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(05/23/13 12:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On Friday, May 17, a 55-year-old white female was found dead on an apartment bedroom floor on the 2600 block of N. Walnut St. The victim’s roommate, Richard Wisniewski, 48, was apprehended on unrelated charges, the Bloomington Police Department said. On May 21, an arrangement was made with Richard Wisniewski and an attorney in which he indicated that at 3 a.m. on Friday, May 17 he had been engaged in consensual sexual relations with the deceased.It was determined that during the sexual relations, the deceased had been strangled. Wisniewski indicated that his hands were around her neck consensually. He reported that the deceased had lost consciousness and after a short period of time failed to wake up. Wisniewski attempted resuscitation to no avail. He then panicked, fled the scene and was later picked up standing in a tree line north of the apartment unit. He was arrested for and preliminarily charged with felony, theft and an outstanding search warrant with the state of Florida. He was also suspected for attempting to use a counterfeit $100 bill at a nearby Speedway gas station.An autopsy was conducted on the deceased at Terre Haute Regional Hospital and it was concluded that the cause of death was strangulation. Wisniewski has been charged with reckless homicide, a C felony. —Makenzie Holland
(05/22/13 11:03pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana University bid farewell to yet another leader in higher education May 20 in the IMU. Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Sonya Stephens, who served since January 2009, has been selected to become the next vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty for Mount Holyoke College. She will assume her new role July 1. “Sonya’s extensive record of successful leadership in a range of institutional contexts, her deep understanding of liberal education and her commitment to the liberal arts, her understanding of educational strategy and the thoughtful management of change, and above all, her success in recruiting, developing, and retaining an outstanding faculty, will be crucial to Mount Holyoke’s continued strength in the years to come,” Mount Holyoke President Lynn Pasquerella said in a press release issued in March. While Mount Holyoke anticipates Stephens’ arrival, the departure remains bittersweet for the faculty, students and staff at IU. Several friends of Stephens, including Provost Lauren Robel, spoke at the reception held in her honor, bidding her a fond farewell and thanking her for her many years of valuable service. “She is so effective and so visionary,” Robel said. “In the short time this office has been in existence, she has created an astonishing legacy of excellence for the position.” Robel listed several of Stephens’ accomplishments and talked of the major role Stephens played in the recent development of the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning. Associate Professor of French Margaret Gray read a message sent to Stephens from Andrea Ciccarelli, chair of the department of French and Italian, a position previously held by Stephens. Ciccarelli is currently overseas and was unable to attend.“She is a beloved, dedicated, fair and tough teacher,” Ciccarelli’s message read. “Beyond all joke, she has been a great vice provost for undergraduate education. We will all benefit from her work for years to come.”Stephens made her way to the podium near the end of the reception. “Thank you all, thank you all for coming,” Stephens said. “I am really grateful to see so many friends and to tell you how much you’ve meant to me during my time here.” Stephens went on to talk about some of her first experiences at IU, which included getting sunburned in Dunn Meadow, spending hours in record stores and proudly wearing her IU shirt. “The grace of the buildings, the ever-changing landscapes and most importantly the grace of my colleagues have really shaped my love of IU,” Stephens said.Although she hails from London, Stephens was not immune to the all-encompassing embrace of IU’s spirit.“Don’t let the relative shortness of my time here or the accent fool you,” Stephens said. “I have become a Hoosier at heart.”Before leaving the podium, amidst the loud applause of her colleagues, Stephens once again thanked everyone for coming and for the friendship they offered her during her time at IU.“I shall always, always watch your successes with tremendous interest,” Stephens said. “Thank you all.”
(05/19/13 11:04pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>One of many jobs of the police force in the United States includes recovering stolen items. Once an item is recovered, but remains unclaimed or its origin cannot be traced, some police stations put the items on eBay or hold auctions in the police station lots.IUPD is one of many police stations that partners with a company called Property Room to sell unclaimed lost and found or surplus items online. They started working together in 2012. Founded by Tom Lane, a former New York police officer and detective, in 1999, Property Room, an online auction site, sells recovered items from across the U.S. Before an item is allowed on the site, it goes through a process. The unclaimed or stolen property is cataloged and if necessary refurbished. High-end jewelry, luxury watches, autographed footballs and baseballs and other high-value items go through an authentication process, and finally the item is put on the site, auctioned off and delivered to the successful bidder. Property Room does not knowingly sell counterfeits or replicas of items. “If you see something on our site that says Rolex, this is what will have transpired,” CEO of PropertyRoom.com PJ Bellomo said. “An item comes in, it goes through a jewelry center where we have experts, including a jeweler who was trained at the Gemological Institute of America, someone who has years of experience working with jewelry and watches, look at the item. If it fails their test, we destroy the item.”The name of the site originated from law enforcement terminology. Police safeguard items in a room called the “Property and Evidence Room,” giving Property Room the inspiration for its name. The site was officially established in January 2000. In 2001, the site closed its first online auction. In 2011, Property Room celebrated its 10th anniversary of selling online. Now, the site has more than 1.5 million registered shoppers. The site has generated more than $50 million in return from items collected from police property rooms across the U.S., including the Los Angeles Police Department and the New York City Police Department. The money is given back to communities across the U.S. based on what was given to Property Room initially. In the beginning, Property Room provided online auction services solely to law enforcement agencies. Now, Property Room works with around 2,800 police departments, municipalities, airports, museums and aquariums across the country.It is required by law that public agencies auction off surplus and unclaimed goods. Bellomo said Property Room makes it easy for police departments and other municipalities to auction off their items. “The IU Police Department could auction off items on eBay if they wanted to,” Bellomo said, “My guess is, whether at IU or anywhere else, you can’t name a single community who says we have too many officers out on the streets. Do you want to take any one of those people and have them auctioning off goods on eBay? It’s a headache. It’s a big ol’ headache and it’s our job to haul away headaches and send back money.”Items up for bid on the site cover every category of consumer goods, from watches, jewelry and coins to laptops, power tools and cars. There are a number of unusual items sold on the site, such as coffins, a prehistoric Megalodon shark tooth and a $1,000 bill. In a recent survey Property Room released for Cyber Monday 2012, the site was able to catalog what the most frequently recovered items were from different sections of the United States, as well as individual states. The Midwest was found to contribute the most gun cases, ATVs, dirtbikes and lawn ornaments. Indiana was found to contribute the most crossbows. “It’s a crazy mix of items,” Bellomo said. “The founder, Tom Lane, used to say we sell everything but the kitchen sink. Nowadays we sell the kitchen sink. It’s really an unusual cross-section.” Though one of the main goals of Property Room is to sell items, Bellomo said they make sure that if someone claims an item is theirs and have proof to that effect, he or she gets the item back. “The best day of the year is when you can return an item to the rightful owner,” Bellomo said. As IUPD and Property Room continue to work together to auction off recovered or surplus items, Bellomo reiterated Property Room’s motto when it comes to working with police departments and other municipalities. “We haul away headaches and send back money,” Bellomo said.
(05/15/13 11:04pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Dr. Jay L. Hess has recently been selected as the new vice president for university clinical affairs and dean of the Indiana University School of Medicine, pending approval of the IU Board of Trustees at its June meeting, according to a press release. Hess is currently the Carl V. Weller Professor and chair of the Department of Pathology and professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School. “I am honored to be selected to lead the Indiana University School of Medicine and serve as vice president for university clinical affairs,” Hess said in the release. “This is a crucial time for academic medical centers as they transform themselves to better pursue their clinical, research and educational missions, while also playing an increasing role in promoting health and economic development of the larger community.”Hess’s career has been defined by multiple roles he has played in the medical field. He is currently the University of Michigan Health System’s director of clinical laboratories and its director of sponsored research. He is also a co-founder and chairman of the Board of Paradigm, a sequencing-based diagnostics company and a joint venture between the University of Michigan and the International Genomics Consortium, according to the release. Hess will become the 10th dean in the School of Medicine’s 110-year history upon board approval, according to the release. He is the first dean in the past five appointments to come from outside IU. In the release, Hess said he hopes to build on the existing strength in IU’s health sciences and the improvements made at the medical school under Dr. D. Craig Brater. Brater will be retiring June 30 after 13 years as dean of the medical school and 27 years total at IU. “The School of Medicine has had strong leadership under Dean Brater,” Hess said in the release. “With its outstanding faculty and staff, close affiliation with IU Health and the strong leadership and support of the president, trustees, business community and the state, Indiana University is well poised for further excellence and national visibility in all of its missions. I look forward to working with all of my colleagues to make that vision a reality.”IU President Michael A. McRobbie expressed enthusiasm at Hess’s appointment in the press release, praising his record as a medical researcher, teacher and practitioner. He noted that Hess was selected from a national pool of more than 50 external and internal candidates, according to the release.“The search committee was extremely rigorous in its effort to find and evaluate the type of top-flight talent IU needs to continue to strengthen the School of Medicine and our clinical affairs operations, and Dr. Hess rose to the top of an extremely competitive field of candidates,” McRobbie said in the release. “In addition to holding a leadership position at one of the nation’s finest health systems, Dr. Hess is a recognized expert in pathology as well as on genetic and molecular changes that lead to cancer. He also brings significant administrative experience to this role, which will be invaluable given the size and complexity of IU’s health-related operations.”Hess is expected to begin his new duties Sept. 1, according to the release. — Makenzie Holland
(05/13/13 6:39pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Matthew Auer, dean of the Hutton Honors College and a professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, will not be returning to IU next fall. Auer has accepted an offer to become dean of the faculty and vice president of academic affairs at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, according to an e-mail Auer sent to Honors College affiliates. Auer will succeed Pamela J. Baker, who has been vice president of academic affairs and dean of the faculty at Bates since 2011.“Matthew Auer is a leading scholar and globally engaged expert in the arenas of environmental policy, energy policy, sustainable development and foreign aid,” Bates College President A. Clayton Spencer said in a press release.Spencer went on to call Auer a dynamic and effective leader who focused his energy on improving programs for undergraduates at IU through his leadership in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Hutton Honors College.“I am so pleased that we have found a scholar, teacher and collaborative leader of Matt’s stature to lead our faculty in this time of great challenge and promise in higher education,” Spencer said.In the release, Auer expressed his excitement at his appointment.“I am thrilled and honored to join Bates,” Auer said. “Bates has been on my radar screen for years. It’s an exciting time to lead the faculty, and I can’t wait to get to work.”In the e-mail Auer sent to affiliates of the Honors College, he expressed his deep gratitude to the staff, faculty and students. He deemed the Honors College staff and faculty the “basic embodiment” of the Honors College itself. “Yes, our students are incredible too,” Auer said in the e-mail. “They never cease to amaze me. But staff members, in particular, are the stable parts of the enterprise. It’s amazing to be part of an academic unit whose staff are intellectually and emotionally in sync with the students, year after year. I haven’t encountered that, with such consistency, anywhere else on campus, or for that matter, anywhere else, period. Conceivably, I’ll find something comparable in my new job, but if not, I know what to aim for.”Hutton Honors College Assistant Dean Lynn Cochran has worked closely with Auer since his appointment in 2008. She described him as being a role model to the students in the Honors College. “When they’re put into situations where they have to sort of think about what is the right thing to do in this situation, I think they actually will think of Matt Auer and think, ‘what would Matt do in this situation,’ because he is such a compassionate real person who tries to do the right thing,” Cochran said. “That’s the kind of person we wanted to head up Honors, someone who Honors students could look to as a role model.”Though his departure from the Honors College will be difficult, Cochran said, she knows he is looking forward to working with President Spencer.“I know that’s what he will bring to Bates,” Cochran said. “That he’s the kind of person students will want to be like.” Auer said he would be around IU in the days and weeks ahead until July 1, when his new job at Bates College begins.“Thanks for five incredible years and for your professionalism and your friendship,” Auer said in the e-mail. Arnell Hammond, director of diversity and student services and senior academic advisor in the Hutton Honors College, echoed Cochran’s thoughts and said Auer will be missed by many. “When I told my colleagues at the Multicultural Work Group meeting yesterday that Matt was leaving, there was a loud chorus of ‘oh no’s,’” Hammond said in an e-mail. “Matt has been a tireless, behind-the-scenes champion of diversity efforts across campus. He is forward-thinking and genuinely cares about the well-being of IU students and the staff of the HHC. Personally, I think he is the best boss ever, and just a wonderful human being. He will be missed dearly.”
(05/09/13 12:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>They’re back.IU maintenance employees welded and mended Wednesday to reinstall two fish into a waterless Showalter Fountain.Around 4 and 5 a.m. Sunday, two separate attempts were made to steal the fish. Alarms in the fountain alerted the IU Police Department to the tampering, allowing them to make it to the fountain in time to stop the theft efforts.“I actually don’t think they’re horribly damaged,” Sherry Rouse, curator of campus art, said. “I haven’t seen them personally because the doors were all locked so I couldn’t get in, but I can tell you from the base, what’s there, that they sheared off something, so they didn’t actually break the bronze.”This incident marks the fifth time Showalter fish have been stolen or attempts have been made to steal them.A fish was stolen in 1976 following IU’s basketball win in the NCAA Championship, which the University replaced with another fish they had in storage. Another fish was stolen in 1987, again following IU’s basketball win in the NCAA Championship. That fish wasn’t replaced until 20 years later. After Bob Knight was fired, two fish were stolen and carried to Assembly Hall, Rouse said. The pair of 800-pound bronze fish was found there the next morning.The most recent theft was in the summer of 2010. That fish was recovered this year in April in less than pristine condition. It was believed to have been the replacement fish for the one that vanished in 1987. “I really don’t think that they understand that it’s a piece of artwork,” Rouse said. “I just think they drank a lot of beer and had a lot of fun and the end cost of that was thousands of dollars.”Arrests were made after the second theft attempt and charges will be pressed, Rouse said.“I think they’re fools and vandals and irresponsible children,” Rouse said. “Maybe these kids will learn a very hard lesson that’ll help some other people make better decisions.”
(05/09/13 12:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Kinsey Institute and the School of Informatics and Computing have joined together to create a mobile app, now available for Apple and Android mobile platforms, for collecting and reporting anonymous data regarding sexual activity, public displays of affection, female hormonal birth control use and effects, sexual fetishes, flirting and other intimate behaviors.The Kinsey Reporter app was developed in September 2012, but researchers from IU’s School of Informatics and Computing and the Kinsey Institute delayed announcing it to the public until the University had fully reviewed the project for any potential legal issues. “The Kinsey Institute has worked for decades on the analysis of data about sexual behavior, which is of course very sensitive,” said Filippo Menczer, director of IU’s Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research and a School of Informatics and Computing professor. “But they have traditionally dealt with relatively small samples of subjects, so we had the idea of working together to build a platform that would give us some interesting challenges in terms of figuring out how to collect this data and how to preserve it and make it useful. And it would also give the Kinsey Institute a chance to collect data at a global scale that they have never been able to do before.”After the app has been downloaded and terms of service accepted, the app invites users to become “citizen scientists” by contributing to sex research.“It gives us another way of collecting information about what’s going on in people’s lives,” Jennifer Bass, Communications Director at the Kinsey Institute, said. “You know what’s happening in your own personal life, what you see in your community and around you. It’s just a different way of collecting information.”The app contains a “Report” option, which actually allows users to contribute to the sex research by submitting their observations regarding sexual activity or intimate behaviors. A “Map” option allows users to select red pins in any area around the world, which then takes them to a menu offering tags such as “consensual,” “disappointment,” “married” and “vagina fetish.” After selecting one of these tags, the app takes users to a variety of graphs, charts and other visual data surrounding information gleaned from that particular area in regard to the tag selected. Many more options are available on the app, including sharing information via Twitter and Facebook. “Not everyone can be involved in sex research, but almost everyone who has use of the mobile phone — and there are many, many people around the world who do — can participate,” Bass said. A Kinsey Reporter website, a Twitter feed and a Facebook page have also accompanied Wednesday’s app re-release.“It’s a dynamic app, there will be changes,” Bass said. “There will be new surveys that are added as the researchers hone in on those questions, so we expect it to change for sure and we hope we can reach out to parts of the world and parts of our community that may have something to contribute to sex research.”
(05/06/13 6:56pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Around 4 and 5 a.m. Sunday, two separate attempts were made to steal two fish from the IU Showalter Fountain. Alarms on the fish alerted the IU Police Department to the tampering, allowing them to make it to the fountain in time to stop the theft efforts.“I actually don’t think they’re horribly damaged,” said Sherry Rouse, curator of campus art. “I haven’t seen them personally because the doors were all locked so I couldn’t get in, but I can tell you from the base, what’s there, that they sheared off something, so they didn’t actually break the bronze.”If the robbery had succeeded, it would have marked the fifth time Showalter fish had been stolen or attempts were made to steal them. A fish was stolen in 1976 following IU’s basketball win in the NCAA Championship, which the University replaced with another fish they had in storage. Another fish was stolen in 1987, again following IU’s basketball win in the NCAA Championship. That fish wasn’t replaced until 20 years later. After Bob Knight was fired, two fish were stolen and carried to Assembly Hall, Rouse said. The pair of 800 lb. bronze fish was found there the next morning.The most recent theft was in the summer of 2010. That fish was recovered this year in April in less than pristine condition. It was believed to have been the replacement fish for the one that vanished in 1987. “I really don’t think that they understand that it’s a piece of artwork,” Rouse said. “I just think they drank a lot of beer and had a lot of fun and the end cost of that was thousands of dollars.”Arrests were made after the second theft attempt, Rouse said, and charges will be pressed.“I think they’re fools and vandals and irresponsible children,” Rouse said. “Maybe these kids will learn a very hard lesson that’ll help some other people make better decisions.”Rouse said the fish will be returned to the fountain by Wednesday.— Makenzie Holland
(05/06/13 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Rows and rows of pristine white chairs filled the court in Assembly Hall Friday and Saturday. Velvety red carpet stretched toward a stage that would eventually support IU President Michael McRobbie, Provost Lauren Robel, the IU trustees and numerous others of rank within the University, as well as honored guests. Over the course of the weekend, three ceremonies took place that captured the dignity and pride of every graduating Hoosier in the class of 2013.IU awarded 8,880 degrees to 8,590 students at the graduate and undergraduate ceremonies. Saturday’s two undergraduate ceremonies experienced a record number of attendees, filling both balconies in Assembly Hall twice. 2013 Graduate Commencement Ceremony Instruments gleamed under the lights of Assembly Hall as the IU Commencement Brass Ensemble played, welcoming parents and friends alike to the spacious hall. Smiling faces, numerous peace signs and thumbs up, as well as triumphant, proud expressions and frantically waving hands greeted the doctoral and masters students at 2:35 p.m Friday as the graduate ceremony began in Assembly Hall. The “grad cam” allowed attendees to see close-ups of their students. Flag bearers carrying banners with the emblems of the different schools at IU entered last, and as all the graduate students took their seats, Assembly Hall fell silent. “Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon and welcome,” IU President Michael McRobbie said. “Welcome to the 184th Commencement Ceremony of Indiana University and the fourth Graduate Commencement Ceremony.” The crowd rose to its feet to sing the national anthem and listen to the invocation. Afterwards, McRobbie shared a personal bit of information with attendees.“I am here today, not only as President of Indiana University but also as a parent,” McRobbie said.McRobbie’s daughter, already an IU alumna, graduated for a second time at the Graduate Ceremony. His son graduated in the morning session of the 2013 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony and his daughter will graduate from USC in two weeks. “This, after all, is a family business,” McRobbie said. Following McRobbie’s introduction, David Brooks was introduced as the Graduate Commencement speaker and was named an honorary degree candidate. McRobbie conferred a Doctorate of Human Letters upon Brooks before he spoke to Friday’s graduates. Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times, is often recognized as one of the nation’s leading public intellectuals. McRobbie said that Brooks has been called a “beacon of intelligence and integrity.” Brooks’ son, Joshua Brooks, was recognized as well, having just completed his junior year at IU. Brooks’ address consisted of witty and wise remarks to the graduate class of 2013. As Brooks stood at the podium, he laughingly noted that he was especially pleased to receive a degree before his son, who had been “slaving away” for three years for one. He continued his speech with advice regarding what he said the graduates should worry about and what they shouldn’t worry about, interlaced with humorous remarks throughout. “I’ve been struck by the confidence of students today, but also the amount of insecurities,” Brooks said. “My job is not to eliminate your worries, but to tell you what to worry about.”Brooks listed things he believed graduates should worry about after college, one of which being “will I get more boring as I age.” Brooks suggested that graduates spend the next 10 years of their lives in professional experimentation and the next 20 in spiritual experimentation, in order to avoid a rut.“Don’t think about what you want from life,” Brooks said. “Think about what life wants from you.”Following Brooks’ commencement address, the class of 2013’s degrees were conferred. McRobbie gave his closing speech and the ceremony ended with the singing of IU’s alma mater, “Hail to Old IU.” A new planned tradition was started at the graduate event.The names of all master’s degree students were announced, and President McRobbie and Provost Robel greeted each one. “There is still much work to be done,” McRobbie said. “There always will be. Take pride in your work, and the world you will make.”Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony The rows of white chairs and red carpet remained as before at the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony and an added sense of excitement and pride filled Assembly Hall as an even larger amount of people walked up the winding ramps and stairs to their seats.As friends and family members sought seats close enough to be able to spot their graduating seniors, those who arrived with less than an hour until the Ceremonies began were forced to sit in the balcony, where spotting a specific student was made much more difficult by the distance. Clint Rias, from Middletown, Ohio, left his house at 6 a.m. in order to be at his morning graduation of his niece, Mikole Dominique-Mercedes Mayo. “This is my first major commencement ever coming to,” Rias said. He laughed as attendees grumbled about the seats.“When I got here, this balcony was empty,” Rias said. “Now look at it.”By the time graduates began filing into Assembly Hall, nearly every seat in the audience sections was full. Cheers erupted from the crowd as the “grad cam” zoomed in on senior basketball players Victor Oladipo and Christian Watford. The two greeted the camera with smiling, triumphant expressions. In his welcome address, McRobbie mentioned the name of a student who should have been in attendance at the 2013 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony. Lauren Spierer, who has been missing since June 2011, would have been a senior during this school year. “Keep Lauren Spierer and the members of her family in our thoughts,” McRobbie said.Alecia DeCoudreaux, president of Mills College in Oakland, Cal., and Vi Simpson, the first female legislator in Indiana history, were awarded Doctorates of Humane Letters at the undergraduate ceremonies. DeCoudreaux gave the commencement address at both ceremonies. “On this day, when your heads and your hearts are so full of glee, hope, apprehension and plans, maybe the story of a life is not so simple after all,” DeCoudreaux said. “Maybe it cannot and should not be told as a journey from point A to point B, with a straight line between those points being the goal.”DeCoudreaux talked of her first time coming to IU and how she took a wrong turn that took her on a detour route through a small, country town called Gnaw Bone, Ind.She said that she was filled with anger and impatience while driving down the winding country road, but looking back she points to that moment as being the key to helping her slow down and appreciate the detours in life, the small things. “If you don’t enjoy your life, it won’t matter what you achieve,” DeCoudreaux said. Student Commencement speakers Deanna Allbrittin and Sonia Phadke left graduates with life lessons learned and encouraged the graduates to be aware of who they were, for they will be representing IU everywhere they go.“We will be Hoosiers for the rest of our lives,” Phadke said. McRobbie concluded the ceremony with a final address. He offered words of wisdom, guidance and hope to the graduating class of 2013. “As you leave this commencement ceremony, and stride boldly towards your future, you too will be marching towards better days and gazing towards the promise of the sun,” McRobbie said. Caps flew sporadically into the air after the morning session and beach balls bounced around the sections of graduates following the afternoon session. Celebratory chants could be heard throughout Assembly Hall.Alex Totheroh, a graduate of the afternoon session on Saturday, stood waiting outside Assembly Hall with his friend Mitchell Bailey. He expressed his post-graduation emotions in a flood of words.“It’s complicated, bittersweet, exciting, terrifying and additional clichés regarding graduation,” he laughed. “It’s also a relief, in a way.”At Saturday’s end, freshly graduated students posed for pictures at the Sample Gates and at numerous, iconic places on campus. They made their way to restaurants and bars around town, spending precious time with their families and friends before embarking down set or unknown paths. Paths, DeCoudreaux said, that may turn into detours, taking them “somewhere you hardly dared to dream of being.”
(05/06/13 3:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Amid the hustle and bustle of students moving out of dorms, finals week coming to an end and graduation weekend, students and community members alike found their way to the Serendipity Martini Bar Friday night and let loose all the stresses of the week with dancing and music.Jiridón, a band embodying the vitality of Latin America and West Africa, performed two sets at the martini bar. The first set included Colombian and Venezuelan drums and chants, accompanied by the Marimba de Chonta from the Colombian rainforest.The second set included West African drumming, chants and dance, with repertoires from the Ivory Coast and Guinea.Andrea Kalasountas, having just completed her junior year, decided to attend the event in celebration of the end of the year and the start of summer. Despite a feeling of numbness and disbelief at the fact that she is now a senior, Kalasountas said coming to see Jiridón perform was a good decision.“It’s very fun, very lively,” Kalasoutnas said. “I’m enjoying it. I’m not much of a dancer, but I can definitely appreciate good dancing.”Band member Andreína Maldonado, from Venezuela, sang, danced and played instruments at the performance. Wearing a traditional Venezuelan performance costume, Maldonado whipped around on the stage as Joshua Strodtman and Juan Sebastián Rojas beat madly on the drums.Though Maldonado spent the night dancing and singing for the large audience at the Bar, she expressed her excitement for attending graduation Saturday. As a student majoring in anthropology, Maldonado said she couldn’t wait to enter the world outside of college.“It feels liberating, and uncertain a little bit,” Maldonado said. “It feels that I have the tools to do what I want to do. It feels like I’m about to enter another world, but at the same time I’ve been living in that other world.”Over the course of the evening, Maldonado taught several dances to the audience and the band encouraged single attendees to connect with each other. Strodtman smiled from his place behind the drums as people joined hands and twirled around the floor, glowing bright red under the red light bulbs.“I grew up playing hip-hop music,” Strodtman said. “That’s what got me into African drumming.”Strodtman, wearing the traditional performance outfit for a West African drummer, described the drums he and the band played.“The drum is called a djembe,” Strodtman said. “We are playing Topalon, music by Dr. Djo Bi.”Djo Bi Irie Simon, popularly known as Dr. Djo Bi, is an Ivory Coast native and world-traveled master drummer. He moved to Bloomington in 2007, where a couple years later the band members came together under his teaching.“We’re apprentices of our teacher,” Strodtman said. “We do what he says.”Taking few breaks throughout the night, the band members played and sang each new song with enthusiasm and spirit, keeping the audience moving.“I live with two of the band members, so of course I’m out here supporting them,” masters student Megan Radder said. “But also the music just rocks, so I enjoy it.”
(05/06/13 3:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Former Indiana Governor Otis “Doc” Bowen, who served as a member of former President Ronald Reagan’s cabinet and as a family doctor, died Saturday evening in Donaldson, Ind., about 25 miles south of South Bend and near Bowen’s hometown of Bremen, Ind. He was 95 years old.Governor Mike Pence is directing flags at state facilities to be flown at half-staff in Bowen’s honor until May 11. Bowen, a lifelong IU basketball and football fan who regularly attended games as his health allowed had numerous ties to the University, according to a press release,In 1939, he earned bachelor’s degrees in anatomy and physiology from IU. In 1942, he graduated from the IU School of Medicine and in 1971 he was presented with the IU School of Medicine’s Distinguished Alumni Award, according to the release. Bowen became a clinical professor of family medicine in 1981 after serving two terms as the 44th Governor of Indiana from 1973 to 1981. In 1985, Bowen was confirmed as the 16th secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under then President Ronald Reagan. IU President Michael A. McRobbie issued a statement on the death of Bowen.“Doc Bowen was a healer, a leader and a wonderful representative of Indiana University, both as a student and throughout his career as a physician, educator and political leader,” McRobbie said in the press release. “He was an extraordinarily impressive man who leaves behind a legacy of immense accomplishment that will be felt across Indiana and the nation for decades to come.”McRobbie said, in addition to being one of Indiana’s legendary governors, Doc Bowen was also a strong Speaker of the House in the Indiana General Assembly, a key member of President Reagan’s cabinet and a dedicated and compassionate family doctor. “While I am deeply saddened by his passing, I feel fortunate to have known a man of such great integrity and unquestioned character,” McRobbie said in his statement.
(05/06/13 2:56am)
Five IU students returning home to the Chicago area were involved in a
car accident on I-65 around 1:50 p.m. Saturday where one student died.
(05/03/13 4:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The legions of men and women who have graduated from IU since 1830’s inaugural class will welcome several thousand new members this weekend. As students of all majors and walks of life prepare for the next step, several IU figures ranging from professors to peers offer advice for life’s next chapter.What you need to know for commencement weekendThis year’s Commencement ceremonies, rich in tradition and pageantry, will take place in three sessions at Assembly Hall.The Graduate Commencement Ceremony will last from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday. New York Times columnist David Brooks will be the Commencement speaker. He will address attendees at 3 p.m. The Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony will take place over the course of a morning and afternoon session Saturday. The first session goes from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the second goes from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Alecia DeCoudreaux, president of Mills College in Oakland, California, will speak at both ceremonies.Saturday undergraduate commencement ceremony scheduleMorning session8 a.m.Assembly Hall doors openIU Kelley School of Business graduates are to line up at Cook HallAll other schools are to line up at Gladstein Fieldhouse8:45 a.m.Procession into Assembly Hall begins10 a.m.Ceremony beginsAfternoon session1 p.m.Assembly Hall doors openGraduates from the College of Arts and Sciences whose last names start withA-N are to line up at Gladstein FieldhouseO-Z are to line up at Cook Hall1:45 p.m.Procession into Assembly Hall begins3 p.m.Ceremony beginsAll Commencement ceremonies will be broadcast live via video streaming at broadcast.iu.edu.The College of Arts and Sciences will be the only school participating in the afternoon session.Schools participating in the morning session include:IU Kelley School of BusinessIU Jacobs School of MusicSchool of EducationSchool of Informatics and ComputingSchool of JournalismSchool of NursingSchool of OptometrySchool of Public and Environmental AffairsSchool of Public Health (formerly Health, Physical education, and Recreation)School of Social WorkParking at assembly hallGate 4 All guests may use Gate 4, however, there is access for those going to the North Door to drop off guests who have accessibility needs or limited mobilityGates 2, 5, 6 and 8 All guestsGate 12 Graduates unaccompanied by friends or familyGate 13 Wheelchair users onlyAll parking at Assembly Hall is free on Commencement day.TrafficFairly normal traffic flowHeavier than normal traffic on the north side of campus, north of 17th streetSources: Office of University Ceremonies and IU Parking OperationsWords of advice“The best career advice I ever received may sound basic, but it has guided me through my professional life. It was given to me by Gerry Bepko when he was the Dean of what is now the IU McKinney School of Law and I was a third year law student getting ready to graduate. He told me that when deciding among career options, always choose the one that will create more opportunities down the road. I have taken that advice in accepting roles I had never done before and wasn’t particularly sure I was even qualified to do, and it has helped provide me with a varied and rewarding work life." – Fred Glass, Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics“1) Stay connected with your alma mater through the Indiana University Alumni Association. It’s important that we know how to contact you in order to provide you with the latest updates and information on the exciting things happening at this great university. Let us continue to make you proud!2) If you have the opportunity — through your job or vacations or otherwise — to travel outside the United States, take advantage of these opportunities to see the world, learn about different cultures and ways of life. This is an ever-increasing global society, and the opportunity for all of us to learn from cultures, philosophies, dogmas and ways of life outside our own country is one of life’s great learning experiences. Mark Twain once said, “nothing so liberalizes a person and expands the kindly instincts that nature put in us as travel and contact with many kinds of people.”3) Take risks, be it through your job, a new city to live in, new friends to make, different countries to visit, take on new challenges and opportunities. We continue to grow when we continue to learn.4) Be happy! Life brings us many curveballs and challenges, and the road is never easy. But through it all, maintain your sense of humor and a bright outlook on life.” – Thomas E. Recker, Assistant Dean for Advancement, IU College of Arts and Sciences“Cook from scratch as often as you can, try to make your gifts and accomplishments work for the betterment of others, do your part to take care of the earth for future generations, don’t take yourself too seriously. From the vantage point of one who has lived a few decades longer than most of you, these are the things that I have found contribute to a more satisfying life. Best of luck to you." – Nancy Stockton, Ph.D. Director of IU Health Center’s Counseling and Psychological Services“It is possible to make the most of every opportunity. It’s really important to use anything that comes your way because you will grow and learn from it. It is so fundamentally important to stand up for your beliefs and to not become complacent, to always be seeking to test the status quo and really make sure that you are fundamentally being true to yourself.” –
(05/03/13 4:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU senior Melody Mostow will be one of several thousand students taking part in the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremonies being held this Saturday. On top of the whirlwind that is graduation preparation, Mostow has another major preparation on her plate: her summer wedding. Following graduation, while others head off to jobs, internships, or are still trying to figure out what they are going to do with their lives post-graduation, Mostow will marry her fiancé, IU graduate Avi Coven, before they move to Israel in August to pursue a life together. The couple is currently entered in a contest, the Wedding Gift Challenge, which would make their move to Israel $10,000 easier. Mostow spoke with the IDS about her engagement, post-graduation plans, the contest and how she’s handling it all on top of classes and finals.IDS: What’s it like being engaged on a college campus?MOSTOW: You’d be surprised how many people are. That’s the first thing I would say. My best friend is also engaged and I met her in school. I think that once you’re engaged, you just take more notice of other people wearing engagement rings, among other things, and maybe we just naturally meet each other. I’m certainly not alone. It’s a little crazy, trying to balance schoolwork and planning a wedding, which is probably the understatement of the century.One thing that I love about IU is how involved you can get in student organizations. Personally I am very involved in a lot of organizations, so trying to manage a full senior year being involved, and planning my wedding, has been a plateful, to say the least.IDS: When you got engaged this past September, did it affect your personal goals? Did it add or change any?MOSTOW: I wouldn’t say it changed any of my goals from before. I’m a really driven person, I have a lot of things that I want to accomplish. I wouldn’t marry somebody that would change that in me. It definitely is a lot added to your plate, even just what you’re thinking about in terms of, not just how you’re going to act when you graduate and how you’re going to operate within the world beyond IU, but what kind of wife you’re going to be, is certainly another question to reflect on and prepare for.IDS: How are you feeling now that graduation is finally here?MOSTOW: I’m trying really hard to just enjoy every day as it comes. I’m sure that when my wedding comes I’ll really enjoy that day, but today is one of my last days at IU and I really want to enjoy my time and take advantage of it while I’m still here. Once we get married I’ll be in Israel and I really don’t know the next time I’ll be able to come back to Bloomington, which is really hard. Bloomington is one of my favorite places. It’s also easy to be so focused on the future and on planning everything that you get lost in it and I’m trying really hard to not let myself do that.IDS: Could you tell me more about the contest you and your fiancé are entered in?MOSTOW: So my fiancé and I — he went to IU and graduated last May — we are getting married this summer and moving to Israel. It’s actually a contest just for couples like us, newlyweds moving to Israel, to win all sorts of prizes. It’s called the Wedding Gift Challenge. We both are really competitive and we really want to win and I think that we can.IDS: What do you win?MOSTOW: You win $10,000 towards your move. There are other prizes as well, we’ve already won $1000 to Ikea. It’s awesome, especially as a young couple starting out it’s going to be so helpful. It’s also just fun. I’m a political science major and I’ve been involved with more than one campaign in my time at IU, so campaigns are in my blood. This is another opportunity to mobilize people and get together and work for a cause. IDS: Do you feel as if IU has prepared you for living abroad?MOSTOW: I’m a strong believer that what you learn outside of the classroom in college teaches some of the most important things that you’ll take away from school. I think that’s really what has prepared me. So, whether it’s the clubs, positions that I’ve held and learning how to take on leadership roles or organize things working with different kinds of people, I think just working with people is something you’re going to do anywhere in the world. That’s a really important skill I’m taking away. IDS What would you say to incoming freshmen, transfer students and others to help them make their journey through IU a successful one?MOSTOW: Take advantage of everything you want to take advantage of. Whether it’s taking the free New York Times, running for president of the student body, talking to someone in your class that you would normally be intimidated of, the experience here can be so full and it’s really up to each person to make it that way. I think that every day we have a chance to push in that direction. IDS: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your time spent here at IU and how do you feel it will help you in your future?MOSTOW: I never saw myself going to IU originally. I was not looking at big state schools, I wasn’t really looking at schools in the Midwest, and it was only coming and visiting as a freshmen when I was at a really different place that I realized just how important it is to be happy in your environment. There is something about Bloomington and IU that just exudes comfort and happiness. I think to value your own happiness wherever you are is one of the most important things in the world, no matter what you’re doing or how old you are. IDS: What are you planning on doing once you’re in Israel?MOSTOW: My dream is to work in the Israeli government. That has been my dream for a really, really long time. I worked in the Israeli government this past summer, I had an internship with a member of the Knesset, which is the Israeli parliament, and I’m going back. My first year, I’ll be getting a master’s degree in Israeli government. I’m hoping after that to pursue a career, whether it’s in a specific department or in foreign relations, I’m open-minded. I’m one of those kids that wanted to change the world that never got the memo that they can’t. IDS: How confident do you feel in graduating and starting your life outside of college?MOSTOW: Me and my friends joke that this is just my epic summer of life transitions. I’m excited, I’m trying to approach everything with as much calm as possible.
(04/24/13 4:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Attendees at this year’s IU Bloomington undergraduate commencement ceremonies, taking place Saturday, May 4, at Assembly Hall, will hear from graduating seniors Deanna Allbrittin and Sonia Phadke.Majoring in journalism with a broadcast specialization and minoring in political science, economics and Spanish, Allbrittin, from Mason, Ohio, has been news director, reporter and producer for IU Student Television and a staff reporter for the Indiana Daily Student. She has interned with WTIU-WFIU in Bloomington and WXIN-TV in Indianapolis.Phadke, from Valparaiso, Ind., is majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry and a certificate from the Liberal Arts and Management Program. Phadke founded the Mukund Phadke One More Heartbeat Foundation and has served as communications director with Global Medical Brigades.“Deanna and Sonia have made the most of their years at IU-Bloomington with their sterling academic achievements, leadership activities, community service work and international study,” Sonya Stephens, vice provost for undergraduate education, said in a press release. “Each has a remarkable and inspiring story to tell. As commencement speakers, they will be outstanding representatives of and spokeswomen for the Class of 2013.” — Makenzie Holland
(02/04/13 2:50am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU will test and assess new technologies in the next two years to bring college students updated learning tools. The popular learning management system Oncourse lies at the center of improvement and change.IU recently signed agreements to include technology providers CourseNetworking (CN) and Canvas by Instructure Inc. in the learning technologies pilot launched in August 2012.The Next@IU initiative, next.iu.edu, is a two-year pilot program testing new learning and teaching resources for students and faculty at IU and has already involved 27 faculty members and 750 students across seven IU campuses.CourseNetworking beta acts as an academic social networking site, connecting students all around the world based on both classes and shared interests. Once classes are put on CN, students and instructors with similar courses are able to connect.Links to articles, YouTube videos, images taken via the CN iPhone app, polls and surveys relating to a particular course can be posted on CN.“Liking” or “reflecting” on posts by both classmates and students in similar courses around the world is encouraged.“I think something important with the platforms is they involve a lot of social media, embedded video and rich content and that kind of thing that the students aren’t seeing today,” said Janae Cummings, senior communications specialist for the Office of the Vice President for Information Technology.Canvas, a cloud-based service, also involves student and faculty interaction. The platform integrates web services such as Google Docs, Google Calendar, SMS, Facebook, Twitter and RSS to encourage and improve collaboration between faculty and students.This service features grading rubrics and an interface that enables teachers to interact with students and provide feedback as quickly as possible. While CN functions more as a complement to Oncourse, Canvas exists as a possible alternative to the heavily used Oncourse system. The future of Oncourse will depend on how the new pilots play out, she said. “Oncourse will be available for at least four years,” Morrone said. “We’re going to spend two years evaluating a number of things, and, of course, Canvas is a learning management system, so to assess whether or not Oncourse continues to be the right choice for IU or if there are other learning management systems that might be better, easier, more fully featured.”John Gosney, faculty liaison for learning technologies, has been teaching with Canvas and has received positive feedback on the system.“People feel that it’s very easy to navigate, very intuitive,” Gosney said. “There’s some really strong help resources within the system, and there’s good information around student analytics, so how often are people logging in? How often are they posting discussion forum posts? That kind of thing.”Gosney spoke highly of the Speed Grader, a tool in the Canvas discussion forums, which collects individual students’ discussion posts, displays them on one screen and provides a box to enter comments.This enables him to quickly go through discussion posts and give comments to all students in the course.In the meantime, both students and faculty members have the option to participate in the pilots. During the evaluation period, Oncourse will remain more or less untouched by the new platforms.“We think that it’s not just, put something out there and kind of talk to people,”Morrone said. “We really want it to be where we are very systematic in our evaluation of these particular tools that we’re going to make available.”Morrone said they will be exploring both alternatives and additions to Oncourse.“All the tools will be teaching and learning tools,” Morrone said. “We are interested in putting into the hands of faculty and students various options for teaching and learning. As part of Next, we are not looking at tools that would be more administrative kinds of tools.”The evaluation will involve both student and faculty feedback in order to provide a fully rounded opinion. Morrone said the feedback will be combined into a report, which will be shared publicly.The ability to submit a suggestion at next.iu.edu is an integral part of the pilot program, Morrone said. Both students and faculty have the ability to submit suggestions for further exploration and piloting to Morrone and her team.Morrone said they plan to announce two more systems in the near future. She anticipates the same spark of interest and experimentation to occur with the new systems.“People have said this is a really nice way to do this,” Morrone said. “Spend two years, look at all that’s out there because really, if you think about your life right now and all of the things that you use every day, there was a time 10 years ago when that was not the case.”
(01/23/13 4:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Spotlight on Poverty: Step Up!”, an event examining both worldwide and local poverty, will feature two short documentary films discussing poverty eradication efforts in Bloomington and Leon, Nicaragua, 6 p.m. Thursday at Eigenmann Hall. The event is part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday celebration and is sponsored by the South Central Community Action Program Circles Initiative, Eigenmann Hall and the Foreign Language Institute of Bloomington.Funding support from the City of Bloomington Martin Luther King Jr. Commission was also provided. “This is a big idea,” Circles coordinator Linda Patton said. “It’s more than just giving hungry people food, though that is very important. There are ways for everyone to get involved. We need everything from practical, concrete ideas to abstract to help fight poverty.”The Circles Initiative is “an innovative campaign to eliminate poverty,” according to the website, and is “active in dozens of locations throughout the country.” The Initiative’s connection to Nicaragua was forged due in part to a video Patton’s son and IU alumnus Tucker Gragg did about a group similar to the Circles Initiative in Nicaragua. The group, “Un Techo Para Mi País,” or “A Roof for my Country,” works to fight poverty and build communities in both South and Central American countries. Patton said a member of the Circles Initiative who was also a volunteer for Techo will be speaking at the event Thursday about her experience. “We’re all in this together,” Patton said. “King’s call to service is that we all need to be involved. His example is community building and that we’re all in this together. It is empowering to people that live in poverty.”Patton said though the event will take donations for both poverty-stricken families in Bloomington and Leon, its mission is also to make people aware of poverty and help them understand it. “At the end of it, there will be both those concrete and abstract ideas,” Patton said. “The concrete will be bringing us donations to give to kids in Bloomington and shirts to send to Nicaragua to sell so they can build houses. People will want to know, what can I do to get involved, how can I get connected to some international opportunities to volunteer?” Patton said the abstract ideas would involve thinking about poverty in a different way.“The abstract things would be things like thinking about the community, bringing more people into the thought process about poverty,” Patton said. “It’s about understanding that there are things we all have, including people in poverty, to build on.”Reservations for the event will be taken until the end of today. The Circles Initiative encourages attendees to bring a donation of a clean clothing item, school supplies or a monetary contribution that will be provided to low-income families in both Bloomington and Leon. Free pizza will be served at the event.
(01/22/13 4:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Tyranny, tyranny.”“Destruction, destruction.”“Abuse, abuse.”Audience members in the Whittenberger Auditorium on Sunday evening turned up their coats against the cold words shouted from the cast of “Catalyst,” an emergent theater project inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. The cast weaved its way through the rows, shouting words of hatred, discrimination, racism and prejudice and asked, “Why me?” Their words hung heavy in the air, creating a vast garden of weedy tendrils reaching everyone in the audience. As they finally reached the stage, they turned to the audience.“Callous.”“We are calloused.”There they paused with looks of fierce determination on their faces as they mentally prepared to debut the roller coaster of emotional performances they had been working on for three and a half months. “We had such a diverse group,” cast member and IU alumnus Peter St Fort said. “We had Asian, Jewish, black, country, we had so many different types of people who came together. We talk about discrimination, different problems we always run into and make something work out of it. It was pretty fantastic.”In previous years, the production was performed by students outside of IU, St Fort said. This year, the cast was composed solely of IU and Ivy Tech Community College students. Kassandra Housley, an instructor at Ivy Tech, performed the first piece of the evening. She stood onstage as if in a classroom, surrounded by the cast. “Before Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream, he sat in jail,” she said. “It was there he constructed one of his lesser known works.”Housley went on to talk about King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” written in April 1963. She moved offstage, staring into the eyes of audience members as she hammered them with pent-up passion.“Is justice too long delayed? Is justice denied? We are content even as we bear witness to the oppression of others … Dr. King understood us. We enjoy what he would call an ‘anesthetizing security.’ We sit in judgment of the oppressed yet never succumb to action,” she said.Housley spoke words she had written herself.“Wake up and be more,” she yelled at the audience. “We live in a world of action. For actions speak louder than words, and deeds carry more weight than prayers.”She moved slowly back to the stage. A bell rang and class was dismissed.“We wrote everything ourselves,” senior Shaily Hakimian said. “We got a lot of inspiration from the teachers who came in to see us. They helped us with speaking, but all the pieces that were in there were ourselves.”Housley’s stirring speech was followed by numerous other personal pieces. Each new scene was different from the last, moving from comical to serious.The cast performed an “elevator scene,” asking the audience if they had ever wondered what people were thinking in an elevator. In the scene, they allowed numerous thoughts to become manifest.“Damn, this sister got a fine bubble butt.”“Am I the only white person on here?”“I’ll bet that white girl think I’m gonna rape her.”“God, don’t let me fart.”“Faggot.”“Beer.”Though the scene was comical, it delved into the issue of how discrimination and hatred can lie inside each and every person. The idea of change was addressed throughout the entirety of the production and sent a poignant message in Hakimian’s piece. “We each are a part of the puzzle of the dream Martin Luther King dreamed,” she said. “We each need to be the catalyst for change. Ghandi said, ‘We need to be the change we wish to see.’ Be fearless, the change will be you. The change is you.”The idea of unity was expressed in a scene featuring IU student Yusuf Agunbiade and Ivy Tech student Britt Sweeting. Agunbiade and Sweeting were working together on a “Unity Dance,” a dance Agunbiade was getting frustrated with. He told Sweeting the one thing he wanted to do was paint, yet he was being shot down by both his peers and society. He was told that, because he was black, he should dance.Sweeting told Agunbiade that he shouldn’t let society tell him what he could or could not do. She explained that the meaning of the Unity Dance was to create equality, to act as a catalyst for change. “We’ve made the dance,” Sweeting said. “We’ve made it a catalyst. Now it’s up to the people to accept its meaning.”Other cast members joined Sweeting and Agunbiade onstage.“My family,” Sweeting said as they began the step. “It’s pretty beautiful and pretty diverse. When I say step, my family steps with me.”A powerful boom echoed around the room as the dancers stamped their feet and slapped their legs. “Wow, just wow,” director Eric Love said. “The students were incredible. I knew it because I’ve been working with them for a while, but to see the audience react the way they did, I think it really drove home the message, the multiple messages of Dr. King, in a contemporary way with young, fresh voices telling us what it’s like to live in this society, giving us advice, giving us challenges, giving us insight into their lives and the issues they’re faced with. It was just an absolutely incredible experience.”At the end of the production, the cast performed a song, running through the audience, telling people to stand up and pulling them onstage. Claps, screams and singing resounded in the auditorium, and everyone was standing. Junior Jaclyn Koshofer, a member of Theta Nu Xi sorority, stood and cheered as well. “Looking at it from both a multicultural sorority standpoint and an actor standpoint, it was just really, really powerful,” Koshofer said. “I was really glad they talked about issues other than just race. They talked about diversity in all different aspects of life, and it was such a unique experience.”
(01/17/13 4:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In just the second week of spring semester classes, six of the seven comedy groups from across the IU campus have been preparing for the second IU Campus Comedy Festival. This Saturday, IU will be taken by storm as Midnight Snack, Awkward Silence Comedy, Full Frontal Comedy, The Lowdown, HoosOnFirst and the University tWits take the stage at 6 p.m. in the Indiana Memorial Union’s Georgian Room.“This is a showcase of all our respective groups’ talents, as well a chance for our groups to get together and learn and enjoy each other,” event coordinator and Full Frontal Comedy member Michael Haluska said in an email.Each group will perform for 20 minutes, and a member from stand-up club The Lowdown will open for each troupe. “I participated in the festival last year,” Lowdown member Joshua Murphy said. “I think they’re doing it better this year, where they don’t have competing shows going on.”Haluska said the focus will be more group-oriented at this year’s festival.“That’s what’s really going to get us to bond together and be really funny onstage,” Haluska said.The IUCCF is the brainchild of senior Tim Hickle. While Hickle has been a member of the University tWits since his freshman year and has made friends in many of the other comedy groups, he remembers a time when such a thing was unheard of. “When I was a freshman, no one really talked between the groups,” Hickle said. “No one liked each other. It was not a good environment to come into. You come in and everyone hates you and you don’t know why. There was no reason for it.”Hickle and friends he made in the tWits began attending other comedy groups’ shows to demonstrate companionship. Slowly but surely, the groups started becoming friendlier with each other, he said.“The more we did that, the more we realized how much talent there was, and we wanted to leverage this community,” Hickle said. “We wanted to do something with it.”After working on developing a comedy festival centered around bettering, binding and building a closer-knit comedy community, the IU Campus Comedy Festival was created. Hickle was able to gather enough funding last year to bring the famous Upright Citizens Brigade troupe to IU from New York. The prestigious improv/sketch comedy group not only helped all the groups in workshops, they also performed with the groups on their last day in town. “That was, I think, the first moment where I felt like there was a true community,” Hickle said. “It wasn’t just fragmented groups of friends.”Hickle said he is very excited about the festival this year, and though they weren’t able to get enough funding to bring Upright Citizens Brigade back, he said this moment is not about the Brigade.“Right now it’s not about them, it’s about us,” Hickle said. “It’s about building this community, and that’s what’s important to me and that’s what’s important to Michael. That’s what I’m excited about.”As Hickle reflected on the four years he has spent trying to develop a comedy community, he said he has high hopes for the future of that development.“What’s important is not the number of people even going to the festival or bringing Upright Citizens Brigade,” Hickle said. “What’s really important is bringing together this community of 80-plus comedians for one common cause, and if the underclassmen take seriously that message, we’re only a couple years away from having, what I believe, is going to be the best comedy program in the nation.”
(12/06/12 5:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This year’s jazz-infused Chimes of Christmas show lifted the spirits, or at least the hands, of audience members throughout the IU Auditorium last night. Featuring the Brent Wallarab Big Band, the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, guest performers and the Singing Hoosiers, this year’s show was colored by Singing Hoosiers Director Steve Zegree’s distinguishable flair. After the first two performances by the Singing Hoosiers, Zegree spoke to the crowd about a person he ran into out of pure happenstance — Pat Freeman. Freeman happened to talk to Zegree about wanting to come to Chimes. Freeman had wanted to come for 40 years and tonight’s performance was his first. The crowd cheered as Zegree waved to him from the stage and dedicated the performance to him. The lady Singing Hoosier captivated the audience with both their performance and elegant red dresses, which sparkled in the spotlight. The gentlemen Singing Hoosier also captivated the audience but with a different style. After the lady Hoosiers performed “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” the gentlemen Hoosiers leapt onstage, embracing the Christmas spirit with shorts and Hawaiian shirts. Three of the gentlemen, however, didn’t get the memo and dressed in penguin suits.The gentleman Hoosiers performed “Little Saint Nick,” challenging the lady Hoosiers to best them. Throughout the concert, both the comedic and traditional qualities of the performances provided a festive welcome to the holiday season.“Syncopation,” a performance group composed of children from all around Bloomington, performed with the Singing Hoosiers. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” resulted in a dance-off between the Hoosiers and Syncopation. The kids pumped up the crowd with their funky dance moves. Embracing one of the most traditional animated Christmas shows of all time, Zegree whipped off his suit jacket, threw on a huge, yellow T-shirt with a black, squiggly line streaking across it and sat down at the piano. The audience responded enthusiastically to a performance of the the well-known “Charlie Brown Christmas.” Two guest vocalists performed in the concert. Singing Hoosiers’ distinguished alumna Melissa Dickson performed “Sing Noel” with the Singing Hoosiers backing her up. Ly Wilder, the new professor of jazz voice in the Jacobs School of Music, performed “Silent Night” with the band. Three high school seniors from Seymour, Ind. made the trip to Bloomington specifically for the concert.“I thought it was really good,” senior Cassie Campbell said. “It was a lot more jazzy than the performance we attended two years ago.”Ranging from the slow, smooth tunes of “Sugar Rum Cherry” performed by the band, to a snazzy rendition of an age-old classic, the “Hallelujah Chorus,” the concert kept the crowd busy with sing-alongs and applause.“It was something, being up onstage,” freshman Lester Blumberg said. “The audience seemed to respond pretty well. There were times when we were doing the skits that it seemed a little corny, which it probably was, but the audience seemed to enjoy it.”This year, both the Singing Hoosiers and Syncopation concluded the evening with “White Christmas.” As the curtains closed, the performers gave a final wave to the departing crowd.“It’s always exciting performing, but it’s a whole other level when you’re performing in front of a crowd you can’t see the end of because of the lights,” freshman Jacob Suson said. “It’s both a really cool feeling and kind of terrifying too.”