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(09/13/05 6:36am)
Sacred cows aren't even safe from the critical eye of IU trustee Thomas Reilly Jr. The former Indiana business leader with a passion for higher education won't be afraid to ask questions about widely accepted University policy, his associates said.\n"He's not only open-minded, he's also an envelope pusher who asks people questions to see their reactions, then follows up with more questions," said Kent Weldon, the deputy commissioner of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, who worked with Reilly for about five months. "He'll raise questions about policies that are otherwise seen as sacred cows and ask, 'Is this working?' It's a quality you'd want for that position."\nGov. Mitch Daniels recently appointed Reilly and two other trustees to positions on the nine-member board. Co-workers said he'll use years of business and higher education experience to bring vision, accountability and new ideas to trustee meetings. Relating individual campuses' missions with the needs of the state, and keeping current in the fields of life sciences, information technology and research are some of his goals for IU, Reilly said. \nIn the business world, Reilly served for 13 years as chair of Reilly Industries, Inc., a private, family-run chemical company in Indianapolis that makes everything from coal tar to vitamin B3. He also served as president and CEO for the American Chemistry Council, an organization representing leading U.S. chemical makers.\n"He has a collaborative leadership style -- he would always seek out other people's opinions," said Jackie Simmons, the vice president and general manager of Reilly Industries, Inc., who worked with Reilly for 12 years. "He's very outgoing, warm and genuine. He's a very open person."\nIn the hallowed halls of higher education, Reilly served on the Butler University board of trustees and was chair of the Committee on Higher Education for the Indiana Government Efficiency Commission. The six-member committee reviewed Hoosier higher education and decided the state's economy depended on major changes in the entire system's organization, according to a report released by the council. \nHe received his bachelor's degree from Stanford University and a master's in business from Harvard University, both private schools with high rankings. His experiences as a student and board member at private universities will also be an asset, with falling state funds becoming a major problem for IU.\nAdopting some business practices from private schools, which don't rely on state funds to run, will be key for IU, Reilly said. \n"We're having to build buildings with little help from the state," he said. "IU will have to increasingly act more like a private university"
(09/09/05 6:11am)
Randall Behr, an accomplished conductor who was in town as an IU School of Music guest music director, unexpectedly died in his sleep Thursday afternoon at a Bloomington hotel. \nBehr, who was in his early 50s, was in Bloomington preparing performers for the season-opening showing of "Così fan tutte," one of his favorite operas, said Maria Levy, executive administrator of IU Opera Theatre program.\nThe opera will still be performed Sept. 23 and will be dedicated to Behr. A replacement director will be announced sometime before Sept. 23. Behr had directed two other performances at IU, and was continously asked to return because students were such huge fans of his teaching style, Levy said. \n"The students loved him because he dedicated extra time to coach and prepare them," Levy said. "He had a gift of giving knowledge, and loved to work with students."\nBehr has a long list of professional accomplishments, including 24 productions as resident conductor of the Los Angeles Opera. He had also conducted the San Francisco Opera, the Chicago Lyric Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Spoleto USA, Central City Opera, Wolf Trap, Opera Memphis and the Utah Opera, according to a press release. He led the American Ballet Theater \nOrchestra (1981--82 season) and conducted Peter Brook's Tony Award-winning "La tragédie de Carmen" on Broadway. He also performed and conducted at venues across the world, from Spain to Hong Kong to Paris.\nBehr's resumé also showed his deep interest in teaching young talent. He served as a resident conductor of Marilyn Horne's Music Academy of the West, and was the music director of the Julliard Opera Center. \n"He was a natural born teacher," Levy said.\nServices for Behr, who resided in Carmel Valley, Calif., were unknown at press time. \n"He had a really stellar career. He had conducted a number of operas at IU and we were delighted to have him," said Alain Barker, director of marketing and publicity for the IU School of Music. "We're very sad this has happened"
(09/08/05 4:00am)
Money was worth the paper it was printed on, but beer was worth its weight in gold in the snowy Alaskan wilderness. \n"Hell, if you took a $100 bill to one of those trading posts, they would say great, we can use this to start up a fire," said Floyd Rosenbaum, Bloomington Brewing Co.'s master brewer.\nAs an Alaskan army firefighter in the early 1970s, money was worthless, but one thing readily tradable for goods was home-brewed beer. \n"The Eskimos and Indians used the naturally brewed beers for both nutrition and trading," Rosenbaum said. "They would trade the beer for food, ammo and flints."\nThe importance of beer in Alaska sparked a lifelong interest in brewing for Rosenbaum. It began as a home brewing hobby, but making the fermented beverage is now his career. Brewing is an activity that's easy to start, and provides a tastier final product than making model airplanes. Anyone with $100 can begin fermenting in days, with the process from buying ingredients to bottling taking from three weeks to three months, depending on the beer. \nSimple Supplies\nFirst-time brewers should start simple, but after mastering the process, they can try more experimental and complex suds using different supplies, said Amy Butler, who works at Butler Winery, 1022 N. College Ave. The Winery offers all the supplies and ingredients to start a home brewing haven.\nButler sells a basic fermentation kit for $46, or the more adventurous can compile the necessary hardware online. The kit includes a 7.9 gallon fermenter with a lid, a Red Baron double lever capper, a dual-purpose hydrometer, six-feet of siphon tubing, an extra large pinch clamp, a fermentation lock, a bottle brush, a gross of crown caps, B-Brite Cleanser and "The True Brew Handbook." A bottling bucket, sold at all home brewing stores for about $11, will also come in handy for bottling. Bottles to store the beer can be purchased, or to save a buck, cleaning out the empties in the recycling bin works just fine, Butler said. Hardware is all reusable, so the price to make beer is cheaper after the first time. \nFor rookies to the brewing game, it's probably best to buy a kit containing all the ingredients and instructions to make the brew of your choice, Butler said. Kits sold at the winery include the "Brewer's Best" kits which include the malt extract, dry malt extract, yeast hops, priming sugar and the brewing additives necessary to create the beer. Kits run around $30 at the store, and can also be ordered online, and will yield about five gallons. \nKeep it Clean\nBefore ingredients can magically transform from grains to a tasty drink, everything needs to be scrubbed clean.\n"If everything isn't sanitized, you can get flavors like Band-Aids and dirty socks in your beer," Butler said. "That's what can happen if weird bacteria gets into it." \nSanitizing the equipment takes more than just scrubbing the dirt off. Mix up a solution using two ounces of chlorine bleach per five gallons of water in the fermenting bucket, and completely immerse all the smaller pieces in the solution for 30 minutes. Next rinse everything thoroughly, and you can let the fermenting begin.\nMakin' Wort\nWith cleaning out of the way, the process can begin. These steps were found on www.soyouwanna.com, which has a section on brewing for beginners. \n1. Crank on the burners and heat up two quarts of water to 160-180 degrees, which is steaming, not boiling.\n2. Throw in the contents of the beer kit, according to the directions provided in the box. \n3. Stir the mixture hard, making sure all ingredients dissolve, then put a lid on the pot and let it sit for 10-15 minutes on the lowest heat setting to ensure sanitation.\n4. Fill the primary fermenter bucket with four gallons of cold water, then dump in the pot with the mixed ingredients. Mix the ingredients thoroughly for a minute or two in order to add oxygen for the yeast. As soon as the side of the bucket cools down, sprinkle the yeast on top of the solution.\nThe stuff in the bucket is called wort, or unfermented beer. It's been used for centuries for its nutritional properties in South America, Rosenbaum said.\nLet the Fermenting begin\nNow snap the top of the fermenting bucket tight, and put the fermentation lock in place. The byproducts of fermentation are alcohol and carbon dioxide, and the lock allows the carbon dioxide out of the bucket without letting oxygen inside.\nThe bucket should be stored in a cool, dark place such as a basement, because light can damage the fermentation process, Butler said. Check the kit to estimate the amount of time it'll take for the fermentation to end. Some take a week, while others may last longer. The Web site recommends checking the bucket everyday after five days to see if fermentation has ended. \nBubbles of carbon dioxide will flow through the water-filled fermentation lock, showing the process is still going. When bubbling stops or significantly slows, the first fermentation is done.\nBottling the Brew\nThe beer now faces one final step before it can be sucked down; bottling the beer, which produces carbonation. Start the process by thoroughly sanitizing the bottles and the bottling bucket, using the bottle brush to get those hard to reach places. \nThe beer is now flat, but adding some sugar to the mix before bottling will create some carbonation. Take a saucepan and mix two or three cups of water with ¾ a cup of the dextrose, according to the Web site. Bring it to a boil, then cover it, and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes. \nNext put the primary fermenter on a chair, make sure not to shake up sentiment on the bottom. Put the plastic hose on the spigot of the primary fermenter and put the other end of the hose in the bottom of the bottling bucket. Pour the solution you just cooked into the bottling bucket and open the spigot on the fermenter to send the beer into the bottling bucket with the solution.\nFinally, hook the hose to the bottling bucket's spigot, and fill the empty, clean bottles. Quickly cap the bottles using the bottle capper, follow the directions on the box. Put the bottles in a cool dry place, around 60 or 70 degrees, and leave them for one to two weeks. After a week, check to see if the beer has lost its cloudy appearance from the yeast -- if the beer looks clear, stick it in the fridge. It's ready to drink.\nThis is a crash course in home brewing, so those looking to perfect their techniques should check out widely available home brewing literature, or ask experts at home brew stores.\nBefore you begin the brewing process, just remember the advice from an experienced homebrewer.\n"It's all about the beer, man," Rosenbaum said.
(09/08/05 3:30am)
Money was worth the paper it was printed on, but beer was worth its weight in gold in the snowy Alaskan wilderness. \n"Hell, if you took a $100 bill to one of those trading posts, they would say great, we can use this to start up a fire," said Floyd Rosenbaum, Bloomington Brewing Co.'s master brewer.\nAs an Alaskan army firefighter in the early 1970s, money was worthless, but one thing readily tradable for goods was home-brewed beer. \n"The Eskimos and Indians used the naturally brewed beers for both nutrition and trading," Rosenbaum said. "They would trade the beer for food, ammo and flints."\nThe importance of beer in Alaska sparked a lifelong interest in brewing for Rosenbaum. It began as a home brewing hobby, but making the fermented beverage is now his career. Brewing is an activity that's easy to start, and provides a tastier final product than making model airplanes. Anyone with $100 can begin fermenting in days, with the process from buying ingredients to bottling taking from three weeks to three months, depending on the beer. \nSimple Supplies\nFirst-time brewers should start simple, but after mastering the process, they can try more experimental and complex suds using different supplies, said Amy Butler, who works at Butler Winery, 1022 N. College Ave. The Winery offers all the supplies and ingredients to start a home brewing haven.\nButler sells a basic fermentation kit for $46, or the more adventurous can compile the necessary hardware online. The kit includes a 7.9 gallon fermenter with a lid, a Red Baron double lever capper, a dual-purpose hydrometer, six-feet of siphon tubing, an extra large pinch clamp, a fermentation lock, a bottle brush, a gross of crown caps, B-Brite Cleanser and "The True Brew Handbook." A bottling bucket, sold at all home brewing stores for about $11, will also come in handy for bottling. Bottles to store the beer can be purchased, or to save a buck, cleaning out the empties in the recycling bin works just fine, Butler said. Hardware is all reusable, so the price to make beer is cheaper after the first time. \nFor rookies to the brewing game, it's probably best to buy a kit containing all the ingredients and instructions to make the brew of your choice, Butler said. Kits sold at the winery include the "Brewer's Best" kits which include the malt extract, dry malt extract, yeast hops, priming sugar and the brewing additives necessary to create the beer. Kits run around $30 at the store, and can also be ordered online, and will yield about five gallons. \nKeep it Clean\nBefore ingredients can magically transform from grains to a tasty drink, everything needs to be scrubbed clean.\n"If everything isn't sanitized, you can get flavors like Band-Aids and dirty socks in your beer," Butler said. "That's what can happen if weird bacteria gets into it." \nSanitizing the equipment takes more than just scrubbing the dirt off. Mix up a solution using two ounces of chlorine bleach per five gallons of water in the fermenting bucket, and completely immerse all the smaller pieces in the solution for 30 minutes. Next rinse everything thoroughly, and you can let the fermenting begin.\nMakin' Wort\nWith cleaning out of the way, the process can begin. These steps were found on www.soyouwanna.com, which has a section on brewing for beginners. \n1. Crank on the burners and heat up two quarts of water to 160-180 degrees, which is steaming, not boiling.\n2. Throw in the contents of the beer kit, according to the directions provided in the box. \n3. Stir the mixture hard, making sure all ingredients dissolve, then put a lid on the pot and let it sit for 10-15 minutes on the lowest heat setting to ensure sanitation.\n4. Fill the primary fermenter bucket with four gallons of cold water, then dump in the pot with the mixed ingredients. Mix the ingredients thoroughly for a minute or two in order to add oxygen for the yeast. As soon as the side of the bucket cools down, sprinkle the yeast on top of the solution.\nThe stuff in the bucket is called wort, or unfermented beer. It's been used for centuries for its nutritional properties in South America, Rosenbaum said.\nLet the Fermenting begin\nNow snap the top of the fermenting bucket tight, and put the fermentation lock in place. The byproducts of fermentation are alcohol and carbon dioxide, and the lock allows the carbon dioxide out of the bucket without letting oxygen inside.\nThe bucket should be stored in a cool, dark place such as a basement, because light can damage the fermentation process, Butler said. Check the kit to estimate the amount of time it'll take for the fermentation to end. Some take a week, while others may last longer. The Web site recommends checking the bucket everyday after five days to see if fermentation has ended. \nBubbles of carbon dioxide will flow through the water-filled fermentation lock, showing the process is still going. When bubbling stops or significantly slows, the first fermentation is done.\nBottling the Brew\nThe beer now faces one final step before it can be sucked down; bottling the beer, which produces carbonation. Start the process by thoroughly sanitizing the bottles and the bottling bucket, using the bottle brush to get those hard to reach places. \nThe beer is now flat, but adding some sugar to the mix before bottling will create some carbonation. Take a saucepan and mix two or three cups of water with ¾ a cup of the dextrose, according to the Web site. Bring it to a boil, then cover it, and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes. \nNext put the primary fermenter on a chair, make sure not to shake up sentiment on the bottom. Put the plastic hose on the spigot of the primary fermenter and put the other end of the hose in the bottom of the bottling bucket. Pour the solution you just cooked into the bottling bucket and open the spigot on the fermenter to send the beer into the bottling bucket with the solution.\nFinally, hook the hose to the bottling bucket's spigot, and fill the empty, clean bottles. Quickly cap the bottles using the bottle capper, follow the directions on the box. Put the bottles in a cool dry place, around 60 or 70 degrees, and leave them for one to two weeks. After a week, check to see if the beer has lost its cloudy appearance from the yeast -- if the beer looks clear, stick it in the fridge. It's ready to drink.\nThis is a crash course in home brewing, so those looking to perfect their techniques should check out widely available home brewing literature, or ask experts at home brew stores.\nBefore you begin the brewing process, just remember the advice from an experienced homebrewer.\n"It's all about the beer, man," Rosenbaum said.
(09/05/05 6:06pm)
IU's trustees might be shuffling their boardroom style to ensure the Bloomington and satellite campuses keep competitive throughout the 21st century.\nFormal hand-raising and silent nods common to the previous board's meetings could be lost in the reorganization. Trustees, including three members newly appointed by Gov. Mitch Daniels, are shaking up their communication style, as board members predict meetings will feature more open questions about University policy. The new style will come during a term of decisions about the University's direction affecting the future of the institution and its students, board members and administrators said. \nQuestioning about the organization of IU and its satellite campuses may be a fixture at meetings, as decreasing state funds have made saving pennies a priority at IU. Strategy about the direction of IU may also kindle differences of opinion, trustees and administrators said.\n"I would say there will be a different style, with more direct questioning," said Stephen Ferguson, president of the board of trustees.\nAlready, a debate at the trustee orientation meeting about raising admissions standards at IU-Bloomington raised arguments. Vice President for Institutional Development and Student Affairs Charlie Nelms and Thomas Reilly Jr., one of the newly appointed trustees, exchanged differing opinions about raising academic standards. Nelms did not return repeated phone calls for comment throughout the week. \n"We had some debate at the orientation meeting. The trustees that were there were raising a lot of questions," said Reilly Jr. "I would expect that of a modern board, for it to be very involved, the days of rubber-stamping by boards is going to be gone for quite awhile." \nThis board, unlike the past board that had to focus on internal matters, will decide IU's direction for the next five or 10 years, said Patrick Shoulders, vice president of the board of trustees.\n"We'll be focused strategically on the direction of IU," said Shoulders. "There will be some great exchanges of opinion. All nine want what's best for the University, they just have different views of how to get there."\nTrustee boards flow in cycles, and having a board publicly questioning University policy isn't uncommon, especially after a group that didn't question as much, said IU-Bloomington Interim Chancellor Ken Gros Louis. \nIssues possibly being handled by the board include shaping individual campuses' missions to make the educational system more efficient, setting polices on transfer credits and articulation agreements with Ivy Tech and emphasizing the development of "centers of excellence" within each campus, Ferguson said. Centers of excellence are highly ranked schools and programs within each IU campus.\nThe athletics fee will again be a point of contention, as the department is required to submit a plan to the trustees, Gros Louis said. Mission differentiation and deciding what physical buildings can be constructed among budget restraints is another decision potentially changing the face of the University. \nDue to a stretched state budget, Daniels and legislators may demand more accountability from universities about the use of their funds, Gros Louis said. Extra dialogue between trustees and University administrators may help answer these questions, he said.\n"I think they should ask more questions -- it's all part of accountability," Gros Louis said. "The more they know, the more questions from state leaders and legislatures they can answer"
(08/29/05 6:42am)
The new Oncourse has more than a fresh coat of paint. \nThe student Web site features new functions to aid in research projects while easing navigation of the essential educational tool, said Brad Wheeler, associate vice president for research and academic computing. Oncourse CL was officially put into place Aug. 14, according to the Web site.\nOncourse CL will be used by professors wanting to make the switch, while the old version of Oncourse will run for a year if an immediate switch isn't convenient for the professor, Wheeler said. This will cause some classes to run on the old version, and others on the new version of Oncourse for the entire academic year.\nA quick sampling of opinions at the Indiana Memorial Union revealed some small complaints from students familiar with the old system, but few major problems.\n"I haven't had too much trouble, but some teachers still use the old version, while others use the new one," said sophomore Lacy Padgett. "It can make it confusing. I would rather just have them all conform to one medium."\nMeanwhile, sophomore Sarah Payne said she's had no problems, and felt she has a handle on the new program.\nNew features on Oncourse include the ability to create a site for a collaborative project by making a request, instead of only offering teacher- and class-based sites, Wheeler said. \n"It's not a secret, there's lots of group work in college," he said. "It'll allow group members to create ListServs, share files and create calendars."\nChanges will also allow students to flip through their classes without constantly going back to the tab window, and the interface now has a "rich text" editing tool, which will allow users to write in different fonts and bulleting.\n"Transitions are always a challenge," Wheeler said. "But we're doing everything possible to make a smooth transition."\nTo help students and faculty learn the ins and outs of the new program, there will be hands-on workshops announced on the UITS Web site, said Elizabeth Van Gordon, director of learning technology operations at UITS.\nIf workshops can't be worked into student schedules, then online tutorials, UITS student consultants and the UITS help line will be available to help users get a grasp on the changes, she added.\nOncourse CL will also save the University money, Wheeler said, because it uses open source programming. He said 82 universities around the world have joined the project, which will work on various functions that can be shared because of the open source code. Those functions can then be integrated into our system, he said. \n"We'll be moving from an island to a system with other universities," Wheeler said.
(08/29/05 6:42am)
Sales associates hurriedly handed over carts with wheels already spinning, raffle tickets and maps to busloads of students at Wal-Mart Friday night. \nMidnight Madness, an orientation program that is part shopping spree, part festival, was underway, and teams of freshmen with dorm keys strung on lanyards swinging on their necks sprinted around the store grabbing pillows, beanbag chairs and 15 cent packets of Ramen noodles. The event lasted from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. as packed buses stopped at eight locations on campus to shuttle the shoppers to and from the late-night shopping mecca.\nEntire dorm floors came to the wild shopping extravaganza with their resident assistants leading packs of freshmen looking for last-minute supplies at reduced prices and a social night of bonding with new floormates.\n"I tried to drag everybody along," said sophomore resident assistant Olga Liapis-Muzzy. Some members of her group said they needed items like contact solution and decorations for their new rooms, while others said they just came to have a night out with new friends.\nThe social aspect of freshmen shopping until they dropped was emphasized at the event, said Melanie Payne, associate director of orientation programs. Sounds of constant chatter and bursts of giggling were audible over the shouting sales associates directing shoppers to registers with small lines. DVD players, CDs and other dorm room essentials were also raffled off about every 15 minutes, while flashes emitted from instant cameras manned by Wal-Mart employees to commemorate the event. \nShoppers were handed Coke Zero as they left the superstore, while some of those entering received movie posters and other goodies.\nJenny Yearby, a freshman resident of Teter Quad, said the social aspect wasn't the main draw for her however, it was the deals.\n"We needed a few last things for the dorm," Yearby said as she waited by her cart teaming with towels and DVDs for her roommate to return. "We found some good deals."\nDisplays of common staples of dorm life like IU T-shirts and macaroni and cheese enticed shoppers to fill their carts.\nFreshman Shawn McCullough cruised down the grocery aisles with determination and two friends in tow. Before rolling on to the mounds of microwaveable cuisine, he said he came because of hunger and he needed food, pausing only for one word answers as he prepared to toss food into his cart.
(08/26/05 5:39am)
Odds, ends and no parking space may bring sophomore Lindsey Berry, a resident of Ashton Center, to Midnight Madness at Wal-Mart Friday night.\n"I really just need some things; I've talked to some people that went last year, and (they) said that stuff is really cheap," Berry said. "Another reason is I'm on a waitlist for parking spaces, and I usually have to find rides to go get stuff."\nThe event, part shopping frenzy and part social gathering, begins 10 p.m. Friday and lasts through 2 a.m. Saturday, according to an orientation Web site. Bloomington shuttle buses will crawl between eight campus shuttle stops, which are near every residence hall, and bring residents to Wal-Mart, 3201 W. Ind. 45, for free, said Melanie Payne, the director of Welcome Week activities. Students can shop with a special IU discount, sign up to win drawings for DVD players and TVs and enjoy the festive atmosphere, she said. \n"Each year it just gets bigger and more festival-like," Payne said. "We wanted to come up with something different, and something late-night that was fun, since students aren't studying yet."\nPayne said the obvious reason for the event isn't necessarily the biggest reason IU freshmen come out in droves to invade the 24-hour shopping haven.\n"It's something that's fun, healthy and social," Payne said. "Some people come out to buy things, but people can show up for the social aspect too."\nShe said the event is in its eighth or ninth year, and the idea originated from a student.\n"A few years later, we decided to try it," Payne said. "The first year we did it we had no idea if even five people would show up because it was so different and late night, but people showed up."\nPopularity for the event has continued to grow, and a big turn-out is expected at this year's Madness, Payne said.
(08/25/05 6:21am)
Swarms of students and parents pillaged stores Wednesday, pumping dollars into local businesses as the class of 2009 settled into their new homes.\nSupermarkets, restaurants and general retailers from Kirkwood Avenue to College Mall have taken on the hoards of kids and their credit card-wielding parents with increasing frequency throughout the week, according to managers and employees throughout the city.\n"We're definitely busy," said Melissa Burnett, a sales associate at Urban Outfitters on Kirkwood Avenue. "We've had people coming in and out all day."\nThe clothing and housewares store had a row of red and black "rib leisure" chairs and racks of colorful clothing at sale prices displayed to draw people in, Burnett said. She thought the store had more employees working to deal with packs of students, but wasn't sure because it was her first day back from summer.\nThe Den is another downtown merchant that had cash registers clinking. People riffled through racks of red and white T-shirt emblazoned with IU logos. \n"We started seeing some increases with some students' leases starting Aug. 1, but business really started to jump up last weekend," said Jim Cushing, a manager at The Den. "Lots of poster and T-shirt sales."\nNo poster in town was safe as students snatched up images of puppies, The Beatles and everything in between at Kirkwood stores.\nSome local executives, including managers at Wal-Mart and Target, couldn't even spare a moment to talk about how busy they were. One Target manager said Wednesday was the busiest day of the year for the College Mall store.\nCarey Pittman, front bartender at Nick's English Hut, also barely had time for talk. Pittman spoke quickly while rushing back and forth behind the bar to quench customers' thirst.\n"Business picks up," Pittman said, while walking away to take an order. "We don't have any more people working than any home football weekends."\nEssential, such as frozen pizza, Gatorade and boxes of pasta, were snatched up at the Marsh supermarket on Kinser Pike while parents took their kids out for one last "good" meal. \n"The first day when everyone really started coming back, it was really hectic. But now \neveryone's gotten used to it," said Tricia Kinney, floor manager at Scotty's Brewhouse. "It's been incredibly busy."\nThe staff at Scotty's is pulling in long hours to keep up its service, and six more employees than usual were working Wednesday night to keep the burgers coming, she added. \n"It's a lot of moms and dads dropping their kids off," Kinney said. "But we've also seen a lot of people who lived in town all summer and just decided to come when everyone got back"
(05/11/05 9:18pm)
The board of trustees renewed the $30 athletics fee for the 2005-2006 school year Friday against recommendations by IUSA's Committee for Fee Review and a resolution by the Bloomington Faculty Council. The fee, passed with a 6-2 vote, included a last-second compromise suggested by IUSA President Alex Shortle. \nThe compromise requires the athletics department to submit a plan showing its need and plans for the funds before money collected in the spring semester is released. If no plan is submitted, the money from the fee will go to a kindergarten through 12th grade minority outreach program. \n"This compromise is a last resort option," Shortle said. "It needs to go through the process, so students can have their say."\nThe passage of the fee marked the first time the president has not backed the CFR since the process began, Shortle said. The CFR is a committee of seven students picked from a pool of applicants that spend about 60 hours reviewing the merits of each fee, said former IUSA President Tyson Chastain. \nShortle also said that the cost was not the only issue; it was students having a voice in the fees they pay.\n"Are you prepared to do this for every fee?" Shortle asked, referring to the long debate over both the athletics and transportation fees. "Because if you vote yes, you will throw out the entire process."\nIU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan explained challenges the department was facing, as well as his strategy to make it fiscally healthy again.\n"(The athletics department) has a strategy," Greenspan said. "But until we assemble the right people in the same room, I can't say we have a plan."\nGreenspan revealed possible actions to help the department's finances including closing the money-losing IU golf course, exploring advertising in Assembly Hall, aggressively marketing the football team and improving business efficiencies. \nHe also presented the benefits the department brings to the campus such as scholarship money for athletes, licensing money for the University and the chance for student-athletes to excel in Olympic sports.\nMeanwhile, Bloomington Faculty Council President David Daleke made the faculty's support for the CFR's recommendation clear.\n"The students have had their say and I think we should respect that," Daleke said. \nHe said a BFC petition, circulated 48 hours before the meeting, was signed by 450 members of the faculty -- the biggest show of support he has seen for a petition.\nDaleke added the faculty was not showing opposition to the athletics department, but rather they were showing support for student opinions and the process itself.\nTrustee Patrick Shoulders, who cast one of the two votes against the proposal, said he was unhappy with the fee as well as the compromise.\n"The compromise should have gone through the whole the process," Shoulders said. "There has been one year to plan for this. (The proposal) should not have been changed in the middle of this meeting to vote on it."\nTrustee Steve Ferguson, who voted for the fee, said he felt the need to support it because he saw no other option for the athletics department.\nAbout 15 students attended the entire meeting to protest the fee, holding up signs with slogans such as "My money is not for your games."\n"It's like if I asked you for $30 to pay off my own debt," said senior Andrew Waple. "This fee provides no service to students. It's an example of the University throwing its weight around."\nGreenspan said the vote, despite being in the athletics department's favor, was not a cause for celebration.\n"These are hard times," Greenspan said, referring to the tight IU budget. "I don't consider this a victory. A victory is when we have a room with great academic, character-building success"
(05/09/05 1:45am)
The trustees approved a 4.9 percent increase in combined fees on the Bloomington campus Friday for the 2005-2006 school year. The 4.9 percent included the $30 athletics fee, a $40 increase in the transportation fee and a jump in tuition. Combined fees consist of both tuition and all mandatory fees, such as the student activity, technology, athletic and health center fees.\nThe board also passed a guaranteed 4.9 percent increase in combined fees for the 2006-2007 school year, but did not choose how the money would be allocated between tuition and fees.\nThe result of next school year's increase will be a $334 rise in the cost of education for undergraduates who started in 2003 or later, and an increase of about $278 for students who started before 2003. The reason for the difference is the $1,000 fee incoming freshman have had to pay since 2003. \nLong debates ensued between students, faculty and trustees during the meeting about how the 4.9 percent would be split up.\n"This 4.9 percent cap is like a Rubix cube. Every piece affects another," said Herb Terry, co-chair of the Bloomington Faculty Council's budget affair's committee. "Unlike a Rubix cube, there is no perfect solution. You can never get all the colors to match."\nOne source of contention was the transportation fee; IU Student Association's Committee for Fee Review recommended an increase of about $40, while IU President Adam Herbert began the meeting requesting only a $20 increase.\n"The CFR wanted universal busing on campus," said IUSA President Adam Shortle. "...It's what students want, and what they wanted five years ago." \nFormer IUSA President Tyson Chastain testified to the trustees that Herbert's recommended increase would not solve transportation problems on campus, such as long lines and late buses. \nHe also said the CFR's recommended increase would allow free, universal transportation for students throughout campus. \nThe CFR recommendation was contested by a graduate student representative, as well as Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Terry Clapacs.\n"Approving (the recommended $40 increase) will reduce the price of bus passes for 4,700 students," Clapacs said, "and spread that cost to all students."\nGraduate representative Jodi Shepherd said the 8,000 students she represents would be paying for a service they don't use because they primarily utilize parking on campus, not buses.\nHerbert changed his recommendation to agree with the CFR's after the debate, following a promise that the increase would provide students with universal transportation.\nThe final business meeting of the academic year also featured the approval of 4.9 percent increases in combined fees for IU's Indianapolis and South Bend campuses for the next two academic years.\nThe main reason for the heavy tuition increases passed for all campuses was the decreasing appropriations from the state budget many IU campuses are facing, said Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Judy Palmer. \nShortfalls in state money on the Bloomington campus included the physical plant expansion not being funded, lower operating appropriations and less overall state funding seen at the end of the second two-year period, she added.\nThe meeting also featured the confirmation of Mike Sample as the new Vice President for University Relations. Sample has long been a part of IU and has decades of experience in corporate communications and relations, Herbert said.
(05/06/05 6:17am)
The board of trustees is voting on the renewal of the $30 athletics fee and a possible tuition increase in the Frangipani Room today at 8:30 a.m. \nThe athletics fee is being opposed by IUSA, the Bloomington Faculty Council and the College Republicans, while IU President Adam Herbert has come out in support of the charge.\n"We understand that some fees are necessary for certain programs that benefit students," said College Republican Chair Andrew Lauck. "But paying for one department's debt doesn't give students any benefits."\nIUSA and the College Republicans are co-sponsoring an anti-athletic fee rally in the Walnut Room at the IMU from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. today, Lauck said.\nHerbert said it's the students responsibility to help support the IU Athletics Department.\n"First, they (students) are not subsidizing the athletics department," he said. "Second, there is no free lunch."\nHerbert said an alternative could be giving up the free entry IU students enjoy to most athletic events or paying market price for football and basketball tickets.\n"And we can tell students, you have to pay to attend all athletic events on the campus. Now most of those are free," Herbert said. "Right now, 8,000 tickets are being held by students out of 17,000 seats at deeply discounted prices."\nAlex Shortle, IUSA president, said if the fee is renewed, it would mark the first time in history an IU president sided against IUSA's Committee for Fee Review.\n"The sole voice of the students said 'no' to the fees because we came to the conclusion that it doesn't benefit students," Shortle said.\nTrustees also debated the possible pitfalls of the revised Student Rights and Responsibilities code, discussed a new family leave policy and debated a new background check policy at their monthly meeting Thursday. All of the proposals examined were in their first reading stages, and will be discussed further at the board's June meeting. \nIU student leaders, as well as trustees, presented both concerns and compliments about the new code to Robert Yost and Mary Popp, co-chairs of the Student Affairs Committee.\n"There are no real philosophical changes (in the code)," Popp said. "The goal is to make it clearer and more flexible for students."\nChanges to the code include a more explicit definition of students' rights to raise issues and express alternative opinions in class, a more in-depth definition of plagiarism and a better definition of the University's right to respond to misconduct off campus, Popp said.\n"Fewer than 10 percent of students are accused of violating the code," said dean of students Richard McKaig. "But hopefully now, it's easier to read. The committee did a very good job of making a complex document clearer and briefer."\nThe major concerns that will be further discussed in June's meeting were the code's proposed universal application to all IU campuses and questions about the role of advisors in the student judicial process.\nMatt Dattilo, associate director of the IUSA department of student rights, said that the code should not be used as a "one size fits all" rule book for all IU campuses. Instead, the code should be campus-specific, allowing for different policies and procedures to fit each of the satellite campuses' cultures, Dattilo said.\nSome trustees were concerned that the revised policy would not allow an advisor to speak for a student in a misconduct hearing.\n"The policy doesn't exclude an advisor," said BFC President David Daleke. "The advisor can't speak for students, but can sit right next to them and consult them during the hearing."\nVice President of the board Stephen Ferguson also brought up the concern that foreign students may need an advisor to speak for them because an unfamiliarity with the language or culture.\nPopp responded that flexibility might need to be in the code for circumstances such as that one.\n"I hope there will be ongoing discussion and the trustees can hear from students (before June's meeting)," said Trustee Sue Talbot.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Mike Wilson at mhwilson@indiana.edu.
(04/29/05 6:14am)
There's a new scholarship at IU named for Ashley Crouse. But big donors won't be behind this award. Instead, it will comprise crumpled $5 bills, change, checks, books and skipping meals -- it is a scholarship funded by the students whose lives Crouse touched. The Ashley Crouse Memorial Scholarship will ensure that she will continue to touch students in the years to come, said Senior Adam Nevel, a friend of Crouse's and a member of a linguistics class that is spearheading the scholarship effort.\n"I just hope it will help people realize how great she was, and how much she would love to know she was helping someone else," Nevel said.\nThe scholarship is being created by the IU Department of Spanish and Portuguese, one of the departments in which Crouse was earning degree. Crouse, a senior at IU by credit hour and an active member in a large variety of student organizations, was killed in a car accident April 12. \nThe $5,000 to $10,000 award will be available in the spring if fundraising goes as planned, said Kimberly Geeslin, a Spanish professor who had Crouse as a student. It will be awarded to a Spanish major who is pursuing Crouse's interests, in hopes of capturing the spirit of her involvement on campus, Geeslin said. \n"Right now we are drafting the details, and it will be much more specific," she said. "But it is our hope for it to embody the spirit of Ashley's energy and involvement." \nGeeslin added the creation of the scholarship is not just a departmental effort. Geeslin's Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics class, in which Crouse was a student, has been heavily involved in fund raising. \n"The project was created by the class; it was just horrible to lose her," Geeslin said. "She meant a lot to a lot of people."\nNevel said everyone in the class was close to Crouse and that's why the students are pushing to create the scholarship.\n"Two of us studied abroad with her," Nevel said. "She touched everyone in our class, and everyone misses her."\nMembers of the class are pursuing a variety of fund-raising options, from putting change containers around campus to getting greek houses involved.\n"One thing we're pursuing is miss-a-meal programs," Nevel said. "It's when (greek houses) skip dinner for a week and the money saved is donated." \nHe also added his class is encouraging students to sell back their textbooks and donate the proceeds to the fund.\nSpanish professor Jane Drake, who said she had Crouse as a student in several classes, is currently collecting donations. Students can drop by her office in Ballantine Hall, room 878, with donations. Checks should be made out to Indiana University, with the Ashley Crouse Memorial Scholarship written on the memo line. \n"The most important thing is to remember Ashley and show how much she meant," Geeslin said. "The scholarship isn't going to be one big donation. It will be students coming together." \n-- Contact Senior Writer Mike Wilson at mhwilson@indiana.edu.
(04/29/05 5:24am)
In 2001, Indiana received a report card evaluating the status of women in the state that would put the Hoosier heartland on academic probation. Indiana's grade point average calculated out to 1.4, barely above failure, and included a grade of D- in employment and earnings and an F in reproductive rights, according to The Status of Women in Indiana Report.\nIn response, Bloomington's Commission on the Status of Women, a group working for the city which explores local women's issues and concerns, began work on a report of its own. Two of the five sections of the commission's report were released Wednesday which analyze the status of women as employees and civic participants. \n"One of the commission's functions is to analyze and publicize women's concerns in Bloomington, and that's what this report does," said Craig Brenner, the city's special projects coordinator. \nThe report took two years to create, said Jillian Kinzie, the chair of the commission and main author of the report. Other sections involving issues such as reproductive rights will be released as more data become available. Both released sections found Bloomington to be ahead of Indiana as a whole in terms of the status of women, but showed a lot of room for improvement, Kinzie said. \nThe section on employment, found both the government and employers need to work harder for wage equality, citing that men earn an average of $8,000 more per year than women.\n"First of all, we wanted to raise awareness," Kinzie said.\n"Secondly, (the report is) for employers to take a look at their own books for the reasons behind wage differences; the report is not to indite, it is to raise questions about why the differences exist."\nShe added that one way to change the disparity is governmental oversight and encouragement.\n"(The government) could provide encouragement for employers to look at the disparity," Kinzie said. "Those who look at their wage practices should be rewarded and recognized by the government, not punished."\nFive times more women than men receive governmental aid as the heads of their households, the report said, calling for citywide improvement.\n"Employers can help with child care credits; it's a huge burden for any single working parent," Kinzie said. "... Also making sure the system is fair; that women have the same benefits and opportunities to advance through education. There are parts of the welfare policy that don't support women advancing."\n-- Contact Senior Writer Mike Wilson at mhwilson@indiana.edu.
(04/28/05 6:16am)
The Bloomington Police Department arrested James M. Troxal, 29, for his alleged involvement in the Wednesday afternoon robbery of Regions Bank, 2488 S. Walnut St., said Capt. Joe Qualters of the Bloomington Police Department. \nAccording to BPD reports, the robbery began about 1:45 p.m. when a white man wearing a black leather jacket entered the bank and approached a clerk. He then flashed a note demanding money to the teller.\n"We didn't recover the note," Qualters said. "But it said something like 'Gimme the money, and no one gets hurt,' if I was to paraphrase it." \nQualters added that the note did not contain a specific reference to a gun, and police hadn't recovered any weapons involved in the robbery.\nAfter grabbing money from the clerk's drawer, the suspect sprinted from the bank, according to BPD reports. A man matching the clerk's description was then spotted heading north from the bank soon after the robbery on the 'Rails and Trails,' officially known as Clear Creek Trail, according to police reports.\nAs officers approached the suspect, later identified as Troxal, he sprinted into a nearby wooded area. He gave up peacefully after a brief pursuit. The stolen money was found and recovered in Troxal's leather jacket, according to police reports. The clerk who gave the description to the police also positively identified Troxal as the robber.\nTroxal is currently being charged with robbery and resisting law enforcement, Qualters said. \nNo bond had been set, and Troxal was still being held at the Monroe County Jail at press time, a Monroe County Jail spokesman said. \nRegions Bank could not be reached for comment at press time.\n-- Contact Senior Writer Mike Wilson at mhwilson@indiana.edu.
(04/22/05 6:28am)
An unidentified male subject, who acted as if he was armed with a gun, robbed Big Mouth Subs, 1420 E. Third St., late Thursday night, said two Big Mouth Subs employees. The subject escaped through the back door facing Atwater Avenue. Police officers were scouring the streets and alleyways behind and around the sandwich shop until about 11:10 p.m. looking for signs of the suspect.\n"He just came in the side door and my back was facing him," said junior Val Matheis, an employee of Big Mouth Subs. "He said 'Gimmie all your money bitch.' At first I thought he was joking and started laughing, but then I turned around and saw him."\nMatheis and her co-worker, sophomore Andy Scherle, described the subject as a white male about 5'10" in height with a skinny frame. Both employees said they couldn't give a good description of the suspect's facial features because he was wearing a "mesh, camo turkey-hunting mask," on his face. They also said the suspect was dressed entirely in black.\nAfter demanding the money, the suspect pointed an object at the employees through his pocket and said "See if it's real," apparently making reference to a gun concealed in his pocket, Matheis said. He then ran behind the counter and opened the cash register while the two employees stood back in shock. After taking money out of the cash register, he slipped on the freshly mopped floor, tore a phone out of its jack and threw it on the ground, Matheis said.\n"He was fidgety and kind of shaking the whole time," Matheis said. "I honestly thought it was a joke at first."\nThe Bloomington Police Department could not comment on the robbery by press time. As of press time, the suspect was still at large.\n-- Contact City & State Editor Mike Wilson at mhwilson@indiana.edu.
(04/14/05 4:20am)
The Common Council approved a proposed 11 percent water rate Wednesday, giving it the go-ahead to clear its final hurdle, approval from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.\nPatrick Murphy, director of utilities for the city, answered questions from council members about the need for the increase, stating that the funds were needed for three projects, as well as increasing labor and material costs. He said that the change would increase the average water bill for $1.66. \n"Clearly pressing capital projects need funding, those three projects, as well as increases in goods and labor (necessitated the proposed increase)," Murphy said. "It's our policy that we not to exceed an 11 percent, and cut our costs as fine as we can." \nThe funds raised by the new rate would go toward the Lake Monroe Treatment Plant improvements, the repair, renovation and possible relocation of the Utility Department headquarters that was damaged in a fire, and the relocation of a water pipe because of an Indiana Department of Transportation expansion of State Road 45/46, Murphy said.\nThe Lake Monroe Treatment Plant renovation was about $2.45 million above projected costs, Murphy said, which was why funding needed to be secured for the project.\nCouncil member Andy Ruff asked Murphy about the oversight procedures for the utility department. \n"So state regulatory agencies scrutinize all changes and requests for funding?" he asked.\nMurphy said all of the improvements must go through scrutiny from Indiana agencies. "Certainly, you're right when we request funding and changes the state revolving loan fund inspects it all, we have to satisfy their requirements before they release any money to us," he said. \nThe major problem council members had with the increase came as the result of a Bloomington citizen who had a problem with the 2002 rate increase.\nThe concerned citizen showed up to the meeting, representing people and companies affected by a provision in the 2002 increase that put a surcharge on people who use water for major irrigation purposes. He said it affected about 250 people and was unfair because "probably around 99 percent of Bloomington" use water for irrigation purposes, while not having a second meter for it.\nMurphy said the 11 percent increase would involve for all users, including both residential and irrigation classes.\nCommon Council Member Dave Rollo passed on voting to pass the proposed hike because he wanted to further look into the problem. \n"It's a shame we can't separate the infrastructure for irrigation and drinking water," he said.\n-- Contact City & State Editor Mike Wilson at mhwilson@indiana.edu.
(03/04/05 6:47am)
A single, forcible swing of the axe pulverized the front door, allowing the firefighters access to the smoke-choked house. A Bloomington Fire Department engine company had arrived to the residence on the corner of 18th and Dunn streets minutes after emergency dispatch received a frantic call from a student. She had been studying in the living room when she noticed smoke drifting from upstairs. The caller was sure her roommate was upstairs when the fire started and hadn't made it out. \nThe fire suppression team snaps on their masks and oxygen tanks, then disappear into the consuming darkness moments after the door gives, dragging a thick hose.\nA second group follows behind the suppression team, their only goal being to get people trapped in the heat and smoke out alive.\n"When we go in, we aren't necessarily there to fight the fire," said Capt. Nick Teeters, a member of his battalions' search and rescue team. "We head straight to where we've been told the person still in the house may be; our number one priority is rescue." \nA series of blazes, which began Tuesday, were strategically built by firefighters to practice dousing fires, finding victims and getting them out safely, said Rob Stumpf, battalion chief of training. \n"We started the fires using wood palettes and straw," he said. "It makes for a pretty clean burn, as far as fires go."\nThis was the fifth exercise of the day, and the 17th in the last three days, all from the same two-story white house. A half-hour later, firefighters dragged another student, represented by a 150-pound black dummy made of sand, from fast encroaching flames.\nEvery BFD engine company got the chance to tackle at least one scenario, and the training ended Thursday when firefighters ignited the house and allowed it to burn to the ground. This was only the second live fire exercise BFD has had in the last eight years because it is rare to find a house far enough away from other buildings the department can use, Stumpf said. The house was donated by Dunnhill Apartments, which helped both parties since Dunnhill saved on demolition costs.\nEach exercise began with engine companies taking a walkthrough of the house. A scenario giving the firefighters all the information they would have from a 911 call was read aloud, but they were not given the location of the fires or victims, Stumpf said.\nThe fire suppression team, made up of three firefighters manning a hose, was the first to enter the house in the scenarios, breaching the door minutes after the fires was ignited.\n"(The suppression teams) go right to the origin of the fire and hit it with water," said BFD Fire Chief Jeff Barlow. "The hoses pump out 1,200 gallons per minute."\nThe next group that would rush into the fray was the search and rescue team, who use their sense of touch and hi-tech thermal imaging cameras to find those in need of help because of the low visibility.\n"They can use the cameras to see right through the smoke and look for victims," Stumpf said. "They're a godsend."\nOne firefighter sweeps rooms with a thermal camera while the other two members of the team search for victims by feeling around in the darkness for them.\n"Most fires we are called to happen at night," Teeters said. "It's also hard to see because of the smoke, so you usually have to establish a search pattern. You circle right, or circle left, depending on the layout of the room. You do everything by feel unless you have the thermal imager."\nAll the groups inside are backed up by a third team, which stands by in case a firefighter gets into danger while fighting the fire.\n-- Contact City & State Editor Mike Wilson at mhwilson@indiana.edu.
(02/09/05 6:10am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- A polarized Senate Committee passed an amendment to the state constitution onto the Senate floor Tuesday, which, if passed, would effectively ban same-sex marriage in Indiana. \nThe committee passed the proposed amendment by a vote of 7-4 after more than two hours of emotional testimony from both sides of the issue, which included religious leaders, professors, citizens and the Indiana Civil Liberties Union. If the General Assembly passes the amendment in this session, it will face one more legislative session in the future, then be put on a ballot to be voted on by Indiana residents. If approved, the amendment would be put into the state constitution.\nThe proposed amendment would add a definition of marriage specifying it as a union between a man and a woman; the constitution does not currently have a definition of marriage.\n"This bill will allow Indiana to stay in line with other states that want to preserve traditional marriages," said Sen. Brandt Hershman (R-Wheatfield), the author of the bill. "(The proposed amendment) will place the issue in the hands of the legislature and people. ... With malice toward no one, this bill would be in keeping with history."\nAlthough the bill was passed, it was not passed without stinging criticism from Committee members, one of whom being Sen. Anita Bowser (D-Michigan City). Bowser repeatedly questioned both the proponents of the bill who spoke as well as the senators who authored the bill.\n"I need one concrete answer," Bowser said in a steadily rising voice. "Why is this important? Why do we need to do this?" \nProponents of the amendment, who spoke in the first hour of the committee session, cited traditional marriage values and protecting the decision from being made by "activist judges" as primary reasons for the amendments passage. \nOpponents of the legislation argued against the bill on the principles of human rights, concern for the financial impact of the bill and fear that the bill would also regulate private businesses giving benefits to same-sex couples.\nThe first hour of the committee meeting consisted of supporters of the band. One proponent of the ban was Eric Miller, representing Advance America, who wanted to keep the decision in "the people's hands."\n"People in America deserve the right to vote (on issues such as the amendment)," Miller said. "(If the amendment isn't passed) all it takes is one judge or supreme court."\nAnother advocate of the bill, Rev. Andy Hunt, said there was no correlation between prejudice because of skin color and the "human learned perversion" of gay men and lesbians.\nThe next hour consisted of speakers against the amendment; so many people signed up to voice their opinions that about 10 couldn't speak because of time constraints. Religious leaders showed on this side of the bill as well, citing human rights issues.\n"When Alabama's Gov. George Wallace stood on those schoolhouse steps and declared 'segregation forever,' he probably thought this would be his finest moment," said Rev. Jeff Miner, senior pastor of Jesus Metropolitan Community Church in Indianapolis. "History has not been kind to Governor Wallace. History is never kind to those who discriminate."\n-- Contact City & State Editor Mike Wilson at mhwilson@indiana.edu.
(02/09/05 6:10am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- A crowd of students from across Indiana took their concerns directly to state legislators Tuesday in an event that brought together hundreds of delegates to the Statehouse.\n"One of the biggest things I want to bring up is state funding for IU," said IUSA President Tyson Chastain before the meet-and-greet.\nChastain joined the crowd in Indianapolis that included IU students, faculty and alumni in an event sponsored by Hoosiers for Higher Education.\n"We also want to thank the legislature for all their hard work and just tell them how much we love IU, that we need to keep up the funding for students of the future," he said.\nThe delegates had one main goal: to inform state legislators about the importance of funding for higher education. The delegation was also at the Statehouse to thank their representatives for their hard and sometimes thankless work they do and to meet the representatives who make decisions that affect their lives as both students and citizens. \n"This is really a case of students showing up and getting heard," said IU junior Jason Growe. "There is no better way to get involved in your education than talking to the people who fund it."\nOne student, senior Daniel Cappy, said he was disappointed with the event, as he wanted less lobbying and more inquisitive questioning of the legislators.\n"I was disappointed with the IUSA leadership," Cappy said. "When (Tyson Chastain) met (Sen. Vi Simpson D-Bloomington), he had the chance to ask legitimate questions about funding for higher education. Instead he just chose to pal up."\nIU faculty and staff also arrived en masse to let their voices be heard by a sympathetic legislative ear. \n"Lots of employees showed up to this as well," said Jeff Wuslich, an aide for IUB Interim Chancellor Ken Gros Louis. "One big issue is whether or not IU employees become part of the state benefits package."\nJ. Thomas Forbes, executive director at the office of state relations, said he deals with legislators at the Statehouse on a daily basis, and the event put a human touch on the bills and funding decisions senators and representatives make.\n"We really want to make sure legislatures learn first-hand the impact their decisions make," Forbes said. "To tell the story of how IU touches peoples' lives is vital."\nSimpson said the event gave her the opportunity to meet the people with whom she has talked on the phone and via e-mail. It also gave students and faculty lessons in how both lobbying and budgets work, Simpson said. \nThe "meet-and-greet" event also brought several issues into discussion such as new tuition control legislation currently on the Senate floor. The bill would place a cap on the percentage of tuition that can be raised from year to year.\n"It is a bill we fought back last year," Simpson said, referring to a tuition cap bill soon to be heard by the Indiana State Senate. "I don't believe in high tuition; students should have more money in financial aid available. ... I am opposed to the bill because I don't want to micromanage the University and how it's funded." \n-- Contact City & State Editor Mike Wilson at mhwilson@indiana.edu.