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(07/25/02 8:23pm)
The Pentagon plans to activate thousands of military reservists to strengthen defenses of U.S. airspace and to assist in the aftermath of Tuesday's terrorist attacks.\nIU's ROTC programs are not among the personnel affected, but some IU students might be part of "Operation: Noble Eagle," said Lt. Col. Wayne Pollard, professor of military science.\nNo cadets on college campuses will be activated, he said.\n"Our mission is to prepare college students to serve as officers in the army," Pollard said. "Their student status is protected because it would retard this process."\nBut being activated is not the same as being affected. Cadet Battalion Commander Rosemarie Hirata, a senior who will graduate from the ROTC program next year, is anxious about what the future will hold. \n"It hit home that I'll more than likely be over there in a year or two," she said. "We won't be in the U.S. stuck at a base but overseas fighting terrorism."\nPollard remembers when a different George Bush activated guard reserves during Desert Shield. Nobody expected the size of the mobilization that occurred then, he explained. \n"The problem here is that nobody has a complete idea what air, ground, diplomatic, of economic measures are going to be used," he said. "It's no longer sit around and play cards. Everyone's on pins and needles." \nUnder President George W. Bush's authorization, the United States could call as many as 1 million reservists, but armed forces officials say they will need no more that 35,500 troops.\nBush said in a formal declaration of national emergency the extra troops are needed in light of a "continuing and immediate threat" of further terrorist attacks on the United States.\nIt is the first partial mobilization of the nation's 1.3 million reservists since January 1991, when 265,322 were called to active duty at the outset of the Persian Gulf War. Such a call-up is permitted by law if the president declares a national emergency. Bush said an emergency exists because of Tuesday's aerial attacks on the Pentagon and New York's World Trade Center.\nIU realizes the mobilization of reserves may affect IU students.\n"Any student called to active duty may withdraw from all courses and receive a 100 percent refund of tuition and fees," according to the Office of Communications and Marketing. \nReservists who leave school, might -- by permission of instructors -- "receive an incomplete or a final grade in the courses taken."\nStudents who wish to withdraw from courses as a result of being called to active duty must provide a copy of their orders to the Registrar's Office along with a signed note asking to be withdrawn. \nCraig Duehring, a senior Pentagon personnel executive, said he was not sure when the first call-ups would be made. Victoria Clarke, spokeswoman for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, said they would come within days.\nAll are intended for duty in the United States, officials said, although additional call-ups beyond the initial 35,500 might be sent abroad. Besides the "homeland defense" role, some others will provide mortuary services in New York City and other support for civilian agencies, Duehring said.\nA key task for those called up will be continental air defense, a mission the active-duty military ceded to the Air National Guard in the aftermath of the Cold War.\nNormally, only 20 fighter-interceptor jets are on 24-hour alert to protect against violations of U.S. and Canadian airspace, but after Tuesday's attacks from hijacked airliners Rumsfeld ordered combat air patrols over numerous U.S. cities.\nPatrols are now being flown only in the New York-Washington air corridor, but Rumsfeld said Thursday he ordered fighter-interceptors at 26 bases to be ready to launch with 15 minutes notice.\nAn unspecified number of the 35,500 reservists being called to active duty will fill those air defense missions, said Maj. Gen. Paul Weaver, director of the Air National Guard.\nThe Associated Press contributed to this story.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Eigenmann Hall residents took to the polls Tuesday and passed a referendum 183-42 that merged the Eigenmann Resident Association with the Residence Halls Association. Because voter turnout was more than 20 percent, the results are officially binding.\nOne ballot was unmarked.\n"This is a new government to match the new personality of Eigenmann," said Brian Logue, senior vice president of ERA. "It will still maintain its diversity, and that's only going to add to RHA. Maybe some voices they haven't heard before."\nThis was the third appeal in the last three years from both organizations to the residents of Eigenmann. The previous two tries, turnout never reached the 20 percent necessary to amend the Eigenmann Constitution, and therefore the results of the vote could never be approved.\n"I'm elated we finally put the issue to bed," Logue said. "Eigenmann moved in a positive direction today."\nHistorically, Eigenmann has governed itself internally through ERA rather than become a member of the collective RHA. It had maintained its independence in the past because the majority of its residents were graduate and over-21 and thus did not benefit from the RHA programs. \nBut in the last four years, the number of freshman living in Eigenmann has increased dramatically, making it no different than any other residence hall on campus. \nLogue, a junior, said it was time to forget Eigenmann's autonomy and merge with RHA. \n"Before, it was a grad student and older student dorm, different from other resident halls," said Logue. "Essentially, ERA now mirrors RHA. It doesn't make much sense to continue on as we are right now."\nDietrich Willke, president of Eigenmann, praised the decision of the residents. \n"It will make representation and unity of residents much more effective," he said. \nRHA will begin taking over operation of ERA immediately. In the process, ERA will lose its guaranteed seats on the Campus and Housing Advisory Committee and the Meal Plan Committee, but as RHA president senior Ken Minami explained will not lose any of its independence. \n"It's only going to give Eigenmann residents more voice, channeled through RHA, which is a very powerful organization," said Minami. \nAnother result of the transition is that $1.65 for each student will be transferred from ERA's budget to RHA in order to pay for specific programs for the residents.
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
For 10 years, Peggy MacPeak made baseball caps on the assembly line at a New Era factory in Derby, N.Y. Her job was to force a piece of cardboard into the bill before stitching it closed. It was grueling, monotonous work, but she said she was always proud of the caps she helped to make.\nThat was before she blew out three discs in the back of her neck, the direct result, her doctors said, of hunching over. She had to have surgery to repair her neck, and at age 50, it left her unable to continue working.\n"I went through all of my surgery, and they had no regard for me because I couldn't keep producing," she said. \nThe fight for improved labor conditions is fought at the Derby factory every day. Sunday, that battle will come to IU and then campuses all across the country. The Workers Rights Consortium will visit IU at 8 p.m. Sunday to gain support for the New Era workers, and to discuss their campaign in Mexico. It is the first stop on a 10-day, 12-university tour. The meeting will be in Woodburn Hall Room 101.\nDebbie Labruna, an New Era representative for corporate relations, said she would not comment on MacPeak's injury or New Era's labor policies at this time.\nMacPeak's injury is just one of a trend of work-related injuries at the New Era factory. Almost all of her co-workers have been injured in some sort, she said, mentioning carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis and sprained backs as commonplace.\n"Every person I know at New Era has been to a doctor because of how they make the caps," she said. "I had to have surgery because of them."\n A growing number of complaints by employees in Derby similar to McPeak's set off alarms at the WRC, an organization created by colleges to inspect labor abuses in factories where college apparel is made. \n The WRC visited the Derby factory this summer, and it found high rates of worker injury, member said. The official report, released in August, found that nearly half of the employees have been diagnosed with a musculo-skeletal disorder associated with their job. It specifically blamed New Era for the injuries, stating that "New Era has yet to implement minimally adequate occupational health and safety protocols." \nSince the WRC report was issued, the workers at the plant have gone on strike, demanding improved working conditions. But the company refuses to acknowledge that there is a serious problem, MacPeak said.\nMacPeak wonders how long she and others will have to fight.\n"They have no regard for our injuries," she said. "They just don't seem to realize what they're doing. Once your hands and back start to go, they throw you out the door to get some new hands and new backs."\nThe WRC works with universities to monitor labor abuses worldwide. Factories where college apparel is produced are investigated by the WRC, which compiles its findings and presents it to the affiliated universities. The goal of this collaboration is that with the information in these reports, colleges can then use their leverage to force companies to improve working conditions. \nScott Nova, executive director of the WRC, said universities benefit from his organization. \n"We work with universities to convince them to put pressure on suppliers to eliminate violations and to improve respect for worker rights," Nova said. "Universities want to make sure that the values they teach students are reflected in their own business practices."\nIn response to the New Era violations, IU's WRC advisory board and the chapter of United Students Against Sweatshops sent a letter to New Era in mid-November, urging them to cooperate with the report. \nSenior Nancy Steffan, an IU member of USAS, said she hopes New Era will listen to the demands of colleges and improve the labor conditions. \n"We expect New Era to comply," she said. "Universities are big consumers of apparel, and they should use that leverage to monitor the factories." \nNova said IU should take the labor abuses at New Era seriously, although he said it is unusual for them to occur in the U.S. \n"Labor rights are violated in the U.S. as they are overseas," he said. "Our obligation is to help enforce codes of conduct whether the factory is in Buffalo or Bangladesh"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
A coalition of interest groups that includes IU administrators has united to form an alliance to convince Indiana lawmakers that the future of the state depends on increased support for higher education. \nThe Alliance for Indiana's Future includes members from areas as diverse as the business sector, real estate, farming and Purdue University.\nThe unprecedented alliance has collaborated on a strategic plan for the state, announced last Friday, that members hope will be addressed by lawmakers during this session of the Indiana General Assembly. The plan includes a careful reassessment of property and business taxes and increased funding for state universities and public schools.\nBill Stephen, IU vice-president of public affairs, said the creation of the alliance will give legislators a fresh outlook on the importance of education to the well-being of the state.\n"The alliance's interest is making sure that the education issue is very clearly understood as integral to the future of the state," he said. "We hope to insure that the role of education is supported as the state moves forward. Rather than sit on the sidelines this legislative session, this coalition will say, 'let's not lose this opportunity to establish a vision for the state.'"\nThe vision outlined by the Alliance comes at a time when the state faces a budget crisis. \nAccording to Governor Frank O'Bannon's proposed budget plan, IU will bear some of the impact of the state's financial woes. About $11.6 million will be cut from technology and $13 million from construction.\nBut the alliance is not deterred, Stephen explained. \n"There are some risks, but this group believes that the risks of the state are far greater if nothing is done this legislative session," he said. \nAlthough IU faces a challenge this year, the alliance will hopefully play a major part in drumming up support for higher education, President Myles Brand said. \n"Indiana University is pleased to be part of this unprecedented coalition working toward Indiana's economic well being," Brand said in a statement. "We are here because we are all aware that our state faces a serious fiscal challenge. We must develop a vision for Indiana…if we lack vision, the economy will not thrive."\nThe coalition is composed of a curious array of groups that don't normally get along. \nBut according to Kirk White, director of Hoosiers for Higher Education and a voice in the alliance, the broad membership will not hamper the achievement of the group's goals. \n"It's a unique combination of groups that sometimes find themselves disagreeing with one another," White said. "This is one of the most difficult budget situations the state has been in, in 10 years, but they're starting the process of a challenging situation. In this case, they're all on the same page." \nAccording to IU trustee Stephen Ferguson, the respective groups of the alliance are bound together by a common economic interest. \n"The partnership makes sense because as you look at the twenty-first century, the kind of driving force that is going to make the economy go will be built around your research institutions," he said. "A state that has a good educational system probably doesn't have to worry about economic development. It will come"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
INDIANAPOLIS -- In his annual address to the State last night, Gov. Frank O'Bannon made it clear that in spite of the state's budget crisis, maintaining that a commitment to education is at the top of his agenda. The governor promised that he would do "everything possible to protect our progress in Indiana's schools." \nThat would include raising cigarette and gambling taxes and restructuring property taxes. These tax increases will be unavoidable to offset a loss in state revenue caused by the dismal economic situation. \nPledging to fight for education, O'Bannon warned throughout his speech that the future of the state's economy depends heavily on a strong education system. \n"In a choice between those taxes and our schools, I will pick Indiana's children every time," he said.\nAchieving the governor's plans for education will be a difficult challenge. Indiana Republicans made it clear that they would oppose a tax increase of any kind. \n"Republicans are not here to raise taxes for budget bailout," House Minority Leader Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said. "There's simply no need during recessionary times to raise taxes to balance the budget."\nHouse Majority Leader Mark Kruzan, D-Bloomington, said he supports the governor's stance on education, and emphasized the dire choice the state faces in maintaining that commitment.\n"If we don't pass the cigarette and gambling tax increases, schools and public university funding will be cut," he said. "It's already happened to higher education, and it could get worse."\nKruzan warned that if the legislature chooses to do nothing, tuition increases will certainly follow.\nBosma labeled the governor's proposal as a "knee-jerk" reaction. \n"I was struck by the choices the governor gave to the state," he said. "He asked us to choose between taxes and education. Those are false choices and misrepresentations."\nO'Bannon also celebrated the steps the state and IU have made in developing its research programs, specifically the Human Genome Project and the School of Informatics. Through state support, DNA mapping and communication breakthroughs have been made possible. \n"IU's new School of Informatics is training students for careers in what used to be the jobs of tomorrow but which are a critical and rapidly growing component of Indiana's economy today," O'Bannon said.\nThe School of Informatics at IU was established in 1999 as the first of its kind in the nation. It deals with the study of the psychological and social aspects of the field of information science.\nThe governor said although he was prepared to do everything possible to safeguard higher education, there were many challenges.\n"We cannot cut enough to make up that projected $3 billion revenue loss without jeopardizing the state's biggest expense-our public schools and our universities," he said.\nSen. Vi Simpson,D-Bloomington, said support for education cannot remain a top priority without raising revenue through tax increases. \n"The budget deficit is such that without the governor's plan or some serious plan that raises revenue with cuts, we will be in a situation where we will have to make deep, significant cuts in education," she said.\nShe said O'Bannon has a deep concern for education in this state.\n"It breaks his heart to think we will be taking steps backward," she said. "He is willing to take the risk to ask legislators to make tough decisions and do what's right for the state instead of what's right politically"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
Governor Frank O'Bannon knew his proposal to safeguard education would be a tough sell. In his annual State of the State speech earlier this month, he called on lawmakers to raise cigarette and gambling taxes to insure the state economy through investment in education. \nThese increases are necessary, O'Bannon said, to stave off the $3 billion the state will lose by 2003 and the drastic cuts in spending that would follow. \n"If we do not act now," he said, "the future of all of our children is in jeopardy."\nRaising taxes is always unpopular with the people of Indiana, O'Bannon's press secretary Mary Dieter said.\nIn order to secure continued funding for education during the economic recession, she said, the governor is willing to fight that uphill battle. \n"The governor has always made education his top priority," she said. "No one wants to raise taxes, but there are times when one has to be responsible and this is that time. Without balancing the budget, he will have to make much deeper cuts that will include public schools and universities."\nBut state Republicans have shown considerable resistance to the governor's tax plan. House Republican Leader Brian Bosma (R)-Indianapolis has said a tax increase would be detrimental to the economy and would only add to the taxpayer's burden. \nRepublicans have made their own revisions to the governor's plan. It calls for a complete reassessment of the state's taxes in a revenue-neutral way, meaning that overall, there will be no new taxes. \n"In tough economic times, the government must do what all Hoosier families do -- we must tighten our belts and restrain spending," Bosma said. "These revisions protect Hoosiers from excessive tax increases."\nIU is watching this session of the General Assembly very closely. How lawmakers decide to bail out the state will determine whether IU must raise tuition again or make deeper administrative cuts.\n"We need a bipartisan approach to the problem," President Myles Brand said. "Governor O'Bannon and Lieutenant Governor Joe Kernan have put on the table the plans necessary to start the discussion, but we need both parties to come together."\nDespite the recession and financial travails of the state, Brand said acting now is vital to IU and to the state of Indiana. \n"We're moving into a new era in which well-educated people will drive the economy and quality of life that we all enjoy, and Governor O'Bannon understands that well," Brand said. "If we wait a year or two, the budget deficit will have increased and the difficulty of the problem will have increased."\nChancellor Sharon Brehm is new to Indiana, but not to the idea of strong higher education. A well- funded educational system can only mean good things for the well-being of the state, she said. \n"It is very difficult to respond to severe budget challenges, but we must always keep in mind that if we fail to protect the strength and capability of our educational institutions now, we put our future economic prosperity at risk," Brehm said. "In my view, that is a risk we cannot afford to take."\nIn his State of the State speech, O'Bannon lauded the progress IU has made in the School of Informatics. The economy of the state is becoming more technology-driven, he said, and the School of Informatics is preparing students for that change. \nDean of Informatics Michael Dunn said he hopes both Republicans and Democrats will come together to find a solution to the budget deficit that includes education spending.\n"The future of any region depends on information technology these days," he said. "I think everyone who depends on state funds is nervous about the funding problems the state is having. In the past, we've had good bipartisan support from those people who see higher education as one of the drivers of economic growth"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
A report on the implementation of cost-saving procedures for non-academic administrative services at IU and IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis was released this week. It marks the completion of the second stage of a long-term project to make IU's administrative services more cost-effective.\nThe report contains 13 implementation plans compiled by over 100 IU employees in collaboration with the Competitive Government Strategies consulting firm. The plans have been created to facilitate the recommendations made by auditing firm Arthur Anderson. \nLast year, Arthur Anderson made a series of recommendations to the University on ways to achieve future cost-savings and increase efficiency. The undertaking of the Anderson review encapsulated nearly all administrative organizations, from the IU Bookstore and motor pool to warehousing. The regional campuses were not included.\nThe Anderson recomendations were divided into six groups by task forces, including auxiliaries, puchasing/warehousing, human resources, finance, student services and indirect costs. Student services and indirect costs were excluded from the report. \nBecause the indirect cost team is still developing their plan and student services has been merged into another administrative area, the Medical School and athletics were also not included in the reports, but Palmer said they have been evaluated in the past. \nAll money saved by the review project will be reinvested into academics.\nEach task force studied the recommendations of the Anderson report and prepared a timeline for when each recommendation should be carried out. \nImplementation of the plans will be ongoing, IU Chief Financial Officer and chair of the review Judith Palmer said. \n"It is a continuous process," she said. "Each of the recommendations will have different time frames. Many of these recommendations focus on future cost avoidance. Some of them address actual savings that may be generated now."\nPalmer mentioned purchasing as an area that may take some time to complete but should involve significant cost optimization. \n"The purchasing directors will be working together to take full advantage of the leveraging size of the University," she said. "That is a case where if we were able to, by virtue of our size, put together orders from both campuses, then we will see savings in the budget."\nDaniel Rives, associate vice-president for human resources, served on the committee that created implementation plans affecting the more than 17,000 employees of IU. According to the Arthur Anderson report, Rives's task force was assigned to "streamline the administrative process and increase the use of technology within the University's recruiting function." Their implementation plan is already well underway. \nLast week, the Office of Human Resources unveiled OLA, a new online application process for the University. The service is one of only two of its kind in the Big Ten.\n"Some of the recommendations we have been working on for the last six months," Rives said. "We have continued to improve our use of technology, and we are rolling out a Web-based application mechanism for employees."\nOther recommendations, such as centralizing the student loan process, will take up to a year to complete.\nUniversity Information Technology Services Human resources officer Deborah Allmayer worked on the Human Resources committee. She came to meetings all summer to develop the plans that will ideally free up more money for academics. \n "We worked pretty intensely over the summer," Allmayer said. "I'm hopeful that some of the recommendations will be implemented, and we'll see better service and cost savings because of it. Our budget is constrained, and we don't want to have to charge any more in tuition than we have to." \nThis is the second stage of the long-term administrative review, commissioned by President Myles Brand last spring to assess the performance of administrative areas for cost-effectiveness and to reinvest any savings in academic spheres.\n"In terms of an effort that is as organized over a large array of administrative services, it has been many years since the University has undergone this sort of review," Palmer said. "But the campuses and units do a good job of doing this continuous process of becoming more efficient internally." \nVice President and Chief Administrative Officer J. Terry Clapacs said the report is designed increase efficiency in University spending.\n"It certainly isn't routine, and this one comes about because we have to find ways to become more efficient and keep our admininstrative expenses down," Clapacs said. "It's a difficult time for the university and the budget, and we're trying to make available dollars stretch as far as we can"
(07/25/02 8:23pm)
A resolution that was introduced Tuesday at the Bloomington Faculty Council meeting urged President Myles Brand and the IU administration to stop fighting the lawsuits brought against the University by The Indianapolis Star.\nThe proposal specifically endorses open access to public records and the insurance that "no further University funds are expended in support of efforts to prevent the release of public documents." \nVictor Viola, the sponsor of the resolution, said the faculty needs to send a stern message to the administration. \n"I feel strongly that this incident has damaged the University, and the sooner we get it behind us, the better," he said. "It would be in the faculty's best interest to pass this." \nIn a lawsuit brought by The Indianapolis Star, the Star contends that IU violated Public Records laws by refusing to release documents related to the firing of Bob Knight. IU has already spent $210,000 to defend itself in the resulting litigation. \n"The principle defended by the University of not releasing documents and going to an extent to not release these documents gives the impression of a coverup and makes everything worse," Viola said.\nThe proposal was not voted on at the meeting. Most of the members of the Faculty Committee said they would need more detailed information on the proposal's legal ramifications before they could take an official stance. The uncertainties of the proposal, members said, rest on the Public Records Access Act and the effect the ultimate outcome would have on third parties, such as students. \n"We felt we needed more information to make a responsible decision," said Bob Eno, the agenda committee president. "This is on faculty members' minds, and I think they'll appreciate that the FC is pursuing it."\nInviting the University's legal counsel to the next meeting to discuss the lawsuits was suggested. There was also talk of consulting an independent lawyer, although how the committee would pay for that lawyer was not clear. \nAnn Gellis, a member of the agenda committee, requested more information before she could pass the faculty's resolution condemning the administration. She was concerned that if the University did release the Knight file, a precedent might be set that makes all personnel files public record. \n"What really is the effect of the resolution?" she asked the members of the BFC. "What effect would it have on the opening of other personnel files? It is quite possible that this would make every personnel file open."\n The proposal underscored a rift between the administration and the faculty over The Star lawsuits. In its objection to the University's actions, the proposal states, "The Bloomington Faculty Council supports the principle of open access to public records as a fundamental responsibility of a state institution." \n The next meeting of the council will take place Feb. 19.
(04/24/02 6:11am)
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender support services is planning a conference at IU, the Sexual Minority Youth in the Heartland Conference, for July 19-21. It will educate teachers, counselors and principals on ways to handle sexual minority youths in their communities and schools.\nSix days later, the Boy Scouts of America will kick off its Order of the Arrow conference, an elite jamboree of camping and recreation. Nearly 8,000 are expected to attend, making it the largest gathering here this summer.\nA clash of the conferences has created a clamor on campus because of the Boy Scout's policy against admitting homosexuals. \nAlready, the announcement of the presence of the Boy Scouts this summer has some feeling uncomfortable. The anti-harassment team of the GLBT has received a number of complaints, asking IU to bar the Boy Scouts from campus. \nTo some, permitting the Order of the Arrow conference to take place here is a contradiction of IU's diversity messages. \n"The GLBT team did receive some reports from students who were upset and angered that IU was using their facilities for an organization like the Boy Scouts, whose bigotry with regard to sexual orientation issues seemed to be clear," GLBT advisor Bill Shipton said.\nUnder law, IU has no choice but to allow the Scouts to come, University counsel, Kip Drew, said. The First Amendment provides all groups with equal access to IU's campus. The University, however, does not support every group that comes here.\n"As a state entity, once we make our facilities available for use by outside groups, we can't engage in viewpoint discrimination," Drew said. "With regard to the Boy Scouts, it's certainly not consistent with diversity policy."\nIn the case of Boy Scouts of America v. Dale two years ago, the Supreme Court affirmed the Scout's right to exclude gays from its organization. \n"The University respects the concept of having groups from diverse backgrounds here at the campus," IU spokesman Kirk White said. "And just as the University hosts this group, it hosts others that have the opposing view."\nThe large presence of Boy Scouts in part influenced the GLBT decision to proceed with its own Sexual Youth Minority in the Heartland conference, which has been in the works for five years, GLBT coordinator Doug Bauder said. \nThe idea for the GLBT conference initially emerged as a result of hearing concerns from gay youths who reported feeling isolated in small communities such as Spencer, Bedford and Martinsville. The GLBT discovered that rarely do these small towns have adults who make themselves accessible to those struggling with their sexual orientation. \n"Those who turn to guidance counselors in small towns often get quoted Bible passages or get made fun of," he said. "They aren't helped at all."\nThe GLBT Youth Conference is an invitation to teachers, counselors and principals in the Heartland who want to support and help gay youth in their communities. Topics of discussion will include safe schools, the prevention of sexually transmitted disease, how to support GLBT youth and strategies of inclusion.\n"We want to encourage folks who have an interest in this issue to be open about the support they are willing to provide," Bauder said. "The hope is that more schools or communities will have at least one individual who would come forward and say 'This is a need we have to address, and I'm willing to help.'"\nThe conference is the first of its kind in the Midwest. Former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders is the keynote speaker. \n"It's something IU is uniquely positioned to provide," said Bauder, referring to IU's location in the center of the traditionally conservative southern Indiana. "We relate to a lot of students who begin to address these issues after growing up in a small town."\nDespite the complaints about the Order of the Arrow conference, White said IU's commitments to diversity remain intact. \n"Many groups target (the Scouts) as an old standard that needs to be changed," White said. "The University respects the concept of having groups from diverse backgrounds here at the campus"
(04/10/02 5:17am)
In response to allegations of workers' rights abuse, IU has terminated its licensing contract with the New Era Cap Company. The termination came as a result of New Era's repeated refusal to cooperate with the Workers' Rights Consortium, a labor rights watchdog that represents IU and other universities. \nPresident Myles Brand sent a letter to New Era in early March threatening to terminate the contract unless the company complied with the Workers' Rights Consortium investigation of a New Era factory in Derby, N.Y. New Era did not meet Brand's deadline for compliance.\nThe lack of responsiveness by New Era and IU's concern for the continuing disregard for labor rights prompted president Brand to terminate the contract, Vice President for Public Affairs and Government Relations Bill Stephan said.\n"There has been significant time given to New Era to make some headway, but there wasn't the progress we had hoped for," Stephan said. "There were some concerns about health and safety issues in particular, and the (sweatshop advisory committee) determined that there was some legitimacy to these concerns."\nJunior Megan Hise, member of the IU chapter of No Sweat!, said New Era has not shown respect for either its licensing contract with IU or the rights of its workers. \n"They have had ample time to comply and have given us significant reason for concern," Hise said. \nNo Sweat! represents students on the IU sweatshop advisory committee and fights for improved labor conditions worldwide. \nThe Workers' Rights Consortium and universities work in conjunction to improve labor conditions in factories where university apparel is manufactured. The consortium monitors labor conditions for universities, and universities use their licensing leverage to force improvements. \nThe consortium first released an expose of the Derby factory in August 2001, claiming that more than half of the New Era employees there had been diagnosed with a musculo-skeletal disorder. The report damned New Era for not implementing even "minimally adequate occupational health and safety protocols."\nIn a follow-up report released in February, the consortium charged New Era with evading the accusations and refusing to cooperate with further investigations.\nA meeting between the consortium and New Era has been scheduled for April 16. Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Damon Sims is hopeful there will be a constructive dialogue. \n"We have indicated that if they do comply finally and move in the right direction, then we will reconsider our relationship with them and perhaps consider renewing the contract," Sims said. \nBut Hise doubts New Era's sincerity in addressing the workers' rights issues, calling it just another stalling ploy.\n"This is just a beginning of mediation with the company, and if they aren't willing to be cooperative, then that doesn't say much for our hope for them to remediate the serious labor rights allegations," she said. "Until the WRC says they have made significant steps and have finished their investigation, I don't think we will be renewing the contract."\nTad Segal, spokesperson for New Era, defended the company, saying the allegations of poor working conditions are "just outright not true," and that the company is committed to its workers.\nThe April 16 meeting between New Era and the Workers' Rights Consortium should satisfy IU's conditions for compliance, he said. \n"The meeting is an effort to sit down with the Derby facility, to provide a full review of working conditions and to allow the Workers' Rights Consortium to take a look for themselves that this is a well run company that respects workers," he said.\n"We hope IU will take another look," Segal said. "We've had a good relationship in the past, and we hope to continue it."\nWith the decision to terminate its licensing contract with New Era, IU joins a small group of other universities including Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa. \nStephan said the contract was worth "several thousand dollars"
(04/02/02 6:40am)
When the news broke that auditing agency Arthur Andersen shredded Enron-related documents, the company's demise was supposed to be imminent. When Andersen was indicted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, when clients like Delta defected, and when the C.E.O. resigned, its demise was supposed to be swift.\nBut so far it has been neither, in part due to strong ties to places like IU and the Kelley School of Business.\nAndersen has maintained "thoughtful and informative" contact with the Kelley School since the first stages of the company's crisis began to unfold, said accounting professor James Pratt. The mishandling of documents in the Enron case should not be indicative of the performance of the entire company, he said.\n"I don't want to discount the severity of the situation," Pratt said. "But the unfortunate situation that occurred in one office is not necessarily representative of the people who work on another audit."\nAndersen employs over 85,000 people in 84 countries and 28,000 people domestically.\nAt the Kelley School of Business, Arthur Andersen is the number one recruiter. In 2001, company officials made close to 85 trips to the Kelley School for career fairs, orientation programs, roundtables and interviews. \nAccording to statistics on the Business Placement Office Web site, notable changes occurred in recruiting patterns this year. Andersen hired only 25 IU students this year, compared to 40 last year. \nThis is coupled with a surge in recruiting experienced by one of Andersen's biggest rivals, Deloitte & Touche. It hired 41 students, compared to only 22 last year.\nJob offers are made in January, said director of the Business Placement Office Randy Powell, so students were aware of accusations of document shredding at the time of their hiring. \nBy Powell's standards, Andersen had an off-year in recruiting. He said they consistently have hired 30 to 40 students for the last 15 years. \nDespite the apparent drop in recruiting, the strong relationship between Andersen and the Kelley School has been reinforced since the Enron scandal was made public, Powell said. Contact has increased with the faculty who generally defend Andersen's position. And students who have been hired by Andersen also have stood up for the company, he said. \n"They put a lot of energy and effort in this school," Powell said. "Andersen is doing a good job of staying in touch with faculty in e-mails and personal visits. They've been down here and met with all the students they made offers to. It has made (the relationship) a little bit stronger."\nThe stronger relationship assumes Andersen survives its indictment for obstruction of justice by the SEC. And even if it does, it may be radically transformed. The Volker proposal in front of the SEC would create a new management team at Andersen in exchange for dropping the charges.\nJohn Hill, professor of accounting, said although the indictment doesn't look good for the future of Andersen, it's not all grim news. \n"It certainly doesn't look good," he said. "From the standpoint of students, I don't think in the long run they are going to be hurt at all. Interest in accounting is up as a result of the Enron thing. Students see all this controversy and it's kind of exciting. If accounting has the potential to be this problematic, then that's kind of interesting."\n Powell has kept in touch with IU alumni who work at Andersen all over the country. They have called him regularly to say the company is still afloat. \n "Alums are still calling me to say it's a great company," he said. "They are extremely distressed that a few could destroy the image of their great company. I don't know what is still going to happen."\n At the moment, everyone is waiting to see how the SEC indictments will pan out.\nLast spring, IU hired Arthur Andersen's consulting division to lead a task force for a massive Review of Non- Academic Administrative Services. The task force made 16 cost-effective recommendations that are now in the stage of being implemented.\nJudy Palmer, chief financial officer at IU led the task force. She was "pleased" with the report Andersen did.\nPalmer said it would be impossible for her to speculate on whether Andersen would be hired by IU in the future, but that "all these factors would certainly come into play."\nGraduate student David Kibiger is president of the accounting fraternity Beta Alpha Psi and the Student Accounting Society. He said the company has always been one of the most active and most visible to work with.\n"Andersen has been wonderful working with us and keeping the relationship alive," Kibiger said. "We don't know what's going to happen to the company. That is still up in the air. Andersen has been awesome in the past."\nKibiger said the document shredding and the since-maligned reputation would not alone sway his decision to seek an auditing job there. \n"The people I've met at Andersen and the type of work they do are excellent," he said. "They are one of the best companies I have seen. Yes, they have problems, but I see it more as a blip on the radar screen." \nA rash of defections from Andersen has been steady. Delta airlines, Sara Lee and Calloway Golf are among the 50 companies who have left the auditing agency. The Hershey Corporation is among those who have decided to stay.\nDick Culp, director of administration for the Indianapolis office of Andersen, downplayed the mounting problems his company faces. "The quality of the company has been called into question by some people looking in from the outside," he said. "But the quality of the company is not in fact questionable. This kind of event could have happened to any of a number of large companies."\nProfessor Pratt spoke differently.\n"It's a very serious situation," he said. "There is a fair amount of uncertainty about what will play out in the end"
(03/27/02 4:17am)
Brooklyn don and hip-hop star Fabolous will bring his signature sneer to IU in concert April 17. The show is sponsored by Zeta Beta Tau fraternity and is part of the Little 500 festivities.\nIt will be held outdoors in the fenced-in yard behind the ZBT house at 1500 N. Jordan Ave. Tickets are on sale there for $20. The show starts at 6 p.m.\nAt 22, Fabolous is one of the hottest upstart rappers in the country. His debut album, Ghetto Fabolous, made it to No. 4 on the Billboard charts last September. It has been propelled by the "holla back" single "Young'n" and "Can't Deny it" with Nate Dogg. \nThe young'n also lent verses on the R&B hits "Peaches and Cream," by 112, and "Superwoman Pt. 2," by Lil Mo. \n"We decided to get Fabolous because rarely does a hip-hop artist come to the Little 5," ZBT external social David Jacobson said.\nZBT internal social Steve Gold thinks IU students will enjoy the show. He said he expects about 2,500 people to pack the backyard to see Fabolous. \n"He's up-and-coming, he's getting big, he's on MTV and BET and we just thought it would be a great show," Gold said. \nLocal hip-hop group Holistic will open for Fabolous.
(03/25/02 7:41pm)
The storm has not yet passed. Despite weathering over $100 million in budget cuts this year, IU is bracing for another round this week. \nGovernor Frank O'Bannon is expected to announce more cuts Thursday to bail out the beleaguered $1.3 billion deficit projections.\nDon Weaver, IU's representative at the state house, doesn't think IU can take much more pounding. \nThe state has brought down the ax enough on IU, he said. \n"Anything additional at this point will be very harmful to the institution," Weaver said. "We are very leery of what might be coming still."\nKirk White, director of Hoosiers for Higher Education, predicts more of the same in cuts this week. O'Bannon still has several hundred million left to plug, he said.\nWhite and Hoosiers for Higher Education sent an e-mail Thursday to alumni to inform them of the latest budget cuts and to encourage them to write letters to O'Bannon in defense of higher education. \n"Further reductions will limit access for students and place faculty hiring and retention gains at risk," White wrote in the letter. "Now is not the time to make further cuts to the higher education budget."\nThe nearly $100 million in funding that IU will not receive next year has translated so far into cuts in the technology division, renovation and repair projects, layoffs at the physical plant and administrative expenses, as specified by contingency plans President Myles Brand announced in December. \nWhite said future cuts to education may ultimately put pressure on trustees to raise tuition. Ball State University announced a 10 percent tuition increase Friday for summer enrollment. \n"What does this mean for tuition?" White said. "There comes a time when you have to say when do these budget cuts impact student's ability to stay in school or come to the University in the first place."\nKaren Adams, vice president for information technology, said cutting technology funding again will set back one of the strongest university technology programs in the nation. \nUniversity technology has already been crippled by losses of over two-thirds of its budget due to previous state cuts. In a field that changes as rapidly as technology does, the cuts will do irreparable damage, she said.\n"The ongoing budget cuts are going to continue to jeopardize our IT initiatives," she said. "No one wants to see that happen in terms of the success we've had."\nServices such as student technology centers, classroom equipment and the support structure will have to be scaled back, Adams said. \n"Any compromise in the funding is going to jeopardize (these services) for students," she said. "We are really going to have to reprioritize and slow down some initiatives, while others may stall out completely."\nIU was rated one of the top ten most wired campuses by Yahoo!. Maintaining that elite status may not be possible now.\n"There's simply no way for us to stand still and maintain what we've achieved right now," Adams said. "We're going to quickly be overtaken by other universities if we're not able to quickly press on."\nMaynard Thompson, vice chancellor for budgetary administration and planning, said these cuts and future ones are "really going to affect our mission." \n"Each one gets more difficult to cope with," Thompson said.
(03/19/02 6:46am)
Indiana lawmakers ended this session of the General Assembly Thursday with no answers for the state's budget shortfall. Facing an unresolved $1.3 billion deficit, Governor Frank O'Bannon will now be forced to begin making cuts in spending beginning this week. Education, the largest chunk of the budget, will not be spared. \nFor IU, the cuts may mean a tuition increase and more administrative slashing.\nLawmakers tried for months to agree on a plan to fix the problems in the state budget. O'Bannon offered a proposal to raise revenue through cigarette and gambling tax increases.\nYet Republicans maintained they would not pass the tax increases O'Bannon wanted during a recession. \nWhen the session ended Thursday at midnight, no compromise had been reached. O'Bannon is now readying his ax.\n"Now that it's all over, the governor is more than disappointed. He is angry," said O'Bannon's press secretary Mary Deiter. \nO'Bannon said from the start of the session in January that he wanted to avoid cutting spending for\neducation. But with the Assembly adjourning empty handed, he is left with little room to maneuver, Deiter said.\n"He had said that if the legislature did not balance the budget, he wouldn't have any choice but to cut education," she said. "The Republicans said, 'fine'."\nJames Tinney, managing editor for the IU office of communications and marketing, said the University was "disappointed" and preparing to adjust to the potential cuts.\n"We thought some sort of solution was necessary not just for higher education but also for the economic future for the state," Tinney said. "We are in the situation of waiting for what the governor announces."\nBut there is still a sliver of hope that something will yet be done. The governor may call a special session to give lawmakers more time to resolve the budget.\nDeiter said it was "likely, but not immediate" that a special session will be convened. The governor wants lawmakers to reach an agreement first, so the special session will not be a waste, she said. \nTrustee Stephen Ferguson said the deficit is so dire that lawmakers cannot afford to not come back in special session, even though reconvening costs taxpayer dollars. \n"There ought to be a special session to address all these issues and this ought to be done in the very near future," he said. "(The deficit) is an extremely difficult situation, and it's going to be very painful."\nNo one wants to do it, Ferguson said, but cuts in education have become nearly unavoidable. Indiana government is already small, and cutting money to prisons and Medicaid is not feasible, he said.\n"These are difficult choices for the governor because he doesn't want to cut education," Ferguson said.\nDeiter made the same point. \n"There's not a lot of fat which makes it enormously difficult," she said. "You can cut prisons and Medicaid only so much."\nTrustee Sue Talbot said the pending cuts in state funding will create touch decisions in the coming months for IU. In budget cuts outlined last year, president Myles Brand made the academics sacrosanct. Talbot said Brand wants to do the same this time around.\n"Going into the session, we knew it was going to be difficult," Talbot said. "We're going to preserve the academic mission at all costs. Of course, that's going to mean sacrifices somewhere else."\nFreshman Will Glass is worried that his parents will pay more in tuition next year as a result of the\ndeficit. \n"It appears as if the budget cuts directed towards higher education will undoubtedly lead to increased tuition costs for students," Glass said.
(03/08/02 4:26am)
The All University Student Association, an advisory committee to the board of trustees, has recommended efforts to increase student voting in state and local elections and that residential housing be considered for the IU regional campuses. \nThe AUSA is composed of student government leaders from IUB, IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis and the six regional campuses. Its primary duty consists of making recommendations to the trustees on issues relevant to students.\nAUSA members said residential housing at regional campuses will attract more international students while fostering diversity. It could also be key in distinguishing the regional campuses from Indiana's emerging community college system. \nRumblings about the development of on-campus living at IUPUI and the South Bend and Southeast regional campuses have been going on for some time, said AUSA president Andrew Takami, a senior at IU-Southeast. \n"Our mission is to let the trustees know that the student body presidents would very much appreciate it if they looked into this further so that these campuses can pursue campus housing," Takami said. \nCurrently, IUPUI has only one dorm, and South Bend has limited housing for athletes. The other five regional campuses provide no residential housing.\nNot every campus would benefit from housing, Takami said. But as the mission of many of the regional campuses changes, residential housing becomes a plausible need at these campuses. \nTakami said the regional campuses no longer exist only to serve their area but to help promote the overall economy of the state as well. \n"Their mission was originally to serve their specific region, but I think each university is starting to see that their mission is changing," he said. \nSenior Jackie Landess, student body president at IUPUI, explained the campuses housing problem. For the more than 27,000 students, only one residence hall exists, and it has been around since the early 1900s. Graduate, medical and international students along with athletes have all expressed support for on-campus housing, Landess said. \n"They're all basically on their own for housing and finding a roommate," Landess said. "There's a real need here for housing."\nStudent Trustee Sacha Willsey said the Kokomo and South Bend campuses have wanted residential housing for some time. \n"These campuses are growing and are very successful, and the students would like more diversity and international students," Willsey said. "You can't easily do that if you don't have housing."\nThe second resolution passed at the trustee meeting was a call for a student government-led campaign to increase student voting at the state and local levels. The political mobilization of students represents an enormous possibility for influencing government, AUSA members said. \n"If students are registered to vote they will send a message saying that they care and that they are participants in the civic process," Willsey said. \nWillsey said if students can be encouraged to go to the polls in large numbers, legislators will be more responsive to the student and University voice. Student voting could only lead to more support for higher education from the State House, she said. \nThe resolution was written as a response to the state recession and the Hoosiers for Higher Education, an alliance of business leaders and IU administrators lobbying for legislative commitment to education. HHE members underscored to Takami and the AUSA the importance of student voice in the lobbying process.\n"The members of the state house have to know that if they do not support higher education, there is going to be a cost associated with it," Takami said. "There are enough students that attend the universities that can say, 'if you don't support me and higher education, I'm not going to support your re-election.'"\nHow exactly the student governments plan on implementing the voting resolutions passed by AUSA will be left up to each campus. One option discussed was to include information about voter registration in orientation packets. \nThe resolution includes calls for an "increase in voter registration" and "voter registration drives" as well as an exhortation to students to "become involved in the political process and register to vote."\nThe AUSA resolutions are recommendations to the IU trustees and administrators. \n"It's a statement of intent and a statement of what the student body presidents have agreed to make a focus," Willsey said.
(03/07/02 5:32am)
A resolution criticizing President Brand for spending funds to prevent the release of University documents was defeated by the Bloomington Faculty Council Tuesday. Ambiguous wording of the proposal and input from University Counsel Dottie Frapwell influenced the measure's defeat. \nThe vote was nearly unanimous. \nThe resolution stated the faculty's commitment to "the principle of open access" and urged the president to "ensure that no further University funds are expended in support of efforts to prevent the release of pubic documents."\nIn October 2000, The Indianapolis Star filed a lawsuit against IU claiming that it violated the state's Access to Public Records Act in refusing to release files related to the firing of Bob Knight. Judge Jane Spencer Craney ruled in favor of IU in November, but the lawsuit continues in appeals court. IU has spent over $200,000 in litigation fees to date. \nThe Knight files have not been disclosed, Frapwell said, because they contain sensitive information about students. By state law, these documents will remain private to protect the students. \nBusiness Law Professor Laura Ginger expressed concern about the resolution.\n"What is a public record?" she asked. \nFrom a faculty standpoint, passing this resolution could set a dangerous precedent in the precarious definition of public records, she said. \n"I'm not sure I've always agreed with the University Counsel," she said. "But we shouldn't pass a resolution that says 'rollover.' It would be unwise."\nProfessor of chemistry Vic Viola, who sponsored the resolution, said the University is fighting a needless battle. The contentious documents should be released, and state money should not be spent protecting them, he said. \n"My concern is the lawsuit is seriously damaging the University reputation," said Viola. "The most serious thing is the implication that there is something out there to hide."\nFrapwell assured the faculty that the University has complied with the Indiana Access to Public Records Act in full. \nFrapwell also defended the principle of keeping certain documents private from the media. \n"Privacy rights are our biggest concern," she said. "The chilling effect of (releasing documents to the media) will have on people under investigation and whether or not they will appear on the front page of the paper hampers our ability as a public institution."\nFaculty Council President Bob Eno noted the ambiguities of the resolution's mention of "public documents held by the University."\nThese documents are, by law, not public, he said. \n"The principle of open access has never prevented the release of these documents," he said. "There is some ambiguity here."\nAlthough the Faculty Council did not pass the resolution, it produced lively debate on the open access law and the principle of public records. \nOpponents of the resolution cautioned that advocating complete public access to records at IU could lead to the details of sexual harassment and tenure cases being splashed across the front pages of newspapers. However, Viola said confidentiality can be counterproductive when it encourages false accusation.
(02/11/02 7:25am)
A task force has been formed to fix an 11-year-old problem of creating a replacement retirement plan for 114 faculty members. These faculty members were hired in the summer of 1988 under the assumption that they would be eligible for the 18-20 pension plan. An IRS ruling in 1991 prevents them from receiving 18-20, however, and those 114 have been in limbo ever since, with no replacement plan created by the University. \nThe 18-20 program derives its name from its unique design. A professor who has worked at IU for 20 years and has invested his retirement money for at least 18 years can retire at age 64. For the following five years after retirement, he or she will continue to receive a full salary and also additional money for investment. \nIU is in the process of creating a new pension plan for these 114 -- one that will be equal to the 18-20 plan and that also meets the IRS code that eliminated it, said Vice President of Human Resources Dan Rives. \n"Indiana University is absolutely committed to ensuring that those employees that would have otherwise received 18-20 benefits will receive a comparable replacement retirement plan," Rives said. \nThe committee consists of nine faculty members working with the Nyhart benefit company to create a financially equivalent plan. Members of the committee said they don\'t expect the task to be too difficult to accomplish. \n"(These faculty members) fell in the cracks and something should have been done quite a while ago, at least 10 years ago," said Jim Sherman, committee member and professor of psychology. "It's not that hard of a problem to fix."\nSeveral viable retirement plan models will be considered, Rives said. \n"We do not think there will be any difficulty in finalizing a replacement plan that will comply with the IRS code and provide the comparable benefits that the university has committed to," he said.\nTwo of the proposed retirement plans that the committee is considering are called a deferred compensation plan and a defined benefit plan. \n"We want these people to enjoy the same benefits that 18-20 had," Sherman said. "If anything, they'll probably come out a little ahead of 18-20."\nThe 18-20 pension plan was eliminated in 1988, but the 114 faculty members hired that summer were promised its benefit structure. In 1991 the IRS ruled that a portion of the plan did not comply with its tax code. Anyone employed by the date July 14, 1988 would still be eligible for the 18-20 plan, but those employed afterwards would receive a slightly different retirement package. \nUnder the close-off date announced by the IRS ruling, those 114 faculty members could not receive the benefits of 18-20, despite the university\'s original promise. \n"Retirement plans for faculty are indeed important," said Elyce Rotella, a committee member and associate professor of economics. "I don't know why the University began to work seriously on this problem now rather than earlier. The important thing is that the problem is being addressed now and a plan will be in place before any of the members of the affected group retires."\nThe committee has already met once and will meet again this month. Once a plan is formed, the committee will present it to the Bloomington Faculty Council for consideration and feedback before the presenting it to the IU Board of Trustees for final approval. The development of a replacement plan should be complete by the end of the spring, Rives said.
(01/14/02 5:59am)
Five years ago, selling class notes for profit was a big business. The Note Network, a local organization, paid and recruited students at the beginning of each semester to take notes, which were then made available to other students for a fee. \nThose who signed up were eager to make money simply by going to class and taking notes. Those willing to pay could literally afford to not attend class. \nProfessor of political science Christine Barbour was one of the first professors to take a stand against the Note Network, banning its practices from her class. \n"It's just another shortcut," she said. "Note taking is a thing students need to learn. If another student takes notes for you, you are not learning the substance of the class or note-taking skills."\nBarbour makes it clear to her classes that anyone caught buying or selling notes will automatically fail. \nAlthough the Note Network no longer exists as a business, the market for note-selling does. Because the practice has not waned, an increasing number of professors have begun to take a hard-lined stance against it. \nPolitical science professor Gerald Wright defended Barbour's policy, one that he, too, has adopted. "The selling of notes is offered as a shortcut that will avoid the hard work of learning," Wright said. "Those shortcuts do not work. If they did, we'd just publish a set of notes, have students memorize those and call it a class."\nWright also believes that when students purchase notes from outside sources, the notes may not adequately reflect everything covered in class and may do the student more of a disservice. \n"Students think if they pay for notes, they will be better than their own," he said. "They are not. We have found copies from previous semesters that do not reflect new material and concepts introduced into the lectures. Some from the current semester are at best misleading."\nProfessors admit it is difficult to catch offenders of their note-taking policies. Professor Russell Hanson tells his classes he will randomly collect notes to monitor if they are being bought or sold. \nMany professors have even begun to post their own version of class notes online as a way to compete with possible note-sellers. \nThe IU Code of Student Ethics does not spell out a stance either way on the topic of note-selling. Discretion is reserved to individual professors, said Associate Dean of Students Pam Freeman. \n"If a faculty member wants to forbid someone in the class from taking notes for profit, that's their prerogative," she said. "Faculty members really have the final word on academic misconduct."\nProfessor Marjorie Hershey states clearly in her syllabus that "taking notes for profit is considered a form of academic dishonesty. Anyone found doing so will be given an F for the course." \nIU has not created a guideline for the selling of notes for profit, in part because there is a vigorous debate over students' rights to sell their notes. There are some who feel that because the actual notes are in the student's possession, the student may do whatever he wishes with them. \n"It's a tricky issue," said professor of law Fred Cate, who specializes in the area of academic misconduct. "When you write down what someone else says, who does it belong to? The law focuses not on who says it, but who committed it to paper first."\nBarbour believes lecture material she uses belongs exclusively to her. \n"No doubt the paper is theirs," she said. "But they're making money off my intellectual property"
(12/04/01 5:10am)
Marcela Muñoz had seen enough. The conditions at the Nike factory in Kukdong, Mexico couldn\'t get much worse. Earning only $3 a day working at the factory to support her 3-year-old son -- shampoo and toilet paper became luxuries. \nContamination in the cafeteria caused workers all around her to contract dysentery. Anyone who didn\'t work fast enough was hit with the ends of screwdrivers. \nAlthough the maquiladora was a typical sweatshop by Mexican standards, the workers were anything but.\nMuñoz and the 600 disgruntled employees of Kukdong went on strike and with the help of IU and the Workers Rights Consortium, succeeded in establishing the first independent union in Mexican maquiladora history. \nThey shared that story at IU Sunday with No Sweat, a student-run anti-sweatshop organization. The forum was the first stop on a 10-day, 12-university tour to champion the cause of labor rights and to thank colleges for their role in helping the Kukdong workers.\nMuñoz spoke for the factory employees. She told the crowd through a translator how they overcame both the obdurate Nike factory and Mexican history, something that once seemed an impossible sueño. \n\"In Mexico it is an unprecedented thing to have an independent union,\" Muñoz said. \"It was thanks to the students that we were able to continue our struggle, a struggle that seemed to us a dream in the beginning.\"\nNike media representatives did not return a phone call Monday.\nIn a press release on its Web site, Nike said that it \"supports the rights of workers to organize and collectively seek fair and independent resolutions to disputes such as these. Nike shares the concern … that all workers at Kukdong are treated with dignity and respect.\"\nWhen Muñoz and the laborers went on strike in Jan. 2001, the WRC responded with an investigation of worker complaints. The WRC, a university-mandated organization that monitors labor rights abuses at factories where college apparel is produced, uses these reports to make recommendations to universities.\nIn its report of Kukdong, it found that wages were \"grossly insufficient to meet even the barest needs of a family of three,\" and that \"Kukdong managers subjected workers to physical abuse-slapping, pushing, and pulling.\" \n\"It was very sad the way they treated us,\" Muñoz said. \"We were being paid about $3 a day and to survive we need 10. Not only was there verbal abuse, but physical abuse.\"\nIU\'s role in creating change at the Kukdong factory was critical, explained Scott Nova, executive director of the WRC. \nJoining other universities in a campaign, IU wrote letters to Nike demanding that it improve the situation for workers at its factory. Because Nike has contracts with IU to produce its apparel, IU was able to use this leverage to make Nike cooperate with Muñoz and the Kukdong workers. \nJunior Megan Hise, a member of IU\'s No Sweat! who participated in the letter writing campaign last spring, attended the meeting and called it \"rejuvenating.\"\n\"I got to see where all my hard work and energy paid off,\" she said. \"It\'s upsetting to hear what they went through, but I got to be a part of helping. It made it more real.\"\nMexican academic Huberto Juarez Nuñez talked about the ramifications the Kukdong victory has on labor rights throughout Mexico. The battle between garment workers and the maquiladoras remains a classic 'David versus Goliath' struggle. However, the Kukdong breakthrough may be symbolic of greater change beginning in Mexico, he said.\nMuñoz told the crowd how the factory has changed since Nike agreed to meet the demands of its workers and recognize their union, SITEMEX.\n\"Now they don\'t dare yell at us or hit us,\" she said. \"The management team treats us with respect. We now even have microwaves.\"\nThe conditions have improved dramatically and it looks promising that they will stay that way. Just last Friday, Nike placed orders at the factory for further production, Nova said.
(11/19/01 5:37am)
The Meal Plan Committee voted Friday to eliminate the charitable but increasingly contentious miss-a-meal program. It was terminated, committee members said, because many students thought it was not an efficient fund-raiser.\nMiss-a-meal was designed as a way for charities to raise money through meal points. Any student wishing to participate swiped his or her ID card and gave $7.50 to that charity. But of that $7.50, only 40 percent went to the charity involved. The remaining 60 percent was kept by dining services to cover overhead costs.\nSandra Fowler, head of dining services, said the program was not the best use of student money.\n"The students are not really happy when they learn how much of their dollar actually goes to charity," she said. "It's not effective. There has to be a different way for charities to get contributions."\nJunior Eric Hafner, president of Read Center, said he talked to students in his dorm and decided the program was fatally flawed, despite its charitable intentions.\n"I realize that this leaves charities without a way to raise funds in the dorms," he said. "But my residents were upset about it and thought they had been blindsided by the 40-60," he said. \nAlthough the committee discussed possible ways to increase the amount of each donation that goes to charity, a compromise was not reached.\n"We've talked to the administration about changing the 40-60, and they didn't think it was something we could do," Hafner said. "So we scrapped it totally."\nOne of the committee members who voted to keep the miss-a-meal program was sophomore John Schlafer, president of Collins Center, who said the fate of the program should be left up to each individual residence hall. \n"The people at each center are distinct," he said. "If we can empower each center to make their own decision, I think we should. When you give more control at the center level, you get more input from students."\nThe program has existed since the late 1960s. Fowler said the recent scrutiny of the miss-a-meal program was sparked by an IDS article that explained the 40-60 ratio of donation and overhead.\nFor many students, this was the first time they became of aware of the 40-60 ratio, and many reacted negatively. \n"After the article in the IDS, contributions dropped dramatically, so it was obvious that students didn't know (how their money was being used)," Fowler said. \nShe said the program failed because charities didn't take the responsibility to inform students how much of their donation was going to charity.\n"Charities, I feel, take advantage of students because students don't know the true amount they are donating," she said. "They have the responsibility to advertise how much goes to charity, and that hasn't always been the case."\nOne of the organizations that relied heavily on miss-a-meal as a primary source of fund-raising was Spirit of Sport. Last year, it raised nearly $6,000 through the program, about 20 percent of the group's total yearly funds. \nSenior Brad Logar, president of Spirit of Sport, said he was discouraged by the committee's decision.\n"We found it to be a really good program, and we're disappointed to hear this," he said. "We're going to have to look elsewhere to make up that money."\nDance Marathon, which raises money for Riley Hospital for Children, also benefited from the miss-a-meal program. \n"We were always extremely happy with the RPS miss-a-meal program, and it will be greatly missed," said Senior Ian Essling, vice president of finance for Dance Marathon. "We hope that students will continue to be generous with donations of their time and money."\nThe Meal Plan Committee endorsed the idea of developing an alternative fund-raiser to let students show their good will but has yet to make recommendations.\n"We should come up with some sort of charity program that works better for the residents," said senior Ilia Smith, president of Willkie Quad.