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(11/12/03 6:07am)
He bashed the record companies and couldn't, for the life of him, remember who signed an autograph for his daughter. It was Britney Spears.\nGass had been trying to get Mellencamp to talk to the class for some time, and the "war of attrition" finally came to an end on Tuesday when Mellencamp finally took the offer.\n"He was able to give an insight that no teacher can give," Gass said. "It is like having Beethoven come out in a music appreciation class. It's amazing, really. And the fact that he has got such a social conscience and moral authority he can talk about things beyond celebrity and fame. I think you really gain a unique perspective."\nGass started the class with a quick video tribute of some of Mellencamp's music videos and a segment from a CBS story on the singer/songwriter. Mellencamp then took questions from the students and was able to give his opinions and perspective on a wide range of topics.\n"I don't know that I really relate to them on any particular level because I am very up front, very blunt, so I don't know if they are used to that in a college situation," Mellencamp said. "In life I think they are used to it, but in a college situation, it might not be the best form for me."\nWhile portions of the discussion were just fun Mellencamp yarns, he also delivered several underlying messages to the students. Mellencamp told students that songwriting is something everyone can do, and he urged them to go home and start doing it. His messages ranged in topics from politics and MTV to lessons in life.\n"There are going to be thousands of people in life who will tell you that you can't do something," Mellencamp said. "It is important to realize that you've got to believe in yourself no matter where your dream leads you."\nMellencamp stressed the importance of students being flexible with their dreams, but never giving up on them. He said many people quit too early, and that if they would only stay with it, they could accomplish anything.\n"I thought he was totally down-to-earth, and really spoke from his true heart," junior Gwen Rosenthal said. "He is very straight-forward and says it like it is. He gave a lot of information to people looking to get into the business and really gave a lot of input on his past experiences."\nEven though the class was able to get a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Mellencamp would have probably preferred the tables to have been turned.\n"I would have rather been able to ask them questions and learn something from them rather than have me shoot my big bazoo off about what I think," he said. "Everybody already knows what I think"
(11/11/03 5:00am)
The Beta Theta Pi fraternity has officially kicked off its return efforts after the chapter was closed down in September 2001.\nA recolonization team has been brought to IU to begin the recruitment process for a set of "founding fathers" for the fraternity, and eventually form the fraternity into an even stronger member of the greek community. \nThe team put together an interactive informational meeting Monday night where interested students were able to gather information about the returning chapter.\n"The national organization is in town for recruiting purposes (to) kind of get the organization back on its feet and make sure they are recruiting the best men possible," said senior Evan Waldman, president of the Interfraternity Council. "From there on, it's history."\nThe new Beta Theta Pi fraternity will operate for roughly 18 months without a house, holding meetings in the Indiana Memorial Union and having social functions through third party vendors, Director of Expansion Ethan Braden said.\nBeta Theta Pi had previously existed at IU-Bloomington, but was put under review by the national organization in 2001. This led to the eventual closing of the Beta house due to accounts of hazing incidents. \n"We typically give it two to three years for those negative feelings to dissipate -- for the reputation to go away -- and it gives us the opportunity to come back two or three years later with a fresh start and to recruit with nothing more than the value of the organization," Braden said. \nStarting over gives students a rare opportunity to act as a founding father to a fraternity. As opposed to stepping into an already established and structured chapter, the students who are looking to join Beta Theta Pi have the chance to establish their own fraternity from the start with the assistance of the recolonization team.\n"The big thing is having the opportunity to do something on your own," said sophomore Mike Wade, who is one of 15 students already to receive a bid. "With a lot of fraternities they say, it's about values and it is about friendship and all that stuff, but a lot of them miss the mark. With this one we have the opportunity to make it the way we want it to be, and we won't have to deal with a lot of those guys that kind of lost their focus."\nThe preliminary plans for the new colony are to expand upon the current list of 15 extended bids and get numbers up to 40 by Nov. 20. The students will work under Casey Gomes, from the recolonization team, and the advisory board until they begin to function on their own. \nBraden described the whole process as quite an easy one.\n"We come on campus. We become very visible. We take our message to all the sororities and student groups, and then we are just having value based discussions with good men as we meet them, as they are recommended, as they come by the table," Braden said.\nThe existing Beta property will most likely be sold to the University by the alumni, Braden said. The proceeds from that sale, along with an alumni driven capital campaign, will then be used to build a brand new, state-of-the-art chapter home.\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(11/10/03 6:14am)
The IU women's volleyball team was finally able to snap its 11-game losing streak after defeating Ohio State University Saturday 31-29, 30-18, 14-30, 30-20. \nOhio State brought last year's Big Ten player of the year Stacey Gordon, who had hit for an unheard of 41 kills the day before. Stopping Gordon was a major priority to being able to win the game.\n"I thought (IU assistant coach Ryan Theis) did a really nice job with the game plan in terms of who to serve to," IU coach Katie Weismiller said. "We have seen a lot of people serve Stacey, but we kept the ball away from her a little bit tonight and limited her opportunities. And the blocks, they did a nice job of getting some early blocks and taking her out of rhythm." \nThe Hoosiers set the season-high in blocks recording 32 block assists as junior middle blocker Katie Pollom led the way with nine blocks, also a season high. Pollom and senior outside hitter Monique Pritz tag-teamed on four blocks in the first game alone, and Pritz ended the game with six block assists to go with her nine kills. IU's all-time block assists leader, senior middle blocker Melissa Brewer, also got into the act with seven of her own to compliment her team-high 16 kills. \n"When I'm blocking, I really concentrate on closing the block," Pollom said. "I have got to give credit, especially on block assists, to the outside blockers, the right side and the left side because all I have to do is close. They set it up, and we just try to shift over and hope that we block the ball."\nOn the night that Gordon became Ohio State's all-time leader in kills, the Hoosiers were able to contain her to just 14 kills, hitting 15 percent from the floor. The win was a major victory for the Hoosiers considering the 41-kill match Gordon had the day before.\nFreshman setter Tasha Arsenych made only her second start and nearly recorded a triple-double in the win. After the entire team only had 29 assists in their loss to Penn State Friday, Arsenych was able to record 47 assists against the Buckeyes as well as eight digs and six block assists. \n"It's extremely encouraging to look at (the IU offense) and know even if the set is not perfect they are still going to do something with it," Arsenych said. "It helps you out a lot as a setter; it gives you confidence that even if it is not a perfect set, they are going to do something with it."\nThe weekend saw many of IU's younger players seeing some action and attempting to contribute with the chance they received. Freshmen Arsenych, outside hitter Katy Jo Mroski, defensive specialist Lindsay Cochrane, and defensive specialist Sarah Diehl all saw significant amounts of playing time over the course of the weekend.\n"I really look to the older players," Diehl said. "They help me out a lot, and I want to help them and do my best at staying consistent by passing and digging and just doing what I need to do to get the job done."\nDiehl was one of three Hoosiers with double-digit digs against Penn State. Penn State beat IU in three straight games 30-16, 30-15, 30-28.\nThe Hoosiers hit the road again this weekend as they travel to Iowa and Minnesota, the last two teams the Hoosiers had defeated before their win over Ohio State.\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(11/07/03 2:03pm)
After working on a Statement of Diversity for over a year, the Bloomington Faculty Council made an approval during their meeting Tuesday.\nThe statement focuses on the benefits of diversity in the learning environment for the student body, faculty and staff. It can be found at the BFC Web site, and has already been sent to the chancellor for approval.\n"(The statement) originally came up in the context of the University of Michigan case," BFC President Dave Daleke said. "We initiated discussion in the Affirmative Action and Diversity Committee. At the same time, the Strategic Planning Committee was coming up with a campus mission statement, so we decided to work on a Diversity Statement as well."\nThe faculty council spent many hours working on the statement last year, but was unable to get it finished, so it was pushed off until this year for final approval. The University of Michigan affirmative action case made the BFC realize that IU lacked a Statement of Diversity, and the Affirmative Action and Diversity Committee began working on the original draft. \n"Universities across the U.S. wanted to validate that they value diversity," said Kathy Gilbert, head of the Affirmative Action and Diversity Committee. "It is a general statement of philosophy for the Bloomington campus."\nAn important element of the discussion on the statement focused on the fact that no policy was involved, and that the statement was not meant to set any sort of guidelines, Daleke said. Charlie Nelms, vice president for student development and diversity, was in attendance for the BFC meeting, and discussed what would make the statement work.\n"The statement, at the end of the day, is not what is going to make Indiana University a different and more responsive institution, it's what we do, individually and collectively," Nelms said.\nThe purpose of the statement was to simply acknowledge the fact that IU values a diverse environment, Gilbert said. That type of environment benefits both teachers and the students. \n"Let's be careful not to over invest in the statement, and let's try to make some commitments, and keep those commitments," Nelms said. "And what we are talking about there is creating an America, a University, where all people can enjoy the fruits of what it means to be an American citizen and what it means to live in a democracy."\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(11/05/03 6:08am)
Speaking to the Bloomington Faculty Council Tuesday, IU President Adam Herbert laid down key elements and a timetable for finding a replacement for IU-Bloomington chancellor and vice president for academic affairs Sharon Brehm.\nBrehm, who announced her resignation last Thursday, will step down from her position Dec. 31. \nHerbert also said he wanted to create a chief academic officer at IU, a position he described as "essential for any major research university to have."\n"All of the campuses want to award a degree that says 'Indiana University,'" Herbert said. "My belief, in that context, is that the chief academic officer must be from (the Bloomington) campus ... What happens on the other campuses has an impact here. If it is an Indiana University degree, there must be some potential impact from this campus on what takes place on the others."\nHerbert also addressed what characteristics he will be looking for in an interim vice president and chancellor.\nHerbert said the selected person should be someone with the confidence of the IU faculty behind him or her, along with a knowledge of some of the history, traditions and organizational structures of IU. The interim chancellor should also be someone who has been a successful senior-level administrator, he added.\n"I see senior level being someone who has had experience at the dean's level or above, who understands something about the dynamics of the institution," he said. "It is difficult to make some of the decisions that have to be made if you haven't had experience at least at the dean's level."\nHerbert said he also will look for someone to aid in developing the position's description for the eventual restructuring of the role.\nHerbert's final areas of concern for the interim chancellor focus primarily on commitment and ability to work with the faculty through this process.\n"I think that the president has shown, in his comments today and in other comments previously, that he has a commitment to involving faculty-governess bodies like the faculty council in all of these discussions," BFC President David Daleke said. "I anticipate us having an active involvement in the description of this new position or how the position might change in the future."\nHerbert also set several guidelines for the selection of the interim chancellor. He said the person selected should hold a faculty appointment -- current or previous -- on the Bloomington campus.\nHerbert made it clear the interim position holder will not be a candidate for the permanent selection to be made next year.\nA decision on who will step into the interim role is expected in the next two weeks, Herbert said. \nFrom there, a search committee will spend the spring semester assessing the role that needs to be filled, and looking into what they want out of potential candidates. Herbert said he expects the process of finding a permanent chancellor to begin in fall 2004, with a final decision coming sometime in late fall or early spring of that school year.\nHerbert said much of this need for restructuring comes as a result of IU once being a University built around personalities as opposed to logical structures. The personal relationships began to guide the decisions being made by the University, he said. \n"Sometimes those relationships transcended the organizational structure ... Over time this was going to be problematic," Herbert said. "As people began to retire, the University would have to come to grips with the fact that it had to have a more coherent structure to guide its operations."\nAnd maximizing efficiency of complex systems is a professed passion of Herbert's.\n"One of the things I am committed to doing is engaging in that kind of process," Herbert said. "Looking very carefully at how we are organized makes sure we are addressing all the needs of the University in a very systematic and responsible fashion."
(10/31/03 6:06am)
IU-Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm will take on a new role at IU after resigning from her position Wednesday.\nBrehm will officially step down as chancellor Dec. 31 and become a senior adviser to President Adam Herbert, while also conducting studies on women in higher education. She will continue to teach a course for Wells Scholars.\n"After she asked to step down, I immediately asked her if she would agree to become senior adviser to the president," Herbert said. "I think that she has had a set of experiences that can be very valuable to me as we go through this very thoughtful and analytical process."\nAs senior adviser, Brehm will assist the president in reviewing the chancellor position along with the role of vice president for academic affairs.\n"I will talk to the president throughout the year and help him as he does his administrative reviews," Brehm said. "I am eager to be of assistance."\nBrehm will continue to receive the same salary of $261,375 for the rest of her contract. She is currently two-and-a-half years into her five-year contract.\nIn her research, Brehm will visit existing centers and institutes that address women in higher education with hopes of creating a similar institute or program at IU.\n"Most of these centers focus on women in higher education only in America," Brehm said. "I think cross-cultural comparisons are particularly important."\nOnce all her data is compiled, she will prepare a report for Herbert.\n"I think it is an important project that she is working on with women in higher education," said Moya Andrews, vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of the faculties. "I think that is something that Chancellor Brehm cares deeply about and is well qualified to research. It is a wonderful project, because there aren't a lot of women in higher-level positions in higher education."\nBrehm also will begin teaching a class in psychology in 2005.\n"I am going to have to tool up and get ready to get back in the classroom," Brehm said. "They are going to expect me to be ready to go."\nBrehm has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Duke University. \n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(10/28/03 6:19am)
Last week Congressman Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., proposed a bill that would punish universities for excessive tuition increases.\nThe bill limits a university from raising its tuition more than two times the inflation rate or federal-aid money would be restricted. \nWhile the bill still has a long way to go before it becomes a law, the positives and negatives of the proposal have already been assessed by many IU officials.\n"The parts providing for more transparency on tuitions are probably positive," said IU Vice President for Governmental Affairs John Walda. "The proposal for the demonstration project is a possible way to explore methods of cost control."\nWalda said the problems arise when comparing tuition-increase needs to inflation. If the bill's limit is exceeded, the school would be forced to create a "management plan." If two more years pass and the school remains out of compliance with its management plan, it would be forced to release accounting of all costs and expenditures and would be placed on "affordability alert status." \nThe next step would be the removal of federal funding.\nBut some congressmen say this bill could hurt more than help. \n"The cost controls instituted by the federal government could equate to the removal of government programs to assist lower income and minority students," said a spokesman for Congressman Baron Hill, D-Ind., "That is not the answer."\nState funding for universities has steadily dropped in recent years, and Walda said he could envision days of the state depleting funding all together. He said this would lead to tuition increases being over the inflation rate for years at a time. \nCiting hard economic times and rising costs, the IU board of trustees has increased tuition by nine percent in 2002 and another four percent for the current school year. \nBut IU has been on the lower end of these hikes as many schools have seen increases in the double digits, some even close to 20 percent.\n"(Low tuition cost) is always a goal," said board of trustees President Fred Eichhorn. "But it is also always a goal to maintain and enhance the quality of the University."\nSeveral areas of IU would be affected if the bill were to pass. \nWalda said the removal of non-academic costs from the budget would likely occur, along with out-sourcing certain services and cutting benefits for employees and students. He said the University already has started out-sourcing campus services, like the Residential Programs and Services for dining.\nThe bill still has to go through the committee process and then get prepared for the floor. From there, it will wait until leadership brings it up. \nWhile many agree on the positives of more transparency in the cost of education, some fear that with the growing independence of universities from state funding, placing federal limitations would be too much to ask.\n "It would be a giant leap to transfer this to the federal government and could be a very dangerous concept," Walda said.\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(10/27/03 5:10am)
For the second straight year, the IU ticket office has reduced the number of men's basketball tickets included in the season ticket package. \nAfter originally advertising 12 games in their student ticket package, the ticket office has cut that number down to eight after demand exceeded expectations. Some students have already received their refund of $44 on their credit cards.\n"IU basketball is a high demand product," Assistant Media Relations Director Pete Rhoda said. "We don't want anyone to get shut out."\nThe change comes as a result of nearly 11,500 students purchasing the season tickets. Student seating in Assembly Hall is limited to 7,800.\n"We wanted to make sure that everyone sees the same amount of games," Rhoda said.\nStudents had to deal with the decision to cut the ticket amounts last year too, as the originally promised 10 tickets was dropped to six or seven. Despite the fact that students will still be receiving one more game than last year, some aren't taking the decision lightly.\n"I don't really understand how this could happen, especially two years in a row," freshman Dave Tendering said. "I just don't get why they would promise the students one thing, only to go back on their word like that. And after seeing it happen last year, you would think they would have learned."\nRhoda said the ticket office made a prediction as to the number of students that would purchase tickets before selecting the number of tickets to include in the package, and unfortunately, their prediction was exceeded.\n"We had to take a business standpoint," Rhoda said. "(The number) was based on past years, and if it exceeds that number, we make the necessary changes."\nWhile some students are unhappy with the decision, when the alternatives are put into perspective, others said it seems like the lesser of two evils.\n"I would rather have this than no tickets at all," freshman Mike Nilles said. "I think there would be a lot more upset people if they did a raffle or seniority. Sure it stinks that we have less tickets, but with eight games you are still bound to get quite a few good ones."\nWith eight out of the Hoosiers' 13 home games being against Big Ten opponents, students certainly will not miss all the Big Ten action. That, combined with the fact that several of the non-conference home games feature talented teams like Missouri, Temple and Butler, should provide students with a majority of quality games despite the reduction. But worries still arise when the possibility of missing a big-time match-up becomes an issue.\n"Coming from Illinois, all that I really care about is getting to see that game," freshman Chase Weigt said. "If the U of I game isn't in my ticket package, I am going to be even angrier about this whole situation."\nWith the season kicking off Nov. 21 against UNC-Greensboro, students can expect to find out which games they received within a few weeks.\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(10/24/03 5:41am)
It is the time of year when many students realize the mistakes they made a couple months ago upon signing up for classes -- and the add/drop process begins.\nStudents rush to their given advisers, most dropping out of their math classes that they "just don't get." This raises the questions of whether students are properly prepared for college and how IU brings those students back up to speed.\nIn areas such as math, IU offers preparatory classes that are not for credit but work with the purpose of getting students caught up to the basic college level. Last fall, nearly 1,440 IU students took one of the three preparatory courses in math -- M014, M018 or M025. That number was cut in half in the spring. This number is significantly lower than the statistic from the National Center for Education Statistics, which says that 35 percent of first- and second-year students take some sort of remedial course, of which nearly three-fourths are in the area of math.\n"In comparison to the Big Ten, that (statistic) is not really out of line," Dean of Faculties for the Math department Linda McKinley said. "But if you look at schools like branch campuses, they are almost 80 percent remedial."\nWhere a student is placed in the math program depends heavily on the results of his or her math skills assessment test taken during orientation. The test was designed 25 years ago by the math department to cover the full range of courses from M025 through M211, McKinley said. While IU chooses the placement test method, other schools will often simply look at scores on the math portions of either the ACT or SAT.\nWhile IU offers several classes for students to take in order to get caught up, too often students are scared away by the fact that they receive no credit and end up getting in over their heads.\n"There is quite a bit offered (at IU) if students can accept that the road to success leads to taking preparatory classes early," University Division adviser Margaret Baechtold said. "Too often students don't take the right class and fall behind. If they can be realistic, it can get them on a path to success."\nThe fact that every individual works at different levels in high school makes it difficult to tell whether or not high schools are to blame for students falling behind, but certain trends seem to be more noticeable.\n"I think a lot of high schools present the material as is," said Jennifer Hamblit of the Academic Support Center. "When they get (to IU), trying to apply the idea outside of what they learned it in is where the problem is caused. They understand the concept, but the trouble is going beyond it."\nOutside of preparatory classes, IU offers an extensive amount of student support to those who need help in a given area. For classes such as M025, the Academic Support Centers on campus try to focus on a lot of group work, Hamblit said. Certain nights the centers will issue problem solving worksheets where students can stay for a full hour and work through different problem-solving concepts.\n"I think high schools just need to push students to take as much math as they can and make them write, not just in English but all classes," Baechtold said. "Coming with a more complete background makes it easier."\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(10/22/03 6:05am)
The athletics department will offer tickets online beginning with the 2004 football season after recently switching its ticketing software to Ticketmaster.\nIU has switched its system over to a program known as Archtix from the Ticketmaster company. The new system, while it will offer nothing new to students this year, should act as a stepping stone toward a more Web-based process of obtaining season tickets for football and basketball.\n"Right now it makes no change," said IU Ticket Manager Mike Roberts. "We hope to have the full implement of the system in place within a year and have students be able to go online and get tickets."\nThe office's existing software was going to be discontinued, and that prompted the ticket office to begin looking at sources for its new system, Roberts said. With few options available, the decision was made to switch its system to Archtix and build off of that.\n"Basically, right now, they are just using our equipment and software to sell their tickets," said Janeen Woelfer of Ticketmaster in Bloomington. "They are using things like our printers. They can build accounts and set up a building manifest for the football stadium."\nThe new system also helps to handle accounting and other aspects of customer service. While the exact price difference for the new system was not given, Roberts said the department's aim is to keep service fees under the new system in line with those that already exist.\nIn addition to students being able to purchase season tickets entirely online, another goal is to get to the point where students' tickets can be sent via e-mail. They would be able to purchase their tickets online, even with a group, and also be able to receive those tickets in their e-mail as opposed to picking them up from the ticket office.\n"I like the idea of not having to go out to the office to buy the tickets and again to pick them up," freshman Chase Weigt said. "I know we weren't able to get our entire group together this year because we couldn't all make it to the ticket office together."\nDespite the fact that tickets will be more available over the Internet, students should not worry about losing seats. The allotment of 7,800 student seats at basketball games, set up by the athletics department several years ago, will not be altered under the new system. The online aspect of the new software should work more like other schools' system to benefit those simply looking for a ticket to one game.\n"At (the University of Illinois), students who want season tickets have to come to the box office and show ID," said Chris Rogers of the U of I ticket office. "The general public can get a single ticket online at fightingillini.com."\nShort term, however, students shouldn't see too much change in the way they receive or buy their tickets. The ticket office simply hopes the switch to Ticketmaster will help make things easier in the future.\n"The student basketball sale is complete," Roberts said. "We aim to have the online ticket sales ready for football season next year."\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(10/20/03 6:45am)
IU scratched and battled for over two hours and 255 points worth of volleyball Saturday night. Despite one of its better efforts of the season, the team fell just short losing the match to Wisconsin 29-31, 31-29, 30-19, 27-30, 15-12.\nThe team put together some of its biggest numbers of the season, following the lead of senior middle blocker Melissa Brewer, junior outside hitter Christina Archibald, junior middle Katie Pollom and junior setter Victoria Zimmerman. Brewer, Pollom and Archibald combined for 52 kills, and Zimmerman tallied up 58 assists on the night.\n"Christina is like the energy," Zimmerman said. "She swings incredibly hard, and anytime she gets a kill it just pumps everyone up. Pollom can hit through a double block and get a kill. I don't know how she does it, but she does."\nThe team found itself fighting to stay in the match all night, coming back from several early leads by the Badgers and then coming back to force a fifth game.\n"It was a great effort," IU coach Katie Weismiller said. "We are so close, we just need a break. If we could catch one break, this team could be on fire."\nHitting percentage has been key for the Hoosiers all season, and it proved to be the case once again. The team hit for a .275 percentage in its Game 1 win, only to be followed by percentages of .213 and .114. In the fourth game, the Hoosiers hit for a very productive .471, and finished the match with an overall percentage of .275. Much of the production starts with good passing to allow Zimmerman to find one-on-one situations for her hitters.\n"It's been easier for me to see where the block is because our passing has been better and has been consistently getting me on the net," Zimmerman said. "I don't have to worry about where the ball is going to be, and I can just watch the block."\nJust days after moving into first place in the IU record book for block assists, Brewer was able to add five more to her career total to go along with her 18 kills.\n"I credit my team first of all. Without them I wouldn't be anywhere near all of that," Brewer said. "That and just the opportunity coach Katie has given me to play since my freshman year."\nArchibald led the team with 19 kills while capturing three service aces and seven digs. Pollom added 15 kills of her own with an astounding .545 hitting percentage. Junior defensive specialist Beth Heimann's 16 digs led the team. \n"I wish we could suit up and play tomorrow," Weismiller said. "Because this team is ready, they just need a break. It's going to happen, we just need it to happen soon."\nThe Hoosiers now begin a four-game road trip as they travel to Northwestern Friday and Illinois Saturday. The team next comes home Friday, Nov. 7, against Penn State.\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(10/17/03 5:41am)
The Smiley morning radio show, hosted by Dave Smiley heard on 99.5 WZPL in Indianapolis, will be coming to IU as a part of its campus invasion tour.\nThe group has already been to Ball State University, Purdue University and Butler University and they are wrapping the tour up from 5 to 10 a.m. today in the Indiana Memorial Union.\n"Smiley never got the chance to go to college," said the show's producer Brian Moore. "We thought we would let him go around and act like he is 19 again."\nThe show is scheduled to feature several different walks of life from around the IU campus including members of the Union Board and representatives from the football and cheerleading squads. Assistant basketball coach Dane Fife will also be on the show to discuss Midnight Madness.\n"We are just going to be looking at what makes IU so special," Moore said. "Our show is so different because Smiley is a 32-year-old guy, and you would expect him to know something about sports, but he really doesn't know what's going on."\nAlong with the sports-related guests on the show, they will also welcome several vocalists from the IU Soul Revue to put on a performance. \n"The kids are very excited," said IU Soul Revue director Tyron Cooper. "Kids that age are always excited to be involved with the media and express their talents."\nThose in attendance will be able to register to win 10-packs of CDs along with other prizes, Moore said.\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(10/16/03 6:00am)
The atmosphere of many lecture classes tends to be the same somber, sometimes groggy group of students listening to a professor lecture. \nBut throw a news camera in the picture, and suddenly students begin to participate left and right.\nIn IU's new "The (Sur)Real World of Reality TV" course, the reality of TV has been unexpectedly evident with local and national media expressing interest.\nTelecommunications professor Herb Terry said he selected this topic to teach how to take advantage of the national hype of reality TV and give it an academic spin.\nBut he said the recent buzz surrounding his course has given students a firsthand look at how media works. With a camera in the room, it gives students the chance to see how differently people act when on TV, he said.\nWTHR-Channel 13 reporter David MacAnally came to Terry's class Wednesday to talk with students about how the course has changed their view of television. \n"(The class) got their first experience of what it is like to have a camera wandering around while you're trying to behave normal," Terry said.\nMacAnally is just one of many reporters to contact Terry about his new class. Terry said he has heard from VH1, Indianapolis Monthly and other radio and television stations and newspapers about doing stories.\nMacAnally said he's working on the story because he wants to find how the class has changed students' views of reality television.\n"We thought that the whole idea of reality TV and the phenomena has interested a lot of people," MacAnally said. "And to see that academia was taking an interest, not just the viewer, and trying to get at why people are interested -- that caught our eye."\nAs the semester continues, members of Terry's course might not be simply learning about reality TV, but might also have an opportunity to participate in it. Terry said he expects the media's interest in his course "to go on for a while."\nTerry isn't the only one who noticed a change in the class since the media invasion. Students in COAS S104 have noticed an increase in participation from everyone.\n"It definitely changed the class. People were much more involved with the camera around," freshman Christie Quattrini said. "Today was kind of the reality of all the attention."\nTerry teaches the freshman seminar topics course to focus on not just reality TV, but the economics, political science, ethics, law and culture behind it all. He said he wants to help his students find an area of interest to study through popular topics in society.\n"I don't care what these people major in," Terry said. "But they will see there are a whole bunch of different ways of looking at the same phenomena."\nTerry also is looking to start a new living/learning center tentatively known as the Global Living/Learning Center, which he hopes to have opened by the fall. He said this would then be tied into his fall seminar addressing how the rest of the world views the U.S. presidential election.\n"What I try to find is these topics that the students may have some interest in, but then to try to work them into an academic context," Terry said. "I am constantly on the lookout for sorts of topics that students can resonate with, but can have different academic takes on them."\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(10/15/03 5:57am)
The Interfraternity Council placed another suspension on Pi Kappa Phi fraternity Tuesday night, preventing it from participating in any IFC-sponsored activity. \nThe University handed down a similar punishment late last week, one week after a pledge was hospitalized with alcohol poisoning.\n"We anticipated it," said Pi Kappa Phi President Mitch Stayer, a senior. "It is the same decision as the University and National Chapter."\nThe fraternity will now wait until a hearing date is set and it receives the official charges against it. Dean of Students Richard McKaig said at that point, the evidence from the investigation will be presented and the Greek Judicial Board will make its recommendation to him. This is the first situation involving the suspension of a fraternity this year.\nSophomore pledge Lucas Temple was hospitalized for alcohol poisoning after an organized fraternity event known as "Big Brother Night." Members of the fraternity, including Stayer, took the student to the hospital early on Oct. 3.\n"It was an extremely unfortunate incident," said IFC President Evan Waldman, a senior. "We do commend (Pi Kapps) for making the right decision and taking the individual to the hospital."\nIU Police Department officers questioned members of the fraternity at the hospital. Members initially claimed to not know where the student came from, but the members of the fraternity returned to the police the next day to turn themselves in, Stayer said.\n"We understood that in taking the individual to the hospital, we would be susceptible to repercussions," Stayer said. "We want to spread awareness about situations like this. We fear that others would think twice about taking someone to the hospital. If I had to do it all again, I would respond the same way."\nWaldman said the focal points discussed included the manner in which the fraternity handled the situation, its willingness to comply with officials and its prior record in the greek community. All of these factors played into the decision-making process, he said.\nWaldman said Pi Kappa Phi has had a positive influence on the community in the past. This summer its Bloomington chapter won best chapter out of more than 140 national chapters, he said.\nWaldman said further punishment beyond suspension was not chosen because of its history in community.\n"We have been a strong leader on campus for many years, and last year we ranked second in GPA," Stayer said. "Our strong reputation will help us get through this, and we are looking forward to being able to return to philanthropy and leadership positions on campus."\nWaldman said the fraternity has been proactive in addressing the situation.\n"Pi Kappa Phi has such a strong reputation with the Interfraternity Council, the IU community and their national greek organization," he said.\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(10/14/03 6:12am)
Just as many students are beginning to get accustomed to the dorm lifestyle at IU, Mother Nature has decided to throw in another variable.\nMost have gotten used to the long walks, a snoring roommate and even the occasional cockroach they may see near the laundry room. \nBut the bug problem has recently taken on an entirely different meaning.\nThe weather has warmed up, and the insect commonly known as the ladybug has taken over IU. Actually named the "Asian Ladybird Beetle," the little spotted bugs have been wreaking havoc on students whether they are walking to class, trying to eat or just attempting to spend some time in their rooms.\n"Honestly, I think I killed over 15 in an hour the other night," freshman Chase Weigt said. "I think they may be coming in the air conditioner or something. All I do know is that every time I kill one, it seems like another just takes its place."\nThe bugs originally come from Korea and were brought to the country by our own government.\n"(The bugs) were introduced a number of years ago by the (U.S. Department of Agriculture) to biologically control aphids," IU Entomologist Dr. Marc Lame said. "(USDA) thought they would be OK, but they got going slow and the USDA forgot about them."\nIt was only a matter of time, however, before the bugs began to grow in numbers. And as Lame put it, "once they got going, they got going great."\n"They turned out to be much better competition than our own ladybugs, and it turns out that they love this part of the world," Lame said. "They are a much worse pest now than the pests they were brought in to alleviate."\nDespite the name, these bugs are not very "lady-like." Though the myth that these bugs are bad luck to kill isn't necessarily true, ladybugs seem to be using that myth to their advantage to get away with whatever they please. The bugs can bite, produce noxious odors and even cause allergic reaction. \n"I don't care about that old tale about bad luck," freshman Mike Nilles said. "I'll kill them with mirrors if I have to. They are just ridiculous."\nThe reason why so many of the beetles are out now is because this breed requires a frost before going into dispersal. After the past few weeks' chilly weather and now the sudden warmth, it is prime season for an entourage of beetles.\n"They are looking for cracks and crevices for the winter," Lame said.\nAs for methods of destroying these seemingly "super bugs," that is left up to the imagination and frustration level of the beetle's victims. While rolled up newspapers, books, pesticides, shoes and even your own hand provide for instant death to the winged beasts, sophomore Roni Parshall may have found the best method to dispose of the beetles without any gooey messes or bug carcasses to clean up afterward.\n"I've got a dust buster that has become a necessity in my room," Parshall said. "My bed is lofted and they just fall from the ceiling. It's my only line of defense."\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(10/14/03 6:03am)
To many students, the recent string of cold-like infections and viruses is an "outbreak" and seems to stop at nothing to infect every person on campus.\nBut campus health officials say this is a normal occurrence every year.\nStill, strep throat, among other bacterial and viral infections, tends to get picked up and passed around quicker by students than a box of free pizza. \nThis has many students either coughing, sneezing or complaining about how horrible they feel. \nAccording to Dr. Hugh Jessop from the Health Center, there is a perfectly good reason for this.\n"We are getting into that window of midterm exams," Jessop said. "Students, especially freshmen, didn't plan very well and they do the nighttime study sessions or write their papers late in the evening. They get exhausted and stressed out, and this just exacerbates how susceptible they are to infection."\nSo far this year people have visited the campus Health Center about as much as last year, but trends seem to be commonplace at the center, Jessop said.\n"We get into October and our volume goes up," Jessop said. "Mondays are always busier than any other day, too."\nWith dorm-life throwing thousands of students in close vicinity of one another, air-born viruses tend to be the most common transferred diseases. Many students catch a sickness and claim to have the flu, said Jessop, but most often it is just a simple cold.\n"I have been sick pretty often lately," freshman Dave Tendering said. "I never really know exactly what I have. I just know that if someone on my hall has got it, I will have it soon enough."\nMany diseases have to do with people sharing things as well, Jessop said. Whether it is sharing a drink or a cigarette at a party, it is the quick contact that allows for just about anything to be transferred that much easier. \n"If someone coughs and then puts their hand on the basket of forks at the food court or something like that, things can spread," freshman Heather Ganyard said.\nStudents who suffer from more cold-like symptoms, such as coughing or sneezing, most likely do not suffer from strep throat, but those who have a severely sore throat, swollen tonsils, difficulty swallowing or a fever should be more cautious.\nJessop said making sure to take care of yourself and getting enough sleep can be the most effective defenses against sickness. \n"Once you have it for about 48 hours, there is no real need for the antibiotic anymore," Jessop said. "The body will take care of it itself."\n Visit the Health Center at 600 N. Jordan Ave. or contact them at 855-4011.\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(10/13/03 5:43am)
The Hoosiers came back home this weekend looking to turn things around after two road losses to Ohio State and Penn State last weekend. This Homecoming weekend, however, would prove to be the end of IU's five-match winning streak in the University Gym as Michigan and Michigan State each were able to capture victories.\nWhen the weekend began, IU found itself in a five-way tie for fourth place in the Big Ten with a 2-2 record. Two of the teams tied with IU were coming into Bloomington for the match, and the weekend could set a pace for the Big Ten season.\n"(The Big Ten) is strong as always, and I think people are starting to peak right now," IU coach Katie Weismiller said. "We need to step it up. Everybody else is, and that's what we need to do. I think the Big Ten is much better now than it was during the preseason."\nAfter a poor hitting performance against Michigan, the Hoosiers looked to step up their level of play against Michigan State and were able to do just that when the match got under way. IU was able to take the first game 30-26, led by junior middle blocker Katie Pollom's seven kills and three block assists.\nThe Spartans quickly turned it around on IU as they took the next three games consecutively and won the match 26-30, 30-25, 30-26, 30-25. \n"This loss is really tough," Weismiller said. "We have a lot of talent. We are just not getting it done right now."\nThe Hoosiers did show signs of some improvement as their hitting and defense both indicated that they were on the rise. Pollom and junior outside hitter Christina Archibald along with senior middle blocker Melissa Brewer and senior outside hitter Monique Pritz all reached double digits in kills, and freshman outside hitter Katy Jo Mroski added in with a career high eight kills and a .417 hitting percentage.\n"I just tried to come into the game and do my best," Mroski said. "I try to get everyone fired up by getting a block or a kill that could bring up momentum."\nJunior setter Victoria Zimmerman made a solid contribution with 57 assists during the match. \nDespite the loss, the performance against the Spartans was a definite step up after a match against the Michigan Wolverines that resulted in a .088 hitting percentage and a straight set loss. \nSophomore middle blocker Mandy Eberle was able to contribute her part, going three of four on her attacks and went on to explain some of the team's hitting woes.\n"I think in practice we are really working hard on hitting shots and just being consistent and not making as many errors," Eberle said. "I think we just really need to focus on the mental aspect of the game."\nThe Wolverines were able to take the games 30-23, 30-22, 30-23. Archibald led the team with 14 kills and was the only person besides Eberle to hit over .300 on the night. Junior libero Beth Heimann and freshman libero Lindsay Cochrane were both able to help out the team on defense, combining for 37 digs in the two games. \n"I would say the biggest thing we need to do right now is to get a consistent performance from everyone," Weismiller said. "We are doing a little better job of limiting our unforced errors, but we have to be an aggressive team."\nThe Hoosiers will look to turn things around in the Big Ten as they face rival Purdue Wednesday at Purdue.\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(10/13/03 5:25am)
IU suspended Pi Kappa Phi fraternity Friday, one week after a 19-year-old sophomore pledge was hospitalized with alcohol poisoning.\nThe suspension prohibits the chapter from participating in any social activities until the investigation is done and the judicial process is completed, said Dean of Students Richard McKaig.\nSophomore Lucas Temple, who was pledging the fraternity, was hospitalized with alcohol poisoning early on Oct. 3 after an organized event at the fraternity known as Big Brother Night, according to police. Temple has since been released from the hospital.\nThe Interfraternity Council will meet early this week to investigate the matter and make its recommendation to McKaig.\nIU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger said the situation arose when officers were called to Bloomington Hospital concerning a young man who was severely intoxicated and had black marker all over his body. The student had been brought to the hospital by members of the Pi Kappa Phi house, including house president Mitch Stayer, a senior.\n"The officer was told by the house president that (the student) was intoxicated and he didn't know how he had gotten that way, or where he had been," Minger said.\nPolice said Stayer and several other house members who had brought Temple to the hospital gave the story that they didn't know what had happened.\nOfficer Scott Dunning, who led the investigation, went back to the house the next day to ask more questions. After speaking with house members again, Dunning determined that Temple had been at the house and consumed the alcohol there.\nAlthough Temple told police he was not forced to drink, he said he did drink at the house, Minger said.\nSophomore Andrew Trail, sophomore Kyle Walton and Stayer were cited for false informing, while sophomore Carl Di Girolomo and junior Corey Rzepka were cited with furnishing alcohol to a minor, police said.\nFrom there, disciplinary measures were left to the University.\n"Our initial concern was for the young man and that he was receiving the care he needed," McKaig said. "The frat members did the right thing."\nMcKaig added that he hopes the judicial process can get initiated within the next few weeks. Once a formal hearing is concluded, a recommendation will be made to the dean whether suspension, probation or closing of the chapter is best.\nInterfraternity Council President Evan Waldman, a senior, said the group plans to look at prior decisions in similar cases. Precedent cases, along with the consideration of the positives the chapter brings to the community will be the basis for deciding on the fate of the fraternity.\n"Without a doubt we will take action," Waldman said. "In no way was the incident congruent with being a member of Pi Kappa Phi or the greek community."\nStayer, the house president, declined to comment, referring to a statement issued by the national Pi Kappa Phi organization. The release said the nationals have also suspended the chapter, pending an investigation.\n"The fraternity is cooperating fully with the authorities in this investigation," Pi Kappa Phi's chief executive officer Mark Timmes said in the statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with our associate member as he recovers and with our students during this difficult time."\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(10/08/03 5:51am)
The admissions office at IU has been flooded with mail lately. \nAs high school seniors across the nation start to plan out their futures, applications for admission come pouring in every day.\nEvery university has to make the choice whether to accept each applicant for enrollment, but the process behind this decision remains a mystery for most.\nAssociate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services Jack Rhodes said, there seems to be a common undermining goal for admission policies at every university.\n"In the end, each institution attempts to gain the most complete picture they can on an applicant with the goal of accessing each individual's potential to succeed," Rhodes said.\nIt comes down to the big three aspects of a given applicants high school career, no matter which school they are applying to, Rhodes said. He said institutions in the Big Ten consistently consider high school units completed, class rank and/or grade point average and standardized test scores, like the SAT and ACT.\nThe difference between the Big Ten schools lies in the desired standards in each of those areas. Schools across the Big Ten set different numbers for their desired class rank or GPA, as well as standardized test scores.\n"The difference in these standards is generally due to the different levels of quality amongst the applicant pool and other characteristics of the institution, such as desired size," Rhodes said.\nUnlike IU, however, several other Big Ten universities place heavier weight on a written personal statement that every applicant has to submit. Institutions like the University of Illinois are moving toward an admission process with a "full-file" review.\n"This is looking at everything, and not necessarily admitting the 4.0 GPA student right away," said Stanley Henderson, associate provost of admissions and records at Illinois. "That student would also need leadership and other qualities found through the personal statement."\nOnce all the applications start piling in, it comes time for them to be reviewed. Each application is reviewed by an admissions director at a university. \nBut for a smaller school like IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis, admissions are done slightly differently than its counterparts.\n"Each application goes through an admissions committee," said Director of Admissions for IUPUI Mike Donahue. "The faculty of the school tells its guidelines, they have the trustees' guidelines."\nAt a school like IUPUI, applicants are directly admitted into the school of their choice, so there are different standards depending on the student's selected major choice. \nOne thing that is notorious with the Big Ten is the size of its schools. A common question is whether caps are placed on the number of students the school will admit. Some universities will place a total cap on the number of students admitted in a given year, while others may only place target numbers on a given school.\n"(The University of Illinois) has targets within each of the colleges," Henderson said.\nIU, on the other hand, is a school that decides not to place these types of restrictions, Rhodes said. However, the University does make attempts to keep the number of students admitted from getting too out of hand, he said.\n"This year and next year we have been asked to bring in a freshman class of approximately 6,750," Rhodes said. "This year we brought in a freshman class of 6,723. If a student meets our written admissions standards, he/she will be admitted to IU."\nDespite the fact that all those who meet the written admission standards are accepted, IU still is able to draw from the upper portions of those limits. Rhodes said resident students tend to rank in the upper half of their class, while those coming from out-of-state are generally in the upper third. Despite those seemingly low numbers, more than 50 percent of the new freshmen were ranked in the top 25 percent in their classes, Rhodes said.\n"Our main goal is to admit students who show the greatest potential to graduate," he said. "An acceptance or denial decision should always be made with the student in mind."\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
(09/29/03 6:51am)
IU has opened the Big Ten portion of its schedule in a fashion not seen since 1997. After upsetting the No. 18-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday night in straight sets, the team carried their success over to Saturday with another straight-set win over Iowa to push their winning streak to five consecutive matches.\n"It was a great weekend," said coach Katie Weismiller. "We had tough competition, but the plus was that we were at home. Any win in the Big Ten is a big win, but to sweep a weekend and open up that way, hopefully it's going to give us some momentum into the rest of the Big Ten season."\nThe Hoosiers carried over the momentum they picked up in the finals of the IU Credit Union Invitational, where they came back from being down 0-2 against Western Kentucky to take the match. Since that deficit, IU has torn off nine straight games as they swept both opponents this weekend.\n"(The Western Kentucky game) gave us a big character check, and I think when we started the Big Ten, we realized that we have to go out and we have to play hard. Nobody is going to roll over and die," Weismiller said.\nIU jumped out right away against the favored Gophers, riding behind the efficient hitting of senior Monique Pritz, who was three of three for kills in the first game, and finished with eight of her nine attacks going for kills.\nThe Hoosiers were carried by their efficient hitting all night, committing only 15 hitting errors as opposed to their 47 kills\n"I was just going up there to terminate," Pritz said. "Victoria (Zimmerman) did a great job of getting one on one's for us."\nThe team was in control throughout the first two games, capturing them 30-22 and 30-25. Minnesota, however, wouldn't go down easily as they fought the Hoosiers hard in game three, forcing IU to play from behind for the first time all night. But errors -- 12 in the first game alone -- proved costly for the Gophers, as they fell 34-32 to IU.\n"We were fired up," Weismiller said. "The Big Ten is tough, and we know that, it was just time to put it all together."\nIn the second game of the weekend, Iowa came out swinging, going up 5-1 right away, pushing IU right to the end as the Hoosiers ended up taking the game 30-27. After the close call in game one, however, the Hoosiers, led by senior Melissa Brewer, focused and began to step up their play. The hitting duo of Brewer and junior Christina Archibald combined for 27 kills and four and a half blocks, as Zimmerman spread the ball around for 40 assists.\n"After last night, I was just so proud of my team," Brewer said. "This is my senior year, and this is the time to do it. I've just got so much support behind me and we've got the most energetic team I have ever been with."\nThe Hoosiers took games two and three both 30-19, increasing their hitting percentage with each game, and ending up with a total of 52 kills. Junior Katie Pollom and sophomore Ashley White each racked up eight kills, while junior Beth Heimann, freshman Lindsay Cochrane and Archibald led the way defensively combining for 26 of the team's 43 digs. Senior Nikki Hill also added in with three service aces, and five over the whole weekend.\n"Everyone is just really, really excited about the season, and we just can't wait to get out there," White said. \nWhile the team has gotten off to its best start in the Big Ten in six years, the goals for the season are still the same.\n"One point, one game, one match at a time," Weismiller said. "We are always striving to do our best."\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.
