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(11/14/06 2:20pm)
A tall coffee and a cinnamon twist pastry signaled the beginning of a new era Monday morning at the Indiana Memorial Union. \nThat was the first order placed at Starbucks as it flung open its doors for the first time at the IMU -- though the coffee giant has already received some criticism from both employees and students within the Union. \nCoffee is certainly not a new addition to beverages offered at the IMU. The caffeinated drink seems to flow from students' veins each morning as countless patrons line up outside Union fixtures such as The Market and Sugar & Spice to get their daily fix. \nHowever, some people, such as Suzette May, manager of the IMU's Sugar & Spice coffee shop, already said they see the opening of Starbucks as just another way to bring needed cash to the Union, which has seen declining profits in recent years. \n"We are just supposed to go along with it," May said, referring to IMU officials adding competition to the market. "I have 17 kids here who absolutely depend on this. This is not just beer and weekend money for these kids. We have these people who are working their way through college off this job." \nHowever, Loren Rullman, executive director of the IMU, said there is much more to the Union than a cut-throat business atmosphere. He said the IMU works to protect all its shops.\n"(The IMU) is everyone's turf and nobody's turf all at the same time," he said. "I want to keep creating a place where people can come together and have conversations over coffee or over food and promote the social side of the Union." \nMay said she expected to see an initial dip in business because people would be "curious" about the new Starbucks but agreed with Rullman that Sugar & Spice -- a store that sells organic and fair-trade food products -- would survive. And all indications pointed in her favor Monday as lines often stretched beyond the small shop's doors. \n"Our employees and our customers are really loyal," May said, comparing her shop to Starbucks. \nIn 2005, the IMU hired the facility planning and management firm Brailsford & Dunlavey, headquartered in Washington, D.C., to "identify the reasons for declining patronage and to recommend improvements" for the Union, \naccording to the firm's Web site. The firm recommended the IMU examine its retail operations to better suit students. \nAfter a market survey, Steve Mangan, general manager of IMU dining services, said officials at the Union and the student-run Union Board worked together to pursue IU's first on-campus Starbucks store. \n"The truth of the matter is we are trying to enliven that part of the building," Mangan said, referring to the area adjacent to the first floor's South Lounge, a place where students typically study and sleep between classes. He said if some of the noise coming from the new Starbucks bothers students, there are many other places to study.\nDespite the controversy, things looked promising for the new coffee shop Monday. Business started just one minute after the shop opened at 7 a.m., when John Rapaport of Atlanta, on a visit to the University with his high school-aged daughter, unknowingly became the shop's first customer.\nA steady stream of patrons followed throughout the morning. Some commented that they loved the architecture, which Mangan said aimed to infuse both the Union's traditional style and what has become known as the "coffee culture." With century-old stone archways above and plush couches and tables and chairs lining the walls, Mangan said he was "very pleased" with the way the Starbucks turned out.\nAnd overall, students agreed. All of the students surveyed at the IMU on Monday said they thought this new shop would be successful. \nEven senior Julie Duhon, who said she holds "no loyalty" to Starbucks, said she thinks the store will thrive. She added that even though this addition would probably hurt Sugar & Spice -- her coffee shop of choice -- all of the shops could continue to flourish. \n"There are plenty of coffee drinkers at IU," she said. "There is a population of 30,000 students here, so there is enough of a market to support all of them. ... Besides, (Sugar & Spice) has the best gingerbread cookies"
(11/14/06 5:22am)
IU will pay $1.29 million for the former Center for University Ministry building and will convert the space into faculty offices. The University was the winning bidder at the building's auction Friday. \nIU paid $100,000 up front in accordance with the sale's terms, said Tim Ellis, the realtor and auctioneer who oversaw the sale of the property. The University was represented by the IU Foundation, which has eyed the building since the Center for University Ministry closed its operations late last year, Ellis said. \n"(IU) came in to bid just like everyone else," he said. "They did not receive any special treatment just because they were IU." \nEllis said the auction was competitive. \nHe said three other parties bid in competition with the University for the property, located at 1514 E. Third St. The former campus ministry center sits on 1.36 acres of land, with the building itself covering 12,500 square feet, according to the realtor's Web site. \nIU will use the building for "office and support services" relocated from the Creative Arts building, which the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation uses, IU Assistant Vice President for Real Estate Lynn Coyne said in an e-mail. He said the closing price of $1.29 million was within the University's "range of possibilities going into the auction."\nIt was somewhat unusual to have an auction for a property of this type, Ellis said, but he added that he wanted to stay in touch with the wishes of the seller -- the Synod of Lincoln Trails, a Presbyterian group that oversees more than 700 congregations in Illinois and Indiana. \n"(Ministry officials) said to me when they listed it, being a Christian organization, they wanted to make sure everyone had an equal opportunity to buy it," he said.\nHowever, Robert Shaw, the synod's vice moderator, said he had "complex" feelings about IU gaining control of the building. He said he was sad to see the campus ministry come to an end, but said the sale of the building was "out of their hands." \nHe refused to comment on whether he thought the auction's closing price of $1.29 million was fair or what the synod had expected to receive in exchange for the property. \nThe Center for University Ministry closed last year after a decline in student interest. The University's purchase Friday debunks speculation the building would remain in line with its religious roots by becoming a Christian-based student housing center. \nIU will take control of the property Nov. 30 following the closing, Ellis said.
(11/13/06 3:53am)
IU's first Starbucks will open its doors today in the gallery on the first floor of the Indiana Memorial Union, adding to the competition among Union retailers. \nStarbucks will increase an already-crowded coffee market in the IMU, competing with Sugar & Spice, Burger King and The Market.\nPlans for the Starbucks have been in the works for about a year, said Steve Mangan, general manager of IMU Dining Services. He said there has been a lot of input from the Union Board, a student-programming organization, in every step of the process. \nKelly Carnahan, marketing and communications manager for the IMU, said this is a very exciting time for everyone involved in the process. She said opening a Starbucks in the IMU will make the Union better and help to better serve the students.\n"They seem to have been very successful in other (universities)," Mangan said. "Proof is pudding, but we anticipate having a very successful store here."\nThe Starbucks will serve as a place where students can not only get coffee but can "come together, interact and study," he added. \nPlans call for the coffee shop to feature events like poetry slams and small musical acts in hopes of attracting students. \nDespite the competition another IMU coffee shop will bring, Mangan said planners are confident all of the IMU shops will be able to retain their individual identities. \n"We will still have our local products at Sugar & Spice," he said. "There will always be special things there you won't be able to get in Starbucks"
(11/10/06 5:13am)
Two IU presidential search committees continued reviewing candidates to select IU President Adam Herbert's successor.\nThey met Wednesday and Thursday in closed door sessions at the IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis campus. The Presidential Search Faculty Advisory Committee and the Presidential Search Committee further investigated individual applications to select candidates that would be interviewed at a later date, said Simon Atkinson, a professor in the IU School of Medicine and a member of the Faculty Advisory Committee. \nHe said the Faculty Advisory Committee first reviewed a portion of the applications and then referred the ones they believed best qualified to the Presidential Search Committee.\nCommittee members refused to disclose the number of applications they received. They also would not provide information on how many candidates they are considering for interviews.\n"We are very pleased with the pool so far," said Trustee Sue Talbot, the Presidential Search Committee's chairperson. \nAlong with reviewing applications, both committees discussed the qualities they were seeking in a new president, Atkins said.\nThese traits include "unassailable integrity" and "demonstrated success as an agent of change" among other things, according to IU's presidential search Web site. \nCandidates could be considered an "agent of change" when they serve in a senior leadership position and help bring improvements to an institution, said Larry MacIntyre, IU spokesman. \n"(The board is) just looking for something in the application that the person has initiated changes in an organization that have brought about improvements and have generally increased the way an institution was regarded," he said.\nAlong with bringing general improvements to the University, Talbot stressed the importance of a president with an interest in the future of IU's well-being.\n"Something very high on our priorities when we look at the applications is 'Do they believe in student engagement?'" she said.\nTalbot said many of the applicants already met these standards and the committee "would not even review their applications if they hadn't."\nAs weeks turn to months and committee members dive only deeper into applications, some outside the committee are curious when they can realistically expect the new president's announcement.\n"I have been told by more than one trustee that they would love to complete this within the academic year," MacIntyre said. \nThough he would not comment on whether he believed this a feasible goal, MacIntyre acknowledged several of the committee members' desires to have Herbert's replacement selected before next summer, when several trustees are up for reelection.\nTalbot is one trustee who faces an expiring term but said she has not decided whether she will run again because of "personal reasons." However, despite such obstacles the committee's chairperson said the board would not worry about how long the search process took.\n"What we have said all along is what we are going to stay with," Talbot added, referring to the candidates' qualifications. "And if it takes until 2008 to find the right person, we will work until 2008."\nBoth the Presidential Search Committee and the Faculty Advisory Committee will meet again next month to continue reviewing applications in greater depth, Talbot said, although she added the selection of the next president is still "a long way off"
(11/09/06 5:26am)
The choice word for many students around campus Wednesday was "optimistic."\nFollowing the results of Tuesday's election, students said they were optimistic for change, others for peace, while many expressed a general hope for the future of the nation.\nJust a day after Republicans lost control of the House for the first time since 1994 and with the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, students who wanted reform said they are now ready to accept the changes Democrats have promised.\n"I didn't see it happening," said sophomore Lesley Crowe, referring to the Democrats claiming a majority in the House. She said change in specific areas like Iraq was not as important as achieving progress for the entire nation.\nOther students said the Democrats now have a responsibility to tackle specific issues with campaign mudslinging finally finished. \n"We really need to see change with the war in Iraq," sophomore Lara Streyle said. \nShe acknowledged, however, that it could prove difficult to make any significant changes unless the new Congress proves able to work through its differences and find common ground on the issues.\nDespite the high profile of the 2006 elections, a majority of students surveyed Wednesday at the Indiana Memorial Union said they held no opinions regarding Tuesday's results.\nAs of Wednesday night, the GOP also lost control of the Senate, with Democrat Jim Webb beating Sen. George Allen in Virginia. The Associated Press reported.. \nEven some at IU who admitted to not getting swept up in the campaign frenzy said though they were ready for change, the Democrats still had a lot to prove.\n"In general, they need to look at the war and everything. They need to buckle down and figure out what is going on," junior Taylor Brough said. \nHe said immigration would also be an issue Democrats need to tackle to demonstrate their \ncompetence as leaders, along with the truthfulness behind campaign promises.\n"Most politicians make false commitments," Brough said. "I mean, it's in every election."\nSome students, especially those who filled their days tirelessly campaigning, felt deeper connections with the outcomes Tuesday. With Baron Hill narrowly defeating incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Sodrel, the end of the road was bittersweet for some.\nBeginning work months before many students even realized 2006 was an election year, both the IU College Republicans and IU College Democrats worked to promote their candidates. \n"The College Democrats basically went crazy," said College Democrats President Emma Cullen, referring to the moment they found out Hill had won. "We have been literally working on this campaign for two years -- ever since Hill lost last time." \nDespite analysts' predictions that a split Congress could only mean gridlock, Cullen insisted change was on the horizon.\n"The president wants to leave a legacy," she said. "The last Congress wasn't able to get anything done. This gives Bush a chance to get a sensible law passed on immigration."\nEven some from the College Republicans walked away with a positive attitude Wednesday, despite Sodrel's defeat. Tara Virgil, internal vice chair of the College Republicans, said even though a majority of voters were not convinced by the group's campaigning, she was still proud of the effort.\n"These races bond the College Republicans even more. We've had fun doing it, and we've still worked hard," Virgil said. \nThe College Republicans would become an "even better" organization now that the elections had passed, she said. \nThough positive about her group's efforts, she refused to show the same optimism toward entering Democrats. \n"I'm not going to say I'm optimistic. I'm interested," she said. "I'm disappointed in how the Republicans don't have the House anymore, and I'm just interested in seeing what the Democrats do for the next two years.\n"We'll see what happens, I guess," she added.
(11/09/06 4:33am)
IU President Adam Herbert named Dorothy Frapwell the University's vice president and general counsel Friday after he said a change in Frapwell's title would more accurately reflect her responsibilities, according to an IU news release. \nThis is the first time IU has regarded a general counsel as equivalent with a vice president. \n"She already operates at the vice president level," Larry MacIntyre, IU director of Media Relations, said. He said he believed the change was very much in line with the way other "Big Ten and large universities" organize legal advisors. \nFrapwell agreed and said the legal work within a university has become as important as any other University office.\n"The climate has changed," she said. "There were times before the late 1960s that all of the legal work was handled by somebody on the board of trustees. Since then, there has been a huge increase in legal issues facing the University." \nShe said these range from issues of employment to information technology. \nHerbert told trustees during their regularly scheduled business meeting at IU-Purdue University Fort Wayne that he had already conducted a review of other research universities and found the responsibilities of general legal counsel were delegated at the vice presidential level, according to the news release.\nFrapwell will witness no shift in responsibility despite the new title, MacIntyre said. According to the release, Frapwell will continue to serve as the chief legal advisor to both the president and the IU board of trustees.\nEven though her title would reflect a promotion, MacIntyre said it has not been decided if Frapwell will receive a pay increase. In her current position, Frapwell earns more than $195,000 annually, according to IU Financial Management Services. MacIntyre stressed Frapwell's importance, saying it is a necessity to have good lawyers within the institution. \n"Both the president and the board face a wide range of issues that involve and require legal opinions and interpretations," MacIntyre said. "So it can be a very serious position."\nFrapwell has served as University counsel since 1994. She joined the legal staff in 1975 as an associate University counsel and currently serves as a member of the Monroe County Bar Association, according to the release.
(11/08/06 6:49am)
As Democrats looked poised to take control of the U.S. House early Wednesday, IU political science professors disagreed about the effects of the shift. However, they did agree that the change would lead to one thing: more gridlock in Congress.\nAnalysts predict more gridlock with a split Congress than in recent years, when both the House and Senate were under Republican control. However, some experts are leaving open the option of significant policy changes to emerge from the reshuffling. In addition, a Democratic Congress could spell disaster for President Bush's often-uncontested efforts at social conservatism over the past six years, said IU political science professor Fabio Rojas. \n"The main outcome is that the president's initiatives may not go through (Congress)," Rojas said. "Because the same party before had control of both houses, most of what the president wanted has gone through." \nOthers experts say that not only would executive policies fail to pass, but virtually all proposals would face defeat in a divided Congress.\n"It is still a divided government. Even if you have control, very little is likely to get done," said Brian Rathbun, assistant professor of political science. "We will see quite a bit of bickering for who is responsible and for why things are not getting done." \nDespite this pessimism, some analysts believe a Democratic House could set certain bills into motion on a number of issues -- especially \nimmigration. IU political science professor Russell Hanson said immigration is an area for potential progress. \nRathbun agreed, saying the new Congress might be able to avoid some of the contested issue's previous hiccups.\n"The House was the stumbling point with amnesty for immigrants," he said. "This could now be an area where we see some results."\nEven if Congress resumes the immigration debate soon, there is still a widely held belief the Democrats will not look to pursue a radical reform of hot-button issues like Iraq or the president's streak of social conservatism, professors said.\n"The House is not going to touch acts that have already been passed," Rathbun said. "They are often losing issues. As soon as they touch them, people will say, 'Look at the moral miscreants you voted into office.'"\nHow Democrats will use their newfound authority is yet to be seen, but if many live up to campaign promises, Bush could be faced with a dilemma: Concede to a centrist Congress or fight to save works from the past six years. \n"This president has been amazing in his ability to stick to his guns regardless of what is going on," said IU professor of political science Gerald Wright. \nHe added that Bush's unwillingness to compromise has often led to success in getting bills passed. \n"I doubt that he will roll over. He will probably go out fighting," Wright said.\nWith talk of Bush on his way out and chatter among 2008 presidential hopefuls having already begun, Republicans will begin criticizing Democratic leadership in hopes of regaining votes that were lost Tuesday.\n"The Democrats are screwed. They will be in a position of responsibility," Rathbun said. "If areas like Iraq and health care do not get any better, (the Democrats) can be blamed as being an obstruction to these things.\n"It could be a kind of blessings from the skies to have lost these elections"
(11/06/06 5:55am)
Beginning next fall, IU will award an additional $9 million in scholarships to 1,000 incoming freshmen, thanks to a plan unveiled Friday at a board of trustees meeting at IU-Purdue Fort Wayne. \nThe program, designed to help recruit top-notch undergraduates to IU-Bloomington, will spread out the money to four aid funds, an IU news release said. \nThe new financial aid package is a mix of need- and merit-based programs that is expected to rise to nearly $10 million annually during the next few years. \n"These initiatives are designed to give the state's best and brightest yet another reason to stay in Indiana and enroll at the state's flagship campus," said Roger Thompson, vice provost for enrollment management, in the release. \nThese initiatives, he added, would also go toward recruiting more minority and low-income students. \nThey include the IU Excellence Award, which aims to provide an incentive for top Indiana high school students to stay in the state, and the 21st Century Scholar Covenant, which provides full supplements to any student already receiving partial compensation under Indiana's 21st Century Scholars program. The 21st Century Scholars began in 1990 to give students from low-income families a way to pursue a college degree. \nIn addition, the new Hudson-Holland Scholar Supplement will provide financial support to students from traditionally underrepresented minority groups and a Research Scholar program, which aims to provide full-ride scholarships to selected students who will assist professors in laboratory research. \nThese initiatives will target students who come from middle-income families, Thompson said. \n"We have not had strong aid programs for these students, but this will change that situation," he said.\nRobin Gress, secretary to the board of trustees, said the Research Scholar program is more than just a financial aid effort. The experience the students gain from being in the lab is "extremely important," she said.\nAlong with unveiling these financial aid initiatives, the board voted to approve the first-ever student housing project at IU-Southeast. The first phase of the two-part project will result in the construction of three buildings, providing dorm rooms for more than 260 students. The first phase, expected to be completed by the fall 2008, will cost about $20 million, according to an IU media release. \nIU-Southeast formally proposed the plan to the board earlier this year, after pursuing the idea for on-campus housing for the past 18 years. \n"The housing project at (IU-Southeast) is an important part of the process and the future development of the campus," Gress said in the e-mail. \nShe added the project was in line with the recent approval by the board to increase admission standards at all IU regional campuses.\nIU-Southeast still needs approval from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and the State Budget Committee before building can begin, according to the release.
(11/06/06 4:00am)
With the ring of a telephone and a knock at the door, many around IU quickly learn that midterm elections are only days away. \nVolunteers from the IU College Republicans and the IU College Democrats have worked for months in preparation for elections Tuesday by setting up voter registration and phone banks, among other grassroots efforts.\nBoth groups hope to generate a higher voter turnout than the traditionally sparse numbers seen in congressional midterm elections. \nAccording to the 2004 U.S. Census, about 58 percent of people ages 18-24 were registered to vote, and 47 percent actually cast ballots on Election Day. \nThe College Republicans focus on increasing these numbers, said Tara Virgil, internal vice chair of the College Republicans.\n"The county party is running phone banks 12 hours a day at the Republican headquarters in Monroe County," Virgil said. "We have a lot of volunteers from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at night working so hard to get the vote stronger."\nThe Democrats were working similar hours, said senior Emma Cullen, president of the College Democrats.\nWith volunteers on both sides having already worked for the campaigns for months as well as balancing schoolwork, fatigue for many proves inevitable. \nMelanie Morris, press secretary for Indiana 9th Congressional District Democratic challenger Baron Hill, acknowledged such exhaustion but said these efforts were vital to winning such a close race.\n"We have five days left, and in five days we are going to see the change we need to turn this country around," Morris said. \nThe College Democrats are attempting to convince voters that the elections are the beginning of what they believe to be a positive change, Cullen said. \n"This is one of the more important elections we have had in a long time," Cullen said. \nShe said this election is a chance to turn the government around in order to promote "financial responsibility."\n"Ironically enough, the Democrats are the fiscal conservatives in this election, and (the United States has) a huge deficit," she said. "Our generation and the generation after us are going to be the ones paying this off."\nIf the work among volunteers were a political race itself, both groups would likely claim victory. \n"Our efforts have been much more extensive than the College Democrats. Honestly, I don't know what they have been doing," Virgil said. "I know for months now, we have been getting people registered to vote, going door to door and making phone calls every night." \nShe said the IUCR has registered more than 600 students to vote since IU's fall term began.\nCullen acknowledged the presence of Republican publicity might be more widely seen in Bloomington and attributed this to Sodrel's incumbency.\n"I admit Baron Hill does not have as many T-shirts as Mike Sodrel, but Mike Sodrel has a lot more money," she said.
(10/25/06 4:23am)
Graduate students at IU have experienced higher tuition costs and face greater debt when leaving the University, as state funds for higher education have withered away over the past decade. \nWith the upcoming Nov. 7 elections, many are questioning how politics and government spending can affect graduate students. \nThe funding slash in large part has caused expected debt to surge among graduate students by more than 250 percent during the past decade and has made competition to become student academic appointees -- teaching assistants, assistant instructors and research assistants who are paid part or all of their tuition -- more fierce. \nWith higher education allowances dissolving, graduate students at IU have especially been affected. Tuition has doubled in some graduate programs during the past decade. In 1996, Indiana residents could expect to pay $7,800 per year in tuition to earn a Masters of Business Administration degree. Today, tuition for the same degree surpasses $14,000, according to the IU Factbook. \nPatrick Bauer, D-South Bend, the Indiana House of Representative Democratic leader, said the only way to reverse this trend was if the people demanded a change.\n"It depends on whether people in the higher education community realize (the funding) has slipped," he said. "Now the only way to help that is to raise tuition -- and we don't want that in Indiana. We want to make it affordable."\nAcross the aisle, Republicans who hope to retain control of the House and the Senate disagree with Bauer's calls for higher education funding. \n"When the Democrats were in control, we had overspending every year. When Gov. (Mitch) Daniels entered office, the state was in $1 billion in debt because of failed Democratic leadership over the past seven or eight years that robbed nearly every account out there," said Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, chairman of the House Education Committee in the Indiana House of Representatives.\nAlong with the skyward rise in tuition, graduate students also saw a pinch in tuition-deferring opportunities. \nThough each of the University's graduate schools offer some employment program aimed at helping offset tuition costs, some reach further than others. Currently, the College of Arts and Sciences employs the most graduate students with 1,825 serving as student academic appointees -- down about 200 from 2004, according to information gathered by the Office for Academic Personnel Policies and Services. \nSince the General Assembly started actively deflating University funds almost a decade ago in hopes of leveling off the growing state deficit, only about 30 percent of graduate students have served as appointed student employees. \nPaul Rohwer, moderator of the Graduate and Professional Student Organization, said higher education funding is one of the issues that could influence the way students vote. He said it seems the Democrats have really worked to make education their primary platforms but added they failed to reach out enough to student voters.\nAvraham Spechler, School of Education representative to the GPSO, said that no shift in concessions would be seen until both citizens and legislators felt an increase in funds could directly boost the state, adding this was an issue a single election could not resolve. \n"If you're a Hoosier who has lived here for a number of years, how are these higher education services going to help you? And how are these graduate students who will most likely leave the state anyway going to help you?" he said. "It's going to take a shift in the political constellation. It is going to take a shift in the economic base that can support these more educated workers." \nSince 1975, IU's portion of the state's general operating budget has dropped more than 3 percent, according to information from the IU Office of Government Relations. Though damaging to public universities throughout the state, other areas under current allocations have flourished. Medicaid funding skyrocketed 40 percent since 2000 and funding growth for the state correctional and public safety systems doubled that of higher education, according to the IU Office of Government Relations. \nWithin the University, areas like financial aid programs for graduate students have endured the most brutal cutbacks, while other sectors remain less affected. Full professors, for instance, have seen a 22 percent hike in salaries since 2000 -- increasing the average wage to more than $130,000 per year, according to the IU Factbook. \n"Getting professors is becoming a very competitive element to higher education," said Debbie Sibbitt, director of Hoosiers for Higher Education, an advocacy group that works to lobby public officials on higher education funding. "If you look at all of these baby boomers getting ready to retire, there is not nearly the influx to support all of those baby boomers who will be leaving those positions. This makes it a truly competitive venue."\nAs elections inch closer each day, some students and staff have spoken against what they believe to be detrimental behavior toward Indiana's economic future. Sibbitt said the outlook of this issue rests upon voter results. \n"It's going to depend on Nov. 7. That is what is going to make a determination about what happens," she said. "Both legislative areas -- the (state) House and the Senate -- are both Republican now, and that could very easily change things if the House especially goes Democrat"
(10/19/06 4:15am)
IU President Adam Herbert requested an additional $80 million from the Indiana General Assembly Tuesday in an effort to further expand the University's growing life sciences programs. \nThe appropriations, spread over two years, would be used to advance the state's economic shift toward the health care and biotechnology sectors, said Larry MacIntyre, IU director of Media Relations. \n"We would recruit 460 life science workers, and this would expand IU's already large life science activities," MacIntyre said. "The reason we are proposing to do that is because Indiana has already set a goal in the 21st century to have the economy based heavily on the life sciences."\nAt IU, chemistry, biology and other programs are beneath the life sciences umbrella. Most of these departments offer both undergraduate and postgraduate coursework, but the majority of the proposed funding would only affect upper-level research, taking place at the IU School of Medicine, MacIntyre said. \nHe said he believed in certain cases an increase in funding could produce extraordinary results. Citing an example, he said Dr. Linda Malkas, IU School of Medicine professor and a leading breast cancer researcher at IU, has come very close to producing a simple blood test that could detect breast cancer. He said a portion of the extra funds would go toward further researching and developing these tests. \nHerbert and his team also made it clear that IU's intentions for the funds were in line with the state's planned economic shift.\n"I think this will be a transformational investment," said J. Thomas Forbes, the executive director of the IU Office of State Relations.\nHe said this type of investment could be the spark needed to advance the state's economic base.\n"There will be at least 100 new businesses," he said. "With those sort of numbers you are bound to get some real winners."\nHerbert's presentation was the first of three he will give to policy makers before the budget is approved. However, Forbes said IU's president has been privately meeting with legislators to promote his plan. \n"We wanted to make sure that everyone knew what this plan was all about and they knew really what this money meant before the vote," he said. \nThe first step in approving the funds will come if both the governor and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, an executive appointed committee that oversees public and private universities, approves Herbert's plan. It would then be taken for consideration in the Indiana General Assembly. MacIntyre said the entire process is expected to continue for months. \nHowever, Forbes refused to look past the first step in the legislative process.\n"Right now we are focused on the governor having all the information he needs, so he and the commission can make the best recommendation possible," he said. \nEven outside of IU, some saw what such a funding shift could mean for the state. \nSteve Bryant, director of the Bloomington Life Sciences Partnership, said Indiana was now in the position financially to pursue such bold initiatives. \n"We are not in the deficit situation we were in two years ago. People want to push jobs, jobs, jobs," he said. "If you expect the University to be an economic engine, then you have to put the facilities there to support it." \nBryant said he was confident in Herbert's handling of the situation and felt his approach would have the best chance for success.\n"Dr. Herbert and his team have seen all of this and said, 'if we are going to go bold, let's go bold and not nibble around the edge of this thing,'" he said.
(10/16/06 2:53am)
Screaming football fans weren't the only ones making noise near Assembly Hall this weekend. Sunday afternoon, revving engines and booming subwoofers created a different sort of commotion in the nearby parking lot during Phi Kappa Sigma's Charity Auto and Cycle Show.\nThe event raised about $800 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the fraternity's national philanthropy, said Phi Kappa Sigma member and IU junior Joe Boscia, who organized the event. \nAbout 300 people showed up at Assembly Hall's parking lot despite the threat of rain and were greeted by an array of cars and motorcycles, ranging from Chevrolet Cavaliers with eye-catching paint jobs to a restored 1950s-style pickup truck. \nAdam Christy, 26, who was there displaying his Chevrolet Cavalier, said he's a veteran car show attendee. He said he always enjoys the atmosphere that shows bring out and how people can casually meet and talk with other show-goers. \n"Cops and everybody see these cars out on the road , and they think we are a bunch of thugs and hoodlums. Car shows are a way that we can give back to the community and show that it's not the case," Christy said. "Most of us have 8-to-5 jobs just like everybody else. We just like to put into our car and show some pride in driving them around."\nAnd drive them around they did. Midway through the day, participants cruised through Bloomington, driving along Third Street and Kirkwood Avenue.\n"It was 35 cars driving together in a row," Boscia said. "People were waving and honking their horns. It was great." \nAlong with simply showing off their cars, participants had the opportunity to test their stereo subwoofers against one another. Shakespearience Car Audio hosted a competition in which a machine measured the decibels each car emitted. \n"Basically, you come up to the machine and see how much sound pressure your vehicle can actually hold. They do it all over the world," said Alex Crowe, owner of Shakespearience Car Audio. \nHe said different factors went into determining the output of a stereo, including speaker types, car size and the materials used in the vehicle. \nDifferent companies sponsored the car show this year, including Ackerman Auto Detail.\nChad Ackerman, owner of the Bloomington-based shop, said although the turnout was not as large as he hoped, it was still a good way to be philanthropic. \n"I give money to a lot of organizations, but this one I can actually be involved in," he said.\nBoscia, however, was pleased with the turnout and said he thought participation had doubled from the previous show. He said the idea of having the car show in the fall instead of the spring made sense to him because it coincided with other University philanthropic events like Big Man on Campus.\n"Today was definitely a success," Boscia said. "It was a great turnout. The music was good, and the food was good. People really enjoyed it"
(10/11/06 3:31am)
Wednesday is National Coming Out Day, and the IU Hoosier Rights Campaign has planned activities for the evening to celebrate and spread awareness for their cause. \nEvents include a dinner and a movie starting at 7 p.m. in Ballantine Hall 144. \nAt 11 a.m., members of the organization had planned a demonstration promoting equal rights for all sexual orientations. However the Hoosier Rights Campaign canceled the event Tuesday night because rain is expected for the day. IU senior and HRC founder Matt Brunner said this demonstration would've aimed to mock religious groups that have in previous years protested against gays.\n"They come onto campus and hold up signs that say, 'God hates fags,'" Brunner said. "We would like to have it when the Old Paths Baptist Church is actually here, so we can stand on one side of the street and they can be on the other."\nFollowing the demonstration, the group had planned to host a picnic in Dunn Meadow, but that event has too been canceled due to the rain in the forecast.\nThe group will conclude the day by showing a documentary called "Fish Can't Fly," beginning at 8 p.m. in Ballantine Hall, room 144. The film focuses on the lives of gays and examines both their spiritual and sexual lives. It also explores Christian ministries that work to "cure" gays.
(10/10/06 4:27am)
A growing number of graduate students are being denied teaching assistantships, research assistantships and other tuition deferral programs -- forcing them to pay skyrocketing tuition costs without University aid.\nAnd this could be especially crippling now and in years to come because costs of graduate school are rising. \nStudents who graduated from IU in 2006 could expect to owe almost $48,000 after graduation, compared with the $13,000 debt approximation from 1991, according to the IU Office of Student Financial Assistance Web site. This increase of more than 250 percent far surpasses the national inflation rate of about 3 percent. \nRyan Cole, a first-year graduate student in the masters' journalism program, pays all of his tuition and living expenses without help from the University. He worked four years before returning to school and expects very little debt following his graduation -- acknowledging that he is among the lucky.\n"It's pretty common for people to have a struggle every week to just pay the bills," he said. "Between jobs and the workload -- which is so much more intense than undergraduate -- it is really tough to make it through with everything." \nAnd many within the graduate programs agree. Tuition is higher than ever and aid packages are limited, causing the graduate student debt load to increase like never before.\nDespite this, graduate school popularity has boomed in the past decade. In the United States, about 2 million students are enrolled in postgraduate educational programs, according to the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students. However, many of these students, like Cole, have spent years in the workforce, which often leads to huge financial diversity within the programs, said David Daleke, \nassociate dean of admissions of the IU Graduate School.\nHe said about all of these students will accrue some debt upon graduation. \nThe problem can be traced back to the early 1990s when economic conditions began sharply declining in Indiana and the state found itself hard-pressed for money. Higher education funding dried up, and during this time the higher education budget across Indiana was cut by almost 3 percent, according to IU's government relations Web site.\nAs Indiana slashed the budget, a steady increase in tuition ensued during the last decade, a possible factor for the debt-load increase. \nIn 1996, for example, tuition for the Kelley School of Business Master of Business Administration program averaged $7,800 per year for Indiana residents, while in 2006, students could expect to pay nearly twice that amount, according to the IU Factbook.\nTo help offset these rising costs, IU has implemented increasingly competitive programs in which graduate students can work for the University in return for the deferral of a portion of their tuition. For the most qualified candidates, a stipend is often included.\nStudents entering graduate school could expect much more reliance on loans than undergraduates, said Roy Durnal, associate director at the Office of Student Financial Assistance.\n"(Teaching assistantships,) in my opinion, can help subsidize or reduce the cost of graduate school, but I think it's a little misleading to say it will pay for all of graduate school," Durnal said. "A department may have 50 students in their graduate program, and they may only have 10 teaching assistantships."\nShana Bergen, a master's student of philosophy, received one of the University's most lucrative packages. In return for helping teach undergraduate philosophy, IU awarded her free tuition, as well as a salary each month.\nHowever, Bergen said she felt the monthly stipend was not nearly enough.\n"It's really hard to even survive on what we have," she said.\nBradley Lane, a Ph.D student in geography, receives $1,200 per month for his work. He said it is often challenging to get by on the stipend, and those who try to hold outside employment almost always fall behind in their studies. \nHowever, Daleke said the graduate school continues to make postgraduate education a viable option despite such rapid debt increase.\n"It's hard, and that is why we at the graduate school are doing our best to help support the graduate students," he said.
(10/10/06 4:23am)
When North Korea announced it had successfully tested a nuclear weapon Monday morning, heads turned around the world. \nFrom Bloomington to Beijing, North Korea's assertion as a nuclear nation angered many and incited fear among others as world leaders scrambled and ordinary citizens attempted to comprehend the effects of the situation.\nAt IU, many students said they realized the importance of such an event and expressed concern over the prospect of a nuclear North Korea.\nIU sophomore Hyun-Seok Oh spent most of his life living in South Korea and grew up in an era when much distrust existed between the neighboring nations. Oh said he was worried about the idea of nuclear weapons in North Korea but at the same time believed North Korea would use nuclear weapons mostly for political causes.\n"Even if you have 20 nuclear weapons and I have one -- even one is a threat because it is a nuclear weapon," he said. "It's the radiation; it's the chaos; it's the economic damages that America is going to get." \nOh also said the notion behind atomic weapons is often as powerful as the weapons themselves.\n"What's the incentive in hitting South Korea anyway? America would probably attack them right away," he said.\nHowever, senior Sang Hun Shin said he thought the United States has much to fear if North Korea presses on with nuclear weapons development. Shin said he thinks that although North Korea might not use the weapons directly, the economically struggling nation could sell such weapons to terrorist organizations.\n"That's why America worries about North Korea. They can sell the technology to places like Iraq or to Al-Qaida," he said, saying that he thinks it is impossible for North Korea to attack America because their small weapons cache could never compare to the U.S. nuclear arsenal.\nProfessors within IU's Department of East Asian Language and Cultures also expressed concern over how an event like this could lead to instability throughout the region.\nScott O'Bryan, an assistant professor within the department, said he thought a number of political factors would impact this situation -- mainly the recent political shift in Japan.\nHe said the newly elected -- and far more right-leaning -- Japanese administration would be much more likely to listen to citizens' calls for an expanded and more proactive military.\n"People always worry whenever there is a balance of power shift -- like when the Soviet Union disbanded," he said. "Their biggest fear is that there will be a nuclear arms race within the region, and no one wants to see that."\nThe UN Security Council was quick to respond Monday, as all 15 nations within the council denounced the reported underground atomic explosion, according to the Associated Press.\n"I was very impressed by the unanimity of the council on the need for a strong and swift answer to what everyone agreed amounted to a threat of international peace and security," U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton said, according to AP reports.\nIf the reports hold up, North Korea will become the eighth nation to join what has become known as the world's "nuclear club"
(10/02/06 11:12am)
There are few students who could carry a gun through Memorial Stadium on game day and receive silent respect from the crowd. But for the members of the IU Pershing Rifle Society, it's just another Saturday.\nThe organization, which traces its roots back to a group formed more than a century ago, presents the American flag at all home football and basketball games and many ceremonial events throughout Bloomington.\nBut despite its time-honored history, the IU Pershing Rifle Society has been plagued in recent years by a lack of interest.\nMaj. Todd Tinius, a retired Army officer and adviser for the organization, said the society at IU, which is traditionally made up of almost entirely Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets, was once a much more popular organization.\n"A lot of programs across the country have dried up," he said.\nFrom the early 1990s until 1996 -- while the U.S. military was actively downsizing -- the organization disappeared due to lack of interest, Tinius said.\nA nationwide drop in ROTC membership could be a possible cause for the declining interest, he said. \nBut now, the Pershing Rifle Society seems to be on the rebound.\nThe group is 14 members strong and training four more for duties this year. \nSenior Stephen Lawson, the organization's commanding officer, said he loves the thrill of carrying the American flag at big events like football games.\n"You're standing there in uniform, everyone knows who you are and you're on the Jumbotron. It's a great feeling," Lawson said. "It's a little intimidating to start with -- it really is -- but you actually have a lot of adrenaline."\nLawson, a three-year member of the society and a cadet in the Army ROTC, said he has witnessed a direct relation between the rigorous ROTC program and the challenges he has faced through the rifle society.\n"We train so much, you know you have it down," Lawson said. "We settle for nothing less than perfect."\nThe Pershing Rifle Society began in 1891 at the University of Nebraska under Gen. John Pershing. In hopes of boosting company morale, Pershing created a select company of men who served as color guards and competed against other military drill teams. \nThe competitive aspect of the society still exists through a national convention that serves as the culminating event. Over the past few years, IU has been successful at the competition, earning second-place finishes in 2004 and 2005.\n"You start off with a regulation platoon, which is 13 or more people with one commander," Lawson said, explaining the setup of competitions. "Basically you give off a set of commands and you execute them with rifles," he said. "You march around the hall and get graded on every aspect."\nFreshman Nicholas Banich, a second-generation Pershing Rifle Society member, said he was encouraged by the available leadership opportunities, yet acknowledged that the mental training is quite challenging.\n"I feel like I have to show the active members that I have what it takes to be one of their peers," he said. "I must do everything they ask of me and go beyond what is required." \nPeople like Lt. Fred Hearsey, an IU alumnus and former Pershing Rifle Society member, understands the importance of such training.\n"At basketball games, you are going to have so many people screaming and saying crap to you, but you can't move," Hearsey said.\nLawson agreed that the mental discipline is important but also stressed the brotherhood of the fraternity.\n"It just comes down to (that) it's a big group friends," Lawson said. "But there is a mission we accomplish every time"