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(09/01/11 2:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the spirit of connecting past and present Hoosiers, the IU Alumni Association launched a new social networking site called the Spirit of IU.“Our goal was to create a forum that allows people to express their own view of IU as well as recognize and reward people for showing their IU spirit,” JT. Forbes, executive director of the IUAA, said. “With over 500,000 living alums, we wanted to give Hoosiers a chance to connect with each other and have fun.”The site, which can be accessed at spirit.iu.edu, allows members to upload pictures, join communities, post statuses and comment on other users’ submissions. Joining communities, uploading pictures and referring other people earn members activity points, which can later be redeemed for prizes, such as a free one-year membership in the IUAA or 15 percent off merchandise in the IUAA store.Every few months, the Spirit of IU will run a contest as a chance for Hoosiers to show off their school spirit. The first contest, “Show Your IU Style,” began July 18 and will run until Sept. 19. Contestants are asked to show off their IU-inspired fashion and upload photos to the site, where other members will vote for 10 finalists.The contest is run by IU alumna Jessica Quirk, a 2005 apparel merchandising graduate and fashion blogger. Quirk’s blog, “What I Wore,” began in 2007 and features almost every outfit she has worn in the past four years.“What I Wore” has been featured in publications and outlets such as Marie Claire, Glamour, CNN and The Wall Street Journal and was published as a book July 5. The 10 finalists will each receive IU apparel and a copy of Quirk’s book.“We created these contests to feature notable alumni and their accomplishments to other Hoosiers,” said Rebecca Salerno, director of creative services at IU. “For other contests, we’re trying to find connections between famous alumni and how their stories fit into IU’s.”The Spirit of IU gets its namesake from an old IU tradition, the Freshman Induction Ceremony. During the first induction ceremony in 1933, the speaker was a female student dressed in a white robe named “the Spirit of Indiana,” representing IU’s search for truth and knowledge.“A lot of that speech still holds true for students today as it did back then,” said Sarah Anderson, IUAA’s manager of interactive media. “The pursuit of diversity and intellectual development remains very modern, real and accurate for IU today, and we want to carry on that tradition.”
(09/08/10 2:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As part of a collaborative effort between the Lilly Library and writer Douglas Wissing, the Wells Library will display a cultural exhibit on Afghanistan in the main lobby. “Indiana in Afghanistan; Afghanistan in Indiana” features a number of historic Afghan items obtained by Lilly Library curator Jim Canary alongside photographs taken by Wissing when he was embedded with the Indiana National Guard’s Agribusiness Development Team in 2009.For 10 weeks, Wissing followed the team throughout the volatile eastern Afghan province of Khost, which the troops nicknamed “Indian country.”“It was tough,” Wissing said. “You’d be traveling across mountainous terrain at altitudes between six and 12 thousand feet in 120 degree heat, all while carrying 50 to 60 pounds of stuff. You had to be able to keep up with the security team, because if you couldn’t go further, they couldn’t go further, so you were expected to be able to do your part.”Wissing created the traveling exhibit “Indiana in Afghanistan” with the photos he took and first displayed the exhibit at the Indiana State Fair. When he approached IU with the intent of displaying his exhibit, the school decided to incorporate its history with Afghanistan into Wissing’s work.The exhibit “offers a glimpse into some good things happening in Afghanistan because of people taking an interest,” Canary said in a press release. In addition to Wissing’s photographs, items on display include artifacts from the Lilly Library, Mathers Museum, University Archives and Archives of Traditional Music, such as instruments, letters of correspondence between IU and Kabul University, rare recordings of traditional Afghan music and even a rare photograph of Herman B Wells wearing a fez during a visit to Kabul.“It’s interesting to see the historic side of Afghanistan’s relationship juxtaposed with modern events,” said graduate student Ryan Brasher, who had previously lived in Afghanistan while working with a non-governmental organization. “I had heard that IU had been working with Indiana National Guard’s ADT, teaching them Pashto and Afghan culture and politics, but I didn’t know that IU’s relationship with Kabul University stemmed for almost 55 years.”“Indiana in Afghanistan; Afghanistan in Indiana” will be on display until Sept. 24th, after which it will move on to Vincennes University.
(02/04/10 1:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With the recession affecting the availability of jobs in today’s market, it can be increasingly difficult for some college students to find work immediately following graduation. As a result, many recent graduates are turning to friends and family for help.Moving back home or with friends is rent-free for some, and often basic amenities are provided. Senior Holly Wegmann, who plans to graduate in May, said she plans on moving in with her aunt in Texas.“I just wanted to try something completely different and move someplace warm, so it was lucky for me that I had family in Texas,” Wegmann said. “It doesn’t hurt that it’s rent-free as well.”Senior Christopher Roberts, who plans to graduate in December, said his post-graduation plans depend on whether or not – and where – he finds a job, among other things. “The rent to my apartment is relatively cheap, and I know the landlord,” Roberts said. “So provided I get a job in Bloomington, I’ll probably end up just staying here. There is a possibility I may move down to Florida and start a business there, and my girlfriend said she might study at Illinois, so Champaign is also a possibility.”Roberts said he has family members living in Florida who are willing to provide housing until he has a stable income.He also said he recommends that prospective graduates looking to move out on their own plan ahead at least a year and look up realtors and classified ads.Should a graduate choose to move back home to recover and reorganize after graduation, he or she should communicate, save and ultimately plan to move out, said Kristen Fischer, author of “Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes: An After-College Guide to Life,” in her blog.“One of the biggest advantages to moving home is being able to save,” she said. “While your other friends are dumping all of their newly earned money, you’ll be able to pay Mom and Dad a fraction of the cost.”
(10/30/09 3:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Since World War II, women have played an important role in the armed services. In Indiana alone, there are about 33,000 women veterans and 2,200 active servicewomen on duty as of October 2007.To recognize Hoosier women who have or are currently serving in the military, Indiana will celebrate its Third Annual Hoosier Women Veterans’ Conference on Saturday.The conference, which will be at the Indiana War Memorial in Indianapolis, gives Hoosier women veterans an opportunity to connect and relate to other women who have shared similar experiences, Sen. Sue Landske, R-6th District, said in an audio release.Women Veterans Coordinator Kris Bertrand said it will be the third conference for women veterans on an official state level, as there have been prior conferences for Hoosier women veterans that were put on by nonprofit organizations.Indiana is one of many states following a trend that first started in Ohio, the first state to have a successful women veterans’ conference. At the recommendation of the National Association of State Women Veterans Coordinators, Indiana had its first Hoosier Women Veterans’ Conference in 2007 with about 150 attendees, Bertrand said. In 2008, 250 servicewomen showed up for the event, and she said about 300 are expected to arrive at this year’s event.“They usually have great speakers at the event,” Air Force veteran Cindy Mays said. Mays, who was in the Air Force for two years, will be attending the conference for her second time. “We always get up-to-date information from vendors and people like the VA, schools and businesses that relate to women and the military,” she said. “It’s nice being able to get that information and connect with others who have served all in one spot.”Mays, who was stationed in Michigan during her time in the Air Force, said that she does not see any other women she served with at the conference. However, that has not prevented her from being able to connect with other women veterans. “Women tend to connect more as veterans,” Mays said. Bertrand said the bond that women veterans share is different from that of men.“Women veterans have a very special sisterhood, and the conference gives us a chance to get together and be recognized as veterans,” Bertrand said. “When you think of veterans, you shouldn’t just think of the little old guys with wheelchairs and walkers. This is an opportunity for women, not just men, to say, ‘Hey, we served too.’”
(10/14/09 3:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Planning for college is a mind-numbing process that does not end once accepted into a school. Picking out courses, learning about professors, finding internships and making sure to have all the bases covered are parts of the process. To help students cope with the whole experience, MyEdu, the company behind the Pick-A-Prof service, has launched a new suite of products designed to help students stay on track and help ensure academic success.“Basically, we’re here to help students plan out their degree from day one and help the undecided find a degree,” said Karen Holst, vice president of marketing and business development for MyEdu.MyEdu touts four new services in addition to the Pick-A-Prof, including a graduation road map, schedule planner, academic dashboard and education network. At the cost of $10 or $20 a year, students can use MyEdu to research the classes they need, the grade distribution of professors and class rosters as well as to connect with advisers, professors and other students with similar academic interests.“With our services, we’re trying to give students a fuller picture of what to expect by giving them the information on how to fill out your degree requirements so that you can graduate on time and in budget,” Holst said. “We’re not looking to put college advisors out of business. We’re trying to work with them to benefit the students.”But the service hasn’t convinced every student and professor of its merits.“Personally, I think it’s a waste of one’s time, energy and money,” said Lauren Kinzer, director of advising services for the School of Journalism. “How would they know exactly what courses you would need to graduate or exact numbers and statistics of each class?”Many IU students who were unfamiliar with MyEdu or its predecessor Pick-A-Prof were wary, but interested in the new service.“I would actually use MyEdu because I would like to get a job outside of the country, and having the connections would definitely help,” sophomore Chris Merritt said. “You go to college to get ahead in life, so you use any resource that’ll help you out.”Kinzer said many of the services that MyEdu offers, such as graduation requirements and internship opportunities, are available online at the Office of the Registrar or the particular school’s Web site. While IU does not have ratings of classes and professors, Kinzer argued that a person’s experience in a course can vary and cannot be shoehorned into a general category of good or bad.“IU’s advisers would know their students and curriculum more closely than a site that gets its info from statistics,” Kinzer said. “Students should just let us do our job and work with us to plan their college careers.”