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(10/28/02 4:24am)
No one would guess that the intimidating, red brick building across the street from a police station would hold the shrieks and laughter of school kids and college volunteers.\nThere's no doubt, the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington is fun for all.\nOnce inside, a competitive game of foosball in the corner attracts a group of kids, while a quieter bunch work in the computer lab. \nUpstairs, surrounded by sweaty, tired grade-schoolers, the gymnasium is a place for all types of indoor games and the wall of fame highlights sports achievements.\nThe Boys and Girls Club is a bustling, after-school club for kids, ages six to 18, to come play, interact and learn until 8 p.m. This non-profit national club has up to 120 members each day and over 700 kids have visited within the last year, said Katie Huckaby, the Boys and Girls Club program director.\nPicking up the kids from school is sometimes a difficult thing to negotiate for busy working parents, and the Club eases that anxiety, Huckaby said. The Monroe County school buses and the Club's red-and-white van bring students directly from school to the Club.\nPaula Spidle, a seventh grader at Bachelor Middle School in Union County, said she takes the van with a group of her friends and stays at the Club until a parent picks her up. Spidle said she has only been a member two months after some friends asked if she wanted to join. \nShe said the change is a lot better than last year when she stayed at home, watched TV and was very bored.\nIt's that boredom that seeps into most latch-key kids' afterschool lives that the Club tries to fight, and with the many programs every day, it seems they may just be winning.\nFor just $15 a year, members can come when they need to and use the computer lab with restricted internet access, compete in all kinds of activities and utilize the many tutors that come and help students with homework. \nBut it isn't just the members who benefit from this afterschool program. The volunteers, who are mostly college students, gain a lot from the hours, too.\n"It is so rewarding,' Huckaby said. "They love having you around."\nShe started volunteering as an undergrad as part of the work-study program, and after graduating in December 2001, accepted her current position.\nIn just under a year on staff, Huckaby said she has already seen dramatic changes. \nThe number of members per day has doubled since last year. Huckaby said this increase is probably due to the state-wide budget cuts that made receiving day care vouchers harder to get. \nAs parents struggle to find affordable and trustworthy afterschool care, Huckaby said she hopes the Club and programs are stepping up to the plate.\nMuch of the success of the Club has to do with the volunteers and the time that is put into making afternoons productive.\n"College kids have so much enthusiasm, and with the right attitude they can make a big difference," Huckaby said.\nSophomore Alison Frank agreed.\nAs part of a class requirement, Frank needs to fill 10 hours of community service and plans on doing them at the Club. \n"I think it's a really good idea to get college students who have extra time to come out and volunteer," she said. "We get a lot out of it and so do the kids."\nFrank was a volunteer at the Reality Fair for Teens that was hosted by the Club and the Big Brothers and Sisters of Bloomington. \nFor college students who do find themselves with a few extra hours a week, the Club has different volunteer opportunities for different situations. Being a mentor for a day or simply tutoring can be an excellent change of pace from campus life, Huckaby said.\nFor information on volunteering, call 332-5311 or visit the building at 311 S. Lincoln St.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Iris Rosa's energy is contagious, especially when the subject of dancing comes up. Her graceful hands help in telling a story, and her soft brown eyes sparkle with excitement for the future. For Rosa, associate professor in the Department of African American Studies, dancing is not just a hobby; it's a part of someone. \nAs one of the speakers for tonight's "Dance In Unison," Rosa will try to impress upon the audience "the importance of dance coming together in one place." All groups involved with "Dance In Unison" will participate because of their shared understanding of the importance of expression through dance.\nAs part of the preview performances for IU's 18th Annual Arts Week, 13 different dance troupes and individuals from both the Bloomington community and the University will come together to perform just a snippet of their different styles. Among the different dance forms to be represented tonight will be a flamenco ensemble, tap, jazz and Middle Eastern.\n"Dance In Unison" is the result of Valerie Lambert's idea of pulling together the many different dance companies and resources that Bloomington has to offer. As a first-year graduate student in the Department of Anthropology, Lambert has tied together her passion for dance and the performing arts with developmental anthropology.\n"(There are) so many different styles of dancing and cultural expression and I think it's a shame that they are presented separately," Lambert said.\nArmed with a portion of the little-known Fran Snygg Award, a fund to develop and enhance awareness and appreciation of dance as a performing art, Lambert started to contact the dancers. Among the first contacted was Rosa, director of the African American Dance Company. As one of the original instructors from the inception of the African American Arts Institute in 1974, Rosa said she has noticed that the separation of different dance classes among various departments has hindered more than it's helped prospective students interested in dance.\nRosa said she believes "Dance In Unison" will be beneficial, giving people an idea of all the different offerings on campus as well as a view of what is off campus, and allowing "the dancers themselves to see each other and appreciate other forms." \nBy having an underlying feeling of collaboration rather than competition, their passion for dance will shine through. Along with other groups, the African American Dance Company, a one-credit audition-required course, will be performing in this event with Bloomington's Windfall Dancers.\nStarting out in 1978 as a modern dance troupe drifting from one studio to another, Windfall Dancers has expanded to teaching classes from hip hop to ballet in its studio on Fourth Street and College Avenue.\nBy not being a part of any IU dance program, Windfall Dancers is in the unique position to offer classes to everyone in the community who have all levels of experience. A main goal is "to offer everyone dance no matter size or shape," Windfall choreographer Matthew Wisley said. The Company will perform two modern pieces including a rave-dance choreography tonight.\nYet a group does not need to be totally independent from the University to have steady involvement with the community. The IU Ballroom Dance Club is listed as a club sport and for the past 13 years has taught students and non-students alike. Of the estimated 100 members, 30 percent are non-students who come out Friday nights for lessons, exercise and fun. \nRobin Mock, Ballroom Dance Club president, said she will uphold an ideal of the group "to show and share our love and expression for dance" by sending a dance team from the competition group to perform a swing/fox-trot and a cha-cha.\nAlong with various performances, "Dance In Unison" will also provide a chance for speakers from different departments on campus and around town to express their views on the importance of dance in all walks and times of life.\n"Dance is the most primal form of communication," Lambert said. \nAnd tonight, students will be able to see their passion.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
There are not many times in life when such a clearly defined ending point is in front of you. Graduating college is one of those times. Yet for many seniors, graduation marks a time for choosing which door to go through. It is a time to take all the knowledge acquired during undergraduate years and apply them to their new lives. This is especially true for students who are graduating with an arts degree. \nWhile it is a common misconception that earning a degree in the arts field leaves those students high and dry after graduation, there are at least three students at IU that beg to differ.\nSenior Evan Rogister, a Rawlings N.C. native, was brought to IU by receiving a 1998 Wells Scholarship and the school of music. Rogister is about to leave IU with degrees from the School of Music in voice and from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs department in public policy, with a minor in Italian.\nBefore attending IU, Rogister was in the boys choir until the end of high school. Most of his attention was spent on playing the trombone, yet when his high school choir teacher encouraged him not to abandon voice training completely, Rogister decided to actively pursue his degree. \nDuring his time here, Rogister studied voice under Constanza Cuccaro, who is not only a winner of the Met National Audition, but has trained many students who go on to successful careers. Starting in the 1999-2000 season, Rogister began performing in IU's renowned opera. His debut as Cook in L'amour des Tres Oranges, lead Rogister to become one of the lead singers in Manon and Candide.\nNext year, Rogister will be attending The Julliard School of Music's graduate program in performance voice. This three-year program will take Rogister to the mecca of all performing arts, New York City. It is common for students to receive additional training in a different environment, but leaving IU will be a sad parting for Rogister.\n"IU and Julliard are essentially on the same level, except that Julliard is in New York," Rogister said. \nBy being in graduate school and also in New York, there will be a plethora of opportunities for auditions and workshops in which to take advantage. Eventually, Rogister will be a recitalist and professional opera singer. His love of opera stems from the combination of many different aspects of the art world including singing, acting and art.\n"I'd like to communicate as honestly as possible and do so in that medium," Rogister said.\nHis dreams of becoming a great singer-actor are starting with strong footing.\nPeter Gerharz is tired. After four years of studying theatre and history, Gerharz's last semester was not taken lightly. While performing in IU Theatre's Scapino, Gerharz was also working on his own project. This seemingly small production of Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, which took place in the Rose-Firebay Theatre, required months of preparation. Having to make sure all details were accounted for, including buying the rights to the show and approving costuming choices, it seemed a bit daunting at times. \nAll the stress, the anxiety and late nights did not deter Gerharz from his studied craft. It actually encouraged him more. \n"I'd like to make a contribution to help revive stage art in this country," Gerharz said. \nHe was "bit by the bug" as a senior in high school while in a production of Cyrano de Bergerac; that bug set the course for his college career. What's next in line for Gerharz?\nChicago.\nBy taking what he has learned at IU, Gerharz will return to his home city of Chicago and audition for theatre companies. While it may seem to be an unsure future, auditioning and performing for various companies throughout the year is the life of an actor.\nFor Brittney Powell teaching acting in The Anacapa School located in Santa Barbara, CA is how she will use her theatre degree. By becoming a teacher, Powell will combine both of her passions.\n"I think it is a noble job, I love children and want to teach them," Powell said. \nBy using skills learned here, such as sound and lighting, Powell will be able to put on the yearly school production with confidence. \nYet, teaching could only be for a few years. Like most trained actors, the desire to be a part of the theater world more directly will probably take Powell to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams. Powell shares a view held by most artists.\n"I'd like an opportunity to express myself in an artistic manner and make people think," she said.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
The controversial ultra-right wing National Front Party presidential candidate, Jean-Marie Le Pen, unexpectedly won the presidential primaries April 21, pitting him against incumbent president Jacques Chirac, the moderate right wing contender. Although it was a landslide victory for Chirac, winning 81 to 83 percent of the vote with an 80 percent voter turnout, Chirac's road to victory captured international headlines. Le Pen won 17 to 18 percent Sunday.\nThe presidential election in France has caused the people of France to take to the streets. A peaceful march on May 1, international labor day, drew close to a million people throughout the country. This visible reaction comes from the majority of the French people who are shocked that an ultra-right contender made it to the presidential elections. \n"It is a threat that Le Pen got more than 10 percent at the polls," said Caroline Fache, a French exchange student studying at IU, referring to the first round of balloting.\nWith the poor economic situation and an unemployment rate up to 9.1 percent, Fache speculates that the majority of hard hit countryside residents voted for Le Pen because of his tough immigration platform and a feeling that Chirac has not done enough to change the situation. With the comparatively unstable Eastern European bloc, France has seen a flood of immigrants from the east as well as from North Africa. Feelings of resentment for these immigrants, who could be taking jobs away from French people, have opened the doors for radical change. \nImmigration was Le Pen's lead issue. His immigration policies included deporting illegal immigrants, tightening border controls and showing preference for French natives for jobs.\nHowever, it is not just immigrants who are worried.\n"As for the foreigners here, those in my immediate circle are a little uneasy because Le Pen wants foreigners out of France," said Cassandra Stekly, an IU senior studying in France. "I have heard him likened to a modern day Hitler."\nLe Pen's platform also included pulling France from the European Union and reverting back to the franc from the euro change-over at the start of this year.\nYet it is not these views that worry the rest of France's citizens -- it is who Le Pen is that worries them. A known fascist, Le Pen has been convicted five times for racist and anti-semitic remarks. \n"That 'not a big deal to be a racist' (attitude) triggered a lively response," Fache said.\nFor many in France this election does not provide a suitable candidate because both are from the right-wing and have poor reputations. Chirac's reputation is swirling amidst accusations of corruption in the presidency, including lying and theft.\n"They are completely torn and for maybe the first time in history are having to go against their lifelong beliefs and their political standpoints to vote for someone who may not or is not the most suitable person for the presidency," said Shayna Walter, an IU senior studying in France. \nThe political situation and citizen activism in France is different than the United States. For the primaries there were 16 parties on the ballot, and while it is usual for moderate left and right wing candidates to win the first round balloting, all parties are recognized and have public support. The voters of France also have a reputation for high voter turnout. It may be common in America for a presidential election to have a mere 50 percent turnout, but on April 21 there was a record-low of 72 percent. \nThis low turnout could be the reason for the unexpected candidate. Lionel Jospin, the current prime minister, is with the moderate left-wing Socialist Party currently holding parliament majority. Having the presidency under a different party belief than the parliament is common.\n"Everyone expected it to come down to Chirac and Jospin, and many have said that the only reason Le Pen is a finalist is because many people didn't vote out of indifference toward both Chirac and Jospin," Stekly said.\nAttention is focused now on not just the election but the rising number of far-right candidates gaining support and high government positions throughout Europe. The British National Party won three council seats in Burnley, England, last week, and garnered 27 percent of the vote in Oldham, England. Recent elections in Austria and Italy have also shown considerable support for far-right candidates.