Community Arts

Duke University boosters, others hire former federal prosecutor, Clinton lawyer

DURHAM, N.C. -- A small group of boosters and others close to the Duke University lacrosse team have hired President Bill Clinton's former lawyer as part of an aggressive public relations effort to argue that the players did not rape a woman at an off-campus party. Bob Bennett, a former federal prosecutor and Washington attorney who represented Clinton in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case, is serving as a spokesman for a group calling itself the Committee for Fairness to Duke Families.

IU prevails in home doubleheader

In one day, the IU softball team turned a five-game losing skid into a two-game winning streak. Both wins came in a doubleheader in Bloomington Wednesday afternoon as the Hoosiers defeated Kentucky 2-0 and 6-5. Along with stopping its skid, the team hit the 20-win season mark for the first time since 1997 and improved its overall record against Kentucky to 5-7. The first game of the day was dominated by senior pitcher Mariangee Bogado, who not only pitched a no-hitter, but also hit a home run in the third inning that ended up as the only runs scored in the game. Bogado, who recorded her second career no-hitter, was also 2-for-3 from the plate in the first game.

Something rotten in the state of Durham

First, the facts. In Durham, N.C. on March 13, the Duke men's lacrosse team hired an exotic dancer to perform at an off-campus party. The woman admitted herself to the hospital later that night, saying three students had raped her in the bathroom of the house where the party was held. She said she had broken off five artificial fingernails while scraping the arm of one of the men who was holding her down.

Sampson snags 1st recruit at IU

At least one White knows what he's doing next year. Junior college standout Mike White signed with IU Wednesday to become coach Kelvin Sampson's first recruit. The 6-foot-6, 245-pound forward comes to Bloomington from Lee College in Baytown, Texas, where last season he averaged 7.4 rebounds, two blocks and 19.4 points per game with a 59 percent shooting average.

Fwd: thinking

Freshman Jessica Brenay has two primary e-mail addresses, one through IU Webmail and the other through America Online. When she wants to send something important or official, she logs into her IU Webmail account. "I do have another account, but I don't forward my e-mail to it," Brenay said. "I only give my school e-mail address to school-related things, so then when I go to it, there's no junk mail, and I don't have to sort it." While the majority of IU students are like Brenay and stick with IU Webmail as their primary source of sending and receiving, a large number are using Webmail's forwarding options to use free e-mail services like AOL's instant messenger e-mail service, Yahoo! and Google's Gmail.

American Indian group seeks space

The American Indian Student Association is searching for a new home after spring storms flooded its basement office, located in The GradHouse, 803 E. 8th St. The 6-by-7 foot space, lent by another organization, is only used for storage of books and posters from the last 10 years of events because the space is not large enough for someone to work in. The main casualties of the flooding were posters from a decade of various AISA activities, said Rebecca Riall, co-chair of the Native American Graduate Student Association, which works closely with AISA. Since the damage was not discovered until a few weeks after the flooding there was no saving most of the historical items.

Lawsuits filed over highway

State Budget Director Chuck Schalliol signed a 75-year, $3.8-billion agreement Wednesday that leased the Indiana Toll Road to a foreign consortium while a handful of Indiana residents filed two lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of House Bill 1008, commonly known as "Major Moves." Steve Bonney, a farmer from West Lafayette, was one of a group of six Citizens Action Coalition members who filed the first suit between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. at the St. Joseph County Superior Court.

Ashley Crouse remembered at Kappa vigil

Dozens of white luminary bags lined the walkway of the Kappa Kappa Gamma house Wednesday night, just as they had one year earlier. Minutes before 8 p.m., members of the house filed out the door and sat down on their porch around a projector screen, waiting to honor their sister Ashley Crouse, who had died exactly a year ago in a car wreck. To remember her, they had collected photographs taken throughout the 21 years of her life and prepared a slideshow to present to Crouse's friends and family. As 8 p.m. passed, Crouse's loved ones filled the porch, spilling onto the stairs, into the walkway and even out onto the lawn. Hundreds of people had come to remember her life.

LongHorn Steakhouse set to open at College Mall this summer

College Mall-goers will have another choice when it comes to casual dining restaurants this summer. The mall, which already features Applebee's and TGI Friday's restaurants, will welcome its third sit-down restaurant when LongHorn Steakhouse opens near the parking lot by Dick's Sporting Goods. The restaurant is based in Atlanta and has about 240 locations nationwide. It is open every day for lunch and dinner and specializes in beef entrees. For those not interested in steak, the restaurant also features salads, chicken and a couple of salmon dishes. Harry Day, the marketing manager for LongHorn, was very enthusiastic about the restaurant's opening.

Middle Way House seeking new volunteers to boost staff

Middle Way House, Inc. will be holding a volunteer training session Saturday morning for anyone interested in one of the 20 volunteer programs offered by the women's shelter. The eight-hour training day will provide an overview of the effects of domestic violence and Middle Way's mission against it. "I think that most of us have an ethic that we're kind of an onwards and upwards society where things are generally getting better," said Colleen Yeakle, a spokeswoman for Middle Way House. "And I certainly think that too, or it would be difficult to do this work. But it's fair to examine -- why is this problem so persistent? Why is this so hard to change?"

Ceremony awards leadership, academics among students

Outstanding students and student organizations were recognized for leadership, academics, mentoring and community service at the fourth annual student leadership awards program Wednesday in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. The event also recognized graduating seniors from the Faculty and Staff for Student Excellence Mentoring Program, a mentor program initially established at IU to improve freshman retention rates. Additional campus organizations involved included the Office of Diversity Education and the Office of Academic Support and Diversity.

Rape reported at McNutt

A woman reported to the IU Police Department that an acquaintance raped her in a McNutt Quad dorm room the morning of April 6, said IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger. The woman reported that she told the man she did not want to have sex with him, but he forced her to, Minger said. She said they had been consuming alcohol. "She did indicate that she did not want to have sexual relations with him," Minger said. "He continued to force himself on her, and they did have intercourse."

Sexual assault victims can use University, city court system

Each year, a small number of IU students fall victim to sexual assault. Many accounts go unreported, making it hard to distinguish the actual number of sexual assaults, but for those that do get reported there are two options for punishment. A victim of rape or sexual assault can take the case through the University judicial system or through the court system. If the victim decides to go through the University judicial system, the case goes before the judicial board. The judicial board is made up of hearing officers who are trained for this specific type of case. The number of sexual assault cases reported in 2005 was 14, but the amount of cases that went before the board was less than that because most victims are unwilling to follow through and take their case beyond filing charges.

BUNNY BAWLING

Women hail Couric's move to CBS anchor

NEW YORK -- When people used to ask Connie Chung if a woman would ever get to anchor the network evening news all by herself, she'd say: "Not in my lifetime." Now Chung, very much alive, calls Katie Couric's move to CBS "a watershed moment." And she's not the only one who confesses to feeling a shiver of pride. From women's rights leaders like Gloria Steinem and Eleanor Smeal to ordinary TV viewers to Couric's own 10-year-old daughter, a lot of people think her history-making ascension to sole anchordom is a pretty big deal.

Olé to the IU production of 'Carmen'

Opening night for the IU production of Georges Bizet's "Carmen" was sold out, and seats were packed long before curtain. The production deserved every bit of this attention -- the performance of "Carmen" is by far one of the best of the season. The first and foremost aspect to the success of the performance was the music. The audience already had high expectations as some of the most famous melodies in opera come directly out of this particular opera, so emphasis must be placed on the musical aspect in order for the performance to be successful.

Lighthearted fun makes up for flimsy narrative in 'Mamma Mia!'

Campy and reminiscent, "Mamma Mia!" sure isn't the thinking man's ... or woman's musical, though Donna Sheridan (played by Laurie Wells) bears her femininity with stark ferocity, fighting "marriage, the institution for people who belong in an institution," as she and her on-stage friends put it. But what am I talking about? This isn't a musical with a plot. The thin veil of a story drapes the performers, reminding them to laugh or cry and throw out a dance move or two.

LOTS OF DOTS

'Holy Spirit on Grand Avenue' premieres tonight

A boy stabs a girl 22 times, killing her. Years later, three friends discuss her life, death and the changes that emanated from the tragedy. This is part of the premise of "Holy Spirit on Grand Avenue," a first-run play from the Bloomington Playwrights Project, which premieres at 8 p.m. Written by award-winning playwright Toni Press-Coffman, "Holy Spirit" centers around three friends who share a life-changing experience from their distant past. They discuss their feelings about the death and how it continues to change their lives. Also in the play are the ghost of the deceased girl, Diana, and her murderer, a 16-year-old boy.

Annual Union Board student film festival features 19 films this weekend

Student filmmakers will be able to showcase their talents tonight and Friday night at the Union Board's fifth annual Student Film Festival. The event begins at 8 p.m. in the Whittenberger Auditorium of the Indiana Memorial Union both nights. The event, free for IU students or $2 for nonstudents, will feature 19 films of all types: comedy, mystery, horror, science fiction, drama and artistic movies, Union Board Films Director and junior Dash Voorhees said.