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(09/28/00 4:41am)
In this corner, we have a smooth-talking, shady politician.\nAnd in this corner, we have ... well, another smooth-talking, shady politician.\nAnd crouched in this corner, hiding, we have one very scared voter.\nMy first eligible election, and this is what I get? A Texas death machine and a vice president who talks out of both sides of his mouth?\nI guess I should have seen this coming last semester, when I skipped over to Teter Quad to cast my primary vote for John McCain, who was then my second choice to Libby Dole. (And I thought I was being realistic!) I looked at my primary vote as a kind of protest to the inevitable: George Dubbya and Internet Gore.\nHave I mentioned that I don't want to vote for either of them?\nAnd then, they had to go and pick really great vice presidential candidates, so that's not helping me narrow down the field. But just when I thought my electoral conundrum couldn't get any worse, an incredible phenomenon occurred which made my blood run cold and my intellect reel:\nThat's right, fellow voters: OPRAH! (Dun-dun-DUUUUNNNNNNN!)\nAny semblance of voting security flew right out the window after I saw Al and George kickin' it back with that amazing woman. After about three minutes into Al's interview, I found myself laughing at this guy's jokes! He's not even that funny, but when Oprah's up there chuckling, what's a girl to do? Suddenly, hot topics such as foreign policy and campaign finance took the back burner to such pressing questions as "What\'s your favorite sandwich?"\nLikewise with media darling Dubbya. How cute was that when he teared up about his daughter's birth? Oh my goodness, and that little montage with George and Laura at the ranch? It was like watching a sweet couple I had known for years. I honestly think they would give me apple cider if I popped over for a visit. I don't really care about his stance on the death penalty or tax breaks anymore: I just want to know what is his favorite gift to give.\nOprah, what are you doing? I would not be surprised if there were a dramatic increase in voter turnout this year because of those smarmy interviews. (Which is a good thing, because our vote is our power and our voice, and we should exercise both. End of small-yet-effective lecture.)\nThere hasn't been a question of voting to me, even though I am not at all comfortable with either candidate yet. But when Oprah looked straight into the camera and said, "Vote, vote, vote!" after George's interview, I knew I absolutely had no choice. When Oprah tells you to do something, you do it. If we don't vote, she's going to hunt us down, drag us up on one of her big chairs and make us "Remember Our Spirits."\nGod help us all!\nThe really sick part is, during both interviews, I wanted to know which candidate Oprah was going to vote for. Not that I would vote for someone just because Oprah wanted me to, but that girl knows what's going on with her interviewee. She straight up told Dubbya to stop talking trash, and she meant business! I want to know which man she thought was being more honest and open about their favorite books and otherwise.\nBut rest easy, folks, the anomaly is over. Oprah is done, and the warm and fuzzy feelings we have in our hearts for the good ol' boys is starting to fade away. We will no longer have to be tortured by light and fluffy answers to easy questions, and it will be politics as usual for the duration of the campaign....\nHey! What is Al Gore doing on MTV?\nWhat is Al Gore doing on MTV, joking around with John Norris and a room full of college kids? What is Al Gore doing making jokes about Paul Simon songs and wearing Dockers?\nGreat, just great. Now that Oprah's done, the ever hard-hitting MTV News team is jazzing up Al and George and making them to Generation ... Wait, what are they calling our generation these days? Anyway, one can't help but look slightly cool plastered all over the MTV airwaves.\nBut if anyone breaks out a saxophone, I'm voting for Ralph Nader.\nOr maybe Oprah.
(09/21/00 4:28am)
Ah, the Olympics.\nThe fanfare, the pageantry, the pride. Millions of spectators stand in awe of the grace, power, determination, skill and beauty of athletes hailing from around the world. \nNot to mention their tight abs! \nMeanwhile, back in the States, my roommates and I are jokingly engaged in the "Eating Olympics." We have several categories: carbs, sugars, cookies and lard. I'm competing against three formidable and worthy opponents, but I'm proud to report I am well on my way to bringing home the gold.\nI'd have to say my greatest skill is my eating stamina: It's all about endurance. The games begin innocently enough with a humble sandwich upon my return from classes. I gain momentum with carbs while I study: crackers, cereal, a good ol' hunk of bread. Dinner time is where my depth comes into play. I'm good with the appetizer, stay strong with my side dishes, maintain momentum with the main course and sail home in the dessert category. \nJust as Romania came out of nowhere to upset the Russian Federation team for women's gymnastics gold, I stay steady to the finish with surprise performances as the evening wears on. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a competitor gaining with an unexpected bowl of ice cream. I counter with the Double Ewald: An even bigger bowl of ice cream swimming in hot fudge.\nWell, well, well -- what do we have here? A roomie snuck upstairs with a Diet Coke and a bowl of Chex Mix. Cute, but really, a feeble attempt to thwart my regular soda and bag of Goldfish. \nA gold of cellulite, a silver of fluctuating weight gain and a bronze of clogged arteries is just on the horizon. But as the games go on and the charm of competitive eating wears off, doubt and regret come into play. Perhaps these are the biggest obstacles in the path to Eating Olympic glory.\nBut not to worry, for a new game is just gearing up: The Diet of Good Intentions. And how does one succeed in this competition, you ask? Here are a few guidelines:\nRule number one: Since we know we're going to start dieting tomorrow, we must eat as much as humanly possible today. This is the point where we stop competing with one another and start encouraging every athlete for the benefit of the team.\n"Ew. These candy pumpkins are making me sick!"\n"You start your diet tomorrow! Keep eating!"\n"But I don't even really like these!"\n"What kind of an eater are you? I said keep going!"\nRule number two: Always exercise in pairs. That way, you can talk each other out of really working hard. \n"Hey, what's that on your face?"\n"I don't know. I think it's sweat!"\n"You'd better stop."\n"Yeah, thanks for looking out for me, man!" \nRule number three: Lie like a rug.\n"Do I look fat in these pants?"\n"Umno?"\n"Really, what do you think?"\n"I know, let's order cheese\nsticks!"\nRule number four: Share and share alike.\n"Hey, will you help me finish off these cookies?"\n"Sorry, on a diet."\n"Please? I start my diet tomorrow, and if these aren't gone, I'll totally fail." \n"Well, OK, but just as a favor to you."\nAnd rule number five: Putting on the team effort.\n"Hey, we're going to order pizza. You in?"\n"No, I think I'm fine with my rice cakes and diet water."\n"But we're all doing it. Come on, it will be fun!"\n"Well, OK. But tomorrow, I'm going to work really hard."\n"We know, Laura, we know."\nAnd there you have it, folks, a few simple steps to help guide you through these 16 Days of Glory. Whether you and your friends decide to compete in the Eating Olympics or the Diet of Good Intentions, remember the true spirit of the games is teamwork and fun.
(09/14/00 7:57am)
So, heard of any big news lately? \nI was going to write a column about the Coach Knight situation, but then I remembered that you guys have heard, seen, read and said it all. It's not like I'm going to unearth some new outlook that will make everyone in America say, "Oh! What an insightful writer. Now my whole viewpoint has changed!" And what do I know about basketball, anyway? So I will go ahead and write about something else.\nHeard of any good column topics lately?\nGuys, it's 1:16 a.m. Like many of my fellow Hoosiers, I've been doing a bit of procrastination in the homework department during the past few days. (Mom, Dad, I'm getting it done, I swear. I'm gonna bring home a 4.0 this time.) So here I am, alternately listening to Spanish CDs, reading "Macbeth," following my fake stock portfolio and halfheartedly thinking about column topics.\nBut in my experience, procrastination is truly an art form. The first few times you do it, it's hard work! You really do feel guilty you're watching "Iron Chef" while you have a 10-page paper on a didactic novel to write. There are times when you see your roommate hard at work while you're satisfying the sudden urge to make Rice Krispie treats and long to be a good student. You know watching the MTV Video Music Awards for the fifth time is not exactly productive, but you feel the guilt and do it anyway.\nAfter you turn in a few half-baked homework assignments and the wrath of God has not fallen upon you, you become addicted. Like a beginning shoplifter just feeling the thrill of the conquest, you seek out bigger and better things to put off: midterm papers, group projects, physical exercise and keeping in touch with your family. Your list of priorities begins to slowly reverse itself, and you find yourself almost proud after every "victory."\nAnother step on the slippery slope is bringing your friends down with you. After a few minutes of persuading, your roommate suddenly thinks a midnight run to Steak 'n Shake is in order, too. If misery loves company, procrastination wants to marry it. It's easy to feel bad when you're figuring out Bon Jovi chords on your guitar instead of reading those five chapters, but when your friend is belting her Richie Sambora to your Jon Bon Jovi, things seem a little more justified.\nSo there you are, shameless at your lack of effort, seducing your friends into blowing off assignments. And now we've hit the worst procrastination demon of them all: Pride.\n"Check this out! I didn't even read this book, and I got an 'A-' on the paper I wrote about it!"\n"Dude, that's awesome. You must be really smart!"\n"Thanks, I know!"\n(Note to every English professor I've ever had: I swear to you, I've never done this! This is just an example. I had a friend who pulled this kind of thing once, I promise.)\nJust when you're riding high on your crest of self-congratulation, the inevitable happens.\nYour conscience returns from being bound and gagged in the recesses of your twisted and apathetic little mind.\n"Laura! What are you doing?"\n"Hey man, pipe down! I'm trying to watch 'General Hospital' here."\n"Laura, look what you've become. You're a vegetable!"\n"Shh! Oprah's trying to talk."\nAnd then, after wrestling with yourself for ages, a sad truth hits you like a slap across the face. \n"Laura. You're watching a rerun of 'Full House.'"\nHas it come to this? You become saddened, sickened that you ever sunk to such a low. Then, you become remorseful and vow to change.\nYou start doing homework like it was the first day of seventh grade all over again. You whip out the highlighters, the flashcards, the clear plastic binders. You even seriously consider going to office hours, just to introduce yourself to the professor.\nAnd after about two weeks of being Joe IU Student, the siren song of procrastination leads you back onto the couch.\nSo the cycle continues, simultaneously ruining your college career and putting you in the same boat that every student is in ' sailing toward a community of closet procrastinators just like you.
(09/09/00 4:30am)
Since the dawn of dramatic writing, the craft of playwriting has called upon authors to create characters and situations drawn from life. A playwright seeks to hold a mirror up to society, reflecting the often simultaneous beauty and baseness of humanity. \nSuch is the work of South African dramatist Athol Fugard, whose plays, infused with complex characters who exemplify the strength of the human spirit, explore the politics of his homeland ' apartheid.\n Fugard will visit campus Sunday through Sept. 23, holding workshops and reading selections of his work. He is the Class of 1963 Wells Professor and a guest of the Wells Scholar Program, according to a press release. On the agenda for his visit are a master's class for playwriting, directing and acting students, as well as receptions and dinners in his honor.\nEnglish professor Albert Wertheim has been instrumental to organizing Fugard's visit to IU. The release of his book, "The Dramatic Art of Athol Fugard: from South Africa to the World" will coincide with the playwright's stay in Bloomington. \nWertheim said Fugard's works are unique and profound because they explore the impact of racism on both sides of the issue.\n"(Fugard's) work demonstrates the damage racism does to both the giving and receiving end," Wertheim said. "In different ways, both the oppressed and the oppressors bear the wounding scars of racism." \nBorn in Middelburg, South Africa in 1932, Harold Athol Lanigan Fugard was raised in Port Elizabeth and studied at the University of Cape Town. But the university could not satisfy his restless creative spirit. He traveled the country during the late 1950s, working as a seaman, writing plays, acting, keeping journals and organizing a theater troupe, according to the Kennedy Center Web site, www.artsedge.kennedy-center.org.\nThis company, the Serpent Players, was composed of blacks from South African townships, and was co-founded with actor/musician Zakes Mokae. Because of stringent laws regarding how blacks and whites could interact during the early 1960s, the troupe was barred from performing their works in front of white audiences. But Fugard, Mokae and the troupe premiered Fugard's "The Blood Knot" in 1961. Although they were barred from interacting and sharing their work in the public eye because of apartheid, Fugard and Mokae portrayed brothers in the play.\nThe political unrest in South Africa during the '50s and '60s not only inspired Fugard's work, but roused concern from white politicians and artists as well, Wertheim said.\n"One of the problems during the era of apartheid was that most writers and political activists who are not white had limited access to the public or to the concerned international public," Wertheim said. "White writers had that ability (to reach the international public), and so, for better and for worse, concerned whites felt it their duty to be the voice of the blacks until those groups had their own voice."\nFugard's controversial efforts to be such a voice often pitted him against the South African government. Besides barring the patronage of his plays by white audiences, the government withdrew his passport in 1967. \nHis struggles sparked support and comment from the dramatic world, leading to a boycott of South African theater by some overseas playwrights. A letter he wrote to British playwrights caused several of them to not permit his work to be performed in South Africa, according to the Kennedy Center Web site.\nFugard's work has not only impacted audiences in South Africa, but around the world as well. Wertheim said because of opposition in his homeland, Fugard premiered many works in the United States.\n"He produced works first at Yale, then in New York, then in London before working in South Africa," Wertheim said.\n In addition to his impact on theater and society in New England, Fugard's work has found a home in Bloomington. Some of Fugard's papers have been on campus at the Lilly Library since August 1999. The Fugard papers include various drafts and production notes. \nLilly librarian Lisa Browar said of Fugard's work "(The plays) confront fundamental human truths, not the least of which is man's inhumanity to man.\n"It is a privilege to house Fugard's papers and make them available for scholarship," she said.\nIn a 1999 press release, Fugard said it is likewise a privilege for him to have his work protected and maintained at IU.\n"It is a source of great pride and satisfaction to know that my papers will be in the safe-keeping of as distinguished an institution as the Lilly Library of Indiana University," Fugard said.
(09/07/00 3:42am)
Finally! I know you're all waiting with anxious hearts to see the results of last week's "readers' poll" for this column. (For those of you who by some cruel twist of fate didn't read my column last week, I invited readers to e-mail me and vote on one of four column styles: Scathing political commentary, smarmy "stop and smell the roses" columns, humorous humanistic observation or cornucopia of random topics. Now that we're all up to speed, I'll continue.)\nThe people have spoken, and a cornucopia of random topics won by a landslide! (OK, so about two people voted, but they both voted for this column style, so it was a landslide of two.) I'm pretty excited about the results of the readers' poll, as I love both the word "cornucopia" and all things random.\nSo now, dear readers, we are ready to move forward together to explore subjects of great social importance and spiritual exploration.\nThis week's topic: The Backstreet Boys.\nStop laughing and pick the paper back up. You're darn right I'm going to write about the Backstreet Boys, and you're going to sit there and like it! \nYes, you are a brilliant college student, expanding your mental horizons on your way to corporate America. Yes, you are a passionate political activist just itching to lobby Congress and bring down The Man. And yes, you are an aspiring athlete who strives daily to hone your talent and physical prowess. \nBut you are also a fun-loving young adult who still smells your laundry to make sure it's wearable. And you drink your roommate's milk out of the carton. So don't sit there and tell me you're too cool for a boy band.\nThey're energetic, they're talented, three out of five of them are really hot, and at the very least, you can laugh at them at the MTV Video Music Awards as you wait for your favorite artist to perform. (In all honesty, I love those boys, but I can't defend their taste in clothing. And there is such a thing as too many special effects.)\nAre we as college students so jaded and bitter that we can't celebrate the joy and pageantry that is BSB? Have we so forgotten our musical roots of New Kids on the Block, Debbie Gibson, Paula Abdul and Bel Biv DeVoe? If you can complete the phrase "All right stop, collaborate and listen, Ice is back with a brand new ________," then you are not too cool to revel in BSB fun.\nNow don't sit there with your self-righteous smirk and think that Laura only listens to songs that could easily be covered by 2Ge+her. I'll have you know my CD collection contains everything from Radiohead to Tori Amos to Bon Jovi to "Les Miserables." My motto is: If it sounds good, buy it. (Or at least hope that a roommate downloads it on MP3. Not that anyone I know downloads MP3s. I'm just saying, I've heard somewhere people do that. But it's wrong, very wrong.)\nBut as much as I love those fiercely fine boys from Orlando, it is with sadness that I write this column. You see, I recently found out that Backstreet Boy Brian "B-Rock" Litrell, my second-favorite Boy, was married this week. This came just months after my favorite, Kevin Richardson, married. My heart hardly had time to mend from the first blow, and now this? But through the tears, I still hold on to my love for the Boys, doing my part as a fan to keep the pop dream alive. \nSo the next time you're cruising down Kirkwood Avenue and "I want it that way" comes on, just listen. If not for the benefit of yourself and your senses, do it for me. It's OK, no one has to know! Just let those sweet strains and tight melodies take you back to yesteryear when you had a poster of Tiffany on your bedroom wall. Life was simpler then.
(09/07/00 3:33am)
Your ex-boyfriend is stalking you. You are secretly in love with your girlfriend's sister. Your roommate eats your food and lies about it. And to top it all off, you might or might not be an alcoholic.\nTales from the twilight zone? No it's worse.\nIt's the life of Joe College Student.\nAlumnus, former IDS staffer and advice guru Harlan Cohen takes his syndicated column to the next level with "Campus Life Exposed: Advice from the Inside," a compilation of his articles peppered with sage observations on what university life is all about. \nCohen tackles topics ranging from pot smoking to sexual assault in his first book, making satirical side comments about his readers and campus life in general along the way.\nWhile Cohen's confessional and witty writing style are mostly entertaining, his jokes are at times inappropriate and often fall flat.\nWhile the reader might get a chuckle at the pot shots he takes at his addressees, perhaps the writers of the letters did not appreciate Cohen's obvious humor quite as much. Let's face it, when you're troubled enough to write to "Help Me, Harlan!," the last thing you need is a peanut-gallery answer to your burning question. But while Cohen's jabs are often met with groans from his readers, the topics and responses are interesting enough to keep one's attention.\nOne thing Cohen has done and done well in the book is his homework. In-depth information on sexually transmitted diseases, psychological conditions and narcotics is provided for the reader in a straightforward and easily understood manner. Although Cohen takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to answering queries from troubled souls, he takes his research seriously.\nFor the most part, Cohen's advice to his readers is dead-on. In a manner reminiscent of Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Judge Judy Sheindlin, he doesn't beat around the bush when giving readers a piece of his mind. He calls it like he sees it, and the reader often echoes the sentiment he dishes out to the pondering writer. The sarcasm gets tiring, but the honesty is refreshing.\nOverall, Cohen's book is entertaining and informative. But like his column, which first graced the pages of the IDS in 1995, it is best taken in bits and pieces. While the chapters are clearly divided into different topics, the question-and-answer format, like his sarcasm, is hard to digest in one sitting.
(09/01/00 1:52am)
I'm ba-ack!\nYou knew I couldn't stay away from the opinion page for long I have way too many opinions. And though I was more than happy to pass the proverbial torch to Miss Ashley Keen, our lovely and talented new opinion editor, I am kind of sad that I'm just another columnist now. \n That's where you come in. You see, this is my first column of the fall -- the column that will set the tone for the rest of the year and make you either turn to the opinion page first on Thursdays or avoid it like the plague. My editors told me I need to come up with a style, a pattern, a hallmark of self-expression. But there are so many different types of columns, and so few weeks in the semester! I desperately call upon you, my beloved readers, to help me choose which path of writing to take as I journey into the wide world of columns.\nI would like to humbly submit the following column styles. If you see one you like and are extremely bored and/or in the mood to procrastinate, feel free to drop me an e-mail at letters@indiana.edu and let me know what kind of column you want to read this semester.\nThe scathing political commentary \nIs the horrific state of the nation the fault of those swindling Democrats or those cold-hearted Republicans? Joseph Lieberman: All-around nice guy or just another slimy politician? Will Hillary win over the Big Apple, or will she and Bill slink off into a political void after the election? House Speaker Dennis Hastert: Boxers or briefs?\nThese and other hot Capitol Hill topics could be yours every Thursday if this is the way you want me to go. Be forewarned: I think Al Gore and George Dubbya are equally slimy and boring. (One can be slimy, one can be boring, just please don't be both!) If we do go down this political path, dear readers, just know I will encourage you to vote each and every Thursday. Even after the election. But that's another column.\nThe smarmy 'Stop and smell the roses' column\nPhrases such as "Too often, we just ignore Mother Nature" and "Today I took a canoe trip on the mighty Jordan" abound in this type of column. These articles pleadingly remind stressed-out students to carve out at least one hour a day to "find themselves." I'm all about self-discovery, but please don't vote for this approach!\nHumorous humanistic observations\nOr, as my sister would say, the "Didj'ever notice?" column. "Didj'ever notice that parking on campus is ridiculous?" "Didj'ever notice that every student thinks his or her major is the most difficult?" You know, the kind of thing "Saturday Night Live" character Linda Richman would say, "Talk amongst yourselves. The chickpea is neither a chick nor a pea. Discuss." Humorous commentary on daily life a la Jerry Seinfeld ... only I'm so not as funny. You might want to avoid voting for this one, considering I really get a kick out of things such as Easy Cheese. It could get tedious, folks.\nA cornucopia of random topics\nLet's review. This summer, I wrote about capitalism, virginity, smoking, HIV, hope and soap operas. I love to write, and I love learning more about the craft as I work for the paper. Inspiration for me comes in the form of roommates, TV, books and coffee. This is my favorite route, and I hope you readers will vote for this one, too.\nNot that I'm really expecting an outpouring of reader response to this column. But I love reader e-mail, and I hope you'll drop me a line every now and again. Who knows? Maybe you will inspire my next column. \nAs Dr. Frasier Crane would say, "I'm listening"
(08/30/00 7:24pm)
The only thing missing is the glass slipper.\nJunior Justin Johnston is living out his lifelong dream of being an entertainer in what he calls "a Cinderella story." After pursuing a major in telecommunications and a minor in music at IU for three years, he is leaving Bloomington to join the national touring company of the Tony Award-winning musical "Rent." \nBeginning Oct. 3, he will take over the ensemble role of Paul ' an energetic, eccentric character who Johnston said reminds him of himself.\nJohnston, and about 300 other Broadway hopefuls, auditioned for representatives of the Bernard-Telsey Casting Agency in an open casting call Sept. 29 at the IU Auditorium. Five of those 300, including Johnston, were called back numerous times; but only Johnston was cast from the Bloomington call.\nAlthough Johnston said he has long dreamed of being a singer and a dancer, he said he did not expect to land a role. \n"At first, I just wanted to do this for the experience... I had not yet seen (the show)," Johnston said. "But they called me back six times. I started getting really excited about that... six times."\nThose Bloomington callbacks led to two New York auditions for the "Rent" management team. The first, on Oct. 21, led to an additional audition for the Tim Rice/Elton John-penned "Aida." Although Johnston said he learned from the experience and made important career connections, he was not cast in either musical.\n"I know I did a wonderful job... the woman who got me the audition told me 'They really, really liked you,'" Johnston said. "But it wasn't the right time."\nSo Johnston came back to Bloomington and enrolled in summer classes, ready to continue with his college career. But then the management team called Johnston back for yet another callback... the one that would ultimately change the course of his life.\nJohnston's career on the boards started at an early age in his hometown of Gary.\n"I did regional theater," Johnston said. "I worked with the West Side Theater Guild. They brought acts like Bill Cosby... Maya Angelou. They set the standard for me."\nBut one thing was standing in the way of Johnston and his dreams: finances. He struggled with the costs of airfare, food and lodging in New York, not sure that he would be able to make the final audition. And that's when his fairy godmothers came into play.\nThe African-American Arts Institute, the African-American Choral Ensemble and the African-American Dance Company provided Johnston with the funds and support he needed to get to New York and land the part.\n"They really treated me like I was their brother," Johnston said. "I just want to give back to them. If anything, I can dedicate each performance to them."\nJohnston cited African-American Dance Company Director and Assistant Professor of Afro-American Studies Iris Rosa and African-American Choral Ensemble Director James E. Mumford as being the driving forces behind the groups' effort on his behalf. He said without the support of the groups, he never would have made it to the final audition.\n"I am so grateful to them," he said.\nJohnston said the final audition went very well, but the experience was worthwhile even if he hadn't been cast.\n"I never went there thinking 'If I don't get this, it's a waste,'" Johnston said. "It is not a waste. I loved meeting all the people... making all the connections."\nJohnston's first chance to dedicate his performance to the people who helped him along the way and to use his newfound experience will be Sept. 19, when he joins the touring cast in Michigan for two weeks of rehearsal. His first performance as Paul will be Oct. 3 in Fort Wayne. \n"I can't wait. I am so excited," Johnston said.\nJohnston said he learned valuable skills in his IU classes, and he has many people in Bloomington to thank for where he is today. He also had advice and encouragement for fellow theater hopefuls.\n"Never doubt yourself," Johnston said. "I don't want to say it's just luck... but you just never know"
(08/23/00 7:13am)
Addressing issues from a tumultuous summer at IU, President Myles Brand said Tuesday that changes are under way at the University, including an international search for a new chancellor, more stringent rules for coach Bob Knight and some administrative layoffs.\nThe Departure of Gros Louis\nStarting the controversial summer was the May 10 announcement by Bloomington Chancellor Kenneth Gros Louis that he will retire effective June 20, 2001. His impending departure will mark the end of 36 years of service to the campus, including 21 years as the campus chief executive. \n"Chancellor Gros Louis has done a remarkable job over a very long period of time," Brand said. "He helped shape the campus and helped it achieve its current level of success." \nBrand said his ideal candidate for the position must meet stringent criteria. \n"We will spend this year searching for someone who ... can communicate as well with faculty and students," he said. "We want someone with strong academic credentials. We want someone who is as knowledgeable about these very special kinds of research-oriented public universities."\nBrand said the administration has put together an international search committee to fill the position; a search Brand said is "totally open." He said there are no front-runners and that the search team, mostly faculty members, is just beginning to look for Gros Louis' successor. The focus of the search is not whether the office will be filled by an individual from inside or outside the current faculty, but on what Brand described as finding the "right person for the job." \n"We put together an excellent search committee, under the direction of (Vice President for Research and Graduate School Dean) George Walker ... a large search committee that has representation from a number of constituencies," Brand said. "I'm quite confident that the search committee will be able to identify the high-level candidates we are looking for."\nThe Bob Knight decision\nAnother prominent campus figure to turn the campus tide this summer was basketball coach Bob Knight. Allegations of abuse presented to the administration by former player Neil Reed sparked controversy as to whether Knight should be terminated for improper behavior and his much-scrutinized temper. A CNN/SI report released in early April showed a video tape of a practice session showed Knight grabbing Reed by the neck.\nBrand said his initial reaction to the tape was that Knight's behavior was inappropriate, but that he felt the tape itself did not provide enough evidence to terminate Knight's contract.\n"We had not seen the tape when CNN/SI initially made the accusations," Brand said. "We gave (the tape) to an FBI forensics expert. He came back to us and reported that Neil Reed was not harmed ... that Coach Knight was not pulled off of Reed by two other coaches and that the entire incident lasted approximately two seconds." \nAlthough Brand said he did not feel the tape fully backed up Reed's allegations, he said he felt "the sticking out of Coach's hand was entirely inappropriate."\nAlthough Brand said he and the board of trustees believed Knight's behavior was at times out of line, he acknowledged the administration did play a part in Knight's detrimental actions by sometimes allowing his actions to go unchecked.\n"I believe that the University could have taken other actions 10 or 20 years ago that would have changed the current situation. But the fact of the matter is that they did not," Brand said.\nBrand speculated that the reason Knight had not been reprimanded in the past was because of Knight's traditional coaching style and values; both of which Brand said have changed in the public eye during the past 20 years.\n"I think the media in part was making the point that Coach Knight represents a traditional way of dealing with people and players," Brand said. "And while they (the media) understood and always mentioned that he succeeded in graduating players and that he runs a clean program, they acknowledge that he had not changed with the cultural times."\nBrand said the international media attention the issue received was at times disturbing. That, combined with the nearly 5,000 letters and e-mails he received regarding Knight, gave him much to think about. Despite outside influences, he said his decision was based on "moral and ethical grounds," and that the entire incident was a "no-win situation."\nUltimately, Brand said he is confident the zero-tolerance policy will be successful.\n"I do believe that he has the integrity and the willpower to meet the very tight restrictions," he said. "It's now up to him."\nIssues on the horizon\nLooking to the future for the fall semester, Brand said the administration's agenda includes not only the search for the new chancellor, but the University's budget.\n"Even though the economy for the state is sound, it will be a very tight budget," Brand said. "One of my objectives this year (is that) within that constrained budget environment, Indiana University is well supported."\nThe budget will require the administration to explore different tactics to save and create more funding sources, he said, including a possible increase in tuition.\n"There's always a raise in tuition," Brand said. "But we will be working very hard to keep the tuition down."\nHe said he hopes to keep the tuition increase low by evaluating and ratifying administration support services. These services include business offices, financial aid, purchasing, human resources and other nonacademic aspects of the University budget.\n"We are, with the aid of a consultant, trying to find ways to provide those services with a higher quality for a lower cost," Brand said. "We hope to re-invest those savings toward the academic mission of the IU campuses."\nBrand acknowledged the consolidating and reworking of the support services might require layoffs in departments across campus. He said the detrimental impacts of the potential terminations will be lessened by the slow progression of the position cuts.\n"It will take us several years to implement this program, and we fully expect to do it through natural job changes," Brand said. "We envision no rifts, but we may do things differently in the future."\nAfter answering student questions and concerns about events of the summer and the future of the University, Brand said he wanted to encourage the student body to take advantage of collegiate opportunities and to enjoy their time in Bloomington.\n"I would like the students to succeed academically, I would like them to enjoy their college experience," Brand said. "If I had just one piece of advice to give them, it would be to explore the intellectual environment. At no other time in their lives are so many opportunities going to be available. Just explore and take advantage of it"