Longform

1st place Hoosiers back on the road

Wednesday night's victory over No. 19 Ohio State, the Hoosiers find themselves in first place in the Big Ten standings with just three games left. That's the problem, though, for IU -- those three games. Two of those three are on the road before the Hoosiers close the regular season March 2 at Assembly Hall against an upstart Northwestern team. No. 23 IU begins the stretch with a noon visit to Michigan State Sunday.

Marines capture outpost

SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN - Newly landed U.S. Marines cemented control of an outpost in the Kandahar region Monday as Navy fighter jets attacked a convoy of armored enemy vehicles moving near the base in southern Afghanistan. Two F-14 Tomcats hit the armored column, said Maj. Brad Lowell, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command in Washington. He said Marine AH-1W Cobra helicopters were in the area but did not fire on the armored vehicles.

Team travels to Soutern Illinois to battle Salukis

Southern Illinois coach Bruce Weber and his men's basketball program are looking forward to facing the Hoosiers on Salukis hardwood for the first time. "It's been the talk of our town for the past two years," Weber said. "People are excited -- we'll be close to a sellout for the first time in 11 years. "Everybody's talking about Indiana coming here." Weber and the Salukis will host the Hoosiers tomorrow at SIU Arena in Carbondale, Ill. Tip off time is set for 4:05 EST.

Site gives course advice

Students no longer have to rely solely on the advice of friends when choosing professors. They can now consult www.pickaprof.com, a Web site that provides instructor reviews, grading histories and biographies at no charge to its members.

IU's a cappella groups recognized

Since 1995 Hot Lips Records has put out a Best of College A Cappella CD, and it has become a major competition among college a cappella groups. Tracks on the album are selected from the nearly 200 college a cappella cds that are produced each year. This year both of Indiana University's award winning a cappella groups, Straight No Chaser and Ladies First, made it onto the album.

Hoosier underdogs triumph against Purdue

Although the IU women's tennis team's previous record against Purdue under Hoosiers coach Lin Loring was 41-1, the Hoosiers were the underdog to the Boilermakers on Saturday. But even with a lower Big Ten and national ranking, IU beat Purdue 5-2. The victory contributed one point to the Titan Series between IU and Purdue.

A new beginning

They'll walk through the Sample Gates and descend upon Kirkwood one last time. They'll stroll into Nick's English Hut for a celebratory drink with their parents, embraced this time as alumni. They'll take a final splash through Showalter Fountain, fleetingly remembering those fragile first nights in Bloomington, when four years seemed a lifetime away. But tomorrow they'll realize that time is elusive. Those years passed more quickly than they could have imagined.

Hillel sponsors bagel lunch, lecture

Herbert Marks, adjunct associate professor of religious and Jewish studies, outlined the major issues concerning kingship in ancient Israel over a bagel lunch at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center Wednesday afternoon. Marks explored the historical problems of kingship in ancient Israel, drawing upon the Bible to illustrate his points, although he pointed out that the book may be historically inaccurate.

Campus needs a renaissance

Dear Dr. Brehm, Don't worry about making friends once you get to Bloomington. Just about everyone has something they think you need to know, and I've been given lists of important issues to bring to your attention.

Hoosiers' efforts not quite enough

The women's volleyball team started its Big Ten season this weekend with away games at Penn State Friday and Ohio State Saturday. The Hoosiers could not pull off a win against either team.

Hoosiers hang close but fall to N.C. State

The women's basketball team kept up with its second top 10 foe in a week. But yet again the Hoosiers couldn't manage an upset as IU (1-2) stumbled 50-44 to No. 10 North Carolina State Friday at Assembly Hall. IU failed to score in the final 2:40 minutes after senior center Jill Chapman pulled her team ahead 44-41. She fouled out with 1:41 remaining.

Not the Huxtables: Wayans, Campbell use unorthodox means in 'My Wife and Kids'

Club Sports Update

Women's soccer ends season with win Ultimate frisbee finishes 9th at Illinois

Hoosiers struggle to score, drop two

While searching for their first victory of the year, the IU field hockey team was unsuccessful. They lost to the University of Massachusetts and the University of Michigan in weekend competition. The match against UMass was the Hoosiers' last before opening Big Ten conference play against the Wolverines Sunday.

Uncle Tupelo channels spirit of Byrds and Young

Latest Britney clone disappoints

Add Lindsay Pagano to the list of young, female singers producing albums that try to prove how efficiently they can imitate Britney Spears. Pagano isn't as well-dressed and perky as Mandy Moore or as annoying as Jessica Simpson; in fact she doesn't really try anything with her image or music to even minutely distinguish herself from her fellow clones. This is unfortunate because it proves yet again that record execs haven't realized that dressing up a teenage girl in slinky outfits and giving her obsessively perky songs to sing isn't going to sell millions of copies the way it did for Britney.

How to be aware of scams

OK, so I have blonde hair and I may appear gullible, but when it comes to money, I'm no fool. I recently spent six hours at a car dealership wheeling and dealing for a beautiful gold Toyota Camry. If you feel like a good laugh, go to your nearest dealership and act interested in a car. They'll treat you like a king and offer to take you out to Malibu Grill if they think you're good for profit.

A look back

Simpson files suit against NASCAR

Bill Simpson, former head of Simpson Performance Products, Inc. and resident of Avon, Ind., filed suit against the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Wednesday.

Grade inflation on the rise

Statistics show that getting a B on your transcript is a little easier than it used to be. According to information from the Office of the Registrar, the grade point averages of IU students have been on the rise during the last 8 years. In 1994, the Bloomington campus had a GPA of 3.03, which has steadily increased since then, reaching 3.11 in the first semester of 2001.