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Herald-Times stories for January (listed chronologically)

IU moving ahead on life sciences
Discoveries made in Bloomington will fuel economic growth
by Adam W. Herbert
January 30, 2005
Life sciences research at Indiana University has long-term benefits for mankind and benefits Indiana by creating jobs and contributing to economic growth

Indiana's new governor, Mitch Daniels, has initiated a public policy discussion of great importance to the future of our state -- what must Indiana do to create new jobs and make itself significantly more competitive in a global economy? It is vital that we make the right choices.

I believe we have already made one correct choice, a choice that has advanced Indiana down the path to world-class competitiveness further than we may realize.

Five years ago, the governor, Legislature and a number of business and civic leaders recognized that Indiana is ideally situated to develop a new industrial base in the life sciences.

They recognized that significant advances were possible through greater focus and coordinated effort among the major stakeholders -- state government, our pharmaceutical and health industries and the state's research universities.

We are off to a great start. Indiana University has a number of leading life sciences researchers working in Bloomington and at the IU School of Medicine. They provide the strong intellectual foundation upon which we are building.

Over the past four years, Indiana University has been the beneficiary of millions of dollars in both public and private investment to expand our basic research capabilities in the life sciences. These investments are paying dividends that will continue for many years to come.

The state has invested almost $9 million to help IU win research grants. The Lilly Endowment provided $155 million for the Indiana Genomics Initiative based in Indianapolis and $53 million for the METACyt Research Initiative at Bloomington. (The word METACyt is a combination of two disciplines — metabolomics, which is the study of chemical compounds involved in cellular metabolism, and cytomics, which is the study of cell function generally.)

We are using this funding to build, equip and operate world-class laboratories on the Bloomington campus and at the IU School of Medicine in Indianapolis. Our scientists are developing the world's finest and most accurate measuring devices for genetic research. These devices can generate a gigabyte of raw data a minute. To handle this crush of data, we have established one of the world's biggest and fastest supercomputing networks that links Bloomington with Indianapolis and West Lafayette.

These resources also are providing the support base needed to recruit and retain researchers who are pre-eminent in their fields. We will recruit many more in the months to come.

The basic life sciences research that we are conducting is advancing the boundaries of knowledge at a dizzying pace. Our faculty are rapidly unlocking the secrets of life carried in the genetic code. They are learning precisely what triggers and drives the extraordinarily complex chemistry within a single cell. This knowledge will bring about profound changes in the lives of our children and grandchildren.

The discoveries now being made in our basic research laboratories in Indianapolis and Bloomington will someday be the basis of medicines that are genetically tailored to individual patients. The day will come when human beings will live their lives without fear of cancer, heart disease and a variety of other serious illnesses that cut lives short.

IU is well on the way to becoming a recognized national leader in these areas of research. Appropriately, I have designated the life sciences as one of IU's highest research priorities.

How does this type of fundamental research into the life sciences create jobs and improve Indiana's economic future? Is there really a connection?

For starters, outstanding scholars attract major research grants. At IU, awards for sponsored research have increased by 75 percent in the past five years to a total of $413 million in 2004. Taking into account payroll, purchases and construction projects, this translates into nearly 10,000 jobs, the equivalent of two Rolls Royce plants in Indianapolis or three GM truck plants in Fort Wayne.

Talent also attracts more talent. As we recruit more distinguished scientists to positions at IU, they in turn bring with them outstanding assistants and graduate students. Over time, this influx of intellectual capital will blossom into an entire community of people with knowledge in and enthusiasm for their specialized fields. Inevitably, some of these professionals will move into the private sector, where they use the knowledge gained from basic research to start their own companies or help existing enterprises bring new products to market.

We have created several mechanisms at IU to ensure that marketable innovations from our research laboratories can be quickly moved into the private sector for development and marketing by Indiana-based companies. These include providing assistance with patents and licensing, securing venture capital and identifying suitable locations for manufacturing and marketing activities.

Similar processes can be seen in such bio-tech hotbeds as Boston's Route 128 and the Research Triangle of North Carolina, where strong basic research programs in academic settings are serving as catalysts for vigorous economic growth.

We can do it here, as well. Last year, I challenged my colleagues at IU to double the amount of externally funded research grants at IU by the end of this decade. The achievement of this goal would increase IU's research activities to $800 million a year. Combine that level of research with the research activities under way at Purdue, and the result will be a critical mass of academic research in Indiana with enormous potential for economic development.

Not every state has the unique resources to create this kind of economic environment. Indiana does. We have a strong and diverse life sciences industry, a rapidly expanding research capacity in our universities and a supportive state government. It is working. We are already seeing a number of entrepreneurial ventures springing up on Indiana soil. There will be many more.

Gov. Daniels and the Legislature are facing many difficult decisions as they craft a new state budget. Maintaining Indiana's progress as a life sciences center of excellence should be one of the easier choices they will have to make.

Adam Herbert is the president of Indiana University.
© 1997 - 2004 Hoosiertimes Inc. No commercial reproduction without prior written consent.

Textbook costs soaring, group says
IU student calls prices 'obscene;' spokesman for industry says students spend more on shoes, gas
by Steve Hinnefeld, Herald-Times Staff Writer
February 2, 2005

Tuition, fees and living expenses are just part of the cost of the degree in secondary education that Indiana University student Jeri Kott is pursuing.

"I spent $340 this semester on textbooks," she said. "That's obscene, actually."

Kott, a freshman from Chevy Chase, Md., knows she would have paid even more if she were studying math or science, and if she didn't buy her books used. As a member of the Indiana Public Interest Research Group, she's trying to do something about textbook prices.

The student group on Tuesday released a national report on textbook prices and launched a campaign to raise student awareness of the issue.

The Public Interest Research Group national report, titled "Ripoff 101: Second Edition," says wholesale textbook prices have increased 62 percent since 1994, more than four times the rate for all finished goods.

Based on a survey of the most popular texts at 59 colleges and universities, it says the average student pays $900 a year for textbooks -- about 15 percent as much as tuition and fees at IU. It accuses textbook publishers of inflating costs by rushing new editions into print and packaging books with expensive bells and whistles, including CD-ROM discs and workbooks.

Publishers dispute the claims, with the Association of American Publishers accusing PIRG of using faulty methodology and failing to acknowledge the benefits of new developments in textbooks. It said textbooks are a small percentage of higher-education costs, with the price of tuition and fees increasing faster than books.

Bruce Hildebrand, spokesman for the textbook trade association, cited figures from Student Monitor, a business that tracks student spending habits, that say students spend an average of $625 a year on textbooks, less than the PIRG study claims. The company says students spend more on gas and maintenance for their cars, footwear, restaurant meals and even telephone usage.

Hildebrand said it's college faculty, not book publishers, who decide which books to require for their courses. And he said publishers offer plenty of choices -- one company, he said, sells five editions of its U.S. history text, ranging from a no-frills paperback that costs $33 to a full-color hardback for $107.

"If that's what the professor wants, that's what we provide," he said.

He pointed to a Zogby International online survey of 1,029 college professors, released in January. It found:

80 percent of professors said it's important that textbook material be as current as possible.
75 percent require or recommend that students buy textbook add-ons such as study guides, lab manuals and CDs.

The PIRG report, however, says 65 percent of California faculty contacted for a 2004 survey rarely or never used supplemental products such as CD-ROMs that come with the latest editions of textbooks. It says textbooks cost more in the United States than the United Kingdom, Africa and the Middle East.

Heidi Seidel, an IU senior from Chicago, said professors often say they're frustrated with textbook prices and don't see the need for expensive features.

She said some students don't buy required textbooks, looking to borrow copies from classmates or the library.

"They can't afford it," she said.

At IU, InPIRG volunteers are supporting alternatives to buying textbooks -- new or used -- at bookstores. They're working with the IU Student Association to increase the use of direct, online book-swap services.

Such services exist, said InPIRG organizer Megan Foster, but they aren't yet widely used, and students usually have trouble finding the books they need.

Reporter Steve Hinnefeld can be reached at 331-4374 or by e-mail at shinnefeld@heraldt.com.

Alcohol to be sold at Smallwood
County commission allows coffee and tea shop in huge complex to offer beer, wine
by Marcela Creps, Herald-Times Staff Writer
February 3, 2005

Patrons of City Coffee and Tea soon may have more choices of beverages than those listed in the name of the establishment.

A license to serve beer and wine at the business in the Smallwood Plaza apartment complex downtown was approved Wednesday by the Monroe County Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

Approval by the local board means the application will be forwarded to the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission for review, meaning it still could be several weeks before customers are able to order beer or wine instead of cappuccino.
The coffee shop was granted a license despite the disapproval of one board member and one local resident, who both voiced their opposition to the license.

Bruce Huot was the only person on the four-member board to vote against the permit. He said he was concerned that the business is too close to underage students. He also expressed concern about the layout of the business, especially a "living room area" in the back.

"To me, the management is going to be terribly difficult," Huot said.
Local resident Larry Haywood noted that the building was designed for university students, and he pointed to newspaper articles that cited numerous problems at the apartment complex.
"I don't think this will do anything to add to it," Haywood said.
One point of confusion was a requirement of state law that governs the presence of minors in an establishment that serves alcohol.

According to state statute, a minor shall be considered loitering unless he or she is with a parent, legal guardian or family member that is at least 21 years old; has placed a food order and is waiting to be served; or is eating or is viewing or listening to lawful nonparticipatory entertainment provided by the establishment. Such entertainment may not consist solely of music, live or recorded.

The main concern was the state's definition of a food and whether coffee is considered a food.
Rick Brown, a principal with the restaurant and an Indianapolis attorney, assured the board that coffee was a food.
Brown also assured the board that the business is trying to appeal to a different crowd — one that would be stopping by after a movie or stage performance.

"This isn't a Miller Lite establishment," Brown said.

The board approved the license, but two board members cautioned the restaurant owners to avoid any citations for underage drinking, because that would make it hard to get a renewal.

In other business, Mac Grill on West Third Street was approved for an alcohol permit, as was Buffalouie's, which now has two locations in Bloomington.

Sex sells? Landlords court IU students
Flirtatious promotions help market apartment complexes to potential residents
by Sarah Morin, Herald-Times Staff Writer
February 3, 2005

"Wanna lei?" Jenna Tippin asked as people walked by.

Underneath the six or so colorful leis around her tan neck, her black T-shirt also attracted attention. "Wanna get off ..." it teased in bold white letters that jumped off a black background. The message continued on the back of her shirt with the word "campus."

Tippin, a blonde with hoop earrings and shiny white-tipped nails, was trying to lure uncommitted students to a booth selling Sterling University Glen, a student-friendly apartment complex east of College Mall, where she's lived since August.

"I love it. I renewed in October," said Tippin, a sophomore at Indiana University.

But not all students have found residential bliss in Bloomington. The still looking, on-the-market crowd quizzed and questioned potential landlords Wednesday at a daylong campus housing fair.

And what better way to let someone know that you're interested than to give gifts? Free gifts.

Keychains, chocolates, squishy stress balls, tiny mints in silver tins, two-tone tote bags and unpopped popcorn in bags were all part of the ploys from more than 100 rental agencies to get the attention -- and perhaps a lease for the next school year -- from students.

"It's really overwhelming," said Meagan Gonser, a junior. She and future roommate Chris Jesse walked by the different booths in hopes of finding the perfect fit.

Here's what their ideal place will have: an address close to campus, a washer and dryer in the unit, more than one bathroom and a welcome mat for pets. Jesse wants to get a dog, though Gonser said a pet friendly pad is not a priority.

The new downtown apartments like Smallwood and 10th and College have caught their eyes because of location.

"Everything's downtown -- bars, restaurants and numerous things to do," Gonser said.

Gonser and Jesse, high school friends from Michigan City, are also looking to live with two other roommates so they're looking for a place with four bedrooms.

And the pressure is on. Everyone is scrambling to find a place by spring break, which is a month away. No one wants to be desperate, settling for the leftovers -- apartments or houses far away with grungy carpets and leaky faucets.

"You get your best selection before spring break," said Travis Trestler with Renaissance Rentals. The rental agency is running an ad that warns: "Bloomington Spring Breakers Don't come back homeless!"

When it comes to advertising their apartments, some rental agencies sell sex or partying.

On the table behind the lei-wearing Tippin are T-shirts that read "Ride me Baby" and "Ride me baby all day and all night" -- a reference to the campus shuttle service Sterling University Glen offers.

Olympus Properties promises a jovial time at its rental houses -- primarily north of campus -- "Don't miss a chance to live in Party Central." The flier features a photo of friends grilling out and drinking beer and wine.

"Bigger is better" boasts Copper Beech, a cluster of town homes west of campus close to Ind. 37. Smallwood says "Size does matter" referring to its four-bedroom units. Half of the black and white ad is the bare chest of a muscular man.

Gonser and Jesse said the sexy slogans can work.

"It definitely draws you to it," Gonser said.

"You read it, smile and go on," Jesse said.

Study: Hoosiers high on K-12 education
by Andrew Graham, Herald-Times Staff Writer
February 3, 2005

An Indiana University study indicates most Hoosiers feel K-12 education is better than recent political rhetoric might suggest.

IU's Center for Evaluation and Education Policy released its 2004 survey of public opinion on education in Indiana Wednesday, two weeks after Gov. Mitch Daniels characterized state schools as "lagging behind" national and international levels during his inaugural State of the State address.

The center's survey results indicated that nearly two-thirds of Hoosiers surveyed, 65 percent, rated their community schools as excellent or good. Even more, 72 percent, were similarly positive about teachers in their local schools. Also, a 58-percent majority would pay more taxes to provide more education funding, a figure up from 49 percent in the 2003 survey.

Center director Jonathan Plucker, who helped present the survey to the Indiana State Board of Education in Indianapolis Wednesday morning, spoke earlier from his Bloomington office about responses "trending positive."

"Responses are quite similar to what we heard last year in most cases," Plucker said in reference to the 2003 study, which was the first of what the center intends to be a series annual surveys. "But if there are differences, they're trending toward more positive views toward education in Indiana.

"This is what we probably should expect, because we have good schools in this state. Indiana has invested in smart ways to make our schools better in the past generation or so, and we're seeing the results. And our survey indicates Hoosiers are noticing the investments we've made are paying off."

Plucker cited the performance of Indiana students in the most recent Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, on which Hoosier students exceeded national and international average scores in every category tested.

"Looking at the TIMSS results, we're the only state that tests enough kids to get a state estimate -- talk about accountability -- and we do pretty darned well with our scores," Plucker said.

Some of the survey highlights listed by an IU news release included:

Not only did the percentage of people willing to pay higher taxes to increase school funding increase by almost 10 points to 58 percent, but this response did not differ greatly between parents with school-age children and those without. Ninety percent of respondents reported believing that school funding levels affect the quality of education students receive to some extent.
There was a big jump in respondents willing to pay more taxes, if necessary, to fund a statewide full-day kindergarten program, up to 61 percent compared to 46 percent in 2003.
Residents in central Indiana were more likely to report schools are underfunded, 69 percent, compared to northern Indiana, 63 percent, and southern Indiana, 55 percent.
Significantly more Hoosiers, 75 percent, reported knowing a little or a lot about the federal No Child Left Behind law. In the previous survey, 40 percent of respondents reported knowing nothing about the program. Center officials attribute the increase in awareness to the recent presidential election, which focused attention on the program. Despite this growing awareness, 70 percent of the respondents reported a "total" lack of awareness about Indiana's accountability law, public law 221.
Nearly three-fourths of respondents believe ISTEP has contributed, at least in part, to improvements in the quality of education in Indiana. They also tend to agree that ISTEP holds schools accountable for student achievement and gives parents helpful information about a school's performance.
The idea of raising the drop-out age for high school students from 16 to 18 was supported by a three-to-one ratio.
Concerning school choice, 78 percent of respondents believe parents should be able to send their children to another public school if a school fails to meet state performance standards. When asked about their familiarity with two other school choice strategies -- vouchers and charter schools -- about 60 percent of respondents expressed little knowledge of these two programs. When given some information about the concept of a charter school, 56 percent indicated they would favor the creation of charter schools.

The survey reports the results of 612 telephone interviews from a random sample of Indiana households. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percent.

The preliminary report on the survey findings can be seen at https://ceep.indiana.edu/projects/PDF/POS_report_pre_2004.pdf.

Second man pleads guilty to music school thefts
Herald-Times Report
February 3, 2005

A second man arrested last year in connection with a string of thefts at the Indiana University School of Music won't serve any jail time.

Carl St. Jacques, 24, a viola player who now lives in Miami, has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of theft, with a third count of theft and an unrelated case dismissed by plea agreement.

He was sentenced by Monroe Circuit Judge Marc Kellams to just under a year in jail, but all that time was suspended, according to court documents.

St. Jacques was arrested in March after IU police caught him on camera taking items from an empty practice room, according to court documents.

In the sting operation, police said St. Jacques took a wallet containing $10 in marked bills, which later was found in his pants pocket.

After his arrest, police said they also found a second wallet taken from a music school student in his possession.

IU police said there didn't appear to be any connection between St. Jacques and a former IU janitor who also was charged with theft about the same time.

Last week, Kayliff Marvin Bradlee "Brad" Bennett, 27, pleaded guilty to felony theft and was sentenced by Monroe Circuit Judge E. Michael Hoff to three years in prison, two years of which were suspended.

He'll serve the balance of the time on home detention.

Bennett admitted taking several items that were returned, including a doctoral student's 1899 violin and bow with gold inlay, worth about $25,000.

Just the fax good news for IU
Running backs top Hoeppner's first recruiting class
by Doug Wilson, Herald-Times Sports Writer
February 3, 2005

Wide receiver Andrew Means' letter of intent came rolling off the fax machine at 7:07 a.m. Wednesday.

It meant one of the biggest days on the Hoosier football calendar was officially under way.

All day, IU's new coaching staff watched the machine with anticipation and nervousness. Months, and in some cases years, of building relationships with young men came down to whether recruits who'd verbally committed to IU would return their written pledges on national signing day.

IU's coaches celebrated time and again as 24 recruits made it official they'll play at Indiana next season. Despite some hard late rushes by big-time programs -- such as Ohio State's last-minute pitch to standout kicker/punter Joe Kleinsmith and Wisconsin's grab at receiver Nick Polk -- IU held on to every player expected to return a letter of intent.

There were some nervous moments when prized tailback Demetrius McCray of Brandon, Fla., didn't return his letter until well into the afternoon. But with its arrival, running back became the strongest position in the class -- tailbacks Bryan Payton of Fort Wayne and Justin Carrington of Bealeton, Va., also rated among its best players.

"We were high-fiving and running up and down the hall whooping and hollering when the faxes came in," Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner said. "It's a lonely, weird life we live as coaches when one of the highlights of your life is watch the fax machine go off so you can see who just signed with you."

Hoeppner announced 23 of the signees but said he's saving the highest-rated one for last. He wouldn't say who it is because the player wants to announce his decision at a family gathering Saturday.

"Once you see who this guy is, you're going to say, how did you get him?" Hoeppner said.

Well-informed sources said the final recruit is a top defensive player from Florida.

Hoeppner said he and his staff over the past month proved sleep is overrated as they got 10 recruits who had committed to Gerry DiNardo to recommit and landed 14 new commitments.

The class doesn't include any offensive linemen and doesn't have a quarterback. Hoeppner said the Hoosiers have some returning quarterbacks they feel pretty good about.

"I am very particular when it comes to that position," he said. "I wasn't going to just take any guy at quarterback and say we had to get a quarterback."

But the class features enough athleticism that Hoeppner said he is "really happy" with it overall.

"We are going to take character guys who run fast," he said. "If you were going to say something about this recruiting class, that sums it up."

At the end of the afternoon, Hoeppner showed videotape of the class and made comments to an enthusiastic crowd of more than 100 Varsity Club members in the lobby of Memorial Stadium's football offices.

The videotape started with Warren Central running back Josh Bailey making a 99-yard touchdown reception in the state championship game.

It also showed Kleinsmith, "a special specialist," according to Hoeppner, making one of his seven blocked kicks this season. Hoeppner said he's already thinking of trick plays for his new kicker/punter.

The tape also showed speedy linebacker Geno Johnson of Bartow, Fla., flying past opponents and hard-hitting safety Austin Thomas of Woodstock, Ga., knocking the helmet off a ball-carrier.

In playing footage of Carrington and 6-foot-5 tight end Troy Wagner of O'Fallon, Ill., Hoeppner said they were players other schools tried hard to lure away.

McCray, the Brandon, Fla., tailback, was one of the final three letters of intent off the fax machine.

"Some coaches in Florida told us they thought he was the best running back in the state," Hoeppner said. "He's, quote, 'never been caught from behind.'"

Hoeppner said Florida defenders Neal Jones and Jammie Kirlew are two of many examples in the class of players who run well and have the frame to get significantly bigger in college.

He said players will change positions as they grow and develop. For instance, he projects Ohio safety Dan Kinsey, one of the mostly highly recruited players in the class, as an outside linebacker.

With a half-dozen running backs in the class, some of them will also undoubtedly end up at other positions.

Perhaps the best-known name in the class is Brandon Walker-Roby. Hoeppner said the younger brother of Courtney Roby has big shoes to fill.

"He is really excited," Hoeppner said. "He knows the bar has been set pretty high for him. He is a talented guy who comes out of a great program."

At the Memorial Stadium signing day event, Hoeppner introduced his assistant coaches and thanked his office staff for their work to loud applause.

He said new assistant head coach Bill Lynch, who will arrive in Bloomington Friday, is his most important recruit so far.

Lynch, a former Ball State and DePauw head coach and IU assistant, will recruit northern Indiana and his son Billy will recruit southern Indiana. IU will get top in-state recruits, Hoeppner said, because the Lynchs are extremely well-known and respected across the state.

"We're going to do our best to recruit this state and bring in the kind of student-athletes you can be proud of," he told the crowd.

Hoeppner said he made a "battlefield promotion" last month in giving assistant coach Troy Douglas the title of recruiting coordinator.

Douglas was the point man in IU landing five players from Florida, including the one still to be announced Saturday.

Sports writer Doug Wilson can be reached at 331-4353 or by e-mail at dwilson@heraldt.com.

Green-Ellis wants to return to Indiana

Coach Terry Hoeppner said running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis asked Wednesday to return to IU's football program. The leading Hoosier rusher the past two seasons is enrolled at Ole Miss, but has apparently has had second thoughts about transferring there.

Hoeppner said he doesn't know whether Green-Ellis will return to IU for the 2005 season or even whether he can within the rules after deciding to transfer. He said Green-Ellis had been on the phone with IU running backs coach Gerald Brown.

2005 IU recruiting class analysis

Strengths

Exceptional running backs
Lots of speed and athleticism
Tall players in skill positions
Eight state champions in class
Good academic credentials
Great recruiting job in Florida, Ohio and Detriot

Weaknesses

No offensive linemen
No quarterbacks
Just one defensive tackle
Didn't recruit in-state nearly as well as Purdue

Preservation grant music to IU's ears
Rare recordings going digital with $340,441 grant
by Steve Hinnefeld, Herald-Times Staff Writer
February 4, 2005

Indiana University's Archives of Traditional Music will preserve and convert to digital format rare recordings, including music of Iraqi Jews and black protest songs from the South, with help from a $340,441 federal grant.

The project, titled "Sound Directions: Digital Preservation and Access for Global Audio Heritage," is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. It's a partnership between the IU-based music archives and Harvard University's Archive of World Music.

Bruce Cole, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities and a distinguished professor emeritus of art history at IU, returned to Bloomington to announce the grant at a ceremony Thursday.

"This is a partnership and collaboration that, I am confident, will revolutionize the way some of the world's most irreplaceable and endangered sound recordings are preserved," he told an audience of IU officials at the Indiana Memorial Union University Club.

Daniel Reed, director of the Archives of Traditional Music, said the project comes at a critical time for the IU center's vast collection of early, generally low-tech recordings.

Many of the materials, recorded on wax discs and cylinders and reel-to-reel tape, are deteriorating and at risk of becoming useless, he said. At the same time, developments in digital audio technology make it possible not only to convert the recordings to more stable media, but to make some of them widely available via downloading or "streaming" from the Internet.

"The NEH grant will enable us to solve the problem of preserving audio resources accurately, reliably and for the long term, while making these recordings readily accessible to those who most need them," Reed said.

The grant funds the first phase of the "Sound Directions" project, which will take place over the next 18 months. IU and Harvard are providing matching funds.

Archive staff will identify emerging standards in the digitization and preservation of sound recordings and develop "best practices" that can be used by others. Officials said materials in the project will be "interoperable," meaning they can be read at both the IU and Harvard archives.

In the second phase, the universities will develop online archives to share the preserved recordings with scholars and, in some cases, the public. IU's archive will be called "Cultures in Conflict." It will include recordings from Afghanistan, central Africa and Nicaragua as well as Israel and the American South.

Cole, making his first public appearance at IU since President Bush tapped him to head the NEH in June 2001, said the project reflects the endowment's mission of preserving and celebrating language, music and art, "the story of what it is that makes us human."

"The NEH was founded in the belief that cultivating the best of the humanities has real, tangible benefits for civic life," he said.

He said that, as an IU faculty member, he played no role in selecting the project for funding.

Cole said the endowment has strong support in Washington, having last year received its largest budget increase in dollars since 1991 and its largest percentage increase since 1979.

He plugged its "We the People" initiative, which supports the teaching, study and understanding of U.S. history.

"It's depressing," he said, referring to recent studies showing high school students to be ignorant about their nation's past. "Our young people don't know when the Civil War was. They don't know who we fought with and against in the Second World War."

The IU Archives of Traditional Music is one of the largest U.S. ethnographic archives, with holdings that include commercial and field recordings of music, folktales, interviews and oral histories.

The Harvard Archive of World Music includes field and commercial recordings, videos and DVDs and boasts the largest collection of Indian classical music in the United States.

Reporter Steve Hinnefeld can be reached at 331-4374 or by e-mail at shinnefeld@heraldt.com.

Other grants awarded by NEH

Two Bloomington projects received $5,000 grants Thursday from the National Endowment for the Humanities. They are:

A preservation assessment of television programs and unedited video footage created since 1968 by WTIU, Indiana University's public TV station.
Monroe County Historical Society Museum's purchase of environmental monitoring equipment.

Along with a grant to IU's Archives of Traditional Music, they were part of $5.4 million in preservation grants awarded to 127 U.S. institutions.

Historical recordings

Some of the IU Archives of Traditional Music resources that will be preserved in the "Sound Directions" project include:

Music of Iraqi Jews, recorded in Israel, 1945.
Black protest songs, recorded in North and South Carolina and Georgia, 1920-40.
Material from the Falashas, Ethiopian Jews, 1945.
Music from Afghanistan prior to communist and Taliban rule, 1961-63.
Recording of Aborigines in Australia, 1952-53.
Recordings of the Dinka people in Sudan, 1962-72.
Political and war songs from then-Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urindi, 1951-52.
Songs and interviews from Nicaragua regarding the Sandinista revolution and government, 1989-90.

Students vying for spot on IU board
by Steve Hinnefeld, Herald-Times Staff Writer
February 4, 2005

Twenty-one students -- representing four Indiana University campuses -- have tossed their hats in the ring to become IU's next student trustee.

Gov. Mitch Daniels is expected to appoint the trustee shortly before July 1, when the student's term of office begins.

Robin Gress, secretary of the IU Board of Trustees, pointed out that the student trustee has the same authority as the other members of the board. And with only nine trustees setting university policy, he or she can have considerable influence.

"They're fully vested trustees with all rights and responsibilities," she said.

Student trustees serve two-year terms and are expected to remain in school through their tenure. And that's about the only difference between them and the other trustees, who are appointed by the governor or elected by alumni for three-year terms.

The Indiana General Assembly passed the student-trustee law in the 1970s, responding to student requests.

The first trustee, Leslie Shively, served in 1976-77 and is now an attorney in Evansville. JT. Forbes, now IU's director of state relations, held the post from 1993 to '95. Seven of the 15 student trustees have been law students.

The current student trustee, Erin Haag Breese, is studying for medical and Ph.D. degrees at the IU School of Medicine in Indianapolis. She chairs an 11-member student screening committee that will meet today to officially receive the 2005 student-trustee applications.

The panel will meet again Feb. 25 to select candidates for interviews in April. Under state law, the committee must forward the names of 10 finalists to the governor, a step that typically takes place by mid-April.

Gress said the current crop of candidates includes 10 students from IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis, nine from Bloomington and one each from IU East and IU Northwest. They include 15 men and six women, with graduate and professional students making up a majority.

Friends remember Roberta McCloskey
Herald-Times Report
February 4, 2005

Friends fondly recalled Roberta McCloskey, wife of former congressman and Bloomington mayor Frank McCloskey, after she passed away Wednesday at Bloomington Hospital.

Roberta McCloskey, 61, died of cancer after the same disease claimed her husband in November 2003.

"Caring heart, and an embracing soul," said Regina Moore, a friend and fellow activist in Democratic politics, said of Roberta McCloskey Thursday evening. "An era is now over."

Monroe County Community School Corp. board president Sue Wanzer said the local Democratic Party remains "such a reflection" of the McCloskeys. She said Don Moore, Regina's husband and fellow Democrat, made that same observation while honoring Frank McCloskey's memory during the county's Jan. 1 swearing-in ceremony for new officeholders.

"Roberta was there," Wanzer said, "and she looked good, if a bit tired and weak. We're so saddened by this, and it seems so sudden."

Don Moore, speaking Thursday evening of Roberta McCloskey, said, "For many of us, she was our big sister."

Further information about Roberta McCloskey's life and services to celebrate her life will be in Saturday's Herald-Times. Allen Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

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