106 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(04/18/07 4:00am)
With Little 500 festivities set to begin on campus, knowing the laws and what to expect from police might prove beneficial when making decisions about where to party this week.\nPolice presence in Bloomington increases during what has been called “America’s greatest college weekend.” But local law-enforcement officers say that playing it smart is the best bet to stay out of trouble.
(04/16/07 4:00am)
The IU rowing team fell to Michigan and Michigan State on Saturday at the Big Ten Duals in East Lansing, Mich. \nDespite strong headwinds and rough water in the later races, the Hoosiers handled it well and put up a fight against No. 11 Michigan and No. 20 Michigan State. The Hoosiers saw their toughest competition in the first varsity eight races. IU finished only eight seconds off Michigan in the morning but clocked in 13 seconds slower against Michigan State. \n“Both races felt pretty good overall,” said senior rower Kourtney Beckham. “We had good, strong starts in both races. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to sustain (the leads), but we raced a good race.”\nThe Hoosiers’ second varsity four brought home the team’s only win, against the Spartans. \n“We fell short in our morning’s race to Michigan, but we figured out what we needed to work on to be able to beat Michigan State in the afternoon,” said junior rower Marla Alexander. “We came together as a boat and made it happen. It was such an amazing feeling to be up on a crew and stay there.”\nIU faced Michigan in the morning race series and Michigan State in the afternoon. \nIU’s novice eight placed third behind two Michigan State crews. The Hoosiers’ second varsity eight got runner-up in both races with similar margins, coming in at 7:19:50 behind Michigan’s 7:08:43 finish and clocking in 8:02.65 after Michigan State’s time of 7:50.35. Although they didn’t pull off a win, the crew did find an opportunity to execute a modified race strategy during the afternoon. \n“After the first race, we were able to talk about technical changes the rowers needed to work on and specific calls I could use to help them and try to make those changes in the second race of the day,” said sophomore coxswain Madison Spruell. “I think they were really able to really focus in on those changes, as well as just pure cranking.”\nThe Hoosiers will be back in action on April 28 at the Big Ten championships at Wisconsin. Until then, the Hoosiers will make the most of the extra practice time. \n“I mean, you always strive to win races, but when you don’t, you have to learn from them and move forward to gain every ounce of speed you can,” Alexander said. “The next two weeks will give us a chance to find some of that speed and capitalize on it.
(04/13/07 4:00am)
Although it’s not commonly used as a bathtub, the Jordan River might look like one on Sunday during Alpha Phi Omega’s 17th annual Rubber Duck Regatta. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Dunn Meadow. Proceeds from the philanthropy will be donated to the March of Dimes campaign. \n“It’ll be fun for community members, families and students alike,” said sophomore Erica Honeywell, who helped organize the event. “They can come out and watch the duck races, play games and give back to the community by supporting the March of Dimes.”\nThroughout the semester, members of the service fraternity have been raising money by selling tickets, equivalent to one duck. For each ticket sold, a duck is “sponsored” to race down the river during one of the day’s many races. \nThose who purchased the winning ducks in the smaller series of races will receive prizes donated by local businesses, and the first place winner of the final race will be given a $100 grand prize. In addition to the duck regatta, there will be games and food. Radio host Rick Evans from Hoosier Country 105.1 FM will also be at the event.\n“All of the money we raise from the ticket sales, canning and donations will be given to the March of Dimes,” Honeywell said. “We’ve worked all semester to prepare for this event and it’s a great way for everyone in the fraternity to come together with a common goal of raising money for March of Dimes.”\nMarch of Dimes is a national organization that works to “improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality,” according to the organization’s March of Dimes. Alpha Phi Omega will donate the money generated from this event to the South Central Indiana chapter.
(04/13/07 4:00am)
The IU rowing team will get its first taste of Big Ten competition in East Lansing, Mich., this weekend. IU’s varsity and novice crews will face Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan in an all-day double-duel race.\n“The goal is to see how we fare against other Big Ten schools – both Michigan and Michigan State have had some upset losses. It will be interesting to see how we’ll do against them,” assistant coach Carmen Mirochna said. “We think we have some unprecedented speed in our crews, but that remains to be seen until we get out there.”\nThe Hoosiers are eager to get back on the water after the race scheduled for last weekend was canceled because of severe weather. The missed racing opportunity does put the Hoosiers at a slight disadvantage compared to other crews, but they’ve made up for lost time.\n“It would have been nice to have more racing experience before we face some really good competition,” Mirochna said. “But it’s given us a chance to switch lineups and work on different race strategies.” \nThree of the second varsity eight rowers switched into the first varsity eight, making it the fastest boat IU has ever had, she said. The second varsity eight however, has clocked in with the closest margins to other schools the Hoosiers have raced this season and is not a boat to be ignored. While they’ve seen success so far this season, this weekend will be a prime opportunity for the team to prove themselves against tougher competition. \n“Anytime you are going to be racing other Big Ten schools, you know it isn’t going to be easy,” senior Stacey Young said. “We’re going into the weekend knowing that while nothing will be easy, it really shouldn’t be, and that we have the talent to make things happen.”\nThis is the only time the Hoosiers will face off against Michigan and Michigan State before seeing them in the larger conference and regional races in the coming weeks.\n“Since Big Tens and South Centrals are fast approaching, it’s very important this weekend to get focused and compete,” freshman Emily Kasavana said. “If we perform to our potential, this weekend should be very exciting.\nAlthough the Hoosiers won’t race Ohio State, this weekend’s results will help the team gauge the Buckeyes’ speed, Mirochna said. Both Michigan and Michigan State have produced similar racing results this season and have proven to be equally competitive crews.\n“Although they’re both tough competitors, we have to realize that we have reached a point in our program where we are now on their level,” Young said. “We are tough, we are strong and we are hard to beat.”
(04/05/07 4:00am)
Nearly a month ago, I realized the world was coming to an end. There I was, watching the last episode of "The OC." Julie Cooper went to college, Sandy and Kirsten gave birth to the WASPiest little girl ever, Ryan became an architect (so obvious, how did I not see that coming), and Seth and Summer eventually got married. My best friends were moving on with their lives and abandoning me. A tear rolled down my eye as I realized I would never chill at the Bait Shop, have a bagel in the Cohen kitchen or hide out in Marissa's lifeguard hut ever again. Be strong, I thought to myself, be strong. After all, this wasn't the first time I'd experienced loss. "Arrested Development" was canceled more than a year ago, and so far I've managed to survive. I assured myself I still had other TV friends to keep me company, and as I began to think of them, I realized they soon would be gone, too. I was speechless. Everything I have known and that has made up the last six or so years of my life would soon end. I would be alone in the world.\nNegotiations still have not been finalized for new seasons of "Scrubs" or "Gilmore Girls." If J.D. and crew don't return, who's going to teach me life-lessons about growing up, working a full-time job and how to deal with relationships? (Come on, Zach Braff, you're one of the highest paid TV actors for a show that doesn't even have a huge audience. Put your film career on hold for one more year.) Rory Gilmer, Alexis Bledel (while I dislike acknowledging these are real people, for financial purposes it is necessary) isn't too keen on coming back for another season, which would mean I'll no longer have anyone who fully understands my love of pop culture, someone who understands my obscure references or someone to speak ridiculously fast-paced with. \nFortunately there's still hope for those two shows, but after June "The Sopranos" gets whacked (leaving no reason for my family to socialize -- notice that syllable at the end of my last name). This will be the last season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and without that, I'll have trouble validating my socially unacceptable and awkward behavior by saying "If Larry would do it, it's OK." (So what if I've lied to a priest? Is it really that weird that I will never set foot in a Ballantine Hall bathroom?) \nIt's not that there won't be any good TV left, rather the contrary. "Lost" is still awesome, but my life is stressful enough without being cut off from civilization and having to hide from a group of sadist "others." It's always fun to gossip with the "Desperate Housewives" on Wysteria Lane, but because I'm not a middle-aged woman, I don't want my closest social circle to depend on baked goods and poker games. Pam and Jim may have fun tormenting Dwight and their "Office" co-workers, but I'd probably last about two weeks before I murdered everyone there out of frustration and awkward silence. Sure, the "Grey's Anatomy" doctors always have some huge drama going on, but Meredith and I are sworn enemies and the other characters kind of suck now, too. Izzie's been unforgivingly bitchy (and what kind of idiot gives away $8 million!?!), George got married (and what kind of idiot gets pissed at his wife for having $8 million!?!), and Dr. Bailey just doesn't use the word "va-jay-jay" enough lately. And even after I stuck with the show once it failed to kill off Meredith (so close! so close!), it gets rid of my favorite character, Addison Montgomery, by giving her own spin-off.
(04/04/07 4:00am)
For some, foosball is nothing more than a casual activity played in a bar with few or no rules. Others, however, take the table sport very seriously.\n“It’s not as easy as it looks and there’s definitely skill behind it,” said sophomore Sean Clark, captain of the IU foosball club team. “I do it for fun, but I also treat it like you would any other sport. I’ve been playing since I was a little kid and I’m still learning new techniques.”\nFoosball, or “table football” has its roots in Europe. The general look and feel of the game is comparable to American soccer, confined to a 4-by-2 waist-high table. \nThe IU team has roughly 10 members who show up regularly for practice, but the club is open to anyone on campus. They don’t require interested students to pay any club fees, but do ask potential members to bring patience the first few times they show up.\n“It seems like it’d be simple but then you play someone with a lot more experience and get destroyed,” said junior Reid Rigsbee. “You just have to keep practicing and practicing, but there’s always going to be someone better than you.”\nThough most people play foosball casually, there is actually a complicated set of rules that Clark said take a while to grasp. For example, one player can’t hold the ball for more than 15 seconds and spinning the rods is illegal. Even those well-versed in the rules must stay constantly focused if they want to win. \n“Foosball requires so much concentration and there’s always a new skill to be learned,” said senior Imran Mahmood. “If you lose concentration for one second, the ball can easily slip by you and the other team can score.” \nMahmood compares foosball to sports like pool and poker.\n“I like it because it’s a good way to get away from your studies and relax with friends but still have your mind working,” he said. “There is strategy there like a real sport but it’s more low-key.” \nWhile most would consider foosball a mental activity rather than a physical one, team members contend that there are physical strains that can come along with intense play.\n“Sometimes your back hurts from leaning over the table so much and your wrists will get sore,” Rigsbee said. “For the most part it’s not that \nbad though.”\nThe team practices at the Back Alley in the Memorial Union, but members also meet up outside of practice to have a go, usually at someone’s house or a bar. Team members generally just play each other. Occasionally the club sets up campus-wide tournaments or individual members travel to large-scale tournaments throughout the area \nto compete.\n“There are people who take this very seriously and participate in state-wide and national tournaments,” Clark said. “Obviously we wouldn’t win these, but there are some people who dedicate their lives to \nthe sport.”\nWhile the fairly new IU team is small, it is representative of a greater trend throughout the country. Foosball is growing in popularity in America, but has been a European favorite since the time of its beginnings in the late 19th century. The sport is commonly played in other countries as well. \n“Back home in Dubai we play this a lot because the weather outside can be really bad,” Mahmood said. “It’s a good way to get together with people without leaving the house.”\nThe club is working to get more members for next fall so it can begin playing in tournaments at colleges around the country. Practice is held once a week but it isn’t mandatory to show up every time, although most club members do. Even though they’re dedicated, Clark insists they don’t take themselves too seriously.\n“We love it and we do get into it when we’re practicing and playing,” Clark said. “But really, it’s all just for fun.”
(04/04/07 4:00am)
Saturday marked the first step toward the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon becoming instituted on IU’s campus since being removed by their national organization in 2002.\nThe 15-member interest group was joined by some alumni for the official colonization process. \n“As a whole, I feel really good and feel like we’re moving in the right direction,” said sophomore Ronak Desai. “We are trying to build this fraternity the right way and focusing on quality more than quantity, getting the right kind of guys who we feel meet our standards rather than just trying to fill a house.”\nThe fraternity was kicked off campus after repeated alcohol violations in 2002. The Gamma chapter of SAE was first established at IU in 1907 and current interest group members hoped to bring the fraternity back by 2007 for its 100-year anniversary. \n“The members of the fraternity that were on campus the year they got removed had distanced themselves from the nationals and weren’t living the lifestyle that we want to represent,” sophomore Zach Garrison said. “That’s not how it’s going to be from now on, we want our guys to follow our fraternity motto of ‘true gentleman’.”\nThe SAE national model is based off of a poem that describes what a gentleman should be, which are the standards that the current fraternity founders are using as guidelines during their recruitment efforts. The poem represents how members should represent themselves, the morals they should go by, and how they should treat others, Garrison said.\n“It could take us a while to get the right type of guys, but it’s what we’re here to do,” Garrison said. “We want this to be a different type of fraternity, we want it to be more of a higher-class fraternity that is very selective rather than just one that wants to get the numbers up; we want a real brotherhood.” \nAnother thing SAE hopes to achieve is to create a more diverse environment in the greek system by making the effort to bring people of all backgrounds into the fraternity.\n“There’s not a lot of diversity in the campus greek system, and we want to change that,” Garrison said. \nThe next step in getting on campus is obtaining a charter, Desai said. They hope to have their charter by next year, which would allow them to compete in campus-wide events like Little 500 and IU Sing. In addition, SAE plans on demolishing and rebuilding its old fraternity house on North Jordan Avenue. The $3 million project will take two years to complete. \n“Right now we’re just trying to get on campus and get involved with IFC and activities that other greek houses participate in,” he said. “We have a long way to go but I’m very optimistic with what we’ve done so far.”\nThe fraternity will be doing the majority of its recruitment on a referral basis but are also looking to attract SAE legacies or those who want to be part of a different kind of fraternity, Desai said.\n“We just want to make it better,” he said. “We didn’t like the fraternity experience we were seeing at other houses around campus, so we’re trying to renew that and make our own experience.”
(04/02/07 4:00am)
The IU rowing team dominated Cincinnati, Dayton and Eastern Michigan on Saturday at Harsha Lake in Cincinnati. All boats beat the other crews by considerable margins.\n“We expected to win but I don’t think we expected to win by as much as we did,” said sophomore Jamie Spoto. “The boats just rowed a really solid race.” \nThe Hoosiers raced their first varsity, second varsity and novice eights, and two varsity fours, each crossing the line with open water on the other teams. After a week of lineup adjustments and intrasquad competitions for a seat on the first varsity boat, the team as a whole had its best performance of the season to date.\n“There were three of us that moved from the second to the first eight,” junior Kiri Crane said. “Knowing that this was our shot, we wanted to prove it was a good decision to put us there.”\nThe first and second novice eights got to race for the first time since their spring break training trip. Both IU boats raced in the same event against the other schools, with IU’s first novice eight coming in first despite encountering difficulties with steering the course.\n“We’ve never had a nonbuoyed racecourse and we didn’t take the straightest race possible so we lost some time with that but we ended up neck and neck with Cincinnati around the 1,000-meter mark,” freshman Monica Idstein said. “With 500 meters left we really pulled away from them and won by almost a boat-length.” \nThe Hoosiers’ first varsity eight started fast off the line and continued to create space between their boat and the other teams’ even after they caught the lead. By halfway through the race they had put away the competition and were essentially racing against the clock. \n“When you’re up by that much, it’s tough not to just settle in and sit, but we kept the race going and kept getting farther ahead,” Spoto said. “Our coxswain was yelling at us as if Wisconsin was next to us, pushing us to go faster as if they were right there.”\nLast week the Hoosiers fell to Wisconsin but will have a chance at a rematch this coming weekend in Indianapolis. IU will also face off against Notre Dame this weekend, who are anticipated to be a good crew as well. \n“The win was a good confidence boost going into this coming week because we will be facing our real competition,” Crane said. “We’ve said OK, now that we’ve gotten this race in let’s work harder for next weekend. It’s time to focus on the people who are a lot faster than us.”
(04/02/07 4:00am)
While most students on campus have probably never traveled to Japan, the hundreds who attended Japan Night on Friday got a taste of the customs, cuisine and traditions of the Land of the Rising Sun without even leaving campus.\n“It showed a lot about Japanese culture that many people may have not heard of before,” sophomore Kristen Malick said. “There’s more to Japan than Tokyo, and I think through this event people have become more aware of everything Japan has to offer.”\nPut on by the Japanese Student Association, the event followed a theme of a bullet-train trip around Japan in one night. The bullet train, or “shinkansen,” is a network of high speed train lines that connects Tokyo with most of the main island’s major cities and prefectures.\nDespite the absence of a real train, attendees experienced each different prefecture with dozens of large, colorful photographs, food, activities and informational posters characterizing the locations.\n“I brought my husband here to learn more about Japanese culture,” graduate student Sachiko Grigutis said. “I think it’s good for people who want to learn a little bit about the many different areas of Japan.”\nPerhaps the most popular attraction on the mock tour of Japan was the food served along the way. In addition to cuisine most commonly associated with the country, like sushi and rice, a host of kimono-clad students served “misokatsu,” which is fried pork with Japanese miso paste; “sashimi,” raw, thinly sliced seafood; breaded octopus; and fried banana, to name a few.\n“I don’t take Japanese, but it’s all really interesting,” freshman Maggie Wikoff said. “I came mostly for the food, and I really love the sushi.”\nStudents, faculty, staff and local community members turned out for the event. Many of the students who attended already had some exposure to Japanese culture through their East Asian Language and Culture classes but came to learn more. \n“I’m going abroad to Japan next year, but I don’t know a whole lot about the different places,” sophomore Chad Fritsch said, “so this kind of helps me see what I can expect.”\nAttendees looked on as a man ceremoniously prepared “mochi” – a sticky rice cake pounded into a paste and molded into a shape traditionally served during the Japanese new year. Using heavy wooden mallets, the man pounded the rice and water mixture in the same way mochi has been prepared in Japan for centuries. \nStudents also had the opportunity to do calligraphy of Japanese kanji characters on rice paper or have a symbol painted for them. \n“It’s especially interesting for people like me who have never been outside of the United States,” Fritsch said. “It’s just fun to meet people from other cultures and, for a little while, get to experience how life back in their home country is like.”
(03/30/07 4:00am)
The IU women’s rowing team will head to Cincinnati this weekend to compete against Cincinnati, Dayton and Eastern Michigan in what the Hoosiers hope is a promising race. \n“Without sounding too overconfident going into this race, we are the favorites to win,” coach Steve Peterson said. “We’ve won this race the past few years, and I would expect this year to be no different.” \nThe Hoosiers will race their first and second varsity eights, two varsity fours and two novice eights this weekend. After a disappointing loss to Wisconsin last weekend, the team spent the week tinkering with line-ups to find the fastest possible combination of rowers for their first varsity eight.\n“We have a lot of people that are really similar speed, so there’s a lot of intra-squad competition going on to get on the first boat,” Peterson said. “There are probably going to be a couple of people moved from the first boat down to the second one.”\nIn addition to determining who will comprise the team’s ideal varsity eight, the Hoosiers focused on perfecting technique during practice this week. \n“We have to get our blades in earlier so we can optimize the time that our blades are in the water,” said freshman Molly Sinks. “We have a lot of power, but we really have to work on our technique to get the most out of it.”\nLast year the Hoosiers swept the Cincinnati regatta, winning four of their five races. Based on what it knows of the other crews’ seasons and their own ability, the team is expecting similar results this year.\n“The biggest challenge this weekend will be adjusting to our new line-ups and going after it from the start,” Sinks said. “I know we are capable of beating all of the teams this weekend – we just have to race our race and put the pressure on early.”\nThe main thing the Hoosiers have been working on throughout the season is staying focused during the race. \n“The key thing for us is really going in and executing our race plan and rowing well technically,” Peterson said. “The bottom line is, if we row the way we should, we will win.”
(03/28/07 4:00am)
Deep beneath IU’s campus is an underground world that many have heard of but few have experienced. It’s possible to walk from Third Street to the Indiana Memorial Union without seeing the light of day or to enter buildings in the Old Crescent undetected.\nCommonly known as “the tunnels”, the underground passage system was created for utility purposes, but IU students have made them something of legend throughout the years. \nThey were constructed more than 100 years ago and now carry steam lines, voice and data communications, medium and high voltage and chilled water for air conditioning purposes, said Jeff Kaden, an engineer for the IU Physical Plant. Though the tunnels are unsafe, some IU students have made it their prerogative to discover this underground campus. \n“These tunnels are extremely dangerous and are in no ways meant for pedestrian use,” Kaden said. “It’s extremely hot and the air is full of asbestos. There are sharp corners of piping and support. There are some places where the piping isn’t even covered and you could easily get burns or other injuries.”
(03/26/07 4:00am)
Although the IU rowing team left Lake Lemon disappointed after its loss to Wisconsin on Saturday, the defeat might have taught them just how much potential they have as team. \n“I was a little surprised that we weren’t closer to Wisconsin, but recent discoveries from this race have made me confident that I was right in being surprised,” assistant coach Carmen Mirochna said. “There’s a lot of speed in our program, but after this weekend we’ve realized that the first boat isn’t as fast as it could be and that can change.”\nThe Hoosiers squared off against the Badgers during three 1,500-meter scrimmages in the morning and competed in three short, unofficial pieces in the afternoon. Wisconsin swept the morning races, but the Hoosiers’ second varsity eight overtook Wisconsin’s second varsity eight during the afternoon series.\n“They beat us in all three morning races, but during the very last afternoon race, our coach was next to us in the motorboat yelling to pull ahead, and we did,” said junior Kiri Crane, a rower on the second varsity eight. “It became apparent that there’s another level that all of us were able to step up to and we need to be doing that from the start.” \nDuring the last afternoon race – the Hoosiers’ sole victory against Wisconsin – IU’s second varsity eight passed Wisconsin’s second varsity eight and IU’s first varsity eight, coming in second to Wisconsin’s first varsity eight. \nThis week the Hoosiers will tinker with lineups to find the fastest combination of rowers to comprise the first varsity eight for their race in Cincinnati this weekend. \n“After the performances this weekend I do think that there will be changes made in the boats, but that remains to be seen,” Mirochna said. “I think mostly we just need to improve on believing and trusting in ourselves, because all of the right material is there.”\nIU’s first varsity eight came in second to Wisconsin’s varsity eight during the morning pieces with approximately four-second margins in the first two races and a seven-second difference during the last race.\n“We didn’t win any of the pieces, but the afternoon races were super-close,” said senior Dana Powell, a rower on the first varsity eight. “We got a lot of practice in focusing on racing against really good crews, which is always important in the early part of the season.”\nBecause Wisconsin didn’t bring any novice crews, IU’s first and second novice eights faced each other throughout the day.\n“We raced really well and are working on perfecting our technique and putting it all together,” freshman Monica Idstein said. “It was basically like a practice, but it went well. It was good to have so we can have the cleanest race possible when we go against other schools this season.”\nIn addition to the scrimmage, the Hoosiers dedicated the new Dale England Rowing Center to mark the completion of the first phase of boathouse remodeling, which features new locker room, team room, showers and restrooms. The rowing center will eventually have new boat bays, a coaches’ office and expanded indoor workout facilities.
(03/23/07 4:00am)
Weather permitting, the IU rowing team will get on the water this weekend for its first home scrimmage of the season against Wisconsin.\nThe Hoosiers’ top three varsity boats will go head-to-head against the Badgers’ top boats Saturday during a 3x1500-meter scrimmage on Lake Lemon. \n“Instead of doing one 2,000-meter race, we are breaking the competition up into three 1,500-meter pieces so we can get a little more racing time in,” IU coach Steve Peterson said. “Neither of us have had a lot of time on the water, and it’s going to be a great opportunity for both crews to prepare for the spring season.”\nAfter a long winter of indoor training and a successful spring break training trip, the team is ready to show something for the time it has dedicated to preparing for the racing season.\n“We have a fast team this year and we’ve worked hard. Now it is time for results on the water,” junior Kiri Crane said. “Last year, my boat came in second in the Big Ten championship behind Wisconsin by only a few seconds. This year, we are racing different lineups, but we’re at our lake, so I want each boat to walk away from the race successful in defending our home course.”\nWisconsin’s rowing program is one of the top-ranked in the country, and its top varsity boat will be returning almost all rowers, Peterson said. \n“They are an experienced crew, and we’re a young team made up of a lot of sophomores and freshmen,” he said. “At the same time, we got a lot of good race plans established during spring break training, and we’ve done very well against the clock in our practices. This is going to be a very good matchup.” \nPeterson said breaking the racing into three shorter pieces will allow the coaches to talk to rowers after each race and tweak racing strategies.\nThe Hoosiers had their first race of the season last weekend after their training trip, defeating Purdue and Marist but losing to Clemson. \n“We fell just short of our main goal at Clemson – winning,” Crane said. “We know what we have to do this weekend, and I hope that after coming second in Clemson we realize that second isn’t enough, and we need to come away from this weekend’s race with a win.”\nDespite Wisconsin’s strong winning record, Peterson said the Hoosiers’ main obstacle will be keeping their composure.\n“Our biggest challenge this weekend is going to be to execute our plan and execute it well,” sophomore Jamie Spoto said. “After having some great practices during spring break and performing poorly, we realized we need to perform consistently and prepare physically and mentally every day, from race to practice.”\nFollowing the scrimmage there will be a dedication for the first phase of the new boathouse, named after Dale England, father of a former IU rower and generous supporter of the program.
(03/22/07 4:00am)
This weekend the world’s foremost Liberian scholars will gather in Bloomington for the Liberian Studies Association’s 39th annual conference. Students, faculty and staff from IU and other universities will hear former and current Liberian leaders lecture and participate in panel discussions during the three-day event, starting at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Mathers Museum of World Cultures, 416 N. Indiana Ave.\n“This conference is big relative to Liberian studies, and we have distinguished guests coming from around the country and the world to participate,” said Verlon Stone, vice president of the Liberian Studies Association. This year’s guests include a former interim president of Liberia and current leaders in Liberia’s newly democratic society. There will also be a video conference with scholars in Liberia. \nThis year, the conference’s title is “Performing Symbols of the Past, Reinventing Symbols for the Future.” In addition to a keynote speaker, there will be two panels on symbols, one panel on history and three panels on reconstruction and development, Stone said. \n“There are different ethnic and economic groups that have controlled certain symbols in Liberia,” Stone said. “However, some are old and need to be re-examined to find what they really mean.”\nProfessor D. Ellwood Dunn of Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., will lead one of the panels on symbols. \n“Symbols have been used in the past to either help or hinder nation-building in Liberia,” he said. “The task of the panel is to look at these symbols and examine their role in national unity, because one of the main problems in Liberia is bringing different groups together.”\nDunn said students who aren’t studying Liberia or Africa will still find the conference interesting because the topic relates to “what is happening in other countries in the world.”\n“Liberia is a post-conflict society, and there’s a whole host of countries across the world that fit that category,” he said. “Understanding what’s going on in countries like this is not only interesting, but it’s important in understanding how to prevent these post-conflict countries from becoming breeding grounds for terrorist.” \nStone notes how the country’s popularity among contemporary African-American authors such as Marcus Garvey and W.E.B DuBois has drawn attention to Liberia in the past.\n“Many African-American authors visited Liberia and wrote about it,” he said, “because it was a symbol of a country that was independent at the time when the rest were being colonized by Britain and France.”\nStudents must register and pay an $80 fee, or $40 for a one-day ticket. All meals will be provided for attendees.\nFor more information, call Liberian Studies Association Vice President Verlon Stone at 812-856-0782.
(03/20/07 4:00am)
IU students who have Internet access and about 30 seconds to spare can help raise $20,000 for IU Dance Marathon in the next few weeks. \nIUDM, which hosts an annual 36-hour dance marathon event to raise money for Riley Hospital for Children, has raised more than $3 million since its formation in 1991. The group also does fundraising throughout the year, and is one of many organizations competing in Dodge’s “GrabLife GiveLife,” an online competition for philanthropic events. The first group to receive 20,000 student votes will get a $20,000 check from Dodge to go toward the charity of their choice. After a quick registration process on grablifegivelife.com , students can log in and click to vote for IUDM’s cause once per day. \n“This is a really great opportunity and we definitely feel like we can win this,” said senior Erin Dykhuizen, who is on the IUDM fundraising committee. “We are pushing this hard across campus because we feel we can get to 20,000 really fast with a campus this size.”\nIUDM has been in second place behind Babson College’s Lwala Project in the past week, but only by a few hundred votes. As of press time, IUDM had 6,146 votes.\n“Our progress was definitely hindered when kids went away for spring break last week and weren’t near a computer, but now that people are back I think the voting will pick up and we can win this,” said junior Greg Schultz, a member of IUDM’s fundraising committee. \nThe school in first place is currently on spring break so now is an opportune time for IUDM to take the lead, he said. \nTo be eligible to participate in the online event, voters must have an e-mail address that ends in .edu. Only one vote per e-mail account is permitted per day. Anyone with a college e-mail address can vote for any event, so Dykhuizen encourages students to tell their friends at other schools to get online and support IU. \n“Another thing that’s great is that IU students actually can vote twice per day,” she said. “IU students here can sign up under both an indiana.edu and an iub.edu e-mail address, which can double the amount of votes that one person can contribute.” \nIn November 2006, IUDM raised more than $920,000 for Riley and is hoping to hit the million dollar mark this year. IUDM has been recognized state-wide and nationally for its efforts in philanthropy. \n“This event is great because you don’t even have to be involved in IUDM to make a difference,” Schultz said. “You get a great sense of satisfaction from helping people, and even if people don’t realize it, it’ll help more than they could imagine.”
(03/01/07 5:00am)
It's finally that time of year. The ice is thawing, spring is just around the corner, and you've spent months day-dreaming about basking in the sun, swimming in the ocean and staying out into the early hours of the morning with friends during a week of spring break madness. The only problem? You don't have a flight to get there or a hotel to sleep in.\nLuckily there's still hope for those who have yet to make travel arrangements but are still determined to escape to a tropical locale. Although availability is severely limited, those willing to shell out the extra bucks and be flexible with their options can still find themselves relaxing at the pool with students who made their reservations months ago.\n"There are a few decently priced options to Cancun or Jamaica, so those are the best bets right now," said STA Travel Advisor Erick Amick. "Because IU has the peak spring break week where a lot of other students from across the country are traveling, there are more limitations to where you can reasonably travel."\nAmick estimates a cost between $1,000 and $1,500 for hotel and airfare packages to Jamaica. Cancun rates start at around $1,250. Flying out of Chicago also helps knock rates down, especially because flights out of Indianapolis are almost all booked up at this point. The sooner last-minute travelers make their plans, the better, Amick said. \n"It's hard to find last-minute deals because it's based on space available," he said. "There are some student trips left, but they could be gone in literally a half an hour."\nWhile availability is severely limited at some agencies, others saw their student packages fly away months ago. \n"People booked early so you only have the nitty gritty," said Rita Jackson of the AAA Hoosier Motor Company. "There are no packages left, hardly any airfare to Florida, and it's hard to find hotels. If you want to go to Florida, you're going to have to drive and pay about $200 a night most anywhere you want to stay." \nCruises are a popular spring break option that students around the country take advantage of. Although many cruises are booked, those willing to spend a day in the car and pay up for a ticket can still spend their spring break traveling the high seas.\n"There are some cruises still available, but there aren't really any flights to get you to the place where it departs from," Jackson said. "If you're willing to drive to Florida and board from there, it's still an option."\nWith most travel packages gone, procrastinators planning this late in the game might find better success taking trip organizing into their own hands. Fortunately, there is an array of Web sites specifically geared toward accommodating last-minute travelers. The site www.site59.com offers different travel ideas, from "sun-and-sand" to "top-sellers." Prices are listed from least expensive to most expensive and trips can be tailored to fit any departure and destination point combination. \nIf inflated prices are a deterrent, settling for a shortened vacation is an option that might be easier on the wallet. The Web site shows availability for four-day trips to Cancun starting at $632.\nWhether booking with a travel agent or doing it yourself, there are some tips that agents highly suggest travelers take into consideration when planning spring break travel.\n"Have a solid idea. Pick maybe three places you are interested in going, be open minded as far as what you're going to pay and what options are available to you, because you're going to have to pick from the leftovers," Amick said. \nAnother piece of advice: Book in smaller groups. \n"Bigger groups are going to be really difficult to accommodate at this point," he said. "Groups of up to five are going to be a lot easier, four would be ideal because most hotels only allow four people per room."\nThere are innumerable ways to go about making travel plans independent of an agency, but agents said booking directly with hotels and airlines is probably a safer bet than using Web sites like Expedia.com or that claim to do it all for you.\n"People do use Web sites that are all-inclusive, but my personal opinion is you should go directly through the company," Jackson said. "You want to know you're getting the legit thing you signed up for, and I've found that the prices aren't really that different." \nPlanning ahead is usually the best strategy when organizing a trip, but waiting until the last minute has its upsides. Those willing to be flexible might find that taking advantage of someone else's travel-plans-gone-bad is an attractive option. Some Web sites and travel agencies offer cheap deals on canceled trips that were purchased months ago. Buying a canceled trip might be cheap, but oftentimes travelers might not know where they're traveling to until a week before the trip. However, with only a week to go until classes end, this shouldn't be a tremendous pitfall.
(03/01/07 5:00am)
Despite overwhelming evidence that an increased tobacco tax would curtail smoking, Indiana House representatives voted yesterday 52-44 against a bill to raise the current 55.5-cent tax by 25 cents.\n“All of the evidence accrued over the past three decades shows that among the strategies to decrease tobacco use, raising the price is right at the top,” said Dr. Stephen Jay, a professor of medicine and public health at the IU School of Medicine. “The background on this fact doesn’t just come from an isolated study – it’s been proven time and time again.”\nGov. Mitch Daniels proposed a minimum tax increase of 25 cents, which would go toward funding a health-insurance plan for the hundreds of thousands of uninsured Hoosiers. Anti-smoking groups pushed for as much as a $1 tax increase.\nWhile this might seem substantial to those purchasing tobacco products, a study done at the IU School of Medicine found that it would take a tax of $7.50 per pack of cigarettes to cover the health costs incurred for every pack smoked in Indiana. \n“Indiana has the second highest tobacco-related disease rate in the nation, but the third lowest tobacco excise tax,” Jay said. \nLooking back at the state’s history, this correlation is not a new theme.\n“About 60 years ago, many state legislatures started looking at the costs to society of the tobacco problem and decided to tax as a way for the state to recoup the costs they had to pay with high Medicaid costs,” Jay said. “Some states, mostly tobacco-producing states like Indiana, however, did not reassess the situation and kept taxes at rock bottom.”\nJay said Indiana paid around $400 million last year to Medicaid for tobacco-related diseases. Daniels estimated the money from a 25-cent increase would help provide health coverage to 120,000 people.\n“The bottom line is, if the legislature moved the tax up a buck, nobody in the public would quibble with it except a handful of tobacco companies and retailers,” he said.\nJay theorizes the heavy influence of wealthy tobacco companies is the main reason why Indiana policymakers voted against the proposal, as numerous public-opinion polls conducted over the past two decades have shown that even a majority of smokers agree increased rates would be a step in the right direction for state health.\n“Tobacco companies spend an enormous amount of money trying to defeat tax increases around the country,” Jay said. “These advertisers are very aggressive. We can tell that we’re getting close to creating this tax policy when the companies come out and do everything in their power to prevent it, and that’s what we’re seeing right now.”\nThough it saw defeat in the House, the bill is not dead yet. There are other ways the legislation can pass the General Assembly. Jay said it’s urgent to contact local representatives and insist they vote for the tax increase.\nState budget issues also play a part in the debate. \n“Indiana just doesn’t have the money to walk away from the kind of funds that would be generated from tobacco tax,” said Jon Macy, project director of the Indiana University Smoking Survey. “Besides obvious health benefits, there’s just an enormous economic gain for the state of Indiana, so I’m sure they’ll come back to it.”\nAmong all the evidence, some smokers don’t think an increase the cost of cigarettes would change their habits. \n“It wouldn’t really be an incentive to quit,” sophomore Jacquelyn Wahlberg said. “They’re already pretty expensive and it’s something we all complain about, but we still buy them. It’s like gas. It’s the fuel that gets us from point A to point B sometimes.” \nFor other students, having to pay more per pack might be reason enough to stop smoking.\n“I already want to quit, but the tax probably would help give me another reason to,” senior Mike Greisch said.\nJay found that with every 10 percent increase in tobacco taxes, there is an average of a 3 percent to 4 percent decrease in overall smoking rates. Specifically, he said, advantages of an increased tobacco tax would be most obvious among youths, with every 10 percent tax increase resulting in a 7 percent tobacco use decrease in minors.\n“The evidence for the benefits of this bill is crystal-clear,” Macy said. “As far as most people are concerned, there are no downsides to this bill. It’s mind-boggling that there wasn’t enough support overall. The Legislature let Indiana down, especially the kids.”
(02/26/07 5:00am)
If the names Flo-Jo and Alexandre Dumas don’t ring a bell, attending the Black Knowledge Bowl might have proved beneficial for those looking to bolster their black-history smarts.\nThe Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center drew more than 100 people to the annual trivia show Thursday.\nTen teams made up of students from historically black sororities and fraternities as well as nongreeks put their knowledge of black history and pop culture to the test during the friendly but heated competition.\nA moderator pulled questions from such subjects as politics, cuisine, activism and IU history.\nStudents were given a list of potential questions to study beforehand, said Oyibo Afoaku, director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.\n“The teams worked hard to prepare for tonight and did an excellent job,” she said. “There was a great turnout, and I think it’s wonderful that we all learned a lot from this.”\nDuring the undergraduate elimination rounds, teams silently wrote down answers before time elapsed. At the end of each round, a panel of judges assessed the score and dropped groups who were behind, until only the Black Student Union team and the Delta Sigma Theta team remained.\nAfter a close back-and-forth battle in the undergraduate championship round, Delta Sigma Theta emerged victorious.\n“It got a little intense, but we took it and I’m very happy about that,” said junior Jazmine Long. “This whole event is just great for black knowledge, and we definitely studied a lot to prepare for it.”\nIn between the questioning rounds, attendees and participants were treated to dinner catered by BuffaLouie’s.\nEven those who didn’t leave winners got something out of the event.\n“We got together just to show that being greek isn’t just about being greek,” said junior Ernest Moore of the Kappa Alpha Psi team. “If it wasn’t for education we wouldn’t be here, so it’s good to participate in events like this. It was just fun to compete with our peers.”
(02/21/07 5:00am)
Hip-hop expert Bakari Kitwana challenged IU students to use the music that’s part of their everyday lives as a means to change the political atmosphere of the nation during his speech Tuesday at the IU Auditorium.\n“You can’t really have a political movement without a political infrastructure,” Kitwana said. “The hip-hop movement has created a national infrastructure – young activists that understand the power are tapping into it to make a political change.”\nKitwana, the Union Board’s featured speaker for Black History Month, proposed that more involvement in the political atmosphere could help bring about change in the way the government works today.\n“I think when you start to see how powerful hip-hop is we can have a serious shift in power and make an impact,” he said. “(The) civil-rights struggle is done – we’re at the point when we have force electoral politics to where they need to be.”\nKitwana is the founder of the National Hip-Hop Convention and the former editor of The Source magazine. He and has written articles for the New York Times and the Boston Globe and has written several books, including “The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture” and “Why White Kids Love Hip Hop: Wankstas, Wiggas, and Wannabes and the New Reality of Race in America.”\nHe talked about the relevance of hip-hop in the black community today and used statistics and information from various studies to illustrate how the music has affected the political landscape since the civil-rights era.\nKitwana stressed the importance of different generations in making hip-hop what it is today. Throughout his speech he referenced the civil-rights movement, which he defined as the “black baby boomers” – the “hip-hop” generation of people born between 1965 to 1984 – and the “millennial” generation born after 1985. \n“Hip-hop at its origins was very political, but in recent times it has not been,” he said. “The history of the emergence of hip-hop is rarely discussed. It’s as if hip-hop came out of nowhere, but really there’s a direct line between the civil rights and black power movement and the emergence of hip-hop.”\nAfter laying the foundations, Kitwana focused on the changing face of hip-hop throughout the years, identifying how and why hip-hop culture lost some of its political value.\n“At one point, you had hip-hop artists with a political message going platinum with those who didn’t, but today you will not find a political album with that much success,” he said.\nKitwana identified the lack of morality among some hip-hop artists at the personal level as one of the greatest flaws of the music genre. He said hip-hop artists have to take the initiative to put principle back into the music.\n“We’re at a point where it’s clear the government is going to regulate the images we see and the music we hear,” he said. “Artists have to step it up. It’s clear we need a hip-hop movement that can reach across all races and generations if we want there to be a change.”\nHe pinpointed degradation of women and use of the N-word as components that must change if hip-hop wants to be relevant in politics.\n“I thought it was really interesting how he described the way hip-hop needs to change the way people look at women,” sophomore Kristin Miller said. “He made a lot of good points that I’d never even thought of before.”\nKitwana drew on various statistics and studies to illustrate how a poor economy has impacted the hip-hop and black communities, arguing that it would be accurate to compare the lower-class blacks to citizens in Third World countries. \n“In the past few years, we’re seeing the greatest decline in jobs since the Depression,” he said. “I believe as society provides no solutions to this national phenomenon, increasingly we’re seeing youth look for some solutions and an escape in hip-hop.”\nWithin this discussion, he talked of the irony that even with dwindling job opportunities, the American dream has changed to the detriment of youth today. \n“It used to be you worked hard and bought a house in your 30s, but the American Dream is you have to be rich by 22 at any costs, but this isn’t realistic,” he said.\nKitwana spoke about blacks’ presence in politics, saying that although there is black representation in government, the connection between the politicians and the people is still missing. He used presidential hopeful Illinois Sen. Barack Obama as an example.\n“Blackness is used as political divide,” he said. “We have Obama running for president, but a lot of the conversation we hear about it is how the black people aren’t going to vote for him because he’s not black enough.”\nFollowing the lecture, attendees engaged in a question-and-answer session with the speaker, where topics ranged from the future of hip-hop to the absence of traditional rap groups.\n“I think his message is something that a lot of people need to hear,” said junior Kelli Zimmerman, director of the Union Board’s Diversity Performance committee. “It’s eye-opening to learn how hip-hop can shape politics.”
(02/20/07 5:00am)
Hip-hop expert Bakari Kitwana will ask IU students to challenge the true meaning of hip-hop and question its impact in the political realm. \nThe Union Board’s Black History Month lecturer will deliver a speech titled “Can Hip-Hop Make the Transition from Cultural Movement to Political Power?” at 6:30 p.m. today in the IU Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.\nThe lecture will be co-sponsored by IU’s Hip Hop Congress. This week is IU’s seventh annual hip-hop awareness week.\n“We thought he’d be different from the type of people we usually bring in,” said junior Kelli Zimmerman, director of the Union Board Diversity Performance Committee. “He’s a dynamic speaker and very well-educated and talks about a lot of interesting topics that affect today’s youth and college students.”\nKitwana frequently lectures throughout the country on a range of hip-hop related topics, from why white kids love the music to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s impact on the music culture today. His speech tonight will focus on the politics of hip-hop, Zimmerman said.\n“I think he’ll probably address the extent of people who are a part of the hip-hop culture who are often not represented in the political atmosphere or politics in general,” she said. “I think he’ll also address the potential that the hip-hop audience has to turn around politics and that the culture doesn’t necessarily fit to one race or type of people. \nKitwana is the founder of the National Hip-Hop convention. He’s also the former editor of The Source Magazine and has written articles for the New York Times, The Boston Globe and the Village Voice, among others. Kitwana has authored several books including “The Hip-Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture” and “Why White Kids Love Hip Hop: Wankstas, Wiggas, and Wannabes and the New Reality of Race in America.” \nThere will be a book signing for both of these books following his speech and a Q-and-A session.