79 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(02/22/05 6:14am)
More visa reforms are on their way. And this time, the price tag is $500 a pop.\nBeginning March 8, a new federal law will require every international scholar's visa application to include an extra $500 check -- on top of the original $185 fee. The government will use the new fee to prevent and detect fraudulent applications. \nThe additional cost could affect the number of foreign professors and researchers that universities hire because the new fee pertains only to H-1B-classifed visas, a type that is used mainly by academic institutions. \nLast year, IU-Bloomington paid approximately $36,000 in H-1B visa application fees for about 130 international employees. Increasing the cost by $500 for each application would amount to more than $100,000 for the same number of applicants. \nSome colleges are worried the extra cost will force them to hire fewer foreign workers. But IU isn't as concerned.\nCharlie Bankart, assistant director for Scholar Services in the Office of International Services, said the same bill that requires the new $500 fee features beneficial changes that could offset the cost.\nWhen applying for an H-1B visa, employers like IU are required by the U.S. Department of Labor to express a wage commitment to the foreign worker. Before the newest reforms, there were only two wage levels. Now there are four, and institutions like IU won't be forced to promise higher salaries.\n"If someone had 12 months of experience, they were immediately put in the higher tier, which is a difference of $10,000 to $20,000," Bankart said. "We were having to increase the salary being offered above and beyond what was intended just to meet Department of Labor requirements."\nThe bill also eliminates a policy requiring universities to match standard industry wages, which could save colleges a lot of money. \n"IU will not be compared to Eli Lilly anymore," he said. "The nice thing about that is we no longer have the benchmark raised so high because of highly competitive industry standards. It will be more in line with what other universities are paying."\nThe Chronicle of Higher Education reported some universities will begin filing J-1 visa applications, which are similar to H-1Bs, to avoid the $500 fee. But a J-1 visa is only valid for three years, as opposed to the H-1B visa's possible six, and foreign scholars with J-1s are unable to file for permanent residence in the United States.\nBankart said he understands the new $500 plays "a critical role" in a changing immigration world, but he is puzzled as to why the H-1B visa is specifically targeted. The H-1B is not an easier classification to obtain, he said. Bankart is also unsure why the new fee is being implemented March 8 -- in the middle of the fiscal year.\n"It's been an exceptional thing in many respects," he said. "Usually there's a period before, and that's not happened. We've only been given a month or so to make adjustments."\nThe money appropriated from the anti-fraud fee will be placed into an "H-1B and L Fraud Prevention and Detection Account." According to the bill (H.R. 4818), the account will be split evenly between the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Labor and the State Department. Each department will use the money to achieve one goal: to prevent and detect fraudulent applicants. \n-- Contact Staff Writer Christina Galoozis at cgaloozi@indiana.edu.
(02/10/05 5:00am)
Everyone has dreaded February 14 at some point in their lives.\nIn elementary school, wondering which boy or girl would give you the "I love you" instead of "I like you" valentine created butterflies in the stomach for days. \nIn high school, not receiving a carnation -- even from your best friend -- meant your entire day was downhill from homeroom period.\nBut in college, the ones who have the most anxiety about Valentine's Day probably have a significant other because it can be expensive -- very expensive. And quite often the priciest part of the red holiday will just die in a few days: the roses.\nSo why do we give each other flowers on Valentine's Day? Most people who do it don't even know why. Sophomore Louis Polychronos bought roses for his now ex-girlfriend on Valentine's Day each year. \n"I don't understand why I get girls flowers, they're just going to wilt up and die," he said. "But I know they like them, so I do it anyway."\nGiving flowers to a sweetheart on Valentine's Day originated in the 1600s. Roses became particularly popular because it was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, according to www.findflowers.co.uk. \nEllis Floral, which has been in Bloomington since 1919, sold about 160 dozen roses during last year's holiday. Ellis employee Amanda Schaffer said they will only receive about 90 dozen roses for this year's Valentine's Day and doesn't know what kind of business to expect since the store moved in June. \nMatt Ellis said the red rose has been the No. 1 selling flower during his 30 years at the floral shop. During the holiday, the price of a dozen roses can reach $90. Schaffer said students make up a large part of Ellis' business, and they're easy customers because they're not picky. Perhaps this is why many guys say they're afraid to buy something other than roses.\n"I guess I would consider something other than roses, but I wouldn't know what to get," Polychronos said. "A dozen roses are easy and just about every girl likes them."\nSenior Steve Arvidson and junior Joe Reitan said they would only consider buying a different flower if the girl has expressed an interest in something particular.\nBut there are other flowers that can say "I love you" -- or even have a better meaning for your intentions. Like red roses, red tulips, asters and orchids are declarations of love.\nFor long-distance relationships, striped carnations and pink camellias say, "Sorry I can't be with you." Some flowers have very specific meanings, like the spider flower that says, "Elope with me." \nSending anonymous flowers is an option for singles that are in love from a distance. Gardenias are known as the "secret love" flowers, but Schaffer said Ellis doesn't often see orders from secret admirers, and sometimes they're required by law to reveal the sender's identity if the receiver asks.\nEven the color and arrangement of roses have different meanings. Giving a girl red and white roses resembles unity, a single red rose means, "I simply love you," long-stemmed roses say, "I will remember you always," and roses of assorted colors mean, "You're everything to me."\nWhatever their meaning, giving any flower is one of the most popular ways to say you care.
(02/09/05 6:09am)
Everyone has dreaded February 14 at some point in their lives.\nIn elementary school, wondering which boy or girl would give you the "I love you" instead of "I like you" valentine created butterflies in the stomach for days. \nIn high school, not receiving a carnation -- even from your best friend -- meant your entire day was downhill from homeroom period.\nBut in college, the ones who have the most anxiety about Valentine's Day probably have a significant other because it can be expensive -- very expensive. And quite often the priciest part of the red holiday will just die in a few days: the roses.\nSo why do we give each other flowers on Valentine's Day? Most people who do it don't even know why. Sophomore Louis Polychronos bought roses for his now ex-girlfriend on Valentine's Day each year. \n"I don't understand why I get girls flowers, they're just going to wilt up and die," he said. "But I know they like them, so I do it anyway."\nGiving flowers to a sweetheart on Valentine's Day originated in the 1600s. Roses became particularly popular because it was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, according to www.findflowers.co.uk. \nEllis Floral, which has been in Bloomington since 1919, sold about 160 dozen roses during last year's holiday. Ellis employee Amanda Schaffer said they will only receive about 90 dozen roses for this year's Valentine's Day and doesn't know what kind of business to expect since the store moved in June. \nMatt Ellis said the red rose has been the No. 1 selling flower during his 30 years at the floral shop. During the holiday, the price of a dozen roses can reach $90. Schaffer said students make up a large part of Ellis' business, and they're easy customers because they're not picky. Perhaps this is why many guys say they're afraid to buy something other than roses.\n"I guess I would consider something other than roses, but I wouldn't know what to get," Polychronos said. "A dozen roses are easy and just about every girl likes them."\nSenior Steve Arvidson and junior Joe Reitan said they would only consider buying a different flower if the girl has expressed an interest in something particular.\nBut there are other flowers that can say "I love you" -- or even have a better meaning for your intentions. Like red roses, red tulips, asters and orchids are declarations of love.\nFor long-distance relationships, striped carnations and pink camellias say, "Sorry I can't be with you." Some flowers have very specific meanings, like the spider flower that says, "Elope with me." \nSending anonymous flowers is an option for singles that are in love from a distance. Gardenias are known as the "secret love" flowers, but Schaffer said Ellis doesn't often see orders from secret admirers, and sometimes they're required by law to reveal the sender's identity if the receiver asks.\nEven the color and arrangement of roses have different meanings. Giving a girl red and white roses resembles unity, a single red rose means, "I simply love you," long-stemmed roses say, "I will remember you always," and roses of assorted colors mean, "You're everything to me."\nWhatever their meaning, giving any flower is one of the most popular ways to say you care.
(02/03/05 5:20am)
When you first walk through the doors of MetroWear on Morton Street, don't be surprised if you feel like you've just stepped out of a teleportation machine. \nThe newly opened store that sells upscale men's clothing and skincare products looks -- and feels -- like something you would find in the streets of New York City or Chicago. \nAnd that is exactly what owners Branden and Nikki Johnson intended.\n"It's good to have the store laid out so when someone walks in the door, before they even look at any of our products, they're impressed," Branden said. "What we're really trying to combine is the feeling that the store gives off with the kind of clothing and kind of products that we sell."\nThis concept, formally called visual merchandising, isn't a tool businesses have recently discovered -- it's been around for a while. But the concept is rapidly gaining popularity in a society driven by consumerism and excess stuff.\nHeather Akou, assistant professor in the apparel merchandising department, said stores have to think of new ways to get people to buy their stuff because most products on the market are fairly unnecessary luxuries.\n"This country has way more retail stores than we need, we have way more clothes and electronics than anyone could ever possibly use," Akou said. "So how are they going to get you to buy more stuff that you really don't need?"\nMetroWear is a model for how visual merchandising can determine the success of a store. Its upscale, expensive clothing would not sell as well if it weren't for the atmosphere, the owners said. \nBut what makes a store feel expensive or individual or manly? Every piece of furniture, every color and every hanging fixture is part of a bigger picture. In MetroWear, framed photos of the New York City skyline are hung to give customers a "big city" feel. The plasma TV offers a sense of sleekness and luxury. And a small seating area in the middle of the store is intended to increase the customer's comfort level. \nThe most important aspect of the store's design, however, is its simplicity. MetroWear is fairly small for a retail store, and doesn't carry a lot of inventory on purpose.\n"Less is more," said David Wade, a Bloomington-based freelance interior designer who designed MetroWear. "When there's only one item hanging, or three items hanging, it gives a perception of quality, of exclusiveness. Even though (Branden) has more in the back, he'll sell one off the shelf and replace it later."\nExclusivity is something the Johnsons want their customers to feel and perceive at MetroWear.\n"If you buy something from Abercrombie & Fitch, you're likely to see it two or three times when you go to class," Branden said. "But if you buy something from us, you'll be lucky if you ever see something like it. I think that adds to the value of buying stuff in here."\nJunior Andrea Preciado, who is more aware of retail stores' use of visual merchandising because she is an apparel merchandising major, visited MetroWear a few months ago and loved the store's simple and sleek design.\n"It was less tense for the visual eye in relation to how they've designed it," Preciado said. "They actually have table layouts. In some stores you'll see the round racks. Those are a lot harder for eyes to catch, and they didn't use that type of thing. They used tables."\nIt's all part of a marketing strategy, which has become increasingly important as successful marketing strategies replace the quality of the products themselves, or even the service. And small stores like MetroWear aren't the only ones embracing this -- one big-name company is all over visual merchandising, and has the numbers to prove it works.\nIn the past five or so years, Target Corp. has employed visual merchandising to boost its overall image. The Minneapolis-based company has hired a number of professional designers, including Isaac Mizrahi and Todd Oldham, to design lines of products exclusively for Target. It has also launched colorful ad campaigns and modernized many of its stores, including its College Mall location last March. Target stores now attract a younger crowd than any other major discount retailer, according to the company's Web site.\nAkou said Target does an excellent job with visual merchandising because many people who shop there are hooked into buying something at the store that they didn't intend to buy when they walked in.\n"There's always a market for toothpaste and toilet paper and the basic T-shirt," she said. "The thing about Target is that you go there and you're just planning to buy toilet paper but then you see a great basket or a shower curtain, and that's how they build up your loyalty. Because they know you can just wander in and you're going to see something interesting and well-designed."\nSophomore Nikki Lazzaro is one of Target's customers who can't get enough of the red dot. Lazzaro, who visits the Bloomington Target at least once a week, said she didn't buy clothes at Target at a young age because it wasn't "cool." But she started to become more attracted to the clothing when she came to college because she saw her friends wearing "cute stuff" from Target and decided to check it out. Now she's hooked.\n"If I haven't been there in awhile, I'll just go to go," she said. "The other day I was just going there because I had nothing better to do and ended spending $60."\nAnd that's exactly what Target wants. \n"(Visual merchandising) is how they build up their loyalty," Akou said. "Because they know you can just wander in and you're going to see something interesting and well-designed."\nUsing ad campaigns and marketing strategies that feed off people's emotions isn't a new tactic for retail stores. But emphasizing a customer's overall shopping "experience" and attaching more to the product is something companies like Target are finding progressively more successful.\nWade said many people have the perception that they want to be better, or at least appear better, than what they are. For example, he said, if Kmart sold a towel made of Egyptian cotton for $5.99, a store like Branden's could sell the same towel for $25 and get away with it because of the perception of the store.\n"It's a psychological thing and it makes that person feel like they're worth a million bucks," he said. \nAppealing to emotion is also becoming more prevalent because a certain generation is moving into the "buying" demographic. Twenty-somethings and teenagers who grew up in the 1980s and early '90s are used to fast-paced things such as video games and movies. \n"You expect to be stimulated when you go into these stores now," Akou said. "You don't want to go into Sears and look at appliances."\nBecause of this, everyone is on the visual merchandising bandwagon, Wade said. Excess stuff and the marketing strategies that come with it will be around for awhile. \n"We're getting caught up in stuff," he said. "Coveting. A lot."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Christina Galoozis at cgaloozi@indiana.edu.
(09/14/04 4:20am)
In the 21st century political world, election debates are geared toward undecided voters who want to see more of a contrast between the candidates. This year they make up a mere 10 percent, so what's the point of holding three debates? If Americans don't know the differences between John Kerry and President George Bush's character and policies by now, they never will. Their differences are splattered across newspapers and cable news every day. \nIs anyone else wondering who belongs to this 10 percent? If you haven't made up your mind about this election yet, you don't have any strong convictions or beliefs because, as most of us know, there's plenty at stake in this election. The contrast between the two politicians is stark in every issue: health care, education, the war on terror, abortion, etc. \nBush isn't "backing out" of a debate with Kerry -- the president's campaign hasn't even agreed to the debate structure and schedule yet. At the second and third debates, the two candidates will be regurgitating the same things they said in the first one. \nWhat is said in the debates this fall will just become (if it isn't already) campaign rhetoric. So why waste a night of precious prime time television to demonstrate the difference between black and white?
(09/07/04 4:20am)
The third anniversary is a mystery. \nIn 2001, I was sitting in my high school U.S. government and politics class when, at 9 a.m., our principal asked every classroom to turn on their TVs. The weeks following were unforeseeable and unscripted, yet somehow Americans knew what to do. We tuned into the news, said hello to strangers and hoisted American flags.\nIn 2002, the distance between my family and I was difficult enough for my first couple weeks as a freshman. Though the first anniversary wasn't easy, it was predictable enough that I knew how to spend the day. I sat on the steps of Showalter Fountain, listening to the voices of IU students who lost their parents in the World Trade Center. And I read The New York Times' special remembrance edition that published a picture of every victim.\nLast year as the Nation & World editor for the Indiana Daily Student, I was in charge of the "Two Years Later" edition. I was too busy with planning, editing and producing the section that I couldn't take a moment to personally reflect.\nBut what will I do on Sept. 11 this year? As of right now, my only plans are to work 5 to 11 p.m. delivering ice cream. But somehow I feel this is a cheap way of remembering the worst day in our nation's history. \nIn the last few years, the meaning of the phrase "September 11th" has become blurred with the political aftermath. Politicians use it to advance their agendas and spark fear or resentment in the American people. \nWhen I Googled "9-11," the first Web site that popped up was about Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11." Now, close your eyes. Imagine it's Sept. 12, 2001. Would you have imagined this phrase - this day - would become such a source for political divide?\nThe shock has worn off and most Americans have returned to pre-9-11 tendencies. And at the risk of quoting a country singer: Have you forgotten?\nThe image of people jumping out of the burning World Trade Center still crosses my mind - and not just once in a while. The flag I displayed in my Louisville, Ky., home that day now drapes my dorm room window. I'm not a New Yorker, nor did I know anyone who died that day. But Sept. 11 is tattooed on my heart as much as it's tattooed in American history. \nI'm afraid this Saturday and future Sept. 11 anniversaries will be celebrated in the likes of Labor Day and Memorial Day. Sadly, Patriot Day will become just another hollow mark on the calendar. Most people will probably spend this Saturday like any other weekend. Both the Kerry and Bush campaigns will go on, claiming their initiatives are the best for a post-Sept. 11 world. Democrats will still claim President Bush didn't do enough to protect America, and Republicans will still claim Democrats are inherently unpatriotic. \nI don't want people to wake up Saturday morning and pretend this country is united. But could we all, for just one sacred day, forget about the bipartisan bickering instead of forgetting that more than 3,000 Americans were murdered? \nMy challenge for everyone on this campus, in this country and around the world is to pause from their weekend activities for 11 minutes. Don't think about the war on terror. Don't think about the Bush administration. Think about the mothers, fathers, husbands, wives and children who died terrible deaths. Then think about their families and how they will remember Sept. 11.\nRemembering 9-11 is not defined by politics, nor should it be associated with them in any way. Hopefully, after your 11 minutes is up, you will think the same way.
(08/31/04 5:29am)
Unlike most students, I didn't "return" to Bloomington last week. Living here during the summer reminded me how wonderfully tame this city can be if you spend it as a Bloomington resident rather than an IU student. It has been amusing to overhear returning students either express their excitement or apathy for their rekindled presence in B-town. \nMore amusing, of course, is spotting a puzzled freshman hugging a campus map. (Don't worry, we were all there once, too.) But one thing that isn't quite as entertaining about some new freshmen is the way they dress.\nPerhaps turning 20 this summer has made me an old fogy, but I am disgusted with the clothes some of these young women wear. I constantly see very low-cut tank tops matched with short -- we're talking short -- skirts. When did a strip of material barely covering your butt become fashionable? \nPerhaps the Britney Spears generation is starting to graduate from high school. My mom, a fifth-grade teacher in Illinois, has also recognized how differently young girls are dressing. I've noticed the skimpy clothes are becoming trendy for all teenage girls, and the class of 2008 is just debuting the new fashon-line in colleges this year.\nI acknowledge there are plenty of upperclassmen who exhibit the same behavior, but this trend is worse and more widespread among the class of 2008. What happened to these ladies' self-respect? I admire the woman who has the body to wear what she wants as well as the woman who doesn't worry about societal pressures. But Gloria Steinam and other women activists didn't fight for women's equality so you could walk around campus looking like a stripper.\nI don't know about anyone else, but I came to IU to get an education -- not to put on a daily fashion show. The clothes you are wearing are obviously not comfortable, so what's the point? I believe there is a time and place to wear such clothes. For most of us, it's in our bedrooms. And for some, I understand it's acceptable to wear risqué clothing to parties and bars. But I actually saw one girl in a short skirt and flip flops moving into the dorms. She couldn't even bend over to pick up a box. I was shocked that she had the nerve to wear this outfit in front of her father. If I was her, I would have been completely embarrassed.\nI'm not asking any girls to buy granny panties or jeans that sit just below the chest. But there is a middle ground between wearing "old-people clothes" and pants with the buckle 12 inches beneath your belly button.\nMy word of advice for the new college girls: Get over yourselves and grow some self-respect. The only "looks" you will be getting are the disgusted ones from your professors, upperclassmen and peers. The guys you are trying to impress won't treat you like a lady because you're simply not acting like one. \nWhile it's exciting to have more freedom than you've ever had, with freedom comes great responsibility. A lot of freshmen might think, "I don't have to grow up for another four years." But the way you carry yourself (and dress yourself) now reflects upon you as a human being -- your parents are no longer accountable. You are always an ambassador for yourself, and if you want to be taken seriously, you'll dress accordingly.\nLess is not always more when it comes to perusing the closet.
(06/07/04 2:11am)
On March 30, 1981, IU was torn.\nThe excitement of winning the NCAA basketball title was shadowed by a nation's fear for its ailing president who had been shot outside a Washington, D.C., hotel earlier that day.\nTwenty-three years later, IU remembers the same bittersweet feeling as it mourns the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan, who died Saturday at his Bel Air, Calif. home. \nReagan was 93.\nAmerican flags are flying at half-staff around campus today in honor of Reagan, who served as president from 1981 to 1989. \nIU College Republicans Chairman Angel Rivera said he was shocked, but not surprised, when he heard the news of Reagan's death.\n"We had been expecting it for years, but we're still sad to see him die," he said.\nRivera said from the Republicans' point of view, "we're all sad to see a great man go." \nHe believes Reagan did great things for both the country and the conservative movement. \n"He saved it," Rivera said. "He took the country at a time when both the conservative movement and the country were in shambles, and built it back up."\nThough conservatives will miss Reagan, Rivera believes his death will unite the Republican Party -- especially with the presidential election coming in the fall. \nSome historians are calling Reagan one of the top-five presidents in U.S. history, and Rivera agrees.\n"I think Lincoln redefined the presidency. (Franklin) Roosevelt expanded it, and I think Reagan brought it back to what it was supposed to be," he said.\nReagan's optimism and attractive personality was what made him one of the most popular presidents in our history, said IU political science professor Marjorie Hershey. \n"A lot of people judge political candidates not so much on the basis of issues, but rather on the basis of their judgment of that candidate as a neighbor, as a friend or as someone who you would invite to dinner," she said. "And Reagan was very attractive along those lines."\nProfessor Karen Rasler, who specializes in foreign policy issues, believes Reagan's legacy will be his part in bringing the Cold War to an end. Hershey agrees he will be remembered for this historical landmark, as well as being one of the pivitol figures in the revival of the Republican Party's stance.\nReagan was the most public figure for the conservative movement -- a time when the republican platform changed markedly about a variety of social issues, Hershey said. \n"It was a way in which the leaders of the Christian right and the leaders of the Republican right found a common cause," she said. "And that energized the Republican Party."\nThe fusion of these two rights created a solid constituency for the Republican Party. Hershey said Southern fundamentalists who had previously identified themselves as Democrats began to vote republican because they were energized by Reagan. At the time, Reagan also appealed to many young voters.\nBut now, during a time when most IU undergraduates were born in the 1980s and have very little historical background, they just see Reagan as an "older president," Rasler said.\nTwo undergraduates studying in the Indiana Memorial Union Sunday didn't even know Reagan had died. \n"I know he was a president," one of them said, "sometime during kindergarten." \nBut seven IU undergraduates who know a little more about Reagan plan to honor the former president by traveling 10 hours to Washington, D.C., for his state funeral later this week. All seven students are IU College Republicans members. \n"It's paying our respects and honoring Reagan one last time," Rivera said. "It feels like our duty -- like we owe him."\nWhen asked if the 10-hour trip was worth while, Rivera replied in sorrow, "It's Reagan."\n-- Contact staff writer Christina Galoozis at cgaloozi@indiana.edu.
(02/18/04 5:12am)
When Alison Peckinpaugh goes to a party, she's not dressed like most of the other girls. She's not holding a beer and she won't end up in bed with some random guy at the end of the night.\nWhile these circumstances are not typical of all party-goers, many students can claim they've done one of these three things sometime in college. But Peckinpaugh won't claim any now she's begun her "walk with Christ."\nPeckinpaugh, a senior and member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, is one of many religious students at IU who don't take part in the favorite activity of the stereotypical college student -- getting wasted. Instead she prefers to spend her time with the Campus Crusade for Christ -- a Christian organization on campus. And while she is a typical college student in many other aspects, the way Peckinpaugh lives her life sets her apart from many of her peers.\n"If I was to describe one goal of my life it would be to get to heaven and take as many people with me as possible," she said.\nPeckinpaugh tries to live her life for God each day. She said a relationship with God is a hard thing to have because it's difficult to fully understand "Him here on earth." She prays numerous times throughout her day because this way, she knows how God wants her to live her life. \nBut there are a lot of people who don't agree with Peckinpaugh's lifestyle. She said while most people aren't offended by it, it's not something they'd choose for themselves. \n"It's been an interesting situation for me to try to learn how to best position myself where people know what I stand for, what I believe in and who I am," she said, "while also being sure not to impose my beliefs."\nComing to IU as a freshman in 2000, Peckinpaugh said she wasn't too secure in who she was. Like everyone else, she wanted to fit in. She ended up compromising many of her beliefs that year because of the new pressures that came along with college. But now, four years later, Peckinpaugh said she's grown up.\n"I have a lot more strongly adhered to my beliefs now," she said. "And I feel like I can lead a Christian life and present myself how I want to rather than how everyone else around me says I should be."\nAnd Peckinpaugh found a place to fit in on campus that year when she joined a sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. Peckinpaugh said when she first started to take her "walk with Christ" very seriously, she closed herself off from other people, including some of her sisters. She didn't exactly know how to respond to the differences between them.\n"They got this impression that I was too holy to be in their lives or that I didn't understand them," she said. "I realized people are never going to be attracted to God if I'm this person looking down on them."\nPeckinpaugh said while she has many friends who aren't Christian, she tends to hang out with mostly Christians because she said she is able to have deeper friendships with those people. \n"I wish I didn't always hang out with Christians because being around them is easy," she said. "Just like everybody else is around people like themselves, it's just the easy thing to do because you have similar interests."\nWhile hanging around Christians at IU might be easy for Peckinpaugh, dating is not, as she is currently in a relationship with a fellow Crusade member. Peckinpaugh said she would never date someone who isn't actively Christian. And like avoiding the drinking scene, Peckinpaugh said it's difficult to remain sexually abstinent in a college environment.\n"It's a hard thing to do because if you're trying to live your life in a way that's pleasing to God, He clearly says 'don't have sex before you're married.'"\nPeckinpaugh said while she is physically attracted to her boyfriend, she appreciates knowing their relationship is based on something deeper. \n"I think a lot of relationships in college end up not working because they started doing all that kind of stuff so early that it hindered them from getting to know anything else about the person," she said. \nBut what's even more difficult than dating, sometimes, is "going out." Peckinpaugh describes herself as an outgoing person and does normal college things like go to the bars, sorority functions and house parties. However, she said, people notice that she's not acting what most students would call "normal."\n"It's obvious when you go that you're not dressed like everyone else is dressed, you don't have a beer in your hand, you're not dancing all over guys or hitting on them -- you stand out like a sore thumb," she said. \nWhenever she is at a party, someone asks her "why aren't you drinking?" Although she said she believes it is okay to drink now that she's 21, she rarely has a drink and never drinks to get drunk. \n"I personally have chosen most of the time not to drink because, even though Christianity does not associate drinking with being bad, I don't want somebody who does see that connection to be put off from Christianity because I'm drinking alcohol," she said. "When Jesus was on earth, he hung out with all the people that the world thought were unholy. So I don't think you should cut yourself off from people who are drinking because they're the people that need God the most."\nPeckinpaugh said she doesn't feel uncomfortable attending a university that accepts things most Christians wouldn't normally agree with, such as homosexuality. \n"Most of the things the world approves of Christians wouldn't necessarily agree with, so it's something you face all the time," she said. "But at the same time I just want to do my best to stay focused to what I know as the truth than what everyone around me is telling me."\nPeckinpaugh views a person's individuality as one of God's gifts, and she would never come down on someone for their sins because she sins in her own life every day. While the thought of transferring to a Christian college has entered her mind, she said would only go if she changed her major to ministry.\n"Being on this campus has changed my life drastically," she said. "You are exposed to people that are not like you. And that has strengthened who I am so much because I am constantly bombarded by, 'Why are you the way you are?'"\nAlthough Christianity might be the most common religion on campus, there are students with strong beliefs in other faiths as well. But even people like Muslim Student Union President Nathan Ainslie, who practices a different religion, said he and Peckinpaugh still have their similarities. \nAinslie, a senior who converted from Catholicism to Islam in high school, also does not drink alcohol and abstains from sexual activity. He said while it is his own decision, he's not on a mission to stop everyone else from doing the things they do.\n"I see it as being incompatible with my personal beliefs," Ainslie said. "And if I didn't feel compelled to follow my own beliefs, I would probably be drawn into it."\nAinslie said it is challenging to lead a religious life on campus because often times he can't relate to other students. For this reason, he said, most of his friends are Muslim. Ainslie said being religious separates him from other students in a lot of ways.\n"College is a crossroads," he said. "Parents are no longer dragging you to church. You make your own choices. So in that way, being religious sets me apart."\nCampus Minister Rev. Rebecca Jiménez agrees with Ainslie that college is a place for students to decide how to live with their faith. \n"In college you're faced with the task of developing your mind cognitively so you can critically think," she said. "Likewise, that should be what you're doing with your faith, as well, because it's a stage in spiritual development."\nJiménez said she doesn't feel it's difficult for students to lead celibate, religious lives on campus because IU is large enough they can find like-minded groups for encouragement.\nPeckinpaugh hasn't decided yet what she wants to do after college. She hopes to study in Greece, Ireland or London this summer to finish up her degree in business. And while she may be unsure about her future, she does know one thing for sure: God will guide her. \n-- Contact campus editor Christina Galoozis at cgaloozi@indiana.edu.
(01/16/04 6:15am)
One day every year in January, the country honors one of the most peaceful leaders in American history -- Martin Luther King Jr. Like most federal holidays, schools and post offices will be closed. \nAnd Americans have also set aside certain days to honor this nation's veterans, laborers and Columbus. Most people don't have to work these days either. But IU students, faculty and staff work or go to class for all three.\nBloomington Faculty Council President David Daleke said the University doesn't close on such holidays because there are a set number of institutional days IU must reach every semester, which are complicated by lab courses and other things.\nThe campus calendar, which is determined by a campus committee but must be approved by the BFC, has barely changed in the past 15 years. IU has observed Martin Luther King Jr. Day only since the BFC approved the measure in 1997. The last change before that one was in 1988 when IU adopted measures to lengthen each semester by cutting down Thanksgiving and Winter breaks. \nDaleke said there are tradeoffs when it comes to the calendar because there are a lot of constraints built into the schedule. \n"I think any of these national holidays are all deserving of honor," he said. "But Martin Luther King Jr. Day is particularly deserving of honor and entirely appropriate to make it a day on, not a day off."\nHistory Professor Steve Stowe said he knew people in 1997 who felt very strongly about honoring the day and wanted the policy changed. He remembers public meetings were held to discuss the matter.\nHe said from a faculty member's perspective, they wanted the holiday off not only to honor Martin Luther King Jr., but also because most other universities and institutions had the day off when IU still held classes.\n"We argued it was observed by institutions with comparable stature, and with good reason," Stowe said.\nStowe believes getting certain holidays off differs from region to region. He noted many Chicago public schools are closed for Columbus Day, but many other parts of the nation don't observe it. This, he said, is because Chicago has a large Italian population which lobbies the Chicago public schools and support a day in Columbus' name.\nStowe said in order for anyone to make a case that IU should observe certain holidays, people must lobby for it. And the reason why IU only observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day is because it is historically relevant at this time. \n"It seems to me what the University is saying is that Martin Luther King Jr. represents things in life that we should all take a moment in life to observe," he said. \nWhen asked if he thinks the University holds Martin Luther King Jr. Day in higher standing than other federal holidays, Stowe said, "I suppose the answer is yes because the University doesn't do that for every person or every event."\nBut things have the potential to change, he said.\nDaleke said the BFC will consider any proposal through the committee.\n"Down the road there will be someone else observed for some reason," Stowe said.\nStowe said in his view, Labor Day deserves recognition because working men and women should be able to observe the day. \n"The fact that IU doesn't observe Labor Day, I think, is a mistake," he said. "It puts us in a distinct minority, but I don't think it's the day off that matters -- it matters of what a reflective holiday is supposed to stand for. Lobbyists should have a reason to deserve, not that they just want a day off."\nAnd that is exactly what Martin Luther King Jr. Day is not about, said Gloria Gibson, associate vice chancellor for multicultural affairs.\n"It's not a day where by you sleep in late and do nothing," she said. "It's a day where IU students can be engaged in social service and educational activities, where students can be engaged and learn about aspects of diversity."\nWhile Gibson said she couldn't comment on whether or not the University should observe holidays like Labor Day, Columbus Day and Veteran's Day, she said all holidays potentially have a value for IU students to celebrate.\n"I would hope that students do benefit from celebration from Veteran's Day, as we acknowledge the contribution of those who have served this country and those who have given their lives," she said.\n-- Contact campus editor Christina Galoozis at cgaloozi@indiana.edu.
(12/15/03 7:01am)
Freshman Paige LaCour said cramming for finals is like playing Russian roulette -- sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.\nLaCour is like many other college students who have "last-minute cram sessions" before entering their final exams. And while most students might find cramming an effective way for studying, psychologists say this method is one of the least valuable for college students.\nAssistant psychology professor Cara Wellman said cramming is an ineffective way to study because there is a limit to one's short-term memory. In order to do well on a final exam, she said the student must have committed most of the information to his or her long-term memory.\n"(Cramming) alone is not an effective way to study for an exam," Wellman said. "All by itself as a way of studying is not good because short-term memory lasts a matter of seconds to minutes and won't get you through the whole exam."\nWellman said a student will be able to remember more by increasing the amount of studying in one or two weeks before the exam, and spacing out studying is also important.\n"The difference between long-term and short-term memory is that short-term is just memorization, and long-term is understanding the material," Wellman said. "The more you think about it, the more you will remember it. That's another reason for not doing it last minute."\nBut sophomore Chelsea Stroup said cramming works for her because the information is "fresh in her mind" for the exam and uses this method often.\n"I have a really bad memory," she said. "Reading and re-reading over and over again is always helpful."\nStroup said she usually crams for about one hour on one subject, takes a break, then returns to the material to hit the important parts she forgot on her break. She said learning to cram at night shortly before she sleeps helps her remember what she's studied.\n"I feel if you cram, you get the really important points of the test," she said. "If you go to a study session and then cram after that, you know what to study."\nLaCour agrees that cramming works, but said it's not the most desirable way to study. She attributes her cramming method to a lack of study time and the dying presence of "dead week."\n"If I study hardcore for an exam, I usually do better than when I just cram," she said. "But it's hard to find the time to do extensive studying, since dead week isn't really dead week anymore. Sometimes it's all I can do."\nWellman said another negative aspect of the "last-minute cram" is a student's lack of sleep. She said there are two reasons why staying up all night to study for an exam won't work.\n"Sleep-deprived people make mistakes on things that require thinking," she said. "The more complex problem solving, the more mistakes you'll make."\nThe second reason, she said, is students will remember more information if they sleep longer in between what they've learned and when they're trying to recall the material.\nWellman said the best advice she can give students is to "not freak out."\n"Take a few deep breaths and get through one question at a time instead of thinking, 'What will happen if I fail this and how will it affect my whole life?'" she said.\nBut for LaCour and Stroup, the options seem slim. When asked if they plan to cram for exams this week, both said, "of course."\n-- Contact nation & world editor Christina Galoozis at cgaloozi@indiana.edu.
(12/02/03 5:40am)
IU is planning to spend $300,000 in the coming months on a new software program that will combat spam e-mails on the IU server.\nUniversity Information Technology Services will implement the "Pure Message" anti-spam system by February 2004 that will block spam messages from being sent to IU e-mail accounts.\nSpam constitutes 60 percent of the messages that enter the IU server, which can clog people's inbox quotas and slow down services like Webmail, Associate Vice President of Telecommunications Brian Voss said. \nIU has decided to pursue an anti-spam program primarily because unwanted e-mail is the number one complaint at UITS, Voss said. \nThe program will save IU money in the long run, he said, because the software will greatly decrease the chance of a virus entering the server, which costs UITS money for virus infection clean-ups and disinfectant software.\nHowever, some people have questioned the effectiveness of anti-spam software, because the program might filter out wanted messages. \nVoss said this program might ease such fears because of the way "Pure Message" works.\nHe said the anti-spam software will look for likely spam indicators in each e-mail message that enters the IU server. Spam indicators can be a number of different things, such as messages in all caps or messages that contain key words like "save money" or "Viagra." \nThe software will then tally up a score for each message. If the message scores 50 percent or higher, it will be deemed as "spam" and sent to an e-mail quarantine. \n"The system will send you a note at the end of the day, saying 'here's the list of all the messages I thought were spam,'" Voss said. \nThis way, a user can look at one e-mail containing multiple messages. If a wanted message was deemed spam, the user can then reply to the quarantine and indicate to it which messages the user would like to receive. This way, important e-mails that may contain indicators will not be lost.\nVoss said the program will be available to all IU server users. He said instead of distributing the software to everyone, users must subscribe to the service because there have been some concerns about spam and free speech.\n"We have a Web site to go to where you can read about what the filter does and how it works," Voss said, "and you can decide whether or not you want to participate. We can't unilaterally use it on everyone, but individual users can exercise their rights."\nHowever, funding for the new program has not yet been secured. The estimated $300,000 price tag will come from existing funds in the University budget and will not raise any fees, Voss said.\n"This figure is what we hope to spend," he said.\nSophomore Chelsea Stroup said she doesn't receive much spam in her inbox because she doesn't give out her IU e-mail address often. However, Stroup said she deletes all her spam before ever opening the message.\nShe said while she likes the idea of less spam, she doesn't like the idea of her e-mail being monitored.\n"It's intrusive to my privacy because they are monitoring what you're receiving," she said. "It's none of their business."\nSophomore Stephanie Potakis said she would also feel uncomfortable with a system that reads all your e-mail, but at the same time, hates the spam e-mail she receives each day.\n"It's the most annoying thing of my life," Potakis said.\nVoss said the system is currently being tested and will most likely be up and running through the entire IU server by February 2004.\n-- Contact Nation & World editor Christina Galoozis at cgaloozi@indiana.edu.
(11/20/03 5:40am)
Members of the IU community are discussing yet another controversial issue after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled against a ban on same-sex marriage Tuesday. The ruling could make Massachusetts the first state in the U.S. to possibly legalize same-sex marriage. \nThe debate over the morality and constitutionality of same-sex marriages is becoming more heated after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down anti-sodomy laws in June. \nGLBT Coordinator Doug Bauder said while he would call the Massachusetts ruling a "triumph" for gay couples, he has reservations about the timing of the decision. \n"I have some concerns about it," Bauder said. "I have concern that they're putting the cart before the horse."\nBauder said he would have liked the gay community to make more progress in other areas, like the proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Act or civil unions, before pursuing a same-sex marriage law. \n"I think it's an important issue, but there's so much emotional baggage to it that we're not going to have informed dialogue," he said. "I have this sense that marriage is such a cultural time bomb that, at this point in time, it's going to set us back."\nBauder said he celebrates the gay community's accomplishment, but he's more concerned about the backlash and thinks it will be more of a "headache" than they need. Bauder added that his opinions in no way reflect those of the entire GLBT community.\n"There are mixed opinions on this issue within the gay community," he said.\nThe court's 4-3 decision gives the Massachusetts state legislature 180 days to change the existing law.\nIU Law Professor Daniel Conkle said it is somewhat of a mystery as to why the court gave them this time period when the legislature has no leeway. However, he said, there are ways for the law-makers to "get around it."\nConkle said one option is to create a piece of legislation that legalizes civil unions instead of "full-fledged gay marriage." This way, he said, if the law goes back to the high court, any one of the four justices in the majority might decide civil unions are adequate.\nHe also noted the legislature could pass a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, an action the state's governor, Mitt Romney, vowed to pursue Wednesday. Conkle noted that if the legislature has no response by the time the 180-day period is up, the court would simply have to declare the state could no longer deny marriage licenses to gay couples. \nConkle said gay marriage will likely be an issue in the 2004 presidential election. More importantly, he said, the decision has increased the likelihood of Congress passing a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.\nBut some people see the court's decision in a more positive light.\nSenior Khyla Barnes said she feels the decision is past overdue. Barnes said as the Civil Rights era overcame their obstacles through legislation, the "gay rights" era will as well.\n"This is a victory for the GLBT community because there are a lot of long-term couples who can reap the benefits like any other couple," she said.\nHowever, Barnes said, legal and monetary benefits are not "what it's all about."\n"You don't marry because you want benefits," she said. " You marry because you've created a life together."\nBarnes said she doesn't predict much of an increase in gay couples moving to Massachusetts, especially if they have roots in their home city or state.\n"But if it means that much to them, and they are willing to take advantage of it, it's up to them," she said.\nThere are also many who disagree with the court's ruling. Barnes said she believes conservative America, including some Republicans and right-leaning groups, will be incensed by the ruling.\n"People who aren't susceptible to change, like homophobics and racists, will be angered," she said.\nHowever, senior Amanda Lennen, who opposes gay marriage, said it's not about "hating people." Lennen said she is sometimes afraid to express her opinion about gay marriage at IU because she feels people would view her as closeminded or judgmental.\n"By not allowing me to express my opinions, they are the ones who are judgmental," she said. "It's hard to be conservative on this campus."\nLennen said she believes the court's ruling hurts the "sanctity of marriage," which, she said, should be defined as a union between a man and a woman. Lennen attributes her opinions to her understanding of the Bible.\nBauder said keeping something the same for the sake of tradition doesn't mean it's right.\n"We make changes all the time in our society based on new understanding," he said. \nAs for the future, Conkle said he does not believe the Massachusetts ruling will have a domino effect on the rest of the United States. He said while the decision is highly publicized and may provide a relative precedence for other courts that are inclined to go in the same direction, the independence of state sovereignty will remain key.\n-- Contact Nation & World Editor Christina Galoozis at cgaloozi@indiana.edu.
(11/12/03 6:10am)
Sophomore Stephen Jerabek, president of the Committee for Freedom, which held an anti-affirmative action bake sale in Dunn Meadow last week, said he feels "politically incorrect" viewpoints are often looked down upon at IU.\n"Often the political correctness that we're so focused on here at IU discourages other viewpoints from being presented," he said.\nJerabek said he believes such viewpoints are mislabeled as "uneducated." He said some people think those with divergent views require some type of "further education."\nThe issue became apparent earlier in the semester when business professor Eric Rasmusen posted controversial remarks about homosexuality on his Web log on the IU server.\nThe Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender community responded to the Web log by wanting to "educate" the campus about homosexuality, as reported in IDS articles in September.\nSophomore Sarah Yeazel said due to the extremes of Rasmusen's log, she believes there was justification in saying "we need to teach people."\n"Often time thoughts that don't go with the norm seem uneducated because it's all we've been taught at IU," Yeazel said. \nYeazel, who attended the Sept. 19 vigil protesting against the Web log, said the GLBT community felt the Web log was an attack on the community. She also said while asking IU to censor the comments would have been "too much an issue" of free speech, she said she would have liked for the professor to post an apology.\n"When I heard about it I was shocked because IU promotes the idea that everyone is so open-minded," she said. "I thought we worked to bring diversity to IU."\nThe Legal Studies Club will hold a discussion panel on the Rasmusen Web log at 8 p.m.Thursday at the law school.\nPresident of the Legal Studies Club Lee Ann Chan said they have invited four guest speakers including law professors Fred Cate and Daniel Conkle and a representative from Student Legal Services. Chan said the group has also extended an invitation to professor Rasmusen.\nCate said he disagrees that IU is unwelcoming to certain viewpoints.\nHe said he believes even though universities, including IU, are typically more liberal than their surrounding communities, he does not believe certain viewpoints are discouraged at IU.\nCate said Rasmusen's Web log isn't a very good example of different viewpoints being censored at IU because his Web log was not taken off the server.\n"If anything, it would be an example of the opposite," he said. "That even when a substantial portion of the community disagrees with the view, University policy says we must tolerate it."\nBut while IU's Academic Policy states that the University recognizes "the right of all students to engage in discussion, to exchange thought and opinion, and to speak, write, or publish freely on any subject," some say politically incorrect viewpoints are still unwelcome.\nSophomore Michael Schuler said he believes politically incorrect views are often censored.\n"As our society was built you should be open to everyone's idea, even if it's politically incorrect," Schuler said. "It's something that should not be censored because it's freedom of speech."\nSchuler cited a March 5 teach-in to oppose the then-possible war in Iraq. He said only variations of the same viewpoints were presented at the teach-in.\n"This is a problem because you're not presenting both sides to a story," he said. "You're shoving one side into people's faces."\nSchuler said he believes IU doesn't welcome "so-called" politically incorrect opinions because the University needs to keep a positive public image. \n"Diversity is beneficial to everyone, but forcing it onto everyone is not," he said.\nJerabek also said he believes there is hypocrisy at IU.\n"If people want to censor certain views, then that's going against the very premise of the idea of diversity that we stand for here at IU"
(09/26/03 5:42am)
FBI Agent Robert Gomez said he always knew he wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. But when he entered college, he majored in something quite different -- nursing.\nGomez, an agent stationed in Bloomington, was invited by the IU Criminal Justice Student Association to share his experiences from the FBI. He spoke to a crowd of about 50 students Wednesday night in Ballantine Hall.\nGomez began the evening by relating to the crowd his memories from his college years at Indiana State University. He said he finally decided to switch his major from nursing to criminal justice during the middle of his senior year.\nCJSA President Sonya Lucki said the group invited an FBI agent because many criminal justice students are interested in a career with the FBI. She said she thought a chance to hear real experiences would be beneficial for students. \nGomez, an East Chicago, Ind. native, first conveyed the difficulties of getting into "the bureau." \n"I didn't make it into the bureau my first time trying because my Spanish wasn't good enough," he said.\nGomez said the FBI will hire personnel solely based on their immediate needs. He said Harvard University and Yale University graduate attorneys are currently being turned away by the FBI because their needs are mainly for accountants and language specialists.\n"It's definitely good to know how to speak a second language," he said. \nGomez said while Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Slavic languages are popular right now, the FBI's needs are constantly changing.\nThe best advice Gomez said he could give to aspiring students is to stay focused. Gomez said during his 18 years with the FBI he has witnessed many agents "cross over" to the other side -- joining the criminals.\nGomez described his job as fun and unpredictable.\n"The fun parts are doing a good job and having people thank you for it," he said. "On any given day, you don't know what will happen."\nCJSA Vice President Robert Nunemacher said they originally asked for a recruiting agent from Indianapolis, but were referred to their Bloomington office instead.\nCJSA President Sonya Lucki said she thought Gomez's speech went well.\n"We had a decent turnout," she said. "A lot of criminal justice students showed up, but so did a lot of people interested in other areas. It was pretty diverse."\n-- Contact staff writer Christina Galoozis at cgaloozi@indiana.edu.
(09/23/03 5:25am)
After 43 years of service to IU, Director of State Relations Don Weaver is taking a three-week-long trip to Australia next month with his wife to celebrate his Sept. 30 retirement.\nWeaver's job was to lobby IU's interests to state legislators and other officials within the state government. He described himself as a "conduit" between public officials in Indianapolis and the University.\n"I am a representative of IU to public officials and a representative of the public officials to the University as well," Weaver said.\nTrustee Peter Obremskey said no plans have been made to replace Weaver with a new director of state relations because IU President Adam Herbert plans to reform the position. Obremskey also said the trustees plan to discuss this matter in their upcoming meetings and as of now, they do not have anyone particular in mind.\nWeaver said he chose to retire because he is turning 65 years old next month. He also said the fiscal opportunity is at its best because he can go on University retirement for the next five years at the same salary he makes now. \nAfter his trip next month, Weaver said he plans to volunteer often at IU. He also said he plans on volunteering for the state, his church and community. \nBut for his retirement, he said he would like to improve his golf game.\nWeaver said while there are certain things he would have done differently over his years at IU, he thinks only someone else can determine whether or not he did a "good job."\nAs the state director, Weaver worked closely with high officials at the Statehouse, including the late Gov. Frank O'Bannon. While higher education and economic development were two of O'Bannon's greatest passions, Weaver said his job was to keep the governor informed of IU's needs and how much IU could help the state's economic development.\n"He appreciated that," Weaver said. "He went the way he thought best as trying to help higher education provide those assets to this state."\nWeaver said while he will not miss the problems and issues that come along with the job, he will miss his colleagues and friends at IU and the Statehouse. \nAlthough Weaver has no hand in the selection of his successor, he would like someone who knows IU well to fill the role.\n"Someone internal from IU would be very beneficial," he said, "but that doesn't mean other people can't do the job."\nObremskey said Weaver will be greatly missed because he has been the liaison between the state legislature and the University for many years and has established key relationships.\n"He got them to understand our problems and provide us with a significant amount of money," Obremskey said. "There will be a void we'll have to fill and you can only hope it will be filed with the same abilities of Don Weaver."\n-- Contact Nation & World editor Christina Galoozis at cgaloozi@indiana.edu.
(09/16/03 5:38am)
While the state is mourning the death of Gov. Frank O'Bannon, the business of the state must go on.\nAnd while O'Bannon is no longer governor, local legislators say his ideals and agenda will live on through Joe Kernan's administration.\nRep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, said Indiana business will not greatly change because Kernan will continue the policies O'Bannon laid out. Pierce said Kernan, like O'Bannon, will focus on education and economic development in Indiana.\nJeff Harris, a spokesman for Sen. Vi Simpson, said while this is a sad time, Simpson believes the state is in good hands with Kernan and she expects the services in the state to continue "without a hitch."\nMost legislators agree that politics should not be the state's focus right now, out of respect for Gov. O'Bannon. \nHarris said Simpson, who is running for governor in 2004, has halted campaign activity. He said her staff is uncertain when her campaign will be restarted, and they are taking it day-by-day.\nHarris said it's too early to tell if Simpson will run her campaign differently due to the governor's death. He said Simpson and O'Bannon were good friends, and she is grieving from a great loss.\nRep. Peggy Welch said while Kernan does not have any intention right now of running for governor in 2004, he might feel differently once he has served in office for the remaining 15 months. \n"Joe (Kernan) is a man of principle, integrity and character," Welch said. "He had his own reasons, whatever they were, that he wasn't going to run."\nHowever, Welch said if Kernan decides to run, she believes Indiana Democrats would choose to rally around his decision.\nAnd while politics is not the front-running issue right now, Pierce and Welch agree the next step to take in the state's affairs is for Gov. Kernan to appoint a new lieutenant governor.\nWelch said it is imperative to the state to fill the office as soon as possible. \n"That office is responsible for many things and it is a person who helps represent the state," she said. "It's got to be a person qualified for, as we have learned, being just a heart-beat away from the governorship."\nRep. Pierce said only Gov. Kernan can call the Indiana General Assembly into a special session in order to receive approval for a new Lt. Gov. appointment. Pierce said the session should only last a matter of hours and cannot speculate when the governor will call it.\nWelch said because the General Assembly has a Republican-controlled senate and a Democrat-controlled house, Kernan will probably take into consideration both parties even though President Pro Tempore Robert Garton said the General Assembly would be as accommodating as possible. \n"It must be someone who will be able to step in with experience," she said. "I have total confidence in Joe Kernan."\nThough some people have speculated former first lady Judy O'Bannon as a possible candidate for Lt. Gov., Pierce said he has no knowledge of her plans.\n"I think she is a very accomplished woman," he said. "I think people will always be interested in what she has to say. It will be up to her to stay in public affairs or retreat to a private life."\nWelch said Judy O'Bannon is still involved in many state projects, though out of consideration for her, she will be accommodated and welcomed in whatever her decision will be. \n"I think she would be encouraged to continue to be involved," she said. "Right now she just needs to grieve."\n-- Contact staff writer Christina Galoozis at cgaloozi@indiana.edu.
(09/09/03 5:46am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Lt. Gov. Joseph Kernan rode with Gov. Frank O'Bannon in an ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago early Monday after the governor suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in his hotel room. Shortly after arriving at the hospital, Kernan left for the airport where he was flown back to Indianapolis by a helicopter.\nThough a colleague and friend of Gov. O'Bannon, Kernan had to leave the governor's side to fulfill his duties as the state's second in command. \nUnder Article 5 section 10 of the Indiana state constitution, if the governor is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the lieutenant governor is called upon to discharge the powers and duties of the office as acting governor. This is also known as the "common sense" provision.\nDuring a press conference Monday afternoon, Kernan said he met with Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard, State Senate President pro tempore Robert Garton, House Speaker B. Patrick Bauer and Attorney General Steve Carter earlier in the day and agreed to enact the "common sense" provision as the most appropriate step to take at the moment. Kernan said they all agreed more information must be provided before further action is considered. \nAccording to the Indiana Constitution, the governor must hand in a written declaration that he is unable to execute the powers and duties of his office to the president pro tempore of the Senate and the speaker of the House. In the event the governor is unable to give such a declaration due to incapacitation, the president pro tempore of the Senate and the speaker of the House must file a written statement to the Indiana Supreme Court requesting permission for the lieutenant governor to assume the position of acting governor. The Supreme Court must decide within 48 hours of the request, and its decision cannot be appealed.\nIn both scenarios, the governor can submit a written declaration when he is capable of performing his duties again. The Supreme Court then has another 48 hours to make a decision concerning his reinstatement.\nThe "common sense" provision, much like Article 25 in the U.S. Constitution, sparks memories of when former Vice President George H. W. Bush served as acting president when Ronald Reagan was shot on March 30, 1981.\nIU political science professor Edward Carmines said Indiana's political arena would not be dramatically affected by a switch of power from O'Bannon to Kernan.\n"State politics would not be severely affected because O'Bannon has already served two terms and that is the limit in the state of Indiana," Carmines said.\nState Representative Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, said talk about a "shifting of power" from O'Bannon to Kernan is premature and the current situation is no different than if the governor were to leave the country for a few days. Pierce also said the current situation will not affect the Indiana General Assembly because it is not in session is not scheduled to convene again until January 2004.\n-- Contact staff writer Christina Galoozis at cgaloozi@indiana.edu.
(09/02/03 5:32am)
China's state-controlled media expressed their discontent Monday with a U.S. decision to allow the Dalai Lama to visit, and warned the relationship between the two nations could be harmed as a result. \nHis arrival this weekend will mark the Dalai Lama's fourth visit to Bloomington, part of a three-week tour across the U.S. \nAccording to the Associated Press, a commentary in the China Daily called the spiritual leader a "political plotter" and said by allowing the Dalai Lama to visit, the U.S. is taking a position on Tibetan independence. The AP also reported Tibet's new governor said recently the Dalai Lama could return to Tibet only if he halts all political activity and becomes a Chinese citizen.\nWeide Sun, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., said the Chinese government has expressed serious concern about the visit because it does not believe the Dalai Lama is a religious figure and he is in political exile from China.\n"We have expressed concern when the Dalai Lama visits foreign countries because America gives recognition that Tibet is not independent," Sun said, "so they should not allow him to come and engage in such activities."\nThe commentary claimed the Dalai Lama has "repeatedly taken advantage of every opportunity to propagate his separatist activites and try to rally international support for this purpose under the guise of religious expression."\nThough China warned its relationship with the U.S. could change, Sun said he believes the relationship has generally improved in the fields of politics, economic trade, law enforcement and terrorism.\nJeff Wasserstrom, director of the East Asian Studies Center at IU, agrees that at the moment, U.S.-Chinese relations are better than they have been in a long time. Wasserstrom said he believes Washington and Beijing need each other to carry forward the things they want to do in their own countries right now.\nHe also said China makes these comments whenever foreign leaders meet with the Dalai Lama or high-ranking officials from Taiwan because leaders in Beijing want to be the only conduit for any kind of negotiation relating to Tibet or Taiwan.\nSandy Belth, a volunteer at the Tibetan Cultural Center in Bloomington, said she feels like China is discontent with every nation the Dalai Lama visits. Belth said the Chinese government is continually trying to press the idea that the leader's sole purpose in visiting the U.S. is to push his political agenda.\n"His Holiness is not here for putting forth his political views," she said. "He is here to dedicate the new temple in the name of religious peace, harmony and interfaith collaboration."\nBelth said she does not believe China's warnings will affect the event hosted by the Tibetan Cultural Center this weekend.\nBloomington Mayor John Fernandez agrees with Wasserstrom and said the Chinese government makes similar statements each time the Dalai Lama visits Bloomington.\n"I think it's standard practice to make such statements," Fernandez said, "yet, in reality, it's more bluster than fact."\nThe mayor also said he thinks the Dalai Lama's visit is a good thing for Bloomington and it usually has a positive impact on how people feel.\n"His message does not transcend politics. He's a very courageous leader and I think he serves as a great inspiration for everyone, regardless of their faith."\n-- Staff Writer Kehla West contributed to this story. Contact Nation & World Editor Christina Galoozis at cgaloozi@indiana.edu.
(08/28/03 6:07am)
U.S. News & World Report has named several IU-Bloomington programs among the best in the country for the second year in a row. In their annual report of "America's best colleges of 2004"\nIUB tied for 27th among public national research universities and the Kelley School of Business ranked tenth in undergraduate business programs. \nAccording to their website, the magazine bases their ratings on seven categories: peer assessment, freshman retention and six-year graduation rate, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni donations, and graduation rate performance.\nIUB Chancellor Sharon Brehm said IU looks at the rankings each year like everyone else, but the overall ratings are not as important as the feedback they receive about individual departments. \n"We prefer more specific ratings than a whole campus rating because they tend to come from people who really know the discipline," Brehm said. "For instance, we are very pleased about the Kelley School."\nThe Kelley School of Business's undergraduate program was ranked tenth out of all the nation's public and private universities and colleges. The only Big Ten business school which ranked higher than IU was the University of Michigan School of Business.\nDan Dalton, Dean of the Kelley School of Business, said the school is delighted to be among the highest echelon of business schools in the country. \n"We're very pleased when you consider that the top ten is comprised of both private and public institutions," Dalton said, "it's a very special recognition."\nDalton said the Kelley School pays close attention to the U.S. News & World Report rankings for a number of reasons. First, along with a certain reputation that is established by these rankings, the school is better able to recruit valuable students, faculty and staff. He said many Kelley school alumni are very interested in the rankings because they underscore their achievements. Finally, they help with providing Kelley students with internships and employment due to the high exposure. \nIUB also tied for 27th in the category of best public national research universities. Brehm said she does not believe this ranking will have much fiscal effect on the research department at IU because research funding is based on the quality and expertise of the investigator and the ability of the university to support the investigator, not the university's ranking.\nThe report also acknowledged IU for having a high quality of educational experiences for first year students, such as Intensive Freshmen Seminars. Brehm cited one of the reasons IU was labeled a Time magazine's top research facility of 2001 was due to IFS.\n"I think now that both Time and U.S. News have selected us as a top research facility, it suggests we are quite good," she said. \nU.S. News & World Report announced that changes have been made to its methodology for this year's ranking. As a result, year-to-year comparisons are not valid. The rankings no longer include the yield rate -- the percentage of students who actually enroll in a school -- which had been controversial nationally because of its influence on school choice.\n-- Contact World Editor Christina Galoozis at cgaloozi@indiana.edu.
