Last modified: Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Daily IU news update
Sept. 26, 2007
New committee to assess ideal student living
Indiana Daily Student, Sept. 26 -- IU President Michael McRobbie might not be a professor in the traditional sense, but that didn't stop him from assigning homework to his newly formed Vision of the Ideal College Environment committee at the IU-Bloomington and IU-Purdue University Indianapolis campuses last Wednesday. McRobbie announced the formation of a student steering committee that will submit reports in the spring on various aspects of student life. The steering committee will lead five subcommittees focused on specific areas, including the intellectual and social environments, on- and off-campus housing and student support services. Chairman of the steering committee Alex Shortle said he has been given the task of "(defining) the ideal student experience today and identify areas of weakness." IU Director of Media Relations Larry MacIntyre said VOICE is the president's attempt to hear student opinions on the present and future issues of IU, "because (students) have a different perspective than the president's generation." Full story.
Dean reinstated after lockout
Brisbanetimes, Sept 18 -- The University of Sydney has reinstated the dean of the Conservatorium of Music, Kim Walker, after an investigation into allegations of plagiarism and mismanagement. Professor Walker will return to work today after being locked out of her office by the university nearly three months ago, while she awaited the results of an independent review by an industrial lawyer, Anthony Britt, into whether she plagiarized internal documents. Full story.
Hoosier kids continue to ace this math test; Reading scores have been flat on 'the nation's report card' for students in Grades 4 and 8
Indianapolis Star, WTHR, Ft. Wayne Journal-Gazette, Sept. 26 -- Indiana students earned higher scores on a national math test this year, continuing a 15-year trend that experts attribute to clear statewide teaching guidelines and more focus on math in schools. The results dovetail with an Indiana University study released Monday that shows Indiana students performing well ahead of their peers nationwide in mathematics on a variety of tests. Perhaps most significantly, Indiana has increased the number of students demonstrating basic skills on the NAEP, which the federal government touts as "the nation's report card." Full story. Full story 2. Full story 3.
New committee to assess ideal student living
Indiana Daily Student, Sept. 26 -- IU President Michael McRobbie might not be a professor in the traditional sense, but that didn't stop him from assigning homework to his newly formed Vision of the Ideal College Environment committee at the IU-Bloomington and IU-Purdue University Indianapolis campuses last Wednesday. McRobbie announced the formation of a student steering committee that will submit reports in the spring on various aspects of student life. The steering committee will lead five subcommittees focused on specific areas, including the intellectual and social environments, on- and off-campus housing and student support services. Chairman of the steering committee Alex Shortle said he has been given the task of "(defining) the ideal student experience today and identify areas of weakness." IU Director of Media Relations Larry MacIntyre said VOICE is the president's attempt to hear student opinions on the present and future issues of IU, "because (students) have a different perspective than the president's generation." Full story.
Fortune 500 Company Affiliated Computer Services to Create 500 Jobs in Anderson
Muncie Free Press, Sept. 25 -- Governor Mitch Daniels and Mayor Kevin Smith joined executives from Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (NYSE: ACS) today to announce that the company will locate a customer care center here, creating 500 jobs. In addition to today's announcement, IBM and its partners have committed to hiring 1,500 Hoosiers to modernize the computer services of the Family and Social Services Administration. As part of the modernization project, IBM also committed to upgrade the supercomputer located at Indiana University and create a technology design center at Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis. Full story.
Mea Culpa
Indiana Daily Student, Sept. 26 -- Like everyone, we here at the Indiana Daily Student make mistakes from time to time. Unfortunately, because we relied on assumptions, the one we made in Tuesday's paper caused unneeded concern from a number of our readers. In the page one story Tuesday, "Student catches disease that fewer than 5 contract per year," we reported that an IU junior contracted diphtheria -- a very rare and potentially dangerous respiratory illness. While many sources were reached for the story, including a representative from Bloomington Hospital where the patient was treated, we relied on the assumption that the hospital had confirmed the diagnosis. It did not. After the reporter talked to the officials at the hospital Monday, no one clearly denied the diagnosis. That combined with information from one source not from the hospital, who said he believed it to be a case of diphtheria, led us to believe it was a confirmed diagnosis. Full story.
IU voices in the news
High court takes case on voter ID in Indiana; Ruling on state law may affect elections across the U.S.
Indianapolis Star, Sept. 26 -- The outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court battle over Indiana's voter identification law could help determine who gets to vote and who doesn't in future elections across the country, legal experts said.The high court on Tuesday agreed to hear arguments challenging the law. Attorneys said they expected oral arguments to take place in January, with a decision to be handed down by the end of June, in time for the 2008 presidential election. "There is no surprise they took this case," said Michael Pitts, an associate professor of law at the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis. "It's of national importance." Full story.
Contract signed for IU-Notify system for emergency alerts: Product will allow university to target specific groups or all eight campuses, has GPS capability as well
Bloomington Herald-Times, Sept. 26 -- Contract signed for IU-Notify system for emergency alerts: Product will allow university to target specific groups or all eight campuses, has GPS capability as well. A contract has been finalized between Indiana University and a provider of an event notification system that will provide a sweeping method of alerting those on campus to any type of emergency. The system will be called IU-Notify, and should be fully functional by the end of the calendar year, said Mark Bruhn, associate vice president for information and infrastructure assurance, on Tuesday. Not only will students be able to sign up for the service, but so will administrators, faculty and staff members and even some parents. Bruhn said the university will be able to target specific audiences or issue blanket notifications, depending on the nature of a situation. Full story.
Harris patrolling streets now: Former Indiana defensive tackle back in Bloomington working as a police officer
Bloomington Herald-Times, Sept. 26 -- From 1986-88, Walt Harris policed the middle of IU's defense. Today, he is policing the streets of Bloomington. Harris, a 6-foot-4, 267-pound tackle in his playing days, is still an imposing specimen today as a Bloomington patrolman. Harris is in his second go-around as a member of Bloomington's finest. He first served from 1991-93. In between he served 10 years with the metropolitan police department of Detroit, his home town. In 2003, he and his wife, Tiffany, decided to return to Bloomington. "Basically, we came back for the quality of life," Harris said. "We both are alumni of IU and longed to come back."
Full story.
Bloomington Hospital: no lab results that confirm diphtheria
Indiana Daily Student, Sept. 26 -- The initial shock Tony Berger received when he said a nurse at Bloomington Hospital told him he was being treated as though he had diphtheria has slightly subsided. Bloomington Hospital cannot confirm a preliminary diagnosis of Berger and has not had any reported cases of diphtheria in 2007, said Amanda Roach, media relations coordinator for Bloomington Hospital. Full story.
In the Chronicle:
Many Public Colleges Have Raised Tuition Despite Big Increases in State Support. Public colleges often blame their tuition increases on state lawmakers who, the colleges say, have not given them enough extra money to keep up with rising costs. But this year, many states' public colleges received sizable infusions of public money and then raised tuition significantly anyway. Full story.
Controversial NCAA Proposal Would Allow Colleges to Cash In on Players' Images. A controversial proposal by the National Collegiate Athletic Association would broaden the way companies are allowed to use college athletes in advertising campaigns, giving athletics departments more opportunities to trade on players' popularity. Full story.
Key Senator to Question Tax Breaks for Booster Clubs and College Endowments. The senior Republican on the U.S. Senate Finance Committee plans to expand an investigation into the tax-exempt status of college sports, reopening a debate about whether donors should receive a tax deduction for contributing to athletics departments. Full story.
Controversial NCAA Proposal Would Allow Colleges to Cash In on Players' Images. A controversial proposal by the National Collegiate Athletic Association would broaden the way companies are allowed to use college athletes in advertising campaigns, giving athletics departments more opportunities to trade on players' popularity. Athletics officials who support the proposal say that they aren't seeking to exploit athletes, and that the changes would align outdated NCAA rules with today's technologies. Some players also support the amendment. But critics say the proposal would go too far, allowing sponsors to expand their reach without compensating players for the use of their likenesses in commercial promotions. While players would continue to earn nothing for the use of their likenesses, their colleges, conferences, or the NCAA could reap profits from the advertisers. Full story.
The IU Daily News Brief is a service of the Office of University Communications. This is only a sampling of news about IU and higher education. To subscribe, or to remove your name from the distribution list, please contact Susan Williams at sulwilli@indiana.edu.
