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(09/30/04 4:00am)
When Peter Molyneux, the head of Lionhead Studios, unveiled his latest creation, "Fable," to the gaming world nearly four years ago, he promised it would be the best role playing game ever made.\nFour years ago that may have very well been true, but now that the game has finally hit shelves, and several features that would have made the game groundbreaking have been removed, it's now merely a very good RPG.\nThe graphics in this game are very bright, varied and stylish. The world of Albion is reminiscent of a European countryside, and it really comes alive as you walk through it. Unfortunately, this breathtaking scenery also confines the player to set paths, so there's not much more to see beyond what's immediately visible.\nMusic and sound effects are also quite good, though not even the Danny Elfman-composed opening theme is particularly memorable. The music and sound effects fit the scene, and that's about it. Voiceover work is of a particularly highquality, however, and many of the one-liners in a cockney British accent made me crack up the first time I heard them.\nBut stylish graphics and a worthy soundtrack can only take a game so far if the gameplay sucks. Luckily, "Fable's" gameplay does not suck. A system that keeps track of good and evil choices similar to another Xbox RPG, "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic," is just as entertaining here. For some reason, randomly killing villagers because they boo you just doesn't get old.\nCombat, while only requiring two buttons to swing a melee weapon, is quite fun, and knowing when to block and when to use more powerful attacks and magic adds a nice bit of depth. I certainly prefer it to the turn-based borefest of most modern RPGs.\nWhile "Fable" may not be the best RPG available (sorry, that definitely goes to "Knights of the Old Republic"), it's still a damn good game and well worth $50.
(04/23/04 11:58pm)
Sophomore Brandon Parker went to Los Angeles over spring break hoping to get lucky on "The Price is Right." And though his dreams of a "Showcase Showdown" didn't come true, he received an equally exciting parting gift for waiting in line: tickets to "The Wayne Brady Show."\n"I've been a fan ever since I watched 'Whose Line is it Anyway?' and decided to see him since we were so close to the studio," Parker says. "Wayne was very entertaining, energetic and seemed to really enjoy his show and entertaining his guests. You could tell he wasn't there just for the cameras."\nOne thing Parker couldn't help but notice was how tightly directed the show was.\n"All of the people on the set were very friendly and seemed to have everything planned out to the very last detail," he says. "Although there were ad-libbed parts, the show carried on quite well from my perspective and we had a great time."\nWhat Parker didn't know at the time was that much of the success of "The Wayne Brady Show" can be attributed to former Indiana University student Barry Glazer, now a director with credits ranging from the Wayne Brady Show to over 40 other television series and specials.\nGlazer studied theater at IU in the '50s, but dropped out before graduating to become an actor in New York. He credits the department for sparking his early interest in acting.\n"What inspired me was the great theater department," Glazer says. "All I was interested in was getting to New York and acting, even though my whole family had nothing to do with show business."\nBreaking into the competitive New York theater scene was harder than Glazer expected, and he soon found himself giving tours at the NBC studio.\n"I would always use different accents on the tours," Glazer says. "People wouldn't know if I was from the south or what."\nGlazer's career outlook was bleak when one day he witnessed a director preparing for "The Perry Como Show." Not only did the director set the stage for the show that day, but for a new direction in Glazer's life.\n"(The director) was yelling and he just had total control," Glazer says. "It was fascinating. I had never seen a director work like that. I said, 'Forget acting, that's what I want to do.'"\nGlazer soon found himself as a fill-in director for the news, and quickly moved to another New York station where he directed an early rock 'n' roll show similar to "American Bandstand."\nThe young director's style, which later helped set the standard for music videos, eventually caught the attention of ABC in Los Angeles where Glazer oversaw daytime programming.\nIt was there Glazer began his most well-known directing work on "American Bandstand" from 1971-88.\n"One day Dick Clark came up to me and said 'I don't know you from a hole in the head, but I'm going to let you direct next week.' He said, 'If you do good, stay on. If you do bad, goodbye.'"\n"I went home and threw up I was so nervous," Glazer says.\nSince that time Glazer has worked as director or producer for literally dozens of shows, including "LIVE! with Regis and Kathie Lee!" and the "The Suzanne Somers Show." His work has gotten him two Emmy awards and a dozen Emmy nominations.\nGlazer doesn't have a favorite show and just enjoys directing, but has especially enjoyed directing "The Wayne Brady Show."\n"'The Wayne Brady Show' is one of the best things I've worked on in a long time," Glazer says. "There are some of the most creative talents I've ever worked with here."\nThose who work with Glazer say he has an incredible talent for directing a live show and thinking quickly when things don't go the way they're supposed to.\n"One of the best things about him is he has the ability to be incredibly spontaneous," says "Wayne Brady Show" executive producer John Redmann. "He's calm even among last minute changes. And when things happen that aren't planned he rolls with the punches and covers them up."\nGlazer says the impromptu nature of live television is his favorite thing about directing.\n"Your adrenaline is rushing because anything can happen," he says. "There's all these goofs and mistakes and things that should be bleeped out but don't always get bleeped out. I love it."\nAnd for all Glazer's success, it apparently hasn't gone to his head.\n"He doesn't have any ego or attitude," Redmann says. "Crews love him. They'll do anything for him."\nUnfortunately, "The Wayne Brady Show" did not get picked up for a third season, but Glazer will direct "The Tony Danza Show" later this year.\nSo what advice does Glazer have for current IU students thinking of following in his footsteps? First he suggests taking courses in TV, especially anything about production. These courses were not available when he attended IU. But other than that, he says there's a lot of luck involved in breaking into the business. \n"I hate to say this, but it's basically who you know and where you are at the right time," he says.
(04/22/04 4:00am)
Sophomore Brandon Parker went to Los Angeles over spring break hoping to get lucky on "The Price is Right." And though his dreams of a "Showcase Showdown" didn't come true, he received an equally exciting parting gift for waiting in line: tickets to "The Wayne Brady Show."\n"I've been a fan ever since I watched 'Whose Line is it Anyway?' and decided to see him since we were so close to the studio," Parker says. "Wayne was very entertaining, energetic and seemed to really enjoy his show and entertaining his guests. You could tell he wasn't there just for the cameras."\nOne thing Parker couldn't help but notice was how tightly directed the show was.\n"All of the people on the set were very friendly and seemed to have everything planned out to the very last detail," he says. "Although there were ad-libbed parts, the show carried on quite well from my perspective and we had a great time."\nWhat Parker didn't know at the time was that much of the success of "The Wayne Brady Show" can be attributed to former Indiana University student Barry Glazer, now a director with credits ranging from the Wayne Brady Show to over 40 other television series and specials.\nGlazer studied theater at IU in the '50s, but dropped out before graduating to become an actor in New York. He credits the department for sparking his early interest in acting.\n"What inspired me was the great theater department," Glazer says. "All I was interested in was getting to New York and acting, even though my whole family had nothing to do with show business."\nBreaking into the competitive New York theater scene was harder than Glazer expected, and he soon found himself giving tours at the NBC studio.\n"I would always use different accents on the tours," Glazer says. "People wouldn't know if I was from the south or what."\nGlazer's career outlook was bleak when one day he witnessed a director preparing for "The Perry Como Show." Not only did the director set the stage for the show that day, but for a new direction in Glazer's life.\n"(The director) was yelling and he just had total control," Glazer says. "It was fascinating. I had never seen a director work like that. I said, 'Forget acting, that's what I want to do.'"\nGlazer soon found himself as a fill-in director for the news, and quickly moved to another New York station where he directed an early rock 'n' roll show similar to "American Bandstand."\nThe young director's style, which later helped set the standard for music videos, eventually caught the attention of ABC in Los Angeles where Glazer oversaw daytime programming.\nIt was there Glazer began his most well-known directing work on "American Bandstand" from 1971-88.\n"One day Dick Clark came up to me and said 'I don't know you from a hole in the head, but I'm going to let you direct next week.' He said, 'If you do good, stay on. If you do bad, goodbye.'"\n"I went home and threw up I was so nervous," Glazer says.\nSince that time Glazer has worked as director or producer for literally dozens of shows, including "LIVE! with Regis and Kathie Lee!" and the "The Suzanne Somers Show." His work has gotten him two Emmy awards and a dozen Emmy nominations.\nGlazer doesn't have a favorite show and just enjoys directing, but has especially enjoyed directing "The Wayne Brady Show."\n"'The Wayne Brady Show' is one of the best things I've worked on in a long time," Glazer says. "There are some of the most creative talents I've ever worked with here."\nThose who work with Glazer say he has an incredible talent for directing a live show and thinking quickly when things don't go the way they're supposed to.\n"One of the best things about him is he has the ability to be incredibly spontaneous," says "Wayne Brady Show" executive producer John Redmann. "He's calm even among last minute changes. And when things happen that aren't planned he rolls with the punches and covers them up."\nGlazer says the impromptu nature of live television is his favorite thing about directing.\n"Your adrenaline is rushing because anything can happen," he says. "There's all these goofs and mistakes and things that should be bleeped out but don't always get bleeped out. I love it."\nAnd for all Glazer's success, it apparently hasn't gone to his head.\n"He doesn't have any ego or attitude," Redmann says. "Crews love him. They'll do anything for him."\nUnfortunately, "The Wayne Brady Show" did not get picked up for a third season, but Glazer will direct "The Tony Danza Show" later this year.\nSo what advice does Glazer have for current IU students thinking of following in his footsteps? First he suggests taking courses in TV, especially anything about production. These courses were not available when he attended IU. But other than that, he says there's a lot of luck involved in breaking into the business. \n"I hate to say this, but it's basically who you know and where you are at the right time," he says.
(04/19/04 5:02am)
The Game Live Tour will invade the Indiana Memorial Union's Frangipani Room Wednesday, featuring more than 20 new and yet-to-be released video games for all the current consoles and personal computers.\nThe games will be available to play for free from noon until 5 p.m. The companies on the Game Live Tour this year include Electronic Arts, the number one video game publisher in the world, Rockstar Games, creators of the popular Grand Theft Auto franchise, and Ubisoft, the company responsible for the Splinter Cell games.\nBesides showcasing games for the Sony Playstation2, Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Gamecube, cellular phone giant Nokia will be demonstrating its all-in-one cell phone/portable gaming device/MP3 player, the N-Gage.\n"This is a great opportunity for students to kill time in-between classes by playing games that aren't even on the market yet in an atmosphere very different from when they play at home," said Union Board Marketing Director Sarah O'Brien.\nThe Game Live Tour, based in Sausalito, Calif., has been touring college campuses since late 2002, but this is the first time it has hit IU, a prospect which has many gamers salivating.\n"I can't wait to try out some of the new games," freshman and avid gamer Zach Sutphin said. "I'd like to know if something is worth my money beforehand."\nThe tour displays games on a scalable 50-screen PC and Video kiosk system administered by representatives from the publisher. EA Games will be on hand with giveaways and two current big sellers, "Fight Night 2004," for all three systems, and "Samurai Warriors," which EA is publishing for the PS2. Also being shown to most gamers for the first time will be "Burnout 3," a popular racing sequel that won't hit consoles until September.\n"This will be a huge event for gamers," said EA spokesman Trey Geiger. \nAfter trying out unreleased games, gamers can give feedback to its creators. Many of these suggestions are put into the game before release, Sutphin said.\n"It's always important for companies to get feedback about their games," Sutphin said. "We know what we want to play, but a lot of companies don't unless we tell them."\n-- Contact senior writer Chris Freiberg at wfreiber@indiana.edu.
(04/13/04 6:17am)
A freshman who stars in an adult Web site featuring semi-nude pictures of her taken in her dorm room and showers at Briscoe-Shoemaker will not be charged through the campus judicial system, Dean of Students Richard McKaig revealed Monday.\n"It was agreed that this is a situation like those in the past when students have posed for Playboy," McKaig said. "The University does not condone the activity, but it is also outside of the University to control it."\nKeira, as she has asked to be called, has received international media attention since news of her Web site, www.teenkeira.com, broke last week.\nMuch of the controversy arose over concerns Keira may have broken the student code of conduct. According to the code, "lewd, indecent, or obscene conduct" on University property can result in a judicial board hearing.\nPolice confirmed to him that they discovered no unlawful activity, and UITS confirmed that the site was not being run on the University's network. \nHe also said Keira has agreed to not take anymore pictures in common areas such as the showers.\n"It appears as if no one in the showers was disturbed by the pictures at the time they were taken." McKaig said. "She has also tried to get some of those pictures off the site."\nIn fall 2002 several students went through the judicial system for participating in the filming of an adult movie in Teter Quad by Shane Enterprises. It is unknown what, if any, punishment those students received.\nBut McKaig said Keira's Web site, which does not advertise any affiliation with the University though charges a $24.95 per month fee, is not the same thing.\n"This doesn't rise to the same level of exploitation of IU's name or marks," McKaig said. "I haven't viewed the film or the site, but I've been advised that even the acts the subjects are engaged in are significantly different."\nIU Student Association president Casey Cox agreed with the administration's decision.\n"This didn't seem as exploitative (as the Shane's World video)," Cox said. "In that case the fact that we were named the No. 1 party school was used to facilitate the filming, and the University name was used for profit. I think there's a big difference."\nKeira did not return phone messages by press time on the University's decision, but has previously defended the site.\n"I don't feel it's porn," Keira said in a previous Indiana Daily Student article. "You can call it an adult site, but there's no intercourse or oral sex. There's not anyone else in the pictures with me. I'm not even fully nude."\n-- Contact senior writer Chris Freiberg at wfreiber@indiana.edu.
(04/12/04 8:25pm)
Dean of Students Richard McKaig announced today that the Office of Student Ethics recommended no disciplinary charges be filed against the freshman known as Keira for her adult website www.teenkeira.com.\n"It was a agreed that this is a situation like those in the past when students have posed for Playboy," McKaig said. "The University does not condone the activity but it is also outside of the University to control it."\nKeira wasn't immediately available for comment.\nSee tomorrow's IDS for more details.
(04/12/04 1:29pm)
This weekend, Lazerlite amusement center will be invaded by dozens of dancing fools from all over the state, but they aren't so foolish as to not support a good cause when they see one.\nLazerlite, located on East Third Street, will be holding its third "Dance Dance Revolution" marathon Friday and Saturday.\nFor $10, participants get to play as much "DDR" as they can handle and help support Riley Hospital for Children of Indianapolis. Riley Hospital for Children is one of the nation's leaders in pediatric medicine.\nJim Halliday, who works in the IU music library, has organized the event for three years now to give something back to the hospital that has helped both of his children.\n"Both of my children were at Riley's after they were born because of a blood disorder," Halliday said. "I've got nothing but positive things to say about them. This seemed like that natural place to help out."\n"DDR," which is made by the Konami Digital Entertainment was first released in Japanese arcades in 1998. A U.S. release followed in 2000, but many arcades prefer the Japanese version because there is a wider selection of machines from which to choose.\nHome versions and pads are also available for the Sony PlayStation game consoles and Microsoft's Xbox.\n"Most of the songs are in English, but you read the lyrics in Japanese," said Adam Abel, a "DDR" enthusiast and employee at Lazerlite. "It just looks better."\nA "DDR" arcade cabinet consists of a platform made up of four arrows on which a player stands. Meanwhile, at the top of the screen are four stationary arrows. Scrolling arrows pass over these, and as they do, the player hits the corresponding arrows on the pad to rack up combinations.\nHalliday discovered the game about two years ago when he took his daughter to Lazerlite.\n"We went there to play some other games, and I saw 'DDR,' and I said, 'What's that over there?'" Halliday said. "I was almost instantly hooked. Soon, it was me dragging her to Lazerlite instead of the other way around."\nLazerlite currently has two Japanese "DDR" machines -- one Fourth mix, and one Eight mix.\n"They're our most popular games with the older kids," said Lazerlite owner Susie Wolfgong.\nHalliday has been playing video games since the days of Pac-Man but said he hasn't found a game like "DDR" in a long time.\n"I'm a video game fan from way back in the golden age," he said. "But I probably hadn't been really addicted to a game for years until 'DDR.' It's addictive, but in a good way."\n-- Contact senior writer Chris Freiberg at wfreiber@indiana.edu.
(04/08/04 6:05am)
Dean of Students Richard McKaig has turned the investigation into an adult Web site featuring semi-nude pictures of a freshman in her dorm room and the showers of Briscoe-Shoemaker over to the Office of Student Ethics.\n"Their job now is to discover if student ethics were violated and if the case should be reviewed by the judicial system," McKaig said.\nStudent ethics will review the site, www.teenkeira.com, as well as independent information gathered from the residence halls, McKaig said. They are expected to report their findings to the dean of student's office Friday.\nThe Office of Student Ethics said they were not aware if the investigation had been turned over to them. Further calls were not returned.\nSince news of the site broke Tuesday, students have been divided as to whether Keira, as she has asked to be called, is doing anything wrong.\n"It's really no big deal," junior Josh Smith said. "She's not trying to exploit IU, and the site seems to be pretty classy."\nIU Student Association President Casey Cox said the site is only receiving publicity because of an October 2002 incident in which actresses from the pornographic film company Shane Enterprises were allowed to film within Teter Quad in exchange for oral sex.\n"This wouldn't even be a news story if it hadn't been for the negative press IU received from Shane's World last year," Cox said.\nKeira has been contacted by several media outlets so far. A producer from the Comedy Central show "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn" asked her to appear on a show this week via Web cam, but she declined since she does not have one, and because of the location.\n"They wanted to do it from my dorm and I don't want to get in any more trouble," Keira said.\nCox also offered IUSA support for Keira if she so chooses.\n"IUSA has a department of student rights that offers representation for students," he said. "If Keira chooses to go that route, IUSA will do their best to help her out."\nMany other students support Keira, who told the Indiana Daily Student Tuesday she started the site to help pay for school and support her family.\nWednesday night, she identified herself as "teen Keira" and posted a message for her supporters and critics on www.thehoosierweb.com, a popular site for students that is not affiliated with the University.\n"Thanks to those who are being supportive, and screw whoever doesn't," read the brief message.\nJunior Shaun Keihn, a featured writer for the site, blamed the cost of higher education for forcing Keira into the world of adult Web sites.\n"Despite the site being the epitome of American capitalism, if the University stopped jacking (up) the price of tuition, poor, under-privileged girls like "teen Keira" wouldn't have to put up sites like this," Keihn said. "I blame the University."\n-- Contact senior writer Chris Freiberg at wfreiber@indiana.edu.
(04/07/04 3:19pm)
Dean of Students Richard McKaig will meet with the Office of Student Ethics later today to determine if there are grounds to pursue an investigation into unauthorized use of the University's name or space by the adult Web site www.teenkeira.com.\nThe site features topless and semi-nude pictures of IU freshman Keira in her dorm room and the shower of Briscoe-Shoemaker.\nKeira's real name is not being used because the investigation has not gone public.\n"We will determine if there are grounds to believe that University space was used," McKaig said. "And if so, we can move forward in the standard way through the campus judicial system."\nMcKaig said he has not been contacted by any students or parents with concerns about the site.\nKeira claims she has done nothing wrong since her site is actually run by Orange Image, a webmaster located in Raleigh, N.C.\n"I think things have been blown way out of proportion," Keira said. "(The administration) wants to say I'm running the site out of my dorm room. It's not run here. We just take pictures here."\nKeira said she has not received any negative feedback since news of her site broke.\nThis is a similar reaction to that received by Mandy, a senior who has been featured on the hardcore pornographic Web site www.midwestmandy.com since Dec. 2003. The site, which charges $19.99 a month for a membership, has since received more than one million hits.\nMandy requested her last name not be used.\n"People recognize me, and I get e-mails, but I haven't had any stalkers or anything like that," Mandy said. "I have had marriage proposals. Most people are just curious about the site, though."\nUnlike Keira's site, Mandy's site does not feature any pictures taken on campus property.\nMandy claims Orange Image contacted her own employers for information on putting together Keira's site but the request was not met.\nIn the meantime, Keira is preparing herself for the University investigation into her site. \nShe contends her site is not nearly as hardcore as "Shane's World Vol. 32: Campus Invasion," the adult film shot by Shane Enterprises in Oct. 2002 that featured a student in Teter Quad receiving oral sex.\n"I don't feel it's porn," Keira said. "You can call it an adult site, but there's no intercourse or oral sex. There's not anyone else in the pictures with me. I'm not even fully nude."\n-- Contact senior writer Chris Freiberg at wfreiber@indiana.edu.
(04/06/04 4:58pm)
Like many IU freshman, Keira has a job to help pay for school. Unlike most freshman, her job involves taking her clothes off in front of a camera.\nKeira is the star of www.teenkeira.com, an adult Web site hosted by the webmaster Orange Image, which features topless and semi-nude pictures of her in a dorm room and shower inside Briscoe-Shoemaker. The Web site provides access to photos and Keira's journal for $24.95 per month.\nKeira agreed to be interviewed for this article on the condition that we use the name she is known as on her Web site. \nDean of Students Richard McKaig said his office is investigating whether there is unauthorized use of the University's name or space on the site.\n"We don't know yet if (the site) is associated with IU," McKaig said. "Lots of things students do do not always reflect on the University."\nKeira's real name is not being used because the investigation has not gone public.\nKeira said she has not yet been contacted by any University officials.\n"Lewd, indecent or obscene conduct" on University property is against the student code of conduct. It is under this precedent students who participated in an adult film in October 2002 were disciplined by the University. \nIn the fall 2002 incident, actresses from the pornographic film company Shane Enterprises were allowed access to Teter Quad in exchange for oral sex.\nIU could not take action against Shane Enterprises because no IU logo appeared in the film. Although there are no logos on Kiera's site, she poses in her room with the words "IU campus" in view from the emergency map on the door.\nMcKaig said he could not reveal the names or disciplinary actions faced by students in that incident but said the investigation into Keira's site "may play out the same way."\nConsequences for violating the code of ethics can range from probation to expulsion.\nKeira, who has a steady boyfriend who takes the pictures appearing on the site, said she launched the site about three weeks ago upon his suggestion. She said it helps her pay for college and family expenses.\n"It kind of helps pay for school and living next year," Keira said. "My mom and dad are divorced, and my mom has had a lot of medical problems and hasn't been able to work. Money helps pay for everything like family things -- money-wise, it makes very good money."\nKeira said her parents know about the site and have come to accept her career.\n"It's one of those things -- they were shocked at first but realized I'm doing it for money and things that will help me through school," she said.\nAs word of the site has spread around campus, Keira has become something of a minor celebrity.\n"I've had e-mails and messages and things like that, but nothing bad or stalker-wise," she said. "Just like, 'Hey I liked (the site) or I'm an IU student. Give me a call,' and they leave numbers. I've had people call and ask if they can take pictures with me." \nIt is against University policy to host a site on the network for commercial use, but Chief Information Security and Policy Officer Mark Bruhn confirmed the site does not use a University IP address.\n"If a site like that is on an IU network device, whoever is maintaining that site will be asked to take it down," Bruhn said.\nReaction to the site was mixed in Briscoe-Shoemaker, where some pictures were taken.\n"If it's keeping her in school, I don't think people should judge her just because she's using porn to provide funds," sophomore Endy Obianozie said. "We're all adults. Everyone knows what porn is. I think she has the right to do what she wants."\nSophomore Val Glysson said she was surprised about the site, but not surprised the pictures were taken in Briscoe because "there's a lot of freshmen here and not a lot of supervision."\nBut Glysson fears more pornographic activity on campus could give the school a bad reputation.\n"I don't think there should be pictures of people doing things like porn on University property," she said. "I think it gives the University a bad name."\n-- Contact senior writer Chris Freiberg at wfreiber@indiana.edu.
(04/02/04 6:06am)
The new OneStart registration program could be the last stop for the Indiana Student Public Interest Research Group. \nSince 1997, INPIRG has had an agreement with the University that it must obtain a $5 pledge from 10 percent of the student body each semester to remain on campus. These pledges are obtained through in-person events throughout campus. With the Legacy System, which IU is abandoning next fall, pledges are checked against a database of enrolled students and those who pledged are billed by the Office of the Bursar.\nINPIRG is the only organization that uses this system. Proposals to keep INPIRG on campus could include a flat fee of under $1, though the board of trustees would have to approve it. \nWith the institution of PeopleSoft's new system, it could take up to 18 months to put a similar system in place for INPIRG, said Damon Sims, assistant vice chancellor of student affairs and associate dean of students.\n"The bottom line is that INPIRG would liked to be moved to the front of the line when they're at the end of it," Sims said, "and everybody wants to get their things done too."\nIn the meantime, INPIRG has been offered "optional check-off," which would give students the ability to check off a box to donate money to the group at registration. INPIRG has thus far rejected the offer.\n"INPIRG is a big idea that involves money issues, social issues and the environment and the idea of students having a bigger voice beyond the campus," said Megan Foster, INPIRG's campus organizer. "The idea of that having to be boiled down to a little box is just terrible. We need to get out there and have face-to-face conversations." \nSophomore Katie Wilkinson, INPIRG vice-board chair, argues the check-off system will not work for the group in the same way it does for other organizations who use it, such as IU Dance Marathon and the IU Rape Crisis Fund.\n"It's more obvious what those are," Wilkinson said. "If you want to give them money, you pretty much know beforehand."\nSims said there is no evidence INPIRG won't be able to obtain its 10 percent goal through optional check-off.\nINPIRG offered to provide its own programmers to write new code into the PeopleSoft system, but the idea was rejected because of security concerns. Dropping the 10 percent requirement has also been brought up, but Wilkinson said at least that much is needed just for operational costs.\nINPIRG hopes to have a solution to the problem before students begin registering, though Bursar bills are not sent out until July.\nWilkinson said the group has enough money saved up to stay on campus through at least next semester while it continues to search for a solution.\n-- Contact senior writer Chris Freiberg at wfreiber@indiana.edu.
(03/30/04 6:22am)
University of Michigan professor of modern Middle-Eastern history Juan Cole spoke Monday night at Ballantine Hall and heavily criticized the Bush administration's "War on Terror."\n"The War on Terror is a misnomer," Cole said. "Terror is a technique. You can't make war on a tactic."\nCole, in his lecture, 'The War on Terrorism and Islam in Bush administration policy,' said the war in Afghanistan following the 2001 terror attacks was under-funded and could have used more special operations officers.\nHe also criticized the Bush administration's handling of the War in Iraq, saying he could not see any reasoning for it since no weapons of mass destruction have been discovered in the country.\n"Iraq posed no danger to the United States -- everyone in Washington (D.C.) must have known that," Cole said. "What bothered me was when Bush started talking about the atomic stuff. The idea of Saddam Hussein with nukes is pretty scary. He's not a nice man, and he's a little flaky. It turns out there hasn't been a nuclear program since the 80s. The whole thing was a fraud."\nCole, who has written four books on the Mideast and toured the region several times, also warned current policy is spreading Muslim extremism.\n"Iraq was a rather nasty one- party state, but it was secular," he said. "It seems clear to me that if elections were held there today religious groups would sweep to power."\nCole went on to call the idea Iraq can be "Americanized" in the coming months "the worst black eye for democracy since the Reichstag fire."\nThose with Mideast connections, such as freshman Tariq Harani, who often travels with his family to Syria, said Cole's lecture was accurate but would have been considered "scathing" by many in the region.\n"Usually you find people who are experts are not familiar with people behind the scenes, such as the ayatollahs and mullahs," Harani said. "The Arab world, though, would have found his words to be scathing because of (his) criticism of the way the governments there are run."\nOne of the major problems with the way the U.S. is viewed in the Middle East is the longstanding support for Israel, Cole said, calling the occupation in the West Bank "illegal."\nCole is currently on a list of allegedly biased professors on the pro-Israeli Web site www.campus-watch.org.\nJunior Andrew Allred said he believed Cole gave a "modest criticism" of the Israel-Palestine conflict.\n"He's merely making the point that the occupation is illegal under international law," Allred said. "Israel has used brutal tactics, but so have the Palestinians. You can't pick one side over the other."\n--Contact staff writer Chris Freiberg at
(03/26/04 5:40am)
Sophomore Samprati Kenny Lalwani attended the lecture by Shashi Tharoor, the United Nations under-secretary general for communications and public information, to get a book signed for his father but left with new-found pride in his Indian heritage.\n"I like the uniqueness of India and how different it is from every other country in the world," said Lalwani, who has made several trips there. "It's really representative of every culture."\nTharoor made it clear in his opening remarks he did not come Thursday night to the Indiana Memorial Union as representative of the UN but as an Indian author discussing his latest book, "Nehru: The Invention of India," a biography of India's first prime minister.\n"That is important because it allows me to say certain things I might not as a UN official," Tharoor said.\nTharoor went on to discuss the incredible diversity in his home country. There are more than 80 languages spoken in India and over 20,000 dialects he said. Every major religion is practiced there.\n"It has been said that any truism about India can be immediately countered by another truism about India," Tharoor said. "It strikes many as chaotic, but India is not just a country, it is an adventure where everything is possible."\nIndia is on the cusp of changes, Tharoor said, that impact not just the one billion souls residing there, but the entire world.\n"Choices I make today will determine not just India for my children, but these choices will resonate around the globe," Tharoor said.\nTwo of the major challenges facing the country today are religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims and political corruption. Tharoor said fundamentalist Hinduism is merely an excuse for violence because there are no official leaders of the religion and no one specific text. \nHe also said while corruption in high office is a problem, committees set up to investigate are not afraid to indict officials and voters are quick to take action.\n"Re-election is becoming a rare thing in India," Tharoor said.\nThough there were many people of Indian descent in the audience, Union Board Director of Lectures and Seminars Lindsy Serrano said Tharoor's message of multiple cultures accepting one identity was applicable to others as well.\n"Where I grew up in Buffalo (N.Y.), it's a lot like that," Serrano said. "I could really identify with the idea of so many different cultures going back to claim one self."\n-- Contact senior writer Chris Freiberg at wfreiber@indiana.edu.
(03/24/04 5:36am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- The IU board of trustees held a statewide public forum on tuition at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis Tuesday afternoon.\nIU Vice President Judy Palmer outlined the proposed tuition increases for all eight IU campuses, noting each was under the 4 percent limit the Herbert administration had instituted.\nThe proposed increase for the Bloomington campus would raise tuition by $189.60 for in-state undergraduate students enrolled before summer 2003, as well as add a $30 mandatory fee for a total increase of 4 percent. In-state undergrads enrolled after the spring 2003 would pay an additional $229.60, as well as the mandatory fee, for a total increase of 4 percent.\nTuition for out-of-state students would be raised 6 percent under the proposal.\nIn-state graduate students would also be subject to a 4 percent tuition hike, while tuition for non-resident graduate students would be raised based on their specific programs.\n"We believe this proposal will allow us to maintain IU's educational quality and accessibility, and we believe it is sensitive to economic challenges facing students and parents," Palmer said.\nGov. Joe Kernan praised IU for attempting to keep tuition low.\n"We need to recognize the economic challenges we face in the state of Indiana and all over the country in the past few years have put a particular burden on families as they are striving to make sure their children have the kinds of opportunities IU has to offer and that they can afford them," Kernan said. "(IU) plays a critical role in educating young people who come from Indiana and from all over the world. The quality there continues to make it a place that people want to go to get an extraordinary education."\nRepeatedly, Palmer's proposal spoke about the need to attract and retain outstanding faculty and staff and cited this as part of the reason for the tuition increase.\nCurrently, IU ranks seventh in the Big Ten in average salaries for professors.\nEarlier this month, the Lilly Endowment announced $100 million in grants for Indiana schools to attract better faculty. But IU President Adam Herbert said this will have no effect on tuition.\n"If we are successful in developing a proposal the Endowment accepts, those funds would be used to further enhance the quality of the institution," Herbert said. "The tuition plan that is before the board speaks to the continuing operation of the campuses."\nIU Student Association President Casey Cox said with the institution of the Commitment to Excellence Fee this year, there was little reason for a large tuition increase. The Commitment to Excellence Fee added a mandatory $1,000 fee to the tuition of all incoming freshmen and transfer students.\n"From a student point of view, trying to gage rises in tuition and academic excellence is difficult," Cox said. "But I think this proposal does a good job of keeping tuition and fees as low as possible."\nThe board of trustees is expected to vote on tuition increase at its next meeting April 2 at IU-Southeast.\n-- Contact senior writer Chris Freiberg at wfreiber@indiana.edu.
(03/04/04 5:00am)
Never underestimate children in a battlefield. That's the conclusion I've come to after playing 11-year-olds in laser tag and losing. No, not just losing -- being completely annihilated.\nI would crouch to avoid getting hit. They would get lower and take me out. I would tag one and two would deactivate me. I'd try to get help from my roommate Rick Strohl, but he couldn't do anything either because they would follow him around, constantly deactivating him. Finally I ended up crouching down, aiming at whatever flashing lights I saw from the narrow view a cubby hole provided, and hoping no little buggers would sneak up behind me.\nIn the end it wasn't even close. The two teams of 11-year-olds beat us and two girls from Bloomington High School South by more than 31,000 points each to our pathetic total of 15,000.\n"The little kids just keep moving everywhere," says Molly Pate, a sophomore at Bloomington South. "You just can't beat them. It was fun trying, though."\nThis is a typical Friday night at LazerLite, 4505 East 3rd St. The owner, Susie Wolfgong, even warned us beforehand.\n"The little kids win because they're shorter and you don't see them," she says. "The big people get pretty mad sometimes."\nLazerLite is not new to Bloomington. It has been in the same location for more than four years, but Wolfgong still calls it "the best kept secret in Bloomington" since many people still don't know it exists.\nThe idea of LazerLite began with a simple question to Wolfgong's son when her family moved here from Virginia in 2000.\n"When we moved out here there wasn't a whole lot for my son Adam, the (then) 10-year-old, to do," she says. "The bowling alley was dirty and I didn't want him being a mallrat, so I asked him, 'What does Bloomington need?' And he said lazer tag."\nBefore opening, there were questions of how successful the business would be. The system used at LazerLite, composed of 21 vest and phaser combos, three bases and wall mines is just as ornate as lazer tag facilities in Indianapolis, but accommodating to a much smaller town. The system allows for more than 1,500 options when customizing a game.\nThat's not even mentioning the 3,300 square-foot jungle-themed playing field. Porous walls, boxes and pillars, all bathed in fluorescent light, provide plenty of opportunities for strategy. Blaring techno music and a subtle hazing effect add to the cool club atmosphere.\nThough the night I played it was against young, albeit very proficient, children, lazer tag is hardly a game only for kids.\n"The youngest birthday party we've had here was for a four-year-old, but the oldest birthday party we've had was for a 53-year-old," Wolfgong says. "There have been moms who have their kid's birthday party here then get a babysitter and come back here with their friends."\nLocal businesses have also begun holding stress-relief nights at the arena where the object is to tag the boss as many times as possible.\nWolfgong is actually trying to get more of the college crowd into the facility, most recently by reaching out to IU's Greek community.\n"I'd like to get the fraternities and sororities playing against each other, maybe even forming leagues," she says. "I think it would be a hoot to have them play against each other."\nThe important thing to realize about lazer tag is that it can be as simple or complex as the players want. For kids, there are the basic game types like trying to destroy the other team's base, or an every-man-for-himself-style free for all. For adults there's the popular and complicated VIP game where one player has a limited number of shots and bodyguards to protect him from opponents who keep having to reload at different stations.\nHowever, sometimes the simplest games are the most entertaining.\n"I usually like every-man-for-himself (style) because only you can control how many points you get," says longtime LazerLite employee Dan Hill. "No one else can drag you down or bring you up."\nAnd unlike other activities available on weekends in Bloomington, lazer tag is actually good for you.\n"We've had one regular, a big kid, who would come in every Monday since we opened and play six games and then play Dance Dance Revolution," Wolfgong says. "He's still a big kid, but now he's solid. You're always moving around in there. It's pretty healthy. We try to keep it cool at about 62 degrees but you can still come out of there dripping sweat"
(03/04/04 2:56am)
Never underestimate children in a battlefield. That's the conclusion I've come to after playing 11-year-olds in laser tag and losing. No, not just losing -- being completely annihilated.\nI would crouch to avoid getting hit. They would get lower and take me out. I would tag one and two would deactivate me. I'd try to get help from my roommate Rick Strohl, but he couldn't do anything either because they would follow him around, constantly deactivating him. Finally I ended up crouching down, aiming at whatever flashing lights I saw from the narrow view a cubby hole provided, and hoping no little buggers would sneak up behind me.\nIn the end it wasn't even close. The two teams of 11-year-olds beat us and two girls from Bloomington High School South by more than 31,000 points each to our pathetic total of 15,000.\n"The little kids just keep moving everywhere," says Molly Pate, a sophomore at Bloomington South. "You just can't beat them. It was fun trying, though."\nThis is a typical Friday night at LazerLite, 4505 East 3rd St. The owner, Susie Wolfgong, even warned us beforehand.\n"The little kids win because they're shorter and you don't see them," she says. "The big people get pretty mad sometimes."\nLazerLite is not new to Bloomington. It has been in the same location for more than four years, but Wolfgong still calls it "the best kept secret in Bloomington" since many people still don't know it exists.\nThe idea of LazerLite began with a simple question to Wolfgong's son when her family moved here from Virginia in 2000.\n"When we moved out here there wasn't a whole lot for my son Adam, the (then) 10-year-old, to do," she says. "The bowling alley was dirty and I didn't want him being a mallrat, so I asked him, 'What does Bloomington need?' And he said lazer tag."\nBefore opening, there were questions of how successful the business would be. The system used at LazerLite, composed of 21 vest and phaser combos, three bases and wall mines is just as ornate as lazer tag facilities in Indianapolis, but accommodating to a much smaller town. The system allows for more than 1,500 options when customizing a game.\nThat's not even mentioning the 3,300 square-foot jungle-themed playing field. Porous walls, boxes and pillars, all bathed in fluorescent light, provide plenty of opportunities for strategy. Blaring techno music and a subtle hazing effect add to the cool club atmosphere.\nThough the night I played it was against young, albeit very proficient, children, lazer tag is hardly a game only for kids.\n"The youngest birthday party we've had here was for a four-year-old, but the oldest birthday party we've had was for a 53-year-old," Wolfgong says. "There have been moms who have their kid's birthday party here then get a babysitter and come back here with their friends."\nLocal businesses have also begun holding stress-relief nights at the arena where the object is to tag the boss as many times as possible.\nWolfgong is actually trying to get more of the college crowd into the facility, most recently by reaching out to IU's Greek community.\n"I'd like to get the fraternities and sororities playing against each other, maybe even forming leagues," she says. "I think it would be a hoot to have them play against each other."\nThe important thing to realize about lazer tag is that it can be as simple or complex as the players want. For kids, there are the basic game types like trying to destroy the other team's base, or an every-man-for-himself-style free for all. For adults there's the popular and complicated VIP game where one player has a limited number of shots and bodyguards to protect him from opponents who keep having to reload at different stations.\nHowever, sometimes the simplest games are the most entertaining.\n"I usually like every-man-for-himself (style) because only you can control how many points you get," says longtime LazerLite employee Dan Hill. "No one else can drag you down or bring you up."\nAnd unlike other activities available on weekends in Bloomington, lazer tag is actually good for you.\n"We've had one regular, a big kid, who would come in every Monday since we opened and play six games and then play Dance Dance Revolution," Wolfgong says. "He's still a big kid, but now he's solid. You're always moving around in there. It's pretty healthy. We try to keep it cool at about 62 degrees but you can still come out of there dripping sweat"
(03/03/04 5:59am)
The Bloomington Faculty Council approved revisions to the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct for the first time in seven years at a meeting Tuesday in Ballantine Hall.\nThe revised code, along with changes suggested by the seven other IU campuses, will now go to a first reading by the University Faculties Council March 9.\nThe BFC approved the code 28-1, with 14 members abstaining.\nAmendments to the code proposed after the first reading last month included clarifications of the harassment policies and a rule explicitly against intimidating or threatening those involved in the judicial policy.\nSome on the council were worried students are to be held accountable for their "verbal conduct" by the new policy.\n"If someone finds speech offensive, that doesn't mean it's harassment," business Professor Eric Rasmusen said.\nAssociate Professor of Telecommunications Herb Terry took issue with the 96-page code itself by presenting a copy of the University of Michigan's seven-page student code.\n"We have created a monster here in terms of unintelligibility," Terry said. "(The Michigan code) does everything ours does, but it doesn't require a lawyer to interpret it. It is written with style in words an undergraduate can understand. I seriously hope the draft committee takes that into consideration."\nThe BFC also approved a resolution from the library committee regarding the rising cost of serials and databases.\nThe resolution encourages faculty to support publishers that allow open access and charge lower prices.\nSome periodicals, such as "The Journal of Phonetics," have raised their prices by more than 200 percent in a year, said Chair of the Library Committee Harold Ogren.\nHe also said IU has received more funding than other schools to pay for the rising cost of these publications but more long-term solutions, such as the resolution, are needed.\nDean of Graduate Studies John Slattery supported the idea of faculty publishing for open access journals.\n"Publishers hold us hostage to our pecking order of prestige," Slattery said. "What matters is the quality of work, not the journal that publishes it. I think we need to take that card from the publishers. We have to radically change our strategy."\nThe BFC was also scheduled to hear an update on the peer-to-peer file sharing policy but was unable to because of time constraints.\nThat policy will be reviewed at the next meeting, scheduled for March 23.\n-- Contact senior writer Chris Freiberg at wfreiber@indiana.edu.
(03/02/04 4:12am)
The Lilly Endowment just gave students 100 million more reasons to go to school in Indiana.\nThe Indianapolis-based organization announced a $100 million grant program last week to improve higher education in the state.\nLilly intends these grants to be used for improving faculty at state and private schools and, thus, to attract students with higher grades in an effort to stop Indiana's so-called "brain drain."\n"As with many of our grants, we expect this one to have leveraging effect for colleges and communities," said Gretchen Wolfram, Lilly Endowment communications director. "For a long time now, we've felt some of the more exciting things in the country are happening on college campuses, and we would like Indiana to be on the forefront of those actions."\nThe average salary of professors at Indiana schools is usually lower than at other midwestern schools, Wolfram said, which discourages many from accepting positions at Hoosier colleges.\nThe $100 million has not yet been allocated, leaving it up to the schools to send in proposals for grants. Lilly will not accept any grant proposals from schools until April but is already optimistic.\n"We're just waiting to see what the colleges come up with," Wolfram said. "I'm sure it will be based on their strengths so that they can make them even stronger."\nIU-Bloomington Interim Chancellor Ken Gros Louis said IU will apply for a grant but the details of the plan were not yet known.\nIt is unlikely, however, that any grant IU might receive from Lilly will have an effect on rising tuition or fees, Gros Louis said.\n"I don't know the details yet, of course, but in reading the full plan, I don't think that defraying tuition expenses would fit the guidelines," Gros Louis said.\nSince 1996, the Lilly Endowment has given almost $1 billion to higher education in Indiana, which Lilly says is necessary for the future of the state.\n"I can't stress the importance of higher education in Indiana enough," Wolfram said. "Without it, the future of education, the future of the economy and the future of quality life in Indiana doesn't look very bright. The state needs this right now."\nAt least one state faculty leader is wary of Lilly's latest grant program.\n"I'm a little nervous it could start creating a two-tiered faculty system where you have superstars at one level and everybody else below that," Kizhanipuram Vinodgopal, an IU-Northwest professor and president of the state chapter of the American Association of University Professors told The Associated Press.\n-- Contact senior writer Chris Freiberg at wfreiber@indiana.edu.
(03/01/04 5:52am)
IU President Adam Herbert has appointed a graduate school task force to re-evaluate graduate education at the University for the first time in 15 years, according to an e-mail sent to faculty late last week.\n"So much has changed at the University since then that a reassessment of the philosophy, structure and administrative processes of our graduate education programs is essential," the e-mail stated. "An optimally designed and well-functioning structure for the oversight of graduate education is fundamental to our ability to attract and retain outstanding faculty."\nIn his e-mail, Herbert specifically charged the task force with finding the proper administrative structure for the graduate school, more effective ways of communicating with graduate programs at other campuses and identifying emerging challenges to graduate education at the University.\nDean of Graduate Studies John Slattery, who will serve on the task force, said the group has been formed to review decisions by former IU President Myles Brand.\n"President Herbert is reviewing such decisions, (and) in this case, he is asking what responsibilities should be assigned to the graduate school and to whom it should report," Slattery said.\nJournalism School Dean Trevor Brown, who will chair the task force, is looking to get a wide variety of opinions on graduate education at the University.\n"I want to be sure that as many people as possible in the University-wide community who are involved in graduate education have an opportunity to communicate to the task force their thoughts and concerns in response to the charge President Herbert has given the task force," Brown said.\nHe said the task force was not far enough along in its work to identify any of the challenges facing the graduate school, but Slattery identified low assistant instructor compensation and low fellowship amounts as two of the more pressing problems.\n"There are (also) broader issues about how it will best contribute to the climate for graduate study, support AIs in their duties and contribute most effectively to academic excellence at IU," Slattery said.\nPresident Herbert has asked the faculty to send their suggestions to the task force before March 12 and has requested a preliminary report by April 1 "to facilitate implementation actions ... so that we have time to share their conclusions with faculty governance, appropriate University officials and, as necessary, with the board of trustees," Herbert said. \n-- Contact senior writer Chris Freiberg at wfreiber@indiana.edu.
(02/26/04 5:39am)
The IU board of trustees will hold an abbreviated business meeting Friday in the Indiana Memorial Union.\nAt the top of the list of items to be approved is a new information science building for IU-Purdue University Indianapolis.\nThe proposed 95,000 square-foot building will feature a computing intensive environment, teleconferencing facilities and a 200-person auditorium. The building is expected to cost more than $42 million.\nAlso on the agenda are $2 million-a-piece energy savings projects for IU-Kokomo and IU-Southeast.\nThese projects will upgrade or replace wasteful electrical and water systems in older buildings on each campus.\nThough not up for approval, the board will also discuss updates to the current 10-year renovation plan for the Bloomington campus.\n"There are a lot of new projects to look over with the 10-year capital improvement plan," said Fred Eichhorn, president of the board of trustees.\nThese proposed projects include $8 million for the renovation of Franklin Hall, $28 million for the Main Library and $170 million for a new power plant, Eichhorn said.\nThe board is expected to vote on these initiatives at a future meeting.\nOutgoing IUSA president, senior Casey Cox, will address the board, as well. Cox will advise the board against adding an athletic fee to student tuition.\nThat idea was brought before the trustees last month as a way of alleviating the athletic department's annual $2 million deficit.\n"Our student commission to investigate athletics has met, and we have decided an athletic fee will not be in the best interests of the student body," Cox said. "Instead we are developing an incentive-based program based on points."\nCox will also recommend the board gauge student reaction regarding IUSA's proposed transportation fee, which would add an additional $30 to tuition if approved by the board of trustees later this year.\n"Students are concerned about the inequity existing between on and off-campus students," Cox said. "I urge the board to hear student testimony and review the past proposal for consideration this spring."\nFinally, while it is not on the agenda, there is a possibility IU President Adam Herbert will further comment on the mission differentiation e-mail he sent out earlier this week, which called for clearer mission statements from each of the University's seven campuses.\n"I don't know if he will, but I wouldn't be surprised if he does," IU Spokeswoman Jane Jankowski said.