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(09/30/04 5:57am)
In the land of the free and the home of the brave, IU is fulfilling a patriotic duty. Founded in 1917 in accordance with the National Defense Act of 1916, the US Reserve Officers' Training Corps program operates out of the military science building, 814 E. Third. St., and always welcomes prospective volunteering students. \nIU began offering classes in military instruction in 1840, and civilian faculty often instructed students in drill and tactics during the Civil War. \nThe IU ROTC has been recognized as a "Distinguished College" by the U.S. War Department since 1920 for maintaining one of the top 20 units in the country. And from 1922 until 1942, freshmen and sophomores even were able to receive military credit for participating in the University's marching band, according to the IU ROTC's Web site. \nIn 1942, the campus community offered female students the opportunity of joining the Women's Auxiliary Corps, the first of any American university. Also, the IU ROTC was one of the first such programs in the country to formally accept women in 1972.\nCurrently, students are offered the possibility of enlisting in the Army or Air Force while earning a college degree. Sophomore Rob Devitt, an Army ROTC cadet, has earned college credit for classes such as leadership and land navigation. \n"I've always been interested in the military and I want to be an officer in the Marines," he said. "In the ROTC you can just take classes or contract in."\nSix people graduated from the Army ROTC both in 2001 and 2002. Data for the Air Force ROTC was unavailable at press time.\nThe average length of service for Army and Air Force ROTC cadets varies upon graduation, depending on the specific contract stipulations signed by each cadet. Cadets wear the government-issued uniforms once a week -- Army on Thursdays and Air Force on Fridays.\nSenior Steve Freeman joined the Air Force ROTC to fly millions of dollars worth of aircraft machinery before he pursues a law degree.\n"I think, like most people here, it's a family thing. A lot of my relatives are pilots so I've always wanted to be a pilot," he said. "There are a lot of great benefits to joining the ROTC. Your full-tuition and book expenses are paid, and you receive a monthly allowance."\nSenior John Ippoliti looks forward to the job security of a military career, considering the U.S.'s deep involvement in foreign affairs. \n"I'm doing this because I really like it, and I really want to serve my country. I'm looking forward to not having the worry of job hunting when I graduate," the Air Force ROTC cadet said. "The military has a job to do: defend and protect a nation. When we are called to war, we are called to do a job." \nJoining the ROTC seems relatively less complicated than receiving a discharge for not fulfilling your contractual obligations. If a cadet gets expelled from the University for misconduct, the Army and Air Force reserve the right to immediately enlist him or her into active duty. Ippoliti believes his passion for military service outweighs any drawbacks.\n"It's like anything else in life, if you love what you do you make it work," he said. "Our job is to be students. It's great to do work for the ROTC, but academics are priority No. 1."\nDevitt encouraged students to stop by the IU ROTC office to research the many opportunities military service can provide.\n"It's OK, come in and be honest. Give it a shot and try something new," he said. "If you don't like it later on, there is no shame. People are made for different purposes." \n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu
(09/29/04 6:06am)
If deciding which multicultural or culturally specific fraternity or sorority in which to participate wasn't difficult enough for many minority IU students, imagine the difficulty those students face when attempting to buy organization-identified merchandise and apparel. \nBlacks, American Indians, Asians and Hispanics represent about 10 percent of the total IU student body, yet local retailers often reserve little to no shelf space to stock multicultural or culturally specific fraternity and sorority gear. In fact, many minority students often discover great difficulties in acquiring clothing, dishware, banners and small trinkets labeled with their organizations' greek letters.\nSigma Lambda Gamma member and IU alumna Donna Gonzalez said she believes some campus community retailers have their hands tied in attempting to fulfill the apparel desires and merchandise wishes of her Latina sorority sisters.\n"The reason why most retailers don't offer us any stuff is lack of demand. They supply the mainstream fraternities and sororities," Gonzalez said. "Out of an estimated 850 Latino students, an estimated 130 in all participate in La Casa-supported organizations. When I came to IU, I didn't even know there was a Latino Cultural Center."\nT.I.S. Manager Cindy Westfall works closely with fraternity and sorority members to meet their organizations' needs, although keeping track of who's new and who's no-longer so is often problematic. Westfall orders most merchandise up front based on student input and determines demand based on the amount of merchandise sold.\n"Many factors are considered when ordering: what house, whether or not a vendor has the merchandise in stock, the quality of product, suggested retail price and if the company can make it," Westfall said. "There is always a minimum -- it could be one or 12 -- and it always depends on the vendor."\nFortunately multicultural and culturally specific fraternities and sororities have other options in deciding what merchandise to purchase, how much and from where. Unfortunately the campus community suffers from the loss of potential revenue flowing out-of-state, online and back into minority student pockets.\nGamma Phi Omega senior Karina Garduno believes her Latina sorority sisters have little choice other than to spend their money elsewhere.\n"We get a lot of our merchandise at Northern Illinois University. We either go up there, or we order from them online," Garduno said. "They have a lot of merchandise for us. The only things we get in town are shirts from Abracadabra (Graphics), since T.I.S. only offers us wooden paddles."\nTop It Off, located at 421 E. Third St., also offers multicultural and culturally specific organizations apparel, merchandise and custom services. Manager Shirley Lance also must consider manufacturing concerns, such as ordering complications for some student groups.\n"We serve everybody: sororities, fraternities, multicultural and student organizations. Some merchandise is not available for some groups; some manufacturers only make merchandise for major groups," Lance said. "We are licensed by IU, so we can put IU logos on clothing and merchandise."\nSimilar to retailers, budgetary concerns affect most student groups on campus, regardless of racial make-up and cultural composition.\nStill, despite the lack of merchandise that many of these multicultural fraternities and sororities are finding, Gonzalez said they are finding their own ways to combat the void that adds a personal touch. \n"I make my own stuff with supplies from Stitch In Time. I make tank-tops, shorts and visors, and I give them to the girls," Gonzalez said. "I like making it -- it's fun, and it's better than ordering it online."\n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(09/28/04 5:58am)
In Memorial Stadium's parking lots, a campus community convened for a traditional pregame breakfast of kegs and eggs; the pigskin's date with the kicker's foot was set for a little after 11 a.m.\n"Are we actually going to the game?" one student said to another, while walking down 17th Street carrying a case of $8 beer.\n"No way, we are only here to drink," was the response.\nWith the noise of radio rock 'n' roll and live music polluting the air around 9:12 a.m., pregame tailgating parties unofficially began in the parking lots and grass fields circling the stadium. \nThe Michigan State Spartans are listed as that day's gridiron opponent. \nMSU graduate accounting student Scott Greemur seems to correlate the cause of ticket demand and the effects of winning for many college football fans.\n"The main reason my friends and I are down here from East Lansing, is for the victory," he said in between gulps of beer, while rubbing his unclothed belly. "We need a little early season pick-me up. Both teams aren't looking so good, and a State win over IU seems assured."\nThe tailgate ritual, often associated with loose interpretations of alcohol laws and underage binge drinking, incorporates several key factors as the day unfolds. Most tailgaters collect in packs of three or more friends and family members. The student tailgate scene, in particular, is compacted away in the woods, caged-in by parked cars and accompanied by the occasional hoot, howler and scream. \nInstead of spending money on game tickets, many tailgaters arrive armed with Frisbees, footballs, alcohol and raw meat of all shapes and colors to grill. MSU senior Jason Knaffle offered his own assessment of IU-MSU football fan perceptions and the link to empty stadium seats.\n"Everybody has been very friendly; everybody is really cool. It's a southern hospitality thing I suppose," he said while ducking to avoid a football thrown near his head. "Everybody here is about getting drunk and having a good time. It's because you know you suck at football."\nHowever, not all tailgaters are students. Some early morning revelers are alumni, University corporate sponsors and very important people from the University. Hence, the buffet breakfast and lunch lines, uniformed alongside gigantic tubs of free beer underneath circus-like domes with parking reserved for golf carts. The silverware is not plastic and the napkins need washing.\nOther alumni tailgate closer to the students on the outskirts of the corporate village. Former IU football player and 1976 graduate Jim Hudson said he believes his tailgating mission is the continuation of a legendary college football tradition.\n"Fans need to turn these games into the event; make a day of this. Come and appreciate the Hoosiers," Hudson said. "We support the Hoosiers in many ways besides playing corn-hole on game day. My father-in-law has been a season ticket holder for 38 years."\nThe National Anthem trumpeted at 11:10 a.m. Many tailgaters not sitting in stadium seats prefer the possibility of winning at the game corn-hole instead of risking the time investment and feelings of loss often associated with the football team, they say. \n With empty seats in the corners of the grandstands visible in the distant landscape, the radio broadcast of the football game blared from the speakers of many parked cars. \nSenior Eric Hurd believes he found the best tailgating seat on campus. He prefers standing outside the black grated fence on the south side of the stadium so he can watch occasional glimpses of whistle blowing and padded tackling, while drinking warm cans of beer out of a plastic grocery sack.\n"As long as they're winning, I'll watch IU football from anywhere," Hurd said.\nWin or lose, many alumni are proud just to be a part of Hoosier football hysteria and look forward to sitting in stadium seats during game-time. Therefore, they purchase tickets so students do not have to keep shouldering the burden of the athletics department financial woes. \n"IU is a great university. The education I received has provided many opportunities for my family and it has opened many doors for me personally," Hudson said. "We are going with a pork theme for the Michigan game. You should stop by about halftime for food and drink."\n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(09/28/04 5:10am)
While the majority of the campus community slept late last Wednesday night, an unidentified computer hacker or cracker compromised several computer workstations in Ernie Pyle Hall for the purpose of sightseeing, according to University Information Technology Services. \nThe unauthorized access to the campus network was the equivalent of window shopping since the hacker or cracker did not obtain full control of any machines. As a result, very little student, faculty or University information was obtained and no computer technology was tampered with. \nHackers participate in Web page defacement, worm and virus development, and they transmit e-mail bombs through electronic connections. Crackers on the other hand, prefer dealing in computer code to erase and rewrite Web sites, while also denying legitimate business and service transactions over the internet. \nUITS is still investigating the situation while it works to resolve any unauthorized access abilities. \nIn an e-mail statement IU Information Technology Policy Officer Merri Beth Lavagnino acknowledged the difficulties University security personnel face in combating computer crime.\n"We recently discovered a misconfiguration on these machines and we also discovered that outside hackers or crackers also had discovered this flaw," Lavagnino said. "It isn't clear that they made use of what they discovered, but the misconfigurations are being fixed now so that they don't."\nUITS issued several stated warnings for students and faculty in regards to secure computer access in their e-mail newsletter, the Monitor, although some UITS officials worry the information is often overlooked and deleted without serious consideration. \nComputer hackers and crackers have been known to infiltrate computer networks, seize personal identity and financial information, and even destroy or damage installed programs, so the pressure to defend students and faculty is ongoing. \nChief IT Security and Policy Officer Mark Bruhn warned the campus community of recent trends in computer hacking and cracking. \n"There are many more computers nowadays, and at the same time the number of vulnerabilities is going up dramatically," Bruhn said. "The basic threat is automated probes if the machines are not secured with updated patches or protected by good passwords."\nAutomated probes crack passwords with brute force, usually by applying every word found in English and foreign language dictionaries. Once a password is obtained, the automated probe notifies the hacker or cracker of the vulnerability, and numerous computer workstations can be compromised. \nHackers and crackers usually desire untraceable space to store illegal goods, such as pirated computer programs, music and films. To accomplish this, they will gain access to a computer network through a flaw, rewrite the username and password, take control of the machine, and patch the computer to currency to prevent the user from discovering the siege. \nUITS advises users to create a password with deliberately misspelled words, a memorable quotation or a combination of words and letters.\nBruhn said he believes there are three major problems associated with personal computers wired into the University's network: weak passwords -- as with the Macs in the journalism school, unpatched machines and clicking on unknown attachments. He also believes the University network seems like the ideal environment for computer hackers or crackers due to the significant bandwidth, ample storage and perception of lacking security present at many colleges across the country.\n"Patches, patches, patches," Bruhn said. "Report any noticeably bad behavior on the part of your machine."\n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(09/27/04 4:11am)
A dandelion is a wildflower by any other name; a weed, the dandelion is not. \nThe 2004 Simply Living Fair kicked off its sixth annual three-day affair Friday in Bloomington. Marti Crouch, a former associate professor of biology at IU, attracted about a hundred people to the John Waldron Arts Center Auditorium to hear her keynote address, "Weeds Shall Overcome: Ending Our War on Nature."\nThe Simply Living Fair advocates a return to a simple lifestyle governed by basic necessities, such as eating organic food and coexisting with nature. Festivities included activity booths and scheduled workshops on health and fitness, echo-spirituality to nature appreciation.\n"The first thing I learned about weeds- weeds are beautiful," Crouch said. "Aesthetics is something we learn. We learn if something is beautiful or ugly." \nHer father worked as a florist; his specialty was floral arrangements. Crouch also shared youthful memories of cooking weeds with her American Indian mentor, Mrs. Lightfoot.\n"The second lesson I learned: you can eat (certain) weeds. There is food right out there on the edge of the lawn," she said. "It tasted good and it was free." \nHer presentation focused on a new lawn aesthetic and suggestions for industrial agriculture improvement. Crouch is especially concerned with pesticide use in Bloomington and on campus, and her message highlighted the plight of weeds from the separation of Pangaea through war in the 21st century.\n"We have to start back 200 million years ago, when there was no barrier to movement of animals and plants. (Weeds) first became a problem when we evolved from a hunter/gatherer lifestyle towards industrial forms of agriculture," she said. "We stopped coexisting with weeds. Fifteenth and 16th century European exploration mixed plants and animals, spreading them ahead of immigration." \nKate Cruikshank, a former associate professor of education at IU, agreed with Crouch's idealist view of human-weed relationships. \n"Wildflowers and weeds are the same thing; it's a matter of perception in our mind. I decide that's a weed, and (I decide) it's no longer beautiful," Cruickshank said. "We have to think about change from a larger perspective. The way it is, is not always the way it should be."\nIn addition to the lower-class/poverty social stigma often perceived by the sight of weeds, Crouch discussed the characteristics of weeds often associated with people. \n"We don't get to choose who will mate with who. (Weeds) are truly wild," she said. "They come and go as they please, and they thrive on change and disturbance." \nCrouch believes the self-loathing and hate people often project onto weaker species is problematic for animal and plant life in general. She gained insight into the "war on weeds" while working with migrant strawberry pickers in Oregon. Crouch rented a room in the middle of a bean field, so she could observe and analyze the attitudes of industrial agriculture towards weeds, exemplified in the tactics used to kill them.\n"We have to kill to eat, but why the chemical weapons?" she asked the audience. "It's warfare of hate when you only have to strike once to kill all your weeds. Various species are suffering ill health and sorrow from feeling alone in the world."\nCrouch believes industrialization, peer pressure for clean fields and advertising pressure all contribute to the demise of the dandelion. She offered the audience several weed control alternatives.\n"Don't keep up the arms race, the weeds shall overcome, even if it takes five to 10 million years," Crouch said. "This war on weeds is only breeding more weeds. It's an escalating situation." \nJunior Julio Borrero appreciated Crouch's message and offered his own assessment of yard maintenance in a weed-friendly world.\n"We, as Americans, attempt to control nature. We are often afraid of the uncontrollable," Borrero said. "Who has the good lawns? The people with money to maintain them do. 'Hey, my yard is perfect; therefore, I have status.'"\nToward the end of her speech, Crouch divulged the purpose of her weed-hugging mission work.\n"You pull the weeds; you don't hate them. Promoting a different lawn aesthetic is peace work for me," she said. "This is the way I express my desire to live in this world. We are facing extinction with some species (of weeds)."\nBorrero believes the future of his lawn is in his hands.\n"I won't try to eradicate all the weeds from my lawn -- that's silly. I will try to let anything grow. The point is not to eradicate that which you can't control," he said. "The point is to try to coexist peacefully. Your existence is going to mean the destruction of life around you, but it doesn't have to be with an us-versus-them mentality."\n-- Contact staff writer David A. \nNosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(09/23/04 6:07am)
If the Indiana Memorial Union is perceived as the heart of campus, paved arteries and gravel veins carry IU students, faculty and staff -- the system's oxygen — to cell-like classrooms along the circulatory system of sidewalks. In fact, hundreds of miles of brick, limestone and concrete enable students and faculty numerous paths of travel on and around the capillaries of campus.\nSimilar to the PC game SimCity, IU architects imagine, research and blueprint the exact location and direction to lay sidewalks based on questions of practicality. \nAssistant Manager of Campus Division Mike Schrader believes the sidewalks provide students the most reasonable path, as straight as possible, from all campus buildings to the next. \n"We route the students where we want them to go by directing their flow of traffic. Besides the sidewalks, we use chain barriers, shrubs, trees and flower beds," Schrader said. "Students cutting paths out of the landscape has always been a problem. We do everything we can to eliminate that." \nHowever, some students determine time-efficient paths of travel to and from buildings on campus by cutting through the grass. Once students decide on a new path, the grounds department relinquishes control of the landscape to Mother Nature.\n"The dirt paths come and go, depending on the time of year," Schrader said. "(The students) might have formed a cut-through by late fall, but most trails disappear by spring."\nThe grounds department and University architects do not plan for student travel intuition; since, the quickest path between two points is always a straight line and the architect is a professional artist.\n"If we see a path cut in the grass, we can't do anything about it to save the landscape," Schrader said. "We pave the route only when we have exhausted all other means to divert the flow of student traffic."\nWhen walking around the campus community, many students and faculty stay to the right side of the sidewalk, when possible. \nPsychology professor Geoffrey Bingham speculated about the explanations for this phenomenon.\n"It's an arbitrary thing, but arbitrary things can be important," Bingham said. "It's our driving habits that form our pedestrian behaviors. All over Europe, they drive on the left side and walk on the left side." \nJunior Katie Chamberlin complicated the investigation by elaborating on Bingham's observation of a common American social norm.\n"I drive on the right side, and I walk on the right side. I hate being pushed into the road," Chamberlin said. "I don't think about it. I just usually do it." \nSophomore Michael Schachter elaborated on the complications right-side walkers face when dealing with social norm breaking left-side walkers.\n"I think people who walk on the left side are rude because they are interrupting the flow (of traffic). Especially when taking a sharp corner," Schachter said. "If you're walking on the right, and they're walking on the left, each person runs into each other."\nIn the meantime, the grounds department wants to remind students the do's-and-don'ts of sidewalk use.\n"The University does not allow students to tape messages or use sidewalk chalk," \nSchrader said. "And it would be great if students deposited their waste in the trashcans."\n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu .
(09/23/04 5:14am)
Diversity does not stop at gender, race, ethnicity and culture; diversity also includes the ability of all community members to feel safe and secure in their own neighborhood. Fortunately, the Bloomington Beacon Community Center is soon to open on East Third Street thanks to three rooms of space offered for rent by the Center for University Ministry.\nBloomington Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays hosted an open house in celebration of the new Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning community center Wednesday night. The organizations framework was established when the Bloomington City Council unanimously voted to support and protect the human rights of GLBTQ individuals within the community in 1994, based in part of the outreach efforts of the Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Coalition. The BBCC is the only resource center of its kind in Southern Indiana.\nIU operates a GLBT office and support center for students, although many of the services and benefits the center offer are only available to students, faculty and staff. The BBCC, however, is open to any and all GLBTQ community members. \nBoard member Frankie Presslaff believes respect and tolerance are the common threads given and demanded of all people who pass through their doors. \n"We all know what it is like to live in a world of silence, to turn to someone and not know where to go," Presslaff said. "We are here for you. Come to us and tell us what you need. Here are the services we provide. Here is where you can go to seek additional assistance." \nThe BBCC also encourages young people to seek help and ask questions before poor decisions are made, especially in situations in which the decision may effect the direction, course and outcome of a young person's life. \nBoard member Kelly E. McBride outlined several goals and ideas the BBCC hopes to initiate.\n"We want to create and develop a library, establish a youth program, work with the Bloomington visitors' center, distribute housing referrals, provide entertainment options, communicate links to GLBTQ friendly social service agencies and establish a gift store," McBride said. "We would also enjoy the opportunity to train area professionals: police officers, educators and service providers, in methods which serve the best interests of the Bloomington GLBTQ community. We want to promote a high level of professionalism."\nFriends, family and caring others of GLBTQ community members are also invited to take advantage of the resources the BBCC offers.\n"Everybody is welcome here," board member Daniel Sotto said. "Heterosexuals, and especially people who want to know about how to help out others." \nThe board is especially concerned with GLBTQ young adults who find solace in sex, crime and drugs in order to cope with difficult questions of sexuality.\n"Schools are not always the safest place. It's always risky for a young adult or adult to come out," Presslaff said. "We offer resources to make you feel less alone, to maintain good relationships with your parents and friends." \n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(09/22/04 5:05am)
In a campaign titled "The New Voters Project," the Indiana Public Interest Research Group is encouraging all students to register now in order to vote during the elections in November. With the Indiana voter registration deadline of Oct. 4 less than two weeks away, junior Vanessa Caruso, INPIRG chair, believes the time for student political action is now.\n"This week is Blitz Week -- we have volunteers stationed at seven central locations, registering people to vote. Monday was our first day, and we collected over 300 registration forms," Caruso said in an e-mail interview. "In order to achieve the widespread coverage that this non-partisan effort needs in order to be successful, we are collaborating with some other groups on campus, including the (IU Student Association, (Graduate and Professional Student Association), the Committee for Civic Engagement -- chaired by Dean Sims -- Student Legal Services, IU Students for Global Democracy, (Helene G. Simon Hillel Center), the Residence Halls Association, the Hip Hop Congress and a few greek organizations." \nIn addition, INPIRG student volunteers are visiting classes to help spread the word of voting by passing out yellow fliers. Senior Katherine Mero, a registered voter who plans on submitting an absentee ballot to her home state of Tennessee, sympathizes with the majority of young people apathetic to the political processes.\n"I don't think the candidates appeal to younger people, at least they haven't until recently," Mero said. "I hope it changes this election." \nSophomore Tim Meador agrees and recognizes other difficulties young people face when deciding whether to visit their local polling establishment.\n"Most young people feel like their vote doesn't matter," Meador said. "I overheard two of my friends talking about how they are too lazy to fill out absentee ballots."\nVoting registration is the first prong of a two-pronged assault by INPIRG on potential eligible voters aged 18 to 24 this election session. \n"After the voter registration deadline has passed, we will begin to focus our efforts on getting people to the polls," Caruso said. "Our 'Get Out The Vote' drive will not only focus on encouraging people to go to the polls, but we will also be making information available about the presidential candidates to help voters become informed before they actually vote." \nINPIRG has organized a mock presidential debate for Oct. 19 from 7 to 8 p.m. in room 223 of the Kelley School of Business. \nThe New Voters Project is not the only priority this semester on INPIRG's to-do list.\n"This semester INPIRG volunteers are working on a campaign to stop the highway I-69 (expansion). This campaign is focused on education and awareness," Caruso said. "In order to make government officials listen to the people, it is important that the people are mobilized, so we are working to gather more supporters and connect people to each other within the framework of a huge movement." \nINPIRG is also interested in the needs of IU community members.\n"If anyone on this campus community identifies a problem, we'd like to help them create a campaign that will solve it," Caruso said. "We want to help students feel empowered as individuals who are capable of making a difference, by providing the tools and support that are necessary for effective solutions." \n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(09/22/04 5:04am)
The IU campus community offers students various opportunities for philanthropy, yet very few student organizations pride themselves on giving worldwide aid. The IU International Humanitarian Committee is one such group whose philanthropic mission encompasses many countries around the world.\nOriginally called the World Peace Committee, the IHC makes a point of avoiding political ideology while focusing the organization's goals. \nAbout 35 students representing eight different countries participate in IHC's charitable events, barbecues and car washes. Sophomore Francisco Gomez-Scifres, IHC co-founder and president, believes the main goal of the organization is to serve the international community.\n"The international or global community encompasses all of us," Gomez-Scifres said in an e-mail interview. "Our thrust is to educate, bring an awareness of issues throughout the world to students as well as to the local community. Bloomington, Ind., is very much a part of the international community, so local issues, concerns and problems are important in shaping our future." \nEducating the campus community about worldwide strife is one of the group's many goals. IHC also sponsors and aides various other student organizations' philanthropic activities.\n"We were contacted by the Indiana Latino Institute to work with Down Syndrome children in Peru as one of our projects over winter break or perhaps spring break," Gomez-Scifres said. "Other initiatives have included giving donations to Wishard Hospital Burn Unit and Monroe County Habitat for Humanity." \nThe IHC's current project is aimed toward funding scholarships for horseback riding lessons for Stone Belt Living Center clients, typically developmentally and physically disabled adults.\nIn addition, the IHC collected more than 400 pounds of school supplies at the Farmer's Market this summer to send to Nicaragua. \n"This is a very active organization," Gomez-Scifres said. "We want students who are willing to put in some hours on our projects, and since our motto is 'Making a Difference,' that is our intention. We just don't stop." \nIHC member senior Amelia Reiling believes the IHC offers many benefits for students who participate in the organization or donate to IHC fund-raisers.\n"(The IHC) is international in its vision but provides experiences that produce tangible results," Reiling said in a statement. "Probably the most significant outcome is the relationships among the members. They genuinely care about others, are friendly and helpful. I learn so much just from the members." \nSupporting fund-raisers and joining IHC are the best ways students can help. Currently the IHC is accepting donations of school supplies, packets of vegetable seeds, shoes and summer clothing to send to developing countries.\n"We always accept tax deductible donations of money to help pay office expenses, shipping costs and to support our initiatives and projects," Gomez-Scifres said.\nOn the international front, the IHC is concentrating its attention on the country of Sudan.\n"The crisis in Sudan may be based on political reasons, but the people who are starving and suffering are our concern," Gomez-Scifres said. "We have actually had people say to us that they will not give to an international organization, but that is because they misunderstand what we are about." \nWith or without generous financial contributions from others, the willing self-drive and humane compassion of IHC members like junior Sasha Growick continues to fuel the organization in its second year on campus.\n"There is a real bond among the members of the IHC, and that bond is based on serving others, helping out and making a difference," Growick said in a statement. "I feel that I am really making a difference in this world to people, some of them I will never meet, like in Sudan or Nicaragua, but also to people I do meet, like at Stone Belt and, hopefully, the children in Peru."\n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(09/20/04 6:01am)
With cold weather on the horizon, bicycle traffic on campus is peaking for the fall. However, most bicycle use here is illegal, according to Indiana state law, Bloomington city code and the IU parking operation code governing the responsibilities of bicycle owners. \nParking Operations Manager Doug Porter encourages students to learn and practice parking operation policies, or risk having to take the time to bail out their impounded mopeds, motorcycles and bicycles. \n"All bicycle owners are suppose to get a bicycle permit for five dollars, to be displayed on the bicycle, locked in space designated for bicycle parking," Porter said. "You can order one online, or come into the Parking Operations office at Franklin Hall, room 006." \nPorter said students should also know mopeds are perceived as small motorcycles and not large bicycles; as such, all motorized bicycles, mopeds or motorcycles have to be registered with parking operations. \n"A moped has no business with the bike rack. Parking for mopeds and motorcycles is available across from Ernie Pyle Hall in front of the Indiana Memorial Union," Porter said. "It's convenient to the center of campus, and offers owners plenty of space between each other."\nBut many bicyclists like IU graduate Jorge Rios are unaware of parking operation policies.\n"A $5 fee is ridiculous; who does that?" Rios said. "Oh great, [this] sounds like another way for the University to screw over students." \nWhen registering a bicycle with Parking Operations, students must fill out paperwork identifying the bicycles serial number in case it's stolen. Many students like senior Katie Bauernfreund unknowingly break the law every time they bicycle on campus. \n"I usually ride it on the sidewalk, unless it's busy, and then I ride it on the street," Bauernfreund said. \nIU Police Department Sgt. Don Schmuhl recommends students learn and practice the Indiana laws and Bloomington city codes regulating bicycle use.\n"Bicycles must be on the street acting as motor vehicles. Bicyclists must stop at stoplights and stop signs, and they must obey one-way streets," Schmuhl said. "City ordinance prohibits bicycle use on sidewalks; pedestrians always have the right-of-way." \nPorter acknowledges the dilemma many bicyclists face when peddling to class.\n"The campus is crowded enough; the sidewalks are for people," Porter said. "Everyone should be aware what is going on around them. You can sense and hear a car. Bicycles are on you quickly." \nBauernfreund recognizes the potential struggle for sidewalk space many bicyclists and pedestrians face. \n"I usually let people know I'm coming through," Bauernfreund said. "I say excuse me." \nBicycle wrecks with pedestrians are not the only concern for cyclists. \n"I walk a lot, so I see the picture from both sides," Rios said. "People are normally decent, the problem is with drivers." \nSchmuhl recognizes the potential deadly resolution of bicycle and motor vehicle conflict.\n"If a bicycle gets struck by a car, the bicyclist usually loses," he said. "There is no seat belt holding you onto the vehicle. Very few bicyclists wear helmets." \nSchmuhl outlined the typical pattern associated with bicycle-vehicle crashes.\n"Injuries usually occur after the after the driver is ejected from the vehicle. He or she ends up landing on his or her head, and if not wearing a helmet, death and serious injury results," he said. "Bicyclists should trust no one, obey traffic laws, and defensively drive while wearing a helmet."\nWhen bicyclists make it to their destinations safely, parking operations outlines several suggestions for where students can safely park their bikes. \n"The tendency of bicycle riders is to head for their favorite door. If they can't find a rack, the find the next best thing," Porter said. "Someone has tried to attach [their bike] to everything standing still: stairwell railings, chain barriers, trash cans, light poles and even trees." \nParking operations will issue a $25 citation to bicycle owners who improperly park their bikes.\n"The only way to enforce [bicycle] code is to clip the lock and confiscate the bike," Porter said.\nHe also recommends students apply a healthy dose of WD-40 to their spokes if they find a bright-orange confiscation sticker attached to their bicycle. \n"The owner put the bike someplace it shouldn't have been," Porter said. "Consider it a warning for being in the wrong spot."\n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(09/17/04 6:05am)
Convenient and inexpensive student parking is hard to find in the heart of campus. As a result, many students have discovered the luxury of parking in the Indiana Memorial Union lot. \nA few students pay the full price of $19; most students pay a discounted rate thanks to parking validations; and dozens of students each day pay nothing at all by keeping their cars in the lot until the attendant leaves at midnight. \nThe daily maximum rate for non-IMU patron parking has been increased $5.50 from last spring. The half-hour rates, however, have not changed. IMU Manager of Sales and Business Development Beth Smith said rates are set in conjunction with parking operations, with budgetary factors as a primary concern. \n"A vast variety of individuals park there for a number of reasons," Smith said. \nStudents are not the only patrons using the IMU facilities and services, such as conference rooms and catered events. According to IMU Associate Director Thom Simmons, the philosophy behind the rate change is to increase the inventory of available parking space for all IMU patrons.\n"We periodically distribute student satisfaction surveys, and the most common complaint is lack of adequate parking for IMU patrons," Simmons said. "The IMU is geared towards the entire campus community, and our biggest client base is students going to class." \nIMU patrons are given the opportunity to validate their parking pass in any IMU business in order to receive a 50 percent discount for parking in the lots. \nWhether it's ice cream from Sugar & Spice, buffet gourmet dining at the Tudor Room or a notebook from the IU bookstore, patrons can trim the all-day rate to $9.50. Kiva supervisor Leisa Knight encourages all IMU patrons to validate their passes for the discount. \n"It's worth the effort to park and come to the Kiva (for parking validation)," she said. "We offer vegetarian and vegan selections at reasonable prices." \nMost students take advantage of the 50 percent discount offered by the IMU. Senior Amie Herr does not mind validating her parking pass by becoming an IMU patron. \n"There are certain days, if I have one class, I go inside and buy a cookie to validate my pass. I don't mind paying $3 or $4," she said. Junior Kyle Dietz would like something better, like free half-hour lots.\n"The prices are ridiculous. I don't understand why we have to pay a $30 athletic fee when we have no parking," Dietz said. \nThere are no simple solutions to students' parking troubles, Simmons said.\n"One of the biggest issues is the congestion at Seventh and Woodlawn (streets)," he said. "We do not have the street structure to support a larger parking facility." \nAs a result, Dietz and dozens of other students bail their car out of the IMU for free when the lot attendant leaves for the evening at midnight. Junior Elizabeth Ralph is one such student. \n"I didn't want to pay. The prices are kind of ridiculous," Ralph said. "I'm surprised it's not packed every night." \nUnfortunately, students who are employed as booth attendants often get caught in the crossfire, like junior Vishal Shah. \n"Some students try to heckle me about the prices," he said. "I understand; I personally wouldn't pay that much." \n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu .
(09/17/04 5:47am)
Libertarian vice presidential candidate Richard Campagna spoke to a roomful of hopeful voters Thursday night at the MCL Cafeteria in Bloomington, voicing his vision of America guided by American principles and libertarian values. Resembling the fireside chats of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Campagna encouraged the crowd to vote with their hearts and conscience in mind after dining amongst the public.\nThe Libertarian Party is one of three national parties to appear on the Indiana ballot this November. Since 1994, voters in most districts have had the opportunity to vote Libertarian because of heightened support the party has received from citizens around the state, Campagna said. In fact, Indiana represented the second-largest contingency of Libertarian voters across the country in the 2000 elections. Currently, seven elected Libertarians hold Indiana public office.\nAfter several introductory speakers from the Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik's campaign, Campagna outlined their goals and missions following the quotable party line. His speech was candid and brief. Campagna's presentation style resembled the vision of the libertarian way: "I won't push you around, so don't push me."\nCampagna privately with anyone who wanted to discuss issues after his speech.\n"I was a very flexible, roll-with-the-punches kind of lawyer," he said. "I prefer low-key, intellectual conversations about the issues." \nTyler Young, who drove from Bedford to hear Campagna speak for the second time this month, said the candidate's style is what sets off the Libertarian Party from the Republicans and Democrats.\n"Do you think (Vice President Dick) Cheney or (Sen. John) Edwards would come to Bloomington?" Young said. "The crap on both sides is what drove me here."\nCampagna greeted every member of the audience personally. \n"You can count on the Libertarian Party to listen, to talk and to act in a just way," Campagna said from across the table. "I have a college-age son, and many college students, I hope, are finding a ray of light in the Libertarian Party." \nAmong the issues Campagna feels are central to the libertarian vision of a future America are state rights and a hands-off government functioning within the powers granted by only the United States Constitution.\n"The constitutional function of the government is to guarantee the sovereignty of the American people and to protect the borders from foreign invasion," Campagna said. "States should have the opportunity to run themselves as the citizens of each state see fit."\nIU senior Nicholas Blesch, who is campaigning for state representative for District 61 under the Libertarian banner, said Campagna is a good example of what the third party could, and should, be.\n"I'm a good example for students who believe in the third-party system. A year ago I wasn't involved in anything political other than watching CNN. Now I'm running for public office. Like a Libertarian, I can get involved to make a difference. It's not just men in stuffy suits anymore." \n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu .
(09/16/04 4:39am)
Many students feel like they are engaged in an ongoing battle with their e-mail accounts. Fortunately, you are the best weapon you possess in the war against spam -- Internet slang for unsolicited commercial and bulk e-mail, which continues to infiltrate many student and faculty e-mail accounts, according to University Information Technology Services.\nIU Associate Vice President of Telecommunications Brian Voss likened the war on spam to an arms race. \n"Spammers are constantly developing new ways to deliver, disguise and get (spam) in," he said. "I want to emphasize the fact there is no cure for spam, just treatments." \nTreating 120,000 or so IU computer accounts is no small task for the UITS team.\nSpammers, ranging from legitimate businesses to disreputable companies to illegal scams, utilize numerous tactics to attack IU computer accounts. For instance, spammers often employ "bots," automatic programs that rummage through USENET newsgroups and the Web, to obtain student and faculty e-mail addresses. With this information spammers are able to transmit chain letters, pyramid schemes, foreign bank scams, advance fee fraud schemes and pornographic Web sites. \n"It's an ongoing battle," Voss said. "Spam can modify itself in a matter of hours and we have to react and respond." \nSenior Jason Starling understands the dilemma of electronic junk mail, having been victimized by spam himself.\n"It's all just useless information," Starling said. \nSpammers continue to operate one step ahead of anti-spam software development. Spam is often delivered with different subject lines and multiple addresses in order to escape detection. In response to a recent increase in spam deployment, this summer UITS implemented PureMessage software, the Cadillac of anti-spam technology, with the hope of effectively combat IU computer account epidemics. However, not all student and faculty accounts have subscribed to IU's free anti-spam software.\n"If anyone experiences spam, they should make use of the available tools," Voss said. "It doesn't cost anymore money if all 100,000 opt in as opposed to 10,000." UITS proposes several solutions for competing toe-to-toe with spammers. Students and faculty can protect their e-mail address from unwanted vendors by not replying to spam, by obtaining "throwaway" e-mail addresses and by reading Web site privacy policies. \nSophomore John Passafiume has learned how to cope with spam. \n"I opened a Hotmail account to redirect spam," he said.\nSenior Shawn Patrick deals with spam in a similar way. \n"I never use my IU e-mail address to sign up for anything," Patrick said. "I choose the option not to receive anything from them." UITS also cautions IU computer account users to contact local police immediately if any spam or junk mail makes you feel personally threatened. In fact, most spam is illegal under U.S. federal law, although prosecution and conviction is almost impossible on the Web.\nSince the best offense is often a good defense, Voss recommends all students and faculty opt in to PureMessage at http://kb.indiana.edu/data/alfb.html. In the meantime, at least one student has declared victory in the war on spam. \n"I don't even check my hotmail account," Passafiume said. "It's like a garbage can for spam."\n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(09/15/04 4:47am)
Several IU students have large scholarship checks to cash this fall thanks to their academic success and the philanthropy of others. Sixty students from the Kelley School of Business have received scholarship money from a $5.4 million gift of the Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Foundation of Austin, Texas. Thirty-six in-state undergraduates, 14 out-of-state undergraduates, and 10 MBA graduate students received $5,000 per person to be applied to his or her educational expenses. IU will double the fellowship funds to $10,000 for its 10 Mitte graduate fellowships.\nCurrently, the Mitte Foundation is the largest business scholarship program in the nation. According to the Web site, www.mittefoundation.org, the foundation seeks to light a candle against the darkness of poverty and ignorance, with hopes that the glow will strengthen and enrich communities of greatest need and highest potential. \n"Scholars of highest merit are joined with community organizations of highest effectiveness to perpetuate the Mitte family's belief in the American ideals of prosperity and individual freedom," the Web site states of the Foundation's vision.\nThe Mitte Foundation financially supports hundreds of scholarship winners across the country due to the late Roy F. Mitte's business success in insurance and real estate. Five other universities across the country receive Mitte Foundation gifts.\nQuentin Law, a second-year Kelley School MBA recipient, said he was excited and relieved to have received the financial support of the Mitte Foundation. \n"I plan on using the money for tuition and other expenses, such as rent," said Law, who plans on graduating in May.\nIn addition to the Kelley winners, two IU seniors were honored at a reception hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences last week for winning the $20,000 Palmer-Brandon Prize competition for majors in the humanities. \nReligious studies major Laura Ertmer, of Lafayette, Ind., and English major Thade Correa, of Hammond, Ind., have been selected as the winners and each has received $20,000 to be applied to the betterment of his or her educational experiences.\n"Based upon the accomplishments of past recipients, I am confident that Ms. Ertmer and Mr. Correa will put this prize money to excellent use to further not only their own educations, but also make genuine and significant intellectual contributions," COAS Dean Kumble R. Subbaswamy said in a statement. \nErtmer said she is especially optimistic about her future and is grateful for the Palmer-Brandon Prize.\n"I feel honored and the weight of responsibility in fulfilling my expectations and plans," she said. \nErtmer applied for the prize by submitting photographs of her artwork and academic success, while studying Latin American politics and rural development during her junior year in Lima, Peru. \nStudents must be nominated by faculty in order to participate in the competition. \n"I want to thank my religious studies professor Mary Jo Weaver and Melissa Dinverno in the Spanish department for their influence and encouragement," Ertmer said. \nHer words of advice to future competition applicants: "Don't be afraid of showing lots of different talents, and always solicit more recommendations than they suggest."\n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(09/12/04 3:20am)
The IU board of trustees conducted its first business meeting of the 2004-2005 school year Thursday afternoon in the Indiana Memorial Union. Several motions were passed before the full board, although most issues were discussed and resolved during a preceding two-day retreat in Nashville, Ind.\nIU President Adam Herbert reported on the status of major developments in the last few weeks, among them the appointment of new athletics director Rick Greenspan, who will take his new post Sept. 16. Greenspan's focus is on academic and intercollegiate excellence, and he places great emphasis on compliance, Herbert said. A special thanks was addressed to Terry Clapacs, vice president of administration and chief administrative officer, for bringing in a new AD and stabilizing the athletics department. \n"We owe a great deal of gratitude to the leadership of Terry for his personal sacrifice," Herbert said.\nDavid Daleke, president of the University Faculty Council, updated the board on faculty activities. Amongst the more important topics discussed was the faculty's desire to deeply analyze the Partially Paid Family Leave Policy over the course of the year to present to the board. In addition, Daleke highlighted the cumbersome nature of partially revising the Student Code of Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct for the student affairs committee.\n"We want to create an abbreviated student code that students can read," he said. "This is a broad collaboration between students, the dean of students in all schools and the faculty."\nTyson Chastain, senior and president of the IU Student Association, thanked the board for their warm reception of his speech at the IU freshman induction ceremony. \n"I want to credit my mentors -- a confidence boost always help," he said. "Indiana University is an awesome University." \nChastain continued by outlining the goals and accomplishments of the IUSA for the fall and spring semesters. \n"The IUSA is doing more to create student involvement at IU," Chastain said.\nThe IUSA has appointed 84 students to serve on various committees throughout the campus with a focus on creating diversity and change. \n"We plan on implementing an orientation program on campus to try to make more of an impact on students in the committee process," Chastain said. "We want substantial student involvement in creating something residents and students want, something affordable and something that stays affordable." \nThe IUSA also supports a 4 percent cap on student tuition and fees.\nChastain called for all students to adopt a "hands-on" approach to combat littering on campus. \n"We want to create an atmosphere of mutual understanding and respect for campus facilities," he said. "If students are included in processes that affect them, they are more likely to give back to IU and commit themselves to the University." \n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu .
(09/10/04 5:15am)
In recent weeks, students living in the neighborhood around 14th Street and College Avenue have noticed a disturbing trend: heavy foot and car traffic at all hours of the night. Frustrated with unidentified parked cars in front of her house on Woodburn Ave., IU sophomore Elizabeth Farrellee decided to investigate since she was new to the neighborhood this fall.\n"I was having a hard time understanding why so many unfamiliar cars were parked in front of my house, so I started paying close attention to who the driver was and the direction they would walk after parking," Farrellee said. "When dozens of people at odd hours kept returning to their cars with black plastic bags, sometimes hours (after) parking, I realized they were porn shop patrons."\nThe College Adult Bookstore & Entertainment Center, 1013 N. College, is open 24 hours a day and caters to the 18-years and older crowd. Surrounded by apartment complexes and houses on the outskirts of a residential neighborhood, the College Adult Bookstore offers customers convenient parking directly in front of their building.\n"Over the last week, I noticed a pair a women's underwear at the corner of (15th Street) and (College Avenue), and a handwritten note on the back of an adult movie box at the bus stop on my way to school," Farrellee said. "I don't know if they have anything to do with the bookstore, but I do feel uncomfortable with people cutting across my backyard to get there after parking in front of my house."\nAll employees of the College Adult Bookstore contacted refused comment on the issue. \nRegardless, not all customers avoid parking in the designated parking lot or the vacant Burger King parking lot across the street.\n"I don't really feel embarrassed about going to buy gag gifts for friends," junior Heather John said. \n"I think about what I want before I go in, I get it, and I get out as quickly as possible to avoid exposing myself to things I might not want to see." \nOther IU students also enjoy the prices, variety and services the College Adult Bookstore provides.\n"My friends and I feel comfortable buying battery operated vibrators there," junior Paige LaCour said. "It looks a lot cleaner, and the parking lot is better lit, than a lot of other places offering similar selections."\nBut Farrellee said she feels the potential negative impact the College Adult Bookstore might be having on the neighborhood could outweigh the benefits of the business if patrons are allowed to park wherever they want in the area.\n"I have no problem with the business or the products they sell," Farrellee said. "I just wish people felt comfortable enough with themselves to park in front of the building. It's unnerving to know the man sitting in his car in front of your house for the last two hours in the dark might have come from the bookstore." \n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu .
(09/09/04 4:56am)
Various research studies have suggested electronic brainstorming will be a widely used business tactic of the future. According to a study published by Alan Dennis, the John T. Chambers Chair of Internet Systems and professor of information systems, and Bryan A. Reinicke, a doctoral student in information systems for the IU Kelley School of Business, however, electronic brainstorming has not displaced, or even joined, verbal brainstorming -- often and face-to-face -- as a widely accepted practice in many companies.\nElectronic brainstorming typically involves an employer eliciting feedback through computer technology. Employees pose as a virtual team by making suggestions, asking questions, and contributing knowledge via the internet or private network. Special electronic brainstorming software enables the virtual team to collaborate efficiently, effectively, and collectively. \nIBM adopted electronic brainstorming as a business tool, and showcased the benefits of this technology in IBM's 2001 World Jam in which 50,000 employee participants from all over the world collaborated to collect ideas in solving a dozen separate company questions. \n"Most research found electronic brainstorming far superior on every measure considered: quality, quantity, creativity, and novelty of idea generation," Dennis said. "In our research we attempted to solve the problem of brainstorming by reframing the issue." \nFace-to-face and electronic media are not the only choices available to employers wishing to gain competitive business advantages through employee ideas. Nominal group brainstorming, for example, in which team members sit around a table scribbling in notebooks, exists as an often overlooked, undervalued tool. \n"If you think about it, people want many different things from their work environment," Dennis said. "The team leader is concerned with producing a product based on group tasks. The agenda of team members is often to build and strengthen relationships with other people." \nSome people are interested in overall performance, others are focused on relationships and individual growth. Conflicting communication goals often results in agitated workplace environments. \n"When brainstorming ideas with colleagues, team members need to know who the other people are and learn how they think," Dennis said. "Growth and development is essential to strong team work, which is of greater benefit to any business in the long run."\nOliver Winery is one local business desiring to improve work atmosphere through team building.\n"We ask our staff to continually see how things are going, to keep their feedback ongoing, and to meet frequently with us to discuss any questions or suggestions they might have," said Jesika Hane, tasting room manager at the winery. \nThe researchers believe that no one sure method of brainstorming for any business exists.\n"The number of ideas, or units, produced in the short-run is purely tangible for the team leader," Dennis said, "Although the intangible benefits for the team members in the long-run, such as growth and development, should not be undervalued. A good mix of virtual work and traditional face-to-face communication should by employed." \nOliver Winery recognizes no benefit in electronic brainstorming currently.\n"We value friendly, outgoing, energetic, people-people, who enjoy meeting new people," Hane said, "Our customers are best served when we work together to meet a variety of their needs, A team environment values team work. You can't drink wine through the computer."\n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(09/08/04 5:38am)
Eye Care Community Outreach, a new health care program initiated by IU, is now operational and is offering various health care services to uninsured or inadequately insured residents of Indianapolis and surrounding counties.\nThe ECCO is the product of collaborative community outreach efforts by the IU School of Optometry and the IU School of Medicine's Department of Ophthalmology, with financial assistance from the Nina Pulliam Charitable Trust. \n"We are concerned with a holistic approach to health care, not just eye care," ECCO Program Coordinator Kelli Barker said. "We also connect residents in need of assistance with different government agencies and social systems."\nThe ECCO mission statement highlights the medical needs of underserved populations, as well as concern for providing resources to allow individuals to live more full and meaningful lives, according to a program pamphlet distributed by the Indianapolis Eye Care Center and the IU School of Optometry. \n"One hundred or so residents have been screened by our office in the first two months of the project, and our hope is to serve as many people in need of our services as possible," Barker said.\nThe National Eye Institute has issued concern about increases in major eye diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, or damaged blood vessels in the retina, the leading cause of blindness in American adults; cataracts, or clouding of the eye's lens; and glaucoma, or heightened fluid pressure inside the eye. \nIn addition, vision impairments and color blindness are among several conditions diagnosed and addressed with eye screening, care and treatment. \n"We attempt to identify someone who needs eye care but lacks the proper resources to help them(self) self," Barker said.\nSince eye care costs do not cease at the doctor's door, ECCO clients also receive assistance in acquiring eye protection, eye treatment and eyewear.\nGretchen Blemker, an IU optometry graduate student and optician at Insights Optical, 415 S. Clarizz Blvd., said glass frames range between $50 and $220 and lenses begin at $69.95, depending upon the prescription, while contact lenses range between $22.50 and $45. \n"We do offer IU students and faculty a 25 percent discount on eye care goods and services," Blemker said.\nIn Bloomington, uninsured residents can contact the Community Health Access Program, located across from Bloomington High School South. \n"The program coordinates (individuals without healthcare) with different agencies in the community to receive eye care assistance," said Patricia A. Henderson, O.D., clinical assistant professor and director of Community Eye Care Center. "We serve residents who have been out of work for a while, are independent employers unable to afford reasonable health care and any one with no health care at all." \nThe Community Eye Care Center is located at 803 N. Monroe St. \nAccording to certified specialists at the Eye Center of Southern Indiana, 1011 W. Second St., wise eye care sense often means wise eye precaution. They recommend maintaining good eyelid hygiene by avoiding rubbing the eyes, not sleeping with contacts in and keeping fingers away from the face. \n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(03/04/04 4:46am)
One person's trash is another person's treasure. Just not if it involves secret fraternity documents.\nFeb. 19 an eBay user posted the Sigma Chi fraternity ritual guide for a starting bid of $25. "This 136-page document contains all of the secrets of the fraternity including initiation, chapter meetings, and everything having to do with the ritual," the item description stated.\nThe seller, with the user ID "scerry," removed the ritual guide from auction before any bids had been received and "the item is no longer available for sale," according to eBay.\nExecutive Secretary of the Sigma Chi International Fraternity Mark V. Anderson said the eBay document wasn't real. \n"We hired an outside investigator to look into this matter, and it was determined that the supposed Sigma Chi ritual guide offered on eBay was in fact a fraud, so we made sure it was removed from auction," Anderson said.\nThe next day, Anderson sent out a proposed amendment which also reminded members to maintain the secrecy of the ritual guide. \nAccording to the Sigma Chi official Web site, the document contains forms of integrity each chapter is expected to live by. \n"Our guiding principles, unchanged for almost 150 years, continue to define the essence of Sigma Chi," the Web site stated. "Like all Greek organizations, Sigma Chi's ideals and purposes are set forth in a secret document called our Ritual."\nSigma Chi's Lambda Chapter, founded on-campus in 1858, offered no comment on the ritual process or the various problems, if any, that might arise out of publicly disclosing the secrets contained within the ritual guide.\nInterfraternity Council Vice President Mike Trent said an issue like this shouldn't come up because anyone who has access to such a guide is sworn to keep it secret. \n"Every brother swears on an oath of secrecy not to discuss their perspective ritual outside of his chapter," Trent said. "Each house has particular values, basic principles and oaths of integrity that make them unique, and tradition prevents secrets from getting out because each brother is expected to live by the values of his chapter."\nHe added that public access to the Sigma Chi ritual guide may not be detrimental to the fraternity since issues involving initiation in the Greek system are typically formed over the years and certainly "off the books." \nThe Sigma Chi International Headquarters represents 200,000 living members who all have the right to view the ritual guide at any time; however, each copy is owned by the International organization and must be accounted for when necessary. \nAnderson compared the potential damage of auctioning a real ritual guide to that of his daughter's Catholic confirmation process. \n"You need to experience confirmation in order to understand what the final ceremony is all about," he said. "If you only attend the ceremony without having been confirmed, you might find it interesting but you certainly wouldn't know what it was all about or have any idea what was going on." \n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(02/25/04 5:24am)
Sassafras Audubon Society Lecture Series continues tonight with a presentation on the restoration and management of endangered birds at 7 p.m., in Room 1C of the Monroe County Public Library.\nThe three birds to be discussed are peregrine falcons, bald eagles and ospreys.\nSusan Hengevald, assistant professor of ornithology, said she believes the two most significant threats to these specific birds have been "the loss of habitat due to urbanization and a loss of reproductive success due to DDT contamination."\nThe speaker is John Castrale from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. This is a free event and refreshments will be provided. \n"The lecture will specifically focus on an overview of Indiana's current non-game fish and wildlife reintroduction programs -- how it was started, how it's going, and where it is going to go in the future," said PJ Pulliam, an SAS member who helped to organize the lecture series.\nIndiana taxpayer donations and private donors contribute to the Non-Game Fish and Wildlife Fund. However, current funding only employs a few state officers and is largely dependent upon volunteers. This fund is in sharp contrast with aggressively state-funded Fish and Wildlife Fund, which ensures the maintenance of recreation sites and gaming preserves.\nThe SAS promotes a "culture of conversation" through environmental education and advocacy," according to the organization's Web site, www.bloomington.in.us/~audubon. \nThe group's Web site features a monthly newsletter, "The Leaflet," as well as noting birding hot spots in Monroe County, displaying pictures of common birds sighted throughout Indiana and informing the public on an array of conversation issues ranging from public environmental policy to local bird-related issues.\nHengeveld said she believes the Indiana restoration projects of endangered non-game birds has been a success story considering the difference in habitat and reproduction needs of the birds involved. Alaska, Minnesota and Wisconsin have united with Indiana to ensure the survival of birds such as the bald eagle -- a national symbol of freedom. Alaska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Indiana all have healthy populations of bald eagles.\nA significant problem with bird preservation is DDT -- an extremely harmful pesticide and insecticide, as it interferes with the waterway food chains. The pesticide/insecticide was banned in 1972.\n"The pesticide is actually magnified through the food chain," Hengeveld said. "Birds eat fish, big fish eat small fish, small fish consume small plankton or algae, and DDT is initially absorbed through water by small plankton or algae." \nBald eagles produce unusually thin eggs as a result of DDT poisoning, Hengevald said, which are accidentally crushed. The SAS claims 45 bald eagle nests were observed in 2003. According to the SAS Web site, the last-known native bald eagle in Indiana produced young in 1897. \nFor more information on the SAS, visit www.bloomington.in.us/~audubon.\n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
