Reforming financial aid is a long time coming
Although the current rethinking of the system of allocated federal student loans is promising and necessary, we are a long way from seeing the benefits realized.
Although the current rethinking of the system of allocated federal student loans is promising and necessary, we are a long way from seeing the benefits realized.
Every February I battle my way through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.I don’t know why I continually put myself through this. It is lengthy, complicated and rather time-consuming, and ultimately it makes me want to set fire to any and all IRS-related paperwork.
Sometimes all that is needed to get things done is a wake-up call. The IU administration recieved such a call last week when the College Sustainability Report Card ranked IU last in the Big Ten alongside Northwestern in terms of campus sustainability efforts.
Do the ends justify the means? This has long been the subject of intense debate among philosophers and ethicists. We might never have an entirely satisfactory answer to that predicament, but modern liberals seem to have the reverse of the problem all figured out. It appears that to them, the means justify the ends.
We all have at least a vague idea about Iraq’s ethnic and sectarian tensions. Words most Americans had not heard prior to the 2003 invasion – Sunni, Shia, Kurd – are now regularly in news stories, usually in conjunction with describing victims and attackers. Aside from our general lack of understanding about the conflict between these groups, American policy-makers and mainstream media have ignored perhaps the most marginalized minority in Iraq – the community of Iraqi Christians.
In response to Jacob Levin’s column “Rethinking China” from Sept. 25: While I find Mr. Levin’s optimism rather heartwarming, I urge him to look a bit deeper into the nature of the relationship between the Chinese government and its citizens. Mr. Levin is certainly correct that CNN.com is accessible, but has he ever tried accessing the Web sites of Human Rights Watch or Voice of America? When he talks to professors about their relationship with the government, is he aware of who writes those professors’ paychecks? Has he ever asked students about their understanding of the events that took place in Tiananmen Square 20 years ago?
On Thursday, IU will take a powerful stance against the equality of gay people. It will make General Peter Pace, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, one of the Kelley School’s Poling Chairs. Usually reserved for the likes of Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Randall Tobias, chairman emeritus of Eli Lilly, the Kelley School will now award the chair to a man who publicly stated, “I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts.”
I know this happens a lot, but there seems to be an inordinate amount of lying in this year’s election, from the grassroots level on up. And this may just be my viewpoint, since I’m a known liberal, but it seems that there have been many more untruthful smears against Barack Obama than against John McCain, and many more personal attacks against him. But on that, it doesn’t really matter what I think because that’s not the subject of this column. The important thing is that the Obama campaign believes its candidate’s record and character are being distorted, and it is trying to take action, like any responsible campaign would. The way they’ve done it, though, has caused issues – though it honestly shouldn’t have.
Baron Hill will be discussing why he voted against the bailout plan. He wants to hear from the local community about the bailout plan and will be hosting a town hall meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the atrium of City Hall. Story: Sodrel, Hill voice opposition to bailout bill
In a letter to the NCAA released Monday, the IU Athletics Department denied it failed to monitor the IU men’s basketball program’s recruiting practices under former coach Kelvin Sampson. For several reasons listed in the letter, the University asserts the allegation is “not an appropriate finding.”
Judges from the Indiana Court of Appeals heard oral arguments Monday in the IU School of Law in a case regarding two counts of child molestation in Mishler v. State of Indiana. This was a part of the “Appeals on Wheels” program, which brings some of the state’s appellate hearings to places in Indiana for educational purposes.
Before today, they were victims. Now, they are survivors. Advocates, activists and survivors will join together today to promote awareness of sexual and domestic violence at the annual Take Back the Night march and rally. “We want them to reclaim themselves and say they are survivors,” said Indira Dammu, president of the IU Women’s Student Association. “We call them survivors, not victims.”
WASHINGTON – In a vote that shook the government, Wall Street and markets around the world, the House defeated a $700 billion emergency rescue for the nation’s financial system Monday, leaving both parties’ lawmakers and the Bush administration scrambling to pick up the pieces. The bill went down 228-205.
Both Indiana 9th district congressional candidates, incumbent Democrat Baron Hill and Republican challenger Mike Sodrel, declared their opposition Monday to a failed $700 billion plan to rescue collapsing financial firms. The bailout bill was endorsed by President Bush, congressional leaders and presidential candidates Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama. But it was defeated Monday in the House of Representatives, 228-205, and Hill was among those who voted against it. PODCAST: Hoosier Headlines
Despite a plunge of 777 points Monday, experts at IU say that the drop-off of the Dow Jones industrial average is not a major reason for concern or panic. “The drop in the Dow itself is not necessarily going to affect the economy,” Allen Snively, a finance lecturer, said Monday. “Certainly the psychological impact of a drop like we had today certainly can affect people’s behaviors in terms of their ability or willingness to spend money, but the economy isn’t affected by a single day like this.” Lawrence Davidson, an IU professor of business economics and public policy, said a stock market cycle must be studied over a long period of time in order to understand the strength of the market.
Kim said Witte’s numerous professional accomplishments and long history of giving back to the community made it clear he had earned the award, which recognizes distinguished alumni that have done great things for the Asian community.
Today, the IU Muslim Student Union will host the annual Fast-A-Thon, asking non-Muslim students and community members to join them in their fasting for one day only to raise money for the community kitchen of Monroe County and spread awareness of the Muslim faith.
Brianna Dines, president of Democracy Matters, is helping start up one of the newest clubs on IU’s campus. She said the club focuses its energy around supporting a nonpartisan group that works on getting money out of politics and getting the voters back and more involved. Democracy Matters is a national group that was started in 2001 by NBA basketball player Adonal Foyle. The mission of the group, as stated on their Web site, is “to strengthen democracy by training young people how to be effective grassroots organizers and advocates and supporting full public financing of election campaigns and other pro-democracy reforms.”
The IU club hockey team took to the ice last Friday night for an intrasquad exhibition game at Frank Southern Ice Arena in Bloomington for one final shakedown. The coaches divided the squad into two separate teams to help determine starters and finalize the roster.
You know, I really wanted to write about how my Chicago White Sox beat up on the Detroit Tigers to force a one-game playoff, but thanks to Mother Nature, that wasn’t possible – the game was delayed for too long. But the writing must go on. While my heart is currently with the White Sox, I realize this weekend was a pretty good one for sports. There was pretty much something for everyone.