That's what she said
(10/25/07 4:00am)
The Line\n"As long as it's covered, it can't spread."
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Absentee American
(04/25/07 4:00am)
OXFORD, England – I wrote my first column this year about the benefits of studying abroad. Exposure to another culture or language enriches our appreciation of the world’s diversity. Exposure to international politics teaches us, as American students, that we are quickly falling from the pinnacle of power we so recently enjoyed. And of course, cheap travel to European countries is a novelty that still hasn’t worn off. After following the Virginia Tech massacre through headlines and experiencing Little 500 week solely through Facebook posts, however, I began to realize the extent of what I have been missing.\nEarly in the academic year, the introduction of the Facebook news feed made stalkers more efficient and less detectable. Also, Facebook opened its virtual doors to all internet users, transforming it from a network of university students and alumni to an all-inclusive cyber-community. I am heavily indebted to the news feed for retaining the ability to keep up on the latest wall-post drama while overseas. \nIn February, the Super Bowl’s Budweiser commercials maintained their high standards, showcasing the best in American advertising. The English don’t like Budweiser beer, but they do like the commercials. As for the actual game, the Colts won. \nJustin Timberlake’s “Dick in a Box” skit on Saturday Night Live swept the nation – or at least it seemed that way on YouTube. Despite the famed sexual openness of European society, the skit’s crudity failed to impress the English students who watched the clip. They insisted that the humor evident in the sketch’s parody of bad R&B and slapstick innuendo “is just an American thing.” So I found a few Americans, and we laughed at it together.\nIn January, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton’s declarations of intent to run for president in 2008 came six months earlier than expected. Previous candidates have waited until the summer of the primary elections to officially enter the race. \nAnd then, the largest mass shooting in US history shocked the world. \nThe snippets of news and popular culture that have made their way across the ocean and through my internet cord are far from definitive. I imagine a dozen trends have gripped the IU student body this year, loosening their hold only after they became ubiquitous. Small tragedies have no doubt circulated the hallways of Ballantine. Someone has probably invented a new cheer for the student section. And, Jiffy Treet, my favorite sophomore haunt, has moved from Kirkwood. \nThese changes will be overwhelming. When I return, I will wonder if I ever would have exchanged my year abroad for the same year near the close friends, professors and American snack foods that have made Bloomington feel like home. The answer will be no, of course. My year abroad has been enough to make the thought of leaving England equally as tragic. But I am looking forward to living in a new Bloomington this fall. For now, the summer and its potential for further change lie ahead. My most important questions will have to wait until my return. For instance, I am afraid to ask if Ugg boots are still in style.
Better concept than album
(04/12/07 4:00am)
I want terrible things to happen to Trent Reznor.\nIt's not that I have anything against the man. In fact, he's one of my favorite artists, but he clearly does his best work when he's incredibly depressed and abusing drugs to excesses that would make Keith Richards blush.\nYear Zero marks the second Nine Inch Nails album since Reznor has gone sober, and much like 2005's With Teeth, it's a fine album but fails to live up to the high quality of his earlier work.\nFor those of you who haven't been following the development of the album closely, Year Zero is a concept album about a world 15 years in the future in which the president of the United States is seen as God and occupations of Middle Eastern countries are done regularly in his name. \nSeveral viral Web sites have been set up that tell this story that includes a drugged water supply, nuclear attacks and a giant hand coming out of the sky known only as "The Presence."\nReznor sets the stage for this world from the get-go with "Hyperpower!," an instrumental intro with strong militaristic overtones, the title of which references the idea of the United States as the world's lone superpower, followed by "The Beginning of the End," another song which leads the listener into believing an interesting story about this future is about to be told.\nBut from there, things hit a bit of a road block. Tracks such as "Survivalism," "Me I'm Not" and "My Violent Heart" are interesting lyrically, and the first single, "Survivalism" especially, has a strong, classic NIN beat, but what each song does to further the concept, besides just bitch about totalitarianism, is debatable.\nLater tracks are more on topic and musically much more interesting. "God Given" is a track that is especially on point, but also rocks with a pop beat that would fit in well at any dance club. \nThe beauty of Nine Inch Nails has always been their wonderfully depressing music, which is on full display in the closing tracks "In This Twilight" and "Zero Sum," both of which lament the end of this world and question where to go from here and what could have been done to stop it.\n"Zero Sum" in particular might be the best NIN album closer since "Hurt" on The Downward Spiral.\nStill, while individual tracks deliver, I can't help but feel somewhat unfulfilled by the album as a whole. I have viewed the Web sites affiliated with the story of "Year Zero," and it's an interesting concept, but in the end that's all it is: an interesting concept that fails to fully deliver as an album.\nDon't get me wrong. This is not a bad record, and Nine Inch Nails fans such as myself will find a lot to enjoy here, it just fails to live up to the hype. But considering that Reznor has already stated this is part one of a two-part album, maybe that makes sense. \nPerhaps when the next installment is ready next year, Year Zero will truly shine. For now it's an interesting but ultimately disappointing album that is just too ambitious for its own good.
The only way to travel
(04/11/07 4:00am)
Traveling is expensive. For college students, whose income consists of part-time jobs snagged during the evening and summer holidays, wanderlust can become a backbreaking expense. The discouraging exchange rate in Europe and sky-high prices drive young adults to cheap hostels during their treks around the continent. \nHostels provide the bare necessities – a bed, a shower, and (hopefully) a roof without leaks. The popularity of affordable hostels has led to the creation of a “hostel culture” composed of the growing group of young people who travel looking for good company and a good time. Along with the creation of a hostel culture comes hostel etiquette; however, a set of explicit or implicit rules that hostel patrons violate at their own risk.\n1. Be friendly – Hostels function on the unwritten rule that employees and patrons can only live happily in lack of luxury if they are kind and courteous to one another. Hostels are perfect places to meet people interested in seeing the sights, especially if you are traveling alone. If a college traveler doesn’t to want to spend all day alone in the cybercafe, they would do well to look around the room and smile vacantly until someone smiles back.\n2. Be grateful – Hostel rates usually run at least 50 percent lower than any budget hotel. If a traveler is lucky enough to find a cheap hostel that also offers a free all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, it is perfectly acceptable to eat one gigantic free meal a day to save money on food. In this case, however, the hostel patron may not either complain about the food or ask impatiently when the cafeteria staff will get around the refilling the juice pitcher. \n3. Be cool – A growing group of travelers are card-carrying partiers, who hostel hop alone across the largest European cities in search of a good time. Hostel party animals may be recognized by their social prowess and battle scars – bruises, cuts and broken bones occurred while drunk in the line of duty. If a hostel party animal chats you up in the hostel common room, consider yourself lucky. If a hostel party animal extends an invitation to a partying expeditions, you are bound by honor to accept. \n4. Be tactful – If one or more of your bunkmates starts to snore off his three pints of the local brew, it is acceptable to either cough loudly or ask him or her to roll over. If both fail, it is then acceptable to either throw rolled-up socks at the offender or physically roll him or her over.\n5. Be flexible – Hostels exist not only to provide cheap, safe accommodation for the thousands of young (and old) people intent on traveling the world, but also serve as invaluable resources for traveling advice and companions. Hostels can be dirty, stylish, small or located in the red-light district (beware the Stay and Learn Hostel in Frankfurt, Germany), encouraging young people to adapt and grow as self-confident travelers. Hostels reward college students who play the rules of the game with the time of their lives.
Fall into the gap
(03/07/07 5:00am)
University isn’t the automatic option for secondary-school graduates in England. Even those students enrolled in the uber-elite Oxbridge frequently take a “gap-year” to explore the world, do community service or earn a bit of money before they commit the next three or four years of their lives to earning specific degrees. More American universities and students should strongly consider the benefits of taking a gap-year before entering college or the workplace as informed and mature adults.\nMore than 30,000 English students accepted to English universities – 7.7 percent of the total – decided to defer matriculation in 2005. The number of American students who take a gap-year before matriculating is also growing, according to a New York Times article last September. A year off exploring and traveling can give incoming students focus, drive and confidence. American students, with less of a gap-year tradition to support their desire to take time off, are more likely to take a year off after college or to fill the need for exploration through a junior year abroad. \nThe high-pressure environment of high-school activities and college admissions in the U.S. often kills the possibility of taking time off before matriculating. High-performing American students who don’t take gap-years can feel the pressure to ride the momentum of their high-flying secondary-school performances, without taking time out to evaluate their goals. \nStudents who take the advice of Harvard’s admissions office and take a year off are more likely to succeed in college and graduate on time, its Web site states.\nWithin England, there is a growing gap in the experience between wealthy and less well-off students. The more expensive gap-year experiences, such as teaching outdoor pursuits in Tasmania, can cost as much as $20,000. A productive gap-year experience does not need to break the bank, however. Some students work hard to raise money for their travels, while others find opportunities closer to home. In January, academics at the first conference on the gap-year experience admitted that it is still predominantly an experience limited to the white middle class.\nThere are now 15 academic positions in England dedicated to studying the gap-year experience as a way to analyze a young person’s transition into adulthood. A gap-year industry has sprung up in the last decade comprised of companies that charge huge amounts to send large groups of young people far away.\nGap-year students in England, and increasingly in the U.S., may receive preference in college admissions as well, since having traveled during university years shows an awareness of the international community and puts academic privilege in perspective. Similar to the junior year abroad experience in university, a gap-year continues to become an academic asset for those who can afford the expense and make the most of their experiences. \nThe gap-year experience seems to meet with approval from universities, professors and students. English students, riding on a strong “gap” tradition, arrive at universities more focused and mature. Why aren’t American students doing the same?
School comes first
(02/21/07 5:00am)
College athletics are exciting to watch. Compared to highly-paid professional athletics, college athletes are true warriors – not only fighting the clock or an opposing team, but also working hard to balance athletic commitments with the normal college experience. \nIU gains a big chunk of change due to its high-profile sports. Every men’s home basketball game racked up $285,000 as of two years ago, according to an article in Indiana Alumni magazine. Most of the athletic department’s revenue comes from basketball and football ticket sales. The IU athletics department has a strong incentive to push athletics over academics.\nEven when athletes’ celebrity statuses aren’t larger than life, American universities ask athletes to pay the price tag for athletic popularity with their academic performances. The pressure to perform is the same pressure that could create tunnel vision, placing athletics as a priority at the cost of a challenging academic experience. \nThe New York Times is one of many newspapers that consistently publishes articles addressing exploitation of university athletes. The media has raised concerns about the profit motives of the NCAA, which arranges tournaments that require athletes to miss a huge number of classes. While the NCAA limits the number of hours athletes can spend training each week at 20, those hours don’t necessarily include time for transportation or “optional” workouts that can take up several more hours each week. Some student athletes have to work hard to accommodate additional priorities into their lives while holding down the equivalent of a full-time job. \nRecent efforts of the IU athletics department Web site to spotlight the nonathletic hobbies and ambitions of our student athletes work against ongoing accusations by the media that universities continue to exploit their athletes. In interviews, athletes consistently insist sports are at least one of their main priorities along with friends, family and less frequently, academics.\nAthletes who enter IU on the athletic track may have to work harder to find the time to take academic risks and excel. As a member of the rowing team last year, I watched fellow teammates go so far as postponing graduation in order to give their best efforts to the sport. While committing to an extra semester of college is hardly unusual anymore, it still remains the job of athletic departments and individual coaches to help ensure that athletes’ eyes remain on the future as well as the immediate prize. \nWhile athletes’ academic performances may be lower than that of many other campus groups, they consistently out-perform other students in feelings of happiness or self-worth. According to the statistics of Richard J. Light in “Making the Most of College,” even athletes with demanding schedules make happier people. \nAlthough athletes often insist they do not need protection at all, American universities should help student athletes look beyond what may very well be the best years of our lives and encouraging them to take the academic risks that will allow them to excel in careers; where no one may be keeping score.
YouTube in the U.K.
(02/06/07 11:57pm)
OXFORD, England -- Missing Thanksgiving was tough for American students studying abroad last term. But for many, the feeling of loss last November pales in comparison to the excruciating absence of the Super Bowl and its infamous advertisements last Sunday. Thanks to the accessibility of the Internet and the enthusiasm of its users via YouTube, students studying abroad this year didn't have to miss out on the highlight of the Super Bowl experience: its commercials. Clips of the game are available on YouTube too.\nIn Oxford, England, the Super Bowl started at 1 a.m. A few hardy Americans powered through the game with a mixture of caffeine and alcohol in the local Junior Common Room or a pub. Those unable to find a satellite television, or unwilling to trudge their way through the cold to a pub that stayed open past 1, however, cursed the time difference and made do with news reports and, of course, YouTube. \nAlmost immediately after the end of the game, YouTube users had posted each of the commercials that had aired during the football game, ranked according to viewer popularity. Bud Light seems to be topping the charts, with commercials like "Class Mencia," a commercial working with the premise of an ESL classroom to translate the need for Budweiser to any region of the U.S. From the Southern "Hey, feller, give me a Bud Light" to the LA-speak "Give me a Bud Light, homes," Budweiser on YouTube unintentionally gives international viewers a surface summary of U.S. regional differences and plays with its status as nation of immigrants.\nI have always enjoyed Super Bowl commercials -- usually more than the game itself, I have to admit. The top industries and advertisement companies in America vie for the attention of millions of viewers in a single night. Commercials aired during the Super Bowl seep into the American consciousness, accepting the definition of popular culture presented in the commercial that has sought to reflect the same popular culture. People watching the Super Bowl in England know that Budweiser is the American beer, that Snickers is the American candy bar. American advertisement doesn't work within the realms of reality -- Doritos can help two clumsy people fall in love and cute alien creatures work in a happiness factory inside Coke machines to make soda. Beer not only tastes good, it can make us happy. \nEnglish commercials, on the other hand, tend to be more understated. On English television, old medicine doesn't make the sick person feel like running a marathon, as some brand-name drug commercials have implied -- it just makes being sick more tolerable.\nThanks goodness for YouTube and its efforts to take advantage of the democratic nature of the Web to make entertainment, and the information we can glean from it, accessible to us all. The Super Bowl commercials have reminded me of the version of reality I had begun to forget, being out of touch with American television and pop culture for more than a month. The fact that I could fall out of touch, however, suggests that commercials, American or English, more often project reality than reflect it.
Security snafu
(01/24/07 12:41am)
OXFORD, England -- A pair of tennis shoes, a bottle of milk. Canisters of cologne, shampoo, one festively wrapped bottle of French champagne. The end of the holiday season is a bad time to travel from London by air. The stacks of food, hair spray, sodas, pocket knives and clothing that littered London Heathrow Airport's security line the weekend after New Year's is testament to air traveling's rigors. Airports are desperate to hush complaints about long lines and strict security (which has only recently lightened the ban on lip gloss), in order to get customers on flights, even if that means allowing the tardy customer to skip the punctual flier.\nHeathrow Airport is unique among international airports for its strict enforcement of the "one carry-on only" rule -- no purses, ladies -- and its militantly efficient and detached airport personnel. The Saturday after New Year's Day hundreds of people held their breath and dove into the 400-meter-long airport security line. Most savvy travelers know to schedule weekday red-eye flights to avoid horrendous delays. I learned my lesson.\nHeathrow Airport personnel seem to employ extensive military training, making periodic rounds along the ribboned barriers to rescue dozens of thoughtless travelers who hadn't left the necessary 3 1/2 hours for international flight check-in and security clearance. By a stroke of luck and flight anxiety, I can only attribute to latent psychic powers or Santa Claus, I arrived exactly 210 minutes before my flight departed. Many weren't so intuitive. Travelers whose flights were due to take off within an hour sprinted to the front of the line with a personnel escort. \nResentment toward those escorted to the front of the interminable line was palpable. Fliers who left time to jump through security hoops and make it to the gate on time rolled their eyes, shifted baggage or groaned when a member of Heathrow staff guided another tardy traveler to the front of the line.\nThe politics of security lines favor the aggressive and resourceful as much as it does the well-prepared. The strictness of carry-on regulations varies; London Heathrow is the only one out of the eight airports I have visited in the past year that insists on enforcing the letter of the single carry-on rule. Whoever can cram three bags' worth of packing into a single backpack while shuffling through line is willing to sacrifice what can't be packed, and can stand up to the constant shouting of airport employees who might as well be screaming "Move out, soldiers" will make it to the gate with luggage and sanity intact. \nAs tardy fliers flew to the front of the line, a chorus of grumbles satisfied regular travelers during the post-holiday flying season. Perhaps we stood it because we realized that next week it could be our car that breaks down or alarm that doesn't buzz. I paid my time in line (a little over an hour) and lived to tell a tale common for post-holiday fliers -- I slid into my seat just before the stewardess closed the cabin door. Next time I'll fly in the off-season.
Breaking tradition
(11/30/06 3:33am)
OXFORD, England -- Tradition is an intrinsic good at Oxford University. The reverence for tradition includes not only scholars wearing black gowns to and from exams and lectures, but also the tendency to demean women's role in academia. The notorious Old Boys network, the successful English men who strengthen their upper-class ties in secondary school and university, is still present on this campus. Many Oxford networks and traditions center around the male student population, leaving some women struggling to assert themselves in academic relationships and leadership positions. \nRecently in Cherwell, Oxford's independent student newspaper, Hannah Roe and Samir Deger Sen discussed "Oxford's subconscious sexism" as a tradition that extends deeper than blatantly discriminatory rules or policies. The article notes that student media portrays different versions of success for men and women. In a recent ranking of 50 prominent students, those few women who made the cut were described solely in terms of their physical appearances. If beauty alone is sufficient for female success, women uncomfortable with asserting their talents have little incentive to push their intellectual limits. \nThe recent experience of Oxford finalist Rebecca Lindhout further illustrates this problem. During an interview for a university telethon to commission donations from alumni, interviewers asked Lindhout what experiences she could emphasize to make alumni excited about giving. Lindhout began to enthusiastically describe her success in raising the standard of the netball team before the interviewer cut her off. "He told me: 'The alumni won't be interested in netball. Have you got anything else?'" Lindhout said. Netball is a women's sport. Lindhout is also president of the Corpus Christi College Boat Club and so will have plenty to talk about with Oxford's mostly-male alumni when the telethon starts next week. But boat club coxswain and finalist Katie Howe and finalist Bettina Reitz said that some alumni rowers visiting Corpus Christi have made offensive comments about women, suggesting that the college was better off without them. (Many other alumni, however, have been very kind and supportive of women's increasingly important role in the university.) \nIt's ironic that an institution so renowned for intellectual exploration still finds itself bound by sexism. IU became one of the first state institutions to accept women in 1867, 53 years before Oxford began conferring degrees to female undergraduates. IU was the first to establish a gender studies Ph.D., as well. At Oxford only nine out of 39 colleges have women Junior Common Room presidents (the rough equivalent of a student-body or dorm president). In contrast, two of the three top executives on the IU Union Board are women. \nAt the same time, many students, both male and female, do support equity between genders. To many others, feminism has become a dirty word, in many academic and social circles in and beyond Oxford. Women who highlight the importance of gender equity need only earn the label "feminist" before their ideas become fodder for jokes rather than worthy of serious consideration. Thinking about gender issues isn't merely a feminist activity; rather, it should be a human activity.
A cheese-loving race
(11/09/06 3:24am)
OXFORD, ENGLAND -- All English people love cheese. English Northerners are friendlier than Southern English people -- an interesting flip in the otherwise identical American stereotype concerning Northerners and Southerners. English people look down on dining guests who put their knife down at any point in the meal. Germans are assertive. The Swiss are boring. An English person will never complain if someone cuts in line in front of them. An American always will. These are only a few of the pearls of wisdom jovially dropped into my foreign lap since my arrival in England six weeks ago.\nSince I arrived in London, it seems I have talked to at least once person a day trying to explain the English people and their differences from Americans. Tour guides make a killing by making substantiated generalizations that may prove helpful to travelers or at least confirm their already deep-set suspicions and stereotypes. Guides who are citizens of the target country seem most likely to confirm unfair stereotypes. \nThe welcoming speeches at the Butler study abroad program's orientation meeting warned students visiting Oxford University that British students hide from fellow students the fact that they are doing work in order to create the impression that they are able to succeed without much hard work. However, most students I have met at Oxford work hard and complain about their work load, as well as how long it took them to complete it, along with their American counterparts.\nSome American students fall into the trap of trying to fit into stereotypical molds in order to better uphold the version of the world their conversation partner has constructed. For example, Jonathan Rhodes, an English student at Oxford University, told an entertaining story expressing admiration for the Americans' unwillingness to tolerate injustice. As a result, I think that the next time someone cuts in the queue, I may be more likely to speak up about it. Alternatively, American students may use the generalizations as a challenge to contradict the English version of the "American" identity. When one of the more common generalizations about Americans concerning the loud volume of their voices emerges, I could be careful to talk softly for the rest of the conversation.\nGeneralizations are amusing, entertaining and even useful to the extent that they can challenge us to re-examine our own identities. They are also inescapable.\nPicture it: an average college room in a well-known British university. The normal accoutrements of an Oxford student's college room litter the desk and floor -- \nliterature books, computer cords and opened bottles of wine. What is missing from this picture? That's right, all English people (as well as French people, so I hear) share a common obsession with cheese. Cue: Entrance of a large 1 kilo (that's 2.2 pounds) package of soft white cheddar. Fast forward one hour, when four English literature students have succeeded in reducing the block of cheese to a sliver. Lesson learned: four English students, a block of cheese and a discerning analytical mind are an instant recipe for an indigestible generalization.
Lost in the stacks
(10/26/06 8:11pm)
OXFORD, England -- The Herman B Wells Library stacks might seem like large prison cells. The buzzing of its fluorescent lights might make students twitch. The 11th floor might be haunted. But IU Bloomington's main library offers more than what any library at Oxford University can: access -- and plenty of it. \nAmerican students take for granted easy access to library books. Wells library stays open from 8 a.m. to midnight every weekday. During the weekends, the stacks are still open for 11-13 hours a day. The Information Commons section is always open, providing impressive technology resources to any IU student, or anyone else, at any time. \nOxford University's Bodleian Library, perhaps the most famous library in the world, owns a copy of every book published in the United Kingdom in the last 400 years. It owns a 1623 edition of Shakespeare, among other famous first editions. However, students cannot check out books from the Bodleian. If students want to read its books, they must sit down and read them in the library itself. Librarians militantly monitor the books' safety -- signs remind readers that marking in their pages is a serious offense. The library also closes at 10 p.m. every night.\nThe Bodleian's novelty begins to wear once it becomes apparent how difficult its size renders getting a hold of books. Most of the library's books are actually off-site, packed up in warehouses until someone requests them. Once a student does so, it may take as few as six or as many as 24 hours to receive a book. While smaller, subject-specific libraries allow undergraduates to check out as many as 15 books at a time, they usually close earlier than the Bodleian, as well. Oxford students have to plan ahead to get their reading done. There's no room for error.\nMost students adjust their schedules depending on when they have access to the materials they need -- i.e. computers and books. IU's Wells computer lab is open 24 hours a day. With book services available for 16 of those 24 hours, IU students are free to follow a variety of study schedules. \nAt the same time, Oxford students will almost never need to ask their library to order a book from another library. Experience in working with a more difficult library system is also rewarding, and it's easier to feel a sense of accomplishment after a day in a reading room, confident that Facebook has not eaten away half of one's "study" time. With the convenience of easy access to texts, abstracts and technology, we may have lost the appreciation for the traditional schedule of the student, who held down the same hours as a white-collar worker: both were in their offices from nine until five. American students are used to our library luxuries and should appreciate the flexibility of hours that makes it possible for us to hold down jobs, play sports or have otherwise-crammed schedules while still making time to study. Near-unlimited access opens a lot of doors -- but it's certainly nice to have evenings off from the library.
Grinning gains
(10/12/06 2:45am)
Some stereotypes are true: Lots of people in England have dental problems. The semi-socialist government covers most medical costs but charges fees for dental care. So, many people in England don't go to the dentist frequently, exchanging the prospect of straight teeth for low medical bills. Duly, then, at the American students' study abroad orientation session, the British director of the program told us that we had one infallible leg up in our attempt to get our own way in the town and university where we would be living. You guessed it: our big white American smiles. \nNot that everyone in America has the smile of a supermodel. In the United States, however, there is an expectation to seek out regular dental and orthodontic care from a very young age. The field of cosmetic dentistry in America is booming. American magazines like CIO and the Web site groovejob.com have published articles on the importance of smiling to enhance leadership skills and further career goals. In our culture, teeth are currency.\nAndrew Williams, director of Butler's Institute for Study Abroad office in London, told his American audience to smile in tough situations. If you're dealing with a rude official, he said, we are to swallow our American indignation and the temptation to throttle the other person and ... beam. Trust me, he said. It sounded easy enough. \nI had an opportunity to test the effectiveness of Williams' advice last week. After a long, exhausting day, I stopped for groceries. Hauling my food to the front of the store, I handed over my credit card. I didn't have any cash. The cashier scrutinized my sullen face and the back of my credit card. "I can't read the signature," she announced, calling over her manager. They both looked at me. I scowled at them. Adjusting their glasses, they peered down at the card. "We can't take this," the manager said. I stormed out of the store. \nAfter a relaxing afternoon and a dinner of hot soup, I had once again convinced myself that the outside world was not plotting my demise. Still without any cash in hand, I went for a walk with an equally destitute friend. We ran across an ice cream shop. I said I would pay with credit. I edged my credit card between the two massive chocolate ice cream cones towards the cashier. "We don't take credit cards." Oh, no. I turned to my friend; He shook his head. I closed my eyes, took a breath and smiled. He gave us the ice cream. \nI came back the next day and paid for the sweet treats we had enjoyed the night before, still marveling at the largesse inspired by a simple smile. I know that the ice cream shop worker had been a generous man before I smiled at him. Also, it's not necessary for a smile to be particularly straight or white to work its magic. A grin is a universal, irresistible gesture toward complicity. But some stereotypes are true. A straight smile certainly didn't hurt.
Bloomington international
(10/05/06 10:12pm)
Many IU students are too devoted to their academics, extra-curricular activities or close-knit college community to study abroad. Thankfully, traveling overseas is not the only way to experience other cultures -- to get the chance to make small talk in Chinese or Hindi at a traditional celebration or ceremony. The Leo R. Dowling International Center serves the diverse needs of international students at IU and offers a lesser-known but invaluable gateway for American students to the international experience.
Hold the Beam, Scotty
(09/14/06 2:58am)
I like animals. Many of them taste good. However, even as a non-vegetarian, I recognize the real ethical and practical problems that surface when humans undertake the use of animals for our own ends. Last weekend, IU hosted its first conference devoted to exploring the relationship between humans and animals. The masthead for the conference, "Kindred Spirits," could have been the title of an adolescent poem and the photo of baby orangutans a candidate for a children's calendar. The issues dealt with in the conference were challenging, mature and compelling. The packaging of the conference was not.\nThe conference's Web site explains that the conference tries to explore the "complex relationships between humans and nonhuman animals in their myriad forms." The language of the Web site and other literature disseminated before the conference confined itself to academic, professional terminology as befits an academic conference. Keynote speaker Donna Haraway, who opened the conference with her speech "We Have Never Been Human: When Species Meet" insisted that it is important that some of those concerned with animal rights issues not call themselves anti-globalization, since the term could alienate those who misunderstand the term. In the same speech, however, Haraway cheerfully dropped names of Star Trek characters and the sex-capades of the 1960s to illustrate her meandering -- or perhaps I should say organic -- points.\nThose concerned with the relationships of man and animal, or animal rights issues, alienate some with references to hippie culture, neo-paganism or outright cutesiness. The topics of many talks this weekend were compelling -- one talk by Carol Adams was concerned with "The Sexual Politics of Meat." Another dealt with the "Ethical Implications of Research Using Anthropoid Primates." However, the language and style of presentation risked confirming the "hippie" stereotypes that some already attach to those who work on animal concerns. An enthusiastic attendee, junior Emma Young said that while she admired Haraway, unnecessary references to cultural marginalia frustrated her. "We need to understand that these things have been re-appropriated. But it is annoying," Young said. Haraway slid in a knowing joke during her speech comparing her dogs' eagerness for sexual activity with the sexual exploration that was common during the 1960s. At another point during the speech, she made an analogy comparing her dogs to the sexual promiscuity of certain Star Trek characters. \nHow we package an issue is important. By no means does the masthead for the conference negate the importance of the issues discussed last weekend. There was a substantial crowd present at Haraway's inaugural speech on Friday night, although most of those seated in the front half of the auditorium were not the age of traditional students. Many student-age people slipped out early after her speech ran longer than planned -- perhaps they were late for class.\nWe should treat the concerns and conclusions discussed last weekend as what they are: intellectually provoking and at times emotionally wrenching. But conforming to cutesy or new age stereotypes, while it may not discourage those who already are convinced of the importance of the cause, may not help to bring skeptics into the fold.
Far and away
(09/01/06 1:50am)
OXFORD, U.K. -- This year, I join the ranks of that elusive breed of college student, the ghost group that has the same -- ahem -- privilege of logging into OneStart and Webmail with IU usernames and IU pride. But new students at IU would be hard-pressed to say I actually attend the school, were it not for my Hoosier Facebook account\nI'm a junior on her year abroad. For those who are addicted to Bloomington's college-town charm, have thrown themselves into IU's extracurriculars or who have met a group of kindred spirits during their first two years at IU, leaving for even a semester seems impossible. So why have I, one of the 1,600 IU students that do so, opted out of IU life in favor of the great unknown? My own motivations are a mix of more factors than there are countries. \nIU offers study abroad programs in more than 80 parts of the world, and there are easily that many study abroad programs outside of IU that accept qualified students from any U.S. university. \nSome students hop a plane to another country to take advantage of a freedom that may have a shelf life. For many, college years are the last ones where at least one of our jobs is to learn as much as possible. Our parents and society not only allow but expect college students to ask questions about the world. While digging up the answers of other people, hopefully we'll unearth a few of our own. \nOther students travel in order to seek out an expertise or quality of education that can't be found in their home institutions. This may be a new idea to those who are used to hundreds of thousands of students flocking to the United States to take advantage of our higher education institutes. But there's truth in the foreign language education mantra that there's no substitute for immersion in the target language and culture. Before spending the past summer in India, I lacked confidence in my ability to make the appropriate comment at the appropriate time in Hindi. After weeks of bumbling, I felt I had finally gained the willingness to cheerfully embarrass myself at any given moment. Luckily, language improvement accompanied the embarrassment. Other schools, like the London School of Economics, and some music conservatories in cities like Vienna offer an alternative, international perspective to fields in which IU excels. \nI admit that one of my main motivations for taking a year to study abroad is the prospect of adventure. I want to satisfy what right now seems like an insatiable curiosity about the world. By looking at myself through as many mirrors as possible, I hope eventually to be able to piece together the mosaic of reflections that compose my desires, ambitions and myself. Unless you plan on making international travel a part of your career choice, college may be the only time you are actively encouraged to seek out another world. It may open a door to new languages, religions and world views that never has to close again
The smell of success
(04/05/06 4:42am)
When 12:30 weekday classes end in Ballantine Hall, students lift their noses in the air, hoping to catch a whiff of pizza from the lobby. Often the smell of hot Papa John's pies permeates the first three floors of the academic building to devastating effect. Hungry students, professors and staff gather, ready to fork over cash to whichever student organization has laid a claim to the lobby that day. \nThe idea is simple and brilliant. For the past four years, student organizations have been reserving the Ballantine lobby to earn money by selling pizza, with resounding success. At least two days a week, the lobby becomes a portable pizza place between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Who knew success smells like pepperoni?\nThe Ballantine lobby's status as a convenient pizza venue has been popular since the lobby opened its doors to student organizations four years ago, said Ballantine mail room manager Art Heckman. "Some groups had standing reservations that were crowding out anyone else," he said. Heckman had to alter the reservation system so that groups could only have a standing reservation every other week. "I still tell them I may have to change (reservations)," Heckman said. "Sometimes I have to rearrange groups."\nThe Vietnamese Student Association has sold pizza in Ballantine every Tuesday since the beginning of the school year. \n"In about two hours, we sell 21 pizzas," said sophomore Cassie Tran, who is treasurer for organization. \nTran said VSA is grateful to pizza vendors like Papa John's that give discounts to student organizations. The money the organization raised from selling pizza funded the Cultural Cookie event at McNutt earlier this semester, where VSA provided free Vietnamese food and entertainment for a crowd of 200. \n"We see a lot of repeat customers," Tran said. "They recognize me and say 'Hey!'" \nHeckman buys some pizza himself regularly. \n"It's a handy lunch option," he said. "Staff people appreciate it, too." \nGroups like the VSA have built up a following of students, staff and professors who make a daily trek to the lobby in the hope that an organization is selling pizza. When the Labyrinth Literary Magazine booth ran out of pizza last Thursday, several of these devoted students who had lined up with cash in hand left with disappointed faces.\nMost students, however, see the pizza sales as serendipitous. \n"I kind of like when it's a surprise," said sophomore Astara Light, who said she buys a slice whenever she sees a pizza sale.\nLight has bought pizza from student groups on campus four times this semester. \n"I think it is a brilliant idea," she said. \nBallantine lobby isn't the only venue open to IU student groups. Groups set up shop in Woodburn and outside Ballantine Hall when the weather is fair as well.\nGroups might have even more financial success if they informed students what days pizza will be on sale. \n"Just talking about pizza makes me hungry ... but I never have cash," said sophomore Kavita Singh, who wasn't able to buy the pizza when she saw it on sale this semester. \nBut pizza is its own best advertisement: The smell of Papa John's or Aver's draws customers better than any flyer.\nStudent organizations are only missing out on one important portion of the IU demographic, however. Junior Myke Luurtsema complained about the lack of variety in the food sold. \n"I recommend more vegan options," he said.
Freshmen reflection
(12/07/05 4:48am)
More than over 6,500 students on the Bloomington campus will face the end of a college semester for the first time next week. IU-Bloomington offers an especially wide array of services -- like writing tutorials and academic workshops -- to help students succeed academically throughout the semester. But it doesn't offer services that help freshmen reflect on the first semester of college and make the most of their transition to the second. The Academic Support Center, Student Academic Center or even specific academic departments would do well to add that responsibility to their agendas.\nSonoma State University builds its official freshman seminar on a final paper reflecting on how goals, priorities and expectations have evolved throughout the first semester. The process is crucial for all students. Upperclassmen who have fine-tuned strategies for performance on their own might do it automatically. Some upperclassmen, however, have kept bad habits established during freshman year -- unable to break free from booze, get organized or get healthy until senior year when job applications and the "real world" threaten to replace report cards. Even then it might be too late to establish good study habits and a sense of balance that will impress employers or graduate schools. Now is the time for freshmen to look back at their first semester at college and decide: Is it what you wanted it to be? \nThe first semester of college is an experiment; freshmen test the effect of variables like lack of sleep, intense cram sessions, sports or frequent partying on their happiness and success. Often students combine so many new experiences into one go that conclusions aren't obvious. IUB's academic services could provide workshops intended to separate the variables and help students decide what works and what definitely doesn't. \nSpring semester can be grueling. Many freshmen will be entering high-level classes for the first time in the spring or continuing with challenging course paths. Even some students who consider themselves successful during their first semester might find themselves stumbling come January, after three weeks of living at home and falling back into old habits. This adds all the more reason for IUB to provide services that help students keep good habits established first semester and nip bad habits in the bud.\nNot every student would need the services offered to succeed in college. But every student, even a senior, could benefit from reflecting on the effectiveness of the goals he or she made before Aug. 29. No matter how well a student has adjusted academically or socially, the task of balancing college responsibilities is never complete. \nHow a freshman reflects on the first semester of college shapes how he or she approaches the next three and a half years of classes and extracurricular activities, as well. If a bad habit needs changing, now is the time to change it. The time for New Year's resolutions is fast approaching for all of us -- IUB should help freshmen resolve to make the second semester more successful than the first.
Time to give
(12/01/05 12:53am)
For some Americans the holiday season is an excuse to live up to our reputation of materialism and indulgence. The giving and receiving of presents seems to be the focal point of the winter holidays -- at least that's the apparent trend every Black Friday when enthusiastic shoppers kick off the holiday season by sizzling a hole in their wallets. But some families are turning Santa Claus away at the door and sending him where he belongs: to charities in desperate need of funds during any season. They might not think to pat themselves on the back. But we should. \nThe idea isn't new. Instead of using the Christmas budget on toys and trinkets, a family or group of friends agrees to spend at least part of the budget on charitable donations. Charities have capitalized on this practice and solicit donations during the holiday season, when generosity is in vogue. \nThe practice is no doubt a positive one. The tradition helps to contradict the American preoccupation with materialism that still remains the dominant trend. Sales for trinkets with marginal use like toothpick holders, dog toys and cup holders soar year-round in America, while some workers who produce those products struggle to keep themselves supplied with necessities. \nIt's worthwhile to share the wealth. Sending half of the money spent on a middle-class family's Christmas celebration -- say, $300 -- could feed 10 children and their families, according to the World Vision charity's Web site. \nMany American charities accept donations of gifts or money intended for families unable to celebrate Christmas or who struggle to make ends meet year-round. Angel Tree is one of those organizations, sponsored by the Salvation Army. But the charity doesn't need to be religious to be helpful -- especially in a society in which gift giving has become a secular activity separate from religious significance. Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association and Make-A-Wish are year-round programs that count on holiday generosity to fund their charitable efforts.\nGenerosity doesn't have to stop at American borders, either. International charities like the Heifer Project work to teach the world's poor the skills necessary to become self-sufficient. The Red Cross is still accepting donations for relief efforts as well, following the earthquake in Kashmir. \nSavvy givers research charities before they give or advise their families and friends to do so. Some charities spend larger percentages of donations on overhead costs than on the group or individuals in greatest need of the money. Americans research the features and advantages of digital camera brands and video games in the finest detail to make sure they get the biggest bang for their buck during the holiday season. Choosing the right charity to patronize is worth the same amount of diligence and effort.\nAmericans who choose to donate part of their Christmas haul to a good cause are doing their part to contradict our country's reputation for thoughtless materialism. More of us would do well this winter to make a little sacrifice in pursuit of the greater good. In giving to those in need at home and abroad during the holidays, those of us that have it all are adding a gift that can't be bought to the pile of packages under the tree -- the happiness of strangers.
Super senior times ... nine?
(11/16/05 11:51pm)
The New York Times last week ran a front-page article on Johnny Lechner -- an undergraduate in his 12th year at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater who doesn't plan to graduate any time soon. Although he has earned enough credits to graduate with four majors, Lechner has never applied for graduation. Not only that, but companies like National Lampoon are supporting the super senior by paying his tuition, hoping to capitalize on his image as a figurehead of the party-hard philosophy. \nLechner has done reasonably well in school, earning a 2.9 cumulative grade point average, and fellow students deny he parties as much as he claims. Whether or not the image is an authentic one, the man who refuses to leave college for the real world is attracting a frenzy of media attention and for no good reason.\nCompanies that "sponsor" Lechner portray him as a mythical figure to be admired. He has done what no man has dared to do but what all men wish they could do apparently: stay in college and party forever. Lechner is a modern-day Peter Pan, living off donations and plastering Neverland with advertisements for his sponsoring companies. \nTo someone dissatisfied with life in the real world or scared of entering it, Lechner is a convenient role model. By putting Lechner and his lifestyle on a pedestal, National Lampoon and media resources are doing their part to discourage students from making the leap into the "real world." \nThe college student to be admired is the one working to make sure the often terrifying leap into adult responsibility is a successful one. The fact that Lechner has managed to avoid growing up is not inspiring or even very funny. It's a shame.\nThat's not to say that those who take longer than four years to graduate are irresponsible or negligent. The IU Bloomington Factbook doesn't list the percentage of students who graduate within six years instead of four. The shift from thinking about college as a four-year experience reflects the growing number of students who work themselves through college with part-time jobs or other major commitments, preventing them from taking on a heavy course load in any one semester. Major extracurricular involvement and study abroad experiences, both valuable supplements to college education, prevent some students from graduating on time as well. \nOften, students who graduate a semester or two late do so after adding on an additional major or minor. Many of those who stay an additional semester or year are actively working toward a degree with post-college plans in mind. The super senior trend is becoming the norm. But the norm doesn't justify additional years as goals in themselves. \nCollege is a unique experience. At no other time in our lives will we have an opportunity to devote our attention to so many diverse intellectual and social pursuits. If we have made the most of our college experience, at the end of four years -- or five -- students might be sad or scared at the prospect of leaving IU. But if we stop at college, so does our capacity for intellectual and emotional growth. As Lechner celebrates his 30th birthday next year on the UW-Whitewater campus, he should ask himself what he's learned so far. It's about time he learned to grow up.
Student without a cause
(11/09/05 4:56am)
The Academic Advising Center at IU offered a workshop last week titled "Increasing Your Self-Motivation to Learn." I applaud the Academic Advising Center for taking steps to address a phenomenon on college campuses: the student who attends college merely because of parental and societal pressures or simply a lack of a firm resolve to do anything else. \nAlthough a survey conducted by Texas Tech University found the number of students without a clear idea of why they're entering college is shrinking, research by other schools like California State University and University of Maryland insists it's still a problem. Specific numbers aside, there's always room for improvement. \nNot all IU students lack internal motivation. Many, if not most, IU students make their decision to attend college with a sincere desire to increase their awareness of the world or to complete coursework necessary to pursue an ideal career. This self-awareness is demonstrated by diligent efforts to not only complete coursework but work beyond it, completing extra assignments or working with professors on collaborative projects. \nThose who deserve and will achieve success in college are those who, when filling out college applications, are motivated by sincere desires college can help fulfill. Those who come to college without a clear motivation might not fail but, according to this columnist's observations, are less likely to invest themselves in schoolwork beyond course requirements.\nIncoming freshmen don't need to have a life plan on their bulletin boards the first day of school. Students attend college to find themselves, too. Some aren't sure what career path to pursue even after graduation; I might be in that terrified group myself. But students who want to be successful need to find some motivating passion for exploration early on, be it a passion for piano, fascination with products of Petri dishes or a sincere delight in books. The Academic Advising Center tried to guide soul-searching students to this internal source of motivation last week. \nThe struggle with internal motivation might be a product of early education policies or attitudes at home. Students are often browbeat by standardized scores, frustrated teachers and parents into prioritizing the results of studying -- grades -- over the process of learning itself. \nIn college, on the other hand, the subject of study should come first. In many IU classes, grade distribution is an afterthought to the learning process itself. The switch in priorities frustrates students taught to study for the test. But the switch serves up an effective tonic for students still stuck on grades. \nSome primary and secondary school systems might stunt the growth of internal motivation to learn, and a few students by their natures might dread academia like the plague. But it is the student's responsibility to evaluate his or her priorities upon arriving at IU and to nurture the internal motivation that will make college a fascinating experience rather than a round of torture. Academic workshops like the one offered Tuesday and Wednesday can help a student make up for lost time, so that when Joe College enters the classroom, he has a good idea why he has walked through the door.
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