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(09/09/07 10:31pm)
A 19-year-old female international student reported to the IU Police Department that she was abducted and sexually assaulted around 1:30 p.m. Friday, according to an IUPD press release. \nShe told police that several males approached her from behind as she was walking in the area southeast of the Jordan Avenue and the Law Lane Tennis courts on the way to the SRSC. The suspects carried her to a small gray vehicle and drove to another location where the sexual assault occurred, according to the press release. She said the suspects then drove her back to the location where the abduction occurred. She said she was struck in the face and said that one of the suspects may have had a knife. She was not seriously injured, according to the police. IUPD is investigating the assault and are attempting to obtain additional information and description of the two abductors.
(09/06/07 7:58pm)
Three IU students were named in a lawsuit filed by the Recording Industry Association of America Thursday, according to a press release. The students are accused of copyright infringement stemming from use of peer-to-peer downloading programs on the IU network.\n“Just as we hold accountable the sites themselves for encouraging this illegal activity, we must also hold responsible the individuals who disregard the law,” said Steven Marks, executive vice president and general counsel for the RIAA in the press release. “Because of the multi-billion dollar decline in music sales due to the theft of music, the record labels’ ability to invest in and promote new artists is seriously compromised. Given the growing number of legal services in today’s digital market that offer high-quality, hassle-free and affordable music, the message to music fans is simple: don’t risk it, pay for it.”\nThe lawsuit was filed against network users from 16 colleges and universities, including the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin and Purdue.
(09/06/07 4:12am)
Christin Furst, 10, and Toby relax in the Limestone Lagoon at Bryan Park. This was 6-month-old Toby’s first Drool in the Pool. Top to bottom: Maggie, Georgia May and Daisy June, and a dog from the local animal shelter were among the canines participating in contests such as cutest dog and best dressed.
(09/06/07 4:00am)
ou would think that working at a radio station would keep me in touch with current music trends. In recent discussions with friends and increased MTV viewing, I have realized how out of touch I am. Names like Audion, Elvis Perkins and the Budos Band seem familiar while Daughtry, Rascal Flatts and Omarion are somehow beneath my radar.\nHow does this happen? The answer is bubbles. Based on various circumstances, we all seem to build a sort of bubble around ourselves that allows us to only let in what we are comfortable with. We all know people who "like everything ... except country" or who assert, "Rap is crap." Though not lenient viewpoints, these statements merely indicate a preference. \nIt isn't right or wrong; it's just what you like. So, what's the point? Well, dear reader, I want to encourage you to experience new things to expand or break your bubble. See a jazz performance at the IU Musical Arts Center, become familiar with the work of Hank Williams to hear country music's roots, find out the difference between techno and house music, or take advantage of the world-music performances in Bloomington each year. \nThere is nothing more enriching than destroying preconceived notions that you hold about certain genres or getting a glimpse into cultures and music that you didn't know anything about. Even if you end up not finding anything you like, at least you'll have a better understanding of your own thoughts on music and the bubble you've created for yourself. In order to practice what I preach, I'm going to find out a bit more about what's "in" right now because I'm curious. The last time I did this, I ended up with a copy of Justin Timberlake's newest album. Wish me luck!
(09/06/07 3:57am)
PHILADELPHIA – While most 15-year-olds are waiting for Sweet 16 invitations and drivers licenses, 15 year-old Brittney Exline is waiting to meet her Math 104 professor. \nShe’s also trying to test into a higher level math class –– and don’t be surprised if she does. \nExline, the youngest black female ever to be admitted to an Ivy League institution, is enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania Liberal Arts and Technology program. \nShe graduated from her public high school in Colorado Springs, Co., last year with an International Baccalaureate degree, wowing admissions officers, her peers and even national media. \nBut don’t remind her of her record-breaking status.\n“I’m pretty neutral about it. I’m not shy going through it, but I’m not boasting about it,” Exline said. “Most people don’t even realize (my age) until I tell them.” \nExline decided to apply to college at age 13 – the same time she finished her public high school’s math curriculum and started taking classes at a local university. \nShe took anthropology and education classes at Harvard University last summer, helping her family decide she was ready to go to school away from home. \nThose around Exline said they barely notice anything different about her. \n“I was pretty surprised, but I wasn’t too shocked,” said freshman Miguel Gonzalez, who only learned about Exline’s age two weeks after they finished a pre-freshman program. “She doesn’t seem like a little girl.” \nThough Exline’s route may be unconventional, her mother, Chyrese Exline says she has no concerns about her daughter being too young for college. \nHer daughter agrees: “I don’t think there are any extra difficulties because I’m 15,” she said. \nStill, there’s certainly been plenty of attention on campus surrounding the 15-year-old “genius,” as Exline is referred to by many in the Penn community. \nExline has to sort through “hundreds of new friend requests on Facebook,” many of which are sent from people she does not know \npersonally. \nBut while her new, real friends “joke around” about her age, they seem to accept Exline as just another freshman. \n“She’s just one of us,” Penn freshman Marko Vucetic said. \nAnd admissions officials felt confident that Exline would have no trouble adapting. \n“Her motivation, discipline and maturity provided clear evidence that, despite her age, she was ready to travel halfway across the country and thrive in Penn’s rigorous academic environment,” Interim Dean of Admissions Eric Kaplan wrote in an e-mail.
(09/05/07 4:33am)
NEWARK, Del. – Downloading songs off of media file-sharing programs such as BitTorrent or Limewire is free and seemingly without risk. But now it can cost students a federal lawsuit and thousands of dollars in damages. \nThe Recording Industry Association of America sent 23 pre-litigation settlement letters to the University of Delaware this past July as part of its campaign to stop illegal file-trafficking on college campuses. \nRIAA spokeswoman Cara Duckworth said each letter informs the university of an upcoming copyright infringement lawsuit against one of its students or personnel. The RIAA requests that the university forward the letters to the appropriate network users so they can decide whether or not to settle out of court. \nThe RIAA will file a federal lawsuit if it does not hear from a violator within 20 days of notification, Duckworth said. \nThe recording industry has lost approximately $3 billion over the past six years due to piracy, she said. \n“Our job first and foremost is to protect the rights of new music artists,” Duckworth said. “We’ve seen artists who get dropped from labels because these labels can’t support them and then fans are never able to discover them.” \nThe RIAA’s new anti-piracy initiative began in February when it sent 400 letters to 13 universities nationwide, she said. Since then, the RIAA has been sending out 400 to 500 letters per month. \nPreviously, the RIAA had limited its search to the most egregious downloaders, Duckworth said. Now there is no minimum number of illegal files required for a downloader to get caught – any illegal downloader is at risk of receiving a RIAA letter. \nThe recording industry acknowledges that piracy is no small problem. \n“College students are having their first taste of independence and when they see something that’s free, they want to take advantage of it,” she said. “They do not often understand the damage they may be causing. \n“We understand there’s no silver bullet to solving piracy. Our goal is to raise awareness and contain the problem.” \nU. Delaware Judicial Affairs coordinator Michael Fernbacher stated in an e-mail message that the university has been actively informing students of the importance of following all copyright laws, mainly through the University’s Code of the Web and No \nExcuses campaigns. \n“It is important to note that the concern is not just illegal downloading, but illegal file sharing of copyrighted materials,” Fernbacher said. “Regardless of where a student originally got a copyrighted work, it is against the law, and against policy, to redistribute that work to others.” \nKarl D. Hassler, associate director of Delaware’s IT Network & Systems Services, stated in an e-mail message that many students know illegal file-sharing is wrong, but they do it anyway. \n“By itself, I don’t think that litigation is going to make the problem entirely go away,” Hassler said. “It’s too complex for that.” \nHe said the music industry has been slow to embrace money-making opportunities that work with students’ lifestyles and technology. \n“They need to get together and keep moving it forward, and not stay stuck in the mindset that the only way to distribute music profitably is via a 15-song CD for $15,” he said.
(09/04/07 2:02am)
WASHINGTON – Science is confirming what most women already know: When given the choice for a mate, men go for good looks.\nAnd guys won’t be surprised to learn that women are much choosier about partners than they are.\n“Just because people say they’re looking for a particular set of characteristics in a mate, someone like themselves, doesn’t mean that is what they’ll end up choosing,” Peter M. Todd, a professor of a cognitive science program at IU said in a phone interview.\nResearchers led by Todd report in Tuesday’s edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that their study found humans were similar to most other mammals, “following Darwin’s principle of choosy females and competitive males, even if humans say something different.”\nTheir study involved 26 men and 20 women in Munich, Germany. Participants took part in “speed dating,” which allowed researchers to look at a lot of mate choices in a short time, Todd said.\nThe research concluded that men appeared to base their decisions mostly on the women’s physical attractiveness. Men appeared to be much less choosy, as well. They tended to select nearly every woman above a certain minimum attractiveness threshold, Todd said.\nWomen made more discriminating choices, the researchers found. The scientists said women were aware of the importance of their own attractiveness to men, and adjusted their expectations to select the more desirable guys.\n“Women made offers to men who had overall qualities that were on a par with the women’s self-rated attractiveness,” Todd said. “They didn’t greatly overshoot their attractiveness because part of the goal for women is to choose men who would stay with them.”\nSo, it turns out, the women’s attractiveness influenced the choices of the men and \nthe women.
(09/04/07 2:01am)
Glenn Poshard admits he wouldn’t be Southern Illinois University’s president without his 1984 doctorate.\nA day after questions arose over whether Poshard plagiarized parts of his dissertation, he asked for an internal review that might determine if he can keep his job.\n“Would I be president of this university without the Ph.D.? No, I could not be,” Poshard said at a news conference Friday. “This is the second-largest university in this state and one of the great universities in the nation, and there is no way the board of trustees would hire someone here without a Ph.D. to run the university.”\nPoshard rejected the plagiarism claims and insisted he has no plans to step down, but he acknowledged “unintended mistakes” in citations in his thesis and asked for the head of department where he got the degree to review the matter and recommend any actions to the university’s board of trustees.\n“Any decision about my future with the university lies with my bosses, which are the board of trustees,” Poshard said. “That’s as much as I can say about that at this point in time.”\nw soon the Department of Educational Administration and Higher Education would make its recommendations.\nRoger Tedrick, the chairman of SIU’s board, has said the panel learned of questions involving Poshard’s thesis months ago, scrutinized the matter and stands “very comfortable” behind Poshard, a former five-term congressman and one-time Democratic candidate for Illinois governor.\nWhen asked whether he feared possibly being stripped of his degree, Poshard quickly replied, “Absolutely not. I’m not worried about that at all.\n“Whatever the future holds, it holds.”\nPoshard’s comments were his first publicly since the student newspaper at the Carbondale, Ill., school, The Daily Egyptian, reported Thursday that its analysis of Poshard’s 111-page dissertation, obtained from an anonymous source, found at least 30 sections either not attributed to their original sources or not put in quotation marks to show they weren’t Poshard’s writing.\nPoshard said he might have mistakenly left out some citations in the dissertation – with the blessings of his doctoral committee – but he didn’t plagiarize.\n“I did not try to deceive anybody about where it came from,” he said.\nAs part of the internal review, Poshard said he wants the Department of Educational Administration to review the allegations, examine the dissertation and its cited sources and “to advise me on corrections necessary to make this dissertation consistent with the highest academic standards.”\n“When mistakes are made, even though unintentional, they need to be promptly acknowledged and remedied,” Poshard said. “Whatever their judgment is will be acceptable to me.”\nPoshard had planned to meet Friday with faculty and staff constituency groups at the Carbondale school, including the faculty senate’s executive committee. But Poshard said he scrapped those talks to avoid the appearance that wanted to manipulate the review’s outcome.\nPeggy Stockdale, a psychology professor and the faculty senate’s vice president, called the decision “unfortunate.”\n“I certainly hope that he does meet with us soon, the faculty and staff leaders, so we know the whole story,” Stockdale said. “It might be that this is all misunderstood and there’s a perfectly good explanation for it.”\nPoshard’s resignation “would be a very sad day,” Stockdale said.\n“I think Dr. Poshard is a man of great integrity, and I think he will find a way to help the campus move through this in an ethical and fair manner, and hopefully we’ll resolve the issue,” she said.\nThe allegations follow Poshard’s ouster last year of the Carbondale school’s chancellor, Walter Wendler, who had been accused of lifting sections from a strategic plan for a Texas school where he worked, then using them in SIU’s long-range plan. Poshard said Wendler’s failure to be a team player, not the plagiarism questions, cost him his job.\nWendler declined comment to The Associated Press on Friday.\nThree years ago, SIU fired professor Chris Dussold for reportedly plagiarizing his two-page teaching statement.\nAlong the way, both Wendler and the chancellor of SIU’s sister campus in Edwardsville, Ill., just east of St. Louis, apologized last year for what they called unintentional lack of attribution to portions of one public speech they made.
(09/03/07 3:49am)
Four Kelley School of Business professors were honored at a management conference in August.\nDonald F. Kuratko, executive director of the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, won the National Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Advocate Award.\n“This is one of the most prestigious awards that exists in the entrepreneurship field and being the recipient is truly an honor,” Kuratko said. “I believe it validates all of the work we have accomplished here at IU in developing our entrepreneurship program into the No. 1 public university \nfor entrepreneurship.”\nThree other professors, all from the IU-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, won research awards.\nSusan Powell Mantel and Mohan V. Tatikonda were awarded the Journal of Operations Management’s “Best Paper” award. Another professor, Barbara B. Flynn , won the “Best Conference Paper” presented in the Operations Management portion of the conference.\nKuratko said he believes his award is a reflection of the entire faculty in the entrepreneurship program.\n“As a team we have built this into a world-renowned program that is considered the ‘Mecca’ of entrepreneurship,” he said.
(09/03/07 3:47am)
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – While most officials on college campuses are looking for ways to stop underage drinking, one organization is taking a slightly \ndifferent approach.\n“Choose Responsibility,” a non-profit group created by John M. McCardell, former president of Middlebury College in Vermont, is proposing the legal drinking age be lowered to 18 in hopes it will lead to a decrease in \nbinge drinking. \nThe organization also wants to implement a licensing program requiring individuals to complete an alcohol education course before being legally able to consume alcohol.\nMcCardell said he created the group to stimulate discussion about the legal drinking age because the current law is not being observed.\n“Our view is that 21 isn’t working,” McCardell said. “It’s pretty hard to argue, as one looks around (college towns), that the law is being observed. What it has done is drive drinking underground, drive it into dark corners and sent it into dark environments.” \nThere are statistics that seem to back up McCardell’s claims. According to studies performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the proportion of current drinkers that binge is highest among 18- to 20-year-olds, and 90 percent of alcohol consumed by minors is in the form of binge drinking.\n“I think if drinking takes place in public places and out in the open and in the presence of adults, then it’s less likely to be drinking that causes harm or puts anybody at risk,” McCardell said. \nMcCardell said that the legal drinking age was 18 until 1984, when Congress passed the Uniform Drinking Age Act. He said 18-year-olds should be considered adults.\n“Young adults need to be treated like adults because the law says they are,” \nhe said. \nOther experts, however, \ndisagree. \nAaron M. White, an assistant professor at Duke University and one of the creators of AlcholEdu, said times have changed since 1984.\n“I’m all for giving people rights,” he said. “Until cultural changes occur, it would be disastrous to lower the drinking age. It would accomplish nothing; it would only make the problem worse.”\nWhite said as life expectancy has increased, so has the period of adolescence. \n“Fifty years ago an 18-year-old really was on the cuffs of young adulthood,” he said. “Eighteen-year-olds in modern America no longer represent that threshold of young adulthood.” \nWhite said changes need to be made across the country before the drinking age is lowered. \n“By and large, American college students haven’t demonstrated that they can handle that responsibility at 18,” he said.\nThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates 22,796 lives of 18- to 20-year-olds have been saved since 1975, around the time states began to raise the legal drinking age to 21.
(08/30/07 2:04am)
MUNCIE – A Muncie police officer exceeded speeds of 60 mph Tuesday on campus while taking three Ball State University freshmen on a “joyride” that ended when he crashed his squad car near the LaFollette Complex, Muncie Police Chief Joe Winkle said. \nOfficer Jason Lyons, 38, said the BSU students encouraged him to run through red lights and speed before he slammed into a light pole around 1 a.m., Winkle said. \n“It really doesn’t matter if they were encouraging him; he’s a police officer,” he said. \nPassengers Stacie Walters, Sommer Ann Redmon and Billie Wrede all refused to comment on the situation. \nLyons, who was on duty at the time of the wreck, is on administrative leave with pay for 10 days, Winkle said, pending whatever disciplinary action needs to be taken. Based on the investigation results, the six-year veteran of the force could be fired for his actions. \n“If I had the authority, I would have fired him this morning,” Winkle said. \nLyons was at the Village Pantry, 1524 W. University Ave., when three students asked if he could give them a ride home, Winkle said. \n“It is not uncommon for an officer to give a ride, but Lyons did not go directly to the dorm,” he said. \nLyons was driving 60 to 80 mph when he turned onto Bethel Avenue and around McKinley Avenue, Winkle said. Witnesses said when he curved near the Duck Pond, he hit a light pole and skidded across the curb. Winkle said alcohol or other substance use was not a factor in the crash. \n“He was driving like an idiot, and it’s unfathomable about what he was thinking,” Winkle said. “He made a mistake, but one that can’t be made.” \nEyewitnesses said when Lyons crashed, he told the students in the car to get out and leave the area. \n“He knew he was in trouble when he wrecked and probably wanted the girls to get out because he’d be in more trouble with people in the car,” Winkle said. \nWinkle said Lyons did about $10,000 worth of damage, mainly to the car. \nGene Burton, Ball State’s director of public safety, said Ball State Police were called to the scene to help with the accident, and an ambulance was called because one of the students was bleeding from the head.\nLyons initially lied about people being in the car when he crashed, but later told a crowd of about 50 people that students were in the vehicle. \nAt first, Lyons told the crowd he spilled his beverage, lost control and hit the curb, but Winkle said Lyons later admitted to his lieutenant he had been speeding. \nFreshman exercise major Ryan Lee said he was in his room when he heard the screech and looked out his window. \n“It was weird to see that a cop did it,” Lee said.
(08/30/07 2:03am)
SOUTH BEND – Matt Collins, one of two University of Notre Dame seniors shot and wounded outside Club 23 on Aug. 21, was released from St. Joseph Regional Medical Center on Monday. \nCollins has been moved to the University Health Services building, and doctors expect him to make a full recovery, though a bullet remains in his abdomen. Any procedure to remove it would be considered too risky, Collins said. \nThe other shooting victim, Mitchell Depree, was treated and released from the hospital Aug. 21. \nCollins does not know how long he will remain at Health Services, but he hopes to attend this weekend’s opening football game against Georgia Tech, his mother, Karen Collins, said Tuesday. \nPolice are still searching for the shooter. Investigators are conducting ballistics tests on the bullets found at the scene but results will not be available for a few weeks, said Captain Phil Trent of the South Bend Police Department. \nCollins and Depree were shot around 1 a.m. on Aug. 21 following a “harsh” conversation with the shooter, who returned several minutes later in an SUV and fired five shots at the students, Trent said.\nThe students were taken to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, where Depree was treated for a leg wound and then released, Trent said. The gunshot wounds Collins received to his abdomen and leg, however, were initially considered so life-threatening that he requested and received last rites. \nCollins said the shooter – who neither he nor his friends had ever met – approached him, Depree and another Notre Dame senior in front of Club 23 while they were waiting for a ride, according to Karen Collins. \nWhen the man asked the three students for a ride, they said no, Karen Collins said. The man – who police described as a short-haired black male of average build wearing a clean, white T-shirt – then walked out of sight. He returned moments later in the passenger seat of a black SUV as it drove up to the curb where the three seniors stood. He then exchanged words before firing five shots, Karen Collins said. Two of the bullets hit Collins, and one hit Depree. \nThe car’s driver then drove northbound on Notre Dame Avenue, Trent said. \nUniversity officials were notified of the shooting before 2 a.m. Aug. 21 and became immediately involved, university spokesperson Dennis Brown said. Associate Vice President for Residence Life and Housing Bill Kirk visited Matthew Collins and Depree at the hospital later that morning, Brown said.
(08/30/07 2:02am)
Eight IU students received U.S. Student Fulbright Awards.\nSelected from the 1,300 Fulbright award recipients for the 2007-2008 school year, the students will travel abroad and participate in research or education projects of their choosing.\n“IU has long been fortunate to have so many students chosen to participate in Fulbright grant programs,” said IU President Michael McRobbie in a press release. “IU students are regularly selected for this honor. These awards highlight the quality of our student body, faculty and academic programs.”\nThe IU students who won awards this year are Daniel Castro, Abby Drwecki, Nicole Degli Esposti, Susan Furukawa, Erik Hammerstrom, Stephen Kory, Craig Waite and Elizabeth Lambert.\nThe awards are given based on scholastic achievement and potential in the student’s chosen field.\n“This group of outstanding IU Fulbright scholars will teach and perform important innovative research in countries throughout the world,” McRobbie said. “They have demonstrated leadership potential in their fields, and they will be great ambassadors for the ideals of Indiana University.”
(08/30/07 2:01am)
Now, professors aren’t the only ones with office hours.\nOn Friday students can stop by IU President Michael McRobbie’s office in Bryan Hall 200 from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. \nMcRobbie is holding regularly scheduled “Open Office Hours” at IU’s Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses, according to an IU press release. \nStudents will be able to meet one-on-one with the president, providing McRobbie with the opportunity to listen to student concerns about important issues. \nMcRobbie said no appointment is necessary, as he will meet with students in the order they arrive during the office hours. Students at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis will have also have the opportunity to attend McRobbie’s office hours from noon to 1 p.m. on Sept. 5. \nAdditional times of McRobbie’s office hours will be available at a later date.
(08/30/07 2:00am)
IU’s computer systems are protected by passwords and firewalls, but that doesn’t mean users are safe.\nThe Chronicle of Higher Education recently published an article advising that many of the millions of online security breaches reported nationally in the past three years occurred at colleges and universities.\nIU University Information Technology Services said that while security breaches can be a problem on campus, students can take steps to protect their privacy while working online. \n“I would say the issue I’d like students to pay the most attention to (in order) to prevent identity theft is to not share accounts and passwords with anyone else, not even family or intimate friends,” said Merri Beth Lavagnino, IU’s chief information policy officer. \nLavagnino said they see many cases where an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend breaks into their former love interest’s account and causes harm to his or her personal information. \n“We also like to caution students when using social networking sites,” Lavagnino said.\nLavagnino said that while the Chronicle does point out that higher education institutes have the highest reported number of public security breaches, corporate reports that involve hundreds of thousands of records actually constitute a higher portion of the total security breaches.
(08/29/07 4:06am)
LAS VEGAS – While the majority of students know that copying someone else’s essay word-for-word may result in a failing grade, a new online essay writing service is calling into question what exactly constitutes plagiarism. \nIn the University of Nevada-Las Vegas’ “Student Academic Misconduct Policy,” plagiarism is described as “acting or attempting to act as a substitute for another, or using or attempting to use a substitute, in any academic evaluation or assignment.” \nStudents caught breaking these academic policies face punishments ranging from a failing grade for the assignment to revoking a student’s degree. Despite these potentially harsh consequences, English professor David Barto said he has “too often found violations.” \nBarto, who has taught at the high school and college level for 35 years, said he finds at least one significant case each semester, even after warning students. \n“One semester, I failed two students and reduced another’s grade two levels in a single English 101 class, then had a fourth student plagiarize a final exam from four sources in a computer lab on the final exam,” Barto said. \nCustom-writing.org is an academic writing service that provides custom papers for students. Usually, students submit notes, guidelines, or examples of their writing style, and a staff member from the Web site writes an entirely new paper using these resources. \nAndrew Schwartz, a representative for the business, defends the Web site as legitimate.\n“Is it unethical to order resume writing services?” he asked. \nSchwartz argues that the definition of plagiarism adopted by universities should not be applied to the Web site’s practices, claiming what they provide is more similar to people who help write resumes or speeches. \n“What we do is ghost writing – not plagiarism,” Schwartz said. “We are paid for the writing.” \nSchwartz says customers request shorter assignments, between six and seven pages, more frequently than longer assignments and dissertations. Most of the students using the Web site are third-or fourth-year college students, and science majors make up approximately 50 percent of their clientele. Business majors comprise 30 percent, social sciences make up 15 percent, and only 5 percent are other majors. \n“We almost never get orders from students majoring in literature, (or) creative writing,” Schwartz said. \nMost clients request papers for classes not associated with their major, mostly for sociology, literature or history courses. Because of this, Schwartz feels custom written essays help students rather than hinder them. \n“Our point is that essays are an ineffective assessment tool and when it comes to students majoring in IT, they are pointless,” he said. “Can you objectively assess student knowledge on accounting by an essay? I doubt that. For now, students are simply seeking the way out. The existence of custom writing industry simply shows the failure of (the) academic system.” \nBarto argues the opposite. He believes the failure of the academic system is due to Web sites such as Custom-writing.org. He warns against the effects of essay writing companies on academics. \n“If the work is not a student’s own, it is plagiarism whether it was paid for or not,” Barto said. “Who is stupid enough to believe that these people are writing one-of-a-kind essays for each order? People involved in deceitful enterprises operate under deceitful motivation and live deceitful lives.” \nBarto stresses the need to write is not contingent on major or future profession. Regardless of these factors, he says beginning English classes are mandated because the tools taught in those courses are universal. \n“Everyone must write. I don’t care what their field is,” Barto said. “An accountant will have to file reports, especially if they have conducted an investigation of a company’s business practices.” \nBarto continued, “Scientists write research reports, journal articles, books and lectures to be delivered to audiences, and many of them become teachers who will read student research reports and answers to completion and essay questions.” \nEven with these concerns, Web sites such as Custom-writing.org are growing. \nWhen the Web site first started nearly a year ago, they barely received any traffic. \n“During the first months of our operations, we hardly received an order per day,” Schwartz said. However since its inception, the site has gained momentum. In just the summer months before school starts, they have received about 30 requests per day for a total of more than 1,500 custom written essays ordered since the company took root. \nAlthough the popularity of the Web site is growing, Barto insists it is not worth the trouble. \n“By the time a student orders a custom essay, has taken the time to submit a sample of style and taken the time to explain all of the requirements and topic of the paper, the student might as well have written it him - or herself,” he said.
(08/29/07 4:05am)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Heading off to college for the first time is an event that may fill many freshmen with excitement for and anticipation of new experiences. \nThis may be the first time that many freshmen have been away from home for an extended period of time. This is the case for University of Louisville freshman Emily Wortham. \nLike many, Wortham comes from a tight-knit family.\n“I’m really close to my mom, so it’s going to be weird not being in a house with someone to talk to 24-7,” she said. \nWortham said that some of the things that she will miss the most will be eating dinner and watching television with her family. \nNot only do new incoming freshmen leave their families behind, but most leave behind some close friends as well. This can be especially tough when friends are states apart. \nSenior Rachel Hart said when she was a freshman she “dealt with those feelings by getting involved on campus.” \nFor Wortham, getting involved on campus is also the key. \n“I really want to get in shape and do intramurals, and I definitely have the season tickets to the basketball and football games,” Wortham said. \nLeaving behind a boyfriend or girlfriend is another issue freshmen deal with. \nWortham became single after coming to college.\n“Personally, I want to take advantage of all my new opportunities at University of Louisville. I think you miss part of the experience if you’re focusing on someone who is not there,” she said. \nLaura Byrd, a counselor and outreach coordinator for the University of Louisville Counseling Center said it’s up to the individuals to decide whether or not maintaining a long-distance relationship is the best thing. \nByrd said maintaining relationships is something that a lot of people often have trouble with, especially if there is considerable distance between the couple. \n“A lot of times, I like to help people not think of things as so black and white. Maybe you can keep this person in your life, but you don’t have to talk to them every single day like you’re used to doing,” she said. “If you want to make something work, you’re going to have to make time, whether it’s on the phone or in person. You could write letters or send care packages.”
(08/29/07 4:04am)
DURHAM, N.C. – Under certain conditions, moderate exercise is more beneficial than higher intensity workouts, according to a study released earlier this month by Duke University Medical Center. \nThe study examined the relationship between exercise frequency and intensity and cholesterol levels in 240 middle-aged adults who had been previously inactive. Participants were divided into groups and assigned different exercise programs. \nAdditional activity improved cholesterol and triglyceride levels in all groups, but the study also found that these benefits lasted longer in the group assigned a more moderate exercise schedule, such as walking 30 minutes a few days a week. \n“On the surface, it seems to make sense that the harder we exercise, the better off we’ll be, and by some measures that’s true,” Cris Slentz, the study’s lead author and an exercise physiologist at DUMC, said in a July 31 press release. “But our studies show that a modest amount of moderately intense exercise is the best way to significantly lower the level of a key blood marker linked to higher risk of heart disease and diabetes. More intense exercise doesn’t seem to do that.” \nAlthough the study may not be of utmost importance to college students – most of whom need not begin regularly watching cholesterol levels until age 30 – the idea that more exercise is not necessarily better is important to keep in mind, said Kim McNally, program coordinator in the health, physical education and recreation department. \n“It’s more important for (students) to try to follow general recommendations in developing an exercise program,” she added. \nAlthough cholesterol levels rarely cross students’ minds, fitness remains a high priority for many. Exercise routines vary widely, and McNally stressed the importance of a plan customized to the individual’s schedule and personal goals. \n“We often come across the problem of students overexercising. Students may hear that 20 to 60 minutes of cardio is recommended, and assume they need to tend toward the high end of that range, or even longer, especially here where so many students strive for perfection,” McNally said. “A shorter duration of high-intensity cardio may actually be more effective in burning calories.” \nFreshman Anne Marie Gordon is a competitive athlete on the University track team and works out for an hour and a half five to six times a week on average to maintain strength and her competitive edge. She said her workouts balance periods of high intensity with more moderate exercises, she said. \nJunior David Liu takes time out two to three times a week for about an hour of moderate exercise – primarily weight lifting. \n“My goal is basically just making sure I stay fit,” he said. \nDespite different routines and goals, Gordon and Liu share a common source for information on fitness and exercise: the Internet. Liu said he looked for tips online, and Gordon said she supplemented the workout schedule given to her by her coach with exercise ideas she found on Web sites. \nFor students looking for information about fitness and suggestions for developing a personal exercise regimen, McNally pointed to the American College of Sports Medicine as an excellent source for tips and the latest scientific studies. The Web site offers advice for developing an individual exercise plan.
(08/29/07 4:03am)
Mark Ingram, a University of Louisville junior in computer information systems and economics, has always had a vision: to alter the face of music downloading. \n“I am always looking for a chance to change the (music) industry,” he said. Ingram found his opportunity by accident, with www.mavizon.com, a Web site offering local underground and unsigned musicians the chance for more Internet exposure in an artist-friendly way. \nIngram realized that he could do more for musicians than MySpace, YouTube and Facebook.\n“I never meant to be in this music business,” he said.\nHe did, however, decide to take pieces from each one of the ever-popular social networking Web sites. Before starting, Ingram wanted to get input from the sites’ main users, the artists themselves. He found out the pros and cons about the other sites and used that in designing his own site. He felt it was essential in attempting to reform the online music industry. \n“(The name) Mavizon.com is short for ‘my vision,’” Ingram said. In regards to his goals he said, “I just want to make the MP3 legally free.” \nThis is not Ingram’s first creation. He previously produced a communication system that gives car owners complete access to the status of their car from their cell phone. His work on the project has earned national acclaim by CNN among others for his inventions. \nMavizon.com gives users access they did not have before. The site is full of possibilities, all driven by Ingram, such as the proposal for signed CDs available for sale from the site. \n“I want this to grow locally out of Louisville,” he said, which helps him work with the artists even more closely. He admitted that he does not want the Web site to get out of hand, but said he will “let it evolve into what it is.” \nInstituting legal downloading is a fairly new concept, and in order to create this, Ingram used a new networking system called A2P, artist to person, instead of peer to peer or P2P connections currently used on illegal downloading sites. Ingram is trying to completely redo what he considers a “flawed system.” \n“If downloading becomes legal, record companies may begin to end their ongoing losing battle to online piracy. Mavizon.com is opening a new frontier for Internet music,” Ingram said. \nThe Web site launched for beta testing July 7. Though the site has been open to the public since Aug. 6, it is still undergoing testing, but Ingram wants users to know that the site will be operating at full speed in the near future. The anticipated product of Mavizon.com may be home to legal downloading, videos, memorabilia and other sales. \n“Simplicity” is the idea that Ingram wants users to remember about his Web site. It has a “clean look” and is very user friendly. Artists and music fans now have a site that permits instant access to local underground musicians that have yet to be discovered. \n“Now listening to the garage band down the street is a few clicks away, and Mavizon.com is a locally owned and operated Web site that Louisvillians can take pride in, as well as giving people access to artists otherwise unknown,” said Ingram. Students interested in the site can visit mavizon.com and sign up for an account to learn more.
(08/28/07 2:51am)
IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa freshman Kelly Wenman speaks with her family daily. She also sends text messages to a friend who attends Florida State University four or five times a day for emotional support, or just to chat. \nSome experts see disadvantages in using technology as a tool for communication. Ironically, relying too much on such networks could create more feelings of isolation, induce prejudices and exacerbate homesickness, they say. \n“Some people try to dive into something completely new, while some need to step out of their comfort zones,” said Paula Keeton, a senior staff psychologist with University Counseling Service. “But if they’re doing all this interaction online, it kicks people out of balance.” \nReliance on technology for communication seems difficult to curb. Americans spent an average of 186 minutes per visit on the social-networking behemoth Facebook.com in May 2007 – an 89 percent increase from 2006, according to the global Internet marketing research \ncompany comScore. \nAnd 27 percent of 134 million cell phone-owning adults use them for text messaging, the Pew Internet & American Life Project reported in 2005. \n“With face-to-face conversations, you have to have the ability to work back and forth a couple times,” said Andy Cinoman, associate director of UI Admissions and director of Orientation Services. “Technology is often a \npoor substitute.” \nInstead, students should seek friendship from others on campus to share experiences, he said. \nKeeton recommends that students join campus groups to find others with \nsimilar interests. \n“It’s all about balance,” she said. “You have to make the act of going to other activities and get involved.” \nAlthough the flexibility and convenience of a quick text or e-mail are a winning combination, face-to-face interaction has not been completely eclipsed. Sunday morning, Wenman’s roommate Whitney Burkhart sat chatting with a friend who was visiting from her hometown, Woodward, Iowa. Burkhart said she plans to go home rarely. \nFor new students, online social networks can quickly frame a relationship. It took only a few Facebook messages for Wenman and her roommate to divide the purchase of furniture for their new room. \n“Face-to-face interaction is better when you can have it, but when it’s not, then it’s good to have the technology,” she said.