Region

High 5: Recruiting class pacing IU

When a coach recruits, he'd be happy landing even one freshman who can contribute in his first season. IU men's golf coach Mike Mayer found five. This season, the Hoosiers were forced to replace their top two golfers from last year, but have a solid nucleus returning in seniors Brad Marek and Scott Seibert, along with sophomore Santiago Quirarte.

Spirit of Sound photo gallery

IU overcomes scoring troubles at Hoosier Classic

Scoring goals has been a struggle for the IU women's soccer team so far this season. Sunday, against Xavier, it was not. In its previous five matches, IU (2-3-1) totaled two goals. During the conclusion of the inaugural Hoosier Classic at Armstrong Stadium, the Hoosiers found the back of the net three times for a 3-1 victory. The scoring started when senior midfielder Kristen Zmijewski connected on a shot at the 19:23 mark. The goal was the second of the season for Zmijewski, who recorded the Hoosiers only score in a 2-1 loss to the University of Miami (4-1) in the team's home opener Friday night. "I think we'll definitely start scoring a lot more now," Zmijewski said. "Getting on the board Friday and scoring three goals today boosts our confidence. We just have to know that we can put balls in the back of the net and then we'll take the risks and be successful."

What else is there to do?

Sports have always served as a distraction from the world and its realities. However, no current circumstance could be more real to the football players of Nicholls State than the haunting images of southern Louisiana broadcast this past week. Nicholls State is located in Thibodaux, La., a 60-minute ride from New Orleans. The towns they call home have been engulfed by Hurricane Katrina, consumed by the relentless water that has pounded the region and tested both life and land.

Hoosiers stunned by Nicholls State offense

When college football fans think about option offense, they probably don't think about Nicholls State University. IU's defense, however, will probably equate the option scheme with the Colonels for many years to come. Nicholls State ran the triple option system with total dedication Saturday night, amassing 408 yards on 65 carries while throwing the ball only 11 times. IU's defense struggled to adapt to the antiquated system, said head coach Terry Hoeppner.

Seizing Saturday

Sophomore wide receiver James Hardy wanted the ball. Sophomore quarterback Blake Powers wanted to get him the ball. And IU coach Terry Hoeppner wanted a win in his first home game as the Hoosiers' coach. Ten plays and 89 yards later, all three got their wishes Saturday. With less than a minute left in the game, Powers completed a 7-yard pass to Hardy for the winning touchdown, giving Hoeppner and the Hoosiers a 35-31 home-opening victory over Nicholls State University.

Rethinking math class

Math is in need of a major re-imaging campaign. At present, its reputation generally falls somewhere between getting one's eyes plucked out by vultures and watching 24-hour "Barney" marathons. It has, of course, its hard-core devotees, but to the general populace, math, like Latin, is a dead language. This is unfortunate because as the importance of technology grows in society, more and more jobs will require a solid base of science and mathematics. By electing to forego a further mathematics education, many high school students are effectively cutting themselves off from some of the best jobs in the future market.

U.N. aid?

After Hurricane Katrina struck, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan issued a Sept. 1 statement "offering ... heartfelt sympathy, and any assistance the United Nations can give." Really, Kofi? Any assistance? I appreciate the United Nations' offer. As of Sept. 8, it had sent teams to Baton Rouge, La., Denton, Texas, and the Little Rock Air Force Base to help coordinate international assistance. It was also mobilizing (or trying to mobilize) relief activities via the U.N. Children's Fund and the World Health Organization (United Nations press release, Sept. 8). It's possible the United Nations' "coordination" will amount to little more than meetings about meetings and reports about reporting on the progress of reporting -- but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

In whom do we trust?

Fire Michael Brown now. In case you haven't heard by now, Brown is the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a branch of the Department of Homeland Security. He has quickly become the symbol of abject government failure as citizens question what went wrong with the response to Hurricane Katrina. President Bush was right to remove him from the scene in New Orleans, but Brown is still nominally the director of FEMA, and accountability will not be served until he is terminated.

Tickets for tailgating?

The IU Athletics Department is striving for a remarkably admirable goal this year: greater student attendance at home football games. After all, crowds win games. But, alas, the department has taken a step in the wrong direction. A new rule for the official tailgating areas surrounding Memorial Stadium states fans must have tickets to remain on parking lot grounds to continue tailgating festivities ten minutes after kickoff. Fortunately, before last Saturday's game against Nicholls State, some authority thought enough to stave off any attempt to sweep out non-ticket holders during the first football game, and the policy was not enforced.

Bush visits Katrina relief workers

NEW ORLEANS -- President Bush, eager to show hands-on leadership in the Gulf Coast hurricane recovery effort, joined commanders working from a military ship docked in this flooded city Sunday. The president visited firefighters who have been battling the blazes that persistently erupt across the city, then was sleeping on the USS Iwo Jima. The amphibious assault ship is serving as a control center in the relief efforts.

Roberts' Senate hearings begin Monday on the Hill

WASHINGTON -- The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Sunday he will not ask Supreme Court chief justice nominee John Roberts whether he would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that legalized abortion.

Troops lower Israeli flag over Gaza

NEVE DEKALIM, Gaza Strip -- Israeli troops lowered their national banner and snapped farewell photos in the final phase of the historic Gaza pullout Sunday as Palestinians began celebrating nearby, eager to take control after 38 years of Israeli military occupation.

IU grads sing in opera series for non-profit group

The John Waldron Arts Center kicked off its a year-long lineup of musical and theatrical events Friday with the musical "How to Break a Leg: A Diva's Guide to Success." To jumpstart the center's "Performance Series" season, the Bloomington Area Arts Council sponsored the play, written by Eric McCarthy Holmes, as a benefit fund-raiser.

Groups promote community activism

BtownActive Festival, held Saturday at Dunn Meadow, served as a good occasion to enjoy southern Indiana's early fall weather, live music and broccoli pizza with some of the campus and community's most activist-minded folks.

IUSA, city warn residents to keep noise levels down

Loud music booming vibrations throughout the rooms of a house morning might produce a well-attended party in the wee hours of the morning. But those same vibrations might draw a fine. The IU Student Association collaborated with six neighborhoods surrounding IU's campus and passed out 5,000 doorknob hangers last night in an effort to educate the community about Bloomington's "Quiet Nights" initiative.

Shipwrecked for spring, suited for summer

UITS might cut forwarding feature from e-mail

IU might stop allowing students to forward their Webmail accounts to other services such as Gmail and AOL if spam problems persist. When IU users forward their University mail to a different account, spam is also forwarded. The forwarding becomes a problem because larger e-mail providers view IU as the spam's origin, thus blocklisting, or blocking, IU accounts, said Mark Bruhn, chief IT security and policy officer for University Information Technology Services, via e-mail.

Fraternities recruit prospective members

More than a thousand male IU students began a new chapter of their lives this weekend -- literally. The Interfraternity Council's Men's Recruitment Kickoff commenced Friday evening when representatives from IU's 25 fraternity chapters encircled Dunn Meadow and played host to a record number of potential greek pledges. IFC Vice President of Recruitment and senior Justin Sloan said attendance was up by almost 300 people from last year. Sloan attributed this to amplified advertising efforts.

Designers bring back classic looks

NEW YORK -- Tommy Hilfiger's spring 2006 collection incorporates many of his signatures: seersucker, madras, the American flag, and red, white and blue. But as Hilfiger marked his 20th anniversary in fashion, he said there were many subtle tweaks to his newest designs. For example, the red is softer -- almost pink. The blue is lighter, and the white is more the color of sand.