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(11/15/01 4:11am)
Standing on the top floor of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn., steps away from the balcony where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot, peering over an exhibit of the Memphis garbagemen strike, something inside me broke. \nThe exhibit below me consisted of a huge orange garbage truck, overflowing with trash. The ground was covered with bottles, fruit peels and old newspapers. Three gray, life-size figures dressed as national guards held their bayonnettes. Four more gray clay men faced them, holding signs that simply read "I AM A MAN." \nNot a black man, not a poor man. Just a man. A man, living in America, fighting for the same things those soldiers with the bayonettes hoped for: life, liberty and ability to pursue happiness.\nThe hate was too much for me. I have seen a lot of terrible things in my life. I have gone to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. I have seen the parents of a murder victim listen to the testimony of how their child died. I have walked past the church on Third Street where Won-Joon Yoon was killed. I heard the black community express their outrage at the IDS for running the Horowitz ad. Each of these things picked at a wound that I did not know I had.\nBut standing there, listening to the sweet sad sound of the protest songs, the wound was exposed. And it hurt.\nI hated those white people responsible for these atrocities. I hated the fact that I easily could have been a part of that if I had grown up in the South during the middle part of the 20th century. I hate the fact that Americans are so concerned with being "colorblind," they can't see that race is still a problem in our society.\nI have been brainwashed along with the rest of white suburban America into thinking that everyone has an equal opportunity, and that the struggle for civil rights ended after desegregation.\nBut the truth I realized after walking down Beale Street, eating catfish at the B.B. King Cafe, and reading notes from white Americans begging their government officials to keep segregation in place is that the civil rights movement is far from over. \nPeople are still being oppressed because of the color of their skin, and the government programs put in place to help are not doing their job. Black people comprise 22.1 percent of poor people in the United States according to the 2000 Census, and those of Hispanic origin come in a close second. Inner-city schools across the country are in shambles. Children in the suburbs are oftentimes still getting a superior education to those inner-city students.\nAlso, I found out that black Americans should not be the only ones responsible for correcting the situation. We, as white Americans, need to open our eyes and our minds. If we are really going to fight against terrorism and oppression, we need to start here at home. The struggle is far from over and the only way it is going to be successful this time is if everyone lends a hand.
(10/05/01 6:49am)
Dean of Students Richard McKaig expelled the Delta Xi chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha, 1012 E. Third St., from campus for alcohol-related violations Thursday. The chapter expulsion is effective for at least two years.\nPi Kappa Alpha president Timothy Kolar stood in front of every member of his house, struggling to read the statement given to him by the nine undergraduate members of the greek judicial board. He had the responsi bility of telling his brothers that they could no longer be united under the Pi Kappa Alpha name.\nPi Kappa Alpha -- the fifth fraternity chapter expelled within the last 18 months -- will appeal the decision, Kolar said. The appeal will take place sometime in the next 14 days, when a committee of three individuals will rehear the case. Kolar hopes the board of appeals reduces the expulsion to one year.\nThe University summarily suspended the chapter Sept. 19, after a sophomore pledge was taken to the hospital with a blood alcohol content more than four times the legal limit. The student, whose name was not released, apparently drank Jim Beam whiskey with his house "father" after a fraternity function, McKaig said.\nThe student was later released from Bloomington Hospital.\nIn 1998, the chapter was suspended from campus after the alcohol related death of then-sophomore member Joseph Bisanz.\nActing on the recommendation of the greek judicial board, McKaig found Pi Kappa Alpha responsible for violations of the University's Disciplinary Procedures for Student Organizations. In addition, the board found the fraternity responsible for failing to comply with disciplinary sanctions from Feb. 1999.\nIt took two days for the greek judicial board to finalize its unanimous decision. McKaig said he thinks the sanction is reasonable, based on the conditions set down for the chapter after Bisanz's death.\n"J-board does want to send a message that they are serious about these issues," McKaig said. "(Pi Kappa Alpha) had full and fair warning."\nAlthough expulsion prohibits the house from participating in campus activities, McKaig said it was up to the house corporation to completely close the Third Street house.\n"We do expect the chapter house to close sometime in the near future ... but that is private property," he said.\nExpulsion from the campus means that Pi Kappa Alpha is no longer a recognized member of the IU greek system, and effective immediately may no longer function as a student organization on the IUB campus. It will be unable to participate in intramural sports, social events, and campus activities such as Homecoming, IU Dance Marathon, IU Sing, and Little 500.\nTuesday's hearing lasted two hours, Kolar said. The senior presented Pi Kappa Alpha's case to the judicial board for an hour, followed by a one hour question-and-answer period. McKaig said the individual who was hospitalized for alcohol poisoning also appeared and told the judicial board no one forced him to drink.\nKolar and house officers Andy Bien, a senior, and Mike Haas, a junior, accompanied chapter adviser Timothy Haskell, a graduate student, to Assistant Dean of Students Jim Gibson's office, where they were read the sanctions.\n"We prepared ourselves for the worst," Kolar said.\nKolar said he was disappointed the chapter has been kicked off campus after attempting to rebuild its name.\n"We have one of the highest GPAs on campus ... everyone is involved (in activities)," he said. "That is why it took them two days to make the decision."\nHaskell became the advisor of Delta Xi chapter in August, and has been living in the chapter house since the beginning of the year. He said he was saddened by the decision, especially after IU made an effort to work with the chapter.\n"It is unfortunate that the chapter has come to this crossroad," he said in a statement. "I am disappointed that the chapter had to face this decision."\nDespite the sanctions, Haskell said he enjoyed his time with the men of Delta Xi, and his primary purpose now is to support the students.\n"Chapter members realize that this is a hard decision to hear," he said. "There are a number of emotions each student is feeling at this point ... but they are doing the mature and responsible thing."\nAfter the fraternity's suspension in September, Eric Wulf, the fraternity's national executive director, told the IDS that when Pi Kappa Alpha was reinstated last year, the fraternity\'s national governing body had not heard of any problems with its IU chapter until a local alumnus notified them of the recent incident.\n"At the time in 1998, we worked very closely with the University," Wulf said. "If the school or nationals knew we were going to have problems again down the road, we might have chosen a different action."\nEric Wulf could not be reached for comment Thursday.
(03/29/01 5:00am)
If you have been searching for that sound that hasn't quite hit mainstream America, all you need is a little G. Love. And a little Special Sauce.\nG. Love & Special Sauce has created a following of its own during the past seven years, and it continues to produce a unique sound. The band released its fifth album, The Electric Mile, Tuesday and has been touring around the country for weeks to promote the record. \nFor G. Love, this is a far leap from playing on the streets of Boston.\nG. Love, born Garrett Dutton, started playing guitar after his mother sent him to guitar lessons when he was 8. Years later, after only one year of college, G. Love decided to go to Boston to pursue his interest in music.\n"The reason I wanted to go to Boston was because, you know I was 19, and I just wanted to go off on my own and figure out who I was and see if I could make it playing music," G. Love says in an interview with Andy Garrigue for www.plan9music.com.\nG. Love soon found the people that would become Special Sauce. While he was playing shows in Boston, he teamed up with drummer Jeffrey "The Houseman" Clemens and later bassist Jim "Jimi Jazz" Prescott. \nWhen you listen to the deep soft sound of his voice, it is hard to put this musician in the typical mile-a-minute rock star lifestyle. Despite his calm demeanor, G. Love confesses that he is good when it comes to getting all of the work done on the album.\n"We all have a really good work ethic and can really plug away at things," G. Love says in a phone interview.\nLife on the road this time around has not been too bad either for the band. It has already done 18 shows and has three more scheduled after its Friday appearance at Notre Dame in South Bend.\nA few things make the good show into a great show. G. Love says it is a matter of everything working together, from the audience right down to his own heads.\n"If you get to the right energy level, the show can just glide," G. Love says.\nBut if you can't make it to the next show, the new album does a good bit of gliding itself.\nG. Love & Special Sauce's new 13-song release is a combination of all of the band's favorite musical forms, according to a press release. Hip-hop, blues, jazz, reggae, folk and a touch of country all come together in perfect harmony. \n"Any time we get to put out a record, it is like a victory. When you get a record deal, it is a blessing," G. Love says. "You are getting paid to pursue your art -- to get to take the thing you love and just focus on that."\nMany guest artists are featured on the album, including percussionist Billy Conway from Morphine and Jasper, who was featured on the band's self-titled debut album.\nG. Love's favorite tracks on the CD include "Night of the Living Dead," "Parasite" and "Sarah's Song."\nG. Love says he wrote "Sarah's Song" in high school and has never gotten around to putting it on an album. The 'Sarah' was a girl he had a relationship with in high school.\n"The relationship was not too profound," he says. "I am just really happy it made it onto the record."\nThe name of the album, The Electric Mile, has little story behind it, G. Love confesses. \n"One night, Jim ("Jimi Jazz") just pulled the title out of his head," G. Love says.
(03/07/01 4:42am)
My body is my temple. Whatever I choose to do with it is my decision. If I decide to get a tattoo, I will have to deal with the swelling and the image imprinted on my body for the rest of my time on earth.\nLast time I checked, I also have complete control over my uterus. Luckily, the Supreme Court assured me through its ruling in Roe v. Wade that I will be the one who gets to decide what will happen to my body; if I choose to have an abortion, I am legally allowed to get one.\nUnfortunately, a large part of society still believes 50 percent of the nation's population should not have control over their bodies. \nSome people equate abortions with murder because they believe life begins at conception. But there is no medical definition of when life begins. That misconception is based on religious beliefs, says the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. In fact, the Bible makes no mention of abortion, according to the RCRC's Web site. The word nephesh in the Hebrew Bible refers to "man." Interestingly enough, nephesh means "to breathe," indicating something is only alive if it is breathing. \nOthers think carrying the fetus to term is a good punishment for a promiscuous woman who didn't prevent a pregnancy. Although the pains of labor might be enough to teach a lesson, I know that for a baby to be conceived, it usually takes two people to do the deed. \nThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that most women who get abortions are young single white women getting an abortion for the first time. According to RAINN, a support network for rape and incest victims founded in 1995, child protective service agencies identified 126,000 children who were victims of either substantiated or indicated sexual abuse; of these, 75 percent were girls. \nA pregnancy that results from this kind of abuse is not beneficial for anyone -- child, mother or father. \nBut inbreeding is hardly the worst consequence of a society in which women are not given the right to choose.\nPrior to the landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, many women died from infections caused by back alley abortions with unclean instruments or at-home attempts.\nPlanned Parenthood cites a study on its Web site that estimates the annual number of illegal abortions in the 1950s and 1960s ranged from 200,000 to 1.2 million. In 1965, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that at least 163 women died from back alley abortions.\nDespite all of this evidence, people still believe the mother should be forced to carry the child to term, regardless of the mother's wishes.\nBut what kind of life would that child have? The September 1999 issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior reports that mothers with unwanted births are more inclined to physically and verbally abuse their children, and spend less leisure time outside the house with them. \n And how would you feel if you found out one day that your mother wanted to get an abortion, but was forced to have you?\n The democracy we live in would never think of passing a law that would ban pierced belly buttons. They would not waste time on legislation that would prohibit tattoo parlors. The American people like to be free to do what they want to do. We are taught from day one that we need to take care of ourselves. \nIf we are truly the advanced democracy we profess to be, then the American government can trust us to make the right decisions about our bodies.
(02/08/01 6:11am)
For the past two years, right around this time, Bloomington High School South students have noticed a strangely enticing scent unfurling from the culinary laboratory. Students have a hard time passing this room without having every taste bud on their tongue standing at attention. Three separate classes are to blame for this midday distraction.\nChocolate Fest, an annual event from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday to celebrate one of the world's favorite foods and to benefit the Options for Better Living program, has motivated both young and old to do more with a bar of chocolate than just eat it.\nFamily and consumer science teacher Teresa Tresslar teaches the advanced cooking class at BHSS. This past week, her students have been busy coming up with possible recipes and deciding on one that will become the final entry. The two beginning cooking classes will also submit their culinary masterpieces and have been working on recipes for the past several weeks.\n"This class is not like art where you have an art show to display your work," Tresslar says. "(Chocolate Fest) is the sort of venue where (the culinary students) might get recognition."\nChocolate Fest participants compete in eight categories: Cheesecake Creations, Incredible Cakes, Perfect Pies, Cookies and Pies, Candy, Anything Else (puddings, fruit dips, etc.), Restaurants and Cooking by Kids. Cooking by Kids is a category exclusively for children under 12.\n"The neatest part is watching the kids ... getting their awards," Veronica Amarant says. Amarant is the development coordinator for Options for Better Living and has organized the event for the past two years. Amarant says she recalls one 6-year-old who won an award for her chocolate cake.\nIn past years, BHSS students have come out ahead in several of the eight mouth-watering categories. Students took home first place in the "bars and cookies" category for a recipe Tresslar says they "truly made up." The student's 'chewy gooey brownies,' which contain chocolate chips and caramel and are topped with melted marshmallows, won the hearts and the stomachs of the judges. She says she is confident that her class will bring home awards this year as well.\nWhen you are dealing in chocolate, anything is fair game. Dark chocolates, semisweet, milk chocolate, Dutch chocolate, Spanish chocolate, German chocolate and bittersweet. After the chocolate base is established, the recipe then calls for creativity. Past recipes have included everything from Kahlua to noodles.\nWhen Bloomington resident Kathleen Plucker gets into the kitchen to prepare for Chocolate Fest, she means business. Plucker has won awards for the past two years and is looking to keep her winning streak fresh this year as well.\nPlucker says she enjoys entering the contest not only because she enjoys baking, but also because she appreciates the value of the Options for Better Living program. \n"I love baking … and we all love chocolate," she says. Plucker also says she and her husband enjoy the competition that comes along with the event.\nChocolate Fest has become a tradition for the Pluckers, although this year they run the risk of missing the event. Plucker is close to her due date and says she hopes the baby will hold off for a few more weeks so she can continue the February ritual.\nThe first year she entered, Plucker brought home a first-place prize for her chocolate Kahlua cake, a favorite of her husband. Last year, her chocolate macadamia nut pie came in third, and she received honors for coffee-flavored chocolate bars affectionately called "Deadlies."\nPlucker says she gets her inspiration from family favorites, or just from recipes she happens to stumble upon.\nStudents at BHSS have a slightly different method when selecting recipes for the festival. Tresslar says she tells her students to bring in recipes and try to add their own angle to the old favorites. After the class compiles the recipes, it then votes on its favorite and prepares the dessert for the competition.\nThe Bloomington residents are pitted against amateur and professional chefs alike in this battle of the cocoa bean. Local restaurants even have their own category. Encore Cafe is just one of several that will enter the competition this year. \nEncore Cafe has entered the competition for almost four years and has plaques from the previous competition lining the walls of the restaurant. This year, both bakers from Encore Cafe will participate in Chocolate Fest activities.\n"It is fun for the bakers, and we usually do pretty well," says Jim Silberstein, owner of Encore Cafe.\nThere is no word as to what the Cafe bakers will enter in the different categories.\nBut not to worry, veteran Chocolate Fest participants have nailed down tricks that could turn even a first-time entrant into a winner.\n"Make something you really like," Plucker advises, "and go with a theme. There is so much chocolate there, visuals can really distinguish (your entry)."\nTresslar also suggests using visuals to make your piece (or pie) stand above the rest. She attributes some of the success of the award-winning chocolate chip cheesecake to the decoration her students added atop the pie.\nEmployee Development Coordinator at Options Andrea Garafolo will try her hand at Chocolate Fest treats for the first time this year.\nGarafolo will spend time in her kitchen with Jim McCorckle, also an Options employee, whipping up a chocolate peanut butter mousse pie and chocolate pecan bars.\n"I'm not really concerned about (the competition)," Garafolo says, "I am just in it for fun."\nFortunately, the concern about calories can be easily washed away because of the philanthropic value of the event. All proceeds from Chocolate Fest go to the Options for Better Living program, which helps people with disabilities throughout Southern Indiana.
(02/08/01 5:00am)
For the past two years, right around this time, Bloomington High School South students have noticed a strangely enticing scent unfurling from the culinary laboratory. Students have a hard time passing this room without having every taste bud on their tongue standing at attention. Three separate classes are to blame for this midday distraction.\nChocolate Fest, an annual event from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday to celebrate one of the world's favorite foods and to benefit the Options for Better Living program, has motivated both young and old to do more with a bar of chocolate than just eat it.\nFamily and consumer science teacher Teresa Tresslar teaches the advanced cooking class at BHSS. This past week, her students have been busy coming up with possible recipes and deciding on one that will become the final entry. The two beginning cooking classes will also submit their culinary masterpieces and have been working on recipes for the past several weeks.\n"This class is not like art where you have an art show to display your work," Tresslar says. "(Chocolate Fest) is the sort of venue where (the culinary students) might get recognition."\nChocolate Fest participants compete in eight categories: Cheesecake Creations, Incredible Cakes, Perfect Pies, Cookies and Pies, Candy, Anything Else (puddings, fruit dips, etc.), Restaurants and Cooking by Kids. Cooking by Kids is a category exclusively for children under 12.\n"The neatest part is watching the kids ... getting their awards," Veronica Amarant says. Amarant is the development coordinator for Options for Better Living and has organized the event for the past two years. Amarant says she recalls one 6-year-old who won an award for her chocolate cake.\nIn past years, BHSS students have come out ahead in several of the eight mouth-watering categories. Students took home first place in the "bars and cookies" category for a recipe Tresslar says they "truly made up." The student's 'chewy gooey brownies,' which contain chocolate chips and caramel and are topped with melted marshmallows, won the hearts and the stomachs of the judges. She says she is confident that her class will bring home awards this year as well.\nWhen you are dealing in chocolate, anything is fair game. Dark chocolates, semisweet, milk chocolate, Dutch chocolate, Spanish chocolate, German chocolate and bittersweet. After the chocolate base is established, the recipe then calls for creativity. Past recipes have included everything from Kahlua to noodles.\nWhen Bloomington resident Kathleen Plucker gets into the kitchen to prepare for Chocolate Fest, she means business. Plucker has won awards for the past two years and is looking to keep her winning streak fresh this year as well.\nPlucker says she enjoys entering the contest not only because she enjoys baking, but also because she appreciates the value of the Options for Better Living program. \n"I love baking … and we all love chocolate," she says. Plucker also says she and her husband enjoy the competition that comes along with the event.\nChocolate Fest has become a tradition for the Pluckers, although this year they run the risk of missing the event. Plucker is close to her due date and says she hopes the baby will hold off for a few more weeks so she can continue the February ritual.\nThe first year she entered, Plucker brought home a first-place prize for her chocolate Kahlua cake, a favorite of her husband. Last year, her chocolate macadamia nut pie came in third, and she received honors for coffee-flavored chocolate bars affectionately called "Deadlies."\nPlucker says she gets her inspiration from family favorites, or just from recipes she happens to stumble upon.\nStudents at BHSS have a slightly different method when selecting recipes for the festival. Tresslar says she tells her students to bring in recipes and try to add their own angle to the old favorites. After the class compiles the recipes, it then votes on its favorite and prepares the dessert for the competition.\nThe Bloomington residents are pitted against amateur and professional chefs alike in this battle of the cocoa bean. Local restaurants even have their own category. Encore Cafe is just one of several that will enter the competition this year. \nEncore Cafe has entered the competition for almost four years and has plaques from the previous competition lining the walls of the restaurant. This year, both bakers from Encore Cafe will participate in Chocolate Fest activities.\n"It is fun for the bakers, and we usually do pretty well," says Jim Silberstein, owner of Encore Cafe.\nThere is no word as to what the Cafe bakers will enter in the different categories.\nBut not to worry, veteran Chocolate Fest participants have nailed down tricks that could turn even a first-time entrant into a winner.\n"Make something you really like," Plucker advises, "and go with a theme. There is so much chocolate there, visuals can really distinguish (your entry)."\nTresslar also suggests using visuals to make your piece (or pie) stand above the rest. She attributes some of the success of the award-winning chocolate chip cheesecake to the decoration her students added atop the pie.\nEmployee Development Coordinator at Options Andrea Garafolo will try her hand at Chocolate Fest treats for the first time this year.\nGarafolo will spend time in her kitchen with Jim McCorckle, also an Options employee, whipping up a chocolate peanut butter mousse pie and chocolate pecan bars.\n"I'm not really concerned about (the competition)," Garafolo says, "I am just in it for fun."\nFortunately, the concern about calories can be easily washed away because of the philanthropic value of the event. All proceeds from Chocolate Fest go to the Options for Better Living program, which helps people with disabilities throughout Southern Indiana.
(01/24/01 4:01am)
It has been two years since the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, but the humor of the situation has not escaped the repertoire of many late night talk show hosts. \nIn the last few months of his term, former President Bill Clinton was anything but a lame duck. Clinton tried to play a role in the Middle East peace process and even went on a farewell tour across the country. \nBut a few days before he left his esteemed post, he managed to wriggle his way out of more public scrutiny over his inability to play by the rules.\nClinton worked out a deal with prosecutors that is the basic slap on the wrist many Americans expected he would receive at the beginning of the whole ordeal. In order to avoid an indictment, Clinton drafted a statement saying that he did lie under oath about his relations with Monica Lewinsky. Clinton will also lose his law license as a result of the deal.\nCombined with the months of public embarrassment, this punishment might be enough. The man did lead the nation to one of the most economically successful periods in American history. He was a whiz with international relations and maintained one of the highest approval ratings during his time in office. Rumor has it that when he was talking to you, you felt like you were the most important thing in the world. \nThere is no doubt that he was a great leader. There is also no doubt that he was, and continues to be, a citizen of the United States of America. A citizen who is subject to all of the laws put forth by the government to keep the justice system fair and reasonable. Hundreds of citizens sign their names knowing full well that if they "give false testimony concerning a material matter with the willful intent to provide false testimony, rather than as a result of confusion, mistake, or faulty memory," that they can either receive a higher penalty for the original crime they committed, or be brought to trial for that act alone. I have a hard time believing that an esteemed lawyer such as former President Clinton did not know what he was getting into when he started to sign his name to the testimony.\nAfter presiding over a case concerning criminal perjury, Circuit Judge Stephen S. Trott said, "The ultimate mission of the system upon which we rely to protect the liberty of the accused as well as the welfare of society is to ascertain the factual truth, and to do so in a manner that comports with due process of law as defined by our Constitution."\nNo one should be above the law. If the systems we rely on are only in place to apply to a chosen few, then the system is not doing it's job. If Clinton is truly a man of the people, then he should step off his pedestal and get a taste of what it is like to be one.
(12/11/00 7:01am)
"Harambee!"\nStudents anywhere near the African American Culture Center Thursday night probably heard more than 50 people shouting the word repeatedly. Swahili for 'let's pull together,' Harambee is just one of many rituals in the celebration of Kwanzaa.\nAlthough Kwanzaa is celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, people packed Ashton Center's Africa Room to participate in an early celebration.\n"To see people wanting to build and maintain the community definitely shows progress on this campus," said junior Javetta Pierce, first vice president of the Black Student Union. Pierce said she has celebrated Kwanzaa since her freshman year at IU.\n"It is always good to see people celebrating their history," she said.\nThe evening was organized and executed by many groups, including the African American Culture Center, Faculty and Staff for Student Excellence mentoring program, Black Student Union and several African-American greek organizations.\nDr. Maulana Karenga created Kwanzaa in the 1960s, as a celebration of heritage for African Americans.\nThere was hardly a dull moment during the two-hour ceremony, as members of IU's African-American community sang, acted and spoke about the importance of the seven principles of Kwanzaa.\nBloomington resident Sachiko Higgins Kante explained the significance of several of Kwanzaa's symbols, including the candles that are lit to mark each principle.\nThere are three green candles, three red candles and one black candle, which are lit from left to right, usually by a child, Kante said. The three red candles stand for the struggle, the green candles stand for the future and the black candle and centerpiece of the kinara or candleholder stands for unity. The seven principles are Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (community), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity) and Imani (faith).\nThe theme of the evening was Ujima and the necessity of building community on campus. June Cargile, director of the FASE mentoring program was the keynote speaker for the evening. Cargile delivered a speech that had the audience on their feet by the end of her presentation.\nCargile explained that there are many components necessary for building and maintaining a strong community. Communication, honoring common ancestry and pride are only a few components of the formula, she said.\n"You must lift your voice," Cargile said. "Don't just sing 'Lift Every Voice and Sing.' Lift your voice, you have got the power."\nNoble Le Var Woods expressed their feelings on the importance of Ujima through poetry and song.\n"As a man of black, society will never understand my rage," Woods said in his poem.\nAlpha Phi Alpha also put on a skit about the importance of working together and the rewards that come with cooperation.\nThe evening ended with the traditional Karamu or feast. Mistress of Ceremonies Shira Amos, a sophomore, said she was pleased with the program's turnout.\n"We thought we would get less people because of finals and I-Core, but we had a really good crowd," Amos said. "Everyone was blessed to learn about Kwanzaa."\nJunior Ayo Braxton said she has learned about Kwanzaa since she was in middle school, but now sees a different meaning in the holiday.\n"There is too much separation among such a small group of people," Braxton said. "In order for us to thrive and succeed, we need to come together"
(11/28/00 6:42am)
Graduate student Fedor Fomenko said he is frustrated with the continuing election drama. He said he believes in the system, but he feels both candidates have dragged the election out for too long.\n"Democracy is the best form of government," Fomenko said. "Unfortunately it does not work all the time."\nAlthough Texas Gov. George Bush was certified as the winner of Florida's electoral votes in the official recount, the election is not over. But the events of the past couple of weeks have already worn on election watchers.\nFlorida Secretary of State Katherine Harris certified the recount Sunday with many questions remaining about the counts in Miami-Dade, Nassau and Palm Beach counties. Harris is also the co-chairman of the Bush campaign in Florida.\n"She did exactly what you expected her to do," said political science professor Gerald Wright. "She was following the Supreme Court ruling and did what the Bush people wanted."\nJunior and Legal Studies Club vice president Justin Furr believes the courts are not the place where the election should be decided.\n"It is an election of the people," he said. "Judges should not decide what the people want."\nMost students seem to be tired of the whole ordeal.\n"It is time for it to be over," senior Robert Ridlon said. "They have declared a winner four times already, there is not much of a battle left."\nBut Gore representatives said they wanted the 10,000 dimpled-chad ballots from Miami-Dade County to be counted to make the recount fair. They also filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of the butterfly ballot.\n"It's not over until the votes have been counted," Gore attorney David Boies told CNN. "You have 9,000 or 10,000 votes that have never been counted once." \nBush has a lawsuit pending in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and another one before the U.S. Supreme Court that could end recounts.\n"I would like to see a good-faith effort to include every vote they possibly can," Wright said.\nBush is forging on with preparing a transition team, already having named Republican vice presidential nominee Dick Cheney head of the transition team and trying to petition the government to allocate funds for their transition into office. Officials have refused on the grounds that the winner has not been officially declared.\nWright said he thinks Bush is using his lead as a public relations tool to build up support for cessation of the process.\nGore's Public Relations technique is slightly different, Wright said. Gore and Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman have repeatedly stressed the importance of every vote cast in the election, including the absentee ballots. But a democratic activist filed a suit that seeks to throw out 15,000 absentee ballots on the account that 4,700 ballots did not have a voter identification number.\nFurr voted absentee in this election, and he said he would be furious if someone threw out his valid ballot on account of a few invalid ballots.\nWright, on the other hand, said the legal games is part of politics.\n"Law is a part of the political process," Wright said.
(11/15/00 6:45am)
Chads. Butterfly ballots. Palm Beach County. Two weeks ago, these words were hardly commonplace in dinnertime discussion. But with the presidency hanging in the balance because of voting errors in the Southern Flordia County, many people cannot stop talking about them.\nPolitical scientists all over the country have been trying to break down the mystery behind the 19,000 votes for Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan. The phenomenon was so interesting to political science professor Burt Monroe that he decided to do an independant analysis of the numbers.\nAfter extensive analysis of the voting patterns in Florida Counties, Monroe concluded more than 2,800 votes for Buchanan were actually intended for Democratic candidate Vice President Al Gore.\n"The Palm Beach outcome is a substantial outlier and tells us with near certainty that something in Palm Beach is very different from the rest of the counties," Monroe said in his study.\nMonroe said he downloaded the numbers from the CBS breakdown of the votes in Flordia counties and ran a regression. A data regression is a type of analysis that creates an equation for a set of numbers and sets up a graph to plot the data. Monroe's regression displays the Florida County data for the ratio of Buchanan to Bush votes compared with the total votes cast.\n"It is suprising that the ballot is as confusing as it appears to be," Monroe said, "but I am convinced that there were thousands of errors made."\nProfessors from Harvard, Northwestern, and Cornell Universities have all done similar studies. Harvard Professors Jasjeet Sakhon, Micheal Herron, Cornell Professors Johnathan Wand, Walter Melbane, and Northwestern professor Kenneth Shotts all participated in this analysis of the Palm Beach data. \n"Overall, we offer several different analyses of presidential voting in Palm Beach County, and each analysis leads to the same result," the authors of the study said, "the vote totals in Palm Beach County are irregular."\nThese Ivy league professors and Berkeley professor Henry Brady are all currently testifying in court cases in Flordia.\n"(The data) all looks convergent to me," said political science professor Robert Huckfeldt, "there is absolutely no doubt that the ballot produced a perverse outcome."\n But Monroe's study is unique in that his data shows there are irregularities in the number of votes for other candidates on the right side of the ballot. Presidential candidates printed on the right side of the ballot such as Socialist Party candidate David McReynolds and Constitution Party candidate Howard Phillips received a higher percentage of votes in Palm Beach county than in any other county.\nMonroe said he thinks they should recount other counties as well because the margin has changed so much after the recount.\nHuckfeldt said he thinks they should do away with this type of ballot.\n"You dont have to be a rocket scientist or a computer specialist to see it's a bad ballot," Huckfeldt said.
(11/10/00 5:28am)
Seniors Scott Rogers and Alex Brown sat glued to the television at the Indiana Memorial Union Thursday evening. In the 45 minutes they watched the broadcast from Florida, they came away with little information as to who would be the next president-elect. People passing by could not help but stop to listen for insight from CNN commentators before heading out into the rain.\nStudents and staff alike are puzzled by the recount in Florida, and are unsure if the end of the count will bring an end to the battle for the 25 deciding electoral votes.\n"They want to go over the will of the people," Rogers said, "If they (recount) and the people then choose Bush, we can live with that and then get on with our lives."\nYesterday, election officials threw out 19,000 votes from the Palm Springs community because of reports of faulty voting. Citizens in Palm Springs told CNN the ballot was confusing and made them cast their vote for Buchanan rather than Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Al Gore.\nThis ballot listed Gore and Buchanan across from one another instead of the standard list. \nBrown said he thinks the re-evaluation of the ballot format is "reasonable."\n "In Indiana, you just have buttons to push," he said.\nPolitical analysts across the country have been using this mistake as a solid reason for the standardization of ballots.\n"This shows why there should be a standard ballot," said Tracy Osborn, an associate instructor for the 'Election 2000' class. "There is definitely something fishy going on."\nProfessor Emeritus of History George Juergens said yesterday's recount will not be enough to put either candidate in the clear.\n"My assumption is that after the recount it is going to be close," he said. "But then there are going to be absentee ballots."\nMost of these ballots will arrive from overseas military personnel. But if the ballots are postmarked by Nov. 7, they have a seven day grace period afterwards to actually get to the elections offices.\n"The military votes are overwhelmingly Republican," Juergens said.\nBut the absentee ballots are not only coming in from military overseas. Votes from Americans studying or working in foreign countries who sent in their ballots are also getting attention.\nBrown said he thinks this conflict might carry on for up to two months, maybe even up until the Jan. 25 presidential inauguration.\nBut Juergens said he foresees a speedier resolution. "My guess is that Bush is going to get the state, and Vice President Gore will be conceding in a day or two," he said.\nThe issue of Electoral College reform is on the minds of students and professors alike.\n"I have a hunch that you're not going to see a change," Juergens said. "But there is going to be a lot of discussion."\nDespite it's apparent shortcomings in this election, Brown said he thinks the electoral system is necessary in order to keep candidates campaigning throughout the country.\n"If there was no electoral college, no one will go to North Dakota," he said.\nAs of press time, Bush was ahead by a small margin in the recount, with legal challenges on the horizon.\nBut whomever is elected will have a lot of big issues to deal with, Juergens said.\n"The real issue is what kind of mandate this is going to give to (the next president)," he said.
(11/09/00 6:08am)
AUSTIN, Texas -- It was still raining Wednesday in Austin, Texas, and there was still no president-elect.\nAfter almost-complete election results predicted Republican candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush the next president by about 1,700 Florida votes, Democratic candidate Vice President Al Gore demanded a recount in the Sunshine State. The difference between the two candidates as of early Wednesday morning was a mere 260 to 246 electoral votes, with Gore in the lead. The 25 electoral votes from Florida are just enough to put either candidate into the White House.\nAs the day progressed, reports of faulty ballots, locked ballot boxes and voter intimidation surfaced from many media organizations. \n"The final vote count shows we are ahead in Florida," said Bush in a statement he made outside the Governor's mansion. "If that is confirmed by the automatic recount, we have won the election."\nCampaign spokesperson Karen Hughes told the press core she thinks this is a good example of how the election process works. She said when Bush and running mate Dick Cheney received the news early Wednesday morning they remained calm.\nMost people in Austin are in disbelief.\n"Everyone was pretty much disgusted (last night)," said Billy Stallings, manager of a local coffee shop. "Everyone was really disappointed; it put the celebration on hold." Stallings was a part of the crowd in front of the Capitol Tuesday night when campaign chairman Don Evans announced the news that there would be no president announced that night.\nThe Texas Republican Headquarters had no statement as of press time. Headquarters phones were ringing off the hook.\nThe Texas Federation of Republican Women had also been receiving calls all morning from supporters and confused voters. Staff member Ellen Harrison said she is confident Bush will be victorious, particularly if they count the ballots from the military overseas.\n"Republicans are more supportive of the military," Harrison said, "so the military is more supportive of Republicans."\nPresident Bill Clinton appeared on CNN to issue a statement about his take on the state of the election.\n"No American will ever be able to say 'my vote wasn't counted,'" Clinton said.\nClinton added that he had a high-spirited conversation with Gore early Wednesday morning.\n"It is almost surreal," said Austin resident Paul Copps. Copps said he believes the recount is a necessary measure. "I think the electoral process is more important than who wins," Copps said.\nDuring a press statement this morning, Bush and Cheney did not seem too shaken by the indecision. \n"I think the emotions we feel (Bush) feels 1,000 fold," Copps said. "He probably has a wait-and-see attitude"
(11/08/00 1:01pm)
AUSTIN, Texas -- Last night, no one went to a victory party. All of Texas Gov. George W. Bush's friends, staff and supporters left the election party with hopes that they would soon be able to address the governor as President Bush. \nAttendants of the rally quickly left the area, anxious to get out of the cold and rain. At 4 a.m. Wednesday, the two candidates were still battling for Florida, Gore holding 14 votes over Bush's head, 260 to 246. The 25 electoral votes from the southeastern state will determine the next president of the United States.\n"The latest polls shows Bush ahead," said campaign chairman Don Evans. "We look forward to a great celebration." Evans thanked the crowd for their support and wished them all a good night.\nBush had been watching the returns with his parents and wife during the evening. Bush could not be immediately found.\nThe media tent was buzzing with reporters on deadline, trying to produce a story that would explain what was happening.\nAustin resident and freelance writer Hilary Hylton was waiting for direction from People magazine. Hylton said People editors in New York had an emergency meeting to decide what they would publish and how to meet their late 9 a.m. deadline.\n"I think it is wonderful, absolutely fascinating," Hylton said, "it is a wonderful drama."\nHylton has been a journalist since the 1970s and said she has never seen a presidential election turn out like this one.\nFirst time voters from the University of Texas were excited by the tight race.\n"It is a really awesome thing that it is so close," said University of Texas freshman Dominick Dina, "I think Bush is going to win."\nEarlier in the campaign, Florida did not appear to be much of a threat because of its strong loyalty to the Bush family. Florida voted for former president George H. W. Bush twice, and its governor is George W. Bush's brother Jeb Bush.\nMedia organizations are speculating that they will probably have to count absentee votes as well, which could help the Republicans. \n"I figure that people who send in absentee ballots are Republicans," said University of Texas freshman Greg Glazner. \nHylton speculates that Gov. Jeb Bush is probably agonizing over the recount in his state that is preventing his brother from taking office. \nAt 8 a.m. Wednesday, Gore held a small lead in the U.S. popular vote, according to CNN.\nNo one seems to know where the election will end up.\n"This has got to be mind-boggling for (Bush)," Hylton said.
(11/08/00 12:54pm)
AUSTIN, Texas and NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It was a cold, rainy day in Texas when Republican presidential nominee Gov. George Bush had his moment in the sun, or so the country thought. \nAs of 3:45 a.m., Vice President Al Gore retracted an earlier concessionary phone call to Bush. \nCNN reported earlier that Bush was elected to the highest office in the nation with a slim majority over Democratic nominee Gore. After spending the night glued to the television with his family, the president elect celebrated his victory with more than 17,000 people outside the Capitol in Texas.\nBut it all changed soon after, as CNN and other major news networks retracted the declaration.\nThe votes were so close in some key states that the CNN exit polls were mistaken in their prediction. Several states, including Florida with 25 electoral votes, were predicted based on the exit polls to have been won by Gore, but were in the end a toss-up.\nFlorida will have enough electoral votes to decide the winner, but as of press time it was too close to call. CNN reported at 4 a.m., Bush led Gore in the Sunshine State by 5,460 votes, with a recount looming, according to Florida's Secretary of State.\nVictory looked promising to supporters at the Austin rally at 6 p.m., as Bush started out with 28 electoral votes and the vice president with three.\nTwo hours later, Gore was leading in electoral votes: 145 to Bush's 130. Texas native. The switch in the exit poll leader at 9 p.m. affirmed Torgerson's guess. The map started to fill up with red as Bush regained his lead over Gore 185 to 167. The crowd, reignited with energy from the lead, began chanting "No More Gore," which was then followed by "CNN sucks."\nCNN expressed concerns the exit polls were inaccurate. Amid the incoming numbers, newly re-elected Texas Sen. Kay Hutchinson assured Bush supporters they would be celebrating tonight.\n"Help is on the way," she said.\nCarl Rove, chief campaign organizer for Bush appeared on CNN to resonate the confidence the campaign had in taking Florida's electoral votes.\n"In Democratic parts of the state, we are actually up," Rove said.\nWhen rock singer Jimmy Vaughn took the stage at 10 p.m. the roller coaster ride was far from done. \nAt 10:45 p.m., numbers were so close political analysts considered the possibility of an electoral tie. Gore lead Bush 231 to 229.\nJoanne Brown, a Leander, Texas resident, was covered from head to toe with blue Bush-Cheney stickers. "I think (the race) is going to Bush," she said. "He is going to be a great leader for us."\nJust when things appeared to be a victory for Bush with a lead of 246 to 231, Gore gained 11 electoral votes from Washington that tightened the margin to a mere four votes. At midnight, candidates were in a dead heat with Bush in the lead at 246 to 242 votes.\nAfter an exhaustive wait, Bush was declared the victor as Florida moved in his favor, ending the election with Bush closing 271 votes to Gore's 249. \nBush also took a step forward, onto the Austin stage and perhaps soon, into the Oval Office.
(11/07/00 6:15am)
AUSTIN, Texas -- Red and blue striped half-circle banners flying from every balcony, people hurrying down the street gripping leather binders, numerous laminated badges hanging from their necks.\nAustin is abuzz with preparations for today's presidential election. Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush will greet the incoming masses tonight just outside the lawn gate at the capitol building, on a crimson-carpet-lined stage. The Texas governor's campaign workers and a grassroots contingency have busied themselves to greet what they hope will be a victory.\n"We are expecting victory (tonight)," said Gail Suttle, vice president of the Texas federation of Republican women. Suttle was one of 35 volunteers working yesterday at tents set up around the stage to handle the press credentials and public requests for access to the event.\nWorkers have already passed out 1,500 passes to enter the center stage area. The stage is fenced off for two blocks on either side. Besides the visitors and local residents who tune in to see Bush, media from all over the world, including Great Britain, the Ukraine and Japan have come to cover election night.\nLast night, Bush was greeted by friends and supporters to welcome him back to Texas and officially end his campaign.\nToday, Bush has a fairly clear schedule besides his trip to the polls, said Brad Blakeman, project coordinator for tonight's festivities.\n"Right now, we are setting up the stages, getting the entertainment in order, timing the performances and really taking care of last minute details," Blakeman said.\nThe evening will be a mix of checkups on incoming votes displayed on the several JumboTrons and musical performances. Musical acts include Texas native Jimmy Vaughn, country singer Pat Green, as well as an Austin gospel choir. Republicans from other state offices will join the Bush family on the stage. Fireworks are scheduled to follow a speech by Bush.\nVolunteers for Victory 2000, an arm of the Texas Republican Party concerned with the effort to elect Republicans, will be calling voters up to the minute the polls close.\n"We are extremely optimistic," said Ted Royer, Deputy Press Secretary Victory 2000. "Texans strongly support Governor Bush." \nRoyer interned for Bush when he was still in college. Royer said he is proud to stand behind Bush because he shares similar principles with him. Other grassroots efforts to get out the vote are based more in the individual counties, Royer said.\nSuttle would like nothing more than to see her efforts during the past two years lead to Bush's victory. \n"It is the most wonderful thing that could happen to us," Suttle said. "He believes in what we believe in."\nBlakeman expects tonight to end on a happy note for Republicans. "I expect it will start the beginning of a new administration, and I hope it's a Bush (administration)"
(11/06/00 6:34am)
Almost 30 years ago, a pregnant woman started a battle against the state of Texas that changed national policy. \nToday, Roe v. Wade is still cause for political unrest. The next president might have the power to appoint three to four Supreme Court justices, who in turn will have the power to overturn the decision. Traditionally, the Democratic Party takes the abortion rights stance, and the Republican party votes anti-abortion.\n"We have very diametrically opposed viewpoints," said visiting lecturer Julie Thomas. Republican candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush opposes most abortions, and Democratic candidate Vice President Al Gore supports abortion rights, Thomas said.\nAccording to his campaign Web site, Bush only supports abortion in cases of rape, incest or if the baby is a threat to the mother's life. Bush does not advocate the use of taxpayer dollars to subsidize any type of abortion.\nDuring Gore's time as a vice president, he has done much to promote abortion rights legislation. He voted against the "gag rule" which would have prevented doctors from informing their pregnant patients of abortion options, and recently helped legalize RU-486, a pill that terminates pregnancy.\nCampus for Choice member Laura Kruse, a junior, said she thinks Green Party candidate Ralph Nader most represents her views on the issue. Kruse said she believes Bush and Gore's actual feelings about abortion are similar.\nAccording to issues2000.org, Nader's positions are similar to Gore's but promote less government involvement in the decision. Nader also supports Roe v. Wade and says the threat of the next president overturning this decision is merely a "scare tactic."\nKruse said the government has been limiting the decision of Roe v. Wade for many years. Kruse said Congress has been trying to pass legislation requiring parental consent and family planning clinics. \n"They don't make a big deal of it," Kruse said. "We need to be aware of what is happening."\nThe amount of government control over abortions has also become a part of the issue.\n"I don't think any of those men have a right to say what a woman can do with her body," Kruse said.\nIU Students for Life Vice President Sarah McHone said she thinks the government was too hasty in approving RU-486.\n"I think this is an issue that is going to have to be looked at," McHone said." I don't think they have done a good enough job proving it is safe."\nThomas said she thinks decisions about abortions should be private decision between a woman and her doctor. Privacy is one of the reasons Roe v. Wade came out like it did, she said.\nBut the most apparent threat to women's rights is the potential appointment of conservative judges that would overturn Roe v. Wade, Thomas said.\n"It would set women back 30 years," she said. "(Overturning Roe v. Wade) would lead to the proliferation of underground abortions."\nAlthough presidents can appoint justices to the Supreme Court, nominees still must be approved by the Senate. \n"That's why (Senate) elections are so important," Thomas said, "this is (about) more than just abortion, this is about reproductive rights"
(11/03/00 2:05pm)
No one is closer to the president than the first lady.\nFrom Martha Washington to Eleanor Roosevelt to Hillary Clinton, the role of the first lady has undergone major changes. While they were once the assumed hostesses of the White House, first ladies during the past few decades have switched their attention from the rose garden to social issues.\n"Just as families are changing, it seems ludicrous that the first lady should not be changing as well," said Dean of Women's Affairs and political science associate professor Jean C. Robinson.\nMartha Washington had the difficult task of pioneering the place of the first lady. Washington had to juggle two separate households, as an official capital city had not officially been chosen. \nAccording to the White House Web page, Washington was reputedly an exceptional hostess. But according to an excerpt in her biography, Washington was not completely satisfied with her stifled position. "I think I am more like a state prisoner than anything else, there (are) certain bounds set for me which I must not depart from..."\nAbigail Adams is said to have had a more active interest in politics and the presidency, said associate history professor Wendy Gamber. "Abigail Adams gave quite a bit of advice to her husband," she said.\nBut it was Eleanor Roosevelt who was the first woman to take on a more public, active role. During her husband\'s time as New York senator, Roosevelt joined the state Democratic committee to stay involved. When she became first lady, she began to travel all over the country to learn more about the social problems in America and held regular press conferences -- something first ladies of the past had never done before.\n"She made a mark for herself by being very involved in civil rights groups," Gamber said, "she could say things that (President Roosevelt) could not say politically." Roosevelt did a lot of traveling in lieu of her husband because of his disability, Gamber said.\nDespite her non-traditional involvement in public affairs, Roosevelt still made an excellent hostess according to the White House Web site. "She never shirked official entertaining; she greeted thousands with charming friendliness," according to the site.\nClaudia "Lady Bird" Johnson continued this legacy of social activism by bringing the issue of the environment to the attention of the American people. Johnson started a group called the Committee for a More Beautiful Capital, which later extended to other parts of the country.\n"(Johnson) established a tradition that first ladies need to have a project," said Gamber.\nHillary Clinton took on a large project when she was asked to help create a new health care plan.\n"Hillary was the first modern president's wife," said Robinson, "she was a lawyer with a lot of training ... asking her to participate may have been reasonable."\nBut Clinton was subject to much criticism after the plan was complete. Many newspapers and political analysts criticized the plan for being too complex and difficult to understand.\nGamber said she remembers a tremendous public outrage against Clinton's involvement, which seemed to disappear after the Lewinsky scandal.\nToday, Clinton is running a race for Senate in New York. Not one first lady before Clinton has ever pursued public office after their time in the White House.\nIn only four days, a new first lady will take her place on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Both of the leading candidate's wives have different styles and different personalities.\n"Tipper (Gore) is more similar to Hillary," Robinson said, "she is currently involved in a number of activities." Robinson said Gore's involvement in mental health issues will most likely continue should her husband be elected."\n"Laura (Bush) has not been in the public limelight as much," Gamber said. In light of her avoidance of the media, Robinson expects Bush to assume a more subdued and traditional role as a potential first lady.\nBut whether the next first lady is an activist in the White House or not, co-president of Women's Students Association Sarah Oberlander still thinks the first lady will do a good job of being supportive and making sure her husband knows where she stands.\n"One person can't do everything," Oberlander said. "Having a woman that can implement policy only makes it (the presidency) stronger"
(11/02/00 5:35am)
The tightest election in years. Polls have consistently put Bush on top, but the numbers are still within the margin of error. 153 undecided electoral votes. \nRepublican Presidential candidate Gov. George Bush has six days to get those final votes in and come out on top. Bush will be traveling through many states, and running campaign commercials on major networks.\n"In this phase you have to focus on state races," said political science professor Russell Hanson.\nBush will be visiting many traditionally democratic states, such as California and Minnesota. Although some political strategists many find it odd to visit enemy territory this close to the election, Bush supporters think it is an intelligent method of getting out the vote.\n"(Bush) is going to states that should have been locked up by Gore long ago," said Bob Hopkins, a campaign spokesperson for the Bush-Cheney campaign.\nAnne Scuffham, president of IU College Republicans, thinks Bush is not wasting time by visiting these states.\nHe is confident in the people's confidence in him," Scuffham said.\nVisits to the swing states, such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Florida have been and will continue to be focus areas over the next few days. Bush went on a bus tour last week through Pennsylvania and Michigan.\n"At this stage he is reaching out to every voter," Hopkins said, "traditional democratic states have become swing states because his message has resonated there." But Bush will not ignore those traditional battleground states, Hopkins said.\nHanson said that he does not think either candidate would be spending time in states where they didn't think they have a chance of winning.\nRepublicans have also been throwing support to Green Party candidate Ralph Nader in order to draw some Gore supporters away. Because of the unlikely circumstance of a Green Party victory, if the Bush campaign in able to steer democratic voters towards a third party candidate, they will in turn decrease Gore's voter base without hurting their own. In other words, Gore's percentage of the vote will decrease, Nader's will increase by a small margin, and Bush will be unharmed.\nHanson said Bush might also focus on getting the Hispanic vote, which has been a theme throughout the campaign. There are high populations of hispanics in three of the largest swing states, he said.\nBesides the continuous state visits, Bush will be doing over the next few days, voters -- particularly those in the swing states-- will be privy to numerous campaign commercials, phone calls, and campaign mailings.\nHanson said candidates are probably looking to capture whatever free media they can before election day.\n"We have an extensive grass roots program nationwide," Hopkinds said, "you have to make sure you are energizing (the voters)."\nIU College Republicans will be participating in the get-out-the-vote effort for Bush. Scuffham said they are trying to rent vans to transport voters, and putting up signs and posters to let people know where their polling places are.\n"Bush would have to make a major snaffu for him to get behind now," Scuffham said.
(10/30/00 6:23am)
In this presidential election, candidates have many different views as to which shade of green they would rather preserve: leafy green or the color of the dollar bill.\nAlthough the overall issue of preservation of the environment is at hand, there are two areas of focus. Presidential hopefuls have been debating about the oil reserves, and breaching dams in the Pacific Northwest .\nIn the shadow of a potential energy crisis America might be facing this winter, the leading candidates, Democratic candidate Vice President Al Gore and Republican candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush devised plans to alleviate the problem.\nGore proposed America tap into its Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a reservoir normally reserved only for times of war or other crises. Bush wishes to create a new plant in the Alaskan wilderness. According to his Web site, Bush said he believes America has the technology to create an oil drilling plant which is environmentally friendly.\nLynton K. Caldwell, professor emeritus of political science, has been to the proposed drill site in Alaska and said he can't understand Bush's plan. Caldwell said with the creation of an oil plant, you must provide places to live for those who are working on the plant, as well as other necessities that require land development.\n"I don't see how you can drill for oil without a substantial infrastructure," Caldwell said. \nGore, Bush and Green Party candidate Ralph Nader acknowledge the need for some regulation of greenhouse gases, which cause global warning. But their plans of action all differ.\nIn 1997, Gore helped engineer the Kyoto Protocol, a worldwide commitment by major industrialized countries to reduce the release of greenhouse gases. Director of student outreach for the Gore-Lieberman campaign, Alison Kiehl Friedman said the protocol is one of the initiatives Gore prides himself on.\nAccording to voter.com, both Bush and Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan oppose the protocol because of the potential harm it might cause to the economy. Bush's Web site said he "opposes the Kyoto Protocol because it is ineffective, inadequate and unfair to America. \nThe breaching of dams in Washington is another example of the debate between environment and the local economy.\nEndangered salmon in the Lower Snake River are in jeopardy because the dam inhibits them to follow normal behavior patterns. \nGore and Nader advocate the penetration of the dams and finding a way to preserve local interests as well.\nAccording to voter.com, Bush wants to find alternatives to completely breaching the existing dams, because of the potential damage it would cause to the surrounding communities.\nPractically every environmental issue rests on the debate between what is good for the economy and what is good for our surroundings.\n"The commitment to (economic) growth in the long run is going to be counter-productive."\nENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS\n• Democratic candidate Al Gore: \nwants to protect coastlines and continue promoting livable communities\n- www.algore2000.com\n• Republican candidate George W. Bush: \nwants to put states and local communities in charge of the environment\n - www.georgewbush.com\n• Green Party candidate Ralph Nader: \nadvocates government regulation of environmental issues\n - www.votenader.org\n• Reform candidate Pat Buchanan: \nsupports local control of environmental issues \n- www.reform-party-usa.org\n• For independent issue positions\n - www.vote-smart.org\n - www.voter.com
(10/27/00 5:43am)
Rush hour on campus does not exclusively consist of bumper to bumper traffic. There are plenty of motorcycles, bikes and pedestrians thrown into the confusion that occurs at about 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. \nNormally, riders, drivers and walkers can all find their way around each other to make it home safely. But last week, sophomore Joel Zeid learned first-hand the potential danger of the crowded campus. Zeid had only taken a few steps across 10th street, in front of the business school, when he walked into Bloomington resident Heather Ulrich's white Chevrolet Corsica.\nStudents and faculty battle everyday to either cross the street safely or avoid hitting the hundreds of people who insist on j-walking. The area surrounding the business school, including Fee Lane, 10th street and Law Lane are all frequent sites of accidents, according to the IU Police Department.\n"There is no guarantee you will get across the street safely," said Audrey Morgan, director of undergraduate programs for the Kelly School of Business. "There is nobody out there telling (cars) to slow down."\nMorgan said she thinks the intersection of Law and Fee Lanes is particularly dangerous because the sight distance is limited due to the slant of the hill.\n"No one seems to be worried about students and faculty taking their lives into their hands," Morgan said.\nZeid's accident occurred in front of the business school, another high pedestrian traffic area. Although there are traffic signals at the intersections of Fee Lane and 10th Street, as well as Jordan Avenue and 10th Street, many find the more direct path from the business school to the library is the path that crosses middle of the street.\nIUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said the area is only one of several dangerous high-traffic areas on campus. Minger said the intersection of Seventh Street and Jordan Avenue and the area in front of the Admissions Office are also problems.\n "I don't think you can place blame for potential accidents," Minger said. "(People) have to approach the situation from an educational perspective."\nOn some college campuses, including Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, pedestrians have the right of way even when crossing in the middle of the street. But this is not the case on IU's campus.\nMinger said no additional laws need to be enacted to prevent accidents from occurring.\n"(The Zeid accident) is a good case in point," Minger said. " There is no law that could have prevented an accident like that from occurring."\nMinger said the IUPD stopped any further investigation into the Oct. 19 accident. According to police reports, Zeid assumed responsibility for the accident. Minger said Zeid told police he walked out into the street without looking. Witnesses confirmed this story.\nAccording to police reports, Zeid sustained only small lacerations. But sophomore Shayna Walter, a friend of Zeid's, said he ended up with many lacerations, bruises and a broken collar bone.\nMorgan said the University does not own the streets that run through campus, and therefore it cannot decide to put up a stoplight or lay down a crosswalk.\n"I believe part of the solution is to remove most of the traffic from that area," said Leigh Grundhoefer, University Information Technology Services staff member. Grundhoefer said she witnessed Zeid's accident.