Community Arts

Institute 'mentors' archaeological researchers

About five miles north of the IU campus, tucked away among farms, acres of wooded land and winding roads, lies a building, just four years old. Its stone tower rises high above the entrance, and a small stone-encircled ring in which to do experiments sits about 100 yards away.

US ARTIST IMMIGRATION CONTEST

US ARTIST IMMIGRATION CONTEST -- Japanese sculptor Nao Matsuomoto works on a figure made of tape after fashioning another from chewing gum and ramen noodles, foreground, in his space at White Box, an art and performance space, April 25, in New York. Matsuomoto is one of 10 emerging artists from around the world participating in AsylumNYC, a project conceived by Berlin-based Wooloo Productions, who invited the artists to apply for "creative asylum" at White Box April 24-29, while the space is converted into a "detention center." During that time the artists are not permitted to leave the space and were stripped of all supplies they brought from home. At week's end, one artist will be selected to receive free assistance from an immigration lawyer to be able to remain legally in the United States. The project was developed to call attention to immigrants' difficulties and asylum-seekers worldwide.

Southern rappers use dance to sell music

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Some people dance for entertainment. Some dance for self-expression. Some do it for money and fame.

Art trafficking network uncovered

ROME -- Italian prosecutors on Wednesday named a New York art gallery as a key link in what they say was a vast conspiracy to market stolen artifacts that allegedly involved a former J. Paul Getty museum curator on trial here.

Alum shows film

An award-winning film by an IU graduate was recently mentioned in Grammy magazine and on the 2006 Grammy ballot. The film will be shown at 7 p.m. in Ballantine 109.

Vera Bradley booms

FORT WAYNE -- Inside a bustling warehouse, new hires at Vera Bradley Designs practice stitching paisley placemats and pink coin purses in patterns with names like Petal Pink and Chelsea Green. Nearby, others slice swatches of bold pink, blue and green quilted fabric destined to become handbags, purses and luggage.

Technology, sport and the fan

It's tough to imagine yourself in a time period as you are living through it. I'm sure Americans in the 1850s were saying to themselves, "Wow, can you believe we're living in the Industrial Revolution?" And while I am sure the devastation was all around them, Americans in the 1920s and '30s were not saying to each other, "So how about this Great Depression? At least we'll be in the history books, huh?"

Hoosiers top Sycamores in 11 innings; Huddleston doubles home winner

Twenty-two strikeouts. Eleven innings. One run. After the IU softball team's game against instate rival Indiana State last night, these were all the numbers you needed to know. Thankfully for the Hoosiers, the one run belonged to them as they scored in the top of the eleventh inning to take the 1-0 victory. With the win, the Hoosiers move to 26-22-1 on the season.

Hoosiers head to nationally televised Penn Relays

As they have for most of the season, the IU women's track and field team will participate in a meet this weekend. There is just one difference: this weekend's meet will be nationally televised on NBC.

TINY DANCERS

IU's Straight No Chaser celebrates 10 years of being All-a-chord

For the past 10 years, IU's only men's a cappella singing group has been gracing venues across the nation with its harmonized sound. The student-run group was founded in 1996 by Dan Ponce. Since then, Straight No Chaser has molded itself into IU's premier men's singing group, said junior Tyler Trepp, Straight No Chaser member and music director. The current group consists of nine members, who have formed a steady fan base by performing twice a week at various fraternities, sororities and other groups on campus, in addition to performing at other universities and off-campus events. Straight No Chaser will perform its spring concert celebrating its ten-year anniversary 8 p.m. Saturday at the IU Auditorium.

Starting new, early

On a good day, our newsroom is loud and chaotic -- maybe like Hoosier Courts on Kinser Pike during a normal weekend. But for the rest of this week, our home in Ernie Pyle 120 will be like the Varsity Villas during Little 500 weekend.

Victim of hate crime arrested on warrant

The victim of last week's alleged hate crime in Bloomington has been arrested for pending assault and battery charges in another county, officials from the Bloomington Police Department announced Wednesday night. "To say this victim has some shortcomings is an understatement," said BPD Captain Joe Qualters. "Whether (the altercation) was instigated by the victim, we don't know." The 25-year-old Bloomington resident and his wife were attacked by several men on North Walnut Street in the early hours of April 18. The attackers shouted racial slurs at the two newlyweds before hitting the man over the head with a skateboard, rendering him unconscious.

Remembering the elderly

Splashes of color decorate the walls in the form of tie-dyed cloths, masks and paper in room four of First United Church, 2420 E. Third Street. Cans of paint and brushes lay ready in the corner, next to a small, half-finished table. A schedule on the blackboard promises folk dancing, poetry writing and sing-a-longs. As of now, this room sits empty and waiting. But later this afternoon, just like every other Thursday, people in early stages of Alzheimer's disease and related forms of dementia will enter and bring it to life.

Homeless shelters struggle to keep people off streets

Approximately 465 people in Bloomington are homeless, and nearly 20 percent of them are unsheltered, according to the 2005 City of Bloomington Housing and Neighborhood Development Department consolidated plan. But just as the cost of living rises each year, the amount of federal funding to help the homeless drops. The Community Development Block Grant the city received from the federal government this year was approximately 10.6 percent smaller than last year's grant.

Community turns out for violence forum on shootings

After a week marked by multiple incidents of gun violence, about 100 concerned citizens turned out at Templeton Elementary last night to share their safety concerns with city officials. During the meeting's question-and-answer forum, Bloomington Police Captain Joe Qualters said police found no connection between the four episodes of gun violence that occurred last week in Bloomington. "I think it's the ebb and flow of different types of crimes," Qualters said. "There have in fact been previous incidents of gun violence. I like to think it's atypical."

Songs, poetry reflect on life of music student

Robert Samels liked to put himself in his music. His opera "PILATVS," which he wrote about the life of Pontius Pilate, was described as "witty," "genius" and "enjoyable" -- all traits his friends attribute to him. Even in his notes in the margin, friends noticed how he poured himself into his work. "I was looking through the score," said senior Nicole Beemsterboer, a close friend of his, "and towards the end he had underlined the lyrics, stolen from Walt Whitman: 'Waste your days inventing ways to be remembered before you rot in the ground.' "I thought, 'What a fitting tribute.'" Hundreds of friends gathered Wednesday night at the Buskirk Chumley Theater to provide another "fitting tribute" to Samels, a graduate student in the Jacobs School of Music who was killed in a plane crash May 20.

Batty heads into final Big Ten tourney

IU women's tennis team captain Sarah Batty has always been ahead of the game -- both in sports and her personal life. After moving from England to Florida to attend prep school at age 14, Batty graduated high school in two years and began her college tennis career at IU at just 17. Now at 20, the senior is facing what could possibly be her final weekend of collegiate tennis when the Hoosiers travel to Champaign, Ill., for the Big Ten Championships Friday. Batty is a senior leader on the team, anchored IU at the No. 1 singles spot all season and has been named to two All-Big Ten teams in her career.

Outgoing COAS dean holds no grudges against IU

In his first interview since being turned down for IU-Bloomington chancellor in November, College of Arts and Sciences Dean Kumble Subbaswamy said he doesn't hold a grudge against the administration that chose not to hire him. The subject of a hot debate among Bloomington professors, Subbaswamy was hailed as an ideal chancellor. After IU President Adam Herbert announced that the chancellor search would continue, outraged IU professors gathered in a mass meeting and passed resolutions asking for a special review of Herbert's skills as president.

IU survey: Students need more college preparation

A study published this week by IU's Center for Evaluation and Education Policy has given new perspective to the debate to raise admissions standards at IU-Bloomington. The research found that, though the state of Indiana has improved its rate of sending high school students to college, placing college students in remedial classes might do more harm than good. IU officials say high schools are attempting to better prepare students for college, which should decrease the need for remedial classes.