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News Release

Last modified: Friday, October 12, 2007

Daily IU News Update

October 12, 2007

Presidential hour
Indiana Daily Student, Oct. 12 -- Presidential changes are everywhere you look these days. IU and Purdue have elected new presidents. Indiana State will soon follow. Unpredictable Russian elections are lurking around the corner, and the U.S. presidential contenders have seemingly been duking it out it out for ages. My crystal ball tells me that IU President Michael McRobbie is here to stay for the long run. He is proactive enough to not get himself canned after four years. Sorry to disappoint a bunch of you career climbers out there who are eyeing the presidential seat. You know who you are; I've been eyeing it too. Full story.

IU President says more research space needed
News Channel 18, Oct. 12 -- Indiana University's president says the school will need more research space to reach its full potential. But Michael McRobbie told a state legislative budget panel that he doesn't expect the General Assembly to pay for it all. Full story.

IU medical school to help develop nationwide medical records system
Indianapolis Star, Oct. 12 -- Indiana University is getting the first crack at building a nationwide computerized medical records and information system. The federal government on Thursday awarded a $2.5 million contract to the IU School of Medicine to start work on a trial implementation of the Nationwide Health Information Network. Full story.

IU to break ground on new Data Center; New facility to house Big Red supercomputer
Indiana Daily Student, Oct. 12 -- IU's new and much improved Data Center will be recognized during a groundbreaking ceremony Friday. The new, technologically advanced Data Center will serve as the new home for IU's supercomputer, Big Red. Full story.

IU smoking ban 'not workable'
Indiana Daily Student, Oct. 11 -- The proposed campus-wide smoking ban which will take effect in January is an unworkable and lamentable idea. Certainly, there is reason to be concerned for the health of the student body, and it is understandable why the campus has banned smoking within 30 feet of buildings. As a smoker myself, I believe in taking others into consideration, and that means trying not to smoke in places where there is high pedestrian traffic. Still, banning smoking campus-wide puts unreasonable duress on a portion of the student body that uses tobacco. Full story.

Condom experts told that size matters
Cape Cod Times, Oct. 11 -- As the world's top condom experts convene this week to update international standards, one American entrepreneur has a simple message: Size matters. It's shaking up an industry that has generally taken a one-size-fits-all approach. A more comfortable condom contributes to men actually using them, said Michael Reece, director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University. "It is time for those who establish condom manufacturing standards to consider whether an expanded range of condom sizes is necessary," Reece said. Full story.

IU voices in the news

Genetically engineered corn
CBS Radio Show As It Happens, Oct. 10 -- Todd Royer, an assistant professor in the IU School of Public and Environmental Science, was interviewed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. about his recently published research showing widespread planting of genetically engineered corn could cause problems for aquatic ecosystems. The interview aired live Wednesday night on CBC's Canada-wide "As It Happens" program. Here is a link (the interview is in Part 3): Interview link.

From the Chronicle

5 More States May Curb Use of Race in Hiring and Admissions
The prominent affirmative-action critic Ward Connerly appears well on his way to getting up to five states to vote in November 2008 on ballot measures banning the use of racial, ethnic, and gender preferences by public colleges and other state and local agencies. And, according to political analysts who monitor the states that are the targets of Mr. Connerly's planned "Super Tuesday" on affirmative action—Arizona, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma—he stands a very good chance of getting measures passed in all of them. Full story.

Cuomo Issues Subpoenas to Student-Loan Companies Suspected of Misleading Marketing Practices
After New York's attorney general, Andrew M. Cuomo, began criticizing relationships between colleges and student-loan companies, some in the industry warned that their responses would leave students even more vulnerable to deceptive corporate marketing practices. "Reforming the student-loan industry," Mr. Cuomo said in a written statement, "requires investigation of all aspects of this market to ensure that one reform, like cleaning up preferred-lender lists, is more than just a thumb in the dike causing the bad practices to shift to another area of the market." Full story.

Ex-President of Eastern Michigan U. Sues Its Board of Regents, Seeking Reinstatement
The former president of Eastern Michigan University sued its Board of Regents on Thursday, arguing that his firing violated a state law that protects whistle-blowers. The board dismissed John A. Fallon III this past summer, amid controversy over the university's apparent mishandling of a student's murder on the campus, which the U.S. Department of Education had found to be a violation of a federal crime-reporting law (The Chronicle, July 5). Full story.

In India, Economic Success Leaves Universities Desperate for Professors; Students cope with crowded classrooms as scholars flock to the burgeoning private sector
India's universities are suffering from an acute faculty shortage, with some institutions unable to fill as many as 35 percent of their positions. From the country's elite Indian Institutes of Technology to regional engineering colleges, the dearth of professors has led to overcrowded classrooms, student discontent, and deep concerns about how India can handle a planned expansion of the higher-education system. Full story.

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