143 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(04/19/11 1:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Newspaper covered every surface of the tables in Ballantine Hall 004. The air smelled of wax and matchstick smoke. As people leaned over their hollow eggs, intricate patterns began to emerge on the surface of the shells. Pysanky are Ukrainian Easter eggs, traditionally created to celebrate the holiday. When finished, these eggs contain layers of color and amazing detail. The Russian and East European Institute and the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature sponsored the pysanka-decorating event Monday. “It’s very much a part of Ukrainian culture, and has been for millennia,” Dr. Monica Kindraka-Jensen said. She brought her Introduction to Ukrainian Culture class to the event.Kindraka-Jensen explained the Ukrainian word pysaty, meaning “to write”, is linked to pysanka, the word for these detailed eggs. With wax, pencil and traditional keestka tools, participants are literally “writing on the eggs,” Kindraka-Jensen said. The first step in the “writing” process involves penciling designs on the emptied eggshell, which has been dipped in a diluted vinegar solution to prepare it for dying. Next, the pick-like keestka is used to draw wax over the penciled-on designs.The keestka is about the length of a golf pencil. A piece of copper wire attaches a tiny piece of rolled metal, which is driven through the wooden pole approximately a quarter of an inch from the top. Candle wax is transferred onto the surface of the egg via the keestka. After the wax is applied to designs, the egg is dipped in brightly-colored dye. After three or four minutes, the egg is taken out to dry and the wax is scraped off. The entire process is repeated as many times as desired, until patterns are revealed as different colors on the smooth surface.“It gets pretty involved once you get several colors on there,” second-year Ukrainian language student Desi Rybolt said. Rybolt remembered last year’s event, when she spent two to three hours creating an egg with red, yellow and green designs. Department of Slavic Languages and Literature lecturer Olena Chernishenko said the process can seem daunting at first. It’s the same every year, Chernishenko said.“First they’re scared, and then, you know, we can’t kick them out after four hours,” Chernishenko said. Junior Michael McCoy, a student in Kindraka-Jensen’s class, said it was nice to get a peek of culture outside of the classroom. Before dying his egg a deep purple, McCoy spent time designing an egg covered in tiny stars.He said it seemed simple, until he realized how difficult it would be to draw the stars in wax. “It’s a lot harder than it looks,” McCoy said.
(04/14/11 12:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Circled around a conference table at the Leo R. Dowling International Center, a group of international students discussed a topic of concern: making American friends. On butcher paper, some students drew images of what they thought of as “American.” Featuring landscapes with cacti and pine trees, hamburgers and diverse faces, the pictures varied with the people. And as they drew, the students discussed their feelings and experiences. Outreach and Support for International Students and Scholars provides psychoeducation and group services for the University’s international student community. Through group discussion and skills building courses, the program aims to help international students adjust to life in a different country.Minkyeong Shin is the program’s coordinator and a Ph.D. student in counseling psychology in the School of Education. “Many of the international students feel like when they come to America, the structure or framework that they had for interacting with people is turned upside down,” Shin said. The program is a joint project with the international center, the Center for Human Growth and the Office of International Services.International center Director Sandy Britton said a survey conducted by the center revealed a specific desire among international students to make more American friends. Britton said this could be attributed to a language barrier or to general communication problems. Cara Maffini is a Ph.D. student in counseling psychology and an OASIS facilitator. Maffini said many of the group discussions this semester have focused on communication skills. “It’s not the language; it’s more the colloquialisms,” Maffini explained. Rather than a lack of specific English language skills, it’s the cadences of American English that sometimes keep them from speaking up in class or group work, Maffini said. During OASIS sessions, students practice interrupting, asking questions and approaching groups of people. The goal is to develop better interactions with others in the IU community. Maffini is originally from northern California, where she said she experienced a diverse cultural environment that inspired her to study the mental health of international students. Maffini said she’s seen many students come to OASIS after negative experiences. Whether based on prejudice or discomfort in social situations, these can leave students feeling outcast. She said she tries to improve their experience by listening carefully and expressing concern.But there are hurdles to jump. Britton said the idea of psychological services often carries a negative connotation. “The notion of therapy and counseling doesn’t fit every culture,” Britton said. Group facilitators work to break down barriers. Maffini said much of this involves reassuring students that it’s okay to be uncomfortable after traveling to a new country. Domestic students participate as well. Undergraduates, both international and American, are involved in the sessions and provide a range of perspectives during discussion.Maffini recalled the time a Russian student spent his small group time discussing cultural differences with two Chinese students from different regions of their country. She said she wishes more domestic students realized the potential for learning and growth represented by international students. “I’ve learned as much from them, if not more, than they’ve learned from this,” Maffini said.
(04/08/11 2:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Asian cuisine and popular music will be on display at the Taste of Asia at 5 p.m. today in the IU Auditorium.The event will feature music from After School Special and the Rod Rivera Band. It is sponsored by the Asian American Association and free to the public.After opening remarks and the two performances, attendees will have the chance to sample ethnic food from local vendors Taste of India, Fortune Cookies, Soban and others.Sponsors, including IU Student Association, Residence Halls Association, the Office of Multicultural Initiatives, the Asian Culture Center, the East Asian Studies Center and Commission on Multicultural Understanding, provided funding, said Gloria Chan, sophomore and AAA executive board member. The event is a way to spread Asian cultural awareness during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Chan said. Chan explained that while Asian Pacific Heritage Month is celebrated nationally during May, IU students celebrate during April in order to correspond with the school year. Trisha Satterfield, sophomore and AAA culture chair, said a partnership with the Japanese Student Association will help the AAA raise funds at the event to benefit Japan. She invited anyone interested in Asian culture or issues regardless of his background. “It’s a fun place to learn about the Asian American community and to meet new people,” Satterfield said.
(04/07/11 2:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Walk around campus today, and you may be prompted to “ask me why I’m wearing black.”Thursdays in Black will promote solidarity and sexual assault awareness by encouraging students to wear black every Thursday in April. The joint project was organized by the IU Student Association’s Department of Women’s Affairs; Raising Awareness of Interactions in Sexual Encounters; the Office for Women’s Affairs; and the Women’s Student Association.Near the clock tower by Woodburn Hall, students from these organizations handed out black T-shirts with electric blue writing inviting others to “ask” about their meaning.“And if someone asks why you’re wearing black, you tell them, ‘Hey, we’re trying to stand up as a campus and a community against sexual violence,’” said senior Kolby Harrell, a member of RAISE. April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Harrell said RAISE has been practicing Thursdays in Black in April for as long as he has been involved. This year, he said he sees the joint effort as a way to connect a variety of student organizations that are working toward a common goal. Volunteers handed out pledge cards as well. These included facts about sexual assault, contacts for resources and further information about RAISE and WSA and three pledge points describing the statement volunteers will make by wearing the shirts. The pledge cards state that by wearing shirts, volunteers are acknowledging that sexual activity without consent is always sexual assault, that sexual assault is a serious problem on our campus and that they will help end assault by always asking for consent and encouraging others to do the same. According to www.stopcampusrape.net, Thursdays in Black began at IU in 2004. Similar events can be found as far away as New Zealand. “I think this is really easy for somebody to do. You don’t have to have every fact straight — you just make yourself visible,” WSA president and junior Jenna Graham said. IUSA Chief of Women’s Affairs and senior Sarah Robinson said the organization chose to sponsor the event this year as a show of support. “IUSA as a student government at IU takes this issue seriously and wants to point out the other work that smaller groups are doing in the community,” Robinson said.Robinson said RAISE, Sexual Assault Crisis Service and the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office will be sponsoring 10 sessions of the program “Blame it on the Alcohol? The Truths, Myths and Laws of Sexual Assault” during April. “It doesn’t hurt to be safe,” junior Caitlyn Evans said, recalling the instances of campus rape reported this year.Sophomore Claire Robinson said she looked forward to seeing the results today.“I think it will be a cool, unified response of students if it works,” Robinson said.
(04/01/11 4:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Round the circular hallway, stop across from the water fountain, head through the instrument locker room, climb the darkened stairwell and you’ll find it: the string instrument workshop where Tom Sparks builds the tools others in Jacobs School of Music can only play.Sparks is an expert luthier, a violin maker who creates instruments from blocks of wood, varnish and glue. At the Jacobs School of Music, Sparks is director of string instrument technology. He teaches a class where learning to build a violin is the complete focus of multiple semesters. He brings his history as an Irish fiddle champion, his years as an artist and the skills he learned here at IU to a new class of luthiers. In the string instrument lab, he shares his skills with a hodgepodge of first-time learners and experienced woodworkers. As a result, the class attracts graduate students, University faculty and locals with varied experiences. Whatever their skill level, they come here to create. “It’s the original one-room schoolhouse approach,” Sparks said.In this case, the schoolhouse is an irregularly shaped, windowless room that resembles a carpenter’s woodshop dumped onto a classical instrument store. Bandsaws and planes stand next to half-carved instruments, some just beginning to take the familiar shape of a violin.And there’s sawdust everywhere.
(03/25/11 4:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When Kentaro Sakuwa talked about the natural disaster in Japan, his most pressing concern was also the most basic. Don’t forget about the people, he said. “People’s attention seems to be away from people casualties and people and those stories, I feel,” Sakuwa said.Born and raised in Japan, Sakuwa is a graduate student and a member of the IU Japanese Student Association. Although his family was not directly impacted by the earthquake, he said he worries about their proximity to the nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. “I think I’m really fortunate that my family and friends have not been directly affected by the disaster, but I think the entire thing has been pretty shocking,” Sakuwa said.The JSA is one of many on campus and in the community organizing fundraising events to provide relief after the March 11 tsunami that devastated Japan. Members of JSA will discuss fundraising plans at Holi, a traditional Indian celebration hosted by several Indian student groups, Friday in Dunn Meadow.Although upcoming fundraisers are still in the works, Sakuwa said suggestions have included a benefit concert with Jacobs School of Music faculty and a joint venture between the JSA and the East Asian studies department on Wednesday. In a statement available on IU’s newly developed Japan Relief website, Provost and Executive Vice President Karen Hanson expressed support for campus relief efforts. “These events will help to organize our community’s interest, send messages of compassion and solidarity to our neighbors in Japan and provide tangible assistance to the survivors of the catastrophes,” Hanson said on the website. Support is coming from community sources as well. The Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington will sponsor a fundraiser and interfaith prayer ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday to benefit Red Cross relief efforts. Lisa Morrison, director of marketing and media for the TMBCC, said the Center has many ties to Japan, especially through its leader, Arjia Rinpoche, who Morrison said regularly travels to Japan. The Japan-American Society of Indiana, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit that provides varied resources for Japanese and Japanese Americans, has teamed up with the JSA to provide fundraising assistance. Since the tsunami, the Japan-American Society of Indiana has developed a statewide fundraiser, the Japan Earthquake Relief Fund. A partnership with Chase, Fifth Third, PNC and Old National banks allows for more direct donation within the state. The organization’s website also provides links to help locate family or friends in Japan. Japan-American Society of Indiana Community Coordinator Tamayo Fukumoto said she has fielded calls from schools and organizations across the state. Fukumoto said her role involves connecting disparate groups. “Everybody wants to help in their way, so I’m trying to connect people with the best way to do their fundraising event,” Fukumoto said. For Sakuwa, the act of raising funds is a way to show support for the people of Japan. Sakuwa said while news coverage may focus on the political or economic impact, the human element is most important. “Tens of thousands of people lost their houses and families, and I think it had a pretty profound impact on Japanese society,” Sakuwa said.
(03/24/11 3:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>During a “dialogue-in” at Diversity Day 2011, students, faculty and staff discussed the topic “Conversation: Diversity, Ethnicity and Internationalism.” Circled around five tables, groups answered questions in a structured format while facilitators pushed them to think deeper about critical issues. The “dialogue-in” served as a way for the IU-Bloomington Diversity Committee, which sponsored the event, to solicit student input. The committee submits a yearly report to Provost and Executive Vice President Karen Hanson. After opening remarks from David Zaret, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Gerardo Gonzalez, dean of the School of Education, and Bloomington Diversity Committee Chair Carolyn Calloway-Thomas, students began discussion. HEAR THEIR THOUGHTS “I don’t want to speak German right now, and I don’t want to hang out with someone who I can hang out with at home, so I’ve been trying to hang out with Americans a lot.”- Miriam Keller, sophomore and German exchange student“When people come to campus, they naturally want to be with people who are like themselves.”- Vanessa Gee, sophomore“I don’t think anybody’s disrespectful, but then at the same time, earlier this year somebody defaced the side of the Jewish cultural center, so it can’t be all that wonderful.”- Caroline Brown, senior“I would say that I feel comfortable, but I wouldn’t say I’d just go make friends with a random person.”- Amanda DiVittorio, senior“The goal of higher education is to move up the ladder, but getting there is something people don’t really talk about.”- Miranda Lane, senior
(03/23/11 1:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>An event tonight at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center will give members of the IU community a chance to exchange dialogue about diversity and multicultural issues across campus. Diversity Day 2011 is themed “Conversation: Diversity, Ethnicity and Internationalism.” Carolyn Calloway-Thomas, professor of communications and culture and IU-Bloomington Diversity Committee chair, said the choice of theme is a reflection of recent incidents abroad and on campus. “Most crucially we were motivated by the events in Tunisia, Egypt and in Yemen,” Calloway-Thomas said.Campus events that occurred last fall, including anti-Semitic vandalism and an attack on Asian students, also “animated” that choice, Calloway-Thomas said. The “dialogue-in” portion of the event will feature 75 minutes of roundtable discussion from administrators, faculty, staff and students, Calloway-Thomas said. Participants will attempt to assess topic issues and provide opinions.Calloway-Thomas said the goal of this discussion will be a greater understanding of the current state of issues surrounding diversity, ethnicity and internationalism, as well as a feeling for the “civic climate” at IU. The Diversity Committee will use information gleaned from the discussion in its annual report, Calloway-Thomas said, and student input is vital. Any interested student is welcome to attend. Diversity Day will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center’s Grand Hall.
(03/08/11 3:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Swirls and cross-hatches, dots and twisting lines. The intricate patterns of henna tattoos are eye-catching. A henna class at the IU Asian Culture Center taught the basic techniques and designs used to create both traditional and Arabic art styles. Senior Priyanka Dube teaches the class, which happens every two weeks.“The reason I wanted to start this class was to start to spread the culture a little,” Dube said. Dube has worked at the Asian Culture Center since her freshman year and said she wanted to represent South Asia at the Center through henna. The finished product is undeniably a work of art, and it begins as technically as any artwork. The tools are simple but must be prepared correctly. Dube began her session with a lesson on these technical basics. Henna powder is made from the leaves of a tree by the same name and is combined with water or other ingredients like coffee, tea, honey or lemon to achieve a paste of the desired color, Dube said. When applied to skin, it dries to a solid consistency and falls off the skin, leaving a darker stain behind, creating the tattoo. “All the detail you see on it doesn’t look as hard until you start trying to get it out of the tube, and then you realize you’re not very good at it,” Bloomington local Jessica Smith said. The paste is piped onto the skin through a conical tube, much like frosting is piped onto a birthday cake. These tubes are special.The ones Dube uses have traveled all the way from India and are made from the thin plastic wrap often used to wrap gifts. When a tube isn’t filled correctly, a little paste can escape from the sides — not a good thing because the paste has potential to dye the artist’s skin.After learning how to pipe the henna paste and hold the tube, participants were let loose to develop their skill. Many began with practice sheets that demonstrated popular patterns. Others dove right in and began tattooing their hands. Bloomington local Jamie Vaughn said she’ll try henna at home after learning the basics in Dube’s class. Vaughn said she appreciated the artistic quality of henna in particular because of its impermanence. “I love art and body art, so to make art on my body seems awesome,” Vaughn said.Dube said most people attend the session only once, but since beginning the class in the spring of 2010, she has had a few returners. “Last semester there was a group of girls that came almost every week,” Dube said. The free class is available every other Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Asian Culture Center.
(03/04/11 3:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In New Orleans, it’s Mardi Gras. In Russia, it’s Maslenitsa. At IU, students, faculty and community members celebrated the Russian holiday with music, games and plenty of traditional pancakes. Maslenitsa, which marks both the pagan celebration of winter’s end and the beginning of the Russian Orthodox Lent, is an important holiday in Russia, said Mark Trotter, Russian and East European Institute assistant director and outreach coordinator. The Maslenitsa celebration Wednesday in the Indiana Memorial Union University Club was jointly sponsored by REEI and the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. Trotter said the event was open to anyone, but for Russian parents in particular, it offered a way to keep their culture and heritage alive for their children. Katie Hiatt, a graduate student in Russian history, said she experienced Maslenitsa while living in Russia. She explained that special dietary restrictions imposed on Orthodox Christians during Lent don’t allow meat to be eaten during the week of Maslenitsa. After this time, dairy products like cheese and butter are banned as well.To celebrate their last week with these foods, Russians make bliny.“The most traditional food is bliny,” said Veronika Trotter, a graduate student and Russian language instructor who coordinated the event. She explained that the thin pancakes, which are more similar to thin French crepes than to their fluffy American cousins, are served with a variety of sweet and savory toppings. “The best is caviar of course, but not so much here, maybe,” Veronika Trotter said. A variety of cold salads and Russian drinks, like the fermented rye cola Kvas, were also on the menu. First-year Russian language student and freshman Chris Luba played traditional Balalaika songs. Veronika Trotter said she was surprised by the small number of American students who know about Maslenitsa. Although quashed under Soviet rule, the event is gaining prevalence again, Veronika Trotter said.“It’s really popular again, and if they go to Russia again, they’ll encounter it,” Veronika Trotter said.Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures lecturer Olena Chernishenko said the event was also a chance to spread cultural understanding. In Russia, the holiday is traditionally celebrated as a week of feasting between “Little Lent” and “Big Lent.”Chernishenko explained that “Maslenitsa” can be loosely translated as “Butter Week.” “Basically, it’s a week of gluttony,” Chernishenko said. “People stuff themselves.”
(02/24/11 3:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the Final Jeopardy round, three remaining teams were faced with one question — and a big gamble. By identifying Ghana as the African nation led by Kwame Nkrumah, the Black Student Union team won the final round to take home the prize at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center’s annual Black Knowledge Bowl.BSU team member and freshman Amber Hammond said the win felt good, especially because the team came together only a few weeks before the competition.“We were the underdogs,” Hammond said. From heavyweights and quarterbacks to filmmaker Spike Lee and IU’s first black graduate Marcellus Neal, the Bowl quizzed students on African-American history, popular culture and arts in a Jeopardy-style format. Five teams, representing organizations like the BSU and Phi Beta Sigma as well as unaffiliated individuals, competed for the top prize of $500, a trophy and a plaque hung in the Center. Center director Audrey McCluskey said the Jeopardy format may be new, but the competition is not. It has existed in some form for at least three decades, McCluskey said, and gives students of every background a chance to test their knowledge. “It’s a way to extend the idea that black history is U.S. history,” McCluskey said.
(02/21/11 3:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The annual Political and Civic Engagement Program Issues Forum Saturday encouraged students to practice democratic deliberation on immigration.During the daylong forum, students heard from speakers and broke into small and large discussion groups to talk about immigration issues and suggest potential solutions.Featured panel speakers included Maria Lillian Casillas of El Centro Comunal Latino, Robert Schrameyer, director of Goshen-based Citizens for Immigration Law Enforcement and Lynn Duggan of IU’s Labor Studies program. PACE student organizers chose the topic of immigration because of its contentious nature. “I think the tendency of our generation is to be a little less deliberative and little less involved,” student organizer and sophomore Liz James said.James said the forum helps students focus on relevant issues and consider solutions. Freshman Maqube Reese is pursuing a PACE certificate and said the day helped her think outside the box. “It’s just helping me to get a broader perspective of things,” Reese said. Reese said the student organizers, who also served as facilitators during the breakout sessions, helped keep participants focused on the topic. PACE Director Michael Grossberg said both the certificate program, and the forum, encourage students to become more involved. “The goal of the program is to allow students to be democratic citizens,” Grossberg said. The goal of PACE, Grossberg said, is that by focusing on a topic and deliberating democratically, students can step away from the usual pattern of argument and work toward constructive solutions.The PACE program allows students to work toward a 25 credit-hour certificate through core courses, internships, capstones and more interactive requirements like a one-credit decision-making exercise. The Issues Forum counted as a one-credit course for many of about 60 students in attendance. During a final meeting, participants listed “next steps” they had addressed in their small groups. Proposals included increasing community stewardship in areas where illegal immigration is a problem and highlighting companies who are using safe labor practices. At the end of the forum, students were given a resource sheet to help them move forward. Contact information for government leaders, local nonprofit organizations and student groups gave students the option to pursue other action after the forum. James said the forum is designed to spark this type of engagement. “It’s really productive because it gets students talking,” James said.
(02/16/11 4:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It may not be Los Angeles or New York, but a group of IU students is trying to put Bloomington on the map as a training ground for budding filmmakers. Writer-director Jacob Sherry and Director of Photography Ed Wu, both IU seniors, have wrapped up shooting “Nathan and the Luthier,” which will debut as a short film in April at the IU Cinema. It is co-produced by telecommunications student Jon Stante, and the project adviser is telecommunications faculty member Susan Kelly. The film is Sherry’s thesis project through the individualized major program in the College of Arts and Sciences. Last year, graduate Jordan “Jordini” Goldklang’s IMP thesis was a full-scale magic show for the campus. Sherry’s capstone project similarly combines an intense personal passion with an unexplored field. “The individualized major program allows you to do projects like this, to really find things you’re passionate about and dive into them,” Sherry said. Sherry said he hoped to achieve more than just a degree through the making of “Nathan.”“This has potential to set a standard, set a bar, for what students can do with film at IU,” Sherry said.
(02/14/11 3:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Education major Marc Abrahams is a second semester junior but already spends time teaching at Edgewood High School. Through the Community of Teachers, an alternative teacher education program, students can receive teaching certification in a more collaborative environment. CoT differs from the School of Education’s other teacher education program by pairing students with a mentor, whom they choose. Those mentors will stick with them through their undergraduate experiences. Abrahams’ mentor teaches math at the secondary level. Program Director Rob Kunzman said the mentorship aspect of the program also allows students to bond with their mentors. Students must interview to be selected for CoT. After seeking out mentors, students spend time in their classrooms learning about their teaching styles. “I’m teaching tomorrow, and I know exactly how he structures his lessons, and that’s how I’ll structure my lessons,” Abrahams said of Kunzman. Abrahams said this is probably the most important part of CoT. “You get to really have hands-on experience years before your friends do,” Abrahams said. Abrahams joined the program as a freshman, which he said is unusual. Traditional programs don’t allow full-time student teaching until the second semester of a student’s senior year. “A lot of teachers don’t realize the stresses of teaching every day until they reach their senior year,” Abrahams said. Another aspect of the CoT track is the student seminar. Designed by the students themselves, it is yet another opportunity to experience a classroom environment. Kunzman said the seminars are taught by pairs of students and usually run smoothly. Even when they don’t, it’s a learning experience for future teachers, Kunzman said.“The strength of the seminar depends on the students,” Kunzman said.Students produce portfolios to demonstrate teaching experience and therefore have fewer course requirements than those in other education programs, Kunzman said.Fewer requirements gives Abrahams more time to balance a part-time job, classes in other fields and volunteering on the outreach team for CoT, he said.Junior Sydney Davis said she became involved in the program because at the time she joined, it was the only way to become licensed as a secondary special education teacher. Davis said she enjoys the seminars, which allow collaboration between education majors from different backgrounds. Kunzman said the cross-disciplinary approach adds a special dimension to CoT seminars. Teachers in seminars might be adults returning to finish their degrees or teaching under emergency licenses at the same time they’re receiving their degrees. With a mix of backgrounds, these future teachers learn from one another and their experiences. “You really get a well-rounded program, unlike other programs,” Davis said.
(02/08/11 4:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A piano and violin duo from the Jacobs School of Music has won the 2011 Latin American Music Recording Competition. Violinist Colin Scorgi and pianist Jooeun Pak performed pieces by Peruvian, Venezuelan and Uruguayan composers to beat out two other groups of finalists.Pak credited Sorgi with the idea for their competition pieces, which she said melded their two sounds and highlighted their combined skill.“I think during the performance and the competition, Colin and I had a great energy and musical correspondence,” Pak said.Pak said the competition served to highlight the often under-represented world of Latin American classical music. While music students often study work by European composers, Pak said this competition provided an incentive for students to learn a different style.“The whole idea of the competition is so that people can play more Latin American music,” Pak said. For Pak, the competition was also a chance to learn a new style and play alongside another talented musician. “It was a wonderful opportunity for me to study with such a strong violinist,” Pak said. The contest, which grew from an annual program sponsored by the Latin American Music Center and the Embassy of Spain, celebrated its 50th anniversary with Jacobs.In its new form, the competition rewards winners with the opportunity to produce a polished record.Thanks to their success in the competition, doctoral students Scorgi and Pak will have that chance, and — unlike in previous years — the winning CD will be made commercially available. Scorgi and Pak will record a unified composition of Latin American music created during the last decade by six living composers of different nationalities. Some of the pieces were performed during their competition program. Another piece was commissioned by Scorgi and written by Jacobs School of Music student Francisco Cortés-Álvarez.“As I was researching a bunch of different composers’ pieces, I found that the works that I was especially drawn to were all written extremely recently, within the past 10 years,” Scorgi said in an e-mail. Studying to perform works by living composers has also given Scorgi the opportunity to directly contact some of them. The LAMC was founded in 1961 by distinguished professor and musicologist Juan Orrego-Salas using seed money from the Rockefeller Foundation, LAMC Research Coordinator Luiz Lopes said.In an effort to disseminate some of the knowledge stored in the center’s huge musical library, it produces published works and sponsors competitions like this one.The center sponsors undergraduate- and graduate-level courses, as well as performances like the upcoming Valentine’s performance “Besame Mucho: The Greatest Latin Love Songs of All Time” on Sunday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
(01/31/11 3:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni Association Homecoming wrapped up Sunday with a seminar titled “Rainbow Law and Money: Planning for Your Future.” IU Alumni Association Director of Programming Rachael Jones McAfee explained the GLBTAA Homecoming weekend is scheduled in January to coincide with Bloomington’s annual PRIDE Film Festival. The festival ran Thursday through Sunday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and showcased more than 20 films with themes relevant to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community. “It is such a wonderful draw for our community, and we’re just capitalizing on it,” McAfee said. While the GLBTAA also recognizes IU’s football homecoming in the fall, McAfee said this schedule allows alumni to take in a range of relevant events during one weekend. McAfee said IU’s GLBTAA has about 1,100 members. Attendance at this weekend’s events was consistently higher than previous years, McAfee said.On Friday, McAfee said nearly 100 GLBTAA alumni enjoyed a social at the Kinsey Institute while viewing the featured exhibit “As We See Them: Exotic and Erotic Images from Modern Alternative Process Photographers.” Saturday’s events included a tour of the Cook Hall and a silent auction at Grazie! Italian Eatery. McAfee said preliminary totals showed the auction raised at least $2,500 to benefit the GLBTAA. A portion of that donation will go toward undergraduate scholarships, including an “emergency scholarship” reserved for students who are cut off financially after coming out to their families. Alumna Sue Spell traveled from her home in Texas to attend the Homecoming events. She said the entire weekend was worthwhile and gave her an opportunity to see how her classmates’ lives have changed since graduation. “It’s nice to meet the other people and get involved in terms of being visible,” she said.Spell said the GLBT community at IU has become bigger and more viable since her time as a graduate student in the Jacobs School of Music. Sunday’s seminar at the Indiana Memorial Union focused on legal and estate planning issues for the GLBT community. Accredited domestic partnership adviser Mark Adams discussed asset transfers for domestic partners, while Bloomington-based attorney Paige Freitag explained estate planning options. Local CPA Dana Bement presented tax information tailored to GLBT couples. Although the specifics of same-sex law can be murky, McAfee said the topic was an important one to feature.“This is something that the rules and regulations and the tax codes are constantly evolving,” McAfee said. Alumnus Michael Stephens said he attended the seminar to learn about planning for his future.“It’s very consequential for later on down the road,” Stephens said.
(01/28/11 6:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior Jherika Gogins’ day starts early. Between her 15 credit hour course load and a job at the Indiana Memorial Union Bookstore, she is constantly running.So every morning Gogins straps her two-year-old daughter Keziah into her car seat so the pair can make it to the Knee High Daycare Center by 7:30 a.m.Gogins is an undergrad, but she is also a single parent.Because Knee High is a cooperative, each of the 10 families whose children receive care there must work two shifts a week. For Jherika, that means balancing an added 10 hours of work. “It’s an art,” Gogins said. Gogins said she doesn’t experience much of Bloomington’s social scene. Sometimes her sister in Indianapolis will take Keziah for the weekend, but for the most part she is on her own. At $175 per month, Knee High is one of the most affordable daycare centers on campus. Sunflower co-op, a similar parent-run facility, charges $150 per month. Hoosier Courts Nursery School, in contrast, charges $170 per week.Ph.D. student Albert Felten said his organic chemistry students are often surprised to learn he has children. He said he and his wife, who works at a local bank, chose Knee High for their two children because of the lowered cost and greater interaction with his children. “It’s actually nice because it gives me an excuse of like five hours where I just play with my kids,” Felten said. Unlike Gogins, Felten has the added bonus of a co-parent who isn’t in school. But with mandatory hours of research and teaching, his life is as hectic as that of the rest of the parents.Knee High is located in a house just off campus. Most of the children are between ages 1 and 4, and lunch is an event. As they sat in tiny chairs around a semicircular table, an undergraduate aid read the toddlers a story to focus their attention. Lines of Dr. Seuss were interspersed with encouragements to take just one more big bite of sandwich. Ph.D. student Bita Zakeri said one advantage at Knee High is the strong network of support. Undergraduates can complete their work study requirements there and help the parents who run the majority of Knee High’s affairs. “A co-op like Knee High works really well, and parents help each other out,” Zakeri said. “This is a community.”But Zakeri said even though she appreciates the atmosphere at Knee High, she is disappointed that there aren’t other valid options. Zakeri is the mother of two-year-old Shahin. She said the combined stipends of herself and her husband, who’s pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry, wouldn’t cover the $600 to $800 per month charged by other campus daycare centers. IU has no childcare facilities devoted specifically to students. Like most campus daycare centers, Knee High is available to anyone with an IU affiliation.“I actually find that there’s not a lot of support from IU at all,” Zakeri said. Other large institutions offer student-centered options. The University of Michigan offers a childcare subsidy to students enrolled at least half-time. At IU, affordable options seem to require a donation of time. And co-ops are exclusive. Because parents must work together, new families go through a 30-day trial period and must be unanimously accepted by the other families. It is literally only available to a chosen few.For those who make the cut, it is by no means easy. Zakeri said work hours and extra selection meetings make co-ops draining, and like Gogins and Felten, she said she has little if any time to herself. She is tired of people telling her she looks tired. She makes special time every evening for Shahin. But with their varied schedules, time with her husband is almost nonexistent, she said. Zakeri has already dropped a class this semester. “It was just impossible to do nine credit hours, do about two or three hours of field work and do six hours here and do 18 hours at work, and then still get home and do the mom and wife and the house stuff,” Zakeri said. While she stole a few minutes to play with Shahin on Knee High’s floor, Zakeri said she can’t imagine giving any of it up. She asked, why should anyone have to choose between a family and an education?“Having kids and going to school is tough, but I want to give my kids a good life,” Zakeri said. “I don’t have time to think about it.”
(01/24/11 3:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As he stood before the court, Jamie Nabozny described being beaten, degraded and urinated on by fellow students during his years in middle and high school. Dubozny was brutally bullied for being gay, and his story is the focus of the documentary “Bullied: A Student, a School and a Case that Made History.”On Thursday, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Student Support Services Office sponsored a showing and discussion of the film in Read Center.Assistant Director for Diversity Education Barry Magee said the film was purchased by the GLBT office, which sponsors movies on campus as a prelude to the PRIDE Film Festival which will run at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater from Thursday to Sunday.Magee explained that the festival’s organizers also look for films that might not fit the festival but would be educationally impacting when shown on campus.“We keep an eye on movies that are good or entice or demand discussion,” Magee said. The discussion of “Bullied” was led by Bill Shipton, associate director of Residence Life for Diversity Education. Although the film focused on abuse in high school, Shipton said IU is not without its share of bias-motivated attacks.Shipton serves on the TRUST incident team, which is responsible for addressing bias-motivated incidents on campus. He handles everything from offensive slurs written on residents’ white boards to verbal altercations.Bias-motivated incidents are reported to the TRUST team, and actions are taken only if the reporting student or staff member desires it. Shipton said the incident teams receive anywhere from 40 to 60 reports a year.Since coming to IU, Shipton said he’s seen an improvement in student awareness of issues surrounding sexual orientation, multiculturalism and gender bias.“I think students who come here today have much more exposure to these issues,” Shipton said.Yet an examination of the TRUST incident team’s reports shows IU still has room for improvement. Many of the incidents involve use of offensive slurs. Students trade words like “faggot” and phrases like “that’s so gay.” On occasion, faculty members are reported for using such offensive language.Shipton said reports available on TRUST’s website give readers a “flavor” of the incidents reported to the team. All language is included as it was originally reported.Ashton Melvin said he’s experienced bias on campus. Melvin is an openly gay resident assistant in Ashton Center and like Nabozny, Melvin explained that his high school years were spent in a small rural school where he was bullied because of his sexual orientation.He now travels around Bloomington to speak at panels and discussions in IU and high school classrooms. Melvin said education and support from RAs and CommUNITY leaders in the residence halls is strong. Residential Programs and Services offers educational programming, like Thursday’s film screening, and resources for students.Yet Melvin also said IU experiences more incidents than he expected.He said while his support system has grown since moving out of rural Indiana, IU has not completely met his expectations.“People think ‘oh, it’s IU, it’s so diverse,’ and bullying still happens, violence still happens,” Melvin said. “I expected differently coming to IU.”
(01/21/11 1:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Haiti Film Festival will premier Sunday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. The event will bring Haitian films, filmmakers and activists together in Bloomington for the first time. Sponsored by a partnership between Bloomington for Haiti and La Casa Latino Culture Center, all proceeds from the $5 cover charge will go to Haiti relief efforts. The Film Festival is the brainchild of Bloomington for Haiti blog founder and graduate student Kat Forgacs, whose grassroots program uses social media and public promotion to keep Haiti in the spotlight. Forgac’s blog features an events page listing Haiti fundraisers and programs in the Bloomington area. The country is still struggling to rebuild after the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake ravaged the island nation, Forgacs said. “When the earthquake happened, I was just riveted,” Forgacs said. “My heart was breaking.” This response drove Forgacs to action. During her time as an undergraduate, she researched the island of Saint Lucia. This led her to take a class in Haitian Creole and gain an interest in Haitian people and culture.“I just fell in love with what I was learning about Haiti,” Forgacs said.Forgacs said her experiences with Haitians have always been positive. Her initial reaction was to help these people by playing a few films during Haiti Awareness Week in November, the first joint effort between La Casa and Bloomington For Haiti. As the number of films grew, they decided to extend the project into a full festival. “Film kind of helps to personalize things that are abstract or distant and helps you understand them in a way that you might if you were actually there,” Forgacs said. Question-and-answer sessions with Haitian directors themselves will offer even more insight into the subject at the event. La Casa Director Lillian Casillas said both the festival and Haiti Awareness Week appeal to La Casa’s broader educational mission.“It’s something that people are interested in, whether folks identify as Latino or not. It’s something we can try to provide our support to and educate,” Casillas said.
(01/14/11 5:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As one toddler banged a mallet on a plastic pane, another covered his ears to show his distaste. His teacher, Jennifer Addleman, helped him express his feelings to his classmate.“Tell him it’s too loud,” she said. With her encouragement, the two pre-preschool-aged boys found a solution more sensible than most adult compromises: They just found something else to bang on. This classroom at the Campus View Child Care Center is one of several classrooms dedicated to caring for children younger than three years old whose parents are IU students, faculty or staff. The Center was recently reaccredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.“It’s a measure of the dedication of the staff,” Director Linda Fields said. Fields explained that the accreditation process asks for a snapshot of daily activities, teaching methods, curriculum and self-evaluations. There are 10 grading criteria, and the Center scored full points on all of them. In fact, they were above 100 percent in half the criteria, indicating they meet new and emerging standards as well. A look around one of the “older, 2-year-old” classrooms shows just what’s different about this place. A sensory table filled with sand and toys takes up a corner of the room, and on the far wall are examples of Chinese calligraphy painted by students. A parent communication board shows the day’s pictures —today, toddlers on sleds — which will be sent via e-mail to parents.Most of the students are bilingual, Addleman said, and the two-teacher team in each classroom does as much as possible to embrace this. Posters on the walls show words in four languages, and between them, teachers have a working knowledge of Romanian, Mandarin, Korean, Spanish and Russian, Addleman said.The teaching here is cyclical. Teachers begin with infants, to whom they teach baby sign language and rock to sleep, and follow the children as they ascend to higher grades. Addleman and her co-worker Samantha Sisk have been with some of children in their classroom since infancy.Addleman said this connection with children and families is one of the most rewarding parts of her job. She said parents who have left the Center have often returned to give her positive feedback.“We are the bar that they measure these other experiences by,” Addleman said. “It feels good to be the ruler.”Sara Washburn has brought her son Harrison to the Center since he was an infant. She said the connections with his teachers have made his transition from one class to another much smoother.“He’s very bonded with his teachers,” Washburn said.The University’s relationship with the Center makes it easier for teachers to achieve their personal goals. Master’s classes in education are paid for by the University, meaning teachers are privy to the latest emerging methods in early childhood education. “We just think it’s the best program in Bloomington,” Washburn said.