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(01/07/05 5:28am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- With a record 49 touchdown passes, 4,557 yards and only 10 interceptions, the annals of football history will record Peyton Manning's 2004 season as one of the greatest. Manning just hopes that's not all he is remembered for this year.\n"(The Super Bowl) is what we play for. That's what coach (Tony) Dungy has talked about from the get-go, what our goals are," Manning said. "Once you are in (the playoffs), it is anybody's ball game. All we can ask for is an opportunity."\nThat opportunity begins Sunday. The Colts, winners of the AFC South, play host to the Wild Card Denver Broncos at 1 p.m. in the RCA Dome, taking on a team Indianapolis knows well.\nSunday's game will be the third time Indianapolis (12-4) has squared off against Denver (10-6) since a 17-31 loss last season. Since that loss, Indianapolis beat the Broncos in last year's Wild Card playoff round and lost to them last week, giving Denver a place in the playoffs and the Colts an immediate chance for revenge. \nDefensive back Mike Doss said that experience might help, but there's no telling what sort of game plan the Broncos will use. \n"This will be our fourth time playing these guys in a little more than a year, so we've got to feel comfortable saying we know these guys and know what personnel they have," Doss said. "But as far as schemes, they could change up their whole game plan and come out with something different on Sunday."\nManning downplayed the significance of a rematch.\n"It doesn't matter whether we played them last week, whether we played them the first week of the season or if we hadn't played them at all," he said. "It is a different atmosphere this week. Both teams will be ready."\nBroncos quarterback Jake Plummer threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another last week, directing his team to a 33-14 win over the Colts. While the Broncos were playing for a playoff spot, the Colts had nothing to gain and rested many of their starters for much of the game, including Manning and running back Edgerrin James. Colts quarterback Jim Sorgi directed the offensive, throwing a pair of touchdowns.\nStopping Plummer will be one of the Colts' top priorities, defensive end Dwight Freeney said.\n"He's kind of a crafty type of mobile (quarterback), kind of like a Brett Favre kind of mobile," Freeney said. "He's not the fastest guy out there, but he kind of finds the holes to run in."\nDoss said the team needs to protect against Plummer's bootlegs, which allow receivers the time to find room for big catches. \n"It makes the play go longer," he said. "The average play goes three or four seconds. (If) the quarterback can scramble out there and guys get five or six seconds, eventually someone is going to find an open area."\nEven with last week's loss, history is on the Colts' side. Last year, when the two teams faced off in the first week of the playoffs, Indianapolis crushed Denver 41-10. \nEven though the Colts lost last week, Dungy said that won't set the tone for the playoffs. \n"We got some young guys some playing time and they're going to be better for it down the road," he said. "The last game we lost, we won eight straight after that. So hopefully that trend continues."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(12/10/04 6:20am)
To be or not to be, that is the question. \nFor IU's Shakespeare systems, the answer is not to be. University Information Technology Services sent e-mails to IU users this week informing them that the Shakespeare and Jewel systems, on which the Pine client runs, will be retired at the beginning of spring semester, eliminating the once-popular textual alternative to Webmail. \nRick Jackson, manager of messaging for UITS, said the decision came after surveys showed generally negative responses to Pine. That, Jackson said, mirrored low usage numbers.\n"User satisfaction based on the user survey is pretty low, and the utilization is extremely low," Jackson said. "As we design the new system, it was not deemed to be practically feasible to spend the extra money to continue to support Pine." \nIU's new e-mail system will be designed differently than the current one, with mail not stored on any one server, Jackson said. Adjusting Pine to that setup would mean an additional half million dollars to a project that is already costing IU $1.5 million. \nEven with the immense cost, Jackson said the usage numbers don't add up. Of IU's 138,000 users, only 10,000 accessed Pine in the last two months. Jackson estimates at least 70 percent of those came during the Ariel outage. He suspected many turned to Pine hoping it was only Webmail that had crashed. \n"We don't have money in the budget (for it) and a half million dollars for a few thousand people is a pretty expensive service to have," Jackson said. "It's not just a cheap thing to continue to provide."\nThough they might not be numerous, fans of the Pine system said they were distraught to learn of the planned retirement. \nGraduate student Alison Rollins learned to use Pine through a class in the School of Library and Information Science. Rollins said she's a member of a handful of listservs that fill her mailbox up with too many messages for Webmail to handle expeditiously. \n"It's kind of sad," she said. "I'd really miss it if they decide to do it -- I'm hoping they change their mind. It's far better than anything else I could think of using. I have 200 e-mails to get through, and with Webmail, it is very, very time intensive. With Pine I can do it quickly."\nJosh Klugman, a doctoral student in sociology, began using Pine in 1998. Back then, Pine was the only option. Even with the introduction of Webmail, Pine still is the only option for Klugman for everything except downloading attachments. \n"I think Webmail is pretty cumbersome to use," he said. "I don't particularly like the idea of relying on Webmail. Pine is quicker to respond to my commands, quicker to load up e-mails."\nJackson said he can sympathize with the students who prefer using Pine. But he said it's just not a financially viable option. \n"Pine is a good client. I like Pine -- it's been around for a long time," Jackson said. "I've heard a few comments from students. They have options. They have quite a few options. We're not telling them they cannot use Pine, just we can't afford to continue having it as a client."\nAlthough Pine will no longer be offered by IU, users can still download the client and install it on their own computers for e-mail access. Instructions for that, as well as popular clients like Outlook Express, Eudora and Exchange are available at http://kb.indiana.edu.\nAnd, users can log onto http://mas.iu.edu and fill out a survey which will extend personal access to the Pine systems until June 1, 2005. But, after that, UITS will permanently, in the words of Shakespeare, "take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(12/10/04 4:47am)
Each of the 183 Texas Roadhouse restaurants in the United States has a corner dedicated to Willie Nelson -- complete with a neon sign, autographed bandanas and other memorabilia of the country music legend. Thursday, the Bloomington location had the most prized item of them all: Willie himself. \nA hoard gathered to catch a glimpse of Nelson, filling up the Texas Roadhouse's parking lot and street side for blocks in each direction. He parked his bus, the Honeysuckle Rose III, in front and signed copies of his new Christmas album, "Willie Nelson's Classic Christmas," for fans who waited more than three hours. \n"This is great," Nelson said. "A while back when my hands were bad, I had to stop signing autographs for a while -- I had the carpal tunnel operation, and I was off for a few months. So it's good to be back doing the same things again."\nNelson signed autographs, posed for pictures, kissed cheeks and waved to fans -- many of whom only managed to get in the restaurant to mingle for a few seconds with the red-headed (and now white-bearded) stranger. While sitting a few moments each with the fans, the media, the restaurant's management, VIPs and the three Bloomington Police Department officers working the event, Willie flashed his broad smile and quick wit.\nWas there anyone left he still wanted to work with?\n"I don't think so," he joked. \nAnd what was the weirdest item he's ever been asked to sign?\n"I can't tell you that," he said with a huge smile.\nFor those who did get to meet Nelson, the experience was worth the wait. Bloomington resident and 1987 IU graduate Paula Douthitt-Rush was one of the first to sit with him. \n"He kissed me! It was wonderful," she said. "I said, 'You are very, very sexy, Willie,' and he said, 'I never get tired of hearing that.' My legs are shaking, and I'm 40 years old. Can you believe this? I've never been so nervous since my wedding."\nSenior David Smart wore a Nelson-imitation, pig-tailed bandana (as did most of the Texas Roadhouse staff) when it was his turn in Willie's corner. Smart had Willie sign an empty bottle of whiskey after a three-and-a-half-hour wait. \n"A good old pint of whiskey," Smart said. "I got a friend who works here, and a lot of my buddies are big Willie Nelson fans. But this is for me, I'm keeping it."\nBloomington resident Jeff LeBeau arrived at the restaurant two hours in advance to get a CD signed as a Christmas present for a friend.\n"It was great, great to meet him," he said. "I'd never met anyone like him before, and it was worth the wait."\nTiara West, a student at Indiana Wesleyan, had the same goal in mind. West isn't even a Nelson fan, but she left work an hour and a half early, waited in line three more hours, got the CD and prepared to drive back without her husband knowing. \n"He's the Willie Nelson fan," she said. "It should be (a great gift). He'd better appreciate it."\nAfter the autograph session, Nelson headed back to the IU Auditorium, the site of his Thursday night concert. Nelson said beforehand he enjoyed playing in front of a college audience for the youthful enthusiasm.\n"Oh, it's great," he said. "There's a lot of good, young energy -- real good ... With the young audience, they're always ready for anything you're doing." \nAsked about his influences, Nelson mentioned IU alumnus and music legend Hoagie Carmichael. \nWillie recorded many of Carmichael's songs -- including "Stardust" and "Georgia on My Mind" -- on his famous platinum record, "Stardust." \nCarmichael wrote "Stardust" 73 years ago at the Gables on Indiana Avenue, the soon-to-be location of a BuffaLouies. Nelson said he'd have to visit some time. \n"I enjoyed (Carmichael's) writing and recorded a lot of his songs, enjoyed his movies," he said. "I wasn't really aware of that until earlier today somebody mentioned it to me, but it's an honor to be here."\nBut for the hundreds of exuberant Hoosiers who waited for hours to get in, who chanted "Willie, Willie" throughout and who sneaked as close as they could with cameras in hand, the honor did not belong to Willie. \nIt was theirs. \n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(12/10/04 4:46am)
When Kmart and Sears joined forces last month in a massive, $55 billion merger, the two companies combined to operate nearly 3,000 locations in the United States. With the aim of challenging industry leaders Wal-Mart and Target for profits, the two retailers are now trying to figure out if that many stores will mean closings, reinventions or other changes in communities like Bloomington where both stores are prevalent.\nMelissa Daly, a spokeswoman for Kmart, said the companies, which are now collectively named the Sears Holding Corporation, will look at each individual market to determine the best course of action. Daly said certain Kmarts could become Sears ,and decisions on possible store closings were yet to be made. \n"(They) will remain independent chains, and specific properties will be looked at individually," she said. \nBloomington is one such market where both stores have prominent locations, even seemingly overlapping each other's spheres of retail territory. At College Mall, Kmart is just a hop, skip and a jump across a parking lot from a Sears store attached to the mall. \nPaul DuMars, a senior accountant who specializes in acquisitions and mergers at ACX Alliance, said situations like Bloomington's likely will result in one of the stores closing. And, with so many stores combined, situations like Bloomington's are not uncommon. In Cincinnati, Kmart operates four stores and Sears has five, including two mall locations. In St. Louis, Sears has five locations to Kmart's two. In Denver, there are four Kmarts and eight Sears stores within or just outside the city.\nDuMars said Kmart and Sears will cross brand and develop unique identities, but Sears Holding Corporation will avoid keeping the two open in almost the exact same market. \n"In that situation, if they're in the same strip mall or area, one of them will actually close," DuMars said. "It just wouldn't make sense for both stores to stay open. They will close one and combine the two retail into one. And there will definitely be a loss of jobs in that area as a result."\nLosing his job is something that's crossed Quintiney Sanders' mind more than a few times since the merger was announced. Sanders works as a clerk in the electronics department at the College Mall Kmart and said he would not be surprised if his store closed to make way for increased emphasis on Sears. \n"It's got to be Kmart. Sears is too popular," Sanders said. "I think that will happen. (It) would be devastating. Very devastating. I'd have to find another job. Finding a job is not good. Having a job is much better."\nEmployees at Sears, however, were much more optimistic about both their futures and the future of their store. \nJim Lawrence has worked as an appliance salesmen at the Sears in College Mall for nine years and has been in the appliance industry since 1963. He said that kind of record separates him and other Sears employees from the clerks hired at Kmart and also attracts customers who won't like to buy from someone less experienced -- such as those at Kmart.\nThat service and the good name it creates keeps Bloomington resident Becky Black coming back to Sears. She said she doesn't have the same regard for Kmart.\n"I go there much less than I do Sears. I just like Sears better," she said. "(The merger) was a surprise to me. I think Sears is just such a better name."\nStill, Lawrence said he wouldn't like to see Kmart close completely. Instead, he said the best solution would be for the two to develop inventories together to maximize the potential and appeal of each. That, he said, would benefit everyone and justify the merger.\n"We haven't heard yet, there's a lot of ways they can go here, but the ultimate thing would be if they move automotive and put it in the Kmart store and give us more room for warehousing and more floor for appliances," Lawrence said. "I don't think the merger can do anything but help us."\nSean McCullough, who's worked as a salesman at Sears for two months, said expanding and separating different inventory between the stores will keep both open and thriving. He said he's not worried whatsoever about his job security.\n"Instead of having the people who want to come in and buy electronics and appliances getting caught up in the traffic of the clothing industry, they could go (to Kmart) just like they would go to H.H. Gregg," he said. "They go in and know what they're going to get."\nAs far as DuMars is concerned, both stores have a lot to do in the coming months to catch their competition and make the merger financially worthwhile. \n"I don't think it's going to benefit either too much," he said. "Both are broken business models, and they need to reinvent each other together. A merger is good in some instances, but these companies need to remarket, reinvent and reposition themselves as far as sales."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(11/18/04 5:58am)
Three hundred and twenty nine dollars. \nFor years, that's all that stood between Mark Brooks and his dream of exploring the underwater wonderland of coral reefs, sea animals and abandoned overgrown shipwrecks. But now, thanks in large part to a life-changing birthday present, Brooks owns and manages Southern Indiana Scuba, 1023 S. Walnut Street, helping others realize the same dream.\nBefore 1989, scuba diving was something Brooks had contemplated, considered and craved, but never something he'd dared to try. He needed to take classes to get an open water certificate and somehow the $329 price tag always held him back. That year, however, Brooks' wife surprised him with something special.\n"It was a birthday gift," Brooks said. "I'd always wanted to get certified and she said, 'Here, go do it.' That's how it all got started."\nFor a man who worked in the computer industry and spent most of his time sitting in an office typing at a bright screen, Brooks was suddenly turned on to a whole new world of underwater landscapes and adventures 80 feet below the surface. He quickly ascended the diving certification ranks, first reaching advanced open water status, then rescue diver and dive master. As a dive master, Brooks began working at SIS, assisting at the store and repairing equipment.\nBrooks continued scuba as a part-time hobby until 1998, when the owner of SIS decided to sell the shop. Brooks faced an exciting possibility: He could give up his job and buy the store, melding his career and his hobby into one. It didn't take long before he reached a decision.\n"At the time, I was in the computer industry and it was a dying industry because there were so many companies and so many people getting laid off," he said. "So, I knew my time with that company was coming to an end and my love of diving was here and exciting. So I talked to my wife and I said 'Let's try it' and she said OK. And we're here seven years later."\nAnd, despite Indiana being a landlocked state without any major bodies of water, Brooks' store appears to be here to stay. He estimates it nets between $5-10,000 a month before expenses. While expenses mount quickly at a specialty store like SIS, including rent ($1,800 a month, plus utilities), liability insurance ($8,000 a year) and replacing inventory ($10-12,000 a year), Brooks said he has never had a problem operating the store in the black. Of course, he said he values the experience his job provides as much as the money it makes. Brooks runs classes through the store that regularly take him to locales like Belize, the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Keys.\n"It's not a problem to stay profitable in a term," Brooks said. "Scuba is not a high-profit industry -- you do it for the love of the sport and the perks. As an example, here I am working in the Grand Canyon -- leading people in the Grand Canyon. Here I am in Belize, leading people in Belize. So there are perks, it's not necessarily dollars that makes it so profitable."\nBrooks' business is split four different ways -- between new divers, those in continuing education classes and courses through IU, those going on the trips Brooks runs and those setting up their own diving excursions. Mostly, though, Brooks said it is a core group of veteran divers, a tightly knit social group, who come back again and again for trips, supplies and conversation. Brooks plays host to gatherings in the store every few months where divers bring food and swap stories, and runs free trips to local diving spots during the summer. The point: Keep people excited about their hobby and make sure those core customers keep coming back. \n"Twenty percent of my business does 80 percent of my business," Brooks said. "But I realize that core 20 percent changes. Somebody has kids, they realize they won't be able to do it as much. So in comes the new guy from college who's excited to do this. I keep about a core 20 of active divers doing things and 80 percent that dive a little bit, hang out there and do some things."\nBrooks recruits new divers through the 'Discover Scuba' program -- a basic introduction to scuba diving. The hour-long course is free for IU students the first Friday of every month at HPER pool 194. That's how Bill Cain, an IU graduate and divemaster in training at SIS discovered his love for the sport.\n"I told (Mark) I couldn't swim very well and he told me he was going to teach me how to scuba dive, not to swim," said Cain, who works part-time at SIS. "... Now I love it. You can't imagine the beauty of the underwater world. Seeing sharks at a coral head as opposed to Shark Week is just night and day."\nOf course, it hasn't always been smooth sailing for SIS. Brooks said the store hit hard times post-9-11 and is still recovering. He reasons that hobbies are the first thing to go when hard times strike financially, and scuba diving is rarely a necessity. \nThe Internet also poses a small threat, though Brooks can't imagine why someone would trust a computer screen with something like a regulator, which could mean life or death down under. \n"It's life support equipment -- do you want to know the person selling it to you?" Brooks said. "When you're at 60 or 80 feet, take the regulator out of your mouth and take a deep breath. Why not? You're going to drown."\nBrooks estimates his store has taken a small hit on people who turn to the web, but those customers usually come back when whatever they ordered breaks. \nMainly, his competition isn't the Internet. It isn't the dive store in Indianapolis and it isn't Wal-Mart or the Dick's Sporting Goods opening at College Mall.\n"It's bowling, sailing, tennis, golf. It's all the rest," Brooks said. "You as a consumer have X amount of dollars to spend on your hobby. If you choose to spend it sailing, then you're not going to spend it on diving. And so my whole thing is I want to keep my people active and excited."\nAnd, for diving enthusiasts, a visit to SIS can mean just that. In addition to the exotic trips Brooks offers, a stroll through SIS is a virtual walk through a smorgasbord of diving necessities and toys. Walking into its front room, with its old-fashioned diver statue, large bay windows, glass cases of scuba gear, fish tank, plants and underwater netting hung from the ceiling, it already echoes of a descent beneath the waves. Inside the small main room, the sales floor is packed with mannequins in wet suits, masks, snorkels, T-shirts, mugs, regulators and computer screens sliding through the hundreds and hundreds of blue-tinted digital pictures Brooks has taken or accumulated beneath the surface. \nFor Cheryl Snooks, a visit to the store and a training session with Brooks turned her on to scuba. In the three years since she's been certified, Snooks has wrangled a shark ("The more docile ones -- you rub their belly just like a dog"), pet a sting ray ("It felt like velvet gliding over you") and witnessed a rare bright orange, 10-inch seahorse ("That picture I will hold in my mind forever"). She's also amassed three wet suits, two sets of boots and a slew of extras which have, all in all, cost about $4,000. \n"We were very impressed with the friendliness and the family (at SIS), we liked the atmosphere," she said. "And, just after that first trip with them and certification, I felt at home there and continued further studies with them. Scuba diving is what I truly love to do. When I go on vacation, I laughed and told my friend the other day, if I can't go stick my head in the water, I find myself not wanting to go."\nSnooks credits Brooks' teaching with helping her to develop as a diver and his store with helping her build a large repertoire of diving gear. She's not the only one -- the Professional Association of Diving Instructors gives SIS its top rating and walls at SIS are plastered with framed certificates from the organization recognizing Brooks for his teaching skills. \nBetween those, the trips and the stores, that's been enough to keep a stand-alone scuba store in business -- even in landlocked Indiana. \n"It sounds weird, but Indiana is a great place to be from as a diver," Brooks said. "We have ATA and we have the airport in Indianapolis, so it's a nice easy way to get on trips. People have heard about the Caribbean, they've heard about the ocean and now they want to go see it. It's very exciting. To me, I still love teaching open water class where people go 'I can swim, but I don't know anything else,' and then at the end of the class I give them their card and I'm going congratulations, now you can go do all of this and see them get excited about it."\nFor more information, visit www.southernindianascuba.com.\n-- Contact managing editor Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(11/11/04 5:00am)
The front window overlooking Kirkwood Avenue at Jiffy Treet's downtown store features a sign bragging that the chain has the smoothest ice cream in town.\nApparently, it also has the best. \nVoters in the Best of Bloomington poll anointed Jiffy Treet with the top honor, voting it ahead of the homemade varieties offered at White Mountain and the rich flavors of the newest addition to the Bloomington ice cream scene, Cold Stone Creamery. The victory came as no surprise to employees and customers at Jiffy Treet, which some say is fast becoming an important IU tradition.\nJim Johnson left a teaching job to become a Jiffy Treet store owner in 1977 and has witnessed its homemade ice cream draw legions of students over the past 27 years.\n"It's really a nice thing (to be voted the best)," said Johnson, who now owns two of the Jiffy Treets in town. "There is some tremendous ice cream out there with White Mountain, Maggie Moo's and Bruesters. But I think all these places are further removed from the campus than Jiffy Treet. We've been in Bloomington for 30 years, and we're very well established. It really is kind of a tradition now."\nWhile Jiffy Treet has four locations across town (as well as locations in Bedford, Linton and Elletsville), the most prominent option for many is the Kirkwood shop. Nestled amid the bubbly atmosphere of downtown Bloomington's bars, restaurants and specialty shops, the small ice cream counter is no stranger to lines out the door at peak hours. With its black-and-white checkered floor, orange brick counter and vibrant blue and yellow walls, employees at the Kirkwood store said pinning down just why Jiffy Treet is so popular is no easy task.\n"It could be because there's so many different things to order," said Dani Rietdorf, a junior at IU who's worked scooping ice cream behind the counter since March. "There are so many choices, between the low-fat and the low-calorie flavors. And there are the homemade flavors, which are unique. And then, I think, people like the local aspect of it."\nJiffy Treet offers its customers an abundance of choices. For starters, there are the 24 flavors of soft-serves and the 17 homemade options -- ranging from traditional fare like vanilla and cookie dough to lesser-known favorites like green tea and blue moon. Then, there are the mix-ins, which include fruits, cookie bits, soda pop flavors, cereal, syrup and more. Those alone number more than 75, allowing customers to create truly unique floats, shakes, sundaes and cyclones. Of course, such flavor flexibility doesn't appeal to everyone.\nSophomore Alex Hollett estimates she visits Jiffy Treet about five times a semester. And, every time, she orders the vanilla-based M&M cyclone with chocolate syrup mixed in.\n"I've never had anything else," she said while holding one of the frozen concoctions in her hand, the first of this semester. "This was plenty good enough. I never wanted anything else."\nFor students scared of the health implications of regular ice cream indulgence, Jiffy Treet also offers a low-fat, low-carb flavor, known as Dream Delight. Originally formulated about 10 years ago as an alternative for the lactose intolerant, it would become one of Jiffy Treet's cash cows with only 10 calories and between one and two grams of carbs per ounce.\n"It really sort of evolved and fell into line with the whole Atkins diet craze," Johnson said. "It became this dietic dessert."\nOn the flip side of those looking to stay fit, Jiffy Treet is also the only ice cream parlor that doesn't require actually getting up from the couch: It delivers. Sean Duncan, general manager of the north store, said having ice cream dispatched from the store to a student's door is a popular option.\n"We're the only ice cream store in Bloomington that delivers," he said. "That's something unique in its own."\nFor junior Deborah Kokut, who works at the nearby Village Deli on Kirkwood and patronizes Jiffy Treet regularly, said in addition to the ice cream, Jiffy Treet offers a fair price.\n"I haven't been to Cold Stone yet, but they're so much more expensive," said Kokut, who likes anything with vanilla or cookie dough. "So I think, for what you get, this is the best."\nBut, more than anything, Johnson said the most attractive aspect of Jiffy Treet is the way it is beginning to blend into the student experience and become a notable part of the overall IU tradition.\n"I really do believe that," said Johnson, who recommends the hand-dipped butter pecan. "I know alumni who come back in from conversations, parents who come in, who come back for games and things like that. All the time, I'll hear 'When I was an undergraduate I used to come here all the time.' We're definitely fitting that niche for Bloomington and IU. It's not something you can get everywhere. People move away and remember their college days and the college experience. And you can't go get that someplace else."\nAnd it tastes good. Just ask Hollett. \n"It's definitely the best in town"
(11/11/04 3:31am)
The front window overlooking Kirkwood Avenue at Jiffy Treet's downtown store features a sign bragging that the chain has the smoothest ice cream in town.\nApparently, it also has the best. \nVoters in the Best of Bloomington poll anointed Jiffy Treet with the top honor, voting it ahead of the homemade varieties offered at White Mountain and the rich flavors of the newest addition to the Bloomington ice cream scene, Cold Stone Creamery. The victory came as no surprise to employees and customers at Jiffy Treet, which some say is fast becoming an important IU tradition.\nJim Johnson left a teaching job to become a Jiffy Treet store owner in 1977 and has witnessed its homemade ice cream draw legions of students over the past 27 years.\n"It's really a nice thing (to be voted the best)," said Johnson, who now owns two of the Jiffy Treets in town. "There is some tremendous ice cream out there with White Mountain, Maggie Moo's and Bruesters. But I think all these places are further removed from the campus than Jiffy Treet. We've been in Bloomington for 30 years, and we're very well established. It really is kind of a tradition now."\nWhile Jiffy Treet has four locations across town (as well as locations in Bedford, Linton and Elletsville), the most prominent option for many is the Kirkwood shop. Nestled amid the bubbly atmosphere of downtown Bloomington's bars, restaurants and specialty shops, the small ice cream counter is no stranger to lines out the door at peak hours. With its black-and-white checkered floor, orange brick counter and vibrant blue and yellow walls, employees at the Kirkwood store said pinning down just why Jiffy Treet is so popular is no easy task.\n"It could be because there's so many different things to order," said Dani Rietdorf, a junior at IU who's worked scooping ice cream behind the counter since March. "There are so many choices, between the low-fat and the low-calorie flavors. And there are the homemade flavors, which are unique. And then, I think, people like the local aspect of it."\nJiffy Treet offers its customers an abundance of choices. For starters, there are the 24 flavors of soft-serves and the 17 homemade options -- ranging from traditional fare like vanilla and cookie dough to lesser-known favorites like green tea and blue moon. Then, there are the mix-ins, which include fruits, cookie bits, soda pop flavors, cereal, syrup and more. Those alone number more than 75, allowing customers to create truly unique floats, shakes, sundaes and cyclones. Of course, such flavor flexibility doesn't appeal to everyone.\nSophomore Alex Hollett estimates she visits Jiffy Treet about five times a semester. And, every time, she orders the vanilla-based M&M cyclone with chocolate syrup mixed in.\n"I've never had anything else," she said while holding one of the frozen concoctions in her hand, the first of this semester. "This was plenty good enough. I never wanted anything else."\nFor students scared of the health implications of regular ice cream indulgence, Jiffy Treet also offers a low-fat, low-carb flavor, known as Dream Delight. Originally formulated about 10 years ago as an alternative for the lactose intolerant, it would become one of Jiffy Treet's cash cows with only 10 calories and between one and two grams of carbs per ounce.\n"It really sort of evolved and fell into line with the whole Atkins diet craze," Johnson said. "It became this dietic dessert."\nOn the flip side of those looking to stay fit, Jiffy Treet is also the only ice cream parlor that doesn't require actually getting up from the couch: It delivers. Sean Duncan, general manager of the north store, said having ice cream dispatched from the store to a student's door is a popular option.\n"We're the only ice cream store in Bloomington that delivers," he said. "That's something unique in its own."\nFor junior Deborah Kokut, who works at the nearby Village Deli on Kirkwood and patronizes Jiffy Treet regularly, said in addition to the ice cream, Jiffy Treet offers a fair price.\n"I haven't been to Cold Stone yet, but they're so much more expensive," said Kokut, who likes anything with vanilla or cookie dough. "So I think, for what you get, this is the best."\nBut, more than anything, Johnson said the most attractive aspect of Jiffy Treet is the way it is beginning to blend into the student experience and become a notable part of the overall IU tradition.\n"I really do believe that," said Johnson, who recommends the hand-dipped butter pecan. "I know alumni who come back in from conversations, parents who come in, who come back for games and things like that. All the time, I'll hear 'When I was an undergraduate I used to come here all the time.' We're definitely fitting that niche for Bloomington and IU. It's not something you can get everywhere. People move away and remember their college days and the college experience. And you can't go get that someplace else."\nAnd it tastes good. Just ask Hollett. \n"It's definitely the best in town"
(11/05/04 6:07am)
Sophomore Hillary Knapp helped register more than 40 people to take part in this year's election while working as a volunteer for Rock the Vote! There was just one person she overlooked: Herself.\n"I ended up being pretty hypocritical," Knapp said. "I voted in my residence hall last year and the year before that at home and I didn't realize you had to register back in the original spot. By the time I found out, it was too late to register in either place. I was in limbo." \nComplicating things for Knapp, who supported Democrat Sen. John Kerry, her home vote could have been tallied in Ohio. That state ultimately decided the election and President George W. Bush won it by fewer than 140,000 votes, about 2 percent of the voting population. Knapp was not the only one who didn't take advantage of a voting system which values presidential votes in close races more than those in forgone conclusions, like Indiana.\n"I got lucky because (Bush) did end up winning it," said Justin Larkin, a Republican and a sophomore from Hudson, Ohio, who voted in Bloomington. "I was getting crap from my roommates, who are from Indiana. Their vote didn't really matter."\nLarkin said not voting at home by absentee ballot was a "big mistake," and watching votes trickle in for Bush and Kerry on TV proved a nerve-racking experience. \n"I felt like I was nervous for a while," he said. "When I saw he was pulling ahead, I still felt like I could have made a little difference with my vote. It would mean more in Ohio than Indiana no matter what."\nLarkin, though, was pleasantly surprised Wednesday when Kerry conceded Ohio -- he didn't have to have not voting there on his conscience. Knapp, however, faced a different scenario. She said she still clung to some hope for a Kerry win as she went to sleep in the wee hours of the morning. \n"Honestly, at that time, I was pretty incoherent," she said. "I still thought there might be a chance Kerry could pull through, that Kerry could pull through and win. Obviously, that changed when I awoke."\nSenior Michael Buckley, who is originally from Cincinnati, encountered a dilemma similar to Larkin's. Buckley supported Bush and learned he had registered at IU in mid-October, past the deadline to change it. Instead of voting in a precinct where Bush won by only 2 percent, Buckley voted in Indiana, where Bush won by more than 20 percent of the vote.\n"I was kind of frustrated," Buckley said. "It was hard, but I knew realistically it wouldn't come down to only my vote. My county is predominantly Republican, but it was still kind of hard."\nStill, many students did take advantage of their Ohio home residency, and filed absentee ballots to try and give their candidate an edge. \nSarah Beren, a junior from Toledo, Ohio, sent in her absentee ballot last Wednesday. A Kerry supporter, Beren said she was disappointed by the results, but she was pleased her vote wasn't lost in the shuffle of a runaway race.\n"I really did feel like my vote was counting," Beren said. "In other states without the emphasis on them, you do it just because you want your candidate to win. For me, I really felt it mattered. I was pretty much fixated on (the election). To me, I don't think Ohio is really known for too many historical, monumental things, other than a lot of cornfields. I thought it could be a chance for my state to rise to the occasion, but I gotta say they let me down."\nFreshman Chris Dempsey, a Cincinnati resident who voted for Bush by absentee ballot, said he was pleased to have been part of the deciding state in such an important election.\n"Everyone from my state and my high school friends, they were all getting into the election," Dempsey said. "I think it's safe to assume they just about all voted and if they didn't, there was a reasonable excuse why not," he said. "It's a pretty rewarding feeling knowing everyone was centered on Hamilton County. I know I did my part to re-elect President Bush."\n-- Contact managing editor Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(10/21/04 4:44pm)
The scary thing about watching Gillo Pontecorvo's "The Battle of Algiers" is just how familiar everything in it appears. For a nearly 40-year-old film chronicling the Algerian fight for independence from French colonization, its depictions of guerilla warfare and suicide bombings are starkly reminiscent of the evening news.\nPontecorvo skillfully recreates the 1957 resistance through the eyes of Ali La Pointe, the leader of a terrorist group which violently disrupts Algeria's French occupiers at every opportunity. Neither side, however, is portrayed as good or bad, and instead the film focuses on the blood, horror and ugliness of war. \nIt accomplishes that with a painful realism. The French are at times shown as ruthless torturers, and the Algerian resistance fighters' bombings are depicted fully, with emphasis on both the attack and the resulting loss of innocent life. The three-disc set, released as part of the Criterion Collection's impressive series of important pieces of cinema, is worthy of the film it contains. In addition to a new high-definition transfer of the 1965 film, the set contains seven different full-length documentaries. Topics run the gamut from a return to the streets of Algeria with Pontecorvo 30 years later to a making of the featurette to a panel discussion about the film with directors Spike Lee, Steven Soderberg, Oliver Stone and others. A photo gallery and theatrical trailers are also included. \nThe extras are impressive, but the film alone is worth the hefty price tag ($49.95). In an age of terrorism and resistance fighting, a film that honestly examines and defines both its reasons and repercussions is at least worth a look.
(10/21/04 4:00am)
The scary thing about watching Gillo Pontecorvo's "The Battle of Algiers" is just how familiar everything in it appears. For a nearly 40-year-old film chronicling the Algerian fight for independence from French colonization, its depictions of guerilla warfare and suicide bombings are starkly reminiscent of the evening news.\nPontecorvo skillfully recreates the 1957 resistance through the eyes of Ali La Pointe, the leader of a terrorist group which violently disrupts Algeria's French occupiers at every opportunity. Neither side, however, is portrayed as good or bad, and instead the film focuses on the blood, horror and ugliness of war. \nIt accomplishes that with a painful realism. The French are at times shown as ruthless torturers, and the Algerian resistance fighters' bombings are depicted fully, with emphasis on both the attack and the resulting loss of innocent life. The three-disc set, released as part of the Criterion Collection's impressive series of important pieces of cinema, is worthy of the film it contains. In addition to a new high-definition transfer of the 1965 film, the set contains seven different full-length documentaries. Topics run the gamut from a return to the streets of Algeria with Pontecorvo 30 years later to a making of the featurette to a panel discussion about the film with directors Spike Lee, Steven Soderberg, Oliver Stone and others. A photo gallery and theatrical trailers are also included. \nThe extras are impressive, but the film alone is worth the hefty price tag ($49.95). In an age of terrorism and resistance fighting, a film that honestly examines and defines both its reasons and repercussions is at least worth a look.
(09/15/04 4:49am)
Glenn Gass and his class of Beatles fans had just arrived in Liverpool in the summer of 2003 when Beatlemania struck. Gass, a music professor at IU, was leading the third installment of a month-long study abroad program focusing on the Fab Four when someone excitedly noticed a familiar face: that of Paul McCartney.\n"We're standing there, and Paul McCartney drives up," Gass said. "This is within an hour of us getting to Liverpool, and there he was 10 feet away. My students were (shocked), and I was just reduced to a 12-year-old. It's a Beatle; there's something incredible about that." \nGass' popular class is one example of a growing demand for customized abroad programs -- trips that are shorter than traditional semester-length excursions and are dedicated to a very defined subject. According to International Education of Students, the non-profit group that arranges Gass' Beatles trip, as well as programs in 21 other cities across the world, shorter trips are a more flexible choice for fitting in a journey abroad without having to stay an extra semester to catch up on missed requirements.\nAnd they also allow a less intimidating experience for students wary of traveling to a foreign country for a lengthy period. \n"If students haven't had international experience or are unsure if they have the right kinds of skills to be successful, most of the programs are designed for students with little to no experience," said Brian Harley, director of programs for study abroad at Purdue University. "The short-term one might feel more consistent with their comfort zone."\nAt Purdue, Harley said about two-thirds of the programs are under a semester in length in response to the growing demand for shorter trips. Of the 3,500 students who traveled through IES last year, 500 of those chose programs less than a semester in length. That number has increased steadily over the past decade as the customized programs have grown increasingly popular, though the kinds of students who partake in each differ. \n"I think the No. 1 type of student for short-term is a slightly different profile than longer term in terms of not a commitment to the experience but an expectation for the experience," said Nancy Kenyon, director of customized programs for IES. \nThat and a natural desire for traveling convinced Purdue University student Emma Doud to go on a customized trip. Doud, who is now a senior, traveled to Madrid for six weeks through IES the summer following her freshmen year for a language program. There she developed a near fluency in Spanish, a newfound independence and an impressive itinerary of sites visited including stops in Portugal, Greece and Germany.\n"I think a lot of students don't feel like they have the time to spend an entire semester or year abroad and these six- to eight-week summer programs provide a solution for those who want to travel," Doud said from Australia, where she studied over the summer. \nStudents in Gass' class spend their time in morning lectures and on field trips to Beatles sites, like recording studios, old clubs the group played before becoming famous, Abbey Road, Strawberry Fields and other historic destinations. \n"We get a committed group, one that doesn't mind walking six hours to see where Ringo used to live," Gass said. "If you weren't really a fan, it could be encrustingly dull. But if you're a fan, it's a Beatles daydream."\nGass said he's glad he can offer an experience students wouldn't get in a classroom in Bloomington, Ind. He credits IES with making the trip happen, as it takes care of all the logistics and costs, leaving Gass free to concentrate on the class itself. He said being able to offer it and having students be interested in taking it is a dream come true. \n"It's like going to Beatle wonderland," Gass said. "There's a sense of place you can't get at Bloomington when you're standing at Penny Lane or Abbey Road. It brings it back to a human scale and makes it more astonishing. It's like going to Vienna and seeing where Beethoven lives"
(08/09/04 1:13am)
When incoming freshman pull into their dorm parking lots for the first time at the University of California in Berkeley, they will be greeted by a swarm of loud, clipboard-wielding upperclassmen with one thing in mind: registering as many students as possible to vote in the November election.\nKalin McKenna, who will be a senior at UC-B in the fall, has been active in registering both students and citizens since her sophomore year. This year, she said there is an added energy toward mobilizing the younger population -- people aged 18-24 -- because in an election promising to be close, new voters could make all the difference.\n"We're such an untapped resource with so much power behind us," she said. "We could be the deciding factor in the election, and that's exciting."\nMcKenna is not alone in her efforts. In addition to similar community-based programs at college campuses across the country, this election is witness to the largest national youth voting campaign ever. Nonpartisan groups like Rock the Vote, Smackdown the Vote, the New Voters Project and others will spend an estimated $40 million to publicize their messages. Like-minded groups are blanketing television, radio stations and billboards with advertisements and Cingular Wireless customers can even begin the registration process through their cell phones.\nRock the Vote, one of the largest organizations, works to register new voters through an alliance of hundreds of entertainment icons preaching the same message, running the gamut from popular bands (Aerosmith, Dave Matthews Band) to actors and comedians (Ben Stiller, David Spade) to sports stars (Drew Bledsoe). Through partnerships with MTV, BET and Time Warner, Rock the Vote has registered 400,000 voters so far and will register 600,000 more before the election. \nThe IU Hillel Center will hold a series of voter education programs sponsored by Rock the Vote this fall starting Sept. 13. More information on the series can be found at the Hillel Web site at www.indiana.edu/~hillel.\nWashington, D.C., Rock the Vote Director Hans Riemer said the group's efforts are empowering young people to choose the president.\n"The elections are so tight and the public is so split and people know that a few hundred votes can swing state," he said. "And then you have a population that can shake up the whole electoral calculus. Seventy percent of young people who are registered to vote do actually vote in the election."\nJohn Tedesco, an associate professor in political communication and the director of graduate studies at Virginia Tech, said the movement to register new voters is coinciding with an increased interest among young people in the election. He said young people are naturally taking an interest in the process in response to events like 9/11, the 2000 election fiasco, and the war in Iraq.\n"In general, college students reflect what we see around the country -- we see the country more involved politically," he said. "It's a close race and there's a lot of drama. And the campaigns are mobilizing on campuses in the fall, but I anticipate it's because many of these issues have become salient with the young voter."\nTedesco, though, isn't content to rely on voter interest to generate record numbers at the polls. He is also a regional coordinator with Uvote2004, an association of 28 colleges and universities that registers voters and engages students in politics.\nTedesco said there has been no great surge in youth voting since the age limit was lowered to 18 in 1971. But, he thinks that could change with this election.\n"I think this election is going to be the turning point," he said. "Part of it is 9/11, part of it is the candidate's appealing to the issues. But I think the efforts by groups like the one I'm a part of are going to be productive."\nThe New Voters Project takes a somewhat different approach to the youth voting campaign. Rather than directing its efforts nationally, the non-partisan group focuses on six states with a population of more than 2 million potential young voters combined. There, the group developed grassroots campaigns with college campuses, high schools, Internet sites and community groups, as well as door-to-door and public event drives to target non-students.\nThe group will register at least 260,000 voters in those states, but the campaign doesn't end there. Communications coordinator Adam Alexander said the group will follow up with each person they register and make sure they plan on actually going to the polls on Nov. 2. For Alexander, who at 24 is a member of the age bracket he works to recruit, the decision to vote should be an easy one.\n"I say 'Hey, look, it's ironic we vote in the lowest numbers, because we're affected for the longest time by politicians and their decisions,'" he said. "You have an arcane tax decision or a foreign policy decision and we are the demographic that deals with the ramifications of it."\nMcKenna, meanwhile, is counting the days until the election. During welcome week, she expects to register a couple thousand new voters. Then, in the weeks leading up to the election, student volunteers will work each day at voting registration booths at locations around campus. She said all of her efforts are worth it if she helps young people find their voice.\n"This country was founded on the idea that everyone has a voice and unfortunately, that hasn't always been the case. But it is now and your vote is your voice," she said. "It's a way for you to effect change in the community. And if you want to lobby or advocate, they won't listen unless you and your demographic are voting. We need to say 'Look at me, I'm a voting citizen and it's a way to make change. It's a way to find a voice."
(07/29/04 1:12am)
Like so many of his peers, Rusty Tracey fell in love with file sharing when Napster debuted. And, like so many others, Tracey, who is a student at Washington State Community College in Marietta, Ohio, wandered from program to program when the pioneering software crumbled amid legal difficulty.\nNow, with students and citizens alike being sued by the Recording Industry Association of America for the act, Tracey isn't buckling. He's just finding new ways to build his rather extensive collection of MP3s.\n"You really want to know?" he asks when pressed for just how many he's accumulated. "About 25,000. And the majority of those are CD-quality."\nTracey isn't concerned with being sued, even though he is exactly who the recording industry is trying to stop. In March the group brought suits against 89 users at 21 university networks across the country, including five IU students.\nWith free, high-speed Internet connections and large populations of music-loving, cash-strapped students, illegal file sharing quickly became an issue on campuses throughout the country. It came as no surprise that the RIAA directed part of its campaign at university networks. \n"Piracy on campuses is particularly rampant," said RIAA spokesman Jonathan Lamy. "Students have more time than money. They have access to a high-speed Internet connection for free. We recognize, as does the university community, that college is a place where the problem is particularly acute. It made sense to expand the litigation program to universities and students."\nThe extent of the recording industry's efforts is not limited to lawsuits. Lamy said the group works closely with schools to develop technological solutions, orientation programs and legal downloading services. \nRIAA President Cary Sherman and Penn State President Graham Spanier co-chair the Joint Committee of Higher Education and Entertainment Industry, a congressional board formed in December 2002 to find a solution to widespread illegal file sharing on college campuses. Within a year of its formation, Penn State had found its solution in a revamped form of Napster with legal downloads and a monthly charge covered by student technology fees.\n"It's been very successful," said PSU spokesman Tyson Kendig of Napster, which became available for students in January. "It launched to about 17,000 on campus living in the residence halls, and, according to Napster, at its peak, students were accessing and downloading audio streams at more than 100,000 a day. That's a pretty significant number there. The vast majority eligible to sign up did and used it regularly."\nWhether or not efforts to limit illegal file sharing actually have that effect is a point of contention between advocates and opponents of peer-to-peer downloading. The lawsuits raised awareness, Lamy said, and a survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project from earlier this year reported file sharing declined by 50 percent in the wake of the legal action. \nAccording to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, however, that study was flawed, and file sharing has actually increased over the past year. \n"The Pew study was a phone survey," said Jason Schultz, staff attorney for the EFF, an activist group that defends individual rights in cyberspace. "I don't fault them for their intention, but any time you call someone up and say 'Hey, have you broken this law?' they're unlikely to admit they have. If you called up and asked college students under 21, 'Have you drunk alcohol in the last month,' you'll probably get some skewed responses." \nCompanies like BayTSP and BigChampagne, which monitor the amount of traffic on peer-to-peer networks, actually report downloading levels at or near its highest ever. But BigChampagne CEO Eric Garland said that shouldn't necessarily be read as a defiant response to the lawsuits: Since file sharing is an emerging technology, the numbers would likely increase anyway as more users caught on for the first time. \n"More people are swapping more stuff than any period in the past. But that would be the case with or without the lawsuits."\nSchultz said the high downloading numbers mean the RIAA should give up its legal campaign, as it has minimal effect.\n"They have an effect on the people they sue -- they scare the dickens out of people they sue," Schultz said. "But in terms of the general population, there has been no effect to really deter file sharing. Tens of millions of people have fallen in love with this technology and see it as the way to do music."\nComplicating matters for those trying to prevent illegal file swapping is the influx of new programs that do the same old trick. For every service like Napster or Audiogalaxy who turn to new, legal downloads, more decentralized, harder to track file sharing services pop up for users to explore.\nThe recording industry has not sat idly by as downloading music soared in popularity. Legal music downloading programs like Napster, iTunes and Rhapsody are testaments to the recording companies' attempt to provide what consumers want. \nLamy said the online marketplace has "vast potential," and he credits the RIAA lawsuits with helping it to develop. For Schultz and the EFF, however, the new pay programs are a poor substitute for their predecessors. \n"Those services are not peer-to-peer," he said. "The new Napster is very unlike the old Napster -- it's really a crippled version of the old system. They offer only a small drop in the bucket of music offerings, when with peer-to-peer you can find any music, any song on the planet. And the songs usually aren't in MP3, they're usually in some kind of restricted format where you can't burn it onto a CD, and you can't listen to it on another computer"
(07/12/04 1:17am)
Brandyn Metzko knows what it's like to live with HIV. The 23-year-old senior at Cleveland State University tested positive in November 2003, after having unprotected sex with an HIV-positive partner.\nMetzko, though, also knows the biggest barrier to stopping the spread of the virus lies in getting tested and knowing a positive result isn't the end of the world. He said too many people are afraid to take the test, and not knowing can lead to infecting others. \n"So many people are scared of dying, and I think what they don't want to hear is 'You're going to die,'" Metzko said. "But HIV does not mean you're going to die. It means you're going to live, usually for quite a long time. You just have to make some accommodations and make sure your immune system is OK."\nCollege students like Metzko could be among the most at-risk to contract the virus, according to a recent study at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Experts advise that taking advantage of free or low-cost testing at sites across the country could help combat the dangerous trend and ultimately save lives.\nUNC researchers presented results of a two-and-a-half year study in February, which documented the first major HIV outbreak to be reported among college students. The researchers identified 84 HIV-positive male college students in 37 North Carolina public and private universities, representing about 16 percent of the new cases reported. That number was higher than ever previously reported among students. Dr. Peter Leone, one of the researchers and the director of UNC's sexually transmitted disease program, said the number could actually be even greater. \n"If you add in the partners who aren't in college, that number could be as high as 20 or 25 percent," Leone said. "That means one out of every four or five diagnosed young men is a college student or an associate. That's a big deal. And, given that our study was voluntary, that's probably a gross underestimation of the problem."\nThough it was limited to North Carolina, Leone said the study found connections between the HIV-positive students and partners as far south as Florida and north as Washington D.C., suggesting the problem extends beyond just one state. \n"I'm very concerned about this," he said. "We're calling for another study, but in the interim I think we need to increase our efforts in reaching out to colleges and letting them know they cannot ignore the risk. Most students are pretty sexually active, and when you combine that with alcohol, that's a big risk."\nEnter the National HIV Testing Day. The annual event coordinated by the National Association of People with AIDS promotes testing, as well as events that increase awareness and educate high-risk populations. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as 950,000 Americans are living with HIV and between 180,000-280,000 are unaware of the infection.\nNAPWA Public Affairs Director Paul Feldman said college students are one of the primary targets of the testing day and that half of the newly reported cases of HIV are in the 15-to-24 age bracket. NAPWA, through a partnership with Viacom, promotes safety and testing to students with public service announcements aired on popular college-oriented networks like VH1 and MTV. \nFeldman said students should take advantage of the free testing, whether through an event or through their university health center.\n"If you've never had an HIV test or ever had anal or vaginal sex without a condom or ever shared a needle, you better get tested," he said. "I think anybody who thinks infections are solely among men who have sex with men are living in a dream world and need to get tested."\nNew rapid testing procedures will garner a negative result or a preliminary positive result in just 20 minutes, and can be administered in the form of a blood test or an oral fluid test.\n"Now, even if you're needle-phobic, you can still get tested," Feldman said.\nIU students can be tested confidentially at the IU Health Center, 600 N. Jordan Ave. Students can call 855-7688 to make an appointment. There is a $15 charge for the test and results will be available in five to seven working days.\nUniversity of New Mexico Health Center Director Dr. Beverly Kloeppel said the campus has not shown any signs of an HIV outbreak, but students should get tested anyway to be safe.\n"I think those that are in the higher risk population, it's very important for them to get tested," Kloeppel said. "But it doesn't hurt to get tested regardless, because I think there's a lot of HIV out there that we're not finding."\nLeone said the testing day can be an effective tool in stopping the trend if it convinces people HIV is a real problem.\n"It's incredibly useful if we move people past the whole stigma with HIV and sexuality," he said. "It's very easy to believe it's other folks who are at risk, but people shouldn't assume they're safe."\nMetzko thinks testing can be effective, but prevention education should be balanced with more information on how to live with HIV. \n"Everyone who is sexually active should be tested, period," he said. "But you need to be realistic if you become positive and know it's not the end of your life. I still have a happy and successful life"
(05/07/04 4:30am)
The IU Police Department arrested an assault suspect hours after the incident, thanks to the work of two students who witnessed it, chased down the assailant and wrote down his license plate number.\n"The couple of witnesses that interceded were instrumental in getting this individual arrested," IUPD Sergeant Don Schmuhl said. "Our thanks to them for that."\nSchmuhl said a man attacked a female student returning to her room in Teter Quad early Tuesday morning. He said the student parked her car on Seventh Street and was walking across the south courtyard when she heard footsteps behind her.\nA man then grabbed the student and wrestled her to the ground as she punched, kicked, screamed and pushed the attacker off her, Schmuhl said. That drew the attention of two witnesses. One then chased the assailant to his car and wrote down his license plate number, Schmuhl said.\nSchmuhl said the student reported no incidents at the scene. \nWith that, police arrested Michael L. Hollett, 26, resident of Helmsburg, Ind., Tuesday afternoon, charging him with a class D felony-battery and filing a probable cause affidavit for an additional charge of confinement. \nSchmuhl said the public can often help the police solve crimes they otherwise couldn't. \n"When circumstances call for it, the public a lot of times reacts in ways to assist the victim or to assist us with a particular incident and we certainly appreciate any assistance from the general public on any incident like that," he said. "A lot of times, they may very well have a piece of information that results in apprehending the subject. Without the general public on cases like that, we may not sometimes be able to make an arrest." \nHollett was still being held Thursday at Monroe County Jail on a $2,000 surety bond, plus $500 cash.\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(04/06/04 5:58am)
Entering IU, Brandon Houston had dreams of becoming a lawyer. But five years and $30,000 in debt later, those plans dealt him a major blow. While Houston, now a senior, still plans on going to graduate school -- despite nearly doubling his debt -- he hopes future students won't face similar difficulties.\nHouston spoke at the Sample Gates Monday where the Indiana Public Interest Research Group debuted a new Web site aimed at convincing the federal government to increase Pell Grants and decrease debts like Houston's.\n"If an average student is graduating with $17,000 in debt and someone like me is graduating with $30,000 in debt, I think it's one of the most important things we can do," Houston said. "Higher education -- we keep talking about No Child Left Behind and everything else -- we're leaving as many as possible behind by not increasing federal aid."\nThe new Web site -- www.StudentAidAction.com -- connects students and families with congressional representatives and local newspapers to help promote the initiative. Ideally, INPIRG Higher Education Campaign Leader sophomore Ben Carollo, said the Web site seeks to increase the maximum Pell Grant award by $450 -- from $4,050 to $4,500. \nThe Web site offers background information on the FY05 budget approved by the House and Senate, which would freeze the maximum Pell Grant award at its current level. \n"Calling for $450 per award isn't in the grand scheme of the federal budget going to effect it that much," Carollo said. "It's just roughly a billion dollars. In the federal budget of multiple trillions of dollars, to educate everybody in this country is really not a big price to pay."\nINPIRG provides a form letter online anyone can edit and send to their congressional representative through the Web site. It also includes a feature allowing users to send letters to the editor on the issue to local newspapers, personal stories about student aid and information to coordinate the campaign at other college campuses.\nSophomore Chris Erickson was just walking by the Sample Gates when he stumbled upon INPIRG's booth. He visited the Web site at a laptop computer setup for passersby and said he is hopeful the campaign will ultimately yield Pell Grants of higher value. \n"I sure hope so," he said. "Right now I'm in the process of applying for private loans because my other loans just aren't cutting it. I have to pay for college all on my own, so this would be a big help."\nAs for Houston, he said students need more education today and, without a change in grant money, they won't be able to afford it.\n"Growing up, we were taught if you get a college degree you're OK," he said. "Anymore, that's not true. Now, you need a masters degree to be OK. But if you can't pay for it and you can't pay for an undergraduate degree, we're just propelling the circle of poverty and it's not working at all."\n-- Contact campus editor Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(03/22/04 6:11am)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- For most students, working construction all day and sleeping on a floor all night isn't the ideal spring break. But that's exactly how senior Tony Teuscher and junior Lindsey Stuck spent their vacations, and neither have regrets. \nThe two helped build Habitat for Humanity houses in northeast Washington D.C., as part of a 10-student team through the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.\n"I'd done a lot of community service before, through my high school or my fraternity, but this is the first time I've ever actually gone somewhere to devote an entire week to something where I'm not getting paid," Teuscher said. "I'm kind of glad I didn't go to Palm Springs or Panama City Beach or something like that because it's so crowded. Here, I get to see how people really live and really get involved."\nThe team, comprised of students from across the country, worked all day Tuesday through Friday painting, drywalling, framing, hammering, nailing and any other construction task needed. At night, they slept -- on the floor -- at First Baptist Church in the middle of downtown D.C.\nThe construction is an ongoing project by different teams of students each week and real construction workers. By the end of the week, one house was completely finished and another was receiving its final touches. Another of the houses the team worked on was transformed during the week from just a concrete foundation to a complete wooden frame of the lower level.\nUltimately, the project will build 53 houses for low income families during a five-year span.\nHabitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization which battles poverty housing and homelessness. The group has built more than 150,000 houses around the world, providing shelter for more than 750,000 people, according to its Web site. It was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller.\nDiane Wood, director of scholar relations for NSCS, said she was impressed with the work the student volunteers contributed during the week.\n"Some people are all about doing something a little more meaningful for their spring break," Wood said. "This is pretty remarkable, seeing the walls raise and the houses actually starting to take shape. And, it's even more exciting seeing everybody here together."\nTeuscher and Stuck, who is executive vice president of the IU chapter of NSCS, said they were impressed that, regardless of skill level or experience, anyone could make a difference. Teuscher, who had some construction experience, worked framing and drywalling, while Stuck, who had no experience, insulated and built closets and cabinets, among other tasks.\nBut the week wasn't all work. Getting off at 4 p.m. each day gave the team the opportunity to spend evenings together as tourists. They visited the Holocaust Museum, the Smithsonian and the top of the Washington Monument, in addition to just sightseeing around the city.\n"We had all evening to do what we want, so it's not too bad," Stuck said. "And we're right in the middle of D.C., so there was lots to do."\nTeuscher sampled the bar scene in Georgetown one night, but said it wasn't too different from Bloomington.\n"I'd say really similar actually," he said. "It's just a college-town atmosphere, I guess. Kind of quaint."\nTeuscher and Stuck agreed the week was a rewarding experience. \n"These houses will be here 30 or 40 years from now," Teuscher said. "Someone will still be living in them and I'll know I helped do that."\nThe first two houses were already completed and families had already moved in with kids' bikes chained outside by Friday. Stuck said seeing the impact the work made on real families made the week worthwhile.\n"(Thursday), we were leaving and there was this little boy in the second house that was built," she said. "He was like 'Hey' from the porch and 'Can you unlock the door for me?' because he was too short to reach the handle. He had his key, so I went up and unlocked it for him. And just seeing the house that was finished with furniture and this little boy living there coming home from school. To me, that's awesome."\n-- Contact campus editor Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(02/27/04 6:17am)
Sophomore Naomi Zander picked up a bowling ball Wednesday night at the Suburban Lanes Bowling Alley, slowly stepped up to the line and heaved it toward 10 unsuspecting pins.\nThe ball gradually curved left before falling harmlessly into the gutter three quarters of the way down the lane.\n"I'm horrible -- my average is like a 30," Zander said. "I really like bumpers, but they were like, 'We don't give bumpers to people if they're over 10.'"\nWhile Zander did knock one pin over on her second throw, this event wasn't about competition -- at least not for the highest score. Eighty-five teams of IU students competed in Bowl for Kids' Sake 2004 Wednesday and Thursday nights, each raising at least $420 to be donated to the Big Brothers Big Sisters charity. \nThe Apparel Merchandising Organization won the trophy for raising the most money Thursday night after raising $3,650. Kappa Alpha Theta was second with $2,701 and Civic Leadership Development took third with $2,568. As a whole, the bowl raised $28,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters.\nEvent coordinator Lindsey Novak, a sophomore, said she was pleased with the record turnout for the event.\n"We have the highest number of teams this year, so I'm impressed," she said. "I'm glad people came out for a good cause -- that's all that really matters."\nForty-five teams competed Wednesday night during one-and-a-half hour sessions, the first beginning at 9 p.m. Black lights and loud music accompanied the constant sound of bowling balls rolling down wooden lanes and the smashing of pins, intermittently broken up by cheers and applause. \nStudents from Greek houses, dorms, service organizations and student groups all made teams, some of them forming more than one team. The Apparel Merchandising Organization had 10 different teams, and 47 members of Alpha Chi Omega, including its entire pledge class, filled up six lanes.\n"It's for a really good cause to help out the little kids with Big Brothers Big Sisters," said freshman Alpha Chi Omega member Hayley Ruemler, who personally raised $70 toward the team fee. "Our whole pledge class chose to do it." \nFoster resident Brittney Wing, captain for The Champions team, bowled a strike in the first few rounds of the tournament.\n"I'm not a very good bowler," she said. "It's all luck." \nBetween frames, students enjoyed free drinks and participated in an array of raffles and contests announced over the loudspeaker. Prizes, ranging from gift certificates to beads, were handed out for students who rolled gutter balls over a certain time, who could sing the IU fight song and who could Hula Hoop the longest.\n"I'm not a good bowler, but we're having fun," freshman Liz Harvey of Kppa Alpha Theta said. "We're doing it for the kids, and it's a lot of fun."\n-- Contact campus editor Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(02/20/04 5:00am)
Bloomington resident Scott Alber and two friends left home at 5 a.m. Monday morning for the nearly six-hour drive to Milwaukee, where former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean was preparing a run at the Wisconsin primary. \nTwo days later, Dean had placed third, behind John Kerry and John Edwards and dropped out of the presidential race.\nFor Alber, Howard Dean's deputy coordinator for Indiana, the trip was disappointing but not a waste of time at all.\n"We were hoping for a miracle and that he would have been in John Edwards' place," Alber said. "It was disappointing to actually wake up in the morning and to know the final numbers, even though when we went to bed we knew what would happen."\nAlber spent the time in Wisconsin canvassing neighborhoods and passing out literature in support of Dean. Even though Dean didn't win, Alber said he was proud of all of the campaign supporters who helped up his numbers from 8 percent the week before to 18 percent in the Wisconsin primary.\nDespite Dean's dropping out of the race, Alber isn't quitting. He spoke with the Governor via a conference call Thursday and said Dean will not endorse any of the other candidates until the Democratic National Convention to be held July 26 through 29. Until then, Alber will continue to promote Dean's initiatives and is running as one of his delegates. \n"We're still going to work on keeping his grassroots movement alive," he said. "We're still encouraging people to vote. As long as he gets delegates, that means influence at the convention. We'll work so his message will be continued."\nDean supporter and IU senior Emily Solt said she is disappointed to see him bow out of the race. \n"I was very sad because I have supported Dean from the beginning," she said. "I felt him to be a breath of fresh air, especially for young democrats. It's sad to see a candidate like that have to withdraw."\nGlen Green, a post-doctoral researcher for the Center for the Study of Institutions, Population and Environmental Change, has been a supporter of Dean since he opposed the Iraq war.\nGreen said the media had it in for Dean because he opposed the big corporations that own most of the major media outlets. He added that some of the negativity between Dean and other democratic candidates ultimately backfired.\n"He and (candidate Richard) Gephardt were kind of beating each other up -- some people called it a murder-suicide," Green said. "I always felt he was talking too negatively about other candidates. He should have tried to stay above that. If you're going to talk negative, talk about Bush."\nGreen said the loss didn't really disappoint him. He said Dean was the first candidate to criticize President George. W. Bush directly, which spurred the other candidates to do the same. That, he said, will make all the difference in the election and is something to be proud of.\n"A lot of Indiana Dean supporters were disappointed, but really, my candidate won," Green said. "My candidate did what needed to happen. If other people pick up his message, that's great. We wanted the whole Democratic Party to pick up on what Dean said and that's more important than getting him elected.\n"I'm not disappointed at all. I think it's worked out. Now, if we've got a ticket with Kerry and Edwards, it's a killer ticket. I think they'll boot (Bush) out."\nRami Chami contributed to this story.\n-- Contact campus editor Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(02/17/04 5:23am)
Yvette Alex-Assensoh, a professor of political science and student in the law school, remembers first-hand the effects of Brown v. Board of Education. She watched as the U.S. Supreme Court decision, which ruled separate educational facilities were unequal and unconstitutional, allowed her mother to find work and her father to get a job without having to drive eight hours, returning only on weekends.\nShe also noticed its consequences -- facing integration as the only black student in an integrated class and the racism that went along with that distinction. Alex-Assensoh spoke about her experiences Monday as part of a five-member panel that discussed the landmark case and what it means today in the Moot Court Room at the law school. The discussion, sponsored by the Black Student Law Association, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling. \n"As a young child entering first grade in 1973, I was basically an experiment for white administrators," she said. "They were trying to figure out how to gingerly traverse the tightrope between the Brown mandate and the discontent of some white parents who were not ready for integration ... Now, more than 32 years later, I still recall the frequent questions from my white classmates about my hair and why one side of my hand was black and the other side, the palm, remained partially white."\nAlex-Assenoh was joined by Becky Biller Elmore on the panel, a third year law student and president of the Latino Law Student Association; Brian Glazer, a second- year law student and president of the Federalist Society; Steven Comuntzis, a second year law student and Federalist Society member; and Freedom Smith, a third year law student and president of the BLSA.\nComuntzis addressed the topic of Brown from a federalist standpoint. He said the case made the right decision, but it should have been determined by the legislature, not the courts.\n"It would have been better if the legislatures had gotten the law right," Comuntzis said. "But to ignore the fundamental rights of black students to be integrated into society ... is tantamount to impinging on the liberties of the individuals involved. Would the Constitution sanction such practice? It was written, after all, for the citizens of the land of the free."\nSmith spoke about a joint essay the BLSA wrote about the Brown decision. She said it was hard for the group to consider the case as entirely positive, despite the good it did, because of its vague nature and what it didn't explicitly say. \n"The best thing that came out of it is it recognized that (blacks) have a right to be here, that the 14th amendment was here for us and that we did exist as American citizens," Smith said. "So, it's not that we didn't recognize that there was something great to come out of Brown. But, when you look at Brown, it's so vague. It didn't say that Plessy v. Ferguson was wrong. They didn't do that. Because they weren't ready to make that step. They were willing to recognize that 'OK, maybe we can't deny them any longer, but we're not ready to fully accept them yet.'"\nAfter the three presentations, the floor was opened for questions from the approximately 40 people in attendance. Second-year law student Sylvia Bier attended the discussion to learn about the different perspectives surrounding the issue. She said she was pleased with what she saw. \n"Race matters," she said. "Race always seems to matter, so I try to inform myself as much as possible. I appreciate honesty in all forms, and I appreciate that to really get to the heart of the matter, we have to push buttons. So, that's what I look for. As to whether they achieved it, I don't know. But I will say I'm glad I came, I don't think I wasted my hour. It's good to get different perspectives." \nSmith said one of the worst aspects of the Brown case was knowing it took as long as it did to get passed. \n"Looking back, I think we, as black Americans, appreciate the Brown decision," Smith said. "But it's a shame that it had to come to this. This is the land of the free, this is the home of the brave. Why did we have to wait until 1954 to get acknowledged in this country?"\n-- Contact campus editor Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
