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(09/10/02 10:09pm)
This story has touched everyone, and we knew it would from the moment we began covering it one year ago.\nCircled around our tiny television, we were paralyzed like the rest of the IU community. We worked on the story -- one eye on the computer screen, one peering at round-the-clock reports.\nNow it's Sept. 11, 2002 -- a year has passed, emotions have settled, American flags are fading in the sun and we're picking up the pieces. The stories have changed. The once unwavering support for the War on Terror isn't as concrete. Victims are angry and asking for answers. The financial back of our country continues to slump. In fact, many people are sick of Sept. 11 references.\nIt's the anniversary of the greatest tragedy of our lives. How are we to mark the day? We've been searching since March for an answer. On a day where most of the world will again stop and televisions in every language will pay homage to the 2,999 victims, we're taking you back to Sept. 11, 2001, and then bringing the story home.\nOur world has changed. We set out in these 12 pages to tell you how and more importantly, why, with a focus on those people you know. Reporters Elise LeBlanc and Emily Veach report on how a Lower Manhattan college rebuilt as destruction bared down outside its front door, while a series of stories talk about IU and how it ebbed and flowed with the rest of the world during the past 12 months. LeBlanc and Veach, who spent a week in New York along with photographer Nick Kapke, profile a city fire company that lost five brothers trying to rescue thousands of others when the towers collapsed. Reporter Josh Sanburn looks at how junior Jessie Moskal has coped with the death of her father in the World Trade Center, and reporter Holly Johnson talks to Bloomington firefighters who felt powerless Sept. 11, 2001.\nIt's all an effort to tell this national story with a local focus. There's always a Hoosier involved, as you'll soon realize. And this story that has changed so many lives, goes straight through ours.\nAaron Sharockman\nEditor in Chief
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Embattled former IU men's basketball coach Bob Knight might end up as coach of the Texas Tech program.\nJames Dickey was fired Friday as Texas Tech's basketball coach, clearing the way for the possible hiring of Knight.\nAthletics director Gerald Myers told The Associated Press the decision to drop Dickey was made a week ago and that he and school president David Schmidly met with Knight on Monday in Florida.\n"We felt it was necessary for us to talk to Bob Knight to assess his interest and also our interest," said Myers, who preceded Dickey as Tech's coach and is longtime friends with Knight.\nMyers told the AP he spoke with Knight on Friday to tell him he was making the announcement "and that we would be in touch with him in the near future to discuss the possibility of a campus visit."\n"I would say he'd be a top candidate for this job, although we're not to a point of saying who the top candidates are," Myers said.\nBut a close friend of Knight's said it's not a done deal. And people around Lubbock, Texas, might not want him.\n"I think generally a lot of people don't agree with the decision, if that's what happens," said Wallace Waits, a Lubbock native and employee at Champs Sports. "Everyone I've talked to thinks we can do better with someone else. Not necessarily a better basketball coach, but maybe someone who everyone can get along with better." \nDigger Phelps, a close friend of Knight's who spent time with him after he was dismissed from IU, told an ESPN audience Knight isn't sold on Texas Tech. Phelps indicated there was a second program that interested Knight, and said he doesn't expect a final decision in the immediate future.\nPaul Lusk, employee of Lubbock's Aroma Coffeehouse, said some customers are supporting Knight to coach at Texas Tech. But he said public opinion is scattered.\n"I've heard mixed reviews," Lusk said. "But personally, I don't care -- I'm not a big basketball fan. I've heard people say he may be good for the school."\nDickey's season ended Thursday with a 71-59 loss to Oklahoma State in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.\nDickey, under fire as the Red Raiders went 9-19 overall and 3-13 in the Big 12, told The Associated Press he heard the reports that administrators are talking to Knight about the job, but no one talked to him about it.\n"I have not had any information at all from our administration," Dickey told The Associated Press early Thursday from his hotel room in Kansas City, before his team's loss to Oklahoma State.\nDickey learned of Knight's potential hiring from reporters and friends in Lubbock who watched the story unfold on television.\n"We have had a lot of our friends call us from Lubbock," Dickey said. "They just wondered if we knew anything and the answer is 'No, we don't.'"\nA week ago, Tech administrators said they would evaluate Dickey and his team's performance, the University Daily, Texas Tech's student newspaper, reported.\n"I am concerned about it," Schmidly told Lubbock media outlets March 1. "Hopefully, we're going to get that turned around. We're going to be reviewing that after the season. I don't want to say anything else about it until after the season."\nDickey acknowledged he has met with Schmidly and Myers, neither giving him an indication of what his future with the school might hold. \nAs part of Dickey's contract with Texas Tech, "It is agreed that neither the men's basketball team's win-loss record or attendance at men's basketball games shall constitute good cause for termination under this provision."\nAttendance has dwindled in the last two years since opening a new arena in 1999 with a game against IU and Knight.\nKnight was fired from IU Sept. 10 after violating a zero-tolerance policy imposed on him earlier by IU President Myles Brand.\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Bob Knight has wanted another chance to coach college basketball since IU President Myles Brand terminated his contract with IU Sept. 10.\nToday, Texas Tech appears ready to grant Knight his wish.\nThe school in Lubbock, Texas, 1,100 miles southwest of Bloomington, will announce Bob Knight as its 12th men's basketball coach during a 7 p.m. press conference at the school's new United Spirit Arena.\nTexas Tech Chancellor John Montford informed Texas Tech board of regents members of the intention to hire Knight Thursday afternoon after accepting the recommendations of athletics director Gerald Myers and president David Schmidly. The regents can approve or disapprove, but cannot veto the action, meaning the job is Knight's -- if he accepts.\n"The hire is made by the president," said regent Brian Newby, confirming he had received the University's recommendation for Knight. "The chancellor will look to the board of regents not necessarily for anything more than an objection or an agreement with the decision."\nUniversity officials announced Thursday afternoon that Schmidly and Myers will make an announcement regarding the men's basketball program during a news conference on the main floor of the arena. Schmidly and Myers will answer questions after making the announcement, according to a press release.\nThe release doesn't mention Knight by name and Cindy Rugeley, associate vice chancellor and university spokeswoman, wouldn't confirm his identity. But all indicators say Knight, 60, will be Texas Tech's next basketball coach.\nRugeley said that the new coach would be named at the press conference and that he would answer reporters' questions. \n"What better thing could happen for Texas Tech?" Schmidly told the Associated Press Wednesday. "He's one of the best basketball coaches to ever live. If we could get him here and his behavior is right, he is energetic, enthused and has the same values that all of us in West Texas and Texas Tech have, it would be a very good decision on our part."\nSchmidly passed the last potential roadblock to Knight's hiring Wednesday at a meeting with Texas Tech's Faculty Senate. In a discussion that lasted an hour, Schmidly answered questions concerning Knight's troubled past.\nKnight was fired after violating IU's "zero-tolerance" policy six times, Brand said.\nSchmidly reiterated to Senate members, some of whom signed a petition against hiring Knight, that Texas Tech would not tolerate any antics detrimental to the university, Senate member John Murray said.\n"I personally have no concern with Coach Knight coming here," said Murray, an education professor. "I think he's a good fit here. I understand his past history, but I think he deserves another chance, as long as his behavior warrants it."\nWhile about 100 faculty members voiced concern, Murray said the majority support -- or are apathetic at the least -- to Knight coaching the Red Raiders, who finished with a 9-19 record last season.\nKnight's ability to run a clean program is something that makes him an attractive candidate for a Division-I university, Murray said. But it's not the only plus, he said.\n"Texas Tech needs a strong coach," Murray said. "He has a very good graduation rate among his athletes, which is a concern of mine as an educator. He graduates his players. A lot of coaches can't say that." \nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Chad Millman would've taken a job with the trade magazine Trash, the reputable serial documenting the garbage industry. But they turned him down.\nAs did the glass industry's periodical.\n"They told me I'm the worst typer ever," Millman said from his home in New York.\nSo Millman, a 1993 alumnus armed with degrees in journalism and political science, settled for the athletics trade magazine, Sports Illustrated, thanks to a little persistence and luck.\nThrough a chance meeting with then-SI senior writer Rick Telander, Millman got his chance to write for America's dominant sports magazine.\n º"I met Rick Telander at a gym outside Chicago," said Millman, a Highland Park, Ill.-native. "I introduced myself and said I'd love to write for SI one day. When I got back to school, I wrote a letter … and ended up being his research assistant over the summer working on a book."\nThat summer work led to an internship and a chance to cover the 1992 Summer Olympics from Barcelona. That internship -- and a good word from Telander -- turned into a much-needed job offer.\n"If Telander hadn't been working on a book that summer, who knows what would have happened," Millman said. "SI was always a goal. I ended up failing miserably at all these places, and SI bailed me out."\nMillman parlayed his start as a sports writer at the Indiana Daily Student and his creative writing class at IU with work at SI, CNN/SI and ESPN The Magazine into a successful fiction career. His second book, "The Odds" -- a profile of the sport's gambling industry -- hit bookstores March 20. \nThe book follows the lives of men living on both sides of the industry, bookmakers and "wiseguys" -- powerful gamblers who can maneuver the betting line through their influence.\nMillman thought of the idea for the book after writing a story in 1999 for ESPN The Magazine surrounding the betting industry.\n"I had done a story before the NCAA tournament about who sets the point spreads," Millman said. "What's the first domino to fall in a six-billion industry. And I tracked it down to Stardust. They set the lines for every game -- first. \n"I thought it was fascinating to be the kamikazes of the gambling world because such a move really leaves them exposed to the wiseguys."\nThe wiseguys, who make a living by betting, know the games so well that any mistake the Stardust made could cost it millions of dollars, Millman said.\nCurrent SI senior writer, Rick Reilly, a friend of Millman's, calls The Odds "one wild read."\nMillman is the guide on the hair-raising tour of Vegas sports gambling. "It was fascinating and furious and frightening. When I was done reading, I wanted to do two things: hug my kids and never make a bet again."\nAmong the wiseguys profiled in Millman's book is alumnus Rodney Bosnich, who moved to Las Vegas in 1999 to bet professionally.\nWhile staking out the Stardust looking for a younger profile in his book, Millman stumbled upon Bosnich. \n"I went out there knowing I wanted to profile Joe Lupo and Alan Boston," Millman said, referring to the book's two other main characters. "I wanted to get someone new in the industry. I went there that weekend specifically to find a younger guy to profile. I sat at the Stardust from 7 a.m. to 7 at night, and this one kid kept coming up to bet. He was wearing an IU hat. Later in the afternoon, I introduced myself and told him about the project. It was the most serendipitous event to happen. It worked out perfectly."\nBosnich began his betting career while majoring in business at IU. He'd prey on IU fans who'd do anything to support their team -- even make unwise bets. Bosnich would manipulate the line in his favor and take bets from unsuspecting students. Before he graduated, Bosnich had bankrolled nearly $20,000 courtesy of "stupid frat guys," Millman writes.\nSince then, it's become even easier to bet, Ann Mayo, director of the Sports Management program at Seton Hall, told Millman.\n"It's scary how accessible betting is to college kids," Mayo said in the book. "The kids who used to fix the games with a bookie will do everything they need over the Internet."\nMillman talked four to five times a week to Lupo, Boston and Bosnich and flew to Las Vegas every other weekend during the course of a six-month period. \n"There was a point at the end of the year when Alan (threatened to kill himself)," Millman said. "He said, 'You'd love that wouldn't you?' He knew I was there to write a book. That was my agenda. To see them lose a game by a half a point because some 18-year-old freshman made a free throw, I feel somewhat sympathetic for them. But as much as I like these guys, the more turmoil they're in, the better it is for me."\nPublicAffairs publisher Peter Osnis said the book has received rave reviews from both SI and The Wall Street Journal. PublicAffairs published the book in hopes it would garner attention; Millman and Osnis haven't been disappointed.\n"It's off to a great start," Osnis said. "It's a story about a very serious subject, but it's told with great flair. Chad found a way to bring humanity to the story. He's a really good story teller and a really good writer."\nCheck out www.idsnews.com to read an excerpt from alumnus Chad Millman's second book, The Odds.\nBosnich did not return IDS phone calls to his Las Vegas home.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
In 1999, senior Todd Cornelius got a great look at the rear wheel of Sigma Phi Epsilon rider Jason Baker's bicycle, falling .113 seconds short of Baker in a final sprint for first position in the Little 500. Cornelius and his Phi Gamma Delta team had to settle for second place.\nCornelius had a pretty good view of Chris Wojtowich riding past the entire field to win last year's Little 500 as well. Then a junior, Cornelius and his Fiji team finished second to the Cutters in the race's 50th running.\nLess than a month ago, Cornelius found himself in a familiar spot, second in a Little 500 competition. This time he sat behind Phi Delta Theta's Josh Beatty in the Individual Time Trials. \nCornelius is sick of second. So are his Fiji teammates. That's why their wheels are spinning, waiting to ride in the 51st running of the Little 500.\n"It's annoying to get second," Cornelius said. "I'm not out here just to have fun. I want to win the race. The second place finishes are bothersome."\nThe string of close finishes is weighing on the Fiji riders as they prepare for Saturday's race.\n"It's in the back of our minds, but it's in the past," junior rider Mike Nierengarten said. "We want to win, there's no question about it. Just like other teams, we would like to get first."\nAnd Nierengarten knows a top finish won't happen without Cornelius' help.\nRiding in his third and final race, Cornelius has his best chance to win his first team title. After a qualifying time three seconds faster than its closest competition, Fiji earned the poll with a time of 2:30.\n"It's all over in a blink of an eye," Cornelius said. "There's 33 teams out there, and 32 can't win. And while it's not all luck, there's some luck. We're ready to go."\nCornelius is a leader on and off the track for the five-membered Fiji team. Always riding, training and teaching, he is a constant example of the true nature of the race, Fiji rookie rider Adam Shields, a sophomore, said.\nWhether it be providing racing strategy or just a calming influence, Cornelius does more than pedal for Fiji.\n \n "He is the leader of our team," Shields said. "Being a first-year rider, I look up to him a lot. It's been a privilege to train with him, to see how he rides and to see how he handles himself."\nRather than prepare for the Little 500 at last week's practice race, Cornelius sat the event out, letting his four younger teammates get some much-needed time in a race situation, Shields said. \nOnly four will get to ride on race day, and Nierengarten and Cornelius are set for the race. \nFrom there, filling the line-up gets tricky: Shields and junior Andrew Wilson filled the slots for the qualifying run, but the lineup has rotated since then. The rider who sat out for qualifications, senior Sam Blossom, proved his worth with a fifth-place finish in Miss-N-Outs. \nWhichever four wear the green jerseys won't make a difference to the riders, Shields said, as long as the goal remains unchanged.\n"Whatever four we put out on the racetrack, they are going to be four of the best riders on campus," Shields said. "That's why I'm not worrying who makes the race."\nCornelius got into cycling from his brother John Cornelius, who was a Fiji rider in the late 1990s. When Todd was a sophomore, with his short career as a part of the IU hockey team ended because of shoulder problems, John suggested riding for Fiji.\nIn that first year, Cornelius learned a lot from his brother, the unofficial leader of the 1999 team. Now he's teaching the lessons to new Fiji riders such as Shields.\n"He called all the shots and told me what to do … it was nice, because I just rode," Cornelius said. "Now everyone comes to me with what to do."\nCornelius now prepares for his last race at Bill Armstrong Stadium. He knows the stadium well. He knows the track well. He's established himself as one of the elite riders, Nierengarten said. Now, he's trying to become an elite champion of IU's best-known intramural race.\n"He races with the top riders," Nierengarten said. "He's right up there with Beatty and (Jason) Sonneborn, day-in, day-out. He's one of the best"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
In her first major public appearance as Bloomington Chancellor, Sharon Brehm had more in common with the some 6,600 freshman she inducted as IU's Class of 2005 than the line of trustees and administrators that flanked her.\nLike the new students settling into residence hall rooms across campus, Brehm is still fresh to her office overlooking the Sample Gates, having replaced Kenneth Gros Louis July 1. \nWednesday, while President Myles Brand and University Marshal Paul Eisenberg were unfettered singing the IU Alma Mater, Brehm needed to sneak glances at the published copy in the ceremony's program.\nAnd today, as students scatter across campus gobbling up books and become acclimated with thier surroundings, Brehm will be orienting herself to the IU history course she'll be enrolling in this semester.\n"I implore you to learn about Indiana University's rich, complex and absolutely fascinating history," Brehm said. "Part of the joy of being new to IU is becoming aware of all its tradition, its history and its contributions to the life of the state, the nation, and the world.\n"If you haven't enrolled in the one credit course, there is still time," she said, "... and if you attend one of the two orientation sessions, I'll meet you there."\nBrehm asked students who filled the South side of Assembly Hall with their parents to explore the rich IU campus, saying that in time, freshmen won't feel lost, and won't be late for classes.\nBefore officially inducting the freshmen into IU's academic life, Brehm made the Class of 2005 take another pledge: "to attend at least one artistic event such as a musical or theatrical performance or reading of poetry or prose during this semester."\n"Take advantage of the enormous artistic and cultural activities available on the Bloomington campus," Brehm said.\nBrand opened the ceremony after a 10-minute procession of faculty and administrators, referring to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's 1803 exploration of the American West.\n"Like those who undertook that earlier expedition, you have been hand-picked for your special qualities and achievements," Brand said. "This is not a journey from here-to-there, but a journey that leads to new discoveries, one that opens new worlds."\nBrand, who taught philosophy before his career began as an administrator, told the freshmen and their parents that his door is always open to students. Offering up his e-mail address as well as his office hours, Brand said the new academic year is an exciting time.\n"I love to begin a new school year. As a young philosophy professor, I always got a special thrill on the first day of class, especially with a class of freshmen," Brand said. "I felt like we were beginning a journey together -- one that could lead us to an undiscovered territory."\nVice Chancellor for Enrollment Services Don Hossler broke down IU's newest class. The Class of 2005, with ages 13-29 range from all 50 U.S. states and 40 different countries.\nAsking students to mine all the resources they can from IU, Hossler realized the diversity in each of the 6,600 freshmen.\n"You've all taken different paths to be here," Hossler said, "but whatever path you took, we're glad you're here"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
The IU Student Association gets down to business for the fall semester with its first full meeting at 7 p.m. today in Ballantine Hall 103.\nThe meeting's purpose is to finish many of the organizational items inherent to a new student administration.\nAmong them, the Congress will appoint students to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court and appoint a new academic affairs director, IUSA President and senior Jake Oakman said. \n"Basically, we have a couple house cleaning things we need to get out of the way before we can really get to work," Oakman said.\nSophomore Ali Rizvi is expected to be named IUSA's next academic affairs director by a unanimous vote, Oakman, a senior, said.\nShould he be named, Rizvi will be charged with making sure students are receiving a quality education. \nThe academic affairs department maintains the test file Web page, works on faculty-student relationships, and brings academic services to the students, according to IUSA. In addition to developing new services, the department also concentrates on promoting those already in existence. Rizvi works with administrators and faculty to improve services already offered and will try to keep up-to-date on academic issues on campus.\nRizvi, who started working with IUSA Vice President Jeff Wuslich in the second summer session, is still relatively new to the group, but excited to get to work. Rizvi said he'll need time to get up to speed.\n"I want to evaluate where we are right now," Rizvi said. "Currently, I don't have a job description. The last couple of days have been hectic, not knowing where I am going.\n"Once I start talking to everyone, I think I'll have a better grasp on where I need to go, and what I need to get done."\nThe meeting will turn to an open discussion as Kirk White, vice president for public relations and governmental affairs, will address members of Congress. The talk is the third part of IUSA's five-part lecture series.\nThe talks are a chance for students to get to speak candidly with high-level administrators, Oakman said.\n"The series is part of our pledge to help bring the administrators and students together," Oakman said.\nThe series is highlighted by Monday's town hall meeting with IU President Myles Brand -- the one- year anniversary of the firing of former men's basketball coach Bob Knight.\nSenior Mathew Powers said he's excited to see how IU's top administrators handle interacting with students. \n"You never see them, you never know what they do," Powers told the IDS during the summer. "I would be really interested to go just once and see what it's like. I don't know how the students and administrators will be able to handle each other back and forth"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Enrollment across IU's eight campuses continues to grow, IU officials said Thursday. The latest numbers show a record 96,219 students taking classes at IU-Bloomington or one of its seven satellite campuses.\n"Our continued strong enrollments are good news for Indiana University and for our state as a whole," IU President Myles Brand said in a press release. "Today's students have more higher education options than ever before. That so many continue to choose to attend the different campuses of IU is a clear indication that they are convinced that the university offers an excellent educational value."\nUniversity spokeswoman Susan Dillman said higher enrollment numbers better the partnership between IU and the state.\nMore enrolled students turn in to IU graduates, and then more potential employees for Indiana's burgeoning high-tech economy, she said. \n"One of the things we have said consistently is IU is a part, and in fact a key player, in the state's new economy," Dillman said. "If we continue have record enrollments, we're turning out record numbers of people ready to transition into Indiana's new economy."\nIU-Bloomington enrollment has increased by 2.4 percent, or 887 students during the first semester of the 2000-01 academic year. It's the third straight year of record enrollment on the Bloomington campus.\nEnrollment by African American students increased at a faster rate -- 5 percent -- while foreign-born students grew by 7.7 percent. \nDon Hossler, vice chancellor for enrollment services, said he is always excited to see more faces on the Bloomington campus.\n"There's always this drive, 'how do you know if you're doing well,'" Hossler said. "Well, you think, 'Gee, we must be pretty good if people want to be here.' This is one of the ways we measure our value and our worth. It conveys a certain sense of health."\nBut the growth can be misleading. Despite an overall increase in enrollment, this year's freshmen class is smaller, Hossler said. The growth results from this year's senior class, which is larger than the 2001 class that graduated in May.\nAt the recommendation of a study concerning IUB's student capacity, admissions targets for the future have been dropped.\nHossler said IU expects to admit 6,600 freshmen next year -- the size of the Class of 2005. \nWith new targets set, Hossler expects the total of enrollment at IU to actually drop in three years.\nBut for now, IU plans on sending more students out into Indiana's workforce.\n"We recognize Indiana needs more college graduates," Brand said. "We are continuing to attract qualified students, and providing them with the tools they need to reach their educational goals. This enrollment effort represents another step toward building the workforce the state will need for the 21st century economy"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Jerry Tardy lived for IU.\nAnd the University showed its thanks Wednesday in a memorial filled with moving memories of a man who touched many.\nTardy, 62, died Friday, Sept. 7 after losing a 15-month battle with cancer. \n"He taught each of us how to live, and die, with dignity, humor and style," his sister Susie Tardy Maxwell said, peaking the 90-minute tribute.\nTardy, the head of the IU Alumni Association for more than 14 years, was remembered in a tribute that included music from renowned IU musician David Baker and performances by a cappella organizations, such as Straight No Chaser and Ladies First, which was sponsored by the IUAA under Tardy's direction.\n"Jerry was a personal friend," said IU President Myles Brand, the first of seven friends and colleagues to present statement's of Tardy's life. "He displayed great pride as a Hoosier and had Hoosiers' humility, too … He was a good man, and helped others become good people."\nSurvivors include his wife, Laura Loudenback Tardy; two stepsons, Andrew Minger and Geoffrey Minger; two brothers, M. Eugene "Gene" Tardy, M.D., of Oak Park, Ill., and Richard N. "Dick" Tardy, of Salem, Ind.; and a sister, Suzanne "Susie" Tardy Maxwell, of Indianapolis.\nRather than speak, Dick Tardy sang a melody of hymns in remembrance of Tardy.\nNear the end of service, the crowd and deus that filled the Musical Arts Center stood shoulder-to-shoulder, arms entangled, and sang the Alma Mater song, "Hail to Old IU".\nBrand grabbed the coattails of a member of Straight No Chaser and pulled the two together. It was a show of unity, in the way Tardy would have wanted, Kent Millard the senior pastor of St. Luke's United Methodist Church, Indianapolis said.\nTardy invented "the sway," and helped build IU's alumni network, colleagues said.\nOf his accomplishments, many to list, Tardy gave the IUAA a full-time home, the Virgil T. Devault Alumni Center, 1000 E. 17th St. It wasn't a business office, Pat Shoulders, chairman of the 2001-2002 board of managers said, it was truly a home.\n"He worked tirelessly to give us a permanent home. We affectionately call it the 'Taj McTardy'," Shoulders bringing the silent audience into brief laughter. \nDick Huffman, a close friend who spent a lifetime with Tardy on the golf course, promised that only the thought of losing of Tardy's hand-me-down golf equipment would make him cry.\nIt didn't work.\n"For the past 15 months, Jerry has shown courage and determination that was super-human," said Huffman, breaking down. "He was an inspiration to me, as I think he should be to all of you. He made our campus a better place, our University a better institution and he made me a better person. And I'm indebted for that."\nHuffman told the crowd that included faculty deans, members of the board of trustees, athletics administrators and coaches, of Tardy's love for the game of golf.\nHuffman recalled one trip to the prestigious Muirfield Golf Village, their first to the course north of Columbus, Ohio. It was also their first round of golf with caddies.\n"I saw Jerry talking to my caddie, but I didn't think anything of it," said Huffman, planting the seed for his demise.\nAfter Huffman topped a shot that skidded along the ground, he heard his caddie: 'Nice shot. Shorty.'\n"I couldn't believe what I heard," Huffman said. "I turn around and see Jerry doubled-over."\nTardy had payed the caddie $50 to call Huffman shorty.\nTrustee John Walda hopes IU and the people that remain can live up to the example set by Jerry Tardy. The stone-faced trustee, usually making decisions that impact the students and employees across the university, fought back tears remembering the legacy of a friend.\n"We have inherited a responsibility from Jerry that what makes IU special continue to be a part of our fabric," Walda said. "Today's gathering is a pretty good start"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
As 145 million postcards from the United States Postal Service arrive at every American household warning citizens about suspicious mail, IU Mail Services is doing its part to keep IU students, and their letters and packages, safe.\nIU Mail Services Manager Mike Stephens issued a series of alerts for students and faculty handling mail early this week.\nAmong them, Stephens gave students and mail handlers seven things to look for when receiving letters. The list includes mail without a return address and letters with a postmark that does not match the return address.\nStephens said that any package or letter that is suspicious should be immediately given to the IU Police Department for inspection.\n"Suspicious packages, bomb threats and other unusual activities are not unusual or uncommon events on college campuses across the United States," said IUPD Police Chief Jim Kennedy in a letter to students. "These incidents have occurred all too frequently during demonstrations and times of civil unrest.\n"If for any reason a person feels uncomfortable in evaluating suspicious packages or letters, they should contact their local police who will make a risk assessment," he said. "During these times of increased awareness our actions should be driven by common sense and rational thinking, not by paranoia and hysteria." \nTo help its staffs, which sort all the mail for the seven residence centers, Residential Programs and Services is facilitating sessions which began last week to train mail handlers to use caution when dealing with mail.\nThe sessions teach resident assistants and residence center employees how to spot potentially dangerous parcels. The session also teaches handlers how to use masks and gloves while sorting mail, Bob Weith, director of academic initiatives for RPS said.\nThe masks and gloves are simply a precaution, Weith said, used at the discretion and the comfort of the employee. \n"All of us are in an era that we haven't been in before," Weith said. "Beyond the advice we've received nationally for the last couple of weeks, I don't have any magical advice to give folks." \nWeith said he doesn't anticipate the center's needing protective masks and gloves, but felt giving employees the option was the "right thing to do." Weith wants IU employees to feel safe.\nMonday, a postal union filed a lawsuit against the USPS to force the closing of New York's biggest mail-sorting center for testing.\n"We're simply asking the post office to close the building and make sure it's safe," William Smith, the union president, said of the 2-million-square-foot Morgan Processing and Distribution Center. "Test everybody and tell us they haven't been exposed. If that's not done, we shouldn't be in that building."\nWeith said it's proper for concerned students to check their mail a little closer as letters tainted with anthrax continue to pop-up across America. \n"In this type of atmosphere and this time, it behooves us to be careful, cautious but not inflammatory in what we're doing," Weith said. "We're trying to look out for the staff and students."\nThe postal service has also issued a blanket warning to all citizens to carefully examine all letters and packages. Among its warning, the USPS cautions citizens against letters that appear lumpy or lopsided and messages with handwritten addresses and no return address, according to a press release.\nThe postal service has been advising Americans to be cautious about mail that seems unusual suggesting that if people have any concerns they should wash their hands after handling mail.\nThe Associated Press contributed to this story.
(11/07/01 5:51am)
While Sean May and his father, Scott May, were discussing the future with former men's basketball Bob Knight and IU trustee Stephen Ferguson was talking about old times with Knight, State Budget Director Betty Cockrum was hugging her older son, Joel Merriman.\nCockrum and her younger son, junior Gavin Merriman, were the fourth and fifth passengers on a Cook Group jet to Lubbock, Texas, Oct. 27.\nSome have questioned Ferguson's motive for the trip to Lubbock, saying Ferguson, a lawyer who has done work for Knight in the past, might have scheduled the trip as retaliation against IU for Knight's firing in September of 2000.\nDavid McCarty, director of public relations for Cook Inc. said the company would not discuss internal matters like the use of corporate aircraft. \n"The planes are used at the discretion of the senior management," McCarty said. Both May and Ferguson are classified as such, he said.\nFerguson, a trustee appointed by Gov. Frank O'Bannon in 1998, is the company's executive vice president. Scott May also works for Cook Group and arranged the trip, Ferguson said. May is a board member of a Cook Group holding, CFC Inc., a real-estate development company, McCarty said.\nFerguson had known of the trip for weeks, Cockrum said, and she went along at Ferguson's insistence.\n"He's a big family guy," Cockrum said. "Since the … attacks, it's been difficult for me because my son's in Lubbock. I just want to give him a hug … and not being able to do that is a bit tricky."\nCockrum, who had no connection with May's visit, said she and Ferguson became friends while she worked in the Indianapolis city government. The two worked on a variety of issues because of his role with Cook Group. \n"It really had nothing to do with the Mays. It was an opportunity to visit my son," Cockrum said. "When Steve is in town, he often visits. I said something about plans with my son, and he said he was taking a trip to Texas Tech. One thing led to another, and I was going with them."\nCockrum surprised her son Joel, saying he needed to meet Ferguson at the Lubbock airport to receive a care package.\n"(Joel) was so stunned," Cockrum said. "I told him to meet at the airport at 9 a.m. … and 9 a.m. Saturday is not agreeable with 23-year old college boys. So, you can imagine the shock when he came around the corner to see his mom and his younger brother. It was wonderful."\nThe trip did not violate NCAA rules and was not a strike against IU President Myles Brand for the Knight's dismissal, Ferguson said.\nThe idea that he was out for revenge is "the most ludicrous thing I\'ve ever heard," Ferguson said Sunday. \n"I'd rather see Sean May play here," he said. "That's not punishment on Myles Brand, that's more punishment on me."\nFreshman Scott May Jr., Sean's brother and walk-on on this year's basketball team, said the accusations against Ferguson are completely false.\n"Whatever people are trying to say is made up," May said. "We've known Bob Knight for years, and we've known Steve for years."\nCampus reporter George Lyle IV contributed to this story.
(10/29/01 5:18am)
Nearly 60 of the world's leading minds on diversity in today's college culture shared their ideas at a conference hosted by IU this weekend.\nThe three-day event, directed by IU professor of Afro-American Studies A.B. Assensoh and Yvette Alex-Assensoh, associate professor of political science, stressed individual-level and international resources that facilitate the incorporation of minority faculty on predominantly white college and university campuses.\nFaculty from as far as Japan came to Bloomington to discuss the resources available to minority programs and instructors in the institutional framework of college campuses.The five-panel program brought faculty relevant to the issue together to exchange theories and ideas.\n"I've been involved in this issue for quite some time and I was glad to be able to share my experiences with other panelists," said Wafula Okumu, an academic program associate at United Nations University in Tokyo. "Most of the people I met, I've read their works, but not met them. The conference was a good opportunity to interact with them on a personal level." \nThe event has been one year in the making, Assensoh said, and was funded by a $48,100 grant from the Spencer Foundation in Chicago, a group that investigates ways in which education can be improved around the world.\nBloomington Mayor John Fernandez praised the professors for bringing this important discussion to the city. Fernandez issued a proclamation calling Oct. 26 "Diversity and Academic Incorporation Day" in Bloomington.\nIU President Myles Brand also thanked the group for talking about these issues. \n"By exploring ways of moving beyond the diversity debate to taking stock of the lessons we have learned, your work will provide further insight into how we can create more inclusive communities of learning," Brand wrote to conference attendees. "Your task during this conference is an important one."\nNewly installed Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm, who has made diversity on campus one of her three focus points, emphasized the importance of this weekend's conference.\nBrehm said IU has long had a tradition on incorporation a wide range of experiences and perspectives into its administrative ranks.\n"Your conference theme, explaining the extent to which faculty of color have legitimate access to institutional resources as well as equal opportunities for advancement in the academy, is a timely and significant one," Brehm said. "It has potential to move us all forward."\nAssensoh said he was pleased with how the event unfolded.\n"It went very well," Assensoh said. "This conference was a year in the making. There was a lot of work that went into it. But it was worth it"
(09/28/01 5:17am)
California resident Ron Jenkins and three others were thrown off campus after illegally soliciting personal information from IU students Thursday.\nPlain-clothed IUPD officers approached a group of three men and one woman who were collecting credit card applications between the Indiana Memorial Union and Maxwell Hall. \nTwo of the four were connected to a report filed by an IU student last week that suggested her personal information might have been stolen, police said.\nPolice have no proof to suggest the group has stolen the identity of any IU students, said IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger. The group was not charged with a crime, but did mislead its intentions to students, Minger said. \n"They were misrepresenting themselves to the people they were getting information from," Minger said. "We were told by the company that they sometimes work for that they do campaigns, but this particular company said they had nothing going on in this area."\nGreg McClure, the IUPD detective in charge of the case, would not release the name of the Indianapolis-based advertising company the group said it was working for. \nJenkins, one of the four asked to leave campus, said he worked for R & J Professional Promotions. The IDS could not confirm the existence of a company by that name.\nJenkins said his group was not in Bloomington to fraudulently obtain students' personal information, including Social Security numbers.\n"We're not giving out fake information," said Jenkins, walking past the Student Building away from campus. "And we're not stealing numbers. We're legit.\n"We're here to help students get some credit. And we'll be back on Monday."\nIf Jenkins returns without permission, he'll be arrested, Minger said. Jenkins must clear his group's solicitation through the Student Activities Office.\nThe police responded after concerned students read Wednesday's IDS, which outlined the original report, and called and said people were soliciting credit card applications, Minger said.\n"We had originally got a call by people who saw your article, and in fact we had several calls within 15 minutes all saying the same," Minger said. "It's still under that investigation, but we did learn they were not authorized to be on campus. If they come back and do the same kinds of things, they will be arrested."\nAfter Wednesday's initial report, students e-mailed and phoned IUPD and the IDS conveying fears about giving information to a group claiming they were with Bank of America. The group asked to leave campus Thursday also claimed to be with Bank of America, Minger said.\nJunior Sarah Brown said a group of two males approached her by the Health, Physical Education and Recreation building a few weeks ago.\n"They led me to believe they were through some fraternity," Brown said. "We were just assuming they were one of the tables.\n"I usually never do that kind of stuff," she said.\nMcClure advises students who have filled out credit card applications to be cautious, but is hesitant to call the case identity theft.\n"The general attitude today for most investigators is that you should at very minimum check your credit reports every year," he said. "And if you suspect anything, check the reports every six months. It's not done as often as people might think it is. And in this situation here, we know they misrepresented who they were associated with, but we don't if it was used illegally in the end project."\nMcClure and Minger also suggested worried students contact a credit agency, which manage credit reports. The companies red flag card applicants, prohibiting identity theft through credit fraud.\nMcClure said he plans to visit the Indianapolis-based advertising company Friday.\n"College students are prime targets for credit card companies, and many other things," McClure said. "We're past now the people that were collecting information. Now we're tracking where this went and for what purpose"
(09/27/01 4:54am)
Live, the York, Pennsylvania-based band whose sweet spiritual lyrics mesmerized many in 1994 with the mainstream success of their second album Throwing Copper, has grown tiresome with its fifth album, V.\nWhat seemed to fit so well with the time and sentiment of Throwing Copper has become uselessly overdone in V. Frontman Ed Kowalczyk seems strained to find lyrics that match the beauty of his previous work.\nIn fact, it seems like Live's newest album is strained to find a lot of things.\nThe band who worked hard to fight criticisms that it was a cheaper version of Pearl Jam in the earlier 1990s -- now, they only wish -- has the feel of a U2 rip-off.\nTime has passed Kowalczyk by. His lyrics, with soul-searching candidness that sold millions of records, are now a distraction to a harder, interesting sound from lead guitarist Chad Taylor.\nThis Live album continues to use the recipe employed in Throwing Copper, but for the third time in four years, it won't work. Like Secret Samadhi (1997) and The Distance To Here (1999), V has its version of "Lightning Crashes," but the 2001-style "Overcome" is overdone, filled with repeating lyrics and Kowalczyk straining for higher pitches.\nGenerally, V is a harder album -- even the cover implies a Metallica CD -- which is a refreshing departure from the power pop of The Distance To Here, a huge failure. This album also experiments with Eastern sounds, most notably with the presence of a sitar on "The Ride." It's an easy fit to Kowalczyk's constant religious pilgrimage through words.\nLive fans should certainly buy this album. Despite all its shortcomings, V is another journey through Kowalczyk's mind, and his constant battle with spirituality. It doesn't reach as deep as Throwing Copper, but is an overall improvement to the monotonous single-toned single-subjected The Distance to Here.\nFor everyone else, buy Live's old stuff, because if you already own it, you're a fan.
(09/27/01 4:00am)
Live, the York, Pennsylvania-based band whose sweet spiritual lyrics mesmerized many in 1994 with the mainstream success of their second album Throwing Copper, has grown tiresome with its fifth album, V.\nWhat seemed to fit so well with the time and sentiment of Throwing Copper has become uselessly overdone in V. Frontman Ed Kowalczyk seems strained to find lyrics that match the beauty of his previous work.\nIn fact, it seems like Live's newest album is strained to find a lot of things.\nThe band who worked hard to fight criticisms that it was a cheaper version of Pearl Jam in the earlier 1990s -- now, they only wish -- has the feel of a U2 rip-off.\nTime has passed Kowalczyk by. His lyrics, with soul-searching candidness that sold millions of records, are now a distraction to a harder, interesting sound from lead guitarist Chad Taylor.\nThis Live album continues to use the recipe employed in Throwing Copper, but for the third time in four years, it won't work. Like Secret Samadhi (1997) and The Distance To Here (1999), V has its version of "Lightning Crashes," but the 2001-style "Overcome" is overdone, filled with repeating lyrics and Kowalczyk straining for higher pitches.\nGenerally, V is a harder album -- even the cover implies a Metallica CD -- which is a refreshing departure from the power pop of The Distance To Here, a huge failure. This album also experiments with Eastern sounds, most notably with the presence of a sitar on "The Ride." It's an easy fit to Kowalczyk's constant religious pilgrimage through words.\nLive fans should certainly buy this album. Despite all its shortcomings, V is another journey through Kowalczyk's mind, and his constant battle with spirituality. It doesn't reach as deep as Throwing Copper, but is an overall improvement to the monotonous single-toned single-subjected The Distance to Here.\nFor everyone else, buy Live's old stuff, because if you already own it, you're a fan.
(09/10/01 6:42am)
Mary Ann Davis, a secretary who spent 24 years alongside former men's basketball coach Bob Knight, spent her last months at IU answering a phone that never rang.\n"Whenever I came in there, she'd be asking someone, 'Is there something I can do,'" her son Eric, now a junior at IU, said. "She just sat there. Every day, she called me and she said she wasn't happy. She was miserable."\nNestled on the north end of Fee Lane, Davis spent her last five months in Thomas House, hidden in the face of the athletics department's jewels, Assembly Hall and Memorial Stadium.\nDavis said she felt hidden. She felt neglected.\nShe felt forgotten.\n"I basically was sent over there to sit. I didn't do anything," Davis said. "The phone that was at my desk wasn't anyone's phone. I just sat there. It was a sign to me that they wanted me out. \n"They wanted me to quit."\nIf that's what "they" wanted, they got their wish. One day after Knight was introduced as Texas Tech's 12th men's basketball coach, Davis was on a plane to Lubbock, Texas. Two days later, she had a house next to a golf course -- and an office bigger than most vice presidents on the IU campus.\nClarence Doninger, former IU athletics director, said the University never expressed ill-will toward Davis, saying her position in Thomas House was temporary until other arrangements were settled with IU.\nIt became apparent to Doninger that Davis was waiting for Knight to be hired at another school, Doninger said.\n"That was my impression, that she was going with him," said Doninger from his Indianapolis home. "The University was extremely fair with her."\nAfter men's basketball coach Mike Davis asked Mary Ann Davis to leave days after Knight's firing -- an act she described as a coup -- Doninger gave Mary Ann Davis more than two months time to sort out Knight's unfinished affairs at IU.\nThe athletics department allowed her to work from home, installing an IU computer at her Bloomington residence, Doninger said.\nOnce finished with Knight's business, the University stepped in to find Mary Ann Davis a new job.\n"After 28 years on campus, they wanted me to take a typing test," Davis said. "They wanted me to go out and do interviews with other departments. Here I am, a valuable employee, and they just didn't want to work with me. All my rights were removed."\nSo while looking for a permanent position, Mary Ann Davis began filling time in the Thomas House, an auxiliary athletics building that houses the women's crew coaches, an academic counseling unit and Edgar G. Williams, former IU vice president for administration.\nWilliams said he never worked with Mary Ann Davis and wouldn't "speculate what she did," while the crew coaches maintain their own staff.\nSo Davis sat by a phone that didn't ring and waited for a call -- from her old boss, Bob Knight.\nIn a few months, her world had changed, both at work and at home.\n"It was really rough for her because she just went through a divorce," Eric Davis said. Her other son, Ryan, had just left IU to join the Air Force. He is currently stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. "That's all she's ever known -- working for Coach Knight has been her life and it was just ripped away from her."\nWhen Knight was hired at Texas Tech, Davis decided to leave her son, her parents, her work and her hometown behind.\nWorking 12-hour days in what would have been Knight's office -- he's tearing out an area next to Davis for his space -- Davis said she is excited to be busy again.\nAnd she said she's glad that the confrontations stayed in Bloomington.\n"There, the last five or six years we had a battle with someone over something ridiculous all the time," Davis said. "It was a power struggle. Every day. Every day. \n"Down here, there aren't those daily battles"
(08/29/01 5:57am)
Bloomington Faculty Council President Robert Eno and College of Arts and Sciences Dean Kumble R. Subbaswamy discussed the economic impact of the 18-20 Program, saying the lucrative pension benefits for retiring IU faculty are easily offset by existing hiring practices.\nEno and Subbaswamy responded to an Associated Press story which said IU's financial future might be compromised because of a large pension plan implemented in the late 1950s for retiring IU professors and administrators.\n"In terms of budgeting, it's not an overwhelming concern," said Subbaswamy, who oversees the largest number of effected faculty positions. "It's the cost of doing business. It's like the cost of electricity going up next year. You plan ahead for it."\nAnd that's exactly what a group of IU professors and administrators did, Eno said.\nSeeing the potential cost of payouts to retiring faculty -- $2 billion over the next 30 years -- IU devised a plan three years ago to offset pension payments. In the plan, colleges would have to cover 20 percent of the cost of their retirees, among other money saving items.\nThat extra cost won't largely affect college and departmental budgets, Eno said. The program, instituted by former University Chancellor Herman B Wells, helped IU compete for the nation's best professors despite lower annual salaries, Eno said.\n"We brought (faculty) in with some very attractive benefits," Eno said. "It worked. When I came around in the early 1980s, the benefits were so remarkable that it caught my attention."\nWells' program also helps retain faculty, who forfeit their benefits if they leave IU.\n"We have retained untold number of folks over the years that I doubt we would have retained without 18-20," Kelley School of Business Dean Dan Dalton told The Associated Press. "At the end of the day, I'd say 18-20 has far more advantages than it does downsides."\nThe 18-20 Program allows a professor or administrator who has worked at the University for at least 20 years -- and contributed to the base retirement plan for at least 18 years -- to retire at age 64 and continue receiving a full salary for five more years. That salary is roughly the average of the person's annual pay during the five years leading up to retirement.\nThe University also continues to pay into the person's base retirement account during the five years.\nThe program will pay out more money each year peaking around 2011, Eno said, then subsiding until the last professors under the agreement -- those who started in 1988 -- retire in 2030.\n"It's a short-term problem, but the magnitude is very large," Eno said.\nOne way in which colleges will be absorbing 20 percent of retiring professors salaries is through the hiring of "junior" faculty members.\nNew faculty members are hired at a lower salary than exiting professors -- roughly balancing the college's payments to those leaving. This hiring practice is standard policy, Subbaswamy said.\n"You want to hire as many junior people as you can," Subbaswamy said. "You always want to be adding new blood, and unless you feel you it's very important to hire a senior professor, you'll try to get a younger person."\nPreviously, colleges would inherit a cost savings by hiring junior-level faculty to replace tenured professors. But under the provisions of the 18-20 Program, those cost savings will be erased.\n"Paying out will take away any gains from a junior-level position," Eno said. "The impact on departments is a short term budget strain."\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.
(08/28/01 5:44am)
When Bob Knight left IU at the end of his 28th year as men's basketball coach, many thought IU's athletic donors would flee town after him.\nInstead, the IU Varsity Club -- the athletic department's fund-raising arm -- has seen more than a 4 percent increase in total income since Knight's last full year in Bloomington.\n"Sometimes change is healthy, and it's healthy on a number of different fronts," said Steve Uryasz, Texas Tech's senior associate athletics director, happy to have Knight in Lubbock, Texas, where Tech fund-raising is soaring.\nThe Varsity Club, which supports over 300 athletic scholarships and capital projects, such as stadium renovations or facility maintenance, saw its total income jump from $8.46 million in the 1999-2000 fiscal year to $8.8 million in 2000-2001.\nDavid Martin, executive director of the IU Varsity Club, realized donors would leave the program with Knight's dismissal, but thought his donor base -- 75 percent of which are IU graduates -- would remain supportive of IU Athletics.\nAnd with the institution of four new Varsity sports in the last five years, the donor base was vital to the Varsity Club's success, Martin said.\n"We knew there would be dropouts," Martin said. "We expected that. But we also expected new donors … and that's what we saw. We try to build a stable base which associates with IU, not an individual."\nThe Varsity Club received donations from 13,579 individuals for the 2000-01 fiscal year, the second largest donor base in the Big Ten Conference.\nCarol Thoren, donor relations coordinator for the Varsity Club, is proud that the large base maintained its support of Hoosier athletes despite the firing of IU's most popular sports figure.\nThoren expects that group of alumni to continue to grow as the athletic department begins a new chapter under new Athletics Director Michael McNeely.\n"When we go to the Big Ten fundraisers and compare notes, we are always amazed because IU is not a big corporate state," said Thoren, adding other schools, like Ohio State receive a large portion of its donations from Columbus, Ohio-area corporations. "Our donors are not loyal to one person, they're loyal to an idea, a University."\nDonors are attracted to the Varsity Club primarily by a point system, which rewards donations with preferential seating and tickets to athletic events. Donors accrue points based on their loyalty to IU Athletics and the amount of their donations.\nIn the early 1980s, IU was one of the first universities to employ such a system to entice athletic donations. Since then, the point system has become a part of most Division-I athletic programs, Martin said.\n"A lot of the Big Ten thought we were crazy, now they've adopted it," Martin said. "Most of them are all going to some point system. And not just the Big Ten, this is nationwide."\nIU Varsity Club income peaked in 1997-98 when the group pulled in over $9.4 million in contributions. That money went, in large part, to help with the renovations to Memorial Stadium, changing the playing surface from artificial turf to natural grass.\nThe Varsity Club is ready to begin another donation drive to build stands on the North Side of Bill Armstrong Stadium. Those capital projects tend to distort annual donor income, Martin said.
(08/28/01 5:17am)
Adjusting to college life takes some time. \nMagazine reports talk about life in the dorms and the new social atmosphere, along with the everyday chores of life without parents. \nBut absent from most party-centered environments is the new academic climate freshmen enter. Gone is the comfort of familiar teachers, familiar places and familiar rules.\nClasses are harder. Tests are longer. And skipping class doesn't require a note from a parent.\nBut through the change, with all its nuances, professors try to make the transition a bit easier.\n"I tend to start a little more slowly (with freshmen)," Martin Stone, a professor in the Chemistry department said. "I spend more time explaining the syllabus and course.\n"I just take some time to familiarize the students."\nStone teaches two introductory Chemistry courses this fall on the Bloomington campus -- Elementary Chemistry I (C101) and the accompanying lab (C121). Between those two courses, Stone will grade over 400 freshmen this fall. It's his second year working in the introductory courses geared primarily to new IU students.\nStone said he adjusts his style to the course, not the students, but realizes the challenges freshmen face.\n"I tend to look at the way I teach dependent on material, not the students," Stone said. "The class I'm teaching is introductory. At a higher level the material would be a bit harder. I may tend to do more demonstrations. It's just a way to make it more personal." \nStone also sticks to the textbooks and syllabus in freshmen-driven classes.\n"I do make an effort to structure it parallel to the textbook," he said. "In a class where more experienced students, I may diverge from the order more."\nProfessor Eric Richards, who teaches L100-Personal Law through the Kelley School of Business, wanted to make sure his section of freshmen knew the rules of the game. Before his class meets today at 9:30 a.m., Richards will have sent an e-mail to students encouraging them to attend class.\n"I am extremely excited about the upcoming semester and hope to infect you with some of my enthusiasm," Richards wrote. "While I suspect that some may view my courses as somewhat work-intensive, I wish to assure you that if you make a vow to attend each class and never hesitate to contact me when you have questions, problems or frustrations, you should find this experience to be a rewarding." \nPsychology Professor Gabriel Frommer admits he handles his P101 freshmen differently.\nFrommer, who suggests that "about half" of the freshmen class could use a year off before college to mature, tries to make his psychology class user-friendly.\n"Sure they have to be treated differently," Frommer said. "They come straight out of high school, where all of the testing is straight memorization. I wish I could do more in terms of working with them on an individual basis, but they are reluctant to get help.\"\nTo supplement the individual interaction that a 300-person classroom cannot provide, Frommer makes available most information a prospective student would need on his course's Web site:
(08/24/01 4:48am)
Freshmen focused on climbing staircases, luggage in tow, will have the chance to make a more leisurely ascent tonight.\nFollowing the Traditions and Spirit of IU at Assembly Hall, freshmen will follow the crowd to RecFest, starting at 6 p.m. in the North Fee Lane Fields. Once there, new students will be deluged with demonstrations, games, food and prizes, highlighted by a rock-climbing wall.\n"Once they leave Assembly Hall, they have no idea where they are going," said Chris Geary, assistant director of special events for the Division of Recreational Sports, noting the fields are hidden from view. "A lot of them just follow the crowd. And once they get there, and see all we have, they usually stay."\nAnd this year, alongside the oversized boxing, inflatable joust and other interactive games, RecSports teamed with Council Travel to give away a trip for two to New York City.\n"This year's RecFest is bigger and better," said Director of Marketing Kimberly Ruff. "The trip is a great way to get even more freshmen up there."\nGeary said he hopes the give-away increases the 1,500-2,000 freshmen who attend the two-hour festival. In order to be eligible for the trip, students must complete a "boarding card" at the Welcome Station or Council Travel Booth at RecFest. The prize drawing will take place at 8 p.m., and entrants must be present to win. \nThe New York City package includes air fare, accommodations and a sightseeing tour.\nBesides being a fun opportunity for freshmen spending their first weekend in Bloomington, RecFest is an chance for many of IU's club sports to provide demonstrations, and maybe attract some new members, Stacey Hall-Yannessa, assistant director of intramural and club sports said.\nThirty-five club teams will be on hand demonstrating everything from kick-boxing to equestrian. The water skiing club will feature its new powerboat and the equestrian team will have a horse on hand. The crew team will also show off its boat shells.\n"It's a great way for new students to meet members of the club and get the nitty-gritty details they need to know," Hall-Yannessa said.\nLast year, Hall-Yannessa said club sports received a lot of added membership because of their participation in RecFest. Also, RecFest allows club sports to simply get some basic recognition. This year, she expects nothing different.\n"A lot of people want to get involved early on," Hall-Yanessa said. "It's just a really great way to get these clubs out there and in people's mind."\nGeary knows RecFest is one of the best ways to get more people involved in one of the many programs RecSports offers.\n"RecFest showcases and promotes the different ways students can get involved at IU through recreational sports," Geary said. "Not only is this a wonderful opportunity for freshmen to connect with new friends, they will also have the chance to talk with our program staff and learn about our top class program and facilities, as well as employment opportunities"