New IU dual degree to combine culture with creative writing
IU proclaimed the first joint Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and African-American and African Diaspora Studies in the nation on Oct. 14.
IU proclaimed the first joint Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and African-American and African Diaspora Studies in the nation on Oct. 14.
Fair Vote, a non-partisan student organization, hosted a debate between Students for John McCain, Hoosiers for Nader and IU Students for Liberty representatives.
Considering the media’s belief that the way in which the primaries ended would divide and fracture the Democratic Party, it’s only slightly ironic that the way in which the general election ends may end up doing the same thing to the Republican Party. It appears likely that it will actually happen to the Republicans, unlike the Democrats, but one similarity remains: it will end up better for both parties in the long run. The crux of the dispute is, shockingly enough, Sarah Palin. The Republican Party appears to be dividing into two factions – those who steadfastly support Palin, and those who do not. The latter group includes most of the intellectual core of the party, and the former is made up mostly of people like Rush Limbaugh.
I have written columns decrying apathy and ignorance, usually based off some dismal statistics. Freshman year, I wrote about how 22 percent of the 1,000 American adults surveyed by the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum could name all five members of the Simpson cartoon family, but only one person could name all five freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment. Junior year, I mentioned that 63 percent of Americans ages 18-24 couldn’t find Iraq on a map, despite the fact that our country is fighting a war there. Then there was the new low hit by the national SAT average in 2007, and the disturbing fact that one of five Americans can’t find the United States on a map of the world.
There’s been a lot of talk this election season about shady associates and allies: William Ayers, Tony Rezko, Jim Johnson, Jeremiah Wright and Joe Biden. As significant and relevant as the questions and criticisms are in this regard, they’re not the most important consideration. The Democratic presidential candidate’s most dangerous association is with himself – the real Barack Obama, whom he’s been trying to keep hidden ever since his rise to national prominence. Obama is running as a center-left candidate who focuses more on emotional themes than on ideology or policy. When he does discuss policy, he often tries to convince us of what a centrist he is, spouting right-wing ideas like tax cuts, for example.
The race for the governor’s mansion has been, perhaps, the most difficult to decide. Unlike so many races in Indiana, voters have been presented with two competent candidates, both capable of executing the executive’s tasks. Moreover, it’s not clear either candidate would do much more than that. Mitch Daniels has not done a despicable job as governor. Most impressively, he has abolished the good-ol’ boy style of management that marked eight years of the Frank O’Bannon and Joseph Kernan administrations. In office, Daniels has professionally transformed more than $600 million of deficit into a substantial surplus. But neither Jill Long Thompson nor Daniels is running on a platform of serious change or upheaval. Rather, each takes a relatively moderate approach likely to appeal to traditional voters. In this hard time and in stagnant Indiana, we would like to hear braver, more ambitious rhetoric from both. While the candidates themselves stand out for their scholastic excellence and professional preparedness – Daniels graduated from Princeton and Georgetown and was an Eli Lilly executive while Long Thompson holds a Ph.D. from IU and served as undersecretary of agriculture in the Clinton administration – their lieutenant governor choices leave much to be desired.
John McCain proposed a $52 billion plan that included new tax cuts on capital gains, tax breaks for seniors and write-offs for stock losses. Barack Obama proposed $60 billion in tax cuts for middle-income and lower-income Americans, more tax breaks to create jobs and new spending for public works projects to create jobs. These were two plans the candidates proposed to deal with the current financial crisis. However, they sound more like the candidates’ old talking points, and these proposals don’t address the root cause of this crisis.
The Concert Orchestra will perform at 8 p.m. today as part of the Live and Free at the MAC schedule.
The week before Halloween is upon us, and the scramble for a good costume begins. Fishnets will be sold out of every store, and Mars Inc. will be sitting pretty.
If all the world’s a stage, downtown Bloomington is its tributary runway – at least according to event coordinators at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
The Bloomington Police Department is currently investigating a bank robbery that occurred downtown Tuesday afternoon.
IU President Michael McRobbie formally introduced Fred Glass as the next director of athletics at IU this morning at a press conference at the DeVault Alumni Center. Glass, presently an attorney with Indianapolis law firm Baker & Daniels, said he was excited about the new position and laid out a general direction for the future of IU athletics during his tenure. “I really think we need to have a vision,” Glass said. “It starts with comprehensive compliance. We’ve got to follow the rules, and we have to become known again for following the rules.Check out VIDEO from the press conference, including comments from Tom Crean and Bill Lynch, and AUDIO of the IDS' one-on-one with Glass Tuesday afternoon.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan appears headed for a dubious milestone, but its players and coaches aren’t throwing in the towel. Coach Rich Rodriguez and several players said Monday that their heads are high as the 2-6 Wolverines head into a make-or-break final stretch of games, starting this week at Purdue.
In a whirlwind tour of the state, a storm of politicians descended on Bloomington on Monday night for Congressman Baron Hill’s fundraiser at the Showers Plaza.Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jill Long Thompson took her entourage on the road in her “Road to Change Tour,” which aims to hit 56 different communities in 10 days.“This is a very important county to any statewide election,” Long Thompson said. “I’m here to talk with voters and make sure that I’m doing everything I can to demonstrate how committed I am to rebuilding Indiana’s economy.”
Bringing the number of preseason public scrimmages to three, IU Athletics announced the IU basketball team will hold its first-ever “Haunted Hall of Hoops” at 7 p.m. Friday at Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers will open the event by passing out candy and signing autographs until 7:30 p.m. The team will then scrimmage with a costume parade for children at halftime.
In just one week, the polls surrounding the political world for months won’t matter anymore.But until then, politicians depend on them, and voters use them to determine how important their vote will be.Monday’s daily Gallup poll of likely voters gives Democratic nominee Barack Obama a 50 percent to 45 percent edge over Republican nominee John McCain. CNN’s latest average of national polls shows Obama up 51 to 43.But the reliability of those polls is more complicated than voters may realize.
SEATTLE – Tyrone Willingham was fired Monday as Washington’s coach after failing to restore the Huskies to national prominence. Two days after Washington fell to 0-7, athletics director Scott Woodward said Willingham will step down at the end of the season. When asked Monday if this was his decision, Willingham said flatly, “No.” Willingham, appearing at his weekly news conference, added he never considered resigning. “No, it’s just not in my makeup,” he said.
Indianapolis attorney Fred Glass will replace Rick Greenspan as IU’s director of athletics, a source told the Indiana Daily Student on Monday night.The official announcement will be made at a press conference, which will take place at 10:15 a.m. today in the Virgil T. DeVault Alumni Center, across the street from Assembly Hall. The selection ends a three-month search for Greenspan’s successor.Glass, an IU alumnus, is a partner at Baker & Daniels, an Indianapolis-based law firm. PODCAST: Hoosier Headlines
The IU club hockey team struggled last weekend against Davenport, losing both games. On Friday, the Panthers dominated the Hoosiers, winning 9-2. Saturday’s game was closer, as they went into the latter part of the game tied 4-4, but Davenport rallied with three goals in the third period to take the 7-4 win. Davenport extends its undefeated season and is now at 13-0. The Hoosiers take its first two losses of the season and now stand at 6-2.
Designer pieces are the most coveted items in the fashion industry, but unless you’ve got the big bucks, you won’t last long in the shopping rings of top design houses.