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(09/06/02 5:17am)
MILWAUKEE -- Three's company in many college dormitories this year.\nA housing shortage at some Milwaukee-area colleges has forced students to accept more roommates than usual, breaking from tradition and introducing a new lifestyle arrangement on campus.\nRyan VanDeLoo, a freshman at Carroll College in Waukesha, Wis., is sharing his dorm room with two roommates this fall. What's more, all three are stocky college football players.\n"It's pretty crowded," VanDeLoo said of the 12-foot-wide room typically assigned to just two students. "We're hoping that our parents stop bringing stuff."\nMarquette University in Milwaukee has rented an entire hotel to manage its largest freshman class in 14 years.\nWhile housing crunches are nothing new at colleges and universities, some officials say the problem seems to be worsening.\n"We haven't had to do anything like this in a long time," Marquette spokesman Ben Tracy said.\nMarquette has rented the entire 40-room Executive Inn to handle overflow temporarily until rooms open up in campus housing.\nWisconsin is not the only state where colleges are in a pinch.\nGary Schwarzmueller, executive director of the Ohio-based Association of College and University Housing Officers-International, said housing is scarce in several parts of the country.\nNot only are high school graduates flocking to colleges and universities, displaced workers and other non-traditional students are driving enrollment higher during these tough economic times -- increasing the demand for housing even more.\n"Some places are having enormous, explosive growth," Schwarz-mueller said.
(08/29/02 7:18am)
Tenth Street and Fee Lane have finally been put back together as workers put the finishing touches on the new Graduate & Executive Education Center, a facility the Kelley School of Business dean calls "a technological wonder."\nThe GEEC boasts two full computer labs, data ports for laptops throughout the building and two-way audio and video links. These links will be used for students to transmit lectures and presentations across the globe.\nThere will also be a finance trading room and information system/information technology laboratories that Dan Dalton, dean of the Kelley School of Business, hopes "will be the envy of any business school."\nThe GEEC, a project that has been in the works for several years, will finally give a home to the Kelley School's Executive Education offices, which until now had been off-campus. Similarly, many of the business school's institutes and centers such as the Leadership Development Institute and the Indiana Business Research Center were also housed off-campus.\nThe need for expansion also comes from the fact that in past years, the Kelley School has restricted its MBA program to only 280 students per year. This expansion will allow them to increase their admissions to more than 400 annually.\nEvery year, close to 650 companies and corporations hold 19,000 interviews here on campus, according the Kelley School of Business Web site. But because of the limited enrollment, supply exceeds demand and many companies leave without employees.\nFaculty, staff and administration at the Kelley School see the GEEC as the solution to this problem.\nThere are high hopes for the new center.\nAt the groundbreaking ceremony, Dalton promised "the GEEC would rise as a testament to the many friends of IU and the Kelley School of Business."\nSince then, alumni have contributed $18 million, which was added to the $12 million provided by the state. The $35 million price tag covers not just the structure itself, but much of the bells and whistles found inside it.\n"The building is a technological wonder," Dalton said.\nThe building project was supervised by the architects at Beyer, Blinder, and Belle of New York, the same firm that led the restoration of Grand Central Station.\n"(The building) is commanding inside and out," Dalton said. "Beyond that was GEEC's attention to the tradition of the great buildings of Indiana University."\nChancellor Sharon Brehm sees the new building as part of a bigger plan that includes improvements to the Central Heating Plant north of the school, expansion of the Psychology building and upcoming improvements to the Service Building. \n"Like the Neal-Marshall Center last year, the graduate business school building has significantly improved the campus look in an area of campus that, to exaggerate a little, was an eyesore," Brehm said.\nAll of these projects are centered around a place that was funded by a $1 million gift from James Robert Waller, an IU alum and best-selling author.\nMany undergrads in the Kelley school are also anticipating the GEEC's opening.\n"I think that it will give the undergrads the opportunity to use the resources previously available only to the grad students," said Matt Hollosy, a junior.\nThe building will serve more than 900 MBA students and 450 students in the Accounting Graduate program.\nThe GEEC is still waiting to identify a donor after whom to name the building. This will be announced at the Nov. 22 dedication ceremony, where the keynote speaker will be Nick Scheele, the President of Chief Operations Officer at Ford Motor Company.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
I'm not the wagering type, but I'd bet money that our vice president will be 70 percent prosthetic before the Bush administration is through. First it'll be a hip, then he'll need a kidney. Next thing we know, a robot with remote-controlled facial expressions will air live from the White House. \n And he won't be the only one, not by far. But it's not bio-ethics that I'm commenting on, but the potential for political misrepresentation we face as the baby-boomer generation ages. By 2030, about 20 percent of the population will be over 65, and this sector will be the part of the population most likely to vote. \nThere's hardly anything wrong with their growing share of political clout -- taxation does equal representation (unless you're from the District of Columbia), and voters deserve to have their interests met. The only aspect that edges the future scenario into the realm of science fiction is the inclination of our generation to regard politics as a joke -- or not to regard them at all. \nMedicare and Social Security have already dominated the campaign promises of the last two presidential elections, but it's easy to pledge 40 acres and a cane when the boomers break the 65 barrier. \nThere's hardly anything for our generation to complain about in this scenario. Ten years after we graduate from college, an entire generation will retire, launching our career advancement at ludicrous speed. Older people often have more wisdom, patience and humor than youngsters -- and more willingness to share it. But no matter how kind people are, they go to the polls in self-interest.\nPeople vote for the candidate who will sustain their wealth, health and peace of mind, so politicians try to deliver these things to people who actually vote. \nLet's try another scenario: the year is 2030. Legions of Mercedes endlessly circle the neighborhood, music blaring and tinted windows rolled down. It's not rap music you hear, but Fleetwood Mac and that's not gin and juice in the cupholder, but V8. All of this will go on around a city block where our children will be schooled in burned-out apartment buildings. \nSo maybe the generation at the helm of the nation's longest period of peacetime economic expansion won't be the social deviants of the future, but the potential exists considering the voting power they wield. \nIf current education policy proposals are any indication, the baby boomer generation leaders are already starting to act irresponsibly. Give every student achievement tests every year -- Bush said it, and no one seems to be arguing. \nThis will be an expensive, exhaustive effort, and all we'll learn is how poorly or exceptionally students are doing. No one will know any more about the world, just his or her place in it. It's a policy equivalent of seeing that a plant is withering and investing in a high-powered microscope rather than water and fertilizer. \nI don't foresee a geriatric revolution spreading from Florida and seizing the nation, but the elderly -- just like anyone else -- will continue to look out for themselves at the polls. That means our generation has the additional incentive to be active participants in civic life and establish a presence in the political landscape.\nAs we spend these years preparing for our careers, the political forces are already working to our detriment. This month Congress threw out ergonomic standards that would have forced businesses to safeguard workers from carpal tunnel syndrome and other repeated stress injuries that often occur in office jobs. \nLeisure time is on the steady decline also. Between 1969 and 1987 the hours American workers put in on the job jumped the equivalent of more than a month's worth of labor per worker, per year, according to a Harvard economist. \nIn addition, the Bush tax plan proposes a $200 million cut aims at programs that provide child care, prevent child abuse and train doctors at children's hospitals.\nThe trend toward a senior-centric government is starting, and it will only continue -- or worsen if we sit on our votes and fail to respond to policy that goes against our best interests. The baby boomers could become the bio-bots and live forever at the expense of the younger generation's health and welfare. Pointing-man posters with the slogan "Uncle Sam Wants You" might take on a whole new meaning -- for your kidneys.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Peace Corps annual statistics put IU 14th on a nationwide list of large colleges and universities with the most Peace Corps volunteers. IU has 48 alumni who are volunteering their time overseas.\nFor the third year in a row, the University of Wisconsin-Madison was first on the list, with 93 graduates and one current student serving. University of Colorado at Boulder and University of California at Berkeley were second and third, respectively. The University of Oregon made the largest jump on the list from 15th place last year to fifth place this year. \nMiddlebury College in Vermont topped the list for colleges and universities with less than 5,000 students. The college has 32 alumni volunteers. Middlebury was followed in the rankings by Columbia University in New York, Tufts University in Boston and Colby College in Maine. \n"The strong showing of colleges from so many different parts of the country illustrates that many students today are solidly dedicated to service and deeply value the unique experience Peace Corps offers," Peace Corps Acting Director Charles Baquet III said in a press release. "And through their volunteer work overseas, Americans throughout this country are able to learn more about the world in this era of globalization."\nThe Peace Corps was established in 1960 by President John F. Kennedy. To date it has sent 161,000 trained volunteers to 134 countries. More than 7,300 volunteers were serving in 78 countries in 2001 -- the most in 26 years.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Gathered in a tight clump in the center of the dance floor, the 25 members of dance company In Motion press their bodies together, forward, around and sharply back to the front again during a rehearsal.\nThis formation is one of many in the company's opening piece, "Music," which they will perform in an upcoming performance at Willkie Auditorium. \nChoreographed by company directors senior Alisha Pedigo and sophomore Alice Cockrum, the piece sets the stage for the 20 dances that follow.\nThe pieces range from hip-hop and jazz to modern and lyrical forms of movement, and have been choreographed by different dancers in the company. Some are solos. Others are duets. Most are group pieces of five or more. All use bodies to create a moment of art. \nThe group began as an independent study and research project by Margaret Larkey, a former graduate student of Associate Professor of Kinesiology Gwen Hamm, and continues in the hands of students. \nHamm, also a professor of dance in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, said the program began several years ago after Larkey's project was accepted by her faculty director.\n"The students perform their own choreography, although in previous years funding had been obtained to bring in guest choreographers," Hamm said.\nAs a student-run, nonprofit organization, financial struggles sometimes trouble the company. But the dancers find a way to make the show possible every year. Sophomore Megan Allen has been a member of In Motion for two years and said company members pay for their own costumes.\nCockrum said In Motion directors apply for funding every year.\n"But we must also raise our own funds by way of voluntary donations and business advertisements in the show program," Cockrum said. "IU has provided us with superior outlets and resources to make all of this happen."\nAllen was on the panel of judges for the 2001 company. The audition for In Motion consisted of a four-hour-long series of short dances and technique exercises, such as pirouettes and leaps. The judges used a set standard of requirements for acceptance into the 2001 In Motion dance company, based on "technique, attitude, style and memorization skills," Allen said.\nThis year, there were about 60 dancers at the audition and 25 were chosen, which Allen said, "creates a mixture of styles that add variety to the company."\nPedigo's involvement with the company began three years ago as a freshman, although she already had 16 years of training under her belt. Her responsibilities include coordinating company meetings, auditions and advertisements; scheduling a place for the performance and dress rehearsal; booking a production crew; organizing practices; fundraising; managing the treasury; communicating with the company's sponsor; and designing programs and costumes. \nPedigo said her two biggest goals as director are keeping the company alive and putting together an annual show. \nCockrum said it takes a significant time commitment for she and Pedigo to keep the company running.\n"Basically, if Alisha and I didn't feel like running In Motion anymore, there would be no one to hold us back from just quitting," Cockrum said. "There is no one looking over our shoulder making sure we are getting the job done. So one must be a very responsible and hard worker to be in charge of a student-run organization." \nIn Motion will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Willkie Auditorium. Admission is free.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Before he went on the infamous killing spree that ended the life of graduate student Won-Joon Yoon, white supremacist Benjamin Smith distributed racist literature at IU.\nSmith's attempts to divide Bloomington had the opposite effect. It brought the people of Bloomington together. \nProminent community and religious leaders banded together to form Bloomington United, a group devoted to racial harmony.\nTuesday, the group tried to bring together the city's black residents to find out what they have to say about being black in Bloomington. The crowd that gathered at the Banneker Community Center was of all ages and mostly two colors: black and white.\nIf the meeting was any indication, the Bloomington community is divided about how to be united.\nThe panelists -- La Verta Terry, Paul Norris and Patrick Efiom -- started the meeting by telling stories. There were stories of firsts: first black teacher in Bloomington, first black IU Police Department officer and first black postal worker in Bloomington, respectively. \nOthers told of a past much more difficult than the present, and of children who are fortunate to be able to take things for granted. Many shared experiences of harassment and race-baiting. \nIn the end, only half an hour was left for debate about how Bloomington's black residents feel, what they want changed and how they could do it. People had a lot to say, and many stayed after the debate to share their opinions. \nMany said Bloomington doesn't have a black core. Communities are transient and the old networks don't exist anymore. \nNorris, from Bloomington, suggested black churches as the only places where some of these networks still exist. \nTerry said she sees new kinds of networks shaped in schools and elsewhere. \nMany noted that urban segregation is not as obvious as in bigger cities. \nPreston Bridgwaters, who has lived all of his 64 years in the house across the street from Banneker Center, said he remembers when this kind of segregation was promoted. \n"Years ago, I was interested in buying a house, and I realized that I will have to live in this particular area where the blacks were," he said. \nHis bank told him that was how it should be. \n"Of course they said that they are letting me know that I would be disappointed or get my feelings hurt if I lived outside of this area," Bridgwaters said. "Years later, the same people told me, Preston, you are in a different income bracket, you don't have to live in that area anymore, you can live in any area you want. But I said, no, I will live here for the rest of my life."\nBridgwaters said that he didn't mind living there but that he is disappointed that once black people become successful they move away from their roots. \nOthers said they have to start with themselves. \nWillie Kimmons, chancellor of the Bloomington campus of Ivy Tech, said he has been involved in the civil rights movement as long as the movement existed. \n"I am the civil (rights) movement" he said.\nHe said blacks are not visible enough in the community.\n"I don't see us at the plate -- we're not at the country club, the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotaries, the Kiwanis …" he said. "We're not where the decisions are being made; we are not visible. We need to stop fooling each other." \nSome applauded Kimmons, but Don Griffin said he found that perspective frustrating. \n"It irritates me," he said. "I am in real estate; I am a developer; I'm in the Kiwanis -- what is he talking about?" \nGriffin, who has lived in Bloomington all his life, said he was bothered by some other speakers, too.\n"I get frustrated with people standing up and basically not saying anything," he said. "They want to hear how diverse they are, and we are here to hear what the problems are and what to do about them"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Senior Natalie Tucker, who earned All-Big Ten honors last year and was an honorable mention All-American in women's golf, is on course this year for accolades as the leader of the women's golf attack.\nTucker is the reason the Hoosiers are undefeated this spring season, entering this weekend's Indiana Invitational as the nation's No. 35 team, coach Sam Carmichael said.\nTucker transferred to IU from Memphis before her junior year. From St. Leon, Ind., she has played golf seriously since her freshman year in high school, when it more a favor to her father. \nIn high school, Tucker's father was the golf coach and needed more players. And with her father and brother playing all the time, Tucker got bored on the sidelines. She took the challenge. \n"Natalie has a tremendous desire to want to get better," Carmichael said. "She knows she can get there through hard work, and she does.\n"People like Natalie Tucker make coaching enjoyable." \nTucker just returned from winning the individual title at the San Antonio Shootout, where she shot a career-best 72 in the final round and was named Big Ten golfer of the week. \nThe win was Tucker's second individual victory, and her first at IU. \nBut Tucker was only concerned about was the team victory. \n"More importantly, we won as a team, and it was awesome," she said. "The last day we were seven strokes back, but we fought through the rain together for the victory, and we won by about seven strokes. It was amazing."\nTucker said she transferred because she was unhappy with the direction of the program at Memphis; she said it appeared that "they didn't have the desire for success." \nUnder Carmichael, a seven-time Big Ten Women's Coach of the Year winner, Tucker has a coach who "wants to lead, and girls who want to be successful," she said.\nHer game is improving; she shot a career best 3-under par last weekend. But Tucker isn't talking about it.\n"Other girls talk more than me, but I lead with how I play," she said. \nJunior Tiffany Fisher said she is excited whenever she is on the course with Tucker.\n"She always brings in a good game for us because she's so confident," Fisher said. "She leads us by telling us to believe in ourselves, and showing the entire team confidence. I'm going to miss her competitive nature next year." \nTucker is a sports management and marketing major and has 15 credit hours to complete. Her eligibility is up after this year, but her time at IU is not. After graduation, Tucker might attend the LPGA qualifying school, attempting to become a professional. \n"Natalie is one of the better players to come through here during my tenure, and there have been some pretty good players through here," Carmichael said. "You never know who's gonna make it, but I wouldn't be surprised if she is a successful professional."\nFreshman Karen Dennison hasn't been around Tucker for long, but her style and class is catching Dennison's attention, she said.\n"She's a very hard worker, and it shows," Dennison said. "I'm going to miss her leadership next year. I see Tucker out there working so hard, so I feel I should be out there working hard too.\n"She really inspires me to work harder to improve my game."\nTucker, who puts in about 25 hours a week of practice, not to mention traveling and participating in tournaments, said she will be sad to leave collegiate golf because of the close bond she has with her teammates. \n"We've had a great season so far," she said. "It's been so exciting. I can't believe it's almost over. Golf has been a part of my life for so long, and I'm really going to miss traveling and having that camaraderie with my teammates.\n"Individual stats are nice, but it really means something to accomplish all of this with a team"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Last Friday, Helen Walker drove 20 miles from her hometown of Sugar Land, Texas, to Houston to spend the evening reminiscing with friends and watching movies.\nThe IU senior had been home for a week. Fresh from a successful stint as stage manager for the Bloomington community production of "A Chorus Line," Walker was doubtlessly ready for a little relaxation. \nShortly after 1 a.m., she got back in her Ford Explorer and prepared to make the half-hour trek back to Sugar Land.\nShe never made it home.\nA few blocks from her friend's apartment, she was struck by a drunk driver exceeding speeds of 100 mph while proceeding through a green light, her mother said.\nThe autopsy report indicated Walker was killed instantly, though paramedics attempted to resuscitate her. The official time of death was reported at 1:30 a.m., 20 minutes after emergency vehicles arrived on the scene.\nJohn Leggio, spokesperson for media relations for the Houston Police Department, said Helen had the right of way when an unidentified male driving a Dodge pickup ran a red light and struck her vehicle on the driver's side. The DWI task force administered an on-scene field sobriety test, which the driver failed. He was then transported to a local hospital for mandatory blood tests. The results of those tests have not yet been released.\nTheresa Walker said she will testify in the driver's trial on behalf of her daughter if needed, as will her husband and son, Aaron. Charges of driving under the influence, assault with a deadly weapon and vehicular manslaughter are pending. The trial is expected to convene in about three months, according to the Houston District Attorney's office.\nHer death has left a void in the hearts of her friends and family. Remembered by her parents as a dedicated student and hard worker, Helen's work ethic proved particularly influential to those associated with her in various IU productions. \nSenior Josh Huff worked with Walker in theatre productions of "Pippin" and "A Chorus Line" and spoke of her "amazing work ethic." Huff said he always thought he'd work with her again in the upcoming season.\n"She really loved what she did," Huff said. "Stage manager is such a thankless job, but she never even cared about being thanked. She was just so selfless."\nWalker's mother said her daughter began acting in community theatre when she was 8 years old. She continued performing onstage until her senior year of high school, when she found what Walker termed "her true love" in theatre's technical aspects.\nShe dreamed of working in professional theatre and was working toward degrees in computer science and technical theater. She was also minoring in American Sign Language.\n"She had a passion to learn things where she could communicate, especially humorously, with all sorts of people," her mother said.\nHelen was offered an opening position as assistant stage manager with the William H. Hobby Theatre in Houston, her mother said. She was planning on moving to Houston upon graduating in May 2002 to begin work there.\nHuff also remembers Walker as a "funny, fun-loving" individual who always treated everyone fairly and said he firmly believes she would have made a tremendous impact in the realm of professional theatre.\n"She was the kind of individual that never let an opportunity for fun or mischief pass," her mother said. "She never let anyone perform an injustice in front of her. If there was an underdog in a particular situation, she would stand up to anyone to ensure that person was treated in a just and right manner."\nHelen is survived by her parents, Michael and Theresa Walker; brother, Aaron Walker; paternal grandfather, Lewis Walker of Sugar Land; maternal grandparents, Francis and Maria Elena Flood of El Paso, Texas; great aunts, Sister Mary Kathleen Flood and Isabel Flood of El Paso, Texas; and numerous other relatives.\nIn lieu of flowers, donations in Helen's name can be made to Indiana University, c/o Dept. of Theatre and Drama, 1211 E. 7th St., Room 200, Bloomington, IN 47405-1111. The cast of "A Chorus Line" is also naming a star in her honor.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
While many students were out of town or fighting Bloomington summer road construction, a few campus construction projects began to materialize into new campus landmarks. \nWhile the Theatre/Neal-Marshall Education Center is set to open, the Graduate Executive Education Center has another year until it's completion. In the planning stages are a Multidisciplinary Science Building and a new classroom building near the Arboretum.\nGraduate Executive Education Center\nShortly after graduation, workers began constructing the "bridge" over Fee Lane to connect the business school to the new GEEC, said University Architect Bob Meadows. The project is slightly ahead of schedule.\nThe "bridge" is complete, and Fee Lane is open. Now the IU seal meets you as you drive down Fee Lane.\n"From our point of view, it'll be a significant addition to the campus once you walk under it and see the Arboretum on the other side," Meadows said.\nBloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm said the "bridge" is, "a striking visual piece ... A symbol of connecting the whole campus."\nThe building is set to open in May of 2002.\nTheatre/Neal-Marshall Education Center\nThe distinctive Theatre/Neal-Marshall Education Center adds to the cultural theme of Jordan Avenue, Meadows said.\n"If you walk from south to north, we've got the music school, we've got the MAC, and now we have this venue," Meadows said. "Imagine it during the evening ... another crown jewel at Indiana University."\nThe Theatre/Neal-Marshall Education Center opens in September, but the theater and drama and African-American studies departments are already setting up offices in the building.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Students do not often have the chance to present President Myles Brand with direct, uncensored questions, but during the IU Student Association town hall meeting Monday night, 85 students got their chance.\nThe session lasted an hour, and students remained in line to ask questions until Jake Oakman, IUSA president and the event's moderator, closed the discussion. \n"It is mutually beneficial," he said. "He gets to speak to students. We get to speak to him." \nBrand sported khakis and a button-down shirt, joking and laughing with the participants. \nBut the students did not back down from asking a variety of questions on a range of topics. \nThis summer's 7.5 percent tuition hike to compensate faculty salary increases raised a number of questions. Students voiced concerns about how their financial contribution to the University is delegated. \nBrand regrets tuition was raised.\n"I worked every summer and semester while in college," Brand said. "I know what it costs." \nMany students are concerned about the disparity between the salaries of administrators versus professors. Brand agreed.\n"We have to reward our facutly members," he said. "Excellence in the Universtiy depends on faculty more than anybody else." \nBut, Brand said IU has to comply with the rules of the market, explaining, "different fields command different salaries."\nHe also answered questions about IU's role in global causes, such as the University's contract with Nike and the comapany's questionable labor practices. Brand assured students he is not oblivious to the controversial issue, but emphasized IU could only instigate change in conjunction with the Worker's Rights Consortium, a labor rights monitoring group. \n"We will only be effective if we ban together," Brand said. "I'm not interested in feel-good politics. IU doesn't have enough muscle on their own."\nOne student showed concern about the U.S. News and World Report rankings, which placed IU poorly among Big Ten schools. Downplaying the ranking's importance, Brand was confident with IU's national stature. \n"The fact of the matter is IU continues to improve," Brand said. "Through the 1990s, and currently, we are doing well. We're moving in the right direction." \nBrand explained that national rankings are often influenced by high tuition and low acceptance rates, and that IU will not compromise its mission to public education in search of higher rankings.\n"I could get IU in the top five of public universities by cutting off the bottom half of the class," he said. "We give everybody who can make it through IU an education." \nStudents also expressed concern about the appointment of 32-year-old graduate student Sacha Willsey as student trustee, and her ability to represent the undergraduate population.\nIn his response, Brand emphasized that the student trustee is representative of all eight IU campuses. Roughly 30,000 undergraduates represent one-third of the entire student population on all of IU's campuses, Brand said. \nThus, the appointment of Willsey is more representative of the student population than it may appear to Bloomington students. Students responded by asking why there were not more student trustees so the entire student population may be more accurately represented. Brand sympathized, but explained that he had no control over the appointment of any trustee.\nBrand also took the time to clarify his role as president of all IU campuses, not just the Bloomington campus. \n"My level of responsibility covers the entire University," he said. "I must respect the range of authority of the Chancellor. I have a different role. I'm not as visible of a character, and students need to be aware of this role." \nOverall, students, IUSA members, and Brand were satisfied with the outcome of the meeting. \n"I thought they were forthright, difficult questions, and they covered a wide-range of topics," Brand said. "The students may have known the answers to their questions, but they wanted to hear it from me."\nJeff Wuslich, IUSA vice president for administration, said the meeting was important to help bring the student body together with IU's top administrator. "(Students) had a direct line to the No. 1 man on campus," Wuslich said.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Michael Weichman, who quit his job at New York's World Trade Center Friday, could have been dead had he kept his position. \nWeichman, who graduated from IU in May, moved to Manhattan in July. His apartment, which is near the Empire State Building, is only 30 blocks from the twin towers. \nHis office was located on the 81st story in tower one. \nAlthough Weichman no longer worked at the office, he said he still worried about his many friends and former co-workers at Network Plus, a telecommunitcations provider, who were working in the office at the time of the attack.\n"The exact office that I worked (in) got hit by the wing of the first plane. I was not there, but I saw all of the smoke and flames that surrounded the building," Weichman said. \nBut Weichman's friend was in the building at the time of the terrorist attack.\nHere's the gripping description he gave Weichman, who relayed it to the IDS.\n"My friend was working in the office at the time of the attack," Weichman said. "He ran down the stairwell, along with two other people and someone that they had to carry in a wheelchair down to the 30th floor. \n"They continued to run down the stairs, and he decided to go into an empty office and use the phone to call his wife, (who) worked in tower two. \n"After finally finding a phone line that worked, he called his wife on her cell phone to make sure that she was alright. She was running out of tower two, telling him that she was fine and that he needed to get out. He hung up the phone and began running, finally catching up to the others he had left. \n"By that time, he said that he could not see anything but blackness. After he ran down the other 50 stories that were left he saw a man that held a flashlight standing in a big hole. The guy was a FBI agent and he was waving for them to run in a certain direction. \n"My friend said that he tried to pick up the FBI agent to take him with him, but the agent refused and said 'I have to help the other people get out, you go on.'\n"My friend said that he was stepping all over dead bodies as he ran out of the building. As soon as he hit the revolving doors in tower one, tower two began to fall. \n"He started running toward the Hudson River. That is where we ran into each other, he was covered in clay and debris. There was nothing but mad chaos at the shores. There was a six to eight hour wait for a ferry to take you to New Jersey."\nAlthough Weichman's friend was fine, Weichman said he was still frightened about the fate of his other two friends that were working in the World Trade Center at the time of the attack. \n"I have tried over and over again to call their cell phones, and have received no answer. I really do not know what to think," Weichman said. "They are nowhere to be found and I know that they were in the office at the time of the attack. In reality, I know that they probably did not make it out, but I am still going to try call them until I know something for sure."\nWeichman and his girlfriend are currently in New Jersey waiting for the opportunity to get back to New York and pick up the pieces they have left behind. \n"It is a little different for people that just work there, but I live there, right in Manhattan, only 30 blocks away from the disaster," Weichman said. "Everything I have and own are in Manhattan, and since the bridge that takes me back to New York is closed because of the car that was found to have explosives in it, I do not know when I will be able to get home"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Dr. Jose de la Cruz watched black smoke billow from the World Trade Center from the fourth floor of St. Vincent's Hospital in Staten Island, N.Y., last week.\nJust two months ago, the IU alumnus began his first year as a resident physician in New York.\n"Everybody was looking out and I saw just as we were looking at the tower ... we saw the second plane hit the tower and I didn't know what it was," he said. "By noon they got all their residents together and we were placed on emergency alert."\nThe day of the attacks, de la Cruz worked at the hospital in Staten Island, seeing patients who were brought in by ferry, mostly suffering from smoke inhalation. But by 3 p.m. Wednesday, he was needed in Manhattan. Doctors were needed at what has come to be known as "Ground Zero."\nPolice escorted him and two other doctors to the South side of the World Trade Center wreckage, only getting through with medical identification. They were assigned to do triage in the middle of the devastation of two planes crashing into the World Trade Center -- the worst Terrorist attack in United States history.\nDe la Cruz said the main triage station is now located at nearby Stuyvesant High School, but last Wednesday night they were set up in the entrance to the World Financial Center across the street from where the towers stood. The surrounding buildings were unstable, he said.\n"It was kind of scary because before we got there they told us we needed a hard hat and glasses," he said. "It was a very strange environment. You're surrounded by so much squalor and death." \nDe la Cruz, who is training to be an opthamologist, treated rescue workers with dust and debris in their eyes until about 5 a.m. Thursday. He wore two masks to shield his lungs from both the steaming dust still rising from the rubble and the smell.\n"If you're in an operation ... and you burn fat, that's how it smelled," he said. "It sounds very gruesome but that's the way it smelled."\nWith nearly 6,000 people missing or dead in New York, the tragedy forced one of de la Cruz's friends at a New York hospital to categorize patients with burn injuries coming into the emergency room. When de la Cruz called him, his friend said they were sending "medium-well" burn victims to Bellevue Hospital, with "medium rare" going to St. Vincent's Staten Island.\nWhen he saw the second plane hit, de la Cruz focused himself. Besides witnessing hurricanes in San Juan, Puerto Rico, his hometown, he had never seen such a tragedy. Then last week he was called on to help the injured. He locked all emotions away and prepared to do his job.\n"My first reaction, I didn't even think of anything at all," he said. "I need to go where I'm needed." \nBut as the days followed, the emotional burden was beginning to peek through. He and his girlfriend, Sylvia Villares, a resident physician studying pediatrics at St. Vincent's Manhattan, stopped watching television and tried to cheer each other up.\nPhysically, he was tired, although the weekend allowed him to rest. \n"There's still going to be ups and downs as far as emotion," de la Cruz said. "I still don't know how I feel. I can't describe the way I feel right (now)."\nBut he doesn't give up on the chance for survivors.\n"My gut instinct is that we needed to keep hope," he said. "I know it (seems like) too far a stretch, but you have to think about the magnitude. Everything became dust."\nHe said he was surprised about how few patients were brought to the hospital immediately following the attack.\n"I tried to stay away from the logic. The reality is that while we were there, we saw a lot of body parts instead of bodies. You're going to see more body parts than bodies. I kind of prepared myself for that," he said. "Once I left that area, everything just (began) to find its place inside of me."\nAnd in the week after the attacks, the focus of much discussion is how to bring those who committed the attacks to justice. De la Cruz is among those missing someone -- one of the resident physicians is still missing at the World Trade Center site. He said nothing the country does will bring the missing home or erase the memories he has.\n"Your first reaction is to totally obliterate whoever did (it)," he said. "... but I don't want to make people (feel) how I feel right now."\nIn the end, he said the terrorists should be "brought to justice."\n"As health professionals you're taught to not do any damage and treat the ill, but someone has to pay."\nDe la Cruz earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science from IU in 1991, and his master's in 1993, later attending medical school at Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico. At the time he was an avid bicyclist of national caliber, said Associate Professor of Kinesiology Joel Stager, his graduate advisor who has kept in contact with him over the years.\nWith a desire to ride in the Little 500, he came to Bloomington, and raced for the Cinzano team in 1990. He attended IU for six years.\nWalking through New York, he said every small park is crowded with people together, remembering the dead and missing with vigils and gatherings. Union Square, near the New York University campus, sparked memories of de la Cruz's college experience during the anti-war gatherings in Dunn Meadow in the early 1990s.\n"It reminded me a lot of IU," he said. "Those are the same feelings I felt when I was at IU. Even though I was very far from the action, there was a lot of tension." \nThe magnetic way Americans and New Yorkers are coming together has been something impressive to de la Cruz. Villares, his girlfriend, said food was pouring into St. Vincent's Manhattan long after patients were coming in. She said she was given a turkey sandwich.\n"There was a note that said, 'Thank you.' I was very touched by that," she said.\nThe events of last week will change everyone's lives, he said. And through his first months in his three-year residency, de la Cruz said the terrorist attack taught him the hardship of medical school was more than worth it.\n"You have the satisfaction that you helped somebody even if it was just one person"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
WASHINGTON -- It took Hooshmand Yazdani half an hour to get his F-1 student visa at the American Embassy in Iran. \nThat was 1969. \nToday, 32 years later, Yazdani is an American citizen and the owner of Nomad's Kitchen in Washington. He sits at a table in his restaurant with a worried look on his face. He is concerned about the future of Iranian students wanting to study in the United States.\n"There is a lot of talk about new immigration legislation," Yazdani said. "(The Immigration and Naturalization Service) is going to make it a whole lot more difficult. They will have more control and more screenings."\nAfter the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, some are concerned about immigration control becoming more stringent, especially for those people from the Middle East. \nDon Chadwick, an immigration attorney in Chicago, said the INS will push for careful screenings of green card applicants from target countries like Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Pakistan.\n"If their home country is completely against the United States, the applicant has a high chance of denial," Chadwick said. "But this action has to come with acts of Congress. If Afghanistan declares a Holy War against the United States, Congress can decide to deny residency to people from that country."\nDenyse Sabagh, a Washington attorney specializing in immigration law at Duane Morris law firm, said some residents of Middle Eastern decent could be facing deportation. \n"If the INS thinks they share information or have a connection with terrorist activity, and they have a pending application or a green card, then they are not protected."\nMany immigration advocates are also worried about the future of international students studying in the United States. According to data collected by the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers, during the 1999-2000 academic year, 514,723 international students studied in the United States making the country the leading destination of international students. \nRuth Miller, associate director of international services at IU, said depending on what happens with the continued threats of terrorism, international study in the United States may be greatly affected. \n"The United States will be more careful about which students they will let into the country to study," Miller said.\nThere has also been some anti-Arab sentiment across the country resulting in harassment in the recent weeks. The harassment has been directed at students from the Middle East or at people who look like they are Muslim. \n"Students (from the Middle East) feel very sorry for what happened on Sept. 11," Miller said. "It's not their fault, but they feel very bad because people think their home countries did that."\nAfter the attacks, there have been reported cases of hate crimes toward people who look like from they are from the Middle East or who look Muslim. Fanta Aw, director of international student services at American University, said the anti-Arab sentiment is very dangerous.\n "People are trying to find immediate solutions, but identifying and profiling Middle Easterners is not a solution," Aw said. "As soon as you identify people on what they look like in a country of immigrants, it is problematic."\n Americans may also be afraid of international students because they believe they will stay in the United States after their studies, Aw said. There is a tendency for students coming from poor countries to remain here, but 99 percent of Middle Eastern students go back home after graduation. Most of these students don't even take advantage of the one-year optional practical training the INS offers them as a precursor to part time working permits.\nIn 1996 the INS proposed a national foreign student tracking system known as CIPRIS. But due to a lack of funding and manpower, the tracking system was uneffective. \nAfter recent events, the INS is planning to implement a new tracking system, Aw said. Universities will have to report to the INS when students enroll at their institution and when they graduate. This way the INS will know where the students are. \nAw said this tracking system doesn't solve the immigration problem. People who come to the U.S on visitor visas still remain untracked. Many of these people stay here illegally after their visas expire.\nBefore the attacks, President George W. Bush was proposing new immigration laws and working permits for some illegal immigrants. These plans are now on hold.\n"There is a need for these workers, and politics are getting in the way," Aw said. "Amnesty is not for charity, there is a need. There is no industry that hasn't benefited from foreigners advancing their industry."\nRep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., has been working on passing amnesty laws which would make millions of illegal immigrants permanent residents. \nBilly Weinberg, press secretary for Gutierrez, said they believe offering amnesty would benefit everyone and that they will continue with the immigration effort. \n"Immigrants feel as if they are Americans, and like most people, they feel the effects of the attack on their adopted country," Weinberg said. "Immigrants made constructive contributions before and after Sept. 11. We believe immigration is important in the healing process of this country."\nHooshmand Yazdani died of a heart attack one week after granting the IDS this interview.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Pictures spoke more than a thousand words Wednesday. \nImages of aborted fetuses, the Holocaust and animal testing confronted students as they walked by the Sample Gates. Students, faculty and community members made evident their feelings with looks of surprise, disgust, shock and disbelief. \nThe Genocide Awareness Project came to IU and brought these pictures to compare abortion to acts of genocide. The group remains just inside the Sample Gates until Friday. \nThe pictures are billboard size and enclosed by a metal railing. Behind the metal railing, employees and volunteers helping with the project answer questions and hand out literature. \nGAP member Greg Davis acknowledges the unavoidability of the detailed and graphic pictures. \n"This is right in the midst. You can't get away from it, it's in your face," Davis said. "Sometimes, it takes drastic measures. It's not easy, and we don't like to have to do this. "We're appalled by this."\nThe pictures contain graphic content, but the workers said they believe in their purpose.\nErica Rogers, a 17-year-old volunteer with GAP, said she knows the power of the images which ricochet through people's minds. \n"These pictures are needed because there are some things that are so horrific that words cannot describe the magnitude," Rogers said.\nAlongside the stirring images, students gathered to protest the display. \nKate Schroeder, a graduate student, came to the display as a member of the group IU Reaction to GAP. Schroeder said she does not believe in the effectiveness of GAPs form of promotion. \n"I don't believe these kinds of tactics promote debate," she said. "It should be discussed, and this doesn't promote civilized discourse. I don't believe that any message should be promoted with fear or hate. That is not the way you should get your message across."\nGreg Davis, the GAP employee, said forums and discussions do not draw people and do not truly bring forth the issue. Workers with the project attempt to engage onlookers in discourse about the topic. \nA discussion on First Amendment rights has sprung from the controversy surrounding the display, and the various groups do agree on this issue.\n"I support free speech. I believe they have the right to be here," Schroeder said.\nThe Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, an anti-abortion group that created GAP, sued IU for the right to set its display on the public campus.\nIU wanted the display presented in Dunn Meadow, the campus's normal free speech area, but the two reached a compromise to place the display near the Sample Gates, in the heart of IU's old campus.\nProtesters remained peaceful and showed their dislike and disagreement with the display by distributing information and offering a different point of view. \n"Basically, we aren't reacting so much to this but we want our community to be safe and peaceful. We're not out here to argue or debate. There are times for debate, and this isn't it," Schroeder said. \nSchroeder said she also disagrees with what she sees as mistakes in the display, such as the correlation that abortion causes breast cancer.\nRogers said the display helps people make an informed decision with option, whether that choice be pro-life or pro-choice.\n"People need to know what it actually is," Rogers said. "The pictures show that it is not just a blob of tissue. It is a human life.\n"And when you have a picture, the image is instilled in their mind"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Recent cases of anthrax-contaminated letters have led many Americans to question their safety. They have also led to questions about bioterrorism. \nIn response to local concerns, the first installment of a lecture series addressing issues raised by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was held Thursday night in Swain Hall West. \nPanelists at the lecture -- which addressed the threat of bioterrorism -- included Michael McGinnis, director of graduate studies in political science, George D. Hegeman, professor of microbiology and Nick Cullather, associate history professor. \n"I was asked by the chair of the department who was the person in our department who was an expert in the history of bioterrorism," Cullather said. "We have no such expert ... it has no history ... There have been few instances of germ warfare actually used," Cullather said. "Not because of lack of scruples or will but lack of effectiveness."\nCullather said most countries condemn the use of biological warfare, and the Quran, Islam's Holy Scripture, explicitly prohibits it, but terrorists do not adhere to these principles. \nA cult in Japan once sprayed clouds of anthrax around neighborhoods in Tokyo. But people in the area only called police to complain about a bad smell in the air. The attack failed because anthrax spores are killed by sunlight or direct contact with ultraviolet light.\nGerm warfare is largely unsuccessful because of the strength of people's immune systems, Hegeman said. He advised people to wash their hands periodically and not to put strange objects in their mouth.\n"We come in contact with bacteria today that would have wiped out medieval populations," he said. "Today we take shots to avoid the the flu, which would cause us a week of discomfort, which is very similar to the flu virus that caused the flu pandemic in 1918."\nAnthrax is also a commonly found bacteria, Hegeman said. Usually, wherever there are cattle there are anthrax bacteria. Deer and wildlife are also potential carriers. Hegeman gave an example of a Texas man who died last week after skinning a buffalo killed in the road because he contracted cutaneous anthrax.\nHegeman said people need to put things in perspective. \n"We're terrorizing ourselves because we don't educate ourselves about the details," he said. "Therefore, terrorists will use it because they're seeking the notoriety."\nMcGinnis said the anthrax letters are an effective weapon. \n"They accomplished with a few grams of purified anthrax the exact kind of weapon they want," he said. "There has been speculation as to if the terrorists would attack the powergrids, but they have made people afraid to even open their mail."\nHe said it was possible a Unabomber-like terrorist was responsible for the anthrax letters and it would be difficult to catch someone like this. \nThe speakers said the lecture series provides a valuable resource for the community.\n"The series allows us to put aside our expertise as teachers and talk to one another as citizens," Cullather said. \nPeople should avoid reactions that conflict with American culture, but some reasonable changes like vaccinating postal workers, police and emergency workers is wise, he said.\n"I think it's wrong to say to change our ways would mean the terrorists have won, " Cullather said. "In any war victory goes to those who adapt."\nThe lecture series was started by Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm and is co-sponsored by Union Board.\n"She wanted to create a committee to respond to whatever situations that came up so we can have information available to the campus in a timely way," said Moya Andrews, dean of faculties.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Students will not be spared by the statewide fiscal problems facing Hoosiers at this year's General Assembly session. The projected $1.3 billion state deficit could force administrators to raise tuition if state revenues are not increased. \nIf Indiana legislature is able to raise revenue and reduce spending, public education may not experience any further budget cuts and IU students may not have to deal with the resulting increase in tuition. \nGov. Frank O'Bannon said adjustments to the General Fund alone will not solve the state's financial problems and has proposed a plan that hikes cigarette and gambling taxes. \nWithout this plan O'Bannon said he will be forced to make further cuts to education spending.\nO'Bannon's deficit-reduction plan includes a package that will increase riverboat casino admission taxes from $3 to $5, a 50-cent raise in the cigarette tax and the suspension of two tax cuts approved in 1999.\nA separate package proposed by O'Bannon asks for tax restructuring, which will reduce the anticipated property tax increase, resulting from a property tax reassessment.\nRep. Mark Kruzan (D-Bloomington) said the state has already started to cut spending. \nThe governor ordered a 7 percent cut in all state spending. He froze state employee salaries, imposed a hiring freeze and severely restricted out-of-state travel by state workers. Finally, O'Bannon has ordered a cut of higher education spending in the state, totaling $50 million.\nIf lawmakers are forced to continue making cuts in the education budget, an increase in tuition will result, said State Senator Vi Simpson and chairwoman of the State Budget Committee.\n"Everyone concerned about public education needs to make it clear to representatives and senators, in our hometowns, that doing nothing is unacceptable," Simpson said.\nIU students said they hope the governor and the General Assembly find an alternative to cutting education spending.\n"Any increase in tuition will place a huge added burden on my family," sophomore Adam Berry said.\nKruzan, who graduated from IU School of Law in 1985, said he sympathizes with students.\n"In 1982 tuition was drastically increased and financial aid was cut," Kruzan said. "The double-whammy is especially threatening to students who already face high costs while enrolled and a crushing debt upon graduation."\nIt is likely that students will feel the effects of budget cuts as soon as next year, Kruzan said. IU must anticipate the reduced revenue as it calculates tuition models that will be implemented this summer.\nO'Bannon's spending cuts have not affected the fixed budget of the State Student Assistance Commission, said Nick Vesper, director of policy and research for the SSAC.\nIf the budget deficit reaches state financial aid programs many students will feel the effects.\nThe SSAC, an organization that subsidizes higher education in Indiana, provided 43,811 students with state financial assistance, said Vesper. \nOf that total, 3,738 were IU undergraduate students receiving $9,582,365 in state financial assistance, said Todd Schmitz, director of reporting and research for the IUB Professional Council.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Graf column overlooks part of greek life\nWe are writing in response to Bridget Graf's column ("Local bars affected by rules," Jan. 30). We believe Ms. Graf has overlooked some major issues concerning the greek system, the law and the bar culture in Bloomington. First of all, when did fraternities become purely drinking havens and not the philanthropic organizations that they are glorified as. If the greek system is entirely based around parties and the consumption of alcohol as Ms. Graf suggests, then should the University, an institution based upon academics, be supporting such an organization? No! Furthermore, how can the University turn a blind eye to alcohol consumption on a dry campus?\nContrary to Ms. Graf's view, alcohol is not a necessary part of college life. Thus, a required class on alcohol management is a preposterous idea. Not all college students drink, so for the University to require such a class would be absurd.\nOur last point is this: Bars are crowded. Go to any popular bar in any major city or college town and you will find the same overpopulated scenario. We don't hear the employees or owners of the local bars complaining about the supposed extra business either. Besides, tipping your server or bartender a little extra has always helped your drink get there faster.\nElizabeth Friedle\nSenior\nHillary Vogt\nSophomore\nEditorial misstates facts regarding lawsuit, costs of litigation\nIn response to your recent editorial "IU should release files" (Jan. 30), let's stick with the facts. First, The Indianapolis Star is not suing the University for "Bob Knight's personnel documents." We've already provided the Star with all the personnel information we're required by law to release.\nThe Star wants the investigative notes of IU Trustees John Walda and Fred Eichhorn, stemming from the University's inquiry of the Neil Reid incident (which was not the reason Knight was dismissed). These notes contain the names of student athletes and employees who provided information to investigators. The trial court agreed that those notes are not personnel documents, citing state and federal privacy laws which exempt them from disclosure.\nAnd while you are quick to reference a Vigo County lawsuit, you neglect to mention a recent Indiana Court of Appeals' decision involving Purdue University and the Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette that is completely consistent with the position taken by the University.\nIU is defending a very important principle: The privacy rights of our students and employees. Does the IDS really believe this principle is not worth defending? Is the IDS suggesting that releasing these notes is the more responsible option? What will the paper's position be if students sue the University for violating their privacy rights if these records are disclosed?\nFinally, to claim that the administration has "no concern" for litigation costs misstates our position and misses the point. We continue to manage costs associated with this litigation as prudently and efficiently as is practicable. Protecting the privacy rights of our students and employees is hardly a waste of money. \nWilliam B. Stephan\nIU Vice President, Public Affairs & Government Relations\nAppalled by Baron Hill's comments\nCongressman Baron Hill -- whose district will include Bloomington in 2002 -- spoke at Ivy Tech Feb. 1 about worker training. As an activist and working IU student, I was appalled by his comments which revealed lack of concern for workers and overt sexism. \nOne might well expect covert sexism among elite politicians, but Hill did nothing to hide his affliction. For instance, during the question session, one worker told him she was laid off from GE (incidentally, a big Hill contributor in 2000) and was undergoing retraining at Ivy Tech -- while parenting, working and remaining at poverty level lest she lose aid. Then she commented that her greatest fear, despite her current problems, was graduating and not finding employment. \nHill's adroit response? "Don't worry. You're young and pretty; you'll find something." \nThe woman stood her ground: "I'd like to be hired for my skills." Hill also demonstrated lack of understanding of workers' real concerns about survival, dismissing them casually: "I know a world economy is scary." As workers described their real fears -- such as being unable to feed their families, afford necessary health care, avoid workplace poisons, etc. -- Hill was unable to grasp the devastating effects of layoffs on laborers. He was hung up on this notion of childish fear of change. I bet Hill has never worried about his next meal or being ill and unable to afford treatment!\nWorkers, especially women, don't need Hill on the Hill! Good thing we've got a truly pro-labor alternative from the Greens (Jeff Melton).\nRebecca Riall\nSenior\nOutside marketing firm unnecessary\nWhy would the university hire an outside marketing firm to help them transition in the new school colors and mascot, when the Kelley School of Business is right there on campus? Would it not make sense to let the marketing students of the university work on a project like that?\nChastity Wilke\nIndianapolis, Ind.\nAdditional information about OneStart\nAn important clarification must be made regarding a column ("OneStart IU's version of AOL?" Jan. 28). No Student Technology Fee funds are being used to develop OneStart.\nAs the writer correctly recognizes, OneStart is not yet fully developed. \nThis fact is one of several reasons why OneStart has not yet been introduced widely. OneStart will have capabilities far beyond bookmarking your favorite Web pages. OneStart is a service delivery framework. It is not simply about bookmarks. Ultimately, it will be all about getting convenient and direct access to online services at IU. OneStart will mean better service to IU students, faculty, staff and alumni. OneStart users will have the ability to sign in one time and get to all of the services available to them. These services will be filtered based on their role within the University. Users will be able to weed out those services that are not of interest and go directly to the ones they use most often.\nImagine being able to read e -mail, register for classes, pay your bursar bill, and chat with classmates all in one logically arranged place! OneStart provides the framework to put all of the IU services into a personalized desktop along with channels for other areas of interest such as weather, entertainment, sports, news, etc.\nThe point of creating an application portal such as OneStart is not to imitate portals such as AOL. The goal of an enterprise application portal such as OneStart is, in the words of the IU Information Technology Strategic Plan, to "develop a common interface environment that will support the efficient and effective accomplishment of the day-to-day administrative tasks of the University."\nOneStart's added benefits such as customized channels and bookmarks will make it all the better.\nGregory A. Moore\nCommunications Specialist, UITS Communications and Planning Office\nLautzenhiser's abortion column inaccurate\nIn response to Ashley Lautzenhiser's column "Realizing the Right to Choose" (Jan. 29), the arguments were highly inaccurate. The article mentions that the "right to an abortion" places this power in the hands of the responsible party, that being the woman. However, in many cases this is untrue. Often times, the boyfriend or husband forces the woman to have an abortion against her will. Even more disturbing is how abortionists at Planned Parenthood force a woman to go through with an abortion even when she changes her mind. It brings new meaning to the slogan "It's Pro-Choice or No Choice," since for many who are forced into an abortion, it is indeed no choice.\nThe article goes on to say that "murder is not an action done unto oneself, it is an action perpetrated upon an individual." Well, with this I agree. Abortion is enacted upon a child within the womb of a woman, resulting in the child's death. Therefore, abortion is murder. \nAs such, abortion could hardly be considered a right. No one should have the right to "choose" who lives and who dies. Sadly, the reality in this nation is that far too many people choose convenience over ethics and "rights" over the sanctity of life.\nPatrick David Baxter\nSenior, Activism Director/Webtech \nIU Students for Life\nWhite's column disregards implications of unwanted pregnancy\nErin White's column "Abortion not only choice" (Jan. 29) completely disregards the varied social, economic and personal implications of unwanted pregnancy by supporting her argument against abortion with the transparent emotional appeals of one woman's story.\nThe anecdote about her friend who opted not to end her pregnancy and is now happy with her choice is heartwarming, but only reflects one person's isolated experience. Second, the fact that her sister wants a baby but can't conceive one is tragic but bears no relevance on the debate at hand. Some women want pregnancy -- others don't. The motivations for either position are dramatically more complex than either White's argument or these stories allude to.\nThe situation of White's friend should not be taken as the probable outcome for all unwanted pregnancies. By focusing only on a woman who decided she wanted to finish her pregnancy, White completely overlooks the women who don't want, and for various reasons literally can't, continue their pregnancies. White's argument fails to acknowledge poor, disadvantaged women who lack the economic resources and social networks, for whom having a child (possibly another one of many) would cause them to stretch their already limited resources even further. She does not acknowledge the reality of single motherhood -- that while both men and women have sex, women consistently bear the majority of emotional, economic, social responsibility for this joint venture. Furthermore, White does not address the choice of abortion in cases of pregnancy caused by rape or where pregnancy would endanger the mother's life.\nIn conclusion, White's anti-choice argument fails because she underestimates the concept of unwanted pregnancy and the various and serious consequences that it holds for women. The right to choose should not be repealed because one woman who was indecisive about her pregnancy decided to finish it. For this one woman, there are many others for whom maintaining an unwanted pregnancy would not be a viable option. Contrary to White's blithe comment, for many women having a baby is much more than an opportunity, and for some would be a scenario that does carry "end of the world" consequences and implications.\nLow income Hoosier working families seem to be left out of the media discussion about who will be the winners and losers in Indiana's tax restructuring battle. \nDid you know that Indiana is one of only 19 states that still collects income taxes on the annual earnings of families in poverty? The U.S. Census Bureau reports that about one U.S. child in six still lives in poverty and most poor children live in families with a working parent. Yet these families in poverty are still required to pay Indiana state income tax!\nWith all the debate in the Indiana General Assembly over increases in state income taxes, sales taxes, gas taxes and cigarette taxes, our state legislators must make protection of low-income working families a top priority.\nExpanding the Indiana Earned Income Tax Credit provides targeted relief to low and moderate income Hoosiers and encourages self-sufficiency for these working men and women. This must remain in any tax restructuring plan. Taxing poor families is counterproductive and unfair. Thus, there should be no increase in the income tax rate for those at the bottom.\nIt's important for our state legislature to act this session on a tax and budget plan that will protect our schools and universities, reduce our property taxes and strengthen our state economy by helping to create good jobs. But it would be moral neglect of duty if, when the dust settles, low-income Hoosier families have been burdened by our General Assembly with an even greater portion of the Indiana tax pie. Please let your legislators know that they need to do their job for the people of Indiana now!\nPatti O'Callaghan\nLafayette Urban Ministry
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Several Indiana institutions joined intellectual and financial forces to launch Indiana into national prominence in the life sciences industry. \nThe Central Indiana Life Sciences Initiative was formed by the combined efforts from IU, Purdue, the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, the City of Indianapolis and the Indiana Health Industry Forum.\nCombined, the projects from this initiative will cost $1.5 billion for the advancement of academic and economic development.\nOf that $1.5 billion, IU will rack up a $500 million tab over the next three to five years.\nPart of IU's contribution -- $150 million -- will go toward building projects that include a Biomedical Research and Training Center, Stark Neurosciences Research Institute and a $75 million, 250,000 square-foot building dedicated to cancer research. These buildings will be part of the IU School of Medicine in Indianapolis. \nOther IU funds will flow from the Lilly Endowment, which allocates $105 million to support the Indiana Genomics Initiative founded in Dec. 2000. Fifty-$100 million in venture capital will be raised for life sciences in the region by several different partners, including IU. \nIU President Myles Brand stressed that this money does not come from tuition or other University funds.\n"None of this money is being taken away from the University," Brand said. "Investors invest through us. We compete for grants and through these grants comes the money used for research and project funding."\nBut as David Goodrich, president and CEO of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership put it, money is not only thing IU brings to the initiative.\n"Dollars are certainly very important, but the resources IU brings are amazing," Goodrich said. "The real asset of IU are the people and the bright minds, and if we can harness those bright minds then the possibilities would be endless."\nFor students the Initiative means a broader range of opportunities.\n"In Indiana, the average wages in the life sciences industry are two and a half times the average worker's wage," he said. "If we are successful, this will drive the economy for years." \nWhile other states may draw IU graduates away from Indiana because of mountains and oceans, Goodrich said if the initiative is successful, the graduates will stay for the better jobs.\n"We need to find a way to keep the graduates," Goodrich said. "With the jobs that will be created, we're going to keep the great minds here in Indiana."\nFor Dr. Craig Brater, dean of IU School of Medicine, the goals of the initiative are in total alignment with the goals of the medical school.\n"The biggest challenge for physicians, scientists and basically all people in the life sciences industry is coping with the enormous explosion of information and deciding how that should be incorporated into their daily activities. If they are immersed in an environment through their entire education and they are seeing these questions asked, analyzed and put into practice every day, then they will be better equipped to handle this information explosion in the real world," Brater said. "We hope the initiative is going to create a learning environment where we're not just teaching the medicine of today, we're defining the medicine of tomorrow." \nThe initiative comes as the inaugural effort in Indiana from two research universities, city government and private businesses. Without this collaboration, the Initiative would not have been possible, Brand said.\n"We couldn't have succeed if we tried to do this alone," Brand said. "Something this substantial requires a partnership." \nVirginia and California have already been very successful with models like this, and the cooperation is a breakthrough for the state of Indiana, Brand said.\nGoodrich agrees.\n"They're always been a good spirit of cooperation and getting things done," Goodrich said. "In Indiana, team efforts work. The coming together of these resources to generate a whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts is what the Initiative is all about"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Contrary to the belief held by some, the U.S. does not have the responsibility or the obligation to become involved in peacekeeping and/or nation building. I commend Travis Thickstun on his recollection of Kosovo; however, he seems to have forgotten the result of the peacekeeping and humanitarian aid mission in Somalia -- which was, to say the least, not as successful.
Yes, this is the same president who "railed against" peacekeeping missions and nation building, and I can assure you that this role is not something President George W. Bush would have asked for. However, the nation building is for the sole purpose of supporting a government in Afghanistan that does not support terrorists, in order to keep the U.S., as well as our allies, safe. Please don't confuse a national security matter with a desire to be involved nation building, or peacekeeping, or humanitarian aid, in places we don't belong. It is not the same thing, and it is not what our military is trained for.
To address another concern Mr. Thickstun seems to be preoccupied with, the U.S. is not heartless. We do not think the lives of others are worth less than ours. It has little to do with politics. What it does have to do with politics is a result of the fact that we are a representative democracy -- hence, our leaders are often, and should be, hesitant to do things that do not reflect the will of the people. And it has nothing to do with skin color. But please forgive us if we ourselves, or our families, the people we love, are not ready to invade other countries to fight a war we don't believe in for a cause we don't understand. Tell us, Mr. Thickstun, if you were enlisted in the armed forces, would you be so enthusiastic about traveling to a distant place to die for people you do not know?
Heather SchuhJunior
Graduate, professional students need own government
Since both the IDS and opinion editor Travis Thickstun have offered opinions about the separation of the GPSO from IUSA, the GPSO would like to present its perspective.
Graduate students do not fill the graduate student seats in IUSA because IUSA meets twice as often and for twice as long as the GPSO, and IUSA meetings do not address graduate student interests, such as assistant instructor pay and health insurance.
Instead, graduate students go to GPSO meetings, where we discuss how to get contraception coverage for graduate employee health insurance, or the recent, unpublicized change in the doctoral hooding ceremony.
Would undergraduates attend such a meeting? No, they go to IUSA meetings to discuss the issues important to them and their constituents. The separation of the GPSO from IUSA does not dilute student voices; it clarifies and strengthens each. When IUSA can focus on undergraduate issues, it can better serve its constituents. GPSO can continue to represent graduate needs to the administration. And where our needs and interests overlap, we can present two strong voices fighting for the same causes.
Most IU administrators already view GPSO as the representative of graduate student interests. GPSO separation represents a legitimization of the representation we are already providing.
The final question I'll address is whether graduate students want to be separate. GPSO does not move forward without the consent of our constituents. Our current push for independence is a directive from graduate students, based on a majority vote among representatives last year. Our constituents told us what they wanted, and we are acting on it.
The full rundown of reasons GPSO needs separate representation are available online at www.indiana.edu/~gpso/whyvote.html.
Emily NagoskiDirector of Public Relations,GPSO
Road manners prevent rage
People these days. I don't know if it's because the majority of people you see here in Bloomington are students, or it's because today's society lives a fast-paced on-the-go life, but some people in this town could use a class on social etiquette and basic mannerisms!
The other day I was driving down Third Street by the College Mall and the traffic was horrendous, as it always is about 5p.m. As I sat in a line of cars stretching nearly a quarter mile before the light, I find that there is a man in his mid-20's on the right side of me trying to merge into traffic from the parking lot of one of the local stores. So of course, I feel sorry for him and I wait while the other traffic moves in front of me so I can let this poor man in. Little did I know he wouldn't give me the wave as he pulled out into the street! I find myself throwing a fit in my car at him, yelling profanities that even I had never heard! I don't even think he looked in my direction when I so kindly let him in front of me. No manners, and a complete lack of social etiquette.
Now maybe I'm just being too picky or asking too much, but am I really? Is a thank you, a slight wave, or even just a little smile obsolete?
Maybe it's because today we live in such an on-the-go society. We reply on cell phones and e-mail, and sometimes it just seems like some stop signs are less important than other ones. But have we forgot our basic rules that we were taught as children? Did our mothers and fathers not teach us to say "thank you" or "please"? Well, I remember, whether it's with a verbal "thank you," a wave, or even the classic head nod. It always feels good to be acknowledged. Maybe that's why a "thank you" is always "welcomed."
Joey B. Lax-SalinasJunior
Social workers make positive impact on lives
March is National Professional Social Work Month. Social workers, regardless of context or speciality, focus on bridging the gap between resources and services and the people who need them. Over 15 million people use social work services every year. Social workers can be found in schools, hospitals, community organizations, government agencies, research organizations, educational institutions and private practice. Over half a million professional social workers use their collective power to strengthen families, to help individuals overcome adversity, to make a significant impact on the well-being of society, and to advocate for necessary change and justice for all. Celebrate the power of social work!
Karen Van ArsdaleAlumna and local social woker
Minimum retirement age costly
In response to the article "Rule considers cash, not age" in Thursday's IDS (head-to-head column):
Several questions arise about the idea that forcing people to retire at age 65 will result in less cost to the University.
1) Once they retire, there is some level of pension that must be paid. This is above the salary required for the replacement hire for the position. The only way that this is a savings is if the new hire's salary plus the pension payments for the retiree total less than the replaced person's salary. Is this the norm, or (as I suspect, but don't have numbers for), the new hire's salary plus the retiree's pension total more than the original salary, resulting in increased costs per month.
2) Just in terms of pension amounts, which is less: paying a lower pension for a longer time or a higher pension for a shorter time? For example, say we have an employee who will live to age 80. If this person is forced into retirement at age 65, there will be 15 years of pension payments. If the person works until age 70, there will be 10 years of pension payments. The shorter-term pension will only cost more over the retiree's lifetime if the yearly payments are greater than 150 percent of the longer-term pension.
3) An additional cost to consider in the equation is any costs of training a new hire. Replacing employees more often will result in more training requirements and possible loss of efficiency during the training period, resulting in added costs to the University.
All of these issues need to be addressed before one can conclusively state that forcing employees to retire at age 65 will save the University money in either the long or short run.
Allen RogelPh.D candidate, Dept. of Astronomy
Credit corporations' deplorable actions need to be stopped
What could be more contemptible than corporations luring young people into indebtedness? There are cases where students have taken their own lives after realizing the extent of their indebtedness. Is anyone concerned? You have to wonder.
I'll take it a bit farther.
What about absolute greed in its purest form, which the credit card companies daily engage in: Charging interest rates which go beyond 20 percent. I see this as nothing less than legal loan-sharking.
These are deplorable things. They should not be allowed. Why aren't the universities, the colleges and the churches coming forward and speaking out in a united voice against it? By their very absence their silence is deafening.
And then, as every year before, the politicians have raided the Social Security Trust Fund -- cleaning it out for the war machine now feeding so voraciously. Mouth those words over to yourselves: Trust fund! When trust is a law -- a federal law -- and misused and bent and ignored, it is not merely wrong -- it is a national disgrace.
B.G. NoeHemet, Calif.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Seventy-five years ago Nick Hrisomalos, a Greek immigrant, purchased a piece of land on Kirkwood Avenue and opened up a sandwich shop named "Nick's English Hut." Ironically enough, that same year Dick Barnes, current co-owner of Nick's, was born. July 3rd will mark 75 years for Nick's English Hut and Dick Barnes' 75th birthday.\n"We're having a private invitation only party on July 3rd for friends and regular customers," Rex Barnes, Dick's son, says. "We will be celebrating our 75th year of business and Dad's 75th birthday."\nHrisomalos ran the Hut until he died in 1953, then his wife Katina took over. Dick Barnes was a good friend of Nick and Katina's son Frank. In 1957, the IU graduate found himself the owner of Nick's, but says he didn't even think about changing the name for fear it would change the tradition.\nDick's son Rex, now co-owner and general manager, began working at Nick's when he was 18 and hasn't left the place yet.\n"I've been co-owner and general manager for almost 8 years," Rex says. "Dad and I have made a lot of changes to the place since it first opened. When Dad bought Nick's in 1957 the legal seating capacity was 75, and since all the adding on we've done, the seating capacity is almost 475."\nWith more seating and more college students and alumni coming in year after year, Dick says he hasn't seen much of a change in their cliental. \n"We've always been a place that anyone can come to," Dick says. "We've got construction workers with mud on their boots sitting across the isle from the president of the University."\nRex agreed with his father.\n"Our cliental and target is anyone from your 21-year-old college student to your 89-year-old grandmother," Rex says. "We don't target just one section like a lot of other bars in town do."\nRobyn Shelly, a 1999 IU graduate, says she remembers the comfortable atmosphere of Nick's and how it was a great place to go just to spend time with friends. Just hearing the word "Nick's" reminded Shelly of stories she had forgotten about.\n"I remember being able to go and just sit in a booth with your friends and talk," Shelly says. "There wasn't a need for black pants or tank tops; it's such a diverse place where anyone can go and feel in place. I specifically remember the time we went to eat there, and we were seated next to a bunch of coaches from IU sports teams. You never know who you might run into at Nick's."\nNick's English Hut is known for a wide variety of things. From the famous Bloomington Stromboli sauce to the Bucket Brigade that started in the '70s, Nick's is full of tradition and stories. One of Nick's most popular pastimes is "Sink the Bismark," but there's a lot of mystery around how the popular game came about.\n"To this day, no one knows exactly how 'Sink the Bismark' started. It only became popular starting in the '80s. Before then, the Bucket Brigade were the only players, and it was a very exclusive club," Rex says. "You had to have a bucket on a hook at Nick's in order to order a bucket."\nRex saw how this exclusive drinking game would be fun for everyone and made it available for anyone to play. On any given night one can walk into Nick's and see at least one table of college students huddled around a bucket full of beer, trying not to "sink the biz."\nThe good food, the drinking games and the memories are what keep people coming back to Nick's.\n"When I go down to visit my friends in the Bloomington area, I know we won't go out to Kilroy's or the Bird," Shelly says. "We'll definitely go to Nick's because of the laid back atmosphere and the memories we've already made there when we were in college."\nIt's hard to ignore the 75 years of history imprinted on the walls of Nick's English Hut. There isn't a space on the walls that isn't covered with pictures or autographs. IU memorabilia has always made Nick's a popular place to watch the Hoosiers sports teams play on television. Almost every booth has a regular customer that is well known or famous. John Mellencamp even has his own booth.\nThe wall that holds the most value to Rex is the upstairs wall covered in autographs.\n"Nick Nolte is my favorite," Rex says as he scans the many signatures on the wall. "Dave Wannstedt, head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Don Larson, Larry Bird, Bob Knight, John Walsh; the list just keeps going."\nRex chuckled when he came across the signature of Chris Darden, one of the district attorneys for the O.J. Simpson case. Darden wrote down how he felt about the outcome of the trial.\nAll the well-known visitors to Nick's don't compare to the good times Dick and Rex have had during IU basketball games.\n"I think the Final Four in my 10 years here is the craziest time we've had," Rex says. "There are idiots in every crowd, but as a whole, everything was well maintained. Nick's is unique in the respect that a lot of people don't tear this place up. People respect Nick's and know it's full of history and tradition."\nThe 75 years of history and tradition will be celebrated with the public on July 5 when an art competition and auction will be held.\n"Coach DiNardo will be speaking among other coaches," Rex says. "We've got lots of great things to auction off and all the proceeds will benefit the Monroe County Humane Association."\nJust a few of the items to be auctioned off include a dinner with football coach Gerry DiNardo, a workout with Kenny Aronoff, a basketball signed by Mike Davis, rock climbing lessons, IU memorabilia and lots more. Dick and Rex look forward to raising the money for the Humane Association.\nRex is still looking ahead into the future and doesn't expect things at Nick's to slow down anytime soon.\n"If in the last 75 years the seating has increased by almost 400, you've got to expect more great things in the future," Rex says. "In another 25 years when we celebrate our 100th anniversary, I expect business to be as thriving as it ever has been."\nSINK THE BISMARK\n• The game is played by filling a bucket with beer. A small empty glass is dropped in the bucket, and players take turns pouring beer from their cup into the glass in the bucket. The person who pours to much beer in the glass, causing it sink, must pound the beer in the sunken glass.\n• Sink the Bismark started at Nick's sometime in the '80s, soon after the drinking game Quarters was banned from the bar.\n• Each bucket holds 52oz. of beer.\n• Nick's keeps around 260 personal buckets on hand as members of its "Bucket Brigade."\n• To obtain a coveted spot in the Brigade, buckets must be willed from a previous owner.\n• Buckets that go unused for a very long time are sometimes retired, making room for new members.