IUSA

Commitment to our founding principles

By Chelsea Kane · Wednesday, Jan. 28,2009 8:23 p.m.

Last week I watched as another man took the highest office in the land. This magnificent display is one that has been replayed in various forms and fashions 44 times in our nation’s dynamic history. This consistently peaceful process is one of the hallmarks the United States has built. Though the fanfare may be different, the words are the same: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” The maintenance of our Constitution and its principles is essential to the longevity of this nation that is so dedicated to the liberty of its citizens.

Planned Parenthood flop

Wednesday, Jan. 28,2009 8:22 p.m.

The dust has barely settled on Planned Parenthood and its previous brush with the law in Bloomington before the organization finds itself in another legal scandal, this time in Indianapolis. You may remember that in December 2008, Live Action Films, an anti-choice group based in California, released video of an undercover sting operation in Bloomington. The video showed a 20-year-old woman posing as a 13-year-old pregnant girl after sexual relations with a 31-year-old man. In the video, an employee at the S. College Avenue clinic is seen advising the woman to lie about her age in order to protect her from being reported to Child Protective Services. In Indiana, any sex act between an adult and a person younger than 14 years must be reported to the department or a law enforcement agency. Although the employee was fired, Planned Parenthood is still dealing with the attack on its credibility, most notably in Indianapolis. Indiana Health Commissioner Judith Monroe recently warned the clinic there that its incomplete “terminated pregnancy reports” were grounds for prosecution.

Stop the boondoggle

Wednesday, Jan. 28,2009 8:20 p.m.

On Jan. 21 the IDS published an article about how IU hopes to get a boost from Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package. This would be immensely valuable for IU and all Indiana students, and our chance of getting the money may depend on an important piece of legislation that is currently up for consideration. House Bill 1656 would take the power to distribute stimulus funds from Gov. Mitch Daniels, where it now sits, and give it to the Democrat-controlled Indiana General Assembly. This could be important for IU’s future because Gov. Daniels has pledged to use much of the stimulus money to fund his pet Interstate 69 highway construction project, perhaps at the expense of funding for education.

‘Where has all the money gone?’

By John Hill · Wednesday, Jan. 28,2009 8:19 p.m.

No doubt that’s what the laundry list of high-profile investors, charities and financial institutions taken to the cleaners by Bernard Madoff Investment Securities LLC must be asking themselves amidst revelations that the organization was nothing more than the largest Ponzi scheme in American history. It was “one big lie,” as the hedge fund’s namesake called it himself. The financier’s fraud might ultimately cost investors as much as $50 billion and did little to boost confidence in the financial industry, already reeling from the subprime mortgage and credit crises of the past year. In the grand scheme of things, however, Madoff’s actions are not dissimilar from Wall Street’s greater misdeeds.

Free to run

By Abigail Mitchell · Wednesday, Jan. 28,2009 8:17 p.m.

It’s hard to be a long-distance runner in the Midwest. The humid summers are one thing, but worse still are the icy winters that preclude any hope of running outside. Believe me, there are few things more mind-numbingly boring than 10 miles on a treadmill. So when I found myself in a southern climate for a few days in January, I was most looking forward to running out of doors. I was in a not-so-safe area of a big city surrounded by nothing but pavement, but that did not deter me. The friend with whom I was staying expressed his worry about my running alone; his roommate tried to suggest helpfully that I just run laps around the parking lot. But it was broad daylight, the area didn’t look that bad to me and the temptation of the cool air and blue skies was just too great.

Student battle in a snow ball fight Wednesday in Dunn Meadow. IU canceled classes Wednesday due to snow, and Monroe County declared a state of emergency.

Campus closed all day due to heavy snowfall

By Nick Cusack · Wednesday, Jan. 28,2009 7:01 a.m.

The campus will be closed all day today, following heavy snowfall Tuesday night. The University's Emergency Preparedness Web site announced the closure at about 10:30 a.m.Last night's snow "has created unsafe travel conditions," according the site. In addition, Monroe County has declared a state emergency. Only emergency and public safety vehicles are allowed to travel.

Promoting a personality cult

Tuesday, Jan. 27,2009 11:37 p.m.

This letter is in response to the media coverage of President Barack Obama. In the 25 or so years I have been following politics in the United States, I have never seen media coverage of an individual (Obama) that borders on promoting a “cult of personality.”

Renter fraud

Tuesday, Jan. 27,2009 11:36 p.m.

Anyone looking to sign a lease for next year might benefit from asking a rental company this question: What percentage of your tenants get their full deposit back?

A much better way than Pizza X

Tuesday, Jan. 27,2009 11:35 p.m.

I’m a former student (class of 2002) who was a loyal patron to Pizza Express while in school. As a graduate of the business school and a current MBA student at the University of Chicago, I wanted to pass along to the owner my concern over the proposed new name.

Obama can donate his own money

Tuesday, Jan. 27,2009 11:34 p.m.

I fear that the IDS staff editorial board is comprised of politically correct, daydreaming students with half a page to fill with ink everyday.

Reshaping women’s basketball

By Dave Leno · Tuesday, Jan. 27,2009 11:33 p.m.

Most coaches hate road games. However, IU women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she doesn’t mind them.

A real pro-choice argument

Tuesday, Jan. 27,2009 11:33 p.m.

I was surprised to read the following sentence in an IDS editorial: “If you don’t want to perform an abortion, don’t seek a degree, study the body and undertake a residency to do just that.”

A columnist’s notebook for you

By Zachary Osterman · Tuesday, Jan. 27,2009 11:32 p.m.

The IU men’s basketball team heads up to Northwestern tonight, and while I’d love to regale you with witty repartee that would surely cut you all to the collective quick, well, frankly, I’m just not that good.

Bush’s real legacy

Tuesday, Jan. 27,2009 11:32 p.m.

In response to Justin Hill’s Jan. 21 op-ed column “Hello, Goodbye”: First, I commend the cooperative attitude that Mr. Hill encourages conservatives take toward the Barack Obama White House.

An unforgettable inspiration

Tuesday, Jan. 27,2009 11:30 p.m.

When my alarm rang last Tuesday morning my eyes never struggled to open.

Sampson appeals NCAA punishment

Tuesday, Jan. 27,2009 11:30 p.m.

Kelvin Sampson wants to return to college basketball in the next five years. That much is apparent from the Indianapolis Star’s report that the former IU coach has appealed the punishment the NCAA levied on him two months ago.

The trouble with Davos

By Indira Dammu · Tuesday, Jan. 27,2009 11:29 p.m.

It was a small headline tucked away within last Sunday’s edition of The New York Times, and it immediately caught my eye. “At Davos, Crisis Culls the Guest List,” the story began before launching into the effects the financial meltdown was having on the World Economic Forum.

Building hope

Tuesday, Jan. 27,2009 11:28 p.m.

“What are your hopes and fears for the Obama Administration?” That question is almost as daunting as the tasks that lay ahead of President Obama and his administration, but as I searched for my answer, I found it in the voices of my fellow students.

I-69 is the wrong fight

By Nathan Dixon · Tuesday, Jan. 27,2009 11:27 p.m.

“I-69 resistance meetings are back!” So claims the Web site of a Bloomington group, “Stop I-69,” which protests against the highway’s extension.

Blagojevich’s lesson

By Tyler Chernesky · Tuesday, Jan. 27,2009 11:25 p.m.

Last Sunday, disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich compared himself to Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi on NBC’s “Today Show,” suggesting that his public scrutiny is akin to the hate-driven persecution of these human rights heroes.