239 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(01/18/06 5:45am)
Interim IU-Bloomington Chancellor Ken Gros Louis has been following in former IU President Herman B Wells' footsteps for years.\nSo it was only fitting that IU President Adam Herbert named Gros Louis as IU's second University chancellor ever, following Wells' legacy again.\n"It is extremely appropriate that he be recognized for outstanding service and leadership on this campus and the entire University," said Herbert, noting Gros Louis would be an appropriate successor to Wells.\nIn his position as University chancellor, Gros Louis will assist in alumni relations, fundraising and "serving as a stable influence in times of difficulty."\nGros Louis, who was approved for the position Saturday and will begin serving Feb. 1, has seen his history intertwine with Wells' for quite some time. In his speech Saturday, Herbert pointed out that both started as professors at IUB, moved on to become deans of major schools at IU and then became campus leaders (Wells as president, Gros Louis as chancellor). Both served the University for more than 40 years.\nTheir fates collided long before Gros Louis came to teach at IU. As an undergraduate at Columbia University, Gros Louis met Wells in 1956 at a national convention for Sigma Nu, the fraternity they shared. Even then, Gros Louis admired Wells.\n"Right away, I knew he was a brilliant man and a terrific leader," Gros Louis said. "Of course later on he would become a good friend and mentor to me."\nGros Louis asked Wells to look at some of his speeches and advise him on policy matters relating to the University. Now, Gros Louis gets to focus on that role as mentor for Herbert and IU's next leaders.\nGros Louis said he is honored to be named to such a position and that he looks forward to the flexibility the job will provide. He said unlike his role as chancellor, he won't be required to attend as many meetings to deal with day-to-day operations, which will free him up to do the "fun part" of the job.\n"When I came back from winter break, my calendar was almost filled for the entire month," he said. "So this will allow me to spend more time with students and other members of the faculty."\nGros Louis said he plans to meet with student groups on a regular basis just as Wells did, but unlike the first University chancellor, he won't dress up like Santa Claus every year.\n"I wouldn't want it to appear I was trying to imitate Wells," he said with a laugh.\nGros Louis plans to continue in the job as long as Wells did, who served in the position until his death in 2000.\nInterim Provost Michael McRobbie said he won't be forcing Gros Louis out of his office come Feb. 1, so during the first few months as University chancellor, it is expected Gros Louis will help with the University's transition into a new leadership structure.\nHerbert made sure to note at the meeting how grateful he is that Gros Louis has come back to continue to serve IU.\n"After earning a well-earned retirement -- at least he thought he was going into retirement -- he answered my call to return to duty," Herbert said. "He's earned his reputation as an effective leader who has always focused his course of action on the best interests of the University."\nEach faculty member or trustee interviewed showed enthusiasm for Gros Louis in the new role.\n"There really isn't a better successor to Wells than Gros Louis," said law professor Fred . "I think it's an appropriate recognition for a man who has done so much for this campus"
(01/17/06 6:50am)
IU President Adam Herbert will retire when his contract expires in July 2008, he announced a day before the emergency meeting of the board of trustees and after months of controversy surrounding his administration.\nIt was the general consensus among faculty and trustees interviewed that the announcement, coupled with a recently unveiled restructuring plan, helps put to ease questions of leadership surrounding the president.\nHerbert said he always planned to serve for his entire five-year contract, but that a decision about whether to continue was made during winter break with the help of his wife Karen. They decided retirement was in their best interests so Herbert could spend more time with his family and with his writing, he said.\n"My wife and I, every December, think about the past year and give some attention to the coming year and talk about what we're going to do," Herbert said. "She pointed out that when I complete my term here it would be 18 years as president of two universities and a university-system chancellor."\nMany questioned if Herbert's decision wasn't motivated by recent controversy. In November, Herbert decided to extend the search for the next IU-Bloomington chancellor after a two-year vacancy. A group of faculty members held an emergency meeting where they passed resolutions by a two-thirds margin asking the IU board of trustees to review the performance of Herbert and consider restructuring of the chancellor position.\nThe trustees, along with IU-Bloomington Interim Chancellor Ken Gros Louis, all profess that it was always assumed Herbert would retire after five years and that the controversy did not affect the decision.\n"To spin this any other way is really missing a lot of what we have done here today," said Patrick Shoulders, vice president of the board. "You can strap me up to a lie detector and I would pass. It was a five-year commitment. This is no sign of any surrender or exit strategy."\nThe trustees acted on the faculty's request to restructure the chancellor role but decided not to review Herbert's presidency since they already review him on an annual basis. Herbert urged the board to make its annual evaluations more public with specific University guidelines and increased faculty input. Stephen Ferguson, president of the board of trustees, said the trustees plan to follow such directions.\nAlthough there wasn't any direct response to the attacks on the presidency, Herbert said he expects many of the issues of leadership to be resolved with a change in the University structure.\nDuring his statement to the board of trustees, Herbert said the issues surrounding the role of president aren't anything new to the University.\n"The question I posed is: Why would this University be the only one in the Big Ten that has experienced a scenario that four consecutive presidents would have to deal with the issues we have?" Herbert said. "I am convinced that these challenges can be characterized in the context of some fundamental challenges facing the University."\nHerbert said it's clear the Bloomington faculty want the president to be more visible, and by eliminating the chancellor position and creating a provost role, it will allow the president to do so.\nStill, Herbert downplayed the controversy during his press conference and emphasized the impetus for change.\n"I wouldn't call it conflict. I'd say we've had a little family dispute," he said. "The issues raised probably would not have been if we had this structure in place." \nHerbert also added that controversy is expected with the job of president and that all you can do is move on to continue to accomplish great things.\nTed Miller, president of the Bloomington Faculty Council, said he thinks all of these issues wouldn't have come to light if Kumble Subbaswamy, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, was picked as chancellor. Still, he said he thinks the changes are good ones.\nLaw professor Fred Cate said he thinks the issues surrounding Herbert's presidency have been somewhat resolved by the announcements.\n"I have been very critical of Herbert in the past, but I think that this is a good decision," he said.\nSome faculty questioned Herbert's massive restructuring changes if he won't be there to see the changes through, but Gros Louis said that shouldn't be a problem.\n"His legacy could be a restructuring of the University, even if he doesn't fill all of those positions," he said. Gros Louis added that his new title of University chancellor could mean he can assist with stabilizing IU through its changes.\nHerbert said he made his decisions about the presidency and his future after talking with former IU presidents Myles Brand and John Ryan. Herbert said though some trustees, such as Shoulders, asked if he was even going to be here as long as five years, Herbert wanted to stick to his commitment because of his love for IU.\n"I think it is an exciting institution," Herbert said. "It's been a privilege to serve it as president, but there does come a time in everyone's life when you have to address the question about what's important in that time"
(01/14/06 9:09pm)
With IU president Adam Herbert set to leave IU in 2008, the trustees voted Saturday to approve his recommendations in a dramatic restructuring of the University's administration. \nTrustee president Stephen Ferguson said Saturday the University will now conduct business "in lightning speed." \n"Business as usual is out the window at IU," Ferguson said at Saturday's special meeting.\nThe trustees voted to name Ken Gros Louis IU's University-wide chancellor, a position that has only been held by Herman B Wells.\nThey also, at Herbert's request, named current Vice President for Information Technology Michael McRobbie IU-Bloomington's new interim provost, a position that will replace the IUB chancellorship.\nThe changes are set to take effect Feb. 1. \nThe trustees also refused to a formal review of Herbert, saying the process would only continue an "animated" environment at IU.\nAfter months of faculty outcry over a failed chancellor search, Herbert announced in a letter Friday afternoon that he will not serve as president beyond his current contract, which ends July 2008.\nHerbert also submitted an extensive report about restructuring several positions in the University, including the chancellors of both the Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses.\nIn his plan, Herbert advocates changing IU-Bloomington chancellor and vice president for academic affairs to the title of provost and vice president for academic affairs and IU Purdue University-Indianapolis to executive vice president and chancellor. \nHerbert announced that he felt "an obligation to the University to give the board of trustees as much advance notice as possible" regarding his decision to retire in 2008.\n"I also have talked with prior IU presidents about their experiences and given considerable thought to the current state and needs of the university and to recent events on the Bloomington campus," he said in the letter. "In addition, Karen and I have given extensive consideration to our family needs and plans for the future. These thought processes have been guided by our deep affection for Indiana University and a strong belief that the long term best interests of the institution always must be the primary focus of the president and trustees." \nThough Herbert admitted in his letter he is assuming the risk of becoming a "lame duck" president, Ferguson assured those in attendance Saturday that would not be the case.\nDespite his retirement, Herbert still wants the trustees to initiate his plan of restructuring the University system, which includes changing who many vice presidents report to and moving the School of Optometry from the Bloomington to the Indianapolis campus. \nHerbert announced in November he would restart the chancellor search after he felt the candidates weren't right for the University. Faculty members passed a resolution with a 2/3 vote recommending changes to the chancellor position to make it more attractive. In his first year as president, Herbert denounced creating a provost position, though now he is advocating one. \nHerbert will take questions at 3 p.m. Saturday at the business meeting of the IU board of trustees which follows the trustees' executive session to discuss the chancellor position and presidential performance.\nCheck idsnews.com Saturday for more updates.
(01/13/06 2:28pm)
The IU Student Foundation announced it will ban the director of Team Major Taylor, IU's first all-black cycling team, from all Little 500 activities. \nThe ban comes after a two-year investigation of Courtney Bishop about reported recruiting violations, in which time IUSF claims Bishop promised riders scholarships in exchange for participation on the team.\nIUSF took no action against members of the team, but TMT representatives would not confirm if it still plans to participate in this year's race.\nDante Pryor and Julio German, TMT riders in 2002, told University officials they were offered full scholarships to cover tuition and room and board to ride in Little 500, but Bishop never fulfilled his promise. Both riders said they amassed substantial debt after not receiving the scholarships and Pryor was forced to transfer to New York University.\nOffering scholarships contingent on participation in the race is a clear violation of IUSF rules, said Rob Rhamy, IUSF director and former race coordinator, when the controversy started.\nA University investigation, led by Dean of Students Richard McKaig and IU Vice Chancellor Eduardo Rhodes at the request of Interim IU-Bloomington Chancellor Ken Gros Louis and Vice President for Institutional Development and Student Affairs Charlie Nelms, concluded last semester that IUSF would be more capable of making a decision \nregarding TMT's status and deciding on a punishment.\nRhamy said he, along with current race coordinator Lucas Calhoun, made the decision to ban Bishop from all aspects of the race for life, but not to punish the rest of the team, because he said they were not responsible for Bishop's actions. \n"Courtney Bishop's actions were directly affecting the experience of the riders in a negative way," Rhamy said. "We felt it was unfair to punish the entire team because the University report basically identifies Courtney Bishop as sole decision maker for the team."\nIUSF did not hold a formal hearing or hear any comments from Bishop. It notified Bishop, German, Pryor and the current riders of the decision through letters sent Dec. 22, 2005, and subsequent follow-up e-mails. IUSF has not heard any response from the team and hasn't had any conversations with them over the phone.\nBishop told the Indiana Daily Student he disagrees with IUSF's decision, which he felt was "based on lies."\n"I am devastated that they decided to do this," Bishop said. "It has ruined my life."\nBishop said he was particularly distraught because he feels that TMT, along with Team Marshall, IU's all-black women's team, and Team Mezcla, a Hispanic team, all enhance the race experience for IU and that his ban could jeopardize that. \n"I have been involved in diversity outreach for years," he said. "For 55 years, there weren't any black or diverse teams in Little 500 and we were able to add these diverse teams in just three years."\nBishop said he could not say if he planned to appeal the decision or even if the team would continue to compete in his absence. It is possible Bishop could stay involved with the team in an unofficial capacity without IUSF knowing, but Bishop would not say if he planned to sever ties with the team or try to still be involved.\nMembers of the team were surprised when questioned about Bishop's removal, even though Rhamy said they have all been notified of the decision.\n"That's news to me," said rider Joshua Weir.\n"I don't know why they would get rid of Courtney Bishop because he has done a lot for Team Major Taylor," said rider Steven Ballinger.\nNelms, who has been very supportive of TMT in the past, said he thought the decision was fair and is looking forward to continued diversity representation in the race. He did voice his respect for Bishop for starting the team as well.\n"I'm impressed that the students in Team Major Taylor were not punished and that they can continue to compete in the race," he said.\nPryor, currently taking part in the Colavita Cycling team in New York, said he felt relieved when he heard of the decision.\n"I'm just glad they finally did something," he said. "I'm just glad Courtney isn't part of the race anymore and he won't exploit future riders."\nTMT has been marked by both success and controversy ever since the team entered its first race in 2002. In its first year, Weir, then a freshman, was declared ineligible for the race because he had competed in a Category I race, which includes a class of professional riders. After an arbitration hearing, IUSF reversed its decision only to find other teams protest the ruling.\nTMT has also seen success, finishing ninth its first year, second in 2003, fourth in 2004 and 16th in 2005. Rhamy said he hopes to see this tradition of excellence continue -- even though Bishop won't be involved.\n"Team Major Taylor has done a tremendous amount of good," Rhamy said. "The effect they have had on making the race more diverse cannot be overstated"
(01/13/06 5:33am)
Since 1997, IU has canceled classes on Martin Luther King Jr. Day for what officials call "A day on, not a day off." IU's plan is to have students participate in all the diversity activities planned during the day.\nThe truth is many students will instead spend the day lying in bed catching up on sleep.\nBut student apathy toward Martin Luther King Jr. Day doesn't bother Charlie Nelms, vice president for institutional development and student affairs and noted campus leader for diversity issues.\nHe said he isn't worried if many students show up for events, as long as those who do come listen and learn.\n"We really don't need the masses," he said. "I would rather have five really thoughtful students attend a lecture than 20 nay-sayers who will waste our time.\n"If we can take those five and encourage them to take sustainable action, then we can accomplish real change."\nIn 1996, IU students marched on campus as a form of protest for observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a University holiday. Their wishes were granted as the trustees passed a resolution in January 1997.\nNelms said the spirit that motivated those students isn't always found in current culture.\n"I think it's an issue of human apathy, not just student apathy," he said. "I notice student apathy as a current trend and I think that it is a disturbing one. I think that Martin Luther King (Jr.) Day and the history behind it has so many impacts on the political, social and economic culture that we currently live in."\nEric Love, diversity educator and adviser to the Black Student Union, said it would be great if all students participated in the events, but by passing them up, they are only hurting themselves.\n"We would always like to see more student input, but it doesn't bother me because the students who are involved are really affected," he said.\nLove said there are many benefits for students who participate in the events. He said students can not only learn and meet some cool people, but also enjoy great food and music.\nNelms said while food and entertainment are great and are necessities in celebrating the holiday, he feels that shouldn't be the only motivation. He will speak on that topic at a church in Richmond, Ind., on Monday.\n"Unfortunately, we are a society where people feel they need to be entertained," he said. "Beyond the entertainment, we need to engage people. It's OK to be entertained, but it's not enough if we can't engage people."\nNelms said his goal is to motivate people to take real action in their communities in order to address race relations and other problems. He pointed out leaders such as Rosa Parks and Gandhi as examples that one person can make a difference.\n"We have to go beyond the holiday itself," Nelms said. "The spirit behind Martin Luther King (Jr.) Day needs to motivate us yearlong"
(01/12/06 5:47am)
The IU board of trustees will meet in an executive -- and therefore private -- session Saturday to discuss the job performance of IU-Bloomington President Adam Herbert and the structure of the chancellor position.\nTwo-thirds of the Bloomington faculty voted for two resolutions that ask for a review of Herbert's performance and a splitting of the jobs of chancellor and senior vice president for academic affairs.\nThe trustees will meet with University vice presidents and deans before their private meetings and will announce their findings at their business meeting at 3 p.m. \nSome faculty members say they expect change, but many say they expect business to proceed as usual.\nTrustee Cora Smith Breckenridge said a change for IU will come out of the meeting.\n"Oh, we'll take action," she said. "Now is the time to take action."\nOne of the changes that is most expected is restructuring of the chancellor position. Faculty and search committee members have said that many strong candidates for chancellor lost interest in the job because of the added responsibility of senior vice president of academic affairs. Some say that splitting the jobs or creating a provost position might make the job more attractive and allow for more attention to be paid to IU's other campuses besides Bloomington. Breckenridge confirmed that as a real possibility.\nStill, some faculty said splitting the positions isn't a solution to the larger problem.\nChemistry professor Ted Widlanski said the real problem is with Herbert's performance and that restructuring the job won't attract any better candidates.\nCriticism of Herbert has died down somewhat in the media, and the group of faculty that organized the emergency meeting in November has neither planned nor had any meetings since the resolution vote. \nStill, that doesn't mean the issues have gone away.\nOne of the faculty's most recent concerns is that the departure of Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Kumble Subbaswamy, coupled with the loss of Joseph Steinmetz, executive associate dean of COAS, will result in ensuing problems for the University.\n"We are going to be with a vacuum of leadership and it makes me worry," said Mark Kaplan, chair of the philosophy department. "I hope they fix the problem soon."\nWidlanski, a supporter of Subbaswamy for Bloomington chancellor, said he thinks the dean was holding the University together and that under the "poor leadership" of Herbert more faculty will leave for other universities.\n"Every school will know we are ripe for raiding," he said. \nWidlanski said this "crisis" could have easily been resolved by making Subbaswamy chancellor, a job he was reportedly being considered for, but IU administrators have never confirmed.\n"By making such a terrible decision (not to pick Subbaswamy), they screwed us," he said. "We have a crisis coming in terms of the faculty. We will have less available faculty and it's because we have lost some of our best leaders."\nWidlanski said IU's faculty problems will continue due to a lack of leadership.\n"You can't recruit a good dean without a good chancellor and you can't recruit a good chancellor without a good president," he said.\nAnother complaint about Herbert that has intensified since the resolution vote is a lack of visibility from the president's office. Some have seen Herbert as not being open to the public for quite some time, but some faculty say recent silence following the faculty vote has been especially infuriating.\n"He needs to engage his critics and he needs to get into more concrete terms about what he hopes to accomplish in his presidency," said James Capshew, professor of history and philosophy of science. "Brand had critics, but he responded to them. Herbert is just invisible."\nSome faculty members have also complain that part of Herbert's lack of visibility can be attributed to the amount of time he spends at another home in Florida. Herbert used to be president of University of North Florida and chancellor of the Florida university system. Many faculty said he is building a new home there.\nIU spokesman Larry MacIntyre said he could not confirm if Herbert was building a home in Florida and would not release a schedule to show how much time he spends away from Bloomington. MacIntyre did say there was nothing wrong with Herbert spending his spare time in another state.\n"I don't believe the trustees ever expected Herbert to be here all of the time," he said.\nMacIntyre added many critics might assume he is in Florida, when in fact he spends time in Washington D.C. or any location working on behalf of IU to secure funding or advance educational issues important to IU.\nFaculty have also expressed concern that the damage to Herbert's reputation might affect his ability to lobby on behalf on IU.\n"Before this happened, people around the state -- including legislators -- knew he was an inadequate president and now everybody knows," Widlanski said.\nJ. Thomas Forbes, IU's executive director for state relations, admits that some legislators have discussed concerns about Herbert with him, but says that "we all have heard all of that in the media before." He added that it hasn't been a factor in his lobbying.\nFaculty members are split on whether Herbert will be able to move on after recent criticisms.\n"I think it will have very little effect on his job, but I also think he is just not capable of doing the job," Widlanski said.\nOthers, such as Cate, hope that the trustee meeting will resolve several problems, including issues of leadership.\nRegardless of whether Herbert can come out of the controversy unscathed, some faculty said "returning to business as usual" will not be an acceptable outcome.\n"So far, he is just a caretaker of the University," Capshew said, "but some people want him to be more. They want a leader."\nMacIntyre said Herbert did not wish to comment on the issues surrounding the trustees meeting and his job performance.
(01/11/06 5:39am)
IU faculty say that references to race have had a significant effect on the dialogue surrounding the job performance of Adam Herbert, IU's first black president. \nWhether it is faculty members feeling offended by comments about Herbert or uncomfortable discussing the president critically because of race, it is obvious that race -- the "elephant in the room" -- has altered the discussion. \n"I think it has sombered the debate somewhat," said Interim IU-Bloomington Chancellor Ken Gros Louis. "I think it made people realize that there are so many issues involved in this discussion." \nOn Nov. 21, law professor Kevin Brown held a press conference, along with fellow black faculty, encouraging members of what he called the "anti-Herbert movement" to vote against a resolution which would ask for a review of the president's job performance. \n"One of the messages we are going to convey to them is when you are attacking the first African-American president in the 185-year history of this institution, there should have been at least a consultation and recognition and understanding of the implication that this will have on the entire African-American community of the state of Indiana," Brown said in a statement prior to the vote. \nAngered by an unsuccessful chancellor search, more than two-thirds of the faculty voted to have Herbert reviewed and then to reconsider the role of chancellor. The IU board of trustees plans to discuss both issues in an emergency session Saturday.\nStill, the debate about Herbert is raging on and race has become an integral part of the discussion.\n"I think that race does play a factor," said Eric Love, diversity educator and adviser to the Black Student Union. "I don't think he should be judged based on his race, but on his performance. The issue is that when the faculty criticized him, they were very disrespectful." \nLove said he feels, whether or it was not intentional, some faculty members who were angry with Herbert said things about him they might not have said if he were white. \n"Some of the criticisms were very stereotypical and unfounded," he said. "When they called him lazy ... they would never call another president lazy. Even the president of the board of trustees (Stephen Ferguson) says that he is very hardworking. So I think that was unfair." \nOn the other side, some faculty said they feel Herbert might be using "the race card" to his advantage in order to squelch opposition.\nChemistry professor Ted Widlanski, a vocal opponent of Herbert, said the president met with the black faculty for his first time as president directly after an emergency meeting of the faculty. Widlanski said he thinks Herbert was trying to garner support from black faculty to change the direction of the conversation. \n"I think he'll do anything to save his job," he said.\nIU spokesman Larry MacIntyre said he could not confirm if Herbert met with black faculty or if it was his first time doing so.\nOther professors said they are upset because it distracts from the real issues at hand regarding Herbert's presidency. Law professor Fred Cate acknowledged that race has played a role in the discussion, but said he feels "these are two separate issues." \n"I don't think there was any racial motivation at all," Cate said. "I think those issues, or maybe the ways they were raised, might have caused some concern on campus." \nJames Capshew, professor of history and philosophy of science, said he thinks race shouldn't play a role at all in the discussion, but blames Herbert for doing nothing to stop such rhetoric. \n"Everyone knows how it looks when the critics are mostly white and the president is black," he said. "But the problem is that he isn't addressing his critics and diffusing the racial aspect of this. He needs to come forward and say it isn't about race and to make it about presidential performance." \nCapshew said he feels the debate will suffer because many feel uncomfortable because of the racial aspect.\n"The conversation, the debate has really died down and I think race has a lot to do with it," he said. "As a white faculty member, I feel like I've been shut out of the debate because of this." \nMacIntyre said Herbert will stay silent on the subject of race and his presidency.\n"The president has chosen not to respond to those types of comments because anything he says will be misinterpreted," he said. "He has done all that he can do, which is to be silent on this." \nIU trustee Cora Smith Breckenridge said the members of the board of trustees won't concern themselves with issues of race at their meeting Saturday, but said that it is inevitable that race will be part of the public discussion. She said she just doesn't want anyone to be afraid to speak up. \n"I think anytime you have the first African-American president of Indiana University, you are going to have people question why he does certain things and make certain decisions and race will be in the discussion," she said. "But we want to make it clear that red, white, black, yellow, all faculty are listened to here, not just the white faculty"
(01/11/06 5:01am)
During the winter break, the Indianapolis Colts' story took a big shift. No longer was the story about the NFL team trying to beat the 1972 Miami Dolphins' undefeated season record. With the reported suicide of James Dungy, oldest son of Colts head coach Tony Dungy, the story shifted into a somber tone.\nAnalysts on every station, -- ESPN, CNN, Fox News, etc. -- were all discussing the impact of such a tragic loss on such a respected man as Tony Dungy, a devout Christian who spent much of his free time with his charity "All Pro Dad" to promote better fatherhood.\nIt was understandably the NFL's top story and they wanted to discuss the impact.\nThis isn't a sports column. I'm not going to give you my take on how this tragedy will motivate the Colts to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the playoffs this weekend (although I do expect Peyton to scorch the Steelers at home).\nI'm not going to give you that analysis because I'm not going to pretend I can understand what was going through James Dungy's mind when he decided to kill himself. Nobody can know what he was thinking. Yet, such psychological experts as Bob Costas and John Madden have already given me their diagnosis of James' psyche. I forgot which graduate school Cris Collinsworth received his master's in psychology from.\nThey are all trying to analyze what could have driven James to such an act. They have all discussed what they think Tony Dungy's reaction will be. All the while, they have made assumptions about all people who have committed suicide and the families around them. They have assumed that there is a cry for help or a need for attention. The truth is that not all suicide victims have the same problems, the same motives or the same thoughts going through their heads. Unless you knew James Dungy, and most likely even if you did, you can't pretend to know what was going through his mind.\nI spent a few years volunteering at a suicide hotline, but I don't pretend to be an expert on suicide. What I did notice and find interesting is that upon learning the symptoms of a suicidal person, most people assume that all suicidal people must display every symptom. Or they assume that if someone who is depressed has one or a few of the symptoms of suicide, then they must be suicidal. The answers just aren't that easy and many experts have spent years wondering how certain patients ended up committing suicide. Is their mental health all in victims' hands or is the family responsible? These are tough questions and we can't even pretend to know the answers.\nWhat kind of lesson can be obtained from James Dungy's story? Some say that the media over-reported on the story, which could lead others to copy-cat the act for media attention. We here at the Indiana Daily Student had to consider such ideas two years ago when a student fell from Briscoe in a possible suicide shortly after another student jumped from Ballantine Hall. Again, I don't pretend to be an expert, but most real experts will tell you that people usually don't commit suicide to have their name in the paper. There were other issues at play for a long time.\nI think the best lesson that can be taken from this comes from Tony Dungy himself, who used his strong Christian faith to guide him through this tough time. He told the media after returning to the team, "More than anything, I had to make a statement that, if I'm a Christian, if I feel like God is in control of my future, I've got to move on, as tough as it is."\nThat's all any of us can do when such a tragedy happens. We move on and we don't take the people we love for granted. We cherish the people around us every day.
(01/10/06 6:11am)
Former IU President Herman B Wells didn't understand why anyone would ever want to read a book about his life.\nDespite the fact that during his presidency, the size of IU-Bloomington quadrupled, enrollment increased by 500 percent, the campus was desegregated and IU became known worldwide for arts, sciences and graduate studies, Wells still felt others were more deserving of a biography than he.\n"He said, 'Isn't there something better you could be doing with your time?' He said other people out there were more worthy," said James Capshew, Wells' biographer and professor of history and philosophy of science. "But that's just the way he was. He was very humble. He didn't want to be an icon. But he was such a strong leader that that's what he became."\nCapshew has been working since 1998 on his biography of IU's former leader. He came up with the idea while working as Wells' assistant.\n"I remember thinking that Dr. Wells is going to be dead someday and so I had this fighting inkling that there needed to be a book about him," he said.\nCapshew was writing a piece about William Lowe Bryan, IU's 10th president, and showed it to Wells. Capshew told him he wanted to write a book about him someday. Wells laughed, but agreed to the project. Wells gave personal interviews to Capshew for the book and even wrote an introduction for it.\nCapshew began his extensive search in the IU Archives for documents about Wells. The Herman B Wells collection is the Archives' largest collection, so understandably, he was overwhelmed. Capshew hired an assistant named Faye Mark from the Archives to work part-time for him, but the book really didn't get going until Wells' death in 2000.\n"I sort of realized his life isn't over yet," Capshew said. "So I really couldn't start the book until he died. He died about nine months later, and the project began in earnest."\nThe book has been an extensive process for Capshew throughout the last few years. He admits he originally thought it would be a three-year project, but it became a five-year project.\n"But I'm in my sixth year, so the press would like it yesterday," he joked.\nCapshew has, for the most part, finished compiling research and is now writing the manuscript. Last semester, he took a sabbatical from the University so he could spend time writing the book every day.\nWhen he sits down to write, he never knows which chapter he is going to work on next. He said he works until the ideas stop flowing and that it's a tough process because he has to think about the entire book and not just the section on which he is working.\n"The biggest problem I have is that I have too much information. It's a lot to go through," he said. "It's really hard deciding what to put in and what to leave out. I wanted this book to be comprehensive and complete but not exhaustive. I don't want to cover every week of his life, which you can almost do with the archive materials.\n"I try to find the right level of description because people won't want to read a 1,000-page book."\nThe sections, he said, that will be integral to the book are about the expansion of the campus, Wells and race relations in the 1960s and Wells' legacy to this day.\nCapshew previously authored a book about the history of psychology called "Psychologists on the March: Science, Practice, and Professional Identity in America, 1929-1969." He said that experience has helped him with his latest book.\n"I had a very interesting experience writing that book," he said. "There was a time when I was writing the book that I realized there was a theme developing throughout the entire book without my noticing."\nWithout giving too much away, he said, the same thing has happened with his book on Wells.\n"I've been thinking a lot about the role of place in Wells' life," he said. "He could have gone anywhere and done anything, but he chose to stay in Bloomington for so many years. He went everywhere, but he always came back to Bloomington."\nCapshew said Wells eventually become a "part of the spirit of the place."\nEven though Wells published his autobiography "Being Lucky" in 1980, Capshew said his book won't just rehash what Wells already wrote.\n"Wells didn't say a whole lot in his autobiography about how he did it," he said. "I hope my book sort of brings out the 'how' in the story."\nReaders expecting any scandals in Capshew's book might be disappointed. The author said he searched high and low for people who didn't like Wells to add balance to his book and couldn't find a single one.\n"He had a wonderful way of diffusing his critics," he said. "He was a master at human relationships."\nCapshew added that although there might be some new information about Wells, none of it will be a huge shock to anyone who knew or has studied him.\n"He wasn't like Kinsey, who was this public person with a very wild private life," he said. "Wells wasn't anything other than what he appeared to be."\nStill, there's some information that might not be as widely known about Wells.\nIn the course of his research, Capshew found it interesting that Wells never served on any other University boards during his tenure as president -- with one exception. Wells sat on the board of trustees for Howard University for 20 years. He did so as a way of supporting historically black colleges and universities, a cause Wells believed in. He even received an honorary degree from Howard in 1976.\nAnother fact Capshew found is that Wells was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by faculty members in 1969. Even U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey wrote a letter of support for Wells.\nWells didn't win, but because the records remain closed for 50 years after the awards, Capshew doesn't know why he was turned down.\n"If I'm still alive in 2020, I'll go to Oslo and see why they didn't pick him," he said.\nCapshew said he thinks there is quite a large audience for his biography. He thinks anyone involved with IU, interested in the history of higher education or interested in the history of the state of Indiana would like to read the book. He also said there are plenty of people who knew Wells to buy the book.\n"Herman had so many friends and acquaintances, so there will be a lot of people who knew him who will read the book," Capshew said. "He has to be the most connected person I've ever studied."\nHe also said the book would be for anyone who was interested in leadership.\n"People are interested in strong leaders," he said. "He embodied the University. He dressed up as Santa Claus every Christmas and it didn't demean him at all. I mean, can you imagine (former IU President Myles) Brand dressing up as Santa Claus?"\nWith all of the debate surrounding current IU President Adam Herbert, Capshew said it's even more important to study great leaders at IU. He said he hopes Wells' accomplishments will inspire IU's current leaders.\n"Wells was the right guy at the right time," he said. "We can never have another Dr. Wells, but we can have other great presidents. \n"It's like a great big tree with smaller trees growing beneath it. When the big tree dies, the other trees can get the sunlight and grow up to be big trees as well."\nCapshew said he never expects this book to be a national bestseller, but he just wants to spread the philosophy of charity for which Wells was so well-known.\n"It's not just a book about him, it's a tribute to him," he said. "Trying to pay off a debt is too strong, but the reason I am doing it is that I want to pay something back to a man who gave so much to me and the rest of the University"
(01/06/06 5:21am)
IU's fiscal year 2004-2005 showed steady growth, despite challenges created by a lack of state appropriations, according to a recently released financial report.\nFor the fiscal year, IU increased its net assets by $119 million, compared to $114 million for the previous year, a 6.7 percent increase. Assets increased by $60 million for the year before that. The University ended the year with $1.9 billion in total net assets.\nPresident Adam Herbert and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Judith Palmer both expressed optimism toward IU's financial position in the report.\n"We see IU in a position of strength," said Kathleen McNeely, assistant vice president and executive director of financial management services.\nThe two biggest areas where IU increased its revenues were through student fees and state appropriations.\nRevenue from student fees and tuition increased from $558.5 million to $600.3 million, or 7.5 percent. This was due to a combination of increased student fee rates and enrollment growth.\nPalmer said she couldn't say whether fee increases or enrollment played a larger role but noted some changes that affected the growth. More students are enrolling full-time instead of part-time at IU's commuter campuses, leading to more tuition. Palmer also noted that students are now paying IU's mandatory $1,000 Commitment to Excellence fund, which means a significant increase in revenue.\nState appropriations, which represent IU's largest single-source of nonoperating revenue, increased from $516.5 million to $530.6 million, a 2.7 percent increase. \nPalmer said IU is pleased with the increase, but she said she believes the limited growth in funds puts limitations of IU's long-range planning. She said IU uses most of the money for immediate concerns such as repair and restoration and current projects, instead of building itself for the future.\n"IU has been through a period where the state has had continually strained resources," she said. "Building our research capabilities puts a lot of pressure on us financially."\nTo counter this setback in growth, IU is taking an aggressive approach to next year's session of the state legislature. J. Thomas Forbes, IU's executive director for state relations, said IU isn't expecting huge increases right away.\n"Until the state's economy recovers, we have to work twice as hard until the money comes around," he said.\nIn order to persuade the state to provide more funding, the financial report took great strides to show IU's benefit to the state of Indiana.\n"The well-being of the state relies on the well-being of its universities," Forbes said. "We also have a responsibility to help the state grow its economy and, in turn, the state provides us with funding."\nIn the financial report, Herbert highlights some of IU's accomplishments that are beneficial to Indiana. He notes that 35 percent of Indiana's teachers, 90 percent of its dentists, 75 percent of its lawyers, 64 percent of its optometrists, 40 percent of its nurses, 50 percent of its physicians and 25 percent of its judges are all IU graduates.\n"This financial report demonstrates that Indiana University continues to regard the funding it receives as a public trust," Herbert said in the report. "Whether its resources are derived from state appropriations, student fees, donor contributions, grants or contracts, IU is committed to utilizing them in ways that reflect the high expectations of those we serve."\nHerbert also highlights IU's development in life sciences, including breakthroughs in cancer treatments and organ transplants.\nPalmer and Forbes both admitted that life sciences are an integral part of their strategy for lobbying the state, since they affect an item that always gets legislators' attention -- jobs.\n"It's a realization that IU has the only school of medicine in the state, and we are well-positioned to bring teaching, research and jobs to the state," Palmer said.\nIU won't be submitting its appropriations request until next year's session, but many officials at IU will be working behind the scenes during the upcoming session to prepare IU for its request.\nIU's financial report is compiled every year by the University's Financial Management Services. IU's group of accountants takes more than 1,000 hours during several works to complete the report. After that, IU's State Board of Accounts audits and certifies that the report is an accurate representation of IU's finances.\nMost years don't show any huge surprises in the financial report.\n"We really don't have any extreme fluctuation," she said. "What we do have fluctuation in isn't a huge part of our revenue."\nAreas such as state grants, which decreased by 2.3 percent, do not have a huge effect on the overall balances. As a result, IU's revenues have shown steady, but not extreme, growth over the last few years.
(12/07/05 4:42am)
The Indiana Daily Student has always been a great college newspaper. This semester has been an exceptional one.\nThis semester has been very successful. We have affected IU policy, informed our readers, entertained the public and developed as journalists.\nOne of the proudest accomplishments is the effect I believe we've had on the IU community. We exposed problems with asbestos in several residence halls which led to changes in RPS policy. We revealed that Kumble Subbaswamy, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, was a candidate for the IU-Bloomington chancellor job. Shortly after the search was restarted, the faculty had an uproar about overlooking Subbaswamy. We printed photos depicting the IU Police Department response in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation parking lot and an internal investigation was launched.\nNot only have we affected policy, but we have also have affected our readers. We covered so many angles regarding Hurricane Katrina, including students who lost their homes and the Bloomington volunteers who reached out to them. With our coverage of the tornado disaster in Evansville, we reported on the scene how IU students were affected. We kept you up to date with IU sports, including a failed three-peat for soccer, improved morale for football and the beginning of a highly-anticipated basketball season.\nWe won several national awards including Best All-Around Daily Newspaper from the Society of Professional Journalists and Best in Show at the College Media Adviser Awards.\nNot everything has been perfect this semester, but no newspaper can claim perfection. Every day is another chance at getting it right and we hope you understand that the IDS is always a work in progress, as all newspapers are. Sometimes, there have been disagreements with our readers or within our staff about certain judgment calls. There can't always be a 100-percent consensus, but nothing has caused serious damage this semester.\nNot only do I think this semester has been amazing, but the readers have felt this way too. We have had a tremendous response from the IU community. Newsstands have been empty. The Web site has received tons of hits. \nWe appreciate the support and we urge you to continue picking up the IDS.\nWe always encourage your feedback, but we are currently taking an extra step to find out what our readers want. We are in the middle of a new readership survey that will poll the opinions of 500 readers to find out certain vital information. We use this to find out how many students actually read the paper, what types of readers we have and what sections they enjoy. We will use this information for several years until our next comprehensive readership survey. It will determine our advertising rates, circulation and editorial content. I won't be editor in chief next week. There will be a whole new staff to make all of our decisions. Still, this survey is your chance to have a real say in what we do for years to come.\nTo take our survey, log on to http://pulseresearch.com/iu. There are several prizes available just for taking the survey, including a $500 prize, a $250 prize, two $100 cash prizes and a $50 prize.\nWe hope the IDS has made some sort of difference this semester. It really has made a difference to me.
(11/16/05 10:55pm)
The administration of IU is in the midst of a tumultuous time. IU faculty members voted Monday night to have the IU board of trustees consider reviewing the presidency of IU leader Adam Herbert.\nWhat does President Herbert think about this?\nWell, we're not really sure.\nYou see, Herbert hasn't been very open to the media. He has given very few interviews and what he has told reporters has been scripted or in the form of a release. He hasn't been candid and hasn't been available.\nWhat is even more disturbing is the fact that Herbert has completely ignored one segment of the public: the students.\nHerbert has refused to speak to the Indiana Daily Student, the advocate for students on campus. We've submitted many interview requests -- all of which Herbert has turned down or hasn't responded to. He won't give a reason why he has refused to speak to the student newspaper, while taking interviews with the Bloomington Herald-Times, WTIU and numerous Indianapolis TV news stations.\nApparently, he finds it more important to speak to them than to talk directly to the student body.\nIt's pretty embarrassing that our own president won't speak to the students he works for. We at the IDS have taken all necessary measures to arrange some time to speak with Herbert. We have told Larry MacIntyre, IU spokesman and press liaison for Herbert, that any time of day and under any circumstances we would accept to speak with our leader. We believe we have given Herbert a fair shake in our newspaper and we have not received any negative feedback about our coverage from the president's office. Whenever Herbert has asked to have his letters to the student body published, we have accommodated his requests. We haven't received much in return. We would like to know why Herbert won't respond to his public.\nThis isn't just about the student newspaper being shut out from an interview. This is about Herbert's unwillingness to address the student body. Students read the IDS more often than the other media sources Herbert has spoken to. The IDS is read by 93 percent of the student body, while the Herald-Times is read by only 29 percent of our students. The other media outlets to which Herbert is granting interviews are targeted mostly toward older audiences. Sure, the faculty, trustees and alumni will see it but not the student body.\nPresident Herbert told Indianapolis TV stations Tuesday that he is open and will strive to be more open to the public. We urge him to keep his promise.\nSo what do we do as a newspaper that acts as an advocate for students? We continue to seek the truth -- all sides of the truth -- even if Herbert won't speak to us. This won't slow down our coverage, but it will sadly eliminate a crucial angle to the story.\nIf you compare IU to a corporation, Herbert would be the CEO and the students would be the shareholders. Corporations are required by law to reveal important information with their shareholders. IU should follow these same practices. We all pay tuition, and we all deserve to know important decisions affecting our university.\nWhat can Herbert do to finally be open to his shareholders? Speak with the student newspaper. Hold a forum to hear student concerns. Allow students to set up appointments to meet with him.\nIf you have any questions for Adam Herbert, e-mail us at letters@indiana.edu. Better yet, e-mail him directly at iupres@indiana.edu, call him at 855-4613 or show up at his office in Bryan Hall Room 100.
(11/02/05 4:47am)
Washington has been full of chatter about confirmation hearings. President Bush marked a success with an easy confirmation of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Then, in a complete turnaround, Harriet Miers' botched nomination tarnished the White House. Now, with conservative judge Sam Alito nominated to the Supreme Court, a battle is expected in D.C. What questions will be asked? Who will filibuster? Will make it through the confirmation hearings?\nThough not as dramatic, the Indiana Daily Student is about to embark on its own confirmation hearings this week. With a lot less controversy than the Supreme Court, the IDS will soon have a new editor in chief selected.\nBeing editor in chief of the IDS is not a lifetime appointment. Every semester, the entire staff changes -- that is, unless people reapply for their positions. Not many people understand the constant turnover and I always get calls from people wanting to talk to spring editor in chief Josh Sanburn.\nConstant turnover is definitely the biggest problem the IDS faces. Once we get people who know how to do their jobs -- poof! They're gone. We are always training new staff members. We also often get complaints about previous semesters. I try to explain to readers that someone who misquoted them five years ago no longer works for our staff, but we still have it held against us.\nThe process for selecting an editor in chief is quite extensive. Although our new editor in chief won't take over until next semester, the application process began weeks ago.\nApplicants must fulfill only a few qualifications. You have to be a registered student in good standing during your semester as editor in chief and must have been at IU for two previous semesters. That's all. Anyone can apply. You don't even have to have worked for the IDS (although I doubt someone would be selected without any staff experience).\nApplicants answer several questions in a very extensive application, which averages seven to 10 pages. Question topics range from promoting diversity within staff and enhancing the Web site. The applications are posted on the Web at www.idsnews.com/eic and in the newsroom (Ernie Pyle Hall, Room 12) for all to see.\nThe next step is to speak in front of the publications board. Each candidate gives a speech and is interviewed by the publications board separately. The publications board is made up of professional journalists, IU faculty members and student leaders. In addition, students from the IDS and Arbutus are elected to represent their staffs in selecting the next editor in chief.\nDuring the publications board meeting, each candidate is usually grilled by the members of the board. Misspellings in the application, news judgment decisions and grades are all fair play. Questions are also opened up to the audience and some of the questions are pretty tough. Anyone can attend the publications board meeting and ask questions.\nThe publications board then convenes and makes a decision about which candidate will lead the IDS. If only one candidate exists, it's likely he or she will be confirmed, but a vote of "no confidence" is possible.\nThe same process also applies for our yearbook, the Arbutus.\nCampus Editor Rick Newkirk is the only candidate for IDS editor in chief for the spring. If you would like to attend his publications board meeting, join us at 1 p.m. this Friday in the Persimmon Room of the Indiana Memorial Union.
(10/26/05 4:08am)
In our increasingly instantaneous news cycle, the old-fashioned print newspaper has a few disadvantages that can be seen quite often. The biggest of all is the deadline.\nOne single issue of a newspaper takes massive amounts of preparation. Some stories and designs are worked on for months before they appear in a paper. It's an extensive process and it's one that starts all over when breaking news occurs.\nWhen that happeens, we are often faced with a decision: Do we scrap the front page we've been working on for so long, do we just alter the page slightly or do we run the page as it is?\nMonday night, we faced one of those decisions.\nRosa Parks, famed civil rights activist, died at 92. We ran a photo and headline on the front page to alert our audience about the news and ran a full story with another photo inside the newspaper. We received some criticism because people thought we should have run the story more prominently on the front page.\nIt wasn't on the Associated Press wire service, which we use for national and international news, until almost 10 p.m., and a full story wasn't posted until nearly 11 p.m.\nOur deadline for sending the newspaper to print is midnight. That is for everything to be written, designed, edited and sent to the printer. Stories can't come in at 11:59 p.m. and make it into the newspaper.\nPage designers can't design pages in only a few minutes, so with every story there has to be a cut-off point where we choose to run a story or not.\nWith Tuesday's front page, we were faced with a decision on how to cover Parks' death. Since we didn't have a full story until 11 p.m., which would give us less than an hour to alter our paper, we decided to put a "plus" on the front and put the full story elsewhere.\nWe felt our front page already had plenty of timely, student-oriented stories and that with another day, we could not just report on the death of Rosa Parks, but report on how it affects the IU community. That is exactly what we have on our front page today.\nIf you check online, most newspapers didn't have any mention of Rosa Parks in their early editions. Only major news sources like The New York Times were able to have staff-written stories on deadline, but those were most likely written years ago.\nIn an ideal world, we'd have local reaction in our paper right away, but deadlines often make that impossible. That is one aspect in which the Internet and TV news have print news beat and we need to adapt as a medium. One way we can compete with day-old news is by going into more analysis and commentary, which have done with our front page story today. We can also use our Web site to provide more complete coverage around-the-clock. Since it would be difficult to call local sources after midnight, we felt a local online update wasn't necessary and could wait until the next day's paper.\nSometimes, it takes time for us to gather sources and report on breaking stories, so we ask our readers to be patient. We won't ignore big news, but the dreaded deadline can delay our coverage.
(10/05/05 5:14am)
There's nothing like a good debate.\nAcross the country this week, politicians, political scientists, TV pundits and college students debated the nomination of Harriet Miers and the confirmation of John Roberts to the U.S. Supreme Court. Advocates on both sides attacked their opposition, calling them stupid and questioning their credibility.\nAs you can probably imagine, the Indiana Daily Student newsroom wasn't separated from any debate. Almost everyone on the staff wanted to express their views on the candidates' qualifications. \n"Roberts trusts precedent and will interpret the law faithfully," some said. "He isn't being forthcoming about his opinions, which isn't enough for a lifetime appointment," said others.\nIn past semesters, especially during the 2004 election, political discussion in the newsroom got out of control. Simple debates turned into full-blown arguments with friends and coworkers yelling at one another. \nSome questioned how certain writers could objectively cover politics with such strong opinions. The decision was made to ban political discussion in the newsroom, even if it was friendly.\nBut is it really possible to stifle political discussion in a newsroom?\nRealistically, you can't. Good journalists are curious. They think about things. They ask tough questions. If you can be truly insightful and analytical and not form opinions on topics, I would be shocked. People are bound to have strong opinions and since we are communicators-in-training, you can't expect a group of us to shut our mouths.\nSo, does this affect our credibility? I don't believe so. Managing Editor Tony Sams wrote in a past column once, "Find me a journalist who doesn't bring some kind of baggage into a newsroom ... and I'll show you the blandest, most impersonal news-writing dud you'll ever meet (that, or I'll show you a liar)." \nThe question is: when should we keep our opinions to ourselves?\nThe standard our management team believes in is that if someone is covering politics or sports or any sort of beat, then he or she should refrain from discussing that topic on the record. No one can be the IU basketball reporter and go on a radio show and say head coach Mike Davis should be fired. Nobody would trust what he or she writes again.\nThat doesn't mean IDS writers can't rail on Bush in their classes. It also doesn't mean a football writer couldn't express his distaste for Davis. But for the beat reporter, the appearance of objectivity is a top priority, so it's necessary to keep certain opinions to oneself.\nIt doesn't mean we discourage political discussion in the newsroom. In fact, we encourage it. We learn more about the other side of a story and can, in fact, become more objective from hearing opposing arguments. The key is to keep it productive and for only certain people to put their opinions in print.\nWe have started an "IU Angles" online section of our Web site, so you can listen in on our political discussions. The first installment featured Arts Editor Adam Sedia and City & State Editor Sam Nissen debating Roberts' qualifications. Expect more in the future.\nBut the discussion isn't just limited to us. We encourage anyone with an opinion to write to letters@indiana.edu. We encourage anyone who wants to share a 50-word rant on sports to e-mail sports@idsnews.com and anyone who wants to participate in an "IU Angles" either through print or audio to e-mail world@idsnews.com.
(09/21/05 4:46am)
In the past two days, Indiana Daily Student editors have had their inboxes filled with complaints about our coverage.\nIn Monday's IDS, we ran a story at the top of the page about shots being fired at 14th Street and Indiana Avenue, and a police search for weapons outside the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, which occurred about an hour before the shooting.\nThe problem, as some of our readers view it, is by running a story about black students detained and handcuffed by the IU Police Department so prominently, we perpetuated a negative stereotype of the black community. We were also criticized for making it seem like the incident at 14th Street and Indiana Avenue was linked to the fight at the Alpha Phi Alpha party at the Indiana Memorial Union and the detainment in the parking lot. \nWhen I first saw the photos for this story, I knew the package as going to be controversial. The photos our photographer brought back to the newsroom depicted black students handcuffed, face-down on the ground with officers pointing firearms at them. We knew the issue of race was going to come up. There was no way to avoid it. Race is an issue that will always have the ability to make people upset, so we wanted to be very careful in covering this story.\nOur first decision: choosing what photo to print in the paper. Despite what some claim, we decided to not run any photos depicting those detained since they weren't charged with anything. We instead ran a photo of IUPD's response, which we felt conveyed the seriousness of the story without offending anyone.\nWhile writing this story, we wanted to make sure we had all the facts correct. We gathered all the information from IUPD and from witnesses and mapped it out on a board to check for inconsistencies. The big question we were left with: "Was there any connection between the two incidents?" IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said due to matching gun descriptions they were investigating this as if they were related. We made sure to cite all information to police reports and not quote it as fact.\nWe also made sure whenever we mentioned a suspect's race that it was necessary for the story. We even circled all instances where we used the word "black" and discussed whether it was necessary. We mentioned race when it had to do with the description IUPD was given, which was simply "black males."\nWhen editing the story, we made sure to have it read by people who initially knew nothing about the story. We wanted a reader's opinion about whether it was fair, clear and appropriate.\nWe made the decision to place it as the top story in the paper because it was legitimate big news. Shots are rarely fired on campus and there obviously was a discussion that needed to be had. It's unfortunate that negative news is sometimes the biggest news, but it's not a steadfast rule. We do not subscribe to "If it bleeds, it leads," but sometimes stories, such as "Police search for shooting suspects," are more timely than positive stories. We cannot ignore big news.\nIf you look back on our front pages during the past few years, the majority of our stories are positive and we've extensively covered diversity issues. Unfortunately, the negative stories always stick out in people's memories.\nSome complained we did not address the issue of IUPD's response, that it might have been excessive or racially motivated. What we think of the incident has no place in the news section of the newspaper. Instead, we chose to have the community speak for itself with an article in Tuesday's paper addressing the issue. In fact, we were 40 minutes late publishing Tuesday's edition of the paper because we wanted to be sure the story was as good as it could be. \nEvery name and quote in the story was cleared with those interviewed. We've made a consistent effort to try to reach anyone with complaints about our coverage or the IUPD's response, but few have wanted to tell their side of the story. We applaud those who have talked with us and encourage more people to e-mail me at aaasen@indiana.edu. You can also e-mail us at letters@indiana.edu to have your voice heard on the opinion page. We are a forum for your ideas and we will try to print as many different opinions as we can. We learn from being presented with opposite ideas.\nWe have made a consistent effort to reach out to our readers with this column and our weekly podcast every Friday afternoon, found on www.idsnews.com. If you ever have any questions about our coverage, never hesitate to contact us.
(09/08/05 4:00am)
In 1987, in an economics class in Sacramento, Calif. a hip-hop group was formed.\nXavier Mosley and Tim Parker were just two kids sitting in class arguing about hip-hop -- and they didn't like each other one bit. The feud was based on geographic differences: Mosley was from the Bay Area and Parker was from the San Fernando Valley area, which caused a musical rift.\n"We really didn't like each other at first," Parker said. "I was from Southern California and he was from Northern California, so we'd always argue about who was better: Ice-T or Too Short."\nBut the two were eventually able to bond over similar tastes. They both heard a New York rapper called Audio Two and his song "Top Billin'" and they thought it was "the dopest song" they've ever heard. Their friendship was ignited and so was their musical careers.\n"From then on, we began building," Parker said.\nAt John F. Kennedy High School, Parker was revered for his rap skills -- even at a young age.\n"I started rhyming just to battle other cats. I'm really a battle emcee at my core," Parker said. "People at school loved it. I don't meant to brag, but I was the best rapper in every school I went to, which was definitely good for my confidence."\nEighteen years later, Parker, now rapper Gift of Gab, and Mosley, now producer Chief Xcel are still the best of friends. Their group, Blackalicious, has had a fierce underground following for years with critically acclaimed albums Nia and Blazing Arrow. Their music is best defined by their beat and lyrics melding together seamlessly. Their newest album, The Craft, will hit stores Sept. 27.\nTheir concert tour promoting The Craft kicked off last week with a stop scheduled at the Bluebird on Monday, Sept. 12. Bluebird general manager Dave Kubiak said bringing Blackalicious to their venue was a no-brainer.\n"We do a lot of underground hip-hop shows and we've never done Blackalicious," Kubiak said. "The response (in ticket sales) has been pretty strong. I've never seen them, but I hear that it's a fantastic live show. But most of the underground hip-hop shows at Bluebird are very entertaining and good shows."\nSo, how is The Craft different from your first two albums?\nGift of Gab: We definitely wanted to make a record that's more cinematic. There's more storytelling going on. There's not a lot of songs where I'm straight up busting in there, because I can pretty much do it in my sleep. It's bigger musically than Nia or Blazing Arrow. We are always trying to grow. We'll never do the same album twice. We'll never do another Nia. We'll never do another Blazing Arrow. We always try to push ourselves. \nWhen did you first start rapping and how was your style developed?\nWhen I was 12 years old. It's definitely something that has developed over time and continues to develop. I think art is a never-ending process. I think when I set out to make a song, I always try to do something new.\nWhat's your songwriting process like? Do the beats come first or the lyrics? Can you write a song without a beat in mind?\nWell, X will get the band together to play and he'll start working on a beat. Then, I'll hear the meat of the track and I'll try to write lyrics that go along with the flow of the beat. I don't necessarily have to hear the beat, but it makes for a better song. I like the beat and the rhymes to be seamless. I think we have good chemistry. I think I see lyrics like he sees music. He can play me a track and he knows me. He knows what I like and what I don't like before I even hear it.\nWhat was it like working on your solo album, 4th Dimension Rocketships Going Up? Was it weird to be working without Chief Xcel?\nIt was good. It definitely was healthy. Whenever you work with other cats, it helps you grow and helps you musically. We still was working on the new Blackalicious album, so it wasn't like we broke up or anything.\nWhat has been the biggest obstacle in your musical career?\nMy own mind. Sometimes, I can have expectations that are hard to meet.\nWhat do you like best about performing? Do you prefer small venues or large ampitheaters?\nI enjoy just being out and the traveling aspect. I really like small places. They're more intimate. Kind of like that house party vibe. Still, there's nothing like thousands and thousands of people ready to hear you perform. They both can be good.\nWhat do you guys do to make your shows stand out beyond just what's on the album?\nWe look at our live show as half of the package. We really focus on the way that it's structured, the way it flows. We really look at where you make the show interactive, where you make it chill. It's definitely strategic.\nDo you have a favorite venue?\nI like the places here in California. I like the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. But the best is the House of Blues in L.A. It's my favorite venue of all time.\nYou collaborated with so many artists on Blazing Arrow. Is there a top-of-list dream artist to work with?\nStevie Wonder. Really, he's the best.\nWhat's your opinion on the state of hip-hop today?\nAh, the infamous question. Honestly, I think it's dope. It's good to be an independent artist right now. I think there's a movement of artists doing their own thing.\nCan you remember the first song you worked on with Chief Xcel?\nHmmm, that's a tough one. Let me think. I think the first thing we did was actually "Paragraph President" from Blazing Arrow. We did an original version of that in the studio a long time ago. That's why it has that old-school feel.\nHow did your family react when you told them you wanted to be a rapper?\nAt first, they said get a career, get a job. I informed them that this is what I wanted to do with my life and they weren't too happy. Once they saw a little bit of money come in, they changed their minds. \nSo, what's in your future?\nI don't really now, Right now, we are promoting this record hard. We'll be on the road for a while. We shot a video for "Your Move." We'll probably do a video for "Powers." After that, we'll just work on another Blackalicious record.
(09/07/05 5:01am)
The first place most people turn to when they first open up the Indiana Daily Student is usually the comics page. After asking their friends for all of the answers to the crossword puzzle and deciphering exactly what their horoscope means, people usually turn to the Sports or Opinion pages.\nPeople love reading the Sports and Opinion pages for the columns. They love to hear what columnists say and to argue with people's opinions. But before readers take in our well-crafted editorials, they look at the mug shots -- and I hate to use a cliché, but a picture is worth a thousand words.\nWhen I was a freshman flipping through the Opinion page, I always wanted to read the columns of people who looked nice. I would think to myself, "He looks like a creep, I'm not going to read that," or "She looks dumb, I'll skip this one."\nPictures color our judgment and one criticism the IDS constantly receives about our columnists is their lack of diversity as a group. This is an issue that can turn away readers.\nThe Opinion page has a tumultuous history with diversity. My freshman year we were criticized for an editorial cartoon that attacked affirmative action. Last year, a columnist raised controversy with a column titled "Black history month is racist." We are always accused of being racist or not presenting enough minority opinions. In truth, some of this criticism is warranted.\nThis week, we selected and introduced our columnists for the fall semester. When making the final cuts, we were faced with a very difficult question -- How should we weigh columnists' background in hiring them?\nOn one hand, we want to reflect the entire student body and we don't want readers to be turned off of reading the page. On the other hand, we don't want to hire columnists as "tokens" either. We don't want our columnists to be read just because they are black or Asian.\nIn the end, we lucked out. We didn't care what race, religion or sexual orientation they were while reading their sample columns, and in most cases we didn't even know. After finalizing our selections, we looked on facebook.com and found out we ended up with a very diverse staff.\nWe valued quality of writing and diversity of ideas, but since backgrounds can affect ideas, you eventually get a variety of people represented. We want all our readers to have columns they can relate to, so they have something that draws them to the page every day.\nNot all of our mug shots are in the paper yet, but when they appear, I urge all readers to look beyond their physical appearances and consider the quality of their opinions. Backgrounds can affect your ideas, but that's not all they are. We have a bright, outspoken and witty staff. I hope you'll enjoy reading them this semester.
(09/07/05 3:47am)
In 1987, in an economics class in Sacramento, Calif. a hip-hop group was formed.\nXavier Mosley and Tim Parker were just two kids sitting in class arguing about hip-hop -- and they didn't like each other one bit. The feud was based on geographic differences: Mosley was from the Bay Area and Parker was from the San Fernando Valley area, which caused a musical rift.\n"We really didn't like each other at first," Parker said. "I was from Southern California and he was from Northern California, so we'd always argue about who was better: Ice-T or Too Short."\nBut the two were eventually able to bond over similar tastes. They both heard a New York rapper called Audio Two and his song "Top Billin'" and they thought it was "the dopest song" they've ever heard. Their friendship was ignited and so was their musical careers.\n"From then on, we began building," Parker said.\nAt John F. Kennedy High School, Parker was revered for his rap skills -- even at a young age.\n"I started rhyming just to battle other cats. I'm really a battle emcee at my core," Parker said. "People at school loved it. I don't meant to brag, but I was the best rapper in every school I went to, which was definitely good for my confidence."\nEighteen years later, Parker, now rapper Gift of Gab, and Mosley, now producer Chief Xcel are still the best of friends. Their group, Blackalicious, has had a fierce underground following for years with critically acclaimed albums Nia and Blazing Arrow. Their music is best defined by their beat and lyrics melding together seamlessly. Their newest album, The Craft, will hit stores Sept. 27.\nTheir concert tour promoting The Craft kicked off last week with a stop scheduled at the Bluebird on Monday, Sept. 12. Bluebird general manager Dave Kubiak said bringing Blackalicious to their venue was a no-brainer.\n"We do a lot of underground hip-hop shows and we've never done Blackalicious," Kubiak said. "The response (in ticket sales) has been pretty strong. I've never seen them, but I hear that it's a fantastic live show. But most of the underground hip-hop shows at Bluebird are very entertaining and good shows."\nSo, how is The Craft different from your first two albums?\nGift of Gab: We definitely wanted to make a record that's more cinematic. There's more storytelling going on. There's not a lot of songs where I'm straight up busting in there, because I can pretty much do it in my sleep. It's bigger musically than Nia or Blazing Arrow. We are always trying to grow. We'll never do the same album twice. We'll never do another Nia. We'll never do another Blazing Arrow. We always try to push ourselves. \nWhen did you first start rapping and how was your style developed?\nWhen I was 12 years old. It's definitely something that has developed over time and continues to develop. I think art is a never-ending process. I think when I set out to make a song, I always try to do something new.\nWhat's your songwriting process like? Do the beats come first or the lyrics? Can you write a song without a beat in mind?\nWell, X will get the band together to play and he'll start working on a beat. Then, I'll hear the meat of the track and I'll try to write lyrics that go along with the flow of the beat. I don't necessarily have to hear the beat, but it makes for a better song. I like the beat and the rhymes to be seamless. I think we have good chemistry. I think I see lyrics like he sees music. He can play me a track and he knows me. He knows what I like and what I don't like before I even hear it.\nWhat was it like working on your solo album, 4th Dimension Rocketships Going Up? Was it weird to be working without Chief Xcel?\nIt was good. It definitely was healthy. Whenever you work with other cats, it helps you grow and helps you musically. We still was working on the new Blackalicious album, so it wasn't like we broke up or anything.\nWhat has been the biggest obstacle in your musical career?\nMy own mind. Sometimes, I can have expectations that are hard to meet.\nWhat do you like best about performing? Do you prefer small venues or large ampitheaters?\nI enjoy just being out and the traveling aspect. I really like small places. They're more intimate. Kind of like that house party vibe. Still, there's nothing like thousands and thousands of people ready to hear you perform. They both can be good.\nWhat do you guys do to make your shows stand out beyond just what's on the album?\nWe look at our live show as half of the package. We really focus on the way that it's structured, the way it flows. We really look at where you make the show interactive, where you make it chill. It's definitely strategic.\nDo you have a favorite venue?\nI like the places here in California. I like the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. But the best is the House of Blues in L.A. It's my favorite venue of all time.\nYou collaborated with so many artists on Blazing Arrow. Is there a top-of-list dream artist to work with?\nStevie Wonder. Really, he's the best.\nWhat's your opinion on the state of hip-hop today?\nAh, the infamous question. Honestly, I think it's dope. It's good to be an independent artist right now. I think there's a movement of artists doing their own thing.\nCan you remember the first song you worked on with Chief Xcel?\nHmmm, that's a tough one. Let me think. I think the first thing we did was actually "Paragraph President" from Blazing Arrow. We did an original version of that in the studio a long time ago. That's why it has that old-school feel.\nHow did your family react when you told them you wanted to be a rapper?\nAt first, they said get a career, get a job. I informed them that this is what I wanted to do with my life and they weren't too happy. Once they saw a little bit of money come in, they changed their minds. \nSo, what's in your future?\nI don't really now, Right now, we are promoting this record hard. We'll be on the road for a while. We shot a video for "Your Move." We'll probably do a video for "Powers." After that, we'll just work on another Blackalicious record.
(07/21/05 4:00am)
In Tim Burton's latest hyped-up summer blockbuster, he takes the daunting task of trying to follow in the footsteps of the nearly perfect 1971 film classic "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." When the trailers were released for the new version, many, including myself, were genuinely excited, but groaned, "It can't be as good as the original." We were right.\nI know what you're saying: it's unfair to compare the new version to the original, since it isn't technically a remake, but a new adaptation of the book. Still, that's no excuse for some of the flaws in this film.\nIn this version, Johnny Depp steals the show as Willy Wonka, a mad candy maker who hides five golden tickets in candy bars and whoever finds them gets a tour of the factory. A poor good-hearted boy from England named Charlie, played exquisitely by Freddie Highmore, finds the last golden ticket after a German glutton, a British spoiled brat, a competitive gum-chewer and a violent video game addict all get the opportunity they don't deserve. One by one, the children's sins come back to bite them as they tour the fantastic factory.\nThe opening scenes of the film get you really excited, but what follow is more sugar than substance.\nThe new version seems to focus so much on the scenery -- Burton's strong point as evident in his other beautiful looking works "Big Fish" and "Edward Scissorhands." But it seems as if the characters in this film don't get the same attention. \nThe plot rushes to the point where all the children find their golden tickets, almost ignoring the media frenzy evident in the original and thusly killing the suspense of Charlie eventually finding his ticket. When you get to the factory, the children are served their punishments so quickly that you really don't get a chance to properly despise them so the sense of satisfaction for the viewer isn't the same.\nOne of the reasons the character development is so weak is that there isn't a lot of dialogue in the film. The rapid-fire wit and asides of the original are gone, replaced by Depp's slow speech and Burton's sweeping camera angles with the gushing Danny Elfman soundtrack in the background.\nThe one character you do get to learn a lot about is Willy Wonka. Depp plays the character like a psychotic man-child, smiling huge and giving creepy stares to everyone he meets. Flashbacks tell you about Wonka's past and how he eventually came to love chocolate and distrust adults. It's kind of interesting to learn all of this, but I found it to be unnecessary and distracting. \nEverything about this movie just doesn't seem to be as whimsical. \nThis film still has plenty of positives. The casting was great and the acting was wonderful. Despite the lack of dialogue, each character gives as much as they can into every line. The costumes are fantastic and the cinematography is something worth studying. Overall, it's a well done film, but it doesn't quite live up to its potential.