Herald-Times articles
Aug. 14, 2006
Letter from senator about funding worries IU officials
by Steve Hinnefeld
August 12, 2006
Indiana University officials are deciding how to respond to a letter from a U.S. senator asking universities about funding that they have received from the federal government.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., wrote to more than 100 college and university presidents last week asking about funding and their policies toward "earmarks," or special congressional appropriations.
"We'll take it seriously, because it comes from a U.S. senator," said Tom Healy, IU vice president for government relations.
But the letter, first reported last week by the publication Roll Call, could present problems for universities, because it appears to ask for detailed reports by Sept. 1 on all federal appropriations they have received since 2000.
"If it's just limited to earmarks, we don't have that many," Healy said. "If it's all federal research dollars, there's no way."
The letter also asks universities if they have considered hiring lobbyists to help secure federal funds.
Some universities have balked at providing the information, seeing the letter as an attack on federal funding, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported. Coburn has called earmarks "the gateway drug to overspending," it said.
IU President Adam Herbert vowed to aggressively pursue federal earmarks when he took over in 2003. He brought in Healy, a former assistant in Florida, to lead the effort. But Healy said it's gotten tougher to win federal dollars for specific projects.
"It's under scrutiny, particularly from the conservative side," he said.
Ninth District U.S. Rep. Mike Sodrel, whose district includes Bloomington, has helped secure funding for several IU projects, including park-and-ride improvements and research at the Cyclotron Facility.
Sodrel spokesman Cam Savage said Sodrel doesn't have a problem with earmarks if they're part of budget legislation that goes through committee hearings. "We kind of see that as part of our job," he said.
Healy said IU still welcomes earmarks, but it has shifted its strategy in pursuing federal funds.
He said IU's Washington, D.C.-based director of federal relations, Doug Wasitis, works with government agencies to make sure they are aware of research expertise at IU. That way, he said, funding can be awarded to IU by the agencies, not earmarked by Congress.
IU professor has questions about Daniels' energy plan
by Steve Hinnefeld
August 12, 2006
Gov. Mitch Daniels' energy plan sounds the right themes and points in promising directions, an Indiana University energy-policy expert said.
But the hard part will be using the plan to make Indiana a better producer and consumer of energy, said Evan Ringquist, a professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
"Turning plans to policies is never easy," he said.
Daniels' Hoosier Homegrown Energy Plan, released Friday, calls for replacing imported fuel with Indiana coal and biofuels, maintaining the state's low energy costs and developing new technologies.
Ringquist said it's a significant step for Indiana to have an energy plan.
"In that respect," he said, "we've been behind other Midwestern states and most states in the country."
He said the plan correctly identifies challenges that Indiana faces and proposes an appropriate range of solutions, including clean coal, ethanol, biodiesel and biomass sources.
And while some might fault the federal government for not having an energy plan, Ringquist said America's federal system lets states act on their own.
"This is another example of states striking out on their own when the federal government doesn't act," he said.
Ringquist praised Daniels' plan for including efficiency and conservation. Improved energy efficiency provides the quickest return on investment, he said.
"You can't build a power plant in two years," he said.
He suggested Indiana consider developing its own in-state capacity to blend ethanol, produced from crops, with gasoline for a fuel that today's vehicles can burn.
"E-85 is not going to save us in the next five years," he said, referring to fuel that's 85 percent ethanol. "But if you blend it with gasoline, you can have an impact in very short order."
Ringquist said Indiana is on target in looking for help from "heavy-hitting partners": the federal government, state universities and businesses.
Indiana is working with Illinois, he said, to get federal funding for a "next generation" power plant that burns Midwestern coal and produces less pollution.
The governor's plan also calls for research and development in biomass, including the production of ethanol from plant waste and "biogas" from waste in animal feeding operations.
"That is one place where Indiana has potential to be a national leader," Ringquist said. "We've got a lot of manure in Indiana."
IU not consistent
Letter to the editor
August 12, 2006
Forgiveness is divine, right? Not if you are support staff at IU.
Recently, a staff member made a mistake. He unintentionally sent an e-mail to his boss. After attempting to recall the message, in the heat of the moment, tired and stressed, he walked into his bosses' cubicle and deleted the message, which was open on her computer. Both his deleting the message and her leaving her computer unlocked were minor violations of IT policy. He was fired, she not. He never denied what he did, apologized immediately and admitted his mistake. He had 12 years of meritorious service and had never been disciplined; yet despite our attempts to get his job back working through the system, IU refused to reinstate him.
Shortly after the incident, his boss sent a message to the entire department. This message went into great detail about his health and home life. It violated his privacy and was completely unjustified. She has yet to apologize and still has a job.
Is this fair? No. Need further proof that IU had a double standard? Check out our new basketball coach. He was forgiven his numerous, repeated violations and offered a job. Staff deserve the same. Forgiveness.
Peter Kaczmarczyk, Bloomington
Guest column: Outsourcing of IU leaders must stop
by Brad Cooper
August 13, 2006
As the Indiana University Board of Trustees meets to search for a new president, one thing is abundantly clear: IU is off track.
Whether it is unprepared or unemployed graduates, its insanely liberal professors and administrators, its high national rank for drug and alcohol abuse on campus, its morally and financially bankrupt departments, its aversion to Indiana residents in admissions or its tuition increases that far outpace the cost of living, something is going wrong in Bloomington.
IU's record of detachment begins and ends with the infiltration of its administration with people who never went to IU, never lived in Indiana and have no idea what it means to be a Hoosier. No example makes this clearer than the hiring of Kelvin Sampson.
A few years ago, Indiana's governor appointed the majority of IU's trustees. These trustees hired a man from Florida (Adam Herbert) to replace a man from Oregon (Myles Brand) as president. Seemingly, it did not matter that Herbert's former school was embattled over his dismissal when Indiana "stole" him away. Herbert hired a Maryland native (Rick Greenspan) to succeed a Kansas/California native (Michael McNeely) as athletics director. Greenspan retained a man from Alabama (Mike Davis).
For reasons beyond logic, Greenspan and Herbert doubled Davis' salary after Davis quit and replaced Davis with a man from Oklahoma (Kelvin Sampson), who they knew had an abysmal graduation rate and was under investigation for major recruiting violations.
Since Sampson's NCAA convictions, Greenspan and Herbert continue to praise Sampson and pay him a seven-figure salary. Sampson has returned the favor by bringing shame and sanctions with him to Indiana and by offering IU scholarships to out-of-state athletes.
The problem, which is not limited to sports at IU or anti-Kelvin sentiment, is that none of IU's decision makers and none of the people they hire are from Indiana. Thus, they have no allegiance to this state or its citizens and have no problem imposing their corrupted morals on Hoosiers.
Since IU won't stop outsourcing its administration on its own, the time has come for our state leaders to step in before a new president is hired. Like several other states, the Indiana Legislature needs to bootstrap IU's funding with requirements of preferential treatment for IU graduates and Indiana natives in hiring, admissions and scholarships. Further, the governor needs to replace current trustees with people who will reverse IU's radical academic liberalism and who will put Hoosiers and our values first at Indiana University.
As it stands, Indiana University is either unable to produce or unwilling to employ graduates capable of running, coaching and teaching at IU. Either way, the time has come for drastic changes in Bloomington.
This guest column was written by Brad Cooper, of Franklin, who earned his undergraduate and law degrees from IU.
Arts work Indiana new resource for disabled artists: Project managers seeking input for new online directory
by Nicole Kauffman
August 13, 2006
BLOOMINGTON - A new Web site will be a one-stop arts resource for disabled Indiana people and their supporters. The site, ArtsWORK Indiana, is expected to be up and running by spring.
Project managers are seeking input now - from disabled artists and other Indiana arts workers who want to be part of an online directory - to create content.
"We'd certainly like to hear from anyone who is interested in working in the arts who has a disability, counselors, teachers, employees," said Jane Harlan-Simmons, a research associate at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, the Indiana University-based institute managing the site.
Among the planned features: job opportunities; financial sources, just as grants and scholarships; assistive technology; and an interactive bulletin board.
"Another feature is a database of opportunities in the arts that will be something people can actually enter and edit themselves," Harlan-Simmons said.
All arts-related disciplines will be included, such as retail, manufacturing, performance-based arts, visual arts and education.
While it may seem the disabled arts community is small, many disabled people are "invisible," she said: "There's quite a bit of isolation among people with disabilities because of transportation barriers, physical barriers, financial difficulties. They just don't have the information or the chance to network."
The site hopes to bring people together, and it will be user friendly for people with disabilities. Where the site can't provide resources, users will be directed elsewhere.
"It will be accessible to users with a variety of disabilities, but it will also be designed to be useful to artists and others without disabilities," Harlan-Simmons elaborated in an e-mail. "There is no centralized source of information on careers in the arts that is Indiana-specific, and we expect many people will find the site informative and inviting, regardless of whether or not they have a disability label."
The project is funded by an Indiana Arts Commission grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and the national VsAarts. The money, $5,000, was administered through the National Arts and Disability Center in California.
The Institute on Disability and Community got involved because its mission is to create communities that include and welcome meaningful participation from people with disabilities.
A committee of disabled artists, job development professionals, educational counselors and others throughout the state have been helping to plan the network. Among them are members of the arts community who use wheelchairs, hearing and vision impaired people and others with cognitive difficulties and mental illness.
"It's a big undertaking, and we've been planning it for quite some time," Harlan-Simmons said.
Suggestions, donations, contributions and list information can be sent to Harlan-Simmons at jeharlan@ indiana.edu. She can be reached by phone at 812-855-6508.
Beyond the Scoreboard: Tanner collects Top 10s at World Championships
Herald-Times
August 13, 2006
Bloomington North boys' swim coach Dave Tanner proved he is still one of the best swimmers in the world in the 55-59 age bracket by taking four top-10 finishes at last week's FINA Masters World Championships in Stanford, Calif.
Tanner was one of five members of Doc's Indiana University Masters swim team to qualify for the huge event that brought in just over 5,500 competitors.
Alan Somers, Nan Stager and Doug Strong each had top-10 finishes as well.
Tanner, 56, who qualified in five events, had his best finish in the 200-meter long course butterfly where he was second in 2:37.23, a time that broke the old meet record by seven seconds, yet was still well behind the world-record winning time of 2:28.62 by former USC star Jim McConica.
McConica also dominated the 200 freestyle in which Tanner came in fourth at 2:17.32, seven seconds behind the winner.
Tanner was also sixth in the 100 fly in 1:08.98 as winner Greg Shaw blasted the world record by finishing in 1:01.05 and ninth in the 100 free at 1:02.24. Tanner went on to place 18th in the 50 fly in 30.61.
Somers, 65, was fifth in the men's 65-69 400 free in 5:35.92.
Strong, 81, qualified in five events for men 80-84, but swam just two, placing 10th in the 100 free (2:06.25) and 19th in the 50 free (55.50).
Stager, 51, was seventh in the 50 backstroke for women 50-54 in 40.93, 14th in the 100 back in 1:29.88. She also placed 27th in the 50 breaststroke (44.85), 29th in the 100 free (1:14.46) and 32nd in the 50 free (33.48).
Her husband Joel, 54, was 24th in the men's 50-54 100 free (1:01.41), 30th in the 200 free (2:25.19) and 31st in the 50 free (28.09).
