151 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(04/20/09 3:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The red and white balloons adorned the steps leading to Teter Quad’s south courtyard Sunday and formed the shape of a ribbon, commemorating the fifth year of the Student Global AIDS Campaign’s AIDS Walk. This is the first year the walk has taken place on campus. In previous years, the group has based the walk primarily in the surrounding community.“Our walk today is a walk of pride,” said Sierra Launer, an 18-year-old student at Harmony School. “It helps us to connect and become more accepting of one another.”Launer then revealed she was born HIV-positive and read a poem titled “Who Am I?” in honor of her own identity and people suffering with HIV and AIDS.Inside Teter, performances by the Singing Hoosiers and the Sexy Flatts, as well as information tables from IU Health and Wellness and Positive Link, promoted HIV/AIDS awareness and captured the spirit of people living with the disease.The Sexy Flatts sang Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” and Billy Joel’s “For the Longest Time.”Sophomore Katie Shortt, who sings alto in the Sexy Flatts and is a Student Global AIDS Campaign member, said the group tried to select songs that were appropriate for a sense of togetherness in the community.“We all really wanted to help raise awareness in students and strengthen the outreach of the SGAC,” she said.Senior Anne Litchfield, student manager for the Singing Hoosiers, said the group was excited to get involved once contacted by the Student Global AIDS Campaign to perform.“The AIDS Walk is a very positive way to get campus involved in awareness efforts for the disease,” she said. “This is our first time performing here and I had never even heard of the AIDS Walk, but now that I’m here, it’s just that much more worthwhile.”The Singing Hoosiers performed a Queen medley in their set, including the song “We Are the Champions.”Litchfield said she found this to be an appropriate choice in the spirit of the AIDS Walk because the lead singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury, died of AIDS, and many people could connect to his story.Katie Wilkinson, office and outreach coordinator of IU Health and Wellness, emphasized the importance of being involved with student groups that seek to raise awareness on vital issues.“We are all working toward the same goal,” she said. “We all collaborate with Positive Link and work on preventing the spread of HIV. It’s nice that we have the chance to make the issue of HIV/AIDS more visible to students.”Wilkinson said educational outreach is needed more for students because of the tendency of many young people to perceive themselves as “invincible” when away from home for the first time.“The word needs to get out that it only takes one time,” she said.Sophomore Allison Lester, a walk participant and Bloomington resident, said she founded the group First Aid to AIDS in high school as a method of educational outreach for students.“The cure for HIV will be education,” she said. “We’re the next generation, and we have a responsibility to make sure everyone is informed and knows that HIV/AIDS most concerns the youth.”At 1:45 p.m., the walk around campus began. Despite the rain, students and members of the Bloomington community came out in a spirit of cheer to support the cause of AIDS awareness.Bloomington resident and faculty adviser for Student Global AIDS Campaign Richard Hardy brought his 6-year-old daughter Nicole along for the walk. She sat on his shoulders and held an umbrella above the two of them.Hardy reflected on what it was like to listen to Launer share her experience, saying he was moved by her positive message.“It was so beneficial to hear Sierra’s story,” he said. “I think she shows an amazing amount of strength that people could learn a lot from.”
(04/20/09 2:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On the heels of the nationwide Tax Day “tea parties” comes a group of protesters who want JP Morgan Chase and its subsidiaries to be held accountable for the economic crisis.About 40 people attended a short demonstration in response to how Chase is handling the $25 billion in bailout money it has received at noon Thursday in front of Chase Bank on College Avenue. “It’s one thing for banks to be sticking consumers with every strategy possible to get money,” said Julie Popper of the Change That Works organization, which was responsible for organizing the overnight protest. “But as taxpayers and shareholders, you and I own this bank. They need to stop paying us pennies on the dollar, stop lobbying against fights for fair protection of banks and just stop screwing us over.”Popper and the demonstrators who were present at the protest are advocates of the Employee Free Choice Act, which would improve worker wages and benefits.She said customers are not the only people getting “screwed over” by banks like Chase.“The average teller makes $10.42 an hour, while their CEO made $27 million last year,” Popper said. “So essentially, they are not only lobbying against us, but their own workers, and many are too afraid to say anything for fear of losing employment.”Popper said one solution would be unionization, which she said is good for the economy but is a process that often gets overlooked by CEOs.“We tend to gripe alone,” she said. “If there were other people who joined together in the fact that it’s not right that banks double our interest rates, that we can’t afford silly $3 ATM charges, then there would be some common ground. People would have choices.”Amid cries of “JP Morgan is a clown” and “We’re overworked and underpaid, all we want is Free Choice Act” from the crowd, lifelong Bloomington resident and Change That Works volunteer Jonathan Piland said he came to protest because American taxpayers and employees need to be heard.“We need to make people realize that banks are wrong,” he said, pointing toward the Chase Bank tower. “The CEOs in leather chairs won’t hear our voice if we don’t make ourselves heard. Not just for you or me, but for everyone, including those people inside afraid to come out and join us.”Piland said employers always have a voice, and he hopes President Barack Obama’s plans for reform can change things by valuing decisions of American employees.Jonathan Hall, senior director of Change That Works, cited his own upbringing as his reason for joining the organized protest.“My family and many other families, especially in southern Indiana, have been barring our way into middle class from lower middle class status for years,” he said. “It needs to start with the banks and then the government, to recognize that the people who work the hardest need the most support.”Hall said he and other members of Change That Works plan to reach out to other banks that continuously abuse the system.“The line of trust with banks is already low because of everything that goes on with AIG,” he said. “The fact that Chase is not doing what it claims to be doing with all the money it receives from us, not to mention the ways they get money wrongfully, needs to be contested. It certainly isn’t helping Americans trust any financial institution.”Pam Warren, Bloomington resident and volunteer with Organizing for America, shared a story about her daughter.“She paid her mortgage through Chase one month,” Warren said. “And they took out that payment twice from her account and refused to replace the money. She lives within her means, but she certainly can’t afford to pay the same mortgage twice in a month.”Warren said she was also an advocate for unionization of workers as a solution.“People must contact Sen. Evan Bayh if they want change in the state of Indiana,” she said. “We can only hope that he is a true advocate for laborers, like he says. Maybe then a lot of this won’t happen, but people have to act.”Chase representatives declined to comment for this story.
(04/20/09 1:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The first M435: Italian Theater Workshop ran its final project, “Illustrissimi IU Italian Players,” this weekend in the Willkie Auditorium to many attendees who didn’t know any Italian.“Students involved in the production pledge not to speak a single word of English during the entire process,” said Italian professor and co-director Colleen Ryan-Scheutz.Though most of the 15 IU students involved said they had no previous acting experience, it didn’t appear that way. Ryan-Scheutz said in addition to the actual performance, the set, costumes and props were all designed by students.The students performed scenes from “La Locandiera” by Carlo Goldoni and “Sabato, domenica e lunedi” by Eduardo de Filippo, as well as the one-act play “La Marcolfa” by Dario Fo.The production covered themes ranging from love to greed.“We tried to choose very physical comedies to communicate the language,” Ryan-Scheutz said. “And the subject matter of each show is timeless, so many of the show’s themes are modern enough to be useful to the actors.”She said she helped the students find their characters through various physical improvisational exercises. “Students had to learn that they were no longer these middle-American college kids,” Ryan-Schuetz said. “For instance, several women in the show played Italian men from a different time and of course had to adopt movements and gestures of Italian men to adjust.”She credited native speakers for helping students understand the physicality involved with communicating a foreign language on stage.Senior Christina Biancardi said this is her first semester taking Italian, so it was interesting to see such fluidity with the language on stage. “It was really well-done,” she said. “For this to be an almost entirely student-run production, I think it was amazing. The costumes and set were very elaborate.”Freshman Julie Zimmerman said she thought the students seemed to be having fun, which she said was even more fun for her to watch.“They did a really good job with body language,” she said. “It was really enjoyable for me, and I have no Italian experience.”Bloomington High School South senior Haley Schilling said she was a part of the production thanks to the OPEN Program, which allows high school students to take select IU courses.She said she once took part in the now-cancelled Italian program at her high school and wanted to continue learning the language.She said she met professor Ryan-Scheutz when she enrolled in M215: Accelerated Second-Year Italian and decided to take the Italian Theater Workshop course as well.“Everybody involved was so nice, so it didn’t feel hard to learn how to communicate Italian well enough for an audience to understand it,” Schilling said. “When it comes to theater and Italian, putting those together requires going in with an open mind.”
(04/17/09 6:15pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In commemoration of Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Memorial Day, the Polish Studies Center and Congregation Beth Shalom in Bloomington will play host to a Holocaust memorial concert to raise money for the Children of the Holocaust in Poland. The event, which will take place at 5 p.m. Sunday in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, came from a cry for help from the Children of the Holocaust, an association of Holocaust survivors who, at the outbreak of World War II, were 13 years old or younger. The surviving members of the Children of the Holocaust are now in their 70s, struggling to continue to provide aid to the Righteous Gentiles, a group of non-Jews who risked their own lives to save those of Jews during World War II, according to a press release for the concert.Musicology professor and concert organizer Halina Goldberg said the musical legacy of Polish composer and Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman, whose life was chronicled in the recent Academy Award-winning film “The Pianist,” will be honored. “Szpilman was a musician at the core of his heart,” Goldberg said. “It’s what saved him from all the disaster happening during the Holocaust. So we want to give attention to his legacy through this concert, because his power to communicate through music touches so many different people.”Goldberg said one time while visiting Warsaw, Poland, she made the connection between Szpilman’s story and Holocaust victims when reading an article about the Children of the Holocaust organization, which is based in Poland. “I wanted to think of a way to bring together the power of music and memory while helping to raise money for the older survivors in Europe living under destitute conditions,” she said. Goldberg said she hopes the concert will bring the Polish and Jewish communities of Bloomington together and aid in helping to find common ground for the community. She wants to bring together people who experienced the horrors of World War II.Though the concert is free, Goldberg said guests are encouraged to make donations to support the cause.“We’re doing it for free because we believe in the overall purpose,” she said. Goldberg invited piano music professor Edward Auer to play select piano pieces for the concert. Auer said he was glad to participate. “It is so important to remember this part of history,” he said. “We have to remember the artistic struggles of Szpilman because of battles that were fought for art’s sake and partly won.”He also said it was imperative to acknowledge the way in which music lends aid to the power of memory, particularly for members of the Children of the Holocaust and Righteous Gentiles who are still alive to share experiences.“It’s a splendid thing because there are people who could use our help now, those who put their lives in danger by helping Jews,” Auer said. “Students and other people in the community need to see that compassionate gestures like this concert really bring people together for the sake of memory.”Junghwa Moon Auer, Edward Auer’s wife, is playing select Szpilman pieces for the concert. She said she was touched by how Spzilman was able to survive the Holocaust atrocities with his musical talents still intact.“For me as a musician, that is so powerful,” she said, “But even more important was through Szpilman’s struggles, I could understand other people’s struggles – what it must feel like to go through such disaster and have the strength to overcome it.”
(04/17/09 4:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Producing and performing a full-scale production entirely in Italian would be a huge undertaking for most. But members of the Italian Theater Workshop will perform the comedy “La Marcolfa” by Dario Fo and two short scenes from “La Locandiera” by Carlo Goldoni and “Sabato, Domenica, e Lunedì” by Eduardo De Filippo this weekend. Take it from senior Alison Howard, member of the 400-level, semester-long Italian Theater Workshop, taught by Professor Colleen Ryan-Scheutz:“It’s definitely not easy,” Howard said. “It’s a total language experience. No English is allowed, unless the director, who is our professor, gets frustrated.”Howard said the diversity of her class, which ranges from a high school Italian aficionado to foreign exchange students, created a unique set of challenges.“Very few of us had really acted in English before, let alone perform in a foreign language, where you have to communicate and act as though you’ve spoken the language your whole life,” Howard said.She said everything was done the way an Italian person would perform daily functions, especially when it came to learning proper speech and emphasis with certain words. “We had to understand where to put emphasis to make things sound natural, and the rhythm of the language,” Howard said. “Some of the people even worked with native speakers.”She said the students worked with Italian actor Marco Baliani, who came to give everyone tips on how to perform in Italian.Sophomore and Indian exchange student Naina Singh said the workshop has helped her gain confidence in public speaking. “I’m an Italian major, so though the language is familiar, the acting and vocal confidence that comes with it is not,” she said. “I have a bit of stage fright, but this is helping me overcome that.”Singh said students interested in coming should not be discouraged because everything will be in Italian. There is a detailed synopsis of each segment in English in the program.“It’s all very physical humor,” Howard said. “There’s a lot of slapstick, and it will appeal to people’s emotions. You don’t have to speak Italian necessarily to know what’s going on.”
(04/17/09 4:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In an effort to bring awareness of HIV and AIDS back to campus and the community, the IU chapter of the Student Global AIDS Campaign will be host to its fifth AIDS Walk at 1 p.m. Sunday in the Teter Quad south courtyard.The event will feature opening ceremonies, speakers, live performances and information from Positive Link and other student groups covering health matters, according to the Student Global AIDS Campaign Web site. The walk will begin at 1:45 p.m.“In the past, the focus has been largely centered on community awareness,” said sophomore Adeel Chaudhry, co-director of the Student Global AIDS Campaign. “Most of the people working at Positive Link decided it would be great to try and get students more involved with this issue, so we’re having the AIDS Walk on campus this year.”Chaudhry said the event is free, and students and community members can register on the Student Global AIDS Campaign Web site. “HIV/AIDS is such an issue here in Bloomington,” said senior Cassie Adams, co-director of the Student Global AIDS Campaign. “I don’t think many people around here are aware of the prevalence of the disease, especially in a small-town college community.Adams said she wants the group to help get rid of the stigma often associated with the disease – or at least come up with strategies to identify the stigma’s source.“I wanted to take action on fighting an issue that carries so much weight with so many different people,” she said. “I hope students will be encouraged to join the walk because HIV cases are on the rise nationwide. It should be an issue of concern.”Adams said efforts to publicize the AIDS Walk should encourage students to participate, citing chalking advertisements on sidewalks, putting up flyers in car windshields and general flyers in high-traffic student areas as ways to promote involvement.“We want the Student Global AIDS Campaign of IU to really evolve into a very large student group,” she said. “The more students are involved, the more likely we are to make an impact on how people feel about HIV and AIDS.”Freshman Michael Thomas said the idea of an AIDS Walk benefits public awareness and supports people with HIV or AIDS in the community.“Whether you have HIV or AIDS, we must recognize the dignity in everyone,” he said. “Otherwise, it will continue to be swept under the rug.”
(04/16/09 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>People in rural areas represent 8 percent of all reported AIDS cases – and the Rural Center for AIDS/HIV Prevention is trying to find a solution.The center is having its sixth national biennial conference this year starting today and running through Friday. It will mark the 15th year since the center was established at IU, as well as the first year a new award will be presented in honor of Ryan White, a national AIDS advocate who died of the disease in 1990 at age 18.His mother, Jeanne White Ginder, an AIDS advocate and human rights activist for people living with the disease, will receive the Jason Nickey Ryan White Distinguished Leadership Award at 1 p.m. Friday in the Tudor Room of the Indiana Memorial Union, according to a press release for the conference. She will also be speaking in honor of her son.“This is the biggest thing about this particular conference,” said Bill Yarber, IU applied health science professor and senior director of Rural Center for AIDS/HIV prevention. “Rural America lost a native son and this is a great way to carry on his legacy through public awareness efforts.”He said the conference centers on HIV/AIDS education for people in rural communities from nationwide prevention specialists.The Rural Center for AIDS/HIV Prevention serves as the first organization in the nation of its kind, solely serving the purpose of addressing issues pertaining to American rural areas.Yarber said rural people really appreciate the efforts of the organization to spread awareness to their communities and have their voices heard.“This all began when I and some people I work with now for the center realized the disparity of information about HIV and AIDS being reported to rural communities,” he said. “I wanted to address the fact that HIV and AIDS doesn’t just affect urban areas like people tend to think.”Yarber said he was further motivated to begin the organization when he realized the reason why rural communities tended to report lower statistics of AIDS cases than what was actually occurring. The reason includes various stigmas about the disease, including homophobia.Sharon Day, executive director for Indigenous Peoples Task Force, which is based in Minnesota, will participate in this year’s conference.Yarber said rural communities face a lot of unique challenges that often go ignored because of attention to urban areas.“The rural parts of the country need funding for prevention, education, testing, counseling and direct care services,” she said in an e-mail.Day said she is excited to learn how her colleagues around the country are aiding the education of rural communities.“I think people will be impressed this year,” Yarber said. “We have people coming from urban and rural places all over to hear about how they can contribute to AIDS prevention.”
(04/16/09 3:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sumit Ganguly, political science professor and India studies program director, shared warning words with students and faculty Wednesday during a symposium on global terror.“If you think we are nicely ensconced here in a bubble, think again. Al-Qaeda has not given up on its goal to harm Americans,” he said.Ganguly, along with Boaz Ganor of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Israel, and central Eurasian studies professor Kemal Silay, shared responses from terrorism in India, Israel and Turkey, respectively. They each spoke of how these experiences connected to America.“Many Americans become complacent,” Ganguly said. “They say, ‘Why should I care? It’s just a bunch of foreigners getting blown up.’”Ganguly said the end of complacency will stop when the media and government decide to stop screening out information that seems too negative. He also said events in New Delhi and Bombay were precursors to the devastation of the 2008 Mumbai attacks.“There is a lot that gets ignored,” Ganguly said. “You heard about the Mumbai attacks that had India in terror for three days beginning November 26, 2008. But most people don’t know about the attack that killed 41 people at the Indian Embassy gates in July of that same year.”He said Indian responses to those attacks are “dilatory, ad-hoc and idiosyncratic,” citing corrupt police, a lack of national capability to have uniform intelligence operations and religious profiling of Muslim men after the attacks as reasons why.Ganor mentioned perceptions of Israel in Indiana.“Being here in Indiana, so many people probably look at Israel as a normal country, when it is actually plagued by terror,” he said.He cited various bombings, suicide attacks and organized and personal initiative attacks as reasons why so many Israelis were dying. These various forms of killing are executed by the Global Jihad, Hezbollah and Hamas terrorist groups, which Ganor said received state sponsorship and had access to modern, sophisticated technology.Ganor said the threat of international terrorism, which is largely sponsored by groups like the Global Jihad, is a much bigger threat to safety and humanity.“They operate on the true belief that no one state is immune to threats,” he said. “To be a terrorist today, there is no room for compromise.”He discussed the international debate of the Iraq War on terrorism.“Is it a war, or is it not a war?” he said. “It’s a religious war of ideas, a battle of the minds. The only way to understand how to win the war rests on the shoulder of Muslims themselves.”Freshman Sarah Twait said she believed the symposium was eye-opening, and it was good to see how Americans can learn from terrorism threats.“It’s terrifying to see and hear multiple speakers describe the same types of attacks on their specialized countries and know that these terrorists have no plan of stopping until their ultimate goal is met,” she said.Moderator and English professor Alvin Rosenfeld shared a quote from President Barack Obama’s inauguration speech, saying he agreed with Obama’s emphasis on defeating international terrorism.“‘We say to you now, our spirit is stronger than ever and will not be broken,’” he said. “‘We will not back down. We will defeat you.’”
(04/14/09 4:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Electric hair wigs, flashing neon beer logos and shotskis abounded Monday at Yogi’s Grill and Bar as patrons celebrated the restaurant’s 16th annual Dyngus Day, a Polish holiday that celebrates the end of Lent. The day involves partaking in Polish foods and mismatching fashions. Employees, customers and clowns alike took part in the festivities.Server Joelle Janssen said Dyngus Day is her favorite holiday and dressed as a clown to celebrate it. She pointed to the back bar, which was quickly filling up with customers.“By midnight, you won’t be able to walk in here,” she said.Junior Tyler Deaton said he was curious about Yogi’s and decided to join in the fun.“I’ve never been here before,” he said. “I’d like to have some drinks and try to polka dance.”Senior Brad Trimble said he was also a first-timer at Dyngus Day.“The polka music is really cool, and I saw one guy dressed in bright overall shorts,” he said. “It’s absolutely nuts. And I definitely don’t know how to polka dance, but I’ll try.”Just as Trimble said this, a beer-wielding man with a stained white shirt stumbled toward the performing Buffoonski Brothers polka band. Nearby couples waltzed amid the chaos. “I feel so out-of-place,” the drunk man said.The Buffoonski Brothers appeared excited for the turnout, however.“This is the best Dyngus Day ever!” one of the members said.Andi AufderHeyde, known as “Hobby,” a local professional clown, stood nearby.“My son, who is in The Buffoonski Brothers, bought me my accordion in October,” she said. “I’m having my first recital here on Dyngus Day at Yogi’s.”Hostess Averie Daniel said this year’s Dyngus Day celebration was exciting.“You get to meet all sorts of new people,” she said.Daniel said this is her second year working during the holiday, but her favorite memory occurred last year and involved a man in a leopard-print thong and coconut bra.“He hit on me,” she said. “I turned him down and he threw beer on me, but it was all in good fun.”Bartender Jackson Heiss said this year is proving to be a challenge for him because he normally bartends, and this is his first year working Dyngus Day as a manager.“It’s a little bit scarier, but it’s still a lot of fun,” he said. “Customers seem to be getting a lot more into it this year. Costumes are way more elaborate than last year.”Despite the expected drunken scenes from a bar, there were also families around who enjoyed the culture of the holiday.AufderHeyde played accordion at a few tables, while patrons ate hard-boiled eggs and Polish sausage sandwiches. Mike Glasscott, who works for Spirit 95.1 FM and AM 1370 WGCL, said this was his fifth year doing a live broadcast at Dyngus Day.“It’s been a great turnout for an indoor event,” he said. “People are having a great time rockin’, having a good time with friends.”
(04/14/09 4:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU is one of eight universities nationwide that is participating in a pilot project that will give students more control over how they earn their degrees. That might mean students mix and match courses from different programs, or maybe they don’t fulfill traditional degree requirements. The goal of the project is to support students working toward associate, bachelor’s or master’s degrees and to help prepare them for careers in particular fields by deciding what is important to learn, said Ken Sauer, senior associate commissioner for the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.The project is focused on students and faculty in education, history and chemistry. Provost and executive Vice President Karen Hanson said Ivy Tech Community College students in Bloomington who are involved in these concentrations will also be able to transfer credits to IU.“I think this could prove to be an important stab at examining post-secondary education in the country,” Sauer said.Indiana was chosen by the Lumina Foundation for Education out of three states, including colleges and universities in Minnesota and Utah, which will feature the program for two fields of study.The project is unique because this is the first time it will be featured in America, Sauer said. A version of the program known as the Bologna Process was used in Latin America and Europe. IU was chosen out of a list of Indiana schools during a formal kickoff meeting for the project in Chicago – Purdue, Ivy Tech, IU-Purdue University Indianapolis and Vincennes will also participate.“It helps that the Lumina Foundation is also based in Indianapolis,” Sauer said. “In recent years, Indiana has gotten a lot of attention for a number of initiatives in education, so it is great that Lumina is focusing attention on that.”Hanson, who is involved with the project, said the process works like an orchestra, where all parts of the group are finely tuned to make a whole. She said the program will not focus on mandates and is completely exploratory for faculty and students in the education, history and chemistry departments.“The Bologna Process is about helping students move more seamlessly from one institutional setting to another,” Hanson said. “That’s a goal of this project sponsored by Lumina. It’s all connected with the realization that the environment for education is global. We want to see what works for everyone in terms of what needs to be learned and what doesn’t in preparation for a future career in one of these chosen fields.”Hanson said it was important to understand that the project is not a matter of preparing students for graduate school and will not implement standardized testing methods.“We are not dictating the substance of education or trying to dictate how students can navigate across a variety of institutions,” she said. “This is a unique alternative, because it allows students and faculty to figure out what they’re expected to know within a given field.”Dean of Students Dick McKaig said the Lumina project could prove to be beneficial because of the recent concerns about accountability in American education.“There is a legitimate concern about the quality of education in this country,” he said. “I think a program like this is a good way to certify a grad in how to be more prepared for their profession in each of these fields.”
(04/13/09 4:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Since its debut to Yogi’s Grill and Bar in 1994, Dyngus Day, the Polish holiday that marks the end of Easter weekend, has been a “great way for people to get back to the vices they gave up for Lent,” said Chris Karl, manager and co-owner of Yogi’s Grill and Bar.Karl said he would describe Dyngus Day as a cross between St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween because of the drink specials and the way people dress.“It’s a big deal,” he said. “It’s fun for people to dress up, and we have food, music and drink specials that we don’t have otherwise.”The food specials of the day include perogis for $0.50 apiece and hard-boiled eggs for $0.25 each or, strangely, three for $1, said junior Lauren Marshall, a server at Yogi’s Grill and Bar.“Everyone’s so drunk they don’t realize that the whole hard-boiled eggs thing is not a very good deal,” she said.Marshall said some of the unique features of Dyngus Day include live polka bands, accordion players at customer tables and shotskis. She said despite all the obvious chaos going around, working on Dyngus Day is usually a lot of fun.“It’s a total madhouse,” bartender John Haupthof said. “Everyone is here to have a good time. It’s one of the top two or three busiest days we have here.”Haupthof said he hopes the community will continue to get into Dyngus Day and wants more people to know about it.Cat Conatser, a bartender at Yogi’s Grill and Bar, said she is a “Dyngus Day virgin,” but she expects work to be crazy.“The 12-hour shift I’m scheduled to work that day will feel like five,” she said. “I expect it to be a shoulder-to-shoulder madhouse and of course, with all the drinks around, pure entertainment for whoever is working.”For Conatser, the most difficult part of preparing for Dyngus Day is deciding what she will wear.“Lately when I go out shopping, I’m trying to find the most ridiculous stuff under five bucks,” she said. “Stripes and rainbows will be my thing, like a walking gay pride sponsor.”
(04/09/09 4:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Thanks to Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity and a team of students, rap superstar Young Jeezy – as well as an “awesome surprise special guest” – will be added to the growing roster of artists to perform during this year’s Little 500 week.The concert event is presented and produced by seniors Jonathan Wolf and Daniel Kuniansky of Blue Ocean Productions and seniors Jehad Bittar and Zack Kranz of Revival Entertainment. The show will take place after the Women’s Race at 6 p.m. April 24 in the Sigma Alpha Mu parking lot, which the fraternity shares with Zeta Beta Tau. Proceeds of the production will go to benefit the Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer Foundation.Through his joint venture with Revival Entertainment, Wolf said he and partner Kuniansky had connections to Young Jeezy’s management. After presenting a Three 6 Mafia concert for Little 500 in 2007, things have really taken off for Blue Ocean, Wolf said. It toured cross-country doing shows at UCLA, the University of Arizona and the University of Georgia.Bittar said he hopes for Young Jeezy’s appearance to put Little 500 on the map as a cultural music festival in the vein of the annual South by Southwest music, film and interactive festival.“I think Jeezy’s appearance will be great for Little Five as a whole,” Bittar said. “I think it has really evolved into a legit music market. We hope, with the efforts of our groups, to see even bigger names here in the near future.”Kuniansky said the show will be larger than life and predicts it will run smoothly.“Security will definitely be better than DMX,” Wolf said. “And it will be much bigger than last year’s Yung Joc show.”Wolf said part of the appeal to the Young Jeezy concert will come from free giveaways and food.Kuniansky said once everything fell into place with Young Jeezy and his management, Blue Ocean and Revival came to Sigma Alpha Mu when looking for a venue.Abe Benson of the fraternity said he, along with Sigma Alpha Mu president Jeff Safferman, served as representatives for the fraternity when arranging the concert with Blue Ocean and Revival Entertainment.Benson said the Sigma Alpha Mu lot and house are great venues for large-scale events such as this, noting that the fraternity presented the Yung Joc concert last year. “All the guys are great to get this whole thing going,” he said. “Jeezy is a big name, and I think he’s gonna blow this campus away.”
(04/08/09 3:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>They live and grow on everything you touch, are always nearby and are found on anything you have regular contact with. And they are all around campus – in the dorms, in high-traffic areas like the Indiana Memorial Union and in student-athlete facilities such as Assembly Hall.Germs are inevitable, but preventive measures used to control the spread of germs and possible infection are what really counts, said Gary Chrzastowski, assistant director of facilities at the IMU.Chrzastowski said he manages functions of daily in-house maintenance and necessary renovations at the Union’s department of custodial operations. This includes disinfecting hard surfaces and regular restroom maintenance.“In a high-traffic area like the Union, it is hard to get everything all the time,” he said. “Therefore, all the frequently touched surfaces get paid special attention.”Chrzastowski said sanitation duties are conducted by staff for 21 hours every weekday. He said on weekends and conference periods, additional staff are employed to ensure cleanliness and sanitation for IU visitors.When it comes to where students live, constant sanitation can prove to be a challenge when students don’t clean up after themselves, said Steve Akers, associate director for environmental operations at Residential Programs and Services.“We focus on the bathrooms heavily because students brush their teeth in the sinks and take showers there,” Akers said. “In addition to emptying trash and cleaning toilets, we scrub the shower areas thoroughly once a week to remove built-up soap scum and body oils.”He said although the custodial staff spends a lot of time preparing for student arrival and departure to and from the dorms, nothing can prepare the staff for what is found when all the students are gone.“At the end of the year, students have the chance to give back, in a way, because whatever we find that can be used is donated to local charities,” Akers said. “We’ve collected everything from canned food to clothes with the tags still on ... to microwaves.”Akers said last year, students were particularly generous with what they left behind. He said that staff collected almost 30 24-foot truckloads of miscellaneous items and about 3,000 pounds of food items were collected to donate to Hoosier Hills Food Bank.And then there are the horrors of entering some rooms at the end of the year.“Sometimes a student’s hygiene may be particularly unpleasant,” he said. “You can go into a room and the odor hits you like a cloud. It’s like we need headgear to go in.”He said this used to be a big problem, but lately students tend to be more in tune with their personal hygiene because it is linked to health, which is tied to studies and academic performance.Chuck Crabb, assistant athletics director of facilities, said most student-athletes tend to understand this message.“Of course, the Red Lot could always be much cleaner after football games,” he said. “And sometimes when lockers are cleaned out at the end of the year, it’s like the students leaving are saying, ‘Thank you, Bloomington, for the past four or five years.’”Crabb said students and training staff, as well as Building Services at Physical Plant, all work together to provide a healthy and sanitary environment by mopping twice a day and immediately disinfecting any and all areas where athletes are located. He said one coach even makes players take turns cleaning and monitoring the locker rooms.Crabb said student-athletes tend to appreciate what’s been given to them.“Players may approach (their) teammates, and say, ‘Hey, I’ve gotta clean up after you,’” he said. “It’s the best kind of peer pressure. It promotes respect for those who have worked hard to keep things clean before you came.”
(04/08/09 3:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior Patrick Wilson said he wants to erase the stigma associated with picking up trash.“People see us and think that we are picking up trash by some forced hand, either because of a drinking ticket or otherwise,” Wilson said. “We’ve been doing this since we got back from spring break a couple weeks ago, and we want to make headway in providing a cleaner campus.”As public relations manager of the new student organization IU Campus Cleanup Club, Wilson wants to do just that.Freshman John Hageman, president and co-founder, said the organization got the idea of picking up trash around campus when he noticed a deterioration of the appeal and beauty of the campus. The group goes around different areas of campus and Bloomington from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturdays to pick up trash.“That was one the biggest reasons why I came here in the first place,” he said. “I remember me and my mom walking around and commenting on how beautiful the trees were.”Hageman said he became distressed by the garbage on the ground and random trash he saw in the Jordan River and decided to act to fix it.Wilson said another eyesore on Third Street motivated him to form a student group.“I was so disappointed that some frats and sororities right on Third Street have trash in their yards from parties,” he said. “There are such beautiful buildings and students should be held accountable in a way that is fun and interactive. We also wanted to be sure everyone is doing his or her part in keeping in with the prominence of the University.”Wilson said he supported Hageman’s decision to start a student group to help remedy the situation because he believes members of the Bloomington community have a duty to help out.“We come here for four years, or however long it takes us to get out,” Wilson said. “This is one of the most gorgeous campuses in the country. We can’t expect other people to get the work done, so we have to do it ourselves.”Hageman said that since this is a new group, anyone wanting a position of leadership or anyone with a fresh idea to contribute can participate.He said another idea he had would include an overall “beautification” of the campus that would involve canvassing for new picnic tables, community murals and legal graffiti areas that would allow community members to express themselves.The group wants to eventually include people from the Bloomington community.“People will walk by and say, ‘Hey, the mayor’s picking up trash, why can’t I?’” he said. “Even high school kids are welcome to help provide a cleaner Bloomington community. It would be another way to help out with the current green project initiative.”
(04/06/09 4:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Three positive HIV tests have been reported to the IU Health Center since July 2008, the highest number in 15 years, a health center official said. “It may seem like a small number out of thousands of people, but it means a lot,” said Kathryn Brown, a health educator at IU Health and Wellness. “Three is a large number for the IU Health Center considering that it is rare to get one case reported in a year’s time. In the last 15 years, there has not been such a number.”In 2008, 12 new cases of HIV were reported by Monroe County residents living with the disease, according the Indiana State Department of Health Web site.Senior Charise Heath stressed the importance of recognizing the prevalence of HIV. “On a campus like this, which has a lot of students who are upper-middle class, there can be a stigma about acknowledging HIV,” Heath said. “It seems like a distant thing to most people.”Heath said the reason why HIV is so distant for many people could be because of the media and their tendency to report discrepancies of information concerning HIV.“It’s important to realize that anyone can get HIV,” sophomore Maria Rasche said. “You have to get tested.”Sophomore Adeel Chaudhry, co-director of the IU chapter of Student Global AIDS Campaign, said he encourages students to get tested because HIV cases are on the rise.He said he has read articles about an increase in cases in some of the United States’ largest metropolitan areas.“I think the fact that HIV/AIDS is on the rise in major cities means that people should be concerned,” she said. “People are becoming more aware of the need to get tested and look for available options.”Penny Caudill, administrator of the Monroe County Health Department, said it is important for students to know their options when it comes to being tested and treated.The Monroe County Health Department offers confidential STD screenings that include HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis for $15. The price also includes treatment, confidential partner follow-up and referral. The screenings take place Tuesdays beginning in April from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Futures Family Health Clinic located at 338 S. Walnut St.Patients can meet with a clinician or nurse practitioner if they test positive or experience any painful symptoms that show signs of STD infection.Lacy Hazelgrove, disease intervention specialist of the Monroe County Health Department, said statistics reported to the Monroe County Health Department show that as of 2007, 76.3 percent of all gonorrhea cases and 83.7 percent of all chlamydia cases belong to the 15 to 24 age group.“While these people may not necessarily be students, these statistics should be relevant to the IU community,” Hazelgrove said.Junior Dannielle Grayer said that to promote safer habits among students, there should be more advertising on campus.“A greater outreach to students may encourage them to do the right thing for themselves,” Grayer said.Sophomore Sean Buckner said that people should get tested regardless of age, race and statistics.“There should be a lot of publicity for a large event on campus,” he said.Caudill encourages anyone interested in being tested to schedule appointments so that they can be treated.“The 15 to 24 age group is consistently the highest at-risk group,” Caudill said. “If you are protecting yourself, then you can avoid infection. If you are having unprotected sex and experiencing symptoms, you may be at risk for infection.”Chaudhry said he would suggest consulting Positive Link, which does testing for free, and for students interested in statistical information and facts about HIV and AIDS should consider going to the Center for Sexual Health Promotion.
(04/06/09 2:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The second MOSAIC Diversity Film Festival, in conjunction with the opening of the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market, premiered Saturday at City Hall and marked 25 years of Diversity Theatre. The topics of the films shown during the festival included aging, disability and race issues.One of the films discussing disability, “We Are Phamaly,” was about a group of physically handicapped actors putting on a production of “Once upon a Mattress,” and another, “John and Michael,” dealt with homosexuality, Down’s Syndrome and the intimacy of same-sex relationships.“Phoenix Dance,” also shown at the festival, was about a dancer named Homer who lost a leg because of cancer. “As I started to get out of bed with one leg and out on my own, I started to embrace the dance of life,” he said in the film. “Who you truly are is forced to come forth when obstacles or challenges are had.”This philosophy continued with the films about aging. One in particular, “Prescription for Time,” focused on an older black woman who was experiencing dementia and received false hope from a drug advertisement that claimed to extend life for 15 years. After the films, Phil Stafford of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community led a discussion in which he talked about the perceived dangers that come with aging.“We tend to fear a decline in independence and a sense of decrepitude creep upon us as we age,” he said. “If you were in this woman’s position, what would you do with 15 extra years?”The last group of films displayed issues of race and isolation through people who dealt with homelessness, illegal immigration and depression. “La Americana” was a film about an illegal immigrant named Carmen who left Bolivia to find work in the United States to provide a better life for her ailing daughter. She then went back to Bolivia after the Bush administration refused to grant immigrant amnesty. After the film, there was a discussion on immigration policies facilitated by Christie Popp, staff attorney with the Immigrants and Language Rights Center of Indiana Legal Services.“The way laws are now, it’s impossible for immigrants seeking a better life to come to the United States even if they just want to work,” Popp said. “People like Carmen have situations that seem impossible because of the restrictions set by the government.”Sarah Combellick-Bidney said she was at the Farmers’ Market and came to the festival later in the day to see the films. “This is great,” she said. “The festival is putting a human face on what people are going through. I think students need to know about stuff like this happening in their world and in their communities.”For festival-goer Jordan Shifriss, a real connection to the human struggle is important in understanding issues within diversity.“This is all about being connected to life, living life to the fullest, whether you have one leg, are blind or getting old,” he said.
(04/06/09 2:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Bloomington Argentine Tango Organization and IU Tango Club were host to “A Night at the Milonga” on Saturday with premier Tango instructor Florencia Taccetti.The Milonga served as the dance that concluded a weekend of Tango instruction from Taccetti that brought people from all over, including Purdue’s Tango Club. Taccetti teaches at the University of Minnesota, where she started the tango dance program. She travels all over the country teaching the social dance at festivals. She said she started the Austin Spring Tango Festival, where she emphasized the idea of changing partners to enhance performance and social interaction.Sofya Zemlyanova, from the Purdue Tango Club, said she was excited to come to the Milonga because of her “addiction” to tango and to meet Taccetti. She said her addiction began at a Russian party on a New Year’s Eve three years ago. “Once I saw the dance and heard the music, I went to the tango club meetings at Purdue, and I just thought it was beautiful,” she said. “It’s a social dance. It makes you feel good.”Athanassios Strigas, a sports business professor from Indiana State University and member of the Bloomington Argentine Tango Organization, said he had only been dancing the tango for eight weeks, but he was very impressed with the social aspect of the dance.“Many modern forms of dance look very individualistic,” he said. “Everything is very much inside the body and alone. In tango, you have to connect with your partner.”Taccetti said dancing in general should not be about isolation.“No matter where you come from in life, you have to make dance and the expression of it personal and real to you,” she said. “It’s not about being pretty and having an excuse to wear a nice dress and shoes. It’s about feeling something and comfort.”Taccetti said when it comes to interacting with your partner, you have to listen.“Dancing the tango, especially, is just like training in relationships,” she said. “There’s a lot of equal give and take. Give yourself to your partner, and the rest is simple.”The Milonga, to the dancers present at the tango, stressed socializing and intimacy. “You don’t have to be afraid to approach people and ask them to dance,” Strigas said. “It’s a very friendly atmosphere.”Taccetti said you do have to keep in mind that when you’re asking someone to dance, proper etiquette usually requires a dance of three or four songs where you can vary your movement, choosing to lead or follow with your partner in the dance, in time to the music. “The beauty comes from dancing socially,” she said. “It’s like any other party, where you need the good music to bring out the best in dancers so that they are really expressing themselves.”Bloomington Argentine Tango Organization member Cheryl Sweeney said being comfortable enough to express yourself by dancing tango takes a lot of time and commitment. “I heard this on NPR – an Argentine tanguero said it takes a lifetime and a half to learn all the ins and outs of tango,” she said.
(04/03/09 3:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In conjunction with the opening of the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market, Diversity Theatre will celebrate its 25th year with its second MOSAIC Diversity Film Festival. The festival is free and open to the public and will be held at City Hall downtown Saturday and April 11. Free refreshments will be served.MOSAIC Diversity Film Festival consists of various short films for adults and children addressing the issues of disability, aging, race and ethnicity. Films will be shown each day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a press release. “The idea is to present a bunch of short films to the public so that they can take a second look at categories that divide us and become more familiar with people,” said Craig Brenner, special projects coordinator with the Community and Family Resources Department.Brenner said he collaborates with the city and with volunteers to help fund projects like the MOSAIC Diversity Film Festival for Diversity Theatre.“I think groups like Diversity Theatre are important to support because they involve the community in issues that some would turn a blind eye to,” he said.Audrey Heller, artistic director for Diversity Theatre, said the group was founded in 1984 by a few people who had, or worked with people who had, disabilities. “We did theater pieces that specifically pointed toward disability issues, and then we decided to expand and do other subjects of social importance,” she said. Heller said this open-minded attitude eventually led to the creation of the first MOSAIC Film Festival in 2007. “We think it will be great to open this year along with the Farmer’s Market, so we hope to lure people from there to City Hall and look at films that speak to the community,” she said. This year’s festival also includes a screening of “The Cats of Mirikitani” at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Cinemat. General admission is $3. Brenner said the film focuses on an 80-year-old who survives World War II internment camps and whose life was threatened in 9/11.Heller said what makes this year’s festival special is that students who intern with Diversity Theatre got involved. She said there are also a lot of campus and community sponsors for the event.For a complete list of sponsors for this event as well as the MOSAIC Diversity Film Festival schedule, visit http://www.bloomington.in.gov/mosaic. Specific films are for adults and for children; films for adults will be shown in the Council Chambers of City Hall and films for children will be shown in the McCloskey Room.“There is a voice from campus that will permeate this particular festival because of student involvement,” she said. “We’re really excited for the turnout. It should be an all-inclusive community and campus event.”
(04/02/09 4:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Arjia Rinpoche escaped from what he called a “political asylum” in Tibet in 1998. Since 2006, he has been in Bloomington promoting Buddhist teachings, educating the community about Tibetan and Mongolian cultural events, and telling his life story to those who will listen. On Wednesday, Rinpoche shared his story with students in Swain Hall East. He said his life is the inspiration for an upcoming memoir.Rinpoche was recognized as the incarnation of the father of Lama Tsong Khapa, the great thirteenth-century Buddhist reformer, and as such became the Abbot of Kumbum Monastery in eastern Tibet.He said his eventual move to Bloomington began in 1958 at age seven when the Chinese Communist government had a political campaign called “The Great Leap Forward.”“My teachers, my tutors and people who taught me all I know about Buddhism were arrested,” Rinpoche said. “Monks were de-robed and became social workers and coal miners.”He said the Dalai Lama, whom he met for the first time in 1954, escaped from Tibet in the 1960s when issues with the government weren’t getting better. He said he worked under the Panchen Lama, who was denounced by the Chinese government for being “contra-revolutionary.”Rinpoche said he worked with the Kumbum Monastery in eastern Tibet and promoted spiritual leadership until 1998. He then fled to a Chinese airport and flew to New York where he met the Dalai Lama once again. The Dalai Lama encouraged him to spread Buddhist teachings in America. Later, Rinpoche renovated the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington.Rinpoche concluded his presentation with photos he had taken and said he edited in Photoshop. He created captions for each one that he said gave voice to his ultimate missions.One reads “Wishing for Democracy in China,” while another reads “Wishing for compassion and compromise. Not confrontation and conflict.”During a question-and-answer session after his presentation, Rinpoche was asked if he would go back to China if something happened there.“My hope is after 10 years, I can go back,” he responded. “If something happens, like a war, my monastery, my monks are all still there.”Students who attended Rinpoche’s presentation said they believed he had a lot to offer Bloomington.“It is cool to learn of someone who was raised like that on a special path, has evolved as a spiritual leader,” junior Ben Fearnow said.For sophomore Jamie Hammond, Rinpoche’s visit was more of a cultural experience.“Seeing something like this gives a chance to become more worldly and to learn about an experience different from what you normally experience,” she said.
(04/02/09 12:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Students interested in learning to dance the Argentine Tango from one of its premier teachers will have the opportunity this weekend.The Bloomington Argentine Tango Organization and the IU Tango Club are sponsoring the weekend workshop, “A Night at the Milonga” with Florencia Taccetti from Friday to Sunday at The Lodge.Graduate student and co-founder of BATO and the IU Tango Club Amaury de Siqueira said this should be a great opportunity for the community to participate because of Taccetti’s unique teaching style.“She really emphasizes body awareness,” de Siqueira said. “She makes you understand your body better. It’s not really about learning the steps.”The opportunity for Taccetti to bring her style of teaching to Bloomington originated in a friendship that began 10 years ago, de Siqueira said.“I explained to her that this was an early-growth community,” he said. “With the economy being the way it is right now, we really want people to participate, so we tried to price it accordingly. Whatever money is left over after paying for the workshop will go back into BATO.”He also said some of the extra money will be used to promote the Argentine Tango community in Bloomington as well as a sense of longevity for anyone with a fresh idea.“As usually is the case, when an organization like this is created, it doesn’t live long because when the person founding it leaves, the organization leaves,” he said. “We want anyone with an interest in tango to take on leadership roles so that this may live as long as there is always an interest in the community.”Junior Elise Boruvka, president of the IU Tango Club, said BATO and her club work to promote an all-encompassing community atmosphere where people are challenged physically and mentally.“We are trying to give anyone the chance to lead and take part in the fun of tango,” she said.Boruvka said students who are unable to participate in the entire workshop or have private lessons with Taccetti can attend the Saturday Milonga from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.“It’s a great chance to get everybody together to meet and dance with different groups of community members and students to socialize,” she said.Boruvka said the Milonga originated as an etiquette dance between cowboys in Argentina.“There were so few women around where the cowboys were dancing,” she said. “Everyone would go to the Milonga, and everyone would check each other out. One of the cowboys would cross the floor and ask a woman to dance. If a woman turned him down, it was such a great embarrassment.”She said the cowboys then developed a system of etiquette that employs head nodding across the room to potential dance partners that proved to be much less embarrassing and socially awkward. That system still stands today.Boruvka said that today, the codes of etiquette aren’t meant to constrict people who just want to dance the tango, but of course, it is always preferred for men and women to dress up for a night out on the dance floor.“You just have to get out there and dance,” she said. “I don’t think anyone can be terrible at tango. If you can waltz, you can dance the tango.”