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(09/04/08 4:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU policy states that the University will not allow its trademark to be used to promote alcohol, among other products, but posters and signs promoting IU and Miller Lite are displayed in bars and stores throughout the city.IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre said the marketing agreement is a “problem” and the University is working to correct it.The materials feature the IU logo, a Miller Lite logo, IU’s football game schedule and a decal that states Indiana University Sports Properties, a division of Learfield Sports. “We are going to correct it,” MacIntyre said. “It might take a little bit of time, but it will stop.”He said IU President Michael McRobbie does not want IU’s logo on beer posters.The materials exist because the athletics department has a contract with Indiana University Sports Properties, which does sports promotions, MacIntyre said. He said he is unsure exactly how this happened but said the University is working to find out.The IU trademark policy states: “Indiana University will not license the use of its name or marks to promote the following products: alcohol, tobacco, controlled substances, sexually oriented products, religious products, or games of chance.”Bob Agramonte, regional vice president of Learfield Sports, said the posters were not approved by IU or Learfield Sports and most of the signs and posters had been taken down.He said its not that IU can’t work with alcohol companies, but they are severely restricted by what they can do. At one point the posters, printed by Miller Brewing Co., were allowed, he said.At least one poster is still displayed in the Convenient Food Mart, 1401 N. Dunn St., and another at Kilroy’s Bar & Grill, 502 E. Kirkwood Ave.Dave Wampler, manager of the Convenient Food Mart, said the beer distributors bring the materials in, and they’ve been doing it for years.
(09/03/08 4:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The approval process for research involving human subjects has slowed at IU-Bloomington recently, creating problems for graduate students and others who are trying to start and complete projects.The delayed approvals put graduation in limbo for some who had hoped to finish their work by the end of the summer sessions. For others, it threatened funding for their projects.But the slowdown was an unpleasant side effect of a needed modification, say IU officials, as the board responsible for reviewing proposals and the university reworks its system.The slowdown is happening because rules regarding what information researchers must submit have changed over the years, said Peter Finn, psychology professor and director of the Bloomington Institutional Review Board, or IRB, which approves and oversees projects involving human subjects.Presently researchers are expected to provide more information, and the IRBs have a more extensive vetting process, Finn said. For example, new information is required concerning the consent of subjects depending on their age, what researchers plan on doing to them and other factors.But the impact of the increased requirements spreads far beyond hard sciences. A review is required for any interaction with humans, including simply observing them outside or talking with them about anything. The normal length of the review varies from two to five weeks depending on what the researchers plan to do.Graduate and professional student organization moderator Nick Clark said a few students complained during the summer about the wait.Some had delayed research, he said, and one student had to start the process over when the restructuring began. Clark said it was possible graduation could be delayed and grant money not approved.The Graduate and Professional Student Organization advocates for graduate students to the administration. But there wasn’t much they could do in this situation, Clark said.“The changes they made were positive changes,” Clark said, adding that if students want to get money for research at all, the new rules must be enforced.Clark said he thinks many graduate students are angry that the new procedures aren’t thorough enough.It’s not exactly a government requirement: Finn said it’s more of an evolutionary process, where one university adapts a rule and others follow suit, with few hard and fast limits.“It’s not black and white,” said Steve Martin, associate vice provost for research.Before, IU-Bloomington didn’t have a well-articulated process, Finn said. When the former director of the human subject’s office retired, he took his years of experience and operating procedures with him, he said.Issues with the review process were brought to the attention of the University and government authorities earlier this summer.Finn said humans weren’t in danger, but without a well-articulated process, procedures can deviate, causing problems.IU-Purdue University Indianapolis, which has six IRBs, compared with Bloomington’s one, is accredited, which ensures the whole process is up to current standards.The University is restructuring so all the review boards in the whole IU system fall under one office and one vice president. It’s also training the Bloomington IRB to use the same procedures as Indianapolis, while IUPUI temporarily takes on some of the Bloomington IRB’s reviews.Graduate student Dean Van Nasdale works in a lab that uses instruments found in optometry clinics for early detection of damage from macular degeneration and diabetes.Van Nasdale said it isn’t a big deal for him right now. He said he isn’t treated like other graduate students because he already has a doctorate in optometry. He doesn’t have to worry as much about grant funding or providing for his family. But, he still has to wait.His request is near the bottom of the list since others need requests approved soon to get grant funding, he said. Martin and Finn said it’s more than a month into what they expect to be a three-month process. They said some of the wait comes from researchers having to learn how to fill out new forms with more detail.Robert Sherwood, associate dean for research in the School of Education, said the restructuring has affected his school some because most of the research involves underage students, a touchy subject for the IRBs.He said it’s a matter of telling parents what’s going on – that they’re trying a new teaching method and there will be an extra quiz or test.Besides the slowdown, the IRB has been helpful, going out of its way to provide education about the new procedures, Sherwood said.“We are hoping we can help it from becoming a problem in the fall,” he said.
(09/02/08 4:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For sophomore Jacob Sherry, evacuating when a hurricane or bad storm was near his home in the West Bank area of New Orleans was no big deal. In fact, it was like a little vacation.“Evacuating was a pretty normal part of the end of summer,” he said.But when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, his attitude changed. While being at college made him and other students from the area feel more removed, they know the devastation a storm like Hurricane Gustav can bring.Three days ago, Sherry’s parents and sister evacuated to Memphis to stay with friends. They took pets, pictures, important documents and other things that had value to the family.Luckily, he said when the storm hit New Orleans on Monday, it wasn’t that bad. SLIDE SHOW: Hurricane GustavBut it was an exercise in letting go, he said. Being so far away, there’s nothing Sherry can do for his stressed family, except talk to them over the phone.Senior Allison Cohen’s parents also had to evacuate the city. She said in an e-mail that before Katrina, she would ride out the storms and hurricanes in her grandparent’s condo. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin set out a zero tolerance mandate for looters and those who stayed behind who violated curfew, giving Hurricane Gustav a much different feel than before Katrina, Cohen said.She said her family has more fear for Gustav than they did before Katrina hit, and they took extra precautions with their belongings.Freshman Zack Brenner’s family evacuated to Monroe, La. During Katrina, floods did damage to his parents’ houses. He said he was used to evacuating, too. This time, it was more widespread.While Brenner said he didn’t know much about the situation, he didn’t think there was much flooding where he lived.He said it was scary thinking a storm like Katrina could happen again. He said he’s glad to be out of the storm’s way at IU where he and his things are safe. But Brenner also said he feels a little helpless.“It also feels bad I’m not with my family at this point,” he said.
(08/29/08 3:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For those interested in being leaders in the Latino community at IU, La Casa, the Latino Cultural Center, is sponsoring the annual Latino Leader’s Retreat.The retreat will be Sept. 12 and Sept. 13 at Bradford Woods in Martinsville. Those interested should e-mail lacasa@indiana.edu by Monday. There is no cost.The trip is an opportunity for those involved in different Latino groups and others interested, including freshmen and faculty, to set goals, build leadership skills and network, said Lillian Casillas, director of La Casa.It’s a time for participants and representatives from all the different groups to come together to figure out what they want as individuals, as an organization and as a whole community, she said.Other centers, such as the Asian Culture Center and the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, have similar programs, Casillas said.Though the organizations work hard, a goal of this retreat is to get them to work together, she said. Junior Jennifer Rios first went as a freshman. She said she didn’t know many people before going but remains good friends with those she met. “It’s a retreat to get to know other people,” she said.She hopes she can help new students get a lot out of the retreat.“I was in their position one time,” she said. “I like helping them because I know what they’re going through.”Usually 30 to 40 people attend, Casillas said. The numbers consist of one or two representatives from each organization, the La Casa staff, which is about five people and other interested students. Casillas said a bigger gathering of more than 400 people happens in the spring.Activities include workshops in goal-setting, identifying leadership styles, event-planning, activism and community service,
(08/27/08 4:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The world weighs on the mind of Kathleen Robbins, who was announced Tuesday as the new director of the undergraduate program for the Kelley School of Business.In her new role, Robbins said she wants as many students as possible to study abroad because she believes it’s important to understand issues companies face overseas.“Most companies operate on a global scale,” she said.Robbins, who will manage the programs and services for undergraduate business students, has benefited from overseas studies. She went through graduate school in the Netherlands after graduating from the Kelley School of Business in 2002. She then worked in New Zealand before being hired as an academic adviser at Kelley in 2005.She said she learned how business decisions affect people of different cultures, as well as how to survive in unfamiliar situations.Her office will continue to try and offer foreign programs that will fit everybody’s needs, Robbins said.“No matter what a student’s schedule, we try to accommodate it,” she said.Business school professor Munirpallam Venkataramanan, chairman of the undergraduate program, said there has always been some focus on internationalism, with many students studying abroad and a six credit-hour international dimensions requirement. But now there are many different programs, such as a class that sends students to “non-traditional” countries, including China, Brazil and Ghana.“She really has a passion for developing international programs,” Venkataramanan said.She also said it’s in line with the University’s over-arching focus on internationalism. Robbins’ office also has programs that range from attracting students to helping them pursue careers once they graduate. Venkataramanan complimented Robbins on her good organizational skills, fairness, kindness and innovation.Robbins collaborated on the Young Women’s Institute, whose goal is to attract high school girls to the business field. Venkataramanan said many students who attend the program go on to the Business School at IU.Robbins said she hopes to accommodate every student by having a wide range of programs.Freshman business student Melissa Klawans said programs that allow students to experience other cultures are important.“Right now the economy is so global we have to have an understanding of cultures and everything to do well in the business world,” she said.
(05/05/08 12:33am)
Some Indiana youths are sticking it to those of age who buy alcohol for their underage counterparts.\nIndiana Point of Youth, a youth advisory group aimed at reforming substance-abuse and public-safety laws, started distributing stickers April 24 to stores that sell alcohol, Indiana Criminal Justice Institute Executive Director Neil Moore said. The stickers carry a warning to those considering buying alcohol for minors, saying they are subject to penalties, Moore said.\nHe said the stickers, which aren’t mandatory for stores to display, are supposed to be placed in prominent areas. They are provided and funded by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute and distributed by the Indiana Point of Youth, who are working with the excise police and local coordinating councils.\nBob Bowden, manager at Village Pantry, 1831 E. 10th St., said he had never heard of the program. He said the program probably wouldn’t work, but any tools he gets to fight crime are helpful. \n“I don’t think it would, but it wouldn’t hurt,” he said, referring to the program’s probability of working.\nThe program comes on the heels of a new law that raises the penalty for providing alcohol to minors from a Class C infraction to a Class B one. That law, which takes effect July 1, raises the fine from up to $500 to up to $1,000, Moore said.\nAccording to the Indiana Point of Youth Web site, the youth organization claims to be a link between young people and policy makers. Its members, high school students from around the state, have campaigned for issues such as keg registration, an increase in tobacco tax and measures meant to curb drug use. \nMoore said the group previously worked on “action plans” to battle methamphetamine but last year decided to focus, in part, on underage drinking.\nEight members of Indiana Point of Youth came up with the program and, along with two adult facilitators, went to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute for funding.\nMoore said he hopes the program raises awareness, adding he doesn’t know how successful the program will be.\n“We’re kind of waiting to see,” he said. “I think it’s a relatively unique program.” \nNora McFarland, a recent IU graduate, said the stickers would have little impact on people’s decisions to buy alcohol for minors. She said that by the time people were in the store, ready to get the alcohol, they had already made a commitment and seeing a sticker would be unlikely to change their minds.\nHowever, she said the penalty might deter people.\nSophomore Ashley Hofecker said the stickers would probably be a deterrent for some. She said some people are afraid of getting into trouble by buying alcohol for minors.\n“I know a lot of people who are kind of scared to do that,” she said.
(04/26/08 8:23pm)
As gas prices rise with the temperature, some students are feeling a burn in their wallets.\nThe national average price of regular unleaded gas on Thursday was $3.556 per gallon – a record high, according to AAA. That’s up from $2.864 per gallon at this time last year.\n“I think they’re outrageous,” said sophomore Molly Scott of the gas prices.\nScott said gas prices have to go up, but they shouldn’t go up so drastically. She said she thinks the country’s leaders don’t realize how it affects society and people’s daily lives. She also said the war and the economy aren’t helping matters any.\nAAA Hoosier Motor Club Public Affairs Manager Greg Seiter said the reasons for the increase in gas prices include the costs of refineries changing from “basic bulk” gasoline sold in the winter to Environmental Protection Agency-mandated reformulated gasoline sold during the summer. He said during this time of year people can almost bet gas will go up a little for that reason.\nGraduate student Lauren Morrill-Ragusea said she thinks the higher gas prices are caused by a combination of sources, but she said it’s not fair that oil companies are making so much money. \nShe said she used to be able to fill her car up for $12, and now it costs $30.\n“It sucks,” she said.\nSeiter said demand is up because the days are getting longer – crude oil is up to about $117 or $118 per barrel. The price was about $60 a barrel a year ago, he said, and it’s a popular time of year to go on vacations.\nHe said oil is traded throughout the world with the United States dollar, so a weaker dollar in other countries tends to raise demand for oil, raising prices. The United States imports much of its oil.\n“We are in some ways at their mercy,” Seiter said about foreign oil-producing countries.\nSeiter said there is a significant energy problem in the United States.\n“A lot of it, quite frankly, is our own doing,” Seiter said, referring to the average American.\nSeiter said if people would obey speed limits, keep their cars tuned up and keep tires properly inflated, people’s money would be saved over the long run.\nHe also said Americans need to stop buying big trucks and SUVs because they’re fashionable. \n“The decrease in demand needs to come from the individual themselves,” Seiter said.\nMorrill-Ragusea said she saves money on gas by walking when she goes downtown, taking the bus and waiting for the gas light in her car to come on before filling up.\nScott said in order to reduce money she spends on gas, she carpools as much as possible while driving around campus and doesn’t go home as much as she did last year. She also said she rides the bus more.\n“I’d buy a fuel-efficient car if I had money,” she said.
(04/25/08 4:20am)
An emergency congressional meeting for the IU Student Association was canceled Thursday after the IUSA Supreme Court released a statement saying a vote to approve or overturn the court’s disqualification of the Kirkwood ticket from the elections would be unconstitutional.\nSupreme Court Chief Justice Kate FitzGerald said the Big Red ticket will still be inaugurated Monday.\nAfter IUSA President W.T. Wright called the emergency meeting for a review of the decision, FitzGerald sent an e-mail to Wright – as well as IU President Michael McRobbie, Chancellor Ken Gros Louis, other IU administrators and IUSA members, among others – saying that she had received two petitions questioning the constitutionality of three sections in the IUSA Elections Code. She recommended that the meeting be canceled.\n“These three sections of the Code, which are defined in the Constitution as IUSA bylaws, exist in blatant contradiction to the IUSA Constitution,” she wrote in the e-mail. “The Constitution supersedes bylaws. These three sections of the Code must be removed from the Code or edited to reflect full constitutionality prior to next year’s elections process.”\nThere will be a hearing on the sections next week to make a formal decision. FitzGerald said she did not know when the hearing would be, but said it had to be at least seven days from Thursday.\n“No decision by the Supreme Court can be subject to congressional approval or dismissal,” FitzGerald said in an interview. \nShe also said any potential decision Congress would make regarding the Supreme Court’s decision would be unconstitutional and therefore null and void. \nOne section brought into question, Title VIII section 802, states the Congress has the authority to overrule the Supreme Court if the election commission disqualifies a party and the Supreme Court upholds that decision. The Congress needs two-thirds of the members present to overturn the disqualification.\nSenior Megan Robb, who said she has never been a member of IUSA, sent a petition to the IUSA Supreme Court arguing that section 802 was unconstitutional. Robb said according to the IUSA Constitution and according to another section of the Elections Code, the Supreme Court has final authority to settle any election disputes.\nRobb said it seemed like the IUSA Congress was using section 802 to justify holding a meeting to vote on the Supreme Court decision. The IUSA Supreme Court disqualified the Kirkwood ticket Tuesday, even though the Election Commission had previously voted not to disqualify them.\nFormer IUSA president and senior Alex Shortle also filed a petition with the IUSA Supreme Court.\nShortle said he filed the petition because the IUSA election this year has been \n“dragging on too long.” Besides section 802, Shortle also called into question sections 907 and 1104, which give Congress the authority to approve and uphold the Election Commission disqualifications.\n“Their decisions aren’t up for the confirmation of Congress,” Shortle said.\nShortle said the Elections Code was rewritten last year to give the Congress a little more power, but some of the sections were in violation of the constitution.\nSteve Veldkamp, director of student activities and assistant dean of students, said the IUSA Supreme Court has the final say in election matters.\nCurrent student body president W.T. Wright said there are flaws in the Elections Code that have to be worked out. \n“We’re in a gray area right now about what they have to interpret,” Wright said.
(04/21/08 2:16am)
To raise money for its parent-teacher organization, Fairview Elementary School held its “Annual Rummage and Plant Sale” Saturday.\nThe plants sold at the sale were grown in the Jordan Hall Greenhouse by some students in the environmental biology course L350. The students were required to complete 15 hours of service-learning by participating in a project in the community. One project was to help students at Fairview Elementary School learn to garden.\n“It started off as a class project, now there’s a strong urge to give back,” said IU senior Kathleen Townley, who helped sell the plants.\nThe sale, which lasted from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., included several varieties of eggplant, basil, broccoli, squash, zucchini, pumpkin, watermelon, peppers and other plants. \nIU senior Bryan Patrick, who also helped with the plant sale, said a number of the plants were “heirlooms.” He said those were varieties of plants that had gone out of style. Heirloom plants and vegetables aren’t mass produced for sale in grocery stores.\nTownley said that last year, IU students also sold plants at Fairview, so the students this year knew what was in demand. She said many of the heirloom plant seeds were donated. Townley also said the IU students sold many of the same type of plants the elementary school students grow in Fairview Elementary’s school garden.\nTownley said she hoped to sell all the plants by the end of the sale. She said the plants, which went for $1.50 - $2, were selling briskly.\nBloomington resident and gardening enthusiast Peggy Anderson said she lives around the corner from the school and saw a sign for the sale a few days before. She bought some heirloom tomatoes and said she was coming back for additional plants. \nAnderson said she wanted to support the the school.\nThe rummage portion of the sale was held in the school gymnasium. The sale consisted of “anything that’s of decent quality,” said parent volunteer Erin Fleser. The sale included household items, clothes, art and other items\nFleser said all the money raised on Sunday will go to the Fairview Parent-Teacher Organization. She said the organization is made up of parents, faculty and staff of Fairview Elementary and community members. She said it organizes activities such as fundraisers, dances and science nights. \nThe money raised Saturday would be used for student and faculty needs, Fleser said. She said the rummage part of the sale has been going on at least five years. \nFleser said the elementary school students were actively involved in the rummage sale. She said the grade-schoolers helped set up tables and \nprice items.\n“It’s just getting them to sit still that’s a little hard,” Fleser said, “so we don’t make them sell stuff.”
(04/17/08 1:16am)
Busy college students often overlook Mother’s Day. A group of students are hoping to make sure people don’t forget it and are raising money for Bloomington’s Middle Way House in the process.\nThe group of five students is selling Mother’s Day cards to benefit the Middle Way House Rape Crisis Center as part of a group project for the IU course Principles of Public Relations. \nToby Strout, executive director of Middle Way House, said the rape crisis center is open 24 hours a day. The center receives a call any time a rape is committed, and someone from the center goes out to assist and stay with the rape victim.\n“It’s a nice thing to have someone there at 3 o’clock in the morning,” Strout said. “Or anytime for that matter.”\nMiddle Way House’s mission, according to the Middle Way House Web site, is: “To end violence, both structural and interpersonal, in the lives of women and children.” It has programs that can help abused women find housing and support.\nThe group of public relations students met with staff at Middle Way House and found something it could do in addition to promoting the Middle Way House, said group member and IU junior Amanda Gilles. The Middle Way House suggested the group sell Mother’s Day cards on campus.\nJunior Cayla McLeland said it was difficult to find an organization and come up with ideas. But, she added, the cause was worthwhile.\n“It’s a good feeling to know that you’re helping a good cause,” she said.\nGroup member junior Andrea Weintraub said a lot of people don’t even know what Middle Way House is. \nIn addition to raising money for the organization, “it’s good to get the word out,” she said.\nGroup members are selling the cards for $10 in their classes, some stores in the Union, Howard’s Bookstore and the UPS store on College Mall Road. Gilles said the group also plans to sell bookmark inserts for $5, but they haven’t come in yet. The group also created a Facebook page about the sale.\nStrout said Middle Way House has sold Mother’s Day cards to benefit the rape crisis center before, but never on IU’s campus. Strout said that in 1989, Middle Way House got 10,000 signatures from students and did all the paperwork so students could check off that they wanted to give money to the Rape Crisis Fund at registration.\nThe rape crisis center used to receive 100 percent of the profits from the students’ donations, Strout said. Recently, however, the funding from the registration was cut to 25 percent of the money, the rest going to other organizations. With the decrease in funding, Middle Way House needed to find other ways to raise enough money to support the Rape Crisis Center.\nStrout said a lot of students are concerned about the work Middle Way House does and several groups have done projects to benefit the Middle Way House.\n Besides the awareness and financial support the sale will bring Middle Way House, Strout said she hopes it will help students remember their mothers at a hectic time of year.\n“I can see Mother’s Day getting lost in there,” she said.
(04/11/08 4:10am)
This week, students remembered two lives that ended prematurely.\nIU Dance Marathon put on Ryan White and Ashley Crouse Education Week to create awareness about the lives and early deaths of White and Crouse and about IUDM. Both White and Crouse impacted the marathon greatly, said Ashley Crouse’s brother, Casey Crouse. White was the inspiration behind the IUDM, said junior Sarah Franz, director of marketing for IUDM. White died from complications of AIDS April 8, 1990, months before he was supposed to begin studying at IU. \nAshley Crouse died in a car accident on April 12, 2005. She was on the Executive Council of IUDM. \nIn 2007, IUDM raised more than $1 million for Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.\n“They’re why we do what we do,” said Casey Crouse, who is also a sophomore and external vice president of IUDM .\nFranz said fliers were handed out with information about Crouse and White throughout the week. The IUDM also sold about 450 blue “Ashley and Ryan” T-shirts that were to be worn Thursday. \nShe also said riders for Kappa Kappa Gamma, Crouse’s sorority, plans to wear blue ribbons on their Little 500 jerseys, and greek houses were asked to hang banners in White’s and Crouse’s honor. \nOn Sunday, a slide show in honor of Ashley Crouse will be screened on the lawn of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Franz said visitors can come and go between 6 and 8 p.m. \nAccording to the IUDM Web site, White contracted AIDS through blood products used to treat his hemophilia. After being diagnosed with AIDS, White had to fight a legal battle to return to school and had to deal with his community’s and society’s fears about AIDS. Junior Gretchen Pinnick, a member of IUDM’s Riley development committee, said society didn’t understand or know how to handle AIDS. A common fear was that people with AIDS could spread it to others through ordinary contact. \nFranz said White revolutionized the way people think about AIDS patients. \n“It’s a bridge that had never been crossed before,” Pinnick said.\nPinnick said Riley Hospital had become a sort of support group for White. Franz said when a friend of White’s, Jill Stewart, came to IU, she decided to start IUDM to benefit Riley Children’s Hospital \nin Indianapolis. \nPinnick, who is also president of Kappa Kappa Gamma, said IUDM was something Ashley Crouse felt passionately about and worked hard for.\n“She had all these dreams, she was so optimistic about it,” Pinnick said, referring to the IUDM.\nCasey Crouse said his sister had a love for life and tried to make as many people smile as she could.\nFranz said it’s the first year IUDM has put on Ryan White and Ashley Crouse Education Week, but they hope to make it an annual event. \nThe IDS is a corporate sponsor of IUDM.
(04/09/08 4:04pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Don’t “do it yourself,” do it as a community.That’s the idea behind Bloomington’s Community Bicycle Project. Located at 214 N. Madison St., the project allows anyone to buy a low-cost bike, build a bike for free and take it home or fix the bike they already have. The project has the tools, parts and knowledgeable volunteers to facilitate all of this.The attic above the project’s garage is a dim grave site for the old, donated bikes. People can take a bike from there, use parts and tools from the shed-like garage downstairs and fix up a bike they can take home for free. Most people work outside, in the light, on the pavement. Bikes that volunteers have fixed hang inside the garage, ready for someone to pick out, pay a reduced price for and take home.Madeline Windsor, the project’s volunteer coordinator, said that while the project definitely caters to low-income people, anyone can come in. Windsor sees a lot of Bloomington residents, college students and even international students. She said it’s a good, diversified mix of folks.The project started as the Yellow Bike Project in the late 1990s. The Yellow Bike Project provided yellow bikes around town for public use. The maintenance on the bikes became too much, however, so the organization rethought its approach. Windsor said the Community Bike Project became essentially what it is today in the basement of Harmony Education Center until it moved to its current location.The project came under the umbrella of Bloomington’s Center for Sustainable Living, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide resources for those interested in an ecologically sound community. The project is funded by sales of bikes that volunteers have fixed up, grants from the Indiana Bicycle Coalition and donations. IU senior Eric Day goes into the project to fix his bike because he doesn’t have the tools to do it at his own home. Day said he rides his bike as much as he can, though he was limited this past winter to taking the bus or walking since his bike was broken.While working on his bike outside the garage, Day became stumped and asked a volunteer for help. The volunteer showed Day a technique to place the derailleur and chain on his bicycle correctly.Bloomington resident Nathan Bell said he comes in about two or three times a week to fix his bike. He said that he and his friends like to ride on trails, which is hard on the bikes.“If you don’t know much about bikes, there’s always someone here to help,” Bell said. “I think that’s the coolest thing about this place.”People can donate old bikes and bike parts. The old bikes can then be fixed up and taken home by patrons. Volunteer Zoe Neal said it was taking what people had decided was garbage and turning it into useful transportation.Windsor said she thinks everyone should ride a bike. She said cars, much of the time, are unnecessary. She said the air would be cleaner and the roads would be safer for riders if more people rode bikes.Besides the good it does by providing transportation and helping the environment, the project also provides empowerment to those who participate in it.Windsor said that as people work on their bikes, they realize they’re simple machines they can actually fix and operate. Windsor herself learned to fix bicycles by stripping parts off unsalvageable bikes, building her own bike and picking up the rest from books.She said a lot of the volunteers just work on bikes until they understand. She said that working on the bikes is essentially quite easy. The volunteers love biking and bicycles in general. Neal said he became interested in biking after watching “Breaking Away,” and Windsor said she rides her bike much of the time, in part, because it’s fun. Despite the fact that bikes are much simpler and easier to work on than cars, the volunteers never stop learning.“Every time I come here I see something new; somebody’s working on something I haven’t seen before,” Neal said.
(04/09/08 2:05am)
One IU class is reaching beyond the classroom and giving back to the community.\nStudents taking environmental biology L350 are required to complete 15 hours of service learning by participating in one of three projects. One class project involves teaching Fairview Elementary School students how to garden.\n“I think what this helps students do is connect with their community and the environment,” said research \nscientist Peggy Schultz, the class’s professor.\nSchultz said the project is a way to counteract the negativity usually associated with the impact humans have on the planet.\nA student in the class, senior Michael Link, said he usually meets with the elementary school students twice a week for about an hour. He said he spends the time teaching the children what plants and humans need to grow.\n“It gives kids an opportunity to learn about the environment and gardening,” he said, adding that it can serve as an outlet for the elementary school students.\nLink said he hopes that while the kids grow spinach, tomatoes, squash and other plants in their gardens, they also become more aware of the environment. He wants them keep in mind that humans are dependant on plants and the environment and to appreciate that there’s only one planet.\n“It affects everyone,” he said. “Everyone lives on \nthis planet.”\nThe idea was to build gardens and teach kids about gardening, said senior Joe McGibbon, who helped start the project.\nAs part of a project to complete a minor in leadership, ethics and social action, McGibbon worked with the Center for Sustainable Living, the Caldwell Center for Culture and Ecology and the teachers and administrators of Fairview Elementary to install eight 4-by-8-foot gardening beds. He said the gardens started in August 2007.\n“We live in a society where we don’t know where food comes from before it gets to the grocery store,” McGibbon said. \nHe said this makes it harder to be responsible and make healthy choices because people don’t realize what chemicals or antibiotics could be in food. He said these chemicals are sometimes unhealthy for the consumers, workers and the land.\nMcGibbon said beside the environment, organizers had social reasons for doing the project. He said the grade-school students learned to work together for the project. They also learned about nutrition and made a salad.\nHe said while learning in a classroom is essential, the children learn more when they’re engaged.\n“It’s a great supplement,” he said.\nLink said part of the project involved growing plants in Jordan Hall’s greenhouse. He said the plants started there will be sold April 19 as part of the Annual Rummage and Plant Sale. The money raised at the sale will fund a field trip to Bradford Woods for some of the elementary students, he said.\nBoth Link and McGibbon said they enjoyed working with the young students.\n“They’re not afraid to speak their minds,” Link said.
(04/03/08 6:01pm)
Scheduling problems plague many of IU’s schools and academic departments, and professors are weighing in on what they think should be done.\n“That demand on classrooms has just increased exponentially in the past decade,” said Greg Peters, senior instructor and mathematics scheduler.\nGeology professor and Bloomington Faculty Council president Lisa Pratt said because of concerns regarding the poor condition of classrooms, along with scheduling difficulties, the University is thinking about ways to free up classrooms for maintenance and remodeling. \nOne of those ways is to spread out the times of classes, which could mean more 8 a.m. and Friday classes. The council is also thinking about reducing the number of 75-minute classes on Mondays and Wednesdays to reduce inefficient overlapping of classes.\nPeters said that while IU is increasing the number of classes offered and the number of students goes up, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find classrooms during “prime time,” 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.\n“That lack of flexibility is a dilemma,” he said. \nPeters said that while he thinks the campus is in good shape, down the road there might be a need to close, for example, a floor of a building for a semester or longer for remodeling, routine maintenance or technology upgrades. Right now, he said, maintenance has to be done a few rooms at a time, which is inefficient.\nPeters said before college, most students took 8 a.m. classes in high school.\n“If you take one or two 8 a.m. classes in your career, it’s nothing,” he said.\nJim Davis, math department chair and professor, agreed that there is a problem with scheduling.\n“I think that there is an inherent problem at Indiana University with respect to classroom scheduling which should be addressed,” he said.\nHe said the issue about Friday classes was more of a concern to him than the issue over 8 a.m. classes. Davis, who is strongly in favor of having more Friday classes, said he doesn’t believe that on Fridays students should learn less effectively.\n“Students come here for an education and there’s no reason why education should be more difficult on a Friday than any other work day,” he said.\nDavis said while some other schools and departments don’t have classes on Friday, instead conducting meetings, traveling for academic purposes and other activities, students don’t always go when other departments have classes on Fridays. \n“And that’s really bad for the educational enterprise,” Davis said.\nHe said he doesn’t understand why some departments don’t have classes on Fridays, but he said it’s more for the convenience of the individual departments than the students.\nDavis said he was in favor of 8 a.m. classes if they’re necessary and he said he is more sympathetic about it. He said that it was sometimes necessary to have 8 a.m. classes and the professors who teach them often enjoy it because more serious students take those classes.\nDewitt Kilgore, assistant professor of English and American studies, said he’s not completely opposed to 8 a.m. classes, though he said they are undesirable. He said that some students might have trouble getting services, such as breakfast, and trouble getting to school.\nKilgore also said that he enjoys having 75-minute classes because it gives his class a greater opportunity to hold discussions. While the English department doesn’t have 75-minute classes on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, he teaches them on Tuesdays and Thursdays and said he likes them and is in favor of \nkeeping them.\n“We’re not going to get a one size fits all solution,” \nhe said. \nPeters said it would be nice to build a new classroom building, but the University doesn’t have the money.\nDavis said that he’s seen that many academic buildings are in need of remodeling. However, he said, it’s often easier to get money for new buildings and laboratories than to get money to maintain the old ones.\n“It’s just easier to get money for something new than to remodel and take care of the old things,” he said. “It just sounds better to \nthe legislature.”
(04/01/08 10:25pm)
More students might have no other choice than to walk blurry-eyed into more 8 a.m. and Friday classes.\nGeology professor and Bloomington Faculty Council President Lisa Pratt said that because of concerns about the poor overall condition of classrooms, the University is thinking about ways to free up classrooms for maintenance and remodeling, which could mean more classes will be held at 8 a.m. and on Fridays. \nThe problem was brought up at a Bloomington Faculty Council meeting early in \nSeptember. \nThe challenge is to find a way for that to happen without resorting to building new classrooms. Classroom use is at capacity, and even over capacity – except early in the morning, during the evenings and on Fridays.\nThe idea, Pratt said, is to schedule more classes on Fridays and at 8 a.m. and curb 75-minute Monday, Wednesday and Friday classes, so scheduling for later in the day is less congested. Pratt said the summers are too short to do major remodeling, which takes six to nine months.\nPratt said she, as a professor, has had problems scheduling classrooms for a lecture and then finding a place and time for the lab. She also said scheduling lecture halls was difficult.\n“Those classrooms are in particularly short supply,” she said.\nSenior Elliot Hayden said he doesn’t have a problem with 8 a.m. classes. He said it might be better if students have earlier classes because they won’t stay up as late causing mischief, yet he said he’d have trouble with it.\n“I’m sure I’d end up hating it,” he said. \nHayden also said he hadn’t noticed any significant problems with rooms besides the “artwork” that some students engrave in wood chairs.\nFreshman Christina Gilligan said she doesn’t like 8 a.m. classes. She said she also heard a rumor about 7:30 a.m. classes, which has her worried.\n“I feel like a lot of students don’t get enough sleep already,” she said.\nGilligan also said some students have to take a bus or walk so they have to get up even earlier. She said most businesses start at 9 a.m., and that college should mirror the real world.
(03/31/08 6:26am)
Instead of pulling an all-nighter for academic reasons, about 450 students stayed up Saturday night to raise money to find a cure for cancer.\nAlthough 53 teams were registered, 46 teams showed up for the annual Relay For Life on Saturday and Sunday at the Billy Hayes Track. The event raised about $60,000 for the American Cancer Society. \nFrom 3 p.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday, a member from each team was supposed to be walking around the track. When it wasn’t their turn to walk, team members sat in tents, laid on the grass, flew kites, threw a Frisbee or played soccer. Several musicians, contests and speakers were planned throughout the night and early morning. \nSenior Timothy Hawkins, has several family members who have had cancer. He said he could relax because all his team’s work of raising money was done for this year. \n“It’s cool because everyone can hang out, have an all-nighter,” Hawkins said.\nHe hopes the event gets bigger to not only make more money, but to make the Relay For Life a big deal on campus. \n“It’s a win-win situation,” he said. \nThe event raised between $60,000 and $65,000 after expenses, said Andrea Curtis-French, American Cancer Society staff partner. The event’s goal is to raise $90,000 by Aug. 31.\nSenior Tim Fuller said he hopes the event raises awareness of cancer. \n“People know how bad cancer is,” he said. “But they don’t realize every person can make a difference.” \nFreshman Zane Galyan said the event was fun, but also humbling. \n“The odds of me getting cancer are ridiculously high,” Galyan said. “To know this many people can get together to find a cure is amazing.” \nGalyan said both his parents and other family members have had cancer. He said that every little bit helps. \nCale O’Bryan, vice president of communications for the Sigma Phi Epsilon, said his fraternity wanted to support the American Cancer Society by being present at the event. It was the first year the fraternity participated in Relay For Life, and they hope to raise more money next year, he said. \n“Relay is a celebration of life, and these survivors are the primary example of what it’s like to live life to the fullest,” sophomore and event coordinator Jennifer Conley said. \nBloomington residents and cancer survivors Basil and Jocelyn Wentworth said they liked walking and hanging out with the college students. However, Basil Wentworth warned that the possibility of cancer seems so remote for young people that they don’t think about it. \n“It gives them a false sense of security,” he said. \nJocelyn Wentworth said most years she’s invited to IU’s Relay for Life, but this year she didn’t receive an invitation. So, she called the survivorship committee chair and asked her to invite her and \nher husband. \nVolunteers set up a table where participants could decorate a paper bag in honor of a loved one. Called luminaries, the bags held a candle and were placed around the track. The luminaries were lit at dusk. \nCurtis-French said teams started raising money this year in January. She said teams don’t typically go door-to-door any longer because they do most of the fundraising on the Internet. \nShe said teams set up a profile on the Relay For Life Web site and teams send e-mails out asking people to donate.\n“It’s easier for both parties,” she said.
(03/25/08 4:00am)
With IU Student Association presidential candidates in the final throes of their campaigns, perhaps only minor differences set these candidates apart.\nAnd history shows it might be hard to imagine many candidates – at least in recent history – who drastically differ from this year’s group of three. \nDespite female students consistently outnumbering men on campus, only a handful of women throughout IUSA’s history have landed the top leadership position. In addition, few minorities have been president. \nThese trends, coupled with the fact that all three candidates this year have conservative political ties and admittedly have minimal differences among their platforms, leave an open question for voters: How can any one of these candidates represent varying interests on campus? \nStill, candidates work to separate themselves from the pack, citing differences – however small – to demonstrate why their voice can speak for all students. \nBig Red ticket candidate Luke Fields said he doesn’t fit the “mold” because he studied overseas, lived on campus for three years and is a student in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Kelley School of Business. INdiana ticket presidential candidate and law student David White said he hopes for a rally of graduate student support. Graduate student voter turnout for the elections this week could be a decisive factor in selecting the next leader, candidates have said. \nBut with about 20 percent voter turnout in 2006 and uncontested elections last year, there might be more to the situation than history. \n“I think the majority of students don’t even know what IUSA is,” Kirkwood ticket candidate Joe Weis said. \nSome students agree. \n“It’s probably because they don’t know,” said junior Amanda Nurse to explain why more women, minority students and those with varying sexual orientations don’t run for the IUSA presidency. \nNurse, part of the Multi-Cultural Greek Council, said there probably wouldn’t be the same “mold” of people running every year if more people knew about IUSA. If more organizations knew about it, including her organization, then more groups would encourage candidates to run, she said. \n“It’s a lack of information,” she said. “Lack of communications between groups.”\nNurse said if IUSA is looking for diversity, they already know where to find it. \nIt’s a matter of who the candidates reach out to in determining who votes, Weis said. He said it’s hard to get to talk to all students, but that all students need to have a voice and get involved. Weis called for increased communication between the student body and IUSA. \n“We are in a different period,” senior De’Ondray Pope said. Pope, a black student who said he is involved in many ways throughout the campus, said the atmosphere has changed since he first started at IU. Minority groups aren’t as involved in “majority” groups as they once were, he said.\nPope blames this situation on apathy. Individuals and minority students have grown complacent in some cases, he said, but need to start getting involved. \n“I was the only minority individual represented there,” Pope said of his experience on the Kirkwood ticket his freshman year. \nPope recognized that “majority” groups generally represent IUSA, but added the current campaigns have at least planned to communicate with minority organizations such as the Black Student Union. \n“They need to go ahead and vote,” Pope said of all students. He said that if a student doesn’t vote, he or she has no right to complain about things on campus. \nWhite said there are two types of diversity. One is experience on campus and the other is “culturally, social diversity,” and it’s not easy to find someone who represents both. \n“It’s hard to find enough diverse people who have interest in the IUSA,” White said. \nWeis said students are apathetic except when it comes to issues such as the basketball program. \n“What’s going to make the administration take notice if students don’t care or show interest?” Weis said. \nAll three of the candidates said they believed that their tickets speak for all students. Women hold executive positions on each of the campaigns. Also, candidates have said their congresses include students with diverse interests from across the Bloomington campus. \nFields said he believes the Big Red ticket largely represents many cultural groups. He said he has members from groups such as the Helen G. Hillel Center’s student government and the Muslim Student Union. \n“I think we’ve put together a congress that absolutely represents the totality of IU,” he said. \nWhile Fields said he wasn’t trying to fill a quota, he did draw students with different backgrounds to his ticket. He said he has found students of every background who want to do what is best for IU. \nFields said he fears minorities could feel underrepresented. His goal is to ensure that everyone has a voice, he said. \nCandidates respond that qualifying factors such as experience have prepared them well for the position. In the case of candidate Joe Weis, factors such as experience – not race or gender – determined his nomination, he said. \nThough voter turnout might be an accurate indication of student response to weeks of campaigning by the three parties, how candidates respond to calls for inclusion and increased activism could determine the success of their leadership. \nSpecial projects editor Brian Spegele contributed to this report.
(03/21/08 3:47am)
IU’s Herman B Wells Library is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the year 1968. The library put up displays and launched a Web site that shows what happened in that year at IU and around the world.\nEric Bartheld, director of communications for IU Bloomington Libraries, said the posters and the Web site are designed to promote library resources. He said 1968 was chosen because it was “truly just a turning point in United States history.”\n“So many world events had happened in 1968,” said event coordinator Robert Goehlert, librarian of economics, criminal justice and political science.\nGoehlert said the events of 1968 weren’t limited to the United States. He said there were student protests in places such as Paris, Warsaw, New York City and San Francisco. Demonstrations and political events happened all around the world. In 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated and the war in Vietnam continued. \nPosters and displays for the event are in the lobby of the library and on the ground floor, second floor and fourth through 11th floors of the library’s east tower. The themes of the posters relate to the collections held on each floor. \nFor instance, on the 11th floor, there is a display on drug culture. The fourth floor displays information about IU in 1968. \nThe event also has a Web site. Goehlert said his goal was to make the whole event participatory for students. \nThe site has photos, videos and a quiz about 1968. The site also tells about events in 1968 and points users to more information.\nMany events concerning civil rights, women’s rights, the war in Vietnam and sports happened at IU in 1968. \nBlack students held a sit-in at the Little 500 becuse they accused IU’s fraternities and sororities of racial discrimination, said Philip Bantin, director of University Archives at IU. The students sat in the field of the track and the event was postponed. \n“In part because of the weather, in part because of the sit-in,” Bantin said of the postponement. \nThe sit-in lasted until the student’s demands were met by the greek houses 38 hours later. \nThere were also several small Vietnam demonstrations, Bantin said. He said that one was because Dow Chemical came to campus. The company produced napalm, which was used in Vietnam. \nBantin said students protested the visitation regulations for dorms. Students, especially women, wanted to be able to have male visitors in their rooms more often.\n“That was a source of friction between students and administrators,” Bantin said. \nOn Jan. 1, 1968, IU went to the Rose Bowl and lost to USC. The swim team won the NCAA championship and kept winning until 1973. \n“A lot of students don’t realize how dominant the swim team was during that period,” Bantin said.
(03/18/08 2:51am)
Finding answers to some of life’s toughest questions is now easier thanks to an online site that allows users to ask questions about the government.\n“Government Information Online: Ask a Librarian” allows users to chat online with or e-mail questions to librarians – including IU employees – who specialize in government documents. The librarians provide information concerning all levels of government. The Web site’s address is http://govtinfo.org/.\n“Any citizen anywhere can log into that site and ask for information about the government,” said Eric Bartheld, director of communications at IU-Bloomington Libraries. \nBartheld said IU has a very strong collection of government records because it’s a federal depository. \n“Everybody asks everything,” said John Shuler, an associate professor and government documents librarian at the University of Illinois at Chicago.\nShuler, who created the project, said because the government affects so many aspects of life, the librarians are asked about local, state, national and sometimes international law. \nShuler said he’s fielded questions ranging from the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963 to how to register a small business in the state of California. \nShuler said he had two goals when he created the project. The first was to enable documents librarians to answer questions through the Web. The second was to make it easier for people to find government documents librarians. He said his underlying goal was to see how the Web affects librarianship. \nGovernment documents librarians at IU began answering questions with the program a few weeks ago. \nLou Malcomb, head of Government Information at the Herman B Wells Library, said she can give out URLs or links to historical documents over the Internet. If the answer is not on the Internet, Malcomb can direct that person to a library that would have the document they need. She also said their local library can ask for the information from another library. \n“There’s not just anyone answering this question,” Malcomb said.\nShe said most of the librarians she knows that are answering the questions have 5 to 15 years of experience with government documents. \nShe said the documents can be complicated and it takes special expertise, experience and knowledge of the government lingo to journey through the volumes of documents and find what is needed. \nMalcomb said the biggest difficulty is many of the questions are complicated and legal in nature. \nMalcomb said government documents librarians at IU answer questions for about four hours a week. She said serving the students of IU comes before the project, but students can benefit from the site, too. \nCurrently, 21 institutions participate in the project. The project began in 2004 and is managed through a collaboration between nine universities from the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, which participate in the project. The other schools, Shuler said, contribute resources and expertise.
(03/18/08 2:50am)
Students see them daily: sitting in large lecture classes, teaching classes, answering questions. \nAssociate instructors, or AIs, are a big part of an undergraduate student’s life, but for some it’s unclear what exactly they do.\n“I work,” third-year master’s of fine arts poetry student and AI Ben Debus said. \nDebus said on a typical day, he wakes up around 5 a.m. and writes poetry for three or four hours. He then goes to Ballantine Hall where he spends most of his day preparing for classes. \nDebus has to juggle the classes he’s taking, the classes he’s teaching and finishing his thesis. He said he typically takes one or two classes and teaches about two classes a semester. Debus said it’s just a matter of finding the time to work and of scheduling and prioritizing. For some, it’s more difficult to manage their time because of another job they have to pick up to make ends meet or because they have to take care of their families.\nDebus said that when he’s working on lesson plans, he tries to decide what the students need to know. Those things carry over into the assignments. \nFor the class Debus is teaching this semester, he started working on the syllabus last semester. He said he read a lot of poetry textbooks and anthologies and decided on which ones to teach. \nComputer science lecturer Charles Pope, who supervises several AIs, said AIs have to understand the nature of the assignments and material so they know what the students go through and can understand students’ questions better. \n“I always tell them to do the assignment early,” Pope said of AIs. \nPope said AIs have many responsibilities. He holds his AIs to a list of responsibilities that include keeping up to par with performance, lab management and time management.\nSome AIs grade papers for classes, some hold discussions and some teach classes.\n“I’d estimate I spend 20 to 25 hours a week preparing for classes,” said Rosemarie Connolly, an AI in the linguistics department. \nThose hours are spent on classes she teaches. She said much of her time is spent doing research, preparing for classes and talking to students. \nLike many AIs, Saurabh Ajmera, an AI in the computer science department, spends most of his day preparing for his own class and those he teaches, and helping students. The time he has during the day is spent looking for a summer internship. \n“I don’t do anything extra which you can define as a hobby,” he said. \nEven though being an AI is a lot of work, Debus said that he’s enjoyed his students. \n“I’ve had great students,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot from them.”