telecommunications “did not think that there was any reorganization that would be appropriate for its unit.”Gregory Waller, chairman of communication and culture department, said faculty members tend to get nervous about questions of reorganization, especially when budgets are being discussed. He said members of the department voted earlier this year that they wanted to stay together as a single unit inside the College of Arts and Sciences.“We think we’re a really unique and progressive way to do communication studies,” Waller said. “We want to be able to keep that kind of identity.”Telecommunications department Chairman Walter Gantz said his faculty is very comfortable and happy to be in the College of Arts and Sciences as well.“Across the three programs ... I think the differences are so significant and important that the units will stay separate,” he said. “I think there is a reason now, and five years from now, and 10 years from now, for these programs to stay as separate units.”Still, Waller said undergraduates see connections across the departments, citing students who double major in communication and culture and either telecommunications or journalism.“I think there’s some fluidity possible, but it’s not clear whether it would be inside the College, if the departments would stay the same shape as they are now or if it would be a new school outside of the College,” Waller said.Hanson said some faculty are concerned because of this very reason. Aside from the three main departments under review, many majors offer some sort of communications classes. Communications is such a big field that any reorganization would involve the entire campus.And then there’s the issue of resource implications.“It’s not wholly a money issue, but we can’t say it’s not at all a money issue,” Hanson said. “It’s a resource issue, but all in a very complicated way.”Hanson cited tuition, grants, external fundraising and the allocation of resources as things that would be affected in the event of a reorganization. For example, if telecommunications and communication and culture — two programs with high enrollment — were to become part of a separate school, less resources would be available for the College of Arts and Sciences.Another issue takes an academic perspective. The units in the College are viewed as providing a liberal arts education, while journalism is often seen as a professional school, Hanson said. For some, the perceived differences would be hard to reconcile.But reorganization isn’t a sure thing. The committees could report back to Hanson that nothing should be done at this point in time.“If there’s a good reason for the organization to stay exactly as is — the faculty are able to do their best work there and the students are best educated — then that’s what the trustees would want to do,” she said. “They don’t have a prior view of how this should go.”Still, Hamm said whether or not the question is answered in the near future, it will always remain. He said he doesn’t see it as one program absorbing others, but three programs looking at the best way to benefit students.“I think that three strong programs, either with this structure or a different structure, would still be three strong programs,” Hamm said. “The goal is to help all three excel independently and together.”
(02/23/10 5:00am)
Editor’s Note: This story is inspired by side two of Abbey Road, the Beatles final album. Abbey Road has a long suite of songs – many brief and segued together. The reason for using the suite method was to include various short and unfinished John Lennon and Paul McCartney compositions. The collection forms a valuable part of the album. We encourage you to play the album while reading this article.
(01/15/10 4:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Dancers in dark gray bodysuits enter the stage, reflecting light off of the mirrors pinned to their costumes.“This one is meant to be funny,” said Elizabeth Shea, coordinator of the IU Contemporary Dance Program.The dancers twist their bodies in ways that are not often associated with classical dance.“They are taking the classical form, stretching it out and ... finding the joy,” Shea said of the “3 Epitaphs” dress rehearsal. “Some of the movements are very tongue-and-cheek.”Shea has been working for a year to put together “The Legacy of Graham,” a concert in which the works of modern dance pioneers and IU faculty are showcased and celebrated.The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday in the Ruth N. Halls Theater.Martha Graham, for whom the concert is named, was considered the “first lady of modern dance” when she began choreographing in 1935, Shea said. “She had a vision that really set the stage for our field to grow for many years to come,” Shea said, “and modern dance has changed a lot since then.”Selene Carter, production coordinator of the performance, said Graham’s “Panorama” will be supplemented by two master works from Paul Taylor: “Aureole” and “3 Epitaphs.”Carter said that Taylor, another modern dance pioneer, was once a student of Graham and later formed his own dance company. In this way, showcasing his performances is a way to pay homage to Graham.The concert will premiere the original works of IU faculty members, which also honor Graham.Shea is presenting two pieces titled “The Mo(u)rning” and “These Hands.”“I put ‘The Mo(u)rning’ together using Graham’s choreographic methodologies in regard to time and stage space,” Shea said. The piece opens in the present, moves to the past and finishes in the future, she said.“It’s her response to Graham’s legacy,” Carter said.Carter is also showcasing a piece that she choreographed titled “Imago.”“As choreographers, we have to let our work go and give it to them,” Carter said. “They bring so much to the process, and they really get to come into their own. ... It’s very joyous and exciting because the dancers really rise to the occasion.”Senior Esther Widlanski has performed in the annual concert for four years and will be the sole dancer in “These Hands.”“Every time you perform as a modern dancer in a modern dance context, you consider the legacy that you’re a part of,” Widlanski said. “This is just more overt in the way that you can really feel the traditions that have been passed down by really great, really wonderfully talented people.”
(01/12/10 4:30am)
IU's sorority rush has a ranking process all participating women must follow.
(01/12/10 4:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Libby Lienhoop was born to be in a sorority.Her parents met while they were in the greek system at IU, and her brother, aunt and grandparents also spent their college days in IU fraternities and sororities. Libby grew up with her mother’s sorority memorabilia – mugs, clothing, jewelry and a rug that’s been falling apart for years that her mother refuses to get rid of. Now a freshman at IU, Libby wants the same thing.“When I was little, my parents would drive me around campus and show me the houses,” Libby said. “Being able to go through them all was just so fun. ... I just feel like it’s my turn.”Libby was one of about 1,500 women to go through sorority recruitment in the last week. Rush began in December with 19 Party and ended Monday with Bid Day.Knowing that IU has the most competitive recruitment processes in the country made Libby nervous, but above all, she was excited. “I try not to think about it,” she said of not getting a bid. “It makes me really sad. I have no idea what I would do.”However, Libby pushes any negative thoughts out of her mind and reminds herself what this process is really about.“I’m just looking for good friends and good connections,” Libby said. “This is something I’ve been waiting my whole life for.” FIRST INVITE, DAY ONE The chants grow louder and louder.“We are the Alpha Gams, Alpha Gamma Delta hey!” Potential new members file into Alpha Gamma Delta as the sorority sisters yell, clap and welcome the women.“Basically, we just want members that are going to positively affect our house,” says junior Rachel Brotman, vice president of recruitment for AGD. At First Invite, each chapter prepares a skit to perform for the potential new members who have been invited back to the sorority. The theme is “AGD Update,” and the women will use this skit to showcase the chapter’s personality.“We do humor very well, so this is definitely our favorite part of recruitment,” Brotman says. “It allows PNMs to see who we really are.”The skit begins and Taylor Swift enters the stage. She is excited to learn of a bid from Gamma Gamma Gamma until Kanye West takes the microphone and informs her that, in fact, Alpha Gamma Delta is the best house around.Brotman says she can tell that a girl will fit into the house when the conversation clicks.“It’s kind of called a ‘rush crush,’” Brotman says. “When you think back on it, it’s just the easiest conversation of the day. You’re smiling and honestly talking to a person, as opposed to ‘girl flirting,’ because that’s a lot of what recruitment is.” *** Libby is jumping in the snow. “I’ve been cooped up inside all day, and all I’ve wanted to do is play in the snow,” she giggles while bounding down the sidewalk.Earlier in the day, Libby was handed her First Invite list, with all 14 houses back that she ranked during 19 Party.“My Rho Gamma was like, ‘That doesn’t happen,’” Libby said of her recruitment counselor. “I was just so ecstatic.”Libby’s excitement stayed with her throughout the day. She visited eight sororities and tried to keep an open mind. “You hear stigmas and stereotypes of all the houses, and you try to erase them before you go in,” Libby said. “It makes it a lot better if you don’t think about it.”At one sorority, Libby said she felt so comfortable that she didn’t even feel like she was going through recruitment. At another, she fell down the stairs and almost took some composites with her. “I’m cracking up at myself ... and all the other girls are laughing,” Libby said. “But the girl who was rushing me, I just couldn’t get a laugh out of her.”That’s when Libby knew that the house wasn’t right for her.“I was just like, ‘Please laugh at me,’” she said. “Whenever you talk to the girls and you get them laughing, it makes the conversation a lot better.” FIRST INVITE, DAY TWO The sounds of whispering and shushing alternate, until the women begin yelling, clapping and banging on the doors.“Zeta love is good, won’t you join our sisterhood, if you’d like to stay, you can be a ZTA ... a boom boom,” they yell, increasing the volume each time.“If the chapter is having fun and the chapter enjoys this, the PNMs will, too,” says senior Lauren Tomboni, vice president of membership for Zeta Tau Alpha.The potential new members are led away to chat with some of the sisters, while others set up the multipurpose room to look like “Movie Night with the Zetas.”The Zetas act out “The Hangover,” “Confessions of a Shopaholic” and “He’s Just Not That Into You.” Tomboni says these movies each carry a meaning behind them, such as ZTA couldn’t work so hard at philanthropies if they were hungover every morning.Different ideals are emphasized, but above all, Tomboni says conversation is key in her house.“We’re looking for a pledge class that is well-rounded and well-suited for the house,” she says. “Asking the right question and getting answers that are actually meaningful ... is something we really focus on.” *** Libby slipped again – this time in a mud puddle.“I was walking on my tip toes, trying not to get the back of my pants wet from the snow,” Libby said. “Little did I know there’s a huge-ass mud puddle. I landed straight in it in my flats, and oh my gosh ... I screamed.”She was already running late to a house, and having to clean mud off her “purple and brown feet” made it all worse.However, she did have something to break the ice with.“You get more relaxed and relieve some of the tension,” she said.Libby visited six chapters that day, one of which was the “epitome of a sorority.”“They always look good, they are always wearing makeup and are perfectly groomed,” she said. “I didn’t really see myself fitting in there.”After finishing with all of her houses and having to narrow her list from 14 down to eight, Libby was stumped.“Everybody else had their lists all done,” she said, “and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t know what to do.’”After finally selecting her houses, Libby said she was looking forward to Second Invite, the party where sororities provide some sort of entertainment to potential new members.“With slide shows, you’ll be able to see how they portray themselves in pictures ... and what they’re really like,” Libby said. “I have more pictures of me being goofy and making silly faces than of me being serious. It will be interesting to see what kind of pictures they have.” SECOND INVITE The women of Kappa Kappa Gamma stand in two lines, forming an aisle between them. “Kappa Kappa Gamma presents ... ” one woman reads, followed by a name. Each potential new member called back to KKG for Second Invite is announced individually.“The nights are always rough and sometimes the voting is really long, but everything has been running smoothly,” says junior Sarah Capps, recruitment chair for Kappa Kappa Gamma. “Except last night the moving company forgot to show up, so that was ... well, there’s always surprises, but you just learn to roll with the punches.”In the formal dining room, there are red linen-draped tables, all with coffee beans, candles and flowers strewn on top. Each potential new member is shown to a seat where a “Kappa Kappaccino” awaits her.After a video and photo slide show, seven women step to the front of the room.They sing “For Good” from the Broadway musical “Wicked.” Sisters standing around the room are sniffling, and at least one starts sobbing. “We have singers that sing songs that deal with sisterhood,” Capps says. “The parties get a little bit more serious with this entertainment.” *** Libby is confused.While visiting her eight chapters, she had an awkward conversation at one of her favorite houses, and isn’t sure where she should rank it.“This girl came up to me, and I had a bad feeling,” Libby said. “I should have never said the word ‘philanthropy,’ because that’s all she talked about ... I just wanted to tell her, ‘I don’t care, let’s talk about something else.’”Libby was further confused by the atmosphere of the house, which was upbeat compared to the house she had just come from, where she got very teary.“I knew it wasn’t going to have the same effect,” Libby said. “I mean, if you turn the lights off and give me the right song, I’m sure I can get emotional.”And then she fell in love ... with a house.“I felt totally relaxed,” Libby said. “When I was waiting for the round to start, they tell you to look around at the girls because they could be your future pledge class. I loved all those girls.”After the day’s emotional roller coaster, Libby said she wouldn’t wear very much makeup for Preference Round.“I’m afraid I’m going to cry, and I never cry,” Libby said. “I didn’t even cry during ‘The Notebook.’” PREFERENCE ROUND Women in white dresses descend the staircase, holding onto the railing decorated with white garland. As one Pi Beta Phi sister gives the women a ten-second warning, another starts to fall down the stairs, but luckily, her sisters catch her. “Smile bright,” says senior Elizabeth Adamo, recruitment chair for Pi Beta Phi.“My whole theory is that a happy Pi Phi recruits a happy Pi Phi,” she says.The women begin to hum in unison as potential new members are introduced one by one. A strand of pearls is placed around each woman’s neck as she is escorted into Pi Phi’s version of heaven.There are white sheets covering the floor, walls and ceiling. Silver stars dangle alongside crystal chandeliers. The women sit on soft, white pillows, which surround tiers of treats – chocolate-covered strawberries, mini quiche, pineapple drop cookies and sparkling apple juice.“It’s good because we have 100 girls here that can help set up,” Adamo says. “We have a pretty efficient system down.”After chatting in heaven, the women are led into the entryway, where they are read the Eight Pearls of Pi Phi, including love, patience and honor.“These are all really important characteristics we hope to see in our potential members,” Adamo says.Next, the Fireside Chat is performed. Each sister holds a note card or slip of paper in hand and reads it to a specific potential new member, highlighting parts of a conversation they’ve had or aspects of the woman’s personality that they like.“It makes the potential new member feel really special and recognized,” Adamo says. *** Libby is ready. After four rankings, seven days, 19 chapters, 44 parties and countless nerves, she knows where she belongs.“They always say you’ll have a feeling and you’ll know ... and I was like, ‘That’s not going to happen to me,’” Libby said. “I’ve never been into the whole fate thing, but I kind of feel like that now.”She said when she was talking to one of the women; she had to stop herself from breaking a rush rule.“I just wanted to be like, oh my God, you are my sister,” Libby said. “I want to be in this house.”Even though Libby said she has a good feeling, there’s no sure thing in sorority recruitment.“It’s overwhelming just waiting,” she said. “I’m so nervous. I feel like I’m psyching myself out.”However, Libby enjoyed her time at each chapter and said she could see herself in any of them. “But it was just that feeling,” she said. BID DAY Women crowd around a bus in the middle of Jordan Avenue. They scream and bang on the bus’s doors and windows. They’re holding signs, balloons and cameras, waiting to take pictures with their new pledge class.The doors open and Libby is the first one off the bus. She jumps off the last step and into the arms of her new sister. She’s instantly holding a balloon and a sign, and she can’t wipe the huge smile off of her face.“When I opened my bid, oh my God, I started crying,” Libby says. “I didn’t want to open it, and I inched it up, and I saw the ‘C’ and ... I was so excited.”She’s being pulled in every direction; being introduced to her new sisters, taking pictures with her pledge class and hugging every woman in sight.Libby is handed a black hoodie with her new sorority’s letters on it – Alpha Chi Omega. She pulls the sweatshirt over her head while continuing to jump up and down. “This is fate,” Libby says.She’s still smiling.
(01/08/10 4:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Fluffy slippers are strewn on the carpet, flight attendants stand in high heels and six women dance to Lady Gaga’s “Stardust.” It looks more like a strange dream than the Wednesday before sorority recruitment.“Will you tell us if this looks stupid?” one of the dancers asks Kappa Alpha Theta President junior Allie McNelly.McNelly faces the dancers with hands on hips. She watches as the women do a few moves: two shoulder pops, pull down the hot pink sunglasses. And then the move in question.“Oh, yeah, it does look a little awkward,” McNelly says.The women regroup, try a different step and she approves.“The skit is a good way to demonstrate values and educate potential new members,” said junior Natalie Layton, vice president of Leadership Development for IU Panhellenic Association. Sorority recruitment resumed this week, with First Invite Thursday and Friday, Second Invite Saturday, Preference Round Sunday and Bid Day Monday.First Invite now allows women to visit up to 14 houses in 45-minute increments and each house performs a skit for the potential new members.“We do put a lot of time into our practice, but ... it’s the quality the girls put into the time practicing,” said junior Hannah Roberts, vice president of membership for Kappa Alpha Theta.Recruitment is a process of mutual selection: as potential new members narrow down the houses they like, sororities also narrow down the women they would like to invite back.This is why sorority members are just as nervous, Roberts said.“It’s surprising, and you wouldn’t think we get nervous, but girls get very nervous,” she said. “They want to portray our chapter as best they can, and they get nervous that they’re going to say something wrong or come off in the wrong way.”However, Roberts said despite all the nerves, every woman going through recruitment ends up where she is meant to be.Senior Anna Berg, vice president of recruitment for PHA, said restructuring of rush from 12 Party and 6 Party into 14 Party and 8 Party, will help place better women in the right houses.“We’re getting to see women for a longer period of time,” she said. Last year, only 52 percent of women who started rush received bids, making IU’s recruitment statistically the toughest in the country, said senior Katie Wickham, vice president of communications for PHA.This year, 1,525 women signed up for rush but only about 800 women will have a bid.However, Wickham said IU’s system is so competitive because it is based on a “bed system,” which only allows chapters to extend bids to women based on the amount of open beds they have. IU is the only college in the nation that still operates recruitment in this way.“Our hope is to grow, to become better chapters and possibly invite new chapters onto our campus,” Wickham said. “This would give another set of women an opportunity to be a part of the greek community at IU.“For now, women hoping for bids will have to exhibit the positive qualities sororities are looking for in new members.Roberts said above all, forming connections with sorority members is important.“When you’re talking to certain girls, sometimes you can tell that you’re developing a friendship,” Roberts said. “You can tell they’re actually interested, and you’re interested, and you get that sense of a connection.”Berg agreed.“Women aren’t wanting to go back to chapters because of a skit or because of entertainment,” she said. “It’s because they’re making a connection with someone else.”Even with 25 parties at each chapter this week, Roberts said it’s not as repetitive as it might seem.“It’s just such a rush,” she said. “When it comes down to it, we’re all lacking in sleep, and yes, our feet are so tired and we’re losing our voices ... but this is a good experience and we need to make it the best that we can for the girls going through.”
(05/15/08 12:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Going out in London is a lot like going out in Bloomington: the shorter your skirt is, the cheaper your drinks are. Except our drinks (actually, drink) were still $19 a piece.We wanted our first clubbing experience to be extravagant, so we went to a swanky joint called The Electric Birdcage. This is because birdcages are the major part of the decorum, including, but not limited to, a bar in the shape of a birdcage.It cost us 10 pounds — $20 — just to get in, despite the fact that we are American and therefore exotic. The language barrier of English to English was unsurpassable. We stood mute in front of the silent doorman, expecting him to open the rope to let us in. Instead, he asked us slowly, “Whose gueeeeest list ah youuuuu on?”We glanced at each other. Guest list?! We’re American! Aren’t our patriotic flag T-shirts enough?“Oh, we didn’t know we needed to be on a guest list,” we said, lips trembling.“That’s fine, 10 pounds please,” he demanded.Out of our pockets went the money, and into the club went the two naive Americans.The club was comprised of two major rooms: one for the techno-loving males, and the other for everyone else in the hip-hop area. We sold our souls for two drinks and awkwardly began attempting to “dance.”Everyone in England can dance. Except us. And none of our new English friends were afraid to tell us. One of them, Devon, challenged us to show him our most original dance moves.After showing off our amazing retro disco moves, Devon pretended not to be impressed. So we had to pull out the big guns: the shopping cart, salt and pepper, sprinkler, etc. He was baffled and bowed down to the dancing queens.However, there was one area of expertise Devon thought he could certainly teach us a thing or two about: sarcasm. It doesn’t exist in America. Or at least that’s what we told him. What Devon didn’t know was we wrote the book on sarcasm, and we’re not being sarcastic about it.After he tried to explain the finer parts of British humor, we realized we had beaten him at his own game. This called for a round of drinks in our honor, which he either couldn’t afford or forgot about once he reached the bar.When we weren’t drinking, we were noticing all the familiar songs from three years ago in the states. Or from our parents’ high-school proms.A remix of “Holiday” and “Milkshake” blared through the speakers, which was confusing and refreshing all at the same time.As Bloomingtonians, our musical palette is of the utmost importance to our everyday life: voicing musical concerns is a large part of democracy.“Oh my gosh, I love this song! let’s dance.” Gotta love the First Amendment. Express yourself.When the night came to a close, we departed with tears in our eyes and limps in our steps. To immerse ourselves in British culture, we shoved our feet into heels, but danced like we were in tap shoes. Our feet have still not forgiven us.As we fought to stay awake on the 3 a.m. bus ride back to our flats, the other passengers gave up the fight and snored loudly as the bus slowly inched down the streets of the West End. With our flag T-shirts drenched with hard-earned sweat, and our feet still aching from the first night on the town, we hobbled back home and collapsed on the couch, just like in Bloomington.
(01/31/08 5:00am)
Ben Deloney waited at the bar in Jake's wearing a short black dress, tights and heels. \nDeloney, a sophomore majoring in ballet, was waiting for Jake's weekly drag show to begin. He said he dresses in drag when he attends social events and parties. \n"I pretty much taught myself how to do makeup and stuff," Deloney said. \nBut Deloney wasn't one of the performers that night. He said performing constitutes a "right of passage." He stated it's not just something to go into; you must be invited after getting to know the veteran performers. \nBritney Taylor, Miss Gay Bloomington 2005, the current owner and promoter of Miss Gay Bloomington, and MC of the night, was one of the performers in Sunday's show. Taylor said that some of the performers begin preparing for the 10 p.m. show as early as 5 p.m.\n"Depends on how elaborate your costume is," Taylor said. \nTaylor has been performing drag for six years as often as she can and has already traveled across the country performing. Taylor said she is a transsexual, meaning she lives as a woman in her everyday life. She said some of the performers live as men and dress up only to perform.\nThe event, "boing at Jake's, alternative to your Sunday,", debuted three weeks ago. Taylor said the event name is meant to be ambiguous and that it is not supposed to give away too much information. It is supposed to make people curious enough to come out and see what it is all about. \nTaylor said the bar plays top-40 music during the show and doubles as a dance party. \nShe said Jake's holds drink specials, and students can come out early enough not to interfere with school the next day. According to Taylor, the event is meant for everyone. The event provides a fun alternative for a Sunday night. \nBetween performances, Larisa Niles-Carnes, the Sexual Health Educator at Bloomington's Planned Parenthood announced that in the future, the organization will provide an informational booth at the event. \n"We'll have condoms, pamphlets," said Niles-Carnes. "People really love free condoms."\nWhen some of Niles-Carnes' friends attended the event a few weeks ago, she found that it would be a perfect opportunity to showcase Planned Parenthood's educational information. Niles-Carnes' is interested in collaborating with various community activities around Bloomington to spread the word. She then contacted both Taylor and Jake's management for approval. \nShe said she can teach others to put on a condom using their mouth. Niles-Carnes said that she could have demonstrated herself, if she had a condom with her. The booth will also provide information on things such as STD testing and sexuality. \nTwo large projectors on each side of the stage displayed music videos and advertisements. Members of the crowd sat at bar-high tables in the middle of the room, two round tables near the stage and the bar area. Men of all ages constituted a majority of the audience. \nSarah Luttrell, a recent IU graduate, attended the event with her boyfriend. She said she was excited to see the show. \n"I think they (the drag queens) are fun and artistic," said Luttrell.\nThe first performer on Sunday night, Vicci Laine, lip-synched to a Reba McEntire song. The audience approached the performers with dollar bills and tips. Niles-Carnes said tips allow the drag queens to purchase wigs and other performance necessities. \nThe performers danced to the end of the stage onto a catwalk and out into the crowd. Some performers wore dresses with long slits that exposed more than just their legs. \nDuring her performance, Taylor unbuttoned her costume top and covered her breasts with her hands. Low-cut costumes, sequins and jewelry graced the stage throughout the night.\nBarry Key, a spectator from Bedford, Ind., came to watch his friend perform in drag. He attended the event its first night three weeks ago. \n"I appreciate the beauty in it -- the fact that a man would go to so much trouble," Key said. \nHe said he has also attended drag shows in other bars. \n"I appreciate the art and expression," Key said. "If men can look this good, there's no excuse for ugly women"
(11/29/07 6:03am)
Professor Wayne Mnich walked into his first-level sign language class at 8 a.m. on a Monday and asked the students a question.\n“I’m getting my haircut Thursday,” he said while signing. “Should I just have them shave it off?”\nWhile Mnich would normally just get a trim, he recently discovered that a relapse of his lymphoma and the chemotherapy treatments accompanying it would leave him without hair in two weeks. \n“I don’t want it falling out all over the place in patches,” the speech and hearing sciences professor said, smiling. “I’m not a punk. Too conservative for that.”\nMnich’s first bout with lymphoma took place just three years ago, when he received chemotherapy treatments just once a month to combat the disease. He was able to beat cancer the first time and is just as confident that he will beat it a second time.\n“We’re going to treat it aggressively,” Mnich said. He will now receive chemotherapy treatments up to three times a week.\nDespite all of this, however, Mnich maintains a positive attitude and demeanor, never letting on that he is in pain or tired, unless of course, he talks about it only to make his students laugh.\nAfter becoming deaf at the age of 8, Mnich has never looked back. He even said he feels sorry for his hearing students.\n“You know how all you hearing people get stressed out when people talk behind your back?” he asked his class. “Well, I can’t hear that, so I don’t get upset like you.”\nMnich’s positive attitude, along with his humor, are things that draw students to him and make them want to learn sign language, said sophomore Brooke Scott.\n“He’s probably one of the most interesting teachers I have ever met,” Scott said. “He has a lot of experience with teaching and in other aspects of life too, and he has a lot of knowledge to pass onto his students.”\nWith his full blushing cheeks and wispy white hair, Mnich gives the impression of a typical grandfather figure. His worn IU sweaters fit snugly around his belly, and his Converse tennis shoes complement his light jeans. \nAlthough Mnich is fluent in both English and American sign language, he learned to sign out of necessity after losing his hearing.\nConsequently, Mnich’s schooling started after his parents first consulted a Catholic priest and a psychiatrist about his deafness, who both told them that Mnich was mentally retarded.\n“They dropped me off at the Indiana School for the Blind first. Oops!” Mnich said. His parents were confused about how to “deal” with their deaf son, and obviously made the wrong choice.\n“Then (they took me to) the Indiana School for the Deaf in Indianapolis,” Mnich said. “I was only 10 years old, going on 11, in the ninth grade, so they (made me) go to public school.”\nMnich was forced into the public school system he so desperately tried to avoid because of his incredible intellect, which placed him three grades ahead in school. After graduating high school at 15, Mnich went on to Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., a higher institution of learning for the deaf. It was there that he gained a lot of the knowledge he uses to teach his students today.\n“I could teach you biology, chemistry or physics if I wanted to,” Mnich said to his beginning sign language class. “I even taught logic in my other life. But you would hate me.”\nIt was also at Gallaudet where Mnich met his wife, Carolyn. Their two sons are not deaf, but both married deaf graduates of Gallaudet. All of their seven grandchildren can hear but have been taught to sign fluently.\n“The appeal here is sign language communication,” Mnich said in an e-mail. “The deaf community is close-knitted, more so due to their ‘handicap.’”\nAs a teacher with more than 48 years of experience, Mnich has “worn many hats,” he said. He has taught and coached individuals of all ages in a variety of subjects. This includes sign language classes at Bloomington Hospital, where he helps doctors understand medical terminology so they can communicate with deaf or hearing impaired patients in the emergency room.\nIn 2001, only three years after Mnich started teaching at IU, he was honored with the Herman B Wells Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding teaching, according to an IU Web site. Mnich said the award is given once a year to only one teacher at IU-Bloomington, and may include anyone from any department. \n“It’s the one award I will cherish above all,” Mnich said. “When I was told I was nominated for it by the students, I cried in the auditorium.”\nThe Herman B Wells award exemplifies everything Mnich stands for, Scott said. His interesting teaching methods combined with his genuine love for his students make him an appealing teacher and person.\n“Everybody can agree that he’s a great teacher,” Scott said. “I actually want to come to class because it’s enjoyable and interesting, even though it’s at 8 a.m.”\nWhile the chemotherapy treatments for Mnich will be demanding and exhausting, he has no plans to quit teaching. \n“I’ve been positive all my life,” Mnich said. “ I’m going to do what I always do. I’m too young to retire.”
(11/14/07 5:36am)
Eighteen campus and local organizations took a stand against global warming Tuesday, as about 20 representatives marched to IU President Michael McRobbie’s office with the hope of having him sign an agreement to participate in the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. \nThe hopes were delayed, as an employee in McRobbie’s office accepted the documents on his behalf and said she would present them to him upon his return to the office.\nThe commitment calls for the University to form and implement a plan of climate neutrality within two years of being signed, something that Kasey Swanson, the campus organizer of the Indiana Public Interest Research Group, thinks is absolutely necessary for IU.\n“IU is incredibly well poised to be a leader in climate neutrality,” Swanson said. “We are concerned citizens and students that want McRobbie to take this seriously as one of his biggest concerns.”\nThe various organizations from Bloomington and IU came together to ask McRobbie to join the other 427 colleges nationally that have already signed the agreement, Swanson said. Among the organizations represented were INPIRG and IU Green Campus, while other organizations participated by signing the request to join the commitment.\n With four of the 427 colleges from Indiana alone, there are high hopes among the organizations that IU will be the first school in the Big Ten to sign on.\n“What we do today, or what we don’t do, will have severe effects on the environment,” said Dave Rollo, Bloomington City Council president. “We must proceed – we really don’t have a choice.”\nThe amount of student groups willing to participate in the movement is something that shows the importance of acting now, said Sarah Combellick-Bidney, student organizer of IU Green Campus. \n“Never before in University history have we seen the cooperation we see today,” Combellick-Bidney said. “There’s not a more perfect time to show our support.”\nMembers of the various student groups attended the rally to show their support of the new initiative. Carley Knapp, a member of INPIRG and the Campus Climate Challenge, said IU needs to show its support to mirror the feelings of students because other problems the country faces might not be addressed until global warming is controlled.\n“Universities play a role in coming up with solutions, and they have the resources to do it,” Knapp said. “We need to show IU’s willingness to be a leader in this commitment.”\nRollo said he has high expectations for IU as a leader in the fight against global climate change.\n“The city cannot succeed without the expertise of our great University,” Rollo said. “I am confident IU will meet the challenge.”
(11/12/07 5:08am)
Friends agree that Dustin Jones, a 24-year-old IU graduate student who died Saturday, was always making people laugh. Whether it was on the dodgeball court or during an all-nighter, his friends said his unique sense of humor and Hoosier accent put everyone in a good mood.\nJones, who loved sports, played intramural basketball and dodgeball, and even dabbled in football and racquetball, said “We made our own uniforms for dodgeball,” Bedwell said, referring to the red-printed “Hoosier Optometrist?” T-shirts. “He got really into it but also made sure everyone else was having a good time.”\nEven in intramural dodgeball, Jones made people laugh, said Drew Hoffman, a second-year graduate student and friend of Jones.\n“He was always raising hell (with) the referees,” Hoffman said. “Everything he said was just funny and very sarcastic.”\nJones, who was a second-year graduate student in the optometry school, received his bachelor’s degree in biology from IU. The optometry program, however, is small with only about 70 students in the class, said graduate student Michael Johnson.\n“Those kids became your friends, and he became one of my better ones,” Johnson said. “He was that kid you could call in a pinch if you ever needed to.”\nSome of the best times spent with Jones were late nights studying, Hoffman said.\n“Even if I just stayed up all night studying with him, I would still have a hell of a time,” he said. \nJones, who grew up in Scottsburg, Ind., had an accent to accompany his southern Indiana upbringing, Johnson said.\n“He had this accent that kind of got everybody going sometimes,” Johnson said. “He said these weird sayings that nobody understood. I don’t think he even understood them half of the time.”\nBedwell said Jones’ presence will be missed.\n“He was passionate about everything he did,” Hoffman said. “He just loved life.”
(11/02/07 4:14pm)
Pornography ruined Michael Leahy’s marriage, made him lose the respect of his children and ultimately made him suicidal at one point.\n“I made a decision to choose life instead,” Leahy said. “I needed to pull myself away from the triggers.”\nLeahy spoke to the full audience gathered Thursday in Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union in a speech titled “Porn Nation – The Naked Truth” about his struggle with pornography and the potential harmful effects it can have. He used science and spirituality to explain those effects.\nThe presentation encompassed multimedia elements displaying pictures of scantily-clad women and men in music videos, advertisements and television, which Leahy said qualifies as a type of pornography.\nSenior Josiah Newmaster said he felt the message of the speech was conflicting because of the images Leahy displayed. \n“He defined porn according to a certain standard,” Newmaster said. “Then he showed it to us, after saying it was pornography.” \nThe images shown to the audience were not the average type of porn students normally think about, Leahy said. \n“It’s just porn, right? Bad plot lines, worse actors, but that’s not what you’re looking for,” Leahy said. “As I continued to go back to the material over and over, it started to have an impact on my relationships.”\nLeahy’s encounters with pornography grew more frequent and necessary for him to function, he said. It ended up numbing him to feeling intimacy with his wife at the time, Patty Onorato, and although Leahy said she was absolutely beautiful, he just wasn’t getting his sexual desires met. \nThis was because he was a victim of the “sex syndrome,” a title Leahy invented to describe weakness sometimes brought on by the hyper-sexed media and pornography.\n“(Pornography) is just out of control, and it’s not harmless,” said Campus Crusade for Christ intern Ruth Haffenden. “This really hit home with a lot of people.” \nLeahy said his addiction left him wanting more and different pornography more frequently.\n“I was becoming desensitized over time where it wasn’t enough to even be with Patty,” Leahy said. “I was looking for a higher high. I wasn’t really meeting that need.” \nHis addiction escalated into an affair with his ideal “porn woman” that eventually led to his divorce. About a year later, he said he turned to God for help and has been recovering ever since. \n“I cheated on my wife, I broke my kid’s hearts, I lied pathologically for years,” Leahy said. “I knew what it meant to say you’re a sinner.” \nFor this reason, Leahy said he feels the call to talk to students, because anywhere from 6 to 8 percent of them might be in the same position he was, and he wants them to know they are not alone.\n“Sex is front and center in our world today,” Leahy said. “What you feed grows and what you starve dies.”
(11/01/07 4:10am)
Michael Leahy remembers the first time he met his former wife, Patty Onorato.\n“She was beautiful,” he said. “I thought that when I met the woman of my dreams, somehow she would meet all of my needs, including my sexual needs.”\nUnfortunately, Leahy had already been addicted to pornography for more than 10 years when he met Onorato, he said. The sexual addiction escalated into a full-blown affair and ultimately ruined his marriage of 15 years, he said.\nLeahy made the conscious decision to make a change in his life a year after the divorce. \n“It wasn’t until I was contemplating what I would write in a suicide note to my boys,” he said. “I’m sitting there as this 40-year-old guy who lost my job, my wife and my kids’ respect. I came to the end of myself and only then noticed that I really needed help.” \n \nUsing spirituality to battle the addiction\nIn a continuous battle against the addiction, Leahy has been in recovery since 1999, he said. Part of his recovery entails speaking out about the potentially harmful consequences of pornography. In a partnership with Campus Crusade for Christ, known as CRU, he has visited more than 100 college campuses and spoken to more than 300,000 students, he said. Tonight he will continue his tour by presenting “Porn Nation – The Naked Truth” at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union.\n“(Leahy) is incredibly transparent on issues that a lot of people would find difficult to talk about,” said Tony Arnold, media relations director of Campus Crusade for Christ. “Advertising tells us that ‘porn is the norm.’ No one understands that better than today’s college student.”\nIU’s chapter of Campus Crusade for Christ became interested in bringing Leahy to campus after hearing about his appearances at Purdue and Michigan State, said Mindy McClanahan, who works in north campus outreach for CRU. \n“He addresses the issue of sexual addiction through spirituality,” McClanahan said. “It’s an issue that students face.”
(11/01/07 2:36am)
A young boy in an orange astronaut costume yelled “Mom look! That guy’s on top of a goose head!” as he ran up to Sophomore Andrew Lien, an Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity member.\nAt first he squeezed the feet of the air-blown ostrich costume. After discovering the feet weren’t Lien’s, he jumped and grabbed the bird’s beak, giggling erratically. \n“Are you having fun?” Lien asked, as the small astronaut trotted back to his mother in anticipation of another handful of candy.\nWednesday night, the four councils of the Greek system, the Inter-Fraternity Council, the Pan-Hellenic Association, the Multicultural Greek Council and the National Pan-Hellenic Council, combined to put on a ‘safe’ Halloween for the Bloomington community, said Lauren Berman, vice president of service and outreach for PHA.\n“We really wanted to do something good for both the greek community and the Bloomington community,” Berman said. “And this is perfect.”\nAll houses situated on the North Jordan Avenue extension joined with the rest of the greek system to provide a safe trick-or-treating environment for Bloomington children, Berman said. \nHouse members threw around footballs, blew up balloons or handed out candy. Children and their parents walked from house to house, enjoying the sights and sounds. One girl in a geisha costume danced to the tune of Timbaland’s “The Way I Are”, pulsing from Theta Chi’s speakers.\nThe costumed kids, ranged from dragons to princesses and superheroes to IU symbols. \nMolly Matthews, the Delta Gamma sorority representative for Junior Greek Council, said the cutest costumes she had seen so far were superman and a dragon.\nDakota, the two-and-a-half-year-old dragon, traveled the extension with his seven-month-old brother Zachary and his father Gabriel Puett, a Bloomington resident. Dakota at first said he didn’t know what he was, but later recalled that he was indeed a dragon. \n“We’ve been coming to this the last couple of years,” Puett said. \nHe added that the Halloween the greeks put on every year is a lot safer than normal trick-or-treating. \nA timid superhero trick-or-treater took one piece of candy from the Pi Kappa Phi treat bucket only to be called back to get more.\n“Take as much candy as you need,” said the fraternity member as he put another handful of candy in the costumed kid’s bag. “That’s the point of Halloween, man.”\nThe looks of excitement were evident on the unmasked children’s faces, but the event was a good time for the greek members as well, Matthew said.\n“I didn’t have anything like this when I was younger,” the ostrich-clad Lien said. “And I’ll definitely be wearing this for more than one occasion.”