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(08/02/10 12:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Dr. Leah Savion has spent the summer fighting for her students.The senior lecturer of philosophy has written six textbooks through various publishing companies for her courses at IU and said she works every year to make sure new editions are as inexpensive as possible.“We go through page by page,” Savion said. “I’ve worked all summer to reduce the price.”But Savion is part of a small minority of professors who can adjust the price of their required reading. For other teachers, pricing choices are entirely in the hands of publishers and bookstores.To help lower costs, Durbin’s College Textbook Affordability Act — part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act — was recently enacted to simplify and improve communication between publishers and professors. Assistant Senate Majority Leader Richard Durbin, D-Ill., had the idea for the act when he saw how many professors were unaware of the cost of their own required reading.But will it work?“I think it’s a good step, because basically it adds more transparency to the textbook market,” said IU senior Ben Greenberg, creator of Textyard.com. “Students will be able to save money.”The act will require all publishers to disclose prices to professors as they choose textbooks, information on cheaper formats and a history of revisions.Professors will thus have more time to make the most cost-efficient decisions.“One of the main objectives of the U.S. Higher Education Opportunity Act is to increase transparency in the higher education textbook market — a goal we share and support as well,” said Tom Stanton, communications representative for McGraw-Hill Education.The act will also require colleges to report textbook information for a course before registration, giving students enough time to plan for the expenses and bookstores more time to stock used copies. Savion said she believes this should be easy for all colleges, including IU, to accomplish.The third provision of the act states that various parts of textbook bundles — including CDs and study guides — must be sold separately.These changes might help students save money, even as early as this fall, but both Savion and Greenberg agreed working with the IU Bookstore to lower costs is also important.“Since we partnered with Barnes & Noble, the prices have shot up dramatically,” Savion said.Though Savion estimated a significant percent increase, the numbers could not be confirmed with Barnes & Noble.Greenberg said the inflation comes from the costs of running a bookstore, but in the future this problem will become moot. The rental industry will dominate, Greenberg said, comparing it to Blockbuster and Netflix.“The whole rental model has taken over,” Greenberg said. “That’s happening to the book market. The whole point of having a bookstore is pointless — you could just download from anywhere. It’s going to be huge.”
(07/25/10 11:09pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I recently surfed WebMD — a great website for my bouts of hypochondria — to see what was new in the world of dieting. The usual stories popped up about food allergies, calorie-busting workouts and scary summer foods that pack on the pounds. Frankly, photos of ice cream don’t frighten me. They have quite the opposite effect.After salivating for a while, I came across a gem of a diet plan. The director of nutrition for WebMD, Kathleen Zelman, wrote that celebrities are substituting one or more of their meals every day with baby food. The diet created by celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson is similar to any other diet in that calories must be accounted for. Eat less, weigh less.The more I read, the more I saw how anyone could be sucked into the plan. Baby food has lots of nutrients and is low in fat, sugar, salt and preservatives. The small portions make it easy. What’s not to crave?A lot. Try explaining to friends and family why, as a young adult with no children, you’re carrying jars of baby food around for a snack.“No, girls, I swear it works. Try my pureed broccoli!”No thanks. We aren’t babies, and the nutrients we need can’t be found in baby food. Zelman also wrote that it’s highly unlikely for you to tolerate the diet for more then a few days. How could you possibly eat baby food forever? It’s not sustainable, and it’s not healthy. Even if the jars fit so easily in your dorm room cabinet, it doesn’t mean it’s right. Babies grow out of it, and so would you.This isn’t the only crazy diet — many are used for quick weight loss, but all they amount to is starving your body of what it really needs.Take the Special K Challenge, for example. Eat Special K products — a bowl of cereal, protein bar or shake — most of the day, then have dinner as you normally would. Kellogg claims on its website that you can lose up to six pounds, but not forever. Soon, you’re back to the same bad habits and gain the weight once again.The best way to lose weight and keep it off is by talking to your doctor or nutritionist first. Each body is different, and these specialists know what will work for you and how to make sure you don’t do anything irrational. Exercising and eating a well-balanced diet are the key ingredients to losing weight permanently.Losing weight, whether to address a serious health concern or to drop a dress size, shouldn’t be done on a whim. It’s time to view weight loss as a lifestyle change, not just a two-week binge on baby food.
(07/11/10 10:27pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“In order to live off a garden, you practically have to live in it,” Frank McKinney Hubbard said.These are ominous words from Hubbard, an Indiana resident from the early 20th century. In our century, the very idea of self-sustained gardening is lost to college students and the vast majority of Americans. We want food fast, cheap and on the spot. Do we suffer from this mentality? Certainly, prices are cheap. Low-income families rely on inexpensive food to survive. But we are a generation that has no idea what good, homegrown and pesticide-free food tastes like.I don’t just mean produce. Sure, I’ll get an organic apple from time to time — but chicken, beef or cheese? Even the organic brands at the supermarket are questionable. So many people don’t really know what being “certified organic” even entails.Several weeks ago, students at Fairfield University, a small Jesuit school in Connecticut, planted the first of various vegetables in their new, 18-bed garden. The school is not the first to try this, but it’s certainly not a national phenomenon. A majority of the produce will go to the school’s dining hall, while some will go to food banks. Professors will also use the garden for classes.What would happen if IU were to try something similar? The scale might be insurmountable: There are just too many of us and not enough money. But the IU Office of Sustainability is working on similar projects. Some of the long-term goals listed on its website include a “farm-to-college” initiative to produce food for our dining halls, as well as a farmers market on campus that would accept meal points.Now, I’m hopeful one day these goals can be met. But our school still struggles to get meal points in our Union.Even if it takes a while for those programs to come to fruition, there are little things you can do now.If you live off campus and have some space, disregard Hubbard’s words and see if you have a green thumb. The National Gardening Association has a great website with tips, and even good ol’ Kroger, Lowes and Walmart carry seeds, plants and tools.Some of what you buy might not even need transplanting. Keep a small herb garden in your kitchen and include some of the tangy leaves in your meals. See how your own labor produces something of use.At the grocery store, read labels. Do some research and find out where your protein, dairy, veggie or fruit is from. Go to a farmers market, pick up some apples and ask the farmer about his work. If you’re lucky, he or she might throw in a recipe to try.
(06/27/10 10:32pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Bloomington has Baked!; New Canaan, Conn., has Crumbs Bake Shop.The two bakeries are similar in so many ways. One has cookies; the other has cupcakes. One is cheap; the other is expensive. One bakes in-house; the other mass-produces. One delivers late; the other closes early.OK, they are very different. But the stores, hundreds of miles apart, give me exactly what I want from time to time — a decadent, unhealthy injection of sugar into my bloodstream. And they are now staples in my separate residences.Crumbs opened in my hometown last year, and my friend Penelope was hired there this summer. The store, part of a small East Coast chain, has an overwhelming variety to choose from. Red velvet, cappuccino, watermelon — even “Twilight”-themed cupcakes, aptly named “Jacob” and “Edward.”Penelope said the “Edward” is delicious, but I’m skeptical.The store also offers coffee, tea and other savory goods. It’s cute, small and clean-cut.Baked!, the well-known, late-night cookie joint on Third Street, is always a phone call away. From good old chocolate chip to vegan choices, it, too, has it all. Add some milk, and the best late-night snack is ready to go.The store is eclectic — loan away your student I.D. for markers and a pizza box to color on. Take a seat on a couch out on the store’s front porch.After frequenting Baked!, it was only logical to be drawn toward Crumbs when it opened in New Canaan. The cupcake store is a reliable source of comfort food. The treats can easily be shared, and the store is downtown, right off our main commercial street.My love for Crumbs and Baked! is a clear sign that eateries are an integral part of our communities. They are just a small reason why we love to live where we do.What would Bloomington be without Baked! or Pizza X? I would transfer schools if Jiffy Treet closed.Well, that might be drastic, but you get my point. Restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries and coffee shops, in turn, reflect the communities they serve. I imagine the motto must be pretty simple — cater to your clientele, and you’ll reap the benefits.Crumbs, with its overpriced but delicious goods, would struggle to survive in our college town — and trust me, Baked! wouldn’t fly in New Canaan. I can’t imagine white-collar men and women ordering delivery cookies at 2 a.m.What I love so much about Bloomington and New Canaan will always be the comforting foods I can enjoy with friends and family. While it’s cookies or cupcakes for me, maybe it’s pizza, noodles or sandwiches for you. Whatever it is, spend this summer enjoying it.
(06/13/10 10:49pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A recent article by the U.S. News & World Report cited a study done for the American Dietetic Association regarding food advertising. The research looked at what would happen if a person ate a 2,000-calorie diet based on foods advertised on TV.Because it has long been known that advertising has a major impact on consumers, the study’s findings were alarming.Not only would you consume 25 times the recommended serving of sugar and 20 times the recommended serving of fat, but your fresh vegetable and fruit intake would be well below what it should be.From the Burger King Steakhouse XT Burger to Wendy’s Frosty, it’s impossible to watch television without pictures of unhealthy options flashing by.Even the Federal Communications Commission has a (seemingly old) website devoted to the topic, with resources for parents. The site, aptly titled Media & Childhood Obesity, created a ‘Task Force’ in 2006 to address media and childhood obesity. The site also states that “by the time the average child is 18 years old, he or she has spent between 10,000 and 15,000 hours watching television and has been exposed to more than 200,000 commercials.” I’m sure this number has grown since the time the study was done.Is it the advertisers’ fault we eat so poorly? I’m sure the researchers knew before conducting their study that our eating habits are born from more than just what we see on TV.Our upbringing plays a major role. If your parents are vegetarian, it’s likely you will be, too. If you grew up with bad eating habits, they’ll stick into adulthood.This is not always be the case, however. When I was young, Saturday trips to McDonald’s were a must. But over time, my parents began cutting out fast food and “bad food” from their diets, and so have I. So while the ads for Taco Bell look scrumptious late at night, don’t be fooled. Our diets should contain more than just what might seem appetizing at first glance.
(06/06/10 10:23pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After a mutual agreement, the Honorable David F. Hamilton, one of 16 judges for the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, will relocate his chambers to the IU Maurer School of Law.“It was a mutual decision,” said Kenneth L. Turchi, assistant dean for communications and marketing for the School of Law. “The judge has a long-standing relationship with Indiana University. He’s taught courses here before; his wife received her degree here.”Although the decision was announced recently, Turchi said the judge will not be fully moved in until the end of this calendar year.Plans are still being finalized, including what role the judge will play on campus.“The goal of our school is to introduce our students to all the various opportunities,” he said. “Having him in the building will provide a lot of ways for our students to be exposed to the judicial system.”Whether Hamilton will teach a course is still to be seen.“We still need to work out the specifics once he has relocated here,” Turchi said. “His first obligation is to the court.”The court is located in Chicago, where Turchi said Hamilton will frequent when he is called to do so.At IU, Hamilton previously taught a clinic on the federal courts and served on the board of directors of the school’s Center for Constitutional Democracy. The judge was nominated to the Seventh Circuit by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in November 2009.
(05/16/10 7:48pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Steak ’n Shake, Chick-fil-A, Noodles & Company, Cheeseburger in Paradise.Welcome to the Midwest.In 2007, the summer before senior year of high school, my father and I took a long road trip through Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois to visit as many colleges as possible. Not only did the flatness of the area strike me, but all of the new possibilities for food were a welcome surprise.Houlihan’s? I had never heard of it. Fazoli’s? Nope. Culver’s? Not a clue.Food is universal, but it also changes from region to region. Growing up in Connecticut, I was fortunate to have fresh seafood. Now, if you ask me to eat sushi from the Indiana Memorial Union, I’ll laugh at you. But ask someone from my hometown to try a 32-ounce Polar Pop and they’d laugh at you, too. And believe me, I love Polar Pops.Is one region — based on food — better than another? I would have loved a Steak ’n Shake restaurant in Connecticut. What’s better than a milkshake at 2 a.m.? If only such a thing existed where I lived.And then there are the poser restaurants, which want to bring different regional cuisines somewhere else. They can be found on both sides.Penn Station, aptly named after an East Coast train station, doesn’t carry subs nearly as good as the ones I’ve had during childhood Fourth of July weekends on the Jersey Shore. No family-owned East Coast sub shop has french fries, either — trust me.So what does it all mean? Certainly, food did not bring me to the Midwest. I knew I could find what I wanted, with some new gems here and there. I also knew I could live without my hometown staples and seafood.So this summer, if you’re traveling somewhere new or graduating (aka, getting the hell out of here), don’t be surprised by the choices you’ll find. Part of being away from home and in a new place is trying new things and adjusting.
(05/10/10 12:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Fifty-three countries, 42 states, 89 Indiana counties.The 2010 graduating class of IU came from far and wide, but they now all have something in common — they are alumni of IU.With parents, friends and professors looking on, undergraduate students celebrated Saturday at two similar commencement ceremonies in Assembly Hall.At 10 a.m. the School of Education, Jacobs School of Music and more were represented, while the College of Arts and Sciences and School of Optometry, among others, were represented at the 3 p.m. ceremony.Students filed in at the start of both ceremonies to fill the floor of the basketball arena as well as several sections of the audience seating. IU Provost Karen Hanson, board of trustees members and representatives of the Indiana University Alumni Association assisted IU President Michael McRobbie in presiding over both ceremonies.“Your many achievements at Indiana University are a testament to the time you’ve invested into all that you have done,” McRobbie said to the students.The oldest graduating senior, McRobbie said, was 60, while the youngest was 19.“We also have 33 sets of twins graduating tonight,” he said.Because both ceremonies drew packed crowds, coordinating parking and guest services was a daunting task. Maria Talbert, events coordinator for the IU Auditorium, said approximately 100 staff members were needed for the weekend.“Everything has gone really smoothly,” Talbert said.During both commencement ceremonies, McRobbie conferred an honorary Doctoral of Music to speaker Quincy Jones. Preceding the conferral was what McRobbie called a first for commencement: a short video about Jones and his career.The musician, activist and producer, among other things, gave his commencement address for both ceremonies, offering 77 years of wisdom, advice, jokes — and a few requests.“Stop downloading illegal music,” Jones said, inciting laughs and claps from the audience.Jones, a longtime friend of IU Distinguished Professor David N. Baker, told “all the Hoosier mamas and papas” to dream big, learn how to listen and never be satisfied. Jones also quoted another longtime friend, the late Frank Sinatra, who told Jones to live every day like it was his last, and one day he’d be right.“That man knew how to party,” Jones said.Before students could start the long hunt for their parents in the crowds, McRobbie offered — in both his charge to the class and closing addresses — even more advice.“Take your skills and talents, your diligence and determination, your intelligence and effort, and be the creators of tomorrow,” he said.
(05/07/10 12:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In 1830, a small class of nearly half a dozen students received the very first degrees from IU.One hundred eighty-one years later, things have changed in some big ways.This weekend, three ceremonies at Assembly Hall — one graduate and two undergraduate ceremonies — will help thousands of students become IU alumni.“There are lots of aspects to commencement,” said Robin Roy Gress, secretary of the board of trustees and director of university ceremonies. “The IU Alumni Association has been in charge of commencement for decades.”But while the same organizations have been responsible for the various aspects of spring commencement, the final product has not always been the same, and there have always been obstacles to overcome.“Commencements have been held in any number of locations,” Gress said.When Gress became director of ceremonies for IU in 1998, commencement was held outside in Memorial Stadium. Inclement weather, however, forced the ceremony inside.“The biggest single issue we’ve had has been weather,” she said. “I’m told in 1996, before I came, that it sleeted some. It was really, really cold. Degrees were conferred in a very big hurry.”Other changes, Gress said, have come from personal decision, including this year’s first three-ceremony weekend.“The president wanted to be able to focus more closely on undergraduates at an undergraduate ceremony, the graduates at a graduate ceremony,” she said. “This is one of the biggest changes I’ve seen since I’ve been here.”Gress cites religion as another difference after 181 years.“Commencement addresses were sermons,” she said. “This is a public, secular university. We do include an invocation, in part because it’s largely tradition.”For more information on the commencement, visit www.indiana.edu/~ceremony/.
(04/30/10 4:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>President of the Alpha Tau Omega Alumni Board Kent Miller and other sources have confirmed IU’s chapter of ATO will lease their house to IU’s chapter of Delta Chi for the 2010-11 academic year.“We don’t have the capacity to fill the house, so we can’t keep it,” said junior and ATO president Ian Bell. “But being in a fraternity isn’t about living in the house, it’s about the brotherhood.”Despite Bell’s positive statements, many brothers do not echo the same sentiments.“More than anything, it’s extremely disappointing,” junior and ATO member George Galanopoulos said. “ATO has a long history in this house. Right now we’re trying to rebuild around brother values rather than focusing on the social aspects.” Bell said 70 brothers were needed to keep the house, which is located on East Third Street, but ATO currently has only 40. Bell said the lease is for only one year, and the fraternity hopes to regain the house for the 2011-12 academic year.Ryan Stahl, junior and president of Delta Chi, said negotiations between the two fraternities started in March.“We were in talks over spring break,” he said. “As far as ATO, hopefully they can bounce back from the situation they’re in.”Secretary of ATO’s alumni corporation Michael Pipher said the agreement was, in many respects, a win-win situation for both parties.“This agreement is going to mean about a half-dozen employees at ATO will still have jobs next fall and won’t be facing the unemployment line,” Pipher said. “Delta Chi, a Greek house with a very deep and rich history at IU, will be able to operate out of a beautiful home, and we all hope they will leverage this opportunity to regrow their chapter.”— IDS reporter Danielle Paquette contributed to this story.
(04/29/10 3:21pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>President Michael McRobbie, Provost Karen Hanson and Vice President for Information Technology Brad Wheeler spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for IU’s new Cyberinfrastructure building. The $37 million, 123,000-square-foot building will join together the IU Data Center and the IU Innovation center. The ceremony took place at 11 a.m. at the intersection of 10th Street and Indiana State Road 45/46 Bypass.The event was also streamed live at www.broadcast.iu.edu.— Margaret Ely
(04/21/10 1:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When it comes time to find a Little 5 artist, the Union Board knows it’s in for a bit of a tough ride. “The search is a little nerve-wracking,” said junior James Still, the Union Board director for concerts.Every year, the board works to bring musicians for multiple concerts — the two biggest being the Welcome Week and the Little 500 shows. To do so, the board relies on a booking sub-committee and its boss, Still.“We all throw around different names months before the concert so we can announce well in advance,” he said.The first step Stills takes to picking an artist or band? Getting a feel for what students desire.“It’s tough to know what students want to hear,” Still said. “We’ve started doing small-market research to find out.”The keys to a good pick, Still said, are knowing how well-received the band or artist was when it performed at other universities, if the band has recently released an album and when they will perform during the school year.Still said the Union Board tries to get a rock performer for the spring and hip-hop for the fall, knowing the competition to sell tickets is greater during Little 500, when fraternities bring big-name rappers to campus.Since 1960, the Union Board has almost always been able to bring a musical act to headline Little 500, but the fraternities also play a major role in the entertainment for the week. In 2009, Ludacris performed in the Alpha Tau Omega and Acacia parking lot, while rapper Young Jeezy performed behind Zeta Beta Tau and Sigma Alpha Mu.Although Still can not describe how it difficult it is for the fraternities to book entertainers, he can for the Union Board. Actually booking the artist is the biggest step for the board — and the hardest. In the past, including in 2004 and 2003, the board was unable to make a deal and scrapped the Little 500 concert all together.“I give myself a deadline,” Still said of this year’s concert. “If we didn’t get an artist booked by the second week of March, we were going to scrap the concert. We got The Flaming Lips the last week of February.”Tickets are still available for this year’s concert, which happens on 8 p.m. Thursday at the IU Auditorium. Visit www.iuauditorium.com/site/index.html2000The Union Board had its Little 500 concert in Assembly Hall, rather then the auditorium, in 2000.The concert featured both the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Foo Fighters. The Peppers, formed in 1983, released “Californication” in 1999.The Foo Fighters also released an album in 1999, “There Is Nothing Left to Lose.”2001A year into the new millennium brought rapper Nelly to the auditorium stage.Nelly, who was born Cornell Haynes Jr., signed to Universal Records in 1999 and released his first solo album in 2000 titled “Country Grammar.” The title song off the record peaked at seventh on the lists of top 100 hits in both the U.S. and UK.2002Guster performed at the auditorium on April 16 for Little 500. The band was formed in 1991 on the Tufts University campus in Massachusettes.Kappa Sigma fraternity was again able to book Of a Revolution (O.A.R). Both concerts, coincidentally, were scheduled for the same night. Local band Three Minute Mile opened for O.A.R.2003The Union Board could not provide entertainment in 2003. The policy of the board is to stop looking for a performer after a certain point. However, Kappa Sigma was able to book the band Rusted Root, who performed April 22.Rusted Root formed in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1988 and have released eight albums.Rusted Root’s “Send Me On My Way,” is its most commercially popular song to date.2004As in 2003, the Union Board could not provide entertainment. The usual policy of the board is to stop looking for a performer after a certain point in the year.Three fraternities, however, teamed up to bring the band Guster — who performed for the Union Board in 2002 — on April 23. Phi Delta, Phi Kappa Sigma and Kappa Sigma all sponsored the event.20052005 marked the first Union Board concert since 2002 — but it was not one of the most popular concerts.Grammy Award winning band The Roots was chosen for the Little 500 concert, but it was not as financially successful as some of the other concerts the board sponsored. Turnout was also less than expected.The Roots hail from Philadelphia, Pa.2006Unusually, the Union Board concert for the 2006 Little 500 was scheduled for a Monday. The rock band Wilco took the stage April 17.The set started with the band’s song “Airline to Heaven,” and followed with the song “Kingpin.” During the performance, lead singer Jeff Tweedy said he was told to prepare for drunk, rowdy students — even on a Monday.2007Indie rockers Of a Revolution (O.A.R) took the auditorium stage in 2007.Along with O.A.R., Yellowcard performed, and Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity was able to book Three 6 Mafia. The popular rap group performed on April 19.O.A.R. performed at Kappa Sigma fraternity in 2002 when the Union Board could not secure an artist.2008Little 500 kicked off in 2008 with indie rocker Leslie Feist.The show took place April 11 and opened with Canadian indie folk singer Hayden, who played the piano, harmonica and guitar.Fiest opened and ended her set behind a transparent, white screen, revealing only her silhouette.Feist, also a Canadian folk singer, might be best known for her song “1234” featured in an iPod Nano commercial in 2007.Feist won five 2008 Juno Awards in Calgary, Canada, including New Songwriter of the Year and Artist of the Year.2009Last year, the Flight of the Conchords concert was a major hit — it sold out. The band, consisting of Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzi, hails from New Zealand. Their HBO show “Flight of the Conchords” ran until 2009, when the duo announced they would not return for a third season. Clement and McKenzi fuse music — guitars, bongos and more — and comedy for their performances.
(04/09/10 3:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With 26 competitors from around the world, the Jacobs School of Music has completed its first annual Guitar Festival and Competition by announcing not one first-place winner, but two.Eduardo Binozzi Coasta from Brazil and Edel Munoz from Cuba were each awarded $1,000 in prize money.The two second-prize winners were Americans Jordon Dodson and Cameron O’Conner, each awarded $750.The competition’s jurors were Camen Helena Tellez, director of the Jacobs School’s Latin American Music Center; Elzbieta Szmyt, associate professor of harp; Elisabeth Wright, professor of early music; Luke Gillespie, associate professor of jazz; Petar Jankovic, adjunct lecturer in guitar; and Atanas Tzvetkov, director of the guitar department’s pre-college program.The guitar department also presented recitals by Erol Ozsever, Guido Sanchez, Nemanja Ostojic and guest William Yelverton.
(03/12/10 4:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After several months of financial turmoil and negotiations, the City has formally announced its decision to take ownership of the John Waldron Arts Center. The decision will become effective March 31.During a news conference Thursday morning, Mayor Mark Kruzan — along with several key players in the negotiations — announced the City will buy the building for $150,000.The BAAC plans to pay all debts, in full, to employees, artists, contractors and its lender within 30 days of March 31, Kruzan said. The council has also been given permission to use its current office space until May 31 to tie loose ends, and local radio station WFHB will continue its operations in the building.It was important to keep the building open for artists and the community to use, said Miah Michaelsen, assistant economic development director for the arts at City Hall.“One of our reasons to step in was because we heard how important it was to the community for these organizations to continue,” Michaelsen said.Organizations and companies that have contracts with the BAAC to use the performance space, including Cardinal Stage Company and student-run organizations such as the University Players, should not expect any change in operation, Michaelsen said. Paid city employees will now run the daily operations of the Waldron, taking over for the current volunteer staff.The City, Michaelsen said, does not plan on having ownership of the building for long. It is now looking for a new, financially sound owner.“We have laid out our parameters, the expenses are well-known,” she said. “We hope the right partner will step forward soon. We can only operate the building for the short-term, we cannot long-term.”Concern over the center’s future started long ago. In July, the BAAC was suspended from its partnership with the Indiana Arts Commission based on an assessment of the council’s management and financial work. Things took another turn for the worst on Jan. 7, when the BAAC released a statement stating it needed $120,000 by March 1 to prevent the Waldron from closing permanently. Several weeks later, the council laid off all paid staff due to the lack of cash flow. Two Indiana University interns, including graduate student Hannah Carmichael, were also released from their positions. It was then that the mayor created an eight-member study group to address the problem. The group consisted of various community members who discussed and analyzed the BAAC, as well as recommended a course of action through a proposal to the mayor on how best to keep the building open. While the BAAC spent January and March raising money, the study group organized five meetings, including one Jan. 26, to gather citizen feedback. When the council’s deadline of March 1 was reached, the council had an increase of $30,000 in debt, yet the Waldron remained open under BAAC ownership.Although the council’s future is uncertain, all parties involved said they are glad the building will remain as a center for arts in the Bloomington community and that no animosity remains.“The good that BAAC has done shouldn’t be lost,” Kruzan said. “It invested in the structural integrity of the Waldron more than most people know.”
(01/19/10 5:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana University once again proved its music program is among the best in the country when three Jacobs School of Music students received honors at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Tri-State Auditions.Laura Wilde, a graduate student and soprano, won the top honor. As the semi-finalist, Wilde received $2,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to New York City in March for the MET National Semifinals, where one-to-two singers from 15 different regions will compete.“I spent the day before just chilling out, studying my scores, trying to figure out what I wanted to say with each piece,” Wilde said. “I worked on being as prepared as possible. I thought, ‘Whatever happens, happens.’”What happened, Wilde said, was completely unanticipated.“I wasn’t expecting everything,” Wilde said. “I’m still trying to let it sink in.”During Saturday’s audition, each singer chose one aria to sing, after which the judges asked to hear up to four more.Wilde started with an aria from the American opera “Little Women,” followed by two others. She was the last to sing during the day, after which winners were announced.Although Wilde won out of 12 other competitors Saturday at Butler University’s Clowes Memorial Hall in Indianapolis, runner-up Ljubomir Puskaric and Encouragement Award winner Andrew Kroes are both Jacobs’ students as well.“They all did very well,” said Maria Levy, Indiana district director for the auditions.All three competitors received cash prizes and feedback from the judges, which both Levy and Wilde said is always key at auditions.Levy said each performer in the Tri-State auditions was impressive but the judges loved Wilde from the start.“She has everything going for her,” Levy said. “She is very prepared for March’s auditions.”Although Wilde did not expect to win, she said she is excited for the auditions and ready to prepare in the coming months. Her preparation, she said, includes narrowing down what arias to sing and building on each opera by conducting research.“I’ve auditioned there for grad school,” Wilde said. “I’m excited for the whole experience. I’m going to speak with former IU students who have done it before. Excited to see what happens.”
(01/11/10 6:11am)
The performance Saturday on the stage of the MAC was the annual
Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions for the Indiana
District. The auditions, which occur annually in 15 regions of the United States
and Canada, included 23 total performers who sang one to five arias in
their respective voice parts.
(01/08/10 2:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In an attempt to bring audience feedback to life on stage, the Bloomington Playwrights Project will have their final staged reading for the BloomingPlays Development Series from 11 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Sponsored by the Indianapolis Theatre Association, the readings will be put on at the BPP’s theater in downtown Bloomington.The series features eight plays written by what the BPP, in a press release, called “the Hoosier state’s finest up-and-coming playwrights.” During the series, all eight scripts are read in front of an audience as part of the playwrights’ development process. Gabe Gloden, the BPP’s managing director, said the theater company held an open call for submissions during the summer and chose the best plays out of about 100 submissions.“The plays were different lengths and topics,” Gloden said. “The glue that holds them together is that each playwright is from Indiana.”The BloomingPlays Development Series began the weekend of Aug. 1 and 2 and was also conducted on Nov. 14 and 15. Like past events, upcoming staged readings are free and open to the public.“Some people love readings,” Gloden said. “It’s not as stuffy an environment, it’s more relaxed.”As in the past, the readings are followed by a feedback session so audience members can help each playwright edit their scripts before submitting them for the BPP’s BloomingPlays Festival in May. This weekend’s readings are the last of the series before the scripts are submitted.Gloden, who wrote a play in the series titled “How To Kill,” said he really benefited from the feedback during the first two readings.“I got a lot of great feedback,” Gloden said. “The best feedback I got came in the form of questions. It was very helpful.”Some of the eight plays to be read this weekend include: “Virginia’s Last Drive,” by Matt Anderson, a story about an 80-year-old woman testing for her driver’s license; and “Thespian,” by Chris White, about two construction workers from Brooklyn that are riding an uptown subway.Gloden said four of the plays selected for the festival will become full productions at the BPP, but the theater company always has a lofty goal in mind for every play they help produce.“Our ultimate goal is to submit them to national competitions,” he said.
(12/14/09 2:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From a handmade sock doll named Pickles to various prints and paintings, the School of Fine Arts Gallery auctioned off a variety of artwork Friday for the Silent Night Holiday Art Sale and Auction.A large crowd filled the gallery, each bidder with a small pencil in hand. When a piece of art caught a bidder’s interest, he or she would use that pencil to write down a bid on the card next to it. Bidding closed at 8 p.m. Tallies were made on each piece and the winners were announced.Despite the size of the crowd, gallery coordinators were still wary to say the event raised more or less money than in previous years.“We had approximately 54 bidders,” said Megan Abajian, public relations director for the SoFA Gallery. “I believe we handed out almost the same amount of bid numbers as last year but that bidders were being more conservative on how many items they were bidding on.”Abajian said support for the event was still evident.“Given the cautious economic climate this year, I think that people supported us in any way they could, either through donations to raise money or through bidding on pieces,” Abajian said.Some pieces, Abajian said, got enough interest to be bought at the “buy now” price before the auction began. Those pieces were left up on the gallery walls, but a large red line was drawn on the bid card.The first piece to sell was what Abajian called a “highly anticipated piece” titled “Crystalline Echo” by artist Tyson Skross. The large painting, mounted in the west gallery, sold for the asking price of $950.“Everything in the gallery looks great,” said Randy Long, head of the school’s jewelry and metalsmithing department. “The art in this auction and the exhibition is wonderful.” Long played a large part in the auction by donating pieces, directing student work and creating a charm bracelet raffle to benefit the metalsmithing department.Various department students and faculty created their own charms to attach to the bracelet, which was then displayed in the center gallery Friday. “This is the first time we’ve done this,” senior Jesse Laughter said. “It’s a good professional use of our skills.”The raffle, Long said, raised $850 but had a surprising winner.“I won the raffle after buying $100 in tickets,” Long said. “I offered to draw out another name, but everyone said that it was allright and that I had won fairly.” Both Long and Laughter, who sold tickets for the raffle during the auction, said the raffle would be put on again along with next year’s auction.Guests were also able to attended the school’s BFA Thesis Exhibition, located in the east gallery, where three students showcased their required projects for the semester. “It’s been really awesome,” said senior Joshua Craig, one the students featured in the exhibition. “I’ve had a lot of positive reactions to my work. It feels great.”
(12/10/09 4:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s Tuesday afternoon, and the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Art gallery is going through a transition. Ladders and construction tools are scattered on the floor of the west gallery, while the first pieces of art are mounted on the center gallery walls.Staff members are gearing up for one of the gallery’s biggest fundraising events this semester, “Silent Night: Holiday Art Sale and Auction” at 6:30 p.m. Friday.The auction will take place in conjunction with the School of Fine Arts Student Awards Ceremony at 5:30 p.m., as well as the 6:30 p.m. reception for the school’s “BFA Thesis Exhibition.” The exhibition, which features work by students in three different studio art departments, will be on display from noon to 4 p.m. through Saturday. “All of these events, since I’ve been here, have been on the same night,” said Megan Abajian, public relations director for the SoFA Gallery. “It’s the end of the semester, there is lots of activity. The night really, I think, gets everyone into the Christmas spirit.”Abajian said the auction will feature more than 130 pieces of art, donated by either students in the school’s metalsmithing and jewelry design department, or created by faculty and community artists. It will raise money for visual art programming, the metalsmithing and jewelry guild and scholarships administered by the Friends of Art organization. “We’ve had this auction for the last seven or eight years,” said Tom Rhea, executive director of the Friends of Art. “It really helps with programming. Essentially, all of our money goes back to the SoFA Gallery in one way or another.”Perspective bidders can buy a piece at any point during the preview of the art sale, Rhea said.“I price the pieces,” Rhea said. “The ‘buy now’ price is about double the starting bid price. There will be a lot of valuable pieces for this auction.”Because so many different events are taking place at the gallery on Friday evening, Abajian said all of the groups involved should benefit. “Everything is going on at the same time,” Said Randy Long, head of the school’s jewelry and metalsmith department. “It’s an exciting night.” Senior Joshua Craig is one of three students featured in the “BFA Thesis Exhibition.” His project, titled “Hindsight,” is made up of seven enameled bowls.“I developed seven bowls about looking back on my life,” Craig said. “They are about moments in life I wish I had done differently.”Along with Craig, students from the graphic design and photography departments, share the east gallery to present their work for this semester’s final exhibition.“I’ve been thinking about this thesis exhibition for a while,” Craig said. “I’m very excited.”
(12/07/09 3:59am)
Although Tina Newberry, associate professor in the Henry Radford Hope
School of Fine Arts, has been teaching at IU for three years, Friday
was the first time she saw any of her students’ work displayed in the
school’s gallery.
Those students are the 21 undergraduates enrolled in Newberry’s
painting seminar this fall, and their paintings are hung in the SoFA’s
center and west gallery for the BFA Painting Exhibition. The
exhibition, as well as the School’s Overseas Study Exhibition, opened
Tuesday and ended Saturday.