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(03/07/11 3:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team improved to 10-8 after winning two of the three games at the Bulldog Invitational in Athens, Ga. The Hoosiers defeated the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and James Madison University but fell short against No. 1 Georgia. Weather was a factor, as the Hoosiers had a game against Campbell University and a rematch with No. 1 Georgia canceled Saturday due to rain.Once again, the Hoosiers fell short against a top-ranked team, but junior Lindsay Callanan said she feels the team is right where it needs to be.“I think we could have done a little better against Georgia, but it’s going to come eventually,” Callanan said. “We did a lot better at adjusting this weekend in our at-bats, and I think if we would have played Georgia again we would have beat them for sure.”One of the strongest and most consistent aspects of the Hoosiers this year has been pitching, which continued in Georgia, as they only gave up three runs in three games. Senior pitcher Morgan Melloh said the key to the strong pitching has been positivity.“Just staying strong and if you get down and you have to pick yourself back up and talk to your team, you can’t let yourself get down on a call or a hit,” Melloh said. “That’s key, is to stay strong and trust your defense behind you.” — Dennis Gladedmglade@indiana.edu
(03/04/11 5:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team will play in the Bulldog Invitational starting Friday in Athens, Ga. The Hoosiers will look to build on their 8-7 start to the season as they face No. 1 Georgia on two consecutive days, as well as Chattanooga, Campbell and James Madison. IU coach Michelle Gardner said it is important for the team to stay focused and not overlook any teams with Georgia on the horizon.“At this point in our schedule we can’t overlook anyone,” Gardner said. “So we put a big emphasis on Georgia, obviously, because they are the number one team in the country, but it’s real important that we come out against Chattanooga, Campbell and James Madison as if they were Georgia.“At this point in the game that needs to be our main focus.”A sore spot for the Hoosiers thus far has been a difficulty in winning the close games. Junior Samantha Berenter said the team needs to focus on what is ahead of them and not worry about the close defeats.“I think there is still a little hesitance because of the past seasons we haven’t done so well, and so now it’s just really pushing and believing and seeing what we are capable of putting it through,” Berenter said.
(02/28/11 5:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team improved to 8-7 after going 3-2 during the weekend in the Cathedral City Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.The Hoosiers defeated Loyola Marymount, Cal State Fullerton and San Diego State while losing to No. 4 Florida and No. 14 California. The Hoosiers have failed to beat a ranked team in four opportunities this year, but freshman Ashley Warrum said they need to just continue doing what they have been doing.“Just keep pushing. We are hitting the ball, it’s just that we need a few breaks here and there, and we just really need to support our pitching staff because they are just doing an awesome job,” Warrum said.Despite getting outscored by a 15-12 margin, the Hoosiers finished with a winning record for the second consecutive weekend. Warrum said it is important to continue that trend to show that they are just as good as the teams they are competing against.“It’s really important because we should be beating these teams. It’s no longer just competing with them,” Warrum said. “We are going in with a mindset to win.”The Hoosiers’ current 8-7 record is their best 15-game start since 1997, when they opened the season 10-5.“We really have to do something with this team and take advantage of the talent we have and take advantage of this year and every single game,” junior Cassie Gogreve said.
(02/24/11 5:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team will travel to Palm Springs, Calif., to play in the Cathedral City Classic today. The Hoosiers will look to continue their winning ways after a 3-2 weekend in the USF Tournament in Florida, in which they outscored their opponents for the second straight weekend.While the Hoosiers have outscored their opponents by a combined 10 runs this season, sophomore Amanda Wagner said she feels the team can still be more consistent.“We are producing the runs, we just need to produce them more when we absolutely need to get them,” Wagner said. “Offensively our consistency is what we need to work on.”IU coach Michelle Gardner said the team has been productive thus far, but the Hoosiers need to continue to set the tone.“I just want to go out and really be productive early,” Gardner said. “I think that is going to be a key for us and no matter what happens with us we need to keep battling at the plate.”With No. 4 Florida and No. 14 California coming up this weekend, Gardner said the team needs to focus on when it has opportunities with runners in scoring position.“When we have runners in scoring position, obviously we want to be driving the ball to the right side of the infield or right side of the field with runners at second and third but really just being able to situational hit,” Gardner said. “With less than two outs a flyball scores me a run, so I think it is executing and knowing what your job is at the plate.”
(02/21/11 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU softball team finished the USF Tournament with a record of 3-2 giving it a 5-5 record on the season. The Hoosiers defeated the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Ole Miss and South Florida, but lost to DePaul and Fordham. For the second consecutive weekend the Hoosiers outscored their opponents, this time by a count of 23-15. Freshman Meaghan Murphy said she saw the Hoosiers’ success at the plate as a team effort.“We’re just building off of each other’s success, getting hits when runners are on and seeing the ball and hitting it down,” Murphy said.As the Hoosiers have continued to score runs, sophomore Breanna Saucedo has been the catalyst in the leadoff spot. Saucedo leads the team in hits, on-base percentage and stolen bases. Saucedo said her focus thus far has been to stay patient.“I think staying relaxed kind of helps me,” Saucedo said. “I feel like we’re kind of under a lot of pressure, but I think keeping your composure up at the plate definitely helps.”For the second straight weekend, the Hoosiers went into the final game with a chance to finish with a winning record. This time, they were successful. “We have definitely improved, and I think everybody notices it, so I think we are all really excited, and we’re going to keep working hard to keep going forward,” Saucedo said.
(02/10/11 4:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU women’s softball season opens Thursday against the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats as part of the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Hoosiers head into the new season looking to put last year’s 12-36 campaign behind them.“I don’t think anyone in this group is dwelling on last year. It’s kind of like, ‘Bring it on, here we go,’” IU coach Michelle Gardner said.The Hoosiers will look to start off their season on the West Coast with better results than last year when they scored six runs in an 0-4 weekend. Potentially standing in their way of starting the year in the win column is Arizona outfielder Brittany Lastrapes and pitcher Kenzie Fowler. Both of the Wildcat superstars have been named to the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List.IU made some noise of its own in the offseason with the transfer of senior pitcher Morgan Melloh from Fresno State. The Fishers, Ind., native posted an 18-10 record with a 2.35 ERA last season. Melloh said this year’s team has the potential to be very successful.“We have great incoming freshmen, great returners and great transfers, so I think this team will just be amazing,” Melloh said.Gardner said her main focus for the team as the season gets underway is on improving every day.“For me it is going out and being competitive this weekend, not basing everything on wins and losses, but how we do as a team and the strides we make as we go along,” she said.
(10/04/10 2:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The November midterm elections are the first since the Democrats replaced Republicans in the White House, and the IU College Republicans are working to raise support for their candidates.Of the upcoming activities the club has planned, nothing is more important than recruiting, and in a recent callout meeting, the group broke a statewide record for attendance.“In our callout meeting we had 159 people. And the statewide record before, for any kind of College Republican meeting anywhere throughout the state, was 110,” Justin Kingsolver, president and Indiana Daily Student columnist, said.Kingsolver said he thinks Washington, D.C. has a direct correlation with the large number of volunteers for the Republican Party.“I think people are fed up with the fact that we have had liberal hegemony in Washington, D.C. since 2006,” Kingsolver said. “They’ve controlled both houses of Congress and the presidency since 2008, and a lot of the policies enacted over the last two years. But moreover in the last four years, there have been policies that a wide majority of Americans disagree with.”Treasurer Kristopher Baker said he sees the upcoming elections as a barometer for the country moving forward.“I think people really realize the value of this election, and no matter where they stand on it, they realize that this is the first chance to assess what happened in 2008 and make decisions about where they want their country to go,” Baker said.The organization is also active in getting the word out about their candidates — Todd Young for the 9th District Congressional seat and Dan Coats for the Senate — through phone banks. Phone banks allow volunteers to call different individuals to find out what their political affiliation is and who they support in the upcoming election.In addition to the phone banks, Baker said IUCR will assist in campaigns for positions here in Bloomington with some activities that are off the radar.“We do things such as walking in a parade and going door to door to help the candidates,” Baker said.IUCR External Vice Chairman Barrett Tenbarge said he thinks that at this time the Republican candidates could fare pretty well considering the town’s history of Democrat domination.“Bloomington will never go Republican in terms of an overall vote, but it’s definitely trending Republican this year, and I think we can do a very good job,” Tenbarge said. “And I really think that Todd Young and Dan Coats will surprise people.” The final weeks before the election is the most important and pressure-packed, Tenbarge said, with different planned events for the IUCR.“We’re going to be hitting the phone banks hard,” Tenbarge said. “We will have lists of students who have told us they’re registered to vote, and we will be sending out some reminder e-mails about making sure to get to the polls.”“We will be coordinating our get-out-to-vote efforts in terms of people needing to be driven to the polls, whether they are students or people in the local community.”
(07/25/10 11:10pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Teach For America and the Peace Corps recently came together to give college graduates more opportunities to give back to those in need.Through the partnership, each organization will encourage their volunteers to consider working with the other program in an effort to move forward. Teach For America will encourage alumni to consider volunteering in local communities abroad with the Peace Corps, and in turn, the Peace Corps will encourage returned members to consider teaching opportunities.Teach For America gives recent college graduates an opportunity to commit for two years to teach in urban and rural low-income public schools.“We are very supportive of the Peace Corps’ efforts to expand opportunities for children and families in developing countries,” said Wendy Kopp, CEO and founder of Teach For America, in a press release. “Serving in the Peace Corps is one important way that Teach For America alumni can utilize their knowledge, skills and insight to help level the playing field for young people around the world.”Teach For America places volunteers in struggling communities all across the country, including a location in Indianapolis, and gives volunteers the opportunity to travel and help children in need.“We have 39 regions across the country. We teach in over 100 school districts,” said Teach For America National Communications Director Carrie James.Applications for Teach For America positions are at a record high, reaching 46,000 applicants across the program. IU also saw an increase in applications with a total of 250.“We’re really excited to see that there is a growing number of students at Indiana University, but also across the country, who are interested,” James said.This year, IU has returned to the Peace Corps Top College Rankings among major U.S. universities.The Peace Corps offers IU students multiple options to volunteer for public service, and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs has been very active in forming these important programs that very few universities offer.“We are one of the few institutions that can say that we have both a Peace Corps Fellows Program and a Master’s International Program,” said Jennifer Forney, director of graduate student services at SPEA.The Fellows Program attracts exemplary candidates after they have completed their volunteer experiences, Forney said. Upon admittance to the program, these individuals are moved into the Service Corps, which allows them to work toward their master’s training. The students who are part of this program go to school and concurrently work in the field for nonprofit organizations and city government.“Our program is well-recognized with Peace Corps as really being an ideal fit for these type of students that are very used to working in extreme situations and serving others, where they’re able to come back and get their master’s training and continue to give back in their community placements,” Forney said. “We have at least 10 Peace Corps fellows on a year-to-year basis.”Nationally, the Fellows Program had 512 participants this past fall, which was their highest number in the 25-year history of the program. Peace Corps Fellows Program Manager Julie Driver sees the increase partly as a product of the suffering economy.“Generally as economies turn down, graduate applications turn up,” she said.The Master’s International Program through SPEA allows students to complete a year of academic training before going on to do their Peace Corps service then returning to finish their degree.“They don’t have to compromise at all — they can have it all,” Forney said. “They can pursue advanced academic training and also get this incredible volunteer experience.”With such a wide range of students choosing the ultimate volunteer experience in the Peace Corps, it is difficult to nail down exactly what kind of students at IU choose to participate. Peace Corps Public Affairs Specialist Christine Torres said IU has a great track record of producing Peace Corps volunteers.“Indiana University has pretty consistently been a top university in terms of alums going into Peace Corps, she said. “It has historically had a strong connection to Peace Corps.”
(07/18/10 10:40pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sometimes, classes are created around a book. However, in Dr. Gary Sailes’ case, the book is based on the class.“There was not a single book out there with what I wanted to do, so I figured I would have to do my own anthology,” said Sailes, a professor in the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation who teaches a class with the same name as his new book, “Modern Sport and the African American Experience.”Sailes’ new book features 19 essays about athletes. Trash-talking and the glass ceiling are among the topics that delve into how sports and African-American culture are connected.“We look at culture in sport and race politics of the country and how it impacts on sport — and it’s not always negative,” Sailes said.However, while the title focuses on African-American athletes, white athletes are also mentioned in the book. The two races do not play better or worse than each another as a whole, but rather perform in different ways, according to the anthology.Sailes, when he is not teaching, also acts as a consultant for many professional and collegiate athletes dealing with re-socialization into the new world they inhabit — and how difficult the transition can be for young African-Americans from inner cities. These young athletes are often caught in a tug-of-war of between what they should do and what they want to do, Sailes said.“You’ve now got a guy living in two different environments,” Sailes said. “He’s got his boys from home and yet he’s employed on Madison Avenue, and the expectations on him are different. ... Madison Avenue is expecting him to comply; his boys at home are expecting him to comply.”Another controversial subject in collegiate sports is the lack of minority head coaches, especially in Division I football. In fact, for the first time there will be a double-digit number of black head coaches this fall — a situation often called the glass ceiling.“The people who are in power, those who are hiring, tend to have a cultural perspective that favors white coaches — and I don’t think it’s totally racist in terms of the individuals,” said Louis Harrison, an associate professor at the University of Texas. “It’s not blatant racism. ... The psychological literature shows this: People tend to favor ... people that look like them.”Trash-talking is common in sports today and is highly contagious among all athletes — no matter their skin color. However, Sailes shed some light on the real reason athletes trash-talk during competition.“Athletes trash-talk because if you put it out there, you have to back it up, so they do it to motivate themselves,” Sailes said.And while Sailes’ seventh book and second anthology focuses on diversity, none of the ideas are controversial, Sailes said.But if he does decide to write a more controversial work in the future, he said there are several current events he could chronicle.One of the hot-button topics dealing with race and sports today is the recent free-agent departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers by two-time NBA MVP LeBron James. James chose to announce his decision to join the Miami Heat via a one-hour special on ESPN.Following the program, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert released a statement conveying his displeasure with James’ decision, which then led to the Rev. Jesse Jackson referring to what sports sociologists call “the plantation mentality.”Harrison sees the racial politics of this situation as being somewhere in the middle.“I don’t think it’s totally race, but I think it does have a tint of racial connotation,” Harrison said.There has been spirited debate during the past week as to whether Gilbert’s statement was race-related or just that of an unhappy owner. Sailes chose to look at it from a different point of view.“I would play devil’s advocate and say if LeBron James were white, what would Jesse Jackson call it?” Sailes said. “If LeBron James were white or the owner were black, then it would be a proletariat bureaucracy controversy.”
(07/14/10 11:38pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior and co-captain of the IU women’s club soccer team Rebecca Davis has concerns about the condition of the field available to her team for weekly practices.“It’s hard and it’s dry, and half the time there’s no grass,” Davis said. “It’s not flat, you just can’t even control the ball and you can’t get a good touch, so basically you can’t get any worthwhile practicing.”More than 40 club sport teams exist through Campus Recreational Sports, and many use Woodlawn Field to practice. The field, next to the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, is one of two available to club sports members for practice and is frequently criticized by those who use it.The field is associated with HPER and, up until three years ago, was managed exclusively through the HPER’s dean’s office. Now, the responsibility for daily facility operations belongs to Recreational Sports. Kathryn Bayless, director of Rec Sports, oversees the care of the field.“We do facility inspections, work with the campus units to make sure that it’s being mowed, that it’s being seeded, that it’s being fertilized, that it’s being aerated and that it’s being maintained,” Bayless said.The field is used for three primary activities: club sports, self-directed participation and informal sports such as pick-up frisbee, soccer or running around the track.IU Men’s Rugby Club president Evan Kaufman said the Woodlawn field ranks far behind many of the other fields on campus because of the poor playing surface.“There are many potholes, and the ground is uneven,” Kaufman said in an e-mail. “Comparing this to other fields on campus — whether that be public, club sports or varsity — it is unacceptable for student use.”One of the biggest concerns of students who use the fields is the risk of injury caused by the poor playing surface.“I and many of the other rugby players have rolled ankles on the field,” Kaufman said. “We actually moved touch-rugby away from this field because of the injury risk.”But Bayless said Rec Sports is serious about risk management.“When we have to, we close the field off for use because it has the conditions that we’re not able to correct,” she said. “So we close it off until that action can be undertaken.”Bayless said Rec Sports realizes the field requires much more maintenance.“We are concerned that it is not frequent enough, but there’s no funding source and there’s no commitment that the staffing will be available to be able to take on additional work,” Bayless said.The office is in the process of recruiting extra help to keep the fields up to standards, Bayless said.“One of the things that we’re exploring is to work through the University to put out a bid for an outside vendor to come on board to provide a regular scheduled maintenance regiment for the Woodlawn field,” Bayless said.
(07/08/10 12:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indianapolis was the place to be for both coaches and recruits as the July free period kicked off with the annual adidas Invitational. The tournament, which took place in gyms located all around Indianapolis and its suburbs, drew in several big-name coaches, such as Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, UNC’s Roy Williams, Kansas’ Bill Self, Butler’s Brad Stevens and IU’s Tom Crean.The coaches watched several of the top-ranked players for the 2011, 2012 and 2013 recruiting classes, as well as several who have offers or interest from the Hoosiers.However, the players did not sense any additional pressure during the games, even with numerous championship-winning coaches sitting on the sideline.“I really don’t even look at them when they’re on the sidelines,” Nic Moore said. “I don’t pay any attention to them.”Moore, a 2011 point guard, has received offers from several schools, including Minnesota, and also has received interest from Ball State and IU.Moore was able to avoid an easy mistake many players make with so many scouts present — trying to do too much. It can be very intimidating for some players, but Moore and his fellow Spiece Indy Heat teammate Austin Burgett just try to focus on their game.Avon High School star Burgett, a 2012 prospect, scored 15 points as Spiece cruised to an easy victory against Team Swish on Wednesday afternoon. Burgett, who has offers from Butler, Cincinnati, Iowa, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio and Xavier, got off to a hot start in the first half.“Early, I was shooting pretty well and getting to the basket and rebounding,” Burgett said. Spiece was able to own a sizable advantage on the inside due to the strong rebounding from center A.J. Hammons over the smaller Team Swish. Moore added eight points and was able to connect on two 3-pointers as the Heat pulled away in the second half.The Spiece team is full of IU prospects for the 2012 recruiting class, as Hammons and DeJuan Marrero both have scholarship offers from the Hoosiers.Hammons scored 10 points and blocked six shots in Spiece Indy Heat’s victory, and teammate Marrero of Bowman Academy in Gary added eight points. Hammons, a 6-foot-11 center, announced recently that he will transfer from Carmel High School to basketball powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for the 2010-11 academic year.He said the transfer will allow him to grow as a player for the next two years and perhaps make a name for himself at a program that has seen the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Jackson and Brandon Jennings.“I’m trying to get better offensively, get bigger a little bit, and try to break some records, I guess,” he said.Hammons said he had also been participating in workouts at the beginning of summer and plans to resume them soon.“I kind of stopped (the workouts) now, but I’ve got to start back,” he said.Though he is on the radar of a number of schools in addition to IU, including Purdue, Ohio State and Xavier, Hammons said he would not stress about his college choice until his senior year of high school.“I’ve been in contact with a couple of colleges, but I’m not really thinking about college until next year,” he said.He did mention, however, that he was interested in playing for the Hoosiers.“Indiana’s a good school,” he said. “My brother liked Indiana, and he’s a person that’s going to help me pick my college. So it’s a good school.”Marrero also said no decision would come for him until next year, though he was less inclined to rank one school over another.“I’ve got all the colleges the same,” he said.Marrero, a native of Puerto Rico, spent part of June playing with the 18U Puerto Rican national team and said he placed high emphasis on his perimeter game while there.“They had me run the two, so I’ve just been working on my ball-handling and my shooting,” he said.
(07/01/10 8:42pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A beautiful sunny day saw families out enjoying the warm weather, and hundreds of families gathered at the Bedford Junior High School football field in Bedford, Ind., for an opportunity to get the autographs of some of their favorite Indianapolis Colts players. “It’s great for the kids and for the family,” Bedford resident Jeff Ready said. The Indianapolis Colts sponsored a day-long fan festival in Bedford on Wednesday as part of their Make it Personal Tour. The tour will visit 18 different cities across both Indiana and Illinois during the months of June and July. Each stop on the tour will give fans a chance to receive autographs from Colts players and cheerleaders as well as registering for a chance to win pre-season Colts tickets. Meijer, The Indiana Corn Marketing Council, Indiana Soybean Alliance, Bluegreen and Harrison College sponsor the tour. The tour has grown over the past three years from just one Colts-sponsored trailer to what is put forth now for the fans during each stop. “It’s kind of been something that we have evolved," intern Brad Newbold said. "We used to just take our Colts emotion trailer around and it kind of evolved into a full blown fan fest you see here.”Some of the perks of coming out to the make it personal tour is that the fans never know which Colts players the they will get to meet and receive autographs from. In addition to meeting some Colts players, promotional booths and activities are set up free to the public. “Everything is free the whole day long,” Newbold said. Some of the stops on the tour are small towns that get a very strong turnout despite long distances from Indianapolis. “The further away from Indy kind of surprises me," Newbold said. "The better crowd we get, because they are not used to the whole Colts theme around Indianapolis. We will usually get anywhere from a thousand to three thousand depending on the event throughout the two hours." One of the biggest sponsors for this tour is the Indiana Corn and Indiana Soybean Alliance. They set up an educational trailer to present awareness. “We are out promoting biofuels, ethanol made from corn, biodiesel made from soybeans,” Indiana Corn and Indiana Soybean Alliance educational consultant Fred Henderson said. “It’s an educational trailer. We bring it around to a lot of these venues like this with the Colts."
(06/28/10 12:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As a professor stepped on a podium June 21 in the Frangipani Room of the Indiana Memorial Union, the excited chatter fell silent. However, unlike most college classes, the students gathered for this lecture were mostly over the age of 50.These students participated in the 39th annual Mini University, an event co-sponsored by the IU Alumni Association and Bloomington Continuing Studies to support lifelong learning. The week-long Mini University began June 20 and allowed participants to attend up to 15 non-credited classes taught by IU faculty.“We look at nine categories of topics that we think would be of interest to people: the arts, business and technology, domestic issues, health, fitness and leisure, human growth and development, humanities, international and science,” said Jeanne Madison, co-director of Mini University.The attendance for Mini University continues to grow every year and was at an all-time high this year with 520 participants, said co-director Nicki Bland.“The attendance has been growing remarkably,” Bland said. “The last four years have been sold out, and we’ve actually had to cut it off. And this year we had close to 100 people on our wait list.”However, participants are not the only people involved in the event who enjoy the classes.“The professors enjoy teaching this group of people because they know that they are there voluntarily, for one thing, and two, they are a group of people who have their own life experiences, and they aren’t going to sit back passively and let the professor roll over them,” said Jim Fagan, a Mini University participant and Bloomington resident. “They are going to speak up when they really have something to say.”When Mini University began in the early 1970s, it was an IU-sponsored family summer camp for both children and adults, Bland said.“We had a children’s program that went along with Mini University, so the adults went to class and the children went to day camp,” she said. Over the years, however, Mini University has transformed into an informative and educational event for adult community members. The participants, about half of whom are IU alumni, receive information about Mini University from the IU Alumni Association in the spring and are often eager to share this information with their friends and colleagues.“Our best advertisements are our participants,” Bland said. “They recruit their family and friends, and that’s why we’re outselling — because of our ambassadors that have attended over the years and enjoyed it. And they go back and recruit people to come with them.”Although the program is open to the general public, the majority of the participants are 50 and older.“I think part of it is schedules,” said Kyla Cox, director of communications and outreach for Bloomington Continuing Studies. “When you have the group that is retired, they’re more flexible with their schedule. They can come for a week and take classes. But we do actually have a lot of teachers and other educators who come that are all over the age span.”
(06/23/10 10:28pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Behind a number of projects and additions to the IU campus are members of the IU Student Association, with project ideas stemming from IU students and carried out by the all-student administration.“Most of the time, a project starts when a kid e-mails in to me and says, ‘Hey, what about this?’” IUSA Chief of Staff Neil Kelty said. “I’ll look into it and jot down some thoughts, and then I take it to the rest of our leadership team.”While many of the organization’s projects are implemented during the school year, IUSA members continue planning into the summer. This year, the group is working on several projects, including a GPS for buses, the implementation of more crosswalks on campus and a new website, http://iuoffcampus.com.With the string of car accidents on campus in the past year, including the death of sophomore Peter Duong in September, the administration feels more crosswalks are necessary around campus. Two crosswalks were installed on Fee Lane during spring break at the recommendation of the Campus Safety Task Force created in September 2009, IUSA President Michael Coleman said.“After last year’s tragic accident and the other accidents involving injuries, it was time to do something about pedestrian traffic on campus,” Kelty said.IUSA has also been working to improve the campus bus system by implementing a GPS for the campus buses to ease student use. Former IUSA Chief of Transportation Initiatives Ilya Rekhter spoke with IU Transportation Director Kent McDaniel concerning the system. “I told him that I would run the idea by the executive members, organize a team around the project and hopefully develop an affordable system in-house,” Rekhter said. “I later had (the IUSA) Congress approve a budget for the project and am on track to launch the service by the beginning of this upcoming school semester.”The GPS would include trackers in all campus buses so students can monitor campus bus movement online and from mobile devices. Tracking monitors would also be installed in the Herman B Wells Library and the Indiana Memorial Union so students could see exactly when their bus would arrive. In addition to helping students on campus, IUSA is also working to benefit students living off campus. Its new website will inform students who live off campus of events and happenings taking place on campus. “We’re trying to make the University show that we cater to students that are off campus, because students that live off campus just don’t know a lot of what is happening on campus, whether they are on campus for a lot or a little bit,” Coleman said.
(06/21/10 12:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Many schools have been forced to make budget cuts because of the money crunch facing Indiana schools. Monroe County institutions are no different. Larry Winters, assistant athletic director and girls’ basketball coach at Bloomington High School South, sees it as an unfortunate and difficult situation with people facing tough decisions about what to cut and what to keep. “To some people, it seems like the easiest way to go,” Winters said. “With sports being involved with it, you would think that it would be easier to fundraise for it than some of the other academic areas, so it’s just a tough situation.” The ratification of a new contract for the 2010-11 school year by the Monroe County Community School Corporation board and the Monroe County Education Association Teachers Union brought to light that there would be no money for those leading extracurricular activities, causing much commotion among educators, students and community members. Last Wednesday at BHSS, Tina Peterson, executive director of the Foundation of Monroe County Community Schools, proposed a plan to raise the $750,000 needed to provide the stipends for extracurricular activities by Aug. 1. Peterson’s plan called on the Bloomington community for help. “The plan is to really engage everyone in the community and to fundraise an effort,” Peterson said. She said she plans to garner a few large donations from local businesses and many smaller donations from community members, as well as money from several fundraising programs. “Our goal here is to find 25 lead givers that will help us raise $250,000 and then to engage about 2,800 individuals and families in the community,” Peterson said. “We assume primarily parents of kids in school to help us raise $340,000 and then do some community events and some community fundraising to reach the last $160,000.” If the goal is not reached, some coaches have already said they can’t perform their duties for free. “We have had a couple coaches who had to step away because they just can’t afford to wait to find out or to work for less than what their stipend is supposed to be,” Peterson said. But there are some who said they feel they could not abandon their teams. Winters looks at it as being paid less. “I feel like I put a lot of time in for the amount that I’m paid anyway, so I don’t know that ‘coaching for free’ is a way to put it,” Winters said.Given the time commitment coaches put in, they said they feel there is a certain amount of loyalty that must be upheld. Many of the players said they also expect the coaches to be there for them. “I think I owe it to the girls that I’ve had in my program and just not coach next year and leave my seniors out to dry,” Winters said. “Obviously it’s not something I want to do or look forward to doing, but I’m in it for the kids.” Everybody involved agrees that to reach the goal, staying optimistic is important right now. “We have to be optimistic to work at it and go after it,” BHSS Athletic Director J.R. Holmes said. With six weeks until the Aug. 1 deadline, the MCCSC has already received help from a few local corporations. “We have several that have contacted us, and we know that they are in the process of determining how they can participate,” Peterson said. “But as of right now, we have a $25,000 gift from a local law firm, Bunger & Robertson, and then on Friday we learned that the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County gave another lead gift of $25,000, so we think that’s a pretty good start after just two days.”
(06/14/10 12:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first installment of a series on how student-athletes spend their summers, be it on the field, in the classroom or relaxing back at home. This week, the IDS spoke with two members of the men’s soccer team.Will BruinDuring the school year, junior soccer player Will Bruin spends countless hours practicing and conditioning for the team’s many competitive games. But he also spends his summer taking classes, relaxing and just trying to have a good time. “I am currently taking Physics P201, and then after that I am going to play with my club team back home for some games and just make sure to get in good shape come preseason,” Bruin said. Men’s soccer coach Todd Yeagley met with each player individually to determine what he needs to do in order to stay active and improve over the offseason. “We have meetings to evaluate what experience they need to continue to grow,” Yeagley said. The soccer team as a whole has to determine where its priorities fall for the summer months while away from Bloomington.The players’ report date to be back in town for the 2010 soccer season is Aug. 17. “I do play, but not as much as some other people, because this time off is crucial for me so I am 100 percent fresh for fall season,” Bruin said. A vital part of any student-athletes’ life is being able to take a break and just relax sometimes. With the heavy workload the players carry on and off the field, being able to spend time with friends and family is important.“My favorite part of summer is being able to go home for a little bit and being able to hang out with my old high school friends,” Bruin said. Andy AdlardAdlard, a senior from Wisconsin, devotes part of his summer to focusing on soccer by playing in the Premier Development League to help keep him in shape. The PDL consists of eight divisions and more than 65 teams across the country. It has games throughout the summer for players who want to be able to spend the summer competing and getting better. “The PDL league is very competitive and keeps you busy for most of all the summer,” Adlard said. “It has great competition and some very good players, including many of the players we play against during our fall season during college.”Adlard also spends time working on exercises from the team’s strength coach, following manuals so he can come back from the offseason prepared. “We certainly want the players to be around the ball as much as possible, but we also know each player is uniquely different,” Yeagley said. For some of the players, participation in the PDL is just a part-time deal so they don’t burn themselves out in the summer.“There are days for downtime so you can get your rest and recover for the upcoming college season,” Adlard said.
(06/13/10 10:30pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The mostly empty sidewalks of campus will fill Tuesday as students from across the country attend the start of New Student Orientation.The two-day program is the first step in welcoming incoming freshmen to IU. Melanie Payne, director of summer orientation and Welcome Week for the Office of First Year Experience Programs, said the office has numerous activities planned for the new freshmen. “We teach them about some of the resources, the opportunities, the expectations, the services at IU, the true orientation to this new place that they are coming to,” she said.FYE provides both freshmen and transfer students with all the information and resources they will need to be successful at IU, Payne said. During orientation, students will attend an advising appointment, register for classes, receive their CampusAccess cards and take required placement exams. They will also attend informational seminars concerning technology at IU, finances, safety, student life and University traditions. But the students are not the only orientation attendees with a full agenda.According to the FYE website, parents attend separate activities throughout the first day and have the option of visiting an open house at one of IU’s “treasured locations.” Payne said some of these locations include the Lilly Library, the Mathers Museum of World Cultures and the DeVault Alumni Center. “It gives us an opportunity to show off something on campus for them, where they can just go and relax with some of the other parents,” Payne said.Campus food courts, bookstores and other service providers are also prepared to accommodate the needs of parents and students alike. For example, the Wright Food Court has opened its doors to provide a complimentary meal to participants of the FYE program. For orientation, Wright offers an express line, which is an abbreviated form of the normal menu at the food court.“We take five of our concepts and make a limited menu, where the customers that come through the express line choose one concept,” Wright Food Court General Manager Mark Winstead said. “For example, if they choose Sbarro they get the choice of spaghetti or baked ziti with sauce, Caesar salad, breadstick, their choice of beverage and fresh fruit or cookie for dessert.”The express line cuts down on wait times, Winstead said. Each person is able to get what he or she wants with five to seven minutes’ wait time.New this year is a late-night tour through campus for students called the Legends Tour.“The tour talks about certain myths about IU — for example, the Wells Library,” said sophomore and RPS employee Annie Rowland. “We talk about how it really isn’t sinking an inch every year.”
(06/06/10 11:57pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Growing up, Ethan Wilson always tried to achieve high grades in school, in part because he thought it would present promising opportunities once he got to college.“My parents have always harped on getting good grades and hoped that it will pay off for us in college, and it kind of helps,” Wilson said.It certainly has for Wilson. The junior baseball player was one of 104 IU athletes named to the Spring Academic All-Big Ten Team, an increase from the 83 chosen in spring 2009. To be eligible for the Academic All-Big Ten Team, students must be in their second academic year, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and letter in their sport. This year the Big Ten selected a total of 1,037 athletes.“Indiana University could not be more proud of this accomplishment,” IU Athletic Director Fred Glass said in a press release.Athletes at IU have a heavy responsibility in the classroom as well as with participation in their respective sports. According to the NCAA academic requirements, student-athletes are obligated to take at least six credit hours per semester. This can be a daunting task if they are not fully prepared to handle it. However, student-athletes are given ample resources to help with their studies. Tutors are available for student-athletes who miss classes because of practice or away games or who might just need some extra help.“The tutors are a great idea — they can help a lot when you are on the road and miss classes,” senior tennis player Lachlan Ferguson said.Many student-athletes find that with proper planning, dedication and the occasional tutor assistance they can be successful in both athletics and academics.“I don’t think it’s too hard, really,” Wilson said. “It’s just time management. I’m not a big social guy — most of my time is spent on academics.”The ability to get high grades on top of balancing both an academic and athletic career is commendable, especially when large portions of teams achieve it at the same time, as the track team did this spring. The men’s and women’s team combined posted 44 of the 104 athletes selected to the Academic All-Big Ten team. Track and field coach Ron Helmer is pleased the individuals chosen are living up to their obligations as student-athletes, but not shocked, as it is something that he has come to expect from all his team members.“I’m incredibly proud of the fact that we have large numbers of kids achieving academically, as we have asked them to try to do,” Helmer said. “We expect our athletes to give the appropriate level of effort and to do an outstanding job in the classroom, and some choose to do that and some choose not to do that.”The track and field selections increased from 2009, going from 34 total to 44. With the annual release of the Academic All-Big Ten Team, more positive attention is being paid to student-athletes’ achievements in the classroom. “Recognition is always nice — it gives you something to show for your hard work,” Ferguson said. “I think the best thing about it for me, though, is it gives me an indication of where I’m at.” This isn’t the first time Ferguson has been recognized for academic achievement. Last year he was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Second Team as well as being named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. This year’s Academic All-America honorees will be announced June 8 and June 24 for the men’s and women’s teams, respectively. The national media often will portray student-athletes as just athletes and don’t always incorporate much about their academic achievements. Those who made the Academic All-Big Ten Team appreciate the acknowledgement.“I feel like some people don’t get credit where credit is due,” Wilson said. “It’s not the easiest thing to do to maintain academics and sports. At times you have very hectic schedules, and you are on the road late, don’t get much sleep, studying on the bus. So I feel like credit needs to be given where it’s due.”
(06/03/10 12:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Recent graduate Sam Olson will never forget his first public relations class — not because of his grade, the projects or even the people taking the class with him, but because of the professor. “Beth Wood truly cared about her students,” Olson said. “Rarely ever have I had a professor that is so approachable and makes herself readily available to all her students whenever they need it.” Wood spent seven years lecturing and teaching at IU before she lost her battle with lung cancer in Nov. 2009. However, she did much more than just teach public relations. Michael Evans, the associate dean for Undergraduate Studies at the IU School of Journalism, said Wood essentially founded the PR program in her time with the University. On Saturday, Wood will be honored through an American Lung Association Lung Walk in Carmel, Ind. The walk will raise money for the 35 million people currently suffering from chronic lung disease in the United States. The walk, which offers both a 5-kilometer and a 1-mile option, will serve as the second of three outings to help those with chronic lung disease. The two options are offered because some participants are currently dealing with lung disease and want to participate in the event without overwhelming themselves. “Generally, most of our participants finish the entire 3.1 miles,” said American Lung Association Special Events Manager Liz Zuercher. “Occasionally some of the folks that are doing the 1-mile route do need assistance with wheelchair assistance or something with that fashion to cross the finish line.”While the location for the walk is in Carmel, it is held at the Monon Center, which was chosen for the walk because of its ideal location, its good relationship with the Lung Association and free parking for the participants. The park also donates the property use, allowing the Lung Association to keep its costs down, Zuecher said. Honoring Wood is important for many of her former students. “She made it so much more than textbook learning,” recent IU graduate Alison Sperling said. “Her real-world knowledge of PR made the class and her teaching unique to the journalism school.”Sperling enjoyed Wood’s classes so much that she frequently recommended them to her friends who also wanted to study public relations. Even those who had no knowledge of Wood’s reputation among journalism students still left her class in awe of her dedication to helping her students. “She was always eager to lend a hand to whoever needed it, never giving up on anyone until the problem was solved,” Olson said. “Losing her was and still is a terrible thing, and she is going to be greatly missed by many.”