67 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(02/11/08 5:11am)
While bleeding green as a student at Michigan State, Stacey Phillips was certain she would become a head softball coach in the Big Ten someday. \nPhillips told her head coach Jacquie Joseph, who still manages the Spartans today, she would also be giving steal signs and calling suicide squeezes for a living one day.\n“I want to coach, Coach,” Phillips said, recalling the exact conversation she had with Joseph at Michigan State. “Yep, that’s what I want to do.” \nPhillips’ statement, which Joseph thought was comical at the time, became reality when IU named her the head coach of the Hoosiers softball program in 2006. \nAt Michigan State, Phillips excelled in many fronts of the game. A four-year letter recipient in East Lansing, Phillips was an offensive machine and still holds several records at her alma mater.\n“It’s funny because any of my records that still stand are probably going to be broken in the next five years,” Phillips said. “I just don’t want anybody to break it when we play them.”\nDespite hanging up her Spartan jersey in 2000, Phillips wasn’t ready to leave the game for good. \nThe then-recent graduate, who holds a bachelor’s degree in audiology speech sciences, started her coaching career as an assistant with the University of Detriot-Mercy. Around the same time, she was drafted professionally. \nPhillips was the No. 1 pick for the San Antonio Armadillos of the National Pro Fastpitch League. \nEven though San Antonio drafted her, the team failed to form and the Akron Racers redrafted Phillips the following year, but she never played. \n“I was drafted a bunch of times professionally, but never played,” said Phillips. “But I like picking the brains of some of these Hall of Fame coaches who were drafted as well.”\nTwo years later, Phillips became the head coach of the Hoosiers.\n“Coach Phillips’ enthusiasm and passion for the game of softball serves as a source of strength for our program,” said Chris Reynolds, IU’s senior associate athletic director, in an e-mail. “She is a tireless worker and genuinely cares about helping our student-athletes reach their full potential on and off the field.”\nPhillips said recruiting will flourish thanks to the IU Varsity Club’s plan to build a new $6 million stadium for the softball squad.\n“We are going to secure the talent that matches that $6 million stadium,” Phillips said. “In particular, the kids who are in our program now are worth $6 million plus.”\nPhillips said she loves being a part of IU softball because her players are always looking to improve their play on the field. \n“Our players are great kids,” Phillips said. “They had made a commitment and continue to remain loyal to this program.”\nAs for the upcoming season, Phillips said her team is ready for challenges ahead due to its mix of experience and youth.\nThe Hoosiers return senior catcher Tory Yamaguchi and senior infielder Jennilee Huddleston – the two top batters from last season. \n“Tory and Jennilee are both great leaders for this ball club,” Phillips said. “They both represent pictures of toughness and have a lot of passion for \nthe sport.”\nAfter hitting .335 at the plate last season, Huddleston has high hopes for the team this year.\n“We’ve had a good and productive off-season and are feeling very confident in where we are headed this season,” Huddleston said in an e-mail. “There’s no doubt in my mind that this will be a successful season for us.”\nAnd when the time comes on April 20, Phillips will stand in the opposite dugout of her former coach Joseph, ready to bleed red instead of her \nformer green. \n“I might still have some green blood in me, but now I’m all about the crimson,” \nPhillips said.
(02/04/08 6:29am)
More than 100 years ago, John Whittenberger saw a vision for the future of Bloomington’s campus. A 1911 graduate of IU, he envisioned a building that could unify the campus.\nWhittenberger developed the concept of a union on campus – a place where faculty, students and staff could leave their differences at the door and come together as one.\nAs executive director of the Indiana Memorial Union, Bruce Jacobs is continuing Whittenberger’s quest to unite IU.\nJacobs said one of the main reasons he took the head job of the IMU was to build off of Whittenberger’s hopes and dreams. \n“I think he was right,” Jacobs said. “The Union needs to be the unifying force of the campus.” \nJacobs said to make the IMU run as smoothly as possible, it is necessary for people to convey the truth about their experiences. \n“With me, there’s always time for people, particularly for students,” Jacobs said. “The opportunity to work with the students and staff of the IMU is one of those lifelong dreams.”\nIn addition to his role as director, Jacobs participates on the Union Board as a voting member. He said he is supportive of the interaction between the Union Board and the rest of the faculty, students and staff on campus. \nJacobs noted that the Union Board is one the original seven unions to found a national organization and, in addition, one of the original unions in the country. \nThe building houses everything from bowling to the “Live from Bloomington” concert series. \n“We plan programs of all different kinds for students, by students,” said Liz Retana, president of the IMU Board of Directors. “Our mission this year is to get involved more with organizations we have not been affiliated with in the past.”\nStudents in particular visit the Union because of its diverse atmosphere. \n“I go the Union everyday to meet up with my friends for lunch,” junior Alexis Hosier said. “You can do everything at the Union: eat, go to the bookstore or take a quick nap. It’s just really nice and comfortable.” \nJacobs refers to the IMU as a melting pot. He mixes all the divisions such as the hotel, student activities and staff development into one giant concoction. \nWhittenberger’s quest to unite the campus continues under Jacobs’ leadership.\n“We are and will continue to reach out more to of the campus,” Jacobs said. “We need to go to as many different student organizations, particularly the international student organization and also to the resident halls, to recruit people for the Union Board to broaden the scope.”
(01/22/08 7:41pm)
Faculty, students and community members gathered Monday to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s teachings on racial equality as part of the Unity Summit, the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center’s annual event.\nThe attendees, including more than 100 faculty, students and community members from different backgrounds, came together to promote diversity education. \nThe Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Grand Hall, which was filled with round tables for interactive discussion rather than lecture, housed the summit. \nDirector of Diversity Education Eric Love and his student staff coordinated the annual event by posing questions to initiate conversation throughout the hall. \n“Everyone’s opinion has value and everyone’s opinion is respected at the Unity Summit,” Love said. “One of the best things about this event is for people of different backgrounds and ethnicities to get a chance to sit at a table with others whom they’ve never talked to or conversed with.” \nSeveral Indiana residents not affiliated with IU supported the event and helped convey the message of peace and civil dialogue on campus. \n“I came to this event to see what IU does for MLK day celebrations,” said Emmanuel Francois, a new Bloomington resident. “On holidays I’m not used to doing anything in New York, where I am from. Eric is a mentor to me. He gives me good advice and I know he wouldn’t steer me wrong.” \nAside from the roundtable discussions, many IU staff and students from different cultural organizations came to expound on IU’s diversity. \nClaire King, IU director for community outreach and partnerships in service, spoke at the event, highlighting the book “10 Ways to Fight Hate\non Campus.” \n“There’s so many times when we let something go and don’t speak up,” King said of a racial dispute. “Just the voice of the individual student alone can change the way people act, think and feel.” \nMany students said it was important to understand King’s belief in promoting unity by discussing racial issues. \n“Dr. King is a man who stood up for equal rights,” senior Tyren Edenburgh said. “He is a role model to me because he showed leadership in every capacity.” \nLove said the event was beneficial for the students because they learned from different people’s experiences, and more importantly, conversed with other students to whom they previously would not have even said hello.\n“Year after year this has been a high point for the students who attend this event,” said Doug Bauder, office coordinator for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Student Support Services. “At this unity summit we share our similarities and differences with each other.” \nThe summit proved that Martin Luther King Jr.’s lessons will continue to help strengthen the community not only at IU, but all across the map, Love said.\nAt the conclusion of the event, an attendee stood up and said, “We need to continue to fight for the dream.”
(11/14/07 4:06am)
The transition from high school to college can present many problems for freshmen. \nDespite these difficulties, students said they feel IU comforts them, and they feel that Bloomington is like home. \n“Living in the dorms was an easy transition for me,” freshman Aaron Rusnak said. “I had gone away to camp for so many years and was used to being away from home and living with roommates.” \nPrograms coordinated in the summer have helped students grow comfortable with living on campus. \n“It was really easy to make friends here,” freshman Ashlyn Hrenko said. “I found it easier because I went to the summer program Intensive Freshman Seminars and I already established a group of friends.” \nIntensive Freshman Seminars occur during the three weeks right before the fall semester begins, offering freshmen a chance to take courses at IU before the official move-in day. \nThrough both summer orientation and Welcome Week, IU staff focuses on making new students feel like they are part of a family. \n“The Freshman Induction Ceremony is a wonderful introduction to the traditions and purpose of the institution,” Associate Vice Provost for Student Affairs Damon Sims said in an e-mail interview. “It conveys to new students and their families that they have become a part of the University’s extended family that includes faculty, staff, administrators and other students and family members.” \nSims said that most, if not all, college administrators, advisers and professors would tell freshmen that time management is one of the most important skills to master. \n“Many people told me that time management was a huge issue for college students,” freshman Nicole Cooper said. “I’ve worked hard to manage a daily schedule that includes completing my work and also having free time to go out with my friends.” \nWith its numerous activities, the Bloomington campus makes these freshmen feel right at home, said Chris Geary, director of programming and research for Campus Recreational Sports. \nCampus Recreational Sports has given freshmen the opportunity to showcase their talents, whether it be on the hardwood or on the field, while meeting new faces, he said. \n“Students report that they gain numerous benefits from using Recreational Sports facilities,” Geary said. “The SRSC and HPER both include meeting new people, getting or staying in shape and reducing stress.”\nFreshmen said they think the friendships and memories are likely to last a lifetime. \n“I’m always happy when I’m walking through campus, especially this time of year,” freshman Polly Pinelli said. “There’s just something about the trees that makes me feel at home.”
(11/09/07 3:00am)
Despite the recent decrease in temperature, the Student Recreational Sports Center will be as hot as a tropical island in the coming months.\nWhether it’s jogging around the indoor track or swimming laps in the pool, the cold and windy conditions outdoors are not keeping students from their usual workouts.\nIn fact, the busiest months for the facility lie ahead as Bloomington transitions from the fall to winter season.\n“January and February are the two busiest months at the SRSC,” said Chris Geary, director of programming and research for Campus Recreational Sports. “We will average 3,000 visits per day to the SRSC in January.”\nIn addition to the cardiovascular equipment and strength and conditioning rooms, the aquatics program will continue to surge over the next few months, he said. Open-swim hours for lap swimming, recreational swimming and diving are available as well as group, semi-private and private swim lessons for children and adults. \n“You have to go to the SRSC more often when the temperature goes down,” freshman Nicole Cooper said. “You’ll be less likely to regularly go outside and get some exercise.”\nThe 80 group programs, which are free with a valid student ID, stay popular even with the decrease in temperature, Geary said. In particular, CycleFit, an indoor cycling program, gets busier as the Little 500 race gets closer. Mind-Body, another popular winter program, features belly dancing, yoga, pilates and personal training and is usually in high demand, he said.\nBesides the traditional exercise classes, participation increases in intramural sports and other campus recreational sports, said RecSports Assistant Director of Marketing Melissa Copas.\nBasketball, will provide student athletes an opportunity to showcase their talents on the hardwood. In addition to basketball, table tennis and badminton appeal to students who wish to compete as an individual rather than as a team, she said. \nWhen the students leave on winter break, Campus Recreational Sports plans to be hard at work. The staff will be reorganizing the strength and conditioning area so that it is appealing to new users and people who are uncomfortable around free weights. \n“This new arrangement of equipment will make it easier to find machines, create additional core and stretching areas, and enhance the overall layout of the space,” Geary said. \nAs a result, he said the SRSC will host a series of open forums to receive student feedback on the proposed layout. These forums are open to any IU student, faculty, staff or public RS member.\nSo as the cold fronts head to campus, students say the weather won’t keep them from working out. \n“Everyone should continue to go to the SRSC,” sophomore Samantha Foster said. “It is important to keep up your physical health throughout the whole year.”
(11/08/07 3:03am)
When the IU club tennis team steps onto the court there is no holding back. \nUnlike years past, the 2007-08 team is finding their strengths early on and becoming a dominant force in the league. Having started this year’s season 10-0, a spot at nationals is becoming a reality rather than a fantasy.\nIn conjunction with the USTA Collegiate Tennis League, the club tennis team regularly participates in home and away matches every weekend. The club features both male and female players who have played competitive tennis at both the high school and varsity levels. \n“We look forward to beating any team that stands in our way,” senior Molly Levenson said. “Just the fact that I can say that shows how much this club organization has improved.”\nThe team’s latest success came at last weekend’s Badger Classic, located in Madison, Wis.\nThe Classic is the league’s most prestigious tournament in the fall. IU participated with 31 other teams, including some heavyweights such as the University of Colorado and University of Texas-Austin.\nAt the start of the tournament, the ball was not rolling for the Hoosiers. IU suffered its first loss to the home team Wisconsin Badgers. IU’s John Keele and Jeff Cox in men’s doubles won the lone match against Wisconsin.\nComing back with a vengeance, IU steamrolled through its next three matches against Minnesota, Northwestern and Central Michigan University. \nIU’s Chris Frost, in the three game winning streak, went undefeated defeating his opponents 6-2, 6-1, 6-2, respectively.\nThe fifth and final match of the Classic came against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and proved to be the toughest of the season for the cream and crimson. \nFrost started things off red-hot for Indiana winning the first match of the nail-biting contest 6-5. IU then lost two key matches, but the doubles tandems of Prabhanjan Kambadur/Keele and Natalie Perin/Caroline Neidhold kept the Hoosiers tied overall in games and forced a super-tiebreaker . \nUnfortunately, things didn’t go IU’s way in the sudden-death tiebreak as Perin and Frost lost 4-7 allowing Wisconsin-Milwaukee to walk away with the Silver. \nEven though IU didn’t come out victorious, the story of the weekend was doubles player John Keele going undefeated in all of his six matches. \n“Club has gone beyond simple tennis this year,” Keele said. “We’ve actually become really good friends outside of club, and that’s really helped our play as a team to be so close.” \nIn the end, IU improved their season record to 14-2 and will look to bounce back in its upcoming match against Ohio University. \n“We hope that our team, which consists of many freshman, will take away positives from this experience,” said team captain Kambadur. “We will come back strong in the sectionals that are held every February.”
(10/31/07 4:32am)
Hoisting the trophy at the end of the day is a division-one flag football team’s ultimate goal. But for some students, just going out on the field and playing the game with their friends means more than \nfirst place.\nFreshmen in the GROUPS program are given an opportunity each year to participate in IU Recreational Sports, thanks to the support from Program Director of Intramural and Club Sports Stacey Hall \nand her staff.\n“We have worked closely with the GROUPS program for years.” Hall said. “Each year, when the GROUPS program begins in June, we meet with students interested in working out and playing sports. Based on their interests, intramural sports competitions are scheduled. Often times, students continue playing intramural sports during the academic year, and some will also work as \nofficials too.”\nIU’s Recreational Sports flag football program has provided 11 freshmen the opportunity to succeed while \nworking together.\n“The students in our program come to IU in the summer after they graduate from high school. They live in the dorms together, have classes with each other, and meet with advisors together,” said Associate Director of Student Support for GROUPS Roger Gildersleeve. “The teamwork in the classroom provides the students success in other activities, such as sports outside of the classroom.”\nThe fun and games all started this summer, long before most students moved in for the 2007-2008 school year. Because of the impact the Recreational Sports department had on the GROUPS students, the freshmen became instant stars during the summer. After the summer season came to a close, a group of athletes, many of whom were high school standouts in football and basketball, formed a team to compete in the highly competitive fall division-one flag football league.\nThe name for this dynamic squad was Dem One Dudes, led by team captain William Jones. Full of personality and the desire to play 110 percent until the final whistle blew, Jones said, the team knew how to work well together.\nEven though Dem One Dudes went undefeated during the regular season, they eventually lost in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. But the loss turned out to be a footnote in the long run.\nAs it turned out, Dem One Dudes are the first all-freshmen team to advance to the division-one flag football elite eight.\n“Even though we lost, we made history, had fun and met a lot of new people,” team member Bernard Mickle said. “It was challenging and a great learning experience.”