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(09/26/13 3:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Community members met at Upland Brewing Company on Wednesday to discuss the new City recycling center and its potential for positive change. Chad Roeder, manager of the Downtown Bloomington Recycling Center, discussed future changes to the Center, which will be renamed the Bloomington Community Recycling Center.Roeder said the recycling center was closed temporarily because of issues with sustainability, economics and labor.“From a labor perspective, we were open way too many hours,” Roeder said. “We were taking in way too much stuff, and so we had to put the breaks on, re-tool the project, find some new buyers, find some new ways to ship the materials and find ways to lower our labor costs.” Roeder said they have established those changes and are working on some infrastructure improvements.“We were dealing with just a couple of buyers before. Now we’ve diversified that into five different buyers and five different ways of shipping the materials,” Roeder said. “We are not beholden to one monolithic system anymore. We’ve hedged our bets essentially. We’re working with a lot of different people so we have the ability to negotiate with five different groups instead of one.” The recycling center will hopefully open within a week or two at most, Roeder said. Marcia Veldman, an organizer for Green Drinks Bloomington, said Roeder was invited to speak because of his broad knowledge of recycling in Bloomington.“Considering how much new downtown housing there is, most of it apartments that don’t have any infrastructure for recycling, we feel that it’s really important for people to get familiar with what needs to happen to make recycling downtown accessible,” Veldman said.David Gulyas, a former instructor at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, said Bloomington is really behind on the strategies and technologies for handling waste and recycling. “It gives people an opportunity to begin to participate in that whole process of beginning to close the loop on material waste management,” Gulyas said in reference to the recycling center re-opening. Roeder said he sees potential for change in the efforts of waste management. “You see a lot of communities around the country, certainly around the world, and there have been progressive efforts that have worked,” he said. “I think we can do that here locally.”Follow reporter Alli Friedman on Twitter @afreedz.
(09/19/13 3:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington staple Yogi’s Grill and Bar built its reputation with a vast beer variety and game day atmosphere 21 years ago. Now, visitors to the location can expect a modernized vibe and new menu.Recently, the restaurant converted from a bar into a gastropub. As a gastropub, Yogi’s will now be “upgraded with better food,” said Jim Karl, Yogi’s founder and one of the owners. With the advice from friend David Tallent, owner of Restaurant Tallent, to upgrade Yogi’s, Karl said he took a trip to Chicago and was inspired by the gastropubs he encountered there. “We decided to put together a menu that was affordable, that was higher end pub food, and that’s what our menu is today,” Karl said.Karl said with the help of Tallent, they have been working on the menu for the past six months testing options. Karl said Tallent came to Yogi’s periodically to help train the kitchen managers. “He helped us upgrade our menu to where we kept all of our old favorites, and he showed us how to source locally,” Karl said. “A lot of the foods that tasted better and were better, we took those on, and now our menu has great appetizers.” Some of the new items on the menu include a Mediterranean dip and calamari.Karl said their prices have increased by about 50 cents, which he said is in part a result of inflation. Karl said construction was completed in March. The new menu has been in effect for the past two weeks.The restaurant remodeled its bathrooms and its pub room.“We knew if we upgraded the menu, we had to upgrade the facility,” Karl said. Cat Conatser, an employee at Yogi’s, said the change took some getting used to. “At first it was a rough change,” she said. “I felt like business kind of went down a little bit just because people didn’t know what we were doing. They didn’t know what we were about anymore. The menu was changing a lot. Now I feel like we’ve gotten a whole new cliental, brought back some of our older clientele, so it’s a nice mesh.” Karl said Yogi’s has always tried to be on the forefront. “We think that the gastropub is an up and coming concept,” he said. “So you can come here and see some nicer-end things.”Follow reporter Alli Friedman on Twitter @afreedz.
(09/13/13 3:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Members of the public are helping map a future for Bloomington.Local residents met Thursday at the Monroe County Public Library to discuss draft goals for an update of Bloomington’s Growth Policy Plan.ImagineBloomington began in 2011 as Bloomington’s effort to update the Growth Policies Plan, which was developed in 2002.ImagineBloomington organized three workshops this year to give the public opportunities to review and discuss the draft plan.Scott Robinson, long range and transportation manager for Bloomington, spoke about three draft goals concerning transportation, economic and sustainable development and government services.The draft goals for transportation include a better transit system, safety and information regarding automobile alternatives.The economic and sustainable development goals include targeting an area for corporate headquarters, workforce development on emergent technologies and modern manufacturing jobs and economic development as synonymous with quality of life, according to a Powerpoint presentation.The government services goals are to provide useful public services, promote healthy lifestyles and improve public safety. Those who attended the meeting had the opportunity to vote on which ImagineBloomigton goals they favored or opposed.Nate Nickel, senior long range planner for the planning department, said they created a steering committee of 25 members to oversee this process.“What we will do is essentially go back to the steering committee and look at the public input we received at this workshop and online, all the comments we received and start looking at editing and working toward actually starting to develop our comprehensive plan,” Nickel said.ImagineBloomington is anticipated to continue through 2015.“Generally cities and counties across the country try to update their comprehensive plans about every ten years to reflect current conditions,” Nickel said.Robinson said they are in the process of deciding where Bloomington wants to be in the next 25 years and beyond.“We are looking into the future, what direction does Bloomington want to head,” Robinson said.However, some members of the public said they were upset by the goals that were drafted because they said they felt the broad topics of transportation, economic and sustainable development and government services limited the conversation that could take place.Micol Seigel, American studies professor at IU,said she felt the whole paradigm that they set up for the public to consider was very conventional and narrow.“I think that the public objected to the framing of the questions because it limited the kinds of issues we were allowed to address,” Seigel said.Follow business reporter Alli Friedman on Twitter @afreedz.
(09/12/13 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington peace groups gathered at the Monroe County Courthouse Square on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks to protest a U.S. attack on Syria. The event included speeches from Father John Meany of St. Paul Catholic Center and David Keppel of the Bloomington Peace Action Coalition, among others. Keppel said they organized the event to remember the tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001, to remember those killed both in Afghanistan and Iraq and to oppose a U.S. attack on Syria. “This is a long-term struggle to make peace, and we are not going to stop until we accomplish it,” he said. Keppel said people from any political background understand that war is counterproductive. “We should direct the money that would have gone to war instead to refugees who are in terrible streets and to the even greater number of eternally displaced persons in Syria,” he said.Protestors held signs that read “No more dead Hoosiers in Iraq or Iran” and “Money for jobs not for war.”“The world has changed enormously, and I think that out of that experience for all those years, like most Americans, we can see really the horrors of war and the utility of it and how really the only way to settle things is peacefully,” Father Meany said in his speech. “We gather here to honor the dead but to also forcefully say to our leadership, ‘enough is enough.’”Follow reporter Alli Friedman on Twitter @afreedz.
(09/11/13 2:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Nominations for the City of Bloomington’s Council for Community Accessibility’s (CCA) annual awards to recognize individuals, businesses and organizations that make Bloomington more disability friendly are now being accepted online until Oct. 11.CCA is a group that advocates for those with disabilities, promotes awareness and develops solutions to problems with accessibility that disabled community members face. Anyone in the community is welcome to nominate someone to be recognized for advocating for those with disabilities.The CCA is made up of volunteers who either have an interest in disabilities, or be a person or have a family member who has a disability. Craig Brenner, special project coordinator, said the CCA attempts to educate the public about the number of people with disabilities and to help make sure that businesses and other organizations are accessible to those people. “It’s important for the community to recognize that there are a substantial number of people in our community who have disabilities, and that number is increasing as the population ages,” Brenner said. “Because of those facts, anytime you can bring an awareness of the needs of people with disabilities to the public’s attention, you are doing a service to make our community more accessible.”Brenner said the awards will be presented at the end of October during an award ceremony. This gives the group ample time to decide who will receive the awards.The CCA gives out six different awards — the Kristin Willison Volunteer Service Award, the Business Service Award, the Professional and Community Service Award, the Housing Service Award, the Self-Advocacy Award and the Mayor’s Award.“Basically if it’s a well-written nomination and it shows that a person or a group has really gone above and beyond what’s expected of someone, then they really deserve recognition,” Brenner said. Mayor Mark Kruzan said Bloomington is making strides to be more accessible for people with disabilities. “Through the hard work of the CCA and community members, Bloomington continues to improve its accessibility to individuals with disabilities,” Kruzan said in a press release. “I look forward to events that recognize the time, effort and commitment of people who are constantly working to better their community.”To nominate someone, visit bloomington.in.gov/cca. Follow reporter Alli Friedman on Twitter @afreedz.
(09/10/13 2:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This fall marks the third year of GiveIN Game, a program allowing hunters to donate deer meat to interested people.Beginning Sept. 1, and continuing through Aug. 1, 2014, people can register online to donate or receive venison.Selling,
bartering or trading venison is against the law, so the program,
through the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and
Wildlife, allows hunters to make venison available to those who want
it. Venison is only donated through the program.Through the website, hunters and those who want venison are able to sign up in the same system and then contact each other.Michelle
Cain, wildlife information specialist at the Division of Fish and
Wildlife, said they started the program as a way for hunters to give
away unwanted venison.“It gives the hunters the opportunity to
hunt more and a way to give venison to people that wanted to feed
themselves or their family,” Cain said.In 2012, GiveIN Game had 774 hunters and buyers sign up. Cain said it hopes to have about 800 participants this year.Cain said the goal of GiveIN Game is to save venison rather than waste it.“There
is more demand than supply,” Cain said. “Generally there are a lot more
people that want the venison than there is to give.”Cain said GiveIN Game provides services where hunters are helping people throughout the community.“The
idea was to connect people who are looking for a healthy alternative
source of protein with hunters that have already satisfied their own
venison needs,” Cain said.Chad Stewart, a deer biologist with DNR, said they like to joke and call it “deer harmony.”“It
really works similar to one of those online dating match-up programs,”
Stewart said. “It works very much the same way in that you have people
in a certain area that matches up people that want and need and have a
surplus of venison.“It provides an outlet for those two groups to connect and meet one another.”Stewart
said after the first year of GiveIN, the program officials did a survey
of the participants. Of those who responded, more than 80 percent said
they were satisfied and would participate again.“The people who weren’t satisfied were the people who failed to make a connection,” he said.Follow reporter Alli Friedman on Twitter @afreedz.
(09/10/13 2:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The U.S Department of Agriculture released data Wednesday revealing Indiana is the 12th state in the nation most at risk for hunger. The data, which is calculated by a three-year average, showed 49 million people in the United States are food insecure, including 13.5 percent of Indiana households, according to a press release from Feeding Indiana’s Hungry.“Over 6 percent of Hoosier households are having to go without food,” said Emily Weikert Bryant, executive director of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry.Bryant said food insecure households skipping meals have gone up from 4.8 percent to 6.3 percent.The month of September is recognized by Feeding America as Hunger Action Month. Bryant said Hunger Action Month is designed to advocate for those who are at risk of hunger.“We want to engage people and make them aware of the fact that hunger exists and of opportunities to help, as well as make them aware of what our food banks do across the state,” Bryant said.Throughout the month of September, Bryant said their member food banks have several events going on to help raise awareness including walks, runs, food drives, a civic food fight and volunteer days, among other things. “I think overall, with hunger action month and other efforts throughout our state and country, the problem with hunger has become more visible and more discussed, and this is one more way we try and make that happen,” Bryant said.Bryant said the issue of hunger pertains to IU students because there will always be students among them who will have difficulty getting enough food for themselves or their families.“Things are difficult for college students,” Bryant said. “There could be someone in your class, someone down the street or someone your parents know that are at risk of hunger.”Julio Alonso, executive director of Hoosier Hills Food Bank, said Hunger Action month is a part of what people at Hoosier Hills do every day because hunger is an ongoing problem.“We usually use September as a way to try and start engaging the student body at IU because that’s when a lot of students are coming back to IU and when a lot of freshman are coming here for the first time,” Alonso said.Alonso said they rely on more than 3,000 volunteers a year, so they use thismonth to try and raise awareness on campus as well as recruit volunteers.“It is impossible to do what we do without volunteer support,” Alonso said.Follow reporter Alli Friedman on Twitter @afreedz.
(09/08/13 4:45pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This fall marks the third year of GiveIN Game, a program that allows hunters to donate deer meat to people who are interested. Beginning Sept. 1 and continuing through Aug. 1, 2014, people can register online to donate or receive venison. Selling, bartering or trading venison is against the law, so the program, through the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife, allows hunters to make venison available to those who want it. Through the website, hunters and those who want venison are able to sign up in the same system and then contact each other. Michelle Cain, wildlife information specialist at the Division of Fish and Wildlife, said they started this program as a way for hunters to be able to give away venison they may not need to someone who wants it. “It gives the hunters the opportunity to hunt more and a way to give venison to people that wanted to feed themselves or their family,” Cain said. In 2012, GiveIN Game had 774 hunters and buyers sign up. Cain said it hopes to have about 800 participants this year.Cain said the goal of GiveIN Game is for venison not to be wasted. “There is more supply than demand,” Cain said. “Generally there are a lot more people that want the venison than there is to give.”Cain said GiveIN Game provides services where hunters are helping people throughout the community. “The idea was to connect people who are looking for a healthy alternative source of protein with hunters that have already satisfied their own venison needs,” Cain said. Chad Stewart, a deer biologist with DNR, said they like to joke and call it “deer harmony.”“It really works similar to one of those online dating matchup programs,” Stewart said. “It works very much the same way in that you have people in a certain area that matches up people that want and need and have a surplus of venison. It provides an outlet for those two groups to connect and meet one another.” Stewart said after the first year of GiveIN, the program officials did a survey of the participants. Of those who responded, more than 80 percent said they were satisfied and would partcipate again. “The people who weren’t satisfied were the people who failed to make a connection,” he said. Follow reporter Alli Friedman on Twitter @afreedz.
(09/04/13 4:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Monroe County Board of Commissioners passed an ordinance Aug. 23 that sets a new curfew on the Monroe County Courthouse.The unanimous decision established the public hours for the Courthouse Square between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. every day of the week. A person who violates the ordinance will commit a Class E ordinance violation and may be charged with trespassing. Julie Thomas, vice president of the Monroe County Commissioners, said in an email the new hours are set this way to allow people to still enjoy the park-like setting and view the war memorials. Thomas said they passed the ordinance in order to protect the public’s health and safety on the square.The ordinance was essential because their maintenance staff had to clean up garbage and human waste each morning, Thomas said. Patrick Stoffers, a Monroe County commissioner, said in an email the new curfew will protect users of the square from abuse.“The courthouse grounds belong to everyone.” Stoffers said. “But that doesn’t mean the users of the courthouse should have to tolerate trash and litter, human waste and vandalism to conduct their business.”The ordinance states “numerous individuals have been camping overnight on the Monroe County Courthouse grounds, including at the entrance to the Courthouse.”According to the ordinance, there will be signs on the square informing people of the new hours.The ordinance also prohibits intentional littering and consumption of alcohol on the square.The people experiencing homelessness who have been sleeping there at night will now have to find somewhere else to stay. John Riley, one of the people experiencing homelessness, said he is very angry about the new curfew.“They took our tents students built for us on the Westside, then they found out the homeless were sleeping at the courthouse, and now they’ve done away with that,” Riley said. Riley said they have complained and done a couple of marches, but that nothing has been done. He said the homeless don’t have any options anymore, so he has been staying anywhere he can.“There is nowhere in this town that the homeless people can lay our head at night,” he said. Follow reporter Alli Friedman on Twitter @afreedz.
(08/29/13 3:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington is more than a college town — it’s also a place for business.Bloomington ranked 22 of 184 in a list of the top “Best Small Places For Business And Careers” released this month by Forbes Magazine.“The ranking helps us tell the success story that we’re creating the right environment for businesses,” Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan said in an email. “Our economic development philosophy is that quality of life is synonymous with economic vitality.”The ranking included information about multiple communities’ metro populations, major industries, median household income, unemployment and cost of living, among other criteria. Bloomington was also ranked 18 of 184 in the cost of doing business category.“Our local cost of living is 10+ percent lower than the national average, which means lower costs for businesses,” Kruzan said. “The strong higher education presence in the community means an educated workforce that fuels a strong economy.”Bloomington also ranked 31 out of 184 in the education category.Nels Boerner, owner of Darn Good Soup, 107 N. College Ave., said Bloomington is a great place to open a small business.“Bloomington seems to be receptive to small businesses and want small businesses rather than just another Starbucks,” Boerner said.Jeb Conrad, President and CEO of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, said Bloomington has a more vibrant entrepreneurial environment than other markets where he has worked. “It’s great that Bloomington has got some of the appropriate assets that lend itself to be favorable to small businesses and careers,” he said.Conrad said Bloomington’s reasonable cost, good talent pool, well-educated work force and geography make it attractive.“There is a progressive interest in developing new technologies and other projects to start a small business,” Conrad said. “Bloomington offers that type of culture.”Conrad said part of the stability of the marketplace is driven by the University.“Because of the University as a major employer, you don’t see any dramatic major fluctuations in cost of doing business and cost of living compared to other communities, so it’s favorable for us,” he said. Follow business reporter Alli Friedman @afreedz.
(08/27/13 4:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After a fire ravaged Japanee last September, the restaurant has opened two new locations, including their newest, Japonee Express, changing the spelling of their name.This new restaurant on Kirkwood, which opened June 9, has been a success since students have arrived back on campus, said owner Shi Zhong.“The people that eat here are happy,” Zhong said.Japonee Express offers a wide variety of sushi, some Korean food, a delivery service and free miso soup. Zhong also opened the Sake Bar on North Walnut Street in early May, which features sushi and sake bombs.Janice Zhan, Zhong’s wife and co-owner, said they decided to open Japonee Express because of its prime location.“We opened here because it’s easy for the students to come to lunch,” Zhan said. Zhan said a lot of students don’t have a car to go to the Sake Bar or the other Japonee, so they designed another location to make it easier for students.Zhong said they are currently rebuilding the old Japonee and are planning to reopen it by early October.“We remodeled everything inside,” he said. “We are also planning on having a karaoke bar.”The three Japonee restaurants will all offer something different for the customers, Zhong said. The Sake Bar only serves sushi and is geared more toward people who want to drink, eat sushi and “party,” Zhong said. The Japonee they are planning to reopen is more family-oriented because it offers many different foods, Zhong said.Zhong said they haven’t advertised for Japonee Express, but business has still been positive.“People are always walking by and wanting to check out our new restaurant,” he said. “Since the students have been back, business has been up about 30 percent.”David Sheehan, artistic associate at the Bloomington Playwrights Project, visited Japonee Express for the first time and said it’s nice to have the business back.“We were sad that the old location closed, and we’re so happy that they opened here,” Sheehan said. “We can’t wait for the other one to reopen.”Follow business and economics reporter Alli Friedman on Twitter @afreedz.
(08/20/13 4:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Parking meters were recently implemented in the entire downtown area of Bloomington. Since the parking meters have gone into effect, local business owners, employees and customers have expressed strong opinions about the recent changes. John McGuigan, an employee at Caveat Emptor Used Books said the new parking meters are a “disaster.” “We and other businesses have already seen a significant drop-off in sales,” he said. “Customers have been coming in and complaining about it.”Jamis Starcs, owner and manager of Caveat Emptor Used Books said he feels more concerned than ever. “We’re really worried that this may hurt the downtown businesses in a way that no one anticipated,” he said. McGuigan said he was strongly opposed to the idea from the start. As a member of the Bloomington Coalition Against Parking Meters, he will remain against the meters until the next election cycle. “We’re going to keep fighting this and hopefully do what we can to get a slated candidate who will get rid of the parking meters,” McGuigan said.John Bailey, managing partner at Malibu Grill, who was originally a strong supporter of the plan, said he feels there are changes that need to be made. “I still agree that we had to do it,” he said. “However, they, in my opinion, overreached.” Bailey said he believes there is an overabundance of high-cost parking meters that puts a burden on the little guy. “They’re charging too much right out of the box,” Bailey said, referring to the $1 per hour rate for the meters. “If I were the city, I would reduce the rates in less desirable spots.”He also said he thinks they should change the escalation clock, because it is currently active until 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday. “It’s incumbent on the city to make those changes as soon as they possibly can,” he said. “I’m pro-meter as so long as you absolutely don’t punish people.”Margarete Disque-Nowak, owner of Mardon Salon, has found a way to offset the cost of parking. The salon is now offering a 3-sample gift to its guests who feel discouraged by the parking. Disque-Nowak, who was originally opposed to the meters, said she no longer thinks they are a bad idea. She said some businesses are actually beginning to really accept the parking meters.“You knew it was going to happen anyway, so what are you going to do as a business owner?” Disque-Nowak asked. “It’s something that Bloomington really needs to embrace.”
(04/17/13 4:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The fresh smell of bread filled Sweet Claire’s Gourmet Bakery as the employees prepared for the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market. April through June, Sweet Claire’s will be making more than 300 pieces of bread every Saturday for the Bloomington farmer’s market. August marks the three-year anniversary of Sweet Claire’s, a gourmet bakery located on East Third Street. It serves a variety of fresh breads, cupcakes and specially ordered cakes. On average, Sweet Claire’s makes nearly 100 pieces of fresh bread a day. Owner Nel Hostetter said her bakery is different from other bakeries because her business background in aerospace manufacturing. “I am applying those processes to here,” Hostetter said. “I use baker’s math to calculate my ratio, and I always find ways to make the process more efficient.”Sweet Claire’s offers non-enriched sweetbread and their daily vegetarian soy chorizo bread filling called Kolache. Sweet Claire’s also uses King Arthur’s flour, a high-quality flour that lacks chemical ingredients. “The bakery business is really different now than before because there aren’t very many small bakeries now,” Hostetter said. “Everything here is handmade from scratch, where at big corporations it’s not. We get a lot of grad students, because it is quiet and they appreciate more of the high quality ingredients we use.” Sweet Claire’s also serves a variety of organic teas and coffees and gluten-free bread. On Sundays, Sweet Claire’s offer Dutch pancakes, which are made with no yeast or baking powder. With the low margin and high labor costs of making wedding cakes, it now only makes its cakes by special orders. Hostetter said that creating the cupcakes requires a good grip and a very steady hand. “It’s a lot of tedious work,” she said. “Using Italian butter cream, you have to be quick because it melts pretty quickly.”Junior Christine Bestman, an employee at Sweet Claire’s, said her job is extremely laid back. “I learn something new everyday,” Bestman said. “I get to learn how to make cookies, different doughs and I get a lot of customer experience.” Throughout the year, Sweet Claire’s serves its baked goods downtown Saturday evenings from 10 p.m.to 2 a.m. on its food truck. Junior Audrey Brinkers, an employee at Sweet Claire’s, said she enjoys being in the food truck. “It’s a lot different from being in-shop,” Brinkers said. “People are excited because we have something that a lot of other places don’t have and it’s cheap and people can walk and eat it.”
(03/28/13 4:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Throughout March, Disability Services for Students at IU has organized various events for Disability Awareness Month to acknowledge those students and raise awareness about their disabilities. During the rest of the month, there will be several events happening on campus, such as a screening of the film “Murderball” today, a panel called “What Would You Do” from 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday in the McNutt Quad Formal Lounge and a Disability Awareness Benefit Concert at 2 p.m. April 14 in Dunn Meadow. Disability Services Coordinator Tanner Terrell said Disability Awareness Month creates opportunities for increased awareness and education around the issues individuals with disabilities face. “We try to deconstruct the stereotypes and the stigma and the misconceptions of disabilities,” Terrell said. “A lot of our events and programs focus on the student voice because their voice is really important.” DAM events focus on students with both visible and invisible disabilities. At “Welcome to My World: Invisible Disabilities,” at Forest Quad, a panel of three students spoke about their experiences at IU with having an invisible disability. Senior Rosemary Foster, who is hard of hearing, said she thinks it’s nice people are trying to spread the word about Disabilities Awareness Month. “We have a long way to go, but I think that the effort is good,” Foster said. Foster said she believes awareness is important because of the assumptions students make about people who have disabilities. “Just because you can’t see anything wrong with someone doesn’t mean there isn’t,” she said. Although more than 1,200 students are enrolled with DSS, Terrell said those are only the students who have registered. Terrell said raising awareness is important because he believes students may lose the opportunity to get the help they need because they have a hard time balancing the stigma associated with disabilities. “We know there are a lot of students who have a learning disability or a physical disability that don’t bother registering with our office,” Terrell said. “We get a lot of people junior year who decide to register. There is this burden of choice.”
(03/26/13 7:00pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Throughout March, Disability Services for Students at IU has organized various events for Disability Awareness Month to acknowledge those students and raise awareness about their disabilities. During the rest of the month, there will be several events happening on campus, such as a screening of the film “Murderball” today, a panel called “What Would You Do” from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday in the McNutt Quad Formal Lounge and a Disability Awareness Benefit Concert at 2 p.m. April 14 in Dunn Meadow. Disability Services Coordinator Tanner Terrell said Disability Awareness Month creates opportunities for increased awareness and education around the issues individuals with disabilities face. “We try to deconstruct the stereotypes and the stigma and the misconceptions of disabilities,” Terrell said. “A lot of our events and programs focus on the student voice because their voice is really important.” DAM events focus on students with both visible and invisible disabilities. At “Welcome to My World: Invisible Disabilities,” at Forest Quad, a panel of three students spoke about their experiences at IU with having an invisible disability. Senior Rosemary Foster, who is hard of hearing, said she thinks it’s nice people are trying to spread the word about Disabilities Awareness Month. “We have a long way to go, but I think that the effort is good,” Foster said. Foster said she believes awareness is important because of the assumptions students make about people who have disabilities. “Just because you can’t see anything wrong with someone doesn’t mean there isn’t,” she said. Although more than 1,200 students are enrolled with DSS, Terrell says those are only the students who have registered. Terrell said raising awareness is important because he believes students may lose the opportunity to get the help they need because they have a hard time balancing the stigma associated with disabilities. “We know there are a lot of students who have a learning disability or a physical disability that don’t bother registering with our office,” Terrell said. “We get a lot of people junior year who decide to register. There is this burden of choice.”
(02/18/13 3:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Twice a year, IU residential halls have participated in an Energy Challenge, a competition that encourages students to conserve energy and water. Beginning today and continuing through March 11, IU students in 10 residential halls will compete to conserve the most amount of energy. Wright and Forest quads are not participating due to construction. Although the competition has existed at IU for several years, this challenge will be part of the Campus Conservation Nationals, including colleges and universities from around the country.Sophomore Mary Roper, director of environmentalism for the Residence Halls Association, said they are looking to boost the number of students involved this year.Roper said she wants more of an educational aspect to the competition that will help students develop new behaviors.“Our main goal is to help people develop different lifestyle changes that will help people save water and energy,” Roper said. Roper said directors of RHA are currently doing a “base line,” which measures how much energy and water is used during a two-week period to determine how much energy is used, in preparation of the challenge. Throughout the competition, the directors will be comparing the baseline to the two-week period of competition, in order to find the residence hall with the greatest percentage reduction. During the fall 2011 and spring 2012 competition, Ashton Center won the energy challenge under Roper’s direction. “It’s hard to win back to back,” Roper said. This year, Roper said that they will have several events going on throughout the weeks to encourage student involvement, such as the “lights out” movie event at Wright.Some resident assistants said they are working hard to promote the event throughout the dorms. Emily McKnight, resident assistant at Foster Quad, is working on promoting the event to get more students involved.McKnight said she believes too few students know about the challenge, which is why she thinks a RA promotion is an important way to get students involved. “On my floor, we have flyers in all of the bathrooms on ways you can reduce your environmental footprint,” McKnight said.