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(12/05/12 3:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Ethnomusicology students showcased their research presentations Tuesday evening as part of the seventh annual Undergraduate Folklore and Ethnomusicology Symposium. The symposium consisted of 11 presentations given by students in the senior capstone seminar, F497, taught by ethnomusicology professor Sue Tuohy.Senior Samantha Scheetz focused her presentation by following and interviewing Home of the Brave, a metal band from Plymouth, Ind.“The vocalist asks everyone to throw their fists in the air and everyone obliged,” Scheetz said.Scheetz said this suggests the aspect of community is present between the band and its fans. “People are getting knocked down and everything,” Scheetz said. “The fact that people are willing to help them out and get them up and not let them lay suggests community.”Scheetz said people generally attend Home of the Brave concerts because they are attracted to the sound. “There are always those people traveling with them,” Scheetz said. “When you go to shows you’ll generally see the same faces you see at other shows.”Senior Perry McAninch focused an ethnographic study on participants of the southern Indiana extreme metal scene. “The Indiana scene is composed of smaller local scenes composed of Bloomington and Indianapolis which are often tighter-knit,” McAninch said. McAninch said the scene is not huge and the level of female participants in heavy metal activities is generally low. “I tried to gain an understanding of both structure of the southern Indiana mental scene and the experience members share that unites the scene,” McAninch said. Senior Jon Stombaugh, a bassist and pianist, focused on the concept of music universals and history of theories.He said music is one of the perks of being human.“The universal language phenomenon, according to some, was converted to the distinction of music among many cultures,” Stombaugh said.Stombaugh said there was no record for a society existing without some form of music.“As far as we know, music has been with us since the beginning,” Stombaugh said. Senior Steven Watkins showed how music can be incorporated into technologies used in video games. Watkins said Pong, a video game released by Atari in 1972, established the idea of using sound in video games. “Though there was little sound in the game Pong itself, it established the idea of using sound in video games to create a more realistic atmosphere,” Watkins said. Watkins said Rally-X, one of the first video games to use full background music, caused an annoyance by constantly looping music.“What the game Frogger did was the composer would make 30 second bits to go around the looping issue,” Watkins said. Watkins said programmable sound generators, which allowed for a variety of complex sounds, were installed in most arcade games.Nintendo used a custom-made sound chip based off the PSG. “The interesting part of the sound chip for the Nintendo Entertainment System was most sound programmers for early consoles were not composers,” Watkins said. “This gave NES the upper-hand.”
(12/03/12 4:09am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite the nearly 50 degree temperatures, snowboarders and skiers got the chance to display their tricks Friday night as part of IU Ski and Snowboard Club’s annual Rail Jam in Dunn Meadow. The Rail Jam was made possible by snow imported from ice rinks in Louisville, Ky., and rails provided by Paoli Peaks, a ski resort in Paoli, Ind. Paoli Peaks was one of the sponsors of the event.The IU Ski and Snowboard club is one of the largest student organizations on campus with more than 400 members, senior and IU Ski and Snowboard Club President Gabe Richardson said. “The purpose of tonight’s event is just to get people out on campus, see snow before snow is existent anywhere else, really, and have some fun,” Richardson said.About 20 people signed waivers to ride the rails at the event, the club’s Marketing Director and Webmaster David Stewart said. “There’s not snow anywhere else around,” Richardson said. “The only place you can get snow is go to the very tippy top of Michigan or out West, and it’s even limited at that. The fact that we brought snow in at IU’s campus is kind of crazy.”David Kastan, marketing director for Paoli Peaks, said the Rail Jam is one of the few events Paoli Peaks helps present outside ski season, which starts mid-December“It’s pretty unique that these guys, they go and they find snow, and they go to ice rinks, collect the snow and put it all out in the middle of the grass and do the jumps and stuff,” Kastan said.Kastan also said the staff at Paoli Peaks is trying to generate enthusiasm for skiing and snowboarding by sponsoring the Rail Jam.Sophomore Kyle Pettit said he was excited for the Rail Jam because he rarely gets the opportunity to ski.“Its something I don’t get to do a lot, since I’m from Illinois,” Pettit said. “It’s a nice change of pace.”Chris Eells, graduate student and committee member for the IU Ski and Snowboard Club, said he joined the club a few years ago because he was looking for a group of people to ski with. “It’s a total freedom,” Eells said. “I’m a pilot, and I think skiing is as close as I can get to flying. I can think of something, and I can do it.”Eells said after comes down a mountain, it’s like he has achieved something glorious. “I have to be able to read a mountain, read a slope, figure out what the line is, figure out where and how I’m going to make my turns and do it without thinking, by using my endurance and ability,” Eells said. Skiing allows a person to challenge himself, Eells said.“My human body has limitations, but when I’m on skis, it feels almost limitless,” Eells said.
(11/30/12 4:35am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Tostadas, tiramisu and pozole, a Mexican broth made with chicken, were on the table as people from different cultural backgrounds discussed their lives and interests Thursday night at the Colectiva Dinner.The dinner was presented at La Casa Latino Cultural Center and organized by Sigma Lambda Gamma to bring people together.Heather Coleman, senior and member of SLG, said the dinner gives people a chance to enjoy each other. “They allow us to come in and host a colectiva dinner which gives you a chance to talk about different cultures and different foods,” Coleman said. Coleman also said the dinner is a great opportunity for college students. “Being a college student, you don’t have time to eat home-cooked meals all the time,” Coleman said. “So being able to come here and see your friends and eat and just have a good time and relax is always something great to do.”Karina Garduno, graduate assistant at La Casa, said they try to make sure the “familia-like” dinner style of everyone sitting at one long table brings students together. “For a lot of those students, they kind of make their own families here,” Garduno said. “They find people here that become their family and we would like to continue and foster that relationship.”Garduno said the staff members aim to make La Casa a place where students can feel at home.“The purpose for La Casa is to provide a place for Latino students where they can find the support that they need ... and also show the IU community what the Latino community is all about,” Garduno said. Garduno said La Casa is planning to provide students with dinner throughout Dead Week. “We have the Latino Graduate Association, we have some faculty members and then us, the La Casa staff, will be cooking for the students just to help them kind of get a break from studying and have them refuel,” Garduno said. The complimentary dinners will take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Alberto Samaniego, a graduate student from Paraguay, said he found out about the event while he was at La Casa. “Many people are here from Latin America, but people tend to think people even though that they are from Latin America they share the same culture,” Samanegio said. “We have similar cultures, but they are all different. I mean the food I’m having here is the first time I had this kind of food.” Samanegio said La Casa is a great place to hangout.“La Casa means ‘the house’ or ‘the home’ and it really feels like home,” Samanegio said.
(11/29/12 4:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Southern Center for Human Rights President and Senior Council Stephen Bright described the corruption facing the United States judicial system during a Themester lecture about the death penalty Wednesday at the Maurer School of Law. The mission of the Southern Center for Human Rights is to help low-income individuals accused of crimes by providing legal counsel. Bright is known for recently representing Allen Snyder, an African-American man convicted by an all-while jury of fatally stabbing his estranged wife and her boyfriend, in Snyder v. Louisiana. The case was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2008.The U.S. Supreme Court ruled a Louisiana prosecutor used peremptory strikes, the privilege of a defendant to challenge assignment of jurors without cause, to exclude blacks from the jury. “When I go to the courthouse, I see the white judge and prosecutor,” Bright said. “I always see white juries still today.” Bright said that during the time of legalized slavery, any black person who committed a crime was subject to the death penalty. “In three of the southern states, there were more blacks than whites,” Bright said. “The death penalty was absolutely essential in keeping that population under control and not rebelling.”The U.S. has never passed an anti-lynching bill even though there has been what he called terrorism in the country for a long time, he said. After the Civil War, the South was able to perpetuate slavery by convict leasing, Bright said, the process of arresting African-Americans and leasing them out to do work, which often consisted of physical labor. Bright highlighted how the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world. He also said that in the 1970s, when he was a public defender, about 200,000 people were detained in U.S. prisons. The U.S. prisoner population was 1.6 million at the end of 2010, according to a press release by the Department of Justice. Bright said there are more African-Americans on parole, probation and in prison today than there were in the 1950s. “A person of color is more likely to be stopped by the police and more likely to be abused on the stop,” Bright said. Bright also said there are many white jurors in areas with high African-American populations. He said this has occurred in Columbus, Ga. Forty-three percent of the population was composed of African-Americans at the time of the 2000 U.S. Census, according to the city’s planning department. Bright said a fundamental problem is when justice depends on how much money a person has. “You can’t really claim to be a society based on the rule of law if every day your judges, legislators and executives are violating the fundamental, constitutional court requirements,” Bright said. He said it’s the responsibility of lawyers to make sure justice works for everybody. “You’re getting the client the representation he or she deserves,” he said. Bright has not always gotten everything he wanted for his clients, but he said he has been a support for them. “It’s not a bad way to live a life of law, and you can help a tremendous amount of people,” he said.
(11/27/12 4:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IIlhom Nematov, ambassador of Uzbekistan to the United States, said his dream of visiting IU came true Monday as he visited campus to review research about Uzbekistan, meet with students studying Uzbek and converse with faculty from the Department of Central Eurasian Studies. Uzbekistan, a country of more than 28 million people, is located in the heart of central Asia and borders Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. Nematov spoke during a program Monday night at the Indiana Memorial Union, which featured pictures from Uzbekistan, Uzbek food and a video highlighting the country.He met with College of Arts and Sciences Dean Larry Singell and Vice President for International Affairs David Zaret to discuss opportunities between universities in Uzbekistan’s capital of Tashkent and IU.“We would like to agree with this University to have an exchange program,” Nematov said. “We would like to send some professors from here to Tashkent and bring some professors from Tashkent to Indiana.”Christopher Atwood, chair of Central Eurasian Studies, presented Nematov with Uzbek textbooks. The visit marked the first time an Uzbek ambassador to the U.S. has visited Indiana.Nematov said it is important to keep people informed about what is happening in Uzbekistan.“It’s very useful to know what has been going on and has been done in a short time of independence,” Nematov said. Uzbekistan became independent in 1991 after separating from the Soviet Union. “At the beginning of independence, we faced some challenges,” Nematov said. “In spite of that, we accomplished a lot of economic, political and cultural reforms. We restored our culture, history, people, identity and dignity.”During the presentation, students studying the Uzbek language showcased what they have learned. Nematov said he was not only surprised but also proud. IU’s Central Eurasian Studies is the only department in the U.S. that offers four levels of Uzbek, according to the department’s website. “I was so glad to see and so proud that some Americans communicate in Uzbek,” Nematov said. “That’s why we would like to establish close contact with the University.”Nematov stressed the importance of education in Uzbekistan, which allows students to attend school for 12 years at no cost. Uzbek students complete nine years of general education and three years of professional education. Umida Khikmatillaeva, graduate student and president of the IU Uzbek Student and Scholar Association came to the U.S. from Uzbekistan for more opportunities.“Living here means having a lot of opportunity,” Khikmatillaeva. “Living there means being happy with your family, with your friends, and serving your country.” Individuals in Uzbekistan come to the U.S. with a mission, Khikmatillaeva said. “We would like to learn the best of America and take it to our country and share with this country (the U.S.),” she said. Khikmatilleva said one of her students who works at the Uzbekistan Embassy in Washington, D.C., said embassy officials expressed interest about visiting IU. “He expressed that they want to come and build a relationship with IU because IU is a famous university, and we offer more than 77 languages here and three flagships, so they were interested in it,” Khikmatillaeva said. Craig Perry, a graduate student at IU and a major in the U.S. Army, is studying Uzbek in preparation for work in the country.Perry worked in Uzbekistan for five months as a chief of military in the Army Foreign Area Officer Program. Events such as the one that took place Monday night communicate the Uzbekistan government’s intent to look beyond a military and political relationship with the U.S., Perry said. “I think their desire for academic relationships shows desire to show experience and ideas,” Perry said.
(11/15/12 6:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Protesters outside Forest Quad shouted, “Money for school and education, not for Lamar and discrimination.” Members of the Workers Freedom Coalition and IU students converged Wednesday afternoon to protest what they called unfair working conditions and safety procedures against Lamar Construction of Hudsonville, Mich., one of the companies sub-contracted to work on the Forest renovation.Lamar Construction is a sub-contractor of the primary contractor Weddle Construction of Bloomington, said Tom Morrison, vice president for capital planning and facilities, in an email. “Indiana University is not aware of any safety violations on this particular job, and this has been confirmed with Weddle, who is responsible for all job-site safety and compliance with all University, state and federal rules and regulations,” Morrison said. The project, which will create a new dining hall, is scheduled to be completed in fall 2013.Bob Andree, a current Lamar Construction employee on strike, said he came to IU from Michigan specifically for the protest. “We’re keeping track of where the company is going because we’ve tried to appeal to the company about their safety,” Andree said. “We’re trying to appeal to everybody to grow a coalition of people to support our cause and make the company change.”According to the U.S. Department of Labor website, Lamar accrued 116 Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations between 2002 and 2011.OSHA violations are cited when an employer does not fulfill rules and regulations put in place by the U.S. Department of Labor. “That’s like an OSHA violation every month,” Andree said. “There’s career-ending injuries that was involved. There was a death on a job site.”Will Randolph, a former Lamar employee and worker’s rights advocate from Greensburg, Ky., said the extent of his equipment training was a short written test with answers on the back.Students and members of organizations such as Communications Workers of America Local 4730 joined to protest safety conditions. Ed Vasquez, president of Local 4730, said his chapter is concerned with workers’ conditions. “We’re also concerned they are doing a poor job with steel structure,” Vasquez said. Students also protested a rise in tuition and administrator pay.“Tuition’s rising while administrator pay rises, (and) conditions for IU workers are getting progressively worse,” said senior Aidan Crane, a former IDS opinion columnist. “Students are being driven into worse and worse debt, which will haunt them for the rest of their lives.”Crane said it’s time that he and others fight back. Students have proposed a mass assembly on Dec. 5 to plan a strike for the next Board of Trustees meeting in response to rising tuition and student debt, the presence of racism on campus and working conditions for IU staff and faculty, according to a document by Student Power IU.“We’ve tried to negotiate with the administration, and they’ve tossed us aside at every turn,” Crane said. “So, we’re done playing their game. We’re out here to try to build the first wave of support for a student strike.”
(11/08/12 4:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Ethics and human rights were topics discussed by Walter Echo-Hawk, a Native American attorney, at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Wednesday night. Echo-Hawk’s lecture was part of the College of Arts and Sciences’ fall 2012 Themester, “Good Behavior, Bad Behavior: From Molecules to Morality.” “I think it is vitally important for every student, every attorney to consider ethics in your education no matter what your major might be,” Echo-Hawk said. Echo-Hawk said he has had the opportunity to reflect on core values and ethics as an advocate for native people.“That sense of right and wrong which helps us human beings distinguish what is right and inherently bad,” Echo-Hawk said. “We need our moral compass to help us get through this life.”He also said there is relevance of ethics concerning the day after the elections. “I think that this election is a good time to take stock as to where we are,” Echo-Hawk said. “It’s timely to take a look at ethics to the treatment of indigenous peoples, as well.”Echo-Hawk discussed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. It highlights the self-determination of all people and says indigenous people should be free from discrimination. “It really is one of those very rare landmark happenings that only comes along rarely in the course of history that promises to change the world,” Echo-Hawk said. “It lays out minimum human right standards for indigenous people for their well-being.”Echo-Hawk discussed cases featured in his book, “In the Courts of the Conqueror: The 10 Worst Indian Law Cases Ever Decided,” such as Johnson v. McIntosh, where the United States Supreme Court looked to the doctrines of conquest and ruled that Indian tribes do not have legal rights to their land. “Non-Indian judges have to cross a mysterious cultural divide to consider cultural issues,” Echo-Hawk said. “It’s very difficult to do. They aren’t Indians.”He said one cannot reasonably expect justice when the doors of a courtroom are closed. Echo-Hawk also spoke highly of the U.S. judicial system. “It’s that separation of powers that keeps us free as a people,” he said. “There are many safeguards to make our system impartial, so that we can make fair decisions handed down.”Echo-Hawk said the legacy of unethical treatment can be seen in Indian reservations.“In the native rights movement, we have the legacy of conquest and colonialism,” he said. Echo-Hawk said there is now a more ethical foundation for rights than they’ve seen during colonialism. “Our rights as indigenous people are inherent rights that are unalienable rights that arise from our cultures and nationhood,” he said.Echo-Hawk said the current challenge for students is to work in collaboration with native people for human rights. “I think the advent of this new U.N. declaration framework gives us a new event that we can shoot for and stand in the light of justice,” Echo-Hawk said.
(11/02/12 4:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Across the world, it’s a celebration of life.Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, is celebrated Nov. 2 and 3 primarily by Hispanic cultures.La Casa Latino Cultural Center along with Sigma Lambda Beta and Teter Quad student government presented a Day of the Dead celebration Thursday night. The event consisted of a speech by Rachel Gonzalez, graduate student and doctoral candidate, and periods of remembrance and a variety of Hispanic food.“Día de los Muertos is really a celebration of life symbolized by inviting the dead back to earth for one night to celebrate with their family and friends who remember them fondly,” Gonzalez said.Gonzalez said families put out food and candles to bring their loved ones back to earth. Altars, also called ofrendas, are offerings to the dead. An altar was set up for SLB brother Anselmo Bueno who died in May 2006. His table was decorated with his favorite candy and a jersey for the Chicago Bears, his favorite football team.“People will set up a little table space in their home and have articles that belonged to the person or representation of things that they liked,” Gonzalez said. “The spirit of the Day of the Dead is really encapsulated in the offering.”Gonzalez said in Mexico, people celebrate Día de los Muertos at their relatives’ gravesites.“No one really celebrates in cemeteries in the U.S. because it’s really not appropriate in the U.S. culture,” she said. Senior Jamie Bennett said he did not know about Día de los Muertos before the event.“I thought it was just like Halloween,” Bennett said. “It’s not like that. It’s deep.”Karina Garduno, graduate assistant at La Casa said often times when people think of the Day of the Dead they think that its like Halloween.“It’s more of a celebration of life,” Garduno said. “We just want the campus to be aware of some of the celebrations we have as a Latino culture and what it means to us.”Juan Ayala Bernal, junior and president of SLB, said he wanted to pair up with La Casa to put on an event. “One of our four pillars is cultural awareness and we wanted to bring a program with the Latino Cultural Center,” Bernal said.Sophomore Lauren Boyd decided to visit Day of the Dead because she heard about it from her residence assistant. “It was really informative and very interactive,” Boyd said. Students dedicated flowers to loved ones as well as wrote the loved one’s names on pieces of paper which were burned to commemorate them.Gonzalez said she hoped people learned from the Día de los Muertos celebration. “I very much hope that people get the differences between perceptions of death in different communities.” Gonzalez said. “The Day of the Dead is not how Mexicans celebrate funerals, but it’s a special celebration for remembering the dead.”
(11/01/12 3:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With a fake dismembered hand and fake heart on the podium, students from
the IU Debate Team debated members from the British National Debate
team on Wednesday night.Both debate teams are members of
SID, an organization that partners U.S. teams with the British team,
said Director of Debate for IU Brian DeLong. Teams must purchase the
opportunity to debate the British team.“As a team, we decided
that health care was a major issue,” DeLong said. “We might be able to
see through some of the discourse of socialism that was attached to the
Affordable Care Act.”The Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act, proposed by President Barack Obama, will provide health care
coverage to more than 94 percent of Americans. The act is supposed to
take full effect in 2014. The debate focused on the health care
systems in the U.S. and United Kingdom, with the debaters representing
their respective countries. Each team used research to support its major arguments. The opposing team was given the opportunity to cross examine.Willard
Foxton, British National Debate team member and graduate of the
University of the West of England, initiated the debate with a
description of the National Health Service in the U.K. “In 1945,
National Healthcare Service, a comprehensive health care, was enacted,”
Foxton said. “It affected everyone. It was 100 percent access to all.” The NHS gave free health care in the U.K., with few exceptions.Sam Owens, a senior on the IU Debate Team, said purchasing health insurance helps lower costs in the long run. The U.S. has the most expensive health care system in the world, Foxton said.“About
50 million people aren’t covered,” Foxton said. “A vast amount of
people aren’t covered for what they need. You can spend less money and
have everyone in the country covered. It’s better for the state,
theoretically.”Owens said the U.S. health care system allows for innovation in pharmaceuticals and medical technology. Ettie
Bailey-King, British National Debate Team member and graduate of Durham
University, said the U.S. health care system hinders innovation. “People staying in jobs for 10, 20, 30 years that have health care,” Bailey-King said. “That’s
why people are staying in jobs. Even if there are efficiencies, it
works out to a potential where they are more recognized in the U.K.”IU
Debate Team member and freshman Bobby Ingram said the government would
not be able to take on the health care system and lower the citizens’
burden. Bailey-King said health care is a moral choice.“Your
choice is hugely inflected by your health care,” she said. “The only
thing state can do to ensure everyone has opportunity and potential is
to catch it when it occurs at the very beginning. We realize there is an
ethical imperative to keep the people safe.”The debate team members do not necessarily share views presented, DeLong said. “Our
goal was just to spread sort of awareness about health issues and
health care issues specifically,” Owens said. “Hopefully we did spread
some education about the difference between the U.S. and U.K. systems
and cleared up many exceptions people may have had.” Bailey-King said she also hoped the debate helped spread information about health care.“I
hope that we opened a lot of people’s minds to the idea of doing things
differently and informed people about how we do health care in the
U.K.,” she said.
(10/31/12 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From the jingling of keys at the Indiana Memorial Union and a ghost of a girl running around Read Center in a bloody nightgown, there are alleged hauntings at IU.On Monday night, the Folklore and Ethnomusicology Student Association organized a Ghost Walk throughout campus, which highlighted stories that took place at buildings throughout campus such as IMU and Read. Beware of some of these ghosts that may accompany students as they head out to trick-or-treat today.Folklore hauntingRichard Dorson, former director of the Folklore Institute, said he loved the institute so much that he didn’t want to leave. A lamp post outside turned on the year after he died. About a year later, it mysteriously turned off. It is said when someone checked the light, he realized there was no power source. Allegedly, a shadowy figure of Dorson can occasionally be seen upstairs, and water can be heard running in the men’s restroom.Mysterious orbsIn 1984, a fire occurred at the old Zeta Beta Tau house, now a vacant lot at Fess and Eighth streets. Israel Edelman, a former ZBT member, died in the fire, later determined to be caused by arson. Photos taken at the existing lot during the Ghost Walk one year revealed orbs in the area, which is said to signify the presence of ghosts. The La Casa LadyA woman who lived in a house on Seventh Street loved looking out the window. The tour guide said she also didn’t like the dark. After she died, IU bought the building, and it is now La Casa Latino Cultural Center. La Casa staff members have reported hearing strange noises at the center. The ghost of a woman has been seen running down the hallways, the guide said. Furniture has been out of place and people have heard typing on a type writer, which had been boarded up. Professor of Folklore John McDowell said some staff members quit because of the occurrences. The patio of doomEach day students dine and socialize on what has been called the Patio of Doom, located outside the IMU Starbucks, Ghost Walk tour guide and IU almunus Daniel Peretti said. Many people have jumped to their deaths on the patio from the fifth floor of the old hotel, which is currently the Student Activities Tower. A dog is also rumored to have jumped. Some have reported ghosts of those who have jumped, including the dog, roaming the IMU. The Student Activities Tower elevator also is said to almost always stop on the fifth floor.The painting with a grinThe woman in a painting in the Federal Room of the IMU has been reported to grin at people through the crack in the door. The woman, a former commissioner of the arts, asked someone to paint a portrait of her. It is said she ended up hating the painting before it was even finished. There is also a lingering scent of candle smoke and perfume in the room, which is said to be attributed to her. The boy with the attitudeThere was a young boy who frequented the Tudor Room at the IMU about 20 years ago. As the story goes, he went crazy when a tapestry was removed from the room and threw chairs in the room. The boy is said to have died in a fire, and since then, individuals have reported hearing the noise of a young boy throughout the room.The building manager’s legacyA former building manager at the IMU simply loved the building, Peretti said. Since his passing, he has been still seen at the IMU. Staff members have reported seeing him off in the distance in the hallways. They have also seen his burgundy jacket, as well as heard screeches and the jingle of his keys.Strike spurs a shotUnder the Back Alley bowling alley in the IMU lies a boarded up shooting range. At times when a person gets a strike, gunshots have been heard, a student on the tour said.The cries of childrenIn the basement of the Career Development Center, a doctor is said to have performed routine abortions. Some report they have heard the cries of children in the CDC.The bloody girl running the hallsA man and his girlfriend got into constant arguments. One night, the argument got so bad that the man, a medical student, pulled out a scalpel and cut his girlfriend’s throat, killing her, one of the Ghost Walk tour guides said. He then put her body in the basement of Read, where she had lived. Some have reported her ghost running the halls of Read in a bloody night gown.
(10/29/12 2:56am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For IU alumnus Casey Crouse, the IU Dance Marathon is more than 36 hours in which college students dance and make the kids at Riley Hospital for Children the center of attention.For him, it’s a time of remembrance.Crouse’s sister, Ashley Louise Crouse, died after the car she was in was hit by a drunk driver in April 2005 after an IUDM meeting.At the time, Ashley was the IUDM vice president of communications. Ashley loved everything about IUDM, Crouse said.“She loved the fact that it gave her and countless others an opportunity to give back to the community,” Crouse said. “There’s nothing more that she loved than knowing she was giving her all to help save kids at Riley.”Each year in April, there is a local walk celebrating the lives of Ryan White and Ashley, who are remembered at the dance marathon. White, a teenager from Kokomo, Ind., became nationally known for his fight against AIDS, even after his death in 1990.Each IUDM shirt has White and Ashley’s initials as well as “FTK,” which stands for “for the kids.”Ashley’s influence on IUDM is long lasting, Crouse said. “Even though she left us, she has had an incredible impact on dance marathon since then,” Crouse said. For Crouse, IUDM has become a lifetime event, for which he credits Ashley. “I pretty much made the decision that I was going to give everything I had to this organization,” Crouse said.In 2009, Crouse was the president of IUDM. “When I was president in 2009, by that time, she hadn’t been with us for four years, and dance marathon had already doubled it in size,” he said. “Anyone that goes into dance marathon that learns about Ashley wants to embody everything she stood for — her attitude, her spirit, her drive to do everything she possibly can for the organization and help Riley.” Ben Cohen, dance marathon coordinator for Riley’s Children Foundation, said IUDM has continued to involve Ashley’s legacy. “She was so passionate about IUDM,” Cohen said.Crouse said Ashley had a dream to start a dance marathon at her alma mater, Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind. Ashley was never able to do so herself.“Myself and a couple of other students decided to start a dance marathon at Carmel,” Casey said. Casey said the dance marathon at Carmel has grown to the largest high school dance marathon in the country. The most recent marathon raised more than $260,000.Ashley also affected her sisters in Kappa Kappa Gamma.“She does so many amazing things in such a little time,” sophomore Alison Bulkley said. “We are inspired by her actions not only in Kappa but also in the IUDM.”Laurel Crutchfield was given the Ashley Louise Crouse Award this year. The IUDM executive council said the award was given to an individual who exemplified Ashley’s spirit. IU alumnus Chris Holland, Crouse’s roommate, was the director of entertainment for IUDM in 2009.“He’s probably the most driven person I’ve ever met in my life,” Holland said. Holland said Casey is able to see the effect the organization has on others. “I think Crouse has a lot of personal connections with dance marathon, but he’s someone who’s able to see the bigger picture and the impact the organization can have on everyone involved,” Holland said.As soon as the grand total, $2,125,322.20, was announced, Crouse said he was overwhelmed with happiness.“My initial reaction was pure joy,” Crouse said. “This reflects the growth that is happening within the organization.” Crouse said he would be pretty successful if he becomes only half the person his sister was.“I tell myself ‘go out and live every day to the fullest, like your sister did,’” Crouse said. Crouse said he and his family continue to help with IUDM because he knows that is what Ashley would have wanted them to do.“I graduated, and my dance marathon career will never end,” Crouse said. “She would have done that, and that’s what we do as a family.”
(10/25/12 3:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Schizophrenia and mass shootings were among the topics discussed as part of the “Minorities in Media” panel discussion at the Asian Culture Center on Wednesday evening.The panel was led by Jennifer Simmons, predoctoral intern at IU’s Counseling and Psychological Services. A part of the “Over a Cup of Tea” series, the talk focused on mental illness and its stigma in society. Simmons started the discussion by highlighting the July 2012 shooting in Aurora, Colo.On July 20, 2012, James Holmes entered a midnight screening of the film “The Dark Knight Rises,” killing 12 people. It was reported that Holmes had mental health problems, Simmons said, and that it’s highly speculated he was schizophrenic.“The word ‘schizophrenia’ gets thrown out a lot,” Simmons said. “From what I’ve seen, in general public that term seems to instill the fear in most people.”The onset of schizophrenia is usually in a person’s late teens to early 20s, Simmons said.“When a person gets diagnosed, it’s a huge change in their life,” Simmons said. “There’s a lot of fear around the diagnosis in general.” Simmons said only 5 to 10 percent of people with mental illness commit violent acts. “The actual diagnosis of it is merely widespread,” Simmons said. “Diagnosis of schizophrenia usually involves hallucinations or delusions.”People with mental illness in less-developed countries were shunned far less than in the United States, Simmons said. “Outcomes for schizophrenia may depend heavily on people’s culture,” Simmons said. Simmons asked students what they believe is the root cause of violence. “I think it’s just because of past experience,” senior Kathryn Hollman said. The biggest contributor to homicide in the U.S. is economic disparity, not mental illness, Simmons said. The group also discussed the implications of words such as “crazy” and “retarded.” Some said the word “crazy” has different connotations today than in the past.“I think ‘retarded’ is stated more as a clinical term,” Hollman said. Terms such as “idiot” and “imbecile”, Simmons said, were previously used as clinical terms. “The reason we moved away from them is they turned away to slang,” Simmons said. Simmons also discussed the portrayal of Asians in media. She said men are often portrayed as passive while women are a “foreign, exotic, alien stereotype.”The group then briefly discussed the YouTube hit “Gangnam Style,” a single created by a South Korean pop artist, Psy.Senior Justin Zheng, student assistant for the Asian Culture Center, said the center will feature a discussion of “Gangnam Style” on Nov. 2. Zheng also said the center’s staff felt it was important to bring in a student knowledgeable enough to lead a discussion, such as Simmons.“We really want students to dive deeper into the issues,” Zheng said.
(10/24/12 3:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Ivan Bertenyi, György Ránki Hungarian chair for Central Eurasian Studies, spoke about his mother’s role during the Hungarian Revolution demonstration at a commemoration of the movement away from Communist Rule on Tuesday. Bertenyi’s mother was one of thousands of participants in peaceful demonstrations. Then, shots were fired.The commemoration of the demonstration, which occurred Tuesday Oct. 23, 1956, was sponsored by the Hungarian Cultural Association.Bertenyi said his mother was not present when the shots broke out. “My mother went home to prepare for a geography test-paper, which was to be written the next day...well as you can guess, this test-paper was never written,” he said.Bertenyi said his mother did not want to miss any demonstration because she and her friends were full of joy that tyranny seemed to be abolished. “She decided to join the demonstration in front of the parliament building at Kossuth Square on the 25 of October,” Bertenyi said. “Her decision was a vital one, as the peaceful demonstration turned into a massacre.” Bertenyi said they are not sure who was responsible for the mass murder, either the Soviets or the people of the ÁVH, the hated Hungarian secret police.“She might have been shot there,” he said. “And, then, I would not stand before you.” Bertenyi said the real heroes of 1956 were those young and older Hungarians who made even greater sacrifices. “It is they who fought to end the inhuman communist dictatorship and for a free Hungary, who are the greatest heroes of 1956,” he said. Senior Lucas Torok, president of the Hungarian Cultural Association, also spoke about the perseverance of the Hungarian people. “The Hungarian people have a strong will to fight and a strong will for independence and that’s exactly what they fought for,” Torok said. The commemoration featured an address by Bertenyi, readings written during the revolution, Hungarian music and a wide array of Hungarian foods. Senior Jessica Bostic, a member of the IU Student Association funding board, which funded the commemoration, said the event was very well-organized, the music was a nice touch and the food was great. “I found it very informative,” Bostic said. “It’s something that’s not really in my line of study so it’s something that I would have never learned on my own.”Torok said he hopes students learn more about the history of Hungary. “We want them to know the cultural aspect of it, know who Hungary is and what role they played in part of the revolution,” Torok said. “We’re having this which basically brings all of the Hungarian members of the community together and gives us a chance to practice our language and experience things that happened in the history of Hungary that changed the world.”
(10/23/12 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Six years after its inception, Blackgrooves.org, an African American music review website run by IU’s Archives of African American Music and Culture, recently celebrated the publication of its 1,000th review.Founding editor Brenda Nelson-Strauss said she began Black Grooves to promote black artists. “I think that right now we are featuring perhaps 20 reviews a month, and we pull together a wide variety of music that is exclusively focused on black artists,” Nelson-Strauss said. “And I don’t think that you find that on too many other sites.”Nelson-Strauss said another goal of the website is to educate about music. “I like for our reviewers to be educational in their reviews, as well, and provide information about the artists and why the artist is important and why the music is important, if it is relevant,” Nelson-Strauss said. Nelson-Strauss discussed the effects music downloading programs such as iTunes have on review sites.“In some ways it denigrates the music because you have usually no minor notes that go along with it,” Nelson-Strauss said. “A lot of times, you don’t even have specific info on the artist or the title to the composers of the music.”Reviewers of Black Grooves have analyzed songs from many different music legends such as Nina Simone and the Supremes, according to a press release.Reviewer and graduate student Betsy Shepherd started reviewing music before she joined Black Grooves in fall 2010.“On campus, there are so many organizations that prepare students for their upcoming professional life,” Shepherd said. “Black Grooves is one of the few outlets and forums for people that are interested in music writing and music analysis.”Shepherd also said music writing grabs people’s attention. “We try not to only describe what the music sounds like but also to contextualize it in ... the larger scheme of popular culture and also to frame it in terms of what the artist is trying to do,” Shepherd said.The website publishes reviews around the first of each month. They are currently looking for IU students to become reviewers, Nelson-Strauss said. “Black Grooves is a great resource for students who are interested in music, whether they want to get involved as a music writer themselves or if they are just interested in learning about music history and different styles of music,” Shepherd said.Nelson-Strauss said students interested in becoming reviewers should contact her at bnelsons@indiana.edu.“It’s a great experience for IU students,” Nelson-Strauss said. “They can come over here and check out the review copies and often times have access to the music before it’s officially been released, and I think it’s a great way to build up your résumé.”
(10/10/12 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In order to reduce waste, conserve water and encourage healthy eating habits, the Residence Hall Association General Assembly has passed Trayless Tuesdays, an initiative where trays are removed from dining halls one day a week, at the Wright Quad food court and Gresham Food Court in Foster Quad.The resolution was passed on Sept. 19. Mary Roper, a sophomore and RHA Director of Environmentalism, is in charge of the project for RHA.Roper said RPS has approved a two-step process for Trayless Tuesdays, a social awareness campaign and the removal of some trays, depending on the student response. “It’s a sustainable act that could save the University a lot of money in the long run,” Roper said. Roper said Trayless Tuesdays will have a positive impact on the environment. “There’s a big environmental impact because you have detergents, grease and food waste going into the local environment,” Roper said.Read Center’s Landes Dining Room eliminated trays in September 2010, according to an Indiana Daily Student story from 2010, and Edmondson Dining Room at Collins LLC did so shortly before Read. Although IU has no current plans to completely remove trays from campus, other universities, such as Iowa State University and University of Minnesota, have gone completely trayless in all their dining halls. Roper said she is not sure of a definite date when Trayless Tuesdays will start. However, she expects them to start before the end of the semester.Although students had mixed reactions about the initiative, they said they see the reasoning behind Trayless Tuesdays.Freshman Haven Wegesin said she understands the concept, but doesn’t agree with it.“It’s not realistic at all, from a student’s perspective, with the ways the food courts are set up,” Wegesin said. “I wouldn’t be able to carry all my food.”However, RPS Dining Services Registered Dietitian Rachel Noirot said Trayless Tuesdays encourages the concept of intuitive eating. “If you don’t have a tray and just have a plate, you’ll fill up that one plate and might actually be full after one plate,” Noirot said. “If you have a tray, you might take more food than you actually need.”She said she believes it will take students time to adjust to Trayless Tuesdays. “If it’s marketed really strongly ... the students will be understanding,” Noirot said.
(10/08/12 3:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Director of Cognitive Science at IU and author Colin Allen discussed ways in which machines can adhere to ethical standards during a lecture Sunday night at the School of Fine Arts.Allen was invited by the Secular Alliance at IU to speak as part of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Themester fall 2012: “Good Behavior, Bad Behavior, Molecules to Morality.” Allen co-authored “Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong,” which explains the near-term prospects for making machines and computers behave more responsibly and ethically.“I care more about how can we give machines the kind of capacities that would make them fit into our environment more than they presently do,” Allen said. Allen used the example of autonomous, or self-driven, cars as machines with more responsibility. He said that Mercedes-Benz and Google are testing autonomous driving systems. “One of the most significant obstacles to proliferation of autonomous cars has been illegal,” Allen said. Autonomous cars have been legalized under certain restrictions in Nevada. Allen said one concern about autonomous cars is it has been hard for them to follow human direction, such as commands from a traffic cop or ambulance. Allen also said it’s possible autonomous robots might be able to perform some tasks better than humans.He discussed the top-down and bottom-up approaches of robotics. In the top-down approach, the creator decides what capabilities the robot has, according to the Mind Project, an Illinois State University project that concentrates on cognitive science research. The bottom-up approach requires no central program.Allen reiterated a message first said by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Rosalind Picard, “The greater the freedom of a machine, the more it will need moral standards.” Robots stimulate emotion in some way, Allen said. “Even though the robot doesn’t feel emotions, we understand that,” he said. Allen also discussed some challenges of writing his book. “We focused too much on individual machines rather than systems of machines or humans,” he said.