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(01/23/04 6:04am)
Citing a possible conflict of interest, Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter on Saturday announced the need for a split between Conner Prairie and Earlham College.\nEarlham currently manages the public charitable trust for the living history museum, which was founded in 1964 and opened ten years later in Fishers, Ind. Founded by renowned philanthropist Eli Lilly, its current operating budget is $9.6 million. Earlham oversees a trust which has grown to $150 million and has historically distributed interest earned equally between the college and Conner Prairie. \nThe attorney general's office began investigating how the college handles the trust last June. The museum's management fell under scrutiny after Earlham's President Douglas C. Bennett fired 28 board members, citing rising budget deficits. Among those fired were museum president John A. Herbst and Board Chairman Berkley W. Duck. Twenty-three of the fired board members formed the non-profit organization "Save the Prairie," which is aimed at regaining control of the museum. \nIn a petition filed in the Hamilton County Superior Court, Carter asked to "direct the trustee of a trust for a benevolent purpose to file a verified written statement of accounts." Indiana state law prior to the year 2000 required trustees of charitable trusts of any size to file certification of accounting or fiscal records. According to Carter's petition, Earlham has never filed a verified written statement of accounts as a beneficiary of the Connor Prairie trust. \nCarter has also proposed the creation of the Conner Prairie Management Corp., which would oversee the general operation and property ownership of the museum as well as management of funds. \nBennett was traveling yesterday and could not be reached for direct comment, according to Earlham Public Information Director Richard Holden. In a statement offered on his behalf by the Indianapolis-based public relations firm Sease Gerig, Bennett maintained the University has "faithfully and honorably" fulfilled the trust set forth by Eli Lilly and has responded to the attorney general's requests for information.\n"We cooperated fully with the attorney general, responding to dozens of requests that were posed to us over the course of the fall, some of them concerning financial transactions more than 30 years old," Bennett said in the statement. "We provided thousands of pages of information, including audited financial statements. We believe we have fully complied with the law and will continue to be guided by Mr. Lilly's expressed intentions."\nA deed of gift delineating the terms under which Earlham was to administer 40,000 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock was signed by Lilly on Jan. 24, 1969, according to Carter's petition. It established the museum as a public charitable trust and specifically noted that the principal amount could be used for capital improvements on facilities. The remaining funds and income were to be set aside to create an endowment fund managed by the board of trustees. \nLilly went on to donate additional shares in 1973 and provided for 10 percent of his estate's value to be donated to the college upon his death in 1977. \nFormer Earlham president Landrum Bolling, who helped negotiate the transfer of land and trust from 1958 to 1973, refused comment to the Indiana Daily Student. However, Bolling was quoted in the Jan. 19 Indianapolis Star as saying he feels the change "has been needed for a long time."\nYet in a letter obtained by the IDS and published in the Star after Monday's story, Bolling said he did not "and could never see this dispute as a conflict of interest between Earlham College and the Conner Prairie Museum."\nBolling went on to say since the museum was the creation of Earlham College, Conner Prairie should not be independent. \nRegarding his attendance at Carter's Sunday press conference, Bolling said he merely appreciated the manner in which the attorney general handled the dispute and his interest in a resolution that would best suit both parties. \nEarlham's ownership and trusteeship has been more openly challenged recently because the advisory committee created by the college to oversee the trust transformed into a board of directors in 1992, Bolling said. \n"That challenge makes it clear that there is a problem of governance that needs to be resolved," Bolling said. "I said in the press conference that there has to be a change in the unwieldy system of governance that has failed to work. The need for change is what we all agree on."\n-- Contact senior writer Holly Johnson at hljohnso@indiana.edu.
(01/22/04 5:00am)
Six years ago, Josh Thurston was a 21-year-old repo man working for American Rental in rural Washington, Ind. His father, an employee at the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center near Bloomington, was a seasoned rock climber with nowhere nearby to hone his skills scaling rocks. \nHis vision? To open an indoor gym where climbers of all ages and abilities could receive instruction, feedback and time on walls of varying difficulty. He found his go-to guy in Josh, who moved to Bloomington the day before construction commenced on the facility at 5100 S. Rogers St. For four months, Josh lived out of a suitcase at an extended-stay hotel while his father commuted from Washington to oversee the process. In May 1998, one month after the junior Thurston had competed in his first bouldering competition, the indoor rock-climbing gym, Hoosier Heights, officially opened to the public.\nThe first year was tough, Thurston says, and the second summer was the "worst ever," as the mass exodus of IU students returning home for the break virtually drained Bloomington. He worked seven days a week for 10 to 12 hours at a time, and though summer camps and year-long memberships offered some sort of guaranteed cash flow, the going was tough for the first few seasons. \nYet word of mouth travels quickly, and soon Hoosier Heights was offering discounts to college groups, fraternities and sororities and youth groups in the Bloomington area. Thurston himself teaches R100 in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and IU Outdoor Adventures tends to direct business his way in preparation for annual trips to Red River Gorge in Kentucky. \nIndeed, the facility bustles, especially during the winter months, when inclimate weather forces many climbers and athletes away from outdoor sports. And while "insurance is indeed an issue," as general manager Dave Adkins attests, all climbers must sign a waiver and those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.\nOn this particular day, however, the climbers range from very small (imagine four-year-old tykes toddling precariously across the foam-covered flooring, running promptly into the grip-covered walls and begging parents to belay them up one more time) to college-age (scores of Indiana T-shirts, Hoosier basketball sweatpants and the occasional Greek letter), as well as seasoned older climbers, their weathered faces and custom climbing shoes indicative of their passion for the sport.\nFor Belinda Meyers, this is only her second foray into indoor climbing. The dark-haired IU junior participated in IUOA's trip to Red River Gorge last year, somehow overcoming a self-professed fear of heights and "constant fear of dying" to scale the rocks in the Kentucky backcountry. She was lured to Hoosier Heights by her boyfriend, himself an experienced climber both indoors and out.\n"Once you realize you're fine, you're not scared," she says. "(My boyfriend) loves it, so me and my roommate thought we'd try it, too."\nShe's been twice in the last week, acknowledging that it's definitely a different sort of workout -- "you use muscles you didn't know you had," she says.\nThurston concedes. Climbing burns approximately 600 calories per hour, more than biking, stair climbing, or swimming, and it "barely feels like a workout" at the time, he says.\n"If I really wanted to market this place, all I'd need to do is say what a great workout it is," he says. "You don't have to think or focus on what muscle you're working like you would in the weight room. With climbing, you have no choice when you're on the wall. You're using everything and using energy, but it doesn't feel like it."\nThe logistics of climbing are relatively easy, even to this newcomer. First-time visitors must go through the facility's introductory climbing module, which familiarizes them with all equipment and gear and teaches fundamentals of top rope climbing, a method in which the climber is clipped to a rope held by a belayer (partner) by a locking carabiner and belay device attached to the climber's harness. The belayer controls the top rope for the climber, thus ensuring the climber's safety should he lose footing or grip on the wall. \nThe harnesses climbers wear meet all standard certifications for climbing accessories, and Thurston says the belay loop alone, which attaches the climber to the top rope, can hold 9,000 pounds. The human body alone can only withstand 2,300 pounds, thus attesting to the precise engineering of the product. \nLead rope climbers are usually the more experienced lot and are able to climb without a partner. In lead rope climbing, individuals trail the lead rope as they ascend the wall, clipping quick draws to certain checkpoints along the wall. If the climber fell, he would only descend past his last piece of protection.\nThurston says he never considered running his own business, but considered the venture a "great opportunity that I basically had handed to me, so I ran with it." In fact, he met his wife, general manager Adkins's first cousin, at the facility. She came in with Adkins when the business was still in its infancy -- "we literally had a cigar box as the register," Thurston says -- and Thurston erroneously believed the pair to be a couple. Within two years, however, he married Erin, and the two continue to coddle their mutual passion for climbing. \nEighteen thousand customers later, Hoosier Heights is still growing. A second gym is currently in the works at the Old Woolery Mill off Tapp Road in Bloomington, and the one-on-one instruction offered by Thurston and his team keeps climbers coming back. \n"Everyone here has the same relationship with one another," Thurston says, his fellow climbers and employees nodding in agreement. "We all cut jokes... it doesn't feel like a weight room, where you're intimidated by the mirrors and the big guy lifting the barbell behind you."\nHoosier Heights features climbing walls in excess of 30 feet tall, and seven lead climbing walls that overhang at 10, 20, 29, 33 and 38 degrees. A rappelling platform and leadable ceilings allow experienced climbers to polish technique. First time climbers must pay a $20 fee, which includes gear and climbing class, and day passes range from $11 to $17. Membership packages and monthly passes are also available at a discounted rate. IU students can obtain a semester membership for $110, which essentially pays for itself in eight visits.
(01/22/04 4:48am)
As major universities nationwide debate the validity of legacy admissions, IU's policy of merit-based admission will remain intact. \nThe University currently operates on a system in which out-of-state applicants must meet slightly higher requirements than their in-state counterparts. Whether an applicant has blood ties to IU alums does not ultimately affect the Office of Admissions' decision. \n"We encourage and welcome students to apply for admission who have family ties, but those students still need to meet the same admissions standards as all other applicants," Associate Director of Admissions Terry Knaus said. "No real preference is given."\nHowever, Knaus said IU's admissions policy allows out-of-state students with a parent who is an IU alum to meet the same standards as an Indiana resident. Currently, out-of-state students must complete a minimum of 32 semesters of college prep courses, including courses deemed "Basic Academic Preparation" by the Office of Admissions. Those students must also complete 12 semesters in a combination of foreign language and math, lab science or social science classes, according to the Office of Admissions Web site. \nIndiana residents must complete the state's Core 40 preparatory program, as well as a minimum of 28 semesters of college prep courses and a minimum of 8 semesters in Basic Academic Preparation. \nIU admissions policies are generally decided by University administrators in collaboration with the Board of Trustees. Knaus said the Office of Admissions could not project whether IU would one day incorporate legacy admissions.\nNationally, the issue of legacy admissions reached a pinnacle of sorts earlier this month when Texas A&M University at College Station decided to no longer extend special preference to applicants with alumni ties. According to a Jan. 4 article in the Houston Chronicle, legacy admissions account for the admission of more than 300 white students annually, approximately equal to the number of blacks admitted each year. \nTexas A&M President Robert M. Gates said in a written statement that after consulting with the Texas A&M Board of Regents, the University would, "effective immediately ... no longer award points for legacy in the admissions review process."\n"Public perceptions of the fairness and equity of our process clearly are important and require prompt action to deal with an obvious inconsistency in an admissions strategy based on individual merit," Gates went on to say. \nIn Washington, Sen. Edward Kennedy D-Mass. filed a bill calling for universities to disclose the ethnic and economic status of incoming students with alumni family ties, arguing that legacy admissions often tilt the balance in favor of affluent white students. \nIU trustee Pat Shoulders said the issue of legacy-based admissions has not come before the Board of Trustees since he became a member in January of 2002. He is unaware of any official IU policy advocating legacy admissions. \n"It seems to me that since we accept any Indiana student who graduates in the top 50 percent of that student's high school class, we do not need to weigh 'legacy,' also," Shoulders said. "Our mission as a state school is to provide, first and foremost, a quality education for the sons and daughters of all Indiana residents whose children have proven in high school that they can succeed at the college level, and not to prefer or give special consideration to those whose high school career calls into question their chances for success -- despite the fact that their parents might have gone to IU."\n-- Contact senior writer Holly Johnson at hljohnso@indiana.edu.
(01/21/04 10:52pm)
Six years ago, Josh Thurston was a 21-year-old repo man working for American Rental in rural Washington, Ind. His father, an employee at the Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center near Bloomington, was a seasoned rock climber with nowhere nearby to hone his skills scaling rocks. \nHis vision? To open an indoor gym where climbers of all ages and abilities could receive instruction, feedback and time on walls of varying difficulty. He found his go-to guy in Josh, who moved to Bloomington the day before construction commenced on the facility at 5100 S. Rogers St. For four months, Josh lived out of a suitcase at an extended-stay hotel while his father commuted from Washington to oversee the process. In May 1998, one month after the junior Thurston had competed in his first bouldering competition, the indoor rock-climbing gym, Hoosier Heights, officially opened to the public.\nThe first year was tough, Thurston says, and the second summer was the "worst ever," as the mass exodus of IU students returning home for the break virtually drained Bloomington. He worked seven days a week for 10 to 12 hours at a time, and though summer camps and year-long memberships offered some sort of guaranteed cash flow, the going was tough for the first few seasons. \nYet word of mouth travels quickly, and soon Hoosier Heights was offering discounts to college groups, fraternities and sororities and youth groups in the Bloomington area. Thurston himself teaches R100 in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, and IU Outdoor Adventures tends to direct business his way in preparation for annual trips to Red River Gorge in Kentucky. \nIndeed, the facility bustles, especially during the winter months, when inclimate weather forces many climbers and athletes away from outdoor sports. And while "insurance is indeed an issue," as general manager Dave Adkins attests, all climbers must sign a waiver and those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.\nOn this particular day, however, the climbers range from very small (imagine four-year-old tykes toddling precariously across the foam-covered flooring, running promptly into the grip-covered walls and begging parents to belay them up one more time) to college-age (scores of Indiana T-shirts, Hoosier basketball sweatpants and the occasional Greek letter), as well as seasoned older climbers, their weathered faces and custom climbing shoes indicative of their passion for the sport.\nFor Belinda Meyers, this is only her second foray into indoor climbing. The dark-haired IU junior participated in IUOA's trip to Red River Gorge last year, somehow overcoming a self-professed fear of heights and "constant fear of dying" to scale the rocks in the Kentucky backcountry. She was lured to Hoosier Heights by her boyfriend, himself an experienced climber both indoors and out.\n"Once you realize you're fine, you're not scared," she says. "(My boyfriend) loves it, so me and my roommate thought we'd try it, too."\nShe's been twice in the last week, acknowledging that it's definitely a different sort of workout -- "you use muscles you didn't know you had," she says.\nThurston concedes. Climbing burns approximately 600 calories per hour, more than biking, stair climbing, or swimming, and it "barely feels like a workout" at the time, he says.\n"If I really wanted to market this place, all I'd need to do is say what a great workout it is," he says. "You don't have to think or focus on what muscle you're working like you would in the weight room. With climbing, you have no choice when you're on the wall. You're using everything and using energy, but it doesn't feel like it."\nThe logistics of climbing are relatively easy, even to this newcomer. First-time visitors must go through the facility's introductory climbing module, which familiarizes them with all equipment and gear and teaches fundamentals of top rope climbing, a method in which the climber is clipped to a rope held by a belayer (partner) by a locking carabiner and belay device attached to the climber's harness. The belayer controls the top rope for the climber, thus ensuring the climber's safety should he lose footing or grip on the wall. \nThe harnesses climbers wear meet all standard certifications for climbing accessories, and Thurston says the belay loop alone, which attaches the climber to the top rope, can hold 9,000 pounds. The human body alone can only withstand 2,300 pounds, thus attesting to the precise engineering of the product. \nLead rope climbers are usually the more experienced lot and are able to climb without a partner. In lead rope climbing, individuals trail the lead rope as they ascend the wall, clipping quick draws to certain checkpoints along the wall. If the climber fell, he would only descend past his last piece of protection.\nThurston says he never considered running his own business, but considered the venture a "great opportunity that I basically had handed to me, so I ran with it." In fact, he met his wife, general manager Adkins's first cousin, at the facility. She came in with Adkins when the business was still in its infancy -- "we literally had a cigar box as the register," Thurston says -- and Thurston erroneously believed the pair to be a couple. Within two years, however, he married Erin, and the two continue to coddle their mutual passion for climbing. \nEighteen thousand customers later, Hoosier Heights is still growing. A second gym is currently in the works at the Old Woolery Mill off Tapp Road in Bloomington, and the one-on-one instruction offered by Thurston and his team keeps climbers coming back. \n"Everyone here has the same relationship with one another," Thurston says, his fellow climbers and employees nodding in agreement. "We all cut jokes... it doesn't feel like a weight room, where you're intimidated by the mirrors and the big guy lifting the barbell behind you."\nHoosier Heights features climbing walls in excess of 30 feet tall, and seven lead climbing walls that overhang at 10, 20, 29, 33 and 38 degrees. A rappelling platform and leadable ceilings allow experienced climbers to polish technique. First time climbers must pay a $20 fee, which includes gear and climbing class, and day passes range from $11 to $17. Membership packages and monthly passes are also available at a discounted rate. IU students can obtain a semester membership for $110, which essentially pays for itself in eight visits.
(01/20/04 5:18am)
The anticipation was breathtaking at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater Monday night, as a packed hall rustled, whispered and shook with song in preparation for a keynote address not soon to be forgotten. Children from University Elementary School lined the walls, members of the IU African American Choral Ensemble filled the space backstage and an audience exemplifying Bloomington's racial and cultural diversity jammed into whatever vacant house seats it could find. \nAmong the others sitting in the theater, Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan was there. IU president Adam Herbert sat with his wife, Karen, on stage right. Ivy Tech Chancellor John Whikehart offered opening remarks. Members of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners dotted the Buskirk's front rows. \nThe keynote speaker they were waiting for was Dr. Michael V.W. Gordon, a septuagenarian whose return to "sweet Bloomington" two years after his retirement from the IU School of Music faculty and as Dean of Students was heralded by a standing-room only crowd hanging on his every word -- spoken or sung. His remarks formed the crux of the community's capstone celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and legacy, following a day of service in the greater Bloomington area. \nHe spoke of themes common to every man, regardless of color, race or gender, and expounded upon the dual fates of "two little black boys" born in 1920s America, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X. \nThough each sprung from decidedly different origins -- Martin to a upper-middle class family of relative privilege, with formal education at several prestigious institutions and schools of divinity, and Malcolm to a Nebraskan family entangled in domestic violence and wrought with the wrath of the Ku Klux Klan -- the pair nevertheless found a common ground in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. \nKing, born Michael, and the son of a Georgia Baptist minister, adopted the name the world would come to know after reading treatises authored by Martin Luther, who spearheaded the Reformation of the Catholic Church. Malcolm, influenced largely by his experiences with the Nation of Islam in Detroit, similarly adopted the moniker 'X', abandoning his last name of Little. \nBoth were icons of contemporary African-American culture, Gordon asserted. Martin became a "pivotal figure in the civil rights movement" and was arrested 30 times for his involvement in civil rights activism. Malcolm X, though initially opposed to the idea whites could possess any sort of moral conscious and who once believed only revolution could lead to the correct placement of blacks in society, eventually recognized civil rights as synonymous with human rights. \n"Because I grew up in the segregated South...I, like so many, admired both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King for the way the preached," Gordon said. "Both promoted self-knowledge and responsibility for cultural history as the basis for unity."\nGordon, Professor Emeritus of the School of Music, retired after serving IU for 26 years. He received a B.S. from Virginia State University, a Master of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and obtained Masters and Doctorate of Education from the Columbia University Graduate School of Education, Teachers College. He served IU as both professor and administrator, as Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students from 1981 to 1991. \nHe established such programs as the IU chapters of Boost Alcohol Consciousness Concerning the Health of University Students and Students Against Drunk Driving, the Alcohol-Drug Information Center, the Foster International Living-Learning Center and the Student Advocates Office. He was honored with the Herman Wells Image Award in 2000. \nElizabeth Mitchell, a member of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission who helped plan the event, said she hopes members of the community will respond to yesterday's festivities -- as well as the very man who inspired them -- because of the lessons King's example held up to American society.\n"If people don't care about Dr. King, they should, because of the person he is," Mitchell said. "He made changes -- he showed Americans that what they were doing was wrong and that they could not continue down that same path...He shows us that it only takes one person to get the ball rolling."\nDarrell Ann Stone of the IU Student Activities Office echoed Mitchell's sentiments. \n"We visit the portals of the past over, and over to feel inspirational words (to) feed out heart and soul," Stone said. "On this day, we are not silent. We are alive with sound, and centered on all that matters."\n-- Contact senior writer Holly Johnson at hljohnso@indiana.edu.
(01/20/04 4:45am)
According to a survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, the number of college students who illegally swap files on the Web has dropped by more than half during the past year, and IU statistics obtained from University Information Technology Services seem to be consistent with this trend. \nMerri Beth Lavagnino, deputy IT policy officer for UITS, said IU received 263 copyright infringement notices during the months of August through September 2003, down from 435 during the 2002 fall semester.\nUITS keeps notices it receives from copyright holders concerning alleged infringements and tracks the records of what actions were taken in response to each notice. However, discrepancies may exist if copyright holders are sending fewer notices than last year; thus, a direct causal relationship between legislation levied by such groups as the Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America cannot be formed in certainty.\n"We are only counting the number of notices we received from copyright holders," Lavagnino said. "Thus, our figures reflect the effort the copyright holders are taking to identify and then send notices. The numbers are down from last year. Whether that means there is less file sharing or that the copyright holders are just sending fewer notices, I can't say."\nAn earlier Pew study relating to such findings was released in spring 2003, shortly after the recording industry announced it would take legal action against illegal file sharers. A fifth of the 1,358 Internet users sampled in this fall's survey, the results of which were released earlier this month, say they download and swap files less frequently because of such law suits. \nLee Rainie, the Pew project's director, said the survey was spawned in reaction to the interest in how the recording industry's suits were affecting downloading practices. He claims the decrease in illegal downloading is unprecedented.\n"We have never seen an activity drop off like this," Rainie told The Chronicle of Higher Education earlier this month. \nThe U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that fast-track subpoena provisions of 1998's Digital Millennium Copyright Act did not apply in instances where the copyrighted material is stored on computers beyond the grasp of an Internet service provider. This dealt a potentially crippling blow to communications giants and recording corporations seeking to stem the number of illegal downloaders. \nRecording industry groups had previously relied on premises of the DMCA to gain fast access to the specific names of thousands of suspected illegal file sharers in American universities. Without the fast-track provision, such groups would have to utilize only Internet addresses of users' computers. \nSchool of Journalism professor Amy Reynolds said she believes many students blur the distinction between what is legal and what their personal perceptions are concerning copyright law. \n"It seems like a simple issue, but in actuality it's a very complicated one," Reynolds said. "Because of the structure within the recording industry, it's often unclear if a label such as Sony agrees with the stance of a particular artist in regard to file sharing."\nReynolds said the complicated licensing structure involved in music and video copyrighting may often mislead students. \n"A lot of the reason students don't understand copyright involves the context of this legislation," she said. "It's looking at why we value copyright and the protection of creative property."\nSome universities, most notably Pennsylvania, have begun offering filesharing applications like Napster to its students, subsidized by a blanket technology fee. The Penn State action to subsidize Napster essentially works as a mechanism to prevent students from downloading music for which they have not paid. \nReynolds hesitates to speculate as to whether IU could ever move toward such a service. \n"File sharing isn't illegal when it's done in the appropriate way," she said. "People have just gotten used to doing it for free."\nLavagnino said students should note IU is not targeting them rather, University Technological Services processes notices sent by copyright holders as defined by the DMCA. \nIndividuals who receive infringement notices are directed to follow specific University procedures and must take an online tutorial and quiz. Dean of Students Richard McKaig told the IDS last March IU will "aggressively punish" students who continue to illegally use peer-to-peer programs.
(01/20/04 4:15am)
For 21 years, IU students have been getting it every night. Or at least that's what local fast-food bastion Pizza Express would say, more than 4 million pizzas after Jeff Mease and Jeff Hamlin first opened their doors to the Bloomington community. \nAnd now the Bloomington pizza staple has hit Indianapolis. Located at 923 Indiana Ave., just minutes from the IUPUI campus, the state capital's first Pizza Express promises consistency in flavor, price and brand, said Gabe Connell, co-owner of the Indianapolis location. \nThe original Pizza Express opened in 1982 and offered from its outset such favorites as the Big Ten Special and the Volume Deal, promising to feed hungry college kids on the cheap. \nChief operating officer Hamlin, also a former manager of Nick's English Hut, started the chain with then-IU student Mease, who later served as a part-time delivery driver for the franchise, according to a 1987 IDS article. \nConnell and partners Adam Mears and Jim Siegel, both IU-Bloomington alums, approached One World Enterprise, owner of Pizza Express, as well as several other Bloomington eateries, with the proposal to open an Indianapolis location last year. \n"We went to Jeff Mease and Jeff Hamlin and told them that we loved Pizza Express and the brand and wanted to bring it to Indianapolis," Connell said. "From there, we worked together on growing the Pizza Express brand and opening the first location."\nThe trio encountered very few speed bumps along the way, Connell said.\n"A lot of it was based on gut feelings," he said. "We knew that we were huge fans, and we knew a lot of fans and fellow alumni in the Indy (area) are huge fans of Pizza Express. It's strange to have a pizza shop have such a loyal following, and we felt it was a natural progression to bring it to Indy with so many Bloomington connections here."\nThe Bloomington Pizza Express sells between 6,000 and 6,500 pizzas per month, said Hamlin. The Indianapolis proprietors are determined to replicate its success. Business has been "extremely good" since the Jan. 9 opening, said Mitch Payne, general manager of the Indianapolis store.\n"We've done very limited marketing, pretty much word-of-mouth stuff," Payne said. "There's definitely been a lot of IUPUI students in and ordering."\nThough the store had a soft opening earlier this month, Connell said marketing will be stepped up in the coming months. The ever-present Express Man, a favorite at IU tailgates and campus events, has made his mark at several Indianapolis events and on campus at IUPUI. \n"The brand in Bloomington is really based on aggressive marketing," Connell said. "Everything that's done in Bloomington will be done here as well. Everything will stay consistent, from the taste of the breadstick to the ranch dressing to the image and the brand."\n--Contact senior writer Holly Johnson at hljohnso@indiana.edu.
(01/13/04 6:21am)
IU senior Paul Musgrave has had a busy year.\nBetween compiling research on Herman B Wells' contributions to the Indiana banking industry, completing honors theses in history and political science and founding an alternative student online newspaper, the Wells Scholar and Evansville native managed to achieve basic proficiency in three languages and prepare for an upcoming semester in Shanghai, China. \nMusgrave quotes Marcel Proust on his personal Web page and served as a CommUnity educator and diversity coordinator for Read Center. \nAnd most recently, he was named one of 12 national George J. Mitchell Scholars. \nThe fellowship, created in 1998 and sponsored by the U.S.-Ireland Alliance, honors exceptional American scholars who exhibit a dedication to academic pursuits, leadership opportunities and community service. It is named for former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, who engineered the Northern Ireland peace process in the late 1990s.\nFellowship recipients are expected to complete an M.A. thesis over the course of the 2004-05 academic year. Musgrave, who studied political science, history and economics at IU, plans to delve into the similarities and parallels between the agricultural economies of Ireland and those of Midwestern states like Indiana.\n"Ireland is a very economically dynamic country, and it interests me because it is traditionally a very agricultural and conservative state," he said. "Indiana, of course, is much the same way. There are some parallels there, some opportunities that Ireland may have taken that other Midwestern states really haven't taken advantage of. I want to see how the government managed to spark growth there and see if there are any lessons we can take from that."\nAlthough Musgrave said he has little to no background in Irish history, he is himself of Irish heritage. He has been keeping up with Irish and, more broadly, European events over the past few years, tracking affairs on the Continent and, as he says, "hearing only good things coming out of Ireland."\nHe'll be studying at University College Dublin, located in the center of the Irish capital city. Because of his interests in government affairs and politics, and since Mitchell scholars traditionally complete internships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and media corporations, Musgrave hopes to work for a member of the Irish Parliament. \nMusgrave first considered the fellowship in August, when Charlene Brown, associate director of the Wells Scholars Program and a longtime mentor, suggested applying. Initially, he wasn't sure he'd be a strong candidate -- an opinion not widely shared among those University faculty with whom he's worked. \n"I was very surprised when (Dean of the IU School of Journalism) Trevor (Brown) called to say I was nominated for all three (the Marshall, Rhodes and Mitchell fellowships)," Musgrave said. "I was rejected from the Marshall, the only people whose estimate I agreed with of my own abilities."\nHowever, IU professor James Madison, also director of the Liberal Arts and Management Program, said that modesty belies Musgrave's intellectual and service interests. Madison first met Musgrave three years ago, when the then-freshman approached him with an interest in Indiana politics Madison said he rarely glimpses in IU undergraduates.\n"It was very clear talking to Paul about politics that he is exceedingly knowledgeable -- a political junkie, actually -- and that he reads widely and deeply, not just at national and global levels but at the state level as well. It's unusual to see someone on Paul's level with that interest and knowledge."\nMadison said Musgrave was always exceedingly modest and never aggressive or arrogant. \n"He's very modest, even a bit on the shy side," Madison said. "He never told me he was a Wells Scholar, for example. Though he does have very deeply held opinions and ideas, he was never anything but modest about them."\nThe Rhodes and Mitchell committees both offered Musgrave an interview. However, the scheduled times conflicted, and he was forced to choose. After careful consultation with Brown, who was part of the IU selection committee that nominated Musgrave, he decided to pursue the Mitchell.\n"It was a better fit for me," Musgrave said. "It's more engaged with the country and politically active. It's a very exciting opportunity, and I'm most proud of the fact that I've been able to help IU's image, which is very important to me. I'm profoundly grateful to the professors who helped me, people who helped me and pushed me into doing this. If not for them, I would not be in this situation at all. I cannot even begin to stress how those individuals helped me. This was not an individual effort, and like any individual or team sport, where there's one guy competing or one team on the court, there's always a support staff, and that's incredibly important."\nMusgrave flew to Washington the week before Thanksgiving to interview in both group and individual settings with the selection committee. He was notified the Monday following his interview that he had been selected. He'll head to Ireland in late September, following a stint with a think tank or policy institute in the District this summer -- but the professors with whom he's worked say they won't soon forget the impact he had on the IU community. \n"I can count on the fingers on one hand students I thought were as good or outstanding as Paul Musgrave," Madison said. "I've had hundreds of really good, excellent students, and I'm talking about a very select few who are beyond exceptional. Paul is one of those students."\nIU professor Jim Capshew, whom Musgrave worked with on a biography of late IU president and chancellor Herman B Wells, agrees. \n"Paul is probably the most outstanding undergrad I've encountered here," he said. "...He's very dedicated academically, but also very interested in helping people out. He's a superb academic scholar but also a good citizen."\nCapshew said that while Musgrave discovered valuable mentors at IU, one of his most important mentors is Herman Wells.\n"Paul discovered in historical study a way of connecting to the best things at the University," Capshew said. "He's a very idealistic person but has a realistic sense of his talents and his drive."\nMusgrave is also an Indiana Daily Student columnist. --Contact senior writer Holly Johnson at hljohnso@indiana.edu.
(12/04/03 5:37am)
Hold the skateboards. Put away the pads and helmets. Local skaters will have to wait until next spring to try their skills at the new Bloomington skate park. The proposed site, located at Upper Cascades Park, was planned for a winter opening, but has been pushed back to later next year.\n"We were on an ambitious schedule," said John Turnbull, Bloomington Parks and Recreation sports and fitness director. "We made a guess about the opening date well before the construction documents were completed. They took longer than our initial projection."\nNonetheless, the once flat, grassy piece of land with sparse trees and Edna's Art Supplies shop has been converted to dirt terrain with wooden frames rising from it and large, wooden pits. Even in the cold and wind, with the first snowflakes falling from the sky, the construction crew is hard at work. \nThe crew heading the Bloomington skate park construction consists of Dreamland Skateparks "Dreamteam." Dreamland Skateparks, the park's subcontractor, is a well known skate park design and construction company in Lincoln City, Oregon. Their construction crew consists of experienced skaters who have a passion for the sport and focus on quality of the parks built. The company has built over 17 parks throughout the U.S. including projects in Idaho, Montana and Oregon, but this is their first project in the Midwest. \nThroughout the last few weeks, the crew has shown their passion in the completion of the initial steps of grating, excavating and drainage of the land. \nMeanwhile, other members of the Dreamland Skateparks' crew have been constructing wood and steel forms into which they will pour concrete creating skating pits and bowls.\nTurnbull said the next step in the process is to build forms for the street course and above ground elements. The final step in construction will be to add a fence surrounding the perimeter of the park and a parking lot off of Kinser Pike.\n"We are happy with the progress. Construction is moving really fast and it looks very good," Turnbull said. \nTavita Scanlon, member of the "Dreamteam" with 17 years skating experience, agreed that construction is running smoothly despite a construction style not typically used by Dreamland.\n"This park is a different style then we are used to," Scanlon said. "Usually we do 'design-build' which means we design the park as we build it. But here, we are going by the pre-designed blueprints of the contractor so every time we redraw a design we need to submit it to the firm for approval. But everything is going well."\nDespite the delay on the skate park's opening, the local skating community is not worried. Local skaters have petitioned for a skate park in Bloomington for years. Previously, skaters traveled to Columbus, Louisville, or as far as the state of Oregon to skate. Once a bid was accepted on Sept. 9, the Bloomington Park's and Recreation Department and architect Dave O'Mara worked with groups of skaters and parents to design park plans that met everyone's needs. Bloomington resident Deborah Hayes and her son, John, have been active members in taking the park from a dream to a reality. \n"John and I are so excited for this park and it's getting closer to reality," Hayes said. "I know the kids involved in this process now do believe that the process of local government does work. I think they have a hard time understanding why it takes so long, but they can testify to the fact that it does work."\n-- Contact staff writer Holly Pilewski at 0hpilewsk@indiana.edu.
(10/30/03 5:17am)
Students will be faced with a myriad of opportunities to donate funds to the charities of their choice when logging on to register for classes in the next few weeks. \nUtilizing an innovative check-off system, area philanthropies may solicit student donations during the registration process.\nOne such cause is the IU Student Association rape crisis fund, in which $3 is contributed to Middle Way House, a domestic violence shelter and rape crisis line serving the greater Bloomington area. All donations go into one Student Activities Office account, from which a check is cut. \nThe fund contributed an estimated $27,800 in donations gleaned from student fees to Middle Way last year, according to IUSA estimates.\nThe money doesn't necessarily have to go to the shelter, however. Student Congress must vote on what to do with student donations, but typically, such funding is contributed to the shelter, IUSA Vice President for Congress Grant McFann said. \nMiddle Way economic development coordinator Charlotte Zietlow said the donations are a "hefty amount" and extremely important in maintaining operating expenses for Middle Way's services. Donations are used to finance upkeep of the 24-hour crisis line and phones, case management and to pay staff. \n"It's very hands-on use," Zietlow said. \nThe crisis line originated in the 1980s, at a time when sexual assault and campus safety was particularly prevalent. Middle Way boasts one of the few crisis lines of its kind in Indiana in which a human is always present to answer calls. \n"There was real interest from the University, of course, and there was the decision to implement the rape crisis line at Middle Way," Zietlow said. "There's a lot of concern -- there always has been -- with sexual assault and safety on campus, and apparently that was when the check-off started."\nApplying for check-off status is time-consuming, however, and most groups don't have the time to apply.\nIU Habitat for Humanity is one such group. Mustering the required signatures and social security numbers necessary to propel a group through the initial application stage proved too difficult on numerous occasions for this organization. \n"Getting the signatures requires pretty much going out to classes and making announcements," Habitat for Humanity supervisor Laura Coenig said. "A lot of professors are willing to do it, but it does take time from classes. You have to contact profs beforehand and find people to go to all the classes, and with students, that's just not possible sometimes."\nSecuring check-off funding would optimally allow nearly $90,000 to be allocated for Habitat building activities, if each student donated $3, Coenig said. That figure would facilitate the construction of two houses. \nHabitat does not plan to apply for check-off status this semester, but may consider the possibility in the spring, Coenig said. \nThe check-off system isn't the only avenue of access to student donations, however. The Indiana Public Interest Research Group utilizes a decidedly unique system to receive student funding. \nSince 1997, INPIRG has been directly soliciting voluntary donations from students through face-to-face contact on campus and in the community. Students are asked to charge $5 per semester to their Bursar bill by signing a one-time pledge. \n"Basically the idea is that when you sign the pledge, 10 percent of the student body has to pledge along with you for us to stay here and keep doing public student advocacy," said Megan Foster, INPIRG organizer. "Unless there's a collective decision to have this group here, then we won't be here."\nUtilizing the Bursar pledge system has produced "ideal" fiscal results for the group, Foster claims. \n"To get that many signatures just to have a check-off seems like what we'd not want to do," Foster said.\n-- Contact Weekend Editor in chief Holly Johnson at hljohnso@indiana.edu.
(09/18/03 6:01am)
Hurricane Isabel's threat might be more than 750 miles from IU, but the effects will reach close to home today.\nJunior Lauren Brand is from Virginia Beach, Va. -- one of the cities in the direct path of the hurricane along the eastern seaboard.\n"My whole family is there," Brand said. "My grandparents literally live right on the ocean, and my aunts and uncles are in Virginia Beach -- literally, everyone is there."\nTo the almost 40 miles of coast lining Virginia Beach, a burg whose frequent brushes with hurricanes and tropical storms have led to a certain indifference among locals, the storm's diminishing fury could lead to potentially disastrous results. \nBrand's parents recently moved to a new house directly on the waterfront. Now, mere months after unpacking, the Brands are again gathering their valuables and sentimental possessions -- only this time, they're jamming into inland hotel rooms and suites. Windows are boarded in the Brand home as oil lamps and candles line coffee tables and mantlepieces. Brand's mother has stocked up on flashlights and batteries for her husband and daughter.\nThankfully, Brand says, the offices for her family's furniture business aren't situated on the beachfront.\n"It's a brand new house, so we're hoping everything will stay put," Brand said. "I'm okay; I just don't want them to know I'm nervous, because I'm not there and it's difficult."\nBrand said she expects her entire extended family to stay in hotels farther inland in Virginia until the storm blows through. \n"My mom went down to the beach and said it was really bizarre and eerie," Brand said. "The surf was incredibly high and the winds were just out of control."\nBrand also said her sister's school has been canceled, and her father's furniture stores have closed their doors. \nDespite the threat of Isabel, Brand says she's trying to stay positive.\n"I think they're going to be fine," she said. "I have all of their numbers for their hotel rooms, and hopefully their cell phones will be working. We're trying to call every couple of hours, so I'm pretty optimistic." \nVirginia Beach hasn't suffered the effects of a hurricane on par with Isabel since 1944, according to the National Weather Service. However, hurricanes do approach the resort city at proximities close enough to produce gale-force winds three times every 20 years. \nStill, "it's been a really long time since we had to worry about something," Brand said. "It's usually North Carolina or something, so now we're kind of nervous."\nThe threat is unquestionably greatest at North Carolina's Outer Banks, where Isabel was expected to hit early this morning, according to the NWS Web site. Peaking earlier this week at Category 5 status with winds reaching upwards of 150 miles per hour, Isabel has since downgraded to a Category 2 system. Meteorologists with the NWS expect the storm to achieve landfall near Wilmington in southern North Carolina; from there, Isabel will likely cross middle Virginia, including the greater Washington, D.C. area, and continue into western Pennsylvania.\nSenior Aaron Aft hails from Springfield, Va., a Washington, D.C. suburb, and he said the situation has escalated in the D.C. metro area as Isabel approaches. Rising flood waters and oversaturated soil have forced the dumping of excess water from Baltimore reservoirs into the nearby Hudson River.\n"There is definitely significant concern," Aft said. "It's more on the Maryland side, but there's a concern for the flood waters closer to the Baltimore area."\nMetrorail and Metrobus services in D.C. will shut down at 11 a.m. today, and Washington-area schools and universities have announced closings for Thursday and Friday.\nSenior Phil Mervis, also from the D.C. area, said his family "isn't freaking out" -- yet. \n"We're just going to get wind and rain gusts," Mervis said. "We're not really worried."\n-- Contact staff writer Holly Johnson at hljohnso@indiana.edu.
(09/15/03 5:49am)
Bloomington skating enthusiasts are one step closer to having their own park. \nLast week the Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners announced the acceptance of a $605,000 bid placed by contractor Dave O'Mara to create a local skate park. The price covers all costs and is in the range the city expected to pay, according to John Turnbull, sports and fitness director of the Bloomington Parks and Recreation department.\nThe final plan includes a skate park measuring 12,500 square feet with bowls, ramps, rails and a beginner's area with a pyramid structure. \nNot all the money will go to the building of the skate park at Upper Cascades as some of it will be used to add other amenities to the park in order to give it a family atmosphere. \n$312,592 will be used for the skate park, while $232,808 will be spent on landscaping, a trail, parking and security lighting, Turnbull said. The remaining $24,900 is going toward alternative basketball courts.\nAfter two weeks of discussing bids as high as $645,000, Turnbull said O'Mara's excellent reputation and competitiveness led to his firm's selection.\nAnother selling point was the involvement of Dreamland Skateparks, the subcontractor involved in the project, which has one of the best reputations in the country for building skate parks. \n"We are really fortunate to have them (Dreamland). Their parks are really good," Bloomington resident and skater Dustin Porter said.\nSince Dreamland is a popular name in the skating community, Porter said the new skate park will likely draw people from all over Indiana and even out-of-state visitors. Previously, Bloomington skaters traveled to other cities such as Columbus, Greencastle, and Indianapolis in order to find a good park. \n"The skate park will be beneficial to the community. People will actually travel to Bloomington to skate," Porter said. "It will be nice to skate with different people passing through the area." \nSince January, local officials have discussed the idea of building a skate park in the Bloomington area with local skaters. They held frequent meetings in which the city worked with skaters to come up with an agreeable plan. The meeting gave city officials and skaters the chance to develop together what types of structures, rules, and hours would be appropriate for the park. \nBloomington resident and employee of the new local skate shop Rise, Justin Kirkwood, went to almost all of the initial planning meetings. \n"We had teleconferences with Ben Schroeder, a representative of Lawrence Moss [the California based architectural firm hired to design the park] discussing park designs. He would give us an initial design and we would tell him what we liked or disliked. He took the design back and brought us new ones until we all agreed," Kirkwood said.\nOnce all the paperwork is completed, the crew is expected to break ground on the new park next week. Opening day is set for mid-November. \n-- Contact staff writer Holly Pilewski at hpilewsk@indiana.edu.
(09/05/03 6:18pm)
With many Hoosiers returning and a lot of talent, the women's golf team could be a hot ticket. Coach Sam Carmichael is entering his 23rd season as head coach at IU. In that time, he has seen many great players. \nThroughout the summer, each player makes her own tournament schedule in order to keep her skills sharp and keep in a competitive frame of mind. Although Carmichael is always there to talk to the women and give them advice, he is not allowed to coach them as a team until classes have started. Senior Ambry Bishop said a lot of the girls go home and play in their own state tournaments as well as national tournaments. Carmichael concentrates on preparing practices for the season and following his players in their individual events.\nPlaying in these tournaments allows the women to work on their game in a competitive setting as well as put them in the right frame of mind for the season. They concentrate on their weakest areas -- such as their short game, pitching, chipping, bunker play or putting in order to improve and bring scores down. \n"I changed everything about my putting this summer and it helped a ton," Bishop said. \nHer success was evident in her win at the Indiana Women's Golf Association Match Play Championship. She also finished 13th at the IWGA State Amateur. Bishop said winning in the summer gives you more confidence going into the season. \nAdditionally, the experience of playing with professionals and teaching pros gives the women a boost in confidence and a different mindset. \n"Playing with people who are a lot better than me gave me a new outlook. I realized we can play as well as they can," said senior Bethany Brunner. She worked with PGA professionals at a Nike Golf camp this summer in addition to competing in four tournaments. \nAll-American senior Karen Dennison also had experience with the pros. She received a sponsor's exemption to play in the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic in Vienna, Ohio in June. She only missed the final round by eight strokes. Additionally, she won the Indiana Women's Golf Association Amateur Championships, going into the final round seven shots ahead of second place.\nLast year, the team had struggled in Big Tens and regionals, ending play earlier than it had hoped. This year, the women want to "go to nationals and place well, because we know we can," Bishop said. \nThough they have not discussed specific goals for the season, they are focusing on being consistent in the Big Ten, eliminating bad rounds, and winning in order to prove to their opponents that they are top competitors, Carmichael said. Carmichael would also like to see the women individually improve their stats. \n"If they do that, then we could have a very successful and fun season," he said.\nThe reigning Big Ten champion, Ohio State, is returning every player and has home course advantage in the Big Ten tournament. They could be the biggest competition for the Hoosiers. \n"In our region, Ohio State, Kent State, Purdue, and Michigan State are the expected teams that will be the most competitive. I am sure there will be some surprises," Carmichael said.\nIn order to achieve these goals, the team will be looking for leadership in Dennison. Last year she was selected first team All-American, a first-team Verizon Academic All-American, and a member of the Women's Division I At-Large team. She won a share of the 2003 Big Ten Championship individual title. She also had 10 top-10 finishes in the 11 events in which she competed. Her stroke average, 73.94, was just two-tenths shy of the school record. \n"I hope Karen can continue her fine play through her senior year," Carmichael said. "There is not any reason she can't unless she decides it is not a priority. She is an outstanding player with an excellent golf game. I do not know how many tournaments she can win. Sometimes that is being in the right place at the right time. I would like to see her focus on lowering her scoring average." \nAnother Hoosier golfer entering her senior year is Danah Ford. \n"Ford had an excellent junior year, nearly winning a couple times," Carmichael said. "I think she can break into that winning circle this year. Most importantly, she needs to also lower her scoring average because that would really help the team." \nFord placed second behind Dennison in the Indiana Women's Golf Association Amateur championships this summer. In five of the eleven events in which she competed last year, she posted a top-seven finish.\n"She is very talented with mostly natural ability. Everything comes naturally to her," Bishop said.\nBishop herself is the final senior golfer on the team. She comes into the season with a third place finish on last year's team with a 78.44 average.\n"At any given point, there is never one player that carries the team," Bishop said. \nThe Mary Fossum Invitational in East Lansing, Mich., on September 20th is the first event for IU women's golf. The Hoosiers hope their prepared state of mind will help them achieve success.\n"Golf is mental, if you think you are going to do well, you will," Bishop said.\n-- Contact staff writer Holly Pilewski at hpilewsk@indiana.edu.
(09/04/03 6:08am)
Half pipe. 180. Kickflip. Ollie. These terms will soon be heard around Bloomington after the new outdoor skate park is erected. \nOn Aug. 27, base bids were opened for the project by the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department. According to John Turnbull, the department's Sports and Fitness director, bids were taken from Dave O'Mara Contractor Inc., Crider & Crider Inc. and Smock Fansler; and ranged from $580,250 to $645,000. Turnbull said the prices were expected and the city plans on using bond funds to pay for the park.\nCalifornia-based architectural firm Lawrence Moss was hired to help with the park's design, ramp structure and curvature. In addition, the firm has worked with the skate enthusiasts to come up with an ideal layout that local skaters will enjoy. Rails, ramps and other terrain will be a part of the approximately 12,500 square foot concrete park.\nConstruction is scheduled to begin next month at Upper Cascades Park. Not only will ramps and rails be erected for the skaters, but a basketball court, play area with possible climbing structure and a shelter house are also planned. The new additions will join an existing trail and a waterfall in the back of the park.\n"This will be a better use for Upper Cascades," said Turnbull. "It has been a site in transition. It could be a family picnic spot. A 12-year-old skater can use the skate park. There is stuff for the younger kids. Mom and dad can take a walk on the trail, sit, read a book and enjoy the waterfall."\nConveniently located on the city bus route, this location allows easy access for IU students and Bloomington residents.\nThe Parks and Recreation Department will recommend a bid to the committee in charge of the skate park on Sept. 9. Work is set to begin on the site two days later and Turnbull said the park should take about nine to 10 weeks to complete.\nBloomington resident Deborah Hayes said the park will provide a good place for young skaters like her son John to participate in one of his favorite activities. She said her son's hobby keeps him away from drugs and alcohol.\n"The community should be happy to have a place for the kids to go," Hayes said. "The skaters of this community are a great bunch of kids. Some of the younger kids who like to skate can learn a lot from the older ones, too," Hayes said. "All of the skaters who have been involved with this project are very good kids. The park will benefit many, plus a lot of new skaters just getting started will have a great place to go."\nHayes and John have been involved in bringing the park to Bloomington from the beginning. John, who has ambitions of becoming a professional skater, has worked on generating grants and other fundraising monies. \nThe pair was also involved in opening a small skate park in Ellettsville, which is currently closed due to problems such as graffiti. \nIU alumnus and Bloomington resident Wil Barrick agrees that a skate park will benefit the community, specifically the local skaters.\n"If the skate park is kick-ass enough, it will bring kids from outlying areas, which will help business. Even if it comes to buying a Gatorade at the gas station, it will help local businesses," Barrick said.\nDiscussions about building a skate park for local skateboarders and inline skaters began in January at a public meeting in City Hall. Designs of the park and handouts were presented in a public meeting in April. The time between January and April was known as the "preliminary design phase," according to Turnbull. During this time, concepts, location, and features were discussed among the design firm, staff at the Parks and Recreation Department, and a committee of local skate enthusiasts and skate shop owners.\nIn the 1990's, the city attempted to run a skate park at Maplefoot Park, but it closed because of a lack of user support.\n"It will be a nice feature and another recreational outlet for the people of Bloomington," Turnbull said. "It is safe to say, it is here to stay."\n-- Contact staff writer Holly Pilewski at hpilewsk@indiana.edu.
(08/28/03 6:24am)
This week, I packed up my shoebox others deem a car and made the meandering trip back to Bloomington from my hometown of (prepare yourselves) Evansville, Ind., after more than a year away. \nI spent my junior year -- yes, the entire year -- abroad in Canterbury, England, followed by internships in Evansville and New York. Into those 365-plus days I crammed enough travel (and racked up enough credit card debt) to satisfy my wayward yearnings for at least a few decades. By the time I touched down in Indianapolis in May, I'd grown accustomed to living off the grossly-inflated British pound and wondering why Kylie Minogue's ass was so damn popular among Anglophiles. And during the course of my whirlwind summer, I prepared myself to take the helm of inarguably the best college magazine in the country. \nYes, that's right -- for those of you making your first-year foray into life as a Bloomingtonian (which, trust me, you'll become after inhabiting those dreadful dorms for a few weeks), you'll soon realize we are the premier source for entertainment in Bloomington and beyond. We'll be where you turn to find out what movies bombed in true Gigli-esque fashion, which CDs drop next week and what band's headlining your favorite Kirkwood venue; ours will be the pages you thumb while suffering through Thursday lectures. Since a redesign a few years back, led by a truly dynamic and visionary staff, Weekend has truly found it's niche among local publications. And we're damn proud of that. \nIt's my plan to keep it that way. But I can't do it alone, which is why I hired a fantastic staff to assist in making your Weekend the best it can possibly be (without securing a name in the daily blotter -- we'll leave you to your own devices on that one). Meghan Dwyer, fresh from a stint at CNN Inside Politics this summer, will take over the features department, while graduate student Val Tsoutsoris will man the busily-diversifying reviews desk. Photo editor Adam Yale and design chief Jeremy Cook will team up to provide the visuals that are distinctly Weekend, creating a package that's at once eye-pleasing and informative. It's our aim to make the magazine fresh, appealing, and decidedly more editorially diverse without losing the entertainment news and events listings so vital to all segments of the IU student population. \nThat's why we're distributing student interest surveys in residence halls, Greek houses, apartment complexes and some academic buildings. Weekend shouldn't be about the esoteric interests of some left-wing editor-in-chief (hey, I won't get political yet), so we're not going to subject you to (much of) my rambling ruminations. We want to get to the heart of issues that matter to you, and that requires a bit of effort on both ends. (For the chronically lazy, fret not -- we'll offer an online poll as well.)\nSo let us know what matters to you. We want to hear your gripes and groans (and hey, a few accolades never hurt anyone). Email me personally at hljohnso@indiana.edu, or send a mass mailing to the Weekend team at weekend@indiana.edu. Stop by Ernie Pyle Hall and get a glimpse of what goes into making your Weekend fabulous. Apply to write a column, review or feature on subjects that may have flown over our radar. \nIt's your magazine. Make it.
(08/28/03 4:00am)
This week, I packed up my shoebox others deem a car and made the meandering trip back to Bloomington from my hometown of (prepare yourselves) Evansville, Ind., after more than a year away. \nI spent my junior year -- yes, the entire year -- abroad in Canterbury, England, followed by internships in Evansville and New York. Into those 365-plus days I crammed enough travel (and racked up enough credit card debt) to satisfy my wayward yearnings for at least a few decades. By the time I touched down in Indianapolis in May, I'd grown accustomed to living off the grossly-inflated British pound and wondering why Kylie Minogue's ass was so damn popular among Anglophiles. And during the course of my whirlwind summer, I prepared myself to take the helm of inarguably the best college magazine in the country. \nYes, that's right -- for those of you making your first-year foray into life as a Bloomingtonian (which, trust me, you'll become after inhabiting those dreadful dorms for a few weeks), you'll soon realize we are the premier source for entertainment in Bloomington and beyond. We'll be where you turn to find out what movies bombed in true Gigli-esque fashion, which CDs drop next week and what band's headlining your favorite Kirkwood venue; ours will be the pages you thumb while suffering through Thursday lectures. Since a redesign a few years back, led by a truly dynamic and visionary staff, Weekend has truly found it's niche among local publications. And we're damn proud of that. \nIt's my plan to keep it that way. But I can't do it alone, which is why I hired a fantastic staff to assist in making your Weekend the best it can possibly be (without securing a name in the daily blotter -- we'll leave you to your own devices on that one). Meghan Dwyer, fresh from a stint at CNN Inside Politics this summer, will take over the features department, while graduate student Val Tsoutsoris will man the busily-diversifying reviews desk. Photo editor Adam Yale and design chief Jeremy Cook will team up to provide the visuals that are distinctly Weekend, creating a package that's at once eye-pleasing and informative. It's our aim to make the magazine fresh, appealing, and decidedly more editorially diverse without losing the entertainment news and events listings so vital to all segments of the IU student population. \nThat's why we're distributing student interest surveys in residence halls, Greek houses, apartment complexes and some academic buildings. Weekend shouldn't be about the esoteric interests of some left-wing editor-in-chief (hey, I won't get political yet), so we're not going to subject you to (much of) my rambling ruminations. We want to get to the heart of issues that matter to you, and that requires a bit of effort on both ends. (For the chronically lazy, fret not -- we'll offer an online poll as well.)\nSo let us know what matters to you. We want to hear your gripes and groans (and hey, a few accolades never hurt anyone). Email me personally at hljohnso@indiana.edu, or send a mass mailing to the Weekend team at weekend@indiana.edu. Stop by Ernie Pyle Hall and get a glimpse of what goes into making your Weekend fabulous. Apply to write a column, review or feature on subjects that may have flown over our radar. \nIt's your magazine. Make it.
(06/06/03 5:01am)
When the 17 members of the IU presidential search committee embarked on what seemed in November to be a daunting task, they turned to the words of a former IU president for guidance. \nIn "Being Lucky," the oft-quoted memoir of former IU Chancellor and President Herman B Wells, the Indiana native and visionary of higher education wrote that administrators should step down from the reaches of academia, cultivating rather the ability to lead --not command.\nWells' definition of effective leadership became watchwords of the search process, steering the committee through the exhaustive eight-month process. Scores of candidates were gradually whittled down to a select, closely-examined few. But Thursday, that examination came to an end as the IU board of trustees unanimously approved Adam W. Herbert as IU's 17th president.\nMeeting in special session at 10 a.m. in the Musical Arts Center, the board officially announced Herbert's selection, exhorting the University of Southern California alumnus as "the right person for IU at this time" and lauding his achievements, both personal and public.\nTrustee Sue Talbot, a member of the search committee, said she knew Herbert would prevail as the leading candidate from the point of his first interview.\n"We were told we'd just know (the right candidate)," Talbot said. "When Herbert came, we just looked at each other ... We knew right away. He focuses on what IU is all about, and he doesn't divert. He will deliver."\nAnd now he's hitting the ground running, dedicating his initial weeks in Indiana to visiting each of the regional campuses in the IU system. His years at Florida proved Herbert a stalwart in maintaining strong intercampus relationships, a cause he said he'll champion when he steps into the presidency Aug. 1. \nHerbert gained notoriety among Florida administrators in 1998 for proposing a plan to tailor the budgets of each of Florida's 10 public universities to specific goals, grouped into three categories. \n• Focus on improving national reputations and graduate programs\n• Concentrate on improving doctoral study and raising undergraduate standards\n• Specifically target undergraduate educational objectives \nDeemed "tiered" and "a kind of branding" by its critics -- improperly, Herbert suggests -- the long-term strategic plan was based on Herbert's philosophy that different campuses within a statewide system offer different objectives to the communities they serve, and should be fiscally managed accordingly.\nHerbert calls it "mission differentiation" -- establishing unique missions for each satellite or regional campus that are specific to the needs of individual communities while aptly recognizing budget constraints imposed by the state. \n"Basically the concept is that every university in Florida was not the same, and in my view we did not need nor could we afford to establish 10 major research universities," Herbert said. "The challenge was to recognize that the needs of each state university were different, and what we had to do was to assure each individual institution had a mission that was specifically evaluated."\nHe'll find an extension of that challenge here at Indiana, where tightening state budget constraints calls for a new kind of fiscal conservatism at a time when improvement and development of existing programs is necessary to maintain IU's competitiveness -- and that's on the Bloomington campus alone. Herbert will manage Indiana's eight satellite campuses, each with its own unique set of priorities and constraints. \nThe medical school on the IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis campus, for example, provides its own set of financial challenges as the nation's second-largest medical teaching facility. Herbert specifically identified the School of Medicine as crucial to improving existing life sciences and biomedical programs on all IU campuses, but he said this can't be done without appropriate funding. \nSimilarities nonetheless emerge linking his Florida experience to current Indiana budget woes, as the former suffered a similarly crippling budget deficit under Herbert's watch as chancellor of the state system. Herbert partially overcame those losses by petitioning to state and federal legislators for an increase in government support and saw a $1 billion increase in new capital construction funds. \nHerbert plans on implementing an accountability plan to measure the success of such initiatives, but he also stresses the significance of helping policymakers understand financial realities for large-scale institutions such as Florida and Indiana. \nIt's essential, he said, to impart the long-term consequences of a reduction in state educational funds. \n"What complicates all of this is the very difficult fiscal period through which we're going at the national level," Herbert said. "Critical services are being devolved down to the states, so the challenge to state governments are very clear ... Public education is among those categories competing for state funds."\nHe also said he recognizes the importance of maintaining a diverse faculty and student body -- though despite the fact that he is IU's first black president, he notably shies away from questions concerning his own racial background -- and said that because "the world is shrinking," institutions of higher learning cannot afford to rest on their laurels -- they must recruit the finest and brightest, regardless of racial or economic background.\nNotably, Herbert, who turned down the historically all-black Morehouse College in favor of a University of Southern California degree, speaks in terms of economics, not color. \nIn 1999, when the Florida Board of Regents agreed to move ahead with Gov. Jeb Bush's plan to end affirmative action at the state's 10 public universities, Herbert proposed a controversial "20 percent plan" in which the upper 20 percent of high school students, regardless of ethnicity, would be accepted and granted aid to Florida schools. \nSpearheading aggressive recruitment initiatives in Florida inner-city schools led Herbert to conclude that committing funds to underprivileged youth is indeed "infectious" -- a theory visibly confirmed by countless colleagues, he claims. His Pathways to Success program, which garnered $10 million in donations for low-income students, directly engaged Herbert in inner-city communities; he visited each school and interacted directly with students and teachers to assure them that "income was not a factor" concerning university study. In one school in particular, UNF recruited the valedictorian, salutatorian, president of the honor society and the student body president -- all lured by the promise of educational grants. \nPersonal relationships are equally important to the Oklahoma native, who said students at UNF deemed him "Uncle Adam" or "Uncle Herbert." Students at his alma mater certainly haven't forgotten him either -- he was recognized in the USC 2000 yearbook, El Rodeo, as one of the university's most memorable graduates. His wife, whom Herbert deems the "foundation of his essential support system," said students can count on seeing the pair around frequently. \nStatewide focus groups, coupled with open forums on all IU campuses and town meetings in Indiana locales, allowed the committee to begin narrowing the initial pool of candidates submitted by Baker, Parker and Associates, an Atlanta-based firm in the position of lead consultant in the nationwide search, before Herbert was finally selected. \nThe results overwhelmingly demanded a candidate steeped in an understanding of higher education and of the vicissitudes of a statewide, public university system, said Stephen Ferguson, vice president of the board of trustees and chairman of the search committee. Herbert, he said, typified that sort of "navigant champion" of higher education, responsible for maintaining Indiana's dominance as a major research university.\n"The people of Indiana wanted someone with unquestionable integrity and exemplary leadership," Ferguson said. "They wanted a person who is a good communicator, a good listener and who had good people skills. They wanted a president who was a demonstrated leader in the educational field ... We have found such a person in Adam Herbert."\nHerbert comes to Indiana armed with more than 35 years of university experience, most significantly with the University of North Florida, where he served as president for nearly 10 years from 1989 to 1998, when he was named chancellor of the State University System of Florida, the second-largest system of its kind in the United States. That system, dismantled by Gov. Jeb Bush in 2001, enrolls more than 250,000 students, with budgetary allocations exceeding $5 billion. \nHerbert currently serves as Regents professor and the executive director of the Florida Center for Public Policy and Leadership at UNF. His extensive policy background has led him to stints with the Joint Center for Political Studies in Washington, as well as the urban affairs and public administration programs at Virginia Tech.\nThis isn't Herbert's first Indiana encounter, however. He was asked in the mid-1970s to join the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs faculty on the Bloomington campus -- an opportunity he declined in favor of a White House fellowship. There he served as assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and later worked under the U.S. Undersecretary of Housing and Urban Development. \nThirty years later, he said he's "able to correct that mistake."\nInterim President Gerald Bepko said Herbert's ability to clearly state and implement purposes and policies is going to be a step in the right direction for IU. \n"He's a natural communicator, and he's good at stating his vision," Bepko said. "He'll teach us a thing or two"
(06/05/03 1:31am)
Adam W. Herbert, chancellor of the State University System of Florida, will be named IU's first black president, culminating an extensive eight-month search, according to an IU source.\nThe IU board of trustees will announce Herbert's appointment at 10 a.m. today in the Musical Arts Center. Herbert visited the campus May 22, said Will Thompson, a desk clerk at the Grant Street Inn, where Herbert stayed while in Bloomington.\nThe search committee was formed in November after former President Myles Brand left IU to head the NCAA. Gerald Bepko has served as interim president since Nov. 1. \nThe Atlanta-based firm of Baker, Parker and Associates served as lead consultant in the nationwide search. \nCurrently executive director of the Florida Center for Public Policy and Leadership, Herbert comes to Indiana well-versed in the socio-economic construction of public institutions, after spending over two decades with the State University System of Florida and acting as its sixth chancellor from Jan. 20, 1998 to March 2, 2001, when Florida Gov. Jeb Bush dismantled it. Prior to that appointment, he served as president of the University of North Florida for 10 years and was a member of the NCAA Executive Board. \nHis indoctrination into state systems, however, far precluded his experience in Florida. A graduate of the University of Southern California -- part of the California statewide public university system and indeed a model for subsequent state and regional campuses -- Herbert holds an undergraduate degree in political science and a Master of Public Administration from USC. He went on to earn his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh in 1971. \nHerbert also served as chairman of the urban affairs program and associate professor of urban affairs at Virginia Tech in 1972. Two years later, he accepted a White House fellowship to act as special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, and served thereafter under the U.S. Undersecretary of Housing and Urban Development. \nOthers whose names were rumored as possible candidates throughout the search process included James Morris, executive director of the United Nations World Food Program and former president of the board; Rod Paige, U.S. Secretary of Education; and Nancy Zimpher, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.\nDan Langan, press secretary in Paige's Washington, D.C. offices, deflected initial inquiries concerning Paige's possible appointment to the IU position.\n"Secretary Paige plans to continue serving as Secretary of Education as long as the president wants him to serve," Langan said. \nTom Luljak, vice chancellor for university relations and communications at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, said Zimpher has no intentions of leaving Wisconsin and will be speaking all week on the Milwaukee campus at Board of Regents meetings. \n"She has said previously that indeed she learned she had been nominated for this position, and while she was flattered by the nomination, she is very much committed to UW-Milwaukee," Luljak said. \nRina Manzo, Morris' secretary at the U.N. World Food Program, said Morris asked her to convey that there was "absolutely no truth to the rumor" that he could be named president in today's meeting. \nCampus editor Doug Auer contributed to this story.
(06/05/03 1:27am)
Baxter Pharmaceutical Solutions, a driving economic force in the Bloomington community since its 2001 acquisition of Cook Group, announced plans Wednesday to enlarge its local facility through investments exceeding $100 million. The 120,000-sq. ft. expansion will foster the growth of more than 700 new jobs at the biomedical manufacturing plant. \nThe project's first phase entails a $25 million investment in new construction, equipment upgrades and improvement of existing facilities. The second expansion installment involves an additional $64.5 million investment in the company's Curry Pike facilities in Bloomington. \nJeff Harris, spokesman for the Indiana Department of Commerce, said that state, city and county donations will total $20.7 million in tax incentives and abatements for the Fortune 500 company. \n"Those include grants as well as tax credits," Harris said. "They will serve to support the creation of 700 new jobs and the retention of 560 existing positions at Baxter."\nHarris said the expansion will occur between now and 2010. The first 300 jobs are guaranteed by 2005, with 400 more being added in the following five years. \nThe expansion was lauded by both Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon and IU administrators exhorting the advantages of Baxter's expansion to life science researchers. \nIU Interim President Gerald Bepko welcomed the expansion, noting it will be particularly lucrative for researchers in the life sciences community in central Indiana.\n"Baxter's expansion of its Bloomington manufacturing facility holds great promise for the collaborations among business, government and higher education that are so essential in our efforts to build a 21st-century Hoosier economy," Bepko said in a statement Wednesday. "The services that Baxter Pharmaceutical Solutions provides for the biotech and drug industries will be important to the new companies emerging from the discoveries of Indiana University researchers working in the life sciences."\nBaxter Pharmaceutical Solutions, a subsidiary of Deerfield, Ill.-based Baxter International, maintains its status as one of the world's leading drug companies by manufacturing ready-to-use vials, syringes, cartridges and packages for myriad vaccinations. The corporation manages over 30 facilities on five continents and employs more than 55,000 people worldwide. \nIt came to Bloomington in 2001, when the privately-owned Cook Group turned assets over to the Baxter Healthcare Corporation. The merger allowed the expansion of the range of services Cook was able to offer, as well as inclusion in the pharmaceutical giant's global drug delivery program, according to a Baxter spokesman. \nThe acquisition worked in the community's favor, Bloomington mayor John Fernandez noted Wednesday. \n"Baxter, named by Fortune magazine this year as a 'best place to work,' is truly an ultimate match for our community," Fernandez said. "This is a perfect illustration of how a high quality of life can attract high-quality employers"
(05/22/03 1:53am)
A recent investigation by an Indianapolis television news station concerning a suspected al Qaeda operative with Bloomington ties has sparked local concern, leading area Islamic leaders to call for a "more informed analysis" of terrorist threats.\nThe series, "Under Surveillance," concluded Wednesday night on NBC affiliate WTHR and has been deemed "sensational" by the Islamic Center of Bloomington, which issued a formal statement earlier this week. The report, led by WTHR reporter Angie Moreschi, focused on the FBI's probe into Juma al-Dosari, a prayer leader who worked for the Islamic Center of Bloomington in the summer of 2001. \nAl-Dosari has been confirmed by Indianapolis FBI special-agent-in-charge Tom Fuentes as part of an investigation into the "Lackawanna" terrorist sleeper cell outside Buffalo, NY. The cell was exposed shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, and al-Dosari is believed to have been captured in Afghanistan and sent to Guantanamo Bay. \nThe WTHR report credits the Bahrain-born al-Dosari with helping recruit the "Lackawanna Six," six American citizens of Yemeni descent who trained at terrorist camps in Afghanistan. Al-Dosari allegedly encouraged young Muslims in Lackawanna to attend al Qaeda training camps; the Lackawanna Six emerged as a result of those exhortations. The last of the six pled guilty May 19 to supporting al Qaeda, the day the story ran on WTHR.\nMoreschi spoke with Amr Sabry, former president of the center and an IU professor of computer science, about al-Dosari's tenure there and revealed al-Dosari worked as a prayer and spiritual leader with possible Taliban sympathies. \nSabry claims the report fails to depict accurately what was said in the interview, which lasted over two hours, and the Islamic Center expressed similar sentiments.\n"The Bloomington Islamic Center is alarmed by the recent sensationalist story created for sweeps week by WTHR Channel 13 news," the center said in a statement. "We are hurt that images of our mosque are being juxtaposed with pictures of al Qaeda training camps to form a highly sensational segment."\nThis is not just a local issue. Laila al-Uatami, spokeswoman for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said the amount of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment dramatically increased after the Sept. 11 attacks, though "hate incident" cases have subsided somewhat in the past year. While the ADC continues to battle employment discrimination cases in particular -- typically between 25 to 30 cases per week -- she noted the media's role in perpetuating Islamic and Arab stereotypes. \nAl-Uatami said public perceptions of Arab Americans and Muslims typically intertwine, as many Americans fail to draw accurate distinctions between the groups. Local and national media and contemporary pop culture often tend to exacerbate and reinforce these negative connotations.\n"We do see a certain level of bias in TV, particularly when reporting on events concerning the Arab world or the Israeli conflict in particular," al-Uatami said.\nAl-Uatami also said she was familiar with the case and that the ADC legal department was likely following it. \nMoreschi maintained the integrity of her story, and said she felt it was too important to be left untold. \n"We made a point in stating in our story that the majority of the six to eight million Muslims in America do not promote violence or practice extremism," she said. "In many ways, we believe it helps to answer questions for Muslims and all others in the community as to why the FBI was so focused on Bloomington."\nShe said she's answered a few e-mails from people within local Muslim communities, responding to their concern that the report perpetuated negative Islamic stereotypes. \n"There was and is a great deal of fear among Muslims I've spoken to that they will be targeted randomly," Moreschi said. "This gives some perspective that ongoing investigations did have a credible reason and people were not being arbitrarily put under surveillance." \nJeremy Burcham, executive committee president and spokesman for the Islamic Center, has contacted Moreschi and claims the station and the center maintain an "open line of communication."\nHe said his main focus at this point is assuaging concern within the Bloomington community in general -- not just among area Muslims.
