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(07/05/06 11:44pm)
Last semester, I received an \n'A-' in an introductory history course for which I read barely three of the ten assigned chapters, and missed more discussion section sessions than the "permitted" number allotted on the syllabus.\nIn the same semester, a friend of mine received an 'A' on a paper (s)he'd turned in days late -- via e-mail -- in a communications course. \nA different friend received a 'B+' in a class (s)he'd attended for only two weeks.\nWhether these unfortunately true scenarios reflect grade inflation, or a lack of quality in learning and/or teaching, they certainly put into perspective a hugely important issue: the condition of higher education in the United States today. \nHey, don't stop reading. This issue affects you!\nLast Monday, the Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education released a draft report outlining improvements necessary for America's colleges and universities, saying "Among the vast and varied institutions that make up U.S. higher education, we have found equal parts meritocracy and mediocrity."\nThe list includes an "inadequate financial aid system" and "poor academic preparation." \nOuch.\nStill, the draft proposes goals, too -- and optimism regarding their achievement. What struck me most about the goals was their pertinence to universities' accountability. "We want post-secondary institutions to be accountable to the American public for their performance...," it read.\nIt's sensible -- necessary, even -- to have high expectations for research, intellectual achievement and quality instruction in the higher education system.\nStill, what about the accountability of the individual?\nLet's face it -- we're not Ivy League students here at IU. But, I must question students' drive (my own, even!) when three-fourths of the students in a given class are on the edge of their seats 10 minutes before it gets out, waiting to flee from the room.\nIt's easy to notice when people come to classes only to take tests. After all, it's always a little shocking, and obnoxious, to go to class on test day and not be able to find a seat for the first time all semester -- not an uncommon situation.\nI didn't do the required readings for my history class -- and, therefore, can recall few specific meaningful dates in U.S. history. I blame myself for being apathetic.\nOn the other hand, it's not preposterous to point out that my instructor's lectures made the material disengaging -- thereby failing to inspire me to learn and appreciate the information at hand. Since this is the case, what does it mean that I received an above-average grade?\nThe way I see it, it's safe to say that a little bit of student apathy, and little bit of uninspiring instruction, will certainly cook up something "mediocre" -- which, undoubtedly, has devastating implications for our future.
(07/03/06 2:39am)
IU is now home to the fastest supercomputer owned by a university and the 23rd fastest in the world, according to a recently released TOP500 list, which is complied twice a year by computer experts, computational scientists and manufacturers. \nThe installation of the $9 million computer began about three weeks ago and the University is preparing the computer to assist in its cutting edge research. \nThe supercomputer, named "Big Red" as suggested by Michael McRobbie, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, consists of an e1350 BladeCenter Cluster by IBM that uses new chip technology and is one of IBM's latest technologies, according to a press release.\nBig Red, which takes up 104 square feet at IU's Main Data Center on 10th Street and the 45/46 Bypass, is "super" because of its ability to process 20.4 trillion mathematical operations per second.\nMatt Link, acting director of Systems For Research and Academic Computing at IU, put that into perspective.\n"If a person were able to do a calculation on a calculator or laptop, it would take you over 637,500 years to do the same thing Big Red does in one second," he said. "That's not eating, that's not sleeping, that's doing a calculation every second."\nIn addition to its data processing efficiency, the supercomputer offers enhanced research capabilities pertaining to life sciences, weather forecasting and physics to local and IU researchers, which could ultimately provide "new breakthroughs in science," Link said. \nThe University announced the purchase of Big Red in April, and with the computer recently arriving, Link said they are working to prepare the system to be ready for research in the fall. \n"We've got to make sure the system will do what we expect it to," Link said. "It takes a lot of time to run all these tests (and for it) to perform as expected and we see no roadblocks."\nThe purchase of the computer was funded largely by the Indiana Metabolomics and Cytomics Initiative, which seeks to "advance life sciences research," according to its Web site. Big Red will assist METACyt in reaching some of its key goals by allowing scientists to analyze mass amounts of biological data, some of which could affect ways to treat and diagnose cancer, according to a press release.\nLink said research will probably start in August, but Big Red will not be open to public viewing.\n"We're in a secure building," he said. "We don't typically have access for general public." \nExceptions for class projects and people working directly with researches will be made, he said.\nLink said IU's acquisition of this supercomputer is more important than it is impressive. \n"The things that are above us in the top 20 (on the TOP500 list) are comprised of very large-scale national and international agencies," he said. "The important thing is this is the top university supercomputer in the United States."\nFor more information on METACyt, visit metacyt.indiana.edu
(06/29/06 12:34am)
What's your favorite Disney movie? \nSurely you have one. Finding an American unfamiliar with at least one Disney film is like finding an un-vacuumed carpet near Danny Tanner. (Is it OK that I make "Full House" references?)\nAt any rate, many children are exposed to Disney films as a "positive" or "healthy" medium. But their content, to me -- now enlightened by feminism and more media literate than I was at eight -- only contributes to a limiting dichotomy of gender.\nDon't be scared. I'll unpack that stuffy, overloaded sentence right now.\nConsider "Cinderella," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Little Mermaid" and "Snow White" (among others). Virtually every Disney film featuring a princess involves a plot that makes her helpless, seeking salvation from some Prince Charming. Little girls, then, must relate to these weak, dependant beings. They come to desire an ideal and constructed "romance" that exists only in the media. They align themselves with princesses. With being a victim. With being saved. \nIf the female characters in Disney movies are weak, the male characters are over-the-top masculine and strong. These Prince Charmings must fight off villains and endure dangerous situations. They must never be frightened.\nMoreover, a friend recently pointed out that, out of all the Disney movies she'd recently screened, there was no positive mother figure. Certainly there are exceptions -- but Pocahontas, Jasmine ("Aladdin") and all the princesses in the films mentioned above have no reliable, or mentioned, mother.\nInstead, all of the female Disney protagonists have a strong presence of a loving and/or overprotective father.\nDoes Disney favor men, then? I wouldn't argue that. While little girls must relate to projected extreme passivity, the boys must see their fellow males as unfazed heroes. That's just as constraining.\nI admit, there are few gender representations in popular culture with which I don't have qualms. What's especially disturbing to me here, though, is the impact on children -- whose under-experienced and easily influenced minds consume such portrayals without an explanation about what they mean. Children -- most everyone, really -- who screen media texts, take cues for their own behavior from the characters they see. \nMost people know one person who, at least semi-regularly, quotes movies or songs. And who hasn't thought about a soundtrack for their own lives, or how cool it would be to have a theme song play wherever you go -- just like in the movies. And I can't tell you how many of my female peers have Carrie Bradshaw (from "Sex and the City") quotes in their Facebook.com or instant messenger profiles.\nEnjoying Disney movies, or finding inspiration from characters on television, isn't a "bad" thing. What is always essential, however, with mediated images and messages, is that they are actively considered. They are not real, after all.\nIf I have a child one day who expresses interest in watching "Sleeping Beauty," I'll allow it. But we'll certainly talk about what they watch, what it means -- and doesn't mean. \nI wouldn't want my little girl thinking her ultimate happiness is in the hands of a non-existent prince. And I wouldn't want my little boy to think he needs to save the world.
(06/21/06 11:56pm)
The first President's Parking Commission meeting Monday morning was largely inconclusive, but committee member and Student Body Vice President Andrew Lauck said student parking isn't going to get better anytime soon.\nThe 15-member committee, initiated last month by the Bloomington Faculty Council and IU President Adam Herbert to address concerns and provide recommendations for improvement on current parking policies, is comprised of a mixture of student, faculty and staff representatives. \n"(In a) general sense, (it was) just getting folks to talk about what they saw some of the issues were," said Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Bruce Jacobs, who co-chairs the committee. \nThey met to discuss seven points charged by Herbert.\nThe "appropriateness" of selling A and C parking permits to students, the use of reserved spaces throughout the campus, parking permit prices, the construction of a new parking garage near the Law School and the existence of lots near residence halls as D lots were among the seven points Herbert wished to be addressed, according to a letter addressed from him to Graduate and Professional Student Organization moderator and committee member Paul Rohwer. \nRohwer said a primary issue discussed at the meeting was the pressure to find more spots for faculty on the Bloomington campus.\n"The places that they're looking to make reductions are student parking, so they're trying to find ways to push students to park at the stadium," he said.\nLauck and Matt Jarson, committee member and Residence Halls Association president, acknowledged that there is talk of reevaluating D spaces on campus in order to open up spaces for faculty that are near academic buildings. Both Lauck and Jarson expressed opposition to such a plan.\n"IUSA (and me in my capacity as its representative on the board) disagree with any initiative that would take away permit access from students who need them for their contributions to the University," Lauck said in an e-mail.\nJacobs said the biggest issue for the summer meeting was the creation of a parking garage near the intersection of Atwater Avenue and Third Street, which would make for a temporary loss of more than 140 parking spaces. \nRohwer said the creation of the structure has been delayed by state legislature and that he suggested at the meeting that the University rid the $5 bike permit fee to encourage bike riding to campus to open up more parking spaces. \nStill, Jacobs said all discussion was "philosophical" at this point, and Monday's meeting was only an early discussion "regarding the whole range of who should have access and where people should park."\nJacobs said the next parking commission meeting is tentatively set for August and recommendations to the president should be made by the end of the fall 2006 semester.\n"We're still very much in the planning stages," Jarson said. "We probably won't see a resolution on anything for quite some time"
(06/21/06 11:01pm)
I understand that there's a time and place to voice the implications of gender, and to effectually present a lecture on such.\nOnly recently, however, have I been adhering to it (lecturing Grandma at her 90th birthday party, for indicating that successful wives should always prepare dinner for their husbands, was a poor choice...).\nSince I turned 21 in February, I've had the opportunity to spend many an hour at Bloomington's fine bars. It is crowded bars that, to me, provide the greatest venue for observation through a gender studies lens. The behavioral implications at such places are huge! \nStill, I've found that discussing such topics while at the bars -- with even the least-intoxicated friends -- is difficult. So I must unload here. Granted I seem to become more articulate, or at least passionate, about the topic with a shot of tequila or seven.\nTypically at bars, I see many women with (at least an attempt at) flawless looks: perfectly curled or straightened hair, fantastically-toned bodies showcased in clothes that could fit my three-year-old niece. \nThis I do not mean to criticize. I know there's a certain pleasure in "getting pretty" and going out to be looked at and sexualized by heterosexual men -- who, for the most part, are wearing the same outfits they wore to class the day before.\nWhat is unfortunate, and what I want to consider -- and, well, force other women to consider -- is that the pleasure taken in such, and the compulsion to appear attractive that many women feel, is part of a cultural conditioning fueled by consumerism and perpetuated by popular culture mediums.\nIt is as author (among other things) John Berger says: "Men act and women appear."\nAt the bars, this seems to ring especially true. Some women will prepare for hours to masquerade at these social scenes. This is not to say men never do, but it's fairly safe to say it happens less frequently.\nI've heard male peers say before that it's actually the women who are the empowered ones -- being bought drinks, and looked at and hoped for. But what is the depth and longevity of power attained from one's appearance? Surely, it must be shallow and empty.\nThe truth is, I used to feel inadequate in comparison to my female peers who consistently dressed and groomed better than myself. I'm a big T-shirt wearer and have yet to successfully use a hair straightener. \nFortunately, I've been enlightened by a couple years of cultural studies courses and have attained a certain unbreakable confidence and dignity. Rarely now do I feel compelled to compare my hair, my body, my attire to anyone else's.\nAgain, I don't criticize women (or men) who spend hours on their appearance. I just wonder what's really driving them. I wonder for whom are they really doing it. The guys? Themselves? Their female peers? Who?
(06/15/06 12:31am)
If there's anyone with the authority to speak on sunless-tanning, it's me. \nEver since ditching tanning beds and sunbathing for good four years ago (apparently, it's bad for your skin?), I've played a large part in keeping the self-tanning market booming. \nI've tried everything.\nThe journey commenced my senior year of high school -- before prom. With my halter-style dress, I needed my shoulders and back to appear non-transparent (at 16, this was essential). My mom had recently purchased a spray that promised a bronzed-goddess look; I didn't hesitate to slather my limbs with the rotten-citrus-smelling goo. I was orange the next day. Luckily, I had time to scrub the product off my skin prior to the dance.\nMy next attempt at tanning minus cancer-risk came during the summer before I entered college. It was at this time that the spray-tanning option emerged (you know, the thing you saw in that "Friends" episode where Ross became an "eight"). I paid $25 to have a lovely, natural-looking tan for a week -- after which time, I looked, increasingly, like I suffered from full-body eczema. After a good towel rub-down, whatever substance they'd sprayed on my skin was gone. Somehow, my integrity was still intact.\nCan you believe there's more?\nLast summer, following a suggestion from my fifth-grade teacher (because, who doesn't get tanning tips from elementary school teachers?), I tried tantowels , a product I had to special-order from the Home Shopping Network. I actually called the network and ordered ten towels for another 25 bucks, all while wearing house slippers and chewing bon bons on the sofa (not really).\nMy first attempt at using these things was futile. I'd taken a shower prior to wiping my body down with the cloth, and, the next morning, I woke up no more tan than I'd been the night before -- though my skin did smell like rotten milk.\nIt turns out I'd forgotten a step in the "tantowel usage," and after correcting this, they did become mildly effective in achieving a healthy glow. Still, I couldn't shell out tens of dollars every month to perpetually look like I'd just gotten back from Hawaii.\nFinally, for the past few months, I've been using a product that claims to be both a moisturizer and tanner. This works well when I'm patient enough to not move for 10 minutes after application, so it dries. But, as it turns out, I'm typically not.\nThus, I'm going to take it easy on the tanning attempts; I was born to have pasty skin, and that's the way it's going to have to be.\nWhile lighthearted, my words also suggest that -- as much as I actively consume and think critically about it -- I'm manipulated and persuaded by marketers' projected ideas of beauty that, in this case, consistently suggest bronzed skin is essential for attractiveness.\nI'm ready to decide on my own what's beautiful -- pasty skin and all.
(06/07/06 11:58pm)
I'd better start saving up.\nIf I were to take seriously the cues provided for me on aging from consumer culture and the popular media, I have about 10 more years before I'll have do some heavy spending to keep up any kind of desirable appearance. \nEye cream, hair dye, teeth whitener -- and, of course, having crap squirted in my face to make the faint lines from years of laughing and smiling and experiencing life disappear ... It will all top the shopping list.\nIn U.S. popular culture, youth is overvalued and people beyond 60 may as well not exist -- especially women. Similarly, a classmate of mine recently, and despairingly, declared herself "an old woman" on her 22nd birthday.\nObviously she is not one -- so where are the old women?\nAccording to the most recent Prime Time Diversity Report by Children NOW, women in their 50s and 60s account for only 8 percent of the characters on prime time television for six major broadcast networks. Men account for just 16 percent.\nIn a recently-aired episode of NBC's "Las Vegas" that I was unfortunate enough to screen, the plot involved a woman no less than 75 years old. Her character was fragile, stubborn and easily persuaded by the younger characters of the show. She was perceived as virtually incompetent.\nThis infatuation with youth (or aversion to old age) is discouraging and unfortunate.\nDoes the quality of one's life decrease so much after thirty? Forty? Seventy?\nSure, one's body typically decreases in health and attractiveness with age -- metabolism slows down, flesh wrinkles and sags, bones weaken. Physically, it's largely bad news all around.\nStill, can you imagine all the knowledge and insight that an individual has accumulated by, say, their 80th year? \nIn the December/January 2006 issue of BUST magazine ("for women with something to get off their chests"), The Daily Show's Samantha Bee is quoted saying how she can't wait to be 80, because she will be so cool. \nI have similar sentiments. Armed with a wealth of knowledge, I can't wait to be 80 (if it's in my cards to be) and kick everyone's rhetorical ass. \nI regret the idea that youth is "the time of one's life" and, especially, the concept of "sewing one's wild oats while they're young." That's a lot of unnecessary pressure for a young person. While I'm not promoting holding off on whatever life experience an individual is after, it needn't be considered necessary to do before a certain birthday. It's likely (though certainly never promised) that we in college have a lot of life left.\nAlso, I detest when my peers call an elder "cute" upon happening to see an older couple holding hands, or even just grocery shopping. That seems disrespectful and infantilizing to these adults. \nI'll take a couple of wrinkles over Teri Hatcher-esque rubber facial skin any day -- I just wish marketers and television producers could agree.\nSee you at bingo Saturday.
(06/01/06 2:07am)
I had a quart of lard and seven cheese pizzas.\nI look forward to the day when one of the women on those increasingly annoying Lean Cuisine commercials announces that was her dinner.\nDo you know what I'm talking about? It's those commercials that feature three or more women at a yoga class, spa or some other nauseatingly stereotypical feminine place, sharing what they'd had for the previous evening's dinner. Following meals consisting of stale marshmallows, or peanut butter and jelly on saltine crackers, the final (and very proud) woman says something -- supposedly appetizing - along the lines of "salmon with garlic rice in almond sauce." \nThus the endless, and seemingly hopeless, struggle between women and their weight is perpetuated. The well-fed U.S. culture demands that for women to be attractive (successful at all, even), they must appear in good shape. Surely this is demanded for men as well -- but I've yet to see an advertisement for a weight-loss program or product featuring, and targeting, them.\nFat women are basically unacceptable in the world of popular culture. When Kirstie Alley was photographed two years ago with a substantially larger girth than that of her well-remembered form in "Cheers," comedians and tabloids had a field day with new material and articles on the actress who "let herself go." \nBut everything's OK now, because she has lost weight. Last November, she was even a guest on the Oprah Winfrey show to share her "weight loss secrets," which was, essentially, following a program by Jenny Craig.\nEven Alley's Showtime disaster "Fat Actress" delivers a plot that reinforces the unacceptability of overweight women -- at least, in the entertainment industry. \nMost disconcerting to me is many women's preoccupation with weight.\nTwice in the past week, I've been among women discussing their calories, bodies, consumption, etc. Recently, a female peer admitted to encouraging her friends to eat more so they'll gain weight and so, I suppose, she'll seem thinner by comparison.\nI've heard even the strongest and most intelligent women I know voice concerns about staying, or getting, skinny. \nMore than 90 percent of those diagnosed with eating disorders in the United States are adolescent and young women, according to the Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy and Action.\nIn popular culture, women are not encouraged to eat.\nCommercials for salads options at fast food restaurants always feature, and are targeted at, women. Meanwhile, Burger King's latest "Texas Double Whopper" commercial seems to target men and only men. Well, what if I'm in the mood for mass amounts of greasy meat in a bun?\nIt's not uncommon for ads for desserts to parallel consumption with sinfulness, reinforcing post-eating guilt. And when aren't these foods, especially chocolate, presumed to be a woman's preference?\nI can speak only for myself when I say I'll continue to eat what I want, when I want it -- a diet that has always seemed to work for me.\nMe, I don't want to be 20 pounds underweight. Now excuse me while I go bathe in cheese.
(05/25/06 1:45am)
She's remarkable, to be sure.\nAt only 23, she's the first woman to ever lead the Indianapolis 500.\n"Danica (Patrick) competes on a man's level and in a man's sport like no other woman in sports ever has," reads the description of her autobiography "Danica: Crossing the Line," on www.Amazon.com.\nEarlier this month, hundreds of fans stormed a Borders Bookstore in Indianapolis to get a glimpse of their superwoman. Young girls peered over the table at which Patrick sat as she signed books for them.\nNeither Patrick's outstanding talent nor drive (a pun!) is to be questioned. Rather, the reasons for her consistent publicity and popularity are.\nThe cover of her autobiography features Patrick clad in a fitted, low-cut black dress. Her nails are polished, her lips are glossed and her eyes are heavily lined and mascaraed. Her mouth is slightly open, and she looks at the camera demurely. She appears highly feminine and, certainly, beautiful.\nPatrick is not obligated to play down her appearance or femininity because she's a role model. I wonder, though, what those little girls who look up to her think when they see the cover of her book. Moreover, I wonder if they've seen her photo spread in the April 2003 issue of FHM (For Him Magazine) in which she dons a number of teeny leather non-clothes and poses provocatively atop and inside of sports cars.\nLike Patrick, do the girls feel obligated to conform to virtually unobtainable beauty ideals? Do they get the impression that, to be successful as women, they must be attractive? \nSurely the answer is yes.\nPatrick, like all Americans brainwashed by popular media, must feel compelled to appear as the ultimate of what is thought of as attractive and sexy -- so as to enhance her appeal, her publicity, her image and, I'm sure, the sum of money she was given to pose was sexy, too.\nCertainly, many prominent females in the sports world have contributed to their own objectification.\nA small army of female athletes have posed in FHM, Playboy and other "men's magazines." Playboy even had a special issue in 2004, "The Women of the Olympics," in which eight Olympians posed, including high jumper Amy Acuff (who also did a spread in FHM).\nFemale sports broadcasters capitalize on their appearance and place in the sports world, as well. Lisa Guerrero and Jill Arrington, sideline reporters for the NFL, have been photographed for Playboy and FHM -- along with a cornucopia of other female sports journalists.\nThese women are reaping lucrative benefits from being both sexually appealing and talented -- whether it's in athletics or journalism. On the surface, this might imply their determination and success. \nUnderlying this, however, are regressive and, ultimately, dangerous implications that stem from women capitalizing on their sex appeal.\nI'll tune into the Indianapolis 500 briefly to see where Patrick stands; she's a fantastic racer. I just wish she didn't forget that she's a role model, even off the track.
(05/18/06 12:06am)
He used to honk at strangers on the sidewalk outside my high school to embarrass me after he picked me up. He gets road rage worse than any person I know. He over-consumes cake and cigarettes. He can't play a board game without getting angry and quitting halfway through if the points don't go his way. Very few of his sentences fail to include a curse word. That's my dad. And I love him.\nWe've had a rocky relationship, I admit. During my childhood, circumstances were such that we couldn't spend time together daily. During high school, he was the last person I ever wanted to be around.\nBut I remember going fishing with him. I remember him making me the best-tasting pasta I've ever had. He can make me laugh harder than anyone in the world. And it seems to be his advice always makes the most sense to me. \nThere's more to my relationship with Robert Manchir than the special -- but still mildly cliché -- childhood memories. We're a hell of a lot alike.\nFirst, We have the same birthday (Valentine's Day, no less). Then, in 2002, I needed a bone marrow transplant after being diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He was my donor.\nMost parents can't be donors -- merely because they typically don't match their children's blood or marrow. My dad and I matched perfectly. On the day of my transplant (July 3, 2002), my dad underwent surgery to remove bone marrow cells from his hip. Just hours after they were obtained, they were put into my bloodstream. \nI've been cancer-free since.\nIn early April, my dad had his third heart attack while vacationing in Florida. Four days later, he was scheduled to have quadruple bypass (open heart surgery).\nIn case you're not familiar, open heart surgery involves breaking one's sternum to access the heart, and then to stop the heart. For a while last month, my dad was dead.\nPost surgery wasn't so optimistic. For four days he was in respiratory failure -- and, as my family would find out later, near heart failure too. I held his hand in the post-surgery clinic as he lay on a lonely sterilized hospital bed, essentially lifeless. I'd never been more confused or helpless. I didn't know what to do.\nA few days later, back in Indiana, I got a call from my (stronger than anyone could ever hope for) mom. The doctors are calling his recovery miraculous. They'll be home in weeks.\nIt's still a long road to full recovery, but Dad's going to be okay. And so am I. And we're going to be healthy together for a while. \nMy dad. He is crude and inpatient. And he's the smartest person I know.\nAnd, despite everything, he has a good heart. Not literally, though. \n(Zing! I thought you'd like that one, Dad.)
(05/08/06 12:09am)
Which do you prefer: waffles or pancakes?\nDon't read too much into it. I'm not cleverly prefacing a philosophical 500-word colloquy on any political, racial or gender implications. \nI just want to talk about breakfast. \nFood, in general, is an effective way to whip me into a verbal frenzy ("10 Things I Hate About You" reference ... anyone?) My older sister and I have hour-long conversations about restaurants, sandwiches and our favorites of each.\nStill, of the meal times and food categories, breakfast, for me, is No. 1.\nThis may stem from my mother's insistence on daily breakfast consumption when I was a young child. Strawberry Pop-Tarts with skim milk (cut down the middle), Eggo waffles with orange juice and oatmeal sweetened with brown sugar were staples for my 7-year-old body, starting my day off right before second grade.\nMy mother's insistence was well-grounded. Repeated studies have shown that eating breakfast (literally break the fast that occurs while sleeping), is essential for effective brain function, maintaining energy and increasing metabolism.\nBut none of that mattered when riding bikes and playing house ruled my free time. What mattered most then -- and certainly a lot still today -- was taste. I feel fortunate to live in a society and have the means to have a cornucopia of breakfast options each morning.\nSome choices are more difficult than others.\nBack to waffles vs. pancakes. It's a tough call, especially when faced with the decision when the items are present together. Still, in an informal poll (read: I asked my friends over AOL Instant Messenger), I found that waffles are largely preferred. "They're crispier," said one friend. Added another, "pancakes get mushy." One participant noted the benefit of the pockets in waffles that conveniently hold maple syrup. No doubt -- anything that successfully holds maple syrup is a plus.\nNext -- bagels vs. donuts. These are fantastic foods not only because you can wear them on your wrist, but because of their diversity. In the same poll, participants expressed a preference for donuts. "They're better for breakfast," said a friend, adding that bagels make for better lunchtime sandwiches than morning meals.\nKrispy Kreme donuts became a part of my life just 12 years ago after moving to Indiana from Pennsylvania. During my childhood, my donut experience was dominated by round confections from Dunkin' Donuts -- a chain which will always have a special place in my heart. No matter, I maintain that an assortment of donuts -- and a fulfilling morning meal -- is available at nearly any donut venue.\nIt's important to me that what is eaten in the morning is not discriminated against. I believe in eating cold pizza or leftover Chinese food for breakfast. Sure, there's such a thing as a "breakfast food," and pizza is not it, but that does not exclude it from being a meaningful (and delicious) fast breaker.\nNot hungry in the mornings? Too busy to grab a bite to eat before 9 a.m. class? Pigeon ate your food budget? I don't buy it. Eat your breakfast.
(04/24/06 7:08am)
Graduate student Sarah Jensvold Slover knew few people when she first came to Bloomington to study voice in 2003. When her birthday rolled around that year, she was astounded to find a gift bag stuck to her door. It was a votive candle holder from graduate student Georgina H. Joshi.\n"It was very touching because nobody else even knew," Slover said of her birthday. "Somehow she remembered."\nJoshi, 24, of South Bend, died late Thursday night in a plane crash.\n"Georgie" to her friends, Joshi's entire character can be illustrated by her demonstration of thoughtfulness to Slover. Joshi -- licensed pilot, talented soprano and friend to hundreds in IU's Jacobs School of Music -- was piloting the airplane when it crashed. She is remembered as a gentle, selfless soul by her peers.\n"We were trying to remember instances where she was mean or got angry," said Jennifer Feinstein. "None came up." \nJoshi learned to fly airplanes from her father.\n"She really was a fantastic pilot," said a friend and colleague of Joshi, graduate student Jamie Barton, who had flown with Joshi just a week and a half ago to an Indianapolis restaurant. "She was very, very careful when flying. She took us around the plane and showed us how she checked (it) every time before she got on."\nBarton said there were times when Joshi flew her plane three times a week. \n"Just to take it out to the air field," she said. "It was more of a hobby than a career interest."\nJoshi's career interest resided in vocal music, a field in which her peers say she was tremendously talented.\n"Her voice was perfect for Mozart," Feinstein said. "Clear as a bell. Clear and bright." \nFeinstein said Joshi preferred pieces by Mozart, Bach and other early musicians. Gelfand called Joshi's musicality an "academic pursuit," explaining that she would involve herself in conducting and composition projects in addition to the IU Opera Theater.\n"She would take the smallest part," Gelfand said. "She was just thrilled whenever she could sing."\nDistinguished professor of music Alan Bennett worked closely with Joshi in her voice education. Bennett said none of Joshi's many performances at IU particularly stand out, because "everything she did was exceptional."\nBennett remembers Joshi's audition to the music school three years ago, which she entered after completing her undergraduate studies of voice at the Royal College of Music in London.\n"It was immediately apparent that we would work well together," he said after observing her personality, musicianship and eagerness to learn. \nBennett said Joshi's broad-mindedness when it came to performance was remarkable, as she sought a career that combined concert work -- recitals and singing with an orchestra -- with opera.\n"She was able to learn music quickly and to internalize it and perform it as if it was written for her," he said.\nIt was Joshi's character, though, that made her musicianship so effective, Bennett said.\n"The thing about her singing which made her special was the warmth of her personality and her generosity," he said. "Her musicianship, of course, was absolutely top-rate."\nBennett said he was both Joshi's teacher and student. \n"Every time I saw and worked with her in lesson, I felt that I had learned as much or received as much from her as I was able to give her," he said.\nJoshi's beauty was apparent in all aspects of her life, and both her peers and Bennett emphasized her willingness to be involved and assist others to succeed.\n"It was self-defeating to tell her how great she was," Feinstein said, adding how Joshi turned around compliments she received so they flattered everyone else.\nFeinstein also noted Joshi's personal style. \n"She was always wearing really cool scarves and pieces of jewelry," she said, adding Joshi's headshot especially reflects her style and consciousness to aesthetics. \nGelfand said Joshi loved crepes and hot tea and that, while celebrating at bars after performances, Joshi would typically request hot water with lemon.\n"And if we managed to convince her to drink, and it took a lot, she'd order a shot of vodka and sip it like cognac," Gelfand said with a laugh.\nFeinstein said Joshi's mild British accent, which she obtained from her mother, who is British, and her undergraduate study in London, was poked fun at by her friends. \n"Every now and again a word would come up," Feinstein said, pointing out her pronunciation of "can't" as "kahnt."\nJoshi's humor and talent was demonstrated on stage as her role as an evil stepsister, Clorinda, in IU Opera Theater's "La Cenerentola" (Cinderella) in November 2004, Feinstein said.\n"She is the diametric opposite (of Clorinda) in every way," Gelfand said.\nOther notable performances by Joshi include the Beaumaris Festival with the Welsh Chamber Orchestra conducted by Anthony Hose, the role of Harlot in Handel's "Solomon" conducted by William Jon Gray, Despina, the maid, in IU Opera Theater's "Cosí fan tutte" and the Carmel Bach Festival, conducted by Gray.\n"It is not enough to say that she was always a good student and prepared," he said. "It was way past that. Her standards were the highest possible."\nHer peers and colleagues knew it.\n"Georgie, with her intellect and personality and work ethic," Gelfand reflected, "She could have done anything in the world"
(04/17/06 4:35am)
Dozens of crunched Dixie cups, once full of cold water, lay strewn in front of the bleachers at Robert Haugh Track & Field Complex Saturday afternoon following the fourth annual Little 50 men's and women's running races, the kick-off events to Little 500 week.\nThe high of 83 degrees and ever-present sun demanded that the four runners on each of the 22 women's teams and 25 men's teams that competed stay hydrated. University Athletic Club's men's and women's teams, both named Cream, must have done so effectively, as they scored the top spots in their respective 13-mile races. Both teams led the pack for nearly the entire 50 laps.\n"It comes down to endurance," said junior Jacqui Davis of the women's Cream team who ran the final 900 meters to claim the win, .47 seconds ahead of her competition. "We run consistently year round. Other teams start practicing in January or February."\nSenior Ben Bartley ran the last 500 meters for men's Cream, finishing .22 seconds ahead of Mercury, the second place team.\n"I didn't really feel the last one," he said of his final lap. Bartley said the win was especially meaningful to the team, because all four of the men are seniors and this is their final Little 50.\nMeanwhile, team Local Flavor took second in the women's race while Zeta Tau Alpha claimed third. In the men's competition, Norditalia took third.\nThe heat proved to be an obstacle for all the runners, especially for men's team Delta Sigma Pi, whose team member, junior Drew Smith, collapsed of heat exhaustion early in the race, leaving the team with 3 members to finish the last several laps.\n"We tried as hard as we could to finish but we came up a little short," said senior and Delta Sigma Pi runner Ryan Roemer.\nZTA runner and senior Lindsey Brown said between laps team members would hold cold moist towels on one another to resist the heat.\n"Once you made it past the halfway mark, you got an extra kick and you forgot about the heat," she said.\nAlmost every team had cheering sections of between 20 and 100 fans each, most of which stood for the entire race. Sophomore Katie Vaughn was a finalist for the craziest dressed fan contest hosted by the IU Student Foundation, which also organized the event.\nVaughn donned a full-body panda suit in support of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, who finished 12th. Her rosy cheeks suggested she was uncomfortably warm, but she didn't waver.\n"I love my team," she said. "I love the house." \nBetween laps, runners jogged in place in their respective pits. Alpha Epsilon Phi's team was one of several that kept coolers full of Powerade and bottled water to fight \ndehydration.\n"It's more tiring than I thought it'd be," said AEPhi runner and sophomore Kelly Tilson between laps.\nThe competitions concluded with presentations of medals to the top three teams. But for Davis and fellow Cream member, junior Kristin Norris, the running is far from over. Today, both are competing in the Boston Marathon.\n"It'll be an early night," Davis said.
(04/14/06 5:33am)
During qualifications for the fourth annual Little 50 running race, the entire cheering section for Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority danced to Cascada's techno song, "Every Time We Touch."\n"It's really weird, but it gets us pumped up," said sophomore and AEPhi president Katie Tilson, who said the team's four runners listen to the song before their almost-daily practices.\nThe Little 50, starting at 2 p.m. Saturday at Haugh Track & Field Complex, serves as the kick-off for Little 500 week. The theme of this year's race is "Rock n' Run," emphasizing its means as an opening act for the main event, the cycling races April 21 and 22, said senior Sara Foley, IU Student Foundation Little 50 steering committee member.\n"It's not as big as Little 500 yet," Foley said. "It doesn't have the tradition behind it, but it's growing every year."\nTwenty-two women's teams and 25 men's teams of four runners each will compete in respective 13-mile races for medals. Foley said about half of the teams this year are independent and not associated with the greek system, emphasizing that everyone on campus can come and enjoy the race. \n"It's just neat to see the campus participation and the competition of it," she said. "It's fun even if you don't know anyone in it."\nThe running race involves the same components as the cycling race, Foley said. \n"There's pits and exchanges," she said. "It's not like your typical track meet."\nTeams run 50 laps, typically switching off after every 400 meters. \nThis year, the IUSF Little 50 steering committee is implementing fan contests to draw more supporters to the race. A $200 Pizza Express gift card will be given to the loudest cheering section and the two most wildly dressed fans, a male and female judged upon by IUSF directors, will receive iPod nanos, Foley said.\nSenior Ben Bartley, a runner since his freshman year of high school, was a member of last year's University Athletics Club Cream, an independent team that won last year's men's race. He's the lone returner to the race this year from team Cream, which took first at qualifications.\nHe said he's been running anywhere from 25 to 50 miles a week to prepare and that this year's field will be more competitive.\n"The competition behind us is going to be able to push us and make for the best Little 50 we've had," he said.\nThis is AEPhi's first year to have a team competing, an exciting landmark for the sorority.\n"We haven't had a riding team since I was a freshman ... so this is a huge deal," said senior and AEPhi runner Rachel Rinkov.\nThe AEPhi team practices often with the men's team of Zeta Beta Tau, because senior Adam Jacobs -- one of ZBT's runners -- is helping them train.\n"We just sort of follow what he does," Rinkov said. "He doesn't let us run with iPods because he thinks it distracts us."\nTilson said the frequent practices, which typically last one and a half hours and involve both endurance and speed training, have been grueling.\nStill, Rinkov said lots of Gatorade and water in addition to a lighthearted atmosphere make the intense physical aspects worthwhile. The team members are anxious for Saturday's race, she said.\n"Everyone's a ball of nerves because the race is challenging, but I think we're excited and ready to do it and get it done," she said.\nLike Foley, Bartley said he would like the race's importance to the campus to be more emphasized.\n"I hope someday to get it to reach the status of Little 500 as far as competition goes," he said.\nLittle 500 tickets also serve as Little 50 tickets, but tickets for Little 50 can be purchased at the track the day of the event for $5.\nFor more information on the race, visit www.iusf.bloomington.com/littlefiftyfrm.html.
(04/14/06 4:33am)
Almost every day, I take a shower. \nFrom my observations, it seems that, at least most days, the male peers whom I am typically around maintain sufficient hygiene by cleansing as well. I would presume that soap is involved somewhere in their endeavors, as it's certainly a primary tool in my own hygienic maintenance.\nThe human culture of the U.S. values personal cleanliness, but a Western-culture dweller wouldn't know it from advertisements of soap and skin care products.\nAfter minutes of intense research, I discovered there are no differences between the human male and human female skin. Regardless of our gonads, all of us are covered in the same flesh filled with all kinds of fun glands and vessels and follicles.\nIt's noteworthy, then, that primarily women are featured in and are promoting products that aim to eliminate body odor.\nCaring about one's appearance is considered feminine and femininity parallels homosexuality (can someone please tell me why?) in contrast to the constraining masculine ideals that dominate our culture. Hence, heterosexuality must be blatant in the promotion of these products for guys to feel OK about purchasing and using it.\nFirst, I consider Dove advertisements. The company has been largely applauded for their "Campaign for Real Beauty." I won't use the same tired (yet valid) argument here the women in the those ads -- give or take a few pounds of muscle -- fail to challenge the hegemonic feminine beauty ideal.\nInstead, I point out that this soap (not make-up or feminine products) company fails to include men in any of its ads. I wonder if it has considered how they're eliminating a massive demographic of individuals. Interesting, too, that the parent company of Dove, Unilever, owns Axe as well.\nThe Dove marketers are not \nisolated in their actions. Consider Neutrogena ads or just take a look at www.neutrogena.com and you'll find only females promoting the products (white females, no less). \nSo needn't men consider their skin? Nah, they can. So long as they're soaping-it-up with a hot chick. \nConsider Axe products and their commercials. To "make it OK" for guys to consider hygiene and appearance, women must stroke toasters and pole dance in response to the scent promised by the body wash. \nA recent Old Spice High Endurance Body Wash commercial blatantly extends this point further. A presumably married guy in the shower is asked by his partner who of her friends he would sleep with if he had the opportunity. I can't recall what the guy says in response, but this is all in an effort to sell soap. Soap. \nBeing human beings and all, its OK to value beauty and pleasant things -- including not smelling like Taco Bell under your armpits. \nPerhaps when our culture is unafraid to deconstruct the strict gender binary it will be culturally acceptable for guys to buy all the hygienic and appearance-enhancing products they please.
(03/20/06 5:01am)
IU trustee Cora Smith Breckenridge of Elkhart, Ind., wants to get the word out that the board of trustees is working hard to increase diversity at IU, despite recent controversy regarding an e-mail sent to trustees from trustee Tom Reilly Jr.\n"All of the trustees are on the same page at IU regarding our recruiting, retaining and enhancing diversity," she said.\nBreckenridge, one of two black IU trustees , provided this insight following a dispute over an e-mail Reilly sent to trustees, which included his observations of a conference featuring a minority student recruiter, Patti Dulik, from Purdue.\n"She is tall, blond, Scandinavian and attractive," the e-mail reads. "Purdue has found out that enthusiastic whites do better in black high schools in contacts, trips booked, follow-ups."\nThese words sparked conversation about IU's recruitment of underrepresented students. Articles regarding the dispute among trustees who received the e-mail were printed in The Indianapolis Star and The Bloomington Herald-Times last week. \nTrustee Clarence Boone of Gary, who is also black, said the e-mail lacked articulation.\n"He should have used better words," Boone said. "It's quite obvious, if you read the e-mail, what it's trying to say."\nBoone said white recruiters probably aren't actually as effective as implied in the e-mail because low percentages of minority students at both IU and Purdue have existed since he attended college in 1949. \n"I don't think the percentage is much better now," he said.\nBoone said to actually increase the minority population, the University will have to "make a genuine commitment" to enhancing recruitment efforts.\n"If we're going to be the great University, which I think we are, I think we're going to have to move in a more sincere matter," he said. "For too long we may have just been talking about it."\nStill, Reilly said the dispute over his e-mail was weeks ago and that now all the trustees are on the same page. He acknowledged that his words were misinterpreted and said he was merely pointing out the aggressive recruiting endeavors of Purdue to inspire IU.\n"That one sentence got lost somehow," he said of the sentence describing Dulik. "Nobody picked up that it was an ironic statement, so I regret that."\nBreckenridge emphasized the importance of unity among trustees and said "enough has been said about that e-mail." \n"We (need to) keep education accessible, affordable and enhance it for every student in our state who is capable of retaining college education.."\nIU Director of Diversity Education Eric Love said recruiters should be dedicated to seeking out a diverse group of students and their own race shouldn't matter.\nStill, Love pointed out the ongoing efforts, such as outreach days, that some campus offices are making to develop increased outreach.\nLove added that the Reilly's e-mail "may have not been the best choice of words," but was written with concern of increasing minority recruitment.\nBreckenridge said members of the board of trustees are on the same page.\n"We are all together," she said.
(03/08/06 5:08am)
Identifying one's gender isn't typically involved in introductions, but Michigan State graduate student T.J. Jourian finds it a common, yet unwelcome, scenario.\nThe Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Student Support Services sponsored a discussion with Jourian, one of four students followed in Sundance Channel's documentary series "TransGeneration" which features transgender students on their respective college campuses across the country, Tuesday evening in Woodburn Hall.\nSenior Will O'Berry, programs coordinator for GLBTSSS, said, after the turnout of the preview of "TransGeneration" shown on campus last September, the office was moved to invite Jourian to speak on campus to address transgender issues, a topic not typically explored in-depth.\n"When you're dealing with all these different issues, you have to cover all the bases," O'Berry said.\nJourian, who was also a guest on Larry King Live in late February to discuss a separate film, the Oscar-nominated "Trans and Bloomington residents about his identification as "genderqueer," which he describes as "a different way of understanding one's body in context of how they identify."\nJourian said he doesn't feel either 100 percent female or male, though he was born with female anatomy. \n"Gender means nothing (to me)," he said.\nJourian said "TransGeneration" is a groundbreaking documentary since it might have been the first time mainstream media didn't focus on a single-dimensional point of view of people who are transgender.\nHe said typically popular media texts focus only on the physical transition, while "TransGeneration" looked at the students' personal lives.\n"I welcomed the opportunity share my story," he said.\nJourian spoke largely about his commitment to trans-activism. He said he's disappointed with the current awareness of trans lifestyles and meanings on college campuses.\n"Trans voices are still not heard or being talked to," he said. \nJourian said when he came out on his campus, he felt as if he became a problem due to the ignorance about people who are transgender.\n"I'm very much afraid of how people will react to not being able to put me in a gender box," he said. \nJourian said that sometimes people who've seen "TransGeneration" will recognize him in public and still address him as "she," which he said is frustrating.\n"Even after seeing my story, they still couldn't grasp the most basic concepts about trans male identity," he said. \nJourian said he took issue with the gender binary of U.S. culture and pointed out its constraints.\n"In essence, assigning sexual identification based on sexual behavior minimizes our whole lives to these miniscule one-dimensional parts that don't tell the whole story," he said. \nBloomington resident Ilan Blustein was in attendance and is transgender. He spoke at the discussion, adding to Jourian's message about gender boundaries. \n"I don't feel trapped in a wrong body," he said. "I've always experienced gender in a way that's more fluid."\nSophomore and transgender Preston Cutter said he was moved by Jourian's message about activism.\n"When one group is opressed, everyone is oppressed," he said.\nJourian left the crowd with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to sum up his thoughts on the oppressed state of people who are transgender: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." \nHe also challenged the crowd to contribute to an open-minded culture through activism and awareness.\n"We can't avoid the privileges we had or the harm we do to others but we can do whatever we can to minimize it," he said.\nFor more information on "TransGeneration," visit www.sundancechannel.com/transgeneration/.
(03/01/06 4:50am)
Senior Jan Riccius is barely audible as he speaks about the Men's Ultimate Frisbee Club's participation in the Mardis Gras tournament this past weekend. As a result of his verbal celebration of the team's "intense" victories this Saturday and Sunday, his voice is little more than a raspy whisper.\n"When you're on the field, it helps a lot to have people yelling, cheering you on," Riccius said. "We call it active sideline."\nRiccius is the co-captain of the approximately 35-member club, officially named Hoosiermama?, along with senior Jared Payne.\nThe team came in third overall out of 53 teams in the Mardis Gras tournament in Baton Rouge, La. after winning all four of its games in the preliminary bracket Saturday, but falling 15-14 to Texas during the semi-finals Sunday. Payne estimates Hoosiermama? is now ranked in the nation's top 20, though its official ranking won't come out for a few weeks.\n"It was the most intense game I've ever been in," Riccius said of the Sunday competition. "There were like 200 people watching. I've never had so much fun in my life."\nUltimate frisbee games are typically played to 13 points with a win by at least 2, and Riccius called the Texas match up a "universal point game" since it was played point-to-point to 15. Payne blamed the loss on a poor first half.\n"We fought hard," he said. "It was one of the best games we've ever played."\nMaking it to semi-finals was a feat in itself about which the team is proud, especially since the preliminary games included a 10-5 defeat on ninth-ranked Michigan and an 8-6 win against No. 18 Kansas, fourth-year team member and senior John Kolb said.\nKolb was a stand-out in the game against Kansas with back-to-back layouts, while junior Rob Greenberg brought the game to a tie and sparked the win with what Riccius called an "insane" catch.\n"He saw it and chased it down," Riccius said. "Everybody just got crazy pumped up."\nThe third-place finish was refreshing to the team after a poor showing at a Feb. 11-12 tournament in North Carolina, in which the team finished 17th, which Kolb called a "wake-up call." Still, he said the disappointment inspired more practices and assisted in their preparation before traveling to Louisiana.\n"It's basically what we were working for," Kolb said of the Mardis Gras finish, adding it's satisfying "to be the last team everyone sticks around to watch."\nNext up for Hoosiermama? is the Terminus Tournament in Atlanta on March 11. \n"We feel especially good about it (after this weekend)," Kolb said.
(02/21/06 5:43am)
Tucker Carlson is a douche bag. Sen. John Kerry is a douche bag. That perpetually tan guy who lives in the apartment below you and pops his pink polo collar is a douche bag.\nThe rules of language determine these statements to be nonsense.\nAccording to Random House Webster's Dictionary, a douche, n., is 1) a jet of water, sometimes with a cleansing agent, applied to a body part or cavity or 2) an instrument, as a syringe, for administering a douche.\nIt is undeniable that this tool is used primarily to "clean" vaginas. Douche bags are products for women's bodies.\nStill, an extraordinary amount of young people (especially, I've noticed, those in college) use "douche bag" to refer to an egotistical, moronic or otherwise unpleasant individual -- almost always a male. \nThe term's prevalence in this context extends further.\nThere are currently 23 Facebook groups that contain the word "douche bag." My favorites are "Dr. Phil is a Ginormous Douchebag" and "We Get Wasted Cuz Men are Douche Bags!!"\nThe Web site www.okcupid.com offers "The Douche Bag test," in which users answer questions about their personal lives to reveal their level of douche. (I answered the questions randomly and came out to be "douche-tacular." I wish I was joking.)\nThe problem: One wouldn't substitute stick of deodorant or antibacterial hand soap for douche bag when referring to the person he or she is insulting. It's the fact that a douche bag is used to clean a vagina that makes it so \ndemeaning.\nCan I not argue, then, that using douche bag as an insulting label is perpetuating the ideology that women are inferior to men? To say "Guy who wears visor backwards and upside-down is a jock strap," seems not quite as \neffective. \nThe douche bag is truly a rather bizarre item, not even necessary for a woman's hygiene, as the vagina cleans itself. I acknowledge that the term is typically used as a modifier in lighthearted fashion, to ensue laughter. But the underlying message persists: that being "womanly" parallels being unable or ignorant. \nAs a writer, I must consider the power and implications of words. Calling John Kerry overconfident might not be as amusing or colorful as "douche bag" might be, but at least that which was implied by the insult was stated, and nothing else.\nA final thought: Why are the males who feel compelled to go to tanning beds or use hair gel or wear pink commonly condemned as douche bags or "tools?" The fact that they care about their appearance challenges the skewed ideals of masculinity that exist in our culture. \nBreaking convention in this way isn't harmful; rather, perpetuating oppressive ideologies is.
(02/08/06 5:26am)
About four nights a week, senior Steve Brown is awake well past midnight. He's not cramming for the next day's test, though. \nHe's practicing lacrosse.\nBrown, captain of the men's lacrosse club, and the team have access to Mellencamp Pavilion from about 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. to practice four nights a week, and they take advantage of it.\n"Sometimes you show up and you're a little bit tired and then you get all your gear on and start practicing and completely forget about it," Brown said.\nThe Hoosiers will be well-prepapred to kick off their spring season against Western Michigan at 8 p.m. Sunday at Mellencamp Pavilion, Brown said.\nCoach Todd Boward said this is the first year the team has been able to practice in Mellencamp Pavilion -- which offers a full-sized field -- in several years and that this is the most effective way they have to be prepared for games.\n"A lot of schools don't get that until they get into their first game," Boward said.\nBoward acknowledges that the team is young, with 17 of 36 travel-team players returning. But Brown said eight new freshmen are "solid" and he boasts a "good core group of upperclassmen." \n"They're going to be very competitive," Boward said. "They're going to surprise some people."\nBoward was hired as coach last October and suggests that Hoosier fans will see a "different philosophy than what's been in the past."\n"We play an Eastern-style of lacrosse," Boward said. "We want to move the ball as fast as we can. I'm from Maryland and that's how I know how to play -- aggressive and fast-paced."\nIn addition to practice four nights a week, Boward said the team goes over plays at least once a week and conditions frequently.\n"They're doing a lot of varsity-level things," he said.\nBrown said this year's coaching is better than that of the past four years he's played at IU, which foreshadows a competitive season.\nJunior Matt Hof, a team captain, said Boward is an effective coach.\n"This is a big step because it's the first time we've had a coach that coaches full-time," Hof said. "He devotes all his time toward us."\nDespite being one of IU's largest club sports with about 70 members, Boward doesn't see lacrosse being moved up to varsity level anytime soon.\n"It's a big jump," he said. "It depends on how much interest we start getting out of kids here on \ncampus."\nBrown said right now the fan base is primarily "friends of friends" and parents of players, mostly because lacrosse isn't a widely played sport in Indiana. \n"I'm from the East Coast where it's (an NCAA) Division I sport," he said. "Ideally, I'd love to see it be varsity, but I understand the rules of NCAA and Title IX."\nBecause lacrosse is a club sport, participants have to pay yearly dues to be on the team. \n"The dues are a big part of it and it turns some people away," Hof said. "It's expensive to play."\nHof and Brown said the fact that so many still choose to play demonstrates commitment to the game.\n"It shows the dedication of all our players," Brown said. "Every single person on our team has a passion for \nlacrosse."\nBrown and the rest of the Hoosiers hope to carry their passion from practice over to games, starting this Sunday. The senior captain said Western Michigan "doesn't know what's about to hit them."\n"We're going to pretty much dominate them," he said.\nBoward is almost as equally optimistic.\n"(Western Michigan) doesn't have a facility like Mellencamp for practicing," he said. "I'm looking for a good game"