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(10/18/04 4:59am)
The findings of a recent study left educators across the nation vexed over why millions of undergraduates failed to apply for financial aid they likely would have received.\nThe American Council on Education, an association which represents colleges and universities, released the study last week. It said that in the 1999-2000 academic year about 8 million students who attended schools with federal student aid programs never completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. \nJacqueline King, the author of the study and the director of ACE's Center for Policy Analysis, said she believes there are three primary reasons students don't apply. \n"One, is there are students who simply aren't aware about financial aid, they don't know programs exist and are really in the dark," King said. "Then I think there is a group of students who are misinformed about eligibility and deadlines, and don't apply because they assume they wouldn't get anything. But I think there are also students who are really put off by the bureaucracy of having to fill out these financial forms." \nKing said her biggest concern is that 1.7 million of those who didn't file for aid came from low to moderate-income backgrounds and would likely have received aid if they had just completed the FAFSA. Approximately 850,000 of those students could have been awarded Pell Grants, an esteemed federal grant for students of low income.\nSome are skeptical of the study's findings. Bill Ehrich, associate director for Client Services at IU's Office of Student Financial Assistance, said he attributes these high numbers to the fact that more students are applying for aid online. \n"They begin the process and don't finish," Ehrich said. "When everyone completed a paper application, there was no way to tell who started but didn't finish."\nEhrich said he also questioned the study's high estimates of the number of students not applying. \n"We have to remember that there are people out there who do not, under any circumstances, want to put personal financial information onto documents that are read by others," Ehrich said. "Distrust of government is a reason why many people don't complete forms like the FAFSA. If someone does not wish to divulge certain information to be able to qualify for federal, state or university aid, that is there decision and I must respect it."\nThirty years ago, Ehrich said, the FAFSA was extremely complex and hard to navigate. He said the FASFA has been simplified and is now a breeze to complete online.\nThe study also said many don't complete the FAFSA because they have found other ways to fund their education. If they had filled out the form though, King said they could have received more aid.\nWhen sophomore Margie Michna looked into financial aid she decided a deal from her bank was a better option. \n"I didn't apply because I wouldn't have gotten much to begin with because of what my parents make, and it would have all been in the form of loans," Michna said. "The interest I would have had to pay back was greater through financial aid than just taking out loans at the bank."\nKing said she encourages students to apply for aid even if they have doubts.\n"It doesn't make sense to make any assumptions about what financial aid you may receive," King said. "Filling out the form is going to take you an hour or two, but there may be a significant payoff. The only way to find out if you would be eligible is to go ahead and fill out the form."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu.
(10/14/04 5:06am)
As students finished their meals in Wright food court Wednesday night, they rushed to dump their leftovers in trash bins and hardly noticed the banner on the wall that asked, "How much do you waste?" Each of the bins had been labeled either, "Compost," "Trash" or "Recycle," but most paid them no attention and threw their waste into the closest bin.\n"We're doing research for INPIRG," senior Vanessa Caruso said "if you could just separate your trash."\nCaruso snapped on a pair of rubber gloves and reached into the compost bin to pull out wrappers and pizza boxes, throwing them in the trash herself. Members of the Indiana Public Research Group hosted a Food Weigh Event at Wright to bring awareness to IU students about recycling and the reduction of waste on the campus. \n"It's difficult because students are so used to walking up and throwing out their trash," Caruso said. "When they get here and you say, wait a second, they look at you funny. It's just foreign to them."\nJunior Danny Atlas, the Sustainability Research Coordinator for INPIRG, said the event was an experiment of sorts to see if students would be open to recycling and separating their uneaten food from their wrappers. INPIRG volunteers would then weigh the contents of the three different bins to try and measure in pounds just how much waste is produced. \nFrom this data, Atlas said, INPIRG volunteers hope to find a way to reduce waste which would in turn reduce trash consumption and ultimately save IU money.\n"I don't like the education students get from eating in food courts on campus," Atlas said. "They are taught to wait in line, buy their food and throw it away. Once it's in the trash can it's out of their consciousness. They don't have to think about what it will do to the earth or the environment."\nAtlas said when he lived in Foster as a freshman, he was disgusted by how much he had to throw away, but he never did anything about it because he didn't think there was anything he could do. As a sophomore, he took a class at IU that opened his eyes to the interconnectedness of waste and its im pact on the environment. "Everything is thrown away," Atlas said. "Landfills are filling up; if we can figure out how we can reduce waste at Wright, then we can help reduce waste on campus." \nAtlas also learned about how difficult it can be to have successful recycle programs at universities like IU, when a bin designated for plastics can quickly become contaminated by a bag of chips, for instance, and custodians are not allowed to reach into the bin and remove the item.\nGraham Shepfer, Special Services manager for Residential Programs and Services, is also the director for all residence dining halls on campus. Shepfer said he is interested to see the results of the weigh in because he would like food courts to be more environmentally friendly and thinks reducing waste would have financial benefits for the University. \n"We pay out of our budget to haul all that trash away," Shepfer said. "Anything we could do would cut expenses."\nIn order for waste to be reduced, Shepfer said, students must be willing to cooperate because there is only so much the staff can do. \n"I think in order to get recycling to function, we need to have more students work with us to sort everything out," Shepfer said. "We need to get the bulk of students to not contaminate the bins by throwing random stuff in them."\nFreshman Daniel Eilon opted not to be a part of the weigh in, and threw the remains of his dinner in the trash.\n"I wasn't sure what was going on," Eilon said. "I don't really believe in recycling. More energy is used in the process of recycling and this outweighs the benefits of reusing. But I think it's noble they're doing something they believe in."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu .
(10/13/04 5:03am)
With just one swipe of a plastic ID card, students can buy snacks in dorms, purchase books and supplies, hit the tanning bed, or pay for laundry without having to scrounge up a handful of quarters.\nThis year, more businesses have been added to the list of nearly 40 locations off campus that allow students to pay with their CampusAccess cards. \nDonatos Pizza on Third Street began accepting CampusAccess cards last month to boost business. \n"We wanted to increase our campus marketing and bring in more business from IU students, not just from residents," said Ross Savage, a shift manager at Donatos. \nSavage said the amount of pizza deliveries has increased with this new service because all students have to do when they call is read off the numbers on their Access cards, like they would if they were paying with credit or debit cards.\nAside from Donatos, students can now use their cards at places like the Encore Café, Malibu Grill, Bucceto's Smiling Teeth, Texas Roadhouse, T.I.S. College Bookstore and Sol Spa Tanning. \nTeresa Ray, manager of the Campus Card Services offices, said she hopes to add 10 more businesses within the next year. Usually businesses are the ones who request adding this service, Ray said, because they want more students to frequent their establishments.\n"It makes things simpler for the students," Ray said. "They don't have to carry cash or change, and most of them have their cards on them all the time. It's faster than paying with cash when they go through the lines and is more convenient for students and staff."\nCampus Card Services made it possible to manage accounts online a few years ago, Ray said, giving students and parents an added convenience. Once online, students can view their past transactions, suspend their cards if they are lost or stolen, and, with a credit card, they can directly deposit money into their account.\nFreshman Mallory Deckard said her Access card has been useful this year.\n"It's more convenient because I don't have to use my own spending money," Deckard said. "My parents put money on my card as I need it, and they don't have to worry about meeting up with me to give me cash."\nOther students agree that the card makes laundry more convenient, but freshman Lauren Marshall rarely uses her card to go to restaurants off campus because she said she's still spending money whether it's on the card or in cash.\n"You still have to put money on the card," Marshall said. "It's my money and using it for food and stuff is still spending my own money."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu.
(10/01/04 6:23am)
After a long day of classes, junior Scott Ferguson and sophomore Jacob Mazer are hungry. At 5:15 p.m. the two friends, both vegans, scan the dinner menu posted on the wall at the entrance of Collins' Edmundson Dining Hall and turn up their noses.\n"We've been thrown to the wolves," Ferguson jokes. \nThe two opt for wraps in the deli line, like they now do most nights, instead of eating a hot meal in the traditional buffet line.\nFor years, students like Ferguson have chosen to live in Collins Living Learning Center because they know it caters to vegetarians and vegans. This is especially important to vegans who maintain a strict diet of no animal products or by-products. That means no meat, dairy or eggs. \n"I'm vegan for animal rights purposes," Ferguson said. "I heard about Collins before I came to IU. I was vegan and was told this was the place to come." \nThis year, things have changed.\nJim Beeson, longtime vegan chef and manager of dining services at Collins, resigned in the spring, taking with him all his recipes and leaving many students unhappy. \nThe new manager, Cheryl Gucinski, has been faced with many complaints. On Wednesday evening, nearly 40 residents gathered in the Edmundson Former Lounge to voice their concerns to Gucinski and other members of the dining hall staff. Also present were Resident Halls Association President John Palmer and Pat Connor, the executive director of Residential Programs and Services. \n"My biggest problem is the lack of vegan food," said freshman Luke Shumard, a Collins resident. "Everyday it's not a problem, but on Sundays, soup is usually the main entrée and that's about it."\nAmong the other complaints were the lack of a hot breakfast, the loss of cereal dispensers and waffle machines, the mislabeling of vegan items, the absence of vegan deserts and the planning of meals in general. Many vegans were also concerned about the lack of protein in their diet because tofu is rarely offered. \n"I like to have good combinations of food when I eat," freshman Elizabeth McConville said. "Sometimes when you eat, everything on your plate is the same color, and that's just wrong."\nNot much has changed this year, Gucinski said. All the forecasting for meals is based on last year's records. \n"We pretty well have gone with the same menu," Gucinski said. "We've added a few homemade cream soups, but basically that's the only thing we've changed. I do know when we prepare strictly vegan items, very few are taken."\nAs for the waffle iron, Gucinski said it was removed because it had not been properly maintained. When it was used, she said, it wasn't kept under a sneeze guard, which presents the danger of cross-contamination.\n"It was left filthy over the summer," Gucinski said. "The grease and gunk had caked and baked all summer, so it was discontinued."\nGucinski is not new to the job. She started working for RPS in 1985 and has worked as either manager or assistant manager of the McNutt, Gresham, Willkie, Forest, Eigenmann and Read dining halls. She said there are always problems in new situations but that this is the first time she has ever been attacked before even knowing there was a problem. Usually students bring her their complaints through Community Council, she said. \nResidents have organized a food committee that will meet once every two weeks to discuss new issues and consult with Gucinsky, who said what she needs is new ideas and that she welcomes recipes, especially for vegan items. Gucinsky is also given a budget by RPS and must stay within that budget.\nSophomore Yasmina Bersbach, Collins resident and former Edmundson employee, said that more than just food has changed. Bersbach worked for Beeson last year and said that for Beeson, his job was his life. At 7 p.m. each night, she recalled Beeson would sing the "Last Call," usually a song he made up to let students know the dining hall would be closing in 15 minutes. \n"To Jim, it was personal. He made an effort to get to know students, and he was a part of Collins," Berbasch said. "I feel like Cheryl's detached and just here to do her job."\nWith time, Gucinsky said, these issues will be worked out. She noted that the menus were just changed to be more vegan friendly. She also plans to hire more staff. \n"Obviously I want to make the business grow, and I want students to be happy," Gucinski said. "My role is to provide quality food, service and a good atmosphere. Collins is a wonderful community. There are very few buildings on campus where people sit and have dinner together."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at
(09/28/04 5:07am)
Of the 3,000 reasons you've been told to brush your teeth, one more should be added -- it could save your life.\nDr. Michael Kowolik, professor of periodontics at IU's School of Dentistry, located in Indianapolis, just received a $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study whether dental plaque build-up may be a potential risk factor for heart disease.\n"It's very gratifying that a prestigious body sees the study as an exciting model with potential to be developed," Kowolik said, in a thick English accent. "Right now we are getting all our ducks in order."\nIn January, Kowolik and a crew of researchers will begin the two-year study. They are in the process of recruiting healthy non-smokers between the ages of 18 and 30, half of whom will be male, and the other half female. Within this group, Kowolik said, half the participants will be black and the other half Caucasian. \n"We are not aware of anyone in the world who has ever run this model in African American individuals," Kowolik said. "Genetics may also play a role."\nKowolik said each group of subjects will be committed for 11 weeks, and then a new group of subjects will be tested. There are three phases of the experiment. First, a group of healthy subjects will have their mouths cleaned professionally until all the plaque is removed, and they will be given one of the nine required blood tests to count their white blood cells among other things. For the next 21 days, they won't be allowed to brush their teeth; as the plaque accumulates and their gums inflame, Kowolik and his team will take more blood samples. After the three week period of poor hygiene, Kowolik said the subjects will have their teeth cleaned and their blood tested again, after all plaque has been removed.\n"We are not looking for heart disease in our subjects," said Sherie Dowsett, an associate professor at the dentistry school, who co-wrote the grant proposal with Kowolik. "It's an indirect study. We are looking for the response to plaque in the subject. We are testing a lot of different areas like white blood cells and proteins released in the blood when you get inflammation to see if some of the products produced as a result of dental plaque could be risk factors for heart disease." \nKowolik studied the relationship between plaque accumulation and white blood cells in 2001. He worked with the knowledge cardiologists gained in the 1980s, when they noticed people with higher white blood cell counts had an increased risk of heart attack.\nWhite blood cells respond to bodily infections. Everyday, it's absolutely normal for these cells to pour out of a healthy person's bone marrow in billions, Kowolik said.\nWhen confronted with a bacterial infection, this number can multiply to several more billion. In his previous study, Kowolik examined and quantified how white blood cells increased in people who let plaque accumulate on their teeth for 21 days without brushing. \n"What we find is when you see plaque on teeth, which is not a horrendous acute infection but still a bacteria, it is sufficient enough to cause a significant increase in the number of those defense cells," Kowolik said.\nThe primary difference between Kowolik's previous and current study is scale -- this is a much larger study, Kowolik said, with more statistical power. In light of his research, Kowolik suggests people take more time when brushing their teeth so they don't leave plaque behind. There's a chance, he said, that over time enough plaque could build up to tip that balance and put an otherwise healthy person at greater risk for coronary complications. \nFreshman Brian Stutsman remains skeptical of the possibility. \n"I think eventually everything's going to kill you, so it doesn't really matter," Stutsman said. "Brush your teeth and you'll be fine."\nOthers, like Kowolik and Dowsett, hope the study will change the face of dentistry, proving that dentists are useful for more than cleaning teeth and mouths. \n"It's not seeing the mouth as just an isolated part to keep clean," Dowsett said. "The mouth can really play a role in your general health. You shouldn't just be keeping your teeth clean so they look healthy. Cleaning your teeth keeps your whole body healthy."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu.
(09/27/04 4:42am)
Adventurous students who have considered careers in outdoor leadership and instruction might want to spend their spring semester participating in the Conservation and Outdoor Recreation/Education program. Applications for CORE can be turned in as early as this week, but no later than Oct. 22. \nCORE is a semester long intensive outdoor program open to undergraduate students for 17 credits and graduate students for 12. Only 18 students will be accepted this year. Any student can apply, but priority is given to juniors and seniors majoring in outdoor recreation and resource management. \n"I think CORE is a really neat opportunity and is something unique to IU," said Jill Overholt, the program's coordinator and a former CORE participant. "There are few other programs like it in the country. It offers students a chance to get out of the classroom and learn job related skills hands on."\nStudents accepted into the program attend an orientation in November where they receive equipment lists, calendars of planned events and tips on how to get in shape. Their semester is split between classes and field experience. Students spend the first two months preparing for a three week final expedition by attending classes at the Hilltop Garden and Nature Center and going on five small weekend trips to places like Bradford Woods, Hoosier National Forest and local caves. At the end of the semester they spend 20 days beginning in the Henry Mountains in Boulder, Colorado and ending in the Dirty Devil Canyon in Utah. \n"The beauty of the area is we can park our vehicle, then hike up into the mountains, summit Mount Ellen, then hike down into the desert and into the canyons without ever having to get into a vehicle," Overholt said.\nJoel Meier, a professor and Chair of the Department of Recreation and Park Administration at IU, first started CORE at the University of Montana. In 1994 he brought the CORE concept to IU.\n"I knew how this kind of program could change people in a positive direction, enhance students' leadership skills and blend academic classroom learning and the experiential approach," Meier said. \nThe program has since been under the leadership of Alan Ewert, a professor in the department of recreation and park administration, who has provided students with more learning opportunities. \nThanks to Ewert, students now have more opportunities to develop their technical outdoor skills while also working to achieve various designations including SOLO wilderness First Responder certification, Search and Rescue Training and Wilderness Education Association Outdoor Leader Certification. \nSenior Kristin Pothier participated in CORE last semester and said that although she will now be graduating a semester behind, her experience was worth it. Pothier said she knows she may not be able to use the technical skills she learned in her future job, like how to rock climb and mountaineer, but through CORE she said she learned about herself and a variety of leadership styles that will enable her to help the people she plans to work with someday.\n"CORE is not a program you can just halfway commit yourself to," Pothier said. "CORE will be your life that whole semester. However, it is a rewarding experience and is well worth all of your time and energy."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu.
(09/20/04 5:39am)
With the loss of many seniors to graduation this year, members of In-Motion are seeking new additions to their intimate dance company. Many hopefuls trickled into a dance studio at the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation building Sunday to audition to be part of the student-run company.\nIn 1993, two dance majors started In-Motion for their senior projects and it has evolved into a dance company for undergraduate students wanting to pursue their passion for dance while going to school. \n"We are hoping for some guys to join this year to add more variety to the group," said sophomore Ruthie Reichard, one of the 17 members of the current company. "We are shooting for about five new members. However, if there is an overwhelming amount of talent, then we will take as many as desired."\nMany students who aren't able to make time for dance in school have found a place in the group.\n"I joined the company because with my major, I wasn't able to minor in dance so In-Motion gives me the chance to continue dancing through my college years," said junior Adrienne West, who this year heads the company along with senior Jillian Kahn. \nWhat sets In-Motion apart from other dance companies on campus is that it is entirely student run said junior Lauren Henderson. \n"We do everything ourselves, from leading the practices, choreographing all the pieces and booking any events we are going to participate in," Henderson said. The group is funded through voluntary donations and independent advertising.\nMost members have been dancing all their lives, like Reichard, who joined In-Motion last year. \n"I wouldn't say that there is a specific age I started dancing. A good way to put it is, I don't remember when I wasn't dancing," Reichard said. "My mom was a baton twirler and a dancer for the University of Illinois so she would always be making up routines and dancing around the house. I have dance in my blood." \nIn-Motion members practice many styles of dance like jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, tap and modern. They have performed at different events on campus like Spirit of Sport, Night at the Apollo and Dance Marathon. \nThis year West said they hope to enter a contest held in Indianapolis. Also, they are working to incorporate salsa and other Latin styles of dance into the big company piece they will perform in April for their annual spring show. West said the group is always open to dancing at other organized events.\nAccording to Reichard, this year's activities will be a little different. In past years, every Sunday night the entire company would practice together for two hours. During the week, the group would break down and members would practice their individual pieces for two hours. \nReichard said they hope to have more full company practices to allow for more unity and togetherness as a group. They also would like to collaborate with other dance groups and musicians on campus to enrich their performances. \n"I love dancing because it allows me to express myself in a different dimension than words allow me to do," Reichard said. "It frees me of the concerns of everyday life and allows me to become alive again."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu.
(04/30/04 6:07am)
For many students, relationships with professors last for 50 minutes and are contained within the white walls of classrooms. That is why Collins Living-Learning Center residents have grown to love Carl Ziegler, who has been the director of the LLC for the past 13 years. At the end of each semester, he always invites students from his Literature of the 1960s class into his home in the country, cooks them dinner and asks them about their interests and ambitions. They are more than just his students, they are his friends. \n"The time my class went to his house the power went out and he couldn't cook," said sophomore Erin Farlow. "So he ordered Chinese food and then left 20 of us in his house alone while he went to pick it up. It struck me how trusting he was."\nNext year will be different for Collins students because when they walk down Eighth Street, they won't see Maxine, Ziegler's dog, wagging her golden tail. They won't be greeted by Ziegler's firm handshake or warm smile because in July, Ziegler turns 64 and will retire. \n"I'm retiring now for financial and personal reasons," said Ziegler, who for years, has been a professor of both Germanic studies and comparative literature at IU. \nZiegler became the director of Collins in 1991 and began making changes. Soon after he worked with Residential Programs and Services to physically beautify the Collins quad by removing shrubs, putting in new windows, fixing the roof and expanding housing options for students. He initiated the Hillcrest Apartment Complex, located half a block from the main quad, and also acquired a clubhouse on Eighth Street, where students go to cook, play pool or watch movies.\nOne of Ziegler's main priorities was to transform Collins into a living and learning center. He hired a full-time academic coordinator and expanded the courses at Collins. Now, Collins is a part of the College of Arts and Sciences, and the college invests money in the residence hall so that any IU student or resident of Collins can choose to take one of the many intimate seminars offered each semester. \n"Collins improved a lot after we opened our classes to all students at IU," Ziegler said. "Some think Collins is the artsy-fartsy weirdo dorm, but we've opened up our community and invited students to take courses here and see the fallacy of their stereotype."\nZiegler also worked to improve programming and implemented many different groups in which students can be involved, such as the Arts Council; E-Force, for students concerned with the environment; Philanthropy Council; and the Board of Educational Programming, where residents can propose and approve new courses. \n"Change is always scary; you get used to things being a certain way," said Yara Cluver, director of admissions at Collins. "It will be sad to see Carl go, but I guess that's just the nature of things."\nZiegler will help ease the transition of the new director and will work with whoever is chosen through August. After that, he plans to spend more time traveling, building a new house and working with more volunteer organizations. \n"I wouldn't expect my successor to do everything the way I did," Ziegler said, "but I hope they will make students their top priority."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu.
(04/13/04 4:54am)
In a dimly lit room inside the WIUS studio, junior Lindsay Baumgartner and freshman Matt Leach take their seats across from each other, put on their headphones and prepare to go on air. Without nervous stutters or flushed cheeks, the two students begin their Monday night talk show, WIUSEX, and for the next hour they discuss sex.\n"It's stimulating," said Baumgartner. "We're not doctors or anything, but we can at least let people know what's available to them."\nInfluenced by the nationally broadcast radio show, "Loveline," Baumgartner received permission from WIUS last semester to host her own sex talk show. She dedicated her time slot to discussing sex because she believes it is an issue that affects students' health and their emotions. She said it is not perverse, as some people believe, to talk openly about sex.\n"The same way talking about emotions builds bonds, so does talking about sex, because it is emotional," said Baumgartner. "Some people are really closed up about it, and that's sad."\nWhen Leach heard Baumgartner was looking for a co-host, he jumped at the chance. \n"I think about sex a lot," said Leach. "Thinking about sex makes you want to talk about it."\nNow the two host the show together every Monday night. The show often features Chelsea York, who works for Fantasy Inc., a company that distributes sex toys. York provides the show with different toys with the condition Baumgartner and Leach find people to use them and then review them on the show.\nEach show begins with the sex toy review. Last week, two freshmen expressed their mutual fondness for the Insatiable G, a type of vibrator. Both said they worked up the courage to talk about their experiences and were excited to be on the show.\n"I hate that girls never talk about masturbation," said freshman Allison Overdeer. "It is important to masturbate. Not too many women are happy about their sex lives, and they should take matters into their own hands, so to speak." \nAfter the toy review, Baumgartner and Leach interview the guests. Past guests have included a man who specialized in genital piercing, a human sexuality professor, members of the Student's Global Aids Campaign, Planned Parenthood staff and Crisis Pregnancy Center representatives. \nThe hosts dedicate the remainder of the show to discussing the sex topic of the day. At this time, listeners can call or instant message the station to express their feelings about topics that range from how drinking affects sexual performance and judgment to animal sex. \nBoth Baumgartner and Leach's parents support their children's decisions to host WIUSEX. Baumgartner said she is lucky to have a family that is open to talking about sex and that her parents have had discussions with her about sex since she was a child. Leach's parents enjoy WIUSEX so much they frequently send their son instant messages during the show and participate in the discussions. \n"Even my grandma listens," Leach said, "She is just proud I'm on the radio and happy just knowing my voice is on the air."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu.
(04/01/04 6:31am)
Imagine this -- you wake up, roll out of bed and on your way to class grab a copy of the Indiana Daily Student. After scanning the headlines, your squinting, sleep-deprived eyes pop open. Assembly Hall is in shambles after a propane popcorn popper allegedly caused an explosion late last night. There are pictures to prove it. \nYou tell your friends, and maybe you decide to go and check out the damage. But when you get there you realize something isn't right. There are no firefighters or crowds of shrieking people. Inside, the floors even look polished. You're shocked -- until you realize it's April Fools' day. The joke's on you. \nIU students would have read this same story April 1, 1975, in what they thought was the IDS. What they had actually picked up was a copy of the "Indiana Daily Stupid," an April Fools' Day satire of the real newspaper. The "Stupid" was packed with articles and advertisements that at first glance, looked believable. \n"Our paper looked identical to the IDS," said Steve Danzig, a 50-year-old Bloomington resident and the man behind it all. "We even went into the IDS layout room and made sure everything looked the same." \nDanzig himself was a former IU student and president of the student body from 1973 through 1974. He was politically active on campus and was a part of the counter-culture movement during the 60s. He said he wanted to do something fun and came up with the idea for the "Stupid." Months before each Fools' day, he recruited writers, usually IDS staff, and raised money to publish and distribute the "Stupid." \nThe first challenge was to create believable satire. One mock article announced the Student Health Services was encouraging all women who had gotten their birth control prescriptions from the SHS in January to stop taking them -- 80 percent of the pills prescribed were placebo sugar pills instead of just the last seven slots. Hundreds of angry women called the SHS that day, Danzig said. \nThe satire also included playful pokes at important figures at IU, including former basketball coach Bobby Knight. Contributors for the "Stupid" found a picture of Knight and his players sitting on the sidelines reacting to the game. Their faces were contorted and Knight's legs were in the air. The IDS used to run a page devoted to feature stories called "Emphasis on," which "Stupid" contributors parodied. Under the photograph they wrote, "Emphasis on the Farts," and then fabricated a story about Knight's gas problem.\n"We made fun of fraternities, sororities, leftover hippies, and the president," said Dan Barreiro, former IU student and IDS staff writer. "We weren't reserving it for any one group of people because the idea was to bring the same sort of satire to everybody. Some of it worked and some of it was kind of stupid."\nThe next challenge was creating and distributing the "Stupid." Danzig would hold numerous meetings with contributors before April, 1. They would gather at Mother Bears, he said, and brainstorm. They collected photos and wrote captions for them.\nAs the first approached, Barreiro said, it became like a classic cramming for a test. In the days before the computer, they used exacto knives to cut out pictures and articles and then pasted them onto the page by hand.\n"We were up 36 straight hours putting it together," Barreiro said. "Then we would drive to some podunk Indiana town where there would be some small newspaper with a printing press. Danzig convinced them to help us print them."\nIn the U-Haul truck Danzig would rent, contributors traveled to Vincennes, Peru, Ind., and Columbus, Ind., to get the paper printed. The truck was so weighted down by papers, Barreiro said, laughing that he was convinced at one point they were going to drive off the road and die. \nWhen they got back to Bloomington, they would go out like ninjas in the night to distribute the "Stupid" everywhere they could on campus. Then they waited to see the effects. \n"I think we all laughed with the student body at the humor of it, some made clever fun," said Trevor Brown, Dean of the School of Journalism. "At the same time, I think we felt deeply uneasy, like whenever you laugh at a dirty joke. It's funny, but something's not quite right about it."\nBrown was a journalism professor during the short life of the "Stupid." He felt that the "Stupid" always had a high risk attached to it because the contributors were inventing things that could potentially undermine the credibility of the IDS, a paper striving to be professional and in competition with the Bloomington Herald Times for the news.\nThe "Stupid" appeared for roughly six consecutive years and then Danzig and others stopped working on it. \n "Whenever you do something like this it becomes a chore instead of a labor of love," Danzig said. "We felt it had run its course"
(03/29/04 5:04am)
The sound of beating drums lured many students and members of the Bloomington community into the IU Fieldhouse this weekend to the third annual First Nations Pow Wow, where American Indians from all over the country gathered to celebrate and share their culture through dance and song.\n"The Pow Wow is not designed for only native people. The intention is to educate the public about a culture they may have never seen," said Wesley Thomas, head of the First Nations organization at IU, a group committed to spreading awareness of American Indians and both Alaskan and Hawaiian natives. Thomas, who is a professor of anthropology at IU, organized the event.\nWhen Thomas arrived at IU from New Mexico, he felt it ironic that in a state whose name means "land of the Indians" there were virtually no traces of the culture on campus. Himself a Navajo, he felt it necessary to begin holding an annual Pow Wow. This year, members of roughly 47 of the 554 American Indian tribes in the U.S. came to Bloomington dressed in their tribal regalia to sing native songs, sell arts and crafts and participate in dance competitions. \nBrandon Sickbert, a junior at IU, attended this year's event.\n"It was an opportunity to experience another culture," Sickbert said. "It was a good cultural awareness building event."\nThe Pow Wow, for many American Indian tribes, is both a religious and social event. The drumming is the focus and is considered a prayer, said Thomas. It is essential for the dancers because it provides them with music to which to dance. There are 16 types of regalia, or outfits, the dancers wear, which vary from tribe to tribe. These outfits, said Thomas, are never to be called costumes because a costume is only something to be worn temporarily. Each tribe's regalia is usually distinctive and has a symbolic meaning embedded in it. \nAt this year's event, there was a special performance -- the Fukishima Kodaly Choir from Japan played music of the Ainu people, early inhabitants of Hokkaido, Japan. The Ainu, who value strong connections with the land, have been oppressed in their country and marginalized in Japanese society. \nEach year, a new Pow Wow princess is selected to represent the First Nations Pow Wow throughout the U.S. The princess, said Thomas, must act as a cultural ambassador and travel to other pow wows to educate and perpetuate the tradition. The judges consist of three women, all former princesses, who look for intelligence among contestants and make their choice based on who has the greatest cultural knowledge. Beauty is not a component in the competition because the American Indians do not value it as an aesthetic in their community. \nElizabeth Begay, a soft-spoken 16-year-old from Chicago, was unanimously selected as this year's princess after dancing and answering cultural questions. Begay is a member of the Navajo tribe and said she has been dancing since she could walk.\n"I want to teach other non-Indians about our culture," Begay said. "I want them to understand us in a dignified way and not think we're strange."\nThomas is already planning next year's event and predicts even more people will attend. He said next year, it will focus more on the dance competitions. Thomas said he will continue to educate the public about American Indian culture for as long as he can. \n"Spirituality is something you are completely immersed in from the moment you are conceived," he said. "It is something you perpetuate and pass on to your children. You can't shed it like your clothes."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu.
(01/23/04 5:27am)
Nearly 35 students and members of the Bloomington community gathered at Dunn Meadow Thursday night to express their feelings of discontent with the 31st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that gave women the right to have an abortion. They stood in a large circle with their eyes closed and their heads bowed as a prayer was said.\n"We must work in the face of abortion so that lives may be saved," said Father Atkins of the St. Paul Catholic Center. \nThe Vigil for Life was hosted by members of the Grand Old Cause, a conservative activism group on campus. The group has been active for over a year. Chase Dowman, president of IU's chapter of the GOC, said he organized the event to give fellow conservatives the opportunity to come together and speak out against abortion. Dowman, a sophomore, said he has been anti-abortion for as long as he can remember.\n"I believe that life begins at conception," Dowman said. "There is still a potential life there. Whatever you call it, it is going to be a baby; it is going to be a mother or a father, and that is a life to me. If you look at it like that, how could you be for abortion?"\nDowman urged the group to contact their congressmen and get them to vote anti-abortion on the issues. He said a change must be made.\n"There have been 40 million lives lost to abortion," Dowman said. "We can not go another 30 years like that. We are better than that as a nation."\nBibiana Pipher, a resident of Bloomington, said she regretted not speaking out against the Roe v. Wade ruling when it occurred in 1973. \n"I felt very guilty that I was not more verbal in objecting to it," Pipher said. She said she has recently joined other Bloomington residents to protest outside of the local Planned Parenthood on Thursday mornings, when most abortions are scheduled. \nStudents involved with Campus for Choice, an abortion rights group at IU, have a different view. \n"I believe that the fact that the Roe v. Wade decision was made 31 years ago should be celebrated," said junior Lindsay Prater, vice president of the Campus for Choice group. "But it's also important to reflect on the difficulties and struggles faced by women before 1973 and to keep in mind that the right to freedom of choice can be taken away just as easily as it was given." \nPrater said the anniversary serves as a reminder of the time before the Supreme Court's decision when many desperate women resorted to dangerous methods, having to use coat hangers or by employing 'back alley abortionists' to terminate their pregnancies. Prater said while she does not agree with the opinions held by anti-abortionists, she respects and appreciates everyone's right to choose and voice their own opinions. \n"I know that both sides of the abortion issue can coexist peacefully," Prater said. "Or at least agree to disagree."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu.
(01/21/04 4:28am)
Members of the Bloomington community will gather this week in the Main Library to participate in the second-annual Fraternity vs. Sorority Blood Challenge. The event was organized by IU's Panhellenic Association and the American Red Cross in response to a critical need for blood in the River Valley Region.\nThe River Valley Blood Services Region supplies blood to 56 hospitals throughout Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. The RVR must collect 650 pints of blood each day in order to provide hospitals with sufficient amounts of blood for patients.\n"We don't have enough blood right now," said Michael Young, communications manager for the American Red Cross. "We have been operating at about a half day's supply of blood for the last ten days, and that is a critical level. We normally require a three day's supply to be considered safe."\nOn Jan. 12, the Red Cross issued a nationwide appeal for blood. Young said that a national appeal seriously impacts the RVR because when extra blood is needed in regional hospitals, there will be nowhere to import it from.\n"Hospitals are using more, and more blood, and we can't keep up with the demand," he said. "For us to keep up, we need to get donors faster than we could. We hope to get more donors than we had before."\nBloomington is one of the region's major metropolitan areas with a large student population to collect blood from. The blood challenge will continue through Thursday, beginning each day at 11 a.m. and ending at 4 p.m. Those who helped organize the event said they hope to reach their goal of at least 375 donors, which would exceed last year's turn out. \n"We don't want to give off the impression that this is exclusively a Greek event," said Rebecca Neale, vice president of programming for the Panhellenic Association. "We are hoping that members of the non-Greek community will come out and help us with this important community cause." \nNeale said she hopes the blood drive is successful and that a competitive spin on the blood drive might increase community involvement.\nThe men's chapters won the challenge at last year's blood drive. Whichever chapter has the most member involvement this year will be recognized -- their names will be placed on a plaque that will hang near the student activities desk in the Indiana Memorial Union.\nJay Kinney, chairman of Philanthropy for the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, said he anticipates many members of his house will participate in the event. There are at least 20 individuals planning to donate their blood and 10 to 15 others who are volunteering. \n"One of our brothers could need blood one day," Kinney said. "We decided, as a house, the event was important."\nDonors must be 17-years-old and weigh at least 110 pounds. They should also bring a valid I.D with them when they donate. Young said people who have the flu will not be able to give blood until they are in good health. He also said live operators will be answering the hotline (1-800-GIVE-LIFE) from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and will answer any questions people may have about where and how they can donate blood.\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu.
(12/15/03 5:18am)
United Way Community Services of Monroe County has elected an interim executive director for the organization, until a permanent person is found.\nRebecca Beckfield, who completed her graduate studies at IU, accepted the position last month. Board President-elect Ed Gross said he thought Beckfield was a good choice.\n"She is knowledgeable, resourceful and can pull together the committees very well," Gross said. "She knows intimately what each one of those committees are about because she was closely involved in them before."\nBeckfield has been involved with United Way operations since 2000 and first served as campaign director. Two years later, she worked as the community resources director. Her past experience with the organization has helped her with her new job. The main duty for an interim director is to aid the organization in its search for a permanent person to hold the position, Beckfield said. These searches can be time consuming.\n"It can take three to five months to find another director. It might be a national search where we get hundreds of resumes," said Patty Boone, communications director. "The interim is appointed to take over and do what the staff would do. The staff does not have time to do what the executive director does."\nOne of Beckfield's most important tasks is to oversee the overall operation of the United Way. She is responsible for detecting when any particular department needs help, so that all the different parts of the United Way can work together.\n"My job is to see the big picture in the organization ... to see what holes need to be plugged, and what issues need to be addressed," Beckfield said. \nBeckfield also said that one of the main duties of the United Way is to raise funds. One of her priorities, along with all the affiliates of the organization, is to finish up this year's fund-raising campaign.\nThe United Way Community Services organization allocates funds for 23 nonprofit organizations so these member agencies can provide social services for people who need help in the community. This year, the goal is to raise $1.6 million, Boone explained, and then to make sure this money benefits people who need it.\n"We are at about 62 percent of our goal," Boone said.\nLast year, the monetary goal was exceeded. It has been a tough economic year, Boone said; yet, both she and Beckfield are optimistic.\nBeckfield has been attracted to the social services field since she was a child. As a Girl Scout, her eyes were opened to the needs of people in the community. In college, she volunteered for an emergency crisis hotline. She completed her master's degree in public affairs through the SPEA program at IU and specialized in nonprofit management. Once a permanent executive director is found, Beckfield plans to stay true to her interests.\n"I will be looking for another job in the community in a nonprofit organization," Beckfield said. "I want to help people and get involved with a good organization that contributes something to the world, and there are so many different organizations in town that are good." \n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu
(11/13/03 5:32am)
Tiny voices echo through the halls as the elementary students file into their morning classrooms. They have sharpened their pencils and put their knapsacks away. Teachers instruct them to prepare for morning announcements, which are broadcast on a schoolwide television program.\nAt 9 a.m. a television set in the general office flicks on. Two students and assistant principal Jim Morrison appear on the screen and give a weather report for the day. An image of the American flag appears and is enlarged until all 50 stars and 13 stripes fill the screen. \n"Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance," says one of the students. \nThe 470 students at Highland Park Elementary School in Bloomington follow this routine each morning and recite the Pledge of Allegiance before classes commence. \nMorrison said among parents, there is blanket support for the pledge, but he emphasized that if parents or children had strong objections to it, the pledge can be optional.\nThe U.S. Supreme Court decided Oct. 14 it would rule on the constitutionality of requiring students to recite the pledge in public schools across the country. \nThis decision resulted after an atheist father, Michael Newdow, objected to his 5-year-old daughter having to listen to the pledge each morning at her public elementary school in southern California. Both Newdow and the Elk Grove Unified School District have appealed to the Supreme Court, but because his guardianship of the 5-year-old has been questioned, the court will only hear the school district's appeal. \nThere are many people like Newdow who view the phrase "one nation under God" as a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. At some elementary schools in Bloomington, the pledge is recited by students, while at others it is not.\nLaw professor Daniel O. Conkle, who specializes in First Amendment issues, said even if a student is not required to recite the pledge, there may be subtle pressure to participate, including peer pressure.\nThe Establishment Clause can be violated even without direct religious references being made in public schools. Conkle noted that the Supreme Court might decide the pledge is merely a statement of patriotism regardless of its reference to God.\nThe Pledge of Allegiance was adopted in 1942, and originally lacked the controversial phrase "one nation under God." It was inserted in 1954 by the U.S. Congress when the government decided it needed a way to distinguish the United States from communist and atheist countries. \nAt Arlington Heights Elementary School in Bloomington, there is no designated time for the pledge. Principal Linda Black said there are students who are Jehovah's Witnesses as well as atheists, whose families simply do not say the pledge. \n"At our school we respect the community at large," Black said. "We embrace lots of cultures and beliefs." \nShe also noted that not requiring classes to begin with the pledge each morning allows teachers more academic freedom.\nHeather Rhodes, a third grade teacher at Highland Park Elementary School, said she does not see the pledge as a religious oath. For Rhodes, it is important that her students recite the pledge out of respect for the soldiers fighting overseas, she said. \nLast year, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction in Indiana, ruled it is constitutional for students in public schools to be required to say the Pledge of Allegiance. The pledge has been supported by a close neighbor to Indiana.\nIn a document addressed to the members of the Illinois Senate and 92nd General Assembly, Gov. George H. Ryan wrote that the pledge is important because it is a "voluntary act of patriotism" and reminds students what the United States was founded upon. Students who do not want to participate in reciting the pledge cannot be forced to against their will.\nSandy Ducey, a mother of two children who have both attended Bloomington schools, said she has mixed feelings on this issue. \nDucey said her daughter Meagan, a Girl Scout, used to have to say the pledge before each Brownie meeting. This made Ducey uncomfortable, especially with the reference to God.\nDucey also has a 9-year-old son, Nathan, who currently attends Childs Elementary School. She said she now has no objections to him reciting the pledge.\n"Now I have a different view," Ducey said. "I don't have a problem with the pledge. I don't think of God as the Judeo-Christian God, as a man in the sky with curly white hair. I define God as an energy and life force. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and when you think about that as God then the pledge is great."\nThe Supreme Court plans to make its ruling by the end of next year.\nAsst. Principal Morrison said, "Frankly, if it loses the two words 'under God' and goes back to the original pledge, it will still be the pledge."\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu.
(10/30/03 5:20am)
While the incidence of cancer among Indiana residents is lower than the U.S. average, the number of cancer deaths in the state is higher, according to a report released recently by the Indiana Cancer Consortium.\nState officials said the disparity shows cancers among state residents are not being diagnosed early enough to allow effective treatment.\n"Obviously this indicates that we're not doing what we can to screen," said Elizabeth Hamilton-Byrd, an employee at the Epidemiology Resource Center at the Indiana State Department of Health. "We can prevent mortality if we screen and detect cancer at an earlier rate."\nThe "Indiana Cancer Facts and Figures" report, which was released last month, states that although people can survive most colon and rectal cancers if they are detected early, only 45 percent of Indiana residents over the age of 50 reported having a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. In the United States, 48.1 percent of adults over 50 have been screened for colon cancer.\nDoris George, of Treaty, Ind., said she had her first colonoscopy two years ago. She was 66 at the time. Though doctors found no signs of cancer, this does not mean she can neglect being screened in the future. There is a history of colon cancer in her family, and her doctor recommended she get another colonoscopy in five years.\n"It's not something you want to do. It's not very pleasant. It's getting prepared for the colonoscopy that's the trouble," George said. "But I plan to go back, definitely."\nDoctors recommend if someone has a history of disease in his or her family, they should get screened earlier. \n"We know that breast cancer is 97 percent survivable if it is detected early enough," said Sharla Cretors-Daniel, communication specialist for the American Cancer Association. "If every woman over 40 had a mammogram every year, we could cut breast cancer deaths in half."\nEach section of the 32-page report begins by outlining the many types of cancers most common among residents of Indiana. For each type it provides information about healthy lifestyle choices people can make to reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. Some of these choices include eating a healthy diet, protection from the sun and eliminating tobacco use and exercise. Obesity and smoking are among the leading risk factors for cancer in Indiana. \n"These choices alone can have a dramatic impact on cancer," Daniel said. "Eliminating tobacco use could reduce cancer deaths by a third."\nLack of awareness and money are both explanations for why residents are not getting screened. "Insurance can't cover it all. Some people can't come up with $100 out of their pockets for care," Hamilton-Byrd said.\nPeople can be screened for no cost under state-run programs. Leslie Dufner, an employee of the American Cancer Society, encouraged people to be proactive about getting the care they need. Residents can be screened for cancer at the Bloomington Hospital or any hospital in their area.\n"Money is not a good enough excuse," Dufner said.\nFor more information, residents should contact their primary care physicians or log onto www.cancer.org/Indianafacts to view the report.\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay Lyon at lrlyon@indiana.edu.
