Pathfinders program gives youth a glimpse of college
Middle school students immersed themselves in a variety of workshops during their five-day stay at IU during the Office of Community and School Partnerships’ Pathfinders Camp in June.
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Middle school students immersed themselves in a variety of workshops during their five-day stay at IU during the Office of Community and School Partnerships’ Pathfinders Camp in June.
Eleven teachers from five countries will be at IU for the fall 2014 semester as part of the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In accordance with the Affordable Care Act, orientation leaders’ schedules have undergone some changes. Orientation leaders have been limited to working 29 hours or less per week so that IU is not legally required to offer more benefits. Jessa Trimble, assistant director of the Office of First Year Experience Programs, said the greatest challenge was gaining an initial understanding of how IU interpreted the Affordable Care Act. “We worked really closely with human resources representatives to gain that understanding, and then we were able to calculate how many students we would need to hire to ensure that we maintained the quality of our program,” Trimble said. Melanie Payne, New Student Orientation director and Office of First Year Experience senior associate director, said that no programs during New Student Orientation were removed because they did not want to shortchange students and parents involved in the orientation events. “It was hard because we are not a nine-to-five operation,” Payne said. “Students work weekends and late at night for orientation activities.” To prevent the cancellation of essential orientation programming, Payne said the Office of First Year Experience hired more people this year than in years past. “This year we have 30 orientation leaders, 20 programming assistants and eight student coordinators, totaling to 58 student workers,” she said. “Last year we only had 46 workers.” “To maintain the quality of our program, we chose to hire more student staff to adjust for the fact that they could only work a limited number of hours,” Trimble said. Though the student workers cannot work more than 29 hours a week, Payne said some of the hours cannot be quantified. “Orientation leaders sometimes have good conversations with parents or answer questions for students when they are off duty, but this does not factor into the 29 hours they work,” Payne said. Payne said the Office of First Year Experience had to change how it managed the staff, and that it is very challenging for the orientation leaders to only work 29 hours. Additionally, Payne said many students who work as orientation leaders, program assistants or student coordinators want to save up for college, and with the hour restrictions, some have taken on other jobs to make more money. However, Payne said that despite the changes, the Orientation Leaders are still very committed to their jobs and happy to be around the new students. Daniel Chang, a sophomore majoring in accounting and finance, said being an orientation leader is one of the best experiences he has had while at IU. “I have the ability to impact so many people in a positive way, and I’m meeting so many new students, which only makes me even more excited for the upcoming year,” he said. Chang, like Payne, said he is excited to see what the class of 2018 has to offer IU.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For two decades, Vincent and Elinor Ostrom gathered political aficionados to mire in the realms of political thought. But this year, ideas in memory of the duo are what’s on the table. The fifth Workshop on the Ostrom Workshop, or WOW5, took place June 18-21 at the Indiana Memorial Union. The conference allows students, researchers and alumni from the Vincent and Elinor Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis to reconnect for presentations and discussions of their work. The workshop has taken place about every five years for the past quarter century. This is the first conference to take place after the Ostroms’ deaths in June 2012.Burney Fischer and Tom Evans, co-directors of the Ostrom Workshop, said WOW is open to anyone, but many of the participants are long term “workshoppers.” Evans said that, for the first time, this year’s workshop was opened up to scholars, researchers and practitioners who did not have a prior affiliation with the Ostrom Workshop. The main goal of the workshop is for various scholars and “Working Groups” to put together panels at which new scholarship is presented, most of which revolving around the “Bloomington School of Political Economy” the Ostroms and their workshop colleagues developed, said Dan Cole, chair of the Ostrom Workshop Advisory Council and IU professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and Maurer School of Law.The program consists of organized panel discussions as well as informal meetings among the participants.“The panels are self-organized by groups of scholars and the conference agenda is then put together and run by the workshop’s excellent and highly dedicated staff,” Cole said. Fischer said a record 250 people attended this year’s program. “The Ostroms would be thrilled with the size and diversity of the attendees,” Fischer said. “The energy level is extraordinary.” It’s a bittersweet occasion, Cole said.“No doubt there was a lot of reminiscing and reflecting on the past, but the record turnout for WOW5 is also an indication of just how vibrant the workshop remains,” he said. The Ostroms, longtime IU faculty members, co-founded the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis in 1973, serving as co-directors for decades. The workshop brought together scholars and researchers to investigate how institutions shape human behavior and how public policies affect people’s lives. The Ostroms received the University Medal, the highest award bestowed by IU, and the Herman B Wells Visionary Award in 2010. Elinor was included on Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people in April 2012 and is the only woman to receive the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, which she shared with Oliver Williamson in 2009. Vincent received the American Political Science Association’s John Gaus Distinguished Lecturer Award and the Daniel Elazar Distinguished Scholar Award.Evans said the Ostrom Workshop is a bridge that enables students and researchers from multiple disciplines to work in teams on problems that cannot be solved by a single disciplinary perspective. Cole said WOW displays the continuing importance and relevance of the Ostrom Workshop despite the loss of their founders. “WOW demonstrates the immense potential of truly interdisciplinary social-scientific research,” Cole said. Cole said that based on the panels and discussions he has attended, he’s confident the Ostroms would have enjoyed WOW5 immensely. “The Ostroms were quite humble, and for them, it was always about building a collaborative network to tackle hard problems,” Evans said. “They’d be thrilled and inspired to see how vibrant the community is.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sara Skrabalak, assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, is one of 15 United States scientists named a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar for 2014.IU can nominate one individual per year for this award. Skrabalak said it was an honor to be selected to represent the institution.Skrabalak received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 2002 from Washington University in St. Louis.She received her Ph.D. in chemistry, with an emphasis on materials, in the fall of 2006 from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and was the recipient of the T. S. Piper Thesis Research Award for her dissertation entitled “Porous Materials Prepared by Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis.”She joined the IU chemistry department in 2008.Earlier this year, Skrabalak was also awarded the American Chemical Society award in pure chemistry, which is sponsored by Alpha Chi Sigma, a professional chemistry fraternity.Amar Flood, a previous Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, is one of Skrabalak’s colleagues at IU. He said he is proud of Skrabalak’s accomplishments, and he is intrigued with her research.Skrabalak said she works in the area of nanoscience that concerns itself with materials on the scale of one billionth of a meter. At that size, materials often display new properties that can be harnessed to treat disease and address energy needs.“We can use the nanostructures made in our laboratory to answer questions related to how particle size and structure influence the properties of materials,” Skrabalak said.She said her undergraduate chemistry mentor, professor Bill Buhro, introduced her to the idea of synthesizing nanoscale materials with defined structures. “Control of these structural features represents a powerful means of tailoring the properties of a material for a given application, and demonstrating this control has remained a theme throughout my research ever since that early laboratory experience,” Skrabalak said.She said she enjoys working with the talented group of graduate and undergraduate students at IU.“They are the people who actually do the physical work in the laboratory, and their enthusiasm and creativity motivates and energizes me,” Skrabalak said.Skrabalak said applying for the award requires a research and education summary and a list of letters of support. She said it gave her an opportunity to reflect on what she has done and what her future research plans are.“It is a huge honor to be included among such an amazing list of scholars whose innovations have been sources of inspiration for my group’s research,” Skrabalak said.The award is given by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, an organization intended to create and support opportunities for innovation in the sciences. “The intent of the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar award is to support exceptional young academic researchers at an early and crucial stage of their careers,” said Mark Cardillo, executive director of the foundation. “They have been selected based on their independent contributions to both research in the chemical sciences and education.”Skrabalak said receiving the award reinforces her belief that research and teaching efforts are complementary endeavors.“I hope to provide the best training environment possible for the next generation of diverse and interdisciplinary scientists,” Skrabalak said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU is teaming up with state agencies to improve health for all. The IU School of Public Health announced the launch of the “Public Health & You” initiative, a new program aimed at enhancing the knowledge and skills of Indiana’s front-line public health workers.Michael Reece, professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies in the School of Public Health, said the goal of the program is to provide training that helps those in public health build their skills, grow the capacity of their organizations and help improve public health in Indiana.“We have been working on the initiative for a while, and the name ‘Public Health & You’ is particularly important to us, because this initiative is open to anyone anywhere who is working to improve health of Indiana’s communities but might not think of themselves as a traditional public health worker,” Reece said.Designed in collaboration with the Indiana State Department of Health, IU Health Bloomington Hospital and the Indiana Public Health Association, the program offers free online classes aimed at professionals and practitioners whose work affects the health of the public.“We will use the ‘Public Health & You’ courses to increase awareness of the important role public health professionals play,” Carol Weiss-Kennedy, community health director for IU Health Bloomington Hospital, said in a press release.She said she has worked closely with the school on the development of the initiative, and she hopes to encourage individuals to explore this area of study.“The School of Public Health - Bloomington is committed in working collaboratively with the state public health infrastructure and workforce development,” said Mohammad Torabi, founding dean and chancellor’s professor at the School of Public Health.Five courses are available on the website, but Torabi said the program will continue to grow.The course topics include an introduction to public health, environmental health, epidemiology and biostatistics, public health administration and behavioral, social and community health.Reece said the program reflects how public health is conducted in different ways.“The courses and certificates available at ‘Public Heath & You’ are developed in response to professional needs of the Indiana health work force,” said Priscilla Barnes, faculty member in the School of Public Health.Completion of the five courses will result in the earning of a Professional Development Certificate in Public Health for the IU School of Public Health.Though the program is not designed for IU students, Reece said students are encouraged to enroll if they want to improve their knowledge or skills about public health. He said it is also a good introduction if students are curious about what public health might mean for them.According to the American Public Health Association, Indiana is one of the 10 least healthy states in America, and public health funding is less than half of the national average.Reece said with “Public Health & You,” the School of Public Health hopes to improve the health of local communities.“A healthier Indiana means improved economic stability and enhanced quality of life for all Hoosiers,” Torabi said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Susan Williams, Walter W. Foskett Professor of Law at IU’s Maurer School of Law, will receive the 2014 Tracy M. Sonneborn Award. The Sonneborn Award honors the exceptional research and teaching of an IU faculty member. The award was named for the late Tracy Sonneborn, a genetics professor at IU and successful biologist.The Sonneborn Award winner receives a $3,500 award and a grant of $1,000 to support research, or any other creative project, according to a press release. In the fall 2014 semester, the Sonneborn Award winner will also give the annual Sonneborn Lecture.“Susan Williams is truly deserving of the Sonneborn Award,” Provost and Executive Vice President Lauren Robel said in the release. “She is an inspiring teacher who brings out the best in her students.”Williams said she originally focused on constitutional law, specifically the American constitution’s First Amendment and the implication of feminist theory for the right of free speech. But about 10 to 15 years ago, she said she got involved in advising constitutional reformers in other countries, which required her to think more about how to build more democratic and egalitarian societies in countries needing constitutional reform.“We don’t just write articles, we draft constitutional proposals,” Williams said. “This is not just theoretical work.”When Williams met with Burmese people, she said they raised legal issues with no parallels in the American constitutions and no scholarship available on these topics. She has also traveled to Liberia, South Sudan and many other countries to aid in the construction of a new constitution, and she has worked with women’s organizations in Libya and the Democratic Party in Vietnam.“Most people learn constitutional law by studying their own constitution, but no one was taught from the perspective of people who were trying to write a constitution,” Williams said. The Center for Constitutional Democracy’s Ph.D. program, “Law and Democracy,” began six years ago, and its first two students are graduating this year. Williams said the Center on Constitutional Democracy has allowed her to take students and faculty alike to experience constitutional crises around the world.“Through the CCD, Professor Williams provides a large number of students and faculty, myself included, with a rich and incredibly valuable learning community,” Professor Christina Ochoa, a colleague of Williams, said.Williams said this Ph.D. program is an interdisciplinary degree with focuses in area study, political science and anthropology, as well as an internship component in constitutional advising, giving students practical and theoretical applications in the real world.To the best of her knowledge, she said, no other law school offers a program like this.“Most law schools do not have Ph.D. students, so with our programs, it is possible to develop true relationships with future colleagues,” Williams said.Professor Christina Ochoa, a colleague of Professor Williams, said Williams always received strong and glowing reviews for her teaching, and that she never heard criticism of her teaching from any first year student.“To all those present at Professor Williams’ Distinguished Faculty Lecture last spring, it was plain why Professor Williams should also be recognized for her rare ability to combine her scholarly insights with the clarity, warmth and passion that teach and inspire her colleagues, her students and every audience I’ve known her to address,” Ochoa said.Williams said being awarded the Sonneborn Award was a wonderful way of feeling like people noticed and appreciated the work she did.“Winning the award makes you feel like you’re part of a conversation with other scholars across disciplinary lines,” Williams said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Nicole Van Sant saw a need that wasn’t being met in Bloomington, so she worked to fill the hole. The Bloomington Parents of Children Having Allergies support group was created in March.On Easter 2013, Nicole Van Sant, her husband and her son were enjoying festivities at their church when Van Sant noticed her son, then 3 years old, did not look or feel well because he had accidentally ingested candy with peanuts. Van Sant said she had to administer an epinephrine pen and seek medical attention in the hospital emergency room.About 15 million people in the United States, including one in 13 children, have food allergies, according to the Food and Allergy Research Education website. The website also said the most common food allergies are peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish. There is still no known cure for any of these allergies.Van Sant said this is the everyday reality of parents with children who have food allergies.She said her son was diagnosed with his peanut allergy at 18 months old but the incident at Easter was his first reaction since being tested.“I needed help and support from people who were going through the same thing,” Van Sant said. Van Sant said she looked for allergy support groups but the closest one was on the north side of Indianapolis.She said she went four times, and though it was helpful, the information did not pertain to her community in Bloomington.“I said to myself, ‘I can do this,’” Van Sant said. Van Sant said two moms showed up to the first meeting of Bloomington Parents of Children Having Allergies, but seven parents attended the group’s second meeting in April.“It makes you feel better to talk to other members,” Van Sant said. “Other parents whose children don’t have allergies don’t get it. Teachers don’t get it. It feels good to have a group of friends who know what it’s like.”Robin Mann has attended all of the group meetings. Mann said her 5-year-old daughter has a peanut allergy and just recently tested positive for a walnut allergy.“She looks like such a happy, healthy girl, so it’s challenging trying to get people to understand her level of severity,” Mann said.The group comes together the first Tuesday of every month. The next meeting is 7 p.m. Tuesday at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church.Van Sant said a local Auvi-Q representative will give a presentation on the newest version of the epinephrine pen. “Our main goals are offering education and support,” Van Sant said.Mann said her favorite part of the support group is the constant exchange of ideas.“We have some moms in the group with older kids, so it’s nice to have somebody who has been doing it for so long,” Mann said. “Alternatively, there are some moms with kids who haven’t started school yet, so us moms with kids in preschool can help them plan.”Annie Ruddy’s son will soon be 16 years old.She said they have known about his peanut and egg allergies since he was 14 months old.Ruddy said the best advice she has for other parents of children with allergies is to be practical.“We do not eat out a lot. We bake from scratch, and when we buy food, even products that we buy frequently, we read the label each time,” Ruddy said.Brittany Dye said her son is only 23 months old and is allergic to wheat, soy, eggs, peanuts, green peas and squash.She said the hardest part is finding foods that are toddler-friendly and do not contain any of the food allergies her son has.She said she has attended all of the group’s meetings and loves all the insight she has received.“I am going to be so much better equipped to handle things as my son gets older and isn’t home with me on a daily basis,” Dye said.The group said they plan to have a booth at the Bloomington Farmers’ Market on May 17, the last day of Food Allergy Awareness Week.Additionally, Van Sant said they will also participate in the Food Allergy Research & Education Walk for Food Allergy on August 23 in Indianapolis.“We are just trying to get the word out that we’re here to help,” Van Sant said.For more information about the group, email bloomingtonpocha@comcast.net.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After eight years of advising at IU, a faculty member has been honored for her commitment to her students.Rachel Tolen recently won the 2014 Terri Nation Outstanding Academic Advisor Award.“I feel the most satisfaction when students tell me of the success they’ve achieved,” Tolen said. “Students have to work so unbelievably hard to be admitted to medical school, so when a student writes to me to tell me he or she was admitted and says that my advice was helpful, it really makes my day.”Tolen works in the Health Professions and Prelaw Center, a program of the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education.She provides advising and other services for students who want to pursue careers in law, medicine and other health professions. Currently, she’s busy helping students prepare to apply to medical school this summer.Tolen said she develops an individualized strategy to help each student apply to medical school.She recently recorded podcast episodes to coach students through different phases of writing essays for their applications.“I wanted to create those so students would be able to access them from wherever they are at whatever time, to help them get through some of the more difficult steps in applying,” Tolen said. Tolen said her favorite part of advising is helping students write their personal statements or prepare for their interviews at medical schools.“I enjoy being involved in helping students define their future career goals in medicine because, by doing so, I can help influence the kind of physicians they will be,” she said. “We are all patients, so helping students who will develop into better, more caring physicians one day is a way of helping patients and everyone in our society in the end.”Many IU faculty members within the Provost’s Office said they are proud of Tolen and her achievements. “We are delighted that Rachel’s exceptional work with students has been recognized with this award,” said Elizabeth Guertin, assistant vice provost for undergraduate education and executive director of advising. “Rachel’s commitment to learning about each individual student’s interests and strengths and helping the student to tailor their education to provide them with the best preparation to achieve their future professional goals exemplifies the best in advising. For so many students, Rachel’s advice and recommendations have contributed to an extraordinary educational experience at IU-Bloomington.”When students apply for medical school, they must reflect on their personal goals and what they want to achieve through medicine, Tolen said.“It’s truly a privilege to be able to support someone at such an important time in their life,” Tolen said.Tolen said the times she finds most difficult to be an advisor is when she can’t change something for a student, but wishes she could.“A student might get a low score on the MCAT, for instance,” she said. “I can advise the student on how to prepare, but I can’t change the score.”Still, Tolen said she tries to help the student overcome whatever obstacle is in his or her way.“It makes me want to work harder when I know that doing so might make a difference for a student who will become a caring physician one day,” she said.After winning the award, Tolen said she felt honored, but her colleagues deserve equal recognition.She said it was important to thank her fellow advisors at the Health Professions and Prelaw Center and the advising community on campus for what they have taught her.“None of us could do our jobs in isolation, and ultimately having a supportive community of advisors on our campus helps enhance the success of students,” Tolen said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the past five years, I have been entranced by NBC’s highly-rated comedy, “Community.” Each year the show struggles to maintain a substantial audience the network finds acceptable, and the threat of cancelation has always been present throughout the show’s history. That being said, the show has developed a strong cult following, of which I am definitely a member.Last year, NBC originally did not renew the show. Fans reacted immediately, creating a “Save Community” website with a petition of almost 103,000 signatures from fans begging NBC to put their beloved show back on the air and to re-hire show runner and creator Dan Harmon. Fans created dozens of websites and made #sixseasonsandamovie a trending topic on Twitter, hoping to bring the show back. The cast of the show even made a video to show their appreciation for the loyal fans. The crazy thing is, it worked. Harmon was asked to return to the show for its fifth season, and he did.One needs only look at “Arrested Development” or the “Veronica Mars” Kickstarter to see how much hype saving a show can generate in the digital realm. The show follows Jeff Winger, played by Joel McHale, who is forced to attend community college after his law firm realizes his degree is illegitimate. He creates a Spanish study group, meeting six other students in the process.There’s Britta Perry, former leader of the anHERchists majoring in psychology; Abed Nadir, an emotionally reserved film-maker wannabe; Shirley Bennet, a single mother of three with thinly-veiled rage issues; Annie Edison, a Type A student who sees the best in everyone; Troy Barnes, a high school football star struggling to find his identity without football; and Pierce Hawthorne, the heir to a moist towelette empire who has been enrolled at Greendale since 1999.These lovable misfits have crazy adventures together, such as all-out paintball wars, an episode based on “Law & Order” about a sabotaged sweet-potato-growing science project and a parody of “The Hunger Games” to decide which students would be enrolled in a “History of Ice Cream” course. Each episode of “Community” features incredible recurring and guest characters.However, “Community” is so much more than a witty script and a stellar cast. It’s a dysfunctional family, a modern-day “Breakfast Club.” I have been a loyal fan of the show since its series premiere in September 2009. Though the show has had rocky moments, overall it is comedic genius. To this day, it is the only show that guarantees a laugh in each episode. I recommended it to my friends and not one of them disliked the show. It caters to all tastes and senses of humor and does not rely on past comedy gems to create plot lines. It is original, something very rare in the comedy genre.I can only hope NBC continues to see the merits of such a brilliant show and renews “Community” for another season. Long live Greendale.aledaily@indiana.edu
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Local rock ’n’ roll cover band 8-Track Mind will perform at 8 p.m. March 14 at Players Pub.Drummer Brian Baker and keyboardist and vocalist Allan Buhr said they met through St. Paul United Methodist Church and began playing together in February 2012.Dan Helton, who attends services at St. Paul, said he quickly joined the band, playing alto-saxophone as well as singing vocals.Baker also recruited Otto Ray, Vincent Aliano and Skip Daley to play bass, guitar and rhythm guitar and vocals, respectively.“Every kid wants to be a rock star,” Baker said. “Most usually don’t wait until they’re older, though.”The band played its first show June 14, 2012, at Players Pub, where it opened for local band Fistful of Bacon.The March 14 show will be the band’s fourth time performing at Players Pub, and 10th show overall.Tickets for 8-Track Mind’s show are $5. The band will play for four hours, performing hits by the Eagles, Steve Miller, REO Speedwagon, 38 Special, Aerosmith, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, Chicago and many other popular rock bands.Additionally, the band promises there will be a special surprise guest to accompany them onstage.Buhr said the Eagles are his favorite band.“They did so much and have such a rich history,” he said. “They’re kind of a super band — each member can play tons of instruments incredibly well, and they made great music together.”All of the musicians in 8-Track Mind said they mostly enjoy playing rock ’n’ roll music ranging from 1970 to 1985.“This was the music we experienced in our carefree teenage years,” Baker said. “The songs we play represent emotions of that time, and that’s why we’re so passionate about the music we perform.”Bands like 8-Track Mind are not uncommon at Players Pub, co-owner Joe Estivill said.Estivill and co-owner Vicky Kilmer bought the establishment about eight months ago when the previous owner passed away. “I’ve been dreaming of owning a bar playing local music since I was 12 years old delivering papers in the snow,” Estivill said. “It’s only taken me 38 years to get here.”Estivill said he makes an effort to support local musicians every night by holding an average of 14 shows a week.Additionally, he offers many different theme nights, such as Sunday’s Jazz Jam, Monday’s Singer Songwriter Showcase and Tuesday’s Blues Jam.“You can’t pigeon-hole us,” he said.Even before taking over, Estivill said he and his wife, Kilmer, were no strangers to the Players Pub, often coming to see local acts and talk with friends.Baker said the pub is open to all, and many families come to enjoy the food and musical acts of the night.This year is set to be a big year for 8-Track Mind, Baker said.The band members want to play 30 shows this year, a few of which they have already done.They said they do not plan to write any original songs, but they want to schedule a few shows outside of the Bloomington area and perhaps even record a CD in the future.“Recording is a whole different animal than playing live,” Buhr said. “I think it would be a cool experience to get our covers out to a larger audience.” Overall, the members of 8-Track Mind said performing for their loyal audience is very rewarding.“Most of us are just doing this for fun,” Buhr said. “It started with just Brian and me, and I couldn’t be happier with what it has become.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Like almost every child, I grew up with Disney movies. In my squeaky 2-year-old voice I could — very poorly — belt out all the words to nearly every Disney princess song. These songs gave and continue to give me so much joy that my roommate and I blast “Let it Go” from Disney’s latest masterpiece, “Frozen.” The songs are undeniably catchy. However, the movies seem much darker than I remember as a kid.“Frozen” was the first Disney movie I had seen in quite a while. Easily the oldest people in the theater, with the exception of parents, my friend and I excitedly sat to view the movie many had spoken so highly of. To date, the film has grossed about $1 billion worldwide. For those who have not seen the film, watch for spoilers ahead. Immediately, I was shocked by the quick deaths of characters, specially given the nature of “Frozen” as a Disney movie. The event was quickly forgotten as the plot continued. Still, it seemed Disney was interested in making audiences feel desperation — both young and old — in Idina Menzel’s character, Elsa. After accidentally turning her sister’s heart to ice, Anna returns home for the one cure — a kiss from her true love, which turns out to be a power play by a prince with 12 older brothers desperate for power. With this in mind, it seems Disney is increasingly unafraid to include darker subject matter into its family-friendly movies. Surprisingly, this does not bother Disney fans. In fact, many are applauding their choice to make Anna’s first love not work out. It is relatable, with 40 to 50 percent of marriages ending in divorce. It appeals to parents, but to kids it presents darker themes of deception they are too young to think about.Despite your opinion on Hans’ fraudulent behavior, the final scenes of “Frozen” follow Disney’s pattern of darkness that may not actually be so new. In “the Little Mermaid,” Ursula turns Ariel’s father into a polyp — a weird shriveled up seaweed thing. Films like “Tangled” and “Beauty and the Beast,” the protagonist’s love interest is killed trying to protect her. What makes “Frozen” different is the protagonist herself is in harm’s way to protect her sister.As Hans prepares to murder Elsa after telling her of Anna’s passing — that is, in fact, not true — Anna commits an act of true love and saves her sister, sacrificing herself in the process.There was an audible gasp in the movie theater. My friend and I turned to each other, both of us in disbelief Disney would display something so mature in a movie rated PG. There was a part of me that wondered if Anna would thaw, or if the movie would end on a somber note.The kids in the theater, though, could not understand why the adults were so shaken by the scene. One sitting behind me asked his mom if he could get more popcorn over Elsa’s sobs.As kids we cannot comprehend more complex themes. Still maybe we should question whether Disney should expose young children to such mature themes in the first place. — aledaily@indiana.edu
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Unfortunately, it seems anti-semitism is inevitable. As a modern Jew living in the 21st century, this fact makes me a bit discouraged. Last week, for example, was Holocaust Remembrance Day. Thirteen million innocent people, six million of them Jews, perished at the hands of the Nazis during the Holocaust. And yet, while walking back from Hodge Hall after accounting, I overheard one guy saying, “Hitler should have finished what he started. This whole Zionism thing is just some bullshit excuse so they can have a country they don’t deserve.”Zionism is not a new concept. In fact, the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE is considered the start of Zionism. Jews were forced to leave Palestine and moved to other areas in the world. Jews wrote poems and songs expressing their longing to go back to their beloved land. The First Zionist Congress was held in 1897. Here, Theodor Herzl founded modern Zionism. Herzl was a journalist reporting on the Dreyfus Affair. In this case, a Jew was wrongfully convicted of treason in France.Realizing Jews would never be fully accepted into society no matter how much they assimilated, Herzl said Jews should do more to create their own Jewish state. Following the First Zionist Congress, Jews began to move to Palestine. They fertilized the land, turning the once barren desert into a place of life. Arabs from neighboring countries began to immigrate to Palestine, encouraged by the new availability of jobs. Joan Peters, a non-Jewish journalist, published her book “From Time Immemorial” in 1984. The book relied on data from the British Mandate and information in British archives.It started in support of the Palestinians instead of the Jews because she thought Arabs had occupied the land before the Jews. However, during the process of writing her book, she realized the Arabs were moving in at the same time as the Jews because of the new economic resources created by the Jews.Britain signed the Balfour Declaration in 1917. It vaguely stated it was in favor of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Soon after, however, the British revised this statement. When the British discovered oil in Saudi Arabia, they wanted the Arabs to have 70 percent of the land. They gave the Jews only 30 percent of the land, an area later known as Transjordan. The Jews did not protest.In 1937, the British created the Peel Commission Partition Plan, splitting the land evenly between the Jews and Arabs. Even though the Jews agreed, the Arabs refused to compromise. Again in 1947, the United Nations created the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, deciding to split the land between the areas that were predominantly Jewish and those that were predominantly Arab.Although this came to be fairly even once again, the Arabs still would not agree to compromise. To them, it was not a war about borders — it was a war of religion.We have the right to live in Israel and call it our home. And anyone who thinks Zionism is some “bullshit excuse” just needs a basic history lesson.— aledaily@indiana.edu
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It seems ridiculous at first.Time Magazine named 21-year-old Miley Cyrus a finalist for person of the year. The singer, once known by her alter ego Hannah Montana, has worked to separate herself from her Disney days this past year. With hits like “23,” “Wrecking Ball” and “We Can’t Stop” — which includes incredibly insightful lyrics such as “We run things / Things don’t run we” — it is obvious Cyrus’ songs do not serve as a call to action, or even advice for her predominantly teenaged fanbase. Rather, her songs promote excessive partying. This, coupled with her many instances of cliche scandalous behavior, makes many dismiss her as another Disney-star-gone-wrong — see Lindsay Lohan or Amanda Bynes.That being said, her music is undeniably catchy. Whether listening as a true fan or just to mock the star, the songs and their accompanying videos are difficult to forget. Last semester, one of my floor mates started talking about a new song from the pop star entitled “23.” We all watched the music video, entranced by the comically simple, but incredibly unforgettable “J’s on my feet” line. Cyrus’ songs do not rely on complicated metaphors or even well written lyrics.Instead, she masterfully creates melodies to remind listeners of those late night parties of their youth — the times they were rebellious.“We Can’t Stop” has become an unofficial anthem for millennials desperate to rekindle their younger, wilder days and not grow up. Her more somber “Wrecking Ball,” meant for her recent ex-fiancé Liam Hemsworth, includes emotional truths everyone going through a breakup can sympathize with. That is Cyrus’ greatest strength — generalities.Unlike other singers who include more personal details in their songs, she strives to keep her lyrics simple enough to apply to all types and ages of audiences. Beyond this, however, she makes her live performances and music videos unforgettable. The singer made headlines everywhere after twerking on Robin Thicke while he performed “Blurred Lines.” With her ridiculous performance outfit, hair that reminded many of Angelica’s Cynthia doll from Rugrats and her signature tongue-out pose, Cyrus made sure she would be the sole star of the VMAs. This performance spawned an SNL parody featuring Cyrus herself, as well as the number one costume seller for Halloween 2013. Additionally, her music video for “Wrecking Ball” accumulated nearly half a billion views in the four months since its release and has spawned many copycats. In fact, Grand Valley State University in Mich. had to remove a pendulum, similar in shape to Cyrus’ wrecking ball, from campus because students kept sneaking on to ride the ball. My floor briefly considered constructing one in our communal lounge.Cyrus started the twerking phase that continues to sweep the nation and sold 270,000 copies of her new CD, “Bangerz,” during its first week of release — making it the third-highest opening week for a female artist in 2013.It was undoubtedly the year of Miley. And her reign is only likely to continue into 2014. — aledaily@indiana.edu