Community Arts

Neal-Marshall director named by committee

IU has made a significant new hire in the placement of Oyibo Afoaku as the new director of the Neal-Marshall Black Cultural Center. Afoaku is leaving her post as the assistant director of the Black Culture Center at the University of Northern Colorado to come to IU and take over a program headed by former director Gwen Paulk, who died last spring. Afoaku will assume her new position in early January.

Ecuador plane crashes in Colombia

QUITO, Ecuador - An Ecuadorean jetliner carrying 92 people, including seven children, crashed in Colombia on Monday in the fogbound mountains of the Andes, the airline said. The Boeing 727-100 from Ecuador's TAME airline originated in the capital, Quito, and was headed to the Ecuadorean border city of Tulcan, 110 miles to the northeast. Its flight plan took it over the Colombian city of Ipiales, the airline said. It crashed near Ipiales, just over the border from Tulcan, said TAME spokeswoman, Toa Quirola. "We don't have any more information at this time," she said. The mayor's office of Ipiales said the city was foggy at the time the plane went down.

'Bathtub Gin' has national influence

An avenue of creativity mixed with pizzazz, spunk and panache. A "bootlegger of ideas, untaxed and unregulated." Something enchantingly mysterious that allows readers to delve into the minds of poets, writers of prose and the like.

Fan support near bottom of Big Ten

An IU cheerleader posed the eternal question revolving around women's basketball as she looked at the stands a minute before the IU-Penn State game at Assembly Hall. "Where is everybody?" she said. The most loyal Hoosier fans filled the short, courtside bleachers, but the south bleachers remained almost completely vacant before tipoff.

Surviving to make a sparkling return

Around The Region

INDIANAPOLIS -- Few of Indiana's 242 public libraries comply with a federal law enacted last year to keep Internet pornography off library computer screens and away from children who might view them. Library administrators say they have found the will of Congress is easier said than done.

Around The World

TULKAREM, West Bank -- Israeli troops searched homes and traded fire with Palestinians as the military took over an entire Palestinian town Monday, a first in 16 months of fighting and another blow to beleaguered Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Live football updates on www.idsnews.com

Starting this weekend, the IDS and WIUS student radio will present a special Web site for IU football fans to "watch" the games and track statistics as the game unfolds.

Students get involved in celebration

Bloomington residents can partake in the 2002 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration by becoming involved in any of the numerous volunteer activities occurring around the city. These events stem from Bloomington's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission. According to the City of Bloomington's Web site, "The commission is dedicated to raising community awareness about the philosophy, teachings and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

Peachy keen summer treats

When I first arrived in Bloomington a few years ago, I burst into tears. I contend it was the confluence of a sleepless night, a long day of plane travel marked by multiple delays, and the growing anxiety of starting both a new degree and life in a Midwestern town more than 2,000 miles from my Bay Area home that reduced me to a pathetic puddle. My parents, who claim to know me better than I know myself, maintain that I was merely cranky from hunger.

Team drops first game

The Reebok Lady Stars brought its celebrity-studded lineup Wednesday night to Assembly Hall, much to the dismay of coach Kathi Bennett and the IU women's basketball team. WNBA standouts Katie Douglas and Ukari Figgs scorched the defensively-troubled Hoosiers, as the touring team of former college and professional players outlasted IU 84-83 in an exhibition game. Besides showing that Purdue products Douglas and Figgs can still knock-off IU, the night game proved to Bennett that her team needs to improve its transition defense, sloppy passing and ability to put away opponents. "They're very experienced," Bennett said about the Stars, who in recent weeks have pasted Butler 112-81 and Valparaiso 68-56. "They've been there, they know it and can play really loose."

Capturing the world through Ink

Many lessons students learn at IU will take place outside the walls of the classroom. In a population that brings together students and faculty from all over the world to share ideas, a hidden curriculum presents itself throughout the community. It is evident in the many opportunities at IU for learning about the cultures of others. One such opportunity is a new exhibit titled "Rudy Pozzatti: A Printmaker's Odyssey," which will open to the public at the IU Art Museum Saturday and ends May 5. The exhibit is funded by the Richard Florsheim Art Fund, the IU Foundation, the Bloomington Area Arts Council Inc., the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. It will feature more than 70 pieces -- mostly prints -- organized with a basis on Pozzatti's many themes.

The world is better with you

Robert Witham never made it to his high school graduation. Just less than a month before receiving his diploma, he took his life.

Attorney to take helm of state Democratic party

Peter Manous will now officially take over the helm of the Indiana Democratic Party. The state party elected the longtime volunteer and deputy chairman to the top post Saturday in Indianapolis. Manous, who's slated to start as chairman by the end of the year, practices law in Lake County, a Democratic stronghold filled with industrial cities such as Gary and Hammond.

Authorities arrest man with fake checks

DETROIT -- A man charged with smuggling $12 million in bogus cashiers checks into the United States told agents the man named on the checks may belong to al-Qaida, authorities said Wednesday.

More Hoosiers join welfare rolls

INDIANAPOLIS -- For the first time in seven years, the number of people enrolled in Indiana's welfare programs has increased as layoffs from a weakening economy force more workers to seek public assistance.

Families should teach values

More and more people lament that parents do not take enough responsibility for raising their own children these days, for instilling moral values and good behavior in them. Many cite this trend to justify paternalistic big government. Some seem to think a mountain of new laws backed by police power is needed to protect decent folks from neglected youths running rampant.

Expectations mixed about new theatre

As the curtains went down on "Waiting for Godot," Dale McFadden knew it was time to say goodbye. McFadden, associate professor of theatre and drama, directed "Godot," the last play performed at the University Theatre. Although he said he is "grateful" to be moving to the facilities at the new Theatre/Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, McFadden will miss the historic and aesthetic details of the old space.

Make a monkey out of me

After 16 hours of pretending to be a chimpanzee, I've decided that I don't like being one very much. In fact, I believe I hate being a chimp. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in this farce for the next eight hours because the professor of my chimpanzee class assigned us to eat like a chimp for 24 straight hours and I'm dumb enough not to think of a way out of it. I know what everyone is thinking. What is a journalism major doing in a class on monkeys? I have no idea. Next question, please.

Women seek power in workplace

Since Sunday, and until Friday, 96 women from nine different states across the Midwest are meeting in the Indiana Memorial Union to improve their skills as activists, share their experiences and learn how to take power in the workplace.