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(08/24/07 4:05am)
NORMAL, Ill. – The body of a 35-year-old male Illinois State University graduate was discovered on the third floor of the ISU Science Laboratory Building Wednesday morning, said McLean County Coroner Beth Kimmerling. The man’s body was discovered at 8:30 a.m. by his mother, and he was pronounced dead by Normal rescue authorities at 9:02 a.m. \nThe Coroner’s office will not release the man’s name or cause of death until toxicology results are completed. Kimmerling did say, however, that the death was not accidental and there is no foul play suspected. She also said there were no injuries on the body. \nKimmerling said the man’s mother had last spoken to him around 11 p.m. Tuesday, when he indicated he might harm himself and described a scenario in which he would do so in the lab building. \nShe also said the man’s mother filed a missing persons report before finding him this morning. Students were not allowed to attend classes until noon, as the coroner’s investigation continued for two hours.\n“(His family) believed he was depressed because he was not able to find employment and because of this he was worried he would not be able to pay his student loans,” Kimmerling said. \nISU Media Relations Director Jay Groves said the man graduated from ISU in 1999, and received a graduate degree in 2006 in chemistry. Groves said the ISU Critical Incident Response Team was notified of the situation and responded immediately.
(08/24/07 4:04am)
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The National Retail Federation reports that the average consumer will spend an average of $400 on school supplies between the end of summer and the first couple of weeks of school. This average has increased nearly $100 from last year’s back-to-school season. This total includes items such as clothing, furniture, electronics and paper. \nThe average amount spent on school supplies fails to include the priciest of all items: textbooks. Students are projected to spend an average of $377 on textbooks alone. Some students, such as Nichelle Williams, a third-year law student, will spend an estimated $600 on books alone. \n“Every year I spend more and more money on books,” Williams said. “I wish I had taken the time to find cheaper ways before I purchased my books.” \nStudents can find themselves deviating from the norm to save money, and many are looking for ways to prepare for school while keeping their wallets reasonably full. \nOne solution is to look for cheaper alternatives in purchasing textbooks. Companies such as Ecampus.com, Amazon.com and Ebay’s Half.com are a few ways to purchase textbooks without the expensive retail price. Cheaptextbooks.com allows students to access information from many sites like these at once. \nThe search function works with the textbook’s ISBN or its title, and the search results are from various independent sellers. \n“Half.com is a great site to use,” said Peter van Nieuwenhuise, a junior majoring in biology. “I ended up spending around $220 rather than the usual $400 I spend on books.” \nSome students looking to add some zest to their residence hall rooms or apartments avoid big-named furniture galleries and retail stores, as their prices can be demanding on a student’s budget. Instead, they browse local thrift stores such as Goodwill and Salvation Army for discounted items such as dressers and bed frames. \nConsignment shops like Deja Vu, located on University Boulevard, also provide brand-name furnishings that can save money. \nFor many students, on-campus dining can be expensive if a student does not have a meal plan. \nFrugal students may look into preparing their own dishes at home. Grocery shopping is one way to avoid the high costs of dining. \n“I buy lots of rice and pasta, and I’m able to make great meals and it lasts forever,” said Marisa Ridgeway, a junior majoring in public relations. “I end up saving tons of money rather than spending 10 bucks a pop at the Ferg (on-campus dining).”
(08/23/07 2:58am)
BLACKSBURG, Va. - Virginia Tech recommended monitoring troubled students and increasing security Wednesday in an internal report that didn’t address one of the most troubling questions about the massacre: Should administrators have locked down the campus after the first two deaths?\nThe university has said it wants an outside panel to examine that issue and the other actions school staff took in the two hours between the killings of two people in a dormitory and the deaths of 31 more in a classroom building. The report by that panel, established by Gov. Timothy Kaine, is due next week.\nUniversity President Charles Steger acknowledged the school could have taken some steps it didn’t.\n“Looking back, yeah, there are some things that are obvious that, gee, maybe you should have done that, but I think at the time we were doing the best we could, and we’re going to learn from this and try to make it a more secure campus,” he said.\nBut he again defended the university’s decision not to lock down buildings after the first two shootings.\n“Such a lockdown is simply not feasible on a campus that’s the size of a small city,” he said.\nSteger himself said the judgment on the staff’s reaction will have to come from outside the school, and he said he had recommended Kaine set up the separate panel to investigate the handling of the shootings as well as student gunman Seung-Hui Cho’s background.\n“It’s essential that there be an objective assessment for it to be credible,” Steger said.\nSteger had named committees to look at counseling services, security and communication following the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.\nIn calling for the creation of a team of police, counselors and other university personnel to monitor students who may pose a threat to themselves or others, the counseling committee said Virginia Tech needs a better system to deal with such students.\nThe university should also improve security with interior locks on classroom doors and Internet-based message boards alerting the campus of emergencies, the panels said.\nThe university’s security committee recommended instructing students on what to do in emergencies; installing interior locks on 157 general assignment classrooms; removing “drop bar” door handles that can be chained, and installing electronic key card access to academic and administrative buildings.\nDormitories currently are accessed with key cards, and Tech recently required that the cards be used 24 hours a day.\nThe four classrooms that Cho entered in Norris Hall could not be locked from inside, and he had chained exit doors with bar handles to delay police entry into the building.\nVirginia Tech told students and staff of the shooting at West Ambler Johnston dormitory in an e-mail that went out at 9:26 a.m., more than two hours after those killings. By that time, police believe Cho already was in Norris Hall.\nThe panel on relationships between Tech’s counseling services and other departments and agencies cited a federal report on Cho’s shooting rampage that noted confusion about what information can be shared under privacy laws.\n“Sharing critical information is one of the most important aspects of managing the potential for violence with respect to at-risk students,” the panel noted.\nJerome Niles, a retired dean who chaired the committee, said the panel was recommending the addition of two case managers to maintain contact with troubled students. The team dealing with students considered a threat should be able to act quickly, the committee said.
(08/21/07 6:35pm)
The Indiana Daily Student announced Monday the appointment of Nancy Comiskey as interim director of student media. Previous director of student media, David Adams, passed away during the summer after serving as director since 1989. \nComiskey served as interim director from January 2002 to May 2003 while Adams was on leave teaching in Hawaii. \nShe will return to overseeing operations at the IDS and Arbutus for a 10-month appointment, spanning the 2007-2008 school year. \nCurrently, Comiskey has served as a visiting Weil professor in the IU School of Journalism, according to an IU press release. \n“Dave (Adams) was an outspoken advocate for student journalists and a fine man. We all miss him,” Comiskey said in the press release. “I wish the circumstances were different, but I’m happy to be back at the IDS and the Arbutus for the year. We have a terrific staff in place now, and I hope we’ll see a lot more students in the newsroom when classes begin.”\nComiskey was a 1974 IU graduate, and served as an editor for 10 years at The Indianapolis Star. \nIncoming IDS editor-in-chief, Trevor A. Brown (who is no relation to the former dean) expressed his excitement about working with Comiskey. “I am sure she will be a tremendous resource for everyone. I’m looking forward to a very productive and exciting year working with her,” he said. \nBonnie Brownlee, associate dean of the School of Journalism and chair of the search committee for a permanent director, said in the press release that the school is “delighted” Comiskey will be serving as interim publisher. As the 10-person search committee continues looking for a permanent director, Brownlee said Comiskey will provide stability to help move the paper forward during the time. \nThe search committee will meet for the first time on Aug. 31. \nFor more on this story, see Wednesday’s edition of the Indiana Daily Student.
(08/06/07 12:27pm)
Editor’s Note: Please see the first fall publication of the IDS on Wednesday, Aug. 22, for a more detailed story on this topic.\n \nA task force at IU is considering whether putting locks on the inside of classroom doors could improve campus safety.\nSchools across the nation are re-evaluating safety precautions since the Virginia Tech shootings in April that killed 33 students, but safety experts say universities are overlooking the solution of locks.\nOthers contend that door locks could cause problems in some situations. For example, if a gunman locked himself inside a classroom, students would be trapped.\n“On one hand, it’s great to have something to keep bad guys out of the classroom,” said Larry MacIntyre, IU director of media relations. “But if something bad happens, we need to be able to get into the classroom.”\nIU President Michael McRobbie convened the task force to study safety and security after the Virginia Tech shootings.\nOfficials have conducted two tests of emergency sirens that carry voice messages on campus and in downtown Bloomington. IU is also looking into sending text messages to issue warnings.\n“The bottom line is, every aspect of safety and security has to be evaluated on its own merit,” IU Police Department Capt. Jerry Minger said.
(08/06/07 1:11am)
Gov. Mitch Daniels reappointed one member and appointed two new members to the IU board of trustees, including one undergraduate student Thursday, Aug. 2. Daniels’ announcement comes nearly a month later than expected. \nOn July 1, the terms for trustees Stephen L. Ferguson, then president of the board, Dr. Clarence Boone, Jeffrey Cohen and student trustee Casey Cox expired. Daniels reappointed Ferguson. \nBoone and Cohen were not expected to be re-appointed, and Cox’s term as student trustee ended when he graduated from law school in the spring.\nReplacing Boone and Cohen are Jack M. Gill and Derica W. Rice. The student trustee is undergraduate Arthur D. King, according to a press release from the governor’s office.\nRice, who is black, will be the only minority member of the board. Sue Talbot is currently the only female member of the board.\nGill, of Houston, Texas, graduated with a doctorate from IU in 1962 and is a 35-year Silicon Valley veteran. Gill is also a co-founder and managing director of Vanguard Ventures, a venture-capital company that specializes in life science initiatives and pioneering technology companies, according to the release.\nRice, of Carmel, Ind., is an Eli Lilly and Co. senior vice president and chief financial officer. He also serves as a member of the company’s policy and strategy committee and \noperations committee.\nKing, a junior from Columbus, Ind., is a student in the Hutton Honors College and the Mitte Honors Business Program. King is also president of the IU Board of Aeons, an advisory group that serves as a link between the student body and the University president. He is also the CEO of the Global Sales Leadership Society.\nFerguson, Gill and Rice will serve three-year terms and King will serve a two year-term, according to the press release.
(08/05/07 11:42pm)
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Unconscious racial biases can influence the treatment decisions doctors make, according to the results of a study released last month by researchers in the psychology department at Harvard Medical School. \nThe study aimed to investigate whether the well-known racial disparities in heart attack treatments were the result of bias or some other factor – a lack of treatment options for hospitals frequented by blacks or individual patient preference, for example. \nThe fact that black patients experiencing heart attacks were far less likely to receive a key blood-clot-busting procedure called thrombolysis has been known for some time, but the new study determined that distinct “pro-white, anti-black” race biases exist, according to study co-author Alexander R. Green, a doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital and lecturer at Harvard Medical School. \nThe recent study, which was published in an online edition of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, asked more than 200 mostly white resident physicians to prescribe treatment to hypothetical patients based only on a picture of a man’s face and a description of the patient’s sharp chest pain. All the hypothetical conditions were the same, except for some men being white and others being black. Many more physicians prescribed thrombolysis for the white men than did for the black men. \n“For the most part, other people who had been studied using these relatively new cognitive tests showed race biases,” Green said. “We suspected that we would find unconscious biases in resident physicians because they are people like everyone else.” \nGreen said that while the study reveals bias regarding the prescription of treatment, it is unclear whether the administration of that treatment would be affected by those biases.\nCabot Professor of Social Ethics Mahzarin R. Banaji, an expert in the field of bias study who has developed tests to measure bias in the past, said it is no surprise that physicians are susceptible to bias in their work. \n“The most profound experience I’ve had while doing this research is that I have discovered that the biases that we’ve discovered in other people lie in my own mind, too,” Banaji said. “It really brings about an enormous humility. ... It’s something that brings understanding and realization – that people who don’t intend to do harm might still be doing so.” \nBanaji also said that while “race is one of the biggest biases,” her previous work has shown prominent social biases based on class, age, appearance and “the foreignness of a person.” \nGreen said the reason for such differences in bias is largely cultural. \n“It’s the culture’s thumbprint in our minds,” Green said. “If you’re raised in this country in a certain social group, with certain media, your mind is conditioned in a certain way. You may be able to override that conditioning, but the bottom line is that those subconscious connections are very deep in our minds, whether we want them to be there or not.” \nBut unlike most species, Banaji said, human intelligence allows for an ability to correct for those biases. \n“Human beings have a capacity that has got to be the envy of every chimpanzee, and that’s the ability to look inside our minds and see what’s there, and this is a nice case of something like that,” she said. “If doctors who do not wish to have bias in their treatment would like to fix that particular behavior, then I’d say we have access to becoming aware of it and watching our social interactions carefully.”
(08/05/07 11:41pm)
As of Aug. 2, IU is learning to do the cha-cha, Internet search-style fashion. \nChaCha is an Indiana company that is creating a new and more focused way of providing Internet searches. ChaCha, which comes from the Chinese word “cha,” meaning “search,” will enable IU to develop a better understanding of how guided searches can best serve the complex needs of students, faculty and academic researchers, according to an IU press release. \nIU President Michael McRobbie and Scott A. Jones, co-founder and chief executive officer of ChaCha, announced they have entered into a “strategic alliance for research, development and services for the next generation of Internet search tools and practices,” according to the release. \nIU librarians, information technology staff and others will serve as guides, available to help the IU community conduct searches through a live instant message chat interface. ChaCha offers users the ability to receive instant results, just like a traditional search engine. \n“Our alliance with ChaCha creates a strong and capable partnership to research these digital frontiers and to develop leading tools for the IU community,” McRobbie said in the release.\nIn addition, ChaCha may eventually serve as the power behind IU’s search portal, http://search.iu.edu.\nThe ChaCha platform will become part of the IU support model to enable live interaction with Support Center staff, in addition to IU KnowledgeBase, e-mail and other walk-in services, according to the press release.
(07/29/07 11:39pm)
Education just got sweeter for IU’s business school. \nBrad Alford, 1980 alumnus of IU’s Kelley School of Master's of Business Adminstrationprogram, and chairman and chief executive officer of Nestlé Brands USA, is responsible for donating $750,000 to the Kelley School MBA program, according to an IU press release. The gift establishes the Nestlé Professorship and Fellowship in marketing. The gift will also endow a faculty chair and fellowship, and provide funding for the Kelley School’s Center for Brand Leadership, as well as for the Consumer Marketing Academy that is part of the MBA program.\nAfter receiving his Kelley MBA, Alford went to work as a sales trainee at Carnation Co., moving up to associate product manager in the pet foods division. In 1989, Alford transferred to Nestlé Australia to head sales and marketing for the Friskies PetCare Division. From there he advanced to the executive level of Nestlé USA, taking the vice president and then president positions in several divisions.\nIn 2006, Alford was promoted to chairman and CEO of Nestlé USA. \nAlford’s legacy will be passed on to current and future MBA students who have the opportunity to study in the Consumer Marketing Academy. With Nestlé’s investment in the Kelley School, Alford knows that the benefits will help create graduates who will be promising recruits for the company.\n“IU’s Kelley School of Business is one of the best places to find the people we need to move our company forward,” Alford said in an IU press release.
(07/29/07 11:37pm)
On July 26, IU announced 24 incoming freshmen and one current IU student as the recipients for the 2007 Wells Scholarship. These Wells Scholars will join more than 370 others since the first class enrolled in 1990, according to an IU media release.\nWells Scholars are nominated by their high schools or the IU Office of Admissions for demonstrating exceptional qualities of character, leadership and distinction both inside and outside of the classroom, the release said.\nThe scholarship is in honor of the late IU Chancellor Herman B Wells. Ranking among the most competitive and prestigious awards offered by any American university, Wells Scholarship students receive full tuition and course-related fees, as well as a living stipend for four years of undergraduate study at the IU-Bloomington campus, the release said.\nStudents who receive the Wells Scholarships go on to win more than 40 national and international scholarships, along with fellowships and grants such as the Rhodes and Truman Scholarships.\nWhen Wells celebrated his 90th birthday, he was presented with the prestigious scholarship program as a gift from his many friends and admirers. After his death in the spring of 2000, the legacy of the scholarship continues as the community of talented and dedicated scholars remains on campus as a permanent legacy of his educational vision. \nThe Wells Scholarship program offers special seminars, an optional year of study abroad and support for a summer research project or internship. In addition, the Wells program emphasizes close interaction with faculty, academic and career advising, opportunities for community service and contact with distinguished visitors, the release said.
(07/29/07 11:32pm)
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. –\nA recent national survey found that men have more sexual partners in their lifetimes and are more likely to do drugs, but women are catching up. \nPatricia Koch, a biobehavioral health and women studies professor at Pennsylvania State University, said even though socialization has encouraged men to take more risks, women have started to branch out and be more independent in the past decade. \nKoch said this independence, along with the need to adapt male work ethics, has caused women to start adopting the poor habits of men, such as smoking, drinking alcohol and engaging in risky sexual behavior. \n“Women seem to be trying to catch up to men,” she added. \nAccording to the June survey, 29 percent of men reported they had 15 or more female sexual partners in their lifetime, while 9 percent of women reported to have 15 or more male sexual partners. \nMen also have a greater tendency to try cocaine and other street drugs compared to women, according to the survey, titled “Drug Use and Sexual Behaviors Reported by Adults: United States, 1999-2002.” \nThe survey was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics – a branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .\nKoch said because of socialization, men also tend to exaggerate their sexuality while females usually under-report their sexual past. She said for surveys like this, men tend to round up while women tend to round down. \n“However, most people don’t have an exact scorecard,” Koch added. \nSophomore Tim Dolan agreed that the numbers are probably more equal despite what the survey said, but men may be more open to talk about it. \nMales seem to brag or exaggerate about sexual experiences more, sophomore Chris Gill said. \n“If females have a lot of sex, they are labeled as a whore,” Gill said, “but if guys do it, they are called a pimp or player and get more respect.” \nJunior Alison Stubbs and junior Christine Smith said they think for college students, the number of sexual partners is probably equal. \nStubbs said she did a survey for her statistics class about sexuality. She said her results were not as drastic as the national survey. \n“It does take two to tango,” she said. \nA Penn State survey from 2004 to 2005 found that in a 12-month span, most students, both male and female, had one sexual partner or none at all, said Susan Kennedy, associate director of University Health Services. \nKoch said at Penn State, there is a wide variety of students from different backgrounds and religions and those who have different goals and influences for their sexuality. She said some students chose not to have any sexual partners during their time at college, some limit their number of partners and some decide to be more experimental. \nDrinking is part of this college atmosphere, and Koch said people stereotypically think others are more interested in sex because of its influence; however, drinking decreases a person’s ability to make a decision. \nAccording to a 2006 Penn State Pulse survey titled “Student Drinking,” the number of students who reported that they engaged in unplanned sexual activity as a consequence of drinking alcohol increased 10.3 percent from 2004. Also, the number of students who did not use protection while engaging in sex doubled from 2004, according to the survey. \nKoch said some students may drink to let go of their inhibitions, but the connection between alcohol and sexual activity can be complex.
(07/27/07 2:08pm)
The founders of a social networking Web site are suing Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, and they want to shut his site down. \nThe charges listed in the suit include fraud, copyright infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets.\nBrothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narenda, co-founders of ConnectU, were given until Aug. 8 to “flesh out their allegations against Mark Zuckerberg,” according to The Associated Press. \nThe trio claims Zuckerberg stole their idea while they were all Harvard students. They claim Zuckerburg agreed in November 2003 to finish “software and database work” for their site, ConnectU, but stalled through the process. Zuckerberg then launched his own site, Facebook. \nA suit was originally filed in 2004, but it was thrown out on a technicality. \nFacebook launched a few months before ConnectU in 2004, and has about 31 million users. ConnectU only has about 70,000, according to the Associated Press. The lawsuit claims that Facebook gained a considerable market advantage by launching in February of that year, instead of May, as ConnectU did.
(07/26/07 12:48am)
BOSTON (AP) - People who drank more than one diet soda each day developed the same risks for heart disease as those who downed sugary regular soda, suggests a large but inconclusive study.\nThe study’s senior author, Dr. Vasan Ramachandran, emphasized the findings don’t show diet sodas are a cause of increased heart disease risks. \nHowever, a nutrition expert dismissed the study’s findings on diet soda drinkers.\n“There’s too much contradictory evidence that shows that diet beverages are healthier for you in terms of losing weight that I would not put any credence to the result on the diet (drinks),” said Barry Popkin, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who has called for cigarette-style surgeon general warnings about the negative health effects of soda.\nSusan Feely, president of the American Beverage Association, said the notion that diet drinks are associated is not common sense.\n“How can something with zero calories that’s 99 percent water with a little flavoring in it ... cause weight gain?” she said.\nThe research comes from a massive, multi-generational heart study following residents of Framingham, Mass., a town about 25 miles west of Boston. The new study of 9,000 observations of middle-aged men and women was published Monday online in the journal Circulation.\nThe researchers found those who drank more than one soda per day, diet or regular, had an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, compared to those who drank less than one soda per day. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms that increase the risk for heart disease, including large waistlines and higher levels of blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and blood fats called triglycerides.\nAt the start of the study, those who reported drinking more than one soft drink a day had a 48 percent increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome compared to those who drank less soda.\nOf those who initially showed no signs of metabolic syndrome, those who drank more than one soda per day were at 44 percent higher risk of developing it four years later, they reported.\nResearchers expected the results to differ when regular soda and diet soda drinkers were compared, and were surprised when they did not, Vasan said.
(07/23/07 12:38am)
MACOMB, Ill. – The College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 passed its second test last Wednesday when the House of Representatives passed the legislation with a 273-149 vote. \nU.S. Rep. Phil Hare, D-Rock Island, hailed the act as the single largest investment in higher education. Hare, along with Western Illinois University graduate Jessie Kallman, discussed how the bill would come at no expense to students. Kallman joined Hare on the conference call to give a student’s perspective. Funding for the bill will be allocated from excess federal subsidies to private lenders. \nThe bill must now be considered by the Senate, but Hare said he believes it will have no problem passing. \nHowever, the bill may be stopped in its tracks after it goes through the Senate. In a statement Thursday, the White House stated that President Bush would veto the act in its current state because it fails to reach out to the most needy students. \nThe College Cost Reduction Act of 2007 would provide additional funding for the Pell Grant scholarship by $500 per student over the next five years. Illinois students and families would receive $784 million over five years in the form of student loans and Pell Grants. \nThe bill also includes a provision to cut the interest rate on subsidized loans from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent. \nKallman, who received her bachelor’s degree in political science and is working on a master’s degree in sociology, said she owes $28,000 in student loans despite receiving scholarships. She also added that books, rent and other expenses are factors in her debt.
(07/23/07 12:37am)
ATHENS, Ohio – One common summer pastime and one of the world’s fastest growing sports would not be possible without the Frisbee, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this month. \nIn the 1920s, students at Yale began throwing around empty pie tins from the Frisbie Baking Company of Bridgeport, Conn., according to the World Flying Disc Federation. \nIn 1948, Walter “Fred” Morrison of Los Angeles and collaborator Warren Franscioni invented a more accurate version of the disc, made of plastic. After the partners split, Morrison created another plastic disc, which he labeled the “Pluto Platter.” \nRich Knerr and A.K. “Spud” Melin, owners of a new toy company called Wham-O, convinced Morrison to sell them his rights to the toy and 50 years ago, in 1957, they began production of the Pluto Platters. The following year, the Frisbie Baking Company closed down and Morrison was granted a patent for his flying disc. He has earned more than $1 million in royalties for his invention. \nKnerr then decided that a new name could increase sales. After a slight modification of name “Frisbie,” the registered trademark “Frisbee” was born. \nMattel Inc., one of more than 60 flying disc manufacturers, now owns the Frisbee. \nThe Frisbee has spawned many new sports played all over the world, including Frisbee golf, Frisbee tennis, and ultimate Frisbee, according to the Australian Flying Disc Association. Ultimate Frisbee was created in 1968 by high school students in Maplewood, New Jersey, as a cross between football, soccer and basketball, wrote Adam Zagoria, a New Jersey-based sports writer who has published two books about the sport. \n“I think (ultimate Frisbee) is just something different, not necessarily better (than other sports). It’s more laid back,” said Ohio University student Bryan McGaughey as he tossed a Frisbee with Hocking college student Trevor Johnson on Tuesday. \n“The Frisbee is one of the best and simplest inventions of our time,” said Bryan Wildasinn, an Ohio University ultimate Frisbee club player. “You’d probably only hear that from an Ultimate player.” \nThere are ultimate Frisbee programs in 42 countries, and ultimate Frisbee receives government funding in Sweden, Norway and Japan, Zagoria wrote. \n“I’ve met most of my friends through playing with that piece of plastic,” Wildasinn said.
(07/23/07 12:37am)
GREENVILLE, N.C. – After a late night of studying, many college students need a boost to make it through the next day. \nFor East Carolina University junior Sarah Stebnicki, along with many other students, this boost comes in the form of caffeine, and is obtained through the consumption of coffee. \n“I have at least two cups before I leave the house every morning,” said Stebnicki. \nStebnicki has been drinking coffee regularly since she was 15. \nOftentimes, the occasional cup of coffee to keep a student alert can turn into many, decreasing the effectiveness of the caffeine. \nFor Stebnicki, a stint at the Starbucks’ in Greenville N.C., coffee houses for several years fostered her reliance on caffeine to make it through the day. \n“I was drinking espresso like, every day, and I got to the point where it didn’t even affect me very much,” Stebnicki said.\nThe consumption of caffeine is not only limited to the population of college students. Researchers estimate that about 80 percent of the world’s population consumes some form of caffeine on a daily basis. \nThough caffeine is obviously a staple in America’s diet, medical research has yet to fully determine whether caffeine has positive or negative effects on \none’s health. \nA recent study at Duke University Medical Center revealed that caffeine has an effect on the body that lasts all day and can increase stress in people who consume it daily. \nHowever, some people believe caffeine has little or no effect \non them. \nCaroline Boyd, an ECU sophomore, claims that she does not need caffeine to function. \n“I drink coffee occasionally because I like it – but I don’t have a problem with it,” Boyd said. “I think it’s psychological, and for some people, it’s all in their head.” \nDespite the occasional person’s lack of reliance on coffee, coffee shops have been multiplying in number in the United States over the past 15 years. Starbucks is the largest of those chains in the world. Greenville alone has four stores and another one currently under construction. \nJulius Beasley III, a junior and English education major, said he likes the options available to him even though he is not a big coffee drinker. \n“I do enjoy ... sweet alternatives and fruity beverages,” he said. “I’m glad it’s there as a place to treat a friend who’s busy or a girl who likes coffee.”
(07/23/07 12:36am)
AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas telephone counseling hotline is this week celebrating 40 years of helping students recover from any kind of emotional stress, from midterm anxiety to relationship splits. \nThe program, which began in 1967, is part of the Counseling and Mental Health Center at the university. During its early years, the line served as a general information phone line as well as a crisis management number. \n“We have always been under the impression that the service began in partial reaction to the Tower shootings,” said Chris Brownson, director of the Counseling and Mental Health Center. \nThe Tower shootings occurred on Aug. 1, 1966, when Charles Whitman, a senior architectural student, opened fire from the top of the Tower of the Main Building and killed 16 individuals. \nWhen the phone line started, mental health awareness was a prominent issue. In the mid-1970s, the phone line was converted to work solely as a counseling number and not for general information, said Greg Keilin, director of clinical services at the University. \nLast year, the counseling service took more than 3,000 calls, listening to students seeking advice or help for a variety of reasons. \nThe most common reason students call is to talk about a breakup with a boyfriend or girlfriend, said Wayne Wenske, spokesman for the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. \nStudents also call to talk to professionals about help with anxiety, depression, stress with studying and conflicts with peers. Many inquire about information or referrals for help outside the university. \nThe University of Texas is the only institution of higher education in the country that has a crisis phone line with an accredited staff, as opposed to volunteers who receive only basic preparation, Wenske said. \nThe phone line is also available for students who feel they have a friend in trouble. Counselors will help instruct the student on how to help the friend in question. \nThe phone line is available 24 hours a day, year-round, including holidays. The counselors who take the calls follow a strict confidentiality code and, if necessary, will refer the caller to a doctor or schedule a consultation.
(07/23/07 12:35am)
ATLANTA – Joining the trend while establishing its own uniqueness, www.minorityspace.com, a burgeoning social networking Web site, joins the collective as a means of using spare time on the Internet. \nMinoritySpace.com is a site tailored to people of minorities, but open to the public to sign up and set up a page. The site is the brainchild of creators Casey Danford, the president, and Steve Eilers, vice president of operations, for the purpose to not segregate races, but to unite them. \nThe content of the Web site is catered to the African-American community and sets itself apart from the more established and popular profile sites on the Internet, such as of MySpace, because it is more of a community without the heavy advertisements from corporations. The Web site lays stake to bringing minority activities to a more concentrated forum on the Internet than \nsimilar competition. \n“There’s other things going on locally in every city, like black and Hispanic organizations and clubs; we wanted a way to connect all these organizations worldwide using the power of the Internet,” \nDanford said. \nThe key trademark of MinoritySpace.com is that it offers features found on similar networking sites, but it offers more of them. This includes unlimited picture and music uploads, contests, promotions and other features that set the site apart.\nDanford said the site is a landmark because it is the first of its kind in the wave of social \nnetworking sites.\n“MinoritySpace.com is the first social networking Web site created to unite minorities in a structured, safe environment,” Danford said. \nHowever, the site itself runs very much like www.myspace.com. The format of a basic profile page is remarkably similar in structure, and the site even has a feature that allows MySpace users to import their page over to ease the transition from one database to the other. \nDespite the cosmetic similarities, the new Web site is lighter on commercial activity and advertisement and heavy on presenting the online community. \nIn addition, the Web site will share its success with \nthe community. \n“If the Web site makes it big, a big portion of the profits will be donated to minority charities and organizations, where it belongs,” Eile said.
(07/23/07 12:34am)
Since IU President Michael McRobbie took office on July 1, IU administration has experienced several changes.\nWith Edwin Marshall’s appointment to vice president of diversity, equity and multicultural affairs, he joins many other newly appointed administrators in McRobbie’s cabinet. \nBesides Marshall, McRobbie recently appointed Patrick O’Meara to serve as vice president for international affairs. This is a new position McRobbie created due to the rapidly increasing importance of the international and global dimension in higher education, according to an IU press release. Before his appointment, O’Meara served as dean for international programs at IU. \nWith his promotion, O’Meara will oversee international programs at all eight IU campuses, and he will have principal responsibility to implement a new, University-wide international strategic plan regarding the University’s presence around the world. \nIn a joint statement on behalf of IU and Clarian Health Partners, William Stephan, currently Clarian’s senior vice president of community relations and corporate communications, was announced as vice president for engagement.\nStephan’s new role allows him to assume statewide responsibility for economic development programs and initiatives. He also serves as IU’s corporate liaison to Clarian Health Partners, to attract investment in new health care and life sciences initiatives, according to an IU press release. \nBrad Wheeler was appointed to the position of vice president for information technology. Wheeler has provided leadership for University Information Technology Services with a focus on strategic and priority initiatives.\nFormer Dean of the Hutton Honors College Karen Hanson’s new appointment as provost and executive vice president marks the first time someone has held the position on a permanent basis. Hanson assumes responsibilities overseeing academic and budgetary concerns to ensure that the needs of students and faculty are met. In addition, Hanson’s responsibilities include making sure University standards for education are met as well. \nNeil Theobald, senior vice provost and special assistant to the president and professor of education finance in the School of Education, has been promoted to vice president and chief financial officer. Theobald will be responsible for developing IU’s $2.4 billion annual budget, according to an IU press release. In addition, he’ll align IU’s legislative requests with its budgetary needs. With McRobbie’s guidance, he will pay special attention to issues of University accessibility and afford ability, according to the release. \nTheobald replaces Judith Palmer, who left her position to become director of the University’s new Office of Legislative and Policy Analysis. \nShortly after McRobbie took office, he appointed Mike Sample, vice president for university relations, to become vice president for public affairs and government relations. Sample will also lead IU’s governmental relations efforts at the state and federal levels. Sample succeeds Tom Healy.\nMcRobbie appointed Karen Adams as chief of staff in his new administration. Adams served as chief of staff for McRobbie in his previous roles at IU, most recently as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.
(07/21/07 12:36am)
IU announced Wednesday that Edwin C. Marshall, professor and associate dean for academic affairs and student administration at the IU School of Optometry, has been named the next vice president of diversity, equity and multicultural affairs, according to an IU press release. Marshall replaces Charlie Nelms, who is leaving Aug. 1 to assume the position of chancellor at North Carolina Central University. \nIU President Michael McRobbie hailed Marshall as an excellent choice for the position.\n“Ed Marshall is an extremely accomplished member of the faculty and a person who has established a truly national and international reputation for academic excellence in his profession,” McRobbie said. “He also has a deep commitment to diversity and equity in higher education. He will have important responsibilities in his new role as vice president, and I am very pleased that he has agreed to take on this key assignment.”\nMarshall will be the point-person in issues dealing with “diversity, equity and multicultural affairs on all IU campuses and (with) more specific responsibilities at IU-Bloomington,” according to the release. \nMcRobbie also noted in the release that Marshall’s work as an adjunct professor of public health in the IU School of Medicine will make him a valuable partner in many future life science initiatives the University pursues.\nMarshall said in the release that he recognizes the large void left in the administration by Charlie Nelms. He said he is honored to accept his new position, and hopes to continue the work Nelms began prior to leaving for North Carolina Central University.\n“Replacing Charlie Nelms is an impossibility because he has done so much for Indiana University,” Marshall said in the release. “I recognize that his loss creates a tremendous challenge for us. However, I welcome the opportunity to build upon Charlie’s accomplishments and to use the course that he has set as a guide for enhancing the visibility of diversity within and throughout the university.”