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Lonely hearts have company on Valentine's Day

By Haley Beck · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 11:54 p.m.

Valentine's Day just isn't for everyone. Especially for those who eagerly open their mailboxes with hopes of it being jam-packed with red and pink envelopes covered with heart stickers only to find it empty except for that one lonely letter from grandma. For some, Valentine's Day is a bitter reminder of an isolated love life.

IU 'After Hours' holds singles' dance

By Jennifer Griffin · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 11:53 p.m.

February is upon us, and love is in the air. As that magical day of romance draws near, couples in Bloomington search for the perfect setting for the most love-filled day of the year. Some buy their significant other flowers, candy or even splurge on dinner at a fancy restaurant.

McFuzz, Horton hear a Hoosier

By Meredith Hahn · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 11:52 p.m.

Every year, many students in the IU Theater and Drama and Music departments journey to New York in the hopes they'll make it big on the stage. The competition is stiff, and the odds are tremendous. But now and then, things fall into place for a few lucky individuals.

Cupid's arrows strike campus

By Kathleen Quilligan and Kathleen Quilligen · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 11:52 p.m.

Sitting in the lobby of the Main Library, sophomore Bekka Potter and freshman Beka Sinders look more like best friends than lovers. "We're both really 'femme' looking," Sinders said. "We catch people off guard all the time. It's fun." Potter chimes in: "Yeah, when I say 'my girlfriend' people just kind of blink at me."

Religion in the sky

By Alyson Brodsy and Cameron Thibos · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 11:16 p.m.

Something truly bizarre showed up in the news last week. An American Airlines pilot wanted to know which passengers were Christians on his Los Angeles to New York flight last Friday. So, he did what any amateur social researcher would do. He asked them to raise their hands.

Lessons from a leasee

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 11:14 p.m.

My freshman year I thought I really knew what independence was. "Is there a curfew?" someone asked during our first floor meeting. I wasn't the one who asked, but I thought it was a reasonable enough question. "Man, I ain't your mama!" was our Resident Assistant's answer. He seemed perfectly content to stay out of our business as long as we stayed out of his, an arrangement to which no one objected. Well, almost no one.

Black in a white world

By Alyson Brodsy and Jonathan Blanks · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 11:10 p.m.

"Without any question, the most bitter anti-white diatribes that I have ever heard have come from 'passing' Negroes, living as whites, among whites, exposed every day to what white people say among themselves about Negroes -- things a recognized Negro would never hear"

Causing a free speech foul

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 11:06 p.m.

What do Christina Aguilera and college basketball fans have in common? Both like to get "Dirrty." The cover story of the Feb. 6 edition of USA Today focused on the growing controversy surrounding foul language at college sports games. The issue: does the first amendment guarantee fans the right to shout obscenities at the opposing team?

'Brain Teasers' exhibit tests visitors ability to solve problems

By Maggie Bozich · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 11:06 p.m.

Balancing 13 nails on one nail or trying to move two balls to opposite ends of a rocker might seem like an easy task, but chances are you'll find it harder to solve than your finite homework. Those challenges are just two of the 20 puzzles available to be solved at the WonderLab exhibition "Brain Teasers," running through May 30.

Neuter scooter brings awareness

By Nicole Beemsterboer · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 11:03 p.m.

The Monroe County Humane Association is joining with local veterinary clinics and a traveling neuter scooter in hopes of curbing the number of animals euthanized each year. The association is selling 350 spay and neuter vouchers for cats and dogs in honor of the 10th annual Spay Day USA.

Around The Arts

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 1:05 a.m.

UB presents 'Lost in Translation' Union Board Films presents "Lost in Translation," a movie about two Americans-- a washed-up TV star (Bill Murray) in town for a TV whiskey commercial shoot and the young wife (Scarlett Johansson) of a photographer-- who meet in Tokyo and end up spending a weekend hanging out together on a "soul-searching mission." The film runs at 8 and 11 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Whittenberger Auditorium in the Indiana Memorial Union Admission is free with a valid IU student ID and $2 for non-students.

Around The Campus

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 1:02 a.m.

Linguistics to feature MIT Professor Pesetsky The Department of Linguistics will sponsor a lecture, "Cyclic Linearization and the Typology of Movement," featuring David Pesetsky from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 4 p.m. Friday in Ballantine Hall, Room 340. The lecture will be followed by a reception in Memorial Hall, Seminar Room 317A.

Hard work finally paying off for Hollis

By Rob DeWitte and Rob eWitte · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 12:48 a.m.

For several years, the IU men's track team has had a handful of athletes fighting to join the national ranks. Each year, these athletes step closer to the summit, training tirelessly to reach the top. One of these athletes is IU 600-meter record holder and current 800-meter threat senior Rodney Hollis. "Rodney is like several guys in our group -- right on the cusp of a big step in his career -- making the NCAAs. It's really helped him to see the guys in the distance group that are doing it," said distance coach Robert Chapman.

Time to go 'all in' for IU

By Dan Patrick · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 12:44 a.m.

Eleven players sit around a poker game desperately trying to read each other's faces, with the smell of cigar smoke and stale pretzels wafting through the air. While the 11-1 Purdue Boilermakers and Penn State Lady Lions have been drawing face cards all day long, the Hoosiers and the Northwestern Wildcats have been bluffing all season. IU comes into the game on the wrong end of a five-game streak, losing all but one game by double digit margins. Now IU sits at No. 9 in the Big Ten with a lowly 3-8 conference record and a 10-12 overall. Prior to the slide, the Hoosiers sat at a respectable 3-3 in the Big Ten and were 10-7 overall.

Sex, lies and cell phones

By Matt Glenesk · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 12:42 a.m.

Ah, love is in the air. The flowers have been ordered, the teddy bears and chocolates have been purchased and the romantic dinner for two has been arranged. It must be Valentine's Day. Well, the flowers are dead, I lost the teddy bear, ate the chocolate and can't remember which restaurant I made the reservation at. It's a good thing I don't have a date. I know you're all shocked and perplexed. Right now, you're looking at my mug and saying, "Wow, if this guy doesn't have a date, how the heck am I gonna get one?"

Assists pass IU to victory

By Tyler Hoeppner and Tyler V. Hoeppner · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 12:40 a.m.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- For one of the few times this season, the Hoosier offense was rather efficient, as IU won another Big Ten road game, 75-56, over Penn State Wednesday. The Hoosiers (12-9, 6-4 Big Ten) had 16 assists and turned it over a season-low six times. "We did a good job of passing the ball, and for us to have 16 assists, it may be our season high," IU coach Mike Davis said. "I think (sophomore guard) Marshall (Strickland) did a great job of running the offense for us."

Hoosiers pull out win

By Natalie A. Trout · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 12:38 a.m.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- It took a road game over 500 miles away and a crowd of only 7,782 for the Hoosiers to rebuild their team and pull things together after a three-game losing streak. The 75-56 victory over Penn State Wednesday night (9-11, 3-6 Big Ten) gave IU (12-9, 6-4) its fourth Big Ten road win this season. "It's hard to explain when you have four road wins in the Big Ten and only two home wins," IU coach Mike Davis said. "We play better on the road. The guys are real loose on the road."

Advertising TVs still in the works

By Matt Mattucci · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 12:37 a.m.

The necessity for fliers and posters announcing various campus events may soon become an old fad. Last November, the President's Council of the IU Residence Hall Association passed a bill to place big-screen plasma TVs in various residence halls and other campus buildings from Sadge Media, a collegiate advertising agency in Cincinnati.

Dancing with an edge

By Claire Blaustein · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 12:37 a.m.

In the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Room 167, a heated basketball game is being played and the screech of sneakers on polished floors and yelling teammates is audible from the hall. Further down the hall, the ambient noise changes quite a bit. Looking in H169, you see girls donning heels instead of running shoes and boys practicing spins and back steps on the side of the court. It is a meeting of the IU Ballroom Dance Club.

Monroe County jail may lose insurance

By Alyson Brodsy · Thursday, Feb. 12,2004 12:35 a.m.

BLOOMINGTON -- Monroe County's liability insurer has threatened to withdraw coverage for the county jail unless the county reduces crowding in the lockup and increases staffing by the year's end. St. Paul Property and Liability Insurance has told county commissioners it will not renew the jail's liability insurance for 2005 if the county fails to come up with detailed plans for changes at the jail. The jail's inmate population has surged from an average of about 175 a day to more than 250 in recent years. The jail is licensed to hold about 190 inmates. Budget overruns for meals and medical care have reduced the amount of money available for staff increases. While officials have discussed building a new jail or expanding the existing one, many favor creating a community corrections center that would house nonviolent offenders while leaving the jail to handle dangerous offenders.