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(01/11/07 5:31am)
The Eigenmann Residence Center will host a series of programs called "Livin' the Dream" to commemorate the birthday and accomplishments of civil-rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr.\nThe festivities, which started Sunday and run through Monday, Jan. 15, are part of the celebration dubbed "Power of One: Making the Committee, Meeting the Challenge," according to the IU MLK Committee Web site.\nAn MLK quilt is on display until Jan. 15 in the Eigenmann Hall lobby. On Jan. 15 is the Eigenmann Day of Service, which consists of a diversity-education session, called the Unity Summit, and the Student MLK Brunch, which includes a discussion on "why MLK Day is a day on, not a day off." A soul-food dinner, a sampling of African-American food and culture, was held last Tuesday. \nCommunity educators and student employees Jason Autrey, Victoria Parry, Chirag Jatwani and Zach Elgar planned this year's activities for residents.\nElgar said the theme they chose captures essence of the civil-rights leader, noting that even though racial progression is evident, the status quo must improve.\n"This theme was selected because we feel it is very important to acknowledge that the goals that were laid out by Dr. King and fellow civil-rights leaders are yet to be achieved," he said. "We want our residents to understand that MLK Day is not only a day out of classes to commemorate a great leader, but perhaps more importantly to serve as a reminder that changes still need to be made."\nThe festivities have been in the making for more than a semester. Elgar said he and the other coordinators began brainstorming and planning the activities with Eigenmann resident assistants and management in October.\n"The events were chosen as the best recommendations of the brainstorming session by RA interest," Elgar said.\nElgar noted that between 40 and 50 students attended the first event last Sunday, "Expresso Yourself," an open-mike poetry show organized by Cool Beans Coffee Shop and the Eigenmann Community Council.\nHe said the soul-food dinner Thursday is expected have the biggest turnout of all -- about 200 people.\n"The final stages of planning are completed, and everything is set in place," he said. "We only need willing students with open minds to help make our programs successful."\nThe MLK events are targeted toward Eigenmann residents, but anyone can attend, Elgar said.\nFor more information on this year's MLK Day events around campus, visit www.indiana.edu/~mlkjr.
(01/05/07 4:33am)
Naomi Tutu, the daughter of South African bishop and human-rights activist Desmond Tutu, will speak on campus later this month. \nThe lecture is part of a series of events hosted by the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration Committee to commemorate the birthday and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.\nTutu is an educator, activist and founder of the Tutu Foundation for Development and Relief in Southern Africa. In 1997 she was program officer and co-convener of the Gender-Based Violence and Education Program at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, according to the World Summit on Innovation & Entrepreneurship.\nTutu will speak about the "power of one" and address the effects of King's efforts and contributions in the U.S. and worldwide, according to the event press release. \nTiffany Combs, a staff member at the Office of the Vice President for Institutional Development and Student Affairs, said the theme of the event is about raising awareness of AIDS and poverty.\n"I really hope students, especially undergraduates, will participate," Combs said. "We will be focusing on King's message on a national and international level."\nCombs stressed that she would like to see a large turnout of students and the Bloomington community for all events during the celebration. \nRichard McKaig, dean of students and vice president for student affairs at IU Bloomington, credited the committee members for all of their work for the celebration.\nMcKaig said that he serves as a board member and that the real nuts and bolts of the operation came from the members of the MLK Committee.\nAxelle Atchade, vice president of the African Student Association, said that although her organization is not directly involved with the event, it will be promoting the lecture. \n"I definitely will be asking a lot of people to come out and support this," Atchade said. "ASA plans on spreading the word through Listservs, e-mails and flyers to get as people to attend as possible."\nOther events that are part of the MLK celebration, which will take place from Monday to Feb. 1, will include panel discussions and musical performances. For more information, visit the MLK Committee Web site at www.indiana.edu/~mlkjr
(11/17/06 4:01am)
This week, exploring the traditions and cultures of faraway lands like Morocco and Costa Rica has been made possible without expensive airfare, heavy luggage or even leaving Bloomington.\nInternational Education Week, hosted by the IU Office of International Services, began last Friday and continues through Saturday. It celebrates the benefits of international education and cultural exchange between Americans and the global community.\nSponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, the annual event is celebrated by universities across the nation including neighbor colleges Purdue University, University of Notre Dame and Indiana State University, according to the International Education Week Web site.\nThe Leo R. Dowling International Center at IU kicked off the week with an opening reception Nov. 10 and continued with activities scheduled through Saturday. Some of the week-long events included the International Movie Night Series, featuring the German film "Good Bye Lenin!" performances by the Moroccan Andalusian Classical Orchestra of Bloomington and the Latin American Popular Music Ensemble and a Middle Eastern belly dance lesson. Language conversation clubs in English, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Arabic and others were also available throughout the week. These programs allowed interested individuals to come together to learn and converse in a foreign language. \nSandy Britton, director of the international center, said she was pleased with the turnout of the opening reception.\n"The first activity had about 50 people. It was an invitational dinner to community people, faculty, staff and international student group presidents," she said.\nEmphasizing the importance of International Education Week, Britton said the event not only celebrates the diversity on campus, but also acknowledges how other cultures bring an important component to the Bloomington community.\n"This is an opportunity to bring awareness of diverse cultures to the campus community," she said. "It highlights the benefits we get from international education such as study abroad programs."\nLillian Casillas, director of the La Casa Latino Cultural Center, said she tries to participate as much as possible in the international events during the week, focusing on a particular group or region each year.\n"Latinos are diverse, and it's hard to show it in one week, and that is why we chose to focus on one region. This year we chose Costa Rica," she said. "We have a cooking demonstration that allows people to sample some Costa Rican dishes."\nInternational Education Week will end Saturday with international students from IU taking a trip to historic St. Louis for sightseeing.\nFor more information about international events on campus, visit www.indiana.edu/~iew.
(11/08/06 1:50am)
Before the new French Lick Springs Resort Casino opened Friday, residents of Orange County and the town of French Lick, Ind., were already anticipating ways to spend the tax revenue the new casino will bring, while others were voicing their concerns about the changes taking place in the small city as a result of the casino's opening.\nThe casino, located about an hour south of Bloomington, is the 11th in the state and the last one allowed under state law. It was jointly developed and constructed beginning in August 2005 by Bloomington-based Cook Group and the Indianapolis-based real estate company Lauth Group, according to a Cook Group press release on the company's Web site. The $382 million project included the casino, renovations of the town's two historic hotels and the construction of golf courses and retail shops. \nThe West Baden Springs Hotel -- which includes what was the largest dome in the world until Houston's Astrodome was constructed in 1963 -- is set to reopen next year, completing the renovations of French Lick's historic buildings. \nFrench Lick became famous at the beginning of the 20th century, drawing U.S. presidents, gangster Al Capone, jazz legend Duke Ellington and others to visit the small town's hotels where they could soak in mineral spring water, which was believed to have medical benefits. \nCounty divvies up tax revenues
(11/07/06 4:06am)
Fire drills and alarms are almost as common as traffic on campus. On most days fire trucks can be seen hurrying down campus streets at various hours of the day. These alarms, real or not, force the department to stop what it is doing and come to the University. However, the cost of the trip to IU does not come directly from the University's pocket. \nThe City of Bloomington Fire Department does not charge the University for fire alarm runs; instead, it is charged to the state, said Larry Isom, Residential Programs and Services director of maintenance and facilities. Isom said the fire department -- which is staffed by both professional and volunteer firefighters -- offers free services to the University, whether it is responding to real or false fire alarms. The state of Indiana pays the salaries and costs associated with equipment and maintenance. \nScott Smith, deputy chief of the Bloomington Fire Department, said tax revenue funds pay for the fire alarm runs and real emergency situations. However, even though the fire department does not bill the University directly, IU contributes financially to the department, donating about $350,000 to the city of Bloomington. This money helps provide salaries for the firefighters, as well as equipment. \nIU Risk Management Director Larry Stephens said this money has helped pay for a new truck for the department.\nMost fire alarms the department has responded to this year have not been critical, Isom said, but instead were incidents that arose from students cooking or smoking in their dorm rooms.\nTo decrease the costs and occurrence of fire alarm runs, staff and faculty are involved in fire prevention and safety programs to reduce the expenses, Stephens said. \n"We don't have a lot of education programs, but the physical plant checks alarm systems," he said. "We go around and inspect buildings for fire hazards like electrical problems."\nStephens added that there are fire drills in residential buildings twice a year, but currently there are not any drills in academic buildings. He added there are escape routes posted in all buildings.\nKen Long, assistant director of the Office of Risk Management and manager of crisis and disaster planning at IU, said his office works with volunteers to set up "emergency control committees" in buildings on campus that work on exiting strategies known as Emergency Action Plans. \n"The plans are building-specific and campus-wide," he said. "What we try to do is set up incentives for people to participate in training." \nFree CPR classes and First Aid equipment are available to help individuals provide incentives for potential fire prevention volunteers, which aid in decreasing the costs of fire alarms.\nResident assistants Kara Curry in Read Hall and Sean Johnson in Forest Hall use fire drills for training as part of fire safety and prevention methods. Both RAs, however, said they have not witnessed a real fire alarm in the past year.\nDuring fire drills, Curry said they follow specific procedures when the alarm goes off. \n"I had to knock on every single door and go up to the floor above to get residents out," she said. Johnson, who received fire prevention training, said he has also been involved in a fire drill. \n"My function as the duty RA was crowd control," he said. "When the alarm went off, I felt prepared"
(10/18/06 3:35am)
In Greene County -- the county directly west of Monroe County where circuit court judges have held on to their jobs for decades -- a newly appointed incumbent circuit court judge is facing a challenger.\nThe race is now the most closely watched in the county.\nRepublican Erik "Chip" Allen, 33, has only been judge since July 31. He took office after Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels appointed him to replace Judge David K. Johnson, who has since joined the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission. \nDemocratic candidate Joseph Sullivan, a longtime Bloomfield attorney in his 60s, challenges Allen on the grounds that he is more experienced than Allen and more rooted in Greene County. He criticized his adversary for working outside Greene County.\n"The other candidate hasn't even been in Greene County. He's been working in Clay County," Sullivan said. "I have civil and criminal experience in the courts. I have been a practicing attorney for 40 years, and I have been in the military. Allen has only been out of law school for seven years."\nAllen said that his experience as an attorney and a judge outweighs his age. While he worked in Clay County as chief deputy prosecutor, he continued to reside in Greene County, where he maintained a private law practice, he said. \nCarolyn Konnert, librarian and director of the Bloomfield-Eastern Greene County Public Library, said both candidates are highly visible in the community. \n"Erik is the son of the current sheriff, and Sullivan is a well-known lawyer," she said. "I don't know who is going to win. I suspect that it depends on where you are because in general, the eastern part is Republican and the western part is Democrat."\nNick Schneider, assignment editor for Greene County publication The Daily World, predicted Greene County will not vote on party lines. He said he expects the candidates' experience and age to be two critical factors that will surface and shape the upcoming election.\nScott Richards, a retired resident and mutual friend both of Sullivan and of Allen's father, William Leon Allen, expects there will be a higher turnout of Democratic voters because the national political backdrop will be influential in the local elections. \n"Because of the war in Iraq and Bush administration, people will split their tickets, especially when Republicans like Mitch Daniels have poor ratings," he said. \nHowever, Allen's father, William Leon Allen, pointed out that his son has skills relevant to the position. \n"I think the skills that he's learned to this point -- private law, public defender and both civil and criminal law -- are important," he said, "Obviously, the governor and precinct believed that he was the right man for the job to appoint him to Circuit Court Judge." \nBoth judicial candidates described the attributes they think a circuit court judge needs.\n"I think a good judge is patient, understands the law and speaks on a level that people understand and most of all, has experience working with different types of cases," Sullivan said. \nAllen commented: "You definitely have to know the material. You have to be hard-working and honest. All cases have challenging moments, and I think the most challenging ones are the ones with juvenile services. Since they are children, they have special circumstances, and I think they are the most challenging." The judicial candidates also gave their reasons for aspiring to be the next judge.\n"I have 40 years of experience -- I have dealt with all kinds of cases -- civil, divorce, murder cases, you name it," Sullivan said. \nEver since Allen decided to go to IU School of Law, he has wanted to be a judge in Greene County, he said.\n"I always wanted to come back to where I grew up and become judge. I thought the position is what I would like and be well-suited for," he said. "Judge Johnson retired, and I knew I wanted to run"