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(12/01/04 5:08am)
"There's hippies everywhere!" \nA campus employee uttered this to a class this summer in the Kelley School of Business graduate building. The events in question had to do with anarchists protesting conferences being held relating to the G8 economic summit. The protestors believe economic strategies were not good for workers and should be stopped. \nWell, they're half right. Our current economy is not kind to workers. However, big labor hinders the economy more than helps it.\nThere were union movements up through the 1980s. According to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, unions were allowed many privileges that created animosity among the general public, which still remains today. For example, many unions are still exempt from violence done during protests. The actions taken by union members during strikes are the stuff legends are made of. In many places, employees are also forced to join a union even if they don't want to. I won't comment on union connections to the mob.\nHow does all this relate to the modern economy? \nOne cannot talk about big labor without talking about Wal-Mart. This company kept big labor away since Sam Walton's first five-and-dime store in Bentonville, Ark. Big labor charges that Wal-Mart mistreats its workers and many lawsuits have been filed against the company because of that. One lawsuit charges that Wal-Mart in California forced employees to work off the clock. However, even the AFL-CIO admits that employees were merely asked to finish their work before they went home. Another lawsuit charged that Wal-Mart stores in LA interfered with union organizing efforts by locking employees out of their jobs. Imagine that! Employees being disciplined for breaking company policy. Wal-Mart has grown to be the biggest company in the world because it has recognized the relationship that exists between employees and managers. Unions serve no purpose other than to drive a stake between workers and management.\nIf I were allowed a "Most Ridiculous Item of the Day" section, I would put this next example in it: There is a national movement to unionize pizza delivery drivers. Yes, you read that correctly. According to the Association of Pizza Delivery Drivers, drivers are often not paid enough, do not have proper insurance and are considered separate from other employees in the pizza stores. Basically, this group wants to bargain for health care, increased pay and better treatment from employers. \nI got news for them: if you want a well paying job where you get respect, don't be a pizza delivery driver! Does anyone apply for that kind of job thinking they are going to become rich? Most people apply because they need money and are looking toward bigger things. The APDD is deluding its members into thinking they are going to get more than they really will.\nThat is my problem with unions. They delude their members into thinking that employers and the global market will treat them well. The best response to this was said by John Travolta's character in "Primary Colors," "In this modern global economy, muscle jobs go where muscle labor is cheap and that is not here."\nI have worked a few different types of jobs before. However, I always realized that I would never get rich doing those kinds of jobs. I was ALWAYS looking toward something better. Groups of people are told that low-skilled, blue-collar jobs will allow them to live a good life and support their family and that is not the case. That might not be morally right, but it is reality. The only way to survive in this economy is to get a good education and learn to compete in the blood sport that is the job market. Thinking any other way is downright dangerous.
(11/16/04 5:40am)
Ger Duany was first surrounded by the drama of a civil war-torn country and then fate led him to the drama of the American silver screen. Duany is originally from Sudan, but considers Bloomington home. He came to the United States as a refugee when he was only 16. Not only was he a real refugee, but he plays one in the new movie "I (Heart) Huckabees."\nAfter coming to the United States, Duany found a home in Bloomington with the aid of The Lost Boys Foundation, an organization that works to help unaccompanied refugee minors. He graduated from Bloomington North High School in 1998. Now at 25, he attends the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut.\nMary Williams, the founder of the Lost Boys Foundation, helped Duany discover auditions for "I (Heart) Huckabees." It was a widely taped audition, but he got the part.\nDuany plays the role of Mr. Nimieri, "a tall African doorman." The movie revolves around his role. Mr. Nimieri is continually spotted at odd places and times by Jason Schwartzman's character, Albert. Albert believes that these encounters cannot possibly be random and he seeks to find meaning in the coincidences.\nAs it turns out, Mr. Nimieri fled violence to come to the United States and live with a new family. Director David O. Russell said he wanted someone who had endured the real life experience of being a refugee to play the role. \n"I wanted to have someone who was actually a Sudanese lost boy," Russell said.\nDuany has only taken one acting class in his entire life. It was a gamble to cast someone with essentially no acting experience. \n"You're always taking a risk when you do that," Russell said, "You never know what you're going to get."\nRussell was lucky enough to strike gold when he cast Duany.\nThe director couldn't stop listing off his positive qualities. He was able to take direction easily, remembered his lines, had really good instincts and his natural ability transcended the lack of experience. \n"On a scale of one to ten in that area, he's an eight or a nine," Russell said.\nBesides the wealth of talent, Russell found working with the former refugee to be a dream just from his truly genuine personality.\n"He had this sweetness about him," Russell said, "He makes you feel good to be around him." \nRussell wouldn't hesitate to call up any director to recommend Duany's talent. He considers him a friend and said he would love to work with him again.\n"He's a beautiful person; really gentle and creative," Russell said.\nRussell isn't the only one in Hollywood who wants to do another project with Duany. Actor Mark Wahlberg, who played the part of Tommy Corn in "Huckabees," said he hopes Duany will be cast in an upcoming movie he's working on, though he would not divulge any details about the project.\nOver the course of filming together Duany and Wahlberg became good friends.\n"We connected immediately," Wahlberg said.\nA great sense of humor is one of the qualities Wahlberg appreciates in his friend. He said they have similar outlooks on the world despite their drastically different backgrounds. When the two get together, they don't talk about acting. They talk about life.\n"Whenever I go to New York or New England I give him a call and we try to hangout," Wahlberg said.\nAs much as Wahlberg seems to admire Duany, he literally looks up to him. \n"He's a giant. He can be pretty imposing, but he's very gentle," Wahlberg said.\nAt 6-feet-5-inches Duany is not exactly the world's tallest man, but he's nearly a foot taller than Wahlberg.\nDuany joked that the other actors looked like midgets compared to his height. \nHis tall stature aids in one of his favorite hobbies -- basketball. He played in high school and for a short time at the University of Bridgeport. The sport has helped him overcome other challenges, such as working with an entire cast of big name actors in a feature film.\n"Like basketball, you can't let anybody intimidate you when you come into the court," Duany said about working with celebrities.\nDuany said when he first started working on the movie, he was a little bit starstruck being around the likes of Jude Law, Lily Tomlin, Dustin Hoffman, Naomi Watts and others. He had seen them in the movies and on television, and the next thing he knew he was eating with them and talking with them in person.\n"They're just normal people like you and me," Duany said.\nHis experience with "Huckabees" has opened the door to another rare opportunity. At a screening of the movie in Los Angeles, Duany met male supermodel Tyson Beckford. \nBeckford saw modeling potential.\n"He thought I had some talent or something," he said.\nIt's not every day a supermodel spots someone out of a crowd and opens the door to a modeling career, but Duany remains humble in spite of the attention. He doesn't allow walking the runway to go to his head. It's merely a form of income.\n"I just need a job; a little fashion show here and there," Duany said.\nNow his primary focus is being a college student. If he has any spare time at all he lifts weights. He took time off of school to shoot the movie, but now he's back on track.\n"Right now all I do is I study," Duany said.\nWhen asked what was the best part of working in the movie he shyly laughed.\n"Everything was good," he said, "But the best part ... I just enjoy being around people."\nDuany is a people person to the core. He is currently working on a degree in human services. He wants to continue acting, but it is a volatile trade.\n"Acting, it comes in and then goes away," Duany said.\nIf he's not acting, he wants to be a social worker or a counselor.\nHe was inspired to study human services because of the help he received from The Lost Boys Foundation when he came to the United States. The organization aided in getting him through immigration, teaching him how to speak English, providing food and supplies, and getting him into high school.\n"I learned why people would want to help other people," Duany said.\nHe remains humble and emphasizes that he hasn't changed in any way. His fresh acting career has taken him to a lot of places, but his heart remains in his hometown where his family lives. Whenever he's away he looks forward to visiting during breaks from school.\n"I can't wait to come to Bloomington for Christmas," Duany said.\n"I (heart) Huckabees" is currently in theaters.\n-- Contact staff writer Joanna Borns at jborns@indiana.edu.
(11/09/04 4:57am)
Bush's religious convictions are real\nIn the letter to the editor titled "Fooling enough of the people, enough of the time" (IDS, Oct. 26), Dan Selvaggi shows a poor understanding of both religion and politics. He starts by questioning Bush's qualifications for being "anointed" as president, calling it a stretch. Not only is it a little arrogant to second-guess the decision making skills of the All Knowing, but even if we assume Selvaggi's list of disqualifiers are legitimate, it is still not a stretch when considering the thousands of years of biblical history where God used "flawed" people to accomplish great things. \nNext Selvaggi attacks Bush's sanity for believing in Providence. While he stops short of showing his true intolerance by saying that all Christians are insane, that is indeed the implication. Not believing in Providence and having a purposeful existence means you are not really a Christian but, rather, a deist. \nSelvaggi then notes he fails to see any reflections of the teachings of Jesus Christ in Bush policies. It appears he chooses to ignore the president's stance on God being in the Pledge of Allegiance, support of a constitutional amendment concerning traditional marriage, his stance on stem cell research and partial birth abortion, and his faith-based initiatives. \nLastly, he accuses Bush of using religion for political ends -- an illogical strategy. In a tight election, you don't make yourself more appealing to the majority of mainstream, moderate votes by pushing yourself farther to the right -- toward a group who you already likely have in your camp and (sadly) have always under-performed in using their political clout. It is more likely Bush has professed his faith at the expense of his political life. \nThe only reasonable conclusion for such actions and policies is that Bush's convictions are sincere. Bush is not trying to "fool enough of the people, enough of the time." Rather, it is Selvaggi who is fooling himself. \nBrandon Sieg\nFaculty
(11/03/04 7:23am)
Voters on and around campus braved a steady rain and long lines to cast their ballots Tuesday. But poll workers and volunteers said most people remained upbeat and didn't seem to mind the weather or the occasional delays. \n \nPOLL WORKERS KEEP THINGS MOVING\nLindsay Montgomery said the voting process was not flawless at Assembly Hall where she was working. Some first-time voters were confused about the process and some older voters didn't like the changes. One voting machine broke, causing a 45-minute wait.\n"We lost votes that way because people were on a time schedule and they had to leave," Montgomery said. \nRichard McLaughlin, a deputy sheriff working as an inspector at the Eigenmann polling site, said the computers went down temporarily during the morning hours, making it hard for him to get information for voters experiencing problems. \n"I was frustrated. Now they have a backup, and everything is running well," he said around noon.\nA number of students discovered they had arrived at the wrong polling place. \n"People don't find out where they're supposed to go ahead of time, and it's their responsibility," said Lou Cooper, a poll worker at the University School polling site. Cooper, 82, said about two to three percent of those showing up to vote at the site were at the wrong spot.\nDespite these difficulties, poll workers said the voters' mood was generally positive. \n"Voters are upbeat, yet on guard," said Jacob Franklin, an election inspector working at the Unitarian Universalist Church. "There have been a few punchy political comments." \nFranklin said he was pleased with the day's turnout. "During the primaries, 10 people in my precinct voted. So far today, around 120 people have voted," he said around noon.
(11/02/04 5:31am)
Athletic heroes, University leaders and the pre-Halloween windy weather of IU's 2004 Homecoming Hoosier football win will be recorded throughout the history of time. What can be said for the role of human glue holding Hoosier football games together by the pigskin's seams? \nBehind the festive scene of every home football game Saturday -- win or lose -- many people contribute to the spectator experience of occupying a Memorial Stadium bleacher seat during game time. From the red-shirted IU Student Alumni Association workers to the blue-vested Big Ten officials, the good time felt by most fans at football games would exist nevermore if several roles were left unfulfilled. \nThe IU Virgil T. DeVault Alumni Center was the scene of a pre-game campus community party referred to as the "Big Red Warm-Up," sponsored by the IUSAA. Despite not needing a trick, students, faculty, alumni, Bloomington residents and guests were treated to free food to fill their Hoosier bellies, and soda and juice to replenish their Hoosier spirits. In addition, football fans received free creme and crimson colored pom-poms to cheer the football team to victory.\n"There is a misconception that you have to be an IU graduate to work at the alumni center. Students are welcome, and I'm a Ball State graduate," one red-shirted IUSAA employee said to an inquiring student. "Help yourself to free pizza; drinks are over there."\nWithin the artwork-walled boundaries of the Alumni Center dining room, fathers, mothers, daughters and sons in all permutations gathered for catch up chit-chat and laughter. This year marks the 150-year anniversary of the IUAA.\n"I'm just serving drinks to everyone who comes by," IUSAA Director of Communications and sophomore Ben Blotsky said while pouring a clear carbonated beverage into a plastic cup. "Everybody is welcome, especially Hoosier fans wanting to get a big upset over Minnesota. The wind is going to be a factor. Even if you're not going to the game, it's a free lunch."\nOn the front steps of the Alumni Center shortly before kickoff, several IU students demonstrated their counseling, babysitting and crisis negotiation skills. On careful observation, three friends were spotted supporting the health and wellbeing of an intoxicated friend; perhaps, friends helping friends learn limits.\n"You are our role model," one student said while holding her friend's hair behind her shoulders as she puked into the red and white flower beds.\n"Watch your eyes," another student said while protecting her friend's head and face from the crumbling leaves circulating through the air.\n"You're going to be alright," a third student said while pumping her fist into the air.\nMeanwhile, for the football scene in Memorial Stadium during game time, several Big Ten officials are responsible for moving the bright orange first-down and yard markers -- one Big Ten official is responsible for starting and stopping the game clock. Many of the officials act the role of high school football referee on Friday nights across the Midwest. \n"It's a thankless job; one we enjoy doing," said Big Ten down-marker official Jim Roach. "I've been doing it for probably four years. Of course, it is the best seat in the house; most of the time, it's the most dangerous spot."\nOften seen waving his index finger in a circle into the air, the Big Ten official in charge of maintaining the game clock wears a blue vest and acts as the communication liaison between the officials seated upstairs in the booth and the officials on the field.\n"All I do is start and stop the clock," this official said while standing on the playing surface during a time out; his thumb never hovered from the switch more than a few inches. "On and off -- on and off -- on and off."\nIn front of a sparse sea of Gopher maroon and yellow sheltered in the southwest corner of Memorial Stadium, the Minnesota traveling football fan base was treated to the delightful escapades of the team mascot costumed as a giant gopher with gigantic fur paws and black netting for eyes.\n"Go Gophers, Minnesota love," the mascot inked on the pages of a notebook before drawing a heart. "I am Goldy; and I am from Minnesota; and you are cool." \nNever one to avoid an important task, Army and Air Force IU ROTC soldiers yanked a cannon chain to ignite audience excitement and participation. Army ROTC members, who marched camouflaged while carrying an array of weapons during the Homecoming parade Friday, said the cannon used for football games is nothing compared to the two-foot high M198 Howitzer artillery cannon the U.S. Army uses to fire 96-pound projectiles at an enemy during combat.\n"We shoot off 10-gauge blanks every time they come onto the field or score," sophomore cadet Adam Buehler said. "It's exciting; it always scares somebody. We are here to support the team."\n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(10/26/04 5:34am)
The slogan "Where is the love?" is tattooed on walkways in sidewalk chalk, stapled onto bulletin boards in buildings and painted on the sides of bridges blanking significant portions of the IU campus landscape.\nHowever, many campus community members wonder if this so-called "love" can be located, or whether students, faculty, town residents and guests have fallen victim to missionary propaganda? Although a clever rhetorical question engineered to stimulate curiosity, "Where is the love?" has infiltrated the mindset of campus community members because of its graffiti like nature.\nFortunately, the love can be found in many ways at many places within the campus community. Junior Laura Bonano, a food service worker at Sugar & Spice, said some Indiana Memorial Union patrons locate their love in cookies, ice cream and other delicious desserts.\n"It usually takes students one second to decide what they love," Bonano said. "The no-bake cookies are our best seller -- we sell about 22,000 each school year, followed by the chocolate chip. My favorite is the iced cookies, it doesn't matter what kind of icing. We change the icing seasonally, it depends on the decorations."\nFor the current season, campus community members can project their love toward pumpkin-face cookies, peanut butter cookies, cranberry oatmeal cookies, turtle cookies and sugar cookies iced in yellow, green, blue or purple icing, to name a few.\nFor campus community members without a sweet tooth, the IU Main Library offers students, faculty, Bloomington residents and guests the opportunity to locate love in books.\nSenior Adele McCormack, a Main Library assistant, said there are millions of pages of love within the 11 floors of limestone walls.\n"I don't know if students really love the books here," McCormack said. "The graduate students seem to. We have about 6 million books; there is a wide variety for any reading pleasure students may have. I definitely should have read more during my undergraduate career."\nWhen confused with ambiguous questions, campus community members will often look to locate love in problematic places. Anne Reese, director of Health and Wellness Education at the IU Health Center, said the IUHC can assist campus community members in their quest to find genuine love.\n"All of the services at the IU Health Center are confidential and private," Reese said. "We help students with relationship problems: intimacy issues and sexual issues; any 'couple' issue is something you could talk about with a counselor as long one person is an IU student. We can teach students how to communicate better or how to discover what he or she wants. We can also help students work through their sexual relationships."\nAbiding by the principle "no glove -- no love," students can obtain one to four free condoms from a punchbowl at the main desk on the third floor, or in the Health and Wellness office on the fourth floor.\nBehind the scenes of the "Where is the love?" campaign, sophomore Shannon Perkins, who was wearing a yellow shirt with a question mark printed on the front Monday afternoon near the IMU, said the IU Campus Crusade for Christ is responsible for tempting the natural curiosity of campus community members with sidewalk chalk and Web site advertisements.\n"A couple people introduced 'Where is the love?' to (our group) one day," Perkins said. "A good 50 or 60 of us -- Campus Crusade for Christ members, showed up to do chalking and postering last week to spark interest in what's going on. This week, it's getting the Web site out and we're getting people to it. Basically, we are not after fun; we have fun doing this."\nSpotted throughout the borders of campus this week, IU CCC participants are wearing yellow T-shirt costumes to advertise the Web site www.wherelove.com to anyone who looks their direction. Perkins said the IU CCC meets at 8 p.m. every Thursday in Woodburn Hall, room 100. During each meeting, students join in the worship of God and praise of Jesus Christ through song.\nBased on faith driven love, the IU CCC would like to see campus community members forming a closer relationship with God while living in this "hate-filled world," \n"God is the source of our love and that when Jesus came to this Earth, he loved people first and foremost," CCC participant Alexandre Costa said in a statement.\nSenior Cori Boersma, who was also adorned in a yellow costume masked by a question mark, said she was wearing the T-shirt because she's asking herself the question: "Where is the love?"\n"I personally believe that real love can only be found through God and Jesus," Boersma said. "I think that a lot of people here have messed up what the message of Jesus is. I think the real message is love; the real point is that God is the greatest power in the world."\nLove can also be located and shared by the merchants offering business and services to campus community members. \nBloomington resident Chris Toon, who works at Amused Clothing -- a smoke shop and alternative lifestyle retailer, said love can only be located in the hearts of campus community members.\n"Love is inside of you; whether or not you realize it, that's a different story," Toon said. "Love is a form of self-expression that can be experienced by driving across the country, sitting in a hot spring, climbing a mountain, swimming in the ocean or by visiting a redwood tree. It's in you; you have to find your own way. There are a million ways to find yourself: yoga, church or climbing a tree."\nRegardless of God-like love, projected love for Jesus or the soul search for self-love, campus community members can locate love just about anywhere on campus. \n -- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(10/25/04 5:41am)
Academic advisers act the part of a bridge for students to gap the student-institution relationship; offering about 40,000 students great advice is good advice for the University. But bad advice is sometimes prescribed to the tune of thousands of tuition dollars.\nSimilar to some student situations within the campus community, senior Jenn Billinson said the misinformation advised to her during her junior year cost her an extra semester of out-of-state tuition. Billinson, who is from Virginia, said studying abroad shouldn't detour students' four-year academic plans.\n"I had a bad experience," Billinson said. "I went to see an adviser to inquire about studying abroad; I wanted to know if the credits would count (toward graduation). After I was accepted into the program, I was told: 'You will not graduate on time.' I took summer classes to try to make-up for the loss, but I still have to stay an extra semester."\nOn the other hand, some students might suffer without the assistance of an academic adviser. Theater and Drama Adviser Charles Railsback said academic advisers are the key link to curriculum and departmental information for many campus community members. \n"An adviser stands in the middle of the University and the student," Railsback said. "My observation is that advisers see it their mission to help students; advisers will try to help. Students should be cooperative and seek help."\nSchool of Education Adviser Lynn Greenfield said handling changes is often the most difficult part of the job, considering each school on campus has individual advisers offering services to students.\n"Advising is informing students of the options they have; advising is giving good advice to students," Greenfield said. "Most advisers do their best to give good advice to students. Students should keep all documents we give them in a folder, so we can walk through the progress together. That way, the information they need isn't a surprise to them."\nRailsback said any faculty member can act as an adviser for a student.\n"Ultra-independent students might not utilize campus resources to fit their needs," Railsback said. "They miss out on information only the adviser possesses in the department. Across the board, in almost all areas of the University, programs aim to have a general education plus a specific education. Sometimes students define themselves too narrowly."\nInstead of assuming an automatic four-year plan, Greenfield said getting in and out of the University takes a lot of focus and planning by students.\n"Try and make a plan," Greenfield said. "Have a general idea of what you want to do. If you change your major, you will have to add on more time: summers, and that sort of thing. That's the nature of making changes in an academic institution."\nEvery worker in every profession makes a mistake at one time or another. Greenfield said to err is human; mistakes do happen, typically from student and adviser miscommunication.\n"I don't want to blame anyone," Greenfield said. "Either the adviser doesn't advise the student correctly or the student doesn't listen. I'm sorry that happens. I don't think we can really say there is a problem, unless many students can point to a similar situation. I see our job as that of an aide to person controlling the path of the plan. It's possible to have an off day; we strive to not have that happen."\nAdvisers play a particular role in the University structure as gatekeepers to curriculum and specific program information -- what professor teaches which class, which class choice will better serve the student's scholarly breadth -- and "inside" information of the particular school: who can assist the student in a particular direction. Greenfield said students sometimes suffer from misinformation due to frequent changes in registration and computer processes.\n"I really appreciate the student who comes in to see me and takes in the whole picture," Greenfield said. "There is a lot of information to understand; there are a lot of resources available to students on campus. Too bad for students who don't take advantage of the richness that is here. We work with the student in mind; we want to deliver the best services possible."\nFortunately, students can participate in the role of active agent in the student-adviser relationship. Greenfield said many students are ill prepared when making curriculum decisions guiding the course of their study.\n"Students can be prepared," Greenfield said. "They are the one steering the boat. I just inform them of the information -- they are affected by it."\nBillinson said it's a shame students receive bad advice, since the student-adviser relationship should be based on what is good for students.\n"It's impossible for students to know the requirements for everything," Billinson said. "I know each adviser advises hundreds of students; good advice is a huge deal to each person they advise."\n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.
(10/14/04 4:31am)
Wal-Mart's Indiana expansion plans hit another stumble\nTERRE HAUTE -- The City Council has, at least temporarily, blocked zoning approval for a new Wal-Mart store, the latest stumble for the retail giant's expansion plans in Indiana.\nDiscussion of the planned store on Terre Haute's north side drew a crowd Tuesday night that packed a City Hall meeting room, with many applauding those who spoke against the project.\nThe council voted 4-3 against a zoning change for the store. Two council members, however, were absent, and one councilman who at first voted to approve the store changed his vote, meaning he could ask for it to be reconsidered as soon as next month.\nCouncilman Jim Chalos said he made the maneuver because he wanted the other two council members to have a chance to vote on the store.\nSeveral residents complained Wal-Mart was the wrong company to boost growth in the area.\n"Wal-Mart, which is the company that is coming in here, does not pay the majority of its employees a living wage" said Ed Ping, a representative of the Wabash Valley Central Labor Council. "We want growth there, but this is not the right kind of growth."\nA message seeking comment was left Wednesday for a Wal-Mart spokesman, but the company has previously rejected such criticisms regarding other projects, saying its stores benefit consumers and attract other businesses.\nSteve Reedy, the owner of American Beverage Centers, told the council that the site sought by Wal-Mart might not be able to support the additional traffic a new large retail store might bring.\n"We need other things in the north end," he said.\nWal-Mart has run into similar opposition for other new stores it has proposed building elsewhere across the state.
(10/08/04 6:22am)
Everyone has a particular medium that gets the person through life -- whether it's jamming out to a theme song, bingeing on a favorite food or simply having a cold one on a Thursday night.\nSenior Christy McGovern, one of only two art therapy majors at IU, finds her medium through art. She has combined her love for helping people, a trait she got from her father, and her artistic talents from her mother -- and has made them into her own major.\nMcGovern said she was riding her lawn mower and contemplating her future when it hit her. She could go into art therapy -- the practice of using art as a form of communication -- to help people. \nAmanda Flynn, also a senior and the only other art therapy major at IU, found out about art therapy while in the lunch line at the Collins Living Learning Center. She had been taking a lot of fine arts and psychology classes, and after talking to Karen Pollock, an art therapist formerly from Bloomington, she decided art therapy would be a good combination of her interests. \nFlynn has worked with autistic kids since she was 13 in Brown County, and credits it with giving her a passion to help people. She specifically recalls a particular boy who calmed when pinching and molding clay saying that it helped his sensory needs. \nArt therapy has been recognized as a distinct profession since the 1930s but is not yet well known, according to the Art Therapy Credentials Board's Web site. It is an important method therapists use to communicate with their patients, McGovern said. \nOften, people who do not feel comfortable speaking can use art as a medium to portray their feelings. Therapists, in turn, can assess and better treat the patient after reviewing the art. \nMcGovern said children find an alternative form of communication through art therapy. \n"(It) gives them a voice to express what goes on inside of them, which enables someone to help them," she said. \nAlthough art therapy is not offered as a major at IU, McGovern and Flynn have devised programs through the Individualized Major Program to obtain their degrees. Tim Mather, associate professor of art and Flynn's advisor through the IMP, said that they have designed a curriculum to prepare Flynn to go onto graduate school as if the major were offered at IU. \n"People who get into the IMP have to have a good dose of ambition and self direction ... they can end up doing pretty well," Mather said.\nOnce Flynn and McGovern graduate, they will begin graduate studies and get more than 1,000 hours of direct client contact and 100 hours of supervised contact. \nArt therapists most often work as part of a team consisting of physicians, psychologists and social workers, among others, according to the ATCB. The work environment can vary from a private office, to schools or hospital rooms. \nFlynn and McGovern both wish IU offered classes that dealt solely with art therapy. Even an "Art Therapy 101" informing students that it is a profession would help awareness, Flynn said. \nAlthough both seniors are majoring in the same field, they plan to use the therapy in different ways. Flynn hopes to open a private practice for youth after working with different populations. She would like to specialize with people under 21 who have autism. \n"I really want to be able to help people, genuinely help people," she said. "Things don't work on everyone but if I can impact someone, that could be momentous in their life."\nMcGovern hopes to use the treatment to help young women overcome eating disorders. Eventually, she hopes to make the process of creating art not always about the finished product, but also about the experience gained in the making. McGovern would ultimately like to provide people with a better self-awareness.\nThough IU does not offer a specific art therapy program, other universities such as the University of Louisville and Nazareth College are beginning to recognize the major as a growing occupation and are instituting degrees for art therapy.\nFor more information about art therapy as an occupation, visit www.arttherapy.org .\n-- Contact staff writer Christine Lunde at clunde@indiana.edu .
(10/04/04 5:01am)
Most freshmen remember Lou Crouch from their first admissions tour of IU's campus or hearing her buoyant chuckle while waiting in the lines at Wright Food Court. Her jolly smile, plume of silver hair and grandmotherly demeanor have given new and current students a taste of southern Indiana's charm. \nSince 1998, Crouch has perched in the cashier's chair at Wright. But Crouch retired Thursday, ending a career in IU food service spanning nearly 26 years. \n"I started in 1978 and have worked at Briscoe, Wright, Read, Wilkie ... I always liked Wilkie. Making those pastries was my favorite," she said. \nCrouch has always gone tirelessly above and beyond what's expected when it has come to her duties as cashier, those who work with her say. Currently living in Owen County, she has risen at 4:30 a.m. every morning and driven nearly an hour to get to work in her midnight blue Chevy Lumina. \nBut her early work hours have never distracted from her warm rapport with students. Whether it is remembering the names of students or using her homey trademark greeting, "Have a good day, honey," when rapidly scanning through long lines of anxious patrons, Crouch has embodied the ideals of customer service, people who've gone through her line say.\nIn the summers, Crouch has been known to make brownies for the Freshman Orientation Leaders, which junior Beth Levy calls "unbelievable," \nCrouch can regularly be seen cackling with students at tables or chatting with the food court staff over cigarettes in the back alley. But working with Crouch is a lot different than being on the receiving end of her charm. \n"Lou is strictly by the book," Kim Werner, a Wright Food Court cashier said. "She's a sweetie but she doesn't hesitate to let you know when you're doing something wrong. If you forget to check someone's bag or miss a side order she'll call you on it immediately."\nExecutive Director of Residential Programs and Services Pat Connor and the Wright Food Court staff held a party for Lou on her last day in Wright. Laughing over cake and cookies, Connor and others gave retirement gifts to a lady they say "will be sorely missed." \nCrouch says she received a sliver tray with her name and the years she worked engraved on the front and some traditional IU china from the old days of IU cafeterias. \nCrouch intended on retiring in December but her husband's worsening health problems encouraged her to retire prematurely. Crouch said she plans to spend more time with her family relaxing, gardening, adding to her ever-growing angel statue collection and taking care of her husband. \nBut don't expect to never see her again on the IU campus. Several of her children graduated from IU and three of her sons currently work on campus. \nCrouch added rosily with a fleshy grin before clocking out, "Now don't you worry about ole' Lou, honey, I'll be okay. I'll pop in from time to time to visit. Let's not lose touch — you were always one of my favorites." \n-- Contact staff writer Brett Warnke at bawarnke@indiana.edu.
(09/23/04 4:46am)
Growing up in Chesterfield, Mo., strong safety Will Meyers was a First-Team All-Conference Athlete as a defensive and running back, an All-Area/All-Purpose Player and Parkway West High School's MVP for his senior season. His football accomplishments earned him much attention throughout the state; in fact, he was chosen to the All-State football squad as both defensive back and running back. And his talents did not stop there. \nOut of 10 varsity letters in his high school career, four were for football, three for basketball, two for track and one for baseball. Oh yeah, he also had a 4.26 grade point average.\nWith a current GPA of 3.75, the sophomore Meyers stays focused to maintain his grades in school and his composure on the football field. Roommate and teammate Joe Kremer thinks Meyers has the right state of mind to achieve his goals. \n"He gets great grades and has good study habits that get him wherever he wants to go," Kremer said. \nMeyers grew up as one of two children as was always inspired to do his best. While not living the most privileged life, Meyers' parents maintained excellent grades throughout high school and college. \n"My parents always got good grades," Meyers said. "My dad had a 4.0 through college, and my mom had one B, and they didn't have a lot of money. So, that set a foundation for life after college." \nWith the support of his family and his ambition for success, Meyers finds it easy to focus and make academics his point of emphasis while also earning national recognition for his football talent.\nIn his freshman season, Meyers earned First-Team Freshman All-American and Big Ten Defensive Freshman of the Year from the Sporting News by forcing four fumbles in four straight games.\nMeyers' presence on the football field is key to the future of the IU football team, and his tough work ethic is what coach Curt Mallory feels gets him through his day. \n"(Will) is very studious," Mallory said. "He works very hard on and off the field, and he's one of the hardest workers on our field." \nAs an accounting major, Meyers plans to graduate from the Kelley School of Business with the highest of honors while becoming a leader on the defensive side of the ball. \n"My goal is to get my job done," Meyers said, "and just stay a happy guy." \nThis season will be another building block for Meyers, but look for him in the future as one of the most important leaders of IU's football team and search the papers for accomplishments under his name. \nOnly time will tell.\n-- Contact staff writer Ricardo Hernandez at rihernan@indiana.edu .
(09/21/04 4:40am)
GEO doesn't stand for all grad students\nAs a graduate student employee, I would like to express my concern for some of the wording in the Sept. 10 article about graduate students who gathered in Dunn Meadow to protest for dental benefits ("Graduate students fight for insurance"). The article refers to the Graduate Employees Organization as the "current representation for grad student employees." This classification of the GEO is very misleading. Since "representative" often implies a person or group that has been delegated authority to deliberate on behalf of a constituency, the wording may lead readers to the conclusion that the GEO has in some manner been given representative authority by the IU graduate student employees. This is simply not the case, and the distinction should have been more clearly stated in the article. The only organization that has been given representative authority by either the graduate student body as a whole or by the graduate student employees in particular is the Graduate and Professional Students Organization. The GPSO has a Benefit Committee that works closely and quite effectively with the University's administration in negotiating health care benefits for all of the IU graduate students. Furthermore, when the topic of unionizing has been brought up within this representative body, support for unionization has fallen well short of a majority. Your article would have given a better perspective on the issue of both unionization and graduate student benefits had you taken the time to interview those GPSO representatives who actually do negotiate benefits with the administration. \nPerhaps in the future your readership would be better served by regular reporting of GPSO meetings and clear delineation between small independent groups and true representative bodies.\nNicholas Remmes\nGraduate student
(09/16/04 4:38am)
IU graduate student employees who hope to form a union and bargain for dental insurance are waiting for the results of a vote to take place next week by members of the Clerical Worker's Association.\nMembers of IU's Graduate Employee Organization approached the CWA last week and asked to join its ranks. The CWA already includes the grad student employees at the City University of New York.\n"We would be a local partner, but still an independent organization of our own," said Ursula McTaggert, a member of the GEO. "Organizing for grad students is increasing across the nation, and we need to get in on the action."\nAbout 3,000 graduate students are employed by IU as A.I.'s, graders and research assistants. \nIf the vote goes through, the next step will be to attract a majority of those employees to join. \nAt a mass meeting of the GEO Wednesday in Ballantine Hall to discuss the unionization process, about 40 students attended.\n"We're trying to get our name out there and talk to as many people as we can," McTaggert said.\nChris Langford, a masters student in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, said a successful union of grad students here will allow them to have more influence in their working conditions. \n"By organizing and negotiating, we have the power to say 'you should pay more attention to us.'" Langford said. "It brings democracy to the workplace. Working as an individual, that's impossible."\nTheir biggest priority is acquiring dental insurance, McTaggert said. IU is one of only two schools in the Big Ten that does not offer its grad student employees some form of dental coverage.\nConcerns raised at the meeting include union fees, faculty/student relations, which types of employees are eligible for the union and its long-term existence.\n"We're a transitory labor force," said Elizabeth Rettig, a grad student in the English department. "If you can't participate this year, I hope you will consider being involved in the future."\nMost Ph. D students stay at IU about five to seven years, which is the average union membership in today's public workforce, Langford said.\nAs for faculty/student relations, McTaggert cited a 1999 survey from the Chronicle of Higher Education stating that nine out of 10 professors felt the rapport with their graduate employees was not harmed by unionization.\n-- Contact staff writer Adam VanOsdol at avanosdo@indiana.edu.
(09/14/04 4:42am)
Fairness trumps all
(09/10/04 6:49am)
Ursula McTaggert's employer does not provide her with dental insurance. When she developed an abscessed tooth three years ago, she had to pay for the $1,000 surgery out of her own pocket. With a salary of $12,000 a year, she said there was little money for the operation.\n"I had to go out and take a loan," she said. "It was pretty dire."\nMcTaggert is an associate instructor in IU's English department, and she, like the rest of IU's graduate student employees, goes without dental insurance because IU does not offer it. \nMcTaggert and other AIs and graders gathered at a rally at noon Thursday in Dunn Meadow to support the creation of a dental insurance program for graduate students. Amos Batto, a grader in the history department, told participants at the rally that to obtain dental insurance, they would have to form a graduate student union, the first of its kind in the history of IU. \nBatto said a union of graduate students would have one voice to bargain with and would be the best way to be heard.\n"We've got to get people involved," Batto said. "It's not going to happen unless we form a union."\nThe current representation for grad student employees, the Graduate Employee Organization, has been working on unionization for nearly a year. Batto said the group is considering joining the Communications Workers of America, a union of clerical workers already existing on campus. \n"We want to affiliate with them," he said. "It's a natural union, and we would be very happy to be with them."\nMcTaggert said creating a union in the past has been a challenge because grad students get paid differently based on their department. \n"Some of us are happier with our salaries than others, so it's hard to mobilize when we have such disparate conditions," she said. "Dental care unites us. We feel this is a basic health concern that needs to be addressed."\nIU is one of only two schools in the Big Ten that does not offer dental insurance to its grad student employees. Penn State is the other. \nIU media relations was not immediately available for comment Thursday.\nLabor Studies Professor Jeff Vincent, who attended the rally, gave encouragement to the unionization process but warned that it's going to be met with resistance.\n"There are a lot of people who (will object), faculty and administration who love the status quo and don't want to share much," Vincent said. "Gaining a voice over your working conditions isn't going to be easy, but what choice do you have?"\nHe said grad students at IU who teach introductory courses and grade papers are essential to the success of research universities. \nStudies by the Chronicle of Higher Education show that the number of full-time faculty is dropping while universities look more and more to grad students. \nRandy Pardue, president of AFSCME, the union that represents IU's staff, said dental insurance is the right of working employees. He said the union is glad to offer its knowledge of the campus and University to the graduate students in their campaign to unionize. He said he expects it might be a long process.\n"Nobody ever got anything on this campus without asking for it, so we're going to have to ask, and we're going to have to ask in a very positive voice," Pardue said.\nIU grad students have received health insurance since the 1980s. The GEO is holding a mass call out meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday Sept. 15 in Ballantine Hall 005. \n-- Contact staff writer Adam VanOsdol at avanosdo@indiana.edu .
(09/07/04 4:13am)
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. -- Michelle Stevens was a fresh graduate of IU when she began running Gov. Joe Kernan's campaign office for Porter and LaPorte counties a few months ago.\nThe 23-year-old is hardly unique in this year's highly competitive governor's race, as many of those working for Kernan and Republican challenger Mitch Daniels are younger than 30.\nStevens has been pouring so many hours into Kernan's campaign that she says going home before midnight has become a rare occurrence, even on weekends.\n"I really was so green when I came on," Stevens told The Times of Munster for a story Monday. "I kind of sold my soul until November. It's like years of job experience crammed into six months."\nDespite the low percentage of young adults who vote, the political campaigns are filled with those willing to work long hours for little pay and no job security.\nStevens said Kernan's efforts to make college more affordable caught her notice. The Oklahoma native had studied international relations and taught English in Russia. Now, she said she wanted a chance to take a personal role in American politics.\n"If I wanted a good-paying job, I would have kept waitressing," she said.\nRashina Viverette, 24, said she always felt strongly about politics. Her family, growing up in Gary, was Democratic, but she had different ideas, she said.\nViverette, a Purdue University graduate who lives in Hammond, now volunteers a few nights a week for the Daniels campaign.\n"These people are passionate about what they're doing," Viverette said. "It's a blast. It gave me a firmer belief that switching parties was right for me."\nTina Noel, a spokeswoman for Kernan's campaign, said the young workers bring "extraordinary enthusiasm" to the campaign staff. Even though there's no guarantee of a job past the Nov. 2 election, the workers can learn plenty, she said.\n"For everyone who works on a campaign, it's a risk, but a risk young people are willing to take for something they believe in," Noel said.\nCrown Point native Mike Stanek, 20, said he volunteered at the Republican National Convention in New York last week because he believed it was important for young people to be involved in politics regardless of their beliefs.\nHe said his professors at DePauw University in Greencastle agreed he could miss a week of classes for the firsthand participation.\nWorking out of the Republican National Committee's "war room," Stanek attended to a variety of details, such as making sure donors had credentials and attention, running errands all over Manhattan and hosting receptions at the RNC suite.\n"Even if I don't end up in politics, it's amazing seeing how much organization is put into planning something of this magnitude," Stanek said. "For me, it's the people. They are into the political arena and they're role models and people I hope to work with in the future"
(09/06/04 6:35am)
NEW YORK -- After more than a week of press, protests and politics, many New Yorkers will return to the city today since the Republican National Convention has left town.\nWhile some in New York weathered the Republican storm, many took a week or more off work to escape the more than 50,000 people who visited the city for the convention.\n"Life will go back to normal and it will probably be a crowded, crowded week with everybody back from vacation," said IU alumnus Julian Treves, who lives in New Jersey but works in Manhattan.\nWeeks before the convention came, Treves said his co-workers began planning to get away from the city.\n"What happened is that we started hearing about it in early July, and a lot of people at work were already worrying about it," he said. "We worked around it."\nTreves, who graduated from IU in 1988 and now works in the treasury department for a media organization in Manhattan, said rather than taking a vacation, he worked from home for a couple days last week.\n"(The convention) had a big impact on my work life," he said.\nChandra Czape took a different approach to the Republicans coming to New York. She left the country altogether.\nThough her vacation to London wasn't completely due to the convention, she said it was nice timing.\n"I would have preferred to leave earlier," Czape said. \nCzape, who graduated from IU in 1996 and now is a deputy editor at CosmoGirl!, was in Manhattan for a few days last week. She said her boyfriend asked her to stop by a camera store, only blocks from Madison Square Garden, the site of this year's convention, and thousands of protesters.\n"I was like, I don't want to go down there. I'll go to a different camera store," she said. "I don't want to be in there."\nLike Treves, Czape said her co-workers were complaining about the convention coming before anyone even arrived in the city.\n"We've been groaning about it (since) two weeks before they got here," she said.\nCzape said that if New Yorkers weren't protesting the convention, then they were staying away.\nPresident George W. Bush chose to enter the lion's den of the Democratic Party by choosing New York as the site of the RNC. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans 5 to 1 here, according to The Associated Press, making the case for many New Yorkers that President Bush and the Republican Party used political reasons in choosing the city because of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.\nIn a poll taken by New York magazine of New Yorkers and their thoughts on the convention coming to town, most of the results were overwhelmingly pro-Democrat and anti-Bush. More than 40 percent of New Yorkers said it was not a good choice for the convention to be held in New York, while 58 percent of Republicans thought it was a good idea.\n"I think it's kind of stupid to come here, personally," Czape said. \nIn this Democratic stronghold, many believe the city was used as a political tool.\n"Clearly there was political symbolism in choosing the site," Treves said, who hasn't been in Manhattan since the Friday before the convention. "I think it would have been better if it would have been in another state."\nIndeed, many of the speeches centered around the Sept. 11 attacks. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's speech Monday night invoked images of President Bush as a hero after his visit to the World Trade Center site days after the attacks. The terrorist attacks were continually referenced in videos and photos of the president as the only choice to lead the United States against global terrorism, as well as in speeches by Vice President Dick Cheney, Sen. John McCain and the president himself.\nAlthough he said the convention impacted his work life, Treves said taking a week and a half off of work was nice.\n"It wasn't the worst thing in the world," he said. "But sure, life will go back to normal."\n-- Contact staff writer Josh Sanburn at jsanburn@indiana.edu.
(08/31/04 5:20am)
Ball State reports record $41 million in donations\nMUNCIE -- Ball State University received a record $41.3 million in donations during the past year, the school said Monday.\nThe donations received during the 2003-04 fiscal year were 74 percent more than the previous single-year record of $23.8 million set in 2002-03, said Don Park, the school's vice president for university advancement.\n"It is obvious our alumni feel very strongly about the university because about 85 to 90 percent of the funds raised were a result of private gifts from Ball State graduates," he said.\nLast fall, Ball State received its largest single private gift in history -- $17.8 million from the estate of Wallace T. Miller Jr. Ball State's business school has since been named after Miller.
(07/22/04 2:58am)
The United Naitons published its 2004 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic July 6, ahead of the 15th International Conference on AIDS, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand, last week.\nThe report revealed that Asia, home to 60 percent of the world's population, has the fastest growing rate of HIV infection. An estimated 7.4 million people live with HIV in Asia, and there were an estimated 1.1 million new infections last year alone. The sharpest increases of HIV infection are in China, Indonesia and Vietnam. The report said areas of sub-Saharan Africa continue to suffer from the growing effect of the AIDS virus, with an estimated 25 million people now living with HIV. Among the hardest hit by the epidemic are women and orphans in undeveloped countries. There are an estimated 12 million orphans of parents who have died from the disease in sub-Saharan Africa.\nEric McLaughlin, a political science graduate student, said cultural norms contribute to some of the challenges women face in regard to HIV/AIDS.\n"In many places, for instance, the fact that women traditionally have very little control over sexual matters, including choices about condoms or contraception, makes the situation very bad for women," McLaughlin said. \nParticipants at the International AIDS Conference, which was held July 11-16, included scientists, community health workers and public officials, who gathered to discuss the political, socio-economic and health implications of the AIDS epidemic and ways to combat its spread.\nIn wake of the report and the conference, Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair announced Tuesday his government's intent to spend $2.4 billion on HIV-related programs. The programs will focus primarily on helping women and orphans affected by the global epidemic. \nThe conference examined the issue of limited access to antiretroviral medication and other HIV-related treatment throughout much of the world. Antiretroviral medication slows the spread of the AIDS virus within the human body but is not a cure for the disease.\nThe price of a combination antiretroviral regimen recommended by the World Health Organization to treat one HIV/AIDS patient for one year was between $10,000-$12,000 in 2000. The cost of treatment has decreased because of the increasing availability of generic drugs. The annual cost of generic combinations has fallen to $300 per person. Even though the cost of antiretroviral drugs has decreased substantially, the treatment remains unaffordable for a substantial number of people affected with HIV/AIDS globally. The cost of treatment, which includes antiretroviral medication, averages more than $1,000 per person annually in middle-income countries like Russia. \nIn South Africa the high cost of antiretroviral medicine makes the treatment available to only 2 percent of those who test positive for HIV.\nThe WHO estimates that nine out of 10 people who need HIV/AIDS-related treatment do not receive adequate health care. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 12 percent of the 4.3 million HIV/AIDS patients who need home-based personal care receive the treatment they need, while in South Asia the percentage falls to 2 percent. \nThe United Nations has encouraged world leaders to develop effective strategies and resources for combating the spread of HIV infection. According to the U.N. report, widespread discrimination against HIV-positive individuals continues to be a problem that hinders people from being tested or treated. Kathryn Brown, a health educator at the IU Health Center, said many people do not get tested for HIV because they believe they are not at risk of contracting the disease.\n"The majority of people who don't get tested fall into one of two groups: the people that don't think they are at risk and those that do think they might be at risk but are afraid of finding out that they are HIV positive," Brown said.\nStudents have two options for HIV testing in Bloomington. They can visit the IU Health Center or the Monroe County Community Health Services.\nThe Health Center offers students confidential HIV testing for $15 according to the Health Center's Web site, and results are available within a week. \nAt the Monroe County Community Health Services, students can get tested for free and have the results within 20 minutes. \nAccording to the Health Center Web site, the number of IU students infected with the virus is undeterminable because the testing is confidential. \nIn many regions, awareness of how the virus is transmitted and prevented remains low, contributing to a damaging stigmatization of people who have tested positive for the virus. The U.N. report said increased education and international coordination is central to combating the epidemic.\nWilliam Yarber, professor of applied health sciences, said there are several cultural factors that influence international perception of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.\n"Improving the situation is not simple." Yarber said. "It's also social and economic barriers that have to be overcome. These barriers are lack of resources and ideas about sexuality, challenging issues related to gender roles within a culture."\nThe U.N. report said the population of infected persons in the United States is also on the rise. An estimated 950,000 people are living with HIV in the United States, compared to 900,000 people in 2001.\nGraduate student David Mowery is a former employee of Genesis House, a Chicago non-profit organization that works in AIDS prevention among sex workers.\n"The reality of AIDS and its impact on our underclass is mind-numbing," Mowery said. "So much is needing to be done in (the United States), one of the most resource-rich countries." \n-- Contact staff writer Rynn Hagen at scrullip@indiana.edu.
(07/15/04 1:58am)
An alleged al-Qaida chief, Khaled bin Ouda al-Harby, turned himself into Saudi Arabian authorities Tuesday as part of an amnesty program the country implemented last month.\nSaudi officials in mid-June devised a one-month amnesty program to commute the sentences of militants who turned themselves in to the government.\nThe Saudi government has come under intense domestic and international pressure to combat an increasingly violent militant movement in the country. \nOne month ago, a Saudi militant group beheaded Paul Johnson, a 49-year-old American contractor who worked in Saudi Arabia. The beheading drew wide-spread condemnation internationally and within Saudi Arabia.\nMisfer Al-Salouli, a graduate math student and Saudi citizen, said Saudis were repulsed by the murder.\n"The media here do not ask the Saudi people themselves," he said. "Not just the people, but also the Islamic scholars are against killing any innocent person."\nAl-Salouli said the response of the Saudi people was particularly strong and many people called on Johnson's captors to release him before his death.\nJohnson's murder, which was filmed and posted on the Internet by a group that calls itself al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia, was the most graphic in a recent series of attacks on Westerners in the Kingdom. \nHours after Paul Johnson's murder Abdulaziz al-Moqrin, the alleged leader of al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia, was killed in a gun battle with Saudi security forces.\nA few days prior to Johnson murder two other Americans, Kenneth Scroggs and Robert Jacobs were shot dead in targeted attacks in Saudi Arabia. \nIn May armed militants killed 22 people in an attack on a residential compound housing expatriate workers in the country's oil industry.\nDespite the simmering tension in Saudi Arabia political science professor Jeffery Hart doubts the militant groups will achieve their stated agenda through violent means.\n"I don't think this particular tactic will have that much of an affect on Saudi Arabia," Hart said. "It's kind of a desperate tactic, and in the long run, I think it hurts (the militants') political legitimacy more than it gains them in the short term."\nThe Web site of the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia warns U.S. citizens in the country to "continue to exercise caution in matters concerning personal security. Americans should try to maintain a low profile, vary routes and times for travel." \nScaring foreigners out of Saudi Arabia is one of the goals of Saudi militant groups. Statements on militant Islamist websites have also called for revenge against the occupation of Iraq and the overthrow of Saudi Arabia's ruling House of Saud royal family.\nDina Spechler, an associate professor of political science said the militants do not have a wide support base among the Saudi Arabian population.\n"The terrorists are gradually alienating more people than they are winning over," she said. "Time is against them."\nSpechler said the insecurity in the country may cause some Westerners to leave in the immediate future, but added that it is very unlikely to harm to the stability of the Saudi government. \n"This won't ultimately bring down the monarchy," she said. \nProfessor Hart said there are deeper questions at hand.\n"The underlying issue is whether the Saudi government is really going to put the squeeze on the Wahhabi extremists," he said.\nThe Saudi government has pledged to vigorously track down militants who do not surrender themselves when the amnesty period ends.\nDespite some recent arrests, Hart said the monarchy has had an uneasy history of appeasing militants.\nAl-Salouli, however, said the Saudi population has lost patience with the militants.\n"People are cooperating with the government," he said. "Every person is working as a policeman because you don't know if you may be one of the victims."\n-- Contact staff writer Seraphim Danckaert at sdanckar@indiana.edu. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
