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(10/17/00 5:44am)
At a coffee hour discussion at the Leo R. Dowling International Center Friday, guest speaker Rev. Reuben Keya Lubanga of Kenya gave his audience a glimpse into the realities of life half a world away in a rural region hundreds of miles from the modern capital city of Nairobi.\nLubanga spoke of villages without telephone lines, paved roads or a single library. Mostly, he told of the disease he said is destroying his homeland. He said an estimated 60 percent of residents in some rural districts are infected with HIV.\n"It is like we are living in two worlds," Lubanga said, referring to the cultural barrier between modern and antiquated views about HIV. He said at a time when technology and research is moving toward understanding the disease, some villagers still believe the virus is just a "bad omen" or a spiritual curse, he said.\nAn audience of 30 gathered to hear Lubanga discuss IU's Outreach Kenya Development Volunteers in partnership with the Kenyan nongovernmental organization Inter-Community Development Involvement. The group works to educate western Kenyan villagers on the transmission and prevention of HIV. \nLubanga said this unusual alliance began when he was a seminary student in Kenya. Part of the Christian tradition, he explained, is to take up a mission of faith. Lubanga said his realization of the devastation AIDS was causing in his community made his personal mission clear.\nHe obtained AIDS educational materials, including posters and a video, and set out to nearby villages. Because he didn't have a car, Lubanga walked as far as six to 10 miles to spread his message of prevention. Because he couldn't assume the villages would have a television for him to use, he used a large wheelbarrow to cart his own television -- and a generator to power it.\nMeanwhile in Bloomington, students Hank Selke and Philip Roessler were studying international affairs and reading in the New York Times about the African AIDS crisis. The two were so affected by what they learned that they decided they somehow needed to get involved in the fight against the disease.\n"(What I found) really opened my eyes," said Roessler, now a senior. "I decided, 'No matter how small, I'm going to do something.'"\nSelke and Roessler said they found a similar cause in the Kenyan program, and in 1998 they formed Outreach Kenya as a way for students to help fight AIDS. Each summer a small group of IU students has traveled to Kenya to spend their summers helping Lubanga spread the word about the disease.\nWhile in Kenya, the students lived with Lubanga, his wife, Betty, and their young children. Lubanga calls his student volunteers sons and daughters as well.\nStudents went to nearby villages to make presentations anywhere people would listen. With Lubanga translating into Swahili as necessary, the students spoke, handed out pamphlets and showed educational videos; they discussed the nature of the disease and safer sex as a preventative measure.\nIt was on the latter topic that they ran into major opposition.\n"The Jesuit church was wary of me speaking on AIDS because it is a sexually transmitted disease. They thought it would encourage promiscuity," Lubanga said. "It's frustrating knowing that 75 percent of the congregation is sexually active but doesn't know how to practice safe sex."\nLubanga explained that one of the main problems is the community's denial about the disease. There is a belief, he said, that a person's spirit will come back and guard over the community after his death. No one wants to admit that someone might have died of AIDS-related illness because the person's spirit would be tarnished. Lubanga said some villagers also believe a witch doctor is a viable answer to the problem.\nAlthough the biggest obstacles are cultural, funding at the grass-roots level is also a definite problem, Lubanga said.\nAlthough AIDS funding exists, Lubanga said it is not used correctly.\n"The funding goes to sponsoring seminars in fancy hotels for (representatives and officials) who don't have a minute to come back home," to use what they've learned, Lubanga said.\nDespite a lack of funding (the group was finally able to trade in the wheelbarrow for a used Isuzu Trooper -- with 250,000 miles on it -- last year) and the various social barriers, Lubanga said he knows his efforts have been successful. By the end of 1999, Lubanga estimated the program had reached more than 15,000 people.\n"It's still something that needs a lot of support," he said. \nWhen AIDS awareness groups or women's groups sprout up in villages where he's spoken, Lubanga said, he knows what he's doing has made a difference.\nJunior Katie Dillard is a member of Outreach Kenya Development Volunteers and participated in the summer 2000 trip. Dillard said she was impressed with how welcoming most of the villagers were.\n"One time I went into a bank and a guy asked me if I was with Rev. Lubanga's group. I said yes, and he said how thankful he was and asked me over for dinner."\nJunior Alanna Galati also took part in the summer 2000 trip. She said the experience goes beyond a simple desire to help others.\n"I feel a moral obligation," Galati said. "I just feel like they need my help the only way for me to be able to live my life and not feel guilty is for me to go there and do this."\nLubanga will be at IU for two more weeks and will visit cities on the East coast before returning to Kenya.
(10/11/00 5:27am)
At the IU Libertarians meeting Monday night, graduate student Erin Hollinden explained why voters might want to turn from the Democratic and Republican parties and vote Libertarian. She said voting Libertarian means voting with conscience, common sense and with the Constitution.\nHollinden, president of IU Libertarians and chair of the Libertarian party of Monroe County, urged students to look beyond the Republican and Democratic parties for leadership in the 21st century. The 2000 Libertarian presidential candidate is Harry Browne.\nNoting that critics have described this year's Presidential race as a choice between two evils, Hollinden said, "Voting for one of two evils is still evil."\nAbout 25 people attended the introductory meeting. Although the Monroe County Libertarian party has been around for several years, an IU-specific Libertarian group has existed only on an off-and-on basis, largely dependent upon graduation of its leaders. Freshman Leanne Dodge is coordinating this new group.\nThe meeting introduced students to Libertarian ideas, which center around personal and economic liberties. The Libertarian platform supports free trade, private rather than government control of property, repeal of drug laws and elimination of social security.\nThe main idea behind this third party's philosophy is that the United states will manage itself best when individuals are left to make all their own decisions. According to an official national Libertarian party pamphlet, "Government's only role is to help individuals defend themselves from force and fraud."\nJunior Adrian Bisson said an example is how Libertarians treat environmental questions. He said individuals treat their own property better than they treat public property, so federally-held lands should be sold as private property. "You don't go out and throw garbage on your own lawn," he said. "But national parks and forests are some of the most polluted places in the country."\nDodge said she wants to focus her efforts on informing students about this and other libertarian issues, rather than on electing candidates this year. The first mass meeting of IU Libertarians will not be until after the Nov. 7 elections.\n"What Erin is doing for the party in Monroe County (in terms of educating voters), we want to do here," she said.\nDodge said she found the party on her own by word-of-mouth and through Internet sites. The emphasis on private interests most attracted her to libertarianism.\n"I realized that some of the (two major parties') platforms are somewhat contradictory," she said. "For example, Republicans advocate small government, but not individual freedoms, and vice-versa for the Democrats."\nDodge, a 2000 graduate of Bloomington High School South, said she decided to coordinate a student Libertarian group because she "wanted to see an avenue for people to learn on campus." Dodge contacted Hollinden, who gave full support, and IU Libertarians was born.\nThe reactions to her new political effort have been mixed. In trying to tell others a little of what libertarianism is all about, Dodge said, "I get some people who laugh and think I'm insane and others who realize there's some truth in my ideas."\nBut Dodge said she's optimistic about the party's future on campus. Tired of relying on only two options in government, Dodge will vote for Libertarian candidates with whom she honestly agrees and said she thinks that after others hear about the common-sense policies of Libertarians, they'll do the same.\nTo other student voters, Dodge advises, "Vote for the candidate in November who best represents your views, whether it's the popular candidate or not"
(10/11/00 5:23am)
Senior Nate Wolf said he loves politics so much he almost put his last semester at IU on hold to work on a third-party presidential campaign.\nWolf, a fine arts and political science major, spent his summer in Washington, D.C., helping Green Party candidate Ralph Nader in his bid for the presidency. The experience, Wolf said, was a culmination of his journey toward the Green party. When the summer ended, Wolf made a difficult decision to leave his new city and come back to Bloomington.\nBut he hasn't left his party. Wolf said he saw the opportunity to form an active Green group on campus, and after a few planning meetings, IU Greens held its first meeting Sunday night.\nIn fact, Wolf added, establishing a solid grassroots base, might be even more important in the long run than building the national party.\n"If you build a strong national group, but then you lose the election and don't have support at the local level, that's it," he said. "We want to build up on campus and bring up our issues. We want to let people know that we exist here, now, and that (the Green party) is here to stay."\nWolf's decision to become active in the Green party stemmed from his frustration with Democrats and Republicans, who, he said, are taking more central positions to win votes. But by doing so these politicians alienate voters who advocate traditional Democratic or Republican stances and those who place themselves toward the edges of the political spectrum.\n"I've always believed there are more than two parties in a political system," Wolf said. He summarized the Green party by saying "it's a party that stands for reform to make government responsive, to uplift our values in the environment and to change government so it respects individuals more than private corporations."\nWolf said he supports Nader because Nader has brought to the forefront of his platform those issues that other groups have cast aside. Consumer rights, freedom to unionize and public financing of elections are high on Nader's platform. According to www.votenader.org, Nader has a 45-year history of consumer advocacy and has published such books as "Taming the Giant Corporation," "The Frugal Shopper" and "Who's Poisoning America."\nWolf maintains that votes for third party candidates, even if they aren't enough to elect a candidate, can force the government to respond better to its citizens. He noted that some Democrat voters have said they would like to vote for Nader but fear that a vote for third-party candidates would only take a vote away from the Democratic or Republican candidates with whom they usually side and who are more likely to win.\nWolf said everyone benefits from votes for a third party because members of that party receive more media attention, and the party that lost votes to it is forced to re-evaluate its positions and take a more inclusive stance on issues.\nWolf addressed criticism by right-wing conservatives that his party is nothing more than a bunch of environmentalist radicals. Junior Christopher Baltes, who classifies himself as a conservative though not an extremist, said he doesn't support third parties because they're often fighting for a "lost cause."\nWolf said he disagreed.\n"People like to paint a bad view of something that's hurting their interest and make it look insignificant," he said.\nWolf said environmental responsibility is one of the cornerstones of the Green party but that it has matured over the years and now encompasses a variety of consumer and business accountability issues.\nRegarding the future of the Green party at IU, Wolf said he hopes to get involved in organized debates with other campus political organizations and to make students aware of the Green party option by holding regular meetings. Some students are headed to Chicago this week for a Nader rally, and others are traveling to St. Louis next week to protest the nationally televised debates in which Nader is not allowed to participate. Wolf said after the election he hopes IU Greens can take up other Green causes, such as discussions on the corporatization of the University.\n"(Ultimately) you're not going to get involved unless it's something you believe in," Wolf said. "For me, I don't want to be told, 'Well, you believe these things, but this is the best you're going to get out of your representatives and candidates."
(10/09/00 5:29am)
High school bands pounded out their school songs, an Elvis impersonator swiveled his hips atop the back of a pickup truck and boy scouts and youth cheerleaders tossed out Tootsie Rolls. In fact, as far as small-town parades go, Sunday's annual Bloomfield Apple Festival parade was missing only one element: apples. \nThe parade, which started at Bloomfield High School and wound through the downtown area for about a mile, showcased politicians more than produce. Joining the local marchers were Congressman John Hostettler (R-8th), Democratic challenger Dr. Paul Perry and Congresswoman Peggy Welch (D-60th). \nIU College Republicans and College Democrats members also braved the cold temperature and threatening skies to march alongside their candidates. The groups turned out in full red-and-white and blue-and-yellow gear and handed out political stickers to anyone who would accept one. \nStudent supporters and campaign aides said the casual atmosphere of parades allows residents to get to know candidates from both parties on a personal basis. \nBut the messages in Bloomfield Sunday were not new, with Republicans touting their platform of smaller government and Democrats promising their candidates would do more to help public schools. But candidates and students alike said they welcomed the opportunity to take part in the Bloomfield Apple Festival parade. \nSophomore April Gonzales, a College Democrats marcher, said, "It's the hometown, grassroots things that help show people that (Perry) is a real person."\nNo media cameras flashed and no law enforcement officers in sunglasses guarded the candidates along this small-town parade route. The candidates for once didn't have the pressure of making a speech; they simply walked and waved, smiled and shook hands. \nThe parade itself seemed like a trip back to America of the 1950s, as cherry-red Ford Mustangs, bright orange Chevy Bel-Airs and John Deere tractors honked their way through the town. A man on an early 1900s-style bicycle, complete with American flags attached to the spokes, led political marchers. The parade featured an Apple Festival Queen who carried a red plastic scepter with an apple on top, the only apple actually present at the parade.\nCollege Republicans and Democrats agreed that activities such as parade marching are a chance to become involved in, and possibly influence, politics outside the "Bloomington bubble." \nSophomore Jamie Honigman, a member of College Democrats, said it's important for students to become involved in the community and to be aware of the people who will be "laying down pavement" for the future.\n"I think we're at such a ripe age for election time right now," she added. "Why not be involved with what's going on"
(10/05/00 4:35am)
Like computers? Like business? Like Tibet? \nAnyone who answered yes to those three questions has an open invitation from the national outreach organization Students For Change to join a new series of international technology development programs.\nOrganized in 1998 by a California State University master's student, Students For Change is an IRS-recognized nonprofit organization that seeks to eliminate the "digital divide" in underdeveloped nations. In Jan. 2001 a group of SFC members will travel to Nepal (a small country between China and India) to help inhabitants of a Tibetan refugee settlement learn computer and small-business skills.\nFor IU students, access to information from across campus or across the globe is just a Alt-Control-Delete away. But this is not true in Nepal, where computer use is mainly restricted to tourists who use the ones found in city cybercafes. \nRobyn McClintock, the group's founder and chief executive officer, studied in Nepal for her master's degree in conflict resolution. She said she found an interest in computer and Internet usage among Nepalese villagers but noted that lack of hardware and little computer training stunted technology development.\nAs a result of her findings, McClintock, who has also worked with Native American communities, came up with a plan to gather willing students to teach villagers how to use donated computer equipment.\nUltimately the program's goal is to translate computer skills into interior development projects that will create economic growth. The first outreach trip took place earlier this year.\nStudents For Change is recruiting students from universities that offer business and computer science majors -- including IU. McClintock said she is eager to hear from IU students, especially those focusing on international business, computer information systems or telecommunications.\nInterested students can participate in the group's programs either in the field or at home via the Internet. Home volunteer positions are available in Web site development, public relations, student mentoring and other administrative tasks. Additionally, Students for Change accepts donations of hardware and software.\nStudents who would like to take part in the actual Nepal trip can find an application, due Nov. 1, at the group's Web site, studentsforchange.org. The application asks for three letters of recommendation, a student transcript, a statement of purpose and a brief autobiography.\nStudents For Change will select 10 students in November, and orientational culture, language and technology classes will be conducted over the Internet through early January. Departure for Pokhara, Nepal, will be Jan. 25, with a return date April 26. The estimated cost of the trip, including airfare, transportation, insurance, vaccinations, accommodations with a host family and technology expenses, is about $4,100.\nSenior Jeff Miller and junior Sarah Spigel said they agree that computer access and awareness throughout the world is vital.\n"I think it's very important (to teach people about technology)," Spigel said. "You can find anything on the Internet, you can find people, everything's out there"
(10/04/00 5:10am)
Activism in local politics was the name of the game at Monday evening's College Republicans meeting. Second District City Councilman Jason Banach warned his politically curious young audience, "Don't think the entire city exists between Third and 17th Streets."\nBanach should know. During his senior year at IU in 1995 Banach focused his attention not on savoring every last college concert, athletic event or party, but on running a campaign for city office. In between classes and homework Banach went door-to-door to get out his name and his message of local politics, local control. \n"One thing you'll find out about the city council is they make a lot of decisions on things they have no control over," Banach said.\nAt age 22 Banach was the youngest city councilman in Indiana history. His district, which includes Briscoe, McNutt and Foster Quads, as well as the greek houses on North Jordan, re-elected him last year.\nThe meaning of his story, Banach said, was to encourage the 30 meeting attendees to step into the Bloomington political scene and to use that experience as a foundation for future public service.\nBanach also had his hosts to thank for his interest in politics and the success of his campaigns. \n"I could never have made it without the help of the College Republicans," Banach said.\nSenior Erin Botkin sat quietly and listened to Banach's speech. This was her first meeting of the year with College Republicans, although she walked in parades and handed out fliers with the group last year. Unlike Banach, Botkin has no plans for public office. But Botkin said she does support the ideals of the College Republicans, especially the strengthening of family values, and that belief led her to the meeting last night.\nMonday's meeting also highlighted opportunities for involvement in upcoming College Republicans events, including a protest of President Clinton's trip to Indianapolis Saturday in support of Julia Carson, and a meeting with Rep. John Hostettler Oct. 30.\nCollege Republicans President Anne Scuffham, a junior, said she's been impressed with the willingness of students to volunteer and the awareness in the community of local election races. Scuffham said, to her surprise, more students have wanted to go door-to-door than to march in local parades. She urged anyone curious about participating in College Republicans events to contact her or the College Republicans Web site at www.indiana.edu/~iugop/.\n"There's a whole gamut of places to be," said Scuffham. She added that College Republicans members have registered more than 600 students in recent weeks in the dorms and greek houses.\nWhen asked how she thinks Rep. John Hostettler's vote last week not to renew a series of federal laws, including the Violence Against Women Act (Hostettler was one of three to vote against renewal), will affect public reception of College Republicans' message, Scuffham said she hopes to clarify possible misconceptions about Hostettler by explaining the reasons for his vote.\n"I talked to him this weekend," Scuffham said, "because it's an issue to me, too. He said, 'You know, Anne, I vote to keep things back at the local level.'" \nScuffham said Hostettler told her he likely would have voted for the bill if it had been presented in the state government.\n"He voted consistently with his record (of supporting states' rights)," she said. "He's a very strict Constitutionalist."\nIn the next few weeks Scuffham said she is looking forward to continued classroom debates with members of the College Democrats, as well as the scheduled protest and parades.\n"We're just keeping everybody involved," she said, with a characteristic smile.
(09/29/00 5:25am)
United Way of Monroe County has a question for IU students and other Bloomington residents: can you do without one bottle of soda per week?\nVolunteers from area United Way agencies have a pointed reason for asking. That one-dollar sacrifice, made every week for a year, would pay to shelter a homeless parent or child for a month.\nThis "every little bit counts" message highlighted United Way's annual kickoff campaign Thursday in the Hoosier Room of Memorial Stadium. Nearly 250 volunteers, contributors and group board members attended the luncheon presentation, which both celebrated 1999-2000's record-breaking campaign and highlighted the goals for the 2000-2001 year.\n"(This is) a time for us together to invest in our community,\" said Barry Lessow, community campaign co-chair. "We are going to have a tremendous campaign."\nLast year they raised over $1.71 million for its area beneficiary agencies, which include Middle Way House for abused women and their children, Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Planned Parenthood of Greater Indiana and the Salvation Army.\nThis year's goal is $1.8 million.\nAlready the group has raised more than $133,000 through the Pacesetters program, in which local financial institutions raise funds to "set the pace" for other community groups for the year.\nLast year, IU broke its goal of $500,000, raising $541,000. IU's campaign chairs are Vice President of Public Affairs and Government Relations Christopher Simpson and University Counsel Dorothy Frapwell.\nFrapwell said one of the main goals for IU's campaign this year is to increase the number of individual contributors, rather than simply to increase the amount given. Simpson added, "we are committed very simply to do whatever it takes to reach our goals this year … we believe in the United Way."\nOne of the aspects of this year's campaign that organizers said they are most excited about is a new matching program by the Lilly Endowment. Lilly will match any contribution of $1,000 or more made by a family that has not previously donated that amount. Families that have donated more than $1,000 in past years will have their donations matched if they increase their donation by 20 percent.\nLessow and his fellow speakers emphasized that persons interested in donating have three options for directing their contributions. They can request on the donation form that the money be sent to a specific agency or agencies; request the money be sent to all but certain agencies of one's choice or request the money be sent to whichever agency is most in need.\nAdditionally, volunteers are always needed, said executive director of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program Liz Grenat. The group matches struggling or underprivileged youngsters with an older mentor, and is one of the more popular United Way agencies among IU student volunteers, Grenat said. Still, the average little brother waits two to three years before being paired with a big brother.\nA local Big Sister/Little Sister "success story" was featured as part of the luncheon. In 1990, then-graduate student Ruth Eberle became a big sister to seven-year-old LaTasha Lewis. Organizers of the match had described Lewis to Eberle as "feisty" and hoped that Eberle would be able to focus with Lewis enough to develop her seriously underdeveloped reading skills.\nTen years later, Lewis is a freshman at IU, having graduated with honors from Bloomington High School South a year early. Lewis's eyes welled and voice wavered when she described Eberle as "awesome" and thanked her for being a mentor and friend.\nAt Memorial Stadium Saturday night, a tent will be set up to recruit IU males for the Big Brother program. The goal is to sign up 25 new big brothers.\nAlso speaking at the event was senior Rachel Karess, who recently began an internship with United Way. Karess founded Life Goes On, an organ donor registration program at IU, after a good friend died while on an organ donation waiting list. Karess said that her experiences with Life Goes On and volunteering have led her to pursue a career in non-profit management.\n"Now I can say with a smile on my face that the organization I started is present on 15 campuses nationwide," she said.\nKaress, whose work as Life Goes On president and United Way intern is in addition to a full class load, balks at the protest of individuals who would say they don't have time to volunteer.\n"There is time … it's really about your attitude. And if you don't think there's enough time, you're not appreciating and taking advantage of the time you have."\nKaress said she would advise students to "find out what your passion is," and then turn that initiative into action. She added that most of what she's learned during her time at IU has come from "busting out of the Sample Gates"
(09/27/00 10:06am)
IU Students for Gore wants to change the perception that Indiana is a rock-solid Republican state.\nAnd the group is looking for as many IU students as possible to help.\nIU Students for Gore, created in August by a group of College Democrats, held its kickoff meeting Tuesday evening in the Sassafras Room of the Indiana Memorial Union. Eleven students were present for the event. \nThe group focuses educating students about Vice President Al Gore's position on campaign issues, said group vice president Tiffany Benjamin. \n"Maybe we can go to some of these debates and get out there and show that some people in Indiana actually do support Al Gore," Benjamin said.\nTreasurer Dan O'Neill, a junior, emphasized that Students for Gore's national focus doesn't mean the group's work ignores other election races.\n"By working for Gore, we're working for all Democratic candidates," he said.\nBenjamin, a junior, said she, O'Neill, and president Erin Moran, a senior, wanted to form an organization supporting Gore's campaign separately from College Democrats, in part because the presidential race is expected to be an extremely close one. \nStudents for Gore is planning a trip to local high schools to talk to seniors about candidates and their stances on various issues. Moran said she has received support from local teachers and now is looking to find Republican representatives to go with her to the schools.\n"Our whole point is outreach," Moran said. "We're hoping for any way we can spread the word."\nMoran also mentioned the possibility of having Gore's daughter Kristen come to speak on campus.\n"Whatever you guys want to do, feel free to talk to us," she said. "We're pretty low-key, and we welcome ideas."\nIn a few weeks members might be able to see the inner workings of a national campaign first-hand, as Students for Gore leaders are trying to coordinate a trip to Nashville, Tenn., to Gore's campaign headquarters.\nAfter the meeting, Moran reflected on her long-standing support of Al Gore.\n"I've been a Gore supporter since the beginning, since the Clinton years," Moran said. "I think he's the candidate for the majority of the country. I think that encouraging students to vote for Al Gore is in their best interest."\nMoran elaborated by saying she thinks Gore can represent the average American and best represents students, because he addresses the needs of college students specifically -- the need for grants and other tuition assistance.\nJunior Kal Mehta, treasurer for College Democrats and a new Students for Gore member, said he wants to help the Gore campaign because he supports Gore's position on the environment, gun control and education. Mehta said his goal is to "find out ways I can help students find out more. Most students on this campus haven't found out much about Bush or Gore."\nMehta and other Students for Gore members said they hope outreach through education might chip away at the Indiana Republican rock.
(09/21/00 5:45am)
Although junior Emily Sonenshine doesn't belong to a campus political party and doesn't work for any candidate's campaign, she took a few hours Tuesday and Wednesday to register a few hundred fellow students to vote. \nSonenshine, a member of the Indiana Israel Public Affairs Committee, worked the voter registration desk in the Union Commons area with other IIPAC members and members of College Republicans and College Democrats. More than 200 students registered Tuesday and Sonenshine estimated a similar number registered Wednesday.\nThe drive is likely to be one of the few times this semester that College Republicans and College Democrats will appear together for the same cause. IIPAC as an organization has not endorsed any candidates; its mission is to encourage development of positive U.S.-Israel relations.\nStudents who filled out the mail-in registration form will be able to vote for all Monroe County, Indiana and national candidates, regardless of where the students permanently live.\n"When students vote here, things are going to affect them here," Sonenshine said.\nJunior Nancy Steffan, a College Democrat from Wilmette, Ill., said she registered in Bloomington because, "I live here, and my vote in Indiana really does make a difference…the state races are really close, and (they) determine who will control the Indiana House."\nStudents who wish to vote in their home district's elections must obtain an absentee ballot. Interested students can register at election.com or at voter.com or find registration information through their local city council offices. The last day to register is Oct. 9.\nSonenshine and Matt Anderson, a sophomore, acknowledged that many students choose not to vote either because they feel uninformed about the candidates or don't think their individual vote will change the outcome of an election. \n"It's hard to get info from candidates," Anderson said. "And it's hard to be adequately informed when most of what you know comes from television news. They just don't have time to cover everything."\nStill, Anderson said students should take the time to educate themselves on the races. "If you don't vote, you automatically lose," he said.\nSonenshine added that candidates often don't focus their attention on younger generations of voters. But that won't stop her from going to the ballot box Nov. 7.\n"The more people who decide to be involved, the more things can happen," she said.\nJunior Jessica Roland said she was excited to vote in her first presidential election. "Politics are important…we're going to be out of college in a few years, and the things presidents decide will definitely impact us"
(09/19/00 5:19am)
The mood was one of enthusiasm and confidence at Wednesday night's call-out meeting of the IU College Democrats. The meeting had elements of a true campaign rally: guest speakers waving their candidates banners, a campaign volunteer drive and spirited talk about the Democrats' worst enemy.\nNo, they weren't referring to Republicans. \nThe major enemy this campaign year, as in any campaign year, is apathy, said state representative Mark Kruzan (D-Bloomington). One of the main themes of the meeting was encouraging the group to get out and register as many students as possible for the Nov. 7 election. \n"You all literally could influence the makeup of the United States Congress," Kruzan told the crowd of 55 students in Woodburn Hall. Kruzan noted that apathy among traditionally Democratic voters, including college students, led in some extent to the Democrats' loss of control of the House of Representatives in 1994.\n"We all have fought hard over the years for a lot of rights … those rights don't mean anything if we don't exercise them," Kruzan said.\nIt was a message that had junior Matthew Spivack nodding in agreement. This is Spivack's first semester in College Democrats. After working in Washington for the summer, Spivack said he was inspired to become more politically active in Bloomington. Spivack now helps out with Dr. Paul Perry's campaign against Republican congressman John Hostettler, making signs and calling local residents to make sure they'll vote in November.\n"If we want to say something in this election, we can," Spivack said.\nSpivack said Democrats address the concerns of young people and the community as a whole better than Republicans.\nIU College Democrats president and junior Cassidy Cloyd said students need to realize that state and local elections can impact students in a big way, especially with regard to education grants.\n"There have been people in Bloomington elected by four or eight votes," said Cloyd. "Everything below the national level people need to know about and vote on, too."\nCloyd said College Democrats will staff a local headquarters this fall, and will go door-to-door and participate in area parades. She added that IU College Democrats is working with the local Democratic party to get a major political figure or celebrity to come to campus.\nOne of the meeting's featured speakers, assistant to Gov. Frank O'Bannon's campaign John Zody, an IU alumnus, said his experiences with the diverse backgrounds and attitudes of IU students and permanent Bloomington residents helped develop his interest in politics.\n"Everything I know about politics comes from this city," Zody said. "So many people come (here) from all over the world for education, music and the arts, (and) it gets them interested. … I love being around people who want to be involved."\n Cloyd said she would like people to support the party for which she works, but to her that's not as important as the fight against that enemy of enemies ' apathy.\n "No matter whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, go out and register to vote ' maybe you think you don't make a difference in national elections, but you definitely have the power to affect the ones below," she said.
(09/12/00 6:19am)
The whole day had an eerie, foreboding feel to it.\n I awoke Sunday morning, as many students did, to find a light rain outside my window and thick, gray clouds that would only darken as morning turned to afternoon. I realized I had fallen asleep the night before with both my stereo and my light on. It was the kind of day when half of you wants to up-and-away, out of the confines of your room and campus, and the other half wants to just climb back under the safety of a bedspread.\n And, of course, neither I nor anyone else had any idea how much IU, Bloomington and in fact, the entire state would change in a matter of hours.\nMy parents had JFK's assassination, the March on Washington and Neil Armstrong's trip to the moon. Their parents had Pearl Harbor, D- and V-days and Franklin D. Roosevelt's death.\nI have The Day Bobby Knight Was Fired.\nAlong with Tiananmen Square, the fall of the Berlin Wall and a few select other dates, I have Sept. 10, 2000, as a "Where were you the day … ?" day.\nI heard about the infamous news conference on the radio around 11 a.m. The word shot through my dorm and around campus at light speed. In my TV-less room, I could only wonder for a moment how big this all was going to get, and then shrug and go about my day. I wrote a story for Monday's IDS; I did homework. In the quiet enclave of Teter, all seemed normal. It was, I suppose, my own little eye of the swiftly growing hurricane outside.\n I, the naive out-of-stater (just west of Chicago), was foolishly oblivious to the fact that a Napoleon-sized empire was toppling about me.\nI headed out to storm-watch with my own eyes about 7 p.m. What I saw, standing on Jordan Avenue across from the Musical Arts Center, stopped me mid-step. A helicopter hovered menacingly overhead. Sirens screamed. The deep gray of the skies had been replaced by a red glow and smoky clouds seemed to race up from the horizon, sweeping northward, as if all of southern Indiana was afire.\nIt looked like the Apocalypse.\nI joined a small group of people running down the drive to President Brand's House. All the lampposts that guide me along my normally peaceful walk to the heart of campus were dark. But torches blazed around a fuzzy outline of the president's house. I couldn't even get close enough to see the police. I made my way quickly to the newsroom.\nA newsroom in the middle of a crisis is a thing to behold. So-and-so was heading out to the riot. So-and-so just got back from Assembly Hall and was gaspingly recounting a story about people knocking lights and signs down. Sixteen empty pizza boxes were stacked high next to the garbage can. \nWithin the next hour the doors to Ernie Pyle Hall were locked because of safety concerns, a parade of protesters marched down Seventh Street and the editorial board took a vote on whether Knight's firing was fair. After heated debate, the vote came out: 12-11 that the firing was fair. \nI went back to my little computer station, shaking my head, and started calling random numbers on campus for student reactions. \nSophomore Aaron Smith gathered with five of his friends in his Ashton dorm room to follow the action. Smith said he was sympathetic to President Myles Brand's side of things. "I think (Brand) had several valid points," Smith said. "I think the stuff he was saying was reasonable and understandable. Knight crossed a variety of social barriers."\nSmith is from Washington, D.C. An out-of-stater like me ' which makes me wonder who's more nutso: the Knight fanatics who threatened to quit, transfer, withdraw support, etc., or we non-native Hoosiers, for not completely understanding or empathizing with what was going on.\nI got back to my room that night around 11, having finished all my interviews and writing. At the newsroom, reporters would toil into the morning hours to chronicle Knight's return to campus. I wondered if it was mere coincidence that Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust," burst through my stereo when I clicked it on. I fell asleep again with my stereo on, closing a day unlike any other day I had experienced at IU, or in my whole almost-two-decades on the planet, for that matter.\nSo … where were you the day Bobby Knight was fired?
(09/11/00 8:26am)
"If a man would move the world, he must first move himself," the classical philosopher Socrates is credited with having said. Friday afternoon outside Sycamore Hall the department of philosophy remembered three former faculty members who influenced others by first challenging themselves.\nAbout 60 people witnessed the dedication of memorials to Henry Veatch, K. Jon Barwise, and Hector-Neri Castaneda. Philosophy Chair Karen Hanson presided over the ceremony. Also among the attendees were IU President Myles Brand, Professor Emeritus Milton Fisk, Professor J. Michael Dunn, and Professor Paul Eisenberg.\nA pink dogwood tree was dedicated to Veatch; a beech tree to Barwise; and a bench to Castaneda. The red brick path that winds around the memorials and through the quiet Wells Quad now also features a series of granite inlays, each reading "Philosopher\'s Path, September 8, 2000."\nBefore dedicating the memorials, professors shared memories of their three honored colleagues.\n"One thing I remember about Henry Veatch is that he was a peacemaker," Fisk said. \nVeatch joined the department in the '30s, at a time when philosophy was "a very different entity" than it is now, Fisk said.\nDuring a period in which idealism was the prevailing philosophy, Veatch realized the importance of promoting a variety of approaches to philosophy. He sought to achieve a balance in the department between analytic and idealist thought. Veatch worked for over 30 years at IU, then spent several years at Northwestern and Georgetown Universities before returning to Bloomington.\nFisk said Veatch will be remembered as a world class researcher, a first-rate professor, and a first-rate citizen of the University.\nThe department also honored K. Jon Barwise for his research work. Barwise authored or co-authored 11 books and "prided himself in collaboration," Dunn said.\nBarwise worked with both graduates and undergraduates and helped develop a software program to teach students introductory logic. Dunn emphasized Barwise\'s commitment to service and noted Barwise served on various University committees. \n"His was a heart to have trouble saying no," Dunn said.\nCastaneda was remembered as a pioneer in the study of the history of philosophy of science. Eisenberg recalled that Castaneda, before his death in 1984, could often be seen around campus in a favorite t-shirt that featured Renaissance philosopher Galileo. Castaneda functioned as a mediator between the history and philosophy departments, Eisenberg said.\nGraduate philosophy student Joshua Shaw said he devoted part of his Friday afternoon to attending the ceremony because "it\'s important to come out and honor (the professors') memories." Shaw said during his freshman year, Barwise helped ease his concerns about the study of logic. Shaw said he would run into Barwise nearly every Friday at the City Lights movie series showings, where the two discussed philosophy at length.\nWhile Barwise, Veatch and Castaneda are recognized as intellectual leaders in their field, on Friday they were remembered just as much for their enthusiasm and concern for their colleagues and students at IU. For those who did not know these three professors, the Philosopher\'s Path, with its markers that reflect the rustling of the trees overhead, still invites introspection on how to move one's self.
(09/07/00 5:40am)
INDIANAPOLIS ' Thousands of Hoosiers gathered at an Indianapolis airport hangar Wednesday afternoon to see their hero of the new millennium. For a group of 25 IU students, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. \n"It was like heaven for me," said College Republicans President Anne Scuffham, a junior, of her brief encounter with Texas Gov. George W. Bush. "I felt like he was talking to me individually. It was like, 'Yes, George, what do you need me to do? What else can I help with?'"\nThe students, comprised of both die-hard Republicans and the conservative-curious, piled into their cars early Wednesday morning for a mini-road trip to greet Bush during his campaign stop in Indianapolis. Upon their arrival, the students adorned themselves with buttons and stickers and proceeded to take posts for handing out bumper stickers. A small and unglamorous effort it may have been, but knowing it was for the good of the Republican cause, the students were more than happy to help.\n"This is pretty awesome," said junior Jake Oakman. Oakman attended his first College Republicans meeting Tuesday evening and jumped at the chance to see the would-be president. \n"I like Bush," Oakman said. "I like his stances on a lot of the issues. I think he has integrity on a lot of the moral issues and ethics."\nA large youth contingent turned out, holding signs with such slogans as "Bush rocks" and "We love Dubya!"\nFor Oakman and the other attendees, the real fun began around 12:15 p.m., when state Republican candidates took their turns at the podium. The IU College Republicans were joined by their counterparts from Butler and Purdue universities, and all had a front and center spot for the action. The scene had all the color and spirit of a down-home Fourth of July parade ' or July's Republican National Convention, for that matter. Voices crescendoed with the fervor of a revival-style sermon and echoed to the hangar's back corners.\n"Al Gore stood in the rose garden of the White House and said Bill Clinton is one of the greatest presidents in American history. Do you believe that? Do you?" challenged speaker Mike McDaniel. \nThe governor himself arrived just after 1 p.m., to cheers that nearly drowned out recorded Gloria Estefan music. Giving his traditional speech of better managing the budget surplus, ridding Washington of Clinton-Gore scandals and "double-talk" and helping farmers and businesses, the CRs heard nothing new. But that mattered little to them. It was their man, W., the man who stands for all they hold important in government.\n"I thought the crowd response was phenomenal, and I thought he addressed his issues really well. Wow," Scuffham said, summing up the ultimate experience for the young Republican.
(08/31/00 5:01am)
Melanie Castillo-Cullather, director of IU's Asian Culture Center and a recent appointment to the Bloomington Human Rights Commission, could teach the thousands of anxious Hoosier newcomers a thing or two about adapting to change.\nThe tireless dedication Castillo-Cullather has shown in her work at the ACC stood out when it came time in July for Mayor John Fernandez to appoint someone to the seven-person Bloomington Human Rights Commission. Castillo-Cullather said she was honored to hear of her appointment, as it will give her new ways to be of service to the community. Castillo-Cullather has spent much of her energy for many years working for the community.\nIn 1993, the Philippines-born-and-raised Castillo-Cullather found herself faced with a relocation far from all the familiarities of home to Bloomington. It was a move she had never planned to make.\n"I was in shock," Castillo-Cullather said, laughing.\nCastillo-Cullather was working as cultural affairs director for the United States Information Service when her husband, Nick Cullather, received word that he had been accepted for a teaching position as a diplomatic historian at IU. Soon after, Castillo-Cullather left the beloved Philippine mountainsides she took pride in climbing.\nDescribing herself as one who always likes to keep busy, Castillo-Cullather was determined to continue her tradition of active community involvement in her new home. Having graduated with a degree in communication arts from the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Davao University in 1983, Castillo-Cullather expanded her leadership experience as an emcee for Davao's first locally produced television show. She then went on to work in the public relations office of a large Philippine department store before taking a job with the USIS.\nBut all her previous involvement did not completely prepare her for Bloomington. Castillo-Cullather tells of calling her mother back in the Philippines shortly after arriving at IU. \n"I said to her, 'Mom, there's nothing here for me,'" Castillo-Cullather explained. "And she told me, 'My daughter, you create your own opportunities.'"\nCastillo-Cullather acted on her mother's words. She signed up for volunteer work at the Leo R. Dowling International Center, 111 S. Jordan Ave., and the Bloomington Volunteer Network. She also served on the support staff at WTIU public television and worked at the African-American Cultural Center. \nIn 1995, Castillo-Cullather took on yet another role, as a mother, when she gave birth to daughter Isabel. Castillo-Cullather and her husband now have two children, with the addition of Joey to the family a year later. Her children, she said, have given her even more passion and inspiration in her work. \nCastillo-Cullather said her new community, for the most part, welcomed her. \n"I believe there is a majority of people (in Bloomington) concerned with the well-being of everyone," she said. \nBut Castillo-Cullather also encountered racism and discrimination. She hesitated to speak of these experiences because the memories are still painful and because she does not want to speak bitterly.\nYet her own painful awareness of racism propelled her to take an even greater role in fighting it. \nCastillo-Cullather became director of the ACC when it was formed in 1998. She set three clear goals for herself and for the ACC in general: service to students by making the ACC a welcoming home; outreach to the student body by creating programs that bring awareness to the Asian and Asian-American populations; and outreach to potential students and alumni.\nCastillo-Cullather said discrimination is a sad fact of life at IU and in Bloomington, but through cultural education and addressing stereotypes, students and citizens can help rid the community of racism.\n"The Jesuit priests in college taught us to speak up when we see an injustice around us," she said. "They knew that the choices you make lead you to where you are and who you will be."\nWhen asked how successful she feels the ACC and she have been in achieving the goals she set, Castillo-Cullather paused for a moment and answered "about halfway." \nThe ACC, she said, has certainly become a place where Asian and Asian-American students feel comfortable talking, studying and just "hanging out." \nAt nearly the same moment, a student called to her from the kitchen: "Melanie, come have lunch with us!" \n"In a minute!" Castillo-Cullather replied, smiling.\nJunior Jaime Loke, a member of the Asian American Association, said she often takes advantage of the relaxed environment of the ACC to do homework. \n"People are very friendly over there," she said.\nBut as satisfied as Castillo-Cullather is in the development of the ACC, she still has a major concern about the Asian and Asian-American populations at IU: their size. Castillo-Cullather said that during this school year, 850 Asian or Asian-American undergraduates will attend IU. While this is a 14 percent increase over the 1999-2000 school year, it is not high enough to qualify as having truly achieved diversity, she said.\nPart of the problem, Castillo-Cullather said, is that IU has not in the past considered Asian-Americans an underrepresented group. \n "It's a matter of including us in their recruitment efforts," she said. \n Castillo-Cullather said she appreciated the decision IU admissions officials made last year to allow representatives of the ACC to attend minority recruitment events.\nAnother important step, Castillo-Cullather noted, would be the addition of an Asian-American studies program. She said such a program would benefit all students, rather than only Asian-American students, and for that reason she hopes to see initial talks on the addition of this program begin soon. \nAsian Culture Center receptionist Mi-Young Kim said of Castillo-Cullather, "I'm just totally amazed by her energy and enthusiasm." Kim said Castillo-Cullather accomplishes whatever she wants to accomplish, because she negotiates in a diplomatic rather than aggressive way.\nAs a human rights commissioner, Castillo-Cullather holds essentially the same educational tasks as she does as director of the ACC. Additionally, she and her fellow commissioners will investigate and hear discrimination complaints. Commissioners are charged with ensuring that citizens have equal opportunities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. \nCastillo-Cullather is now busy promoting and organizing an Asian-American Symposium Oct. 3 in the Indiana Memorial Union. The Symposium will feature three sessions under the theme, "The Many Faces of Asian Pacific Americans: Evolution of an Identity."\nCastillo-Cullather said she is also inspired by the students to whom she devotes more than 40 hours per week.\n"I'm really touched by students interested in making connections with other students," Castillo-Cullather said. \nFreshmen, newcomers and all students might take a note on making changes from this mountain-climbing, community-serving mom. Castillo-Cullather is not content to follow a path in the same manner as others have; she means to improve the path as she goes.\nIn her simple, confident way, she summed up her personal motto: "If I can do something to better that path, I'll do it"