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(04/03/14 2:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Giving Back to Africa Student Association will launch “Beta Histoire,” a month-long photo exhibit, from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the IU Art Museum.The exhibit will showcase photographs taken by children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and photographs taken by students in Monroe County. Fogarty and Friends jazz trio will play during the opening of the exhibit as well.“Even though the DRC is on the other side of the world, the exhibit shows similarities between youth in the U.S. and youth in the DRC,” GBASA president Sarah Baulac said. “It’s important to be educated on these likenesses to feel more connected to the development of youth leaders in the DRC.”GBASA educates IU students about political, social and economic issues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she said.“We hold events to spread awareness about what Giving Back to Africa, the Bloomington-based nonprofit, is doing to further the education of the youth there and fundraise to support the non-profit’s mission,” Baulac said.Through project-based learning, Giving Back to Africa is dedicated to educating young people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to become agents of change in their communities, according to its website.The process of GBASA’s first art exhibit began in 2011, Baulac said. The organization sent disposable cameras to Giving Back to Africa’s partner school in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.“Students at Centre Salisa took pictures of their lives,” Baulac said.Once the cameras were returned, the members developed the pictures and placed them in an exhibit at the museum, she said.“This year, we’ve expanded the exhibit by inviting students in Monroe County to submit pictures of their lives in response to the original pictures from DRC,” Baulac said. “We had over 20 photo submissions.”She said the photographs in the exhibit focus on what the children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo see in their daily lives.“Participants can expect to see an interesting juxtaposition between the two cultures,” she said.The photos were taken from the point of view of students in Monroe County and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, though some of the photos may feature students.Giving Back to Africa is dedicated to making its vision a reality by working with other groups and people who share its philosophy of investing in human capabilities by pairing with the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to its website.“It’s always a great feeling to work with people who are passionate about similar issues,” Baulac said. “We have a small group, but we’re all very connected and working hard toward bettering education in DRC.”
(04/02/14 2:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Outdoor Adventures sent seven groups to explore different areas of the country and experience the outdoors during spring break. For these trips, each group practiced Leave No Trace principles, which mean leaving the area the way it was found.Two groups were sent to backpack in Grand Canyon National Park. The groups went on separate trips to the same location.“We tried a new trail, about 40 miles of backpacking,” said senior Meredith Strunk, IUOA outreach coordinator and trip leader.Toward the end of one day while they were backpacking, Strunk said her group approached a tall canyon with walls reaching about 300 feet. She said her group was at the mouth of the slot canyon when they realized they had lost the trail.“Since it’s all stone, it’s not like you can really see the trail,” she said.She said they looked down and realized they’d have to climb into the canyon. Taking off their backpacks, they helped one another navigate around boulders.“We looked straight up, and on both sides of us were these beautiful stone cliffs,” Strunk said. “It was really cool to feel that small and to be able to see a very little part of the sky.”Senior Trip Leader Greg Welage, along with two other IUOA groups, went rock climbing in the Rocky Mountains.“We walked from our campground each morning to the climbing sites within Shelf Road,” Welage said. “It contains about 1,000 bolted routes.”Strunk said spring rock climbing trips normally experience cold weather, making it difficult to climb because the participants’ hands are cold. This year, the weather was warm for the climbers.“In the middle of the week we were climbing in snow flurries and woke up to about one inch of snow the next morning,” Welage said. “But the next day was sunny with a high temperature in the 60s.”Many of the climbers on the trip were new to climbing, Strunk said. Welage and the other leaders taught the climbers technical skills each day.“I think what’s cool about OA trips is that people can not have experience in things, even as technical as rock climbing,” she said.In Marathon, Texas, senior Brian Fitzgerald and junior Catherine Krege canoed 84 miles in six days along the Rio Grande River.“It was really calming,” Krege said. “I thought it was a really relaxing spring break.” There was no civilization in the area, which allowed for special sight-seeing, Fitzgerald said.“There’s literally nothing around for miles, either on the Texas side or the Mexican side,” Fitzgerald said. “There’s no light pollution.”He said being able to see all the stars at night was an unusual experience.The groups canoed 12 to 24 miles a day, he said. Then they would stop, set up camp and stay in that location for the night, also practicing Leave No Trace camping.“Another thing with Leave No Trace and back country camping, which is camping without a campsite, is there is no electricity and you cannot shower,” Krege said.She said they would carry all their waste with them — a small sacrifice to save the beauty of the area.“The shower part didn’t affect me as much as our other participants,” Fitzgerald said. “What’s great about our trip is it’s a water trip, so we can scrub off some of the dirt, and halfway through our trip we stopped at a hot spring.”Krege said the group swam in the beautiful hot spring.Fitzgerald said it was rejuvenating, and he never felt cleaner.“It’s so good to kind of let go of everything, including all of your worries,” Fitzgerald said. “You’re basically focused on miles and food.”Junior Christopher Sajdak participated in the Havasu Falls backpacking trip. The group drove 30 hours to its final destination, where they hiked eight miles to an Indian reservation. The reservation is located near a water fall in the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon area, where they stayed for three days.“We stayed at the Havasupai Village, and it’s the most remote village in the lower 38,” he said, “and the only way to get there is by helicopter or take the eight-mile hike.”They swam and soaked up the sun, Sajdak said. The group also learned about life on the reservation.“It’s amazing to see how all the people are fully sustained by tourism and people staying at the campsites there,” he said. “And without the tourism, they would be completely isolated.”Along the hike, Sajdak said there are two 55-foot waterfalls, and the campground is at the bottom of a 66-foot waterfall.“It was the most beautiful place I’ve ever gone to,” Sajdak said. “It’s truly an oasis in the middle of the Grand Canyon.”Follow reporter Allison Wagner on Twitter @allmwagn.
(03/31/14 3:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In an effort to increase female voter registration and remember the journey women took to gain the right to vote, the IU Black Student Union organized a Women’s Suffrage Reenactment March that crossed campus.The march began Sunday at the Neal-Marshal Black Culture Center and continued to the Sample Gates, ending with a luncheon at Briscoe Quad. Vivid chants like “Everybody join the fight, women’s rights are human rights,” could be heard across campus.“Our purpose is to get a large amount of women registered to vote on campus and to empower women on campus,” said Autumm Olivia Gonzalez, Black Student Union political action chair and march coordinator. When Gonzalez saw there were no events for women being organized, she said she decided to create an event — the Women’s Suffrage Reenactment March.“I had been researching registered voters on campus, and I noticed women had a very low percentage,” she said. “And I definitely wanted to reach out to women on campus and make sure they’re registered to vote.”The event was sponsored by the Black Student Union, IU Student Association, Commission on Multicultural Understanding and Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs.“I think it’s such an important event because at Indiana University, it’s important for women to come together and unify with one another and uplift one another,” said Camille Harris, vice president of the Black Student Union.A crowd of about 40 men and women gathered and chanted as they walked down Third Street to the Sample Gates in order to make their cause for women’s equality heard.“I feel like it’s an important issue to really support,” freshman Chesley Swann said. “In terms of wages, it’s still very unequal. And in the 21st century, it shouldn’t be an issue pushed to the back burner. It seems like we’ve become deaf and blind to the cause.”Half of the marchers were men marching for gender equality. Freshman Mark Rogers said he decided to march because he believes men need to empower women and show women they support their cause.“It’s great to see a lot of men here,” said Eric Love, director of the Office of Diversity Education. “We need to step out of our comfort zone and help others that are different than us. We need men talking about women’s issues.”He said if the world brought different people together in one room to talk, amazing things would happen to change the world for the better.The movement for women’s suffrage began in 1848 with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Most of the women who started the movement would not live to see the right for women to vote passed.At the Sample Gates, Brenda Weber, director of graduate studies in the Department of Gender Studies, addressed the marchers about the history of the suffrage movement and the inequalities women still face today.“Part of the reason we do an event like this is so we won’t be complacent about those rights we earned and worked so hard to get, and also so we’ll recognize change takes time,” Weber said. “It takes bringing lots of people on board. It takes vision. It takes visibility, and it takes youth.”She said many people feel there is no longer an issue of gender inequality, that it is a thing of the past. But, she said, women still make 77 cents to every dollar a man makes.In order to close the gap of inequality, she said people need to recognize there is an issue, become angry and push people to make change.“Part of this is to recognize you have power, a lot of power — and when you join together, you have even more power,” Weber said. “I think it’s a really important thing to raise visibility and to help people recognize that something important happened.”Follow reporter Allison Wagner on Twitter @allmwagn.
(03/28/14 3:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>President Barack Obama announced in January that one in five women — 20 percent — are sexually assaulted during their time at college. Leslie Fasone wants to lower that percentage at IU.Fasone accepted the position as the new assistant dean three weeks ago for Women’s and Gender Affairs, within the division of student affairs. She will continue to advise the Culture of Care initiative, while fulfilling her new role in the Dean of Students Office.Fasone will work in the area of women’s affairs and will develop programming that relates to improving the conditions on campus for women, as well as addressing the issue of sexual assault on campus.She said her passion for women’s affairs became an important part of her life when she went to college at IU.“When I was an undergrad, I had a number of friends who were sexually assaulted,” Fasone said. “I remember some distinct experiences where they would talk to me and they didn’t realize what had happened to them until they were talking to me.”As a member of the women’s fraternity, Kappa Alpha Theta, Fasone said she became involved with the Panhellenic Association and sexual assault prevention in the sorority community at IU.After college, she traveled to different Theta chapters to work with women’s groups on developing leadership skills and risk management skills.In 2006, she returned to IU and worked in the greek community for the next six years. While she was there, she received her master’s degree in mental health counseling and worked with students at the Alcohol and Drug Office.“Those skills are very transferable to what I am doing now, especially when I work with any student who may have mental health issues or are victims of sexual assault,” Fasone said.When issues of substance abuse or sexual assault would arise, she said she noticed a pattern that may have allowed peers to intervene and help. This idea is what fueled the development of the bystander intervention program at IU.Fasone said bystander intervention is one of the four most effective strategies suggested to prevent sexual assault. “We have two programs now for bystander intervention,” Fasone said. “One is general focus to teach students ways to intervene in different situations in terms of alcohol and drug use, mental health, respect, sexual assault and hazing. Then we also have the sexual assault focused program.”Within her new role, Fasone will create programming to combat issues regarding sexual assault and make students aware of resources to help them in a dangerous situation.“I think one of the aspects when it comes to women’s issues and sexual assault — and bystander intervention, even — is that so many of these behaviors among college students are intertwined,” Fasone said. “Women who have been sexually assaulted are more likely to use greater substances, alcohol use, and they are also likely to experience PTSD — Post Traumatic Stress Disorder — and have other mental health issues.”She said student issues are all intertwined since students who are stressed may abuse alcohol in order to cope.“The way I like to approach programming for students is to be very strategic and figure out what the students need,” Fasone said. “I’m very hands on because I think students have a lot of insight into their culture, and I think that their culture isn’t going to change unless students take the lead in changing that.”Fasone said while she believes the University is good at responding to sexual assault, IU could improve on proactive programming.She said that makes sexual assault prevention programming a top priority.“Another aspect of this is really bringing the students together to be able to address this cultural issue,” she said.Fasone said she wants to help students, staff and faculty to navigate services offered at IU, such as the Sexual Assault Crisis Service. The counseling the crisis center offers is free and has room for more utilization, she said.“I strongly believe in counseling as an avenue for students and people to process and heal,” she said.By identifying what the students think are issues, she said she can better develop priorities for programming and initiatives.Associate Dean Carol McCord said the programming offered will address the needs and issues of women on campus, but students need to reach out.“We are very willing to hear from people, and Leslie will respond to anyone who reaches out to her,” McCord said.While Fasone is just in the initial stage of research and development for her new programs, McCord said Fasone is great at program development and evaluation and is looking for suggestions from students.“My goal is to figure out how to prevent sexual assaults from happening,” Fasone said.The services and programs offered by the Office of the Dean of Students are available to graduate students as well, which is something graduate students don’t always realize, McCord said.“The Dean of Students Office supports all students, but this gives us an opportunity to provide more than just responsive support, and to put more attention into looking for programming that might offset problems women students might have,” McCord Said.Follow reporter Allison Wagner on Twitter @allmwagn.
(03/12/14 4:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>W. Kamau Bell will perform at 7 tonight at the Comedy Attic as part of his national tour, “Oh, Everything!”Bell is a socio-political comedian who started out as a stand-up comedian and had a comedy series on FX titled “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.” “I’ve been a stand-up comic for a long time, and this is the stuff I’ve been working on for a long time,” Bell said.The show will contain pop culture and political references. Bell’s inspiration comes from things he sees on the Internet, frustration and his daughter, he said. If what he sees evokes emotion, such as frustration, then it will become material for his performance.Bell said he started to develop a show when he lived in San Francisco. But even as a child, he wanted to be a comedian.“When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a stand-up comic once I realized I couldn’t be a superhero,” he said. “I’m an only child and think I’m interesting.”As he developed his voice, Bell said he encountered a tough time in the places he performed.“Ultimately, when you’re a comedian, you need to figure out how to be funny, and that is an internal obstacle,” he said. “It’s all about finding your voice. In the comedy clubs, I got frustrated because I wanted to focus on race and current events, but the people in the clubs got tired of that after 10 minutes.” Eventually, Bell said he knew he had to move on to a venue where his show would encounter an audience that enjoyed his material. He stopped performing at comedy clubs and was later discovered by Chris Rock.“Chris Rock is how I became a prominent person in comedy,” Bell said.Nonetheless, he said he characterizes himself as only a semi-prominent man in comedy.Race is a popular topic in Bell’s performances, and he has overcome obstacles associated with race.“Because I’m in America, I have the obstacle of being black,” Bell said. “In America, if you’re not a straight white guy over six feet tall, then you have obstacles to overcome. I am over six feet tall and straight, but I am black.”He said his audience is what he loves most about being a stand-up comedian.“I like getting to meet people and perform for people who are excited to see me,” Bell said. “I like being able to connect with people. I like people who like me. I’m weird like that.” After every show, he said he enjoys talking to the audience.“The intimacy of live performance is the best part,” he said.Bell said he is happy to be in Bloomington performing for the audience that was a fan of his TV show.He said in order to make it as a comedian, you have to continue to perform and persevere.“If you don’t quit, you stand a better chance of success.” Bell said. “So don’t quit.”
(03/10/14 4:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Natalie Lorenzano, a member of Alpha Phi sorority, won the third annual Miss Greek IU philanthropic pageant Sunday night at the IU Auditorium. In addition to the title, she was awarded a $750 scholarship.Runners-up included Jessica Endicott, Bianca Lev, Kelsey Foster and Kadre Kappes, respectively.IU Delta Chi Charities, a segment of the Delta Chi Indiana Chapter, is host to the Miss Greek IU pageant. Nineteen contestants compete for the title. During the question and answer portion of the pageant, Lorenzano was asked how she would increase philanthropy within the Greek Community.“I would definitely promote awareness,” she said. “Knowledge is power and if we are aware of what is going on we can give back to philanthropy even more.”Alpha Phi raised $100,000 during their last Alpha Fiesta philanthropy event for Women’s Heart Health. During the philanthropy outfit portion of the event, Lorenzano created a “fiesta” atmosphere equipped with bright colors and lots of sparkle, Mekayla Diehl, Miss Indiana USA 2014 and master of ceremonies, said.“They get to be very creative and show off their philanthropic efforts, as well,” junior Christain Pajusi, Delta Chi executive board member, said.Lorenzano is currently majoring in biology and intends to go on to dentistry school at IU, Diehlsaid.“She hopes to make a positive difference in the lives of many,” Diehl said. The main purpose of the pageant is to raise money for The V Foundation for Cancer Research, according to the program’s website.“This year the target goal for fundraising is $30,000, and the past two years we have been able to accumulate $30,000,” Pajusi said. “I think it was approximately $12,000 the first year and $18,000 the second year. It’s very exciting. We have been preparing for it the entire year and it’s really cool to see it come together.”The participants in the pageant raised a total of $41,842. Of that sum of money, $37,107 will go to The V Foundation for Cancer Research and $4,735 will go to the 19 foundations the contestants work with.Grant Niezgodski, member of Delta Chi and master of ceremonies, said 15 percent of the total donation money each contestant raised went to the contestants’ charity their sorority supports. The remaining money raised went to the V Foundation for Cancer Research.“We are changing lives and finding a cure for cancer,” said senior Erika Burghardt, pageant coach.The selection process for the contestants happens within each individual sorority.“In general, we reach out to the different sororities and we ask them if they would like to participate and they as a chapter will choose their participant for our event,” Pajusi said.The pageant’s aim is to showcase the women in IU’s greek community, according to its website. The winner is a woman who can be a role model for the community. She is chosen because she has a high sense of morals, a strong will for achievement and a genuine concern for her community.“It’s not a beauty pageant, it’s a philanthropic pageant. So it’s not based on a swimsuit event or anything like that,” Pajusi said. “The contestants get to showcase their philanthropic causes within Miss Greek IU.” Follow reporter Allison Wagner on Twitter @allmwagn.
(03/07/14 4:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>University Players, IU’s undergraduate theater organization, will debut its traveling children’s musical “Miss Nelson is Missing!” at 6:30 p.m. today at the WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology. The museum is located near the B-Line Trail in the heart of the entertainment district.“Miss Nelson is Missing!” is the second children’s show University Players has organized. The production will run through March and April and is free to all audiences.“It’s just a fun, little story about a childhood classroom that is having some behavioral issues, and the teacher decides to take an unconventional approach to solving those problems,” said sophomore Alexandra Goodman, University Players’ marketing director.The musical is based off the children’s book of the same name, Goodman said.“It’s going to present some very relevant messages and themes to our young audiences,” said junior Braden Cleary, University Players’ director of educational outreach. University Players has many theatrical productions every year, completely organized and performed by undergraduates of all majors, Goodman said.“This year alone, we will have produced six shows — one with sold-out performances at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater — and put together several workshops and social events for our members, including our first-annual 24-Hour Play Festival,” Cleary said.He said the organization is a great place for undergraduates to gain experience in all aspects of theater.“They get to direct it, light it, do costumes,” Director Megan Gray said. “This show is unique because it’s not part of our main season and is an independent project because it is a children’s musical.”An hour before the musical, University Players will conduct an interactive event for children called the Science of Theatre. Stations will be set up for children to see what goes into making a theatrical production, Gray said.“We will have a set booth, a costuming booth, a little booth for them to learn a little song and dance combination,” Goodman said. “And it’s just a fun, hands-on experience for the kids before they see the show.”Gray said the Science of Theatre event will show children there is more to a musical than just singing. The combination of events is how University Players is giving back to the Bloomington community, Goodman said.“We do a lot of stuff on campus, and our main target audience that attends every show is college students, undergrads,” Goodman said. “We’ve talked about, for a while, that we want to stretch out into the community and provide more performance opportunities for Bloomington at large and specifically children.”This is the second year WonderLab has collaborated with University Players in order to provide this experience for children. “WonderLab is a wonderful institution in Bloomington, and a lot of families frequent that and love to go to the special events that they host,” Goodman said. “And I think that it is so fantastic that they are reaching across and entering into the arts, since you normally do not see science mixed with theater.”She said the University Players wants to expose children to theater and the art of theater.“As a theater major, I think children’s theater is the most important thing we can be doing because arts programs keep being cut in their schools,” Gray said. “We should be bringing arts to the kids.”Gray and Goodman said they think college students will also enjoy the show. Gray said it will be a great chance to “relive your childhood.”“Everyone is so talented and really giving this production their all, and it’s also fun to see something that you were familiar with as a child redone as an adult,” Goodman said. “It’s going to be fantastic and everyone is so passionate about it.”
(03/06/14 5:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Record-high donations of deer meat were collected through the Sportsman’s Benevolence Fund in 2013, even though hunters harvested fewer deer than in 2012.There was a 7.8 percent decrease in the number of deer harvested in 2013 than in 2012, according to a press release. A reported 125,635 deer were harvested in 2013, 10,600 fewer deer than the previous year.“The deer in Indiana live in a great environment and have the capacity to grow in numbers very quickly,” said Chad Stewart, Department of Natural Resources Division of Fish and Wildlife deer management biologist. “Though the deer herd may be down in some areas, there are still plenty available and around the state.”Stewart said the reason for the drop is a combination of different things, but is connected with an attempt to decrease the herd and disease outbreaks.An effort to reduce the deer population in certain areas of the state is one reason, Stewart said.“Another is that we have had some recent outbreaks of Hemorrhagic Disease, which can reduce the deer herd in many areas,” Stewart said. “What’s likely occurring is that the deer herd is down in several areas, particularly the northern part of the state, and it is likely due to one or a combination of both factors.”Stewart said although the deer harvest number was down, it was not low.“We still had a top-10 harvest all time, and it’s down primarily because we are coming off of a record,” he said. “There are still a lot of deer harvested, which leads to a lot of opportunity to donate deer. This is a good thing, in my opinion, as hunters have a long history of sharing their harvest with others in their community.”The Sportsman’s Benevolence Fund, created by senators Michael Crider and Brent Steele in 2008, collected and distributed 66,715 pounds of deer meat, according to a press release.“The SBP is a program that has money set aside so that nonprofit organizations can utilize that money to pay for the cost of processing a deer, whose meat is donated to various hunger shelters,” Stewart said. Crider said the program did not receive state funding until he was elected. Before his election, he worked with the DNR to set up the program.“We got approved $150,000 a year to pay for the processing fees,” Crider said. Stewart said having the fund pay for the processing cost will increase the donation potential of hunters. Many hunters are not able to covering the processing, causing donations of meat to the shelters, he said.“The program provides a lot of high-quality meat,” Crider said.The food banks use a quarter pound of a protein for every person each meal, Crider said.The 66,715 pounds of deer meat donated equates to about 266,860 donated meals, Crider said.“That’s a pretty good start,” Crider said. “The goal is to get up to 500,000 meals donated per year.”The program was created to encourage hunters to donate their harvested deer to food banks, he said. Even with a deer harvest 7.8 percent lower, the program still received many generous donations. “It’s one of those things that depends on the generosity of hunters,” Crider said. “We are very appreciative of the hunters that want to participate.”
(02/28/14 4:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana organized the 25th Bowl for Kids’ Sake, their largest annual fundraising event, Wednesday and Thursday at the Indiana Memorial Union Back Alley.“For our IU segment of the campaign, we had a goal of raising $10,000 and we actually ended up raising over $15,000,” said Hannah Combs, president of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization on campus.The bowling event is the day the fundraisers and bowling teams celebrate the end of the fundraising process, Combs said.“The money we raise for Bowl for Kids’ Sake is how we put a volunteer, a big, and youth, a little, together,” said Mark Voland, program director for Big Brothers Big Sisters.Combs said it typically costs $1,000 per pairing of a big and little.“All that money goes right back into the community and giving those kids mentors they need in their lives,” she said.Big Brothers Big Sisters provides a one-to-one mentorship program between a member of the community and a child in the community who needs a role model to guide them down the right path, Combs said.“Children are enrolled in the program and matched, basically, with a friend,” she said. “Someone who usually has good values they can instill in the child.”Bowl for Kids’ Sake also has a community event for the local business and organizations who gave donations, Voland said.“We have our student group on campus and that is called Big Brothers Big Sisters at Indiana University and their mission is to put IU Bowl for Kids’ Sake together,” Voland said. “They start in September, and they recruit other organizations to participate and raise money and they do a lot of kinds of little events in between.”Combs said that in addition to the cash donations, participants in Bowl for Kids’ Sake have a website they can use to accept online donations. Raffle tickets are sold during some fundraising events.“We couldn’t do this without Indiana University students on all levels,” Voland said. “They really help us in fundraising and, most of all, they are our backbone of being big brothers and big sisters.”Through the program, Voland said volunteers help the children by introducing them to a new sport or hobby, or possibly even encouraging them to pursue higher education.“All our bigs get more from this experience than their littles do, and that’s what we want — because if a volunteer is getting more from the experience than the child, then that means it’s working and that means that child is really having fun,” Voland said.He said the volunteers work to make a connection with the children and change their lives.“Those connections, in terms of bigs creating opportunities for these littles, is what’s so rewarding,” Voland said.
(02/28/14 2:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IUPUI interior design student Hayley Earley’s blueprint became a reality when her safe house design was selected to be built in Swaziland for orphan children.Children in Swaziland are orphaned at an increasing rate because of the high death rate due to AIDS in the country. In an effort to help these children, IUPUI interior design students aligned with Saving Orphans Through Healthcare and Outreach to develop safe houses where they can live.“IUPUI’s Interior Design and Architectural Technology programs are partnering with SOHO, to design housing units to accommodate six orphans of the same gender,” said Beth Huffman, lecturer of interior design technology and project organizer.SOHO is a nonprofit organization that exists to improve the quality of life and life expectancy of child-headed households living in communities deeply affected by HIV/AIDS, according to its website.Earley’s design was debuted at the “Hope Seekers: Survival of Southern African Child-Led Households in the Shadow of HIV” photography exhibit at IUPUI Feb. 18. Her design was selected out of 12 submissions.“I wanted to make it a little bit different,” Earley said. “I wanted to make my blueprint around 600 square feet to make a loft area. I also wanted tall ceilings to make it a little more spacious.” Earley said the students had 800 square feet to work with in order to construct the blueprints for the safe house. “Really, we were just told the sky’s the limit,” she said.Earley said her class assignments normally include fake clients and no budgets. Although there was no budget, she had to design a cost-efficient safe house, which is why bars are on the windows. “It’s a home to live in and they don’t have one right now,” Earley said. “A lot of them have really, really sad stories and are barely making it every day — and I think a home will provide protection, and it will also provide land for them to grow food.”Huffman said the project began in fall 2013 and will continue into spring and summer 2014.“Each unit will include a communal living area, individual work stations and/or desks and personalized storage for clothing and other items,” she said.Earley’s project was the only design to feature a water collection device.The project became reality when Huffman was awarded a grant from the IUPUI Solution Center that would allow her to build a student’s winning design to full scale in February, she said.“I made a connection with the local carpenters’ union, Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters, and they generously agreed to allow IUPUI students to work alongside their students, called apprentices, to build Hayley’s prototype,” Huffman said. “IKORCC allowed us to use all of their equipment, labor and facilities to help this vision come to life.” Earley said she and other students, as well as the carpenter’s union, hope to travel to Swaziland to help to see her vision in the making.“This project is helping our students to become better global citizens,” Huffman said.“By understanding the living conditions of people in another part of the world, I have witnessed the students becoming more empathetic towards other socioeconomic situations.”Huffman said Swaziland has the highest AIDS death rate in the world, leaving children without parents and resources to survive. These homes provide opportunity and safety for the orphaned children.Earley said the quality of life in Swaziland was a motivating factor for her project.“This project definitely took hold with me because it is very missional,” Earley said. “I’ve been overseas and I’ve seen what poverty looks like. I don’t even think I’ve seen the amount in Swaziland.” The implementation of the safe house will be a factor of survival for orphaned children living in it, she said. “It’s not very elegant,” Earley said. “But it is very practical to their needs.”
(02/24/14 4:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An opinion survey conducted by the IU Center on Congress last week found 88.3 percent of citizens disapprove of how Congress is operating.The survey, although recently released, was conducted in 2013. The Center on Congress at IU focuses on examining how constituents and congress interact and often conducts opinion polls to see how the public is responding to Congress, according to the press release. “I think the citizens are disappointed because they feel that Congress is not dealing effectively with the problems that they confront in their daily lives,” former Congressman and Center on Congress Director Lee Hamilton said. The survey also concluded 40 percent of responders do not believe Congress understands the interests and views of the people it represents, according to the press release.“What is relevant to people’s lives are the problems they wrestle with everyday — how to take care of their family, how do they keep good health in the family, what kind of arrangements can be made for retirement,” Hamilton said. “These are questions that occupy almost all of us. The voters and citizens do not feel the congress is helping them deal with these problems.”According to the survey, 56 percent of constituents believe congress members should be spending more time back home in their districts to really understand what affects them.But Congress didn’t get the only bad grade.Survey-takers gave themselves a D-plus for contacting Congress about issues and following what Congress is doing.This lack of reaching out by constituents is a big reason they’re not being heard by Congress, Hamilton said.“I think citizens are self critical,” Hamilton said. “They recognize the obligations of citizenship which require voting and being informed and contacting their representatives and working to improve their communities. They recognize they do not fulfill all the obligations they should. They not only mark the congress down, they mark themselves down as well.”The press release acknowledged although the public recognizes it’s not fulfilling its duties by seeking open communication with their congress members, that does not stop the public from critiquing them.Professor Edward G. Carmines, who also works with the Center on Congress, said in the release constituents are dealing with a disconnect to Congress.“I think the major thing is that probably the public has an exalted view of what congress can get accomplished,” Carmines said. “They have high expectations, maybe too high, as to what can get accomplished. On the other hand the congress does not perform very admirably.”Constituents don’t believe Congress is focusing on the key problems, leading constituents to feel Congress is less relevant in their lives, he said.“The negative evaluation of Congress has been a persistent stable of our politics for over a decade,” Carmines said.To solve the issue of negative reaction toward Congress, Hamilton said new legislation will need to be passed.“They flat out just don’t think the congress is doing their jobs,” Hamilton said. “Basically what the congress will have to do is produce and become more relevant in people’s lives.”But Carmines said the public doesn’t understand the challenges Congress faces in order to pass legislation, because it represents many different views and has to pass legislation in regards to them all.He said it’s easier said than done. “It’s not simply voting,” Carmines said. “It’s about them being able to compromise. I sometimes don’t think they recognize how difficult it is for Congress to comprise and get things done.”