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(10/11/06 3:26am)
Michele Norris, host of National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," urged young journalists to get away from their computer screens and venture out into world in her speech Monday night at the Indiana Memorial Union. \n"It is too easy for journalists to rely on the Web rather than rely on fresh, new streams of original information," Norris said, standing in front of a room full of students with open laptops and running tape recorders in the Whittenberger Auditorium. \nNorris began her speech, titled "Cut and Paste Journalism," by praising recent technological advances in the field and calling search tools like Google and LexisNexis "journalistic jackpots." \nBut she quickly changed her tone to say that too many journalists are using these tools to report the news without checking their credibility. \n"If you are a journalist and you are going to bet your news organization's credibility on a report, wouldn't you ideally want to know something about the source of all that information?" Norris asked.\nShe gave the audience examples from her experiences as a journalist in radio, print and television, and said that speaking directly with a source builds trustworthy relationships based on credible information.\n"When you are always talking with someone down the line instead of looking them in the eye, something gets lost," she said, "You lose the accidental discovery. You lose something when you can't read their body."\nThe audience listened intently and broke into laughter several times throughout her speech as Norris encouraged their input.\nBloomington resident and NPR listener Jean Boquist said although much of the speech was directed toward journalists, she still enjoyed Norris' message. \n"I think it was interesting the way she talked about the importance of person-to-person contact," Boquist said. "And I find that the fact that NPR's stories are in-depth is very interesting."\nBefore becoming a co-host of the popular NPR radio show "All Things Considered," Norris worked as a correspondent for ABC News and has also reported for the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune.\nNorris is the second of three presenters in the School of Journalism's speaker series, which invites award-winning journalists to share their experiences. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anna Quindlen will speak at 7 p.m. Nov. 1 at Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union to conclude the series. \nBeth Moellers, director of communications at the School of Journalism, said having Norris speak brought broadcast experience to the school as well as unique diversity. \n"You don't get much more high-quality journalism than National Public Radio," Moellers said. \nAfter the speech, audience members lined up behind a microphone to ask Norris questions about everything from her advice to budding journalists to her thoughts on the recent scandal involving former Florida Rep. Mark Foley.\nBut a majority of the audience members wanted to praise Norris for her work at NPR. \n"Even though we operate on a spit-shine budget, we are often viewed as the gold standard," Norris said, "What we have earned through good hard work is the trust of our listeners"
(10/08/06 6:36pm)
A group of women and men stopped traffic and brought spectators to tears on Kirkwood Avenue Thursday night as they marched, chanted and waved banners, demanding an end to violence against women during the annual Take Back the Night march and rally. \nAmong the spectators on Kirkwood was Middle Way House resident and former abuse victim, Lisa Randall, who stopped in her tracks upon hearing more than 50 united voices shouting things like, "However we dress, wherever we go, yes means yes, and no means no." \n"I heard them chanting, and I just stopped," Randall said, "I was raped, so the march really moved me. It helps those of us that don't have the strength to stand up for ourselves." \nThe march, which was meant to signify the right for women to walk alone in the night without being confronted by violence, began in Dunn Meadow with a rally including music by the Culchies and informational booths sponsored by various campus organizations. Some of the participating groups included the Middle Way House, IU Men's Coalition, Woman's Student Association and the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance. While the cause they gathered for was a serious matter, people of all age, race and gender danced and conversed in celebration of the annual gathering. \nA candle-lit vigil and a moment of silence were held among the crowd to remember victims of sexual assault and abuse, and soon men and women separated to take their different paths through campus toward their final destination at the Monroe County Courthouse. \nOnce there, the group sang "We Shall Overcome," and individual women were invited to speak about their thoughts and experiences with violence and sexual abuse. Several of those in attendance stood in the center of the town square and shared tears and words of hope with others. \nWhile the majority of those in attendance were women, there were about two dozen men in the crowd, as well. Their separate, silent march was to allow for reflection on what it means to be a man who will not tolerate violence against women, organizers said. \n"We want to bring out men for the event to show our support and to tell other people that men do care about this issue of violence against women, because it's everyone's issue," junior Tim Gross, a member of the IU Men's Coalition, said.\nDuring the march through campus, spectators on the streets jumped off bikes and changed direction to join in the chanting that grew louder and more enthusiastic as it continued. \nSenior Amy Gastelum, president of the Woman's Student Association and one of the key organizers of the march, said the event's main purpose was to provide education and solidarity for abuse victims and the Bloomington community. \n"We demand a change in society," Gastelum said. "Tonight we will march through the streets testifying that we are a group of people committed to productive discussion and forward thinking. We want to create a space were women can say, 'We are taking back the night, and tonight we are safe to walk alone."
(04/10/06 4:51am)
While most people soaked up the rays on warm, sunny beaches during spring break, members from the band Forever in Effigy found themselves in Bloomington all week, recording. If everything goes as planned, the result of their efforts will be a 12-track album titled "From Sleep and Shadows."\nThe four musicians of Forever in Effigy include freshman Spencer Luzwick on vocals and guitar, sophomore TJ Martin on guitar, senior CJ Page on bass and sophomore Dave Chale on drums. Their sound is inspired by bands like Thrice, Coheed and Cambria, Underoath and Metallica, and the musical talents of all four create a dramatic and captivating sound, enough to make any listener do more than just tap their toes. \n"We aim for different genres," Chale said, "and we play a little bit of everything for everyone." \nFIE was created in early 2005 and has made leaps and bounds in progress since then, practicing at least three times a week and playing one show after another for a growing crowd. Long-time friend and fan of FIE, freshman Curtis Grace calls their sound unique and intense. \n"I'm really anxious to see how well the album does," Grace said. \nAnyone in the audience at a FIE performance witnesses the band's impeccable chemistry and their ability to shock and please by hanging from rafters and inviting fans on-stage to sing along.\nWhen these guys aren't practicing or tearing up the stage, most of them are studying. \n"Our grades show that we could afford to try harder in school,"Page said , "but (the band) is what we want to do."\nLuzwick, who is double majoring in psychology and criminal justice, finds himself with little or no spare time.\n"I spend pretty much all my time either on school or on band stuff," he said. "My grades have suffered this semester a bit, but nothing too bad."\nThe upcoming album will be released May 5 at Rhino's Youth Center. Most of the songs featured were composed by Martin and Chale, while lyrics come from Martin and Luzwick. \n"For lyrics, I just write streams of consciousness about moods or characters in my head," Martin said. "Spencer refines them and adds things to make them work to the music. Words just come to me."\nFIE has previously released tracks that will be included in the album, but the majority of the songs are new and highly anticipated by fans. Martin said, the song "Avaritia," for which they already have a music video, will be the biggest hit. \n"I think 'Avaritia' is going to be the overall favorite," he said, "People already like it a lot, and it's catchy enough to get the pop kids while interesting enough to get more serious listeners into it." \nWith the release of "From Sleep and Shadows," Forever in Effigy hopes the word about their sound will spread and that they will turn heads nationally. The band will be touring from May 10 to June 11, and is currently in the running to play on this summer's Warped Tour. Whether or not it makes the cut depends on online voting from fans, to whom the band expresses great gratitude.\n"I love them all," Martin said. "I truly do appreciate every one of them"
(02/28/06 4:58am)
If you have ever listened to WIUX on 100.3 FM, you've heard the catchy promos, a wide range of University information and a taste of the diverse variety of music. You've also heard the luring voice of junior Zach Pollakoff, which appears on the station at least every 20 minutes. \nPollakoff writes and edits his own on-air spots and records the promos, the station identifications and the public service announcements. This isn't just something Pollakoff does in his spare time. This is his major, and he created it himself.\nPollakoff began his freshman year as a theater major, but it only took two semesters for him to change his mind and head toward something a bit more authentic. Pollakoff is majoring in radio and voice-overs, to be exact, and created his own schedule of classes. To do this, he found a sponsor and compiled a unique list of courses appropriate for his major. Pollakoff chose Jeffrey Huntsman, the man who created the individualized major program, to be his sponsor. Pollakoff's schedule had to meet all distribution requirements and had to be approved by a line of University professors. \n"It's cool that I get to make it all up and do it on my own," Pollakoff said.\nAt the end of his senior year, Pollakoff is required to present a final project. For this, he will submit a collection of what he considers to be his best radio work, something he calls a "reel."\nEvery Tuesday from 1 to 3 p.m., Pollakoff has complete control of all the station's content on his own show called "Box Lunch." During his two hours of controlling the airways, he plays anything from Cat Power to The Mountain Goats, and happily takes listener requests.\nPollakoff dedicates at least four hours a day to his work at WIUX. \n"Music is one of my passions," Pollakoff said. "If I'm not making music, I want to be involved in it in some way." \nWhile music is a strong interest of Pollakoff's, he said his heart belongs to the art of comedy. \nThe highlight of his week is performing with his friends in the original Full Frontal Comedy troupe, which he has been a part of since he was a freshman. \n"Comedy is an underrepresented art form," Pollakoff said. "It has a lot of artistic elements to it. People don't understand that when we perform, we're not always just aiming for a joke, we're portraying the truth." \nThe troupe, which was developed by three theater majors in 1994, performs weekly. Shows consist of short games similar to those seen on "Whose Line is it Anyway?" as well as a montage -- a series of improvised scenes, one sometimes leading to the next. Pollakoff calls the montage "the heart of the show." \nThe audience is an important part of the act, and troupe members need crowd suggestions to get the show rolling. The seven members of the troupe meet twice a week for two hours to polish their skills and to strengthen their group work. \n"We have a very strong troupe this year, and it's because we're all friends and we have a group mind," Pollakoff said. \nThis "group mind" gives the performers their distinct on-stage chemistry and displays their ability to keep the audience laughing.\n"Our shows can be uplifting for somebody having a rough day," Pollakoff said.\nHis involvement with Full Frontal Comedy has given him a group of life long friends, one being his roommate, Joseph Rogan. \n"I would have never gotten to know Joe without the troupe," Pollakoff said, "And he's my best friend." \nRogan, a senior, has been a member of the troupe for two years and says the mixture of diverse personalities the group encompasses is what makes Full Frontal Comedy so extraordinary. \n"Being in the troupe is something I'll always remember," Rogan said. "We're living the tradition and it's nice to see the program is still going. It's definitely been the highlight of college. I just love making people laugh." \nPollakoff's parents stand behind his unique choice in majors and enjoy attending Full Frontal Comedy performances, he said. \n"I wouldn't be nearly as ambitious if it weren't for my family," Pollakoff said. "My parents are the coolest parents to have ever parented." \nAfter college, Pollakoff hopes to find a job as a DJ, but expresses that this will be a day job. In his free time, he wants to stick with comedy. \n"Improvisers know not to take themselves too seriously, and when they work, they call it play," he said. "It's a completely different field. It's organic, awesomely organic." \nDespite spending countless hours in the WIUX radio station and giving people a good laugh, Pollakoff said he's enjoying himself.\n"Basically, I'm doing everything I want to do with my life," he said.