Longform

Degrees don't make one more intelligent

By Alyson Brodsy and Duncan Mitchell · Wednesday, July 18,2001 8:31 p.m.

My earliest memories are of living in a trailer park in Plymouth, Ind., in 1953. The following year my parents moved to a rented house until, a few years later, they were able to buy one. But my trailer-trash roots are firm.

What happened to the American Dream?

By Todd Paddock · Wednesday, July 18,2001 8:28 p.m.

One of the great traditions of the United States is an improving standard of living. Materially, things just get better. The last decade is a great example. We've enjoyed a historic economic boom. Unemployment levels have dropped to very low levels. There's been little inflation. Salaries are way up. Wall Street has experienced fantastic growth. We're better off than we've ever been. Yes, it appears we've hit some bumps in the past half year. But basically, our economy is doing great. And so are we. Or at least we're told that. Over and over.

Where have all the good girls gone?

By James Boyd · Wednesday, July 18,2001 8:26 p.m.

There once was a time when it was easier. Usually it would come in the form of a note that said something like "Do you like Stefanie?" and the note would then give two options. One of which was the letter 'A', which usually signified a "yes" response, and the opposite was a 'B'.

City crackdown on fliers hurts local artists

By Alyson Brodsy · Wednesday, July 18,2001 8:23 p.m.

Everyone has seen them when they walk down the streets of Bloomington. For every lightpole or telephone pole one walks past on Kirkwood, there are sure to be many brightly colored pieces of paper plastered up and down the beam, advertising a band playing at one of the local bars, or an arts festival going on the upcoming weekend. And now the city of Bloomington is responding to complaints from store owners about them and are cracking down on the posting of fliers. This is a crackdown that is unnecessary.

Home again for the first time

By Sarah Payton · Sunday, July 15,2001 10:23 p.m.

Less than 15 minutes ago I was lying, back smashed against inches of velvety green grass, gazing at the stars and inhaling the air of the Smokey Mountains. I didn't say a word for more than an hour. I remained completely still and thought, although I was not alone, but surrounded by the same mountains that stood beside me as I made the ungraceful transformation from a gawky brace-faced dork to an ultra-hip beauty. Home again, I felt the Smokey Mountain air fill my lungs as the essence of my North Carolina home overcame my heart and tears of happiness at being back filled my eyes. Lying there I smelled the neighbor's BBQ. I heard my little sister desperately trying to play some Hayden piece on the very piano that I used to hide from when it was practice time. I saw the beauty that has kept my parents in the south for more than a decade this July.

Condit vs. Clinton

By Joshua Claybourn · Sunday, July 15,2001 10:20 p.m.

Gary Condit and Chandra Levy. I can tell you everything you'd ever want to know about popular California Congressman Gary Condit and his intern-turned-lover that is now mysteriously missing. In fact, I've heard those two names so many times that for a while I turned off the TV if the subject came up. If I needed to, I could turn to news anchor and Democratic strategist Dan Rather, who decided that the "CBS Evening News" wouldn't cover the story. As a news junkie, I couldn't keep this up for very long. Political news is like bread and water for me; it's part of my survival. Besides, it would be a very long summer if I didn't learn to take interest in this story. So when I finally felt like I could stomach more news on missing intern Chandra Levy, pundits started comparing it to the "Clinton scandal" (as if there was just one), and I nearly fell over. Someone sent an e-mail to Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" and summed up the position of many pundits. She wrote, "The Clinton saga was all about sex. The Gary Condit story is also about sex. I don't care about their sex lives, so stop covering it."

Student tests positive for TB

Sunday, July 15,2001 10:16 p.m.

University officials confirmed Friday that an IU student has been diagnosed with tuberculosis. The individual in question has begun the appropriate plan of treatment and has been isolated at an off-campus location. Other individuals who might have been exposed through contact with the diagnosed patient will be notified through the mail and given a free TB test by the IU Health Center.

ESPN to produce TV-movie 'On the brink'

By Ryan Gunterman · Sunday, July 15,2001 10:14 p.m.

During the 1985-86 men's basketball season, then-head coach Bob Knight gave author John Feinstein a unique look into a season of the storied basketball program. Feinstein got an all-access look into the workings of the Hoosiers season as they struggled to avoid a losing season. Feinstein put his experiences with Knight at IU down on paper and released the best--selling "A Season on the Brink: A year with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers."

College thought on a sunny day

By Brett Wallace · Sunday, July 15,2001 10:12 p.m.

As the lecture-became-debate hopelessly, endlessly wages on, I carelessly glance out the window. Orientation student employees of some sort pass by, laughing and smiling as the sun bounces off the well-defined shoulders of their red T-shirts. The girl has shoulder-length curling brown hair, khaki slacks and more white on her teeth than Darryl Strawberry's gums. The gentlemen wear identical short-cropped hair, one with a few tips dyed blond, indicating within corporate regulation that he's "hip." They sport matching khaki shorts and hundred-dollar sandals. All four look like they've been at the HPER every day since their freshmen orientations. There's not a ripple of leftover body fat, a blemish on the dark-tanned skin or any justifiable reason to spend that much money on sunglasses.

Well-wishers bid officer goodbye

By Peter Gelling · Sunday, July 15,2001 10:11 p.m.

MARTINSVILLE -- Dustin Starnes stood before the mass of mourners, with his trooper hat hung low, casting a shadow over his reddened cheeks. With his younger brother Ryan standing beside him, Dustin read a poem. And although Ryan wasn't supposed to say anything, as the two sons made their way off the stage, Ryan returned to the microphone; he was moved to do so by the number of people who came out to that Martinsville High School Saturday morning.

Fewer students expected next fall

By Cory Schouten · Sunday, July 15,2001 10:09 p.m.

IU's incoming class is expected to number 400 fewer students than last year's record enrollment -- good news, officials say, for campus resources that have been stretched in recent years. Officials said the drop is not a result of a recent increase in tuition. Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Services Don Hossler said admissions models suggest that only 40 to 50 students will decide not to attend IU because of the 7.5 percent tuition hike approved by the board of trustees in June.

Walda steps down as President

By Holly Johnson and Holy Johnson · Sunday, July 15,2001 10:08 p.m.

For eight years, John Walda has presided over the IU Board of Trustees as president. That's eight years of meetings, of debates, of juggling a successful law career with the unignorable demands a Big Ten institution presents. Eight years of visibility, of scrutiny, of praise by friends and foes, by alumni and students. They're years rich in accomplishment and progress. Since his appointment by former governor Evan Bayh in 1990, the Fort Wayne, Ind. attorney has fought to consolidate IU's hospitals with Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. He's served as president of the IU Alumni Association and on the board of directors of the IU Foundation. He's worked to bolster the quality of public education while approving the lowest possible tuition increases.

Talk of sports conspiracies incorrect

By Brian Longly · Sunday, July 15,2001 9:57 p.m.

Sports often times is a magical, fairy tale place where you see the old, aging superstar hit that one last home run or make that one last shot to win the game and ride off into the sunset as a winner. Sometimes the best material for movies are taken from and made about sports. Yet, in this day and age, any good happy story comes with people thinking that there is a hidden storyline going on underneath what we see, a conspiracy if you would.

Council debates sidewalk ordinance in marathon session

By James Boyd · Sunday, July 15,2001 9:47 p.m.

Some of Bloomington's city sidewalks might get a little wider if a proposed ordinance is passed Wednesday by the Bloomington City Council. The measure might also harm downtown restaurants like the Malibu Grill, which draw business with their outdoor seating. The council met for nearly five hours in a marathon session last Wednesday night, which concluded with input on the proposed encroachment ordinance. Deputy Mayor John McNamara presented the plan, which is designed to "strike a balance between the desire to encourage outdoor seating for restaurants and cafes... and the need for safe and comfortable passage on public sidewalks."

City to hire utilities manager

By Joseph S. Pete · Sunday, July 15,2001 9:44 p.m.

The city has dashed a controversial plan to outsource a vacant managerial position in the wastewater department to a private company. The move was welcomed by city employees, who had decried the plan. In January, the city solicited proposals from private firms to oversee operations at the city's two sewage treatment plants, which treat about 15 million gallons of water a day. City officials, who thought such an arrangement might save money and increase efficiency, said it was only one option they were investigating.

Pain at the pump: Gas prices dismay customers

By Holly Johnson and Holy Johnson · Wednesday, July 11,2001 10:15 p.m.

All sophomore Brad Mundy wanted to do was get on the road. The South Bend native had loaded his father's Ford Expedition and prepared to head up State Road 37 to Indianapolis. He'd bought a cup of coffee and loaded his CD changer, ready to make the three hour trip home. All he needed was gas. So he pulled into the Shell station at the corner of Third Street and College Mall Road, inserted his credit card and began filling the Expedition's tank. He watched incredulously as the numbers began inching upward. Twenty dollars. Thirty. Thirty-five. The nozzle finally stopped at $39.45.

Run/walk to benefit Boys and Girls Club

By Matt Conn · Wednesday, July 11,2001 10:04 p.m.

This summer, Intensive Core business students have been utilizing knowledge gained in their courses to create a fund-raising program that will help send young members of the Bloomington Boys and Girls Club to summer camp. The "Little 5k 4 Kids," a 5K run/walk benefiting the non-profit organization, will take place Saturday at the IU cross-country course. The event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. The entry fee for the race is $10 in advance and $15 on race day.

The reality of sexuality

By Holly Johnson and Holy Johnson · Wednesday, July 11,2001 10 p.m.

Sex sells. Turn on any television set and flip to MTV. Vocal groups sashay across soundstages, scantily clad in skintight vinyl. Sunbathing veejays pick at the strings of triangle bikini tops, desperately trying to report the very latest breaking music news while optimizing maximum cleavage effects. U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher knows sex sells.

Mayor to pay off debt

By Joseph S. Pete · Wednesday, July 11,2001 9:57 p.m.

Bloomington Mayor John Fernandez plans to invest $1.2 million into the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, a downtown landmark that has long been financially beleaguered. Under his proposal, the city would pay off the theater's debt and effectively own it after a three-year period. Fernandez said he has the backing of the city council, which is now threshing out the 2002 budget. Half the funding would come from the city's general fund, while about $600,000 would be drawn from property taxes in the downtown area.

Protesters arraigned

By Joseph S. Pete · Wednesday, July 11,2001 9:56 p.m.

At their arraignment Monday, the 16 protesters charged with trespassing at Brown's Woods pleaded innocent and asked for jury trials. Several of them occupied trees in the hope of ending plans to build an apartment complex on the privately owned woodland just east of Ind. 37. The Indianapolis-based developer, Herman and Associates, intends to start construction on the publicly subsidized affordable housing project later this month.