Community Arts

Swimming icon impacted IU, world

By Josh Weinfus and Josh Weinfuss · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 1:03 a.m.

The swimming world lost one of its greatest men last week when James "Doc" Counsilman died in his sleep early Jan. 4 because of complications after his 25 year battle with Parkinson's disease. For the last six and a half years, Counsilman spent his time at Meadowood Retirement Community, where Marjorie, his wife of 60 years, said he became a prisoner in his own body because of the disease. "He had a wonderful career," Marjorie said. "I got to share all of that. I don't know how anyone could have been more fulfilled (with their life). He was obsessed with competitive swimming."

Girl killed in North Carolina collision

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 1:02 a.m.

MAXTON, N.C. -- A tractor-trailer slammed into a stopped school bus Tuesday, killing a 5-year-old girl who was boarding, and injuring the girl's mother and more than a dozen other students, officials said. About 20 to 25 children were aboard the bus, which was bound for Townsend Middle School and R.B. Dean Elementary School, said Henry Byrd, assistant superintendent of Robeson County schools.

Kernan addresses education, deficit

By Karen Green · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 1:01 a.m.

Governor Joe Kernan took to the podium for his first State of the State address Tuesday night and addressed a crowd of decidedly optimistic legislators. The night marked the four-month anniversary of the death of former Governor Frank O'Bannon. The first minutes of the speech seemed more like a football game than a formal address to state legislators, as the former lieutenant governor was greeted by cheering, clapping and the chanting of his first name.

Greek councils induct officers

By Dan Patrick · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 12:57 a.m.

The Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Association held their annual installation ceremony Tuesday night in the University Club in the Indiana Memorial Union. In total, 16 positions were filled for the upcoming year. Junior Ryan Goldschmidt was named IFC president and senior Mike Trent was named executive vice president of the administration. Junior Sarah King and senior Colleen Corley were named as president and vice president of PHA.

J-school narrows dean list to 7

By Mike McElroy · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 12:57 a.m.

The IU School of Journalism Dean Search Committee will soon know who takes the reigns from retiring Dean and Associate Professor of Journalism Trevor Brown next year. The committee has narrowed its choice of candidates down to seven finalists and will begin to interview them face-to-face in Indianapolis this week. At 17 years, Brown's term is the longest of any dean currently on campus, said Professor David Nord, who heads the committee.

IU adapts to demand for apartments, suites

By Asma Khalid · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 12:57 a.m.

After one year of communal bathrooms, cold showers and flip-flops, junior Tonya Vachirasomboon decided it was time to move out of Eigenmann Hall -- what she called the "noisy, dirty" dorm in the midst of renovation -- and into the apartment lifestyle offered at Willkie Quad. Across the nation, universities are succumbing to student demands for more spacious dorms, according to the Associated Press. Willkie marks the beginning of the housing revolution on IU's campus.

Bush to advocate trip to Mars

By Rami Chami · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 12:57 a.m.

President Bush will give a much-anticipated speech outlining a new long-term vision for NASA today. The speech will include the proposals for a permanent research station on the Moon and a manned mission to Mars. The proposed plans have already begun to draw a lot of praise and criticism from various camps in the field of astronomy. Professor Richard Durisen, chairman of the astronomy department, supports both the lunar project and the manned Mars mission.

Late coach's memory lives on with IU, former swimmers

By John Rodgers · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 12:45 a.m.

Innovators. James Naismith and Abner Doubleday were some of the few. A pair listed on a short list of sports' inventors and innovators. But for what the well-known Naismith and Doubleday meant to basketball and baseball, respectively, former IU swim coach James "Doc" Counsilman meant just as much to the world of swimming and IU, said athletic director Terry Clapacs. That innovator died Jan. 4, 2004, at the age of 83.

O'Neill denies statements on Bush

By Alyson Brodsy and Martin Crutsinger · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 12:28 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill on Tuesday denied that classified documents were used in a controversial new book in which he paints an unflattering portrait of President Bush. He softened some of his criticism in the face of a strong counterattack by the administration. The Inspector General's Office at Treasury confirmed that it had begun an investigation into whether any laws or regulations had been violated when Treasury employees turned over 19,000 documents to O'Neill after he was fired by Bush in December 2002.

Tougher open container law passes

By Alyson Brodsy and Deanna Wrenn · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 12:12 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- A Senate committee passed a bill Tuesday that would prohibit open containers of alcohol in vehicles, a move supporters say would bring Indiana millions of dollars in federal highway construction money and prevent drunk driving. Indiana's current law allows passengers to have open containers of alcohol as long as the driver has a blood-alcohol level of 0.04 percent or lower -- half the state's legal limit to drive. The Senate bill would ban open containers in vehicles, including parked cars, even if the driver was sober. Alcohol could be placed in trunks and locked glove compartments, however, and limousines and buses would be exempt from the restrictions.

Kerouac's draft back 'on road'

By Alyson Brodsy and Ryan Lenz · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 12:11 a.m.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Like the highway that inspired it, the first draft of author Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" rolls over nearly 120 feet of paper, a wandering narrative told in a continuous block of text. Yellowed with age, smudged with editing marks and the author's own ink-covered fingerprints, the scroll is a relic of a literary phenomenon. Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay bought the scroll two years ago for $2.43 million. Having already been on display in Indianapolis, Irsay plans to send what may be the beat generation's quintessential text back to the road from where it came.

Students manage dream teams online

By Eamonn Brennan · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 12:07 a.m.

It's a Sunday afternoon and freshman Jacob Moylan's favorite team, the Seattle Seahawks, is losing to the Minnesota Vikings, 35-7. Seattle has no chance of a comeback; nonetheless, Moylan is stuck to the online gamecast, yelling, hoping for another touchdown from Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper. Wrong team, right? Guess again. For the time being, Moylan's favorite squad is the fantasy team he manages, owns and operates online. Made up of players from different teams in the NFL, Moylan no longer roots for specific teams, but rather for specific players with hopes of carrying his fantasy team to a league title.

Bill Elliot to wind down career

By Alyson Brodsy and Eddie Pells · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 12:07 a.m.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Bill Elliott wants to leave NASCAR on his terms. Whether he will is pretty much out of his hands. Partly by choice, partly by necessity, one of the most popular stock car drivers will race an abbreviated schedule in 2004 before he decides whether to say "Goodbye" for good. How many races? The business side of the sport will dictate that.

Training trip focuses team for rest of season

By Scott Lipsky · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 12:05 a.m.

During the first half of the season, the men's swimming and diving team was looking for answers following a dismal 1-5 start, which included tough losses to fellow Big Ten schools Wisconsin and Northwestern. With 16 freshmen being put into the fray and all but one diver red shirting, the 2003-2004 season has begun to show signs of a rebuilding year.

Don't rush to judgement

By Matt Glenesk · Wednesday, Jan. 14,2004 12:03 a.m.

It's a good thing Peyton Manning can't win the big game, Donovan McNabb is overrated as a quarterback and the Rams are unbeatable at home, because this weekend's conference championship slate of Kansas City-New England and Green Bay-St. Louis looks pretty good. In college, Peyton Manning couldn't pull off a win during the big game. His alma mater, Tennessee, won the national championship the year after he graduated. The same was said about the Colts' quarterback after putting up stellar numbers year after year as that first playoff win still eluded him. After last year's 41-0 drubbing by the New York Jets in the first round of the playoffs, the grumbles in Indianapolis began again, and questions arose about whether Manning had the necessary tools to make the jump to elite status. So what's the best way to silence the critics?

Around the Campus

By Alyson Brodsy · Tuesday, Jan. 13,2004 11:49 p.m.

IUSA sets election dates for Feb. 24 and 25 The IU Student Association announced the Student Body Congress has approved the 2003-2004 election codes, election commissioners have been appointed, and have presented a timeline for 2004 Student Body Elections. Elections will be held on Feb. 24 and 25. The final call-out meeting for candidates is set for Jan. 21. The deadline for applications will be Feb. 4. Students interested in elections should contact IUSA Elections Coordinator Derek Molter at dmolter@indiana.edu.

Partying continues amid tightened rules

By Jess Huffman · Tuesday, Jan. 13,2004 11:46 p.m.

It's March 21, 2002. The IU men's basketball team is facing Duke in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament. Only the Hoosier faithful consider IU a worthy opponent against the powerhouse, and no one expects IU to win. Despite all of the odds and expectations against them, IU players edge Duke 74-73. The campus goes crazy. "It was insane," junior Dan Loomis said. "People were pulling down trees and lighting them on fire." Loomis, who was at Showalter Fountain at the time celebrating the experience with thousands of other students, said he hasn't seen campus like it since -- and doesn't expect to anytime soon. But even though he said that won't happen again, he admitted the partying that accompanied it continues every day.

Computerworld names IU professor IT leader

By Gavin Lesnick · Tuesday, Jan. 13,2004 11:45 p.m.

Before Michael McRobbie, IU wasn't quite the same. The IU vice president for information technology and chief information officer ushered in a new age of campus connectivity, making IU a leader in the field. Now he's being recognized for his contributions by Computerworld magazine, which named McRobbie one of its 2004 "Premier 100 Information Technology Leaders" in the first issue of the year.

Attack of the cicadas

By Alex Hickey · Tuesday, Jan. 13,2004 11:44 p.m.

For 17 years, a creature has been lurking beneath the ground in Bloomington. Soon, it will emerge from its lair, and residents will not be able to ignore its presence. This creature is not the subject of a B-movie -- it is a cicada. And while cicadas fill the summer air every year with their pulsating, buzzing sound, this year's batch will be different. Known as Brood X, it is a species that only emerges every 17 years. And it is still a mystery to science as to how these insects always arrive precisely on schedule. Come the week of May 25, they will emerge from the ground and take to the trees.

Afghan singer returns to screen

By Alyson Brodsy and Stephen Graham · Tuesday, Jan. 13,2004 11:30 p.m.

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The video was old and the song well-known, but the sight of an Afghan woman -- clad in a shiny red dress and simple headscarf -- singing on Afghan television sparked a wave of excitement and a backlash of conservatism.