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(03/01/14 4:06am)
In the finals of 3-meter springboard diving Friday night, senior Darian Schmidt missed his first two dives, falling into last place. He then scored a 92.75 and a 95 on his fourth and fifth dives to climb from eighth to first going into the final round.
(02/28/14 4:09am)
After two days of competition, the men's swimming and diving team is in second place at the Big Ten Championships.
(02/27/14 4:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When Tessa Angermeier left the stage after her 20-minute set, she was immediately greeted by a new fan.Graduate student Ian Michalski was studying in the Indiana Memorial Union Starbucks Wednesday, but didn’t expect to be serenaded.“They were very relaxed in their music style and tempo so it wasn’t too distracting to get work done,” Michalski said. “At first I wasn’t excited. I thought I might have to move depending on the quality of the work and nature of it, but I was pleasantly surprised by the first three acts, especially Tessa Angermeier.”Michalski approached Angermeier just seconds after her performance for the Gallery Evening Music Series.“You were amazing,” he said. “And I love everything you do.”Angermeier was just one of five performances by IU student artists at the IMU Gallery.Union Board’s Live from Bloomington committee organized the music series, which began at the beginning of the school year.Last night was the first performance of the spring semester.“My whole committee is very rooted into the whole local scene, so I’m just like, ‘who has a friend who wants to play?’” Union Board Committee Director Connor Foy said. “I go to the Bluebird, house shows and just talk to bands after they play sets.”The music series is a biweekly event. The committee plans to have five performance this semester.In addition to Angermeier, students Juan-Jose Trip Jaramillo, Sam Moorin, Carson Verplank, Alex Fowler and Ali Michel performed.Angermeier, a junior majoring in Music Management, has performed for IU Dance Marathon and at Kilroy’s Dunnkirk and Potbelly’s.A singer, songwriter and guitarist, Angermeier said she has been to the music series once or twice a month in the past.“I just came up with the songs I was going to play about five minutes before I went on stage and wrote them on a napkin,” Angermeier said, laughing. “I feel like in college it’s really fun to just play songs that other people know and can sing along with you.”Facebook invites to the event were sent to about 500 people, Foy said, and the artists then sent invitations to their friends and family.The majority of the audience was students working on homework who weren’t expecting the music.Angermeier said she didn’t mind.“It’s a really captive audience,” Angermeier said. “Every time I’ve ever played here I’ve had a really good response, and everybody’s just so nice. I love it. Everybody that runs it is so fun to work with.”Foy said Live from Bloomington is creating a CD with a compilation of all local artists’ music. The committee also wants to have a music festival next month in Dunn Meadow, he said.The music series is most importantly a way to showcase local talent, he said.“It’s just to showcase local musicians, whether it be people in bands or people just getting up there who want to sing and play guitar for other students,” Foy said.“It’s really just to facilitate a local music scene, show the students what a great opportunity it is to see all these artists around that are not only limited to Jacob’s or the house scene, but there are tons and tons of people in Bloomington that this showcases.”
(02/26/14 6:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s swimming and diving team will compete for its first Big Ten title since 2006 at the Big Ten Championships today in Ann Arbor, Mich.Last season, the Hoosiers finished second at Big Tens. They have finished in the top five for 11 consecutive years.Entering this week at No. 6, the Hoosiers look for its first title in seven years and 25th overall team title.“The lights are on. It’s the big show,” junior Yianni Thermos said. “It’s where some of the fastest swimmers come together to really hash it out. Just the energy level at Big Tens is indescribable. It’s different than any other meet in the country.”IU’s No. 6 ranking is the highest yet this year. The team started the season 0-4 but hasn’t dropped a dual meet since Oct. 25, when it lost to then-No. 1 Michigan.When competition begins tonight, there will be no question who’s the team to beat.“Michigan,” junior Mike Hurley said. “Michigan has always been the toughest competition. They’re the reigning NCAA champions, and we’re going to be facing off head to head against them.”In addition to winning the national championship last season, the Wolverines have won the past three Big Ten titles.They enter tonight at No. 2 in the CSCAA rankings.“They are consistently in the top 10,” Thermos said. “We’re finally back in the top 10 since the Mark Spitz era.”The Hoosiers will face off against four other top-25 teams aside from Michigan.Twenty swimmers will compete. IU Coach Ray Looze said the key will be getting contributions from every swimmer.“We’re going to need depth,” he said. “I’m interested to see what our last five or six guys do. If our last six guys score, we’ve had the best meet we can have. If somebody beats us, more power to them.”Senior Cody Miller will try to become the first swimmer in Big Ten history to win four consecutive titles in the 100-yard breaststroke. Only 10 other swimmers in history have won an event four years in a row.In the 100-yard backstroke, senior James Wells will compete for a third-straight Big Ten title.Freshmen Anze Tavcar and Max Irwin earned the top times for IU this season in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle, and the 100-yard butterfly, respectively.Looze said despite having more depth than last year’s Big Tens, it’s all about how his young swimmers will react in a high-pressure situation.“We’re deeper than we were last year, but we still have freshmen and guys that have never scored,” he said. “Until they get put under the spotlight, that pressure-packed situation, you don’t know how they’re going to react.”In the diving well, senior Darian Schmidt will try to repeat as the 1-meter springboard champion. He was the 3-meter champion in 2012.Schmidt was named the 2013 Big Ten Diver of the Year and Big Ten Diver of the Championships.Of the eight divers who will compete this week, five are seniors.IU Diving Coach Drew Johansen said having veteran experience not only helps the seniors prepare individually, but it has an affect on the underclassmen as well.“With such a veteran team, they know what’s coming,” he said. “They’re preparing themselves mentally as their physical taper is happening.“Then, with the other four underclassmen, it’s a nice balance. You have that youthful exuberance ready to just charge in there and take them all on. Then you have the wise veteran that knows how to pace themselves and be ready for the moment.”Since the end of the regular season, all the swimmers and divers have been resting both physically and mentally.Hurley said the mental aspect will be crucial to bringing a Big Ten title back to IU. Focus is essential to success, he said.“When you lift your head up, that’s when you lose things,” he said. “If you just stick to your plan and go out there and execute it without any thought about it, that’s when championships are won.”@GracePalmieri
(02/24/14 5:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The scores are tallied. The second runner-up is announced, then the first. Erika Burghardt’s name was the final one called. She looked up, and a wide smile spread across her face.In her second year competing in the Miss IU Scholarship Pageant, she was crowned Miss IU.“I’m so excited to represent our student body and to represent the city of Bloomington as well,” Burghhardt said.The Miss Indiana University Organization held the annual pageant Sunday night at the Willkie Auditorium.A total of 11 contestants sashayed across the stage in swimwear and evening gowns. They exhibited a wide array of talents from tap, contemporary and belly dancing to martial arts and musical theater performance.The event wasn’t all for show, though — it was based on service. Each contestant had a chosen platform, and the women looked to promote awareness of issues like youth HIV/AIDS, skin cancer and distracted driving.Burghhardt’s platform was IU Dance Marathon participation and awareness.“Having grown up with parents who really pushed for giving back to the community and getting involved, I knew that IU Dance Marathon was something I had to get involved with,” she said. “I think it’s an organization that everyone should have the opportunity to be involved with because it is so rewarding. The more participation, the more awareness, and then we can save a child’s life.”Burghhardt was awarded a $1,500 scholarship, as well as smaller gifts given by local businesses, such as Bloomington Kiwnanis, MarDon Salon and Mary M’s/Walnut House Flowers.Thirty-two universities and organizations from across the state send their winners to compete for the title of Miss Indiana.On June 16, Burghhardt will travel to Zionsville, Ind. to compete for a chance to attend the Miss America Pageant.IU student and Miss IU 2013 Terrin Thomas was selected as Miss Indiana last year and progressed to the Miss America Pageant, but did not make it to the semifinal rounds.Last year’s Miss IU runner-up, Mallory Essig, played host to the event.“The talent was overwhelming,” she said. “You never know what it’s going to be like coming into a local, but all these girls were amazing. They came out and gave it their all and I’m betting you that made the judge’s decision that much harder.”The pageant is designed to provide contestants the opportunity to gain experience in leadership, performing arts skills and interviewing.Public Relations Chair Lauren Mnayarji said it is most notably an opportunity to do philanthropic work and give back to the Bloomington community.“It’s really something that gets students to know pageantry isn’t all the glitz and glamor,” she said. “Yeah, they have the show for everyone to see, but whoever wins is doing a lot of community service and really working hard.”Friends, family and others attending the event were encouraged to bring nonperishable food items to donate to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. In all, nearly 200 cans were collected.Aside from the winner, a first runner-up and a second runner-up were named. Other awards included the People’s Choice Award and Miss Congeniality. Scholarships of $250 were given out to both the interview winner and talent winner.Essig said she felt the long-running event once again ran well and was very successful.“We’re a student organization, so we try to get as much done as we can,” she said. “I couldn’t be happier and I’m really happy to pass down my crown to Erika.”Follow reporter Grace Palmieri on Twitter @grace_palmieri.
(02/24/14 3:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s swim team broke eight school records and earned nine more top-five times in IU history in its second-place finish at the 2014 Big Ten Championships.The Hoosiers tallied 649 points, 111 points shy of Minnesota, which won its third consecutive Big Ten title.“You’re never going to have a perfect session,” IU Coach Ray Looze said. “Two of our three days were really, really good. One could’ve been a little bit better. We did the best we possibly could.”After night one, IU had a two-point lead in the standings.Sophmore Brooklynn Snodgrass, senior Bronwyn Pasloski, freshman Gia Dalesandro and senior Kait Flederbach won the 200-yard medley relay in a school-record time of 1:36.69. The 800-yard freestyle relay team then took second to give the Hoosiers a 74-72 lead against the Gophers going into day two.In the final three days of competition, the Hoosiers never led, but finished nearly 200 points ahead of the third-place team.On night two, Flederbach, senior Stephanie Armstrong, Snodgrass and junior Cynthia Pammett took third in the 200-yard freestyle relay to set another school record.Flederbach’s time of 22.40 in the opening 50 yards is the fastest time in school history.Flederbach said team support was crucial to each race.“We had so many girls go best times and really step up to make it back to finals,” she said. “These girls are the most inspiring, dedicated group of women so we get each other ready for every next race.”The team set school records in four of its five relay races at the meet.Lindsay Vrooman defended her 500-yard freestyle title, finishing nearly two seconds ahead of her competition. Her time of 4:36.91 is the fourth-fastest time in IU school history.She now owns four of the top five times in the event.“The number of school records, individual winners, relay winners — this might be the most I can recall us having, so that was really nice to see,” Looze said. “The chemistry of the team, something I’ve emphasized all year long, was really apparent.”At the end of day two senior diver Kate Hillman earned a career-best score of 321.60 on the 1-meter to finish sixth.She was also the silver medal winner on the platform. Hillman finished her Big Ten career with another all-time best score of 322.25.She said her mindset going into the meet was the best it has ever been.“I just went into the meet with the mindset of having fun and just doing what Drew wanted me to do each dive,” Hillman said. “I surpassed my expectations and had a blast diving so that’s all I can ask for.”On day three, the Hoosiers set yet another team record in the 400-yard medley relay. Snodgrass, Pasloski, Dalesandro and Flederbach finished in 3:30.30, which is also a Big Ten record.Dalesandro also claimed the two fastest times in IU history in the 100-yard butterfly. Both her preliminary and final times are NCAA A-cut qualifying times.She is the first-ever Hoosier to swim the race in less than 52 seconds.“My teammates kept me focused and pumped and prepared for my first Big Tens,” Dalesandro said. “The team spirit the whole week kept us going. Everyone was loud and crazy and they just kept everyone so pumped and focused.”Other day three highlights included Vrooman’s third-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle and Pasloski’s second-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke. Snodgrass won the 100-yard backstroke in 51.65, a season-best time and NCAA A-cut.On the final day of competition, Snodgrass led a 1-2-3-4-7 finish in the 200-yard backstroke final.Vrooman earned the fourth-fastest time in school history in the 1,650-yard freestyle. She now owns all four of those times.Flederbach set a school record in the 100-yard freestyle and Pasloski earned a lifetime best time in the 200-yard breaststroke. Both had third-place finishes in their event.Dalesandro said tiredness never fazed them toward the end of the meet.“Everyone’s tired on the last day, but it’s also our best day out of the whole meet, so I think even if we were tired it didn’t really matter because everyone was prepared to step up today,” she said. “We were in great shape all year so that makes it so much easier to finish races strong.”Dalesandro was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. She was also named to the Big Ten first team, along with Flederbach, Pasloski, Snodgrass and Vrooman.Looze said he’s proud of what his team accomplished, but the season isn’t over. Six NCAA A-cuts were earned at the Big Ten Championships, automatically qualifying a portion of the women’s team for the NCAA Championships.“We’ll be looking forward to what kind of a team we bring to NCAAs,” Looze said. “That’s going to be pretty cool to see what we can do at NCAAs here in Minnesota in another four weeks.”Follow reporter Grace Palmieri on Twitter @grace_palmieri.
(02/22/14 5:51am)
Two IU school records were set on day three of the women's swimming and diving Big Ten Championships.
(02/21/14 7:00am)
A 500-yard freestyle win and 200-yard freestyle school record highlighted day two of the women's swimming and diving Big Ten Championships.
(02/21/14 5:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Residence Halls Association met Wednesday night to discuss election campaigns and report on committee activity.Planning and programming for RHA’s Welcome Week Concert is now underway.Brett Bassock, a Union Board representative, spoke on changes they hoped to make to the event this year. These changes include selling tickets instead of having a free concert, having no re-entry and, most notably, making the event more of a festival rather than just a concert, he said.“We would like to bring in carnival games, student organization booths and food trucks to make the concert more of a festival to keep students interested,” Kevin Kenes, Union Board Director of Fun and Adventure, said.Other guests included the Singing Hoosiers, Jessica Albright of Relay for Life and Desiree Dixon, who is responsible for organizing the Little 50 running race.RHA President Claire Houterman said it’s important for guests to come speak at RHA general assembly about their respective organization’s upcoming events.“It’s a way for RHA members to know what’s happening on campus and be aware of all possible opportunities that our residents may enjoy or benefit from attending,” she said. “It’s our job to usher those events to our residents, to offer them the opportunity to take part in them, so it is important that we have outside speakers come to GA to share with us.”Aside from the guests, each RHA committee reported to the group, executive directors gave reports, as well as the student government representatives from each residence hall.RHA members ran for next year’s executive board positions: President, Vice President of Internal Affairs, Vice President of Student Affairs and Vice President of programming.Election day is coming up on March 4.Houterman said that although RHA general assembly is primarily used to collaborate internally and discuss future goals, they made a couple important decisions during the meeting.“We did finalize the artists that RHA feels would be best for the Welcome Week Concert,” she said. “We also chatted with the executive director of RPS about meal plan changes, and we will be voting on those changes next time.”This past year was the first time RPS instituted the “Hoosier Bucks” program, which allowed students to buy a meal plan with points that could be spent at any RPS dining hall as well as in the Indiana Memorial Union and the Wells Library Cyber Café. After only selling 50 percent of what they anticipated, RPS has decided to stop selling Hoosier Bucks plans on March 1.Pat Connor, executive director of RPS, said they plan to bring back two Crimson Plans.One would be an 18-month plan, not tied into the academic semester, costing $250. The second would be a $500 plan, meant to last a full academic year.Connor said he wants student input, so a decision from RHA will be made by the next general assembly.Houterman said there is currently a lot going on at the center and director level. She is working with Culture of Care representatives to plan Culture of Care Week events.In addition, Houterman and Emily Francisco, vice president of internal affairs, are working on distribution of the Counseling and Psychological Services sessions the health center offers students.“We’re seeing if there is a way for us to make it an option for students to “donate” their unused CAPS sessions to those students who may need more than the two allotted free sessions,” Houterman said. “We feel this is a great way to build a strong sense of community, wellbeing and appreciation and respect for fellow IU students, and we’re excited to see what progress we can make with it.”
(02/20/14 4:41am)
With a first and a second place finish in the night's only two events, IU women's swim and dive leads the competition after one day at the Big Ten Championships in Minneapolis.
(02/19/14 4:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Mental illness affects one in every 10 teens and young adults, according to the Mental Health Foundation.Fortitude LLC, co-founded by IU student Lauren Morton, is working to change those numbers.“The stigma attached to mental illness makes it hard for [teens and young adults] to talk about their disorder and seek appropriate help,” said Joseph Myers, co-founder and a senior at Manchester University. “I believe that Fortitude’s message can help to change those stigmas and help people realize that they are not their illness and can overcome it.”The campaign’s target audience is young people age 15-25 because these people are choosing a college to attend, finding the right job and trying to succeed in everything they do, Morton said.“We think this age group is so important because of the pressures they face in their day-to-day lives,” she said.So far, Fortitude has a supportive audience of women ages 40-50, who are the mothers of children facing anxiety, depression or other mental health problems, Morton said. Morton said Fortitude’s overall goal is to make sure those people don’t feel alone and help them gain the strength to overcome it.Created by Morton and Myers, Fortitude officially became a privately-owned limited license company in early January.Morton said the original idea for the company was sparked by a lecture given by her psychology professor on theories of mental resilience. From there, she said the company has become a brand and a community.“The brand owns the intellectual property of our logo and designs and is what drives sales of shirts and other potential future merchandise,” she said. “Sales of these items are intended to create awareness and create a sort of figurative meeting ground to talk about the issues of mental health concerning young adults.”The overall focus is promoting good mental health and wellbeing. To do this, Fortitude just launched its first campaign, “Fortitude for All,” through a program called Booster. It is a 22-day campaign run through the online custom apparel printer CustomInk.Morton said the campaign is similar to Kickstarter in that it will run for a finite amount of time. Products will be distributed after the end date. The company has set goals for itself and supporters.“For our first sales, we really wanted to involve our supporters in the process,” she said. “We think that by having our goals made public, our supporters can be as excited as we are to meet them and see the project continue to grow.”White T-shirts with “Strength of mind is peace of mind” on the front are being sold to raise awareness for mental health issues in teens and young adults. As this is the very first campaign, they also hope to get their company’s name out there.The campaign launched Monday for private sales and was officially announced through social media Tuesday. It will run through March 11.Morton said Fortitude will donate 50 percent of its profit from the campaign to a charity or organization yet to be chosen that supports awareness and research of mental health concerns.“We ultimately want Fortitude to be the platform or the vehicle that inspires a cultural change for our generation,” she said. “We can’t make the change alone, we can only provide the resources and a rallying ground to talk about what’s important. The changes have to come about from people who value mental health and strength.” Follow reporter Grace Palmieri on Twitter @grace_palmieri.
(02/19/14 4:02am)
The No. 11 women’s swimming and diving team begins postseason competition today at the Big Ten Championships in Minneapolis.
(02/14/14 5:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Alexis Ohanian is on a mission to “make the world suck less.” The co-founder of Reddit and now-investor and adviser for more than 70 start-ups spoke to more than 200 IU students Thursday in Alumni Hall at the Indiana Memorial Union about how they can join him.A year after graduating from the University of Virginia, Ohanian started Reddit, the popular social news and entertainment website. Most recently, he has become the bestselling author of “Without Their Permission,” a book about Internet entrepreneurship in which he tells his story as well as those of others that have inspired him.“Go forth and suck,” Ohanian said. “Sucking is the first step to being sort of good at something. No one actually knows what they’re doing because life is not a paint by number.”Ohanian is currently on a tour of 200 events across the country and will visit a total of 77 universities.Back in August, an IU student found that Ohanian had posted on the sub-Reddit page for IU about coming to the University as a part of his book tour. The Informatics and Computing Student Association and Union Board teamed up to the plan the event and it has been underway ever since. “The great thing about Union Board being able to put on an event like this is we’re really tapping into a key audience of students who maybe haven’t really found their niche place on campus, if they aren’t a part of the Greek system, if they aren’t super involved in student organizations,” Union Board member Aamena Ansari said. “Really, the Internet is a place to flock to to find yourself and to learn so much about the world around you.”Ohanian said he hopes students will use the Internet to its maximum potential because it has so much to offer the millennial generation.“This is the time to be trying new things — shipping and launching and failing — because no one’s looking,” he said.Ohanian is now an ambassador for Y Combinator, the digital entrepreneur company that helped him get his start.He said there is no better time to start acting on ideas than as a student.“You’re not just another history major,” he said. “You’re a history major who’s launched three kickstarter campaigns. That’s real stuff that you can start doing right now.”Rachel Shinn, student ambassador for ICSA, said she hopes Ohanian’s visit will help students to realize that was he has done is possible for anyone here at IU.“IU has so many talented students and I’m positive that some of them have great ideas,” she said. “It would be awesome if someone’s idea is turned into a reality with the help of Alexis.”At the end of the event, Ohanian was joined on stage by Mike Trotzke, who started SproutBox. SproutBox is based out of Bloomington and is a business focused on investing in startup companies.As entrepreneurs who invest in and also provide resources for entrepreneurs to take action on their ideas, Ohanian and Trotzke served as inspiration to the students who attended.“Try anything even, if you think it’s going to fail, because you really don’t know how it’s going to do,” IU student Alexis Baker said.Ohanian is an example of what can happen with the freedom of the Internet and all the technology around us. He said he wanted to persuade students to use the resources they have to put themselves out there and have their ideas heard.“The Internet means so much to us — not just culturally or economically, on so many levels,” Ohanian said. “These are the skills that are going to make you not only someone I want to invest in, but someone I want to hire.”Follow reporter Grace Palmieri on Twitter @grace_palmieri.
(02/12/14 4:50am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Two rows of chairs lined the center of the room. Boys sat on the right, girls on the left. Each pair faced one another. Time after time, the clock was set for three minutes.Ready, set, date.Students in IU’s black community came together Tuesday night for the first Cupid Shuffle Speed Dating Charity Benefit.Tierra Griffin, president of the Tau chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, said the idea for the event came from the Women of Color Leadership Institute. They joined with the Gamma Eta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the Tau chapter of AKA and the Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Phi for the event.Lucretia Black, president of the WCLI, said they discussed a date auction as well as speed dating.“We had representatives from each organization get together with women of color to kind of give our perspective and expertise and just provide any help with planning that they needed,” Griffin said.Pre-sale tickets were $3, and tickets at the door were $5. Non-perishable food items and feminine hygiene products were also accepted. All proceeds will go to a multitude of charities such as Relay for Life and Keep a Child Alive.Black said this first-time event was most importantly a way to give back to the community.“Anything that we can do for public service is really important to the WCLI,” she said.For the speed dating segment of the event, everyone was given a paper heart. They had three minutes to meet and talk to the person sitting in front of them. The first three couples to match the number on their heart to their partner’s heart were rewarded with a prize. People who met during speed dating mingled to talk more in depth after a few rounds.“I wanted to up my social skills, get out there and meet new people,” IU student Kiara Spells said. The night included introductions of the organizations and volunteers who helped to plan the event and videos advertising some of the charities.Griffin said everyone who attended was giving back to their community.“Any time we can provide any type of service or any charitable event to give back to that organization we’re really happy to do so,” she said. “We’re just happy to help.”Follow reporter Grace Palmieri on Twitter @grace_palmieri.
(02/12/14 4:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior Eric Ress was named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Week and senior Darian Schmidt was named the Big Ten Diver of the Week, the conference announced Tuesday.In a 186-114 win against Purdue on Saturday, Ress had two individual wins as well as two second-place finishes in helping the Hoosiers defeat their in-state rival.He earned an NCAA B-cut in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing in 1:37.68. Ress also took the 200-yard backstroke victory against the Boilermakers. Added to his victories, Ress placed second in both the 500-yard freestyle and 400-yard freestyle relay.Ress has found his stride in the late parts of the season. During the last two meets of the regular season before the Big Ten meet, Ress won five of his eight events.Schmidt was named Big Ten Diver of the Week for the seventh time in his career as a Hoosier after diving against Purdue.He had first-place finishes in both the one-meter and three-meter competitions. Schmidt’s 397.95 points from the one-meter is a season-best score, and his 450.30 points on the three-meter marks the second time he has scored more than 450 this season. Both scores are NCAA Zone diving qualifications.The IU men’s swimming and diving team will compete Feb. 26 at the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich.— Grace Palmieri
(02/11/14 4:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Free tax assistance will be available on campus through the end of March for those who qualify.Nearly 75 volunteers, most of whom are students from the Maurer School of Law and Kelley School of Business, are participating in the Internal Revenue Service’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. They will assist low-income, elderly, disabled, and limited-English-speaking clients filing their tax returns.“The VITA program is an excellent opportunity for our students to give back to the Bloomington community by using their knowledge to assist low-income taxpayers,” Ajay Mehrotra, associate dean and professor of law, said in a press release. “It is also a good way for students to learn more about the federal income tax system and how it touches so many aspects of everyday life.”These students have gone through tax law training as well as software training, and were required to pass a certification test before interacting with clients directly to ensure they could properly aid the residents who come in.The program is a community partnership with the Monroe County United Way’s Free Community Tax Service.Charles Gray, the site coordinator for IU’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, said most student volunteers come from the business school, while the law school provides rooms for the weekly clinics.“This is a joint program with both schools providing equal input,” he said. “Without Kelley students’ accounting and business backgrounds, our legal expertise wouldn’t be of much use to our clients.”Residents with an annual income of $52,000 or less are eligible for assistance as long as they have not received income from the sale of stocks, mutual funds or homes and do not own businesses.Clients will also need a W-2, photo identification, Social Security, and other income sources. Non-U.S. citizens are required to have their passport and immigration paperwork.Walk-in clinics started Monday and will continue every Monday and Tuesday 6 to 9 p.m. until March 25 in Maurer 125.Sessions will also take place 9 a.m. to 5 p.m March 8 and 29 in the undergraduate building of Kelley 200 and 202.There will be no sessions on March 17th and 18th.Gray said in past years, mostVITA clients have been foreign students, so volunteers in the program have become proficient in preparing taxes for those students each year. The program is important because many clients would have nowhere else to turn, he said.“I can say without hesitation that I believe our site is the most well equipped to aid foreign student taxpayers with the labyrinthine process of the American tax system,” he said. “For many of these students, they speak English as a second language and have little-to-no experience with our system of government and revenue.” In the past, VITA has found hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of dollars worth of unexpected refunds, according to a release.“Without our services, preparing a tax return would be a daunting prospect,” Gray said. “Our assistance makes the stressful process of tax season much less so.”Follow reporter Grace Palmieri on Twitter @grace_palmieri.
(02/10/14 3:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Friday night, the IU Women’s Law Caucus hosted its annual auction at the KRC Banquet Hall downtown, opening its attendees to a vast array of possible prizes and raising thousands of dollars for victims of abuse. The elaborate prizes included joining Professor Charles Geyh on a culinary tour of Africa, having an authentic Italian dinner with Professor Ken Turchi, enjoying a behind-the-scenes tour of the Indianapolis Zoo with Professor Fred Cate and shooting hoops in IU’s historic Assembly Hall.“The reason I do it and the reason that so many of my colleagues do it is it gives us a chance to hang out with our students outside the classroom doing something completely fun, or silly or unrelated to class,” Professor Ryan Scott, one of three auctioneers, said.The event, which was open to law students, professors and faculty, was a silent and live auction fundraiser. The auction has been going on for more than 20 years, and between 200 and 250 people attended this year. This year the money raised will go to the Middle Way House and the Protective Order Project.Professors donate their time and money to provide 22 packages for the live auction portion, and there are more than 50 silent auction prizes donated by businesses and individuals in the community.Prizes went on to include a Vera Bradley lunch tote, a basketball signed by IU Coach Tom Crean, spa packages and gift cards to restaurants and beauty shops.Rachel Collins, a second-year law student, bid on an Ultimate Nerd Game Night with Professor Scott and won it for four friends who couldn’t be there.“I think it’s a great cause that the law school students can come out and raise money for,” she said. “Also, several of my really good friends planned it, and I wanted to come out and support all the hard work they had done.”While the auction allows for low-stress interactions between students and professors, the proceeds go to help fund the Middle Way House.The Middle Way House provides 24-hour general crisis intervention service to citizens in Monroe County, and most of the people who come in are victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. It grants emergency shelter, childcare and prevention programs.The remainder of the proceeds benefits the Protective Order Project. POP is a student-run organization in the Maurer School of Law. It assists survivors of domestic violence who cannot afford legal counsel in seeking protective orders.Last year, the event raised more than $12,000 for these victims.“I think the most important part is it’s a good example of students and professors working together for the Bloomington community,” co-chairwoman Lizzie Conkle said. “It’s really interesting to see the students and professors interacting, and most of the law school students look forward to it every year.” Follow reporter Grace Palmieri on Twitter at @grace_palmieri.
(02/10/14 1:47am)
Six consecutive wins to open a 16-event meet gave the IU men’s
swimming and diving team a 186-114 victory against Purdue on senior day.
(02/07/14 4:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s swimming and diving team’s record is better than .500 for the first time this season. After defeating Louisville last week, the Hoosiers (5-4) welcome in-state rival Purdue in their final dual meet of the season Saturday.Three of the team’s four losses have been to top-five teams. IU hasn’t lost since Oct. 25 when it dropped a dual meet to Michigan and Texas.The Hoosiers have continued to climb the CSCAA rankings and are No. 7 as they prepare to take on the No. 23 Boilermakers.“They don’t have a whole lot of weaknesses, so it’s going to be a great meet,” IU Coach Ray Looze said. “I predict it’ll come down to the last relay.”The long-time rivals have competed in 34 dual meets since the 1975-76 season. IU holds a 28-6 all-time record.Last year, the Hoosiers posted a 179.5-118.5 victory in West Lafayette, their third straight win in the series.Looze said despite their dominant performance in years past, it’s always a tough fight.“They always show up for this meet,” he said. “I expect them to come out kind of like Mike Tyson in the first round of a boxing match, ready to try to light us up in that 200 medley relay.”This weekend’s meet will feature three USA Swimming National Team members, two of them competing for IU. Senior Cody Miller is the three-time reigning Big Ten Champion in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke. Junior Steve Schmuhl holds the school record in the 200-yard and 400-yard individual medley.Looze said their strengths will be tested this week because Purdue is strong in many of the same events as the Hoosiers.“The toughest events for us will probably be the sprint freestyles, so the 50, 100, 200,” junior Joe Powell said. “They have one of the best freestylers in the country, so it’ll be critical for us to do well in those events to do well this weekend.”Senior Eric Ress, better known for his success in the backstroke events, now has the top times this season for IU in the 500-yard and 1,000-yard freestyle.Ress said the team is focused on being better prepared this year than it has been in the past.“A lot of times throughout the season we seem to underestimate them going into the last meet and the week before we look at their results and they always seem to be a lot better than we had anticipated,” he said. “This week we’re trying to get the guys ready for that.”There will be a total of 16 events, including the 1-meter and 3-meter diving competitions. This is the Hoosiers’ last home meet of the season and marks the end of the dual meet season.With the Big Ten Championships next, this is the last opportunity for the men’s team to see where they stand.“This is our last rehearsal for the men for Big Ten, so we want to really be sharp with every bit of fundamentals,” Looze said. “We’re just looking to get to compete because you always find out something about yourself, about your team and protecting your home turf. We’re excited about all those things Saturday against the Boilers.”Follow reporter Grace Palmieri on Twitter @grace_palmieri
(02/05/14 5:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was a Sunday in February of 2008, her freshman year of college. Cassidy Kahn woke up to find her knees covered in rashes, two on the left and one on the right. The diver had been plagued with sickness after sickness since she got to school — mononucleosis and kidney infections. The rashes barely fazed her.A day went by.By Monday morning, the rash was extremely painful and she began running a fever. The IU diving team trainer sent her to the team doctor. The rashes were hot and quickly spreading. The doctor advised her to see a dermatologist.That night, her fever increased to 104 degrees.She woke up Wednesday morning, three days after discovering the rash, to the most excruciating pain of her life. After seeing the trainer, team doctor and dermatologist again, she was rushed to the hospital.X-rays and blood cultures were done immediately. The tests found toxic gas in both of her legs, causing hot, crunchy-textured skin to form on her thighs. Kahn had necrotizing fasciitis with gas gangrene and compartment syndrome, a rare and life-threatening illness. There was only one logical option: emergency surgery.The doctor came in before she went under and asked her what religion she practiced. She told him she was Jewish. They sent in a Rabbi. “Right before they rolled me into surgery he said, ‘this is gonna be the toughest fight of your life,’” she said.***Kahn, a senior, has been on the IU diving team for seven years, but has only been able to compete for two full seasons.Her dreams of competing at the highest levels as a diver, a gymnast and a swimmer have carried her though a lifetime of fighting off illness, including 20 surgeries since age eight.Despite a series of serious illnesses and injuries, Kahn made it to the Big Ten Championships with the IU diving team, nearly qualifying for the NCAA championships, and performed in international diving competition. “Having been a part of a lot of different teams throughout her years here, she has signified the traditions and legacy that IU diving is all about,” senior teammate Kate Hillman said. “She is so supportive and will do anything for the team.”***Kahn woke up several days after her emergency surgery, each of her incised legs open to the bone. She spent three weeks in the hospital before she was discharged and able to fly home to New York.Just a day and half later she was back in the emergency room.The infection had spread to her calf. She was suffering from every possible reaction to her antibiotics — stomach infection, reactive arthritis and serum sickness, among others. Her feeble organs were shutting down.“My mom couldn’t even touch me at one point without me screaming because I was in that much pain,” she said.She had to undergo an additional surgery to remove the remainder of the infection and was told she might never walk again.She returned to Bloomington at the end of April for the team banquet, where she received the Mike Collier award. The award recognizes a person who overcame adversity that didn’t allow them to achieve all they had hoped.“No one on this team ever gave up on me,” she said. “No one faltered on my place on this team. Just to have that behind me through everything was absolutely incredible.”Kahn went back home and, on June 11, 2008, three days before her 20th birthday, the doctors closed her up for the final time, infection free.She stayed home until August, re-learning how to walk.***Kahn was born in Dallas in 1988, but grew up in New York. She was born with acute learning disabilities. Her dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, and auditory processing disorder kept her from learning to talk until she was 4 years old. She was enrolled in the Churchill School in Manhattan, a K-12 school where her learning needs could be met.Kahn started swim lessons at a very young age, but she had other dreams on her mind.“We went to the Big Apple Circus one day and I came home and I kept saying something,” she said. “My speech was horrible at the time. Finally my mom goes, ‘I think she’s saying she wants to be an acrobat in the circus.’”Kahn’s mom decided to enroll her in gymnastics. Kahn remained a gymnast and a swimmer throughout her childhood and into her teenage years, hoping for a future in gymnastics. And she wasn’t afraid to dream big.“My dreams as a little girl were to go to the Olympics and get a college scholarship,” Kahn said.She had achieved success at the highest level and even wanted her mom to take her to Cincinnati to train with the best. Although that was never a possibility, the sport still served as an outlet for Kahn.“I think at first gymnastics was always my balance because school was always such a struggle for me,” she said. “Whenever I was at the gym it was just something that always came so naturally for me, so it was my home. My teammates were my family and my coaches were second parents.”Kahn suffered her first setback when she was diagnosed with osteochondritis dissecans in both elbows at the age of eight.Overuse had caused her bone and cartilage to deteriorate over time. Surgery after surgery, doctors had to remove bone from both of her hips and insert them into her elbows in order for the cartilage and bones there to grow.Finally, six surgeries and eight years later, the doctors told her she couldn’t go on any longer. Just like that, her gymnastics career was finished.***“Whenever one door closes, another door opens,” Kahn said.Her mother’s friend suggested she try diving. “The dreams I had as a gymnast just transferred over to diving,” Kahn said.After a trip to California to train the summer before her senior year of high school, she began being recruited by division one schools. Kansas, Michigan, Columbia, Brown and others wanted Kahn on their teams.IU wasn’t even on her radar. To her, that was the school with “the Olympic coach,” which seemed completely out of reach for someone who had just begun diving the year before.That all changed on her recruiting trip to her top choice at the time, Kansas.Unbeknownst to Kahn, then-IU Coach Jeff Huber had sent her a letter asking her to come visit. Because she didn’t know much about IU’s program and she was somewhat intimidated by its deep-rooted tradition in the sport, Kahn visited campus reluctantly. “The very first night I was here I texted my mom, ‘I’m going to IU,’” she said.***The day Kahn returned from her visit, tragedy struck her family again when her brother passed away. Her mom considered keeping her out of school for a year.But that wasn’t an option for Kahn. She told her parents IU was the only school she would even apply to. If she didn’t get in by December, she would begin applying elsewhere.A week later, she received news from the IU diving assistant coach that she had been accepted.Kahn left for Bloomington in 2008 after graduating high school. She spent two weeks training with the coach she never even thought she would meet.“Those were the best two weeks of my life,” she said. “It was amazing. He would tell me to do something and I would be like, ‘OK, how many?’ I was living what I had always wanted to do.”Her worry-free diving was short-lived. After having some knee pain, she went home to New York and found out she had cartilage damage, possibly a torn meniscus, and needed to have arthroscopic knee surgery.It took months for her to recover. The following August, when she had re-gained her strength from the necrotizing fasciitis, they found a bulge in her leg.At first, she ignored it, but when she went home over winter break, she found out the bulge was a muscle hernia and her skin was all that held her muscle down.Kahn got set for yet another surgery.“I really had no understanding of how weak I was,” she said. “Even at three years old I was stronger than I was at that point.”Six months later, two years of college done with, Kahn had yet to compete in a college diving meet. There was no doubt in her mind that junior year she would get that chance, she said.By the time she had regained her strength, Kahn had just a few months to prepare for the Hoosierland Invitational, the first big meet of the year.In October, she was finally cleared to begin diving again by the doctor who had saved her life.Even the best day of her life came with bad news. Hours later she came down with Swine Flu, keeping her out for another week.It was Nov. 6, and Hoosierland was just on the horizon. When Huber told her she could compete despite having just a couple weeks to prepare, Kahn was overcome with joy.“I remember sprinting to the locker room and calling my mom in tears,” she said.Not only did she perform her easiest tower dives, she also competed on the one-meter and three-meter. A group of Kahn’s friends wore white “Yes She Kahn” shirts to support her in her first collegiate meet.The rest of the year didn’t go as planned because of her recurring knee injury. In May, she had bilateral stress fractures in both tibias, which kept her out for the summer.Then, in December of that same year, she had to undergo entire patella realignment. She was debilitated for 11 more months.***It was the summer 2011 and Kahn said it was the perfect time to take her Birthright trip, a free 10-day trip to Israel to celebrate her heritage.As a part of the trip, they visited the Olympic facilities in Israel. She said she was inspired to seek dual citizenship to Israel. She hoped she could one day dive for them at the World Championships, she said.“I’m focused on getting back to diving at this point, so I figure why not have the same goals that I used to have?” she said.That December, just a month after being cleared again, Kahn was hospitalized for two weeks with kidney stones. While in the hospital, she received a call saying she had earned dual citizenship.With her long-term goal being to qualify for the World Championships in 2016, Kahn went back to school to continue training for her season.Just a week passed before a broken hand and more knee problems took yet another year of diving away from her.Last season, her sixth year of eligibility, was the first time Kahn competed in the first meet, the last meet, and all meets in between. She said Big Ten Championships went better than she could have ever imagined.“It was like a dream meet for me,” she said. “Everything went right.”She got to the one-meter finals, placing seventh. On tower, she made the semi-finals after only training for three weeks. Kahn was just one dive away from making the NCAA Championships.She had the best season of her life. And she wanted more.Huber encouraged her to apply for a seventh year of eligibility, something that is rarely granted.Kahn recalls sending in her application on a Thursday last year at 4 p.m. Twelve minutes later, it was approved.And that was just the beginning of the good news. At the end of last season, Kahn received a Facebook message from the president of Israeli aquatics saying she had gotten into the World University Games in Russia during the summer 2013.She accepted the offer. Less than four months later she was competing internationally for the Israel team. The diver who had only been able to compete for one collegiate season in her career was now diving at the highest level.There was one problem: Kahn was without a coach.Once in Russia, she met the director of acrobatic performance for Cirque de Soleil by complete accident, and he stepped in as her coach for the meet.She placed 20th on 1-meter and 16th on 3-meter.Her first dream of becoming an acrobat, now 19 years in the making, had become a reality.***Kahn started out her seventh and final season strong, but realized it might not last much longer. Almost all the cartilage in her knee was gone. Her body was worn down.Last Tuesday, she officially, medically retired. “After much thought and conversation and just really having to for the first time in my life listen to my body, we just decided it was time,” she said. “I think the hardest part for me was going in and saying it, admitting it.”A seven-year-long journey filled with innumerous ups and downs ended in disappointment for Kahn. But her teammates and coaches have said the mark she will leave on the tradition of IU diving doesn’t go unnoticed.“She leaves in her stead an example to the young divers in our program of heart and love for the sport,” Hillman said.It may be the end of Kahn’s career, but she remains a part of her seventh team.“She’s going to support the team and still be a big part of our success as we go into the championship season,” head diving coach Drew Johansen said. “She’ll be remembered for her resiliency and toughness and that never quit attitude.”Kahn touched both elbows, both hips, both knees, both shins and reached across her shoulder to her back counting all 16 scars that plaster her body. Her body is marred forever, but she now has dreams beyond the sport that she’s determined to achieve.Kahn is set to graduate in May with her masters in public health. Eventually, she hopes to get a Ph.D in clinical psychology and work with athletes. Her goal is to create a program that works with junior and senior student-athletes on their transition out of sports.Like she said, whenever one door closes another one opens.“I just want people to realize that if you love something, put your heart into it,” she said. “Don’t give up on something just because someone said you can’t. This team is my family, it’s my life. It always is going to be a part of me, even though I didn’t get to where I wanted to go. I don’t want the people that maybe weren’t the best on the team to be forgotten.”Follow reporter Grace Palmieri on Twitter @gpalmieri7.