IUSA

IU Athletics cuts pom squad

Assistant Athletic Director Chuck Crabb announced that IU has decided to end the pom squad, which was part of the IU cheerleading program, in an e-mail sent to current and prospective IU pom squad members. According to the e-mail, IU's "senior Athletics Administration members" and IU cheerleading coach Julie Clements had several discussions about "what works, what can be refined and what can be better presented in a manner to rally fan support for the Indiana University Athletics teams and to complement the game day experience." Crabb said in his e-mail that the decision was difficult to reach, but they had to "weigh what was best" for IU sports.

Dorm executives to take office after close race

When Residence Halls Association executives take office next month, they will do so after competing in a race closer than many past campaigns. But despite the close margins, current executives already have a slate of changes in front of them involving changes to the constitution. For the Griffin ticket, Matt Jarson, president-elect, won with 54 percent of the vote, Sarah Clark, vice president of student affairs-elect, won 55 percent, and Greg Fitch, vice president of internal affairs-elect, won 52 percent.

Audit reveals possible Labor Studies violations

The IU Division of Labor Studies has come under fire after the release of an audit which revealed that the division might have violated IU payroll procedures. The audit, conducted in August 2005, suggested that then-Labor Studies Director Charles Davis might have employed and paid two state legislators for work that wasn't done. IU Audit Service conducted the audit after it received a complaint from a faculty member regarding the paid service of two state legislators. The complaint stemmed from remarks Davis made regarding the reasons for their employment in a September 2004 DLS faculty and staff meeting.

Plane crashes, kills 4 in Missouri

BRANSON, Mo. -- Even at midday, the streets of this resort town were bustling two weeks before the start of the tourist season. So when a twin-engine plane went down shortly after takeoff, authorities were grateful it narrowly missed the main drag of nightclubs, theaters and music halls, crashing instead into a self-storage facility. All four people aboard the Piper Seneca were killed, but the plane caught fire and exploded a safe distance from the busy street, near a Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum, a pair of motels and a string of musical theaters bearing the names of such entertainers as Andy Williams and Bobby Vinton.

Team reaches 14th at NCAAs

Sophomore Christina Loukas, two-time Big Ten Diver of the Year and of the NCAA Championships, tied former IU standout Sara Reiling for the best all-around finish at an NCAA competition as the IU women's swimming and diving team culminated its season with a 14th-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga. Saturday. The Hoosiers scored 91 points overall at the championships while Auburn University took home the national championship, defeating the University of Georgia in the second-closest finish in NCAA history.

Hoosiers ready for first home game of season after spring break trip

After playing 14 straight games away from home to open the season, the IU baseball team is ready to finally play a game in Bloomington. The road-weary Hoosiers face Valparaiso University today at Sembower Field. Today's game is the first of a four-game home stand for the Hoosiers, which includes a three-game series with Hartford University. "We are definitely ready to come home and get a chance to play on our home field and in front of our fans for once," senior pitcher Josh Lewis said. "It will be nice to be off the road for awhile."

A bid farewell

SALT LAKE CITY -- It's time to say goodbye. Words can't fully express what ended Saturday. A season that began with limitless dreams quickly dissolved into a coaching fallout. But when the fires tamed, the Hoosiers that originally ignited optimism rose again. A five-game losing streak beget a five-game winning streak that beget IU's first tournament berth in three years. But the run finally ended with a 90-80 loss to No.3-seeded Gonzaga Saturday night. And all that was left for a coach and his players were emotions. The moment seemed larger than words. "I can't explain it," IU coach Mike Davis said of his feelings after the game. "We've been through a lot together. I am just proud of them." In a fashion fitting for the entire season, the Hoosiers fought till the bitter end. They held the nation's leading scorer to 14 points. They set a new IU tournament record for 3-pointers. Their point guard even came one rebound shy of a triple-double. But also in a fashion fitting for the entire season -- things were just not meant to be.

Semester hangover

And so begins the second eight weeks. We all must rise to the coming challenges presented to us by arduous professors, embark on the research for lengthy term papers and study relentlessly for final exams. I stood up Monday morning ready to face the challenges ahead. I stretched my arms over my head, smiled lightly and ... fell immediately back on my ass. You see, during spring break 2006, I wrecked on the "Jersey Turnpike." Ironically enough, I went to Florida and my car is in tip-top shape even as I type.

A hole in the sky

Before the toxic dust settled Sept. 11, 2001, we had already named the spot where the towers fell. We called it Ground Zero, because the ground had been erased, and from the nothing, we would rise. Ground Zero was where the world had changed, and Ground Zero was where we would build anew. More than four years later, the scar of dirt and concrete still mars Lower Manhattan. The statement "United We Stand" has devolved into farce now, as developers, politicians and bean-counters wrestle over the plans for the former World Trade Center site.

Paradise Lost

Like many of my fellow students, I went in search of sun, surf and some tropical beverages over spring break. I headed for the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Unfortunately sun was in very short supply, and it was too wet to play in the surf. It actually rained every single day I was on Kauai. But this story isn't about my lack of a suntan. It's about a natural disaster that took eight lives, including those of a couple about to be married. It's also about governmental failures and successes.

Can't get no SAT-isfaction

Students know that when relying heavily on technology when it matters the most, anything that can go wrong usually does. The Educational Testing Service, the administrators of the always controversial SATs, has learned this lesson the hard way as it recently found scoring errors in almost 6,000 exams that were overlooked, resulting in scores that were far too low or falsely high. The perfect academic storm has culminated as several overstressed teenagers, who have learned hundreds of words they will never use and struggled through SAT prep courses with nerves frayed, have now had their incorrect test scores sent to several universities across the country. Worse, it has come at the peak of the university admissions cycle. The situation is certainly untimely, unfair and ultimately a symptom of academia's over-reliance on standardized testing and technology.

GAZA GUN BATTLE

Bush says he has 'confidence in our strategy' in Iraq

CLEVELAND -- President Bush cited success Monday in stabilizing an insurgent stronghold in northern Iraq, saying he has "confidence in our strategy" and critics should look beyond the images of violence to see clear signs of progress. Bush tried a new tactic to boost sagging support for the war, relating to his audience in Cleveland a lengthy story about a campaign to rid the northern city of Tal Afar of terrorism against civilians. Success there "gives reason for hope for a free Iraq," he said.

Thousands feared homeless after cyclone hits Australia

CAIRNS, Australia -- Metal roofs littered streets, wooden houses lay in splinters and banana plantations were stripped bare after the most powerful cyclone to hit Australia in three decades lashed the country's eastern coast Monday. Amazingly, the storm caused no reported fatalities, and only 30 people suffered minor injuries. But the damage from Cyclone Larry, a Category 5 storm with winds up to 180 mph, was expected to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Bloomington bicycle shop leading a 'Revolution'

The Bloomington cycling market got a new look recently with the opening of Revolution Bike & Bean. Formerly Bloomington Cyclery, Revolution Bike & Bean is the home of Bloomington's first bicycle/coffee shop, a format that is relatively popular throughout much of the western United States. The shop will also offer wireless Internet access. Owner Brad Titzer ran Bloomington Cyclery and decided that he needed to not only reinvent the bicycle shop's design but its location as well. Titzer speaks of the previous location fondly, which was popularly known as the "Old Schwinn Shop," but he said he is certain the plans he has put into action are best for the company.

Cancun rebuilt beaches after hurricane, but this spring break is more sedate

CANCUN, Mexico -- Though sugar-white sand beaches are back after being swept away by Hurricane Wilma five months ago, no stages await wet T-shirt contests and MTV won't be hosting its spring break beach party. Instead, the first wave of winter-weary college students who converged on Cancun found that construction workers nearly outnumbered revelers this week in Mexico's spring break capital of beer and bikinis.

Research finds possible link between cancer and industrial areas

IU researchers might have stumbled upon an incentive to move away from the city. Representatives from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs discovered a correlation between certain types of cancer and industrial areas, specifically those most exposed to volatile organic compounds, or pollutants known as VOCs, which are found in gasoline, solvents and paint. While the determination of a correlation does not necessarily signal a causation relationship, Michael Boeglin, who worked on the study with SPEA associate professor Diane Henshel and former graduate student Denise Wessels, said the results do show a need for more attention to the matter. "More researchers in basic toxicology need to devote more resources to investigating the fundamental link between VOCs in the air and some of the cancers that people don't normally associate with them," said Boeglin, who currently works in the Region 7 office for the Environmental Protection Agency. Specifically, the researchers found cancers to the brain, thyroid, nervous system, skin and endocrine system to be more prevalent in counties in Indiana that are exposed more to VOCs, usually industrial areas. Boeglin said these kinds of cancers are not usually thought to be linked to air-borne pollutants.

Belly dancing provides alternative exercise

Freshmen Sarah Boukarih and Amy Haag chat outside the Multi-Sport 3 room of the Student Recreational Sports Center, glancing at the door next to them every couple of minutes. Boukarih and Haag are the first of 12 women to arrive to the Middle Eastern Belly Dance Sampler. "I'm from the Middle East and my mom used to teach me to dance when I was younger so I thought I'd check the class out," Boukarih said. The sampler is one of the alternative fitness classes the SRSC offers. "This class is something different," said senior Eileen Folmer, one of the Middle Eastern Dance instructors. "(It is) definitely different from the recreational services Recreational Sports offers."

Kirkwood Observatory to reopen

The Kirkwood Observatory will open to the public for a free viewing of the night sky from 8 to 10:30 p.m Wednesday. If the weather prohibits clear skies, a rain date has been set for March 29 with the same hours. Caty Pilachowski, chair of the IU Department of Astronomy, said in a press release the opening could not take place at a better time because Saturn will be visible. "Saturn is particularly interesting because it is bright and the rings are easily visible," she said. "People can easily make the connection between what they see in pictures and Saturn in real life."

Stripping into shape

Dancing for a workout is slowly making its way into the exercise market since Carmen Electra came out with her own aerobic striptease dance videos and Oprah Winfrey showcased Sheila Kelley's S Factor classes on her show. Bloomington offers similar classes for those willing to bust a move. The Walnut Street Tap, formerly Axis Nightclub, offers striptease aerobics classes to women 21 and older Wednesday nights from 8 to 9 p.m.