IUPD

General wants prisoners released

HAVANA -- A retired U.S. Army general said Sunday he talked for 12 hours with Fidel Castro and encouraged the Cuban president to release 250 political prisoners in this island's jails in an effort to encourage dialogue with the U.S.

Tips for a good job after college

The economic decline fueled by the tragic events of Sept. 11 and a decline in consumer spending and travel has affected the current job market.

Group funding needs to change

The way that student groups are funded at IU needs to change. The system now is inherently discriminatory. It prohibits certain student organizations from receiving money collected from mandatory student activity fees on the basis of their views. The result is an inequitable funding arrangement that elevates some forms of student speech and discourages others. The U.S. Supreme Court has recently had much to say about mandatory fees and how they must be used to support extracurricular speech; IU should listen.

Public Enemy is the best hip-hop has to offer

Hoosiers look to climb standings at Big Tens

The Big Ten championships continue today and tomorrow, as the Hoosiers try to rise up the leader board and forge a top finish. The fifth place Hoosiers trail first place Minnesota by 75 points with a 122 score.

Team gets one more crack at Big Ten crown

Any piece -- no matter if it's divided two, three or four ways -- is better than none. Ask IU, which looked primed for its first Big Ten championship since 1993 before losing back-to-back games at Michigan State and No. 15 Illinois. IU muffed its chances to win the league outright, but the No. 25 Hoosiers get one more crack at halting the nine-year Big Ten drought at 2:30 p.m. Saturday when they welcome Northwestern to Assembly Hall on Senior Day. With a victory, IU will guarantee itself at least a share of the Big Ten crown.

Natural talent

Several students loiter outside room 219 of the music building, shuffling their feet and waiting for the haunting notes of the clarinet to cease so they can enter the room. Twelve-year-old Julian Bliss has no qualms about interrupting, however, because he has just come from his seventh grade class at St. Charles and is anticipating the meeting with his studio group.

Blue lights not so special

The one emergency phone located on the path between Jordan Avenue and Ballantine Hall is wrapped up -- much like many IU students attempting to front winter's latest blast of cold. But unlike students, the emergency phone is not wearing earmuffs or a ski jacket. Instead, it dawns a garbage bag, duct tape and an out of order sign. But those closely associated with the phones can't explain why.

Delts, SAE sanctions announced

Thursday evening Dean of Students Richard McKaig accepted the judgments of the Fraternity and Social Judicial Board regarding the Delta Tau Delta and Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternities. Both fraternities were brought in front of the Judicial Board for having parties that violated campus alcohol policy. Neither fraternity will be expelled from campus.

No. 5 Hoosiers open tourney

A sign in the women's basketball locker room reads "Did You Forget?" with the score of the Hoosiers' most recent game in a Big Ten tournament -- an 81-76 loss to Iowa. Senior point guard Heather Cassady hasn't forgotten. She wouldn't forget a painful, five-point defeat to the eventual tournament champion. Even more tortuous is the fact that the Hoosiers allowed an 18-point halftime lead to collapse.

Last chance starts today

This weekend is the last chance for track and field athletes to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. With the cancellation of last weekend's Big Ten Championships because of the tragic death of Penn State pole vaulter Kevin Dare, only a few Hoosiers have met the marks required to get into nationals. Therefore, several men's IU track and field athletes will travel to two different venues this weekend in attempts to meet or beat the qualifying standards in their events.

Three wins from first national title

The men's hockey club appeared in top form Thursday in its second game of the ACHA Hockey Division II National Championships in New York. The Hoosiers routed Franklin Pierce College 15-2. Senior Chad Whitlock stopped all 11 shots he faced in relief of starting goaltender Josh Block. The Hoosiers improve to 2-0 in first-round action. Several forwards had big offensive days, starting with senior Brandon Phillips, who had two goals and four assists. Freshman David Ravensberg picked up a hat trick and an assist in the effort, while the team's leading scorer, Bryan Grant, added a goal and four assists of his own.

Weather might postpone again

After battling severely cold weather conditions at the University of New Mexico Lobo Invitational and 36 consecutive hours of rain in Tampa, Fla., that caused the cancellation of a majority of the slated games, the IU softball team is hoping for a chance for steady weather this Saturday. The Hoosiers are scheduled to compete in a double-header against Western Michigan at the IU Softball Field.

Injured team leaves town

The IU women's tennis team travels out of state to take on Illinois State and conference-rival Iowa this weekend. This is the Hoosiers' first venture out of state this spring. IU heads to ISU Friday before competing against Iowa Sunday morning.

Big Ten season begins

The IU men's tennis team (6-3) battles Northwestern Saturday in a match at noon that begins a four-game road trip. This is the first Big Ten match of the season for the Hoosiers, while the Wildcats (8-3) possess a 3-0 record in conference play. Coach Ken Hydinger, in his 18th season at IU, stressed the importance of this early conference season clash. "It's going to be a dogfight," Hydinger said. "Everybody in the Big Ten will be ready, no matter what record they have."

Kids ready for spotlight

She stands 5-foot-10, weighs 150 pounds and can smack a golf ball 300 yards. But that's only a minor part of Michelle Wie's appeal. Wie's age (12) and school grade (7th) make her the West Coast's can't-miss golf story of the weekend. On the East Coast, five time zones away, 17-year-old Ty Tryon is competing at the PGA Tour's Genuity Championship in Miami.

IU anxious to get more games in series

The IU baseball team is ready to get back to action after having its last five games cancelled or postponed because of rain or snow. The undefeated Hoosiers (2-0) travel to Johnson City, Tenn., Friday to face the 3-3 East Tennessee State Buccaneers in a four-game series. The series begins a stretch of 12 consecutive games played away from Sembower Field. But Coach Bob Morgan said IU is eager to play.

on the SIDELINES

Women's track and field athletes will join their male counterparts at two separate competitions this weekend for one last try to qualify for the NCAA Champion-ships. Five Hoosiers are traveling to Iowa to compete in the Cyclone National Track & Field Qualifier at Iowa State.

Four teams 'tied' up in Big Ten

The only time in 96 years of basketball four teams tied for the Big Ten championship, was when Chicago went 4-8 in the league and Michigan State wasn't a member of the conference. It's been 76 years since IU, Purdue, Michigan and Iowa all tallied 8-4 league records on their way to sharing the title four ways.

1 LAST time

Two weeks ago, senior guard Dane Fife and the Hoosiers methodically picked apart Michigan to set up a game between IU and Ohio State, the then-top two teams in the Big Ten. Although the Hoosiers had to play without Jared Jeffries for much of the game against the Wolverines, IU was determined to get to the game with the Buckeyes tied at 9-4 in the conference. "We're fighting for a Big Ten championship," Fife said after the win in Ann Arbor. "That's something we haven't been able to say generally coming into Ann Arbor. This is a very special season for us. That's why we came in and played so hard and played so well."