THE 2000 FRESHMAN CLASS ON THE IU BLOOMINGTON CAMPUS reflects how computers are changing the way we communicate. Statistics from the IU Admissions Office show that 17 percent of the class applied electronically, which is the highest total in IU history. This compares to 11 percent last year and less than one percent as recently as four years ago. Associate Director of Admissions Terry Brown said electronic mail surpassed written communications for the second consecutive year as the most frequent way of contacting the Admissions Office for information on IU. E-mail contacts by incoming freshmen have grown by more than 60 percent during the past two years. More than 1,500 of these students had a parent who attended IU. Intended majors chosen by freshmen showing growth of 10 percent or more over last fall include accounting, business process management, communication and culture, education and psychology. However, a considerable number of students continue to indicate they wish to enter IU as "exploratory students." For more information, contact Mary Ellen Anderson, IU director of admissions, at 812-855-0661 or uadmit@indiana.edu. (Richard Doty, 812-855-0084, rgdoty@indiana.edu)

SCHOOLS NEED TO BE PLACES WHERE CHILDREN LEARN THAT VIOLENCE is not an acceptable option in solving problems, said Russ Skiba, an IU School of Education faculty member and expert on school safety. "We need to build positive school climates where children learn alternatives to violence in solving problems. This can be accomplished at three levels," Skiba said. "The first level is school-wide prevention through projects like the bullying prevention and peer mediation. The second is early identification, looking for the warning signs of violence and using that information to get help to troubled students. Third are effective responses, such as behavior plans, crisis intervention, or security measures." Skiba, an associate professor of counseling and educational psychology, is director of the IU Institute for Child Study. He currently is directing a federally-funded Safe and Responsive School Project. He said that while it is important for schools to establish adequate security measures, this shouldn't be done in ways that detract from the academic goals or climate of the school. "The most effective response to school safety is a balanced one. Over-reliance on security measures to the exclusion of school climate can turn a school into a joyless fortress. We have to take time to pay attention to both prevention and security if we are going to build safe and responsive schools." Skiba can be reached at 812-855-1240 or skiba@indiana.edu (Richard Doty, 812-855-0084, rgdoty@indiana.edu).

MORE STUDENTS ARE INTERESTED IN STARTING THEIR OWN COMPANIES after college, even if they are majoring in a discipline other than business. To serve this growing demand, IU's Kelley School of Business this fall will begin offering a program for undergraduates who wish to minor in entrepreneurship and small business management. "The new program is intended for students who have business aspirations and goals that will require entrepreneurial skills," said Marc J. Dollinger, chair of undergraduate programs in the Kelley School. "For example, we expect journalism students to be interested because they may be covering business some day." Also, many corporations are hiring students with liberal arts degrees because business schools can not fully meet their placement demands. "When we first designed the program, we thought of computer science students, who didn't require the full corporate treatment, but who want to be savvy in business," Dollinger added. More students are starting businesses either while enrolled or right after graduation, and many aren't majoring in business. "It is a merger of talent that resides outside the business school with techniques that reside within the business school," he said. As part of the new program, students will take courses in accounting, business law, marketing, entrepreneurship and small business management. For more information, contact Dollinger at 812-855-0191. (George Vlahakis, 812-855-0846, gvlahaki@indiana.edu)

TO MOST AMERICANS, LABOR DAY IS JUST ANOTHER DAY OFF, one last weekend before summer ends and school starts. Peter Seybold, director of IU's Division of Labor Studies, has researched the holiday's origins. Labor Day was first granted as a day off by President Grover Cleveland in 1894. The holiday did not originate with legislators looking to please their constituents, nor was it born of the desire of American workers to have another day off. Its origins can be traced to a larger movement of workers hoping to gain respect for their rights, and it is closely tied to the movement that gave birth to the eight-hour work day. Seybold's research extends back to a parade and picnic in New York in 1882. The event, sponsored by the Central Labor Union of New York City, drew more than 10,000 workers who marched, carrying signs calling for more workers' rights. To learn more about the history of Labor Day, contact Seybold at 812-855-8309 or pseybold@indiana.edu (Richard Doty, 812-855-0084, rgdoty@indiana.edu).

SENSITIVE PARENTS ARE A KEY TO SUCCESS FOR KINDERGARTNERS, according to IU School of Education faculty member Mary McMullen. "The start of kindergarten, especially if the classroom and teachers are new to the child, can make for a difficult transition into the school year for both young children and their parents," she explained. "In particular, parents need to think carefully about what they are asking of their children as they plan their school and child care arrangements for the upcoming year. It is stressful for children to have to adjust to multiple caregivers and teachers throughout the course of their day, and for them to trust that their needs will be met." McMullen, who specializes in early childhood education, said that because of the various rates of development and background experiences of typical kindergarten children today, teachers and caregivers must address the needs of each and every child, rather than providing a "one-size-fits-all" program. "Teachers should be ready for each child who walks through the door," said McMullen, "rather than expecting all children to be 'ready' for them. This individualized approach can only be delivered by caregivers and teachers who really get to know each child very well." The IU faculty member advises parents to do what they can to minimize the number of transitions to different education and care settings that these young children face in a typical day. For more information, contact McMullen at 812-856-8196 or mmcmulle@indiana.edu (Richard Doty, 812-855-0084, rgdoty@indiana.edu).

AN ACADEMIC LOOK AT VIDEO GAMES IS A POPULAR COURSE that will be repeated this fall at the IU School of Education. Doctoral student Kurt Squire will teach the course in instructional systems technology titled "Simulation and Gaming." Topics to be covered include the history of electronic entertainment, the evolution of video games, careers in the industry and the debate over video games and violence. "Video games are as big as the film industry, so we think it is important for teachers to know what kind of computers kids can access," he explained. "Students like the class because its allows them to study something they have grown up with and know a lot about." He said violence in video games is discussed at length, and this involves considerable research on both sides of the issue. Squire brings in guest speakers from such areas as film, music, psychology, telecommunications and Japanese studies. He said the Japanese control 60 percent of the video game market. For more information, contact Squire at 812-331-9041 or ksquire@indiana.edu (Richard Doty, 812-855-0084, rgdoty@indiana.edu).

A SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT TOOK IU STUDENTS TO AFRICA for the third straight summer. Members of the IU student-formed group Outreach Kenya Development Volunteers traveled to the east African country to educate and raise awareness about the dangers of AIDS. Armed with information and 5,000 condoms, the group set forth to dispel widely accepted local myths about how AIDS spreads and how people can protect themselves from getting it. Since the group's inception, co-founders Hank Selke, now an IU alumnus, and Philip Roessler, a senior at IU, have funded the organization's initiatives entirely from private donations. Selke estimates the group has reached about 30,000 people in Kenya's western province with less than $7,500 in funding. "My intentions were simple. Travel to Kenya in the summer (1998), do AIDS education programs, return home and apply to medical school," Selke said. "Little did I realize the amount of education that I would receive through my interactions with the local people." Kevin Gray, a media relations specialist in the IU Office of Communications and Marketing, has contact information for students who have been part of this initiative. Contact him at 812-856-5682 or at keagray@indiana.edu.

MANY INCOMING COLLEGE STUDENTS AREN'T PREPARED for university-style learning, according to Sharon Chertkoff, the outreach and service coordinator at IU's Student Academic Center. Chertkoff has been counseling IU students, parents and faculty on how to succeed academically for more than 10 years. She said that incoming college students often are not prepared for the university style of learning because it involves more out-of-class learning. Most high school students don't take the time to read their textbooks, relying too heavily on classroom teachers to interpret the textbooks, so they are not prepared for the increased volume of reading that comes with entering a university environment. In addition, students may not be used to an educational setting where they are expected to take notes and create their own text to use for studying purposes. She added that students should begin developing time-management skills before they leave high school, which can be as simple as considering ways to do more than one thing at a time. These skills, and others that she recommends, can not only prepare a student for college, but make that person a much more successful high school student as well. For more information on study skills and preparing high school students for college, contact Chertkoff at 812-855-7313 or schertko@indiana.edu (Richard Doty, 812-855-0084, rgdoty@indiana.edu)

A WIDE VARIETY OF MUSIC PROGRAMS FOR THOSE AGED 3 THROUGH 18 is available throughout the school year in Bloomington and the surrounding area through the IU School of Music. The Precollege Programs offer instruction at various levels of ability, and students ranging from beginning to advanced are welcome. The programs include creative movement, ballet, jazz dance, harp, violin, cello, double bass, guitar, and piano. The children's choir has five divisions: first voices, descant, treble, boys' choir and chamber. An early music program includes study areas for young recorder players, young harpsichordists, and young viola de gamba players. More information is available from Ruth Kapustin at 812-855-6025 or musicsp@indiana.edu, or on the Web at http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/special_programs (Richard Doty, 812-855-0084, rgdoty@indiana.edu).

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