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(05/28/09 1:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign is gaining support and momentum. The Center for Inquiry of Indiana is supporting the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign because it agrees with the message “You Can Be Good Without God.” The center donated $2,000 to the organization.“It will help when the South Bend ads come up, and it will help fund the campaign, assuming the American Civil Liberties Union prevails in the case,” said Charlie Sitzes, spokesperson for the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign. The Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign recently signed a contract with South Bend’s public transportation system TRANSPO to display its advertisements on TRANSPO’s buses.The Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign has an advertisement on Chicago buses that states “In the beginning, man created God,” and the campaign had “absolutely no problems” getting the advertisements up and running, Sitzes said.The Center for Inquiry became interested in the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign especially after the American Humanist Association and Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign filed a lawsuit, now pending, against Bloomington Transit with law support from the American Civil Liberties Union.“In agreement, our organization would not have initiated this campaign,” said Reba Boyd Wooden, the executive director of the Center for Inquiry of Indiana. “Before the lawsuit I was working with our international organization to see if they would allow us to take a stand. They wanted to make sure they were viable, and the group has proven they are.”In general, more people became interested in the campaign after the incident with Bloomington Transit. “It kicked in interest,” Sitzes said. “More donations came in.”The Center for Inquiry provides an “alternative to living without being religious” and promotes scientific reasoning and freedom of inquiry, Wooden said. In the lawsuit, Bloomington Transit is accused of having too broad of a advertising policy. Its policy states that the company will reject any advertisements that are too controversial. The federal lawsuit is a constitutional case in which Bloomington Transit has been accused of violating the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign’s First and 14th Amendment rights.The Center for Inquiry strongly believes in the First Amendment, especially the second part, which guarantees freedom of speech, Wooden said.Anyone has the right to post whatever he or she would like whether it be atheist or religious, Wooden said, but he said there is “more flack for the billboard of atheist nature than the ones of religious nature.”
(05/14/09 12:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A federal lawsuit is pending against Bloomington Public Transportation Corporation in response to its rejection of an advertisement about atheism.The Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign’s ad states, “You Can Be Good Without God,” and has the Web site www.inatheistbus.org at the bottom of the ad, with a picture of a blue sky and grass as its background.The ad was rejected by Bloomington Public Transportation Corporation because, as its policy reads, “Statements of position in support of or in opposition to controversial public issues shall not be accepted.”“Controversial has no particular meaning,” said Paul Newman, the plaintiff’s attorney. “It’s totally subjective.”Lew May, Bloomington Transit general manager, said he couldn’t comment “because litigation is pending.”As a result of the lawsuit, the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign and American Humanist Association ultimately wish to be granted the right to place their ads on the Bloomington buses, Newman said.The Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign and American Humanist Association are trying to prove that the Bloomington Public Transportation Corporation’s policy violates the First and 14th amendments. The First Amendment was created in part to protect unpopular viewpoints and, Newman said, “Atheists are not popular people in America.”The court, U.S. District Court – Southern District of Indiana Division, has “20 days to answer the case,” said Kenneth Falk, the plaintiff’s lawyer.The purpose of the campaign is to spread a positive image about atheists.“The goal is to start a thoughtful discussion of atheism, religion and morality and to reconsider what’s good,” said Charlie Sitzes, spokesperson for the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign.Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign is raising money through its Web site and is trying to raise $50,000, which it along with the American Humanist Association will use to get the ads on as many buses in Indiana as possible, Sitzes said. The Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign and American Humanist Association are working with Transpo, the South Bend bus system, to place their advertisements on South Bend buses. The two organizations signed a contract with Burkhart Advertising, the advertising agency that works with Transpo.“No decision has been made at this time,” said Rick Brown, general manager of Transpo. “Nothing has been finalized.”Through the campaign, the group is hoping that people realize nonbelievers and believers are essentially the same. “Nonbelievers worry about the same thing as believers: taxes, the environment and global warming,” Sitzes said. Sitzes said he is surprised by how much controversy is surrounding this ad. “First of all, how can the truth be controversial?” Sitzes said. “I don’t understand how someone can be threatened if they have confidence in their religion.”The individuals having strong reactions surrounding the ad should re-evaluate their faith, Sitzes said. “My personal opinion is that if a simple truthful slogan, ‘You Can Be Good Without God,’ can shake a religious institution to its core, then perhaps its adherents might want to consider abandoning that system of faith for one that has a stronger footing,” Sitzes said.A second phone call to May and Bloomington Transit was not returned. Sitzes said atheists want to be respected and that is one of the purposes surrounding this campaign.“Atheists are at the low end of the totem poll, and we are fed up with it,” Sitzes said.
(05/07/09 11:55pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Some IU students will graduate Saturday with majors not available in any other IU department, including game design, costume design and social science of sexuality.Individualized Majors Program students said their time with IMP has been both challenging and worthwhile.Students in IMP must create their own curriculum, go through an admissions interview and, at the end of their senior year, do a project that culminates everything they have worked toward. “It has been a great experience overall, but it has not been easy,” said graduating senior Jennifer Queen, who majored in applied health and social science of sexuality. “I enjoyed the challenge it presented me with. I created the program start to finish, which is a daunting task for a sophomore, but I never had an experience like, ‘Oh, I have to take this class.’ I had the privilege of taking classes I want to take.”The seniors develop grandiose projects that seem overwhelming at first, but in the end get accomplished.Graduating senior Charles Hylor Ott V, a musical theater/fashion and costume design major, presented a fashion show as one of his senior projects. The fashion show was created to show how garments today can be traced back to earlier times and to show how trends resurface throughout time, Ott said.Ott designed historical costumes that were reminiscent of the Elizabethan, late Georgian, antebellum and late Victorian periods for both men and women. He then created male and female contemporary pieces inspired by each of these periods. Altogether, Ott created 27 ensembles.“He really exceeded expectations,” said Linda Pisano, Ott’s sponsor and assistant professor of costume design, theater and drama. “The artistry of his garments were really spectacular. It was hard for him, but he did very well.”Graduating senior David Klein, who majored in game design, created a break-dancing game for his final project.“This major was more helpful in getting jobs in video gaming because you need a portfolio,” Klein said. “The project gave me a head start at getting a job in the first place.”Klein also received a computer science major. But he said he found the game design major more helpful for his future career.“For the computer science major, you take a bunch of classes, but for game design you are independent, and you are doing real work,” Klein said.Many students and parents wonder how IMP will be useful when it comes to students’ futures, but most IMP participants find it particularly helpful for whatever they plan on pursuing.“It helps a good deal for someone who is interested in graduate school,” said Ray Hedin, IMP director. “The very fact that it is unusual makes someone stand out.”Many students form bonds with their sponsors, the IU faculty members who oversee one or more students throughout their IMP careers, and they develop close relationships throughout college.“I’m better from having the experience of working with them, and I hope to continue working with them in the future,” Ott said, of his sponsors.Pisano said it is difficult to say goodbye to students she has seen flourish academically throughout college.“You don’t want to see them go, but you want to see what they do,” Pisano said. “It’s like parenting – seeing them go out into the world is bittersweet. You still want to help, but you know they’re ready to go out there.”
(05/07/09 9:35pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Burlesque dancer, self-proclaimed exhibitionist and “derriere beyond compare” Lola Van Ella is coming to give IU students a crash course in being sexy, flirty and confident – all through the art of burlesque dancing.From 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Van Ella will be teaching two burlesque workshops at the McCalla School of Fine Arts, 525 E. Ninth St.The first workshop, “Burlesque Bump n’ Grind for Beginners,” costs $30 and the second, which requires completion of the first, is called “Tease Technique and Performance Polish” costs $50.“The first workshop is more of a 101 overview of burlesque history,” Van Ella said. “A lot of burlesque warm-ups, shimmies, bumps and grinds, easy ice breaks, boa work, chair glove peels. It’s an overview of feeling sexy.”The second workshop is more focused and will include a polished dance routine, Van Ella said. The workshops will be a no-pressure atmosphere where women of all different dance levels are welcome to attend.Van Ella will also be performing an uncensored burlesque performance at 9 p.m. Saturday at Rachael’s Cafe with acts Acoustic TLQ!, Jamasaurus Rox and Roller Polers for a $3 cover. All proceeds go to Verbal Terrorism Productions for future events. Van Ella was on campus in October for “Sexploration at IU” and performed a “Crimson Cabaret & Burlesque Revue” held by Verbal Terrorism Productions. Verbal Terrorism Productions is trying to bring different art forms that have never had a presence in Bloomington before, founder of Verbal Terrorism Productions and IU graduate Jada Barbry said.Barbry said Van Ella is one of the “brilliant up-and-comers in her field” and has a “burlesque persona of a good girl gone bad.” Van Ella has done a majority of her performances in St. Louis but has been all around the globe. She recently performed at the London Burlesque Festival, and she has taught a workshop in Nuremberg, Germany. Van Ella has taught workshops at Washington University in St. Louis and is eager to teach at IU. She said she enjoys teaching 18- to 22-year-olds because they “just want to let go and are coming into their own sexuality.”She has been performing burlesque professionally for five years now and “it has snowballed into my life,” she said. Always having been interested in musicals, theater and cabaret, she was in a sense performing burlesque in some of her cabaret performances but “didn’t even know it was burlesque” because it was not widespread in St. Louis. Van Ella received her tagline “the Derriere Beyond Compare” from a St. Louis critic in 2006 who gave her a rave review for her first burlesque performance that she produced. Lola Van Ella, her stage name, came from one of her signature songs, “Whatever Lola Wants.” The last part of her name, Van Ella, came from her German heritage, her fascination with Ella Fitzgerland and the way “Van Ella” sounds like vanilla.“I love vanilla and I love the irony,” Van Ella said. “I’m definitely not a vanilla girl even though I love the flavor.”When asked how she would describe burlesque, she said, “It is sexy, but cheeky. It is usually, but not always, a striptease. It is theatrical and often funny.” She said that burlesque is in a sense “female drag,” complete with sparkles, rhinestones and costumes. But in some sense, burlesque performers are more natural because they do not try to alter themselves by getting breast augmentation or going to the tanning salon. A lot, but not all, of the burlesque performers pay tribute to the retro culture by trying to emulate the ’50s pinup culture, the 1920s or the 1940s, Van Ella said.Burlesque is called a striptease because “most of the time you end up in pasties and g-strings,” Van Ella said.“Some days I feel fat like most women,” she said. “But most women are not getting as naked as me.”Van Ella has received little to no backlash from the outside community and her family is completely supportive of her. “My mom came to the first burlesque performance I produced and she hooted and hollered louder than anyone,” Van Ella said. With a career as burlesque, Van Ella calls herself a feminist. “This is the ultimate form of expression,” she said. “I feel empowered and I know I’m completely happy. I am 100 percent positive that I have no guilt about it. That is feminism.”
(04/23/09 3:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Greek houses and residence halls have given up modern conveniences since March 25 to conserve energy and water for the IU Energy Challenge. Dean of Students Dick McKaig announced the winners at Wednesday’s Field Day 2009.Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity and Teter Quad are this year’s winners.“Everyone who was part of the challenge is a winner. The earth is the winner,” McKaig said.The second IU Energy Challenge began March 25 and ended Wednesday. Residence halls and greek houses were encouraged to compete to see who could conserve the most energy in four weeks.Teter Quad made an effort to make everyone more conscious of “going green” by organizing Teter Green Week, which was filled with activities like campus cleanup and recycling art supplies.“The RA staff has to put on a monthly program, and the energy challenge made for good programming,” said senior Tyler Duffey, Teter Quad resident assistant.Teter Quad turned unnecessary lights off and also organized blackout events to make students more aware of the sustainability effort.Some Teter Quad residents were not as enthusiastic about the energy challenge, but for the most part everyone was really cooperative with the program, Duffey said.“In the beginning many residents were pessimistic,” said Cedric Harris, Teter Quad residence manager. “Residents thought that they were just saving IU money, but then they caught on that it was good for the earth.”Sigma Alpha Mu said they took extreme measures in conserving energy and water.“We lived in the dark for three to four weeks,” said junior Jeff Safferman, Sigma Alpha Mu president. “It was a challenge at the time, but all the brothers got together to win the challenge, raise awareness and save as much energy as possible.”Sigma Alpha Mu received $900 and Teter Quad received $4,500. Teter Quad is having a cookout in honor of their work, and the money will be used to make both residences more eco-friendly.As compared to last year’s challenge, the dorms increased electricity savings by 59 percent and increased water savings by 83 percent.Mckenzie Beverage, IU Office of Sustainability intern and energy challenge coordinator, spearheaded this year’s energy challenge and tried to make her publicity and advertising as sustainable as possible by spreading awareness through e-mails and speaking at meetings.“I really believe in this and the message that we are spreading,” Beverage said.
(04/22/09 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Rainy conditions and cool weather plagued the outdoor Earth Week Celebration on Tuesday, but the message of sustainability and eco-friendliness could not be overshadowed.A group of six IU students created the event for an Event Planning and Program Development R367 class service-learning project, which included tree giveaways. The project was created with the help of Bloomington Parks and Recreation.The main purpose of the event was for lesser-known “green companies to promote themselves,” said senior Breanne Clark.Working with the “very hands-on” project from start to finish was nice, said senior Zachary Smith.Bloomington Parks and Recreation helped provide the location, tents and tables for the organizations, said Steve Cotter, the natural resources manager for the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department.Several types of businesses contributed to the event, but Smith said every bike shop in town got involved.Bloomington environmentalists who work with local organizations shared their knowledge and concern with attendees.The Environmental Management Association at IU gave out free trees, including black gums, flowering dogwoods and white oaks. Eighty to 100 trees were handed out to attendees by the association and Hoosier National Forest.The association had a table set up with a poster stating why trees were important for the environment. Their reasoning included that trees provide shade, which can save households up to $250 a year, purify the air and absorb pollutants and lower the amount of pollutants in sewer systems, saving saves communities millions of dollars in water treatment costs.The association was selling T-shirts and bags embroidered with the statement “Earth Day Every Day,” an overall theme of the event.The Local Growers Guild, a corporation of growers, retailers and commission members in southern Indiana, was promoting local organic foods.The Local Growers Guild promotes the message that it is easy to eat local, organic foods.“We are here to promote how people can access local foods throughout the year,” said Katie Zukof, assistant director of the Local Growers Guild.The Center of Sustainable Living promotes plausible and efficient efforts, such as Bloomington transportation initiatives and a community bike project, to support the reduction of wasting resources.The center is hoping to make campus, Bloomington and Indiana more sustainable.IU is “very much behind” in sustainability efforts considering the fact that IU just hired a sustainability director, said Lucille Bertuccio, president of the Center of Sustainable Living.“IU should have been working toward sustainability 20 to 30 years ago,” Bertuccio said.She said IU’s and Indiana’s improper use of substances such as coal and fertilizer harms the community and needs to be ceased immediately.“Nature knows the answers,” Bertuccio said. “It’s been here for 4.6 billion years.”General Motors was also at the event and showed two vehicles, a hybrid truck and hybrid Chevy Malibu.The company has received a lot of recognition, such as an award for reduction in energy from the Indiana government, for their eco-friendly vehicles, said Jeff Hummel, senior environmental engineer of GM out of Bedford.Many attendees were glad to see something happening for Earth Day.“There is a real need for people to understand how to save the environment,” Bloomington resident Nancy Wroblewski said.
(04/21/09 3:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU Student Association Inauguration-Transition Farewell Ceremony Monday not only celebrated the incoming Btown administration and the outgoing Big Red administration, but also the organization’s 62-year history. After last year’s controversial IU Student Association election, former IUSA President Luke Fields and the Big Red administration were praised at the inauguration ceremony Monday for their efforts to restore IUSA’s name.In last year’s election, a member of an opposing ticket broke into Field’s personal computer and forwarded Big Red campaign e-mails to members of the other ticket. University Chancellor Kenneth Gros Louis was impressed with how Fields “went out of his way” to attend various student organization meetings and showed a strong interest in student concerns.“Luke was close to the ideal president,” Gros Louis said. Newly elected IUSA President Peter SerVaas said the Big Red administration legitimized IUSA.“The key to realize what they accomplished was turning around the image of IUSA,” SerVaas said.SerVaas said ever since Big Red came into office, top University officials think IUSA represents the student body well, which has restored their trust in IUSA.“By the end of the year, you realize how much work they’ve done when administrators such as Provost Karen Hanson, one of the highest officials of Indiana University, when students came to her with issues she simply told them, ‘I’m not going to deal with you, you have to go through IUSA,’” SerVaas said. “She has that respect for student government that all issues must go through them as the proper avenue. That shows that they did their job as they should.”Dean of Students Dick McKaig has witnessed 38 administrations go through IUSA and has seen it transform in its structure, legitimacy and pursuits.When McKaig began his tenure as dean of students in 1971, the student association all depended on geographic representation, but now also encompasses academic representation. IUSA did not always have a supreme court, but in more recent years added it to its government. McKaig said that as time went on, IUSA functioned more as a governmental model.When asked what initiatives he hopes the Btown administration works toward, McKaig said, “Everything I’ve seen considered shows that they will continue to carry on the legacy. For me, quite frankly, after 38 years the ‘what’ that they work is not as important as how they work on it.”McKaig also said IUSA will be instrumental in providing the new dean of students with the knowledge of what students want and need.“I would hope and assume that it will be the case that IUSA will, in some respects, be in the position to set the base expectations of what the Dean can expect from student government because they will be the first student government the dean will be with on this campus,” McKaig said, “to the extent they set the bar high, which I hope they will. It will be a great beginning.”The atmosphere of the ceremony was relaxed. Members of the old and new student governments playfully and casually spoke with current IU administrators, including Gros Louis, McKaig and Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Activities Steve Veldkamp.Some of the current IUSA executives had their parents come and share in the celebration.IUSA Vice President Jack McCarthy’s dad, Bill McCarthy, said Jack showed leadership qualities at a young age and emerged as a leader in high school, taking on positions such as the president of his school’s National Honor Society chapter.He said he was not surprised that Jack McCarthy would be heavily involved in extracurricular college activities, but was surprised he got involved in political office.Current IUSA executives SerVaas and McCarthy showed their parents around the IUSA office after the ceremony was over.SerVaas showed his parents, both IU alumni, the presidential desk drawer, in which past IUSA presidents signed the inside of the drawer and taped their presidential business cards.Their parents were intrigued by the IUSA office and its traditions.Peter’s mother, Marcia SerVaas, said her son possessed leadership qualities in high school.Peter SerVaas was student body president of his high school and “he really did change things in his school,” Marcia SerVaas said.“In some respects,” Marcia SerVaas said, “leadership is a natural extension of who he is.”
(04/21/09 3:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Huge business lecture classes will convert to a more intimate learning environment with the new Kelley Living-Learning Center.The Kelley LLC is a partnership between Residential Programs and Services and the Kelley School of Business. It will be located in the Northwest Neighbood in McNutt-Crone and will comprise 250 students.However, the Kelley LLC has a long-range plan in which it can expand to McNutt-Bryan in its second year of existence and to McNutt-Bordner in its third year.The staffs of RPS and Kelley, who have been working on this project, said they are in no hurry to expand the Kelley LLC after its first year.“We are taking it one step at a time,” said JoAnne Namy, director of undergraduate certification for Kelley. “We want to make sure we are doing it right with 250 kids. The larger it is, the harder it is to keep it a more personalized environment. Our faculty, staff and students only stretch so far. Once we see a visible difference in engagement and academic success as a part of the 250 (students) model, we will move forward.”The Kelley LLC will consist mostly of freshmen, and an application must be submitted to become a member. Students who register early will have a greater chance of becoming a resident.“We want to intentionally keep it at a level where only students who want to be a part of it are in (the LLC),” said John Summerlot, McNutt residence manager.Although the selection process is still underway, the Kelley LLC will be a diverse environment, organizers said. There will be students from about 35 states, and there will be an equal number of male and female students in the community, said Kathleen Robbins, director of undergraduate programs for Kelley.“It’s important to broaden horizons and work with students of different backgrounds,” Robbins said.The Kelley LLC is taking futuristic approaches to make it fit the transitional needs of freshmen as well as the academic needs of a demanding and ever-changing business environment.To help freshmen make the transition into the college environment, there will be a virtual community available when the residents are selected in May. The point of the virtual community is to get the uncomfortable aspect of going to college out of the way before stepping on campus, Summerlot said.There are additional rooms being added in McNutt, including three “break-out rooms” for group work and a third classroom built specifically for business communications.The classroom has the capability to communicate with conference classrooms across the globe, Namy said.“Students are going out to an environment where they can’t fly around the world for a meeting,” Namy said. “That’s not going to happen anymore.”Classes will be created specifically for Kelley LLC students. Many of the core courses that are usually huge lecture halls will be in a more intimate setting. Students will take classes in McNutt and in dorms right across the courtyard, said Namy.The ultimate goal of the Kelley LLC is to help students become more successful in their courses and make a smooth transition into college life.“It is our attempt to provide a smaller community in which we can bring in a lot of enrichment and get them engaged right off the bat,” Namy said.
(04/21/09 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As the Big Red IU Student Association executives leave their titles behind and graduate from IU, they are excited for the experiences that lie ahead and reminiscing on what they are leaving behind.Senior and Vice President Dan Sloat will enter the Air Force immediately after his graduation on May 9. Sloat will then be commissioned into the Air Force as an officer on May 10.“It is pretty exciting because appointing goes through the president of the U.S.,” Sloat said. “He will sign off that we will carry out his orders as commander-in -chief.”Sloat will enter active duty May 11 but will not begin the Air in Space Basic Course until May 18. The Air Force in Space Base will be at a base near Montgomery, Ala.Air in Space Basic Course is a “standardization course” in “which everyone learns how to conduct themselves as an officer,” Sloat said. The course is six weeks long, and Sloat will graduate on June 26.On June 27 he will go to Tyndall Air Force Base outside of Panama, Fla. At this location, Sloat will begin undergraduate Air Battle Management Training.Sloat is one of only 60 official candidates from the Air Force ROTC for Air Battle Management Training.Sloat will be at the Tyndall Air Force Base for about a year, during which he will attend Survival Evasion Resistance Escapes School.Sloat said he can go to one of five places for his new duty station: Japan, Alaska, Oklahoma, Georgia or Germany.“I’m excited to see different parts of the world,” Sloat said.As for the future, he hopes to make being an officer in the army his long-term career plan. Before attending IU, Sloat thought about attending the Air Force Academy, but “didn’t want to miss out on a traditional college experience, and the ROTC is the best of both worlds.”Sloat was in the ROTC for all four years of college and remembers his experiences favorably.“The ROTC was easily one of the best leadership developmental programs I’ve ever been a part of,” Sloat said.When asked if Sloat would miss IU, his face and stature appeared solemn.“IU has definitely opened its arms to me,” Sloat said. “I didn’t know anyone when I first got here. IU quickly became my second home where I felt that I belonged.”Former IUSA President Luke Fields said he plans to attend IU’s Maurer School of Law in the fall.IU’s law school is the best fit for what Fields is looking for, Fields said, adding he is glad to spend more time in Bloomington.“The end of our term has been a tremendous experience and one that I wouldn’t trade for anything,” Fields said. “And also one that I am very happy to give to somebody else because I know how much growth goes on in the year. ... It’s an experience you can’t get anywhere else.”
(04/16/09 4:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Today begins Btown’s reign as IU Student Association’s executive administration.Btown is in the stages of planning what they wish to accomplish during their time in office with some help from their predecessor, the Big Red administration.Btown plans to continue with a few of Big Red’s initiatives, such as fall break and tax-free textbooks. However, the Btown ticket will not push for a student section in Assembly Hall.After meeting with Athletic Director Fred Glass, members of the Btown ticket realized IU already has 7,500 student seats in Assembly Hall, and this number “rivals other Big Ten schools,” said junior Jack McCarthy, IUSA vice president.Senior Dan Sloat, former IUSA vice president, said when men’s basketball coach Tom Crean spoke at the Beta Theta Pi house, he seemed enthusiastic about basketball fans. He said this makes it time to push for a student section, but Btown does not feel the same.Btown plans on rewarding IU’s biggest sports fans with better seating rather than changing the structure of seating, McCarthy said.The new executives met with their predecessors to learn about their position, and the Big Red ticket gave Btown a lot of advice. McCarthy said the best advice Btown received is to make sure students know what they are working on and to have a strong presence on campus.With the state of the economy, there will be inevitable limitations to what the current administration can do.“With the down economy, resources are limited, but are not all bad,” Sloat said. “It puts people in the position to be innovative and effective with the resources they do have.”Btown has already begun thinking ahead about what it can do to strengthen its financial situation.“We are finding creative ways to maximize funds,” said junior Peter SerVaas, IUSA president.Within its budget, the Btown ticket cut $5,000 worth of phones in the IUSA office, McCarthy said. The only phone will be for the secretary.The tax-free textbook holiday initiative will have a better chance of passing the Indiana State Senate during a better financial time, SerVaas said.Reflecting on their administration, former IUSA President Luke Fields said Big Red receives a grade in the B+ to A- range.“I think for the circumstances we took office, we have made great strides to start turning IUSA around and restoring confidence in student government,” Fields said. “We did not get all of our platform issues accomplished, but we did great work in advancing them. We are getting to the point where we can hand the baton off to (Btown), and I couldn’t be happier about it.”Fields said the Btown administration should begin work as soon as possible.“Take advantage of the remaining semester,” Fields said. “I would encourage them to start meeting with administrators now and understand what platform issues they need to tackle and how they are going to do it.”
(04/13/09 4:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For Easter Sunday, Ballantine Hall room 013 was transformed into a church, complete with gospel songs and a sermon.Although many IU students went home for the holiday, some students stayed in Bloomington for Easter.Each Sunday, worshippers gather in Ballantine Hall for a service through the Anointed Harvest Fellowship Church. There are usually between 200 and 300 people, the majority being students, who attend services weekly, but not as many were in attendance because many went home for Easter Sunday, said William L. McCoy, bishop of the Anointed Harvest Fellowship Church.McCoy said because the church is composed largely of students, many aspects of the church’s operation are student-run, including media programming, singing and planning an Easter egg hunt for children.Choir members sang “Praise is What I Do” by Shekinah Glory Ministries.“It’s wonderful to see young people love the Lord,” McCoy said.Easter is a Christian holiday during which believers celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.Some IU students could not go home to celebrate Easter with their families because of transportation conflicts.Freshman Shakira Bell did not have a ride to her home in Merrillville, but she said she enjoys the tight-knit environment at the Anointed Harvest Fellowship Church service.“Everyone is so welcoming, and I love that type of atmosphere,” Bell said.Sophomore Rafael Ishman, from Gary, said even though students will always miss home, being at the service nearly filled that void.“It is a home away from home, and it is very family-oriented,” Ishman said.Freshman Kim Brown, from St. Louis, said she decided not to go home for Easter because the church is her “family away from home.”“I feel comfortable hearing the word of God here,” Brown said.At St. Paul Catholic Center, IU students took part in many Easter events including the Student Life Team’s showing of “The Passion of the Christ.” Students also reenacted Jesus’ last supper Thursday and had an Easter vigil Saturday and Easter mass Sunday.Many IU students were baptized or confirmed on Saturday’s Easter vigil.“We had 20 people enter the church last night, and 11 of them were also baptized,” Jillian Vandermarks, director of religious education at St. Paul Catholic Center, said in an e-mail. “Of the 20, 15 were IU students, some freshmen, most undergrads. Two others were spouses of grad students. They had been working toward entering the church since September.”Father Robert Keller said students attend the Easter vigil to “go back to the beginning” and gain a “sense of groundedness and centering.”Sophomore Morgan Beatty, a member of the Student Life Team, said the month leading up to Easter was a special time of reflection and understanding.“It is the season of getting better for Easter,” Beatty said.
(04/13/09 3:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Btown ticket is accepting applications for positions in its 2009-2010 IU Student Association administration.Students can get applications at the IUSA office in the Indiana Memorial Union room 387 or by visiting www.votebtown.com.Applicants should turn in paperwork by Friday and must attend a 10-minute interview with the Btown executives April 19 for the final selection process.Students applying for positions should be willing to commit to a year-long term beginning in the fall semester and ending next spring.This year, Btown is altering the way IUSA is structured and run.IUSA student positions will have three focuses: “properly represent all students on the IU committees such as Bloomington Faculty Council, five task forces assigned to accomplish initiatives and directorship for other IUSA projects,” said junior Peter SerVaas, IUSA president-elect.IUSA is focusing on these three needs so they will be able to attract the top students across campus, SerVaas said.Junior Jack McCarthy, IUSA vice president-elect said with this new structure IUSA will be able to accomplish more of its platform initiatives.“The executives this year handled platform issues by themselves,” McCarthy said. “They had some success, but it is hard to do that and manage staff.”Although students who were active in the Btown ticket’s campaign have an advantage in the selection process, all students who are active on campus are encouraged to apply for positions, SerVaas said.“We want people who are interested in everything we want to do in office,” McCarthy said. “We want people who have the interest to better IU.”Students should send their questions about IUSA positions to mccarthj@indiana.edu.
(04/10/09 4:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Residence halls and local nonprofits are teaming up this fall for students to get more involved in the Bloomington community.IU will launch Adopt-a-Nonprofit, a program in which each of the 11 residence halls will sponsor one nonprofit organization.Every nonprofit – from national organizations to local groups – is involved in combatting poverty, which is the theme of this year’s Adopt-a-Nonprofit, said junior Brittney Paulk, creator of the program.The residence halls will have a lot of control of their own programs, Paulk said, adding that the halls will still work with the nonprofits to ensure the success of their work.Students will also get to choose their level of involvement with the charitable organization.“Nonprofits need loyal and committed people,” Paulk said. “They need people who are loyal and committed and mostly need small amounts of volunteers but (ones) that will be with them throughout the year.”The theme is especially important given the United States’ current economic climate, said Bob Weith, director for residential operations of Residential Programs and Services.Adopt-a-Nonprofit will be introduced to students on Student Service Day, during Welcome Week and throughout the entire year, said Emily Arth, assistant director of the Office of First Year Experience Programs.The Residence Assistant Advisory Council chose the nonprofits with which the residence halls will work. The Residence Halls Association then assigned a nonprofit to each hall.The center government and residence hall staff will define the specific residence centers’ philanthropic initiatives, said senior Jessica Schul, RHA president.Paulk developed the idea because she wanted to find a simple, realistic way to engage students in community service.The program is “a concept that is so simple that will help so many people,” Paulk said. “People in the residence halls have a direct opportunity to start working in the community in Bloomington and start getting some community service in and leadership skills.”Organizers said they hope the program results in a better town-gown connection.“We are really progressive in our connections with the Bloomington community,” Paulk said. “One of the reasons I chose IU was because there was a big connection between the college and Bloomington, but it can always be strengthened, and that is what we are trying to do and what we are striving for.”RPS supports the program and plans on implementing it into the resident assistant and graduate training, Paulk said.Weith said the program will have a positive impact on all those involved.“Giving makes all of us feel ... more connected,” Weith said. “We are giving to people we know – people we do not need to identify.”
(04/08/09 4:16am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A plaque in honor of philanthropist William Fry will be hung in the Kelley School of Business so that all students have the opportunity to read about Fry’s “story of success and charitable giving,” said Daniel Smith, dean of the Kelley School of Business.Fry, a man described by others as a friend of the business school, died Sunday at age 72 from multiple myeloma, a form of bone cancer. He had been treated for this disease for years, Smith said.Recently, Fry donated $15 million to the business school. The money will go to talented students of underrepresented populations who might otherwise not be able to attend IU.Each year, six to 10 students will be selected to become “William Fry Scholars” and receive a four-year scholarship that will pay for the students’ tuition and room and board.Fry had said his vision was to make the business school into an inclusive “world-class institution” filled with students of all different backgrounds, said M.A. Venkatramanan, chair of the Kelley School of Business’ undergraduate program.Smith said Fry had given a substantial amount of money to causes affecting underprivileged children.However, no matter to what cause Fry was contributing, he never sought recognition.“He did not want a lot of publicity surrounding his charitable giving,” Smith said.Many faculty members of the business school have met Fry and have fond memories of the time they spent with him.Smith said the first time he and Fry had dinner, Fry spent a considerable time looking at the menu searching for the least expensive options available.“It was quite endearing of him,” Smith said. “I believe he was not wasteful and never lost sight of his humble roots in a small town from Indiana. He never forgot where he came from.”Richard Dupree, assistant dean of development and alumni relations for the Kelley School of Business, said in one of the occasions he spoke with Fry, Fry bombarded him with questions about every aspect of the business school. Fry loved learning and was inquisitive, Dupree said.“I can recall being exhausted after the questioning,” Dupree said.Dupree said he realized after meeting Fry just how humble Fry was.“He was the most unaffected person of wealth,” Dupree said, “one of the most unassuming, warm donors I have met in a long, long time.”Not only will Fry’s donation positively impact Kelley, but the legacy he left will continue to inspire others.“He has inspired us to dream big and give back to others,” Smith said.
(04/07/09 4:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU Student Association Supreme Court has certified that the Btown ticket will be the next administration to take office.
(04/03/09 4:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After an intense campaign season filled with students running around in red and orange T-shirts, the results are in: The Btown ticket is the unofficial winner of this year’s IU Student Association election.IUSA Elections Coordinator Elizabeth Retana said the IUSA Supreme Court should certify the election promptly.After two days of voting, Btown received 3,991 votes, while 3,365 votes were cast for Red-Hot. ONE University, which announced it would cease campaigning Monday, came in third place with 128 votes.Btown ticket executives said their realistic platform propelled them to victory. Their platform is based on five Bs: bikes, books, break, basketball and Btown Express.“I think we connected with the student body because we had realistic platform issues rather than large price tags attached to it,” said junior Peter SerVaas, IUSA president-elect. “We looked for feasible initiatives that additionally met specific student needs.”SerVaas said particular individuals will be overseeing certain platform issues. He added that the basketball gym cameras will be a “great and easy implementation process.”Btown ticket executives said their ticket’s workers were a dedicated bunch.“We had a strong base of support based on a strong platform,” said Vice President-elect Jack McCarthy, a junior. “The people we had working on our campaign made our job really easy.”Representatives from the three tickets running in the IUSA election said there was no bad blood between them, but rather a line of open communication.“There was mutual respect between all executives,” SerVaas said.McCarthy added, “We had an open discourse throughout the campaign and election day.”Second-year law student Ben Blair, presidential candidate for ONE University, said all the tickets wanted to avoid the same type of controversy of last year’s election, when one of the candidates from the Kirkwood ticket invaded current IUSA president Luke Fields’ computer and forwarded campaign e-mails to members of their ticket.“All the tickets basically tried to avoid each other,” Blair said. “They wanted to avoid anything like last year from happening. Tickets avoided being at the same place at the same time.”Junior Andrew Hahn, presidential candidate for the Red-Hot ticket, said although Red-Hot ticket members put their “heart and souls into the campaign to make the student voice heard” to form an administration that had strong potential, he believes Btown could make a great administration as well.“They built a strong campaign organization,” Hahn said. “They definitely have the potential to make a great administration. I encourage them to work hard.”Blair said he was happy Btown won the election.“Btown winning is proof that students wanted to see something different for student government, and they will prove to be good student leaders on campus,” Blair said.As for the elections code, all the tickets did a great job at following the rules, Retana said.“I think that with all the potential to go wrong, all went well,” she said.In a Thursday public meeting, IUSA elections commissioners, along with Btown executives, met to discuss a discrepancy with financial statements. Section 603: Financial Statements of the elections code was found to be ambiguous by both the Btown and ONE University tickets.The election code states, “A financial statement is defined as an itemized list of all campaign expenditures, including receipts and appropriate document for each campaign expenditure listed. A signed financial disclosure affidavit must accompany all financial statements. For this section, an affidavit shall consist of an itemized list of all contributions and their respective signature(s), date of contribution, and candidate or ticket affiliation.”The elections commission decided to fine ONE University with 5 percent of the ticket’s total expenditures and Btown with 2.5 percent of its own. ONE University was fined because of improper submission of expenditures and contributions, while Btown was fined for improperly submitting their contributions.Btown appealed the election commission’s decision to the IUSA Supreme Court because executives believed the situation was a misunderstanding. The Supreme Court sent the case back to the elections commission, and after Thursday’s hearing, the commission has 24 hours to issue a decision.The Btown ticket has no chance of being disqualified, Retana said.ONE University will still have to pay its fine as the ticket did not appeal the elections commission’s decision.Btown executives said they are committed to making the elections code even clearer during their term in office and believe the decision to have the elections code reviewed by Congress every year was a necessary adjustment made by the current administration.Although the elections code might be altered, Retana said it will never be completely clear.“I think that no matter how the elections code is written there will always be loopholes and questions,” Retana said.
(04/02/09 4:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Kilroy’s Bar N’ Grill is frequently flooded with groups of students wearing color-coded T-shirts and celebrating bar crawls, birthdays and bachelorette parties. But Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, people wearing red and orange T-shirts representing rival IU Student Association tickets were doing more than just raising bar tabs – they were raising vote tallies.Both the Btown and Red-Hot tickets were soliciting votes in and out of Kilroy’s Bar N’ Grill, causing some IU leaders to question the ethical implications of seeking votes from students under the influence of alcohol.Dean of Students Dick McKaig said the situation “sounds questionable” but added it is “not automatically reprehensible of the two tickets.” “Students need to be responsible enough to make decisions,” McKaig said.The current administration, known as the Big Red ticket in last year’s race, did not campaign at bars during last year’s election.“We thought it could have a negative connotation to it,” said senior Luke Fields, current IUSA president. “We were concerned that there would be potential problems.”On Tuesday, members of Btown sat in front of laptops at a table on Kilroy’s outdoor patio, asking students in and out of the bar for votes. Members of Red-Hot were stationed inside in two locations. A table near the front of the bar had several empty bottles of beer and a bottle of vodka covering a Red-Hot banner. The ticket also used a computer in the back of the bar for student votes, said junior Mary Kelley, vice presidential candidate for Red-Hot.Peter SerVaas, presidential candidate for the Btown ticket, said Btown members were mostly talking to students waiting in line for Kilroy’s $2-Tuesdays. “We are just talking to them before they start their night,” said junior Peter SerVaas, presidential candidate for Btown. “People are already in line, and it is an opportunity to inform them about Btown. If they are convinced by our statement, they can vote.” SerVaas said while the campaign did bring laptops past the bouncer and onto the patio, the ticket did not bring laptops into the actual building. “We would not go inside an establishment with laptops serving alcohol,” he said. Representatives for both tickets said they did not target students who were intoxicated.“It’s early enough in the night where people aren’t wasted,” Kelley said. “We try to take them right when they get in.”Kelley said people could not bring an alcoholic beverage into the back room while they were voting.Andrew Hahn, presidential candidate for Red-Hot, defended the actions. “A lot of people on our ticket that are 21 and over like to hang out at Kilroy’s, like a lot of IU students do,” Hahn said. “It has been a long campaign. It is a place for us to come and hang out.”IUSA ticket members said they were not doing anything wrong by being at Kilroy’s; they were simply campaigning.“We are not buying anyone drinks,” Hahn said. “We have explicitly told them that there was absolutely none of that. We are not targeting people.” Campaigning and sponsoring ticket-run voting stations, even at a bar, is not a violation of the elections code.“The idea is to target a wide student demographic,” said senior Elizabeth Retana, IUSA election coordinator. “A large group of students frequent Kirkwood.”When asked whether getting votes at a bar should be against the elections code, Retana said, “It is a difficult call, a difficult situation.”Though the practice is not against IUSA Elections Code, others in Indiana have ruled that alcohol and elections don’t mix. On Election Day, state law requires Hoosier bars stay closed while polls are open.Senior Dan Sloat, current IUSA vice president, said the IUSA elections are very different than the state and national elections since student government elections take place in the unique environment of a college campus.Sloat said because many students go to the bars, IUSA candidates campaign there in hopes of connecting to the student body. He also said even though the tickets’ actions did not go against the elections code, the tactic was “in poor taste.”
(03/31/09 5:09pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Two of the IU Student Association polling stations for the elections have been changed.The polling stations at the intersection of 10th Street and Fee Lane and the corner of Ballantine Hall, are no longer sites.IUSA election coordinator Elizabeth Retana said these two polling stations have been dropped because of questionable weather.The other polling stations are located at Read Center, Wright Quad, Foster Quad, the lobby of the Kelley School of Business, Student Recreational Sports Center and the Indiana Memorial Union literature desk.Students can also vote for the IUSA tickets on http://www.indiana.edu/~iusa/ through 10 p.m. Wednesday.
(03/31/09 4:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>ONE University ticket leaders no longer want to be recognized as an active ticket in the IU Student Association elections, executives said Monday, even though their candidacy will remain on election ballots and votes cast will count. Ticket candidates have chosen to cease campaigning because the combination of personalities has not been working well for several weeks, said second-year law student Ben Blair, presidential candidate for ONE University. Ticket organizers announced Monday night they will endorse the Btown ticket instead. ONE University candidates cannot officially withdraw from the election because of election code stipulations. “Candidates wishing to withdraw their names from the ballot must request a withdrawal, in writing, from the Elections Commission by 5:00 p.m. , seven (7) calendar days before the IUSA Election begins,” according to the Code. “Although ONE University has not been able to withdraw from the elections per elections code they will cease their campaign efforts,” said IUSA elections coordinator Elizabeth Retana. Since the ticket did not officially withdraw from the election, their name will remain on ballots and their votes will still be counted, Retana said. A campaign e-mail sent Monday afternoon appears to be a primary cause for the ticket’s withdrawal, ONE University executives said. Executives of the ONE University ticket said many were unaware the e-mail was even being sent. And while the e-mail was sent from Presidential candidate Ben Blair’s account, Blair said he knew nothing about the e-mail. “The e-mail in question to gather support from the student body in itself was not the problem,” Blair said. “The way the e-mail was sent out caused us concern. It was sent out in violation of section 702 of the elections code in that it did not put the e-mail addresses of the recipients in the blind carbon copy line,” Blair said.The executives said that if the e-mail had not been sent, they would not have “dropped out.”“I knew about it moment I received it,” Blair said. “I sent an e-mail back instructing the sender to stop sending those e-mails.”Section 702 of the elections code states that “any e-mail sent to multiple voters soliciting votes that does not have all e-mail addresses in the blind carbon copy line shall constitute a violation of this code.”The ticket turned themselves in before getting caught, Retana said. She said that by no means would the ticket automatically get disqualified. IUSA president Luke Fields said if a ticket files a complaint or if the election commission files a complaint, the ticket will be charged of a violation and they will receive a hearing. If the ticket is unhappy with the decision, they can appeal and go to the IUSA Supreme Court.However, junior Jeff Fraser, chief of staff for the ONE University ticket, said the e-mail was part of the campaign and that the executives knew about it. Fraser would not explain why he thought Blair did not have knowledge of the message. “I don’t know what to say,” Fraser said. The ticket executives decided to take responsibility for the e-mail in question, because this occurred under the ticket’s name.“How we decided to run (the) campaign was to hold onto high values. Running a clean campaign, even though it was not our fault, it was still under our name,” junior Samantha Israel, vice president of Congress for ONE. “We accept responsibility for these actions. We decided to run a clean campaign from beginning to end.”
(03/31/09 12:50am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The ONE University ticket has announced its intent to withdraw from the IU Student Association election.Junior Saad Saghir, vice presidential candidate from the ONE University ticket, said the ONE University ticket has been having "internal problems" from which the executives' team decided they could not recover.Their decision was announced to IUSA election commissioner senior Liz Retana at about 8 p.m. today. "Btown is the most competent and dedicated ticket," Saghir said. "There is no doubt in my mind that Btown will do wonders for this organization."Second-year law student Ben Blair, presidential candidate for ONE University, said the ticket's stand-out quality was that all of their platform issues were derived from the IU student body as opposed to IU faculty and administrators.The ONE University ticket was focused on student rights, technology and facilities, community service, sustainability, transparency and accountability.Students can vote from 10 a.m. Tuesday to 10 p.m. Wednesday on the IUSA Web site or at official IUSA polling stations.