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(07/18/07 9:46pm)
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Sometimes coffee just isn’t enough. \nAfter their energy has perished and they’re in over their heads with finals, some students skip the caffeine and find other ways to stay awake. \nAccording to a Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse report, the percentage of college students abusing prescription drugs has increased dramatically over the past two decades, and officials believe students abuse pills to gain back the vigor that college has taken out of them. \nHeidi Cuda, the regional director for Iowa City, Iowa’s Mid-Eastern Council on Chemical Abuse, commonly referred to as MECCA, named Adderall and Ritalin as two prescription drugs commonly abused by students. The number of students taking these drugs increased 93 percent from 1993 to 2005, according to the national report. \n“They are stimulants; they give you confidence and make you more alert,” she said. “People take them to stay up longer, but they usually crash, bringing their energy level lower than when they started.” \nJane Caton, an addiction counselor in chemical-dependency services at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, said the crash often comes at bad times for some students. \n“College students I’ve helped told me that people have fallen asleep during finals, probably the final they took the pills to stay up for,” she said. \nCaton has worked with young adults who abuse and are addicted to prescription pills. She said that people abuse such drugs as Vicodin to calm anxiety, while others who abuse Ritalin want to speed up. \nThe addiction center reported that these drugs are easily found on the Internet, but they are also available with a prescription from a physician, said Iowa City police Sgt. Troy Kelsay. Still, others may purchase drugs from people who have a valid prescription, he said. \n“I see these cases across my desk all of the time; I would say moreso in recent years than in the past,” said Kelsay, who has been on the force for 21 years. \nHe noted some students misuse these drugs because they believe they’ll get in less trouble for taking prescription pills rather than other drugs, such as marijuana. \n“Marijuana is considered a fairly minor offense, a severe misdemeanor,” he said. “There can be hefty fines and time in prison for abusing prescription pills.” \nKelsay added, however, that it’s harder to charge someone with possession of pills. \n“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to identify marijuana, but it takes experience to see what pills really are when someone is telling you it’s just Tylenol,” he said. “Also, possessing these pills are not illegal if they have a prescription.” \nDave Barloon, a nurse practitioner at the University of Iowa Health Care Center Chemical Dependency Center, said some think pills are safer than marijuana because they can be prescribed and aren’t street drugs. In many cases, he said, students mix pills with alcohol, which increases their effect. \n“Although they can be prescribed, you never know how you will react to the pills,” Barloon said. “If you get a rash or a problem with your health, how will you go about getting help? How will you explain yourself?”
(07/18/07 9:46pm)
IOWA CITY, Iowa – With orientation season well underway across the country, many students are taking campus tours and registering for classes at colleges. That is, community colleges – an increasingly popular option for recent high school graduates. \nCommunity colleges enroll 46 percent of all undergraduate students nationwide, according to the American Association of Community Colleges. Students are choosing junior colleges over four-year institutions for several reasons, said Steve Carpenter, the director of public-information services for Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. \n“It’s convenient – they can stay close to home and transfer to college life easier,” he said. “For some, it’s financial, and for some, there is a specific program that will help them in the future.” \nBut for many students, attending a junior college doesn’t mean that time at a four-year institution isn’t in their future, Carpenter said. Many colleges, including Kirkwood, even offer transfer degrees that are based on general education requirements, allowing students to seamlessly enter a four-year university as a junior. \nA Kirkwood study found that from 1996 to 2006, Kirkwood students have transferred to four-year colleges in all 50 states and across the globe, Carpenter said. Of the 21,000 total transfer students from Kirkwood during that time, 16,000 transferred to Iowa colleges, with an “overwhelming number” moving to the University of Iowa, he said. \nThe University of Iowa recently introduced its “2 Plus 2 Plan” – an agreement with Kirkwood and other community colleges that provides University of Iowa-recommended classes. \n“(The plan) is for students who know they want to end up here, but for whatever reason prefer to attend a community college first,” said Michael Barron, the director of University of Iowa Admissions. \nTristan Meade, a May graduate of West High, plans to attend Kirkwood because of its proximity to her family. \n“People think, ‘Oh, it’s Kirkwood, it’s where dumb people go,’” she said. “But it’s a good place to start off if you’re not comfortable with going to a big school like (Iowa). You can get used to college before transferring somewhere.” \nThe Liaison Advisory Committee on Transfer Students is made up of a representative from each regent university – the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and University of Northern Iowa – and three members from community colleges in Iowa. The group has helped establish guidelines on transferring credits or degrees from junior colleges to regents’ universities. \n“Community colleges are a strong choice in this area, especially for students who want to take that two-year degree and go to a four-year institution,” Carpenter said. \nBarron said the University of Iowa will continue to work with colleges across the state to make the transfer process from a two-year to four-year college as simple and effective as possible. \n“We have every reason to believe that students who complete an associate degree and then transfer (to the University of Iowa) will perform at the same level as students who started here,” he said.
(07/16/07 6:21pm)
Several IU students, faculty and staff members received a threatening spam e-mail last week from a hijacked IU account, according to an IU Police Department statement.\nThe e-mail, which was sent from an account with a user name registered to an undergraduate student, claimed to be from a person who was hired to murder the recipient. The message’s sender said the murder could be avoided if the recipient paid $8,000.\nThe e-mail opened with the statement, “This is the only way I could contact you for now, I want you to be very careful about this and keep this secret with you for now. You have no need of knowing who I am or where I am from.” \nThe e-mail stated numerous times not to contact the police. \nThe University Information Technology Services IT Security Office is investigating the security breach, said IUPD Capt. Jerry Minger.\nWhen the security office learned of the break-in, it terminated the IU account that sent the message.
(07/15/07 11:56pm)
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Recent studies show that the food you ingest plays a role in your daily functions, affecting mood, perception of pain and alertness. \nSome students are not concerned with ways to improve their nutrition, such as trying to eat foods high in vitamins and minerals. \n“I’m a very active person, so I’m not worried about my nutrition,” said Youngtstown State University freshman Justin J. Knight. \nStill, mood and perception are affected by food. Research at Cardiff University in Wales shows that the human body’s neurotransmitters trigger all sorts of feelings. These chemicals take information from one nerve cell to another, creating messages such as, “I’m full” or “I’m anxious.” \nChrystyna Zellers, registered dietitian/nutritionist at Andrews Recreation and Wellness Center, said that energy and mood are directly related to blood sugar levels, which are determined by diet. \n“It’s amazing how energy, mood and healthy weight are so integrated,” said Zellers. \nFoods to avoid are those that spike blood pressure too quickly or overload your body with saturated fat. Choose foods containing whole grains, healthy fats from plant sources, lean meat and poultry, low-fat dairy, raw nuts and lots of vegetables and fruits. \nDiet is associated with weight loss, but healthy eating means much more for the body. \n“I eat healthy all the time and I always have a lot of energy, but I don’t lose weight,” freshman Mignon L. Davis said. \nAccording to Zellers, each person’s body needs a certain number of calories per day to maintain basic functions. How the body uses these calories is called metabolism. A faster metabolism uses more calories in a day without weight gain. \nAccording to www.health.ivillage.com: to boost alterness, eat more protein, such as eggs, poultry, fish, cheese, milk or tofu. For relaxation or stress management, eat more carbohydrates, like fruits, rice, whole grain crackers and bread, whole grain pasta and cereal. When it comes to improving memory, increasing the intake of choline – which comes from eggs and liver – will help.
(07/15/07 11:55pm)
AUSTIN, Texas – Contrary to long-standing claims by social scientists that women say three times as many words as men, psychology researchers at the University of Texas have determined that men and women speak the same amount each day. \nThe recently published study concluded that both men and women utter about 16,000 words a day. \nThe report was first published in Science Magazine as a collaboration between University of Texas, the University of Arizona in Tucson and Washington University in St. Louis. \nExperimenters used a device called the EAR, or electronically activated recorder. Over the course of an average day, subjects wore the recorder, which turned on automatically, to sample 30-second snippets of conversation every 12 1/2 minutes. Subjects who wore the recorders did not know whether the device was on or off at any particular time. \nRecordings were made of nearly 400 university students in the United States and Mexico, and the sessions lasted as long as 10 days. \n“This new advance has now made it clear that the stereotype of women being more chatty than men can now been relegated to the category of myth,” said Louann Brizendine, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco and author of “The Female Brain.” \nThis is the first large-scale study that has systematically recorded the natural conversations of large groups of people for extended periods of time, said James Pennebaker, chair of the University of Texas psychology department and co-author of the report. \n“It’s such a rich research area,” Pennebaker said. “This addresses the whole idea of stereotypes. Everyone was so certain that women talk more than men, but in fact, it’s just a stereotype that’s been around for a long time that is really not true.”
(07/12/07 4:00am)
While it didn't contain the massive line-up that Woodstock touted, the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967 was the event where two of the greatest images to define rock history would occur: The Who obliterating their equipment and Jimi Hendrix setting his guitar ablaze during "Wild Thing." As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.\nThanks to The Criterion Collection, this documentary shot by D.A. Pennebaker is available today. Whether it be Otis Redding's wildly entertaining soul set or the hypnosis-inducing sitar wizardry of Ravi Shankar, every passing minute captures something uniquely exciting that no festival nowadays possesses: the birth of music that would change a nation and shape a generation.\nJanis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Simon & Garfunkel and plenty more are showcased here. Sure you could purchase the DVDs individually, but if you call yourself a rock fan and don't own the three-disc set, you're certainly committing blasphemy.
(07/12/07 12:39am)
KENT, Ohio – What do you fear? \nIs it spiders, enclosed spaces or flying on a plane? \nFriday the 13th, which comes at the end of this week, is a day many people associate with phobias or superstitions. \n“A phobia is a fear of a place or a particular thing,” said Michael Moore, the assistant director of the Kent State University Psychological Clinic. “It can be almost anything from a fear of heights to a fear of water.” \nPhobias are one of the most common forms of psychological pathology, Moore said. \nIn a 2004 story on National Geographic’s Web site, Donald Dossey, founder of the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, N.C., said that an estimated “$800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day because people will not fly or do business they would normally do.” \nThe article also estimates that 17 to 21 million people in the United States are phobic or superstitious about the calendar date. \nThe fear of the number 13, according to the article, is deeply rooted in history within myths and biblical references. But the fear of the date or number isn’t the only phobia out there. \n“I am afraid of heights,” said senior Branden Vondrak. “I guess I just don’t want to fall down that far.” \nVondrak is not alone in his fear of heights. Moore said many people have healthy fears, but it is when that fear impairs their daily life that it becomes a concern. \n“The hallmark is that the fear is something that is somehow functionally debilitating, something that causes you difficulty in your work or difficulty in your relationships with other people,” Moore said. \nPeople can develop phobias from past negative experiences. For example, a person may develop a fear of dogs if he or she was bitten by one as a child. \n“You can be afraid of just about anything,” Moore said. “You name it, someone is afraid of it. The different fears that people have are as varied as people’s experiences.” \nAs easy as it is to develop a phobia, it is just as easy to cure it. \n“The way that you do that is to bring a person into contact with whatever they are afraid of,” Moore said. “If it’s heights, you take them to the top of a really tall building. If it is a dog, you find the biggest, scariest dog that you can and enclose them in a room with it. \n“It is a lot of really intense anxiety at first, but then it tends to drop off very quickly. Most phobias can be cured this way,” Moore said.
(07/08/07 11:01pm)
Richmond, Bloomington and those cities’ IU campuses are preparing to show off their digs this month in bids to play host to one of the 2008 presidential or vice-presidential debates.\nThe Commission on Presidential Debates plans to visit Bloomington and the IU campus on July 17 and Richmond, Ind. in Wayne County the next day to assess whether they should be chosen among four of 17 sites vying for one of three tentatively-planned presidential debates and a vice-presidential one.\n“I am not nervous at all,” said Jim Dinkle, CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County. “The way I look at it ... I’m sort of like a thoroughbred horse trainer. I know I have the best 3-year-old, and if (it wins), place or show, we’re going to host a debate.”\nMeanwhile, IU, the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation and the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention & Visitors Bureau hope to land a debate at IU through an effort spearheaded by the IU Student Association.\nRob DeCleene, director of tourism for the convention bureau, said the visit by the debate commission and the Secret Service mark the time when the selection process gets serious.\n“This is a big deal for us,” DeCleene said Friday. “It would bring huge exposure to Bloomington and IU and the state of Indiana in general and be a unique opportunity to play a part in democracy in action.”\nHost cities must prove they can provide adequate facilities, including a 17,000-square-foot debate hall and a media room to accommodate about 3,000 journalists, and meet other guidelines for telecommunications, hotels, transportation and security.\nEach city must pay more than $1.3 million to the Commission on Presidential Debates, the nonprofit organization that coordinates the events, to cover production costs.\nWhether Richmond or Bloomington lands a debate, Dinkle said he plans on writing a letter asking Governor Mitch Daniels to have the state allocate $1 million to help with the cost of putting on the debate.\nDeCleene said the July 17 site visit at IU will begin with a community and campus welcome, followed by several hours of touring and providing technical information. They will go to the Indiana Memorial Union and the IU Auditorium, the proposed site of the debate. The media site would be at the Ora L. Wildermuth Recreational Center.\nDinkle said when the commission arrives in Richmond, it will review the Civil Hall’s features and tour such places as the new Reid Hospital campus, the Indiana University/Ivy Tech campus and the Depot District.\nRecently, Arizona State and Ohio State universities rescinded their bids due to financial constraints.\nThe debate commission has said that besides the locations for three presidential debates and one vice-presidential one, two alternate locations also will be chosen this fall. The debates usually take place in September and October before the elections in November.
(07/08/07 11:01pm)
IU professor Michael R. Baye has been named director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Economics.\nBaye has served as an IU professor of business economics in the Kelley School of Business since 1997. In his new position, he will supervise economic analysis at the FTC and advise on economic policy matters.\nThe Bureau of Economics assists the commission in evaluating the economic affect of its antitrust and consumer protection actions. The bureau’s analytical work provides economic advice for enforcement actions, working with the Bureaus of Competition and Consumer Protection.\n“We are fortunate that Michael Baye will take over as bureau director, and I am confident that he will continue this tradition of excellence and provide valuable assistance to the commission in fulfilling its competition and consumer protection mission,” FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras said in a statement.\nBaye is expected to return to Indiana at the conclusion of his appointment.
(07/08/07 11:00pm)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Students who have the notion that they can get away with cheating in online courses should beware. \nCompanies are talking about new devices to help curb online cheating, and Penn State is listening. \nThis fall, Troy University in Alabama will begin using a new camera-monitoring technology to deter cheating in online courses. The device, made by Cambridge, Mass.-based Software Secure, includes a small Web camera and microphone to be set up where the student takes the test. The camera points into a reflective ball, which allows it to capture a 360-degree image. \nThe monitoring device locks down other online quizzing and testing tools so nothing else can be accessed on the computer during a test. The device also includes a fingerprint scanner to authenticate the identity of the test taker, according to the Software Secure Web site, www.softwaresecure.com. \nImplementing such a system as this at Penn State is “something we’re definitely exploring,” said Rick Shearer, assistant director of instructional design and development for Penn State’s World Campus, which teaches courses solely online. \n“One of the things we’ve been doing is looking at how we can improve proctored exams, so we’re talking to several companies and weighing the pros and cons,” he said. \nCurrently, humans proctor exams for the World Campus. \nA student must find his or her own proctor, who is then entered into a proctor database and sent a paper-based exam to administer to the student, Shearer said. \n“The system we have now is what we’ve been using for years,” he said. “A lot of it depends on how adamant the faculty is about academic integrity.” \nShearer said the types of monitoring devices vary, but all have similar mechanisms. Some of the systems are completely integrated with Web cameras and microphones, while others simply require students to log into a Web site that tracks what students are doing online and produces reports on abnormal behavior, Shearer said. \n“In any of the ones we’re talking to, students would have to invest in a Web cam,” he said. \nChristopher Palma, who teaches astronomy through the World Campus, said he is satisfied with the current system. \n“I haven’t seen any problems with the exams, so I’m okay with the way things are going,” he said. \nHowever, Palma said he thinks academic integrity is a big concern for a lot of people. \n“There seems to be a lot more worry about cheating in the face-to-face sections, and that’s definitely carrying over into online courses as well,” he said. \ntheir word. Students are adults and I always try to treat them that way.” \nSophomore Nicholas Yourchak said he has never taken an online course, but said it would probably be much easier to cheat in Web courses. \n“All you have to do to cheat in Web courses is whenever you’re taking a test, you can’t have two Web windows open at the same time, because that’s what they look for,” he said. \nHe said there’s a simple solution. \n“Look up your questions, close that window and go back and take the test,” he said. \nWhile monitoring devices may help deter cheating, it will always be around, Shearer said. \n“If someone’s adamant about cheating, they’ll find a way around any system,” he said.
(07/05/07 4:54pm)
GLASGOW, Scotland – The fast-moving investigation into failed car bombings in Glasgow and London has swept up at least five physicians and a medical student, officials said Tuesday, including a doctor seized at an Australian airport with a one-way ticket.\nMany of the men had roots outside Britain, with ties to Iraq, Jordan and India, and worked together at hospitals in Scotland or England, officials said.\nNone of the plotters arrested so far is named on U.S. terror watch lists that identify potential suspects, according to a senior American counterterror official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.\nBritish Broadcasting Corp. and Sky News identified a suspect badly burned in the failed attack on Glasgow airport as Khalid Ahmed, also a doctor. Police declined to confirm the identity but have said the injured man was the driver of the Jeep that rammed the Scottish airport. He is hospitalized under armed guard.\nOne of the doctors from India, 27-year-old Muhammad Haneef, was arrested late Monday at the international airport in the Australian city of Brisbane, the Australian attorney general said.\nHaneef worked in 2005 at Halton Hospital in England, hospital spokesman Mark Shone said. A 26-year-old man arrested Saturday in Liverpool also practiced there, Shone said.\nAustralian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said Haneef was being held under counterterrorism laws that allow him to be detained without \ncharges being immediately filed.\n“The doctor was regarded by the hospital as, in many senses, a model citizen – excellent references and so on,” said Queensland Premier Peter Beattie.\nPolice in Glasgow said two more men, aged 25 and 28, were arrested Sunday in residences at Glasgow’s Royal Alexandra Hospital, where staff identified them as a junior doctor and a medical student.\nAmid increased security at British airports, train stations and on city streets, two men attempting to buy gas canisters at an industrial estate were arrested in Blackburn, Northern England, under anti-terrorism laws. Police said it was too early to determine if the men were linked to the London and Glasgow attacks.\nBritish-born terrorists behind the bloody 2005 London transit bombings and others in thwarted plots here were linked to terror training camps and foreign radicals in Pakistan.\nAuthorities said police searched at least 19 locations at a time of already high vigilance before the anniversary of the suicide bombings in London that killed 52 people on July 7, 2005.\nIn the latest attacks, two car bombs failed to explode in central London on Friday, and two men rammed a Jeep Cherokee loaded with gas cylinders into the entrance of Glasgow International Airport and then set it on fire Saturday.\nThe British government security official said investigators were working on one theory that the same people may have driven the explosives-laden cars into London and the blazing sport utility vehicle in Glasgow.\nBomb experts carried out a second controlled explosion on a car at the Royal Alexandra Hospital hospital Monday, after a similar blast Sunday. Police said the car was linked to the investigation, but no explosives were found.
(06/28/07 12:06am)
HOUSTON – The University of Houston announced earlier this month that AT&T will eliminate the majority of pay phones on its campus because of low usage. \nThe rise of wireless and mobile communication used around campus in recent years by students and faculty has been the main reason for the decision by AT&T. \n“(The) ongoing growth of wireless phones and other mobile communications devices (have) significantly impacted the demand for and usage of retail pay phone services,” AT&T said in a press release. \nThe change has been met with mixed reactions by students, who are split on the decision of having the phones on campus at all. \n“(The University should) just have them close to every building,” mathematics graduate student Ojas Deve said. \nOther students say they do not see the reason for having pay phones on campus at all. \n“Why do we have (pay phones)?” electrical engineering major and junior David Truong said. “When, I mean, cell phones are everywhere now. ... Everyone has cell phones now.” \nWork on removing the pay phones is expected to occur this month and should last a minimum of two months, according to a press release. \nThe impending decrease of pay phones is considered a bad move by some students who say that there are not enough on campus, citing safety concerns and convenience in case of emergencies. \n“I think it’s a bad idea,” Deve said. “Because in case your cell phone battery dies, you need to call someone in case you have an emergency.” \nNot all pay phones will be extracted, however, as some sites on campus are regularly utilized and will remain active. \n“It’s good to have (pay phones) around, just in case you forget your cell phone at home,” Truong said. “You don’t know, you might need one.”
(06/25/07 12:07am)
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern University’s WebMail upgrade crashed within hours, but three weeks after switching e-mail providers to Gmail, the new service is still going strong. \nThe Gmail option became available during finals week, said Wendy Woodward, director of technology support services. Since then, 25 percent of students who have the option to switch have done so, she said. \n“The reponse has been overwhelmingly positive,” Woodward said. “We anticipate this will be a service that students will enjoy using over the year.” \nThe new accounts, which are through Gmail Applications for Education, end in the slightly longer @u.northwestern.edu. \nSo far, they have been offered to rising sophomores, juniors, seniors, the just-graduated class of 2007 and students in the school of continuing education. This year’s incoming freshmen will get to choose between WebMail and Gmail, Woodward said, but after this year NUIT hopes to make Gmail the default for all students. \nIn addition to the new freshmen, plans are also under way to invite incoming students at the School of Law. Existing law and graduate students will be integrated during the 2007-08 academic year, she added. \nThough most students still have yet to take advantage of the new service, Woodward said she hoped positive word of mouth would influence more students to sign up over the summer and into next year. But some don’t want to make the switch. \n“What I have now works fine,” junior Katherine Corkery said. \nCorkery said she already has her WebMail forwarded to Gmail, so she doesn’t see the point in changing. \n“Right now, it’s not worth it,” she said. She said she had not heard anything negative about the program, but also had not heard anything overwhelmingly positive. \nWoodward said more people might make the change when they see everything the new service will offer, including more available memory, larger e-mail boxes, instant messaging, calendars and file sharing. \n“I think people will be intrigued and interested,” Woodward said. \nStudents will also be able to keep the new addresses after graduation, which has been a big draw for recent graduates. \n“I changed over, and most of my friends were happy to change, too,” Kevin Palms said. “A lot of them were already forwarding to Gmail, so it was an easy transition.” \nKeeping a Northwestern e-mail address is also comforting to graduates, Palms said. \n“People are happy to have something to hold on to from Northwestern,” he said. \nSome classmates experienced a minor glitch in getting e-mails forwarded to PDAs, like Treos and BlackBerrys, he said, but added that overall he was glad he made the switch. \n“It’s a vast improvement,” he said.\nAnd it’s going to keep improving, Woodward said. \nGmail has plans to continue adding more features, she said, especially as other colleges and universities start signing up for the program. “This is only the beginning,” Woodward said.
(06/17/07 11:36pm)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Tell them what you listen to, and they can tell you who you are. \nSamuel Gosling and Peter Rentfrow, two professors at the University of Texas, conducted a study that links musical preference with personality traits. \nThe study revealed that some stereotypes have an element of truth. According to a summary of the study, people drawn to reflective and complex music such as jazz, classical, folk and blues tend to be imaginative, value aesthetic experiences, are tolerant of others and are politically liberal. \nThose who prefer music in the intense and rebellious categories – rock, heavy metal and alternative – are inclined to be curious risk-takers who are physically active and intelligent. \nListeners of upbeat and conventional music, such as country, pop and religious music, tend to be outgoing, helpful and conservative and see themselves as physically attractive. \nGosling and Rentfrow’s final category – energetic and rhythmic music – included funk, hip-hop, soul and electronica. Individuals who listen to music from this category are inclined to be talkative, energetic and forgiving. They also see themselves as being attractive and are opposed to conservative ideals. \nRussell Robinson, a University of Florida music professor, said culture plays a large part in determining what music style an individual chooses. \nThe music’s composition has to be simple enough for the individual to understand the piece based on their previous exposure to music but also complex enough to keep the listener entertained. \n“Sometimes there is a problem with contemporary music because it is hard for the general audience to understand,” Robinson said. “The piece can be played perfectly, but the listener won’t get it.” \nRobinson said a social factor is also involved with musical preferences. \n“If you put people in a room to listen to music, there will be a different response than if they listen to it individually because of the social aspect,” Robinson said. “Someone might say they like it for a particular reason that you had not considered.” \nIn college especially, people want to find things to do together and music is often a common interest, he said. \n“It just makes sense that people with common interests would gather at the same place,” said Stella Leung, a University of Florida animal sciences student and indie-pop music listener. \nDavid Kushner, a Univeristy of Florida music professor, agrees that music relates people to one another. \n“Like draws like,” Kushner said. \nHis idea of similar interests drawing similar crowds is evident in the music-themed nights many Gainesville, Fla., venues offer. \nOn evenings when the venues focus on playing specific styles of music, such as 80s music, indie, hip-hop or jazz, the crowd demographics change accordingly. \nCameron Burris is the DJ for “Bang Bang Thursdays” at The Atlantic, commonly known as “indie night.” He said the crowd is mainly composed of young hipsters wearing American Apparel and slightly retro ’80s garb. \nMaggie Rogers, 22, said she started going to indie night at University Club on Mondays about four years ago in order to meet people who have common interests. \nLive jazz nights at Leonardo’s 706 tend to draw a more professional and retiree audience. \nThe crowd usually wears business or laid-back Tommy Bahama attire, and their drinks of choice are martinis, said Aaron Newman, general manager at Leonardo’s 706. \nDJ Shea Michaels, who spins at the Grog House Bar and Grill, said Hip-Hop Night draws individuals who have an urban style. Baggy clothes, gold chains and sideways-turned hats are common. \nEach venue agreed that the crowds were consistent from week to week. \n“Kids in Gainesville don’t like change,” Michaels said. “If they have a good time one night, they are going to come back expecting the same thing.” \nDue to the varied population in Gainesville, there are plenty of nights with music that is not genre-specific. \nOn the weekends, Michaels said he starts with classic oldies, then progresses to popular alternative rock hits and finally works his way to dancer-friendly hip-hop beats. \nHe said this sort of musical compilation is the norm at most Gainesville clubs. \nIndividuals who make music a more central part of their lives gravitate toward the genre-specific nights. \nThey might also dress, act and even drink in similar ways to artists they admire and friends who share their musical interests. \n“There is a great deal of conformity that is involved with each type of music,” Kushner said. “The performers affect the audience that they draw.” \nRobinson said people who have allowed themselves to go deep into music will have more specific musical tastes and create a lifestyle around the music. \n“The more people are involved with music the more they will want to be a part of it,” Robinson said. “They have allowed music to make a connection in their soul.”
(06/14/07 1:25am)
FULLERTON, Calif. – California State University-Fullerton recently hired a student to take down unauthorized on-campus postings and advertisements, like fliers on cars. \nThe move is a final part of the State Incentive Grant from the government dealing with alcohol education that ends this fall, officials said. \nThe mission is to discourage binge drinking and other forms of irresponsible drinking, especially those that link drinking with sex. \nThe unnamed student will go out twice every week and canvas the campus and look for postings or advertisements that do not bear the school’s official stamp of approval. \nParticular focus will be given to fliers that advertise alcohol or drink specials to students, said Associate Dean of Student Life Esiquio Uballe. \nThe campus requires that all fliers be approved before posting, and it is unlikely that any flier advertising alcohol would be approved, Uballe said. \nAs for fliers left on car windows and windshields, it is written in a Fullerton city ordinance that the action is a misdemeanor. Campus police can and will enforce the code, Uballe said. \nHowever, one on-campus organization leader does not support the ordinance. \n“It’s annoying, but is not annoying enough to be worth a misdemeanor,” said Nehal Shahin, senior, president of the Middle Eastern Student Society. \nThe society just finished advertising for their first off-campus club event, which included drink specials. \n“We just wanted to have fun; finals are stressful,” Shahin said. \nBut Uballe, whose office deals with offenders, said the majority of advertisements for drink specials come from clubs and venues that are not associated with any on-campus organization. \n“They’ll send out their employees or whatever to pretty much litter the campus with their advertisements and promotions,” Uballe said. \nThe student employee’s job is to collect samples of this type of advertisement, usually posted with contact information, so the Dean of Students office can respond accordingly. \nThe usual form of response is a letter written to the manager of the event letting them know that CSUF does not appreciate their unsolicited advertisements and encourages them to seek approval beforehand. \nThey are also sent a copy of the campus’s advertisement and alcohol policy, Uballe said. \n“All we can do is continue to let them know that what they are doing is not accepted,” Uballe said. \nBy hiring this student, the campus can focus on discouraging these kinds of advertisements, a form of “harm reduction,” said Jackie Gogan, health educator and coordinator of the alcohol education grant. \n“We’re not saying don’t have fun, but just be responsible,” Gogan said. “These advertisements aren’t necessarily promoting responsibility.” \nThe recent hiring of this student is one of the final steps in achieving the goals set forth by the four-year alcohol education grant that ends in September.\nTo receive the grant, CSUF created an outline of the goals they would like accomplished, which they are now racing to finish by September. \nThe federal grant was given to the state of California, which it in turn distributed to its universities. \nGoals for the incentive, Gogan said, include trying to reduce alcohol-related problems at housing on and off campus, discouraging the provision of alcohol to underage students, promoting alcohol awareness and discouraging unsolicited on-campus advertisements. \n“Our main focus is education,” Gogan said. “Not promoting alcohol.”
(06/11/07 12:37am)
LA JOLLA, Calif. – Although a vast majority of American middle school students say they plan on attending college after high school, only one-third of them are aware of what it will take to get there, according to a recent nationwide survey. \nThe National Association of Secondary School Principals and educational association Phi Delta Kappa International collaborated to interview more than 1,800 seventh- and eighth-grade students about their college plans, discovering that an overwhelming 92 percent said they planned on pursuing a college degree. However, 83 percent of those same students knew close to nothing about the classes it would take to graduate – a number that teachers and school administrators nationwide are calling alarming. \nNinety-three percent of surveyed students were optimistic about their chances of success, saying that there was “no chance” they would drop out of high school before graduation. However, of the students who said they could not discount the possibility of dropping out, 40 percent cited poor grades and difficulty keeping up with coursework as reasons to discontinue their schooling. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2006 that only 66 percent of students who believe they are college-bound will actually enroll. \n“Ninth grade is where a lot of students start running into problems academically,” Phi Delta Kappa Director of Marketing and Communications Delaine McCullough said. “It’s important to organize efforts to help students with that difficult transition between middle and high school.” \nDuring that transition period, students are expected to understand such concepts as the course credit system, which may be confusing and overwhelming, the study said. \nEleanor Roosevelt College junior David Polakoski said he would not have been adequately informed about the college process without the knowledge and help of his older sister. \n“I went to a private elementary school for kindergarten through eighth grade, and I don’t think they did very much to prepare me for college,” Polakoski said. “I don’t think I started getting a taste of what college would require until I began attending high school.” \nAlternatively, Monta Vista High School English teacher Andrea Kanda said she believes that students in her area are not only prepared for college by the end of middle school, but that the stress of these expectations can have negative consequences for students. \n“(Students) come into high school with the idea they need to take the AP and honors courses, with colleges becoming more and more picky,” she said. \nStudy researchers, collecting data as part of the nationwide pro-college KnowHow2Go campaign, also analyzed the role teachers play in preparing their students for future success, and arrived at mixed conclusions. \nAlthough they highlighted the ability to provide detailed explanations as a necessary trait of a good teacher, 8 percent of students said their teachers did not give them an adequate chance to learn specific subject material. Similarly, 72 percent of students indicated that only one to five of their teachers had ever been helpful in improving their educations. \nHowever, Phi Delta Kappa Executive Director Bill Bushaw said he believes the issue is more complicated than simply the effectiveness of the teachers themselves. \n“We are an increasingly information-oriented and innovative society,” Bushaw said. “Some level of college is now required for many jobs. Therefore, some schools are making changes; curriculum is changing; better assessment approaches are being developed. I think what’s unfortunate is that these things aren’t (being done) as quickly as they should.” \nMore and more high schools in California, however, have demonstrated awareness of the disparity in college preparedness and have implemented programs to ease the transition between middle and high school. \nIn recent years, programs such as Link Crew, which pairs high school student volunteers with middle school students in a mentoring capacity, have appeared at various high schools around the country. \nKanda, who is also a Link Crew adviser, said the changing environment for middle school students often worsens the already difficult transition process. \n“It is a whole new thing to them in terms of the big school, the student population size, having to be more responsible for themselves academically and having an open campus,” she said. “Being responsible is one big step they have to take.” \nBoth Bushaw and McCullough said they support any program or initiative that aims to reduce the percentage of students that are unprepared for higher education.
(06/11/07 12:36am)
For the first time in the program’s 35-year history, registration for IU’s popular Mini University has topped last year’s record-setting enrollment of 468, prompting organizers to close registration. \nMini University is a program offering an “education vacation” program for adults, according to a press release. The weeklong program begins June 17 and is co-sponsored by the IU-Bloomington Continuing Studies department and the IU Alumni Association. \nIn the past, participants brought family, lived for a week in a college dormitory and attended a variety of lectures and courses while their kids attended a children’s program held at Shawnee Bluffs on Lake Monroe, according to a press release.\nNow the program is significantly different. There is no longer a children’s program, and participants no longer live in the dormitories. Participants can choose from close to 100 short courses taught by IU faculty, offered mainly at the IU Memorial Union, which is also where a majority of participants stay. Evening activities now include a picnic, a trip to Brown County Playhouse and a reception at the University president’s residence, according to a press release.\nThe IU Bloomington Continuing Studies department provides opportunities for adults to engage in lifelong learning. Programs include general studies degrees, non-credit courses in lifelong learning and professional development and Mini University. All the programs draw upon the resources of IU-Bloomington and are offered on campus and at community locations in Bloomington and the surrounding area, according to a press release. \nThose interested in the program can call the IU Alumni Association to add their names to a wait-list or sign up for the Mini University 2008 mailing list.
(05/31/07 4:00am)
1. "Maybe I'm Amazed" \n(from McCartney) -- This gets my vote for the song by an ex-Beatle that best captures the Beatles' sound and vibe. This recording would have been right at home on either Abbey Road or Let It Be. What makes it all the more amazing is that Paul played all of the instruments on the track himself. He's a great drummer and guitarist and this throat-shredding vocal performance is classic.\n2. "Waterfalls" \n(from McCartney II) -- This song is a perfect marriage of simple sentiment and sparse production style. The wonderful melody and vocal performance exquisitely convey Paul's love lyrics. Face it, this guy wrote some of the greatest love songs of the past 100 years.\n3. "Jenny Wren" \n(from Chaos and Creation in the Backyard) \n- Anyone who loves Paul's "Blackbird" should flip over this one. The stripped-down production style is very similar to that of the Beatles' White Album. This song is yet another great melody with clever harmonic movement. I particularly love how Paul slips between major and minor chords. Paul's finger-style guitar playing is top-flight.\n4. "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" \n(from Ram) -- I'll admit I've always been a sucker for pretty much everything about this one. I'm sold at "We're so sorry, Uncle Albert." Add in the breathy trumpet riff, silly voices, sound effects and "hands across the water" sing-along chorus, and you have more catchy elements in this one song than most musicians put on an entire album. People seem forget what a great parts writer Paul is. The track's harmony vocals are particularly gorgeous, and the layered production reminds me of Brian Wilson.\n5. "Dear Friend" \n(from Wings' Wild Life) -- This stark piano ballad is often assumed to be addressed to John Lennon. In typical Paul fashion, the lyrics are vague enough to invite interpretation and debate. Sparse production only adds to the song's somber sadness. Paul's voice on this performance is the small, pure one he pulls out for songs like "Here, There and Everywhere"
(05/30/07 11:45pm)
DAVIS, Calif.– By mixing unique fashion sense and environmental awareness, students from the University of California-Davis Environmental Consciousness Design class have created a sustainable design exhibition that displays stylish clothing and other functional pieces that not only look good, but help reduce global warming. \nThe exhibition, titled “This is Why You’re Hot,” was held in the East Conference Room of UC-Davis’ Memorial Union.\n“In the design field right now there is so much talk about global warming, and it’s putting a spotlight on future designers ... (because) they have a huge capacity to slow down global warming by choosing what materials to use,” said Abigail Kira, a junior majoring in design and psychology. “Materials (used for the exhibit) are still of great quality and durable and better for the environment. The things we make (in the class) could be reproduced easily and used in people’s daily lives.” \nApproximately 20 different pieces created from reused, post-consumer products were featured in the show. These ranged from a cocktail dress made out of old neckties to a working clock produced from a variety of trash items. Most of these works were made by students from the design class, but the show also featured pieces donated and bought from outside sources, which helped to show sustainable design applications outside the academic world. \n“(The exhibition) shows that there are a lot of trendy items that kids can use that are sustainable. The general attitude about eco-friendly things is that they are not going to be trendy or colorful. (However,) a lot of the things we made are fashionable and geared for everyday use,” Kira said. \nAt a time when global warming and other environmental issues are rising to the forefront of public concern, this exhibition attempted to educate people on the importance of functional design that is created from post-consumer products. \n“A lot of times the things that we recycle take so much energy to recycle that it puts us a step backwards. We hope to create more things that are completely biodegradable or take less energy to decompose or recycle,” Kira said.
(05/16/07 11:59pm)
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Teaming up with Portland State University and the Oregon Health and Science University, Oregon State University’s Peer Health Advocates have set up a table to educate students on hearing loss and noise exposure. \nStudents will be able to use a decibel reader to see what the level and length of time are that are safe for listening to music. \nStudents passing by the table may be surprised to see what listening to high volumes of music on MP3 players can do to their hearing. \n“I think a lot of students would be surprised, by taking the test, that their hearing has already been damaged,” said Paul Clem, a music student. \nListening to MP3 players with headphones that \nproduce harmful volumes can affect hearing. Student Health Services reported that hearing can be permanently damaged by playing music at high decibel levels. \nA recent article in the Boston Globe points out that children can damage their hearing in a single exposure to any deafening noise. Doctors are growing concerned as more children listen to music through headphones, bringing loud sounds closer to their ears. \n“This is the first generation where you see three out of five kids walking around campus with headphones on,” Clem said. \nBecause the noise is much closer to the ear, the hair cells of the inner ear have a greater chance of being injured. Damaged hair cells, which turn sound into electrochemical signals to the brain, cannot be regrown or restored with surgical treatment. \nSome students feel the effect of listening to their MP3 players for too long. \n“I listen to music every day, and sometimes if I’ve been listening to my headphones loud, I feel like it was a bad idea,” said Ryan Houghton, a political science student. \nMore than 22 million Americans own iPods, said the Boston Herald. Studies have shown that iPod users have experienced hearing loss. No more than an hour of listening is recommended per day, over-the-ear headphones should be used and turning down the volume will help keep listeners safe from harmful decibel levels. More than 28 million Americans suffer from hearing loss, and nearly half are younger than 65. \n“Being an avid music listener, I feel that this is probably going to affect our generation much more than any other because we use iPods more often than older people,” said Charlie Wente, a student studying health care administration. \nThe Houston Chronicle reported that young children can suffer the most damage due to their underdeveloped canals. \n“I’ve seen 10-year-olds walking around with their iPods blaring, and I don’t know how their parents could sit there and watch them do that,” Houghton said. “I think parents should step up before the loud music ruins their kids’ ears.”