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(09/29/06 1:24pm)
Abrahman Morales comes to the Shalom Community Center every day. It's the only place the homeless man can get a real meal, take a shower and do laundry. It's less than a mile from campus, where the average student spends more money on an education in a semester than Morales will see in years. Now, this center dedicated to serving the homeless could find itself without a home.\nShalom, 110 S. Washington St., was founded four years ago "on a shoestring and a prayer," said Executive Director Joel Rekas. \nThe current building is scheduled to be torn down next spring to make way for a commercial business and parking garage, and Shalom has yet to find a new home. \nThe volunteer-driven center feeds about 250 people a day, Rekas said. \nIn May the center moved most of its operation from the basement of the First United Methodist Church, 219 E. Fourth St., to its current location in the basement of a building across the street, he said. \n"It was people piled on top of each other," Rekas said of being located in the church, which now houses the food portion of their services. "We just didn't have enough space." \nAfter spending 10 months and about $60,000 renovating their new building and using it for less than a month, Shalom center leaders were told the building was going to be torn down so Bloomington-based Finelight, an advertising and marketing firm with several offices across the country, can build a new complex, Rekas said. The change will take away the buildings for other small businesses such as Greek's Pizzeria and Ladyman's Café. \n"The last thing anybody wanted to think about was starting all over again," Rekas said.\nHeartland Development, the parent company of Finelight, has talked with Shalom about reimbursing them for the money spent on the renovations, Rekas said. \n"They've been actually very easy for us to work with," he said.\nRekas is not about to lose confidence. Shalom will continue its progress as soon as the group finds another building, he said. \n"We'll be fine," Rekas said. "The Shalom Center isn't going to close. It will continue to grow and thrive into the future. It just means we have to move." \nThe mayor's office recently told Shalom it would help with the search for a new building, Rekas said. Losing Shalom is not an option, he added.\nOne of Rekas's biggest concerns is that Monroe County has the highest poverty rate in Indiana, he said. He believes his organization is one of the few that run a daytime shelter from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the homeless. \n"On a given day, more than half the people we see are homeless," Rekas said. "One of the ways any community should judge itself is how those who are most vulnerable are doing. It may be invisible, but there are a lot of people not doing well."\nMorales has been homeless for two and a half years and relies on Shalom every day. He and his 20-year-old son have spent as many as four months sleeping in the woods during winter, he said. \nMorales spends time volunteering at Shalom, as well.\n"I just kind of like to help out because they've helped us out a lot," he said. "It's really nice to have it here."\nShalom offers free meals for breakfast and lunch every day, as well as giving out basic toiletries like toothpaste -- things that most people take for granted, Rekas said. Patrons also have access to showers and laundry — all for free, which Rekas said is a big deal to people who live outside.\nA staff of six to seven employees helps run an employment program called Job Links.\n"Every day there are success stories," he said.\nOne man who came to the center found work at a laundromat, Rekas said.\n"He got a job and wanted to make sure we knew that," he said.\nShalom operates primarily on money from individuals and faith-based organizations, Rekas said, but also depends heavily on volunteers. \n"I don't think a student is getting a full education without emerging in world issues," IU senior and volunteer Curtis Griner said. "That's why I stay here. The bottom line is I don't feel right when I'm not around here." \nPam Kinnaman, volunteer coordinator, said many people are only a paycheck away from needing services like the ones Shalom provides.\n"I don't believe in throwing anyone away," she said. "That's what you do if you don't help these people — you're throwing them away."\nThe important thing for the community to realize is that Shalom is not closing, Rekas said.\n"We're focused on the future," he said. "It may present itself as a real opportunity. We may come out of this with a better facility"
(09/28/06 4:22am)
By Kristi Oloffson\nkoloffso@indiana.edu\nThe secret's out: The largest lottery jackpot ever won in Bloomington has been claimed.\nA representative for the 2006 Stewardship Revocable Trust claimed the winning $11 million Hoosier Lotto ticket Wednesday morning, according to a press release from the Hoosier Lottery.\nA trust fund is generally set up to allow the winner to keep his or her anonymity, said Hoosier Lottery Director of Public Relations Andrew Reed. Hoosier Lottery was unable to release the name of the individual who purchased the winning ticket.\nThe winning party has decided to receive a one-time lump sum totaling $4,653,186 before state and federal taxes, according to the release.\nThe winning ticket was sold at a Village Pantry located at 1307 W. Third St. in Bloomington and will profit the retailer $100,000 for selling the ticket, according to the release. \nVillage Pantry Manager Joe Engebretson said the Hoosier Lottery Commission asked him not to comment on the issue.\nCustomers and employees of the Village Pantry said they had received no information about the announcement by Wednesday afternoon.\n"Luck is luck, and it only happens to certain people," said Eric Detwiler, who was at Village Pantry on Wednesday. "I just don't think it's a good idea to put money into something more than likely you're not gonna win."\nIU alumna Courtney Marvel said she was surprised and excited about the winner.\n"I know a lot of people at work who buy a lottery ticket every day," she said. "I'm sure that would give them motivation."\nThe ticket was previously reported as being sold at a Quizno's/Marathon gas station on College Avenue, where cashier Tom Watters said he sold the ticket to the winner and notified her when she won.\nWatters and another cashier at the Marathon on College Avenue said the winning ticket was purchased at their store but has not yet been claimed.\n"I can say I sold it and scanned it for her and notified her that she did win," Watters said. "We're in limbo right now until this ticket gets claimed, and she gets up to six months to claim it."\nBut Reed insisted the ticket came from the Village Pantry on Third Street.\n"There are certain numbers on our tickets, and we have codes on our tickets," he said. "We know where that ticket came from."\nThe winning numbers -- 28, 32, 41, 42, 46 and 48 -- were released Saturday, Sept. 16, according to the release.\nThis is the third time a jackpot-winning Hoosier Lotto ticket has been sold in Bloomington and the sixth Hoosier Lotto jackpot winner in 2006.
(09/28/06 3:55am)
Police discovered the identity of the thief of a stolen laptop Wednesday morning after University Information Technology Services located the culprit through its tracking system, said IU Police Department Sgt. Don Schmuhl, reading from an IU Police Department report.\nKevin A. Wright, 18, an IU student and Forest Quad resident, was arrested Wednesday morning for theft, a class D felony, Schmuhl said. According to the IU address book, Wright was also an IU Libraries employee. \nAfter being arrested Wright was transported to Monroe County Jail where his bail is $2,000 surety, $500 cash, said Sgt. T. Wasson of the Monroe County Jail.\nThe Dell laptop, valued at $1,000, was stolen from the Herman B Wells Library Sept. 17, Schmuhl said, where the owner of the computer had taken a study break on the fourth floor of the east tower, according to the report. When he returned about 10 minutes later, his laptop was gone, he said.\nUITS is able to track stolen or missing computers and note where they are if their users go online, Schmuhl said. UITS saw that someone used the stolen computer to access the Internet and then informed the police someone was using it.\n"They have a security division over there," Schmuhl said. "They can actually give us the building name and room that it's being used in." \nWhen police received the information, they were able to find the room the computer was in and recover the property, Schmuhl said.\n"The individual who got arrested actually did have the stolen computer with him at the time of his arrest," he said.\nSchmuhl said very few people know about UITS's ability to track stolen computers.\n"I know they're pretty quiet about giving out information on stuff like that," he said.\nUITS could not be reached for comment by press time.
(09/27/06 4:28am)
As the search for the future IU president draws on, current President Adam Herbert showed no signs of letting up during his third annual State of the University address Tuesday afternoon. \nHerbert addressed research funding, minority enrollment and study abroad programs, among other issues, in a speech that was delivered at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis and broadcast over the Internet to all eight IU campuses.\nDespite voicing his understanding that some decisions will be left to his successor, Herbert said he would not leave the University bare of his leadership until a new president was in place. \n"I take seriously the commitment I have made," Herbert said. "I will not act as a lame duck during this period of transition. Treading water is not an option."
(09/26/06 3:55am)
A women's club rugby game turned violent Saturday when an IU player allegedly assaulted a player from DePauw University around noon, according to an IU Police Department report. \nThe DePauw player was trying to get the ball and fell down when one of her feet ran into the IU player's head, said IUPD Officer Rebecca Lucas, reading from the report.\nOffended by the collision, the IU player then got on top of the DePauw player and struck her in the face three to four times with a closed fist, Lucas said. The victim did not fight back or retaliate and was taken to Bloomington Hospital, where she was treated for a laceration above her left eye that required seven stitches, Lucas said.\nThe DePauw player reported the incident to the IUPD at 3 p.m. Saturday, Lucas said. Lucas said IUPD Sergeant Chad Bennett was waiting to find out if the victim would press charges. IUPD was unable to confirm if the offending IU player would remain on the club team. Lucas said Bennett plans to update case information after talking to witnesses.
(09/25/06 2:59am)
After getting a tip that two men were making trips to Bloomington to sell cocaine and other drugs, officers arrested two Mooresville, Ind., residents at 4 p.m. Thursday outside Foster Quad, police said.\nRyan D. Hinchman, 27, was arrested on preliminary charges of dealing narcotics and maintaining a common nuisance, both felonies, and reckless possession of paraphernalia and possession of marijuana, both misdemeanors, an IU Police Department media release said. He was being held in the Monroe County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.\nCarson E. Davis, 19, was arrested on preliminary charges of dealing narcotics, a felony. He was also being held in the Monroe County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.\nAn undercover officer arrested Hinchman and Davis on the north drive of Foster Quad with the assistance of uniformed IU Police Department officers, the release said.\nIUPD Detective Dave Hannum received information that the men had been making several trips each week to sell Xanax, OxyContin, marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs on the IU campus, the release said.\nThe men originally came to IU Thursday to sell OxyContin but were unable to get the drugs, IUPD Capt. Jerry Minger said. Instead, they brought cocaine and sold it to the undercover officer, he said.\nWhen they arrested the men, police found 2.3 grams of cocaine, a small amount of marijuana and a smoking device, the release said.\nAn 18-year-old woman who was accompanying the two men was not arrested, Minger said. Her arrest and the arrest of the contact, an IU student, were pending Sunday night, he said.\nThe Drug Task Force in Hendricks County searched the men's home after the arrests and found scales and drug residue, Minger said.\n"It's very possible they were just trying to build up a business, get networking in illegal trafficking of drugs," Minger said. "It's good we were able to stop them when we did"
(09/23/06 12:25am)
Informatics researchers at IU have revealed how scam artists could target online advertisers in a recent study. \nThe researchers, Associate Professor of Informatics Markus Jakobsson along with research assistants and computer science graduate students Jacob Ratkiewicz and Mona Gandhi, call the theft "click fraud." They studied the vulnerability of online advertisers, who could be losing money to online attackers. \nWhen someone places an ad on his or her own Web site, Jakobsson said, that person can display advertisements from search engines, including Yahoo! and Google, and then get paid if people click the ad on the page. \n"An advertiser will pay Yahoo! because its ad will be viewed, and Yahoo! will pay you because you provided the client who paid the ad," said Jakobsson, who also is an associate director at the IU Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research. "Click fraud is where you somehow cause Yahoo! to think that a person clicked on an ad, whereas they didn't." \nThough Jakobsson hopes his group is ahead of potential scammers, he said there is no way to know whether it has already happened or not. \n"We don't think (click fraud has been done) because we think we're a step ahead of the pack," Jakobsson said. "If it were done, nobody would have known that it was done. And that's the very sneaky thing." \nJakobsson said there are two approaches to click fraud that were reported in the study.\nThe social approach would involve the Web site owners telling all their friends to go to their site and click on the ads, so the owners would receive money for having people view the ad on their Web sites. \nThe technical approach, Jakobsson said, is called "badvertisements," whereby ads are placed on a Web site where they are so small the ads are actually invisible to the viewer, making it look like people viewed the ad when really they did not. \n"The user will never see the advertisement because it's displayed in such a teeny tiny window," Jakobsson said. "It's going to be invisible to the advertisement provider. They won't realize there's click fraud on your site." \nOther click fraud schemes have come up in the past, Jakobsson said, but his group has studied the first of its kind.\n"There have been many click fraud attacks," he said, "and as soon as advertisers find out about them, they change the way they do things so the attacks don't work anymore." \nRatkiewicz said smaller pay-per-click providers were susceptible to an attack. \n"AdBrite is one of them. Those guys, for instance, we could rip off," he said. "I could put an ad right in and make AdBrite think a million people clicked it, and AdBrite would pay me a ton of money." \nThe group's study was accepted at the Anti-Phishing Working Group's annual conference this November where it will present its information, Jakobsson said. \n"It was accepted there, and Jackobson just went and spoke at Stanford and at Google and at two other places presenting this research," Ratkiewicz said.\nJakobsson said what causes click fraud to be such a big threat is it could happen without anyone knowing.\n"It's so well camouflaged, and that's the danger of it," Jakobsson said. "So it could go on just by hiding itself from everybody"
(09/21/06 4:11am)
Starting in October, some of the 22,000 students who ride campus buses might have to adjust their daily travel habits.\nCampus Bus Services has shortened the B bus route and scheduled X buses to stop running an hour and a half earlier in the day beginning Oct. 1, said Operations Manager Perry Maull. \nThe X bus, known as the stadium express, used to run until 11:17 p.m. but will now board its final riders at 8:47 p.m., Maull said. The change came about because not many people have been using the route late in the evening, he said.\nAs an alternative to the X route, students traveling after 8:47 p.m. can use the A route. Like the X route, the A route goes to the stadium. \n"Instead of using IMU shelter, (students can) just walk down to Woodlawn and Seventh and use that stop," Maull said. \nHowever, the A buses do not go up Indiana Avenue and Dunn Street, which the X bus covers.\nJunior Meg Minkner said the change would inconvenience her if she were studying at the library and needed a ride to her home on Lincoln Street because the A bus will no longer travel that way. \nSophomore Lindsey Krantz agreed the change was inconvenient.\n"I think it's ridiculous that buses don't run after midnight," said Krantz, who uses the X bus to get home after working late at the Indiana Memorial Union. "If Bloomington wants to act like it's a big city, then they should run buses like a big city."\nThe other major change is for the B bus, which typically went up North Jordan Avenue and ended its route in the stadium. Now the route will end at Fisher Circle by the Christian Student Fellowship, Maull said, and will not go to the Stadium White Lot. Instead it will turn around and head back down Jordan Avenue.\n"Nobody rides the B to get the stadium," Maull said. "If you want to get to the stadium, you take the X or the A."\nJunior Dan Harm, a member of Phi Kappa Psi, which is on the B route, said he agreed students could easily take the A bus to get the stadium from campus.\n"But if I wanted to get to the stadium from our house, the B bus would be helpful," he said.\nMaull said the new revisions will save time and help the B bus stay on schedule, something that has not been happening lately.\n"That'll save us six minutes for each time the bus goes around the loop," he said. "It's amazing how much time builds up over a day when you think of all the buses going back and forth."\nThe new route will allow the service to run with fewer buses, Maull said, but the schedule will remain the same.\nMaull said the changes will allow buses to stay on the same route all day, whereas currently a bus driver could drive the A route and then switch to the X route.\n"It really gets a better connection between our buses and the passengers," he said, "because those buses will be on that route all day"
(09/20/06 4:49am)
$11 million. \nThat's enough to pay instate tuition for 1,652 students. Instead, it's being given away to one lucky Bloomington-area resident. \nThe only problem? No one knows who it is yet.\nAn unclaimed $11 million Quick Pick lottery ticket was sold Friday at the Bloomington Quizno's/Marathon gas station at 701 N. College Ave., said manager and owner Leann Wall. \nHoosier Lottery public relations representative Andrew Reed said the winning ticket was purchased at a store in the Bloomington area, but he could not confirm whether it was purchased at the College Avenue gas station.\n"She hasn't claimed it yet, so you can't know who it is," Wall said Tuesday. "I don't know who it is. Until she claims it, we can't do anything."\nIU senior and Indiana Daily Student staff member Chris Jesse said he was at the gas station Monday night and said the clerk behind the counter was "excited, sharing his news with customers who walked into the store" regarding the lottery ticket.\nThe clerk told Jesse the winner came in to check her numbers not knowing whether she had won or not, he said.\nAs of Tuesday afternoon, the winner had not yet come forward, Reed said.\nThe winning numbers released by the Hoosier Lottery on Saturday were 28, 32, 41, 42, 46, 48, Reed said.\nThe winner has 180 days to claim the ticket by taking it to Hoosier Lottery headquarters in Indianapolis along with identification, Reed said.\n"It's nothing unusual for someone to take several days before they can come in and claim a prize," he said.\nReed encouraged lottery players to check their tickets from the Sept. 16 drawing. He advised the winner to talk to an attorney or financial planner before coming to Indianapolis to claim the prize.\nCustomers at the gas station Tuesday night were surprised about a big lottery winner at the local level.\n"It's pretty random that it's from Bloomington of all places because it's little old Bloomington," said IU junior Marisa Pepelea. "I wonder if it was a student or teacher. If it was a student, that'd be awesome."\nBloomington resident Terry Stultz, 51, said he plays the lottery every once in a while "just in case."\n"You can't win if you don't play," he said. "How many times has a big ticket like that been purchased in Bloomington? Probably not many. It's pretty neat"
(09/19/06 4:21am)
One way to get 200 students interested in a business club is to entice them with networking trips to New York City and Los Angeles. Another way is to have a cappella group Straight No Chaser perform at the organization's call-out meeting. \nThe Business Careers in Entertainment Club, now in its fifth year, had its fall call-out meeting Monday night where students of all majors learned about the networking trips and other opportunities the club offers.\n"We're the only resource for people interested in this industry," said BCEC President and senior Ashley McPherson, who interned last summer for MTV and VH1 production events. \nNetworking trips allow selected members to visit companies such as Jive Records and Time magazine.\nThe more involved members are, the better chance they have to participate on the trips, McPherson said. \n"The No. 1 thing we provide you with is a network," said student Nate Ingles, executive vice president of the group. "We'll connect you with whatever industry you're interested in." \nAbout 500 students actively participate in the club and make up the eight different committees that students can join to coincide with their interests and help plan different events, including television, publishing, performing arts, sports, gaming, radio, music and film. \nLast year's sports committee started the King of the Court basketball tournament, and this year's co-director Matt Kesten designed official Kelvin Sampson T-shirts, which the group will sell to benefit its networking trip funds. \nRock for Kids Sake produced by the music committee is an all-day concert in the spring that includes a Battle of the Bands. Last year the event raised more than $3,400 for Bowl for Kids Sake, a charity event. \nSophomore Andrew Garcia said attending the meeting made him realize the club would help him network in the future.\n"They incorporate school with something everybody would like," he said. "It's pretty tough to network in the entertainment business." \nWhen Straight No Chaser showed up for the meeting's entertainment, most students' eyes widened for the three-song performance, which included a blues song leading the audience in clapping. \n"It's awesome how much people like them, you know what I mean?" said junior Matt Evans during the performance. \nAbout 120 new members signed up at the meeting, paying their $20 annual fee that McPherson said goes to guest speakers. \nMcPherson said BCEC got her on the right track in her career.\n"If I hadn't heard about BCEC, it probably wouldn't have even crossed my mind to do the business end of the entertainment industry," she said. \nInterested students who missed the meeting can find out more at www.thebcec.org.
(09/15/06 7:30pm)
Five-year-old Magdalena Loring, who goes by Maggie, was \nadopted from Guatemala at age 2. By the time she was 4, her new parents found that their little girl had fetal alcohol syndrome and apraxia, a neural speech disorder, causing poor coordination and problems with learning.\nHer mother, Vicki Loring, said when she learned of the devastating and irreversible effects of the syndrome, she looked for an alternative therapy method to help Maggie. Last October, the Lorings found Parent and Animal Learning Services, a program that gives therapeutic horseback riding lessons to people with disabilities. Private donations and grants help the nonprofit organization, which gives lessons mostly to children but has several adults who come as well. Three full-time staff and as many as 150 weekly volunteers, about 80 percent of whom are IU students, run the program, said Jan Gavin, the program's director of development. \nMaggie was one of the children running around the barn, located at 680 W. That Road in Bloomington, late Monday afternoon after a riding lesson with Dandy, her favorite horse.\n"Dandy's sweet," she said, smiling.\nClad in pink cowboy boots, Maggie ran into her mother's arms as she arrived to take her child home. \n"She's fearless," Loring said. "She's very social and lovable, but very vulnerable, too." \nSince riding at PALS, Loring said Maggie has been speaking better, and she enjoys bonding with the horse. \n"PALS gives her a special place that's hers," Loring said. "Her world is not in her control ... Being able to get on a horse gives her a sense of power and freedom and to be able to bond." \nPALS Executive Director and instructor Fern Bonchek said the benefits for the disabled at PALS are endless. Improving balance, speech and coordination are just some of the gains, she said. Many of the parents bringing their children to PALS said the participants attain confidence most of all. \nBonchek became certified after working at a therapeutic riding program in California before moving back to Bloomington to start a program of her own about five years ago. \n"I've always wanted to help people, and I've always loved horses," she said. "It was a way for me to kind of put together my two passions. And there was a great need for the program." \nThe program now helps kids such as 12-year-old Galina Muzinich, who has been riding in the program for more than five years. She was born with tetrasomy, a genetic disorder with which her mother Natalya said very few people in the world are born. Natalya Muzinich said this causes her to have a low IQ and have issues with sensory processing. \nAlthough Galina has trouble processing information, Natalya Muzinich said her daughter is easy to understand and empathetic. \nRiding at PALS allows Galina to do something not all normal kids can do, Natalya Muzinich said. \n"She keeps asking for it when she doesn't go for awhile," she said. "It's hard to say how she'd be without it." \nMany IU students who volunteer at PALS said they enjoy watching the kids improve. \n"It makes them feel good about themselves that they can do something that's special," volunteer and junior Tracie Davis said. "Usually by the time they leave here, they're really happy." \nAs Maggie and her mother prepared to depart for the day after Maggie's lesson, they stopped to pet one of the horses together. \n"(Being on a horse) gives her a sense of empowerment," Vicki Loring said. "(It) gives her that feeling of being tall in the world, being on a horse. My goal is for her really to be able to ride a horse on her own." \nInterested volunteers should contact Bonchek to participate in a training session at 1 p.m. Saturday. \nPALS will also be hosting its sixth annual Fun Show Oct. 21, where riders will showcase their skills and talent. For more information on PALS and its program, visit www.palstherapy.org.
(09/15/06 7:29pm)
By Kristi Oloffson\nkoloffso@indiana.edu \nThe wait is over. \nResidential Programs and Services has found permanent assignments for the remaining 22 men living in dorm lounges. \nThe announcement came at a staff meeting Tuesday that the men in lounges -- six in Teter Quad and 16 in Forest Quad -- would be moved to dorm rooms, RPS Executive Director Pat Connor said.\n"(Everyone in a lounge) has been contacted and knows what their new assignment should be and should be in permanent assignment by Monday ..." Sara Ivey-Lucas, assistant director for housing assignments, said Thursday. \nThe move means that the students living in lounges will pay the full rate of the dorm to which they relocate.\nThe discount for the students was about $2.69 per day, Ivey-Lucas said. That comes to about $55 of total savings for those who remained in the lounges for the full three weeks. \nSophomore Wissam Nour said he didn't mind living in the lounge or the amount of the discount but said he liked having the security in knowing he wouldn't be moving again. \nStill, he said having to leave in such short notice was unfair because his job prohibited him from moving out in time. Nour said he received the notification to leave Sept. 8, giving him three days to move from Teter to McNutt Quad. \nHe said he fears he might have incurred a fine for moving out late. \n"I definitely got the short end of the stick," Nour said. \nSince he didn't have a car on campus, Nour said the move was a "really big inconvenience." \nSophomore Greg Gier's only complaint was the difficulty of moving all of his belongings from his Briscoe Quad lounge to a room in Teter with no assistance, despite a letter saying the center desk would be available to help with the move when he was given his assignment. \n"The actual move -- they couldn't help me at all. I thought they were supposed to," he said. "If I didn't know anybody with a car down here, I'd be pretty much screwed." \nThe large freshman class contributed to an overflow of the dorms this year, something Connor and Ivey-Lucas said they don't necessarily have control over. \n"Our office always has to play and work with the number of students that are recruited and accepted admission to IU," Ivey-Lucas said. "So in big banner years when everyone wants to come to IU, we may face this issue again, and that's just a part of the cycle of what happens." \nConnor said though the admissions office controlled how many students were accepted to the University, it couldn't know how many of those students would actually choose IU from all of the schools to which they applied. According to recently released enrollment figures, this year's freshman class is IU's largest ever with 7,259 students -- up 310 students from last year. \nThough the number of "no-shows" was actually higher than average this year, more women failed to show up than men, leaving 67 men to reside in temporary housing until a permanent residence was found for them, Ivey-Lucas said. \nAbout 200 people either did not show up to campus or left the dorms in the past three weeks, Ivey-Lucas said.\n"That gave us the space to get us those 67 men into permanent room assignments," she said. \nConnor defended the rate RPS charged the students who lived in the lounges.\n"They're an occupant like anyone else," Connor said. "Every dollar a student spends gets spread out to a bunch of things, including the staff of the main desk, RAs, personnel costs, all paid for by revenues." \nConnor said the possibility of RPS making extra money from lounges that would normally be empty was not a factor.\n"We incur additional costs to set up the lounges," he said.\n Staff who worked extra hours had to bring up additional furniture and set up the lounges, he said. Internet and phones were also made available in the lounges, which costs additional money, he said. \nIf the situation comes up again, Connor said it will not be a huge concern.\n"If we know it's a temporary situation that we can control in a few weeks, it isn't necessarily a bad thing," he said.
(09/15/06 1:01pm)
County Clerk Jim Fielder, a member of the Monroe County Election Board, disagrees with claims Verify the Vote has made that voting machines in Monroe County have a high chance of error.\nJim Allison and Cynthia Hoffman, members of Verify the Vote, a newly formed group in Monroe County, presented information to the public at a meeting Wednesday night. They cited problems with voting machines and their ability to be hacked, referencing a report by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. \nNow, Verify the Vote is pushing for a way to test the machines on Election Day and wants future elections to have voter-verified paper ballots, which would record the votes on paper as well as electronically. Allison said 27 states have mandated the use of voter-verified ballots.\nFielder, however, said he is confident in the machines. \n"If I thought for a minute that we really had a problem with these machines, we would have already stopped using them," Fielder, one of three members on the board, said.\nFielder said verified voter paper ballots are not necessary, and he does not think the machines can be hacked. He said he has not formed opinions one way or the other about the Brennan report, but he is trying to keep an open mind about it.\n"I certainly want people to have confidence in our equipment, and to that degree, I understand the overall concept of this group's concern," he said. "But I did offer them two different solutions on their concern about the machines themselves." \nFielder's two options for wary voters include: voting by absentee ballot, which is done by paper, or casting provisional ballots, which allow voters to show up without a photo ID on Election Day to vote by paper, provided that they show a valid ID within 10 days so the provisional vote is counted. \nFielder also said voter-verified paper ballots would violate Indiana law because they would require voters to take a receipt with them when leaving, which is illegal in the state of Indiana.\nAllison said this claim is only common confusion. The type of voting they want to implement does not break any laws, he said. \n"In the kind of machine we're talking about, you don't leave with a receipt," Allison said. "It simply shows you this piece of paper beyond the glass. You look at it and read it but can't actually handle it." \nFielder suggested if Verify the Vote wants to make any major changes, it should go straight to Indiana legislators to prove the machines are not from a trustworthy company. \n"If you really think that they are that bad, then the people to talk to are your state senators and your state representatives," Fielder said. "It's going to have to be a legislative action for them to quit marketing the direct recording equipment." \nFielder said he believes the machines work properly.\n"I am the one that's in this office every day," he said. "When the election's over with, I'm the one that gets the phone calls, the complaints, everything that goes with it, and I certainly wouldn't be using equipment that would put myself in any kind of compromise on this. I've seen the different systems in use in Indiana, and I believe we have a very accurate system. Nothing has ever been shown to me to make me feel otherwise." \nPrior to Wednesday night's meeting, Allison voiced his thoughts on why officials are hesitant to do the testing. \n"If you have a public official who is reluctant to audit his machines in any way, you have to ask why," Allison said. "I would have to conclude it's because he's afraid of what he's going to find out about them. You cannot depend on them." \nAt a meeting Sept. 20, Fielder and the rest of the board will listen to the group's complaints and evaluate any decisions in testing the machines on Election Day. \n"I'm willing to listen to what the group says here, but again, I just have never seen anything that makes me believe that we have something to worry about there," he said.
(09/15/06 4:01am)
The outlook isn't promising for those who struggle to find parking spaces on campus. The President's Parking Commission was unable to come up with a viable long-term solution in its meeting Wednesday as Residential Programs and Services fought to keep freshman parking spaces near residence halls.\nIn response to a proposal discussed in the committee's last meeting that would make spots available to faculty and move freshman parking to the stadium, RPS Executive Director Pat Connor said he opposed the potential move because it would strip the program of needed funds. \n"Realistically, eliminating freshman parking reduces parking revenue for RPS," Connor said. \nThe revenue goes toward the upkeep and maintenance of those lots, he added. \nConnor said RPS would be willing to give up spots in the McNutt and Briscoe quads' parking lots, where there are vacancies. \n"It seems to me (the McNutt and Briscoe lots) aren't really desirable for faculty/staff parking," said Ted Miller, Bloomington Faculty Council president and co-chairman of the Commission. "The ones that are, are the ones you don't want to give up." \nConnor opposed giving up parking spaces in the southwest neighborhood by Forest Quad and Read Hall to faculty because it would ward off upperclassmen from living on campus. \n"Doing that would hurt the ability to retain sophomores, juniors and seniors (in the residence halls)" he said. \nFewer upperclassmen would remain on campus if parking was not available, he said, leaving all residence halls for first-year students. \nMiller said a change in the cost of parking permits is a different recommendation he wants the commission to consider in the future. \n"What I'd like to see us do is make parking at the stadium more attractive," he said. \nAfter lowering the rates of stadium parking, other rates would have to go up, he said. However, Miller added the commission would have to consider it before voting on the issue as well as having it approved by IU President Adam Herbert. \nThe committee also discussed short-term plans as they plot out a new parking garage. Assuming bids from the contractors come back appropriately, a new garage will be constructed at the southwest corner of campus between Third Street and Atwater Avenue, where a parking lot currently exists, Miller said. \nThe only problem, he said, was the garage would temporarily dislocate parking for about 150 motorists who park in the lot now. Most of the lot is composed of C permit spaces. The commission is looking into possible solutions including opening up more C permits in the lot behind the Psychology Building as Physical Plant workers currently parking there will be relocating to another building in the spring. \nUniversity Architect Bob Meadows said he hoped the parking garage project would start Nov. 1 with the vacating of the lot. \n"It's possible we'll have a new garage by next fall," he said. \nManager of IU Parking Operations Doug Porter said the project, which will cost about $11.5 million, will only serve those with A permits or those willing to pay for parking by the hour.
(09/15/06 2:39am)
Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan announced Thursday morning at City Hall that the city will give $15,000 to the second annual Lotus in the Park. The family-friendly event which will be part of the 2006 Lotus World Music and Arts Festival, an annual event in Bloomington since 1993.\n"It was hugely successful last year," Lee Williams, Lotus executive and artistic director, said of last year's estimated 1,200 attendees in the day program alone. "We anticipate even more (this year)," he said. \nThe city is giving the same amount of funding it gave last year toward the free event, which will be open to the public from noon to 5:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 at Third Street Park.\nKruzan said Lotus in the Park helps attract more people to Lotus Fest, which will take place Oct. 5-8, according to its Web site.\n"(Lotus Fest) brings us international acclaim and makes the world a bit smaller at a time when the international divide (seems so big)," Kruzan said. "We can continue to make our city a destination point for tourism ... for the arts, for culture in general."\nWilliams said the funding is key in this celebration for the community because it allows families to experience quality music and activities during kid-friendly hours.\nLotus in the Park will feature musicians Grey Larsen and Mark Fedderson, face painting and the building of a Mongolian yurt, a transportable dwelling Mongolian nomads use, along with a musical performance of traditional Tibetan music, according to a press release. Food and drinks will be provided by Bloomingfoods.\nWilliams said some firsts will happen at this year's event, including a collaborative event with IU's Union Board to offer a family-friendly DJ show from 7 p.m. to midnight Friday, Oct. 6, giving kids the chance to experience a nighttime event.\nLotus Fest as a whole is made possible by more than 300 volunteers as well as $85,000 raised by the board, Williams said.\n"It truly is an international festival," he said of Lotus Fest, which has attracted more than 9,000 people in the past, according to the press release. "I know one person who said the Lotus Festival was one of the top reasons he decided to move to Bloomington."\nWilliams said the Lotus Festival really connects people to Bloomington.\n"I've been to many festivals big and small," Williams said, "and there are just not many places that would be able to support a grassroots, community-centered world music festival"
(09/14/06 4:10am)
Democracy is at risk in the state of Indiana, according to Verify the Vote Indiana. The newly formed group cited inaccuracies in the electronic voting system currently being used in Monroe County at a public meeting Wednesday night at the Monroe County Public Library.\nVerify the Vote Indiana is investigating the accuracy of voting machines that have been used by Monroe County and the State of Indiana for about four years. Cynthia Hoffman, a member of the group, said the election results are inaccurate, compromising the democratic process. The group is pushing for a way to verify electronic voting systems on paper.\nJames Allison and other members of the group said a study by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law has found the electronic voting system currently being used is not reliable and is able to be hacked.\n"These things can make mistakes," Allison said at the meeting. \n"Someone who wants to tilt the election one way of the other -- it's not too hard for them to get in and hack a machine," he said in a phone interview. \nHoffman told a crowd of about 25 people that the county should return to paper ballots.\n"We need to do something before the November election, and then we need to think long-term," she said.\nThe group's plan of action before November includes getting approval from the Monroe County Election Board for parallel testing in the county. Parallel testing includes randomly testing machines on Election Day to determine whether they work properly, Allison said.\nThe group is hoping to see a decision in favor of the testing at the board's next meeting Sept. 20.\nHowever, even if the parallel testing found errors, it would be too late to change anything, he said. The tests would only prove that problems existed with those very machines on Election Day.\nBecause it's too late to change the November election system from electronic to paper, the group is pushing for voter-verified paper ballots, which would ensure votes are recorded not only electronically but on paper as well, Allison said. Voter-verified paper ballots are currently being used in 27 states but not in Indiana, he said. \nAfter the November election, Verify the Vote will be working with legislators to develop legislation regarding changes in the voting system, Hoffman said.\n"We really are having a crisis of democracy," Hoffman said. "I know that laws are being broken. If it's a democracy, then every individual matters."\nA test of the machines prior to Election Day will take place at 10 a.m. Oct. 4 at the Monroe County Justice Building. The only problem, Hoffman said, is that the company that made the machines will be doing the testing.\nWith each machine costing about $5,000 and with 180 to 200 machines just in Monroe County alone, Hoffman said it would actually be cheaper to go to a different system. \nIU freshman Peter Lemperis, who attended the meeting Wednesday, said a new voting system might not necessarily solve the problem.\n"I think there are flaws within any system," he said. "The new system can open itself up to additional loopholes."\nAllison said public officials might be wary to test the system because of the possible problems they might find.\n"If you have a public official who is reluctant to audit his machines in any way, you have to ask why," Allison said. "I would have to conclude it's because he's afraid of what he's going to find out about them. You cannot depend on them"
(09/12/06 9:25pm)
Auditions haven't started for InMotion Dance Inc. -- a student-run dance group that showcases styles of jazz, hip-hop and lyrical dance -- but preparation for its first shows has.\nCo-directors and seniors Justine Menter and Elizabeth Tejan, as well as assistant director and senior Natalie Labejof, have already gathered for the first time to plan a routine they might do for one of InMotion's first shows this fall. \nFor now, though, the group is focusing on holding auditions, which take place at 9 p.m. Wednesday at the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation in room 169.\n"We do everything except modern and ballet," Menter said. \nShe described the group's style as edgy, sexy and energetic, yet sophisticated. \nMenter is nothing but serious when it comes to selecting the group. \n"I'd say girls returning have an advantage because (they) know our styles," she said. "(But) it's all gonna be based on that day. New girls could come in and kill it." \nLabejof agreed that those with more experience and training would have the upper hand.\n"It would be hard for someone (who had) never danced before to come in and wow us," she said. \nMenter said the auditions will be competitive. Of the 75 to 100 people they expect to show up, only about 30 will make the group, she said. Also, though no men have been in the group in the past, they are welcome to audition, Menter said.\nThe women suggested a focus on style, confidence and personality for those wanting to brave Wednesday's audition process.\nAlthough the group takes itself seriously, Menter insists the members know how to have fun.\n"We're not gonna be rude and intimidating," she said. "We laugh, we goof around."\nOnce formed, the group will keep up the tradition of practicing for two hours twice a week, Menter said. \nInMotion has several big shows throughout the year, including Fusion, its end-of-the-year show. The group has performed at Big Man on Campus, IU Dance Marathon, Yell Like Hell, Kilroy's Sports Bar and Axis Nightclub, now called Jake's.\nThe only thing InMotion hasn't tackled yet is the competition. \n"It's not out of the question, but it's not our main focus," Menter said. "Performing is our main focus."\nThe judges hired for the audition process will be selecting the new group, but Menter said the women know what they're looking for.\n"You can tell even when they walk in here (who's a dancer)," Menter said. "They hold themselves in a dancer way. We are a hard-core, dedicated team, and we're looking for the best. Dedication is really essential for this team's success."\nFor more on InMotion, visit www.in-motiondanceiu.com.
(09/11/06 3:06am)
WonderLab's Fourth Annual Honey Harvest Weekend attracted several Bloomington families Saturday and Sunday, which included everything from tasting honey to trying on a beekeeper's suit and IU students played a major part in running the special program.\nSophomore Laura Sears, an elementary education major at IU, coordinated the entire event, which drew more than 160 visitors Saturday alone. She first started working at WonderLab as a volunteer. \nIn 2005, the WonderLab had over 800 volunteers, including many IU students, according to the museum's Web site. This weekend, 16 volunteers contributed to the bee-focused program.\nJunior Meghal Patel, a biology major, volunteered Saturday at Honey Harvest Weekend.\n"I like to work with little kids," she said. "They're always interesting." \nMost of the kids were under ten and brightened a room already filled with hanging airplanes and pictures of animals painted on the walls.\nTracy Hunter, a beekeeper from Hunter's Honey Farm in Martinsville presented, "A Day in the Life of a Beekeeper," showing the youngsters and their parents how bees make honey and how Hunter's Honey Farm extracts the honey to be sold.\n"Even though people fear bees, they're also fascinated by bees," Hunter said. "The entire world of the honeybee is intriguing."\nFree honey samples were a part of the show along with interaction, allowing a volunteer child to try on a beekeeper's suit and try out beekeeping tools.\nAfter the show, attendees walked around the museum's exhibits, which encompassed subjects like shadows, music, bubbles, puzzles and animals. The Honey Harvest program allowed the children to participate in "build-a-bee," a craft project they could take home, as well as honey tasting and candle-making.\n"It's kid-friendly," mother Jennifer Smith said. "They can do stuff by themselves. (They) don't have to have help with a lot of it."\n"I learned about bumblebees," Chloe Smith said, who attended the event with her mother.\nAs Sears supervised activities on Saturday, she said she loved the educational atmosphere at WonderLab.\n"I love the environment," she said. "I'm able to work with kids. (It's) a great place to be"
(09/08/06 6:12pm)
High-need schools in Indiana will soon see the benefits of a grant IU received early this month. The University has accepted about a half million dollar grant, which will be awarded in the form of scholarships to future math teachers. \nThe National Science Foundation Robert Noyce Scholarship Program will award funds to about 30 students over the next three years, starting in fall 2007. The program will pay for the majority of students' tuition their junior and senior years, said mathematics Department Chair Jim Davis. The students taking part in the program are making a commitment to teach at a high-need school in Indiana, which Davis defined as a low income school or a school where teachers have a high turnover of math teachers. \nThis is the first year IU has applied and received the grant money.\n"There's a real need throughout the country for more high quality math and science teachers," said Diana Lambdin, associate dean for teacher education and principal investigator for the grant. "Math is really important in today's society. We think we can attract some of very best mathematics students into this program." \nDavis said the students must be math majors to be considered for the program.\n"Essentially it's money for scholarships for students majoring in mathematics who commit to teaching," Davis said. \nStudents receiving the grant go through the program while attending IU, Davis said. They would major in mathematics but take teacher education classes through the program, he said. \nTwo programs are available, one for undergraduates and one for graduates. \nThe graduate program is for those students who have already had math training but need teacher training, Lambdin said. The undergraduate program is for math majors also interested in teaching who need financial help. \nDavis said he hoped the grant scholarship would increase the number of math majors and thus also add to the amount of math teachers. \n"It's possible that maybe some future secondary education students will decide to major in math so that they'll be eligible for the scholarship," he said. \nInterested students should contact Lambdin or professor Kent Orr, director of undergraduate studies. Davis suggested students should apply as early as sophomore year in order to receive it for their junior and senior years. Lambdin said she expects the program to be competitive and that the recipients would be "really high quality students." They will be looking at grades, extracurricular activities and financial need, she said. \n"We're hoping to attract those high-quality math people who may be interested in sharing their love of math with other people," Lambdin said.
(09/08/06 3:59am)
Supporters of an Indiana police charity came to a ceremony in Indianapolis Wednesday expecting to see a presentation of a donation.\nNever did Lt. Greg Butler, training coordinator for the IU Police Department, imagine the donation would be $1 million.\nConcerns of Police Survivors is an organization that provides money to families whose relatives were officers killed in the line of duty. At a bike charity event for the organization last month, Indiana State Police Recruit Academy Commander Lt. Gary Dudley and Lake County Sheriff's Department Chief Gary Martin were killed in Vermillion County when a truck crashed into the support vehicle driving behind them, causing the vehicle to crash into the riders.\nWednesday morning, Cook Group Inc., whose headquarters are located in Bloomington, announced a $1 million donation to COPS, the organization Dudley and Martin so heavily supported.\nButler, who was part of the charity event, was nothing but grateful. \n"This is unprecedented for COPS to receive a donation like this," Butler said. "I don't think (anyone) ever expected someone to make a $1 million donation." \nCook Group Inc. is the world's largest privately owned manufacturer of medical devices, said David McCarty, director of public relations for Cook Group Inc. The group has over 6,000 employees worldwide.\nMcCarty said the organization felt this was something they wanted to support. \n"I think the benefit that (COPS) brings to the state of Indiana as a whole warranted the size of the donation that we made," he said. \nThe donation made more people aware of COPS's existence and what the organization does, Butler said.\n"Unfortunately it did bring COPS attention in the community that it hadn't been before," he said. "That (Bill Cook) would do this is amazing for us." \nButler said they consider the family members survivors because they have to deal with the loss of a loved one.\n"Each officer leaves behind a family of some sort," he said. "It's a hard adjustment for them to kiss their husband goodbye for work, and before the end of the day he's gone. There's a lot of attention that needs to be given to those families."\nThough Butler did not know exactly what the money from the donation would go toward, he said much of the money COPS receives goes toward covering a family's lost income, professional counseling and a means for the family to attend a national ceremony in May. \nThe ceremony, part of National Police Week in Washington, D.C., includes a law enforcement memorial where names of those killed are shown on a wall to honor those who died, Butler said. \n"Sometimes these families have no means or money to attend the ceremony," Butler said. "COPS ensures they are there for that moment. Next May Dudley and Martin's names will be on that wall." \nMcCarty said the donation at Wednesday's ceremony was a pleasant surprise for the people there, which included members from COPS, Gov. Mitch Daniels and the widows of Dudley and Martin. \nButler emphasized that he saw strong character in the men who were killed \nin the process of helping others. \n"Mr. Cook saw that this is a significant tragedy, that...men would sacrifice their lives trying to help others in this way," Butler said. "He felt … the compassion those officers felt. And God bless him for it. Because he didn't have to do that"
