Herald-Times articles
Sept. 10, 2007
IU enrollment sets Bloomington record; 38,990 undergraduate and graduate students on campus this fall
By Bethany Nolan
September 8, 2007
Bloomington's Indiana University campus hit a record enrollment this year, while the total for all eight campuses ranked as the second highest enrollment in IU's history.
IU officials released fall enrollment figures Friday. They showed enrollment for the Bloomington campus with 38,990 undergraduate and graduate students, up from last year's 38,247.
The university-wide total -- including Bloomington, IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis, IU East, IU Kokomo, IU Northwest, IU South Bend, IU Southeast and IU-Purdue Fort Wayne -- is 99,122 students, up from 97,959. That fell short by only 42 students of breaking the enrollment record of 99,164 students, set in the fall of 2003-04.
"It's terrific," said Roger Thompson, vice provost for enrollment management. He pointed out the news was good for IU on several levels, including reversing a lowering enrollment trend and breaking records. "I think that's worth celebrating."
A few more Bloomington figures: The number of credit hours taken increased by 1.9 percent. About 48 percent of students on the local campus are men. And more than half on the campus -- 56.8 percent -- are Indiana residents.
The local figures are likely helped out by this year's big freshman class -- 7,208 students, just short of last year's record of 7,259.
Figures released earlier by IU show that more than 30 percent of the freshmen ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating classes, and two-thirds were in the top quarter. Both percentages were up from last year. Officials said the class is more diverse than previous groups of freshmen, with numbers up for Hispanic, Asian-American and international students, although just stable for black students.
IU grad students awarded grants; Fulbright-Hays funds allow doctoral research in foreign countries
H-T Report
September 8, 2007
Eleven Indiana University graduate students have been awarded Fulbright-Hays grants for travel related to doctoral dissertation research.
They are among fewer than 170 U.S. citizens and permanent residents who will travel abroad in 2007-08 under the program. The Fulbright-Hays program typically receives more than 500 applications a year. It awards grants averaging $29,000 for six to 12 months of study.
"Fulbright awards are first and foremost an indication of the outstanding quality of our graduate students," Patrick O'Meara, IU vice president for international affairs, said in a statement.
Last week, IU announced that eight of its students were awarded U.S. Student Fulbright Awards under a separate grant program.
Fulbright-Hays winners, their IU departments and the countries where they will study are:
• Chad Beck, communication and culture, Mexico.
• Daniel Beers, political science, Romania.
• Ama Okomfo Boakyewa, anthropology, Ghana.
• Flory Gingging, folklore, Malaysia.
• Megan Hershey, political science, Kenya.
• Brent Hierman, political science, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
• Barbara Junisbai, political science, Belarus and Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstan).
• Gabriel McGuire, anthropology, Kazakhstan.
• Anna Muller, history, Poland and Ukraine.
• Alfio Saitta, history, Argentina.
• Nicole Willock, religious studies and Central Eurasian studies, China and India.
Two other IU students, Paul Schauert and Arwen Kimmel, were offered Fulbright-Hays grants but declined in order to pursue other opportunities.
Three IU students named in recording industry lawsuit; Students are accused of sharing copyrighted files over the Internet
By James Boyd
September 8, 2007
In another sweep of peer-to-peer networks on college campuses, at least three network users at Indiana University have been caught in the net of the Recording Industry Association of America.
Tabi Berkey, Sydney Russell and Christopher Vines were named in separate lawsuits filed by multiple record companies, which accused them of downloading or distributing music over the Internet.
The three students are accused of using peer-to-peer networks, often referred to as P2P networks, to share copyrighted music files.
While Vines is listed in IU's online directory, Berkey and Russell are not. However, the RIAA lists all three as network users of Indiana University.
According to the civil complaints, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Indiana, Berkey is alleged to have shared 600 files, including "Thriller" and "Black or White" by Michael Jackson, "Barbie Girl" by Aqua and "Margaritaville" by Jimmy Buffett.
Vines is accused of sharing 1,172 music files, also over the Gnutella network.
Some of the files Vines is accused of sharing include Journey's "Open Arms," Rod Stewart's "Forever Young" and U2's "I Will Follow."
Russell is alleged to have used a program called Ares Warez to share 341 music files, including "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias, and "Whip It" by Devo.
A statement issued by the RIAA indicates that the Internet protocol addresses of the defendants were subpoenaed by their Internet service providers.
"College students are some of today's biggest music fans, which is why the industry continues to invest resources to expand the legitimate online marketplace," executive vice president and general counsel for the RIAA Steven Marks said in the statement. "Unfortunately, too many music fans are often lured by the offer of free, low-quality songs that can easily come bundled with damaging viruses and spyware from certain peer-to-peer sites."
Vines couldn't be reached for comment Friday afternoon. There was no telephone or e-mail listing for Russell or Berkey.
The RIAA has taken an active stance in prosecuting college network users it believes have been illegally downloading music files on the Internet.
The organization typically offers defendants a settlement prior to going to trial. It was not known if Berkey, Russell or Vines had been offered such a deal.
"Just as we hold accountable the sites themselves for encouraging this illegal activity, we must also hold responsible the individuals who disregard the law," Marks said.
Pressler, Aebersold receive Arts Awards
H-T Report
September 8, 2007
INDIANAPOLIS -- Menahem Pressler, distinguished professor at IU's Jacobs School of Music and a world-renowned performer for nearly five decades, and Jamey Aebersold, IU alumnus and internationally acclaimed jazz educator, are among the recipients of the 2007 Governor's Arts Awards conferred by the Indiana Arts Commission and Gov. Mitch Daniels.
Pressler is a founder of the Beaux Arts Trio, the world's most celebrated piano ensemble for the past half century. His career took off as he won first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco in 1946, followed by his successful American debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of maestro Eugene Ormandy.
Since then, Pressler's extensive tours of North America and Europe have included performances with the orchestras of New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Dallas, San Francisco, London, Paris, Brussels, Oslo, Helsinki and many others.
Aebersold earned his master's degree in saxophone from Indiana University in 1962 and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the school in 1992. His "Play-A-Long" series of instructional book and CD collections, the first of which was released in 1967, are an internationally recognized resource for jazz education. Heading into this year, more than 120 of these collections had been published by Aebersold, who currently teaches musical improvisation at the University of Louisville.
Pressler and Aebersold are joined on this year's Governor's Arts Awards list by Henry Leck and the Indianapolis Children's Choir; Fischoff National Chamber Music Association, Notre Dame; Lori Efroymson Aguilera, arts and community leader from Indianapolis; and the city of Jasper, for its continued support for and expansion of the arts at the community and regional level.
The Governor's Arts Awards are presented every two years and will this year be presented Oct. 25 at IU's Musical Arts Center and the Bloomington Convention Center, the first time the award ceremonies will have been conducted outside Indianapolis.
IU student reports abduction, sexual assault
By Marcela Creps
September 8, 2007
Indiana University police are looking for anyone who may have witnessed the abduction of a student Friday afternoon.
The 19-year-old international student told police she was walking in the area southeast of the Jordan Avenue and Law Lane tennis courts on her way to the Student Recreation Center around 1:30 p.m. Friday.
The woman said several men came from behind and carried her to a small gray vehicle. She said she was driven to an unknown location where she was sexually assaulted. Police said one of the suspects may have had a knife. The student said she was then driven back to where she had been abducted.
IUPD is still working with the victim to obtain additional information and more detailed information about the abductors.
The woman was struck in the face but not seriously injured. She was taken to Bloomington Hospital for a medical evaluation.
Because the area of the abduction is well-traveled, IUPD is asking anyone who may have witnessed the incident or may have information about it to contact the Investigation Section of the IU Police Department at (812) 855-4111.
Program targets 'drinking culture' on IU campus; Citations and ambulance runs related to alcohol escalate as soon as students return
By Marcela Creps
September 9, 2007
Two weeks into the school year, and numerous Indiana University students have already been cited for drinking offenses.
In the first weekend before classes started on Aug. 27, Indiana State Excise Police issued 181 tickets in Bloomington, including 81 to minors who were charged with illegal possession, consumption or transportation of alcohol.
During the first football weekend on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, excise police issued 108 summonses, including 85 to minors charged with illegal possession, consumption or transportation of alcohol.
Business doesn't just increase for police when school starts again. Ambulance runs for alcohol-related issues also increase.
From dorm move-in day on Aug. 22 to the day before classes started, Bloomington Hospital Ambulance Service answered 27 alcohol-related 911 calls. The first football weekend also resulted in 27 alcohol-related emergency calls.
David DeGroote, director of BHAS, said some students don't realize the effects of drinking so much alcohol in a small span of time. He said he's seen many students using large funnels to quickly ingest large amounts of hard liquor.
"This stuff will creep up on you real fast," DeGroote said. "You'll seem fine one minute, then all this alcohol hits your system, and you're out."
So what can be done to gain control of excessive and underage drinking?
Dong-Chul Seo, an assistant professor in the department of applied health science, is using a two-year federal grant to study drinking on the IU campus as well as to help find what will work to curb binge and underage drinking.
Seo said previous programs were reactive, meaning students had to exhibit behavior that demonstrated a drinking problem. Once a student was identified, intervention and screening took place to get the student help.
"All strategies were on an individual basis," Seo said.
New programs in place for this school year will target students all over campus, sending a concerted and consistent message about the dangers of drinking too much.
Seo said resident assistants from each of the 11 freshman dorms also will be educated on how to spot students who experience consequences due to their drinking. RAs then will reach out to those students in an attempt to help the student before the problem escalates.
"Hopefully, the student who experiences that type of problem will feel like somebody cares about this problem," Seo said.
Incoming freshmen were required to take an online AlcoholEdu course. The course includes a survey at the end, which students must pass. Seo said the course will help.
"I really believe this will make a difference on a population level," Seo said.
Freshmen are one of Seo's target groups as they go through difficult transitional periods. He said freshmen are under pressure to succeed and to make new friends. With no one close to provide support, Seo said they are vulnerable and may rely on alcohol to help.
"Alcohol is a good medium for socializing," he said.
Freshmen are also transitioning to a new culture, surrounded almost entirely by peers, Seo said. As a result, some students may emulate the drinking behaviors of others as a way to fit in.
DeGroote agrees that working with student peers may be helpful.
"Peer pressure can work both ways," he said. "It can work against you, and it can work for you. I think there is a lot of peer pressure both ways around there."
The grant will also allow researchers to learn more about the perception of drinking on the IU campus. Seo said two-thirds of IU's students believe every student drinks. Follow-up surveys are also planned to determine if students suffered any consequences from drinking, including missing classes and fighting.
Seo said because IU is so large, the research and results achieved here will be important to others.
"The program is really drawing a lot of interest from the federal government," he said.
Whether the program works or helps remains to be seen. DeGroote said anything is better than doing nothing.
"I think that it needs to be addressed," DeGroote said. "You have students that learn from it. You have students that won't."
While Seo admits there is no magic bullet to quash drinking on campus, he hopes the program can begin to change the drinking culture on campus, which is the key to reducing drinking on campus.
"We hope we'll make a difference in the drinking culture," he said. "And I believe the drinking culture will be changed in one way or another by this initiative."
IU business professors, graduate recognized at conference
September 9, 2007
BLOOMINGTON -- Four professors at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, including the executive director of its Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, earned top honors at the 2007 Academy of Management Conference.
A 2007 doctoral graduate from Kelley also was honored.
The academy, which held its conference recently in Philadelphia, is one of the leading international scholarly organizations for studying issues of management and organizational leadership.
Donald F. Kuratko, the Jack M. Gill Chair of entrepreneurship and executive director of the Johnson Center, received the National Academy of Management Entrepreneurship Advocate Award.
Three faculty members in Kelley's Indianapolis program were honored for their research. Susan Powell Mantel, associate professor of marketing, and Mohan V. Tatikonda, associate professor of operations and technology management, earned the Journal of Operations Management's Best Paper Award for their work, "A Behavioral Study of Supply Manager Decision-making: Factors Influencing Make versus Buy Evaluation." Barbara B. Flynn, professor of operations management at Kelley-Indianapolis and director of the IU Center for International Business Education and Research, earned the prize for the best conference paper presented in the Operations Management Division of the conference.
Kim Green, who earned a doctorate in entrepreneurship from Kelley this May, also received the "2007 Best Reviewer Award."
'Garden evangelist' welcomes new role as Hilltop director
By Steve Hinnefeld
September 10, 2007
Greg Speichert loves gardening, and he's eager to share his passion for things green and growing in his new role as director of Bloomington's Hilltop Garden and Nature Center.
"I love for people to be excited about gardening," he said. "My friends call me the garden evangelist."
Speichert, 45, arrived in Bloomington to start the job three weeks ago. He's got big plans for Hilltop, a local institution that will celebrate its 60th anniversary next year.
He is known in horticultural circles as a plant breeder, the author of three books on water gardens and the former publisher of Water Gardening magazine. The garden center that he until recently operated at Cedar Lake in northwestern Indiana was both business and destination for plant-loving families.
"Greg will bring an exceptional amount of expertise from over 20 years of gardening," said Lynn Jamieson, chair of the Indiana University Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Studies, which is in charge of Hilltop.
"His past background of running his own business, editing his own magazine on water gardens, plant breeding and other aspects will enrich Hilltop and prepare it for a tremendous renaissance."
Founded in 1948 by Barbara Schalucha, an IU biology professor, Hilltop has touched thousands of Bloomington children with its summer youth gardening program. It also has sponsored annual plant sales and other events and provided meeting space for garden-related clubs and classes.
But its status has been in question since the death of former director Leah Garlotte in 2004. Since then, the center has been managed by staff from Bradford Woods, the IU recreation department's outdoor education center in Morgan County.
Last winter, the center was temporarily closed to public activities in preparation for upcoming staff changes and renovation of the greenhouse facility.
Speichert interviewed for the director's position in July. When he arrived to start work a few weeks later, extreme heat and drought had devastated the grounds, and the first order of business was to get things green again. "A lot of water" was the prescription, he said.
"The (plant) border was down to the ground," he said. "I thought the hedge was dead."
Meanwhile, he is in the process of moving his belongings from northern Indiana, including an estimated 90 percent of his garden items, a gardening library of 500 books and 30,000 photographic slides documenting his work with gardens and plants — slides that will be copied to video discs.
His vision for Hilltop includes adding planting and building space, incorporating local limestone into the garden design, offering more classes and adding a wedding pavilion, a kite day in the spring and other features and events.
"The first priority is to get the garden up and showy, to have good curb appeal, to show we're here," he said.
Speichert was born in Texas and spent much of his childhood in Minnesota. He started growing orchids at age 6, helped and encouraged by his grandfather. When he was 11, he flew alone from Minneapolis to Chicago to attend a bonsai convention.
"For the most part, gardeners are great people, and I wanted to be part of that," he said.
He earned a degree in horticulture from Purdue and has lived in Indiana since 1977. With his wife, Sue, he published the books "Encyclopedia of Water Garden Plants," "Water Gardening in Containers" and "Ortho's All About Water Gardening." Recently, he was in charge of horticulture for the company that installed and maintained plants on the median of Chicago's North Michigan Avenue and other urban streetscapes.
He breeds coleus and other flora and has patents on five plants, including an artemisia, an acorus, a persicaria and two grasses.
At the Cedar Lake garden center, Speichert said, he liked nothing better than when families would visit not to shop, but because their children liked looking at the plants and flowers.
"My friends in the industry said, 'You should really work in a public garden,'" he said.
At Hilltop, he will.
"We're part of the university," he said, "but this is Bloomington's, too. We're part of a community, and we want people to use it."
