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(06/17/07 11:33pm)
On Thursday at 2:15 a.m., IU Police Department officer Scott Dunning was sent to the IU Psychology building area after receiving notification of an assault that had just occurred. The two assailants were reported to be driving a black Jeep, said Capt. Jerry Minger, using information from the police report.\nOfficer Dunning then saw a black Jeep Wranger driving down 10th Street toward him, and he turned and followed the vehicle, Minger said. The black Jeep Wrangler was then stopped on North Jordan Avenue while a second officer spoke to the victim of the assault outside the Psychology building. \nThe driver and passenger of the Jeep Wrangler were identified as 17 and 16 years old, respectively, and were from Kokomo. The juveniles had come to Bloomington to visit friends. In addition, the odor of alcohol on their breath was detected, Minger said. \nThe victim was then transported to the location on North Jordan Avenue where the vehicle was stopped, and the victim identified the driver and passenger as the ones who had assaulted him, Minger said. \nThe victim told officers that the juveniles had a video camera in their possession and had recorded themselves assaulting him. The juveniles had first started yelling at the victim from their vehicle, escalating into a verbal altercation. The victim then said that the subjects stopped the Jeep and threw him into the bushes, where he was not injured and declined medical treatment, Minger said. \nA video camera was then discovered in the bushes east of the Herman B Wells Library. The police report further states that the parents of both juveniles were contacted to pick them up, and after being advised of their Miranda rights in the presence of their parents, both juveniles admitted to assault. In addition, the passenger stated that he threw the video camera from the vehicle when he saw the IUPD squad car turn around to stop them. \nAfter obtaining a search warrant for the video camera, Minger said it appeared that the subjects had been going out every day since June 5 to videotape themselves harassing and yelling at people, including calling women a variety of profane names. Minger said the juveniles began taping themselves yelling at people and getting their reactions on tape so they could post the video on YouTube. \nBoth of the juveniles were placed under arrest for Battery, a class B- Misdemeanor, and were charged with illegal consumption. The juveniles, who were released to their parents that same day, are awaiting a court summoning, Minger said.
(06/07/07 4:00am)
Mary Timony is primarily known for her work with the bands Helium, Autoclave and Hot Trix, and she is now fronting The Mary Timony Band, which will be playing at Uncle Fester's on June 9. But before you step out and check out Timony's alt-pop chops this weekend, you might want to have an idea of what to expect.\nPortions of The Shapes we Make sound like what would happen if Sonic Youth and Pavement met on the playground and decided to go home and braid each other's hair. In terms of instrumentals, the album pays homage to the distant accompaniments of Sonic Youth, but it is reminiscent of Pavement because Timony's sometimes distracted tones sit atop mounds of fuzz and patchy accompaniment. Many songs seem as though they're not quite frenzied, but certainly distressed. In some cases, the songs kick off with raucous beginnings and conclude with timid endings.\nYou'll mostly find the standard vocals, guitar, bass and drums persistent, while the background sounds more restrained, but the occasional keyboard accompaniments provide enough spice to make the whole stew really sizzle. The album, much like many of the songs on it, seems to have more of a bang at the beginning and slows down as it progresses. This is perfectly acceptable, though, since songs like "Each Day" and "Window" allow some time for the album to cool off while churning out more infectious melodies.\nMy only qualm is that a few songs like "Pause/Off" can feel flat because of the preoccupied vocal tone. It has a nice repetitive riff, splashy cymbals, a pumping organ and an undeniable raggedness that crunches along, but the vocals just seem to be floating along as if they were feathers in a firestorm, ready to be engulfed by the surrounding fury. Regardless, the album is still a great listen and hopefully indicative of the quality of The Mary Timony Band's live performances.
(06/07/07 2:55am)
Nearly 664 IU computer users, more than half of them students, had their passwords “scrambled” June 2 after IU officials were notified by the FBI that usernames and passwords were found on an unknown computer and seized.\nIU Chief Information Technology Policy Officer, Merri Beth Lavagnino, said that since then, IU has been assisting the affected individuals to secure their systems and change their passwords. Nearly half of the affected individuals have been helped. \nOf those affected, 511 are students, 151 are hourly employees and the rest are faculty or professional staff. When these individuals began to notice their passwords to their account systems did not work, they contacted the support center where they were then walked through the process to unscramble their passwords and fix their accounts.\nThe FBI informed IU officials when it was discovered the passwords and usernames were “stolen” using a Trojan horse known as Vanquish, Lavagnino said. She said that this type of the Trojan is a “pretty bad one” because it collects user names and passwords. The location of where the computer that the FBI seized is still unknown, Lavagnino said. \nMost of the individuals affected were users that had not recently changed their passwords, Lavagnino said. Now passwords are being changed to prevent a future scenario from happening again.\nIn addition to updating and changing passwords, Lavagnino said other prevention methods include keeping up to date with operating systems, installing an anti-virus program to recognize new viruses and running computer programs as “user” instead of “administrator” because operating under administrator rights allows anyone who uses the computer to change things. \nWhile it is unknown how long it will take before all affected accounts are taken care of and unscrambled, Lavagnino said they are halfway through the process and are keeping an eye on the situation. In a few weeks, IU officials will reevaluate the situation and see what the next steps are, she said.
(05/25/07 3:45am)
A century from now, there might not be lightbulbs.\nA lightbulb is among the many submissions the Monroe County History Center has collected for inclusion in the Monroe County Courthouse Time Capsule.\nOn Saturday, the History Center will allow the public to view the items and vote on which ones they think should be included. The capsule is intended to be buried for 100 years before officials open it in 2107 to see what has changed and what has not since 2007.\nWhether the capsule will be buried indoors or outdoors has not yet been decided, but the capsule will be placed in the cornerstone area of the Monroe Country Courthouse at 2 p.m. on June 16 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the laying of the courthouse cornerstone. \nLisa Simmons, who is the education, membership and volunteer coordinator of the Monroe County History Center, and who sat in on meetings that discussed what to include in the capsule, said the capsule will be firmly sealed so no one can dig it up if the outdoor location is selected. She said there will also be a large brass marker suggesting a date to open the capsule. In 1907, a time capsule was placed by the Monroe County Courthouse cornerstone, but there has been difficulty relocating it.\nMonroe County Historian Rachel McCarty is in charge of this project and has been spearheading efforts to collect items that can accurately represent life in Monroe County in 2007. \n“It’s been fun and exciting to think about the different things that should be included,” McCarty said. “We are trying to think of how people will think 100 years from now when they open the time capsule up. Will it be archaic to see a cell phone and iPod? Will they even care of the businesses that were listed during the time?” \nShe suggested the time capsule might include a parking ticket, because it is possible that cars could fly in the future.\n“It’s fun to think what they will be thinking when they open it,” McCarty said. \nThe idea of putting items on a disc or CD was suggested, but McCarty said 100 years from now the equipment to run such items may not be widely available.\nSimmons’ favorite item among the submissions is the Break Away visitors’ guide and map. She said it definitively contains information about happenings in 2007 in the Bloomington community.\n“It’s good for research,” Simmons said. She also listed similar items that would spark research and would be great to include in the time capsule. Simmons said there are plans to include a list of IU graduates and other names for added research perspective. \nA pack of cigarettes is on the list of possible items that may not be around in 2107 when the capsule is reopened, Simmons said, suggesting that cigarettes might be forbidden by that point.\nNot everything received will go in the time capsule. \nMcCarty said currently, if anyone is generous enough to donate an iPod, it would be appreciated, as she hopes to include that in the capsule as well. \nSimmons seconded that request, saying the iPod would be a great addition to the capsule.\n“It’s good for technology purposes, but also to upload today’s top-40 or local music,” Simmons said. Unlike VHS, it is possible that Monroe County residents will be able to access the music files on the iPod 100 years from now. Uploading songs and local Bloomington music would provide added perspective about the music scene in 2007 and allow for future comparison. \nPolitical pins, magazines and newspaper publications from the area, an invitation from IU President Adam Herbert and boy and girl scout memorabilia are among some of the other donated time capsule items, McCarty said.\n“We want things that are up-to-date from 2007 and represent Monroe County today,” McCarty said. “We are trying to get a lot of community items and input.” \nWith gas prices hitting all-time highs, McCarty said she would like to include a photo showing the local gas costs per gallon. \nThe donated time capsule items will be on display at the Monroe County History Center on Saturday for community members to come and vote and suggest other items to be included. Due to the limited number of items that can be included in the capsule’s small volume limit, votes will be needed to determine the top choices. \nSimmons said Bloomington tends to be centered on IU, but the time capsule should reflect all areas of County life and should step outside the city, even if there are more events in town than elsewhere. Items from throughout Monroe County will also be filling the historic concept, Simmons said. \n“It’s naturally part of our mission statement and gives us an opportunity to yet again meet our mission,” she said.\n“The items are not all just relating to technology and not all industry-related,” Simmons said. “They are things that represent the schools, politics of the time. We definitely don’t want to leave something out.”
(05/21/07 1:41pm)
It wasn’t something she planned.\nThat is what Helen Clouse says of her life and age. \nClouse has been serving the Jacobs School of Music by assigning students to practice rooms and assisting them for various needs. She is currently the oldest employee at IU. On May 1, she turned 100 years old.\nShe has been assisting music students, offering them not only practice rooms for their duties but a listening ear as well.\n“I don’t feel any older,” Clouse said. “I’m still 99. I wish I could live to be 100 years older and help more students.”\nOn her birthday, the Jacobs School hosted a celebration in front of the music practice building. The school dedicated the decorated bench area in front of the building as “Helen Clouse Plaza” in honor of her services to the \nUniversity. \nCharles Webb, dean emeritus of the Jacobs School, spoke during the celebration, telling of how Helen has touched the lives of students and faculty throughout the years.\n“Many, many people would not be who they are today without her help,” he said. \nIU President Adam Herbert said that Clouse’s dedication and service have made a difference. \n“We wish you another 100 years of a wonderful life,” Herbert said, admiring Clouse’s sharp senses and memory. \nDuring the celebration, Clouse remembers all the students who have come back to visit her. \n“The students have done remarkably well,” she said. “They are all different with all different attitudes. I’ve enjoyed them all; we’ve gotten along very well.”\nClouse has assigned rooms to dozens of other students, but along with assigning the placard with the specific room with the time, Clouse has been investing in something more than the music that flows from the instruments: the student’s lives.\n“The title I have is a proctor – that entitles assigning practice rooms and help(ing) the best I can,” Clouse said. “But it got to be a bigger job than that as I became involved in the students’ lives and their problems.”\nBut Clouse does not say that negatively. While the students’ problems have become a part of her life, Clouse said she helps them in any way she can. \n“Everyone has different problems and things they need,” Clouse said. “I want to help the students, and I like to. \n“I’ll miss the students, because when you’re with them for four years, or more, you know their parents and the things that happen to them ... You become close to them. I didn’t do anything for them. They did it all for me.” \nBefore Clouse came to IU, Clouse married her husband and went with him overseas, where he served in the navy as a captain. Clouse worked as a teacher.\nAfter the navy, Clouse and her husband came to Bloomington in 1960, and her husband found a job in IU’s chemistry department. Clouse, who said she has always worked, found a job in the Jacobs School as the music practice room supervisor where she has been ever since. \n“Oh yes, I’ve been busy,” she said. “I’ve met a lot of people and still hear from many of them... it doesn’t seem like that long.” \nClouse’s husband passed away 12 years ago but she still remembers their 50th anniversary celebration. She has two children. Paul, who passed away last year at 80, and Peter, who is 68 and a graduate of Yale.\nClouse remembers when she first came to IU in 1960, when a credit hour cost $7.50. \n“Everyone has education if they want it in this day and age,” she said. \nClouse’s services to the University will end when she leaves July 1, but until then she will help students in whatever way she can.\n“But you know, life continues and you have to make room for someone else,” Clouse said, noting that her life hasn’t been all that glamourous. “It’s never been a chore to come to work. I’ll miss the students and faculty.” \nClouse will continue to stay in Bloomington after she leaves her job at the Jacobs School of Music. \n“I will try to remember what I’ve done for the first 100 years. I’ve got a bit of writing to do,” Clouse said.\nShe said she plans on using the time after her retirement to write about her experiences. She imagines beginning her book with, “Now I’ve arrived, I’m 100. ...” and continue listing what she believes to be important. \n“I haven’t had time for hobbies. It gets busy when you assign students to rooms – you have to type up the cards and post them on the doors. By the time you’re done it’s another semester,” Clouse said.\nBut Clouse doesn’t look back on her life with regrets. She’s content with where she is and what awaits her.\n“If I was even 80 years old, there are a lot of things I’d like to do, but I’m not,” she said. “I’ve got to be satisfied.”
(05/21/07 12:55am)
For Jane and Max Marsh, attending the Strawberry Shortcake Festival that the Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington, Inc. Auxiliary hosts to raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs is a yearly tradition.\nJane Marsh said as long as the festival goes on, she and her husband will attend. \n“We like it because we get the strawberries at the first of the season,” she said. “And it helps the Boys and Girls Club.”\nAs the Marshes sat on the bench eating their shortcakes last Thursday, Bloomington community members gathered on the Monroe County Courthouse lawn for the annual festival that has been a community tradition since 1986. \nWhen the festival started at 10:30 a.m., lines were already formed along the booth set up to sell the shortcakes, with each costing $4 a piece. Bruster’s Ice Cream donated 300 quarts of their product for the day of the festival.\nOn Wednesday, 300 shortcakes were delivered to those who were not able to make it to the festival. On Thursday, the rest of the 6,000 ordered shortcakes sold out, said Carol Stanton, one of the festival’s co-chairs. \n“It’s a great event for the Boys and Girls Club,” Stanton said. “It is getting bigger every year.” \nIn 1986, 500 cakes were ordered.\nStanton said this year is up 1,000 slices from last year’s 5,000 cakes. She said next year they plan to get a similar result. The popular event raised $16,500 last year and raised even more this year. The money goes toward the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington for special events and projects to help the club in its efforts, Stanton said. \nDespite the somewhat cold and dreary weather, blankets were set up along the lawn of the courthouse, and children enjoyed a nice, shortcake-filled picnic. Young people ran and smiled as they stuffed the whipped cream cake in their face. \nThe shortcake recipe is the Auxilary’s own, but the Hoosier Hills Career Center bakes the shortcakes. \nGale Clifton and Gene Campbell were looking for community events on Thursday and found out about the strawberry festival. The first-time attendees ate and enjoyed the shortcake as other shortcake fans came and went. \n“We thought we’d get some good strawberries,” Clifton said. “It’s a fun event and something to do.”\nAnd as for the shortcake?\n“Love it,” Clifton said with a grin.
(05/17/07 1:45pm)
Strawberries. Whipped cream. \nBy adding in a pound of cake recipe mix, the Boys and Girls Club Auxiliary plans to sell some of the best strawberry shortcake around.\nThursday from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. – or whenever the shortcakes run out – on the Monroe County Courthouse lawn, the group will be hosting the annual Strawberry Shortcake Festival to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club. \nLast year, $16,800 was raised to go toward program expenses for the club, along with other special events, such as Pumpkin Picks and Easter Egg Hunts. The festival is an opportunity to raise money to cover the expenses of the club, said Kerry Marks, director of resource development. \nWith long lines, a band playing and “lots of happy people sitting on courthouse steps eating strawberry shortcake,” Marks said the event is a great way to support the Boys and Girls Club in a social event that gives participants the opportunity to see friends and neighbors. \n“There is nothing like it. ... It’s a very pleasant way to spend an hour,” Marks said.\nKelly Grimes, one of the co-chairs of the festival, said each year more and more shortcakes are sold. Grimes said this year she expects a crowd of 3,500 people and hopes to sell 6,000 servings of strawberry shortcake.\nOn Wednesday, local businesses who cannot attend the festival were able to buy pre-sale shortcake kits.\nThe festival first began in 1986, when 500 shortcakes were sold. Now, with sales expected to reach more than 5,000, Grimes said the event is a great way not only to enjoy great food and company, but also to support the events the Boys and Girls Club holds throughout the year.\n“Everybody loves it,” Grimes said. “It’s an absolutely great time. There are so many parents with preschool kids enjoying shortcake and listening to the band. There’s also businessmen getting shortcake. ... It’s really neat.”
(05/17/07 4:00am)
Bone Thugs are surprisingly fresh in a sea of posers and money-hungry thugs. They rap about the same cliched, deeply poetic subject matter of commercial rap (Bitches and hos, 40s, gold chains, getting shot and living, rims, cribs, the streets, thug life, hustlin', etc.) but do it well. Bone Thugs 'N' Harmony are three charming young men who have been rapping in the "game" since '94. With member Flesh-N-Bone in jail, the group has dwindled down to a trio. Strength and Loyalty is their newest effort and first on Interscope imprint Full Surface.\nWhat the Thugs have that most popular rap groups and artists don't have is speed and distinctive voices. From the first track, "Flow Motion," the boys tear through fools with machine-gun rhymes. While they do dabble in the cliché subject matter of gangster rap (titles like "Gun Blast" and "9MM" prove this), they still try to be diverse and sing about their own thing. "Sound the Same" is about how everyone in the rap game is unoriginal and all sound like each other, and the beats are real chill. \nThe beats are rather solid as well. "Wind Blow" samples Fleetwood Mac, dirty piano loops haunt on "Gun Blast" (authentic Uzi and nine blasts included), and the ever popular beats 'n' bells are on "Never Forget Me." Swizz Beats takes the reins on "Bump in the Trunk" (what a terrible song title), in the most involved song on the album.\nGuest appearances can be good, but the Thugs pick the worst people to appear. Mariah Carey and Little Bow Wow (now just Bow Wow) on one song?! What a hideous combination. Twista, the Game and Yolanda Adams don't do anything for this album either. Bone Thugs are best when they take the triple threat approach.\nForget 50 Cent, Three Six, Eminem, Paul Wall and all that other shite. Bone Thugs are true to their style and even though I'm not a big gangster rap fan (I prefer Ace Rock and Busdriver style hip-hop), I can appreciate their work.
(05/14/07 1:47am)
The cost of an IU education isn’t getting cheaper, as the University plans to propose a 5 percent tuition increase for in-state students and a 9 percent increase for out-of-state students.\nThese proposals will officially be decided at a May 21 public hearing conducted by the IU board of trustees.\nAdministrators recommend these increases for undergraduates residing at either in-state or out-of-state residencies.\nNeil Theobald, senior vice provost for budget and finance, said factors in tuition increases are different for both residents and nonresidents. \n“The resident rate is tied to affordability,” Theobald said. “This will be the fourth straight year of a 5 percent increase. By the time you take the costs of faculty – we are very labor intensive – simply to do what we are doing now is adjusting the residency of cost increases.” \nFor nonresidents, the competing outside markets affect costs of tuition. Students can go to Michigan or Ohio StateOhio State or Illinois, Theobald said, and so the strategy becomes to price IU in the market that is “in the middle” of the competing costs of other schools. \nThe 9 percent increase, Theobald said, allows IU to be in the position to recruit nonresidents at a cost that is still competitive, but not incredibly expensive, as other institutions may be. \nUnder the proposed rates, in-state IU undergraduates would see an increase of $376 for 2007-2008 academic year and would pay $7,837. Nonresidents would see an increase of $1, 843 and pay $22,316 for the 2007-08 academic year. \nFor graduate and professional students, the proposed increases would vary from campus to campus and program to program.\nTheobald said, for example, that students in the IU School of Law may pay $1,047 under the proposed cost increase. This would be a flat fee, Theobald said.\nAs tuition increases, Theobald said financial aid would increase as well.\n“We realize it is difficult to go to school as the costs go up, but we are making every effort we can to make it affordable for low-income students,” Theobald said.\n He said under the proposal, undergraduate financial aid will go up by 11 percent.\nWith financial aid factored in, Theobald estimated that, for undergraduate residents, the tuition may increase at most 4 percent, but will vary between students.\nFor nonresident undergraduates, the average tuition increase with financial aid factored in will be about 7.5 percent. \nThe board of trustees will hear these tuition increase proposals for the 2007-08 academic year, as well as the financial aid programs being made available to help low- to moderate-income students.
(05/14/07 1:44am)
Last week, a student-loan reform bill was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, which is investigating ongoing practices at colleges and universities related to preferential treatment given to particular lenders.\nThe legislation could affect IU’s relationship with Sallie Mae, the loan processing agent IU uses. \nOn Thursday, May 10, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who chairs the House Education and Labor Committee, mentioned IU in a statement he gave during a hearing on the student-loan reform legislation. He said IU left the direct lending program in 2004 for Sallie Mae when the loan provider offered the University a “$3 million line of credit.” \nIU sent a letter to Miller on Friday, asking the congressman to correct the statement. \nLarry MacIntyre, director of IU media relations, said he could not stress enough the inaccuracy of Miller’s statement.\n“That is abolutely incorrect,” he said. “That is why, on Friday, we sent a letter to congressman Miller asking that to be corrected. We received no loan guarantees, and none of our employees received any monetary incomes. Period.”\nThe letter, written by Thomas Healy, vice president of government relations, explains IU’s student-loan program and the reasoning behind the decision to sign with Sallie Mae. Healy wrote that the University hopes the official record will be corrected, and that IU did not receive any payments for leaving the government’s direct loan program.\nMacIntyre explained that, up until about three years ago, each IU campus had its own student-aid arrangement. Bloomington was under the direct loan program with the federal government, and other IU campuses had their own lending arrangements. \nIU changed to a student management system called PeopleSoft, a program that provides a standardized way to manage student finances and a way to keep track of students, MacIntyre said.\nWhen PeopleSoft was being installed in 2003 and 2004, MacIntyre said IU hired an accounting consultant who recommended the University switch to a uniform student-aid system across all IU campuses.\nMacIntyre said IU accepted several proposals, all analyzed by the purchasing department, to see which proposal would be best for students. \n“We determined that Sallie Mae had the best deal,” MacIntyre said. “Sallie Mae offered us no loan processing fees for students, which was an improvement. ... Students on a number of campuses before dealt with companies that did charge loan processing fees.” \nMacIntyre explained that students are still free to go to any lender, and IU will accept that lender. But, if students came to IU and asked to apply for a loan, students would then be referred to Sallie Mae, only because IU needed a company to do business with.\n“But that didn’t stop students from going elsewhere,” MacIntyre said. “Occassionally that would happen.”\nMacIntyre said IU has received “no money under the table” or “kickbacks.”\n“What is alleged is that Sallie Mae has done such things,” MacIntyre said. “None of that has happened at IU or nothing along the lines that has been alleged at other universities.”\nAccording to the legislation passed by the House on Wednesday, the act would require colleges and universities to develop codes of conduct for student-loan practices. In addition, it would bar agreements in which universities receive revenue from student loans along as well as authorize the U.S. Department of Education to regulate the loan industry. \nProhibition of university officials from sitting on loan-company advisory boards and banning gifts from lenders to financial-aid officials and their family members would also be part of the legislation that was passed by the House and now awaits the Senate’s approval.\nThis legislation comes after investigation led to suspicions that various college and university financial-aid officials hold stock in loan companies whose services they recommended in return. These investigations include colleges and universities all over the country. \nMacIntyre strongly objected to the congressman’s statement.\n“Miller was wrong,” he said. “We believe he was misinformed because there has been incorrect information from media stating that we have $3 million.”\nMacIntyre explained that the $3 million came from something else entirely. When IU decided to do business with Sallie Mae, the company told IU that it would make up to $3 million a year in opportunity loans available to students who did not qualify for other student loans.\n“These are students whose credit is at the limit or they are foreign students,” MacIntyre said, citing some situations. “The opportunity loans are for students when they need it. It is a standard practice in the industry as they make opportunity loans for many of the universities and colleges they do business with. It has nothing to do with the reason we chose (Sallie Mae).” \nMacIntrye said that, for some reason, people think there is a problem with opportunity loans, but he said there is not. \n“It’s just a service that Sallie Mae is providing for colleges they do a lot of business with,” he said. “There is nothing wrong or unethical – it is just ordinary business and we do not understand what they are making a big fuss about.”
(05/14/07 1:40am)
For junior Annie Cornett, the days of May 6-8 were full of excitement and brought her great rewards for her accomplishments.\nDuring that time, Cornett, along with six other members of Students In Free Enterprise, headed to Dallas to compete in the National Exposition competition, where the team won second runner-up in the “4-Year Division Opening Round Competition.” \nSIFE is an international, nonprofit organization active on more than 1,400 university campuses in 48 countries. These teams create economic opportunities in their communities by organizing outreach projects that focus on market economics, entrepreneurship, personal and financial success skills and business ethics.\nThe teams are awarded prizes for reports on their yearlong community outreach projects. \nMary Embry, a lecturer in the IU Department of Apparel Merchandising and Interior Design and the SIFE faculty adviser, said that teams have anywhere from 10 to 30 projects. \nCornett said the 10 area projects the IU team developed touched different categories of people. Some projects, she said, involved working with groups of students in high school. For example, one group’s project involved helping high school students who were considered homeless to finish school and find jobs. \nServing as the president of the group, Cornett said that it is the second year the team went to the national competition. Last year, the team attended but did not place. \n“It’s really rewarding,” Cornett said, adding that, next year, SIFE will be developing a lot of new projects and looking to “push new avenues” to expand on campus.\nNot all members presented in Texas, however - only Cornett and six others went.\n“It’s very huge. ... It’s a chance to meet so many recruiters,” Cornett said. “To look back and realize how much work and hours you put in, it’s really, really exciting to see the difference you make in the lives of (members of) the community.” \nA project that the IU SIFE team worked on was the Fair Trade Bloomington project. Embry said this project involved students working to start a nonprofit store to support economic development opportunities in the world’s most poverty-stricken areas through business cooperatives. \nIn addition, SIFE students were involved the “Traveling T,” in which elementary students learn how a t-shirt is produced. \n“We were amazed, completely amazed,” Embry said of the competition results. “It takes a lot of time and resources to place (in nationals). It is very, very competitive, and the top teams have had programs that have been around for a long time. It is intimidating, as their presentation skills are at the top level.”\nEmbry said she honestly had not expected to place so soon and thought it would take a couple of years before it would happen. \n“We’re very pleasantly surprised,” she said. \nEmbry said through SIFE, students learn time-management and leadership skills, as the projects require creating something new and inspiring others to work toward the same goals and achievements. \n“You have to keep time schedules and motivate volunteers to put something together that really contributes in some way to have results that are measured so we can present on the projects,” Embry said.
(05/09/07 10:07pm)
Graduate Brandi Angrick would rather be in Paris. \nAt least, that was the thought written on the top of her mortarboard.\nBut as Angrick received her degree on Saturday at the 178th commencement ceremony at Assembly Hall, she said assuredly that those thoughts were contrary to how she was really feeling. \n“It’s just a joke, I’m actually really happy to be here and graduating,” Angrick said with a laugh. “It’s a mix of excitement and sadness.”\nAssembly Hall overflowed with hugs, kisses, congratulations and a sea of black gowns and red adornments as 8,229 graduates from Bloomington’s campus celebrated their achievements Saturday. \nTwo ceremonies helped accommodate for the space to honor all those earning degrees, with one taking place at 10 a.m. and the other at 3 p.m. \nThe thoughts and emotions of Angrick were felt among many.\n“I’m overwhelmed,” said graduate Rachel McIntosh. “I’m excited and a bit scared. I don’t know what I am going to do now.”\nBut her degree in biology and sociology will help her as she moves on from the campus she’ll miss.\n“I encourage (students) to get involved with campus events,” she said. \nTo stand out in the homogenous crowd of black gowns, some graduates, like Angrick, wrote messages on top of their caps. \nVarious “Hi Moms” and “Thanks Dad for $,” were written on hats for the crowd to see. Several others were decorated with glitter in pink or purple.\nBut perhaps the biggest statement during the course of the ceremony was made by commencement speaker, talk show host and IU alumnus Tavis Smiley, who drew applause and ultimately a standing ovation.\n“Whatever corner of the world you are in - we are sending you out to brighten that corner,” Smiley said. \nConscious of the time, Smiley spoke all he could to the graduates seated before him.\n“What is your mission? To do the best you can with what you have in front of you.”\nSmiley touched on Winston Churchill – who was rumored to have given a commencement speech in 1941 consisting of five words: “Never, ever, ever give up.”\nSmiley said he felt Churchill had it half right when he said not to give up, but the other half is not to give in.\n“It’s not just about not giving up, and if it is, you’re chasing the wrong thing,” he said, but noted that he would not be standing where he is today without the determination to not give up. \nHe was met with strong applause as he said the real courage is to not give in to racism, xenophobia and homophobia.\n“You can be successful without greatness, but you cannot be great without success,” Smiley said. “If success is the end game – for the title, access to the right folks, to be the New York Times best-selling author, or to have someone know your name ... then you have wasted your time here at IU. Greatness is found in serving the least amongst us.”\nSmiley took the time to remind all graduates that one day, someone would be eulogizing them and that they will all have a tombstone with “cheap things” written on it, such as their name and their dates of birth and death.\n“The important thing is the dash,” he said. “What are you going to do with your dash? What are you going to do with your dash?”\nSmiley also received the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. \nIU alum Jeri Taylor, television screenwriter and producer best known for her work in the “Star Trek” series, received her Doctor of Humane Letters at the ceremony. \nPresident-elect and Interim Provost Michael McRobbie reminded graduates to thank the parents and the people who did everything possible to help them graduate from college.\nPresident Adam Herbert also reminded students that “alma mater” means “nurturing mother.”\n“With the conclusion of my presidency, I too am opening a new chapter,” he told graduates. “I hope you’ve had an experience both challenged and inspired. Hold fast to the dreams you developed as IU students.”\nAfter the ceremony, families and friends gathered with their graduates outside Assembly Hall, hugging and snapping pictures. \nGraduate Katie Sullivan proudly stood on the lawn outside after the ceremony.\n“I feel really accomplished,” she said. “I’m going to miss IU a bunch – I was sad all week.”\nWhile Angrick’s mortarboard expression, wishing she was in Paris, was only a joke, she also reflected on her time and experiences at IU, along with her graduation accomplishment. She offered some advice.\n“Don’t always think of the future,” she said. “Make your time here worth it. Most students look toward graduation and forget and don’t live in the moment.”
(05/07/07 7:33pm)
Over the course of two years, IU researchers found that Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly uses propaganda techniques to spin information and call certain groups “evil,” and label groups as villains and others as victims to the present world – the way O’Reilly sees it.\n“I don’t consider him a journalist, but more like an editorialist with his opinions,” said assistant professor in the school of journalism Mike Conway , who lead the study. “The purpose of the study didn’t really involve a definition of journalism, just that people use different sources to get their information, and do not necessarily differentiate between news and opinion programs.”\nConway was joined by Maria Elizabeth Grabe, associate professor of Telecommunications, and Kevin Grieves, a doctoral student in journalism, in the project.\nO’Reilly’s show, “The O’Reilly Factor,” is quite popular, enjoying its status as the No. 1 cable news show, Conway said. The powerful and important voice O’Reilly wields on cable was the driving factor in choosing him as the investigative subject. \nConway said critics ask why O’Reilly is targeted in the research. The journalism professor says it was because at the time of the study, O’Reilly’s voice was, and still is, prominent.\nAfter watching 115 episodes – six months’ worth – of O’Reilly’s “Talking Points Memo,” editorials, Conway said the analysis of the material was based on the 1930s Institute for Propaganda Analysis.\nThe same devices were used in the 1930s to study then-popular voice Father Charles Coughlin. \nCoughlin was known during the 1930s for his sermons revolving around anti-Semitism and fascism. He was also known as a defender of Hitler and Mussolini. \n“What we found is that Bill (O’Reilly) is a heavier user,” Conway said. \nThe research reports that O’Reilly called a person or a group a derogatory name once every 6.8 seconds, or nine times every minute during the editorials that opened his program each night. \nO’Reilly didn’t take the research found by Conway, Grabes and Grieves without comment.\nOn his Thursday, May 3 show, O’Reilly spoke of the IU research study on him.\n“Did you know that I, your humble correspondent, call somebody a name every 6.8 seconds during my Talking Points presentation each evening?” he asked during the show, as available through his personal Web site. \n“Finally, let’s add up the ‘name calling’ tonight. There was ‘humble correspondent,’ ‘smear site,’ and four others. That’s only six examples in three minutes, far below my average. I must be slipping,” O’Reilly concluded at the end of his Thursday’s “Talking Points” segment.\nConway had a chance to watch the segment, commenting on his research.\n“I found it humorous,” he said with a smile. “He called us names, considering us to be part of the left wing conspiracy... not factual, it’s just the way he operates.”\nAmong other facts found in the study, the three IU researchers discovered O’Reilly uses fear in more than half, 52.4 percent, of his commentaries, and never offers solutions to the threat he identifies. \nIn addition, left-leaning media, at 21.6 percent, makes up the largest portion of people and groups O’Reilly criticizes. But when it came to “evil” people and groups, illegal aliens, 26.8 percent, and terrorists, 21.4 percent, served as the largest groups.\nThe article was published in the spring issue of the academic journal “Journalism Studies.”\nConway said he believes journalists should always be striving to present as many angles and viewpoints “as possible to give the people the power to determine how they feel about the issue.”\n“Journalists should not be selectively using or omitting information to push a particular point of view,” he said.
(05/07/07 4:00am)
He’s witty, smart, he loves sports and he’s really into technology. He’s just the Grammy Award-winning violin virtuoso Joshua Bell\nNow Bell will take his talents closer to his hometown of Bloomington.\nHe will return to IU, his alma mater, in the fall of 2008 to teach at the Jacobs School of Music.\nAlexander Kerr, a longtime friend of Bell’s and a violinist and the Linda and Jack Gill Chair in Music at the Jacobs School, said Bell is always entertaining.\n“He has a very huge and curious mind, which is really great to be around,” Kerr said. “He’s very funny, fun to be around. We have played together so many times.”\nBell first began to study violin at the age of eight with Mimi Zweig, IU’s director of Summer String Academy for students. Zweig said she did not expect Bell to go where he has gone.\n“Whenever someone works with kids, we can never know exactly where they will go and what their potential is,” she said. “We just give them the tools and if they got it in them they will do it. He definitely had lots of potential (as a kid).”\nZweig said that Bell will be on campus one week each semester, where he will work with students, coaching and playing with them.\nAnd now as Bell prepares to come to IU in the future, Zweig and Kerr could only find one standout emotion to describe Bell’s decision to come to IU: excitement.\n“We’re very excited,” Zweig said. “I know my students are, and I have had responses from people around the world.”\nKerr’s sentiments echoed Zweig’s.\n“Wow, I mean, the school is so excited. To have someone of this magnitude of his is incredible,” Kerr said. “Everyone is just very excited.”\nWhen Bell was 12, Zweig said he began to study with Josef Gingold, a renowned violinist who taught at the Jacobs School for more than 30 years until his death in 1995. \nBell first came to national attention at age 14 when he made his highly acclaimed orchestral debut with Riccardo Muti, according to a press release.\nKerr, who has known Bell since the 1990s, said that growing up and witnessing Bell’s career flourish will inspire everyone who studies under him. \n“He is going to inspire the kids,” Kerr said. “He is one of the greatest performers around, and to have him accessible to the student is amazing.”\nKerr said that Bell will be able to speak of his experiences and of his life - which is different than the experiences that Kerr and other faculty members can share with students.\n“What is really great is that he is not far removed from age,” Kerr said. “He’s 40, but a young 40.”\nHe said that the inspiration he gives while working alongside the students will teach them and show them how Bell feels the music and how he thinks.\n“His whole life is devoted to understanding the music and going more in-depth,” Zweig said. \nAfter performing for the majority of his life, Bell will be embarking on a new endeavor of teaching. \n“When one reaches a certain age, one has a feeling that they want to give back some of what they have learned,” Zweig said.\nAnd the Jacobs School couldn’t be happier to hear of Bell’s future impending arrival.\n“He is just an extraordinary violinist and he plays with such expressiveness - always exploring the outer limits and never afraid to take a chance and express himself to the fullest,” Zweig said. “I think it’s just very exciting ... for him to make the Jacobs School his home for his teaching bases.”\nKerr said that because Bell’s career flourished at an early age, and Kerr experienced something similar, the bond between the two was strong.\n“That is the whole point of music,” Kerr said. “Connection and communication.”
(05/07/07 4:00am)
Barnes and Noble College Booksellers will take over for all bookstores on IU campuses beginning July 1. \nIU President Adam Herbert announced the decision Friday at the IU board of trustees meeting in Bloomington. \nThe outsourcing agreement between Barnes and Noble and IU will last for 10 years, according to the contract. \nHerbert accepted the staff recommendation made by a task force headed by Terry Clapacs, IU vice president and chief administrative officer. The task force, which included IU Student Association President Betsy Henke, reviewed and analyzed proposals from several potential bookstore operations. Proposals were also reviewed by external CPA and consulting firm Crowe Chizek of Indianapolis. \nClapacs made clear in his presentation that employees will be able to keep the same benefits and level of pay they currently receive from the University. \n“No one is hurt,” said Clapacs, who added that the contract requires that full-time bookstore employees be offered jobs with Barnes and Nobles College Booksellers. However, the pay and benefits agreement applies to current employees, but not future hires, according to the contract. \n“I don’t think the current staff could be protected better,” Clapacs said. \nHenke agreed with the decision, saying the option best serves students and employees. \nBased on proposals from companies including T.I.S. College Bookstore, Barnes and Noble, Follett and the internal IU bookstore operation, the task force chose two finalists – IU’s own bookstore operation and Barnes and Noble.\nIn the end, Barnes and Noble won the right to enter the outsourcing agreement with IU for all campus bookstores.\nWith the topic of cost, concerns were raised regarding textbook price increases. Officials said the contract prevents this price “gouging,” and Barnes and Noble agreed to stick with the current profit margin on textbooks. \nOfficials were vague regarding textbook costs, saying only that a 25 percent margin is how the pricing of textbooks will remain, and that “all current services will be kept in place.” \nThere are currently 16 bookstores on seven of the IU campuses, including Bloomington, with 93 full-time and 104 part-time and student employees – half residing in Bloomington. \nAccording to a presentation made by Clapacs, compiled financial analysis indicated that Barnes and Noble operations would provide a $5.5 million signing bonus to IU and a $2 million bonus in the eighth year.\nIn addition, Barnes and Noble estimates $850,000 to be provided to IU, money Herbert refers to as “show-me-the-love money.” Trustee president Steve Ferguson said money garnered from the outsourcing decision will allow for the University to pursue other necessary improvements on campus, such as renovations in Ballantine Hall.\nOutsourcing the IU campus bookstores to Barnes and Noble is the most recent decision concerning this topic since February of this year, when the board of trustees outsourced four of the 21 IU Motor Pool positions. \nTrustee Sue Talbot expressed some concerns for future bookstore employees.\n“I have no problem with Barnes and Noble coming in,” she said. “But I wonder even if they allow employees to continue (with the same benefits)... I wonder if they will still feel a part of IU. I wonder if people going to the bookstore will be greeted like they are now, (employees) having a personal pride in the IU name.” \nTalbot concluded that, as the transition to Barnes and Noble begins, it is important to be sensitive to the future of IU and take care of the dignity the employees have given to the life of the University.\n“Barnes and Noble... you will feel pride in IU and what it means to everyone,” Talbot said.\nTrustee Pat Shoulders expressed similar sentiments. He mentioned that there is no class that doesn’t require a text, and was wary of gaining profit from textbooks – a necessary service to students. \n“There are 200 jobs at risk and I don’t think this is the right thing for IU,” Shoulders said as he was met with applause from a section of the crowd. \nBarnes and Noble will begin the process of transitioning to IU bookstores, and Herbert announced he would sign the contract in place. \nWith the contract comes an investment on behalf of Barnes and Noble to build a facility that includes a varsity shop and coffee shop in the south parking lot of Assembly Hall. The location would also serve as a bus stop for students. The estimated cost of this project is $1.4 million. \nThere were some dissenters among the crowd present to hear the decision. \nMilton Fisk spoke on behalf of the 6,000 people who signed a petition against outsourcing, expressing opposition to the proposal. Fisk said the decision did not represent input from the staff and those working at the bookstores.\n“It did not represent the staff and those working... we’re equals on board,” he said. “This decision is a mistake.” \nAfter Fisk spoke, Herbert thanked him for his comments but declined to discuss the topic further.\n“I feel good about the matter,” Herbert said.
(05/07/07 4:00am)
Graduate Danny Barrido arrived at the IU Auditorium on Friday wearing his graduation cap and gown a day before the actual commencement ceremony. \nHe made a point to express that he wasn’t going to take it off, except maybe to sleep. In a sense, Barrido was merely prepping himself for what was to come on Saturday when he graduated. \nAccompanied by the rest of his family, Barrido was one of many graduating seniors to attend the annual baccalaureate ceremony on Friday. \nThe ceremony, which has been a tradition for at least 166 years, takes place the day before graduation. It is a chance for graduates to gather and celebrate in a spiritual observance focused around achievement and aspiration.\nFive flags representing five faiths – Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism – were hung above the stage, reflecting the myriad of religions present not only in the crowd, but in the IU community as well. \nThe interfaith ceremony was open to anyone who wanted to attend. Barrido, who is Catholic, said he related more to the religious aspect of the ceremony.\n“Being religious makes you appreciate it more,” he said of the ceremony. He also said anyone could have attended. \nPrayers and songs representing the different faiths were accompanied throughout the ceremony by candle-lighting, gongs and singing. The Jewish a cappella group HooShir also performed at the ceremony.\nStudents representing the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic faiths recited the language of each respective prayer’s origin. \n“We come from a diverse assembly of cultures, countries and faiths,” said Rev. Rebecca Jiménez, who gave the gathering words and the dismissal at the service. “The prayers are of strength, guidance and wisdom for the graduates.”\nJiménez encouraged the different faiths to join together, as the same messages of gratitude and well-wishes to the graduates were present throughout all prayers.\nPatrick O’Meara, Dean for International Programs, gave a message to the graduates and families in attendance.\nIn a short anecdote, he told of how he recently visited a Hallmark store to look at graduation cards. With about 30 cards spread out on a table in front of him, O’Meara said he noticed the good and upbeat messages they all provided, such as “Reach for the stars.”\n“I know you all will do great things,” he said. “As you reach for the stars, respect the beliefs of others. I hope many years from now you can say, ‘This has been a good life and I have lived the good life.’”\nFamily and friends embraced many students with heartfelt hugs following the ceremony.\nFather Bob Keller, a pastor from St. Paul Catholic Center, experienced his second baccalaureate ceremony. \n“Religion fits into the realm of pursuit of values, and higher education is one of those,” he said. “It seems fitting to me to make available the religious aspect to students during graduation.”\nBarrido, who grew up Catholic and participated in various events similar to baccalaureate, said the celebration was just part of the beginning of his life before commencement.\n“It was interesting,” he said. “I’ve never been to anything like it.”
(05/04/07 4:00am)
Tavis Smiley doesn’t have a speech prepared. \nAll he knows is he’ll return to Bloomington on Saturday to give the commencement speech to the graduating class of 2007. \nSmiley said he doesn’t speak from a prepared text because he seeks to connect with audience members. Giving the same speech doesn’t allow for that to happen, he said. Instead, he describes Saturday as a “homecoming.”\nUniversity Chancellor Ken Gros Louis remembers the phone call he made to Smiley to invite him to be the 2007 graduation speaker. President Adam Herbert asked Gros Louis to make the call, knowing how close the two were when Smiley interned at Gros Louis’ office. When the alumnus returns to campus this time, he’ll have more than $35, a suitcase and his acceptance letter, which is what he had when he came to IU in the 1980s. \nWith no dorm assignment, no books, no family support and “no nothing” as he said, Smiley describesdhis start at IU as meager. \n“It was just me sleeping on the floor of a dorm I later learned was Willkie,” he said with a laugh. \nDue to overcrowding in the residence halls when Smiley arrived, Gros Louis said he fit right in sleeping in the halls, as there were so many students it was difficult to keep track. Smiley eventually received a debate scholarship, which helped him pay his way through college.\nHowever, it wasn’t until he met the right people that his journey at IU really began, Smiley said. \n“You do not navigate a successful journey by yourself,” Smiley said. “I am going to talk about what it means to appreciate diversity. The persons who helped me get through (IU) were both white and black and they are all still my friends to this very day.”\nSmiley, a Kokomo, Ind., native, left IU in 1986 – the year he was to finish classes and earn his degree – to pursue work with Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley. His intentions to return to Bloomington were strong, but Smiley chose to begin his career. \nSmiley is now the host of two talk shows: “Tavis Smiley” and “The Tavis Smiley Show,” on PBS and National Public Radio.\nSmiley finally earned his degree when Associate Dean of Academic and Fiscal Affairs Kurt Zorn arranged for Smiley to complete his degree by writing three papers about three of his books and the impact the books had.\nZorn, who was in Taiwan on business as of press time, expressed his fondness for Smiley in an e-mail.\n“He is an impressive person who has done many good things since leaving IU,” Zorn said. “I am glad to see he is coming back to be the commencement speaker.”\nWhile Zorn helped Smiley finish the rest of his degree requirements, Gros Louis awarded Smiley his degree in person at his Santa Barbara, Calif. home.\n“We met for lunch,” Gros Louis said. “I gave him his diploma and used all the language used during the ceremony, ‘by the authority invested in me by the Board of the Trustees ... ’”\nAs for his speech, Smiley said he will know when he takes the podium. However, he does know what he wants to base his speech on.\n“I want to talk about what it means to never give up and do whatever it is you set out to do,” Smiley said. “No matter how determined I was to get into IU, I would not have gotten in or out without the support from people.”\nSmiley said that when he was an IU student, he could never have imagined an African-American president, women’s basketball coach or men’s basketball coach at the University.\n“That is the kind of inclusion I could never have imagined as a kid,” Smiley said. “To come back and see what it means to appreciate the inclusion and diversity at IU – that is a hopeful sign.”
(05/04/07 4:00am)
IU Police Department Sgt. Craig Munroe’s voice won’t be any different than it usually is. But on Friday, it will be heard all over Bloomington.\n“It’s just like talking on the radio,” he said. “It does not intimidate me in the least. Right when I click that microphone it might. Hopefully all goes well.”\nAt noon on Friday, the traditional monthly emergency warning signal will be broadcast as usual. But at the end of the siren’s wail, a human voice, Munroe’s, will speak over the intercom to help introduce a new technique to warn against other emergencies that may not be related to severe weather or tornadoes.\nThe voice message siren system will be tested to see how well human commands can be conveyed during a time of emergency if people are outdoors and not by a phone or Internet connection, said Kirk White, IU director of Community Relations.\nInterim Provost and President-elect Michael McRobbie requested a test of this system at a meeting recently. The April shootings at Virginia Tech prompted discussion in the Bloomington and IU communities to use the voice activation system. The system has been in place for quite awhile, White said, but has never been used prior to this test because of the adequate nature of the siren notifications. \n“This will allow us to adjust the system and make modifications by doing this ahead of time,” White said of the voice warning system. \nIU Police Department Capt. Jerry Minger said using the voice system was once considered when a tank ruptured and hazardous materials were slowly being blown to the Bloomington area. \nMinger said due to the recent shootings at Virginia Tech, people have been re-evaluating notification systems – systems once thought to be accurate. \nTo evaluate the effectiveness of the system, Minger said representatives from the IU Office of Risk Management will be placed at various locations around campus to see if people can hear the voice message signals under the various environmental factors throughout the community. \nThe Whelen system contains the ability to host voices instead of just sirens, Minger said. There are four locations in Monroe County; one at 10th and Jefferson (near Eigenmann Hall), one at the IU Cyclotron Facility, one at the Monroe County Justice Building and one at the Bloomington Township Fire Department. \nIf there is success from the voice system to convey emergency notifications, White said the system will hopefully be used in the future to prevent emergencies.
(05/04/07 4:00am)
IU student Ryan P. Mason, 18, faces numerous charges after police searched Mason’s room and discovered an estimated $8,000 worth of stolen items ranging from driver’s licenses, credit cards, student IDs and a social security card, along with sheets of counterfeit money in Mason’s dorm room in Teter Elkin in Teter Quad. \nMason faces four preliminary charges of burglary, according to a police report read by IU Police Department Sgt. Craig Munroe . \nIUPD Officer David Winburn was dispatched around 10:30 a.m. Saturday morning to Teter Quad. A report was received that there was an intoxicated individual on the second floor of Teter Boisen. The intoxicated suspect was described as a white male with short dark hair, and Winburn said that the description resembled that of a burglary suspect in earlier cases.\nWhen the officers arrived to the second floor of Boisen, they found the man who matched the description from earlier burglary reports and arrested him. \nWhile being searched, he identified himself as Ryan P. Mason. Several people standing by said Mason had been in their rooms. In Mason’s wallet, officers discovered $308 in cash, credit cards, driver’s licenses, and IDs, none of which were reported to belong to Mason.\nOne of the cards found belonged to an individual standing in the crowd at the time, Munroe said.\nMason was then escorted to the police car and charged with burglary while intoxicated. Three more subjects were interviewed in relation to the case, and Winburn reported a bit of a struggle when Mason tried to flee from the police car.\nBecause Mason matched the description of someone wanted in several other burglary cases at Teter, Winburn sought a warrant and contacted the prosecutor’s office, who then contacted the duty judge who issued the warrant to search Mason’s room in Teter Elkin, Munroe said. \nAfter their search, police found driver’s licenses, IDs, credit cards, textbooks, iPods, other MP3 players and a social security card, among other items. In addition, they discovered an Xbox gaming system stored in the basement.\nMunroe said that, based on the report, it is estimated that the items belong to at least seven people.\nCurrently, the police are contacting owners to return the property. An investigation to determine the exact facts of the situation is still ongoing. The U.S. Secret Service is also involved to investigate the possible counterfeit money, Munroe said, reading from the police report. \nMunroe said that unlocked rooms played a major role in property being stolen.
(05/04/07 4:00am)
For Assembly Hall to be in better condition than it is now, IU will have to spend $50 million in renovations and upward of $123 million for other recommended improvements to the facility. Several IU trustees deemed such changes necessary during Thursday’s meeting. \nBeginning on Thursday and continuing Friday morning, the IU board of trustees has been discussing Assembly Hall’s fate, along with the decision to outsource the operation of the IU campus bookstore. The latter decision will come Friday morning. \nIn addition, Dan Rives, IU Associate Vice President for Human Resources, presented an update on the IU Ambulatory Care Center – a medical services center similar to the IU Health Center but that will allow employees and graduate students benefits and health care as well as dental services. \nIn a presentation, Athletics Director Rick Greenspan outlined several plans calling for renovations to the aging basketball arena. Although trustees did not come to any official decisions, the possibilities loom of either an entirely new arena or spending over $100 million on the aforementioned renovations. \nAssembly Hall opened during the 1971-72 season and can hold 17,456 fans.\n“It has been many years since we renovated the facility,” IU President Adam Herbert said. “We have talked about making changes and bringing it up to code and the potential to have to build a new Assembly Hall.”\nGreenspan said that Assembly Hall is structurally sound, but several improvements need to be made to keep the facility up to date. Assembly Hall currently has poor sight lines for some seats, limited seating for the disabled, narrow aisles and no place for suite-style premium seats. These needs would be addressed in basic improvements for the arena. The reports come from University officials and outside architects.\n“Most major building equipment is reaching its ends of useful life,” Greenspan said. “The current systems are not energy efficient, and the current control systems are obsolete and replacement parts are available.”\nThe IU trustees have not yet reached a decision regarding Assembly Hall, but expansion options and renovations will continue to be discussed. When the trustees meet again in June, President Herbert said they will receive a plan that outlines the potential costs for a new facility. \nThe next step for the trustees comes Friday, when they will make a decision on whether or not to outsource the operation of the IU campus bookstores. For several months, outsourcing has been a topic of discussion for the board.\nEarlier in the year, four of the 21 positions at the IU Motor Pool were outsourced. \nBefore the decision regarding the potential outsourcing of the IU campus bookstores is publicly announced, bookstore employees on the IU campuses will be privately notified of the decision.