Longform

Universities are for education

Call me crazy. I thought I came to Indiana University to get a first-class education. But in all my four years here, I have yet to see our first-rate music school get the kind of attention that the basketball program does. And that's sad. It just goes to show that we respect a man like Bobby Knight ' a man who would be reviled as a bully in any other field ' just because he can tell boys how to throw a basketball.

Other programs as deserving of attention

The only thing sadder than the sheer outrageousness of Bobby Knight's behavior over a very long period of time is the behavior of IU students who would actually stand up for this embarrassment to your state.

City should be outraged by riots

The student body and the citizens of Bloomington should immediately join in expressing outrage and condemnation at those responsible for burning or hanging people in effigy, issuing death threats and other acts of intimidation committed here this past Sunday. These are crimes of the utmost seriousness.

Zero-tolerance just an excuse

I do not agree with the firing of Coach Knight. That zero-tolerance policy just gave the University all the power it needed to use whenever it felt fit to use it.

University is more than basketball team

I am an Indiana native and IU alumnus. I am also a long-time admirer and supporter of Coach Knight. However, I have also spent the last year on the Cornell University campus as a graduate student. Over the past six months, I've come to realize the perception that others in the academic community have for our great school. Unfortunately, it is not flattering.

Knight was teacher, coach, friend

Dear Coach Knight, I am a 52-year-old alumnus of Indiana University, bachelor's through doctoral. You have been part of my history, and I want to thank you and send my support in this unfair time.

Riots blemish IU's long, rich tradition

I am writing this letter to express my concern about what took place on campus Sunday night. It seems ludicrous to me that people would go to such extremes of violence and damaging private property over a basketball coach. I know most people admire Coach Knight for what he has done for the University, but what these people seem to forget is that an institution such as Indiana University should be dedicated to education and not athletics.

Hannah House offers pregnant women a place to go

An expectant mother has three options. She can have her baby and choose to be a parent, carry the baby to term and give it up for adoption or terminate her pregnancy. When a teenage girl chooses to have a baby, she might face pressure from her family and friends. The woman might be facing a crisis pregnancy and does not know where to turn for help. Hannah House is the place for answers, hope, love and education for many women who are experiencing crises pregnancies.

Sports heroes should lead by example

Firing Bobby Knight is one of the best decisions this University has ever made. While Bobby Knight has been an excellent coach in the past, times have changed, and Bobby Knight has not.

Around the Arts

Homunculus, a five-piece band formed at IU and including IU alumni, will perform at 10 p.m. tonight at the Bluebird, 216 N. Walnut St.

Local jazz violinist to play

Recent IU graduate and jazz violinist Sara Caswell will perform selections from her debut album today at Bear's Place, 1316 E. Third St., at 5:30 p.m. She will be accompanied by her sister, Rachel Caswell, on vocals, Jack Helsey on bass and Pat Harbison on trumpet. Admission is $5 at the door.

Raitt to give campus 'something to talk about'

Blues legend Bonnie Raitt will bring her signature twang and slide guitar to campus next month. Union Board booked the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer for a concert at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17 at the IU Auditorium. Available at all local Ticketmaster locations, tickets run from $25 to $40, with a $5 discount for students.

Students discuss Jewish VP nominee

Last year, when history professor Irving Katz led a discussion, "Will there ever be a Jewish President," he said it's a possibility, but a remote one. Katz, a self-proclaimed elections expert, again on Tuesday led a discussion about politics and the possibility of Joseph Lieberman, a Jew, taking the nation's second-highest position. If Al Gore and Lieberman win, it'll make Lieberman the first Jewish vice president in history.

Sketch of Behrman suspect released by BPD

After nearly three and a half months of searching for sophomore Jill Behrman, authorities and her family still don't know where she is. But there is some hope in the case.

Debate with honor

The yuppification of nudist arson

There are a few things in life that I'd like to do. I'd like to convince the editors at the Village Voice to allow me to report on the Mets. I'd like to discover a cure for sickle cell anemia, feed and clothe the homeless, find inner peace and come up with a really great recipe for beef cannelloni.

Knight rebuts 'zero-tolerance' claims

Bob Knight sat on his back porch Wednesday morning with his attorney to his left and one of his best friends to his right. His wife Karen was inside their home. These are now the people he surrounds himself with ' family, friends and attorneys. These are the relationships the former coach has sustained. After about three days of "I-said-he-said" debates, a man who is arguably one of the country's greatest basketball coaches, was fired. But the tension began long ago.

TV's better to read

With the exception of soaps and now "Survivor," summer television is usually a vast wasteland of reruns, clip shows, reality specials and brand new episodes of programs that were officially canceled after two shows in the fall. Consumed by boredom and needing something to fill some of my taste for quality comedy, drama and admittedly attractive men, I decided to turn myself over to a higher power: this summer I stopped watching TV.

Don't Watch

Some people were led to believe from the trailer that Keanu Reeves could actually be decent as the strangling serial killer in "The Watcher." Too bad they were wrong. This movie is so predictable viewers will be wondering where their two hours went, and not the least bit scared.

'Kings of Comedy' more than the court jester

The title of the movie is pretty sketchy. To call these four men, who went on tour in the winter of 2000 and who have had moderate success on television "The Original Kings of Comedy," is a stretch to say the least. Even if the definition were narrowed to the original kings of black comedy, one wonders who gave them permission to steal the title from Richard Pryor or even Eddie Murphy.