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(04/21/05 4:00am)
The modern-day Tarzan and Jane are alive, well and living in Monroe County.\nBloomington residents Tom and Cathy Haggerty prefer sipping their morning coffee and reading their daily newspaper, indeed, from the high-altitude comfort of two century-old oak trees sprouting out of their front yard on West 14th Street. \nThe Haggertys' four-story tree house provides their family, friends and neighbors a welcomed refuge from the hustle and bustle of city life -- snuggled in the midst of acorn-eating squirrels and their nests. \n"You've got to play everything by ear when you are building something like this," Tom said. "It's been a lot of fun. This thing started small, but you'd be amazed at what you get yourself involved in."\nTom constructed his first tree house when he was 10 years old, and he has built about a dozen since the 1950s. His current tree house includes a wood-burning stove, patio set, stereo, wind chimes and a giant silver fish sculpture made of used CDs.\nThe Haggertys, co-owners of TomCats Pawn Shop, 750 W. 17th St., said they encouraged their three teenage children and their teenagers' friends to build the tree house as a means "to keep them off the streets and out of trouble." Instead of a typical one-story tree house that is nailed into the bark, the Haggerty family and their friends constructed a multi-decked tree palace that is suspended from the renowned strength of the oaks' trunk and branches.\n"With video games and 10 million channels on TV, my kids were always building something to get out them out of the house," Tom said.\nConstruction began in 1997 and continues throughout today. \nTom Haggerty said the project might last indefinitely since there is always some kind of modification that can be made to enhance the beauty, comfort and luxury amenities of their tree palace. He likened his family's creation to an "interactive architectural sculpture" -- the result of artistic children producing creative and meaningful artwork.\nTREE HOUSE ART\nThe City of Bloomington has not always agreed with the Haggerty's definition of yard art, having threatened them with a $2,500-a-day fine in May 1999 until they removed their tree palace for violating city building codes. Then Assistant City Attorney Matthew Bolton referred to their tree house as a "playhouse," and the Haggerty family plight to save their self-described "work of wonder" ended up on front page of the June 9, 1999 Herald Times.\nThe Haggerty family, following a coordinated letter-writing campaign involving their children, friends and neighbors, elicited community support and the city eventually declared their tree palace innocent of all criminal charges because no specific city building code had been violated by its construction.\nEric Greulich, a zoning planner for the city of Bloomington, said Monroe County building department officials consider tree house applications "no differently" than a car port of a detached garage. He said detached dwelling units of that kind, known by city officials as "accessory structures," must be 5-feet from the side and rear of property lines, 35 feet from the front and no more than 15 feet tall. \n"I have never received a tree house permit," he said.\nA MCBD official, who asked to remain unnamed, said "none of our codes" cover tree houses specifically. He said a tree house would be considered a building by the MCBD, even though a tree does not have a permanent foundation.\n"My guess is the city doesn't approve of building one," he said. "We haven't received an application for a tree house in the three years I have worked here. To apply for one would be a mute point. Most tree houses that are built we do not know about."\nOne accessory structure is allowed by city code per residential zone, and the request must be approved by the city planning office and certified by the MCBD.
(04/20/05 5:25am)
The modern-day Tarzan and Jane are alive, well and living in Monroe County.\nBloomington residents Tom and Cathy Haggerty prefer sipping their morning coffee and reading their daily newspaper, indeed, from the high-altitude comfort of two century-old oak trees sprouting out of their front yard on West 14th Street. \nThe Haggertys' four-story tree house provides their family, friends and neighbors a welcomed refuge from the hustle and bustle of city life -- snuggled in the midst of acorn-eating squirrels and their nests. \n"You've got to play everything by ear when you are building something like this," Tom said. "It's been a lot of fun. This thing started small, but you'd be amazed at what you get yourself involved in."\nTom constructed his first tree house when he was 10 years old, and he has built about a dozen since the 1950s. His current tree house includes a wood-burning stove, patio set, stereo, wind chimes and a giant silver fish sculpture made of used CDs.\nThe Haggertys, co-owners of TomCats Pawn Shop, 750 W. 17th St., said they encouraged their three teenage children and their teenagers' friends to build the tree house as a means "to keep them off the streets and out of trouble." Instead of a typical one-story tree house that is nailed into the bark, the Haggerty family and their friends constructed a multi-decked tree palace that is suspended from the renowned strength of the oaks' trunk and branches.\n"With video games and 10 million channels on TV, my kids were always building something to get out them out of the house," Tom said.\nConstruction began in 1997 and continues throughout today. \nTom Haggerty said the project might last indefinitely since there is always some kind of modification that can be made to enhance the beauty, comfort and luxury amenities of their tree palace. He likened his family's creation to an "interactive architectural sculpture" -- the result of artistic children producing creative and meaningful artwork.\nTREE HOUSE ART\nThe City of Bloomington has not always agreed with the Haggerty's definition of yard art, having threatened them with a $2,500-a-day fine in May 1999 until they removed their tree palace for violating city building codes. Then Assistant City Attorney Matthew Bolton referred to their tree house as a "playhouse," and the Haggerty family plight to save their self-described "work of wonder" ended up on front page of the June 9, 1999 Herald Times.\nThe Haggerty family, following a coordinated letter-writing campaign involving their children, friends and neighbors, elicited community support and the city eventually declared their tree palace innocent of all criminal charges because no specific city building code had been violated by its construction.\nEric Greulich, a zoning planner for the city of Bloomington, said Monroe County building department officials consider tree house applications "no differently" than a car port of a detached garage. He said detached dwelling units of that kind, known by city officials as "accessory structures," must be 5-feet from the side and rear of property lines, 35 feet from the front and no more than 15 feet tall. \n"I have never received a tree house permit," he said.\nA MCBD official, who asked to remain unnamed, said "none of our codes" cover tree houses specifically. He said a tree house would be considered a building by the MCBD, even though a tree does not have a permanent foundation.\n"My guess is the city doesn't approve of building one," he said. "We haven't received an application for a tree house in the three years I have worked here. To apply for one would be a mute point. Most tree houses that are built we do not know about."\nOne accessory structure is allowed by city code per residential zone, and the request must be approved by the city planning office and certified by the MCBD.
(04/19/05 4:44am)
It's safe to say sex is common on college campuses: About 57 percent of university students have been involved in "sexual activity" by graduation, according to a 2000 survey conducted by Zogby International, a public opinion polling company. \nIf unprotected sex occurs or if pregnancy prevention methods fail, there is no "magic pill" to protect against the potential union of sperm and egg. But there is a series of emergency contraception pills available by prescription only: Plan B.\nAlthough the Food and Drug Administration rejected an appeal to offer emergency contraception, or EC, over the counter in 2003, Plan B remains the only approved form of EC available in the United States.\nPREVENTING CONCEPTION\nTwenty-six countries across the world, including the United Kingdom, France and Israel, offer EC over-the-counter to prevent unintended and unwanted pregnancies. About 80 countries support some form of EC protection for women regardless of cultural, political or religious disapproval. If the United States follows in these footsteps, any American 16 and older can have access to Plan B without a prescription. \nCurrently, women -- but not men -- interested in obtaining a prescription for EC can contact the IU Health Center, Planned Parenthood, women's health clinics and other medical centers in town.\nAnne Reese, director of health and wellness services at the IU Health Center, said a common misconception about EC is that products such as Plan B are similar to the French abortion pill RU-486. The National Institute of Health, for instance, states that RU-486 is "part of a medical abortion," often used to terminate a pregnancy up to nine weeks of fetal development.\nAccording to the FDA, "If a fertilized egg is implanted prior to taking Plan B, Plan B will not work." \nPlan B works like other birth control pills to prevent pregnancy in one or in all of three ways, according to the FDA. The first is that the synthetic steroid Levonorgestrel, Plan B's primary component, might prevent ovulation. Plan B might also disrupt tubule motility, preventing fertilization in the fallopian tubes. Lastly, Plan B might manipulate the endoderm -- the lining in the uterus -- preventing a fertilized egg from implanting in the womb, according to the FDA.\nPlan B is administered in a single course of treatment and consists of two tablets -- each tablet contains 0.75 milligrams of Levonorgestrel. According to the Plan B brochure, the first pill must be taken as soon as possible within 72 hours of intercourse. The second pill should be taken about 12 hours after the first dose. \nReese said women can also take both pills at the same time if needed.
(04/15/05 5:16am)
Free rent and disc jockey joy are sure to draw a crowd.\nBloomington residents, students and guests gathered for the second annual "Apartment Sweepstakes" goodwill event and gift give-a-way early Thursday evening at Smallwood Plaza, 455 N. College Ave. B97 radio station -- WBWB 96.7 -- provided musical morale for the party, and Smokin' Jack's Rib Shack offered free meat and soda pop.\nParty participants put their names in a bucket for a chance to win the gift give-a-way: one year's worth of free rent -- August to August -- for a two-bedroom apartment in Smallwood Plaza. Smallwood management said the winner would be allowed to live alone, to invite a roommate to live with or to rent the extra bedroom for extra spending cash. \nThe winner was junior Shaquan Walker, whose prize is valued at $12,540, including all the standard Smallwood amenities. He also won a bathrobe, chocolate from The Chocolate Emporium, gift certificates for dinner at Scotty's Brewhouse and a tanning package from Cardinal Fitness.\nWalker said he was contacted by some friends with word he had won. His work commitments prevented him from hearing the announcement live on the B97 radio station. Because his current rent costs $400 a month, Walker said he is looking forward to his senior year with "more money in my pocket."\n"At first, I was like 'quit playing,' then it felt great. I was astonished," Walker said. "A lot of my friends have already asked what I'm going to do with it -- I'm not sure right now. I believe it's a blessing. I'm thankful that God gave me this opportunity, and I'm going to use it to the best of my ability."\nSmallwood Plaza General Manager Kara Cornwell said tenants are appreciated -- current and future -- since Smallwood has been a success. The plaza is owned by the NEXTWAVE Management Group.\n"We have a lot of good tenants. We wanted to celebrate spring with food," Cornwell said. \nMore than 1,000 names were entered into the contest, tabulated on a spreadsheet and randomly numbered. Smallwood management utilized the Web site www.random.org to automatically pick a number at random. The number was then matched up with a name and the winner was announced on-the-air. \nB97 radio station provided musical entertainment from a speaker-packed company van parked on the street. \nB97 disc jockey and senior Aaron "Shane" Goldsmith also provided live broadcasts from Smallwood during the 20, 40 and 50 minute break within the hour to boost participant morale, in which party-goers were allowed to "shout out" to loved ones and friends over the radio air waves in between scripted Smallwood promotional plugs. \n"Wherever there is young people, that is where I go. It's a lot of fun," Shane said. "Unlike a high school dance where everybody stands against the wall and doesn't do anything, everybody here today was eating and getting to know each other."\nShane's B97 music show is broadcast across Southern Indiana every Thursday night from seven to 10 p.m. His show typically involves an "interactive" approach like "shout-outs" and "singing songs for tickets," he said.\nSmokin' Jack's Rib Shack, 505 W. 17th St., provided free food and drinks for Apartment Sweepstakes participants. \nBloomington resident Robert Hamilton, the Smokin' Jack's mobile kitchen smoker, said he prefers doing the "grunt work" for catered parties. Hamilton also works a Smokin' Jack's smoker in front of Kilroy's Sports Bar Thursday through Saturday. \n"People have been enjoying themselves, coming back for seconds," Hamilton said. "I personally like manning the grill. If people want to compare my skill to golf, I would say it's about a birdie or an eagle. I like to give people what they want."\nHamilton said he barbecued about 250 hot dogs and about 200 hamburgers. Participants also received free potato chips and soda pop.\nSenior Mike Black, a Smallwood resident, said he saw a group of people out front and he decided to check out the free promotions and free food.\n"There are a lot of East coast people who live here, but there is also a lot of diversity," he said. "It's a great community of great people."\n-- Contact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(04/14/05 4:17am)
American lore holds no more important backbone to the business foundation of the nation than the individual spirit of entrepreneurship. \nThe Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Kelley School of Business is ranked fourth overall in the nation, according to fellow entrepreneurship faculty, other university center directors and alumni, in the April 2005 issue of Entrepreneur magazine. \n"We want to be the No. 1 entrepreneurship program in the U.S. I want to make sure this happens," said Donald F. Kuratko, executive director and Jack M. Gill chair of entrepreneurship for the Kelley School. "This ranking shows we are on the right journey. I think IU is a phenomenal university anyway, and these rankings enhance our image -- students begin to call us. If they are already interested in coming to IU, the entrepreneurship program can convince them."\nAccording to other national rankings by Entrepreneur magazine, Kuratko is ranked the No. 2 entrepreneurship center director in the nation, based on peer feedback. The Johnson Center is also ranked in the top 20 of second tiers in the nation, according to TechKnowledge Point, the company that conducted the surveys.\nKuratko signed his contract in August and spent first semester assessing the entrepreneurship program from an outsider's point of view to better articulate his objectives when he took the Johnson Center helm in January.\nThe Johnson Center offers students five options of entrepreneurship study breadth: an undergraduate major or minor, a masters in business administration major or minor and a Ph.D. Kuratko said about 100 undergraduates are registered as entrepreneurship majors, about 30 graduate students are working toward an entrepreneurship M.B.A., and eight graduates are Ph.D. candidates.\nSue Artmeier, assistant director of the entrepreneurship department within the Kelley School, said she has noticed extreme growth and interest in the entrepreneurship program since she joined the Kelley faculty about six years ago.\n"A lot of (the interest) has come about because of our new executive director," Artmeier said. "A part of our ranking comes in anticipation of some of the programs he is leading. His direction will definitely keep us in the forefront."\nMaria Anton, executive editor of Entrepreneur magazine, said the primary demographic of her 575,000-circulation magazine is "small to mid-size business owners" who have children close to college age.\nKuratko said his objectives -- "the three buckets" -- for the Johnson Center include: academic excellence in teaching, developing a business interface with emerging entrepreneurships and integrating a network of investors to bring venture capital opportunities to Bloomington at least twice a year. He also said the quality of teaching and the classes taught differentiate IU's program from other nationally recognized programs.\n"The way we educate is from an entrepreneurial perspective," Kuratko said. "Students may or may not start their own business. We want to teach them more innovative ways of thinking, whatever field they choose to work in. This will open the door for employment opportunities in all business fields."\nTravis Brown, a first year entrepreneurial M.B.A. graduate student, said he committed to IU instead of other university entrepreneurial graduate programs because he heard word that Kuratko was coming to the Kelley School.\nBrown said he hopes to find work with a start-up company upon graduation, thanks in large part to the inspiration and influence of Kuratko's leadership.\n"I knew the entrepreneurial program was already strong, but I knew he would take it to a whole other level," he said. \nArtmeier said Kuratko's peer recognition "explains and shows" how well known and respected he is in the entrepreneurship field.\n"He is extremely enthusiastic about entrepreneurship and he has definitely brought excitement to the Center and to the Kelley School," she said. "I expect our programs will grow even more in the next couple years. It's great fun -- everyday we come in with better ideas about how to communicate with the students."\n-- Contact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(04/13/05 4:42am)
In lieu of Bloomington's proposed 11 percent water rate increase, students and residents can take a hands-on approach to water usage, savings and payment.\nThe Common Council is considering the rate increase as a means to fund a $2.45 million shortfall for much-needed and overdue improvements at the Monroe Water Treatment Plant. Bloomington's water supply is currently undergoing a $14.5 improvement project, which began in 2003.\nPatrick Murphy, Bloomington director of utilities, said the water rate increase, labeled as Ordinance 05-11 and not to exceed 11 percent, would have an estimated impact of $1.66 per month for a typical residential monthly water bill.\n"The Utilities Department's rate adjustment, if approved by the City Council and the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, will be a permanent adjustment," he said. "This rate adjustment is necessary in order to accommodate funding for three capital improvement projects and also to cover the increase in operational costs."\nThe utility commission would prohibit another city water rate increase from taking effect for two years after Common Council approval if Ordinance 05-11 is approved, according to the utilities department. The last Bloomington water rate adjustment was passed in 2002.\nMurphy said the City of Bloomington Utilities Department is funded by ratepayers -- water customers. He said the utility department does not receive any tax dollars from city coffers to operate and maintain water utilities: pumping, piping, treatment and labor.\n"The shortfall came about due to revised engineering design and expansion of the scope of the project," he said.\nAccording to the utility department, the increased water rate adjustment is comprised of four parts: $288,000 in annual funding to pay off the $2.45 million shortfall; $140,000 in annual funding to repair, renovate and possibly relocate the Bloomington utility headquarters damaged from a November 2003 fire; $137,000 in annual funding to relocate a water main near the expansion of the State Road 45/46 Bypass; and $412,000 in additional funding for operations and maintenance.\nThe first three capital projects are included in a $5 million bond authorization, which is part of the rate request, according to the utility department.\nFortunately, Bloomington residents, students and guests can modify their home water usage routines to save themselves tens of hundreds of dollars a year from washing down their drains. In some cases, cutting back on individual water use might negate the city's proposed 11 percent water rate increase -- putting the proposed $1.66 increase back into residents' pocketbooks. \n"A dripping facet, a toilet not sealing, usually causes more usage then people are aware of," said a Bloomington Utility customer service representative. "We have a service we offer people -- we can send someone out to their apartment or house to do a one-time inspection a year. We will meet the customer, go in and check out the problem."\nGraduate student Ed Schenk, who resides off-campus with three roommates, said he doesn't concern himself with water rates because his gas heating bill seemed outrageous throughout the winter. He said his main water troubles have involved leaking kitchen sinks and running toilet water.\n"I like to take showers. It's nice to be clean," he said. "(The water bill) is not great. It's not terrible. It's kind of just there. If something breaks, we fix it ourselves or we call maintenance."\nThe utility department, 501 N. Morton St., recommends residents and students contact the customer service center at 349-3930 with questions or comments about water bills. The average Bloomington resident uses about 2,000 to 3,000 gallons of water a month, depending on the location and season, according to the utility department. The current rate for one unit of water -- 1,000 gallons -- is $1.91 for residential use. \nGraduate student Ryan Padgett, who lives off-campus by himself, said he has two individual water bills to worry about. His first bill is for the use and refill of a Crystal Pure water tower, and the second water bill includes everything else water related -- the dishwasher, the laundry, the bathroom and the kitchen.\nPadgett said he has never had a dispute with his landlord about water because he is "very conscious" of maintaining a low water bill.\n"I like brushing my teeth and taking a shower. I love a clean mouth and I love being clean," he said. "I don't leave stuff running. I do dishes when the dishwasher is full. I don't do laundry with only one shirt in the washing machine. I don't want a high water bill."\nA Bloomington utility representative said tenant-landlord disputes concerning significant water bills must be dealt with by the parties involved. Some landlords might reimburse a portion of the bill, while other landlords might refuse to make any payment if a request was not made to fix the problem before the bill arrives. \nBloomington residents, students and guests must fill out a disconnection form to have their water turned off if and when they move from one location to another or they move out of town. The utility department offers in-person and online downloadable disconnect forms, which can be mailed, faxed or handed to customer service representatives in the utility office.\n"I think for the most part, people know we can only do so much about high water bills. From that point, we will work people as much as possible to figure out ways to get the water bill paid," a utility customer service representative said. "Other than that, we can always suggest: 'Try to cut back on your water usage.' A lot of that is commonsense." \n-- Contact City & State Editor \nDavid A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(04/06/05 5:22am)
The United States launched a pre-emptive strike against Iraq in 2002 without the unanimous support or approval of the U.N. Security Council, an international governing body the United States helped to create in 1945.\nSince then, members of the U.S. government, media outlets and the American public have debated the exact role the United Nations should play in U.S. international affairs. Such concerns have sparked a national debate about the inclusion or exclusion of the United Nations in future U.S. diplomatic negotiations with the international community.\nA town hall-style meeting to discuss United Nations' reformation in a world of 21st century global security concerns was held Tuesday in the Whittenberger Auditorium in the Indiana Memorial Union. The open-forum discussion and public questioning session involved Bruce Rashkow, director of the U.N. Office of Legal Affairs; John Clark, senior fellow of International Security and Development for the Sagamore Institute; and David Fidler, IU professor of law and Ira C. Batman faculty fellow.\nThe panelists seemed to offer a variety of expert opinions about topics ranging from the reallocation of power from the United Nations to the United States to the "real" role of the United Nations within international nation-to-nation communications versus their "ideal" role. They also discussed the future role of the United Nations and United States in coping with ideological and political disputes throughout Asia. \n"What would the United States gain from giving up its unilateral power (to the United Nations)?" an audience member asked.\nFidler said the "United States doesn't give power." Instead, he said the questions that should be asked are: "How is U.S. power exercised" and "At point do we bring in the U.N.?"\nThe United States has a lack of strategic vision on how to the use the United Nations, Fidler said. He added that the United States should not adopt a "New World Order" or "Federation of States" approach to the United Nations in regard to worldwide government communications. \n"We do not want to go in that direction from a philosophical point of view," Fidler said. \nClark disagreed with Fidler on this point.\nClark said the question the United States should ask about international affairs is "How do you work with each other?"\nHe said tension between the United States and Europe has remained constant since the Cold War, specifically in regard to issues of exercising military power and the use of military force.\n"I believe the U.S. government and Europe have to make a compromise," he said.\nClark cited European and U.S. cooperation in dealing with Iran as a nuclear threat as proof of relationship mending.\nAll the panelists agreed that a U.N. international coalition is needed to effectively combat the worldwide spread of infectious diseases and to prevent nuclear proliferation.\nRashkow said the United Nations, if its commitment to democracy is more than empty rhetoric, needs to hold undemocratic countries accountable for continuing to thwart democratic rule. \nThe panelists agreed that U.N. economic, political and military pressure need to be applied to undemocratic nations that are preventing international democracy from spreading.\nThe speakers disagreed, however, on the role of the United Nations and the United States in stabilizing the military ambitions of Japan, China and the Koreas. The possible admittance of Japan into the U.N. Security Council and its recent rise of nationalism seemed to draw the most divisive difference of opinion from the panelists.\nChinese military action and the country's opposition to democracy should be a main concern, Fidler said. The discussion of admitting Japan is symbolic of real security concerns in Asia, primarily the rise of an undemocratic China, he said.\n-- Contact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(04/04/05 4:58am)
Throughout a student's undergraduate academic career, professors often attempt to mold students into a cookie cutter of due dates, paper lengths and approved vocabularies.\nThinking outside the mainstream was the theme this weekend as the Indiana Memorial Union was flooded with folk scholars and academics from across the world for the first annual "Pushing Boundaries: Extreme Folklore & Ethnomusicology Conference." Lecture and panel topics included among others "Monarchy, Magic and Mickey Mouse," "Do You Want Fries With That?," "Politics of Cultural Identity," "Stranger in a Strangeland" and "Edjumacation." \nFolklore graduate student Rhonda Dass, whose advanced study involves body art like everyday clothing costumes and an insider's view of tattooing, said the conference was designed as a forum to discuss manageable ways to accommodate overlapping ideas and to reflect upon where, when, why and how students might or might not stretch their academic approach to include innovative ethnographic methodology and dissertation presentation. \n"The main purpose of the conference was to provide a venue to talk about pushing the boundaries of our disciplines and to provide a place for graduate students to do that," Dass said. "So much of what we do in academics depends on the restrictions of our discipline -- labels and expectations."\nKeynote speaker Gregory Barz, an assistant professor of musicology at Vanderbilt University, discussed "Ethnomusicologists and Folklorists as (Accidental?) Meddlers, Mediators, and Activists: Pushing the Boundaries of Fieldwork in the 21st Century." His lecture involved "hope and arts in East Africa," specifically addressing HIV infection education and prevention efforts through song, dance and dramatics he observed in Uganda.\nBarz highlighted the plight of Uganda's AIDS-ravished communities in relation to his fieldwork, identifying what did and did not work since he said he fell into every "anthropological trap."\n"I was led by men to talk to men," he said.\nBarz urged the crowd of academics to reflect a "holistic perspective" instead of "plundering other cultures" in the name of ethics and advocacy.\nDass said the conference was a valuable learning opportunity since university folklore and ethnomusicology departments are often home to otherwise disenfranchised academics studying ideas perceived as outside mainstream scholarly thinking.\n"History has been made from 5 percent of the world population," Dass said. "We look at the other 95 percent of common people and the things they do. Folklore is the music you listen to and the way you treat people when you interact with them."\nFolklore and ethnomusicology Department Chair Ruth Stone said folklorists and ethnomusicologists study what is often perceived as the "trivial" aspects of a particular culture -- the use of space, food and dining rituals, jokes and songs, naming practices, formation of myths and so on. She said these types of folklore often express individual and community repressed feelings, aspirations and beliefs. \n"Folklore addresses a lot of issues about people and social interactions, from hip-hop to the history of communication," Stone said. "I would encourage students to take a look at the courses we offer. I think the most interesting aspect of folklore and ethnomusicology, perhaps, is working closely with people of other cultures: listening to their stories, learning from them, spending time in the community the way folklorists do."\n-- Contact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(04/01/05 6:24am)
IU senior Brett Hershey is one of nine Indiana National Guard soldiers to have left the Hoosier heartland to serve the his country, only to return home as one of more than 1,500 soldiers who have died in the Middle East.\nWishing to avoid mourning another Hoosier war casualty, about 40 students, Bloomington residents and guests gathered Thursday at the Sample Gates to protest the Indiana Army National Guard recruiting post on Kirkwood Avenue, which opened for business March 7.\n"We are here today to oppose military recruiting on our campus," said graduate student Sandrine Catris, a member of the IU student group Against the Occupation of Iraq. "They send e-mails and letters to classes asking permission to come in to share their military experience, luring students into joining. We are opposed to our country's illegal and unlawful war -- a crime against humanity."\nSeveral protesters spoke about the role of Hoosier National Guard troops serving overseas, the financial burden of war and the possibility of a draft. The group then marched along Kirkwood Avenue, past the recruiting station, then to Dunn Street, before circling back to Indiana Avenue to begin the loop again.\nSgt. First Class Roy Hughes, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Kirkwood IANG location, said past, current and future Hoosier National Guard soldiers "spend our days, weeks and months" giving Americans -- including war protestors -- the opportunity to voice their opinions in the streets.\n"My goal in this recruitment station is to recruit as many people as want to be here," Sgt. Hughes said. "I think it's picking up every day. People are starting to notice us and ask us questions. There's a lot of benefits and opportunity, depending on how (a student) is qualified and depending on what they want to do."\nHughes said he is a 21-year career soldier for the IANG, serving the last nine years in various Hoosier recruitment stations from Anderson to Bedford. About 9,500 Hoosiers have served, or are currently serving, active duty in either Afghanistan or Iraq, according to the Indiana National Guard Web site. \n"We are all human, whether we realize it or not," yelled Brown County resident Timothy Baer, a member of the Bloomington Peace Action Coalition, into a bullhorn's microphone. "No military recruiting in Bloomington. Don't feed the war machine. Don't join the Indiana National Guard. Stop recruiting for the death machine. No more Hoosiers in Iraq."\nThe student and community protesters were swarmed by counterprotesters as they passed Kilroy's on Kirkwood, where groups of students had congregated for food and drinks behind the front porch gates. Some students heckled the protesters with chants of "four more years" and "go home and smoke some dope," and suggestions like "get a job" and "God bless the Republican party."\nPacks of protesters fired back repeated verses of: "Hey, George Bush, what do you say? How many kids have you killed today?" and "No justice, no peace. U.S. out of the Middle East."\nProtester and Owen County resident Glenda Breedon said she traveled to Bloomington in opposition of young people being killed and young families being torn apart by U.S. military conflict on foreign soil. \n"I believe when we go over there and occupy a country, go over there and drop bombs, violence begets violence," Breedon said with peace symbol earrings dangling from her ears. "My sign says 'Remove the Feeding Tube.' I think we need to pull the plug from the Pentagon and learn what it means to be human."\nSgt. Hughes said Hoosier men and women can benefit from joining the Army National Guard, both personally and financially. He said IANG soldiers serve the country, state, neighboring communities and the needs of local people, depending on where duty calls.\n"If (students) qualify, we can help them with their educational expenses -- they can get up to a 100 percent of tuition paid," Hughes said. "There are several benefits (of enlistment), specific to the person. We are going to provide the opportunity to learn motivation, leadership and confidence, regardless of the financial benefits they receive from us."\nBaer said the BPAC is dedicated to serving the best interests of the Bloomington community, and thinks those joining the Guard are impressionable young people who might literally sign their life away to the military.\n"We are here because we mourn the recent death of an IU student, and we want the military recruiters to stop preying on the students and community members in Bloomington," Baer said. "Students should not have to learn to kill to earn money for an education."\nCatris said Students Against the Occupation of Iraq is dedicated to mobilizing the student population against the war since international governing bodies like the United Nations perceive the conflict as illegal. She said SAOI representatives are willing to assist students with determining nonviolent means to pay for tuition, nonmilitary career opportunities and nonviolent ways to serve America and the Bloomington community other than enlisting in the National Guard.\n"We as students, as members of this community, as members of this world, we have a responsibility to this country to raise awareness about (military recruitment)," Catris said. "Apathy is criminal -- indifference is criminal -- we can no longer be silent because war crimes are being committed in all our names."\n-- Contact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(03/28/05 5:31am)
Jack and Jill went up the hill to have some so-called fun.\nSophomore Jack forgot his hat.\nJunior Jill forgot her pill.\nAnd now they have a son.\nThe first annual Campus Condom Hunt is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., April 2, in Ballantine Hall, Room 109. The CCH is sponsored by several student and Bloomington community groups, including the Student Global AIDS Campaign and the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance.\nThe CCH is a social awareness campaign crafted from the minds of three human sexuality majors. Senior Molly Foos, sophomore and Indiana Daily Student copy editor Nicole Hindes and sophomore Cara Berg elicited the assistance of Kelly E. McBride, director of training at Bloomington Planned Parenthood. But the event "is in no way sponsored by Planned Parenthood," a CCH spokeswoman said.\nAbout 20 campus community members have offered to volunteer their time to promote safe sex practices throughout the campus population.\nThe organizing students do not intend for the 500 condoms to be used in sexual activity per se; rather, a CCH spokeswoman recommended the winning team use the 500 condoms to produce an art sculpture promoting "safe sex practices" or for a fraternity to put "a whole bunch in the bathroom." The second-place team will receive 250 condoms and the third place team will receive 100. \nAll participants will receive 12 condoms each, for free.\nCritics of college-age sexual activity cite relatively high sexually transmitted infection statistics, and some health experts especially worry about the sexual practice of "hook-up" dating patterns. According to the Centers for Disease Control, "The surest way to avoid transmission of sexually transmitted diseases is to abstain from sexual intercourse, or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and you know is uninfected."\nCommon sexually transmitted diseases associated with unsafe sexual practices include, but are not limited to: HIV, the virus that causes AIDS; discharge diseases, like gonorrhea, chlamydia and trichomoniasis; genital ulcer diseases and the human papilloma virus. \nAccording to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, HPV, in fact, is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S. -- infecting about 20 million Americans.\nPPFA claims about 75 percent of reproductive aged Americans have been infected with genital HPV at some point in their lives, whether or not he or she was able to diagnosis the infection. HPV has been scientifically linked to increased rates of cervical cancer in women.\nDespite the benefits of having condoms readily available, some students are baffled about the prospect of winning hundreds of them.\n"I don't know what I'd do with 500 condoms," said senior Becca Schultz. "A bunch of friends and I were thinking of going on the condom hunt for fun. It should be a good time."\nThe Campus Condom Hunt is expected to be a foot race across campus, as teams of three to five students will hustle from stop to stop along the condom hunt trail. Interested students, Bloomington residents and guests should email mfoos@indiana.edu by Tuesday to register. \nSenior Liz Milne said she has seen hundreds of condoms "thrown places" before, but she said she has never seen 500 condoms "contained." Milne said she does not "have an interest in collecting 500 condoms."\n"I would toss them around like the Pizza Express guy," Milne said, "I don't know (what I would do with them), hand them out? I would say (to students): 'Use a condom. That's the bottom line. Try it, because (sexual activity) is safer that way.'"\nOn the one hand, promoting condom use on campus might encourage students to consider multiple forms of protection, such as birth control pills plus a condom or a condom plus a diaphragm, during sexual activity.\nOn the other hand, since safe student plus student sex often involves at most birth control pills or at the very least condom use, the CDC offers the following recommendation: "While condom use has been associated with a lower risk of cervical cancer, the use of condoms should not be a substitute for routine screening with Pap smears to detect and prevent cervical cancer."\nSchultz said she the overwhelming number of condoms being given to the winners seems straight from a Hollywood script. Similar to Milne, Schultz said she imagined 500 condoms floating through the air.\n"You picture movies, they go up in a big hot air balloon and drop money," Schultz said. "It's kind of the same thing."\n-- Contact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(03/24/05 5:50am)
Because the federal minimum wage of $5.15 does not provide a living wage for full-time workers, Bloomington has legislated to pay the difference for working Hoosiers living within the community.\nThe Common Council voted to enact Ordinance 05-08 Wednesday, paving the way for certain groups of workers to receive a sufficient wage to meet basic needs in housing, child care, food, clothing, household items, transportation, health care and taxes. The ordinance requires the city, some city-subsidized nonprofit groups, city-subsidized for-profit organizations and city service contractors to pay some or all workers $10 an hour -- $8.50 an hour if health care is provided.\nMore than 100 cities across the United States already have legislated living wage ordinances for their communities, and about 100 other cities are discussing the proposal or actively researching the issue. The Common Council has said the living wage ordinances in Madison, Wis., Ann Arbor, Mich., and Bellingham, Wash., have provided models for Bloomington because of their comparable demographics. \nCommon Council President Andy Ruff, the ordinance sponsor, said it is "pretty clear from the evidence" that in cities with a legislated living wage, the costs are not passed on to the city, businesses have found gains in productivity, businesses have reduced training costs and turnover costs, and more workers will be protected by the ordinance in the future.\nCouncilman Ruff also cited Bloomington's need to protect "more and more workers over time" until the federal government "steps up to the plate." Ruff said research has shown the ordinance protects workers from outsourced labor, as external businesses and contractors will not be exempt from paying their employees anything but a living wage.\nDeputy Mayor James McNamara said Mayor Kruzan's office has taken a hard look at the fiscal impact of the living wage on the city budget, but the exact financial burden on taxpayers could not be calculated at that time.\n"We will not know precise impact to the penny until the ordinance is passed," he said. "The city already pays well above the living wage ordinance."\nCritics of Bloomington's proposed living wage ordinance cited government interference in the private sector, government micromanagement of local businesses, the financial burden placed on tax payers, saving a few at the expense of exploiting the poorest among us and the "willing" inability of certain groups of workers to succeed in America. \nVocal opponents included Monroe County Chairman of the Republican Party Stephen Minarik III, a student from IU Kelley School of Business and seven other community members.\nMayor Kruzan said most community opinions offered about the living wage ordinance seemed thoughtful and sincere. However, the mayor said most criticism contained "one fatal flaw with the argument" -- people didn't read the ordinance. \n"We have a responsibility to read it first before we misunderstand it," Kruzan said. \nSupporters cited continued progressive leadership, community responsibility to pay a fair price for work provided, the willingness not to support poverty wages, corporations not acting in the best interest of their employees and the idea that "humans should not be confused with robots."\nThose in vocal favor of the ordinance included Monroe County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People President William Alonzo Jr., two honor students from IU's Kelley School of Business and 15 other community members. \nBloomington resident Anne Novak, a Living Wage Coalition representative, said the living wage ordinance "is no gravy train." She said "numerous studies" suggest common minimum wage workers cannot afford a college education for their children, they cannot plan for their retirement, they cannot afford vacations and they cannot afford a home -- many luxuries often take for granted by Hoosiers living within the Bloomington community. \n"(The living wage ordinance) will make a difference, a beginning difference," she said. \n-- Contact City & State editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu
(03/10/05 5:52am)
Some people work 40 hours a week in Bloomington, but they cannot afford food, adequate clothing or shelter because their minimum wage job affords a lifestyle below the national poverty level.\nAs a result, town residents flooded the Common Council meeting with passionate testimony, "expert" data and economic opinions about Bloomington's proposed living wage ordinance. The Common Council listened to the perceived pros and cons of the legislation from city officials and invited guests before opening the floor to audience questions and comments. The audience did not seem united in support for or opposition to the bill.\nThe proposed living wage ordinance, although substantially changed from its original drafting, would raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $8.50 for employees hired to work city-contracted labor. City officials predict the plan will cost $50,000, although the City Council and the Mayor's office have not yet devised a plan for funding the project. Critics for the bill claim Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan and Common Council President Andy Ruff have allowed nonprofit organizations and other businesses exemptions from the mandate to provide their staff self-sustaining wages.\nBloomington resident William Scott, who has lived in town for 43 years, told the crowd a story of his childhood to illuminate why he thought the city should not legislate a living wage ordinance. His dad lost his job in 1933 during the America's Great Depression when he was four years old. \nScott said he "sold comic books to buy sugar for his cereal" until the cereal ran out. At this time, he said, Scott and his father moved in with his grandparents.\n"You keep speaking of the working poor as a permanent class of folks," Scott said. "People working at poverty wages, within 5 years, 70 percent are out of poverty -- 10 percent enjoy six-figure salaries ... The unintentional consequences (of this bill) cannot be waved off as flies on glasses."\nScott, like many other Bloomington residents who shared their thoughts with the audience, offered no specific study or particular body of research to support his claims.\nAdvocates of the proposed living wage ordinance predict a "ripple effect" through the local economy. A depreciated minimum wage, North American Free Trade Agreement fallout and an increasing disparity between the highest and lowest salaries in a company are also reasons cited for supporting Bloomington's living wage ordinance. \nBloomington resident Marsha McCarthy, a psychologist, said she supports the bill because the real effects of poverty happen to children living in poor, working families. She said the parents she works with who earn low wages often have to work more, which dramatically effects children.\nMcCarthy said children growing up in poverty-stricken environments often experience school problems, family problems and health problems -- all related to poverty. She said her recommendation to parents is often to "spend more time with their children," which they often cannot do because work conflicts with school conferences and medical appointments.\nCritics believe the legislation is designed to "help the wrong people out."\nBloomington resident Jane Baxter has a moderate opinion on the matter, claiming residents "will get up the next day and nothing will have changed" if the Common Council passes the living wage ordinance. The Council will vote on the ordinance on March 28. \nContact the City Council to voice your opinion about the living wage ordinance at 349-3409.\nContact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu
(03/09/05 6:17am)
Forty years after Indiana repealed its anti-interracial marriage legislation on the basis of race discrimination, Hoosiers might soon vote to support or deny legislation banning marriage by same-sex couples. \nAdvance America, a conservative grassroots network self-described as "pro-family and pro-church," held a rally for traditional marriage Tuesday in the Indiana Statehouse rotunda.\nSenate Bill SJR7, a proposal to amend Indiana's Constitution to deny same-sex couples the opportunity to enter into any institution of "marriage" or "civil union," was approved by Hoosier senators 42-8 Feb. 21. \nAdvance America Founder Eric Miller, who unsuccessfully campaigned for the 2004 Republican Governor nominee against Gov. Mitch Daniels, organized the rally "in support of an amendment to the Indiana Constitution to ban same-sex marriages and civil unions," according to a rally flier.\n"You have a speaker of the House who does support marriage between one man and one woman," Miller said to the participants gathered three-stories high in the Statehouse rotunda. "We must amend the Constitution to protect marriage in this state."\nAdvance America claims its organization represents 42,000 families, 1,600 businesses and more than 3,800 churches around the state, according to its Web site.\nIn addition to demonstrators, children as young as two, bussed from Indiana parochial schools, held up signs displaying slogans such as "God hates fags." \nHouse Speaker Rep. Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis) called on all Hoosiers to protect the cornerstone of American society -- the institution of marriage -- and he said traditional marriage "matters to traditions, religious beliefs, society and children." \nBosma said "studies" show a two-parent family, one mother and one father, is the "safest, securest and soundest." Bosma did not cite specific studies. He led a Republican walkout in the House, about this time last year, in protest of then-House Speaker Pat Bower's (D-South Bend) refusal to debate banning marriage for same-sex couples in the state.\nIf the House votes in support of SJR7 during the second legislative session, the Senate bill will face a second round of legislative scrutiny as early as 2007-2008. If both the Senate and House vote in favor of the bill at that time, Indiana voters will ultimately decide the fate of marriage for same-sex couples throughout the state. \nBosma said the House is prepared to debate and vote on SJR7 as early as next week.\nMeanwhile, counterprotesters gathered on the Statehouse front steps during a mid-day snowstorm to rally against "the hate debate" -- specifically Miller and SJR7, according to a rally flier. "Rock Indiana!," held by state advocates of marriage for same-sex couples, included speakers offering personal testimony about sexual orientation discrimination and motivational speeches encouraging Hoosiers to stand up for the rights of their neighbors. \nSen. Vi Simpson (D-Bloomington), one of the eight Democratic senators who voted in opposition of the bill, said she spoke from her heart to the counterprotesters. She said she told the crowd she has been happily married for fifteen years, and never once has she or her husband felt threatened by same-sex couples or their prospect for marriage. \n"I just met with a group of young people (from IU) who asked me: 'why is this happening to us?'," she said. "I don't know what to say; It's a sad day really. I feel we are using people's fears to go backward when society grows and expands itself."\nIndianapolis residents Stephanie Mineart and Stephanie Koutek, a same-sex couple wishing to marry, said they believe homophobia and insecurity about oneself contribute to misperceptions about same-sex couples and their individual reasons for wanting to wed.\n"I think (the Advance America ralliers) are afraid of gay people," Mineart said. "I think they can rationalize however they want; they are trying to write discrimination into the Constitution."\nKoutek agreed with her partner.\n"We are not threatening people or straight marriage," Koutek said. "I'm happy for straight people -- straight people who are married. Everyone who is in love should be able to get married."\n2004 IU graduate Amanda Peterson, who attended the counterprotest with several IU students, said she felt inspired by Simpson's words.\n"I agree with (Simpson), time will fix this. History is repeating itself, but we are on the right side of history," Peterson said. "I just hope people open their eyes. This legislation is discriminatory. I think we made our point; I think people are starting to listen."\nParticipants pumped their fists and displayed hand signals indicating the crowd was "No. 1." Ralliers hollered "Amen," "that's right," "moms and dads" and "USA" before singing "God Bless America" to close the event. \nCounterprotesters confronted the ralliers inside the Statehouse with chants that included: "What do we want? -- justice; when do we want it? -- now," "fight hate," "God loves gays," "gay and proud," "love over hate" and "equal rights."\nSimpson said the civil rights struggles of the 1960s and 1970s proved young people with a public voice can fight for civil rights, women's rights and environmental protections.\n"I do believe SJR7 is more philosophically than politically motivated -- a philosophical belief homosexuality is a sin or same-sex marriage is damaging to society since it does not encourage procreation," Simpson said. "I would like to see a society that is more tolerant of change and difference -- a society that believes in loving one another equally -- in a democracy that protects rights and liberties ... However, I realize that is my philosophy."\nHoosiers can contact their state representative at 1-800-382-9842 to voice their personal opinion about SJR7. \n-- Contact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(03/07/05 6:05am)
With the help of the IU Police Department and Bloomington Police Department, Indiana Excise Police conducted a raid at Axis Nightclub early Friday morning, resulting in 68 alcohol-related citations.\nIndiana State Excise Lt. Tom Miles, whose District 5 agency is housed out of Vincennes, Ind., said the Axis raid was "an organized effort" due to the sheer volume of patrons and the particular layout of the bar. IUPD and BPD officers joined excise police to conduct the raid once officers verified Indiana alcohol laws had been broken.\n"We put unidentified officers inside the bar earlier in the evening," Miles said. "It was reported to waiting officers underage people were in the bar. To protect officer safety we turned the lights on and shut down the business for awhile. We arrested 68 minors; each one received a citation."\nAccording to an excise police statement, all minors were ticketed and released with none requiring incarceration, \nBPD Sgt. Steve Kellams said several BPD officers, including shift supervisors, were dispatched to Axis at approximately 12:45 a.m. Friday. \n"Our officers provided extra security by watching the doors, checking IDs and making sure there were no fights," Kellams said.\nIUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said IUPD officers wrote only two of the 68 citations -- both for illegal possession of alcohol. IUPD cadets also participated in the raid.\n"When you work in such a close environment like Bloomington and Monroe County, you are dealing with mutual concerns," Minger said. "If one police agency has a problem, all the police agencies have a problem ... Our role in something like this is to assist excise."\nAxis Nightclub Owner Dave Kubiak said the raid came as a "huge surprise" to him and he is frustrated Axis was "singled out" among local bars.\n"I was never expecting this," said Kubiak, who was briefed on the situation during the raid. "Typically, excise will take other steps before they reach this level. They will show up and check IDs if they think people look underage. The situation would be different if they did that and found a problem, but that never happened."\nMinger said excise police aren't required to notify local law enforcement when they will be conducting a raid. Often times, he said, IUPD will put in requests to have them come at different times.\n"They do impromptu checks," Minger said. "They don't give long advance when they will do something like this. We only know when they are coming when we call them for assistance in basketball games and other places we suspect there might be underage drinking."\nKubiak said there were about 500 patrons at the bar at the time of the raid.\n"I didn't get the number of people who were cited for having false IDs," he said. "But I assume we are looking at 10 percent. During peak time in Bloomington -- a major college town -- you can probably find 10 percent of underagers in any bar."\nIndiana Excise Lt. Miles said his office received several complaints about underage drinking at Axis throughout the last several weeks. He said the major concern was underage people gaining access to the nightclub. \nMiles said excise officers serving the District 5 post answer to more than 400 complaints in a typical year. He said excise police arrested 2,386 people in 2004 for alcohol and tobacco related crimes -- although false IDs and narcotic possession are common citations. The District 5 boundary including Monroe County encompasses Southwest Indiana at the Ohio border to as far north as Terre Haute.\nKubiak said Axis will begin to crack down on checking IDs as a result of the incident.\n"We will try harder to get bouncers to make sure everyone who enters the bar is 21," he said. \nFriday morning's excise police raid was the second since Kubiak purchased the club in July.\nExcise police raided the bar in the early December and issued between 25 and 30 citations during a sorority function.\n"In Bloomington, there's going to be more people with false IDs than most other cities," Kubiak said. "Our issue was the fact that they singled us out for no reason."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Lori Geller at lfgeller@indiana.edu and City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(03/03/05 5:51am)
Since the mid-20th century IU has helped educate Thailand about democracy by building schools. Today, Thailand needs America's support to transform itself from a developing country to an industrial nation.\nKasit Piromya, Thailand's ambassador to the United States, spoke with IU and Bloomington community members about the future prospect of sparking a free-trade agreement between the two countries Wednesday in the School of Law's Moot Court Room.\n"America's relationship (with Thailand) did start on a very happy note," he said. "Americans helped with our independence by not wanting (to colonize us) ... We hope we will be able to have a draft (free-trade) agreement to the (Federal Trade Association) by 2006, as a symbol of the intensification of taking our relationship to a higher level." \nThailand was designated as a major non-NATO ally by President George W. Bush in October 2003, due in part to the Thai capture of Riduan Isamuddin, known as Hambali -- an international terrorist implicated in the Sept. 11 attacks and Indonesian civilian bombings. The U.S. State Department also reported that Thailand provided military assistance, about 450 soldiers, for the "war on terror" in Afghanistan and Iraq during a one-year commitment. \nPiromya said Thailand's Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, would like to see the nature of the U.S.-Thai relationship diversified. King Phumiphon Adunyadet is the country's chief of state; however, Prime Minister Thaksin leads the parliament of Thailand's "democratically governed constitutional monarchy," according to the CIA World Factbook. \n"We have been a partner and ally for almost two centuries," Piromya said. "During the Civil War (the Thai King) offered elephants to (President Abraham) Lincoln for battle against the South. I think the American and Thai people have in common a love for freedom. I think we should be in a position to work together more."\nThailand has sponsored five national elections since 1992 and has developed strong economic and diplomatic ties to Burma, a military-governed neighbor. Thailand also shares a border with Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia. According to the CIA World Factbook, 95 percent of Thailand's 63 million citizens practice Buddhism, about 4 percent are Muslim, and less than 1 percent is defined as Christian.\nPiromya's visit to IU is one part of a multi-state tour through the United States to improve U.S.-Thai relations.\nCharles Reafsnyder, executive associate dean for international programs, said IU has been working with Thailand since the late 1950s. He said IU helped to establish 17 teachers' colleges throughout the country, some of which have developed into full-fledged universities.\n"It's been a very long-standing and productive relationship (between IU and Thailand)," Reafsnyder said. "There are a number of Thai students (at IU), specifically in the law school. We have a very happy, warm, close relationship with (our) colleagues in Thailand."\nForty-one Thai students are enrolled in classes at IU, according to the Office of International Services. \nPiromya also discussed Thailand's cooperation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in regard to making the international student visa process more efficient despite increased American fears about international terrorism.\nGraduate student and Thai citizen Snea Thinsan asked Piromya to address the worldwide perception of Thailand's human rights record in a "frank" way. \nCritics of Thailand's human rights practices cite reported instances of forced labor, child labor, trafficking in women and children -- including for commercial sexual exploitation -- and coerced prostitution. \n"(We must) look at the cup half-filled or half-empty," Piromya said. "There have been 26 military coup d'etas and military governments. The military is back in the barrack; (there is) civil control of the military. (Thailand has) one of the most open constitutions of the day ... Young people died on the street fighting for justice."\nAccording to the Human Rights Watch, more than 500 deaths have been attributed to Prime Minister Thaksin's crackdown against public revolts by Islamic extremists in the Muslim-dominated southern provinces since martial law was established in January. In addition, human rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, who disappeared March 12, 2004, while following high-profile defenses of Thailand citizens accused of attacking an army camp in the southern provenance of Narathiwat, is still reported missing. \nPiromya said Thailand has always been a part of globalization as far as the tapioca root trade is concerned, and his country is seeking an open-market economy. He said the prospect of outsourcing employment opportunities to Thailand should not detract from the perception of a "two-way exchange" between the countries. Piromya said Thai cleaners, chefs and other laborers would happily do work some Americans despise.\n"We always look out to the world at large; Thailand has always been a global partner," he said. "In the 18th and 19th centuries we had a legal partnership and education relationship. (We had an) economic donor-recepient relationship to the mid-1980s; it's now changed to more of a partnership ... We welcome expert and technical assistance; we welcome people to people assistance." \n-- Contact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(03/01/05 4:37am)
One word comes to mind after reflecting upon a night of kite-flying memories, ballroom-dancing dreams and the spectacle of a "black ass" mooning the audience center-stage: "Hope" -- for the worldwide human race in combating racism and racial discrimination.\n"'Master Harold' ... and the boys," written by South African playwright Athol Fugard and directed by theatre professor Murray McGibbon, presents an autobiographical snapshot of family life and social relationships within the confines of apartheid-legislated society in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The IU theatre department has produced a must-see play for all campus and Bloomington community members, regardless of race or creed.\nAs the houselights dim and the stage lights turn on, the audience is introduced to two servants closing shop inside of St. George's Park Tea Room. Sam, played by graduate student Carmund T. White, and Willie, played by Bloomington resident Andy Alphonse, briefly discuss an upcoming ballroom dancing competition they are preparing to participate in. \nScenic designer Christopher J. Sinnott's set, his graduate thesis project, truly establishes a rainy-day tone to support the brewing tension playing before the audience. St. George's Park Tea Room interior mirrored a 1950s jukebox soda shop blended into a modern coffeehouse aesthetic, complete with a checkered-tile floor and old-fashioned cash register.\nA rain curtain hung above the stage drips water throughout the first and last third of the play and provides a realistic raining sound. Backlit tree silhouettes further contribute to a spectacular scene of a darkened, storm-raged sky provided by graduate student and lighting designer Ryan Davies.\nFrom the moment Master Harold, or "Hally," played by graduate student Tom Connor, enters the scene, both Sam and Willie are relegated to secondary characters dependent upon Hally for dramatic interactions. The audience is allowed to witness Hally coping with his father's racist socialization, a bigot suffering from a disabling sickness, although they are never introduced to him. \nThe portrayal of Hally is at its best when the audience is given clear vocal inflections despite the South African accent. Too often, however, the audience heard a monotone yell at three predominate volumes -- loud, louder and screaming. The role of Hally seemed to require tremendous energy to generate multiple emotions; to this effect, Connor did a tremendous job provoking audience alienation, since his character is designed as the antagonist.\nIn part because Willie spends the first half of the play scrubbing the floor, on his knees and in bare feet, Willie's role provided desperately needed comic relief during otherwise heated dialogue. Alphonse seemed to invite the audience into the action along with his character, highlighted by moments of ballroom dancing practice.\nWhite's enthusiasm playing Sam and his patience in dealing with troublesome moments, such as Hally spitting in his face, seemed to spotlight the significant plight and problematic issues facing black men and women forced into servitude under apartheid rule.\nWhite's effectiveness in playing Sam also enables the audience to perceive Willie and Sam as the protagonists despite the legality of the social circumstances they are subjected to. \nProfanity, threats of violence and heated themes of social equality permeate throughout the play in between moments of kite-flying memories and ballroom dancing. Fugard seems to invite the audience to bridge the racial discrimination gap by forcing empathy upon black men standing face-to-face with their young white master.\nMcGibbon's brilliant direction seemed apparent in the play's pace and audience effect, which resulted in a prolonged ovation from a seemingly enthralled crowd. On the other hand, the enthusiastic reception may have resulted from the audience's willingness to breathe easy again after having spent a night exposed to racist social themes and bigoted character action.\nIn the end of the play, Willie spends his bus money on a song from the jukebox so he and Sam can dance the play to darkness. Although racial discrimination still exists in the tea shop since they are still regulated to servitude, Sam and Willie invite the audience to feel hope for future social constructions involving race and the role of race in subjective human perceptions.\nRegardless of whether Sam and Willie discover their dream of social equality on the ballroom dance floor, the success of "Master Harold" lies in the dialogue and the images the dialogue creates in the minds of the audience -- maybe none more important than Hally flying his kite alone because Sam is not allowed to sit on an "all-white" bench.\n"It's not a white world anymore, Master Harold," Sam said.
(02/28/05 6:40am)
Black History Month concludes today in the statehouse to music from the lips of IU students.\nThe African American Choral Ensemble is scheduled to perform at 10 a.m. today in the Indiana Statehouse rotunda.\nRep. Vernon Smith (D-Gary) is using his "point of privilege," an opportunity for each state representative to offer a special theme on the house floor once during each legislation session, as an invitation for the AACE to showcase its talents in front of Indiana's elected state officials.\n"My students are very honored to represent IU in this way." said James Mumford, director of the AACE. "People are beginning to notice we have a very high level of performance; we are excited and we feel it is long overdue. It takes time for people to hear what you do."\nMumford said the AACE is a "choral ensemble students can take for credit." He said Rep. Smith heard the AACE perform in Gary earlier this year.\n"These ensembles were designed to give students the opportunity to explore musical talents despite (non-musical) career goals," said African American Arts Institute Director Charles Sykes. "When you have the opportunity to perform in situations where you are exposed to decision makers, it's always a good thing -- these people have to make decisions about education and arts in Indiana. It is our hope we will leave a good impression of IU and the (AAAI)."\nThe AACE is not affiliated with the School of Music, except for ties to practice space. Instead, the AACE is a class offered to students by the African American Studies Department through the AAAI.\nThe 2004-2005 academic year is the 30th anniversary of the African American Arts Institute. \nSenior Alexis Carter, a third-year performer, said her fondest memory so far is singing at IU President Herbert's inauguration.\n"I'm personally excited and ecstatic," she said. "I can speak for the AACE as a whole in saying we feel honored and privileged to be invited to the statehouse."\nMumford said students involved in the AACE love music and love to sing. He also said the AACE is "a true representative of diversity on campus" since the chorus involves voices from countries such as Spain and Germany, as well as Muslim and Jewish participants.\n"There is a great deal of emotional involvement and participation in the consumption of (African American) music -- insight not just to the (African American) experience but the human experience," Mumford said. "I am most proud of my students' willingness to grow, learn to value the aesthetic of what we are singing ... I feel my students work with a great deal of zeal."\nStudents can audition for the AACE early in the fall and spring semesters.\nCarter said the AACE combines many voices in one family.\n"We're like brothers and sisters, and Dr. Mumford is like our dad," she said. "He enhances our ways of living, his wisdom and knowledge alone -- life lessons not learned from history books."\n-- Contact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(02/25/05 4:25am)
Discourse about racism is alive within the IU community and the theatre department wouldn't have it any other way. \n"'Master Harold' ... and the boys," written by South African Athol Fugard and directed by South African IU theater professor Murray McGibbon, opens at 8 p.m. tonight in the Ruth N. Halls Theatre. The play premiered in 1982 at the Yale Repertory Theatre and was banned from production in South Africa until 1994.\nMany of Fugard's papers are currently housed and cared for at IU's Lilly Library.\nThe production confronts 1950s apartheid in South Africa through the point of view of a white teenager, "Master Harold." Master Harold, often called "Hally" and played by first-year M.F.A student Tom Connor, struggles between the worldviews of two conflicting role models: a bigoted white father and a lifelong black mentor named Sam. \nRacial discrimination is the major theme throughout the play, although Sam's attempt at ballroom dancing symbolizes the personal dilemma of many black people wishing to participate in a white-ruled world. The character Willie, played by guest artist Andy Alphonse, works with Sam in St. George's Park Tea Room, a restaurant owned by Hally's father.\n"It's a very difficult play, in my mind, by the greatest living playwright." McGibbon said, who was recruited by IU theatre department personnel in 1996 to teach acting and directing. "It is the most beautiful one-act play written in the English language. If you close your eyes (during the play) you might think you're in Port Elizabeth, Africa."\nMcGibbon said American audiences often find it difficult to imagine the life of a grown man in 1950s South Africa, since the segregation experienced by many of South Africa's blacks was much worse than segregation issues in America at that time. Apartheid was an official South African government policy involving political, legal and economic discrimination against anyone who was nonwhite.\n"It's almost like (McGibbon) is a potter working a block of clay -- he molds a part, molds a part, adds and takes away detail, adds a gloss," said School of Music graduate student Carmund T. White, who portrays Sam in the play. "Literally, he let (the play) grow for itself, as opposed to applying his will on the actors or production. His very methodical directing process allowed us to get a feel for the play and grow into what we were doing." \nMcGibbon said he has been involved in theater since he was three years old. He said the entire cast and crew have demonstrated "unbelievable commitment," a rare 110 percent, to the work needed. \n"My goal as a director is to give audiences a truly theatrical experience," he said. "I get moved to tears in movie houses and bored to tears in play houses. I'm hoping you will stand up and say 'wow.'" \nScenic designer and theatre graduate student Christopher J. Sinnottsaid he drenched the set in tints of brown colors. "Master Harold's" scenic design is Sinnott's graduate thesis production and his sixth such work for an IU-produced play. \n"It was appropriate to keep the tone going to give it a certain atmospheric feel, almost like a staged memoir," he said. "There is a sense that the play happened on a rainy day afternoon to evening. Upstage there is a rain curtain to keep rain ever present throughout.\nHe added that it actually rains on stage.\nSinnott said he is especially proud of his "experimental piece" tree silhouettes hanging above the stage draped in fishnet-like netting. He said the audience will see "free-standing trees" when the prop piece is backlit.\n"This is by far my best work," Sinnott said. "I would like (the audience) to have gone and seen not so much a period piece but a representation of the author's life at that time. I hope my scenic design adds support and strength to the story; it is not supposed to upstage it. I wanted to create a 'brilliant' look but not focus attention from the points of the story." \nWhite said he believes the entire cast is prepared to put forth its best acting work, since he feels McGibbon has directed an extraordinary production. \n"We feel so invested in ("Master Harold"), like it is ours," White said. "(This production) has been a life-changing experience; the characters have become a part of our lives. The play is metaphor for life -- you see people differently and learn to see the world differently." \nSinnott said he hopes the IU theater community remembers his work as "this one." Examples of the production work from the entire "Master Harold" design team will be exhibited in the gallery next to the theater entrance throughout the entirety of the show's run. \nMcGibbon said community members attending the show should expect a "powerful emotional experience," and he feels they will ultimately benefit from having witnessed the spectacle of "Master Harold" in an otherwise discrimination-free university environment.\n"In about 100 minutes, you can experience in the theater what you won't have for a lifetime," McGibbon said. "Theater is an artistic medium enabling audiences to reconsider values; to reconsider their interactions with other people in society."\n-- Contact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(02/18/05 4:46am)
One index finger, one hand, one arm, one rib cage, one leg and one trainer have been broken, punctured or killed in separate incidents of exotic wildlife attacks in Indiana.\nThroughout the last decade, 10 exotic wildlife attacks, maulings, and escape attempts have occurred across the Hoosier heartland's city zoos, children's zoos and circuses, according to the Animal Protection Institute. Although most reports of problematic wildlife happen at public exhibitions, exotic animals often make difficult house pets despite Indiana law allowing the domestication of lions, tigers and cougars. \nHundreds of Americans obtain exotic animals as pets legally, in fact, from the Internet and magazines specializing in wildlife trades. Lions, tigers and cougars seem the ideal pet until the "cute" cub weighs hundreds of pounds and consumes thousands of pounds of food after the first year. \nOnly a handful of big cats are pets in Hoosier homes.\nThe Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Center Point, Ind., prides itself in taking care of big cats otherwise "unfit" for entertainment purposes, "unwanted" because of an owner's pet aesthetic or "exiled" from mainstream America because of a criminal record. Although some feline rescue centers are often called animal "sanctuaries." Recently, rescue center personnel have hired a veterinarian and set up an on-site clinic; however, all the animals are spayede and neutered to prevent unnecessary pregnancies.\n"Our purpose is to provide a permanent and adequate home for big cats that have been abused or neglected or for some reason have no place to live," said Joe Taft, director of the Feline Rescue Center. \nHe said the exotic wildlife trade is discredited by so-called rescue centers breeding animals for retail sale. \n"Some rescue centers are more reputable than others," Taft said. "A lot of places that call themselves sanctuaries involve themselves in animal sales; we don't do that. Reproductive sex we don't like; recreational sex we don't mind." \nTaft said he has been working with big cats as pets since the mid-1960s; he lived with a leopard for about 10 years. He said the rescue center started because he found some abused tigers being used for a roadside show and took them in.\n"(Big cats) are cute when they are born," he said. "Tigers weigh two pounds when they are born and 200 pounds after their first year."\nCurrent rescued felines include "Jagger," a 10-year-old male Bengal tiger who mauled his Las Vegas trainer to death and the "Southern Belles," seven lionesses whose trip to the rescue center was featured on "Dateline." \n"We have about 170 cats," said Kathryn Korona, head rescue center keeper. "Enclosure-wise, there is either one or up to 9 in one cage. (U.S. Department of Agriculture)-wise, an animal has to be able to do all its natural positions -- sit, stand, lay down, roll over and so on. We try to see how much space we have and the needs of the animal. "\nOther big cats residing at the rescue center include retired actors from a Hollywood studio, three-ring circus stars and the "Pennsylvania cats" -- 18 felines who were found in a basement packed 5 by 5 foot cageswith no food, water or light.\nLinnea Petercheff, an operations specialist for the Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife, said five to 10 big cats are registered as pets in Hoosier homes. She said most Indiana big cats are kept at exhibition and rescue-type facilities with a USDA license.\n"(Big cats) usually retain natural instincts and they remain wild," she said. "All in all, the whole family is involved in biting and attacks ... If someone wants to keep a (big cat) as a pet, they have to obtain a permit to do so."\nPetercheff said numerous factors are considered when the state decides whether or not Hoosiers can attempt to domesticate big cats, such as available space and housing options. In addition, she said few permits are granted because the neighbors must approve of the feline moving into their community.\nThe rescue center offers students many volunteer opportunities, such as feeding the animals, cleaning their pens and building additional caged space for the animals. In addition, Hoosiers can rent a room on the property to spend a night among the growls, howls and groans of the big cats. Rescue center personnel welcome financial donations to help care for the animals and volunteer labor to help maintain the center.\nThe rescue center animals consume more than 2,500 pounds of food a day -- often donated livestock and road kill.\nKorona said some of the lions, tigers and cougars like to be petted like house cats -- they like to have their butt and under their chin scratched -- although rescue center guests are not allowed to touch the animals.\n"They each have their own personality, and I have a different relationship with all of them," she said. "Think twice about owning a big cat; they eat more food then you realize. They are wild animals; (big cats) are not meant to live in somebody's house ... They will fish in the toilet bowl, tear up the trash and jump on top of the fridge."\n-- Contact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(02/14/05 4:51am)
The art of the umbrella takes on many forms within the boundaries of a college campus. \nWhen the storm clouds congregate across the Hoosier horizon -- as is predicted several days this week -- students use many tactics for sheltering themselves and belongings from spring precipitation. Some students equip themselves with "practical" umbrellas built to last through several storms; other students adore "fashion" umbrellas designed to highlight their rainstorm outfit.\nJunior Brent Mergy said the choice of whether or not to use an umbrella for practical or fashionable purposes is up to the individual student, depending on their tolerance of wet and windy weather conditions. \n"I actually have (an umbrella); I'm just not using it," Mergy said beneath a maroon Abercrombie sweatshirt acting as his poncho. "I have never actually looked for one; my parents give me one or I grab one from the house ... I use an umbrella when it's bad out -- a little harder rain than what we have now." \nThe difference between practical umbrella use and the umbrella used as a fashion statement is often a matter of color, size and cost. The color black is often named the "traditional" choice of umbrella users. Fashion umbrellas often feature "outrageous" colors -- such as yellow or white -- and "unconventional" social symbols such as smiley faces, polka dots and unicorns.\nFreshman Morgan Reilly said the perception of a good umbrella versus a bad umbrella oftentimes resides in the longevity of its use.\n"A good umbrella is one that doesn't break in the wind," Reilly said moments before the wind blew her blue Target-bought umbrella inside out. "This is the first umbrella I have ever bought. If it's raining when I'm about to leave, then I'll grab it. Otherwise, I will just chance (the weather). A bad umbrella is one of the big ones that doesn't fold -- it's really obnoxious." \nThough the cultural aesthetic of umbrella use has evolved across civilizations and geographic landscapes, the art of the umbrella involves sheltering human beings from extreme weather conditions such as heat and moisture. Although umbrella use was associated with monarchy and kingship before the 17th century, umbrella use became both a practical concern and fashion concept during the 18th century. \nFrom Egypt to China and from Greece to Great Britain, the umbrella continues to be used a method of keeping human beings dry in wet weather and cool in hot climates. Despite the invention of crude "umbras" -- Latin for shade or shadow -- more than 4,000 years ago, students seem to prefer black umbrellas more than any other color or pattern. \nSophomore Tamara Polyakova said she has noticed hundreds of black umbrellas on campus, despite the numerous umbrella styles available for students at local rain gear retailers. She said she believes the common student umbrella aesthetic is practical instead of fashionable, since "unique" umbrellas are difficult to find. \n"I want my umbrella to be, ideally, long-lasting and therefore expensive and classy," Polyakova said, huddled with two students she didn't know, but who she had invited underneath her smiley-faced shelter anyway. "Since I'm cheap, I wanted it to be happy; do (the yellow smiley faces) make you happy? I don't like rain at all."\nAside from stylistic considerations, the art of umbrella use involves numerous cultural customs and rituals. \nReilly said her particular customs for umbrella use depend on the weather conditions. She said her rituals for opening and closing the umbrella as she opens and closes doors often occurs without forethought.\n"I walk to the door; I will wait until the last possible moment; I close it, shake it and put it in my bag," Reilly said. "I open the door; I open the umbrella, and then I step out. I share my umbrella if I have to, depending on how hard it's raining."\nJunior Kyle Klinger said his umbrella customs involve specific "holding habits" he has acquired through the years from repeated trial and failure for comfort. \n"I guess part of keeping (the umbrella) in your hand is to hold it tight," Klinger said while hopping on the tips of his toes to generate additional body heat during a recent storm. "Common sense tells me what way the wind is blowing to keep the umbrella in my hand, and the rain off my backpack."\nPolyakova said Mother Nature's sense of humor prevents her from practicing more traditional methods of umbrella use. Instead, she said she always seems to feel cold and wet despite her best efforts to keep her body sheltered from the rain.\n"I don't have a system for how I hold it," Polyakova said. "Sometimes I put it on my shoulder, sometimes I hold it my hand. I get wet either way."\nDespite specific cultural customs and rituals for student umbrella use, some students decide to not participate in umbrella usage at all.\nKlinger said students with no umbrellas suffer the most during extreme weather storms -- especially during rainstorms -- although other alternatives exist for students wishing to seek shelter from the rain.\n"Huddle up and keep your hands in your pockets," Klinger said. "Or find a friend with an umbrella so you don't get wet." \nReilly said the consequences of umbrella use on campus need to be weighed and considered against the benefit of keeping students dry. She said students should be weary of the ways they use their umbrella from campus building to building.\n"When there are four people walking next to each other on the sidewalk, that is a problem," Reilly said. "Their umbrellas are so big stretched out; I got hit in the face on my way to class."\nStudents should not have to dodge umbrellas on the campus sidewalks today -- today's weather forecast has called for a dry and cloudy sky. For students wishing to demonstrate the unique art of their umbrella styles, Bloomington can expect a 50 percent chance of rain Tuesday, with wet conditions continuing Friday through the weekend.\n-- Contact City & State Editor David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
