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(09/23/13 3:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Giant multi-colored beach balls, toilet paper and confetti flew through the air. People were on their feet, waving their arms to a heavy bass beat. It was “the ultimate dance party,” led by three bald, blue men.On Saturday and Sunday, Blue Man Group returned to the IU Auditorium. The show marked the beginning of the auditorium’s 2013-14 season.Bloomington resident Barry Milbourn said he was supposed to be at the 2011 show, but when an ice storm hit, he was called into work at the city water plant. He said members of his family went in his place and bought him a Blue Man Group “Rock Concert Movements” T-shirt.On Saturday, Milbourn, wearing the shirt his family gave him, finally got his chance to see Blue Man Group. “I know they put on a good show,” he said. “I’m excited about all the things they will do.”During the show, the trio performed many acts, including painting with gumballs caught in their mouths, drumming on pipes and painted drums and playing with giant smartphones. The acts received laughter and applause from the audience.Much of the performance emphasized audience interaction. Whether the blue men were throwing marshmallows into the crowd, handing out paintings or climbing through the orchestra section, the audience was an active part of the show. For freshman Lexi Hall, she said it was her first IU Auditorium show and her first time seeing Blue Man Group. She shared the experience with her mother, Jodi Craney. “I’ve heard about Blue Man Group, and I just wanted to take my mom,” Hall said. “This is the only chance I’ve ever had to see them. I look forward to all the neat tricks that they do.” Jennifer Davis, an employee at the Maurer School of Law, came with her 7-year-old son, Camron Cole. “I’ve always wanted to see Blue Man Group, and I thought it would be cool to take my little boy,” Davis said. “Everyone we talked to said it would be the perfect show for a little kid. He laughed the whole time.”Cole said his favorite part of the show was when TV commercials played on the giant smartphones. “It didn’t have anything to do with the show,” he said. Davis said her favorite part was when a man arrived late and the blue men stopped the show and shined a spotlight on him as he walked in. “I thought it was hilarious,” she said. “It was an awesome show. I liked it a lot.” Follow reporter Alyssa Schor on Twitter @schoralyssa.
(09/17/13 4:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Organist William Porter performed a recital Monday on the Webb-Ehrlich Great Organ of Alumni Hall at the Indiana Memorial Union.Porter is known for his improvisation skills in various styles. Monday’s recital featured three groups of improvised pieces in French styles from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. “I liked the variety of styles he presented,” second-year doctoral student Jonathan Rudy said. “It was exciting and beautiful at the same time. I’ve taken an improv class before, and it still amazes me.”Robert Nicholls, a church organist who traveled from Evansville for the recital, said the performance was special because Porter will never play these pieces again, and people will never hear them again. “He created masterful pieces of music. I thought it was expertly done,” Nicholls said. “I enjoyed his control of the forms he set out to demonstrate.”Porter is an organ teacher at McGill University in Montreal. He previously taught organ and harpsichord at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., and the Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, where he holds a degree.He also served as the music director of the Yale Divinity School at Yale University, where he also holds a degree.The recital was part of a Jacobs School of Music organ department and Indiana Organists United conference called “An Organ at the Crossroads” that began Sunday and ends Wednesday. The conference serves as the public debut for the organ, which was installed this summer at the renovated Alumni Hall. Barbara Waite, a church organist who also traveled from Evansville, said Porter’s performance was “lovely.”“It’s just amazing that someone can play that well,” Waite said. “He has to be very, very bright to put that together.”The instrument is named for Charles H. Webb, dean emeritus of the music school, and IU President Emeritus Thomas Ehrlich. The French Baroque-inspired organ was made in 1987 and was previously located in a specially built concert hall at a private residence owned by the late Jacques M. Littlefield in Portola Valley, Calif., according to a press release.IU acquired the organ in spring 2012 through a gift arrangement with Littlefield’s relatives. “Exposing ourselves to great art changes us,” he said. “A concert like this will have a lasting impact on the people who hear it. I firmly believe that.” Follow reporter Alyssa Schor on Twitter @SchorAlyssa.
(09/13/13 4:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Working with local conservationists and greenhouses, this year IU graduate students promoted landscaping with plants native to Indiana rather than invasive plant species. The students collaborated with Monroe County Identify and Reduce Invasive Species and its Go Green, Grown Native! initiative to create materials educating the community about the effects of invasive species and promote the benefits and sales of native plants.The materials have since been implemented at Mays Greenhouse, a local garden center and nursery on the south side of Bloomington.The partnership was part of biology professor Heather Reynolds’ course, “The Ecology of Place,” last taught in spring 2013. Establishing relationships with local ecosystems is important to understanding the ecology and land of that location, Reynolds said.“Through the collaboration, students are drawn more deeply into the local ecology of Bloomington,” Reynolds said. “Students appreciated the opportunity to take their learning out of the classroom through work with conservation professionals on applied issues.” Ellen Jacquart, chair of MC-IRIS, said invasive plants are non-native species that cause economic and environmental harm to an ecosystem where they did not originate. They might also cause harm to human health.These plants can easily move from yards and consume wooded areas, Jacquart said, adding many are used in landscaping around Bloomington because they’re visually appealing.About 86 percent of landscaping plants are invasive species, she said.“The surprising thing is that the majority of the invasive species we’re fighting against were deliberately planted by someone,” Jacquart said. “There are better choices.”Native plants are a better option in landscaping because they save money and help maintain soil, Reynolds said.“The reasons for these benefits of natives trace to the fact that they have evolved in our local ecosystems and are thus adapted to climate and soils and are integral members of the local plant, animal and microbial communities,” she said.Natalie Christian, who took the course, said she learned using native plants for landscaping benefits the environment by attracting other native creatures such as birds and butterflies. “People’s yards are part of our ecosystem,” Christian said. “By planting native plants, it creates habitats for them to live in and breathe in.”Kimberly Elsenbroek, a graduate student who also took the class, said she learned about the impacts of invasive species in Bloomington, including in forests like Latimer Woods and Dunn’s Woods.Elsenbroek said she has worked to remove invasive species such as bush honeysuckle, Japanese honeysuckle and wintercreeper, and in their place, planted native species like tulip poplar, spicebush and redbud. “That helped us directly understand the project we were promoting to the greenhouse,” she said. Elsenbroek said she and her fellow students created a sign system and guide pamphlet at Mays to help customers distinguish the native species from the invasive ones. The native species had green signs and the invasive species had red signs, she said. Jason Fulton, nursery manager of Mays, said although it’s too early to measure the effects of the students’ project, he did enjoy the collaboration. “I found them all a pleasure to work with,” Fulton said. Reynolds said “The Ecology of Place” will be offered again in spring 2014. She said anyone interested in the course should contact her or her co-instructor, James Capshew. Follow reporter Alyssa Schor on Twitter @SchorAlyssa.
(09/13/13 3:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Venue Fine Arts & Gifts is displaying an exhibit of paintings and sculptures by Kaaren Hirschowitz Engel entitled Spiritual Adventures. The exhibit opened Sept. 6,, and the complete exhibit remain open until Sept. 19. Engel, a native of Birmingham, Ala., now lives and works in Nashville, Tenn. According to a press release, she practiced law in San Francisco and Nashville for more than 12 years before retiring in 1999 to pursue a career in visual arts.Gabriel Colman, curator of the Venue, said after working in law for so long, Engel’s spirituality was under attack, and she was looking for a way to reconnect with her Jewish heritage. He said her works are inspired by prayers from the Old Testament, and she visually uses these prayers in her abstract paintings. “I often incorporate into my paintings words or thoughts, records of a moment,” Engel said on her website. “My art evolves from these single moments, woven into paint and paper and canvas. At times the weaving is figurative, as in my two-dimensional work. At times the weaving is literal. I physically deconstruct and reconstruct my paintings into three-dimensional sculptures.”According to the press release, Engel also practices Kirtin Yoga and draws from those experiences in her art. “You have a visual depiction of a relatively unexplored medium and subject matter,” Colman said of the exhibit. “This is a demonstration of culturalism and acceptance.” Follow reporter Alyssa Schor on Twitter @SchorAlyssa.
(09/11/13 3:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From behind the barbed wire fence of a prison farm, the small faces of South African children etched with disappointment look out toward an unknown horizon.Inches away was an image of starving Jewish children gazing through the barbed wire boundaries of a concentration camp. Despite the separation of time and distance, the human condition captured in the images of Margaret Bourke-White was the same. “There’s an echo and a similarity, but not an identity,” Alex Lichtenstein, IU associate professor of history and the curator of the exhibit, said. “It wasn’t exact, but it was driven by racial hatred, and she’s quite explicit about that.”On Sept. 6, the Mathers Musuem of World Cultures staged a grand opening commemorating the rarely-seen work of the late photographer. Entitled “Photos in Black and White: Margaret Bourke-White and the Dawn of Apartheid in South Africa,” the collection of photographs captures the birth of the South African anti-apartheid movement. Bourke-White shot the photos while visiting South Africa from December 1949 to April 1950 for an assignment with Life magazine. Lichtenstein said he came up with the idea for this exhibit while researching South African labor history. He discovered a photograph by Bourke-White depicting two South African miners. “She’s there at a heated political moment where the Afrikaner nationalists are consolidating their power, celebrating their triumph and where people of color are trying ways of resisting this,” Lichtenstein said. “It was rapidly becoming very, very harsh and severe.”Bourke-White began her career as a photographer for Fortune magazine capturing images of international labor. After becoming a permanent photographer on the Life magazine staff, she rose to prominence for her photography of historical moments, including the liberation of concentration camps in World War II. “The thing that really amazed me was that she was so good at being in the right place at the right time,” Lichtenstein said. In 2000, a Fulbright scholarship led Lichtenstein to South Africa, where he gained an interest in South African labor relations. He said he searched through archives from Life magazine and found more than 150 of Bourke-White’s photographs from South Africa, many of which had never been shown in public. He said he chose about 40 images for the exhibit and then conducted more research on the South African apartheid. He added text and other material to supplement the pictures. Some of the supplementing materials, he said, include excerpts from letters Bourke-White wrote after her time in South Africa, which express how angry she became while seeing apartheid unfold.“The most compelling thing is that she wrote the letters the minute she got on the plane to leave South Africa,” Lichtenstein said. “She bottled up her anger. She pours out and lets loose all these feelings.”He said he organized the gallery into five sections: life working in the mines, the nature of white nationalism, life on the farms, resistance and protest and the shanty town of Moroka, located on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Lichtenstein said this was the story he wanted his exhibit to tell about South African apartheid. “I wanted to find a way to create a story with the photographs,” Lichtenstein said. “Pull a story about apartheid and about South Africa, but also a story about Bourke-White.”The documentary style of Bourke-White’s photography in the collection later surfaced within South Africa in a publication titled Drum. The photographs of the publication echo many aspects of Bourke-White’s work in the nation. Today, the magazine is still in publication. “She wanted to use photography to emphasize social justice, human rights and the dangers of racism,” Lichtenstein said. “That sort of documentary photography to try and show what’s going on remains relevant.”Judy Kirk, assistant director of the Mathers Museum, said Bourke-White’s images really capture a “horrible era” in history.“She was a woman on a mission to document this,” Kirk said. “Over time, she began to see photography as a tool for social good. Her images are striking.” After the exhibit concludes at IU, it will open at the Bensusan Museum of Photography in Johannesburg in January 2014. The tour will conclude at the Michaelis Galleries in Cape Town, South Africa, in April. In connection with the exhibit, IU Cinema will present a three-part film series called “South Africa: Apartheid and After” Oct. 22, Nov. 2 and Nov. 10. Mathers will also present a symposium Oct. 31 about Bourke-White, photojournalism and South African photography. The symposium features Santu Mofokeng, a South African photographer, John Edwin Mason, a historian of South African and U.S. photography at the University of Virginia, and Claude Cookman from the IU School of Journalism. Lichtenstein said although curating the exhibit was challenging, he enjoyed putting it together and learning more about South African history.“I find this kind of work really gratifying,” Lichtenstein said. “Over the last 20 years, I’ve seen dramatic transformations in the country. That’s been a really exciting process to witness.“The point wasn’t just to expose the photos to the Bloomington audience, but to foster a collaboration with South Africa.”
(09/05/13 2:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Country artist Brett Eldredge will perform 8 p.m. Thursday at the Bluebird Nightclub. Tickets are available in advance online for $12 or at the door for $15.Eldredge has been performing since he was 15 years old and grew up listening to singers like Ray Charles, Ronnie Dunn.“I always gravitated towards big voices because as a kid I had this big voice coming out of me,” Eldredge said on his website. After college, the Illinois native moved to Nashville, Tenn., where he began writing his own songs and also writing with fellow country artist “Whispering” Bill Anderson.In 2010, Eldredge released his first single, “Raymond,” a song inspired by his grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Eldredge’s latest single, “Don’t Ya,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart during the week of Aug. 24. His debut album, “Bring You Back,” was released Aug. 6. During the week of the album release, Eldredge appeared on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and “Today.”“I feel better about my music now than I ever have felt, and I can’t wait for people to hear it,” Eldredge said on his website.Eldredge said on his site he loves being on stage and engaging every member of the crowd. “Everything it takes to get to wherever I’m going to play — every airplane and car I ride in — is so worth it once I’m able to get up on that stage,” he said. “I want everybody in the crowd to feel the energy that I’m feeling from them.”Eldredge is touring through January 2014 and will officially begin his Bring You Back Fall 2013 Tour Oct. 3 in Oxford, Ohio. Jen Samson, a marketing and promotions specialist at the Bluebird, said people can expect a great show from Eldredge.“He’s got a lot of energy,” Samson said. “If you like country music, it’ll be a great time.”Follow reporter Alyssa Schor on Twitter @SchorAlyssa.
(09/03/13 4:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU on Strike participants and new members met in Woodburn Hall Sunday to reflect on last year’s demonstration and to discuss ideas for the new year. In April, the movement of students, employees and community members organized a two-day, campus-wide demonstration to address issues facing the university. Their concerns included increased tuition rates, wage freezes for employees and a lack of diversity on campus.Sunday’s event lasted from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and included segments for strike reflections, skills workshops and brainstorming new strategies. At about 3 p.m., members met in small groups and gathered in several classrooms to discuss campus security culture, meeting facilitation and poster and flyer design, among other topics. After the small group sessions ended, a larger group of about 30 members formed a circle around the main lobby of Woodburn Hall. Banners surrounded the meeting area, displaying slogans such as “Fight austerity. The world you want is here for the taking,” and “Reflect. Rethink. Resist.” Each member explained what resources he or she could contribute during the semester. Several members expressed their enthusiasm, dedication and willingness to give their time to the cause. Others said they aimed to help with writing and designing posters and flyers, distributing information and bringing food to the weekly assemblies or other gatherings.Participants then divided into small groups of about six people. Each group was given a poster and markers to brainstorm and write down goals and ideas for the semester. After about 20 minutes of brainstorming, members shared their thoughts with the full group. Member Rob Jonson said he thought the meeting was productive, and he has already noticed more people joining and supporting their cause. “Discussions are more dynamic because there are more people,” he said. “People are still very energized by the strike.”Jonson said he hopes to see increased student involvement this year. He aims to make sure everyone’s concerns are addressed, whether the topics address department mergers or meal plans. “We just need to figure out how to include more voices,” he said. Members of the group recently published a pamphlet, which was available for the first time at the meeting. The pamphlet contains accounts of the strike and discusses improvements the group hopes to make in the future, including how participants organize demonstrations and provide food. According to the pamphlet, members are deciding whether or not to refer to the movement as “IU on Strike” because they don’t want to be defined and limited by the strike. No alternative names were proposed in the pamphlet. “A strike is one of many tactics to broaden struggle against austerity within the university,” the authors of the pamphlet said. “Names like ‘striker’ and ‘IU on Strike’ limit autonomy, and create a stagnant university movement in which we are always identified by a singular action instead of the culture we hope to encourage.” Follow reporter Alyssa Schor on Twitter @alyssa_schor29.
(08/28/13 4:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A small group sat close together inside the main room of Thrive Health & Wellbeing. Rima Montoya, a local hypnotist and change agent, told everyone to close their eyes.Then in a slow, quiet voice, she told everyone to relax each muscle, starting with the mouth and face and traveling through each part of the body. She asked the audience to focus on the sensations they felt as they relaxed, including heaviness in the legs and jaw. “The more the body relaxes, the more the brain relaxes,” she said. “The heavier you feel, the more into hypnosis you go.”Montoya used this exercise to demonstrate trance and hypnosis during a lecture Tuesday called Healing With Hypnosis. Montoya, a resident of Bloomington for the past four years, discussed the concept of self-hypnosis, common misconceptions about hypnosis and her approach to using it for relaxation and healing.The biggest myth about hypnosis, Montoya said, is that people are not in control of themselves during the process. “Hypnosis is actually an inside job,” she said. “I am just in the backseat and you are the driver; you’re deciding at every turn. You are the one suggesting to yourself what it is you want to change.”Montoya has been certified to practice hypnosis since she was 17 years old. She said she uses hypnosis for people looking to control weight, eliminate cravings, manage stress, reduce anxiety, overcome addiction or bad habits and change their lives in general.“I believe that change is a given. We’re always changing,” she said. “We all have things we want to change, goals we want to change. That puts me in a better position to help people and take responsibility for their own well-being.”Montoya then explained the idea of trance, which she said is a relaxed state with focused awareness and attention on one subject. She said the experience of trance is like watching a good movie. Someone is completely focused on the screen, but the mind doesn’t analyze and judge every detail of the film.She said people experience trance whenever they do activities they enjoy, such as exercising, reading or creating artwork.“You dip in and out of a state of trance every day without realizing it,” she said. “Trance is not about losing consciousness, it’s about focusing your awareness.”Montoya said overall, hypnosis is a “powerful” and “empowering” resource for people.“It really opens you up to discovering the power of your own mind,” she said. “A lot of us don’t know we have that, and hypnosis is about discovering that.”Jessica Mott, founder of Thrive, said Montoya’s lecture was part of the center’s educational series. As part of the series, Mott said she looks for local speakers to educate the community on unknown or unfamiliar health topics. Mott said she hopes these speakers give people tools to take better control of their health and wellness. “There are a ton of people in town who do amazing work,” Mott said. “It’s a way for people to find out about them without spending a lot of money. It’s also a way to know those people in the community.”Mott said she heard about Montoya and her work through one of the acupuncturists at Thrive. Mott said she wanted to learn more about hypnosis and thought people in the community would also benefit from hearing Montoya speak.“I didn’t know a lot about her to be honest,” Mott said. “It is a tool I’ve seen be very effective, and it was nice to know someone in town who was doing it.”Follow reporter Alyssa Schor on Twitter @SchorAlyssa.
(08/23/13 4:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Freshman Haley Arger said her Chicago-area high school lacked diversity, but she attended CultureFest Thursday to embrace different viewpoints and experience a Welcome Week tradition.“It’s a big difference,” she said. “There was a lot to learn about.”Students packed the IU Auditorium and near Showalter Fountain for live performances, henna tattoos, caricature drawings and food.Sandy Britton, associate director for student life, said the idea of CultureFest is to showcase IU’s multiculturalism.“This is a really nice way to introduce students to the diversity we have on campus,” Britton said.The Asian Culture Center served dumplings, egg rolls and crab rangoon. GLBT Student Support Services gave students colorful sherbet. The Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center had barbecued chicken with beans and rice. The Office of International Services served desserts like baklava and tiramisu. CultureFest began in the auditorium with a step dance performance from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and an introduction to the IU Won’t Stand For campaign by the Commission on Multicultural Understanding. For the second year in a row, each student at CultureFest received a white shirt saying, “I won’t stand for ___” as part of the campaign. The blank spaces were filled with words like “hate,” “intolerance” and “bullying.”COMU member Sarah Nagy said they distributed more than 3,000 shirts this year. During the outdoor activities, students had the opportunity to participate in a sit-down demonstration with their shirts, representing the topics they won’t stand for. “Get out of your box and learn about it,” Nagy said. “If you don’t see something right, do something about it. Don’t just stand by.”The Mayhem Poets, a slam poetry trio, took the stage for the keynote performance.Group members Kyle Rapps, Scott Raven and Mason Granger used elements of hip-hop, rap, poetry and drama to address topics like race, gender, insecurity, family and stereotypes. Freshman Morgan Pries said Mayhem Poets’ performance was “phenomenal” and “powerful.”“The topics they shared were so open,” Pries said. “They just drew you in.”Raven said the performance highlighted the importance of bringing people together and positively expressing oneself, a message that fit well with CultureFest’s purpose. “This is really important to put everyone in a positive frame of mind for the year,” he said. “You don’t know where people have been coming from. This gives people an environment to step out of their comfort zones.”Follow reporter Alyssa Schor on Twitter @SchorAlyssa.
(08/21/13 3:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Singer/songwriter Angel Olsen will perform at 9:30 p.m Wednesday at the Bishop Bar. Tickets can be purchased in advance online for $10 or at the door for $12.The Chicago-based singer said she hasn’t performed in Bloomington in a long time but is looking forward to returning. She said she has friends in the area, and her record label, Jagjaguwar, is based in Bloomington. “I just like the vibe,” Olsen said of Bloomington. Olsen said she will be accompanied by a band, so the show will be louder and more upbeat, rather than sit-down and acoustic. However, she said she’s open to making changes during her performances based on the atmosphere. “I never know what’s going to happen,” she said. “I really don’t know what to expect.”Olsen was born and raised in St. Louis and began performing at 15. After starting as a solo artist, she worked with singer/songwriter Will Oldham, known by his stage name Bonnie “Prince” Billy. Olsen later put together another band, which has yet to be named, she said. The band will be joining her in Bloomington. The Bloomington show is one of Olsen’s many performances this summer, she said. She went on a two-month tour and played at several music festivals, taking a break to record a new album . Olsen said she will play at a few more festivals in the fall before embarking on a larger tour with folk-pop band the Pillars and Tongues. In 2010, Olsen released her first solo album, “Strange Cacti.” Her second album, “Half Way Home,” was released in 2012. The Bloomington concert will feature songs from both albums.She may perform songs from her new album, although she is unsure when it will be released, Olsen said. “It was really awesome,” Olsen said of recording her latest album. “I had a great time. I hope it will come out sooner or later.”Olsen, who writes her own music, describes her style as “a mix of different things.” She said sometimes her songs are quieter and “intimate,” others more “abrasive.” For more concert information, visit www.thebishopbar.com.Follow Alyssa Schor on Twitter @SchorAlyssa
(08/20/13 6:27pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Singer/songwriter Angel Olsen will perform at 9:30 p.m Wednesday at the Bishop Bar. The Chicago-based singer said she hasn’t performed in Bloomington in a long time but is looking forward to returning to the Bloomington crowd. She said she has friends in the area, and her record label, Jagjaguwar, is based in Bloomington. She said she likes the atmosphere in Bloomington. “I just like the vibe,” she said. Olsen said she will be accompanied by a band, so the show will be louder and more upbeat, rather than sit-down and acoustic. However, she said she’s open to making changes during her performances based on the atmosphere. “I never know what’s going to happen,” she said. “I really don’t know what to expect.”Olsen was born and raised in St. Louis and began singing and performing at 15. After starting as a solo artist, she worked with singer/songwriter Will Oldham, known more commonly by his stage name Bonnie “Prince” Billy. Olsen later put together another band, which is yet to be named, she said. This band will be joining her in Bloomington. The Bloomington show is one of Olsen’s many performances this summer, she said. She went on a two-month tour, played at several music festivals and took a break to record a new album before touring again. Olsen said she will play at a few more festivals in the fall before embarking on a larger tour with folk-pop band the Pillars and Tongues. In 2010, Olsen released her first solo album, “Strange Cacti.” Her second album, “Half Way Home,” was released in 2012. The Bloomington concert will feature a mix of songs from both albums.She may perform songs from the new album, even though she is unsure as to when it will be released, Olsen said. “It was really awesome,” Olsen said of recording her latest album. “I had a great time. I hope it will come out sooner or later.”Olsen, who writes her all of her own music, describes her style of music as “a mix of different things.” She said sometimes her songs are quieter and “intimate,” others more “abrasive.” Tickets can be purchased in advance online for $10, or at the door for $12.For more concert information, visit www.thebishopbar.com.
(04/24/13 2:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Four IU Bloomington faculty members have been awarded the first Jesse Fine Fellowships in Practical and Professional Ethics, according to the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions.According to a press release, the fellowship allows these faculty members to create a new course or restructure an already existing ethics course in any field. Richard Miller, director of the Poynter Center, said each applicant for the fellowship submitted an idea for a syllabus that raised an ethical question. Miller said each recipient’s course had a clear purpose. “These were the ones that rose to the top,” he said. “They aim to really re-dimensionalize coursework in areas that these fellows are working in.”He said he hopes these courses, and the ethical issues raised in them, will help students see their particular areas of study differently. Fellows will receive funding made possible from a gift by the late Dorothy Fine in honor of her husband, Jesse, who graduated from IU with a bachelor’s degree in 1928 and a law degree in 1930. Miller said no formal ceremony will take place to honor the recipients. The recipients are:Ronald DayDay is an associate professor in the School of Library and Information Science. He will use the funding for a course called “S604: Information Ethics Across Technologies, Media, Institutions and Societies.” The press release said students wanted this ethics course in addition to courses about policies and intellectual freedom.Shannon GaykGayk is an associate professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences. She will develop a section of “L240: Literature and Public Life” with the special topic of “Representing the Poor.” In this course, students will examine the representation of the poor during three literary periods, and also go out into the Bloomington community and interact with residents, according to the press release. “We will explore the ethical questions surrounding the issue of poverty from a distinctly literary perspective, focusing on the power, responsibilities, and limitations of written representation in shaping public attitudes toward social ethics,” Gayk said in her course description on the English department’s website. “Over the course of the semester, students should expect to consider the relations between poverty, labor, politics, and visions of community.”Joshua PerryPerry is an assistant professor of business law and ethics at the Kelley School of Business. He said he will use the funding to aid his development of a new core course in the Kelley graduate accounting program, “L521: Critical Thought and Practical Wisdom.” “I was thrilled and honored and definitely grateful to the family,” Perry said.He said he hopes students taking his course gain important critical thinking, reasoning and analytical skills through an ethical lens. “Such skills are essential for equipping one to persuade and lead others, and to guide decision making in business contexts often involving competing priorities, diverse values, and ethical conflicts between stakeholders,” Perry said in a business school statement. He said the course begins in fall 2013. Laura RoushRoush is a graduate student in the criminal justice department of the College of Arts and Sciences. She said she will use the funding to update an undergraduate course, “P330: Criminal Justice Ethics.”She said she wanted to offer this course for the first time since fall 2005, when the previous instructor retired and the course wasn’t required for criminal justice majors. “I’m just happy there’s an opportunity for it to be offered again,” she said. Roush said she hopes students entering careers in law, law enforcement and corrections gain an understanding of the ethical responsibilities involved in those fields.She said she plans to use some of the funding to bring guest speakers who have experienced ethical dilemmas to her classes. “Ethics are what stand in the way of abusive powers,” she said. “I’m hoping that it’s going to bring the class to life.”
(04/23/13 10:48pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Four IU Bloomington faculty members have been awarded the first Jesse Fine Fellowships in Practical and Professional Ethics, according to the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions.According to a press release, the fellowship allows these faculty members to create a new course or restructure an already existing ethics course in any field. Richard Miller, director of the Poynter Center, said each applicant for the fellowship submitted an idea for a syllabus that raised an ethical question. Miller said each recipient’s course had a clear purpose. “These were the ones that rose to the top,” he said. “They aim to really re-dimensionalize coursework in areas that these fellows are working in.”He said he hopes these courses, and the ethical issues raised in them, will help students see their particular areas of study differently. Fellows will receive funding made possible from a gift by the late Dorothy Fine in honor of her husband, Jesse, who graduated from IU with a bachelor’s degree in 1928 and a law degree in 1930. Miller said no formal ceremony will take place to honor the recipients. The recipients are:Ronald DayDay is an associate professor in the School of Library and Information Science. He will use the funding for a course called “S604: Information Ethics Across Technologies, Media, Institutions and Societies.” The press release said students wanted this ethics course in addition to courses about policies and intellectual freedom.Shannon GaykGayk is an associate professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences. She will develop a section of “L240: Literature and Public Life” with the special topic of “Representing the Poor.” In this course, students will examine the representation of the poor during three literary periods, and also go out into the Bloomington community and interact with residents, according to the release. “We will explore the ethical questions surrounding the issue of poverty from a distinctly literary perspective, focusing on the power, responsibilities, and limitations of written representation in shaping public attitudes toward social ethics,” Gayk said in her course description on the English department’s website. “Over the course of the semester, students should expect to consider the relations between poverty, labor, politics, and visions of community.”Joshua PerryPerry is an assistant professor of business law and ethics at the Kelley School of Business. He said he will use the funding to aid his development of a new core course in the Kelley graduate accounting program, “L521: Critical Thought and Practical Wisdom.” “I was thrilled and honored and definitely grateful to the family,” Perry said.He said he hopes students taking his course gain important critical thinking, reasoning and analytical skills through an ethical lens. “Such skills are essential for equipping one to persuade and lead others, and to guide decision making in business contexts often involving competing priorities, diverse values, and ethical conflicts between stakeholders,” Perry said in a business school statement. He said the course begins in fall 2013. Laura RoushRoush is a graduate student in the criminal justice department of the College of Arts and Sciences. She said she will use the funding to update an undergraduate course, “P330: Criminal Justice Ethics.”She said she wanted to offer this course for the first time since fall 2005, when the previous instructor retired and the course wasn’t required for criminal justice majors. “I’m just happy there’s an opportunity for it to be offered again,” she said. Roush said she hopes students entering careers in law, law enforcement and corrections gain an understanding of the ethical responsibilities involved in those fields.She said she plans to use some of the funding to bring guest speakers who have experienced ethical dilemmas to her classes. “Ethics are what stand in the way of abusive powers,” she said. “I’m hoping that it’s going to bring the class to life.”
(04/16/13 12:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An IU student will compete in a prestigious national chess tournament next month.Freshman Marc Arnold was selected as one of 24 competitors for the United States Chess Championship. The tournament will take place May 2-13 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. CCSCSL Publicist Daniel Hernandez said Arnold qualified for the competition by winning matches throughout the year and accumulating points. “I’m really excited,” said Arnold, a first-time U.S. Championship competitor. “Being from the U.S., I’ve always aspired to play in the tournament.” Arnold said he began playing chess at age 6 during classes at school. “I just thought it was an interesting game,” he said. “It came easy to me.”At the same age, Arnold said he started competing in his hometown of Manhattan, N.Y. He said since then he has participated in so many tournaments, he can’t keep count. “I just like the competitive atmosphere,” he said. “And the fact that I get to see my friends.” Arnold said chess allows him to meet people from around the world. The 20-year-old said he took a year between high school and college to play chess and earn a Grandmaster title, one of the highest awards a chess player can earn from the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (World Chess Federation). He said his games improved throughout the year after he struggled in the beginning. “It was pretty stressful because I wasn’t making the requirements,” he said. “I was really happy when they gave me the title.”Arnold said he usually practices on his own for important tournaments. He said his main strategy is studying other top players’ recent games and looking for new and innovative moves, called “novelties,” to bring to his own. “A lot of the world’s best players are looking for new ideas, so I try to emulate them,” Arnold said. Matches usually last about three hours, Arnold said. He said he’s used to playing for long periods of time but still gets stressed before the start of a tournament. “I’m not sure how I’m going to play,” he said. “I’m always a little nervous.” Matches begin on May 3 and follow a Swiss style, which means not every competitor plays against each other. Instead, similar scores between players decide the next matchups, Arnold said. According to the U.S. Chess Championship’s website, the competition includes nine rounds of play plus a playoff. More than $180,000 in prizes will be awarded, including a $30,000 grand prize. Arnold said he has no expectations entering the tournament, but winning in such a tough arena would be “incredible.”“It would be the best thing I’ve accomplished in my chess career,” he said. “It’s a tough tournament. It’s really hard to win.”
(03/28/13 4:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Read Center and Eigenmann Hall have won the spring 2013 IU Energy Challenge, according to the Office of Sustainability. The challenge took place from Feb. 18 to March 11, with 10 residence halls participating. A meter inside each building measured electricity and water use, Director of Sustainability Bill Brown said.Read conserved the most electricity, and Eigenmann conserved the most water, according to a press release. The residence halls will receive special trophies made from recycled materials at a ceremony at 10 a.m. April 12 in Dunn Meadow. “I appreciate that everyone took it seriously,” said Rebecca Hoke-McCall, the resident manager at Eigenmann. “I hope that the competition leads to establishing good habits.”According to the release, Read reduced electricity use by more than 13 percent, and Eigenmann reduced water use by more than 25 percent. Junior Matthew Zelechowski, a resident assistant and adviser of sustainability for Eigenmann, said he promoted water conservation by creating a poster and simply talking to other students. He said topics discussed included reusing water bottles, doing laundry less often and using less water when brushing teeth. “I was impressed with my students and happy that they stepped up to the challenge,” Zelechowski said. “Even though you don’t think you can do a lot, there’s a lot you can do.”Brown said the Energy Challenge has occurred each spring since 2007. This year, the office began a fall challenge, which included academic buildings and greek houses. He said the fall contest was designed to encourage consistent conservation habits in and outside of the residence halls. “It’s hard to test the persistence when everyone graduates or moves on,” he said. “What we’re seeing is that over time, those behavior changes are persistent.” Brown said the spring challenge only included residence halls so that IU could compete in this year’s Campus Conservation Nationals, a nationwide energy conservation competition for residential campuses. “CCN gives a common voice and motivation to hundreds of thousands of students, all working together to reduce consumption and mitigate the impacts of climate change,” according to the competition’s website.Brown said the Office of Sustainability contacted the residence halls and their student leaders about the challenge. He said he encouraged these leaders to plan fun but educational activities about energy conservation, such as lights-out dance parties and movies in a common room.“What this allows people to do is come together and work together,” he said. “People really seem to take an interest in winning.” The participating residence halls saved 81,565 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 698,728 gallons of water, according to the IU Building Dashboard, a website that promotes CCN and monitors the residence halls’ consumption habits during a day. The press release said the amount of electricity saved equals 113 houses off the grid, and the amount of water saved equals enough to fill 14 tanker trucks. These savings prevented more than 150,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, according to the dashboard. “I’m always amazed how much people can accomplish when they make small changes,” Brown said. “By doing simple things and changing habits, people are able to have a significant impact.” Zelechowski said he hopes the challenge inspires students to spread the word about conservation and continue exhibiting good energy-saving habits.“We should do them because it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “The goal is not to win an award, the goal is to save the world from us.”
(03/25/13 3:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Students interested in foreign affairs had the chance to meet two United States Department of State diplomats on Friday. Former U.S. Ambassadors Hans Klemm and John Nay, who served in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and the Republic of Suriname, respectively, visited the sixth annual Spring Conference for the International Public Affairs Association, a student-led organization for graduate students at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Klemm, an IU alumnus, delivered the keynote speech. “We’re really proud to have him back on campus,” said Jacob Surface, a second-year graduate student who helped organize the event. “It’s great for SPEA students to see, because that’s what we aspire to.”The conference’s theme was “Policy Challenges in a Period of Scarcity.” Klemm, who now serves as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the state department’s Bureau of Human Resources, discussed hiring trends in the Department of State and how the current financial situation could affect those trends. “It’s not a smooth line by any means in how many people we hire each year,” Klemm said. He said the Department of State currently employs roughly 70,000 workers, the majority of whom are foreign nationals who work in consulates and embassies abroad. He said approximately 14,000 people work as foreign service officers overseas, and approximately 11,000 people work as civil service officers in the U.S. Although hiring trends are currently unsteady, Klemm said the number of workers employed does not detract from the department’s goals. “Our mission is to promote the national interests of the U.S.,” he said. “That mission by any means has not shrunk.” Klemm said roughly 400 employees leave the department each year. This attrition rate has remained relatively stable, he said. However, he said the number of employees hired each year has varied during the last 20 years.Klemm said in the 1990s, the attrition rate was higher than the hiring rate, but in 2007, hiring and attrition rates were about even. This year, he said, attrition will once again exceed hiring. He said four major areas determine these rates: the Bureau of Human Resources, the department’s regional bureaus for the different geographic regions, the Office of Management and Budget and Congress. Klemm said Congress plays the most important role because it determines financial resources for the department and determines the number of positions available for workers. This is especially difficult, he said, given the current budget negotiations. “Without Congress’ actions, we wouldn’t be able to hire anybody,” he said. “We’ll just have to see the outcome of the (Obama) administration’s negotiations with Congress in the coming years.”After discussing these hiring trends, Klemm discussed how they could affect future U.S. work overseas, specifically in the Asia-Pacific region.He said the U.S. is experiencing a “pivot to Asia,” meaning that more foreign policy priorities are focused on East Asia and less on the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe. Klemm said this area is an important focus because it is the world’s fastest-growing economy.“If we are to participate in this very vital and strong area of economic growth, the U.S. has to be there,” Klemm said. He said another reason Asia is important is because North Korea poses a threat to security for the U.S. and its allies.The military has taken action in the Pacific by deploying 2,500 Marines to Australia, Klemm said. He said the U.S. also has troops stationed in Korea, Japan, Hawaii and Guam. Klemm said America’s economic presence amd cross-border investments in the region have also increased during the last few years since President Obama created an initiative to double U.S. exports around the world. He said one aspect of U.S. relations with Asia, however, still needs improvement.“The area that still needs to see more significant action is in our diplomatic profile in Asia,” he said. “Given the importance of this rebalancing to Asia, we hope that Congress will allow us to put additional personnel in the region.” Klemm and Nay said they hope some of the future personnel will come from IU. Nay, who serves as the diplomat in residence for the Midwest, is a foreign service officer stationed in Chicago who helps recruit new employees for the Department of State. His region includes Indiana.“We want the foreign service to be drawn from people from all over the U.S. and people of all backgrounds,” Nay said. “This is one of the most active student bodies in the Midwest.” Klemm said more than 220 IU graduates work in the department, including four current ambassadors.He said recruiting more IU students to work in the department will help resolve some of the hiring problems he discussed during his address.“Given that Indiana is such an important supplier of personnel for the State Department, we think it’s important for us as recruiters to maintain a presence here and try to find ways to strengthen that partnership,” Klemm said. “We’re looking for an innovative and diverse workforce, and we need Hoosiers to be part of it.”
(03/19/13 1:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The work of two student playwrights will come alive at the Wells-Metz Theatre this weekend as part of the Department of Theatre and Drama’s regular season. Second-year graduate students Kelly Lusk and Nathan Davis have spent the past year developing their plays as part of the new master of fine arts in playwriting program. The program, which returned to IU last academic year after a three-year absence, has a practical focus, Head of Playwriting Program Ken Weitzman said.“It’s a production-focused program with the idea being that the way playwrights learn about their plays is by having them fully produced, which is not the case everywhere,” he said.The previous program director Dennis Reardon retired in 2008, according to a December 2010 press release. The department decided to put the program on hold and wait until it could hire a permanent professor, Weitzman said. “It was never ‘We don’t want this.’ It was ‘We’re waiting to get this position funded again so we can hire somebody and restart the program,’” Weitzman said. Weitzman said he and Department Chair Jonathan Michaelsen redesigned the new program together. Since then, Weitzman said three students have begun their training with one in her first year and two in their second year. A maximum of three students can be admitted to the program each year, according to the program’s website. “The playwriting program is kept intentionally small,” the website says. “With only three writers at a time, this is an environment free from competition for resources or for productions.” Weitzman said he has received more interest than there are spots available. Candidates for admission must submit two original, full-length plays along with a résumé, personal statement and department application, the website says. Weitzman said students write during the first year, but their plays aren’t produced.However, students write and produce full-length plays for the department during the second and third years. “You’re not writing for it to be read by somebody,” Weitzman said. “They’re writing for an audience to see their play live.” Lusk’s play, “(a love story),” runs March 22, 26, 28 and 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the Wells-Metz Theatre. Davis’s play, “Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea,” runs March 23, 27 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. and March 30 at 2 p.m. at the Wells-Metz Theatre.Davis said he is excited to see his play, the first of his plays to be produced, in action. The Rockford, Ill., native said he learned about the IU program while working with the Chicago Dramtists, a company devoted to nurturing new plays and playwrights. “It’s a really good place to write,” Davis said of IU. “It’s a slower pace.”Davis said the MFA program at IU is “absolutely” helping him reach his career goals.“Few MFA programs give you as many production opportunities,” he said. “Having those opportunities are absolutely priceless.”The program allows students to meet with and learn from professionals in the industry. Some of those professionals attend productions, the website says. Lusk said “(a love story)” is not his first produced play. He said many of his plays deal with love and homosexuality and have gay characters. “I’m really interested in presenting individuals to our community that don’t necessarily get seen,” he said. “People are excited about that, doing things they wouldn’t ordinarily do.”He said writing for this play began more than a year ago, and it is still being edited — a process he said is the most difficult part of playwriting.“I’ll keep working on it until I’m sick of it,” Lusk said. “It’s constantly being rewritten, even if it feels like it’s done.”Regardless of how Lusk and Davis feel about their productions this weekend, Weitzman said he enjoys seeing these playwrights develop.“I like them both enormously,” Weitzman said. “It’s amazing to see their art grow. It’s an incredible process.”Weitzman said M.F.A. programs that cultivate new plays and playwrights are important for the continuity of theatre.“If theatre is going to survive, you need new work,” he said. “The classics are very important, and they have their place, but if you’re going to continue the lifeblood of the American theater, you need new playwrights.”
(03/06/13 3:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Jacobs School of Music will have a new professor of music in fall 2013.Violinist Grigory Kalinovsky will join the string department faculty next semester following approval from the IU Trustees, according to a press release. “He brings a passion and skill for teaching that ranks him among the best,” Department Chair Stephen Wyrczynski said in a press release. A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Kalinovsky began studying violin at four years old with Tatiana Liberova, one of Russia’s most famous violin teachers. When he was 16, Kalinovsky won the Bellini International Music Competition in Italy, making him the contest’s youngest winner.“I love music,” Kalinovsky said. “It’s the only way I feel fulfilled.” He continued his studies at the Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music, where he later became a faculty member. Kalinovsky also teaches at Pinchas Zukerman’s Young Artists Program in Canada and the Heifetz International Music Institute, according to his website.Kalinovsky has performed concertos, chamber music and recitals at venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall in New York. His devotion to chamber music led him to help establish the TAGI Ensemble, a clarinet, violin, cello and piano quartet. “It’s the most intimate form of music-making,” Kalinovsky said of chamber music. Kalinovsky said he is enthusiastic about the new job because it will allow him to balance work and family life more easily and spend more time with students. “It’s very exciting,” he said. “It’ll be an interesting change, but I’m very much looking forward to it.”
(03/05/13 9:24pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Jacobs School of Music will have a new professor of music in fall 2013.Violinist Grigory Kalinovsky will join the string department faculty next semester following approval from the IU Trustees, according to a press release. Department chair Stephen Wyrczynski said in the release the school is very excited for Kalinovsky to join the faculty.“He brings a passion and skill for teaching that ranks him among the best,” Wyrczynski said in the release. A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Kalinovsky began studying the violin at 4 years old with Tatiana Liberova, one of Russia’s most famous violin teachers. When he was 16, Kalinovsky won the Bellini International Music Competition in Italy, making him the contest’s youngest winner.“I love music,” Kalinovsky said. “It’s the only way I feel fulfilled.” He continued his studies at the Pinchas Zukerman Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music, where he later became a faculty member. Kalinovsky also teaches at Pinchas Zukerman’s Young Artists Program in Canada and the Heifetz International Music Institute, according to his website.The website said many of his students have won prestigious competitions such as the Menuhin Young Artists Competition in England and have continued their studies at prominent schools like Juilliard, Yale, Curtis and the Manhattan School of Music. Kalinovsky has performed concertos, chamber music and recitals at venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall in New York. His devotion to chamber music led him to help establish the TAGI Ensemble, a clarinet, violin, cello and piano quartet. “It’s the most intimate form of music-making,” Kalinovsky said of chamber music. Kalinovsky said he is enthusiastic about the new job because it will allow him to balance work and family life more easily and spend more time with students. “It’s very exciting,” he said. “It’ll be an interesting change, but I’m very much looking forward to it.”
(02/28/13 5:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Pink and gold balloons, streamers and bows lined the walls of Woodburn Hall 100. Decorative lights and lamps surrounded a patterned rug in the front of the room where Marian Jordan stood. It was girls’ night. Jordan, an international speaker and author, spoke for the first time at IU on Wednesday to a full house. Topics included relationships, the party scene and a woman’s worth. Senior Kelsey Lawrence, a target movement leader for IU CRU, said she wanted to bring Jordan to campus after reading Jordan’s book, “Sex and the City Uncovered.” “I just really loved it and decided to check her out,” Lawrence said. “She made me see myself in a completely different way. I really needed to bring this woman to IU.” Jordan speaks at college campuses nationwide through her organization, Redeemed Girl Ministries.According to the RGM website, “through events, resources and Internet teachings, RGM desires to equip girls of all ages to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.” Jordan began with the opening clip from the “Sex and the City” movie, followed by an interactive conversation about “The Bachelor.” She then started to tell her story. Citing “Sex and the City,” she talked about her search for “the two ‘L’s,” labels and love. “We want to feel like we’re cherished,” she said. “And in that search we end up looking for a label.” During her freshman year of college, Jordan said she pursued and eventually dated a man others saw as “unattainable.” She said as the relationship grew more serious, she knew sex was expected.“Of course I was going to do whatever,” she said. “My soul became bonded to this guy.”The relationship didn’t last long, she said.“I didn’t know how to play the game,” she said. “I felt used.”She said she then turned to alcohol and casual hookups to fulfill a need to be wanted and loved. Yet, something was missing, she said.“It was like my soul was dying inside,” she said. “I felt less and less lovable every day.”Sometime after college, Jordan said a woman she knew convinced her to join her at church, where a speaker talked about a search for love, fulfillment, identity and security. Jordan said she then realized that only God could fill the feeling of emptiness.“No guy was ever going to fill that place in my soul,” she said. Now, she said she no longer feels the need to party and engage in casual hookups to feel satisfied.Junior Abby Miller, a greek CRU leader, said the event was very important for women.“Girls are often looking for love and satisfaction in a lot of different places that don’t last,” Miller said. “I hope women will look at themselves differently, as her own person.”